Hopefully this won't be too confusing to read for you guys. Hope you enjoy.

Chapter 48

You know, I've been here for a very long time. I remember many things. I remember being at a shoreline…watching a little gray fish heave itself up on the beach. And an older brother saying, "Don't step on that fish, Castiel. Big plans for that fish."

I remember the tower of Babel. All thirty-seven feet of it which, I suppose was impressive at the time. And when it fell they howled "divine wrath." But, come on, dried dung can only be stacked so high. I remember Cain and Abel, David and Goliath, Sodom and Gomorrah. And of course, I remember the most remarkable event. When a girl so full of pain and despair that it was seeping out of her, thanked an angel for healing her sprained ankle. The same girl who kept surprising me. Be it a kiss on the cheek during Christmas, the way she explained the different kinds of love. I still in fact have the rose she had once put it my hair. I'm sure if I could dream, I would dream of her and the rare smiles she has given me or the laughter and smirks when we made love to one another. Adeline Winchester the girl with the angel grace, my soul mate. My everything. I sometimes wonder who fell in love first me or her. If I had to guess, it was probably me.

But there's another remarkable story I think about. Remarkable because it never came to pass. It was averted by two boys, an old drunk, a broken souled girl and a fallen angel. A grand story and we ripped up the ending and the rules and destiny. Leaving nothing but freedom and choice. Which is all well and good except what if I made the wrong choice, I mean how am I supposed to know? I'm getting ahead of myself. Let me tell you my story, let me tell you everything.

/

"Hello Dean." Castiel asked as he appeared in the car. Dean looked over a bit surprised but sighed. He should be used to this by now. "Are you all right?" Cas asked him. "Yeah, I'm…I'm fine. How about you?"

"Just wanted to check in." Castiel answered.

"So any word on Satan Jr. being alive?"

"I'm looking, believe me." Castiel swallowed down his guilt at the answer, for lying to his friend. "I just don't understand how Crowley could've tricked me."

"Well, he's a tricky son of a bitch, that's how. Doesn't matter, but if he is up and kicking…then what does matter is finding him, ripping his head off and shoving it up his ass." Dean explained to him and Castiel nodded before he took a breath and asked the real question he had come here for.

"What about you? Have you found anything?"

"No nothing yet."

"Where are Adeline and Sam?"

"Sam's keeping busy, he's tracking a jinn in Omaha as we speak. In fact I'm headed there right now to meet up with him." He nodded his head at the answer then frowned. "Adeline?" He furrowed his brows asking about Dean's sister.

Dean sighed and his grip tightened on the steering wheel. "She's uh, having a rough week. She did get married and lost her bridesmaid this week. It's hard on her. In fact we told her to take a vacation and well she actually took us up on it. I think she's actually in Jerusalem with some old friends there." Dean told him with a sigh.

Castiel's brows furrowed at the news. "I am pleased to hear the two of you have sorted things out. Perhaps I should go see her."

"Nah, Cas. Trust me when I say this. But it's best if we leave her alone and let her cool off before any of us attempt to make her feel better." Dean told him and he nodded worrying about Adeline.

"But Cas, you'll call right? If you get into real trouble?" Dean looked over at him again taking his attention of the road for a moment. Castiel was silent unsure of what to make of Dean's question and after a few more moments of silence he left the oldest Winchester and went off to go see Crowley.

"Howdy, partner." Crowley greeted him, his hands coated in blood and gore from looking inside Eve's body.

"What've you found?" Castiel asked from the doorway trying not to worrying about Adeline. She had never mentioned to him that her wedding anniversary and her friend's death was coming up.

"Found a lot of things. For example, Eve's brain, dead as a tin kipper. And yet…." Crowley dug his hand inside her and pulled out lots of eggs. "For some reason, she keeps laying eggs." He shook them off his hand as Castiel walked over.

"Watch this." Crowley said as he grabbed a knife that had been laying in fire and touched it to Eve's brain. The monster chained up near them started screaming around his gag and convulsing in his chains.

"Chocula feels every tickle." He explained to the angel with a grin.

"What is that good for?" Castiel didn't understand what this had to do with anything.

"Apart from the erotic value, you got me. I'm sure your soul mate would find this amusing though."

Castiel scowled at him for mentioning her. "You said Eve could open the door to purgatory." He was losing his patience even more so since he had mentioned Adeline.

"Correct. I did. And I'm confident that she could have, if she was still alive!" Crowley shouted the last part at the angel. "Best chance to get over the rainbow and the Winchesters killed her."

"It was unavoidable." Castiel started walking around.

Crowley pointed his blade at him. "You screwed up, Cas. You let the hounds mangle the pheasant and now I am up to my elbows in it."

"What is your point?"

"The point is you're distracted and that makes me nervous."

"I am holding up my end."

"Ah, yes. But is that all you're holding, huh? See the stench of that impala's all over your overcoat, angel. Frankly I'm surprised it isn't the ruffled ones scent all over you. I thought we'd agreed, No more nights out with the boys and you could only see the mistress to make sure she doesn't become suspicious."

"I spoke with Dean. I needed to know what they know."

"About what? About me, maybe? Because I happen to have it on good authority that your two little pets are currently trying to hunt me down and your little soul mate is currently MIA!" Crowley lost control of his temper and practically screamed at the angel. "Forgive me. But, I think you might have a little conflict of interest here." He told him before stabbing the monster he currently had chained up.

/

Crowley had a point, of course. My interest was conflicted. I still considered myself the Winchesters' guardian. After all they taught me how to stand up. What to stand for and what generally happens to you when you do. Adeline had just sacrificed her own life to save mine but my life only lasted about three seconds longer than hers. It was the worst three seconds of my life, the pain her death had caused me, the heartbreak I felt at her sacrifice. Then it was over, I was gone. And then the most extraordinary thing happened. I was put back. And we had won, we stopped Armageddon. But at a terrible cost. And so I knew what I had to do next, the heartbreak still fresh in my chest. I searched for her soul and when I couldn't find it I harrowed hell for Sam. It was nearly impossible, but I was so full of confidence, of mission. I see now that was arrogance, hubris.

