Chapter 9: The Road Trip From Hell
They packed up the car and started heading west. The Impala, though a big muscle car, seemed a lot smaller once they had all found a seat. Each seat held two grown adults and one teenage boy. Dean absolutely refused to let someone else drive his baby, so he and Castiel sat in the front with Sammy sandwiched between them. Sam and John, with Dean the younger in the back. The logic behind the seating arrangements being the smaller adults needing to sit in the front in order to give Dean room to drive. John wasn't concerned about anything other then his youngest sitting next to someone he didn't know or trust. He supposed he should be a bit less paranoid. After all, Sam and Dean seemed to trust him, well, maybe Dean a bit more then Sam. But there was something about him that seemed a bit off. Add in the fact that the guy wasn't even human and all of his red lights where on. He just needed to get some proof that the guys intentions where pure or evil. This grey area was pissing him off. Well, they where trapped in a car.
"So, how did you guys meet anyway?" John asked, making it sound like an innocent enough question.
"I pulled Dean out of Hell." Castiel answered bluntly.
"You dragged Dean out of a funk, you mean." John corrected. He hated when people would call a time when they where depressed or at a very low point in their lives Hell. He then looked over to Dean, who was sitting in front of him. "You hit a rough patch Dean? Was it drugs or something? You know to stay away from that stuff."
"No Dad, he meant literally. He literally dragged my ass out of literal Hell." Dean answered, sounding slightly offended.
"I go to Hell?" Dean the younger asked, voice attempting to sound unaffected.
"Yeah, you do?" Dean answered. "But you do get out. Thanks to the Holy Tax-Accountant right there." Dean said, nodding his head in Castiel's direction.
"Hold on, why exactly where you in Hell in the first place?" John asked, anger and worry mixing together.
"It's a long story that I'm pretty sure you don't really want to hear." Dean answered, hoping to convey that he didn't want to talk about it.
"You know, actually, I do wanna hear it, and we have plenty of time. I think a long story is a good way to pass the time." John said, evidently not taking no for an answer. "What could you have done to get you into Hell, your a good person."
"That's not really important alright. I was there, and now I'm not." Dean answered, getting defensive.
"Well maybe you should tell us, so he doesn't make the same mistakes." John said, indicating to the Dean in the back seat with him.
"Doesn't matter if I do or not. I'm gonna always make that choice given the circumstances, weather I know they're coming ahead of time or not." Dean answered, seeing his younger self starting to get uncomfortable with the arguing.
"What do you mean 'choice'?" Sammy asked, looking up at Dean. Puppy-Dog eyes firmly in place.
Dean had forgotten just how effective those things where when Sam was younger. Just how easily he would crack and give Sam anything he asked for. Then being hit with the sudden need to make Sammy understand. He looked at Castiel, who was watching him thoughtfully, and knew that whatever he did, Cas would back him up. He then looked over to Sam, who had stayed stubbornly quiet throughout this entire exchange. Sam nodded, letting Dean know that he would back him up as well. He took a couple of seconds, then looked back to Sammy.
"You had been stabbed. I'm not gonna say who did it, but we took him out. But you where dead, and I couldn't handle it, so I made a deal. I saved your life, but a year later, I had to pay up. I went to Hell. I actually thought it was worth it and fair, until I got down there. I'd still do it, for you, I would've done anything. But luckily they didn't have the time to turn me, and your still here." Dean answered. He could see his younger self in the back, in deep thought, then seemingly coming to a decision that he's still do it.
"It was a righteous act. Deserving of recognition." Castiel said, looking at Sammy. "Not many people would do that."
"Is that why you pulled him out?" John asked. Staying quiet for so long was not his favorite tactic, but Sammy seemed better at getting information out of people then he was. Especially with Dean. Castiel looked back at John.
"It was one of many." The guy seemed determined to not tell them anything but what they ask for.
"Do you have a problem talking to people, boy?" John asked, looking over at him. The question itself seemed to amuse both Sam and Dean as they both gave a small chuckle.
"I guess you could say my 'people skill' are 'rusty'. I have been spending a lot more time in the middle of a civil war amoungst the other Angels. So forgive me if I don't talk much." Castiel said, sounding slightly irritated.
"Angel's don't talk?" Sammy asked, curious look on his face. The same look he gets when learning about something new or interesting about a monster.
"Oh, they do." Sam said. "It's just, when they do, they sound like a bunch of Douchebags." He finished, glaring out the window.
