Chester, PA, sometime either last or next spring
The falling air conditioner unit was inches from Sam and Dean's heads when time froze. Atropos, her hair pinned back in a half ponytail, her glasses slightly askew, glared across at the angel she held accountable for all the trouble she'd gone through.
"Castiel."
Castiel bit back a sigh. No one ever seemed to like to see him, any more. No one other than Dean, anyway. And Balthazar. Though Balthazar mostly just wanted to go boozing in Thailand again.
Castiel probably shouldn't have told him that he enjoyed Bangkok.
"Atropos," he said. "You look well."
"I look like stomped-over crap, because of you."
This time, Castiel really did sigh. "All right, let's talk about this."
"Talk? About what? Maybe about how you and those two circus clowns destroyed my work. You ruined my life."
"That seems rather melodramatic."
"Not get emotional?!" Atropos protested.
"No, I said 'melodramatic,'" Castiel said. Atropos lifted an angry finger, giving him a clear 'shut the hell up and stop going off book' glare.
"I had a job," she continued. "God gave me a job. We all had a script. I worked hard. I was really, really good at what I did. Until the day of the big prize fight. And then what happens? You throw out the book!"
"I'm rather certain I did that a bit sooner, actually. There was an entire detour to a multidimensional nexus --"
"Freedom?!" protested Atropos.
"I never mentioned --"
"-- This is chaos! How is it better? You know, I even went to heaven just to ask what to do next, and you know what? No one would even talk to me."
"It doesn't actually matter what I say to you at this point, does it?" Castiel asked. "You're expecting different answers."
"But I don't know what happens next," Atropos continued, just as she would in a world where Castiel never spent time in Fandom. "I need to know. It's what I do."
"You're not very good at improvising, are you?" Castiel observed. "You may wish to take care what you say to me. I plan to acquire a very large number of souls very soon, and we have no more need of your particular . . . services."
"You know what? I've kept my mouth shut. I could have complained, I could have raised a fuss, but I didn't. But you know what the last straw is? Un-sinking the Titanic. You changed the future. You cannot change the past. That is going too far!"
"Ah, yes. Well. I admit that bit is a little bit embarrassing --"
"Bull crap. This isn't about some stupid movie. He's under your orders. You sent him back to save that ship."
"No, of course not," Castiel protested. Despite his time in Fandom, he still wasn't very good at lying. "Why would I?"
"Oh, maybe because you're in the middle of a war and you're desperate? Come on. This is about the souls."
"Well, they are essentially currency. And I think it's been well established that at times we need to look at morality as more of a gray area --"
"That angel went and created 50,000 new souls for your war machine."
"Yes. I was rather hoping no one else would notice that."
"No. You can't just mint money, Castiel. It's wrong. It's dangerous. And I won't let you."
Castiel bristled. How dare she talk to him like this? She had no concept of what was at stake, here. The Fates didn't spend time in Heaven. She'd never interacted with Raphael. "You don't have a choice."
"Maybe I don't. So here's a choice for you. If you don't go back and sink that boat, I'm gonna kill your two favorite pets."
". . . Angelbane and Bobby-who's-no-longer-a-kitten?"
"Oh, yeah? What are you gonna do?"
"This is getting very confusing."
"Okay. Fine."
"What are you even agreeing to?"
"But think about this -- I've got two sisters out there. They're bigger, in every sense of the word. Kill me -- Sam and Dean are target one."
"Ah." Castiel suddenly understood. "They're not my pets."
"For simple vengeance. You're not fighting a war or anything, right? You can watch them every millisecond of every day. Because maybe you've heard -- fate strikes when you least expect it."
Castiel raised a hand to Balthazar as he appeared behind Atropos, his sword held at the ready. "Balthazar, stop."
"Ah," Balthazar said, freezing in place. "Awkward."
"Set things right," Atropos demanded, "before I flick your precious boys off a cliff just on principle."
Castiel rolled his eyes heavenward. He could no more let Sam and Dean be killed then he could waste further time on this completely bewildering conversation. He nodded, agreeing with her terms.
"Uh, sweetie," Balthazar said. "Before we go, um, I could remove that stick from your --"
"Balthazar," Castiel said warningly, just as Atropos glared at the other angel.
"Don't try me."
"Oh," said Balthazar. "We'll leave it inserted, then. All right, then. Let's sink the Titanic."
