A/N: Hey guys! Surprise! I have a chapter for you, and you didn't have to wait forever! :) Hope you enjoy! Thanks to all who've reviewed/followed/favorited!

Special Note: All religious views in this story are held by the characters themselves and stick to SPN canon and don't necessarily correlate with the views of the author. I felt slightly uncomfortable writing one scene because I'm Christian, but it fit the story nicely. Doesn't mean I agree with it. Sorry, just had to get that off my chest :)

Chapter Sixteen

After the disappointment of the fountain, Castiel decided to figure things out the Winchester way—hitting the books and doing some research.

Sam wasn't there when he first arrived. It was fine, he was probably still looking for Dean or doing a hunt. After a few days of unfruitful searching, Castiel heard someone shuffle into the room. Sam's eyes were sunken into his skull, leaving bruised shadows. He slumped forward. He looked like crap.

Castiel stood when he saw him. "Sam."

"Hey, Cas." Sam collapsed into a chair. "How's Heaven?"

"Still working on it. How's the search?"

Sam was quiet for a few moments. Finally, he sucked in a breath. Castiel wondered if he'd been holding it. "Um, yeah. Yeah, we, uh, found him."

Castiel sat back down, scooting his chair closer to Sam. "And?"

"And… lost him again."

Castiel frowned. "Dean's changed, Sam."

"Yeah." Sam rubbed his scruffy face. "Finding him was one thing. Getting him to meet Candi is something else entirely."

Castiel was quiet for a moment. Then, "Why not just bring her to him?"

Sam's tired eyes turned to Castiel. "I've thought of that. You really want to kidnap her?"

"It's simple. We describe the situation to her. We can compensate."

Sam shook his head. "No. No, it's not that simple." Sam had pondered it again and again. There were pros and cons to the idea. He remembered the strange story of her father's death. Maybe it was safer for her to be away from Maine. But then again… she wouldn't believe them. She'd be unwilling to help, Sam was sure of it. "Maybe it's just something that has to happen naturally," Sam suggested.

"How much damage could Dean cause before that?" Castiel prompted.

"No, yeah I completely agree. We need him cured as soon as possible." Sam paused. Castiel could tell he was debating on telling him something. "Cas… You know the only person who could potentially fix this, right?"

Castiel cocked his head to the side. "No, Sam, I don't."

Sam sucked in another breath. "The one who gave the Mark to Cain."

Castiel had to process what Sam was saying for a moment. When he did, an icy fear shot through him. "No, Sam."

"I'm not saying we should. But… it's an idea."

"We are not opening the cage," Castiel growled. He couldn't believe Sam would even suggest such a thing.

"Right, okay." Sam held up his hands to ward off Castiel's reaction. "Change of subject. Tell me more about Heaven."

Castiel tried to shake off Sam's suggestion so he could answer his question without snapping again. "Well. There's a fountain in the Garden."

"Heaven's Garden?"

"Yes. According to the myth, angels would bathe in the fountain after heavenly battles to cleanse and heal themselves. Metatron thinks that is the only way for us to get our wings back."

Castiel stopped, becoming pensive. "And?" Sam asked.

"And… it didn't work. We didn't know how to get it to work, anyway. It needs an archangel, apparently."

"…And they're all gone." Sam sat back in his chair.

Castiel nodded. "So I've been doing research here. But I can't find anything." Now Castiel leaned back in his chair. They both needed naps.

They were both quiet for a few minutes. Sam finally shifted to straighten in his chair. "I should go to Maine."

Castiel looked up, surprised. "What for?"

Sam shrugged. "We're at dead ends. Maybe talking to Candi again will open up some possibilities. Who knows…" He stood. "Maybe she would be willing to help us."

Castiel stood, too. "You're going to try and bring her back here?"

Sam considered. "I don't know what else to do, Cas. Maybe we could lure Dean to her. But for now, I'm going to go keep an eye on her, figure things out."

"I'll come with you."

"No." Sam fished the Impala's keys out of his pockets. "No, you stay here. Figure out Heaven. I'll call you if I find anything."

Castiel nodded. "Good luck, Sam."

"You too, Cas."

"What were you thinking?" She approached him, her eyes overly bright and eyebrows fixed in a scowl.

Gabriel thought she looked adorable. "Just trying to get your attention," he said. "We need to talk."

"About what?"

She was right in front of him, and he could feel the heatwaves from her small, agitated body. "About what happened in the water earlier. It wasn't some freak accident, was it?"

Candi stared at him for several moments, her mouth slightly open. Finally, she spoke. "Of course it was. I got pulled under or tripped and knocked myself out or something."

"No. Think, Candi. What did you see? What did you feel?"

"Will you just shut up? You're not my psychologist."

"No, I'm better." He smirked at her. "Let's take a walk."

She looked like she was going to protest, but pressed her lips into a thin line instead and followed him. "Just… don't get any ideas."

Gabriel smirked. "Ideas?" he prompted innocently.

"Well, you're obviously a tool. That stunt you pulled back there wasn't charming in the least, by the way. Just embarrassing and stupid."

He was a little offended by that, but he brushed it off. "At least it got your attention."

"By force."

He smiled inwardly. Despite her being angry with him, he was relieved he was able to walk and talk with her instead of keeping his distance the whole time. "Candi, I need to talk to you seriously." He watched her carefully. "You need to tell me what you saw."

She was quiet for a long time. Then, she sighed. "Lack of oxygen probably causes hallucinations. If I saw anything, that's all it was. A hallucination…"

He could feel her sudden shiver rippling the small space between them. He debated whether he should press her or steer the conversation a little off course and come back to it. "How often do you wash your ceiling?" he asked her.

Now she looked at him, an eyebrow raised. "Who washes their ceiling? How often do you wash yours? What kind of interrogation is this?"

