Faith Collapsing (Gen, R)
Final Chapter!
Word count: 1583
Characters: Sam, Dean, Castiel, Bobby, Missouri
Warnings: blasphemy, blood
Follows directly after Lawrence
Dean looks down at the clear, still water and asks again, "You had to bring me here to show me a lake?"
"It isn't a lake." Castiel huffs in frustration, "I know you can see what this is. You just aren't looking."
"No, no- I am looking, and what I see is a damn lake." Dean says, "Seriously, you couldn't just tell me about this?"
"Dean." Castiel reaches for Dean's forehead, but Dean grabs him by the wrist. All two dozen of the angels standing guard around them stare, but make no move to intervene.
Dean lets go of Castiel, "No. Just tell me what I'm really looking at, okay?"
"It may help if you -" Castiel kneels on the ground and gestures,"-if you touch the water." Castiel says.
Dean eyes him warily, "Yeah...and you really want me to do that for some reason. Mind telling me why?"
Castiel swallows, and looks up to Dean, "It will help you to understand -"
"Lying to me right now is a really bad idea." Dean flinches when he feels something brush against his cheek. Luckily, it's only a leaf. It's Autumn in the Garden, and it looks very different from the last time Dean was here with Sam with Joshua. Surrounding the lake are a handful of large trees, their leaves a dizzying mix of red, orange and yellow. The leaves fall steadily, and Dean's feet make crunching noises as he steps further away from the lake's edge.
Castiel gets up and turns away from the water, "It's faith Dean, all this- what you're seeing- your mind is putting it in terms you can understand. You've spent most of your life as a human. To you, water is life. That's what faith is to us."
Dean walks a bit closer to the water again and looks. He lets his eyes drift and lets out a quiet gasp when he finally sees. The lake is made of light - a brilliant, bright blue. There are seven small rivers running out from the center, reaching out as far as the horizon. Dean can feel the lake calling to him, urging him forward. It's peace, it's hope, and it's right there and if he just moves closer, then he can finally, finally stop hurting.
----------
Sam stands at the gate of Heaven and knocks.
----------
Dean isn't sure how long he stares at the lake. He snaps out of his reverie when he becomes aware of an increasingly annoying melody on the outskirts of his consciousness. "Cas - what is that?" Dean looks down and sees that his feet are mere inches from the water's edge.
Castiel stares at him blankly, "What is what?"
"That, that sound - the music - it's like a whistling..." Dean stops talking and listens again for a few more seconds. "Is that somebody's idea of a joke?!" Dean looks at the other angels, and snaps, "Whichever one of you is doing that - knock it off!"
"Dean-" Castiel starts.
"What?! I hate that song- it's really friggin annoying!" Dean yells, then he stops and listens again, "Okay- that's a bit better."
"Dean!" Castiel says, loudly. "What are you hearing?"
"Well, first it was that eighties song 'Send Me an Angel'," Dean puts his hand to his forehead and pinches the bridge of his nose, "...and now, it's 'Knockin' On Heaven's Door!'" Dean spins around and looks at their audience, "None of you hear that?!"
One of the angels steps forward and says, "He's at the Gate."
Dean feels his gut churn, "Who is at the gate?" He turns to Castiel, "Who's at the gate?"
Castiel nods to the soldiers on his left. "Go."
Half of the angels disappear, and the remaining dozen reposition themselves to form a smaller ring around Castiel and Dean.
"It's Sam, isn't it?" Dean asks.
Castiel doesn't answer.
"You just sent those angels out there to do what, exactly?"
"To explain to him that you are safe and will be out shortly." Castiel answers.
"You-" Dean laughs, "How is that a good plan? Sam literally eats angels for breakfast."
Castiel nearly smiles as he says, "In Hell, yes, and on Earth, maybe, but here - this is our home."
"So what, he's powerless here?"
"No. Just not as much of a threat. Most of the angels here aren't even in vessels- and Sam can't turn them into flesh, not here." Castiel says, "Anyway, he can't get in. We're safe here."
"Safe?" Dean repeats, "So there's no way Sam could get in? You're sure - because I've known him a long time, and I have to tell you -"
Castiel cuts him off, "The only way Sam could get through the Gate is if we invite him in."
