Authors Note: Mention of torture scene is from chapters 18 and 19 of "One of Nature's Masterpieces" by author zeppx and co-authored by Susangel. I have never seen a story go so in depth with what happened to Castiel when he experienced Zachariah's persuasions. Best one I've read and you haven't done so, you can find it under my favorites.

Written: 15 May

Soundtrack: Broken by Lifehouse

Word Count: 8500+

Chapter 13

On the eve of the second day is when the trickles of fever started to set in. The physical pain had remained about the same but Castiel soon found it growing as well along with the heat. He still couldn't stand anyone touching him, the prickling throughout his limbs still sending jolts of pain throughout his body, reaching from his toes all the way to his fingertips like prickling needles. Even when Dean tried to rub his back as he had done the day before, his body began to protest.

The trembling had also become more noticeable and Dean had tried to help with medication, hoping that the pain would simply wear off after a while. However, after the second dose and twelfth hour of the pills flowing through his system, he found that it had done nothing for him. If anything, it only made everything worse. Castiel just insisted that he stop, as the slowly mounting pain started to cause his head to throb and soon erupted into an ear splitting headache.

His spine and shoulder blades were screaming and the angel knew that the comfort that was once there had been taken away, because his wings were no longer with him. His stomach cramped and rolled. Even when the hunter insisted that it was because he was hungry and that he had to eat something, the angel flat out refused. Even breathing was starting to have its difficulties, and Castiel knew that this was only the start of it.

By mid afternoon, the fever had already begun to weaken him and Sam and Dean had helped him out of most of his clothing, leaving him dressed with only his shirt and pants. The shaking only got worse as his temperature climbed and the brothers found themselves having to pile several blankets on top of him just to get them to recede a little. Even the weight of them caused him to groan pitifully in pain, every little sensation he experienced causing him to curse at himself for such weakness.

Dean simply sat there talking to him, trying to coax him and insisted that they were going to find something to help him. He promised him that everything would be okay. No matter what. Castiel merely looked at him, as if to tell the hunter that he shouldn't make promises that he couldn't keep, but this only made Dean more stubborn. He hated the angels negative attitude at the moment, but if he had to be the one to take him out of it then he would gladly be up for the challenge. Castiel was losing faith way too quickly, and this had Dean wondering if there was something the angel wasn't telling him.

After several hours of their research getting nowhere, Sam decided to try something bolder and quickly went outside to the junkyard to call on a certain archangel. He knew that the man said to never use him as a calling card but this was an emergency and Sam knew, that the archangel had to know. Would want to know.

"Gabriel. I know you said that you didn't want me calling you anymore but it's about Cas." Sam started, knowing that he had used those words before to pray to him, but he hoped that the sound of his tone told the angel how serious this was. That this was something he wasn't joking about. "Look, something happened to him. Something serious." He sighed, hoping to God that he was listening and squeezed his hands tight in his pockets. The stress of it all was quickly getting to him. "I'm not sure what's going on, but if you're listening─"

His words were suddenly cut off by a flap of wings behind him and Sam turned around to find the petite angel standing there.

"Gabriel."

"You wanna tell me what the Hell is going on kid?" He shot, looking more than just a little aggravated at the hunters constant calls (even though it was only the second one).

"You tell me." Sam retorted back, not meaning to catch such tone with him but was already on edge and just happened to take it out on him. "We have an angel show up, tell us that Cas' Grace is gone and, that he's dying. So why don't you tell me what the Hell is going on huh?"

"Wait a minute." Gabriel's attitude quickly disappeared as he put up his hand. He had to mentally rewind those last few words that the hunter had just spoken, as if they had been completely muted out. As soon as he hit replay in his brain, he started wondering if he had actually heard what Sam had just told him and started getting a little antsy that he may have heard right. "What did you say?"

"Cas' Grace is gone." Sam repeated again, slowly this time to make sure the angel got it.

"What do you mean his Grace is gone? What are you talking about?"

"I mean it's gone Gabriel! Like, ripped out of him, okay. One minute he was fine. The next minute it was just…over. I don't know how to explain it to you. I don't know what happened."

Gabriel saw it clearly through those wide hazel eyes. Sam wasn't lying to him, then again there was no reason to either. This only had his fear going up several notches. Sam noticed it too but another thing he couldn't help but pick up on was that Gabe seemed to be a little tranced. And why was he not concerned with the information that they had found out about Cas' Grace through another angel? Sam now had a few questions to go searching through, and he didn't know if he was going to like what he found. Strangely enough, he had started to trust Gabriel. He didn't want to get the idea that the angel was hiding something from them. Not that it was any of his business but, he was starting to show the archangel a little that he trusted him. He was hoping for a little of the same in return.

"Where is he?" Gabriel asked, his tone now serious more than angry.

