Dean/Cas Big Bang - I Do(not) Want to Set the World on Fire 7/10
Part 1: Worldly Acclaim (I've Lost All) | Part 2: I'm Dreaming of (the Goal) | Part 3: Admission (and with Your) | Part 4: Believe (me) | Part 5: Flame (Just Want to Start) | Part 6: Be the One (You Love)|
Dean is pretty sure his life isn’t supposed to have this many plot-twists. He hopes not, anyway.
But having Anna call Cas ‘brother’, and the odd things on her back appearing to be white wings, was not something he’d expected. Especially not as the others look at Cas with less contempt then they level at Dean.
Anna seems confused and saddened by Castiel’s wings, which to Dean makes no sense. He doesn’t know why, but the idea that she sees Castiel’s wings as ‘wrong’ seems to stick out, making him instantly defensive of Cas. It’s the type of defensiveness he’d only shown to Sammy before, and it makes him wonder if their feelings for each other are a byproduct of whatever happened when they first met. Dean wouldn’t mind if it was - he’s glad to have someone to connect with in any way, and he’s pretty sure that even Cas doesn’t know the extent that his healing had on whatever is between them. Still, it pisses Dean off that Anna is looking at Cas in that way, more than it would’ve before she’d told Dean that he’d have to kill Dad and Sam if he ever saw them again.
“Sister,” Cas answered back, looking a bit sad as well as relieved to see Anna. That’s a story that Dean wants to hear later. “I am glad you’re alive. We feared you dead.”
Anna’s attention is on Cas, while the other Regulators are glaring at Dean, as if daring him to interrupt. He glares back, knowing that the Citadel and Brotherhood are watching the exchange with baited breath.
The Citadel needs the Regulators for the fight to come. Dean’s not about to ruin the chances of the Brotherhood gaining allies in this fight, especially when all he’s not up to par anymore. If it comes down, as he suspects, to a ‘him versus us’ thing, Dean will cut ties and hope for the best.
“Then you are not here to bring me back?” Anna asks, relaxing a bit but still alert.
Cas looks confused, tilting his head as he says, “No. Michael will not let us leave unless someone is close to the Gates, or has entered the House. I’m here because I chose to remain with Dean.” Cas smiles then, and Dean realizes what he’s going to say even before he says it. “He is the Righteous One.”
Gordon snorts, getting Dean to glare at him, and Anna blinks, glancing at Dean then back to Cas, looking not so much confused as…concerned.
“Why do you believe that?”
Cas frowns, not confused as much as annoyed. “I have seen into his soul, sister. I did not simply heal him, but Saved him. All the signs are there, as Father said before his death.”
Anna looks over at Dean briefly, her eyes conveying her contempt and disbelief, before saying, “How are you so sure of this, Castiel? You claim you Saved him…” she looks at Dean a bit longer, this time with obvious disbelief, “I see no changes, besides the obvious…taint.”
Dean feels himself stiffen, because the words were said in such a way that made him suddenly aware of something that Cas had said, when they had first started getting intimate. About ‘dark spots’…was that really something wrong with him?
Cas frowned, looking at Dean and appearing upset. “You are speaking of the darker emotions? Like those in your companions?”
Ok, that made Dean feel a bit better, even as Gordon and Victor stiffened, glaring, while Martin looked unhappy at the news, shifting a bit as Anna appeared unaffected by the comeback. “I know the difference, Castiel, even if you are too blinded to it.” The other Regulators seemed to puff up at that, while Dean thought it was a bit conceited of Anna to say that. Cas had his flaws, but Dean doubted he could mistake ‘taint’ for ‘dark spots’. Or…whatever those were.
“If you think so,” Cas answered, getting Dean to feel a swell of pride at how easily he dead-panned that line before saying, “Have you heard from Gabriel, or Metatron?”
“No,” Anna replied, sounded defensive even to Dean’s ears, “We parted shortly after leaving, so I have not heard from them at all.” She glances at Dean again, then to the Brotherhood of Steel members. “We were told you required aid in dealing with the Enclave. We have intelligence about their movement and members that we want to share.”