Because I hadn't full raised Sam, not all of him. I didn't know he didn't have a soul. As an angel you can't really notice a humans' soul but there are exceptions. You can see one when it's at it's breaking point or when it's really pure. Adeline's soul was crying out in pain and despair when I first saw her. She had been through so much in her short span of living, her soul was damaged and I knew it wouldn't be long till it broke. But then it did and instead of staying broken her soul had started to repair itself or really it was the grace inside her fixing what it could. It was a miracle instead of the tragedy it ought to have been.

Sometimes we're lucky enough to be given a warning. This should have been mine.

/

"Just kill the brothers." Crowley told the angel and he answered with a no quickly. "Fine. Then I'll do it myself." He shot back.

"If you kill them, I'll just bring them back again."

"No, you won't. Not where I'll put them. Trust me."

"I said no." Castiel glared at him then his gaze turned to the wall and back. "Don't worry about them."

"Don't worry about…what, like Lucifer didn't worry? Or Michael? Or Lilith or Alastair or Azazel didn't worry? Am I the only piece on the board who doesn't underestimate those denim wrapped nightmares?! And let's not even get me started on that sister of theirs! If you had any clue of what she was like before she met you, well…you probably would be disgusted to know that you slept with a monster."

Castiel glared, it didn't matter to him what Adeline was like before, he fell in love with the her of now.

"Just find purgatory. If you don't, we will both die again and again until the end of time. The Winchesters won't get to you." Castiel said before he left Crowley fuming.

"Let them get to me! I'll tear their frigging hearts out!" Crowley shouted to the back of the angel as he walked away. He meant every word, he knew though that Adeline could become a problem if left to her devises and he didn't have the power to destroy her yet. He whistled and a demon appeared. "Find the girl and keep her very busy." He growled to his trusted demon.

/

"You know Redd for a filthy, lower than snake spit hell spawn you seemed to turn yourself into a damn fine hunter. I don't know whether to kill you or kiss you." Bobby said to the tied up demon they had captured.

"Oh please, kill me."

"That was you that dug out that nest of vamps back in Swan Valley, wasn't it?"

"It was nice work." Sam complimented and he gave a little laugh as he looked up at him.

"Eight of them on one go, roped and tied."

"And then you brought them to Crowley, right?"

"Ha, read the papers, redneck. The king is dead."

Bobby gave a fake chuckle before he grabbed the cup of holy water next to him and threw some on the demon.

The demon shouted and writhed against his bindings as Bobby told him Crowley is alive.

"You prove it just by being, you poor, dumb jackass. Crowley's alive, his nets are still out. Except now he's using you schmucks to hunt his monsters."

"Up yours." The demon told him and Bobby held out his hand to Sam. Sam smiled at the demon as he pulled out the demon blade and passed it over to Bobby just as Dean walked through the door and dropped his bag in the room before nodding his head at Sam and left the room. Sam got the unspoken message and followed him out they heard the demon shout after Bobby said a few words to it before he plunged the demon blade into it's leg. Bobby then joined them in the kitchen.

"What's the hubbub?"

"Saw Cas, he popped in on me about two hours back." Dean answered the older hunter.

"What'd you tell him?"

"Nothing all right. Told him we were on some monster hunt and that we talked Ads into going onto some sort of mini vacation because it's her wedding anniversary. He doesn't know that we're getting close to Crowley. You know he's our friend and Addy's boyfriend. We are lying to him through our teeth."

"Dean…" Sam started but Dean didn't let him start saying what he was about to.

"So he burned the wrong bones, so Crowley tricked him." Dean argued.

"He's an angel." Bobby argued back sure that Castiel and Crowley were working together.

"He is the Balki Bartokomous of heaven. He can make a mistake. Besides what about Ads, she's an angel too, we might all forget that at times but she is still one of them. Are you saying she knew too?"

"Nobody's saying nothing yet." Bobby grumbled and Dean frowned.

"You think that Cas is in with Crowley? Crowley? And don't even get me started on Ads, she loathes demons Bobby." Dean may be pissed off at his sister right now but even he knows Adeline despised the things, no way in hell would she be getting in bed with one.

"Look, I'm just saying I don't know. Now look, I hate myself for even thinking it, but I don't know."

"Look, Dean. He's our friend too, okay? And I'm with you on Adeline, but she's gone and took all her stuff with her, she didn't leave a note and her phone is disconnected. I'm praying we're wrong here." Sam's voice broke a bit just thinking about their sister and Castiel plotting against them.

"But if we ain't, if there's a snowball of a snowball's chance here….that means we're dealing with a superman who's gone dark side and who dragged Ads down with them. Which means we've gotta be cautious. We gotta be smart and maybe stock up on some kryptonite."

"This makes you Louis Lane." Dean sighed and Bobby frowned. "We gotta find Crowley now before the damn fool cracks open purgatory." Bobby told him before leaving.

Unbeknownst to them all, Castiel had been watching them the whole time.

/

So they already suspected. Dean was trying so hard to be loyal with every instinct telling him otherwise and the worst part was they suspected Adeline, their own flesh and blood. I tried to locate her but her presence was lost to me, I didn't know she was gone. I had taken a quick look at her room and it was completely empty save for the furniture and her painting. Where could she have gone and why was she gone? Was she still upset at Dean? Still worried about how Rachel said she was more angel than human? Or worse did she know what I had done?

I heard them as they got a name out of the demon they had captured. Ellsworth.

If there was a demon counterpart to Bobby, Ellsworth would be it.

These demons would lead the brothers to Crowley and Crowley would tear their hearts out. Once Adeline would hear about that he knew nothing would stop her from getting revenge.

/

Castiel appeared behind the two demons who had just delivered a body to Ellsworth and smote them before quickly rushing up to Ellsworth who was backed against a wall. "Oh hell." The demon said frightened and tried to smoke out of his body but Cas pushed him back in before smiting him too.

/

I had no choice I did it to protect the boys, her, or myself. I don't know anymore.

Hiding. Lying. Sweeping away evidence and my motives used to be so pure.

