Castiel (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
wayward_angel) wrote2012-06-05 12:52 am
wayward_angel) wrote2012-06-05 12:52 am
Entry tags:
Interlude
Set between season 6, episodes 3 and 15, because obviously something happened to make Balthazar go from running off with his toys and Balthazar taking Castiel's side, handing over the weapons.
Balthazar spends a few weeks bouncing from country to country to lose anyone tailing him. He uses both angelic and mundane means of travel, but he has a way of picking up friends on the way and being remembered for flashy parties and intense one-night stands. At last he stops in France, on the outskirts of Nice, renting a relatively small house that overlooks the sea.
It's the middle of the night when Castiel shows up there.
No flashy lightning or other announcements, just a man in a tan overcoat in the living room, eyeing the bric-a-brac with a hint of skepticism.
The windows are open, letting in an ocean breeze, and he finds Balthazar by one, nursing a glass of wine. "It's 'douze'," He tells Castiel by way of greeting. "I asked around."
"...What?" Castiel's tone is flat, but the bewilderment is clear.
"French for 'twelve'," He says. "Hello Castiel. I was hoping I'd get a bit more time."
"Time is a limited commodity right now." He glides right over the joke, serious as ever. Castiel is looking a little strained, in fact, as he was at their last meeting. It's not just the vessel, his Grace almost seems frayed at the edges. "We are at a clean slate, as it were, but I came to bargain with you."
"Bargain?" He looks mildly surprised. "Ah. Well, would you like a glass of wine, then?"
"No. Thank you." Castiel stands there like a toy soldier, arms at his sides. "What is your price?"
"You're doing it wrong. You start by asking what the other person's price is, they can begin at an exorbitant rate. Why don't you tell me what you want?"
"The weapons. All of them. When we defeat Raphael, I'll see to it you're left undisturbed, if that's how you want it."
"The weapons? Not me? I'm not sure if that's a relief or not."
He hesitates, gravelly voice a touch softer, and looks out at the dark sea. "You... made your position very clear already. I would not force anyone to fight this battle against their will." He sounds tired.
"Not clear enough, I suppose." Balthazar gets up and stretches. "What's the endgame, Cas? When Raphael's your bitch, then what?"
"This is a fight to protect Free Will. It will be fought only by those who choose to. When it's over... we'll just have to restructure. I don't even know if I'll survive to see it."
"And you think angels are capable of that? 'Restructuring'? That's the part I just can't accept. You remember when I stood for you at your trial?"
"I do... Humans have Free Will, yet they still have corporate structures..."
"Heaven, Inc? Cassie, that just may be the worst idea I've ever heard, but never mind that now. I told them I'd never known you to lose your head. That you would never put desire before duty, however much emotion you felt." He sets his glass aside. "Now you have me wondering. You seem... very attached."
Castiel frowns mildly, but he'll ask what's so bad about the idea later. "Attached to what? Freedom? Our superiors... had ideas that were Wrong, and gave orders to that effect. You and I both know that now. We need to think freely and not blindly follow, to prevent that from happening again."
"No, no. To humanity. Those two in particular."
He fidgets just a little, fingers plucking at the trailing belt of the coat. "Shouldn't we be? They are His last creation."
"I came back to help you, facing Raphael, and you stood there while they threatened to burn me to death." Balthazar's voice is suddenly cold.
"I would not have allowed it." The answer is quick, startled out of him. "They can be... overzealous, having suffered at the hands of angels before."
"Oh, well, that makes it all right." He sneers, and turns away. "I don't have a price. We're brothers. You can't buy that." Balthazar pauses a moment, then sighs. "Sorry, that came out more sanctimonious than I intended. What I mean is, if you want my help, ask. Give me a little credit? I don't care about Heaven as a whole,and my concern for humanity is minimal, but I'm not completely without loyalty."
Castiel is quiet a long moment, but Balthazar is still turned away and misses the conflicting emotions that play out across the other angel's face. He may feel the quiet turmoil of Castiel's Grace, though. When he speaks again it's quiet, apologetic and guilty. "I didn't think I had the right to ask..."
