Desolation Comes Upon the Sky

Road Trip

July 24th, 2014
Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Weak sunlight filtered through the glass, turning the horizon a pale purple. Alex could see it from her window, the view unhindered by the flat South Dakota land. She was curled up in the guest bedroom of Jody Mills' home, tucked safely beneath the heavy covers, but despite the warmth and the comfort, sleep had eluded her.

She could feel Castiel in the room with her; Theo's grace still sat inside both of them, connected by a thin ethereal strand. The seraph was at the foot of the bed, still as a stone. He had been up all night; clearly his angelic identity no longer required him to sleep. Unlike Alex. Exhaustion weighed down her very bones, but every time she had drifted off, she had woken up to screaming in her head.

"Hold onto me." She could hear Ezekiel's final words searing through her mind."I've got you."

"Still can't sleep?" Castiel's murmur had her looking over her shoulder. His blue eyes were on her, watching her with barely concealed sympathy. "You're safe here, you know. I won't let them find you."

"I'm not scared of that." Alex patted the bed beside her, indicating that he should join her beneath the covers. "I...just keep having nightmares."

Castiel's face set tight in a line of grim understanding. "Of Malachi."

"No, no, not of him." She was lying; Malachi had haunted her dreams, but it hadn't been what had woken her up in terror. "I keep dreaming of Ezekiel." She shifted as Castiel slid into the bed next to her, turned on his side to fit up against her thin frame. "Of how he died."

Castiel's hand slid over her waist, curling down to rest against her stomach. "Ezekiel gave his life because he cared about you," he began, speaking slowly with careful intent. "And I owe him my life for that." The hand moved upwards to tuck a strand of blonde hair behind her ear. "He died doing the job our Father gave us; he died protecting you."

"He shouldn't have died at all." The words came out as a whisper as her throat closed, and Alex squeezed her eyes shut. So many angels had died; who else hadn't survived?

The sun was brighter when Alex reopened her eyes, and she blinked twice, surprised to find that she had fallen asleep. Castiel's presence had kept the nightmares at bay, but now the bed beside her was empty, though the sheets were still warm. He hadn't been gone long. With great reluctance, Alex focused on the icy grace within her, following its thread down the stairs to find Castiel seated on the living room couch. He was talking on the phone, but she couldn't make out words.

She threw back the sheets and made her way down the stairs, stifling a yawn and inhaling the warm smell of fresh pancakes. Jody must be up.

They had arrived at the sheriff's home late last night, desperate and out of breath, and Jody had ushered them in without a second's thought. But despite her initial understanding of their situation, Alex was sure more questions were to come.

"You're up." Jody poked her head into the living room to greet Alex. "Just in time. Breakfast is almost ready." She disappeared back into the kitchen, and Alex glanced over at Castiel. He had hung up the phone and stood up, a frown set deep into his face.

At Alex's prompting, he stepped forward. "We need to get to Kansas. Dean needs our help." He slid his phone into the pocket of his suit pocket as he glanced back towards the kitchen. "Jody will understand."

"Like hell I won't." Jody's voice drifted back through the room, and Alex chuckled. "I just made pancakes. Don't tell me you two don't have twenty minutes to sit down and help me eat them all."