AN: Here it is! Sorry for the delay - this one was a bitch to write. Seriously, I've been working on it everyday and would probably keep working on it ... but decided that everyone has waited patiently enough and I didn't want anyone to worry I would take another month-long break. So ... yeah ... hopefully you enjoy this one! Thank you to all my reviewers! ~Ella
Chapter Nine
Saturday February 25
Night
Lianne and Castiel were seated together on the long cross-country flight back to Vancouver.
"So you're an angel?"
"Yes."
"And you're fighting a civil war in heaven?"
"Yes."
"And you've been alive for thousands of years?"
"Yes."
"And you're vessel likes to eat hamburgers?"
"Yes."
"And you don't have a physical form until you take over a vessel?"
"Yes."
"And Dean and Sam are like your best friends?"
"Yes."
"And you helped avert the apocalypse?"
"Yes."
"And you've exploded twice?"
"Yes."
"And you've been brought back to life?"
"Yes."
"And you love Sarah?
"Yes ... what?"
"You love Sarah. It's completely obvious."
"..."
"It's okay, I mean I'm sure that in your dimension that inter-species relations might be frowned upon by your brethren but Sarah obviously loves you."
"Not anymore ..."
"Why because she told you to go fuck yourself?"
"Yes."
"Cas, Cas, Cas – as you're new best friend ..."
"You aren't my ..."
"As you're new best friend, let me explain a little something to you. Sarah is suffering from two things right now. Heartbreak and Jealousy."
"... Jealousy?"
"Dude, even I saw the way you macked on that Demon thanks to youtube and no wonder you learned it from the Pizza Man because it was hot. Like seriously, I would be trying to jump your bones if it wasn't for Sarah right now ... I'm thinking of leaning towards Sam because him and that werewolf – sizzling."
"... I am uncomfortable with this conversation ..."
"Well, we're on an airplane so suck it up. Now, as I was saying, Sarah isn't one to develop feelings for someone. I mean, she moves slow. If I had been her, and I started to get the hots for you, I would have had you naked way before a month was up."
"Maybe I'll find another seat."
"The fasten seatbelt sign is on. So, Sarah let's it fester right and then she comes home and is all heartbroken and barely getting out of bed or eating and we're all freaked about it – then, when she finally gets up the courage to look in on you guys via the magic of television she sees you making out with a demon the way she always dreamt the two of you guys would be. So of course she get's jealous, and to make matters worse she can't really talk about it to anyone because Katie's always with Drew and no one else even knows – so it grows and grows until months later you show up and she flips her lid. Understand?"
"... no."
"Would it help if I draw a diagram?"
"She is not angry at me?"
"No man, if I know Sarah – and I do – she's probably pissed at herself."
"Why would she be ... pissed ... at herself?"
"Because she didn't make a move until it was too late. Of course, now she's missing her chance this time to. Anyways, not the point. All I am trying to say is – cut Sarah some slack, and cut yourself some slack too. You both have been through some rough times."
"Thank you."
"Hey, this is your new BFF Lianne here; always ready to help. Especially if you could maybe send a picture of a unicorn."
"BFF?"
"Best Friend Forever. Now we need to come up with code words. I need one for the fire alarm in my apartment, see it's holding this grudge against me and I don't know why, but it has escalated to full out war."
"I feel bad," Sarah fretted, sending glances up towards the front of the cramped cabin. "I mean, it just hurt and I lashed out. If it was any other guy, with any sort of emotional understanding it would be different but this is Cas. What if he thinks I hate him? I don't think I could stand that, I mean he's leaving soon ... we'll be a part again and what if he always thinks I hate him."
"Oh my god, shut up," Katie groaned. "Sarah, I love you, but what the hell is the matter with you?"
"I think their inter-dimensional time travel has messed with my head somehow," Sarah moaned.
"Right, okay, listen you are fantastic, and wonderful, and brilliant, and I would die for you, but I swear to god if you don't go and talk to Castiel right now I will murder you," Katie threatened.
"The seat belt sign is on and there's a plane full of witnesses," Sarah pointed out.
"I give you until the seat belt sign is off and then I am kicking you into the isle and will hold your seat hostage until you and angel-boy make up."
"Katie, isn't that a bit extreme?" Sarah asked.
"No, because if you let him go back to his reality without clearing the air you'll never forgive yourself, I know you Sarah. Now look – see, seatbelt sign is off, tell Lianne I want to talk to her and make your goddamn move." Katie commanded.
"Fine."
Getting up, Sarah took a deep calming breath before making her way up towards Castiel and Lianne.
