Chapter 3: Lucifer's Vessel
The rest of the day passed by in a blur for the Winchester brothers. It went by more quickly for Dean than it did for Sam. Poor Sam had his mind twisted and turned around inside his skull so bad, that he had started to feel a headache coming on. My brother has finally lost it. Sam thought. That was his final conclusion. Everything was extremely confusing at that time, and to add to it all, Dean was constantly pacing around the motel room. Sam just couldn't take it. Each step reverberated in his head, strengthening his headache.
"Dean, can you just sit down, please?" Sam asked, shoving his face into the pillows on his bed. He squished a pillow around his head, hoping for the pain to pass. It soon dulled down to a slight throb. Dean obliged to Sam's request, let out an exasperated groan, and sat down on the creaky bed. Sam pulled his face from the pillow. "You know, the school isn't going to be to happy with us for skipping out."
"I know." Dean answered, rubbing his head again. The pain from Lucifer's hit had started up again. Looks like it wore off. Dean thought, pulling his fingers away from he swollen area.
"On the first day." Sam added.
"I know, Sam." Dean said a little more sternly. Sam sat up on the bed and hung his legs off the side. He stared at Dean for a while. He knew his brother was deep in thought based on his expression. It was true. Dean was thinking. Not just about leaving school early and the consequences that were sure to follow. He was thinking about the fight he had with Lucifer. The impending doom feeling he got in that school. The sharp ringing that pierced his ears. He was thinking about it all, but mostly, he was thinking about Cas.
Those blue eyes, that awkward stare, his forgiving attitude. Dean bit his bottom lip. Not sure if his thoughts of Cas were normal, and that the guy's aura spread to others, not just Dean.
"Dean!" Dean broke his train of thought, his blank eyes gained life and he turned his attention to his brother.
"What is it?" He asked.
"What is going on with you?" Sam stood up from the bed. He threw his arms to his sides. "You have been acting strange since we got here. I know you got into a fight with Luc- I did too- but we shouldn't have left school because of it. The guy is just a jerk." Sam loosened up a bit after getting some of his thoughts out. He just wanted things to go back to normal. Even better, he wanted his life to be normal.
"It's not about that guy. It's that school." Dean rubbed his forehead. "I think we need to do some research on the place, Sammy." That was how the hunts usually started out. Go to the place where everything is messed up, do some research, kills some monsters, then leave. It was always the same.
"No we don't, Dean!" Sam was tired of it all. "Maybe there is nothing wrong with that school. Maybe it's just our life that's wrong, and everything that is normal to everyone else is just off to us now. Have you ever thought of that?"
Dean stood, towering over his younger brother. His deep, green eyes dug seep into Sam's skin. "Sam, this is the family business. There is no way to get out of it." He took in a deep breath. He was just frustrated with everything around him, and he hadn't even been in town for more than a day.
Sam bit his lip, on the verge of just saying everything that was on his mind, and how he wished he never had found his dad's monster book all those years ago. He wished he didn't know anything about a hunter's life. A hunter's life was hard, especially on a teenager. He didn't know how Dean was doing it. Sam turned on his heels and pushed past Dean, heading for the door. He needed air, fresh air. He needed to get out.
"Sammy, where are you going?" Dean stood still, watching his rebellious, younger brother slam the door to the motel behind him. "Great." Dean yanked at the hem of his leather jacket. He rolled his head to the side, cracking his neck to relieve some pent up stress. The he made sure he and the motel keys on him before he followed Sam out the door.
Sam was heading off towards the road. He was already a good ways away from the motel room. Dean was surprised at how much his brother wanted to get away. He upped his pace a little to race up to Sam. Sam glanced back, fixed his bag on his shoulder and huffed. "Stop following me Dean!" He yelled into the air, continuing his journey towards the road.
"Sam, where are you going?" Dean picked up his footing even more. There was no telling what was out there in the world. He couldn't leave Sam on his own, even though Sam did know a hunter trick or two. Dean didn't care if Sam had experience with anything in the world. He was Dean's responsibility. Dean had to take care of him. "Sam!"
Sam stopped dead in his tracks. He turned sharply and glared back at his brother. " I am going back to school! You may have a problem with the world, Dean, but I'm at least trying to be normal." Sam then started to walk off, quickly stepping it up to a quick pace. He got to the road when he stopped, looked both ways, and then crossed the black ground. Dean wasn't far behind him, but was stopped by the rush of traffic on the street. He watched Sam walk in the direction of the school through the passing cars. He soon lost sight of him and decided to give his brother some space.
