Happy Holidays, tomato-greens!

[goe_mod]

Title: After all, Hell.

This is a brief narrative about an angel commanded to recover a damned soul from hell. And the demon that "helped" him. Rating: G

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And heaven gave the angel Castiel a mission.

It wasn't discussed in heaven, how and who have lost track of the stubborn hairless ape in question, the one mortal whose life and family had been chosen to play the roles Michael and Lucifer had forged long ago. His existence was necessary to the heavenly war to be fought. Somehow the man managed to get himself killed and now, unfortunately Hell had custody of his soul now. It became imperative to recover it before all begun. Preferably before Lucifer took hold of his own vessel.

But it was up to Castiel to find a way and get that precious damned soul out of hell, for while the angels were planning a war and how that soul would serve their cause once back on earth, nobody cared to suggest a strategy nor a plan to actually get it out.

It was well known that entering hell was so easy a cherub would do it, getting out in the other hand... Only few angels have been there before and none had come out, or at least not as angels. So the only creatures capable of transit hell "as they pleased" were the enemy. Demons that under no circumstances should notice heaven was stealing recovering souls from under their evil claws.

Angels haven't been around for millennia, or at least the majority of them, Demons won't be expecting an angelic appearance at home. But although Castiel was a silent and fearless warrior, with Armageddon afoot and demons more alert and uneasy than usual, one could not simply fly right into Hell and rush away with a damned soul. To preserve the secrecy of the mission a guide would be required. It little mattered if a minor demon got involved in the process... as long as it was unable to spread the word.

*****

Certain gardener sat peacefully in the grass, he was enjoying the soft sounds brought by the wind through the leaves, he appeared relieved. In the last days something seemed to be bothering him, even frowned once, for considerable 30 seconds, which was saying much for Mr Francis was ever calm and serene. Of course no one notice that except for the nanny, who used to lull baby Warlock to sleep right next to the window that faced the garden. "One gets a great look of things from up here, you know?" she have said to the housemade that caught her eye on Mr Francis one day. She never came back to work after that.

Either it was a nice spot or Crowley just knew Aziraphale every gesture, for something was indeed disturbing him.

A piercing din had taken over his head recently, it was heaven giving orders and commanding angels, naturally enochian wasn’t harmfull for him but it became tedious. As Aziraphale is no ordinary angel, for several millennia had successfully ignored the celestial calls but this time there was way to much noise. And then they ceased.

"Having a not so bad morning, are we?" said Ashtoreth as she approached Mr Francis.

"Crowley...I mean Mrs Ashtoreth!, mornin’" she rolled her eyes, they had been undercover for months and Aziraphale kept forgetting the importance of codenames.

"Mss Nanny Ashtoreth, Angel… Is Celestial radio four Off by now?”

“Goodness is a frequency, therefore it is permanently On, back to normal it is...”

“Great!, see yah at nine then”

“Wh...Where are you going?” Aziraphale asked her a bit concerned.

“Today is the second Tuesday of the month” It wasn’t really that day, Nanny Ashtoreth’s day off was never on schedule, but whenever hell summons a demon they must attend and well, there is Hell, no order nor dates only ruthless inconvenience. Besides people nowadays never know when are they living, so it worked every time with Mrs Dawling. Also Crowley couldn’t help it.

“Oh Dear, the very best of…” Aziraphale started but Crowley interrupted him. he wouldn’t admit it, not even to himself but he was a little bit nervous about going downstairs.

“I’ll be fine, see you at night” She said and walked away, not before giving Mr. Francis a confident little smile.

“Can’t wait…” Aziraphale smiled back but his gaze got lost almost immediately “the very best of my wishes” he murmured and his mind wandered.

*****

In this moment Castiel is tracking the latest demonic activities involving hell entries.

Violent winds surrounded its true form and thunder howled through the clouds announcing there was a trace to follow.

****

Crowley stood in front of a committee in Hell, In an almost pitch dark little room with too many demons inside. He had brought a mobile design of his own to explain the importance of the artifice’s colours and the strict relation between yellow, green and human despair. And how young master warlock would be subconsciously affected by that luxurious accessory. After a few hours, demons there start to yawn and push each other, the room seemed to shrink, it was hot and wet, after all this was also a kind of torture and when Hastur Duke of Hell couldn’t take it anymore he spoke:

“Stop It now!, all that nonsense” he said flustrated “Tell us more about young master Warlock, How’s he bringing doom to all creatures’” the crowd cheered and cried. This was just what Crowley wanted, that atrocious meeting was about to end.

“Terrific, he’s such a bad baby, keeps crying every hour and a half, people around him don't get much sleep. He generates tremendous amounts of waste and…” Demons here and there cluttered, some attempted to bite each other, screams and cries made it harder to listen his own words.

