Sam POV

Sam followed Dean up into the house to where they'd left the book, carrying the iron box that had been brought by a very concerned Crowley who was currently sitting with Cass and Gwen outside. Just what had happened when Crowley had been at the Three Meadows Reservation that had him truly caring for a human, let alone a hunter with the essence of an angel?

"I don't like this Sam. Any of it."

"Me either. I don't think I've seen Crowley move to help us that fast ever. I'm a little offended."

"It's not just that. It's this whole situation. Who was the psychic that sent Gwen down here? What about the case we started with? That whole thing just vanished, like it was lure to get us here. Why haven't we seen anyone use that whammy spell before? Why haven't we ever run into Gwen before or heard about her from another hunter? Why didn't Bobby ever mention her or try to get her to help us when we were struggling? Why the hell does Crowley care so much about her? What the hell could be in that book that would knock both Gwen and Cass on their asses? Why would someone be that adamant that angels not be able to look at their spells?"

"Dean! Stop. You're gonna give yourself an embolism or something." Sam had all the same questions and knew Dean had only begun with all that there were.

Dean growled in frustration as they entered the room from before and used the bedding to wrap the book and then place it in the iron box. "Too many questions, Sammy. I don't like this."

"We'll figure it out. Why don't we settle what we do know?" He sat down on the now stripped bed, resting his elbows on his thighs, weaving his fingers together and letting them rest between his knees. Better to get this taken care of now so he could hopefully calm Dean down enough so he didn't start demanding answers from the woman, angel and demon downstairs.

Dean breathed in through his nose and began to pace but was obviously consciously keeping his steps slow and measured. "Alright. Start."

"First, those warlocks weren't human. Otherwise their souls would be in hell and Crowley would have found them. Just the same, they were disguising themselves as human as a distraction."

"Agreed."

"Second, whoever the warlocks were, they were up to something that was anti-angel. Something big that we've never encountered before and that Cass hasn't encountered either."

"Right." Dean turned on his heel, his eyes looking to the iron box holding the dangerous book before he started another lap.

"Third, Crowley seems to have grown a heart without being addicted to human blood and didn't bother to tell us."

"Dude, right? It's freakin' weird." Dean stopped pacing. "What about how the book took her out faster than it did Cass? Wouldn't it hurt a full angel more?"

Sam paused and thought about it. "Well, maybe it took her out because a full angel is stronger than a human, even one able to look upon an angel's true form or one bonded with an angel. It burned Cass' hand pretty bad but he's also not an ordinary angel considering how many times he's been brought back from oblivion and death. That and he's a bit more stubborn about any injuries he gets."

"Wow, I wonder where he got that from." Dean quipped, the two sharing a smile. "Alright, so what's our next move?"

"I think get out of here. Grab everything that is potentially useful and head back to the Bunker and start some major research. It's the safest place to keep the book and the ingredients right now."

Dean nodded, carefully pacing the length of the room again. "We trust Gwen, right?" There was hesitance in his voice and Sam knew Dean liked Gwen and the last thing he wanted was to be blind to someone's true intentions. Sam had learned that lesson very painfully from Ruby.

"Yeah Dean. I don't see why not. I mean, sure we just met her, well met her again yesterday. She did save our asses. Castiel trusts her and we trust him. If there was anything remotely questionable about her, he would have said something or we would have noticed it."

His brother was quiet for long moments before speaking, hands on his hips, his eyes apparently examining the floorboards. "I think she's been to Purgatory, Sam. And not a quick trip like you had. I'm talking like when Cass and I were there. Crowley brought it up and she said she hated that place and just the way she said it tells me it's from personal experience. How long was she there? Does Cass know she's been there?" He ran his hand through his hair. "I have too many questions, Sammy. It's making me crazy."

"You were crazy before this. We'll figure it out. We always do. Let's just take it one step at a time. Let's get this out into the Impala's trunk so Cass and Gwen can help us get the other warlock stuff together."

Gwen POV

"Hey Gwen, how'd you get down here anyway? You didn't mention a car or anything." Sam asked as the woman double checked the motel bathroom for anything left behind. They'd gathered everything from the house that was potentially of use and then did their best to make it uninhabitable both physically and with sigils. It'd been interesting to see Castiel in his vessel using his angelic powers to effectively smite a house while Crowley worked on the demon side of things to do the same before he left.

