Previously: The boys got the Colt from Crowley who said Meg is in New York and she knows where Lucifer is. Cas and Tasha are at Woodstock.

~0~0~0~0~0~

CHAPTER 12 – One for the Good Guys

Louisiana to New York was a long drive but the brothers didn't made any pitstops except for food and gas. It was mostly Dean behind the wheel, staring ahead at the endless stretches of highway with no expression on his face.

Sam couldn't help but notice his brother seemed to have lost most of his fight, his determination. No, he realized as he subtly studied Dean's weary profile, he'd lost his hope. Despite the fact that they had just been given an ace in the hole, the Colt, his brother seemed to be barely holding it together. Dean had taken many hits in the past few years - Dad dying, Sam dying, suffering through Hell, Adam dying, Sam betraying him for Ruby - but the past week had packed a lifetime of loss into a few days. Tasha, Little Sammy, now Bobby. His brother was on autopilot and Sam found himself praying that Dean could hold it together long enough to get his son back. He was sure that Sammy and Cassie could return some happiness to Dean's life.

"Hey Dean?" he ventured, breaking a four hundred mile silence. "I know they're your kids but I love them like they were my own."

Dean's head swiveled towards him, his hazel-green eyes still full of hurt and grief. "I know that Sam," he answered softly.

"It's just that kids aren't an option for me," Sam continued, feeling the need to get this out, "But that doesn't really matter now because I can have that through you."

Frown lines formed in the elder brother's forehead. "What do you mean not an option?"

"Demon blood, remember?" Sam elaborated. "I'm not gonna pass that on down to a new generation." Dean opened his mouth as if he was about to say something but Sam cut him off. "Look, at least one of us gets the chance to have a normal life, a life outside hunting," he said. "You'll be an awesome dad, Dean. I mean, you were more of a dad to me growing up than Dad ever was. Any redeeming qualities I have are thanks to you and I am so sorry I took you for granted all these years."

Dean remained silent, much as Sam had expected him to. This kind of talk and praise made his brother uncomfortable at the best of times.

"Sure, you're kind of a dick and you have some disgusting habits," Sam added in an attempt to lighten the mood. "Like leaving your dirty socks in the sink and the whole cutting of the toenails thing…" Sam didn't get the sought-after smirk and quickly gave up, sighing deeply. "What I'm trying to say is that I look up to you Dean; more than anyone," he admitted. "I fucked up so royally last year and I can't ever make up for that and I feel guilty as Hell about what I unleashed on the world but more than anything, I regret what I did to you. I failed you and I wasn't there for you and I just want you to know that I'm here for you now, no matter what."

He finished his spiel and kept his eyes trained on his brother but didn't get much of a reaction. Dean nodded slightly but remained silent and staring forward and Sam was left wondering if he was getting through at all.

~0~0~0~0~0~

August 17th, 1969…

Tasha stayed front row of the concert right through until Jefferson Airplane closed the show in the small hours of the morning, wishing every second that Dean could be there with her. Feeling slightly guilty about making Cas stand around the swarm of tents in the nearby field for over five hours, she made her way quickly over to find him, only stopping once at the rather gross toilets.

He wasn't in front of the orange tent like they had agreed. She waited a while before starting to wander around looking for him. After about and hour she was starting to get seriously worried and began sticking her head in every tent she passed, calling for him loudly. It really wasn't like him to just not show up. Had he gone back to check on the kids and something happened? Were the kids alright? Was Cas alright?

Tasha had spent most of her life moving around and had become a pro at not getting attached to the many people that came and went from her life. Then, on the very day the last of her family was killed, she had met Dean Winchester. Maybe it had been the timing and the fact that she was suddenly feeling so alone, or maybe it had been because he knew her whole story and hadn't judged her, or maybe it had been his amazing skills in the sack or even just his cheesy come-ons, but she had somehow allowed herself to let him in past those walls and her life had instantly changed. Suddenly she found herself becoming attached to people in droves.

First there was Dean's giant of a brother. Then after Cas had made her go into hiding from demons, she had since spent a year living with an elderly couple, retired hunters named Helen and Karl, and had found herself forming an attachment to them also. Next she had been thrown into 1969 with no real human company except a crippled Vietnam vet and an elderly lady who barely left the house. She had become extremely fond of both Gunter and Dorothy despite the knowledge she would have to leave them soon. And when the children were born, she instantly loved them more than anything, more than she ever knew was possible. All these people to worry about now.

