The past couple of days had passed by pleasantly. Almost too pleasantly. Gabriel was all too cheerful now that they weren't lost (not like he would admit that they had been lost in the first place). They had a pleasant stay in several little towns they passed through. The humans were rather nice and in awe of them.

Castiel was enjoying the trip despite the little bumps along the way. He knew he shouldn't ignore the new information he had learned about Dean, but he couldn't help it. He didn't want to face it or admit what it meant… After all, hadn't Dean ended up at a shelter? He was sure there was some law or another that said something about not being able to reclaim a hunter after it had been in a shelter for several years. He probably should have paid more attention about the hunter laws when he was a fledgling… Ah, too late now. He probably could ask Gabriel whenever he had the chance. For now he would just ignore it. This would just be a nice trip like Gabriel planned. He would just not think about those lingering thoughts. He would figure out something… just not now. It was time to just look forward.

But unknown to the angels, this trip was beginning to become unpleasant for the hunters. More specifically for Dean. Thaddeus was still young… but he could sense something. He might not be a high class breed, but he was still a hunter. He could tell something wasn't quite right. But being young had its limits. He couldn't quite trust his senses as well as older hunters could. He was still grasping the ropes of understanding what senses signaled danger and such. So, he didn't give too much attention to it. Perhaps he should have… Dean, on the other hand, knew this feeling all to well. He could sense that something was coming, and he didn't like it one bit. He couldn't say anything though. He most definitely could not. But he could not not say anything… Winchesters protected their angels. But, he still couldn't say anything. At least not yet. He would just have to do his best to protect the angels and hope and pray that nothing happened to them. It would seriously help if he knew where they going. It would be easier to figure out how to protect the angels. Or at least plan something…

Demons weren't something to take lightly. He knew this all too well.

Flashback

Tiny fingers grasped the weapon hesitantly. It was a little heavy in the young child's hands but not too much. The child's green eyes studied the weapon curiously but warily.

"It's all right," a soft voice assured the child. "You will get used to it eventually."

A frown marred the young child's face as he looked up at the older hunter beside him. "But… what do I do with it?"

The hunter laughed softly. "I will teach you."

The hunter guided the child. Gently but firmly, hands helped the child hold the weapon.

"Remember, always remember, to stay firm," the hunter whispered. "Never back down when fighting for your angel."

The child scrunched up his face. "I don't have an angel."

"You will soon, my child," was the promise.

"But how? We never seen angels… you don't have an angel. Why do I need one?"

The hunter sighed. That was the question… why did hunter need angels? Or rather, why did angels seems to need hunters? These were questions that often were asked by young hunters like the one right here. It was a question even the elder hunter had asked before. But now?

The hunter's eyes hardened as it gazed off into the distance. The answer had finally come, but the time to find its own angel had not come. This little one still needed care and training. Angels would have to wait. It was a risk… but one they had to take. The young hunter needed to be ready before he met his angel. There were dangers out there that angels knew nothing of, and only a hunter could fight those dangers. Yet… at the same time, hunters desperately needed angels.

It was a hard decision. One that one may regret. But was there much of a choice? There were so many things the young hunter needed to know before he went out into the world to protect the angels. There was so much that needed to be taught… would there be enough time?

There had to… just had to. The mistake of not protecting angels would not be mistaken. Not by these Winchesters. Never again.

"Mama?"

The hunter quickly turned her attention back to the young hunter next to her. "What is it?"

The child hesitated but seemed able to summon courage to look at his mother dead in the eye. "Mama… I feel bad. Bad here." He pointed to his head then to his heart. "And here…" He hesitated once again. This was where the fear and hesitation came in. He didn't want to say. But Mama would know how to fix it, wouldn't she?

"It hurts like… like when Daddy died."

Fear flashed in the older hunter's eyes, but it passed before the child could see. She knelt beside him, hands placed around his face. "How bad?"

The child bravely tried to hold back a grimace. "Very very bad."

The older hunter stood once more, glancing around the small place that they had called home. It wasn't much, but it was just enough for the two of them. A place of love and protection, yet they couldn't stay here anymore. A hard gaze was set on her face. No, he couldn't stay here. She had to stay…

It would be so hard, so hard to abandon her baby boy, but it had to be done. It had to be done for his sake. He couldn't live like this anymore despite the training he so desperately needed. Things were moving too fast if he was feeling that pain again. Of course… he didn't understand what the pain was. The little boy merely associated it with the bad things that happened, which technically wasn't far off, but it was much more than that. In fact, it made her rather proud of her son. To have such a gift at such a young age. He would understand it eventually. She just wouldn't be the one to explain it to him. It broke her heart, but hopefully he would meet a good angel and perhaps fellow hunter that could help him grow into the majestic Winchester he was born to be. So much had happened already in his young age. God, how she wished she could have changed things. Her child did not deserve this. To go through all this pain in his short six years. And now she had to leave him on his own. She just prayed that he would be able to move on from this and one day understand why she did what she did.

She bent down once more and held the child tight to her chest for one last embrace. A tear rolled down her cheek. If only there was some other way.

End Flashback

"Dean?"

The Winchester jumped in surprise, snarling some in defense. The snarl froze on his lips as he sheepishly realized it had only been Thaddeus.

"Sorry, Tad."

The younger hunter shrugged, though he cocked his head to the side curiously. "You seem a bit tense lately… you okay?"

Dean pursed his lips. "Eh, guess I just don't like surprises."

Thaddeus laughed softly. "You'll have to get used to it. Gabriel likes pulling surprises."

