The Lies We Tell

Written by RippleInThePond

Chapter 7: Remember Everything

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Cas stood in the forest behind the hotel that the Winchesters and Lyriel had decided to stay at. He patrolled the area, creating sigyls as he walked around in order to protect his charges. He admired every tree and plant, but his heart ached at every piece of trash that littered the place. He was reaching out toward a tree when he heard a flap of wings. He turned around quickly prepared to fight, but was surprised by what he saw.

Gabriel stood before him, staring at him with a look of pain and shame. He whispered quietly,"Hey kiddo." Cas glared at him. "What are you doing here?!" Gabriel smiled softly before walking toward Cas. "I'm here to fix my mistake." When he reached Cas, he reached his hands out and placed them on Castiel's head.

With a burst of light, Castiel remembered everything that he had been forced to forget. He remembered Lyriel taking him under her wing. He remembered being just a fledgling, laying in her arms with their wings curled around each other as they slept. He remembered the first steps that she had forced him to take.

He looked at Gabriel in anger as he regained what he had lost, but he stopped when he saw the mournful and sorrowful expression on his face. He bowed his head slightly in a nod of appreciation. "Are... are you going to help us?" Gabriel silently shook his head. Cas gave him a small smile. "Thank you, Gabriel." Gabriel gave a small smile before flying away.

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Lyriel sat on the bed in the hotel. Dean was out getting food and Sam was taking a shower. She heard a flap of wings and looked up to see Castiel standing in front of her smiling at her lovingly.

"You're wrong, you know. I wasn't annoyed. I had been completely livid." Lyriel scrunched her eyebrows together in confusion and Castiel stepped forward, giving her a hug. She froze in shock before hearing him whisper in her ear.

"I remember. I remember everything." Lyriel felt her heart break and mend as she raised her hands to his back, afraid to hope. Castiel smiled as he squeezed her tightly. "Hello, sister." Lyriel let out a sob and gripped him tight. "H-how?"

Castiel rubbed her back in affection as he felt her body shake with tears. "Gabriel. He appeared to me a little while ago and restored my memories," he leaned back and looked at her quizzically. "What did you say to him after we left?" She sniffed and wiped away her tears. "Oh, you know. Yelled at him for abandoning me. Found out he took your memories. Did some crying. Made him feel guilty for leaving me and taking away your memories."

Cas laughed slightly. "I think you got to him." She gave a watery smile. "Yeah." Lyriel hugged Cas again and squeezed. "I'm so glad to have you back." Dean walked in and froze. "Uh, what did I miss?" Without breaking the hug, Cas replied. "I have my memories back. Gabriel had been the one to take them. He restored them a little while ago."

Dean raised an eyebrow. "Really?" Cas nodded. "It is strange as I now have conflicting memories. Although, now certain things make sense." Lyriel lifted her head and looked at him. "Like what?" Cas gave a sad smile. "Now I understand why I couldn't stand singing." He looked at Lyriel. "For some reason, it always made me feel, and every time I always felt sad." Lyriel laughed.

"Looks like the heart remembered what the mind had forgotten." Sam walked out of the bathroom and was drying his hair with a towel. He looked at Cas and Lyriel, his face full of confusion. Dean spoke before he could ask. "Cas got his memories back from Gabriel." Sam's eyes widened a bit before he nodded. He then looked back at Cas. "Is Gabriel on our side? Is he going to help?"

Cas shook his head. "No. He is still afraid." Lyriel stood up and then walked towards the bathroom to take a shower. Dean saw what she was doing and started. "Hey! Its my turn!" She looked back at him and smirked. "Too bad, and don't whine like a baby. It is unbecoming of a man." She walked into the bathroom and Dean walked over to Cas.

"What was she like, in heaven?" Cas' eyes brightened slightly. "She was incredible. You think the music you hear is good? You haven't heard her sing." He got a wistful smile on his face. "She used to sing to me, in heaven. I didn't need sleep, but she did and I would lay with her and she would sing to me before she fell asleep. She is the embodiment of the phrase 'having the voice of an angel'."

