Shattered: The Sequel to Mirrors

Soul and Grace

Dean wrapped one arm around Alfie's shoulder as they walked back toward the house, throwing his other arm around Ash. Things had actually turned out well, for once. They had Ash back. They had killed Abaddon. The angels were mostly dead, and Azazel...well, they'd deal with that issue eventually. Michael opened the door them and they all stumbled in, half-drunk on their adrenaline high and giddiness. They sobered up real quick though. 

"Guys?" Sam asked. He was bloody, and he had Adam laid on one of the couches. He had taken a pretty bad beating and was unconscious. Alfie rushed to his side. 

"What happened?" Michael asked. Sam opened his mouth and then looked around the room. Dean followed his gaze. There were six dead bodies, blood on the walls and carpets. And there was Cas. The angel was still and laid out on the other couch, face pale and eyes shut. 

"Is he..?" the words died in Dean's throat. 

"Cassie?" Gabriel asked, rushing to his brother's side. 

"He's alive. I just...we were here, and then...." Sam couldn't seem to get the words out. Michael sat down next to the kneeling younger Winchester and wrapped him into a hug. Sam let himself be hugged by Michael and Dean just stood there, dumbfounded. Gilda and Charlie walked into the room with a first aid kit. 

"You guys are back!" Charlie said, hugging Dean. At that moment, Meg came barreling down the stairs. 

"I don't care if you don't like to be hugged, I'm hugging the hell out of you," Meg said as she pulled Ash into a hug. Charlie quickly went to hug Ash who was in deep protest of a group hug. Dean took the temporary distraction to go to Castiel. Gabriel was sitting at his brother's side, holding onto Castiel's unmoving hand. 

"Cassie? I need you to wake up, okay?" Gabriel said softly. "I can't lose you too. I need you, you big baby in a trenchcoat." He wiped at the tears on his face angrily as he saw Dean. Dean sat down beside him and his hand climbed cautiously to Castiel's face. He ran his thumb along the angel's jaw, and remembered how it had been to feel the angel's lips. 

"What happened Sam?" Michael asked. Sam cleared his throat, seemingly gaining back some of his composure. 

"I woke up and found the note you left me," Sam said to Gabriel. "So I left the room and Cas was in the hallway too. Adam came up the stairs and we were talking when we heard noises downstairs. We thought it was you guys, but Castiel wanted to be sure. He went downstairs. And then one of the angels came from a window or something, I'm not sure. And he attacked Adam and me. He...did his best to protect me," Sam said, face filled with guilt. Alfie ran a hand over Adam's newly healed face. "But then the angel tied me up and took me downstairs. He...he..." Sam trailed off again and pointed to one of the bodies. Dean honestly hadn't been paying enough attention to the dead people in the room. 

He attempted to climb over and see who it was, but Charlie shooed him away. 

"It's John. You don't need to see it," Charlie said. "Azazel killed him." 

"I thought the angels attacked you," Michael said. 

"They must have been working with Azazel. He was going to kill me, but then Cas...I don't know. He did his things with the angels. He stole their grace and then he killed Azazel. And then he passed out and we can't wake him up," Sam said. Dean put a comforting hand on his brother's shoulder. 

"It might just take him some time to come to. Don't worry," Michael said, even though he had worry etched into his skin. "You should all get some sleep." Gilda and Charlie helped Alfie carry a still unconscious Adam to the basement (even though the angel insisted he would have no problem doing it) and then retreated to their room. Meg had chilled out a bit and her and Ash went up to their room. Soon it was just Sam and Michael. 

"Come on, Sam, let's get you in bed," Michael said. 

"And you get some sleep too," Gabriel said to Michael. Michael glanced at Dean in concern, but Dean nodded. Gabriel climbed to his feet and wrapped Sam in a hug. Sam hugged him back, kissing the top of the archangel's head. "Get some sleep, Mooseman." 

"Okay," Sam said. "Love you," he mumbled. 

"Love you too," Gabriel responded before both of the other Winchesters went up the stairs. He sat back down on the coffee table and looked at his brother. Dean could tell something was wrong from how dejected Gabriel looked. 

"What is it?" Dean asked. 

"His grace. It's breaking. I've never seen anything like it...he's just falling apart," Gabriel mumbled. Dean glanced over at the archangel. 

"Is he going to wake up?" Dean asked. He cleared his throat, as if that was going to help clear the tears in his eyes. Thank Chuck it was dark. 

"I don't think so," Gabriel said. "I really am sorry, about what I said earlier. It's not fair to you. You don't remember..." 

"I get it. You were just trying to protect your brother," Dean said. "I would be just as bad with Sammy." 

"You were actually pretty bad with Sammy, actually," Gabriel mused. Dean chuckled and could only imagine the hell he had put Gabriel through. 

"Can I...get a second alone, with Cas?" Dean asked, his voice gruff. Gabriel nodded. 

"Yeah, I should go see Samsquatch anyway," Gabriel said. Dean didn't want to think about what that meant so instead just nodded. Gabriel climbed to his feet and left the room. 

"Hey Cas," Dean said softly, taking one of Castiel's hands in his own and sliding onto the couch so that he was sitting at Castiel's side. "I'm sorry. For what happened before. I don't know why you scare me so much. Maybe it's because we must have loved each other a whole hell of a lot if losing me did this to you. Maybe it's because we must have loved each other so much that even without my memories I know that I'm still crazy for you. I don't know. Honestly, I wish I could tell all of this to you with you awake, but if you were awake, I'd probably just push you away. I'm sort of good at that." Dean slid his hand up Castiel's arm and over his face. "I really just think I'm no good for you." 

He leaned down and kissed the angel gently. He pulled away as he felt it. It was like a gentle tug on something internal, like when something brings back a long forgotten memory. But this wasn't his memories. It was like something was pulling at his soul. He leaned back down for another kiss and felt it again. This time, he didn't pull away. He kissed Castiel's lips, his cheeks, his forehead, his nose. He was kissing his jaw when the noise started. Dean almost sat up until he saw that Castiel's wings had appeared, the bones now empty of feathers. He continued kissing the angel and letting his hands explore his chest and remember the shape of his arms. By the time he finally pulled away, he was shocked by the sight. 

Castiel's wings were no longer charred skeletal wing bones. They were healthy, covered in raven black feathers. One was thrown over the back of the couch, extending into the kitchen with it's tip unfurling on the kitchen table. The other one drapped over the coffee table and went almost all the way to the door. Dean slid a hand over the feathers. They weren't charred, rough and on the verge of falling out. They were silky and soft underneath his touch. 

Dean didn't need to wonder. He knew he had done this. Castiel's grace had found it's way into Dean's soul and used it to heal itself. Dean had a feeling it wasn't just that Castiel needed a soul. He needed the love of his soulmate. Dean climbed to his feet and kissed Castiel's forehead one last time. He had done his job. The demons were gone, the angels were gone. 

And now, he said as he pulled on his coat, so am I. 

Hello! I'm supposed to be doing homework...because I legit have so much and I don't know how I'm going to do it all. But instead of doing it, I'm here writing. I also stayed up till like...two in the morning. Why you ask? For absolutely no reason. I just couldn't sleep. I'm gonna go die now at school. 

I have the honor to be your obedient servant.