A/N: Thank you for all of your prayers, my Aunt's cancer is gone and she is now in remission!
Oh and by the way, I own nothing but Ella and Noah and Alex…and the really cool monster truck.
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Castiel laid his hand on Ella's shoulder, his hand gripping her tightly as if he thought she would slip away. Noah grabbed Ella's hand as the white light began to consume them. Moments later they were standing inside a dark, damp and musty room.
Castiel glanced around the room and with one fluid motion of his hand, turned on the lights. The lights flickered a moment before turning on audibly with a clanging noise to reveal a stash of cars all lined up in a horizontal line.
Ella gaped. "Please tell me you didn't get these off of some black market." She said nearly out of breath.
Noah laughed. "That would explain the odd trench coat."
Castiel tilted his head but otherwise did not acknowledge the comment. Ella shoved her way past Noah and began to lovingly stroke the hood of a black mustang GT.
She let out a low whistle. "Are we taking this one?" She said though she would have rather taken a motorcycle.
Noah walked over to the last automobile in line and opened the passenger door. "You sure you don't want to take this one Elle's?" He asked her.
Ella turned her head and as she noted the truck Noah was standing next to, her smile grew into a beam. "Only if I get shot gun." She exclaimed as she bounded over to the truck.
The plain green truck was rusting at the edge of the tires and the inside was covered in detailed leather. However the truck itself was not what excited Ella, but rather the appearance of it as a whole. Towering over her head, it stood on huge wheels that came up to her waist and gave the truck an air of authority.
"You don't want to drive?" Castiel asked, puzzled by this statement of hers.
Noah answered for Ella. "You don't want her behind the wheel of something with so much power." Noah said with a smirk.
Ella ignored his remark and clambered onto the passenger seat. She sat down with a huff and waited for Noah and Castiel.
Noah climbed over her and sat in the backseat of the truck which left the front seat open to Castiel who sat down hesitantly.
The latter glanced back at Noah. "And you don't want to drive?" He asked nervously as he gulped.
Noah shrugged. "I'd rather chill back here." He said with certainty as he leaned back against the chair and closed his eyes.
Castiel made another hand motion similar to the one before and the garage door opened to reveal a wide, flat expanse of land that seemed to go on for miles. With another gulp, he gripped the steering wheel tightly and then pushed down on the gas.
When nothing happened he lifted his foot and tried again, finding the same result. He tried again and when the truck remained at a standstill, he tried for a fourth time.
Yet again nothing occurred and Castiel took his hands off the wheel. "I think this truck is broken." He declared to no one in particular.
Ella stifled a giggle as she reached forward and turned the key in the ignition. A low rumble came from under the hood and vibrated beneath Castiel's feet as the car hummed to life. Castiel pushed his foot down on the pedal and the truck shot forward and out onto the road which appeared as though it only got traffic once a week at the most.
Castiel's hands flew up to the steering wheel as the truck zoomed out of the garage and hit a ditch in the sandy terrain. He grasped the wheel and kept the truck from tipping over as half of it began to tip off the ground.
Ella grabbed the door handle to keep from sliding into Castiel. "Slow down Cas!" She yelled as his expeditious speed caused her to be thrown this way and that.
"Cas!" She tried again when there was no reaction. "You're not Paul Walker, now slow down!" She commanded.
Castiel lifted his foot slightly from the pedal and the speed slowly decreased. "Who's Paul Walker?" Castiel asked, momentarily glancing away from the window.
Noah groaned. "Don't get her started!" He began to say, but it was too late.
Ella giggled. "He's this amazingly cute actor who was in this movie called Fast and Furious and there were a ton of sequels. He was also in Timeline, Eight Below, the Life and Legend of Bobby Z and the Lazarus Project." She was going to keep going but the look of complete and utter boredom on Castiel's face compelled her to stop.
Noah lifted his head and sighed. "Wow, if you can stop her from talking about Paul Walker then maybe we do have a chance in beating Lucifer." He said with a shaky laugh.
Ella rolled her eyes and turned her head to look out the window. "Where are we?" She asked as she noted the dry, caked land.
Castiel stared out the window as well. "Texas." He replied matter-of-factly.
Ella scrunched up her nose. "Texas? Of all the places why would the angels have a base in Texas?"
Castiel shrugged. "I'd tell you if I knew but Raphaella has not informed me on that particular subject."
Ella nodded her head. "Cool beans…" She murmured as she continued to gaze out the window. The landscape flew by as Castiel increased his weight on the gas pedal, going from 60 miles to at least 80 within a good 30 seconds.
"Hey Cas, wanna let up on the brake a little?" Ella asked.
"I thought you liked the speed." He said, somewhat perplexed.
"I do." She replied as she turned her head back to him, "I just don't have a death wish."
Noah laughed from the backseat and tried unsuccessfully to cover it up with a cough. Castiel glared at him in the mirror until Noah's laughter was subdued.
All was quiet in the cab of the truck for the following minutes as Ella tried to get the radio to work. After flipping through all 128 stations, she found that the clearest one was more static than music. She decided to just call it quits and settled back into her seat, staring out the window as the scenery continued to pass them by.
"So where in Texas are we?"
"Groves." Castiel replied, "And sorry about the radio, I think that it may not be working because I'm here."
"Oh right, all of your heavenly-angely stuff." Ella said, feeling a little better that she – the girl whose best friend was a grease monkey – could not get the radio to work. At least it was because Castiel was an angel and not because she could not work a simple machine.
Castiel smiled slightly. "Yes, that."
Again the cab lapsed into a peaceful silence, the only sound being the hum of the engine and the dirt road underneath the souped up car.
Staring out the window, Ella's eyes flashed with white as a blinding light appeared on the right side of the road. She yelped in shock and Castiel swerved to the left as an involuntary reaction.
