Chapter 10: Maintenance Run

Meg found Dean back in the main room, leaning over Kevin and his scribbles. He straightened up at her approach, folding his arms, "talked over some options here with Sam and Kev. We go in with protection. Sam says yes on the condition he only supplies his body for ten minutes and he states this in advance so the devil would not have permission for longer. And mistake not Meg, given we have a lot more resources at our disposal than we used to as you can see by looking around, we do have a backup spell to cast Nick out of the whole region and away from Sammy!"

"I think you're still missing the whole point Deano," Meg raised her eyebrows at him, "but whatever."

"I want Cas to tell Lucifer of our main bargaining chip himself, not you. He will tell me whether he still thinks negotiating with the devil is wise afterwards," the hunter continued resolutely.

Meg sighed, "your intended divine messenger is sick."

"What do you mean he's sick?" Dean pulled himself to his full height.

"I mean he ignores the need for food and otherwise likes to pretend he's still an angel doing absurd stuff like jumping heights he shouldn't and not using oven gloves."

Dean rolled his eyes, "yes, I know. Though we don't have to deal with that at all if we could make him an angel again, like, pronto?"

Meg opened the kitchen cupboards instead, "I'm hungry, I need to eat for two right now. You should go talk to your hell guide. Just be careful he doesn't throw up on you." She feigned indifference.

The Winchester eyed her guardedly for a moment, but talking to Castiel he did need to do, so he took off towards the Megstiel room, as he called it to find the former angel on his bed, curled around the hands on his stomach. "Cas?" He probed wide eyed. His friend did look like shit with his pale, pained face and the slight shiver that seemed to wrack his frame. Perhaps not as bad as his brother, but Castiel did already look like hell and he hadn't been there yet lately. "Meg says you've been sick?"

Castiel instantly straightened himself out at Dean's voice and opened his eyes, barely able to suppress a wince. "Please sit. I'm glad you're here Dean. I'm glad to be able to share the opportune news with you. Meg and I are going to get hitched. That's the right term to use, right?"

Dean raised his eyebrows, "that's just, well bloody marvellous Cas," he grimaced, "you couldn't have chosen a better time."

Even Castiel couldn't miss the sarcasm in that voice, "I thought you'd be pleased at how deeply I came to appreciate free will."

"Yeah. Okay, apart from the fact that you called her an abomination not so long ago, apart from me not trusting her, apart from not wanting Meg out of all demons, with our history, as a sister in law, well, man, we kind of have other more important issues to tackle right now, don't you think? Unless of course this matrimony of yours would have some holy meaning where she can't doublecross her angel husband or something, which I doubt!"

Castiel pulled himself up to lean on the headboard so he could be level with the hunter, sitting on his bed, "sister in law you say?"

"I think of you as a brother, you know that. Please don't let me regret it."

"No! No! Not again," Castiel became agitated, "I..it's very confusing. You and Sam, you had been my real family for years now, and yet the angels, I can not let them suffer either. And then now, I have a child and its mother, and I love you and I love them all and I just want to, no, need to, I need to do right by them all. Meg's solution takes care of Sam, you and every fallen angel, every one of them, including Lucifer. Maybe even Meg would be satisfied. It is the right thing to do right now, but taking away free will from my child, how can I do that Dean, how can I?" The former angel rambled anxiously. "But that is a problem for another day isn't it? I believe Nahara will honour our union and the sanctity of its meaning.."

"Slow down Cas. Who's Nahara?"

"Nahara was the daughter of Ashuruballit, king of Assyria." At Dean's exasperated pause, he added, "they've traditionally viewed marriage very seriously, as a union not just between two people, but their families as well, so I'm hoping Meg would honour the tradition of her fathers. I do not know what's happening with her true face now, Dean, as a human I can't see it, but before, I could see all that black swirly smoke inside her shimmering in faint colours, like a soul, more and more, the more she was with me. Meg said she was kinda good and that I was having a purifying effect on her and I believe it to be true. I'm not saying we should trust her completely and that's part of the reason why I'm marrying…"

"Cas!" Dean help up a pacifying hand, "slow down I said, you're getting yourself completely agitated and I'm not sure I understand what you're rattling on about! Let's start one thing at a time. Meg is thousands of years old and she was some sort of princess as a human?"

"Warrior princess. She died an honourable death in battle of Gaugamela, defending her country against Alexander the Great."

"Ohhh..okay? I don't see how that has any repercussions on our current situation? We have kind of decided to go ahead with the plan, cause well, it's the best we have. I was going to ask you to go along with Meg, can I just call her Meg?" He waved dismissively, "when she goes to see Lucifer. Instead, she says you're sick and you do look sick, but all you ramble on about is taking a wife!"

Castiel took a big breath to calm his nerves and all the different reactions his body was having to the upheaval, from his throbbing head to his churning stomach, so that he could talk to Dean in a composed manner, "Dean, I have explained to you why I'd like to do things in the order I've mentioned. I think it would make me able to exercise greater control over the situation. We could teleport to a temple any time, but Meg had been insisting you offer assistance to me first with my ailments."

"Alright," Dean gave, similarly calming himself. "What's wrong with you?"

Castiel looked away sheepishly, "I'm sorry to inconvenience you . It is my stomach that is very sore."

"How long has it been like that?"

"A number of days, but not quite like this. It had gotten worse after Meg told us about being with child."

"Cas, you have to understand that my primary focus was Sam and.."

"I'm sorry Dean, I apologise for inconveniencing you. I would've not said anything, but Meg insisted."

"Damn it Cas, that's not what I meant! Because my focus was on Sam, I would be expecting you to tell me if there was a problem as I can't guess! You're a human now and don't run solely on air and nocturnal exercise! Your stomach juices will eat you up from inside if you don't eat."

Cas shook his head, "I tried different foods, but they seem to be disagreeing with me."

"How much pain are you in?"

"I..I don't know, I don't really have any frame of reference as to what's acceptable for a human."

Dean sighed, "okay. We'll start with basics. I'll go get some antacids to calm your stomach and then I'll make you some simple breakfast: tea and toast. Next, we'll see if you still need painkillers, rehydration solution, antiemetics, antibiotics, whatever, we have every medical supply that could be needed on a hunt." He stretched a hand out to touch Castiel's forehead so unexpectedly the former angel didn't even realise till the hunter's cool palm on his brow jolted him, making Dean frown, "I don't believe this! You really are sick. Did you think hiding it would make it better or what? I'm gonna have to go get the thermometer from Sam's."

Tbc