Summary: His wings always seemed to be the problem, Castiel figured. But when he and his family move to Sioux Falls and he meets a Beast locked away in a castle, could his wings be the solution? Dean/Cas, Sam/Gabriel, Adam/Michael; fusion with Beauty and the Beast
Words: 4700
AN: Sorry for not warning you guys, but school just started so it might take just a bit longer for me to finish the chapters than it did over the break. Anyways, here's the next chapter. Enjoy.
I Am No Angel
Chapter Three: When life had locked me out
I turned to you and you opened the door.
-"Knock Knock" Lenka
Bobby wasn't usually one to panic, but under the circumstances he felt somewhat justified. Rain pounded down on Ilchester Forest, ensuring that he was soaking wet in next to no time; wolves were biting at his heels as he ran and he lost track of the path when he dodged around a tree to avoid a set of snapping teeth, slipping on the wet leaves. He panted in exhaustion and forced his legs to pump faster in the vain hope that he would be able to escape becoming the wolves' next meal. Bobby wouldn't try to con himself into thinking that he would make it out of this alive, but like hell was he gonna lie down and die either.
He was so focused on the danger behind him that he didn't notice the gate before him until he had almost crashed into it. He noticed the strange symbol that was welded into the iron and hesitated for a second—This place could be dangerous—before the howling of the wolves at his back made the decision for him. Figuring he had nothing to lose, he fumbled with the latch, pushed on the gates, and (to his surprise) they opened immediately. He hurried through and slammed them shut seconds before the closest wolf hurled itself at him. The animal's body hit the metal and it whimpered, rising to attack again with the rest of its pack. Bobby backed away from the gate—and incidentally the slobbering predators—before turning around to look at the castle. What the hell? he thought. Might as well get this over with. He started up the cobblestone walkway leading to the manor.
As he approached the gloomy structure, he assessed it and kept an eye out for any movement. Unlikely as it was—the castle was out in the middle of a forest with no civilization nearby for God's sake—Bobby thought there might actually be people living here. There was light coming from inside and the place was well-kept despite the depressing vibe it gave off. He reached the front doors and with a shake of his head, grasped the door handle to let himself in.
He staggered a bit as he crossed the threshold, dripping water on the pristine rugs that decorated the entranceway. He shivered a bit and edged his way further into the house. It was only when he had started taking stock of his surroundings that he noticed the four pairs of eyes staring out at him from one of the darkened corridors leading off of the main hall. Then, he froze in shock as he made out the faces the eyes belonged to.
They were… not human. The one on the far right was a tea cup. A tea cup with blue eyes and a nose and a mouth. Bobby could make out a pattern of the same star symbol from the gates going around its top edge and the faint water trail on the stone floor leading up to the place where the little tea cup sat. Next to it, there was a huge grandfather clock—taller than Bobby was himself—with a candlestick holder reclined on one of its broad shoulders. Since when could candlestick holders recline? Bobby thought. And is it smirking at me? His gaze moved on to the fourth set of eyes and he stumbled back as a bolt of fear shot through him. The Beast was enormous with jagged claws on all four limbs, pointed spikes of bone protruding from its forehead, and what looked like razor sharp teeth jutting up from its lower jaw. Damn it all, maybe he should have stayed outside with the wolves.
Dean stared at the human that had just stumbled into their castle. It had happened before but that didn't mean it was an everyday occurrence. In fact, it had only happened—he counted in his head—about ten times in the past hundred and fifty years and the last time had been well over three decades ago. The appearance of the man got him thinking; he turned to Sam. "Dude, how come this guy can get in and Cas can't?"
Sam's face was pensive. "I've been thinking about that actually. I think that Meg must have done a spell to keep angels out."
"Yeah, before she cold-cocked you," Gabriel added with glee. "How does it feel being taken out by a girl, Dean?"
"Shut the fuck up," Dean growled. "It wasn't a girl. It was a demon." He felt heat creeping up into his cheeks and for once was glad that he had fur covering his face.
Gabriel opened his mouth to respond, but Adam cut him off. "Guys, are you forgetting something?" he asked sarcastically. When they just looked at him cluelessly, he sighed. "Him," he gestured toward the man in front of them.
Sam looked a bit chagrined. "Right." He chuckled sheepishly. "Sorry about that," he said to the guy. "Who are you again?"
