Sorry it has taken so long to load up a chapter. I have been very busy with moving to another location. Packing has not been a blast for me but moving from the place I stayed before was much of a relief. Where I live now is pretty much quiet and peaceful versus the former place that was pack with 11 people in one house. Being in my new environment will give me some motivation and inspiration to continue writing future chapters.
This chapter may be a bit on the drama side. Next chapter I will have an action scene as the brothers will have to hunt down this troll. Enjoy the read. - S
THEN:
Dean was in his room packing up his duffel bags. One bag was his clothing and the other was his weapons he may need just in case. Sam found a sword in the Men of Letters archive room they have to use to kill the troll. It was a heavy sword and very sharp. Dean personally wanted to use the samurai sword that was in the library, but Sam told him it was not fit to use with a fire sigil. When he finished packing he placed both bags by the door. Dean still felt frustrated earlier with Mara. He knew she will not be happy with his decision of keeping her out of the hunt. Giving him the cold shoulder got to him. Normally he would bark off orders and did not care if anyone would like it or not. This time around, he did not like the way she looked at him with resentment. He wanted to protect her since failed the last time. In reality, he knew he can't control this woman once she was well enough to fight again.
Sam was packing up his laptop chatting with Mara and the angels. Dean walked in with his duffel bags. "Sam we are leaving in thirty minutes. So pack up what you need. I'll grab the sword."
Sam zipped up his laptop bag. "Ok. See ya ladies, Cas." He walked toward the sleeping quarters.
Mara walked to him. "Sam told me you guys have to use a particular sword. I would love to see it. My parents kept a collection of weapons that was from my linage. I can come with you to get-" She got cut off by Dean.
"I don't need a babysitter to get a sword. You don't have to follow me to the archive room. So let me go get it and I will show it to you. Ok?" He said in a curt tone.
Mara face turned into anger wanting to throttle the man in front of her. She knew he was still kind of angry from their discussion this morning or the lack of response from her. Fine he can have a temper tantrum if he liked but she is not going to take any crap from him. "Forget it. I will ask Sam when he comes back." She turned and walked toward the bookshelf pretending the books were very interesting to her at the moment.
Dean expression was hard and he saw the look of disapproval from Cas. He must have sounded like a total dick to Mara and everyone else that heard him. "Alright." Dean sighed. "I was not trying to rip your head off or anything." He continued gruffly. "Hey, you can follow me down to the archive room. I'll show you the-."
Mara stood there seething. "Why don't you do me a huge favor? Go pound sand and get out of my face Dean." She stomped away with her wild auburn waves billowing down her back.
"Way to go jerk. You really suck at apologizing." He mentally kicked himself for not governing his brain and mouth.
NOW:
Five hours passed as Dean drove down the highway "Good thing I have the winged folks keeping the FBI lady busy for a while. She does not seem to be the type to sit around."
"Yeah, but she will push herself to be a hundred percent well." Sam paused looking at brother. "I will say one thing. You two seem cozy with each other lately." Displaying a smirk.
Dean grumbled. "It's not like that. She needed someone to be supportive." He glanced sideways at his little brother hearing a snicker from him. The man driving got instantly defensive. "What? I told you we have nothing going on."
Sam grabbed his water bottle. "I saw you leave Mara's room late last night when I was heading to the bathroom. I did notice the lights were off so you must have laid in the bed with her."
"So what if I did. What's it to you? Did I commit a crime or something?" His green eyes stared at the road gripping the steering wheel hard.
"Hey man, I did not say you committed a crime but you seem to show more care for her than the other women hunters we have befriended in a short time." Sam heard Dean huffed in denial. "I think you like her and you don't want to admit it." Dean did not respond and Sam continued. "This is what I noticed for a while."
Dean reached over and turned on the radio and raised the volume to end the discussion.
Mara walked over to Kuryiel. "When are we leaving?"
The angel woman looked over at Castiel. "In a few minutes, we are going to meet Paschar. He is an angel of vision and very interesting to get to know. You will most likely like him. He was very lively one from the last time I saw him."
"Good I need the distraction from Dean." Mara grabbed her stuff to put it in her bag.
