FIC [unbetaed]: "The Voice of an Angel"

Apr 19, 2009 21:44

The Voice of an Angel

By Simarillion

Fandom: Supernatural
Rating: G
Beta: draft version (unbetaed)
Word Count: 2,852
Warning: burning eyes, stabbing, shooting
Spoilers: up to 4x16
Summary: Castiel finds that Dean Winchester the human reacts to him just like Dean Winchester the soul.
Disclaimer: The characters in this story are borrowed from the Supernatural universe and from the bible. So, they aren’t mine. No profit is being made and this is just my take on certain events of the current season.

Author’s Note: This story is the sequel to The Siege of Hell and continues right where the other story ends. It is also part of the Agnus Dei Verse.


He is resting and recuperating from his injuries. While he lies on the ground, he can hear the voice of the human as he calls out for help. There is scratching and more calling for help, and then the earth of the grave collapses slightly. A small mould becomes visible where the wooden coffin broke and allowed the soil to spill inside. Castiel watches as first one and then a second hand breaks through and finally Dean Winchester crawls out of his own grave. The human is covered in earth and his clothes are stained but he’s alive and well.

The angel watches the man look around, taking in the devastation that surrounds him, the broken trees and bushes. His face changes constantly, his eyes change colour and size, his mouth moves and grimaces, his eyebrows move up and down. All of this is of great interest to Castiel. He is aware that another human would have been able to recognise emotions and feelings on the man’s face, but he cannot interpret what Dean Winchester is communicating with his grimaces.

As the human walks away, the angel watches his progress. He does not have to follow him, there is a link between them from when he lent his energy to heal and restore the man. While Dean Winchester walks away Castiel gets up and looks up to the Heavens. The sun shines down on him and he can feel his Father’s love and approval in the bright rays of light on his face.

It is the flapping of wings that makes him aware of the arrival of the other angels. Raphael and Gabriel have arrived. While the healer reaches out to Castiel and tends to his injuries, Gabriel studies the angel closely.

“You sent Dean Winchester on his way.” The voice is deep and full of the power the archangel has. “He will need someone to watch over him and guide him.”

Castiel nods weakly, the soothing touches of Raphael’s hands on his torn wings making it difficult to focus on the other archangel in front of him. There is the sensation of warmth and peace filling him as the healer channels energy into his battered body. After the years, decades, of fighting it seems like he’s listening to the Seraphs singing.

“Pay attention Castiel, for it has been decided that you will be the one to protect and guide the human.” Raphael’s words have him look at the angel before him. “Your orders are to go to him and stay at his side. Whenever your services are not needed elsewhere your place is where the human is.”

Raphael is finished with tending to his wounds, and Castiel bows to his superiors. He has his orders and he is ready to do what God asks of him. There is a small displacement of air as the two archangels leave him alone, next to the grave of one Dean Winchester. The utter silence that greets him is so different from the noise of the battlefield he left behind. It’s almost corporeal.

Turning his eyes in the direction his charge disappeared to some time ago, he reaches out with his mind. Even though he can’t see where the human is, he can locate him easily. Carefully he tries his wings out, and flaps them once or twice. They are almost as good as new.

With a strong wing beat he rises and then he sets out towards his destination. The air feels cool under his wings. It is very different from flying in Heaven. It almost feels like his being is more constraint here on Earth. Everything seems smaller and the colours are not as radiant and shining either. Castiel covers the distance between the gravesite and Dean Winchester’s current location in the blink of an eye.

The human is looking through a small building. Castiel can see that the body of the man is fully healed from his injuries. When the man stands in front of a mirror, the angel watches him as he checks for any signs of past wounds. Nothing shows all the hardships Dean Winchester had to endure. The imprint of his hand on the human’s shoulder is unexpected. Castiel had not been aware how tight he had gripped the soul in hell.

Gabriel’s words move him to talk to the human. He’s supposed to guide the man. He opens his mouth and starts talking. “Dean Winchester, my name is Castiel and I am an angel of the Lord.”

The cadence of his voice resonates in the enclosed space. Unlike his reaction to Castiel’s voice in hell, Dean Winchester collapses while covering his ears. He looks to be in pain.

Once more Castiel attempts to communicate with the other. “Dean Winchester, hear me. I’m Castiel, an Angel of the Lord.”