"He's upstairs."

Gabriel didn't even wait for his permission and immediately walked passed Sam, heading straight for the house and upstairs to his little brother. Not even Bobby got anything more than a look from the younger hunter as he noticed the angel bolting up the stairs two steps at a time.

By the time he got to Sam and Dean's room he found the older hunter trying to make Cas a little more comfortable, pulling up the blankets and wiping the sweat from his forehead with a washcloth. The angel had yet to move from his original position on the bed, still laying on his side and curled in on himself but now he was in a tightly compressed ball, his eyes shut tight and breathing painful gasps through gritted teeth. In a nut shell, his brother looked pretty bad off.

"Gabriel?" Dean looked up as soon as he saw the archangel walk through the door. "How did you─"

"Your brother called." He answered abruptly, immediately walking over to Castiel.

Before he could lay his hands on him Dean stopped him, putting a hand in front of him to block his way. "Don't touch him."

His tone was not the least bit threatening or anything of the sort in any way, but more worrisome and cautious. And it was something that Gabriel immediately picked up on. Dean was being protective, but as the big brother it was his turn to do so.

"Why the hell not?"

"Because it hurts him Gabriel." Sam answered simply, knowing that the archangel could understand Dean's point of view. They were both older brothers who were protective of their younger siblings. It was natural for friction to occur in these types of circumstances.

"I'm not gonna hurt him." Gabriel replied, trying to assure the older hunter that he was simply there to help even if it wasn't asked for.

Dean simply moved his hand but remained standing where he was, still careful of Cas should the archangel pull anything stupid. Not that he wasn't starting to trust him a little but the angel did kill him more times than he could count and he still held that against the guy.

"Alright little bro. You need to tell me where it hurts okay?" Gabriel gently removed the side of the blanket that covered his back and gently placed both hands against it, trying to feel for any possible remnants of his Grace. To his surprise though, he didn't find any.

Castiel immediately shuddered against his touch and the archangel looked down at his face, a painful expression clear to him through his gritted teeth and furrowed brow. He was hurting, and even though Gabriel didn't know what the cause of that could be he looked over at the older hunter who looked back at him, their eyes locking for just a moment. Gabriel was showing that he was worried and confused but Dean's said exactly the same, and the archangel had to admit that he was a little shocked. Not that he should be but still, Dean was taking this personally. Very personally.

Gabriel's hands remained on his back and gently pushed down, trying to heal Castiel from whatever this was. As soon as he did Castiel yelped softly and Dean was about to take his hands away and stop him but the next second, Cas' breathing had settled a bit and calm seemed to pass through his features.

Gabriel was healing him, but it was slow and even a little difficult. The second unusual thing that happened was that Gabriel was starting to feel a strange tingle travel up his fingers and through his hands, reaching up to his wrists and then his arms, causing him to flinch and pull away. Cas had visibly relaxed, but there was still a bit of pain evident in his expression and Gabriel looked back down at his hands, which were now trembling and even growing slightly red in color.

"What happened?" Dean asked, noticing the shaking and the confused look on the archangels face.

"This isn't natural." He simply whispered, squeezing his hands tightly into fists as the pain started to recede.

"What do you mean?" Sam asked, walking up to him and standing on his side.

"Whatever this is, it's tied to his true form. It's keeping him from being able to heal and blocking mine."

"Wait a minute. What are you talking about?" Dean asked, not noticing that Castiel had now opened his eyes a slit to look over to his brother.

"I mean that it's not just that his Grace is gone kid." Gabriel finally lowers his hands to his sides, his arms suddenly feeling numb and a bit heavy. "There's something else going on here. I just don't know what yet. But whatever it is, nothing you do is gonna help him. If you even try…it gets worse." Gabriel's tone ebbed that of frustration, this new revelation causing him to grow even more on edge.

Dean couldn't believe what he was saying. Castiel was suffering and it seemed that the loss of his Grace was only part of it. There was something more here and the archangel didn't seem to know what it was. This actually scared Dean and it's then he recalled for a moment what Elizael had said the night before. 'Perhaps there is something else involved here'.

"Gabriel." The archangel looked up at the hunter, eyes locking on his. "We've got an angel that's been tailing us. Her name is Elizabeth. Well, Elizael." He corrected. "Yesterday she told me the same thing. That something else was going on here. Do you know who she is? Do you know what she was talking about?"

Gabriel broke eye contact and simply looked down at Castiel, whose eyes were now locked on his and replied that he didn't know. Dean knew off the bat that he was lying.

"Gabriel." He said a bit more forcefully, forcing him to look back at him. "This is important. If you know something─"

"I don't know anything Dean." He immediately cut off, trying to keep his own façade up. "Look, I can try and find out something but as for what's going on now, I can't do anything to reverse it." He swallowed hard, and Dean could have sworn that he was seeing guilt in his eyes. Gabriel was scared. He knew that whatever was happening was serious and not even he could do anything about it.