After supposedly saving Sam, I finally returned to heaven to see if she was there and just blocked from me. I appeared in Adeline's heaven which was the moonlit field we had first made love in. I was surprised but I could also feel heart swell with something like awe. I had used to favor the heaven of an autistic man who drowned in the bathtub of nineteen fifty three but now my favorite heaven was Adeline's.

I stared up at the bright full moon, I hadn't even known the moon was full that night. I had been too preoccupied by my sorrow and then the taste and feel of Adeline to notice. But of course she would take notice of the moon and the stars.

I turned around feeling the presence of other angels there. "You're alive." Rachel stated and I nodded. "Yes."

"Castiel, we saw Lucifer destroy you."

"Well, I came back. Have you seen to where Adeline Winchester's soul has gone to?"

"I'm sorry Castiel. She's gone." She said before staring at me again. "It was God wasn't it."

"No, it was the Winchesters. They brought down the apocalypse."

"But you beat the archangels, Castiel. God brought you back. He chose you, Cas. To lead us." Rachel was telling me and I shook my head.

"No. No one leads us anymore. We're all free to make our own choices and to choose our own fates."

"What does God want?"

"God wants you to have freedom." I told them simply

"But what does he want us to do with it?"

/

If I knew then what I know now, I might've said, "It's simple freedom is a length of rope. God wants you to hang yourself with it." I wondered how Adeline would have explained the concept of freedom.

Those first weeks back in heaven were surprisingly difficult. Still no sign of Adeline anywhere, she was gone and the image of her dying in front of me after she pushed me away was still so fresh it would bring tears to my eyes any time I thought about it. She gave up her life to save mine, the ultimate sacrifice e and here I was trying to explain freedom to angels, which is a bit like teaching poetry to fish.

And then there was Raphael.

/

"You came." Raphael said as Castiel walked into the room where he was sitting. "I appreciate the courage that takes."

He took a look at the room before tuning to him. "Whose heaven is this?"

"Ken Lay's. I'm borrowing it." He answered surprising him.

"I still question his admittance here."

"He's devout. Trumps everything."

Castiel frowned before sitting down in the other chair.

"Tomorrow. I've called for a full assembly of the holy host. You'll kneel before me and pledge allegiance to the flag, all right?"

"And what flag is that?"

"Me, Castiel. Allegiance to me."

"Ae you joking?" Castiel frowned why was this happening?

"Do I look like I'm joking, Castiel?"

"You never look like you're joking."

"You rebelled. Against God, heaven and me. Now you will atone. We'll start by freeing Lucifer and Michael from their cage and then we'll get our show back on the road. Pity you got your soul mate killed she would have been helpful."

Castiel grimaced in his lap. This was all wrong, it shouldn't have to be like this. He looked up making his mind up. "No. The apocalypse doesn't have to be fought."

"Of course it does. It's God's will."

"How can you say that?"

"Because it's what I want." He answered Cas matter of factly.

"Well, the other angels won't let you."

"Are you sure? You know better than anyone, Castiel. They're soldiers. They weren't built for freedom. They were built to follow."

Castiel slowly stood up and looked down upon Raphael. "Then I won't let you." He said conviction in his voice. He wouldn't let Adeline's sacrifice be in vein. He could stop this from happening.

"Really? You?" Raphael asked before holding out his hand and pushed Castiel into Adeline's heaven.

Castiel found himself on his back and quickly turned to his side so cough up the blood from his lungs.

"I'm not ashamed to say my big brother knocked me into next week."

"Tomorrow you kneel, Castiel. Or you and anyone with you dies." Raphael told him.

/

Castiel watched as the brothers looked around the demon's place. "Hey, the place is clean." Sam said meeting back up with Dean in the house.

"Yeah, but it's like Mr. Clean, clean, you know?" Bobby added joining them. "It's kind of OCD for your average demon."

"Yeah. So, what now?"

"We'd call Ads or Cas." Dean answered his brother and the two of them looked at him.

"What?"

Dean sighed. "This is usually the point where we would call Ads and when she prove to be unhelpful but join us anyways we'd call Cas for help."

"We've tried calling Ads. She won't answer." Sam told him and he nodded his head. "So we call Cas."

"We've talked about this Dean." Bobby told him not approving of this. "No, you talked. I listened." Dean told him.

"This is Cas, guys. When there was no one and we were stuck and I mean really stuck, he broke ranks. He has gone to the mat, cut and bleeding for us, so many frigging times. What would Addy say if she knew we accusing him of working with Crowley. If we haven't lost her for good already we'd lose her now. Don't we owe him the benefit of the doubt at least?"

Sam sighed thinking of all his points and didn't bother to mention that Adeline probably left because of Dean in the first place. He took in a breath and closed his eyes. "Castiel, this is really important, okay? Um, we really need to talk to you." Sam finished before opening his eyes and looked around to see if the angel appeared.

"Castiel, come on in." Dean added.

But I didn't go to them. Because I knew they would have questions I couldn't answer. Because I was afraid.

They all looked around waiting for the angel to appear but he didn't and they sighed. "Adeline, please answer us, we've come across something and we really would appreciate your help. Dean was a dick and he's sorry. Please Ads." Sam looked up begging for his sister to appear.

I was relived she didn't come but also anxious about her where abouts and what she was doing. Was she okay?

When she failed to answer or come too Sam frowned. "Well back to square one. We've got one hunter demon we can do it again." Bobby told him and they all turned ready to head out.

Sam though turned just back in time and shouted Dean's name before he was shoved down by a demon and before Sam or Bobby could move to help them they were attacked by their own demons.

Crowley had sent his best. I was just as surprised as the rest of them. And it left me with yet another choice. I could reveal myself and smite the demons. Of course Crowley wouldn't like it but, on the other hand they were my friends.

Castiel appeared and smote the demon that was attacking Dean. As he was smiting him there was another presence in the room.

Sam was the only one who saw her as she grabbed the demon off of him, put a finger to her lips and in a flash Adeline was gone just as quick as she came taking the demon with her. Sam blinked wondering if he had just imagined that but no, he rolled over and picked himself off the ground noticing there were only two bodies.

Dean got off the ground and gave the angel a small grin. "It's good to see you, Cas."

