Faded (The Sequel To Colors)

Part 14

The second we woke up in the early morning, we headed out. We packed the bags into the Impala and Kristyn's van and got in. Dean, Sam, the still-unconscious Patricia, the now-patched-up-but-still-weak Kilee, and Isaac all took the Impala. Me, Alex, Kristyn, Gabriel, and Sara all packed into the van. We painted a demon trap on the roof of the vehicle and trapped Sara in it, I sat in the back with Alex and watched her, then Kristyn and Gabriel took the front seats. 

The archangel leaned back in his seat and fell asleep as we pulled out onto the road and followed the Winchester's down the highway. Alex found fun in an old bag of peanuts he found under the seat, he kept throwing them at Sara. She was, at first, angry and annoyed, but quickly became hungry and tried to catch them in her mouth. Most of them missed and when she failed to grab them from the air, they would fall out of the demon trap and she'd stare at them sadly, unable to get to them.

The first day of driving went by quickly, and when we were in Ohio-- almost to Indiana-- we all pulled into the parking lot of a cheap motel. Dean, Sam, Isaac, and Kilee all got out of the Impala; me, Kristyn, and Gabriel got out of the van. Alex stayed in to watch Sara. We agreed on getting two rooms: Dean and I would share a bed, Patricia would get the other bed, and Sam would take the small couch; Isaac and Kilee would bunk together, Kristyn and Gabriel would bunk, Alex gets the couch, and Sara was getting a lovely demon trap bed on the floor. We all set up the arrangements and rested for the rest of the afternoon. We all hung out in our rooms and chatted, eating and taking a break from the fourteen hours of driving. As the night wore on, Kristyn grew a bit restless. She got up and said she'd be back soon, then left the room without even grabbing her jacket.

~~~~~~~~

I stepped outside and was tempted to go back in and grab a coat. I watched through the window as Gabriel stared at the door for a few moments, then sat back in the bed and went back to sleep. He looked so peaceful. The winter air chilled me to the bone as I ran down the street. I don't know what was pulling me along, but I felt like I was on a leash. I ran faster and eventually skidded to a stop on a dark street, I cautiously stepped down an even darker alleyway. It went on for a long while, then turned. I was stopped right before the turn by a young kid. He ran up and gasped.

"Are you here to see El Diablo?" He asked, his eyes wide. I frowned in confusion. My weirdo psychic flash brought me to what was probably some gang leader? I sighed and nodded.

"Uh, yeah, I guess."

"He's this way, senor."

"Ah, it's senora. Or La Jefe. I go by either one." I said with a cheeky smile. He chuckled and blushed slightly.

"Mi disculpas, senora." I smiled, he seemed surprised that I was fluent in Spanish. He beckoned for me to follow and we turned down the alley, then walked down some. He opened a door and I went into the building. He refused to enter. "I'm not allowed in there, El Jefe has said so."

"That's okay. Thanks for the help, amigo." He nodded and grinned, then closed the door. 

I looked ahead, a hallway with dark blue walls-- all splattered with red-- stretched out in front of me. I started walking, curious as to what was at the end. The wood floors creaked under every footstep of mine. I started to hear something, just faintly. It was someone singing, I listened closely. 

"There's a lady who's sure
All that glitters is gold
And she's buying a stairway to heaven." 

I chuckled. Led Zeppelin, nice. I continued walking, the singing got louder.

"When she gets there she knows
If the stores are all closed
With a word she can get what she came for."

I realized that the voice seemed familiar. I was nearing the end of the hallway, and the singing was somewhat loud now.

"Ooh, ooh, and she's buying a stairway to heaven."

I reached a door at the end. I gently pushed it open. A few people sat around, some smoked and some spoke quietly. The singing stopped and I looked straight ahead. In a large and grand chair, sat an old friend of mine and Cas'. He wore a leather jacket and sunglasses, one of the lens had popped out and the other was cracked. He watched me wearily, he slowly stood up and walked up to me. Everyone in the room froze as I stepped inside and the man reached me. He smiled softly and touched my face, then slowly stuck his hands in his pockets.

"And I thought you Novak's were all dead." Lucifer said with a small laugh.

"And us to you."

"Us? Is... Is Castiel alive?" He furrowed his brows. I nodded, tears formed in his eyes. "Kristyn... And Castiel... I can't believe it."

"I didn't believe it at first either, Luci. Cas has been dead for ten years, but he's back."

Lucifer wiped away his tears and let out a shaky laugh. "I... Can I see him?"

"Of course. Us and some friends are at a motel, we're heading to Kansas."

"Kansas? That's a long way. A full day of driving."

"Yeah, no kidding. We're driving there from Maine."

"Damn..." Lucifer smiled. "Well, I'd like to come along if you don't mind. I'll pack my bags real quick!" 

He ran off without a response from me. I mean, I was happy to see him and wanted him to come along, but would the others? He came back out, struggling to stuff a few shirts into a backpack. He fit them in and closed the bag, then slung it over his shoulder and smiled. His broken sunglasses just barely reflected my face, I could see my own smile.

"Well, let's go, Luci. Time to get back to the motel." He nodded and we left together.