This threw Dean off. If the archangel couldn't stop something as simple as a fever or shakes, then what exactly were they dealing with?

Gabriel said nothing more and simply returned his hands onto Castiel's back.

"Gabriel, no." Castiel breathed, knowing that what he was about to attempt would affect him as well. He had felt it. He didn't want that to happen and even tried to move away but ended up causing more pain to surge up his spine, causing him to flinch, which caused Dean to put a gentle hand on his arm and stop him.

"Shut up Cas." Gabriel snapped softly as he pressed his hands down again. He knew healing wouldn't do a damn thing but at least he could dull the pain a little and force Cas to sleep it off.

Not even two seconds later Castiel was out and Gabriel was withdrawing his hands, the new vibrating sensations now cramping his joints. It was the most he could do at the moment until he could find another solution, hopefully something that was permanent or lasted longer. Until then he would have to make do with what he could and he carefully draped the blankets back over Castiel's now sleeping form.

Dean definitely caught it now. The shaking was only slight but he could swear that he saw the archangels fingers twisting in on themselves. As if he was suddenly suffering from arthritic hands. His skin had even paled a shade or two. Before Dean could even ask him about it Gabriel looked over to him and told him to take care of Castiel until he got back, and quickly disappeared in a flutter of wings.

The banishing sigil that Sam Winchester had used on her had crippled her Grace and she now found herself in Death Valley, her limbs tumbling everywhere and body rolling as she landed until she finally came to a complete stop, falling on her back. She warily lifted her head and saw that she was only about a mile from the local highway. She carefully rolled over onto her side, wincing slightly as she shifted on all fours and struggled to push her legs underneath her, slowly but surely picking herself up. Her Grace had replenished just a couple minutes after but she could still felt the burn of the sigil pulsing against her Grace.

She hated those banishing sigils, and she began to curse the angel who even created them. She quickly dusted the sand and dirt off her jeans and jacket and quickly flew away, knowing that there was indeed something sinister behind all that was happening and knew where she could find some answers.

It didn't take her long.

She knew that most of her siblings were arrogant assholes but some were actually willing to help. Many unfortunately, had little or no information.

Until she found an angel named Remiel, the angel of judgment who led souls to their ultimate destinies in the afterlife. He informed to her a rumor he had heard about some big plan by Raphael, but didn't know any details. The only thing he knew was that he was collecting angels Grace's and that whoever didn't want to find themselves on the other side of his wrath were hiding from him. This she already knew but when she asked about Castiel's, Remiel looked at her surprisingly, wondering how she already knew about it.

"He does have it?" It was more an answer from her, than a question.

"Well yes. The rumor is that he sent Barakiel to retrieve it but, he only got some of it."

"I don't understand." Elizael shook her head and tranced herself in her thoughts for a moment, remembering the night of the extraction quite clearly in her mind. "How did Raphael take it from him then, if he only had a piece of it? There haven't been any other attacks on Castiel, at least not that I'm aware of." She whispered lastly, looking away from him.

He saw it written clear on her face. She had slipped while concentrating her efforts elsewhere and because of that Castiel now found himself in this situation. If he didn't know any better he would think that she was feeling guilty but he had also heard the rumors of her as well and knew it wasn't possible. Elizael never disobeyed, and when it came to emotions she was strict to keep them in check. Characteristics such as those were solely human personalities and were not something she affiliated herself with. In some ways, she was worse than Michael when it came to the rules.

"From what I've heard," He moved closer to whisper in her ear. "He used a spell."

This new piece of information sent a massive shiver down her spine. Not because of the fact he revealed to her but to what he wasn't telling her. He didn't need to tell her, because she already knew the answer. The fact that the archangel had willingly crossed the line simply to gain an upper hand in his war and potentially destroy himself as well, along with Castiel was unfathomable. Enochian magic was powerful, but use it the wrong way and it could be deadly. Use it the right way and it could be prosperous. It all depended really on how you looked at it.

"What spell?" She asked cautiously, a tinge of irritation in her voice.

"All I know, is that it's from the forbidden scrolls." He whispered.

She immediately felt herself growing irate but fought to push it down, leaving a low burn in her gut. "Thank you Remiel."

And with those last words she disappeared.

By the time it was nightfall, Elizael chose to return to the Winchester home, hoping to see Castiel. But knowing that the brothers would most likely be watching him, she knew that she couldn't take the risk. She needed them to trust her and the only way to do that was to play on their terms. That didn't mean she couldn't still give them a piece of her mind.

