Castiel watched as the sun's dying rays disappeared under the horizon. The time for the sacrifice was close at hand. If he was honest with himself, he was fast losing hope that Nathalie could be saved. Sam and Dean's plan seemed too much of a gamble.
The Winchesters confused him at times. Often, they would operate based purely on instinct, relying heavily on their experience. And they were usually successful.
Castiel would not have approached the problem the way they did. He would have analyzed every aspect first and gone through each scenario, discarding any plan that didn't make sense. He would not have done anything unless he knew success was almost assured. He sighed.
That was a few months ago. Now, he felt almost desperate to have Nathalie alive and save the seal.
I really shouldn't be here, he thought. Once he had lost Nathalie, once he knew the demon had taken steps to prevent his intervention, he was useless. Logic dictated that he left Sam and Dean to do what they did best; rush in with some half-baked plan and hope it worked.
Even as he thought this, Castiel made no move to leave.
Was it concern for Nathalie's well-being or keeping the seal intact that was keeping him here? he asked himself. Did he love her? He didn't know.
All he knew was that he wanted to see her again.
Nathalie was in danger because he had got emotionally involved. Because he was unable to handle his emotions. Because he cared too much. He had failed.
Dean had found a photo locket with a lock of hair that Hannah claimed was Nell's. She had planned to give the locket to Nathalie when she turned 18. But the slaughter of Nell's family changed her mind; choosing instead to keep the ugly secret from Nathalie.
Dean frowned. Let's hope this is legit. He glanced at Castiel. The angel again was lost in his thoughts, staring at the horizon. He scowled. If the angel wasn't busy ordering them around, he was busy staring into space.
Sam was busy drawing the symbols required to summon a spirit. They had agreed that Sam would talk to the spirit, try to remind the spirit of her love for her daughter. Dean meanwhile would try to find Nathalie with Castiel in tow.
When they outlined the plan to the angel, he had merely shrugged, his face a mystery. Dean felt a stab of anger at that; he could tell Nathalie cared for the angel – she could barely take her eyes off him. He thought Castiel felt the same, or had started feeling something … but his actions after losing Nathalie seemed to contradict that.
He was a bit surprised the angel had not ditched, however.
Sam signaled he was ready. Dean gave him the locket. He packed the last of his arsenal into the bag, slinging it over his shoulder.
"Yo, Tonto, let's go," Dean barked at Castiel. Startled out of reverie, the angel looked at Dean with confusion.
"I am – " the angel started.
"You Tonto, me Lone Ranger," Dean said, crossing the living room. Ah, another odd human reference. Castiel followed him.
"I do not understand what you expect me to do," Cas said once they were outside. "I told you I cannot sense her; the demon has taken steps."
"I know, which is how you can find her," Dean explained, getting into the Impala.
Cas gave him a questioning look.
Dean sighed. "If the demon has blocked you from finding her, all you have to do is find the spot you cannot get through."
Understanding dawned. He nodded, vanishing.
Dean swore and drove out.
Sam lit the candles and started reading the spell invoking a spirit. He rattled off the names of angels, fallen or otherwise, followed by a string of Latin. Next to him, Hannah's midwife journal and the photo album lay open. He hoped the information within the tomes would help.
Something flickered in the pentagram on the floor. The mist solidified, showing a young woman, roughly the same age as Nathalie. She bore a marked resemblance to her daughter, except her hair was dark.
"Nell?" Sam asked.
The ghost looked confused. Then she saw Sam and snarled, running towards him. She stopped short, hitting an invisible wall, clawing ineffectively at the air.
Sam gulped. "Nell Harvey? Am I speaking to the spirit of Nell Harvey?" he asked.
The spirit hissed. Sam drew in a shaky breath.
This is going to be tough.
"Nell, your daughter needs you. Nathalie needs you," he implored. The spirit ignored him, her eyes sullen and crazed. She paced the small space within the pentagram.
Sam extended a hand, showing her the locket and Nathalie's baby picture.
A spasm of pain crossed the spirit's face, gone so quick Sam was not sure he saw it or imagined it.
"My daughter is dead," Nell finally said. Sam breathed a sigh of relief.
"No, one isn't. You gave one up, remember? You gave Nathalie up," Sam said hurriedly, holding the photo out. "She's the younger one, the baby of the family. You were not expecting twins. She came as a surprise. You sang "Whole Lotta Love" … Sam rambled on.
He had to get through to the spirit fast. Nathalie did not have much time left.
"She is in the abandoned house at the end of 23rd Street W," Castiel said, materializing suddenly in the car next to Dean.
Dean swore, barely controlling the Impala.
"Knock first, will ya?" he growled.
Castiel looked puzzled. He actually lifted his hand to rap on the door, but stopped himself. Dean rolled his eyes.
"You sure?" he asked.
Castiel hesitated. "It is the only place that has Enochian warding symbols on them, so she is probably there. I cannot confirm it naturally," he said.
Enochian wha -? Dean thought.
"I'll meet you there," Cas said and vanished again.