Kuryiel picked up a journal to place it on a bookshelf next to Mara. "Dean cares about you so don't get too angry that he is being protective."
"It's annoying to me. I have not had someone act like this since I was a teenager before my family…" Mara stopped feeling the sadness of remembering her parents being protective growing up. She shook her head pushing the feelings away. "Anyway it's been a long time and I don't need him to be my overseer. I can take care of myself."
"I understand but it rattled him that you died and if I was not there to bring you back, it would have pained Dean so much that he lost someone he failed to protect." The angel placed her hand on Mara's shoulder. "Please have some patience with him. I have a feeling he will back off sooner than you think. You have skills that will help the Winchester brothers out."
Mara nodded her head. "Ok I will chill out for now but if he runs his mouth I will put him in his place."
Castiel walked over to the two women. "Are you ready?" Both women nodded.
Mara was in the library for one moment and the next moment she stood in a techno club. The lights were low and the music was pumping loud in a rhythm from the speakers. The room was full of people dancing to the beat of the sounds of music coming from all directions. Castiel motioned for Mara and Kuryiel to follow him as they circled the crowd of moving bodies.
"Wow! I never see so many people like this in one Place!" Mara shouted at Kuryiel
"You never have been to a club?" Kuryiel telepathed her question.
The auburn hair woman smiled hearing the angel's words in her head and responded in kind. "No I was too busy hunting down werewolves then dancing. It looks like a fun scene to me so maybe I will go one day."
They arrived at the back of the club where there was a guard standing at a door that had manager displayed. Castiel walked up to the man. "I am Castiel and we have an appointment to see Paschar." He told the muscle man loudly. The man nodded his head and reached for the door knob. Everyone walked past the guard and headed down a long dark grey hall. The florescent lights made the corridor look long. Both sides of the walls had a few bright neon art pieces hanging.
Kuryiel told Castiel "He is in the second room to the right."
Castiel opened the door and saw a blonde hair man sitting on a sofa in a tight muscle shirt and blue jeans. His black boots were gleaming from the lights above. "Hey angel people come on in."
The three of them walked into the room and looked around what looked like a lounge of some sort. There was a glass table with a mirror stand. The walls were a slate grey with mirror mounted most of the walls of the room giving an appearance the room was bigger. There was other pieces of furniture to sit and relax.
Paschar noticed the tan eyed woman walking with the two angels. "Oh you brought me a visitor. Have a seat next to me." He directed Mara to sit on the sofa cushion next to him.
She looked over at Kuryiel with caution. The angel gave her a nod of assurance. She walked to the sofa and took a seat next to this handsome blonde man. She looked at the features on his face, in which reminded her of a Viking warrior. He had long legs that gave the impression he was tall. His face was very masculine with chiseled jaw and a very straight nose. His mouth was slightly full looking at his hair, he had a very high forehead that was covered mostly by his golden strands of locks. Mara felt his blue green eyes checking her out in return. Her eyes slightly widen when she heard his deep male voice.
"Well young lady, who you might be? I sense you are not human so kindly introduce yourself." He placed his left hand on top of hers with his eyes staring at her intensely.
She almost stuttered answering this beautiful angel. "My name is Mara and you are right that I am not fully human. I am part shapeshifter and Mai." She saw the look of surprise on his face.
"The Mai? I have not seen that species of people in several thousand years. I sensed something soon as you walked in the room but this is extraordinary. I am so glad your race managed to survive. Your kind were wonderful people to observe. I am truly astonished. In this present time, I have not run into any Mai people. I am honored to meet you." He gave her a brilliant smile showing perfect white teeth.
Mara's mouth went dry looking at this man and thought "I wanted a distraction from Dean. My God I have it." she thought to herself. Mara knew if this man was not an angel she would be hitting on him. She pushed those thoughts aside when she heard Castiel speak.
"Paschar you know why we have come and hope we can have your assistance with our mission." Castiel gave the blonde angel a serious stare.
Paschar directed his focus from Mara to the Castiel. "Of course. News spreads to me pretty quickly. I was waiting to see how long you will finally visit me. So now everyone is here, let's get down to business shall we?" The three visitors looked hopeful to what was about to conspire in the next few hours.