But when it came to the angel, for reasons that totally escaped her, she had fought tooth and nail against letting him in. The angels in general, including Cas, had been screwing Dean over since the first moment they had broken him out of Hell and Tasha couldn't forget how broken he had been that night in Wyoming. In the end, however, Cas had somehow become the best friend she ever could have imagined and she loved him like he was her own family. He was the closest thing her kids had to a father right now and having to pretend he was her husband didn't bother her in the least. In fact, when she wasn't laughing her ass off watching him squirm with discomfort, she actually found it quite nice. He was pleasant company when he was around. She worried about him every time he left to continue his search for God and couldn't help but feel happy every time he reappeared outside her door.

She knew he cared about her in return, in his own way, and that he would do absolutely anything to protect both her and her children. It was amusing watching him learn more and more about human emotions and endearing to see how he was beginning to react more and more like a human himself. She wasn't sure if what she felt for him was a brotherly affection, a spiritual sentiment, a BFF thing, or something else entirely, but she knew without a doubt she would die for that nerdy-looking walking contradiction in his beige trench coat. She actually loved that naïve, awkward, and innocent-seeming angel who had in truth smited thousands of souls in his centuries of existence, probably without thinking twice about it.

Her feelings of worry and concern turned to anger and annoyance when she finally did find him. She barged into a giant, trailer-home-sized tent to find him sitting cross-legged in the middle of the floor. A couple was actually having sex in the far corner and a dozen other stoned festival attendees lazed around the place on blankets and chairs. A heavy layer of marijuana -smoke hung in the air. There was a topless hippie-chick draped over Cas from behind, her arms pawing at his chest beneath his unbuttoned shirt. The girl looked strung out and severely high and, Tasha realized with a pang of shock, Cas didn't look much better.

"Cas, what the Hell is going on here?" she demanded, standing in front of him with her hands on her hips.

"Hi Tasha," he slurred, smiling up at her.

"Who's this?" the girl sneered, not taking her hands off the angel's chest.

"I'm his wife, you skank," Tasha spat. "Now get your drugged-out ass off him before I bitch slap you."

Cas just grinned. "That was rude," he practically giggled, making no move to get up.

Tasha saw the vacant look in his eyes and her anger boiled over. She reached down and yanked the girl off him, shoving her roughly to the floor. As she tried to urge Cas to his feet, she looked around the room at the strung-out hippies who were all staring at her.

"What the fuck did you give him?" she demanded.

A tattooed and bandana-wearing guy sitting nearby grinned up at her. "Just some sid," he drawled. "Like twelve hits. And a bottle of Jack. Dude's freakin' Superman! Oh, and a few lines. Uhhh, oh yeah, and a shitload of weed." He cackled in apparent amusement. "Your man has a taste for the brownies and man, he can suck a bong like Moonbeam here sucks dick." He tapped the passed out girl next to him.

"Jesus!" Tasha swore in a mix of anger and fear. The list of things Cas had been given would have easily killed an ordinary man. She hoped like hell angels could mix their drugs because she didn't have a clue what to do if Cas started to OD. "You could have fucking killed him!" she spat at the man, ignoring the stoned giggles and jeers coming from the others in the tent.

She hauled Cas up to his feet and tucked herself under his arm to try and get him outside. He could pretty much walk himself but he seemed to need her help to keep straight and she tugged him harshly towards the door.

"Aw bummer, Bible Man's gotta jet," a heavily bearded man coughed between puffs of his joint. "Catch you on the flipside, man!"

"Your wife's a bitch, Bible Man!" Tasha heard the skank call out as she neared the tent flap. She was tempted to go back in and beat the crap out of the girl but reminded herself Cas wasn't really her husband and it wouldn't exactly be a fair fight.

"Yeah, it was groovy gettin' to know you man!" another man added. "You keep looking for God, brother; you'll find him soon! Peace man!"

"Bye everyone," Cas answered, grinning and waving a two-fingered 'V' sign to them as he was yanked roughly out through the flap. "Peace!" A chorus of cheerful but dazed goodbyes followed them out.

Outside, Tasha kept pulling him along until they were in a quiet corner behind a dark tent and out of sight of everyone.

"Okay, zap us back home," she ordered. "Now. Gunter and Dorothy are gonna be worried sick."

Cas just shrugged and narrowed his eyes, his forehead creasing in concentration. He stayed like that for a few long seconds before he broke out into a fit of giggles, his shoulders shaking and his eyes watering through his laughter. "It seems the engines canna take it captain," he mimicked Scotty from Star Trek in an atrocious attempt at a Scottish accent.

