*Cedar Rapids, Iowa.*
"Well, it's a nice neighborhood."
"Yeah, I pretty much grew up here." They Left Grace in the backseat, as per usual, and headed up towards the house, not like she was going anywhere, or so Dean thought.
"Learned to ride my bike down the road. Had my first kiss at that blue house over there. Lost my virginity up there."
"I'll bet blue house was pissed." Jenna nodded, as they continued to walk.
"She was. Do you mind?" she handed Amara over to him for a bit. "Yeah."
"Hey, Beautiful." He rocked the infant as Jenna rearranged her bags on her shoulder, "Anyways, that's why I asked you to bring us here. After everything that happened it just feels safe."
"Well, good. Safe is good. Shh, shh, shh, shh!"
"You're so great with her."
"Well, what can I say? Chicks dig me. Well, look, I should…" he handed the baby back to Jenna, "Oh, right. Sure."
"You're gonna be okay, both of you."
"I know. What about you, Sam and…Grace?" his eyes ell back to the car "Are you three gonna be okay?"
"Well, for us the bar's pretty low. See you." He headed back to the Impala.
"Dean. Thank you…for everything." He turned back for a moment as she pulled him into a hug
"Jenna." She let him go and turned towards the house.
"Hi, Grandma." As dean got back in the Impala he once again turned to look at his sister,
"Looks like it's you and me, Kid."
Cas' cell rang out in the empty room, echoing off the walls. "Dean…"
"Winchester?"
"Probably." The angels went back and forth before one of them smashed the phone. "Do the honors." One of the men ripped the bag of Castiel's head and smacked him to wake him up.
"Morning, Handsome." As he came to he looked down at the floor, the poor guy looked like Death warmed over.
"Efram. Jonah. What's—what's happening?"
"We have questions for you, Castiel." Cas looked up to see his arms hooked to a chain.
"Why am I…I asked for help."
"And I asked for a vessel that didn't have psoriasis. Crap happens."
"No."
"No what?" he looked like he was suffering, trying to keep himself in control as he started to growl like an animal.
"No. You don't understand. I'm cursed. You should run." His growls turned into Snarls as Efram and Jonah watched him struggle against the restraints.
"Ghostbusters. Jenna, hey, whoa, whoa, whoa, slow down. What's wrong?" Dean skid to a halt in the middle of the highway and whipped a U-ie, speeding back towards Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
"I mean it sounds like something out of the exorcist."
"That's what I said."
"So, you're thinking demon?"
"Or kid got infected by something. You know, who knows what was in that giant, crazy fart?" Dean could hear his little brother chuckle on the other end.
"Wow. Vivid. Thanks."
"Look, man, I know you're flying solo."
"No, I'm—I'm fine, Dean. Look, don't—don't worry about me. Just…just help Jenna. How's Grace doing?" Dean looked at the girl in question through the rear-view mirror,
"Still out of it, but she did talk to me yesterday."
"She talked to you?"
"Yea, Man. I hit low, and all she said was my name, but it was something."
"That's something, Dean. Watch over her for me too, all right? And hey, if you need anything, call me."
"Will do. How you doing? How's "Zombieland"?"
"It's good. It's great."
Jonah had his blade pushed through Castiel, as Efram drilled him with questions.
"Where's Metatron?" blood soaked the angels once clean white dress shirt as he struggled to answer, "I don't know."
Jonah sliced down his face now, letting his Grace shine through as it sealed the wound again, Castiel let out a pained scream.
"Where's Metatron, Castiel?"
"Mercy, brother, Please!"
"Brother, ha!" Efram was cruel and calculating in his response, his eyes held no sympathy for Castiel.
"What are you?"
"W-What? I'm an Angel of the lord."
"That so?" Efram circled around Castiel " 'Cause, near as I can tell, when you have to choose between heaven and the Winchesters…"
"You choose them."
"Every time. And you even fell in love with one of them, didn't you?" Castiel stared Efram down, "The little one. Angel's are forbidden from loving Human's, Castiel."
"She's not a human." Efram and Jonah shared a look, "What do you mean, she's not a human?"
"Can human's do half the thing's she's done? Think about it, Efram. Besides, Grace is dead."
"Regardless of that fact, you fell for the Winchester's. So, see, you're not my brother. And if I had it my way, I'd take this blade, stick it in your heart…" he carved along Castiel's chest, "and call that a damn good day." Castiel groaned in pain as he stared Efram down again.
"Then do it." Efram stared him down in response before tucking the blade away again.
"Nah. The fun's just getting started." Jonah advanced again, Angel blade drawn.
"No."
As Dean sped down the road he kept checking the mirror to make sure Grace was still in the back seat, however this tie she was not.
"Grace…" he skid the Impala to a halt on the shoulder and turned, seeing if maybe she'd rolled down onto the floor, but no such luck.
