Supernatural Fan Fiction ❯ Angels and Demons: A Supernatural Fanfic ❯ Exculpation ( Chapter 6 )

6. Exculpation

A Hotel Room 12:59 p.m.

Rachel awoke in the dark. At first she thought that she was dead, but then she saw a street lamp's dim, flickering light shining through a window and revoked the thought. She knew that she couldn't be in the convent anymore, because it hadn't had windows. She felt herself lying on something soft, almost like a bed. She heard breathing beside her and cautiously reached out, her hand brushing against something warm and alive, something human. Her hand went down further and she felt something like buttons on a shirt. The shirt itself felt thin because she could feel the warmth emanating from the body it covered. A hand suddenly grabbed hers and she let out a small gasp as she was pulled onto the body she'd been exploring. Strong hands held her by the arms in place and even though Rachel knew she should have been scared, she wasn't. She knew the body must belong to a man, because his muscled chest was pressed against her breasts. The spicy scent of male drifted to her nostrils, whispering of a familiarity. The room was too dark for her to make anything out clearly and she internally cursed the poor sense of eyesight that mortals possessed.

“Rachel? Is that you?” a groggy male voice asked. Rachel let herself relax, realizing who it belonged to.

“Yes Cas, it's me.” His iron clad grip on her arms eased. “I thought so. I recognized the way you smelled, the way your body felt against mine. Do you have any idea of where we are?”

Rachel felt herself blush. His male physique and scent hadn't gone unnoticed by her. “I don't know where we are. We're not dead though. I can hear others breathing and I'm assuming that Grace and Dean aren't very far away.” A bright light filled the room. Rachel and Castiel squeezed their eyes shut because the sudden change in lighting had hurt their eyes.

“I guess you two like to do it in the dark huh? Well sorry, but I like the light on.” Dean said, having turned the lamp on by his bed. Grace was awake too, and she surveyed the two angels with amusement. “So um, Dean and I didn't interrupt anything right? We can get another room and leave you two alone if you want.” She said giggling. Castiel and Rachel exchanged glances, realizing how they must look with her laying on top of him. Blushing furiously, Rachel got off of him and they both sat up, Castiel looking equally embarrassed.

“What the heck happened?” a male voice said. Rachel and Grace looked down in the floor between the two beds and saw Sam lying on the carpet. After he got up Dean glared at him and said that he was going to find out where they were.

“Dean wait! There's something I need to say. I'm sorry and-…”

“Shut your cakehole Sam. I don't want to hear it.” Dean said, walking out the door.

“What's his problem?” Sam asked as he sat on the edge of the bed.

“Well, it probably has to do with the fact that you walked away from him when he begged you not to.” Grace murmured.

“Not to mention the fact that you freed Lucifer and the Apocalypse has begun.” Castiel said.

“So…..basically, everything is my fault right now?”

“Yeah, basically.” Rachel interjected.

Sam sighed and shook his head. “I thought Dean forgave me for everything. You guys have, haven't you?”

Grace shrugged and Castiel looked torn. “Well, I don't know about everyone else, but I forgave you the moment I realized you were being manipulated into it. You didn't know Ruby's plan, so you weren't completely at fault. But you also willingly left us to go your own way and ignored any help we tried to give you. I can forgive you Sam, but forgetting is going to be the hard part.” Rachel murmured.

“Do you think Dean can forgive me?”

“Just give him some time to cool off. He's really glad that you're alive, but he's also mad because the end of the world is here and the angels and demons are going to be pitted against each other. Apparently, you and Dean are at the forefront of that.” Grace said. Sam just looked confused, so Castiel explained what they knew about Zachariah's plan for the two brothers.

“Well, I'm not taking part in that so he'll just have to find someone else.” Sam said with finality, crossing his arms.

“I hope you have a choice Sam. Zachariah is not easily dissuaded.” Castiel said. Dean walked back into the room and explained that they were in a hotel in Colorado and had the room reserved for the night. No one knew how they had gotten there, but Rachel had an idea.

“I prayed for protection before Lucifer came out of the pit. This must be God's way of protecting us.”

“Speaking of Lucifer, I wonder where he is anyway.” Grace murmured.

“Is there anything we can do to defeat Lucifer that doesn't involve me or Dean being used as meat suits for the final battle?” Sam asked.

Rachel nibbled her lip, thinking hard. “Well……there might be one way to stop it.”

“Alright, let's hear it.” Sam said.

