A/N: Welcome back everyone! I know I broke my time record of not updating, but honestly I was more busy this month than the whole last year! Still, I hope some of you remember where we left off the previous chapter, and will enjoy this one too! Happy reading! Thanks to InsideYourDreams24 for beta-reading.


Chapter 7: Accompanied


They drive for another three hours in silence before stopping at a gas station. Dean's side is throbbing and he looks so exhausted that Sam thoughtfully offers to change places. The older Winchester agrees deliberately as he gets out to grab some food and drinks for the three of them.

Despite his tiredness, Dean keeps an eye out for anyone acting suspicious; he's still not completely sure that Meg's demons have lost their track. But it seems the precaution is unnecessary this time; there are no sign of demons anywhere in the small shop. Even the sleepy face of the cashier girl couldn't be more average. Her body is another thing though, Dean thinks as he looks her up and down but somehow he's not in the mood of flirting with an unconscious angel and a secretive brother on his hands at the moment.

He pays for the chicken sandwiches and bottles of water and walks back to the car. Sam's disappeared somewhere; probably to the men's room. Dean makes himself comfortable in the passenger seat, starting to unwrap one of the sandwiches and turning back towards Castiel.

"Cas? Hey buddy, you in there?"

The angel has been passed out since he mentioned that it has been God who helped them, but the brothers had no idea what to do with him besides keeping on calling his name to see if he had come to.

"Cas, you gotta wake up and drink something," Dean insists, nudging the angel's shoulder gently but still getting no answer.

"What a sleeping beauty you are," Dean mutters under his breath and takes another bite of the sandwich.

Suddenly the angel stirs and groans softly, as if he was trying to speak.

"Cas?"

"Please," Castiel croaks out, "Please…"

"Hey, I'm here, what's wrong?"

The angel's face is grimaced in pain and something else but the hunter can't really define what it is.

"Please… forgive me…"

"For what, Cas?" Dean asks with a bad feeling.

"Anna…"

It is bad. The angel not only seems to be unaware of his surroundings, he also appears to be delusional. "No, Cas, she's not here. I'm Dean. Can you hear me?" As soon as Dean says it, he realizes it's actually possible that he's speaking to Anna; after all, who knows how angels can communicate throughout time and space.

"I'm sorry… I shouldn't have done this to you… Anna!"

Dean knits his brows. What on earth could Cas possibly be sorry for?

"Please… don't leave…"

Castiel's pleas weaken and soften until he's sunken into unconsciousness again. Dean puts the sandwich aside, appetite suddenly gone, and looks at his angel, sad and unsure of what to do.

Sam appears in the toilet door and with a sudden idea Dean gets out of the car, closing the door behind him.

"What's wrong?" The younger Winchester asks as he arrives back to the Impala. "Is Cas okay?"

"He just had the impression I was Anna," Dean answers darkly and folds his arms together. "He… said he was sorry for something; seems to be out of it."

"That's not good," Sam admits and leans against the Impala's door. "Can we go?"

Dean looks at his brother, "Just one more thing Sammy: you need to tell me what you saw back in Meg's mansion, how you broke free. And please tell the truth this time because believe me, I'm your brother and I know when you're hiding something."

Sam looks back at him and his gaze looks oddly hurt. He puts his hands in his pocket before answering. "Fine, Dean. I'm not… I'm not hiding anything. I just didn't want to say it in front of him," with that, he nods with his head towards Castiel in the car.

Dean's expression is confused enough so he goes on. "He thinks it was God. I just… didn't know what to say. I saw who it was, and I wasn't God."

"Then who? Spit it out, Sam, we don't have all day."

"It was Gabriel."

"Gab… what? You mean the trickster-archangel?"

"Exactly. I don't know, he just popped up beside me, put a finger in front of his mouth like," he indicates it, making a 'ssh' sound, "then snapped his fingers and my handcuffs opened."

"Gabriel was helping us? That's doesn't make any sense."

Sam agrees on this. "Absolutely not; but I assume he wasn't proud with his rescue action either."

"What do you mean?"

"He said don't tell Castiel. I know, I couldn't hear anything besides the… screaming and all but his voice was somehow… ringing inside my head."

It's obviously a lot for Dean to comprehend. "Gabriel… was helping us but he didn't want Castiel to know about it?"

"Apparently."

"Does it make any sense to you?"

Sam shrugs, "I don't know about angel hierarchy. Cas has rebelled, so… Gabriel probably doesn't want to risk his reputation with helping a disobedient angel…"

"He was being tortured, for God's sake! Cas didn't deserve it! Speaking about him…" Dean pulls out the long, silvery angel blade, "how the hell has this gotten to us?"

Sam looks back at him, a little confused, "He threw it here. Didn't you see?"

"Cas?" Dean points towards the car again.

"Yeah. He must have spotted that our bindings were gone."

