Unexpected Destinies Chapter 96
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: 2,377
Summary: Michael deals with the consequences of his actions and Dean's breakdown.
PAST
The trembling of the soul within him and the way that Dean clutched so desperately at his Grace made Michael wish that there was something more that he could do. The irony of the situation was not lost on him and while he didn't regret killing the demon Meg quickly as his brother had needed his help, he did wish that she had been better punished for her crimes first. As an archangel it wasn't often that he was made to feel powerless, but he did now and only the knowledge that at least one of them had to remain somewhat calm and rational allowed him to maintain his composure, but it was hard. Not only had his little brother been horrifically attacked, but his vessel was in extreme distress and he'd been forced to use his superior power and strength against Dean.
The reminder made Michael wince and he felt a brief flash of anger at his vessel for forcing him to do that but it was gone even before he had fully realized it. Dean had reacted instinctively, needing to be near his mate while Castiel was injured and he could not only understand that reaction, but was incredibly pleased with it. It proved unequivocally that all of his fears at the start, when he'd first figured out that they were together, were completely unfounded. Not that he hadn't already known that, but he could hardly complain about the proof of it even if it meant that he'd been forced to do something so incredibly distasteful.
Still, despite that, Michael almost wished that Dean didn't feel so deeply simply because what he'd been forced to do bothered him that much. Now that he'd come to understand why his vessel had been so against saying yes to him originally and now that he knew precisely how much his Father still valued the right of humans to consent to becoming a vessel, he hated what he'd had to do more than ever. It now went against everything that he valued and all that he'd promised to Dean and Castiel and it made him feel that he'd failed them both even though he knew that he'd taken the right course of action for everyone involved. At first glance it looked like his vessel had gotten the short straw as he so often did, but he knew that once everything had calmed down Dean would never have forgiven himself if Lucifer had gotten out early and people had gotten hurt because of it.
It was little consolation, however, and Michael tried not to let it bother him and chose instead to focus his attention on keeping an eye on his environment so that he actually accomplished what he'd set out to do and none of the resulting misery was for nothing. He kept a close eye on Dean, though, and made sure to keep a steady, soothing flow of support going so that his vessel could recover on his own time while still knowing that he wasn't alone. In a way it was good that Dean took his time as his friend had once told him that he could lose track of time while being a vessel and the more time he missed now, the more information that he'd be able to give Dean about Castiel when his vessel recovered enough to ask about his mate.
He noticed that the angels standing guard with him around the entrance to the cage were more nervous than usual, but Michael was sure that was due to his own state of alert rather than anything else. Well, his own behavior and that of Raphael who had left them unexpectedly earlier in the day, not to mention the fact that he'd relieved his brother before the end of Raphael's shift. They knew that something had happened to Castiel but he hadn't had the heart to tell them exactly how bad it was, simply that those responsible had been dealt with.
It was hours later when the sun was just peaking above the horizon that Dean finally stirred and Michael halted his steady flow of comfort, surprised at how much he'd been soothing himself in the process. It had been the only thing he could do for either Castiel or his vessel and he'd clung to it, pleased that he could provide shelter for Dean to finally deal with at least some of his emotions, something which he knew his friend detested and avoided if at all possible. He didn't believe it to be very healthy but knew his vessel would resist any attempts of his to address that issue under normal circumstances. He merely wished now that he could continue his attentions as he knew they helped both of them but he feared that his friend would be resistant to them now that he was becoming more aware.
"Michael?" Dean questioned a short while later.
"I am here, Little One," Michael replied. "Are you feeling better?"
"Any news on Cas? Has Raphael or Miniel said anything to you yet?"
Yes, Michael wasn't sure what he'd been thinking when he'd originally thought that Dean didn't truly appreciate and love Castiel. It must have been his own stubbornness and inability to believe that he'd been so very wrong about his vessel as now the signs seemed so terribly obvious as to be impossible to miss. It made him fear for his brother as he was sure that Lucifer would not let such a clear why to hurt Dean go untried, but he knew that it was pointless to dwell on it. Besides, Castiel had done more than enough to annoy their brother in his own right and would have been a target either way. He'd just have to do his best to ensure that Castiel was able to protect himself as good as possible with his new powers for he had little doubt that Lucifer had missed concerned and slightly panicked way his little brother had reacted when Simiel had attacked and wounded both Dean and himself. If there was one thing their fallen brother was good at, it was detecting and exploiting weaknesses and that was without such a display as Lucifer had observed.
