The Accident

The woman concentrates down on the grass while she slowly walks on the footpath beside it. Castiel observes her from across the road as he waits for her to turn. He has just arrived opposite the town’s hall, the noise from the dance barely contained inside, and he repeats his mission in his mind. Find the woman and make her leave the town hall before the accident. Castiel smiles, glad that he has another saviour task to perform. Fortunately, his superior had made the time travel back to April 1955 easy on his mind and powers.

The woman finally turns slightly, still peering down at her feet. Her lips are parted into a concerned pout and Castiel watches as her chest rises and falls with a sigh. A gentle breeze catches one of her black curls and lifts it from her pale cheek. Castiel recognises her from the photo he was given in heaven. He inhales slowly to steady himself before he crosses the street and approaches the woman.

“Are you all right, Miss?” he asks softly, his head cocked to his left. She tenses with surprise as she lifts her gaze to meet the stranger’s vivid blue eyes.

“This is so stupid, I’ve lost an earring,” she breathes with a weak smile.

“Let me help you,” Castiel states rather than offering. The woman grins her thanks and they both divert their eyes to the ground. A few moments later and Castiel spies a faint golden glimmer amongst the blades of luscious grass and he picks up the heavy earring. “Is this it?” The woman turns and beams.

“Thank you so much,” she says while rushing forwards and taking the jewellery from his hand. She fiddles with it as she pushes the loop back through her ear. “It’s so absurd… I know they’re too loose and they always slide off, but they’re so beautiful and I can’t stop wearing them to formal events.” The woman stops touching the earring and diverts her attention completely to the man in front of her.

“Sometimes it is difficult to let go of things that are so beautiful,” Castiel nods with agreement, trying to show her that he too had appreciation for the exquisiteness of life. He has seen many wonderful things as an angel. The woman’s cheeks redden slightly as she soaks up the man’s unique charm. There is something about his aura and the elegant way he spoke that strikes her as unusual yet extremely pleasant.

“I don’t know you; are you new to town?” she questions as a boisterous tipsy couple head towards the hall’s doors to socialise.

“I only just arrived,” Castiel replies, glad that he doesn’t have to lie because he knows that he isn’t always that convincing.

“Well, I’m sure you will make new friends here,” the woman smiles politely while taking in the man’s handsome features. She concludes that due to the rough stubble and messy hair that he is single, and the creases beneath his eyes and in his forehead tells her that he is approximately her age. “I’m Kathy.” She extends her hand and Castiel gently shakes it.

“Cas,” he replies, shortening his name in an attempt to not appear too odd to her. He smiles, pleased with his progress and hoping he will be able to continue to gain her trust, and hence make her leave in time.

“Well, go on then,” Kathy says, the corners of her lips turning upwards.

“Go on where?” Castiel questions with his head titled to the side as he puzzles over what the woman means.

“Ask me to dance with you.” Kathy chuckles as she fills in the blanks and a look of understanding flashes across Castiel’s face.

“Would you like to go inside and dance?” he asks and Kathy’s smile widens. She loops her arm through his and they enter the noisy hall, Castiel shedding his trench coat to attempt to fit in with the well-dressed crowd. They shuffle past other cheery dancers until they are close to the band, and Kathy leads Castiel into a dance. He does his best, picking up what he can from the men around him and trying to mimic Kathy’s own movements. Castiel notes that every woman who dances by him is wearing either a floral pattern or a dotty dress, and it strikes him that Kathy is standing out by only wearing two colours: a pale blue bunched V-neck, and a navy blue skirt that stops mid-calf. He enjoys the way the dress fans out whenever Kathy twirls, and he notices that she truly adores dancing. Castiel finds himself relaxing and focusing only on the beautiful woman, especially as he gets to know her between songs.

“Would you like a drink?” Kathy wonders as another song finishes. She is becoming breathless and her feet are beginning to ache. Castiel simply nods, uncertain of what drink she is offering, but knows it would be rude if he turned her down. He follows Kathy to the makeshift bar to the side and she orders a couple of whiskey shots for them. They down one each with ease, though Castiel has to mask his surprise at the burning sensation. Kathy gives a tranquil smile to the uniquely charming man, unable to pinpoint why exactly she has a desire to spend more time with him. “So, what do you do?” She leans against the bar with her elbow, gazing across at the man who is looking intensely at the shot glasses.

