Hey there and welcome to chapter thirteen! I've rewritten bits and pieces of it a few times, and I'm finally ready to post it for you all to read. Thanks so much for sticking with it, and for favoriting, following, and reviewing. I really appreciate it! I hope everyone had a good Halloween and that everyone in the U.S. participating in Daylight Saving Time enjoys their extra hour of sleep.
Disclaimer: In no way do I have any rights to Supernatural or any of the characters you are familiar with. I only own Amriel and any OCs that pop up along the way.
Chapter Thirteen: Confrontation
While Dean checked in to a room a few doors down, Cas sat on the bed with his hands in his lap as he watched Amriel pacing the space in front of the couch. She had shed her blue vest, and now she was chewing on her bottom lip and glancing at each sigil that was within her line of sight.
"What are you doing, Elle?" Cas asked, drawing her out of her thoughts. She turned to face him, fear clearly written all over her face and he was worried about her. Dean had held her own blade against her throat- of course she would be on edge.
"Is this truly what you want?" she asked in response. "Do you want to help Dean? He's used you to meet his own ends in the past and never thought to help you when you needed it. He turned you away when you lost your grace! I don't think this is wise."
Castiel understood what she was saying, and he had never seen Amriel so impassioned about her opinion before, except when she had tried eating tuna and vowed to never touch the foul food ever again. But he knew that he had to help the oldest Winchester, no matter what. Sure, it had hurt every time Sam and Dean ignored his wishes or refused to stand by him, but he knew that to be a true friend, he had to help however he could.
"I have caused complete chaos over the past few years. I ruined our home. I have to do whatever it takes to atone for my misdeeds, and if that means helping Dean on this case or anything else he needs, I'll do it."
Nodding, Amriel took a few steps until she was standing in front of Castiel. She stared down at him, admiring just how blue his eyes were, and she smiled briefly as she moved his hair out of his face. Cas took her hand and she squeezed his fingers, breathing in deeply before she made up her mind.
"Just remember- whatever you choose to do, I'll be right beside you."
Before she could react, Cas wrapped both of his arms around her waist and pulled her down so she was sitting in his lap. He pressed a heated kiss to her lips, wanting to thank her for believing in him in more ways than one. Cas knew that he didn't deserve her love or her devotion, but she gave it to him without expecting anything in return except to be loved too, and he did. God, did he love her.
The sound of Dean knocking on the door interrupted them before things could get too far, and Cas waited for Amriel to stand before getting up to let him in. While he answered the door, Amriel smoothed out her hair and checked her sigils one more time.
The hunter walked into the room and his eyes widened immediately, scanning all of the sigils that lined the walls. Amriel couldn't really tell, but it looked like he was impressed.
"So this is where you've been staying this whole time, huh Cas?" he asked, taking a seat on the couch and refusing to meet Amriel's eyes.
"No- I've stayed at homeless encampments, the store room at the Gas-N-Sip, and Amriel and I stayed in an abandoned house before we came here," Castiel told him like he was stating the weather, and Dean gaped at him.
"Are you joking? No, of course you're not." Dean's gaze suddenly moved from Cas to Amriel, "How could you let him stay in a shitty abandoned house? Not like this place is much better…"
Amriel was stunned. She was at fault? Well, she had suggested the abandoned house, but it had been a better choice than separating and leaving Cas in the gas station while she slept on the street.
"Dean, you can't blame her for our circumstances. It isn't like we have the means to live in a house or an apartment right now. With time, yes, but not at the moment," Castiel tried to move his attention away from the blonde and onto himself, and it seemed to be working.
"Why didn't you call me? I would've dropped everything if you needed money or anything."
While she knew that was a lie, Amriel decided to figuratively bite her tongue and withhold any comments she could be making at that moment. After learning that it hurt to actually do it, Amriel figured out that some phrases are better when just spoken instead of acted out.
"That isn't true, Dean, and you know it," Cas sighed. "I did call you once, when Amriel first arrived. She was dead, and I didn't know what to do so I called and you didn't answer."
Dean looked visibly shaken, and his glare melted away as soon as his eyes hit the angel sitting on the corner of the bed. Did he feel sorry for her? Or was he still trying to figure out a way to kill her. She couldn't tell.
"You died?" he asked, almost tasting the word on his lips. "How did you come back?"