"Are you alright?" He asked them.

"Uh…yeah. Perfect timing Cas." Sam answered him confused about Adeline's brief appearance.

"I'm glad I found you. I come with news."

"Yeah what?"

"I firmly believe Crowley is alive." Castiel told them.

Dean practically rolled his eyes and gave him a no shit look. "Yeah. You think Colombo?" He turned to Bobby and Sam with a grin. "Well, Bobby, what do you think about Cas saving our asses? Again? Hell he's even more reliable than Ads."

Sam frowned and wondered if he should mention something that Adeline had been here. It seemed they hadn't noticed that the third demon was gone. Bobby on the other hand just looked up at the angel.

"I think we owe you an apology." The old hunter told him and the angel played the fool.

"Why?"

"We've been hunting Crowley this whole time. And keeping it from you. Another thing we lied about was Addy, we have no idea where she's at." Sam said and he recalled Adeline's finger to her lip and for some reason he respected his older sister's wishes and kept quiet about her appearance.

"You thought what?" Castiel once again pretended he had no idea what they were talking about.

"I know. It's crazy, right? At least now we know Addy is just over reacting about the spat we had." Dean told him feeling better about everything.

"It's just that you torched the wrong bones and. It doesn't matter, we were wrong." Bobby said getting back to Castiel and wanted to shoot himself for even suspecting Adeline.

"You know, you could've just asked me." Cas told them walking closer to the hunters.

"And we should have."

"We never should've doubted you."

"We just hope you can forgive us."

Wonders never cease. They trusted me again. Even Adeline seemed to be free of suspicion just because they believed me. But it was just another lie.

"It's forgotten."

"Thanks." Dean told Castiel with a nod of his head.

"Yeah, thanks. Cas." Sam added in and Bobby just nodded his head.

"It is a little absurd though."

"I know, I know." Bobby sighed kicking himself in the head.

"Superman going to the dark side." Castiel continued not noticing the slight tightness that appeared in everyone's faces after that sentence. "I'm still just Castiel." He had finished and smiled slightly at them all ignoring the guilt he was feeling.

"I guess we can put away the kryptonite." Dean commented, pretending that everything was alright with them.

"Exactly." Castiel nodded his head and gave them a smile before he disappeared without a word.

Of course I didn't realize it at the time, but it was all over. Right then. Just like that.

/

The doors slammed against the wall as Castiel entered the room, his hands at his sides. "You sent demons after them?" he growled at Crowley.

"You kill my hunters, why can't I kill yours?!" Crowley paced right up to him with narrowed eyes, pissed off..

"They're my friends."

"You can't have friends. Not anymore. I mean, my god. You're losing it."

"I'm fine."

"Yeah, you're the very picture of mental health. Come on you, don't think I know what this is all about?"

"Enlighten me."

"The big lie, the Winchesters still buy it, well at least the brothers do. The good Cas, the righteous Cas. And as long as they still believe it, you get to believe it. Well, I got news for you, kitten. A whore is a whore is a whore especially your whore who by the way needs to be taken care of." Crowley edged him on.

Castiel grabbed him by the shoulders and pushed him hard, hard enough that the wall split where he had shoved the demon into, his temper full blown. "I'm only gonna say this once. If you touch a hair on their heads especially her head, I will tear it all down. Our arrangement, everything. I'm still an angel and I will bury you." Castiel threated him before he disappeared leaving Crowley there. He wondered if Adeline really knew or if Crowley was just lying to him to make him worry.

Crowley looked over to the bloody box in the corner. It had appeared before Castiel arrived and Crowley had just gotten a glance inside the box before the angel had appeared. He would know that work anywhere. He picked one of the severed arms from the box and scowled at the note taped to the palm of it's hand. "Misplaced a few of your minions. Don't worry though I've returned them to you, although a little assembly might be required. Xoxo Ruffles."

Crowley grabbed the note and threw the arm down livid before crunching up the note. She really knew and worst of all it seemed the monster that she had been years ago was back. Damn Castiel, he screwed up, he screwed up royally and now Adeline Winchester knew. The only thing keeping him from blowing a gasket was that he knew for a fact she was alone.

/

I asked myself what was I doing with this vermin. As if I didn't already know the answer. Raphael was stronger than me. And I wouldn't survive a straight fight. So I went to an old friend for help. But watching him, I stopped. Everything he sacrificed and I was about to ask him for more.

Crowley appeared then and wanted to talk with me. He talked about souls and how to defeat Raphael. He even brought up a way to find Adeline.

I was no fool. I knew who Crowley was and what he did. But I was smarter than him, stronger. I see now that I was prideful. And in all likelihood, I was a fool.

I followed him and showed me hell, how he was running it now. It was a line of people and when they got to the front, they were sent back again.

Crowley told me of a way to win against Raphael. He told me to be a leader, to start a civil war in heaven. I was appalled at first but Crowley kept talking and he was making sense. He told me about Purgatory. He told me how it was an untapped oil well of every fanged, clawed soul. He even mentioned there was a very high possibility that, that was where Adeline had gone when she had died. He talked about how she was an angel with a soul. She wouldn't have just stopped existing and was probably waiting in Purgatory for her knight in feathered armor.

He told me how we could find it and that all he wanted was half the souls the other half could be mine and said he wouldn't even count Adeline's in the tally. So really he said he was giving me half and one more priceless soul. My soul mates.

He even said he'd give me a loan so I could fight against Raphael. So I could stop the apocalypse from happening. I wish I could say I was clean of pride in that moment or the next.

After accepting the souls from Crowley I went up to heaven and told the angels that there was going to be no apocalypse and that they were either with me or Raphael.

/

"She's going to kill us, Dean." Sam said quietly as he made a circle with some holy oil. Dean had made one too. They were guessing where she would step and appear from playing a game of chess with their sister. "Yeah, well she can suck it up. We needs answers and we know she's holding out on us." Dean shot back at him pissed.

