Post by Cassiel on Mar 25, 2016 16:21:57 GMT
JO HARVELLE--
Another two days had passed without another word. I was starting to wonder if Dean had heard the message and just deleted. After all, that would be the only way that he wouldn't call, right? No. Of course not. He probably thought this was some sick joke and might have been making his way here to deal with me. He likely wanted to handle me himself and he wouldn't want to warn me if I really was something other then myself. Okay, I could see that.
"Don't worry. He'll call."
Ah, there was the voice again. I hadn't heard her since she'd told me to call Dean or Sam. Hello to you too.
"He will call. I promise. He's just worried."
Right, that I'm not myself. Kind of figured he'd think that. I mean, he knows what happened. Can't say I really blame him. I mean, I did die. There was nothing for me to come back to, considering I'd been blown to pieces. By the way, how did you do that?
"He will call. And soon so do not worry. As for the how, it's quite simple when you have the power of an angel. Especially when you are told to bring someone back. There is one little thing though."
I can't help but raise a brow as I listen to her. One thing? Just one thing? I'm pretty sure there's a lot of things that could be explained here but okay. What's the one little thing?
"When you were brought back, because your body had to be made new, you absorbed some of my powers."
My eyebrow shot up at that. Absorbed some of your powers? And this is a little thing? How little is it?
"Yes, a little thing. Because it is not life-threatening. And by absorbing some of my powers, I mean just that. You absorbed some of my grace when I remade you. You are now part angel. You will have some of the same powers as an angel, though on a diminished scale." The voice paused for a moment before continuing. "That also means that other angels will be able to sense you. Maybe not as strongly as they can a full angel but they'll be able to sense you."
I couldn't help but blink at that. Part angel? Me? Just how was I supposed to take this news? And how was this little? Being told that you were part angel was not just some small piece of news. If the owner of the voice had been in front of me, I would have been staring at them. I was going to have powers? Oh, this should make for an interesting time. I was going to need to learn how to use them. I tilt my head when she mentions that other angels would be able to sense me. You mean they'll be able to feel my presence when I'm around or that they can literally find me no matter where I am?
"I mean they can feel your presence. They will know when you are around them. Beware though. I am sure some of them might not be happy about this but it was a side effect that heaven wasn't counting on. We weren't aware that this would happen."
Well, that was surprising. I figured heaven would have counted for every kind of side effect that could happen. Well, I guess it wasn't too bad. I mean, I don't think anyone's going to want to kill me over this. I guess I'm just going to have to wait and see. I take a deep breath and then nod some. Well, if this is the way my life is going to be now, then I guess I'm going to have to live with it. A soft chuckle escaped both my lips and rang inside my head.
"Yes, you are. I know you are going to wonder on how to use your powers. The best thing I can tell you would be to listen. Listen to what my grace inside you is telling you. It will lead you in learning to use them. The grace knows what to do."
Listen. Okay. I could do that. And since I was still waiting in the room to see if Dean called, it wouldn't hurt me to try to practice while I waited. Thank you.
"You're welcome. I did not want you to think that something bad was happening. I was trying to think of a way to explain it to you. As I said though, Dean will call soon and you'll be on your way."
And with that, the voice was gone again. That was something that I was still getting used to, the fact someone could talk to me and be nowhere in sight. An angel, that was what it was. And now I was part angel too. Well, this was certainly going to be an interesting time. I had always known that after I died, I would either go to heaven or hell. I had been prepared for it. And I had been lucky enough to go to heaven. I hadn't missed my life. I'd died fighting the good fight. I'd died to give Sam and Dean a chance to get out of that hardware store, a chance to go up against Lucifer. I had known I wouldn't make it out of there, not with the wound I had. I couldn't be moved and my legs hadn't worked. So I was willing to stay behind. And my mom stayed as well to open the door. So we had died fighting the good fight. I was sure my mom was still in heaven. I missed her, of course, but heaven was where she belonged. I just hoped she was there with my father.
I let out a sigh, looking around the room. An angel. What the hell was I going to do? Even being part angel was weird. I wasn't sure what all that meant. And the voice hadn't exactly been willing to explain this all to me. I guess I was just going to have to figure most of this out on my own. Well, that was fine. I could handle that. I would just have to take note on what I could do when I figured it out. I was going to have to figure out if I could sense other angels as well. If they could sense me, surely I could sense when I was in their presence as well, right? I mean, it made sense to me that I would be able to tell when I was in an angel's presence if they could tell I was there.
I shifted and flopped back on the bed. I really should check to see if there were any messages. While I'd been here two more days since I'd called Dean, I had indeed gone out on one of them. No real destination in mind when I had, I just started walking. I walked for awhile, just enjoying the outdoors. It was something I was going to take time to enjoy more now. And while I thought I was ready to get back out there, I probably should rest up more. After all, I'd been brought back from the dead and now I've found out that I was part angel. Resting was going to be a good thing. Not to mention, during my down time of resting, I could explore the angel side of me. To see perhaps what I could do. The voice said to listen to the grace. Okay, I could do that. But first, I should check my messages.