Dean cracked a small smile before turning a more serious face back to the window. It was raining. But it wasn't the rain that was bothering him. It was however bothering the angels (specifically Gabriel). The rain had forced the trip to a stop. Neither angel was able to drive well in the rain, and well, they couldn't exactly ask the hunters to drive. Thaddeus wasn't old enough to drive, and Dean might be able to drive, but he didn't have a license under Castiel yet so that was a no go. Plus, Gabriel didn't want to tell the hunter where they were going. He liked his surprises just as his hunter had informed Dean.

Rainy days always made Dean a bit tense though. It reminded him of past dangers that felt oddly close. He didn't like it one bit. Why was that bad feeling creeping up in his chest? He remembered it all too well. Something bad was going to happen. But what? That was what he didn't know… He had been out of training for a long time. Bobby had trained and taught him all he could, but of course the older hunter had his limitations. He couldn't train the Winchester to his full potential. Castiel hadn't exactly been able to train him. He had only been with the angel for what, a couple of weeks? Not enough time to train him. Things would have been better if he could have stayed with John. The older Winchester surely could have trained him and prepared him for this feeling he had. A bitter scowl made its way across Dean's lips. He didn't like thinking about John. Bad memories… Those really wouldn't help right now. He just wished he could figure out what the danger was. He at least understood that feeling more so than he had when he was younger. That bad feeling was a warning of something to come. Or rather… a demon to come.

But why was a demon coming? That was the question Dean couldn't quite figure out. Gabriel and Castiel weren't from a hunting family. So why would a demon be targeting them? Or maybe his senses were just off? Perhaps there was a hunt for a demon going on nearby? He so badly wanted to research. But that was clearly off limits. Neither of the angels had brought their laptops or any other means of research with them. And well, Castiel had made it clear to Dean that they were not going to get involved with hunting on this trip.

"This isn't a hunting trip," Castiel had said firmly. He had caught Dean gazing at the hunting articles while he had paid for their lunch at the diner in the previous town. "Gabriel may think he has me fooled, but I understand what his plans are. He wants to help us bond as angel and hunter."

He placed his hand on the hunter's soldier.

"We cannot hunt together if we do not get to know each other."

Dean couldn't disagree with that… Hunting took mutual trust. If he ever wanted to hunt again, he would need to be able to trust his hunter.

So that's where he was. Unable to do any hunting research do to the angel's orders. Oh, he had tried to sneak around the order. Peeking at articles when he thought the angel wasn't looking. But unfortunately, Castiel had the eyes of an eagle and had prevented every attempt at researching hunts. So yes… he couldn't look into why he sensed the presence of a demon.

Okay, okay. Technically, there was a way to research.

Just tell Castiel everything.

But he couldn't do that! No, no, nopeity, nope! No way was he going to tell the angel everything. That wasn't any of Castiel's business. (Okay maybe it was…) The angel did not, absolutely did not, need to know about the past. Well, maybe he did, but Dean wasn't exactly one to have a heart-to-heart with angel he didn't really know. Besides, he could handle it, right? He was a Winchester after all. He could handle some pesky little demon. It wasn't like he hadn't done it before. But that would open a lot of hidden secrets. Ugly secrets even.

But perhaps this was what was needed. Secrets needed to be revealed. For his sake? Maybe. But just maybe it was for more than just Dean. There were many a secret that had been hidden from angels for far too long.

Author's Note: Hello again! I just finished a class last week and took a midterm for my other class... whew! But now that I only have one class for the rest of the summer, I should be able to write more! Whoopee! I'm hoping to update my other stories as well as post a few new ones. Please keep an eye out for them. :D I hope you guys enjoy this update. I really enjoy writing this story. But le gasp, the end is on the horizon. I don't know how long it will be until I finish this story, but I am starting to feel that it is coming to a close. So get ready for some action and drama in the next chappie!

DeanBean: Awww thanks! You flatter me. But truly, was it phenomenal? :O And haha, i had a sneaking suspicion. ;) So no worries. I was a little confused but not much. I wasn't sure how to address it without saying it outright and sounding ridiculous. But I'm afraid I have already made quite the fool of myself, haven't I? Haha... But dude, that's awesome that you are called Dean. Teehe, I like very much. (But Misha is a good name too! I stand by it!) But yes, your reviews have been oh so lovely. I enjoy reading them and they seriously spur me on to write more of this story of mine. And no no nooooo. You did not upset me at all. In fact, I quite enjoyed it. I like to indulge in a little role play myself. I actually find it rare for me to find someone who role plays so well! So feel free to review as Misha Collins or DeanBean. I enjoy reading it very much. (Please do tell me if I'm being overbearing or just weird haha. I get more nervous replying to reviews than I do reading them... you know that pounds heart feeling!) I'm so glad you like this story! It's my pet favorite actually haha. Probably why it's the one that's most frequently updated haha. And if you keep up with these reviews, you may encourage me to update it almost every day after this! (That is a good but bad thing haha.) But yes... my heart is going crazy right now trying to reply this just like when you were trying to reply to me! Lol. I just hope I haven't embarrassed myself this time? Thanks again sooo much for your review! I'm glad you enjoy this story as much as I do writing it. I must say I will be dry depressed when it is over. :( And no worries. We're all good here. I just wanted to make sure how I should reply to Misha Collins here on out. ;) Looking forward to seeing another review from you! And whew... this must be the longest reply to a review I have ever written! Hahaha... I need to learn how to keep it short and sweet next time.