Summary: One seemingly normal case; young married woman are being kidnapped in the middle of the night with only sulfur left behind. Sam and Dean are on the case, but what happens when their investigation leads the to the home of Jonathan and Annie Novak, Jimmy Novak's parents. The Novak's are less than pleased to find out there is an angel riding shotgun in their son.

Soundtrack: Ten Thousand Fists by Disturbed; Through The Fire And The Flames by Inhuman Rampage

"I'm Agent Stevens and this is my partner, Agent Perry." Dean and Sam Winchester flashed their fraud FBI badges to the distraught husband of the victim.

"Can you just give is a run down of what happened when Casey went missing?"

"I've already told the other FBI Agents, don't you guys communicate with each other?" Mr. Seiner snapped out.

"I'm sorry...Tom, but there might be something here we aren't seeing. We just need to go over it again." Sam calmly explained.

Tom Seiner collapsed onto his tan leather couch and held his head in his hands. "Saturday night I was in my office finishing up the monthly totals and I...I heard Casey scream. I ran into the bed room and the window was open and there was this yellow powder. That's all I know."

"Are you sure there was nothing else?" Dean asked.

"No! Why does everyone ask that? She's my wife; if I knew something I would tell you!" Tom yelled.

"We believe you, Tom." Sam said, nodding at the man

"Did Casey mention anything about something following her?"

"You mean someone?"

"Yes... did she every say anything like that?" Dean added awkwardly.

"No never...I just...find my wife. I can't deal with losing her."

"We'll try our best." Sam and Dean walked out leaving the distraught husband behind.

"Demons?"

"That's what I'm thinking." Sam said, opening the Impala door. "Why kidnap a bunch of newlyweds?"

"Why do they do anything? That's why it's our job to find out." Dean climbed into the Impala and the boys drove off.

"Dammit that's the seventh Cockroach I've killed tonight!" Dean yelled rubbing bug guts off the bottom of his shoe.

"It's still better than most places we stay in." Sam said, researching on his laptop and eating a French fry.

"Damn bugs."

"Scared of bugs?"

"Shut up, bitch!"

"Jerk you know that...oh no." Sam said, suddenly. Dean jumped up alert ready to fight something.

"What?"

"Casey Seiner's maiden name is Novak."

"You think-"

"I don't know Dean." Sam scrolled down more. "It says her name is Casey Novak Seiner. Her parents are Jonathan and Annie Novak, and both are still alive. Also a sibling-"

"Let me guess..."

"James Novak. Reported missing and now declared dead."

"You think this has something to do with vessels?"

"Dean, I don't know. I think we should call Cas."

"Because that went so well last time..." Dean started, grabbing a beer from the motel's small fridge and popping it open.

"Look I was going to find out what I did anyway, and you weren't going to tell me about it. Cas didn't know that I didn't know Dean-"

"-you don't need to screw around with the wall in your head! We don't know what will happen if it cracks." Dean interrupted, his worried fueled anger flaring up again.

"Okay, okay let's just focus on the case for now." Sam dropped the subject. Tonight wasn't the best night to get into it with Dean.

"Let's go talk to them, before we call Cas. Dude might be busy or something."

Sam knew that there was more to it than that. The last time he had seen those two together it had been tense and awkward. He let it be for now, but he was going to settle it later.

"This it?" Dean asked, as they pulled up to the little house on the street. It was in a normal neighborhood; rows of houses with neatly groomed yards and brightly colored mailboxes.

"Yeah let's do this."

The brothers walked up the steps to the front door and knocked.

"Hello?"

"Mrs. Novak."

"Yes, may I help you?"

"FBI, I'm Agent Stevens and this is my partner Agent Perry. We are here about your daughter Casey."

"Oh then please come in then."

The woman looked to be around sixty, she had wrinkles surrounding her face, black hair with silver prominent throughout, but that wasn't the most noticeable feature. Annie Novak had bright blue eyes, and the boys immediately knew where Jimmy had gotten it from.

"My husband should be home in a few minutes if you don't mind waiting." She said, offering the brothers tea, which they accepted.

"No problem." Sam answered as he took in the house. Pictures of a blue-eyed dark-haired boy and a blonde and green-eyed girl lined the walls. He could only guess that it was Jimmy and Casey Novak, and his gut gave a painful twist.

Mrs. Novak noticed him looking at the pictures and spoke. "That's both of them." She sighed, and Sam could hear the agony in her voice. "My son, Jimmy, went missing about four years ago. He lived with his family in Pontiac, Illinois, had a steady job, and lived a happy life." Dean and Sam both glanced at each other and swallowed; already knowing what had happened to the man.