The guard nods before motioning for everyone to come in, Dean and Cas going first as Anna and the Regulators follow. It makes Dean a bit uncomfortable, feeling like he’s walking to his execution, as the inner gate opens and they walk into the main courtyard.
Dean’s suddenly very nervous. While the group in Megaton knew he was gone for months, they didn’t ask anything beyond making sure he was ok and that Cas was a good guy. The Brotherhood knew that he’d been caught, had radiation poisoning, and was subjected to the tender mercies of a guy who’s followers routinely acted no better than Raiders. Not to mention Dean had a sneaking suspicion that Anna was going to reveal some random bit of trivia that showed how Dean’s family was really part of…something.
So he was a bit surprised when Elder Lyons took him aside to speak about what happened. He was both grateful for the confidence, but also worried. Lyons could ask him anything, and Cas wasn’t allowed into the room to talk or comfort him. That meant that Anna had every chance to talk Cas out of his ideas. Sure, Dean liked the nearness and stuff, but he was pretty sure that it was just because Cas thought he was special. Knowing that Anna could convince Cas to leave him, as everyone did, made Dean even more worried about what it was Anna had found out.
Of course, the chair he had to sit in was in the middle of the damned round-table thing that Lyons had found in the ruins, and Dean swallowed as the doors were closed and locked, leaving him alone in the room with Lyons and a few of the higher-ups for the Brotherhood.
“Now, Dean, just start at the beginning…what happened after you shut down the purifier at the Memorial?”
--
Though Castiel wanted to speak to Anna about her life outside of Heaven, as well as about where Metatron and Gabriel might have gone, the uncertainty and fear that washes off Dean makes him instead follow as far as he can, going to wait just outside the door to try and give Dean comfort. As before, Dean’s unable to feel it without Castiel’s touch, leaving the Angel wishing he could go in and reassure Dean of everything. He doesn’t understand Anna’s conviction that Dean is not the Righteous One, or that Dean will ultimately fall to evil. Castiel sees no proof of that, especially not after months of torture. To him, Dean is trying to understand the points in his heart and soul that resulted in that, to deal with the low self-esteem that comes from it and a list of other hurts from before the Enclave or Dean meeting Castiel.
“He’ll be ok,” the voice gets Castiel to look up, finding Lisa Braedon and a young man by her side, watching him. “He usually is.”
“You know him well?” Castiel asks, curious.
“Well enough. He helped me and Ben a while back,” the younger boy looks at Castiel with blue-green eyes that appear thoughtful for a child his age, “and...well, if anything, I know that he’s not really my type. That doesn’t stop me from hoping he’d find someone to show him how awesome he is.” She smiles at him, then shifts a bit. “Are you really Anna’s brother?”
“In a sense,” Castiel tells her, frowning, “why?”
“Just...something about her rubs me the wrong way. Sarah too. Don’t get me wrong, the Regulators are good people. But...they have issues is all. Especially that group.”
Castiel is a bit amazed that his first response is not to defend Anna or her actions. He is worried about the ones that she brought, especially the ones that had taunted Dean a few days before. When he considers it fully, he realizes it is also because he doesn’t know what Anna’s actions have been since she left. The Anna he knew, the one who was once a big sister and mentor, is gone to instead be the one who spoke to him before, who looked at the Righteous One with contempt and viewed the spots on his soul as taints instead of darkness and dark emotion, like those in her companion’s own souls.
Lisa is silent for a long moment before saying, “I don’t know what she’s going to say, but I don’t like what’s going on. If you can…get Dean out of here. Take him anywhere but here. Go to the other Enclave group, for all it will do him well.”
Castiel frowned at that, blinking in confusion. “I don’t understand.”
Lisa sighed, looking away and down to Ben before glancing back at Cas. “Trust me. Be ready to run. Things are getting bad.”
--
Dean lets out a breath and takes in a shaky one, finishing up the story and shivering a bit, the memories that had resurfaced making him feel almost ill. Talking about Alastair and the torture, or what he remembered of it, was hard to think about, and harder still to talk about. He’s only pushed through because he knew that Lyons had to know what was going on and what had happened.