"I spoke with God, and he had plans for me here on Earth, so I was sent back," Amriel said simply, knowing that she wasn't supposed to reveal their Father's current identity to anyone, angel or otherwise.
"It was that easy? Cas here searched high and low for the guy and couldn't find squat. How did you get a meeting with the big guy?" Dean asked and Castiel fought the urge to roll his eyes. This wasn't the time to be discussing anything other than the issue at hand.
"He found me- I have no idea what to tell you other than that. No one speaks to God unless He wills it. He wishes for Heaven to be restored and for the angels to return home before we cause any more damage on Earth."
"Yeah well we have bigger things to worry about," Dean snapped, and Amriel leapt to her feet, approaching the hunter with a fire in her eyes.
"There is nothing more important than my family and my home, and it's broken. I was not created to fight, but I killed my brothers and sisters when we were in a civil war. We all fell to Earth and since then, I've been hiding from them because I'm done seeing my siblings die." She was toe to toe with him now, staring up at him, totally unafraid of his imposing posture or the way his fingers hovered over his hunting knife. He couldn't do anything to her, and they both knew it.
Castiel didn't realize that he was now standing, watching Amriel tell Dean off for trivializing her discussion with God. He didn't want to intervene, but he would if he had to. Cas saw that Amriel was shaking with rage, and he held his breath. The lights flickered in the motel room and Castiel knew that if her wings hadn't been damaged in the fall, he would've seen their shadow in that moment.
"You're pathetic, Dean Winchester. What kind of man are you to ignore your friend when he calls and expect everything in return? Who are you to ignore the word of God? You're deplorable," she hissed, taking a step back and looking him up and down with critical eyes, assessing him as something that wasn't a threat. "Castiel speaks so highly of you- he defended you whenever I questioned your actions. I gave you the benefit of the doubt. But now that I've met you, I see that my questions were merited. I don't care about you, but I do care for Cas-"
"And why is that, Blondie?" Dean cut her off, crossing his arms over his chest and glaring down at the tiny girl. He knew she could kill him in a flash, but he wouldn't hesitate to retaliate if she made a move. "Last I checked, Cas had angels gunning for him left and right. Why aren't you?"
That thought had never even crossed Amriel's mind. She was disgusted that other angels held so much hatred towards one of their own. Castiel might not have a grace, but he was still one of them. He had existed for eons just as they all had, but the others all seemed to forget that, which was why she took her vessel and ran as soon as she could- to get away from all of the fighting and those that were plotting to seek out revenge on Cas. She wanted nothing to do with it.
"We're very similar," Amriel finally said as she glanced to Cas quickly before returning her gaze to Dean. "God said so himself. His defiance of Heaven's orders sparked my own rebellion. I did what I could and fought for Cas against Raphael because I believed in his cause. I believe in free will, and I will help you with whatever you need. But in return, you have to stop looking at me like you want to rip me apart."
Dean wasn't sure what to say. Every bone in his body was screaming to gank her, but he couldn't do it. He didn't know if it was the way he saw Cas looking at her, or the way he had held her after Dean had nearly slit her throat. Cas trusted her, and Dean knew that he should probably do the same. It'd be good to have an angel on their side besides Ezekiel, who was only useful if Sam was pushed inside his own mind.
"Fine," he muttered, his hard gaze melting into something less intense, and he turned to face Cas, who looked surprised and relieved at the same time.
"I'm going to go get a soda from the machine.. Do either of you want anything?" Amriel asked, feeling like she should get out of the room for a few moments to let the air clear. She was still shaking as she rifled through her purse, pulling out a handful of quarters and counting them silently.
"No, thank you though," Cas said, and Dean shook his head in refusal before Amriel nodded and left the room, leaving the door open a crack so she would be able to get back in.
As soon as she was gone, Dean turned to Cas and motioned for him to sit on the couch. The hunter pulled up the desk chair, turning it backwards and sitting, leaning against the back and raising an eyebrow.
"So are you screwing her or what?" His voice was so casual and judgmental at the same time. Castiel had no idea how someone could do that with their tone. "Isn't that like, incest or something?"
"Do you mean to ask if we're having sex?" Cas asked, his head tilted to the side slightly and Dean nodded. "Then yes, we partake in the act on a regular basis."
"Aren't you brother and sister? Being angels and all that?" Dean wasn't getting his answers fast enough- the girl could be back at any second.
