Fic: The Hunter’s Guide To The Rift (2/4)
**~~*In A Corridor Where You Find Yourself Now Blocked
By A Door You Locked*~~**
The inside of the building was all sharp angles and chrome, looking decidedly clinical and sterile. The only reminders of anything living were the faint sounds echoing from the street outside. His trench coat billowed around his legs as he made his way to the end of the hall. Door 819 was altogether unremarkable from the outside, but contained something unimaginable.
The door swung open before he had even raised his hand to knock and he was greeted by a girl in her mid-twenties, who immediately waved him inside. She slowly began to back away from him as she hesitantly spoke, “He has retired for his evening brandy in the study.”
The interior of the apartment was as drastically different as possible. It rivaled the opulence of any gothic mansion and seemed to suit it’s owner far better than the clinical exterior. He made his way down the hall and stopped at a room illuminated by firelight. He noticed his host standing behind one of the grand armchairs nestled by the fireplace.
“Evening, Castiel.” He paused waiting for some acknowledgment, “Not going to mention how incendiary I look?”
Castiel narrowed his eyes, “I apologize for temporarily reducing you to ashes, but it was necessary to ensure that all parties believed the ruse.”
“See, that there…” Crowley strolled over to Castiel and placed a hand on the angel’s shoulder, “I’m not entirely convinced that believing the ruse is all we need. Are you sure that they’ll even make the trip for you? Because from what I’ve seen lately, the Winchesters aren’t as fond of their little winged pet anymore. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if they told you to bugger off.”
Castiel’s hands balled into fists and he stepped closer to Crowley, “They. Will. Come.”
“I think my favorite part of this misguided little display of loyalty, is that while you’re here defending the Winchesters’ honor, they haven’t even thought about you once since Sammy became a real boy again.”
As he saw Castiel reaching for his sword, Gabriel stepped forward, “Boys, boys I am sure we can work this all out after we discuss the plan.”
“What’s to discuss, as long as our little cherub can secure us access to the gateway and actually deliver the Winchesters to the rendezvous point, we are good as gold,” Crowley sneered.
Castiel glared defiantly at his brother and the demon, “Do not question the loyalty of the Winchesters and do not question the fact that if you continue down this path, you will not like what you find at the end.”
Gabriel was growing impatient, “Amigos, friends, comrades, ffrindiau…Lend me your ears. I come here today to tell you to shut the hell up. First, we have a time sensitive plan here and second, at some point I would like to be able to acknowledge that, yes, I am alive. Most importantly, I need to be able to leave this apartment. Even a gilded cage is still a cage. Seriously, how did you guys manage without me here to pay referee? Castiel, we have everything ready on our end. You just need to let Dean and Sam know what’s expected of them and handle the gatekeeper. You’re the only one that can manage that. Sorry bro, but if this plan doesn’t work as well as we hope, then Crowley and I need to stay hidden as long as we can. Live to fight another day and all that. Plus, let’s just say our eccentric gatekeeper has certain…”
Crowley smirked and supplied, “…preferences. And you have all the right…qualifications. Actually, it should prove to be most entertaining to see how he will get along with Dean, since they seem to share so many similar interests.”
Cas tilted his head, “I assure you, I have no idea to what you are referring.” With the sudden sound of feathers Cas was gone.
“You know, at first I thought he just did that whole vanishing sans goodbye thing, because he was new to the whole civilized communication thing, but I am starting to think he may just be rude.”
“Well, he did learn manners from Dean,” the demon added.
**~~*The Good Old Days, The Honest Man; The Restless Heart,
The Promised Land, A Subtle Kiss That No One Sees*~~**
Standing outside of a motel in West Allis, Wisconsin Cas sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. He was almost positive Gabriel had written the message he was to deliver to the Winchesters as some elaborate joke, but with his limited frame of reference to all things pop culture he couldn’t be certain. It pained Cas to doubt his brother, but Gabriel had time and again earned that doubt, especially if the end result would be making Cas look foolish. He vowed there and then that when the re-apocalypse was over he would learn all the useless trivial references he could. Let them try and fool him then. He would truly have the last laugh, but for now he had a job to do. He concentrated and used his grace to project a hologram of himself inside the motel room in a long white robe.
