A/N: I am so sorry guys, it's been awhile. Life has been busy and it'll only get busier. So without further ado, I present Chapter 11.

Chapter 11

"Jesus Christ!" Sam cried out, still holding his heart and trying to slow his rapid breathing.

"Nope I'm just Gabriel," Gabriel chuckled. "Jesus though, he was Hell of a guy."

Sam breathed through the panic and looked over at his passenger seat companion and glared at him.

"Woah there killer," Gabriel held up his hands. "Ease up. I come in peace."

"What are you doing here?" Sam asked through gritted teeth.

"Well Sammy," Gabriel explained. "When a mommy and a daddy love each other very much…"

"Not what I mean Gabriel," Sam replied sharply. "I mean what are you doing here? I thought you were dead?"

"How do you know I'm not kiddo," Gabriel asked, adding even more confusion to Sam's brain, but he figured it was best not to question it. "Besides spending time in Elysium Fields, throwing assholes into black holes again, my specialty by the way, anyway can't I pay my favorite Cro-Magnon human a "hello how yah been" visit?"

"Honestly," Sam said, still a bit annoyed from almost being run off the road. "I was expecting more confetti."

"Too clichéd," Gabriel chuckled and kicked his feet up on the Impala's dashboard, Sam knowing full well if Dean were there Gabriel's ass would be deep fried by now. "How yah been Sam?"

"I was doing fine," Sam replied, starting to turn the Impala back onto the road. "Until an undead archangel appeared as my co-pilot, an archangel with a hidden agenda usually at that, what's your angle Gabriel? Why are you really here and what do you really want?"

Gabriel sighed and put his feet down. His face went emotionless for a moment before a new emotion; new on him at least, appeared. Fear, Sam had seen his fear when he and Dean had first discovered who and what Gabriel really was, but this was a different kind of fear. One Sam determined didn't look well on anyone.

"It's about my brother." Gabriel said stone cold serious.

"Cas?" Sam asked. He was suddenly interested.

"Castiel did something," Gabriel explained. "I can't tell what, but he did something and now he's hurting."

"Hurting," Sam said. "You mean like in physical pain?"

"Maybe," Gabriel shrugged. "It was hard to tell. All I know is it was as if something in him was dying away, as if he was losing a part of himself. I dunno, it could be nothing, but…can I ask a favor of you Sam?"

Sam was leery, he had to say that much. Gabriel had never been high on his list of trustworthy people, but then again Sam didn't have a huge list and most of the people on it were either dead, Castiel, or his brother, so at the moment he didn't have much choice. As much as he hated the thought of making a deal with a trickster, he could tell something was jarring Gabriel and even though he only knew the archangel as a general asshole, Sam knew he still wasn't himself. Sam sighed and tapped his fingers against the steering wheel. He contemplated this and decided finally what did he have to lose? Besides, if Castiel was involved, it couldn't be a trick.

"Yeah," Sam nodded and listened as he kept his eyes on the road. "You can."

"Keep an eye on my baby brother," Gabriel said, more serious than Sam had ever heard him sound. "For me and for Dean? He's basically attached at the hip to your brother. So please?"

"Alright," Sam said without hesitation. "Consider it done when I get back from this hunt. Dean's with him now."

"Thank you," this was foreign, Sam had never known the archangel to be grateful. "Oh and Sam?"

"Yeah?" Sam asked he was scared to know what else Gabriel wanted.

"Take care of yourself too." Gabriel said before a flap of wings was heard and the archangel was gone. He left no remnants of him ever being there except for the sweet candy scent that seemed to be unique to him. It had lingered in Sam's nostrils and followed him throughout his time in TV land and those eternal Tuesdays. Sam sighed, shaking off what had just happened, and kept driving forward. He was close to Jody's and the hunt couldn't wait a day more.

-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-

Dean sat in the bunker living room and pondered his and Castiel's next move. Something had happened back at the warehouse and Dean wasn't quite sure what. Castiel had heard something that fell deaf on Dean's ears. His friend had been yelling at someone unseen to "shut up", but Dean had never once seen the person responsible for Castiel's outburst. The angel was currently lying down in the one of the many bedrooms at the bunker, supposedly sleeping, which Dean found odd in itself since Castiel had once told him years ago that angels in fact did not need sleep.

Dean on the other hand was sleeping with ghosts.