"Grace!" she was just gone, "Son of a bitch." He looked up at the roof of the car and smashed his fist into the steering wheel.
"Is this a joke!? Because it's not funny!" he was screaming at no one in particular, he had no idea where she possibly could have gone, they were doing 90 down the road so there was no way she just got out and walked away.
"Dammit." He slammed the steering wheel again as he put the car into gear and sped off back towards Jenna's Grandmothers place. If only he knew what his sister was capable of now.
"Again, Metatron, where is he?"
"I don't know."
"But, you broke him out of heaven?"
"Yes."
"And took his Grace."
"Yes." There was desperation in the Angel's voice, "And you expect us to believe he, what, just gave you the slip—no powers, no wings?"
"Metatron tricked me."
"So you're just stupid?"
"Or he's lying." Efram looked to Jonah, "Or that."
"One way to find out." Efram looked pleased with what came next, as he stepped towards Castiel again.
"What should we cut off first? Eeny?" He pointed to one of castiels wrist's, then the other, "meeny?" moved the blade down towards his nose, "Miny?" then lastly he moved the blade down to Cas' dick, "or—what was that?" A sudden thud was heard behind them as the door began to rattle as well, imploding in on itself, the three angel's turned towards the door, ignoring whatever else had popped into the room.
"That's enough." Realization spread over Castiel's face, "Hannah."
"What are you doing?"
"Getting answers." To say that Hannah looked pissed off was an understatement.
"No. this isn't how we do things." Cas turned as Hannah laid into Efram and Jonah and his eyes squinted, trying to see who the other body was, laying a few feet away, but he couldn't make it out.
"Get out." Efram and Jonah made no attempt to move, this pissed Hannah off. "Out!" finally, both angel's left the room.
"Thank you."
"Don't thank me yet. Something happened, Castiel—something horrible" Hannah unhooked his arms and removed the cuffs, finally he could move to see who, or what had fallen into the room just before Hannah's arrival.
Hannah tried to remove the cuffs, but he stopped her..er, him, "No. this is safer." Hannah pulled up a chair for the tired angel, who immediately fell into it, exhausted and weak rom the torture he'd endured at the hands of his brothers. There was no way he could see what he wanted to in his condition.
"I wasn't lying about Metatron."
"I know. But right now, I'm more worried about you."
"Can you heal me?" Hannah touched his fingers to Castiel's forehead but nothing happened, "I can't…I'm sorry. This—it's…powerful magic." He rolled his head to the side,
"The can you tell me ho that is over there?" he nodded towards the body he could just make out.
"Of course." Hannah stood and walked towards the unmoving figure, shocked when he saw who it was.
"Castiel…" the angel drew his head up once more, "Why do you sound shocked? Who is it?"
"Castiel, It's Grace." The angel's expression shifted to uncertainty, his eyes were narrowed in the darkness of the room.
"That's not possible. We buried her." Hannah drug the body further into the already dim light so Castiel could see her better.
"Grace…" there was so much pain in his eyes now as he looked down at her another memory flashing in his mind, of sharp, crystal blue eyes with flecks of gold in them.
"Castiel…why do you always look so sad?" he little girl kicked her feet back and forth and he couldn't help but wonder the same thing at her question.
"I suppose it is because I preside over the deaths of kings, Mine is a sad existence, little one." The little girls smile dropped
"But why? They'll be back on earth someday, right? As someone new?" Castiel's expression shifted again as he looked down at her, "Yes—Yes I suppose that is true."
"So you should smile, you get to watch them come back, again and again, living new lives." A smiled tugged on the angel's lips.
"You are quite wise, Avarin." She shrugged her little shoulders, staring down at bare feet. "I still got lots to learn…Hey, can I help you with the moon tonight?" he turned his attention back to humanity,
"Whatever you want."
Castiel's expression softened now as he looked down at Grace's sleeping form.
"Castiel?" Hannah looked at him quizzically, seeing the fond expression on the angel's face, "I remember that day so well, now. How did I forget about it?"
"What did you remember, Castiel."
"He was right." Hannah looked perplexed as Castel's face shifted to pain once again, "Hannah, I can feel the spell just cutting deeper and deeper and I'm trying to fight it. I'm trying, but…"
"Does it have anything to do with the disturbance in Superior, Nebraska?"
"You know about that?" His eyes finally left Graces sleeping body to travel back to Hannah as he straightened up in the chair.
"Alarms have been sounding in heaven, Castiel—Alarms that haven't gone off in…ever. We don't even know what they mean."
"Those alarms are for the Darkness."
"The Darkness is a story."
"No, it's not. It's real. The Darkness…It's been locked away since the dawn of creation." Somewhere in the back of the angel's mind things were clicking into place, if he was suddenly recalling things he'd forgotten, then maybe Grace was an important part to this story, just as Metatron had insisted.
