*Disclaimer* I own nothing of Supernatural...this is purely fan-made...
Chapter Three
"Hey… Hey! Kevin, wake up!" Kevin jerked, waking with a start, to stare at Dean's eyes. He blinked owlishly and Dean withdrew his hand from his leg, which he had been shaking to wake him. "Huh?" Kevin mumbled, he struggled to sit up, his neck felt stiff. "This is as far as we go on car" Dean said "Look" he added, pointing to an old, run down building. "We're here." Kevin nodded, rubbing his eyes and stretching. He didn't care if it made him seem like a five year old; he needed to after hours in the car. "Oh" was all Kevin said, before opening his door and stepping out. Sam and Castiel were already standing outside, in the shade of the trees, which grew behind the car. It wasn't hidden very well, but at least it was out of sight of the building right? Kevin didn't understand hunter logic all that well; he supposed it was at least moderately safe if the Winchesters had decided to park there.
"Hey, Kevin" Dean said, grabbing his arm. Kevin glanced up, and then down at the little bottle Dean had shoved into his hands. "Holy water" Dean said, nodding towards the thing. "Your main concern is finding the tablet; we'll cover you and take care of any demons that cross our path. But, just in case, you can use it to at least hold them off" he said. Kevin nodded, his hands tightening their hold of the bottle. Dean pressed his lips together, nodded again, and then walked over to his brother. Kevin glanced down at the holy water, trying to calm his fears. Last time he had encountered a demon, he had gotten his finger sliced off by Crowley, and had believed his mother to be dead. Taking a deep breath, he squared his shoulders and followed the Winchesters, who had begun to walk toward the building.
Sam pulled Kevin beside him, and pushed his arm against his chest to make sure the boy kept close to the wall. Dean crouched in front of him, the knife in his hand. "I can't get in" Cas said, he stood behind Kevin, back straight, though he was keeping close to the wall. "What?" Dean called over his shoulder, eyes narrowed slightly; he didn't feel like having anything ruin this hunt, not today, Sam hoped Cas didn't mistakenly believe Dean was angry at him... At least, he hoped Dean wasn't actually mad at him; it wasn't the angel's fault. "Seems that, after learning of my return, Crowley decided to take precaution against angels" Cas said, voice low.
"So, what now?" Sam asked. "We go in" Dean answered. "Dean…" Cas cautioned, squaring his shoulders, his voice deepened slightly in warning. He wasn't up for any of Dean's recklessness today. "Look, we go inside, Kevin looks for the tablet, or waits for his spidey-senses to tingle" he said. Cas opened his mouth but Dean quickly raised his hand to quiet him "He's a super hero, Cas, not important. Anyways, we'll destroy any angel-warding sigils we find, and you come in once you can, okay?" he finished. Sam turned his head to glance at the angel, who had his eyes narrowed. Cas sighed and relaxed his stance slightly. "Okay, then… stay outta sight…okay?" Dean added. With that Dean walked forward, crouched low, and Sam followed. He glanced back to where Kevin hung back with Cas. The boy had his lips pressed together, eyes fixed on the ground. He glanced up, offered Sam an uneasy smile, and followed, leaving Cas alone.
It was surprisingly easy to enter the building, just like before. Sam supposed this was because all the demons were with Crowley, or perhaps guarding the tablet, which wasn't good. He glanced around, alert, keeping an eye out for demons, sigils, and even the tablet- though it was unlikely for Crowley to leave it lying around. He glanced back at Kevin, who was eyeing the place with wide eyes, his bottle of holy water grasped tightly to his chest, like a life-line.
"Getting anything?" Sam asked, more to give Kevin the comfort of a human voice than to inquire about the tablet. He knew the boy wouldn't hesitate to speak once he felt the Word of God. Kevin glanced up, meeting Sam's eyes, and shook his head, slowly at first, then quicker, making him look like a small child. Sam's lips twitched up in a humorless smile, this was what they'd dragged into the fight between demons and angels and hunters. No wonder Mrs. Tran wanted them nowhere near her son.
Dean traveled slightly ahead of Sam and Kevin, clearing a path to nowhere in particular; they were basically just going from room to room and hall to hall, waiting for Kevin's prophet senses to tingle. He mostly keep an eye out for demons, ganking them before they even came close to Kevin, but he also searched for the sigils, he's scratched through quite a few of them with his knife already. He trusted Sam to find the rest- how many did they have to take down before Cas could squeeze through anyways? He took a deep breath; the [fifth] demon had promised he'd find Crowley here as well as the tablet, which Crowley tended to carry on his person, though the demon hadn't told him why. Dean didn't care either way, it just made things easier for them.
