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spn_reversebang2010-11-14 10:03 pm
iantosgal.livejournal.com) wrote in spn_reversebang2010-11-14 10:03 pm
The Warrior, The Broken Man and The Outcast
Art Prompt Title: Prompt 1119
Art link: Art Masterlist
Artist:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
tripoli8
Fic Title: The Warrior, The Broken Man and The Outcast.
Author:iantosgal
Fandom/Genre: SPN, Drama.
Pairing(s): Gen, Dean/Cas if you squint with your slash goggles on!
Rating: PG13
Word Count: 5,613
Warnings: Mentions of violence and Hell. Other than that nothing I’m aware
of.
Set between S5 and S6. I haven’t seen any of S6 so my take will
be completely different.
Summary: Sam is in Hell, Cas is having trouble in Heaven and Dean is broken on Earth. Slowly, they begin to come back together.
He lost.
That was the thought that plagued Dean every day.
They, mankind, won. The demons and the angels lost so it was logical to assume that humans won. Go team.
But at the end of it all, Dean still lost. He lost Sam. He lost Adam, the brother he hardly knew. He even lost Castiel, the only real friend he ever had and wasn’t that just pathetic? His only friend was an angel that didn’t even understand human emotions, let alone possess them.
He lost everything.
Now, he was stuck like a fish out of water, in a world he didn’t belong in. With a girlfriend he didn’t love, a son he was sure was his but was unable to bond with and a job he hated.
He longed for the good old days when he spent hours cramped into his beloved impala, when he used fake credit cards and names to get through life. The days when he slept in bad motels and lived off fast food.
Those wonderful days when he had a pain in the ass little brother in the front seat and a confused, intense face in his rear view mirror.
But those days were behind him now and Dean had to learn to move on. So he tried to keep his word to Sammy and stayed away from hunts. He concentrated on perfecting his new life and forced memories and thoughts of what he had lost down into the recesses of his mind.
But at night, there was no getting away from them. They surged up and invaded his dreams, forcing him to watch again and again as his brothers fell into the pit, false memories of hell where it was Sam tied to the rack rather than him, tortured him until he woke, sobbing, with soft arms holding him close.
He hated the night, dreaded falling asleep, knowing exactly what was waiting for him in the darkness.
Sometimes he saw Cas in his dreams, but he knew it wasn’t the real angel. The real angel would have eased him from the nightmare to a calmer dream or woken him before the nightmare got too bad. The Cas in his dreams looked at him with clear blue eyes and begged him for help as he was held in Dean’s subconscious’ creation of Heaven’s prison.
What if Cas had returned to Heaven, only to find himself trapped there? What if, after everything he had done for Dean, he was still suffering?
It was those nights he woke without a sound and felt as though his insides were filled with snakes. He would get out of bed and quietly make his way outside, where he would stand barefoot and stare up the skies. He wondered if Cas was safe. He hoped he was safe.
His return to heaven had been less than triumphant. Many angels turned away from him, others confronted him with their angelic wrath.
Angelic wrath, as it turned out, was no match for Castiel’s more human anger. He was enraged at how his brothers and sisters had turned their back so readily on the human race, how easily they had planned to bring about the apocalypse.
And yet it was he who was the traitor, he that had become a lesser angel, he that made the rest of them feel so...disappointed.
He sought out his enemies and showed them a few things he had learnt whilst he was away being a disappointment to them.
He had gathered followers, it was true. Brothers and sisters who had not wanted the apocalypse, who had been too terrified to stand with him then, but were brave enough to stand with him now that he was a powerful angel again, with God on his side, if the rumours were to be true.
Castiel felt isolated. He was surrounded by enemies and fake friends. He yearned for the more simple friendship he had shared with Dean. A friendship where it was truth, valour and honour that mattered more than power and obedience.
Sometimes, he came so close to leaving he was convinced that this time, he would do it. But always his sense of duty held him firmly in the realm of Heaven.
So Castiel became a warrior of Heaven once more and his duty to Dean lay forgotten. Therefore, he did not see the broken man Dean had become.
Sam saw.
Sam saw how broken his brother was and he yearned to fix it. But he couldn’t.
Because even though Sam could see his brother, he was still trapped in hell. He had no idea how he could still see his brother, but he could. He felt like a guardian angel.
If a guardian angel was trapped in Hell and powerless to help his charge.
He fought at the restraints that held him and reached for his brother but he never got any closer to being free.
He prayed. Even in Hell, every damn day he prayed but no one listened to him, no one answered and Sam knew he was truly forsaken in this world of pain and suffering.
Dean was doing as he had asked and moving on with his life and for that, Sam was grateful. He didn’t want to be saved if it meant his brother was damned.
Dean knew that Lisa was worried about him. Over the last few days he’d become steadily more withdrawn and hadn’t slept at all.
Predictably, it was a dream that started it all off. A double whammy in fact.
It started with Sam, as his dreams often did, except Sam was ten years old and he was terrified. He kept screaming at Dean to help him whilst a Demon possessed little girl, with long blonde hair, pale blue eyes and a sweet smile dragged him away. Dean reached out for him but he was gone and a blinding light took his brothers place. Dean turned around and came face to face with Castiel. He looked angry and flung Dean across the room. His voice was the same even, calm tone he had used when they had first met, but he may as well have been screaming at the top of his lungs. His words stung Dean like a whip and he winced at every one of them. Cas would never say these things to him, never tell him that Cas regretted helping him, that he was worthless and always would be, would never say that he understood now where his Brothers had been coming from. The human race was weak and Castiel would end it.
But then the dream changed again and it was Sam and he looked exactly as he did on that day and there were tears in his eyes that spilled over and trickled down his cheeks. He placed a hand on Dean’s shoulder and told him how sorry he was and he turned Dean around and Cas was lying on the floor, blood pooled around him and his eyes were wide and dull. He was dead and he wasn’t coming back.
Dean turned to his brother, his own eyes filling with tears, to find that his brother was gone.
He hadn’t woken with a scream but rather a whimper. He had made his now familiar trek outside but tonight, it didn’t help. He couldn’t get that image out of his mind.
That was the first time he cried.
He wouldn’t sleep, didn’t want to see that image again and so he was tired, forcing himself to stay awake with the help of coffee. He withdrew within himself as he doubled his efforts to keep the images at bay. But somewhere inside, he just knew that wherever he was, Cas was in trouble.
~S~
Castiel thought of Sam Winchester almost as much as he thought of Dean. He hated the thought of the younger Winchester being trapped in Hell after sacrificing himself to save the human race.
