[Supernatural: Fiction] "Fusion" [Cas/Dean, G]
Title: Fusion
Author: Ami Ven
Word Count: 1,433
Rating: G
Fandom: Supernatural
Pairing(s): Castiel/Dean Winchester
Character(s): Castiel, Dean Winchester, Sam Winchester, Jack Kline
Setting: canon divergent missing scene to Season 14, vaguely around s14e10 “Nihilism”
Summary Sam and Dean find out about Cas’s deal with the Empty - and come up with a solution.
Fusion
“This is why I didn’t want to tell you,” said Castiel.
His sudden statement startled Sam, who had nearly been asleep with his chin propped on one hand, bent over a very large, very old leather-bound book.
“What?” he said, upright again, then registered what Cas had said and scowled. “Dean’s right, you are a selfish son of a bitch. Of course we want to find a way to get you out of this, Cas. You’ve family, we don’t want to lose you.”
“I don’t want to leave you,” Cas said. “But I can’t see that there is any way out of this. Angels go to the Empty when we die. Even if I hadn’t made this deal, it’s very likely that I will die and go there anyway. And without his grace, Jack won’t be able to revive me.”
“I refuse to believe there isn’t anything we can do,” said Sam, stubbornly.
“This isn’t a demon deal, Sam. There is no contract, no loopholes.”
“But it’s-” Sam cut himself off, then continued slowly, “It’s not like a demon deal?”
“What’s not?” asked Dean, coming into the library with a plate of sandwiches. Jack was right behind him with a six-pack of beer. “What have you figured out?”
Cas frowned. “Nothing.”
“No way. That right there is Sammy’s I just figured something out face.”
“It’s not like a demon deal,” Sam repeated, and reached for a beer. “That’s where we’ve been going at this the wrong way.”
“What do you mean?” asked Jack.
“When humans die,” said Sam, “their souls go to heaven or to hell, depending on choices they’ve made during their lives. Making a demon deal is just a choice, it doesn’t change the rules of how things work.”
“Yeah, we know that,” said Dean. “So what?”
“Human souls go to heaven or hell,” Sam repeated. “And angel grace, apparently, goes to the Empty.”
“That is correct,” said Cas.
“But the Empty can’t take human souls. Since Jack died without his grace, his soul went to heaven. The Empty had to storm heaven to try and take him.”
“You got a point in there, Sammy?” demanded Dean.
His brother frowned. “If Cas had a soul instead of grace, the Empty couldn’t take him.”
“You want him to fall?” said Dean, angrily.
“I don’t want-” Sam began, but Cas interrupted, “It won’t work anyway.”
“What?” said Sam. “Why?”
“If I were to remove my grace, I would be human. But I wouldn’t have a soul, barring me from heaven or hell. Possibly, the Empty would not be able to take me, either, but I have no way to know.”
“Wait,” said Dean. “You’ve been human before. Did you not have a soul then?”
“No I didn’t,” said Cas.
“But Anna…” said Sam, hesitantly.
“Anael fell in her True Form. She was born as a mortal on Earth, and that process gave her a soul. When I was made human, already in this vessel, I was simply without grace.”
“But you weren’t a dick,” said Dean. “People without souls kinda are.”
Cas considered this. “I have never had a soul, so the absence likely could not alter my behavior, as it does with humans.”
“If you don’t have a soul,” said Jack, “could you be given one?”
“How?” asked Cas. “The only way to have a human soul is to be born human.”
There was a sudden thud as Dean brought the front two legs of his chair back down to the floor. “Lily,” he said.
Sam reached over to shift his beer bottle just out of reach.
“Hey,” said Dean, snatching it back. “I’m not drunk, I had an idea. Lily Sunder and her Enochian magic. Using it to do stuff used up bits of her soul. But maybe there’s a spell that can chip off a whole chunk.”
“And do what with it?” Sam asked, incredulous. “Wait, you want to give Cas a… a soul transplant?”