Elder Lyons is silent, the others considering if they want to ask for clarification. Dean hopes not. He’d tried to be as clinical as possible about what happened, about the pain and humiliation that occurred, and didn’t want to go into detail.
After a long moment, Lyons said, “I think we heard enough. Thank you for giving us the information, Dean. It will be valuable.”
Dean nods, swallowing and focusing on getting up and out of the room. Cas is waiting for him, sitting nearby, with a look on his face like he’s been worried. Some of Dean’s fears about earlier disappear, the feeling of unease as Anna goes into the room with Lyons and his people also making him stiffen a bit.
Cas leads him outside, Dean grateful for the cool air as night falls, and the lack of sound. All the recruits are gone, at least for now, and the silence at least makes him feel better. The dark wing that wraps around Dean’s shoulder made him relax even more, looking over at Cas as the sun sets and the sky darkens.
“I’m not the Righteous One,” Dean mutters, suddenly feeling like he should tell this to Cas, to know for certain that Cas wouldn’t leave him.
“You are,” Cas tells him, the wing remaining and his conviction strong, “and even if you aren’t, I would not leave you. If I could find Gabriel, to learn the full prophecy, then we might know more about what is going on.”
Dean sighs, looking up as the stars start to shine. “Tell me about them. Your brothers and sisters.”
Castiel follows his gaze and tells Dean, “Gabriel is one of the Archangels, one of the first four created by Father, some say before the War. Father created us in Garrisons, so we mostly knew each other. Anna was in charge of my Garrison, and was created with others who were of her power level and ability. She was more like an older sister, one I looked up to and enjoyed speaking to. One day, the ones that…possibly were Raiders…breached the House, where you were found later.”
Dean is silent, thinking of the church and the old and new bodies around it, the burned-out feathers on it.
“Anna and Gabriel saw outside. I don’t know what they said, if they ever spoke to Metatron. Metatron always stayed inside, recording Father’s methods and what was said. It was after that, when they left.”
Cas keeps talking, telling Dean about his brother Uriel, who makes jokes at strange times, or about Balthazar, who was a loyal and good soldier but also enjoyed simple pleasures a bit too much, sometimes. He spoke about Samandiriel and how innocent he could be, about Hathor and Inias and their issues after another attack in the House. About Michael and his anger after Lucifer betrayed him, about Raphael and his fearful attitudes.
He finishes just as the moon starts to appear, the stars already bright above them. Dean shifts a bit before talking. “Sam’s…tall, taller than most, it was a problem in the Vault. They like them a specific number, and normally it’s average, like near pre-War average, but Sammy…I dunno, man, he just…kept growing. I’m the short one in the family.” Dean chuckles. “I was always afraid. Afraid there wouldn’t be enough of…anything. I hated the damned florescent lights, the Vault. I just…hated it. Sammy, though…he and Dad, same cloth man, and that got them into some bad fights, when Sammy turned 16 and got to be the Vault psychiatrist or whatever. He played devil’s advocate. It was kinda nice to have, I guess, at least nice enough to have when it wasn’t your own brother. I just worked in maintenance, worked down with a friend of mine…nice guy.”
Dean works through the people in the Vault - about Jonas who’s over at Rivet City, about Stanly who worked with the machines and gave him the Pip-Boy on his wrist, and later gave one to Sammy, who had grinned wide, happy to be ‘grown up’ like Dean. It was odd, for all that they had differences, for all that Dean sometimes wished to show Sammy sunlight, or the Wasteland that he so hated, Dean loved his little brother, and Sammy cared greatly for Dean.
Until the day he disappeared, until the night that he and Dad left the Vault without a word. Dean recalls it slowly, talking about waking up with Jess and Amata warning him that the Overseer’s men were after him because of what happened. Jim Murphy, the guy who had helped Dean through a lot of problems, and Caleb, who had been helpful to Dean when they first got in, had been killed before the guards were sent after Dean. Cas waits, listening as they talk, directing most of the reminiscing to the night sky and the top walls of the Citadel.