Dean jumped, “Cas? Cas are you alright?” Dean ran his hand through the hologram. “Shit.”
“Hello Dean. Sam. Years ago, you served my father in the apocalypse. Now he begs you to help him in his struggle against the re-apocalypse. I regret that I am unable to present my father's request to you in person, but Heaven has fallen under attack and I'm afraid my mission to stop Raphael alone has failed. I have placed information vital to the survival of Team Free Will into the memory systems of Sam’s laptop. He will know how to retrieve it. You must see this information safely delivered to me in Cardiff. This is our most desperate hour. Help me, Dean Winchester. You're my only hope.” The hologram faded and both brothers turned to stare at each other.
Dean gave Sam a soft punch in the arm, “It’s your fault. You just had to mock him with the plot of Raiders Of The Lost Ark.”
“Is not.”
“Is too.”
“Dean that isn’t fair. Things that I did while I was soulless should not be brought up again, just so you can win an argument.”
Dean actually doubled over with laughter, “Bitch.”
“Jerk. I’ll check the laptop.” Sam started his computer and quickly noticed that there was a shortcut to folder entitled “Super Secret Angel Mission To Postpone, Divert, Or Stop The Re-Apocalypse” and that his desktop background had been altered from The Steps Of Montmartre by Brassai to a picture of himself that was severely lacking in clothing, but did include a strategically placed turkey.
He decided to deal with the folder first, inside he found to electronic tickets that would transport them to Cardiff, there where detailed maps, and instructions to meet Cas at the Cardiff Tourist Information office at the Plas Roald Dahl. There was also a list of things they need to take with them. Sam swallowed hard, getting the first thing on the list meant going to see Bobby.
Bobby being Bobby had instantly forgiven Sam for the whole attack and everything, simply stating it was going to take more than some overgrown kid to take him out especially in his own house. Sam still felt that he would never make it up to Bobby or himself. Saying, “My bad, I didn’t have a soul,” was the truth, but it never felt like enough. He showed Dean the list and they packed up the Impala and head to Sioux Falls.
**~~*Stars Shining Bright Above You*~~**
Cas entered the dream of and found himself watching man dressed in a great military coat sitting by the bay watching a Pteranodon soaring across the sky. Cas moved to stand beside the man who turned and said with a wolfish grin, “Don’t get me wrong, I’m not one to complain about a magnificent blue eyed man showing up in my dreams, but what exactly are you doing here? I know dream walking isn’t illegal until the forty-sixth century, but it is still quite rude.”
“My name is Castiel and I am an angel of the Lord.”
“The only angels I know resemble statues and feed off energy.”
“Ah, that would be the result of my brother Gabriel playing a prank on ‘the management.’ His pranks tend to be ill thought out and cause copious amounts of damage. I can assure you that I do not require sustenance.”
“Always good to know.”
“We require your assistance. The fate of the world rests in your hands Jack Harkness.”
“It generally does. What kind of assistance are we talking about?”
“I would like to inspect the rift and then we would like to attempt to contact our allies through the rift.”
“Tall order. Meet me at the Hub and we can discuss this further. I’m not promising anything, but I will hear your request. You know, this reminds me of the time, I was just back from touring the galaxy with his gorgeous keyboard player, Hotblack Desiato. Very skilled hands. He started regularly dropping in for dream dates. Though, as it turns out, he was spending most of the year dead for tax reasons and had very limited options for…dates, which made it slightly less flattering, but no less fun.” Jack winked at Cas then turned and stared dreamily at the sky. The angel left as abruptly has he had appeared.