Dean round another corner, his green eyes scanning the surroundings- dirty, run down hallway, with cracks lining the cement walls, but no tablet, and no Crowley, not even sigils on the walls, they'd stopping finding sigils a while back. He glanced over his shoulder, to where Sam crouched with Kevin, seemingly trying to comfort the young prophet. The next second he was flying through the air and slamming into a nearby wall, the wind knocked out of his lungs. "Sammy!" Dean gasped as soon as he could catch his breath, trying to warn his brother, and Kevin, of the three demons he'd just run into. "You Winchesters just don't know when to quit, do you?" one of them asked, his eyes flashing to black before returning to brown. Dean rose to his feet, his knife in hand. "I could say the same thing about your boss" he shot back, not his wittiest remark, especially since, fact be told, Crowley's winnings largely dwarfed those of the Winchesters.
Sam barged into the wide hall way, Kevin close behind him. Dean was sprawled on the floor, two demons lay dead around him, but a third still stood and held Dean pinned. He glanced up, eyes flashing black, and grinned, a smile that was all teeth, at the younger Winchester, eyes sliding toward Kevin, which was half hidden behind Sam. "Oh, you returned the prophet! Won't Crowley be pleased!" he exclaimed, his grin turning into a shark-like smile. Sam could nearly feel Kevin stiffen behind him; he knew the boy was tightening his trip on the holy water. He also knew he wouldn't run, scared though he was, Kevin wasn't a coward, he knew what his job was, the pull of the tablet was stronger than his fear for his life. Sam did not envy prophets.
"Exorcizamus te omnis immundus, spiritus, omnis satanica potestas" Sam began. He may not have the demon knife, but he knew the exorcising spell by memory anyways. The demon seized up, eyes full of fury, and focused solely on Sam. He tried not to smile as Dean jumped up and stabbed the demon through the throat. "Well, that was" Dean began. He allowed the body to slump to the ground, nudging it away with his shoe. Whatever he was going to say next was cut off by Kevin quiet gasp. Dean didn't need more to whirl around and face the seven demons Sam and Kevin had already noticed. "Prophet" a pretty, petite female with red hair and piercing green eyes said. Her eyes flashed black "We hope you had the intelligence of bringing the other half of the tablet with you" she added with a menacing smile. Dean gripped his knife tightly, trying to find the easiest demon to gank.
"Sam!" Kevin shouted as a pair of thick, strong arms wrapped around him, pinning his arms to his sides. He struggled, which was rather futile, against the demon, kicking and squirming. He turned his head, catching sight of four demons, excluding the one hold onto him. "The King of Hell will see you now" the demon said into his ear. 'Oh hell' was all Kevin could think.
Castiel had cloaked himself; he would be completely invisible to humans and most supernatural creatures. He wasn't sure if he was strong enough to shield himself from the eyes of demons, however. He could only hope he wasn't spotted, he did not wish to ruin the Winchester's cover. His grace stretched toward the building, trying to find chinks in its armor, trying to get in and help his friends. He was relentless, but so were the sigils, so long as they decorated the inside of the building, he would remain outside. He didn't pull his grace back, however, not even for an instant; he'd be ready, he'd be at his friends' side as soon as he felt the wall give way.
The realization came suddenly. One second a wall of sigils barricaded his entrance to the building, the next second the wall had crumbled. Castiel zeroed in on Crowley's signature, the demon wasn't exactly trying to hide, not in the safety of his sigils. Castiel narrowed his eyes and spread his wings. He didn't have to think twice; in fact, he didn't think at all. One second the wall was in place, the next Castiel could feel Crowley in the building, the presence as strong as if he had had the demon before him. Castiel hardly thought about the sigils, of the fact that he was no longer barred, he simply flew in, his wings taking him straight into Crowley's chamber, in the heart of the ruined building- one thing on his mind: 'the tablet'.
Crowley stiffened, eyes going wide, yet still calculating, before they narrowed slightly, and he turned around to greet his unexpected visitor. Castiel stood at the other edge of the room, head low and eyes menacing. Crowley smirked, "Castiel, so nice of you to drop by, uninvited, but, who needs invitations when you're among friends, am I right?" he said. Not giving Castiel a chance to answer, he continued "Now, we weren't friends, per say, but we were business partners, for a full year- well, a year in Earth standards" ending with another devilish smile. Castiel narrowed his eyes, clearly not amused. Crowley rolled his eyes in mock exasperation and reached for his drink.
