Cas was flying solo, alright flying maybe wasn't the right word- he couldn't do that anymore- but solo was pretty accurate. He was aware that the Winchester brothers hadn't had a decent nights rest in days and he felt guilty asking for their help whenever something came up. He always felt a little guilty, he sometimes forgot that they were only human but, then again, so was he... almost. It wasn't like this case was even important; demonic possession, a few disembowelled cows dotting the fields of west Virginia, two missing persons by the names of Sarah and Thomas Brooke. Okay the cow thing was a little odd but if he, an angel of the lord, could not handle a couple of demons then what was even the point of living? Down on the streets, he shook his head- bad thoughts, didn't want to go there. He walked on for a few more paces before pulling up abruptly and retracing his steps. He'd been so lost in this head that he'd walked right past his destination without realizing. Again, he shook his head, 'Castiel, you are better than this.' He took a deep breath in and looked up at the house; semi detached, brown brick, potted plants in the front garden-nothing special. But inside were the children of Lucifer, and they needed to be sent back to their father. Castiel approached the building with caution, along with the slow diminishing of his grace he had also lost the ability to exorcise demons with his hand and was forced to work like a savage- with some Latin words and a bottle of Holy water. Dear Lord, this was demeaning. The door, to his relief, wasn't locked and he slipped inside, bottle in hand, and found himself in a short hallway with a door on either side and a narrow staircase straight ahead. He checked the downstairs rooms but found nobody inside. Cas frowned, he felt far too exposed and he glanced around for some sort of advantage... and then he saw the mat. Cas took the stairs slowly, pausing every time the floorboard creaked under his feet. He was aware of perspiration on his forehead and hands and briefly pondered its purpose before getting back to the task in hand. He reached the landing uninterrupted and turned slowly, the bottle in hand and the Latin balanced on his tongue. He made his way to the first door, took a peek inside and his eyes widened. A woman sat, silently crying in the middle of the room, she was strapped to an old wooden chair, her mouth gagged with a handkerchief and eyes wider than his. He hurried into the room and knelt down beside her, taking away the gag and trying to be comforting. 'It's okay, it's going to be okay, you will be fine, I believe your husband has been possessed by a demon, yes they are real and I need to get you out of here', he said as he struggled with the knots that bound her feet together. She began to giggle childishly and he raised his head frowning. She licked his cheek and whispered, 'Oh, this is going to be sweet.' Castiel felt the air shift behind him not a moment too soon and turned to block the angel blade just as it was about to slice into his neck. The man behind the knife looked down at him with black, unblinking eyes that started to bore into him, urging him to loosen his grip for just a second. Cas felt his arms tiring and quickly shifted his weight before rolling to the side. The demon stumbled forward but swiftly regained his balanced just as Cas got to his feet. The two began to circle, the angel opened his mouth to recite the incantation but he barely got out the first few words before the demon barrelled into him, sending them both flying onto the landing. His back to the floor, Castiel threw several punches before receiving one himself. The possessed man lifted him off the ground and, laughing, through him unceremoniously down the stairs. Dean woke up from a dreamless sleep, which was a blessing in itself and a rare treat for the hunter. His brother was snoring loudly in the bed next to him and Cas was... not there. Dean sat up straight with his gun cradled in the crook of his arm but found nothing to shoot at. The room was empty and dimly lit by the street light flooding in through the cheap, plasticy blinds. He lay back down and shut his eyes but something didn't feel right and soon he was up and pacing around the room. After a few minutes he sat down on the bed, put his hands together, bowed his head and prayed. 