Chapter Fifty-Six
Rough Landing
Valerius Estate: August 19, 2010 – Night
There was absolutely zero grace to their landing. Dean groaned and rolled over to check on the basket of angelic wolf pups, worried he may have hurt them in the landing.
"Ya'll okay?" he asked breathlessly.
He received four yips that he decided were cheerful enough to be counted as agreement. He sat up, helping Castiel do the same. His angel was extremely dazed, so Dean stayed seated on the ground with him. He saw Crowley pacing a few feet away and was about to ask if he was okay when another bang filled the air. Azrial and Gabriel appeared a good foot off the ground and fell with a painful-sounding crash. Azrial was clawing, punching, and cursing Gabriel. Her fingers had sharp-looking shadows forming around her nails, and Dean saw them connect rather viciously with Gabriel's cheek. Blood, though that was only a guess since it was gold, leaked from the wound, and Gabriel pinned Azrial to the ground.
"Calm down," Gabriel somehow managed to keep his thrashing sister pressed to the ground, proving he was her equal in strength despite rarely showing it.
"I could have killed him!" Azrial spat. "You stopped me from avenging my flock!"
"Azrial, use your fucking head!" Gabriel screamed, baring his teeth at her.
The clearing fell into silence, and Dean felt Castiel stiffen next to him. Not that he blamed his mate. Gabriel wasn't one to lose his temper or raise his voice. The only time Dean had seen the archangel this pissed off was when he received the news of several of his flock dying.
"Your temper could have cost us everything," Gabriel said coldly. "I'm positive you could have splattered Raphael's smug face all over the countryside, but what then?"
The demand hung in the air like poison. Azrial froze under Gabriel and took on a ghostly pale sheen. The shadows at her fingers vanished, and her eyes faded back to their normal dark blue color.
"I didn't think-" she began, but Gabriel cut her off.
"No, you fucking didn't." Gabriel sighed in frustration as he released Azrial and got to his feet. "Thankfully, I was able to get a bit of payback while stopping that train wreck."
Azrial shakily pushed to her feet. "What did you do?" she asked.
"Covered our asses," Gabriel snapped. Azrial winced, but Gabriel didn't stop. "I put a curse of silence on him. It's strong, and unless Michael notices, we should be safe."
"Gabe," Azrial said as she tried to approach him.
He held out a hand, halting her. "No. That was dumb as hell, Azrial. I'm pissed. You need to start thinking shit through. You were never this impulsive before."
Dean thought it may have been kinder just to slap her. Azrial looked sick and was shaking despite the balmy weather.
"Gabe, I'm sorry," Azrial whispered. "Please, talk to me."
"Go settle your flock," Gabriel ordered—actually fucking ordered—her. "I'll come find you once I've calmed down."
Gabriel flew from the clearing, leaving a painful silence behind. Samael padded over to where they were still seated on the ground and picked up the basket with his mouth. Mora did the same with the one Balthazar had, and Dina flew into the basket with a few sad chirps. Azrial walked out of the clearing, refusing to meet anyone's eyes as Samael and Mora trailed behind her. It left a distinct heaviness in the air.
"I'm gonna go take a nap," he finally said. He pushed to his feet and nodded to Balthazar and Crowley. "Thanks for coming to help us."
He snagged Castiel's hand, pulling him along with him. The exhaustion was quickly catching up with him, and he wanted to wash the dirt and grime off his body before falling into bed. At least the mission was an overall success despite the brush with disaster.
Line Break
Bobby looked up from the book he was reading in the armchair near the bedroom window. Azrial quietly entered with a faraway look in her eyes. He hadn't heard anything about the group since Balthazar, Castiel, and Crowley had rushed to help them. They'd clearly made it back, but he dreaded the news, given Azrial's appearance. She was disheveled, and her hair was sticking up in several directions. She looked like she'd gone several rounds in a bar fight and was still expecting another hit.
"Hey," he said softly. "How'd it go?"
"We found twelve of them, including Samael and Mora." She ran a hand down her face and took a deep breath. "I haven't asked, but suffice to say the others are likely dead."
He winced, unsure what to say to her. It wasn't like the possibility hadn't existed. They'd even reached the point where they expected all the angels would be dead. In some ways, this was the better outcome. In others, it highlighted just how much was lost before they even began fighting.
"You don't have to say anything," she said quietly. "Nothing would, well, everything would feel wrong, you know?"
"I know," he said. "I just wish there was something I could do for you."
She nodded, pulling a stick out of her hair with a frown. "They're stuck in animal forms. I was thinking of spending the night with them to help them acclimate. They must be freaking out with all this change."
