The Man Who Would Be King.

Sam Winchester
Hunter.

Posts: 958

The Man Who Would Be King. May 18, 2017 7:39:05 GMT -5

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Post by Sam Winchester on May 18, 2017 7:39:05 GMT -5

ooc; SEASON SIX. EPISODE TWENTY.

“Me and Bobby got another one” Sam informed his brother over the phone, glancing over one shoulder at the demon Bobby was securing to the chair in the middle of their intricately painted devil’s trap. “Good, cause my lead was a bust” the older Winchester returned with a heavy sigh. One that easily told Sam what the next words out of his mouth were going to be. “And I’m presuming we’re keeping this one secret from Cas too.” It wasn’t a question, yet Sam felt compelled to say something anyway. “Dean, you know why”- “Yeah” Dean cut him off woodenly. “Be there in a few hours.” And he hung up.

Sam tucked away his own phone, closing his eyes momentarily against the rush of guilt that flooded him. He hated what he and Bobby were suspecting Castiel of doing, hated it, but if they were right…they needed to be prepared. And to find out if they were right, they needed to find the supposedly still alive Crowley.

Hence the parade of demons.

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The Man Who Would Be King. May 18, 2017 7:43:13 GMT -5

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Post by NPC on May 18, 2017 7:43:13 GMT -5

-- "Castiel" --

“You know…I’ve been here for a very long time.” Castiel sat on a snow covered bench in the mountains, undisturbed. He’d needed a place no one else would venture to get a few things off his chest in a last ditch prayer that his father might respond when he hadn’t yet. Everything just sort of seemed to be spiraling downwards rapidly.

“And I remember many things” he continued. “I remember being on a shoreline watching a little grey fish heave itself up onto the beach and an older brother saying “don’t step on that fish Castiel. Big plans for that fish.” I remember the Tower of Babel…all 37 feet of it, which I suppose was impressive at the time.” He smiled faintly in memory. “And then when it fell, they howled ‘divine wrath’…but come on. Dried dung can only be stacked so high.” He stared blankly into space, beginning to list more things. “I remember Cain and Abel…David and Goliath…Sodom and Gomorrah. And of course…I remember the most remarkable event…” He closed his eyes, seeing it play out in his mind’s eye as vividly as if it was happening all over again. “Remarkable because it never came to pass. It was averted by two boys, an old drunk, and a fallen angel. The grand story.” He opened his eyes. “And we ripped up the ending, and the rules…and destiny…leaving nothing but freedom and choices.” Sighing heavily, he gave his head a tired shake. “Which is all well and good, except…what if I’ve made the wrong choice? How am I supposed to know??” It had seemed like the only available option at the time, but now…

“I’m getting ahead of myself” he realized, drawing in a deep breath. “Let me tell you my story.” Maybe if he talked through it aloud, it would make more sense. It would be easier to decide.

“Let me tell you everything.”

Dean Winchester
Hunter.

Our lives are weird, man.

Posts: 2,165

The Man Who Would Be King. May 18, 2017 7:49:49 GMT -5

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Post by Dean Winchester on May 18, 2017 7:49:49 GMT -5

Dean drove in silence. It had been a few weeks now since they’d killed Eve and had started this whole hunting down Crowley behind Castiel’s back project and the older Winchester was struggling with it. He understood the reasoning, he did, but the very idea that Cas could be in cahoots with Crowley…it made him sick. After everything they’d been through together…he trusted that angel almost as much as he trusted Sam. And that was saying a lot.

“Hello Dean.” The sudden voice from the passenger seat elicited a start of surprise from the Impala’s driver, both hands holding the wheel tightly in place to prevent the car from swerving. “Are you alright?” Dean relaxed his grip, sighing. “Yeah, Cas…I’m…I’m fine. How are you?” “Just wanted to check in” the angel explained, either not noticing or not caring about the incredibly forced nature of Dean’s smile. “So, uh…any word on Satan Jr. being alive” the older Winchester questioned, glancing sideways and then back to the road, hearing how unnatural his own voice sounded, but again Castiel appeared oblivious. “I’m looking believe me. I just…I don’t understand how Crowley could have tricked me.” “He’s a tricky son of a bitch, that’s how” Dean returned at once, his voice back to normal thankfully, albeit edged with a hint of anger directed at their conversation’s jackass of a subject. “Doesn’t matter. But if he is up and kicking, then what does matter is finding him, ripping his head off and shoving it up his ass.”