There’s silence when Dean finishes, the two just sitting and staring up before Castiel is silent suddenly, looking over at the doorway and saying, “We need to leave.”
“Cas?”
Cas seemed to be worried before saying, “We need to leave, Dean, now.”
Dean nods, he and Cas heading for the door just as Gordon moves over to the side, smirking and holding a rifle. “In a hurry, Winchester? Going to check on your freak brother and traitor father?”
Dean swallows, shifting to be in front of Cas, desperate to protect his friend. He knew that the stuff Cas was wearing couldn’t really stop bullets like the stuff Dean had, and he didn’t know how durable Cas was…ok, he knew some of it, but not when it came to Cas and bullets.
“Get out of the way, Walker,” Dean growled, hoping that Gordon doesn’t start anything, not here.
“Oh? You think you can boss me around when we all know what really happened when you were with the Enclave? You think we don’t know about Alastair and what your Dad did for him?”
Dean shifts, but continues to glare at Walker. “You don’t know what the hell you’re talking about, Walker. Now get out of the way.”
“Doesn’t he?” Victor’s voice to the side makes Dean cast only a quick glare that way before glancing back at Walker, who looks like he’s proud of himself for getting the drop on Dean, right before a few more guns clicked, Lisa and Ben with their guns, along with most of the Lyon’s Pride and some of the Brotherhood of Steel trained on them.
Anna and Elder Lyons came out, Dean uncertain what was going to happen right up until the Elder’s eyes fixed on Dean’s. There was a shot, then more, while Dean grabbed his gun, going for Walker. A few shots hit Victor, taking out his legs, while another busted up the head of one of the men with Elder Lyons.
Dean and Cas managed to get to cover, Dean feeling something horrible in the pit of his stomach as the gunshots continued. Some part of him knew this wasn’t how it was supposed to be, just as there was another, louder sound right before Dean stopped and turned.
Anna was opening her mouth, screaming, and everyone was holding their ears, eyes bleeding out as Cas grabbed hold of Dean’s arm right before they disappeared.
--
Castiel didn’t know how far they went, besides the fact that he simply threw them as far as he could, and to where Dean was thinking of somewhere safe. He gave Dean a reassuring touch before going back, as many times as he could, returning with Lisa and Ben, others from around the Brotherhood and those that helped them when things got back. He went back once more, sword out, to confront Anna.
She stood on her own, Elder Lyon’s body beside her, without any remorse for the men and women around them, dying or dead.
“Why do this?” Castiel asked, anger tinting his voice, “Why hurt them? We were meant to protect them.”
“No,” Anna said, something in her eyes that Castiel didn’t like, “not the ones like Dean. Do you know what the Righteous One will do? Do you know what he will do to us? The Righteous One is the first Seal, and the one who will cause a third of us to Fall, to die by the hands of the one it Corrupts. You didn’t Save him, Castiel. He touched you and now, you are lost. You will bring about the death of a third of us, will raze Heaven, and be there while the Righteous One slaughters Michael.” She lets out a short, unhappy laugh, “We will all die, and it’s your fault.”
Castiel goes for her, but Anna disappears, leaving him alone. He travels through the Citadel, but no matter where he goes, all that greets him is death.
“Oh sister,” Castiel says, hoping she doesn’t find the others, and at the fearful thought, he quickly heads back to where he left Dean and the others.
Castiel blinks as he looks up at the building marked “Galaxy News Radio”, right before Dean pulls him into a hug and tightens his grip on the coat Castiel wore. “Cas…what happened? What did she do?”
“She…she is Fallen,” Castiel tells him, unable to think of how else to explain it before hugging Dean back. The knowledge hurts, is painful in a way he cannot think of, and he needs the contact right now.
They hold each other for as long as possible just as a familiar voice, one that he’s not heard as often as he’d like, says, “That’s just so cute, Cassie.”
Castiel looks over, his grip on Dean tightening as he looks over at the new man, an average-sized blonde-haired men with a smirk on his face. Dean whispers to him, “Cas, it’s ok, it’s just Loki. It’s fine, he’s--.” Dean stops as Gabriel - Loki - unfurls his wings.
