Talk About Anything:
"I'm sorry Dean, but I warned you not to put that thing back inside him," Castiel clarified without attempting to hide his annoyance.
Dean gave him an exasperated look replying, "What was I supposed to do? Let T-1000 walk around, hope he doesn't open fire? Come on Cas, I'm going crazy here! I can't save… Her, but I COULD fix him, so how could I not try?"
As he spoke, Castiel stepped closer to Dean, until they were practically nose to nose and continued his commentary in a highly irritated tone, "Let me tell you what his soul felt like when I touched it… Like it had been skinned alive. Dean, if you wanted to kill your brother, you should have done it out right. And quit using Adelaide as a scapegoat. You did this for you and nobody else."
As soon as he spoke his mind, Castiel exited Bobby basement. He left knowing that he had most likely angered Dean, but right now the angel tried to just shut that thought out because he had his own issues to deal with at the moment. Dean had maintained that he didn't just do this for himself, but Castiel knew different. Dean was in vortex of despair and was willing to do anything to ease his pain, no matter how stupid and risky it was.
The angel knew that he wouldn't have long before he was called back to his duties in Heaven. His brothers and sisters depended on him in a way that he never knew would be possible. He had always towed the party line when it came to his family, but then he met Dean Winchester. It had been he himself, Castiel that had pried the knife out of Dean's hand while he was torturing a soul, so that he could pull Dean's soul out of Hell and return it to his decaying body. That was when the seed for change had been planted in Castiel's mind.
He had known that his world would never be the same again, but Castiel had thought that it would because of his time spent in Hell… He never knew that this one man would cause such a monumental transformation in the angel. Dean Winchester had opened up a part of his heart and mind that Dean and Sam then infiltrated and now Castiel's love for mankind had grown exponentially. What surprised the angel the most was that he felt that his fondness for his Father's creations was now inexplicably connected to Dean and Sam's personal connections on Earth.
As such, he felt Dean undeniable sadness at the loss of his of his soul-mate. When Dean had called for his help the last time he went up against Crowley and Meg, Castiel had finally seen a part of Dean's heart that Dean had managed to keep hidden from everyone (including Dean himself) and Castiel saw the markings no one had acknowledge in the past. One of his brothers, from the Cherubic line, had marked Adelaide as Dean's perfect match. Dean could never know that his only happiness and sense of fulfillment would come when he was with that one woman.
Castiel soon realized that there was something awry with the passing of Adelaide Jones. Normally when one half of a perfect pair passes away, the marking on the other soul fades and the surviving half is able to continue on with their life. This appeared not to be the case for Dean Winchester. His heart still belonged only to her. To the angel that meant that her death was pre-mature and unnatural, despite what the doctors had said after her autopsy.
He took this rare opportunity of relative calm to meditate and try to find her soul so that he could confirm his suspicions. Although it was a difficult task, he had, on occasion been able to find a soul and interact with it. Before Heaven had become so divided, he had sought out the essence of Pamela Barnes to ensure that she was at rest in Heaven as he had been promised. He had felt a small amount of guilt after causing her blindness and when he was cut off from Heaven he had felt nearly ill with guilt. But there was some relief because he had secured her a place in Heaven when he was still in the good graces with most of the Arc angels.
As he focused his energy, he closed his eyes and tried to picture what she had looked like the second to last time he saw her… The last time he saw her in person. He never looked back to that day when he had visited her in her dream because he knew that the woman he had met at that time wasn't the real 'Adelaide Jones'. She had been too consumed with grief to think straight, so he had forgiven her for that, even if she had never asked him for it. Instead he focused on the day that Dean had returned to their home after defeating Lucifer. He had watched over his friend until he got to the house because he needed the reassurance that Dean had made it there safely. Even though he could see her sadness at losing Sam, she still had a twinkle in her eye that enhanced her undeniable beauty from freeing her heart after having finally been honest with her son.