“Catastrophic! I course this meeting as dismissed! As soon as Hastur Shouted the room went empty.

In a blink Crowley stood alone, collected the mobile blueprints and stared at them for a moment. They somehow resembled a mistletoe if you think about it, maybe this hollyday he’ll try and place one in Aziraphale’s bookshop backdoor…

*****

Castiel spotted a stumbling demon crawling on the surface of the earth and hit it so hard he couldn’t even squeak. Now Castiel had been on earth before but it was a long time ago which meant the angel had no vassel and have long forgotten some of the laws involving human needs. Meanwhile the unfortunate creature was wearing a well attached suit and due to gravity, he hit the ground with strength, his face against the pavement and before he could make any sense a burning force pressed him firmly, not only his flesh but the actual demonic essence, he couldn't move nor escape, a high pitched noise made him squirm inside and his human ears bleeded but through the pain he understood:

“You are to guide me through hell, hand me the one soul I seek and take us out safely” the angel commanded him

“Fuck off!” The demon spitted out and hissed with sharp teeth, Castiel noticed it was afraid but demons were so used to fear, they would sometimes need a little push to get in line.

Castiel turned his body to face them. “I’m an angel of the lord”. The demon looked at it and terror invaded him. only few demons had confront angels before and survived. His eyeballs began to melt in the sukets of his skull and he cried a high distorted lament, more out of fear than of pain.

“I’ll do it!, I’ll take you through hell” He begged. Castiel was well aware that demons were cunning but above all things they lied, ze tie up a blessed lace around the demon that would keep it from rushing away or lying.

He lead them through a “not so used entrance” inside a slaughterhouse, Castiel was relieved that it was indeed empty but although it was an awful place didn’t quite matched Hell’s description. They went into a deep freezer and only then they began to descend and as they did the human suit began to fade away, leaving the demon escence exposed to Castiel’s own.

“So, Business or pleasure?, looking for a cozy place to unwind?” Fear was still there but after several hours, or what appeared several hours for time works different in hell, the demon had begun to feel less oppressed, it might have been because they were descending. Castiel didn’t responded. Eventually they reached a long corridor filled with doors, they opened at the same time and each of them contained two paths that seeped deeper than earth would ever permit.

“Which door you like best then?” the demon said and his fangs shimmered.

“Not a door, we are looking for a soul” Said Castiel gravely. but his voice caused the place to shiver.

“Yeah, You better shut up or this place will collapse”

When castiel was heading down the path the demon steered towards the opposite direction.

“Don’t be stupid, Is this way” He pulled Castiel into another hall. His original plan was let castiel fall in a pool of boiling sulfur for eternity but the lace would make him go with the angel, and it also prevented him for lying. But this made castiel uncertain so he spoke again

“Are we heading to the place where you keep all the souls?” The tunnel agitated violently.

“We are heading to the place were they keep the souls, now shut up!” He was telling the truth that was the way that headed towards the souls but also there was a gate there which most certainly would be filled with vicious demons.

There were two chambers down that road, one contained a rough record of the damned souls and the other one was meant for demons to reunite.

They stood in front of the second entrance. The demon have said “open it” but before Castiel had time to ask if that was the right door, hubbub increased inside the room, it was a pandemonium in there and everyone was fighting to get out. Quikly Castiel took the demon, open its mouth wide and ventured in. The Demon tried to swallow the angel and imprison it but his throat melted slowly it was impossible to swallow or spit out, pain invaded his body and began to convulse. The door open and a sea of demons rushed out of the place escaping the corridor as fast as a flash, an evil gloomy flash. Nobody cared a demon was convulsing outside the room because well it was Hell. The demon stepped inside a pitch dark room before falling and then Castiel went out of his throat thinking there was nobody near.

The room was filled with light and revealed a demon standing alone. Crowley.

He covered his eyes for the light was so bright, the air inside the room became a hurricane, and gone with the wind were another perfect pair of shades. He had only seen a light like that before, although it seemed more intense back then. Whatever was an angel doing there? could it be Aziraphale?. Did he miss their appointment?. It didn’t quite felt like Aziraphale though.

*****

Castiel picked Crowley up by the throat. The touch caused him an odd abrasive sensation it was definitely not his angel and still he didn’t feel totally scared. He had to be, by nature’s law, but he wasn’t. They approached the entrance, the angel barely touched the poor excuse of a demon that laid on the floor and prayed it to the void. As if he wanted to give Crowley a lesson, he spoke “Do not try to fool me” The walls shaking at every word. Probably Castiel thought Crowley had never seen an angel before and that it would suffice to terrify him. For the blessed lace did not longer exist and fear was the last source at hand.