"It doesn't work like that in Heaven. Angels cannot reproduce in their true form. So no, it is nothing humans would consider incestuous. Regardless, I am no longer an angel. If Amriel were to conceive now with the state her grace is in, the child would most likely be a nephilim."
Dean rolled his eyes at his friend's answer, and asked how he had been holding up. "It looks like you got a pretty sweet setup here. Running water, TV, the works."
"It's a whole lot more than I had when I started," Cas replied, with a hint of annoyance in his voice. "Amriel's presence has been a great help. I don't want you to disrespect her, Dean. After how you acted at the gas station, holding her own blade against her? I'm surprised she didn't kill you on the spot."
"And why didn't she?" Dean glanced to the door, narrowing his eyes and listening for any sign that she was coming back.
"Because you're my friend. I told you about these deaths because I think there's a case here. Let's discuss that."
Nodding, Dean decided to hold his questions about Amriel until another time, and he leaned forward, picking up the newspaper that sat on the coffee table. He told Cas that he had gone to the first two crime scenes and that the only thing the victims had in common was the fact that they were sad.
"Look, I'm sure this is the last thing you want, but I need you to help me out with this," Dean said after they went over the details, and Cas' attention shifted back to the hunter after staring at the door for a few seconds.
"I'm not fit for your life, Dean. I don't know how to handle a weapon, I get hurt. I'm human, and I can't help you." He went back to looking at the door, standing and heading towards it, mumbling, "She isn't back yet. Something's wrong."
Dean followed as Castiel walked out of the motel room and out into the fluorescent lighting, switching into gear and double checking to make sure his gun was still in his waistband. Cas looked around, assessing the empty parking lot before heading towards the vending machine around the corner. When they didn't see Amriel, Cas called her name and Dean could see the panic clearly in his his blue eyes. The hunter surveyed the area, trying to find any trace of the angel, but it seemed too quiet.
"Dude, did she disappear into thin air or something?"
"Don't be stupid- when the angels fell their wings were compromised in the process. She had to go somewhere on foot," Cas said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, but Dean didn't hear the second half of his sentence. Instead, he had zeroed in on a pair of footprints that started in the dirt once the parking lot stopped and ending when the hit the pavement that led towards the street.
Dean pointed them out and Cas took off, following them to the sidewalk. The motel was located on a street that was populated by shops, restaurants, and bars, and Castiel would go into every one of those establishments until he found Amriel. He stood under a streetlamp, squinting down the street until he felt Dean's hand grip his shoulder. He turned, looking at the man to see him nod in the opposite direction, where he saw a tiny figure sitting on a bench a few hundred yards away.
When Cas approached the bench, Dean stayed back a good ten feet, watching the situation unfold before him. Castiel stood in front of the girl, whose sweatshirt hood was pulled up, hiding the majority of her hair, save for a few strands that fell out near her chin. She looked up at him, her gray eyes shining and her face stained with tears, and Castiel felt something inside him ache.
"Amriel, what are you doing here?" he asked softly, sitting beside her and taking her hand. "I thought you were going to the vending machine?"
"I- I did, but I saw something- someone, I don't know, but I followed. The person was in a vehicle, I couldn't continue further." Amriel sighed, wiping at her damp cheeks with the sleeve of her sweatshirt. "I swear I saw an angel, Cas."
An angel? Castiel went rigid and Amriel looked over to him, wondering what was going through his mind at that moment, so she kept talking.
"I couldn't get a good look- it's a little foggy out, but I'm almost positive it was one of our siblings. After I lost sight of the vehicle, I sat here and I don't know, I just felt so sad. I miss the host."
"I know, and I do too, Elle," he pressed a soft kiss to her forehead and saw a small smile reach her lips. "Come on, I think it's time to go to bed."
Cas stood up and Amriel followed suit, letting him walk her back to the motel room, Dean not far behind. Once they had returned, Amriel sent Dean a nod before disappearing into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her. Dean's mind was racing, trying to sort through everything he had seen so far tonight.
"You love her, don't you?" he finally decided on a question, and knew at soon as he saw the look on Castiel's face.
"I do, Dean," the man nodded, looking over his shoulder to make sure he could hear the shower running before he turned back to face his friend. "If she saw an angel, we need to find what's causing these deaths."