Chapter 10: The Cabin in the Woods
The way to go out
After Castiel’s act of atonement, Dean swung between fury and despair. He was thankful Sam was again sane but Cas’s reckless act meant that Dean might have lost his friend forever. Wen had said that Cas would snap out of his madness but that wouldn’t be until he was back in the clutches of heaven. Regardless of what Sam and Wen said Dean didn’t believe his trial would be fair. It would be more like a glorified lynching. Now, on top of Leviathan worries Dean worried that Castiel would be executed.
With Cas in heaven. Dean had been denied the opportunity to rip into Cas and call him on all the crap he’d pulled while working with Crowley. Cas owed him that, hell, God owed him that. He’d make sure Sam was there too because the three of them had to put the past where it belonged if they were going to find a way to defeat Dick Roman.
With nothing to keep them there Sam and Dean left Wen’s place and headed back to Rufus’s cabin. Sam slept and Dean didn’t, still worrying about Cas and if he’d see the angel again.
Then they got a phone call, from John White, the sheriff of Bootbock, to say that Wen Smith had died in an accident. Bizarrely, it was exactly the same circumstance as the one that claimed her parents, all those years ago. A truck had blown a tire and crashed into the garage. The coroner had said she died instantly. The truck driver had died at the scene.
That did it. Dean couldn’t deal anymore. There had been too many deaths, too much fear and anger. The burden was crippling. He dealt with it by storming out of Rufus’s cabin and embarking on the mother of all benders. He woke up forty-eight hours later amongst a tangle of legs and arms and some god-awful Asian soap opera blaring from the TV in what he assumed was a motel room. He untangled himself, showered, dressed, checked to see that he’d gotten everything that was his and left.
He hotwired the first car in the parking lot and drove for about an hour before his stomach got the best of him and he pulled over and threw up. His phone rang. Sam ripped into him and then asked where the hell he was. Dean didn’t know but told him he’d meet him back at Rufus’s.
Sam was right, he’d been drinking more than usual and it wasn’t helping. Dean thought he might try being dry for a change. He figured that if, no, when, they found a way to gank Dick, being sober would probably be a better survival skill. He didn’t want the way to go out being because of some drunken blunder on his part.
Of course, the next case they worked was with Garth up at Junction City, Kansas and surprise, booze was the answer. Dean hoped he’d never come across a Shojo spirit again. It hadn’t been a complete waste of a time; he now had a Shinto blessed samurai sword to add to the collection of arsenal in the cabin.
In a cabin by the wood
Dean and Sam stood looking at the red clay brick on the table and wondered what the hell was so important about it that Dick Roman had spent time and money searching for it.
“Lot of fuss over a caveman lego,”Dean said taking a mallet out of the tool box along with couple pairs safety glasses.
“Yeah, well, whatever Dick wants is bricked up inside that.” Sam said putting on the safety glasses.
Dean hit the clay brick, there was a thunder clap, they looked the windows and shrugged, Dean hit the brick again. There are more thunder claps and lightning flashes. Sam and Dean looked at each other. There hadn’t been any storm clouds when they’d pulled up at Rufus’s cabin.
“That sound like somebody saying, “No, wait - stop,” to you?” Dean asked looking out the window at the storm clouds now gathering around the cabin and forest.
“Uh… yeah? Yeah.” Sam said more certain after a massive thunder clap shook the cabin.
He looked at Dean, who just shrugged and continued hitting the clay brick. The electrical storm around them becomes more violent with every strike of the mallet until the clay breaks to a backdrop of exploding white light and literal earth shaking thunder strikes.
Dean lifts up a tablet from amongst the broken clay and turns it over. He passes it to Sam who looks at it a couple of times before handing it back to Dean.
“All that effort for a brick of chicken scratches,” Dean quizzed, “I don’t get it.”
“Neither do I, I’d bet money it’s something Dick didn’t want found by anyone human.” Sam said scratching at his stubble. He grabbed his laptop and sat down on the sofa.
“You think this is the answer?” Dean asked he was bone tired from all the tension of the last week.
“Yeah, maybe” Sam said absently. He got up suddenly and went to Wen’s chest.
“I don’t think she’d know anything,” Dean started to say when Sam paused, looking at a piece of paper with confusion. Dean went over and took the paper from him.
