Wings of Wax Chapter 11: Separated, a supernatural fanfic

Sorry this chapter took a while, but it's actually REALLY long so hopefully that makes up for it! Thanks for those of you who have followed, favorited, and reviewed! It means a lot to me! Happy reading!

Katrina had an immeasurable stamina in comparison to humans when it came to anything, but if she had to read one more old dusty book, she thought her eyes would start bleeding. How the Winchesters managed to do this on a regular basis, she had no idea. All of them were sitting in the library, surrounded by piles of books. They all flipped through the pages, except for Dean, who insisted that he be the one to search the internet. From the way that he smiled every few minutes, Katrina highly doubted that what he was looking at was purely research related. She closed the book, sighing. Nothing. Sam glanced up at her momentarily, but looked back down immediately. Katrina felt a flush of awkwardness from him, but something was off.

For the last two days, everything from Sam was becoming steadily harder and harder to reach. She could still feel his presence and his emotions, but it was like someone had given her... earplugs and tinted goggles or something. It was hard to describe, given the synesthesia attributed to their connection, but the most accurate description would be that everything seemed muted- duller. She couldn't even hear his thoughts most of the time. Every once in a while, she would hear snippets of it, like a radio station with a bad connection. But she couldn't get the connotations or the feelings with it, just the words. She didn't know if she was relieved or worried. Was the connection getting weaker? Or was Sam getting duller, his light steadily fading? She wanted to ask him about it, but he seemed to be avoiding her.

She frowned, a bit saddened. Sam was her friend. If he was angry with her, she wished he would tell her. Perhaps he wasn't angry. At first, he had blushed and started fumbling whatever he was doing whenever she came into a room. He seemed embarrassed over something. Either way, if there was something wrong with him or his soul, they should be communicating more, not less. He looked up at her again, making her realize that she had been staring. He gave her a look that said, "Shouldn't you be working?" Katrina flushed, picking up the next book and returning her focus to the task at hand.

"I think I have something," Castiel said suddenly.

Katrina let out a gust of air in relief, her shoulders sagging, "Thank God."

"The ingredients are very hard to find, which normally wouldn't be a problem because I know where to find them, but now..."

"I can get them," Katrina said, standing with the others and going to look over Castiel's shoulder. A flash of irritation went through her. Castiel spoke as if he had no choice but to remain powerless. He did have a choice. All he had to do was take back his grace and there wouldn't be a problem finding the ingredients. "Just tell me where they are."

Sam shot her a wary look, seeming to sense her anger. Which didn't make any sense. If she couldn't hear him, how could he hear her?

After retrieving a number of strange, unorthodox items, including the walking stick that could only come from a sheep herder over the age of forty who lived on a specific mountain in Israel and much, much stranger things, Katrina lay them all out neatly on the table and took a step back. The Winchesters looked them over, and Castiel expressed his approval. Katrina sat down next to Crowley, who had been ordered into a seat at the corner of the room. She didn't know anything about spells, so she would just let the boys handle the rest. They immediately got to work, spooning out and measuring different powders, shaving bits off of the walking stick, and more. Sam began to speak steadily in Latin about five minutes in as they continued to work with the ingredients on the table.

Katrina watched silently, making a note to herself that she should study some Latin in her free time. It would certainly come in handy. Sam seemed to know it pretty well, his voice ringing out with certainty. He almost sounded like a different person, his voice deep, almost booming through the room. His tongue easily maneuvered around the foreign incantation, like poetry. If Katrina was honest with herself... it was kind of hot.

Sam's voice suddenly cracked a bit, his tongue stumbling over the words as his face flushed red. Katrina turned bright red as well. Oops. Apparently her thoughts were not at all her own at the moment. They weren't thoughts she should be having anyways, she scolded herself silently.

"Sam!" Dean scolded, surprised, "Don't fuck up the spell!" Sam nodded and continued, his voice a bit shaky, but growing stronger again.

Katrina was even more confused now. How could Sam hear her thoughts so easily? She was across the room! She was going to have to confront him about it later. For now, she would watch, keeping her thoughts simple and unwandering. She kept her eyes firmly on the table, refusing to let her eyes make their way back to Sam. She blocked out his words, focusing on the clinking of the bowls on the table. The candles flickered, almost hypnotizing.

"Katrina!" Dean said, breaking her out of her reverie, sounding irritated.

"What?" she said, looking up.

"I said, give me the grace," He replied impatiently. Sam had stopped chanting, and everyone in the room was staring at her. Her cheeks heated again.

Katrina stood quickly unfastening the chain around her neck. She held it to her for a moment, hesitant to hand over something so precious. Everyone had insisted that it would come out of the process unharmed, but she was still wary. As much as she hated to admit it, there was truth to Crowley's words. Castiel's grace was her last remaining hope, the only key to an eternal life that wasn't spent alone. If she didn't have that... she would have nothing. As long as she had the grace, she had a chance at convincing Castiel to take it even if he was hesitant as Crowley had so blatantly hinted. Without it, there was nothing that could be done to save the last bits of the life she had expected when Castiel had created her.

"Today please, Kat."

Katrina bit her lip, handing over the small bottle. She didn't step back, hovering over Dean's shoulder as he placed the bottle carefully in the middle of a world map covered in sigils. The map had been soaked in the strange concoction they had whipped up with the ingredients. He carefully undid the cap of the bottle. The grace slid out like a living creature. Katrina's breath caught. It was even more beautiful out in the open. It swirled and pulsed, floating around like it was a sea creature, the air its ocean.

Dean struck a match, making Katrina's heart jump to her throat. He wasn't going to burn it was he?

"Sam," he said purposefully. Sam began reciting another incantation. Dean lowered the match. Katrina was about to jump forward to stop him, but Castiel's hand on her arm held her back.

Like a snake charmed by its master, the grace began to swirl even more, weaving around itself. It slid down and over the map, spreading thin like a veil.

Dean dropped the match suddenly, causing a noise of protest to escape from Katrina's throat. The map was set ablaze, the grace shimmering atop it, seeming to become one with it, like it was laminated. But the map had begun to disintegrate, the edges curling up, blackened. The flames grew bigger and brighter, giving off sparks and hisses. Katrina's nails were digging half moons into her palms as she watched them eat away at the map.

Finally the flames started to die down, dimming with a few crackles. A small portion of the map was left, glimmering with the grace, its edges black. Slowly, the grace emerged from the paper, swelling peacefully as it shimmered in the air. Dean grabbed the empty bottle, coaxing it back inside with his hand. Jealousy rose up in Katrina. Why did Dean get to touch it? She had only felt its presence through the bottle. The grace itself must have felt so pure and beautiful. When Dean had put the lid back on, he handed it back to her, and she cradled it gently in her hands, reverent. Castiel shifted away from her, his hand dropping back to his side.

She fastened the chain around her neck and stepped forward with the boys, looking down at the small bit of map that was left.

"Well shit..." Sam murmured.

Shit was right. The section left was in the ocean, south of America. More specifically, the Bermuda Triangle. A small black dot in the center indicated the location of the gate.

"Well," Dean said, "It's definitely his style."

"So is it at the bottom of the ocean?" Sam asked.

Castiel shook his head, "Knowing Metatron, it's probably on some tropical island. He'd want to make it something ostentatious."

"So... you guys are urban legend experts and all..." Katrina joked halfheartedly, "You think the stuff about the Bermuda Triangle is real?"

"Well," Sam replied, "there's tons of weird stories- true stories- surrounding it. It covers such a huge area though, and it doesn't just make random people go missing, it wrecks and makes entire ships vanish. It'd have to be something huge. It's almost like the work of Gods, or at least how humans perceive Gods to be. We've found that they're not nearly as powerful as the myths say. Gods need prayers and belief to fuel them, and no deity that has anything to do with water or ships really has enough believers to-"

"Alright alright Sam," Dean cut him off, "Let's not get all nerdy here. We're not going on a hunt to save the Bermuda Triangle, we just wanna get to Metatron."

"So, we're just gunna go in?" Katrina asked, "Guns blazing?"

"That's what we usually do," Dean shrugged.

"From what I've read," Katrina raised an eyebrow, "that doesn't usually go so well."

"It went fine with Dick Roman," Dean countered.

"Yeah... after like the third attempt. And 'fine' included sending you and Castiel to Purgatory."

"Whatever," Dean waved off, "This is just Metatron and a bunch of shifters. He's not even the most powerful angel we've ever encountered. This is some level one shit."

"Whatever you say..." Katrina sighed, "But what are we gunna do with this guy?" She gestured to Crowley.

"He can go back in his kennel."

"What?" Crowley said incredulously, standing, "That wasn't part of the deal."

"It'll only be for a little bit."

"I don't care if it's for five seconds, I'm not going back in there!" Crowley's voice rose.

"I am so, so sorry," Katrina said, "That you think you have a choice. You're going into that room again until we get back. End of story. I'll leave you a book and some scotch."

Crowley simply stared back at her stubbornly.

"How about this," Katrina said sweetly, "You'll go back to your cell, or I'll kill you."

"Well... isn't she a fast learner," Crowley quipped angrily.

