Savin' Me

Chapter 8

"Do you normally offer strangers narcotics?" Question flew from her lips the second Lisa was out of sight. She couldn't help it, of course if he said yes it wouldn't really matter. It was just a stupid question – an icebreaker. Allison wasn't always the world's best conversationalist but anything beat an awkward silence; which was exactly what Lisa had left them to.

Cas was amused by the question. His eyes brows shot up in a surprised fashion. "I assumed you could use them..." His dark eyes slipped from her face and down to her torso. It wasn't exactly quick either. For a second she felt like he was trying to use some sort of x-ray visions. He wasn't focusing too hard, but the lingering made up for that. Finally his gaze worked its way down near the hem of the shirt, stopping on the spot that had she been topless, would reveal the large gauze wrappings and the ugly wound underneath.

Allison's right hand suddenly came to life, pressing against her side. She cringed as the fabric scraped the raw skin underneath. Applying pressure wasn't the smartest move, and she had no idea why she'd felt the sudden urge to cover something that was already out of sight. No, that wasn't quite true. It was the way he was staring at her. He knew that there was something there.

He must have sensed the harsh vibes coming off of her because once her hand moved, his eyes did the same. His timing was great because she could virtually feel the grossly sarcastic comment on the tip of her tongue. Allison diverted certain doom by stepping into the center of the room, which looked smaller from her knew vantage point. There was a small disheveled bed and an off colored rug covering a section of the carpet. There had to be at least a dozen lit candles spread about the room, there were even a few lamps. This was by far nicer than the place she had woken up in.

"So, Cas," His name hung in the air for a moment while she tried to find a place to sit. There was no way in hell she was going near the bed. She wasn't sure if the rug was a safer bet, but she couldn't see any questionable stains on it. "Take advantage of vulnerable women often?"

He let her get her bearings. Scanning the room uninterrupted, like she was looking for a bogeyman in the corner. Once Allison seemed to find the space comfortable, she slowly lowered herself down onto the carpet. Sitting cross legged had to come with a little discomfort but he could see why the bed may not have been a willing first choice.

Castiel liked her. There was something about Allison that he found interesting. For other reasons aside from the obvious. With some sleep and some food, possible some good health she would no doubt be attractive. The first time he had seen her she'd been bleeding out, pale as death. Getting shock took a toll on people that way. Even bloodied up, she was striking. She had an attitude, as she'd already made obvious. Castiel knelt down across from her, sitting a few feet away.

Her question made him laugh, actually laugh. Lisa never had been one to describe a situation fairly, at least not his situation. The mental state of most of the women he met had been altered slightly at the least by the various trials and tribulations that befallen them.

"Vulnerable is a world you could use to describe them, yes. There is a difference between being vulnerable and being stupid. "He watched Allison tilt her head to the side, the action sort of reminded him of all those curious animals in advertisements and children books. "They know what they are taking part in – "

"Orgies?"

"Spiritual lessons." Castiel quickly corrected.

Allison shook her head slowly, side to side. Tangled brown hair ruffling. He knew how it might sound to an outsider, someone not familiar with the way he worked and thought – he expected the awkward pause and uncertain looks. To his surprise, he got neither from the woman.

"Worlds gone to hell and you're giving out free Sunday school classes with a side of sex?" His smirk faded. Cas hadn't been prepared for a remark like that. He bit his tongue, eying her carefully. "I don't really think anyone cares about being spiritual now," Her dark eyes slowly rolled towards the ceiling, as if she were addressing some sort of audience above. "If anyone up there gave a damn, would you be doing this hippy junk and hiding out here at camp Crystal Lake?" Allison bowed her head, shutting her eyes. The edge in her voice had been impossible to mix.

He imagined the last part was some sort of movie reference, it sounded vaguely familiar. However it wasn't the last part that had caught his attention. Cas wondered if she knew the truth, the whole nine yards. Most people alive today did, at least the ones in their camp. They knew about demons and angels, Michael and Lucifer – their vessels. They knew that the monsters that took refuge under their beds and in their closets were real.

Castiel decided to counter with a carefully worded question of his own. "Do you believe in God?"

The room went deathly silent. He could have sworn that for a split second Allison had stopped breathing. There was something different when she looked at him next. The glint her eyes shone with moments before was gone entirely; it was like the dark brown hues had been entirely stripped of their life and light.

"When I was little I went to church and said my prayers before bed. When you're a kid it's nice to think that someone will always love you and will always be there for you...but if God was out there and he cared, if he really loved us do you think any of this would have happened?" Her eyes turned hazy, like she was about to cry. She hadn't given him a definitive yes or no, but Castiel felt it safe to assume that somewhere in there she was leaning towards the latter.

As if realizing this that she hadn't actually said yes or no – she trudged on. "Do I think he's out there? Sure. Do I think that he actually gives a fuck about any single person on this planet? Not a chance." Allison muttered quietly. Her state of mind reflected everyone else She had a valid argument. His Father had no interest in assisting the human race, or ending Lucifer's run of the earthly domain. No, the sons were to fend for themselves. Their Father had turned a blind eye to them.

"Can I ask you something?" The words came out in an almost normal tone this time. She was no longer avoiding his gaze.

Castiel nodded. "Go ahead."

Allison paused for a moment as if she were trying to put together her inquiry word for word beforehand. Finally she asked, and it hadn't at all been what he'd been expecting. "What's your name?"

Generally, the subject of God was turned back to his own feelings on the matter. Allison had literally picked an entirely different topic. His blank stare spoke volumes.

"I mean...Cas isn't your real name, is it? That's way too feminine."

Now he understood. She was right though, Cas was just a nickname. Because the Winchester brothers couldn't seem to handle 'Castiel'. It was the more human alternative that he quickly adopted.

"It's Castiel." He replied flatly - not missing a beat. Now Allison stared. Slowly, the slight confusion gave way to something else. For the first time she smiled. It wasn't a small awkward upturn of the lips; it was a legitimate facial expression. An expression which he found oddly adorable.

She let out a laugh, batting a lock of hair away from her eyes. "Castiel? Seriously? Did your parents hate you?"

Now it was his turn to chuckle. No comment on how elegant and old-world it sounded. This was also new to him. Heck, the first time he'd met Lisa the first thing she'd said was that his name sounded gorgeous. He wondered if it was the painkillers, or if she found his name genuinely funny. Cas didn't ruin her moment, instead he went with it.

"I think they might have."