The mortal form of the seraph, Castiel, sat in the large research room at the men of letter's bunker. Across the table was his friend, a supernatural hunter by the name of Sam Winchester. A human who generally towered over the average man in height and strength, but currently sat with his head in his hands, staring hopelessly at a state-wide road -map that covered the tables length.
His brother, Dean, was missing and had been for three months. No-one seemed to have had a damn clue where the hell he was.
Sam went to rake a hand through his hair and looked across to the angel. Between the two of them, they had scoured half the country in search of the elder Winchester. Interrogated every being and beast they could lay their hands on. It seemed Dean had just vanished off the face of the Earth as well as all known supernatural realms.
"I-I don't know where to go next" Sam hopelessly stated, a deep crease of concern stretched across his brow.
Castiel considered the best way to reply. Even though he had learned a lot during his time on Earth, he'd never really mastered the art of diplomacy. Heavenly beings had always been quite literal and Castiel was no different. He wanted to offer Sam support, to find some new hope that would lead them to Dean. But the bottom line was, they had looked everywhere, considered everything and Cas too, was all out of ideas.
"I think – think all we can do, is leave it down to Dean and hope he comes and finds us" he said to the hunter, but felt a sickening unease as he spoke. Those words sounded like defeat. Like they were giving up on the search, and that just did not sit well.
Leaning forward, Castiel eased loose the knot of his neck tie, breathing in deep, trying to dispel a feeling of nausea. The human emotions his vessel experienced were sometimes inconvenient and hard to control. It seemed the simple thought of not seeing the elder Winchester again, had caused him to feel dizzy, disoriented and a little lost.
He'd spent so long watching over the surly fighter, that the idea of his continued absence left Cas feeling empty inside. He knew that if the situation were reversed, Dean Winchester would not give up, would never stop fighting to find his brother. So, in a desperate attempt to take back his earlier words, he looked up at Sam, those blue eyes fixing firmly on the towering hunter and he spoke again.
"Or, I could head up to Chester and start the search afresh." he proposed, pointing to the small town Dean had last been seen.
Sam responded with a perceptive little smile and Castiel felt himself blush. The younger Winchester seem to glean a more profound meaning to Cas' suggestion, other than the simple offer to help a friend locate his brother.
"I'll come with you, but maybe we'll wait till morning" Sam replied kindly, glancing at his watch and seeing it was well past midnight. Cas agreed, then watched as Sam wearily stood, shuffling away from the area, straight towards his bedroom.
In the absence of natural light within the bunker, trust was placed on alarm clocks to raise the pair from slumber and as the new day got under way, Sam and Castiel found their way to the kitchen, discussing the trip back up to Chester. Sam leaned back against the counter-top, drinking fresh coffee while Cas ran through the itinerary. A halt in conversation came when both heard a noise. A metallic kind of clang, very much like the sound of the bunker's main entrance.
The tall hunter bolted from the room, grabbing a nearby Beretta as he passed. Cas followed keenly, passed the cold, tiled walls and towards the potential intruder. Sam took a breath then stepped out into the open, weapon high, pointing straight at the staircase, aimed ready to fire. Then he caught sight of the trespasser.
"Dean?!"
The green-eyed hunter grunted whilst bounding, bow legged, down the metal steps. A six pack of beer swinging from his hand.
"You better tell me you have Baby locked up, all safe and sound"
Sam darted forward pulling his brother into a bear hug the moment the man stepped from the bottom rung .
"Where the hell have you been?" he mumbled into Dean's shoulder as he continued to pull him in tight.
"Well it's a bit of a tale, let me get off my feet and Ill fill you in, but I'm serious about my car, where is she?" Dean said, walking through to take a seat at one of the tables in the library. It was then that Castiel stepped forward.
The Impala is down in the garages and in perfect working order" The angel stated in a deep gruff tone, suddenly gaining all of the hunter's attention.
Dean's eyes unconsciously ran up and down Castiel's form, as they often did, taking in that scruffy dark hair and that pensive expression. Dean's stare was also something that never failed to set a current charging through the seraph's human body. It was a strange sensation, one that Cas didn't really understand and chose not to try. Instead he pushed the feeling aside and took a seat next to Sam, accepting the beer that Dean held out for him.
The freckled fighter looked tired and a little pale as he set about telling the story of his disappearance, draining the first bottle of alcohol before getting to the point.
"I got conned by a vengeful witch" he stated, pulling the top of his 2nd beer.
It seemed a witch had posed as a park ranger, lured him into the woods outside the town of Chester, then let loose some kind of spell.
"It was a weird kind of magic, one minute I'm standing in the middle of the dark woods, then next thing I remember is tending bar, throwing cocktails and going by the name Franco" Dean said, seeing an amused look on his brother's face.
"A cocktail bar? You mean like with neon lights and pop music?"