“Michael put Lucifer into Hell using a specific sword, Michael's sword it's called. If we can find that, then we should be able to put Lucifer back into Hell without a problem.”

“What, your sword can't do the trick?” Dean asked. Rachel sighed regretfully and shook her head. “No, sorry, but it just isn't strong enough, even with all of my power. Michael's sword is our best option.”

“Great, so how do we find it? I mean, we can't Google it can we?” Dean asked.

“No. We'd need to ask the angels themselves.” Castiel replied.

“Okay….so do you guys know, since you're angels and all?” he asked, a hint of sarcasm coloring his voice.

“Don't get smart Dean. It's annoying. Just because we're immortal, don't assume we know everything. Castiel and I can't exactly go to Heaven and ask around either, considering the fact that helping you means we rebelled against Heaven. That's like treason. We're probably wanted dead for it.” Rachel said, sounding irritated.

“You two could die for helping a couple of mortals?” Grace asked incredulously.

“Yes. Rachel and I disobeyed a direct order. In our book, that's like a death warrant. Angels who rebel are fallen, and they can turn into demons, not unlike you.” Castiel said.

Grace rolled her eyes and snorted. “Okay then, is there anyone on Earth you know who could help us?”

Rachel's eyes lit up. “Well, there is someone who might know.” She pulled out her cell phone and called a long ago friend who owed her a few favors. A few moments later another angel appeared. She had long honey blonde hair and sea green eyes. She was tall and slim with a California tan and a dazzling white smile. Wearing shorts, a tank top, and flip flops, she wasn't exactly dressed for the cool Colorado weather, but she looked comfortable none the less.

“Rachel! It's been so long!” she said enthusiastically, throwing her arms around her. After a brief hug Rachel turned to introduce her to the group.

“Dean, Sam, Grace, and Castiel, this is Cassandra Snow. Cassie, these are my friends Sam and Dean Winchester, Grace Mathews, and Castiel.” They all shook hands.

“Hey, I know you! You're that guy that Rachel was always talking about. It's nice to finally meet you in person! You were with the angels in the garrison right?” Cassie asked enthusiastically, shaking Castiel's hand.

“Um, yes, that was me.” He answered; taken aback that she knew who he was.

“Okay. Let's get down to business. You wanted to know where the sword of Michael is.” Cassie asked. Rachel nodded. “You need it to defeat Lucifer right?” Rachel nodded again and Cassie looked at Sam. “Nice job bringing the Apocalypse on us all. Don't feel too bad, if it wasn't you it would have been someone else. It may have been a few thousand years in the future, but it would have happened eventually.” She said, seeing Sam's dejected and guilty expression. She looked back at Rachel. “Well, sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but with all the confusion over the seals and Lucifer being freed, we sort of……um……lost it.”

“You lost it?!” Dean yelled. “How the hell did that happen? You guys are freaking angels! You don't get to make mistakes, we do!” he said, gesturing at Sam and himself.

Cassie's eyes narrowed. “Well maybe if you'd stopped your brother like you were supposed to, none of this would have happened.”

“She's right Dean. You can't completely blame Sam for all of this either. He may have broken the final seal, but you broke the first one.” Castiel said.

“What? How did I do that?”

“Simple, you shed a righteous man's blood in Hell. You opened the first door and Sam opened the last one.” Rachel murmured.

Dean muttered a few curse words. “Great, so now what?”

“Well, the way I see it, you two started it, so you get to finish it.” Cassie said.

“Alright fine. So, where is this sword? Is there any way we can find out?” Dean said irritably.

“I know just who to ask.” Cassie said, pulling out her phone. “I can just call my sister. She's good with artifact recovery stuff, so just hold on a minute.”

After Cassie had talked to her sister she hung up and told them what she knew. “Okay, Heather says that the sword is on Earth, and more specifically, it's in a castle on top of 42 dogs.”

“Um, Cassie, that doesn't make any sense.” Rachel said.

Cassie shrugged. “I'm just the messenger. It's what Heather told me.”

“Well maybe she's wrong.” Dean muttered. Cassie turned to him and glared. “Well maybe we are. Oh, wait a minute, the wise and all knowing Dean Winchester said angels like us don't get to make mistakes as you so eloquently put it, so that can't be right.” She snapped.

Dean met Cassie's glare and she put her hands on her hips. “Would it kill you to have a little faith in us? Heather knows what she's talking about, she's been doing this for decades. But hey, if you don't believe me, go ahead and try looking yourself. You won't get very far.”