"You boys ready?" Bobby asked them all. Sam sighed and stepped back while Dean crossed his arms as Bobby did the spell to summon Adeline. The walls started shaking around them, "Get ready." Bobby whispered and the boys nodded just as Adeline appeared before them. She was angry, they could all see that plain as day. It looked like she had just had a shower. Before Dean could light the match and drop it she took a few steps to the left. Sam swallowed as he dropped his match and flames surrounded her, he knew somehow that, that was where she would move to he knew his older sister, his best friend like the back of his hand. If they thought she was livid before she was now furious.

"You have better have a damn good reason for doing this." She seethed as lighting shot around outside, meeting each of their guilt and fear filled eyes.

/

Adeline knew, she knew as soon as Eve had said Crowley was alive and killing her children. She had dropped her mug in the revelation that Castiel was working with Crowley to open purgatory. She had passed it off as her being clumsy knowing her brothers would be none the wiser.

She was now pacing pissed off at Castiel in the living room as Gabriel watched her wondering what was going on but instead of coaxing an answer out of her he looked around the room, taking note of the dark wood floors and the maroon walls in the living room. He took note of the Romantics record hung on the wall along with Super tramp, Kiss, Journey and all of Billy Joel's records. He walked over to them and saw the record player below them on an end table.

Another glance around the room and he noted the black carpet that sat in the middle of the room. The couch and dark coffee table on it and her 32 inch TV against the wall across from them. He eyed the dvds and nodded at the good selection of older movies and newer movies. By looking at them he knew the taste was mainly in comedy and action the actor Johnny Depp and Hugh Jackman were favored. He noted the few romantic comedies and dramas though. Next to the movie shelf was a small bookcase with well-worn books on it.

"Where are we?" He asked finally looking back at her with a raised brow. He had an idea but he wanted to hear the words from her.

Adeline stopped pacing and looked at him like she had forgotten he was there with her. She blinked before she walked to an arch way that led to the kitchen. His eyes landed on the fridge and Gabriel followed her gaze to the picture of her and her daughter.

"My house." She said with a frown and crossed her arms. "Wardings, I have to check to make sure they're still here and I have to disable the traps inside." She said suddenly before she trudged upstairs leaving him alone downstairs.

Gabriel looked around again with fresh eyes. This house did seem very her and now that she said it, he could smell her in the house but very faint and musty like she hadn't been here in a while. The kitchen walls were white with crown molding and black tiles decorated the floor. Her appliances were stainless steel. When he was done ogling the kitchen he walked back to the living room and stepped in the middle of the carpet. He cried out in surprise though when an alarm sounded through the house and a cage came down upon him. He looked up confused and he saw the trap door it had fallen from before it closed back up leaving the cage upon him.

He heard Adeline cursing loudly upstairs and her footsteps rushed about above him. Her face appeared from the trap door and she was frowning at him. "You should have stayed in the kitchen at least until I disarmed most of the traps inside the house!" Adeline shouted at him as her phone started screaming. She ignored it though and reached over to the pulley system she had set up and pulled the cage off of Gabriel even though she knew he could get out of it alone but she really didn't want a cage in the middle of her living room. She was just thankful he had only disabled this one. At least he hadn't gotten close to the doors where she kept knives and torches. She couldn't really remember which one it was. She cursed again as her phone fell out of her pocket and it broke when it hit the floor. At least she wouldn't have to worry about the dumb thing going off repeatedly now.

"Did you make yourself a fun house with your angel powers?" Gabriel grinned as she snapped her fingers and the cage returned and she was back downstairs watching him.

"No. I built the traps in this house myself. I haven't been here in a while although I could update them and add more now that you mention it." She mussed for a moment before she sighed pissed off again.

"So you've dragged me to your home and by the look on your face it's not for anything good." Gabriel waggled his eyebrows.

"Castiel is working with Crowley to open purgatory so he can win the war against Raphael." She told him and he let out a long low whistle. "We can win the war. You and me together right if we went all out and then he wouldn't have to go through with it." Adeline turned her green eyes to him and they looked sharp for once showing her intelligence that was usually hidden.

"Can't." Gabriel shrugged his shoulders Adeline narrowed her eyes at him. "Sorry, I can't help you."

"What do you mean you can't help me? This is all partly on you, if you hadn't kept me at that damn island I could've been there in Castiel's time of need and he wouldn't now be doing something so stupid!" Adeline raised her voice and Gabriel raised a brow and took a step back.

"I can't help you with this, I've seen ahead and I know what happens." Gabriel swallowed and he looked serious for once as he shook his head at her. "I can't help you with this, I thought perhaps there would be more time before this happened and this was about something else but I'm sorry Adeline. I can't help." Gabriel told her and he disappeared leaving a vase of maroon roses in his place.

"What the hell do you mean, you've seen ahead?! How long have you known?! Damn it Gabriel!" Adeline shouted at her ceiling before collecting herself. She took in a few breaths calming herself and ran a hand through her hair and kicked the vase into the wall. Before she went to the kitchen and grabbed a steak knife and made a cut on her arm and used the blood to make a sigil against angels in her house. Before she healed herself and flopped down on the couch to think of her next plan. She used to work alone before, she could do it now.

/

Adeline had updated all her traps and added new ones. She could also now use the room above her living room instead of having a weird pulley cage system set up in it. She had also made it so her traps would activate if anyone but her stepped into the house. She shook her head trying to get Sam's voice out of her head. He had started calling out for her about an hour ago he would just say her name and that she should come back so they could talk. She wasn't really interested in talking, she had looked at the clock and saw she had been gone for about a day.

First things first was that she needed to find Crowley. She rolled her shoulders back, grabbed her fur lined coat in from the back of her closet and left her house to go to the closest city she lived to in Alaska which was Fairbank. After all she figured Crowley would have some demons there.

Adeline drank her cup of hot tea that was doused with sugar as she stared out the window. Finding a demon hadn't been that hard at all, in fact she was positive Crowley had ordered it to follow her. He was sitting in the next car over eating a meal. She hid a smirk behind the tea cup, of course Crowley would know where she had a house. He would because he likes to keep tabs on people and really where else would she go to since she wasn't staying at Bobby's now and her home had been sold off after Michael died again.

