Unexpected Destinies Chapter 50
Title: Unexpected Destinies
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: up to and including Exile on Main St., AU from the end of season 5
Warnings: AU, slash
Word Count: 3,986
Summary: Castiel takes pleasure in carrying out Dean's plan.
PAST
"Damnit, Walt!" Roy complained, needing to stop so he could cough. "I'm telling you, he's not coming!"
"And I'm saying that we stay a while longer to be completely sure. Now shut up and stop coughing and sneezing."
Roy snorted. "Not like I can help it, I told you digging up that grave in the rain was a bad idea."
"Oh quit your moaning, you'd almost think that you want Winchester to hear us. You're not going soft on me now are you, Roy?"
"You just can't leave that alone, can you? You try shooting one of your friends when you know perfectly well that there's nothing wrong with them."
"You knew just as well as I that we couldn't have left him alive, not Dean Winchester, not after what we'd done. He'd have been after us like a dog with a bone. Hell, you were the one who told me all about how his old man was with that demon. Did you really want to be running from that for the rest of your life?"
"I still say we should have waited until we got Sam on his own."
"Like that would have stopped Winchester from finding out that we were responsible," Walt scoffed. "Besides, the very fact that he's back just like he said he'd be is proof enough that we were on the right track. Humans don't just get back up and start living again, not from a shotgun blast to the chest at pointblank range. He'd already gone bad, just like his brother. Pair of rotten eggs, the two of 'em and the world's better of without them."
The sudden flickering of the light Roy had turned on when he'd first figured that their plan wouldn't work froze both men in place, a cough dying on Roy's lips.
"You did sweep this place before you chose it, didn't you Walt?" Roy demanded, eyes darting about.
"Of course I did, I'm not some stupid rookie. EMF came up completely negative."
"Great, so that rules out anything simple."
Walt was just opening his mouth to reply when they both jumped at the loud clap of thunder outside before the room was plunged into semidarkness.
"What in God's name?" Roy muttered, turning his back to his partner to cover the other side of the room.
"Do not blaspheme."
The voice spoke right into his ear, making Roy jump and cry out, sure he could feel the breath ghosting over his skin.
"What?" Walt demanded, turning to look at his partner.
"Someone was just next to me."
"You sure?"
"Yes, I'm sure!"
"Fuck, what the hell is going on here? Demons, you think?"
"I don't think so, the thing told me off for blaspheming."
"Could be a ploy to mislead us. I bet it's Winchester, the bastard's probably not even human anymore, if he even still was when I pumped him full of lead. Should'a used consecrated iron and rock salt. That would'a-"
Walt's words cut off with a sharp cry as he was suddenly flung across the room to crash into an old oak table that collapsed on impact.
"Walt!" Roy called out, spinning around to face the direction his partner had been in.
As before, there was nothing there and Roy felt his heart leap into his throat, terrified and completely unsure of what they were dealing with here. The most immediately obvious answer was a demon, but that just didn't gel with what had been whispered into his ear. Nor did it explain the sudden storm outside, complete with violent flashes of lightning now and huge gusts of wind that tore at the dilapidated house and rushed inside through a number of holes, making dust and all manner of other debris swirl up into the air around him, making it harder to see and forcing him to raise one hand to shield his eyes.
Sure, Roy had heard of the more powerful demons that could control this kind of shit, but why would they bother? It wasn't like he or Walt were anything special or even that they'd pissed off a demon recently. They were just average, run of the mill hunters who did their job without going out of their way to piss off particular demons like John Winchester and his boys had. He could easily remember the fire that had burned in the older man's eyes when he'd talked about that particular demon. He's always thought it insane to chase after a demon like that and he'd been right given how things had turned out. But that still didn't explain what was going on here. He couldn't image that the house was particularly important- it was a wreck for God's sake!- so what did that leave if it wasn't them or the location? No way they were unlucky enough to just be random targets.
A low moan reminded Roy of his partner and he slowly made his way towards Walt, scanning the room diligently as he went. It was no use, though, every time he thought he spotted something, it turned out to be just debris being blown about and he'd wasted more then one round on the stuff already. Christ but he had to get a hold of himself, he was a hunter and should be used to this shit. He tried to recall the last time he'd been this afraid on a hunt and failed. The prickling at the back of his neck that made him feel like he was being watched also didn't help either. Nor did the electric charge in the air that fairly thrummed of power that didn't belong to the story tearing away outside.
It was as he got closer to Walt that Roy realized his partner's gun was nowhere to be seen and he cursed. It wasn't until he was two more steps closer that he realized he hadn't blasphemed and he felt anger awake within him at that. No way was he letting some supernatural creature tell him what to do!
