Sorry for the wait guys! Turns out I get really stuck when it comes to writing cutesy stuff. It's funny how when I write sad, gore-y stuff, it comes out absolutely beautifully and perfect but then when it turns into cute stuff I'm like. What. It actually kinda sucks cause I had the whole fucking summer to write and I didn't cause of writer's block haha! But it's here now! Yay! I move into college Saturday, so I don't know when the next time I'll update will be.
OH ALSO. Remember when I said I was going to Phoenix Comic Con when I posted the last chapter. Well, I did. And I met Mark Sheppard. And I hugged him, and got his autograph, and a picture, and when we hugged he pressed his stubbly cheek to mine, and he called me 'darling' and. Guys, he literally feels like a teddy bear. I can't. I also met John Barrowman (who was lovely, but I didn't really get to talk him, but he told us it was okay if we had herpes) and Michael Rooker (who is possibly the nicest person I've EVER met). It was perfect omg. Oh I also saw Stan Lee in person. Life is complete.
Okay, I'm done sorry. Enjoy!
~o~
Chapter 29
The Bitchy Brit
For the first time in over seven months, I found myself agreeing with Sam. Sam came home (suspiciously, might I add) to Bobby's place late in the night and the next morning Dean and I explained to him what had transpired the previous night. We told him about the barn, Castiel and what the angel had informed us. Sam was astounded by the news, and hopeful. He thought that maybe, for once, something good had happened to us and the fact that it was an angel who had risen Dean was good news. That wasn't exactly what I agreed with him on—I wasn't quite sure if the angels really were the good guys yet. Dean, however, didn't want to believe in them at all. He was convinced Castiel must have been something else, anything but an angel.
This is where I agreed with Sam. I knew angels existed. I had met more than enough of them. It wasn't just some hocus-pocus dream like Dean seemed to think it was. Angels were real. There were facts that they were real. I was a bit more skeptical when it came to "God" though. I guess if angels existed then God had to too, right? But I don't know… it's just so hard for me to grasp. I mean, what does he do all day? Sit up on a little cloud sipping a piña colada? Watch as the world crashes and burns because of monsters and demons? Did he even care? Still, I knew angels existed. There was no doubt about it. Yet, doubt it was exactly what Dean did. Hell, an angel even visited him and he still wouldn't believe.
I sat at Bobby's desk, nose-deep in one of the thick, heavy textbooks on angels Bobby had dug up. It was almost funny—a while ago, when I had my first angel encounter (and first death), I had been fervently searching for books like these. They covered all of the angel lore and history; they should have given me every bit of info I could have ever wanted to receive. But as I plunged farther into my reading, none of the lore seemed to fit what I knew. Except for when it described them as soldiers—most of the angels I had met so far were very soldier-like. Basically, I was bored out of my mind being stuck with the research, and more than a little frustrated that Dean wasn't doing his share.
Bobby snapped his phone shut harshly. "Damn it!"
"What's wrong?" I asked, slightly startled.
"A hunter friend of mine won't answer her phone," he grunted. With a heavy sigh, he looked up at Dean and me. "I've been trying to reach her for a few days now. I think it's time I checked on her."
"Want us to come with?" Dean offered. Bobby made an approving gesture.
"It wouldn't hurt to have some back up," he said thoughtfully.
"You guys go ahead," I spoke up. Honestly, though the idea of research wasn't too appealing to me, I was too lazy to go out on a mission. Plus, without the boys here, maybe I wouldn't have to focus on the books 24/7 and I'd be relieved of their arguing, if only for a little while. "I'll stay here with the books and the coffee."
"You sure?" Dean questioned. I answered with a sound of confirmation, and Dean gave a short nod. "Alright, but you call me if you find anything."
I gave him a mocking salute and said, "Right-o, Dean-o." Bobby and Dean packed up their duffels and separate cars, and were out the door not too long after.