**~~*Keep You Apart Deep In My Heart Separate From The Rest,
Where I Like You The Best And Keep The Things You Forgot*~~**
The boys decided it was best to spend some time at the salvage yard and get whatever intel they could from Bobby before heading off into the great unknown. Dean tried to remember all the times they had been in this position before, running to Bobby for guidance as they watched the moments tick down until time for the big mission. Dean almost wanted to laugh. It seemed after every battle won, every unstoppable force stopped, and every Herculean task completed, life still threw them to the lion’s den. A few years ago, Dean actually believed that he and Sam would find their dad, kill the Yellow Eyed Demon, and then, they could just be a family. Now, with the re-apocalypse hanging over their heads, when would it end? Was there ever going to be a chance for them to grow old, ride off into the sunset, have an honest to goodness house with a picket fence, and not have to fight for everyday that they are still above ground? Nothing for a Winchester was ever tied up in a neat little package like that, but after everything they had been through, Dean was going to fight for them and they would save the world again. After all, that was the Winchester way.
The house had seen better days; in fact Dean hadn’t seen it look this bad since he came back from Hell. He remembered joking that Bobby’s parents must have been out of town, but he was definitely not joking now. Every surface was covered empty liquor bottles, expensive silk ties, and pocket squares. As Bobby moved about, clearing an area for them to sit, they both noticed that underneath Bobby’s loose flannel jacket was a finely tailored waistcoat, though neither of them mentioned it.
Sam stood stiffly, his body still felt foreign, it was confining and it never seemed to fit just right. He felt like all the energy built up inside was just waiting to find a weak spot and burst out him. He couldn’t look Bobby in the eye. He had forced Dean to tell him in graphic detail everything he had done while his soul was still in the cage. He remembered flashes and snippets of the events, but it was more akin to muscle memory and déjà vu then any real knowledge of what occurred. Sam actually thought that not remembering was worse, because it meant that his imagination took over from there.
Losing someone that he loved made Bobby put things into perspective and he turned towards Sam and could tell the younger Winchester was working up the courage to apologize again. “Listen boy, it wasn’t you. As long as you don’t plan on try again, consider the slate wiped clean.”
Sam sighed, “Bobby, I…” Bobby held up a hand to stop him, “Okay, I get it. Clean slate. Just I’m sorry and thanks for still being here.”
Dean coughed, “Before we get to the hair braiding portion of the evening, we need to discuss our latest re-apocalypse mission.”
“How can I be of service to Heaven this time?” Bobby sneered. Wouldn’t anyone let him grieve in peace? He also felt extremely relieved that Castiel hadn’t come himself, because Bobby could not be held responsible for his actions toward the angel. Though, they would probably have involved turning his wings into throw pillows.
“Cas needs us to bring him a book and he said you’d have it. Apparently, the big bad is about to go down and we need to go kick its ass, again.”
Sam furrowed is brow, “It is ‘The Hunter’s Guide To The Rift.’ I checked dad’s journal and there wasn’t any record of it so…” Bobby looked confused and then walked off without saying a word.
“Sam, what should we do? Hallmark doesn’t exactly make a ‘Sorry Our Angel Killed Your Boyfriend, Who Happened To Be The King Of Hell, While We Watched And Couldn’t / Maybe Didn’t Want To Stop It’ card. Should you go talk to him, because this is definitely above my pay grade?”
Sam shot Dean a death glare as Bobby returned carrying a book. The older man looked completely different. His eyes were bright and clear, he held his shoulders back, and he had an actually smile on his face. “I’ll be damned.” He reached the book to Sam and then showed him a letter that had been tucked inside the cover. “It was in his things. After the…I could touch them for a long time…”
As Bobby trailed off, Sam unfolded the letter, which was written on official King of Hell stationary and read:
Love,
Remember no fiddle contests until I return, I fear I am the only one bloody foolish enough to let you win.
Please inform the darling Winchester lads that they are to bring this book with them to meet Castiel and should they run into any trouble they are to use the codeword “Torchwood.”