"Jesus fucking Christ!" Roy said loudly, daring the thing to come at him.
"I told you not to blaspheme."
The voice was right beside him once more and Roy's head snapped around only for his gaze to be captured by two impossibly blue eyes that seemed to be made of stone. For half a second, he was frozen by the sheer power that the being seemed to radiate and the nearly overwhelming desire that rose within him to back away slowly and raise his hands; to prove that he wasn't a threat. If he'd been a dog, he would have said he was feeling the equivalent of lying down and bearing his stomach and throat to the alpha.
Though incredibly strong, the instinct was shoved aside quickly enough and Roy felt almost relieved. Now this was much more like what he was used to and what he'd trained countless hours to resist and gank properly. Unfortunately for him, the half second pause was too much and his shotgun was torn from his hands and tossed aside before he could even think about bringing it to bear on the creature before him. Instead of looking enraged, the being looked faintly amused.
"Anything else you would like to try?" it demanded as if speaking to a small child.
His anger flared even further within him and Roy reached slowly back to his knife as he tried to figure out exactly what was standing in front of him. A demon was still the first thing to come to mind as it looked entirely human even if it's presence was unlike anything he had ever experienced before. The sudden appearing and disappearing was also a strong indicator of demonic possession as was the strength he'd felt when his weapon had been wrenched out of his hands as if he hadn't been holding onto it tightly.
"What the hell are you?" Roy demanded, more as a distraction then out of any real hope that the creature would tell him.
Apparently it had been the wrong thing to say as the being's face instantly darkened and Roy took an involuntary step backwards at the sheer menace that now emanated from it along with the power he'd felt earlier.
"I am an... acquaintance of someone you have betrayed most grievously."
"What? Who?"
Roy had just pulled his knife from its sheath at the back of his pants when strong fingers closed around his wrist and his arm was expertly twisted so that his backup weapon fell from nerveless fingers even as he was spun around on the spot.
"Don't even think about trying it," Dean growled, face a mask of fury and eyes blazing.
"D- Dean," Roy sputtered, eyes wide in surprise as fear started to mix in with his anger.
"Roy. I'd say it's good to see you again, but then I'd be lying."
"Dean, please."
"Please?" Dean asked, eyebrows rising. "Please what, Roy? Please have mercy? If so, why should I? It's not like you showed my brother and I any when you slaughtered us without a chance to explain what was going on."
"He'd started the Apocalypse and was drinking demon blood!" Roy retorted, catching the surprise in his old friend's eyes. "What, you think we hadn't heard of that last?"
"You had no right."
"Please, if our positions had been reversed, you would have done the same. Sam was no better then anything else we hunt. Who the hell even thinks of drinking demon blood, much less actually doing it?"
Dean's face twisted at that and Roy felt a little hope that he might yet get out of this alive.
"And what? I was just collateral, was I?"
"Dean, I swear that I had no idea that Walt was planning to do that to you."
"Didn't stop you from just standing by, now did it?"
"He had a valid point and maybe even more then one."
"Oh and what does that mean?"
"What the hell are you, Dean? Are you even still human? You were dead, I saw it myself and yet here you are with this thing."
"His name is Castiel and he's not a thing."
Roy's eyes widened as he recognized the hint of steel in Winchester's voice. Though they hadn't spent a ton of time together, it had been more then long enough for him to learn to recognize that particular tone. In the past it had always come up when someone trash talked Dean's father or brother and it was just more weight towards Walt's theory that the other hunter now saw some creature in that same regard. He opened his mouth to call Winchester on it but started sneezing instead.
"Dude, gross!" Dean snapped, stepping back a bit.
The thought that he could use this to his advantage vanished when Roy felt cold metal click into place around his wrist. He started struggling immediately, but a second pair of hands from behind pinned his arms down and held him securely until Dean had cuffed his wrists together.
"Let me go!" Roy barked. "What the hell are you going to do to us?"
"Wouldn't you just like to know?"
/
Dean let Castiel deal with Roy as he approached the groaning form of Walt. He couldn't help but smile as he took in the felled man. The collision with the table was sure to have left its mark and he felt absolutely no sympathy for the other man, fellow hunter or not. Walt should just be thankful to have gotten off so lightly for what he'd done as he deserved so much worse then this. He was just glad that his lover had been able to restrain himself as Heaven only knew that he'd not have had the heart to stop him if his angel had decided a more permanent punishment was called for.
When he reached the felled hunter, Dean pulled out the second pair of handcuffs that he didn't even want to know where Castiel had gotten. Once he'd restrained Walt, he found that he just couldn't be bothered to pick the reviving man up and instead dragged him over to where his angel had forced Roy to sit on a chair that looked like it might collapse under the weight of him at any moment.
