Chapter 6: In the Cold Light of Day - part 2
“NO!” She woke up shouting. Castiel was seated at the table, reviewing his translations of Wen’s tattoos. He looked at her. She looked at him. There was horror, pity and admiration upon her face. Castiel acknowledged the unspoken question with a nod.
“No…no…no, no, no…they’re all just dreams, nightmares. I’m not a Prophet. I refuse to believe I’m a, I’m a…” Wen ran her fingers absently through her hair. A memory surfaced, one that seemed to confirm her worst nightmares.
My name is Ariel. You are special Wednesday. God has chosen you to bring hope to those who hunt evil and to be the Prophet of an angel. You shall witness to all that he does on earth as in heaven. Do not fear Wednesday. I shall be your guardian and I will not leave you. Now, try to get some sleep.
“Ariel kissed me on the forehead and it felt like being bathed in love and peace. It always felt like that.” Wen came to sit opposite Castiel. She didn’t notice him, miles away in denial. He could only watch and listen to her desperate hope it was all a bad dream.
“No, nope, nada… I just, um, I just…” she looked around the room, eyes fastening on the books by her bed she said, “I just have an overactive imagination. I do read “Supernatural”. Maybe I’m just a wannabe Carver Edlund and this is just fan-fiction. Yes, that’s what it will be, it fits. I’ve got a history and teaching degree and mother was religious and father liked whimsy. Yes, that can work and I’ll just call Castiel, Thor.”
There was a brief look of relief and then another dawning realisation.
“But that wouldn’t explain the hell dreams or why I know Smith and Anderson lied. Why would they lie? How do I know that they lied? … I know them, don’t I? … How? …no, oh no, no...”
A shock of recognition passed across her face and Wen rolled her eyes and looked heavenward.
“…seriously, my shadow demon was Dean Winchester? The Righteous Man of scripture mamma read? And Sam Winchester’s soul was the bouncing light trapped in that room?”
“It has to be all lies. Please, Thor?” she begged coming back to the present and looking across at Castiel.
“My name is Castiel, Wen, and you are an anointed Prophet of the Lord. God does not lie.” Castiel said, “Also, Carver Edlund’s real name is Chuck Shirley and he is a Prophet of the Lord.”
“God does not lie? I have a chest full of journals making a good case for arguing against that statement.” She looked at him with something like sorrow in her eyes. “Does that mean everything I’ve dreamt and written, really happened?”
“Yes.” Castiel answered.
“Sucks being a Winchester then, don’t it? Sucks to be a prophet too and now you tell me Carver Edlund’s a prophet as well. Is there anything remotely, like, good news written, or is it all just blood, sweat and tears?”
She looked absently about the room, thoughts elsewhere and then asked, “What happens to you now Castiel?”
“I don’t know. You’re the one with an express line to my Father, you tell me. I doubt it ends well, going by past experiences of angelic rebellion.” He felt ashamed of the burden his existence placed upon her shoulders.
“Then you stay here.” Wen decided, “You are safe here.”
There was a conviction in her voice that Castiel responded to almost believing it might be true. That he might be safe in this cabin, for the meantime at least.
Castiel panics
The day Dean drove towards Pine Creek, Delaware chasing Sam’s desperate hope. Castiel warded the cabin against demons and angels. The futility of the latter didn’t escape him. Ariel would come for him regardless of what hindrance was placed in her way. But he had to believe he’d done his best to avoid detection by his family and enemies. That the two were one and the same now, well, Castiel had only himself to blame.
Wednesday had pleaded a migraine and stayed hidden under the covers all day. Castiel supposed it was a perfectly normal reaction to finding out your entire life was a holy fabrication. He had tried to comfort her, pointing out that for what it was worth, she was actually alive and had the chance at a normal life. She had grunted something that suggested he do something obscene to a duck and crept further under the covers. So he had left her alone and spent the day outside.
In the evening Castiel had given Wen Dean’s cell number and the translations. Asking her to contact him and say she had a message from Castiel. For some reason, Castiel had assumed this would be done after he was gone. It made no sense but that’s what he thought. So, when she informed him mid-morning a day later that Dean and Sam were on their way. Castiel experienced his first real human panic attack.
***
Castiel was pacing around the garage workshop looking for a better quality tool to defend himself with than Wen’s steak knives. “What exactly are you afraid of, Dean and Sam Winchester, or yourself,” Castiel stopped mid pace. He was really starting to hate that voice of conscience. He started searching again only to be interrupted by Wen speaking to him.
“I don’t understand why you are panicking. I know Dean tortured people as a shadow demon thingy. But you saved him because God ordered he be saved. Doesn’t that make him The Righteous Man?” Wen asked watching him circuit twice around the workshop before snapping irritably, “Thor, would you quit pacing around like a bear cornered.”
“My name is Castiel, or Cas, not Thor and trust me Wen, I might as well be in a bear trap. Righteous Man or not, and believe me ‘not’ is a better description, all Dean really cares about in this world, heaven or hell is Sam. The last thing I did was break the last of Sam’s ‘hell wall’.” Castiel said returning to his frantic pacing. He finally found a short-handled hammer with forged steel head.
“Chisel, that’s what Dean called it wasn’t it? Yes, a chisel, do you have those?” Castiel asked absently walking back into the workshop then returning with a chisel.
“But that wasn’t you…” Wen began. Castiel spun round and faced her coming right into her personal space.