'Castiel, you there buddy?' Nothing. Dean frowned. He didn't expect Cas to just sit in the corner all night when he and Sam went to sleep but when his prayers went unanswered it normally meant trouble. The uneasy feeling grew inside of Dean like a storm until he finally got up and began to pack his bag. He had no idea where to start looking but he couldn't just lie down and... then he saw the paper, turned to the missing persons page. Ah, bingo. The pain exploded in his back at the same time it exploded in his mind. '...Castiel, you there buddy?...' Cas never told the brothers just how much it hurt when they summoned him, he didn't want to worry them as it was their only form of contact. It was utterly painless when he was in his angel form but it disagreed with his vessel, almost like Jimmy's human brain didn't understand the telepathic connection. The pain in his head was gone rather quickly and he had more time to pay attention to that in the back. It was like a flame eating up his vessel's spine and burning his flesh from the inside. He forced it down inside the vessel until was no more than a dull ache. 'Sorry Dean, bit busy right now... sorry Jimmy.. I... sorry.' Cas knew that blocking the pain meant leaving it for Jimmy to deal with and, while that wasn't fair, he had a job to do and couldn't afford to be slowed down. Not paying attention, the angel was rewarded with another blow to the stomach and he doubled up, stumbling backwards down the hallway. The demon stalked him almost joyously, practically prancing after him, twirling the angel blade in his fingers like a baton. Straightening, Cas frowned in the direction of the weapon. 'Where did you get that.' 'Oh this? From an enemy... or a friend. But then they say that the enemy of your friend is your... no they say... the friend of your friend... no..' The demon continued to babble nonsensically until he pulled up sharply as if he'd run into an invisible wall. His puzzled expression turned into one of sour hatred as he glared down at the carpet on which he stood. 'There's a devil's trap under here, isn't there?' 'Indeed there is', Castiel smirked and began to recite the Latin, circling the demon like prey. The demon was weak and after only a few sentences he threw back his head and black smoke erupted from his mouth, the rushing of the dark soul mixing with the mangled screams of his human exterior. The unconscious human dropped to the floor and the angel blade was sent rolling over the floor to rest at the angel's feet. Cas looked down at it, still confused. He felt like he was forgetting something... oh yes- the female. And then he saw stars. Dean wiped sleep from his eyes and muttered another prayer under his breath. He'd left Sammy sleeping soundly in the motel room while he hurtled down the high way on his way to Virginia and the house of Sarah and Thomas Brooke. The names of the missing persons circled in the paper-not a smart angel. Unless he had wanted Dean to follow him? But then why had he not asked them to join him in the first place? Castiel was still struggling with adjusting to ordinary life and Dean worried he wasn't ready to hunt on his own... fighting as an angel was much too effortless whereas the human version was kind of... messy. 'Cas, feel free to pop by any time..' He waited a moment... then another. No? Dean pressed his foot down further on the acceleration and hoped he was over reacting. Cas was pinned to the wall, unable to move under the watchful and mighty stare of his brother. Euriel stood before him, his face placid and even but in his eyes was a victorious grin that no amount of practice could hide. The woman demon lay slumped over the banister, Euriel had dealt with her after she had dealt with Cas. There was no more need of her and she and her brother were no better than a germ wriggling and festering in his presence. 'You were dead.' Castiel whispered as he struggled with the invisible restraints and suppressed another burst of mental agony as Dean attempted to speak with him again. 'Please Dean', he begged silently, 'do not follow me.' Euriel smirked, 'I could say the same about you too, brother.' 'God would not have brought you back'. 'God no, well... not who you regard as God. You always were a daddy's boy Castiel but my master also loves me and he has shown forgiveness in light of my prior failure.' Cas looked at his brother in disgust, 'Lucifer has resurrected you corrupted.' 'No little brother, you are wrong, I have been enlightened.' The two shared a long look, neither speaking, nor moving- though one with less choice on the matter than the other. Finally Cas asked, 'Why did you lure me here?' 'Ah so you guessed this was a trap.. good. Well, I supposed you could say that Lucifer has chosen you for an... an experiment.' 'An experiment?' 'Yes. One that will, if proven successful, win us the war over night.' 