"Just, let me go see him Cas. I'll let him know I'm fine, and he'll go wait for me somewhere else." Dean pleads.
The angels around them step a bit closer, and Castiel says, "I'm sorry."
----------
Sam hears the twelve angels as they appear behind him. "Who sent you?" he asks, still facing the gate.
"Dean Winchester." says the smallest of the angels, stepping closer to Sam.
Sam turns slowly, "You're lying."
The angel doesn't respond, but another one steps forward, "Forgive Rehael, he is young."
"Is he?" Sam asks in a flat tone.
"We need your help, Sam." The angel looks at Sam, his eyes filled with light and sorrow, "Castiel - he means well, but he will destroy us all."
"Harahel, no- " Rehael says.
Harahel continues, "No. This has gone on long enough."
Sam looks at the angels curiously, "What has?"
"Castiel believes that Dean can take in the power of Heaven, but - even if he's right, it will tear Heaven apart!" says Harahel. "If he disrupts the flow of the rivers, all the souls here - all of them will have nothing left to hold onto. All of Heaven will crumble."
"What makes you think I'd care about that?" Sam asks.
The angel tries again, "Sam, please. Together we can stop this madness. You and Dean can leave and we'll never bother either of you again."
Sam takes a slow breath and looks at them. Here, in their home, they are shimmering things - made of light, grace and beauty. Sam wants to sink his teeth in and drink until their light dies. "I don't work with angels," he says, and turns his back on them again.
"Sam, please. We- we'll do anything you ask of us." Harahel says.
"Stop!" Rehael yells, lunging forward. Two of the other angels hold him back.
Harahel turns and yells at the smaller angel, "If we don't do this, everything ends anyway! We have no other choice!"
Sam smirks, and looks over his shoulder, "You'll do...anything I ask of you?"
"Yes. We need your help." Harahel answers.
Sam turns to face the angels and asks, "Will you give yourselves wholly to serve me, and only me?"
Harahel hesitates only a moment, before answering, "Yes."
----------
In the Garden, Dean, Castiel and the angels around them all fall to the ground in pain. There's a deafening noise of metal creaking, and a voice echoes through the air saying, "Little pigs, little pigs, let me in. Or I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll blow your world in."
The noise gets louder and louder and then there's a crack.
The ground in the Garden starts to heave and tear, and Dean gets up and tries to move forward, toward one of the trees nearby. The ground breaks again and he hangs from a ledge, nothing below him but the impossibly still water of the lake. "Cas!" He yells, "Help me damnit!"
----------
All of Hell feels Sam break open Heaven's door. Every soul there rushes towards the heart of Hell, towards the throne, which shifts and changes again eagerly awaiting the return of their King.
----------
As Sam walks through Heaven, he sees it start to crumble. It falls away under his feet, which drip with the blood of a dozen angels. Sam clutches a handful of feathers in his left hand and heads towards the Garden.
----------
In South Dakota, Bobby Singer has just finished replacing his kitchen window. He cleans a thumbprint off of the glass and sees it starts to rain. He opens the window to get some fresh air, he always did love the smell of rain and watches in confusion as the glass pane slowly turns red.
----------
In Lawrence, Kansas, Missouri Mosely sits on her doorstep and says over and over, "The sky is bleeding, the sky is bleeding, the sky is bleeding..."
----------
Sam enters the Garden, and walks over to where Castiel sits, slumped against a tree next to a cliff. Sam runs his hand through his hair, and his fingers come away slick with angel blood. He opens his hand and lets the sticky feathers fall at Castiel's feet. Castiel doesn't move. "I owe you thirty-seven weapons. When you've decided which ones you want, send these back to me. Don't come yourself. If I ever lay eyes on you again, I'll be the last thing you ever see."
Castiel whispers to himself, "Teloch. Noib teloch. Nenni teloch."
----------
Sam finds Dean lying in the middle of an empty lake bed. He kneels beside him, lifts his head up as gently as he can, and takes them both home.
Previous Chapter Notes and Q&A back to Masterpost
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Castiel is saying: "Death. Yes, death. You have become death." Thank you Enochian Language Database!
