(A/N) Well, what can I say but sorry I've been gone so long. I had laser corrective surgery on my eyes, so I've been away from my computer a few weeks. I'd been trying to get this chapter done before I went in for the surgery, but it just didn't work out. I especially didn't want to rush the last scene in this chapter, since you all have been waiting so long for it. That being said, I surely hope you enjoy.
The Rose of Sharon
Chapter 11: The Fire of Thine Eyes
"So would the living dead be interested in some coffee?"
Sam looked up from his vigil to find Elaine standing in the door. He blinked in confusion for several moments before realizing she was holding a large mug in her hands.
"Oh…yeah…sure," he murmured, slowly standing from the chair he'd been sitting in next to Hunter's bed and meeting Elaine halfway, barely noticing the temperature of the mug as she pressed it into his hands.
"No change yet, I gather," the younger hunter said softly as she glanced toward their comatose friend.
"Nothing," Sam said, keeping his focus on the coffee and fighting the urge to look back when he knew he wouldn't see anything different. Kiah had said Hunter would be fine by morning, but they were now entering the third day following the fight in the nightclub and she still hadn't regained consciousness. Sam hadn't slept a wink in that time and he felt he was about an inch from going crazy.
"Well, I dunno if you heard the call a few minutes ago, but breakfast is on downstairs. Circe and Alma inform me if there's no change today, they will authorize Atreus to drag you down to eat something…just so you know," she informed him as she slowly backed out of the room. Sam nodded to let her know he'd heard before turning and heading back to his perch.
Damn it, Hunter, if you die on me the way Dean did…
…what? What would he do? Make a deal for her? Talk to Crowley? Maybe Cas could do something. He felt sure Circe could do something, but she hadn't offered any help yet. All she'd said was that Hunter would make her way back when she was ready, and it wasn't as if a hospital would be any help. Those had never been any help.
After what had happened before, Sam made sure to only cover Hunter with a blanket when she was shivering. He didn't want to make whatever situation this was worse than it already was. Currently, though, she was sleeping peacefully, dressed in a satin nightgown Rachael had lent.
What am I gonna do…if she doesn't wake up?
"Hey, Winchester," he suddenly heard her calling out. When his gaze snapped up from the coffee mug, he saw her looking up at him, blinking sleepily and smiling faintly. "What'd I miss?"
"Hunter!" he shouted. Quickly putting the mug aside, he leaned down to pull her into his arms. "Dammit, Silver!" he muttered, being as gentle as he could manage as he held her close.
"Sam, what…what is it?" she asked, confusion plain in her voice as she returned the embrace. "How long was I out?"
"A few days, but Kiah said you'd all be fine by morning. I…I was worried," he said, and almost before he realized what he was doing, he had his nose buried in her hair and was breathing in her scent. He couldn't be sure what he might have done had he not reminded himself that they couldn't be doing this sort of thing…that it was dangerous. Quickly pulling back from her, he couldn't help noticing the tiny look of disappointment in her eyes.
"Well," she started slowly, "I guess Matarael would have needed to drain a lot from me in order to get me to stop fighting him."
"On that subject, how do you know him?" Sam asked, offering her his untouched coffee. She took a grateful sip, wincing slightly as the strong flavor hit her tongue.
"We should have killed him. It would've been better than banishing him," she answered bitterly, warming her hands with the mug.
"Well, excuse me if I was a little more concerned about you just then. Not that I don't buy an angel who's a complete dick, mind, but what did this one do that was so bad? He said something about…saving your life?"
"That's what he did. He saved my life when I didn't want to be saved," she growled, taking another gulp of the coffee before setting it aside.
Sam stared at her for a long moment before answering. "While I can see where you'd deem that an offense punishable by death, I might just give the guy a medal. What's so bad about that?"
"It isn't just that. I was saved…and nobody else was. He left everyone else to die and he wouldn't tell me why! He should've just left me there. When he said that none of the others mattered, that I was the only one fated to be saved…I said I wanted him to know what it was like to face death. Matarael's the reason I've spent my entire adult life working on the gospel."
"And…do you still wish he'd left you to die?" Sam couldn't keep himself from asking, almost afraid to know what her answer might be. Hunter stared at him a moment before answering.
"No…no, of course not. It's just…it…when someone tells you your family doesn't matter…that their deaths meant nothing…you don't tend to let that go. I don't want to see anyone else left to die because of him," she explained, looking away from him as she gripped the sheets in her hands.
"Yeah…that I understand," Sam said quietly, reaching out to lay a hand on top of hers. He felt relieved when she shifted her hand to take his, easily twining their fingers together. "Well, if we're gonna be on opposite sides of this thing, you should definitely get your chance to waste him."
Hunter turned back to him at this, offering up a lopsided grin. "Don't fuck with me now, Winchester. This has sorta been a lifelong obsession of mine."
"When your moment comes, I'll be right there with you, backing you up," he said, curling his pinky finger around hers. "Promise."
For a long while, the pair of them just sat there grinning like fools, but after a time, Hunter's expression began to shift.
"So?" she started. "On the subject of angels…what are we gonna do about this mark of union business?"
At this, Sam's shoulders stiffened and he attempted to pull his hand free of the gunsmith's, but she just squeezed a little tighter, refusing to let him go. Ultimately, he just groaned and slumped, staring down at their joined hands in misery. "So you heard that?"
"Yeah. I…I've never dealt with cupids before. What exactly are we talking here?"
"What…what we call cupids, they're…cherubim – a lower class of angels. It's their job to see that certain people…"
"Hook up?" Hunter supplied when he was unable to.
"Right. I used to think it was just for reproductive purposes, but Dean told me he and Cas saw a cupid hook up two guys once, so there's got to be more to it. The mark of union is an Enochian sigil they carve into two people's hearts. It binds them together."
"And the two of us…we were marked that night?" she clarified.
"Yes," he answered, looking away from her again.
"So I'm not the only one who's been wanting to tear my clothes off and get completely fucking nasty?" she asked, and the bluntness of her words snapped Sam's eyes right back to her face. She was just barely managing to smile.
"No…no, you're not."
"Sam…before it happened, did you…did you want this?" she asked, suddenly sounding afraid.
"Yes!" he immediately rushed to reassure her. "Hunter, you're an amazing woman. You're smart and fun and beautiful and any man'd be damn lucky to end up with you. I don't want you to think for one second I wasn't interested the minute I saw you snap that gun in half; it's just…it…it's complicated," he offered up lamely.
"So this isn't something the angels forced on you because I had a crush? Because they needed you to be in love?"
"No. Hell no. Honestly, I was scared you were the one who was forced…because I was the one with a crush."
"No, definitely not. I was interested from the moment I saw you blush that first night. But we…we can't do anything about it?" she clarified, the disappointment on her face now plain to be seen.
"We shouldn't," Sam said softly, still holding her hand. "If we…let this happen…I'm afraid Hannah will find a way to get another element for her ritual. My heart…your trust…she'll find a way to use them against us…against Cas. I don't want to see that happen. I'm sorry," he said, reaching forward with his free hand to brush a strand of hair from her face.
