Living on a Prayer, BtVS/SPN, part 33/?
Living on a Prayer
nwhepcat
Supernatural/Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Sam and Dean Winchester, Castiel, Faith Lehane
Follow up to
Like the White-Winged Dove and Waiting for the end of the World. Also, Vessel becomes relevant.
Faith has a slayer dream which sends her on a reluctant journey to her old territory, on a quest to save a new ally.
Previous parts are here.
Castiel's expression is so open and so damn sad and tired that Faith aches for him as much as she fears for him. "The truth is, I'm not the man Claire married. I could move heaven and earth trying to be that man again, but I can't."
The posture of the cop standing closest to him relaxes a fraction. The other crouches beside Faith and unlocks the handcuffs without a word.
She pushes herself into a sitting position, but doesn't attempt to stand.
"I have no desire to hurt my family," he says. "But I don't fit into that life anymore."
"You look familiar," says the cop who's been questioning him. "Have we run into each other before?"
"No, officer."
"You saw him on the news," says the one who just uncuffed Faith. He turns to Castiel. "Am I right? You were on that train in New York. With the nutjob with a 9-millimeter."
"I was a witness to those killings, yes."
"That was what, a dozen people?"
"Fifteen souls," Castiel says.
Hearing it put that way is like having a cold, damp breeze whisper along her neck. Faith shivers.
"Yeah, I remember now. You were one of the guys who jumped the shooter, weren't you?" asks the one standing by Castiel.
"No," Castiel says. "Just a witness." He doesn't elaborate, and this time, instead of being irritated, the cops absorb his silence and stillness, maybe considering the reality of sudden, random violence. After what seems like half an enternity, Castiel speaks again. "After that, it was impossible to be the person I was."
"Sure," says the cop standing near Faith. "That's understandable."
"Maybe you need to call the family. Let 'em know you're all right," says the other. "If you just took off --"
"Claire knew I was leaving. She was packing when I said I would go instead."
"Still. Disappearing entirely is different from leaving," the cop says.
Castiel chews this over.
"At least for your kid, for Christ's sake," the one by Faith says mildly.
Castiel turns the intensity of his gaze on him, and Faith half expects the guy to stumble out with a Sorry, but of course he doesn't know he's talking to an angel of the Lord.
"You're right," Castiel says, but he makes no promises.
"So we're all good here?" asks the one who uncuffed Faith. He extends a hand to her, and she lets herself be helped up. "You need first aid?"
"I got a kit," she says. "I get cleaned up, I'll be all right."
"Sorry. Based on the report we had and the fact that you ran --"
"Yeah, I figured. Stupid of me." She decides to finesse a little honesty. "Instinct kicked in -- I was kind of a delinquent for a couple of years a long time ago."
Handcuffs-cop laughs. "You're not still wanted for anything, are you?"
"Ha ha, no. Miss straight arrow for ten years running."
"Good. Though maybe you should stop waving knives around when you're spooked. We'll call this in, make sure the alert gets cancelled."
As they head for their patrol car, Faith starts collecting the scattered towels. "Trudy, I'm sorry I lied. You've been great and I feel like shit for taking advantage. We just ran into this guy he knows, and he completely misread everything, and we felt backed into a corner."
Trudy eyes her, and she's a little closer to the scowling motel owner Faith first encountered than the friendly woman she'd become, but the corners of her mouth twitch as she regards Faith and then Castiel. Her expression softens as she takes in his open yet serious manner.
"You sheltered us when we needed it," he tells her. "More than that, you showed us true hospitality. I hope our deception doesn't harden your heart."
Trudy watches the patrol car back out of its parking space and turn for the exit, then reaches toward Faith's armload of towels. "Give me those, and I'll get you some that haven't been on the ground."
nwhepcat
Supernatural/Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Sam and Dean Winchester, Castiel, Faith Lehane
Follow up to
Like the White-Winged Dove and Waiting for the end of the World. Also, Vessel becomes relevant.
Faith has a slayer dream which sends her on a reluctant journey to her old territory, on a quest to save a new ally.
Previous parts are here.
Castiel's expression is so open and so damn sad and tired that Faith aches for him as much as she fears for him. "The truth is, I'm not the man Claire married. I could move heaven and earth trying to be that man again, but I can't."
The posture of the cop standing closest to him relaxes a fraction. The other crouches beside Faith and unlocks the handcuffs without a word.
She pushes herself into a sitting position, but doesn't attempt to stand.
"I have no desire to hurt my family," he says. "But I don't fit into that life anymore."
"You look familiar," says the cop who's been questioning him. "Have we run into each other before?"
"No, officer."
"You saw him on the news," says the one who just uncuffed Faith. He turns to Castiel. "Am I right? You were on that train in New York. With the nutjob with a 9-millimeter."
"I was a witness to those killings, yes."
"That was what, a dozen people?"
"Fifteen souls," Castiel says.
Hearing it put that way is like having a cold, damp breeze whisper along her neck. Faith shivers.
"Yeah, I remember now. You were one of the guys who jumped the shooter, weren't you?" asks the one standing by Castiel.
"No," Castiel says. "Just a witness." He doesn't elaborate, and this time, instead of being irritated, the cops absorb his silence and stillness, maybe considering the reality of sudden, random violence. After what seems like half an enternity, Castiel speaks again. "After that, it was impossible to be the person I was."
"Sure," says the cop standing near Faith. "That's understandable."
"Maybe you need to call the family. Let 'em know you're all right," says the other. "If you just took off --"
"Claire knew I was leaving. She was packing when I said I would go instead."
"Still. Disappearing entirely is different from leaving," the cop says.
Castiel chews this over.
"At least for your kid, for Christ's sake," the one by Faith says mildly.
Castiel turns the intensity of his gaze on him, and Faith half expects the guy to stumble out with a Sorry, but of course he doesn't know he's talking to an angel of the Lord.
"You're right," Castiel says, but he makes no promises.
"So we're all good here?" asks the one who uncuffed Faith. He extends a hand to her, and she lets herself be helped up. "You need first aid?"
"I got a kit," she says. "I get cleaned up, I'll be all right."
"Sorry. Based on the report we had and the fact that you ran --"
"Yeah, I figured. Stupid of me." She decides to finesse a little honesty. "Instinct kicked in -- I was kind of a delinquent for a couple of years a long time ago."
Handcuffs-cop laughs. "You're not still wanted for anything, are you?"
"Ha ha, no. Miss straight arrow for ten years running."
"Good. Though maybe you should stop waving knives around when you're spooked. We'll call this in, make sure the alert gets cancelled."
As they head for their patrol car, Faith starts collecting the scattered towels. "Trudy, I'm sorry I lied. You've been great and I feel like shit for taking advantage. We just ran into this guy he knows, and he completely misread everything, and we felt backed into a corner."
Trudy eyes her, and she's a little closer to the scowling motel owner Faith first encountered than the friendly woman she'd become, but the corners of her mouth twitch as she regards Faith and then Castiel. Her expression softens as she takes in his open yet serious manner.
"You sheltered us when we needed it," he tells her. "More than that, you showed us true hospitality. I hope our deception doesn't harden your heart."
Trudy watches the patrol car back out of its parking space and turn for the exit, then reaches toward Faith's armload of towels. "Give me those, and I'll get you some that haven't been on the ground."