"Watch it!" Roy snapped.
Dean snorted. "You'll have to forgive me if I'm not overly concerned with the comfort of my killer."
"What are you?"
"One hundred percent human."
"Yeah, right," Roy replied, the sarcasm ruined by a cough. "Humans don't come back from the dead still human."
"Yeah, that's what I used to think too, but it turns out that depends entirely on how they get brought back. Trust me, the first thing Bobby Singer did was try every revealing method on me that he could." Well, Bobby had the first time he'd been brought back to life anyway.
Roy looked like he wanted to snort but ended up sneezing violently instead. "Trust you, yeah, right. That's not gonna happen."
Dean bit back his frustration and merely shrugged instead. It wasn't like he could really fault Roy for thinking like that now, not when he'd have done the exact same thing only three years ago. What he could, and most definitely did, fault him for though was for what had come before. This whole scenario did make him incredibly grateful that he and Sam weren't particularly well connected with a lot of other hunters or there'd have had nothing but trouble after Castiel had resurrected him.
"The other is awake," Castiel stated suddenly.
"Yeah, I noticed," Dean replied, nudging Walt with the toe of his boot. "Stop playing possum, Walt, you're not any good at it."
For a moment it looked like Walt might try and continue the charade before he rolled himself into a seated position and glared up at Dean. "Winchester."
Dean smiled. "I thought you believed I was just some creature or monster."
"You can claim to be human all you want, but I know better."
He hadn't decided to really try and convince them of the truth, but when Dean caught sight of the flask at Walt's hip engraved with an elaborate cross, he figured that he might as well. He reached down and grabbed the flask, stepping back quickly before the other hunter tried to head butt him or bite.
"Holy water, right?" Dean checked, unscrewing the cap.
He took the lack of reply as a yes and took a deep swig, making a show of swallowing it. Dean could see the surprise in their eyes and knew that they'd most likely pegged him as a demon. He wasn't sure if they were aware that particularly powerful demons like Azazel could withstand Holy water, but he wasn't going to check.
"That doesn't prove anything. You could still be a revenant or shifter or-"
Walt cut off warily as Dean pulled Roy's knife back out. "Silver, right Roy?"
"Yeah," Roy confirmed, voice and posture cautious and uncertain.
Dean felt a sliver of dark satisfaction at the thought of making his old friend realize just how badly he and his partner had fucked things up. It was similar to the pleasure he'd gotten watching the two hunters react to Castiel's little show earlier. He knew it wasn't quite right, but it felt like poetic justice of a sort for what they'd done to him and it wasn't like they'd been in any real danger, so he'd let it slide. It felt nice to stand up for himself like this for once instead of just taking it.
Without any hesitation and making sure both of the hunters could see his face, Dean cut his palm with the knife. Then, knowing what they'd think next, he rattled off a bunch of info about Roy that an imposter wouldn't know. Roy was starting to look convinced, but if Walt was, the expression on his face made it clear that he didn't care.
"So you're a human working for a demon, personally I think that's worse," Walt spat.
A human working for a demon? Oh, Castiel. Dean bit his lip at the thought, at least he wasn't the only hunter to have mistaken his lover for a demon. He wondered what that said about them?
"You mean, Cas?" Dean inquired innocently. "He's not a demon. Here, Cas, drink this."
Dean handed the flask over so his lover could take a sip.
"You gonna try and tell us that storm just happened to come out of nowhere too?" Walt demanded.
"Hell no, that was all Cas, I'm not even going to try and deny that. I'm merely proving that he's not a demon. Not all supernatural creatures are evil and need to be killed."
Roy's eyes narrowed suddenly. "Okay, now I know something's not right. The Dean Winchester I knew would never have said that."
"What can I say? You live, you learn, and Sammy taught me not to take things at face value."
"That how he talked you into all of this?" Walt questioned. "That why you stood around and did nothing while he jump started the 'pocalypse?"
"Dean did nothing of the sort," Castiel interjected. "He repeatedly warned his brother off the path he was taking and did what he could to prevent Sam from doing what he did."
"Obviously he didn't do a very good job of it. Besides, why should I believe a word you say, creature?"
"It is the truth."
"In my experience your kind don't even know the meaning of the word."
"What are you?" Roy demanded.
"I am an angel of the Lord," Castiel replied before Dean could stop him.
"An angel?" Roy laughed and ended up coughing instead. "You know, Winchester, I always knew you were many things, but I never took you for one prone to having those kinds of delusions. So, what, you think you're the Second Coming?"
"No," Dean replied.
"He is the Righteous Man, the only one who can end the Apocalypse."