Dean was looking at the gas pump watching the numbers climb up as his car was being fueled. His mind drifted to Mara wondering how she was doing with his two angel friends. Was she having a good time meeting another angel? Perhaps she was still angry for being booted off this hunt. He was about to think of another speculation until he heard a set of footsteps he was very familiar with.
"Hey I got us some snacks until we make a big stop." Sam opened the passenger door.
Dean put the gas handle back on the cradle. "Good, because I am starting to get a little hungry and we're not stopping for another few hours." He slid inside his car. "Did you get me some beef jerky?"
Sam threw the bag of jerky at his brother. "Yeah and a slice of pie too. So no crap from you the rest of the drive."
Dean ripped open the bag and chewed on a piece of salty meat. "Did you call that gypsy family to let them know we are on our way?"
"Of course. They mentioned I had to bring a leather bound book that had a Romanian inscription on it. It's the proof they need so they know we are part of the Men of Letters." Sam pulled out an old worn leather book from his bag. "There's a Men of Letters stamp inside the first page. The rest of it is in Romanian language. Basically, this is what they want in exchange of the sigil. There was also a note if this book is ever requested it will only be related to the sigil and the gypsy family."
"So this is a version if this is an emergency make this call here?" He looked over at his brother.
Sam placed the book back in his bag. "You can say that. First stop is Milwaukee and then St Clair. How do you feel taking the car on a ferry ride?"
Dean placed the resealed jerky bag on the floor of the back seat of the car. "I'm not too crazy about it but it's better than the long about way to get there. Soon as we get what we need from these people we are making a bee line to St. Clair.
Then, we'll scout out the bridges in the area so we can get an idea where this troll is hiding. I hope this will not be a messy hunt. I am running out of good jackets that are not stained with monster blood."
"I told you to keep a old spare jacket with you." The younger Winchester took a sip of his bottled water.
"Whatever. I don't have time to pack up luggage for fancy trips like you do. It doesn't matter anyway since you can get the stain out laundry queen." He smiled looking at the man giving him the fish eye in the passenger seat.
Sam crossed his arms. "Ok Dean. One of these days I will dye all your clothes reddish pink and we will see who has the last laugh." He grinned seeing the smile left Dean's face.
"Hey just remember what happened last time you dyed my clothes as a prank. I don't think you want to go down that road again." Dean watched the traffic as he sped down the highway.
"Dude chill out. I am not going to ruin your dresses. Anyway, I am going to map out the areas when we get there so we can narrow down where this creature is. Maybe we should get a motel room somewhere between these kill zones." Sam placed his water bottle on the car floor.
Dean drove his car around a van that was going the exact speed limit. "Good idea. Pick out one that has a decent rating. You know I can't stand rooms with no high pressure showers."
Sam snickered. "You are so high maintenance bro. I will make sure they have a nice vanity table for you to pretty yourself up too." Dean gave him a deadly look. Sam looked forward with big grin on his face.
Five hours later the Winchester's arrived into city of Milwaukee. Dean looked around taking in the sights of the area. "Well, how close do they live from where we are now?"
Sam looked at the GPS app on his phone. "They live ten miles from where we are."
"Good the sooner we get what we need, we can take care of this troll. This area is not rural so there will not be Gypsy bands of people with tents and crystal balls on the ready." The older Winchester commented going through traffic.
The man sitting next to him grimaced. "Dude you have an active imagination of what Gypsies are like. This is not the early 1900's. They live like everyone else. These folks have jobs, houses and cars. Not all are psychics either man."
"Ok ok. I got it. I don't need a lecture from you. I did not mean to offend your feminine side." Dean shook his head thinking this is the last thing he needed.
They drove up to a very modern high rise condominiums. Kilbourn Towers sign was displayed at the entrance of the establishment. Dean parked the car at the visitors parking space. The brothers looked at the building where the Paradine family lived.
"Well this is definitely not a gypsy camping site. This is pretty upscale. I wonder what they do for a living?" Dean followed his brother to the front lobby door.
The Winchesters approached the front desk where a tall blonde man stood there in a black suit and red tie. "May I help you?" The lobby clerk asked looking at the serious men approaching the counter.
