Unexpected Destinies Chapter 31
Title: Unexpected Destinies
Rating: R
Spoilers: up to and including Exile on Main St., AU from the end of season 5
Warnings: AU, slash
Word Count: 2,436
Summary: Dean and Castiel meet with Michael to discuss the Apocalypse.
PAST
When the world reformed around them, Dean found himself standing within view of a roadside dinner situated on the edge of a familiar looking cliff overlooking the ocean. It took him a few moments to realize that it was the same location as the shack at which he'd had the best burger ever years ago with his father and brother on the way to a hunt in the North. The shack itself was no longer there but from the smell wafting his way, it seemed like the same people still ran the new place. His mouth instantly watered as it remembered the burger and he couldn't help but smile at his lover.
"This is your idea of a neutral meeting place?" Dean asked.
"It is one of the places you have the best food memories of and Michael already knows about this via Zachariah, so I figured it was as good a place as any other," Castiel replied simply. "It also has the added advantage that it won't allow him to deduce anything from our choice of location that we don't want him to."
"I'm not complaining, I was just making an observation."
Not seeing any reason to wait, Dean approached the entrance to the diner. Stepping inside, he took a deep breath and was nearly drooling at the wonderful smell. Oh, this meeting was looking better and better and he wondered if the knowledge that he'd think so had influenced Castiel's decision to choose this location. He wouldn't put it past his lover.
"Do you want a burger?" Dean asked.
He was pleasantly surprised when his angel actually seemed to consider the offer for a moment before shaking his head. "No, I think it is too soon for me to try another hamburger."
"Fair enough, anything else?"
"No. I shall get us a table outside."
"Okay."
Dean briefly glanced at the menu before deciding to get the same he'd gotten the last time with chili cheese fries and a soda. Though he wanted a beer, he figured it was probably best to be fully alert while around Michael. Besides, these places tended to have crappy bear anyway, not that anything he got wasn't going to be crappy after the bottle Castiel had gotten him the other day. It had been something unpronounceable straight from Germany, but damn had it been good! Like Heaven in a bottle, though he'd wisely kept that particular opinion to himself.
The thought of his lover made him smile and Dean couldn't help but think of the tube of lube he'd gotten two weeks ago. Perhaps it was time to move things up to the next level. Castiel definitely seemed comfortable with what they were doing now and he really wanted to have his lover properly much as he enjoyed the hand and blowjobs they'd been exchanging. It just wasn't the same as sinking into warm heat and being inside his lover. The thought nearly made him moan and he had to force his voice to come out normally when it was his turn to order. He was also thankful of the cover of the counter and tried to think distasteful thoughts as the last thing he wanted to do was face Michael with a hard on for his little brother. That could well get him smited on the spot.
"Thanks," Dean said once he'd paid for and gotten his food.
He took his tray outside and quickly spotted his lover and Michael sitting at a table near the cliff's edge, well away from any prying ears. He approached them and put his tray down beside Castiel and across from the archangel before taking a seat.
"This is not a nutritious meal," Michael stated as he watched him unwrap his burger.
"No shit, Sherlock," Dean shot back.
He was damned if he was going to take food advice from this particular angel. The only one who got any say in what he ate was Castiel and even he was normally ignored if it came to expressing disapproval over his choices. His lover had been quick on the uptake as ever and had started pushing more healthy side dishes or fruit onto him instead.
"Why would you ingest something so obviously bad for you?" Michael asked.
"Because it tastes good."
"But-"
"Look, you don't get any say in what I choose to eat, it's my body, not yours," Dean stated pointedly before biting down and chewing with his mouth open. "Mmm."
Michael threw him a disgusted look before glancing at his brother. "How do you put up with him on a regular basis?"
"By not deliberately provoking him," Castiel replied.
Then, as if to add further insult to the whole incident, his lover reached over and snagged a fry from his tray. Dean swallowed and smiled at Castiel, watching him as he tried it. "Well?"
"It is different again from a hamburger and-"
"Good different or bad different?" Dean rushed to ask.
He didn't want to take the chance that the next word out of his angel's mouth might be semen instead of beer or whiskey. Not that he thought Michael would look particularly kindly on him for having introduced his younger brother to either of those either.
"A good different."
"Ah, good."