'I do not understand...' Euriel nodded, then looked over his shoulder and said 'You can reveal yourself now' The woman detached herself from the shadows as if she had never been more than one of them. She moved towards the dark angel and, with a smile on her lips, kissed him with a deep twisted passion that made Castiel look away in horror. When the pair tore themselves apart he saw that the woman's eyes were black, veins spread over her face like roots from a tree and there was a sort of unidentifiable wrongness that emanated from her very pours like sweat. 'This is Aurora,' 'Euriel said, practically purring her name, 'you two will be working very... closely together from now on.' It didn't take long for realisation to dawn on Cas and he shook his head in defiance. 'It's not possible, I am an angel of the Lord- I cannot be possessed.' 'Oh contraire. Lucifer has put a lot of effort into this, Aurora is one of the many products formed when you mix the fallen and most powerful angel of them all with the blood of a Valkyrie.' Eyes wide he shook his head again. 'It can't...' 'But it can.' Euriel gave a brief nod and the abomination advanced, touched her palm to Castiel's forehead black liquid poured from the tips of her fingers and down his face into his ears, eyes, nose and mouth. Castiel had time to think two words before his mind was consumed by blackness. 'Dean don't-' The Impala pulled up outside the house of Sarah and Thomas Brooke and Dean cut off the engine, the radio he had switched off at the top of the road, and got out to grab his weapons of choice. Salt probably wasn't going to cut it so he grabbed some holy water and his Latin bible just in case The door was wide open which was never a good sign and Dean gave himself a moment to check his six (everything had a habit of appearing behind you these days) and listen to the night. The air was still and no sounds escaped the house so Dean shrugged his shoulders roughly and walked in. There was a door to his left or right and he chose the left one first, throwing his gun in first and face in after-it was empty. He turned to do the same to the other and stopped abruptly. Castiel stood under the arch way of the door, head bowed and hands held limply by his sides. 'Cas?' No reply. 'Cas, buddy, you alright?' Feeling uneasy Dean walked slowly up to him, holstering his gun and placing his hands on his angel's shoulders. 'Cas, you with me?' Aurora's head jerked up so fast she made Dean jump back several inches. She leaned towards him, a vicious smile painted across the face that was not hers. Dean saw the black eyes and the black veins begin to spiral through his friend's features and down his neck. 'I'm sorry, Castiel can't be with you right now. Please leave a message after the'-Castiel's true voice erupted from mouth in a high pitch wail, sending Dean reeling backwards with his hands clutched to his ears protectively. When the screeching stopped Dean took his hands away and looked across at the possessed angel. 'What have you done with Cas, you son of a bitch?' 'Daughter if you don't mind, but it's all the same to you isn't it? You never see past the smoke. As for your boyfriend, he's in here somewhere-wriggling around. Quite distracting actually but you get the hang of it eventually.' 'He's not my-' The blackness left Castiel's eyes and he slumped forward, stumbling. 'Dean?' 'Cas, I-' Dean started forward only to see the darkness return. 'Aha,' Aurora laughed sadistically. 'Told you.' The hunter leaned back, sneering. 'Ah, we all wrapped up like a Russian doll?' He droned, 'A demon, inside and angel, inside a human, inside a meat suit- tell me how that's even possible.' 'I'm fucking marvellous, that's how!' Aurora spun herself around, hands in the air, 'and we are gonna have so much fun!.' Aurora threw a punch that sent Dean reeling, he raised his fist to retaliate but hesitated, he couldn't look past the face looking back at him. Another blow. 'Oh come on, this is no fun! I know your better than this Winchester, I've heard the stories!' 'I am not gonna fight you Cas,' he gasped, blinking back the spots swarming his vision. 'I already told you, Cas isn't-' 'Yeah, yeah, ring, ring, blah, blah, I ain't talkin to you Lady. He moved as close as he dared, eyes never leaving those of the demon. 'I know you're in there, I know you can hear me Cas.' 'Yeah he can but he's fading, slowly but surely,' She slunk forward and pushed Dean up against the wall, 'but don't worry baby- I'm here.' 'The hell you are,' Dean yelled, trying in vain to push her off. 'Well if you're going to be like that...' A kick to the groin, a knee to the stomach and a fist to the face sent him sliding down the wall. Dean spat, before being kicked again and slumping to the side. Aurora got right down next to him, grabbed his shirt and pulled him back up for another round. 