Reborn: The Church
Title: Reborn
Author: Aithilin
Rating: G - Subject to change later
Genre: General (subject to change), AU
Warnings: Season 5 spoilers, "John Winchester's Journal" spoilers, maybe.
Pairing: Eventual Dean/Castiel
Disclaimer: All recognizable characters were created by, and belong to, Kripke and company. Likenesses belong to respective actors.
Summary: Discontent in Heaven, Castiel Falls and becomes reborn as a mortal.
Author’s Notes: Wow, it's been a while.
-----------------
There was nothing calmer than the dead of night in a rural church. Peace and safety exuded from the stone and wood that held the small sanctuary together and slipped into the vicarage like the essence of the Holy Spirit itself was keeping things together. It seemed like the sort of place that really brought the local community together while still offering the same sort of sanctity and blessing to whatever hunters travelled through the area.
Gabriel thought it was all a load of shit. But he was there anyway.
He had a job to do and a promise to keep, so he stood in the centre of the church proper- wings stretched out behind him as far as he could make them go. Something like feathers grazed the edges of the pews, and a brief thought of the good luck that’d visit whoever sat there in the coming days amused him. His grace was intricately tied to the wings, splaying out across and through the building like a cloak of the holiest thing to touch that church throughout its existence. It spread through the ornate carvings on the wooden rafters and beams, and pressed against the stained glass saints who were supposed to be watching over these things.
It was a neat trick he had picked up: revealing his grace to almost his former glory without letting his brethren pinpoint his exact location. Really, it was something he had needed to learn when he pulled a fast one on Baldur and had to get out of sight really fast. If anyone up in Heaven was paying attention to the goings on of earth, they might catch a glimpse of him doing his thing. But it was a miracle in itself if the Host gave the slightest damn about what was going on in the humans' paradise. His brethren's intense disinterest in the mortal world had only made it easier to hide when he wanted to. No matter how close another angel was- and no matter how determined they were to find a Fallen brother- the grace of an archangel obliterated any hits on the angel radar. It was something of an ego boost, to be sure.
So he stood, in the dead of night, in the middle of a church in some town called Blue Earth, revealing enough of his true form to listen in on the static chatter of the family he pretended not to care about anymore.
He was there for a reason. Castiel had been sent to the church-- or rather, the Pastor running the church-- for a "summer vacation". Gabriel never understood the whole "school" thing, but he figured that knowledge shouldn't be limited to the rich and religious like it used to be, so he stayed out of the way after checking in on the kid every few years. And, this "vacation" thing was something he could approve of; even if it did include the younger Winchester kid. But he had promised that the kid would be safe, and so he created a shield around the kid, tucking him out of holy sight for the time being. He figured that a good deed here and there was a good break from his pagan duties.
"You're an angel, aren't you?"
Shit.
Everything-- grace, wings-- folded neatly back into his vessel and he offered a lazy smirk to the sleepy kid in the doorway. "Jeeze, kiddo; don't you ever sleep?"
"Are you?"
"Kid," Gabriel threw his arms wide with an expectant look, daring the kid-- Cas-- to accuse him of anything. "Do I look like an angel?"
There was a moment of hesitation-- and a flicker of recognition that he really hoped had nothing to do with buried memories-- before tired blue eyes narrowed. "I saw wings. Four wings."
That earned a frown as Gabriel let his arms drop and he looked over the boy carefully. The kid was tired, anyone could tell that, but his eyes were focused, and Gabriel knew that this wasn't something he could just pass off as a sleep-deprived delusion. "Kid…" At the very least, he could figure out how to distract the kid- he’d known the boy, literally, since his conception. “What are you doing here?”
“I couldn’t sleep.”
“I meant here, kiddo. Out here in the middle of nowhere.”
“Are you going to tell me about the wings if I tell you?”
“Yes.” Gabriel could be honest about that. If he could hide from the entire Host of Heaven, he could figure out how to deal with one curious child.
There was a moment of hesitation from Castiel- a brief moment that Gabriel took advantage of to get as comfortable as anyone could be on a pew in the middle of the night. He was joined by the kid and had to wonder if no one had ever actually told Cas about not trusting strangers. “Spill it, kiddo.”
“My dad’s on a hunt.”
“What’s he hunting?”
“Some monster that’s eating people in Wisconsin. He doesn’t know what it is yet, but Mr. Winchester is with him.” Gabriel wondered if anyone had ever actually sat the kid down to explain that hunting wasn’t something you talked about with strangers. But he supposed that he wasn’t really a stranger. “So Sam and I get to stay with Pastor Jim and help him.”