"No! It's not- not your fault," she jumped to reassure him. "It's just…I'm afraid we might be too late to stop it," she said, her expression shifting to something like guilt as she looked away from him.
Sam sighed. Neither of them was looking at the other, but neither let go of the other's hand either. "You're probably right. We can't change what we already feel…but that doesn't mean we have to act on it," he said, slowly looking back up at her. She also began to peek shyly back at him.
"I guess you're right, but…do you really think it would hurt anything if I kissed you…just once?" she asked, her voice slowly drifting off in a trance-like daze.
"Just once," he repeated as he gazed into her eyes, easily yielding to their green depths. Before he was properly aware of it, he was cupping her face in one hand, running a gentle thumb along the curve of her cheekbone.
"Just once," she returned, eyes now hazy, the ache in her voice traveling straight down to his groin.
Just once…
Just once. Neither could be sure how many times they repeated the words to each other, but they came as if through the heated pitch of a fever dream. Neither was certain who instigated the kiss, but their lips were suddenly pressed together, open and inviting, each eager to give more.
Sam groaned as he crawled on top of Hunter, not completely sure when he'd fallen onto the bed with her and not really caring. All he could focus on was the way she moaned against him, warm and soft as she filled his arms. Nothing else in the world mattered except for her, and he wanted to make her feel pleasure like she'd never known.
Once he'd started, Sam found he couldn't stop. Each kiss begat another, desire building on desire until they were trembling in each other's arms.
"Sam…Sam!" Hunter cried out desperately as she threw her head back, offering the pale skin of her neck up to be kissed. He growled possessively as he bit down on the soft flesh, relishing her cry of passion.
"Hunter…Christ, Hunt," he groaned when she reached for his belt, hearing it come undone in her hands. Roughly, he hiked up the hem of her nightgown. When he slipped a hand between her legs to feel the heat and the wetness of her, he was the one to whimper with need. He was painfully hard already and he needed to be inside her. God help him, but he needed this too much.
This is wrong. It's dangerous!
Sam groaned in both frustration and need, fighting to ignore the voice at the back of his mind as Hunter insistently yanked his jeans down. She growled as she reached forward to grip him in her hand, drawing him closer to her. Then a single finger reached back to trace his balls and he just about came right there.
"Hot damn, Winchester, just fuck me!" she hissed in his ear, her breath hot and moist against his skin, and he would have liked nothing better than to do just that…except for that small flicker of doubt that still burned just below the surface.
Damn it, Sam, get ahold of yourself. Don't do this!
It was wrong. If they did this…something bad would happen. They'd made a promise…not to give in.
"Hunt…wait," he whispered, feeling the word dragged from his throat almost against his will. "Something…something's wrong."
"Sam?" she whispered back, voice thick with confusion as she blinked rapidly, struggling to fight off the haze.
"Damn it. Damn it!" he hissed. It took every ounce of will power he had to push himself back from her. He barely even noticed when he tumbled off the bed.
For a long while after, they both just lay where they had fallen, breathing hard and struggling against the lust that still ran wild in their systems. One wrong move and he would be on her all over again. One wrong breath and she'd throw herself down on him. This time they'd have no hope of stopping. It could have been minutes or hours before either had finally calmed down enough to speak.
"I- I'm sorry," she choked out. "I didn't think…didn't know…I just…I shouldn't have suggested it. It was stupid."
"Not your fault," Sam mumbled weakly. "I was there, too…and I do know what the mark of union can do. I was the stupid one. I put us both in danger. We're just…gonna have to be more careful," he said, slowly sitting up and leaning against the bed, still not looking at her.
"It wouldn't be just ourselves we'd hurt…by being careless," Hunter said, her voice sounding a little closer, as if she'd laid her head next to the spot where his rested.
"No, it wouldn't. Cas…and his little girl…and Dean…all the people fighting with us. We'd put them in danger by letting Hannah get what she needs. We'll just have to take a leaf out of Dean and Cas' book," he said with a pained laugh.
"What? Pretend there's nothing between us?"
"Right," he said, the word tasting sour in his mouth. He'd spent years, both subtly and not so subtly, pushing his brother and the angel together, and now it had finally happened, he was going to do the same damn thing that had been driving him crazy all that time. There was something both maddeningly funny and hideously painful about the whole situation.
Neither of them said anything, but after a time, Sam felt a hand grasp his. For a moment, he felt the same burst of need flicker awake in the pit of his stomach, but when he gripped Hunter's hand just that little bit tighter, it eased. Even if he couldn't tell her how much he wanted her…how much he cared about her…it was better to at least have her hand to hold than to not have her at all. This simple point of contact would be enough to sustain them for now.
It would have to be enough.
XxX
Having lived a good portion of his life as a trickster, Gabriel could certainly understand the need to change form every now and then, but sometimes he really wished Heaven would make up its Dad damn mind.
In the beginning, it had just been the Garden and they'd all lived in peace, but then humanity had come onto the scene and Lucifer had thrown his little hissy fit. Dad hadn't stuck around much longer after that and what little Gabriel had seen of Michael's new regime had just about made him sick, so he'd split, too. Returning to Heaven after the Cage had been sealed had been the interesting part, though…interesting to watch Raphael slowly lose control when he couldn't do everything that Michael had done. Gabriel had had a good laugh over the situation, watching from the shadows, but then had watched Castiel rise with no small amount of worry. Somehow, he couldn't help feeling he'd seen something like it happen before, even though he had no idea what, and when Cas had finally fallen, Heaven had been left in an even worse state of chaos than before. Naomi and others had tried to tame that chaos and failed dismally. He might have warned Naomi about Metatron if he'd known she had the former scribe in her torture chamber, but he didn't find out until it was too late and they were all plummeting to Earth.
As far as an angel without wings went, Gabriel had done all right for himself. He knew the ins and outs of human living and he'd gotten himself by well enough, but then Metatron had dragged him back into the whole ugly business in order to get Cas to join him. If he'd really been worried about the clueless wonder and the wonder twins, he might have said no to Metatron's bit part, but he'd never really had any doubt everyone's favorite trio could handle the douche nozzle with a typewriter. So he'd played along, having his bit of fun, subtly letting baby brother know that, no, he hadn't been stupid enough to let himself get nailed by Lucy. He'd figured he'd just be able to sit back and watch Metatron's inevitable defeat.
But then this whole demon business had begun. He'd been able to keep enough of an eye on Cas to know about the little bundle of joy and about the quest Hannah had set herself on and it was only now that he was starting to worry about things. Just what was the old scribe trying to do?
Getting back into Heaven hadn't been even remotely difficult for the archangel. The place had taken on the barely controlled chaos of Naomi's attempt at leading. Having lived near a year on Earth, the angels were just different beings now. With Gabriel's massive bag of tricks, he was hardly even noticed slipping into the prison. The only one to see him was the angel he'd come to talk to.
