Title: the hurricane and the butterfly
Disclaimer: not my characters
Warnings: AU for season 6
Pairings: Dean/Castiel
Rating: PG
Wordcount: 560
Point of view: third
Prompt: Supernatural, Cas/Sam and/or Dean, figuring out how to tell him/them that their baby, as a nephilim, is on Heaven's hit list
Castiel looks at her perfect, tiny fingers and her perfect, tiny wings, and then he meets Dean's eyes as he says, "Heaven will hunt her."
Dean's smile is bitter and sad, but his voice is even when he replies, "And that's a shock, how?"
Sam reaches out for his niece; Castiel does not want to let her go, but he carefully places her in Sam's grip, and Sam's large hands are capable around her fragile body. She sleeps, her perfect, tiny eyelids closed, and her perfect, tiny chest rising and falling. Her wings flutter; Sam's eyes follow the motion, but Dean's do not.
So much of Sam is different; Dean, too, but not in the same way.
"Heaven will hunt her," Sam whispers, one finger tracing her cheek, his whole hand spanning her back.
Castiel nods, fingers clenching from the strength of his want to hold her again, cradle her against his body, wrap himself around her, wings enclosing them both. Dean, too - pull him in, grip him tight, and rise and rise until nothing and no one can hurt them, can touchthem, until they are far away and safe.
Safety does not exist, not for those such as them. And their daughter. She is new, she is different- she is the first. Change will follow where she steps, where she flies.
Her wings are so tiny. She is the butterfly who will herald a hurricane, like that proverb Dean told him once.
"My brothers and sisters will destroy her," Castiel murmurs, his so very human heart breaking again.
"Then we'll kill 'em all," Dean says, and he pulls Castiel close, kissing him gently, then fervently.
"Nothing and no one will hurt her," Sam says, and the world stills for just a moment. Sam meets Dean's eyes, then Castiel's, and then he looks back down at his niece. "Nothing and no one will hurt any of you."
She is the butterfly. Sam is the hurricane. Castiel knows that everything is different now, and Sam kisses her forehead while thunder reverberates in Heaven. The winds of change are rising.
Dean reaches for his daughter. Sam hands her over, Dean places her in Castiel's grip, and pulls Castiel back against his chest as he holds them both in his arms.
Heaven will hunt her, but they have fought Heaven before. "Beloved," Castiel whispers, staring down at his daughter. "We will give to you the world."
Dean rests his chin on Castiel's shoulder, turning his face to kiss Castiel's neck. "We'll kill 'em all," Dean promises. "Again and again, until the message sticks."
Sam's gaze is heavy on Castiel, but Castiel does not look up. Castiel no longer fears the hurricane, not while the butterfly sleeps in his arms.
Finally, Sam announces, "We need to move." Dean quickly throws together their bags, Sam cleanses their presence from the building, and the Impala roars to life beneath Dean's hands.
The sun rises as they drive. Castiel hums a lullaby, watching his daughter sleep, and her perfect, tiny wings flutter.
(In Heaven, lightning flashes. In Hell, wind shrieks. On Earth, a man sings along to Metallica, an angel listens to his daughter breathe, and a hurricane in man's skin waits for the first blow to fall.
He'll strike back so viciously a thousand angels will die.
Thunder rumbles across the world. )