"And now it's free."
"God help us." Castiel sighed.
"I wouldn't count on that…" His eyes traveled to Grace again, right now, she was who they needed to count on. "We need her, but she is of no use to us comatose."
"Where is it?" Hannah was determined as he turned and looked at his ally, "I don't know."
"Then who would? The Winchesters? Castiel, if this is true, it's the end for all of us." Castiel looked up to Hannah wo towered over him.
"Does she know?"
"I don't know."
"Well, Wake her up!" Hannah's look shifted to desperation, neither angel wanted this to be the end, but things looked bleak.
"I can't!" then something hit him, "How did you find me?"
"I saved you." Hannah knelt down again, staring Castiel in the eyes.
"No. I don't think you did. I think you told Efram and Jonah to bring me here, and to hurt me, and so you arranged to—to…burst in and save me. You were hoping I would be so grateful that I would do anything you said, that I would tell you anything you wanted to know." He looked so disappointed and Hurt as he looked at Hannah,
"Why, Hannah? We were friends." Had grace been a pawn in this game too, had Hannah planned to use her to get him to talk?
"That was before you freed Metatron…before…the other angels, they hate you."
"And what about you? Do you hate me? Is that why you brought her here? Why you put her in danger?"
"It doesn't matter." Efram and Jonah returned, "We took a vote—democracy in action—and…Hannah's doing the job. Grace Winchester was just an added bonus."
"You don't know who she is, do you?" Castiel's voice was hard, someone he'd thought a friend, had betrayed him, the woman he loved was in fact alive, and now they were using her as a bargaining chip to make him cooperate.
"I won't give you Sam and Dean." Efram grabbed Grace by the hair and lifted her up, body hanging limp, like a marionette.
"Sure you will." Jonah pulled something from behind his back, it was one of Crowley's hacking devices,
"We're gonna pick her brain." This was truly a bad decision on their behalf, no one knew what would happen if they stuck those pins in there.
Efram pulled another chair up, securing the blonde to it with some spare chains they had laying around.
"You don't know what'll happen if you do this." Efram shrugged, "Who cares, if it get's you to talk, it's a win." He secured the contraption to Graces skull.
"You don't understand."
"I understand plenty, Castiel." He looked to Jonah. "Do it." The angel pushed one of the metal rods into graces skull, but got no reaction.
"You said you knew how to do this."
"I watched Naomi…once." Another rod into her skull, Cas tugged on his restraints as graces fingers twitched, ever so slightly.
"Gimme." Efram stepped up to the plate, taking a rod from Jonah, "I hope this one hurts." He stuck another one into Graces cranium, Castiel looked pissed off as Hannah finally stepped in.
"Stop!" another small, almost unnoticeable twitch from the blonde Winchester. Efram socked Hannah as he stepped in, kicking the other angel around, "Get in my way again…you touch me again, and I…will…and you!" Castiel's rage surged and Graces body began to shake, almost like she was having a seizure.
"Uh, Efram…" the angel stopped what he was doing as Castiel broke free of his wooden prison and knocked Efram to the ground, and stabbed Jonah with his own angel blade, Hannah got back to his feet.
"Castiel." On top of the surge of light from Efram stabbing Hannah there was a sudden power surge,
"No!" Castiel pinned Efram to a bean with his cuffs, ignoring the power surge from Grace. As the two angels fought the power build up in the air got stronger, finally, Castiel killed Efram before letting the angels body drop to the floor, dropping the blade as his eyes fell to Grace and Hannah.
"No." he walked towards where the blonde was chained, looking at her with a sad expression, "You were never supposed to get involved." His voice broke as he looked at her face, touching her cheek softly.
"You were never meant to be hurt. It's my fault you're here." He puled the metal rods out, gingerly so as not to do any real damage. Removing the device from her head, he was bewildered as the holes sealed up almost instantly.
"All right, I still don't understand. I mean, I thought the darkness was a woman, not a child"
"Same here. I don't know. maybe whatever I saw wasn't real. Maybe it was a vision.
"Vision?
"yeah."
"Huh."
"Pretty weird."
"Yeah, weird with a weird cherry on a weird top. We gotta get a maid. But, you know, one with a-a little uniform and really big, uh—" sudden rustling from behind the mess drew their attention to what was behind the large pile of books, guns drawn they headed towards it.
There, on the floor, bloody and covered in dirt was Castiel and wit him, their missing sibling.
"Help me."
So. Chapter three of "Shards of Stardust" is finished, this one was difficult to work grace into as she is comatose, but don't worry, she'll be making her big return to action soon, real soon. And you guys are in for some real surprises in upcoming chapters.
Please leave reviews, I enjoy hearing from you :) plus reviews keep me motivated!