'Not giving up that easily, are you?' Dean was furious but refused to retaliate. He ignored the creature torturing him and tried again. 'Cas, come on! You're stronger than this, fight it!' he received another punch, to the abdomen this time and coughed up an unhealthy amount of blood before continuing. 'Cas, I am not going to fight you!' The next blow made his vision blur and he collapsed to the floor again in a daze, coming to, just as Aurora landed on top of him. He'd dropped his gun somewhere during the fight and now Aurora brandished it high above him, the mussel pointed just too high to be effective. Dean held on to the demon's arms, wrestling to get them high enough so the gun wouldn't point at his head. Suddenly he let go and the arms above him flopped down, Dean punched the gun from loosening hands and grabbed onto Cas' head, locking eyes with him. 'Castiel, angel of the lord, warrior of God almighty, fight that bastard, take control!' For a second, Castiel blinked and it looked like his friend was back with him but then again the eyes blinked black and Dean's recently risen soul plummeted. At once the weight was gone and the demon rolled off of him, standing and shaking his head. 'No.' Another shake, 'no!' 'Cas?', Dean struggled to his feet, 'Cas, yes! Go on!' Aurora slammed her back against the wall and again Castiel was in control. 'Ugh! Get out of my head, this vessel is taken!' Black eyes-'No, I have been chosen and your time has ended Castiel, I am stronger than you, you cannot deny me.' Again, Castiel returned but Dean could tell that his told was weaker. The two looked at each other. 'Dean, I'm losing, I'm not strong enough.' Sensing the change was coming Dean rushed forward, 'No you're not, you can do this, it's your vessel, you-' 'No, it's mine, just give up Castiel, you can't win this one.' 'Dean, help me, please.' Dean didn't know what to do; the angel blade was out of question, the gun-not an option, which only left... light bulb. 'Cas, hang on in there, I've got a plan.' Dean fumbled in his jacket pocket and came up with a slim metal flask. he hurriedly unscrewed the cap, fingers fumbling in haste- spilling a few drops of the precious holy water onto the carpet that he'd noticed Aurora has been working hard to avoid. He thrust the flask to the angel's mouth, moving in closer when he tried to lean away. 'No, you gotta drink it Cas, you gotta-' 'Aaaarrrhhhh', no angel noise this time, just the sound of a demon swallowing mouthfuls of acid. 'Yes!' Dean cheered his friend on as he grabbed another bottle from inside his coat and drank greedily from that also and with every gulp the black veins receded just slightly. He stopped cheering when the screams turned to laughter. 'You really thought that would work?' Aurora flicked her hand and Dean went flying into the wall. 'I am the blood child of the two most powerful creatures in the Universe and you thought a pint of water seasoned with a touch of holiness would get rid of me? Me and my sisters will consume this world and those beyond and this is just the start. You think that could hurt me? You think you could hurt me?' ... 'No.' Dean's ears pricked as he heard his friend's voice ring loud and clear, stronger and more righteous than ever before. 'But I can.' Black liquid pooled from Cas' ears, his eyes, his nose, his mouth and from the tips of his fingers. 'Dean,' He gasped, 'Dean look away, look away now.' He did as he was told and a second later there was a shrill scream and white light exploded behind his eyelids. When Dean looked up the black liquid was gone and his friend stood swaying in the wreck of the Brooke's ruined home. The hunter rushed forward just as Castiel's knees gave out beneath him. Dean caught him on the way down and propped him up against the wall. 'Cas, you okay?' A weak nod let Dean breathe a little easier. 'Right, I'll call Sam and then we can-' ;No, Dean, you don't understand.' Cas was breathing hard and it was only now that the hunter noticed his teeth were gritted. 'Inside of me, every vein in this body was pumping demon blood to every single cell. If the demon has not been inside of me also, the damage would have been devastating and now that it is gone the blood is purifying. However, the change is not instantaneous and when what is left of my grace realizes what is happening it will cause me unimaginable pain.' His breathing began to deepen and his gaze flickered to the angel blade lying, forgotten, on the ground. 'When that happens... I will most likely attempt to kill myself.' Dean's eyes widened in disbelief. 