The man still seemed to be working through his shock but answered the question as if on autopilot. "Bobby." He shook himself and a defiant look overtook his face. "Well, if yer gonna kill me, get the hell over here and do it. I ain't got all night."
Sam was the one who looked stunned now. "Kill you? Why would we do that?"
Bobby appeared uncertain now. "Ain't that what monsters do?" he asked them. "Got a friend who hunts the suckers and he's never short on business if ya know what I mean."
Dean bristled. "Who the fuck are you calling a monster?" he snapped. Bobby reared back a bit at the tone in his voice.
Sam huffed in slight annoyance and aimed a bitchface at his brother. "Settle down, Dean. You know what you look like and God knows you've been egged on by Gabriel enough times. You should be over it by now."
Dean rolled his eyes but his shoulders relaxed. "Says the guy who still cries in front of the mirror because he can't fix his hair in the morning," he retorted. Then he continued, speaking loudly to drown out Sam's mortified protestations. "Bobby, is it? Calm the fuck down. We aren't gonna kill you so relax, dude."
Gabriel decided to add his two cents then. "Yeah, dude, relax. Pull up a chair. Tell us about yourself."
Bobby hesitated. "Was that an order or a request?"
"An order," Gabriel and Dean chorused.
Sam scowled at them before turning back to Bobby. "I'm sorry about them. It's just... Well, we can't actually leave the castle grounds, so we haven't seen a human in a long time. Some news of the outside world might be nice." He gestured Bobby into the sitting room off of the entrance hall.
Bobby rubbed the back of his neck with his right hand and sat down on one of the couches. "Don't know how much I can tell you really. My boys and I just moved into Ilchester Forest, so I haven't been keepin' up with the times either. Just on my way back from helpin' out that friend I told ya 'bout and I get chased off the path by some God dang wolves." He shook his head. "My boys're gonna be worried if I'm not back soon."
"Tell us about them," Dean blurted out. There was a gnawing feeling growing in his gut. He couldn't figure out what it meant though.
"Well, okay then," Bobby said, his face softening. "My boys're brilliant really. My older son was a soldier before we moved out here. Pretty high ranking too." The pride in his voice was hard to miss. "Coulda been one of the best if his brother and I hadn't needed him. My youngest loves to read and he's really smart. Boy didn't get out as much as he probably shoulda growing up so he's got no social skills to speak of, but wasn't like I could just let him wander about outside either. Castiel's one of those who gets lost in his own head. Woulda been kidnapped or worse if I let him go about on his own." He smiled in fondness for his sons and completely missed the looks that crossed over the rest of the faces in the room.
Dean sucked in a breath. Castiel, he thought. Castiel's freakin' father. He looked over at his brother and saw that he hadn't missed the name either. Sam's face creased into the one he wore when he was thinking very hard before breaking into a grin of triumph. "I'll be right back. I have to go to the library. Take Bobby up to a room; he looks like he's about to pass out."
"Oh my gosh, dude, wake up!"
Dean grumbled and his claws tightened around a pillow before he lifted his arm to heft the projectile at his brother. He heard a ripping noise as the pillow left his hand—er, paw—but he didn't care enough to look, simply snuggling back into his blankets and preparing to go back to sleep.
"God damn it, Dean, not again!" Sam shouted as he was coated with feathers.
"Oh, stop complaining Sammy," a familiar voice cut in. "You know you have a secret feather kink." He heard the telltale clink-clink of Gabriel as he hopped toward them. He wasn't surprised since Gabriel tended not to stray far from Sam's side for the most part, but his words had Dean groaning and covering his ears.
"Fine, I'm up. I'm up," Dean moaned. He sat up and shot an annoyed look at his younger brother. "Why the fuck are you waking me up at who the hell knows how early in the morning?"
"Dean, stop complaining. I haven't even been to bed yet," Sam said indignantly. "Besides, I knew you would want to know about this as soon as possible; it's about Castiel." Dean's head shot up and his eyes were instantly alert. Sam took a deep breath. "I know how to get him past the Barrier."
"Tell me," Dean demanded. "How?"
"Okay, so when I was in the library—" he started.
Dean grunted. "Sammy, pretend for a second you were talking to someone who didn't give a damn about all that library crap and skip to the part where you tell me how."
Sam rolled his eyes and continued. "Fine, whatever. I found this ritual that involves a blood pact and I came up with a plan. You aren't going to like it, but it might be the only shot we've got."
