09x06 - No Quarter - Part Three: Every Step
Episode Number: 09x06 of Season 9 Fan Fiction (S9FF)
Title: No Quarter
Subtitle: Every Step
Author: dracox-serdriel
Word Count: 2,593
Rating: R
Warnings: language, violence
Status: Complete.
Purgatory. May 25, 2013.
Benny never liked running. His legs weren't made for it, and surely his temperament wasn't either. Five days straight of nothing but running left him agitated. The Alpha Shifter sent him to a dragon-ridden sector of purgatory, which meant the entire layer had sentries patrolling the skies. He bumped into the occasional skinwalker or shifter here, but so far he was the sole vampire in this land. Benny was an easy target.
He'd grown tired of this place in the few days he'd been here. As much as it hurt, Benny decide it was time to do something very stupid so he'd be blasted to another level.
Benny started a fire on a large tree out in an opening. Sentries spotted the smoke and three of them touched down around the vampire. Benny knew there were different types of dragons. The newer dragons had fire, flying, and strength, but the older dragons came from a different stock. They had power over localized storms, water, and strength like a Leviathan. He wasn't aware there were those dragons who had water, storms, and flying until these sentries touched down.
"Look, a little mouse," the green-blue sentry said.
The purple-blue sentry put out the tree Benny had set on fire, revitalizing the vegetation. "Little bug."
"Little bee," the last sentry taunted. His golden-red complexion was hard to look at.
Benny wanted out of this layer, but that didn't mean he planned to make it easy on them. Besides, he could use the practice. He swung out his weapon, which he made from shed dragon's claws twined with an elongated bone.
"Flyin' lizards sure are chatty, huh?" Benny taunted back. "Ya'll could've just incinerated me, bu' here you are..."
He made the first move on the red/golden dragon, who he dubbed Goldilocks; this level did seem like a fairy tale, after all. Slash, crack, Goldilocks retreated with a heaving roar as the vampire struck off an arm, then slid the blade into his shoulder.
The green-blue sentry bounded forward just as Benny swung back, knocking him hard in the chin. The blade, made from dragon and covered with dragon's blood, had a disturbing effect on him: he fell stunned to the ground. Benny advanced and cleft him from groin to neck before decapitating him. "Sorry, Kitty-Cat," he said to the headless dragon. "Not fast enough."
With two dragons bubbling left and right, the last sentry, the purple-blue one, just watched, hardly interested.
"Sorry, Greenthumb, looks like it's jus' not your day," Benny said, raising his weapon again.
"You should hold on to that," the dragon's voice came. Old Greenthumb was a female dragon, as it turned out. It can be hard to tell sometimes.
With that, she shot up into the air and grabbed Benny in her talons. She really meant it; it was very difficult to hold on to his weapon now that it's slippery with blood. Meanwhile, the dragon dragged Benny up and up into the air, then veered towards the faux-castle the vampire had taken special care to avoid.
Benny could hack and slash, then fall and be pulverized. He considered it, but the weapon was too slippery to be a sure thing. So all he could do was hang on and wait for his chance.
Earth. September 17, 2013.
Castiel waited impatiently in the war room. He distracted himself with work for a few hours. Then he preoccupied himself with cleaning. No matter how much he focused on tasks at hand, he couldn't stop feeling the weight.
He understood that humans experienced this. As if the purpose of every action had been blasted away, and suddenly pointlessness made even the smallest task very difficult. As an angel, Castiel had felt pain, guilt, even self-loathing. Whatever this was, it was worse than all three, because it robbed him of any kind of motivation.
The front door opened. Finally, Sam returned. Trying to keep his calm, he focused on the papers in front of him, writing about the angels.
Sam crossed into the war room and spotted Cas.
"Hey," he said.
"Welcome home," Cas replied.
Sam gathered himself and sat across from the angel. After several minutes of him staring, Cas looked up and made eye contact.
"Dean told me staring is creepy," he commented mildly.
"It is," Sam said but continued to stare.
"I'm very uncomfortable," Cas admitted.