Tasha was not amused. "Cas, how could you let them give you all those drugs?" she scolded, her anger still driven by fear for her friend.

"It felt good to laugh," he said slowly. "I've never laughed like that before." His blue eyes fixed on hers, though their focus was shifting in and out. "I see why humans enjoy it so much."

She sighed, suddenly unable to stay mad at him. "Look, can you focus enough to get us home?" she asked.

He nodded, the perma-grin still plastered on his face. He scrunched up his nose again and concentrated. This time, Tasha felt the peculiar tickle that accompanied an angel-transport and relief swept through her.

She steadied herself upon arrival to find they weren't in Dorothy's living room. In fact, they were in the middle of a busy street with horns blaring and yellow cabs whizzing by. As she glanced up to see a large truck bearing down on them, she clutched Cas's sleeve and ran, dragging him behind her towards the sidewalk. They narrowly missed being run over by the truck as well as a huge station wagon with woodgrained sidepanels.

Cas was once again giggling when they reached the relative safety of the sidewalk. "Beep beep," he mimicked, grinning like a little kid.

The brunette's heart was beating and she was still panting from the close call. She glared at him before looking around the street to try and figure out where they were. She saw a street sign reading Park Avenue and gasped when she noticed the large sign over the door across the street. "The Waldof Astoria,' she read. "Cas, we're in New York City. You zapped us to frigging New York!"

"Is that good?" he asked, still grinning. "Look at all the people," he cooed, staring wide-eyed around the busy streets. "Think they know I'm an angel?"

She rolled her eyes. "No Cas, and let's keep it that way." Being a big street in a huge city, there were indeed a lot of people around considering how late it was. She hooked her arm through his and led him down the block and into an alley where they could get at least a little privacy to zap out again. "Okay, come on Cas," she encouraged. "Try it again."

"You seem upset," he commented.

She groaned. "I just want to get home to my kids," she told him, trying to be patient. He was standing facing her in his trench coat with his tie undone, his shirt open, and a goofy grin on his face. "Geez Cas," she couldn't help but smile at the sight. "Do up your shirt already. I don't need to be seeing you half naked."

"I've seen you half naked," he retorted cheekily. "Actually, all naked."

Tasha blushed furiously. "We agreed never to mention that incident, remember?" That 'incident' was the reason she had made the rule that the angel was only allowed to 'pop in' either outside or downstairs. Bathrooms and bedrooms were off-limits.

She reached forward and started buttoning up his shirt. "Look," she said calmly, "Try to gather your wits, okay? Please Cas. Try take us home to the kids."

"Well, isn't that sweet," came a deep voice from behind them, dripping with sarcasm.

Cas and Tasha both spun around to find two men approaching with knives drawn, blocking the only exit to the alley. Tasha cursed her carelessness, both for coming into the dead-end alley and letting this pair get the drop on her.

"Give us your money," the closest man demanded, waving the knife threateningly at Cas.

Cas just chuckled. "I don't have any money," he said truthfully. Tasha threw him a warning glare but he was clearly too stoned to take the hint. She instinctively moved in front of him but he stepped around her, nudging her backwards as the two men came to stand a couple of feet away.

"You'd better hope for your sake that's not true," the man warned.

"Watch, jewelry, wallet," the second guy demanded.

"Look we don't have anything worth anything so you may as well move on," Tasha said, trying to reason with the would-be-muggers.

"Well lady, I see wedding rings on both of you," the first one growled.

Cas stepped forward, ignoring the agitated responses of the two men. "You can't have her ring," he said simply. "It is all she has left to remind her of her parents and she values it dearly."

Tasha was taken aback but touched that he remembered that fact. She had told him one evening that her father had made the wedding bands he and her mother had worn, fashioning them by hand out of melted down pawn store silver. When she had first dreamt up this ruse of Cas being her husband, she had slipped her mother's ring on her finger. Cas had Jimmy Novak's ring so her father's remained on a chain around her neck. Dean was the only other person who knew about the rings and what they meant to her.

"I will smite you before I let you take her ring," Cas continued, his voice taking on a frighteningly deep and echoey tone that thundered through the small alley.

It happened so quickly that the consequences, or lack thereof, hadn't quite registered before she reacted. The closest mugger thrust his knife forward and sank it hilt-deep into Cas's bare chest, just above his heart.

"Motherfucker!" Tasha cried out as anger and panic clouded her thoughts and she stepped forward, slamming her palm upwards into the bridge of the man's nose. Her left hand swept behind her and drew her own knife from where she kept it tucked in the top of her jeans. She lunged for the second man, her heart racing in fear for Cas.