“I am an… accountant,” Castiel answers with a small hesitation before he picks up another shot of whiskey. “What about you?” He then downs the alcohol and gently places the glass on the bar.

“I’m an artist…” Kathy trails off as she watches Castiel lifting the shot that was supposed to be hers. She exhales with disbelief as he drinks that one too. “What are you doing?” Castiel takes another shot before he replies.

“I think I’m starting to feel something…” he mutters with a straight face, causing Kathy to chuckle.

“You really are something else, aren’t you?” she breathes, more to herself than to him. Castiel relaxes into a smile when he finally realises that he has made a connection with the woman he needs to save.

“Would you like to dance again?” he wonders. Castiel partly wants to experience the fun activity once more, but he also knows that he needs to gain more of her trust.

“I need a bathroom break first,” Kathy replies. He nods and she shuffles across the hall and disappears through a door. Castiel doesn’t know what to do while he waits, so orders more shots and impresses the bartenders with his ability to hold his liquor and appear unaffected by it. It becomes a game between the men until Kathy returns and steals him away to the dance floor, and they swing around in each other’s arms song after song. The music stops and the band prepares for their next song. Castiel takes in Kathy’s flushed cheeks and her grin that stretches from ear to ear. He notices that he too has been unable to cease smiling the whole time.

“This one goes out to all of the lovers out there,” the band’s singer announces before a slow song begins playing. Many shift away from the dance floor and others latch onto each other in romantic embraces, but Castiel remains glued to the spot. He has felt an attachment to the woman before him growing all night, but he is uncertain of what the correct response is. Kathy takes the lead by looping her arms around Castiel’s neck and pressing herself against his chest. He calmly slides his hands onto her waist and stares down into her hazel eyes, masking his nervousness with a blank face.

Castiel’s lips soon curl upwards as he appreciates the intimacy, something he has never truly experienced before. It heightens his senses and brings on a rush of emotions, though Castiel cannot identify all of them. He does, however, recognise that he is very content, perhaps the most he has ever been. After the song stops, Kathy keeps her grip on Castiel as his gaze catches the sight of the clock mounted on the wall. Panic resonates through him as he notices it is later than he thought.

“Would you like to go somewhere else?” Castiel suggests, unsure of how else he could coax her from leaving the entertaining environment other than blatantly stating it.

“What did you have in mind?” Kathy asks with a flirty grin and tone that Castiel doesn’t pick up on. Words fail to come to Castiel and he eventually manages a shrug. “Where do you live? Is it nearby?” Castiel hesitates as distress flashes across his face.

“Oh, uh, I haven’t exactly moved in yet,” he stammers, hoping she will suggest somewhere else.

“My place it is,” Kathy smiles as she takes Castiel’s hand. They walk for about a quarter of an hour to Kathy’s humble residence, both unable to stop chatting, though Castiel takes care to focus the attention on her so he does not have to lie as much. Although he is not as honest as he would like to be, Castiel can’t help but feel as though he is getting along incredibly well with Kathy, perhaps even more so than he does with Sam and Dean.

Inside, Kathy kicks off her heels and pours them each a glass of red wine. Castiel is watching the hands tick on the clock, partly wishing that time would fly so his mission would be over. She clinks her glass against Castiel’s and then takes a sip, standing as close as she can to him. Castiel takes a few gulps before pausing, realising that he should probably only take small mouthfuls like Kathy. He can’t stop gazing into her eyes, both of them wearing tiny grins, and Kathy is the one who decides to go for it.

She sets aside her glass on the bench and then presses herself against Castiel and locks him in a kiss. He almost spills his wine, but glances out of the corner of his eye to set the glass down so he can hold onto Kathy. Despite the angelic part of him urging him to stop, that he was breaking rules for doing this, he allowed his emotional side to take over and kiss back. As they break apart for air after the passion has increased, Castiel raises his hand to brush a lock of hair from Kathy’s face and tuck it behind her ear. She suddenly grabs the ear with her own hand and starts laughing.

“This is ridiculous, Cas, my earring has come off again,” Kathy chuckles. Castiel smiles at her, watching as she glances at the clock and then heads back to her front door. “I’ll just pop back to the hall, see if anyone has found it.” Castiel checks the time and immediately panics. The accident has not happened yet, and she will be caught in it if she returns.