~o~
I forced myself to read, but I only managed to get through one of the giant textbooks. It told me pretty much everything I already knew. It said that God had created all of the angels in Heaven and listed the names of all the "known" angels. Not that the writers had actually ever met any of them, they just assumed they were real. I recognized Castiel's name in the book; he was called the "angel of Thursday, new changes and travel". Fun fact of the day I guess. The book also listed the four archangels—The Commander, the Morningstar, the Healer and the Messenger. Just as Joshua has described them to me.
Despite the coffee in my system, my eyes began to droop after nearly two hours of reading and I soon found myself fast asleep on the table with my hair sprawled over the books. A breeze of cold air on the back of my neck stirred me awake about 6 hours later. Goosebumps ran down my arm as my eyes blinked open. I deliberately pushed myself off the table into a sitting position and when I let out a yawn, my breath came out as a visible smoky cloud; it was freezing in this room! Bobby's desk lamp flickered several times and I tensed. I stood and crossed the room in one swift motion, grabbing for the sawed-off shotgun filled with salt shells lying on the closest shelf. I was wide awake now, and in full defense mode.
"Well, well, if it isn't Lucy. We meet again."
I froze. I'd know that voice anywhere. I had been reassured by the thought that I'd never hear it again. I turned to my left and sure enough, there she was. Her brown hair fell in loose waves past her shoulders and her signature cocky smile stretched across her pretty, slightly pale face. Her accented voice was mocking, as usual, but had an undertone of hostility to it, and I instantly felt frightened.
"Bela?" I breathed, staring at the ghost in shock.
"What's the matter?" Bela piped scornfully, taking a few steps towards me. I backed up against the wall, pointing my shotgun at her defensively. "You look like you've seen a ghost."
"As far as I'm aware, I'm looking at one," I said flatly. Bela's face seemed to twitch—almost like a static glitch—and I knew that I was right. There was no way she somehow survived the hellhounds. I could determine that they probably came for her not long after we talked to her for the last time; that they bit into her flesh and ripped her apart like they did to Dean. She must have died painfully, and alone. And she deserved every single bit of it. But why was she here? "Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled that you're dead. But I'm not too happy to see your ghost here."
Bela's smile was huge at this point. It was cruel and full of malice. "And I thought it'd be a cheery reunion! For me maybe. If only Sam and Dean were here… I'd love to watch all the people responsible for my death suffer. But you'll have to do."
A loud scoff escaped my mouth before I could stop it. "Excuse me? You're blaming us?" I questioned incredulously. "We're not the ones who made the deal, sweetie! You sold your soul. You got yourself into this mess, you greedy bitch."
Bela chuckled dark and maniacally. "I pleaded for your help. I begged you, and Dean, and Sam for my life—to find some way, any possible way, to help me. Even in my last moments, I helped you. I told you who Lilith was!" Her voice was growing louder by the word, a violent rage filling her voice. "And you selfish idiots couldn't be bothered to even try to save me!"
I glared at her, determined not to let any of her claims guilt me into caring. "After everything you did, you expected us to help you?!" I cried. "The whole time we knew you, all you did was cause us problem after problem. You stole from us, tricked us, tried to kill us and, well… to be honest, honey, you weren't that great of a person. You got a demon to kill your parents. You even said yourself, you didn't deserve our help. You didn't deserve anything."
"The Winchesters, the great hunters. You're supposed to help people! What's that thing you guys say? 'Saving people, hunting things, the family business.'" Bela's neutral somewhat disdainful expression shifted and her whole face became hooded with rage. "Well, guess what?! I NEEDED SAVING!" she screamed at the top of her lungs. I jumped back and squeezed the trigger of my gun. A salt bullet blasted Bela in the chest and she vanished in a gust of smoke.