The man dodged her jab and swiped his own larger knife back at her. She ducked it. "Cas?" she called anxiously, not taking her eyes off the man who was squaring off against her. "Cas, you okay?"

A strange sound reached he ears over the racket of the man she had hit in the face, who was groaning in agony from where he had fallen to his knees with blood streaming from his nose. She spared a fraction of a second to glance back at the angel only to find him looking down at the knife protruding from his chest and giggling. The fact that Cas couldn't be hurt by a simple knife finally dawned on her and she realized she had reacted hastily but the shocking sight of the blade sinking into her friend had triggered her instinctive hunter's reactions.

The mugger who was still on his feet was lunging at her again and she sidestepped his jab, twisting her body around and sinking her blade down into the meat of his thigh. He screamed and dropped his knife, staggering backwards with a look of shock. Tasha glanced behind her again to see Cas still standing there, his shoulders shaking in laughter.

"That's my wife!" he jeered happily at the two men. "And I would say she just kicked your asses."

The guy with the blood pouring from his nose shuffled backwards and grabbed his accomplice by the shoulder, urging him backwards towards the mouth of the alley. "Let's go, Len," he whimpered, half dragging and half shoving the badly limping man.

Tasha watched them leave and looked back at a grinning Cas. Her adrenaline was still pumping and she couldn't help the smirk that curled her lips upwards. "Shit, Cas hat felt good!" she admitted. "It's been so long since I drew my knife I thought maybe I'd forgotten how to use it."

Cas gave her a curious look, his smile disappearing and his hand moving to hover over his stomach. "I believe my vessel may be … uh, hungry?" he announced with uncertainty.

It was Tasha's turn to laugh. "I'll bet he is after everything you pumped into him tonight," she told him. She grabbed the hilt of the knife in his chest and yanked it out with one sharp tug. "Does that even hurt?" she asked curiously, wiping her own blade on some loose cardboard and tucking it back in her jeans.

Cas shrugged. "It doesn't tickle," he said solemnly.

She grinned and hooked her arm through his. "Come on, Cheech," she teased. "Let's find an all-night diner and get those munchies taken care of so you can get us home in one piece."

~0~0~0~0~0~

Present …

It had been a day and a half now and there was still no word from Cas. Every hour or so Dean would turn on the Impala's radio and the brothers would listen to the latest reports until the responsibility of what had happened weighed too heavily on them and one of them switched it off.

It was during one of these brief periods with the radio on that the next blow came. They had made it as far as Kentucky already since Dean, despite some urging from Sam, had refused to take the time to stop in Tennessee and pay Cassie a visit, claiming he had to get her brother back before he could face her.

The news anchor sounded as stunned as the ones giving the preliminary reports on the cloud disaster. Apparently the city of Lawrence, Kansas had been swallowed up, disappearing into the earth in some sort of giant sinkhole. The reaction this time was leaning farther towards the Wrath of God and Apocalyptic, End-of-Days paranoia than just plain terrorism and religious rhetoric was being given more credit this time round.

"Shit, Sam," Dean practically whispered, wiping his hand down across his face. "That's a message for us. A goddamn message for us."

Sam just swallowed and nodded. They needed to find Lucifer and they needed to find him now. He was killing people by the millions and he was doing it because Sam was refusing to say yes.

"Message received," the younger Winchester mumbled to himself. "Loud and fucking clear."

Dean glanced sideways at him, his eyes narrowed with suspicion.

"Don't even think about saying yes, Sam," he warned. "As bad as it is, it'll just get worse if they actually do have the fight."

"I know, I know," Sam agreed. "I swear, Dean, I will never say yes. I'm with you 'til the end." He meant every word of that promise. He'd had enough of angels and demons bullying them and toying with them. This time he was going to trust Dean.

Dean just nodded and kept driving. The next hours were spent listening to the fanaticism and the doomsaying escalating on the radio and at every pitstop they made. People were scared. Hell, people were terrified. The brothers could sense it in every gas station attendant and every drive-thru server they had contact with.

Then it got worse and all-out panic set in.

The power went out. At first they thought it was just in the area they were driving through but most radio stations suddenly went off air. The few that remained started reporting that the power outage was across the entire country and even most of Canada and Mexico. Authorities had no idea what was causing it but the President broadcast another speech calling for calm and order and asking that everybody just stay home until the matter could be resolved.

