Cherry Pie

Ch Ch Ch Changes

[Dean]

Castiel glowered at me from across the small room, and I couldn't deny that it made me just a little bit uneasy. On the surface, however, I was fuming. "Where the hell where you?" I demanded.

Sam was standing just outside the hospital room door, looking equally shocked and amazed — it was the first time he was seeing our little angel friend. Castiel ignored my question and closed the distance between us at a lightning fast speed. He was standing right in front of me, and although I was still several inches taller and he had to look up at me, his stare was hella intimidating.

"The last time we spoke, I warned you about keeping Rayne safe," he said in a low, menacing voice. "And now, I come here to find her dying on the operating table from heart failure?"

As I shifted away from him, my back hit the wall behind me. "What the hell happened to angels being all gentle and soft-spoken?"

He ignored me a second time and instead jabbed a finger at my chest. "You've failed your mission again. That's twice, now."

Not appreciating him getting all up in my face, my defenses shot up. I stepped forward, straightening till I was towering over him. "Listen, buddy. This," — I gestured to the room around us — "was not my fault. I did not cause her heart failure. It was a crazy accident."

Castiel was not appeased by my explanation. "You have inconvenienced me greatly, Dean Winchester. I trusted you."

"Hey!" I barked, "I did not sign up for this. I did not ask for it. I did not want it. You and your God decided this for me. If anything, it's your mistake."

"God does not make mistakes, Dean," he said. "If you were assigned to be Rayne's guardian, then it was for a reason. You don't seem to be taking your job very seriously, however."

"I have been taking it seriously!" I exploded. "She hasn't left my sight since the day you healed her."

Castiel continued to glare at me. "Then why is she in the hospital?"

"Like I said: not my fault."

"I should release you of your duties."

"Then why don't you?" I spat back.

"Because there is no one else who can keep her safe," he said. "Although you don't seem to be succeeding at that either."

"So what do you propose then?"

His blue eyes lifted to mine. "You can't take her on any more hunts."

That wasn't what I was expecting him to say. "Wait, what?"

"Rayne," he elaborated. "You can't let her hunt anymore. It seems that she always gets hurt whenever she goes on cases with you."

"She'll never go for that," I said.

"You will have to convince her then."

"She likes to hunt, Asshat. She's not gonna just sit this out. If I tell her that she can't go with me, then she'll just go on her own."

Castiel seemed to completely gloss over the 'Asshat' part. "I will take care of that," he said. "You just make sure that she stays back whenever you hunt."

I scoffed. "And how am I supposed to do that? If you recall, we can't really separate."

"I am temporarily removing your connection."

"How can you do that?" I asked as my eyebrow rose. "I thought God established it before we were born or some crap like that."

Castiel nodded. "This is true, but I have the power to put a hold on it. Widen the perimeter, so to speak. You can be apart now without becoming ill."