She could have easily slipped in unnoticed, hiding herself if need be but considering the circumstances this was the best way to go. Whether she liked it or not.

She carefully landed into Bobby Singer's study. She looked around the room for the hunter but turned around and saw the old drunk instead, sitting at his desk with several books opened in front of him.

Bobby simply looked up and stared at her, as chocolate brown eyes met his own and he immediately went to try and banish her with a blood sigil hidden behind a pile of books on the wall. But she raised her hand and stopped him from moving.

"Please. I'm not here to harm you." She said calmly, locking her eyes to him as to assure her truthfulness. "I need to speak to Dean Winchester."

"What'd you need Dean for?" He asked cautiously.

"I just want to talk to him, please." She spoke gently, still refusing to move her arm until she was sure he would not attempt to banish her.

She attempted to be careful this time, hoping not to upset anyone in the household. She carefully let him go and watched as he slowly walked upstairs, seemingly to achieve the man she had come to see. She saw him return just a couple minutes later, the older man apparently staying upstairs with the angel while Dean came to assess her visit.

"What do you want?" He asked fiercely, his clear disgust with her still quite evident in his tone.

"Well first thing. Banishing me, was not necessary. Those actions didn't need to be taken." She answered forcefully, still holding her ground.

Dean rightfully did the same. "Well considering that I don't know who you are─"

"I told you who I am." She cut off.

"You gave me a name. That doesn't tell me anything." Dean corrected. Being a hunter and living a certain lifestyle meant that you had to know what you were dealing with and frankly, he had nothing on her. "And another thing, what's Gabriel gotta do with all this?" He slowly took a few steps towards her, trying to assert his dominance. It was a pretty pointless gesture against an angel, especially one who felt like Death himself could keel over in her presence, but it at least showed her his position. This was his territory and he was going to protect it, as well as everyone inside it.

"Gabriel?" Her brow furrowed slightly as if in confusion. "Gabriel was here?"

"Yeah, he was. And when I asked him about you, he tried to play dumb. Treated me like I was an idiot." Dean was nearly shouting this time, but only because she was making him uneasy. "Now what is it that you two are planning huh? What's your end game?"

"Nothing!" She shouted, clearly appalled at the hunters accusations. What on Earth made him think she was up to anything with the archangel? The idea alone was preposterous. "Gabriel and I are not acquainted in any way. He has his personal responsibilities and I have my own. I have nothing to do with that, that" She stopped, unsure of what to say about the archangel. She looks away and tries to figure out a word to actually call him but comes up with nothing and finds herself biting her bottom lip and looking down to the floor instead. She gives out a slow, frustrated sigh and closes her eyes, trying to control herself. She hadn't even been in the presence of the human two minutes and already she was losing her cool. She finally brought her eyes back up to his. "I have nothing to do with that degenerate. Whatever he was here for, it's none of my concern. And if you asked him about me, it's not his position to say."

"Okay." Dean answered calmly as he walked up to her, confirming his suspicions of Gabriel having lied to him. At least now he knew a reason for it, sort of. "If what you're telling me is true then I gotta say. Even with all the crap Gabe's put us through, me especially, I trust him a hell of a lot more than I do you."

She simply frowned, her brow furrowing this time at the use of the archangels name being used so casually. What was with the hunters constantly changing the names of the angels?

"I suppose that's understandable," she said calmly. "You have spent more time around him than you have me."

Not that it was all fun and games with the archangel but still. He didn't trust Gabriel as far as he could throw him but considering how small he was, that did stand for something. Dean just didn't trust her at all. Another awkward moment passed before he broke the silence.

"This thing that's wrong with Cas," he started. "Can you fix it?"

She slightly tilted her head as she considered his question. "Excuse me?"

"Gabriel already tried and he looked like he was about to keel over after just a few seconds." Dean admitted, knowing that if someone as strong as an archangel could be affected that greatly, then Cas must have been in a pretty bad spot right now. "Now I don't know about you but from what I'm getting, I think you can actually pull it off. Or at least try."

He was almost pleading with her, his tone firm but lacking ferocity. He was actually asking a favor of her even after the words they had just exchanged about trusting each other. She looked at him sharply before giving him an answer.

"It's not my problem." She replied flatly, her posture suddenly stiffening. "I have orders I need to follow."

"Orders?" Dean couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Are you telling me that you have exact orders to not help Cas?"

"You don't need to know what my orders are regarding him."

"Bull." He said firmly, taking a step closer to her and invading her personal space. "When it comes to Cas, anyone who tries to screw with him, screws with us. So you're gonna give me some answers and you're gonna tell me right now what's happening with Cas. Starting with, where the hell is his Grace?"

He stared down at her threateningly, the urge to protect his friend completely blocking his sense to be cautious of her. She in turn did the same but instead tried to study the hunter, still not understanding his massive protectiveness over the angel.

