CHAPTER SEVEN: BONDING WITH MY ANGEL

Jo crawled into the bed with Dean, wrapping her arm around his waist as she pulled him closer to her. He moaned as she moved her hand up and down, gently stroking his washboard abs with her fingertips. Lightly, she pressed a kiss to his neck, hooking her chin on his shoulder and closing her eyes.

Meanwhile, Flare draped her arm over Sam's chest, and he held her hand, falling asleep once again. However, once Flare finally drifted off to sleep, she was haunted by the reoccurring nightmare she had been having lately; the night her parents died.

Abbey was scared. She didn't know what was happening. She could hear screams, and she was pretty sure they were her own. Her mother hugged her closely, pulling her head into her chest, hiding her eyes.

Flare closed her eyes. "Mommy, whats going on?" she cried.

"I don't know," Grace answered. "Brian!" she called again, feeling like she was going to drown in her own worry.

"Get the kids out of here! Now, Grace!" Brian ordered his wife. "Get as far away from here as you can!"

Grace did as she was told, rushing out of the house and into the forest. She let go of Abbey and Flare, kneeling down in front of them. "Flare, honey, go. Run as fast as you can and don't look back no matter what. Take Abbey with you. Keep her safe." She planted a kiss on both of their foreheads before she ran back into the house. Back for Brian.

No sooner had she gone in, the house burst into flames, engulfing the entire building in less than seconds. "Mommy! Daddy!" Abbey screamed, sobbing.

It felt like someone had kicked her in the gut. Horrified, Flare looked at her house, burning, her parents trapped inside. As she remembered her mother's words, she looked at her sister, grabbing her hand and starting to run.

"Mom!" Flare yelled, jolting awake, her breathing heavy.

Sam's arms were around her in an instant, his mouth close to her ear, whispering that everything was going to be all right. That it was all a dream. He gently rocked her, kissing the top of her head as he held her tightly.

Dean had woken up, too, hearing the scream. "Is she okay?"

"Nightmare," Sam answered, continuing to rock her gently.

Flare closed her eyes, trying to fight back the tears. "I-I need to get some air," Flare said before walking out of the room.

Dean watched her go, seeing the hurt in Sam's eyes as she did. "Are you sure she's okay?" he asked.

"I'm sure she'll be fine," Sam answered. He bit his lip, wanting so badly to talk to Dean about what had happened with the apocalypse, but he was just too scared. Now wasn't the time.

Dean noticed that Sam had his 'I want to talk to you about something, but I'm afraid you'll get mad' look on his face. "What, Sam?"

"Nothing," Sam answered, turning his head away from Dean so he didn't see the truth. "I'm just tired is all. And worried about Flare." He lay back down. "You should just get back to sleep."

Dean shrugged, laying back down. He knew Sam was lying, but he was just too tired to care. They could talk about it later.

Sam rolled over, the gash in his abdomen giving him a harsh scream as it brushed against the scratchy sheets, causing him to hiss in pain. He hated feeling like this. Vulnerable, in pain...scared. He wanted his and Dean's relationship to go back to the way it was. He wanted everything to be okay again. Silently, he wept, covering his face with the pillow he was using as support.

Abbey wanted to go back to Dean as he slept, but she couldn't. Castiel was there, and he was giving her the third degree. She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest as she listened to him yell.

"What you are doing to Dean is wrong. You are an angel, now!" he lectured. "You are not supposed to have those thoughts. You are verging on blasphemy, Abigail. You must stop. Or I will stop you." With that, he disappeared.

Suddenly, he appeared before Dean, seeing that he was sleeping. "Dean," he whispered, not wanting to wake the people around him. He had Dean's necklace around his neck. There was a faint glow to it, but nothing more. Certainly it wasn't glowing bright enough to indicate that God was around this motel room. However, it was more than he had gotten all night. "Dean, we need to talk." He put his hand on Dean's shoulder, right over the hand print he had left on him when he had drug him out of Hell, sending a small shock through Dean's body.

Dean's eyes shot open as he pushed Castiel's hand away from him. "What the hell, Cas?!" he whispered loudly. "What did you do that for?!"

"You would not awake from your slumber," Castiel answered calmly.

Dean sat up, yawning. "What is it, now?"

"I am getting closer to God," Castiel answered. "Look at the amulet. It is glowing brightly. But not bright enough. I need you to give me a ride somewhere."

Dean looked at him, still half asleep. "Fine." He stood, the blankets falling off his body to reveal his black boxer shorts. He grabbed a pair of faded jeans and began pulling them on. "Just let me get dressed." Castiel nodded, waiting for Dean to clothe himself. Once Dean was dressed, he looked back at Castiel. "Let's go."

Castiel stood, a smile pulling to his lips. "I want to drive," he announced proudly, reaching his hand out towards Dean to collect the keys.

"No way," Dean complained. "Do you even know how to drive?"

