Unexpected Destinies Chapter 52
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: 2,488
Summary: The archangels follow up on their new lead while Dean deals with an unexpected gift from Roy.
PAST
From the moment that they had first entered Heaven, Michael had felt something inside of himself relax and begin to heal that had been broken since Sam Winchester had pulled him into his brother's cage along with himself and Lucifer. Even now he couldn't help but shudder at the horror of being locked away so far from his home, the Host's light and his connection with his brothers and sisters. It had been the single worst experience of his life and he couldn't fathom how his brother had endured millennia of such punishment and still come out so determined to go against their Father. He'd only spent a short time there but he'd been more then ready to repent and discover exactly what it was that he had done wrong to warrant such a punishment.
It did feel odd to be back home and not go right for the Main Hall, but Michael could hardly fault his brother for seeking to steer himself and Raphael right for the library. Castiel had been in charge for such a short period as to still be considered a newcomer despite all of the hard work he had put in. He could easily see what a good job his little brother had done with a very difficult situation and he had no desire to either make things harder for him or to usurp his position.
Michael knew that he could be many things and stubborn among them, but he knew he had made mistakes and was more then willing to repent for them for as long as his Father saw fit and however He deemed it necessary. Already he had learned much about his Father's favored creations that he had never known and he didn't regret coming to know his vessel better even if Dean could still try his patience at times. He couldn't help but smile at the human's persistence and sheer stubbornness. Now that he was looking at it more objectively, he knew it was incredibly impressive how resilient and steadfast his vessel was, anyone else would have buckled under the pressure a long time ago.
And his soul! By his Father's Grace, but his vessel's soul was something to behold. Never in all Creation had Michael ever seen a human soul to match it's sheer brilliance and vitality. He could only imagine what it would feel like cradled safely within his own Grace and a surge of what he'd learned was jealously shot through him at the thought that Castiel knew exactly what that felt like from when he'd saved Dean from the Pit while he himself might never get to experience it despite the fact that Dean was his vessel.
The moment Michael realized what direction his thoughts had taken, he clamped down on them. Not only was jealousy a sin, but he now knew better then to think of his Father's Righteous Man like that. Dean was his own person and so much more then a mere vessel. He should have understood that the first time he had laid eyes on him. No soul like that was ever meant to lie dormant underneath the Grace of an angel. Yes, his Father had often chosen to grant his first children vessels that shared many characteristics with them, to make a better fit Gabriel had always believed, but Dean was even more fiery then even he knew what to do with. It was a fact that had taken him a long time to face and admit, even to himself.
"Michael, Castiel, I have found it," Raphael called out.
Finally! Michael had just begun to wonder if this information too would have been made to vanish from the library. It still stung to think that the books necessary to have prevented his and Raphael's foolishness might have been deliberately removed and he wished desperately to know who had done it and why. Dean's suggestion that his Father might have had a hand in it pained him still, but if it happened to be true then He must have had a reason for doing so and he would uncover whatever it was.
Michael pushed all of those thoughts aside as he made his way towards Raphael. It had been several Earth days since they had come to the library and he knew his vessel would be wondering what was keeping them. So far Dean had managed to not call out to him- of that he was sure as he'd been keeping a certain amount of attention on the latent bond they shared just in case- but he knew it was only a matter of time before the human's patience was tried and his curiosity peaked.
"And?" Michael inquired as he got closer to his brother. "What does the Rite of Contressa do?"
"Exactly what we suspected and hoped it might," Raphael replied. "It prevents an angel from taking a vessel."
"What is it?" Castiel questioned and Michael understood his little brother's dread when he finally caught sight of Raphael and saw his drawn expression. "Is there not sufficient information to carry out the Rite?"
"No, this book contains all that we need to know to perform the Rite of Contressa," Raphael said. "It lists every ingredient, where to find them, how they need to be prepared and other necessary details including the incantation that need to be said."
"Then what is the problem?" Michael demanded.
Raphael looked him in the eye before passing across the book he'd found. It was old, even by Heaven's standards and Michael handled it with care, changing the angle he held it at so Castiel could see as well. The handwriting was old and faded, a fluid cursive that he instantly recognized as Jophiel's hand and he felt the familiar echo of pain and betrayal as he thought of her death. She had been a brave and loyal sister, resolutely standing up to Lucifer though she knew she couldn't win simply to protect the lesser angels for as long as she could. He'd arrived just in time to bear witness her death at Lucifer's hand. It had provided him with all of the rage necessary to fight and strike down his brother.
