Chapter 40.
When they got back to the bunker with Sarah, Dean instantly noticed that the Pimpmobile was not in the garage. He led the way to the library where Jack was reading. "Where's Cas?" he said.
"I don't know." said Jack.
"Did he come back?"
"Back from where?" said Jack.
Dean turned to Sam. "He should have been here long before us. Call him."
"Why me?" said Sam.
"Because if I call, it'll seem like I'm checking up on him."
Sam rolled his eyes, but took out his phone and called Castiel's number. Dean waited impatiently. Eventually, he said, "No answer?"
"No answer." said Sam, "Now it's going to voicemail. Hey, Cas, when you get this, call us. I'm getting a little worried."
"Something's wrong." said Dean.
"We don't know that." said Sam, putting his phone back into his pocket. "We don't even know where he was going."
"What was he planning to get for you?" Dean asked Jack.
"I didn't know he was planning to get anything." said Jack, starting to look anxious.
"Sam, check the GPS on his phone." said Dean.
"Do you think that's necessary?" said Sam.
"Quit talking like I'm being irrational!" said Dean, "Cas is long overdue and you know what state of mind he was in."
"Okay." said Sam, "I'm worried too, but you didn't want him to feel under surveillance."
"Just do it." said Dean.
"It may be a good idea." said Sarah, "I'd say Dean has legitimate grounds for concern."
"Thankyou!" said Dean.
Sam very quickly came back with what seemed like good news. "He's just down the road." He showed Dean the map on his phone screen.
"So he's on his way home?" said Dean.
"I assume so, but the signal isn't moving."
"That damn car. He's out of gas again." said Dean. He saw a look of fear on Jack's face and said, "He's okay, Jack. We'll go get him. He didn't answer the phone because he feels stupid."
"Can I come?" said Jack.
"Yeah, sure. Sarah, Sam, wait here." said Dean.
It took mere minutes to find Cas's car and the phone inside it. Dean picked up the phone.
Jack whispered, "He's been taken!"
"What?" said Dean, "No, kid. Don't jump to conclusions. It would take something mighty to take Cas and I can't think of too many mighty beings he can have pissed off on a shopping trip, can you?"
Jack was staring at the phone, his eyes wide with horror.
"Jack, he's okay. Look, ignore what I said before. Don't let my scrambled head mess with yours. Cas is fine. He's okay. We just have to figure out what happened and where the Hell he is. He's fine. He's okay." He was already frantically checking the phone for clues.
He only had to see the last call to know something bad had happened. "Son of a bitch!" he said.
"What is it?" said Jack.
"He called Rowena."
"That's good, isn't it?"
"Get back in the car. We're going back to the bunker."
When they got there, Sarah and Sam were waiting in the garage, Sam looking far less relaxed than he had been pretending to be. As soon as Dean was out of the car, he said, "He left his phone and his car. I checked the calls. He called Rowena last night."
"Crap." said Sam.
"Rowena's our friend." said Jack, confused.
"Rowena's our friend when it suits her," said Dean, "But Cas is an unaccompanied angel in a vulnerable state and she has always taken too much of an interest in him." He called Rowena on his own phone.
"Dean? If you're calling to ask about progress, I'm afraid there isn't any. Nothing concrete, anyway. A lot of whispers. A lot of guesses. Not many witches have had dealings with archangels."
"Where is he, Rowena?"
"I might need a name. I'm good, but not that good."
"Castiel. He called you last night."
"He did. I remember."
"And now he's gone and he ditched his car and phone, so he doesn't want to be found."
"You've lost your angel and you're blaming me?" she said, "I do recall advising you to pay a little more attention. He's a sensitive wee creature."
"So you want me to believe it's a coincidence that his last call was to you?" said Dean.
"Fine, I'll confess. He is, at this moment, sleeping three feet away. He's never looked more angelic. Should I awaken him with a kiss?"
"Sarcasm? Rowena, if anything happens to him and I find out you knew about it, I'm gonna grab some witch-killing bullets and send you straight to Hell."
"Dean ... " said Sam.
"Problem, Sam?" said Dean.
"It sounds as if you have a whole heap of problems." said Rowena, "So I'll leave you to sort through them and decide what, if anything, you intend to blame me for."
"Why did he call?" said Dean.
"To talk about Michael. He wanted to remind me that it's an urgent matter. I told him I would call him if I had any breakthrough. He thanked me. He sounded unsettled. I did nothing to unsettle him. Are you satisfied?"
"Not even close." he said, "He'd better be okay."
"I hope he is." she said, "I promise you, I have no reason to do him any harm. I hope he's soon home safely."
Dean wanted to believe her, but he didn't. Cas did not randomly call people and his mind had not been on Michael the night before. "So do I." he said. He ended the call and pointed at Sam. "Go ahead. Tell me you think I'm imagining things." he said menacingly.
"I wish I could," said Sam, "But I don't think you are."
"Calling him's no good." said Dean, "Try praying."
"I'm not sure that'll help." said Sam.
"I'll try." said Jack, "Castiel and I can hear each other's prayers. I'll go to my room and see if I can make contact."
"Okay." said Dean, "At least our prime suspect isn't likely to kill him. If she took him, she needs him alive."
When Jack had gone, Sam said, "What was that about killing him?"
"My fault. The kid reacted to my overreaction. He thought Cas had been taken."
"Do you think she has taken him?"
"I think she knows where he is." said Dean.