"Well, well, well," Metatron began, looking far more pleased than anyone locked up in a cell had a right to, "if it isn't you. Now what could the burnt out archangel possibly want with the likes of me?"
"I wanna know what your game is, a-hole. Clearly your script didn't play out like you'd written it, so now you're leading Hannah around by the nose, getting her to do your dirty work. Just what are you trying to do here?" Gabriel asked, arms crossed as he surveyed the renegade scribe. Metatron grinned lazily as he came to lean against the bars of his cell.
"Oh, Gabe, Gabe, Gabe. Sad to say that's where you're wrong."
"What do you mean?"
"Do you really think the angel tablet was all I had going for me? If anything it was just phase one of a much larger operation," he explained as he examined his nails.
"So you winding up in the slammer was all part of the plan?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
"It was surely a contingency I'd planned for. I would have been content just to play God, but never in a million years did I think the dream team would just sit back and let me. No. Y'see, Gabriel, there are much higher positions to strive for in this little reality of ours than just pretender to the throne. There are ways of actually becoming God. And by doing exactly what I knew they would, Dean and Castiel have taken me just that little bit farther on the path to reaching that goal," Metatron explained, grin growing just that little bit more unhinged as he watched Gabriel watch him.
"The hell are you talking about?" the archangel demanded, eyes narrowing as he continued to survey the other angel.
"Ah, my glorious Bond villain moment," Metatron began, looking almost starry-eyed as he glanced upward. "Of course Dean was going to go after the First Blade. It was the only way he was going to take down Abaddon or myself, and of course he hates himself enough to sacrifice his soul to the Mark. We all know Dean Winchester will give anything to save the world in which his baby brother and his angel are. So when he came to me with the First Blade, I gave him what he wanted. He got to die for them and I got what I needed: a demon in love with an angel. More specifically, a demon able to procreate with an angel."
"So it was your plan to kill little Winchester from the get go?" Gabriel asked, knowing it wouldn't take much to keep Metatron talking, but also deriving some measure of fun from the back and forth himself.
Metatron tapped a finger against his temple. "Just so. I knew the Mark wouldn't let him go. Gotta say, though, getting put in the lock down was almost worth it to see the look on Castiel's face when I told him Dean was dead."
At this, Gabriel very seriously considered smacking Metatron upside the head, which was the human equivalent of taking a jackhammer through the skull, but Metatron just chuckled as he watched his anger boil beneath the surface.
"Oh, Gabriel, is that defensiveness I'm seeing? Concerned for our baby brother are we? Since when do you care about other angels? As I recall, you walked out on Heaven. No different than God. No different than me."
"Don't you be lumping me in with you dead beats, dick face. I may not be running a fucking charity here, but I don't wanna see it fall apart either. Cas has been through enough. I hope you don't think I'm just gonna kick back and watch you use him like this."
"So you were fine with me using him before, then? Is that what I'm hearing?" Metatron fired back at him, raising an eyebrow.
"We aren't talking about before. We're talking about now. How exactly is Cas having a kid supposed to help you become God? What's this bullshit about a fifth archangel?"
"You don't believe me? You haven't felt the truth of it calling to you every time you hear her name? Israfil. You don't remember her? Your sister."
Gabriel didn't want to admit it, but it was true. Just like the others, he'd felt that same grain of truth in the name, that same pain and pity. Logically, he knew he'd never heard the name before Cas had spoken it aloud, but a conscious being was composed of more than just logic. Something in him recognized the name.
"Sister," he said softly, almost without thinking about it. The word felt strangely right on his tongue.
"That's right. Of you first five, Israfil was the one who preferred 'sister' over 'brother'. You would remember best of the archangels, I suppose, seeing as how you fought beside her against Heaven."
"Me? Rebel? Now I know you're making shit up. After all I'm a lover, not a fighter, as they say," he tried to argue, not wanting to show Metatron that he'd got to him.
"Oh, you rebelled, Gabe. I promise you that. Somebody had to remember it all after God made everyone else forget. That somebody was me. Just like all his other secrets, God entrusted this one to me. With Israfil was buried the secret of ascending to the Godhead of this reality. She would've achieved it back then if Michael hadn't stepped in at the last minute and destroyed the child she was about to give birth to."
"So that's what the kid's for?" Gabriel pressed, feeling he was finally getting close to getting some actual information from the former scribe.
"Mm, to a degree. More important was to have Dean and Castiel ascend to the level they're at now. Demonic seed and angelic grace aren't meant to combine and when they do, well…the rules change," Metatron said with a shrug. "Doors that were once closed open again. Reality can be rewritten. I knew Dean would sacrifice himself, like he always does, and Castiel wouldn't be able to let him go, like he never can. Always those two closeted idiots were chasing after each other and when they finally gave in to that metric fuck ton of unresolved sexual tension…the game changed, just like I knew it would."
"I don't have to let you live, y'know," Gabriel informed him, giving his knuckles a very showy crack. "What's to stop me from killing you and your little scheme right here and now?" he asked, calling his archangel blade to his hand.
"Well, let's think. You can either stay here and kill me…or you could go warn the fledgling rebel alliance about the slaughter the host of Heaven is about to let fall on them."
"What?" Gabriel demanded, immediately springing forward and seizing the cell bars in his free hand. Metatron took several steps back. "No fucking way. They don't know about the kid. You're lying."
"Dean knows. He's about to make his move…and when he does, Heaven will learn just how powerful the pair of them have become. I don't think our brothers will react well to seeing Castiel turn on them again, and all for the sake of Dean Winchester and their unholy brat. Heaven will fall on the castaways he's gathered to him, probably before even he can do anything to save them. Gonna let them all die, Gabe? Just to kill me?"
Gabriel deliberated for several tense moments, seriously considering just tearing into the cell and ripping the smug dick bag to pieces, but ultimately he tore himself away with a loudly snarled, "Fuck!" As he hurried out of the prison, he called over his shoulder, "Don't think we're done here, douche weed! I'll be back!"
"Looking forward to it. Give Castiel my best," he called after him before kicking back in his cell and grinning up at the bare ceiling. "And now things really start to get interesting."
XxX
None of them could quite name what it was, but it seemed to the bunker's inhabitants that they'd all been waiting for something to happen ever since Sam and the others had returned from Fall River. Tek and Kiah had come back with them and Circe had sent Atreus, Sekhmet, and Rachael along with them, which Elaine had had absolutely no objection to. They all understood what was happening. They were gearing up for a fight. They just had no idea when the blow would come.
Crowley found himself much more unnerved by the silence outside the bunker than within it. He hadn't heard anything from any of his teams since he'd assigned Lastelle to Fall River. As none of the little hunters had gone out on a hunt recently, there'd been nothing for Magdalene to report on. There had been complete radio silence from the team tracking Hannah and the one tracking Dean and his followers. Even if nothing had changed, they should have been reporting in regularly. Something was going to happen soon and he would be completely unprepared for it when it did. The fact that Hunter had been incessantly plucking away at the strings of her guitar for the past few hours was also doing nothing for the demon king's nerves. This was the reason he found himself barging into her room with a snarl in his throat.