"You have as much right to ask as I do to say yes or no." Balthazar turns back. "In any case, Raphael knows I'm alive now, and I'll have to pick one of you. On the whole, I prefer you."
"I tried not to draw attention, in my search for you." His face is turned to the floor. "Will... you help me? Please?" Castiel lifts his gaze to Balthazar, warily hopeful, and almost childishly so.
"I know." He blinks, struck by the expression, then smiles. "You said the magic word. Yes, then."
Castiel shuts his eyes briefly, his face registering relief and gratitude, and something else. "Thank you."
"You should know, though, the weapons will be hard to get to."
"You've hidden them... one difficult place, or many?" Castiel pulls himself back to business quickly.
"Several." He pats Castiel's shoulder. "Gathering them won't be easy."
"What do you need me to do?"
"A diversion would be prudent."
He nods slightly. "Of course. Do you have something specific in mind?"
"...No, but give me a moment." He leans against the wall, looking pensive.
"...Balthazar, thank you." He's already said it once, but it's heartfelt.
He blinks, then smiles. "Oh, stop, I'm blushing." He thumps Castiel on the back.
Castiel flashes a very quick, small smile, and sinks down in the nearest chair. He really is tired. It's been a long year.
Balthazar sits again, too, and offers him his own glass of wine. "You need this."
He raises an eyebrow, and takes it with some hesitation. "My... last... experience with alcohol was not good..." There's embarrassment there.
"It's just wine. You won't even get a buzz."
He sighs and swallows half the glass in a gulp.
"Good. Now tell me the story."
"...What story?" Castiel gives him a blank look, but it's not an innocent one.
"Your last bender. Confession is good for the soul." Balthazar smiles at him expectantly.
"...Oh. I found a liquor store." Like jokes, storytelling is an art that escapes him, but he seems just a little relieved, as if he was expecting a different question.
"And you emptied it?" He laughs. "Oh Cassie. That hangover must have been dreadful."
"Yes. And the boys called me to deal with the Whore of Babylon while I was still... intoxicated."
"You're lucky you survived that." Balthazar sobers. "The boys. How would you feel about having them provide our diversion?"
"I was... wounded in the fight. But this was months ago." He frowns mildly. "How so?"
"Raphael knows you're associated with them. They're hidden, but if we allow them to draw his attention for a few hours... in a controlled way. We don't want them dead, certainly."
"They... have expressed a preference to remain uninvolved in my battle against Raphael..." Castiel looks away, and drains the rest of the glass.
"Have they?" He frowns. "Well we don't have to ask their permission."
"That's-" He hesitates, taking a slow breath. "You... wouldn't cause them harm?"
"I don't like them. But you do. And they're too useful to waste. No, it would only be for a temporary inconvenience." Balthazar smile brightly. "You know how I love dimensional jumps."
"...Okay." He gives a slow, measured nod. There's a lot going on behind the blue eyes, but the curtains are drawn.
"Brilliant. They'll be annoyed, but mostly at me, don't worry."
"Thank you. I'm sorry if that's an inconvenience."
"The trick is not to piss them off enough to come after me." He waves a hand. "I can manage. They have bigger fish, anyway. I'll have to get Raphie's attention first, though." He sounds like he's planning a game.
"They'll leave you alone if I tell them to." He's showing more ego than usual. "I can help with that."
Balthazar tilts his head at Cas, but doesn't question this. "All right. When? Sooner the better?"
"Yes. Please. I'd like to avert as much conflict as possible. The sooner Raphael backs down, the fewer angels die. On both sides."
"Do you think he'll back down?" Balthazar studies him.
Castiel's gaze darts to the corners of the room. "I'm... preparing for the possibility he may not."
"Okay." He frowns a little, then comes over and braces the back of Castiel's neck, touching their foreheads together. "I'm with you, Cas."
There's a fractional moment of hesitation, and he slumps a little into the touch. "Thank you."
"You're welcome." He holds the pose a moment, then backs off. "Right. I'm off. It may take me time to find them."
"Bobby's is usually a good place to start."
"All right." Balthazar salutes smartly. "I'll be in touch." He vanishes in a flutter of wings.
