/ I know, I have been gone a thousand years BUT in my defence I was moving house and that is THE MOST STRESSFUL THING ON THE PLANET but I am well settled in now so we can get this show on the road once more. Enjoy!

"Why didn't they tell us?" Dean asked as he gripped the steering wheel of the impala tightly. Soon after their very tense confrontation with lucifer Cas and Grainne had done a disappearing act. Sam shrugged lightly "considering everything that has happened to them I can't really blame them, Dean." The younger Winchester always had a much wiser head upon his shoulders. It was clear the two brothers felt on some level a little betrayed that their closest and dearest friend felt he could not share this with them. Deans mind was going a mile a minute… Did he not trust them? Were these kids too dangerous to be around the human race? Dean shuddered at the thought, Cas and Grainne were their family… Dean couldn't imagine anything evil coming from either of them. "Well a heads up would have been nice, I hate when that flaming dick gets a one up on us." Dean grumbled hitting play on the radio.

Castiel's brow furrowed deeply as he watched Grainne buzz around the kitchen like she was on fire. He had known her long enough to know when she was trying to keep her mind busy. He felt powerless, there was very little he could do to make her feel better in that moment, it made him angry… Anger was an emotion he had grown very accustomed to in these last couple of weeks… Angry that he allowed her to be taken, angry that his own brothers and sisters tortured her, angry that he got his mind scrubbed clean time and time again, angry that this was all because they fell in love and had children. Humans have children every day, every day thousands of children are born and everyday people celebrate their happiness with the world. They never truly got to celebrate or even enjoy their children. From the moment they were born their existence was threatened. All of these things made him angry but the thing that made him angriest of all was his father. Why did he not stop this? Why did he not help them? He just sat back and allowed his family to suffer, what kind of father would do such a thing?

"I know Dean eats like he has more than one stomach but if he tries to eat all this he will surely explode." Cas said trying to sound as light hearted as he possibly could.

"I just need to keep busy, my mind is going a mile a minute." She sighed rubbing her temples.

"Every precaution we put in place was for nothing, he just took everything we suffered, everything we endured and reduced it to nothing. This will lead to a war Castiel… You know it and I know it. I can feel it in the air, the threat of war… I always feel it. It's like its vibrating under my skin… I could lose myself in this, as much as I try to fight it… part of me is… Well happy, part of me is glad he outed us." She admitted shamefully as she threw some beef patties onto a pan.

"You're… Glad?" Castiel said in disbelief rising from his seated position. He had feared this above all else, he had feared what the pull of conflict would do to them both.

"I cannot help it. It is in my nature, I try to resist it but what is the point… War is part of me, when the others made me war it is like they knew I would thrive, they were all only too happy to impart this on me. Sometimes I think I was supposed to be war this whole time. When I sleep I dream of the glory of battle, I dream of my past… All those Christians I killed and… I enjoyed it. You know I did, as much as I tried to resist those feelings I was thriving. Even now I know a soldier when one passes me on the street, it's like I know their souls belong to me."

She was rambling but there was truth in what she said. Castiel knew better than anyone that the thrill of war could consume the woman he loved above all else at any second. Before he could speak an ounce of sense to her the familiar sound of the impala's engine came into earshot.

"They are home." He mumbled glumly "what should we tell them."

"Everything." She said bluntly "if lucifer knows all our secrets then the boys should too. They are the closest thing to family you or I ever had." She was right, he knew she was… She was always right. It didn't make it any easier. He did not want to have this conversation. He had kept it a secret for so long he had no idea how he was meant to suddenly start openly discussing his children. They were more important to him than all the angels in heaven and all the humans on earth. This would not be an easy conversation.

The stiff heavy door groaned open as Sam and Dean entered looking just as glum as the other two. "Oh, good you're both back, sit!" She said as she placed enough food to feed a small village on the table.

Even in these tense times Dean could not say no to a table full of food, cracking open a bear he started loading his plate with steaming piles of food. They all took a seat at the table the two brothers looking to Grainne and Cas for some kind of explanation.

"So… Kids…" Dean said breaking the silence first "look guys. We get it. You didn't want anyone using your half angel half god children to ruin the world. It makes sense, but why didn't you tell us? Outside of you two we don't exactly talk to many more people it's not like word would have gotten around." Dean reasoned.

"We trust you two completely of course we do… It is just very hard to explain… We have both suffered immensely for them, we have risked so much, we have lost people protecting them and we did not want you two to fall into that category. Too many people have already died keeping our secret, we cannot have the same thing happen to you." Castiel said looking to Grainne who was nodding eagerly in agreement.

"We are big boys you guys we can take care of ourselves." Sam said putting some pieces of lettuce and chicken on a plate. "We have defeated lucifer and a wealth of angels on more than one occasion we don't need protecting." The oldest Winchester added.