I let out another sigh and shift to sit back up on the bed. Did I really want to check my messages right now? I would be disappointed if there wasn't a message from him but then again, I would be scared if there was one. After all, I have no idea how he is going to react to my phone call. Will he even believe it's me? Will he think I'm some monster using his friends face? If I knew where he was, I might have just tried to go to him. Maybe seeing me in person would have been a better way to convince him. But I didn't know where he was. All I knew was that the voice had told me to come here. And so that was what I had done. If I had to stay here longer, I would.
I let out yet another sigh as I looked at the phone again. I doubted this place had a way to leave messages in the room. Maybe I should call the front desk? My hand hovers over the receiver and then I pull it away. No. I should just wait. I'm sure that if I had a message at the front desk, they would let me know. At least, I assumed they would. I reach and rub my face. God this would be so much easier if I had a damn cell phone! At least then I would have it on me at all times and I wouldn't have to worry about missing a call or having someone take a message for me.
I pause. That was something I could get. I could find a place to buy a burner phone at. It was better then nothing. And at least then I wouldn't miss a call. I get up and moved, snagging some cash from my bag before snagging the room key and heading off. I remembered seeing a store not too far from the motel and surely they would have some cheap burner phone I could buy. I slip out of my room and pull the door shut behind me before heading off in the direction of the store. Maybe I would try to get myself some sort of jacket while I was there too. But then, I hadn't really been all that cold. Maybe that had something to do with what the voice had told me. Maybe that was why I didn't seem so cold despite the temperature outside. I would have to look into that.
It wasn't long before I reached the store. I slipped inside and made my way through the aisles until I got to the prepaid phone section. Perfect! It wasn't a wide selection but it was enough. I looked through the available phones and picked one, then grabbed a couple of the phone cards. I pause and then moved over to where the jackets were. I grabbed a simple hoody and move to the register. I wait as the clerk rings me up and then pay. I nod to her and take my bag before swiftly leaving and heading back to my motel room.
Again, it doesn't take me long to get back and I slip back into my room. Dropping the bag on the bed, I sit beside it and go about opening the phone and getting it out of the packaging. Once it's open, I go about following the steps to getting it set up before adding one of the phone cards to it. Well, this would keep me from missing any other phone calls if I went out. Or once I left the room. After all, I was going to have to move on.
"Lebanon, Kansas. That is where you need to go."
Oh, welcome back voice. I thought you said I needed to wait?
"I know but that is where you need to go. You need to go see Castiel. I'm sure you remember him."
Yes, I remember him. It's hard to forget him.
"There is a lodge there called the Devill Motor Lodge. Just check in there. A room should be waiting for you when you get there."
Thank you.
"You're welcome. Now you might want to head out."
Lebanon, Kansas. That was where I had been told I needed to go. Thankfully it wasn't too far from where I had checked into the motel I'd been staying at before. About an hour south of there to be exact. Well, I couldn't see renting a car just to go that distance but I wasn't about to hitchhike either. It wasn't safe to do that. That meant either hot wiring a car or walking. An hour drive wasn't really all that much of a walk, maybe an extra hour or two. If I left really early enough, I could easily make it before it got late. And it wasn't like I had that much to take with me. Just the one bag that currently had everything in it. That would be what I would do, I would just walk.
And that was exactly what I had done. I packed everything into my bag and then went about checking out and getting a sense of direction before taking off. I stopped when I needed to take a rest, which was more often then I would have liked but it had still only taken me a couple of hours to walk there. It had been around four in the afternoon when I had arrived and I soon found the Devill Motor Lodge. I went about getting myself checked in and headed to the assigned room. Once I had the key, I headed down to the room and let myself in, dropping my bag on the bed. Now was going to come the fun part. I sank down onto the bed beside my bag and rubbed my head.
"Don't worry. You'll pass the test."
Ah, there's my friend again. Well, I'm certainly glad you're so certain. I mean, I know I am who I say I am but still.
"I know. You're worried about what all you have to go through. Do not worry about it."
I can't help but sigh. I'll try not to.
"You have nothing to worry about. Everything will work out. Everything will be known."
Oh fun. Thanks for that. Probably a good thing I don't answer you out loud then. Pretty sure I'd get funny looks.
A chuckle is heard in my head. "Do not worry Joanna Beth Harvelle. I can hear what you say even without words. You never have to get strange looks from people."
I can't help but let out a chuckle now. Good to know.
"Of course. Now get on with what you need to."
And then all was quiet again. I reach and rub my forehead a moment. The voice was right. I did need to do what I needed to. I reached into my bag and pulled out the prepaid phone I'd bought myself before and punch in a number. I wait and when I get the voicemail, I quickly leave a message. "Castiel? It's Jo. I'm in Lebanon, Kansas at the Devill Motor Lodge in room fifteen." After that, I hang up and sit on the bed, waiting.
