Just a Dream
Balthazar slowly opened his eyes. He was curled up in one of the many blankets on the bed and surrounded by pillows. The angel stretched his wings a little before closing his eyes again, not really wanting to get up. Then, a hand smacked him in the face. He startled, sitting up and rubbing at his sore nose. Balthazar looked around himself for who had hit him. His first guess was Gabriel, but the soft whimper next to him changed his mind. Balthazar turned his gaze to the small body next to him. Castiel was twisted up in his trench coat, head rocking back and forth. Fat tears sprang down from his closed eyes and sobs burst from his lips. Balthazar yelped in shock and crawled closer to his baby brother.
"Cassie? Cassie, wake up," Balthazar shouted, shaking his baby brother in attempt to wake him from his nightmare. Cas continued to struggle, screaming in his sleep until he suddenly went still. Balthazar froze, staring at his brother with worry. He leaned in closer to his brother, jumping back when Cas' eyes shot open. The bright blue that used to take up most of Castiel's eyes were gone and were instead replaced by black demonic ones. Black smoky mist coiled around his body too. Cas turned his head to the side and grinned wickedly at his brother.
"What's the matter, Balthy?" Cas cooed, voice taunting. Balthazar flew away from his brother, panicked.
"Help! Someone help!" Balthazar screamed. Castiel continued to cackle and shot out at his brother, gripping the angel's neck tightly. Balthazar clawed at the hand on his neck, nails digging into Cas' skin in order to break free. He felt his vision slipping and soon everything went black.
"Balthazar?! Balthazar, what's wrong, buddy?" Dean shouted as he hurried into the bedroom with Sam and Gabriel hot on his tail. They were all dressed in their PJs, but they clearly hadn't been asleep. Balthazar shot straight up from his pillow, body laced in sweat. He looked around the room wildly before his eyes fell on the three.
"It's Cassie!" Balthazar cried, frightened tears in his eyes as he reached out for Dean. The hunter picked him up, bouncing the angel gently in his arms. "His eyes turned black! He's possessed! He's possessed!"
"Possessed?" Dean questioned with disbelief. He looked back towards the dark haired angel curled up in a mass of pillows and blankets. The angel had a small smile on his face as he dreamed and his wings twitched every so often. Dean let out a sigh and looked down at Balthazar. They angel was staring at Cas in a mixture of disbelief and fear. "Buddy, you were just having a bad dream. Castiel is fine," Dean tried to reassure. Balthazar shook his head frantically, tears falling fast down his face.
"No! No! Cas was having the nightmare!" Balthazar tried to explain. "I tried to wake him up and he tried to kill me and…."
"Balthy?" All eyes lifted, falling on Castiel as they angel slowly sat up rubbing his eyes. Cas had been doing better since he woke up. He started putting back on some of his lost weight and the color in his face was normal again. "Balthy, what's wrong?" Cas asked, crawling from his spot towards Balthazar. Balthy pulled away from his baby brother and flew from Dean's arms to the top of the dresser in order to get away.
"Get away from me!" Balthazar cried, shaking like a leaf. Cas frowned, looking to Gabriel, Sam, and Dean for an explanation.
"Don't worry, Cas, Balthazar just had a nightmare," Sam explained. Sympathy drained into Cas' eyes and he looked towards his brother.
"Balthy, it's okay. You're awake now –"
"Shut up! You can fool them, but I saw!" Balthazar shouted. "Get out of my brother!"
"Balthazar, cut it out!" Gabriel shouted up at his brother. Balthazar froze, staring at Gabriel in shock. Even Gabriel didn't believe him? Balthazar looked back towards Castiel, trying to find any sign of what he had seen, but now as he looked at his baby brother all he saw were frightened blue eyes. Maybe he had been the one dreaming?