“Freaky prophet,” he said looking at the simple instructions. There was the day’s date, a telephone number and the simple message, ‘ring me when you’ve opened the red clay brick’.
Dean rang the number and really hoped the prophet could help them. Time was running out and he didn’t know if he could take the strain anymore. They were owed a friggin’ break.
***
“Hello?” Cas’s voice on the receivers end was the last thing Dean expected to hear.
“Cas?!” Dean spluttered. Sam came closer and Dean put the phone on speaker.
“Hello, Dean, what have you done?” Cas asked calmly.
“Nothing…how...why are you alive? We figured you were dead.” Dean said
“Do you need my help, Dean?” Cas asked patiently.
“Well, yes, but that doesn’t-“Dean was cut off by Cas asking.
“Where are you?”
“Rufus’s, but Cas, how --?” Dean started to ask but Sam had paled and he turned around. Castiel stood right behind him.
“Hello Dean, Sam.” The angel said quite pleased with himself at rendering the Winchesters momentarily speechless with surprise.
“You’re alive? How are you alive?” Dean asked, “I figured you’d be lynched the moment you set foot in heaven.”
“I was on trial for treason, you knew that Dean” Cas replied slightly nonplussed by Dean’s reaction.
“Yeah, Cas, we knew. Wen told us. She also showed us a drawing of you snapping out of your crazy mid-trial surrounded by angry angels. So, you’ll excuse me for being just a little bit confused.” Dean said. There were so many mixed emotions bubbling to the surface it was difficult to keep calm.
“Dean,” Sam said quietly hoping his brother would either clam up as usual or let it go for another day. A typical Dean meltdown was the last thing needed. Cas’s reply put pay to that hope.
“There is nothing to be confused about Dean. I saw a way to help Sam and you and took it. My trial was inevitable, although being banished was not what I expected. I assumed I would be obliterated.”
“You assumed you would be obliterated. You saw an opportunity to help and just took it. Un-friggin’-believable,” Dean’s eyes narrowed and he drawled out the last word. Sam rolled his eyes and leant against the table to watch the sparks fly.
“Yes. I don’t understand why you’re upset Dean. Sam is sane and I am here to help.” Cas said, genuinely confused.
“Fine, Cas, Sam is sane. I’m thankful for that. I’m not thankful for the baldfaced lie you told us both about Wen’s tattoos being some secret exorcism. You made me believe, gave me hope and then ripped it away, again. Did it ever occur to you to back yourself and try the damn thing first! If it didn’t work then, we would have figured something out, together.” Dean felt his temper rising and took a deep breath, he really didn’t want to be doing this right now.
“I didn’t need to try it Dean because it wasn’t part of the plan. I don’t think a mashed up Enochian-Latin-Demonic Enochian order for cheeseburger and side salad would exorcise Lucifer from Sam.” Cas replied in frustration and confusion. “I could help Sam. Could fix that one mistake amongst so many, I’m sorry you feel-“
“Not part of the plan. It was a fast food order. Oh, you sanctimonious hypocrite,” Dean growled stepping forward and pushing Cas hard so that he stumbled back. “Who gave you the right to do that? To put Sam in more danger - I thought you were different Cas, but maybe you’ve been a dick like the rest of your angelic family. No wonder God left.”
“Shit, Dean” Sam said because if he was Dean’s weakness, God was Cas’s. Sure enough the angel snapped his head up and pinned Dean with the ‘smite you’ gaze as Sam mentally referred to it.
“You did Dean. On numerous occasions you have told either myself or Sam to ‘clean up our act’ and that’s what I did helping Sam. As to not informing you of what I planned, why should I? I remembered who I was, what I had done, what I became. Ariel had told me I was to stand trial for treason, a direct order from God.” Cas’s voice was a rumble of thunder and Dean backed away a little. Cas stepped forward not caring about Dean’s personal space.
“I promised you I would find a way to redeem myself to you and healing Sam was the least I could offer. Why can you not accept that?” Cas backed away but he kept his gaze upon Dean. Dean didn’t waver. He hated ‘chick flick’ moments because he wasn’t good with verbal expression. That was Sam’s department.