“Where am I to find the damned souls?” asked Castiel, but his words were followed by silence, uncomfortable and absurd for Crowley wasn’t able to speak. When the angel realized that ze decided to grab the demon by the...Chest (?).

Crowley wasn’t scared but he was willing to tell this bully where the souls were, perhaps out of pure curiosity. Why would an angel ask, instead of just taking?, maybe was new, maybe this was a secret mission…maybe when he had told him the angel will kill him…

In an attempt of extending his life, Crowley gave the angel a large set of instructions to get to the damned souls, it was filled with turns and dead ends but when he finished the angel only gave him a stoic look. Not believing him. It was for the best it was getting late, Aziraphale would be very disappointed.

“Argg. Listen this is Hell, there is no interior design...Just walk a few steps and that will be the door.” Castiel had no other choice and so he did. The door opened into an endless pit filled with chains, souls where pinned there in eternal agony, choked or chopped and tortured. But there were millions of souls and Castiel didn’t knew the man, he looked for it up and down but it never seemed to get anywhere. Then again it was getting late.

“What’s the name?” Crowley asked.

“Dean Winchester” Castiel hesitated a bit before saying it, but when he pronounced the name the chains went up and down until one screaming soul was presented in front of them.

It seemed pretty much like the rest, nothing special about it. But when Castiel laid a hand on it something changed. Hell semed now much more awful than seconds ago, the blood dripping down the chains appeared thicker, the screams pierced into his mind and darkness touched his grace but for a brief second Castiel was able to feel hope. He felt hope from Dean Winchester’s soul. A burning desire to protect it revolved into his grace and suddenly a new cause was born within him. Little he knew that would change everything and inevitably will make his work harder. But back to his senses, Castiel gripped Dean’s soul tight with a hand, the other kept holding the demon. They rushed through the same paths form where castiel had arrived but there was no exit anymore. Hell was everchanging and at the same time monotone. Castiel demanded Crowley to show them the way out.

*****

Crowley yelled at the ceiling. It seemed very stupid, but there were only few ways out of hell, and only certain demons were allowed to go out, so they had to be able to create their own exit. The ground above them formed a gap through which Castiel fly them out. Crowley’s exit was a few blocks away from Soho, but that didn’t matter for Castiel speeded their exit with an extraordinary pace till they almost reached space, and when they landed on earth Mrs Ashtoreth found herself in Pontiac Illinois USA. It was actually a very awful landing, Crowley's body as Nanny Ashtoreth was the only physical object in the group. Castiel wasn’t wearing a vessel and well that other thing was a soul so the only one who really hit the ground was Crowley as nanny Ashtoreth. Her head broke up as a coconut, her essence and brain scattered through the floor. That was must definitely going to leave a mark, that and the poor soul was gripped so tight, in Crowley's opinion, that there would have to be a mark later on. Oh well maybe he will never know, he was already late for his appointment with Aziraphale and the only thing that bothered him was all the time and paperwork it would take to have eyes to lay over his angel again.

Castiel healed Dean’s body, which laid under a small cluster of trees, hidden from the world. Beneath a small almost empty stone, he placed his soul with the flesh and blew life back into him. Dean Winchester had been resurrected.

But Castiel’s task was far from over, a demon was still near, she knew way too much, so when Crowley’s essence prepared to descend into hell, Castiel grabbed him once again and, as he did with the other demon back in Hell, he barely touched him when Crowley started feeling a cold void calling him. He wasn’t scared just yet, because sadness arrived first, with the thought of Aziraphale sitting alone, waiting for eternity…

In that moment, thunder and wind and storm and fire revolved around Castiel. the trees fell down and the ground quaked as a force landed right where castiel have done, but this time a man stood on earth. light flooded the land and a voice brought Crawley’s breath back.

“Castiel” Aziraphale spoke to his brother. he was surprised to see him, as well as worried.

“Aziraphale?... whatever brings you here brother? Castiel replied. Confused by the sight. An commander of Aziraphale’s category wearing a mortal suit...

“I was...around, what are you doing?” Aziraphale was a principality which meant he was high above other angels in the celestial hierarchy, he was stronger, wiser, more beautiful and more holy than many, including Castiel. So when he questioned Castiel, he couldn’t deny him information, even when Aziraphale had been gone for several millennia.

“I will eliminate this evil seed from earth, and from Hell” Aziraphale felt his heart aching.

“Very well then, let me help you with that, I’ll take care of that mischievous being” Aziraphale approached Castiel very carefully, but as firm as he could.

“This is my mission”

“Is this minor demon your mission? how come? what crimes against heaven does he have commited?”

“Not the demon, but the… vessel.” As he spoke Castiel stared at the grave, the word vessel he just had pronounced didn’t feel right to describe what that being really was. But it was what made Aziraphale connect all the dots, he had all the information because for the last days radio Angel had told him, but he didn’t knew how to use it.