'Cas I-' 'Dean please,' Cas' eyes were starting to roll back but he forced himself to stay conscious, 'I am trusting you... to stop me.' Castiel finally let go and his head fell back against the wall as he passed out- from exhaustion after expelling the demon or the intense pain residing within him Dean could not tell. He took the opportunity to call Sam and explain his absence. Bitch probably wasn't even up yet but if Dean wasn't getting any sleep then neither was his brother. The phone rang 4 times before a sleepy Sam finally answered. 'Uuugh... yeah?' 'Sam, it's Dean.' 'Dean?' Dean imagined his brother sitting up startled and scanning the room, only just realising that he wasn't in the bed next to him. Idiot. 'Yeah, look I'm with Cas and somethin's happened. I'm a bit typed up right now, I need you to call Bobby for me.' 'What happened? Where are you guys? Is Cas okay? Are you-' 'Alright, enough with the twenty questions already, we're at the home of missing persons Sarah and Thomas Brooke, their circled in the paper on the table.' Dean listened to the sheets rustle as his brother struggles out of bed. '... yeah I see it, are you and Cas okay?' 'I'm fine, I think Cas is-' Castiel jerked back to consciousness as pain roared through him like a tidal wave; eyes wide open and staring straight ahead, unable to focus on anything but the shear agony that consumed him. In a moment of weakness his truth voice escaped his lips- shrill and heart breaking and ugly and yet so beautiful. 'Shit, Sam I'll call you back.' 'Wait Dea-' Dean threw his phone behind him as he struggled to get Cas under control. The angel was writhing back and forth, a sweat breaking out on his forehead and a heat radiating off of him in waves. 'Cas, can you hear me?' The hunter planted his hands on his shoulders and looked him dead in the eyes. 'Cas?' 'Dean, I... I can't.' Tears streamed down his cheeks as he openly sobbed as if somehow that would make the pain stop. 'Cas, it's alright buddy, you just gotta ride this out.' 'Dean, fu-aahhhhhhhhh'. His body clenched up and he made a weak grab for the angel knife. Dean grabbed his arm and held on tight. 'No Cas.' Castiel whimpered softly 'Dean please, help me.' 'I don't know how... Cas I-' 'Dean kill me. Please, please kill me.' 'Cas, you I know I won't do that, this isn't you talkin', not really, remember what you said... you remember? This is the angel blood and you gotta be strong. I know you can-' 'A sudden burst of strength and Castiel sat up, right in front of him, finger nails digging into the skin of Dean's bare forearms and he starred at his friend with so must fury that Dean could not look away. 'Dean, you son of a bitch, kill me- if you are truly my friend, my 'family' then you will put me out of this misery, end me, end this, kill me!' Dean was crying too now, 'Cas, I'm so sorry, I can't, it will stop, I promise it will stop you just gotta hang in there ple-' 'Son of a-aaaarrrrrhhhhhh******!' Again the high pitch white noise filled the small house but this time Dean did not flinch away, he hugged his friend tight and rolled with the pain, suffering with the angel in his arms. Seconds melted into minutes and the minutes into one another, Dean lost track of time and didn't know how long the mutual agony lasted but eventually, at long last it stopped and both bodies collapsed to the ground in relief. Sam came bursting in soon after and his brother and his friend into the Impala, Sam drove home while Dean spoke to Bobby and Castiel passed out, again, in the back seat. 'You serious? A Valkyrie?' 'Yeah that's what Cas said, never even heard of 'em, what are they? 'Valkyries are one of the oldest creatures of the world, some confuse them with angels and maybe once they were. Went dark side centuries ago and now they live of souls- human, angel and demon alike. They got a taste for demons though and soon they devoured so much they became the very thing they hunted. Blackest soul of anything I ever met, you say Cas fought one off? 'Yeah, he forced it out of him like...' Dean tailed off, unable to find the right words. 'Like...?' 'You remember that time you got possessed, the demon was gonna kill me but you took control and' 'Oh, you mean the time I lost the ability to move my legs? Yeah I think I can remember that.' Dean ignored the sarcasm, 'D'you think it could have been like that?' 'I don't know...' Bobby went quiet for a long while and Dean was close to hanging up when he continued, 'would have had to have been something real special, that's for sure.' 'Yeah...', Dean turned around to look at the sleeping soldier in the back, 'I guess it was.' Fin.