A/N: This one shot came about because a few people were hoping to see a bit more interaction between Cas, Jody, and Donna in my other fic, "Inferno." Dare I hope we actually get a meeting between them in season 14?

Disclaimer: Not mine. Thanks to 29Pieces for beta reading!

"Entertaining Angels"

"Okay, you were right," Jody admitted, sitting in a rocking chair on the back porch with her feet soaking in a tin tub filled with warm water and essential oils. Twilight bathed the surrounding forest in deepening black and blue, while tea-light candles set all along the porch railing flickered with warm luminescence.

Donna looked over from where she was similarly set up, and grinned. "Told ya."

It had been her idea to take a 'spa vacation' after all the monster hunting they'd been doing, not to mention the personal struggles they'd been going through. But given a past experience Donna had at a resort, she'd suggested they retreat to one of the cabins sometimes used as a safe house for hunters. Not all of them were in horrid disrepair, and they'd picked one on the border of South Dakota and Kansas that had decent furnishings and hot water. Donna had packed all the other essentials they needed to make it a spa weekend.

And maybe it was low-key with mason jars as candle holders, buckets for their foot soak, and creaky rocking chairs for lounging, but they had their wine glasses and the ambience was relaxing.

Until the sound of the cabin's front door banging shut disrupted the mellow evening.

They both instantly sat up straighter, exchanging a wary glance.

"Uh, you invite anyone else on this little retreat?" Jody asked.

Donna gave a small head shake. "Nope."

Because they'd come outside before the sun had set, none of the lights were on in the cabin. Jody heard heavy shuffling across the floor and a thump like the intruder had bumped into a piece of furniture. It was always possible that a hunter had come here to use the safe house…but the fact was that of those who even knew about this one, most weren't still around. More likely it was a vagrant.

Or something worse.

Jody lifted her feet out of the tub and quickly crouched down to stay out of sight. She'd left her gun in the truck, because this was supposed to be a relaxing, monster-free vacation. Looking around the back porch, she spotted a loose baluster, and yanked it out of the railing, wincing at the small crack of wood. When she turned back, she found Donna holding one of the mason jar candle holders like a bludgeoning weapon. The other woman shrugged. They didn't exactly have much to work with.

Well, it was all or nothing. With a shared nod, they rose to their feet at the same time and swept through the back screen door.

A hunched shape was just ahead, leaning against the sofa. In the dim light, Jody could see a soft blue glow emanating from the figure's chest, and she immediately recognized it as not human. Which left only one other possibility.

Donna let out a battle cry as she lunged forward and smashed the mason jar over the intruder's head. The glass shattered and the candle tumbled to the floor. Jody swung the porch baluster at a broad shoulder, thwacking an arm that shot up in defense instead. She heard a grunt and the figure stumbled backward, then tripped and went crashing to the floor. Jody raised her weapon at the ready while Donna scrambled to switch on a lamp.

The wash of light revealed a man in a suit and tan trench coat sprawled on the floor, hands raised to shield himself. Through splayed fingers, he was gazing up at them in sheer shock and disbelief, enough to give Jody pause before she clobbered him again.

But his chest was still radiating blue light—through a bloodied rip in his dress shirt. Definitely not human, but…why did this guy look familiar?

"Um, Jodes?" Donna spoke up. "What is it?"

"I'm not sure." Something was niggling at the back of her mind, but the adrenaline rush was keeping it at bay.

The man's shoulders were heaving as he gaped at them wide-eyed. "You're hunters?" he finally said guardedly, voice deep and rough like gravel. "I'm sorry, I didn't think anyone would be here. I'm not your enemy." He tried to prop himself up a little and scoot backward, but barely made it an inch before wincing. "I'll go."

Jody watched him warily, and then it finally hit her. "Wait, you're the Winchesters' angel friend. Castiel, right?"

Donna shot her a startled look. "Angel? Shut the front door."

