TW: Child Abuse
On the floor of a nondescript motel room, a seven-year-old girl lay still. Glistening tear tracks cut trails on her bruised, bloody cheeks as she stared unseeingly at the wall. She had no idea how long it had been since he left her there to go out drinking, but she just hoped he wouldn't be returning any time soon. She didn't dare move because of the pain screaming in every part of her body. He had been relentless in his beatings this time… all because she had dared sneak out in the middle of the night to call her father for help.
She had stopped praying to her guardian angel days ago… He never answered anyway, so there was no point any more. No one was going to save her. This was her life now. As she lay there, she heard the tell-tale sound of a key in the lock and the motel door opened and closed. She couldn't even react because of the pain. If she could have, she would have moved to try and get out of his way. "Have we learned our lesson yet?" he growled, towering over her broken body. "Or are you going to be a bad little bitch and try and get out again?"
She fought to make her voice work, to tell him that no, of course not. She had learned her lesson. But it hurt too much. Her silence angered him even more, and a hard kick to her already-broken ribs sent her rolling across the floor in mountains of pain. More tears leaked from her eyes, but she was far past the point of crying out. She could hear him advancing, but was helpless to stop him. "When will you get it through that useless head of yours? No one can help you. You're mine. And you will do as I say." He rolled her onto her back, pinning her down by her wrists. It was an unnecessary motion- she couldn't get up even if she tried. "It's all your fault we haven't been able to make any more progress," he spat in her face. "I'm having to do everything now thanks to you. If you would just listen to me, we wouldn't have this problem."
She stared up at him with glassy, tearfilled eyes, every word he said going straight to her head. She believed him. That this was all her fault. If she had just listened to him, been a good girl, then he wouldn't have had to hurt her. They could have continued on hunting instead of staying stuck in one spot with nothing to do thanks to her injuries. She had done this to herself. She'd forced his hand. As he continued to yell and hurt her, she zoned out, letting the numbness overtake her.
Castiel landed in the streets of Washington, frowning as he looked around. He was able to get to the general area where Dean had claimed Mack had called him from- he was standing right next to the phone booth where the call had been made- but beyond that, he was at a loss. The phone had been smashed, rendered incapable of further use. Had whoever Mack was with done that? He silently cursed himself for warding her ribs, thus hiding her from him. If he hadn't, then he'd be able to sense her easily.
The street he was on was bustling with people hurrying about their business, moving around the angel in a trench coat that was standing still in the middle of the sidewalk. He concentrated, trying to sense any energies nearby that might tip him off to what had happened to her. It was difficult, considering he didn't even know what he was exactly looking for. Dean had said she sounded scared on the phone, like she was in trouble. This was all his fault.
If he hadn't been so distracted with his dealings with Crowley and the war he'd started in Heaven, then he would have shown up eight months ago when Dean called him for help when Mack first went missing. He wondered if she had been praying to him as well, and he just hadn't heard her. That idea upset him. Heading into the phonebooth, he touched the broken phone, trying to get a reading of who broke it. What he sensed there made the blood in his vessel run cold. What was he doing alive? Crowley had told him he was bringing back Samuel Campbell. But him?
If Crowley was responsible for this, there would be hell to pay. Knowing what to look for now, he concentrated once more on sensing where John Winchester was located.
Useless. Little bitch. All your fault. Your father should have gotten rid of you when I told him to. His words echoed through her head as she lay on her back, staring at the ceiling. He had collapsed onto the bed and passed out after finishing the latest round of beatings, leaving her there with her thoughts. Her eyes fluttered; sleep sounded so good right now. Part of her wished he had beaten her hard enough to knock her out. Then at least she wouldn't have to deal with the pain for a little while. Worthless. Why can't you be a good little bitch and just do what you're told?
A single tear escaped down her cheek and she closed her eyes. Sleep… Yes, sleep was what she needed right now. In her half-conscious mind, she thought she heard the sound of wings. Cas, is that you? Have you come to take me to Heaven? Am I finally going to escape this miserable life I've inflicted on myself? Tell my daddy I love him. Cas stood over the broken body of his charge and felt anger overtake him. On the bed next to her, John Winchester laid passed out. He reeked of alcohol. Now that he was in the room with her, he could sense Mack's fading life-force. "No, bee. Stay with me," he murmured. He reached down, touching her face gently and healing all her injuries. Her eyes fluttered, but ultimately remained shut.
