Chapter 3:
Hermione landed in her flat safely with a crack, the window in front of her displaying the glowing Boston skyline. She thanked Merlin she hadn't splinched herself. With the way her heart was beating she was surprised she could even stand.
"Well, well, well. What do we have here? Exciting night, Granger?" A voice asked smuggle from the couch.
Hermione fumbled with her wand before dropping it to the floor. Her reflexes really weren't what they used to be. The voice let out a laugh before she could run and Hermione scowled. "Ginny?"
"The one and only!" her friend said with a laugh as she lifted herself from the couch.
Hermione looked suspiciously at her friend. Why had the redhead come all the way across the pond?
"You don't remember? You asked me over for the weekend. A last hoo-rah before I settle into married life." When Hermione continued to look confused, Ginny began to get suspicious. "What happened to you tonight?"
Subconsciously Hermione's hand trailed up to her lips and whispered, "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."
Ginny's eyes grew wide. She knew that look. It was the 'got snogged senseless' look. She remembered sporting it quite a lot after the war. "Oh, Hermione, what's his name? You have got to tell me now!"
Hermione blushed. "I think it would be better if I showed you. Would grab my pensieve from under the sink?"
Ginny nodded and scurried off to get the object. When Hermione was alone in the living room she let herself finally think about what happened, but it still confused her. Maybe it was a blessing Ginny showed up; then she had an excuse to watch the memory and see it all from a different angle.
"Did you use your pensieve to catch water from a dripping pipe?" Ginny asked incredulously as she reentered the living room.
Hermione blushed again, "Oh shut up. I was in a hurry to leave for work," Hermione mumbled before sending a few spells at the pensieve; one to clean it and one to fill it with fresh water. "Here goes nothing," she told her friend before placing her wand at her temple and extracting the memory. Once the silver mist was added to the water she and Ginny didn't waste any time in tumbling into the memory.
Soon memory Hermione appeared and pushed open the door to the seedy bar.
"Ugh Hermione. Don't you have standards?" Ginny whispered before she was hushed.
"Over there," Hermione whisper back as she pointed in the direction of Castiel and the Winchesters. Ginny whistled low.
"Damn. Harry Potter, who?" she said with a smack to Hermione's rear.
Hermione, in turn, shot her a look, "Ginny! You are getting married next month! Just keep quiet and watch."
The two women watched as Hermione sat at the booth, then shifted their attention to the men. They watched as Dean went to stand before Castiel gripped his arm tightly.
"Ouch, that must have hurt," Ginny spoke through a grimace. Her eyes widened when Castiel strode away from the other two and sat at Hermione's table.
Ginny knew she was in a dream, but even then the intensity of Castiel's stare was making her shift.
"I thought he was trying to x-ray vision me naked," Hermione explained.
"Don't worry, It's nothing like that,"memory Castiel said to her. Even in the memory his voice sent shock waved through her body.
"Was he reading your mind?" Ginny gasped as they continued to watch the scene. Before they knew it Dean and Sam arrived and introduced themselves.
"Well, he isn't shy in giving you the once over," Ginny laughed.
"Dammit Cas, did you kick me?"
"Your boyfriend sure is possessive," Ginny remarked. The red head turned to her friend but Hermione had left her side and was looking at Castiel closely from across the booth. "What are you doing?" Ginny asked.
"Just trying to see if I could have realized it then," Hermione whispered before letting her voice trail off. Then she felt the air change. This must have been when her magic flared. She watched as a small look of shock flitted across Castiel's face before he lifted two fingers to her temple and the memory faded to black.
"How did he do that?" Ginny asked as the two friend stood in the empty space between memories. Hermione didn't have time to answer because she started to hear the voices return.
"Are you saying we can't kill her?" She heard Dean yell.
"You certainly may not kill her!" Castiel's voice boomed. Hermione's head hurt listening to it. If anything that should have been an indication to what he was. The room came into focus and Hermione was able to see Castiel standing in front of her, hold a long silver dagger in his hand. "What the hell?" She whispered to her friend.
"Will you all quiet down. I'm trying to sleep," memory Hermione said as she pushed herself up.