"Where is the tablet, Crowley?" the angel demanded to know. "Tsk, tsk" Crowley mocked "Why must you always insist on skipping pleasantries?" he asked, inching ever so slightly toward the wall, putting as much distance between him and the angel. He was trying all too hard to not draw attention to himself, or rather, to the inside of his suit, where his half of the tablet lay. The angel still appeared weary and was clearly not up to full strength, but Crowley had not been willing to risk it before and he wasn't willing to risk it now. After all, his hide was much too valuable to risk.
"Where is it?" Castiel asked again, his voice deep and authoritative, trying to intimidate him perhaps? Either way, it wasn't about to work on Crowley. "You mean my half of the tablet?" Crowley asked, pointing with his drink at his chest. "As I recall, you broke the Word of God neatly in half, giving me a piece and keeping one for yourself. Now, you also kept the prophet, you took the lion's share Castiel, you dare come here and ask for more?" he asked, his eyes teasing, his voice a bit harsher. He, as inconspicuous as he was able, reached for his angel blade, but didn't call it forth just yet, he was still waiting for his cavalry, he didn't want to give the angel any reason to attack before they arrived.
"The tablet was never yours to being with, you have no right to stake a claim on the Word of God" the angel retorted, wrath behind his words. Crowley chuckled, "The tablet is not yours either, unless we are heading down that path again, eh- Godstiel?" he couldn't help himself. He would never admit that his blood ran cold when the angel began to glow, the same light show as before. His grace seemed to swell up, concentrating in his torso then spreading through his vessel's body. His eyes shone, a deep and bright blue, causing Crowley to take a step back, his back hitting the wall, and draw out his angel blade, or rather, the one he had stolen. Castiel took a step forward, looking like he was fully prepared to finish this, finish Crowley, even if it meant his end as well. Crowley held his breath, well then; he was fully prepared to fight the angel for his survival.
A loud a vicious growl was emitted near Crowley's ear. The demon breathe a silent sigh of relief at the arrival of his trusty hell hound. The thing was all teeth and claws and vicious jaws. A smile, all too unkind, spread across Crowley's now smug face when his hell hound's growl was joined by six others. Castiel's eyes left Crowley to glance around the room, at the seven hell hounds crouched protectively around the demon. Crowley's smile turned into a haughty smirk. "King of Hell, darling" he said, he couldn't help but feel satisfied when the angel's glow lessened considerably and his own angel blade slid down the sleeve of his coat. "The promotion comes with certain perks, such as a pack of hell hounds at my disposal. Growley gets a bit jealous now and then, but they have proven to be quite effective" he said. "Sic him, boys!"
Crowley stood, hands in his pockets, posture perfect, and looking at ease, at least on the outside. His own hell hound snarled, prepared to charge in with the rest. Crowley placed his right hand on its shoulders, holding it back. He could feel it tremble with anticipation, but it stayed put. "Stay" Crowley murmured, watching the remaining six hell hounds hurtle themselves at the angel. Castiel swiped at the first with his angle blade, managing to nick it on the side before whirling around and stabbing the second through its underside. The hell hounds yelped in pain as the purity of the angelic blade pierced their dark spirits, and fell to the floor, twitching and trying to regain their footing. Hell hounds fought to their last breath, they still snarled and snapped their jaws, though they were not near enough to use them on the angel.
The third hell hound aimed right for the angel's chest, slamming into him and knocking him back. Castiel stumbled, his arms rushing up to balance him. The first hell hound, which recovered quickly, launched itself at the angel once more. Its jaws locked around the vessel's left arm, swallowing up his wrist and a fraction of his forearm. The momentum behind the hell hound's leap nearly sent Castiel to the ground. He threw his right arm down, catching himself before he fell, though it was a bit awkward as he still held onto his angel blade. He knew he would be swarmed if he fell. He pushed himself up and used the slight momentum to stab his blade through the hounds shoulder. It yelped and released his arm. Castiel quickly straightened up, surveying his current situation. The six hell hounds were circling him closely, far enough from the reach of his blade, but close enough for a pounce. Castiel tightened his grip on his blade.