Dean gave a small smile. "What is your favorite new memory?" Cas' eyebrows scrunched together as he thought about it. "I think that my favorite memory would have to be when she took me down to Earth. I couldn't fly or walk yet, so she carried me down and showed me the Earth. It was completely beautiful. There wasn't this gas polluting the air nor cities that decimated fume wildlife. I remember it perfectly."

"The sky had been a bright blue without a cloud in the sky. It was late spring and the plants were vibrant shades of green, blue, red, yellow, orange, and other colors that I can name. The air was warm and comforting. The mothers of the animals were taking care of the and teaching them how to walk." He smiled as the memory filled his mind. "We stayed there the whole day. We traveled the Earth and saw many beautiful things. The most beautiful, though, had to have been the sunset. We were on a cliff with a lake below us that was surrounded by a beach. The sunset was all shades of purple, blue, red, and orange." He gave a small laugh. "We got into so much trouble when we returned, but I will never regret that day. It had been incredible."

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After she closed the door to the bathroom, Lyriel spread her wings and flew. She followed Gabriel's grace and landed in front of him. He was sitting in a large elaborate room with a large bowl of various candies. He had a sucker in his mouth when she appeared and he looked up at the sounds of wings.

"Lyriel. Hello." She quickly walked over and sat in his lap and wrapped her arms around him. He tentatively raised his arms and laid them on her back. She nuzzled his neck and he felt the tears on her cheeks. "Thank you." Gabriel smiled softly and tightened his arms around her. "Am I forgiven then?"

She sat up and looked Gabriel in the eyes. "I suppose. But, I am still upset." He rolled his eyes with affection before raising his hand and wiping her tears away. "Cas remembers. This is why I had wanted to do it. So, one day you could be happy again, Lyriel. You are my sister, and I love you. I betrayed you, and this is me trying to make up for what I did; what we all did. Lyriel, am I forgiven?"

She hugged him and whispered in his ear. "I forgive you, Gabriel. I completely forgive you." She gave a small laugh. "There's only a slight problem though." Gabriel raised an eyebrow. "And what could that possibly be?" She sat back up and looked him in the eye before cradling his face with her hands. "You can't forgive yourself." Gabriel opened his mouth to respond, but she cut him off.

"Don't deny it. Gabe, I know you. I know how you act. I know that you haven't forgiven yourself. This whole facade as the Trickster? Its merely an attempt to hide your pain and fears." She hugged him again. "I was hurt. I thought I could never forgive you or that I would ever heal. But, Gabriel, I am glad it was you because you are right; they would never have tried to fix it. Gabriel, I am healed and I forgive you. Its time for you to do the same."

Gabriel closed his eyes and laid his head against her shoulder and after a few moments replied with a broken voice. "Why are you upset? I fixed it didn't I? Why? Why didn't I fix it completely Lyriel?" She laid a hand on his head and began to stroke his hair. "You may be trying to fix it, but it still happened. It all still happened. I was alone for a millenia. I was called a freak, outsider, and monster. I was an outcast from all societies and I couldn't return to heaven." She grabbed his head gently and lifted it to her eye-level. "You can't erase your mistakes, Gabe. I was completely alone and that painful time for me will always be a part of my memories. The most you can do now is makeup for your mistakes, and you have. But, the pain still remains and even you can't remove it."

He curled his hands into bottom of her shirt as tears as tears began to stream down his cheeks. "I-I... I'm so so sorry. I-I wish I could f-fix my mistake. I... I don't deserve your forgiveness, sister." She laid a hand on his cheek and wiped away his tears. "Everyone deserves forgiveness brother, especially you, and you have it." She hugged him and he raised his arms to embrace her. "I love you, Lyriel." She smiled and rubbed his back. "And I you, Gabe." She laid a cheek on his shoulder as she became aware of her weariness caused by her emotional stress. She closed her eyes as she began to fall asleep.

"Thank you, Gabe."

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