It was late to be leaving but didn't want to press their luck with the potential of more racist residents. The last thing Gwen wanted was to potentially have to take on a group of supremacists when she wasn't feeling 100% or risk Sam or Dean getting hurt because they felt an obligation to protect her. She hadn't known them very long but their actions at the diner that morning and the house that afternoon told her all she needed to know.

"No I brought my bike. My motorcycle." She amended. "It's parked outside." She was glad now that she'd gone out that morning to get it considering what had happened at the house. Just to think, she'd thought today was going to be a good day. Went to show that she was far from being any kind of psychic, that was for sure.

"Wait wait wait. That classic Harley outside is yours?" Dean all but threw himself physically into the room and the conversation from the doorway connecting the rooms. His eyes were wide and hopeful.

"Yes?" She was confused. Was there a reason it shouldn't be? "It was my dad's. I got it when I turned 15."

"That's it. I have no choice now. That's the final straw." Dean sighed in a fake resigned tone as he walked over and dropped to a knee. "Marry me?"

She couldn't help but let out the giggle that bubbled up, Sam again hiding a smile, this time behind his hand and Castiel looking on with an almost exhausted annoyance. "Oh Dean, I doubt very very much you could handle me." She gave his cheek a pat with her hand, his seemingly perpetual 5 o'clock shadow pleasantly rough against her hand. As much as he had been through over the years, there was still that glimmer of hope and light that was at the very center of his being. She could see it shining brighter in that moment in his grass green aura that now had little sparks of blue that she read as being playfulness. "But you are very sweet."

"Aww come on! I could make you happy! Give it a shot!"

"Dean, is this really the time for your...shenanigans?" Castiel asked with what seemed to be his usual monotone.

The man's head dropped and he popped back up to his feet, a grin on his face. "Cass, I wouldn't be me without my shenanigans. You should know that by now. And more than that, you enjoy my shenanigans, don't lie." He threw her a wink before grabbing her overnight bag, sitting on the bed. "We good to go?"

They headed outside to where Dean matter of fact put Gwen's bag in the backseat of the Impala, an equally classic vehicle. She'd been impressed by it when she'd first ridden in it the day before. "So does she have a name? My bike's name is Beauty. Thought it appropriate since it's not exactly feasible for me to ride a horse like a true Lakota. That's my grandmother's words, not mine."

Dean grinned as he turned. "Formal introductions! Yes! Beauty meet Baby. Baby, this is Beauty."

Sam was shaking his head but still smiling. It was remarkable after hearing about just the barest beginnings of what their lives had been since she first met them over 20 years ago that either could still smile and still laugh. Many hunters she met who'd been at it as long as Sam and Dean were rare and made hard and bitter by the work. Like Dean's aura had playfulness in it, Sam's more caramel colored aura had bits of bright yellow in it. Affection for the brother he loved so much that he'd managed to fight back Lucifer and sacrifice himself to save him.

"Gwen, are you feeling well enough to ride...Beauty on your own? I would feel more comfortable if you rode in the Impala. We don't know if there are any lingering aftereffects from the spellbook." Castiel spoke up once she moved toward the bike. There was concern and hesitance in his voice.

She paused. "You think there could be?"

"I do not know, I've never encountered anything like it before."

"Actually, Cass has a point, Gwen." Sam spoke up. "Do you mind someone else riding your bike? At least till we know you are 100%?" There was that protective instinct showing through.

"I have no problem with it."

"DIBS!" Dean all but shouted jumping in the air in his excitement. "Me me me!"

Gwen couldn't help the laughter that came from her lips at the absolute giddy child Dean was in that moment. It was a thing of beauty considering the serious angry side of him that seemed to be dominant. It seemed to be the simple pleasures of life that really made him happy. A full stomach, good music and a chance to ride a classic Harley. "Okay, alright. We can stop halfway and Sam can ride if he wants."

The taller man nodded. "Thanks. That'd be cool."

"Can we please just go?"

Almost as if they had planned it, all three replied to the angel's frustrated request with, "Yes, Dad."