Castiel whirled around on his heel, stretching forward and slashing a hell hound across the cheek. He jerked the blade to the left, slicing into another hell hound, at the same time two hell hounds leaped at him, one going for his left leg, the other leaping at his throat. Castiel brought the blade up; it slid up the hell hound's jaw and came out its skull before its fangs even grazed his throat. Its fore claws still tore into his chest, however, leaving ten large gashes which were already weeping blood. The other managed to chomp down on his left thigh while he was preoccupied with protecting his throat. The large demonic hound shook its head back and forth, the harsh movement upset Castiel's balance, and the angel struggled to remain upright. The two hell hounds he's just slashed had recovered, the wounds weren't deep, it was mostly the pain that distracted them.
"Crowley." Crowley glanced up, surprised, but not showing it, at the five demons, holding the Winchesters, and the prophet, that suddenly appeared. The prophet was easily detained by one demon, the Winchesters were each held down by two, they still struggled, though it only proved more painful for them. "Kevin" Crowley greeted the boy, who defiantly held his gaze. Crowley glanced down, "Still have all our fingers, I see" he observed. Of course, the angel must have healed the boy up. Dean glared at him for less than an instant, the snarling, growling, and snapping of jaws causing his eyes to widen with fear, hardly noticeable, but there none the less. "Right, I'd almost forgotten. You have a past with hell hounds, don't you, Dean?" Crowley spoke, as if conversing about the weather. "Cas!" Dean cried, paying Crowley no heed. He struggled with renewed strength against the demons that detained him, though Crowley could see in his face, Dean knew how helpless he was. He couldn't help the angel, and the angel couldn't help him.
Castiel's eyes shifted, meeting Dean's for a fraction of an instant, before they returned to the five hell hounds around him. "Oooh, cold" Crowley murmured, smiling eyes flashing towards Dean, who didn't have the strength to glare back. The angel scanned his surroundings, eyeing each of the gaping jaws, before he quickly plunged his weapon into the skull of the hell hound attached to his leg. It was all the opening the hounds needed, with the angel's only blade embedded into their companion's skull, the angel had left himself unprotected. Castiel pulled the blade out of the hell hound's head, but was still not quick enough to dodge the flurry of attacks that fell on him. One hell hound latched onto his left shoulder, its bottom fangs crushing the shoulder blade while its top fangs crunched on the vessel's collarbone. Another went for the angel's right leg, tacking him by his calf. Castiel went down, hard. His head cracked against the cement; he managed to keep his grip on his angel blade, but appeared momentarily dazed. The remaining two circled forward, snapping their jaws at each other for the privilege of sinking their evil fangs into the vessel's soft throat.
Crowley turned to Dean, waggling his eye brows slightly. Even Sam was struggling now, eyes pinned on the angel, but Crowley's demons were prepared. "Kill them" Crowley said, simply, with little interest, he turned his attention to the prophet.
"Cas!" Dean shouted, struggling and jerking his arms, to no avail, as he watched his friend get mauled by hell hounds. He growled with frustration, unable to focus enough to form clear insults. He glanced at the demons restraining him, sparing a glance at the demon knife in the shorter male's belt, and then went limp. Both demons grunted as they suddenly found themselves supporting all of Dean's weight. Dean tensed and bounced back up, slamming his forehead into one of the demon's heads, retrieving his demon knife with the other and plunging it into the shorter male's chest, all with the same momentum. The other demon recovered quickly, tackling Dean to the ground. Dean grunted through bared teeth, slashing at the demon's face, and then stabbing it through the throat.
Crowley sighed, resisting the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose when one of the demons restraining Sam, the larger male with curly brown hair, let go of the younger Winchester to attack Dean. 'So hard to find good help these days' Crowley thought to himself. He didn't even pretend to try and help when Sam pulled free and punched his remaining 'guard' in the nose, while Dean stabbed the other through the chest, before throwing the knife at Sam, who pierced the last demon's neck with it.
Sam turned his attention to Crowley and the demon that still held Kevin captive, while Dean tried to figure out a way to help Cas. Cas was still on the ground, the hell hounds were making it impossible for him to stand. His calf was destroyed, the leg was yanked left and right as the hell hound shook its head, teeth digging ever deeper, as if it were a lion looking to tear a gazelle's leg off for its feast. Cas' shoulder wasn't fairing any better, it almost seemed as if the hell hound was trying to sweep the floor with Cas' back. Cas looked like a rag doll, his blood splattered on the cement, he was being shook too violently for him to aim at the hell hounds properly. His blade stabbed at empty air, Dean only heard one or two quiet yelps which signified the blade had at least grazed its mark. Dean had no idea how to help.