Word count: 1583
Characters: Sam, Dean, Castiel, Bobby, Missouri
Warnings: blasphemy, blood
Follows directly after Lawrence
Dean looks down at the clear, still water and asks again, "You had to bring me here to show me a lake?"
"It isn't a lake." Castiel huffs in frustration, "I know you can see what this is. You just aren't looking."
"No, no- I am looking, and what I see is a damn lake." Dean says, "Seriously, you couldn't just tell me about this?"
"Dean." Castiel reaches for Dean's forehead, but Dean grabs him by the wrist. All two dozen of the angels standing guard around them stare, but make no move to intervene.
Dean lets go of Castiel, "No. Just tell me what I'm really looking at, okay?"
"It may help if you -" Castiel kneels on the ground and gestures,"-if you touch the water." Castiel says.
Dean eyes him warily, "Yeah...and you really want me to do that for some reason. Mind telling me why?"
Castiel swallows, and looks up to Dean, "It will help you to understand -"
"Lying to me right now is a really bad idea." Dean flinches when he feels something brush against his cheek. Luckily, it's only a leaf. It's Autumn in the Garden, and it looks very different from the last time Dean was here with Sam with Joshua. Surrounding the lake are a handful of large trees, their leaves a dizzying mix of red, orange and yellow. The leaves fall steadily, and Dean's feet make crunching noises as he steps further away from the lake's edge.
Castiel gets up and turns away from the water, "It's faith Dean, all this- what you're seeing- your mind is putting it in terms you can understand. You've spent most of your life as a human. To you, water is life. That's what faith is to us."
Dean walks a bit closer to the water again and looks. He lets his eyes drift and lets out a quiet gasp when he finally sees. The lake is made of light - a brilliant, bright blue. There are seven small rivers running out from the center, reaching out as far as the horizon. Dean can feel the lake calling to him, urging him forward. It's peace, it's hope, and it's right there and if he just moves closer, then he can finally, finally stop hurting.
----------
Sam stands at the gate of Heaven and knocks.
----------
Dean isn't sure how long he stares at the lake. He snaps out of his reverie when he becomes aware of an increasingly annoying melody on the outskirts of his consciousness. "Cas - what is that?" Dean looks down and sees that his feet are mere inches from the water's edge.
Castiel stares at him blankly, "What is what?"
"That, that sound - the music - it's like a whistling..." Dean stops talking and listens again for a few more seconds. "Is that somebody's idea of a joke?!" Dean looks at the other angels, and snaps, "Whichever one of you is doing that - knock it off!"
"Dean-" Castiel starts.
"What?! I hate that song- it's really friggin annoying!" Dean yells, then he stops and listens again, "Okay- that's a bit better."
"Dean!" Castiel says, loudly. "What are you hearing?"
"Well, first it was that eighties song 'Send Me an Angel'," Dean puts his hand to his forehead and pinches the bridge of his nose, "...and now, it's 'Knockin' On Heaven's Door!'" Dean spins around and looks at their audience, "None of you hear that?!"
One of the angels steps forward and says, "He's at the Gate."
Dean feels his gut churn, "Who is at the gate?" He turns to Castiel, "Who's at the gate?"
Castiel nods to the soldiers on his left. "Go."
Half of the angels disappear, and the remaining dozen reposition themselves to form a smaller ring around Castiel and Dean.
"It's Sam, isn't it?" Dean asks.
Castiel doesn't answer.
"You just sent those angels out there to do what, exactly?"
"To explain to him that you are safe and will be out shortly." Castiel answers.
"You-" Dean laughs, "How is that a good plan? Sam literally eats angels for breakfast."
Castiel nearly smiles as he says, "In Hell, yes, and on Earth, maybe, but here - this is our home."
"So what, he's powerless here?"
"No. Just not as much of a threat. Most of the angels here aren't even in vessels- and Sam can't turn them into flesh, not here." Castiel says, "Anyway, he can't get in. We're safe here."
"Safe?" Dean repeats, "So there's no way Sam could get in? You're sure - because I've known him a long time, and I have to tell you -"
Castiel cuts him off, "The only way Sam could get through the Gate is if we invite him in."