"Yep," Sam smiled, "And she's right. I think it's a universal sentiment of everyone in this bunker that if you don't cooperate, we will gladly kill you."

"Fine," Crowley bit out, "But you had better let me out right when you get back."

"Maybe," Katrina shrugged, "Maybe not. I think you should just be grateful for the time we gave you."

Before Crowley could respond, Katrina had transported him to his room. She sat him down in his chair and refastened his chains.

"You put on such a goody-goody act, but you're a snake just like me," Crowley smirked.

"Debateable," Katrina said nonchalantly, "Maybe I just don't put too much stock into promises made with demons."

"I think that secretly, you're okay with being a monster, as long as you get to be happy."

Katrina cocked her head to the side, "And why is that a bad thing? I can't help what I am. I can help whether or not I live my life to the fullest."

"It's not a bad thing," Crowley shrugged, "But sometimes monsters can do terrible things to achieve that happiness."

"I don't think that I could gain any happiness from doing terrible things."

"You say that now. Wait another two hundred years. We'll see how noble and good-willed you are then."

"I'll have Castiel to keep me right."

"Of course you will."

Katrina turned to leave, fixing the devil's trap before stepping to the other side of the bookshelves.

"I like you," Crowley called after her as the shelves swung shut, "Maybe we can join up forces when you go bad."

"You mean if I go bad."

"No. I mean when."

Katrina's lip curled as the door slammed shut behind her.

Katrina was always surprised at how calm the Winchesters were able to remain before going out on a hunt. She was almost shaking with anticipation and nervousness, but everyone around her was eerily still as they gathered their things. It was as if they were a normal family, getting ready for school and work, not about to barge into their possible deaths.

"Uh... you guys..." Katrina said, fiddling with the blade in her hands, "If we don't-"

"Kat, stop." Dean cut her off, "We don't do the whole 'if we don't make it out alive' talk around here."

"Why not...?"

"Because one: we will make it out alive, and two: saying that kind of stuff before a hunt lowers morale and makes people think about whether or not we will survive and not about the task at hand. Not to mention, people tend to say pretty dramatic shit in those speeches, and it can be distracting. I'd rather not be thinking about how you've confessed that you've had a huge secret crush on me all this time while I'm trying to gank Metatron," he grinned at her and winked.

Katrina rolled her eyes. "Okay, whatever you say."

"Well," Sam said, "I'm ready to go."

"I don't see any reason to wait any longer then," Dean nodded, "Let's get this show on the road."

"So the main goal is to find and kill Metatron," Sam asserted, "We can worry about the portal later."

Everyone nodded in understanding.

"Don't let him talk either," Katrina added, "Whatever he's saying isn't important, and he's just trying to buy himself more time to can't give him that chance." She put her hand on Castiel's and Dean's shoulders, and Sam put one on hers. "Ready?" They all nodded, and she took off.

When they landed, the first thing Katrina noticed was the sand beneath her feet. The second thing was that it was unbearably hot. They looked around. Sure enough, they were on a beach that looked like something on a post card. It was beautiful. The smell of salt wafted over them with the warm breeze that did nothing to soothe the sun burning their skin.

Katrina looked at the boys. They were in their usual attire, a.k.a. Lots and lots of layers. She had been smart enough to at least wear a tanktop. She laughed,

"You guys didn't really dress appropriately for the weather did you?"

The boys shed their outer layers until they were in their T-shirts and jeans. It was odd to see them wearing so little. Well, except for Castiel. She had seen him in far less. A smirk played over her features. Sam coughed awkwardly beside her.

Flushing, she turned and punched him lightly.

"Shutup."

"Didn't say anything."

"So what," Dean said, putting his hands on his hips and looking around, "We gunna find Metatron somewhere in a hammock, sipping a Corona?"

"I don't think so," Castiel murmured, "I think he wants to get our guard down. I'm sure the portal is heavily guarded. It could be something incredibly subtle too, maybe even something invisible."

"Or maybe not so subtle..." Katrina pointed towards the inside of the island. She hadn't noticed at first, because she had assumed that it was just part of the jungle on the island, but upon closer inspection, she saw that the immense block of green was completely solid, like a giant wall of greenery.

"Is that... a wall?" Sam asked, squinting.

"I think so," Katrina nodded.

"Well," Dean clapped his hands together, "Let's go check it out."

As they drew nearer, the wall seemed to grow, towering over them. It had to be at least fifty feet tall.

"So he just made a random wall to guard it?" Dean said incredulously.

"I think it may be more than just a wall," Castiel motioned about twenty feet left of them. They hadn't been able to see it before, because all of the green had blended together, but there was a large opening in the wall, with another wall just like it behind it.

"Son of a bitch..." Dean muttered.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me," Katrina put a palm on her forehead as the realization hit her, "It's a fucking maze. Like the fucking triwizard tournament or something. What the fuck."

Sam snorted at her language, "Tell us how you really feel."

Katrina ignored him, "Okay well... what's that trick? Keep your hand on the right wall at all times and just follow it and eventually you'll get to the end?"

"I have a feeling that this maze isn't just a maze. It's designed to keep people out. You won't just be able to solve it with some cheap trick," Castiel frowned.

"Well, I don't think it changes anything," Dean shrugged, "Might as well go in."

"Of course it changes things!" Katrina said, "This isn't just some flat battlefield. He's putting us in a maze like rats, a maze that he probably has complete control over. And there's no way that he doesn't already know that we're here. If he has a maze set up, I'm sure that he has something that can tell him when someone walks up to it. The fact that he hasn't come out to stop us can only mean that he wants us to go in. It's just a huge trap!"

Dean stared at her, as if she was missing some huge point, "Nothing you just said changes anything. We already knew that the portal would be guarded, and that it probably wouldn't be easy. We're coming to Metatron at his home base, of course he has an advantage and control over the environment. The way I see it, instead of fighting all of his minions or whatever all at once in a room, we just have to do it over a stretched out period of time while walking around in a maze. It's all the same stuff, just a bit slower," He wiped off the sweat that was beginning to bead on his forehead, "Like I said before, Metatron's heaven's biggest nerd. He's not gunna wanna come out and fight us in the open, he'll want to do it as underhandedly and with the least risk for him possible."

Katrina sighed, shaking her head, "You guys are borderline suicidal, you know that?"

"So we've been told," Sam said.

"We should go," Castiel said, "The more time we wait, the more time Metatron has to prepare himself."

"The champions may now enter the maze..." Katrina murmured as they made their way through the opening.

The moment they stepped into the maze, Katrina knew that something was wrong. Everything fell silent, the sounds of the waves suddenly cut off with a stifling quiet. And there was also something far worse. Katrina couldn't put a finger on it. Something was just wrong. With her.

"You guys..." she said, her eyes wide, "Something's wrong."

"Yeah," Dean nodded, "It's a bit quiet."

"No," Katrina shook her head frantically. The feeling was growing worse and worse, she felt weak. "Something else."

"What is it?"

Katrina shifted uneasily, and that's when it clicked.

"I can't feel my wings!" she gasped, her hands flying to her back even though she knew she wouldn't be able to touch her wings, even if they were there. The absence felt like a hole. She tried to stretch them, but she felt just as wingless as she had when she was human.

Human.

She tried to stretch out her awareness, to make something move, to do anything, but had no luck.

"It's gone!" she said, panic rising in her voice, "It's all gone! I can't do anything. I'm powerless!" She was beginning to hyperventilate, "I'm useless!"

"Kat," Sam said quickly, putting his hands on her shoulders, "Stop. You're not useless. Calm down." The absolute lack of his mind against hers made her panic even more, which was surprising. She normally would have thought that she would be relieved. But now that she was so used to it, it felt like losing one of her senses. That on top of all of her other senses having dulled considerably, threw her into a full on panic attack.

"But-but-but, what if something happens and I can't-" She couldn't breathe, and her heartbeat in her ears sounded like a giant drum.

"Breathe. You're not always responsible for saving our asses Katrina," Sam said sternly, "We've handled things like this before just fine without you."

"Yeah, you may just be less useful now," Dean offered. Sam shot him a glare, making him backtrack, "But you're not useless!"

"But I'm human now!" She wanted to scream, she wanted to curl up in a ball and stay there until her lungs and her powers started working again.

"It's most likely just a warding," Castiel said, finally breaking his observant silence, "You're not human, you just can't use your powers while in the maze. If we make it out, you will return to normal."

Katrina spun around to face the opening, "So if I step out...?" she took a step forward.

Suddenly, an unseen force threw her back into the wall behind her.

"Kat!"

The Winchester's rushed to her side, kneeling down next to her. Katrina moaned, a heap on the ground. They took her arms and helped her up, supporting her when her legs couldn't.

"Ow..." Katrina murmured.

"Okay, so, no leaving," Sam said.

"I think my everything is broken..." Katrina groaned.

"Oh stop exaggerating," Dean said, letting go of her arm to see if she could hold herself up. Katrina stumbled a bit, but held herself up fine with only a little support from Sam, whose left hand was holding her arm while his other hovered anxiously over her back.

