On the road again~

[gonehunting]

Who: Dean and Sam Winchester
When: Late morning
Where: The road from Bobby's in South Dakota, all the way to sunny Californ-I-Ay~
What: Following a lead that the devil is due in Sunnydale, the Winchester brothers set out on an official hunt for Lucifer, with one long, awkward, car ride.
Status:Incomplete

Comments

[gonehunting]

All the years Dean had spent hunting, had definitely left him with pretty decent nerves of steel. There just wasn't that much left that could get a rise out of him. Excluding spirit induced paranoia over yorkies and ninja kittens, anyway. Suddenly seeing an angel he lost saw in the form of freaking jelly splattered all over Chuck's apartment, and even in the poor guy's hair, was apparently another exception.

"Cas...?!" While Dean had been caught in a double take between the rear view mirror and the backseat, the Impala had come dangerously close to skirting right off the damn road. That had so better not have fucked with the alignment.

"You're not allowed to do that while I'm driving," he reminded Castiel, after taking a moment to correct both his breathing and his steering. "But, yeah, hi. Looking good, compared to the last time we saw you. Which would be in pieces, all over some poor guy's carpet." Dean had smiled briefly somewhere in the twisted compliment, but wasn't exactly ready to roll out the welcome back hug. "Mind explaining all that?"

While he'd be struggling to find the right words for Castiel, Dean had gone and popped the glove compartment open for Sam. Besides storing his most awesome mix tape collection, it also had plenty of other nifty little things, like a flask of holy water. He was pretty sure shape shifters lacked the ability to appear out of freaking no where, but that didn't mean there wasn't something else out there that could. Besides, splashing holy water in eachother's faces was quickly becoming their version of a secret handshake.

[angel_in_beige]

"I apologise Dean." Castiel's voice was calm, if a little tight. "I wished to see you, you were driving." He was unmarked, completely intact down to the same wrinkled coat. He looked at Dean with his head tilted a little.
"I was dead," he said flatly. "My brother killed me." He looked out the window. "I am no longer dead," he said helpfully after a moment.

He turned back to Dean. "I have already ensured the prophet is safe though I did not allow him to see me. He had a nervous disposition and it is likely he already knows of my return. There was no need to frighten him further." Apparently Castiel had no qualms about frightening Dean.

Castiel didn't flinch when the holy water splashed over him. Rather he seemed to be calmed by it. As soon as it touched his face it was absorbed not a drop fell. "Thank you, Dean, that was refreshing," Castiel said calmly.

His tension returned quickly though. "You were unsuccessful. Ruby and Lilith are dead but Lucifer rises. We have much to do. Where are you headed? I presume you have some purpose?" His gaze was hard, he clearly was unhappy with them both but for the sake of practicality he was containing himself.

[demon_blooded]

Sam didn't comment when Dean gave Castiel a solid dose of holy water to the face. It was a smart move. After being stabbed in the back by Ruby, Sam wasn't exactly looking to underestimate any of the usual suspects. Was the angel sitting in their backseat really an angel? Would they end up having to deal with some other monster of the week that had been screwing around with them in secret now that the shit had royally hit the fan? Sam cautiously turned in his seat, relieved to find that, at least, the holy water hadn't backfired. There wasn't a single speck of smoke to be seen. A heavy breath escaped him as Sam rubbed at the side of his jaw, almost as though he were trying to calm himself down. He was on edge. Then again, he had every right to be after all that he had done.

"You're supposed to be dead," Sam repeated, shooting Castiel a look of surprise. The three of them - they couldn't stay dead, could they? Sam wanted to press Cas on the details based on how he was currently not a splatter of blood and gore, but he chose to bite back on the interrogation for now. Dean had asked. If Castiel wasn't willing to spill the details just yet, then Sam wasn't going to waste their time by asking for further clarification. Maybe it was an angel thing. Or maybe something else had been involved - something bigger. Sam furrowed his brow, expression faltering for a moment. Before he got lost in thought, however, Sam quickly forced his attention back to Castiel.

"Yeah, we..." Sam bit back the bitter, guilt ridden tone that dared to creep out with his words. "We know. Ruby kind of explained that." Sam tilted his head to the side, nodding to Dean. "Right before he gutted her." Which was for the best, he knew. All the same, there was a sting in his chest still lingering from the betrayal. "We got a lead. It's in Sunnydale."

[gonehunting]

Dean's brows knitted together while he waited for Castiel to reveal something they didn't already know. He didn't know what to think about the part where the guy had actually enjoyed his little holy water shower, but between that and his unique use of tact, they had pretty solid proof they had an angel on board. "Uh, you're welcome, anytime."

Once it got to the bit about failure, Dean couldn't help but tighten his grip on the wheel. "Would have been nice if someone had told us a little sooner that killing an evil demon bitch was going to break the last seal," he grumbled under his breath. Being basically told you were the personal toy of an army of winged asshats wasn't exactly sitting very well with him, either. Angels weren't really that different from demons; they wanted things, and they didn't care who they had to mow over to get them. As Dean understood it, they were going to let the whole world burn to the ground just because Daddy had up and left them, and they were bored.

Castiel had proven to be one of the few exceptions that angels weren't all asshats with wings; he was probably the only dude who had actually done something angelic, by telling him the truth, and helping him get to Sam. Oh and the whole breaking apart to stand against his family, and basically everything he had ever known, and getting pasteurized into bits of angel jell-o for it. Would've been nice if it had actually made a difference.

"Sorry," Dean admitted, even though an apology probably wasn't what the angel was here for. "I didn't get there in time to stop anything."

Dean's face winced into a tight, forced smile when Sam came to the part where he had skewered his little demon, well, he didn't exactly know what she had been to Sam, and he didn't ever want to. He was glad she was dead, he was glad he had been the one to kill her, and he sure as hell should've done it sooner. He'd leave it at that.

Dean seemed much more willing to discuss their destination than the huge layer cake of crap they had all left behind. "Ever hear of the place, Cas?"

[angel_in_beige]

"I apologise for disappointing you," Castiel said to Sam dryly. He was not very concerned with the Winchester's expectations right now. His was very clearly displeased but, for the sake of practicality, was keeping it contained. He had not yet come to consider his own role in events. The cost of his hesitation. Now he was, fairly or unfairly, laying blame. Then Dean had to...
"Do not be concerned with that," he said, a little tersely. "It is done."
There was no room or time to look back. He had caught the gist of Dean's muttering. That silenced him for a moment only speaking when the topic returned to the mission.

The Hellmouth?" Castiel said blandly when Dean mentioned Sunnydale. "Yes, I have heard of it Dean. I have felt it. It is... repellent to my kind. Sunnydale is a haven for demonic activity both because of the presence of the Hellmouth and the fact my kind are reluctant to go there. It is a logical destination." Castiel was, in fact, showing his support for their plan at the same time as showing his own discomfort. He was no more enthusiastic about going to Sunnydale as any of his siblings but it was already clear he was not one to stop just to attend to his own comfort.