Song Remains the Same

Chapter 10: Tilt-A-Whirled

"He is walking in dreams, not knowing reality's name."
- Wuthering Heights

Alex found herself standing in the middle of a place she didn't recognize at first. Once-colorful now-dingy rides and booths scattered across a flat pavement lot on a foggy, dim day. The Tilt-A-Whirl, merry-go-round, Ferris wheel, and rows of cheap prizes surrounded her, washing a wave of reminiscence over the hunter as she made a realization: I've been here before. The place was silent. No people. No movements of any kind. No smell of the animals at the petting zoo or grease from the funnel cake stand. The fog was thick and cool, gently obscuring the near distance. This was a dream. A good dream. She relaxed.

Drawing her in to the right was the bottle toss booth and Alex wandered over, nostalgic for how exciting it had been to play this kind of stuff as a kid. Rows of old Coke bottles crowded shelves and giant stuffed animal prizes made rows against the two walls on either side. The oversized green bear—that was the one she had wanted. At the front of the booth, bowls of beat-up rings waited to be thrown onto bottlenecks. She reached for one, smiling, then stopped, suddenly aware of a change. She felt the distinct sensation of a presence behind her. She turned to see an increasingly familiar sight. Immediately, she was on guard.

"Hello Alex." The angel in the trench coat.

Why was he here? The angel had just waltzed into a dream again without being invited—this time, a personal memory. "Cas..." she replied cautiously. Maybe something was wrong again. She crossed her arms, a silent why are you here?

He studied the scenery, perplexed by the assortment of carnival rides. "Where is this?"

For a minute she thought she wouldn't tell him. Then for whatever reason... she did. "It's a memory. From when I was little."

That stern frown stayed on his face while his eyes contemplated the scenery with even deeper puzzlement. He saw the 'amusement park' sign and grew more shrewd still. "This is a place for amusement?"

"What are you doing here, Cas?" Alex wanted to be left alone in peace, not answer twenty questions. He turned his gaze back to her and inclined his head just slightly, his eyes intense.

The startling blue made her pinched expression falter. "I know you're wondering why I asked you to return to your brothers when I did."

Alex found her voice and answered very slowly. "Well yeah..."

Castiel breathed in deeply as if hesitant and his eyes flickered away from hers. "Truthfully, I did it for selfish reasons." He seemed almost contrite.

Wait. Did Cas just want to... talk? Alex hesitated, trying to get his angle then failing. "Okay, uh... meaning what?" She felt curious but suspicious. Both of herself, and of him.

He was still looking down, his expression grim. "I wanted to influence the outcome of the situation. I wanted to make sure that the city would not be destroyed." Her eyebrows rose. It almost seemed like he was confessing sins he held shame over, but those were good things he'd done.

"Yeah and you pulled it off. Nothing wrong with that." The angel looked Alex in the eye again. Alex wondered why he was looking for confirmation that he did the right thing. It was pretty obvious to her. What wasn't obvious was why had he accomplished his goal in such a shady way. "Aren't you Uriel's boss?"

He hesitated. "Technically, yes."

"...Then what was the problem?" Alex watched Castiel long and close, trying to figure him out. And then it dawned on her simply. Instantly. Surprisingly. "You don't trust him."