Not literal ones of course, but the ghosts of the past. The things he'd done when the bloodlust had been hot and heavy and Dean had been ready to kill at a moment's notice. He felt no need now and that scared him. How something so strong, so deep rooted and powerful, could suddenly disappear from him? That, he couldn't understand. Meanwhile, the hunter was plagued with images of the woman he'd killed that had made the news, the child that had cried in the night because of his eyes, the man he'd bludgeoned to death in the alleyway.

The thoughts of it all made him sick. So he sat in a chair next to the couch in the bunker's living room, trying to think of anything, but that. His gut churned like a humbling river, flowing upstream, up his throat and wanting to come out in the form of a blood curdling scream. He hadn't thought of any other way to let it out. He heard a door creak and Castiel appeared, wearing sweatpants and an old t-shirt of Sam's that the younger hunter had lent him. Dean watched him walk; he seemed to walk with a slight limp. He was in pain, Dean could tell. From what, Dean couldn't say.

"Hey Cas," Dean cleared his throat and turned to face the angel. "You any better?"

"I'll manage," Castiel sat down near him in the other armchair. "We have to go back, Metatron was there. I could feel it."

"Ok Geronimo," Dean replied. "Why don't you sit this one out for awhile? I mean you're already limping and you could barely function in that damn warehouse."

"Shut up," Castiel snapped, which shocked Dean. Castiel had never told him to shut up. Dean didn't know how to respond. "I am so close to that…imbecile. I can sense it. If I give up now, I—"

"Ok," Dean said defensively. "Ok, I didn't mean…you know what never mind. I'm sorry. I just figured…"

"Dean," Castiel sighed. "It's fine. It is I who should be saying sorry."

"Cas…"

"No," Castiel explained. "It's just…he took everything from us. He took our home, our powers, and our lives. The only thing the angels have ever known has been torn from us and it's my fault, all of it is. I trusted the wrong person. Now I just want to make things right and I'm so close Dean I can feel it. I need to find him, you just…you wouldn't understand."

"You remember when Sam went to Hell?" Dean abruptly asked.

"Yes." Castiel said.

"And how I wanted to do everything in my power to bring him back?" Dean continued.

"What is your point Dean?" Castiel replied with a sigh.

"I know how it feels," Dean replied. "How you feel. You want to do what's right. Man I admire that so much Cas, but you're running on empty here. You're in pain I can see it and since you won't tell me why I have to assume it's just some angelic shit because you were fighting some holier than thou supernatural force or some mumbo jumbo like that. Anyway man I know how you feel, but Cas like I said I need you and I need you to not go out there and kill yourself trying to find Metatron ok?"

Castiel didn't reply. He looked over at Dean though.

"Please Cas," Dean said. "I will help you find him, but please don't do this anymore today ok?"

"Ok Dean." Castiel replied rather flippantly, but Dean could tell he meant what he said.

"Good." Dean said, leaning back and tapping his fingers on the arm of the chair.

"Nervous energy," Castiel spoke up after a bout of silence. "Is my brother's plaything."

Dean stopped.

"Just thinking…" Dean said.

"About?"

"About the last few months." Dean replied.

"I see."

"Look Cas not for nothing but," Dean replied. "I'm having a hard time fathoming it myself so I really don't think I should talk about it for awhile. If that's ok with you?"

"I never said we had to Dean." Castiel said, holding his hands up slightly.

"I don't even know where to begin." Dean sighed.

"Distracting yourself," Castiel said. "Would prove most helpful."

"Pray tell?" Dean asked.

"I suggest you read," Castiel stood from the chair. "You don't do that often enough. I'd recommend The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy. I do believe you'd relate with the characters quite well."

Castiel stood and walked towards the room that had been dubbed as his for the time being.

"Since when did you become all scholarly Cas," Dean chuckled. "And no offense but the day I pick up a book is the day the world actually ends."

"No time like the present." Castiel gave a soft smile and walked into his room, leaving Dean alone. Dean chuckled to himself as his eyes landed on the bookcase nearby. He immediately shook his head no and clicked the remote for the television. The game was on and it was so rare that Dean got to actually catch it. Although, Dr. Sexy was having a marathon…

Reviews are appreciated!

Sorry guys, to be honest this was kind of a filler chapter. I wanted ya'll to know I was alive, but at the same time it's late and I don't have the energy for the full thing. The next chapter though will be a bit longer, I promise.