Topic: Touched by an Angel

Dean Winchester

Date: 2011-06-05 22:44 EST
"Dean Winchester. I should have known. Who else would summon me while I'm enjoying a sunset, a glass of champagne, and a sultry brunette?"

Dean turned to face the angel he'd just spent the last hour and a half summoning, in no mood for an attitude. "There's a war going on for control of Heaven and you're worrying about getting laid" Didn't Lucifer get the boot for that?"

The angel shrugged nonchalantly. "Lucifer got the boot because he defied God, but as you well know, God is....What's your term for it' AWOL" MIA" It's every angel for himself. Or herself, as the case may be. Free will and all that."

"I thought you were part of Team Cas," Dean pointed out, referring to the angel who had pulled him out of Hell and saved their asses on more than one occasion.

"Given the choice between Castiel and Raphael, I find Cas a more....benign leader," the angel replied.

"Benign. I'm sure Cas would love to hear that."

"Yes, well....He's rather tied up at the moment, so I don't think he'll be eavesdropping on our conversation."

"Tied up with what?" Dean asked, not liking the sound of that.

Balthazar waved his right hand in a circular motion. "Plans, problems. It takes a lot of time and energy to lead a rebellion, you know."

"Maybe you should do more to help him."

"What do you think I'm doing here" Do you think I come running at your beck and call because I want to' Because you called" You may be important to Castiel, for whatever reason, but you're not important to me. And since you and your brother are out of harm's way for a little while, I don't have to spend every moment watching over your pathetic little selves."

Dean arched a brow, a little surprised at the angel's reply. "If your job is to watch over us, you've been doing a pretty piss poor job of it lately."

The angel sighed impatiently. "Let me explain something to you, Dean, since you seem unable to grasp this on your own....Did it ever occur to you that perhaps you aren't here just to play hide and seek with Raphael" That there is more going on than meets the eye?"

Dean glared at the angel suspiciously. "Like what?"

"I am not at liberty to say, but I will tell you that Castiel chose this place for a reason."

"What reason?"

"What did I just tell you? It's a secret, but you're a smart monkey....I'm sure you'll figure it out sooner or later. And don't bother asking if I can take you home because I can't."

"Can't or won't?" Dean asked, accusingly.

"Trust me, Dean....You and your little brother are much safer here. Consider it a vacation."

"I don't have time for a vacation."

"On the contrary, while you're here, you have all the time in the world."

"What do you mean?"

"You haven't noticed, have you?" The angel sighed again. "No, I suppose you wouldn't."

"Noticed what?"

"Time is at a standstill, at least as far as you're concerned. You aren't aging, Dean. You came here as a boy, and you stopped aging when you reached your proper age. You won't start aging again until you return home, and it will seem like no time has passed there. You could spend twenty years here and still return home the same age as you were when you left. On the very same day, the same hour, the same minute."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"You were touched by an angel, Dean. Your brother, too." The angel grinned, as if it was a good thing, but Dean wasn't so sure.

"Are you saying we're immortal?"

"I'm saying that as long as you stay on Rhydin, you won't age and no time will pass back on that rock you call Earth. But that doesn't mean you're immortal, not in the true sense of the word. As you may have noticed, you still bleed. You can still be killed, so you have to take care."

"How comforting," Dean muttered, sarcastically.

"It is, isn't it' So, just kick back, have a brew, and enjoy the scenery. I hear the women are particularly desirable on Rhydin. You should enjoy that. All that variety to chose from. It's a playboy's dream."

"I'm not a playboy," Dean denied, narrowing his eyes.

"Don't be silly. Of course, you are. How many women have you slept with since you got here?"

"That's none of your damned business," Dean snapped.

"That's what I thought," the angel replied. "I rest my case. Now, if you don't mind, I have a glass of champagne to finish and a brunette name Mimi who requires my attention."

"Wait!" Dean exclaimed, not even half his questions answered yet, but it was too late. The angel was gone. "Son of a bitch," he grumbled to himself. Obviously, Balthazar wasn't going to be any help. It was back to Square One.

Dean Winchester

Date: 2011-08-14 20:29 EST
Sometime recently at some random hole-in-the-wall on the WestEnd...

"Well, look what we have here....Dean Winchester, barely out of nappies."

Dean didn't have to look up from his beer to know who was suddenly and unexpectedly standing beside him, bellied up to the bar. "Take a break from your brothel to join me for a beer, Balthazar?" Dean remarked, dryly. He knew if he played his cards right, the angel might be able to help him, but sometimes he just couldn't control what came out of his mouth.

"Lucky for you they serve minors in Rhydin," the angel retorted. "Not so lucky for your liver."

Dean narrowed his eyes as he turned toward the angel. Wearing a teenager's body again did very little for Dean's demeanor, not to mention his manners. "You find this amusing?"

"Amusing?" The angel echoed, with a smirk. "I find it bloody hysterical."

"Did you come here to laugh at me or change me back?"

"Neither, actually. I'm meeting a girl....Well, not a girl really. A minor goddess, to be exact. Magic fingers, if you follow me," the angel replied, wiggling the fingers of one hand, as if to prove his point.

"How is it Cas lets you get away with that?" Dean asked, eyes narrowed.