It had been his first time experiencing anger and later Michael had mourned not only his fallen and slain brothers and sisters, but the loss of his innocence as well.
A fruit from the Garden of Eden, tears of an innocent, a blessing by a pure soul, salt from the Red Sea, a willing blood donation from a repentant sinner, a blossom from the Hidden Valley collected on the full moon, a feather from an angel touched by God...
The list of ingredients for the libation that would need to be poured over the angel who was to be restrained was long and varied but, thankfully, not unmanageable. They also had ample opportunity to cover Lucifer's true essence with it what his still being trapped in the cage. No, that wasn't what was going to be the problem, Michael knew. At first he hadn't seen what would be, until he had caught sight of the last line describing the Rite of Contressa.
And all this will fail still, if it is not performed by Justice tempered by Righteousness.
"No!" Castiel whispered in disbelief and shock.
"Castiel-" Raphael began.
"No, I will not allow it!"
"Brother, we have no choice, we mus-"
The next instant Castiel had Raphael pinned against one of the heavy bookshelves and Michael rushed forwards afraid the newest archangel might do something rash. It was easy to tell how strongly he felt about this issue and he already knew exactly what Castiel was prepared to do for his vessel. He had to end this confrontation before it got any worse.
"Castiel, calm down, Brother," Michael soothed. "Raphael, that is enough."
"But this is the solution we have been looking for!" Raphael protested. "To ignore it now just because-"
"I said enough, Raphael. Castiel, let him go."
"He suggested that-" Castiel began.
"I know, but I promise you, Brother, I would never force Dean even if I could."
/
As soon as they were done returning the books they had used, Castiel took off towards his mate figuring that his brothers would either follow him or not. Apparently they chose to follow as they appeared beside him upon landing. His remaining anger and dread faded to confusion as he found the room dark and quiet with the curtains drawn despite the fact that it was early afternoon. The air was stuffy as if not refreshed for a few days and tinged with a sour, sharp and distasteful odor. He stopped breathing, but still felt almost dirty. What was going on here? If he didn't possess the ability to sense his mate, he'd have thought that Dean had moved on to another hunt somewhere else, but he could still feel him even if he couldn't immediately see him.
"Dean?" Castiel called out.
In response there was a muffled groan and suddenly the large heap on the bed that he'd assumed was merely a pile of discarded blankets and sheets shifted. He'd just noticed that one of the pillows also seemed to be missing when suddenly Dean's head appeared from the makeshift nest and Castiel's breath caught in his throat. His mate looked awful! His skin was pale and gaunt, making the light dusting of freckles on his face stand out sharply. His eyes were bruised and his nose red and sore. He barely had time to register all of this before his mate's face turned greenish and Dean lurched to the side of the bed. He made a grab for something and then the hunter was vomiting.
"Dean!"
With a thought, Castiel was at his mate's side and he grabbed the trash can Dean was throwing up into with one hand and helped support his human with the other as he sat on the bed. When he was done being sick, his mate collapsed against him, humming his approval as he ran a soothing hand through his hair. He reached out with his Grace, not liking what he was seeing nor the heat that radiated from Dean's skin. What he found was a body wide virus infection that was not only making the hunter physically ill, but causing him both pain and fatigue as his body's natural defenses struggled desperately to fight it off.
"What happened to him?" Raphael asked in surprise.
"Flu," Dean replied hoarsely, voice rough with lack of sleep and painful coughing fits. "Present from Roy, no doubt. The little bastard."
"Flu?"
"Illness," Castiel explained, healing it.
Dean's body instantly sagged in his hold, relaxing and his mate sighed at the sudden release. That the hunter stayed in his arms despite the fact that his brothers were present told him all he needed to know about how bad it had been.
"Thanks, Cas," Dean said, voice still rough.
Although Castiel could heal his mate's body from the virus itself, Dean would still be weak from the lack of nutrition he'd had since he started getting ill. He'd seen Sam sick before and knew that what little Dean had probably ingested would almost certainly have come back up when he'd been ill. The thought reminded him of the trash can and he banished the contents at the same time he felt Michael clear the air. He sent his brother a smile in thanks as he felt his mate start to drift off into a deep sleep now that his body was healed. It was a sign of the trust in him that Dean had as he knew his mate didn't fully trust Raphael just yet.
The reminder of his other brother had Castiel looking at him only to find a vaguely disgusted look on Raphael's face and the archangel looked like he might make a derogatory comment.
"Raphael, do not!" Castiel ordered.
