Wow. Long chapter for me today. I'm glad you guys are enjoying the story! I got a bit more of the plot fleshed out in this chapter and I'm proud of myself. Also a huge huge huge thank you to DAmaratsu for being a lovely beta for me for these recent chapters and just all around being a fabulous person. Review and enjoy!
Dean walked back that night. It was raining lightly, causing him to pop his collar up around his neck against the cool drops. It began to darken outside, the winter weather forcing night to come too early. It took him an hour and a half to make it back to the motel, and he took his time. He was dreading having to explain what happened at Castiel's to Sam, and dreading the inevitable phone call to his father. Sammy would understand the conflicting feelings Dean was dealing with right now, but John? John Winchester? No way in hell.
Dean glanced down at his knee, covered by his old jeans. He still felt a bit shaken at the fact the scar he had for years was now gone. It had been an ugly thing, a puckered white line pulling at the skin around it. It had gone straight down his knee and a little onto his leg. He wasn't bothered by it of course; scars came with the business, even if this one wasn't something supernatural related. Dean certainly wasn't hunting things when he was only seven. Learning how to shoot a gun and strip a weapon, sure. John may have been irrational, but he wasn't that irrational. He had been ridiculously angry when Dean busted his leg open on those rocks, though. Didn't say anything to him other than "Pass the rock salt" for a week.
A breeze ruffled Dean's hair as he stepped on to the pavement, skirting around cars. He passed by the Impala and smiled, running his hand along the smooth black paint. Then he stopped, his hand freezing on the hood.
There could be only one reason why the Impala was parked at the motel right now.
His dad was back.
Nervousness filled him as he walked hesitantly back into the motel, digging his hands deep into his jacket pocket. He nodded to the receptionist, a pretty lady with a wedding ring and blonde hair. Once he reached the room, tucked in the back corner of the motel, he took a deep breath and stepped inside, mentally preparing himself.
"Dean!" Sam jumped up from his bed, eyes wide. John was standing with his back to the door, facing the window. Dean could see the tension tightening his father's shoulders, his black jacket tight against his back. "Dean, I didn't tell him anything I swear—"
"Sam, be quiet." John spoke, sending shivers straight down Dean's spine. Sam looked over at their father, sinking back down on the bed. Dean suddenly felt awful for having left Sam alone with their dad, even though he didn't know he had returned.
"Hey, dad. How's the hunt going?" Dean said, trying to break the tension.
"Don't be a smart ass, boy." John replied, whipping around to look at Dean. "Where were you?"
"I was out."
"Dean, don't do this. Where were you?" He snapped, putting emphasis on his words. Dean sighed and squared his shoulders up.
"I was with Castiel." Dean met his father's angry gaze.
"Oh, you were with Castiel. And his family too, I assume? The monsters?" John's voice was sarcastic.
"They're not monsters, dad." Well, not all of them.
"Yes, they are, Dean. Bobby told me all about the little investigation you and Sam were making. How could you? Put Sam in danger like that by exposing yourselves to them?"
"They're angels. They proved it. We have evidence. I don't think that they will hurt either of us." Dean felt offended on how his dad seemed to ignore the importance of Dean's wellbeing.
"Dean is right," Sam interjected. Dean shot him a look. "Castiel is nice, so is Balthazar." Oh, crap. Sammy, shut up!
"You brought him around them?" His dad exclaimed. "You are unbelievable. You're not to go around them again, Dean. Not until the time comes to take care of them."
"You can't tell me what to do."
"I am your father, I absolutely can."
"Dad, Cas isn't even a threat. He didn't know. His family—or whatever they are to him—hid everything from him. Wiped his memories or something. He's just a guy. He isn't a threat; the dude wouldn't swat a fly!"
"I'm sorry, Dean. I can't take your word for it. Have you ever even read the Bible? Angels are dangerous."
"You didn't even believe they existed until five minutes ago!" Dean balled his hands into fists. His father sighed heavily, throwing his arms up.
"Okay, Dean. You've made friends. I'm happy for you. But it's time to stop this. They aren't human and you know what we have to do. If this Castiel is just a guy as you say, then he is replaceable. You'll make more friends, however stupid that may be."
"Yeah, just like mom was replaceable." Dean muttered, regretting it the moment he said it. Sam gasped, and his father stared at him like he didn't know him.
"What did you just say?" Dean didn't respond. He avoided his father's gaze, staring down at his scuffed boots. "Did you just compare some boy you barely know to your own mother? Do you not realize how important she was to this entire family?" He roared, causing Dean to flinch. I'll be damned… Dean thought.
"Yeah, I guess I did. Because maybe Cas is important to me, too, Dad!"