"I think it's safe to say that the walls are made of more than just plants," Castiel said, observing the wall. There wasn't even a hint of a dent where Katrina had hit.

"So no leaving, no flying to the middle, and no hacking our way through," Dean said, "Guess we just need to solve the maze the old fashioned way.

"Which way then?" Sam said, looking around.

Dean pulled a coin out of his pocket, "Heads is right, tails is left," he flipped the coin, catching it and putting it on the back of his hand, "Left it is." He slipped the coin back into his pocket.

"Let's go then," Sam said.

Katrina swallowed, her hands still shaking, and followed them as they took the passage to the left.

Dean and Castiel were about a pace and a half in front of Sam as they walked, and Katrina was about as close behind Sam as she could be without stepping on his heels, peeking out from the side of him like a cub behind its mother. Normally, she would have gone to Castiel's side for comfort and protection, but just like Sam had a hunting mode, Castiel had his. However, it was not as simplistic as Sam's, but like a robotic soldier, cold, calculating, and dangerous. She knew that the only thing on his mind now was killing Metatron, not protection. She tried not to think too hard about the fact that his first instinct right now would probably be to kill, not to save her if it was necessary. In fact, he seemed to have cut her off completely the moment they had discovered that she was powerless. As if he was a war general and had realized that one of his soldiers was no longer fit for combat and was adjusting accordingly. Sam had rushed to her side to help her up, not him. And she could tell by the way the Sam glanced back at her every few seconds that protecting her was on his list of priorities.

Sam. It was so strange that she couldn't feel him anymore. It felt wrong. Like she was numb. It was a part of her body, the connection, just like her foot was. So it felt like a piece of her body that had fallen asleep because she sat or slept funny. She also felt a bit cold. It was strange how it took the absence of something for her to realize that it had existed in the first place. When he looked at her, she had to deduce his emotions based on his facial expression instead of being able to feel a spike in worry, protectiveness, affection, or whatever else she assumed he was expressing.

"Is it just me, or is this path getting smaller?" Dean said suddenly.

Katrina looked around them, it definitely was. Before, she probably wouldn't have been able to touch both ends if she was laying down across the path. But now, she could easily touch both sides if she just extended her arms as they were walking.

"No, it certainly is," Castiel answered, "It's probably to make us more nervous, claustrophobia is common with most humans on different levels. It is at least enough to make most uncomfortable or nervous, if not to start a full blown panic attack."

Soon, the path was only wide enough to fit one person, forcing them to walk in a single file line. Castiel was right, Katrina was feeling pretty nervous, even more than she already was.

Finally, the path seemed to turn ahead after stretching on straight for what seemed like ages. It was a simply corner, going around to the right, with no other option for a path. Katrina's fists clenched, wary of what may be around the other corner. She slowed down a bit, and noticed that Sam seemed to slow down as well. Whether it was subconsciously or not, she couldn't tell. Dean and Castiel rounded the corner first, and it wasn't until the split second between Castiel turning the corner and Sam reaching it, that she realized something was wrong.

Her hand shot out, grabbing him.

"Wait!"

Sam stopped and looked at her, confused. "What for?"

"Do you hear that?" Katrina said.

Sam cocked his head, listening, before shaking it, "I don't hear anything."

"Exactly…" Katrina murmured. The moment Dean and Castiel had rounded the corner, the sound of their footsteps had been cut off entirely. Sam seemed to catch on.

"Dean?" he called. There was no response. "Shit," he said, moving forward to round the corner.

"Wait!" Katrina said again.

"What?" he turned around, exasperated, "We have to-"

"Just look around it," Katrina said anxiously, "Don't go around the corner."

Sam sighed impatiently, but did as she said. Katrina held onto his sleeve as he did so.

"There's nothing there." he said, pulling back. "What happened to them?"

"It's like that episode of Game of Thrones…" Katrina whispered, "When Danaerys goes around that tower and is transported the moment she's out of Sir Jora's sight…"

"And you call me the nerd," Sam snorted.

"Shutup Sam! This is serious," Katrina snapped.

"Even if you're right, why does that mean we can't go around the corner? If it's some sort of magic portal, we'll just end up with Dean and Cas, right?"

"I don't think so…" Katrina shook her head, "I think it's meant to separate us. Which is why you can't go around it. What if we get separated?"

"Well we have to continue!" Sam said, "As long as we go around it together, it should be fine right?

"How are we gunna do that?" Katrina asked incredulously, "The path isn't wide enough!"

"You could get on my back," Sam suggested.

"What?" Katrina gaped, "Get on your back?"

Sam rolled his eyes, "You're so small, you'd be like a backpack on me. It's the only way to guarantee that we round the corner at the exact same time."

"I guess you're right…" Katrina said uncomfortably.

She reluctantly tossed aside any thoughts of dignity as Sam crouched down, allowing her to climb onto his back. When he stood, the sudden change in height was almost dizzying, like going up in a really fast elevator. Sam hooked his arms underneath her knees, and hiked her up a bit so that he could carry her more comfortably. Katrina blushed, embarrassed, and hesitantly looped her arms around his neck, making sure to keep her blade safely pointed away from his neck..

"Ready?" Sam asked.

"Yeah.." Katrina said quietly, feeling Sam tense underneath her as her breath skimmed his neck.

"Then let's go," he said, his voice a bit gruff.

They rounded the corner, and immediately noticed the change. The path had become wide again, and the walls around them were a considerably darker green. The most noticeable difference, however, was the heat. It had somehow gotten even hotter. It felt like an oven. The heat was beating down on them mercilessly, and Katrina could feel the sweat beginning to drop down her back immediately.

"Christ almighty," she murmured.

"Tell me about it," Sam nearly panted.

"Maybe you should put me down," Katrina said. It was much too hot to be in such close contact with someone.

"Yeah," Sam nodded, loosen his hold on her legs, "Good idea."

Katrina slid down awkwardly, her feet hitting the ground unsteadily, causing her to stumble back again.

"I wonder if they're nearby…" Katrina said, before calling out, "Castiel? Dean?"

She listened quietly, before calling again, "Castiel!"

Then, there was an answer.

"Katrina!" The voice sounded panicked, and some hidden gear came to life inside her, churning like the wheels of a train. All thoughts of her powerlessness, her humanity, vanished. Castiel was in trouble.

"Castiel!" she yelled, sprinting in the direction of Castiel's voice, "Castiel!"

"Kat! Wait!" Sam ran after her. But it was too late. Katrina had rounded the nearest corner, and he could hear nothing but his own panting and footsteps. Sure enough, when he looked around the corner, she was gone.

"Shit…"

Castiel stumbled a bit. The moment he had turned the corner it was like some force had pushed him from behind. However, he found that he was completely alone. Dean was no longer in front of him, and Sam was no longer behind him.

"Damn…" he muttered.

He wasn't even on a path anymore. He was in a completely closed off section. The green leafy walls surrounded him from all sides, towering over him.

"Hello Castiel."

Castiel spun around to see Metatron had appeared behind him. His face wound into an angry look of determination as he clutched his blade tighter, stalking forward.

"Ah, ah, ah…" Metatron tisked, and Castiel found himself surrounded by what he assumed were shifters. He started to lash out them, but only managed to take down about three before he was captured, the blade torn from his grasp.

"Please," Metatron said, "Let's be civil. Come, I'll take you to the control room."

Castiel was dragged forward as a door appeared and Metatron stepped through it.

The air immediately cooled as he entered, and he was pulled into a room that contrasted highly against the maze he had just been in. It was a room full of televisions and computers and people wearing headsets and pressing numerous buttons. Actually, not people. Shifters, most likely.

The amount of technology and noise was very different compared to the sweltering hot, silent maze free of all signs of anything man-made.

"This," Metatron smiled smugly, "Is where the magic happens."

"Why draw this out so complexly," Castiel said through gritted teeth, "Why not just kill us and be done with it?"

"Aw, but there's no fun in that!" Metatron quipped, "No, no, it's gotta be entertaining. Have you seen the Hunger Games? No.. you probably haven't, have you? Well, it's where I got my inspiration from. Just you wait. This is going to be delicious," his grin made Castiel's stomach sink. The Hunger Games? Was he just going to have them wander around and starve?

"Come closer," Metatron beckoned, "Let's see how things are going for our friends."

Castiel felt himself drawn forward. Of course, he had no interest in humoring Metatron's sick games, but he couldn't allow himself to look away from what was happening to his friends- his family.

He followed Metatron's gaze to the bottom left screen, where he saw Sam and Katrina. They stood before the corner that he and Dean had rounded before they were both transported to differing locations. He breathed a sigh of relief. At least they had been smart enough to not be separated. But where was Dean?

Katrina was now climbing onto Sam's back, whom, when the camera suddenly changed angle, Castiel saw had a far greater look of concentration on his face than what seemed necessary. Katrina was not at all heavy. Her arms were wrapped loosely around his neck, and his arms were underneath her legs. There it was again. That burn of jealousy, rising like bile in his throat. But it was ridiculous. They were obviously just trying to survive. They rounded the corner and managed to be transported together. Castiel had no reason to hold their quick thinking in contempt.