"No, Little One. I am sorry."
"Can you call them?"
"Raphael promised to let me know how things were as soon as he had the time to do so," Michael replied. "We should not interrupt him if he has not yet contacted us as it means that he is still busy. You do not want to distract him from Castiel, do you?"
"What about Miniel? Can't we ask him?"
"I am sure that he would have let us know how things were if he were not busy himself."
The strangled sound that escaped from his vessel made Michael wince as it was far too reminiscent of the sounds that Dean had been making earlier during his breakdown. Almost as if to prove him right, he felt the soul shuddering within him once more and he was afraid it would rapidly escalate to more.
"I'm sorry, I don't know why this keeps happening," Dean said.
"It is because you exist purely as a soul right now, Little One," Michael explained gently, very deliberately running his Grace all along his vessel's precious soul to ensure that his point got across to his stubborn little human. "It is similar to how you are unable to deceive yourself anymore in this state. If you feel it at all, you will experience it now."
"You didn't mention any of this before I said yes."
"It was in the fine print."
The ripple of shock and surprise that suddenly came from Dean made Michael smile, pleased that he had managed to understand his vessel's sense of humor enough to successfully imitate it.
"Ha, ha, ha, funny guy," Dean stated dryly. "I think we can stop your lessons on human behavior now since you seem intent on constantly using it all against me whenever possible."
"I believe you have said that before."
"Yeah, well, I really mean it this time."
"Of course you do, Little One."
Michael managed to suppress his laugh when Dean scowled at his placating tone, pleased to see some of his little human's defiant attitude and usual fire and spirit return. He hadn't liked the glimpse he'd gotten of a broken and hopeless Dean. It served him right though for having once sought to achieve that very goal and he couldn't help but wonder if this wasn't one of his Father's many lessons and punishments for to his earlier behavior. If so, he merely wished that his Father had kept Dean out of the lesson as his friend didn't deserve to be hurt just so that he would learn from his mistakes.
This time when Dean reached out to reestablish his connection with his body, Michael allowed it and waited to see if his hunter would also attempt to reconnect with Castiel as well. Although his vessel was fine just now, he feared that experiencing Castiel's pain and anguish would simply serve to upset Dean needlessly and might trigger another cycle given the hunter's fragile state, something which he thought neither of them was ready for. Dean must have thought the same as he didn't reach for the bond though he could feel how much his little human desired to do so and how much he yearned for Castiel with every part of his soul.
"What's Aunt Deirdre doing here?" Dean asked, catching sight of her body where he'd carefully deposited her under a nearby tree.
"I had Xarael bring her here in case you wished for me to leave you," Michael replied.
"Oh, thanks."
"Would you like me to do so?"
"No! I mean at least not if you don't want to."
"I would rather remain here in you."
"Okay, good, 'cause I wanna know the moment you hear something from either Raphael or Miniel."
The little shudder that ran through Dean's soul in addition to the occasional bout of trembling he still experienced told Michael that it was more than just that and he stroked the precious soul nestled safely within his Grace some more. "It is alright to admit that you do not want to be alone, Little One."
"I don't know what you're talking about," Dean retorted, shrugging as if to dislodge his Grace. "Dude, knock it off with the touchy feely already. That's my soul you're molesting."
So precious his little human. So feisty, fiery and stubborn, but ultimately so very precious.
"Your mate has been seriously injured and you cannot be at his side," Michael began. "It is perfectly normal that you are feeling extremely agitated and aggravated. In such times it is okay to accept comfort from friends and family."
Silence was his only response, but the reflective quality of it told Michael that he hadn't been simply ignored and that Dean was actually considering his words. This knowledge was further confirmed by the fact that when he next reached out to soothe, his touch wasn't rejected outright and it made his Grace soar, pleased to be doing something useful for one of the two people he so desperately wanted to help right now. He made a pleased sound and did his best to project his own feelings so that Dean would know that he understood what he was feeling and going through.