"He better become unimportant real fast. This time next week, he and his entire family will be dead." John took that as a cue to leave, shoving past Dean and slamming the door so hard Dean was afraid management was going to come see what the commotion was. He clenched his jaw, staring up at the ceiling trying to get a grip on himself. He felt sick to his stomach.
"Dean, I'm sorry." Sam spoke, not moving from his spot on the bed. He was shaking his head, his hands wringing in his lap guiltily. "Bobby called him and told him what I had found. We didn't expect he'd be back down here this fast."
"Maybe he's right," Dean started, trying to shove any and all emotions back down. "Naomi and Michael. They're up to something."
"What?"
"They're trying to find God." Dean looked over at Sam. "They want my necklace so they can find God and get him to fix… something. They didn't say. They can't use it without my consent and I won't give it to them, any they're pissed. Castiel knows everything now. Sam, we have to find out why. We have to find out what they're trying to find God for."
Almost as if the universe was trying to interrupt something, Dean's phone let out a shrill ring. He groaned, digging it out of his pocket and bringing it up to his ear, not bothering to check the caller ID to see who it was.
Who would be calling me right now?
"What?" He answered. Something inside of him hoped it was Cas.
"Is this Dean Winchester?" Said a female's voice with an intensity Dean couldn't understand. He looked down in disappointment.
"Depends on who's asking."
"That's not important right now. I only have to say one thing. Stay away from Michael and Naomi." Dean looked at Sam, alarmed, his brow furrowing.
"Who is this? And how did you get this number?"
"Again, not important. Please, just do it. Stay away from them. They're dangerous. I'm going to help you as much as I can. I'll be there in one day, just please keep away from them. There's something important I have to tell you and Castiel."
"Important? Important how?"
"I'll see you in 24 hours, Dean." The line cut out. Dean pulled the phone away from his ear and stared at it, noting the number to memory. He didn't recognize the area code.
"Some girl. I don't know. She kept saying how I need to stay away from Michael and Naomi and that she's going to be here in a day."
"You're not staying away from them, are you?"
"No way in hell."
XxXx
She was a very punctual woman. She held herself in high regard for that, always being on time. Her husband thought it was strange (and endearing, of course) how she was never late and never early for an appointment or party or anything that had a time stamp on it. She had a track record that was incredible and didn't plan on breaking it now.
Her foot pressed on the gas of her car, a respectable white Kia that had half a tank of gas left. She was only 30 minutes away from the Winchester boy, and sure enough her navigation told her that she was 30 minutes away from the location of the motel. Of course, if she still had her powers, she wouldn't be driving this awful car right now. If she was still an angel, she would have been able to speak with Dean in person the second she discovered what was happening. That wasn't the case, however. Not that she was bitter about it. She would have given up so much more if it met that she could live a human life with her husband. He was a wonderful man, very forgiving and understanding. Telling him the truth about herself and about her past was the biggest concern of hers, but he took it in stride and told her that he would love her no matter what. She will forever be in debt for his kindness and love that he has brought her over the years. She can handle the aging. She can handle the lines that are beginning to form around her brow and the weird human sicknesses she has to cope with. As long as she has her soul mate, everything is fine.
The next half hour flew by, and she pulled into one of the vacant parking spots at the motel. There was a torrential downpour of rain lashing at the trees and at the building that showed no signs of stopping. There were only five cars in the lot including her's, and none of them looked like the old black Chevy Impala the Winchesters were said to drive. Cursing, she ran inside the building, shaking herself off for a moment before walking up to the reception desk. It was an older man sitting behind the desk, looking down at a newspaper dated three days ago.
"Excuse me?" She said, and the man glanced up at her.
"May I help you?" He replied gruffly, sounding like he had better things to do than deal with a potential customer. She plastered on a big smile.
"Yes. I was wondering, you wouldn't happen to have any Winchesters here, would you?"
"I'm not allowed to give out personal information." He said flatly, looking back down at the newspaper. Her smile faltered. She sighed and reached into her pocket, pulling out a fifty dollar bill from her wallet and slapping it down on the desk.
"What about now?" The man regarded the bill for a moment, holding it up to the light and scanning it before shrugging and slipping it into the front pocket of the shirt he had on. He reached over and shook the computer mouse clicking a few times before pausing. His eyes skirted down a list then he shook his head.
"No, sorry ma'am. No Winchesters." Maybe they went under aliases. Hunters do that, right?
"Okay, well. Have you seen an older man and two sons around here lately? One probably 12 or 13 the other around 16 or 17?" The lights flickered above them.
"Yeah." He glanced back at the computer screen. "One F. Mercury. Room 130."
"Thank you." She turned from the desk and headed toward the hall that had 110-140 engraved on a plaque.