"Looks like they found a way to sidestep my corner trick," Metatron said ponderously, "Let's say we scramble things up a bit?" He turned to one of the shifters, "Crank up the heat."

After a few seconds, Katrina slid off of Sam's back. She turned around in circles, before raising her hands to her mouth, shouting something.

"Now… to just get her around the corner," Metatron smirked, "Cue Castiel."

Castiel looked at him, confused. He didn't know of any cues, and he certainly wasn't going to participate in Metatron's scheme. But one of the shifters had pressed a button.

"Maybe we should turn the sound on," Metatron said, fiddling with a knob on the table before him just in time so that Castiel could hear his own voice.

"Katrina!"

Katrina seemed to hear it, and soon she was running towards it's source. A lump formed in Castiel's throat. He wished he could yell at her now so that she would hear him tell her not to run after it, to stay with Sam. Sam seemed to have the same idea, but wasn't quick enough to stop her, and soon they had been separated by Metatron's trick corners.

Metatron had succeeded in splitting up the entire group.

Dean fell forward, his eyes going wide with surprise.

"Hey! What'd you push me f-" he snapped behind him as he got up, then stopped. Cas wasn't behind him. Neither were Sam and Katrina. All that was behind him was a green, leafy wall.

"Son of a Bitch!"

He started stalking down the new path, but stopped when he hit a dead end about fifty yards down. There was no corner to go around. It was just a sliver of pathway, disconnected from everything else.

"Son of a Bitch…"

Katrina hurtled through the maze, looking for Castiel. Finally, she had to stop. It felt like her lungs were bleeding. She took in great gulps of breath, unaccustomed to the burning accompanied with running. She bent over, her hands on her knees, and tried to quiet her breath so that she could hear.

"Katrina!"

Katrina spun around to see Castiel. There was a giant slash cut diagonally from his shoulder to his waist.

"Castiel!" she gasped, half relieved, half horrified. She ran forward to hug him. She quickly let go when Castiel winced in pain.

"What happened?"

"There's no time," he murmured, "I need you to give me my grace."

"Wait, really?"

"Yes, really."

"What made you change your mind?" Katrina's hand slid up to the bottle that rested on her chest.

"Katrina, I don't have time to explain. We need to get out of here."

"Right," Katrina said hesitantly.

"We need to find Sam and Dean."

"Right."

"And we need to kill them."

Katrina's breath stopped, her eyes widening. She snapped out of it, "What?"

"We need to get out of here…"

"Yeah I got that part!" Katrina took a step back, "What about the part where we kill our only friends?"

Castiel seemed to lose patience. "I was wrong about Metatron, and about them. Metatron is trying to open up the gates for all of the angels again. The only way to achieve that is to kill Sam and Dean."

"That doesn't make any sense…" Katrina took another step back, frowning.

"Katrina," Castiel pleaded, "Don't you trust me? Weren't you the one who wanted me to take my grace back? We could have eternity together," he held out his hand.

"But I didn't think it would come at this price…" Katrina whispered.

"Sam and Dean Winchester are only temporary anyways," Castiel said, stepping towards her, "One thousand years from now, when we are still alive, it won't matter if we knew them for ten or thirty years. Both spans will seem like nothing. Soon they will only be a vague memory."

Katrina swallowed anxiously, tightening her grip on her blade.

"I don't understand," Castiel said angrily, "What's the point in making Katrina believe that you are good? You don't intend to use her do you?"

Metatron sighed, "Castiel. You were always so good at missing the point. Don't you see? It's like a test, if you will. I'm making her choose between the things that are most important to her: Loyalty and morality. To her, you are a God, and up until this point she has followed you without question. However, one of her biggest fears is that she will become a monster, or that she already is one. If it weren't for that fear, she probably wouldn't have hesitated at all. Her determination to be good is at battle with her devotion to you and her fear of being alone for eternity."

Castiel's fists clenched, "How do you know so much about her?"

"It's one of my talents Castiel," Metatron winked, "I've always been good at picking things out of people's brains- their motivations, their fears, their priorities. It comes in really handy in these situations."

"So, you're going to make her choose. Then what? You're going to kill her and make her think it was me?"

"Well… things are going to be a bit more interesting than that. You see, Katrina isn't the only one who has to make choices."

Sam sat down to take a break. The heat was really starting to get to him. He was beginning to think that this maze probably didn't even lead to the portal to heaven. It was probably somewhere completely secure and blocked off. This maze existed just to kill them.

Suddenly he heard footsteps rounding the corner to his left. He jumped up, raising his knife. However, it was Dean that came into sight. Dean seemed to jump into the defensive for a moment too, before he realized that it was only Sam. He sighed in relief.

"Thank God…" He strode forward.

"I guess you lost Cas too then?" Sam asked.

"Yeah. Damn trick corners."

"Me and Katrina found away around it, but then she ran off."

Dean shifted, a guilty expression crossing his face.

"...What?" Sam asked hesitantly.

"We gotta talk about her…."

"What happened."

"I had to do it Sam."

"...Had to do what?"

"She tricked us all. It was all one big play, stringing you and Cas along like that."

"Had to do what?" Sam repeated loudly. His hands had started to shake.

"I had to kill her Sam."

Sam's stomach dropped, "You what…?"

"I killed her. She was working for Metatron! It was all a trick. Metatron said it himself!"

"You saw Metatron?"

"Yeah, briefly."

"And you believed the bullshit that came out of his mouth?" Sam was yelling now, bile rising in his throat.

"Of course I did! Sam! It all made sense. The way she had you wrapped around her little finger-"

"She did not have me wrapped around her little finger!" Sam seethed.

"Please! You've had the biggest crush on her for weeks now Sam! It's so obvious it's sickening! I did both you and Cas a favor!"

Sam's fist collided with Dean's face, sending him flying backwards.

"You stupid bastard!" he shouted, "I can't believe you killed her!"

"I had to Sam! I had to!"

"No you didn't!" Sam shouted back, "You know what? You didn't do it for me, or for Cas, you did it for yourself! You've been jealous of her ever since she got here!"

"Jealous?" Dean said incredulously.

"Please! Stop playing stupid! You think I'm the one with the huge obvious crush? You've had the hots for Cas for years! And your stupid masculinity complex has always kept you from admitting it! So instead, you killed your competition!"

"So what are you gunna do then…?" Dean said, standing, "You gunna kill me? Is that bitch you barely know worth killing your brother over?"

Sam swung again, but Dean ducked in time before tackling Sam to the ground.

Castiel watched the commotion on the screen with wide eyes.

"Love…" Metatron sighed, "It's the best way to get people at each other's throats."

"Shifter's lie," Castiel said weakly.

"Yes. To get under people's skin. Why would that get under Sam's skin if it wasn't true? Not to mention… Sam isn't a shifter."

"Sam is wrong…" Castiel said quietly, "He must be mistaken. There's no way he feels that way."

"We'll see about that."

Dean paced back down the path for what seemed like the hundredth time. He was just about to slam his fist against the wall in frustration when a sudden whirring noise from the end of the path caught his attention. He ran towards the noise, skidding to a halt as two screens rose out of the ground in front of him.

They were blank for a moment, before they both turned on.

On one screen, Sam was busy wrestling with… Dean. Except it wasn't Dean.

"Shifter…" he ground out.

On the other screen, he saw Katrina and Castiel. The camera was angled so that he could only see Katrina from behind. His chest tightened as he recognized a large wound that stretched across Castiel's torso. His eyes then flashed to the blade in Katrina's hand.

Katrina had betrayed them?

"Why are you making me watch this, you sick son of a bitch?!" he yelled at the sky.

As if to answer, directly behind the two screens, two passages appeared.

The situation was clear. One path lead to Sam, the other to Cas. He had to choose who to save, and something told him he wouldn't be able to come back after he had saved one of them.

He looked between the two screens frantically. On one hand, he knew that Sam was significantly more capable of taking care of himself than Cas was, but on the other hand, Katrina didn't have any experience in combat… Unless she had lied. His eyes fell back on the bloody slash across Castiel's chest.

Sam could handle himself.

He took the passage on the right, towards Castiel. Soon he could hear the voices.

"Please Katrina, listen to reason."

He rounded another corner and found himself behind Castiel.

"Cas!"

Castiel turned around, relief sliding over his face, "Dean."

"Dean! No!" Katrina said, lurching towards them. Dean grabbed Castiel's arm, yanking him so that he was behind him.

"Back away Kat."

"W-what?"

"I said back away. I don't know how long you've been playing us, but you're done now."

"No, Dean, it's Cas! He-"

"You were right Dean," Castiel said, and Dean suddenly realized just how close Castiel was standing behind him. He could feel his breath tickling the back of his neck. "We shouldn't have trusted her."

"Dean, please!" Katrina begged.

"Shutup!" Dean shouted at her.

"She was working for Metatron this whole time," Castiel said quietly, "I was wrong to let her into our lives. Please forgive me."

"He's lying!" Katrina said, her lower lip trembling.

"I was an idiot for thinking that she loved me. She tricked me. She pushed us apart. I should have been spending that time with you." His voice was smooth like velvet.