He was also careful not to tense and possibly waken Dean. His mate clearly needed sleep and he was determined to let him get it. Besides, the situation between Raphael and Dean was still precarious enough for him to want to avoid adding any other issues to it.
"Brother?"
"Making any kind of critical comment about something so inherently human will only erase all of the progress you have made with Dean."
"What progress?"
"He is falling asleep in your presence," Michael pointed out. "Even with Castiel present, that is an indication that he has started to accept you."
Raphael seemed to consider this, observing Dean closely and Castiel could only hope that it was a good sign. Raphael was a brother that he had yet to start truly understanding. He was almost entirely sure that he was on their side, but beyond that he never seemed to be able to predict what his brother would do or say. Raphael and Dean were also almost constantly at odds with each other, though he was aware that his hunter was responsible for his fair share of the trouble between them. He knew well how stubborn and counterproductive Dean could be when he wanted to, but Raphael was by no means innocent and seemed to have a harder time then Michael getting over his aversion for humans. The latter was something he couldn't understand, human beings had always fascinated him even before he'd met Dean and all of the wonders his soul held.
"But he was so... so..." Raphael began.
"Human?" Castiel offered. "Illness is part of the human condition and to suffer like Dean was doing is how Father made them."
That seemed to have an impact and Castiel wondered if perhaps his brother had never looked at it that way. That everything Raphael disliked or found distasteful about humans was something their Father had specifically created them to be. It seemed almost impossible, but Dean was steadily starting to disabuse him of the very notion that anything was impossible. If someone so pure and just could deem himself worthless, then why shouldn't an archangel not have considered that human weaknesses had been part of their Father's intentions?
Castiel was so far from the path he'd expected to tread only a few short years ago as to be mind-boggling. At times he was amazed that anything could still surprise him. Yet it inevitably still did as today had amply proven. He frowned as his thoughts were drawn back to what they had found in Heaven.
And all this will fail still, if it is not performed by Justice tempered by Righteousness.
There was not a single doubt in Castiel's mind as to exactly what that signified and he didn't like the implications in the least. It made him want to do nothing more then take his mate and whisk him away to somewhere safe where no one could even think to make Dean do anything he didn't want to.
Chapter 53
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: up to and including Exile on Main St., AU from the end of season 5
Warnings: AU, slash
Word Count: 2,488
Summary: The archangels follow up on their new lead while Dean deals with an unexpected gift from Roy.
PAST
From the moment that they had first entered Heaven, Michael had felt something inside of himself relax and begin to heal that had been broken since Sam Winchester had pulled him into his brother's cage along with himself and Lucifer. Even now he couldn't help but shudder at the horror of being locked away so far from his home, the Host's light and his connection with his brothers and sisters. It had been the single worst experience of his life and he couldn't fathom how his brother had endured millennia of such punishment and still come out so determined to go against their Father. He'd only spent a short time there but he'd been more then ready to repent and discover exactly what it was that he had done wrong to warrant such a punishment.
It did feel odd to be back home and not go right for the Main Hall, but Michael could hardly fault his brother for seeking to steer himself and Raphael right for the library. Castiel had been in charge for such a short period as to still be considered a newcomer despite all of the hard work he had put in. He could easily see what a good job his little brother had done with a very difficult situation and he had no desire to either make things harder for him or to usurp his position.
Michael knew that he could be many things and stubborn among them, but he knew he had made mistakes and was more then willing to repent for them for as long as his Father saw fit and however He deemed it necessary. Already he had learned much about his Father's favored creations that he had never known and he didn't regret coming to know his vessel better even if Dean could still try his patience at times. He couldn't help but smile at the human's persistence and sheer stubbornness. Now that he was looking at it more objectively, he knew it was incredibly impressive how resilient and steadfast his vessel was, anyone else would have buckled under the pressure a long time ago.
And his soul! By his Father's Grace, but his vessel's soul was something to behold. Never in all Creation had Michael ever seen a human soul to match it's sheer brilliance and vitality. He could only imagine what it would feel like cradled safely within his own Grace and a surge of what he'd learned was jealously shot through him at the thought that Castiel knew exactly what that felt like from when he'd saved Dean from the Pit while he himself might never get to experience it despite the fact that Dean was his vessel.
