Chapter Text
It had happened all too quick, Castiel could had stopped it from preforming a devious conclusion, but it was too late to begin with. Before anyone could move to prevent it, Dean was struck by a a green zap and thrown back into the shadow lines of the trees.
Then, Castiel was holding a small five year old boy with ruffled blondish brown jags in his arms, asleep and draped with a size too big shirt and a leather jacket.
"Okay, so we got another crazy witch gone insane. Anything at all different much?" Dean questioned, taking his eyes for a second off the road to look at his brother who was still looking up more info. Castiel and Bobby sat in the back of the car patiently, ready to beat a witch down to her own grave.
Two days ago they had gotten a report about two males who had went hiking disappearing in thin air. One of the men's wife had reported a 'Missing' File that had easily been transferred to Dean and Sam. Apparently, all that was found by the cops were two dead children; they were bruised, battered, beaten and shredded, yet only could be identified by what was left of their face. Everyone had found it a shock when the boys had been reported as a 'Resemblance to the hikers.' Many thought it had been an affair gone wrong. Or a child abuse case. Or perhaps a quaderal homicide with two missing, and the murderer no where to be traced.
Luckily, Dean and Sam understood what was going on. Clearly, if society wanted to look crazy yet know the truth, it had been that the hikers had been de-aged and killed. By what? They will find out. All that the group could phase out is that something or someone was behind some sort of spell bondage or witchery. A witch, they can conclude, yet they had come to accordance through the years that you never know what you will get.
"Nothing really," Sam had responded to Dean's question with a shrug, "we are pretty sure it's a witch. But I donno, Dean. This case here is very different from any other we had dealt with."
"I too can sense that this could mean absolute negativity," Castiel agreed. Dean rolled his eyes. "Since what situation we had came across has nothing to deal with negativity, Cas?" he muttered. Castiel closed his eyes, sensing any entity around him that might lead to any terrible outcome. He cringed. There was an entity; it was very strong, very dark. It felt like a powerful surge of sorrow or depression, fear and sin, hate and convulsion wrapped around him, trying to consume his soul. This was something unlike anything he had felt before. His inner-being screamed at him to protest against this case.
"We must go back," he blurted out instinctly. Everyone was hit with confusion. Dean knitted his eyebrows together, but did not move an inch to do what Castiel had suggested. "What? Why?" he questioned. Castiel opened his eyes to look at the back of Dean's head with almost a glare. "Something is telling me that Sam is right. This is different from any other circumstances we have encountered. We should turn back; it is like I know something is going to turn out very wrong," he explained.
Dean grew into a stubborn weed. "Uh, sorry Cas, but if we let this one go, more people will- you know, die. Matter of fact, people who have been de-aged into kids will die. So I'm gonna have to pass you on that one," he said casually.
Castiel frowned in disapproval to his friend's disobedience. Sometimes, talking to Dean was like speaking to a child. It was very hard to get him to agree and disagree on some things. Castiel sometimes felt as he were a step stool to Dean; used when needed to reach for something. But, Dean was right, if they did not rid whatever or who was doing these murders, more people who were turned into children will die. Castiel just wished there was another way to do this without endangering any of his fellow companions' lives.
He sighed in defeat and nodded solemnly. "You are right. We should finish the task," he agreed. Dean nodded firmly and continued driving.
No less than ten minutes later, they met their destination where the two de-aged hikers were killed; it was just an average woods surrounded by overlapping hills and boulders, the dirt was moist and the air smelled of pine. The sheet of black that had covered over the area made the sight more unwanting to be in. Everyone stepped out of a car, grabbed a flashlight, and walked between the towering trees into the woods.
"Woods, dark and scary. Seems the same," Dean muttered.
Castiel followed close behind him, Bobby behind Sam. Every step, Castiel felt his nerves intwine and cripple. His senses were going insane the deep they walked into the woods. His head throbbed like a migraine and his stomach quelched tighter and tighter. This entity- this force... it was all too much. Castiel groaned and held a hand to his forehead.
