A/N: Thanks for all the follows and lovely reviews. Ya'll are the best. Support is everything, you guys.
Castiel stood at the head of the convinience store counter proudly. His items consisted of several supply items splayed on the counter. Gauze. Long white tape that could have been used for bandaging purposes.
Behind him, a line of angry people had formed and the clerk stared at the open packages that Castiel didn't refrain from manhandling.
"You know we have a policy if you break it, you buy it, right?" The clerk said. He was a shrewd looking old man with a ball cap that covered his eyes and a plaid shirt. A grumpy man, perhaps angry at the world. With that form of dressing, he was probably once a hunter in the wild.
"I have a sufficient payment method," Just like Dean told him to do, Castiel drew out a handful of sweaty green bills and various coins. He released them, watching nearly all the coins roll off the surface. The clerk all but reached over the counter and slammed the angel's head into the pile of money.
" Oh...Goody...It's not like there's a line or anything," said the clerk.
"There is a line," Castiel pointed out.
"Hmm," The old man began to sort out Castiel's coins while nearly everyone sighed in frustration behind him.
After it was all sorted out, Castiel ended up overpaying and everyone in line knew it. Because it took a better part of twenty minutes to pay for his transaction, no one bothered to step up and correct this. Castiel didn't seem to mind and the old man certainly didn't mind. He ushered all of the change Castiel poured out into his register and bagged up Castiel's items into a white bag, all but shoving it at him to get him out of there.
When Castiel walked out, it was a ways. Dean wasn't very inconspicuously placed. He rested in the front seat of a black car that both of them had stolen(much to Castiel's chagrin).
It had been three days since the two of them escaped with just their lives from a rampaging Anema. Three days since both of them were nearly slaves to a demon that surpassed both of them. The evidence of that was in Castiel's nearly healed wounds and Dean looked in much worse shape than he was since they left the Temple of Light.
He had dragged Dean out of there. He didn't know why he did. Perhaps it was because twice in one place, Dean had saved his life there. He had come back for him, then he had literally pulled him from the clenches of the Anema who wanted nothing more than to tear Castiel apart with his teeth.
Dean was barely conscious when Castiel entered the car. Even the sound of the closing car door did nothing to rouse the demon from his sleep. This was normal, Castiel learned. He had lost a lot of blood. And no amount of holding the wound did anything but aggravate the demon. Dean wasn't exactly the easiest person to take care of. As royalty, in fact, he was very difficult to accommodate. Surprising, considering all royalty might have done was lounge around and let others cater to their needs and desires. Not Dean.
The car was an inconceivable form of transportation. He'd rather have flown. Now that he wasn't restrained by an insane power-draining demon, everything was easier. They had already theorized that the blade that the Anema was used had some kind of poison laced on it. Poison that was steady draining the King's will and life energy.
But they couldn't fly. Because Dean didn't want to fly. And a part of Castiel was okay with that because he was sure the wound would only increase in pain if Castiel flew him there. At the cost of one time excruciating pain, Castiel conceded.
"I already told you, that was a waste," said Dean out of nowhere. Castiel looked over to see the King eying Castiel's bag of supplies with distaste.
"You already trumped out the alternative. I offered. You refused. Several times," said Castiel, matching his tone.
"I already told you...I don't need your damn magic," said Dean, sighing long and hard, ragged and broken. "I don't know what the outcome will be. I've never let a pure celestial near enough to try it."
"My power can heal you instantly, Dean," Castiel remarked. But then he thought of something. "What about what you said back there? Infusing my...Grace."
It was a horrible prospect to think of. And he didn't even know what made him consider it. But Dean wasn't going to last long without some kind of outside help. His own power was too diminished to properly close the wound that the Anema left.
"You already expressed your disgust regarding that. So I know where you stand," Dean retorted icily. "We don't allow angels to live after we drain them of Grace and to be honest with you, angel. I don't know how to not kill you while we're at it."
"How can you not know when to stop?"
Dean turned to him, leaned closer in his seat and Castiel caught the fresh smell of his blood, like a candle that was recently extinguished only perhaps ten times stronger. He leaned forward, spoke directly to Castiel's lips. "Think of it as an addiction. Why do you think most of my kind want to eradicate yours? You have the power we lost. It all dates back to the angels that fell with Lucifer. You have all this power and we want it. We live off the same power you do and it's limited because it burns out. For you, it never burns out. You have the blessing of God. You have the blessing of the Archangels. We'll never have that."
