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“Please, I’m going to have to ask you not to go outside.” Said Anne standing in front of the door that led to the grounds behind the house, the same door you and Castiel had just used to leave the building.
“Oh, but Y/N and our friend…” Sam began, trying to get past her.
“They will be reprimanded if they come back…”
“If,” said Dean, taking a step forward and leaning his head down a little, so Anne could see his entire face.
“I-I meant when. Of course!” she said standing straighter, her voice steady as ever.
“We should really…” Portia began, but her movement woke up something sleeping inside Anne, who burst into rage.
“YOU are not going anywhere. You have no power or authority whatsoever in this house. And I am the Landlady, I am the one on charge when the Lady is not around. And right now, she’s not around. So you are going to have to leave now, Miss Evergreen.”
Portia glanced at Sam and Dean, her eyes nervously darting between them, giving the impression that she was not sure if she was afraid for her, or for them. But the brothers nodded slightly, so she made an almost imperceptible movement with her head and turned around to leave.
“Evan will show you the way out.” Anne said, still standing in front of the double crystal door, blocking the way. Evan came out of nowhere with her coat and umbrella and led Portia out of the house. Sam and Dean followed her movements as much as they could, but everything was becoming a little too suspicious.
With a quick and understanding look from his brother, Dean went back to trying to get past the doors.
“Oh, come on lady, we just want to be with our friends.”
“The yard is muddy. You’d bring all the dirt inside the house.”
“We’ll leave our shoes outside!” he insisted.
“You cannot leave the house,” Anne stated again, and Sam caught a darkness on her face.
“Fine,” he said, grabbing Dean by the shoulder. “Why don’t we just go back to our rooms? We’ll get some rest.”
“Yeah… yeah. I’m getting a little tired anyway. You know… the flying is so tiring.”
“That sounds like a great idea,” she said, and as she clapped her hands two maids appeared. “Maggie and Claire will accompany you, so you don’t get lost.”
“That’s very kind, but we can find our way perfectly…”
“I insist.”
The two girls walked with them all the way upstairs until they reached the first room. They managed to get inside without too many questions and locked the door.
“Jesus fuck!” Dean spat punching the air. “CAS! We’re trapped in here man! That Anne bitch’s working with them, you better come back.” He and Sam looked around but nothing happened.
“Cas, dude, this is for real,” said Sam a little less violently. “We could use some help.” And still, Castiel didn’t show.
“Oh, this is so fucked up… They’re probably onto them already!” Dean grabbed a pillow and threw it around the room, knocking over a lamp.
“Dean, calm down. We need to focus on a way out, and for that we need all we can carry. Where’s your bag?”
Dean reached under the bed and dragged out a tiny handbag. Sam looked at him half amused and half worried.
“What?” Dean asked. “You didn’t thought I was going to leave all my stuff with all those black-eyed bitches lurking around, did you?”
“Dude, I didn’t say anything.” Sam laughed, raising his hands in defense.
“And you won’t. Because if it were up to you we’d be completely unarmed.” He took the demon knife out and tossed it to him, grabbed an angel blade and tucked his gun in the back of his jeans, covering it up with his flannel.
“Yeah, right,” his brother smiled back. But when he concealed the knife in his belt, Dean could see he was carrying his own gun and a silver bottle with holy water. “I do prepare myself, Dean. And at least I don’t look like an amateur teenage girl.”
Dean tossed him an annoyed look and grabbed his phone. “Do you have the exorcism handy?”
“Right… here!” Sam answered, and clicked the “play” button, and instantly his own voice was speaking in Latin, resounding on the room. In the far side of the house they heard screaming, confirming their unspoken theory that they were being listened to.
The record played all the way through and then there was silence.
“Do you think we nailed them?” whispered Sam.
“Probably not, but we need to get out of here and fast.”
The corridor was empty, which meant the two maids had no idea whatsoever about what was going on, or they didn’t agree with it. Whichever it was, they thanked them under their breaths and started the race to the door. Any door.