"One day he just up and disappeared into thin air. Left his wife and his daughter behind and never came back." The poor woman's eyes started to water, and she fingered the cross on her neck. Dean could almost laugh at the irony.

"We searched for about a year. Jonathan's squad all helped look for him, but they never found anything."

"Jonathan is a cop?" Dean asked.

Mrs. Novak nodded. "He was for 33 years; he retired last year. All of this…it's been hard on all of us, but for him it's been so much worse."

"What do you mean?" They asked in unison.

"Jonathan and Jimmy didn't exactly part on the best term. Jonathan tried hard to get Jimmy on the force, but Jimmy wouldn't take the job. He said he wanted to be there for his family and not have them going to sleep at night wondering if he'd even make it home-" She cracked on the last word and forced back tears. "He hasn't been the same since, damn near killed himself drinking his feelings."

Sam was instantly reminded of their father and himself, only the situations were reversed. The woman turned to him with pleading eyes.
"Please find my daughter...we can't go through this again."

Before be had a chance to answer the front door was opened and a man walked in. "We didn't find anything out at her work, but I want to question her boss again. I don't like the way he was acting and- Annie who are these people?"

Breath caught in Sam and Dean's throat as they saw Jonathan Novak. He looked exactly like an older version of Ca...Jimmy. It was freaky on so many levels.

"They are FBI, they're here about Casey."

Jonathan eyed them with suspicion, but said nothing.

"When is the last time you heard from Casey?"

"Last Tuesday, she and Tom came over for dinner."

"How long have they been married?"

"Almost six months, they are perfect for each other."

"And you haven't noticed anything, she didn't mention anything following her?"

"No I would have did something if she had." Jonathan growled in annoyance.

"Jonathan please, they're just trying to help." Annie gripped has hand and gave it a squeeze.

"Do you think this has anything to do with Jimmy's disappearance. I mean if someone did take him, do you think they could have taken Casey?" Dean and Sam both saw how Jonathan flinched and looked down at his feet.

"We are thinking of every possibility right now." Sam answered.

"Listen to me, I know what the reports say, but he wouldn't have left his family on his own. Whoever took him must have taken Casey. I already lost my boy, there is no was in he'll I'm going to lose my daughter!"

"We are going to find her." Dean said, nodding at the two parents.

They asked a couple more questions and left. Both had an uneasy feeling settling over them.

"Damn it."

"You said it."

"Poor bastards lost everything." Dean took another swig of beer. "All because of him."

Sam stared at Dean and realized he was drunk.

"He ruined those people's lives. I mean he's in Heaven now right why not give his vessel back."

"Dean you know-"

"Yeah yeah it'd put them in danger. They just got the screw end of the deal."

"You hear that Cas?" Dean yelled at the celling.

"Dean?" Came the gruff reply.

"So you finally show your ass after...Sammy how long has it been? Oh yeah a month."

"I'm sorry, I've been preoccupied." Cas said.

"Yeah the war and Raphael and all the crap. Do you even realize what you did to the poor bastard you're wearing?"

"Jimmy?"

"No asshead, I mean Waldo." Dean snapped.

Castiel looked confused and stared at Dean in worry. "Dean what's wrong with you?"

"Cas he's drunk I wouldn't-"

"What's wrong with me? What the hell is wrong with you! You took him from his family! His daughter, his wife, his sister, and his parents! Do you ever think about how you reined their lives!" Dean shouted.

"I-"

"You could at least give the guy some time alone now that you're in Heaven all the time, but noooo! You gotta stay in there."

"I...I can't leave Jimmy."

That snapped Sam to attention. "What?"

"When I died, Jimmy's soul was sent to Heaven, but when I was resurrected you could say that my grace and his soul morphed together."

"So why can't you leave?" Dean asked.

"Even if I was to leave my vessel, his soul would still be with my grace. We are...together now."

"Dude that sounds so wrong." Dean snorted.

"So you're saying that you and Jimmy are one?" Sam asked.

"Yes."

"Well isn't that just peachy."

"Dean-"

"What?"

"Is there a way to separate you?"

"Yes-"

"Well then what are you waiting for? Just do it and get it over with and give him his body back. It's not like you ever come down here to help anymore." Dean snapped out, ignoring the hurt that crossed over his friend's features.

"I could, but I-"

"Let me guess you don't feel like, or something like that?"

"Dean enough!" Sam yelled. He was extremely annoyed at the way Dean was treating Cas. He knew there was a lot of water under the bridge between those two, but this was getting ridiculous.

