7- Witches and Angels and Demons… Oh My!

Castiel opened his eyes. He blinked. And, again. He looked around. Where was he? More importantly, where were Sam and Dean? All at once it came flooding back. There had been an attack. He had healed Piper. No doubt he had been out cold for days.

The troubles that his borrowed grace posed were not new to Cas. When he had started to heal Piper, he knew that it could potentially cost him his life. But, with what he knew about the Charmed Ones, and without their whitelighter in sight, Cas knew it was his responsibility to do whatever he could to save the force that was the Power of Three.

He sat up in bed, realizing that one of the sisters must have loaned him their room. It was decorated simply for a girl's room, Cas thought. Though, he could simply not know enough about the female sex to judge. The bedspread was a stark white, the walls a dark red, and the rest of the room was decorated with wood furniture. This included a glass paneled cabinet filled with candles and herbs, most likely for Wiccan rituals, and facing Cas, a large vanity covered in pictures. There were shots of the sisters together, with Leo and the boys, and even some of them when they were children, one of them unrecognizable to the angel. Whichever sister this room belonged to, it was clear that nothing was more important to her than her family.

Above all of the pictures was a mirror, and when Castiel looked into it, he almost didn't recognize the angel staring back. His normally clear, tan complexion had turned incredibly pale and sallow. He had dark rings under his eyes like the ones the brothers got after an all-night research session, and creases in his forehead that hadn't been there before. When he tried to stand, it took all of his angelic strength to simply get upright. As he stood there, replenishing what energy he could, Cas realized that his vessel was fading. Without his grace to sustain it, the body that had formerly belonged to Jimmy Novak could not be maintained. If he didn't get it back soon, he didn't think he would be able to go on.

Water, he thought. That's what the humans need. His vessel's stomach growled. Water, and maybe some food… Cas opened the door to a long hallway that was strangely deserted. Very precariously, he walked toward the staircase, limping, his right side pushed up against the wall for support. He made it to the end without much trouble, but the stairs were going to be a different story.

He took them one at a time, first putting his right foot down, then his left on the same step, similar to the way a toddler walks down stairs. All of his weight was on the railing as he made his way, and when he reached the second to last step, he was sure that he was home free. But, his arms had other ideas as they buckled under his weight and he fell face first onto the ground.

Pain shot through Castiel's entire body, as parts of it he knew should not be bent certain ways, were bent anyway. He tried moving, but he knew he was kidding himself. Craning his neck to look around he realized there was no one around. How was he supposed to get up now?

"Hello?" he called, hoping that someone was in the kitchen, just being very quiet. "Is anyone there? I need some assistance."

Cas heard someone rustle around in the next room. "Hello?" an unfamiliar, female voice called out.

"Over here," Cas said weakly.

"Oh my god," the girl said, walking in from the dining room, the sight of Cas taking her completely off guard. "Are you alright? What's going on?"

"I have fallen, and I'm not sure I can get up."

"Oh, okay… Let me just…" the girl looked around, as if she was hoping someone would walk in and save her from having to lift a full grown man off of the floor.

"If you could just flip me over," Cas said.

"Oh my gosh, of course! I'm sorry. I should be better at this, I'm training to be a nurse," she said as she helped Castiel roll onto his back and then sit up. He was breathing hard, completely spent. But, as his vision cleared and he saw the face of the girl in front of him, he jumped.

"You're a demon!"

The girl's eyes widened, "No, no I swear I'm not. My name is Leila. I was a vessel, but the demon has been exorcized, I swear!"

Cas blinked, taking in this information. He was still breathing incredibly hard, and he wasn't sure what to do about it. Then he looked down, and did his best not to gag. The bone in his arm was broken and exposed, sticking up out of the flesh. He wasn't sure why he couldn't feel it. Perhaps the adrenaline from the fall was numbing the pain. Either way, he was going to need to go to a hospital if he didn't get someone to heal him soon.

"Oh, wow. Your arm is super broken," Leila said, her tone steadier than Castiel would have imagined.

"You're a nurse," he said, shoving his broken appendage in her general direction.