"Now look here, love. Just because you're Moose's new favorite doesn't mean you get to- ah…hmm. Am I…interrupting?" he found himself asking when he realized exactly what he was looking at. He raised an eyebrow in mild interest as he glanced around the room. "Moose isn't lurking about, is he?"
Hunter tilted her head to the side as she looked at him, her expression the very picture of innocence. "No on both counts. Why do you ask?"
"Well…the fact you're probably not wearing a single scrap of clothing behind that very conveniently placed instrument rather speaks for itself, now doesn't it," he said. Hunter was sitting on her bed with her guitar situated in her lap, positioned in just such a way as to keep the interesting parts covered.
"Mm, dunno if you've heard this about me, but I do prefer a clothing optional approach. That would be the reason the door was locked," she pointed out, glancing pointedly over the demon king's shoulder. "Can't have the innocent eyes of precious little demon kings being scarred for eternity, now can we."
"Yes, well, my type tend not to bother with doors if it can be helped. As for the proper order of business, why is not all that noise taking place in our perfectly good sound-proofed music room?"
"Well, I do apologize for a guitar that hasn't been played in years needing new strings. I'm also one hundred percent certain that if you didn't want to hear it, you wouldn't. The question then becomes…why does the demon who would be king need somebody to nag?"
"I'll answer your question if you answer mine," he returned, suddenly curious as to why she'd tried to dodge it. Hunter looked away from him, silent for several long moments before answering.
"Maybe some of us don't like being led around like sheep. Maybe we prefer to have a say in the direction our lives go. Certain feelings have a way of…complicating that preference," she said, looking up at him out of the corner of her eyes.
"Ah, Moose's heart, you mean," he said. The pair had of course told them what had happened with Hannah and the mark of union and while Castiel had been wrapped up in guilt over the situation, Hunter and Sam had been tiptoeing around each other. They were a pair of ticking time bombs just waiting to go off. Normally Crowley would be enjoying the supernatural soap opera with a bowl of popcorn and a glass of scotch, but with things as they currently were, there wasn't exactly time to make fun. "Well, don't suppose we'd be us any longer if Moose actually got something he wanted. Surely hope you're not going back to starving yourself. Then we'll be in real trouble."
"No," Hunter said, raising an eyebrow as she continued to survey him. "I've got a few things stashed. But is that actual concern I'm hearing from you? Are you worried about Sam?"
"Me? Worry? Now you're just imagining things, love. You haven't been dealing with me for very long, so maybe I should explain things to you. We might seem to be working together, but as with most demons, I'm really only in it for myself. We'll partner up as long as it suits the lot of us, but when we get right down to it, I'll leave you all to die. Winchester, Serra, Castiel, doesn't matter who. That's how we've always done things and that's how we'll go on doing things. I won't disappoint you on that," he said, brushing off the accusation of having felt concern without a second thought, but he would admit to feeling a touch of fear when the gunsmith continued to stare at him, discerning.
"Y'know…I don't think I believe you. Maybe the others don't see it because you've all been at odds for so long, but it seems to me you do care about what happens to them, even if it's only in the smallest capacity."
"Believe that if you want to, darling, but you should know that kind of thinking'll only get you and everyone you care about killed. Tends to happen around you, doesn't it," he said with a sneer. It wasn't difficult to push back the feelings she accused him of having. What was difficult was acknowledging that they existed at all.
Hunter shuddered briefly, but when she looked back up at him, the certainty remained firm in her eyes. "We'll see who's right when we come down to it, but we aren't talking about me right now. While we're on the subject of you, what's the answer to my question?"
Crowley might have answered her honestly, except that was the moment the world turned itself upside down yet again.
The demon king felt the summons like a cold pulse of energy crawling up his spine, congealing in his brain like a fog of absolute terror…the horror of the being at the other end of the connection.
Sir, Kaoru's strained, weakened voice came to him through the flickering link. Sir…I'm sorry. We tried to stop it.
"What happened?" he asked aloud.
He knows. Sir…Dean Winchester knows about the child.
"Shit!" he snarled. Without stopping to give any further explanation, he zapped out of the bunker, immediately answering to his agent's call.
XxX
"Castiel, I understand you feel this is your doing, but I really just don't think it wise to summon an agent we have no way of knowing the allegiance of," Lailah explained calmly while watching the younger angel pace the floor of her room.
"I know this cherub is an ally of Hannah's, but I feel almost certain if we explained the situation to him, he'd be willing to undo the mark. Hannah can't have told him all. I can't stand to see them used like this. Sam and Hunter should be free to choose their own way," Cas argued. "I know all too well what it is to suffer the pain of love in silence. I won't watch them suffer in my name."
"Little one, I'm sad to have to say it, but many will suffer in your name before this is over. I warned you when this began that you would suffer for this child. It isn't just your own pain, but the pain of your friends and loved ones you must also bear. That is the sort of change our suffering will buy. I know you don't like it, but you need to respect your friends enough to allow them the dignity of their choice. They're ready to give everything they have or might have had in order to see this through to the end."
"Lailah, how can I-"
"Cas! Lailah!" Hunter shouted as she rushed down the hall, out of breath when she appeared in the open doorway. She appeared to have dressed in a hurry, because her jean shorts were only half closed and the top she'd thrown on was inside out. "Something's wrong."
"What happened?" Lailah asked her, standing up from her bed and moving toward her.
"I'm not sure. Crowley just about had a panic attack then disappeared. I don't know what, but somethin's up. I don't like it."
Cas could see Lailah responding to Hunter, but he could hear nothing. As had happened all the previous times Dean had called out to him, all other sound seemed to be canceled out in favor of his voice.
Hey, Angelface. Been a while since we talked, hasn't it.
Dean, he called back hesitantly in his mind, not daring to speak aloud this time.
You've been keepin' secrets from me, haven't you…Castiel, that familiar and unfamiliar voice growled quietly, resounding in his soul.
I don't know what you mean, he responded, even though he knew Dean could feel his fear through their connection. Why had he let him in? Why hadn't he just shut him out?
You've never been a very good liar, have you, angel baby. Why didn't you tell me the real reason we were gettin' so strong?
Dean, there is no-
STOP LYING TO ME! The voice lanced into the angel's being like a bolt of lightning, causing him to drop to his knees, clutching his head in pain. He didn't even notice when the two women rushed to his side. You're pregnant, Castiel. You're gonna have my kid and you didn't think I might wanna know that?
"Oh, God," Cas whispered, feeling tears start to pour down his face as his entire being was overcome by pain and terror. What could he do? What to prevent Dean from harming their little girl? How could he keep their child safe?