Gripping the steering wheel, he stomped on the brake as the truck began to swerve out of control. Ella slammed into the door and Noah fell sideways onto the seat as Castiel battled for control of the car.
After what seemed like an eternity, he managed to gain control and pull the car to a halt a little ways off the road.
Noah sat up in the backseat and then jumped in shock as he realized that Alex was sitting next to him.
"Alex…hi." He stammered, still breathing heavy from the almost car accident.
"Hello." Alex said to Noah. "Castiel?" He asked, but Castiel was not paying attention to him. Instead, he was looking at the very beautiful girl in the passenger seat.
The very beautiful girl who was very unconscious.
Castiel's eyes widened as he sat there wordlessly and stared at the unconscious Ella who was slumped over herself in the passenger seat. From the backseat, Alex peered over the top of the headrest and raised an eyebrow.
Noah gaped at her and then jumped out of the truck and ran over to Ella's side of the cab.
"Elle?" He breathed out as he unbuckled her seatbelt and sat her upright. He tried to remember what he had learned in CPR class, but nothing came to mind. The only thing he could think was that Ella was hurt and it was Alex's fault. If he had not appeared like that, Castiel would not have almost crashed and Ella would be fine.
"Heal her." He demanded of Alex. "This is your fault, so heal her."
Alex raised an eyebrow. "I am not some dog to be ordered around."
Noah gritted his teeth, his fiery gaze looking at Castiel. The latter was staring dumbfounded at Ella's limp body, a look of utter shock and confusion on his face.
"Castiel?" Noah implored.
Castiel shook his head slowly. "I…I…" He glanced at Alex who nodded his head.
Castiel gulped and leaned towards Ella, placing his hand on her forehead as he spoke softly and quickly. A white glow emanated from his hand and he closed his eyes as he began to draw her back to consciousness.
A few more moments and Ella bolted upright in her seat, her eyes frantically searching the cab.
"What the-" She started to say but was cut short as her head began to pound with pain. She realized that while the truck was spinning out of control she must have smacked her head against the window.
Noah pounded the side of the door in aggravation. "Why the hell wouldn't you help her?" He shouted at Alex who merely ignored him, "She could have been dead and you back there trying to pick a fight."
Alex glared. "You are the one who blamed me for her being hurt."
"Cause it's your fault!" Noah retorted. He glanced at Ella, realizing that he could have just lost her.
"Come on Elle, let's head to the main road and hitch hike our way back to Vermont. If this dick doesn't care enough about you to spare a little bit of his wacky angel mojo, then we're out of here." Noah stated.
Castiel's eyes widened, if Noah left, Ella would surely follow.
Ella furrowed her brow. "What are you talking about?"
Noah huffed. "Look, we've only been here for a little while but I've already had enough! I mean, demons, angels, and the apocalypse! Normally I'd be all in but not if it puts you in danger. It's time we high-tail it out of this crazy place and return to normality."
Ella tilted her head. "This isn't just about what just happened is it?" She asked, still somewhat befuddled.
Noah rolled his eyes. "Are you hearing anything I'm saying Elle? This is…it's too much for me." He said honestly, "I'm begging you, come back to Vermont with me."
Ella turned and looked at Castiel, her eyes searching his face for the answer as he tried to memorize every detail of hers, knowing full well that she would probably choose to go with Noah and he would be left alone. Alone and lost without her.
Ella looked back at Noah, his eyes pleading. "Please Elle…please." He begged.
She sighed and faced Castiel. "I'm sorry Cas…but Noah's right. This is…it's too much to ask."
Castiel sighed and nodded his head mutely.
From the back, Alex addressed the two humans. "If this is your decision, we shall not bother either of you again."
"Final answer." Ella murmured as she stepped out of the cab and onto the dirt road.
Alex nodded and disappeared from the truck, knowing that the message he carried no longer applied.
"Come on Elle, it's probably a long walk to the main road." Noah said, offering her his hand.
Leaving his hand hanging, Ella turned back to the cab and smiled weakly at Castiel.
"I'm sorry." She mouthed before she turned back around for the last time and started to walk down the red dirt road.
Noah followed suit and Castiel watched as they slowly walked away from him.
Castiel could feel his heart break a little more with each step Ella took that carried her further and further away from him. He would have never imagined that a human could have such a big impact on him in such a little amount of time, yet it had happened. And now he sat watching that human walk away from him.
His heart continued to break until he could bear it no more.
"Ella." He called out as he leapt out of the truck and ran the distance to where she and Noah now stood.
"Ella." He repeated, "Don't go, please don't go."
She gaped wordlessly and seeing that she still did not understand how he felt about her, he knew that it would take a lot of convincing.
Stepping forward, he pressed his lips to hers and kissed her softly. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back for a moment but then stopped once she remembered that he was an angel.
"I'm not going to go to hell for that am I?" She asked, a smile playing on the corners of her mouth.
He smiled back. "Not while I'm here."
He took her hand and gently rubbed it with his thumb. "Ella, I can't put into words what I feel for you, it's like a thousand different emotions all bundled up inside me and I…I just know that I can't lose you. So what do you say? Will you stay with me?"
Ella bit her lips and let go of his hand. "I'm sorry Cas, my decision remains the same."
And with that, Ella turned and did not look back, leaving Castiel with a broken heart in Groves, Texas.
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A/N: Alright, I left you guys with a cliff hanger so you better review if you want me to update. I know that is cruel but if you guys like this fanfic, I like to know!
Hope everyone had a nice holiday and a great new year! I have to say I'm a little disappointed that Jensen and Misha were not under my tree with a bow wrapped around their necks but…there's always next year!
Later,
Ariel
Ps – Any Paul Walker fans out there?