A/N: Hello! Yes, I'm back. Thanks for reading. You guys are awesome! ncsupnatfan: And another review! Thank you so much. Well, it is a vampire battle, essentially, and we all know how tough vamps are under the best of circumstances, let alone a major battle involving Gordon Walker. But…Spoilers! I'm glad you enjoyed Pastor Jim. Here, have another chapter.
Thanks guys!
I do not own Supernatural or its characters.
Chapter 12
Dean sat, frustrated, glaring at the squiggly lines on the paper in front of him, as if to force them to relinquish their secrets through intimidation. Pastor Jim sat down across from him, setting down some sheets of paper next to them. Dean spoke, "What's that?"
"I copied out some things, the alphabet and such, so you can continue to work after you leave. My phone number's at the top in case you need help."
"But I can't read it."
Jim smiled, "Well, we need to fix that, don't we? For now, what's that letter?" Dean tried to focus on the odd-looking symbol he was pointing at, "Um, B...?"
"That's S. Here, I know a good way to remember. It looks kind of like a snake, doesn't it?" The boy squinted. He supposed it did, a bit, "Yeah..."
"Okay. And what sound do snakes make?" Dean looked up, smiling, "Sssss!"
"Very good! So, what sound does the letter make?"
"Sssss."
"Okay. Now let's try the next one."
Castiel watched from the corner. He liked this man. He was kind, godly, the kind of influence the children had all too little of in their lives. He could relax. Dean would be fine.
He felt a great deal of distress coming from the sleeping toddler. Sam worried him. The angels were still uncertain of why Azazal had infected him with demon blood. Not only that, the boy was destined to be Lucifer's vessel. Castiel could only pray it didn't come to that. He reached out to Sam, trying to calm him. No matter what manner of abomination he was, he was still a human child in distress, and the angel couldn't bear to stand idly by any longer. He told himself he wasn't really violating his orders. He wasn't making himself known, wasn't interfering, he was only giving the children some peace. He touched Sam and felt the intense horror of the nightmare. He tried to soothe him, put him into a slightly deeper sleep without dreams, and failed. The toddler would not be comforted, only shifted and whimpered a little in his sleep. He looked at the other occupants of the room, the man of God and the vessel, and made his decision. It wasn't like Sam would remember this when he was older, anyway. He probably wouldn't remember once he woke up. No one would know, and it would help the child. He reached out once more, and slipped into Sam's mind.
He found himself on a battlefield. Armageddon. He could sense the residual energy of Michael. For some reason, the archangel was gone. He looked about, and saw it. A car was parked to one side, and two men were fighting around it. Well, if it could be called fighting. One was holding the other and beating him mercilessly. Castiel's eyes widened, it was the vessels, and one was occupied. Lucifer was there.
He attempted to move himself to their location, only to find that he was rooted to the spot. What? He looked down. Ah. A vessel. He supposed the boy's demon-blood-infused brain had placed him in a form appropriate to the premonition. He tried to remember how the thing worked. It had been centuries since he had had a vessel. Finally, he remembered, and walked toward the scene.
Sam screamed from the floor of his mind. Bobby and Cas were dead, Dean was hurt. Lucifer wouldn't stop hurting him. He just wanted it to stop. He clutched at the archangel, begging him to stop, to leave his brother alone. Lucifer only laughed, and carried on regardless.
Dean looked at him, blood dripping from his mouth, "Sammy? Are you in there?"
Lucifer spoke to Dean, "Oh he's in here all right, and he's gonna feel the snap of your bones." Dean fell to the ground. Lucifer spoke, picking him up to hurt him some more, "Every single one. We're gonna take our time."
He could hear Dean, telling him it was okay, that Sam didn't have to be scared, that he was there and everything was going to be all right. He could feel his brother clutching his arm. "Dean," he whimpered, then he felt Lucifer punch his brother again, saw his head snap to the side, even bloodier than before. He just wanted it to stop. Why wouldn't it stop? Why wouldn't it just be over?
"NO! STOP! DON'T HURT HIM! YOU FREAKING BASTARD!" Sam yelled at the archangel in his mind, then collapsed to the floor of his brain, weeping. He couldn't fight any more, he didn't have the strength. Lucifer had won.
"Hello." Sam felt an arm fall on his mental shoulder. He looked up into a familiar face, "Cas?"
Castiel cocked his head, confused at the abbreviation, "I am Castiel."
"But you're dead." The angel's blue eyes narrowed in further confusion, "I am not dead, as is demonstrated by my presence here. This is a dream. Your brother is well, as are you. None of this is real."
Sam looked toward Lucifer and laughed dryly. "It sure as hell feels real," the man muttered under his breath.
"Push it back. Here, I will help you." They focused, and the horrible scene fell away, replaced with a park.
"Sammy!" Little boy Dean sat on a park bench nearby, beckoning with his arms. Sam, likewise deaged, looked up at Castiel, gratitude shining from his hazel eyes. Then he walked slowly to Dean, who lifted him into his arms, laughing. Castiel felt a smile come to his lips. In that moment he knew he had done the right thing. They were such wonderful creatures, surely this was God's work, comforting the innocents. He departed, content in his actions.
"Castiel." A voice greeted him as he arrived back in the room. He saw his commander, Anna, and he could feel her anger. "What are you doing?" Perhaps not anger. She seemed more sad and betrayed than anything else.
"I can explain."
"Really. You can explain disobedience? You knew your orders."
"The boy is young. He remembers nothing."
"You made yourself known. You interacted with the humans."
"What does it matter if he does not remember? Are we not meant to be their shepherds? To guide them and care for them? Is that not the purpose for which our Father created us? All I did was comfort a child in distress, who now knows nothing. Is that disobedience?"
She paused, "You know it is. As for him remembering nothing, it is the only reason this will remain a secret. You are to return to heaven at once."
"Anna-"
"You are no longer trustworthy. Remain there until I can speak with you." He looked once more at the humans around them, he had become fond of them. He had fully expected to care for them through to adulthood. He watched them sadly, attempting to commit each feature to memory, then departed, finding himself back home a moment later. Why did he feel such grief? When had he begun to feel emotion? The feelings frightened him, and he wondered if Anna was right, perhaps he had been compromised.
Sam woke up a little later, happy and refreshed for the first time since... he didn't know. He pulled himself up on the bars of the crib and called Dean.
His brother looked up from his papers, turning around and grinning, before standing and making his way over to the crib. He picked up the sixteen-month-old, lifting him onto his hip and bouncing him a little. Sam giggled, he loved his brother.
"You have a good sleep, Sammy?" The toddler patted Dean's face and squealed, before struggling to get down.
"You want to walk?" Dean set him down, and he slowly made his way to the toys Pastor Jim had provided from the church. His brother joined him on the floor, and they spent the next hours happily playing, blissfully unaware of the confrontation that had occurred.
A/N: I would like to welcome Misha, Jared, and Jensen briefly as guest stars to this fic. The premonition was from Swan Song, season 5 episode 22.
Extra Note: Those of you reading my other fic, The Strange Case of Sam Winchester, I have run out of chapters to post. I will update as soon as I write more material. If you want to help, send me requests, PM or review. Thanks.