Dean reached over and caressed the side of Castiel's cheek. His touch felt so unbearably hot, much hotter than it usually was. Like he was running a fever and on his death bed. "When we take your Grace, we succumb to the rage and the jealousy that burned our "ancestors". The vengeance of the angels that fell. My Father's anger…I feel it every time. I could feel him when I killed the angels that came for us. And there is no stopping when it starts."
Castiel didn't stop his reaching hand. His words sounded much like bloodthirst of a feral animal. He shouldn't have been surprised, considering demons were viewed as savage predators to begin with. He watched Dean's hand drop and stared at its place on his lap.
Castiel persisted gently. "You have Will. Your own will, not the power that comes from us. They would not call it Will if it wasn't an embodiment of your own determination and concentration. You can stop yourself. You just have to concentrate long enough...and I know..."
He fumbled with his words for a moment. The next words sounded almost inaudible. "I know you wouldn't kill me."
Dean laughed a feeble laugh that turned into a cough. As if to embellish the moment, he drew out a cigarette, stuck it in his mouth and weakly lit the end with a lighter. The deep inhale he took filled the car with the smell of strong tobacco.
"You know I wouldn't kill you," Dean repeated. "Right. I wouldn't. If I could help it. But you, I can't say the same, can I?"
Castiel stared at him for a long moment. "I told you I wouldn't attempt to kill you. You said it yourself back there."
"Spare me your heroism, Castiel. You owe me your life. You're only here because I saved your ass back there," Dean reached over and took a handful of Castiel's jacket and pulled the angel towards him. "If I hadn't, you wouldn't be here."
He released Castiel, coughing and sputtering as he blew out smoke. "I told you to leave me behind. If you had, you might be with Merrick and Sam by now. "
Now it came out. What he was so angry about. Why Castiel had been cold-shouldered for the last three days. "We're a town away from Rose Manor and we'll find them. If they went the direction you told them, they're there, waiting for us. What do you want me to say, Dean? I do owe you my life. I owe you my life twice. But you're angry, why?"
Dean's eye twitched with annoyance, he cast another disdainful look at the supplies on Castiel's lap and started the car. As he did, Castiel got a better look at the extent of his injuries that he worked so hard to hide behind the black leather jacket. Now that the jacket was open, he could see a fraction of the open wound. The blood was gushing out of Dean's stomach, had extended far up to his chest where even the straps of his tanktop were wet with red and marked on his skin.
Deciding that Dean wasn't going to say anymore with that cold expression on his face, Castiel changed the subject. "What's in Rose Manor?"
Without looking at him, only taking another drag of his cigarette, Dean answered after a long moment. "My sister."
He wasn't sure he heard him right. " Your sister."
"My sister," Dean sighed, releasing the wheel to take a hold of his wound. He grunted and Castiel thought he was going to pass out again but he didn't. He just adjusted his posture to be slightly forward. It was a pathetic sight and yet Castiel pitied the demon. He certainly wouldn't have been in this position if it weren't for Castiel.
"What happened the last two days...? All I remember is that Anema charging at us...Next thing I know is you waking me up and telling me we need to waste all the human money I have so you can buy things," said Dean snappishly.
"You've been swimming out of consciousness. Twice I asked if you could accept an alternative method instead of letting this...poison in your system kill you...," Castiel gave him a baleful look. "You didn't accept either times. I attributed to your lack of wakefulness. But, I digress considering you still haven't thought of the possibility in full consciousness."
Dean cocked an eyebrow. "Uh huh."
"Back to the subject matter at hand. You were saying something about a sister?"
As Dean rose, his eyes narrowed in on Castiel's curious expression. "Have I ever told you why I left Hell for this realm?"
"More or less," Castiel admitted. "I knew better than to believe what you were saying. I think at one point you said you wanted to exploit Sam's power against Heaven and hand him as a trophy to your king..." His lips twitched, fighting a smile. "Well, you are that King."
Dean, however didn't smile. His eyes remained on the road ahead of him. "My sister is a semi precognitive demon. It means she can somewhat see the future. She can see almost anything that happens in this world at any given moment. You're familiar with that power, because it comes from the legends surrounding the Scripture. Let's not go into that subject matter right now. She has always had this power. And it comes simply from her age and perfected use of her power."
"And you think she knows where Merrick and Sam are?"
"Even if they didn't go there, she might point us in the right direction," Dean glanced over. "I don't know how far you're willing to go, but I'm willing to go anywhere I need to to find him."