The moment Michael realized what direction his thoughts had taken, he clamped down on them. Not only was jealousy a sin, but he now knew better then to think of his Father's Righteous Man like that. Dean was his own person and so much more then a mere vessel. He should have understood that the first time he had laid eyes on him. No soul like that was ever meant to lie dormant underneath the Grace of an angel. Yes, his Father had often chosen to grant his first children vessels that shared many characteristics with them, to make a better fit Gabriel had always believed, but Dean was even more fiery then even he knew what to do with. It was a fact that had taken him a long time to face and admit, even to himself.
"Michael, Castiel, I have found it," Raphael called out.
Finally! Michael had just begun to wonder if this information too would have been made to vanish from the library. It still stung to think that the books necessary to have prevented his and Raphael's foolishness might have been deliberately removed and he wished desperately to know who had done it and why. Dean's suggestion that his Father might have had a hand in it pained him still, but if it happened to be true then He must have had a reason for doing so and he would uncover whatever it was.
Michael pushed all of those thoughts aside as he made his way towards Raphael. It had been several Earth days since they had come to the library and he knew his vessel would be wondering what was keeping them. So far Dean had managed to not call out to him- of that he was sure as he'd been keeping a certain amount of attention on the latent bond they shared just in case- but he knew it was only a matter of time before the human's patience was tried and his curiosity peaked.
"And?" Michael inquired as he got closer to his brother. "What does the Rite of Contressa do?"
"Exactly what we suspected and hoped it might," Raphael replied. "It prevents an angel from taking a vessel."
"What is it?" Castiel questioned and Michael understood his little brother's dread when he finally caught sight of Raphael and saw his drawn expression. "Is there not sufficient information to carry out the Rite?"
"No, this book contains all that we need to know to perform the Rite of Contressa," Raphael said. "It lists every ingredient, where to find them, how they need to be prepared and other necessary details including the incantation that need to be said."
"Then what is the problem?" Michael demanded.
Raphael looked him in the eye before passing across the book he'd found. It was old, even by Heaven's standards and Michael handled it with care, changing the angle he held it at so Castiel could see as well. The handwriting was old and faded, a fluid cursive that he instantly recognized as Jophiel's hand and he felt the familiar echo of pain and betrayal as he thought of her death. She had been a brave and loyal sister, resolutely standing up to Lucifer though she knew she couldn't win simply to protect the lesser angels for as long as she could. He'd arrived just in time to bear witness her death at Lucifer's hand. It had provided him with all of the rage necessary to fight and strike down his brother.
It had been his first time experiencing anger and later Michael had mourned not only his fallen and slain brothers and sisters, but the loss of his innocence as well.
A fruit from the Garden of Eden, tears of an innocent, a blessing by a pure soul, salt from the Red Sea, a willing blood donation from a repentant sinner, a blossom from the Hidden Valley collected on the full moon, a feather from an angel touched by God...
The list of ingredients for the libation that would need to be poured over the angel who was to be restrained was long and varied but, thankfully, not unmanageable. They also had ample opportunity to cover Lucifer's true essence with it what his still being trapped in the cage. No, that wasn't what was going to be the problem, Michael knew. At first he hadn't seen what would be, until he had caught sight of the last line describing the Rite of Contressa.
And all this will fail still, if it is not performed by Justice tempered by Righteousness.
"No!" Castiel whispered in disbelief and shock.
"Castiel-" Raphael began.
"No, I will not allow it!"
"Brother, we have no choice, we mus-"
The next instant Castiel had Raphael pinned against one of the heavy bookshelves and Michael rushed forwards afraid the newest archangel might do something rash. It was easy to tell how strongly he felt about this issue and he already knew exactly what Castiel was prepared to do for his vessel. He had to end this confrontation before it got any worse.
"Castiel, calm down, Brother," Michael soothed. "Raphael, that is enough."
"But this is the solution we have been looking for!" Raphael protested. "To ignore it now just because-"
"I said enough, Raphael. Castiel, let him go."
"He suggested that-" Castiel began.
"I know, but I promise you, Brother, I would never force Dean even if I could."
/
As soon as they were done returning the books they had used, Castiel took off towards his mate figuring that his brothers would either follow him or not. Apparently they chose to follow as they appeared beside him upon landing. His remaining anger and dread faded to confusion as he found the room dark and quiet with the curtains drawn despite the fact that it was early afternoon. The air was stuffy as if not refreshed for a few days and tinged with a sour, sharp and distasteful odor. He stopped breathing, but still felt almost dirty. What was going on here? If he didn't possess the ability to sense his mate, he'd have thought that Dean had moved on to another hunt somewhere else, but he could still feel him even if he couldn't immediately see him.
"Dean?" Castiel called out.