“What about you” Castiel wanted to know after a beat without commenting on Dean’s colorful threat. “Have you found anything?” “No, nothing yet.” The words were bitter tasting in his mouth. Even though it was true, and they hadn’t found anything solid, they had found several demon hunters who were clearly working for Crowley, capturing monsters to torture for purgatory’s location.

Castiel glanced around at the rest of the empty car. “Where’s Sam?” “He’s keeping busy” was the evasive answer, followed up by a few more…incorrect…details. “He’s tracking a Djinn in Omaha as we speak. In fact, I’m heading out there right now to meet up with him” Dean lied smoothly, picking a state several away from Sam’s actual location. “Well I’d come if I could” Castiel began, sounding guilty, and Dean waved the apology down. “No, I-I get it, no worries.” It actually would have been worrying had Castiel decided he wanted to accompany Dean, given what Sam and Bobby were attempting to learn with the current demon hostage at that very moment.

“But Cas…” Dean couldn’t stop himself from adding this last part. “You’ll call, right? If you get into real trouble?” On top of this whole Crowley nonsense, Dean hadn’t forgotten that the angel was currently leading an army in civil war against Raphael’s very powerful opposing army. That was no easy feat.

When he turned to gage the angel’s reaction to this question, getting no verbal assurance of it, he found an empty car seat.

We hunt monsters....you know who does that? Crazy people!

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The Man Who Would Be King. May 18, 2017 11:34:26 GMT -5

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Post by NPC on May 18, 2017 11:34:26 GMT -5

-- "Castiel" --

Castiel wandered into the lab, his eyes moving from the shackled vampire on the wall to the stainless steel table that Crowley was standing in front of, donned in his typical blood-smeared white apron, examining Eve’s corpse. “Howdy partner” the King drawled without looking up. The word ‘partner’ made Castiel’s spine bristle uncomfortably. “What have you found” he demanded, striding closer with purpose.

“Found a lot of things.” Crowley looked up now, his expression contemplative. "For example...Eve's brain?" He lowered his gaze to Eve's corpse again, Castiel's following this time. Half of Eve's skull was missing, her blackened brain on display. "Dead as a tinned kipper" Crowley went on. "And yet...for some reason, she keeps laying eggs." He reached one hand deep into her sliced open stomach, pulling out a fistful of gooey little eggs that he then proceeded to drop them back in. "Oh. And watch this." Lifting a poker from its stand above an open flame, Crowley placed the tip against a portion of Eve's brain. The shackled vampire seized in his chains, clearly in distress. "Chocola here feels every tickle" Crowley finished, looking amused. Castiel waited a beat to see if anything else was going to happen before asking in confusion, "what is that good for?"

Crowley shrugged, replacing the poker to its stand. "Apart from the obvious erotic value, you got me. " Castiel exhaled in frustration. "You said Eve could open the door to purgatory." That was the whole reason he was in this bloody mess to begin with. "Correct. I did. And I'm confident that she could have..." Crowley raised his voice to shout the next bit with exasperation. "IF SHE WAS STILL ALIVE!" Calming down slightly, he finished his comment with a bitter, "single best chance to get over the rainbow, and the Winchesters killed her!" "It was unavoidable" Castiel insisted, still going cold at the thought of what might have happened to Dean had he not swallowed that phoenix ash before Eve bit him. "You screwed up, Cas." Crowley glowered at him. "You let the hounds mangle the pheasant, and now I am up to my elbows in it." Not having the faintest idea of what he meant with that little analogy, Castiel simply scowled right back. "What is your point?"