"What don't you think that Jimmy should get another chance at life, and Cas could be up in heaven doing whatever angels do. He doesn't have to come to Earth. Right Cas?"

"The process the separate myself from Jimmy would require that I'd tear apart my grace to release his soul. I would die. I cannot do this now, but I will think about it after the war. After all, Jimmy does deserve a chance at life and Heaven." Cas stated blankly.

Dean blanched. "What the hell do you mean you'll think about?" He was freaking out now, to say the least.

Cas tensed up and glared; the hurt obvious in his eyes. "I agree with what you say about Jimmy, but I must fight this war and defeat Raphael. I'm sorry I cannot destroy myself sooner than that." He growled out and left in a flurry of wings.

Dammit. "Cas! That's not what I meant...stupid feather ass-head! Get back here!" Dean was rewarded with silence.

"Good job Dean. Real nice work." Sam threw his hands up in the air and rubbed his face.

"Shut up Sam! He took it the wrong way. I didn't mean I wanted him to die...why did he think that?"

"I don't know? Maybe because you've been acting like a dick towards him. Look I know a lot of crap happened between you two, and you're still pissed about it. But just put all that aside for right now! He's fighting a war, and we are trying to stop Eve. We didn't even get to ask for help about Casey! I doubt he'll come back if we call now."

"I'm sorry okay. I just...I need to sleep. We'll deal with it in the morning."

Sam stayed awake, and researched at his laptop. It was around one AM when he got a call from Bobby.

"Bobby? What's up?"

"Got a call from a hunter bout thirty miles from where you're at in Columbus. Another girl, got taken, but this time everyone was murdered. The husband, the kids, the nanny, hell even killed the Chihuahua. Don't know what's happening, but it's getting more violent. Also more public. This woman was a reporter for a national news station."

"Dammit, we are on our way over their now."

"You boys be careful." The old man replied, in a gruff voice.

"We will, and Bobby...could you do us a favor?"

Bobby sighed and shook his head. "What?"

"The last girl that was kidnapped was Casey Novak Seiner, Cas' vessel's sister. We think it might have to do something with that, but we don't know."

"Well why haven you called him then, you idjits?" Bobby exclaimed.

"We did, but Dean and Cas...well Cas left before we got a chance to tell him about. I doubt he'll come back if we call him, and I was wondering if you'd call him."

"If he'll answer me. What'd Dean do to him?"

"Dean was drunk and started rambling on and said some pretty harsh stuff to Cas. Cas took something the wrong way, and now think Dean doesn't care if he dies." Sam explained.

Bobby sighed and shook his head. "I'll talk to him, you handle the other dumbass."

"Thanks Bobby."

"Don't thank me yet."

"Dammit how do I do this?"

"Dear Castiel? Look I know you're probably busy or something, but Sam and Dean really need help on this case. I know what the idjit said to you and you're probably pissed, but... Look I've never done this. Hell I'm not even sure I'm doing this right-"

"Bobby." Came the emotionless reply.

"Wow guess it worked." Bobby took in the angel. His clothes were rumpled and he looked dead tired. Fading blood could be seen on his trench coat.

"You okay there feathers?" Bobby asked, concerned.

"I've just finished battle. You said they needed help?"

"Um yeah, they said that your vessel's sister was kidnapped by something."

Cas straightened up and looks more alive. "Do they know by what?"

"They found sulfur at the houses. She wasn't the only woman that has been taken, and they could use some help."

Cas' hand tightened into a fist and a hard expression settled over his face. "I will help."

"Okay good, their on their way to the sight of the fourth kidnapping."

Before the angel could flutter off, Bobby put a hand on his shoulder. "Cas listen Dean can be a down right idjit at times-"

"I am aware of this."

"-But there's one thing I know. You're a part of this family. It's crazy and screwed to hell, but you're a part of it. You understand boy?" The old hunter finished with a glare.

Cas smirked at being called a boy. He was several millennia older than all humans, yet he was still considered a child to this man. He was great grateful to Bobby, for being a type of father figure to him. Considering his dad was a deadbeat.

"I understand." He answered and took flight.

"That makes four women in total that have gotten kidnapped."

"Yeah and whatever happened during this one must have seriously pissed the thing off."

"You think they might have been vessels?" Sam asked.

"What?"

"I mean if Casey is Jimmy's sister then she's Cas' vessel too. What's to say that the other woman aren't angel vessels."

"You maybe on to something there." Dean was quite for a moment before asking. "Did Bobby talk to Cas?"