Castiel knit his eyebrows in disappointment. "I can improvise. Give me the keys, Dean." He kept his hand open, waiting for the keys to be dropped into his waiting palm.

Dean bit his bottom lip, reluctantly handing Castiel the keys. "If you mess up my car, Cas, I will kill you," he warned.

Castiel wrapped his fingers around the smooth metal of the keys, smiling at Dean. "I will not mar the precious metal that you treat like a human," he assured him. He didn't really understand why Dean cared about the car so much, but he knew there would be no forgiving him if he ruined Dean's Impala. Therefore, he vowed to be as careful with it as possible.

Dean grabbed his jacket and walked out of the room, climbing into the passenger seat. Castiel placed the keys in the ignition, smiling as he heard the car roar to life. Now, he understood why Dean loved this car. It was a beauty. If he could feel such feelings of love, he would have devoted his heart to this car.

Dean looked at Cas, smiling. "Now you know why I love this car. And I only let a few people drive her, so be careful."

"Her?" Castiel asked, curious as to why he was talking about the car as though it were a female. "Dean, this is not a female. Not a woman. It is a very nice piece of metal. And it drives like a beauty."

Dean sighed, shaking his head at having to explain everything to Castiel. "Sometimes, people refer to things like cars or boats as 'her.'"

Castiel knit his eyebrows in confusion. "People are odd creatures," he announced, stepping on the gas harder, making the car roar and jump ahead. He liked this feeling. He wanted to car to go faster still, so he floored it, weaving in and out of other cars as he passed them, looking at Dean with a smile on his face. This was fun!

Dean was a bit surprised when the car sped up. He glanced over at Castiel and smirked before turning on the radio, wanting to see how Castiel reacted to his music.

Castiel stared at the radio, fascinated. Dean had good taste in music. He watched as Dean bobbed his head to the music, copying his motions, another smile breaking out on his features.

"It seems like your having fun, Cas," Dean said with a smirk as he watched Castiel mimic his motions. He reminded him of a little brother; of Sam when they were younger. His heart ached as he remembered how close the two of them had been.

"I am...having fun," Castiel answered, a bit surprised himself. He wasn't used to this feeling. He had never been able to do any of these things in his lifetime. "I like...spending time with you, Dean. You make life seem...fun. Worth living." Castiel felt a brotherly bond to Dean, but not in the way he felt connected to his real brothers and sisters. They would never go out for a joy ride and listen to loud music with catchy beats. No, they were boring compared to Dean.

Dean smirked again. "Welcome to my world."

Castiel smiled. He liked Dean's world. However, he couldn't stay. He hadn't just wanted to drive Dean's car around. No. He had business to talk with him about. And they needed to talk fast.

"So, I'm sure you didn't wake me just to drive my car. Whats up?"

"There is a problem. With you. Abigail seems to have attached herself to you," Castiel explained. "I believe she is leading you to blasphemy with dreams that she is sending you while you sleep. We must stop it. It is displeasing the other angels."

Dean sighed. "Aw, come on, she's not even a real angel. How did she even become one? I didn't know humans could be angels."

He pulled off the road, stopping the car right in front of a small cliff overlooking the entire town. "She is a different type of angel, Dean. Like a guardian angel. She was sent to you so she can help with the apocalypse, not send you erotic dreams. I need you to tell her that if she tries it again. I already spoke with her, but I get the feeling she does not want to obey my orders." Castiel gave Dean a hard look, his face expressionless. "She will listen to you." At that, he was gone.

Dean sighed before climbing into the drivers seat and driving back to the hotel.

Flare had taken a walk around the small town they were in, her mind clouded with questions and worries. She had forgotten her jacket and it was starting to get cold. She glanced at her watch. "5:00," she mumbled. "Guess I'm not getting back to sleep." Slowly, she walked up the stairs and stood outside the door, digging in her pockets for the key. "Damn," she mumbled, realizing she didn't have it. She knocked on the door, hoping that someone was up.

Jo felt around on the bed, trying to touch Dean. He wasn't there. "Dean?" she asked groggily, sitting up a bit. She looked over to her left, seeing Dean wasn't in the bed with her. No wonder she hadn't been able to find him. She looked over at Sam. "Sam, have you seen your brother?" she asked.

"Yeah," Sam answered, looking out the window, searching for any sign that Flare was coming back in. "Cas showed up and took him somewhere. Dean let him drive his car. They seemed like they were having a very friendly conversation."

Sam picked up his phone, looking to see if he had any missed calls. He didn't. He wanted to talk to Dean. He needed to talk to Dean. He was feeling so disconnected. He wanted everything to go back to the way it had been before Dean went to Hell. He needed to feel like he and Dean were a family again. He needed to feel loved by his brother. As he continued to think about all the things he wished would happen, he started wondering if he and Dean would ever be back to normal. Would ever be the family he longed for them to be again.