Dean swallowed, his mind racing. Where on earth was this coming from?

"You have to kill her," Castiel almost whispered, "She's a monster, just like you said. Once she's dead, we can go back to the way things were. We can be together again, without her." Castiel's hands had drawn up and were resting on Dean's back. Dean could almost feel his lips on his neck. He was completely frozen in place, his eyes widening with surprise.

The real Castiel was resisting the urge to scream at the screen. He spun around to face Metatron.

"Why are you doing this to my friends? Is your quarrel not with me? Where is my test?"

"This is your test," Metatron smirked, "You have to see all this. You have to know what's going to happen, and then you have to decide whether or not you'll stop it."

"What's going to happen then?" Castiel snarled, "Why on Earth would I not want to stop it? Do I have to sacrifice my life? Is that it? Kill me then!"

"No. That's exactly the opposite of what I intend to make you do," Metatron's grin was growing wider and wider, "You could stop all this right now. You could save your friends. All you have to do, is take this." He held out a bottle with a shiny silver substance.

Castiel sucked a breath in. "My grace. I thought-"

"That Katrina had it? I swapped it out for a fake one when she was being transported through the corner."

"So, you'll let me save them?"

"Absolutely."

Castiel looked back to the screens, gritting his teeth.

"But you won't do it…" Metatron cooed, "Because you like being human, don't you?"

Castiel didn't answer.

"I have to say, I was surprised at first when I learned that you refused to take your grace back. But it didn't take me long to figure it out. Castiel, mighty warrior of heaven's greatest fear isn't mortality, it isn't growing old and dying, it isn't being powerless and cut off from heaven. No. His greatest fear is to live for eternity without Dean Winchester."

Castiel's face spasmed in pain. His dream of standing next to Dean's grave rose up in his mind.

"You'd rather stay human, knowing that you will soon follow Dean Winchester to heaven, than become an angel and save him. How pitiful you are. If only your lover knew."

"So," Metatron gestured to the screen, "Dean will kill Katrina for you, and then he will die by your own hand, knowing that he had just killed an innocent woman for nothing, and that the love of his life wanted nothing but his death. And Sam Winchester will die thinking that his own brother killed the woman he loves, and then turned on him. All because you are too much of a coward to live alone. Sorry, not alone. But without Dean. I wonder how Katrina would feel if she knew that she wasn't enough for you. It's a shame we'll never find out." He handed the bottle to Castiel, his eyes glinting.

"Dean, please, he's lying!" Katrina pleaded. He had to know that she wouldn't trick him. If only Sam were there! Sam had been in her head. He knew that she was innocent!

"She tricked me Dean," Castiel said softly, "She took advantage of me. She took away my innocence. You should have been the one to do that. You would never trick me, or hurt me." Castiel's hands had traveled to Dean's waist.

Dean stiffened, adjusting his grip on his blade and taking a step forward, his jaw set with determination.

"That's right…" Castiel murmured. Katrina began to take shaky steps backwards. She knew there was no way she could outrun the hunter, or overpower him.

"Please…"

Suddenly, Dean swung around, plunging his blade into Castiel's chest.

"Castiel!" Katrina shrieked.

Dean yanked his blade out of the shifter's chest and it fell to the ground with a thump. He turned around, "Not Cas."

"W-what?"

"I said it's not Cas. It was a shifter."

"But…"

"Metatron's just trying to screw with us. He's sending shifter's to get inside our heads. When shifter's change into a person, they can see their memories. That, paired with what Metatron has told them, makes them pretty freaking believable. They use what they know to try and screw with you. And I guess Metatron found a way to hide their eyes on the cameras, otherwise I would have known. But I figured it out. Cas would never have said anything like that."

"Oh…" Katrina swallowed, "So… Castiel's still out there somewhere."

"Hopefully. Come on. Let's go. We gotta find Sam too."

Katrina followed Dean, deep in thought. After about a minute, she spoke up.

"Dean?"

"What?"

"So… the shifters say things that they know will get under your skin to make it hard for you to make the right decision…"

"Yeah," Dean grunted.

Katrina let out a long breath. How had she not realized it before? Was she seriously that much of a fucking idiot? The jealousy, the awkward stares, his constant avoidance of ever being in the same room as her and Castiel, it was so fucking obvious, "You're in love with Castiel."

Dean stared at her his mouth gaping open, before stuttering out some garbled protest.

"It wasn't a question," Katrina cut him off.

Dean turned his face back to the front, gritting his teeth.

"Wow… I would have made a shitty psychiatrist…" Katrina muttered. How could she be so blind? Wasn't she supposed to be an expert on diagnosing underlying causes for behavior? Wasn't that what she went to school for?

"If it makes you feel any better, I'm pretty good at hiding stuff," Dean offered gruffly.

"No you're not." Katrina replied. "It was as obvious as the freckles on your face. I was an idiot for not seeing it."

Dean scowled, opening his mouth to respond, but Katrina cut him off, "Sam knew it."

Dean gaped at her again, "How do you know?"

Katrina hesitated, "...It's a long story. Basically, me and Sam accidentally formed this weird mind connection, so we can hear each other's thoughts and stuff." She figured there was no point in lying anymore. They didn't even know if they were going to make it out alive.

"What?" Dean exclaimed, "Is that why you guys have been acting so weird lately?"

"Yeah. basically. It's kind of awkward," Katrina sighed, "We pretty much know exactly what's going on in each other's heads all the time, at least, if we're nearby. The way Sam got kinda sad whenever something happened between you and Castiel kinda gave it away… I should have realized that it was cuz you had a huge raging crush on him." She honestly didn't know why she felt so calm about this. But, how was one usually supposed to react when they found out that someone was in love with their boyfriend? Dean hadn't actually done anything wrong. He couldn't help how he felt.

"Well, it looks like you don't know everything that's going on inside Sam's head then," Dean said casually.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't think I'm the only one with a 'huge raging crush.'"

"No," now it was Katrina's turn to gape, "He doesn't like me like that."

"I'm afraid I have to disagree."

Katrina shook her head, "No way."

"Yes way. I didn't say anything to him, cuz I'm not one to get into people's business like that. That's what Sam usually does. There wasn't really any point in bringing it up. What was I gunna say? 'Dude she's taken, just let it go?' or 'Come on man she ain't even human haven't you had enough with the interspecies love to know that it never works?' It's nothin' that he doesn't already know. But he likes you anyways."

"Seriously Dean, you're wrong. He was interested in me at first, but it was just a slight infatuation. It was never anything serious."

"Say what you want Katrina, but I know Sam. I may not be able to read his mind, but I know his faces and how he acts when he's in love. He doesn't just get little crushes, Sammy's a lover. He falls hard."

Katrina covered her face, "Oh God… please don't say that."

"What's the problem? My little bro not good enough for you?"

Katrina glared at him, "It's not that. Even if I did return the feelings… it wouldn't matter. He's human, and I'm not. When he's old and gray I'll still look like I'm in my twenties. He'll be dead and I'll live for thousands of years. I can't do that… It's why Castiel has to take his grace back. I can't spend eternity alone. He's my only hope…"

Dean frowned, "Yeah, I hear ya."

"Your little family has more drama than Degrassi," Metatron said, watching the screens, "It's like a love square."

Castiel tried to push down his dread. He should be happy, Metatron's plan had failed. However, he doubted that Metatron didn't have any backup plans. He couldn't even bring himself to think about what Dean and Katrina were discussing.

"Alright," Metatron sighed, "Well, I'm afraid it's my time to make an appearance," he turned to Castiel. "I don't want you causing any trouble while I'm gone, so I'll just put you down for a little nap. Sweet dreams."

Before Castiel could back away, Metatron's fingers were on his forehead and everything had faded to black.

Sam kicked Dean in the chest, sending him back off of Sam. Dean's hand grazed over Sam's knife in the process, causing him to hiss in pain. Sam's eyes widened.

"Shifter," he muttered angrily. How had he not seen that coming? Metatron had an army of shifters, that was exactly what he should have been expecting. He picked up his knife and drove it into the shifter's heart. The creature went limp.

Sam stood, panting. This meant that Katrina was still alive. His heart was soaring. Now he just had to find her.

Katrina and Dean had been wandering around with no luck.

"I really hope Sam took care of that shifter…" Dean said.

"Me too…" Katrina murmured.

"Luckily for him, he did."

Katrina and Dean spun around. Metatron stood behind them, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. Dean started forward, his face twisting into a snarl.

"Ah, ah, ah," Metatron said, holding a hand up. Dean froze in his place.

"Three of you have managed to overcome my obstacles, it seems…"

Three? Katrina's heart dropped. She felt white hot anger start to rise in its place.

"Where's Castiel you asshole?" she yelled, moving forward and finding herself restrained as well.

"Don't worry about him," Metatron waved, "He's just taking a nap. You should be more worried about yourselves. Now, I didn't expect you to get through that test, but I do have a plan-"

He stopped, his head cocking to the side. Katrina and Dean stilled as well. Then they heard it, a faint rumbling, and it was growing louder by the second.

Metatron's eyes widened with what looked like fear, and Katrina wondered what on earth could be coming that could scare him.

