Fallen From Grace

Chapter Two: Goodbye Grace

Blood soaks the back of a tan trench coat. 

Anyone would think the person lying on the ground, starting to bathe in a pool of his own blood was dead. But the small rise and fall of his chest as he takes uneven breaths would say otherwise. 

The white shirt under the layers of clothes is no longer white. Two gashes on the person's back would make someone question what the hell happened to the poor man. If we were to regain consciousness he would tell you, 'My wings were ripped out, I am a human now'. 

This is the situation Castiel, a former Angel of the Lord found himself in. Unconscious, beaten and oh-so-bloody. 

Nobody seemed to care about the ex-angel lying on the ground, everyone had a place to be at this point in time, nobody seemed to have time for the poor man who could be lying on his deathbed. This is what Castiel was now, a human that no-one seemed to care for. He was no longer a powerful angel or soldier of the Lord. He was mortal, he bled, he cried, he got hungry, he got thirsty, he slept. 

A small gasp of pain escaped past Castiel's lips as he started to regain consciousness. He felt pain. Blue eyes snapped open as he looked around frantically, where was he? Everything would suddenly come back to the ex-angel, everything that happened. 

Pain

Suffering

Agony

Darkness

Castiel sat up ever so slowly and looked around. He remembered, 'I'm in Colorado. I was trying to get to Sam and Dean. No...I need to get to Sam and Dean.'

✞✞✞

"C'mon Cas, pick up." Dean muttered under his breath as he paced back and forth. He had been trying to get in contact with the angel. He had prayed, but when no one answered he had resorted to calling Castiel on the cell phone he had given him. But just like before, Castiel didn't answer.

"Dean, chill out. The dude's probably busy." Sam said, trying to get his brother to stop pacing around.

"Yeah, you're right. Doing angel things and whatnot." The older Winchester sighed and finally sat down in a seat across from Sam. "I'll try later." 

Sam sighed and Dean glared at him. 

✞✞✞

Five days.

It had taken Castiel five days to arrive in Lebanon, Kansas. How? A lot of hitchhiking, and walking - or stumbling in Castiel's case. 

Everyone he had hitchhiked with would as him the same question. 

"Are you okay? You should go to hospital." And Castiel would always reply with the same answer. "No, I don't need a hospital." He needed Sam and Dean. The brothers would help him, they would help him get his grace and wings back. Castiel just had to hang onto that small little bit of hope. 

Finally, after five torturous days. He had made it. He was standing outside the bunker. He was here, he didn't care if it was nearly midnight. He was here. Just a few more steps. 

One step

Two steps

Three steps

Four

Five

Six

Seven and

Knock, knock, knock..

Knock. 

✞✞✞

Four loud knocks jolted Dean awake. He checked the clock, 11:56pm. Who the hell would be here at this time. 

Who would be? Only a handful of people Dean and Sam knew, knew about the bunker. So who...

Dean quickly got up and grabbed a small handgun from his bedside table and slowly walked out his bedroom. 

Everything was silent so far. Save for the occasional snore emitting from Sam's room, telling Dean that his younger brother was still asleep.

  ✞✞✞  

Castiel waited,  waited for one of the two brothers to answer. He was swaying on the spot. He was exhausted. So many times he had passed out from sheer exhaustion. 

He thinks the bleeding had stopped, he wouldn't tell anymore, he was so weak and numb to the pain.

Finally, the door slowly opened. 

He was met with a gun, and the owner of the gun, Castiel could just make out who it was. Brownish-blonde hair and bright, emerald green eyes. 

"Dean..."

"Cas?"

Green eyes met blue. But they weren't the blue eyes Dean had seen so many times. They were dark now, full of pain and sadness.

"What the hell happened to you, Cas?"

"I-"

"Cas!" And just like that, for what seemed like the hundredth time. Castiel passed out. Instead of being met with the hard ground like all the times before, Castiel was caught.

"C'mon Cas, I gottcha buddy."

  ✞✞✞  

Unconsciousness was the only time Castiel escaped the pain. But the peace never lasted, for when Castiel was unconsciousness to the world around him. The nightmares came. They were mostly just replays of the events that happened. But that in itself is torture, having to relive everything.

But this time...it was different. He was pain free and the nightmares never came.

Castiel wondered why. Why was this time so different?

"C'mon Cas,"

That was why, he was safe now. He had made it to his destination. Everything was going to head uphill from here.

"I gottcha buddy."