Chapter 4

Castiel was very uncomfortable with this situation. With Jimmy's soul having gone to Heaven years ago, it had been a long time since he had 'possessed' someone. And to do it to Sam now, after the younger Winchester's previous experiences with Lucifer and Gadreel, was one of the worst things Castiel could imagine doing.

He curled his consciousness into as small a space as he could in the back of Sam's mind, trying to remain unobtrusive. He did take some small consolation that he wasn't in that wretched container anymore.

"Cas," Sam's thoughts interrupted. "It's fine. I wouldn't have said yes if I didn't mean it."

Castiel tried not to squirm. "You never should have needed to offer. I never should have accepted."

Except that Sam had been shot, and without a physical vessel of his own, there was no other way for Castiel to heal him. Not that Sam had been dying. Castiel hadn't needed to heal him. But they were also being surrounded and about to be taken prisoner, and Castiel had balked at the idea of Ketch putting him back in that cylinder and locking him away forever, and so panic had played a part in him accepting Sam's permission to enter his body.

Still, he loathed the circumstances that had brought them all here. And he could leave Sam now. It sounded as though his body was close. But, he'd be vulnerable to that container outside a vessel…

"Cas, don't."

Castiel startled. How was Sam able to read him so clearly? An angel's thoughts were always private, unless he chose to open them to his vessel.

He felt a flicker of amusement. Unlike with angels, the vessel's thoughts were always laid bare to the one doing the possessing, though Castiel was doing his best not to look; he didn't want to violate Sam's privacy any more than he already was.

"I, uh, think that soul energy spell we were doing for a while had some unforeseen side effects," Sam confessed.

Castiel couldn't help but see snippets of memories, conversations Sam and Dean had had recently. He jolted in dismay. "Oh no," he murmured. "Sam, I'm so sorry. I had no idea that spell would do that."

Sam rolled his eyes, which Castiel felt even though he wasn't in the 'driver's seat.' "Okay, look, I get that maybe it makes you uncomfortable. Though I figured it might have been like that profound bond you said you had with Dean."

Castiel would have shaken his head if he'd been in his own body. "I'm only disconcerted because I don't know what this means for you and Dean." And, alright, for himself as well. He'd never been faced with this kind of situation before.

"It means Dean and I realized something had happened to you a lot sooner than we would have otherwise," Sam replied sternly. "But we can talk about it later."

"Are you two chatting it up in there?" Dean interrupted, eyeing them warily. "You're being really quiet."

Sam huffed. "We're sneaking through an enemy compound, of course I'm quiet. But yeah, I'm filling Cas in on the bond theory."

"Oh. Alright."

They kept moving.

"I can only imagine how difficult all this is for him," Castiel said quietly.

"Don't take it personally," Sam replied. "Dean just has a hard time adjusting to surprises. He doesn't actually have a problem with the bond. Or us getting you out of here by any means necessary."

"I know, and I understand. Dean's never really been able to view me how I truly am—not human. Though he is getting better lately," Castiel hastily added.

Sam exuded a wave of mental agreement, and then fell silent as he and Dean entered a room, only to pull up short. Castiel felt a thrill of horror to see Ketch standing behind Mary with a gun pressed to her side. Both of them had fresh bruises and abrasions, though it was clear who had won the fight.

Ketch sneered at them. "Came for your pet angel, why am I not surprised. But you'll never find him."

Castiel's body was lying on a slab off to the side—

"Stay hidden," Sam hissed urgently.

Castiel frowned. He could return to his vessel, save Mary…

"You underestimate us," Dean glowered. "You keep underestimating us. Big mistake."

"And you've proven there's just no working with you. You sympathize with the monsters more than you hunt them."

"Cas isn't a monster," Sam injected. "You are." He paused. "And it's time you got out of this country."

Castiel watched through Sam's eyes as the younger Winchester met Mary's gaze with a staunch look that conveyed so much more than Castiel thought possible, but he was able to understand it through Sam. Mary's expression hardened, and she suddenly slammed her head back into Ketch's face.

The man let out a startled yelp and stumbled backward, shooting a hand up to clutch his nose. Mary twisted out of his grip and grabbed his gun arm to wrench it behind his back. Dean raised his own weapon and fired, shooting Ketch in the kneecap. This time the man howled and dropped to the floor.

Dean stormed over. Mary now had Ketch's gun and was holding it trained on him.

"I warned you," Dean said to the Brit, voice low with deadly calm, murder in his flinty eyes. "Now this is war. Either you pack up this little camping trip of yours and go back to England, or we will throw you out."

Ketch seethed at him as he clutched his shattered knee, blood pouring freely from his nose. "War?" he scoffed. "You and what army? You're just school boys; we're an institution. Just ask your mother. She can tell you that you're way out of your league."

"This is our turf," Sam responded. "Every hunter in America knows our name. We may not be organized now, but if we call, they will come. Because we're the Winchesters. We beat the Devil. Twice. So you're the ones way out of your league."

