Old Foes Walk Again

Half an hour later, the trio were sitting in the park behind the town hall trying to come up with a decent theory about what was going on and had, so far, come up with nothing.

"Uh..." Sam started again. "Maybe it's a time travel thing; the monster is taking victims from its past to help manifest itself?" he rubbed a hand over his face and through his hair.

Dean looked at his brother who was to his left on the bench. "That is the stupidest thing you've come up with so far. Hell, that's worse than the TV Land theory from when we ran into Gabriel."

"You haven't come up with anything better, jerk." the younger brother snapped.

"Bitch." Dean bit back but the exhaustion was clear in his voice.

Sam leaned back on the bench and closed his eyes. "What time even is it, any way? I need to actually go and do a job this afternoon. I've gotten into the CCTV and everything but there's never anything there. No light, no people, it's like they just blink out of existence." he sighed.

Dean turned on the screen on his phone and checked the time. "It's almost eleven." the older hunter said before hiding a yawn behind his hand. "I keep forgetting that I haven't slept since... Uh, most of the night." he glanced over to the Angel on his right. "How are you holding up, Cas? You haven't slept for longer than me."

Castiel blinked a couple of times as if coming out of a daze and then looked over to the hunter on his left. "I am still reasonably awake, Dean." he assured him.

"If you've barely slept all night, you should probably head back then. I need to go." the younger Winchester stretched, his bones popping audibly, as he stood up before walking off to their right, throwing a small wave over his shoulder as he went.

"He's probably right, you know. Especially you. You need sleep now, too." Dean told the Seraph.

Once again, Castiel seemed to come out of a dazed state. "Hmm? Oh, yes I suppose."

"Okay, man, what's up with you? You're more distracted than every man ever whilst watching Who Framed Roger Rabbit." Dean asked him, giving the – normally over-focused and intense Angel – a slightly worried look.

"I-" Castiel stopped and frowned slightly, considering what he was going to say. "I know that Sam believes it may simply be a nursery rhyme, but I believe that the song I heard this morning may have something to do with what we are hunting. The problem is that I cannot place when or where I heard it."

Pulling out his phone again, Dean brought up his contacts and selected Bobby's number. "Here, call Bobby. Maybe he'll recognise it." he handed his phone over to the Angel who took it and held it to his ear.

A muffled grunt from the phone alerted Dean that the phone had been answered. "Bobby, no- it is okay. Both the Winchesters and myself are fine." More muffled talking from the other end. "Yes, I will pass along the message to them both but, yes, there is a reason for calling." Another pause while Bobby talked. "No, I do not bel- Oh, you were kidding." Laughter echoed through the phone and Dean smiled slightly at the fact that the Angel was looking at the phone like it could tell him what was so funny. The laughter died down and then the elder hunter spoke again before Castiel coninued. "I was calling to ask if you had heard of a rhyme that goes 'If you go into the town today,/ You're sure to get a surprise;/ 'Cause he's sittin' round the fire/ And he'll hear your cries./ With his eyes too big/ And his mouth too wide,/ You'd better start runnin'/ 'Cause there's nowhere to hide.' I believe it may be linked to what we are hunting but that its original version may, also, not be in English." The hunter noticed how the other man didn't bother to actually sing the lyrics but did copy the way the girls had said it and found the sound of the Angel missing letters off of words and shortening others odd. There was silence over the line whilst Bobby considered the rhyme, Dean figured, before there was more talking on Bobby's end and Castiel nodded. "Yes, I will try to do so. Thank you." the Angel hung up and handed the phone back to Dean.

"Bobby says he will look into the rhyme but that he does not instantly recognise it from any where." he said as Dean pocketed the phone.

"Well, if anyone could find some obscure rhyme, it'd be Bobby." the hunter grinned slightly at the other man next to him. Fighting off another yawn, Dean stood and looked to the Angel. "Come on then. I suppose we'd better try and hit the sack and actually get some sleep."

Castiel nodded once before standing to join Dean and they walked back to where the Impala was still parked in the shade of the town hall.

The ride back to the house was silent – Dean was mulling over what they had learnt in the case and trying to compare it with anything he had ever heard of but was, however, still coming up with nothing. He just hoped that Bobby could find a trace of this rhyme that could give them some kind of a heads-up on what they were facing. Then again, Malik looked like he was now completely gone and his house made it seem as if he had never been there; Dean figured that maybe he had realised who they were and skipped town, possibly hundreds of miles away by now and selecting a new area to target.

Turning onto Joshua Avenue, the hunter noticed that the road was now clear of all the on-lookers who had gathered around the Carltons' house that morning but he could still see two police cars parked up with their occupants, presumably, inside said house.

He pulled into number eleven's drive and got out, the Angel following him into the house. It was cool inside and Dean found that his drowsiness was fading slightly. Given how his mind felt, he thought that it would probably take him a couple of hours to finally get to sleep.

