Chapter 14:

Candy was sleeping when she heard the loud splintering crack from the living room. Her eyes shot open, and she liftd her head as much as she could to stare at the door. There was shouting, but not enough for Candy to identify all of the voices. It sounded like there were two voices. One of them she just assumed was Adam; the other voice was familiar, but she couldn't put her finger on it.

Then Castiel burst into the room, throwing the door backwards in a fit of panic and anger. When he saw Candy, that anger instantly faded into something that looked like pain. He rushed over to her, then undid the belt binding her wrists together. As soon as she was free, Candy leapt out of the bed, pulled the knot from her mouth, and jumped into Castiel's arms. She sobbed on his chest, and Castiel took the opportunity to untie the cloth around her neck.

"It's okay," he tried to reassure her. "Don't cry, Candy. It's okay now." Carefully, Cas pulled the blanket up from the bed so that he could wrap it around her shoulders. He felt incredibly awkward holding her while she was so exposed. Dean would be upset with me, he thought to himself. "Come on, Candy. Dean and Sam are waiting outside by the car. They have Adam in the trunk." His eyes scanned the room for her clothes. "You should get dressed before you go out there." She nodded.

Dean and Sam rushed up to her as soon as she stepped out of the front door. Sam was the first to reach her, and he scooped her up in a big bear hug, which was something that Candy used to love about being with Sam. Once he set her down, Dean pulled her into his arms and squeezed her tightly. After a short moment, he let her go.

"What did he do to you?" He asked her, taking her face into his hands. "Did he hurt you? Did he... Did he touch you? What did he do, Candy?" There was desperation and sadness in his voice. Candy hated hearing it.

"He didn't do anything but take the pictures," she told him honestly. "He never hurt me, and he never touched me. I'm okay, Dean, I promise. I just want to take a shower."

"Sure," Sam sighed in relief, leading her by her lower back to the car. "We'll get back to the motel. Get you into the shower."

Dean lingered back with Cas and watched with sorrowful eyes as Sam helped Candy into the back seat of the Impala. Castiel walked to Dean, and he put his hand on Dean's shoulder in an attempt to comfort him.

"Thanks for finding her, Cas," Dean said to him.

"I'm happy that she is okay, Dean," Cas smiled half-heartedly. "She is going to need time to recover. She has been through a lot, and she might need time away from the job. Time to herself. I could take her away for a little while if you'd like me to. Somewhere nice. For her recovery."

"I think you just want time alone with her," Dean scoffed playfully.

"Dean, you know that's not it."

"I know." He took a deep breath, "I think you're right, and I'd appreciate it if you took her away for a few days. Tomorrow, though. Give me tonight with her. Then, tomorrow, you can take her and me and Sam will finish the job here. Once it's done, we'll move on and let you know where we end up."

"Of course. I know where I want to take her."

"Where?"

"A beach somewhere. I don't know what country it's in, but I have a friend that will be more than happy to lend us his home for a few days."

"I think she'd like that. What do you suppose we do with Adam?" Dean asked his friend. "We can't kill him. He's our brother."

"Find out who brought him back and why," Castiel shrugged his shoulders. "That's the best option."

"Then what?"

"Then, you do whatever you have to, Dean. I know he's your brother, and you feel guilty for leaving him in the pit. But nothing justifies what he did to Candy. She had nothing to do with his fate." Castiel's voice was stern and serious.

"I know, Cas. Thanks again. We'll take it from here."

"Call me tomorrow morning when you get up and around," Cas told him right before he vanished with the same fluttering that Dean had gotten used to hearing. When Cas was gone, Dean walked down the steps to meet his brother by the passenger door.

"What did Cas say?" Sam asked Dean curiously.

"He's going to take Candy away for a couple of days. Give her some down time, you know. On a beach somewhere." Dean wasn't too happy about handing Candy over to Castiel, but he knew that it was what Candy needed. This was the second time that she was violated since Sam got back. Dean had no idea how it would affect her this time.

"Dean, I don't like the idea of not being able to reach Candy if we need her."

"Yeah, well, I don't either, but I'm trying to think of her first," he grumbled. His eyes drifted to her. She was curled up in the back seat, her knees pulled against her chest. Even from where he was standing, Dean could see the tears sliding down her cheeks. "I'm going to make Adam pay for what he did to her, Sam."

"I'm going to help you do it," Sam grimaced. "I'd kill him if he wasn't a Winchester..."

"Well, he is. But he's also working for someone else. So we'll figure out who it is, and we'll go kill them for what happened to Candy."

"Sounds like a plan."

"For now, let's just get Candy home," Dean sighed.

"Yeah. Good idea. Maybe stop for something to eat on the way."

"That's a better idea." Dean climbed into the front seat, and he started to car. Before he drove away, he glanced up at Candy in the mirror. His heart broke when he saw her crying.