With that image in his mind's eye, he started his search. It was a daunting task, but he could see that without that reassurance, Dean might start making even riskier decisions that would put him and his loved one' sin harm's way. In life she had had a commanding presence, even if she never knew or acknowledged it, so he hoped that this would make finding her easier.
Just as he thought that he was zeroing in on her essence, he was brought out of his meditative state when he heard a faint, "Cas…? Cas…?"
His eyes flew open, but he found that he was still completely alone in Bobby's scrap yard.
"Castiel?" The voice called again.
The voice was too quiet and tentative for Castiel to distinguish to whom it belonged, but he sought it out none the less and disappeared.
************
Change of POV
************
I woke up to the intoxicating aroma of freshly brewed coffee mixed with freshly baked croissants. At first I drifted out of my sleep slowly, but when the events of the previous day returned to my consciousness, so I shot up into a seated position to check if anyone else was in the room with me. My eyes immediately focused on the person seated at the table watching me sleep and my heart started to race.
"Good morning Addy. I hope you're hungry," Ariel greeted me warmly with a bright, friendly smile.
"Umm…" I started in a haze of confusion. "Not really… I think I'll just go take a shower."
As I got off the bed, my body completely betrayed me and my stomach growled loudly. I tried to avoid looking at her because I could feel my face contorting as the hunger pains hit me.
"Yes, yes you are," she replied serenely. "Please come, sit and eat."
I turned my face to her and felt my anger start to boil over. "No, thank you," I replied angrily. "I don't want ANYTHING from you."
"Addy? What's wrong?" The angel asked innocently.
"What's wrong? Are you serious? You and your goons fucking manhandle me yesterday and now you just want to be best friends again? I'm sorry angel girl, by I ain't hardwired that way," I shot back indignantly.
"Me and my goons? Oh… No… Addy, you have it all wrong," she explained politely as she took a step towards me. "Addy, that wasn't what really happened. Oh your poor soul… It's been through so much…"
She let the rest of her sentence remain unstated as a flash of sadness filled her eyes. At that moment, she reminded me so much of Castiel the day I found him alone on the porch at Bobby's house, lost in his own thoughts of being newly human and my heart absolutely broke.
"What do you mean by that?" I asked meekly.
"Please? Come... Sit. You barely ate anything yesterday, so you must be famished."
The familiar sharp, stabbing pain in my stomach told me that she wasn't lying, so I complied with her wishes. As I started to dig into the food she had laid out for me, Ariel started to explain, "You remember how I told you that we wanted to do things differently with you? Well this is why. Your soul was so damaged while you were in Hell and we've learned that once you were revived that it will take some time to adjust. We still don't know what all of the side effects will be."
"Side effects? You mean like the nightmares," I clarified quietly.
"Exactly. We knew that would be one, but it appears that with you there have been some hallucinations as well. You nearly fainted yesterday and when I tried to help you to bed, you struggled against me as if I was trying to harm you."
I looked at my upper arms and there was no hint of red marks or bruising. I then placed my hand on my abdomen and felt nothing but my hunger fading.
"I am so sorry Ariel. Here you've saved me and that's how I treat you? Man, I suck at being grateful. Please, please do forgive me," I implored repentantly.
She reached over and held my hand before replying, "Addy, you have no need to apologize because it isn't something you can control. Please don't feel guilty. This is part of the reason why I can't let you be with your family just yet. We wouldn't want something like that to happen while you're with them, right? Now… I can tell that you have a lot more questions and we all feel that if you had those answered that your mind would be more at ease, so I want to answer them all for you. Okay?"
I stared at her somewhat awestruck and simply nodded before finding my voice and quietly adding, "Yeah… Yeah, that makes sense."
"Alright then… Why don't you have your shower and once you're refreshed we'll talk… Sound good?" She asked as she stood beside me and helped me to my feet.