But in the time he had been back, Castiel had learnt that Heaven had turned its back on Sam.
No one spoke of him and when Castiel broached the subject, when he asked for ideas to help set Sam free, he was frowned at and forced to watch as the angels walked away.
It was infuriating.
The worst were a group of angels that had banded around Raphael. They were Castiel’s fiercest enemies and his biggest obstacles.
He spent every day fighting to bring Heaven back to what it should be, what it was when God was still around to give a damn, but he could change nothing if the angels refused to change.
They wouldn’t help him and eventually he grew tired of asking. He owed it to the Winchester brothers to try and help, and it wasn’t as if he’d never been to hell before.
He would go alone.
He never even made it out of Heaven. As soon as he neared the border of the realm of Heaven nearest the gates of Hell, he was surrounded by angels. Raphael’s angels.
They circled around him, eyes glinting and Raphael emerged from behind them. He stood face to face with Castiel and he sneered.
“Hello, Brother.”
“Raphael.”
“Where are you going, Castiel?”
Castiel’s eyes seemed to pierce through his brother and if Raphael had been a lesser mortal he would have cowered before him. But he was not. He was Raphael, archangel and he was pissed. Castiel was the one who left him trapped in a ring of holy fire and Raphael saw this as an opportunity to get even.
Even as a being who felt no emotion, Raphael desired revenge.
“We cannot leave Sam Winchester in the pit,” Castiel said, his voice even and full of danger.
“Sam Winchester’s dilemma is none of our concern,” Raphael replied, coldly.
“Angel’s helped put him there. We cannot turn our backs on him now.”
“We owe him nothing.”
“He was tricked into starting the Apocalypse. By angels. I will not stand by and let him suffer.”
Raphael smiled a smile full of hatred for the angel stood before him.
“Who said you had a choice?”
Castiel frowned slightly and then the ring of angels attacked.
Time was different in Hell. Sometimes, it felt like Sam had been trapped there for years.
Other’s it felt like only moments. But each moment had one similarity.
It was filled with pain.
It didn’t have to be physical pain, often it was emotional and at times that was worse. Hell seemed to know every weakness he had, every chink in his armour and exploited it to the fullest. Every painful memory he possessed was dredged up and played out on a constant stream that was as painful to Sam as a thousand knives in his chest.
He regretted making Dean make that promise. Right now, all he wanted was to get out of Hell and go home.
~S~
Castiel knew the feeling.
Raphael’s angels had been very thorough in exacting the archangel’s revenge. They attacked with a ferocity human’s were incapable of ever possessing, let alone executing.
He fought back, of course, with everything he had. But one angel against a group of thirty didn’t stand a chance. He had felt Heaven’s persuasions before and had hoped never to return to the place he had been forced to suffer them. But once again, he found himself in the confines of Heaven’s prison.
~S~
Dean was still uneasy. He knew in his gut that something was wrong with Cas, but how could he explain to Lisa that that was the cause of his strange behaviour. He had no way of knowing for sure that anything was wrong but his dreams were invaded with images of Cas in pain and some of them felt far too real for Dean’s liking.
He was terrified Cas was trying to ask him for help, because Dean had no way of doing so.
Lisa kept begging him to see a doctor. She said he was depressed.
Dean wasn’t depressed. He was scared. He didn’t know where Cas was, or how he could help him, or even what was wrong.
But as he stood outside once more, looking up into the sky, he knew Cas needed him, and he was powerless to help.
~S~
Castiel tried desperately to get through to Dean via his dreams but he was too weak to give anything more than a weak projection of his current state. He could feel that Dean knew something was wrong though, but had no idea of how Dean could help.
In the end, it wasn’t Dean that saved him, but an even older ally.
Lariel had been one of the first angels to join Castiel on his return to heaven. Many years ago they had been in the same garrison, fought side by side in the war against Lucifer.
Castiel had saved Lariel then, now Lariel would return the favour.
Breaking into the Heavenly prison was the easy part. It was getting out that presented them with problems.
Lariel found Castiel easily enough, but the angel was weakened by his time in the prison and Lariel had to support his old friend and fight his way out at the same time.
Somehow he managed it, and in the years to come everyone would talk about Lariel as the only angel to ever escape the prison of Heaven.
Getting to Earth would be the next step and at that moment, as they crouched hidden, it felt like an impossible task.
~S~
Sam wasn’t really sure how it happened. One moment he was surrounded by fire and pain the next he was stood in the cool night air of Montana.
It was a shock to the system and for a moment the cold was painful and he shivered violently. His legs couldn’t support him and he stumbled and fell to his knees. He took a deep gulp of air that stung his lungs and made him cough before sitting back on his ass, arms wrapped around his legs. He rested his head on his knees and just breathed.
The air felt good once the pain faded away. His body felt good. He started to laugh, quietly at first, but it grew almost maniacal and tears began to trickle down his face.
Finally he calmed and looked up, and the sight of actual, honest to God, stars made him sob out another, more relieved laugh.
He was free.
~S~
Dean was in his usual spot in the garden, looking up at the stars when the silence was broken by a familiar, deep, hoarse voice.
“Hello, Dean.”
Dean spun on his heels and his heart almost stopped at the sight of the angel before him.
Cas was covered in blood and his eyes looked haunted but he was alive. He was being supported by someone Dean didn’t recognise, but he assumed must be another angel.
Dean didn’t think. He marched forward and grabbed the angel roughly by the shoulders, pulling him close and into a warm hug. He was surprised, but relieved, when Castiel’s arms tentatively came up and wrapped themselves around Dean.
For long moments they stood that way before Castiel shifted and pulled back.
“It’s good to see you, Dean.”
Dean felt a smile seep across his face.
“Yeah, you too.”
~S~
Lariel helped Dean Winchester support Castiel into the man’s house and onto a sofa. He stood and offered his hand as was the human custom and introduced himself. The man shook his hand firmly before turning his attention back to the other angel.
Castiel was shaking slightly and Lariel was more concerned than he was letting on. In the end they had been forced to fight their way out of Heaven and it had taken a lot out of his friend.
He needed time to rest. So, Lariel took Dean’s arm gently and steered the confused man to one side.
“He needs to rest.” Lariel looked into Dean’s eyes and frowned. “And so do you.”
Lariel pressed his fingers gently to Dean’s forehead.
~S~
Castiel slipped into a mode of meditation once Dean and Lariel were gone. He concentrated on his grace and felt it swell within him, soothing his pains and easing his weariness. It felt good, like a cool drink to a parched man.