This time he shatters every window of the building, covering the man under a sparkling layer of broken glass. He stops talking at once and returns to watching the human as he gets back up and surveys the destruction all around him. Maybe the soul and the body need some more time to merge before Dean Winchester can perceive Castiel. He’ll wait for some time before he tries again.

Invisible to the humans’ eyes he watches how Dean Winchester and the other man, Robert Singer meet, It surprises him that the older human attacks the visitor, and only when he listens to their talk he realises that to other humans, the return of the younger man is impossible to understand. Castiel wants to explain to his charge what is going on, about their mission, but he cannot do so at this time. He will have to wait some more and wait for the right moment to make another attempt at communication.

Unable to interact with the humans he stays close to Dean Winchester and follows him. The two men leave in search for the younger brother, the boy with the demon blood. Their task takes them back to the town near the gravesite. Curious the angel watches as the two brothers meet again. With the boy is a demon. Castiel can see her; recognise her for what she truly is. The humans may see the face of a young woman, but to him the rotten core is visible and he can smell her sulphuric stench.

Castiel wonders if he should smite her down, but he was told to stay with the returned soul, and so he lets the demon pass by and leave. His vigilance is interrupted when the air next to him is displaced with the appearance of another angel. It is Uriel, who has come to seek him ought.

His brother is still bruised and stained from battle, and he carries a bloodstained sword in his hand. There is the smell of Hell on him, the taint of demons and beasts clinging to his aura.

“Is it true what is being said?” Uriel’s voice is deeper and harder than Castiel’s. “Are you being stationed here on Earth with these mud monkeys?”

Uriel has always been speaking like this. He is an obedient servant of God, but for an angel he’s been displaying a remarkably high dislike for the human race. He is not the only one to express this particular opinion.

“It is true what you have heard. I was chosen to guard and guide the rescued soul.” The words fill him with light and warmth, and Castiel knows that his mission is good and approved by God himself. “It is a worthy order that is of great importance in this war.”

“He’s a human, worthless in a real fight against Hell’s Forces. Of what good can he possibly be for us?” The question is not directed at anyone. His brother looks at the three humans next to them and his inner light darkens. “It was the human’s fault that the first seal broke. He’s the cause of all of this.”

There is truth in this, but Castiel also knows that it would not have happened if God had not willed it to be. The man may have started the breaking of the seals, the war between Heaven and Hell, but is upon Heaven’s Army to make sure that Lucifer will not rise. After all the Fallen One was one of them once. The first blame lies with the Hordes after all.

He registers the humans’ departure, but he stays with his brother. He can feel the distance between his soul and the man’s soul increase. However far they are driving it will never be far enough to keep Castiel from appearing at his charges’ side within a moment.

“Your words have the taint of blasphemy to them, my brother. Don’t let the archangels hear you speak so.”

“It is not blasphemy to say what the truth is. If not for the human’s actions Lilith would not have been able to start her war against Heaven. He is weak,” Uriel’s voice is hard as steel as he condemns Dean Winchester for his failings. “Our Lord’s son was tempted by the Devil himself, and he did not break.”

“Those were different times.” He has learned the lore of the temptation of Jesus Christ, and he is well aware of the changes that have taken place on earth since those days. “Back when our Lord’s son walked the face of earth, humans lived in fear of our Father, and they worshipped him in temples. There was no doubt about the gravity of the messiah’s words.”

Castiel looks out of the window and watches the empty parking lot. Nowadays humankind has enough power to move mountains, control rivers, reach the moon, and cover incredible distances in nothing more than an hour. Everything has changed.

“We have been away for a very long time, my brother. Maybe too long.” He turns to the other angel. “They are no longer able to hear the warnings, they do not understand anymore. When the Son was tempted by the Devil, he set out with the knowledge that it was God’s command to do so. Dean Winchester had no such comfort. He was truly on his own.”

Uriel just looks him in the eye. His inner light flickers brightly as he prepares to argument with Castiel about the worth and importance of Dean Winchester. “All humans should fear God, and they should withstand the tortures and temptations of the unclean ones. He stays together with his filthy half-breed brother, who keeps company with demons. It is unacceptable.”

True, it worries Castiel that Sam Winchester has relations with a demon, but his older brother is not aware of these circumstances, and Castiel has so far not been able to warn the human about the situation. Soon he will have to make another attempt of communicating with the man. There is important information that he has to impart on the other.

I invoke, conjure, and command you. Show me your face! He feels a pull at his essence and with a last look at Uriel he flies towards the call. The words tug at his body, and he knows that he’s being summoned.

