Castiel frowned as he set the last mirror in place. "I do not like this plan," he muttered as he wandered over to his hunter.
"Come on, Cas. It's a great plan," Dean assured, clapping the former angel on the shoulder. "Everything'll be fine."
"Great plan! Excellent plan, in fact. Jealous I never thought of it myself," the Doctor exclaimed, rubbing his hands together excitedly.
Castiel narrowed his eyes at the over-excited alien. "It isn't safe," he snapped resolutely.
"'Course not. I said it was a good plan, not a safe plan," the Doctor admitted while straightening his bow-tie.
"Cas, it'll be a piece of cake. We're hunters. Nothing we do is ever safe," Dean said roughly.
"Guys. Can we, maybe, hurry it up. My eyes are getting a little tired of not blinking," Sam announced from the one entrance to the room.
"Right. Everyone, hide behind your respective mirrors, I'll lead the angel in," the Doctor said in an unusually authoritative voice.
Dean shook his head. "No way. I came up with the plan, I'm following through with it. Besides, we all know it's not the greatest idea to let the only one that can fly the freakin' time machine go against the weeping angel."
Castiel sighed and stood next to Dean. "Doctor, you know he's right," he admitted begrudgingly.
The Doctor spins and points at Dean. "Fine. But I don't like it," the Doctor said before gesturing wildly towards the door. "Remember, do not let her touch you."
"Yeah, yeah. I've got this, Doc," Dean said, pushing the Doctor towards the mirrors, before turning to face the stone angel. "Alright, Sammy. I've got my eye on her, get outta the way."
Sam nodded before turning back to join Castiel and the Doctor behind the mirrors set in the middle of the room that formed a half circle.
"Alright, you ugly son of a bitch, come and get me," Dean taunted before blinking quickly and moving in towards the mirrors.
The process was agonizingly slow. A step back, a quick blink, one Weeping Angel closing in.
"Guys, get ready," Dean called behind him before he took one more blink. Suddenly, the angel was almost nose to nose with him, smirking. "Ah, hell," Dean moaned as he realized why the angel was smirking.
Behind the angel, was another. Her mouth opened in a snarl.
"Dean? What's going on?" Sam asked, still hidden.
That was all it took. One flipping distraction. One second, Dean was staring at the two angels, but he made the stupid mistake of turning slightly towards Sam's voice. That split second caused the second angel to leave his peripheral vision long enough for her to sneak up behind the other with her hand extended just enough to touch him.
The Doctor poked his head out behind the mirror just in time to see Dean disappearing. "Oh no," he whispered, keeping the angel's in his sight.
Castiel gasped upon hearing the Doctor's distress. That could only mean one thing. "Dean!" he cried as he climbed out from behind the mirror's to find Dean nowhere in sight. "No," he shook his head.
Castiel glared at the angel's in front of him. Both were smirking like they had won. This merely provoked him further as he surged forward with the mirrors.
It almost felt anti-climactic as he and Sam watched the Doctor sonic the mirrors to keep them in place.
"Well," the Doctor started, quietly, "they won't be leaving there anytime soon." He turned towards his remaining companions and grimaced. "I'm really, very sorry."
There was a long pause, before Sam broke the silence. "We know it's not your fault, Doctor."
Castiel stared down at his hands, currently clutched in a fist. "Can we get him back?" he asked, voice stony and cold.
"No... The TARDIS can't follow him," the Doctor frowned, replaying the moment he lost his own best friend to the angel's.
Sam sighed and rubbed his hands over his face. "Do you... I mean. Can we at least track where he went?"
"Yes, but Sa-"
"Do it," Castiel ordered. The Doctor watched Castiel's face change into a pleading look. "Please, Doctor."
"Okay," he nodded before going into the TARDIS and moving around the console in a whirlwind. "Okay. Find Dean Winchester. Winchester, Winchester, Winchester." The Doctor pressed several buttons and ignored his audience. "Ah! There we go! 1967."
Sam huffed a laugh. "You have got to be kidding me."
"What? Why's that funny, Sam? Share with the class," the Doctor looked up, eyebrows knitted.
"Doctor. That's the year the Impala was released," Sam explained.
"Ah. Clever things, the Weeping Angels," the Doctor muttered to himself, looking from Sam to Cas.
Castiel furrowed his eyebrow in concentration. "1973. Doctor. You have to take me to Lawrence, Kansas, 1973."
