Dean POV

"So what kind of fighting training do you guys have?" Gwen asked, stretching in the middle of what was essentially the training room for the Men of Letters bunker. She had asked if they had such a room because she was going mentally numb from all the research of the last few days. Dean had always found it strange that it existed considering the groups distaste for actual hunting. He'd joked to Sam that the most they had probably done back in the 50s was that old timey boxing stuff with the pomade slicked moustaches and the jumpsuits.

"Whatever Dad taught us mainly." Sam spoke up. "Basic self defense."

Gwen looked confused. "Wait, you guys didn't get actual training at all? Jujitsu, Wu-shu, Aikido or anything?"

"Is this the part where you start ragging on us for getting taken down by those warlocks that you managed to kill?" Dean asked with a sigh, resting his hands on his hips. He knew this was coming one way or another.

"Nah. I've been taken down a couple times. I'm just surprised is all. I mean, of all the stories I've heard, I guess I kind of expected you had similar training."

"Most of the stuff we end up going after, you don't want to get that close. That's how you get dead."

She crossed her arms and smirked. She was wearing leggings and a Kansas City Royals tank top that was very distracting. At least to him. "Not if you know what you are doing. Guns aren't always the answer. How do you think hunters survived before them?"

"Not very well." Dean snarked. "So what, you can do Jujitsu and stuff? Some Lakota version of it?"

She nodded, standing straight. Dean wouldn't say it outloud but it was obvious from her body that she'd had a bunch of physical training, more than just the basic stuff Sam had mentioned they learned. She was curvy but there wasn't any fat on her and he'd noticed when she'd shown them her back tattoos that her stomach was not only flat but strong. She wasn't going to be in any body builder contests, but she obviously could hold her own in a fight. "Yeah. Mom had some training and pretty much took advantage of anyone we came across to teach both of us more. Then of course there's the stuff Briathos taught me."

Dean crossed his arms over his chest. "Can you do flips and shit?"

She smirked. "Duh."

"What about that parkour stuff?"

"Yup."

"Show us."

She grinned and bounced a little on the balls of her feet, cracking her neck one way and then the other. "Sam, come over here and just stand straight and brace yourself."

"Aww come on, why do I have to be the dummy?"

"You aren't a dummy sweetheart. You're my wall. Come on, I won't hurt you. Not yet anyway." She wiggled her eyebrows at him as he reluctantly moved to where she indicated. "Now come on, brace yourself like someone's moving to tackle you."

Sam did so and she moved a moment later, running straight at him. Dean didn't know what he expected but it wasn't for her to first place one foot on Sam's bent knee, then his opposite thigh, then his shoulder and then flip over so she landed on her feet but in a defensive pose.

"Holy shit." Both brothers breathed in awe.

She stood straight and bowed. "Thank you. You were a great wall Sam."

"I barely even felt you touch me."

"That's the whole point. It's more momentum and redirection than anything else. A lot of the angel fighting style is that but with angel blades. Aikido is the closest to what the angels do or I should say what they did when they didn't want to kill necessarily. That's how I learned to really fight with a staff."

"Yeah then why haven't we ever seen Cass fight like that?"

"Because I've usually had no choice but to kill, Dean. The ancient ways have been forgotten much like the mission that angels were left with." Cass appeared in the doorway of the gym. "I was hoping we would have an opportunity like this, Gwen. I'm intrigued to see your fighting style, especially trained by an angel like Briathos."

Gwen smiled. "You want to spar, Castiel? Oooh! A challenge!" She all but started bouncing on her feet again. "How do you want to start?"

"First, I want to see just how much of Briathos' grace you have access to. There is a way for me to sense it and gauge it's strength."

Gwen furrowed her brow. "A sense of it? Why?"

"Is this like finding out just what percent of angel she is?" Dean asked with a raised brow.

"Essentially. There are many powers that angels have and obviously you haven't had anyone to teach you on what you can do. You've learned to use the speed and you knew how to fight beforehand. I would like to see what else you could potentially do."

"Okay." Gwen paused. "Will it hurt?"

Castiel gave her a soft smile. "No, child. I would never hurt you." He looked to Sam and Dean. "You may want to cover your eyes."

"You aren't going to go nuclear or anything right?" Dean knew Cass wouldn't try to hurt Gwen but accidents could happen. He remembered when Cass had checked for Sam's soul and then their grandfather's and that hadn't been pleasant for either man. How would this be different? Wouldn't the grace also be in her soul?

"Do not worry Dean. It's perfectly safe. It is often used by angels tasked as healers for fellow angels in battle."

Gwen gave him a look. "It's okay Dean. Castiel wouldn't hurt me. Just be sure to cover your eyes if it gets bright."

Dean nodded reluctantly and watched as Cass simply placed the fingertips of his right hand on Gwen's face while looking into her eyes. "Dude, it's like a Vulcan mind meld. It's an angelic grace meld." He furrowed his brow. "No, there's gotta be a better name."