“Why not? She told us that as long as you’ve still got a sliver of soul, you can get into heaven. If Cas got even a piece of a soul, he’d be able to get in.”
“But Cas would still have to give up his grace,” said Jack. “That’s why the Empty wants me, because I am - I was - part angel.”
“And it would be very dangerous,” added Cas. “The human soul is meant to stay intact. Dissolving a small portion with Enochian magic is very different than ‘chipping off a chunk’.”
Dean snorted at the air quotes. “We do dangerous crap every day, Cas.”
“If we weren’t successful,” the angel said, dryly, “the best we could hope for would that it would only kill the two of us. At worst, we would cause an explosion that would destroy the entire state of Kansas.”
“Just Kansas?”
“Dean…”
“Okay, okay, bad idea. So how do we let Cas keep his grace, stop the Empty from getting him, and not blow up any part of the Midwest?”
There was silence for a moment, then Sam said, “Sand art.”
Dean reached over to take his beer. “You want Cas to build a sand castle? You’ve had enough.”
“Not a sand castle,” said Sam, tugging his bottle back. “Sand art. It’s a thing normal kids do, and now they also do them at weddings - different colors of sand get poured into a glass jar to make a pattern.”
Dean tried to take his bottle again, but Cas said, “You’re suggesting we use fusion instead of fission.”
“Right,” said Sam.
“What do you mean?” asked Jack. “Are you going to smash Cas’s grace together with something, like a nuclear reactor?”
“Yes, exactly.”
“With what?” asked Dean.
“Your soul.”
“Oh!” said Jack. “Like soul mates.”
Sam blinked. “Soul mates are real?”
“Not in the way depicted in romance novels, like a predestination,” said Cas. “But, yes. Human souls can grow together, like the branches of two trees. Theoretically, my grace could do the same, but that wouldn’t prevent me from going to the Empty when I die. Soul mates may grow apart while they’re both alive. If both die and go to heaven, their heaven will be shared, but if one remains alive or goes to hell, they will be separated.”
“Could we make that bond stronger, though?” asked Sam.
Cas nodded. “I believe so. My grace is more malleable than a human soul and is used more actively. With a little human magic, I should be able to create an unbreakable bond.”
“Great!” said Sam, but Dean frowned.
“Why does everyone assume Cas wants to use my soul?”
“Dude, you were the one who suggested the soul transplant,” said Sam. “Weren’t you volunteering?”
“I was, for that,” said Dean. “Then you guys started talking about soul mates, and I can’t… why would Cas want mine for that?”
“Because you love him,” said Jack, with childlike surety. When everyone turned to look at him, he added, “That’s one of the things I miss most about not having my grace, not being able to feel how much you both love each other. It was very beautiful.”
“I…” Dean said, faintly. “That’s…”
“We could all kind of see it,” Sam told him softly. “We’re happy for you.”
“That’s…” Dean tried again. “That’s not the problem.”
His brother scowled. “You’re not having some kind of sexual identity freak out, are you? Or is this about your obvious commitment issues.”
Dean scowled back. “Okay, one, I’ve known I was bisexual since before I knew there was a word for it. And, two, did you hear what you’ve been saying, Sammy? If Cas’s grace is stuck to my soul, then when I die, he’s going where I’m going. And I know where I’m going.”
“Dean,” said Cas, on a breath. “Is that what you think?”
They were sitting next to each other at the table, but Dean refused to look at him. “You know what I’ve done, Cas.”
The angel used his superior strength to turn Dean’s chair to face him, but when he rested a hand on Dean’s shoulder, his touch was gentle. “You have saved the world, more than once. You are the Righteous Man. When you die, Dean Winchester, your place is in the highest heaven. You are beloved of God, beloved of the angels - well, no, just one angel.”
“Yeah?” Dean asked, looking up.
Cas smiled. “Very much.”
“Okay!” said Sam, getting up quickly. “Jack, come on, we’re going to go research human bonding magic.”
“And what are we supposed to do?” asked Dean.
Sam grinned. “Start writing your vows.”