Jody just shrugged. She was pretty sure who this was, based on what she'd heard about him.

He froze, eyes narrowing a fraction. "You…know Sam and Dean?"

Jody finally lowered the baluster. "And Claire. I've seen your picture."

The man's expression slackened in surprise, and then seemed to lose its tension. "You're Jody Mills. You took Claire in after her mother…" His throat bobbed. "…died."

"Yeah."

And because the girl's father had given up his body to an angel to walk around in. That was too weird to dwell on, so Jody had to shelve that bit of knowledge as she took in the figure lying on the floor at her feet. His face was covered in blood from cuts, most too big to have been caused by the breaking glass, and he was holding one arm across his sternum protectively where that eerie blue light was still oozing.

"What happened to you?"

He propped himself up on one elbow and crawled the few inches to the wall where he began dipping his fingers into the blood smeared along his chest and used it to draw some kind of sigil on the paneling. "I had a run-in with Michael."

Jody's brows rose sharply. "The archangel? Are the boys okay?"

"They're fine," Castiel grunted as he finished the finger painting. "They're safe at the bunker."

He slumped against the wall, breathing labored and face lined with pain. He squinted at them, and Jody remembered that they both had their pant legs rolled up and feet wet. Behind them, the candlelit porch and bottle of wine was in view.

His expression turned regretful. "I'm sorry for crashing in on you like this. I truly thought this safe house wasn't used much anymore."

"That's exactly why we came here," Jody replied.

"I just need some time for my injuries to heal, and then I'll leave," he promised.

She gave him a considering look, noting that he hadn't tried to get off the floor yet. "Need me to call the Winchesters?"

Castiel quickly shook his head. "Sam and Mary are busy helping Dean and Jack recover from everything. They don't need to be distracted by this."

Jody frowned at that, though she understood that Dean probably had a lot to recover from after being possessed by that archangel. Those had been several harrowing weeks for everyone. But the thought that Castiel had been planning to hide in an isolated cabin to heal his injuries instead of going home didn't sit well with her.

"Anything we can to do help?" she asked.

"No," he said. "I'll be fine."

She almost snorted at the ludicrousness of that statement, obviously belied by Castiel's pale complexion and the slight tremor in his extremities.

"Please, go back to your evening," he went on. "I'll try to stay out of your way."

"Horse nonsense," Donna interjected, stepping forward. "We're not just gonna leave you bleeding in the corner." She flashed him a bright smile and waved. "Hiya, I'm Donna Hanscum."

Castiel's eyes softened. "Donna. Sam and Dean have told me about you."

The woman beamed while also looking a little flustered. "Oh, um, good things, I hope." She flicked a look at Jody and hissed. "It's like meeting Santa Claus and hoping you're not on the Naughty List." Her eyes widened and she whirled back around. "I am so sorry for smashing the jar on your head."

"You thought I was an intruder, I understand. And I assure you, I am not Santa Claus." He tried to sit up straighter, and choked on a groan as he curled in on himself.

"Whoa," Jody said, surging forward at the same time as Donna, and they both took the angel by an arm. "Donna's right, we're not gonna just leave you on the floor. Can you make it to the couch?"

He gave a curt nod and gritted his teeth as they heaved him up, and then guided him across the living room and eased him onto the sofa. His head thunked against the back cushion like he was quickly losing the stamina to even hold it up.

Jody cast a nervous glance back at the blood sigil on the wall. "Uh, is that gonna be enough to prevent an angry archangel from coming down on our heads?" Because they definitely didn't have the means to fight something like that off.

Castiel nodded shakily. "It's just a precaution. Michael's likely too busy with…the other angels," he wheezed. He lolled his head back, expression pinching with distress. "I'd gone to Heaven to ask for help, but Michael 'crashed the party.' The other angels didn't take to him immediately, so there is still hope for help from that corner. If Michael doesn't obliterate them," he added morosely.