“Thanks for the help.” Dean muttered after Grace had elbowed him.

“Oh, while I'm here, have you accepted Jesus Christ as your personal savior? God loves you Dean.” Cassie said smiling. Dean groaned. “Then please for the love of God, don't start preaching to me. I'm already stuck with two angels every day; I don't need to hear it from a third.”

Cassie gave him a pitying glance before looking at Castiel and Rachel. “Good luck with that one.” She said, pointing at Dean. She gave them a wave goodbye and disappeared.

“I wonder what Heather could have possibly meant by the sword being in a castle on top of 42 dogs.” Rachel murmured, biting her lip again as she thought while sitting on the bed. Castiel sat beside her, thinking as well. Sam and Dean left them to steam in their intellectual juices while they went to get something to eat. Grace found a pamphlet on HIV/AIDS and started reading it. Once Sam and Dean got back, carrying about a dozen cheeseburgers and a case of beer, everyone sat down and they tried to figure out what Heather's cryptic message could have meant.

“Well, we know it can't be taken literally, so there's one option down.” Grace said in between sips of beer and bites of her cheeseburger.

“Maybe it has something to do with dad.” Sam muttered, grabbing a couple of cheeseburgers out of the brown paper bag and tossing it to Castiel and Rachel. Dean had been the first to get his food.

Dean chewed thoughtfully. “Hey, dad used to have a room at the Castle storage on 42 Rover Hill.”

Rachel's eyes widened. “That's probably what Heather meant.” She grabbed a cheeseburger, inspecting it warily, debating on whether to sniff it and see if it was really a cheeseburger. She looked over at Castiel who had already managed to eat two and was gunning for his third.

“I hope you guys ate what you wanted. It looks like Cas is going to finish off the rest of the bag.” She said laughingly. Castiel was halfway through his third cheeseburger.

“Well, I guess we're off to the Castle storage place.” Dean said as he and Grace got up. Sam followed them and so did Rachel. She looked back at Castiel and laughed. “Come on Cas, you can eat those on the way!” he got up, the bag of cheeseburgers in hand, and followed her.

The Crown Storage, 42 Rover Hill 6:45 a.m.

Dean parked the car on the far side of the building. Everyone got out and walked inside the storage place as quietly as possible. As they walked inside, Dean flipped the light switch and overhead lights on the sealing lit up the room with a white, sterile light. Dean was shocked to find the room empty.

“Maybe it's the wrong one. Dad had storage units all over the country I'm sure.” Sam said. Dean shook his head. “I don't think so. This is the only storage unit with the address we need. I can't believe it's empty. It's not like dad to pull a stunt like this.”

“Maybe we're just not looking hard enough.” Grace reasoned. They all split up and searched every nook and cranny of the room but could find nothing.

“This blows. Why the hell would dad send us on a wild goose chase? The sword isn't here!” Dean exclaimed. Just at that moment, a bright light filled the room. Once it had dissipated, Zachariah and a dozen other angels stood in midst of the group.

“Hello Dean.” Zachariah said.

“Not you again! Can't you take a hint? I want to be left alone! I won't be part of your stupid plan and neither will Sam. We're not interested in being angel condoms.” Dean groused.

Grace bit her tongue to keep from laughing and Sam chuckled softly. Castiel glared at Zachariah in irritation and Rachel reached inside her jacket, gripping her sword.

Zachariah was not amused. “I didn't come here to waste time Dean Winchester. The sword you are looking for is in this very room. You are the sword of Michael, his vessel.”

Dean and Sam looked dumbfounded. Grace licked her lips nervously, unsure of what to think. Castiel and Rachel stood in silence.

“I know, you must be shocked, but it's really quite simple. You are Michael's vessel, his sword, and your brother Sam is Lucifer's sword, or vessel, but you and I have already been through this. You don't have a choice in the matter you know. You will do as I command.” Zachariah said menacingly.

“I don't think so. I've already told you no. You just don't get it do you? You can't make me do anything, and neither can anyone else.” Dean said tersely.

A hollow, diabolical laugh resounded from the throat of Zachariah. It sent a shiver down Dean's spine. “Oh Dean, poor mortal Dean. If I want to, I can make you do anything I want.”

“I don't like this.” Castiel whispered to Rachel.