Gabriel was thinking of the invisible sigil on her ceiling he had found within the first week of seeing her for the first time. He still wasn't sure what it was from, but he had a faint suspicion. All he had to do was make Candi remember. After today's fright, it became more important than ever. He figured the sigil wore off easily, which was why she had to sleep under it every night. He wondered how soon it wore off.

"Do you do a lot of sleepovers at Jen's?" he asked.

"You ask weird questions."

"Do you?"

"You don't need to know that."

Gabriel fell silent, thinking. He could always kidnap her, hole her up in the lighthouse for a night or two. Then she'd really hate him. He ruled that out.

"Why don't I tell you a little about myself?" he said.

She scuffed a shoe on the sidewalk, sticking her hands deep in her pockets. They were walking down the strip of businesses, heading down to the beach. It was only nine, so tourists still lounged around under the lamplight. "What, so you tell me something, and I tell you something kind of deal?"

"Sure. You ask me whatever you want to know about me, and I ask whatever I want to know about you."

"Only if I reserve the right to withhold an answer."

Gabriel's lips twisted in a smirk. "Sure. Fine. That goes for both of us."

They found a bench and sat on it. They were above sea level, but could see the ocean stretch into forever in front of them. Little boats and big boats floated at the docks, lights shining.

"You go first," he urged. "Ask me something." He leaned back, crossing his arms over his stomach. He crossed his feet at the ankles and stared intently at his shoes.

Candi was thinking. Finally, she asked, "Where are you from?"

Gabriel chuckled. "Heaven."

He glanced at her. She rolled her eyes at him the looked straight ahead, at the sea. "Not amused."

"Nevertheless, that is my answer."

"You suck."

"Yeah I do."

Candi blushed, and he wondered if his little joke went too far. Candi obviously wasn't as perverted as he was.

"Sorry," he mumbled. Then he remembered it was his turn to ask a question. He figured he'd better warm her up with some harmless questions first. "Are you Christian?"

Candi shrugged. "My Mom was hardcore Baptist. I haven't gone to church since she died. Dad was never much of the religious type." She paused. "I believe there's a God."

Before he could stop himself, Gabriel huffed out a bitter laugh.

She scowled at him. "What?"

He shook his head. He was afraid to speak. Finally, he said, "Yeah. I used to believe in one too."

She was quiet for a moment, then asked softly, "What happened?"

Gabriel shook his head again. "I don't know. He just… left." Something twisted inside his chest. He remembered looking for him. For God. Dad. Father. He searched and searched and searched. Nothing. He didn't think he'd ever forgive him if he ever saw him again.

The silence stretched on, then Gabriel asked a question. "Favorite music?"

"It's my turn to ask," Candi said.

"No, you asked me what happened to my belief in God. It counted."

Candi shook her head a little, but he detected a faint smile hiding behind her eyes. "Fine. I like a lot of music, I guess. Lately I've been into Mika."

"Mika?"

"Yep. Most of his songs sound happy, even if a lot of them aren't, exactly." She pulled on her sleeves so they covered her hands. The night was perfect—warm but not balmy. A cool breeze. She probably didn't need her jacket. Neither did he, for that matter.

"It's your turn now," he told her.

She nodded, then turned to face him full-on. "Are you afraid of water?"

Gabriel laughed, even as his heartrate picked up pace at the very thought. "No!" he said. She raised her eyebrows. "…yes?" Gabriel self-consciously raked a hand through his hair. "I'm not afraid of much. But water… yeah. I don't like water."

"Why? Can't swim?"

Gabriel shook his head. "It's more than that." He repressed a shudder. "It's kinda… programmed into me, you could say."

"What do you mean?"

Now it was Gabriel's turn to face her. He watched her eyes watching him carefully. "Angels can't fly with wet wings," he said quietly.

She didn't even blink. She kept her blue-grey eyes on him, steady. His words hung between them, almost mocking him. Finally, she said, "That's a valid point," and broke eye contact.

Suddenly, he wanted to show her. Show her his wings. He wasn't in Heaven when Metatron's spell took effect, so he got to keep them. He became aware of them now, a presence that was always there but never manifested unless he needed them. It took a lot of willpower to banish the strong desire away.

Maybe someday… Someday he'd show her.

But time was wasting. He had to get some important information out of her. "How did your father die?" he asked quietly.

She stiffened. "Um… well. He, uh, he drowned."

"Were you there to see it?"

She didn't answer right away. "I was. But I don't remember it. Shock, I guess."

"Candi." He leaned forward, trying to lock his gaze with hers. She refused to look at him. "Is there anything you remember? Anything at all? Was there… was there anything in the water with him?"

She suddenly shot up from the bench. He was shocked to see tears shimmering heavily in her eyes, ready to spill. "Stop making fun of me!" she shouted. "People still think I'm crazy after that day, raving about a monster that I don't even remember seeing! There wasn't one there, okay? He drowned. He just drowned, and I couldn't… I didn't…" The tears were streaming down her face now, making wet streaks down her cheeks.

Gabriel was frozen, unsure of what to do. He reached for her hand. "Candi…" She snatched it away from him.

"Don't touch me!" She turned to leave, but stopped and turned one last time. "I don't care what you say, you're no angel. There are no angels. If there were, Mom and Dad would still be alive."

"And God?" he asked before she could storm off.

She paused. "And God just doesn't care." She swiped at her eyes, sniffling.

"Candi, let me walk you home."

"I'm fine, thanks."

She ran. She ran fast. Gabriel thought about pursuing, but didn't know how he could make this better. "Great job, Old Bean," he muttered to himself. "You screwed up again."

A/N: I'm sorry I'm always ending Candi and Gabriel's interactions with each other badly. It'll get better, just hold on!