"Raphael has it," she sneered at him. "And you should be thankful that I'm even telling you this."

"Raphael? He has it?" Dean pursed his lips as he tried to control the rage now bubbling in his stomach. "Son of a bitch."

Dean began to pace, passing a hand over his mouth as he circled the room, trying to wrap his mind around the fact. The archangel had somehow managed to pull Cas' Grace out from under them and Dean couldn't begin to figure out how or why. The why he could guess but as to the how, he had to admit was above his pay grade.

"Cas doesn't deserve this," he whispered to himself. "I mean, this is what angels do to their own? Ripping out what makes them who they are! That's torture!"

His last word made something suddenly snap inside of her. Something she had never felt before in her life and equaled almost as much as the power she was capable of throwing at him. It scared her, but it also enraged her and she found herself wanting to suddenly become violent. To suddenly hate Dean Winchester.

"He brought this on himself the moment he met you." She said sharply, clearly taking him completely off guard and causing him to sharply look back at her in surprise, a blood red ferocity now in her eyes. Was she actually blaming him?

"What the hell does that mean?"

"Do you honestly think Castiel was ever meant to serve you? To go through everything he has because of you?" She slowly walked up to him, her steps becoming heavier and heavier as the anger on her face grew hotter and hotter. She was suddenly infuriated and Dean didn't know why. Why she had abruptly turned on him after hearing his words. "You call it torture," she mocked. "You think torture in Hell is bad? You think Alistair was creative? That you were creative? Well let me tell you something. He had nothing, close to the imagination Zachariah did when he tried to re-teach Castiel his place." Dean found himself almost stepping back, the look in her eyes masking so much rage that stood behind them. "You say he was ass-reamed, you don't know the meaning of the word. You think what he did to you, giving you stomach cancer was cruel? Maybe you should see what he does to angels who disobey."

Her last sentence came out chillingly, causing a shiver to race down his spine. Whatever he had done, what he had said had obviously upset her. So much so that she almost looked like she was on the verge of mutilation.

Dean simply stared at her, afraid to wonder what actions had been taken against his angel for her to react in such a way. The fear of when he first met her doubled at that moment at the thought. So much so that he could actually feel tears welling in the corners of his eyes and his breaths catching in his throat. This actually startled her but she refused to let the issue go from her mind. Dean bit on his bottom lip as he tried to control himself. She unexpectedly felt something herself but she quickly threw away the emotion and continued with her little rant. In her eyes, the hunter had been naïve to not even notice what had happened to him.

"There was a reason Castiel walked away from you that night."

Dean said nothing. Instead he simply stared back at her, his anger towards her attitude now completely suppressing his fear of her.

"Well let me tell you something. Cas does what he wants. I don't make him do anything. He doesn't serve me." Dean wanted to make that blatantly clear. "Cas isn't held back by anyone. Not you, not me and sure as Hell not the rules of Heaven."

"Rules are there for a reason," she retorted. "They need to be followed."

"You're the only one probably still playing by the rules. Did you ever think of that," he hollered. "Besides, your rules are crap to begin with."

She found herself growing more irritated at the hunters constant disrespect and wondered how such disloyalty towards the being that ordered his resurrection could be allowed to perform such misdeeds towards him. How could this man possibly be the Righteous One? She didn't see it, and began to question what exactly it was that her Father saw in this one human. Why was he so special that he was ordered to be pulled out of Hell and returned his soul? What was it?

"The rules of God are just, and not to be questioned." She started feeling an uncomfortable pit in her stomach.

"Oh really? Are you sure it's God that's actually making them?"

Her face suddenly dropped along with her stomach now. She looked at him questioningly as if unable to believe the hunters accusations, his doubt. After everything that had happened and all the miracles he received he was still unable to accept the fact, the truth of God and it only had her feeling nauseous towards the man. She wanted to smite him, teach him a lesson that he would never forget but she remembered her true purpose here and knew that she had to resist.

"Think about it," he said. "What other possible reason could there be for everything that is happening now, huh? Give me one good reason why I should believe that he even gives a crap."

Even though she flat out refused to do so, her mind immediately wandered back to the night she was called up to Heaven. Just before the fight between the hunter and the demons and why she was met by no one in the garden. Why Joshua claimed not to have called her. It bothered her greatly, but such paths of thought led to doubt and she refused to fall under such circumstances. She pushed the issue aside and went back to glaring at Dean.

"There is nothing to think about. My Father's rules are his rules and I will obey them. They are there to keep balance and order."

"Screw the balance. The world is in the toilet and if he truly wanted to fix things that he would intervene don't you think."

She simply retorted and he whispered under his breath that she had a bigger stick up her ass than Cas ever did. This caused her to look up at him square in the face. She didn't know how to react to such comments.