"What..." Dean began and hesitated before plowing straight on. "What do you guys mean when you say mate? Is it like lover?"
The question startled Michael and it took him a few moments to ascertain that yes, Dean was actually asking him what he thought he was. That surprised him so much that he wasn't quite sure what to say at first. Castiel hadn't told his mate? It seemed inconceivable to him at first, but the more he thought about it, the more it made sense, he just wasn't used to looking at the issue in any way other than from an angelic point of view. Dean, however, was not only human, but remarkably so which was most likely one of the very reasons why he was the Righteous Man, but it did make things that much more difficult in so very many ways. Such as this one. That his vessel had trouble expressing emotions other than anger and defiance was something that he'd come to understand only with time. Indeed at first he had mistaken the hunter's lack of obvious other emotions as a sign that he didn't feel them, an error in judgment he hadn't fully realized the depths of until he'd finally taken Dean as his vessel and got to experience the wash off of some of them firsthand.
Briefly Michael hesitated, wondering if Castiel perhaps didn't want his mate to fully realize what it was that angelic standards saw them as, but then he discarded the notion. His brother had never seemed to be anything but open when it came to his relationship with Dean and he knew that Castiel would not lie to his mate. So it must have been other reasons that led to Dean not knowing how he and his brethren viewed them. It did explain a few things though.
"Michael?" Dean questioned, nervous now.
"Sorry, Little One, I am merely surprised that you do not already know," Michael explained.
"Should I?"
"I had simply thought that Castiel would have told you, but I suppose it might not have come up as you dislike conversations about your emotions."
"I've told Cas how I feel about him!"
It wasn't the first time that Michael wondered how he could understand Dean so well and yet still manage to either say or do the wrong thing and make his little human think he meant something other than what he did. "I was not implying that you had not, I was merely endeavoring to explain why the topic might not have come up before. I could be completely wrong, you would have to ask Castiel as only he would know for sure."
"Well?"
"It is quite simple, Little One. When angels mate, and I mean truly mate as the two of you have done, we do so for life."
Chapter 97
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: up to and including Exile on Main St., AU from the end of season 5
Warnings: AU, slash
Word Count: 2,377
Summary: Michael deals with the consequences of his actions and Dean's breakdown.
PAST
The trembling of the soul within him and the way that Dean clutched so desperately at his Grace made Michael wish that there was something more that he could do. The irony of the situation was not lost on him and while he didn't regret killing the demon Meg quickly as his brother had needed his help, he did wish that she had been better punished for her crimes first. As an archangel it wasn't often that he was made to feel powerless, but he did now and only the knowledge that at least one of them had to remain somewhat calm and rational allowed him to maintain his composure, but it was hard. Not only had his little brother been horrifically attacked, but his vessel was in extreme distress and he'd been forced to use his superior power and strength against Dean.
The reminder made Michael wince and he felt a brief flash of anger at his vessel for forcing him to do that but it was gone even before he had fully realized it. Dean had reacted instinctively, needing to be near his mate while Castiel was injured and he could not only understand that reaction, but was incredibly pleased with it. It proved unequivocally that all of his fears at the start, when he'd first figured out that they were together, were completely unfounded. Not that he hadn't already known that, but he could hardly complain about the proof of it even if it meant that he'd been forced to do something so incredibly distasteful.
Still, despite that, Michael almost wished that Dean didn't feel so deeply simply because what he'd been forced to do bothered him that much. Now that he'd come to understand why his vessel had been so against saying yes to him originally and now that he knew precisely how much his Father still valued the right of humans to consent to becoming a vessel, he hated what he'd had to do more than ever. It now went against everything that he valued and all that he'd promised to Dean and Castiel and it made him feel that he'd failed them both even though he knew that he'd taken the right course of action for everyone involved. At first glance it looked like his vessel had gotten the short straw as he so often did, but he knew that once everything had calmed down Dean would never have forgiven himself if Lucifer had gotten out early and people had gotten hurt because of it.