Bobby shut his book, setting it aside. Azrial continued to pick leaves and clumps of dirt out of her hair with an annoyed sigh.
"You seem upset," he said carefully. "About more than just your flock. Do you want to talk about it?"
"Gabriel bit my head off," she muttered. "I deserved it, but what he said is eating at me."
"What he say?"
"That I was never this impulsive before." Azrial brushed her fingers through her hair, staring at her reflection in the window nearby. "I tried to attack Raphael."
Bobby felt a touch of dread boil in his chest. Not because she'd tried to attack the bastard, but because he'd been so close to her. It was the same fear that would fester in his chest when Sam and Dean went on particularly dangerous hunts.
"How did he know you were there?" he finally asked.
"He's the one who trapped my flock. When Gabriel ripped down the curse holding them there," she shrugged. "I don't really understand how it works, but it must have alerted him somehow."
"So, when you saw him, you attacked without thinking."
"Yeah."
"Azrial," he said carefully. "That's not abnormal, you know that, right?"She gave a non-committal shrug. He stood up, moving to stand in front of her, and gently lifted her chin. "You do know that, right?"
"I'm supposed to be in control," she muttered. "Gabriel was right; it was impulsive to the point of recklessness. If I managed to kill Raphael, we all would have been exposed. Our tactical advantage, which we desperately need, would be gone."
"What you're saying is you need to be perfect. Like a mindless solider without feeling."
Her mouth opened, then shut. He knew that would hit a bit too close to home. He remembered what Castiel had been like. What other angels they met were like if they hadn't cut ties with Heaven. While he understood Gabriel's initial anger, he hoped the older archangel would realize what he was asking of Azrial was callous and hypocritical once he calmed down.
"Look, it could have been bad," Bobby admitted, "But I'm gonna assume it all worked out since you aren't freaking out."
"Gabriel fixed it."
He hummed, having figured as much. "Then just move forward. We're all entitled to a fuck up here and there. Striving for perfection isn't going to change that. Besides, you've handled the bulk of this BS with grace."
She looked skeptical. "You don't think I need to have more control?"
"Not unless you want the angelic equivalent of a heart attack," he deadpanned. "Would you expect Castiel to have complete control over his emotions all the time?"
"No, but—" she began, but he decided he wasn't letting her go without proving his point.
"What about Balthazar?"
"Well, no. That isn't—"
"And Gabriel?"
She was quiet for a moment but slowly shook her head as he released her chin.
"No," she said softly. "I wouldn't. It isn't natural."
"Then don't hold yourself to something you don't expect anyone else to do. It isn't fair to yourself."
She laughed weakly, leaning her forehead against his shoulder. He felt her take a deep breath before pulling away. "Thank you."
"You're welcome. Is there anything else I can do?"
"Maybe check on Dean and Castiel?" she suggested. "I really think it's best to be with my flock until we can figure out why they are stuck as animals. More importantly, if they had vessels before it happened."
"Shit, that's a good point. What will happen if they didn't?"
"Gabriel and I will have to put together golems to hold their grace until the battle. It's going to exhaust us, though, so it will happen once Gabriel pulls us into his dimension."
"At least try to rest while you are with them," he said softly. "We both know you need it."
"I'll do my best, but I won't make any promises." She leaned up and kissed him softly. "Thank you again. I think I needed to hear that. I'll try and talk to Gabriel once he cools off."
"Good idea," he said. "I'll see you for breakfast?"
"Yeah, I'll make sure of it. Even if it has to be down at the camp."
"How bout we plan for that. It will be easier if any of your flock decides to follow you around."
This time, when she smiled, it reached her eyes. "What did I do to deserve you?"
"Don't know, but I can think of a way for you to repay me."
She laughed, and he pulled her in for one more kiss, happy he'd been able to help her feel a bit better despite the shitty circumstances.
Line Break
Dean yawned, making his way down to the camp with Sam and Castiel. He'd heard Bobby say that he'd be grabbing breakfast down here so he could see Azrial before the day got hectic. It was too damn early in his opinion, but the Romans seemed to wake with the sun. Bunch of weirdos, especially since they didn't need coffee to do it.
"Did you sleep at all?" Sam teased.
"You really want the answer to that question?" Dean snarked, making Castiel chuckle.
"Ya know what, I don't," Sam said with a fake gagging sound.
