Chapter Four: Bound to Return
Cassiel regained his consciousness lying in a field.
He was still in existence. In fact, he was still in the body of his vessel.
So was Jimmy. He could feel the man's mind and soul flickering sluggishly, stunned by the crushing force of the angelic wrath they had been exposed to. But the man was there, still alive, and for all his shock, relatively unharmed.
They both were. The physical vessel was battered, but nothing that Cassiel's healing could not fix with a few moments of effort.
Castiel's desperate move had worked.
Cassiel immediately reached out with his senses, reaching for his other half.
Castiel still existed. He still resided within the body of Claire Novak.
But he was wounded. He had taken the brunt of Raphael's fury, redirecting the blast as he had. The wounds to his Grace were the angelic equivalent of broken bones and second, even third degree burns. He would heal, but it would not be soon.
Claire Novak was shaken, most likely by Castiel's condition, but otherwise completely fine. She had weathered the storm completely unharmed.
Castiel stirred weakly, reaching out to link with him as he became aware of his presence. 'It...appears to have worked.'
'Indeed. It appears it has.' Cassiel stood and repaired the minor damage to his vessel. His grace was a bit sluggish, but largely undiminished as near as he could tell. 'I am unharmed.'
'Then you must go. Sam and Dean…'
'They will be in danger. As will those with whom they associate.' Cassiel finished the thought, already stretching his angelic awareness for some sign of Sam and Dean's presence. The Winchesters needed to be protected before he did anything else.
They weren't at the convent. The convent burned to his angelic senses, where the gates between Earth and the deepest pits of Hell had been torn apart. The fissure had been sealed, thankfully, but the energy residue was still hot and raw to his senses, like a wound torn into the earth.
Despite that, he couldn't detect Sam and Dean there. Logically, there was no way they could have gotten away, but it appeared they had. Carefully, Cassiel tapped into angel radio. In all the commotion in Heaven, no one noticed him listening.
It took only a few moments to piece together the story. Lucifer had been released. The Winchesters, however, had been rescued. No one was quite certain who had rescued them, only that they had not fallen into Hell, or been taken by Lucifer or Lilith or any other demonic entity. Many were hesitantly entertaining theories that God himself had intervened to keep the Winchesters alive and safe.
An interesting theory. And, given how much discussion there was about his own demise, possibly something he could use. If God had intervened for the Winchesters, perhaps he could convince other angels that God had intervened for him as well. If nothing else, it would provide a convincing story to allow him to hide his condition.
And, for all he knew, it might not even be a lie. Castiel's desperate attempt should not have worked, should not have saved him. There was no proof that his Father hadn't intervened on his behalf, and he doubted Raphael had been paying enough attention to realize what had really happened.
That left finding the Winchesters as his highest priority. Finding them and protecting them.
News buzzed over angel radio. Zachariah had acquired the Winchesters. Cassiel immediately homed in on the location mentioned, and Zachariah's presence. Zachariah hadn't put up any wards, which wasn't a shock. The older angel always had been arrogant. And he, like the rest of Heaven, probably presumed that Castiel was dead.
Sam and Dean were both in distress, and Sam's life-force was fading. Cassiel did one final check on Castiel, who was slowly mending, resting within Claire Novak, then flew to the Winchesters' side.
He emerged from the ether into a scene that was far too reminiscent of his re-education days. Both Winchesters were down, Sam gasping, his face turning blue, Dean on one knee with blood in his mouth and his hands folded over his stomach. Zachariah stood over the older Winchester, a vicious sneer on his face.
None of them, including the two angels who were supposed to be on guard, had noticed Cassiel's arrival. But then, they were probably on the lookout for demons. Cassiel had sensed several in the area. Presumably, with Lucifer free, both Heaven and Hell were after the Winchesters to secure the perfect vessel for their champion.
Sam was suffocating. There was no more time for thought. Cassiel launched into action.
The first guard never knew what hit him, dying in a blaze of light as Cassiel's sword pierced him through. Zachariah and the second guard both turned to look, shocked and startled, but Cassiel gave them no time to react. He launched himself at the second guard, hitting him with a smiting blaze that rocked him and damaged his vessel, long enough for Cassiel to shove his blade through the other angel's sternum. He wrenched it free, then turned to Zachariah.
The Cherub was staring at him. "What...how...you were..."
"I was. And I think you know how." He held Zachariah's gaze and saw the Cherub flinch. "Undo whatever you've done to them." He gestured to Sam and Dean, then hefted his blade in clear warning.
Perhaps Zachariah believed his threat. Perhaps he believed that God really was protecting him. It didn't matter. All that mattered was that the Cherub waved a hand. Sam immediately started breathing properly, gasping in huge gulps of air. The blood vanished from Dean's face, and he stopped hunching over in pain.