Soon the rumbling was like an earthquake, accompanied by a high pitched whine.

"Well.." Metatron said anxiously, "I think that's my cue to leave."

"What?" Katrina exclaimed, but Metatron had vanished. Dean and Katrina stumbled forward, released from their invisible bonds.

"What the hell is happening?" Katrina shouted over the almost ear shattering noise.

Suddenly everything stilled.

"Hey there Dean-o," A voice came from behind them.

They turned to see a man standing behind them, grinning mischieviously. He had brown hair, and was kind of short. At least, in comparison to the other men around. He still managed to be over three inches taller than Katrina.

Dean stared at him in disbelief for a moment, "Gabriel?"

"Yep," the man's grin grew wider, "Long time no see, huh?"

"Um… Dean?" Katrina asked hesitantly.

"Of course," Gabriel practically skipped over to her, "My apologies," He bowed, taking her hand and kissing it, "Gabriel the Archangel, at your service."

"Archangel…?" Katrina said in awe, her hand still in the air after he let go.

"Yep," he winked.

"Gabe…" Dean growled in warning.

"What? Just a friendly introduction," Gabriel said playfully before he did a double take. He looked over Katrina's shoulder before going around her to look at her back. "Those are some interesting wings…" he said curiously, "How'd they get all bound up like that?"

"They're still there?" Katrina asked, resisting the urge to touch her back again.

"It's the warding that Metatron has up," Dean answered.

"Well, we'll just have to take care of that, won't we?" He held out a hand to Katrina, who took it hesitantly. What a strange man. Or… archangel. Gabriel put a hand on Dean's shoulder and took off. They landed in a room full of computers.

And shifters…

"Shit," Dean muttered.

Katrina's eyes immediately fell on Castiel, who was lying on the ground. She rushed to his side as all the shifters leapt up to confront Dean and Gabriel. She started to shake his shoulder,

"Castiel, wake up." When there was no response she began to panic. Her fingers sought out his pulse. She breathed a sigh of relief when she found it. "Castiel," she repeated, "Come on. Wake up."

"Screw this," Gabriel said suddenly. "Close your eyes kids."

Katrina closed her eyes, leaning over Castiel and covering his. There was a bright white light that she could see, even through her eyelids, accompanied by the whining noise again. Katrina opened her eyes when it was over. The floor was now littered with dead shifters. Katrina looked up at Gabriel, dumbstruck. He didn't look the slightest bit tired. When she had done that, she had passed out.

"And here go the wards," he snapped his fingers, and Katrina felt everything come rushing back to her. She gasped, and stretched out her wings in relief. Gabriel let out a whistle of appreciation, "Not bad."

"You can see them?" Katrina asked self-consciously.

"Yeah, it's an Archangel thing," he said offhandedly, "Now, let's wake up sleeping beauty over here," Gabriel smirked. He knelt beside him, and his smile faded. "He's having nightmares," he said, "So he's probably gunna be really freaked out when I wake him up. Just warning you." Katrina nodded.

Gabriel put two fingers on Castiel's forehead. Castiel's eyes flew open in panic.

"Dean!" Was the first word to come out of his mouth.

"Yeah Cas?" Dean had been standing behind Katrina. Castiel jumped to his feet, rushing at Dean and throwing his arms around him.

Katrina stared in shock as Castiel started garbling incoherently. "Dean… Metatron… he… You were.. Gravestone.. Angel… Alone.." Castiel was practically sobbing. Dean looked just as surprised as Katrina.

He patted his back hesitantly. "It's okay Cas… it was just a nightmare."

Katrina felt something in her crumble as she watched them. Now she understood. Now she knew why Castiel was so reluctant to take his grace back. He wanted to stay human for the same reason that she wanted him to become an angel. She didn't want to spend eternity alone… and Castiel….

Castiel didn't want to spend eternity without Dean.

"Hey, where's Sasquatch anyways?" Gabriel interrupted her thoughts.

Sasquatch? "You mean Sam..?"

"Yeah, him."

"I'll go get him…" Katrina murmured, throwing one more look back at Dean and Castiel. She could find Sam now, with their connection rebooted. So she flew to him, landing at a fork in the road that split into three different directions. Sam was contemplating which path to take when he sensed her arrival. He spun to face her, relief breaking out over his features. His emotions hit her like a freight-train.

"Your mojo's back!" He ran to her and scooped him up in his arms as she drown in his relief, and joy ,and worry, and… love.

Oh God.

It was simply too much. Before she could stop herself, Katrina burst into tears.

Sam let go in shock, "What's wrong?" Worry tinged his voice and the current that was eroding any control Katrina had left.

Katrina couldn't answer, she just kept sobbing. Sam loved her. She was such an idiot. Dean loved Castiel and Castiel probably loved Dean and she… she didn't know what she felt anymore. All she could feel was sorrow and the waves of emotions that were crashing over her from Sam. Why did everything have to be such shit?

"Shit…" she spat through her tears, "Shit shit shit!"

"Dean and Cas… are they...?"

"They're fine," Katrina snapped. But she, she was not fine. Katrina could feel his relief, and then that warm, sickeningly sweet pulse of affection rise up in him. He reached out to touch her shoulder, but she jumped back. "No. Please don't."

A flash of guilt and shame ran through Sam. He started to withdraw, physically and mentally.

"I'm sorry…" he said, his voice breaking slightly.

Oh God. Why? Why did she have to hurt him? This was awful. Terrible. And she couldn't even wallow in her own misery because in doing so she was hurting Sam. She struggled to compose herself, knowing that it was probably pointless. He could hear her every thought. He knew that she knew, and obviously her reaction was going to make him feel good.

"So," she sniffled, "I guess the connection's not breaking after all…"

"What?" Sam was surprised by her change in topic.

"For the last few days, the connection has felt weaker, I haven't been able to hear you."

"Oh, that was my fault."

"How?"

"I've been practicing. I read up some books on how to close off your mind to intruders. It was written by some crazy lady, obviously, but it ended up being pretty useful. It was a lot easier to keep my own thoughts to myself than it was to keep from hearing yours."

"Oh… why were you trying to cut me off?" She didn't know why she felt slightly offended. Afterall, they both had obviously found the connection to be more of an inconvenience than anything else. It explained why he had seemed to be able to hear her though, even though he was blocked off from her.

Sam shifted awkwardly, embarrassed. "You remember when you and Cas were… you know…"

"Having sex…?" Katrina cocked an eyebrow, surprised that Sam couldn't say the word. He was a grown man. Surely they didn't have to talk about it like virginial teenagers.

"Yeah," Sam blushed. "Well… It's just like how we can feel each other's emotions, or when the other gets hurt… I could kinda… feel it."

Katrina gaped. "You're saying you felt it when I orgasmed?"

"Yeah, basically… and everything leading up to it."

"Holy shit…" Katrina murmured, "I am so sorry." Did that make it some sort of weird, twisted threesome? She shook those thoughts off, but not before Sam caught wind of them, coughing awkwardly.

"It's no big deal…" Sam said, scratching the back of his head, "It was just then that I decided that I'd had enough. That… and I had some things that I kinda wanted to hide myself."

Too late... But Katrina skipped over that. "I'll say…" Katrina agreed, "Well… Come on," she held out her hand. Sam took it and Katrina flew them back to the others.

When they returned, Castiel had released Dean and was simply standing next to him, staring at Gabriel.

"Sasquatch!" Gabriel said happily.

"Gabriel?" Sam stared at him, shocked.

"That's me!"

"But you're-"

"One-hundred percent not dead!" He grinned.

"How?"

"A magician never reveals his secrets, kid."

"Well, I don't care how he did it," Katrina said, "You helped us out of a real sticky situation. Thanks for that."

"My pleasure," Gabriel smiled.

"Why are you even here?" Sam asked incredulously.

"Hellooo?" Gabriel said, holding his arms up, "Bermuda Triangle? Honestly, what other place on the planet screams 'Trickster' more than here?"

"So all the disappearing boats and shit is your fault?" Dean asked angrily.

"Nah," Gabriel sighed, conjuring a sucker out of thin air, "That would draw too much attention. The Bermuda triangle is just a set point of chaos, the kind of chaos that I thrive in. Any kind of trouble I cause is overlooked because people assume it's just the triangle doing its thing. It's the perfect hiding spot because I can have my fun and not attract any hunters, or my brothers. You couldn't imagine my surprise when I felt the influx of heavenly power right here in my own neighborhood. At first I thought they were here for me. Then I found out that it was just Metatron," he scoffed, "and somehow the little nerd got his hands on a portal to heaven. I figured you monkeys would show up, so I've been keeping an eye out for you."

"Well…" Sam said reluctantly, "Thanks. For that, and for helping us out with Lucifer before. We never really got to thank you for that."

"Oh!" Katrina gasped suddenly, smacking her hand to her forehead, "It's that Gabriel! Of course! I knew I knew him from somewhere. Outside of bible stories that is…" she faded off awkwardly as everyone stared at her. She had been so caught up with everything else that she couldn't get herself to remember why she felt like she knew him. But then she had remembered reading about him in the books. Thank God for those books.