I was unable to move for a few moments, in complete shock of what had just happened. Okay, so Bela was pissed. But unreasonably so. Even if we wanted to help her, we couldn't have. For one, she asked for our assistance within minutes of her expiration date. Two, we couldn't even save Dean—and Sam tried for a year! Despite this, for some reason Bela was after us—or rather, after me. Oh god, okay. What to do, what to do? I broke out of my terrified trance and stumbled across the room to where my phone was. I had to tell my brothers and Bobby what was going on.
"Those hellhounds are ruthless, you know." I jumped and twirled around. She was back. "Do you know what they did to me? They tore me apart. I watched as my own body was dismembered. Their teeth dug into my legs and chest. I saw my flesh get caught between them. And their claws? Ripped through my arms—yanked them right off. My blood was everywhere. In fact, it was the last thing I saw. It was… so, so painful. Nobody found me until the next day. The poor maid is still in therapy."
"If you're trying to guilt me, it's not working," I growled. That was a bit of a lie. A small twinge of discomfort lodged its way into my throat after hearing her talk about the hellhounds. Her death might have been worse than Dean's. Bela smiled again, showing her gleaming white teeth.
"No surprises there. You're heartless, Lucy. You're selfish," she said simply. My breath caught in my throat. My mind flashed back to when Sam told me those exact same words. "You never really cared about any of the people you saved. You just cared about the glory of it all. Sam was right about you." I merely stared at the ghost, unable to get my mouth to work. "Maybe the reason you hated me so much, is because we were so much alike."
"No way," I snapped instantly. "I'm nothing like you. I do what I do because it's the right thing to do!"
She laughed. "Do you now! Uh-uh, I don't think so. Don't lie to me. You save people because of the consolation prize. Everything I did when I was alive was for the money. Everything you do is for the honor. Face it, we're not too different."
"Shut up!" I yelled. Just as I was about to pull the trigger of the gun again, Bela suddenly grabbed it and yanked it out of my hands. It fell to the floor and skidded across the room. I gulped, backing away from the furious ghost and desperately searching for a weapon. My phone started ringing on the desk, but I couldn't reach it. It was probably my brothers, or Bobby. Ironic.
Bela advanced on me, her deadly smile on her face. She caught my throat in her hands and threw me to the opposite wall. My shoulder hit the solid roughly and I tumbled to the ground flat onto my stomach, groaning. I made an attempt to get up, but I soon felt cold hands in my hair. A sharp, painful tug on my hair dragged me to my feet, and I felt the icy presence behind me as she clawed into my hair. She scratched her long nails across the soft flesh of my arm, forming thick red welts. I hissed in pain, struggling to break from her grasp. Still holding onto my hair, she yanked me around and sent me crashing into Bobby's bookshelf. I winced at the pain and the unpleasant cracking sound my nose made. My head pounded and my vision failed.
I struggled to get up, making the best attempt to fight back. I was roughly forced back into my sitting position. Bela crouched in front of me—I could still see her wicked smile despite my fuzzy vision. She delivered a few punches. Three to the face and two to the stomach. I panted for breath, heaving gasps of air in through my mouth. I was completely unable to breathe through my nose, and warm blood tripped onto my lips. Bela raised her arm again, but instead of a fist, her hand was open and almost in the shape of a claw. "This might hurt a bit," she smiled evilly. Oh god, I was going to die. I braced myself.
But suddenly, Bela's face melted into one of shock. Without warning, she vanished. My eyes widened. Okay, what the hell? "Jeez, what a bitch!" I couldn't help it. I laughed in relief at Gabe's voice, but abruptly stopped when it caused a wave of pain to shoot through my body. Though my blurry vision, I could see him kneel in front of me, his eyes wide and concerned. "Damn it, she did some damage to you, Lucy-Loo. Pretty bad for a ghost. It's okay, I'm here now. She's not gonna hurt you anymore."
Two fingers pressed to my forehead lightly. My vision went white for a split second, and suddenly I could breathe again. I took in a giant gasp of air and latched onto his arm. While I caught my breath, I looked up to him and met his eyes. I sent him a look of gratitude, hoping it would say everything that I couldn't in that very moment. He grinned and hauled me up to my feet. He wrapped an arm around my waist to help me regain my balance. Once I was steady, he said, "Come on, let's get out of here before bitchy Brit gets back." He winked, and we zapped out of the room.