Once I was standing, I don't know what came over me, but I instantly wrapped the angel in a tight hug. I felt a surge of relief overtake me and I started to cry uncontrollably. Ariel didn't miss a beat and she reciprocated my warm embrace with ease. As I sobbed, she stroked my hair and quietly whispered words of encouragement to try to ease my mind.
"I'm so sorry" I sobbed into her shoulder.
"It's alright Addy. Everything is going to be okay, just let it all out."
I don't know how long I cried, but Ariel never once tried to stem the flow of my tears. Somehow we ended up on the couch where I cried even harder because I was more comfortable. Once my tears finally started to subside, she continued to hold me close with her grip remaining soft and warm. I had expected that at some point her hold on me would be more stiff and marble like, much like many of Castiel's hugs had been in the past, but that never transpired.
"Shh Adelaide, it's okay. Oh sweet child, everything is going to be okay," she murmured into my hair while rubbing soft circles on my back.
As I caught my breath, I kept my forehead resting on her shoulder. I took in a long, choppy breath as I sat back and swiped my arm across my face just under my nose. She gave me a sad, sympathetic look while a small smile tugged at her lips.
"Are you feeling better now," the angel asked softly.
I tried to take in a strong breath, but it ended up sounding a lot more broken and snotty than I thought it would.
"Yeah," I answered as strongly as I could. "At least I think so… But then again I think you might be better equipped to answer that."
My angel laughed at that response… A shaking, hard to catch your breath laugh before saying, "I think you're doing just fine Addy. But you're probably in need of a good scrub… Especially on your face."
I started to run my fingers under my eyes saying in an embarrassed tone, "Crap… I must look so horrible right now… Sorry."
She gave my protests a dismissive wave of her hand and shake of her head. "Addy don't apologize, just go and enjoy your shower. Please, do take your time. I have something I have to take care of, but I'll be back here when you get out, okay?"
I quickly nodded and then bee-lined for the bathroom where I had my breath completely taken away. Ariel had stolen a page from Toby's book of ways to comfort me. She had filled the room with vanilla scented candles and they were all burning so brightly that I didn't have to turn on the light. As I started the shower, I laughed out loud because my iPod suddenly appeared and Ariel had queued it up to Darren Hayes' 'So Beautiful'. Once I was under the comforting, hot stream of water, I immediately started singing along with the lyrics, "And if all the world was perfect, I would only ever want to see your scars…"
When I was finished, I felt completely refreshed. I now felt clean, body and even part of my soul. I also felt lighter and hope that that meant that whatever Ariel was doing with me was working so that I would be allowed to return home sooner than later.
Ariel was seated on a plush, suede couch by the fireplace waiting for me when I finally emerged. The fire was still quite low and small, so I hoped that that meant that I hadn't left her waiting too long. As soon as I made myself comfortable beside her, a pot of tea and a mug appeared on the coffee table in front of us. Ariel quickly leaned forward and poured me a cup of tea then passed it along with a cookie to me.
"So… Addy… Are you feeling better now?" She asked with a warm smile.
I swallowed the tea I had in my mouth before I could reply, "Much… I haven't had a good cleansing cry like that since…" I paused suddenly when it hit me that I DID remember the last day that that had happened.
Ariel patted my hands that were now folded in my lap and said, "I know, it's not a day that you really want to remember." She placed a bent finger under my chin and tilted it up until our eyes met. "I also know that there's one question that you've had on your mind since you woke up here… Why don't you ask it, Addy?"
"Why?" I uttered just over a whisper. Her face scrunched up in a slightly pained expression as I tried again, "Why me? Why did I get pulled out of Hell?"
She gently pet my cheek and her face took on an expression of pure sadness as she spoke, "Oh Addy, please don't do that to yourself. You ARE worthy… Now put those nasty thoughts out of your mind. You, my lovely, are a very special woman, please don't forget that."
I tried to sound strong when I clarified my question, but my voice threatened to break with every word I spoke, "But why ME? Why am I so special? I mean… Aren't there other people who are just as…? Or more worthy for redemption than me?"