"What?" Younger Dean asked.
"It's more..." Castiel started, then stopped. Looking for the right words. "It's more, they don't bother with pleasantries. They don't stumble around words. They state exactly what they want you to know, when they want you to know it. And they don't give anymore information then asked, because it's a waste of time, and not important to the cause." He finished, intentionally using the word 'they' as he no longer considered himself much of an angel anymore.
"Don't you mean 'we'?" John asked, then continued. "But if they're so unpleasant to be around, why spend most of your time with them?"
"Because somebody has to be sure they don't try to restart the Apocalypse." Castiel answered flatly. Not finding any to that, but noticing that Castiel just skipped over the first question, John sat back in his seat.
"So, you pulled him out of Hell, and then what? Just instant best friends." Dean the younger asked skeptically. He was never one to make friends easily.
"What, no. I was terrified of him. Anybody who has the juice to drag a guy out of Hell...I thought he was a demon or something." Dean answered. "It didn't help that he acted like he had a stick permentaly wedged up his Angelic ass. The friendship thing didn't happen until after about a year." Dean answered.
"Was it the same with you?" Sammy asked, turning to his older self.
"Me, no, I didn't meet Cas until he was waiting for us in our Hotel room. I think I tried to shoot him." Sam said.
"You snuck into their hotel room and just sat there." John asked.
"I was waiting. I needed to talk with them." Castiel answered. "About what?" John asked again.
"The Apocalypse." Castiel answered, again using a very limited amount of words.
John, deciding that an argument was not a good thing in these cramped conditions, just sighed and sat back in his seat. The guy was like talking to a brick wall. And he just knew that he was gonna end up with a headache if he kept trying. He opted to just watch the guy from his seat, as if studying him would tell him what he needed to know. The only thing he noticed was that the guy never seemed uncomfortable. He seemed perfectly happy, in the front with two other people, sitting perfectly still and not talking.
After a few hours, they stopped for gas, and everyone got out. Jumping at the chance to stretch his legs. They also got something to eat, choosing to do so while not confined to a car. John noticing that Castiel was staying close to Dean, while keeping an ever watchful eye on the boys. John watched him as he turned to Dean to say something. John couldn't hear what he said, but whatever it was, made Dean immediately straighten and look around. He then proceeded to walk over to John.
"We gotta go." Dean said, then headed in Sam's direction. John noticing that Castiel had gone over to Sammy and Dean and was shepherding them to the car. Once they where all in the car, and on the road, Dean turned to Castiel.
"You sure it was Demons?" Dean asked.
"Yes, I could sense them a mile away. I think it best we put as much distance between us and them as we can. They cannot know our situation. That would cause more chaos then necessary." Castiel said.
"Are you saying we left because of a couple of demons?" John asked.
"Yes, if they know you and your children where here, we'd be hunted relentlessly. They would stop at nothing to get a hold of you and kill all of you." Castiel said, leaving no room for argument.
"So they weren't there yet?" Sam asked.
"No, but they where close." Castiel answered.
"Okay, good, it's bad enough that there is a possibility that we have Angels tracking us, we don't need demons to add to the mix." Dean said. "Son of a bitch." He added, pulling the car over then turning to Castiel. "Angel's can track us..." He said, looking to Castiel. Seeming to understand just what Dean was telling him, Castiel got out of the car. Dean following and signalling everyone to do the same.
"Dean, I thought we needed to put space between us and the Demon. Why are we stopping?" Sam asked, walking over to Dean who was rummaging around in the trunk.
"Yeah we do, but Cas needs to make sure the Angel's can't track us either." Dean answered, taking out a few necklaces and tossing them to John, Sammy, and his younger self.
"What are these?" Sammy asked, inspecting the charm.
"Anti-possession charms. And what Cas is about to do is gonna hurt for about 2 seconds. Then your safe." Dean said as Castiel stepped up to them. He placed his hand on John's chest and John felt a searing pain.
"What the hell was that?" John asked, rubbing his chest.
"Enocian sigils. They will prevent Angels from being able to track you." He answered before placing both his hands on one of each boys chests and doing the same to them.
"That's some pretty high-level magic. What did you do, paint it in our skin or something." John asked as Younger Dean looked down his shirt for any marks.
"No, I carved it into your ribs. Now we should really go." Castiel said, heading back to the passenger door of the car.
Ta-da! A new chapter!
Sorry it took so long. Been crazy busy, working and trying to get my own place.
Hope you enjoyed.