~o~
I was surrounded by bright neon lights and constant loud noise. It would have been a welcome distraction if I hadn't recently taken a beating by a pissed-off British ghost. I took note of Gabe's presence first, as I still leaned heavily on him for support. Slightly embarrassed and prideful, I straightened up, disconnecting the touch of our skin. I didn't want him to think I was weak. It was only after that I truly took in where exactly I had been zapped to. I couldn't stop the giggle that bubbled in my throat and passed its way through my lips. I looked at the Trickster with amusement.
"A carnival? Really?" I mused.
"What's wrong with carnivals?" he replied, mildly defensive. I almost laughed again.
"Nothing. I totally had you pinned as a carnival type guy too, way to be typical!"
He knew I was joking, but still maintained his defensive stance. "Hey, carnivals are everything that's good in the world. There's rides, games, and ooooh—"His eyes flickered with excitement. "—candy! Lots and lots of candy!"
I really did laugh this time, loudly and carefree. "That's exactly what you need, more candy," I said sarcastically. He grinned at me in response, lightly shoving me. With a smile, I added, "Well, I wouldn't know about the wonder that is carnivals 'cause I've never been to one."
He looked at me like the world was ending… which on second thought, it probably was. "Please tell me you're joking," Gabe warned, sounding devastated. I chuckled.
"No joke! Never been."
"What kind of life have you lived?! Are you even a person!"
I lightly rolled my eyes. "I'm a hunter, Gabe. My brother's are hunters; I grew up as a hunter. We've never really had time for carnivals or, you know… fun."
He easily shrugged off what could have been a tense family history lesson and reached for my hand, urging me forward. "Well, that is all about to change today. I am going to drag you on every ride here, and make you eat every sugary, greasy thing in sight and we're probably going to throw up and you are going to like it!"
I couldn't help the wide, amazed smile that spread across my face as he persistently tugged on my hand. He was like a child. An overgrown, overexcited, stupid, adorable little child. Who occasionally saves my life from time to time and completely downplays it by taking me to carnivals; who is secretly an extremely powerful, ancient being who's probably at least 10 thousand years old but doesn't act a day over five. I loved it.
I wanted to tell him what I knew. I briefly wondered if he could also read my mind and already knew that I knew about him. Nah, probably not. That was the one thing I didn't believe angels could do. Still, I wanted nothing more than to tell him. But I knew that I couldn't. I remembered what he told me back in Mystery Spot. There were people watching—probably other angels. For some reason, he didn't want other angels to find out about him. Maybe he was in danger? Maybe he himself was the danger? I didn't know. But I knew I wanted to keep him safe, like he had done for me my whole life. And if that meant keeping my mouth shut, so be it.
I tugged him back gently so he faced me, and gave him a smile. "Thank you. For what you did back there. You saved me."
Gabe returned the smile, winking one beautiful golden eye at me. "Anything for my Lucy," he said softly, and my heart swelled. We held each other's eyes for a long exhilarating moment. And then finally, he looked away, dragging me along excitedly. I followed along willingly. Honestly, I'd follow him to the end of the world.
~o~
"—so then the chick finishes the entire glass of wine, and poof. Ring's nowhere to be found. The poor bastard was confused out of his mind. Turns out the waitress had taken it and planned to sell it the next day. So we decided, hey if she really wanted it, why not permanently enchant it to her finger? She even tried to get it amputated! How's that for karma, huh!"
"Oh come on, you definitely took that out of a movie."
"Did not!" Gabe protested as we approached the front of the funnel cake line. "My friend, Loki, and I were exploring the fine cuisine of Pah-ree and we just happened to stumble upon the pure definition of why I love being a Trickster." He turned to the food stand worker in a single beat. "Two please."
