Thank you MaggieMay17 for beta'ing, Ncsupnatfan and VegasGranny for pre-reading, and you all for reading.

Sorry for the long wait between updates without warning. I will update biweekly from now on as I've still not finished the story and I'm not yet in a position to work on it. I don't want to run out of completed chapter and leave you hanging for months for the ending.

Chapter Fourteen

Dean popped the trunk. Nick grabbed the bowl and bag of ingredients and carried them to the hood while Dean propped up the false bottom and stepped back.

"Load up people," he said.

Mary and Jack came forward, and Mary took two guns. She checked the clips, said, "Witch killing?" and when Dean nodded, she handed one to Jack and tucked her own in the back of her pants.

"You'll want angel blades, too," Nick said.

Dean grabbed his and Nick's gun and carried them to the hood and set Nick's down. "You got everything?" he asked.

Nick nodded. "I think so, but I thought that last time."

"You double-checked the spell, right? And his file?"

Nick raised an eyebrow. "No, Dean, I thought it would be fun to go in blind again. Why take all the fun out of it?"

Dean nudged his arm with a fist. "Okay, you're pissy. What's wrong with you? I thought you'd be happy about this. Mom is. I am."

Nick sighed. "I am happy. I just didn't sleep well."

"Another nightmare?"

"No, I was just… restless."

Dean frowned at him. "Why are you lying?"

"I'm not," Nick said.

"Yeah, you are. What's going on?"

Instead of answering, Nick turned as their mother approached, holding out two angel blades, and took one. "Thanks, Mom."

Mary eyed him for a moment then turned to Dean. "What's going on?"

Nick's face formed into an eager smile. "Nothing. Just talking about the spell. I'm sure I've got it right."

Mary didn't look appeased, but Nick tucked the blade under his arm and carried the bowl off into the trees.

"Dean…"

"I know," he said. "I'm working on it. Let's kill this dick, and then we can beat whatever's going on out of Nick." Seeing her scowl, he forced a smile and said, "We'll talk to him, Mom. Now let's go before he gets himself in there."

He grabbed his blade and gestured for Jack to follow them as they set off after Nick into the trees.

Nick was waiting for them in the clearing where they'd found Magnus' house last time. He had the bowl in his hands, and he was mixing the contents with a pestle.

"We all ready?" he asked without looking up.

"Yeah, we should call Cas," Mary said.

"I thought he was with Sam," Jack said.

Mary nodded. "He is, but he said to call. It's his revenge, too."

Dean frowned. Castiel hadn't seemed that invested in getting revenge at all. He'd said he wanted them to call, but Dean had thought that was more about him being there to fight with them than anything. Between Nick and Castiel's weird behavior, Dean was starting to feel out of the loop. Added to Sam's abrupt exit and absence in the three days since they'd seen him, he could do with a win. Killing the bastard that took the memory of his brother away was a good way to start.

"Cas, we're about to head in," Mary said, her eyes moving around them. "If you want to…"

"I'm here," Castiel said, appearing beside Jack.

"How's Sam?" Mary asked.

"He's tracing one of Michael's creations in Mumbai right now," Castiel said.

"But he's okay?" Nick asked.

Castiel's eyes settled on Nick, and there was a too-long pause before he answered, "He's fine."

"Okay," Dean said. "Heads up. Last time me and Nicky were here, we were attacked by vampires straight through the door. He had a zoo of monsters he was keeping down there. We killed them all, but if he's back here and settled again, I'm betting he's got new stock."

"That's okay," Jack said. "There's enough of us to take them out."

He sounded excited. It was his first time out hunting since he lost his grace, and he was eager to get going. He'd been chatty on the ride over. Dean understood it; he would be hyped if he was Jack, too. The kid needed this.

Nick held out the bowl and said, "Ingressum domi dona mihi."

A smoky haze shimmered and formed into the shape of a door.

Nick set the bowl down and glanced over his shoulder. "You ready?"

"Ready," Dean agreed.

Nick lifted his blade and walked towards the door, disappearing for a moment before Dean rushed after him. He felt a moment of dizziness, and he brought his hands up to defend himself, then skidded to a stop just inside the long hall, it's walls decorated with paintings in dark wood frames. Mary and Jack came in behind them, and they only avoided colliding by Dean and Nick dodging out of the way. Castiel came in last, seeming untroubled by the disorienting arrival.

Nick pressed his finger to his lips and pointed to his ear.

Dean listened. The last time they'd arrived, there had been some bad music playing that sounded like it had been brought straight out of a forties' nightclub. There was silence this time, though. Dean could only hear the sounds of their breathing.

He quirked an eyebrow at Castiel and whispered, "Anything?"

Castiel concentrated for a moment and then said, in a perfectly normal volume, "This house is filled with life."

"Awesome," Dean growled.

