It was the smell that hit me first. Blood and decay. I had never smelt something so horrifyingly strong before. It made by head spin, but that could have also been the vertigo. I was falling fast and a terrifying wind tossed me about ripping at my skin. Then there was this rain; it was so cold that it burned when it touched my skin. I don't think it was water. All I could see was darkness so vast stretching out in all directions. It only made the voices that much more painful when they finally reached my ears. Voices of people in pain, desperate wails and inhuman cackling. My heart was breaking at the sound. I thought my head would split open. I didn't know how long it lasted, it could have been seconds, it could have been days, but then I felt the warmth. Deep down inside of me. And I let it fill me until it was the only thing I could feel. It was David. He muted the pain and took control. A holy light spilled power into me, into every crevice of my being. Even into my soul. I felt strong and despite the pain almost at peace. I could feel his wings. So this was what it must be like to be an angel.
The rest happened so fast; I couldn't process everything quickly enough. David led my body through the levels of Hell, Gabriel in Elijah's body joined us. I don't know at what point. He could have been next to me the entire time. Or years could have passed before I noticed them. My mind was hazy most of the time. Sometimes I only got flashes of images. Black smoke, chains, and blood. So much blood. David's light tried to shield me from the worst of it though, but often it only partially worked. Sometimes I couldn't see a thing, but I felt every hit David took. Other times I watched through our eyes in this detached state of peace as he sliced through a hoard of demons, feeling nothing at all. I didn't know how long we were down there, my sense of time was muffled behind David's shielding. I was grateful for that.
We were close to the end when clarity returned to me. I made David stop. There was something we needed to get first. There was someone that needed to come with us. I think David understood, maybe even remembered on his own. He grabbed a hold of Gabriel dragging him back, back to a cage that we at first stayed clear from. The cage of Lucifer. With Gabriel's help we dragged out a young man, his body and soul. I saw it before Gabriel took the man away from us, him being the stronger angel, I saw his soul. It was ripped apart, bleeding and tortured. I prayed it could be healed. No one deserved that. As we fought the rest of the way out, Gabriel told me he'd deal with it once we got out and I trusted him. All of the pain I felt at the beginning returned when we got to the end of the road, but it was also different. It was like being torn in half, as a light was being ripped out of my heart. But when it was gone, I didn't feel cold. I felt warmer then ever. Then I felt the ground underneath me, I opened my eyes to see the bright sun and open sky. It was Earth. We had made it to the other side. Tears spilled from the corners of my eyes and a hand touched my cheek. I saw a man standing over me, he had black hair, the bluest eyes that I knew I had seen before, and was wearing a suit and tan overcoat. I mouthed a name, 'David?'
"I remember now," he said, "My name is Castiel." A weak chuckle escaped my lips as I smiled up at him.
"It's about time," I said before I could no longer keep my eyes open. I didn't fall asleep, but I couldn't move even if I tried so I didn't try. Every muscle in my body just felt so heavy, like I just finished running ten marathons.
"Take these two somewhere safe. I've got to drop the sasquatch off at his brother's," I heard Gabriel say, "You better watch out for them Cas." I heard the flapping of wings, and then felt a hand against my forehead. There was a mere second where my body felt the weightlessness of flight, then went right back to being unbearably heavy. I could hear another man. He was yelling at Castiel. Someone lifted me up off the ground and carried me up a set of stairs. I was laid gently onto a made bed and finally fell asleep.
My neck was sore when I sat up again and opened my eyes. I rubbed the muscles while I looked around the room. It was small and incredibly dusty, with cardboard boxes piled on top of each other along every wall. Another twin bed sat beside the one I was in, Elijah slept on top of it. Had we really made it to the other side of Hell? And if we did whose house were we in now? Where did David, no, Castiel go? That's strange to think about, the angel Castiel had been inside of me for almost two weeks if I didn't include Hell. I'm not even sure how long we were down there. I shook my head; I didn't want to think about that. Someone made noise downstairs, I grabbed my knife, which was thankfully still attached to my belt, and headed for the door. I stayed alert as I crept slowly down the hallway, and then stopped at the top of the stairs. A man's voice, the same one from earlier I think, floated through the house. It sounded like he was talking to someone, even though I couldn't hear the other person. Maybe he was on the phone.
"I don't know what to do with them. Cas already up and left on me," he said, and then there was a pause. Probably who ever it was on the other end, was talking now. "Don't you think I tried? Featherbrain's not answering. Just get your butts here already." The phone was slammed down on the receiver and the man stomped off. He was coming towards me. I tensed up, but as he passed the stairs into another room he didn't even look up. "Put the knife away kid and get down here already," he said. I sighed; I guess I still needed to work on my stealth. Climbing down the stairs I kept the knife out all the same and walked into the room where the man was. It looked like a study of sorts with bookshelves stuffed to the breaking point, a cluttered desk, a few misplaced chairs and an old couch. The place looked old and beaten up. He didn't take care of his home very well. The man was sitting at the desk. He was an older gentleman, maybe in his fifties, probably around my dad's age. His clothes and facial hair gave him a real scruffy look; he really matched well with the feel of the scenery.
"Who are you? Where am I?" I asked standing in the room's entryway.
"I'm Bobby Singer and this is my house. Now sit down before you fall over," he said. I hadn't noticed I was shaking. I slipped the knife back into its holder and sat down in one of the chairs, I recognized that name. He looked up from the book, which he had open on the desk, at me. I wondered how I looked to him; I hadn't bothered to look in a mirror after I woke up. Did I look like I'd been through Hell? Were there scars from the wounds I took while Castiel used my body to fight our way out? Self-consciousness overtook me and I started playing with the ends of my long hair, smoothing it out. My braid had fallen out long ago. "What'ca name kid?" he said, sighing.
"Danny," I said, "Where's Castiel?"
"He said something about checking on Heaven, I think," he said, "What's your connection to the angel anyway? He didn't say much before he took off."
"I don't know," I said, shrugging my shoulders, "Gabriel said something about having a pure soul and that too much divine power was bad for the environment. I didn't understand that part."
"Gabriel? As in the archangel? The boys told me he was dead," he said, "but then again so was Castiel until today." Then came the flapping of wings, and Castiel suddenly appeared standing beside me. I stood up and my chair screeched a bit as it was pushed backwards. "Where the Hell have you been? You can't just drop two kids off here with no explanation, and then take off. This isn't a hotel."
"I apologize," Castiel said, and then turned to me. It was weird having to look up to meet his eyes. They were blue. It was those blue eyes that I kept seeing in my reflection before all of this craziness started. Back when I just thought I was going insane. I never thought then that I'd be so happy to see those eyes again. "Danny, are you okay? Have you noticed any side effects from being in Hell?"
"No. I feel fine," I said, a smile crept on to my face. "The guy from the cage, is he?"
"Sam is fine. Gabriel dropped him off with Dean. He doesn't remember anything from his time in Hell," he said. I sighed in relief. "I need to go. Much has happened in Heaven in the year I have been away."
"Hold your horses angel-boy," Bobby interrupted, "You can't just take off again."
"I think Danny and Elijah could explain everything that happened better, I really must be off," Castiel said before he disappeared. Bobby swore, and then turned back to me. I sort of stared at him then pointed to the ceiling.
"Elijah is the boy sleeping upstairs," I said, hoping that would be all the explanation I'd have to give for now. My stomach growled almost in agreement.
"You can tell me the story when the boys get here. No need to tell it twice," he said, walking past me then out of the room. I didn't move. "You're hungry right? Get in here," he shouted. I jumped a bit and followed him into the kitchen.