He stayed that way until he felt like himself again.
When he opened his eyes, Lariel was stood at the widow, staring intently at the sunrise, his eyes open in wonder.
“I have never seen a sunrise before,” he said, before turning and facing Castiel. “Feeling better, brother?”
Castiel stood and gave a swift nod.
“Yes, thank you, Lariel.”
Lariel simply smiled and turned back to the sun. Castiel crossed to stand beside him and together they watched the sun in silence.
~S~
Sam didn’t know where to go from here. He had no car, no money and no idea of where to head.
Dean had kept his promise and was with Lisa and Ben, living the apple pie, white picket fence life they had always wanted but never had. Sam would not go to his brother and ruin all that. Hell had changed Sam. Not in an overly bad way, but it had certainly affected him. He knew he would never be able to have a normal life, not now. He would go back to hunting, it was what he knew, what he was good at and all hunters were freaks anyway. He wouldn’t stand out.
But he refused to drag Dean back into it with him. He wanted his brother to be happy with Lisa and Ben, have that life and live to a ripe old age. That wasn’t going to happen if he knew Sam was alive.
He could go to Bobby’s but that in itself posed a whole other set of problems. Bobby wouldn’t be able to keep such a thing from Dean. He’d want to force Sam to tell Dean he was alive, Bobby would think that he knew what was best for Dean.
But Sam knew better. It was better for Dean if he never knew Sam was alive. Better for him to carry on with his life.
But Sam needed to know that Dean was ok.
He had a destination now. He started the car and pulled away, an idea in his mind.
~S~
Dean woke up, disorientated. His mind was hazy with images and he couldn’t make out if they were memories of a dream or reality.
A scream and a crash jolted Dean awake and out of bed. He ran down the stairs, almost tripping over his own feet, and came to a sliding stop in the living room.
Lisa was stood looking shell shocked and terrified, the bowl she’d dropped lay in shattered fragments around her bare feet. She was staring wordlessly and wide eyed at two figures stood, motionless in the living room, heads slightly tilted to the side.
“Cas,” Dean breathed, the hazy images from before suddenly coming sharply into focus.
It was real. Oh, holy mother of God, it was real.
“Dean, you know these people?” Lisa demanded, Dean’s voice snapping her out of her shocked state.
“I know him,” Dean said, shaking finger pointing at Cas as he made his way unsteadily towards the angel in question.
Castiel raised an eyebrow. Dean was just so happy to see Castiel back in shape and not the broken, battered form he had been the night before, that he ignored it and simply wrapped his arms around the angel and held him close.
They stood that way for a while, Castiel’s arms rigid at his sides this time as the angel was entirely aware they had an audience. Lisa stood eyes wide and arms folded across her chest, clearly waiting for an explanation as to who the two strange men stood in her living room were.
“Dean?” she asked.
Dean pulled away from Cas pretty damn quick. God damn apocalypse had turned him into a girl. What was with all the chick flick moments lately?
“Umm...this is Castiel, he’s a friend from the old days. This...” Dean frowned as he tried to remember if he’d ever learnt the other angel’s name. “This guy I don’t think I know.”
Lariel took a step forward.
“My name is Lariel. I’m an angel of the Lord.”
Dean rolled his eyes. It was Cas all over again.
“I’m sorry, a what?”
Dean froze. He’d never told Lisa about the angels. Never told her anything really, just said
Sam was dead and left it at that. She’d asked, of course she had, but after months of being met with silence she’d given up asking.
This was awkward.
“Yeah, Castiel’s an angel too.”
Lisa sank down onto the sofa.
“Hell of a way to find out angels are real,” she murmured, “walking in and finding two of them stood in my fucking living room.”
She swore. Dean had long since come to realise, Lisa only swore when she was well and truly pissed.
She was on her feet again and delivering a hard slap to his arm before he even noticed.
“Didn’t think to bring this up? All those times I asked?”
“It wouldn’t have changed anything,” Dean retorted angrily, “Sam would still have been dead and Cas would still have been gone. What good would it have done to tell you angels exist? It never did us any good,” Dean winced at his own words and turned to look at Castiel apologetically, “No offense, Cas.”
Cas looked back at him impassively.
“None taken,” he replied, and it threw Dean for a second because it was such a human response. Looked like the Castiel who’d sacrificed everything for them was still in there somewhere.
That in itself raised his spirits more than anything. Something was finally back to how it was meant to be. Someone was finally back to being how he remembered them. How he needed them.
Maybe things would start to get better.
~S~
Sam drove through South Dakota almost without stopping, sleeping in the stolen car on the side of the road. He bypassed Sioux Falls without a glance but something inside him tightened uncomfortably. It felt wrong to be so close to Bobby without paying him a visit, especially considering the circumstances. He should go and see Bobby, he was practically a father to Sam, but something held him back.
He didn’t know how he got back to Earth and he knew Bobby would want to figure it all out. But Sam was happier not knowing. He was back. That was enough. He didn’t want to know how it happened in case...well, in case it was something bad.
If someone had let him out of Hell for some evil reason, Sam would take care of it himself.
He refused to bring Bobby and Dean into it. Not after everything.
He put his foot down and before he knew it, he’d crossed the state border into Iowa.
~S~
“You gonna tell me what happened?” Dean asked.
“I was preparing to march on Hell and find a way to release Sam.”
Dean felt something stir in his chest and a sad smile caught his lips. Cas had been trying to save Sam. He felt a huge rush of affection for the angel.
“Alone,” Lariel interjected.
Dean blinked and smile left his face.
“Alone? Against Hell? Are you crazy?”
“Perhaps, but I could not stand by and let Sam suffer, not when I had the means to help. I could not get anyone to help me so I planned to go alone. But I was stopped by Raphael and his angels. Lariel rescued me from Heaven’s prison and brought me here.”
Dean shook his head.
“I’m guessing it wasn’t as easy as all that,” he said turning to Lariel. “You’ll have to tell me the whole adventurous tale sometime.”
Lariel shook his head and rose to his feet.
“I have to leave,” he said.
Dean looked up at him, coffee half way to his mouth.
“What, right now?” Dean asked.
Lariel nodded swiftly, hands held behind his back.
Dean looked towards Cas and saw behind the blank facade he was putting across, to the concern behind it, watched as it seeped into his eyes as he stared at his angelic friend.
“Where will you go?” Castiel asked.
“Back to Heaven.”
“That is not wise, Lariel.”
“Perhaps, but it is the only place for me to go. The longer I stay away, the harder it will be for me to sneak back in.”