[ooc: Because I've been trying all summer to think of SOMETHING to do with this guy before I find out what canon's got going with his TRULY EPIC season cliffhanger ending. Dialog at least half ripped from "My Heart Will Go On". I couldn't resist the direction of the tweaks.]
"Castiel."
Castiel bit back a sigh. No one ever seemed to like to see him, any more. No one other than Dean, anyway. And Balthazar. Though Balthazar mostly just wanted to go boozing in Thailand again.
Castiel probably shouldn't have told him that he enjoyed Bangkok.
"Atropos," he said. "You look well."
"I look like stomped-over crap, because of you."
This time, Castiel really did sigh. "All right, let's talk about this."
"Talk? About what? Maybe about how you and those two circus clowns destroyed my work. You ruined my life."
"That seems rather melodramatic."
"Not get emotional?!" Atropos protested.
"No, I said 'melodramatic,'" Castiel said. Atropos lifted an angry finger, giving him a clear 'shut the hell up and stop going off book' glare.
"I had a job," she continued. "God gave me a job. We all had a script. I worked hard. I was really, really good at what I did. Until the day of the big prize fight. And then what happens? You throw out the book!"
"I'm rather certain I did that a bit sooner, actually. There was an entire detour to a multidimensional nexus --"
"Freedom?!" protested Atropos.
"I never mentioned --"
"-- This is chaos! How is it better? You know, I even went to heaven just to ask what to do next, and you know what? No one would even talk to me."
"It doesn't actually matter what I say to you at this point, does it?" Castiel asked. "You're expecting different answers."
"But I don't know what happens next," Atropos continued, just as she would in a world where Castiel never spent time in Fandom. "I need to know. It's what I do."
"You're not very good at improvising, are you?" Castiel observed. "You may wish to take care what you say to me. I plan to acquire a very large number of souls very soon, and we have no more need of your particular . . . services."
"You know what? I've kept my mouth shut. I could have complained, I could have raised a fuss, but I didn't. But you know what the last straw is? Un-sinking the Titanic. You changed the future. You cannot change the past. That is going too far!"
"Ah, yes. Well. I admit that bit is a little bit embarrassing --"
"Bull crap. This isn't about some stupid movie. He's under your orders. You sent him back to save that ship."
"No, of course not," Castiel protested. Despite his time in Fandom, he still wasn't very good at lying. "Why would I?"
"Oh, maybe because you're in the middle of a war and you're desperate? Come on. This is about the souls."
"Well, they are essentially currency. And I think it's been well established that at times we need to look at morality as more of a gray area --"
"That angel went and created 50,000 new souls for your war machine."
"Yes. I was rather hoping no one else would notice that."
"No. You can't just mint money, Castiel. It's wrong. It's dangerous. And I won't let you."
Castiel bristled. How dare she talk to him like this? She had no concept of what was at stake, here. The Fates didn't spend time in Heaven. She'd never interacted with Raphael. "You don't have a choice."
"Maybe I don't. So here's a choice for you. If you don't go back and sink that boat, I'm gonna kill your two favorite pets."
". . . Angelbane and Bobby-who's-no-longer-a-kitten?"
"Oh, yeah? What are you gonna do?"
"This is getting very confusing."
"Okay. Fine."
"What are you even agreeing to?"
"But think about this -- I've got two sisters out there. They're bigger, in every sense of the word. Kill me -- Sam and Dean are target one."
"Ah." Castiel suddenly understood. "They're not my pets."
"For simple vengeance. You're not fighting a war or anything, right? You can watch them every millisecond of every day. Because maybe you've heard -- fate strikes when you least expect it."
Castiel raised a hand to Balthazar as he appeared behind Atropos, his sword held at the ready. "Balthazar, stop."
"Ah," Balthazar said, freezing in place. "Awkward."
"Set things right," Atropos demanded, "before I flick your precious boys off a cliff just on principle."
Castiel rolled his eyes heavenward. He could no more let Sam and Dean be killed then he could waste further time on this completely bewildering conversation. He nodded, agreeing with her terms.
"Uh, sweetie," Balthazar said. "Before we go, um, I could remove that stick from your --"
"Balthazar," Castiel said warningly, just as Atropos glared at the other angel.
"Don't try me."
"Oh," said Balthazar. "We'll leave it inserted, then. All right, then. Let's sink the Titanic."
[ooc: Because I've been trying all summer to think of SOMETHING to do with this guy before I find out what canon's got going with his TRULY EPIC season cliffhanger ending. Dialog at least half ripped from "My Heart Will Go On". I couldn't resist the direction of the tweaks.]