But when they were reaching the lobby, Ellie came out of nowhere, waving at them desperately.
“Lads, come on, come on. Ellie will get you out. You need to reach my Lady and her boyfriend, they’re in danger!”
“We all are Ellie! We need you to calm down,” said Dean grabbing her tightly as Sam splattered her face with holy water.
“What’ya did that for?” she snapped, cleaning her face with her apron.
“Just a test. We need to get out, now!”
Ellie’s eyes were shining with unshed tears and she wa shaking as if the earth beneath her was moving, but still she stood tall and looked at them.
“Follow me,” she said, and walked them up to the kitchen.
The path was empty and she led them through narrow corridors that were meant only for the house staff, until they reached a small glass door.
“This door leads to the left side of the house. You’ll have to follow the house to your right and when you reach its limits you’ll see the little forest. They went that way.”
“You should come with us,” said Sam, fixing his eyes on Dean, who nodded.
“If I go with you, they’ll look for me and hunt me down!”
“If you stay, they’ll know it was you and you won’t have a chance,” Dean stated, looking through the windows, trying to see if there were any demon guarding the grounds.
Sam opened the door and stepped out, and so did Dean. They looked back at her and Ellie hesitated a bit, but she finally decided that running was a better choice, and grabbing her cape, she ran after them.
———————–
Castiel was standing in the middle of the holy fire, wondering how long could it burn; probably forever. And if Sam and Dean were really trapped, as their prayers had said, they weren’t going to find him soon.
He closed his eyes trying to contain his anger. This had been a trap from the very beginning. He should’ve realized that sooner. He shouldn’t have let his hunch go unnoticed; but he so wanted you to come back to a good place. He really wished everything wasn’t evil and a game in someone’s bigger plan. He just didn’t want to think that you were some irrelevant piece in the board that could be removed with the sweep of a hand.
He had been so reckless; he had let his feelings play a part. In wars, feelings were to be buried deep inside and not let out until it was over. That was something he, as a warrior, had always known. And now he had forgotten about it.
With a deep breath he kneeled on the ground, breathing deeply, letting the overwhelming fragrance of the eucalyptus fill him. Images of your face darted through his mind like pages in a book turning rapidly.
He arrived to a musky motel in the middle of nowhere and in the middle of the night, following Dean and Sam’s urging prayers. He knew something was terribly wrong as soon as they said his name. They were standing by one of the beds, shaking with rage. There you were, covered in blood and almost dead. He didn’t know who you were, where you were from or how you had come to be in that state, but he pushed the brothers aside to make room and healed you as best he could. “Take her somewhere safe and less dirty. She’ll need the rest,” he had said, and zapped away again. You’d never known about this.
A week after that, he crashed the bunker looking for help and was surprised to see you there. And so were you; you had screamed and jumped, grabbing your side, had he not healed you well enough?
Next time they’d joined you in a hunt. Castiel was already beginning to wonder whether his stomach tumbling every time he saw you was a side effect of a deeper caring…
The demons had your picture and were talking about you. He had to finish them off before they’d reach you. He needed to protect you, but the demons outnumbered him and he ended up with a blade through his stomach, the same wound he had once healed on you. When he reached for Sam and Dean you were there, and his world crumbled down.
Tea; The smell of it, the warmth, the electricity at the touch of your hand, your jump, your half smile, your beautiful voice saying his name.
The demons were there. He had to save you. You shouted at him. He could hear you while fighting them upstairs. He could still hear you down in the bunker’s dungeon. He could hear you cry.
While asleep he could feel your touch on his hand.
Following you around was not a good idea. But he had to protect you. He wasn’t leaving you alone.
The kiss.
The kiss.
The kiss…
When he opened his eyes again, there was no sentiment left. He was a warrior of the Garrison, and he was at war, protecting the most valuable thing in the universe; you.
