When Castiel opened his eyes, he saw a multitude of colors. In the room, he could see every small detail down to the last bit of dust in the air. He could hear every breath inhale and exhale, every brush of fabric against the seats. His senses were heightened, and he'd never felt so alive.

There was nothing Castiel couldn't see, hear, smell, or taste, and he yearned to touch everything. The extra weight on his back was comforting. His wings were like two added limbs, somehow necessary to the essence of his body as a whole.

The cameras were no longer on him, but Gabriel's gaze was scrutinizing. The archangel was even more obviously perfect now that Castiel was an angel. There was nothing human about Gabriel, not even his eyes, which held more colors than he thought existed.

"How're you holding up, kid?" Gabriel asked. There wasn't a hint of performance in his question. Gabriel wasn't acting anymore.

Castiel moved his wings, batting them just slightly. Then he stretched them out as he rolled his shoulders. "I've never felt better. I feel…invincible."

Gabriel laughed. "That can be deceiving. None of us are invincible. Some of us are harder to kill than others, but we're all mortals in the end."

"Cas?"

Dean's voice filled Castiel with a familiar warmth. Hesitantly, Dean stepped closer to Castiel, as though fearing Castiel would fly off with any sudden movement.

"Dean," Castiel breathed, and he felt his wings move.

Dean's gaze rose above Castiel's head, and his eyes widened as Castiel's wings kept moving. "This is fucking nuts."

Castiel held his wings in place, making sure they didn't move. "I'm sorry. I haven't learned to control them yet." With another roll of his shoulders, Castiel retrieved his wings, making them disappear.

"How the hell did you do that?" Dean asked, taking two steps forward.

Castiel furrowed his brow. "I can't explain it. They're just…a part of me."

Gabriel clapped Castiel's shoulder. "You'll get used to all of this. Just take it easy at first. Don't fly too fast. There's a lot of us out there. Try to follow the current, and you'll be alright. As for your dear old husband, I'd suggest you keep him hidden." Gabriel glanced at Dean. "After tonight's show, chances are all angels are on the lookout for my studio to get to you."

"We'll be careful," Castiel promised. "Thank you for everything, Gabriel."

Gabriel raised an eyebrow, smirked, and then he was gone.

"How…how do you feel?" Dean asked, closing the distance between them. A shaky hand ran up to cup Castiel's cheek, leaving a soft caress.

Castiel closed his eyes, the touch nearly burning his skin with anticipation. With his senses heightened, Dean's touch was doing incredible things to him. "I feel alive." When he opened his eyes, Dean was still staring at him, like he was trying to relearn him.

"Look at you, angel," Meg said. She stood in front of them, arms crossed over her chest. "Well played, both of you. I can't say I'm not disappointed. But if it wasn't me, I'm glad it was you, Castiel. You make a stunning angel."

"What will you do now?" Castiel asked.

Meg shrugged. "I'll just wing it. It's what I do best. And hey, try not to fuck up your plan to end all this. You're my last hope."

"No pressure," Dean said.

"We won't let you down," Castiel said, shining with a new confidence.

Meg gave them a mock salute before she turned around and went the other way. Castiel wished the best for her.

"Wanna get out of here?" Dean asked.

Castiel turned to him, smiled. "Where should we go first?"

"We have to catch up with a lot of people," Dean said. "But I think we can fit in some time to go shopping for some supplies first."

"Supplies?"

Dean grinned. "Come on, I'll drive."

It was strange climbing into the Impala. The small space felt confined. If Castiel were to spread out his wings, they wouldn't fit inside. That alone made him hate the cramped space. But Dean wasn't ready to give up his car just yet, so Castiel tagged along for the ride.

Dean pulled up in front of a mall. It was completely empty and intact. Castiel wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing.

"What type of supplies do we need, Dean?"

"You'll see."

Castiel trailed behind Dean after he broke the front door to get inside. They walked directly to Burlington Coat Factory. Not the first place Castiel would have thought of, but he kept from asking questions. There was a bright look in Dean's eyes that Castiel had missed seeing. He didn't want to ruin the moment.

After walking down a few aisles, Dean pulled out a few items. "Here, try these on." He tossed them into Castiel's arms and kept walking. "Now that you're an angel, you gotta look the part."

"Is this really necessary?" He tried, he really did.

"Of course it's necessary."

Castiel rolled his eyes. "Well, what will you be wearing?"

"A brand new leather jacket." Dean pulled the jacket from the rack, his giddy smile illuminating his features.

Castiel smiled. "Alright. Let's try this on so we can get out of here."

They both shed their clothes in front of each other and changed into new outfits. Castiel wore a pair of dark jeans, a black Henley, and a brown coat that was a bit too long. The coat felt bulky at first, but it gave him an air of authority that he liked. Dean had good taste in clothes.

For himself, Dean chose a new pair of jeans, another flannel, and his brand-new leather jacket. He also grabbed each of them new shoes. They looked decent, to say the least.

"This was a good distraction," Castiel admitted, heading out of the store.

"Look what else I found." Dean held up a large, shiny sword.

Castiel stopped dead on his track. "Where did you get this?"

Dean offered him the sword, and Castiel took it, holding it carefully. It was light in his hands, but it was obviously sharp.

"I found it in a store, and I figured you could use a weapon." Dean cleared his throat. "You'll need it eventually, right?"