Castiel frowns mildly in thought, going over their last encounter, with no mention of Bobby Singer at all. He sets the empty wineglass on a table, stands, and vanishes away to other business.
Balthazar spends a few weeks bouncing from country to country to lose anyone tailing him. He uses both angelic and mundane means of travel, but he has a way of picking up friends on the way and being remembered for flashy parties and intense one-night stands. At last he stops in France, on the outskirts of Nice, renting a relatively small house that overlooks the sea.
It's the middle of the night when Castiel shows up there.
No flashy lightning or other announcements, just a man in a tan overcoat in the living room, eyeing the bric-a-brac with a hint of skepticism.
The windows are open, letting in an ocean breeze, and he finds Balthazar by one, nursing a glass of wine. "It's 'douze'," He tells Castiel by way of greeting. "I asked around."
"...What?" Castiel's tone is flat, but the bewilderment is clear.
"French for 'twelve'," He says. "Hello Castiel. I was hoping I'd get a bit more time."
"Time is a limited commodity right now." He glides right over the joke, serious as ever. Castiel is looking a little strained, in fact, as he was at their last meeting. It's not just the vessel, his Grace almost seems frayed at the edges. "We are at a clean slate, as it were, but I came to bargain with you."
"Bargain?" He looks mildly surprised. "Ah. Well, would you like a glass of wine, then?"
"No. Thank you." Castiel stands there like a toy soldier, arms at his sides. "What is your price?"
"You're doing it wrong. You start by asking what the other person's price is, they can begin at an exorbitant rate. Why don't you tell me what you want?"
"The weapons. All of them. When we defeat Raphael, I'll see to it you're left undisturbed, if that's how you want it."
"The weapons? Not me? I'm not sure if that's a relief or not."
He hesitates, gravelly voice a touch softer, and looks out at the dark sea. "You... made your position very clear already. I would not force anyone to fight this battle against their will." He sounds tired.
"Not clear enough, I suppose." Balthazar gets up and stretches. "What's the endgame, Cas? When Raphael's your bitch, then what?"
"This is a fight to protect Free Will. It will be fought only by those who choose to. When it's over... we'll just have to restructure. I don't even know if I'll survive to see it."
"And you think angels are capable of that? 'Restructuring'? That's the part I just can't accept. You remember when I stood for you at your trial?"
"I do... Humans have Free Will, yet they still have corporate structures..."
"Heaven, Inc? Cassie, that just may be the worst idea I've ever heard, but never mind that now. I told them I'd never known you to lose your head. That you would never put desire before duty, however much emotion you felt." He sets his glass aside. "Now you have me wondering. You seem... very attached."
Castiel frowns mildly, but he'll ask what's so bad about the idea later. "Attached to what? Freedom? Our superiors... had ideas that were Wrong, and gave orders to that effect. You and I both know that now. We need to think freely and not blindly follow, to prevent that from happening again."
"No, no. To humanity. Those two in particular."
He fidgets just a little, fingers plucking at the trailing belt of the coat. "Shouldn't we be? They are His last creation."
"I came back to help you, facing Raphael, and you stood there while they threatened to burn me to death." Balthazar's voice is suddenly cold.
"I would not have allowed it." The answer is quick, startled out of him. "They can be... overzealous, having suffered at the hands of angels before."
"Oh, well, that makes it all right." He sneers, and turns away. "I don't have a price. We're brothers. You can't buy that." Balthazar pauses a moment, then sighs. "Sorry, that came out more sanctimonious than I intended. What I mean is, if you want my help, ask. Give me a little credit? I don't care about Heaven as a whole,and my concern for humanity is minimal, but I'm not completely without loyalty."
Castiel is quiet a long moment, but Balthazar is still turned away and misses the conflicting emotions that play out across the other angel's face. He may feel the quiet turmoil of Castiel's Grace, though. When he speaks again it's quiet, apologetic and guilty. "I didn't think I had the right to ask..."
"You have as much right to ask as I do to say yes or no." Balthazar turns back. "In any case, Raphael knows I'm alive now, and I'll have to pick one of you. On the whole, I prefer you."