Sam, Dean and Ellie heard the blast and saw the branches and mud flying from a few yards away. They ran faster only to find Castiel standing in the middle of a tiny crater, the remains of a fire rapidly dying under the dirt and fallen leaves.
“He’s got her.” He said, and his eyes were lit with rage, his voice was steady and deep, and for a second Dean was reminded of that very first time he had ever seen him, years ago in that abandoned barn.
“Where?” asked Sam darting his eyes around although he knew you weren’t there anymore.
“I don’t know. He knocked her out before disappearing.”
“We’ll have to wait ‘til she wakes up then. You can’t sense her at all?”
“No, Dean! I can’t! I wouldn’t be having this useless conversation with you if I could.” And he turned around and started looking at the trees.
Dean stood there, a little taken aback, while Sam was still digesting the news and Ellie looked at the three of them, a bit scared.
———————-
As the searing pain in the back of your head grew stronger, so did the burning sensation and the feeling of your dry tongue sticking to the top of your mouth. You tried to talk but your throat was sore and shut and dry and the mere thought of making sounds with it hurt you. Still, the little effort you’d started to make developed in a sharp cough and soon enough you were screaming with the pain it produced you.
Moving was terrible, shaking with cough was a torture. Your whole head pounded and you felt as if your brain had swollen inside your skull, pressing against the walls. Everything about you was pure pain and you just couldn’t understand why.
“Save your strength, sweetie,” said the all too familiar voice from a spot somewhere above you. “You’ll need it later.”
“W-what ha-have y-y-y…” you were interrupted by another unstoppable cough.
“What have I done to you? Oh, well, I couldn’t just let you wake up at full strength, could I? You might try and break loose. I poisoned you.”
“Y-you b-bas-tard!” you tried to shout, but the sound wouldn’t come out, just a sorry, gritty whisper.
“Oh, don’t be so mad! First of all, my name is Railey. Second of all, you won’t die. It’s just a good dose of apitoxin. Have you ever heard of it?”
You shook your head, but the movement made everything twirl and again the piercing pain in the back of your head made you close your eyes. You concentrated in keeping your stomach and everything in it down.
“I wouldn’t think so. Apitoxin is the poison you can find in bees. You see, it’s painful and serves as anticoagulant, at the same time it swells up the body. It’ll go away, but first you’re gonna give me whatI want.”
“I-I can’t even speak… you… you…”
“Oh, no, but girl, I don’t need you to speak, and by the time I’m done with you, you’ll be screaming. Or, perhaps you won’t,” He said, and his face twitched into what you could guess was a smile, but it was so imprinted with evil that goosebumps traveled over your tired body.
Cas, you thought, Cas, he’s gonna kill me…
————————
“So there. I guess that’s it…” Sam finished explaining to Ellie.
“Well, I knew about the demons, but I thought that was an old story! And now you tell me Y/N’s darling’s an angel? A real angel?”
Cas squinted back at her but immediately went back to pacing in the hotel room where they were staying now. Dean was lying on the bed, his arms covering his face, completely still. Sam and Ellie thought he had fallen asleep. Castiel knew he hadn’t. He was just worried sick and couldn’t bear to speak.
They all were. Sam was just better at hiding it and Ellie was in shock.
“Yes, a real angel.”
“He don’t look like no angel.”
“Well… they’ve stopped using the robes and halos when they realized it drew too much attention to them,” Sam said, slowly losing his patience.
“We’ve never…” Cas began, but he stopped himself in midsentence and closed his eyes, tilting his head.
“What’s he doing?” asked Ellie.
“He’s listening,” said Sam, and Dean jumped from the bed startling them and ran next to him.
“What is it buddy? C’mon Cas, where is she?” The others could hear the anxiety in his voice as he grabbed the angel by the arm. When Castiel opened his eyes again, he was raging.
“Y/N is in danger.”
“Well we already knew that…” Dean began in that tone that said he was done with it, but Cas grabbed him by the flaps of his shirt and slammed him against the wall.
