Hello, my fellow Supernatural fans! Thanks for all the reviews and all that formal crap that I'm supposed to say. (No, really, I appreciate y'all.) So I decided to be honest with you and tell you that I have no idea where I'm going with this story and I'm making it up as I go, but I like it. Now that you know… enjoy this chapter!
"That was one creepy son of a bitch," Dean chuckled, wiping blood off his hands. "Haven't handled a werewolf for a while, right, Sammy?"
Harsh wind attacked Dean's already freezing body.
"Yeah," Sam confirmed with a fake smile plastered on his face. The whole time they tailed Jason, the werewolf, all Sam could think about was Madison. Sure, he was completely over her — it was so long ago! However, a quiet, low voice in the back of his head kept whispering how many lives he had ruined in the past and how many he is going to ruin in the future.
Cas's healing might have been a quick fix, but it never worked completely. The whole situation reminded Sam of the hallucinations he fought after he got his soul back. The voice in his head wasn't even close to Lucifer's voice, yet he felt the same twinge as back then. He looked horrible and he knew it—he felt it. The bags under his eyes weighed tons, the gravity dragged the corners of his mouth downwards, and the stubble residing on his jaw slightly itched.
Despite all that, something inside him kept persuading him that he was doing the best for the world and himself. Everything associated with demons slowly left his body. For the first time in his life, he was almost pure.
"We should head back to the Batcave, man," Dean noted as he arranged the weapons in the trunk of his darling Impala. "I'm kinda worried. We shouldn't leave Lilly and Cas alone."
Sam raised his eyebrows. "Are you scared that Cas won't take good care of her?"
"Don't be ridiculous," Dean rolled his eyes. "What I'm afraid of is that she won't take care of him!" He shook his head, making his way to the driver's seat. "He was pretty pissed that we refused to take him with us."
Sam shifted on his seat to find a comfortable position that wouldn't hurt his already destroyed back. "Um, it wasn't that bad."
Dean turned on the radio and Hot Blooded by Foreigner filled their ears. "It wasn't that bad?! Do you even remember?"
"Let me see..."
"Dean, for the last bloody time… I'M COMING!" Lilly exclaimed with arms crossed on her chest.
Cas didn't mean to eavesdrop, but not listening when Lilly and Dean were standing right next to him was impossible. He decided to acknowledge his presence and join the conversation.
"Coming where?" he inquired.
"To Minnesota. Got some werewolves on the run," Dean sighed. He turned his gaze back to Lilly. "You're staying here with Cas."
"Are you implying that you are leaving me here, Dean?" Cas narrowed his eyes and tilted his head.
"That is exactly what I'm saying."
Cas peeped at Sam in hopes of receiving some help, but Sam didn't seem to be interested in the conversation. He silently packed his bag without as much as glancing at Cas.
"I cannot do that, Dean," Cas spoke in a gravelly voice. "It is my duty to protect you and Sam."
"Goddammit, I don't need this! I didn't expect to have one kid, let alone two. I didn't sign up for this! You two better behave and don't do anything stupid when we're gone, alright?!" Dean picked up his duffel bag and headed towards the door. On the way, he muttered under his breath, "Those two with their bullshit. I'm so done. I need a break, I really do."
He stormed out of the door, returning a second later just to scream: "SAM, GET YOUR ASS HERE, WE ARE LEAVING. WHAT'S TAKING YOU SO LONG, PRINCESS?"
"You're remembering that wrong," Dean argued, taking his eyes off the road for the umpteenth time.
Sam smirked. "Whatever you say."
XXX
"Castiel, don't be an asshole and use your angel mojo to get us to Dean and Sam!" Lilly shrieked for the fourteenth time. (Yes, Castiel actually counted.)
He proceeded to ignore her wishes just as he did for the past few hours. Cas didn't like being left behind any more than Lilly did, but he knew his place. Dean asked him to stay and Cas owed him some obedience for once. How many times had Dean asked for Cas's trust and he completely ignored it? Certainly one too many.
"Lillian, why do you not engage in any teenage activities?" Cas offered, attempting to be helpful.
Lilly puffed. "Everyone treats me like a little kid! I could do this adulty-angel crap, too, you know?"
Cas's arrogance ruffled Lilly's feathers before she realized that he didn't mean to make her feel worthless. The cause of her frustration wasn't his nonexistent arrogance—it was his ignorance. He honestly didn't comprehend how she felt. Oftentimes she would forget that he wasn't sassing her, only trying to answer her (obviously rhetorical) questions or give her advice. The fact that he genuinely sucked at it didn't mean that she shouldn't be grateful for his consideration.
Lilly exhaled and picked up Sam's laptop.
"I do not mean to discourage you," Cas spoke carefully, "but angels do not have an easy job." Before Lilly opened her mouth to respond, he quickly added: "But I suppose that being Dean Winchester's daughter is not an easy job either."
"You 'suppose' right," she sighed. "But I guess that was in the terms and conditions that I haven't read."