CASTIEL--
Two missed calls, both of them left no more than an hour ago. Castiel stared down at the phone in his hand, wondering what had come up now. Well, at least neither of them had come from Dean. At least, not from a known number of Dean's. After the whole incident with Ben, and Sam's little talk afterward, the last thing he wanted to deal with was angry Dean. Thankful for even that small favour from the universe at large, he thumbed the screen and played the first message.
“Castiel? It's Jo. I'm in Lebanon, Kansas at the Devill Motor Lodge in room fifteen.”
Oh, right. Back a few days ago, when Dean was still in Florida, he'd gotten a terse message telling him that someone saying she was Jo Harvelle was back from the dead and needed help. And, even Cas had to agree that, with everything else that had been happening, it was a possibility that should be investigated seriously.
The second message had come in almost immediately after the first, and was a Lebanon number. Though he suspected what it was, he played it anyway.
“Hey, man, that woman you asked about checked in. She's in room 15. I got it set for you to pay for all charges, just like you said.”
It was nice that, after the week he'd had, something was going right. After Dean's message, it'd been worth fifty dollars to convince the clerk at the motel to inform him when Jo arrived, and to switch her registration information over to what Castiel had provided. At best, it would protect her if someone had reason to investigate her sudden, inexplicable resurrection. At worst, it wasn't really Jo, and there would be no record of 'Jo' ever being in Lebanon.
He almost wished he had the excuse of needing to rest, to regain power, before dealing with this latest issue. But...despite working to restore Ben's memories – something that experience still told him should have left him drained and weakened – he couldn't even feel a difference. So, there was no excuse not to get this taken care of, no matter how little he wanted to face it right now.
After all, Jo Harvelle had died, along with her mother, because he'd allowed himself to be foolishly led into Lucifer's trap of holy fire. If he'd only stayed with them, they might never have had to die. One by one, it seemed like the sins of his past were coming forth to haunt him all over again, in various ways. If he'd believed in the human concept of karma, he might have wondered if it was coming back to bite him in the ass, as the humans said.
With a sigh, he slipped the phone back down into the deep pocket of his overcoat and took himself off to the Devill Motor Lodge at the edge of town.
He had the foresight to appear out of sight of anyone that might happen to be watching, and approached room 15 cautiously. But, by the time he came to the door, he hesitated before knocking. Something wasn't right here. There was, faint but decidedly there, the sense of grace behind that door. He'd been prepared for demons, any of a range of supernatural creatures, and a human. But an angel? Or...perhaps a once-used vessel? Something was there, certainly, that was of angelic origin.
In fact, the thing that came immediately to mind was how Claire felt when she was nearby, minus the extra familiarity of his own grace.
It was enough to make him brush aside any concerns for the simple, human things, like politeness or courtesy. He didn't need any of the Host sniffing around after him, not after what Death had done to him. He was done with Heaven, done with the Host. An unknown angelic influence here, now, in his territory, was enough to make him both wary, and angry.
He reached out and grasped the door's handle, letting grace flare, unlocking the door swiftly and easily. And then he pushed the door open, even as he allowed his blade to fall into his waiting hand. When he stepped into the room, though, all he was met with was the sight of someone who certainly looked exactly as Jo Harvelle had the last time he saw her, just before abandoning the humans to investigate the mass of reapers gathered in the streets of Carthage, Missouri.
Cas stepped into the room and closed the door behind him before he spoke, before he gave any reaction at all to her. And, though she appeared as though she should be harmless to him, he kept his gleaming blade gripped firmly, at his side, but ready to be used. Grace swirled and shifted restlessly within him, just as ready as the physical weapon to be used at a moment's notice.
“What was done to you,” he asked, voice rough and in a tone that was cold. “Angels. I can feel it. Who are you, really, and what was done to you?”
JO--
She'd never thought she'd come back. She'd never thought that once her time had been over, that there would be a second chance at anything. She'd always thought that once her number was up, that was it. She would be dead and moved on. And yet, here she was, alive once again and seriously feeling quite out of the element. Sure, she could go back to the hunting life but she felt a little lost here. Lost because other then what the voice had been telling her, she didn't understand what she was doing back here.
Yes, the voice had told her it was to return a bit of balance to the world but she still didn't understand why it was her and only her. There were so many others that she could think of that might have been better to bring back, at least that she thought. After all, what made her so special? Why wasn't her mother special enough? She would have to see about talking to the voice again, maybe asking why it was her that had been brought back.
Fighting the good fight, that was how hunters wanted to go out if they had to, right? They wanted to go out fighting. They didn't want to be taken out by something like an accident. No. They wanted to fight until the bitter end. It was what she and her mother had done, fought until the bitter end. But they had each earned a place in heaven, She'd been happy in her little heaven. But she had known that if she had a second chance, it wouldn't be a hell hound that took her out by ripping her guts open.