"An angel turned human inter-dimensional assassin is being held in a Canadian jail cell ... man, just when we thought our lives couldn't be any weirder," Sam laughed, shifting to get comfortable in the cramped seats.
Dean made some sort of grunting sound and was staring at the seat in front of him with a glaring intensity.
"Definitely never thought I would be going to a wedding this weekend," Sam pointed out.
"Mmm," was the tight-lipped response from his brother.
"Dude, come on, it's not that bad," Sam said, rolling his eyes at the sight of his unshakable brother scared witless ... because of an airplane.
"You might have got me on a flight twice in barely forty-eight hours," Dean growled, "but do not expect me to be okay about it. Damn where's the alcohol?"
Sam sighed and leaned back in his chair, hoping to catch a bit of sleep on the flight back to Vancouver. Of course there was the added bonus of ignoring his brother, who was trembling and clutching the seat with white knuckles. He couldn't hide the tiny bit of amusement he still felt at the sight of his gruff-older brother so scared over something as ridiculous as flying. As he got comfortable (which was hard with his legs being cramped in the minimal space between his seat the one in front of him) Sam noticed Sarah get up and make her way over to Castiel.
"How do you think Cas is going to handle this?" Sam worried, remembering a couple of years ago when the angel had disappeared for almost a month devoting every second of his being to try to locate God after Sarah had left the first time.
"What?"
"Look, Sarah's going over to Cas," Sam pointed out. "Wonder what they're talking about."
"Okay, if you are seriously going to turn into an old lady – find me some goddamn alcohol first bitch," Dean growled. "I am way too sober to gossip like group of teenage girls."
"I'm not gossiping," Sam muttered grumpily folding his arms and looking out his small little window.
Lianne plopped down next to Katie with a brilliant smile.
"Sarah kicked me out of my seat to talk to Cas ... are you sure they didn't have sex?" Lianne asked, blunt and odd like always.
"Yes," Katie sighed.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
"That's probably for the better," Lianne sighed. "I mean, they're leaving in just a few hours."
Katie smirked at her curly-haired friend. "I thought you were scheming to, and I quote, jump their bones or something?"
"Well, yes of course, but I'm not mooning over them," Lianne sighed. "I'm just lusting over their incredibly fit bodies."
"You disgust me," Katie giggled. "Sarah has her tense shoulder's going on ... I don't think the talk is going very smoothly."
"You know, I think we're missing a golden opportunity here," Lianne said, using her dangerous I-have-an-idea voice which had caused more problems, complications and injuries than anyone cared to admit.
"Oh, I can barely see from where we're sitting," Katie complained, trying to inconspicuously twist in her seat and press the back of her head the cabin, arch her back. She was completely ignoring Lianne.
"Exactly, maybe you should sit back with Sam or Dean, send one up to me," Lianne suggested, nodding her head as she thought about her brilliant idea.
"They're farther back," Katie argued. "I'm better where I am, even if it sucks."
"Okay, then I will go back and send one up here," Lianne said stubbornly. "I mean, I get to talk to you everyday – but inter-dimensional travelers? When am I ever going to get this chance again?"
"Apparently once every two months," Katie muttered, focused completely on Sarah and Cas. "Oh, her shoulders are shaking! If she's crying I'll punch him."
"Hi, one of you guys need to go sit with Katie," Lianne announced as she skipped to the back of the plane, ignoring the annoyed looks the stewardess was sending her.
"Why?" Sam asked, already taking off his seatbelt off.
"There's no time to ask questions Sam!" Lianne whispered urgently, making Sam's face harden and move so fast, he was squeezing past her into the isle, practically doubled over thanks to the overhead storage. "Quick, Sam! Go!"
With a curt nod, he practically jogged to Katie. Lianne quickly flung herself into Sam's now vacated seat.
"What's the problem?" Dean asked his tone so low that it was barely more than a low rumble.
"Nothing, I just wanted this seat," Lianne said, smirking at her cleverness. "So – Dean."
"Lianne," Dean quipped back, still gripping the arm of his chair in a death grip.
"I wanted to ask you about your dimension," Lianne said brightly, briefly looking forward to Sam and Katie. "Oh look! I think Sam is trying to kill me with his eyes."
Dean chuckled slightly, though it sounded strained. "Nah, that's just his regular face – it's stuck on bitch-mode."
Lianne giggled lightly and somehow managed to cross her legs on the small airplane seat and stare intently at Dean. "You're pretty."