She suddenly felt that indescribable feeling in the pit of her stomach returning, swiftly getting the urge to unveil her wings just so she could watch his eyes burn from his skull. She found that she actually had to try and control herself, the sensations bombarding her throwing confusion and affirmation in their midst and Dean immediately noticed. He could only describe it as her being stuck, although deep down, he saw clear as day what she most likely did not.

Before she can even reply he walks away, and as he was heading for the stairs he looks back at her, his own fierce gaze rivaling her own. "By the way, it's called anger."

Her face immediately dropped and before she could even say anything he disappeared up the stairs, presumably to take back his position on the side of Castiel.

She can say nothing, her expression softening from an angry scowl to a questioning upset. She looks down at herself, wondering how something so trivial could bring out something so menacing. She questioned it, but only for a moment as she quickly tried to bury it and in the end simply brushed it aside. She knew that she had never felt such an emotion before and had never had anyone bring one out of her until now. She refused to let it happen again, knowing that it can interfere with her mission and quickly decided to limit any contact with Dean Winchester. He was a poison to her, a temptation, and one she knew she could not afford to accept.

She sighs in frustration and turns around towards the study, wanting to scream at his arrogance when she notices Bobby's work. Several of his books are opened, and every text she sees is in regards to the same subject; Enochian spells. She quickly reads through them and assumes that they are trying to figure out exactly how Castiel's Grace was stolen. It was a good place to start. She quickly glances around his collection, scanning the books scattered and piled throughout his desk and the shelves beside it.

They had already figured out one piece of the puzzle. She figured that the only thing she could do was help them with the second half.

She continued looking through the shelves, spotting several texts that she had never seen before and many that she once thought were only in Heaven's most holy libraries. She then spots what she is looking for and pulls a dusty, red leathered book with faded gold lettering from the shelf, shuffling through the crisp worn pages. After just a few glances she finds what she is looking for and slams the book on the desk, leaving it open on the page.

With that final task, she then quickly disappears.

Bobby returns back downstairs as soon as they know she's gone. Sam joins him as well, knowing that Dean has Castiel covered and that with two people continuing to research for possible solutions, the better chance they had at finding one.

Dean remained with Castiel, the angel soon waking up from his forced sleep and looking over at the hunter seated in front of him. Dean wanted to talk, and started off the conversation with telling him that his brothers are dicks. Not that they didn't already know that, but he simply wanted to remind him that sometimes even family couldn't be trusted. It was an unfortunate fact but it was also something they had to deal with.

As Dean continued trying to make Castiel as comfortable as possible he went about asking the question that had now plagued his mind for several minutes. It was the moment he never thought he would ask, but after now hearing it from an angel he just had to know. What exactly had Castiel been put through when he was dragged into Heaven's prisons? What was it that they had done to him, so much so that the angel actually had to walk away from him that night? It caused a knot to form in Dean's throat but he just had to know what it was, what suffering he had endured and what actions were taken, simply because he was being loyal to Dean.

Dean had to know in his mind, if it was truly worth it.

"Cas?" He whispered softly, slowly getting the angels eyes to meet his own. "What happened to you when you got dragged back to Heaven, the night you first tried to warn me about Lilith?"

His tone was soft and remorseful but there was something else that lay behind it, and Castiel saw at as clear as the freckles on the hunters face. He was saddened and deep down, he was scared. Castiel did not want to put him through that and chose not to answer.

"It doesn't matter Dean," he whispered. "What's done cannot be undone."

Dean felt the knot in his throat reach all the way down to his stomach, causing him to feel queasy and his heart to beat faster. He suddenly felt the urge to shed tears but immediately held them back, not wanting to reveal to his friend that he truly was scared to learn about his punishment. But just had to know.

"Please Cas," he begged. "Just tell me. I need you to tell me." The sad look in his eyes only matched the concerned ones in the angels and Dean knew that he was reaching out to him.

Castiel did not want to be brought back to those horrible memories but if they could get him to heal those spiritual wounds, if even just a little then maybe he should allow himself to be vulnerable. Even for just a moment. To trust the hunter with his secret, one that he never imagined having to hold.

"I need you to trust me Cas," he whispered, as he wrung out the washcloth from the bowl beside him and pressed it against the pulse point in his neck. The angel immediately gave a sigh of relief at the coolness it brought and after shutting his eyes for just a moment, opened them up to look back at Dean. "Please."

After another moment of unrelenting silence, the angel gave in, and slowly started to tell the hunter his story.