XxX
When Crowley reached the summoning point, he found himself in some sort of old greenhouse. A corpse lay on a pile of dead plants in the corner, still bleeding from the throat. Dana was keeping watch at the door, his buff meatsuit spattered with blood. Kaoru was lying on a table, also blood-spattered, but more with his own blood than their human sacrifice. Akilina was holding up the cup of blood he'd been using to communicate.
"What the hell happened?" Crowley demanded of them. "I don't hear from you lot for weeks on end and then you come back with this? What have you been doing? Sleeping on the job?"
"Winchester's onto us," Dana explained without turning to look back at him. "He had Lina and I chasing shadows while he was setting this whole thing up. We couldn't help Kaoru until now."
"I've been on the run," the younger demon choked out, struggling to sit up and failing. "If I'd stopped for even a minute, they would have had me. I saw…what he did to Olivia. I didn't want to be next."
"Take it easy, kid," Akilina warned him, breaking off his attempts to sit up. "You still need time to heal."
"Bugger, bugger, bugger!" Crowley snarled under his breath, kicking over several old pots as he ran his hands through his hair in frustration. "What happened? How did he find out?"
"Hannah told him. She wanted to make some sort of bargain with him. Liv and I tried to stop her, but we were too late. Then…Liv…I don't…he pulled her out of the meatsuit and…he was just tearing her to shreds," Kaoru recounted, shuddering at the memory. "I couldn't do anything. I got the fuck outta dodge."
"He let you go," the demon king said. "If he didn't want you to get away, you wouldn't have. He wanted us to see this…to know what he can do. I think it's also safe to say Miss Olivia's not dead."
"I don't see how. If anyone could survive that, I wouldn't want to see them after the fact."
"No," Crowley said, shaking his head slowly. "There's no way he doesn't know who she is…who all of you are. In order to deal with Hannah, he's going to need what Olivia has. He'll keep her alive, or worse."
"Worse?" Dana asked, glancing back at them. "What do you mean worse?"
"I mean he'll keep Hannah alive to make a deal with Olivia. But for that he would need the First Blade…so that's how he'll draw his naïve little angel to him," Crowley mused.
"And there's no way to stop it from happening?" Akilina asked.
"Well, only chance to locate them is to track Olivia. So here's to hoping our squirrelly pretender is in the market for an audience," Crowley said. He knew he'd never be able to stop Cas from going to Dean. Experience had taught him he'd have more luck stopping the Earth from spinning. The only real hope they had was to anticipate the time and place and try to interfere before either party could do something truly stupid.
XxX
How did you find out? Cas asked, forcing himself to ignore Lailah, Hunter, and now Sam as well. He had to block out everything else and focus solely on Dean if he was going to maintain even the illusion of control.
Little birdy told me, of course. The little birdy's here with me now. I think she'd appreciate it if you stopped by for a visit.
Hannah, Castiel returned softly, realizing that the other angel must have gotten in over her head. What have you done to her?
Nothin' that can't be undone, but like I said, she'd like to see you…alone…with the Blade in hand…so we can talk things over. Otherwise something might happen that can never unhappen.
Dean, I don't…I do not believe I can trust you.
I'm not gonna hurt either of you if that's what you're worried about. You and the little angel'll be safe when you come here. Not gonna risk this new power, after all. No promises for our little birdy, though. That depends on you. Come to me, pretty angel, he called to him, clearly broadcasting his location.
Dean…
Angelface…how long are we gonna pretend you haven't already made your choice?
Cas sighed painfully before finally looking up at the three surrounding him. He offered them all a sad smile before whispering, "I'm sorry," and vanishing.
"Cas? Damn it! Cas!" Sam shouted.
"Lailah, can you find him?" Hunter asked her.
"Not if he doesn't want me to, and he most assuredly does not," the elder angel said, the beginnings of anger sparking in her own eyes.
"Where is he?" a new voice suddenly demanded. The two humans and the angel all looked up to see the new arrival.
"Gabriel?" Lailah whispered in shock.
"Yeah, hi, Mom. Missed you, too, but seriously, where's Cas?" he asked, turning more to Sam and Hunter. Lailah didn't give them a chance to respond, though, as she launched herself at the archangel and enfolded him in a massive bear hug.
"I thought you were dead!" she cried, her words muffled against the other angel's chest. Gabriel glanced helplessly over her shoulder at the other two, still pressing for an answer.
"Uh…he…literally just took off," Sam said, still getting over the appearance of someone who was supposed to have died five years ago. "Not five seconds ago. We have no idea why."
"And you have no idea where, either, do you," the archangel said, the tone of his voice letting them know exactly what he thought of their intelligence. "Well, shit."
"Gabriel, what's going on?" Lailah asked, finally releasing him from her death grip.
"Saddle up the cavalry, Mama. Looks like we're gonna have to batten down the friggin' hatches," Gabriel announced, summoning up a shotgun from thin air. "Forget Hell. All Heaven's about to break loose."
XxX
When Cas first appeared, he couldn't see anything. The world was completely dark. Fighting the urge to grip the Blade now in his coat and give its location away, he called out, "Dean? I've done as you asked. Now let Hannah go!"
The oppressive, inky darkness was finally shattered by a ring of holy fire lighting up…only it wasn't lighting up around him. The ring was springing up at the far end of the room to imprison Hannah.
"Castiel," she called out softly, strangely calm for the situation she was in. He would have expected to see fear in her eyes, but there was none of that. No. If there was anything in Hannah's eyes, it was sorrow.
"Hannah, what have you done?" he started to ask as he moved toward her, meaning to erase the holy fire, but was interrupted before he could do it.
"Leave her," Dean commanded, voice strangely gentle. "You and me have things to talk about."
As Cas looked to the source of the voice, more of the room seemed to light up of its own accord. They appeared to be in some sort of mountain lodge, and Dean was just across the way from him, sitting on a large, well-furnished bed. The expression on his face was one Cas couldn't seem to identify. One moment it seemed predatory and lustful and the next it almost seemed…longing? He didn't know.
"Hello, Dean," Cas started slowly, knowing it would be foolish to move closer to the demon, but also afraid to step back from him.
"Hey, Angelface," he returned quietly.
"I am here…alone, as you asked, and I have brought the First Blade."
"I believe you," Dean said, his expression slowly shifting into a smug smile. "You didn't tell them where you were going, did you?"
"No."
"Good. Unfortunately, not all the pieces have shown up yet, so we can't get started. We'll have to wait until everyone's here."
"What are you talking about?" Cas asked, feeling a flicker of fear in the pit of his stomach.
Dean laughed at this, his expression growing all the more smug. "Oh, angel baby, there is so much more goin' on here than you know. Guess you could call this our baby shower. Guests have already started showin' up. See?" he said, nodding toward another corner of the room. When Cas followed his gaze, he saw another circle appear. Only it wasn't holy fire this time. It was a devil trap. Charlie was standing inside with another demon he'd never seen tied to a chair. Whatever they'd done to her, she was broken and bleeding badly.
"Who is she?"