"Don't move it!" she exclaimed. "I'm in nursing school, yeah. But I'm actually training to be a delivery nurse. I know things about broken bones, like general things, but it isn't my area of expertise."

"You said your name was Leila?"

"Yes."

Castiel looked at her, and really saw her for the first time. She was young, and there was fear in her bright, blue eyes, but she masked it well. What she must have had to go through in the last few days was horrendous, but here she was walking around the manor like she hadn't just been possessed, or stumbled across an entirely new world. The resilience of humanity never ceased to amaze the angel.

"I am Castiel, but I suppose you could call me Cas. That is what the Winchester brothers call me."

"You're Cas? Sam and Dean told me about you. You're a…"

"An angel, yes," he grunted, the feeling starting to return to his arm.

"So why can't you heal that?" she asked, pointing to his injury.

"It's… complicated. Are Sam and Dean here?"

"Oh, yeah they are," Leila replied, disappointed that Cas no longer seemed to want her help. "Hang on, I'll go and get them."

"Leila," Cas said, stopping her before she left the room, "Did you know that your name is also the name for the angel of childbirth? She's an old friend. A strange coincidence considering your occupation, but I sign, I think, that you are on the right path. Thank you for assisting me."

Leila smiled, a bright, grateful smile, and nodded before leaving the room. A few seconds later she reentered, followed by a distraught Dean, and a wide-eyed Phoebe.

"Cas, what the hell… Why didn't you just call for someone?" Dean asked, kneeling down next to him.

"I was unsure there was anyone to call," Cas said, doling out a little bit of a guilt trip. "But, I am glad that you decided to stay with the sisters. You will not regret it."

"Hello to you too, Cas," Phoebe said, winking at the angel. "Let me go get Leo. He'll be able to help you with that arm."

Cas turned to Dean, "Where is Sam? Is he alright?"
"He's fine, just a little preoccupied by small children, and pretty witches at the moment. Cas, we're making headway on this case, but I'm glad you're back with us. We're going to need you."

"Dean, about that—"

"I hear there's someone who needs some healing?" a tall man said, entering the hallway, and interrupting Cas. "Hello Castiel. It is an honor to finally meet you. I'm Leo, the girls' whitelighter, and Piper's husband."

Leo knelt down next to Dean, and outstretched his hands. A gold, shimmering light pulsed from them, and as quickly as it had been broken, Castiel's bone, muscle, and tissue were all woven back together, completely healed.

"Thank you Leo."

"Don't mention it," the whitelighter said, helping Cas to his feet. Still weak, his knees buckled, but luckily Dean and Leo were there to catch him.

"Whoa, Cas. What's going on?" Dean asked, placing the angel back against the wall.

"He's weak," Leila interjected, pushing Dean out of the way. Castiel couldn't help but snicker at the look of surprise on the eldest Winchester brother's face before turning back to his savior of sorts. She was looking him right in the eye, her face much closer to his than Castiel was comfortable with. She was very pretty, blonde, blue-eyed, with a short, compact figure. But, despite her size, she seemed like a force to be reckoned with, completely unafraid to stand up to the demon-hunting strangers that were at least a foot taller than her.

"You're feverish," she said, feeling his forehead. Then, to Castiel's surprise she opened his mouth, "Not to mention you have dry mouth, are shaking almost uncontrollably, and are drenched in sweat. He's extremely dehydrated,"—she turned to Dean—"Was no one watching him while he was unconscious?"

Dean looked lost for words, so Cas did his best to explain, "On any other occasion I wouldn't need food or water; I could replenish those necessary things myself using my angelic grace. However, my grace was stolen from me, and I used most of my borrowed grace's strength to heal Piper, so I am very weak. Dean would not have known to watch me, he never has had to before."

Leila nodded, her frown disappearing slightly. "Leo, can you do anything about the dehydration?"

"I can try, but he is still going to be weak. There isn't anything I can do about a fading grace. But, thank you, for Piper."