She was at least no longer on the verge of death. Cas set his sights on the man who had done that to her. John Winchester grumbled in his sleep, the alcohol in his system having knocked him out cold. Unable to restrain himself, Cas crossed over to the bed, and snatched him to his feet. Startled, the hunter woke up, staring at the angel with wide eyes. "What the-?"
"How dare you?!" Cas snarled, slamming him hard against the wall of the motel. "She's just a child! You have no right treating her that way!" Anger flashed in John's eyes. "She's a useless little bitch! If Dean had trained her properly instead of coddling her, then maybe I wouldn't have to punish her! Better yet, he should have listened to me and gotten rid of her when that woman dumped her at our doorstep!" Cas was seeing red. "Don't you dare speak of her that way in front of me. You have no idea who you're dealing with."
On the other side of the bed, Mack had woken from the yelling and was staring wide eyed as the angel she never thought she'd see again attacked her captor. "And who exactly am I dealing with?" John spat. The lights in the motel room suddenly shattered, plunging the room into darkness. Outside, lightning flashed and the shadow of Cas' wings spread across the wall. "My name is Castiel, and I'm her guardian angel," Cas growled. John stared at him with wide, fear-filled eyes.
Cas drew back his arm, punching John hard across the face. The hunter was sent sprawling sideways across the bed and Mack rushed out of the way before he could hit her as he fell off the other side. Cas stalked around the bed as John got on his hands and knees. Before he could pull himself to his feet, Cas had grabbed him once more, punching him a second time. This time, John fell back on the bed, knocked out. Before Cas could continue his assault, he felt something pull at his arm. He looked down to see Mack clutching him tightly and looking up at him with pleading eyes.
She didn't say anything, but he instantly relaxed all anger draining out of him. He needed to get her back to Dean. "Let's get out of here, bee," he told her. She nodded and casting one last angry look at John, he took her away. They landed in a motel room, startling both Sam and Dean. "What the- Bug!" Dean exclaimed, spotting his daughter clutching Cas' arm tightly. "Take care of her, Dean. I have something I need to take care of," Cas informed him, then looked down at Mack. "It's okay now, Mack." She stared up at him fearfully, but understood and let go of his arm.
He vanished from the room, heading to Crowley's compound. When he entered, Crowley was wearing a bloody apron and was wiping off a blade. "Aw, feathers. Wondered when I'd be seeing you again." Cas advanced on the demon, pinning him against the wall like he'd done with John. "You brought back John Winchester? Why?!" Crowley raised his eyebrows in surprise. "How did you find out about that?"
"That's not of import. Why did you do it? You said you would be bringing back Samuel to help with the search for Purgatory, and that was it," Cas growled. "Wrong. I did say I was bringing Samuel off the bench, but I never said I wouldn't bring back others. This is an all-hands-on-deck situation, Cassy," Crowley smirked. "John Winchester is better off dead! You should have never brought him back!"
"What is the issue, exactly?" Crowley asked. "Are you not hearing me? All-hands-on-deck situation? Trying to locate the entrance to Purgatory?" Cas fumed, "She nearly died at his hands! If I had arrived just a few moments later-" Crowley stilled, blinking as he stared back at the angel. "Who?" Cas let go of him, turning his back. He closed his eyes, breathing heavily. He ought to go back to John and finish what he started. It was the only way to guarantee she was safe from him. "You can't possibly be talking about the littlest Winchester. I thought she was with Squirrel."
"Well, she wasn't!" Cas shouted, spinning to face Crowley once more. "She ran away and because of what you did, John Winchester kidnapped her and beat her until she was barely still alive!" The king of Hell was silent, mulling over his words. "Why didn't you tell me you planned on bringing him back?!"
"I didn't think it mattered. I'll say again, all-hands-on-deck situation. You didn't… kill him, did you?" Cas glared. "I was ready to, but I had to get her to safety. I simply knocked him out. Though I should go back and finish the job." Crowley stepped forward, protesting. "You can't. There are more pressing matters, angel. And you really should get back to that war of yours. I hear Raphael is temporarily decommissioned, but that won't last forever. Better stay on top of that while you can."
He had a point, unfortunately. Cas was struggling in the fight against Raphael and needed to use this precious time to his advantage. Still livid with anger at the demon, Cas vanished without another word.