I continued smiling all the way to an empty table we found, slapping the plate of the sugary heart attack they called food in front of me. Suddenly, a thought struck me. "Wait a second… Loki? Like the comic book Loki?" I questioned curiously, a hint of awe peaking through my voice. "Thor and Loki, the hero and the villain brothers?"
"You really are a nerd."
"Shut up," I grinned. Okay, so maybe I liked comic books. And Lord of the Rings. And Star Wars. That didn't make me too much of a nerd… did it?
"But really though, he is an actual person. Well, god, actually. We've been good friends for a few thousand years. The comic books are a bit exaggerated, but I mean, what in this world isn't?" Gabe explained, ripping off a piece of his funnel cake and shoving it into his mouth. I bit my lip and smiled when some of the powdered sugar covered his lips. "To be honest, I wanna know how Stan Lee knows so much about the Asgardians and the other realms, I'm starting to think he might be a Pagan god himself."
"So what about the other superheroes?" I asked eagerly. "If Thor's real, then maybe the others are? Oh my god—is Iron Man real?"
"Why, you're not gonna leave me for Tony Stark are you?"
I lightly smacked him on the arm, before registering what he said. "Wait. He is real?!"
Gabe shrugged, pulling a candy bar from his pocket now that he had finished his funnel cake. I hadn't bothered to take a bite from my own yet. "Somewhat. All the Marvel characters are at least partially based off of real people. It's like those things where they say 'the names have been changed to protect the names of the deceased', except they're not dead, they're just off doing their own thing. I think Iron Man goes by like, Robert Jr. or something."
I bit my lip again to stop my jaw from dropping, but I couldn't help the gigantic smile that was forming on my face. I'd at least try to deny that it was basically me having a giant nerdgasm. Gabe looked up at me and made a movement, as if he was exasperated. "Okay, you have to stop doing that," he said. I blinked.
"Doing what?" I asked, smiling again.
"That!" he cried pointing at me and grinning good-naturedly. "That little smile you do when you bite your lip!"
I laughed out loud, slightly surprised. "What! Why? Is it annoying?"
"The opposite actually, it's really cute."
"I'm sorry?" I laughed, not sure exactly how to reply to that. He tossed his hands up in surrender.
"I'm just saying! I am over here, a mere innocent victim, and you're being adorable as fuck with your bite-lip smile and your laugh and your hair as gold as the sun—"
"Oh my god, you're so dramatic!" I exclaimed, partly teasing and partly serious. "Can I just point out how incredibly cheesy you sound right now! Are you trying to flirt with me?"
Gabe shrugged again. "Well, I mean I always do, so what's new?" My lips quirked up in a smile again. "You're doing it again!"
I threw my hands out in the air. "Well, what do you expect me to do after a comment like that, smack you?"
"Wouldn't make you any less cute, to be honest," he dismissed. "Fun fact, I think you might be one of the prettiest women I've ever seen."
My eyebrows shot up into my hairline, and I desperately tried to hide the blush that was forming on my face. "Really? In all the thousand or so years you've been around, I'm the prettiest girl you've ever seen?"
"I shit you not."
I disguised my smile, morphing it into an expression of distinct cockiness. "You know, I believe it," I teased. He laughed loudly, crinkles forming around his golden eyes. He was so beautiful.
"You also have one of the biggest egos of anyone I've ever met," he stated, leaning over the table. I leaned in as well, so that we were closer.
"And you should already know that," I replied lowly, finally taking the opportunity to rip off a chunk of my funnel cake and place the warm, sugary treat into my mouth. My taste buds were immediately devoured by grease and sweetness that even the world's best chocolate cake couldn't fulfill. "That's disgusting," I commented, taking another bite.
"Isn't it good?"
"Fucking amazing."
