Guns and Grace

Chapter 13: Heart-Shaped Box

A/N blah, blah, author's note, blah, blah, you know the drill, here we go A/N

Where we left off in Chapter 12

"And why, pray tell, would you want to drag a human out of Hell? I mean, I know you have a soft spot for the cute little apes, but you wouldn't go to that place without an extremely good reason," inquired Michael.

Cas leaned forward and said, "Dean Winchester is trapped in there, body and soul, being tortured without cause, because of me. This is my responsibility to save him, but I need help to do it."

Michael leaned forward, too and replied, "Bull. Shit. Even if Dean Winchester being unrightfully in Hell was your fault, sure you would be ridden with guilt because of your strange human tendencies, but you would employ the help of your Fallen brothers and sister, but you have pride, Castiel. You would have never faced me, much less groveled to me, unless this was the most important thing to you, so tell, me, the, truth, Castiel. Why are you here?"

"Because I love him," whispered Cas after a pause, "I love him, and you can punish me, banish me off this earth, or even kill me, but first, help me. Please."

"OK."

"And-wait, what?" asked Cas disbelievingly. It couldn't have been that easy, couldn't it?

"Why are you so accepting, and why would you help me? I thought you hated me," he said.

Micheal sighed, ran his fingers through his black hair and paused for a few seconds and said, "I-I understand what it feels like to lose someone you love and be absolutely powerless to save them." 

Cas leaned in, giving his full attention to Michael's testimony.

"On August 15, 1957 in Little Rock, Arkansas, I inhabited the body of Jefferson Thomas, a black teenager who was going to a white high school for the first time with eight other children."

"The Little Rock Nine," butted in Cas.

"Yes, exactly. I was there to make sure nothing went wrong with this essential part of history, and what better way to do so than as one of the children themselves. (ok what's about to happen next is my imagination but one of the Little Rock Nine was named Jefferson Thomas. he and 8 other African- American teens were the first black teens that joined an all-white high school in the South in 1957.) I had been told that other than schoolwork, I was forbidden to do any extracurricular activities, but a boy, William Keystone, had thrown a ball around with me, and managed to convince the principal to allow me to join the football team. I endured endless teasing from my other team members but Will always managed to keep it to a minimum. One day, it was just the two of us in the locker room. With barely any hesitation, he kissed me fiercely and we made love that day in the showers. The administration said I couldn't date any girls at the school, but they didn't say anything about the boys."

Cas huffed in amusement.

"We spent practically as much time as we could with each other; we couldn't get enough, we were like the other's perfect drug, and I loved it. I even told him who I really was, showed him my wings. I thought he would run away but he just kissed me deeply and said, 'I always knew you were my angel, now I've got proof.' But, as you know, people were extremely prejudiced in those times and a black male teenager in a romantic relationship with a white male teenager? We would literally be burned at the stake. That's why we planned to run away together to California, in a secluded beach house in Santa Cruz, warded against everything. We would spend the rest of his days in this little slice of paradise I created. I was even trying to create a spell to make my beloved immortal. However, Raphael discovered what I planned to do with him and run away from Heaven. He took matters into his own hands, and the day before we were supposed go, Will was found dead outside a bar, apparently having been part of a bar fight, stabbed, and dragged out to the alleyway to rot. But I knew the truth, I could smell Raphael's grace all over his dead body. I was heartbroken -- no I was broken. Will was my everything, and he just, took away my happiness."