Crap but Dean wished he'd remembered to have a chat with his lover before they'd started this. Castiel really couldn't just go around telling people all of this shit. They'd think he was absolutely crazy, not to mention that it was downright embarrassing to be hailed as a savior like that before others. It was bad enough when it was just the two of them.
Walt looked like he didn't know whether to laugh or rage away and Dean wondered if it was time to end this. It had been fun, but he and Castiel really needed to get going and turn their attention back to the really important things.
"There's no such thing as angels," Roy declared and it reminded Dean that they'd always agreed on that particular issue.
"Angels are supposed to have wings," Walt said. "You have none."
The words made Dean frown. He'd never have pegged the hunter as the religious sort, but it did make a certain kind of sense when it came to his actions regarding Sam. And well, if nothing else, his little brother had proven that he really wasn't any good at figuring out someone's religious beliefs and actions. He still couldn't believe Sam had used to pray every day, but he bet that habit had ended a while ago.
"No, they are simply not visible on this plane of existence," Castiel explained.
"Convenient," Roy snarked.
"Prove it," Walt challenged.
"No," Dean stated before he even realized his intention to speak.
"What?"
"I said no. You don't deserve to see them, not after what you did."
Suddenly wondering if he'd overstepped a bound, Dean glanced at his lover to see if Castiel was okay with what he'd said. He was surprised to detect relief in those blue eyes and wondered if there was something about angelic etiquette that he didn't know about. Now that he thought about it, his angel had only ever shown the shadows of his wings to two people as far as he knew; himself and Father Mancini. No one else, not even Sam, had been granted the privilege of seeing them and if he was certain of one thing, it was that doing so really was a privilege and one he had absolutely no intention of sharing with these two assholes unless Castiel wanted to do so.
"We did what needed to be done!" Walt protested.
"No, your actions could have resulted in the end of the world if Father had not intervened on Sam and Dean's behalf," Castiel argued.
"Father?" Roy exclaimed.
Since Dean had turned almost all of his attention back to their two captives, he hadn't noticed Castiel getting closer until his lover took his hand in his own and the next thing he knew, the cut had been healed. At first he didn't think much off it, he'd gotten so used to his angel healing him of every injury he sustained that it barely registered anymore, but then he caught sight of the looks on the faces of the other two hunters.
"That doesn't prove anything," Walt declared, sounding like he was trying to convince himself more then anything.
"Okay, enough of this, we don't have time for twenty questions or show and tell," Dean stated. "Cas, just do it and lets get out of here. I actually have the urge to hit the books for once."
"And you claim that miracles do not happen," Castiel replied dryly.
Dean's next words never made it as far as his mouth as the meaning of his lover's words penetrated and he turned to stare at him. He couldn't believe his angel had just said that! Castiel really was starting to get the hang of humor.
"Whoa, wait!" Roy protested. "Do what?"
"I'll kill you, Winchester," Walt threatened. "Somehow, somewhere, I'll find a means of ganking you permanently."
"Thank you for proving exactly why we can't just leave you here," Dean said. "As for what, Cas is going to erase your memories of everything about this whole affair starting with what led you to that motel room. That way you'll not only leave me alone, but not do anything stupid if you happen to run across Sam in the future."
"You can't do that!"
"Sam's back too?" Roy asked, stunned.
"Yes, I can," Castiel countered, stepping forwards.
/
"Cas?"
"Yes, Dean?"
"What are your wings to you? I mean, are there like special rules or customs about who can see and touch them or something like that?" The way Castiel looked away, back down at the now sleeping hunters made Dean's stomach turn. "Shit. Cas, you gotta tell me these things! I mean, I just don't know them. Promise you'll tell me if something I ask goes against some unspoken angelic custom."
"Like disobedience?"
Dean frowned, stepping closer. "That wasn't disobedience, I think that's been proven clearly enough since. And no, that was what you'd been ordered to do by a superior. What I'm talking about is customs, like what humans have with personal space and privacy. I don't want to make you uncomfortable."
"You do not," Castiel stated, looking up and meeting his eyes as he said it and a hand came up to touch his face. "But I shall tell you if you wish."
"I do. What was it about wings earlier? You didn't want to show them, did you?"
"No. An angel's wings are quite personal and we only allow those we trust near enough to touch them and even then only a special few are allowed to actually touch them. The stroking and grooming of one's wings is reserved for those brothers and sisters who are very close."
"Ah, okay. So showing them to humans like you did before is a special privilege."
"Yes."
And damn if that just didn't increase Dean's desire to be able to see his lover's true form.
A.N.: Eep! Chapter 50! I so did not think this fic would get so long when I started it, though I really should have known better. Sorry about the delay in getting this chapter to you, though I hope the word count makes up for it somewhat.