Dean eyed him warily. "Okay, what's this plan of yours?"
Bobby woke up and thought he was dreaming. He was surrounded by those creatures from his dream last night and he wondered vaguely if he needed to see someone to get his mind straight. Then he realized that it hadn't been a dream.
"Bobby," Sam said almost apologetically and Bobby knew that whatever he was going to say, it wasn't going to be good. "We're really sorry about this."
"God, Sammy, just get it over with already," Dean said impatiently before looking back at Bobby. "We need your help. We are trapped here and the only one who can save us is Castiel." He took a deep breath. "Cas and I already know each other but there is magic keeping him out and in order to save us he needs to be in here. With us."
Bobby stared back at him. Castiel has friends. I'll be damned. "What exactly is it you think my son can do for you?"
Sam shuffled forward a bit. "The demon that cursed Dean said that only an angel could save him by—"
Dean growled. "Sam," he warned. "Don't."
Sam bitchfaced. "For Christ's sake, Dean, Cas is going to find out eventually. Might as well stop being embarrassed about it before he does." He ignored his brother's grumbling. "The angel can only save Dean by falling in love with him." Dean made a squeaking noise that Bobby thought should have come from a mouse instead of a huge hulking beast.
Bobby looked at them as though they were crazy. "Listen here, ya idjits. Even if you did get Castiel in here, the boy's as oblivious as they come. If your Beast there is as afraid of his emotions as he seems to be, you guys might be stuck here for another hundred years before anything happens between them."
Dean's hackles rose. "Hey! I'm not afraid of anything let alone girly things like emotions," he scoffed.
Bobby wasn't paying attention to him. He was thinking about the merits of Castiel being in an enchanted castle with a beast as his protector rather than him being on public display working on the farms in Sioux Falls. Surely, Lucifer wouldn't be able to find him here. Surely, he would be better off. Bobby cleared his throat. "If I were to do this whatever-it-is and get Castiel here, would you be able to do something for me in return?" he asked, speaking directly to Dean.
Dean's eyes narrowed suspiciously, but he nodded. "Protect my boy. There are lotsa people who wouldn't mind getting their hands on an angel, even a half-blooded one."
Dean's face turned grave and he nodded again. "I would protect him with my life," Dean promised. Then his face scrunched up almost imperceptibly. "If necessary."
Bobby relaxed slightly. "Okay then. Whatever you need done, I'm in."
"You and Dean have to make a blood pact," Sam provided entering into nerd mode. "You see, when I was in the library—"
"Boy, I don't care about all that library mumbo-jumbo," Bobby interjected. "Just tell me what I gotta do."
Sam huffed. "Doesn't anyone have any appreciation for good research anymore?"
Gabriel spoke up at that. "No, babe, we don't. And I have to say, your research skills are the last thing I think about when you mention the library." He leered at Sam in a way that left little doubt as to what he meant.
Bobby shook his head. "Will you idjits just get to the point already?"
Sam had a look on his face that said he would be blushing if clocks could blush, but he started explaining again. "There is this ritual. It's relatively simple, but the binding magic it invokes is really powerful stuff. Basically, you each have to speak your terms of the agreement and consent to the opposing terms. Then you need to make an offering of blood and unite yours with Dean's to seal the deal."
Bobby made a face. "Okay, let's get this over with." He moved to the edge of the bed and stood, not wanting to do something important like making a blood pact while lying down. He coughed and then opened his mouth to state his conditions for the bargain. "You will protect my son and you will not mistreat him while he is here." He shot Dean a glare that promised certain death if Castiel were to come to harm.
"I swear to protect Castiel and treat him with all of the respect he deserves," Dean promised. "In return, you will send Castiel to me in three days."
"Castiel will be here in three days. I swear it," Bobby agreed. He took a small knife from his pocket and flipped it open, grasping it with his left hand and cutting open his palm.
He looked up and saw that Dean had drawn a claw over the bottom of his own left paw. Bobby reached out and pushed their wounds together, mingling the blood and formalizing the promise. A rush of heat pulsed out from the place where their blood merged, accompanied by a single spark of light. The binding magic was complete.
Bobby left the next morning after breakfast. Dean had been kind enough to lend him his beloved horse, Impala, with a stern warning of, "That's my baby," and instructions to release her when he got where he was going. "She'll find her way back to me," Dean said. "Always does." Bobby figured he had a few hours until he made it back to Sioux Falls so he let his mind wander as he rode.