Right. Killing Michael. That would solve everything. That was Castiel's duty now. It all fell on his hands.

"Yes," Castiel said. "Thank you, Dean."

"Hey, Cas." Dean looked away. "Are you sure this is what you want? I mean, we'd never planned for this. I was supposed to be an angel and kill Michael. You weren't supposed to take over. I wish…I should have stopped it from happening."

Castiel lowered his sword with one hand and used the other to touch Dean's cheek. The feeling, again, was unlike anything else he'd ever felt in his life. "Dean, I never wanted you to take on this role. I'm relieved that it was me. I want to do this. I'm going to end this. You don't have to worry about me."

"Ask for something less impossible," Dean said, leaning into the touch.

"We should head out." Castiel dropped his hand, despite wanting nothing more than to stay in the moment. "We need to find Anna."

Dean nodded. "Yeah, absolutely. We'll find her."

"I hope so."

They were back in the Impala. Dean had driven them to a gas station, where the only food they could find was trail mix and Twinkies. Not the healthiest choice, but at least they wouldn't starve yet.

They were still in the parking lot. Castiel had been working on tracking down Anna, but to no success so far. It was as though she was off the map. Not dead, Castiel was sure of that. But she was definitely hiding. That would make it harder to find her. So, they decided to search for Castiel's mother instead.

It wasn't an easy decision for Castiel to make, but Dean knew that that was what he needed to do. Castiel had unfinished business with his parents. His dad was gone, but his mom was still around. It was better than nothing.

"I got her," Castiel said.

"Where is she?"

"Tianjin," Castiel said. "China."

Dean swallowed. "We're flying to China?"

Castiel looked at him. "I can go alone."

"No. I promised you we'd do this together. I can do this."

"I've never flown before," Castiel said, with less confidence than he'd showed before.

Despite that, Dean was sure he wanted to do this. "Let's just go now."

"Now?"

"Now."

Castiel nodded, reaching forward to embrace Dean in his arms. "Hold tight."

Dean wasn't proud of himself when he screamed bloody murder as soon as they were on the air. But could you blame him? He was thousands of feet above the ground, holding for his dear life onto Castiel, as his wings transported them to the other side of the world. It wasn't the best situation he'd ever been in.

Castiel was laughing into Dean's ear. The softness of his laughter was slightly comforting, but Dean held on even tighter.

"I won't let you go, Dean," Castiel said. "I've got you."

"Easy for you to say," Dean said, swallowing down his tremors. He buried his face in Castiel's neck. "You're the one with the wings."

"We're almost there."

"About time. It's been hours."

"It's been six minutes."

Dean scoffed. "Didn't feel like minutes."

"I think I'm fast," Castiel said, the smugness in his voice clear.

"Good for you, man. Don't get distracted, okay? Just fly and hold me."

Castiel laughed again. "I love you."

"If you loved me you would fly faster."

"We're flying to China in under ten minutes," Castiel said. "Wouldn't you say that's fast?"

"Shut up."

What felt like hours later, Castiel finally announced they were there. Once Dean set his feet on the ground, his knobby knees nearly let him collapse, but Castiel lifted him up. Dean waited until he felt solid enough to stand on his own, and then Castiel let him go.

"I think I'm gonna be sick," Dean said.

"There's a bathroom down the hall," Castiel said.

"How do you know?"

"Because this is my mother's house."

"Your mom has a house in China?"

"It was always her retirement dream."

Dean snorted. "Rich people."

Castiel grunted in agreement.

There were halls everywhere. The house was enormous. But eventually, Dean did find the bathroom. He didn't get sick, but he splashed cold water on his face until he calmed down from the most terrifying trip of his life. When he stepped out, he followed the same path that he'd taken, but Castiel wasn't there anymore.

There was music coming from one of the rooms, and Dean followed it. The closer he got, the clearer the music sounded. It was a Fleetwood Mac song. Dean started humming along to The Chain.

When he rounded another corner, he found Castiel standing outside a bedroom. His wings were exposed, but they weren't expanded. Dean approached him slowly, still thrown off by the sight. Castiel looked beautiful with his wings, but it was still so new to Dean. It would take some time to get used to this.

In the spur of the moment, Dean reached out to touch a single white feather. Immediately, Castiel retrieved his wings, and they were gone from sight.

Castiel turned around, eyes wide when he saw Dean standing there. "You startled me."

"Sorry. I didn't know they were that sensitive. I shouldn't have touched them."

"It's alright. Just took me by surprise."

"Where's your mom?"

"In there," Castiel said. "Doing yoga."

"Yoga, huh?"

Dean peeked inside the room and found a woman on a mat in the middle of the room. She was holding a pose Dean didn't know the name for, but one that looked extremely uncomfortable. The music was blasting from this room. Dean faced Castiel again. "Are you gonna talk to her?"

"I don't know."

"I thought that was the plan."

"We didn't have a plan."

"I'm sure you have things to say to her."

Castiel leaned his head against the wall. "I just needed to see her again. Just once."

"I'm sure she'd like to see you too."

"Not like this."

Dean bumped his shoulder against Castiel's. "You can do this."

Castiel closed his eyes. Dean found his hand and linked their fingers together. "I can do this."

Dean brought their hands up and kissed the back of Castiel's hand.

Castiel opened his eyes. "I'm going in."

Dean smiled. "I'll be right here."

With a deep breath, Castiel walked in the room, just as Landslide started playing.