"Because this world needs you, Addy. You were never meant to be in Hell. There is still so much that you are meant to accomplish, need to accomplish here on Earth. You are a very important player in this world's destiny… And yes, you may even be more important than that 'Dean Winchester' character."
I felt my cheeks blush at her response to my silent question. None of what she was saying to me made much sense at all. How could I be more important than Dean? He was Michael's perfect vessel for crying out loud. She watched me as I went over all of my questions and tried to get them into some sort of an order so that I could ask her and get some answers.
"But how? How am I so important?" I asked timidly.
Ariel ran her hand down my arm and then squeezed my hand in a gesture of reassurance, "Just give it time Addy. When the time is right, all will be revealed. Just try to keep from worrying about it too much, okay? We really need to keep you focused on your healing at the moment, alright?"
I accepted her answer with a nod, relaxed back onto the couch and closed my eyes contemplating everything that she had said. While my eyes were still shut I asked, "How much longer will it take?"
Ariel didn't immediately answer, so I opened my eyes to try to gauge why my angel was suddenly so quiet. When I took in my surroundings, I gasped and then threw my hand over my mouth to keep from making too much noise. Instead of finding myself in the comfortable haven of my room at the Bed and Breakfast, I was now on a bed in some random cheap motel. I then absolutely froze in my spot when I noticed that I wasn't alone on the bed.
My new companion moved his hand under his pillow with such stealth that I almost missed the movement. There was enough light in the room that I could see that I was no longer dressed in the sweats I had been previously, but now I was in a navy blue silk nighty with cream colored lace trim. As my eyes traveled from my (lack of) clothing to the man on the bed, he rolled over just enough that I could see his face.
"DEAN!" I inadvertently shouted with excitement.
His eyes shot open but his hand remained under his pillow. When he didn't move, I leaned down and mashed my mouth onto his. Thankfully, Dean didn't hesitate to kiss me back. He did however break the embrace so that he could roll off of his stomach onto his back. Once he was in a more comfortable he pulled me down on top of him to continue the heated contact.
"Lay…? How…?"
I giggled as I pushed myself up and crossed my arms on his chest. "Shh… That's not important." I quickly kissed him again and asked, "More importantly, where the hell are we? I really don't remember staying in a place that looked like this before."
"Well my dream, my locale," he teased as he pushed my hair behind my ears. "But if you must know, we're in Ashland, Oregon."
I laughed a little too loudly before nuzzling my face into his neck. He lovingly ran his hands up and down my back as I continued to laugh softly.
"What is so funny Lay?
"Oh nothing… I just can't believe you never told me that you were such a huge Shakespeare fan. You know, I worked a case at the fair close to here not too long ago, I could have passed it onto you if I knew," I teased trying to keep my laughter from overtaking me. I quickly sobered up and pushed up on the mattress to look down at him and asked in a mockingly shocked tone, "Oh my God Dean! Really? Shakespeare gets you hot?"
Dean rolled his eyes as I started to uncontrollably giggle, then he pulled me close and rolled me onto my back. His mouth was on mine within an instant to silence my laughter. One of my spaghetti straps had fallen off my shoulder, so Dean slowly guided my arm out of it to get to the bare flesh of my breast. I kept my eyes closed while he suckled at it as I enjoyed the sensation he elicited with his mouth and tongue on my sensitive flesh.
I didn't feel him removing my panties or any of his own clothes, but my eyes did snap open as he thrust into me.
"It's you Lay… YOU get me hot."
*************
Change of POV
*************
"Cas…? Castiel? Are you there? I… Uhh… I could really use your help," the voice tentatively implored.
Castiel tried to keep his mind focused on the voice that was calling him, but every time that he thought he was getting close, Castiel would lose his concentration. For some reason the owner of the voice speared to be hidden from him.