"Wow. He just had the time to take a glance on us between two screams?"

Sam rolls his eyes. "Dean… I don't know okay? I mean, that's all I saw. Don't ask me to explain it."

The older Winchester sighs, "Fine, I'm sorry. I just… don't like when I don't see the reason; it's always suspicious. But Gabriel… I doubt it was some kind of trap. Let's get going."

Sam nods and the brothers get back in the car. Castiel still seems to be out and Dean is sure he didn't hear any of their conversation. Looking him up and down, the older hunter also notices the angel's quite in a need of a bandage change, especially regarding his leg, where the deepest hellhound claw marks are. His wrist probably needs to be examined too, Dean thinks, but he knows they won't have the opportunity to stop for a long procedure like that until they reached Bobby's place, which is still about fifteen hour's drive. Sam's at the wheel this time, giving his brother the precious opportunity to catch up on his sleep. Dean's really grateful for that.

He falls asleep and doesn't know how much time passes when he awakens next. First he doesn't even know what has disturbed him, but a moment later he notices the rapid decrease in the Impala's speed. Before he could go back to sleep with the thought of Sam probably wanting to take a leak, he hears his brother's nervous muttering.

"Oh no, no no no no."

It's enough to chase the last remains of sleepiness out of Dean who sits up quickly, nervousness spreading to him like a contagion.

"What?"

His eyes are already scanning the road and he immediately spots the uniform-wearing figure standing on the side of the road and waving directly at them.

"I can't believe it!" Sam shakes his head indignantly. "I didn't even cross the speed limit!"

"You didn't?"

"Well, maybe once or twice, but…"

"Dammit Sam, don't you realize that if we stop, he will see one bloody, passed-out angel on our backseat?" Dean swears.

Sam looks at him worriedly. "What should I do then? Step on the gas?"

"Oh no, you want my baby to be signed on the 'wanted cars' list?"

"It's Cas or the car, Dean. Decide."

"Okay, okay… stop then. Just let me handle it."

The police officer lifts his hand, ordering to stop, "Out of the car, please."

The brothers emerge from the car without a word. "As you wish, officer," Dean says loudly and far too warmly, "What's the problem?"


"Dean!"

The hunter snaps out of his dazed state. He has been listening to the music of the club and watching the almost naked girl dancing at the nearest table for a couple of minutes now. He must have lost his sense of time; there's a half-empty beer bottle in his hand and Sam sitting in front of him, and somehow he doesn't seem to have any recollection of the past hours.

"What?"

"That's what I'm asking. What happened?"

Dean looks back at his brother, confused. "What do you mean, what happened? We decided to visit a bar. A bar… with the nicest girls ever." His eyes wander to the dancing girl again.

Sam's angry voice snaps him out of the daze again. "No, I mean, we were driving, with Cas passed out on the backseat. When did we stop?"

Cas' name finally jolts Dean's brain back into working mode. "Yeah, you're right… we were stopped by some police officer. What happened then, really?"

"We got out of the car," Sam enlightens him.

"Yeah I remember that, genius. He came to us, and…"

"Bang," Sam says, "we were here."

Dean chuckles, "I haven't really noticed when we got here."

"Dean, I think something did this to us."

The older Winchester frowns. "Damn right. And who are the only creatures that are known of being able to transport people faster than you could say 'hell'?"

"Angels," Sam nods.

"Friggin' angels," Dean adds and takes another sip of his beer. "Bet my life it was one of those dicks."

"But why has he teleported us here? What's the big plan?"

"I don't know, but we have to find Cas," Dean starts to stand up, "because I don't think he's in any condition of being able to take care of himself."

Before Dean could fully stand, a hand lands on his shoulder, pushing him back in his seat.

"Not so fast, Dean."

"What…"

A waiter steps to their table, holding a piece of paper, probably the bill. "Leaving the bar without paying is against the law." He grins in a strange way; a strange but familiar way.

"Wait a minute…"

"Gabriel," Sam establishes.

The Trickster-Archangel winks at them as his face changes back, waiter costume vanishing in a blink. He lazily snaps his fingers and a chair appears out of nowhere.

"Hello again, boys," he greets them as he sits down, looking mischievously from one to the other.


Ah, yes. Good old Gabriel. I know some of you are pleased to see him appear:) Actually I didn't like him until the very last episode he was in, where he confessed he was on the Winchesters' side. Unfortunately, this was also the episode he died... well, apparently. To be honest, I don't think he really died, as he's a trickster, remember? So his death with the wings and all could have been another trick, and because of this, he could be brought back at any time if the makers of the show decided to do so.

Anyway, I was hesitating before writing him in, because this story is about Cas and he and Gabriel didn't really have too much 'history' together in the show and I don't want them to be OOC. But a little helping hand from him won't be too bad:)

If you liked the chapter, please review! If you didn't like it, please review!:) Feedbacks make my day.