Benchside Conversations
Title: Benchside Conversations
Author/Artist: pathsforme
Recipient: fate_incomplete at castielfest
Beta: immortal-jedi
Rating: PG
Characters/Pairings: gen-Castiel, OC
Warnings/Spoilers: Spoilers up to Season Finale of season 5.
Word Count: 1,082
Notes/Prompt: Castiel finds simple reminder of heaven.
Castiel found himself unable to look away from his hands. The world was changing around him and now he was human, he couldn't access his powers at all now. The only thing he could do was see into the hearts of men. He would be leaving this hospital soon and he knew that after his conversation with Dean he needed some time to think.
Castiel felt pain, stiffness, though he knew the pain medicines of the humans was helping. He was rather glad to be out of there. He sat outside in a park and sighed. It was quiet, not a single soul in the park. He would suggest besides him but angels don't have souls, they have grace, to have a soul suggested to be human and while Castiel was powerless, he was not and could never be human. It was a simple fact.
Castiel relaxed in the seat and didn't notice until felt a sudden familiarity as a young woman sat next to him.
“You know they're looking for you,” The young woman spoke.
Castiel was startled when he looked in the direction of the woman. She was a heavy set woman in her twenties, with pale skin, grey eyes, and raven black hair. She wore a pair of rectangular framed glasses. “Who?” he asked feeling himself go on guard.
“The angels,” the woman said. “You're Castiel, correct?” She asked him but looked towards the children that were out on the playground.
Castiel tensed. “Yes,” He told her and realized something, this was a prophet. He watched and had a sudden urge to flee.
“My guardian archangel won't be coming,” the dark haired woman told him.
He breathed. “Why?”
“Because Lucifer has already killed him,” The woman told him.
Castiel felt his blood run cold. An archangel had been killed. “Who was your guardian Ms. Atris?” Castiel asked.
“Gabriel,” She answered to him, his voice sad. “He was a good man, died protecting Sam and Dean Winchester.” Ms. Atris explained.
“I don't understand.” Castiel said, grief washing upon him. “He wanted Michael and Lucifer to fight, why would he protect them?” He demanded not realizing his voice was becoming louder as he stood up.
“Please keep your voice down, you'll scare the children,” the woman said and watched as Castiel sat on the bench next to her’s.
“Because he came to a conclusion, I don't know if it was he saw humans as worth it. Maybe he just got tired of the fact that Michael and Lucifer were dragging everyone into their little tiff. He bought the world some time,” the woman told him. “Gabriel bought those children some time.”
Castiel looked towards the children. “He said...” Cas began
“Gabriel has said lots of things,” the woman said. “Judge him on his actions not his words.”
“Atris,” Castiel began.
“Penelope,” the woman interrupted him. “Anyways, that's not why I'm here.”
“Then why are you here?” Castiel asked.
“I wanted to meet you, you were different...” Penelope told him. “Different from the other angels. You were the first angel I saw that fit the mold of an angel that I could see. You resurrected Dean Winchester, you did your best to guide him. Though like you said, you had doubts. You disregarded the fact of what message God had, you are still trying to save us.”
Castiel felt a great deal of pain there. A prophetess had approached him and was showing the curiosity of a child but he could feel a question coming on.
“Why?” She asked.
Castiel sighed and looked away. “I don't know anymore,” he offered. Castiel felt lost, he no longer had faith in his father but people. There were people fighting to live, to survive. That meant everything. “Them,” he finally told the prophet nodding his head in the direction of the children.
Penelope looked in the direction of the children who were playing, laughing, giggling, and it was music to her ears. “They're your hope?” She inquired.
“Those children remind me of heaven. They are free of the troubles of the world that surrounds them. Their laughter reminds me of my brothers and sisters before, before and after Lucifer fail. During a time when we could be free.”
Penelope smiled at the fallen angel.
“When I think of that, it isn't so unbearable to be here, I could be happy. But...”
“But it also reminds you what you have lost,” Penelope told him. “Maybe after this is over, things will get better for you and Jimmy Novak,” she told him as she began to rise. “You should get going Castiel, I am sure Dean, Sam, and Bobby will be happy to see you alive. After all, talking to them on the phone is quite different than being right there in front of them.”
Castiel nodded and began to get up.
“Do you need a ride to the airport?” Penelope asked him.
“No, thank you,” he told her.
Penelope smiled as she watched the former angel of Thursday depart and turned just in time to see several people in suits before her. She recognized them, these were the angels under Zachariah, or at least they were when Zachariah was alive. Assassin Angels.
“Where is Castiel?” the angel in a brunette woman demanded.
Those words confused her. Certainly they could sense Castiel, couldn't they? Certain wheels turned in her head, someone had branded Castiel. She couldn't be certain but Penelope's other options were angels who were either insane, power hungry, or chocolate junkies. She liked chocolate junkies; after all, Gabriel never punished anyone who didn't deserve it.
Penelope suddenly felt something brush her back and saw only bright light and quickly found herself in her room and momentarily wondered if she got a new Archangel or if Gabriel just pulled the biggest con of all time. She noticed a chocolate wrapper on her desk and she laughed. A large smile bloomed on her face.
Several hours later, Castiel was sitting in coach near the window. He looked out to see the clouds and smiled, heaven may be derived by humans' memories, but Castiel felt he had his own kind of heaven. The ever changing sky was just as heaven was. It wasn't complicated. After all, Earth was simply for him.