Sam gave the man a small smile in greetings. "Yes, we are here to see Mr. and Mrs. Paradine. They are expecting us."
Dean watched the blonde man with the name tag "Daniel" pinned neatly on his blazer reach for the phone to call the resident. The older Winchester's green eyes scanned the elaborate lobby as he heard the man inform the person on the other line there was visitors waiting for them.
When Daniel placed the phone back on the cradle he spoke in a clear polite voice. "The Paradine family are on the thirty-first floor. You will see door number 3113." The lobby attendant pointed his finger at the elevators to the right side from the lobby counter.
"Thanks." Sam responded and the brothers walked toward the elevator.
Dean pushed the thirty-first button. "Pretty classy. I hope these folks are not stuck up since they seem to have a lot of bank to afford this place."
Sam shook his head. "They were friendly when I spoke to them on the phone. Be nice ok. If you piss them off they might curse you or something. Remember the Stephen King movie Thinner?"
"Hey, I'm not going to be a dick to them. Yeah, I remember the movie and believe me the last thing I want is to be a stick person." Dean grimaced thinking about a particular scene in that movie. "I don't want to think about the pie scene either . So let's get this over with."
The elevator opened and the men walked into the corridor and there was only one door facing them. "Well I guess they have the whole floor to themselves." Dean pushed the doorbell next to the door of resident 3113 gold plate displayed.
There was movement approaching the closed door. In a matter of seconds the door opened. A woman in her sixties with light copper colored hair and very light green eyes looking at the men standing in the hallway. "You must be Dean and Sam." She said in a light Romanian accent. "Please come in." The woman moved to the side so the Winchesters entered the home.
Dean scanned the room impressed seeing a mixture of simple furniture and expensive decorative art. There were plush rugs of earth colors and patterns on the cream color carpet. Mrs. Paradine steered the men into the living room toward a very long brown comfy looking leather sofa. The livingroom was submerged in colors that gave a room an Earthy feel.
Dean sat down next to a tall leafy plant that looked vibrant and healthy. "Nice place lady." His green eyes looked appreciatively around the living room wishing the bunker looked like this.
"Thank you. Please call me Paulette. We are not into modern furniture so we add the taste of the traditional along with the art you see around you." She smiled at the older Winchester. "My husband will be here shortly. He is assembling the notes of the sigil spell for you. My family have been guarding this for generations. I was a little girl when the Men of Letters came to my parents home asking for what you need now. My grandfather made a bargain with the Men of Letters and gave the eldest member a leather book my grandfather wrote in his youth. I never knew what was in the book. Before he died he told my father if the Men of Letters contact us again they have to present the book as proof of who they are. The names of the men that will need the sigil were predestined and was written on the last page of the book in an ancient gypsy code."
Sam was intrigued by the woman's story. "I looked in the book and figured out very quickly some of the texts were unreadable. Our grandfather Henry Winchester was a member of the Men of Letters. We inherited access to where they resided and their archives. Far as we know, Dean and I are the last remaining ones that is connected to the group."
Paulette leaned slightly forward in her straight back chair. "I had a feeling something happened to the members since we had no further contact from them. I am glad you are continuing the secret group. There are things out there that has to be monitored and protected from the people. I have seen so much in my lifetime and my grandchildren are not aware of the supernatural things that are happening. They are as blind as the average person living an average life." She turned her head toward the doorway hearing footsteps.
A older stocky man walked in the room. His short hair was the color of salt and pepper with a white short beard. He sported round face that had with full lips, a broad nose and large brown eyes. "Hello, I'm Theo." he spoke in a very strong Romanian accent. "You came a long way for this." he held a thick sealed envelope in his hand. "Paulette spoke to you about her family history related to the Men of Letters. They were also involved with my family when there were certain monsters that had to be stopped. Do you have the book in exchange for the sigil spell?"
Sam stood up with the leather book in his hand. "Yes we have this as you requested."
Theo gently took the book from the tall man's grip. He opened the book to the last page and read the cryptic writing. A moment later he looked up with a smile and said in a satisfied voice. "It's confirmed. Your names are in the book."
Dean looked surprised. "Really? I would not be able to understand the letters."
