Bringing Together
Rowan opened her eyes, looking up into the eyes of a very worried, but now relieved, Sam. He sat down on the edge of her bed, exhaling the anxiety out of his body. He glanced over at her and gave her a slight smile. He was a little embarrassed to have barged into her room and wake her out of a very deep sleep.
Only he didn't know that she wasn't sleeping or dreaming. She was meeting Death.
"I thought you wouldn't be waking up." He said as she sat up in her bed, smoothing out her black dress and combing her hands through her hair. She had to tell the Winchesters what needed to happen, but it was so much for them to take in, especially when she'd be asking them for a favor. Rowan was going to do this slowly.
"I was alright, Sam. I was astral projecting." She said and he glanced at her, stunned, but then quickly nodded with a bit of astonishment that she could do that.
"Sorry I interrupted." He said with a slight nervous smile. She grinned and tapped his forearm.
"You called me just as I finished my talk with an old friend." Rowan said with softness in her eyes. She wasn't sure how else to refer to Death, except for asshole or old bugger. Sam frowned with a mixture of confusion and worry and she decided not to put too much of a pause on that one. "I was talking to Death, the Horseman." She said and Sam's eyes widened with a bit of fear.
Rowan couldn't help but smile as Sam said so much when he didn't speak a word. His expressions were adorable.
"We're working on a project, rebuilding and reshaping Helheim." She said with a bit of details. "There's going to be a lot going on. I don't think you and Dean have to worry, but I'd like you to know anyway." She added and he gave her a slight nod.
"Dean and Fenrir are still in the kitchen. Last I saw, they were arm wrestling." Sam said and Rowan arched an eyebrow.
"Yeah, how did those two become best buds, exactly?" she asked, getting him to smile, chasing away any worry on his face.
"It all started with a stare-down." Sam replied and Rowan nodded, remembering that. "Then they compared the toughest things they ever did. And then the drinking." Sam added and Rowan let out a small laugh as she shook her head; go figure that she had a brother like Dean Winchester.
"Alright, well let's get down to business." She said as Sam got off her bed, holding out a hand to her as she gracefully slipped off her bed. Was she seriously getting some royal treatment all because of the dress? If so, then she was definitely never wearing anything else ever again.
They walked into the kitchen where Dean and Fenrir were indeed matching each other's strength. Obviously her brother was stronger, but he admired Dean, clapping his shoulder with a grin of approval. She fought against rolling her eyes and sighing, thinking that her brother was primitive in a way that she probably never would understand. Instead of being cynical, Rowan decided to see it in a positive way; her brother made a friend.
Probably the only one he ever had.
"So, sit down, shut up and listen." Rowan said, sitting down in the chair she had last. Her brother and Dean looked up sharply at her, as if offended she just walked in and controlled the moment. She couldn't help but smile. "I just spoke with Death and we had quite the chat." She said and when Dean's eyes widened, he glanced at Sam would gave him a slight nod, lowering his hand as if to say it wasn't a problem, so relax. "We're planning on rebuilding and reshaping Helheim and it only gets complicated after that." She said and all three glanced at her with a bit of worry.
"Why am I hearing this?" Fenrir asked, catching his sister off guard. "These two, I can understand." He added, thumbing to Sam and Dean, never breaking eye contact with Rowan.
"You're my brother, you should know." She replied and he sighed with boredom. She narrowed her eyes on him, but glanced at Sam and Dean, continuing before her brother so rudely interrupted her. "Now, Heaven as we all know is closed. What concerns Death and I is that all souls cannot enter Heaven. We want to start construction in Hell, expanding to make Hades' version of the Underworld which we'll call Helheim, naturally." Rowan said, seeing already that the men had a hard time following her. She understood, but she couldn't explain it any better than that. "We'll take in the souls once we're done and then find a way to open Heaven so we can strike a deal to have the souls already in Heaven be relocated to Helheim." She said and Dean raised his hand up, as if to politely cut her off so he could ask a question.
"Explain again this construction." He said and Rowan exhaled calmly, not showing that she was a little agitated that she had to explain. It was her project and none of their business, why did she have to give all the details? Did she need their approval? However, she understood their worry that this might be something they have to fear.
"We'll keep Hell, which will be Crowley's domain. I'll add-on, creating a much better place for good souls. Instead of people dying and going up to Heaven, they'll stay in Helheim. Before Lucifer fell, Heaven was only meant for God and the angels. All the dead came to my Underworld. Death agrees it should be that way again." Rowan said, seeing them listening attentively. "My domain will be what makes the souls happy. Right now, in Heaven, each soul is stuffed into a little box. In Helheim, they'll be with their families, being able to do everything that makes them happy." She concluded, seeing that the idea added a bit of hope and joy in Sam and Dean's eyes.
Now that they were content, she was free to continue before Dean popped up with a demand for a better explanation.
"Now, what keeps Heaven closed is Metatron and the Angel tablet. Death and I will find a way and, once the angels agree to relocate the souls to my Underworld, we'll open Heaven." Rowan said and the Winchesters seemed to dislike that whole switching and dealing part of the plan. However they disliked it, they seem to understand that they had no vote; two non-deities of death spoke and already agreed.
This next part, on the other hand, they probably will try to have a vote on the matter.
"And to top it all off, I'm having an angel help me design Helheim." Rowan began, which seemed to put a mixture of relief and distrust in the eyes of the Winchester brothers. "His name is Gadreel and I need to ask you two a favor." She concluded and the distrust increased in both.