I felt my phone start to vibrate in my pocket. I didn't even remember putting it in there. Maybe Gabe had zapped it here with us. I pulled it out and with a sickening jolt, looked up the number of missed calls I had from my family. I hadn't even felt my phone ring before now. Frantically, I dialed Dean's number and anxiously awaited—prayed—to hear his voice on the other line.
"Lucy! Where the fuck are you?"
I sighed in relief. "Dean. You're okay."
"Yeah, I am, and so are Sam and Bobby, but we were worried sick about you. There's some psycho spirits after hunters and they're not happy. We thought something happened to you."
"After hunters?" I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "Well I guess that explains it."
"Explains what?"
"I was attacked by Bela."
"…Bela? Like, money guzzling, superiority complex Bela?"
"That's the one," I said. I quickly fished around for an excuse, briefly meeting Gabe's eyes. "I just got kinda freaked, so I left the house to a more populated part of town. At least if she popped up again, someone would at least notice me being killed. I didn't even hear my phone ringing. Sorry, Deanie."
I heard Dean sigh. "It's alright. That was actually pretty smart of you. We're back at Bobby's now so you can come back. We're gonna try to figure out what's been shoved up these spirits' asses."
"Will do."
I snapped my phone closed and rubbed my temples. "What's wrong?" Gabe asked. I shook my head.
"Apparently I'm not the only one that was attacked. My brothers are back now, if you want to zap me back," I suggest, partially reluctant to leave. Gabe stood with a smirk.
"Your wish is my command."
I rolled my eyes and moved so I was within his reach. I met his eyes with a grin. "Seriously, thank you. I don't think I'd be alive without you," I told him. He pulled me towards him and gently kissed the top of my head.
"Anything for my Lucy," he repeated in a hushed tone that made my heart flutter. And then, he placed two fingers to my forehead.
~o~
When I stepped into Bobby's house, the first thing I took in was the state of disarray it was in. Salt and bullet shells were scattered everywhere on the ground, like a freaking war had gone on around here. Books had been knocked to the ground and papers were out of order. I couldn't suppress my small cry of "holy shit!"
"Lucy?" I heard someone call from the next room over.
"Yeah, it's me. What the hell happened here, the Revolutionary War?"
Making my best attempt to side step between the piles of salt and other various items, I made my way into the kitchen, where I found my brothers and Bobby sitting at the table, all looking tremendously exhausted. Sam made a face at me as I walked in, taking a sip of his beer. "Even better. Armageddon. Literally," he said. I blinked, not entirely registering the comment.
"Wait. What?" I asked cautiously. Dean sighed heavily and wearily, ruffling up his hair with his hand.
"Those spirits that were after us—turns out they weren't just pissed off," Dean said, getting right to the point. I took a seat next to them, not making an effort to hide my confusion.
"They're called Witnesses. Spirits that were forced to rise," Bobby started to explain. "We got rid of them, but… well, looks like we got more important issues on our hands." When I didn't respond and rather urged him to keep explaining, he continued, "We think it might be a sign. The rising of the Witnesses is what this was. It's a sign of the Apocalypse."
My heart dropped to my stomach. No, this couldn't be happening. I had tried my best to forget what Joshua, the angel, had revealed to me in the Garden when I had died. I had attempted to ignore everything I'd learned from him in hopes that maybe it'd go away. But the Apocalypse… he'd specifically told me it was drawing near. I didn't want to believe it, but now—here I was, hearing about the foreboding signs of it. And I sure as hell didn't want to be the person—angel, I guess—that Heaven and Hell was fighting for. I didn't want any part in it. No, this couldn't be happening.
"Luce?" Sam questioned concernedly. I hadn't even noticed how long I'd been staring at Bobby for. I jumped to, swallowing heavily. "What is it?"
I was silent for a few moments before whispering, "Joshua was right."
My brothers and Bobby shared a look, bewildered and concerned. "Who the hell's Joshua?" Dean asked. I slowly looked up to meet his eyes. I guess it wouldn't hurt to describe what the angel had told me. In fact, it'd probably be helpful. Still, I was reluctant. Dean still didn't even believe in angels, much less my death day story. But Sam and Bobby—maybe they'd listen.
