Chapter 7: An Angel Returned

Bringing back a human from the dead is easy. Angels are a different story. They don't leave their bodies like humans do when they die. You have to bring them back both Grace and Vessel. That's why they had to drive back to that old barn that Dean and Cas first met. The link is strongest there and the stronger the link the easier it will be to bring him back. Now here they were, standing in a circle painted with strange markings. Chuck stood outside the circle next to Dean, who had taken his shirt off to reveal the burns left on his body. Crowley and two of his demon thugs stood by the entrance to keep watch. They didn't need Everglee and his dead angel army to come storming in. If they were right that Cas would be able to stop this angel then Everglee would try to stop what they're doing no matter what. Sam and Bobby stood off to the side, watching.

"Are you ready?" Chuck asked, turning to Dean. The older Winchester nodded and Chuck placed his hand on the handprint burned into Dean's shoulder. A shiver ran up Dean's skin, but he didn't pull away. Enochian worlds began to spill from Chuck's lips and soon blood was falling from the print. It wasn't Dean's, though he realized. It wasn't chuck's either. The blood was something else. Dean watched the blood fall to the floor and weaved its way to the center of the white painted circle. It began to bubble against the floor as it pooled together and Dean didn't hold back a gasp when a blood soaked hand reached up from the Blood.

"Cas…" Dean gasped as a body submerged from the blood, revealing Castiel's vessel Jimmy. A bolt of lightning struck down on the roof, breaking through and hitting Jimmy's body right where the heart would be beating. Light surged all around the body and the lights of the barn flickered like crazy.

"Dean, do it now!" Chuck shouted, closing his eyes to the blinding light of the lightning. Pulling away from Chuck, Dean stepped into the circle, splashing through the bubbling blood beneath his feet to his friend's side. He took in the sight of the body. It looked just like it did when they burnt him out on the lake, cold and lifeless. Dean kneeled down next to the body and placed one hand on the wing burns and another on Castiel's chest where the lightning was hitting. Light erupted from Cas' eyes and the burns on Dean's body shot out with blue light and drained back into the angel. Dean gritted his teeth at the hot pain curling through his body. A scream burst from Cas' lips and life drained back into those sapphire blue eyes.

"Cas?" Dean gasped, relief flooding through him. It's working. It's actually working. Castiel turned his head, staring into Dean's green eyes with his blue. They were confused, but they were still alive. "Everything's going to be alright, Cas," Dean whispered.

"Ignore my actions, Winchester, or pay the price," Samandriel's voice cracked from behind. Dean turned to see four angel's with bone wings and grey skin standing over the bodies of the demons. Crowley stood a few feet back, staring wide eyed at the dead angels. Angel blades coded in blood hung loosely in their hands and their dead eyes stared directly at Dean and Cas.

"Sorry, Dudes, but I think I'll pass," Dean stated. The angel's turned their heads to the side and then glared at Chuck, who was still chanting the words for the spell to fully bring back Castiel. The angels repeated the words they had said before and lunged at Chuck. The prophet stopped chanting as he was tackled to the floor by the angels and Cas arched his back in pain. Dean turned back to the angel, watching as the light began to fade. "No, Cas! Stay with me!" he screamed. Sam and Bobby fired their guns at the angels, but they didn't let go of the screaming prophet. Crowley zapped over; trying to rip the angels away, but the angels flung him into the wall. The king of hell hissed and pushed himself back to Sam and Bobby's side.

"Dean, p…please…" Cas gasped as the life began to drain from him again. "H…help me." Dean pressed his hands harder against Cas and started chanting in enochian. Chuck had been chanting the words over and over so they were drilled in his head. He could do this. He just had to say a couple words. Light blazed again against Castiel and the angel's body drained in more and more life.

"Well, nice knowing you all," Crowley said as the angel's shoved Chuck's battered body at them and started to approach the hunters and king of hell. The angels each lifted up an angel blade, ready to slice through all four of them, when suddenly a shadowy white mist wrapped around the dead angels. They looked over to the source of the mist to see Castiel standing with an outstretched hand and dark black wings wrapped around his coatless body. The angel's blue eyes glowed faintly as he sent out bursts of power. The dead angels one by one collapsed to their knees and stared up into their brother's eyes.

"Brother, thank you," Samandriel whispered before his body and the others turned to white sand. The mist then disappeared and Castiel's wings turned back into shadows.

"Yeah, Cas!" Sam shouted, helping Chuck back to his feet. Castiel turned slightly to look at the group before crumbling to the cold floor. Dean rushed from where he had been standing and grabbed the angel before he could hurt himself.

"Sammy, give me your coat," Dean said, gently dropping Cas into his lap. His little brother let go of Chuck carefully, helping him lean against Bobby and handed his coat to Dean. The older Winchester gently draped the coat over Castiel's bare body and stared down at the now living angel. Chuck limped over to Dean, staring at the body with wide eyes.

"So…it worked? It actually worked?" he gasped. Dean nodded, running a hand through Castiel's brown hair.

Castiel was alive and this time it was going to stay that way.