Dean turned around in concern. "Cas? You okay there?" he asked. Castiel nodded. "Yes, I am fine." He did not want to argue with the situation any more than he had in the car. Just suck it up, he told himself. The angel stood a little more straight, placing on a strong face and gave Dean the sign to continue.
In five minutes, the group was met in a treeless circle area. In this spot, the grass was an inky black and the dirt was dry as the moon. Sam observed the little things. "Looks like our place. But could this really be a witch?" he questioned. Bobby shrugged. "Only one way to find out," he muttered.
"Hey! Twinkle toes!" he called out towards Cas. Cas looked at him. "'Think you can do your little entity sniffin' and find out what we're dealing with?" Bobby asked. Castiel nodded, bowing his head and closing his eyes to focus. He could immediately sense the bad entity- it was close... too close. It drove his mind wild. Not only that, but who or whatever ever he was sensing... it knew he was trying to detect its true form.
Strong... So strong and surging with dark magic, a mind of its own it contained dark thoughts as well. Castiel could see- he could feel what this being was. It was made to form a sense of rage and lived to inflict sorrow, pain, misery, and a loss of innocence. It made Castiel want to scream and kick the floor he was standing on. It drove him insane.
Images of children- beaten, wailing, burned, battered, bruised, molested, terrified, hungry, begging, and committing stomachs clenching crimes such as murder flashed through his mind. At first, Castiel thought that it was this being who was causing such horrible things to happen... But then he realised that the being was only de-aging them to bring back the most painful years of childhood. Could it be that those hikers were abused? Could it be that they were so afraid that they beat each other up to death- or worse killed themselves? "What in Hell are you?" Cas seethed under his breath, feeling all the negativity consuming him.
Not a second after his question, a man flashed in his head; he looked everything but pleasant. Everything he wore was black, his long beard was black, and his eyes held the hard complexion of broken glass. He looked like some wizard you would see in the movies...
So they were not dealing with a witch if this man was the cause of the situation. What Castiel had found odd, was that the man he was seeing in his hand was stretched forward as an orb of smokey green swirled about. The man had a feirce look in his eyes as a sniper would. The image then changed to where a familiar person stood where he stood exactly. Now...
Castiel shot his head up with a gasp and swished to Dean.
"Dean look out-!" he screamed, but it was too late. It happened all to quick, no one except Cas had saw it coming. Still it did not matter, it was already too late. An electric line of green hit Dean square in the chest, sending him flying far back into the shadow of the tree lines. Castiel darted immediately to the spot at the exact same time Sam had. "Dean!" the younger sibling cried. Bobby stood his ground as he began firing blindly forwards, angered that this being had probably killed his friend.
All that came to his mind was that Dean could possibly be dead. No no, not Dean! Dean would not go down like this!
Cas felt the same way. He knew this was a bad idea. He should have stopped this when he had the chance.
Sam and Castiel moved between the trees and looked behind the boulders trying to find Dean. "Dean? Dean! Where are-" Castiel stopped mid-sentence when his vibrant eyes caught sight of a small figure in a heap of clothes, laying still upon the dead grass. The angel's eyes had widened.
It was a boy, small with blondish brown ruffles of hair, frail and glowing with child appearence. Castiel felt his heart pound.
Oh no.
"... Dean?"
To his whisper, small eye peeked open, revealing the same familiar forest green eyes, dim with utter confusion. The child responded to the name, which gave Castiel a more exact feeling that this was Dean.
The boy- who was to be no older than five or six, opened his small lips and spoke in a high, weak small voice: "You awe not my daddy."
Before Castiel could respond back, Sam had appeared beside him and gaped in shock at the child. He of coarse knew those eyes from anywhere, and the little face brought back childhood memories of his brother before the loss of innocence. He knew Dean by heart. "Oh no. Dean," he gasped. Dean gazed at his brother and whimpered, shrinking away in the sized too big jacket. Sam's eyes softened and he crouched down, stretching a hand slowly towards Dean. "Dean, it's me. Sam, your brother," he said gently. Dean squinted his eyes and shook his head. "No you not," he exclaimed stubbornly, "Sammy much tinier dan you. Sammy only a baby."