Cas considered responding, but he didn't understand what "terms and conditions" meant. He shrugged it off, eying Lilly's fingers smoothly dance on the keyboard. Moments later, strange, high-pitched sounds escaped the laptop. He shifted his gaze to the screen, just to sight a bunch of animated characters with unnaturally colored hair. The bright colors and oddly shaped people confused him.
"This is proportionally incorrect," he protested. "The chest-to-waist ratio is ridiculous and their eyes take up more than one half of their head, which is obviously impossible."
Lilly rolled her eyes. "Cas, this is anime."
Cas shot her a questioning look.
"It's just a Japanese cartoon. The characters are made this way to look more attractive."
"That's horrible," Cas shook his head in disgust. "Humans are beautiful creations and they should not be mocked in such way."
"Gosh, relax. It's just a show. It's pretty cool, actually." Lilly's eyes sparkled the way Dean's do when he talks about pie. "You see, the main character is a misunderstood teenage girl. Her parents and teachers question the hardships she has to go through and then one day, they just turn into teenagers, too. It's like karma is punishing them!"
Cas, intrigued by the storyline, only nodded slightly. He couldn't get accustomed to the creatures' appearances; however, he found the show enjoyable. Apparently, the pink-haired young lady fancied the purple-eyed fella. Nevertheless, the pink lady's mother, who was a teenager at the moment, found him attractive, too. Everybody considered him attractive, even the father, who has not shown any signs of homosexuality before.
After twenty minutes, it was over. Cas wanted to know more! How was he supposed to find out if Tasuke-san reciprocated Mei-chan's feelings?
Lilly nodded knowingly and proceeded to watch another episode. And another one. And another one. And…
Engrossed in the last episode, Cas almost missed the squeak of the door as the Winchesters returned to the bunker. He revised the clock on the wall, becoming conscious of the time. Lilly and he spent six hours staring at the computer screen.
"What are you two doing?" Dean queried, slipping the duffel bag at the floor and sinking in a chair.
"Just showing Cas some hentai," Lilly chimed.
"WHAT?" Sam and Dean exclaimed simultaneously.
Lilly laughed heartily. "Oh god, you're too easy." She closed the laptop and stood up. "We were watching anime, so don't get your panties in a bunch, boys."
Cas innocently observed the scene, not fully aware of what was the big deal. (And honestly, he assumed he didn't want to know.) Just then, he heard a sound very familiar to him — flapping of wings. He turned around instantly and his jaw dropped in awe. For a second, he weighed the possibility that he was hallucinating. He could not be seeing what he was seeing. It was impossible.
"Do I get a 'hi' or what?" Gabriel announced loudly. "Hello, Castiel." He ruffled Cas's hair.
Everybody in the room fell into a stunned silence. This could not be happening. Gabriel was dead, and what's dead should stay dead. (Except for Cas and Dean and Sam and now Lilly and maybe some other people, of course.)
"Dean! Mufasa! I missed messing with you!" he proceeded to talk. "And hey there, young one. You turned out to be way prettier than your daddy."
He ignored the silence and continued his short speech. "This is going to be so much fun! Let's have a sleepover, shall we?"
"What on Earth…?" Cas finally spoke up. "You were dead! And now you are not. How?"
Gabriel frowned. "Cas, it's selfish of you to think that you're the only one who gets his ass saved all the time. I don't know how exactly it happened, but it did, and a simple, 'Hey, wassup, brah? Long time no see, dawg,' would be fine."
Sam and Dean exchanged well-that's-not-the-weirdest-thing-that-has-ever-h appened-to-us looks and shrugged. Gabriel had a point. If Castiel deserved salvation, Gabriel earned it, too. He died like a hero, protecting Sam, Dean, and just humanity in general.
Lilly broke the uncomfortable silence: "Oh my god, Gabe, I cried when I read that you died! I'm really glad to see you alive, you were always my favorite."
Gabriel grinned. "I don't know what she's talking about, but I like her. You dicks don't appreciate me. I'm out."
In a matter of nanoseconds, Gabriel disappeared.
Castiel, Sam, and Dean fixed their stare on the spot where Gabriel stood seconds ago, too puzzled to react. They woke up from their reverie at the sound of Lilly's laugh.
She examined the three of them, unable to breathe. Tears travelled down her cheeks as she guffawed. After she calmed down and wiped off her tears, her face expression changed to one of seriousness. "Boys," she deadpanned, "you should take a look in the mirror."
They looked at each other and their eyes grew wide. Their stunned expressions didn't quite look like them. At least not in this decade. They turned into teenagers.
"When I find him," Dean growled, "I'm gonna fuck him up."
Well? I'm sorry, I just really miss Gabe, okay? He was my baby and they took him from me! Also, if you don't think that Gabriel should call Sam Mufasa, you are wrong. And I totally bullshitted the anime, but I'm pretty sure that something similarly fucked up exists. I'm going to have fun with this. Please, review to let me know what you think!