Sam walked over to the man and took out his smart phone. "May I ask how you can read this?" He asked the older man. Theo explained the code and Sam understood and with the man's assistance he was able to translate the words before him in the book. The translation confirmed the sentence that was written. "There will be two Men of Letters named Dean Winchester and Samuel Winchester to retain the fire sword sigil when the time as come to acquire it. The brothers will cross the waters to extinguish a troll killing humans.")
Sam read aloud to his brother what was translated. Dean smiled in comprehension they will soon be on the road to take care of this troll.
Theo patted Sam on the shoulder. "You will succeed in taking care of this monster. I know where you are heading since I do have some abilities of premonitions. You boys have a long and hard road ahead of you and this hunt will be nothing compared with the one regarding the angels."
Dean was stunned at the man's words. "How do you know we are dealing with angels?"
Laughter from the man was the first response. "I told you I see and know things so your thoughts of crystal ball was not all wrong. Anyway, crystal balls are mostly for show and entertainment. I know what is going on behind the scenes and wish you men the best of luck. As for you?" The man pointed at Dean. "Let your guard down for the pretty woman. She really likes you even though she is a monster too."
Dean stood transfixed trying not to believe the old man's words. He cleared his throat. "I don't know what you're talking about."
More laughter came from Theo. "If it makes you feel better I will not mention your cat woman." He handed the envelope to Sam. "We are having dinner in a few minutes. Share a meal with us and you can leave in the morning. We have extra bedrooms with private bathrooms."
The older Winchester brother smiled broadly. "Thanks. We'll be happy to stay the night. Sam and I appreciate this."
Sam sat back down on the leather sofa. "Thank you Theo. We are tired from the long drive. Dean is a big eater so I hope you have plenty of food for him." He said in good humor see his brother annoyed glance at him.
Paulette patted Dean on the shoulder. "Don't pay any mind to your brother. I can tell you pick on each other a lot." She tugged at the green eyed man's jacket sleeve. "Come and take a seat at the dining table." She directed both brothers in the dining room.
Theo sat at the head of the small dining table. Dean sat on the left side of the older man and Sam sat at the right side. The men were doing idle chat about the plan to take care of the troll. "Be careful with this troll he has fought some humans and learned what our weakness are. You will need to be swift and clever with the sword."
Paulette appeared with a couple of platters of food in her hands and placed it on the table. Theo gestured for the men to fill their plates. "Which of you will be handling the sword?"
Dean raised his fork in response. "I will be handling the sword. I normally use knives to kill monsters but I think I can take the troll out."
The older man glanced at each brother. "Yes, you are more physical in dealing with enemies. Your brother is more of a thinker to get information to deal with something he will have to fight. You two make a great combination to deal with supernatural creatures."
Sam saw the woman walking up to the table placing a few bowls of vegetables and sat at the other end of the dining table. "Help yourselves boys. The rooms are ready for you to rest later. You both will need to be refreshed to deal with what is ahead of you." Everyone was engrossed in their meal and chatter.
Mara listened her friends talk to this very handsome creature sitting next to her. Her pulse was a little elevated by being near this angel man. Her pheromones were starting to get to her and she placed Dean in her thoughts. Mara imagined seeing the green eyed good looking man in her mind. Her image of him sitting across from her in her room and when he held her as she fell asleep. As her thoughts were calming her down, she realized her attraction for the angel next to her was nothing compared to the hunter she has known for the past couple of weeks. Mara sighed listening to the conversation.
Kuryiel stood up. "Thank you for joining us with our mission. We have to take down Metatron and restore heaven. Right now the souls are suffering in limbo land. A couple of reapers that I previously spoke to are unable to help the souls there and they are tormented from hearing their cries of misery. Something has to be done soon because the longer we wait the souls will be lost to us. We will update you soon as we get closer to the battle."
"You have my support and it's a tragedy the souls are suffering and I can't imagine how many are stuck in the dimension between earth and heaven. I also feel the torment of the souls since they are in a part of my domain. Take care Kuryiel and Castiel. I will wait for your call" The pretty man turned to Mara. "My dear you take care of yourself as well. I have a feeling you just recovered from something traumatic recently." He pulled her into a hug.
