Hi Everybody. Just wanted to check in. I am planning to update more frequently in the future, but I had to rewrite the beginning chapters i had prepared of this. Didn't like them as much as I though I did.

Let me know if there are any major spelling or grammar mistakes you notices. I edit my own stuff and sometimes miss things.

Sam and Dean will show up soon. :) Enjoy.


Castiel let Gabriel and Michael help him into the motel room and over to the bed, ignoring the arguing going on between them. It was a soothing sound in the basic familiarity it provided. It was grounding, keeping him from falling back into that world of darkness. It reminded in the corners of his mind, pulling at him. Trying to draw him back. Back to that place where there was nothing. He was nothing. Nothing except alone.

The complete opposite of what he had now. Now he had three of his siblings with him. And despite the inevitable arguing that was bound to occur, he was thankful. It was better than the dark world. Better than the past couple of years where he had been hunting on his own. He did not mind being alone, but being with family was better.

"Here you are Cassie." Gabriel said, as he and Michael helped him to sit on the bed. "Now we'll just get you a hot nurse and everything will be all better."

"I do not believe the temperature of the nurse matters in the ability to confirm my health." Castiel replied, watching as Gabriel backed away with a grimace.

"You're starting to sound like a stick in the mud. Like Mike here." Gabriel said, looking over at Hazel, "I think we failed him."

"Castiel is respectful, unlike you." Michael said, tone unamused. He glared at Gabriel and Castiel glanced at Hazel for help, feeling an argument brewing.

"Ok, back off and go fight over there." Hazel pushed between the two, moving to Castiel's side. "I'll check him over and make sure he's fine." She smiled at Castiel as the other two moved away. "Now, let's make sure you're not hurt."

Castiel sat quietly as she went through the basic medical checks their dad had taught them. First for a concussion, shining a light in his eyes and making him follow her finder with his eyes. Then checking for bruises or bumps on his head. After that she checked for any wounds, and would have checked for infection if there had been any. The final check was for broken bones or sprains. She had him move his arms and legs every which way before nodding.

"Nothing wrong." She smiled, giving him a hug. It was a tight hug, one Castiel knew came from relief and the joy of seeing a loved one after a while. "Glad you're alright Cass."

"I am glad as well. Thank you for checking." Castiel said, meaning every word. He knew he had no injuries, after all they had done a check in the tunnels before even moving him. "Are you doing alright as well?"

"Good as can be." Hazel answered, "A little bruised from a particularly rough ghoul the other week. But it's healing."

"That is good to hear."

"Good except she would have never been injured if she hadn't insisted on racing to see who could complete the hunt first." Gabriel added, joining them by jumping up on the bed before falling to sit next to him. "Which was foolish since we all know I'm the better hunter."

"Are not." Hazel shot back, smiling. Her eyes held Gabriel's for a long moment and Castiel could tell something had passed between their bond. Something that neither he nor Michael would be privy to unless they chose to share. Which he didn't mind, but he knew Michael would if he had seen it. He always cared.

"I wish you two would take hunting more serious. It's not a game. It's life and death out there." Michael joined them, starting to lecture until Hazel poked his arm. A subtle friendly threat telling him to stop.

"The most important thing is that we're alright. Right?" Hazel insisted, wrapping an arm around Michael's shoulders, forcing him to duck down to her level. Being no taller than her twin, made them the shortest members of their family. Even their half brother Samandriel had surpassed them by an inch or two. It was a sore point for Gabriel, but Hazel wielded it like a weapon. Showing just how different the two could be.

Normally they were as similar as can be. Both had a love of trouble. In fact, there father had always referred to them as his "little terrors"; since they were constantly causing mayhem wherever they went. They had a love mischief that knew no bounds. There was never a day where someone wasn't the victim of their pranks as they grew up. If it wasn't dumping some unknown things on one of their siblings or messing with their stuff; it was causing fights.

Many of the fights between Michael and Luke had escalated or been started by one twin or the other.

The differences were visible in the small things. Hazel was quicker to hand out a warm smile and hug. More willing to rise to responsibility when the situation called for it. Less likely to forgive a transgression by anyone. Less likely to trust. Always analyzing everyone and everything. She was their surrogate mother and sister all contained in a small feisty package.