"Well…" Sam said, "What now?"

"That's a good question," Castiel said, finally breaking his silence. His voice was still a bit shaky.

"We go into the portal of course," Dean looked around, "Wherever it is."

"It's underneath us," Gabriel said, "In the basement. But you can't use it."

"He's right," Sam agreed, "We have to be blessed by the grace first or whatever."

"Well," Katrina said, picking the bottle up from her chest, "We've got it right here, so we just have to do the spell."

"Actually," Castiel said slowly, "I have it…" He held up his own bottle.

"What?" Katrina's eyes widened in confusion.

"Metatron switched the bottle out with a decoy while you were being transported by one of his corners."

"So how did you get it?"

"He gave it to me."

"He gave it to you?"

"Yes… It was a test of sorts… Just like you all had your own," Castiel shifted uncomfortably, looking at his feet.

"Wait…" Katrina's eyes narrowed as she took a few steps towards Castiel, "So what you're saying... is that you had your grace the whole time, when Dean was about to kill me, when Sam was fighting a shifter, when we were all trapped in a fucking maze like rats, and you could have saved us, but instead you sat by and watched?" She got even closer to him -practically toe to toe. Castiel wouldn't look up.

"I'm sure there was some sort of consequence," Dean offered nervously, "Metatron wouldn't just give it to him for free."

"No…" Katrina murmured quietly so that only Castiel could hear her, "Taking the grace would have been the consequence… An eternity of torture… right?" She was seething. Castiel finally looked up at her, and she could see in his eyes that she was right. They were full of guilt and pain. Katrina felt nauseated. Now she knew that there was no hope. Nothing could make him take his grace. If he wouldn't become an angel to save the people he loved, he wouldn't do it for her happiness.

"What?" Dean asked.

"Nothing," Katrina ground out, turning around and returning to Sam's side.

"What will we even do when we get in?" Sam broke the awkward silence, "Is there some way to let the angels back in?"

"You can reopen the gates from the inside," Gabriel nodded, "But it won't be easy. While I was scoping out the place, the only other angel that I detected was Shoftiel."

Castiel let out a slow hiss of breath.

"Who?" Dean asked.

"Shoftiel," Castiel replied, "He is one of the angels of punishment. He has a special talent for knowing how to inflict torture. And I do not mean with knives and fire like those in hell. He can conjure anything, physical or psychological, whatever is the perfect tool to break you. He is probably guarding the gates."

"Well I guess he found himself some real muscle afterall," Dean said.

"We'll cross that bridge when we get there," Sam said, "For now, let's just get back to the bunker and get started on collecting the stuff for the spell."

"Okay, gather round folks," Katrina beckoned, "Everyone put a hand on the transporter…" she jumped suddenly, "Not there!" she yelped.

"My bad…" Gabriel said slyly from behind her. She could feel Sam's irritation, but Dean snickered.

Katrina rolled her eyes and took off, landing in the library.

"So this is the secret base…" Gabriel said, looking around. "Pretty cool."

"I'm gunna get the spell," Dean said, leaving the room.

"Castiel, can I talk to you?" Katrina asked quietly. The sooner she got through this, the better.

"Yes, of course," he followed her out of the room and into his own.

Katrina had her back to him as he entered. When he closed the door, she turned around. Her face was guarded, blank.

"Katrina…?" Castiel said hesitantly.

"This isn't going to work," she said, "Us. I can't do this anymore."

"What? Why not?"

Katrina's brow furrowed in confusion. Why? Wasn't it obvious why?

"Because you're human, and it's obvious that you want to stay that way. I've been with you, under the impression that we would be able to stick eternity out together, but now I know that there's no way that's going to happen."

"Why does that matter? Couldn't we just-"

"No!" Katrina snapped, "Are you kidding me? Castiel, I'm going to live for who knows how long. You, you are going to age and die and then I'll be alone. The last thing I need to do is to let myself grow even more attached to you over twenty years or more and then lose you. Are you really okay with doing that to me?"

"I'm sorry… I just don't want to lose you," Castiel's voice sounded broken.

"I'm sorry, but you can't have it both ways," Katrina shook her head, "You can't keep me, and then stay human so you can keep Dean. You have to choose."

"Katrina-"

"No, I'm not giving you an ultimatum. Not after what I've seen today. The time for that has passed. Even if you would become an angel for me, I don't want it. I don't want you to spend eternity with me if it was never what you wanted. Holding onto that kind of regret just builds in you, that's a given for everyone. Imagine how much it would build after hundreds of years. You would probably hate me. I don't want that. So it's over. Right now."

"What if we tried to make you human again..?"

Katrina stared at him in disbelief, "Are you serious? After all this, you want me to change for you? No way. I had my years of being nothing. What would I do? I can't go back to school after all that I know. And I don't know the first thing about being a hunter. Right now, I can heal people, save lives, make a difference. You think I'm going to give that up?"

"You wouldn't be nothing. You'd be with me."

Katrina put her hands over her face in frustration. "I don't understand. Why are you trying so hard to hold on? You don't want this. Whether it's consciously or subconsciously, you don't. You don't want me."

Castiel reached out a hand, but Katrina took an abrupt step back.

"No. It's not me. You just don't like to lose things. You don't like letting go of people. Just like when we first met and you couldn't let go of the Winchesters. It's possessive. Well it's over. You don't own me anymore."

"So you're going to be with Sam then?"

Katrina was caught off guard by the question, "What? Did you not listen to any of what I was saying? Newsflash, Sam is human too! This has nothing to do with anyone, except for you and me."

"So that's it? You're going to leave?" Castiel asked softly.

"No," Katrina sighed, "I'm going to keep helping you guys out. Sam and Dean are my friends now too. I won't ditch them."

"Alright…" Castiel's shoulders slumped forward in defeat as he finally seemed to accept what she had told him.

Katrina stepped forward, wrapping her arms around him, "I'm sorry. I wish it didn't have to be like this."

Castiel returned her embrace, burying his face into her shoulder. Katrina turner her head to place a light kiss on his temple before stepping back. She gave him one last smile, and disappeared.

Sam looked up as Castiel returned to the library. The man looked defeated.

"Where's Kat?" he asked hesitantly. He had tried to block her out while she was talking to Castiel, but he had felt her leave the bunker.

"Gone," Castiel said, his voice clipped.

"Gone?" Sam said, concerned, "For good?"

"No. She'll be back."

"Well we kinda need her back now," Dean snapped, "We need someone to get the ingredients for the spell."

"Gabriel can help."

"Well, well, well," Gabriel said, "Looks like I'm needed to save the day again," he crossed to the table to pick up the list of ingredients, "You're gunna owe me some favors," he smirked, smacking Sam's ass on the way and winking at him. Sam scowled.

"Can you keep it in your pants for two minutes?" Dean asked.

"Now where's the fun in that?" Gabriel disappeared with another wink.

Katrina sat on the bar stool, her feet dangling a foot off of the ground. It was like they made these chairs specifically for tall people.

"Hey," she beckoned to the bartender. Katrina handed her a stack of cash. The bartender's eyes widened in surprise. "I'm gunna be your new best friend, under a few conditions. You're gunna keep my glass full at all times. No, 'I think you've had enough,' or, 'You're gunna get alcohol poisoning,' just keep it coming all night. My glass shouldn't be empty for more than two seconds. If by some crazy chance, the money runs out, I'll give you more, and of course, I intend to tip. Do we have an understanding?"

"If you drank as much as this money would buy you, you'd be dead," The bartender said hesitantly, "I'd be held responsible for your death."

"Trust me," Katrina said, "You have nothing to worry about," she smiled.

The woman still seemed a bit wary, so Katrina rolled her eyes, "Here." She snapped her fingers, causing all of the lights to blow out. A few screams filled the bar. With another snap, Katrina fixed them all, and cleaned up all the glass.

"Y-you…" the woman stuttered.

"It's a long story," Katrina said impatiently, "Now, some vodka. Please."

"Who would have thought it would take Gabriel so long to get some freaking ingredients?" Dean complained, "I mean, he's a freaking archangel for christssake. At least Kat got stuff quickly."

"I'm sure he's not in the biggest hurry," Sam sighed. The two sat alone in the library.

"How long has it been though? Seven hours? Kat has been gone too. And Cas won't come out of his room."

"Yeah well, breakups are hard," Sam shrugged.

"Maybe we should talk to them. We're gunna need them to stow their crap once we go back to the portal."

"What?" Sam said, taken aback, "Did Dean Winchester just suggest that we solve our problems by talking about feelings?"

"Yeah, shut it," Dean stood, "I'll go talk to Cas."

"How exactly am I supposed to find Kat?"

"I don't know," Dean replied, "You're the one with the weird mind link. Which, by the way, we're going to talk about later. Figure out where she is and go get her."

"Dean, she could be in Tokyo."

"Then pray to her, I don't know. Figure it out! You're the one who went to college."

Sam rolled his eyes as Dean walked out of the room.

Well, Katrina used the link to find him all the time. Maybe it worked the other way. If only he could fly.