Mara eyes widen in surprise feeling the strong man pressed against her. He kissed her on the cheek and whispered in enochian language. She felt energy surge into her and her body felt stronger instantly. He lightly kissed her on the cheek and whispered this time in English. "Too bad your heart is already set for another man, otherwise we could have made an amazing pair. He may not know it now but he is one lucky man." The angel moved gently away from Mara and tenderly touched her right cheek.
The auburn haired woman partly smiled up at the beautiful man and blushed. "Thank you for making me feel better. I will have to wait and see if he would be interested in a person like me since I am not human."
Paschar chuckled. "With my ability with visions, I guarantee this man will come to his senses so be patient. I have seen you in action for the past few days entering his subconscious." He saw her startled look. "I am aware of your telepathic abilities to enter people's thoughts and dreams. As an angel, this is my domain so I monitor everybody that enters the realms between conscious and subconscious."
Mara listen to the angel standing before her with a sense of wonder. "I am a few from my race that has the gift and being part shapeshifter has a hand in my telepathic abilities. I do not use my talent for self gain but for justice." She saw a twinkle in Paschar eyes and continued. "Yes, I used it for personal reasons involving Dean but I want to get to know him since he is so closed in."
The handsome angel patted Mara on the shoulder. "I understand your intentions but you will have to tell him about your abilities. Sooner or later he will eventually find out. Promise to me that you will tell him in the near future."
"I promise I will tell him. It was nice meeting you." Mara grabbed his right hand with hers and squeeze it.
The man in front of her smiled. "You take care of yourself pretty Mai woman." he stepped away from her.
Kuryiel walked over to her friend. "We will return soon. Enjoy your evening Paschar." She touched Mara's shoulder. Everyone returned to the library in the bunker.
Mara was a little disoriented by the sudden relocation from one place to another. "Wow I wish I had this ability. Thanks for letting me come with you."
The angel woman smiled. "No problem. I hope you enjoyed your visit with Paschar. He is very kind and as you see very friendly." She jokey said to the blushing woman in front of her.
"Yeah, he was very friendly. If I was not interested in Dean I would be hitting on him. He was one sexy angel man." She smiled remembering his handsome face.
Castiel cleared his throat and the women looked at him instantly realized he was listening to the conversation. "I will go check on Dean if they need any assistance. I will return shortly." He zapped out of the room.
Mara shook her head in slight embarrassment. "That was awkward. I hope he does not tell Dean what I said."
Kuryiel walked over to the library table and took a seat in a chair. "Don't worry. He will not say anything. I am letting you know we are on call if Sam and Dean need us. You will have to watch the fort if that happens."
Mara sighed. "I feel great. I don't know what that angel did to me but I feel a hundred percent better."
"Yes Paschar made you better. What he did was give you a tiny dose of his grace so you can heal quickly. I want you to rest so it will completely heal you. I was very surprised he did that even though he just met you. I am not able to give you part of my grace since Castiel is linked to my grace at this time. You see I gave him part of my grace to convert him to being an angel. It took a while to recover from doing just that. I am sorry I am limited to helping you." Kuryiel frowned
Mara walked over and placed her right hand on Kuryiel's shoulder. "Don't be sorry. You brought me back to life and placed my soul back in my body. You did so much for me so I am grateful. I never expected for you to heal me completely."
The angel looked up at the pretty woman. "Thank you for the assurance. Paschar was generous for doing this. You will always have a piece of his grace in you for the rest of your life. It's a rare privilege to be given to someone that is not an angel. This will also protect you from being possessed by demons." Kuryiel rose from her chair. "Let's fix something to eat." The women walked to the kitchen area.
Dean was loving the large soft bed in the massive bedroom over looking Lake Michigan. "These folks must be racking with money." he thought as he looked at the desk with a laptop ready to be used. The bathroom was a dream for Dean admiring the large stained glass shower huge garden tub across the the way near the windows. The sink was elaborate with deep bowls and fancy faucet that had the water to appear to come out like a water fall from the opening. Dean laid back and closed his eyes enjoying the moment until he heard a rustle of feathers. "Cas?" He muttered knowing the angel was standing beside his bed.