"What an awesome, big brother I am." Dean kicked his boots in the dirt on the side of the road. He was going to have to give Sam a little time. He knew his brother always kept a knife hidden away on him at all times. It was just something that they and their father did to protect themselves when everything seemed a little too normal. Sammy will be okay, I think. Dean sighed loudly, walking down the sidewalk towards the town library. He still wanted to do some research on the town they were in. Sadly, his father hadn't left him any information. Probably because he had already done a thorough check on the town he was leaving his children in.
If things were really like that, Dean wouldn't have to worry about it. But their father, John, had a tendency to leave his children in a place where eventually something Supernatural would occur. It was a type of training he gave his sons. He had to make sure they could last on their own when he wasn't around. A hunter life was dangerous; there was no telling when that life would end.
The cars on the road sped past Dean, whipping up the roadside leaves into Dean's face. He swatted them away, though one was determined to blind him by sticking to his face. Dean quickly ripped it from his face, throwing it back into the air. It flew off into the distance, carried by the wind. He pulled his jacket close. The wind's speed had kicked up a notch, sending chills throughout Dean's body. He crunched his eyes shut to keep small bits of dirt from getting in. "Looks like going to the library wasn't such a good idea. I hate these places that have seasons." Dean was about to turn around when he heard the trees by him on the roadside creak and then snap. Dean jumped at the sound, he stared above him; a branch from the large tree overhead was falling fast.
"Oh shit!" Dean was frozen. He told his legs to move. His hunter reflexes failed him. The branch was going to hit. It was going to hurt. Dean yelled at his legs to move, for his body to move, for his heart to stop pounding, for his fists to stop shaking. Anything. He felt the tip of the branch hit. That was when he was yanked backwards and then he toppled to the ground. The branch crashed and splintered on the concrete pavement before him.
Dean sat up from the ground. He looked at the mess in front of him, and then looked up at the person standing next to him. A long, tan trench coat flapped in the wind. Dean was relieved that he wasn't killed by something as simple as a falling branch, but he was infuriated at who pulled him away. "Hello, Dean." The person in the tan trench coat answered Dean's death glare. He offered his hand to help Dean from the ground, but Dean smacked it away. He quickly got to his feet.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Dean asked roughly, grabbing Castiel by his collar and yanking him up roughly. He glared at the student who had been so strange, always everywhere, and always in Dean's business. Dean gripped tighter at Castiel's collar. It would have been choking any one else, but somehow Castiel was unaffected. He just stared back at Dean with a straight face, blue eyes frozen over.
"Are you following me?" Dean asked, roughly yanking at Castiel's collar again. So much so that Castiel was on the tips of his toes. "Are you?"
"I was on my way home." Castiel explained. His breathe tickled at Dean's nose. Dean shook his head to rid his mind of its sweet smell. His grip loosened and Castiel fell back down onto flat feet. He didn't even bother to straighten his messed up collar when Dean let him go entirely. "I believe I just saved you too." Dean saw Castiel's eyes flick across the road then back at him. Lucifer was standing off in the distance across the road from them. When Dean looked, he was gone. He then returned his attention to Castiel.
"School isn't even out yet." Before Dean could say anything else, Castiel spoke again.
"You are absent from school also, are you not? Why does my presence outside of the school grounds confuse you?" Castiel cocked his head to the side. He just stared at Dean with his brow furrowed. Castiel was just as confused about Dean then Dean was about him. They were stuck at a stage that Castiel didn't want to cross. He did not want to push Dean too far and reveal everything in an untimely manner. Castiel knew that things would come to light soon enough. That much was sure. His brother, Lucifer, would guarantee it. He was causing problems with the Winchester brothers already. His latest attempt to hurt Dean Winchester was proof of that.
Dean was speechless. The wind picked up around them, whipping leaves into the air again. Castiel's hair was flipped up in a frenzy. He wasn't sure what to say back to the guy. Everything that day had been weird. When the wind died down, Castiel's eyes widened ever so slightly. "Where is your brother?" He didn't wait for an answer. He turned his whole body towards the direction of the school that was out of sight for Dean, but completely visible to Castiel's eyes. He could see Sam standing in the courtyard in front of the school's entrance. He then saw Lucifer.