She only kept this house because it was her house she had picked this one out and furnished it she even had paid for the first payment on it. Out of all the four homes Michael and her had bought mainly Michael at the time she had really believed he had just come from a very wealthy family and had inherited all the money. After selling the other homes she had fully paid this one off and it was hers and she still had plenty money left over.

She hadn't told anyone about it although she had dreamt about it a few times and Castiel had appeared during one of her dreams of the house. She supposed Castiel was the only other one who could find her if he really thought about it. It had been so long since he had seen the house and appeared in one of her dreams though that she highly doubted he even remembered it. It was after all before everything happened between them. She scowled setting her cup down as she thought about the angel. What the hell had he got himself into? Why the hell did he agree to help Crowley open Purgatory in the first place?

Adeline's cup broke in her lap as her grip got harder on it. "Damn it." She stood up and brushed the glass off and a worker came over and cleaned it up before retuning with a new cup for her. She accepted the cup with a grumpy thanks as she moved to the seat across from hers.

With a grimace she turned to the window. At least everything was making sense about all what he's said this year to her and some of the looks she had caught on his face. She rubbed a tired hand over her face and sighed reigning in her emotions. Maybe she just had really lousy taste in guys or was just drawn to people to had made deals with demons or would in the future.

No matter though she would find out soon enough about Crowley's intentions and whereabouts after she caught the demon. She grinned but it didn't meet her eyes in fact if anyone had been looking at her they would have looked away in fear at her grin but lack of emotion of her face.

/

"Well Ethan, I can call you Ethan right? I have a few choices here for you, there's this shiny little blade I have very sharp and pointy. Or we could always stick to the classics, I have this bottle here filled with holy water."

Adeline smirked at the demon she had tied up in chains to a chair in her garage while she held up the two objects. The demon had been easy to catch once she got off the train and trekked into the forest once he had followed after her she quickly appeared behind him and shot him in the leg with a demon trap bullet.

The demon just glared at her with pure hatred refusing to speak. Adeline just shrugged her shoulders and set her angel blade down. "Classic it is and besides it's fun to squirt this bottle." She said as she sprayed him with the water. He screamed in response and she spayed him a few more times like he was an animal who had misbehaved.

"You might as well kill me now. I won't tell you anything." He spat and got a mouthful of water into his mouth because she saw the opening. He screamed some more and his body was held down with the chains as he squirmed about.

"You have to forgive me, I'm a bit rusty at all of this." Adeline set down the spray bottle and picked up her blade and her narrowed eyes met the demons. "You know, I used to have a reputation back in the day." She smirked as she sauntered over to the demon.

"I think they even had a nickname for me. Lots of rumors too although some of them were actually true." She sliced his cheek open. "They used to call me…" She bent down and whispered a name into his ear. She pulled back and grinned evilly at the fear that showed in his eyes now.

"Now, tell me everything."

/

Adeline cleaned her hands and glanced over at the demon that was now in parts in the corner of her garage. Sam and Bobby had all tried to call her even Dean. She closed her eyes and was listening to Sam now. "Adeline, please answer us, we've come across something and we really would appreciate your help. Dean was a dick and he's sorry. Please Ads."

She sighed and ran a hand though her hair. She needed another way for Castiel to win the war so he would change his mind about purgatory then she would deal with Castiel himself. She was going to ignore Sam when she winced and held her head at his shout for her.

She appeared quickly focusing on his voice and grabbed the demon off of him. She could sense Castiel in the room and with pure luck on her side his back was to her and he hadn't noticed her presence. Her eyes had met Sam's as soon as she had grabbed the demon. She put a finger to her lips hoping he wouldn't mention she had been here and left just as quickly.

She threw the demon into the chair and held him there with her grace as she locked him up in chains. The demon spat at her and she wiped it off with her hand before wiping her hand in his hair and pulled it back so he was looking right up into her eyes.

"Did you know, demons live until there head is cut off? That means I can cut off anything and you'd feel the pain everything until this part is gone." She raked a finger nail across his neck just as his eyes saw the body in the corner.

"Sorry about the mess, had a little fun earlier and couldn't control myself." She shrugged as she let him go and dug into her pockets. She pulled out a blow pop, unwrapping it and threw the wrapper on the ground as she popped the sucker into her mouth before picking up her angel blade. She turned to demon with a hard, murderous glint in her eye. She decided she would send a message to Crowley. Maybe he'd get the hint on just how furious she was with him.

/

Adeline was all cleaned up after taking a hot shower and her message had been delivered to Crowley. She had toyed with the notion with going to where he was and killing him herself then and there to be down with it. But she figured that wouldn't stop Castiel from opening purgatory and this way she would be able to keep tabs on them.

She had walked into the study she had upstairs in her house when she felt a pull. She frowned looking down at her body she hadn't ate anything besides a sucker in the last two days and perhaps he body was telling her to eat something. She felt the tug again though and felt compelled to move. She cursed figuring it out and with another final, painful tug she wasn't in her house anymore but instead was in the house where demons had attacked her brothers and Bobby earlier.

Her hands balled into fist before she recalled the traps they had set for angels before. She took a few steps to her left figuring the circle would be over by Dean or behind or forward if she stepped that way. She cursed though when Sam dropped a match and she couldn't move fast enough before a ring of fire surrounded her. She told them never to summon her under any circumstances and they had went and done it.

"You have better have a good reason for this." She seethed at them, taking point to look at each them in the eye. She couldn't hold back her emotions anymore with everything happening, this was the last straw. She heard the lighting flash around in the sky and a roll of thunder came a bit after.

"So, Ads? Where have you been? What exactly have you been doing?" Dean asked her and her glare settled on him as lighting continued flashing.

"I think that's none of your business." She crossed her arms and Dean did the same as they swapped evil eyes with each other.

"Dean." Sam said with disapproval and moved so he was closer to Adeline. "Addy, please just answer the few questions we have for you, we'll let you out then."

Adeline turned her eyes to his pleading tone. "Are you aware of Castiel working with Crowley?" She nodded her head as a loud crash came from outside. One of her bolts must have hit a tree.

She watched as Sam swallowed and brushed his hair back he was nervous about the next question. She fixed her posture so she was straighter and at her full height. "Ask it." Her voice was low and dangerous and Sam swallowed again.

