Chapter 10: Tandem
Castiel's artificially induced restful sleep didn't last long so when he curled up upon himself rigidly, Dean resumed trying to ease his suffering with gentle wet cloth belly rubs, reassured he was doing something right by Castiel having unclenched his fists and having slowly loosened his grip on his stomach at the hunter's touch. So when Sam dipped another face towel into the bowl his brother used, and stepped to Meg, the occupant of the other bed, Dean reacted, aggravated, "what are you doing!" He objected.
"You told me to wake her up?" Sam used the towel to wet the demon's face, both sides.
"Dumping a bucket on her should work better?" Dean argued, "Castiel is starting to come to. I was hoping we would be further ahead helping him by the time he's in line for another bout of cramps."
"What's wrong with Clarence?" Meg turned her head in the other bed's direction, Sam's method having clearly worked.
"I managed to land him in purgatory and took months to find a way out," Dean blamed himself, "during which time he was thoroughly poisoned by the filth down there. I hope you know what I'm talking about cause we brought you here to extract it!" The Winchester got to the point quickly.
Meg sat up slowly, laboriously, checking whether her nose bleed had stopped, "is that why you have him practically naked?"
"Can you or can you not do it?" Dean probed, frustrated.
"Uhm.." She maneuvered herself to the edge of the bed, holding a hand out for Sam to pull her up, "let me see him," she managed on her feet with the tall man's help, then swayed, causing Sam to have to keep a hold on her while she tried to gain balance. "Are you all batshit trying to make him survive in that environment?" The demon nagged protectively nevertheless, depositing herself down the side of Castiel's bed with a big exhale.
"Are you too injured to perform the extraction?" Dean probed again nervously. Castiel's hand in hers, she lifted his fingers to her swollen, beaten cheek and held it there as if finding comfort.
"Meg!" Dean shouted at her, intent on breaking her reverie.
The demon sighed, raising her eyes at the hunter addressing her, "it will not affect me physically, but that much darkness, I'm not sure I want."
"What do you mean darkness?" Sam inquired, kneeling to be level with the others so he can look into their eyes.
"I'm assuming he got ill because he didn't let the essence of purgatory touch his grace so it attacked his body instead. He can't heal it because the moment his grace would touch it, it would get tainted. In theory of course, that's what I think happened. I could extract it, sure, but my essence would be tainted too."
"You're already tainted," Dean retorted, "you're so much tainted, you're not even tainted, you're a demon!" He protested, "what harm is it gonna do!"
"When I said I felt clean when he kissed me, I wasn't kidding! Clarence started something that I could not control nor did I want to. I'm not the demon I once was. I didn't want this doubt, this self-reproach, this..this conscience thing…this… feeling, you know, affection, but I have it and I'm changing every day. It's why Crowley didn't kill me, he was mesmerized. I know that I'm not human, but I am no demon either, not anymore. Taking that evil poison will make me a demon once again, I'm quite sure of that."
"It's ridiculous for a demon not to want to be a demon!" Dean deadpanned.
"Meg.." Sam started, waving Dean's incredulous huff and eyeroll off, "do you mean to say you're not willing to help Castiel so that you could stay more human? Cause staying human means…"
"How can you imagine I don't want to help Clarence!" The not completely demon countered, "of course I will heal sexygrace! All I'm saying is that you gotta be ready boys cause I might not be so keen and willing to liaise with you afterwards. I would keep me away from mad cherub as well if I was you, especially any angel blades I might find."
"You don't have to worry about that," Dean grinned, nodding his approval of the plan.
Meg gave him a nod and a half smile for his efforts. She knelt on the bed, supporting herself on her hands as she climbed up and drew close to Castiel's lips, breasts sliding atop his chest, then turned her head to the side abruptly, "are you going to watch?"
"We kind of have to don't we?" Dean grimaced, a little sickened.
Satisfied with the reaction, Meg turned her attention back to the ailing angel to caress his now longish, rumpled hair as it got, uncared for in purgatory. She followed a strand down at the side of his face, looking happier than she has been since her arrival. She leaned in and…
"Kissing is not actually necessary, a simple touch will do I believe," Dean imparted coarsely, "he isn't freaking Cinderella!"
"Jealous?" Meg winked at him, making the man huff. She pulled back, sitting up. "No, I don't have to kiss him, but I'm all for fun, you know?" However, the demon schooled her features and suddenly became serious, "before the almighty and ineffable God-Satan Lucifer…"
"Whoa whoa, slow down, what's Lucifer's got to do with it?" Dean interrupted again.
"It's for protection dumbass. I'd rather be serving Lucifer than those purgatory ogres," Meg specified, "it is important."
"Fair enough," the hunter indicated his approval with his hands up.
"Well, good!" Meg raised her eyebrows curtly at his interruption and continued, closing her eyes, "I renounce the false Judeo-Christian god Jehova, I renounce his vile and worthless son Jesus Christ, I renounce his foul, odious, and rotten holy spirit. I proclaim Satan Lucifer as my one and only.."
"Could you maybe do all that inside your head?" Sam winced.
Meg sighed, looking back at Castiel, "of course boys and I'll serve your tea too." But she didn't give any other indication of her displeasure and remained silent as she stroked the angel's cheek, enjoying the roughness of his purgatory stubble against her fingers. She leaned in again while caressing his chin till their lips met and slowly kissed him. Running her tongue across his lips, the demon ran down her hands on his chest and shoulder and all of a sudden she was in his mouth, making her realise that Castiel had responded by parting his lips and kissing her back. Meg broke the kiss to gauge his reaction even as his arms wrapped around her and she found herself staring into his affectionate, emotional eyes.
"Good to see you Meg," he gave her his special, reserved for the unique demon, adoring smile, "my beautiful angel."
"Angel, not so much, still me," the dark haired woman snorted.
"Hello? Dean Winchester standing here waiting for an update?" The hunter complained.
"Hey," Castiel turned his head to the side to greet him.
"Not 'hello Dean'?" Sam questioned confused.
"Feeling okay?" Dean pressed his friend.
"I am healed," Castiel confirmed, "thank you Meg."
"Are you sure?" The Winchester probed, "what about all that darkness that we were talking about?" He didn't stop holding up his ganking knife in striking distance from the demon.
"I was wrong," Meg shrugged, "I took the darkness in, but either Lucifer protected me, or kissing Clarence made me feel clean again."
"Please put your weapons away," Castiel vouched for her, "I am well and Meg here has no harmful intentions," he sat up to put an arm around her and half cover her in show of protection.
"You should still rest a bit, finish the healing, you know what I mean?" The demon encouraged, voice turning drawled and sweet like honey.
"There is no need now," Castiel started, "…but I think I know what you mean," he turned towards the brothers, "please accept my thanks for your assistance in getting me out of purgatory and finding the solution to making me better. I would also like to thank Benny later, but now I require some more respite," he licked his dry lips.
"Then we will let you rest," Sam allowed good-naturedly, making to go.
"Have you not got anywhere else to be? Kill a King of Hell, plot some revenge?" Dean eyed Meg suspiciously, "you're free to go," he smudged a small part of the devil's trap with his foot.
"I certainly have somewhere else to be," she grabbed hold of the covers and pulled them over her and Castiel's heads.
"For someone who's obsessed with sex, you're rather slow sometimes," Sam gave his brother an encouraging push towards the door, "apparently they need rest, both of them."
The End.