Crowley narrowed his eyes. "The point is...You're distracted, and that makes me nervous." "I am holding up my end" Castiel began heatedly, refusing to let this piece of vermin imply that he wasn't doing everything in his power to help get them those purgatory souls. "Ah, yes. But is that all you're holding" Crowley interrupted with a knowing expression, moving closer. "See...the stench of that Impala's all over your overcoat, Angel." Stepping back to put some distance between them again, the King shook his head. "I thought we'd agreed - no more nights out with the boys." "I spoke with Dean" Castiel admitted. "I needed to know what they know!" "About what" Crowley pressed, answering his own question before Castiel could. "About me maybe? Because I happen to have it on good authority that your two little pets are currently trying to hunt me down!!!!" Drawing in a deep breath, he calmed himself again before finishing. "Forgive me, but I think you might have a little conflict of interest here."
~~~

"Crowley had a point, of course" Castiel agreed, interrupting his story-telling to give some commentary. "My interest WAS conflicted. I still considered myself the Winchesters' guardian. After all...they taught me how to stand up...what to stand for...and what generally happens to you when you do." He mentally flashed back to the moment in time when he'd flung a molotov coctail of holy oil at Michael and Lucifer punished him for it. "I was...done. I was over." He'd been ripped apart at a subatomic level, that much he knew. He had truly been dead. "And then the most extraordinary thing happened. I was put back." He remembered reappearing, whole and once more angelic, on the Stull Cemetery battlefield, next to a bruised and bloody Dean. "And we had won. We stopped Armageddon." His triumphant tone faltered slightly. "But at a terrible cost."

Castiel nodded to himself, recalling the next bit. "And so I knew what I had to do next. Once again, I went to Harrow Hell, to free Sam from Lucifer's cage. It was nearly impossible, but I was so full of confidence, of mission." His face fell. "I see now that was arrogance...Hubris...Because, of course, I hadn't truly raised Sam -- not all of him." Memories of soulless Sam flooded him. One in particular, the very first one, of Sam standing outside of Lisa's house, watching Dean through the window stood out in his mind. "Sometimes in life we're lucky enough to be given a warning." Sam had turned and walked away from the house without trying to make any contact with Dean whatsoever, his expression blank. Castiel swallowed hard.

"This should have been mine."

Crowley
Demon.

King of Hell.

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The Man Who Would Be King. Jun 10, 2017 15:40:49 GMT -5 Jane Paladin likes this

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Post by Crowley on Jun 10, 2017 15:40:49 GMT -5

"Please. I'm begging you, Castiel." Crowley let out a breath of frustration. "Just kill the Winchesters." The answer came without missing a beat. "No." "Fine" Crowley returned in an equally prompt manner. "Then I'll kill them myself." "If you kill them, I'll just bring them back again" Castiel insisted to which Crowley argued with a scowl, "no you won't. Not where I'll put 'em, believe me."

"I said NO" the angel snapped aggressively. "Don't worry about them." "Don't worry about..." Crowley's eyes widened incredulously, unable to even finish the echo before he was exclaiming, "what, like Lucifer didn't worry? Or Michael? Or Lilith or Alastair or Azazel didn't worry?! Am I the only game piece on the board who doesn't underestimate those DENIM-WRAPPED NIGHTMARES?!" His voice's volume grew emphatically with each word until he was shouting again. Those boys seemed to always mess up everyone else's plans no matter how much precaution was taken and Crowley was NOT letting them mess this one up too.

"Just find Purgatory" Castiel ordered, turning to stride away. "If you don't, we will both die again and again, until the end of time. The Winchesters won't get to you." "Let 'em get to me" he hollered at the angel's retreating back furiously.

"I'll tear their friggen hearts out!"

"Hello Boys"

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The Man Who Would Be King. Jun 24, 2017 17:57:09 GMT -5

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Post by NPC on Jun 24, 2017 17:57:09 GMT -5

-- "Bobby" --