The look in Castiel's eyes wasn't lost on him and Dean knew his lover was aware of what he'd been thinking. As if to prove his reply, his angel stole another fry from him and he pushed the flimsy cardboard box closer to the edge of his tray for easier access. It had been a long time since someone had tried to share his food, but he was surprisingly okay with it in this instance, unlike back when Sam had used to try it before he'd gone on his health food kick. Then again, the sasquatch had gone through food like nobody's business when his growth spurt finally hit and it had been all he could do to get his fair share of whatever they bought, so that could have been part of it.
"Was there a reason you called me here?" Michael questioned.
The archangel's tone was annoyed and, yeah, Dean could definitely see himself picking up the game of 'how could he annoy Michael the most' if the douchebag kept up with this attitude.
"Yeah, Lucy's cage."
"What about it?"
"Everything."
"Is there a way to fix it?" Castiel clarified. "To ensure that he doesn't get out."
"No. If I had been able to get at it when it first started becoming unstable and we'd been able to pull the second angel trapped within out, then I might have been able to fix it, but not now. It is too far gone for repairs at this point."
"Can't you just build another cage around it?" Dean asked.
"No."
"Why not?"
If Michael had been human, Dean would say that he was uncomfortable now, but surely he couldn't be, could he?
"I do not know how to," Michael finally stated, not meeting their eyes.
"Bullshit."
"There is no need for profanity."
"Oh, trust me, you ain't seen nothing yet," Dean stated.
"How can you not know how?" Castiel asked.
"Because Father helped me the last time, so while I know how to construct parts of the cage, I cannot make a completely new one on my own."
"And Father isn't answering any of your prayers either?"
"No."
"That figures," Dean muttered. "So now what? We just continue on as we were before Mikey popped out?"
The latter was addressed to Castiel, but Dean kept a close watch on Michael out of the corner of his eye. As expected, a dark expression crossed the archangel's face. Bingo.
"Yes," Castiel confirmed.
"You learn anymore about those misplaced books?"
"No."
"What books?" Michael questioned.
Dean let his lover explain the situation to his brother and was interested to note that the archangel hadn't been aware of them either. Well, based on the angered expression that crossed his face anyway. Though, now that he thought about it, he couldn't picture Michael having acted the way that he had if he'd known that there would a false end to the Apocalypse. It had simply cost him too much to do so. Not only had he spent time in Hell with his brother, locked in a cage he'd helped build, but he had, essentially, lost control of Heaven at the same time.
"This must have happened a long time ago," Michael stated once he'd been caught up.
"Why?" Castiel questioned.
"Because Raphael and I went through all of the prophecy on the Apocalypse back when the Cupids brought together Mary Campbell and John Winchester and those were not among the material we looked at."
"Wait, you had already decided to do this back then?" Dean demanded, furious.
He wasn't sure why, but he'd always suspected that the idea to jumpstart the Apocalypse had been more of a spur of the moment thing. Something that they hadn't fully thought through as it seemed so outrageous to him and surely if he thought God couldn't possibly be okay with it, then two archangels of all things should have known that.
"It was the prophesized joining of the bloodlines," Michael replied. "The final act necessary to produce yourself and Sam. We knew that the time was near and decided it was better if we controlled the when and how in order to prevent Lucifer from destroying the Earth."
"Bang up job with that by the way."
That turned Michael's face ugly. "We had everything planned out so he would be defeated moments after coming out of his cage. It is because of the two of you that things have gone so awry."
Oh no he didn't. Michael could blame him all that he wanted, Dean didn't give a rat's ass about that, but there was absolutely no way he was laying any of the blame for this on Castiel. His lover had sacrificed everything he had and very nearly everything that he was to do the right thing and he wasn't letting anyone, and most especially not Cas' brother, criticism him for that.
"Now listen here you no good son of a bi-"
"Dean."
His name was accompanied by a hand on his forearm and Dean bit back the rest of what he was going to say and turned to look at his lover.
"Please," Castiel said.
Dean fought down his temper with an effort and settled back down on the bench, only just aware that he'd been rising from his seat in the first place. With a curt nod, he turned his attention back to what was left of his food. He could feel Michael's eyes on him but tried to ignore it as he knew he'd be unable to control himself if he thought about it too much. On some level his compliance grated, but the rest of him knew that part of being in a relationship was giving his lover what he wanted and Cas asked so little of him. Besides, it was good for Michael to see that he could do what was asked of him as long as he wasn't treated like some disposable pawn.
"So then I assume that you do not know who might have misplaced the books or why?" Castiel checked.
"No," Michael replied.
"It sounds like it was more then mere coincidence that this happened," Dean commented.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, don't you think it's odd that they were removed from the rest of the books so far in advance? Before you and Raphael could have found them? And that they just happened to turn up after everything in them had already come to pass? Or that the book or books that contain prophecy of what is still to come are still missing?"