Sam said, "Dean is alive and being a snarky asshole."
"He is upset still," the angel responded. For some reason, this made him feel better, although he thought that it really shouldn't.
"Putting it lightly, Cas," Sam replied.
"You sound angry."
"Cas, what the hell happened?"
The angel had a very guilty look on his face. "I'm not sure."
"You're not sure?"
"Yes."
"Cas, Dean is in another state building a new safe house," Sam weighed in. He added a lie, "And he won't tell me, so you have to."
"Did Dean tell you about Benny?" Cas asked.
Sam felt heat rising in his face. "What about him?"
"The dream that Dean had," Cas continued. "He didn't tell you?"
Sam was getting the wrong impression. "Are you saying Dean and Benny were... together?"
Cas looked shocked. "No." The feeling of jealousy was just as bad as embarrassment. "Why do you ask?"
"Because of what you said!"
Cas wasn't sure how to respond, so he said, "Dean's nightmares are from Benny, trying to warn him about a demonic plot. Nothing about that means they're together." Without meaning to, he added, "Should I know something?"
Sam took a deep breath as he realized he'd been tangled up with two idiots. At least Cas's confusion was understandable. "No, I thought that's what you were implying."
"So, they're not?"
"No, no, no," Sam added for good measure. "And, demon's are locked away, so what demonic plot is he concerned about?"
"About them getting free through purgatory," Cas said casually. "I thought Dean had already told you this?"
Sam shot up, livid. The encounter with the strange, fire-wielding woman dropped out of his head.
"No, he didn't," Sam barked.
"That's not good."
"Cas, you need to tell me everything," Sam said.
"I don't feel comfortable with that."
"I'm talking about the plot, Cas, that sounds like a pretty big deal," Sam said.
Suddenly feeling foolish about his feelings and his moping, Cas sank in his chair. "I suppose I can do that."
The sun rose over the badlands, casting oddly shaped shadows all around the cabin. Dean paced around his work, inspecting everything. He had slept, dreamless, for a few hours. Part of him just wanted to cut and run straight to Maine, but he didn't.
He picked up his phone and dialed Garth.
"Hey-o Dean!" Garth yelled. "What's up?"
"Garth, gotta favor to ask you."
"Shoot."
"I'm heading out solo on a case," Dean said. "And Sam will jump in to help me, but right now he's got stuff he needs to deal with, you understand?"
"So, you need me on the case?"
"Oh, no, Garth, actually, I just wanted to make sure someone knew where I was," Dean admitted. "Someone who wouldn't hop-to and join me," he added for good measure.
"Hell yeah I can do that," Garth said. "Check in with me at noon and eight every day. Otherwise, I'll drop Sam an update."
"You won't tell him otherwise?" Dean asked.
"Not if you don't want me to," Garth replied brightly. "I'm glad you called me with this."
Dean took a deep breath and reminded himself this was the right thing to do. This was him being smart. Mature. An adult. All that crap. "Even if he calls and asks, Garth, don't tell him, okay? Not unless I miss an update."
"Will do, Dean. Give my love to Sam and your angel buddy!"
"Right," Dean mumbled. "Thanks, Garth."
Sam had stupidly insisted on sleeping before heading out, which he should've known wouldn't be possible. It's one thing for Dean to keep relationship crap from him; it's another to keep hunter-related stuff from him. Cas was apologetic about the whole thing, and Sam actually felt badly for making him feel so guilty. Dean should have told him everything yesterday.
After enough tossing and turning, he grabbed his bag and headed down to the war room.
"Are you ready now?" Cas asked.
"I'm heading back to the cabin Dean's working on now," he responded. "Since sleeping was a bust."
"We."
"What?"
"I'm coming with you," Cas said.
"I promised Dean I'd keep you in the bunker."
"And he failed to mention impending danger to you," Cas said simply. "Which means he's probably doing something very unintelligent right now that he doesn't want you to know about."
Sam smiled. Cas might be oblivious on some things, but when it came to Dean, he was an expert.
"That's probably true," he replied.
"Then you'll need my assistance."