"He was the angel I met in the Garden of Eden when I died in jail," I responded, trying to ignore the looks of shock that appeared on my family's faces. "He was the one who told me that the Apocalypse was right around the corner. That… that when the time came, the archangels Michael and Lucifer would battle to the death and the world's fate would be determined by who wins. I really hope I don't get news like that every time I die, that'd be kinda a bummer."
I watched their facial expressions closely. Sam clenched his jaw and his fists, like he always did when he tried to calm himself, though his hazel eyes were wide with both shock and fear. Bobby exhaled loudly, leaning back in his chair and messing with the ball cap on his head. He usually did this when he processed new information—particularly bad news. Dean, on the other hand, stared at me. I couldn't read his expression, but I wasn't entirely sure he was convinced. But I knew he was angry.
"And when were you planning on telling us this?" Dean asked calmly. I frowned, taking note of the obvious anger he was hiding. I merely shrugged. "Anything else?"
I gulped. I couldn't tell them I was an angel, as much as I wanted to. I wasn't ready—they weren't ready. So instead, I shook my head, lying right through my teeth. "No, that's all he told me."
Dean stared at me for a little longer. I was hurt when I realized the vague expression of distrust that had formed on his face. Though, it did look like he believed me—which was a start. There was also a hint of awe, as though he realized I wasn't entirely full of shit. Feeling suddenly antisocial and weary, I pushed myself from the table. Grabbing a fresh bottle of water from the fridge, I walked to the guest room—which was unofficially my room—and closed the door behind me and shoving my headphones into my ears, praying I wouldn't be bothered the rest of the night.
~o~
Dean couldn't wrap his head around the thought of real life angels. In the logical view, he guess it made sense, considering everything else in their twisted little world existed—why shouldn't angels? But to him, it just seemed so impractical. Weren't angels supposed to be the good guys, the assistants to God? But that was the point. If they existed then why the hell was all this evil allowed to walk the earth? To torture and kill innocent people? Why would angels, and God, let that happen? Of course, everyone around him insisted they were real. Especially his little sister. That was another thing—Lucy had kept her knowledge to herself for months. He thought Sam was supposed to be the liar—the one that held back information. But not Lucy. Still, everything she had told them about the Apocalypse seemed so real, and he felt it hard to not believe her.
A distinct fluttering sound startled him, and he lifted himself from the floor to examine his surroundings. Great, just what he needed. Their new little friend Castiel stood in the kitchen, waiting patiently for Dean to come closer. He stood and made his way over to the angel, careful not to wake Sam. "Excellent job with the Witnesses," Castiel said simply, nodding slightly at him.
"You were hip to all of this?" Dean asked. When Castiel nodded, Dean put forth his defensive, hard shell. "Well thanks for the angelic assistance. I almost died you know."
"But you didn't."
Dean let out a frustrated huff. "Yeah, no thanks to you. I thought angels were supposed to be guardians. Fluffy wings, halos… Michael Landon. Not dicks."
Castiel was almost smiling, dark and supercilious in a way. And if Dean was telling the truth here, he was a bit intimidated by the mysterious angel. "Read the bible," Castiel replied lowly and with an aura of superiority. "Angels are warriors of God. I'm a soldier."
"Yeah? Then why didn't you fight? You know, people are getting torn to shreds down here! And if you're 'warriors of God' then where is he? The big boss? If there even is one-"
"There is a God," Castiel replied instantly. Dean shook his head.
"Well I'm not convinced," he said. "'Cause if there's a God, what the hell is he waiting for, huh? Genocide? Monsters roaming the earth? The freaking apocalypse? At what point does he lift a damn finger and help the poor bastards that are stuck down here?"