There was a moment of silence and Dean knew he'd hit on something neither archangel had thought about yet. Maybe they just hadn't wanted to see it. The implication, after all, wouldn't be pleasant for them.
"What are you saying?" Michael questioned, tone oddly strained. "Are you implying that Father may have had a hand in this?"
"I'm not implying anything. I'm just pointing out that that's a lot of coincidences and I have a hard time believing in them at the best of times."
"It is an interesting question," Castiel said. "Who would have known to hide them from yourself and Raphael?"
"No one," Michael replied, looking like what Dean had come to learn was uncomfortable for angels. "We did not tell anyone of our plans or intentions until later."
"It does sound like there may have been a greater plan at work here," Castiel finally suggested. "And that could only mean Father."
For beings who normally displayed very little emotion, Dean was picking up a ton of cues just now. Or was that more due to his increased ability to read and understand the ones the angels did give off? Either way, the air seemed fraught with tension just now and he instinctively wanted to comfort his lover, knowing how sensitive the topic of his father still was to him despite the obvious approval he'd gotten.
"Has He spoken with you?" Michael demanded.
"Who, Father?" Castiel replied, looking at Dean. "No, not to me."
"He spoke to you?" Michael questioned in disbelief, turning his attention to Dean.
"Only indirectly."
"How?"
"He had Joshua rely a message to Sam and me when we were in Heaven."
Since he knew what the next question would be, Dean decided to save them the time and just told him. Michael looked as stricken as Castiel had upon first hearing those same words. He reached out and squeezed his angel's arm, trying to provide him with some measure of comfort.
"Is Father still talking to Joshua?" Michael asked.
"No," Castiel replied. "It was one of the first things I checked when returning to Heaven."
The uneasy silence that fell over the table made Dean want to start shifting. He hated moments like these and they made him want to open his mouth and make some sort of smart remark, something he didn't think either angel would thank him for. Besides, he'd had far too much experience with these types of emotions and frustrations about his own father for him to be able to make fun of them. The slight bulge in his pocket, though, reminded him of the cell phone he'd picked up for Michael and it seemed like just the thing to break the silence before things became any more emo then they already were.
Chapter 32
Rating: R
Spoilers: up to and including Exile on Main St., AU from the end of season 5
Warnings: AU, slash
Word Count: 2,436
Summary: Dean and Castiel meet with Michael to discuss the Apocalypse.
PAST
When the world reformed around them, Dean found himself standing within view of a roadside dinner situated on the edge of a familiar looking cliff overlooking the ocean. It took him a few moments to realize that it was the same location as the shack at which he'd had the best burger ever years ago with his father and brother on the way to a hunt in the North. The shack itself was no longer there but from the smell wafting his way, it seemed like the same people still ran the new place. His mouth instantly watered as it remembered the burger and he couldn't help but smile at his lover.
"This is your idea of a neutral meeting place?" Dean asked.
"It is one of the places you have the best food memories of and Michael already knows about this via Zachariah, so I figured it was as good a place as any other," Castiel replied simply. "It also has the added advantage that it won't allow him to deduce anything from our choice of location that we don't want him to."
"I'm not complaining, I was just making an observation."
Not seeing any reason to wait, Dean approached the entrance to the diner. Stepping inside, he took a deep breath and was nearly drooling at the wonderful smell. Oh, this meeting was looking better and better and he wondered if the knowledge that he'd think so had influenced Castiel's decision to choose this location. He wouldn't put it past his lover.
"Do you want a burger?" Dean asked.
He was pleasantly surprised when his angel actually seemed to consider the offer for a moment before shaking his head. "No, I think it is too soon for me to try another hamburger."
"Fair enough, anything else?"
"No. I shall get us a table outside."
"Okay."
Dean briefly glanced at the menu before deciding to get the same he'd gotten the last time with chili cheese fries and a soda. Though he wanted a beer, he figured it was probably best to be fully alert while around Michael. Besides, these places tended to have crappy bear anyway, not that anything he got wasn't going to be crappy after the bottle Castiel had gotten him the other day. It had been something unpronounceable straight from Germany, but damn had it been good! Like Heaven in a bottle, though he'd wisely kept that particular opinion to himself.
