Hello all. I would like to thank lemonofweirdness, White-Knight-066, darkeyesgirl, Little Cinch, QueenWoofy and MaddyR for the wonderful reviews. I would also like to thank those of you who have followed and favoured this since my last update.
So here we are the next chapter. I hope you like it.
Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural.
The Winchesters decided there was no reason for them to stay another night in the motel, and it would be better to get on the road. If one angel could find them then there was a chance that another could as well. As such they packed up their stuff and put it in the back of the car. Dean then went and collected Cas, who still hadn't said a word, and strapped him into the backseat of the impala before going round to the driver's side. Once settled he took a quick look in his rear-view mirror at the fledgling sitting in the back who was just sitting there staring out of the window, his face looking like it was made of stone. With sigh he started the drive back to the bunker. Hoping, but fearing that it was misplaced, that once they got back home Cas would have come out of himself.
Castiel didn't understand how he felt. And he thought it was probably because Gabriel had been correct. Angels were not designed to have emotions, so why did he feel them? But that was a question for another time. Right now he was concentrating on the feeling he had got when Gabriel had told him he was leaving. It... It was irrational and made no sense, but he couldn't shake the certainty of it. The feeling told him he would never see Gabriel again, that his big brother would never come back for him. But it wasn't a feeling as if he was worried he would die… no it was more like the feeling was telling him that… that Gabriel would desert him. And it seemed to say that it wouldn't be the first time. Which made no sense, Gabriel had never deserted him and never would. So why did he feel like he had? He didn't understand and there was no one he could talk to about it. Because however much he liked Dean and Sam, they weren't his family, they weren't angels. They could never understand these feelings. And that…that just made him feel all the more alone. And he did not like feeling alone. It scared him.
Then of course there was the other things running through his mind that he could not process. Gabriel had not wanted him to go with him, why? Did Gabriel not like him? Was he ashamed of him? He wasn't stupid, he knew that when Dean and Gabriel had gone outside it was to talk about him. He had a feeling that there was something they weren't telling him, something big that affected him personally. But he had no idea what it could be. I mean what was a fledgling to the grand scheme of the world? Though of course there were those things he couldn't explain. Like how he knew things he shouldn't. Like Ephraim's name, like the fact that this car was an impala, like Dean. The way Dean had recognised him when he had first come to earth had never truly been explained. And then there was the fact that Gabriel had told him that the apocalypse would happen when he was grown, and yet it seemed to have been and gone. So the question was, what was he missing? What was it the Winchesters and his brother weren't telling him?
He no longer knew what to think or who to trust, as such he decided the best course of action was to stay silent, to remove himself from the world. That way none could hurt him.
Gabriel waited, not that it took long. The first angels arrived a few minutes after he had activated the horn. When they saw who was standing in front of them they were in awe, he suddenly started remembering one of the reasons heaven used to annoy him so much. He hated having the angel's faun over him as if he was something special. Cos he wasn't. Yeah he had more power, but that just meant that his mistakes were bigger, no more no less. It was half an hour in to the arrival that he saw a glimmer of hope in the form of Hannah. He remembered that she had been the one to track down Dean, which to be honest was not an easy feet, therefore he guessed she at least had a brain. He also knew she was rational and would follow orders. As such, seeing as she was here and the best of the bunch, he decided he would make her his second in command, for now at least. That decided he walked over to her and was glad to find that she didn't fall over herself to do his bidding, strange as that may seem. He kinda liked how she treated him as she did the rest. In fact, she was kinda similar to Castiel in that respect.
"Hannah, can we talk?" He asked as he got to her.
"Of course commander." She replied in a clipped obedient voice. And when he turned and walked away to the office he had found at the back of the building that he had taken as his own she followed him.
"Okay I'm not going to beat around the bush here, I haven't been involved in heaven for a while. You on the over hand I believe have been right there through it all. So I was thinking, we pool our ideas and thoughts and together you and I can sort this mob." He said as he sat in the chair behind the disused desk and gestured for her to take the one in front.
"Am I correct in assuming you are asking me to be your second in command?" Hannah asked, not entirely sure what Gabriel had just said meant, but she thought she understood the point.
"Bingo." Gabriel replied with a smile. See she had a brain, she could understand him and everything.
"Why?" Hannah asked. She was confused, there were many others who were better qualified for such a position than herself, and yet Gabriel had picked her out of the crowd. She didn't think she had done anything to show him her usefulness, she had only just arrived after all.
"Cos you've got a brain." Gabriel replied with a shrug. He wasn't about to tell her how he knew that. But then that was the good thing about angels, they didn't often question their commanders. Though with Hannah…
"I would have thought that there are others, more qualified for such a position." Hannah replied.