Gabriel wsa the one who made friends easier, lighting up every room he entered. Ever the life of the party; he was always up for a good time. He found the fun in everything and created a reprieve from the darkness of their lives with jokes and crazy antics. But it wasn't all fun and games. Gabriel was quicker to shoot or throw the first punch. More willing to dirty his hands so others didn't have too.

Then there was the things they shared, the traits that made them a fearsome team. Like their love of justice. Both hated to see the little guy loose. Bullies, cheaters, anyone who took advantage of another person was on their bad side. Gabriel would get even, making them suffer what they dished out in an escalating fashion. Hazel would take the fight to them, weakening them or powering up those they pushed down. To them, things being unfair was something they had to straighten out.

Or the fact that both loved their family with everything they had. They loved it so much that when things began to fall apart after their father had died they had run. Run to escape the new reality that had taken over. Run to escape the never ending fighting between everyone. And it wasn't just Michael and Luke. It had spread outward, drawing in and pulling apart the Shurleys, the Miltons, and even the Edlunds it had reached so far. Everyone had taken a side except for the twins.

And himself. Castiel didn't want to take a side either. He wasn't with Michael because he was on Michael's side. He was with Michael because when Gabriel and Hazel had left, they hadn't taken him. He wasn't bitter about it. At sixteen neither of them could have taken care of a thirteen year-old on their own. Not while moving around and hunting. They had made the right choice and everytime they had visited they had expressed the guilt they felt over that matter.

"Of course that's what matters." Michael finally answered after extracting himself from Hazel's arm and rubbing his neck. "Family first and foremost. Just like Dad taught us."

"Right." Gabriel answered, "We stick together no matter what." His voice was slightly bitter and Castiel prepared for another fight.

Michael's phone went off before he could answer however and he sighed, "Its' Anna, gotta take this." He hit the button and made his way to the door, talking the whole way.

"Well, that was good timing." Hazel said, throwing a glare at Gabriel. "Don't rile him up everytime I calm him down. I'd rather have him in a good mood."

"I can't help it. He's just so…..annoying." Gabriel shrugged, mischievous smile on his face, "You can't stand that whole righteous, "i'm-the-perfect-son" routine either."

"Right, but I can act like an adult." Hazel shot back, frowning as Gabriel's smile deepened. "Really, using that against me?"

"Of course." Gabriel responded and laughed. "It's the perfect fodder."

Castiel looked between them confused, "Not that I mind the silent twin communication...but I am feeling a bit left out at the moment."

"Whoops. Sorry Cass. It's not really that funny"

"No, it's hilarious. Let me explain." Gabriel clapped his hands together and rubbed them like a movie villain. "This the story of how our wonder, 'adult' sister was totally not an adult. So Michael was trying to get us to come back after he found us the first time after we left. We were all in this little motel room in the shadiest part of the backwoods you can find. He had us sit at the table and was lecturing is on the importance of the mission dad left for us, and our blatant disregard for his final wishes. Telling us that by running off we were dishonoring him because our dad put him in charge and that he wanted us to listen to Mikey." Gabriel waved his hand dismissively, almost hitting Castiel in the process. "And he's just going on and on like he normally does. For once, I was letting him talk. Hazel had explain that if he found us we need to prove we're adults and could handle ourselves in the world. So I was following her advice and letting him get it out of his system so we could talk peacefully, when all of a sudden Hazel takes this cup of water she had on the table and just dumps it on his head. And she says, "You're not the boss of me."" Gabriel laughed, "She went and dumped water on his head. Real adult like."

"Gabriel, we were sixteen back then. Not exactly adults." Hazel explained, "So it's not that bad. I've gotten better."

"That's not the only time through. Remember when you started the food fight on that hospital job?"
"That was a distraction."

"Or that time you pranked the officer guarding the abandoned courthouse during that ghost job. And you signed it? Almost getting us caught before we could skip town?"

"He deserved it. That was no way to treat a lady." Hazel argued, red coloring her cheeks with her embarrassment as Gabriel proved his point. "And we got away."

"Barely." Gabriel smirked, clearly aware he was winning the argument. "Face it, you're no more an adult that I am."

"Am so." Hazel respond, making Castiel laugh at the childish reply. Hazel gave him a reproachful and he stopped laughing to smile at her.

"Gabriel, despite the fact that at the moment Hazel is having difficulty proving her own point, she does tend to show more 'adult' tendencies than you do on a regular basis."

"Thanks Cass."