"Are you working with them too?"

A harsh wind made the house creak as more lighting struck another crash rumbled the ground beneath them.

"Of course not."

Sam let out a sigh of relieve but Dean wasn't convinced. He had believed in Castiel and Adeline before but then he found out Castiel was lying and Adeline was a much better liar than the angel could ever be.

"You're lying." Dean shot at her and she scowled at him. "Why else would you be awal the past two days?!"

"Maybe it's because I've been trying to find my own leads about Crowley. Did you ever think of that? Hell Dean, I can't believe you all would think I would work with them. After the whole ordeal with Michael do you really think I would work with the demon who was in charge of all the deal making demons?"

Bobby's eyes went to the ground guiltily as did Sam's but Dean, still kept starring at her.

"How long have you known then? How long where you hiding it from all of us?"

"Just found out myself two days ago. Now let me go, so I can get back to work." She growled at her older brother. "Not yet. Not until I'm sure of your innocence." Dean turned around then and walked to the adorning room with Bobby behind him

Sam moved closer to Adeline and frowned. "I'm sorry." He whispered to her and silently he asked her what had happened to the demon. "Killed him." She answered softly so Dean or Bobby wouldn't overhear. Sam nodded his head before Dean gestured for him to go the next room. He left the door open partway so she could look in.

They called for Castiel after Dean sat down with Bobby in the chair next to him. Castiel appeared and if he had bothered to look around he would've saw her though the crack in the door.

"What are you guys still doing here?" He asked and Adeline stared at his back as he cocked his head to the side. "Had to bury the bodies." Sam told him and Dean nodded and grabbed the cup he had on the table. "And we found a little whiskey. Anyways thanks for coming."

"How can I help?"

"We have a new plan we think we've finally figured out a way to track Crowley." Sam informed him and Adeline shook her head as he moved closer to him. "What is it?" Her angel asked and she wondered how she had missed the tone of his voice, now that she knew he was hiding something it was obvious to hear in his voice.

"It's you." Bobby said and threw down a match and Castiel had his own ring of fire around him.

Castiel looked around at all of them. "What are you doing?"

"We gotta talk." Dean told him standing up from his chair.

"About what? Let me go." Castiel was angry Adeline noted but probably not as much as her.

"About Superman."

Adeline gave a harsh bark of laughter. "You seriously called him to talk about Superman?!" She called from the other room. Castiel turned at the sound of her voice and Sam sighed opening the door all the way.

Castiel's eyes widened when he saw she was kept in holy fire. "Adeline." He was surprised to see her he couldn't feel her presence at all and she just nodded her head at him her hard eyes switched between him and Dean. "What is the meaning of this let her go." He growled and his eyes were back on Dean's, they were slits. How could they keep Adeline like that?

"We have to talk about kryptonite." Dean ignored the two of them he just wanted answers he wanted to know who he could trust.

"How'd you know what I said?" Bobby cut in and Sam asked another question just as quickly. "How long have you been watching?"

"You know who spies on people, Cas, spies. You know who runs away Adeline? Guilty people." He turned to her before looking back at Castiel.

"Okay, just wait. I don't even know what you mean." Castiel tried to play all this off and Adeline rolled her eyes before she sat down. Castiel's eyes met hers before he swallowed and looked away quickly.

"What about this demon craphole? How is it so, uh next to godliness clean in here?"

"And how did Crowley trick you with the wrong bones?"

The questions kept coming. "That is hard to understand. It's hard to explain. Just let Adeline go and I can…" He started but Dean told him to look at him.

"You gotta level with me and tell me what's going on. Look me in the eye and tell me you and Adeline are not working with Crowley."

"Adeline is not working with Crowley." Castiel told him. "And you?" Dean raised an eyebrow but Castiel couldn't do it and he had to look away. His eyes looked down in Adeline's which were hard and stony her face expressionless otherwise. "Just let me explain." His voice broke a bit as he kept looking at her.

"I don't see what's left to explain Trench coat." Adeline turned away so her back was to him and his face fell but he still kept looking at her willing her to look at him.

"You're in with him. You and Crowley have been going after purgatory together? You have, huh? This whole time and lying to me sister while you screw her?"

"I did it to protect her, I did it to protect all of you."

"Protect us how? By opening a hole into monsterland?" Sam asked after his eyes flicked over to his sister.

"He's right, Cas. One drop got though and it was Eve. And you wanna break down the entire dam?" Bobby joined in he couldn't look at Adeline without guilt seeping in so his gaze was focused on Castiel.

"To get the souls. I can stop Raphael. Please you have to trust me." Castiel begged still looking at the middle Winchester. At his words her shoulders stiffened. "Trust you? How the hell are we supposed to trust you?" she whispered in a low dangerous voice.

"I'm still me. I'm still your…your soulmate." A cold chill settled into the room and Castiel could feel Adeline's grace now as it caused the cold around him. He heard lighting crackle in the sky and realized he should have known that was angelic grace at work not just a storm rolling in.

When she didn't respond Castiel panicked this was what he was afraid of, of losing her.

"I was the one who raised Sam from perdition." Everyone looked over at Castiel even Adeline had turned her head to stare at him.

"What?" Sam asked breaking in. Then he pulled a face before looking back at Castiel seeing it was true. "Well, no offense, but you did a pretty piss-poor job of it." He told him and Castiel met his eyes briefly before they locked back on to Adeline's.

"What, did you bring me back soulless on purpose?" Sam asked and Adeline's eyes flickered to Sam. How could her brother think that? Well she supposed with recent events they could believe Castiel of doing anything she thought.

"How could you think that?" Castiel basically voiced Adeline's thoughts. "Well, I'm thinking a lot of things right now, Cas."

"Do you I did that?" Castiel asked Adeline softly.

"No I don't think you brought him back soulless." Adeline grunted before standing back up. "But I do know you're working with Crowley to open purgatory."

"Listen, Raphael will kill us all. He'll turn the world into a graveyard. I had no choice." He tried explaining.

"No, you had a choice. You just made the wrong one." Dean cut in and extinguished the circle around Adeline fully believing her innocence now.