Chapter 51
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: up to and including Exile on Main St., AU from the end of season 5
Warnings: AU, slash
Word Count: 3,986
Summary: Castiel takes pleasure in carrying out Dean's plan.
PAST
"Damnit, Walt!" Roy complained, needing to stop so he could cough. "I'm telling you, he's not coming!"
"And I'm saying that we stay a while longer to be completely sure. Now shut up and stop coughing and sneezing."
Roy snorted. "Not like I can help it, I told you digging up that grave in the rain was a bad idea."
"Oh quit your moaning, you'd almost think that you want Winchester to hear us. You're not going soft on me now are you, Roy?"
"You just can't leave that alone, can you? You try shooting one of your friends when you know perfectly well that there's nothing wrong with them."
"You knew just as well as I that we couldn't have left him alive, not Dean Winchester, not after what we'd done. He'd have been after us like a dog with a bone. Hell, you were the one who told me all about how his old man was with that demon. Did you really want to be running from that for the rest of your life?"
"I still say we should have waited until we got Sam on his own."
"Like that would have stopped Winchester from finding out that we were responsible," Walt scoffed. "Besides, the very fact that he's back just like he said he'd be is proof enough that we were on the right track. Humans don't just get back up and start living again, not from a shotgun blast to the chest at pointblank range. He'd already gone bad, just like his brother. Pair of rotten eggs, the two of 'em and the world's better of without them."
The sudden flickering of the light Roy had turned on when he'd first figured that their plan wouldn't work froze both men in place, a cough dying on Roy's lips.
"You did sweep this place before you chose it, didn't you Walt?" Roy demanded, eyes darting about.
"Of course I did, I'm not some stupid rookie. EMF came up completely negative."
"Great, so that rules out anything simple."
Walt was just opening his mouth to reply when they both jumped at the loud clap of thunder outside before the room was plunged into semidarkness.
"What in God's name?" Roy muttered, turning his back to his partner to cover the other side of the room.
"Do not blaspheme."
The voice spoke right into his ear, making Roy jump and cry out, sure he could feel the breath ghosting over his skin.
"What?" Walt demanded, turning to look at his partner.
"Someone was just next to me."
"You sure?"
"Yes, I'm sure!"
"Fuck, what the hell is going on here? Demons, you think?"
"I don't think so, the thing told me off for blaspheming."
"Could be a ploy to mislead us. I bet it's Winchester, the bastard's probably not even human anymore, if he even still was when I pumped him full of lead. Should'a used consecrated iron and rock salt. That would'a-"
Walt's words cut off with a sharp cry as he was suddenly flung across the room to crash into an old oak table that collapsed on impact.
"Walt!" Roy called out, spinning around to face the direction his partner had been in.
As before, there was nothing there and Roy felt his heart leap into his throat, terrified and completely unsure of what they were dealing with here. The most immediately obvious answer was a demon, but that just didn't gel with what had been whispered into his ear. Nor did it explain the sudden storm outside, complete with violent flashes of lightning now and huge gusts of wind that tore at the dilapidated house and rushed inside through a number of holes, making dust and all manner of other debris swirl up into the air around him, making it harder to see and forcing him to raise one hand to shield his eyes.
Sure, Roy had heard of the more powerful demons that could control this kind of shit, but why would they bother? It wasn't like he or Walt were anything special or even that they'd pissed off a demon recently. They were just average, run of the mill hunters who did their job without going out of their way to piss off particular demons like John Winchester and his boys had. He could easily remember the fire that had burned in the older man's eyes when he'd talked about that particular demon. He's always thought it insane to chase after a demon like that and he'd been right given how things had turned out. But that still didn't explain what was going on here. He couldn't image that the house was particularly important- it was a wreck for God's sake!- so what did that leave if it wasn't them or the location? No way they were unlucky enough to just be random targets.
A low moan reminded Roy of his partner and he slowly made his way towards Walt, scanning the room diligently as he went. It was no use, though, every time he thought he spotted something, it turned out to be just debris being blown about and he'd wasted more then one round on the stuff already. Christ but he had to get a hold of himself, he was a hunter and should be used to this shit. He tried to recall the last time he'd been this afraid on a hunt and failed. The prickling at the back of his neck that made him feel like he was being watched also didn't help either. Nor did the electric charge in the air that fairly thrummed of power that didn't belong to the story tearing away outside.
It was as he got closer to Walt that Roy realized his partner's gun was nowhere to be seen and he cursed. It wasn't until he was two more steps closer that he realized he hadn't blasphemed and he felt anger awake within him at that. No way was he letting some supernatural creature tell him what to do!
"Jesus fucking Christ!" Roy said loudly, daring the thing to come at him.