“No!” he exclaims louder than he intends, and Kathy halts with a shoe in her hand. Castiel clears his throat as Kathy raises her eyebrows. “Can’t you stay?” His voice is much quieter and timid, and Kathy finds herself giving into his pleading eyes. She reads too far into his innocent words and grabs his tie, tugging him into another fervent kiss. Castiel allows her, and does his best to reciprocate appropriately.

In his mind, the words of his supervisor repeat. Do anything to keep this woman alive. Castiel sees the image of the accident’s aftermath flash before his eyes as Kathy removes his suit’s jacket. He resists the urge to stop her, knowing that if he does then she would probably return to the hall and die. Tormented by what he should do, Castiel continues to replay his supervisor’s orders and he realises that there was an emphasis on ‘anything’. Kathy has loosened his tie and is almost effortlessly unbuttoning his white shirt, completely infatuated by Castiel’s charm and eccentricity, and he steals another look at the clock. Castiel decides that he has no other choice, and he pulls on his vessel’s memories to aid him with what he needs to do next.

An hour later, Castiel finds himself naked and sweaty in Kathy’s bed, holding her as she rests her head on his torso. He trails his fingertips across her back as he tries to comprehend exactly what he has just done. A faint whisper echoes in the back of his mind, calling in Enochian to him, but the ring of Kathy’s phone shuts it out. Kathy answers and her face immediately falls grim.

“I’ll be right there,” she says before hanging up and flying out of bed.

“What is it?” Castiel asks curiously, though as he takes a look at her alarm clock he has a feeling he already knows.

“There was a massive explosion at the town hall, people are dead,” Kathy replies as she tugs on clothes. Castiel also slips back into his suit and slides his trench coat on before he leaves the house with Kathy. She is a bumbling mess the whole trip, but Castiel has no clue what to say to make it any easier for her, especially since he knew about the incident.

Upon their arrival, the hall still has flames that firemen are attending, and policemen are keeping the civilians back. Kathy approaches a friend and has a chat before returning to Castiel who has kept his distance and hung back from the crowd.

“They say it was a gas explosion, possibly arson,” Kathy informed him before shivering. Castiel nods simply as he searches the crowd for the demon who caused the incident. Once again he hears Enochian, but this time it is louder. “We could have been in there…” Castiel turns his attention to Kathy and finally sees how distressed she is.

“But we weren’t,” he states and she gives a grateful smile.

“You made me leave- you’re my guardian angel,” Kathy breathes and Castiel can’t help but smile.

“That is one way to put it,” he mumbles to himself and Enochian calls to him once more. “I need to go.” His statement takes Kathy by surprise and she frowns, grabbing his arm to prevent him from turning his back.

“Cas… Stop by in the morning, okay?” she asks hopefully. Castiel nods his agreement and she lets go, allowing him to walk around the block to hide from the crowd. His superior’s voice resonates through his mind, chanting the Enochian spell, and then pulls Castiel back to the present.

“Good work, Castiel, your mission was a success,” the superior speaks with a hint of gratification, but the lips curve downwards a second later. “I will now transport you to January of 1956, and you have precisely twenty seconds to retrieve the correct human and save their life. Do not make the wrong choice, Castiel.” Before he can protest, Castiel is sent in a whirlwind back in time. He immediately recognises his surroundings as Kathy’s bedroom and he notices her lying on the bed. Her legs are bare and spread, and there is a deadly amount of blood staining the sheets. Kathy is squeezing her eyes shut and sobbing in pain, but she looks up when she senses Castiel’s presence.

“What are you?” she screams, knowing that it is his baby. Castiel just gapes at the scene, watching in horror as Kathy is in an incredible amount of pain. He sees the baby coming out and hears his superior talking in his head, already performing the spell to take him from the past. Castiel feels as though he has no choice. With two fingers to Kathy’s head, he senses that she will not survive and he puts her out of her misery. He tears the baby from her body and takes a look into its bright azure eyes right before his superior brings him back.

Castiel disappears the second he returns. He reappears in Bobby’s lounge and sets the baby down on the couch, ignoring its cries and Dean’s surprised profanity. Hastily, Castiel cuts himself and draws out Enochian symbols to blind them from other angels. He then takes the time to calmly pick up his child and stare at the beautiful eyes.

“Cas, what the hell?” Dean asks slowly yet sternly. Castiel gradually raises his gaze and the three men before him see how truly worried he is.

“I have created a forbidden Nephilim,” he answers as his creased forehead and pleading eyes strike pity in his friend’s hearts. “Please help me.”