The official speech did no good. Panic was widespread and steady streams of cars piled high with suitcases and rooftop cargo tubs began to appear on the major highways leading out of every big city. Apparently people believed that if this was indeed Judgment day, they were safer as far away from other people as they could get.

How inspiring, Sam thought wryly.

~0~0~0~0~0~

August 17th, 1969 …

Cherry's Diner was bright and pleasant and the waitress was refreshingly friendly. Cas ordered a bacon cheeseburger and fries without even looking at the menu, telling Tasha that Dean used to rave about them so he figured they must be good. Tasha just chuckled and ordered the same.

He grabbed the burger off the plate before it was even fully down on the table and took a giant mouthful, much to Tasha's amusement. His eyes widened in delight and he moaned as he chewed. "Oh this is … this is …" he trailed off, unable to find the right words or to resist taking his next huge bite.

"Better than sex?" Tasha finished for him with a teasing grin.

"Huh. I wouldn't know," he mumbled out around the food in his mouth.

It was Tasha's turn to widen her eyes in surprise. "What do you mean you wouldn't know?" she demanded, her mind reeling. Cas didn't answer but gave her a sheepish look as he continued to chew ravenously.

"Cas, are you a virgin?" she asked in disbelief, struggling to keep her voice low.

Cas rolled his eyes. "Why do you humans find that so amusing?" he asked, shoving the last third of his burger into his mouth.

"But what about Maureen Bolder?" Tasha pressed. She had been sure Cas had given in at some point to the attractive neighbor's constant advances.

Cas started shoveling fries into his mouth before he'd even swallowed the last of his burger. "Mmmmm, Dean was right. These are delightful."

"And Maureen?" Tasha pressed.

Cas looked back up at her and grinned. "No, I did not have sex with Maureen."

"Why the Hell not?" Tasha was finding this extremely entertaining. "Can angels not … you know..."

A giggle escaped the angel. "We can do whatever a human does while in a vessel," he informed her. "But most of us choose not to."

"But you said Jimmy was dead and that he isn't really aware in there and that he wasn't coming back to that body so it's not really unethical," Tasha pointed out. "I can't believe you've never done it. I mean, how old are you?"

"I've been around a long time," Cas winked at her, managing to sound kind of creepy instead of clever like she was sure he had intended. He looked up suddenly and waved at the waitress, beckoning her wildly to come over.

"So howcome you had a falling out with the old lady next door?" the brunette demanded. "She used to love you and your religious jibber jabber but recently she can't say anything nice about you. I figured word must have gotten back to her about you and Maureen." She paused and took a bite of her own burger as the waitress reached the table.

"Oh my word!" the plump woman exclaimed upon spotting Cas's empty plate. "You sure were hungry."

"Yes, very," Cas nodded eagerly. "Could I have three more, please?"

"Three more burgers or three more fries?"

"Three more of each," the angel clarified. The waitress gave him a doubtful look but chuckled and left to give the order to the kitchen.

"Maureen kissed me by the garage," the angel admitted, picking up the conversation where they had left off. "Believe me, that woman is persistent. Unfortunately, Adele saw us and presumed we were having an affair."

Tasha laughed, picturing the awkwardness of the scene. "Guess I should thank her for having my back," she said. "Was that your first kiss?"

"Yes."

She noticed Cas eyeing her full plate rather hungrily and she pushed it to the middle of the table so he could share. "I'm sorry about earlier then," she said honestly. "Looks like you were about to get laid when I barged into that tent. I know it's none of my business, but I seriously think you can do a hell of a lot better than that drugged out whore, Cas. You should raise your standards a little, especially for your first time."

"Dean took me to a den of iniquity," Cas admitted.

Tasha snorted into her Coke. "Definitely set the bar higher than that!" she exclaimed.

"It didn't go very well," Cas continued and Tasha couldn't help but enjoy the chatty effect the cocktail of drugs was having on the usually uptight angel. "I don't have much success in communicating with human females," he said with an exaggerated sigh.

"Hey, you're communicating with me," Tasha pointed out with feigned offense.

"I mean those who don't know what I am," he corrected. "I wish I could talk to women without them thinking I was strange. Like Dean does." Cas's face drew into an expression of deep thought and contemplation and Tasha couldn't help but snicker at just how much he seemed like a regular human right now. A stoned one, but a human nonetheless.