Part 8: Jazzy Interlude
Dean is pretty sure his life isn’t supposed to have this many plot-twists. He hopes not, anyway.
But having Anna call Cas ‘brother’, and the odd things on her back appearing to be white wings, was not something he’d expected. Especially not as the others look at Cas with less contempt then they level at Dean.
Anna seems confused and saddened by Castiel’s wings, which to Dean makes no sense. He doesn’t know why, but the idea that she sees Castiel’s wings as ‘wrong’ seems to stick out, making him instantly defensive of Cas. It’s the type of defensiveness he’d only shown to Sammy before, and it makes him wonder if their feelings for each other are a byproduct of whatever happened when they first met. Dean wouldn’t mind if it was - he’s glad to have someone to connect with in any way, and he’s pretty sure that even Cas doesn’t know the extent that his healing had on whatever is between them. Still, it pisses Dean off that Anna is looking at Cas in that way, more than it would’ve before she’d told Dean that he’d have to kill Dad and Sam if he ever saw them again.
“Sister,” Cas answered back, looking a bit sad as well as relieved to see Anna. That’s a story that Dean wants to hear later. “I am glad you’re alive. We feared you dead.”
Anna’s attention is on Cas, while the other Regulators are glaring at Dean, as if daring him to interrupt. He glares back, knowing that the Citadel and Brotherhood are watching the exchange with baited breath.
The Citadel needs the Regulators for the fight to come. Dean’s not about to ruin the chances of the Brotherhood gaining allies in this fight, especially when all he’s not up to par anymore. If it comes down, as he suspects, to a ‘him versus us’ thing, Dean will cut ties and hope for the best.
“Then you are not here to bring me back?” Anna asks, relaxing a bit but still alert.
Cas looks confused, tilting his head as he says, “No. Michael will not let us leave unless someone is close to the Gates, or has entered the House. I’m here because I chose to remain with Dean.” Cas smiles then, and Dean realizes what he’s going to say even before he says it. “He is the Righteous One.”
Gordon snorts, getting Dean to glare at him, and Anna blinks, glancing at Dean then back to Cas, looking not so much confused as…concerned.
“Why do you believe that?”
Cas frowns, not confused as much as annoyed. “I have seen into his soul, sister. I did not simply heal him, but Saved him. All the signs are there, as Father said before his death.”
Anna looks over at Dean briefly, her eyes conveying her contempt and disbelief, before saying, “How are you so sure of this, Castiel? You claim you Saved him…” she looks at Dean a bit longer, this time with obvious disbelief, “I see no changes, besides the obvious…taint.”
Dean feels himself stiffen, because the words were said in such a way that made him suddenly aware of something that Cas had said, when they had first started getting intimate. About ‘dark spots’…was that really something wrong with him?
Cas frowned, looking at Dean and appearing upset. “You are speaking of the darker emotions? Like those in your companions?”
Ok, that made Dean feel a bit better, even as Gordon and Victor stiffened, glaring, while Martin looked unhappy at the news, shifting a bit as Anna appeared unaffected by the comeback. “I know the difference, Castiel, even if you are too blinded to it.” The other Regulators seemed to puff up at that, while Dean thought it was a bit conceited of Anna to say that. Cas had his flaws, but Dean doubted he could mistake ‘taint’ for ‘dark spots’. Or…whatever those were.
“If you think so,” Cas answered, getting Dean to feel a swell of pride at how easily he dead-panned that line before saying, “Have you heard from Gabriel, or Metatron?”
“No,” Anna replied, sounded defensive even to Dean’s ears, “We parted shortly after leaving, so I have not heard from them at all.” She glances at Dean again, then to the Brotherhood of Steel members. “We were told you required aid in dealing with the Enclave. We have intelligence about their movement and members that we want to share.”
The guard nods before motioning for everyone to come in, Dean and Cas going first as Anna and the Regulators follow. It makes Dean a bit uncomfortable, feeling like he’s walking to his execution, as the inner gate opens and they walk into the main courtyard.