I do apologize for my sudden absence and I fully plan to make it up to you over a very nice dinner and a large tumbler of Scotch.
Kisses,
C
Sam was speechless. He shoved the letter at Dean, who blurted out, “Well, that’s surprising news. So Bobby, what do you know about Torchwood?”
“I know that they operate outside the government and beyond the police…” He proceeded to fill them in on all the rumors that surrounded the secret organization, which evidently dealt with aliens, rift in space and time, and had the world’s biggest flirt for a director. It seems the guy has a thing for dark haired men with blue eyes and something about that made Dean very uneasy. He tried not to think about it too much as they made their final preparations and began the journey to meet Cas.
**~~*You're Waiting To Start, Waiting To Light, Wait Until Dark*~~**
Castiel found himself on an abandoned street in Cardiff beneath a single street lamp. He wanted more than anything to be riding in the Impala following Dean and Sam wherever the road takes them, but his mission came first. “Baziel. Brother, I have news.”
Baziel appeared in the traditional uniform of the cherubim, which was a cloud of fog that covered him from navel to knee. Castiel always thought there were so many things in creation that he was especially thankful to his Father for, but at this moment he was most thankful for clouds of fog. He was then crushed in a torturous show of affection which squeezed all coherent thought from him.
After being released, Cas carefully moved farther away from his overeager subordinate. “I need you to find ‘Luke’ and ‘The Emperor’ then tell them that ‘Han Solo’ agreed to meet and further discuss any assistance that he may provide on our quest to find the ‘Death Star.’ I will contact them once I have a concrete answer about our proposition.” Cas silently hoped that Baziel wouldn’t ask him to explain the message. Gabriel had mentioned something about it being a reference to them as siblings, Crowley as the main bad guy, Jack Harkness as a badass captain, and the place everyone was trying to break into. But like all of Gabriel’s rants, it made little to no sense.
The cherub saluted, “As you wish,” and vanished into the night. Cas made a mental note to add suspenders to the official cherubim uniform. Fog just wasn’t sturdy enough.
**~~*Could There Be Love Beneath These Wings*~~**
Trapped on a plane and hurdling through the air was not Dean’s idea of a good time. Trapped on a plane and hurdling through the air over water made him want to scream and try to pinch himself until he wakes up from this heinous nightmare. “Listen, I know I was pushy and horrible to everyone, but I couldn’t breathe, I couldn’t rest until you got your soul back. Admittedly, part of that was, because I thought you were going to murder me in my sleep, but mostly, I just couldn’t lose you, Sammy. I lost you for a year and felt like I was down in that hole with you. I should have handled everything better, I just couldn’t…” Dean paused. He felt the moment was getting dangerously emotional. “Damn it. I just want to know how many international flights I am going to be forced to go on before I am square with karma again!” The plane lurched and Dean clutched the armrest.
Sam desperately tried to suppress a giggle, “Maybe you could try humming. That worked before.”
**~~* I Got Another One To Tell You And Another One To Make You Believe*~~**
Jack sat in his office contemplating his recent dream visitor. He had tried to concentrate, but the impending meeting with an angel made it impossible for him to even make a dent in his never ending pile of paperwork. Every single page seemed to take hours to complete and the morning dragged on. A soft rustling sound alerted him to a presence in his office, looking up he saw the gorgeous man from his dream.
“Captain Harkness, I presume.”
“Call me Jack,” He said with a leer.
“Jack, I have come to discuss utilizing the rift in order to recreate certain events which led to my brother escaping from Purgatory. If we are indeed able to reestablish the connection, we will be able to gather an army to defend humanity then put an end to the re-apocalypse, once and for all.”
“Slow down. Your brother escaped from the rift without any of our sensors picking it up?”
“He is an archangel and he used his grace to mask the rift energy. He is very gifted when it comes to the manipulation of electronic devices. I believe he also manifested several pounds of chocolate to distract your Pteranodon.”