Castiel had an inkling he was actually going somewhere with this. "Because...?"
"Because I have to. And I will tell you why,"
"You'll tell me the truth?" Castiel asked, eying Dean's expression to detect any sign of amusement. He couldn't find any. Perhaps it was because his face seemed to be cracking under the strain of holding his injury in with one hand.
"I'll tell you everything. I owe you that, don't I? Now that you've abandoned your mission to save the life of a demon,"
"Is that a joke? It's not funny," Castiel replied very seriously.
Dean sighed again, turning a sharp corner. "One of these days, you're going to really regret not being more accommodating to my sense of humor."
"Uh huh," said Castiel. Fat chance. They were in silence for a long moment and Castiel wondered if Dean was even on the same train of thought as before or if he was just focused on driving and getting them to their destination. All Castiel could see ahead of them was empty road and an occasional sign that said how close they were to the next prefecture still within the region of Paradise Rock.
Abruptly, Dean shifted in his seat and sighed. His expression slowly shifted to one of lost contemplation. When he spoke, his voice was somber."I'm at war, angel. Before I left this realm, I received several reports of an uprising starting in the ranks. I didn't believe it at first...I was arrogant. I believed that as long as I sat upon the throne, the whole entire realm would fall into place under my rule. It was only that easy for my Father. But before he died...He made sure I knew how to run the damn place. He taught me our place in the universe. And what we were meant to do."
The demon took a long drag of his cigarette and blew out a cloud of smoke. And Castiel remained still, enraptured in Dean's story. " There were some who believed otherwise."
"They're demons," Castiel answered.
Dean just looked at him and blinked.
"Well, I'm just saying. They are demons. It's in your nature to be cruel and treacherous to eachother. Hasn't history proven that time and time again?"
"Call me an optimist," said Dean, not liking being interrupted. He was much more crabby when injured. "I didn't believe my own subjects would turn on me, but in time, it was hard to ignore. Legions were turning against each other. Traitors in each rank. Defectors. I couldn't ignore this war, so I acted. I investigated. It turns out the traitors weren't normal demons. Normal demons you've seen. Ugly, disgusting things, aren't they? Sweaty and hairy with big teeth? Yeah...They're not exactly the brightest bulbs in our bunch. And definitely not smart enough to betray me outright. No, they serve the most powerful. And up until then? I thought that was me."
"But it wasn't you," Castiel guessed.
"No, I am the strongest demon. The strongest demon. Yes. But these demons were not defecting to another demon. The angels that fell* with Lucifer had a different perspective than I do. While they believe that our primary objective was to pull the unworthy souls from Earth and punish them for all eternity, they believe it's our duty to wage war with Heaven and Earth. To take Earth as our own. They were there when Lucifer was cast out and they followed him down to the bowels of Hell. They believe that this world belongs to them and making no effort to claim it is a violation of who we are and what we represent."
"These are the legion that fell with Lucifer. Yes, I remember them. Belial. Abaddon. Sammael, Molloch. To name a few," said Castiel.
"To name a few," Dean repeated, nodding. "While a civil war's on my table, there were bigger problems at hand."
"Bigger problems? Sounds like your throne might not be yours when you get back to Hell,"
"My throne will be mine. I said it's on the table. And the crown is mine. It's not really as simple as just sitting in my chair and claiming the seat. The king has to die in order for the throne to be forfeit," Dean explained. "And I'm not dead yet."
"So define your 'bigger problems', why don't you?"
Dean exhaled and Castiel could detect the labor he used just to maintain his steadiness. "Rumors began to surface that the prophecy was coming into fruition. You know the tale. Your kind wrote it. Something about a 'A being of unassuming proportions bringing doom to Heaven and Hell'?"
"I was there when it was written," said Castiel. "That prophecy is for you, the human torn from Earth to serve in Hell as the next ruler."
"In case you haven't been listening, angel. It was never me," Dean hissed impatiently. "I never wanted a war with your kind. I wanted you to stay on your side and me to stay on my side. Everyone assumed it was me. Your Generals sent hundreds of angels to their death and still assumed it was me. But I never wanted this war to begin like those Fallen do."
"You want something else,"
"I want peace," Dean corrected, turning to face Castiel fully so he deadlock him with a look of utmost seriousness.
Castiel waited to let this sink in. A being of order and chaos? Wasn't that always Dean and Lucifer both? How could it be otherwise?
He cleared his throat and found his voice. "If it was never you...then who is it?"