"You'll find out soon enough. Oh," he started, glancing toward the ceiling. "Looks like we have another guest."
At this, Crowley suddenly appeared in the third corner of the room, a look of panic on his face.
"Cas!" he shouted. "Get out of here now!"
"Uh, uh, uh. I don't think so," Dean chastised, and with a snap of his fingers, the demon king was imprisoned in yet another devil trap.
"Bollocks!" Crowley snarled, stamping a foot against the floor in frustration.
"How did you find me?" Cas asked, confusion mixing in with the fear he was feeling.
"Tracked her," Crowley said, nodding toward the incapacitated demon. "By the way, how're we doing, Olivia?"
"Ain't dead, boss," she groaned in clear agony. "Course…that ain't…sayin' much."
"Why would you want him to leave, Crowley? We're only just gettin' started," Dean said, smirking at his prisoner. Crowley didn't acknowledge him, though. He turned his focus purely on Cas.
"Castiel, I need you to forget the fact that we've been at odds for the past six years. I need you to forget the fact that we hate each other because I need you to trust me right now. I don't care what this punk ass pretender to the throne's been telling you, what he's been saying's going to happen here tonight. I need you to forget what he's promised you, take the First Blade, and get your holy arse end the fuck out of here!" he shouted at him.
Torn, Cas glanced between Crowley and Dean, and when the younger demon caught his gaze, he smirked faintly at him.
"You can do what he says. I surely can't stop you from leaving. But one thing I will promise you is this. If you leave, they'll all die. Hannah, the bitch king, that little demon Charlie's got trussed up over there, and our last guest, whenever he makes an appearance. So you can leave and let them all die…or you can come sit with me and we can talk about this," Dean said, shifting his legs subtly wider, implicitly informing the angel just what that conversation would entail.
"Don't do it, Cas," Crowley warned him when he glanced back in the demon king's direction. "You can't trust him."
Cas sighed heavily, staring at the floor for several minutes, as he had nowhere else to look. "You say that as if I don't already know it. I understand what it means…but what other choice do I have?" he asked, finally looking up at Dean again. This time, the demon's sneer softened somewhat and he held out a hand to him.
"That's right, Castiel. Come to me."
Come be with the Righteous Man.
Cas inhaled sharply at hearing the demon's voice in his head. He glared at Dean briefly, but ultimately did as he was bid, moving to the bed and taking the hand Dean offered him. The demon leered as he pulled him in close. Again, the angel gasped quietly at the sudden intimate press, but before Dean could do anything more, another circle of holy fire lit up as the fourth guest Dean had spoken of entered the room.
Cas glanced over his shoulder, mind already half in a daze from his demon's proximity, only barely registering the bewildered expression on the new angel's face.
"Matarael?" he murmured in confusion.
"Dean, what is this?" he heard Hannah demanding. Dean laughed again.
"Well, all the pieces are in place. Now the rest of you only get to watch…watch and listen," he said, slowly drawing a finger to his lips. Cas immediately felt the power spread throughout the room, compelling Hannah, Crowley, and Matarael to fall silent.
"That's better," Dean said, focusing his attention back on Cas. "It's just you and me now. They won't interfere. So…let's talk about this kid."
"It happened…that night," Cas said softly, knowing he wouldn't be able to tell Dean anything but the truth. "It shouldn't have been possible…"
"But you and me…we did it," Dean finished when he couldn't. Being gentle, he moved a hand up to caress the angel's belly through his shirt. "I'm guessin' this little tyke is what restored your grace."
"Yes."
"This is what you wanted to tell him, isn't it. The secret Crowley tried to keep from me," he said, continuing to stroke the place where their child grew.
"It is," Cas responded, glancing away from the demon in guilt. He hated himself for it, but he was latching onto this like it was a normal moment…like he and Dean were just normal parents, happy they were going to have a baby…not the angel and demon who had potentially conceived the bringer of the next apocalypse. For a moment…just one moment…he wanted to love Dean, and he wanted to love their child…just to be a family without any of the hideous complications that went with it. Without thinking, he rested his own hand on top of Dean's and they continued the gentle caressing motions together.
"Oh, but that pussy would just love this. You havin' his kid, nice little slice of apple pie life. Boy or girl?"
"Girl," the angel answered, swallowing painfully. He knew just how right the demon was, just how much Dean would love to be a father…how horrible it was he wouldn't be able to have this moment. "Our daughter…"
"Heh, we're havin' a kid…but you still wanna fight to keep things the way they were," Dean said, the quiet tenderness in his voice suddenly shifting to something threatening as his grip on Cas tightened.
"What- what do you mean?" Cas asked, struggling briefly to free himself from the hold.
"They'll never let this baby live. You know that. Little birdy's tryin' to get together a spell to get rid of her and as your other feathery friend listens to this, he's already tryin' to figure how to get the word to Heaven. When we're done here, they're gonna know everything. Heaven is never gonna stop hunting her…and you still wanna stop me from takin' over."
"You misunderstand me if you think I won't fight for her," Cas said calmly, gripping the hand that had so lately been stroking his stomach. "I will fight until the end of time to keep her safe. Heaven has no right to decide if she lives or dies. I will protect our child, Dean, and if doing that means sacrificing everything I am, then I will do it. There's only one thing I won't give up for her."
"And what's that?" Dean asked, even though he clearly already knew the answer.
"You. I won't lose you or her. I've fought too long to have you to lose the two of you now…and that's what will happen if I let you take over Heaven. I'm not fighting for them or for any world order. I don't care what happens to Heaven. The only thing I'm fighting for is my family," he said firmly, though his hand was tentative when he reached it up to stroke the side of Dean's face. He couldn't help the tiny flicker of warmth he felt when the demon leaned into the touch.
"That's what I'm fightin' for, too, Angelface. Guess we just have different ideas about what that should involve. Me, I say if the world ain't willin' to let our kid live just 'cuz of what she is…or let us be together 'cuz of what we are…then I say it's time for a change. You and me…we have the power now, Castiel. We aren't subject to anybody anymore. Not even God. We can make things the way we want 'em to be. Don't you get that? Don't you see what I'm tryin' to give you…Cas," he said softly, almost pleading, and for a single painful, beautiful moment, Castiel thought he could see the gentle, adoring eyes of the man he loved looking back at him.
"I do see it, Dean," he whispered, pressing his forehead against the former hunter's as he pulled him into his lap, not wanting him to see the tears he knew were gathering in his eyes, "and I love you the more for it. I understand, but I made this same mistake once before. I know where this road leads, and I won't watch you destroy yourself for my sake," he said before pressing his lips to Dean's, feeling a spike of desire shoot through his being as the demon responded eagerly, pressing into the kiss and wrapping his arms even tighter around him. Already he could feel his vessel responding to Dean's touch. He'd been lost from the moment his demon lover had called out to him and he'd known it.
Dean growled possessively as he tore open the buttons on his shirt, fingers groping harshly at the skin underneath. Cas groaned as those hands reached further in. Then they both gasped, feeling the jolt when Dean's hand brushed against the First Blade.