“That explains Myfanwy’s mystery illness a few weeks ago. You need to know apocalypse or not, I cannot allow you to open the rift.”
“Technically, this is the re-apocalypse. The apocalypse was averted over a year ago. We are certain that we could use our grace to control the time and location of the next natural fissure. Jack, we are fighting to save this world, to save people. We would not knowingly put anyone in jeopardy. This is our last and best hope. Without your help, I fear we are doomed.”
Jack took a moment to think it over, “I’m going to need to know all the details of this plan and since the rift is Torchwood’s responsibility, I want my team monitoring. I’m going to keep my eye on you. You’re going to need a cover story for while you’re here. Let’s just say due to our history with ‘angels,’ they aren’t looked at fondly and it would be best to keep that on a need to know basis.”
“Agreed.”
**~~*Make Up Something To Believe In Your Heart Of Hearts,
So You Have Something To Wear On Your Sleeve Of Sleeves*~~**
Ianto made his way out of the archives and headed towards the tourist office where he would be spending the rest of the day. He found Tosh and Owen freshly back from scouting a rift spike in Splott and huddled at Tosh’s work station. He moved closer to his whispering co-workers and overheard the medic say, “Why is it always blokes? What I would give for there to be some gorgeous bird visiting. Especially now that Jack and Teaboy are doing whatever it is their doing and please God may I never walk in on it.”
Tosh blushed, “Just be glad Gwen isn’t here. She would probably force us to play truth or dare.”
“If Jack has his way, we’ll all be playing spin the bottle.” Ianto smiled as the others jumped. “And he cheats.”
Owen turned to him, “So, who’s the guy?
“No idea.”
“Come on, do you really expect me to believe you don’t know?” Owen arched his eyebrow.
Before Ianto could answer, Jack called for him to join them in the office. He winked at Owen as he made his way up to Jack’s office.
“Ianto Jones, this is Castiel Adams. Castiel will be staying with us for a few days. Will you get him setup in one of the rooms? He is going to be requiring some clothes as well.”
“Of course, sir. Mr. Adams, if you will accompany me please. We will take care of the clothing first and then get you settled into one of Dignitary Suites.” People questioned many things about Captain Jack Harkness’ leadership of Torchwood, but the one thing no one questioned was the captain’s ability to schmooze visiting alien dignitaries. In fact, Jack’s last party is still making headlines on Betelgeuse 5. However, that was most likely directly related to the magically healing coffee Ianto served to combat killer hypervodka hangovers.
**~~*I'm Standing In Your Line, I Do Hope You Have The Time*~~**
Once they exited the plane, Dean thought the worst of the journey was over, but then he saw the line to get through customs. The line infinite and he was pretty sure this was how he dies. Demons? Witches? Angels? The apocalypse? The re-apocalypse? Nope, it’s old age that was going to get Dean Winchester, because he was never getting out of this line. Sam was calmly checking to make sure he had everything he needs to expedite the whole process, but what does that matter, they were never going to escape the evil that was this queue. Sam was a douche. Dean really considered knocking his passport out of his hands.
Before he could, Dean’s brief jetlag induced rage was interrupted by the customs agent beckoned them forward, but not across the yellow line. Never across the yellow line. “Passports.” They handed everything over and as the agent glanced through their passports he asked, “Where will you be staying?”
“Uh…with…our…friend?” Dean panicked. How do you describe your relationship with the angel that pulled you out of Hell, fought beside you to save the world, kicked your ass when you needed it, gave up everything, and did it all for you in everyday terms? Plus, Cas doesn’t exactly have an actual last name.
“Address?”
For a second, Dean had the urge to just point up towards Heaven, but that probably wouldn’t go over well, so he decided to let Sam handle it from there.
“He didn’t give us an exact address, but he said to mention ‘Torchwood’ if we had any trouble.”
