Fic: Rings of Enchantment (Epilogue)
Epilogue
“Would you look at my baby brother, all sanctioned and up in angel now.” Dean claps Sam on the shoulder as they walk across campus together. The process of getting sanctioned involves a thorough background check and a probationary period, so it’s taken the rest of the term to get his application officially approved.
“What does it mean to be up in angel?” Cas asks, confused.
“Don’t worry about it, Cas.” Sam elbows Dean, embarrassed. “Stop that.”
It’s the first day of the new semester, and both Dean and Cas have decided to grab breakfast and walk to class with him. Life has returned to its normal routine, but normal is good; normal is safe. Dean remembers little of his time with Meg, Bobby and Rufus are back to bickering over cars and shotguns in Sioux Falls, and the cheery atmosphere on campus makes it easy to forget the murders that happened here only a few months ago.
Cas tilts his head as they approach Aristo Hall. “I need to go,” he says ruefully.
With work back in full swing, the angel is often away for missions, but flight allows him to visit often, and that’s more than enough for Sam. After leaving the hospital, they went to visit Jimmy’s family together, and while the Novaks had been upset by Castiel’s explanation, they also understood that they were no longer looking at the man they knew. There wasn’t any point in staying, but feeling responsible for their loss and not knowing what else he could do, Cas asked them to call if they ever needed any help. He still checks on them occasionally, just to make sure they’re doing okay, and Sam doesn’t know if there’s anything more either one of them can do.
“Okay.” Sam leans down to peck his mate on the cheek, and even with the overpowering scent of ozone back, he can clearly smell Cas is his. There’s a deep, primal contentment in that, and he knows it’s shared. “Take care, Cas.”
“You too,” Cas replies, then adds, “You’ll practice with me?” in a teasing whisper, and Sam blushes.
He’s taking Intermediate Greek this term, it’s the first class of the day at 10:20am, and if last semester’s Latin selection is anything to go by, Professor Løkse promises to cover the most scandalous Hellenic literature ever produced.
“Wh-who else would I practice with?” he mumbles, ducking his head.
“Ooh, look, Samantha’s blushing!” Dean laughs, and Sam turns to glare at him.
“Don’t you have a date, Dean?”
Dean’s seeing Lisa, a secretary at Smith, Wesson & Associates, the nearby Grigori Alliance law firm Sam is now interning at part-time. They’ve both taken the day off today to visit the travelling carnival in town. Sam and Cas are going tomorrow instead because Sam’s class is cancelled.
“All right, I’m going, I’m going,” Dean grouses, but he gives Sam a brief one-armed hug before walking back to where he parked the Impala.
Chuckling, Cas kisses Sam on the cheek as well and nods goodbye to Dean as he walks into the nearest cluster of trees to fly away. Sam can’t keep the smile off his face as he pushes through the double doors, and he almost walks right into someone as he heads left towards the stairs.
It’s President Crowley, newly appointed and exuding a cloud of expensive cologne, chatting on his cellphone as he steps around Sam.
“Easy, love,” he’s saying in his most reassuring voice, and Sam’s sure the President could convince the most pious Bible-thumpers to sell their souls if he tried. “There’s always a Plan B.”
Wait a minute.
Sam turns as President Crowley exits Aristo Hall. They’d forgotten in all the chaos after finding the book and dealing with Meg. Brady had been talking to President Crowley and a blonde that day outside Hohenheim. Perhaps… No. Sam shakes his head, making his way up the stairs. There is no way to prove that conversation meant anything suspicious. It could have been something mundane about student affairs and such. After all, Brady had been possessed throughout their entire acquaintance, and Sam never even knew. At the very least, whether or not President Crowley was involved, the Four Horsemen’s Rings are lost to the world now.
There’s a sense of satisfaction in knowing they might have forestalled the Apocalypse, and he certainly doesn’t regret the adventure that won him an amazing mate and internship. But as Professor Løkse goes through the syllabus and introduces their first reading assignment, life settles firmly into normal, and Sam thinks he’d rather like it to stay that way.
~fin?~
Navigation:
Prologue
Chapter 1 | Chapter 2
Chapter 3 | Chapter 4
Epilogue