Some serious Season 6 spoilers in this chapter so, if you don't want spoiled don't read. You have been warned CG1 ;-)

Three Men an Angel and a Teenager – Part 7

Sam sat on the edge of the cot and stared wordlessly at the young woman lying there. Pushing his hair from his face he thought back over the conversation that he had had with Dean after he had awakened.

Dean told him that he'd been brought back from the Cage without his soul, had spent a year hunting with the Campbell's, his mother's family before hooking back up with him. He was sure that Dean had been creative with the truth and the reality of the last eighteen months without him having a soul had been far worse than he'd let on. When he'd pressed Dean further for answers the only response he'd received from Dean was "it wasn't you Sammy, just forget it." He'd let it slide for now, but that conversation wasn't over.

Of course the next part of that conversation took his life to a whole new level of weird. Reaching into his pocket he pulled out the picture that Dean had given him as he'd told him about Mary, his niece by a sister he didn't know he had who also happened to be Castiel's daughter and a powerful hybrid angel. Oh and she was also from the future. He hadn't stopped laughing for a full ten minutes thinking that Dean was pulling his leg, only stopping when he realised that his brother was not laughing along with him but was completely serious.

He'd spent the last hour searching his mind for memories of a girl which just weren't there. If he had a sister then whatever power had shielded her was still shielding her. They would have to wait until Mary awakened, find out what she knew of her mother's whereabouts before she had returned to Sioux Falls.

Pulling himself from the cot, he walked to the other cot and knelt down, bringing his eyes level with Mary. Looking into her face he took in her delicate features and tried to bring the memory of his mom when she was a teenager to mind, hoping for some sign, some resemblance that showed she was a Winchester. He continued to stare for a few minutes, before realising that it would look a bit creepy if she woke up and caught him staring at her. Grimacing he stood up and moved back to the other cot and lay down.

"Uncle Sam?"

Sam opened his eyes and sat up, his gaze drawn to the other cot. Mary was sitting watching him, her blue eyes impossibly large in her pale face. Now that she was awake he was stunned by her resemblance to Castiel. He sat there uncomfortable as she peered at him intently, her gaze piercing in its intensity. A moment later her face lit up a wide grin transforming her features.

"It worked, oh my Father it worked." Mary said as she excitedly leapt from cot and rushed across the room, stopping only a foot away from him, her hand hovering over his chest. "All shiny and bright, it's beautiful."

Grinning at her enthusiasm "You can see it?"

"Yes, all filled up." She smiled "How do you feel?"

"I feel –"Sam stopped mid sentence, surprised. Was he honestly about to open up to a child he'd only just met. "Mary, we've never met. I don't remember anything from the past eighteen months."

Stepping away from him, Mary appeared thoughtful "Nothing, you don't remember anything since the Cage?"

"No."

"That makes sense." She said quietly, a small frown on her face "A soul is what separates humans from all of Fathers other creations, take it away and you are essentially a different person. Maybe by putting a soul back it wiped away any remnant of what being soulless made you."

"Wiped away?"

"I mean, I can't be sure but you've got to have heard the saying "it's the soul that makes the man". Maybe that's truer than we know."

"-but I thought we couldn't live without a soul."

Sam could practically see the excitement rise within her as she considered the possibilities; clearly she has a great mind and a thirst for knowledge. He wondered if in the future he'd had a hand in that, he'd like to think so. He grinned down at the tiny girl as she continued to speak.

"I know, it's really interesting, I mean. I don't know if it's ever happened before but maybe all of the truly evil people out there were born without a soul or had it stolen, or ripped out." She said, bouncing lightly on the balls of her feet "Oh my Father! It'd be awesome to compare your experiences with and without a soul, but since you don't remember... Dammit that sucks!"

"Okay, so the soul wiped out my soulless memories but that doesn't explain why I can't remember the last eighteen months in the Cage?"

"I ..."

Dean stood in the doorway of the panic room, Castiel and Bobby at his side watching Sam and Mary as they talked. He could almost see the wheels turning in their huge brains.

"Okay brainiacs since you're both up and comparing brainpans, how bout we get the angel cavity search done so we can let Sammy out of this room." he said, a burst of laughter escaping as they both turned to the door, startled by the appearance of the others.

"Cas, Bobby." Sam said, long strides taking him to the other men.