“The angels will not be fooled, Lariel. They know it was you who helped me escape and they will not let that pass. It would be safer for you to stay on earth.”
Lariel smiled and there was something in it, something so peaceful that it was actually unnerving.
“I know, brother. That’s the point. If I go back to heaven, their attention will be firmly on me,” Lariel said.
Castiel stood and took a step towards him, understanding and fear in his eyes.
“You will be free to carry on your work; you will stand as a symbol to the other angels who share your views. You can do much, brother, but it will be easier if Heaven has someone else to focus on,” Lariel continued.
Dean stood and walked over to Castiel’s side.
“If they catch you in heaven, how will that help keep their attention away from Cas? Surely once they’re done with you, they’ll just start hunting Cas again.”
Castiel shot him a look and said in an angry voice.
“That is the least of my worries, Dean.” He turned back to face Lariel. “If you go back, you will be killed.”
“That is a risk I am willing to take. I failed you before, Castiel.”
Castiel looked away with a minute shake of his head.
“I should have stood beside you when you first came to help the Winchester’s, everyone who follows you know should have stood beside you back then. I am determined to make up for that mistake.”
“You did not fail me...” Castiel began.
“I did, brother,” Lariel cut in. “But I will make it right. I have a plan. I do not plan to walk into Heaven blindly. I am going to rally your followers and lead an attack on Raphael and his angels. Whether we win or not, is not of import. It will draw them away from you and if we win, we will have one less set of enemies. If we lose, we make sure some of us get out. That should draw them away from you.”
“I can’t let you do this,” Castiel said, placing his hand on his friends shoulder.
“It’s not you decision, brother,” Lariel said.
And with a nod and a flutter of wings he was gone and Castiel was left grasping thin air. The angel let his arm drop to his side and stared at the space his friend had stood moments before.
Dean looked at his friend and didn’t know what to say.
~S~
Iowa and Illinois blurred into one for Sam. His mind was focussed on his destination and what he would do once he got there.
He couldn’t decide whether what he was doing was for the best or not. He knew temptation lay in the direction he was taking but he just had to know, had to see for himself, that everything was ok.
He wouldn’t go in. He didn’t need to.
All he wanted to see was that Dean was getting on with his life, make sure he was coping and then Sam would turn away, let his brother get on with his life and move on.
He promised himself he would walk away.
~S~
Lisa was cooking dinner and it smelt great.
Ben, who had become infatuated with Castiel when Lisa had told him Cas was an angel, was sat close to the angel on the sofa.
Lisa had ignored Dean’s angry glare. She didn’t care if Dean wanted her son to know about the angels or not, she had solid proof that angels existed and she wanted her son to know.
Ben sat staring at Castiel, who took the young boys stare in his stride and stared in turn out of the window. Lisa eventually managed to drag her son to the table and left Castiel to his silence.
Dinner was a little awkward, with everyone hyper aware there was an angel in the living room. Dean tried to eat quickly, not wanting to leave Cas on his own for too long.
But maybe Cas wanted to be alone. Lariel had pretty much sacrificed himself so that Cas would be safe. Something like that kind of weighed heavily on the conscious. Hell, Dean should know.
Cas had done it for him.
Suddenly, Castiel walked past them without a word and out of the front door. Dean went to the window to make sure he wasn’t leaving without saying goodbye again. The sight outside was like a sucker punch to the chest.
“Sam?” he breathed.
~S~
Castiel was staring out of the window when he saw the car drive slowly past. He was still staring when Sam Winchester walked down the sidewalk and came to a stop outside of the house.
He crossed to the window in shock and stared at the figure. Could it really be Sam? How? It didn’t make sense.
Sam turned away and Castiel hurried out of the house and after him.
“Sam!”
Sam turned at the unexpected voice.
“Cas? What are you doing here?”
Castiel came to stop in front of the younger Winchester. This close he could tell it was definitely Sam. He could feel it.
“I might ask you the same question. How did you get out of Hell?”
Sam shook his head.
“I don’t know man. I just woke up in Montana. How’s Dean?”
Cas nodded his head slowly.
“He’s fine. Why don’t you go and see for yourself.”
“No, I can’t,” Sam replied with a firm shake of his head. “I just wanted to make sure he was ok. Make sure he was still keeping his promise.”
Sam looked at the angel with a frown.
“But I guess if you’re here, he's not.”
Castiel’s answer was cut off with a loud bang as the front door of the house flew open. Dean was running down the steps, eyes fixed on his brother.
He slowed as he neared the pair and looked over at Castiel quickly.
“Sam?”
Castiel nodded and that was all Dean needed. He flung his arms around his brother and held on tight as tears fell unchecked down his face. Sam’s resolve fell and he held on just as tightly and watched as Castiel walked away from them and back into the house.
The two brothers stood in the cold night air and clung to each other.
~S~
Bobby was pissed. Sam had gone right past his house and ignored him. When he found out Castiel was with them he told Dean to send the angel taxi to get him or someone was going to feel the back of his hand.
Dean was so happy, he just laughed and Castiel was gone before he even put the phone down.
He returned with Bobby in tow a few moments later and Bobby hugged Sam so tightly he probably broke a few ribs.
Introductions with Ben and Lisa were made and Lisa dished up more food, thankful she always cooked too much.
Castiel joined them at the table and Ben sat as close to him as possible, emulating Castiel’s own ideas of personal space. Dean sat with Castiel on one side and Sam on the other, with Lisa sat facing him and Bobby on Sam’s other side.
Dean couldn’t keep the smile of his face.
There was a lot they had to discuss. Bobby would no doubt rip Dean a new one for being a virtual stranger over the months Sam had been down stairs. Castiel would have to figure out how to fix things in Heaven and find out what had happened to Lariel. The angel had to figure out where he went from here, Heaven or Earth?
Sam would have to learn to cope with what he had gone through in Hell. Maybe he’d deal with it better than Dean did, maybe not. Either way, Dean was going to be there for him.
And Dean? Well, Dean would have to figure out whether to give his apple pie life another try or to rejoin the world of hunting. Or maybe it was an easy choice.
He did love Lisa, but now, surrounded by his old life, his old comrades, there was no contest.
He missed it. He missed them. It was time to go back, to turn his back on the life he always said he wanted but in reality, could never fit into.
He’d fight again, with Sam, Castiel and Bobby by his side.
They’d figure out what happened and how Sam got out. They’d figure out a battle plan for Heaven. They’d fight demons and ghosts, vampires and werewolves and anything else that stood in their way.
But that would come later.