"I told you not to blaspheme."
The voice was right beside him once more and Roy's head snapped around only for his gaze to be captured by two impossibly blue eyes that seemed to be made of stone. For half a second, he was frozen by the sheer power that the being seemed to radiate and the nearly overwhelming desire that rose within him to back away slowly and raise his hands; to prove that he wasn't a threat. If he'd been a dog, he would have said he was feeling the equivalent of lying down and bearing his stomach and throat to the alpha.
Though incredibly strong, the instinct was shoved aside quickly enough and Roy felt almost relieved. Now this was much more like what he was used to and what he'd trained countless hours to resist and gank properly. Unfortunately for him, the half second pause was too much and his shotgun was torn from his hands and tossed aside before he could even think about bringing it to bear on the creature before him. Instead of looking enraged, the being looked faintly amused.
"Anything else you would like to try?" it demanded as if speaking to a small child.
His anger flared even further within him and Roy reached slowly back to his knife as he tried to figure out exactly what was standing in front of him. A demon was still the first thing to come to mind as it looked entirely human even if it's presence was unlike anything he had ever experienced before. The sudden appearing and disappearing was also a strong indicator of demonic possession as was the strength he'd felt when his weapon had been wrenched out of his hands as if he hadn't been holding onto it tightly.
"What the hell are you?" Roy demanded, more as a distraction then out of any real hope that the creature would tell him.
Apparently it had been the wrong thing to say as the being's face instantly darkened and Roy took an involuntary step backwards at the sheer menace that now emanated from it along with the power he'd felt earlier.
"I am an... acquaintance of someone you have betrayed most grievously."
"What? Who?"
Roy had just pulled his knife from its sheath at the back of his pants when strong fingers closed around his wrist and his arm was expertly twisted so that his backup weapon fell from nerveless fingers even as he was spun around on the spot.
"Don't even think about trying it," Dean growled, face a mask of fury and eyes blazing.
"D- Dean," Roy sputtered, eyes wide in surprise as fear started to mix in with his anger.
"Roy. I'd say it's good to see you again, but then I'd be lying."
"Dean, please."
"Please?" Dean asked, eyebrows rising. "Please what, Roy? Please have mercy? If so, why should I? It's not like you showed my brother and I any when you slaughtered us without a chance to explain what was going on."
"He'd started the Apocalypse and was drinking demon blood!" Roy retorted, catching the surprise in his old friend's eyes. "What, you think we hadn't heard of that last?"
"You had no right."
"Please, if our positions had been reversed, you would have done the same. Sam was no better then anything else we hunt. Who the hell even thinks of drinking demon blood, much less actually doing it?"
Dean's face twisted at that and Roy felt a little hope that he might yet get out of this alive.
"And what? I was just collateral, was I?"
"Dean, I swear that I had no idea that Walt was planning to do that to you."
"Didn't stop you from just standing by, now did it?"
"He had a valid point and maybe even more then one."
"Oh and what does that mean?"
"What the hell are you, Dean? Are you even still human? You were dead, I saw it myself and yet here you are with this thing."
"His name is Castiel and he's not a thing."
Roy's eyes widened as he recognized the hint of steel in Winchester's voice. Though they hadn't spent a ton of time together, it had been more then long enough for him to learn to recognize that particular tone. In the past it had always come up when someone trash talked Dean's father or brother and it was just more weight towards Walt's theory that the other hunter now saw some creature in that same regard. He opened his mouth to call Winchester on it but started sneezing instead.
"Dude, gross!" Dean snapped, stepping back a bit.
The thought that he could use this to his advantage vanished when Roy felt cold metal click into place around his wrist. He started struggling immediately, but a second pair of hands from behind pinned his arms down and held him securely until Dean had cuffed his wrists together.
"Let me go!" Roy barked. "What the hell are you going to do to us?"
"Wouldn't you just like to know?"
/
Dean let Castiel deal with Roy as he approached the groaning form of Walt. He couldn't help but smile as he took in the felled man. The collision with the table was sure to have left its mark and he felt absolutely no sympathy for the other man, fellow hunter or not. Walt should just be thankful to have gotten off so lightly for what he'd done as he deserved so much worse then this. He was just glad that his lover had been able to restrain himself as Heaven only knew that he'd not have had the heart to stop him if his angel had decided a more permanent punishment was called for.
When he reached the felled hunter, Dean pulled out the second pair of handcuffs that he didn't even want to know where Castiel had gotten. Once he'd restrained Walt, he found that he just couldn't be bothered to pick the reviving man up and instead dragged him over to where his angel had forced Roy to sit on a chair that looked like it might collapse under the weight of him at any moment.
