075. Shade

"Where are we now?" Castiel asked, leaning against the side of the car and looking at the map that Meg had in front of her.

"Still in Kansas," Meg groaned as she pointed toward the bottom portion of the state.

They had been on the road for a few days, but it wasn't exactly showing in their progress. Meg stopped a few times a day and they would always stop for hours. Currently they were taking one of their travel breaks at a run-down rest stop. Missouri was just a few hours away and Meg knew that if she drove fast enough that they could make it there before nightfall.

She didn't feel like driving anymore though. Castiel had no clue how to drive a car, making her their only driver. More than once Castiel had volunteered just to teleport (not the word he used, but she refused to think of it as "flying") them to Florida, but Meg had fiercely declined. They were both running away and she wanted to do it the rebellious way. It was always nice to know that the teleporting option was still available though.

"We should keep moving then," Castiel said.

"Or we could get a hotel for the night and drive in the morning," Meg suggested.

"What would that accomplish?" he asked, looking down at her with a perked eyebrow. "We've made barely any progress so far. As this rate we won't make it to Florida for months."

"Well, maybe I like it this way," Meg shrugged, walking toward a picnic table under a tree and sitting down. "It's not like we're rushing. We're just leisurely travelers."

Castiel looked at her, not moving from his spot next to the car. The sun was beating down on him and he briefly thought about why it was so warm in October. Worrying about the weather wasn't exactly something worth thinking about though.

Their lack of progress was worrying. They were still in the same state where his face was plastered everywhere. Luckily, no one had recognized him, but he knew it was only a matter of time. They needed to get as far away from Kansas as possible and it seemed like Meg wanted the exact opposite of that.

"We need to start making some significant progress, and soon," he said, deciding to sit across from her at the picnic table.

Meg leaned across the table and gave him a grin, something that he had become quite used to.

"Clarence, are you still worried about someone recognizing you?" she asked.

"Possibly," he admitted.

"Oh, please," she scoffed. "Even if someone does, what are they going to do? Arrest an angel? There's no way they could possibly hold you."

"I just don't want to be hunted, surely you understand that," he pressed.

"Of course I understand not wanting to be hunted," Meg said. "I'm being hunted right now."

Castiel didn't say anything to that and instead brought his attention to a small family exiting a car. They all started to stretch before making their way toward the information building. Meg followed his line of vision and sighed, shaking her head.

"No one is going to recognize you," she assured, surprised by the soft tone her voice had suddenly taken. "Besides, the shading on the police sketch of you is just awful."

To her surprise he gave a light chuckle before standing up and walking out from under the shade of the tree. Meg watched him walk back to the car, not even bothering getting up to follow him.

"I'm not leaving," she said. "My meatsuit is stiff from driving all day. Give me an hour and I'll be good to go."

"We don't exactly have an hour," Castiel said.

Meg looked at him before groaning, grabbing her purse that she had laid down on the table, and standing. "Okay, five minutes. I want to stretch my legs again before getting back in that car."

"Suit yourself," Castiel shrugged before opening the passenger side door and getting in the car.

Turning around, Meg started to walk toward the information building. It was a standard rest stop with picnic benches and plenty of vending machines. One vending machine filled with candy bars caught her eye in fact, and she made her way over. Digging around in her purse, Meg managed to find a few quarters before dropping them in and making her selection.

She was in the process of peeling back the wrapper when she saw Castiel getting out of the car. It was probably getting hot in there so she didn't exactly blame him. At first she had been overjoyed by acquiring a sports car, but it wasn't the best thing to travel in. She should have taken something more practical but she had been drawn in by the leather seats and new car smell.

Meg continued to watch Castiel as he sat back down at the picnic table, under the shade once again. He looked up and caught her eye, nodding as he did so. She gave a wave in return and wondered why he was sticking with her. Her company wasn't exactly the best and she knew that he was just dying to go back to his buddies.

He had rarely mentioned the Winchesters over the past few weeks and she was tired of having to make up explanations for her own entertainment. It was about time that she stopped wondering and got some answers.

After finishing her candy bar, Meg threw the wrapper away and headed toward the picnic table. She didn't know what she was going to say when she got to him, she just knew that she wanted answers in any way, shape, or form that she could get.

"So, why have you been sticking around?" she asked when she reached him. "You can still spread your wings and fly, so why stay with me? Why not go back to Tweedledee and Tweedledum? What did you do that was so bad? And don't give me the generic summary that you gave me before."

All of these questions had come out as a long string and Meg could see Castiel trying to work through all of them. When he did his face didn't show sadness or confusion or shame. Those mild emotions didn't even come close to describing what his face was showing. He was angry, and that made Meg regret her questions immediately.

"I have told you what you need to know," he said, standing up and towering over her. "You don't need to know anything else and I'm not going to tell you anything else. Understand?"

She couldn't just leave it at that though. Curiosity was a bad thing and it was biting away at her. "Just tell me what you did. Other than playing God, what did you do to them?"

"You wouldn't understand," he said sharply.

"Try me," she prompted. "I've done some pretty terrible things myself."

"Just drop it!" Castiel growled as he grabbed her shoulders roughly.

Meg didn't have a second to think as he pressed her back against the tree. His hands move from her shoulders to her face. There was nothing gentle or tender about what he was doing. She knew that he would just have to summon a little bit of angel power and he could smite her on the spot. Leaving her meatsuit crossed her mind, but for some reason she didn't want to. She was already running and she didn't want to have to run from him too.

"I'm just saying that maybe I can relate," Meg said, braving a response.

"Listen, demon, I'm not sure where you got the idea that you were in charge, but you're not," he threatened, his face ridiculously close to hers. "I am older than you, stronger than you, and much more capable. So don't think for a second that you can pry into my business. We are not equals, I don't trust you. Don't mistake whatever it is we're doing for camaraderie."

With that final sentence he stepped away from her and made his way back to the car. It was only then that she realized that she was shaking.