“You must prepare a place for his arrival, I’ll take care of the demon, besides I owed you want isn’t it? “ Castiel realized he had not consider Dean’s needs. Aziraphale managed to take hold of the remains of Crowley from Castiel’s hands, he was worried about Crowley but when he touched his brother, he felt intrigued, Castiel was genuinely concerned about Dean Winchester, and it had nothing to do with God’s plan.

Castiel nodded and when he was about to take off Aziraphale asked him.

“Have you ever felt doubt, brother?” Aziraphale had, since the beginning. But Castiel didn’t felt doubt, at least not yet, he was going to.

“You have been down here for way too long brother, the time is coming for you to come back” And with those words Castiel disappeared from his sight.

*****

Aziraphale took off as well but not too far away, for Crowley needed to be healed as soon as possible. He took him in his arms and prayed for her body to be restored, which recovered immediately, but he could not pray for her essence so he covered her with her wings and waited there.

Finally a few days later Ashtoreth opened her eyes, and the first thing she saw was Aziraphale’s face smiling at her.

“ Oh, dear how are you feeling Crowley?” His eyes were so sweet and his cheeks regained colour. But then he looked surprised when Ashtoreth rolled her eyes.

“Codenames Angel” She said and smiled at him, then they hugged tight for a very brief time.

“What happened dear?” Aziraphale asked her a bit worried

“We’ll be needing some fine drink before I tell you” She responded and Aziraphale smiled.

“Where are we?” She asked to the angel. Aziraphale opened his wings for the first time in several days and revealed to her the american hills and skies.

“Well I heard we are a jump away from Georgia, and a story like that deserves the best of wines” Aziraphale said happily but Crowley’s face was blank.

“That… That’s a pretty bad joke. What an awful day, I’ll be needing my shades”

Comments

[emmagrant01]

This was a wild ride, and a cool idea for a crossover!

[(Anonymous)]

dear anon,

tomato-greens here! I have a DW account but can't remember the password off the top of my head, so anon will have to do.

first, I just wanted to say thank you for your patience for a reply as I wrapped up my academic term and eagerly anticipated getting to read a fun GO Exchange fic once all my grading was done. the grades are in and now I get to feast!

and truly, what a feast this is. thank you so, so much for taking my silly request and turning it into this fun fic. I love the very rare Supernatural/GO crossovers I’ve stumbled across (ever since Crowley appeared in Supernatural, and especially since Eric Kripke said Supernatural Crowley was inspired by GO Crowley, I’ve been hungry for crossovers. this one does a wonderful job of aligning the two series’ quite different heavens and hells. Castiel’s intensely serious character comes through as well, and since the Supernatural; I loved the idea of tying up a demon with a “blessed lace,” and the thought of Castiel using a demon guide rather than flying blindly through 2008-era-CGI Hell as we see it in Supernatural! the afterlife rules you create here, like the moment where Crowley has to shout open an exit to Hell so that Castiel can escape with Dean, were immersive and fun, too.

your flashes of humor throughout are delightful––the yellow and green-human torture connection made me chuckle, and so did “Nobody cared a demon was convulsing outside the room because well it was Hell,” as well as Crowley’s comment about Hell’s lack of interior design! that’s such a light touch and such a funny moment to an otherwise very serious endeavor - it felt like you combined GO’s irreverent tone with Supernatural’s rather more serious take on the apocalypse. Castiel’s whole interaction with Aziraphale felt very much like a balancing act, too, Aziraphale trying to carefully extricate Crowley from Castiel’s pure wrath. I’d love to see this version of Aziraphale and this version of Castiel continue to try to communicate…something tells me there would some personality compatibility issues. there’s something subtle and quite funny about the way you manage to portray Castiel’s straightforward duty as a heavenly warrior and Aziraphale’s rather more complicated Cold War-era disenchanted-spy-who’s-assimilated-to-his-new-culture relationship to heaven. then, that profound moment: “have you ever felt doubt, brother?” what a tonal shift! how wonderful!

and, of course, the relationship between Aziraphale and Crowley comes through beautifully. I love Aziraphale’s absent-mindedness (“Crowley…I mean Mrs. Ashtoreth!”) and Crowley’s obvious affection for Aziraphale. and their touching reunion at the end - complete with “That’s a pretty bad joke” - is wonderful.

…last but not least, I love the wordplay of "flustrated" (or at least that's how my brain read – a great portmanteau of flustered and frustrated) and IMMEDIATELY imagined Hastur turning dull red as he got more and more infuriated. so much characterization in just one word!

thank you so much for such a wonderful gift! I’ll cherish it!

<3,
tomato-greens