Rubbing at the slight pain in his neck – which he presumed he had gotten from sleeping on that damn bench at an awkward angle – whilst kicking off his boots, Dean sat on the sofa and turned on the TV.

The elder brother heard the Seraph follow him as Judge Judy cut to a commercial break. "Aren't you going to sleep, Dean?"

Looking over his shoulder at the other man he gave a slight shrug. "I was gonna but I don't think I'll be able to for a while. I promise I'll keep the noise down, hun." he winked.

Castiel scowled slightly. "We're not in public right now." he said as if Dean was not aware of that.

Rolling his eyes, but grinning slightly, he responded. "Call it method acting."

The scowl didn't leave the Angel's face but he came to sit at the other end of the sofa. Without realising it, the hunter noticed, they had both chosen an end of the couch that they always ended up sitting in; Dean closer to the window whilst Castiel was further towards the back off the house.

Dean arched an eyebrow as he looked over at Cas. "You staying up to?"

The blue-eyed man nodded. "Yes; I do not believe that I could sleep right now either."

Dean shrugged again. "Fair enough then." he settled back into the cushions as the show came back on and reviewed some case that seemed incredibly stupid to the hunter.

~x~x~x~

An hour later, Dean was slightly bleary-eyed but still definitely awake as he skipped through the channels on the television.

"Heh, there's a repeat of Love Connection on; that's always good for a-" he started, landing on a re-run of the old game show.

"No." Castiel cut across him quite forcefully.

Intrigued, Dean turned to the Angel. "Any reason you hate it so much?"

Cas definitely felt himself blush as he remembered his own experience in Gabriel's TV Land over a year ago. "Gabriel." was all he offered.

Dean snorted but carried on through the stations. "Okay, there is definitely a story worth telling somewhere in there and, so help me, I will hear it one day."

The Angel turned to glare at his Charge. Memories of being forced onto that game show with Dean, Zachariah and Azazel as the other contestants still made his skin crawl.

"Whoa, okay, okay!" Dean held up his hands, catching sight of the look the Seraph was giving him. "So don't tell me. There's no need to look like you're gonna smite my ass." he grumbled the last sentence.

Turning back to focus intently on whatever was on the screen, the Angel tried, once again, to suppress the memories of the entire experience.

~x~x~x~

Within half-an-hour, Dean was snoring lightly, his head lolled back onto the sofa whilst Castiel was still watching a documentary on insects. He believed that he would never not be intrigued by the life that existed on Earth; even compared to that of other planets that the Angels had visited and, in some cases, destroyed as part of the Host.

The programme was five minutes from ending when the hunter shifted and fell from leaning against the sofa to almost lying on top of Castiel who had folded his legs onto the seat next to him.

Frozen in place for a moment, the Seraph tried to extract himself from underneath Dean but came to no avail – if anything, Castiel's actions caused the hunter to roll over further and nestle against the other's side, still asleep.

Cas' mind went through a small internal debate; either he could wake Dean up and face the, possibly, awkward consequences or stay and try to sleep himself and then say that the situation must have occurred whilst they slept. After all, what was one little white lie to have a moment of happiness compared to what he was hiding to ensure their survival in the long term.

Decision made, Cas shifted further down onto the cushions so Dean's head lay on his shoulder whilst his left arm draped down across the Angel's chest and stomach, the hunter's own chest still rising and falling gently. Settling back, Castiel couldn't return his focus back to the programme but was, instead, enraptured with how peaceful and without worry the hunter looked in sleep and wondered if there were some way for him to make Dean so content even when awake.

A small, breathy laugh left his lips but did not disturb the sleeping man. "If only this were real, then maybe you could finally be at peace." he said quietly, the words making him feel slightly bitter at how his feelings could never be returned, and that indulging such thoughts was sure to destroy him.

Hadn't that been what the other Angels had told him so long ago? Before Lucifer had risen? Dragged back to Heaven to be reminded that he was part of the Host and not 'them'.

With a warmth in his chest and thoughts of how he wouldn't give up where he was at that moment for anything, the Angel also drifted off.

~x~x~x~

Bright sunlight cut into his vessel's eyes whilst the blistering heat made his whole body thrum as if electricity were being passed over his skin. Of course, it was nothing compared to the energy held within this form but it still heightened the experience because he could feel it through a human's sensitive nerve endings and senses.

"Fall back! Regroup outside of the walls and push forward!" Castiel looked over to find Camael, holding his sword, which was burning with white fire, and motioning for the other Celestial soldiers to move away from the front lines.

His form was dark skinned with a deep blue cloth covering his head and falling to his shoulders but leaving his face open and his eyes were rimmed with black paint. His chest was mostly uncovered save for a large rim of white fabric that fell to just past his collarbone before going over his shoulders and his waist was wrapped in a similar material but with a thick, gold belt that held an assortment of other weapons. On his left arm was a gold gauntlet while his right bore a bronze one. Large, golden wings protruded from his back and were extended in a show of aggression.

Looking around, Castiel realised where he was; Egypt, but many millennia ago. The Host had been called down to fight... An oppressive king, but the Angel could not remember who exactly.