Castiel's free leg flew up, kicking the hell hound with as much angelic strength as he could muster, right in the chest. He was sure he heard a crunch before the large body flew into, as in through, the concrete wall. Now he only had three hell hounds to fend off. He was slightly aware that Dean was circling, trying to find the best place to attack, while not being able to see the hounds themselves, but he paid the human little notice. He had a job to do, to get the tablet, and he had to dispose of these hell hounds to do it. Nothing else mattered. A low whistle, which caused the hell hounds to ease up, made Castiel glance up, to where Crowley stood. He winked and jerked his head to the side. The third hell hound huffed, which sounded more like a throaty growl, and abandoned his post, stalking after Dean. 'One less to worry about' Castiel thought to himself right before the hell hound released his shoulder and bit down on his neck. He heard Dean scream.
Dean, armed with nothing but a large piece of scrap metal, had been prepared to charge into the hell hound huddle around Cas, when a growl caught his attention. He swallowed, eyes trying to focus on the hell hound he knew was now after him. He wasn't prepared when the teeth sunk into his left thigh, dragging him down. A cry of pain escaped his lips, his head slammed into the wall. He heard his brother cry his name just as the hell hound began to shake its head, tearing through the skin and muscle in Dean's leg.
"Dean!" Castiel cried, or attempted to. His neck was held at an awkward angle, his blood flowed into the hell hound's jaws, most dripped onto the floor, coating its teeth red. There was so much blood, most of it on Castiel himself. The small amount that flowed out of his nose went unnoticed, even by him. Castiel felt as if his eyes were opened, or as if he had been walking in a dream. His head hurt, and he was more than a bit confused, but he shoved all that aside. There was a hell hound attacking Dean, there was a hell hound standing much too close to Sam, and there were hell hounds tearing into his vessel's flesh. First thing was first- Dean...his eye twitched, but his body did as told. Castiel glanced at his angel blade; he was currently being shaken like a rag doll, his limbs flailing around, as if broken. He could not trust his aim to be true. That only left… Castiel released his hold on his blade and brought his palm up to the hell hound latched onto his neck. It glowed as his grace swelled and burned away the hell hound's essence. His arm fell back limply, smacking onto the concrete floor. Castiel felt more than a little drained. He did not dwell on that, however, he instead sat up, gripped both sides of the hell hound's, which was currently tearing into his leg, face and repeated the process. His wings beat at the air feebly as he stood, wobbling a bit, picked up his blade and threw it at the hell hound currently using Dean as a chew toy, the blade sunk in between its shoulder blades and came out through its chest.
The hell hound cried out before slumping to the ground, its jaws went slack, but its teeth remained embedded in Dean's thigh. He pried its jaws open and shoved it off. His leg was bleeding profusely, but he'd live. Dean glanced up at Cas, the angel wobbled, his coat was dirty and blood stain, torn in some places and completely shredded in others. His shirt was torn and bloodied, his neck had clear fang puncture wounds, his right leg didn't seem like it should be able to hold his weight, the calf destroyed, his right thigh was bleeding, and his left shoulder, from his collar bone to his shoulder blade, appeared shredded. And yet, the angel stood.
Sam didn't glance back to check on Dean, he knew his brother had gone to help Cas, or that Dean would at least try to help Cas. He kept his attention on Crowley, Kevin, and the demon that detained the young prophet. Kevin's eyes were wide, his chest heaving with breaths that were just a bit too quick, but Sam knew the kid was tougher than he looked. He focused on the demon, knife in hand. The demon smirked, he let go Kevin, shoving the boy in Crowley's direction, and stepped toward Sam. Sam's lip twitched up in his own smile, one on one with a demon? Those odds weren't half bad. It was Dean's cry of pain that stopped him. He shot a glance over his shoulder. "Dean!" he shouted, heart racing at the sight of his brother on the ground, blood spurting from his thigh, as his leg was yanked back and forth. Dean was grimacing, jaw clenched in pain. The distraction was all the demon needed to tackle Sam to the ground, punching him in the face. Sam's nose broke with a sickening crunch; blood began to run down, coating his lips.