”My name is Castiel, I urge you not to look upon me. “ His warning is ignored and once more the words of the summoning pulls at him, almost drags him closer to the séance. He knows that the human woman will not be able to take in his true form and so he calls out again. ”It is dangerous to see me. Turn away!”

The urge to appear in front of the psychic is strong, but he tries to hide himself from her eyes. Again and again she calls for him, calls for Castiel to show his face. When he can’t keep away any longer, he enters the room in full glory. The sight burns out her eyes, and he watches Dean Winchester, his brother, and his friend tend to the injured woman.

There is nothing he can do but watch them helping the psychic, and when the oldest of the men leaves with her to a place of healing, the angel follows the two brothers back to the small town they stay in. Castiel makes sure that they arrive safely inside the borders of the town and then he returns to the psychic’s side. The human Robert Singer is with her, and tends to his friend. The angel knows that the feelings of the man are called compassion and worry, but he does not understand what it feels like.

He stays with the two humans for some time, before he follows the man back to the brothers. Castiel finds Dean Winchester alone in the rooms that they are occupying, and he decides to try once more to talk with his charge. He opens his mouth and calls out to him: “Dean Winchester, my name is Castiel and I am an Angel of the Lord.”

Just like the last time, the human covers his ears and curls up in pain. He doesn’t understand why the man’s soul can’t comprehend what he says.

“My name is Castiel; I am the one who carried you out of Hell.” His words are unheard as Dean Winchester cries out in pain, and Robert Singer enters the rooms to help him outside.

Watching them getting into the car, Castiel has to admit defeat. He cannot talk to his charge in his true form. He will need a vessel.

He can hear and feel the summoning ritual that urges him to rush to his charges side, but first he will need to get his human vessel. After explaining the situation to Gabriel, the archangel had assigned him a devout man. Castiel finds his vessel praying in church, his desire to be of use to God and Heaven so strong that it has reached the ears of Gabriel. It is easy to enter the human, and for a second the angel’s perception is hazy, as his senses align with the ones of the mortal form.

Once the merge is finalised, he flies out and travels for the hideout where Dean Winchester is waiting for him. This time Castiel will be able to talk to him. The flight is short and soon he finds himself outside a barn that shines with the spells and symbols painted on it, inside and outside.

He enters, stepping over devil traps and spells, none of them are able to bind him. On the other end of the room the two humans stare at him. Dean Winchester’s reaction to him is the same he had in Hell. Castiel registers the sensation of bullets and rock salt hitting and entering his human vessel but the mortal weapon’s are of no danger to him. Unperturbed the angel walks on until he reaches his charge.

After the long range weapons and the spells and traps proved to be of no use, the human stabs him with a knife in the chest. Castiel can feel the spell craft in the blade, but the magic is not harmful to him. He pulls it out and drops the weapon on the floor.

He recognises the look of confusion on the man’s face, and there is an emotion he saw earlier at the hospital with the psychic and the older hunter. Fear.

The other human’s attack has him knock out Robert Singer, and finally Castiel is alone with his charge, and this time he can talk to him as well.

“Your friend is alive.” His words do nothing to soothe the human.

Dean Winchester is unwilling to believe him that Castiel is an angel. He realizes that he was right about what he told his brother earlier. They have stayed away too long, and now humans are no longer able to believe in angels and in God.

It is of great importance though that the man believes him. Castiel spreads his wings and throws their shadows on the wall. The only reaction he gets to that is more fear. But the human wouldn’t be much of a warrior if he didn’t still challenge the angel in front of him.

Castiel is confused by the disbelieve Dean Winchester displays. He does not understand how a soul that experienced Hell can refuse to believe in Heaven. The angel can see the bruises on the human’s soul, scars and scabs that Castiel was not able to heal after he raised the man from perdition. They will have to heal on their own; he is not allowed to interfere with a living mortal’s soul.

Dean Winchester demands an explanation for Castiel rescuing him, and he gives him the only one there is. “Because God commanded it. Because we have work to do.”

With this he hides himself from the human. He can see the fear for the wellbeing of his friend on the man’s face, and the information imparted will weigh heavily enough on the human. Dean Winchester will have to learn to believe before Castiel can tell him more about what is to come, and about the role his charge is to play in the grand scheme.

Feedback is greatly appreciated. :)

pairing: castiel/dean, fandom: spn, fic: the voice of an angel, rating: g, verse: agnus dei

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