"The Lord works—"
"If you say "mysterious ways," so help me, I will kick your ass." Dean paused, collecting his thoughts. "So, Bobby was right... about the witnesses. This is some kind of a... sign of the apocalypse." Castiel nodded slightly, and Dean's face dawned in realization. "Lucy was right. She actually knew what she was talking about."
"She knows more than you think," Castiel stated, and when Dean gave him a questioning look, he added, "From how she acted in the barn, I was under the impression she was not ready to tell you."
Dean stepped closer to the angel, eyeing him suspiciously. "Tell me what?" he questioned dangerously.
"What she knows. What her role is in God's plan," Castiel informed. Dean's eyes widened. Her role? What the hell was that supposed to mean. "I believe she wants to tell you when she's ready. I would advise you not to pressure her into informing you—"
"Hey, don't tell me how to deal with my family, alright?" Dean snapped, a dark look in his eyes. "Especially not my baby sister." Castiel backed off, though he did so in a frustrated manner. Curious, Dean started to ask, "So the Apocalypse—"
"The rising of the Witness is one of the 66 seals," Castiel interrupted. "Those seals are being broken by Lilith. Though the Witnesses were sent back, the seal was still broken."
"What do the seals do?" Dean asked.
"You can think of the seals as locks on a door…" Castiel trailed off, and though it was hard to tell what he was feeling, Dean thought he could see a particular sense of dread on the angel's face. Dean prompted him to continue. "Last one opens and… Lucifer walks free."
Dean couldn't believe what he was hearing. Even better, he realized his sister had been scarily accurate with her information. She really wasn't making it up. He stared at Castiel in shock. "Lucifer?" he repeated. "He can't really be real, can he? But I thought Lucifer was just a story they told at demon Sunday school."
"Three days ago, you thought there was no such thing as me. Why do you think we're here walking among you now for the first time in 2,000 years?"
"To stop Lucifer," Dean whispered, the whole concept truly hitting him for the first time.
"That's why we've arrived."
"Well... bang-up job so far," Dean commented sarcastically. He didn't exactly know how else to deal with this situation. "Stellar work with the witnesses. That's nice."
"We tried," Castiel responded. "And there are other battles, other seals. Some we'll win, some we'll lose. This one we lost." He noticed Dean's skepticism and stepped impossibly closer. He clearly had no regard towards personal space, Dean was starting to realize. He found himself trying to avoid looking into the angel's astonishingly blue eyes, uncomfortably shrugging away the best he could. "Our numbers are not unlimited. Six of my brothers died in the field this week. You think the armies of Heaven should just follow you around? There's a bigger picture here. You should show me some respect. I dragged you out of Hell. I can throw you back in."
He was gone. And when Dean blinked, he was waking up on the group where he'd slept with sunlight beaming in through the windows. Once he had reassured Sam that he was fine, and he had just had a weird dream, he stood and padded his way towards the guest room. He peered in through the slightly cracked down upon his still sleeping little sister.
He was almost amazed by her. He remembered the day she was born so clearly in his mind, though he had only been 7. She was born at home because the hospital was too far away and their mother feared the car ride would make her sick. Dean had been the second to hold her, even before their father had. He had basically raised her from birth, from the moment their Dad shoved the baby into his arms on the night of the fire. She had always been wise beyond her years—even smarter than Sam, though she didn't like to flaunt it—and he was relieved that no one ever seemed to mistake them as a couple (he couldn't say the same towards him and Sam, weirdly enough). Probably due to how much they looked alike. And now, Dean truly feared for her. According to Castiel, she knew much much more than the rest of them did, and he was extremely concerned what her "role" in "God's" plan could possibly be.
One thing was for sure, no one was getting to her before going through him.
~o~
So this chapter took way more effort than it was supposed to wtf. Also if you want Stucky feels like I'm having right now, listen to Amnesia by Justin Timberlake k bye. Actually, you can probably blame the whole two month wait on Stucky. It's all because of Stucky. My whole summer has been Stucky and Britin feels.