"Cas - "
" - either I'm coming with you, or I'm going after him myself. The best way for you to keep your promise is to take me with you to ensure my safety," Cas said crisply.
Had he really just been out-maneuvered by Cas? Sam wasn't sure if he should be annoyed or proud.
"Okay, but - "
" - I promise to be as human as possible."
"Good, then, where's your bag?"
"Already in the car."
Sam and Cas pulled into the new cabin in South Dakota. They searched the grounds and checked for the Impala. Dean was gone.
Biting his lip, Sam pulled open his cell and called his brother.
"Dean, where are you?" he asked.
"At the cabin," Dean replied. "Like I said I'd be all week."
"Okay, well," Sam quickly decided to lie. "Cas agreed to stay at the bunker, but by the end of the week, you need to get back here, okay?"
Cas tilted his head in confusion.
"Fine," Dean grunted.
"You lied," Cas observed as Sam hung up.
"So did he," Sam replied.
"What are - "
" - Charlie gave us a way to track each other, and Dean spaced out during that update, so I'm hoping he didn't know to turn it off," Sam cut in, pulling out a tracking gadget Charlie had handed off to him. "This should help us find the Impala," he added to the still-confused Cas.
"But not Dean."
"No, but we find the Impala, we find Dean. He's on I-90 East near Madison, Wisconsin."
"What's in Wisconsin?" Cas asked.
"Probably nothing, he's still traveling," Sam responded. "Look, we need to catch up to him before he does something stupid."
"I agree."
"You remember how to drive?"
"Of course."
"Okay, I'm going to try to sleep for a few hours, you head east on I-90," Sam plotted. "Once I've rested up, we'll swap. Hopefully Dean will keep to his routine and find a motel tonight. We can catch up to him by not stopping."
Cas nodded. "You might need to show me how to add gas to the car," the angel pointed out.
"Then let's do that now. You drive," Sam threw him the keys.
Purgatory. May 26, 2013.
Greenthumb literally dropped Benny off in a high tower. He looked down the side of it; a straight drop hundreds of feet down. Only critters that could fly could get here. That dragon bastard.
"You're not staying?" Benny bellowed up to the sky.
"No, she's not," a calm voice said behind him.
He had immediately looked for an escape, and in so doing failed to take into account his surroundings proper. Along the opposite edge of the tower, a tall wall ran for a stretch. Sitting in the shade was an old-looking person. Benny couldn't make out a sex by way of visual or voice.
"An' you are?" he asked.
"Adebowale."
"Sorr', what?"
"But most call me Crown," said the person.
"And wha' are you exactly?"
Adebowale smiled a wide, devilish kind of smile, "Old."
"So tha' flyin' lizard dropped me here on your orders?"
"Heavens no," Adebowale replied. "What are you looking for, Benny?"
Benny shot a sideways look at the figure. The dragon did leave him with his blade.
"How didya know my name?"
"I am a diviner, a communicator, of sorts," said Adebowale. "Knowing things is just... who I am."
"Tha' righ'?" Benny asked skeptically.
"You're looking to communicate with someone," Adebowale spoke softly now, forcing Benny to come closer. "Someone alive."
"An' wha' if I am?"
Adebowale's smile returned, "For a friend."
Benny made no reply to that, and he saw the smile fade from Adebowale's lips.
"You can communicate with the living, but the strongest tie is to who killed you."
"That's no problem, then," Benny said.
Adebowale sat down along the edge of the wall and spoke again, "For your company, I'll teach you how to reach out beyond."
"My company?" Benny thought that was an odd price to pay.
"I've been alone a long time," Adebowale admitted. "The dragons rarely give me anyone to speak to. Sit with me and tell me stories about your life, and I will show you how to tell stories to the living."
"Huh," Benny replied. "Well, since it do'sn't look like I'm gettin' outa here anytime soon, why not?"
Earth. September 18, 2013.
Castiel drove east on I-90, just as Sam instructed. He successfully filled the tank with gas once and hoped he didn't need to again.