What Dean hears only breaks his heart. So much so that he found himself wishing that if he could go back to the moment he killed Zachariah. Just so he could stop himself. Just so he wouldn't have been so quick about it and could have made him feel the pain he put Cas through. And even more so. Dean never wanted to reopen those wounds of the torture he committed in Hell but sometimes those deadly thoughts of the past that were buried so deep in his mind just screamed at him when anyone hurt someone he loved. Now was just one of those moments, and those voices he thought he had shut down so long ago were suddenly growing very, very loud.

Elizael chose to isolate herself after her conversation with Dean. No matter how hard she tried however, it continued to plague her mind nonstop and she received another visit from Gabriel just as she was about to leave. Without even turning around to face him she asked him how he was, knowing that if he had tried to help their brother that he may have been affected as well. She gets a simple reply from him that it wore off.

She nods in slight contentment of his answer and he in return tells her that she is starting to feel doubt.

She quickly stops him, and corrects that she is not feeling anything. He in return implies that even if that is so, she is feeling something and that maybe she should listen.

She says that she will never, because it interrupts the true purpose of angels and he asks her if she truly believes that.

She says that she does, firmly as ever, and he merely replies that that may be so but if someone as small as a mortal can cause her to question herself even for a second, imagine what else he can get her to do.

She finally stops right there, looking back at him as if in surprise to see that he is actually accusing her of such misdeed.

He doesn't much as flinch. He continues on and says that humans may have flaws but that sometimes they're right and if she cared to pay attention that she would realize that there is something more to them.

"Yes, humans are flawed but they try. Damn it, they try. Maybe if you care to pay attention you would realize that." Gabriel said.

"I've been looking over mankind for millennia Gabriel. You don't need to tell me this." She said, irritancy clear in her voice.

"Yeah I know you have, but have you been seeing?" Gabriel retorted, hoping that now was a good time to finally get her to understand what has been boggling her mind for all these months. "Like right now. You're hearing me but are you listening? I mean come on, you have four heads. Use one of them." Gabriel didn't even sound like he was joking and this only proved to annoy her. "There is something more to what is happening and you know it. Don't tell me that you don't see it."

Before she can even retort he asks her to intervene, knowing that she may possibly be the only one who can at this point since their ultimate savior is still nowhere to be found. In his eyes, she is the only one who can.

"You know besides watching, you could be helping us." Gabriel said obviously.

"By doing what?" She said flatly, her head shaking slightly as if wondering what that could possibly be.

"By doing something! Anything. Look you already know I don't have the juice to help him. I can't stop this!" Gabriel yelled in desperation, his own emotions now starting to take its toll on him. "I've tried, but I can't do it. You have to─"

"There is nothing I can do." She replied flatly yet again, her voice blank of any emotion or expression.

"Nothing you can─" Gabriel stopped, his anger suddenly flaring and quickly growing, causing a painful sting to emanate from his chest. "What are you talking about? You're the one who's high up on the food chain here." He bellows. "You don't even have superiors for God's sake and─"

"Gabriel!" She screamed, knowing that blasphemies coming from him told her how much he was upset, but she didn't care. It was still unacceptable in her eyes, and a human example that the angel should have never found himself following. "I have a superior. And He is the one I take orders from. The only one."

"Then ask him to help or something because there's no way Cas is gonna survive this. This, spell, this crap that Raphael is doing. He got what he wanted already and now he's just toying with him for the shits and giggles of it. You can't tell me that this, this is what Dad wants."

An uncomfortable pause stood before them before she finally spoke. "I have my orders."

"Your orders?" He mocks, locking his eyes on hers, even as she tried to keep them away and look down on the ground. "Screw…the orders!" His anger was now well reaching rage. "I mean, this is bullshit! You mean to tell me that He asked you to do this? To not interfere. You already did that once remember?"

"That was different."

"Oh that was different." He mocks her again. "No it wasn't. You don't want to help him. That's what this is." His rage continued to flare as she continued to remain as expressionless as ever. "No, you know what. I know exactly what this is. This is a guilt trip. You feel guilty because you let someone play you, to call you back to Heaven so that you wouldn't be where you were supposed to," Gabriel was practically screaming now. "You don't want to take responsibility. So instead you take out your aggravation on Dean. Your fault on Dean. Simply because the moment the two of them met everything in Cas' life changed! And now, Cas is dying and the only person I see to blame is─"

"Gabriel!" She screams again and this time he stopped, as her own rage builds and she found herself having to breathe just to control what she was feeling. "It's not that I don't want to." She sighs as she attempts to control her frustration. "My orders are clear, and besides," She finally calms down and glares at him with her more than tiresome fierceness. "Whatever Raphael has done is beyond even me."

"Oh how convenient." Gabriel didn't even give himself a second to process that statement.