"Son." Bobby said, tears glistening in his eyes as he took in the familiar smile of the man in front of him. Pulling him into a hug "It's good to have you back son."

Letting go of Bobby, Sam held out a hand to Castiel, surprised when the angel pulled him into a hug. Grinning down at the small angel as he released him "Cas, it's good to see you too."

"and I you Sam."

"Um, excuse me." Mary interrupted her hand raised in question "what's an angel cavity search, because it doesn't sound like fun?"

Sam raised his hand and grinned back at Mary "I second that Dean."

"Sorry Sammy the only way to know for sure that it's back is for Cas to check." Dean replied.

"and just exactly how does he do that?"

"I must place my hand in your chest and check that your soul is in place. I am sorry but it will not be pleasant." Castiel said as took off his trench coat. Placing it on the cot he began to roll up his sleeve.

"Dean, there is no way in hell that Castiel is putting his hand in my chest. Mary's said she can see it that's good enough for me." Sam responded a panicky look passing over his face.

Mary cast an incredulous look towards her dad and stepped between him and Sam "Daddy, that's not necessary. Sam has a soul now."

Castiel frowned, "A soul?"

The occupants in the room watched as Mary blanched a look of guilt passing over her pale face "I meant his soul daddy."

"No you didn't Mary. If it's not Sam's soul where did it come from?" Castiel asked, as he strode forward and grabbed her by the arm. "Not even the most powerful Archangel can create a soul Mary, where did it come from?"

Wincing, Mary attempted to pull away from her father, her lips trembling at the harshness in his tone "Daddy please."

"I am not your father yet! Now tell me, what did you do?" he continued harshly.

Mary could feel tears form and begin to stream down her face at her father's words "It's mine...I, I" she stuttered "I tore off a piece of my soul and bound it to Uncle Sam with my grace."

"What!" the three men looked at each other wide eyed at Mary's revelation.

"I couldn't stand it, my family were fighting each other, dying I could feel them as they died, their grace screamed as it was extinguished and it hurt and then Sam was there empty and broken, I needed to do something...I had to fix him."

"So you tore off a piece of your soul!" Castiel shouted angrily.

"His soul is still in the cage; I couldn't just go and get it." Mary sobbed, her words pouring out in anguish. The force of her pain almost tangible in its intensity "It's too soon Uncle Michael and Uncle Lucifer they don't know me yet."

"What do you mean they don't know you yet Mary?" pulling her towards him, his blue eyes blazing with the force of his anger, the atmosphere in the room almost electrifying as the emotions of the two angels intensified.

"Cas that's enough, you're hurting her."

Mary trembled with the force of the emotions running through her, lowering her head "Please let me go." She whispered "You're not my dad."

Dean stepped forward and placed a restraining hand on Castiel's arm "Cas, I said that's enough."

After the briefest pause Castiel released his grip on Mary's arm his anger dispersing in an instant. He stepped back, his face grim. Mary's words "you're not my dad" running through his mind. He quickly reigned in his emotions and allowed a cold mask of indifference to fall over his face. He watched as Dean placed a comforting arm around Mary shoulders.

"Bobby, Sammy take Mary upstairs" Dean growled low in his throat his green eyes blazing as he looked at his friend "Cas, we need to talk."

xxOOxx

"What the freaking hell Cas." Dean shouted as he slammed the door to the panic room closed and turned on his friend. "What the hell is wrong with you, you terrified that kid."

"She was reckless, she could have killed herself." Castiel replied, his tone emotionless "I was simply concerned."

"Well you have a funny way of showing your concern Cas. You're her dad Cas-"

"I am not her dad Dean, her dad is someone who doesn't exist anymore. I am at war I cannot allow Mary to become a distraction, there is too much at stake."

"Too much at stake...She's your blood there's nothing bigger than that. Didn't you learn anything about family when we fought the last apocalypse?"

"That's not what I mean. If I allow myself to become attached then there are those who would try to use her against me."

"Cas I get that you're at war, but you gotta let us help you."

"Dean we have spoken of this before, there is nothing that you can do-"

"Screw that Cas, I may not be a supped up angel, but Team Free Will still managed to kick Michael and Lucifer's ass...us lowly humans and one angel remember, we did it we stopped the apocalypse together."