"Um, thanks," Dean said, hating the fact that his cheeks heated up. It had been awhile since he'd been given a straight-out compliment which wasn't alcohol induced.
"Are you sure Harry Potter doesn't live in your world?"
"Damnit, no," Dean growled not wanting to start this argument again. "And if he did, he was some demon's bitch and some hunter would have put him out of misery a long time ago."
"Or, maybe the wizarding world is in hiding because of hunters," Lianne argued.
With a low sigh, Dean felt a headache start to develop behind his left eye. This was going to be a long flight.
"Um, Sam?"
"What's wrong?"
"I can't see how it's going up there with Cas and Sarah. Other than that – peachy. Why? What are you doing?"
"Lianne said there was something important that you needed me for."
"Oh ... yeah, no. That was just Lianne asking for your seat."
"Oh."
"... Sam ?"
"Yes."
"Why are you staring at Lianne like that?"
"Nothing."
"Really? Because it looks like you are trying to kill her with your eyes."
"..."
"Right, sit down before the stewardess kicks our asses for all this moving around."
"So there was nothing you wanted to talk to me about?"
"Well ... I guess it would be nice to hang out as much as we could before you go back home."
"Yeah ..."
"You and Dean ... you haven't even considered staying here have you?"
"What?"
"Staying here, getting out of hunting and settling down; hanging with Sarah and I ... and Lianne ... nothing supernatural, nothing after you, no civil war in Heaven or the mother-of-all monsters roaming the Earth."
"... No."
"Why?"
"We don't belong here."
"I am calling your bullshit. You two have always been on the move, it's not that you don't belong anywhere – it's about where you want to be. You want to be there. You don't want to be here."
"It's just ... we aren't even Sam and Dean, you know? We're Jared and Jensen, some stupid actors who just pretend to be brothers ..."
"You and Dean can't settle in world that you aren't brothers, can you?"
"He's the only family I've got."
"I know, and that's why the show about you guys works."
"Because we have no other family members?"
"No, it's because of things like this. You two would rather fight monsters and be tortured and go through hell then live in peace and quiet if it means that you two can be brothers."
"..."
"Oh come on, you know I'm right."
"..."
"Fine. I'm sorry I've psycho-analyzed you ... if it makes you feel better, I wish you could stay here. You're a great friend Sam, and together we could have driven Dean crazy."
"Ha, crazier."
"Touche. So –OH! Look, I think Cas and Sarah's talk went well!"
"Lianne, would you mind changing seats with me?" Sarah asked, and cursed her heart for beating irregularly and hard in her chest.
"Sure," chirped the wild-haired girl, beaming over at the angel. "See you when we land Best Friend."
Grinning brightly up at Sarah, she sent one giant cartoonish wink her way as she slipped into the isle and skipped back towards Katie. Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, Sarah sank down beside Castiel and tried to think of something, anything to say.
"It's weird not to see you in your trench coat."
Well that was a shitty conversation starter. Castiel just looked down at his "Welcome to Nova Scotia" sweatshirt and jeans which they had bought at the Halifax International Airport before trying to get through security. Their bloody clothes might have been suspicious. Sarah herself was wearing a matching set which had caused the other four to laugh at the pair of them. Still, the blue of the sweater did seem to highlight the brilliant blue eyes which were currently staring at her ... though she would never admit to noticing it.
"Is it weird after all this time ... not wearing it?"
"Yes."
Well, that was the end of that conversation. Trying to think of something else to say, Sarah was not ready to talk about her little mood swing down in the food court. However the only conversation Sarah could even think of was the weather and she refused to be that pathetic.
"Are you jealous?"
"What?" Sarah was taking aback. She could think of a handful of times that Castiel had made the first move in a conversation.
"Are you jealous?"
The same inflection, the same intense stare and Sarah felt her cheeks heating up. "What are you talking about?"
Castiel's head tilted and Sarah had not realized how much she had missed that. It was like a little tug on her heart.
"Lianne ... B. F. F. ... I am not sure what to call her," Castiel said, frowning in confusion.
"Ugh, just Lianne. Just call her Lianne," Sarah reassured him, sighing and making a mental note to smack Lianne for confusing him. Regular humans didn't get Lianne, angel's stood no chance.
"Lianne said you were jealous," Castiel stated, looking relieved that he now had a proper name to call Lianne.
"Oh, w-well ..." Sarah stuttered, trying to think of what to say. Part of her wanted to deny it vehemently, but ... she had always gone out of her way to be honest with Castiel. "I guess so. I mean, it's stupid and I know that but, well, you can't really control how you feel can you?"