They'd just passed into Wisconsin when a fiery light popped up beside him. He turned his head, almost swerving, to see a young woman sitting next to him.
"Hello," she said.
Cas replied, "It's rude to appear suddenly in a confined space."
"Sorry, but you haven't stopped moving in hours," she said. "I'm Kuravi."
Cas rolled his eyes.
"And you are an angel," she added. "I met your friends earlier today."
Cas wasn't sure if he should stop the car or not. "And who would that be?" he inquired casually.
"Dean and Sam," she replied. "One of them's in the back."
"What makes you think we're friends?"
"One of them - not the one that's here, the other one - he smelled like you. That's how I bumped into him."
Cas didn't like any of this. Mysterious individual in the seat next to him, suddenly appearing and talking about Dean and his relationship. But he couldn't smite her, whatever she was, without drawing the attention of the angels.
"Your friends kept trying to kill me," Kuravi added when Cas did not respond. "I tried to explain I'm not - "
"You should leave," Cas interrupted. "Kuravi is dead."
"No, I'm not."
"Then where were you for the past, what, billion years?"
"Imprisoned."
"I'm sure."
"The world has become very cynical since I've been gone," Kuravi commented. "Look, I'll prove it to you."
She shook herself, and down one arm, magnificent red and golden plumage appeared. She plucked two feathers, then quickly switched back to complete human form. She took a small glass jar and dropped the feathers in, blowing on them and turning them into ash.
"You know what this is?" she asked.
"Leave."
"If this is from me," she continued, "then all you have to do is mix it with holy water. Anyone else's... nothing will happen. You never know when you might need something like this. Especially since you don't seem to be using your powers right now."
"I said, leave," Cas pushed.
Again, the car blazed up, and she was gone. The jar of ashes was not.
"Cas," Sam mumbled through the back window from the truck bed/cap. "What's going on?"
"Nothing," Cas lied quickly. "Go back to sleep."
<<< Previous Part:
Part Two: Blowing Cold
Next Part: >>>
Part Four: Side by Side
Primary Post: 09x06 No Quarter
Primary Post: Season 9 Fan Fiction (S9FF)
Title: No Quarter
Subtitle: Every Step
Author: dracox-serdriel
Word Count: 2,593
Rating: R
Warnings: language, violence
Status: Complete.
Purgatory. May 25, 2013.
Benny never liked running. His legs weren't made for it, and surely his temperament wasn't either. Five days straight of nothing but running left him agitated. The Alpha Shifter sent him to a dragon-ridden sector of purgatory, which meant the entire layer had sentries patrolling the skies. He bumped into the occasional skinwalker or shifter here, but so far he was the sole vampire in this land. Benny was an easy target.
He'd grown tired of this place in the few days he'd been here. As much as it hurt, Benny decide it was time to do something very stupid so he'd be blasted to another level.
Benny started a fire on a large tree out in an opening. Sentries spotted the smoke and three of them touched down around the vampire. Benny knew there were different types of dragons. The newer dragons had fire, flying, and strength, but the older dragons came from a different stock. They had power over localized storms, water, and strength like a Leviathan. He wasn't aware there were those dragons who had water, storms, and flying until these sentries touched down.
"Look, a little mouse," the green-blue sentry said.
The purple-blue sentry put out the tree Benny had set on fire, revitalizing the vegetation. "Little bug."
"Little bee," the last sentry taunted. His golden-red complexion was hard to look at.
Benny wanted out of this layer, but that didn't mean he planned to make it easy on them. Besides, he could use the practice. He swung out his weapon, which he made from shed dragon's claws twined with an elongated bone.
"Flyin' lizards sure are chatty, huh?" Benny taunted back. "Ya'll could've just incinerated me, bu' here you are..."
He made the first move on the red/golden dragon, who he dubbed Goldilocks; this level did seem like a fairy tale, after all. Slash, crack, Goldilocks retreated with a heaving roar as the vampire struck off an arm, then slid the blade into his shoulder.