Dean’s suddenly very nervous. While the group in Megaton knew he was gone for months, they didn’t ask anything beyond making sure he was ok and that Cas was a good guy. The Brotherhood knew that he’d been caught, had radiation poisoning, and was subjected to the tender mercies of a guy who’s followers routinely acted no better than Raiders. Not to mention Dean had a sneaking suspicion that Anna was going to reveal some random bit of trivia that showed how Dean’s family was really part of…something.
So he was a bit surprised when Elder Lyons took him aside to speak about what happened. He was both grateful for the confidence, but also worried. Lyons could ask him anything, and Cas wasn’t allowed into the room to talk or comfort him. That meant that Anna had every chance to talk Cas out of his ideas. Sure, Dean liked the nearness and stuff, but he was pretty sure that it was just because Cas thought he was special. Knowing that Anna could convince Cas to leave him, as everyone did, made Dean even more worried about what it was Anna had found out.
Of course, the chair he had to sit in was in the middle of the damned round-table thing that Lyons had found in the ruins, and Dean swallowed as the doors were closed and locked, leaving him alone in the room with Lyons and a few of the higher-ups for the Brotherhood.
“Now, Dean, just start at the beginning…what happened after you shut down the purifier at the Memorial?”
--
Though Castiel wanted to speak to Anna about her life outside of Heaven, as well as about where Metatron and Gabriel might have gone, the uncertainty and fear that washes off Dean makes him instead follow as far as he can, going to wait just outside the door to try and give Dean comfort. As before, Dean’s unable to feel it without Castiel’s touch, leaving the Angel wishing he could go in and reassure Dean of everything. He doesn’t understand Anna’s conviction that Dean is not the Righteous One, or that Dean will ultimately fall to evil. Castiel sees no proof of that, especially not after months of torture. To him, Dean is trying to understand the points in his heart and soul that resulted in that, to deal with the low self-esteem that comes from it and a list of other hurts from before the Enclave or Dean meeting Castiel.
“He’ll be ok,” the voice gets Castiel to look up, finding Lisa Braedon and a young man by her side, watching him. “He usually is.”
“You know him well?” Castiel asks, curious.
“Well enough. He helped me and Ben a while back,” the younger boy looks at Castiel with blue-green eyes that appear thoughtful for a child his age, “and...well, if anything, I know that he’s not really my type. That doesn’t stop me from hoping he’d find someone to show him how awesome he is.” She smiles at him, then shifts a bit. “Are you really Anna’s brother?”
“In a sense,” Castiel tells her, frowning, “why?”
“Just...something about her rubs me the wrong way. Sarah too. Don’t get me wrong, the Regulators are good people. But...they have issues is all. Especially that group.”
Castiel is a bit amazed that his first response is not to defend Anna or her actions. He is worried about the ones that she brought, especially the ones that had taunted Dean a few days before. When he considers it fully, he realizes it is also because he doesn’t know what Anna’s actions have been since she left. The Anna he knew, the one who was once a big sister and mentor, is gone to instead be the one who spoke to him before, who looked at the Righteous One with contempt and viewed the spots on his soul as taints instead of darkness and dark emotion, like those in her companion’s own souls.
Lisa is silent for a long moment before saying, “I don’t know what she’s going to say, but I don’t like what’s going on. If you can…get Dean out of here. Take him anywhere but here. Go to the other Enclave group, for all it will do him well.”
Castiel frowned at that, blinking in confusion. “I don’t understand.”
Lisa sighed, looking away and down to Ben before glancing back at Cas. “Trust me. Be ready to run. Things are getting bad.”
--
Dean lets out a breath and takes in a shaky one, finishing up the story and shivering a bit, the memories that had resurfaced making him feel almost ill. Talking about Alastair and the torture, or what he remembered of it, was hard to think about, and harder still to talk about. He’s only pushed through because he knew that Lyons had to know what was going on and what had happened.