Nick seemed untroubled by the news. "Magnus?" he asked.

Castiel shook his head. "I can't sense a human here. There are many monsters, though."

Dean wasn't reassured that Magnus wasn't there as he didn't think Magnus was all the way human, what with the spell he'd done to stop himself aging—and that was only the one they knew about.

"Where do we start?" Mary asked.

In answer, there was a growl, and they all span around, blades ready, as four vampires appeared at the end of the hall.

"Here we go," Nick murmured.

Jack rushed forward, his face alight with excitement, and Nick was going after him a split-second later. Dean, Mary, and Castiel followed them, and they met the vampires at the bottom of the stairs. Dean grabbed one by the arm and yanked it away so he could get a clean drive at it. The vampire was fast, though. He shoved Dean's shoulder, sending him stumbling back a few steps, and then launched itself at him with its fangs bared.

Dean brought up his blade automatically, but before he could strike, the vampire's eyes were glowing white, and the tip of a blade was poking out of its chest.

The blade withdrew, and the vampire fell, revealing Jack looking exhilarated with the bloody angel blade in his hand. "Are you okay, Dean?" he asked, his voice breathy.

Dean nodded. "Yeah, that was pretty… Duck!"

Jack dropped, and Dean thrust forward, impaling the kitsune standing behind Jack with claws reaching for him. Her eyes glowed as she fell, and Dean hauled Jack up. He didn't seem disconcerted by his near-miss. If anything, he was even more excited. It reminded Dean of Sam's early kills, when he was so buzzed to be on the case with Dean and their Dad, and injuries hadn't seemed to bother him at all. A near miss with a werewolf's claws that required nine stitches—and a narrowly avoided bite—had made Sam a little more guarded. But before that, he'd been hyped.

There was a roaring sound, and Dean spun to defend, but it was the death throes of some monster Dean didn't recognize being killed by Castiel's glowing hand on its forehead. Mary was panting, and her eyes were darting around. At their feet were four vampires, two with stab wounds and the others with their heads a foot away. The kitsune Dean had killed was crumpled over what Dean thought had been a vetala, and there was another mystery monster at Nick's feet with three stab wounds in its chest.

"Tough kill, Nicky?" he asked.

Nick nodded. "It kept coming."

Castiel shot him a sharp look, and Dean thought there was more to it than Nick said. It wouldn't be the first time Nick had gotten carried away on a hunt, gone for second and third shots when the monster was already dead, but Dean would be surprised if that was what had happened here when there were others fighting that Nick would also want to protect.

"More monsters, Cas?" Mary asked.

"Many," Castiel said. "But they're not close."

"Do we clear them all?" Jack asked.

Castiel considered a moment and then shook his head. "There is magic present."

Dean thought that was pretty obvious since they'd arrived through a magic door, but Castiel was clearly sensing something else as he started walking down the hall with his blade held in front of him.

"Do come in," a slightly distorted voice called over a speaker. "I have a bottle of Cheval Blanc 1947 breathing, and the glasses have been waiting for you a long time."

"Magnus," Nick growled, rushing along the hall.

"Nick!" Dean hissed as he rushed after him. "Wait for us. Don't go in dumb."

Nick ignored him, hurrying down the hall. Dean jogged to his side and kept close as they reached the turn that led them into the room where they'd been held before. He positioned himself slightly in front of Nick as they went in, which Nick combated by grabbing Dean's arm and tugging him back.

Magnus looked exactly the same as he had last time, when Dean killed him. Dean was pretty sure he was even wearing a copy of the same suit and bowtie. He was smiling widely as they all entered, Mary and Jack falling into place on either side of Nick and Dean and Castiel positioning himself slightly ahead of them.

"Well, well, well, you brought an angel," he said. "I've always wanted an angel in my collection. I wanted an archangel, of course, but that is perhaps a little too much to hope for. I am prepared for one, though, just in case. You never know when one might arrive. Lucifer did… And there is another..."

"You're not getting your hands on him," Nick growled.

Magnus frowned. "On which one?"

"Sammy," Dean said. "You're not getting your hands on my brother."

Magnus laughed. "Ah, I wondered if my spell was holding. I felt something change. The time that passes after a spell is cast weakens its connection to the conjurer. Even something as potent as what I did to your brother eventually severs its bond. How did it fail? I thought it was infallible."

"Love broke it," Mary said darkly.

Magnus laughed again. "Love. I suppose that would work. It must have been something potent to trigger it, though. I wonder… What happened to unlock the memories?"

"It doesn't matter," Nick said. "The only thing that matters now is that you die."

Magnus spread his arms, "If that's what you're here for, you should go ahead and take your shot."

Before Dean could do more than reach for his gun, Nick had dropped his angel blade and drawn his own. His lips curled back in a snarl, Nick emptied four bullets into Magnus' chest.