Cassiel turned to inspect his charges, and Zachariah took that moment to flee. Cassiel let him go, his mind occupied with the most efficient means of protecting the Winchesters. A warding seal would be best. But it would have to be one that was impossible to lose. One that could not be removed without killing them. Otherwise, it would be useless.
He sorted out the spell he wanted to use, then stepped forward. Dean and Sam were already standing, staring at him. Dean moved forward. "Cas..."
Cassiel heard the hunter call his name, but his mind was focused on the seal. He had to do this just right...he laid a hand on each brother's sternum, calling up the Enochian in his mind.
Both brothers yelped as the spell took effect. Dean jerked away and cursed. "Cas, what the hell?"
He looked up at them. "I put a spell on you. A warding to prevent angels from being able to find you. No angels will be able to locate you, not even me." Which meant he'd have to find an alternative way of contacting them.
Dean glared at him. "What did you do, just tattoo it onto us?"
He blinked. "No. I branded it on your rib cages." Sam turned faintly green at that.
Dean grimaced. "Yeah. Okay." He studied Cassiel, and the angel saw a faint hint of compassion in his eyes. "But man, what happened? Last time I saw you, you had an archangel bearing down on you, about to smite your ass."
"He did. Smite me. But..." Cassiel paused. "I...I believe God may have protected me. As he reportedly did you."
"God, huh? Great." Dean shook his head.
"Yes. Now..." Cassiel prepared to leave. He had plans to make, and he wasn't entirely sure he should involve the Winchesters. They were seasoned hunters, but it was his job to protect his charges, and he was likely to be on the front lines of combat. Demons aside, now that his survival had been revealed it was likely that all his brethren hunting him.
"Cas, wait." Sam stepped forward. "Look...we could use your help, before you go." He exchanged looks with Dean. "I know, we already owe you one. Several. But..."
Cassiel knew what Castiel would have said, and would have wanted him to say. "What do you need?"
"We need you to heal our friend, Bobby." Sam spoke softly. "Please, I know it's asking a lot, but he was wounded protecting us from demons, fighting possession. And he's really, he's kind of like our dad. He's important to us."
Cassiel frowned. Healing was not his area of expertise. But still. "I will see what I can do."
The Winchesters took him to a hospital. Both Sam and Dean saw a doctor about something called X-rays, for some reason he couldn't fathom. Well, until Sam returned, revealing two pictures of their rib cages, both showing the scroll of Enochian he had branded onto them. The brothers must have wanted verification of the warding. That was wise of them.
Then they took him up the stairs, and into a room where a man, one Robert Singer, was resting. This was clearly the Bobby they had both wanted him to heal.
Cassiel stretched out his hands over the man. He had been paralyzed from the waist down, stabbed with the Ruby's Demon Knife. It was a miracle he wasn't dead. But the knife had cut him in the back, nicking his spinal cord and resulting in his current condition.
Cassiel examined him, then reached for his healing energy.
It wasn't there. He couldn't bend his will to heal the older man. He could mend his own vessel, but he couldn't heal Bobby.
For a moment, he was stunned. Shocked. Then he realized the truth. His sundering from Castiel had caused a rift in their powers as well. As Castiel was the more merciful of them, the more empathetic, so was he the healer. Without him, Cassiel had no healing powers.
Normally, he could have called upon his other half to aid him, or even switch vessels with him. But Castiel was wounded, still raw from the smiting he had blocked. Even if they exchanged places, Castiel wouldn't have the power to heal a wound of this magnitude.
And they were outcasts from Heaven. By now, Zachariah would have reported their rebellion and had him declared Fallen. There would be no help from that quarter.
He turned to the Winchesters. For a moment, he considered revealing the truth. But there were too many people in the hospital, too many people he didn't know. Too many chances for a demon or an angel to cloak it's presence and spy on them. He opted instead for a version of the truth. "I...I can't heal him."
"What? Why?"
"I'm cut off from Heaven. This weakens me." It was only a part of the truth, but it would have to be enough. "I...no longer have all the powers I once possessed."
"Well, that's just great." Bobby, already angry and upset, snarled out the words. "Fat lotta good you are." He glared at all of them. "Get out." Then he turned to face the windows of his hospital room, angry and sullen.
Cassiel looked at the Winchesters, both of whom were watching Bobby with sorrow in their faces. "I am sorry." Bobby was not his charge, but he was clearly vital to the well being of the brothers, which made him a valuable asset for Cassiel.
"Yeah, well. It is what it is." Dean heaved a sigh. "Thanks for tryin'."
"You're welcome." He sensed Dean's dismissal, the brothers turning to each other, and left.
He had plans to make, and he would need Castiel's input.
Author's Note: He's back! But still not okay. And they have a long road ahead of them.