She had no idea that the clerk at the desk had called Castiel as well. She had no idea who was paying for the room or anything. All she had known was that there would be a room for her. She hadn't really paid attention to any of the information that had been used for the room. Perhaps if she hadn't actually walked she might have. Her legs were protesting the walk now, considering that she hadn't walked that far in so long. But she had to build up her endurance again. She would start working out after this, start going for jogs or runs once she was rested up. Maybe even start the next morning. She could see about buying some more clothes with the money she had left. She'd have to see about finding the nearest store when she got a chance. Couldn't just survive on what she had in her bag.
She remembered Cas from before she died, so it wasn't like she was meeting him for the first time. She was sure he would remember her but she also didn't doubt there would be tests to make sure she was who she said she was. She understood that. After all, she hadn't had a body left. Being inside a building when it gets blown up kind of means you don't have a body anymore. She figured it wouldn't take him long to get there, not really. After all, he was likely expecting her.
When the door unlocked and opened, she looked up and over at it. She paused and stood up, though she made no other move. She wasn't willing to get too close to him. Not yet anyway. She'd also noticed that he was armed. Shouldn't really be surprised at that one, she thought to herself. She watched as he stepped into the room and closed the door, though she still made no move from standing by the bed. Something seemed different about him. But then, who was she to really judge. Look at how long she'd been dead. For all she knew, this was the way he acted around anyone. And she was, after all, claiming to be someone he knew had died.
She rose a brow when he mentioned that what had been done to her had been Angels, that he could feel it. "Well, I suppose that makes sense." She held up her hand so that he could see them, know that she was unarmed. "Jo Harvelle. That's who I really am. What was done to me was me getting blown to bits in the hardware store with my mother after I'd died in her arms. Then I was in heaven before I was suddenly back here and naked in the road. Which, by the way, really sucks. I mean, I'm thankful to the couple who stopped and had some clothes I could wear but I seriously did not need to come back in the middle of the road naked." She kept her eyes on him. "Before you even ask, no I have no damn clue how it happened. All I know is I was being told that I had to get up." She paused, thinking about it for a moment. "I know there's going to be some test you want to do, to make sure I am who I say I am. I'll do whatever it takes Cas." She meant it too. She didn't care what he had to do, she'd deal with it.
CASTIEL--
Cas stood still and silent as she spoke, almost rambling in her response to him. She...sounded like Jo, too. But, even if she really was Jo - especially if she really was Jo – he had a hard time believing there weren't weapons somewhere around the room where she could easily reach them. So, really, while her gesture might be nice, it was, for him, meaningless.
He waited her out, attempting to be kind even in the midst of being on guard. She could really be Jo. With everything else going on, it wasn't out of the realm of possibility. If she was, she could probably use the kindness. And, if it wasn't Jo, the little kindness cost nothing, really. As she spoke, he studied her, every tiny movement, every word she used, every flicker in her eyes. All of it matched with what he remembered of her, though that wasn't really the best way to judge. It helped, though, helped him prepare for what he'd have to do to her to really confirm her identity.
He dreaded it, though – he dreaded it for her sake if she really was Jo, and for his own sake, because of that touch of grace he felt within her. He wasn't sure what it would do to him, or what he might do to it and her as a result. Again, sometimes, this gift of being remade into an archangel – but without any of the inborn knowledge or control of an archangel – seemed as much punishment as reward. Not, he thought, that he didn't deserve punishment as well, after all the things he'd done. Balance, it was...all about the balance. One of few bits of innate knowledge that had seemed to come with his newly fused grace.
“You might regret saying that,” he said, his tone gentler now, even a bit pitying. And there was a wry, even dark, humour there that he wouldn't have even really understood let alone used back then. “I'm, ah...not what I was when you knew me. Not exactly.” He tilted his head at her, daring to relax his guard a little, though he kept his blade gripped firmly at his side. After a few heartbeats of silence during which he continued to study her and how she handled the intense scrutiny he turned on her.
Finally, he stepped forward, making a show of tucking his blade back up the sleeve of his coat. “Sit,” he said as he gestured to the bed, making clear he expected her to do exactly as he said without argument. He, in turn, grabbed one of the pair of chairs by the little table that seemed as much a fixture in these motels as the beds themselves, and, swinging it around to face the bed, took a seat himself. “Explain the angels, first. And then, depending on what you tell me, I will present you with options.
“You're right. There will be a test, something that can prove beyond any doubt you are who and what you claim. Dean asked me to be sure, so I'll do this for him. And...because I owe Jo Harvelle, because I made a terrible mistake and wasn't able to save her. But...first, the angels. Explain their involvement with you, and the grace within you.” He paused, squinting at her. “I don't really want to get involved with Heaven again,” he added, but offered no further explanation.