Castiel nodded, and as Leo put his glowing hands over the angel's chest, he felt the faintness and the fever dissipate. When Leo was done, Cas was happy to find that he could stand and almost walk on his own. However, he stayed close to Leila, believing that the girl would be there to lean on if he needed her. Strange, that when Dean and Sam were both in reach, he chose the girl he barely knew, to trust in that moment.

"We should probably get you to the kitchen, get you some water, maybe some food," Leila said.

"No time," Dean replied. "We need you in here Cas, you too demon girl. Let's go."

"Um, excuse me, I have a name, hunter boy," Leila scoffed, "And he needs to rest right now."

"He's been resting for a week! We don't have time for this… Sam!"

The older Winchester came loping into the hallway, Chris in his arms. "Dean, what's—" Sam stopped talking when he saw Castiel's weakened state.

"Can you please tell her how important it is that Cas gets back to work right now? We need him, am I right?"

"Please, he needs time to get better. Without this grace thing you guys were talking about, I think he's more human than angel."

"Dean, let's just give him a minute to collect himself," Sam implored. "That's what he would do for you."

Dean looked from Cas, to Leila, and finally to his brother. As he locked eyes with Sam, Castiel could tell he felt incredibly betrayed. Dean was the classic big brother. Cas knew that he cared about the health of his friends, but first and foremost he cared about their safety. Dean felt like the entire situation was his fault, and he was doing his best to atone for it. As much as Cas wasn't ready to dive headfirst into another major conflict, he knew he would have to. That's just what family does for one another.

"Leila, thank you for being so concerned about my well-being. I think I will be okay, thanks to Leo. I could use a glass of water, but Dean is right, we should get to work as soon as we can. I'm sure I've missed a lot."

Dean clapped Cas on the back, making the angel wince. "You'll catch on. Let's get back in there, huh?"

"I'll get you a glass of water," Leila said, clearly skeptical of Cas's choice to forego his own health, but walked out of the room without another word.

"We'd better get back in there," Leo said. "If I know my wife, she is not so patiently waiting for us."

Castiel watched Leila go, and for a moment felt bad about taking Dean's side over hers. She wasn't wrong when she said he was more human than angel any longer. In fact, if he didn't take it easy, he wouldn't be around to help the Winchesters at all. But, there was something about the way Dean looked at him, with so much desperation in his eyes, that made Castiel forget about himself. It was as if the eldest Winchester was sending him a silent plea, one that expressed how much he did not want to be responsible for more death. How could Cas think of himself when people that he loved were suffering?

As he headed into the family room Leila passed by, barely glancing at him as she handed him his water. Drinking it down in two fierce gulps he realized it was nowhere near enough, and that she had a right to be angry. He wasn't okay, and he wouldn't be until he could find a new grace, or get rid of his own altogether and live solely as a human. But there were bigger things at stake right now, and Cas had to do the selfless thing, and forget about his own well-being. He looked over at Leila, who was now sitting on one of the few couches in the room, next to Paige. To Cas, she had proven herself to be fiercely loyal and good in a crisis in a matter of minutes. He had no doubt she had a bigger role to play in the future. He only hoped she wouldn't be another casualty in the Winchesters' battle for good.

Being calm was just about the most difficult thing for Dean to do in that moment. Sitting in that family room, he knew he was going to have to come clean about the Mark, about being a demon, about everything he had already told Phoebe. If she hadn't been sitting next to him in that moment, he would probably have bolted. But, he knew that Piper and Sam were right. Everyone needed to come clean about everything they knew, and even though it wasn't going to be pretty, it would be necessary if they were going to move forward.

Having Cas back was a huge weight off of his shoulders as well. Something about that angel calmed him down, the way Sam couldn't anymore. Dean knew that Cas wasn't one hundred percent, it was obvious that his borrowed grace wasn't doing so hot, and it wasn't easy asking him to help. But, Dean also knew that he couldn't do this without him, that he needed every single person in that room to keep him from going dark-side again.