The agent handed them back all their paperwork, “Bloody Torchwood, get out of my sight.”
**~~*Save Some Face, You Know You've Only Got One
Change Your Ways While You're Young*~~**
Clothing had never been that important to Cas. He was a leader and strategist, he didn’t have time to dwell on such trivial matters, though he had come to appreciate the multitude of pockets he currently possessed. His favorite was inside his suit jacket, where he kept the amulet that had failed them so spectacularly. He had meant it when he told Dean the amulet was worthless, but after losing Sam to the cage, Dean to a new life, and his brothers to Heavenly politics, Cas had reconsidered its real value and retrieved it. It was true that the amulet would never work to find God, but it had worked to show him a reason to keep fighting and, in that way, it was a beacon illuminating his true path. When all seemed lost and the road was full of perils, he grasped it in his hand and thought about all the events the amulet has been a part of, both big and small - all the Christmases spent waiting, all the first days of school, all the friends made and lost in the course of a hunt, all the monsters defeated, all the hustled games of pool, all the slices of pie, and his favorite, the day an angel truly understood what it meant to be family. He planned one day to return it to Dean and tell him what it has meant to him. He hoped that day would signify his last spent fighting and he would finally be able to choose to stay with Dean, to be home.
Everything hinged on this mission. This was how he was going to save the world and it was his way out of conflict. So, if everyone else was too preoccupied by clothing and he needed to fit in to succeed, then he was going to adapt. A short walk later, they entered into a sea of silk, wool, and tweed. Every color in the rainbow spread out and waiting to be tried.
Ianto saw the confused look in the other man’s eyes and tried to make small talk, “So, how long will you be joining us?”
“Until the mission is completed or I am killed by one of my brothers.”
Ianto was unflappable as always, “Family issues can be difficult. How do you feel about blue?” He held up various ties to Cas and considered each one.
“I have no strong feelings about blue,” he watched as one by one the ties were separated into piles.
“Well, the tie you’re wearing now is blue and it is definitely your color.” The pile of blue ties was growing significantly, “Do you have anyone waiting on you back home?”
“Everyone is waiting on the outcome of this operation.”
“No, I mean a significant other?”
“Dean is significant.”
Ianto smiled, “How does Dean feel about blue?”
“I believe he has a favorable opinion of it.”
Cas had told Ianto about the Winchester brothers and that it was very possible that they would join Cas during this mission. Ianto was disappointed to learn that Dean seemed more like a clueless workmate and less like a significant other. However, Ianto had always found that a well tailored suit could work wonders when it came to getting a certain someone to notice you. After Cas had tried on almost every suit in the store, Ianto paid for their selections, dressed Cas in an amazing black pinstriped suit with a waistcoat, white shirt, and brilliant striped blue tie, then they headed back to the Hub.
**~~*He Likes The Way That You Look Now, Like An Open Book*~~**
There are few things that brightened Jack Harkness’ day as much as a man in a suit, but when Jack glanced up to find two delectably outfitted men descending on the invisible lift, he was pretty sure this was one of the most glorious days since the first game of hide and seek. “I must say, I highly approve of the new look.”
Ianto answered in his most professional voice as they stepped off the lift, “Your approval is appreciated as always, sir. Where are the others?”
“Weevil hunt. Could take hours. I could always think of something for the three of us to do while we wait.” Jack grinned as a blush crept up Ianto’s neck.
“Sir, I think the most prudent course of action would be to show Mr. Adams to his suite and let him get settled.”
“You never let me have any fun.” Jack turned to Cas, who had been until this point content to just watch the exchange with a perplexed look, “I fully intend to let you go to the room and get everything sorted, but first can I ask small favor?”
The angel considered the request, “Anything within reason.”
Jack batted his eyes, “I am always within reason. Could Ianto try on your trench? I am working on a scenario where he’s gruff underpaid overworked detective and I’m an international jewel thief with a heart of gold and reputation for always getting what I’m after.” When Cas didn’t refuse, Jack grabbed the coat and began pushing Ianto’s arms in the sleeves. Unfortunately, before Jack had a chance to admire his handiwork, the alarm sounded alerting them to visitors in the tourist office.