Right now, they would eat, talk and laugh. They’d be as normal as you could be when half the people around the table were self confessed freaks accompanied by an angel.
Right now, they would just be them.
Art link: Art Masterlist
Artist:
tripoli8Fic Title: The Warrior, The Broken Man and The Outcast.
Author:
iantosgalFandom/Genre: SPN, Drama.
Pairing(s): Gen, Dean/Cas if you squint with your slash goggles on!
Rating: PG13
Word Count: 5,613
Warnings: Mentions of violence and Hell. Other than that nothing I’m aware
of.
Set between S5 and S6. I haven’t seen any of S6 so my take will
be completely different.
Summary: Sam is in Hell, Cas is having trouble in Heaven and Dean is broken on Earth. Slowly, they begin to come back together.
He lost.
That was the thought that plagued Dean every day.
They, mankind, won. The demons and the angels lost so it was logical to assume that humans won. Go team.
But at the end of it all, Dean still lost. He lost Sam. He lost Adam, the brother he hardly knew. He even lost Castiel, the only real friend he ever had and wasn’t that just pathetic? His only friend was an angel that didn’t even understand human emotions, let alone possess them.
He lost everything.
Now, he was stuck like a fish out of water, in a world he didn’t belong in. With a girlfriend he didn’t love, a son he was sure was his but was unable to bond with and a job he hated.
He longed for the good old days when he spent hours cramped into his beloved impala, when he used fake credit cards and names to get through life. The days when he slept in bad motels and lived off fast food.
Those wonderful days when he had a pain in the ass little brother in the front seat and a confused, intense face in his rear view mirror.
But those days were behind him now and Dean had to learn to move on. So he tried to keep his word to Sammy and stayed away from hunts. He concentrated on perfecting his new life and forced memories and thoughts of what he had lost down into the recesses of his mind.
But at night, there was no getting away from them. They surged up and invaded his dreams, forcing him to watch again and again as his brothers fell into the pit, false memories of hell where it was Sam tied to the rack rather than him, tortured him until he woke, sobbing, with soft arms holding him close.
He hated the night, dreaded falling asleep, knowing exactly what was waiting for him in the darkness.
Sometimes he saw Cas in his dreams, but he knew it wasn’t the real angel. The real angel would have eased him from the nightmare to a calmer dream or woken him before the nightmare got too bad. The Cas in his dreams looked at him with clear blue eyes and begged him for help as he was held in Dean’s subconscious’ creation of Heaven’s prison.
What if Cas had returned to Heaven, only to find himself trapped there? What if, after everything he had done for Dean, he was still suffering?
It was those nights he woke without a sound and felt as though his insides were filled with snakes. He would get out of bed and quietly make his way outside, where he would stand barefoot and stare up the skies. He wondered if Cas was safe. He hoped he was safe.
~S~
It turned out Castiel had picked up some emotions during his time on Earth. He had learnt anger and sorrow, frustration and, most of all, despair. His return to heaven had been less than triumphant. Many angels turned away from him, others confronted him with their angelic wrath.
Angelic wrath, as it turned out, was no match for Castiel’s more human anger. He was enraged at how his brothers and sisters had turned their back so readily on the human race, how easily they had planned to bring about the apocalypse.
And yet it was he who was the traitor, he that had become a lesser angel, he that made the rest of them feel so...disappointed.
He sought out his enemies and showed them a few things he had learnt whilst he was away being a disappointment to them.
He had gathered followers, it was true. Brothers and sisters who had not wanted the apocalypse, who had been too terrified to stand with him then, but were brave enough to stand with him now that he was a powerful angel again, with God on his side, if the rumours were to be true.
Castiel felt isolated. He was surrounded by enemies and fake friends. He yearned for the more simple friendship he had shared with Dean. A friendship where it was truth, valour and honour that mattered more than power and obedience.
Sometimes, he came so close to leaving he was convinced that this time, he would do it. But always his sense of duty held him firmly in the realm of Heaven.
So Castiel became a warrior of Heaven once more and his duty to Dean lay forgotten. Therefore, he did not see the broken man Dean had become.
~S~
Sam saw.
Sam saw how broken his brother was and he yearned to fix it. But he couldn’t.
Because even though Sam could see his brother, he was still trapped in hell. He had no idea how he could still see his brother, but he could. He felt like a guardian angel.
If a guardian angel was trapped in Hell and powerless to help his charge.
He fought at the restraints that held him and reached for his brother but he never got any closer to being free.
He prayed. Even in Hell, every damn day he prayed but no one listened to him, no one answered and Sam knew he was truly forsaken in this world of pain and suffering.
Dean was doing as he had asked and moving on with his life and for that, Sam was grateful. He didn’t want to be saved if it meant his brother was damned.
~S~
Dean knew that Lisa was worried about him. Over the last few days he’d become steadily more withdrawn and hadn’t slept at all.
Predictably, it was a dream that started it all off. A double whammy in fact.
It started with Sam, as his dreams often did, except Sam was ten years old and he was terrified. He kept screaming at Dean to help him whilst a Demon possessed little girl, with long blonde hair, pale blue eyes and a sweet smile dragged him away. Dean reached out for him but he was gone and a blinding light took his brothers place. Dean turned around and came face to face with Castiel. He looked angry and flung Dean across the room. His voice was the same even, calm tone he had used when they had first met, but he may as well have been screaming at the top of his lungs. His words stung Dean like a whip and he winced at every one of them. Cas would never say these things to him, never tell him that Cas regretted helping him, that he was worthless and always would be, would never say that he understood now where his Brothers had been coming from. The human race was weak and Castiel would end it.
But then the dream changed again and it was Sam and he looked exactly as he did on that day and there were tears in his eyes that spilled over and trickled down his cheeks. He placed a hand on Dean’s shoulder and told him how sorry he was and he turned Dean around and Cas was lying on the floor, blood pooled around him and his eyes were wide and dull. He was dead and he wasn’t coming back.
Dean turned to his brother, his own eyes filling with tears, to find that his brother was gone.
He hadn’t woken with a scream but rather a whimper. He had made his now familiar trek outside but tonight, it didn’t help. He couldn’t get that image out of his mind.
That was the first time he cried.
He wouldn’t sleep, didn’t want to see that image again and so he was tired, forcing himself to stay awake with the help of coffee. He withdrew within himself as he doubled his efforts to keep the images at bay. But somewhere inside, he just knew that wherever he was, Cas was in trouble.
~S~
But in the time he had been back, Castiel had learnt that Heaven had turned its back on Sam.