"Hey, for an extra $20 I'll even throw in a room key!" The man called behind her. She ignored him, glancing at each of the doors. The Winchesters were going to have questions that she wasn't prepared to answer. She knew that. It was a very sudden thing, this trip. She felt regret at leaving her husband so suddenly to run down to this Podunk town and deal with the situation. Part of her felt excitement, finally a reason to do something about Michael and Naomi and whatever they were plotting. Gabriel kept reporting things to her about the "God Necklace" and the Winchester family and how finally… Finally in one of his manufactured life-times Castiel knows the truth and has the ability to finally become the Angel that he used to be when this world was first created.
130. She stopped in her tracks, hoping that she wouldn't find an empty room. She knocked three times, resting her arms by her side as she waited for a response. There was a rustle, someone replying to something, and the door swung open. A handsome young teenager stood as a greeting, with short cropped hair and carefully guarded green eyes.
He must be Dean.
He squinted.
"Who are you?" He asked, taking in her small frame and fiery red hair.
"My name is Anna. I am Castiel's sister." She said, and Dean's eyes widened. He looked over her shoulder and pursed his lips.
"Come on in." He stepped aside, holding the door open for her. She walked in, taking in her surroundings. A younger boy was sitting cross-legged on one of the beds, looking curiously at her. There was what looked like an old leather journal spread open in front of him, a few other papers scattered around it.
"You must be Sam." She stated bluntly, turning back to Dean as he closed the door. "Dean." Both of them nodded. "F. Mercury. Really?"
Dean looked confused for a moment before realization dawned on his face, and his lips parted in a small smile.
"Yup. My idea." Anna made a little huh noise in the back of her throat.
"Interesting."
"Okay, enough with the small talk. Why are you here? And what was with that cryptic as hell phone call yesterday? That was you, wasn't it?"
"Yes." She sighed. "It was. We need to talk. About everything. I'm sure you have questions."
"Damn straight we do." Dean looked over at Sam.
"I don't know where to start." Anna said.
"How about from the beginning? I ain't going anywhere in this storm." The other brother turned and sat in an ugly brown chair sitting by a rickety looking desk. His arms folded over one another, and he looked at her expectantly.
"Tell me how much you know. I then I'll expand on that." Dean let out a puff of air, rolling his eyes up toward the ceiling.
"We know you're angels. We know for some reason you and Lucifer skipped town. We know Balthazar is batshit insane—" That earned a little snort from Anna. "We know that for whatever screwed up reason Naomi and Michael, your parents or whatever they are to you took Castiel's memories from when he was an angel and stuck him here for his safety." Dean thought for a moment, his eyes flickering between Anna and Sam. "We also know that they want something from me, and I won't give it." Thunder cracked overhead.
"First of all, Naomi and Michael aren't my parents. They aren't anyone's parents. They're my siblings, in a way. Lucifer and I… It's complicated. We were half kicked out of their little garrison, half left of our own consent. Saying it is complicated is an understatement with this entire situation." She went and perched at the edge of the unoccupied bed, folding her hands in her lap. "They want the amulet, am I wrong?"
"Yeah. They said it's gonna find God or something. I mean, I knew the lore said it could but the lore isn't always true." Sam spoke up, tapping a page in the journal he had. Dean nodded in agreement.
"I know why they want the amulet. Well, the real reason they want it," She corrected herself. "What they told you was a lie. Yes, they're using it to find God. It's malicious. Did either of them tell you why they were looking for our Father?"
"No, they were pretty secretive on that." Dean said. "Why? What do they want?"
Anna opened her mouth, and then glanced up at Dean, furrowing her brow slightly. "What does your lore say about angels?"
"Not much. Wings. Can teleport, or something." Sam said, shrugging. "Whatever's in the Bible, too. That's pretty much the extent of our knowledge."
"Figures." Anna brushed her hair out of her face. "Angels can teleport, yes. They have wings, yes. As for the Bible… Well, I wasn't in the area when Jesus was crucified, so. I'm afraid I cannot testify on that."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Wait. 'They'? You're making it sound like you're not an Angel yourself. You're in our reports from hundreds of years ago. What, do you not like associating yourself with them?" Dean held his palms open.
"I'm not an Angel. Not anymore."
"You fell?" Sam asked. Anna looked between the two of them, trying to decide where to start. They really were clueless on Angels and heaven and how truly evil Michael and Naomi were.
"No. Not necessarily. Falling would insinuate I did something to betray heaven or God. If anything, I did quite the opposite."
"I'm not following." Dean responded, shaking his leg up and down.
"Angels have these things called soul mates."
"Okay. And? Lisa called me her soul mate a week ago, it doesn't mean anything."
"I don't know who Lisa is."
"She's unimportant," Sam interjected, glaring at Dean. "Please, continue."