It was little consolation, however, and Michael tried not to let it bother him and chose instead to focus his attention on keeping an eye on his environment so that he actually accomplished what he'd set out to do and none of the resulting misery was for nothing. He kept a close eye on Dean, though, and made sure to keep a steady, soothing flow of support going so that his vessel could recover on his own time while still knowing that he wasn't alone. In a way it was good that Dean took his time as his friend had once told him that he could lose track of time while being a vessel and the more time he missed now, the more information that he'd be able to give Dean about Castiel when his vessel recovered enough to ask about his mate.
He noticed that the angels standing guard with him around the entrance to the cage were more nervous than usual, but Michael was sure that was due to his own state of alert rather than anything else. Well, his own behavior and that of Raphael who had left them unexpectedly earlier in the day, not to mention the fact that he'd relieved his brother before the end of Raphael's shift. They knew that something had happened to Castiel but he hadn't had the heart to tell them exactly how bad it was, simply that those responsible had been dealt with.
It was hours later when the sun was just peaking above the horizon that Dean finally stirred and Michael halted his steady flow of comfort, surprised at how much he'd been soothing himself in the process. It had been the only thing he could do for either Castiel or his vessel and he'd clung to it, pleased that he could provide shelter for Dean to finally deal with at least some of his emotions, something which he knew his friend detested and avoided if at all possible. He didn't believe it to be very healthy but knew his vessel would resist any attempts of his to address that issue under normal circumstances. He merely wished now that he could continue his attentions as he knew they helped both of them but he feared that his friend would be resistant to them now that he was becoming more aware.
"Michael?" Dean questioned a short while later.
"I am here, Little One," Michael replied. "Are you feeling better?"
"Any news on Cas? Has Raphael or Miniel said anything to you yet?"
Yes, Michael wasn't sure what he'd been thinking when he'd originally thought that Dean didn't truly appreciate and love Castiel. It must have been his own stubbornness and inability to believe that he'd been so very wrong about his vessel as now the signs seemed so terribly obvious as to be impossible to miss. It made him fear for his brother as he was sure that Lucifer would not let such a clear why to hurt Dean go untried, but he knew that it was pointless to dwell on it. Besides, Castiel had done more than enough to annoy their brother in his own right and would have been a target either way. He'd just have to do his best to ensure that Castiel was able to protect himself as good as possible with his new powers for he had little doubt that Lucifer had missed concerned and slightly panicked way his little brother had reacted when Simiel had attacked and wounded both Dean and himself. If there was one thing their fallen brother was good at, it was detecting and exploiting weaknesses and that was without such a display as Lucifer had observed.
"No, Little One. I am sorry."
"Can you call them?"
"Raphael promised to let me know how things were as soon as he had the time to do so," Michael replied. "We should not interrupt him if he has not yet contacted us as it means that he is still busy. You do not want to distract him from Castiel, do you?"
"What about Miniel? Can't we ask him?"
"I am sure that he would have let us know how things were if he were not busy himself."
The strangled sound that escaped from his vessel made Michael wince as it was far too reminiscent of the sounds that Dean had been making earlier during his breakdown. Almost as if to prove him right, he felt the soul shuddering within him once more and he was afraid it would rapidly escalate to more.
"I'm sorry, I don't know why this keeps happening," Dean said.
"It is because you exist purely as a soul right now, Little One," Michael explained gently, very deliberately running his Grace all along his vessel's precious soul to ensure that his point got across to his stubborn little human. "It is similar to how you are unable to deceive yourself anymore in this state. If you feel it at all, you will experience it now."
"You didn't mention any of this before I said yes."
"It was in the fine print."
The ripple of shock and surprise that suddenly came from Dean made Michael smile, pleased that he had managed to understand his vessel's sense of humor enough to successfully imitate it.
"Ha, ha, ha, funny guy," Dean stated dryly. "I think we can stop your lessons on human behavior now since you seem intent on constantly using it all against me whenever possible."
"I believe you have said that before."
"Yeah, well, I really mean it this time."
"Of course you do, Little One."
Michael managed to suppress his laugh when Dean scowled at his placating tone, pleased to see some of his little human's defiant attitude and usual fire and spirit return. He hadn't liked the glimpse he'd gotten of a broken and hopeless Dean. It served him right though for having once sought to achieve that very goal and he couldn't help but wonder if this wasn't one of his Father's many lessons and punishments for to his earlier behavior. If so, he merely wished that his Father had kept Dean out of the lesson as his friend didn't deserve to be hurt just so that he would learn from his mistakes.