While Dean was driving back to meet up with them, Bobby and Sam stood side by side in the abandoned house's dimly lit living room, facing their newly acquired demon. "I got to tell you, Redd...for a filthy, lower-than-snake-spit Hellspawn, you seem to have turned yourself into a damn fine hunter" Bobby praised, lowering himself onto a chair and resting both arms on its back. "I don't know whether to kill you or kiss you." "Oh please." Redd made an unpleasant face, his tone dry. "Kill me."

Bobby ignored the jab. "That was you that dug out that nest of vamps back in Swan Valley, wasn't it" he half asked, half stated and Sam threw in a casual, "that was nice work." "Eight of 'em in one go, roped and tied" Redd boasted proudly. Bobby nodded along. "And then you brought 'em to Crowley, right?" Redd chuckled humorlessly, giving his head a single shake. "Read the papers redneck...the King's dead." Bobby glanced up at Sam and then back down to Redd, pulling a flask of holy water from an inner jacket pocket and tossing a liberal amount into the demon's face. "Crowley's alive" he corrected through Redd's hisses of pain. "You prove it just by being, you poor, dumb jackass. Crowley's alive. His nets are still out. Except now he's using you schmucks to hunt his monsters instead of hunters."

Redd scowled. "Up yours." Without saying a word, Bobby held out one hand. Sam removed Ruby's knife and placed it in Bobby's open palm. As Redd eyed it warily, Dean entered the living room and tipped his head back towards the kitchen, Sam following him out. Bobby glanced over one shoulder at the retreating Winchesters before returning his focus to the demon. "Redd...Where's Crowley?" Redd remained silent stubbornly. "No? Nothing?" Bobby shrugged. "Oh, okay, then. Here, hang on to this for a bit." Bringing the blade down into Redd's thigh, he gave it a slight twist to wedge it in there, and the demon threw back his head with a shout of pain. Ignoring this and leaving the blade where it was, out of reach of the bound demon's hands so he was unable to free it, Bobby made his way into the kitchen just in time to hear Dean saying "nothing, relax." Curiosity peaked, Bobby arched one brow. "What's the hubbub?" "I saw Cas. He popped in on me about two hours back" Dean explained tensely, and Bobby felt his eyes widen. "What'd you tell him??" "NOTHING" Dean stressed, rubbing at his face in exhaustion. "I told him we were on some crap monster hunt. He doesn't know that we're getting close to Crowley." Bobby and Sam both nodded with relief which seemed to heighten Dean's irritation. "You know, he's our friend...And we are lying to him through our teeth." Bobby looked away. Sam sighed heavily. "Dean"- "so he burned the wrong bones. So Crowley tricked him. So what" Dean snapped, on edge. Bobby returned his focus to Dean with a simple, "he's an angel."

"He is the Balki Bartokomous of Heaven" Dean insisted loyally. "He can make a mistake!" "Look, nobody's saying nothing definite yet" Bobby promised, holding up both hands. "You think Cas is in on it with Crowley" Dean recapped with an incredulous tone. "Crowley??" "Look, I'm just saying I don't know. Now, I hate myself for even thinking it" Bobby returned heatedly.

"But I don't know."

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The Man Who Would Be King. Jun 25, 2017 0:55:13 GMT -5

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Post by NPC on Jun 25, 2017 0:55:13 GMT -5

-- "Castiel" --

Castiel stood off to one side of the ongoing conversation, using his angelic power to make himself invisible. It unfortunately wasn't the first time he'd done this with the boys but he'd forced himself not to feel guilty about it. Guilt was a new feeling for him anyway, having only started feeling it about a year ago after spending a year in the Winchesters' presence. So it wasn't as hard as it might have been for someone else. But it WAS surprisingly hard.

"Look, Dean, he's our friend, too, okay" Sam was saying. "And I'd die for him, I would, but...Look, I'm praying we're wrong here. But-" "But if we ain't...If there's a snowball of a snowball's chance here...that means we're dealing with a Superman who's gone dark side" Bobby interrupted, both of them facing Dean straight on, their expressions intense. "Which means we've got to be cautious, we got to be smart, and maybe stock up on some Kryptonite." Dean considered these words for a minute before delivering a deadpan, "this makes you Lois Lane" to Sam. Castiel didn't get it.

"One problem at a time here" Bobby remarked, rolling his eyes. "We got to find Crowley now, before the damn fool cracks open Purgatory." Castiel watched as the three of them made their way back into the living room to continue interrogating Redd.
~~~