The thought of his lover made him smile and Dean couldn't help but think of the tube of lube he'd gotten two weeks ago. Perhaps it was time to move things up to the next level. Castiel definitely seemed comfortable with what they were doing now and he really wanted to have his lover properly much as he enjoyed the hand and blowjobs they'd been exchanging. It just wasn't the same as sinking into warm heat and being inside his lover. The thought nearly made him moan and he had to force his voice to come out normally when it was his turn to order. He was also thankful of the cover of the counter and tried to think distasteful thoughts as the last thing he wanted to do was face Michael with a hard on for his little brother. That could well get him smited on the spot.
"Thanks," Dean said once he'd paid for and gotten his food.
He took his tray outside and quickly spotted his lover and Michael sitting at a table near the cliff's edge, well away from any prying ears. He approached them and put his tray down beside Castiel and across from the archangel before taking a seat.
"This is not a nutritious meal," Michael stated as he watched him unwrap his burger.
"No shit, Sherlock," Dean shot back.
He was damned if he was going to take food advice from this particular angel. The only one who got any say in what he ate was Castiel and even he was normally ignored if it came to expressing disapproval over his choices. His lover had been quick on the uptake as ever and had started pushing more healthy side dishes or fruit onto him instead.
"Why would you ingest something so obviously bad for you?" Michael asked.
"Because it tastes good."
"But-"
"Look, you don't get any say in what I choose to eat, it's my body, not yours," Dean stated pointedly before biting down and chewing with his mouth open. "Mmm."
Michael threw him a disgusted look before glancing at his brother. "How do you put up with him on a regular basis?"
"By not deliberately provoking him," Castiel replied.
Then, as if to add further insult to the whole incident, his lover reached over and snagged a fry from his tray. Dean swallowed and smiled at Castiel, watching him as he tried it. "Well?"
"It is different again from a hamburger and-"
"Good different or bad different?" Dean rushed to ask.
He didn't want to take the chance that the next word out of his angel's mouth might be semen instead of beer or whiskey. Not that he thought Michael would look particularly kindly on him for having introduced his younger brother to either of those either.
"A good different."
"Ah, good."
The look in Castiel's eyes wasn't lost on him and Dean knew his lover was aware of what he'd been thinking. As if to prove his reply, his angel stole another fry from him and he pushed the flimsy cardboard box closer to the edge of his tray for easier access. It had been a long time since someone had tried to share his food, but he was surprisingly okay with it in this instance, unlike back when Sam had used to try it before he'd gone on his health food kick. Then again, the sasquatch had gone through food like nobody's business when his growth spurt finally hit and it had been all he could do to get his fair share of whatever they bought, so that could have been part of it.
"Was there a reason you called me here?" Michael questioned.
The archangel's tone was annoyed and, yeah, Dean could definitely see himself picking up the game of 'how could he annoy Michael the most' if the douchebag kept up with this attitude.
"Yeah, Lucy's cage."
"What about it?"
"Everything."
"Is there a way to fix it?" Castiel clarified. "To ensure that he doesn't get out."
"No. If I had been able to get at it when it first started becoming unstable and we'd been able to pull the second angel trapped within out, then I might have been able to fix it, but not now. It is too far gone for repairs at this point."
"Can't you just build another cage around it?" Dean asked.
"No."
"Why not?"
If Michael had been human, Dean would say that he was uncomfortable now, but surely he couldn't be, could he?
"I do not know how to," Michael finally stated, not meeting their eyes.
"Bullshit."
"There is no need for profanity."
"Oh, trust me, you ain't seen nothing yet," Dean stated.
"How can you not know how?" Castiel asked.
"Because Father helped me the last time, so while I know how to construct parts of the cage, I cannot make a completely new one on my own."
"And Father isn't answering any of your prayers either?"
"No."
"That figures," Dean muttered. "So now what? We just continue on as we were before Mikey popped out?"
The latter was addressed to Castiel, but Dean kept a close watch on Michael out of the corner of his eye. As expected, a dark expression crossed the archangel's face. Bingo.
"Yes," Castiel confirmed.
"You learn anymore about those misplaced books?"
"No."
"What books?" Michael questioned.
Dean let his lover explain the situation to his brother and was interested to note that the archangel hadn't been aware of them either. Well, based on the angered expression that crossed his face anyway. Though, now that he thought about it, he couldn't picture Michael having acted the way that he had if he'd known that there would a false end to the Apocalypse. It had simply cost him too much to do so. Not only had he spent time in Hell with his brother, locked in a cage he'd helped build, but he had, essentially, lost control of Heaven at the same time.
"This must have happened a long time ago," Michael stated once he'd been caught up.