Dean expected Magnus to drop, but he merely looked down and then flickered and disappeared, revealing the bullet holes in the mantelpiece behind him.

"Asshole," Nick growled. "He was just screwing with us. He must have picked up some tricks from Lucifer."

"I did," the crackly voice on the speakers said. "Would you like to see some more?"

Dean spun around as something touched his shoulder, and he saw Magnus standing behind him, a wide smile on his face.

Dean shot at him, but he knew it wasn't really him as he saw the bullet pass through him without leaving a wound.

"Not me," the voice on the speakers said. "Try again."

Dean spun on his heel and saw five perfect copies of Magnus walking into the room and spreading apart so that they were all—him, Nick, Mary, Jack, and Castiel—facing one.

Jack stabbed out with his angel blade, driving it into the chest of the figure standing opposite him, but it had no effect.

The copy in front of Dean raised his hand, swiped the gun out of his hand, then placed his palm on Dean's forehead and chanted, "Mentem tuam ac voluntatem adsumo."

He heard the words repeated around him and saw in his peripheral vision that each of his family were getting the same treatment from their own Magnus.

He remembered the spell from last time, how it had driven all resistance from his mind and made him malleable and willing to obey, but this time the feeling didn't come. He still felt hyperaware and tense.

"Everyone okay?" Nick barked.

"Yeah," Dean said. "Mom? Jack?"

"I'm fine," Mary said.

"What was that?" Jack asked.

"Mind control," Dean said. "I guess it's got to be the real version of him for it to work."

"Well done, Dean," Magnus said over the speaker. "You're forgetting someone, though. How do you think the angel is feeling?"

Dean's eyes snapped to his friend, and he saw the blank look in his eyes. "Cas, man…"

Castiel's eyes moved to him, and he tilted his head to the side, appraising him.

"You know what to do, Castiel," Magnus said.

Castiel nodded and threw out his hand. Dean felt a shockwave of power that slammed into his chest and drove him back against the wall. Nick, Mary, and Jack were driven back, too, weapons falling from their hands and skidding away, and Castiel was standing in the center of the room, obviously waiting for instructions.

"Castiel!" Nick shouted. "Snap the hell out of it!"

Castiel lifted his head and fixed his gaze on Nick.

"Go ahead," Magnus said. "Kill him. You know you want to."

Castiel stalked towards Nick, his blade drawn, and Dean shouted his name, struggling to free himself. Dean felt some give in the hold on him, and he threw himself forward, tackling Castiel to the floor and then jumping up. He stamped on Castiel's wrist, but the angel didn't release his grip on the blade.

Nick grabbed Castiel's shoulders and pressed all his weight on him. Castiel didn't struggle, he was waiting for instructions, and Magnus gave them, his voice coming from across the room as he stepped out of the shadows and picked up a glass of wine. "Go ahead, Castiel. You can kill them all."

Dean pressed down all his weight on Castiel and bellowed to the one person he thought could help. "Sam!"

Magnus laughed. "He's not going to hear you, Dean. This place is blocked from prayer."

"Dean… run…" Castiel squeezed his hands into fists, and Mary and Jack fell away from the wall. They rushed to where Nick and Dean were holding Castiel down and added their weight.

Castiel bucked, and they all fell away. Castiel stood bowed over, his hands fisted on his knees, and then he looked up with fury in his eyes and shouted, "Run!"

Nick grabbed Mary, and Dean grabbed Jack, and they ran from the room and along the hall.

"Where the hell are we going?" Nick asked. "There's no way out, remember. Not while he's alive."

"We just move," Dean growled.

They came to a turning, the one the vampires had appeared from, and Nick sucked in a breath. "Okay, Mom, Jack, go upstairs," he said. "Me and Dean have got this."

"We have?" Dean asked.

"I'm not leaving you alone," Mary said furiously.

Nick yanked open a door and pushed Mary into it. "Trust me," he said. "I know what I'm doing. Stay in there and lock the door. Barricade it. Stay quiet."

Mary started to protest, but Nick pushed Jack in with her, took the key from the lock, and slapped it into her hand.

"Trust me!" he begged.

Mary looked torn, but she nodded and moved back so he could close the door. A moment later, they heard the lock click.

"Nicky…"

"No!" Nick snapped. "They're not dying because of Magnus. I won't let that happen again. I have a plan."

Dean sure as hell hoped so, since he didn't know what to do.

"Run," Castiel growled behind them, his footsteps slow and heavy as if he was trying to walk in a strong wind.

Dean had fought the compulsion himself, to save Nick, but Castiel seemed to be having a harder time with it. Perhaps it was because he didn't have the same connection Dean and Nick did, perhaps because Magnus' power had grown since he cast the spell on them to wipe Sam. Whatever the reason, Dean and Nick were in trouble, and Nick had just trapped Mary and Jack in a room that Castiel would be able to break open in a heartbeat."