"So...they already suspected" Castiel commentated from his bench, wringing out his hands. "And the worst part was Dean, trying so hard to be loyal, with every instinct telling him otherwise." He remembered the torn expression on the older Winchester's face as he'd stood in the background, listening to Bobby and Sam talk to Redd. It had been like someone had twisted his intestines uncomfortably and had made his efforts to not feel guilty that much harder.
~~~

"I don't know where Crowley is" Redd cried out finally, unable to stand the multiple holy water baths and knife twisting in his leg. "Are you sure about that" Bobby inquired, beginning to reach for the protruding knife's handle. "'Cause we can twist again all the way to next summer." "I never even met him" Redd promised, grimacing and straining against his binds, his face twisted up in pain. "I didn't deal with Crowley direct." Bobby's hand paused. "Well who DID you deal with?" "The dispatcher" Redd explained weakly. "A demon named Ellsworth." Sam, Dean, and Bobby looked at each other. Castiel didn't wait around any longer.
~~~

"If there was a demon counterpart to Bobby Singer, Ellsworth would be it" Castiel narrated. Ellsworth sat at a desk, getting the types of monsters to be hunted from Crowley and Crowley's inner circle of demons, relaying these jobs out to other demons. Castiel remembered performing an easy tracking spell to find the demon hideout where Ellsworth and a few of his minions were squatting, doing their jobs for Crowley, hunting down monsters. He remembered arriving at the hideout and taking out all three demons within a few minutes. "These demons would lead the Winchesters to Crowley, and Crowley would tear their hearts out" he rationalized. "I had no choice. I did it to protect the boys. Or to protect myself." His face fell as he thought these words over.

"I don't know anymore."

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The Man Who Would Be King. Jun 25, 2017 18:45:51 GMT -5

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Post by NPC on Jun 25, 2017 18:45:51 GMT -5

-- "Bobby" --

Dean and Bobby smashed through the front door, raised guns at the ready. They didn't know exactly what to expect...but an entirely empty house was not towards the top of that list.

"Clear from the back" Sam informed them both, entering through the rear, lowering his gun, looking just as perplexed as the other two felt. Dean arched a quizzical brow. "Demons get tipped and and bugged out?" Bobby checked an empty closet as Sam suggested without a lot of optimism, "maybe they're running from us now. That'd be a nice thought." "Yeah..." Bobby closed the closet door with a humorless smile.

"If that's what happened."

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The Man Who Would Be King. Jul 9, 2017 11:52:19 GMT -5

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Post by NPC on Jul 9, 2017 11:52:19 GMT -5

-- "Castiel" --

"Hiding...lying...sweeping away evidence...and my motives used to be so pure" Castiel recalled morosely. "After supposedly "saving" Sam, I finally returned to heaven. And of course, as you know, there isn't just one heaven. Each soul...or special case souls who share...generate their own paradise. At that time, I favored the eternal Tuesday afternoon of an autistic man who drowned in a bathtub in 1953." Castiel remembered the peacefulness of it all. He remembered wandering around the vividly green grass, just taking deep breaths of oxygen, appreciating the garden's beauty, just happy to be alive.
~~~

The sudden flutter of wings had alerted him to the new multiple presences behind him and he turned. Standing there, looking at him in awe, were about a dozen angels, headed up by Rachel. "You're alive" she breathed, looking flummoxed but highly relieved, much like the others. Castiel beamed. "Yes." "But Castiel...we saw Lucifer destroy you" Rachel pointed out, frowning. Castiel went right on beaming. "Well I've come back."

"What about Lucifer? And Michael" Rachel inquired after a glance over one shoulder at the other inquisitive angels. Castiel shook his head, dismissing the concern. "They're gone." Rachel looked hopeful. "It was God, wasn't it." "No. It was the Winchesters." Castiel wasn't sure exactly what pride felt like being an angel and all, but he was certain this had to be close to it. He smiled fondly. "They brought down the Apocalypse."

Rachel shook her head stubbornly, still looking blown away and amazed beyond all belief. "But you beat the Archangels, Castiel. God brought you back. He chose you, Cas..." She stepped forward, taking his hands in hers. "To lead us." "No." Castiel yanked his hands back, retreating a step, trying to make them understand the beauty of what had happened. "No one leads us anymore. We're all free to make our own choices and to choose our own fates." "What does God want" Rachel pressed, not appearing to have grasped the concept. "God wants you to have freedom" Castiel insisted, met with a whole host of blank expressions. Rachel voiced their shared question, perplexed. "But...what does he want us to do with it?"
~~~