"By soul mate, I literally mean soul mate. For every angel that exists, there's a soul, whether it is human or Angel that our soul is bound to from birth. If an angel is paired with a human soul, there is a bond that forms between the two quickly. An angel can spot their soul mate from a mile away, their spirit glowing brighter and more beautiful than any others around it. The angel knows the exact birth date and location of their soul mate, given the fact that he or she could be born at any time. Angels paired with a human have to wait centuries for their mate to be born. It's rather sad, really." Anna rubbed one hand against her eye. "If an angel choses to remain with their human mate, their soul itself shifts wavelengths to match the humans. The Angel loses his powers, and then becomes one hundred percent human."
Dean took a moment to process this, but Sam got it right away.
"That's why you're not an angel anymore. You found your soul mate." Sam said. Anna smiled.
"I did. I gave my powers to be with this human man. I do not regret my decision." A warm feeling pooled in her belly thinking of her husband. "We are very happy together."
"Okay, so how are Michael and Naomi involved in this?" Dean shifted the subject.
"They want your necklace to find God. Now, what they told my dear brother Gabriel and Balthazar was that they wanted God to change the souls and make it so that Angels don't lose their grace when they bond with their human soul mate. That's not the truth. They want to convince him to end all mating, or they're going to kill every angel claimed human soul mate that exists. Present and future."
"Why would they want to do that?" Dean said.
"Why do you think? When an angel becomes human, we don't get special treatment. We age and die just like any other human would. Michael and Naomi don't like seeing the number of angel's lesson due to a human reason." Anna began getting frustrated. "They think it is blasphemy. I disagree, of course, but they won't listen to reason."
"How do you know all of this?" Sam asked, closing the book in front of him.
"They told me. They were convinced I'd be on their side, even with me knowing my mate was human. I wasn't. Neither was Castiel. Castiel was very close with our Father and was prepared to reveal their secret to the entire Angel community, but he was too late. Michael and Naomi had captured him, wiped his memories, and fabricated everything in his life. Gabriel and Balthazar are only there to protect him. He can't remember anything. He doesn't know who is mate is. He has his grace sealed off from him. He can't fly or see any other soul, not even his own." Anna looked at her clasped hands sadly, her wedding band glinting in the dull light. "His mate could already be dead, and he wouldn't even know it." She proceeded to look up at Dean curiously. "You understand why we have to stop the two of them now."
Dean nodded, looking a little shell shocked at the influx if information.
"We have to tell dad." He said, looking frantically at Sam. "He's looking for ways to kill them—We have to tell him who the real bad guys are. Sam, he's going to kill Cas!" He rose out of his seat, grabbing at a duffle bag and searching through it for something. Anna jumped up in alarm. Dean pulled a gun out, fitting it behind his back in between his waist and the band of his jeans. Digging out his phone, he sped dialed a number. There was a barely audible beep, and he cursed.
"No signal." He reached for something else when there was a thumping noise, and with a depleting whirring noise the power went out, leaving the three of them in pitch black darkness. "Shit."
"What's going on?" Anna asked, her eyes slowly adjusting to the darkness. "Did the storm do this?"
"Doubt it. It's not that bad outside." The door suddenly swung open, crashing off its hinges against the wall. A girl Anna didn't recognize walked in, dark brown hair flowing over a black leather jacket. The receptionist from earlier was standing behind her, his eyes clouded black.
"Oh, crap." Sam said, backing closer to Dean.
"Wait, I know you." Dean said, squinting. "You were at that party a while, back, talking to Cas."
"Guilty." The girl said, grinning. "Hello, boys. Name's Meg. Nice to meet you." Dean yanked the gun out from behind him, gripping it with both hands and pointing it at the two demons. "I have to say, your little friend isn't a very good angel. His soul looks angel, but considering he didn't tell everyone to run screaming from me when we met shows he doesn't know exactly what he's doing. That's interesting." She stepped into the room, glancing around her surroundings. "I'm not seeing any demon traps. This isn't going to be much of a fight after all." Dean fired a shot, hitting Meg in the shoulder. She looked down at it almost bored. Anna flinched.
"Damn it." Dean said under his breath, and Anna tried to figure out how to help. If she had her powers she could just smite the demons where they stand, but that wasn't the case.
"Ah, well. Might as well get this over with." The demon named Meg said, then disappeared. The three of them looked around in alarm, when Dean was suddenly disarmed, a hand slamming down over his mouth as he was jerked back. "You're mine now, Dean-o." They vanished.
"Dean!" Sam shouted, reaching for the empty air where he just was. The remaining demon grunted.
Sam and Anna looked at each other, then at the demon in front of him. It approached them, and Sam pulled a knife of his own out, preparing to fight. Anna pulled an angel blade from her boot and for the first time in years, shed blood.
