Brave for Her Angel

It's been a few days, and Emma and Bobby have been hard at work trying to solve this case. Castiel is in the kitchen with Rose and Joan, and as they finish up breakfast, Emma runs in, her eyes wide and her hair looking as if a mini tornado swept through it.

"Guys! One of Bobby's contacts found the spell to see the angel's mark!"

"Oh, my!" says Rose.

"And that's not all! He says that if we can get every person who was affected by this back to the spot in the woods where it happened, they'll remember the way they died and go back to sleep!"

Rose and Joan look at eachother, and the latter takes hold of the former's firmly. They have been making the most possible out of their few days of life, but of course it couldn't have been enough. Joan seems unable to speak, so Rose does.

"Emma?" she asks, so softly they barely hear her. "Can we please...please, have one more day?"

"Yes, Rose, of course. Tomorrow, we will go to Bobby's and see if we can make the spell work."

Rose nods, and stands with Joan. They leave the room, and when Castiel hears a door shut, he walks up to Emma.

"Cas? Why don't you look happy?" she asks, staring at him with still-wide eyes. "We found out how to get Ivy and Charlie back. It's so simple!"

"I am happy about that, Emma. More than you could know. But there is something I need to tell you."

"Okay, Cas. What is it?"

Castiel takes a deep breath, before saying, "You don't have to do the spell."

***

Emma gapes at him, speechless.

"Please, Emma. Say something."

"You...you reincarnated Rose's soul? You stole her from going to Heaven with Joan?"

"You don't understand, Emma. Rose was so bright, so...good. She was pure, Emma. She needed to touch other souls. The people of her time didn't understand, couldn't know she was righteous, because they believed that book written by many men who claimed to follow God--they believed that she was evil because she loved women. Rose died too young, Emma. Too young...."

Emma takes his hand, looking into his eyes. "You did what you thought was right. I know. You always do what you think is right, Castiel." After a moment of silence, she asks, "Is that why Ivy is the Righteous Woman? Because Rose's soul touched hers?"

"No. Rose's soul would have seeked out another like hers. Ivy is her own being."

Emma nods and smiles. "I can't wait to have Ivy back."

He smiles back. "Neither can I."

***

The next day, Rose and Joan emerge from Charlie's room for the first time since yesterday after breakfast. Emma has made them a huge, delicious meal, and they thank her. Throughout the day, they keep to themselves, only speaking to eachother. Emma and Castiel keep out of their way, as the women kiss and hug, laugh and cry. In the evening, they dance together in the woods, throughout sunset and twilight and well into the night. Finally, Emma and Castiel go out to them, and follow the lovers as they lead them to the clearing in the woods.

At the edge, they look at eachother, and Rose whispers, "I love you, you know."

And Joan--strong, fierce warrior--breaks down into tears. Rose pulls her close and strokes down her hair and back, singing very softly to her.

When they pull back, it's just enough to kiss, and it would be obvious to anyone that this is their last ever kiss...and Castiel's heart doesn't ache for himself and what he has to do without, but shatters for them and their fate that he caused. When they eventually step apart from eachother, they look at Emma and Castiel, and Rose speaks.

"Thank you, for being our friends."

Castiel smiles at her, and is surprised when she closes the few feet between them and hugs him tight. He returns the embrace, and she whispers, for only him to hear.

"I know it was you. And I forgive you, Castiel. But if Joan wakes again, and becomes aware of the truth, she will come after you." The sweet girl steps back from the shocked angel, and moves to hug Emma, who i already opening her arms.

"Oh, Rose..." she says tearfully, "I'm so glad to have known you."

"And I, you, Emma. You are an incredible person. Please take care."

Emma nods. "Goodbye, Rose."

"Goodbye, Emma," she says, stepping back. Rose goes back to Joan, and takes her hand.

Joan smiles at Emma, and says, "Thank you, scholar," before locking eyes with her lover and stepping over the clearing's boundary.

Images unfold in coloured light, and the women stare as their death scenes play out before them. Rose was burned at the stake for being a sinful lover of women, and Joan took her own life with a dagger through the heart. Emma leans on Castiel, with his arm around her, and they weep for the women, as they fall to the ground with white eyes.

Emma and Castiel run to the bodies of their friends, and she allows him to pick up Ivy, crdeling her and stroking her face. And then her eyes open, and she smiles at him. "Cas...hi." He only now realizes that he's been crying, as she reaches up to wipe tears from his face. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he whispers, and pulls her closer to bury his face in her neck. "Nothing is wrong. Everything is right."

Emma and Charlie watch them, holding eachother as the hunter very quietly explains to her what has been happening.

When Castiel finally releases Ivy, Emma moves quick as lightning to hug her sister, sobbing into her shoulder. Ivy rubs her back and shushes her gently, one of those moments where she's so much like Rose. But she isn't Rose Bell, maiden of a warrior in the sixteenth century. She is Ivy Winchester, hunter, Woman of Letters, Righteous Woman, and so much more. And she is Castiel's. His love forever.

***

The next day, Castiel and Charlie help the sisters lead all the people who's souls need reawakening through the woods and to the clearing. Before Ron goes through, he tells them to keep being cool. When An wakes up, she looks down at the strange yellow shoes on her feet. She smiles, and says quietly that she likes them.

When Ivy and Emma take An back home, before they leave the side of the Impala, the elder sister kneels down to speak to her. "Now, you remember that we are your friends, and you can always call us when something bad is happening, okay?"

An nods and smiles. "Okay."

"And don't let your parents push you around anymore, you got it?"

She nods again, her smile growing. "Yeah."

"Good. You're awesome." She holds up a hand, and the kid high fives her, and thn starts to actually laugh. Ivy is happy to see her actually starting to act like a kid. She hopes that An will be able to stand up to her strict parents after they leave her here.

Back in the Impala, Emma looks over at Ivy and asks, "You think she'll be okay?"

"Well," she says, watching An run into the house, "if she's not, we'll come back."

Emma smiles and drives home.

Halfway there, they hit a pothole, and Ivy shouts, "And this is the last time you're driving my car so you'd better enjoy it!"