I'll Come With You, Then
Chapter 1
Written by Misha Winchester
Co-Wrote by huntermisshooper
Sam sat nose deep in one of Bobby's old books, while Dean relaxed with his feet propped up drinking an ice-cold beer. The television plays one of Dean's favorite movies: The Untouchables, As Castiel situates himself on the couch beside Dean, he questions each characters motives.
Sam looks up occasionally to see Dean respond defensively to some of Cas' questions, causing Sam to bite down a laugh each time.
Bobby's place was nicer than many of the motels they stayed in but worse than most residents, though for the Winchesters, it had become home.
Sam's cell phone rings; breaking the silence. Dean glances up but seems to decide he isn't interested and quickly turns back to his priority: the movie.
"Hey." Sam answers the phone after reading the caller I.D.
"Yo, Sammy, it's Garth here."
"Uhh, hey, Garth."
"Yeah, so I got a little ghoul problem up here in Ohio and was wondering if you and the guys could lend me a big ol' hand over here." Garth exaggerated, ever enthusiastic.
"What kinda ghoul problem?" Sam said, whistling to catch Dean's attention as he put the phone on speaker. Dean turned his head in the direction of Sam, listening in.
"There I was huntin' a large pack of ghouls when they split up on me." Garth chuckled through the phone, he could giggle about the worst things, Sam exhaled bemused.
"So, you want us to go after one of the groups?" Sam asked, though really he wanted to ask why Garth thought he thought he was qualified to hunt a pack large enough to split into two groups of their own. Dean stood now and walked to Sam.
"How soon can you guys get here?" Garth perked, his smile evident in his voice.
Sam looked to Dean and Cas. "We can get there by tomorrow night." Dean answered with excessive determination.
"Right! See you then, Garth out."
Castiel smiled at the Winchesters as he rose from the couch to join the brothers. "We're going on a hunt."
The car ride was a quiet one. Sam had wanted to catch some z's and crashed out in the backseat of the Impala.
"When we get there and split up, you will be with me. Garth and Sam with be on the other groups' tail."
Cas nodded, "It's good that we found something to hunt, you were becoming increasingly restless." He answered in his usual gravelly voice.
This was a surprise to Dean; he thought he had been hiding his wanting well, although Castiel was mistaken on what had Dean so wound up.
"Well, ever since we slammed the gates of hell, almost all the bad guys have gone M.I.A." Dean knew he should be happy; the things that go bump in the night were now almost all gone, but he was getting bored.
"While hunting, you can burn the extra calories you have been taking in lately." Castiel stated in a matter-of-fact tone.
Dean thought about that for a moment then turned to look at Castiel. "Are you saying I'm getting fat?"
Castiel looked perplexed. "I just said-"
"You know what, Cas, don't answer that." Dean barked before the angel could finish.
Hours of driving later, they pulled up next to Garths car and Dean immediately got out, leaving Cas to wake Sam.
"Where?" Dean demanded surveying the area with metallic green eyes.
"Just on-in that buildin' there," Garth replied, if you didn't know him you may have mistaken his voice for a mocking tone. "But you gotta wait, Dean." He then pleaded but with a grin on his face.
Dean huffed to a stop and turned to face them all. He saw Cas look at him with a concerned expression, clearly he knew he had upset Dean and that upset him, Dean smiled then wiped it right off his face – not because he was still annoyed, not anymore, just because he was a man and he wasn't happy with poems and chick-flick smiles.
They all cleared the plan with each other and advanced towards their targets. Before Dean knew it he was with Cas, side by side, both maintaining a strong grip on their machetes.
They heard a movement from afar, with one look they agreed to investigate, Castiel's eyes had a plain message written deep inside which Dean could read as 'please, be careful, Dean'.
Cas was there to heal Dean but he despised seeing the hunter injured, it tore something inside him.
A pole thudded into Dean's chest and knocked the air from his lungs as he flew back into Cas, three ghouls charged at them. Garth hadn't told them what number to expect, he wasn't sure what ratios the large group had split into. Three couldn't be too bad, right? Even if the monsters currently had the upper hand, they were certain that would change soon.
Castiel caught Dean and steadied him back onto his feet, he wished he could have made sure he wasn't injured too badly but he needed to get rid of those ghouls, he looked back to Dean as he stepped then he focused on his task: ensuring the safety of Dean Winchester. He sliced one with a machete right off the bat as he approached but anther knocked his hand against the wall causing him to drop his weapon, he turned his head to see Dean initiating battle before Cas glared at the brute.
Dean stepped into action and took the idol villain that was outnumbering Cas in the Angels own battle. He swung at the ghoul but it ducked from his attack. The ghoul swept Dean into the wall, he checked on Cas as the creature strangled his waist while forcing Dean into the structure of the building.
A short, pale-blue light flashed as Cas smote his target.
Dean pushed back and freed himself from the savages chilling hold, he swung once more and the head fell.
Castiel joined his side once more.
"Are you injured, Dean?" Cas questioned, it was important he knew. Pain wasn't pleasurable to observe or to experience, he didn't want Dean to deal with that if he could heal him.
"No, let's clear." He directed as he bend down to pick up and lifeless ghouls body. He winced, but only slightly, as the ghouls arm dropped on his chest. Then gripped the ghouls' detached head by its hair.
Cas did the same, carrying two bodies and a head, they weighed nothing to him.
Quickly they dug a hole in the ground and threw the ghouls in, they burned them because Dean suggested it was good to watch. Castiel retrieved oil and soaked the bodies in the ditch before Dean threw his blazing lighter into the pile. The flames roared.
Maybe they were off their game a little but that was still easy, although, for these men it was never that simple. Like a bullet from a gun, five ghouls jumped them from no-where as the two watched the flames burn.
Dean was tackled to the floor by two of the sickening beasts, his weapon was out of reach, they talked of the suffering he would endure. Castiel was being pushed and beaten but the remaining three.
Castiel just needed to get a good position on the ghouls and he would have no injuries, he could smite them with the palm of his hand, it was no effort, or he could beam a burst of powerful light that would disintegrate his opponents.
Dean pushed against the ghouls' hold to no avail. He spit spiteful words at the ghouls, shaming them for what they were, they couldn't win.
Cas looked over to Dean, he would have to charge to fire the beam but it would be quicker than smiting them one-by-one. One of the repulsive beasts slashed into Dean's chest and Cas had decided.
Light flashed around the angel as he breathed deeply, he ran to Dean the second the light diminished. The creatures turned as Cas placed a palm to their heads, they wouldn't hurt Dean.
The hunter got up and shook himself off as though the wound meant nothing, Cas couldn't sense if he was hiding the severity of the wound or if it wasn't serious, he couldn't get a good look at the large slit in the fabric.
He texted Sam and got in the Car immediately when the response came back.
"Garth's taking Sammy back to Bobby's, they had no trouble, four ghouls." Dean updated Cas once they were both seated in the Impala. He started the ignition and drove, his chest burned but he had definitely had worse, he wouldn't get Cas to heal him.
Cas sat in thought, he considered every possibility of his journey. They had just fought eight ghouls, Sam and Garth had four, the pack was initially twelve members – he wouldn't have let the Winchester brothers take that risk even with him there. Blue eyes reflected his thoughtfulness into the night on the pane of the car window.
It was going to be a long car ride.