Dean went to respond when he heard barking followed by laughter. They had to break through a circle of people, though most parted once they recognized them. He saw Bobby standing next to Cassius, both laughing. He made his way over to them, expecting Sam and Castiel to follow, and noticed what had everyone so was in her wolf form and playing keep away with the strap Marcus used to secure his sword. The man was losing in spectacular fashion since every time he got close to Azrial, Mora or Samael would knock into his body. It would trip him up just enough that he wasn't able to grab the piece of leather. All three looked extremely smug as they toyed with the man. Azrial's ears perked up slightly, and she turned toward him.
"Don't," Dean said warningly.
He knew that look. Big dogs gave that look when they were about to tackle you. Azrial tossed the strap to Mora, who darted away from Marcus with barely a look as the man cursed. Azrial pawed the ground, clearly trying to get a rise out of him.
"You tackle me, and I throw you in a kennel," he threatened. "I ain't dating you and don't need to put up with your harassment."
Dean was positive she was laughing at him, but she didn't jump. She turned and trotted toward Bobby, shifting back into human form so fluidly, it happened in the span of a blink. She was dressed in a sports bra and yoga pants with her hair braided down her back, clearly planning on doing a lot of moving around today. He didn't blame her for wanting to wear something light and breathable. While the summer sun was comfortable now, he knew it would be brutal by the afternoon. He was even getting a tan from spending so much time outside. Bobby waved them over, and they went to join the man just as Marcus shouted in triumph.
"Morning," Azrial chirped, ignoring the glare Marcus was shooting at her back. Not that it seemed malicious, more just faux annoyance at the early morning workout she put him through.
"You all have too much energy," Dean bemoaned. "Without coffee even."
Cassius chuckled as Bobby handed Dean a thermos. "Truthfully, I do not know how you drink it," Cassius said.
"I live on it," Dean said flatly, taking a swig of the black coffee. "And thankfully, Bobby and I drink it the same."
"'Cause neither of you have any taste buds left," Sam added.
"It's not that bad," Castiel said, taking the thermos from him with a smile. "Besides, I'm not letting Azrial beat Dean and I up without caffeine."
"Maybe I should give it another try," Marcus grumbled good-naturedly. "That way, when she sneaks in and steals my supplies, I have the energy to chase after her."
"You were outnumbered, brother," Cassius said, patting the man on the shoulder. "No shame in a valiant loss."
"I can kill you in your sleep," Marcus said.
"You would miss me before the day was out."
Dean snorted, guessing this was an old argument between the two. They looked extremely at ease, and Azrial was watching them with warm eyes and a slight smile. It softened her features, bleeding some of the stress away. Samael trotted over to sit next to Azrial, though Mora wandered off through the camp. Dean wasn't blind to the respect that every soldier gave the trapped angel. Some bowed, others nodded, and even more politely greeted her. It was so wildly different from what would have happened to Mora if she were around hunters. Dean winced at the thought, remembering what else he had to do today.
"Hey, Azrial," he began carefully. "Sam and I need a favor."
She glanced at him. "If your father wants to grace us with his wonderful presence, it needs to be tonight," she said. "Tomorrow, Gabriel and I are going to be working on protecting the property. It's going to be exhausting, and I won't have the patience for his nonsense."
"How did you know what I was going to ask?" he demanded.
"You look like you're walking to your death," she said flatly. "Our training doesn't induce thatmuch dread."
Dean winced, and Sam patted his back. "She ain't wrong," Sam admitted.
"Don't team up on me; it's too early," he bemoaned. "Just for that, youget to invite them."
Sam sighed but didn't seem upset about it. "Cassius, when are we working together?"
"Oh, I get you all day," the redhead said cheerfully.
"Wait, what?" Sam asked, bewildered.
Dean snorted as his brother was pulled away, though it quickly turned to laughter at the panicked look Sam shot him. The two were gone before Dean could have done anything for him anyway.
"Well, what about us?" Dean asked. "Cas need to go drop his body?"
"Yeah. Meet Marcus and I in the sparring pit."
"Do I have time to get a full cup of coffee?" he asked hopefully.
"Only if you bring me one," she said.
"Deal. See you in, like, fifteen."
She nodded, turning to speak quietly with Bobby and Marcus. He could tell it had quickly become a private conversation, so he grabbed Castiel's hand, and they made their way back toward the house.
"You ready for tonight?" Castiel asked.
"No," Dean said. "But no one is ever ready to deal with my father. Trust me."
"Oh, I do. Believe me."
Dean squeezed Castiel's hand, glad that he wasn't dealing with this alone. At least he was surrounded by family. That made this easier. Hopefully, it was enough to get them through dinner.