"What do you care where my brother is?" Dean asked, roughly grabbing Castiel's shoulder. When it came to his brother, Dean was entitled to a little irrational behavior. After all, Sam was his responsibility.
"I must go." Castiel swiftly detached himself from Dean's grip. He began to briskly walk off in the direction of the school. He was merely a few feet away when he witnessed Lucifer grab Sam by the collar of his coat off in the distance. Castiel had to get there fast. He was sure that Lucifer's plan with the younger Winchester brother was to inhabit him as a new vessel. Stomping footsteps came up behind Castiel and strong hands clung tight to the fabric of his trench coat.
"You aren't going anywhere until you tell me just what the hell is going on?!" Dean raised his clenched fist high, ready to land one right in Castiel's face. Castiel just gave him a stern look and then took a deep breath. He raised his own hand, two fingers out and pressed them against Dean's forehead. The sharp ringing noise returned and everything in Dean's world went white.
Castiel held Dean up, keeping him from falling to the ground in a heap. Castiel took a deep breath and closed his eyes. A warm power filled his body and he thought of where he wanted Dean to be for the time being. Just then, Castiel opened his eyes and found himself inside the Winchester's room at the motel they resided. He pulled Dean over to one of the beds. Laying him down, he apologized sincerely, and then he disappeared from the room in a split second. A breeze of wind circled the room, carrying a single black feather over to Dean. It floated down and rested on his chest.
Sam let out a gasp when his collar choked him from behind. He was only on his way back to school. He figured the worst that would happen would be the school authorities yelling at him for skipping out. He didn't expect anything that had happened within the next few moments. He pulled at his collar, hoping that the force he used to pull it forward would out match the force that was choking him. "Let go." He said, quickly turning, breaking the grip of the person preventing him from breathing.
Sam stood strong a few feet from the attacker. He fisted his hands at his sides. Once he caught his breath he got a good look at the person who grabbed him. "Luc?" There he stood, menacingly staring at his prey. Sam took a step back. There was something about the older guy that he didn't like. "What do you want?" Sam asked, feeling for the knife in his pants pocket. Lucifer took a step closer to Sam; his eyes flickered to a deep, golden color.
"It's not something I want from you." Lucifer could feel his skin cracking on his forehead. The flake of flesh fell, drifting towards his shoulders and sticking to his black shirt. "It's more like something I need you to say, Sam." Lucifer's words sent chills down Sam's spine. He was frozen. He couldn't move. The way Lucifer said his name stole the air from his lungs. Sam's lips trembled as air escaped him. His legs shook when Lucifer finally got close enough to touch Sam's cheek with hand. "I need you…" Lucifer leaned close. "To say yes." The end of his words trailed off like a snake. Sam's vision blurred at the edges. He had never felt this way around anything. Not around any monster, nor any demon.
"Just let me go." Sam's voice shook. An overwhelming feeling to puke came over him. As soon as Lucifer took his hand away from Sam's cheek, it felt like everything around him dropped. His head spun and he fell forward into Lucifer's awaiting arms. He bared his teeth in a menacing grin. Just when he was going to get out of there, go somewhere where no one would find them, complete his plan, Castiel appeared before him. The ends of his tan trench coat flipped into the air. A swirl of air formed around the three. It created a vortex of power, shielding the outside world from the two brother's powers.
"Lucifer, brother, stop this. You know father does not allow us to treat humans like this. A vessel must be willing. You cannot have Sam Winchester." Castiel stalked towards Lucifer. From the sleeve of his coat, came out a shining, silver blade. Castiel gripped it tight and continued his strides towards his brother. "Sam Winchester must be willing and understand what would happen to him as well. Brother, you must not hurt him or I will be forced to stop you."
Lucifer let out a loud laugh. He threw Sam to the ground. Castiel could hear the cracking of a few bones in Sam's arm. He was glad that the boy was passed out; at least he wouldn't have to feel the pain for the time being. Lucifer's laugh continued. He smirked, walking over to Castiel. "Since when-" He swiftly struck Castiel's blade from his hand. "-Have I ever cared about what Father thinks?" It hit the ground hard, cracking the pavement of the courtyard. Lucifer then threw a fist upward, clocking Castiel in the jaw. Castiel staggered backwards, spitting blood from his mouth. "Really, Castiel. I could care less about that kid understanding what will happen to him." Lucifer threw another punch, this time Castiel dodged only by an inch. "I only care about one simple word he will eventually say." Lucifer growled towards Castiel.
