A/N: Back to being in order. I think. Kelly's POV. Takes place sometime during chapter 29/30 of CitC.
Chapter 25: Guilt (Kelly's POV)
"Sticks and stones can break your bones,
but words can never hurt you…unless you believe them.
Then, they can destroy you."
― Charles F. Glassman
My toes skimmed the water, the sound of a loon off in the distance called out. The waves slapped against the rocks rhythmically. I took a deep breath and laid back on the dock. The sky was clear, a few fluffy white clouds floating by slowly. I felt at peace.
That was until Zach leaned over me. "Enjoying God's great creation?"
I sat up and spun to face him. I didn't bother standing. He loomed over me, hands in his pockets, an amused look on his face.
"Why do you insist on bothering me the few times I find peace?"
"Call it repayment." I scowled in response, so he continued. "I actually came here to thank you."
"Well, that's new."
"You're doing truly wonderful work. Collecting more of the vessels? Hanging them under the Winchesters' noses. The guilt they feel about it? Really going to push Dean to the edge I think."
"Excuse me?"
"Don't you see? That was the missing ingredient! I'm quite embarrassed in myself that I didn't figure it out sooner. Those boys? They see themselves as the heroes in this story. They carry so much responsibility for all of humanity. Comes with heaps of guilt for them. It would be charming almost...if they weren't such a massive pain in my ass." I glared at him but stayed silent. He looked out over the water before looking back to me.
"Even you fell for it. Did you really think he was with you because he wanted to be? You know it's just guilt, right? He looks at you and he feels personally responsible for your world being gone. You're basically charity to him. If being with you makes you happy, he'll take one for the team. Eases his guilt."
I tried to keep a straight face, ignoring the sting of his words. He was lying. That's what he did. "You really love the sound of your own voice don't you?"
"Hmm, struck a nerve I see." He chucked. "Well, like I said, I'm here to thank you. You know we have Adam. He filled us in on meeting you all. Sounded like quite the party."
"Adam's just a kid. You're really going to shove Michael into him?"
"Don't you worry about Adam. Actually, don't worry about anything now. All the pieces are finally falling into place. Enjoy the view."
With that, he was gone. I turned back to stare at the lake, flipping his words over in my mind. Zachariah being happy was not a good sign.
