Chapter 53: Bullet with Butterfly Wings
A/N: Thank you to FreedomXJustice, I AM THE SUPREME KING, Insert Name Here, ofmooseandmen, Krisuvial, SPN Mum, twolittlewords, k3vin20, Nunquam Iterum, and fidefortitude for their reviews!
Oh, and just saying, I'm sick and dying (not really but I do feel like I got hit by a truck) so my editing skills aren't as sharp as usual. Consider this an advance apology for any not-goodness in this chapter.
It was one week before any of them saw Kevin again. They left meals outside of his room - and they were eaten - but none of them saw the prophet leave his room, and he refused to answer his door. For the time being, Kevin's bedroom was his desert, and none of them were welcome inside.
Castiel was starting to get restless. He, Sam, and Dean had been trying to find a case to occupy themselves, but for once, there was nothing in their part of the country that needed addressing. There was something that looked like a kitsune in Maine, but to drive all of the way to the other side of the country on a weak lead when Kevin could decode the second trial at any moment didn't seem like a particularly good idea.
He and Dean were in the lounge, continuing their ritual of his 'Lessons in Humanity' as Dean called it. He wasn't sure about this Breaking Bad, but Dean seemed to enjoy it, so he didn't complain. Sam and Crowley were doing research in the library. Bobby was in room 7B, updating some of the Letters files with information that the hunting community had learned after the fall of the organization.
"Guys."
The two of them looked away from the TV. Kevin stood a few feet away, a notebook tucked under his arm. There were dark circles under his eyes, his hair was a disaster, and he seemed as though he was seconds away from falling over. Dean immediately sat up straighter, and so too did Cas.
"I was beginning to think you'd died in there and some squatter was taking your food," Dean said. "You look like hell, kid. And trust me, I would know."
"Yeah, I know," Kevin said. "But that doesn't matter right now. I've looked at the second trial every which way, hoping that I'd somehow gotten the translation wrong, but I didn't. It's completely clear... I know what you have to do for the next trial."
"Well, don't beat around the bush - what's the tablet say?"
The hopeless expression on Kevin's face was not reassuring Cas. "Basically... we have to make an angel," Kevin said. "Like, create one."
Cas and Dean stared at Kevin with matching blank looks. "Create an angel?" Castiel repeated. "That isn't possible. Only God can create an angel. They are higher beings. For a human to make an angel would be to take away the very thing that makes an angel angelic - their inherent divinity."
"Don't kill the messenger." Kevin held up his hands. "It's just what it says. Of course, it doesn't give any instructions, which would have been helpful. I don't know whether God just likes being vague or if Metatron edited out some of what was supposed to be in the second trial."
"All those months and all you've got is 'make an angel'?" Dean asked, frustrated. "What the hell are we supposed to do with that, huh?"
"I don't know!" Kevin snapped. "All I can tell you is what I've read on the tablet. The rest is up to you to figure out. And sorry it took so long, I kind of had to decode the apocalyptic prophecy first."
Dean could see that he angered the prophet, and he took a deep breath. "Alright, alright. Sorry. I'm just getting fed up with the Big Guy Upstairs and His crap," he said. He ran a hand through his hair. "You got any brilliant ideas, Cas?"
"I..." Cas frowned deeply. "The only way a human body can contain angelic Grace is if they were born into a vessel bloodline. Theoretically, I suppose you could somehow... extract the Grace of an angel and implant it into a human... but there's no guarantee that without the stability of the angel's conscious, that it wouldn't just overwhelm the vessel and cause them to melt from the inside out."
"So we could make you an angel again?" Dean asked. Cas shook his head. If only it were that simple.
"In order to complete the remainder of the trials, I have to stay human. And as I said, this is all acting on a hypothetical basis. I have no idea if we could actually turn a human into an angel. It would require not only ripping the Grace out of an angel - thus rendering them powerless and mortal - but also performing what could be an incredibly fatal experiment on a human."
"If it's the only way we can do the second trial, we're gonna have to figure out a way to get it done," Dean said. "Find a human and an angel who feel like volunteering for some angelic Frankenstein thing."
"We'll need a human vessel and an angel who's willing to sacrifice their Grace," Cas surmised. "Although I loathe to say it, we will require my sister's assistance for this."
"Yeah, maybe Anthriel will volunteer," Dean said, the sarcasm obvious in his tone.
"I doubt that," Cas said. "But she will be of assistance, I'm sure... but I believe we should handle the human aspect of this ourselves."
"Dean and Sam are both angel vessels, aren't they?" Kevin inquired. "Couldn't we just turn one of them?"
"You make it sound like changing your friggin' socks, man," Dean said. "I don't know about you, but I don't want to be an angel. No sleeping and no eating? That's like, two of the three things that make life tolerable."
"Well, technically you can still do all of those things, you just have no biological requirement to do so," Cas told him. "I understand, however, that neither you nor Sam would have any interest in becoming angels. Not to mention, I refuse to put either of you at risk like that. Nothing is worth losing the two of you, even reopening the gates."