No one spoke of him and when Castiel broached the subject, when he asked for ideas to help set Sam free, he was frowned at and forced to watch as the angels walked away.
It was infuriating.
The worst were a group of angels that had banded around Raphael. They were Castiel’s fiercest enemies and his biggest obstacles.
He spent every day fighting to bring Heaven back to what it should be, what it was when God was still around to give a damn, but he could change nothing if the angels refused to change.
They wouldn’t help him and eventually he grew tired of asking. He owed it to the Winchester brothers to try and help, and it wasn’t as if he’d never been to hell before.
He would go alone.
He never even made it out of Heaven. As soon as he neared the border of the realm of Heaven nearest the gates of Hell, he was surrounded by angels. Raphael’s angels.
They circled around him, eyes glinting and Raphael emerged from behind them. He stood face to face with Castiel and he sneered.
“Hello, Brother.”
“Raphael.”
“Where are you going, Castiel?”
Castiel’s eyes seemed to pierce through his brother and if Raphael had been a lesser mortal he would have cowered before him. But he was not. He was Raphael, archangel and he was pissed. Castiel was the one who left him trapped in a ring of holy fire and Raphael saw this as an opportunity to get even.
Even as a being who felt no emotion, Raphael desired revenge.
“We cannot leave Sam Winchester in the pit,” Castiel said, his voice even and full of danger.
“Sam Winchester’s dilemma is none of our concern,” Raphael replied, coldly.
“Angel’s helped put him there. We cannot turn our backs on him now.”
“We owe him nothing.”
“He was tricked into starting the Apocalypse. By angels. I will not stand by and let him suffer.”
Raphael smiled a smile full of hatred for the angel stood before him.
“Who said you had a choice?”
Castiel frowned slightly and then the ring of angels attacked.
~S~
Time was different in Hell. Sometimes, it felt like Sam had been trapped there for years.
Other’s it felt like only moments. But each moment had one similarity.
It was filled with pain.
It didn’t have to be physical pain, often it was emotional and at times that was worse. Hell seemed to know every weakness he had, every chink in his armour and exploited it to the fullest. Every painful memory he possessed was dredged up and played out on a constant stream that was as painful to Sam as a thousand knives in his chest.
He regretted making Dean make that promise. Right now, all he wanted was to get out of Hell and go home.
~S~
Castiel knew the feeling.
Raphael’s angels had been very thorough in exacting the archangel’s revenge. They attacked with a ferocity human’s were incapable of ever possessing, let alone executing.
He fought back, of course, with everything he had. But one angel against a group of thirty didn’t stand a chance. He had felt Heaven’s persuasions before and had hoped never to return to the place he had been forced to suffer them. But once again, he found himself in the confines of Heaven’s prison.
~S~
Dean was still uneasy. He knew in his gut that something was wrong with Cas, but how could he explain to Lisa that that was the cause of his strange behaviour. He had no way of knowing for sure that anything was wrong but his dreams were invaded with images of Cas in pain and some of them felt far too real for Dean’s liking.
He was terrified Cas was trying to ask him for help, because Dean had no way of doing so.
Lisa kept begging him to see a doctor. She said he was depressed.
Dean wasn’t depressed. He was scared. He didn’t know where Cas was, or how he could help him, or even what was wrong.
But as he stood outside once more, looking up into the sky, he knew Cas needed him, and he was powerless to help.
~S~
Castiel tried desperately to get through to Dean via his dreams but he was too weak to give anything more than a weak projection of his current state. He could feel that Dean knew something was wrong though, but had no idea of how Dean could help.
In the end, it wasn’t Dean that saved him, but an even older ally.
Lariel had been one of the first angels to join Castiel on his return to heaven. Many years ago they had been in the same garrison, fought side by side in the war against Lucifer.
Castiel had saved Lariel then, now Lariel would return the favour.
Breaking into the Heavenly prison was the easy part. It was getting out that presented them with problems.
Lariel found Castiel easily enough, but the angel was weakened by his time in the prison and Lariel had to support his old friend and fight his way out at the same time.
Somehow he managed it, and in the years to come everyone would talk about Lariel as the only angel to ever escape the prison of Heaven.
Getting to Earth would be the next step and at that moment, as they crouched hidden, it felt like an impossible task.
~S~
Sam wasn’t really sure how it happened. One moment he was surrounded by fire and pain the next he was stood in the cool night air of Montana.
It was a shock to the system and for a moment the cold was painful and he shivered violently. His legs couldn’t support him and he stumbled and fell to his knees. He took a deep gulp of air that stung his lungs and made him cough before sitting back on his ass, arms wrapped around his legs. He rested his head on his knees and just breathed.
The air felt good once the pain faded away. His body felt good. He started to laugh, quietly at first, but it grew almost maniacal and tears began to trickle down his face.
Finally he calmed and looked up, and the sight of actual, honest to God, stars made him sob out another, more relieved laugh.
He was free.
~S~
Dean was in his usual spot in the garden, looking up at the stars when the silence was broken by a familiar, deep, hoarse voice.
“Hello, Dean.”
Dean spun on his heels and his heart almost stopped at the sight of the angel before him.
Cas was covered in blood and his eyes looked haunted but he was alive. He was being supported by someone Dean didn’t recognise, but he assumed must be another angel.
Dean didn’t think. He marched forward and grabbed the angel roughly by the shoulders, pulling him close and into a warm hug. He was surprised, but relieved, when Castiel’s arms tentatively came up and wrapped themselves around Dean.
For long moments they stood that way before Castiel shifted and pulled back.
“It’s good to see you, Dean.”
Dean felt a smile seep across his face.
“Yeah, you too.”
~S~
Lariel helped Dean Winchester support Castiel into the man’s house and onto a sofa. He stood and offered his hand as was the human custom and introduced himself. The man shook his hand firmly before turning his attention back to the other angel.
Castiel was shaking slightly and Lariel was more concerned than he was letting on. In the end they had been forced to fight their way out of Heaven and it had taken a lot out of his friend.
He needed time to rest. So, Lariel took Dean’s arm gently and steered the confused man to one side.
“He needs to rest.” Lariel looked into Dean’s eyes and frowned. “And so do you.”
Lariel pressed his fingers gently to Dean’s forehead.
~S~
Castiel slipped into a mode of meditation once Dean and Lariel were gone. He concentrated on his grace and felt it swell within him, soothing his pains and easing his weariness. It felt good, like a cool drink to a parched man.
He stayed that way until he felt like himself again.
When he opened his eyes, Lariel was stood at the widow, staring intently at the sunrise, his eyes open in wonder.