In response there was a muffled groan and suddenly the large heap on the bed that he'd assumed was merely a pile of discarded blankets and sheets shifted. He'd just noticed that one of the pillows also seemed to be missing when suddenly Dean's head appeared from the makeshift nest and Castiel's breath caught in his throat. His mate looked awful! His skin was pale and gaunt, making the light dusting of freckles on his face stand out sharply. His eyes were bruised and his nose red and sore. He barely had time to register all of this before his mate's face turned greenish and Dean lurched to the side of the bed. He made a grab for something and then the hunter was vomiting.
"Dean!"
With a thought, Castiel was at his mate's side and he grabbed the trash can Dean was throwing up into with one hand and helped support his human with the other as he sat on the bed. When he was done being sick, his mate collapsed against him, humming his approval as he ran a soothing hand through his hair. He reached out with his Grace, not liking what he was seeing nor the heat that radiated from Dean's skin. What he found was a body wide virus infection that was not only making the hunter physically ill, but causing him both pain and fatigue as his body's natural defenses struggled desperately to fight it off.
"What happened to him?" Raphael asked in surprise.
"Flu," Dean replied hoarsely, voice rough with lack of sleep and painful coughing fits. "Present from Roy, no doubt. The little bastard."
"Flu?"
"Illness," Castiel explained, healing it.
Dean's body instantly sagged in his hold, relaxing and his mate sighed at the sudden release. That the hunter stayed in his arms despite the fact that his brothers were present told him all he needed to know about how bad it had been.
"Thanks, Cas," Dean said, voice still rough.
Although Castiel could heal his mate's body from the virus itself, Dean would still be weak from the lack of nutrition he'd had since he started getting ill. He'd seen Sam sick before and knew that what little Dean had probably ingested would almost certainly have come back up when he'd been ill. The thought reminded him of the trash can and he banished the contents at the same time he felt Michael clear the air. He sent his brother a smile in thanks as he felt his mate start to drift off into a deep sleep now that his body was healed. It was a sign of the trust in him that Dean had as he knew his mate didn't fully trust Raphael just yet.
The reminder of his other brother had Castiel looking at him only to find a vaguely disgusted look on Raphael's face and the archangel looked like he might make a derogatory comment.
"Raphael, do not!" Castiel ordered.
He was also careful not to tense and possibly waken Dean. His mate clearly needed sleep and he was determined to let him get it. Besides, the situation between Raphael and Dean was still precarious enough for him to want to avoid adding any other issues to it.
"Brother?"
"Making any kind of critical comment about something so inherently human will only erase all of the progress you have made with Dean."
"What progress?"
"He is falling asleep in your presence," Michael pointed out. "Even with Castiel present, that is an indication that he has started to accept you."
Raphael seemed to consider this, observing Dean closely and Castiel could only hope that it was a good sign. Raphael was a brother that he had yet to start truly understanding. He was almost entirely sure that he was on their side, but beyond that he never seemed to be able to predict what his brother would do or say. Raphael and Dean were also almost constantly at odds with each other, though he was aware that his hunter was responsible for his fair share of the trouble between them. He knew well how stubborn and counterproductive Dean could be when he wanted to, but Raphael was by no means innocent and seemed to have a harder time then Michael getting over his aversion for humans. The latter was something he couldn't understand, human beings had always fascinated him even before he'd met Dean and all of the wonders his soul held.
"But he was so... so..." Raphael began.
"Human?" Castiel offered. "Illness is part of the human condition and to suffer like Dean was doing is how Father made them."
That seemed to have an impact and Castiel wondered if perhaps his brother had never looked at it that way. That everything Raphael disliked or found distasteful about humans was something their Father had specifically created them to be. It seemed almost impossible, but Dean was steadily starting to disabuse him of the very notion that anything was impossible. If someone so pure and just could deem himself worthless, then why shouldn't an archangel not have considered that human weaknesses had been part of their Father's intentions?
Castiel was so far from the path he'd expected to tread only a few short years ago as to be mind-boggling. At times he was amazed that anything could still surprise him. Yet it inevitably still did as today had amply proven. He frowned as his thoughts were drawn back to what they had found in Heaven.
And all this will fail still, if it is not performed by Justice tempered by Righteousness.
There was not a single doubt in Castiel's mind as to exactly what that signified and he didn't like the implications in the least. It made him want to do nothing more then take his mate and whisk him away to somewhere safe where no one could even think to make Dean do anything he didn't want to.
Chapter 53