"Yes Sammy, the whole Tom Cruise, Bryan Brown, tossing Cocktail shakers through the air, kind of bar" Dean annoyingly replied, unimpressed with the joke. Then noted the thoroughly perplexed look on the angels face, and anticipated Cas' next words.
"I know, I know, you don't understand that reference. Well Cas, be glad for once, it was a terrible movie" Dean stated, then continued the story of how the witch transferred him into another life in an instant, having no knowledge of whom he had been before. He was there for months and it wasn't until she walked into the bar one day, that he realized something was wrong.
"The moment I saw her face, everything just came flooding back. I got my memories back" Dean continued, then told how he chased the girl through the bar and out into the backstreet.
"She was yelling about getting revenge for ganking her boyfriend about twelve years ago, then she hit me with a tyre-iron and knocked me out cold. When I eventually came around, she was gone.
Dean looked over at Cas who sported his usual concerned countenance. Brow knitted tight, those vivid blue eyes beaming across the table.
"Does it not seem an odd kind of revenge, for killing someone she probably loved?" the angel quietly commented, making both boys think for a moment. But Dean dismissed it quickly, he was tired and wasn't really firing on all cylinders, He was just damn glad to be home and with his family.
"Listen, as much as I would love to yak all day with you two losers, I could really do with some shut eye" Dean announced raising his beat body from the chair.
Sam and Castiel also stood ready to take their leave. Dean let them lead off, opting to hang back for a minute, but as Sam rounded a corner and out of sight, he took the opportunity to call the angel back.
"Hey Cas, you got a sec?" the eldest brother asked, causing him to stop and turn back towards him. Dean quickly reached out and tugged the angel into a tight embrace, not unlike the friendly hugs they'd shared countless times before.
"It's good to see you man! I'm glad you are here, glad you have been keeping an eye on Sammy, I appreciate it".
Cas smiled as he returned the hug, patted his friend on the back and expected Dean to finish up and step away. But the hunter didn't move, just chose to keep him close. Castiel tried not to read into the moment, tried not to feel the warmth of his body pressed against his own. Instead he just assumed it was exhaustion that caused Dean to hold him a little longer than usual.
Then he felt Dean's shoulders stiffen and heard a grunt of pain come from the hunter. Cas quickly backed up and watched as his friend doubled over, then drop to his knees.
"Dean are you ok?" Castiel's rough tones enquired.
The hunter grunted again and brought a hand to the side of his torso, to the source of the pain. Blood pooled in Dean's palm as he pulled it away to examine.
"What the hell?" he managed to say before yelling out in pain once again, feeling a sharp stab in his side.
Castiel turned shouting for Sam down the corridor, then knelt by Deans side, trying to examine the injury. Sam appeared seconds later, diving to join Castiel on the floor. Between them, they managed to cast an eye over the wound. A large gash to his side, near the stomach.
"Can you heal it? Sam begged Cas, who already had a hand pressing against the slash.
"I can stop the bleeding, yes, but the wound itself is not natural. It's seems to have complex magic surrounding it."
"Like maybe a witches curse?" Sam concluded, putting two and two together and deciding this was a much more fitting revenge, than temporarily removing the guy's memory.
"Son of a bi-"Dean tried to say but was cut short by the overwhelming pain he felt. Sam went to touch his brothers forehead and felt heat coming off him in waves.
"He's burning up, I'm going to get him into the shower and try and cool him down" He said. standing and lifting Dean with him. But as the boy fought against the pain, his body felt heavier than dead weight and Sam just couldn't manage it alone. Castiel didn't wait to be asked and hauled Dean up from the other side, the two of them moving the incapacitated hunter to the bathroom.
Sam stripped Dean to his underwear and pushed his burning body under the cool stream. There, the two got a better view of the wound, now that his chest was bare. It was most definitely supernatural. They watched as a cut slowly opened along Dean's stomach then stitch itself closed again, before repeating the agony over and over.
We need to know how to sort this out, I'm going to make some calls" Sam announced to Dean, who struggled to do anything but nod his head in return and once again fell to his knees. Sam patted his brother on the back then walked from the room, Cas likewise turning to go help, but was stopped by Dean.
"No, please just stay here" he begged hoarsely, making a grab for Cas' arm, half pulling the angel under the shower stream with him.
Castiel felt the tight grip the Winchester had on his arm, as the spray of water showered down on them both. Dean was using him to help manage the pain. His skin would surely bruise from the hunter's iron hold, but Cas would not move, would not pull away. Watching over the eldest Winchester was his job, just as watching over Sam was Dean's.
A good while later, the angel felt Dean's grip slacken and he realized the pain had finally won. His friend had passed out. Castiel pulled them both out of the shower, shivering, and dripping with water. With some effort, he managed to get them back to Dean's room. He heaved the heavy dude, back on to the bed and caught sight of the cursed wound.
That malicious injury that had caused his good friend so much pain, that had torn him open and sewn him shut over and over, had disappeared. Not a single trace of it ever being there.