"If I knew then what I know now I might have said..."It's simple. Freedom is a length of rope. God wants you to hang yourself with it"." Castiel waited for a reaction for a moment and when he got nothing, he continued to speak. "Those first weeks back in heaven were surprisingly difficult. Explaining freedom to angels is a bit like teaching poetry to fish." He smiled humorlessly. "And then there was Raphael..."
~~~

"You came." Raphael looked up from the book he'd been leafing through, seated proudly in a comfortable armchair, one black-suit-clad angel on either side like bodyguards. "I appreciate the courage that takes." Castiel moved closer, studying the sort of hunting lodge motif room they were in. "Whose heaven is this?" "Ken Lay's" Raphael explained. "I'm borrowing it." Castiel ceased his examination of an oil painting on the wall and frowned slightly. "I still question his admittance here."

"He's devout" Raphael reminded him idly. "Trumps everything." "What do you want" Castiel demanded, done with the small talk. "Tomorrow - I've called for a full assembly of the Holy Host" Raphael responded. "You'll kneel before me and pledge allegiance to the flag, all right?" Castiel lifted an eyebrow. "And what flag is that?"

"Me, Castiel" Raphael clarified as though this should have been the most obvious thing in the world. "Allegiance to me." Castiel's eyes widened in disbelief. "Are you joking?!" "Do I look like I'm joking" Raphael countered, his expression composed and serious, not an ounce of humor anywhere, just like always. Castiel said as much. "You never look like you're joking."

"You rebelled - against God, heaven, and me" Raphael listed off sternly. "Now you will atone. You will start by freeing Lucifer and Michael from their cage. And then we'll get our show back on the road." Castiel shook his head with force. "Raphael, NO. The Apocolypse doesn't have to be fought!" It had taken him awhile to get there, but he truly believed that now. Sam and Dean had been right all along. And they'd worked so hard to stop it; it would be indescrible agony to have to do it again.

"Of course it does" Raphael insisted simply. "It's God's will." "But how can you say that" Castiel exclaimed in frustration. No one, absolutely no one, apart from Joshua, had seen or heard from God in milleniums. He was gone. There was no way to truly know what his will was.

Raphael gave another simple shrug, not beating around the bush with his answers. "Because it's what I want." "Well the other angels won't let you" Castiel argued, envisioning the rest of the holy host lining up to defeat Raphael before he could accomplish his task of freeing Lucifer and Michael. A vision that was dashed by Raphael's next words. "Are you sure? You know better than anyone, Castiel. They're soldiers. They weren't built for freedom. They were built to follow orders." It was true. He had known it all along, but those last few weeks trying to explain the concept of freedom to them just put the nail in the coffin.

Rising to his feet, Castiel set his jaw grimly. "Then I won't let you."

"Really?" Raphael arched one eyebrow mockingly. "You?..." Without bothering to rise to his own feet, Raphael merely lifted his hand, a bright white glow eminating from it that blasted Castiel back to his borrowed heaven, lying in the grass and coughing up blood. He'd barely managed to roll over, hoisting himself up onto all fours in preparation to try and make it all the way back up to his feet when he was flattened again, Raphael standing over him triumphantly. "Tomorrow you kneel Castiel" he instructed.

"Or you and anyone with you dies."

Last Edit: Jul 10, 2017 22:06:56 GMT -5 by NPC

Dean Winchester
Hunter.

Our lives are weird, man.

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The Man Who Would Be King. Jul 10, 2017 22:22:24 GMT -5

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Post by Dean Winchester on Jul 10, 2017 22:22:24 GMT -5

"Well the place is clean" Sam confirmed after they'd done an even more thorough check of the entire cabin. "Yeah, but it's...It's like "Mr. Clean" clean, you know?" Bobby laid his gun down on one of the spotless end tables in the den, looking uncertain. "It's kind of OCD for your average demon." "Yeah" Sam agreed, the two of them perched next to each other against the back of a sofa. "So what now?" "We call Cas" Dean suggested, speaking for the first time in awhile, expecting their surprised, doubtful expressions. Sam frowned. "What?" "Well, this is usually the part where we'd call Cas for help" Dean reminded them both, resenting the look they shared with each other and their own reminder of "we talked about this Dean" from Bobby followed by Sam's gentle, "yeah." "No, you talked" Dean corrected tightly. "I listened."

He couldn't do this anymore. It was killing him. "This is Cas, guys. I mean, when there was no one...And we were stuck - and I mean really stuck -he broke ranks. He has gone to the mat cut and bleeding for us so many freakin' times. This is Cas!" He glanced desperately between Sam and Bobby. "Don't we owe him the benefit of the doubt at least?"