Crowley turned to take a hold of Kevin; he wanted to get out of there as soon as possible. He was completely taken by surprise when the quivering boy tackled him, so much that he stumbled back. He grasped Kevin's arms, with enough force to leave bruises, and held the squirming prophet at arm's length, his face more than irritated. A grey slab of stone caught his eye. The prophet cradled Crowley's half of the tablet in his arms, gripping it tightly and hugging it to his chest. Crowley's eyes narrowed, "Neat trick" he said. "Now, I don't suppose you'll have any trouble finding the other half, will you?" he said, his grip on the prophet tightening. Kevin's eyes were wide, but he didn't wince nor cry out from the obvious discomfort.
Sam raked at the air with the knife, slashing the demon across the cheek. He pulled back with pain, ever so slightly, and Sam stabbed it into his hand, before ramming it up his jaw. The demon cried out before going slack, and Sam pushed him off. Crowley's eyes slid his way, he was practically alone now. He knew when it was time to disappear. He turned back to Kevin, fully intent on bringing the prophet with him, and received a splash of holy water to the face. He let go of Kevin, his hands going up to his face and curled into himself ever so slightly.
Kevin dropped the bottle with holy water, once again gripping the tablet with both hands. He heard a loud and menacing growl and stiffened, eyes wide with fear, it sounded like the growl had come from something that was eye-level, large scratches on the floor signaled its approach. "Growley, no!" Crowley shouted. A low and almost questioning whine reached Kevin's ears. He sighed a breath of relief when the loud breathing and horrible growling began to make its way towards Crowley, who was straightening up.
Crowley blinked a few times, the burn of the holy water fading away. He faced Kevin, who hugged the tablet like a life line. His eyes flashed to the side, were Sam was standing up, knife in hand, behind him, Dean was standing up, Castiel beside him. All his demons were gone, only Growley remained. A low whine came from the wall, where his last hell hound was crawling out of. 'And him' Crowley thought to himself. The hell hound shook, like a wet dog, before resuming its snarling, facing Dean and the angel. Castiel narrowed his eyes, his hand twitched, and his discarded angel blade appeared once more. He drew his arm back and threw it. It flew over the smaller hell hound, lodging itself in Growley's side, who yelped, baring his fangs in pain. 'Time to go' Crowley thought. He straightened his suit and snapped his fingers, disappearing.
"Son-of-a-bitch!" Dean shouted, glaring at the spot Crowley had occupied only seconds before. He looked furious. Nevertheless, he slowly eased himself to the floor, taking care of his wounded leg, which he stretched out in front of him. Cas stood at his side, his blood dripping and splattering on the floor below. Kevin slowly inched toward Sam, he was holding the tablet so tightly Sam was sure his arms would cramp, or at least be sore later. As for himself, Sam had a few minor injuries besides his broken nose. Kevin was shaken, but appeared okay.
Dean was inspecting his leg, once again coming to the conclusion that he'd live, though he really should be finding something to stop the bleeding. He glanced up at Cas, who was staring at the place Crowley and the two or three or whatever number of hell hounds left had disappeared. "Cas, what the hell?!" Dean growled, something short of fury seeping into his voice. The angel blinked and glanced down at him, gazing at him curiously, head slightly tilted. Dean narrowed his eyes, so irritated, so angry, so scared, that the sight of Cas looking at him like that, as if nothing was wrong, as if he were innocently unaware he could have been killed, like the Cas before Purgatory, before the Leviathans, before Crowley, while drenched in his own blood only fueled his anger toward the angel. "I thought you were supposed to come straight to us? We got ambushed by seven demons Cas! They could've taken Kevin! Crowley could have forced Kevin to take him to the other half of the tablet! Garth and his mom could be dead by now- and for what? So you could take on Crowley yourself? So you could prove something, settle a score- what?!" he shouted, voice forceful enough to cause Kevin to flinch, though neither his gaze nor words were directed at him.
"Dean" Sam said softly, leaning forward as if to move between the angel and the hunter. "No Sam!" Dean growled, his glare focusing on his brother. "We had a mission, we had a plan, Cas could've sent it down the drain, getting us all killed in the process!" he said, wrath now focusing on Sam, who could only retaliate with his puppy eyes, expression looking hurt. "He found Crowley" he said softly, trying to calm his brother. "We could've done that!" Dean retorted. Truth was, he'd been scared, it had seemed as if the hell hounds were going to tear Cas to pieces, right before his eyes, with him not being able to do a damn thing. He thought he was going to be forced to watch Cas die, yet again. This was the only way he knew how to vent out that worry, that fear, and so he did.