"Not fair, you can't take her side." Gabriel started to argue, but broke down laughing at his own response. "Guess that might be a little true."

"What might be true?" Michael asked, reentering the room. Seeing Hazel wave off the topic dismissively he let it go and continued on. "It seems Anna was helping Raphael with a hunt and something weird happened. I'm going to go help them out. Can you two get yourselves and Castiel back to the house? I'll meet you there and we can talk more about you two coming back."

"We never sai-" Gabriel began but Hazel cut him off.

"You go and help them. We've got Cass." She said, moving over to steer Michael away from Gabriel. "Let's get you packed up and on your way."

Michael nodded his thanks, moving about the room and grabbing his stuff. Hazel helped, him, packing things neatly into the bag. Gabriel frowned from his seat next to Castiel and didn't move. He seemed relaxed, but Castiel could see the hard set of his jaw and shoulders that said otherwise.

A couple of minutes later Michael was at the door, bags ready and in his hands. He looked over at Castiel and Gabriel, before turning to Hazel. "Take care. I'll see you."

"Of course." Hazel answer, nudging him out the door. "Go and help out the others. We'll be fine." She watched him go, waving until the sound of his car faded.


As soon as the sound of Michael's car faded, Gabriel was up on his feel. Marching over to Hazel with a frown. "What were you thinking? Promising him we'd go back?" He scowled at his twin, making sure she felt his annoyance through the bond.

Hazel met his eyes with her own, her gaze completely calm. "I didn't." She answered, moving about to clean up their stuff laying about the room.

"Oh right, 'cause you stopped me from making sure he knew just that." Gabriel snapped back, mind in too much turmoil to check what was going through hers. "And then you went and helped him out the door. Like a good little sister." Traitor. Suckup. He sent the words hurtling through the bond, seeing her flinch at each word. Instead of looking guilty like he expected, she sighed and stalked over to him.

"I didn't promise him anything other then we'd take care of Cass." Hazel shot back, slamming their weapons bag into his chest. "There's no way I'm going back to that house."

"So...you lied?" Gabriel asked, feeling guilty that he had jumped on her case so quickly. If he had taken a moment to calm down he could have just seen her ruse through their bond, instead of jumping to conclusions in the heat of the moment.

"No, I omitted certain details." Hazel smirked, pride and mischief coloring the bond. "I promised we'd take care of Cass. Which is what I plan to do. Nowhere safer than with us."

Gabriel's smirked mirrored her own as he started to bustle about, grabbing their stuff. "I like the way you think. Almost like we share a brain."

Hazel rolled her eyes and continued to pack away their laptops as he made his way around the room. Unlike his clothes which were strewn about every which way, their weapons were neatly laid on on the small coffee table by the TV. Their father had taught them to always keep their weapons in perfect working order. It was one of the few lessons Gabriel had excelled at. To him cleaning and prepping each one was soothing and therapeutic in a way. While Hazel or Cass may read a book, or Luke would take a drive around, Gabriel would turn to the weapons to calm himself. Each weapon had a place, a purpose. Iron and salt rounds for the ghosts. Holy water and exorcism for the demons. Silver for shifters, werewolves. Machetes for vampires. Each weapon had a task to perform and they never changed. It was the one thing he could control for sure in the crazy life of a hunter and he the security fixing them up gave him was priceless.

He tucked away the weapons on the table, then ran through his mental checklist of what could still be missing. Knife under the pillow. Hazel's reminder came from the bond and Gabriel through her a thankful nod as he moved over to the bed where Castiel was sitting. The knife was under the pillow on the opposite side of where their younger brother was sitting, which was good. Since they had forgotten it was there.

Grabbing the knife Gabriel held it up and dramatically wiped imaginary sweat off his brow, wanting to play around with Cass a bit. "Would you look at that. Good thing we didn't set you on that side of the bed. Could've given you a second hole down there."

"Second hole?" Castiel asked confused, his grasp of the intricacies of butt humor clearly not having grown while being with Michael. "I do not understand."

Gabriel sighed, putting the blade away and deciding it was better not to continue to push the joke any further. They'd have enough time to get Cass caught up on all the things a human should know while they hunted.

"Butt humor is not on that list." Hazel answered his unspoken thought, laughing lightly. "Though I do agree that Cass is lacking in some more of the fundamental human understanding he should have."