"What are you doing, Nick?"

"Knife," Nick snapped.

"What?"

Nick pulled open Dean's jacket, removed the switchblade from Dean's pocket, cut across his palm, and dipped his fingers in the blood. As Dean glanced over his shoulder, hearing Castiel's staggering steps approaching, Nick daubed a sigil on the door and slapped his hand against it. Dean expected the rush of light that came with a banishing, but there was none.

"He's blocked it from Enochian banishing," Nick spat.

"What do we do then?" Dean asked.

Nick concentrated a moment and then dipped his fingers in the blood again and then painted another sigil on the wall. "This'll keep him out," he said.

"We hope," Dean said. "Unless that magic is blocked, too."

"Yeah," Nick said, "we hope." He looked back as Castiel appeared, his face showing the struggle he was facing, and said, "The zoo! Now!"

"What about it?" Dean asked, his eyes darting to the door behind which his mother and son were trapped.

"Magnus said he was prepared," Nick said, grabbing Dean's arm and pushing him away. "I'll keep Cas on me, away from Mom and Jack. You find the damn zoo and shout."

As realization clicked in Dean's mind, he set off running, feeling torn by the fact he was leaving his family behind but knowing it was the best way to protect them.

He sprinted along the hall, taking a right turn, his eyes roving the doors he passed, wondering if any of them hid the zoo he was looking for.

"You okay, Nick?" he shouted back.

"Fine," Nick replied, his voice a little strained. "Find it!"

Dean took another turn and then skidded to a stop as he heard a growl. He looked around, waiting for the attack, and then he realized it was coming from ahead of him. Unarmed and battling instinct, he ran towards it through a heavy door into a wide room that was a stark difference to the ones he'd seen in Magnus' comfortable house so far. There were cages lining the walls, some housing monsters that snarled and growled, and others empty with open doors. At the end was the one Nick had sent him for. It was larger than the others, and the walls and bars were carved with sigils, some Dean recognized and others he didn't. They all looked like Enochian, though.

"I've got it, Nick!" he shouted.

"On my way," Nick shouted back, and then Dean heard a thud and growl of anger.

Dean ran back to the hall in time to see Nick sprinting towards him, Castiel following at a faster pace now. He was unarmed, too, but Dean knew he could snap their necks without missing a beat.

Nick sprinted to Dean and stared back at Castiel. "Come get it, Cas," he taunted. "You know you want to." He narrowed his eyes. "You want to kill me, right?"

Castiel's eyes flared with grace, and he seemed to be fighting some inner battle as he forced out words that gave Dean a surge of hope. "Sam, we need you. I'm with them… Magnus… I can't control it!"

Dean held up his hand and said, "Cas, man, hold on…" but Castiel broke into a staggering run and Dean and Nick sprinted away, Dean taking the lead to the room with the cages.

"This one," he said.

Nick's eyes gleamed. "Perfect. You ready?"

Castiel appeared at the door and started towards them. Nick spread his stance and stared back at him. Castiel made a sound of rage and ran towards them. Dean saw Nick's intense concentration as he waited until Castiel was too close to be able to veer away, and then he jumped to the side. Castiel's momentum carried him into the Cage, and Nick then slammed the door closed. He turned the key in the lock, and Castiel threw himself at the bars.

"Quick thinking, Nicky," Dean said.

Nick sighed with relief. "Yeah, but how the hell are we getting out?"

"Honestly," Dean said, "I have no idea." He paused. "Why did you think Cas wanted to kill you?"

Nick snorted. "Apart from the spell, you mean?"

"Yes," Dean said. "You sounded pretty confident, like it was more than that, personal."

"I don't know," he said thoughtfully. "Magnus said it, but there was more… It was a feeling."

Dean looked between his brother and his friend. He couldn't imagine any reason Castiel would want to kill Nick other than the spell that was driving him, but Castiel's fiery eyes had fixed on Nick, and in that moment, he thought Nick was right.

Castiel threw himself at the bars again, and then his eyes flared with grace, and he seemed to force words out through pain. "Sam! We need you."

"You think he'll hear?" Nick asked Dean hopefully.

"I don't know," Dean said. "The sigils in there look pretty complex, so it might block him. But it's angel radio, so maybe…" He raked a hand over his face. "Maybe when Cas was fighting before he might have heard."

"I hope so," Nick said. "Because I've got no more ideas about how we're getting out of here."

Before Dean could answer, there was a rustle behind them, and they spun to see Sam standing behind them, his tense eyes quickly becoming confused.

"Okay…" he said slowly. "What did I miss?"

So… They found Magnus. This was a really fun chapter to write—though also quite tough—as I got to really show Castiel's inner strength of will in a way I've not done before. Hope it made a good read.

Until next time…

Jadey's World xxx