"For example, Anna," Cas continued. "I had known Anna for millennia and had served alongside her many times here on Earth, sometimes taking vessels together for decades at a time. Yet we never touched or even had a conversation that was not related to our mission, our brethren, or our Father." He frowned. "Dean had known her for just one day and they …"

He looked up sharply, catching her eyes. "I'm sorry," he stammered. "Perhaps I shouldn't have spoken of that."

Tasha felt the sharp pang of jealousy tear at her insides but managed to control her reaction. She had guessed as much about Dean and this Anna angel-chick when the hunter had told her the story of finding her and hiding her from the angels and demons both. "That's alright," she said dismissively. "Dean and I never promised each other anything. I mean, we were apart for a year and Lord knows Dean's not exactly a monk."

She must not have done a very good job of covering her hurt because Cas narrowed his blue eyes at her. "Dean cares about you deeply," he said gravely, holding the serious look for only a couple of seconds before the glazed stoner look swept back across his face. "So why then haven't you sought the company of any other men?" he asked bluntly.

Tasha shrugged, not liking how the conversation had shifted to her lack of a love life instead of the angel's. "Honestly, Cas," she said finally. "I just don't want anyone else."

Cas nodded in apparent understanding. "What's it like?" was his next question.

"What, sex?" She snickered. "Well, that depends who you're with Cas. But I'll give you some advice. You're not done until she finishes, okay?" She wagged her finger at him over the table make her point. "You keep that in mind and you'll do just fine."

Cas looked confused. "Finishes what?"

A loud burst of laughter escaped her and she sat back in the booth bench seat. "Cas, I kinda like you the way you are," she said sincerely. "Don't be in such a rush to lose that, okay?"

~0~0~0~0~0~

Present…

The lines of traffic leaving the urban areas grew exponentially as they neared New York. The radio broadcasts did nothing to help them find Meg as they were completely monopolized by the terror sweeping the country and no other news stories were even being reported.

"Frigging Crowley might as well have said 'she's on Earth'," Dean bitched as they sailed up the interstate. "You got any idea how many people are in New York?"

"There's about…"

"Rhetorical, Sam. Rhetorical." Dean cut his aggravatingly well-informed brother off.

"Eight million, eight hundred thirty-nine thousand, eight hundred and eighty-one," came a deep gravelly voice from the back seat. It ignored both the startled jumps from both brothers and the swerving of the Impala on the road.

"Geez Cas!" Dean griped, fighting for control of the car.

Sam recovered first. "Where have you been?" he demanded urgently, twisting in his seat. "And what do you know about the black cloud thing? Can you check on Bobby?"

Cas sighed and answered gravely. "I already did. I am sorry."

There was no need to elaborate on what he had found. Both brothers were grateful for the few seconds of silence Cas gave them to process the confirmation of the truth they had already known.

"And I am sorry I did not contact you sooner," Cas said finally. "I was surveilling a surprisingly well-informed cherub and could not let my presence be known."

"You were spying," Dean clarified.

"Yes. And the battery is depleted on my phone so…" He pulled the phone from his pocket and handed it over the seat back to Sam, who rolled his eyes but plugged it in to recharge.

"How'd you find us then?" the younger hunter wondered out loud.

"I stopped by to see Cassie and Ellen told me you were headed towards New York City. Your car wasn't difficult to find as most of the traffic seems to be going in the other direction."

Dean bit his lip at the mention of Cassie. Should he have stopped by to see her also? Sam had urged him to but he just couldn't bring himself to face her for fear that she asked where Sammy was. He wanted to bring her brother home and be able to tell her they were going to be a family and that she was safe. He didn't want to lie to her.

"Meg is in an empty building on Baldwin Street," Cas announced.

"How do you know that?" Sam couldn't help but ask.

"The demons are not bothering to cover their tracks very well these days," the angel announced. "They are getting more and more bold. Ellen told me who you were looking for and I simply asked the first demon I came across…before I killed him, of course."

"Bold or not, that skank's gonna tell us where Lucifer is," Dean snarled, nodding his approval of Cas's tactics as he turned off the Interstate.

~0~0~0~0~0~

Cas's information turned out to be correct, a fact the hunters could tell as soon as they approached the building from the cover of the trees on the west side. There was sulfur by the gate and two black-eyed guards at the side entrance. They took the guards out with ease, Sam jabbing one in the throat with Ruby's knife and Cas using his mojo on the other.

Dean's skin began to crawl as they slipped in through the metal door of the abandoned warehouse. That was almost too easy. Nothing where Meg was concerned was ever that easy.