"I've got an idea," Sam said suddenly, walking out of the room and quickly returning with a flask in hand. He held the flask up for Balthazar to see. "This is holy water, Balthazar." Balthazar nodded and watched as Sam turned to Castiel with a sorry expression on his face. Cas smiled back reassuringly and held out his hand. Sam uncapped the flask and poured the water onto Cas' hand. Balthazar waited for the familiar hissing sound and for Cas' flesh to go red, but nothing happened. Cas was unaffected by the holy water. "See?" Sam asked, looking up at the middle angel. "Cas is fine." Balthazar hesitantly flew from his spot and back onto the bed, looking Castiel over carefully. He reached out a hand towards Castiel's, taking his brothers hands. They were warm to the touch, not cold like they had been in the 'dream'. Balthazar's eyes flicked to the small hand he was holding, breath catching in his throat. Long red scratches from tiny nails were dug into Cas' skin. Balthazar grit his teeth together and squeezed Cas' hands. Castiel yelped in pain as his brother's nails dug into his skin.
"Balthy, wha-"
"Get out of him!" Balthazar shook Castiel, causing the smaller angel to scream in fear. Balthazar lifted a fist. "Get. Out!" Dean snatched Castiel from Balthazar, pulling the angel close to his chest. Balthazar yelled with fury and lunged at them, but Gabriel grabbed his brother and held him down. Balthazar screamed under his brother's hold, kicking and crying loudly. "His hands! His hands!" he practically sobbed. "Look at them! Their scratched from when he tried to hurt me! Look!"
Dean glanced down at the angel clutching close to his chest, pulling one of Cas' hands from where it was buried in Dean's shirt. The only scratches were the ones Balthazar had just given the poor angel during his freak out. Dean glanced at Sam and the two just stared at one another, both at a loss of what to do.
"Cas, why don't you sleep with me tonight, okay? Let's give your bro some room," Dean decided, running a hand up and down Cas' back gently. Cas nodded, face still buried in Dean's chest as he cried. Dean nodded back and left the room, not saying a word and not looking back and the screaming angel Gabriel still had pinned to the bed.
Once they were gone, Sam knelt down so he was kneeling on the floor next to the bed. He waved at Gabriel to loosen up on Balthazar and the archangel pulled back. Balthazar remained still, sobbing into the bed sheets. Sam's heart ached for the angel and he reached out, hand gently brushing the angel's neck. Balthazar flinched and Sam pulled his hand back, giving the angel a questioning look.
"It…it choked m…me. It choked me!" Balthazar sobbed loudly. Sam's frown grew and he glanced at the angel's neck, but there were no marks. There was a soft knock on the door and Kevin slowly pushed the door open.
"Everything okay?" he questioned. "We heard…"
"It'll be alright," Sam interrupted. "Go back to bed Kevin and tell the others to too." Kevin nodded hesitantly, glancing towards Balthazar's teary face before closing the door shut again and leaving the hunter alone with the two angels.
Carefully, Gabriel snuggled close to Balthazar, wrapping his wings around the upset angel. Balthazar flinched at first, but leant into Gabriel's touch eventually.
"It's okay, Balth, we're here. Go to sleep," Gabe cooed. Balthazar shook his head.
"It'll come back –"
"I won't let it hurt you, Balthy," Gabe whispered. "I'll be right here." Balthazar turned his head so he could see his brother. What he saw in his brother's eyes was a promise that he knew wouldn't be broken. With a nod Balthazar cuddled closer to Gabe and Sam draped a blanket over him. He was still scared to sleep, but he willed his eyes to close anyway.
As soon as Balthazar let his eyes fall shut he was in another place. He was standing downstairs in the hallway, breathing hard and covered in sweat. There was a strange smell in the room. It smelt like fire and burning meat. Balthazar walked down the hall, searching for the cause of the strange smell, but he couldn't find anything. Well, not until he found his way to the living room. The room was in flames. The piano from Christmas was melting away in the heat and there was nothing left of the couches, TV, or Nintendo. Balthazar clasped both hands over his mouth as he gasped and he noticed something move in the corner of his eye. A dark figure wrapped in a cloak hovered in the flames. Balthazar took a step back, but flames burst from behind him sending him to the floor. Balthazar looked up as the dark, smoky figure came closer.
"Gabriel!" Balthazar screamed. The figure began to remove his cloak. "Gabriel!" Still no Gabe came to rescue him. The figure's cloak fell and Balthazar squeezed his eyes shut. When would the nightmare end?