Castiel gave her a blank look.
"Or I can't anyways," Sarah muttered, looking away, trying to hide her blushing cheeks. By now her whole face must have been a tomato and shoulders tense. Sarah did not remember it being this difficult talking to Castiel.
Taking another deep breath, Sarah calmed her nerves and steeled herself to look back at Cas. She had always prided herself on explaining things and taking the time needed to make Castiel understand. What type of friend would she be if she didn't even do that?
"I guess I was jealous, and hurt," Sarah said. "It's like ... it's like you haunt me."
"Haunt?" His face was tight and pinched looking as he tried to follow the conversation. Talking about demons or angels or monsters and Castiel had no problem. Conversations about emotions and feelings and as Dean would put it "chick-flick" moments left the poor angel unsettled and lost in unfamiliar territory.
"Everything about your dimension, it just follows me around. I think I hear Bobby muttering, or Dean's voice or Sam's laugh or I think I see you, and it hits me like a freight train that I've lost that – lost you. And I miss you, so much, it's this constant ache and I know that I won't ever see you again and I need to keep living and being happy, but it's so hard. Every Friday I tell myself to stay away, not look in, but it's like I'm drawn to it ... I need to see you guys. I need to make sure that you're all right. I'm so worried about you Cas, every Friday I think – this could be it. This might be your last episode and I can't ..." Sarah cursed herself for getting choked on emotion. Blinking her eyes fast and furiously, Sarah tried to keep herself together. "It's just hard to see you here and know that I need to give you up again."
For a long time there was silence. It stretched between them, but there was nothing really left for Sarah to say.
"I ... missed you," Castiel admitted, not looking at Sarah, but staring intently at the seat in front of him. Letting out a sigh, Sarah smiled and laid her head on his shoulder, curling up against his side much like she had all those months ago on the couch.
"Good," Sarah said, gently laying a hand over his almost experimentally as if to see what would happen. Looking back up at Cas, she smiled at his intense look of concentration which he was giving their entwined hands. Speaking softly Sarah continued. "Cas, I'm sorry for the mood flip back when we were being chased by an angel assassin. You're going to be gone soon and with everything going on with Raphael ... I don't want to fight if I only get four more hours with you."
"What do you want then?" Castiel asked.
Smiling shyly, Sarah hesitated. Then, with her heart beating in her ears, she leaned over the arm of her chair and stopped just inches from his face. Raising a hand to gently cup his cheek and race her thumb fleetingly over his lip, Sarah couldn't help the wicked smirk which erupted full force causing Castiel to gulp nervously.
"I think," she said quietly, "we should do this."
Then they were kissing, lips dancing over each others and as Castiel deepened the kiss Sarah sent a small thanks to the pizza man who was one hell of a teacher as Castiel's hands ran up the side of her body causing her knees to weaken and moan into the kiss. Distantly she heard someone wolf-whistle.
Dean laughed as Lianne finished whistling. The little wacko might be a freak of nature, but Dean had to admit the girl was fun ... even if she did think unicorns existed.
AN: Tada! Another chapter done, and uploaded! And (obviously) not the last chapter. One more to go. On a side-note: I've got a poll on my profile about my next fanfic that I plan to write and please feel free to vote! I (again, obviously) love both ideas and I've already started to write both of them. So really, you would be doing me a favour because both will be written - I just don't know which one to do FIRST. Anyways, please review! Every review makes my day just that much more awesome.
Review Responses: It's been awhile, but here we go! xBlossom: hopefully there is enough happy to make up for the sad in this chapter! Light The Dark: Ah, yes, converting people is the overall mission! Hahah, hopefully you're sister will soon find other great fanfictions out there way better than mine and she'll realize what she's been missing. I've been on for over six years and I never get tired of it. whitewhite: Well, this is the kiss and make-up chapter so I hope you enjoy it! And I am not giving any clues to the ending. None. ;) Schizophrenic_Dreamer: who isn't too lazy to sign in. Paralelsky: I think Sarah's a bit stressed right now, and dealing with issues that not many (if any) people really get (not many people are inter-dimensional travellers forced to leave a guy they've fallen for only to return home and resume some semblance of a normal life only to have him show up with an assassin trying to kill them) ... hence the harshness. The Cool Cleopatra: Oh snap! Yous right! (BTW - you're comment made me laugh, I loved it). FallenAngel16: And I was so happy to see your review in my inbox! Okay, there are more reviews, but this is all I have time for! So thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you - it means the world that people take the time and review. So, in case you didn't get it: THANK YOU!
~Ella