"How much did you hear?"
"Just enough to know you want to kill me. You want to kill me over this."
Hermione watched as Castiel positioned himself in front of her. She smiled as he tried to protect her.
"Now I have no idea where I am or how I got here. All I know is I am in a room with people who want me dead. I want to know how I got into this mess. I want to know how you know what I am and I want to know who you are!"
"The truth?"
"I made sure you were unconscious before I brought you here. It was for your safety as well as the safety of everyone else in that bar. They are only nervous because it is their job to hunt supernatural beings, but I won't let them hurt you."
"And how do you know who I am?"
"I could sense the magic flowing through your veins. I couldn't pinpoint it exactly until right before you unintentionally tried to harm us."
Hermione moved over so she was next to Ginny and grabbed her hand. "Be ready," she whispered to her friend. She knew what was coming, but she still felt as if she needed to prepare herself.
Soon the room filled with lightning. Hermione heard Ginny gasp beside her when the giant wings projected themselves on the wall behind Castiel.
"Holy shite. Is he?" Ginny started, but was interrupted by memory Hermione.
"An angel? My mother used to tell me stories about angels. I always thought they were an idea, a symbol. I never thought I would ever be able to reach out and touch one." Her hands were on his face, and she could see him tense.
"Normally you can't. I chose to live in a vessel so that I could help people here on earth."
Hermione flushed when she saw Castiel lower his lips to hers. Her hand found its way to her lips. She could still feel him; soft lips, firm chest, with a hint of stubble. She just wished it could have lasted longer.
"Not saying I didn't like the peep show, but really? Now is not the time, I'm still not convinced she won't kill us."
Ginny scoffed. "He couldn't just let you enjoy the moment, could he?" Hermione smiled at her friend. She felt the same. Stupid Dean.
"Believe me, if I had wanted to kill you, and I could, I would have already done so. I am not here to cause trouble."
"How do I know you're not lying?"
"You don't, but do you really think I could lie about bad intentions to an angel?"
Hermione smiled smugly at the dumb expression on Dean's face when she summoned her wand.
"You mean you don't even need the stick? What was the point of throwing it down?"
"Call it an act of good faith. I would never hurt innocent people."
"Well, I am exhausted. I think it is about time I get back to my own room,"
Ginny looked at her friend strangely when they watched memory Hermione scribble something on a spare piece of parchment. "Or whatever," memory Hermione said with a smile towards Castiel as she handed him the note. The second time around Hermione was able to see a smile on the angels face before she and Ginny grasped hands and pulled themselves out of the memory.
When her feet were firmly planted on the ground she chanced a glance at her friend. Ginny seemed okay, but looked like she was lost deeply in thought. Hermione decided she really needed some ice cream. Without disturbing her friend's musings she crept into the kitchen and grabbed a pint of chocolate ice cream and joined her friend.
Ginny had sunk down onto the couch staring intently out at the night sky.
"I never thought angels existed," Ginny said as Hermione handed her the carton. The red head watched as her friend dug a spoon into the ice cream and stuck a large bite into her mouth. "And you snogged him! You snogged an angel! Thought I will admit he is an attractive one."
Hermione laughed, sending ice cream all over her coffee table.
"He was, wasn't he?" she whispered as she used her wand to clean the mess. "Can I be honest with you?" Ginny took her own bite and nodded. " There is something about him that, I don't know, draws me in. I don't know how to explain it."
Hermione grabbed another spoonful of ice cream, but got lost in thought before she was able to get it to her mouth. What was it that drew her to him? Ever since she met him in that bar just a few hours he had found a way to worm himself into her brain. Kissing him didn't alleviate that feeling. Quite the opposite, it intensified it. She knew that if there hadn't been two other men in that room with her than she wouldn't have been able to stop, angel or not. He was still a man, right?
"I'm going to hit the hay. As you know I had an interesting night," Hermione swallowed down the last spoonful of melted ice cream and stood. "Feel free to use the spare room. We'll do brunch tomorrow."
Ginny smiled at the brunette and watched her head to her room. "Lucky swot," Ginny laughed. Just like Hermione to attract an angel. Possibly the only thing stronger than her.