He was so fast that the blue-eyed brother couldn't get out of there in time. Castiel choked on the blood that soon poured form his mouth. He looked down at the damage Lucifer had caused his body. There was a gaping hole in his chest. Blood was all over the pavement. Lucifer stood back, his arm covered in blood. In his hand he held a bloody, beating glob. "You have always had too much heart." Lucifer held Castiel's heart in his hand and then, in a theatrical way, he crushed it. Castiel fell forward, holding his chest. He knew it wouldn't kill him, but it would take him an extended amount of time to regenerate.
Lucifer snapped his fingers, instantly ridding the scene of blood. All that was left was the red liquid pouring from Castiel's chest. "I guess I can hold off for a while. I'll let you get to your feet again. Then I will be back." A crack of lightening and boom of thunder sounded above them. Lucifer disappeared in the bright light, leaving behind his brother and his awaiting vessel. Clouds filled the skies above them. Soon rain fell, drenching Castiel and Sam. Still holding his chest, Castiel dragged his bloody body over to Sam. He was sure he could accomplish one more feat that day before his vessel failed him. He fell face first onto the pavement, reaching over to Sam. His fingertips only touched Sam slightly, but it was enough to transport them both to the motel.
Dean had woken up in the motel in a daze. The large booms of thunder caused him to sit straight up on the bed he was in. The small black feather that was resting on his chest floated down to his lip. He looked around the room, wondering how he had gotten there. Looking down, he picked up the small feather. It wasn't like any bird feather he had ever seen before. He placed it down on the bed and touched his forehead. He remembered Castiel's cold fingers touching it gently. It was only Castiel. All he remembered was Cas- "Dammit Cas!" Just then, it was like the ceiling collapses and something fell through the dry wall, although there was no damage done to the ceiling itself. Dean shot up from the bed, confused as hell as to what had just happened. Once he cleared his thoughts, he found two figures sprawled on the floor in front of him. One of which was his brother, face down and still.
"Sam!" Dean launched himself over furniture to get to his brother. He had to get to Sam. He needed to know that his brother was okay. He kneeled next to him, his hands trembling in fear that his brother could have been- "Sam?" Dean pulled his brother to his lap, resting his head in the crook of his arm. Sam's hair was tossed in front of his eyes. Dean swiped away the stray hair and looked down at his brother. "Hey, Sammy…you need to wake up, kid." Dean was relieved when he saw Sam's eyelids twitch slightly and then his eyes opened wide. Sam yelped, grabbing his arm. He didn't remember hurting anything. He only remembered the sickening feeling in his gut when Lucifer spoke to him. Then nothing.
"Dean, I-" Dean carefully sat Sam upright, patting him down to check for injuries. "I think my arm is broken." Dean checked, pressing at the tender flesh of Sam's arm. He frowned when Sam whimpered at the touch and clenched his teeth. Dean knew his father was going to have his head for this. Dean checked Sam for any more injuries. The side of Sam's face, near his cheek, looked like it had been burned. After Dean was done checking on his little brother, her glanced over at the other body that fell to the floor from out of nowhere. The form was wearing a familiar tan trench coat.
"C-Cas?" Dean propped Sam against the side of the bed. He placed his hands in front of him to support his body weight over Cas. One hand was set in something warm and wet. He lifted it, noticing the familiar red liquid all too well. Blood? It was pooling around Castiel. Dean's trembling hands grabbed Cas and carefully pushed him onto his back. "W-what the hell?" He was sure the guy was dead. No one could survive that kind of injury. He was sure that he was staring at the dead body of the only person he would have called a friend at his new school. "Cas?"
Dean's hands were still shaking. He tried to check the wound by moving the coat out of the way. There was so much blood. He grabbed the soaked edges of the coat, ready for the worst. A hand stopped him. It grabbed his wrist and pushed him away from the wound. "Ngh…He- Hello, Dean-" Castiel spit blood from his mouth. He cringed, as a soft white glow covered is body. Dean fell back; not believing what he was seeing. The glow concentrated on Castiel's chest. He soon sat up, gripping his chest. When he pulled his hand away from the blood soaked fabric, he revealed his bare chest underneath his shirt. There was no wound. "Sorry about this mess."