THE END
Current Mood:
working
Author: Ami Ven
Word Count: 1,433
Rating: G
Fandom: Supernatural
Pairing(s): Castiel/Dean Winchester
Character(s): Castiel, Dean Winchester, Sam Winchester, Jack Kline
Setting: canon divergent missing scene to Season 14, vaguely around s14e10 “Nihilism”
Summary Sam and Dean find out about Cas’s deal with the Empty - and come up with a solution.
Fusion
“This is why I didn’t want to tell you,” said Castiel.
His sudden statement startled Sam, who had nearly been asleep with his chin propped on one hand, bent over a very large, very old leather-bound book.
“What?” he said, upright again, then registered what Cas had said and scowled. “Dean’s right, you are a selfish son of a bitch. Of course we want to find a way to get you out of this, Cas. You’ve family, we don’t want to lose you.”
“I don’t want to leave you,” Cas said. “But I can’t see that there is any way out of this. Angels go to the Empty when we die. Even if I hadn’t made this deal, it’s very likely that I will die and go there anyway. And without his grace, Jack won’t be able to revive me.”
“I refuse to believe there isn’t anything we can do,” said Sam, stubbornly.
“This isn’t a demon deal, Sam. There is no contract, no loopholes.”
“But it’s-” Sam cut himself off, then continued slowly, “It’s not like a demon deal?”
“What’s not?” asked Dean, coming into the library with a plate of sandwiches. Jack was right behind him with a six-pack of beer. “What have you figured out?”
Cas frowned. “Nothing.”
“No way. That right there is Sammy’s I just figured something out face.”
“It’s not like a demon deal,” Sam repeated, and reached for a beer. “That’s where we’ve been going at this the wrong way.”
“What do you mean?” asked Jack.
“When humans die,” said Sam, “their souls go to heaven or to hell, depending on choices they’ve made during their lives. Making a demon deal is just a choice, it doesn’t change the rules of how things work.”
“Yeah, we know that,” said Dean. “So what?”
“Human souls go to heaven or hell,” Sam repeated. “And angel grace, apparently, goes to the Empty.”
“That is correct,” said Cas.
“But the Empty can’t take human souls. Since Jack died without his grace, his soul went to heaven. The Empty had to storm heaven to try and take him.”
“You got a point in there, Sammy?” demanded Dean.
His brother frowned. “If Cas had a soul instead of grace, the Empty couldn’t take him.”
“You want him to fall?” said Dean, angrily.
“I don’t want-” Sam began, but Cas interrupted, “It won’t work anyway.”
“What?” said Sam. “Why?”
“If I were to remove my grace, I would be human. But I wouldn’t have a soul, barring me from heaven or hell. Possibly, the Empty would not be able to take me, either, but I have no way to know.”
“Wait,” said Dean. “You’ve been human before. Did you not have a soul then?”
“No I didn’t,” said Cas.
“But Anna…” said Sam, hesitantly.
“Anael fell in her True Form. She was born as a mortal on Earth, and that process gave her a soul. When I was made human, already in this vessel, I was simply without grace.”
“But you weren’t a dick,” said Dean. “People without souls kinda are.”
Cas considered this. “I have never had a soul, so the absence likely could not alter my behavior, as it does with humans.”
“If you don’t have a soul,” said Jack, “could you be given one?”
“How?” asked Cas. “The only way to have a human soul is to be born human.”
There was a sudden thud as Dean brought the front two legs of his chair back down to the floor. “Lily,” he said.
Sam reached over to shift his beer bottle just out of reach.
“Hey,” said Dean, snatching it back. “I’m not drunk, I had an idea. Lily Sunder and her Enochian magic. Using it to do stuff used up bits of her soul. But maybe there’s a spell that can chip off a whole chunk.”
“And do what with it?” Sam asked, incredulous. “Wait, you want to give Cas a… a soul transplant?”
“Why not? She told us that as long as you’ve still got a sliver of soul, you can get into heaven. If Cas got even a piece of a soul, he’d be able to get in.”