"I want you to give me that," Dean whispered harshly against his lips, tongue briefly flicking out to taste the abused skin again.
"It's right there. You can take it…anytime you want," Cas replied, leaning his head back so Dean would have better access to his neck. He knew what would happen if he didn't hand over the ancient weapon.
"No. I'm not gonna take it. I want you to give it to me…with full understanding of what it means when you do," he challenged, pulling back for only a moment in order to pull his own shirt up and over his head. Then he went right back to peppering the angel's neck with bruises.
"Dean…ungh…" he groaned, the sound turning into a sharp gasp as a thumb brushed over a single exposed nipple.
"Come on, Angelface. Give it to me," he hissed as he snapped open Cas' belt and undid his pants. Cas writhed briefly against him, but ended up shaking his head.
"Dean…please…don't-"
"Not gonna do it?" the demon asked, shooting a threatening look over Cas' shoulder. "Charlie-"
"No!" Cas cried out, hastily reaching into the half-off trench coat and thrusting the Blade into Dean's hands, looking away in shame as he did it.
"That's better," Dean said, shuddering in pleasure at the familiar feel of the Blade in his hands…but almost immediately, he tossed the weapon onto the side table, focusing back on Cas. "Now…where were we?"
Cas looked back at Dean at this, uncertain of what it meant that the demon had been able to discard the Blade so easily. When he glanced down, he could see the Mark burning fiercely on Dean's arm, but the hunger in his eyes was focused solely on him.
"Dean…?" he started hesitantly.
"What? Worried about the others?" the demon asked with a raised eyebrow. Smirking faintly, he gave another quick snap of his fingers. "Now it really is just you and me."
Glancing back over his shoulder, Cas found an empty room. When he turned back to Dean, he started to ask, "What did you-"
"Same old trick. Just gave us our own little pocket dimension. All the guests are back in the real space waiting for us. We can take as long as we need," he said, pushing the coat and the ruined shirt off of the angel's arms. Then he reached up to caress the side of Cas' face, just as the angel had done earlier.
"We shouldn't…be doing this," Cas murmured even as he leaned into the tender touch. He couldn't stop the tears from falling anymore.
"What's the matter, Angelface? You started this little game. Now you don't want to finish it?"
Didn't want to…couldn't not…either way, there was no way to win. Cas let the tears fall silently as he leaned in to kiss the demon again. Dean easily reached around to cup the back of his head, deepening the kiss. Both sighed softly as they moved in each other's arms.
Dean slowly lay back on the bed, pulling Cas on top of him. They languished in just kissing for a few more minutes before Dean began to push the last of Cas' clothing off. The angel didn't resist in any way, but when he was finally naked above the former hunter, he just sat there for several minutes, uncertain of what to do. Not quite looking Dean in the eye, he traced a hand up to his face, then ran his fingers through his hair.
"Kiss me," he finally whispered.
"What?"
"Kiss me," he repeated, only a little louder than before, still not looking the demon in the eye.
"Isn't that what we were just doin'?" Dean asked, raising an eyebrow in confusion.
"I don't know. I just…I…" He couldn't explain himself and he couldn't bring himself to finish, but Dean didn't need him to. Slowly sitting up, the demon pulled him into his arms, drawing him in for a gentle kiss. Cas leaned into the easy embrace, tears flowing all the faster as they kissed. It just wasn't fair. He had longed to kiss this man for so long…and their first embrace had been as angel and demon.
Being careful to keep the kiss going, Dean slowly shifted their positions so that Cas was lying on his back and he was crouching over him. When he finally broke the kiss, he moved down the angel's body to press several lingering kisses to the pale flesh of his belly. At only three months' pregnant, there was only a slight swell, but Cas was still moved by the meaning behind the action, even though he knew he couldn't trust the demon. He hated the demon, but he loved Dean Winchester, and his love for Dean was one of the only things he still had any faith in. So, both exultant and heartbroken, Castiel let the demon have his way, pretending that he was with Dean, that they were really making love.
Cas wasn't fully aware of when it happened, but when Dean was finally readying him to be taken, the demon had somehow gotten him on his knees.
"Hngh…Dean," he gasped aloud when he felt two oil-slicked digits press gently into him. At the same time, Dean was leaning down close to his shoulders and laying kisses on every inch of skin he could reach, seemingly trying to ease the strain of his entry.
Somewhere in the back of his mind, Cas was aware that something was off about all this. It was nothing like their first time. The demon had used him hard and left him bleeding, but now he actually seemed to be concerned for his comfort and pleasure. If he'd been wiser about the situation, he might have questioned it, but he'd just missed Dean too much. He needed this too much…needed this tenderness from Dean all too much.
"Ready for me, angel baby?" the demon asked when he'd opened him enough. Cas nodded vaguely, more than half gone from pleasure.
"Yes," he moaned, crying out only faintly when Dean entered him. It was both bliss and agony as their bodies molded together – bliss on the physical plain, but acute agony as their true astral forms united, meshing that which couldn't be meshed. It was the height of Heaven and the deepest pit of Hell all at once and Cas was so lost in all of it, he had no idea if he should scream in rapture or anguish.
"You up there with me, sweet angel?" he could hear Dean panting in his ear as he thrust into him over and over again.
"Dean…Dean!" he cried out, unable to give voice to anything else as they moved closer and closer to climax. Unlike their first time, he could feel the cosmic power they'd raised swirling through them, flowing and ebbing between them like waves out on the ocean, like solar fire across the surface of a blazing star. All of reality was suddenly open to them and neither could fully grasp what it was they held between them.
I love you.
It was all they could do to remain anchored to their vessels, to each other. Cas was barely aware of the physical connection anymore, but was brought back to it the moment he felt Dean's hand pressing against his stomach, holding him close, and tenderly caressing the tie that bound them…their little girl.
The Rose of Sharon.
I hate you.
Castiel could feel the tears on his face as his hand moved to join Dean's. He'd never been closer to him, and yet with every move, he was reminded that it wasn't really him. He wasn't with him yet. How would he ever forgive himself for this?
My faith is with you.
And even then, in that strange space between eternities, for a single wavering moment, Castiel thought he could see the true Dean Winchester…the man he was fighting so hard to get back to. Even if it was only for a moment, in that infinitely infinitesimal reality, it seemed that with Dean, all things were possible.
I believe in you, Dean. I believe in us. I won't give up on you.
It was in that moment, at the absolute height of his faith, hate, and love, that Castiel reached completion, spending himself in a single strangled cry. As he slowly fell back into the reality he'd been born in, he could feel the burn of the demon seed inside him as Dean filled him with his essence.
Exhausted from the intense experience of being so thoroughly joined with Dean and then being so suddenly severed from him, Cas wasn't fully aware of what was happening. When he'd come at least partly back to himself, the first thing he became aware of was Dean stripping the sheets from the bed.