Jody didn't have a response to that. Most of this cosmic stuff was way over her head. She handled the occasional run-of-the-mill monster. Not archangels. Same with Donna.

"He attacked you, though," Jody said, running her gaze over the angel's injuries.

Castiel tried to shrug, and winced at the movement. He pressed a hand over the wound in his chest. "I may have attacked him first." He sighed. "Another reason not to call the Winchesters. They'd be upset."

"For good reason," Jody couldn't help but say. She shook her head to herself. "Okay, so, uh, how long exactly is it gonna take your injuries to heal? Because I gotta say, you're not lookin' so hot."

The angel glanced down at what Jody could now tell was a stab wound in his sternum, and grimaced. "Tomorrow morning?"

Jody narrowed her eyes. "That didn't sound convincing. Maybe we should patch you up. At least stop the bleeding."

"That really isn't necessary."

"Then you should have picked another cabin to hide out in," Donna said with her usual chipper air, yet her firm tone was unmistakeable. She turned and strode toward the door. "I've got first aid and towels in my truck. Be back in a jiff."

Castiel shifted on the couch, looking uncomfortable in a way that had nothing to do with his myriad of wounds.

Jody went out to the back porch to grab one of the basins, which she thoroughly washed out before filling it with fresh, warm water and carrying it back into the living room. There was still a faint aroma of essential oils, but oh well. Donna had come back and was setting out the first-aid kit.

"Okiedokes, uh…that gaping hole in your chest…the blue light isn't a good thing, is it?"

"Michael stabbed me with an angel blade," Castiel replied. "It pierced my true form."

Donna's eyes widened. "Ufta. So, definitely not good."

Castiel dropped his gaze. "It wasn't a fatal hit."

"But it was close," Jody surmised. Yeah, the Winchesters would be pissed when they found out.

Castiel remained silent, which was confirmation enough.

Exchanging an uncertain look with Donna, the two women picked up hand towels and just went to work, never mind they didn't really know what they were doing. But tending wounds was straightforward enough, even though one of the wounds was glowing…

Jody let Donna handle that one.

Castiel endured their ministrations with stoic tension, and eventually his cuts and abrasions had been cleaned and antiseptic applied. Thick pads of gauze had been taped over the hole in his chest, thankfully covering up the leaking light. He looked utterly spent by the time they'd finished.

"Thank you," he said meekly. "I am sorry I ruined your evening plans."

Donna smiled brightly at him. "What's one more guest? We were just gonna drink more wine and watch some rom coms."

Castiel's brow furrowed. "Rom coms?"

Donna grinned and patted his leg. "Oh, you'll love 'em. I'll get the wine." She stood up and went out to the porch to retrieve the bottle, and then brought all the candles inside.

Jody walked to the kitchen and grabbed the pints of ice cream they'd brought. Leaning back out into Castiel's line of sight, she held up one of the containers. "You want this for eating or for icing that shiner?"

The angel blinked at her. "Um…for eating, I suppose."

Jody nodded and grabbed three spoons. When everything was set out on the coffee table and the DVD in the portable player, Jody and Donna each settled in on the couch, Castiel snug between them. The angel still looked completely bewildered.

"You got enough room?" Donna asked.

"Yes."

Jody handed him his ice cream and they started the movie. From what she'd heard of the angel, she was surprised when he didn't ask a bunch of questions, just a few in the beginning. Then halfway through when she finally glanced at him again, his head was tilted back against the sofa, the half-eaten ice cream carton resting on his thigh in a lax hand. The lines of pain and tension from earlier had smoothed away, his eyes closed in what looked like a restful sleep.

Jody's mouth quirked, and she carefully picked up the container and set it on the table.

Donna glanced over. "Should we turn the movie off?"

Jody shook her head. She reached behind her for a small blanket and spread it out over the angel. "Nah. I'm comfy."

Donna grinned. "Me too."