"Stop, just stop Gabriel. That is enough!" Her mounting rage disappears again as she calms herself. "There is nothing I can do to stop this, you must understand that. I will not question the will of our Father," She locks her eyes back on his, as the disgust she felt towards him caused her to bring out a snarling reply. "I will not question him, unlike you. "

Gabriel does nothing but glare at her, his own disgust for her quickly replacing anything he ever found decent in her. "You know what." He started, looking down at the ground for a moment and then back at her, a look of confusion clear on her face. "I'm starting to think that maybe humans trump angels in Dad's eyes because they are the only ones capable of giving a shit about someone who isn't family. Maybe that's why Dad gives such a crap about them." He stated simply. "Castiel is our brother, our family and you act like you don't give a damn."

"I don't." She said plainly, slowly walking up to him as his face contorted into one of astonishment. "Castiel brought this upon himself when he decided to oppose Raphael and I will not intercede unless He commands it." Her voice remained as emotionless as ever, as if trying to tear out all the feelings that had found themselves deep inside her. "Since He has not done that I will not step in."

Gabriel could only look at her sadly, the idea of her lack of sympathy simply mind boggling. "You're heartless."

It caused a slight twitch to hit her, but still she ignored it.

"We're angels. We don't have hearts."

"No, we don't." Gabriel whispered, almost chuckling softly to himself as he looked down as well before meeting his eyes back with hers. "But at least I've got enough common sense to know that Cas doesn't deserve to die like this."

There was that nickname again. "Maybe he does."

Again, her voice held no expression and all of a sudden, Gabriel could literally feel his blood boiling. "I could smite you for that."

"You can try." She says flatly, but he makes no move to do so. "I do not give a damn, as you say because that emphasizes caring, which emphasizes feeling emotion. Emotions taint angels Gabriel. Castiel has been tainted and it's obvious that the same has happened to you."

Another uncomfortable moment passed before he spoke up.

"Yeah well, I'd rather be tainted, than be a spineless, cold-hearted dick." He takes away the last few feet that divide them and looks down at her, his eyes locking down at her face. "You think that I'm the one that's blind. That I'm the one who went down the wrong path, well let me tell you sister. If I could take it all back I wouldn't. Because sure, emotions cause angels to question authority, to have doubts, to ignore the rules laid out to us since we were created but you know what? At least I can feel." He snarls. "Think about it. Maybe then, you can understand what has been plaguing that mind of yours. That little seed you've got. The one screaming for attention." He stopped, trying to read her deadpan expression, hoping that he was in some small degree helping her to see. "Maybe you should listen to it."

The only reaction he receives is a morbid look from her. "You know not of what you speak, archangel."

He doesn't even take the insult and simply continues to look down at her.

"Yeah…you know what, get back to me on that. You keep telling yourself that, keep telling that lie, and maybe you'll fool yourself enough to actually believe it."

He disappears, leaving her with more of a pit in her stomach which has caused an unexplainable feeling now in her chest. She mentally reminds herself that she cannot let herself be conned and that she does have a purpose. Her purpose is to serve God as he wishes.

The conversation soon leaves her mind all together.

Back at the Singer home, Castiel has fallen back to sleep and it is now Sam who is watching over him as Dean heads downstairs to talk to Bobby.

He informs the younger hunter that he found an old text on Enochian magic, which claims if a piece of an angels Grace is collected then there is a spell to draw the rest from its host. Dean in turn, informs him that Raphael is the one responsible, after hearing the news from Elizael. Bobby also figures out the second half of the spell that is harming Cas, slowly turning to the small book that the young woman left on his desk and shows it to Dean. From what he's been able to translate, it's a spell that goes by the name of 'Slow Death'.

"Case in point, Cas' Grace was stolen from him." Bobby said, hoping to sound as calm as possible for the sake of his surrogate son. "Whatever else this is, it's something that can't be stopped Dean." His look of sincerity hurts him but he knows that only hiding the fact will make Dean hurt even more. "I'm sorry son," he locks his eyes on his, hoping to bring some sort of small comfort to the young man even in this heartbreaking situation. "Cas is gonna die." What he didn't say but Dean hears clear as a bell, was that he needed to be ready soon.

Bobby's words nearly shatter him, the throb in his chest now an arrhythmia in his heart. Just when he thinks he is carrying this alone he looks back at Bobby and can swear that the older hunter is tearing as well, but is trying desperately to keep it in for his sake.

"Don't think I don't know what you're feeling Dean. Losing a son is just as hard as losing a friend."

Dean knows that and he also knows that death is inevitable at this point, and starts to contemplate what he can do, remembering that he sold his soul for Sam the last time he found himself in this position. Without even having to say it, Bobby knows what he is thinking and gets up from his chair to put a hand on his shoulder, as if to tell him that it's not what Castiel would want him to do.

Dean finds himself suddenly at a crossroads, unable to think of what to do next.

To Be Continued…