Elder Lyons is silent, the others considering if they want to ask for clarification. Dean hopes not. He’d tried to be as clinical as possible about what happened, about the pain and humiliation that occurred, and didn’t want to go into detail.
After a long moment, Lyons said, “I think we heard enough. Thank you for giving us the information, Dean. It will be valuable.”
Dean nods, swallowing and focusing on getting up and out of the room. Cas is waiting for him, sitting nearby, with a look on his face like he’s been worried. Some of Dean’s fears about earlier disappear, the feeling of unease as Anna goes into the room with Lyons and his people also making him stiffen a bit.
Cas leads him outside, Dean grateful for the cool air as night falls, and the lack of sound. All the recruits are gone, at least for now, and the silence at least makes him feel better. The dark wing that wraps around Dean’s shoulder made him relax even more, looking over at Cas as the sun sets and the sky darkens.
“I’m not the Righteous One,” Dean mutters, suddenly feeling like he should tell this to Cas, to know for certain that Cas wouldn’t leave him.
“You are,” Cas tells him, the wing remaining and his conviction strong, “and even if you aren’t, I would not leave you. If I could find Gabriel, to learn the full prophecy, then we might know more about what is going on.”
Dean sighs, looking up as the stars start to shine. “Tell me about them. Your brothers and sisters.”
Castiel follows his gaze and tells Dean, “Gabriel is one of the Archangels, one of the first four created by Father, some say before the War. Father created us in Garrisons, so we mostly knew each other. Anna was in charge of my Garrison, and was created with others who were of her power level and ability. She was more like an older sister, one I looked up to and enjoyed speaking to. One day, the ones that…possibly were Raiders…breached the House, where you were found later.”
Dean is silent, thinking of the church and the old and new bodies around it, the burned-out feathers on it.
“Anna and Gabriel saw outside. I don’t know what they said, if they ever spoke to Metatron. Metatron always stayed inside, recording Father’s methods and what was said. It was after that, when they left.”
Cas keeps talking, telling Dean about his brother Uriel, who makes jokes at strange times, or about Balthazar, who was a loyal and good soldier but also enjoyed simple pleasures a bit too much, sometimes. He spoke about Samandiriel and how innocent he could be, about Hathor and Inias and their issues after another attack in the House. About Michael and his anger after Lucifer betrayed him, about Raphael and his fearful attitudes.
He finishes just as the moon starts to appear, the stars already bright above them. Dean shifts a bit before talking. “Sam’s…tall, taller than most, it was a problem in the Vault. They like them a specific number, and normally it’s average, like near pre-War average, but Sammy…I dunno, man, he just…kept growing. I’m the short one in the family.” Dean chuckles. “I was always afraid. Afraid there wouldn’t be enough of…anything. I hated the damned florescent lights, the Vault. I just…hated it. Sammy, though…he and Dad, same cloth man, and that got them into some bad fights, when Sammy turned 16 and got to be the Vault psychiatrist or whatever. He played devil’s advocate. It was kinda nice to have, I guess, at least nice enough to have when it wasn’t your own brother. I just worked in maintenance, worked down with a friend of mine…nice guy.”
Dean works through the people in the Vault - about Jonas who’s over at Rivet City, about Stanly who worked with the machines and gave him the Pip-Boy on his wrist, and later gave one to Sammy, who had grinned wide, happy to be ‘grown up’ like Dean. It was odd, for all that they had differences, for all that Dean sometimes wished to show Sammy sunlight, or the Wasteland that he so hated, Dean loved his little brother, and Sammy cared greatly for Dean.
Until the day he disappeared, until the night that he and Dad left the Vault without a word. Dean recalls it slowly, talking about waking up with Jess and Amata warning him that the Overseer’s men were after him because of what happened. Jim Murphy, the guy who had helped Dean through a lot of problems, and Caleb, who had been helpful to Dean when they first got in, had been killed before the guards were sent after Dean. Cas waits, listening as they talk, directing most of the reminiscing to the night sky and the top walls of the Citadel.
There’s silence when Dean finishes, the two just sitting and staring up before Castiel is silent suddenly, looking over at the doorway and saying, “We need to leave.”