The Doctor looked at Castiel sympathetically. "I can do that, but he'll have lived those years, already. You realize that, right?"
Castiel shook his head. "I understand, but I was with Dean in 1973. At that time period, I am still an Angel of the Lord," Castiel explains with a glimmer of hope emerging.
The Doctor slowly understands and a wide smile spreads across his face. "A time-traveling Angel!" The Doctor snaps into action, preparing the TARDIS to land in Lawrence, 1973. "Castiel, you're brilliant!"
Sam looked between the two. "Cas, I don't wanna be the bearer of bad news, but you're still under heaven's control at that point."
Castiel nodded, sullenly. "I am aware, Sam, but thank you. I believe I may be able to persuade myself to help."
The TARDIS jerks erratically as she takes off. "Geronimo!" the Doctor exclaims. Sam and Castiel grab onto the nearest hold as she begins to land.
Castiel immediately rushes to the door, before pausing and facing Sam and the Doctor. "I know myself. It will be hard enough to explain why I am human, let alone, why I am with the Winchester's brother and an alien."
The Doctor nearly adopts a disgruntled look but lets it drop as he considers coming up against Castiel in his full Angel of the Lord form. "Fair enough. Detroit, 1967. That's exactly where he'll be."
Sam grins and waves at Cas. "Good luck."
Castiel nods before turning and rushing down the street where he knows he will be able to bump into himself.
He wants several moments between the interaction of his former self and Dean, before approaching.
"I need your help," he starts. His former self turns a suspicious eye and sizes him up.
"You are human now. Why?" his Angel self asks with a tilt to his head.
"I'm sorry. I really can't answer that, question. But hear me out," Castiel takes a deep breath. "There are beings, aliens, called the Weeping Angels. They send a person back in time when they touch that person." Castiel pauses and allows his other self to digest that information.
"Am I needed to smite these creatures?" he asks, completely serious.
"No. Dean Winchester has been sent to Detroit, 1967. You need to bring him to 2013."
"And why would I disobey Heaven and listen to a human version of myself?" he asks, sizing the human up.
"Because from the moment we placed our hand on Dean Winchester, we were lost." Castiel smiles. "We love him."
His Angel self considers this information. "Love," he nods to himself. "And does Dean Winchester love you?"
Castiel takes in a shaky breath. "I'm not sure. But without your help, we'll never know."
The Angel takes the information in and stands in silence for several minutes. "Where shall I take him?"
Castiel smiles brightly. "Lebanon, Kansas. 2013. Thank you."
The Angel nods and looks the human over once. "Is it difficult? Humanity?"
He smiles crookedly. "Spoilers," he announces.
His Angel self's lips twitch in an almost smile. "You will have your Winchester back when you return to your proper time."
Castiel nods in appreciation before turning back to the TARDIS.
Sam is on him as soon as he opens the door. "Are we going to get him back?"
Castiel grins and nods. "Lebanon, 2013, Doctor."
"Good job, Castiel. Didn't doubt you for a moment!" the Doctor says as he directs the TARDIS to the Bunker.
Sam is out of the doors as soon as she lands, looking for his brother.
"You didn't give yourself any trouble, then, Castiel?" the Doctor asks, knowing approximately how the conversation must have gone.
"Not at all," he says, smiling as he exits the doors to find Dean and Sam hugging.
"It was all Cas' idea! Finding himself and getting him to pick you up," Sam said as Castiel joined them.
"That true, Cas?" Dean asked, playfully pushing Sammy off him.
Castiel smiled softly and nodded. "It took less convincing than you might think."
"Really? Cause I remember how you were then. You were just another dick with wings, back then, Cas," Dean said coming to stand in front of Castiel.
"Perhaps, but even then I knew you were my weakness, Dean Winchester," Castiel unabashedly announced.
Dean smiled and placed a hand on the curve of Cas's neck. "Yeah, me, too," he said leaning in to place a soft kiss on Castiel's lips.
"Oi! Always with the kissing," the Doctor yelled as he covered his eyes.
"Well, perhaps you should go back in the TARDIS, Doctor," Castiel suggested before wrapping his arms around Dean's neck and deepening the kiss.
Sam sighed and guided the Doctor, who was still covering his eyes, back to said TARDIS. "They've been waiting years for that, Doctor. Give 'em a bit," he said, smiling.