His eyes were burning cobalt again, like little flames, and a white halo was beginning to form around him. Dean’s face twitched and he gazed at Sam filled with terror, unable to match his friend’s strength to break free.
“Don’t use that tone with me Dean!” he growled, and it was as if a chorus was shouting with him. “I already know that, and so do you. And you should know that if I tell you she’s in danger, it’s because I KNOW FOR SURE SOMETHING IS HAPPENING TO HER!”
“Okay! Okay!” Sam jumped to his feet and ran towards them, a bit scared of touching Castiel, but firmly grabbing his arm. “Cas! Hey, Cas! Let him go!”
And for a couple of seconds the scene froze like that. Dean’s eyes closed and his head tossed to the side, trying to avoid a blow that wasn’t coming and his feet inches above the ground; Cas was still grabbing him, still glowing with his grace turned on a hundred percent; and Sam with a hand on each of them, slightly, like trying to use a force he wasn’t sure was going to work at all.
“Cas, I know you’re scared… We all are.” Sam went on, “Don’t take it out on Dean… you know him. He’s an idiot.”
“Well thank you so much for your help, Sammy!” Dean exclaimed.
“Dean!”
“Yeah… well, it’s true. I’m sorry Cas… I…”
“You just want to know…” Castiel finished, and the halo of light disappeared. “I’m sorry, Dean. I let myself get overwhelmed with anger. I assure you it won’t happen again.”
“Just make sure it happens at the right time,” the older Winchester answered, shaking his shirt back in place. “So… are you going to tell us?”
——————-
They gave you water with a straw before he began.
“It won’t be nearly as fun if you don’t last because of dehydration.” And you could hear his smile even though he was standing with his back to you. “Drink it all, honey.”
The way he said that word made you quiver.
“What do you want from me? I don’t know where the will is!”
His high pitched laugh filled the wide room and resounded against the high metal walls and ceiling.
“Oh you fell for that, didn’t you? I knew Portia was going to play an excellent part. She’s a great actress.” Your heart sank at his words. Ultimately, Miss Evergreen had been working for them and had made you travel all the way here, into his trap. “There’s no will, darling. No interest whatsoever in any of your companies. The only thing I care about is contracts.”
He turned around to face you finally, a sharp silver little knife caught your attention.
“Oh, you like it? Here, I’ll let you have a better look at it.”
Your nails dug into your palms and your teeth screeched against each other as the burning cold blade cut the side of your cheek. And he went on for a while, not speaking or asking anything, he was enjoying the torture, the thick blood slowly covering your body.
“You know,” he said finally. “They say the cuts in the head are the worse. They say they’ll burn for hours… what do you say, shall we figure it out?” and he dug the knife right in the spot where your forehead ended and your hair started to fall, and cut down all the way to your neck.
You gave in at this point, your scream filling the warehouse, resonating and making the birds that were still sleeping there fly away through the broken windows.
————–
“She’s being kept somewhere around here.” Castiel said leaning over the map Sam had spread over the table. Sam and Dean where looking at the zone and exchanged worried looks. Ellie had left them to get her own room; the excitement of the day had been too much for her.
“You don’t know for sure?” Dean asked, tentatively, but Castiel only sighed and let his head fall.
“The place is guarded against angels. I can’t exactly tell where she is. All I know is she prayed for me.”
“What about now?”
“I can’t hear her now. I’m not sure; she could be unconscious or just blocking me out.”
“She can block you out?” Sam wondered, raising his gaze and shooting him a weird look.
“Well, no. Not technically. But she’s in a hidden place and if she consciously avoids thinking of me… well, I can’t locate her.”
“We’ll have to find her quickly then. The old way.” Sam sat on his computer and started to look at the area Castiel had pointed out, looking for abandoned factories and warehouses. Soon enough, his search had been limited to three different buildings.
“Let’s go then!” said Dean clapping his hands and loading his gun with devil’s trap bullets. The metallic sound of the gun resounded in the room, and the three of them stood together.
“Ready?” Castiel asked and the others nodded.