The green-blue sentry bounded forward just as Benny swung back, knocking him hard in the chin. The blade, made from dragon and covered with dragon's blood, had a disturbing effect on him: he fell stunned to the ground. Benny advanced and cleft him from groin to neck before decapitating him. "Sorry, Kitty-Cat," he said to the headless dragon. "Not fast enough."
With two dragons bubbling left and right, the last sentry, the purple-blue one, just watched, hardly interested.
"Sorry, Greenthumb, looks like it's jus' not your day," Benny said, raising his weapon again.
"You should hold on to that," the dragon's voice came. Old Greenthumb was a female dragon, as it turned out. It can be hard to tell sometimes.
With that, she shot up into the air and grabbed Benny in her talons. She really meant it; it was very difficult to hold on to his weapon now that it's slippery with blood. Meanwhile, the dragon dragged Benny up and up into the air, then veered towards the faux-castle the vampire had taken special care to avoid.
Benny could hack and slash, then fall and be pulverized. He considered it, but the weapon was too slippery to be a sure thing. So all he could do was hang on and wait for his chance.
Earth. September 17, 2013.
Castiel waited impatiently in the war room. He distracted himself with work for a few hours. Then he preoccupied himself with cleaning. No matter how much he focused on tasks at hand, he couldn't stop feeling the weight.
He understood that humans experienced this. As if the purpose of every action had been blasted away, and suddenly pointlessness made even the smallest task very difficult. As an angel, Castiel had felt pain, guilt, even self-loathing. Whatever this was, it was worse than all three, because it robbed him of any kind of motivation.
The front door opened. Finally, Sam returned. Trying to keep his calm, he focused on the papers in front of him, writing about the angels.
Sam crossed into the war room and spotted Cas.
"Hey," he said.
"Welcome home," Cas replied.
Sam gathered himself and sat across from the angel. After several minutes of him staring, Cas looked up and made eye contact.
"Dean told me staring is creepy," he commented mildly.
"It is," Sam said but continued to stare.
"I'm very uncomfortable," Cas admitted.
Sam said, "Dean is alive and being a snarky asshole."
"He is upset still," the angel responded. For some reason, this made him feel better, although he thought that it really shouldn't.
"Putting it lightly, Cas," Sam replied.
"You sound angry."
"Cas, what the hell happened?"
The angel had a very guilty look on his face. "I'm not sure."
"You're not sure?"
"Yes."
"Cas, Dean is in another state building a new safe house," Sam weighed in. He added a lie, "And he won't tell me, so you have to."
"Did Dean tell you about Benny?" Cas asked.
Sam felt heat rising in his face. "What about him?"
"The dream that Dean had," Cas continued. "He didn't tell you?"
Sam was getting the wrong impression. "Are you saying Dean and Benny were... together?"
Cas looked shocked. "No." The feeling of jealousy was just as bad as embarrassment. "Why do you ask?"
"Because of what you said!"
Cas wasn't sure how to respond, so he said, "Dean's nightmares are from Benny, trying to warn him about a demonic plot. Nothing about that means they're together." Without meaning to, he added, "Should I know something?"
Sam took a deep breath as he realized he'd been tangled up with two idiots. At least Cas's confusion was understandable. "No, I thought that's what you were implying."
"So, they're not?"
"No, no, no," Sam added for good measure. "And, demon's are locked away, so what demonic plot is he concerned about?"
"About them getting free through purgatory," Cas said casually. "I thought Dean had already told you this?"
Sam shot up, livid. The encounter with the strange, fire-wielding woman dropped out of his head.
"No, he didn't," Sam barked.
"That's not good."
"Cas, you need to tell me everything," Sam said.
"I don't feel comfortable with that."
"I'm talking about the plot, Cas, that sounds like a pretty big deal," Sam said.
Suddenly feeling foolish about his feelings and his moping, Cas sank in his chair. "I suppose I can do that."
The sun rose over the badlands, casting oddly shaped shadows all around the cabin. Dean paced around his work, inspecting everything. He had slept, dreamless, for a few hours. Part of him just wanted to cut and run straight to Maine, but he didn't.