"Dean, Sam told me where you were. The couple here was not too surprised when I appeared. I figured out quickly they have some psychic abilities. Especially the older man. He greeted me as if he expected me. Did you received what you needed from the people here?"
Dean chuckled. "Yeah they gave us the sigil and they invited us to spend the night so we can be fully rested to deal with this troll tomorrow. How did it go with Mara taking a trip with you guys?"
Castiel sat down at the end of the bed knowing Dean would be uncomfortable having him standing over the man. "It went well. Paschar was very kind to Mara. He will join us on our mission. Before we left Paschar gave Mara a tiny part of his grace so she can heal quickly."
Dean sat straight up in the bed with a serious look on his face. "What do you mean giving a tiny part of his grace? He does not even know her." He was concerned what this may in-suit.
Castiel understood his friend concern. "Dean you don't have to worry about Mara. She can't be a vessel to an angel or controlled by one. He knew her soul was yanked out of her body and the grace will be like a protective barrier to her soul. I did the same for you when I removed you from hell. Your soul was a little damaged when I found you and I did what I needed to do to protect what was still unaffected."
The green eyed man sat there listening to Cas's words. "I didn't know this. Is this what you did to Sam when he was locked in the loony bin?"
Castiel shook his head. "Not completely. I withdrew the mangled energy from his soul into myself. In turn, I used my grace to realigned his fractured soul back together so it will whole again. Sam has none of my grace inside him. You are the only one that does."
Dean stared at the angel registering what was said. "Ok, In some way this angel is connected to Mara?"
Dean was waiting for his answer and he knew his friend will not want to hear this. "Yes he will be connected to Mara in a small way. He will always know where she is. It does not mean he will appear to her but she can definitely call him like you can with me with ease." Castiel saw look of relief on his face. He stood up. "I am going back to the bunker. Call me if you need me."
Dean looked at his friend. "Ok. I will keep that in mind." He watched Cas vanish from the room. Feeling tired Dean got up to the bathroom and heard a soft knock on the door.
Theo stood there with two glasses of whiskey in his hands. Hey I thought you can use a drink before you sleep.
"Perfect timing." Dean let the old man come into the room.
"Ah your friend left already. I had some questions for him." looking a little disappointed.
The older Winchester asked. "What questions?" He took a sip of his drink and smiled as it burned down his throat.
The old guy took a seat on the chair at the desk across the room. "Nothing serious. I was curious about this angel women he is in love with. I wonder how it felt being an angel himself. Their emotional structure are different from humans. They have feelings but it takes longer for them to develop once they are exposed to situation that invoke them. His angel woman is not an ordinary angel. I feel that she is what would be the word...oh right a hybrid angel. That's the word that popped in my head. Now she is very much in love with your friend. This love is a tragic but there is a sliver of hope I see at the end of it. Don't tell him this because nothing is promised in this world and I don't want to create false hope. I see two endings to what is going to happen and I can't determine which ending will be the final."
Dean was surprised from the Theo predictions. "How do you know this?"
Theo chuckled. "I have been like this since I was a child. My grandmother also had the gift of premonitions. Her's was far stronger than mine. The only difference is that she did not use her gift to acquire wealth."
The old man looked around to acknowledge his surroundings. "I on the other hand wanted to live comfortably so I used my gift to have everything I need when I got close to retirement age. My children are not wealthy and when my wife dies after me, a small portion of my assets will go to my children but the rest will go to charity. I worked most of my life and wanted to retire in comfort for me and my wife."
"If you ever want to be charitable please give me a call. We can use the funds." Dean smiled in humor.
"Funny young man but you will have to work for what you want. Speaking of the subject this will be tied to the woman in question." The man saw Dean's face become blank and smiled. "I see you like her boy so don't play non-nonchalant with me. To make you aware she likes you too. Your lady friend has some secrets in regards to her being a non human." He saw the concerned look on Dean's face and interjected. "It's nothing dangerous but her abilities are very keen. She can read people pretty well. The attraction for you is strong but she is afraid of your rejection.