Another two days had passed without another word. I was starting to wonder if Dean had heard the message and just deleted. After all, that would be the only way that he wouldn't call, right? No. Of course not. He probably thought this was some sick joke and might have been making his way here to deal with me. He likely wanted to handle me himself and he wouldn't want to warn me if I really was something other then myself. Okay, I could see that.
"Don't worry. He'll call."
Ah, there was the voice again. I hadn't heard her since she'd told me to call Dean or Sam. Hello to you too.
"He will call. I promise. He's just worried."
Right, that I'm not myself. Kind of figured he'd think that. I mean, he knows what happened. Can't say I really blame him. I mean, I did die. There was nothing for me to come back to, considering I'd been blown to pieces. By the way, how did you do that?
"He will call. And soon so do not worry. As for the how, it's quite simple when you have the power of an angel. Especially when you are told to bring someone back. There is one little thing though."
I can't help but raise a brow as I listen to her. One thing? Just one thing? I'm pretty sure there's a lot of things that could be explained here but okay. What's the one little thing?
"When you were brought back, because your body had to be made new, you absorbed some of my powers."
My eyebrow shot up at that. Absorbed some of your powers? And this is a little thing? How little is it?
"Yes, a little thing. Because it is not life-threatening. And by absorbing some of my powers, I mean just that. You absorbed some of my grace when I remade you. You are now part angel. You will have some of the same powers as an angel, though on a diminished scale." The voice paused for a moment before continuing. "That also means that other angels will be able to sense you. Maybe not as strongly as they can a full angel but they'll be able to sense you."
I couldn't help but blink at that. Part angel? Me? Just how was I supposed to take this news? And how was this little? Being told that you were part angel was not just some small piece of news. If the owner of the voice had been in front of me, I would have been staring at them. I was going to have powers? Oh, this should make for an interesting time. I was going to need to learn how to use them. I tilt my head when she mentions that other angels would be able to sense me. You mean they'll be able to feel my presence when I'm around or that they can literally find me no matter where I am?
"I mean they can feel your presence. They will know when you are around them. Beware though. I am sure some of them might not be happy about this but it was a side effect that heaven wasn't counting on. We weren't aware that this would happen."
Well, that was surprising. I figured heaven would have counted for every kind of side effect that could happen. Well, I guess it wasn't too bad. I mean, I don't think anyone's going to want to kill me over this. I guess I'm just going to have to wait and see. I take a deep breath and then nod some. Well, if this is the way my life is going to be now, then I guess I'm going to have to live with it. A soft chuckle escaped both my lips and rang inside my head.
"Yes, you are. I know you are going to wonder on how to use your powers. The best thing I can tell you would be to listen. Listen to what my grace inside you is telling you. It will lead you in learning to use them. The grace knows what to do."
Listen. Okay. I could do that. And since I was still waiting in the room to see if Dean called, it wouldn't hurt me to try to practice while I waited. Thank you.
"You're welcome. I did not want you to think that something bad was happening. I was trying to think of a way to explain it to you. As I said though, Dean will call soon and you'll be on your way."
And with that, the voice was gone again. That was something that I was still getting used to, the fact someone could talk to me and be nowhere in sight. An angel, that was what it was. And now I was part angel too. Well, this was certainly going to be an interesting time. I had always known that after I died, I would either go to heaven or hell. I had been prepared for it. And I had been lucky enough to go to heaven. I hadn't missed my life. I'd died fighting the good fight. I'd died to give Sam and Dean a chance to get out of that hardware store, a chance to go up against Lucifer. I had known I wouldn't make it out of there, not with the wound I had. I couldn't be moved and my legs hadn't worked. So I was willing to stay behind. And my mom stayed as well to open the door. So we had died fighting the good fight. I was sure my mom was still in heaven. I missed her, of course, but heaven was where she belonged. I just hoped she was there with my father.
I let out a sigh, looking around the room. An angel. What the hell was I going to do? Even being part angel was weird. I wasn't sure what all that meant. And the voice hadn't exactly been willing to explain this all to me. I guess I was just going to have to figure most of this out on my own. Well, that was fine. I could handle that. I would just have to take note on what I could do when I figured it out. I was going to have to figure out if I could sense other angels as well. If they could sense me, surely I could sense when I was in their presence as well, right? I mean, it made sense to me that I would be able to tell when I was in an angel's presence if they could tell I was there.
I shifted and flopped back on the bed. I really should check to see if there were any messages. While I'd been here two more days since I'd called Dean, I had indeed gone out on one of them. No real destination in mind when I had, I just started walking. I walked for awhile, just enjoying the outdoors. It was something I was going to take time to enjoy more now. And while I thought I was ready to get back out there, I probably should rest up more. After all, I'd been brought back from the dead and now I've found out that I was part angel. Resting was going to be a good thing. Not to mention, during my down time of resting, I could explore the angel side of me. To see perhaps what I could do. The voice said to listen to the grace. Okay, I could do that. But first, I should check my messages.