Ketch glared at them. "Good luck getting out of here," he spat. "And you still won't find your angel."

Dean surged forward and punched the man so hard that his head bounced against the wall before he slumped bonelessly to the floor. He then turned to Mary, expression softening a fraction. "You okay?"

"Fine," she replied. "But what about Cas?"

"He's safe," Sam said, stepping toward Castiel's body. "Can you get back okay?"

"Yes."

Castiel left Sam's body as quickly as he could and returned to his own, his grace filling every familiar nook and cranny, fitting into the mold perfectly. His eyes shot open with that final burst of power as he settled, and he blinked up at Sam looming over him. Castiel sat up.

Mary's complexion had blanched as she watched the process, and she was now staring at him and Sam with wide eyes.

"Later," Dean said gruffly, staving off any potential questions. He moved closer and clapped Castiel's shoulder. "You okay?"

Castiel nodded. "Yes. I'm glad to be back in my own vessel." He turned to Sam. "But thank you for the ride."

Sam just smiled. "No problem."

Castiel glanced at Ketch, still out cold on the floor. "I don't understand. Why didn't you want me to help?"

"He'll realize you're gone eventually," Sam replied. "But let him think he's won. It'll keep him distracted while we get organized."

"The other American hunters."

Sam's jaw tightened. "Yeah. I don't know if the Brits are gonna leave without a fight."

"Probably not," Dean agreed. "So let's get out of here before half those guys we left back there wake up."

Castiel seconded that plan. Dean and Sam helped him off the slab, and then they all turned to follow Mary out of this labyrinthine compound. Castiel couldn't help but be on edge until they finally broke through to the outside. Apparently most of the guards had been dealt with in that storage room, but Dean was right, they could wake up at any moment. Castiel briefly wondered if he should have killed them after all.

The Impala was outside, a broken security fence behind it. There were two guards on the ground, both awake but already restrained and not able to pose any problems for them. They glared daggers at the Winchesters.

"You won't get away with this," one spat.

Dean paused at the driver's door of the car, eyes darkening. "You know what, I think these guys still don't take us seriously. Do they, Sammy?"

"No," the younger Winchester replied coldly.

Dean headed around to the Impala's trunk and opened it. "Maybe we need to make a bigger statement."

Sam's jaw worked, looking as though he knew exactly what his brother was thinking and was on the fence about it. Castiel, of course, was completely lost.

But then Sam seemed to come to a decision and nodded. "Maybe we do."

"What are you doing?" Mary asked warily.

Dean reached into the trunk and hefted out a grenade launcher. Castiel just cocked his head at it dubiously. That was not typically an instrument for making statements…although it did make quite the first impression, as that was how Ketch had introduced himself to the Winchesters. Ah, so that was it.

Dean lifted the weapon to brace on his shoulder, scanning the facility. "Where do they keep all the supernatural tech?"

Mary's mouth parted. "Dean, there's some useful stuff in there."

"Where?"

Her lips thinned, but after a moment, she pointed to the south end of the compound. "That's the storage wing for their R&D stuff. There shouldn't be anyone in there right now."

Dean nodded decisively, and aimed. There was a click and whoosh as the grenade launched through the air and toward the building. A second later, a great explosion ripped through the containers, belching fire into the air and buffeting them all with a gust of hot wind.

Dean took a moment to admire his work, and then stowed the grenade launcher back in the trunk. He slammed the lid and turned to the nearest guard. "Consider that your final warning. Get out of this country. Or we will burn you down."

With that, he strode back to the driver's door to slip in behind the wheel. Mary headed toward her blue coupe parked a short distance away. Castiel climbed into the backseat of the Impala, and finally felt a wave of exhaustion born of relief as they turned toward home.

Sam sat at the bunker's map table, gaze downcast as he listened to Mom apologize to Cas for what happened to him, not just with Ketch kidnapping him, but before, on the case with the sea witch. Dean was standing at Sam's shoulder, radiating tension and broiling anger as all the feelings of hurt and betrayal got stirred up again. Sam mostly just had the prior.

On the one hand, he could understand why Mom would think it was a good idea to work with the Brits. On the other…she hadn't wanted to be in the hunting life at all. So what did that say that she'd chosen something she'd hated over being with her own sons? Sam knew what it was like to need space and everything, but that?

"I know you had no part in either of those times," Cas assured her after she'd finished. The angel was always quick to forgive, something Sam admired at most times, but at others it made his heart hurt.

Mary nodded sagely, then looked at Sam and Dean. "Are we okay?"

Sam flicked a glance up at his brother, trying to read his current mindset.

Dean's jaw was tight, body language stiff. He shook his head. "You knew the Brits were bad news. Yet you still chose to work with them. So forgive me if I'm having a little trouble believing you're actually sorry—or actually care about us."

Sam almost sighed, but he wasn't going to stop his brother from getting out everything Dean had been keeping pent up the past several weeks. No matter how uncomfortable it was.