"Watch it!" Roy snapped.
Dean snorted. "You'll have to forgive me if I'm not overly concerned with the comfort of my killer."
"What are you?"
"One hundred percent human."
"Yeah, right," Roy replied, the sarcasm ruined by a cough. "Humans don't come back from the dead still human."
"Yeah, that's what I used to think too, but it turns out that depends entirely on how they get brought back. Trust me, the first thing Bobby Singer did was try every revealing method on me that he could." Well, Bobby had the first time he'd been brought back to life anyway.
Roy looked like he wanted to snort but ended up sneezing violently instead. "Trust you, yeah, right. That's not gonna happen."
Dean bit back his frustration and merely shrugged instead. It wasn't like he could really fault Roy for thinking like that now, not when he'd have done the exact same thing only three years ago. What he could, and most definitely did, fault him for though was for what had come before. This whole scenario did make him incredibly grateful that he and Sam weren't particularly well connected with a lot of other hunters or there'd have had nothing but trouble after Castiel had resurrected him.
"The other is awake," Castiel stated suddenly.
"Yeah, I noticed," Dean replied, nudging Walt with the toe of his boot. "Stop playing possum, Walt, you're not any good at it."
For a moment it looked like Walt might try and continue the charade before he rolled himself into a seated position and glared up at Dean. "Winchester."
Dean smiled. "I thought you believed I was just some creature or monster."
"You can claim to be human all you want, but I know better."
He hadn't decided to really try and convince them of the truth, but when Dean caught sight of the flask at Walt's hip engraved with an elaborate cross, he figured that he might as well. He reached down and grabbed the flask, stepping back quickly before the other hunter tried to head butt him or bite.
"Holy water, right?" Dean checked, unscrewing the cap.
He took the lack of reply as a yes and took a deep swig, making a show of swallowing it. Dean could see the surprise in their eyes and knew that they'd most likely pegged him as a demon. He wasn't sure if they were aware that particularly powerful demons like Azazel could withstand Holy water, but he wasn't going to check.
"That doesn't prove anything. You could still be a revenant or shifter or-"
Walt cut off warily as Dean pulled Roy's knife back out. "Silver, right Roy?"
"Yeah," Roy confirmed, voice and posture cautious and uncertain.
Dean felt a sliver of dark satisfaction at the thought of making his old friend realize just how badly he and his partner had fucked things up. It was similar to the pleasure he'd gotten watching the two hunters react to Castiel's little show earlier. He knew it wasn't quite right, but it felt like poetic justice of a sort for what they'd done to him and it wasn't like they'd been in any real danger, so he'd let it slide. It felt nice to stand up for himself like this for once instead of just taking it.
Without any hesitation and making sure both of the hunters could see his face, Dean cut his palm with the knife. Then, knowing what they'd think next, he rattled off a bunch of info about Roy that an imposter wouldn't know. Roy was starting to look convinced, but if Walt was, the expression on his face made it clear that he didn't care.
"So you're a human working for a demon, personally I think that's worse," Walt spat.
A human working for a demon? Oh, Castiel. Dean bit his lip at the thought, at least he wasn't the only hunter to have mistaken his lover for a demon. He wondered what that said about them?
"You mean, Cas?" Dean inquired innocently. "He's not a demon. Here, Cas, drink this."
Dean handed the flask over so his lover could take a sip.
"You gonna try and tell us that storm just happened to come out of nowhere too?" Walt demanded.
"Hell no, that was all Cas, I'm not even going to try and deny that. I'm merely proving that he's not a demon. Not all supernatural creatures are evil and need to be killed."
Roy's eyes narrowed suddenly. "Okay, now I know something's not right. The Dean Winchester I knew would never have said that."
"What can I say? You live, you learn, and Sammy taught me not to take things at face value."
"That how he talked you into all of this?" Walt questioned. "That why you stood around and did nothing while he jump started the 'pocalypse?"
"Dean did nothing of the sort," Castiel interjected. "He repeatedly warned his brother off the path he was taking and did what he could to prevent Sam from doing what he did."
"Obviously he didn't do a very good job of it. Besides, why should I believe a word you say, creature?"
"It is the truth."
"In my experience your kind don't even know the meaning of the word."
"What are you?" Roy demanded.
"I am an angel of the Lord," Castiel replied before Dean could stop him.
"An angel?" Roy laughed and ended up coughing instead. "You know, Winchester, I always knew you were many things, but I never took you for one prone to having those kinds of delusions. So, what, you think you're the Second Coming?"
"No," Dean replied.
"He is the Righteous Man, the only one who can end the Apocalypse."