He picked up his phone and dialed Garth.
"Hey-o Dean!" Garth yelled. "What's up?"
"Garth, gotta favor to ask you."
"Shoot."
"I'm heading out solo on a case," Dean said. "And Sam will jump in to help me, but right now he's got stuff he needs to deal with, you understand?"
"So, you need me on the case?"
"Oh, no, Garth, actually, I just wanted to make sure someone knew where I was," Dean admitted. "Someone who wouldn't hop-to and join me," he added for good measure.
"Hell yeah I can do that," Garth said. "Check in with me at noon and eight every day. Otherwise, I'll drop Sam an update."
"You won't tell him otherwise?" Dean asked.
"Not if you don't want me to," Garth replied brightly. "I'm glad you called me with this."
Dean took a deep breath and reminded himself this was the right thing to do. This was him being smart. Mature. An adult. All that crap. "Even if he calls and asks, Garth, don't tell him, okay? Not unless I miss an update."
"Will do, Dean. Give my love to Sam and your angel buddy!"
"Right," Dean mumbled. "Thanks, Garth."
Sam had stupidly insisted on sleeping before heading out, which he should've known wouldn't be possible. It's one thing for Dean to keep relationship crap from him; it's another to keep hunter-related stuff from him. Cas was apologetic about the whole thing, and Sam actually felt badly for making him feel so guilty. Dean should have told him everything yesterday.
After enough tossing and turning, he grabbed his bag and headed down to the war room.
"Are you ready now?" Cas asked.
"I'm heading back to the cabin Dean's working on now," he responded. "Since sleeping was a bust."
"We."
"What?"
"I'm coming with you," Cas said.
"I promised Dean I'd keep you in the bunker."
"And he failed to mention impending danger to you," Cas said simply. "Which means he's probably doing something very unintelligent right now that he doesn't want you to know about."
Sam smiled. Cas might be oblivious on some things, but when it came to Dean, he was an expert.
"That's probably true," he replied.
"Then you'll need my assistance."
"Cas - "
" - either I'm coming with you, or I'm going after him myself. The best way for you to keep your promise is to take me with you to ensure my safety," Cas said crisply.
Had he really just been out-maneuvered by Cas? Sam wasn't sure if he should be annoyed or proud.
"Okay, but - "
" - I promise to be as human as possible."
"Good, then, where's your bag?"
"Already in the car."
Sam and Cas pulled into the new cabin in South Dakota. They searched the grounds and checked for the Impala. Dean was gone.
Biting his lip, Sam pulled open his cell and called his brother.
"Dean, where are you?" he asked.
"At the cabin," Dean replied. "Like I said I'd be all week."
"Okay, well," Sam quickly decided to lie. "Cas agreed to stay at the bunker, but by the end of the week, you need to get back here, okay?"
Cas tilted his head in confusion.
"Fine," Dean grunted.
"You lied," Cas observed as Sam hung up.
"So did he," Sam replied.
"What are - "
" - Charlie gave us a way to track each other, and Dean spaced out during that update, so I'm hoping he didn't know to turn it off," Sam cut in, pulling out a tracking gadget Charlie had handed off to him. "This should help us find the Impala," he added to the still-confused Cas.
"But not Dean."
"No, but we find the Impala, we find Dean. He's on I-90 East near Madison, Wisconsin."
"What's in Wisconsin?" Cas asked.
"Probably nothing, he's still traveling," Sam responded. "Look, we need to catch up to him before he does something stupid."
"I agree."
"You remember how to drive?"
"Of course."
"Okay, I'm going to try to sleep for a few hours, you head east on I-90," Sam plotted. "Once I've rested up, we'll swap. Hopefully Dean will keep to his routine and find a motel tonight. We can catch up to him by not stopping."
Cas nodded. "You might need to show me how to add gas to the car," the angel pointed out.
"Then let's do that now. You drive," Sam threw him the keys.
Purgatory. May 26, 2013.
Greenthumb literally dropped Benny off in a high tower. He looked down the side of it; a straight drop hundreds of feet down. Only critters that could fly could get here. That dragon bastard.