"Why?" Castiel questioned.
"Because Raphael and I went through all of the prophecy on the Apocalypse back when the Cupids brought together Mary Campbell and John Winchester and those were not among the material we looked at."
"Wait, you had already decided to do this back then?" Dean demanded, furious.
He wasn't sure why, but he'd always suspected that the idea to jumpstart the Apocalypse had been more of a spur of the moment thing. Something that they hadn't fully thought through as it seemed so outrageous to him and surely if he thought God couldn't possibly be okay with it, then two archangels of all things should have known that.
"It was the prophesized joining of the bloodlines," Michael replied. "The final act necessary to produce yourself and Sam. We knew that the time was near and decided it was better if we controlled the when and how in order to prevent Lucifer from destroying the Earth."
"Bang up job with that by the way."
That turned Michael's face ugly. "We had everything planned out so he would be defeated moments after coming out of his cage. It is because of the two of you that things have gone so awry."
Oh no he didn't. Michael could blame him all that he wanted, Dean didn't give a rat's ass about that, but there was absolutely no way he was laying any of the blame for this on Castiel. His lover had sacrificed everything he had and very nearly everything that he was to do the right thing and he wasn't letting anyone, and most especially not Cas' brother, criticism him for that.
"Now listen here you no good son of a bi-"
"Dean."
His name was accompanied by a hand on his forearm and Dean bit back the rest of what he was going to say and turned to look at his lover.
"Please," Castiel said.
Dean fought down his temper with an effort and settled back down on the bench, only just aware that he'd been rising from his seat in the first place. With a curt nod, he turned his attention back to what was left of his food. He could feel Michael's eyes on him but tried to ignore it as he knew he'd be unable to control himself if he thought about it too much. On some level his compliance grated, but the rest of him knew that part of being in a relationship was giving his lover what he wanted and Cas asked so little of him. Besides, it was good for Michael to see that he could do what was asked of him as long as he wasn't treated like some disposable pawn.
"So then I assume that you do not know who might have misplaced the books or why?" Castiel checked.
"No," Michael replied.
"It sounds like it was more then mere coincidence that this happened," Dean commented.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, don't you think it's odd that they were removed from the rest of the books so far in advance? Before you and Raphael could have found them? And that they just happened to turn up after everything in them had already come to pass? Or that the book or books that contain prophecy of what is still to come are still missing?"
There was a moment of silence and Dean knew he'd hit on something neither archangel had thought about yet. Maybe they just hadn't wanted to see it. The implication, after all, wouldn't be pleasant for them.
"What are you saying?" Michael questioned, tone oddly strained. "Are you implying that Father may have had a hand in this?"
"I'm not implying anything. I'm just pointing out that that's a lot of coincidences and I have a hard time believing in them at the best of times."
"It is an interesting question," Castiel said. "Who would have known to hide them from yourself and Raphael?"
"No one," Michael replied, looking like what Dean had come to learn was uncomfortable for angels. "We did not tell anyone of our plans or intentions until later."
"It does sound like there may have been a greater plan at work here," Castiel finally suggested. "And that could only mean Father."
For beings who normally displayed very little emotion, Dean was picking up a ton of cues just now. Or was that more due to his increased ability to read and understand the ones the angels did give off? Either way, the air seemed fraught with tension just now and he instinctively wanted to comfort his lover, knowing how sensitive the topic of his father still was to him despite the obvious approval he'd gotten.
"Has He spoken with you?" Michael demanded.
"Who, Father?" Castiel replied, looking at Dean. "No, not to me."
"He spoke to you?" Michael questioned in disbelief, turning his attention to Dean.
"Only indirectly."
"How?"
"He had Joshua rely a message to Sam and me when we were in Heaven."
Since he knew what the next question would be, Dean decided to save them the time and just told him. Michael looked as stricken as Castiel had upon first hearing those same words. He reached out and squeezed his angel's arm, trying to provide him with some measure of comfort.
"Is Father still talking to Joshua?" Michael asked.
"No," Castiel replied. "It was one of the first things I checked when returning to Heaven."
The uneasy silence that fell over the table made Dean want to start shifting. He hated moments like these and they made him want to open his mouth and make some sort of smart remark, something he didn't think either angel would thank him for. Besides, he'd had far too much experience with these types of emotions and frustrations about his own father for him to be able to make fun of them. The slight bulge in his pocket, though, reminded him of the cell phone he'd picked up for Michael and it seemed like just the thing to break the silence before things became any more emo then they already were.
Chapter 32