He closed his eyes, feeling for the thin silvery line. Katrina was right, he could feel how stretched it was with her distance. But she wasn't too far. Certainly not in Tokyo.

He started walking around, and realized that it was kind of like a game of hot and cold. If he moved what he assumed was towards her, he could feel the connection start to slacken, if he moved away, he felt it stretch.

He grabbed Dean's car keys and went to the garage. As he pulled out, he followed the connection west. It turned out that she was pretty close by. He was starting to feel her emotions not ten miles from the bunker. However, it took another five miles for him to find her.

The emotions got stronger and stronger as he got closer. They hung over the five mile radius like a dark, stormy cloud. His grip on the steering wheel tightened nervously. She had to be really upset for him to be able to feel them from such a distance.

Finally, he came upon a bar. He snorted. She really did have a lot in common with Dean. He looked at his watch, it was two in the morning. He slid out of the car, making his way to the door. The misery and emotional turmoil pushed back against him like a strong wind. When he was about ten feet from the door, he could feel Katrina become aware of his presence. The sadness was accompanied by a strong, angry, what Sam interpreted as the emotional equivalent of "fuck off."

He ignored it, opening the door. The bar was completely empty except for the bartender and Katrina, who was currently bent over with her head on the bar. He approached her slowly, sitting on the stool next to her.

"Fuck off Sam," Katrina said, her voice was low and gravelled.

"I'm here to take you home."

"I don't want to go home…" Katrina snapped, her speech was a bit slurred.

"How much have you drank?" he asked incredulously.

"I don't know… Bethany?"

The bartender refilled Katrina's glass, "We're about halfway through the fifty-second bottle of liquor." She seemed a bit nervous.

"Where is everyone?" Sam asked hesitantly.

"She kinda scared them off," Bethany said, "Can't you feel it? There's like a weird… static… in the air. Just bad vibes. Even the ones who usually stay 'til closing time and stumble home drunk left around midnight."

"Yeah… I can feel it." Sam nodded. Much better than she could. He could practically see it rolling off of her like waves of smoke, cascading to ground.

"Pour this asshole here a drink," Katrina said, downing her own.

"No thanks, I'm good."

"You must have been no fun in college."

"Do you want to talk?"

"No!" Katrina snapped, "Fuck off Sam. I don't want you here!"

"Katrina…"

"Stop!" Katrina yelled, slamming her fist on the table. She fixed Sam with a wild, furious stare. "Stop that!"

"Stop what?"

"Caring about me! It's nauseating! Are you stupid? Don't you know better? You shouldn't care about me! You shouldn't lo-" she cut short. Her eyes were starting to water.

"I'm sorry…" Sam said quietly.

Katrina seemed to crumble. She slumped forward putting her face in her hands, "No, I'm sorry."

"Let's go home…" Sam said again.

Katrina nodded slowly. She turned to the bartender, "Here…. Winning lottery ticket. For your time."

"Thank you…"

Katrina hopped off of the barstool, stumbling unsteadily.

"Let's roll…" she said, reaching out to touch Sam's shoulder.

"No way," Sam stepped back. "Friends don't let friends fly drunk."

Katrina sighed, "Fine…" She started towards the door, teetering and swaying.

"Kat, come here…" Sam said impatiently.

"What's up with you and your brother and your inability to just say people's full names…?" Katrina muttered grumpily as Sam scooped her up and carried her towards the door.

"I don't know. It's just easier to say, less of a mouthful. Do you want me to stop?"

"Nah… 'sfine." Katrina buried her face into him.

Sam managed to awkwardly open the passenger side door before he put her in the car. When he slid in on his side, she scooted over and lay her head on his lap.

"I think I might actually fall asleep tonight…" she murmured.

"Yeah, Cas came home super drunk once and passed out for hours." Sam said, then cursed inwardly at himself. Smooth. Bring up Cas. Great idea.

"Hm." Katrina said.

They were silent for the ride home. When they arrived, Sam pulled Katrina out and carried her inside. They came into the library to find Dean.

"What's up with her?" Dean asked.

"She drank the entire bar," Sam sighed, "Did you talk to him?"

Dean shook his head, "He wouldn't. I believe his exact words were, 'You are the last person I want to talk to right now.'" Dean looked hurt.

"Ouch."

"Yeah, well. I get why."

"Don't be stupid Dean…" Katrina murmured.

"Kat. Stop. Just because you're in Sam's head doesn't mean you know what's going on in my head, or Cas's." As he was talking, Katrina worked her way out of Sam's arms and stood in front of Dean. "If you broke up with him because you're under the impression that I have something going for Cas-" His words were cut off with a resounding smack as Katrina slapped him across the face.

Her eyes, once clouded and drooping with intoxication, were now clear and glinting with fury.

"How dare you?" she seethed, "Do you really think that I would give up Castiel for you? You think, that I'm going to spend eternity alone, just because you had a crush on my boyfriend? Get your head out of your ass, Winchester! I didn't give him up. I'm not handing him to you. In forty years you would have been gone. Nothing. You think I would give up an eternity of happiness so you could have less than a half-decade?"

Dean straightened back up, covering his face with his hand. He looked like he was holding himself back from returning the blow.

"And don't you even start with the denial again! I can't have him. That's why I broke up with him. I didn't just throw away our relationship. It was never going to work out because he didn't want eternity. You are not going to fuck this up when the only thing standing in your way is your own fucking insecurities!"

Dean seemed dumbstruck. Katrina stormed out of the room, maybe a little unsteadily. When Dean looked at him, Sam shrugged and left as well, making his way to his own room. This was for Dean to figure out on his own. He was surprised to find Katrina sitting on his bed.

"Uh… hi," he said, closing the door behind him.

"I started going to Castiel's room out of habit…" Katrina said, looking at the floor, "I didn't know where else to go, so I came in here." Her words were slurred together again and she was leaning a bit far to the left. "Is that okay?"

"Yeah, sure." Sam stood awkwardly in the middle of the room.

"You can sit down, Sam."

"Right." Sam sat down next to her. Katrina leaned her head on his shoulder, sighing.

"You're brother's an asshole."

"I know."

"You wanna know something funny?"

"Sure."

"My wings feel kinda tingly right now. Like they're asleep or something. Alcohol is weird."

"Are you sure they're okay?" Sam said, worried.

"Yeah, I think so… Maybe we should check."

The next thing Sam knew, Katrina was fumbling with her tank top.

"Woah woah woah," Sam said, "What are you doing?"

"Taking… my shirt off…" Katrina said as she struggled with it.

"I don't think that's necessary." Sam said, his face flushing.

"Yeah… maybe not." Katrina sighed, "Here," she turned so that her back was facing him, "Just pull down the back so that there's room for them."

Sam did as he was told. Suddenly, he was greeted with a facefull of feathers as Katrina's wing hit him in the face.

"Sorry," Katrina giggled.

Sam stood up, taking a step back. "Wow," he breathed. They really were enormous. And gorgeous. They took up the entire length of the room, and they weren't even completely straightened out. The multitude of blues rippled softly as she shifted so that she was lying on her stomach.

"I didn't expect them to be blue…"

"Yeah, I'm just special…"

"You know," Sam snickered, "It's kind of perfect. Bluejay wings. Definitely suits you."

"What?" Katrina asked, offended, "Bluejays are assholes!"

"No…" Sam laughed, "They're just protective. You get near their nest, they fuck you up. When you first got here, you almost ripped Dean's throat out over Cas on a regular basis."

"I guess you're right," Katrina sighed. The feathers on her wings ruffled a bit, as if there were a breeze blowing through them.

"Can I uh…?"

"Touch them? Sure. They're really soft."

She was right. The feathers were like velvet. Sam let his fingers skim over the top, sending a shiver down Katrina's spine.

"That tickles…"

A bit braver, Sam ran his fingers through the feathers, eliciting a soft hum from her.

"Maybe you're more like a cat," he chuckled.

"Feels nice…" Katrina sighed, content.

"You know… you're making this whole not caring about you thing pretty hard…"

"Hey, don't blame me just 'cause you can't keep your hands to yourself." Her breathing had slowed considerably, and her words were coming out in a quiet mumble. "I can't help it that I'm cuddly when I'm drunk. You're taking advantage of me, you sicko…"

"My bad…" Sam started to lift his hand away.

"Nooo…" Katrina whined, her wings lifting to chase his hand. "Don't stop…"

Sam began stroking her wing again, quiet.

"Thanks Sam…" Katrina said, "For ignoring me when I told you to fuck off."

"Hey, that's what I'm good at, refusing to be shut off by emotionally constipated people."

"You're... emotionally constipated…" Katrina retaliated lamely. "But yeah… Stuff is pretty shit right now… and I guess it's good to have people care about you, even if they shouldn't."

"You don't care about me then, right? You're too smart for that."

"Don't be stupid…" Katrina said, her wings starting to droop, "Just like you, I'm too dumb to keep myself from loving people… What's that quote…?" Her words became softer and softer, "'How terrible it is to love something that death can touch…'" With those final words, she drifted into unconsciousness, her wings hanging limp over the edge of the bed and laying on the ground, before Sam could point out that she had said love.