Author/Artist: pathsforme
Recipient: fate_incomplete at castielfest
Beta: immortal-jedi
Rating: PG
Characters/Pairings: gen-Castiel, OC
Warnings/Spoilers: Spoilers up to Season Finale of season 5.
Word Count: 1,082
Notes/Prompt: Castiel finds simple reminder of heaven.
Castiel found himself unable to look away from his hands. The world was changing around him and now he was human, he couldn't access his powers at all now. The only thing he could do was see into the hearts of men. He would be leaving this hospital soon and he knew that after his conversation with Dean he needed some time to think.
Castiel felt pain, stiffness, though he knew the pain medicines of the humans was helping. He was rather glad to be out of there. He sat outside in a park and sighed. It was quiet, not a single soul in the park. He would suggest besides him but angels don't have souls, they have grace, to have a soul suggested to be human and while Castiel was powerless, he was not and could never be human. It was a simple fact.
Castiel relaxed in the seat and didn't notice until felt a sudden familiarity as a young woman sat next to him.
“You know they're looking for you,” The young woman spoke.
Castiel was startled when he looked in the direction of the woman. She was a heavy set woman in her twenties, with pale skin, grey eyes, and raven black hair. She wore a pair of rectangular framed glasses. “Who?” he asked feeling himself go on guard.
“The angels,” the woman said. “You're Castiel, correct?” She asked him but looked towards the children that were out on the playground.
Castiel tensed. “Yes,” He told her and realized something, this was a prophet. He watched and had a sudden urge to flee.
“My guardian archangel won't be coming,” the dark haired woman told him.
He breathed. “Why?”
“Because Lucifer has already killed him,” The woman told him.
Castiel felt his blood run cold. An archangel had been killed. “Who was your guardian Ms. Atris?” Castiel asked.
“Gabriel,” She answered to him, his voice sad. “He was a good man, died protecting Sam and Dean Winchester.” Ms. Atris explained.
“I don't understand.” Castiel said, grief washing upon him. “He wanted Michael and Lucifer to fight, why would he protect them?” He demanded not realizing his voice was becoming louder as he stood up.
“Please keep your voice down, you'll scare the children,” the woman said and watched as Castiel sat on the bench next to her’s.
“Because he came to a conclusion, I don't know if it was he saw humans as worth it. Maybe he just got tired of the fact that Michael and Lucifer were dragging everyone into their little tiff. He bought the world some time,” the woman told him. “Gabriel bought those children some time.”
Castiel looked towards the children. “He said...” Cas began
“Gabriel has said lots of things,” the woman said. “Judge him on his actions not his words.”
“Atris,” Castiel began.
“Penelope,” the woman interrupted him. “Anyways, that's not why I'm here.”
“Then why are you here?” Castiel asked.
“I wanted to meet you, you were different...” Penelope told him. “Different from the other angels. You were the first angel I saw that fit the mold of an angel that I could see. You resurrected Dean Winchester, you did your best to guide him. Though like you said, you had doubts. You disregarded the fact of what message God had, you are still trying to save us.”
Castiel felt a great deal of pain there. A prophetess had approached him and was showing the curiosity of a child but he could feel a question coming on.
“Why?” She asked.
Castiel sighed and looked away. “I don't know anymore,” he offered. Castiel felt lost, he no longer had faith in his father but people. There were people fighting to live, to survive. That meant everything. “Them,” he finally told the prophet nodding his head in the direction of the children.
Penelope looked in the direction of the children who were playing, laughing, giggling, and it was music to her ears. “They're your hope?” She inquired.
“Those children remind me of heaven. They are free of the troubles of the world that surrounds them. Their laughter reminds me of my brothers and sisters before, before and after Lucifer fail. During a time when we could be free.”
Penelope smiled at the fallen angel.
“When I think of that, it isn't so unbearable to be here, I could be happy. But...”
“But it also reminds you what you have lost,” Penelope told him. “Maybe after this is over, things will get better for you and Jimmy Novak,” she told him as she began to rise. “You should get going Castiel, I am sure Dean, Sam, and Bobby will be happy to see you alive. After all, talking to them on the phone is quite different than being right there in front of them.”
Castiel nodded and began to get up.
“Do you need a ride to the airport?” Penelope asked him.
“No, thank you,” he told her.
Penelope smiled as she watched the former angel of Thursday depart and turned just in time to see several people in suits before her. She recognized them, these were the angels under Zachariah, or at least they were when Zachariah was alive. Assassin Angels.
“Where is Castiel?” the angel in a brunette woman demanded.
Those words confused her. Certainly they could sense Castiel, couldn't they? Certain wheels turned in her head, someone had branded Castiel. She couldn't be certain but Penelope's other options were angels who were either insane, power hungry, or chocolate junkies. She liked chocolate junkies; after all, Gabriel never punished anyone who didn't deserve it.
Penelope suddenly felt something brush her back and saw only bright light and quickly found herself in her room and momentarily wondered if she got a new Archangel or if Gabriel just pulled the biggest con of all time. She noticed a chocolate wrapper on her desk and she laughed. A large smile bloomed on her face.
Several hours later, Castiel was sitting in coach near the window. He looked out to see the clouds and smiled, heaven may be derived by humans' memories, but Castiel felt he had his own kind of heaven. The ever changing sky was just as heaven was. It wasn't complicated. After all, Earth was simply for him.