Sam opened his mouth, as if to say something else, but quickly closed it. It was best to just let Dean get this off his chest. He glanced at Cas, he truly hoped the angel wasn't taking any of this to heart, but he was staring into space, in the direction Crowley had last been seen, his expression was oddly blank. Sam blinked and quickly looked at something else; he tried not to think of how that blank look freaked him out. Cas was just being awkward Cas, nothing else, and certainly nothing to dwell on.
Dean groaned, eyes sliding down to his bleeding thigh. This was truly hospital worthy, though hunters generally avoided hospitals whenever possible. Cas blinked, glancing down at him. He reached over with two fingers, pressing them to his forehead. Instantly the pain was gone. When Dean glanced back at his leg, it was completely healed, the blood gone, and his jeans were no longer torn. 'Right' he thought 'Angel for a best friend.' He glanced back up at Cas in time to see him reach toward his forehead once more. Dean closed his eyes. In a sound of fluttering wings he was back by his car, his back pressed against it. He opened his eyes, but Cas was already gone. He stood up, glancing around for danger, nearly missing the droplets of blood the angel had left behind.
Sam came next, nose no longer broken and blood no longer smeared on his face. He opened his eyes, blinking from the bright sunlight. Lastly Cas returned with Kevin, his minor injuries gone, though his hold on the tablet remained the same- it was crushed to his chest. Cas leaned on the Impala, hand placed on its roof for balance. He took a deep breath, as if to steady himself, or for strength. In the next blink of an eye, he was healed. His eye lids were half lowered, his eyes looking like they wanted to roll into his skull. "Whoa, whoa, hey, Cas" Dean said, the rage gone from his voice as he stepped forward and put a hand on Cas's shoulder. "Yes, I'm fine, Dean" Cas said, stepping away from the car. Dean kept his hand on Cas' shoulder, as if to steady him or catch him if he faltered or fell. "Okay then" he said.
They piled into the impala, Dean was driving, Sam had shotgun, and Kevin sat to the far left, head resting just before the window, gazing out, the tablet hugged to his chest. Cas sat on the far right, his head resting where the window met the roof, eyes closed. Everyone knew he wasn't sleeping, angels didn't sleep, Sam was sure this was just Cas' way of regaining his strength. He barely moved, only his chest, rising and falling to a steady rhythm, indicated the angel was still alive. They drove in silence for a long time, they had quite a ways to go before they reached Garth's safe house boat, or rather, before they reached the closest they could get before they had to get Cas to fly them the rest of the way.
"No" Kevin gasped, making everyone [minus Cas] jump, though the word had been uttered softly. Dean blamed it on the quiet inside the car, he hadn't even played one of his cassette tapes. "What, what is it?" Dean asked, glancing at Kevin through the rear view mirror. The young prophet was glancing at something on his lap. Upon shifting in his seat, Dean realized it was the tablet. "What?" he asked once more. "Crowley… he" Kevin said, trailing off once more. "Spit it out Kevin!" Dean nearly shouted, his patience waning. "This isn't the entire tablet… I mean… my piece isn't broken like this. Crowley broke it again" he said, his fingers tracing the jagged lines at its edge. Cas' eye lids flew open, exposing the piercing blue orbs hidden beneath. His intense gaze reminded Dean of a hawk. Kevin glanced up, his eyes meeting Dean's in the rear view mirror. "I… I can't translate anything with this huge chuck broken off!" he said.
"It's fine Kevin" Sam reassured the boy, who nodded numbly. Dean wondered just how strong the tablet's pull was on the prophet. "We'll get it back" Sam said. "Yeah, we will, ain't that right Cas?" Dean said, eyes sliding to the right side of the car, to where Cas sat, staring out the window. "Cas!" he shouted when the angel disappeared. He turned around in his seat, though even the sound of beating wings had faded away. Sam jumped up, taking a hold on the wheel. "Damn it!" Dean shouted, turning back around and slamming down on the brake. The car screeched to a halt. Dean sat, rigged and breathing hard, in his seat, eyes fixed straight ahead. "Cas, you son-of-a-bitch! What the hell?" Dean shouted, smacking the wheel in a burst of anger. He knew, just as Sam and perhaps even Kevin knew, that Cas had gone after Crowley, alone.
[That felt entirely to rushed to me, too much going on for one chapter, kinda feel like this should have been 2 seperate chapters... Oh well! I hope you guys liked it! ^-^ ]