Everything they said was true yet they still worried, both Cas and Grainne had witnessed so much death and so much loss they both failed to see how this time would be any different.

"There will be a war, and so I am compelled to warn you I… We may not be ourselves." Grainne said the words tasting like vinegar in her mouth.

"In some ways, and I cannot believe I am going to say this… The angels made some sense in keeping me and Cas apart. In times of war I truly become a different entity entirely, my mannerisms… My personality… My appearance… I change and when I change Cas tends to change with me. He and I have always been linked in some way, last time this happened and we fought together we had a very… Hard time staying in check. To embrace such a dangerous part of yourself without fear can cause some serious destruction. Do not forget Castiel was once the leader of a heavenly army himself, he earned that position through what he did in battles. We… Are worried… Worried that you both will hate us when you see what we can truly become capable of." Everything she was saying was true. Castiel had been dreading this talk since the moment Grainne fell from the sky and back into his life. He could feel the emotion of fear begin to rush through him. Sam and Dean was his family too, he did not want to lose any of them.

"Guys, come on, we are family you couldn't have done anything that bad." Dean said in what was his best reassuring tone.

"When I was trying to keep Christians off my lands I punished every single one I found trying to convert my people. I made a point of making them suffer so word would spread of the ruthlessness that waited any Christian soul that came to my shores. The things I inflicted upon people, with the help of Castiel… was far from pleasant." It was clear it was getting harder and harder for Grainne to speak about such things. Castiel felt her eyes fall upon him. He reached under the table and squeezed her hand. Even this minor contact between them made Cas feel a little more at ease. Life, even in these trying times was so much better with her in it. How had he been surviving without her for so long… How had he been coping?

"Most Christians that were caught were given a punishment so severe that many of them converted to paganism to avoid it… The blood eagle."

"The blood eagle? Isn't that a Viking thing?" Sam said his brow furrowing

"It's a pagan thing." Grainne interjected.

"Of course, nerd level 3000 knows what that is but I, the normal Winchester does not." Dean said finishing off the end of his first beer and quickly opening another.

"It is when you make a cut down the length of the victims back, you peel back the skin and cut through the muscle and tissue, you crack open the ribs and pull out the lungs. By the time it is done they look like they have the wings of an eagle on their back. All this is done to them while they are still alive and if they let out a single scream the gods would be disgusted by their cowardice and would not be permitted entry into the afterlife. They were then left to die in agony while everyone else celebrated… It was my… Speciality." Grainne grimaced as she spoke. She hated this. She hated them knowing what she had done, she hated them knowing who she truly was.

"That is the person I will become again, and I fear you will both despise me for it." She said her fingers clinging to Castiels in an iron clad grip.

"Listen, I'm not gonna pretend I understand half of your gross torture past but the you I know now aint that chick. Besides, if some angels wanna line up for a blood eagle I would be more than happy to deliver it. I was in hell, I did horrible things to thousands of people… You both are not the only two here with dark pasts. What matters now is keeping tabs on those kids of yours. We will deal with this other crap when the time comes. Until then we need a plan, and fast." Dean said his brother nodding in agreement with him.

Castiel felt a small smile curve onto the corner of his mouth, even in these dark times he had never felt more acceptance and understanding. He knew this is what it meant to truly have a family.

"We will have to go get them. If lucifer could find them through time than what is to stop him finding a way to travel through worlds." Grainne said rising from her chair quietly pacing the floor. She turned her eyes to Cas to take over, his heart swelled at the mere sight of her. She had been brave to tell the Winchesters her dark past, no matter what she turned into he would love her still. His entire existence revolved around her.

"To keep them from heaven Grainne's own family agreed to take them into their realm. No angels or demons could get them there. It is very hard to get there, we made it that way so that even if someone did find out they were there that they would find it near impossible to find a way through. To open the door, it will take a lot of work. We need to make sacrifices, not human ones… Supernatural ones. To be exact: A demon, a witch, an angel and a vampire… All at the same time."

Dean and Sam looked from Grainne to Cas with a look that just screamed 'are you kidding me?' "Like I said, we did not want to make it easy for someone to find it. Also, the only place we can lift the veil into the other realm is by an ancient burial site in Ireland…"

"Well… Looks like we got our work cut out for us." Dean said rising from his chair.

"It is a big job, but the children are strong much stronger than myself much stronger than Castiel. They could be the key to finally putting an end to lucifer once and for all with all of our council and help." Grainne added putting her hands on Castiels shoulders.

"Well then, lets pack up and move out. We've got some hunting to do."

/ ALL of team free will out working a case?! Can we imagine Grainne playing the role of a fake FBI agent with the boys? Hijinks are going to ensue!