“You like hanging out in a church, kiddo?’
There was a moment where Gabriel could see the angel in human skin. Blue eyes had focused on the stained glass image above the altar and hidden in the clerestories, and Gabriel wondered just why the angel fell when there was still so much faith there. He was calm and disciplined- having completely skipped the traumatizing fears that the little red-headed angel a few states away had Fallen into. Never one for silence, Gabriel was about to crack a joke, verbally prod the kid, or physically prod him into action again- anything to make him stop being so damned angelic.
“I like it. I like being with Sammy, and helping Pastor Jim.” There’s a small smile and Castiel refocuses on the situation at hand. “And I get to meet angels.”
“You met me well before this, kiddo.”
“I guess. I still remember what you taught me. It’s Enochian, isn’t it? Pastor Jim has a book about it.”
Every angel in creation knew that there were books detailing small things- and big things- like that floating around. But Gabriel hadn’t actually considered the possibility that there might be one so close. He’d have to check it out, and maybe do some editing. The idea sprung to mind that he should teach the kid some Enochian insults or swear words. It’d be fun.
“So what did you want me to tell you, kid?”
“Who are you?”
“Just who I said I am before.” Gabriel smirked, already knowing what he had to do. A little knowledge could be a dangerous thing. Hunters didn’t need to know about everything out there, and he was happy to play the pagan trickster for a while longer. “Call me Gabriel.”
“The archangel? The Messenger?”
“That’s the one.”
“Then why are you here?”
Oh, this kid could be fun. Curiosity was always a trait that Gabriel admired. All the same, he had promised himself to look out for the little Fallen angels hanging around under his watch. He smirked, snapped his fingers, and watched the kid crumple- sliding from the pew and onto the floor in a dead sleep. He worked fast to repress the memories of Heaven bubbling to the surface of the kid’s mind, and buried them as deep as he could. He left the Enochian charms and sigils alone, but hid the wings, the talk, everything from before the soul was formed when Grace was pulled away. Another snap and the kid was in a borrowed bed in the vicarage.
“Good question, kiddo.”
Gabriel relaxed back in the pew again, contemplating the saints and stained glass once more. He liked the little church. Even if all the calm and peace was a load of crap.
Author: Aithilin
Rating: G - Subject to change later
Genre: General (subject to change), AU
Warnings: Season 5 spoilers, "John Winchester's Journal" spoilers, maybe.
Pairing: Eventual Dean/Castiel
Disclaimer: All recognizable characters were created by, and belong to, Kripke and company. Likenesses belong to respective actors.
Summary: Discontent in Heaven, Castiel Falls and becomes reborn as a mortal.
Author’s Notes: Wow, it's been a while.
-----------------
There was nothing calmer than the dead of night in a rural church. Peace and safety exuded from the stone and wood that held the small sanctuary together and slipped into the vicarage like the essence of the Holy Spirit itself was keeping things together. It seemed like the sort of place that really brought the local community together while still offering the same sort of sanctity and blessing to whatever hunters travelled through the area.
Gabriel thought it was all a load of shit. But he was there anyway.
He had a job to do and a promise to keep, so he stood in the centre of the church proper- wings stretched out behind him as far as he could make them go. Something like feathers grazed the edges of the pews, and a brief thought of the good luck that’d visit whoever sat there in the coming days amused him. His grace was intricately tied to the wings, splaying out across and through the building like a cloak of the holiest thing to touch that church throughout its existence. It spread through the ornate carvings on the wooden rafters and beams, and pressed against the stained glass saints who were supposed to be watching over these things.
It was a neat trick he had picked up: revealing his grace to almost his former glory without letting his brethren pinpoint his exact location. Really, it was something he had needed to learn when he pulled a fast one on Baldur and had to get out of sight really fast. If anyone up in Heaven was paying attention to the goings on of earth, they might catch a glimpse of him doing his thing. But it was a miracle in itself if the Host gave the slightest damn about what was going on in the humans' paradise. His brethren's intense disinterest in the mortal world had only made it easier to hide when he wanted to. No matter how close another angel was- and no matter how determined they were to find a Fallen brother- the grace of an archangel obliterated any hits on the angel radar. It was something of an ego boost, to be sure.
So he stood, in the dead of night, in the middle of a church in some town called Blue Earth, revealing enough of his true form to listen in on the static chatter of the family he pretended not to care about anymore.