"Okay," Piper started, her hands were clasped, and she looked like she was addressing a classroom, not a room full of potentially lethal, grown-ass adults. Dean stopped himself from making a smart remark and let her continue. "I think we have all agreed that in order to work together, we need to have a better understanding of one another. You Winchester brothers tend to have a bad impression of witches, hopefully we can change that. And, I think you both have some explaining to do as well, if I am not mistaken. So if you want, we'll start."

No one said anything, so Phoebe spoke. "Six years ago, I, Piper, and our older sister Prue came into our powers. On our maternal side, witchcraft runs in the family. There was a prophecy, set down from our ancestors, about three sisters that would wield something called the Power of Three. These sisters, The Charmed Ones, would use this power to rid the world of evil. As it turns out, that was us."

"So what's taking so long?" Dean quipped.

Phoebe turned and put a finger to her lips, telling him to be quiet. When Dean realized it was her middle finger, all he could do was grin. He put his hands up, admitting defeat, and didn't say anything else.

"We also each have our own powers. As you know I receive premonitions, levitate, and I am also an empath, meaning I can sense emotions psychically. Paige is half-whitelighter, so her version of telekinesis is a little bit different than Prue's was…"

All of a sudden Paige yelled, "Car!" and the toy car that Wyatt had been playing with disappeared from his hands in a shimmer of light and manifested itself in the witch's hand. Wyatt shrieked in disapproval, and playfully charged his aunt, who caught him, laughing hysterically. Paige handed the boy his Hot Wheel, and he continued playing.

"I also orb," she said. "And I have charges like normal whitelighters do, but I never developed the skill of healing like Wyatt has."

"That's still incredible, Paige," Sam said, readjusting Chris in his lap.

Paige smiled coyly, "Thanks, I try."

Dean did his best not to barf and asked, "So, Wyatt can heal, and so can Leo, does that mean Chris will too?"

"No," Piper said. "He never develops that power."

"Excuse me, Piper," Castiel interjected, "But, you say that like you know. Don't you think he could develop that power eventually like his brother has?"

Piper looked uncomfortable so Leo answered for her. "We've actually met Chris as an adult. Um, he came back from the future for a few reasons, but we do know, because of that, that he doesn't have that power. He did, however, inherit Prue's version of telekinesis, as well as telekinesis by orbing, and the whitelighter gifts of photokinesis and sensing. Wyatt can orb, heal, and project a force field, but that last power is the only one he can really control. We've also seen him use the power of projection, which basically means he can manipulate reality."

"So, you're telling me," Sam said looking down at Chris, "That you know who he's going to become?"

Piper nodded, "He's going to be one hell of a kid too. If you think you like him now, wait until we tell you about how he saved his brother Wyatt here, from becoming the biggest evil the world had ever seen."

"Alright, we get it," Dean said. "The kid is fantastic, but can we get back on track? There is someone after him, remember? Someone that might want to prevent him from becoming this great person, so… Piper, you can blow things up, we know that. Anything else?"

"She stops time, remember?" Sam said with a smirk.

Dean blinked, "Right. Anything besides that?"

Piper shook her head, "But, they are the most active powers of any of ours, so watch it. The point is, you know what we're capable of, and we can promise you that there is nothing evil about us. We fight for the greater good. That's our destiny."

Dean nodded, "I'm trying to understand, I really am."

"Well, in the meantime, why don't you help us understand you?"

Dean sighed, not sure where to begin.

"For the record," Phoebe interjected, "He talked to me about the premonition I had, and it seems that everything I saw happened in the past."

"Okay… But why did those things happen?" Paige addressed Dean now. "She saw you kill people. She saw you with black eyes like those demons that infested our attic. What happened?"

"When I told Leo that the person doing those destructive things wasn't really Dean, I meant it," Sam told her.

"So he was possessed."

"Not exactly…" Sam looked to Dean.

"Look, here's the Spark Notes version. This Mark," Dean lifted his arm so they could all see, "It's called the Mark of Cain, and it's essentially pure evil. Because of it I have fits of rage, hate… it's basically why I'm in such a horrible mood all of the time. It also essentially makes me immortal. The reason I became a demon, is because I died, and that's how the Mark brought me back."