“I have never seen a sunrise before,” he said, before turning and facing Castiel. “Feeling better, brother?”
Castiel stood and gave a swift nod.
“Yes, thank you, Lariel.”
Lariel simply smiled and turned back to the sun. Castiel crossed to stand beside him and together they watched the sun in silence.
~S~
Sam didn’t know where to go from here. He had no car, no money and no idea of where to head.
Dean had kept his promise and was with Lisa and Ben, living the apple pie, white picket fence life they had always wanted but never had. Sam would not go to his brother and ruin all that. Hell had changed Sam. Not in an overly bad way, but it had certainly affected him. He knew he would never be able to have a normal life, not now. He would go back to hunting, it was what he knew, what he was good at and all hunters were freaks anyway. He wouldn’t stand out.
But he refused to drag Dean back into it with him. He wanted his brother to be happy with Lisa and Ben, have that life and live to a ripe old age. That wasn’t going to happen if he knew Sam was alive.
He could go to Bobby’s but that in itself posed a whole other set of problems. Bobby wouldn’t be able to keep such a thing from Dean. He’d want to force Sam to tell Dean he was alive, Bobby would think that he knew what was best for Dean.
But Sam knew better. It was better for Dean if he never knew Sam was alive. Better for him to carry on with his life.
But Sam needed to know that Dean was ok.
He had a destination now. He started the car and pulled away, an idea in his mind.
~S~
Dean woke up, disorientated. His mind was hazy with images and he couldn’t make out if they were memories of a dream or reality.
A scream and a crash jolted Dean awake and out of bed. He ran down the stairs, almost tripping over his own feet, and came to a sliding stop in the living room.
Lisa was stood looking shell shocked and terrified, the bowl she’d dropped lay in shattered fragments around her bare feet. She was staring wordlessly and wide eyed at two figures stood, motionless in the living room, heads slightly tilted to the side.
“Cas,” Dean breathed, the hazy images from before suddenly coming sharply into focus.
It was real. Oh, holy mother of God, it was real.
“Dean, you know these people?” Lisa demanded, Dean’s voice snapping her out of her shocked state.
“I know him,” Dean said, shaking finger pointing at Cas as he made his way unsteadily towards the angel in question.
Castiel raised an eyebrow. Dean was just so happy to see Castiel back in shape and not the broken, battered form he had been the night before, that he ignored it and simply wrapped his arms around the angel and held him close.
They stood that way for a while, Castiel’s arms rigid at his sides this time as the angel was entirely aware they had an audience. Lisa stood eyes wide and arms folded across her chest, clearly waiting for an explanation as to who the two strange men stood in her living room were.
“Dean?” she asked.
Dean pulled away from Cas pretty damn quick. God damn apocalypse had turned him into a girl. What was with all the chick flick moments lately?
“Umm...this is Castiel, he’s a friend from the old days. This...” Dean frowned as he tried to remember if he’d ever learnt the other angel’s name. “This guy I don’t think I know.”
Lariel took a step forward.
“My name is Lariel. I’m an angel of the Lord.”
Dean rolled his eyes. It was Cas all over again.
“I’m sorry, a what?”
Dean froze. He’d never told Lisa about the angels. Never told her anything really, just said
Sam was dead and left it at that. She’d asked, of course she had, but after months of being met with silence she’d given up asking.
This was awkward.
“Yeah, Castiel’s an angel too.”
Lisa sank down onto the sofa.
“Hell of a way to find out angels are real,” she murmured, “walking in and finding two of them stood in my fucking living room.”
She swore. Dean had long since come to realise, Lisa only swore when she was well and truly pissed.
She was on her feet again and delivering a hard slap to his arm before he even noticed.
“Didn’t think to bring this up? All those times I asked?”
“It wouldn’t have changed anything,” Dean retorted angrily, “Sam would still have been dead and Cas would still have been gone. What good would it have done to tell you angels exist? It never did us any good,” Dean winced at his own words and turned to look at Castiel apologetically, “No offense, Cas.”
Cas looked back at him impassively.
“None taken,” he replied, and it threw Dean for a second because it was such a human response. Looked like the Castiel who’d sacrificed everything for them was still in there somewhere.
That in itself raised his spirits more than anything. Something was finally back to how it was meant to be. Someone was finally back to being how he remembered them. How he needed them.
Maybe things would start to get better.
~S~
Sam drove through South Dakota almost without stopping, sleeping in the stolen car on the side of the road. He bypassed Sioux Falls without a glance but something inside him tightened uncomfortably. It felt wrong to be so close to Bobby without paying him a visit, especially considering the circumstances. He should go and see Bobby, he was practically a father to Sam, but something held him back.
He didn’t know how he got back to Earth and he knew Bobby would want to figure it all out. But Sam was happier not knowing. He was back. That was enough. He didn’t want to know how it happened in case...well, in case it was something bad.
If someone had let him out of Hell for some evil reason, Sam would take care of it himself.
He refused to bring Bobby and Dean into it. Not after everything.
He put his foot down and before he knew it, he’d crossed the state border into Iowa.
~S~
“You gonna tell me what happened?” Dean asked.
“I was preparing to march on Hell and find a way to release Sam.”
Dean felt something stir in his chest and a sad smile caught his lips. Cas had been trying to save Sam. He felt a huge rush of affection for the angel.
“Alone,” Lariel interjected.
Dean blinked and smile left his face.
“Alone? Against Hell? Are you crazy?”
“Perhaps, but I could not stand by and let Sam suffer, not when I had the means to help. I could not get anyone to help me so I planned to go alone. But I was stopped by Raphael and his angels. Lariel rescued me from Heaven’s prison and brought me here.”
Dean shook his head.
“I’m guessing it wasn’t as easy as all that,” he said turning to Lariel. “You’ll have to tell me the whole adventurous tale sometime.”
Lariel shook his head and rose to his feet.
“I have to leave,” he said.
Dean looked up at him, coffee half way to his mouth.
“What, right now?” Dean asked.
Lariel nodded swiftly, hands held behind his back.
Dean looked towards Cas and saw behind the blank facade he was putting across, to the concern behind it, watched as it seeped into his eyes as he stared at his angelic friend.
“Where will you go?” Castiel asked.
“Back to Heaven.”
“That is not wise, Lariel.”
“Perhaps, but it is the only place for me to go. The longer I stay away, the harder it will be for me to sneak back in.”
“The angels will not be fooled, Lariel. They know it was you who helped me escape and they will not let that pass. It would be safer for you to stay on earth.”