"Such as?" Gabriel challenged. He liked how she didn't just jump at the chance. She was obviously not the power hungry type, which to be honest was a good thing.
"Well Bartholomew and Malachi are the leaders of two rebel factions, then there is Rebecca. I would imagine any one of them would be suitable." Hannah stated as if that was obvious. Though the names she reeled off made Gabriel shudder, no thank you.
"Yeah, no. Barty just wants power and control, far to like Naomi in my mind, Malachi is a rebel and just wants to burn everything, and as for Rebecca she's all about peace and love, which yeah is great and all, but I want to find a way to get us back into heaven, not live on earth." He explained knocking down each of her suggestions.
"There is one other who I believe would make you the best second in command but…" Hannah said, though she trailed off at the end, as if not sure that she should speak the name she was thinking. Which of course made Gabriel extremely intrigued about just who she was going to suggest.
"Spit it out Hannah, tell me who you think I should give this job to if you're not taking it." He said bluntly.
"I am happy to be your second in command, commander, but…" and once again Hannah trailed off making Gabriel roll his eyes and for a second, only a second mind, he missed how Dean would just say whatever was on his mind without thought to him.
"Just say it for dad's sake." He uttered.
With that Hannah took a deep breath and sat up straight. Gabriel was a fair leader, he would not smite her for her opinion, she hoped. "I believe Castiel would be a better option." She said with a confidence she didn't truly feel.
At that Gabriel just stared at her open mouthed. Did she really just suggest…?
"Cassie- I mean Castiel? Really?" He asked completely bemused by this conversation now.
"He is a good leader, and he has what is best for us at heart. Though yes, he may care for some humans too much." Hannah defended her recommendation. At her last sentence Gabriel glared as he replied sternly.
"There's no such thing as caring for humans too much Hannah, remember that, just as there is no such thing as having too much heart."
"You have changed from the Gabriel I remember. You are very like him." Hannah observed as he defended caring for humans, she wondered who it was that had effected the archangel in this way.
"What spending time on earth does to you kiddo. And yes you're right, I would love nothing more than to have Castiel as my second in command but I can't." Gabriel replied leaning back and letting go of his sudden defence of his brother. He was going to have to keep his cool around this lot of sycophants.
"Why not?" Hannah asked before she could think better of it.
"Because he's gone." Gabriel replied plaining wondering what she would do with that information. He needed to be careful here, he couldn't tell her too much, but he did need to tell her some.
"Castiel is dead?" Hannah asked with a gasp. She did not want that to be true.
"Yes and no. Metatron stole his grace to complete the spell to expel all angels from heaven." Gabriel explained.
"So he is human?" Hannah asked, not sure what he was trying to say.
"No, he's gone. But I'm hoping that if I can reverse the spell then I can get his grace and bring him back." Gabriel replied watching her reactions like a hawk. He needed to know if she was with him on this one or not.
"Is that possible?" Hannah asked hope starting to fill her eyes.
"I have someone working out that right now." Gabriel shrugged. He didn't want to mentions the Winchesters if he could help it. The less who knew of his connection to them the better.
"Who?" Hannah asked curious who would be so knowledgeable about such a thing?
"Need to know Hannah, need to know." Gabriel replied with a smile which clearly said don't go there. Hannah got the message and instead changed the conversation back to the topic that he had called her in to discuss.
"In that case I will gladly stand as your second in command until such time as Castiel is returned to us." She replied with a nod.
"You have a lot of faith in him don't you?" Gabriel asked with a softer smile now he had got what he wanted from her.
"After Michael and Lucifer went into the cage, he said much which resonated inside me." Hannah explained making Gabriel smile even more. Yes he really had picked the right angel as his second in command.
"That's good Hannah, very good. Work on that." He said causing the angel in front of him to give him a confused look, not that he would explain what he meant by that. Where would be the fun if he told her everything? Plus it was though discovery you learnt, or some rubbish like that anyway. "But right now I need to know whose here and what duties they had in heaven. I guess I'm also going to have to arrange a met with the other faction leaders somehow." He said as he thought over what it was he needed to do as the new commander. Damn it sounded boring and tedious to say the least.
"I will get a list of those present for you commander and see if any of them where once members of the factions to see what information they have." Hannah replied instantly standing preparing to go and do as he requested.
"Thank you Hannah." Gabriel replied and with a nod she left. Hmm, maybe with her around it wouldn't be so bad. With that thought he leaned back in the chair and put his feet up on the desk as he tried to run through what he would need to do, say and organise over the next few days. Though his mind instead drifted back to the image of Castiel's dull eyes and lack of reaction when Gabriel left him. No he needed to stop thinking about that, he was doing this for him. He was doing this for Cassie.