"Gadreel?" Sam asked. "As in the angel that let Lucifer into Eden?" he added and before she could reply, Dean jumped in.
"And just what is the favor, exactly? I don't know if you've noticed, but the angels are kinda dicks with wings." He said and she frowned at the mental picture that gave her. She glanced back at Sam and nodded.
"Yes, that Gadreel. He needs somewhere safe to be until I can start the construction." Rowan said, answering both questions at once, which made the Winchesters exchange uneasy glances. "Please. If Death said he's deserving of a second chance and in need of sanctuary, I'm guessing you two can relate to that. Shit, even I can relate to that." Rowan said and both brothers looked at her, finding that she was right, but this made them uncomfortable.
"We'll make our decision after we meet him." Dean said and Rowan smiled softly at him. It was cute how Dean thought he actually had a choice in the matter. But she appreciated that he was willing to give Gadreel a chance because it meant a lot to her.
"I'll find him and I'll be right back." Rowan said and zoned out, trying to locate this angel. Since her father was an Archangel, she was certain she wouldn't have a difficulty finding Gadreel. Once she began concentrating, she felt a sharp pain in her head as she could suddenly hear all the voices of the angels trying to communicate with each other.
Not only that, but she could hear what sounded like a loud speaker above all other voices, saying that if they do as he says, they can join him in Heaven.
Metatron.
How funny that he became her problem. In order to rebuild Helheim, she had to open Heaven, just for all those souls. Talk about everything in between Heaven and Hell. That sounded funnier in her head…
Rowan focused and eventually found a well guarded place, warded against angels, making them powerless. That looked like a safe place to be if you felt all of Heaven's angels are looking to lock you back up.
Just like the Men of Letters' bunker, she could slip through the wards, as it had nothing to do with her. It was a small shack with the bare essentials; some furnishing and some reading material. Immediately after she slipped through the wards, a fairly good looking man stood up from his chair, dropping his book on the table before him. He seemed to know she was there before she made her presence known. As Rowan looked at him, she could see a white light glowing from within and as he put himself on guard, the white light spread out, revealing the wings on his back. They were beautiful, minus the damage on his feathers. It looked like he hit an electrical line and got fried.
Unlike Crowley, she could see this angel's true form, which was the white light. He was beautiful and, oddly enough, he resembled his vessel. No matter, both were equally pretty. Very pretty.
She made her presence known, her aura of power glowing as her astral projection became visible. She scared the angel by appearing like a zombie Queen, but she raised her hands to say that she was unarmed, that she had no intentions of harming him.
"You must be Gadreel." She spoke softly, giving a warm smile as his eyes widened in alarm. "I'm here as a friend and I'm here to ask for your help." She said, which got him to frown with confusion.
"What are you?" he asked her, his voice raspy, making her smile grow with warmth.
"I'm the Goddess formerly known as Hel." She said and he continued to stare at her with confusion. "I'm the daughter of Loki, otherwise known as Gabriel, the Archangel." She said, which got his attention. His eyes softened and he stared at her with disbelief. "You can call me Rowan." She concluded and he seemed to relax.
"Alright, Rowan." He began, sitting back in his chair. She glided over to him, sitting in the chair next to him. He seemed a little unsettled, so she tried not to look so gory which was difficult because that was her alternative image when in astral projection. She didn't have much choice on that. "How can I help you?" he asked, trying to look her straight in her glowing eyes rather than her bones poking through her flesh.
Rowan explained everything to him that she had told the Winchesters. Unlike those two, he didn't require an explanation with details. He seemed to understand everything, his expression a little difficult to read. He obviously seemed unsettled about finding a way to get to Metatron, only opening Heaven for the souls within to get them moved over to Helheim. However, he seemed to comply and agree with what Death had said.
And it was no wonder.
"The angels follow orders. Without God, the responsibility falls on someone else. There are no more Archangels, thus it falls to the next level of power. They give out the orders and they had lost vision of what an angel is meant to do." Gadreel said as Rowan listened, seeing the pain in his eyes and hearing it in his voice. She didn't have to ask how much he had suffered; it was evident and her heart felt heavy, wanting to heal those wounds. Only those wounds couldn't be healed. "Angels are supposed to help humans. Even now, they think only of themselves." He concluded and she placed her boney hand on his out of empathy. He glanced down at her hand and back up into her eyes.
"There are two friends of mine who have agreed to take you in. Their place is very safe. I had stayed there before I began remembering who I am." Rowan said and that seemed to give him a bit of hope and comfort. "As soon as I can begin rebuilding Helheim, I'll need your help in designing the very thing the humans are going to want to call home." She said and he nodded, giving her a small smile.
She wanted to add that it could be his home too, but she didn't want to rush it or make him uncomfortable.
"Alright." She said and returned to herself back in the bunker's kitchen. The Winchesters stood up, as in the blink of an eye, Gadreel was standing behind Rowan who had lost that distant stare in her eyes. "Welcome to the Men of Letters' bunker. These are the Winchesters and that grumpy one across from me is my brother, Fenrir." Rowan added as she stood up, turning to Gadreel with a smile. He stared at her, as if he'd much rather look at her like this than in her astral form. He then looked at Sam and Dean and gave them a nod of appreciation.
Rowan turned to Sam with a warm smile.
"He can have my room. I'll be away for a while." She said and then glanced at Dean too. "Thank you." She added and then vanished altogether before they could protest that they haven't yet made their decision about Gadreel staying.
They didn't have a choice. Had she forgotten to mention that?