Dean opened his mouth to protest but he did not get the chance to say anything when Theo spoke again. "My advice to you is to take your time to know her fully. Her people are of good character and history. There are no murderers in her bloodlines. We call her kind the cat people since they have feline like qualities. She is also something of a shapeshifter and I see a little human. She had great pain in her life losing a family and also a man she dearly loved. He sacrificed himself for her to live and it still haunts her to this day. She has not been close to a man since his death."
The green eyed man sat there astonished. "You can see someone's history too?" Dean saw the man nodded. He cleared his throat. "Well, she's an attractive woman but she is not human. I hunt monsters for a living and it too strange for me to um...like one of them."
Theo frowned not liking the younger man's words. "You listen here. She is not a monster. She's a different species. A monster is something that kills innocent people for food, power, pleasure and other means for self gain. She is not one of them. Let me tell you something, growing up in a gypsy family was hard and painful. People treated our people like we were animals. Those people beat and even killed our kind not understanding that people can be different. Those people that harmed my family and other gypsy families are the true monsters of the human sort. Know the difference boy between friend and foe."
The old man stood up. "I am going to bed. I am a old man that need to rest these worn bones. Get some sleep and think about what I said."
Dean felt remorseful calling Mara a monster. "Sorry Theo if I offended you. Your wife and you have been kind to let us crash here. I will think about what you said."
Theo opened the door and stepped into the hallway. "Good son. So get some rest." He closed the door behind him.
"Man, this old bird is tough and he has a huge gift of seeing into people. No wonder he got rich with his talent." Dean thought to himself as took off his clothes. He slid under the covers in his boxers. Feeling worn out from the whole day's events he drifted off to sleep.
The next morning, The Winchester brothers thanked the Paradine couple after eating a hardy breakfast and wish them good luck. At 5:45 AM, they headed south on route 794 on Lake Parkway toward the Lake Express ferry. Dean stood on the boat and watch a valet drive his car into the rear of the ferry. He prayed this boat will reach the other side safely.
Sam notice his brother's distress. "Man don't worry we will get across soon enough."
The older brother shook his head. "Well I am not the sailor type especially with my baby going across this water." Wanting to distract himself from the situation at hand. "Let's get some coffee." They walked into the ferry cafe.
Sam was on his laptop surfing on line while Dean was outside on the top of the ferry over looking the huge lake water ahead. He walked past a few chairs to the rail thinking of what the old man said before he left. Theo placed a hand on Deans shoulder "Let that cat woman inside your heart boy. This one will understand all of you even that deep dark part you try to run away from yourself. You think I did not know you were in the hot place for a time?" The old man paused glancing at Dean as he opened mouth to respond. Theo raised his right hand. "It doesn't matter. It's in the far past."
He heard Dean barely muttered "Not far enough."
Theo sighed and continued. "You can't stay in a emotionless shell forever otherwise it will be a lonely wasteland of regret for you." Theo patted Dean on the shoulder. "There is time to think about everything I said. I hope you will pick the path of having a life with love in it regardless of being a hunter and part of the Men of Letters."
Dean stared at the water remembering the conversation and his thought changed to Mara. She started to make him feel positive emotions again but he was afraid it will be short lived. He has lost so many people he cared about. His close friends, ex-lovers even family members. Mara was worming her way into his heart and Dean was resisting because she's not fully human and practically died on his watch. He silently felt thankful to have angels for friends otherwise he would have had to burn her dead body to ashes. Dean walked away from the rail and sat down on one of the lounge chairs not know what to do about his feelings with Mara. He knew one way or the other something has to be done about him and her.
Sam looked out of the window and saw his brother in deep thought looking so troubled. He felt helpless since Dean will not talk about his feelings. One thing for certain he knew it was about Mara and he even overheard Theo talking to Dean before they left the old couple's place. Sam was still amazed the old man can read Dean so well and being his brother he can only scratch the surface to know what is going on inside Dean's head and heart. It was rare that Dean talked about his feelings but when he did it came out like a torrent of words that few out of his mouth. He watched his older brother a minute longer and turned his head back to his laptop to search for any more potential hunts in the area.
Sam heard footsteps approaching the table and looked up to see his brother move the chair across from him. "Hey Sammy, we have thirty minutes left to get off this boat. Did you find any about the troll and the killings?"
To Be Continued...
on Chapter 19