Dean pulled into the hotel parking lot and got out of the car. "Did you forget your key?" he asked, walking closer to Flare.

Flare frowned "Yeah."

Dean chuckled before pulling out his key and opening the door.

Sam snapped his head towards the door when he the knock. He stood, walking towards the door, cautious. Everyone they knew had a key and wouldn't need to knock. He let the breath he hadn't known he was holding when he saw Dean and Flare walk through. He flashed Flare a smile, glad that she was back. When he saw the look on Dean's face, however, his expression hardened. There was something wrong. Dean looked...mad. "Dean? What's wrong?" Sam asked, hoping he hadn't done something.

"It's nothing," Dean mumbled, glancing at his watch. "We should get going."

Flare nodded in agreement. "But I'm getting a shower first," she said, walking into the bathroom and turning on the water.

"Get going?" Sam asked, confused. "Where are we going? Do we have a case?" No one ever told him anything anymore. He felt so out of the loop. He wanted to know what Castiel had drug Dean away for, but sadly, he didn't think he had the right to ask Dean about his and Castiel's personal conversations anymore. He had lost that right when he brought forth Armageddon.

"We 're going to meet Bobby and Ellen," Dean explained. "So go get ready."

Flare quickly finished washing her hair and got out, wrapping a towel around her before sticking her head out the bathroom door. "Sam, could you hand me my bag?"

Walking over to Flare's bag and picking it up, Sam scrunched his face. "Why? I thought they told us to meet them at a hotel two days from now." He handed Flare the bag, then turned his attention back to Dean. "Is something wrong? Did something happen to them?" Panic began to build up in his mind as he thought of Bobby, the closest thing he had to a father since his dad had passed, lying on the ground somewhere broken and lifeless. He stared at Dean, willing him to explain why they were needed so much earlier than expected.

Flare quickly put her clothes on and walked out of the bathroom.

Meanwhile, Dean explained everything quickly. Again he looked at his watch. "Bobby and Ellen are probably already there by now."

"Then lets get moving," Flare said, grabbing her bag.

Sam felt a wave of relief wash over him when Dean explained that Bobby was okay. A job? Already? He had just come out of surgery and Dean expected him to do a job? Well, he would try, but he couldn't promise anything. He was barely useful now that he didn't have the blood to make him stronger on a good day when he didn't have any injuries, but with the large gash in his gut, he figured he was going to be pretty useless. With a small smile, he followed Flare, Jo and Dean out of the motel room and climbed into the back seat of the Impala, ready to go see Bobby and Ellen.

Flare sat next to Sam. "Those need to be changed," she said, gently lifting his shirt up a little before she dug in her bag and pulled out some bandages and alcohol.

Sam squirmed away from her, causing his shirt to fall back down, covering the evidence of his weakness. "Later," he said. He didn't want to risk being jabbed by her fingernails if Dean hit a bump while he was driving. Didn't want to risk Flare pushing too hard as the car rocked back and forth on the rocky back roads. Didn't want Flare to see how vulnerable he was now.

Flare gave Sam a small smile as she brushed some hair out of the way of his face so she could look into his eyes. They were so full of sorrow and guilt.

Meanwhile, Jo looked at Dean, smiling. "So, what do you think my mom will say when I tell her that we slept in the same bed last night?" she asked teasingly. She wasn't actually going to tell, but she did want to get a reaction out of Dean. He had been so distant since Abbey had come back in Jessi's body. And she was determined to change all of that now.

"I think she'd kill me," Dean said with a smirk. "I mean, remember when you went with me and Sam to go hunting? She almost killed me then. Just imagine what she would do if she thought I had sex with her daughter." He shuddered.

"That's because you lost me." Jo rolled her eyes and cocked her head to the side. "And used me as bait. No wonder my mother wanted to kill you." She sighed. "But she's over that now. Now, she would just physically hurt you. No death, promise." She chuckled. knowing her mother would definitely hurt Dean if he ever started a relationship with Jo. But she didn't care. She would risk it.

"And mess up this sexy face? I think not." Dean joked.

Jo laughed, her whole body rocking. She reached over and put her hand on his cheek, feeling the stubble that was beginning to grow. She rubbed her thumb back and forth, soothing him. "Yeah, me neither," she said with a smile. Using her feet to push herself closer to Dean, she kissed his neck, nipping at his skin before moving her head so she could whisper in his ear. "I wouldn't let her hurt you," she whispered, moving so she could kiss his neck once again. Her hand found it's way to his thigh, and she ran her fingers over his jean clad leg lazily, feeling his muscles tighten beneath her touch.

Dean tensed, his body reacting to Jo's touch. He licked his lips, gasping a little. "N-Not now, Jo," he begged.

Jo smiled against Dean's skin. She moved back into her own space, smirking. "What?" she asked innocently. "I'm not doing anything."

Dean smirked before turning on the radio, blasting it as he usually did.