The Host Chapter 22 A leap of faith (finale)

Cas and Meg left the basement and walked back into the living room.
“You should get yourself cleaned up. If Sam and Dean see the blood on your clothes, they’re going to ask questions” Meg said wise.
“Then I shall use his bathroom” Cas said. “Care to join me?” he winked as he reached out his hand. Meg smiled back mischievous and accepted his hand. Cas pulled her to him and kissed her passionately. She jumped in his arms and he carried her upstairs to the bathroom. Their clothes still on Cas walked into the shower cabin and put Meg down.
Meg touched for the tap and opened it, letting...

“Cas?” Meg called from the living room in the mansion. She was standing next to the corpse of the owner of the mansion.
Cas stumbled upstairs and came into the living room. He fell backwards against the wall and sank down on the carpet.
Meg quickly ran towards him and bent through her knees. She took his hands and noticed the blood on his hands. “Are you hurt?”
Cas shook his head. “No” he said out of breath. “It’s not my blood. It’s Frederik’s and Marcus’s” He looked at Meg, terrified.
Meg swallowed. “Did you kill them?” she asked, though she already knew the answer....

Cas opened the buttons on Frederik’s shirt. He placed the sword against the right side of his chest.
“Let’s play a game” he whispered. “I’ll call it the pot calling the kettle black” He pierced the point of the sword into Frederik’s flesh and started forming a letter. “You thought I did something. I was found innocent. The so-called victim clearly stated I did not do what you accuse me off. And yet you believed I was guilty and so you took matters in own hands. You punished me for my crime” He put the letter on the cabinet and started a new letter. “And now I’ll punish...

“What do you mean, he left?” Sam asked, looking at Meg, requesting a reasonable explanation. Meg turned to Dean, whose expression told her he already understood what was going on. He read the note and said. “So he told you to start at a café?” Meg nodded. “Unfinished business. Cas, you idiot” Dean said in himself.
“Is someone going to explain me what’s going on?” Sam exclaimed. “What unfinished business? What is Cas up to?”
Dean and Meg glared at each other.
“Have a seat” Dean decided. Sam sat down on a chair, looking expectedly at his older brother. “You remember...

The door opened again and Sam and Claire walked in.
“Nice color” Sam mumbled, referring to Meg’s hair.
“Gee, thanks” Meg said monotone. She looked at Claire, who looked back provocative. With two Winchesters at her arm she felt a lot more confident. “When’s your dad coming?”
“Meg!” Dean reproached her. Meg pulled her shoulders. Dean conjured his phone and handed it to Claire. “You should call your mom, tell her you’re fine”
Claire dialed her home number. Her mother sounded very agitated when she answered the phone.
“Who is this?” she asked a little snappy as she...

The motel.
Claire was still tied onto her chair. She rubbed her hands, trying to free them, but all she managed to do was tighten the quick-release straps and cause her wrists to bleed. She went with her tongue against the tape to make it loose.
In the room next door Sam and Dean were trying to figure out the best way to approach Jimmy. Amelia might have said she hadn’t seen her husband, it was more likely that she was hiding him from them. And even if she was speaking the truth, it would only be a matter of time before Jimmy would try and contact his family.
Claire managed to loosen the tape...

Meg opened the door of her motel room and pushed Claire inside. They had introduced their selves to one another while shopping for hair products.
“Sit down” Claire ordered and Meg raised her eyebrows. “I can’t dye your hair while you’re standing”
“You know how to do it, then?” Meg asked careful. She wasn’t vain, but she didn’t want to look like an idiot either.
“Please, I’ve done it a thousand times” Claire insured Meg. “You can trust me”
Meg reluctantly sat down on a chair and Claire unpacked the hair dye shampoo. She prepared the shampoo and then went standing...

Dean parked his car at the first motel they came across with. “Wait here” he said as he opened the door and stepped out. He closed the door and walked to the motel.
A few minutes later he returned to the Impala and Sam and Meg got out.
“We got two rooms” he said.
“Yeah, go guys go ahead” Meg mumbled. “I just need to take care of something” She eyed the car that was positioned a few yards away from them.
“Alright” Dean said a little suspicious. “Here are your keys” He threw them at Meg and she caught them with one hand. Deciding to let Meg handle whatever is what that...

5 am
Dean entered the kitchen and saw Meg sitting at the table, with a cup of coffee.
“You’re up early” he mumbled. Meg looked up. “I get it” Dean added. “You never went to sleep”
Meg shook her head.
“Yeah, me neither” Dean replied soft. “So, eh, what are you going to do now?”
Meg shrugged and stirred her coffee.
“You know what I said when Cas told me he loved me? I told him to shut up. I never said it back” she said sober.
“I’m sure he knew that” Dean said careful.
“It doesn’t matter” Meg replied sharp. “He’s gone. There’s no need for me to be human...

Dean opened the door and followed Jimmy outside.
“Hey, wait a minute!” he yelled.
Jimmy stopped and waited patiently for Dean to catch up with him.
“Where’s Cas? What did you do to him?” Dean asked trembling and furious.
“Don’t worry, he’s alive. He’s in here, somewhere. We switched places” Jimmy explained dark.
“I thought you were dead” Dean snapped hostile.
“Clearly you didn’t pay much attention. Castiel said I wouldn’t age or die. I’ve been stuck in my own body for ages and it’s time Castiel knows what that feels like” Jimmy replied bitter.
“But…how…?”...