Sam and Bobby shared another look and this time when they broke it, Sam tilted his head back, addressing the ceiling. "Castiel...This is really important, okay? Um...We really need to talk to you." When the angel didn't show after a few long seconds, Dean tacked on an ending to the prayer. "Castiel...come on in."

Nothing.

We hunt monsters....you know who does that? Crazy people!

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The Man Who Would Be King. Jul 10, 2017 23:37:31 GMT -5

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Post by NPC on Jul 10, 2017 23:37:31 GMT -5

-- "Castiel" --

"I heard the prayer. I was right there. But I didn't go to them. I didn't show myself. Because I knew they would have quesitons I couldn't answer." Castiel owned up to the real reason after another beat.

"I was afraid."

Castiel watched the unfolding conversation, Dean looking upset while trying to appear as though he was holding it together fine. "Cas is busy" he offered up as an excuse. Castiel felt his heart twinge with affection for the man's blatanly obvious loyalty and guilt stabbed at him.

"That's alright." Sam clapped Dean on the shoulder comfortingly. "So are we. Come on." "Back to square one" Bobby added dismally. "Great." Dean pulled a face. "So what do we do now?" "Well, we caught one hunter demon before. We can do it again" Bobby suggested, mere seconds before three windows shattered in unison and three of the aforementioned hunter demons found them.

For several minutes, Castiel simply remained where he was, frozen with shock, as each demon selected one of the hunters for a target and began attacking them violently. He had thought he'd made it pretty clear to Crowley to leave them alone. And yet...

"Crowley says "hi"" the demon on top of Dean relayed, bearing his teeth in a snarl as one fist slammed Dean's head backwards into the floor. Castiel flinched. "Crowley sent his very best. I was honestly caught as much by surprise as the rest of them. And it left me with yet another choice. I could reveal myself and smite the demons. Of course Crowley wouldn't like it. But on the other hand, they were my friends."

It really hadn't been a hard decision after all. Once he'd gotten over the initial shock, Castiel had sprung into action, appearing suddenly in plain sight, his invisibility power disarmed again, taking out all three demons in a matter of minutes.

"For a brief moment...I was me again."

Last Edit: Jul 16, 2017 19:12:09 GMT -5 by NPC

Dean Winchester
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Our lives are weird, man.

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The Man Who Would Be King. Jul 17, 2017 16:38:20 GMT -5

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Post by Dean Winchester on Jul 17, 2017 16:38:20 GMT -5

Dean pushed himself to his feet, spitting some blood to the ground as he moved. "Good to see you Cas" he greeted the angel, smiling through his minor grimace. Castiel stepped over the pile of three dead demons, approaching the three hunters, his brow furrowed with concern. Though he addressed them all, his eyes were on Dean. "Are you ok?" The older Winchester gave his stiff neck a crack before nodding. "Yeah." "Perfect timing Cas" Sam added gratefully. Dean clapped the angel on one shoulder, his heart swelling with relief. Cas had shown up to help them. And he seemed like himself.

"I"m glad I found you" Castiel remarked gravely. "I come with news." "Yeah?" Dean raised one eyebrow. "What's that?" "I...firmly believe that Crowley IS alive" Castiel informed them and it was all Dean could do not to facepalm. "You think, Kojak" he snorted instead, giving the angel's shoulder another clap before turning to Sam and Bobby. "Well guys...what do you think about Cas saving our asses...again?"

Bobby and Sam exchanged a look and then both sighed heavily in unison. "I think we owe you an apology" Bobby finally admitted and Castiel looked confused. "Why?" "We, uh...we already knew that" Sam explained. "We've been hunting Crowley this whole time behind your back and keeping it from you." "We thought...we thought you were working with him" Bobby added ruefully. Castiel's eyes widened with disblief. "You thought what?!" "I know." Dean smiled faintly. "Crazy, right?"

Castiel said nothing for a moment so Bobby pitched in, elaborating on their reasoning. "It's just that you burned the wrong bones and..." He cut himself off, starting over with a regretful, "it doesn't matter. We were wrong."

"You know...you could have just asked me" Castiel pointed out, looking between the three of them. "And we should have" Dean apologized strongly, bypassing the fact that he had been the one to stick by Castiel so it really should have been Sam or Bobby apologizing.

He was just so glad that they could put this thing behind them and move on.

We hunt monsters....you know who does that? Crazy people!

NPC
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Posts: 117

The Man Who Would Be King. Jul 17, 2017 22:42:17 GMT -5

Quote

Post by NPC on Jul 17, 2017 22:42:17 GMT -5

-- "Castiel" --

"We never should've doubted you" Dean finished. "It's...I just hope you can forgive us."
~~~