"Where are you?" Castiel asked telepathically. "I can't find you… Show me where you are."
Toby jumped back a bit and the back of his legs hit the edge of his bed. He had been praying to Castiel for a couple of days hoping that the angel could shed some light on his situation. As far as he could tell, he had exhausted all of his resources and had eliminated any supernatural explanation for what had happened, so he decided to turn to celestial support.
"Home… Uhh, my room…" He replied out loud. Toby then took a mental picture of his room and tried to send it out to the angel.
When Castiel didn't appear right away, Toby started to pace the length of his room. After twenty minutes, nothing else happened, so he sat on his bed in an effort to regroup. He had done something before that had worked… He had been able to reach Castiel… But how?
He sat still and once again tried to focus all of his thoughts and energy on the image of his room. After a few minutes, his jaw started to ache because he had clenched it so tightly in concentration, but he still didn't break his intense focus.
"Tobias?" Castiel questioned now that he was standing in front of the young teen. "You called me?"
"Cas! You came!" Toby cried out happily as he jumped up and hugged the older male. As he started to talk, Toby started to pace nervously. "Awesome! So, please tell me you can help me figure all of this out. But you can't tell anyone, okay? You can't tell Mom or Pop, especially not Dad or Bobby or even Uncle Sam, alright? Because if they found out about it before we know what's actually going on then we're totally screwed and they'll be really upset. BUT! If we wait and tell them after we have the truth then the fact that we know the truth will probably make them happy enough that we won't get into trouble, okay?" Toby turned back to look at the angel and repeated a little more forcefully, "Okay Cas?"
Castiel's face was locked in a confused scowl. He was trying to replay all of the information that the young human had just told him, but he focused only on one piece.
"Truth about what Tobias?" Castiel finally asked.
"The… Uhh… the truth about Mum," Toby tentatively answered. "I… I think… I mean, I know she… She was here the other night."
Toby took a step forward and pushed back his sleeve to show Castiel the browning marks on his wrist. Castiel took his arm into his hand to inspect the evidence that Toby was presenting him. When he connected two and two together, his eyes shot up to Toby's face in horrified understanding.
"Tobias, your mother would never harm you on purpose," he blurted out in shocked surprise.
The younger male chuckled and pulled his hand out of Castiel's grasp.
"I know she wouldn't… And she didn't, Cas. This… This happened when she wrestled her knife out of my hand," he explained.
Castiel scowled again and asked, "Her knife?"
"Umm… Yeah… I thought that she was a shape shifter… But I know she isn't now… But I don't know where she is now or how she got back," Toby clarified in an anguished tone. "She was here on minute and then she just disappeared, but I don't know how. Can… Can you help me?"
The young boy looked like he was on the verge of tears, so Castiel gripped his shoulder to try to comfort him answering, "I'll do what I can Tobias. First, I need you to tell me everything that happened and everything that you have learned since then."
*************
Change of POV
*************
The sun hit my face, so I rolled over to hide my eyes in what I thought would be my pillow. Instead, my nose connected somewhat painfully with another person's shoulder. With my eyes still closed, I moved my right hand to rub the pain out of my nose and my knuckles brushed against more bare flesh. I slowly opened my eyes, petrified to see where I would find myself today.
I must have woken him up with my not so tender nose bashing because Dean had his eyes opens and was stretching slightly when I looked up at him.
"Lay? You're… You're still here?" He asked sounding more than surprised.
"Apparently," I replied cuddling into his side. "So… Is this a 'happy' morning for you?" I inquired as I ran my hand down his body and slipped it under the sheet.
Dean's eyes followed my hand and groaned when I found the answer to my question. As I stroked him slowly, I continued in a husky voice, "Ooh, yes… Yes it is… I think we better take care of that Dean."
I dipped in to kiss his lips and asked, "So… What do you say?"
He nodded then flipped me onto my back. After another deep kiss he answered, "I can't think of a more perfect way to start the day."