"What…what are you…?" he started to mumble in confusion.
Dean didn't wait for him to finish, though. As he moved away from the bed, Cas realized that their pocket dimension had broken down at some point, as Dean was now carrying the rumpled sheets over to the circle of holy fire that contained Hannah, casually tossing them to her over the flames.
"As agreed, one set of cum-soaked sheets, though don't expect me to help you with anymore of these."
"I…I don't understand," Cas said as he struggled to sit up. "What's happening?"
"You went to him willingly," Crowley stepped in to explain, a look of awe and fear still lingering on his face. "I told you to leave and you wouldn't listen. Now faith, hatred, and love have become one."
"No," Cas whispered in shock as the enormity of what had just happened descended on him. The fourth item…the perfect height of faith, hatred, and love…and they had used him to create it. Hannah had used his hands to bring herself one step closer to destroying his baby girl. "God…no."
"Sorry about that, Angelface, but I had to give her something for tellin' me about the kid," the demon said, looking almost genuinely remorseful as he moved back to the bed to retrieve the First Blade. Cas could do nothing but stare at Hannah in shock and horror.
"You used me," he accused her.
"I had no choice, Castiel," she said, turning away from him as she folded up the soiled sheet. "I'm sorry."
"No, you're not. You don't care. You're just afraid," he snarled at her. "I gave up our only advantage for nothing! I should have let him kill you."
"If you still want me to, I'm more than willing, but I still need her for somethin'," Dean informed them as he moved toward the devil trap that held Olivia.
"Dean, what are you doing?" Hannah asked, starting to sound nervous. "You said we'd be set free."
"And you will be…just as soon as I get what I need. Hey, Olivia? You can hear me, yeah?" he called down to the near comatose demon. Her only response was a tiny flinch.
Dean laughed quietly, using the Blade to gently slap her arm. "I'm not gonna hurt you, Liv. In fact, I'm gonna give you a present. You're gonna get to die for your sister all over again."
Olivia's eyes opened wide at this, her eyes fixing on Dean in sudden fear. "How…how do you know-"
"Who you were? What you died for? I know who all of you were before you came to Hell, you and your little posse…and I know why Crowley chose you. Power's got nothin' to do with it. Neither does loyalty. He chose you because you all gave your lives for someone else. You're not the typical scum that ends up in Hell. He was banking on the hope you might still have some integrity left in you. Isn't that right, bitch king?" Dean called to the demon king.
Crowley just shrugged. "No harm in trying a new strategy."
Dean shook his head, turning his attention back to Olivia with a smirk on his face. "Twelve years ago, your big sister was brain dead after a hit and run accident. Your parents were ready to take her off life support, but you just couldn't let go. Little Olivia made a deal with the Devil. You sold your soul to save your sister's life."
"Yeah, so? What's it to you?" Olivia asked, turning her head to the side and spitting out a mouthful of blood. Charlie immediately turned her head back up to face Dean.
"What it is to me is that I know that love still exists. I know. I did the same damn thing, went to Hell for my baby brother, and I'd do it again in a heartbeat. If you're anything like me, I can make use of that."
"What are you saying?"
"I'm sayin' make a deal with me, Olivia. Let me give you the power of a knight and I'll let her live," he said, pointing the Blade in Hannah's direction. "Or don't deal…and I'll kill her, and your sacrifice will've been for nothing."
"Olivia," Hannah whispered in horror and fear.
"Don't do it, Olivia," Crowley ordered her. "What's one less angel in the world?"
"I'm not talkin' about the angel. I'm talkin' about the human woman the angel's ridin' shot gun on. I'll put the Blade right through her skull. What's it gonna be, Olivia?"
For several moments, the young demon looked torn, but ultimately, her expression settled on something like anger and she set her jaw firmly before answering, "Don't…don't do that. I'll do it. I'll make the deal."
"Good girl," Dean said with a sneer, and before anyone could say anything else, he planted his lips on hers…right before he ran her through with the First Blade.
"Olivia!" Hannah shouted.
The young demon made no sound of pain. She just slumped briefly in the chair before the chains restraining her snapped. Then Dean withdrew the Blade and Olivia's eyes blinked open, black once again. When she stood from the chair, all of her former injuries vanished in the blink of an eye.
"Better?" Dean asked her.
"Much. Thank you, Sir."
"Good," he said. Rather than waste the energy it would take to erase the trap, he simply scratched out a bit with the Blade, setting them all free. "You two get going. I'll be right behind you."
As the two knights headed out of the room, Dean went to douse the circle holding Hannah.
"She bought your life twice. Wouldn't go wasting it if I were you," he warned her. The angel spared him only a single glare before leaving with her prize.
The next prisoner Dean set free was Matarael, who immediately attempted to smite Dean upon being released. When nothing happened, Dean just laughed.
"That was cute, feathers. Sure hope your hosts perform better than that."
"This will not be allowed to stand. You will both be punished. This abomination will be destroyed!" Matarael declared.
"Yeah, sure. Looking forward to it. In the meantime, angel bait, you run. You run for your god damn life. Tell Heaven what's comin' after 'em."
Matarael wasted no more words before fleeing the room, leaving only Crowley, Dean, and Cas remaining. Dean tossed the Blade up and down as he approached the trap that held the demon king.
"Y'know, I could kill you right now, but I think I want you to see this. I want you to know how hilariously outgunned you are," Dean said as he scratched away a bit of the trap. Crowley eyed the younger demon nervously as he stepped out of the trap.
"Oh, I'd say I've got a pretty good idea already."
"Better get goin' if you wanna make it back there in time."
Unlike the others, Crowley took a moment to glance worriedly at Cas, who was sitting on the bed in a sort of catatonic state.
"Don't worry about the angel. Leave him to me," Dean warned him, the threat quite clear in his glare. Crowley wasted no more time in getting out, leaving the angel and the demon alone in the room.
"What…what's going to happen?" Cas finally made himself ask.
"The angels won't come here. They're no match for us and they know it. They'll attack the bunker first, see if they can't wipe out some of our reinforcements.
"What?" he whispered in shocked horror, mind still reeling from the magnitude of Hannah's betrayal.
"That's right, Angelface, and you and me are gonna be there to take out their legions, show them who's really in charge now," he declared, but when he went to help Cas up from the bed, the angel seized his hand firmly, not allowing him to move.
"Castiel…what are you doing?"
"Dean…I can't let you. I'm not going to let you kill innocent people."
"You're serious?" the demon asked incredulously. "You're just gonna leave your friends to fight on their own?"
"No. They can handle themselves. I trust them, but I'm not going to let us be involved. I'm not letting you leave."
"Come on!" Dean growled, trying and failing to yank his arm free. "You don't really think you can keep me here, do you?"
"I know it. It may take all of my strength and we will probably end up paying for it, but if there's anything I can do, I'm going to do it. So try me, Dean. I'm ready," he said, anchoring them firmly in place.
"All right, Angelface. You wanna go? Let's go!"
XxX