"Yeah." Sam answered digging through the bag of hotdogs. They were both sitting in a small park outside of Columbus, Ohio. Dean had stopped here, for the food.

"Well what did he say?"

"Cas is going to help us."

"Did he say anything else? Like if Cas was gonna drop by or anything?" Dean picked at his hotdog, instead of eating it. Freaking Sam out, considering that it was so un-Dean like.

"No, why?"

"No reason."

"Feeling guilty much?"

Dean shot up, almost knocking over a coke. "I didn't say I wanted him to die! He just took it the wrong way!"

"But Dean you did say a lot of other things." Sam reminded him.

"I was drunk okay. I didn't mean anything by it. He should know that by now." Dean sat back down and ate a French fry. "He should have come back."

"I'm pretty sure you hurt his feelings Dean. I don't think he wanted to come back."

"Yeah but he's fighting this stupid war, and what would have happened if he got hurt or something? He would have thought I wanted that?"

Sam eye something behind him, but chose to keep his mouth shut.
"And you don't want that?"

"What the hell Sam! Of course I don't fucking want that! Who do you think I am? He's my friend...my best friend, and he's the one I've got."

Sam smirked and looked triumphant. Dean realized what had just taken place. "He's behind me isn't he?"

Dean turned around and saw Cas in all his glory, pun intended.

"You consider me you're best friend?"

"Err well yeah...I mean-"

"Then you are also my...best friend."

The two shared a heartfelt look.

"Okay then now that that's over, let's figure this out."

Sam explained his theory on the angel vessels to Cas. The angel nodded, while grabbing a French fry, much to the amusement of the two brothers.

"That would be a reasonable theory, except Casey is not one of my vessels."

"What? I thought that anyone of that bloodline was your vessel?" Dean asked.

"I only have four vessels and only three of them are usable. Casey is an adopted daughter of Annie and Jonathan, therefore not the same bloodline."

"I didn't know she was adopted." Said Sam.

"Wait four vessels? Who?" Asked Dean.

"Jimmy Novak, Claire Novak, Annie Novak, and Gregory Henderson."

"Dude two of them are girls."

"You know Dean, angels technically have no gender right?" Sam teased.

"Ew no, just no don't even go there." Sam shook his head and chuckled.

"You said one of your vessels was unusable. Who?"

Cas shifted uncomfortably and avoid looking into their eyes. "Annie Novak."

"Jimmy's mother? Why?"

"In 1948 I was forced to take a vessel; Gregory Henderson, Annie Novak's father. His was not a stable vessel, and my presence caused...complications."

"Complications?"

"When I returned to Heaven Gregory was left insane."

"You made him go insane?" Dean exclaimed.

"He remembered everything from my time as a vessel. Somehow he required a way to poison a vessel, and he poisoned Annie to keep me from every using her as a vessel."

"Poison?"

"Yes."

"Poison how?"

"If I was to taker her as a vessel it would infect my grace and slowly extinguish it."

"Oh wow, guess daddy didn't want you to take her to prom did he?" Dean commented.

"So why isn't Jimmy poisoned also? I mean if his mother is shouldn't it be transferred or something?" Sam asked.

"Fortunately Jimmy's father had clean blood, which cleared the poison from Jimmy's blood."

"What did he poison her with?"

"Demon blood."

"What?" Sam demanded, looking shocked. "But Lucifer used me as a vessel, and I have demon blood. Why didn't It kill him?"

"Lucifer is...the exception. He fathered demons, their blood has no effect on him."

"So why haven't the demons been dropping angels left and right if it's so easy to kill you guys with it." Dean asked.

"It is not easy as you put it. It can only be done by mixing a part of the angel's grace with the demon blood then contaminating the vessel with it."

"Wait how'd he get some of your grace?" Dean asked.

Cas flinched as if it was a painful memory. "I was injured by my fallen brother Belial during battle. Balthazar managed to pull me out and into Heaven, where Raphael was able to heal me."

"Raphael?" Both Dean and Sam exclaimed.

"He is the most gifted healer among the host."

"Huh never pegged him to be a doctor. He never gave off the "wanting to save life vibe." Dean mused.

Cas sighed. "He used to be different."

Neither Sam or Dean knew what to say to that. Dean could see his friend going through some pretty intense memories and put a hand on his shoulder.

"I think that's enough "story time with Cas" today. Let's go solve this case."

The three of them started to walk away from the table, when a voice broke through. "Oh my God, Jimmy?"

That's when shit hit the fan.