"Am I?" Castiel asked, still looking confused, "I am not aware of anyway my education could be lacking in regards to human behavior."

"That phrase, right there. That's proof." Gabriel told him, trying to be patient. It wasn't Cass' fault he hadn't truly experienced the real world. Anyone who Michael had a hand in raising was far too sheltered for their own good. "You sound more like a robot than a human."

"What Gabriel's saying is that you haven't gotten out in the world outside of hunting really." Hazel explained, "So you've missed out on some of the intricacies and colloquisams of everyday speech."

"I had not realized that."

"Don't worry, you'll pick it up fast enough once you get some exposure to it." Hazel said, then frowned. "That is if you'd like to come with us. You don't have to if you don't want to."

Castiel watched her carefully, not sure if he should speak just yet. Of course he wanted to go with them. He had wanted to go with them when they had left the first time. But that didn't mean he should. If he left, that meant Michael would be alone. He would be running off just like Gabriel and Hazel had done. Was that something he could do to Michael? Could he leave Michael like Gabriel and Hazel had left him? If he did leave, could he live with the fact that he had done that to Michael? It was a troubling thought; but more troubling was the answer.

"I think I would like to go with you." Castiel said slowly, "But I don't want to just leave Michael on his own. So I would like to go occasionally visit. If Michael is willing to let me visit and help out."

"Don't bet on it." Gabriel mutter, but Hazel jumped in and spoke over him. "That's fine." she said, smiling and hugging him. "I can't say we'll join you, but we'll make sure to stop in now and then for you."

Castiel smiled, glad he could lessen a bit of his guilt. Michael wasn't always the nicest person to him, but that didn't mean he deserved to be alone. Not that he is truly alone. He has Anna and Raphael. And the other families that come to visit and work with him. Castiel reminded himself and wrapped an arm around Hazel in return. It is not like I am leaving him forever.

0o0

The house was dark when Michael parked his car in the driveway and he felt his stomach twist. Deep down he hadn't been expecting much from Hazel or Gabriel, but Castiel he had faith in. Maybe he's asleep. The suggest floated through his mind, trying to give him hope. But he knew better. Castiel normally left a light on, so that any hunters or family stopping by knew there was someone there.

"Damn it." He gets out of the car, grabbing his bag and a his keys. Unlocking the door he stepped inside, listening to utter silence in the house. "Bastards went and talked him into staying with them." He scowled.

"Well, Castiel had always wanted to go with them." Anna said from behind him, flipping on the hall light as she entered. "So it shouldn't shock you that much. He never stopped asking about them and they'd always call for his birthday."

"He's better then they are though." Michael insisted, moving further into the house and slamming his bag down on the kitchen counter. "I trained him to be a better soldier."

"Sometimes they don't turn out right." Anna suggested, putting her bag down much gentler and moving over to check the fridge. "I mean, look at Luke. At least they're only out hunting on their own. They could all be worse."

Michael sighed, thoughts of his second brother sobering him up quick. They had always been taught that family came first, but for him, Luke made that rule impossible to follow. Not only had he run off, he had begun a war. He incited a war amongst their family by trying to claim the right to be the family head. Which belonged to Michael himself. It was his right as the eldest. The first born to their father. No one was better suited than he was. He had always been the best. Their father's perfect soldier.

"That may be so, but I'm not going to let them wander around forever. For now Castiel can stay and travel with them. Maybe learn something useful from them. And then, when things go bad they'll come crawling back."

"If they last that long." Anna frowned, pulling some ingredients out of the fridge to make dinner. "You said it yourself after the hunt. Something fishy is going on…I mean, those demons knew our names..among other things. Even Luke would never have given them some of the info they had. Something bad is going on and if they get drawn into it, it could end badly."

Michael nodded, face growing grave. He didn't want to think about what the weird things going on. Not only were there demons out in unusually large numbers, they were also coming directly after their family. And not just the Novaks, all the hunter families were being targeted. And they didn't know why. Normally he'd blame Luke, but from what Anna had learned from Raphael, his brother Uriel had been talking about how the demons had even gone after Luke on an occasion or two. And he was willing to work with them, which meant it was something more important that losing a hunter ally. Something Michael feared was much darker than they had ever dealt with before. Sighing over the dark thoughts, Michael watched as Anna went about making them some dinner. "Hopefully they come around and come home before that happens."