He thought about the decision he had just made and the impact it would have on his family. Castiel would be leaving and he wasn't sure how he should feel about that. On one hand, he was relieved that Castiel would be safe. On the other, that was his boy and he didn't want to let him out of his sight. Bobby sighed. Too late now. I already made the deal.
He wondered what Castiel's mother would have thought about all of this. Not that she really had a right to have an opinion about his son. She had just left him with Bobby one day before flying back off to Heaven. It wasn't like he would ever regret raising Castiel. But still, for a girl that he hadn't seen for more than one night who turned out to be—of all things—an angel, she had sure dumped a load on him before turning the other feather and running away.
It was times like this he missed his wife, Karen—well, more than usual anyway. She would have known what to do and even if she hadn't she would have a least put a positive spin on the whole situation. Then again, if she had still been alive, Castiel never would have been born in the first place. There really was no point to this line of thinking, so Bobby made himself stop reflecting on it and continued with his journey.
Castiel returned home from his work in the fields earlier than usual that day. As a result, he was there when his father rode up to the house on an unfamiliar horse. Castiel's lips twitched into something resembling a smile and he went out to greet his father.
"Father, you are home," Castiel said as they approached one another. He looked at Bobby's face and his mouth turned down. "What is wrong?"
Bobby dismounted and faced Castiel. "Son, we need to talk. Where's your brother? I don't want to say it more than once."
Castiel's frown grew more pronounced. "Of course, Father. I will go and bring him back." He spread his wings and took flight without waiting for an answer.
As he flew, he wondered what his father would have to tell them. He flapped his wings harder so that he could get to Michael just that much faster. When he finally reached his brother, he paused long enough to tell him, "Father has returned and wishes to speak with us." Then, he gathered his shocked brother—who was admittedly quite a bit larger than himself—awkwardly into his arms and launched into the air. Michael let out a—manly—shout of fear and wrapped his arms tightly around Castiel's neck.
Castiel got them back to the house in record time and let Michael collapse on the ground as soon as he landed. Leaving his brother swearing up a storm at him from his supine position, he went into the house. As he was entering the door, however, he realized that the horse his father had been riding was nowhere to be seen. Things just kept getting stranger.
Inside the house, Bobby had grabbed a beer and sat down at the table in the kitchen. "I have returned with Michael," Castiel informed him. "What happened to your horse?"
His father didn't look at him as he replied, "Already sent her back home where she belongs." His lack of eye contact told Castiel that the subject was not going to be discussed at the moment, so he didn't say anything more and simply nodded.
Bobby raised his eyes from where he had been staring at the table in time to see Michael enter behind his brother, looking windswept and still cursing Castiel under his breath. "Sit down boys," he told them. "I got somethin' to tell you and I'm not sure how yer gonna take it. S'pose I'd better start at the beginnin'." He took a deep breath and looked directly at Castiel. "I met a few friends of yours last night."
Castiel sat up straighter in his seat. "You met Dean?"
"Yes, I did," Bobby confirmed. "And we made a deal. One that involved you."
Castiel inhaled sharply; he knew what this must mean. "Sam found a way to get me past the Barrier."
His father nodded somewhat reluctantly. "That he did." He rubbed a hand over his face and sighed. "We did some sort of blood magic or something. I promised to send you there in three days. This Sam thingy—clock, whatever—said that it would be enough to get you past the front gate."
Michael stood up and slammed a hand down on the table. "You are sending Castiel back to these people?" Michael's voice was incredulous. "How could you promise such a thing? And without even asking Castiel what he wanted?"
Bobby's temper flared and he stood as well. "Don't you take that tone with me, boy. The Dean Beast promised to protect Castiel and that's what I'm gonna let him do. He's in a much better position to do it than either one of us."
Michael opened his mouth to retort, but Castiel cut him off before he could. "I want to go," he said quietly. "Michael is right. It is my decision and I promised Dean that I would do whatever I had to in order to free him. I am going to do just that."
His brother looked at him as though he had lost his mind. "But Castiel—" he protested.
"It's too late anyway," his father said. "I already made the blood pact and it's binding. Castiel needs to be at the castle exactly three days from when Dean and I did the ritual. Since that occurred this morning at about two o'clock, you have less than three days."
"Very well, Father. I shall go and see that I have everything in order before my departure." Castiel's voice was still low, but both his brother and his father could hear the conviction in his tone. He nodded at them before leaving the house to settle his affairs.