“I know Cas, I don't either, but we need to let him make the first move and see what his game is.” Rachel whispered back. Grace stood a few feet behind Dean and Sam. She reached into the pocket of her jeans and felt her dagger, cold and reassuring. If Zachariah made one move to hurt Dean or Sam she would annihilate him.

Dean and Zachariah's gazes locked, defiant, angry, uncompromising. Dean was so focused on the angel that he jumped in surprise and turned sharply around when Sam cried out. He saw his little brother lying on the floor with his right leg twisted at an odd angle. It was obviously broken. Sam screamed in agony as Zachariah broke his other leg. Dean turned to him, filled with rage and anger.

“See Dean? I can make you do anything I want you to.” He said mockingly. “How about I give your friend Bobby Singer paralysis? Would you like that?”

“You sorry son of a bitch!” Dean snarled, lunging toward Zachariah. Before he could reach him however, he felt a pain in his stomach so severe that he doubled over in pain, hitting the ground and curling into the fetal position, yelling in anguish. “That's what stage four stomach cancer feels like without morphine.” Zachariah said acidly.

Grace had enough and pulled out her dagger. It may not kill angels, but it would certainly do a number on their meat suits. She ran at Zachariah full tilt but a couple of other angels met her before she could get to him. she dodged their punches and leapt up in the air, round house kicking both of them so hard that they sailed away from her and hit the back wall, temporarily stunned. She turned and found three other angels at her heels. She punched one in the face, splitting it open, and stabbed the other one with her dagger a few times before knocking him out. The third one grabbed her and threw her across the room. She hit the metal wall with a loud thud. He came closer to her but Castiel thrust his hand out at him, murmuring a few words in the ancient language. Grace's attacker was consumed in white flames. Castiel turned his attention to two other angels that were coming towards them. He did the same thing to two of them and grabbed the third one, placing his palm on the assailants head and knocking him out cold. Grace got up, and as Castiel ducked, she aimed a kick at yet another angel, hitting it squarely in the chest with her high heeled shoe.

The whole time that Castiel and Grace had been fighting Zachariah's body guards, Rachel had kept her attention on him. Sam and Dean writhed in agony on the ground and Zachariah laughed menacingly. Dean screamed in agony and Grace ran to his defense. She charged at Zachariah, no other angels in her way to distract her or protect him. She managed to punch him once before he retaliated.

“I'll send you back to Hell for that you accursed demon!” he screeched, hitting her with an energy blast of white light. Grace flew backward and skidded across the floor.

“Not if I throw you in first you bastard!” Rachel yelled, pulling out her sword and slashing at Zachariah. She sliced open his chest in two places and burned his skin wherever her sword connected with flesh. The wounds bled profusely, being deep, and within seconds his entire chest was covered in blood. Zachariah screeched in agony and anger. Rachel whirled around and missed cutting off the top of his head by mere inches. He lost his balance, trying to dodge a barrage of attacks, and fell on the ground. Rachel aimed her flaming sword at his chest and spoke. “You know when the final seal opened that Castiel and I were there, along with Dean, Sam, and Grace. We escaped unharmed and ended up in a motel many miles away. The mortals can't fathom how that happened, but you and I have a pretty good idea.” She said, smirking in triumph and glancing at the Heavens. Zachariah got the hint, because he stammered something about following orders and how this had never been his idea. He looked over at Sam and Dean and took away the sickness and pain he had inflicted on them. Before he disappeared he said, “Lucifer has come close to finding his vessel. We shall meet again.” Then, he and the rest of his angels left as fast as they could.

Rachel walked over to Sam and Dean, sliding her sword back into her coat pocket, making sure that they were truly normal again. Grace ran over to Dean, looking a little nervous and scared, but he gave her his best smile, claiming he was fine, and stood up. Castiel joined them, helping Sam up and asking how he was. Sam said he was fine, his legs being healed and usable.

Everyone walked out to the car, quiet. The news of who the vessels were and how they would be used had shocked everyone. They had much to think over that night, and on the drive to the hotel no one said anything, feeling drained and tired.

The hotel 9:19 a.m.

Dean went to the check in desk and rented three rooms for the day. He was still mad at Sam and didn't want to be anywhere near him. Castiel and Rachel were nice, but he wanted a day for him and Grace alone, and he knew that they wouldn't mind because they didn't want to know what Dean and Grace did behind closed doors, much less be in the same room and hear or see it. “Those aren't very clean thoughts Dean.” Castiel had murmured to Dean as they had entered the hotel lobby a few moments previous.