I let out another sigh and shift to sit back up on the bed. Did I really want to check my messages right now? I would be disappointed if there wasn't a message from him but then again, I would be scared if there was one. After all, I have no idea how he is going to react to my phone call. Will he even believe it's me? Will he think I'm some monster using his friends face? If I knew where he was, I might have just tried to go to him. Maybe seeing me in person would have been a better way to convince him. But I didn't know where he was. All I knew was that the voice had told me to come here. And so that was what I had done. If I had to stay here longer, I would.
I let out yet another sigh as I looked at the phone again. I doubted this place had a way to leave messages in the room. Maybe I should call the front desk? My hand hovers over the receiver and then I pull it away. No. I should just wait. I'm sure that if I had a message at the front desk, they would let me know. At least, I assumed they would. I reach and rub my face. God this would be so much easier if I had a damn cell phone! At least then I would have it on me at all times and I wouldn't have to worry about missing a call or having someone take a message for me.
I pause. That was something I could get. I could find a place to buy a burner phone at. It was better then nothing. And at least then I wouldn't miss a call. I get up and moved, snagging some cash from my bag before snagging the room key and heading off. I remembered seeing a store not too far from the motel and surely they would have some cheap burner phone I could buy. I slip out of my room and pull the door shut behind me before heading off in the direction of the store. Maybe I would try to get myself some sort of jacket while I was there too. But then, I hadn't really been all that cold. Maybe that had something to do with what the voice had told me. Maybe that was why I didn't seem so cold despite the temperature outside. I would have to look into that.
It wasn't long before I reached the store. I slipped inside and made my way through the aisles until I got to the prepaid phone section. Perfect! It wasn't a wide selection but it was enough. I looked through the available phones and picked one, then grabbed a couple of the phone cards. I pause and then moved over to where the jackets were. I grabbed a simple hoody and move to the register. I wait as the clerk rings me up and then pay. I nod to her and take my bag before swiftly leaving and heading back to my motel room.
Again, it doesn't take me long to get back and I slip back into my room. Dropping the bag on the bed, I sit beside it and go about opening the phone and getting it out of the packaging. Once it's open, I go about following the steps to getting it set up before adding one of the phone cards to it. Well, this would keep me from missing any other phone calls if I went out. Or once I left the room. After all, I was going to have to move on.
"Lebanon, Kansas. That is where you need to go."
Oh, welcome back voice. I thought you said I needed to wait?
"I know but that is where you need to go. You need to go see Castiel. I'm sure you remember him."
Yes, I remember him. It's hard to forget him.
"There is a lodge there called the Devill Motor Lodge. Just check in there. A room should be waiting for you when you get there."
Thank you.
"You're welcome. Now you might want to head out."
Lebanon, Kansas. That was where I had been told I needed to go. Thankfully it wasn't too far from where I had checked into the motel I'd been staying at before. About an hour south of there to be exact. Well, I couldn't see renting a car just to go that distance but I wasn't about to hitchhike either. It wasn't safe to do that. That meant either hot wiring a car or walking. An hour drive wasn't really all that much of a walk, maybe an extra hour or two. If I left really early enough, I could easily make it before it got late. And it wasn't like I had that much to take with me. Just the one bag that currently had everything in it. That would be what I would do, I would just walk.
And that was exactly what I had done. I packed everything into my bag and then went about checking out and getting a sense of direction before taking off. I stopped when I needed to take a rest, which was more often then I would have liked but it had still only taken me a couple of hours to walk there. It had been around four in the afternoon when I had arrived and I soon found the Devill Motor Lodge. I went about getting myself checked in and headed to the assigned room. Once I had the key, I headed down to the room and let myself in, dropping my bag on the bed. Now was going to come the fun part. I sank down onto the bed beside my bag and rubbed my head.
"Don't worry. You'll pass the test."
Ah, there's my friend again. Well, I'm certainly glad you're so certain. I mean, I know I am who I say I am but still.
"I know. You're worried about what all you have to go through. Do not worry about it."
I can't help but sigh. I'll try not to.
"You have nothing to worry about. Everything will work out. Everything will be known."
Oh fun. Thanks for that. Probably a good thing I don't answer you out loud then. Pretty sure I'd get funny looks.
A chuckle is heard in my head. "Do not worry Joanna Beth Harvelle. I can hear what you say even without words. You never have to get strange looks from people."
I can't help but let out a chuckle now. Good to know.
"Of course. Now get on with what you need to."
And then all was quiet again. I reach and rub my forehead a moment. The voice was right. I did need to do what I needed to. I reached into my bag and pulled out the prepaid phone I'd bought myself before and punch in a number. I wait and when I get the voicemail, I quickly leave a message. "Castiel? It's Jo. I'm in Lebanon, Kansas at the Devill Motor Lodge in room fifteen." After that, I hang up and sit on the bed, waiting.