"But, I cured him. He's not a demon anymore," Sam offered as a buffer to Dean's very straightforward explanation.

None of the sisters said anything for a minute.

"Phoebe, you don't seem surprised about any of this," Piper said quietly.

"That's because he told me all of that already."

"And you neglected to share, why?"

"Because it was not my truth to tell, Piper."

"You seem eerily calm about this whole situation," Paige said, squinting at her sister. "He used to be a demon. Of all people, it should be you that's freaking out right now."

"Why?"

Paige and Piper exchanged a glance, before replying in complete unison, "Cole."

Dean watched Phoebe's face turn red, and heard her breath hitch. "Look, he isn't Cole. He's not a demon anymore, and even if he was one, he is our best bet for helping Chris," she said hurriedly. "We've been turned into more supernatural beings than anyone, who are we to judge? If he says that this Mark is making him different, we have to trust that the Dean Winchester that existed before, will be the part that helps us defeat whatever evil creeps are after him and Chris."

Piper turned to Dean, "How much is this Mark effecting you now?"

"Honestly, more than I'd like. I mean, there is a reason neither of your sons will come near me, and that your husband hates me. There is a reason why I am in such a horrible mood all of the time, and why I wanted to get as far away from you girls as fast as I could. I'm not lying when I tell you that I'm dangerous, and that I have a habit, as Leo so nicely pointed out, of getting the people around me hurt."

Dean thought his next words through carefully, "But, honestly… I haven't felt better, or safer than I do now, in months. Something about being here is... comfortable. I'm not sure if it's the fact that your house feels more like home than my own, or the way the three of you care about each other, and about family, or if it's simply the light magic from the… the uh, what do you call the thing that you get your magic from again?"

"The Nexus," Phoebe smiled.

"Yeah, maybe it's that thing messing with the Mark, I don't know. But, I do know that I want to stay, and I want to help. I don't want these black-eyed ass—"

Piper cleared her throat, and gestured toward her sons.

Dean cleared his throat, rethinking his language choices and continued, "I don't want these demons to tear apart your family any more than you do. It isn't going to be easy to keep my head on straight a lot of the time, but I'm willing to try."

When he finished his speech, which he had said while mostly looking at the floor, he turned his eyes upward to his brother. Sam was staring at him, and Dean was surprised to see tears in his eyes, and his oversized hand clasped tightly by both of Paige's. He hadn't looked that proud, or just that happy when it came to Dean, in a very long time. Piper, Leo, Leila, and even Cas looked surprised as well. It was only when he turned to Phoebe that he met a pair of eyes that looked as though they hadn't doubted him for a moment. He knew he didn't deserve her trust, but he didn't need to be an empath to feel her giving it to him anyway.

"Well, I don't know about you guys," Phoebe said to her sisters, "But, that's good enough for me. In case you were wondering he is being completely genuine. I can feel it."

Everyone looked to Piper, the matriarch of the house, and the one, Dean realized that everyone looked to for guidance. She gave one curt nod, and sat back down next to Leo. With that, everyone in the room noticeably relaxed, and started to spitball ideas about what exactly they could be dealing with.

"Leila, sweetheart, how is that memory charm working for you?" Phoebe asked. Have you remembered anything else?"

The girl shook her head, "I'm sorry. It's just snippets here and there, nothing I can really make sense of. I know it has something to do with light and dark, which I can only assume is Chris and Dean, since he has that Mark thing."

"But, you're sure it's a woman?" Dean asked. "Someone who knows Crowley?"

"I'm sure."

"Alright, here's a question I've been dying to ask. Who in the hell attacked you and Paige, and wrecked the Impala?" Sam asked. "It had to have been someone you know Dean, it all hits way too close to home. Paige said someone was there. Who?"

Dean shot Paige a death glare.

"Hey, I never said anything like that. I just told him he needed to ask you," Paige protested. "A lot of what happened before I got bitten is still foggy."

Sam clenched his jaw, "Look, is there anything you want to tell me? I just feel like you're leaving something out."