It was best that Castiel and Rachel got their own room after all. He wasn't mean enough to put them in a room with Sam, which would just be awkward for the two angels.

He reserved the rooms and handed Sam and Rachel their room keys. They all got in the elevator. Once they had reached the 7th floor they all parted ways.

Well, almost everyone.

“Dean, can I please talk to you, just for a few minutes?” Sam asked him, his eyes shining with a silent plea. Dean, who even in his anger could barely deny Sam anything, handed Grace the room key. “Here. Go inside and put on something sexy. I'll need to relax after this.” He said. Grace smiled, kissed him lightly, and whispered, “Don't be too long.”

Once she was gone Sam and Dean talked.

“Dean, I'm sorry…” Sam began. Dean regarded him resentfully but met his gaze. “I know what I did was wrong, and I wish to God there was something I could do to make things right again, but I can't. Things can never be the way they used to be, no matter how badly I want it. I'm sorry Dean, for everything I've done these past few weeks, for being addicted to the demon blood, for listening to Ruby, all of it. I'll do whatever it takes to make things right between us if you'll let me. Please Dean; all I want is your forgiveness.”

Dean's jaw locked and he glared at Sam. “If you want my forgiveness then you'll have to keep waiting. You left me, your friends, and your family, everyone who's ever meant anything to you behind when you walked out of that door yesterday. I wasn't joking when I told you we were through Sam. After everything you've done, you don't deserve my forgiveness. I'm sorry, but I can't forgive you, not for this. You chose demon blood over me, you chose Ruby over us. You've started the Apocalypse Sam! What the hell do you expect me to do? What human in their right mind would forgive you for that?!”

Dean paused and took a breath, looking away from Sam so he wouldn't see the tears in his eyes.

“We're through Sammy. This is it. Goodbye. Have a nice life. This is the end of the road for us.” Dean walked to his hotel room door and turned, taking one last look at his baby brother.

“Dean, don't do this. Dean, please….” Sam sobbed quivering, reaching a desperate hand out to him. But Dean just turned away and walked into his room, closing the door, leaving Sam standing helplessly outside.

Alone.

Rachel sighed as she sat on the queen sized bed and flipped through the TV guide, trying to find something to watch. She finally settled on a cooking show and half heartedly watched it, waiting anxiously for Castiel to return. After she had gotten the room key he had claimed that he needed to run an important errand but that he would join her shortly. Rachel had assumed it was a Heavenly mission and thought that it might take awhile.

She sat cross legged on the bed, trying to understand the French cook as he poured some mixture that looked like a soufflé into the pan and set it in the oven. She tensed when she heard a knock at the door but figured it was room service, only they had the wrong room. She opened the door and was surprised to find Castiel standing there.

“Well, that didn't take long.” Rachel said happily, feeling amused because Castiel had four brown paper sacks in his hands and she had a good idea of what they contained. She let him inside and giggled as he pulled out a cheeseburger.

“How many of those did you get?” she asked, grabbing one and sitting beside him on the bed. He shrugged as he took a bite. She estimated that he had at least 50 of them. For a few moments they ate in contented silence, their eyes shining with happiness and their faces plastered with blissful smiles. After Rachel had finished hers, she waited for Castiel to finish his, and 6 cheeseburgers later he was through. He placed the rest on the bedside table, shrugged off his heavy trench coat, and laid back on the bed, sighing in contentment. Rachel slipped her own jacket off, pulling her weapon out of the interior pocket and placing it on the nightstand next to her. Her shoes and socks lay on the ground at the foot of the bed, as did Castiel's. Around the mortals they would never be so relaxed, but when it was just them they weren't afraid to unwind.

Rachel moved closer to him and he smiled, wrapped his arms around her, and pulled her against his chest. She pressed herself into him and laced her arms around his neck, burying her face in his neck. Her toes curled as she caught a whiff of his male scent, unconsciously rubbing her body against his the slightest bit, her leg resting on his hip. She heard him groan softly as he buried his face in her hair, nuzzling her neck, the stubble on his face tickling her sensitive skin and causing her to giggle.