Castiel remembered feeling so relieved and lighthearted at the expressions on their faces. Especially Sam and Bobby's as they'd been the two he needed to convince the most. "Wonders never cease" he narrated his flashback. "They trusted me again." His smile faltered. "But it was just another lie."
~~~

"It's forgotten" he assured the three hunters. "Thanks Cas." Sam smiled faintly. Castiel nodded in response, his posture relaxing. "It is a little absurd though" he chuckled, remembering their analogy and using it here. "Superman going darkside." "Well...I guess we can put away the kryptonite, right?" Dean suddenly looked as though he was forcing his smile while both Sam and Bobby had similar tension to their expressions, but Castiel couldn't imagine what had changed. He beamed. "Exactly."
~~~

"Of course I didn't realize it at the time, but it was all over right then" Castiel narrated from his bench.

"Just like that."

Post by Sam Winchester on May 18, 2017 7:39:05 GMT -5

Post by NPC on May 18, 2017 7:43:13 GMT -5

Post by Dean Winchester on May 18, 2017 7:49:49 GMT -5

Post by NPC on May 18, 2017 11:34:26 GMT -5

Post by Crowley on Jun 10, 2017 15:40:49 GMT -5

Post by NPC on Jun 24, 2017 17:57:09 GMT -5

Post by NPC on Jun 25, 2017 0:55:13 GMT -5

Post by NPC on Jun 25, 2017 18:45:51 GMT -5

Post by NPC on Jul 9, 2017 11:52:19 GMT -5

Post by Dean Winchester on Jul 10, 2017 22:22:24 GMT -5

Post by NPC on Jul 10, 2017 23:37:31 GMT -5

Post by Dean Winchester on Jul 17, 2017 16:38:20 GMT -5

Post by NPC on Jul 17, 2017 22:42:17 GMT -5

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