Bare My Soul | Destiel AU

The Search

"What did you mean by angel grace? I thought it was supposed to cure a human." Sam asked as soon as Gabriel left, his brows furrowed in confusion as Castiel looked at him, chewing on the inside of his cheek.

"Yes, when an angel uses its grace, it does heal a human, but that's the problem. This grace has been stuck inside Dean, and there is no angel to control it." Castiel replied, his hand still on Dean to keep him as pain free as he could. "Grace is not like demon blood. Without its angel to control it, it will slowly kill its host."

"Why does it do that?" Sam pressed, looking at Dean and shaking his head with gritted teeth.

"Sam, we were created for the purpose of following God's orders. We are his judgement. If something needs to be smited, we are the ones who does it. Our grace could destroy the world if we wanted to. Why do you think Lucifer was cast from heaven when he wanted to destroy the humans?" Castiel responded, taking a shuddering breath and pressing the heel of his hand to his forehead. "I don't understand all of it myself, so if you need a better explanation, ask Gabriel. He is an archangel after all."

Sam was silent for a moment, seeming lost in thought. "How much grace is needed to kill someone?" He asked, a hesitation in his voice as he looked at Castiel.

"I don't know." Castiel replied, returning to his seat for the long wait.

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Night was beginning to fall in before Gabriel appeared, all caution thrown to the wind as he landed at the foot of Dean's bed, a dark look in his eyes. "The angel is Hael. I asked Balthazar and she disappeared off the angel radio a few months back."

"So you don't know where she is?" Castiel asked, slumping back into chair with a sigh of defeat. If she wasn't able to be found, then there was no point in hoping anymore.

"We can try the ritual to summon her, but I think she might be closer than you think." Gabriel responded, rubbing at his chin thoughtfully. "When we use a vessel, our grace can be in the host without it harming them. That's because in order to kill someone, grace needs to be regularly placed into the host again and again."

"So what you're saying is..." Sam said, only to trail off at Gabriel's nod.

"Yes, Hael has to stay close to here."

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Time ticked slowly by as Castiel waited for Sam and Gabriel to return. He refused to leave Dean's side, so they would be performing the ritual on their own. The angel didn't worry though. If Gabriel was there, then catching Hael would be no problem for them.

His hand had returned to Dean's, squeezing gently and pushing his grace through the link to ease the pain as they waited. The hunter had a thin film of sweat across his forehead, his breaths labored and rattling. The angel swallowed nervously, though he could do nothing as he held just a little bit tighter, squeezing the phone in his other hand as well.