Dean blinked, seeming surprised by the statement. "Huh. Thanks, Cas."
Cas wondered if Dean would ever understand the true extent of his care for him. It was actually frightening how much he would be willing to sacrifice in order to keep Dean and Sam alive. They were his family, after all. The closest he'd ever had to a real one, anyway. "Do not mention it."
"If you two are done with your man-love moment...?" Kevin asked somewhat exasperatedly. "We need an angel vessel. Do you guys know any that aren't occupied?" he asked.
Dean looked at him, and Cas knew exactly what he was thinking. "No, Dean," he said immediately. "Absolutely not."
"But we know that she's-"
"I said no, Dean," he cut off the hunter, his voice harsher than he meant it to be. "I swore to Jimmy that I would keep his family safe. In no way, shape, or form is trying to turn Claire Novak into an angel fall under the category of protecting her from harm."
Dean purse his lips, seeming to search for an argument. "We could just talk to her," Dean said. "See if it's something she would be willing to do. Leave it completely up to her."
"It would do poor respect to Jimmy's memory to put his daughter in grave danger," Cas replied stiffly.
"Yeah, but if this thing works, then really, wouldn't she be better off?" Dean countered. "If we actually manage to turn her into an angel, then she'll be super powerful, immortal - she'd be as safe as angelically possible."
"You are operating on a lot of ifs, Dean."
"Aren't we always?" Dean asked tiredly. "Look, let's talk to the others first, then meet with Anthriel and see about the angel side of things... then we'll worry about Claire."
"We're not using Claire."
Dean didn't respond, merely rose from the couch and went to the library. Cas sighed. Kevin looked almost amused.
"You two have kind of turned into a married couple," Kevin pointed out.
"Dean and I share no marital bond. If I am not mistaken, it is illegal for two men to marry in this state."
"The Winchesters haven't taught you what a metaphor is yet, have they?"
Damn it. Another metaphor. He was still learning to grasp the many nuances of human language. Why couldn't they just speak plainly and make their meaning clear? Everything was always hidden in sarcasm and word play.
"Ah. No, I understand your meaning." Cas rose to his feet. "Dean is very frustrating, sometimes."
"I know. But you guys, you're good together. Whatever you are," Kevin said.
Cas narrowed his eyes at the prophet. "I am unsure of what you are implying, but the relationship between Dean and I is purely platonic."
"Right." Kevin did not sound convinced. "It's none of my business." He flicked his eyes to the door. "Come on, the others are probably waiting for us."
The prophet disappeared out of the room, and Cas followed behind him, wondering not for the first time that if everyone else thought there was something between he and Dean, if they were not imagining things, but rather seeing what perhaps the two of them were too blind to realize.
Dean sat on a bale of hay in the abandoned barn that had become his typical place to meet with Anthriel. He still didn't trust the bitch enough to call on her while he was in the bunker, even if the angels already knew where it was. Cas leaned against the wall nearby, looking about as pleased as he usually was to meet with his sister.
"Anthriel," Cas called. "Come to us. We have news."
The angel appeared in front of them almost instantaneously. "Well?" He could tell that Anthriel was irritated with them. She probably hadn't been too pleased that they'd warned Bobby, Crowley, and Sam that they were being watched. Now that they were all heavily warded against angels, there was no way for her to track them anymore.
"Sam, Crowley, and Bobby located Eden," Cas told her, not bothering with pleasantries.
"Where is it?" she asked immediately.
"Doesn't matter where it is," Dean said. "Place is gone. So is Joshua."
"What!?" the angel exclaimed. "Explain yourselves. Now."
"They found Eden - it was in a secret cave or something over in the Middle East. Problem is, Abaddon and her demons crashed the party. They fought, place went up in smoke, and then Joshua collapsed the cavern in on itself. We're guessing he's dead, and the Garden either moved onto somewhere else, or is just destroyed."
"The Garden of Eden is destroyed?" Anthriel said slowly.
"Yep," Dean answered. "But no use in crying over burnt down holy sites, right? We've got bigger things to deal with: we've got the second trial," Dean told her. "And we could use a little help with it. Time to hold up your end of the bargain."
"I've yet to see you do anything for this arrangement, Winchester."
"Need we remind you of what we did for you in Boston?" Cas challenged her. "If you want to be able to return to Heaven, you're going to have to help us. The second trial is much more complex than the first - not necessarily in nature, but in the manner in which it must be executed." Cas took a deep breath. "The second trial says that we must create a Heavenly being... an angel. A task which we're not sure is even able to be accomplished. Your input would be very appreciated."
"Create an angel." The angel's expression went blank. "That isn't possible."
"If it wasn't possible, then God wouldn't have told Metatron to write it," Dean argued. "It's gotta be doable. We're just gonna have to get creative."
"We're currently of the belief that we might be able to turn an angelic vessel into an angel if we somehow transfer an angel's Grace into them - just the Grace, not the angel's astral form," Castiel explained.