Dean thought for a moment. Telling Sam about Ruby could be the right thing to do, but it also could be about the worst thing for him. He wasn't exactly sure how much Ruby meant to Sam. She had betrayed him in a major way, tricking him into starting the apocalypse and all, but they had had a major connection, one that went way beyond romance. Sam had literally been addicted to her, and Dean was not about to watch him go through withdrawal again.

He went back and forth in his head for a long time, and finally decided. "Sam, there's nothing, okay. Clearly, whoever is at the root of all this, know us better than we think. I'm fixing Baby up, she's going to be good as new when I get done. Just leave it alone now."

Sam stared at him for just a second too long, and Dean knew that he was doubting the truthfulness of his answer. But, after a moment he looked away, at least pretending to be satisfied. Dean locked eyes with Paige. It was clear she was disappointed in his answer, and that she remembered everything about the attack. Subtly he nodded, thanking her for allowing him to make this decision about his brother, hoping it wouldn't come back to bite him in the ass later.

"Speaking of who's at the root of this—" Paige started.

"Have you heard from this Crowley person yet, Dean?" Phoebe interrupted.

"No. It's been radio silence from Hell I'm afraid. I think Crowley is still pretty miffed that I'm not a demon anymore," he explained.

"We could always summon him," Cas suggested.

"You know how to summon demons?" Piper asked.

Dean frowned, "You don't? That's kind of a witchcraft thing, isn't it? You definitely have all of the ingredients to do it in your kitchen."

"Those kinds of spells are a form of very old, dark magick, Dean," Castiel attempted to explain. "Most of them are used by witches that wish to harness demonic power. I doubt the Halliwells would have much use for them."

"Well, it might be nicer than waiting for them to attack all the time," Phoebe mumbled.

"Hey guys, I—" Paige tried again.

Once again she was interrupted. This time by Piper, "Well let's give it a try. What do you need?"

"Guys, really. Listen—"

Piper shushed her younger sister, insisting that they give the summoning a try. The Halliwells and Winchesters made their way to the kitchen. Leo orbed out, saying that he needed to check in with the elders, and tell them about the new plan to summon the King of Hell. He took the boys with him, for safety. As Piper and Sam mixed the ingredients necessary for the summoning in a large bowl, Dean taught Phoebe the correct symbol to draw beside it, and the specific placement of candles that would call Crowley to them. Meanwhile, Paige and Cas, to Piper's horror, moved the kitchen table and the angel directed her in adorning the floor with a red, painted, devil's trap. After surrounding that with the same pattern of candles that sat on the counter, Sam asked who wanted to do the honors of summoning.

"I'll do it," Dean offered. He felt responsible for what was happening. The least he could do was spill a little blood for the cause.

"I don't know if that's such a good idea," Piper said. "Your blood has been demonic, and it's still being effected by the Mark. Couldn't that possibly mess with the ritual? Why don't you let me do it?"

Dean sighed and handed Piper the knife he had been holding, knowing that she was right about his blood being contaminated. Sam told her where to cut so she wouldn't bleed too much. As she lit the match and dropped it into the bowl, Sam told her to repeat after him. "Et ad congregandum, eos coram me."

Piper said the words, and for a moment the room was entirely silent. Then, just as Dean was beginning to think that they had performed the summoning wrong, they were greeted with two words that always made his jaw clench, and his stomach churn.

"Hello, boys."

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thank you guys so much for reading! I'm sorry I kept you waiting so long for this one. I'm really trying to write ahead, so I can release at least a chapter a month, but I've been so busy since spring semester started!

I hope you guys enjoyed the return of Castiel! I would love to hear what you thought about his perspective. I was a new one, but I really enjoy the way he and my O/C Leila interact with one another. There is more of them coming, so I hope you guys liked it too. Also, there is some Crowley headed your way! I had a lot of fun writing him. He's so sassy!

As always, PLEASE REVIEW! Your comments and suggestions really help me shape where this story goes, and I love to hear what you have to say! Once again, thank you for reading!

XOXO AryaUnderfoot