"No, I am all grown up now, Dean."
Sam still saw doubt in the boys eyes and strengthen his gaze. "Trust me," he said firmly. Dean stared at him for a moment before standing up, bare bottomed and had only his shirt to drape over his knees, and quickly ran into Sam's arms. Sam hoisted the boy up and held him tightly, cradling his head to his chest. 'What the hell happened to you, Dean?" he whispered under his breath. Dean gazed up from his brother's neck and looked at the man in the trench coat. Who was he? Where was Daddy? "Who awe you?" he asked in a small voice. Castiel cleared his throat before speaking. "I am Castiel, Dean. But you may call me 'Cas,'" he replied gently. Dean's eyebrows knitted together. "Awe you a fwiend?" Castiel smiled a small smile. "Yes, a very close one. I'm actually your angel." Deans eyes glittered with amazement, sugar with shock. "Awe you like my Guawdian Angel? Mommy said I have a Guawdian Angel watching me evewywhere."
Castiel nodded and ruffled the boy's hair. "Yes, Dean. I am your Guardian Angel. I have been for a very long time."
Sam smiled at the two, but then something had caught his attention. Castiel was suddenly grabbed by an invisible force and thrown sideways to a tree. "Cas!' Sam cried.
Dean shrieked in terror and buried his face at the crook of Sam's neck, sobbing instantly. Sam realized why. At a distance, a dark man stood, holding Bobby up by the collar before dropping him carelessly on the floor. If Sam had not thought about Dean in his arms, he would have thrown both o their lives in sudden death to go aid Bobby. "How cute," the man crooned. Sam took a cautious step back, holding Dean more tighter to him. "Who- or what the hell are you? What did you do to Dean?!" he demanded. The dark figure collapsed his hand behind his back and stood a taller stance; his face was plain and emotionless. "I am Omorion," he replied with a voice of ice.
"What the hell do you want? Why are you doing this?" Sam questioned. Omorion strode a few steps toward Sam, then a few steps around to circle the younger Winchester. "I have my reasons that I will not waste my breath on," he snarked, "but all that matters now..." He stopped to glare at Sam, "is that you give me the boy in your arms."
Sam frowned and moved further back. "Go fuck yourself," he growled.
Omorion clenched his teeth tighter, his eyes seeping with a dark green and complexion more wicked than before. "So be it," he snared. Stretching out a hand, he swished it to the side, throwing both Sam and Dean into the air. Sam was able to flip over and land n his back with Dean on him. The tyke was now screaming tears of fear, clutching tightly onto Sam. "Sammy!" he wailed, hoping his brother would protect him.
Sam quickly scrambled to his feet, never loosening his grip on Dean and made a run to a different direction, but before he could, Omorion appeared in front of him, backhanding him so hard, Sam went flying. Unfortunately, Dean had fallen from his grip and fell hard onto the dead grass. Sam was left further away, completely unconscious. Dean saw the dark man stalking towards him and scrambled to his feet, making a dash to his brother, but was grabbed by the arm.
"Sammy!" he screeched.
Omoron gripped the boy without a fight by the shirt and held him up so he could see his eyes. "Young Dean Winchester," he crooned, "a boy who had lost his innocence at such a young age... so sad, Child. I have waited for this moment for so long that killing you cannot be much of an option."
Dean whimpered and looked away, crying uncontrollably. "Daddy! Daddy!" he wailed.
Omorion looked amused and pulled the child's face more to his. "Your daddy is dead, Child. Sad he won't witness his boy being harmed in the most crucial ways possible... but first..." Omorion pulled out a silver blade, edged with a black streak, and moved to glide above Dean's cheek and under his eye. "Let me have a taste of what I am about to consume..."
"NO!"