“Cas?”
Cas seemed to be worried before saying, “We need to leave, Dean, now.”
Dean nods, he and Cas heading for the door just as Gordon moves over to the side, smirking and holding a rifle. “In a hurry, Winchester? Going to check on your freak brother and traitor father?”
Dean swallows, shifting to be in front of Cas, desperate to protect his friend. He knew that the stuff Cas was wearing couldn’t really stop bullets like the stuff Dean had, and he didn’t know how durable Cas was…ok, he knew some of it, but not when it came to Cas and bullets.
“Get out of the way, Walker,” Dean growled, hoping that Gordon doesn’t start anything, not here.
“Oh? You think you can boss me around when we all know what really happened when you were with the Enclave? You think we don’t know about Alastair and what your Dad did for him?”
Dean shifts, but continues to glare at Walker. “You don’t know what the hell you’re talking about, Walker. Now get out of the way.”
“Doesn’t he?” Victor’s voice to the side makes Dean cast only a quick glare that way before glancing back at Walker, who looks like he’s proud of himself for getting the drop on Dean, right before a few more guns clicked, Lisa and Ben with their guns, along with most of the Lyon’s Pride and some of the Brotherhood of Steel trained on them.
Anna and Elder Lyons came out, Dean uncertain what was going to happen right up until the Elder’s eyes fixed on Dean’s. There was a shot, then more, while Dean grabbed his gun, going for Walker. A few shots hit Victor, taking out his legs, while another busted up the head of one of the men with Elder Lyons.
Dean and Cas managed to get to cover, Dean feeling something horrible in the pit of his stomach as the gunshots continued. Some part of him knew this wasn’t how it was supposed to be, just as there was another, louder sound right before Dean stopped and turned.
Anna was opening her mouth, screaming, and everyone was holding their ears, eyes bleeding out as Cas grabbed hold of Dean’s arm right before they disappeared.
--
Castiel didn’t know how far they went, besides the fact that he simply threw them as far as he could, and to where Dean was thinking of somewhere safe. He gave Dean a reassuring touch before going back, as many times as he could, returning with Lisa and Ben, others from around the Brotherhood and those that helped them when things got back. He went back once more, sword out, to confront Anna.
She stood on her own, Elder Lyon’s body beside her, without any remorse for the men and women around them, dying or dead.
“Why do this?” Castiel asked, anger tinting his voice, “Why hurt them? We were meant to protect them.”
“No,” Anna said, something in her eyes that Castiel didn’t like, “not the ones like Dean. Do you know what the Righteous One will do? Do you know what he will do to us? The Righteous One is the first Seal, and the one who will cause a third of us to Fall, to die by the hands of the one it Corrupts. You didn’t Save him, Castiel. He touched you and now, you are lost. You will bring about the death of a third of us, will raze Heaven, and be there while the Righteous One slaughters Michael.” She lets out a short, unhappy laugh, “We will all die, and it’s your fault.”
Castiel goes for her, but Anna disappears, leaving him alone. He travels through the Citadel, but no matter where he goes, all that greets him is death.
“Oh sister,” Castiel says, hoping she doesn’t find the others, and at the fearful thought, he quickly heads back to where he left Dean and the others.
Castiel blinks as he looks up at the building marked “Galaxy News Radio”, right before Dean pulls him into a hug and tightens his grip on the coat Castiel wore. “Cas…what happened? What did she do?”
“She…she is Fallen,” Castiel tells him, unable to think of how else to explain it before hugging Dean back. The knowledge hurts, is painful in a way he cannot think of, and he needs the contact right now.
They hold each other for as long as possible just as a familiar voice, one that he’s not heard as often as he’d like, says, “That’s just so cute, Cassie.”
Castiel looks over, his grip on Dean tightening as he looks over at the new man, an average-sized blonde-haired men with a smirk on his face. Dean whispers to him, “Cas, it’s ok, it’s just Loki. It’s fine, he’s--.” Dean stops as Gabriel - Loki - unfurls his wings.
Part 8: Jazzy Interlude