With the blink of an eye they were standing in front of an old factory and they knew it was the place. First of all, it was completely covered in sigils. Second, because they could suddenly hear your screams coming out of the broken windows and Castiel fell on his knees grabbing his head.
“Son of a bitch!” Dean mumbled, shutting his eyes, trying to avoid the piercing sound. “They’re killing her!”
“Dean!” Sam was kneeling down next to the angel “Dean… I-I don’t think he can take it!”
“Hey! Hey man! C’mon, Cas! You can do this, you have to!”
“Sam… Dean…” Castiel managed to say. “You need to destroy the sigils. Remember, there will be one on each side of the building. I’ll be alright. GO!” and he pushed them away.
The brothers lingered for a second, but turned around and walked towards the building cautiously. There were no demons outside, so approaching one of the little service doors wasn’t really a problem. The big deal was inside.
Just on the other side of the entrance they were faced three demons that jumped on them with dexterity. Those soldiers weren’t like the ones they were used to dealing with, as they had already experienced back at Bobby’s. For starters, they weren’t afraid of them, so there was no caution in the fight; and secondly, they were well trained.
“This is gonna be a lot harder than I thought” gasped Dean when they finally took down the third one, both tired and covered in blood and a bit mauled.
“We should be extra careful.” Sam was looking for his gun. “You got your bullets?”
“At the ready.”
They took a moment to exchange a grim look and then parted in different ways.
Outside, Castiel had managed to block your prayers out of his mind, though your screams were still piercing his heart. The mere thought of what could be causing you such pain and suffering brought forth things inside him he didn’t know he had.
He walked around the building, trying to feel the Winchesters, but the sigils and spells were too well drawn and he just couldn’t feel a thing. He was beginning to feel impatient when the shouting stopped, and a couple of minutes later he felt the first sigil break and the foundations of the guarding spell quiver.
Dean walked swiftly through the corridors glancing over the rooms as he passed them by. Many were mere offices long forgotten, covered in dust and sprawled papers. Now and then he crossed a bathroom or lockers, until he finally saw what he was looking for. There, at the end of one of the empty rooms, painted in bright still-fresh red blood was one of the symbols he needed to destroy.
He looked back and forth of the corridor, and stepped inside carefully, gun in hand. There was no one there, until now he had been lucky and no extra demons had crossed his path. He approached the wall, and took off his over shirt, using it to wipe off the leaking blood. And just to be sure about it, with a knife he scratched and cracked the wall in several places. He then tied the shirt around his waist and turned around to leave, only to find the silhouette of a blonde red-eyed woman standing in the doorway.
“Aren’t you supposed to be buying souls?” He inquired immediately tilting his head slightly, an amused look on his face. “I thought you trading monkeys didn’t get your hands dirty.”
“We are the true crossroads demons.” She answered in an extremely marked irish accent. “We don’t use pawns to do the important job.”
“Sounds like something a pawn would say…” Dean replied raising slightly his brow.
She jumped forward, withdrawing two silver knives, in a quick attempt to reach him, but his gun was already out and he shot her right in between her eyes. Her body dropped to the floor instantly and he kicked her so her face was looking at the ceiling.
“Never trust a monkey to do the job of a wolf,” he said darkly, and with a wide smiled added. “Nice try though!” and he walked out.
Sam was reaching the east wing of the building, trying by all means not to make a single noise. He went by some empty rooms, but some others were occupied and he had to make an extra effort to be stealthy and avoid a bunch of demons hearing and coming after him. The real problem came when he peeked inside a crowded room and spotted the sigil on its farthest wall.
He mouthed a curse and went back a couple of steps to lean against the wall. There weren’t many of them, not more than four, but they had already proved to be tougher than usual and he was not going to figure out if these ones were also like that alone.
Looking at both sides of the corridor, he spotted another door a few feet back and remembered it to be an empty office, so he went inside and closed the door until there was only a three inch gap through which he could see the other room. He took off his gun and checked the devil trap bullets one more time, searching for reassurance. He had enough, but once he fired them, probably every single demon idle in the place was going to rush in, and for that he didn’t have enough ammunition.