“Yes, actually, it was. In my garrison, my speciality was strategy. I needed time to get everything together for the ritual to open purgatory and the Winchesters were in the way. There wasn’t time to explain that if I didn’t get there first, Crowley would and we’d be back in Armageddon again. So, I shut Dean up.”
part 3
“No…no…no, no, no…they’re all just dreams, nightmares. I’m not a Prophet. I refuse to believe I’m a, I’m a…” Wen ran her fingers absently through her hair. A memory surfaced, one that seemed to confirm her worst nightmares.
My name is Ariel. You are special Wednesday. God has chosen you to bring hope to those who hunt evil and to be the Prophet of an angel. You shall witness to all that he does on earth as in heaven. Do not fear Wednesday. I shall be your guardian and I will not leave you. Now, try to get some sleep.
“Ariel kissed me on the forehead and it felt like being bathed in love and peace. It always felt like that.” Wen came to sit opposite Castiel. She didn’t notice him, miles away in denial. He could only watch and listen to her desperate hope it was all a bad dream.
“No, nope, nada… I just, um, I just…” she looked around the room, eyes fastening on the books by her bed she said, “I just have an overactive imagination. I do read “Supernatural”. Maybe I’m just a wannabe Carver Edlund and this is just fan-fiction. Yes, that’s what it will be, it fits. I’ve got a history and teaching degree and mother was religious and father liked whimsy. Yes, that can work and I’ll just call Castiel, Thor.”
There was a brief look of relief and then another dawning realisation.
“But that wouldn’t explain the hell dreams or why I know Smith and Anderson lied. Why would they lie? How do I know that they lied? … I know them, don’t I? … How? …no, oh no, no...”
A shock of recognition passed across her face and Wen rolled her eyes and looked heavenward.
“…seriously, my shadow demon was Dean Winchester? The Righteous Man of scripture mamma read? And Sam Winchester’s soul was the bouncing light trapped in that room?”
“It has to be all lies. Please, Thor?” she begged coming back to the present and looking across at Castiel.
“My name is Castiel, Wen, and you are an anointed Prophet of the Lord. God does not lie.” Castiel said, “Also, Carver Edlund’s real name is Chuck Shirley and he is a Prophet of the Lord.”
“God does not lie? I have a chest full of journals making a good case for arguing against that statement.” She looked at him with something like sorrow in her eyes. “Does that mean everything I’ve dreamt and written, really happened?”
“Yes.” Castiel answered.
“Sucks being a Winchester then, don’t it? Sucks to be a prophet too and now you tell me Carver Edlund’s a prophet as well. Is there anything remotely, like, good news written, or is it all just blood, sweat and tears?”
She looked absently about the room, thoughts elsewhere and then asked, “What happens to you now Castiel?”
“I don’t know. You’re the one with an express line to my Father, you tell me. I doubt it ends well, going by past experiences of angelic rebellion.” He felt ashamed of the burden his existence placed upon her shoulders.
“Then you stay here.” Wen decided, “You are safe here.”
There was a conviction in her voice that Castiel responded to almost believing it might be true. That he might be safe in this cabin, for the meantime at least.
Castiel panics
The day Dean drove towards Pine Creek, Delaware chasing Sam’s desperate hope. Castiel warded the cabin against demons and angels. The futility of the latter didn’t escape him. Ariel would come for him regardless of what hindrance was placed in her way. But he had to believe he’d done his best to avoid detection by his family and enemies. That the two were one and the same now, well, Castiel had only himself to blame.
Wednesday had pleaded a migraine and stayed hidden under the covers all day. Castiel supposed it was a perfectly normal reaction to finding out your entire life was a holy fabrication. He had tried to comfort her, pointing out that for what it was worth, she was actually alive and had the chance at a normal life. She had grunted something that suggested he do something obscene to a duck and crept further under the covers. So he had left her alone and spent the day outside.
In the evening Castiel had given Wen Dean’s cell number and the translations. Asking her to contact him and say she had a message from Castiel. For some reason, Castiel had assumed this would be done after he was gone. It made no sense but that’s what he thought. So, when she informed him mid-morning a day later that Dean and Sam were on their way. Castiel experienced his first real human panic attack.
***
Castiel was pacing around the garage workshop looking for a better quality tool to defend himself with than Wen’s steak knives. “What exactly are you afraid of, Dean and Sam Winchester, or yourself,” Castiel stopped mid pace. He was really starting to hate that voice of conscience. He started searching again only to be interrupted by Wen speaking to him.
“I don’t understand why you are panicking. I know Dean tortured people as a shadow demon thingy. But you saved him because God ordered he be saved. Doesn’t that make him The Righteous Man?” Wen asked watching him circuit twice around the workshop before snapping irritably, “Thor, would you quit pacing around like a bear cornered.”
“My name is Castiel, or Cas, not Thor and trust me Wen, I might as well be in a bear trap. Righteous Man or not, and believe me ‘not’ is a better description, all Dean really cares about in this world, heaven or hell is Sam. The last thing I did was break the last of Sam’s ‘hell wall’.” Castiel said returning to his frantic pacing. He finally found a short-handled hammer with forged steel head.
“Chisel, that’s what Dean called it wasn’t it? Yes, a chisel, do you have those?” Castiel asked absently walking back into the workshop then returning with a chisel.
“But that wasn’t you…” Wen began. Castiel spun round and faced her coming right into her personal space.
“Yes, actually, it was. In my garrison, my speciality was strategy. I needed time to get everything together for the ritual to open purgatory and the Winchesters were in the way. There wasn’t time to explain that if I didn’t get there first, Crowley would and we’d be back in Armageddon again. So, I shut Dean up.”
part 3