"Just, let me go see him Cas. I'll let him know I'm fine, and he'll go wait for me somewhere else." Dean pleads.
The angels around them step a bit closer, and Castiel says, "I'm sorry."
----------
Sam hears the twelve angels as they appear behind him. "Who sent you?" he asks, still facing the gate.
"Dean Winchester." says the smallest of the angels, stepping closer to Sam.
Sam turns slowly, "You're lying."
The angel doesn't respond, but another one steps forward, "Forgive Rehael, he is young."
"Is he?" Sam asks in a flat tone.
"We need your help, Sam." The angel looks at Sam, his eyes filled with light and sorrow, "Castiel - he means well, but he will destroy us all."
"Harahel, no- " Rehael says.
Harahel continues, "No. This has gone on long enough."
Sam looks at the angels curiously, "What has?"
"Castiel believes that Dean can take in the power of Heaven, but - even if he's right, it will tear Heaven apart!" says Harahel. "If he disrupts the flow of the rivers, all the souls here - all of them will have nothing left to hold onto. All of Heaven will crumble."
"What makes you think I'd care about that?" Sam asks.
The angel tries again, "Sam, please. Together we can stop this madness. You and Dean can leave and we'll never bother either of you again."
Sam takes a slow breath and looks at them. Here, in their home, they are shimmering things - made of light, grace and beauty. Sam wants to sink his teeth in and drink until their light dies. "I don't work with angels," he says, and turns his back on them again.
"Sam, please. We- we'll do anything you ask of us." Harahel says.
"Stop!" Rehael yells, lunging forward. Two of the other angels hold him back.
Harahel turns and yells at the smaller angel, "If we don't do this, everything ends anyway! We have no other choice!"
Sam smirks, and looks over his shoulder, "You'll do...anything I ask of you?"
"Yes. We need your help." Harahel answers.
Sam turns to face the angels and asks, "Will you give yourselves wholly to serve me, and only me?"
Harahel hesitates only a moment, before answering, "Yes."
----------
In the Garden, Dean, Castiel and the angels around them all fall to the ground in pain. There's a deafening noise of metal creaking, and a voice echoes through the air saying, "Little pigs, little pigs, let me in. Or I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll blow your world in."
The noise gets louder and louder and then there's a crack.
The ground in the Garden starts to heave and tear, and Dean gets up and tries to move forward, toward one of the trees nearby. The ground breaks again and he hangs from a ledge, nothing below him but the impossibly still water of the lake. "Cas!" He yells, "Help me damnit!"
----------
All of Hell feels Sam break open Heaven's door. Every soul there rushes towards the heart of Hell, towards the throne, which shifts and changes again eagerly awaiting the return of their King.
----------
As Sam walks through Heaven, he sees it start to crumble. It falls away under his feet, which drip with the blood of a dozen angels. Sam clutches a handful of feathers in his left hand and heads towards the Garden.
----------
In South Dakota, Bobby Singer has just finished replacing his kitchen window. He cleans a thumbprint off of the glass and sees it starts to rain. He opens the window to get some fresh air, he always did love the smell of rain and watches in confusion as the glass pane slowly turns red.
----------
In Lawrence, Kansas, Missouri Mosely sits on her doorstep and says over and over, "The sky is bleeding, the sky is bleeding, the sky is bleeding..."
----------
Sam enters the Garden, and walks over to where Castiel sits, slumped against a tree next to a cliff. Sam runs his hand through his hair, and his fingers come away slick with angel blood. He opens his hand and lets the sticky feathers fall at Castiel's feet. Castiel doesn't move. "I owe you thirty-seven weapons. When you've decided which ones you want, send these back to me. Don't come yourself. If I ever lay eyes on you again, I'll be the last thing you ever see."
Castiel whispers to himself, "Teloch. Noib teloch. Nenni teloch."
----------
Sam finds Dean lying in the middle of an empty lake bed. He kneels beside him, lifts his head up as gently as he can, and takes them both home.
Previous Chapter Notes and Q&A back to Masterpost
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Castiel is saying: "Death. Yes, death. You have become death." Thank you Enochian Language Database!