Balthazar shrugged. "Castiel needs me. Allies are sadly lacking these days. So long as I'm not cavorting with demons, we're good."

"I'm not exactly at the top of Cas' A list right now," Dean pointed out. At least, not since Cas had started waging all-out war for control in Heaven.

"No one is," Balthazar replied. "Take it from me, power corrupts."

"And absolute power corrupts absolutely," Dean finished the quote. "Is that what happened to God?" he asked, eying the angel and taking a pull from his beer.

"No one is quite sure what happened to God. He's around somewhere, I'm sure, but where?" The angel shrugged again. "Who knows" Pardon the pun, but everything went to hell after the Adam and Eve debacle."

Dean raised a hand to silence him. "Not interested in the history lesson, thanks. I've got bigger fish to fry."

"That's putting it mildly."

"Where's this goddess you're supposed to be meeting" Or is that just an excuse to sit here and pour salt on my wounds?"

"Well, you do leave yourself wide open. I mean, look at you..." The angel gestured to Dean with a hand. "You have realized when they find you, it's going to be open season on Dean Winchester?"

Dean looked puzzled, brows furrowing. "When who realizes?"

Balthazar sighed impatiently. "Has that potion addled your brain" You're no longer protected against demons, my boy. And I do mean boy. You've probably already blipped on their radar. Do you really think they're going to let you continue this little vacation of yours without taking a pot shot or two' What precautions are you taking" I had no trouble finding you. They won't either."

"So, what are you going to do?" Dean asked, ignoring the angel's questions. "Zap me back to my old self and send me home?"

"Is that what you want?" the angel inquired.

"Did you send Sam home?" Dean countered.

"No, Sam - wonder boy that he is - did that all on his own. He never fails to impress me. You, on the other hand, are like the boy blunder. Tell me, Dean....How does it feel to be....what are you, sixteen, seventeen....again?

"Nineteen," Dean corrected.

Balthazar snorted. "Please, you are not nineteen. I'm not even sure if you're..." He broke off, leaning in, as if to examine Dean closer. "Just as I suspected. Still a virgin. I have to say, I'm a little disappointed. I thought someone would have plucked your cherry by now."

"It'll happen, sooner or later," Dean replied, taking a sip of his beer.

"Virgin Winchester. How adorable. I think I want to pinch your cheeks. How old were you when you lost your virginity, Dean' Sixteen, seventeen?" the angel asked with a smirk.

"None of your damned business,? Dean snapped in annoyance. It was a lot later than he cared to admit, and he wasn't about to share the gory little details, not that it mattered.

The angel grinned. "Now, there's the Dean Winchester we all know and love, as irascible as ever."

Dean Winchester

Date: 2011-08-14 20:31 EST
"Can you even spell that?" Dean asked.

"I know you can't."

"I can read, write, and speak Latin fluently," Dean pointed out, a little defensively.

"Please..." the angel countered, unimpressed. "Try speaking Atlantean sometime and see if anyone knows what you're talking about."

"Is there a point to this?" Dean complained. "My beer is getting warm."

"There is always a point."

"So, get to it then."

"Very well....I'm here to help you, against my better judgment."

"Help me how?"

"Well, I'm not going to, as you so succinctly put it, zap you back to normal and send you home. You have business to finish here. Loose ends, as it were."

"What about Sam?"

"Sam is fine, safe and sound and dealing with life as normal, whatever normal is for the two of you. He doesn't remember ever being here. And the beauty of it, Dean' You're there with him."

"What the hell are you talking about' I can't be in two places at one time."

"Actually, you can. I told you before....You could spend an entire lifetime here and still go back to Earth. That's the beauty of the Nexus, Dean. Unlike Sam, you have unfinished business here. But never fear, I'm here to help you. Or at least, help you with your own folly."

"Are you going to change me back?"

The angel smirked. "No, I find watching you struggle with teen angst a third time around far too amusing. And even if I wanted to fix it, I'm not sure I could. The rules are different here."

"So, what am I like Alice, and I have to find the cake that says 'Eat Me'?"

"Perhaps you just have to grow up all over again."

"Awesome. I wasn't really fond of The Wonder Years the first time....or the second time....around. I'd rather just hit the fast forward button, if you don't mind."

"There is no fast forward button, Dean. You have to figure this one out on your own. I will do one thing for you, however, because I have better things to do than play Guardian Angel."

Before Dean had a chance to stop him, the angel reached out and pressed two fingers against Dean's forehead.

"There..." Balthazar said, looking Dean over as if he could see something others couldn't. "That should keep you out of trouble for a bit."

"What did you just do to me?" Dean asked, rubbing his forehead where the angel had just zapped him with what felt like a jolt of electricity.

"Oh, I just put a little protective bubble around you. It should keep you out of harm's way for a while. If Raphael gets his....her hands on you, you're going to have far bigger problems than raging hormones."

"Raphael," Dean muttered. "We should have killed the son of a bitch when he had the chance."

"Raphael isn't your only problem. Watch your back, Dean. There are worse things than Raphael in Rhydin." The angel looked past Dean and smiled. "Ah, my date is here. Ta-ta for now, Master Winchester. And remember what I said."

"Wait a minute?" Dean started, but the angel was suddenly gone, as if he'd never been there at all, leaving Dean with still more unanswered questions.