This time when Dean reached out to reestablish his connection with his body, Michael allowed it and waited to see if his hunter would also attempt to reconnect with Castiel as well. Although his vessel was fine just now, he feared that experiencing Castiel's pain and anguish would simply serve to upset Dean needlessly and might trigger another cycle given the hunter's fragile state, something which he thought neither of them was ready for. Dean must have thought the same as he didn't reach for the bond though he could feel how much his little human desired to do so and how much he yearned for Castiel with every part of his soul.
"What's Aunt Deirdre doing here?" Dean asked, catching sight of her body where he'd carefully deposited her under a nearby tree.
"I had Xarael bring her here in case you wished for me to leave you," Michael replied.
"Oh, thanks."
"Would you like me to do so?"
"No! I mean at least not if you don't want to."
"I would rather remain here in you."
"Okay, good, 'cause I wanna know the moment you hear something from either Raphael or Miniel."
The little shudder that ran through Dean's soul in addition to the occasional bout of trembling he still experienced told Michael that it was more than just that and he stroked the precious soul nestled safely within his Grace some more. "It is alright to admit that you do not want to be alone, Little One."
"I don't know what you're talking about," Dean retorted, shrugging as if to dislodge his Grace. "Dude, knock it off with the touchy feely already. That's my soul you're molesting."
So precious his little human. So feisty, fiery and stubborn, but ultimately so very precious.
"Your mate has been seriously injured and you cannot be at his side," Michael began. "It is perfectly normal that you are feeling extremely agitated and aggravated. In such times it is okay to accept comfort from friends and family."
Silence was his only response, but the reflective quality of it told Michael that he hadn't been simply ignored and that Dean was actually considering his words. This knowledge was further confirmed by the fact that when he next reached out to soothe, his touch wasn't rejected outright and it made his Grace soar, pleased to be doing something useful for one of the two people he so desperately wanted to help right now. He made a pleased sound and did his best to project his own feelings so that Dean would know that he understood what he was feeling and going through.
"What..." Dean began and hesitated before plowing straight on. "What do you guys mean when you say mate? Is it like lover?"
The question startled Michael and it took him a few moments to ascertain that yes, Dean was actually asking him what he thought he was. That surprised him so much that he wasn't quite sure what to say at first. Castiel hadn't told his mate? It seemed inconceivable to him at first, but the more he thought about it, the more it made sense, he just wasn't used to looking at the issue in any way other than from an angelic point of view. Dean, however, was not only human, but remarkably so which was most likely one of the very reasons why he was the Righteous Man, but it did make things that much more difficult in so very many ways. Such as this one. That his vessel had trouble expressing emotions other than anger and defiance was something that he'd come to understand only with time. Indeed at first he had mistaken the hunter's lack of obvious other emotions as a sign that he didn't feel them, an error in judgment he hadn't fully realized the depths of until he'd finally taken Dean as his vessel and got to experience the wash off of some of them firsthand.
Briefly Michael hesitated, wondering if Castiel perhaps didn't want his mate to fully realize what it was that angelic standards saw them as, but then he discarded the notion. His brother had never seemed to be anything but open when it came to his relationship with Dean and he knew that Castiel would not lie to his mate. So it must have been other reasons that led to Dean not knowing how he and his brethren viewed them. It did explain a few things though.
"Michael?" Dean questioned, nervous now.
"Sorry, Little One, I am merely surprised that you do not already know," Michael explained.
"Should I?"
"I had simply thought that Castiel would have told you, but I suppose it might not have come up as you dislike conversations about your emotions."
"I've told Cas how I feel about him!"
It wasn't the first time that Michael wondered how he could understand Dean so well and yet still manage to either say or do the wrong thing and make his little human think he meant something other than what he did. "I was not implying that you had not, I was merely endeavoring to explain why the topic might not have come up before. I could be completely wrong, you would have to ask Castiel as only he would know for sure."
"Well?"
"It is quite simple, Little One. When angels mate, and I mean truly mate as the two of you have done, we do so for life."
Chapter 97