When he got outside and spread his wings, he realized that they were a bit sore from carrying the extra weight of his brother. Not adverse to walking, he folded his wings back up and started off down the path to his neighbor's farm. While he walked, he lost himself in thoughts of what was to come. Truth be told, he was excited about the prospect of seeing Dean without the bars of the gate in between them. He looked forward to meeting Sam, Adam, and Gabriel—whom he had heard so much about but had never actually laid eyes on. The only reservation he had was the fact that he would have to leave his family behind, but Castiel thought that it would probably be all right either way. His brother and father had each had their chance to go out on their own; he had never been able to do that. Now it was his turn to exert his independence and he was going to use it to save Dean.
The three days passed much too quickly for Michael. His brother didn't seem all that affected by what was going to happen and Michael had the urge to grab him and shake some sense into him. He knew it was irrational but every instinct as a big brother told him to lock Castiel up and never let him leave. Michael was a soldier, however, and good soldiers did what their commanding officers said. So, when his father said that Castiel had to go, he did what any good soldier did and sucked it up.
That wasn't to say he didn't protest. He did. But, his father made a good point in saying that the bargain had already been made and there was no way to break the deal. Eventually, he stopped arguing and let it go.
On Castiel's final day with them, Michael took his brother aside and handed him his favorite sword. "If the things in that castle do anything to hurt you—anything at all—I want you to use that," he told Castiel. "Then, you pack up your stuff—no, on second thought, leave your stuff—and get yourself back here as fast as you can."
Castiel's face pulled up into a smile. "Do not worry, brother," he assured Michael. "Dean will not harm me. Besides, you could always come visit me. As far as I can tell, humans are able to get in and out of the castle with no trouble at all."
Somehow, Michael thought later that day as he watched Castiel fly away over the trees. That might actually be a bit reassuring.
Dean sat in the front entrance of the castle on the night Cas was supposed to arrive. He wasn't nervous or anxious or any fucking nonsense like that. And there was no way in hell he was going to wait by the gate like some preteen girl going on her first date. So instead, he simply lurked—er, lounged—in the front hall. Dean had never noticed how little time he spent there until he realized that he had never counted the number of candles that lit the entranceway or turned over the cushions in the sitting room to check for loose change. Yeah, right.
So, maybe he was a little tense, he admitted to himself as he wore a trail into the floor with his pacing. Hell, how could he not be on edge? Cas was going to be there any time now.
He must have mumbled something to that effect out loud because a voice behind him responded to it. "You've been telling yourself that for the past five hours Dean," his little brother Adam said as he made his way into Dean's line of sight. "Why don't you just relax a bit? Pacing isn't going to get your angel here any faster."
"Easy for you to say," Dean grumbled.
Adam shot him a disbelieving look. "Oh, really?" he asked sarcastically. "Dean, the rest of us have just as much riding on this as you do. More even." He looked down at his body mournfully. "At least you got to keep your dick."
Dean choked a little on the laugh that wanted to force its way out of him, but couldn't resist a chance at getting the last word. "Why, so you could offer everybody some cream with their tea?"
"God, you are such a bastard!" Adam shouted as he hopped angrily back to the kitchen. "That's the last time I ever try to cheer you up."
Huh, Dean thought. So that's what he'd been trying to do.
As he returned to his pacing, his contemplation on the number of steps it took to get from one side of the front hall to the other was interrupted by the sound of the front gate clanging open. Dean froze. This was it. Cas was here.
All of a sudden, the front doors crashed open and a rush of wind blew through them, extinguishing the candles in the room. Castiel stepped through the doors, a shower of sparks raining down over him. If he noticed them, he didn't seem to care. His wings snapped out from his body just as lightening lit up the sky behind him, making the wings little more than shadows to Dean's eyes. Then the candles relit themselves and everything was back to normal. Only it wasn't, because now there was Cas.
AN: There were two reviewers to whom I couldn't reply and so, I am going to do it here.
To zeza-66: I love Sam and Gabriel too. They are perfect for comic relief. And you're very right, Cas and Dean wouldn't be Cas and Dean if there weren't ridiculous amounts of eyefucking going on. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Thanks for the review. :D
To Madeline: I'm glad you're enjoying it. I have to say, I'm enjoying writing it. Thanks for reviewing and I hope you liked this chapter. :D