Crap but Dean wished he'd remembered to have a chat with his lover before they'd started this. Castiel really couldn't just go around telling people all of this shit. They'd think he was absolutely crazy, not to mention that it was downright embarrassing to be hailed as a savior like that before others. It was bad enough when it was just the two of them.
Walt looked like he didn't know whether to laugh or rage away and Dean wondered if it was time to end this. It had been fun, but he and Castiel really needed to get going and turn their attention back to the really important things.
"There's no such thing as angels," Roy declared and it reminded Dean that they'd always agreed on that particular issue.
"Angels are supposed to have wings," Walt said. "You have none."
The words made Dean frown. He'd never have pegged the hunter as the religious sort, but it did make a certain kind of sense when it came to his actions regarding Sam. And well, if nothing else, his little brother had proven that he really wasn't any good at figuring out someone's religious beliefs and actions. He still couldn't believe Sam had used to pray every day, but he bet that habit had ended a while ago.
"No, they are simply not visible on this plane of existence," Castiel explained.
"Convenient," Roy snarked.
"Prove it," Walt challenged.
"No," Dean stated before he even realized his intention to speak.
"What?"
"I said no. You don't deserve to see them, not after what you did."
Suddenly wondering if he'd overstepped a bound, Dean glanced at his lover to see if Castiel was okay with what he'd said. He was surprised to detect relief in those blue eyes and wondered if there was something about angelic etiquette that he didn't know about. Now that he thought about it, his angel had only ever shown the shadows of his wings to two people as far as he knew; himself and Father Mancini. No one else, not even Sam, had been granted the privilege of seeing them and if he was certain of one thing, it was that doing so really was a privilege and one he had absolutely no intention of sharing with these two assholes unless Castiel wanted to do so.
"We did what needed to be done!" Walt protested.
"No, your actions could have resulted in the end of the world if Father had not intervened on Sam and Dean's behalf," Castiel argued.
"Father?" Roy exclaimed.
Since Dean had turned almost all of his attention back to their two captives, he hadn't noticed Castiel getting closer until his lover took his hand in his own and the next thing he knew, the cut had been healed. At first he didn't think much off it, he'd gotten so used to his angel healing him of every injury he sustained that it barely registered anymore, but then he caught sight of the looks on the faces of the other two hunters.
"That doesn't prove anything," Walt declared, sounding like he was trying to convince himself more then anything.
"Okay, enough of this, we don't have time for twenty questions or show and tell," Dean stated. "Cas, just do it and lets get out of here. I actually have the urge to hit the books for once."
"And you claim that miracles do not happen," Castiel replied dryly.
Dean's next words never made it as far as his mouth as the meaning of his lover's words penetrated and he turned to stare at him. He couldn't believe his angel had just said that! Castiel really was starting to get the hang of humor.
"Whoa, wait!" Roy protested. "Do what?"
"I'll kill you, Winchester," Walt threatened. "Somehow, somewhere, I'll find a means of ganking you permanently."
"Thank you for proving exactly why we can't just leave you here," Dean said. "As for what, Cas is going to erase your memories of everything about this whole affair starting with what led you to that motel room. That way you'll not only leave me alone, but not do anything stupid if you happen to run across Sam in the future."
"You can't do that!"
"Sam's back too?" Roy asked, stunned.
"Yes, I can," Castiel countered, stepping forwards.
/
"Cas?"
"Yes, Dean?"
"What are your wings to you? I mean, are there like special rules or customs about who can see and touch them or something like that?" The way Castiel looked away, back down at the now sleeping hunters made Dean's stomach turn. "Shit. Cas, you gotta tell me these things! I mean, I just don't know them. Promise you'll tell me if something I ask goes against some unspoken angelic custom."
"Like disobedience?"
Dean frowned, stepping closer. "That wasn't disobedience, I think that's been proven clearly enough since. And no, that was what you'd been ordered to do by a superior. What I'm talking about is customs, like what humans have with personal space and privacy. I don't want to make you uncomfortable."
"You do not," Castiel stated, looking up and meeting his eyes as he said it and a hand came up to touch his face. "But I shall tell you if you wish."
"I do. What was it about wings earlier? You didn't want to show them, did you?"
"No. An angel's wings are quite personal and we only allow those we trust near enough to touch them and even then only a special few are allowed to actually touch them. The stroking and grooming of one's wings is reserved for those brothers and sisters who are very close."
"Ah, okay. So showing them to humans like you did before is a special privilege."
"Yes."
And damn if that just didn't increase Dean's desire to be able to see his lover's true form.
A.N.: Eep! Chapter 50! I so did not think this fic would get so long when I started it, though I really should have known better. Sorry about the delay in getting this chapter to you, though I hope the word count makes up for it somewhat.
Chapter 51