"You want to steal an angel's Grace and give it to a human?" she said, looking outraged.
"You got any better ideas?" Dean asked gruffly. "We're just spit-balling here. Fact is, we're flying blind. This is the only way that we've figured out that could give us the end product we need."
Anthriel seemed to stew for a few moments. Really, the angel didn't have a choice. If she wanted to go home, then she would have to help them. "I will speak to the rest of the Host," she said. "If any of them are willing to do this, then we will proceed. I will leave it up to your discretion which human you wish to be the receptacle of the Grace. However, allow me to make this clear: if you succeed in creating an angel, they will immediately be handed over to us for proper training."
Dean exchanged a glance with Cas. The ex-angel seemed just as wary of handing anyone over to Anthriel as he was. "How about we leave that up to whoever we turn?" he offered.
"Absolutely not. The angels can't afford a risk like that."
"What risk is one angel?" Cas argued.
She looked at them like they were complete idiots, a look he was used to only receiving from Crowley. "I'm sorry, you do realize that all of the Host's problems throughout the entirety of history have always been because of one angel? Whether it be Lucifer, Raphael, you-" She glared pointedly at Castiel. "Metatron, and now Xaphan. One angel can be very dangerous."
Okay, Dean couldn't really disagree with her there. "Okay, fine. How soon can you get us an angel?"
"Call me again once you've procured a human receptacle," Anthriel told him. "By then, I will hopefully have an angel willing to do this for the sake of the Host."
"Yeah, well, fingers crossed," Dean said dryly.
"Are we done, then?" Anthriel asked.
"Yes-" Cas began, but before the angel could say more than one word, Anthriel was gone.
"Cas, I know this is the last thing you want to hear, but I think Jimmy's kid is our best bet," Bobby said. The five of them had been discussing what to do about the second trial over dinner. Dean and Castiel had picked up Chinese on the way back to the bunker. "At least she knows what she is. She wouldn't be going into something that she's totally clueless about. I ain't exactly jumping to throw some teenager into his mess, but if we gotta do it, we gotta do it."
"Jimmy would not want this," Cas reaffirmed, not for the first time. Dean sighed.
"We know, man, but Jimmy's up and moved on, and we have to focus on the now. And right now? We need a vessel who might actually help us and not run screaming from us when we ask them to let us turn them into an angel. Claire already knows who we are and what we do. She might help, if we explain everything to her-"
"She's a child, Dean!"
"If I'm doing my math right, she's eighteen - she's old enough to make her own decisions."
"Is she old enough to die?" Cas countered. "Because really, that's what we're talking about. If the implanted Grace doesn't immediately kill her, then Anthriel will put her on the front lines, and one of Xaphan and Abaddon's soldiers will slaughter her. Do you want her blood on your hands?"
"I hate to be the Machiavellian one here almost as much as I hate to agree with Squirrel, but in this case, the ends really do justify the means," Crowley said. "We've already established that there's something very wrong with our flow of information, yes? Someone found out about Eden, and it wasn't from us - means that there's someone with very loose lips among Anthriel and Nisroc's forces. Since you two deemed it necessary to tell her the details of the second trial, that's likely going to put every vessel on the planet at risk, including Jimmy's dear daughter. At this point, it would be more a case of us rescuing her than damning her to a probably short life as an angel," the demon reasoned.
"There isn't a leak with the angels. Why would any of them turn traitor?" Cas asked tersely.
"Fear," Sam answered for Crowley. "Angels aren't all that different from people, Cas. If they think that Xaphan's got a better chance of coming out of this on top, they might defect."
Cas fumed quietly, stabbing at his kung pao chicken with perhaps unnecessary force. "I am uncomfortable with this."
"We know, Cas, and we're sorry," Dean told him, and he was sincere when he said it. He wished there was a different way they could go about this, but the fact was, Claire was their best shot. "But we gotta do this. We have to finish this before there's no world left to save."
Eventually, Cas nodded dimly. "Fine."
Dean frowned. "Okay. Now that we've got that settled... when do we go talk to her?"
"If we leave when we wake up tomorrow, we could probably get there before the sun goes down," Sam said.
"Who all is going on this road trip?" Bobby asked.
"I was thinking you, me, and Sammy," Dean said. "There's no reason for all of us to go. Even if we run into demon trouble, we'll be enough to handle it."
"You want me to stay behind?" Cas asked, sounding slightly wounded.
"How do you think Claire's gonna react to seeing her father, and then realizing that it's still just the angel that's possessing him - and that his soul's actually gone and in Heaven already?" Dean asked lowly. "If we want to convince her to help us out, then it's better if you're not along for the ride."
"And I'll be remaining behind, because after the Novaks last experience with demons, I'm the very last thing they're going to want to see," Crowley surmised. Dean nodded.
"Yeah, pretty much." Dean shrugged. "We won't be gone more than a couple days, tops. You two can keep from killing each other for that long, right?"
Cas and Crowley exchanged a look that made Dean wonder if leaving the two of them alone was a good idea, after all.