Lariel smiled and there was something in it, something so peaceful that it was actually unnerving.
“I know, brother. That’s the point. If I go back to heaven, their attention will be firmly on me,” Lariel said.
Castiel stood and took a step towards him, understanding and fear in his eyes.
“You will be free to carry on your work; you will stand as a symbol to the other angels who share your views. You can do much, brother, but it will be easier if Heaven has someone else to focus on,” Lariel continued.
Dean stood and walked over to Castiel’s side.
“If they catch you in heaven, how will that help keep their attention away from Cas? Surely once they’re done with you, they’ll just start hunting Cas again.”
Castiel shot him a look and said in an angry voice.
“That is the least of my worries, Dean.” He turned back to face Lariel. “If you go back, you will be killed.”
“That is a risk I am willing to take. I failed you before, Castiel.”
Castiel looked away with a minute shake of his head.
“I should have stood beside you when you first came to help the Winchester’s, everyone who follows you know should have stood beside you back then. I am determined to make up for that mistake.”
“You did not fail me...” Castiel began.
“I did, brother,” Lariel cut in. “But I will make it right. I have a plan. I do not plan to walk into Heaven blindly. I am going to rally your followers and lead an attack on Raphael and his angels. Whether we win or not, is not of import. It will draw them away from you and if we win, we will have one less set of enemies. If we lose, we make sure some of us get out. That should draw them away from you.”
“I can’t let you do this,” Castiel said, placing his hand on his friends shoulder.
“It’s not you decision, brother,” Lariel said.
And with a nod and a flutter of wings he was gone and Castiel was left grasping thin air. The angel let his arm drop to his side and stared at the space his friend had stood moments before.
Dean looked at his friend and didn’t know what to say.
~S~
Iowa and Illinois blurred into one for Sam. His mind was focussed on his destination and what he would do once he got there.
He couldn’t decide whether what he was doing was for the best or not. He knew temptation lay in the direction he was taking but he just had to know, had to see for himself, that everything was ok.
He wouldn’t go in. He didn’t need to.
All he wanted to see was that Dean was getting on with his life, make sure he was coping and then Sam would turn away, let his brother get on with his life and move on.
He promised himself he would walk away.
~S~
Lisa was cooking dinner and it smelt great.
Ben, who had become infatuated with Castiel when Lisa had told him Cas was an angel, was sat close to the angel on the sofa.
Lisa had ignored Dean’s angry glare. She didn’t care if Dean wanted her son to know about the angels or not, she had solid proof that angels existed and she wanted her son to know.
Ben sat staring at Castiel, who took the young boys stare in his stride and stared in turn out of the window. Lisa eventually managed to drag her son to the table and left Castiel to his silence.
Dinner was a little awkward, with everyone hyper aware there was an angel in the living room. Dean tried to eat quickly, not wanting to leave Cas on his own for too long.
But maybe Cas wanted to be alone. Lariel had pretty much sacrificed himself so that Cas would be safe. Something like that kind of weighed heavily on the conscious. Hell, Dean should know.
Cas had done it for him.
Suddenly, Castiel walked past them without a word and out of the front door. Dean went to the window to make sure he wasn’t leaving without saying goodbye again. The sight outside was like a sucker punch to the chest.
“Sam?” he breathed.
~S~
Castiel was staring out of the window when he saw the car drive slowly past. He was still staring when Sam Winchester walked down the sidewalk and came to a stop outside of the house.
He crossed to the window in shock and stared at the figure. Could it really be Sam? How? It didn’t make sense.
Sam turned away and Castiel hurried out of the house and after him.
“Sam!”
Sam turned at the unexpected voice.
“Cas? What are you doing here?”
Castiel came to stop in front of the younger Winchester. This close he could tell it was definitely Sam. He could feel it.
“I might ask you the same question. How did you get out of Hell?”
Sam shook his head.
“I don’t know man. I just woke up in Montana. How’s Dean?”
Cas nodded his head slowly.
“He’s fine. Why don’t you go and see for yourself.”
“No, I can’t,” Sam replied with a firm shake of his head. “I just wanted to make sure he was ok. Make sure he was still keeping his promise.”
Sam looked at the angel with a frown.
“But I guess if you’re here, he's not.”
Castiel’s answer was cut off with a loud bang as the front door of the house flew open. Dean was running down the steps, eyes fixed on his brother.
He slowed as he neared the pair and looked over at Castiel quickly.
“Sam?”
Castiel nodded and that was all Dean needed. He flung his arms around his brother and held on tight as tears fell unchecked down his face. Sam’s resolve fell and he held on just as tightly and watched as Castiel walked away from them and back into the house.
The two brothers stood in the cold night air and clung to each other.
~S~
Bobby was pissed. Sam had gone right past his house and ignored him. When he found out Castiel was with them he told Dean to send the angel taxi to get him or someone was going to feel the back of his hand.
Dean was so happy, he just laughed and Castiel was gone before he even put the phone down.
He returned with Bobby in tow a few moments later and Bobby hugged Sam so tightly he probably broke a few ribs.
Introductions with Ben and Lisa were made and Lisa dished up more food, thankful she always cooked too much.
Castiel joined them at the table and Ben sat as close to him as possible, emulating Castiel’s own ideas of personal space. Dean sat with Castiel on one side and Sam on the other, with Lisa sat facing him and Bobby on Sam’s other side.
Dean couldn’t keep the smile of his face.
There was a lot they had to discuss. Bobby would no doubt rip Dean a new one for being a virtual stranger over the months Sam had been down stairs. Castiel would have to figure out how to fix things in Heaven and find out what had happened to Lariel. The angel had to figure out where he went from here, Heaven or Earth?
Sam would have to learn to cope with what he had gone through in Hell. Maybe he’d deal with it better than Dean did, maybe not. Either way, Dean was going to be there for him.
And Dean? Well, Dean would have to figure out whether to give his apple pie life another try or to rejoin the world of hunting. Or maybe it was an easy choice.
He did love Lisa, but now, surrounded by his old life, his old comrades, there was no contest.
He missed it. He missed them. It was time to go back, to turn his back on the life he always said he wanted but in reality, could never fit into.
He’d fight again, with Sam, Castiel and Bobby by his side.
They’d figure out what happened and how Sam got out. They’d figure out a battle plan for Heaven. They’d fight demons and ghosts, vampires and werewolves and anything else that stood in their way.
But that would come later.
Right now, they would eat, talk and laugh. They’d be as normal as you could be when half the people around the table were self confessed freaks accompanied by an angel.
Right now, they would just be them.
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