"You're not staying?" Benny bellowed up to the sky.
"No, she's not," a calm voice said behind him.
He had immediately looked for an escape, and in so doing failed to take into account his surroundings proper. Along the opposite edge of the tower, a tall wall ran for a stretch. Sitting in the shade was an old-looking person. Benny couldn't make out a sex by way of visual or voice.
"An' you are?" he asked.
"Adebowale."
"Sorr', what?"
"But most call me Crown," said the person.
"And wha' are you exactly?"
Adebowale smiled a wide, devilish kind of smile, "Old."
"So tha' flyin' lizard dropped me here on your orders?"
"Heavens no," Adebowale replied. "What are you looking for, Benny?"
Benny shot a sideways look at the figure. The dragon did leave him with his blade.
"How didya know my name?"
"I am a diviner, a communicator, of sorts," said Adebowale. "Knowing things is just... who I am."
"Tha' righ'?" Benny asked skeptically.
"You're looking to communicate with someone," Adebowale spoke softly now, forcing Benny to come closer. "Someone alive."
"An' wha' if I am?"
Adebowale's smile returned, "For a friend."
Benny made no reply to that, and he saw the smile fade from Adebowale's lips.
"You can communicate with the living, but the strongest tie is to who killed you."
"That's no problem, then," Benny said.
Adebowale sat down along the edge of the wall and spoke again, "For your company, I'll teach you how to reach out beyond."
"My company?" Benny thought that was an odd price to pay.
"I've been alone a long time," Adebowale admitted. "The dragons rarely give me anyone to speak to. Sit with me and tell me stories about your life, and I will show you how to tell stories to the living."
"Huh," Benny replied. "Well, since it do'sn't look like I'm gettin' outa here anytime soon, why not?"
Earth. September 18, 2013.
Castiel drove east on I-90, just as Sam instructed. He successfully filled the tank with gas once and hoped he didn't need to again.
They'd just passed into Wisconsin when a fiery light popped up beside him. He turned his head, almost swerving, to see a young woman sitting next to him.
"Hello," she said.
Cas replied, "It's rude to appear suddenly in a confined space."
"Sorry, but you haven't stopped moving in hours," she said. "I'm Kuravi."
Cas rolled his eyes.
"And you are an angel," she added. "I met your friends earlier today."
Cas wasn't sure if he should stop the car or not. "And who would that be?" he inquired casually.
"Dean and Sam," she replied. "One of them's in the back."
"What makes you think we're friends?"
"One of them - not the one that's here, the other one - he smelled like you. That's how I bumped into him."
Cas didn't like any of this. Mysterious individual in the seat next to him, suddenly appearing and talking about Dean and his relationship. But he couldn't smite her, whatever she was, without drawing the attention of the angels.
"Your friends kept trying to kill me," Kuravi added when Cas did not respond. "I tried to explain I'm not - "
"You should leave," Cas interrupted. "Kuravi is dead."
"No, I'm not."
"Then where were you for the past, what, billion years?"
"Imprisoned."
"I'm sure."
"The world has become very cynical since I've been gone," Kuravi commented. "Look, I'll prove it to you."
She shook herself, and down one arm, magnificent red and golden plumage appeared. She plucked two feathers, then quickly switched back to complete human form. She took a small glass jar and dropped the feathers in, blowing on them and turning them into ash.
"You know what this is?" she asked.
"Leave."
"If this is from me," she continued, "then all you have to do is mix it with holy water. Anyone else's... nothing will happen. You never know when you might need something like this. Especially since you don't seem to be using your powers right now."
"I said, leave," Cas pushed.
Again, the car blazed up, and she was gone. The jar of ashes was not.
"Cas," Sam mumbled through the back window from the truck bed/cap. "What's going on?"
"Nothing," Cas lied quickly. "Go back to sleep."
<<< Previous Part:
Part Two: Blowing Cold
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Part Four: Side by Side
Primary Post: 09x06 No Quarter
Primary Post: Season 9 Fan Fiction (S9FF)