She heard him laugh softly, almost darkly. It sent shivers of nervous excitement through her. She whimpered softly as he ran his fingers through her hair and down her back, stopping at her butt. He squeezed it lightly and she gasped, arching into him. His hand grazed her hip and slipped under her shirt as he kissed her neck softly. His hand slipped over her belly and reached up, cupping her breast through the satin material of her bra. His fingers caressed with butterfly light touches, teasing her. He grew bolder and gently fondled her breast, teasing her nipple by rubbing his thumb back and forth across it. Rachel shuddered in his arms and moaned, her hands slipping from his neck to his shoulders, aching to touch his skin. He continued his stroking, moving to her other breast as she unbuttoned his shirt. She whispered his name softly as her hands caressed the muscles that rippled underneath the skin of his chest and abdomen. She pulled his shirt out from where it had been tucked in his pants, feeling the heat from his body as her hands flowed over the creases in the thin material. She slipped her hands where the shirt had been, touching his feverishly hot skin. Her body trembled as she felt him groan her name, feeling something hard and hot against her thigh.

Castiel's mouth found hers and they kissed, their lips parting and their tongues melding, exploring each other's mouths and loving the way the other tasted. The kiss was long, slow, heavy, hot, and gentle. Rachel felt Castiel roll on top of her and straddle her hips, pressing against her, surrounding her with heat and need. They kissed with longing, passion, fire, love. Rachel moaned in the kiss, her breasts feeling heavy, her body on fire, heat pooling in her core. In the back of her mind she knew it was forbidden, a sin, to be with him like this, but she didn't care. At that moment, all she wanted was for Castiel to take her and make her a woman, his woman. She knew with a certainty that no flames of hell could be hotter than the flames that were consuming her body and mind.

And then the telephone rang.

It took a few seconds for Rachel and Castiel to realize what had happened. Once their thoughts were clear they separated, Castiel rolling off of her and answering the phone.

“Hello?” he looked at Rachel, almost ashamedly, and handed her the phone. Sam was on the line, and he needed someone to talk to. For the next hour Rachel listened to Sam, hearing how he had thought he was doing the right thing with the demon blood and Ruby, how he was brokenhearted because Dean wouldn't forgive him, and how he was mad because he was out of whiskey. Rachel couldn't catch anything else out of his sobbing, drunk ravings, so she just stayed on the line with him until he had hung up. That problem solved she looked over at Castiel, who was eating yet another cheeseburger. Laughing softly, she crawled down to where he sat at the edge of the bed. He looked a little confused and dejected, and he wouldn't meet her gaze. Rachel, who was feeling worried because she thought that maybe she did something wrong, cupped his face and forced him to meet her gaze. He looked ashamed and his grey eyes held a mixture of regret and longing.

“Castiel, what is it? I know something's wrong.” Rachel murmured softly. He sighed and looked at her, almost apologetically. “I'm so sorry Rachel. I have no idea what came over me. I never knew I could have such strong urges. Do you want me to leave now?”

Rachel's eyes widened. “No! I don't want you to leave. I want you to stay here with me. You don't need to be sorry Cas, I'm not. Look, everyone had urges. They're natural, it's normal.”

“But Rachel, my urges where so unholy it makes me blush just thinking about it. We nearly fornicated!”

Rachel burst out laughing and Castiel just looked at her confused. After a few minutes Rachel managed to get herself under control.

“I'm sorry.” She murmured, giggling softly a couple of more times. “It's just that I haven't heard that word used in so long. Fornicating! That is so funny.”

“But it's true. We nearly did. That is a sin Rachel, a horrible sin! I'm so sorry; I nearly stole your virtue.” Rachel started laughing again.

“Cas, I don't know about you, but that's kind of what I wanted.” She said, after she had managed to stop giggling. Castiel looked at her in shock, wide eyed, his mouth gaping.

“You wanted me to fornicate with you?”

Rachel clamped a hand over her mouth to suppress her laughter. “Yes Cas, I truly wanted that. Although you can just say have sex and stop saying fornicate. I'll never stop laughing if you don't.”

“Well, alright. But isn't it forbidden among our kind? Having sex I mean? I've never heard of it.” He said.

Rachel shrugged. “Well, I don't think it's forbidden, and I'm sure it's happened before, we've been around longer than humans after all. I think that if you truly love someone that it's alright. You love me don't you Cas?”

He nodded. “More than anything.”

“Good, I love you too. I don't see a problem with it then. We don't have to do anything right away though; I don't want to pressure you.”

“You're willing to wait?” he asked incredulously.

“If it makes you feel better yes. It's probably best if we don't think about it and then just let it happen when it happens, at least in the beginning. That way we won't get scared or nervous if we think about it too much.” She said.