"You don't understand it's complicated…"

"No it's not, why would you keep this whole thing a secret, unless you knew it was wrong?" Dean didn't let him explain as he gripped his sister's elbow making sure she wouldn't go anywhere.

"When crap like this comes around, we deal with it. Like we always have, what we don't do is we don't go out and make another deal with the devil." Dean informed him and Adeline rolled her eyes at the hypocrite he was, she tugged her elbow free easily and walked over to where Sam was.

Her eyes firmly on Castiel. "Yeah, it sounds so simple when you say it like that." He said before his eyes came up to Dean's. "Where were you when I needed to hear it?"

Adeline inwardly flinched at the words and Castiel turned his sad blue eyes to hers.

"I was there. Where were you?" Dean questioned him.

"You should've come to us for help, Cas." Dean continued as Adeline stayed silent her fist clenched as the lighting died down but the wind picked up. She looked around feeling them coming as Dean and Sam looked worriedly at her. "That's not me." She informed them as Castiel too was looking around. "Maybe, but it's too late now."

Castiel started looking around panicked he was very thankful that Adeline had been removed from the holy fire he wished he had more time to speak with her but the demons were coming. "I can't turn back now, I can't."

"It's not too late, damn it Cas we can fix this." Dean told him sternly half wondering why Adeline had mainly stayed quiet during this whole ordeal. Wasn't she furious at her boyfriend for lying and going behind her back?!

"Dean, it's not broken." Adeline raised an eyebrow at the tone of voice he was using she had never heard it before. She felt herself getting anxious so much power was on it's way here. Castiel looked at her. "Run. You have to run, now. Run!" Castiel shouted at her and the others. Worried for her life, for theirs he knew how unhappy Crowley was with them.

Dean, Bobby and Sam started to go but Adeline stayed her eyes locked on Castiel's.

It wasn't just because of the war with Raphael, was it? Adeline asked the words in his head, her voice clear and soft with bits of what power she held inside her formed in his mind as he stared back at her.

No. Crowley told me…I thought you might be in Purgatory too.

Adeline's fingers flexed and the sounds were getting closer. "Run Adeline!" Castiel screamed at her over the noise and she shook her head standing her ground until Sam ran back in and tossed her over his shoulder.

"You idiot I said I didn't want to be brought back when I was gone." She grumbled staring into his big, sad blue eyes. "It's not too late, we can still find another way for you to win the war." She whispered her words lost to anyone but Castiel whose jaw clenched at her voice. They kept gazing at each other Sam had carried her out the door and practically tossed her into the back of the impala.

/

Crowley walked into the door and saw Castiel in the holy fire. "My, my. Playing with fire again?" He snapped his fingers and the fire went away.

"If you touch the Winchesters.." Castiel started as he walked towards the demon but Crowley moved so he was behind Castiel. He turned with a scowl as Crowley waved his arms out. "Please, heard you the first time. I promise, nary a hair on their artfully tousled heads. Besides, I think they've proven my point for me. It's always your friends, isn't it, in the end? We try to change. We try to improve ourselves. It's always our friends who gotta claw into our sides and hold us back. But you know what I see here? The new God and the new devil working together. In fact we can even bring your little girlfriend into all of this, she'd make a splendid demon."

"Enough." Castiel got close to face. "You stop talking and get out of my sight."

"Well, I'm glad I came. You're welcome, by the way." Crowley turned to go then stopped and turned back around. "You know the difference between you and me. I know what I am. What are you, Castiel? What exactly are you willing to do?" he left the angel with that question.

/

Dean opened his eyes feeling someone stare at him. "Hello Dean." Castiel said gruffly and the hunter frowned at him and got up from the couch. "How'd you get in here?"

"The angel proofing Bobby put up on the house, he got a few things wrong."

"Well, it's too bad we gotta angel-proof in the first place isn't it? Why are you here?"

Castiel took a few steps closer to him. "Adeline. I can't pick up her presence anywhere. I checked upstairs and her room is bare."

Dean gave a sharp laugh. "Yeah, I don't think any of us are going to be seeing her for a while man. She bailed as soon as we got done talking to her well she ate a shit ton of food and then just up and left. No idea where she is, but it can be anywhere."

Castiel frowned wondering how he couldn't find her, had she somehow found a way to break their connection their bond?

"I just wanted to explain some things to her."

"Oh, believe me, I get it. The whole explaining thing so you can reason your way back into her pants. Well let me tell you Cas. She's not interested in you or your explanation dealing with Raphael."

"I'm this for her, Dean. I'm doing for you because of all three of you."

Dean turned around and rubbed his eyes. "You gotta be kidding me."

"The three of you taught me that freedom and free will.."

"You're a frigging child, you know that?" Dean swung back around to face him. "Just because you can do what you want doesn't mean that you get to do whatever you want."

"I know what I'm doing, Dean."

"I'm not gonna logic you, okay? I'm saying don't just because. I'm asking you not to, that's it."

"I don't understand."

"Look next to Ads and Sam, you and Bobby are the closest things I have to family. Hell you are basically my brother since you and Ads are dating. So if I'm asking you not to do something, you gotta trust me, man. If not for me for Ads, she's changed for the better since you two have been dating."

"Or what?" Castiel challenged.

"Or I'll do what I have to do to stop you."

"You can't, Dean. You're just a man. I'm an angel."

"I don't know. I've taken some pretty big fish. I also have something you don't Cas, my sister."

"Let me ask you this Dean. Why did your sister's soul break in the first place? It was because of you, because you left her in a time she needed you most and you continued staying away from her because you're stubborn. You call me the child, but who's really the child here?" Castiel glared at him and Dean swallowed.

Castiel took a step closer. "So do you really have Adeline? Do you really think that she's going to help you? You didn't help her so why should she help you?" He asked the eldest Winchester before he disappeared.

Dean sat down and put his hands on his eyes. He knew he had screwed up with Adeline, he knew it and he didn't need the stupid winged bastard to remind him of how many times he has let his sister down.

"Damn it." He whispered amongst the night. Wondering just how much he had lost her this time.

/