“Because you shouldn’t have had to fix him in the first place you idiot. Why didn’t you come and ask for my help. How the fuck did you ever think any good would come from dealing with a demon, especially one like Crowley, Cas? Dad, Me, Sam, we all dealt with the devil and got buttkiss for our efforts and you, shit, Cas you’re an angel of the friggin’ Lord for Christ’s sake. No, should have been automatic for you.” Dean said bluntly. “What has lying and cheating and betrayal gotten any of us anywhere?”
“You talk a lot about my making the wrong choices Dean, about me being a ‘freakin’ child’ that ‘just because you can do what you want doesn’t mean that you get to do whatever you want!’” Cas mimicked Dean’s voice. “Make a lot of noise about how hurt you are that I lied to you, cheated on you and betrayed you. Yet, in the years since I first raised you from perdition, all you and Sam have done is lie, cheat and betray, if not one another then your fellow man. I believe children learn by watching the actions their parents take rather than their words.”
WHACK! Dean punched Cas, who fell back a step in surprise. WHACK! Dean punched him again. This time Cas didn’t move, he just took the punch without breaking Dean’s fist.
“Don’t you dare blame me or Sam for your shit!” Dean crowded Cas, pushing him back with every word, “You. Should. Have. Come. To. Us. For. Help.”
“I did. Those first months after Sam jumped. Those nights when your dreams were nightmares and you called for your brother, I came and eased your pain and when you cried out for help. I heard. I braved the wrath of my imprisoned brothers and brought Sam back.” Cas’s eyes seemed to hold Dean spellbound as he continued, “I returned him to you. Stood watching him as he watched you eat dinner with Lisa and Ben, then I returned to heaven to try and teach my siblings about free will.”
Cas broke eye contact to turn to Sam. “I really did not know you were soulless until I examined you. When I found out-“
“You lied.” Dean hissed bitterly. “I’m not talking about Sam. I’m talking about Crowley.”
“I’m aware of that Dean.” Cas said his voice dropping low. “And I did come to seek your help. It was an autumn afternoon and you were in the yard raking leaves. You were, contented Dean. I assumed Sam had been in touch by this time and that you were settled in your life. You had given so much and I was about to ask you for more. Crowley showed up and, well, in hindsight that arrangement was not one of my better strategies.”
“That’s an understatement.” Dean huffed. The anger had left him and there was just the hollow aftermath.
“Were you ever going to fix me? After you broke the last of Death’s wall?” Sam asked. For a while now he’d been wondering about Castiel’s actions.
“Yes, Sam.” Cas said quietly holding the younger Winchester’s gaze. “I’d always known Crowley would try and double cross me and take Purgatory for himself. If that happened, well, it would have meant the Apocalypse and I couldn’t allow that. I needed Dean to back down and you have always been Dean’s weakness Sam. I didn’t have time to explain and neither of you would have listened. You all keep forgetting I was my garrison’s best strategist.”
“I…that was a strategic move…Cas, do you know how fucked up that sounds,” Sam said bitterly, “You know Lucifer was a strategist too and look where that got him. Where your ‘strategies’ got you.”
Cas turned his attention to the tablet laying on the table. He turned back to Sam and Dean. “You will need my help, eventually. All you need do is call.”
With that he left. Leaving Sam and Dean both drained of emotion. It seemed like forever before Sam moved and grabbed a couple of beers from the fridge. He tossed one to Dean and took his outside. It was a clear evening and you could see the stars for once. Dean came out to sit beside him. They drank in silence until Sam finally spoke.
“I’m not angry. I mean I should be, but I’m not. We’re all like that; achieve a goal no matter the cost. I’m sane. I’m clean. That’s because of Cas. How are you Dean? Really and don’t tell me you’re fine ‘cause you’re not and just once it would be good for you to admit that.”
Dean took a swig of beer, “I’m not angry Sam. Not anymore, I’m just tired of everything having to be such a struggle. It’s good you’re back in the land of the living, that you’re clean and sane and I am thankful for that. I’m really thankful for that. I’m glad Cas is back also, it’s just I’d just like our family to have one day of peace, without it ending in brawling. Is that so much to ask?”
He got up and went back inside. Sam heard him rattling around before coming outside again and heading for the car. As the taillights faded Sam smiled a little, Dean had referred to all three of them as family again. Sam wondered if he was even aware of it.
part two