Right after Castiel's roar of protest was heard, Omorion had been forced to release Dean as he was grubbed by the back of the neck and lifted up into the air. Dean shot his head up to see that his Guardian Angel's eyes were lit with a bright neon light and with fury. His lip was coiled into a snare as if he might bight the dark man. He looked inhuman, but for some reason, Dean was not afraid of Castiel. He understood this was his Guardian Angel protecting him, like Mommy had said. Castiel squeezed Omorion's neck tighter, feeling his rage boil inside him. This man tried to harm Dean- his Dean. He wanted to hurt his Dean. This man will pay.
Castiel bean to speak in tongue- a language he rarely used. Each syllable was spat out with venom. One would see that whatever he was speaking, it only meant an excruciating death towards the evil spirit. Omorion began to shake and tremble, feeling the words of condemning fill his insides, burning him- crushing him. He tilted his head back with a strangled cry as black seeped into his veins and up to his face. Castiel scrunched his face harder and spoke louder. A light filled Omorion's mouth and own eyes and with one final roar, the man had burst into a cloud of smoke. The forest was left in a utter quiet, all that could be heard were Dean's sniffles. The white glow had left Castiel's eyes, replaced by the normal oceanic blue, allowing him to blink several times in shock and wonder. What had just happened? "Casiwel?"
Dean's shaken voice had bought the angel back to reality as Castiel looked down to see the child staring up at him with red puffy eyes and tear-streaked cheeks. It broke his heart, for he had never seen such a more frightened little face. Castiel did not know of what to tell Dean that would not scare him even more.
He remembered what Sam had did not to long ago to resolve the child's fright. Hesitantly, Castiel lifted Dean up by the under arms as if the kid would bite... which would be pretty normal for Dean to do...
Dean felt the need for a hug or arms to protect him in case that scary man came back. But it looked like Castiel didn't want to hug him...
Did it mean he did not want to protect him? But he's his Guardian Angel. Did his Guardian Angel not like him? Castiel saw tears swell Dean's eyes once more and grew alerted. Oh dear. Dean hid his small palms in his hands and began crying once more; Castiel felt his small body shake in his hands. Without no further more, Castiel hesitantly pulled Dean to his chest- completely uncomfortable and worried that a hug would calm down a tyke who had almost been cut- but surprisingly, he felt small fists clench the back of his trench coat and a wet face rest at the crook of his neck. Castiel cleared his throat and laid a hand on Dean's small back, rubbing the area in a clumsy manner.
"Uh... There there," he stammered out, "it is alright, it is okay. You are safe now, Dean"
To the angel's shock, Dean had stopped crying and snuggled his head more onto Castiel's shoulder. Not too long later, Castiel realized that Dean had fallen asleep and was not breathing soft snores. Well... that was easy.
Castiel walked over to Sam's form and rested a hand on the younger Winchester's head, healing the wound. Almost instantly, Sam shot up with a gasp. "Dean!" he cried, but Castiel quickly stopped him by using a quick hand to cover his mouth. Sam corner eyed the angel, relieved to see that Dean was okay and in Castiel's arms.
Getting the picture, Sam gave Castiel the signal to remove his hand and stood up. "Is he asleep?" Sam whispered. Castiel nodded a bit so he would not awake Dean. "Yes, he is resting now," he replied just as soft.
Sam sihed in joy. "Good... is Omorion...?"
Castiel gave a firm face. "Gone."
Sam gazed at Dean's slewing face and held out his arms. "Can I see my brother?" he asked. It was not much of a shock when Castiel back away a little, holding Dean in a more protective stance. Sam had to stop himself from becoming enraged. "Cas, I'm not gonna hurt him, I just need to see my brother," he exclaimed desperately. Castiel studied him for a few more seconds, before gently handing Dean over to the other. Sam pulled the toddler close to his chest and held him, glad to know he is okay. Sam looked at Bobby's form and was able to see his belly rising up and down. He's alive.
Sam gazed at Castiel. "What happened?" he asked. Castiel was still overwhelmed by the previous moments and began walking towards Bobby to heal him.
"I will explain later when we get a motel room. Right now, we need to get Dean proper resting grounds.