“But Cas would still have to give up his grace,” said Jack. “That’s why the Empty wants me, because I am - I was - part angel.”
“And it would be very dangerous,” added Cas. “The human soul is meant to stay intact. Dissolving a small portion with Enochian magic is very different than ‘chipping off a chunk’.”
Dean snorted at the air quotes. “We do dangerous crap every day, Cas.”
“If we weren’t successful,” the angel said, dryly, “the best we could hope for would that it would only kill the two of us. At worst, we would cause an explosion that would destroy the entire state of Kansas.”
“Just Kansas?”
“Dean…”
“Okay, okay, bad idea. So how do we let Cas keep his grace, stop the Empty from getting him, and not blow up any part of the Midwest?”
There was silence for a moment, then Sam said, “Sand art.”
Dean reached over to take his beer. “You want Cas to build a sand castle? You’ve had enough.”
“Not a sand castle,” said Sam, tugging his bottle back. “Sand art. It’s a thing normal kids do, and now they also do them at weddings - different colors of sand get poured into a glass jar to make a pattern.”
Dean tried to take his bottle again, but Cas said, “You’re suggesting we use fusion instead of fission.”
“Right,” said Sam.
“What do you mean?” asked Jack. “Are you going to smash Cas’s grace together with something, like a nuclear reactor?”
“Yes, exactly.”
“With what?” asked Dean.
“Your soul.”
“Oh!” said Jack. “Like soul mates.”
Sam blinked. “Soul mates are real?”
“Not in the way depicted in romance novels, like a predestination,” said Cas. “But, yes. Human souls can grow together, like the branches of two trees. Theoretically, my grace could do the same, but that wouldn’t prevent me from going to the Empty when I die. Soul mates may grow apart while they’re both alive. If both die and go to heaven, their heaven will be shared, but if one remains alive or goes to hell, they will be separated.”
“Could we make that bond stronger, though?” asked Sam.
Cas nodded. “I believe so. My grace is more malleable than a human soul and is used more actively. With a little human magic, I should be able to create an unbreakable bond.”
“Great!” said Sam, but Dean frowned.
“Why does everyone assume Cas wants to use my soul?”
“Dude, you were the one who suggested the soul transplant,” said Sam. “Weren’t you volunteering?”
“I was, for that,” said Dean. “Then you guys started talking about soul mates, and I can’t… why would Cas want mine for that?”
“Because you love him,” said Jack, with childlike surety. When everyone turned to look at him, he added, “That’s one of the things I miss most about not having my grace, not being able to feel how much you both love each other. It was very beautiful.”
“I…” Dean said, faintly. “That’s…”
“We could all kind of see it,” Sam told him softly. “We’re happy for you.”
“That’s…” Dean tried again. “That’s not the problem.”
His brother scowled. “You’re not having some kind of sexual identity freak out, are you? Or is this about your obvious commitment issues.”
Dean scowled back. “Okay, one, I’ve known I was bisexual since before I knew there was a word for it. And, two, did you hear what you’ve been saying, Sammy? If Cas’s grace is stuck to my soul, then when I die, he’s going where I’m going. And I know where I’m going.”
“Dean,” said Cas, on a breath. “Is that what you think?”
They were sitting next to each other at the table, but Dean refused to look at him. “You know what I’ve done, Cas.”
The angel used his superior strength to turn Dean’s chair to face him, but when he rested a hand on Dean’s shoulder, his touch was gentle. “You have saved the world, more than once. You are the Righteous Man. When you die, Dean Winchester, your place is in the highest heaven. You are beloved of God, beloved of the angels - well, no, just one angel.”
“Yeah?” Dean asked, looking up.
Cas smiled. “Very much.”
“Okay!” said Sam, getting up quickly. “Jack, come on, we’re going to go research human bonding magic.”
“And what are we supposed to do?” asked Dean.
Sam grinned. “Start writing your vows.”
THE END
Current Mood:
working