His instincts were proven right a few seconds later when a loud snarl floated across the room. Flashes of being ripped apart by the jaws and shredded by the claws of a beast that made that exact noise bombarded him and he was pretty sure he gasped out loud. His head spun in the direction of the sound.

He couldn't see anything but he could feel it. A Hellhound.

"Oh shit," was all he could come up with. "I can't see it."

"What is it?" Sam asked anxiously, his eyes also scanning the empty space where the sound had originated.

"Not it," Cas replied calmly. "Them."

"How many?" Dean demanded, drawing the Colt. "Cas, how many?"

Cas's forehead was pulled into a worried frown. "Six," he said. "Six Hellhounds."

The growling and snarling intensified and seemed to be moving towards them. Dean pointed the Colt at where he thought one was and fired. The antagonistic move just seemed to anger them as the noise escalated. "Did I get him?" he asked Cas.

The angel shook his head. "No. And now they're angry."

"Fuck!" Dean swore, fear boiling up inside. "Hellhounds are always angry," he added, grabbing Sam's sleeve and tugging him towards the corridor behind them. "Run!" he commanded, firing again aimlessly behind him as they fled.

They rounded a corner and scurried down another corridor before entering a large room. The only other exit was a set of steel doors on the other side which turned out to be locked. Sam started to pick the lock as Dean worked frantically to reload the Colt. Cas turned to look behind them. "They're still coming," he deadpanned.

"Here," Dean said finally, thrusting the antique weapon into Cas's hands. "You can see them; you shoot them!"

Cas gave him a skeptical look but turned to face the unseen enemy again and fired. The bullet zinged off some steel equipment way off to the side. He fired a few more times but the humans could hear no yelps or howls of pain and the bullets seemed to be bouncing harmlessly off any and every surface around the room. His brow furrowed deeply and he moved the barrel close to his face to look it over with a slightly puzzled expression.

"Cas you can't aim for shit!" Dean cried, realizing they were as good as dead because there was no way out until Sam got the door open. He felt as much as heard a huge, furry body leaping at him and threw his arm up in front of his face, fear jolting through him as he prepared for the inevitable pain.

But it never came. Instead he heard a sickeningly loud yelp and warm, red blood spattered his face. He looked up to see Cas's arm extended in front of him, his angel blade gripped in his fist. Though the blade was dripping with blood, only the hilt was visible as the rest was buried deep into the Hellhound. Cas flung the invisible beast to the ground and shoved the Colt into Dean's chest with his free hand.

"I'm not very familiar with guns," he admitted frankly, turning back towards the oncoming snarling.

Sam got the door open at that very second and he hauled Dean backwards through it. "Cas!" Sam yelled. "Get through here!"

The brothers watched as Cas spun and drove his blade into another beast, the resulting screech shooting pain through their ears.

"Cas!" Dean called, getting frantic. How could they fight an enemy they couldn't see? Cas was too badly outnumbered to take them alone.

Cas spared a quick glance back at them. "Go," he ordered. "Find Meg." He reached out and shoved the door. As it swung closed, all Sam and Dean could see were two rows of bloody marks appearing on Cas's arm as a Hellhound sunk its teeth into the angel.

"Wait, Cas!" Dean practically screamed, lunging for the door to stop it from closing. He caught a glimpse of the angel blade sweeping downwards as the solid metal barrier slammed shut.

Dean grabbed the handle to open it again but a firm hand stopped him.

"Dean." Sam's was the voice of reason. "We'll only get in the way," the younger Winchester pointed out. "He's got a better chance without us. We need to find Meg so we can find Sammy, remember?"

The sound of another Hellhound dying floated through the door.

"Stupid son of a bitch," Dean muttered but he nodded to his brother. Cas would be alright. He had to be. Dean really couldn't take losing anyone else. He really couldn't.

~0~0~0~0~0~

When they did find Meg it almost seemed as if she had found them instead. They wandered around the warehouse chalking devil's traps by all the doors as they searched only to come across her outside in what seemed to be a mall courtyard near the center of the building. She was sitting on a picnic table bench with her back resting on the table and her feet up on a nearby trash can.

"Hi boys," she cooed smugly. She glanced around with an exaggerated look of surprise on her face. "Where's Bobby?"

"You black-eyed bitch," Dean spat, tucking the Colt out of sight into the back of his pants.

"Oh come now, Dean," she sneered, getting up from the table and approaching him slowly. "Is that any way to treat an old friend?"

"Stay back, Meg," Sam warned, holding Ruby's knife out in front of him and edging himself slightly in front of Dean. Meg had tried to kill the elder Winchester the last time she had seen him, toying with him by having a demon possessing Bobby do the deed. He didn't want her moving any closer to his brother.