“Duty calls.” Ianto turned and made his way up to the office.
**~~*And You Feel Just Like A Tourist*~~**
Dean and Sam made their way into the immaculate Cardiff Tourist Information office and began browsing around the place wondering when Cas would materialize. They heard a door somewhere in the back of the office and the sound of someone approaching. Dean tensed and turned to Sam who nodded as they prepared for an attack. The brothers knew Cas was never one to use doors and would have just appeared in front of them.
Relief washed over Dean immediately as the sight of the angel’s well-worn trench coat came into view. Dean had come to both love and despise the coat. The ever present and never changing coat signified Cas’ otherworldliness. Though Dean was adamant that Cas was too good to be a mere human, the coat also represent everything that in Dean’s mind meant that Cas was too good for them and, more importantly, him.
“Sorry for the delay, how may I assist you?”
That caught Dean’s attention. The voice was all wrong. He stared into blue eyes that certainly did not belong to their friendly neighborhood angel. Before he was even aware of reacting, he launched forward forcing the imposter into the wall and holding his forearm across the man’s throat. “Where’s Cas and what the hell are you doing with his coat?”
“Ah, you must be Dean and Sam. We’ve been expecting you.” As Dean released him, Ianto made his way to the counter and pressed the button opening the doorway to the Hub, “Mustn’t keep them waiting.”
When Dean saw the angel, he practically sprinted over to him stopping just short of completely invading his personal space. He began checking Cas over for injuries or any sign that something was amiss. Several moments passed before Dean noticed that Cas wasn’t in his normal tax accountant get up. “Cas, what’s going on? You get a promotion?”
The man to Cas’ right spoke, “Welcome to Torchwood. I’m Captain Jack Harkness.” Jack’s eyes moved from Dean to Cas and he noted the soul penetrating gaze currently engaging them, “I will just check on Ianto and give you all a chance to catch up.”
**~~*Find A Brand New Way Of Seeing Your Eyes Forever Glued To Mine*~~**
Jack made his way up to the tourist office to allow the boys sometime to discuss why they had been brought here, which meant he was going to watch the scene unfold on CCTV. Watching Dean and Castiel stare longingly at each other had been interesting to say the least. “Ianto, you should have seen them. They are worse than we ever were, even before you finally gave into my unstoppable charm and powerful charisma.”
“Oh, you mean when I finally decided that if we were together, I would incur considerably less paperwork, then if I actually reported you for harassment.”
“You’re so romantic.”
“Do you think it would help if we gave them a stopwatch?”
“I don’t think they’d even know how to use it.”
**~~*Remember How We Thought If We Followed
The Dots It Would Stop All The Accidents*~~**
Back in the Hub, Dean continued to hover about the angel, “Cas, man, who was that guy? How have they been treating you? I don’t like the way he kept looking at you. It was like you where a piece of meat. Dude, didn’t anybody teach him that it’s not polite to stare?” Dean gazed intensely into the exceptionally gorgeous blue depths of Cas’ eyes.
Sam took in the scene and threw Dean bitchface #481 better known as ‘Dean Is Being Ridiculous About His Epic Love For Cas And Criticizing Other Men For Noticing His Angel.’ “Dean, I’m not so sure you are the right person to point out how rude it is to stare. Cas, why exactly are we here? For that matter, what is this place?”
“This place guards a rift in space and time that we will use to reach Purgatory and raise an army to stop the apocalypse. Now, we must contact the others.” He turned abruptly, “Baziel. Brother, we need you.”
The cupid appeared wearing his new uniform complete with dark blue suspenders and black rimmed glasses. The glasses had been suggested to him by Gabriel, who told him that it would help him fit in. “You called.”