Dean was a long time answering. He rolled down his window and threw the cigarette butt out the window into the nights highway. "It took me a long time to find that out...I had to kill...a lot of angels unnecessarily to find out that information. Loyalists* like to keep their secrets. They'd rather die than give them out. I'll give props on the resolve, but it was unnecessary bloodshed if they only opened their damn mouths and gave me that name."
Castiel might have scoffed at this, but there was so much sincerity in Dean's face that it was hard to doubt it. He truly did not wish to have killed anyone.
"...Eventually I found her. Her name was Anna...Pretty redhead. I charmed her like I did all the rest, played my little eyes at her like this," He batted his eyelashes at Castiel. "And she resisted, just like the others. I figured it was another lost case, another angel I'd have to drain of Flame until I was satisfied, but then she said it. His name: Sam."
There was a pause in which Castiel tore his gaze away from Dean, faced the front window, faced his own window. He exhaled sharply.
"And you found Sam, didn't you? So this was your design all along then, Dean? To find this boy of immense power and use him in your war against the Fallen and us?" Castiel could barely stand to keep his voice steady. Already, he could feel heat blaze in his cheeks. All this time, he trusted him. And this is where it got him. Betrayed. He had never felt so betrayed in his life.
It really shouldn't have mattered at all. He really should have expected this..
"I never said that," said Dean, holding up a finger and locking eyes with Castiel. Hard green meeting blue. "Not once."
"It's what you imply," said Castiel through his teeth.
"I'm...I'm not here to use Sam, angel. It was never my plan to use him. I didn't abandon my kingdom to use a weapon against Heaven and Earth and start a war. I didn't come all this way to find Sam so I could protect him and shield him from the horrors of Heaven and Hell...I came to this realm to kill him,"
Instinct had taken over for Castiel without him even being aware of it. His fingers had curled around the hilt of his sword and once Dean's words registered, they had loosened off his weapon with a slight tremble. His next words came out in a sharp breath of disbelief. "What?"
"You heard me," said Dean grimly, returning his gaze to the road.
"How...Why...? It's impossible,"
"It's not impossible. It's the truth and it's what you've been waiting to hear from me. A being of that power, I can't afford walking the earth as a death trap for Heaven to utilize and I'll be damned if the Fallen get ahold of him and make him their new deity,"
"No, it's impossible, Dean. Are you listening to yourself?" Castiel couldn't believe what he was hearing. It was still hard for this to be true. "He's just a child."
"Don't you think I know that?" Dean hissed. "Don't you think I haven't thought of that? He doesn't even know what power he has. Only that it's uncontrollable and untamed. And you've witnessed that yourself."
"I did witness that," said Castiel. " And I saw what he could do. Banish angels with a scream. Wipe out a city with a burst of emotion. Has it occurred to you that this boy loves you? He does and I've seen it. Has it occurred to you that an attempted assassination by you of all people might just drive Sam to be the one thing you hope he doesn't become?"
"It would always be an attempt?"
"Because you would never succeed,"
Dean shook his head, stubborn. "That's a risk. It doesn't matter. I will succeed. It has to be done. And trust me, angel. You stopping me...I swear, I'll kill you for it. The only reason I'm confiding in you is so this is fair game. You either join me or you run and give him to Heaven. The latter brings about a war, and you know it."
"Assume I did take him to Heaven, Dean. There's no guarantee they won't kill him either. You said so yourself once. Why assume we'll have a superweapon and break our treaty?"
"Because you already tried to kill me once and broke the damn treaty!" Dean shouted. "What makes you think I can expect any less from your people?!"
"What makes you think you're ready to fight? You think you can take on an Archangel-level power? I hardly think so, demon! You will die and you will destroy us all if you attempt it."
"I...I will not be weak for long. We're about to rectify that," Dean snarled, pressing hard on the gas so that the car sped up. "This conversation is over. I can't think with your judging eyes. You wait until we get to Rose Manor and we can speak more when we've met her."
Fallen Angels- Angels that fell with Lucifer during the First War. Most of these angels are presumed dead or missing in action. Recently some have revealed themselves behind a rebellion in Hell against the King for the throne. Fallen belief is that though Lucifer desired to maintain order in Hell, his ideals were to rule over Heaven, Hell and Earth. Most believe that the one true King is Lucifer and not any that follows after, though Lucifer is dead.
Loyalists- Another name for the angels still loyal to God and Heaven. This is a term coined by Fallen as well as the demons under Dean.