"Aw Sammy, now I'm really hurt," Meg pouted. "And here I thought you and I shared something special." Her lip curled upwards in a sly smile. "That week we spent together…"

"Where's Lucifer?" Sam cut right to the chase.

Meg smirked at him. "Well if we had known you were coming, I'm sure he would have stuck around. He's just dying to meet you in person, Sammy."

"Where is he?" Dean demanded, his mind racing to figure out a way to get the bitch trapped and at their mercy. He couldn't shoot her with the Colt until they got Lucifer's whereabouts from her and they wouldn't get that unless they could get the upper hand.

"No, you know what Meg?" Sam said suddenly, shaking his head. "We have no use for you. You're not why we're here." He turned towards the door to go back inside. "Come on Dean."

Sam and Dean could practically read each other's thoughts and Dean followed his brother's lead instantly. "Yeah, you're right Sam," he shrugged, turning and stepping quickly back into the building in front of the tall hunter. "She's not worth it."

They heard an infuriated huff from behind them and sure enough, she followed them back inside, trapping herself in the Devil's trap they had chalked there not two minutes before.

Sam snickered. "You couldn't just let us walk away, could you?" he gloated back at her. "You just love the sound of your own voice too much."

"You won't be laughing when I slice Sammy Junior's throat," she spat angrily before regaining her composure.

"Where's Lucifer?" Dean repeated, drawing the Colt and cocking it menacingly in front of her.

"Like I would betray my Father," she answered defiantly, folding her arms across her chest, though the flicker of fear on her face confirmed she recognized the weapon in Dean's hands.

"I thought he wanted to meet me," Sam pointed out. "Just tell me where he is and I'll oblige."

"He likes to do things on his own terms," she retorted, her smug smile slowly returning.

"I tell you what. Coz I like you two so much, I'll make you a deal."

"You're not getting anything from us," Sam said quickly.

"Well that's fine," she snapped, because the deal's not for you." She turned to face Dean. "The deal's for big brother, as usual."

"Well, sweetheart, I ain't interested," Dean sneered.

"If Dean shoots himself with the Colt," Meg said slowly. "Then I'll tell Sam right where Lucifer is."

Sam spun his head towards his brother, who had a thoughtful look on his face. "Don't even think about it," he said sternly.

Dean snorted. "I know better than to trust a demon deal, Sam." He stepped closer to Meg. "Here's my counter offer. You tell me where Luci is and I let you pick your weapon of choice." He waved the Colt at her and gestured for Sam to show Ruby's knife. Sam smirked and held the blade up for Meg to get a good look.

Just then Cas strode into the room through the far door. His hair was disheveled and his trench coat was ripped and covered in blood. Both brothers were struck with an enormous sense of relief at the sight of their friend alive.

"I know where Lucifer is," Cas announced simply.

"How?" Dean demanded, his heart jumping in anticipation.

"The hellhounds are more sentient than their earthly counterparts," he said in way of explanation. "Their fear of him was first and foremost in their minds."

Dean grinned widely. "Okay, Dog Whisperer, where is he then?" He looked back at Meg in anticipation of the reply.

"Detroit."

Dean saw the alarm flash in Meg's eyes at Cas's answer and remembered his stint in 2014. Detroit was it. He just knew it in his gut. That was where Lucifer was. That was where his son was. He spared a nervous glance at Sam. That was also where Sam had given in and said yes in Zachariah's alternate timeline. Would his brother betray him again?

Whatever was going to happen, he knew he was going to Detroit. Rescuing his son was all he had left. That doe-eyed little boy and the saucy little blonde girl in Tennessee were the only things keeping him going.

He turned to Meg. "Looks like we don't need you after all."

"No, wait, Dean," Meg stammered. "We can…"

Bang.

Lights flashed beneath her skin and her eyes locked with Dean's, wide with fear and disbelief before she crumpled to the floor, dead.

Dean stared down at Meg's lifeless body. "I've wanted to do that for a long fucking time."

~0~0~0~0~0~

Author's note: So they're finally off to rescue Little Sammy! I'm trying to keep the story as exciting as I can while showing all the different relationships (Cas-bros, Cas-Tasha, but mostly Sam-Dean) so hopefully it's keeping your interest despite a few slower parts in the past couple of chapters. Thanks for all of you who've reviewed, alerted, and faved – I really do appreciate it and hope you enjoy the rest! Please review!