Castiel POV

Castiel looked out the window of the convenience store, not unlike the one he'd worked at when he was human. Gwen was sitting on the hood of the Impala, talking to Sam while he filled the car with gas. He was still taken aback at how he could have ever forgotten her and felt a deep anger for Naomi and the others like her who had manipulated him so completely. How many times had Gwen cried out for him, prayed for his help, his guidance and he hadn't heard her? What kind of guardian angel could be made to forget his charge?

He mourned for the loss of his siblings, especially his sister angel, Briathos. She had been a good soldier, much like he had been but part of another garrison. He wished there was a way he could thank her for saving Gwen, for giving him this chance to be in her life again. To try, if he could, to make up for all those years he hadn't been there.

"Cass? You okay man?"

He turned to see Dean pursuing the baked goods and standing right near the pies. As usual. He grabbed a pecan pie with a pleased smile before turning around. "I'm lost in my thoughts."

"Care to share?"

Cass raised his eyebrow. Dean wasn't one for "sharing".

The man sighed and shook his head. "Come on, I'm trying here. Okay? You two being reunited is like if my mom suddenly walked in that door or something. What, are you worried she's angry at you for leaving?"

The angel shook his head. "No, she isn't. I explained as best I could what happened with Naomi. The ways I was...manipulated." He paused, trying not to think of the brief memories he had regained of the process that had violated his mind and his willpower. "She was understanding much like you and Sam were. No anger."

"And that bothers you?"

"It confuses me."

Dean leaned against the shelving that reached to his chest, rested his arms on the boxes of cookies and crackers before clasping his hands together, having put down his basket by his feet. "Cass, first of all, all women are going to be confusing. You should know that by now. Second, Gwen's pretty damned smart. There wasn't anything you could have done that would have changed what happened. Stop blaming yourself when you were the victim."

"Sounds like something you should say to yourself from time to time." It was one of Dean's best and worst qualities, the standard he held himself up to. No matter what he did, how much he sacrificed, he kept raising the standards. Not much had changed in the years since Castiel had first rescued him from Hell. Dean still did not find himself worth saving.

"We're not talking about me. How about I help you out? Now come on, do you remember anything she liked when she was a kid? A drink or a candy or something? I bet she'd get a kick out of that."

Castiel thought about it. "She enjoyed chocolate. Hershey's I think. And she enjoyed M&Ms." He concentrated more, his mind filling with images of the woman in the car, laughing at something Sam was talking about with ridiculous gestures as a small girl, her black hair in braids tied with ribbon. "Cherry cola. She liked the bubbles."

Dean gave him a smile that somehow comforted Castiel, made him feel pride at remembering small details about the child he'd been guardian for so many years ago. "That's good buddy. Grab that stuff and meet me at the counter."


Castiel held the bag of his purchases behind his back, hoping that Gwen would have the reaction to the gesture like Dean had predicted she might. Dean had thrown the keys to the motorcycle to his brother, telling him what route they were taking to The Bunker as well as to be careful. The motorcycle, he claimed, was a true beast. Apparently this was a compliment from the grin Gwen had on her face and the look of anticipation on Sam's before he took off, the motorcycle roaring into the night.

Sliding down from the hood of the car, Gwen tilted her head in a way that she had when she was little and trying to figure something out. "Castiel, what are you hiding behind your back?"

"Oh that, I thought you might like a treat. You enjoyed these when you were little. I thought maybe you still did."

Her eyes widened and he held open the bag for her. It held two large bags of M&Ms, plain and peanut butter, four Hershey bars and two bottles of Cherry Coke. "Oh Castiel." She put one hand to her mouth, her voice quiet.

"You don't like them anymore?" He tried not to show his disappointment but his shoulders did not want to cooperate and slumped. "I can get you something else..."

He wasn't able to finish his sentence because Gwen all but threw herself into his arms, giving him just a moment to react and not fall over. Dean thankfully had the quick reflexes to grab the bag dangling from his one hand, mouthing the words, told you so, before getting into the Impala. Castiel wrapped his arms around Gwen, remembering how he had wished he could have when she was a child. He was so very old, created before the dawn of man but this moment was one of his best in all those years.

"Don't you dare. It's perfect. Thank you." Her arms were tight around him and it made him happy. Truly joyous. He couldn't help but tighten his arms around her just that much more. "You're the best."

"I try."

She giggled and pulled away, giving him a kiss to the cheek and a happy smile. "Come on, before Dean leaves without us."