"Do…do you want me to go?"

Dean looked away, and Sam did shake his head in frustration then.

"No," he said before his brother could say something he'd regret. Sam leaned his arms forward on the table. "Look, we've all made mistakes. And you came through for us when it counted." He paused. "I want to work this out. I want you to be a part of this family. But…if that's not something you want, then I'll respect that. But I think you need to decide whether you're all in or not. Because if you're not…" Sam swallowed, hardly believing he was taking this stance. "Then maybe going our separate ways is the best. Because I can't keep going through this emotional whiplash."

Mostly he meant Dean couldn't keep going through it. Mom's repeated absences and shifting allegiances were much harder on him, though Dean would never admit it. And Sam's understanding only went so far before he would choose to protect his brother over having a relationship with his mom.

"Stay, work it out…or don't," he finished. "But no more waffling, and no more back and forth."

Mom's eyes were wet, but she gave a measured nod. "I want to work it out, too."

Sam felt a stitch in his chest loosen, and he tried to give her an encouraging smile.

"Great," Dean said, so gruffly it was difficult to tell whether he was happy about it or not. Sam knew he was, though.

"You mind giving us a few minutes?" Dean went on. "We've got some stuff to discuss with Cas."

Mom blinked. "Oh. Of course. I'll just…"

"If you want to unpack your stuff in your room…" Sam suggested.

Mom nodded, and quietly excused herself.

Cas kept his gaze averted as he inclined his head toward Dean. "As I briefly told Sam earlier, I never imagined that soul energy spell would create a psychic link like that. I'll help you find a way to neutralize it."

Sam exchanged a look with his brother before turning back to the angel. "Are you sure we should try to remove it?"

Cas blinked at him in stunned stupefaction. "I have no idea what it means, what it could be doing to you. It already made you ill."

"Yeah, because you were poisoned with demon blood, am I right?" Dean jumped in.

Cas looked startled, but nodded.

"Yeah," Dean growled, and shook his head. "I just wish we'd known what it was sooner."

"At the very least, we should never use that spell again," Cas said.

"And what if you get hurt?" Dean countered.

"If we continue to use it, this bond could evolve, and I can't tell you what that will look like."

"Then we'll deal with it as it comes," Sam said. "But, Cas, unintentional or not, this doesn't have to be a bad thing."

Cas continued to gaze at them incredulously.

Dean snorted. "We found you locked in a friggin' cabinet because of that bond. And no offense, man, but with how flighty you can be, I actually feel better knowing we have a way to track you down if you get in trouble."

Cas's jaw tightened, but he didn't say anything.

"Unless you're really uncomfortable with it," Sam put in. "I mean, yeah, we're able to sense general feelings and sensations you're going through. Are you able to do the same with us?"

Cas's mouth turned down. "I- I don't know. Angels already have that ability to a degree."

"See, it's all fair," Dean chimed.

Sam met Cas's gaze earnestly. "Let's just research more about it before we decide anything."

Cas rolled his shoulder awkwardly. "You- you're certain you and Dean are not…bothered, by this?"

"No, I'm not," Sam answered honestly.

"I thought I would be," Dean started. "But now? No. I mean, yeah, it's weird, and yeah, we don't know exactly what it does. Am I gonna start having your dreams every night?"

"Angels don't dream."

Dean rolled his eyes and barreled on, "So it's gonna take some getting used to, and there will probably be a learning curve." He paused to fix Cas with a firm look. "But you're our best friend, our family. And you being an angel means we have to think outside the box in order to make sure you're taken care of." Dean hesitated. "The way you were when you were part of the Heavenly Host."

Cas gave him a sympathetic look. "I don't need much, Dean."

"Maybe not, but you never ask." Dean snorted. "Hell, maybe this bond will clue us in to that kind of thing."

Cas's expression pinched at that, though Sam found the idea intriguing.

"We're not trying to use this as a way to invade your privacy," Sam assured him. "But you've always been there for us, Cas, in everything. And I'm sorry, but Dean's right; if we need to use that spell again to help you, we will. And maybe you don't need much, but you deserve more."

Cas looked away. Maybe one day they would convince the angel of that.

Maybe this bond would help.

Cas finally looked back toward them. "Well, as much as I would like to begin researching this, we still have Kelly Kline and Lucifer's child to find."

"And we might not have seen the last of the British Men of Letters," Dean added.

Sam stood up and reached for his phone. Yeah, they had a lot on their plate, but what else was new. "I'll start calling other hunters."

"And I'll ask Mary if the British Men of Letters did have any information on Kelly, as that was the ruse they used to lure me out," Cas said.

"And I'll make dinner," Dean finished.

Sam smirked and shook his head. At least they were together. And the three of them united had always been enough, no matter what epic battle was on the horizon.

A/N: And that's it for this short verse. Thanks to everyone who followed, favorited, and reviewed! Next up is a short sequel to "Miracles Do Happen" featuring Claire and her dealing with the events of that AU.