For the third time he searched for other options, and when he didn’t, again, find any, took a deep breath and prepared to run into the room with the sigil and the demons. But before that happened, one single gunshot resounded in the empty halls.
“Dean,” he whispered, and looked outside to see the demons rushing out of the room. “Crap.”
He ran his empty hand through his hair, measuring the situation and finally ran to wipe away the symbol. Dean was a smart guy, and if he shot, it was probably because he was all alone on his side of the building, so he’d have time to hide.
—————–
You were too tired now to try and fight the screams crawling up your throat every time his knife pierced an unwounded piece of your skin. Every single inch of your body ached and burned cold, and the only warmth you felt was your own blood pouring down the cuts and it made you sick.
“Oh, you seem tired…” his voice reached you from far away and you blurred view distinguished his form in front of you. “Let’s do something about it. WATER!”
You heard footsteps and you felt a straw in your mouth. Against your own will you couldn’t help but to suck all the liquid from the glass, that felt like a balm to your itching throat. A hand with a warm, wet cloth cleaned the blood from your injuries and were the water touched you felt like regaining strength and the pain going away.
“It’s an old recipe,” Railey said quietly from across the room “My mom used to use it when I got hurt as a little lad. It’s a mixture of relaxing and calming herbs. Are you feeling better now?”
“What’s the point…” you said, and your voice was a gritty grunt, “of healing me.”
“Oh dear…” he answered and faced you again, this time holding what looked like a head band all covered in long pointy screws. “So you can last longer.”
“What do you want?!” you screamed as best you could, fear finally overcoming you. “What’s the point of all this torture!?”
“Well… vengeance, of course!” He seemed genuinely surprised that you didn’t know this. “Your father cancelled a four hundred year old contract, and thought he could get away with saving you! Well, I’m going to prove him wrong, and he’s going to watch it all.”
Your stomach took a 180º turn inside you and the air left you completely. He was alive. He was alive in there, watching, hearing, and suffering. The last twenty years he had seen you grow through a window and now he was going to watch you die. Railey approached you with a blood freezing grimace, holding the metal crown, but suddenly a gunshot resounded and he froze. And your heart jumped in your chest.
“Well, now. It looks like your plans of killing me are going to have to wait.” You smiled, suddenly filled with a renewed feeling of hope and confidence. There was no escaping an angry Team Free Will.
“Go!” he shouted to the other demons in the room and then turned to you again, placing the torture machine in your head “We’ll see about that. There’s no way your angel’s getting in here.”
“So you say.” And you began screaming again as he fastened the screws into your skull.
—————-
Castiel stood for an instant, waiting, and as he felt the second sigil break your screams began again, stronger and imprinted with more pain and suffering than before.
After that, it was only a couple of minutes before the other two sigils disappeared, and he rushed inside, his sparkling eyes glowing in the growing darkness.
—————
Dean ran. He knew the shot would draw the attention of every demon in the factory, so he had no time to lose. Outside the sun had gone down and the clouds were parting, letting the moonlight strain through the broken glasses. He heard shouts and footsteps all around him, but yet kept going, looking for one of the remaining symbols, until he saw it in front of him.
Sam didn’t mind his footsteps resonating in the corridors. He found the next one in no time, took it down and kept running. The dimming light made it almost impossible to see now, save for the spots were the moon came through the windows, and thanks to that he spotted the sigil on the wall where the hall he was going through ended. Quickening his pace he reached it at the same time as Dean.
“Sammy!” he shouted, readying his gun, and Sam ducked to the ground as his brother shot something behind him. “Quick, break it!” he ordered, tossing him the already dirty shirt.
Sam grabbed it in the air and started erasing the symbol as he heard footsteps coming closer to them from every side. He rubbed the cloth furiously against the wall, spreading the blood until there was no recognizable shape but just a dark blur. They stood, then, back to back, holding their guns in front of them and waiting.