CASTIEL--
Two missed calls, both of them left no more than an hour ago. Castiel stared down at the phone in his hand, wondering what had come up now. Well, at least neither of them had come from Dean. At least, not from a known number of Dean's. After the whole incident with Ben, and Sam's little talk afterward, the last thing he wanted to deal with was angry Dean. Thankful for even that small favour from the universe at large, he thumbed the screen and played the first message.
“Castiel? It's Jo. I'm in Lebanon, Kansas at the Devill Motor Lodge in room fifteen.”
Oh, right. Back a few days ago, when Dean was still in Florida, he'd gotten a terse message telling him that someone saying she was Jo Harvelle was back from the dead and needed help. And, even Cas had to agree that, with everything else that had been happening, it was a possibility that should be investigated seriously.
The second message had come in almost immediately after the first, and was a Lebanon number. Though he suspected what it was, he played it anyway.
“Hey, man, that woman you asked about checked in. She's in room 15. I got it set for you to pay for all charges, just like you said.”
It was nice that, after the week he'd had, something was going right. After Dean's message, it'd been worth fifty dollars to convince the clerk at the motel to inform him when Jo arrived, and to switch her registration information over to what Castiel had provided. At best, it would protect her if someone had reason to investigate her sudden, inexplicable resurrection. At worst, it wasn't really Jo, and there would be no record of 'Jo' ever being in Lebanon.
He almost wished he had the excuse of needing to rest, to regain power, before dealing with this latest issue. But...despite working to restore Ben's memories – something that experience still told him should have left him drained and weakened – he couldn't even feel a difference. So, there was no excuse not to get this taken care of, no matter how little he wanted to face it right now.
After all, Jo Harvelle had died, along with her mother, because he'd allowed himself to be foolishly led into Lucifer's trap of holy fire. If he'd only stayed with them, they might never have had to die. One by one, it seemed like the sins of his past were coming forth to haunt him all over again, in various ways. If he'd believed in the human concept of karma, he might have wondered if it was coming back to bite him in the ass, as the humans said.
With a sigh, he slipped the phone back down into the deep pocket of his overcoat and took himself off to the Devill Motor Lodge at the edge of town.
He had the foresight to appear out of sight of anyone that might happen to be watching, and approached room 15 cautiously. But, by the time he came to the door, he hesitated before knocking. Something wasn't right here. There was, faint but decidedly there, the sense of grace behind that door. He'd been prepared for demons, any of a range of supernatural creatures, and a human. But an angel? Or...perhaps a once-used vessel? Something was there, certainly, that was of angelic origin.
In fact, the thing that came immediately to mind was how Claire felt when she was nearby, minus the extra familiarity of his own grace.
It was enough to make him brush aside any concerns for the simple, human things, like politeness or courtesy. He didn't need any of the Host sniffing around after him, not after what Death had done to him. He was done with Heaven, done with the Host. An unknown angelic influence here, now, in his territory, was enough to make him both wary, and angry.
He reached out and grasped the door's handle, letting grace flare, unlocking the door swiftly and easily. And then he pushed the door open, even as he allowed his blade to fall into his waiting hand. When he stepped into the room, though, all he was met with was the sight of someone who certainly looked exactly as Jo Harvelle had the last time he saw her, just before abandoning the humans to investigate the mass of reapers gathered in the streets of Carthage, Missouri.
Cas stepped into the room and closed the door behind him before he spoke, before he gave any reaction at all to her. And, though she appeared as though she should be harmless to him, he kept his gleaming blade gripped firmly, at his side, but ready to be used. Grace swirled and shifted restlessly within him, just as ready as the physical weapon to be used at a moment's notice.
“What was done to you,” he asked, voice rough and in a tone that was cold. “Angels. I can feel it. Who are you, really, and what was done to you?”
JO--
She'd never thought she'd come back. She'd never thought that once her time had been over, that there would be a second chance at anything. She'd always thought that once her number was up, that was it. She would be dead and moved on. And yet, here she was, alive once again and seriously feeling quite out of the element. Sure, she could go back to the hunting life but she felt a little lost here. Lost because other then what the voice had been telling her, she didn't understand what she was doing back here.
Yes, the voice had told her it was to return a bit of balance to the world but she still didn't understand why it was her and only her. There were so many others that she could think of that might have been better to bring back, at least that she thought. After all, what made her so special? Why wasn't her mother special enough? She would have to see about talking to the voice again, maybe asking why it was her that had been brought back.
Fighting the good fight, that was how hunters wanted to go out if they had to, right? They wanted to go out fighting. They didn't want to be taken out by something like an accident. No. They wanted to fight until the bitter end. It was what she and her mother had done, fought until the bitter end. But they had each earned a place in heaven, She'd been happy in her little heaven. But she had known that if she had a second chance, it wouldn't be a hell hound that took her out by ripping her guts open.