"This is different; there are things that I have put in motion that I must see through or it could be the end for us all." Castiel sat on the edge of the cot, his head in his hands as he weighed up his options. Continue down a path which had him riddled with doubts and had him feeling that he was losing himself or could he trust Dean not to turn his back on him, not to be disgusted with his actions. Would he help him find his way back to what he once was or reject him... could he take the chance of losing his best friend?

"You do not understand Dean, I have sought revelation and Father has not answered, I cannot be sure that I am on the right path, that the things I have done do not make me as bad as Lucifer."

Dean couldn't believe what he was hearing. If Cas thought he was like Lucifer then whatever he was doing was a shit load of bad. "Come on, you need to tell me what's going on. I'm freaking going out of my mind here. You're family and I have trusted you with my life Cas, trust me now."

"Dean I can't-"

"Cas trust me!"

Castiel looked up, his eyes meeting Dean's, his friend and brother. In that instant he knew that no matter what the consequences he must stop lying. Closing his eyes briefly for a moment he whispered "Crowley."

"Crowley...What's about Crowley?" Dean's eyes never leaving his friends face. His own twisted in confusion, realisation dawning suddenly. "Son of a bitch, you've been working with ... Crowley." Dean cursed "You went to that demon son of a bitch before coming to me Cas."

"I did come to you-"

"Cas I'm damn sure you didn't."

"I did, but did not reveal myself to you. You were with Lisa and had a chance to live a normal life I did not wish to interfere with that. I wanted that for you Dean. Crowley came whilst I was there, you were raking leafs in the garden, he told me about Purgatory, the power of the souls. I knew that I was not strong enough to defeat Raphael on my own... I made a deal that would give me the power to defeat him and bring order to Heaven."

"Then you break that deal Cas, stop it now and we'll find some other way to stop Raphael, but this isn't the answer."

"I can't."

"You can Cas."

"Dean you don't understand I can't" Castiel insisted. He could see Dean's emotions turn thunderous and wanted him to understand why he could not just break the deal with Crowley, he needed to make him see that the bigger picture meant he had to see this through to the end "Crowley knows about Mary."

"God dammit! " Dean growled, "How?"

"At the factory, she did not shield what she was. He knows that she is a hybrid and my daughter if I break this deal then..."

Dean drew in a deep breath, understanding immediately that if Cas screwed him over Crowley would use Mary to turn on Cas, she wouldn't be safe, a word to Raphael would have all of Heaven turning on her.

"Then you don't break the deal. You keep doing what you're doing just don't succeed and keep him thinking the plan is still in place, we'll find a way to get Mary home and we'll stop your dick brother from kick starting another apocalypse, hell one just may fix the other, just buy us some time...we'll sort this out together as a family."

Castiel silently considered Dean's words; He so desperately wanted to return to the angel who had pleased his Father and had been blessed with a wonderful life. he knew in that moment that he would abide by his friends judgement and trust that they could find a way out of this mess together. Nodding his ascent "Yes Dean we will do this together as a family. Thank you Dean."

Dean stood in the center of the room quietly for a moment "Cas, I'm not saying that this isn't bad and that you've not screwed up. This is monumentally screwed up, but hell we've all been there, Me, Sam; I guess it's just your turn."

Castiel turned haunted eyes to his friend, knowing that there was one more thing to be said, the thing that could turn Dean against him, but he knew that any secrets now and Crowley would still have the upper hand "I pulled Sam from the Cage. I do not regret it, but I regret that I was unable to retrieve his soul."

Running a hand through his hair, his frustration once again mounting Dean groaned "Dammit Cas you really don't do things by halves."

"It would appear not."

"Since it's not T1000 Sammy that's upstairs I'll add that to the "you really screwed up" pile and we'll discuss it later. We still need to figure out a way to get Sam's soul and Adam from the Cage... Right then, looks like we've got a shit load of research to do." Pausing for a moment, a smile forming as he stared at his friend "Anything else you need to get off your chest?"

"There is nothing on my chest Dean." Castiel replied with a small smirk.

Laughing Dean reached down and pulled him from the cot a wide grin on his face "That's good, because you've got an upset teen upstairs to deal with."

Dean continued to laugh as Castiel blanched and reached for his trench coat with a resigned sigh.

"Will you help me?"

"Sorry buddy but with that you're on your own. Give me Apocalypses, demons and monsters, but teenage daughters, I'm flying blind with that one too." Dean replied with a grin "You could ask Sammy, he's always been a teenage girl he'll know what to do."

TBC

A/N Thanks for reading. Please review.