"Castiel."
He heard it clear as day. Bobby had left for bed hours ago, and the Winchesters had finally passed out from drink. Castiel chose to spend his time wandering the scrapyard. He could help but compare it to some of the more dirty and abstract heavens he had visited.
"Castiel. Don't... stop. Please."
The voice said again. He knew it was her. He didn't know why she would call him. It didn't sound like she was in danger. However he couldn't stay, knowing that something was happening.
In the next instance he had found her. She was in her bedroom, which seemed oddly normal. Was his life on earth making him mad?
"Castiel," she whispered.
Castiel crouched next to her. Why was she calling out to him in her sleep? He decided he needed help. It took him two tries but he finally managed to call Dean
"Hello?" his sleepy voice answered after the third ring. Castiel thanked his Father that Dean always answered his phone.
"Dean? I am at Hermione's house. I thought she was in danger. She was calling out to me, but she is just sleeping," Cas spoke softly into the phone.
He heard Dean groan and shift. "Dammit Cas, that's weird. What's she doing?"
Cas stayed silent and observed the woman in the bed. "She looks like she's writhing, but I don't sense pain."
He tilted his head, trying to sense her feelings. "I am actually sensing the opposite of pain. I do not understand this."
"Oh Cas. You, my man, are really rocking her world. Metaphorically," Dean laughed.
Castiel opened his mouth to ask for conformation, but Hermione's shifting diverted his attention. His hand fell limply at his side when her sleepy gaze fell on him.
"Hi Cas. Am I still dreaming?" she asked. Her hand trailed up his side and along his arm, stopping on the back of his neck.
She shifted closer to him and the thin blanket on top of her fell to the side. Castiel gulped. He had never seen a human woman quite so unclothed before, and the sight rendered him quite speechless.
Hermione must have taken his silence for a 'yes' because she pulled him down to meet her lips. Castiel vaguely heard Dean calling him through the phone but he was beyond caring.
As Hermione leaned back, she was able to drag Castiel with her. She didn't stop until her back was flat against the bed and his body weight was nearly crushing her. Castiel knew he should stop. He was an angel of the Lord and he wasn't supposed to have relations with human women, especially when they didn't know what they were doing. He nearly pushed away when he felt her lips leave his. He thought she had fallen back into slumber but was shocked when he felt her continue to kiss her way down his neck.
She alternated between kissing and biting, leaving his skin tingling. Subconsciously his hands found her breasts and he gave them a tentative squeeze. She moaned in approval and arched her back into him. Her lips burned a trail back to his lips and her hands were suddenly on his tie. In seconds it was untied and tossed off the side of the bed.
It was only when her hands found his belt buckle that the angel came to his senses. In a flash he had pressed his two fingers to her temple, and made her sleep.
"Cas!" he heard Dean yelling through the phone. He was sluggish in retrieving it, considering the position he found himself in. She seemed to awaken a need in him, it was so intense it was getting uncomfortable.
He grabbed the phone and hung up while grabbing his tie from where Hermione threw it. She shifted again and Cas was able to see a perfect leg poke out from under the covers. Before he lost his resolve he disappeared from the room.
He landed directly in front of Dean, who stumbled back over a chair in shock.
"Jeez Cas. So being a peeping tom wasn't enough so you decided to go and add pop-up clown?" Dean cursed as he adjusted his jacked, which had rumpled in his fall.
"What's a pop-up clown?" Castiel asked. The Winchesters always made fun of his curiosity, but they never understood quite how inquisitive angels got.
Dean shot him a strange look, "Oh forget it. What were you doing there, man?"
"I heard her call out for me. I thought she might be in danger. As it turns out she was not," Cas finished lamely.
Dean made a motion with his hands, clearly asking for more information. However Cas didn't give in, only sat down in an available chair.
"Oh come on man, I heard her! You were obviously doing something right," Dean told him with a smirk.
"I didn't realize a woman's breasts were so sensitive," Cas said quietly with a tentative look at his hands.
Dean's jaw hit the floor as he collapsed into a chair. "Well, good job Cas."