The shadows and footsteps were getting closer, and suddenly all the lights burst into life, thunderon the outside, lightbulbs exploding in every corner of the factory.
“Well…” Dean said tilting his head a little “At least she’s getting out of here…”
——————-
The couple of minutes that came after the gunshot felt like hours. You could feel the sharp points piercing through your forehead and into your skull, cracking it. The pain was unbearable and soon enough your eyesight became all black and you felt vomit coming up from your stomach. But you were all numb and everything seemed like a dream, you knew it was happening but you couldn’t feel anything anymore, except the nails in your head.
You knew you were blind but you didn’t know if it was because you couldn’t see anymore or your eyes were closed. You knew you had been sick but you didn’t smell it or taste it. You knew he was screaming but you didn’t know what he was saying.
Castiel appeared in the room to this view, and his grace glowed, powering up the entire place, making everything tremble and the lightbulbs explode. Riley turned around, a new pointy screw in his hand, and his jaw fell open in fear at the sight of the angel. He was standing in the middle of the room, his eyes and grace lit, his wings showing on the wall at his back with every flash of lightning that blinked outside. His angel blade was shining in his hand.
“Oh! The angel shows!” you heard Railey say, and made an effort to try and raise your head, to open your eyes, to see him at least one more time. But you couldn’t. You couldn’t see, your eyes were now wide open and still everything was dark. “So did you come for your lady friend? Well, you are definitelynot going to get to her easily.”
“C-cas…” you mumbled, wishing for him to hear you “H-he-he’s a-alive, C-cas.”
Castiel’s brow furrowed and his eyes lingered on the demon for a second. And this gave Railey the time to draw a blade.
“On guard!”
“You should know that regular swords are no threat to me.” Castiel said while approaching, wind blowing with every step he gave, thunders still growling in the night sky.
“Oh, don’t mistake this for a regular sword. It’s actually made of one of those!” he used his to point at Castiel’s blade. “Only now it’s classier.”
You could hear the sounds of the battle, the bodies hitting against the walls, the grunts and the screams and suddenly realized that the only reason Castiel hadn’t killed him yet, was so your father would live. And you couldn’t have that, but also the rest of your strength was leaving and your thoughts started to drift away. Away from the fight, away from the demons and your father and England. The only thing that lasted to the end of your consciousness was Castiel; Castiel with a soft smile and a cup of tea in his hands, leaning against the counter in the bunker’s kitchen. Castiel stroking your face. Castiel, kissing you.
“Why do you keep fighting, Castiel!?” the demon shouted as yet another stroke reached the angel’s coat but not his body. “She’s already gone, there’s nothing to save now!”
Castiel draw his gaze to you and noticed the way your body was hanging in the chair and the light in his eyes intensified.
“You’re not going to end this battle the way you’re hoping for, Castiel. You see, I can read you like a book. You’re not going to kill me, because Y/N’s father is still alive.”
“Don’t be so sure about yourself,” the angel answered, but he knew deep inside that he was right. Whether you were unconscious or… He wasn’t going to let him die.
But at that moment, several things happened. First of all, the door blasted opened and Sam and Dean rushed into the room, injured and tired, but whole. Secondly, Cas managed to pierce Railey with his blade, sending him to the ground. And third, as he fell, his eyes flickered and his expression changed.
“Kill me!” he shouted, and the voice wasn’t the demons voice anymore. It was shaking and filled with terror, but also urge and decision. “Just kill me already!”
“But Y/N…” Castiel began, lowering his blade and stepping backwards. This situation was completely unexpected.
“What’s going on here?” asked Dean, finally reaching them as Sam went all the way to kneel next you.
“This… this is Y/N’s father.” Castiel explained, still shaking his head.
“Kill me,” he grunted, and then he blinked and the red eyes flickered before banishing again in the evil gaze of the demon.