His own vessel was also tanned and dressed in battle armour fit for the age with his own black wings extended, the edges pointed and sharpened to fend of any attacks.

A quick glance around his, showed other Angels in similar attire, in both male and female forms, and with wings of all colours and sizes out and enlarged to show defiance at who they were facing.

Seeing the others take flight and circle back in the opposite direction, the Seraph joined them. Whilst flying he heard a sonic boom and a bright stream of gold and white light shot past him towards the sounds of fighting; shouting, clashes of metal and the wicked shwing of swords, arrows and spears cutting through the air.

Turning to hover and watch, the light landed in the centre of the opposite, but advancing, forces, forming a crater almost half a mile wide. When the tidal waves of dust cleared, a man stood holding a long, golden horn, surrounded by fallen enemies.

Gabriel, Castiel half remembered and half realised.

At the sight of the Archangel, others had also flown back to observe the scene.

The crowds of the enemy had backed away from Gabriel; whose large, white wings were spread to their furthest wing-span – about three times the length of his vessel on either side of him. As a deep laugh cut through the scorching, desert air and reached Castiel's ears, the opposing soldiers began moving aside from in front of the Archangel and a horse-drawn chariot came to a stop in front of him: its rider, the source of the laughter.

The rider had a black headdress and a dark red material was draped from his waist whilst broad, leather bands crossed hiss chest. From the headdress, protruded two, curled black horns like a ram's. No , Castiel corrected himself; the horns were coming through the headdress.

"Molech." he breathed.

"Yes, brother." Castiel turned to find Anna – Anael – facing him. "The god of children's nightmares."

As words were traded between his elder brother and the king – Molech, Castiel now reminded himself – he suddenly remembered. The rhyme he had heard earlier was one he had heard when the Host had lain siege to Molech's empire to take down the god.

The survivors, if there were any, of attacks on towns and villages conducted by the god's armies would sing about stolen souls, his burning fires and the god himself; the song that Castiel had heard in Springdale Fields.

"Move forward, flank our brother!" Tzadkiel called whilst diving, with his rust coloured wings flattened against his back, towards the scene below them. The other Angels followed behind him, blades drawn and descending towards the Earth to resume the battle and Castiel went with them; black wings fanning out to steady himself as he reached the opposing army.

Joining the fray, despite now knowing it was a dream, Castiel recalled everything he knew about Molech.

The god, who had claimed himself to be a king all that time ago, had demanded child sacrifices when he deemed that the 'planets had aligned' and if he did not receive them, he would burn down entire towns and villages. When the Angels had taken him in, he had claimed that 'a parent's misery is just the best kind' and would burn his sacrifices before eating the burnt heart. In return for the sacrifices, not only would he leave the rest of the population reasonably unharmed, but crops would not fail and the harvest would be a good one.

Molech had also accepted self-sacrifices from parents to protect their children or other people to protect those they loved but, for the most part, he would insist that those who were to die had to not yet come of age.

Slicing through a soul-less body under Molech's command, Castiel tried to recall what could kill the god but could not remember – he knew that Molech had been taken by another Garrison to Heaven and he had never heard about him since, never bothered to question.

Turning, he swung his arm baring his blade high, disarming his opponent before pushing him back with his shield and into the direction of another enemy who was being bared down upon by Uriel as if he were a cornered mouse.

A sharp pain shot through the upper arch of the right wing so he sharpened the edge and pushed backwards before turning to find his attacker clutching her stomach, long gashes cutting across it from where Castiel's wing had sliced at her.

All of the people around them were devoid of a soul, Castiel could see it; they were only bodies as their minds were ensnared by Molech into doing his bidding, whatever it may be, without doubt or question. All of these people had lost loved ones to his hands and had begged for him to take them instead while he ended up taking both anyway.

A sharp jerk of his shoulder brought him back, but it wasn't from the dream/memory; this was from the waking world.

Another jolt and a call of "Cas!" and he was awake, Dean looking down at him, eyes wide.

"Dude, are you okay? I was gone for about ten minutes, I come back and you're having a seizure in your sleep." the hunter asked as Castiel sat back on the sofa from where he had, evidently, fallen onto the floor whilst dreaming.

"I'm fine, Dean." he assured the other man, who he noticed had changed clothes and had, apparently, turned the TV off. "However, I now believe I know what we're facing."

The older Winchester brother looked up at him at that. "W- what do you think it is?"

The Angel's voice became hard. "Something I believed to be dead; I believe it to be the old god, Molech."

A/N: that's a s far as I've gotten on my AO3 for now.

In case anyone was wondering, my AO3 is also IggyLikesPie whilst my tumblr is bakura-reads-yaoi

Also, thank you to my beta infitejellybean who began trawling through my work after Chapter 8

As I stated on my AO3, Molech is a real myth/legend/whatever that was worshipped in North Africa and even has mentions in the Bible. I did take some 'artistic liberties', however, but who doesn't every now and then?