"Dean, shut up. Look!" Sam smacked him and nodded toward the pair who hadn't moved but now both their eyes were glowing. Cass' eyes were a bright almost blue white while Gwen's eyes had a soft beige glow, as bright as they were getting. "There go the wings." And Sam was right, Cass' wings or the shadow of them they were able to perceive at least reflected against the wall, lit up by the light he was exuding which was becoming almost enough to wince at. There was a shadow of wings from Gwen but it was different somehow, almost faded. It was seeing both at once that he could see what Gwen was talking about when she commented on the condition of his wings. They looked almost barren compared to the faint shadow of what had been Briathos' wings.

Dean shared a look with Sam who was no doubt thinking the same thing he was. A lot of that was because of them. How had Cass' wings looked before he made that fateful trip into Hell to rescue him? Or again to try and pull Sam from the cage? How much of that was from the fall and what Metatron did to him? What about the number of times he'd been atomized? How come they hadn't been healed when Chuck brought him back?

And why hadn't they bothered to notice until now?

The glow faded away, dimming lastly in their eyes and Gwen stumbled a little. Dean moved to help her but stopped when Cass put his hands on her arms to steady her. "Okay. That was...I don't know. I can't imagine that's what the bonding was like." She looked to the boys, no doubt seeing the confusion on both of their faces. "I was comatose and near death when Bria bonded her grace with me. I don't remember the actual event."

"Didn't she have to ask your permission first?"

"She did in what I remember as a dream. I woke up over a week later completely healed like nothing had happened." Her eyes dropped and Dean could tell she was thinking about all that she'd been confronted with when she woke. Her mother gone, Briathos and the other angels gone along with the other people of the Rez that Amara had fed from. She'd fed deeper or differently when she'd gone to Three Meadows and hadn't left any soulless victims behind. Just bodies.

Dean wanted to distract her. He didn't want her to focus on Amara's attack or the aftermath. He wanted to see her smiling and animated. "So Cass, how much angel is our Gwen? Half? More?"

Cass seemed to give it thought. "I would say close to half but part of that might be thanks to the gifts she was born with." He looked to Gwen and started taking off his trenchcoat. "It looks like I once again get to be a teacher to you."

The smile that took Gwen's face lifted Dean's spirits too. "That is the best thing I've heard in a long time, old man. Come on, let's spar! We could never do this when I was a kid and it's hard to find someone that I can really let loose on without it being unfair."

Sam stepped on his foot hard before he could say what he was thinking.

To say that Dean was impressed with watching Gwen sparring with Cass was an understatement. How come he'd never seen Cass fight like this before? It was like something out of Star Wars or something, the way it was almost like a choreographed dance. Cass sounded like a teacher, encouraging Gwen to use the grace to move faster, to enhance her hits and to try and push him away without touching him. It was like their resident angel had turned into some kind of angelic Yoda. And more than that, it was obvious that the angel and his, well pseudo human daughter, were having the time of their lives.

The fight seemed to end with Cass pinning Gwen to him with the sparring fake angel blade held to her chest but then out of nowhere, she managed to flip him over her shoulder and land on his chest, holding her own to his throat. "Getting slow, old man?" She teased.

Cass only smiled before she moved off him and gave him a hand to help him stand though it was obvious he didn't need it. "I couldn't convince you it's more the vessel than me, could I?"

Gwen's laugh filled the room. "That's cute. I'll take it. That was fun!"

"Cass, since when do you fight like that?"

"I always have. The more artistic portions of it tend to fall aside when it comes to a fight to the death. It's what you might call old fashioned to use against demons or humans."

"Is that what it was like during the civil wars in heaven?" Sam asked and Dean could have kicked him right in the ass for bringing up some of Cass' darkest days.

"Yes, mostly." Cass said, giving a shake of the head to Gwen when she touched his arm in concern. "Briathos taught you well."

"I think having her grace helps too." Sam said. "Does this mean she's essentially a nephalim now?" He paused. "Wait, wouldn't that put her in danger from other angels?"

Cass furrowed his brow. "It's different because she wasn't created from the sexual union of an angel and a human." Almost absently he added, "Yes Dean, that has happened." He shook his head, looking to Gwen before looking back to Sam. "From my understanding of the reason for nephalim being considered abominations, it was about the act. As you know, many of my brothers and sisters have less than positive views about humanity."

"Oh yeah, I remember. I've never been called a mud monkey before I met your old buddy Uriel. Dick."

"Castiel, am I in danger? It's been months since Bria fused her grace with me but it's not like I've been actively using it or drawing attention to myself."

"You aren't in danger. As much as I am not very popular in Heaven currently, I still retain a certain level of respect, namely for my actions against the Darkness and my interactions with our father. No angel would dare touch you."

"Not to mention that there aren't many angels who'd want to mess with us either." Dean said with pride. "No way those feathery assholes are going to get near you with us around."

Gwen gave him a half smile. "Thanks."

"After our spar, I believe you would be able to hold your own against one of my siblings if they dared to be so bold. I would hope for their sake they wouldn't be so foolish."

Dean had to pipe up. "Dude, have you met your family at all?"

Castiel let out his signature long suffering sigh. "Enough, why don't we continue and see how well you do Dean against Gwen. It will be amusing for me at the very least."

"Gee thanks for the support, Cass." Dean growled, moving to the mats and already pretty sure he was about to get his ass handed to him.