Castiel nodded his head in agreement. Then a few seconds later he asked softly, “Would you marry me if I asked you to?”

“You…you want to marry me?” Rachel asked in astonishment.

Castiel looked at her and smiled. “Of course I do. I love you and I want everyone to know you're mine. I'll also feel better about fornication if we do.” Rachel laughed again and so did Castiel, because he had said the word fornicate on purpose that time.

“When do you want to tie the knot?” Rachel murmured, grabbing a cheeseburger. Castiel thought for a moment and said, “How about once the Apocalypse is over? It probably isn't a good idea to get married in the middle of all the catastrophes that are going to be happening. I wouldn't have as much time as I wanted to have sex with you.” He said matter of fact like.

Rachel blushed. “How much time will you need?”

Castiel looked at her and grinned, his eyes sparkling with heat and warmth. “Eternity isn't long enough for all the things I want to do to you.”

“Oh Cas, I love you.” She whispered, kissing him. It was another long, heat filled kiss. When they broke apart to breathe again he murmured, “I love you too Rachel and you know what else I love? Cheeseburgers.” Rachel looked over at the can filled with discarded cheeseburger wrappers and laughed. Then she kissed Castiel again and this time the kiss didn't end for a very, very, very long time.

Dean sighed in contentment as he lay in the bed with Grace. He held her in his strong arms, nibbling her earlobe and murmuring how much he loved her and all the dirty things he wanted to do to her. She just giggled and kissed his chest. They'd had sex so many times in the span of a few hours that by that point that she'd lost count. The door, walls, window, bed, floor, chair, table, shower, and bathroom counter all held signs of their lovemaking. She knew that it was probably wrong to let him get so caught up in it so that he was able to forget about his issues with Sam, but who was she to deny him a coping device? Especially when she was the distraction. She smiled as he held her, kissing her breasts and murmuring how beautiful she was. She felt him against her thigh growing hard again and giggled. Dean Winchester was insatiable.

“Up for another round babe?” he asked before kissing her long, deep, slow, and hard. It was a kiss that stole all of Grace's thoughts and breath, one that made her good intentions vanish. It made her think of long nights in dark rooms with locked doors and candles lighting a room with dim light. She felt herself grow wet again, felt her nipples harden and her breath catch. Her breasts felt heavy and her body felt like it was burning. All she could think about at that moment was Dean and how much she wanted him.

They panted as they broke the kiss. Their bodies were bathed in sweat and the mingled scents of beer and sex combined with their own bodies' smells and filled the room. He kissed her again, inserting a knee in between her thighs and then slipping into her. She moaned as she felt him and fought playfully with his tongue, fighting for dominance. He broke the kiss and took her in long, steady, precise strokes, going a little further in every time. He watched Grace's face, flushed, her eyes sparkling, her lips swollen, her blonde hair framing her face in golden twists and curls. She was absolutely beautiful.

“I love you Grace.” He groaned, thrusting into her deeply once, twice, three times.

“I love you Dean.” She said, gasping as they climaxed simultaneously. Afterwards, as they cuddled, although Dean would never admit that they did that to anyone but Grace, he asked her a curious question. “If Rachel left you and went on to something else, would you still do what you do? Even though you guys have been together for a long time?” Grace knew that the question was somehow connected to Sam, but she couldn't quite fathom how. “Well, yes, I mean, I'd have to. It would be really hard to do, but I'd make it without her. I would hate it and miss her terribly, but in the end I'd be okay I think.”

“Do you think Sam will make it okay?” Dean asked, emotion threading his voice and making it sound gruff.

Grace thought for a minute. “I think so. He's a smart kid Dean. He'll be alright. Are you sure it's what you want though, to leave him behind? It's not too late to talk things through it you want. I'll support you, whatever you decide.”

Dean sighed; stroking Grace's back, appreciating her support. “I'm going to let him go. I told him the consequences of his actions and he still went through with them. I don't want this to last forever; we just need some time apart. He needs to learn from and live with the choices he's made. I've sure as hell had to.”

Grace kissed him one final time and slipped her arms around him, whispering for him to rest. His body felt tired but sated, warm and safe, and he complied. Dean let all the things that he'd worried about and faced in the last twenty four hours subside and closed his eyes, feeling the hurt, pain, anger, and sorrow of everything that had happened since he'd let Sam back into his life fade and fell into a soothing, placating slumber in Grace's arms.