“I must apologize. I just lost control of myself for a second there.” And he raised his sword again, but Castiel didn’t move. He was frozen in confusion.
“Cas…” Dean reached for his gun and pointed it at Railey. “Cas, we need to make a decision here!”
“He’s not going to do it. He won’t risk killing the man,” Railey was walking slowly to them, limping a little because of the cut in his side. His sword was now pointed at Dean, and as he reached for him, Dean shot.
But nothing happened.
He kept shooting, but clearly the magazine was empty, and the demon smirked as if he were a kid on Christmas morning.
“So long, Hunter,” he said and made the blow.
“No,” said Castiel quietly, waking up from his thoughts and running to stand in front of Dean, deviating the pointy blade aside and digging his own in Railey’s chest. He flickered red and gold, and after the demon had left, but before his body stopped working, they heard a soft “Thank you.”
There was a second of silence. The three of them stood there looking at the dead man. And then Castiel ran towards you helping Sam to cut you loose. Your body slipped out of the chair and into his arms, dead weight. Sam removed the torture crown slowly, trying by all means not to cause more damage than what was already done, but as he unscrewed the nails in your head, none of them could help but notice that you weren’t moving.
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A piercing pain through your head woke you up. Your body felt numb and heavy and everything was dark. You rubbed your eyes and burst them open but your sight remained dark. You were lying down, that much you knew, but the air felt heavy and your limbs like stones. A sudden fear roamed your body.
“God, is this hell?” you whispered to the nothingness. “Am I dead?”
Your voice died the minute it left your throat, no echoes, no resounding, and you heart sank on your chest. You tried to sit but it was difficult and you were afraid of moving and falling somewhere worse.
The soft noise of a door knob turning draw back your attention, and a couple seconds later a thin strip of light reached you, blinding you a little.
“Y/N?”
Tears began to roll down your eyes instantly, because if there was one thing you weren’t expecting, was hearing Castiel’s deep voice saying your name ever again. He ran into the room as he heard you crying and sat down at your side, not completely sure of what to do.
“Are… are you alright?” he asked hesitantly.
“Just hug me, you stupid angel!” you moaned as you sat up finally, your movements all clumsy.
The angel smiled to himself and caught you, lifting you easily and sitting you on his knees. You curled up and dug your head in his neck, wishing to become so little you could fit in his hand and stay there forever. You cried until you felt the knot in your chest loosen a little, and then you looked at him.
“My father…”
Castiel, averted your eyes and shook his head, tears began to flow again and you went back to the cuddling position.
After a long time, your eyes were finally dried, your chest a little bit lighter and your head didn’t hurt anymore.
“You saved me,” you whispered into his neck.
“It was just a selfish act,” he answered. “I wouldn’t have been able to go on living without you.”
You raised your head and looked at him. Once more you lingered there, amazed at the intensity of his eyes, and then your gaze traveled down to his lips just a second before reaching for them with yours, tasting him with the hunger of months.
The lights flickered a bit and you parted, looking up and laughing, his laugh joining yours a couple of seconds later.
“You selfish bastard,” you smiled, and hugged him. “I should go let the other pair of useless dorks know that I am not, in fact, in hell.”
“Yes, that would be the best.”
Sam and Dean were in the kitchen, not talking at all. They looked frozen, dark circles around their eyes, both grabbing a cup of black coffee.
“Cas’ been there quite a while,” said Sam suddenly.
“He’s checking on her. He’ll probably be there a little bit more.”
“Oh, I don’t think that’ll be necessary,” you said with a grin, leaning against the doorframe, Castiel standing right behind you.
“Y/N!” both brothers jumped to their feet and ran to you.
Sam reached you first and hugged you and kissed you on the cheek, his eyes sparkling with joy.
“This ‘surprising you in the kitchen’ has become quite my thing,” you said while Dean hugged you tight, and you felt as if he was never going to let go. “Oh, come on…” you said a little bit more softly, stroking his hair. “I promise not to make a tradition out of it… big bro.”