Saving Private Angel

Chapter 21

Dean slept peacefully through the night, into the afternoon of the next day. His thoughts free of the usual nightmares that plagued his thoughts. Sunlight streaming into the room was what finally woke him, and he felt across the bed for Jo. She had gone, but that was okay. She had the battle to get ready for, and she really shouldn't have lingered as long as she had. He stretched lazily, he actually felt good, real good.

Humming a little Metallica as he showered last night's sweat off of his skin, thinking about the most beautiful girl in the whole universe. The girl who had kept him warm at night all through his trip to hell. The girl who he had loved since the first moment she had pointed a shotgun at his face in the roadhouse. Someone he knew could take care of herself, and him. Not some whiney little two bit Lisa who he had made do with for so long, because no one else would have him. Yeah he had cared for Lisa, but it had been a different kind of love. Not the forever type, or he never could have left her behind or Ben.

He dressed slowly, lingering over the task his mind elsewhere back thinking of the pleasure and the passion of the night. He was in no rush to go to war, or loose this amazing blissful state he found himself in. He'd never felt anything quite like it, normally it would take a good half a bottle of whisky to calm his nerves anywhere near this much!

A knock on the door, and it opened a crack. "Are you dressed?" Sam asked around the frame.

"Naked as the day I was born!" Dean replied with a grin.

Shielding his eyes Sam stepped inside the room, holding out a bag of takeout breakfast goodies, Willow following closely behind with a tray of coffees. She giggled seeing the perfectly dressed Dean through her fingers as Sam waved the food wildly around trying to get his brother to take it. "Sam, he's playing ya!" she said.

"WHAT?" Sam asked daring to peek, "Bitch!"

"Jerk!" Dean snatched the food, and laid it out on the bed for them all with the biggest grin on his face.

"Someone's in a good mood," Sam commented freaked out by it.

"And why wouldn't I be on such a beautiful morning/afternoon/whatever?" Dean asked, tucking into his meal.

Sam eyed him suspiciously, "Are you drunk?"

"Nope, just happy!" Dean shrugged, sipping the black coffee, which tasted divine all of a sudden.

"Who the hell are you and where the fuck is my brother?" Sam demanded, almost reaching for his knife. Dean hadn't been this relaxed and jokey for years, why now?

"This is Dean 2.0, the next generation. Less gruff, more chick flick moments." He shrugged.

Sam was confounded, Willow took pity on her foolish boy toy. "He got laid Sam!"

"Who?" Sam asked confused, the last thing he remembered was planning the action. Slowly it dawned on him who exactly had been there at the meeting, "Jo?" he asked eagerly, "You and Jo?"

Dean rubbed his neck meekly, "And the bite marks to prove it."

"I can't believe that you and Jo finally got together!" Sam remarked.

"Well her being dead kinda put a crimp in our plans ya know!" Dean said rolling his eyes.

"Was it weird being with an angel?" Willow asked.

Dean smirked thinking about it again, lying back on his pillows lazily. "It was perfect, magical, the things she could do…."

"We aren't going to get any sense out of him today!" Sam interrupted before his brother recounted the entire sex act.

"Sammie?" Dean suddenly went deadpan.

"You okay?" Sam asked.

"I think I'm going to marry that girl, I don't mean right now, but one day." He said almost freaked out by it himself.

Willow pulled her 'big brother' into a hug, "I'd better be bridesmaid!"

"Are you serious?" Sam asked.

"I love her man, I always did, and I can't let her slip away from me again. Angel or not, we will work it out somehow, I have to believe that we can." Dean answered.

Sam hugged his brother, glad that finally he had something to cling to life for. His brother had needed that for so long now, five years or was it six? Pretty much constantly since be returned from Hell. He'd been locked down, unemotional even for him, and Sam had been there he could see why. Pain like that you will never forget, never get over. This was an amazing step in the right direction for Dean, now if only Bobby had been here to see it everything would have been peachy. Sam could have let go knowing his brother would be okay.

Gabriel appeared, "Are you all ready to go?"

Dean nodded, "Let's go gank these sons of bitches!"

Gabriel looked taken aback by his good humour.

"Don't ask!" Willow warned.

Taking her word for it, the room melted away from them until they were left in a dark alley way. Facing Castiel himself as he walked towards them. "You shouldn't have come Dean, this will mean your death." Castiel warned, "Your brothers, and the little red head, and of course my brother Gabriel's as well. Now how did you return dear brother?"

"The grace of God!" Gabriel answered.

"There is no God, only Death for you!" Castiel replied.

"I don't think so!" Meg replied walking out of the shadows, "Willow now!"

The red head took her cue and started to cast the spell quickly from the paper she had. Swiftly freezing the creature to the spot with a binding spell. Chanting the words was second nature to her, the Latin rolling easily off of her tongue.

Castiel fought against the spell and she faltered not strong enough alone. Sam took her hand and started chanting the spell with her, reading it from the page she was still holding. The binding held stronger this time, but still wasn't enough. Dean joined them, stumbling over some of the words. Finally the Power of Three worked, Castiel was bound tightly. Although they had to keep chanting to maintain the barrier as he crashed against it. They had to keep going until he was saved, or killed.

Meg teased Castiel, rubbing her hands over his chest, "Not so boastful now are you!" She drawled.

Castiel growled, and snarled at her. "I will tear your face off bitch! They can't talk forever, they will weaken and fail as is the curse of mortality!"

Gabriel sent out the call to his fellow angels, "It is time brothers and sisters."

In a flash, Jo, Ash and Ellen appeared by his side. The rain started to pour down as they settled into position. Gabriel as the strongest at the front, Jo and Ellen flanking him, Ash behind in a diamond shape.

"Step back!" he warned Meg.

She obeyed, pulling the crossbow out of the dustbin where it had been hidden. The bolts soaked in the cleaning chemical that hurt them so badly. If anything went wrong, it would be enough to hold him off until they could all escape.

The Angel's linked hands, "Time to come back to us Castiel. Re-join your Brothers and Sisters!" Gabriel intoned, "Return to God, turn from Darkness!"

"NEVER!" it snarled.

Light beamed from the Angels into Gabriel and from him to Castiel as he placed his hands on his brother's shoulders. The power of the Lord Almighty and the entire Angel's tearing through the darkness in his soul. Trying to strip it bare and back to the light. Castiel sunk down to his knees as the power weighed him down. The creature howled in torment, his body twisting and writhing in agony. "Help me?" the real Castiel bit out, his eyes staring around him wildly.

The Angel's forced more and more power into his body, forcing, driving the darkness trying to make it flee the host. Everywhere exploded in light suddenly, the force knocking Will and the Winchesters back, stopping the chant.

"NO!" Willow howled, struggling upright as Sam tried to pull her to her feet.

As the light cleared, they saw an exhausted group of angels standing there, and Castiel on the ground.

"What happened?" Meg asked, keeping her distance with the weapon still pointed.

Dean edged forward to see the crushed angel at their feet. "Cas, you in there?" he asked, nudging him with his foot gingerly.

The creature stirred, and looked up at him. "Dean?" he asked stunned, "I'm so sorry for everything." He tried to stand, his friend helped him. "I will fix Sam straight away!" Castiel promised, took one step and collapsed in Dean's arms out cold.

Dean stood there holding his best friend in his arms, he had waited so long for this moment. To have back the friend he had missed and needed so badly. He could wait a few more hours to speak with him if he had to. "Let's get him somewhere to rest, and the rest of you." He ordered, "Sam come here and help me with him, he's not getting any lighter must be the pizza!"

No answer, they looked around the boy was nowhere to be seen.

"Oh no!" Dean muttered, "Not again!"