She had no idea that the clerk at the desk had called Castiel as well. She had no idea who was paying for the room or anything. All she had known was that there would be a room for her. She hadn't really paid attention to any of the information that had been used for the room. Perhaps if she hadn't actually walked she might have. Her legs were protesting the walk now, considering that she hadn't walked that far in so long. But she had to build up her endurance again. She would start working out after this, start going for jogs or runs once she was rested up. Maybe even start the next morning. She could see about buying some more clothes with the money she had left. She'd have to see about finding the nearest store when she got a chance. Couldn't just survive on what she had in her bag.
She remembered Cas from before she died, so it wasn't like she was meeting him for the first time. She was sure he would remember her but she also didn't doubt there would be tests to make sure she was who she said she was. She understood that. After all, she hadn't had a body left. Being inside a building when it gets blown up kind of means you don't have a body anymore. She figured it wouldn't take him long to get there, not really. After all, he was likely expecting her.
When the door unlocked and opened, she looked up and over at it. She paused and stood up, though she made no other move. She wasn't willing to get too close to him. Not yet anyway. She'd also noticed that he was armed. Shouldn't really be surprised at that one, she thought to herself. She watched as he stepped into the room and closed the door, though she still made no move from standing by the bed. Something seemed different about him. But then, who was she to really judge. Look at how long she'd been dead. For all she knew, this was the way he acted around anyone. And she was, after all, claiming to be someone he knew had died.
She rose a brow when he mentioned that what had been done to her had been Angels, that he could feel it. "Well, I suppose that makes sense." She held up her hand so that he could see them, know that she was unarmed. "Jo Harvelle. That's who I really am. What was done to me was me getting blown to bits in the hardware store with my mother after I'd died in her arms. Then I was in heaven before I was suddenly back here and naked in the road. Which, by the way, really sucks. I mean, I'm thankful to the couple who stopped and had some clothes I could wear but I seriously did not need to come back in the middle of the road naked." She kept her eyes on him. "Before you even ask, no I have no damn clue how it happened. All I know is I was being told that I had to get up." She paused, thinking about it for a moment. "I know there's going to be some test you want to do, to make sure I am who I say I am. I'll do whatever it takes Cas." She meant it too. She didn't care what he had to do, she'd deal with it.
CASTIEL--
Cas stood still and silent as she spoke, almost rambling in her response to him. She...sounded like Jo, too. But, even if she really was Jo - especially if she really was Jo – he had a hard time believing there weren't weapons somewhere around the room where she could easily reach them. So, really, while her gesture might be nice, it was, for him, meaningless.
He waited her out, attempting to be kind even in the midst of being on guard. She could really be Jo. With everything else going on, it wasn't out of the realm of possibility. If she was, she could probably use the kindness. And, if it wasn't Jo, the little kindness cost nothing, really. As she spoke, he studied her, every tiny movement, every word she used, every flicker in her eyes. All of it matched with what he remembered of her, though that wasn't really the best way to judge. It helped, though, helped him prepare for what he'd have to do to her to really confirm her identity.
He dreaded it, though – he dreaded it for her sake if she really was Jo, and for his own sake, because of that touch of grace he felt within her. He wasn't sure what it would do to him, or what he might do to it and her as a result. Again, sometimes, this gift of being remade into an archangel – but without any of the inborn knowledge or control of an archangel – seemed as much punishment as reward. Not, he thought, that he didn't deserve punishment as well, after all the things he'd done. Balance, it was...all about the balance. One of few bits of innate knowledge that had seemed to come with his newly fused grace.
“You might regret saying that,” he said, his tone gentler now, even a bit pitying. And there was a wry, even dark, humour there that he wouldn't have even really understood let alone used back then. “I'm, ah...not what I was when you knew me. Not exactly.” He tilted his head at her, daring to relax his guard a little, though he kept his blade gripped firmly at his side. After a few heartbeats of silence during which he continued to study her and how she handled the intense scrutiny he turned on her.
Finally, he stepped forward, making a show of tucking his blade back up the sleeve of his coat. “Sit,” he said as he gestured to the bed, making clear he expected her to do exactly as he said without argument. He, in turn, grabbed one of the pair of chairs by the little table that seemed as much a fixture in these motels as the beds themselves, and, swinging it around to face the bed, took a seat himself. “Explain the angels, first. And then, depending on what you tell me, I will present you with options.
“You're right. There will be a test, something that can prove beyond any doubt you are who and what you claim. Dean asked me to be sure, so I'll do this for him. And...because I owe Jo Harvelle, because I made a terrible mistake and wasn't able to save her. But...first, the angels. Explain their involvement with you, and the grace within you.” He paused, squinting at her. “I don't really want to get involved with Heaven again,” he added, but offered no further explanation.