“Baziel, it’s time. Tell the others that I have found the droids they’re looking for. Dean, please give Baziel the book I asked you to bring.” With a confused look on his face, Dean retrieved book from Sam’s backpack and handed it to the cupid. The only sound was a flutter of wings, and Baziel was gone. Cas looked back at the Winchesters, “We must wait until they arrive.”
“I got to say, Cas, as Interim Director of Heaven, you’ve really got everybody embracing the nerd angel thing. Too bad he didn’t have a place to put a pocket protector.” When his joke fell flat, Dean continued, “So, what’s with the book? Why’d we have to lug it all the way here? You do realize over half of the book is just blank pages and not even Sam could read it.”
Cas looked at them thoughtfully, “The book was a gift that Gabriel made for our Father. It records the events of the story as they unfold. Father has decided to take a much needed vacation and see the world He created, but He hates to disappoint His readers. This way the next book will not be delayed by His travels and it will also be something called a ‘crossover.’ The text is written in a language that Gabriel invented, thus reducing the risk that anyone would ‘accidently’ publish spoilers about the unreleased material.” The angel smiled sadly and continued, “The book will be safer if it rests with Baziel until the conclusion of this apocalypse. It has been growing steadily more difficult to evade Raphael and I knew it would not be safe to transport the book through angelic means. We were fortunate in that my brothers tend to underestimate humans.”
**~~*Someone's Always Coming Around Here Trailing Some New Kill*~~**
Jack and Ianto made their way back accompanied by a lovely woman in a pencil skirt and an angry yellow slime covered gentleman who oozed slightly with each step. The slimy man glared at the unknown inhabitants of the room, “Not a bleeding word. Not a bleeding word from anyone,” with that he stormed off.
They quietly waited until the sound of squishing shoes grew faint and, of course, Jack was the first to end the silence, “That, gentlemen, was our dedicated physician and I assure you that his bedside manner is even worse.”
Dean smirked, “Okay, note to self, don’t get sick.”
“Or injured. Come to think of it, you’re probably safer if never need any routine medical care.” Ianto said dryly.
Jack caught the younger Winchester by the arm and felt appreciatively of Sam’s bicep as he led him over to Tosh’s work station, “You seem like a strapping young lad that appreciates research. Let me introduce you to our resident techno-goddess Tosh. Tosh this is Sam.”
Tosh extended her hand, “It lovely to meet you. It’s rare we…”
Jack quickly cut off what she was about to say, “So what exactly is the story between those two?” He gestured towards where Dean and Cas stood conversing with Ianto.
“How much time do you have?”
“That bad?”
“Well, first there is the constant passionate soul blazing eye-sex. Then you have all the layers of inner turmoil - I am just a human, I’m not worthy, he’s an angel, I went to Hell, I’m the Sherriff of Heaven, I don’t understand that reference, and he deserves better. I’m kind of worried that I’m going to have to breakdown and lock them in a room together at some point. It’s like I’m stuck with two star-crossed twelve year olds that are too scared for the ‘do you like me or do you like-like me’ conversation. And so they stare.”
“Sometimes being in extreme situations can push you to admit your feelings, when you normally wouldn’t.” Tosh said sympathetically.
“I wish it was that easy, but this is our second apocalypse and if the apocalypse doesn’t make you man up and grab your angel, I don’t know what will.” Sam found his own thoughts drifting briefly to his favorite angel, Gabriel, and sorrow filled his heart.
Jack asked Castiel to explain the plan to Tosh. Cas gave her the same general details that he had given Jack and insisted that they wait until the others arrived before he told them anything else. A somber mood settled over the Hub and everyone quietly made small talk until the sudden entrance of a clean, but, if possible, even more pissed off Owen.
“Oi Harkness, exactly when did we become the lost and found for American tourists?” When he didn’t get an answer, Owen grabbed his coat and to the door, “I’m off to Tesco for plasters and biscuits. The lot of you can sod off.”
PART TWO