“Dean!” Sam exclaimed when he saw Dean sitting on the floor, his hands tied. He kneeled and freed his older brother.
“I’m going to kill him!” Dean snapped.
“What happened?” Sam asked frowning.
“Cas has gone crazy. He attacked me. He’s totally nuts” Dean explained furious. He tried to calm himself by taking a few deep breaths.
“Dean, we have to find him. He’s not himself” Sam said sharp. “I’m going to start calling people”
“You’re not calling that demon” Dean replied in a threatening way. Sam, who didn’t know who else to call, put his phone away. “I’m...

Heather and Isabel were sitting at the kitchen table, having a cup of coffee. Heather had insisted on wanting to know why exactly Isabel had been fired from the police department.
Isabel was about to reproach her cousin for her way of making money when the bell rang.
“I’ll get it” Heather said fast, glad she wouldn’t have to comment. She walked to the door and was slightly surprised to see Cas in the doorway.
“Can I come in?” he asked.
“Yeah, sure” Heather said and she stepped aside. She walked him to the kitchen. “Do you want some coffee?”
“No” Cas replied, looking straight...

Dean opened the door of the house, wondering if Jo was there, too, or if she had returned home.
“Sammy?” he called, assuming Cas would be asleep. He walked to the kitchen and saw Sam sitting with his head in his hands.
“What happened?” Dean asked sharp, already regretting the fact that he left.
“We asked Anna to read Cas, to see if he was being possessed” Sam started tired.
“We?” Dean asked, though he had an idea.
“Meg and I” Sam confirmed Dean’s suspicion. “She’s not here anymore” he added quick when he saw Dean’s face change. “He’s not being possessed. But...

Meg took Cas’ scarred hands in hers and looked at them closely.
“Where did you leave the bandage?” she asked.
“Bathroom” Cas mumbled numb.
Meg let go of him and climbed off the bed. She left the room and headed to the bathroom. She opened the door and held her breath.
Cas pushed himself up and stumbled out of bed. He staggered to the window and opened it. He looked down and tried to figure out the best way to fall down. He had to be dead, not crippled.
Meg cleaned up the blood and collected the bandage, before she went back to Cas’ room. She opened the door and dropped the bandage....

Cas had traded the bathroom for the kitchen. His hands were bleeding and hurting, but he didn’t mind, because at least this time he knew why he was hurting.
His stomach felt like someone was trying to tear it apart and he was searching for the painkillers, praying Dean hadn’t taken them with him.
Fortunately, he hadn’t. Cas found them in the drawer, underneath some garbage. He took out all the pills and put them in a glass of water. He knew it wasn’t smart and that he would regret it, rather sooner than later, but this pain was unbearable.
“And do you love him?” Sam asked careful....

Meg was sitting on her bed. She had sneaked inside as soon as Dean had left. Jo had promised her to get him out of the house. She didn’t want to deal with his snarky commentary.
Sam was sitting on the bed as well. He felt weird around Meg, but since Cas was sick and there was no one else, they might as well keep each other company.
“How is it like? Being human?” Sam asked, trying to break the ice. “I mean, after being a demon for so long”
“Honestly? It sucks. Big time” Meg replied bitter. “I’ve always been able to recall every single murder I’ve committed, but I’ve never...

Cas was standing in the bathroom, looking in the mirror. He looked very pale and his body felt like it was on fire. His hands had started itching again and this time Cas couldn’t take it anymore. He opened the mirror cupboard and took the scissors. He tried to open it, but the bandage was too tick and inconvenient to even hold it for five seconds.
He brought his right hand to his mouth and his teeth chewed the bandage. He unwounded the bandage with his teeth and when his hand was free, he used it to take the bandage off his left hand. He threw the bandage on the floor and looked at his scarred...

Half an hour later Cas opened his eyes and saw Sam and Dean staring at him. He looked away from them, embarrassed that he had once again passed out. He put his hands on the mattress and pushed himself up. He frowned a little and Dean walked to him. He took the glass and helped him drink it. Cas pulled a face and coughed.
“I put something in it” Dean explained. “To kill the pain”
Cas wanted to protest, when they heard the door shot.
“Jo” Dean guessed. “I’ll go. You stay here” he told Sam.
Dean went downstairs and saw Jo sitting on the dresser.
“Where’ve you been?” he asked...

Cas glanced at the clock on the wall. An hour had gone by and they hadn’t heard from Jo or Meg.
“I’m sorry, buddy” Dean said, a little too chipper. Cas shot him a furious look and Dean swallowed. “Maybe if you just get some sleep, then I’ll take care of dinner. And don’t come up with the ‘I can’t eat, when Meg’s not around’ crap. You have to eat”
Cas shrugged wearily. “Fine, then, if you insist” he mumbled and he stood. When he walked around the table he quickly bagged Sam’s phone, which Sam had left on the table.
He took the phone to his room and put it on the...