Supernatural 2012

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Penemue felt him before she saw him, as usual. And, as usual, he knew where to find her.

Whenever she felt the need to be alone, she went to the cove. It sat at the base of the mountains near a body of water that didn't quite qualify as a lake, but neither was it a pond. She just enjoyed the view. Water was calming; it helped her soothe her mind. Then he was there and she smiled.

"Castiel."

He settled just next to her, folding his legs beneath him and leaning backward on his arms. There was the sensation of his wing fanning out against hers, a touch almost more intimate than if their skin had met, though he barely reacted to it.

"I hoped I'd find you here. You weren't at congregation today."

"It's a beautiful day," was her simple reply. Her reaction to his closeness was to lay back completely and close her eyes, the touch becoming just a bit more pronounced. It wasn't that she wanted to miss congregation, it was just that she'd felt drawn to her place at the lake and so she'd come.

After a moment, she turned her head and focused on him, her eyes sparkling. "Did I miss much?"

"Not really," he said honestly, following her example. "We just finished up the discussion from yesterday. Are you all right?"

She nodded and closed her eyes again, though she hadn't turned from him. "It called to me, this place. It's soothing and-" A breath. "Calm."

"It's the sixth time you've come here," he said, a smile obvious in his voice though she wasn't looking into his face. "Though I can tell why. You've made it very beautiful."

"Do you think so?" She opened her eyes and sat up, looking around. "It's not a lake, is it? It's... less than. I love it here, Castiel. And the mountain? It's just the right height-"

Realizing a second later she'd been rambling, she shut her mouth and caught his gaze again. Almost shy, she lifted one shoulder. "Pride. Not something we should indulge in, I know. I should just have said 'thank you'." Lying back down, she sighed, content. "Where do you go?"

"Catacombs," he replied simply, smiling back. "They lead into an underground hot spring. It's very... comforting. Dark, quiet. Hadriel finds amusement in my choice." Castiel moved the pads of his fingertips along the sand between them, tracing nonsense symbols absently. "Anael thinks it's charming. She comes with me sometimes."

"Charming in the catacombs? I think she finds the company charming," Penemue told him slyly. She watched as his hand moved back and forth. She knew that Castiel would be oblivious to the attention and it made her smile. Turning to her stomach, she tucked her hands under her chin and asked, "Do you go often?"

"As often as I can. Zachariah keeps me busy," Castiel replied, chuckling slightly as he watched her turn over. Her wings pulled inward, not quite draping her form. He had a strong desire to mimic her, but held back the urge. "And the observation has become interesting recently."

"Has it?" She tilted her head on her hands and sighed at him, the smile still there. "Zachariah does keep you busy. You know you're welcome here any time." She let the tip of one wing trail along the sand where his fingers were tracing shapes. "Or, if you need anything, anything at all-"

She let the sentence hang. He couldn't help but smile a little in response.

"Why else would I have come, Penny?" he replied. "I like being with you."

Only he ever called her Penny. She liked it when he said it, just between them. It made her feel warm inside, warm and full. Something that she didn't feel just any other time.

"I just meant if there was anything I could help with, Cas."

"You have your own duties," he replied, crossing her line with his and then looping it around. "But I'll be sure to keep your invitation close to heart."

"Do that," she said softly, watching his path before playfully brushing his fingertips with the tip of her wing as she crossed the lines yet again. Her head dropped onto her folded arms and she watched his face a moment before finally giving in. "Anael went with you?"

"Where?" he asked, looking up at her face again. "To observation?"

"She went with you to observation?" She asked the question and then immediately wished she hadn't. And it was almost as if she were unable to keep still, because she propped her head on her hand and barely refrained from making a face. That settled it, she wasn't missing another session.

Castiel blinked at her for a moment, before letting out a quiet laugh. "Let's try this again. This time, ask me a full question."

When she shrugged, her wings shrugged too and very nearly destroyed the not-designs that had been going on. "It wasn't that serious. I was just asking how often Anael had joined you in the catacombs."

Eager to fix what she'd accidentally ruined, she reached out with her free hand to draw lines in the sand. Castiel's eyes moved down to the pattern, his brows moving together in internal calculations.

"I believe... five times? Usually after conditioning. It can be tiring. That is usually when I go, and after hearing Hadriel tutting at my choice, she asked to come along." He paused a moment longer, looking eagerly into her face but not saying anything.

Penemue didn't want to feel left out or jealous - petty emotions that hurt. The truth was she would have gone to the catacombs had she been invited... or if she'd known they existed. And though she knew her feelings were transparent, she still smiled for him, a brilliant smile, and nodded because she understood.

"It's good that she wants to share that with you. It's --" She struggled for the appropriate word, "special." Her fingers never stopped their movements. With the ease of someone who knew no real barriers, Castiel reached over to her hand, pressing their palms together. With the movement he pulled her, and within little more than a heartbeat they were deep within his hideaway, an ethereal light saving them from pitch darkness.

"Cas," she breathed, not at all surprised to suddenly be on her feet and inches from him. Her eyes took in the sights and, just as he said they were, catacombs. The smile that played teasingly about her lips was one that showed both her delight and the fact that she was touched that he'd brought her. It held its own beauty, there underground, and she could see how it could be comforting to him.

Castiel circled around her until her back was to his chest, slipping his arms around her waist and pulling her gently back until she was flush against him. Her wings shifted to accommodate him, and he smiled easily. He could feel her delight, and it swelled and expanded around him. Her presence changed the environment ever so slightly, stalagmites appearing along the edges of the walls and the distant sound of water trickling in from some hidden place greeting their ears. He found pleasure in the little changes.

"I'm glad that you like it."

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