"I tried not to draw attention, in my search for you." His face is turned to the floor. "Will... you help me? Please?" Castiel lifts his gaze to Balthazar, warily hopeful, and almost childishly so.
"I know." He blinks, struck by the expression, then smiles. "You said the magic word. Yes, then."
Castiel shuts his eyes briefly, his face registering relief and gratitude, and something else. "Thank you."
"You should know, though, the weapons will be hard to get to."
"You've hidden them... one difficult place, or many?" Castiel pulls himself back to business quickly.
"Several." He pats Castiel's shoulder. "Gathering them won't be easy."
"What do you need me to do?"
"A diversion would be prudent."
He nods slightly. "Of course. Do you have something specific in mind?"
"...No, but give me a moment." He leans against the wall, looking pensive.
"...Balthazar, thank you." He's already said it once, but it's heartfelt.
He blinks, then smiles. "Oh, stop, I'm blushing." He thumps Castiel on the back.
Castiel flashes a very quick, small smile, and sinks down in the nearest chair. He really is tired. It's been a long year.
Balthazar sits again, too, and offers him his own glass of wine. "You need this."
He raises an eyebrow, and takes it with some hesitation. "My... last... experience with alcohol was not good..." There's embarrassment there.
"It's just wine. You won't even get a buzz."
He sighs and swallows half the glass in a gulp.
"Good. Now tell me the story."
"...What story?" Castiel gives him a blank look, but it's not an innocent one.
"Your last bender. Confession is good for the soul." Balthazar smiles at him expectantly.
"...Oh. I found a liquor store." Like jokes, storytelling is an art that escapes him, but he seems just a little relieved, as if he was expecting a different question.
"And you emptied it?" He laughs. "Oh Cassie. That hangover must have been dreadful."
"Yes. And the boys called me to deal with the Whore of Babylon while I was still... intoxicated."
"You're lucky you survived that." Balthazar sobers. "The boys. How would you feel about having them provide our diversion?"
"I was... wounded in the fight. But this was months ago." He frowns mildly. "How so?"
"Raphael knows you're associated with them. They're hidden, but if we allow them to draw his attention for a few hours... in a controlled way. We don't want them dead, certainly."
"They... have expressed a preference to remain uninvolved in my battle against Raphael..." Castiel looks away, and drains the rest of the glass.
"Have they?" He frowns. "Well we don't have to ask their permission."
"That's-" He hesitates, taking a slow breath. "You... wouldn't cause them harm?"
"I don't like them. But you do. And they're too useful to waste. No, it would only be for a temporary inconvenience." Balthazar smile brightly. "You know how I love dimensional jumps."
"...Okay." He gives a slow, measured nod. There's a lot going on behind the blue eyes, but the curtains are drawn.
"Brilliant. They'll be annoyed, but mostly at me, don't worry."
"Thank you. I'm sorry if that's an inconvenience."
"The trick is not to piss them off enough to come after me." He waves a hand. "I can manage. They have bigger fish, anyway. I'll have to get Raphie's attention first, though." He sounds like he's planning a game.
"They'll leave you alone if I tell them to." He's showing more ego than usual. "I can help with that."
Balthazar tilts his head at Cas, but doesn't question this. "All right. When? Sooner the better?"
"Yes. Please. I'd like to avert as much conflict as possible. The sooner Raphael backs down, the fewer angels die. On both sides."
"Do you think he'll back down?" Balthazar studies him.
Castiel's gaze darts to the corners of the room. "I'm... preparing for the possibility he may not."
"Okay." He frowns a little, then comes over and braces the back of Castiel's neck, touching their foreheads together. "I'm with you, Cas."
There's a fractional moment of hesitation, and he slumps a little into the touch. "Thank you."
"You're welcome." He holds the pose a moment, then backs off. "Right. I'm off. It may take me time to find them."
"Bobby's is usually a good place to start."
"All right." Balthazar salutes smartly. "I'll be in touch." He vanishes in a flutter of wings.
Castiel frowns mildly in thought, going over their last encounter, with no mention of Bobby Singer at all. He sets the empty wineglass on a table, stands, and vanishes away to other business.