He was there for a reason. Castiel had been sent to the church-- or rather, the Pastor running the church-- for a "summer vacation". Gabriel never understood the whole "school" thing, but he figured that knowledge shouldn't be limited to the rich and religious like it used to be, so he stayed out of the way after checking in on the kid every few years. And, this "vacation" thing was something he could approve of; even if it did include the younger Winchester kid. But he had promised that the kid would be safe, and so he created a shield around the kid, tucking him out of holy sight for the time being. He figured that a good deed here and there was a good break from his pagan duties.
"You're an angel, aren't you?"
Shit.
Everything-- grace, wings-- folded neatly back into his vessel and he offered a lazy smirk to the sleepy kid in the doorway. "Jeeze, kiddo; don't you ever sleep?"
"Are you?"
"Kid," Gabriel threw his arms wide with an expectant look, daring the kid-- Cas-- to accuse him of anything. "Do I look like an angel?"
There was a moment of hesitation-- and a flicker of recognition that he really hoped had nothing to do with buried memories-- before tired blue eyes narrowed. "I saw wings. Four wings."
That earned a frown as Gabriel let his arms drop and he looked over the boy carefully. The kid was tired, anyone could tell that, but his eyes were focused, and Gabriel knew that this wasn't something he could just pass off as a sleep-deprived delusion. "Kid…" At the very least, he could figure out how to distract the kid- he’d known the boy, literally, since his conception. “What are you doing here?”
“I couldn’t sleep.”
“I meant here, kiddo. Out here in the middle of nowhere.”
“Are you going to tell me about the wings if I tell you?”
“Yes.” Gabriel could be honest about that. If he could hide from the entire Host of Heaven, he could figure out how to deal with one curious child.
There was a moment of hesitation from Castiel- a brief moment that Gabriel took advantage of to get as comfortable as anyone could be on a pew in the middle of the night. He was joined by the kid and had to wonder if no one had ever actually told Cas about not trusting strangers. “Spill it, kiddo.”
“My dad’s on a hunt.”
“What’s he hunting?”
“Some monster that’s eating people in Wisconsin. He doesn’t know what it is yet, but Mr. Winchester is with him.” Gabriel wondered if anyone had ever actually sat the kid down to explain that hunting wasn’t something you talked about with strangers. But he supposed that he wasn’t really a stranger. “So Sam and I get to stay with Pastor Jim and help him.”
“You like hanging out in a church, kiddo?’
There was a moment where Gabriel could see the angel in human skin. Blue eyes had focused on the stained glass image above the altar and hidden in the clerestories, and Gabriel wondered just why the angel fell when there was still so much faith there. He was calm and disciplined- having completely skipped the traumatizing fears that the little red-headed angel a few states away had Fallen into. Never one for silence, Gabriel was about to crack a joke, verbally prod the kid, or physically prod him into action again- anything to make him stop being so damned angelic.
“I like it. I like being with Sammy, and helping Pastor Jim.” There’s a small smile and Castiel refocuses on the situation at hand. “And I get to meet angels.”
“You met me well before this, kiddo.”
“I guess. I still remember what you taught me. It’s Enochian, isn’t it? Pastor Jim has a book about it.”
Every angel in creation knew that there were books detailing small things- and big things- like that floating around. But Gabriel hadn’t actually considered the possibility that there might be one so close. He’d have to check it out, and maybe do some editing. The idea sprung to mind that he should teach the kid some Enochian insults or swear words. It’d be fun.
“So what did you want me to tell you, kid?”
“Who are you?”
“Just who I said I am before.” Gabriel smirked, already knowing what he had to do. A little knowledge could be a dangerous thing. Hunters didn’t need to know about everything out there, and he was happy to play the pagan trickster for a while longer. “Call me Gabriel.”
“The archangel? The Messenger?”
“That’s the one.”
“Then why are you here?”
Oh, this kid could be fun. Curiosity was always a trait that Gabriel admired. All the same, he had promised himself to look out for the little Fallen angels hanging around under his watch. He smirked, snapped his fingers, and watched the kid crumple- sliding from the pew and onto the floor in a dead sleep. He worked fast to repress the memories of Heaven bubbling to the surface of the kid’s mind, and buried them as deep as he could. He left the Enochian charms and sigils alone, but hid the wings, the talk, everything from before the soul was formed when Grace was pulled away. Another snap and the kid was in a borrowed bed in the vicarage.
“Good question, kiddo.”
Gabriel relaxed back in the pew again, contemplating the saints and stained glass once more. He liked the little church. Even if all the calm and peace was a load of crap.