Dean didn't say a word to either Bobby or Sam as he and Cas trudged back into the house. Sam and Bobby had prepared the hex bags as well as a few other choice weapons that the boys had decided they would take with them. Bobby and Sam both cautiously attempted to gauge Dean's mood as he flittered around the kitchen making sure they had everything they'd need.

"We ready to go?" Dean grunted at his brother.

"Ready when you are."

Dean knelt down pulling Cas into him, Cas' arms twined around his waist naturally. Placing a swift kiss on the top of his head Dean mumbled, "Be back soon," into his hair. Cas nodded soundly, sneaking a quick peck of his lips to Dean's cheek before Dean could berate him for it.
Dean stood back up, nodding to Bobby, before leading his brother out the door.

-/-

They didn't even make it past the border into Minnesota before Sam was onto him, "So you wanna talk about it?" Sam slipped it in slyly.

"No," Dean grunted, paused, "Maybe," Another pause, "I don't know."

Sam, for his own safety, held back a chuckle and attempted a different approach. "Is Cas ok?"

"At the moment."

"What do you mean?"

Dean ignored the question and asked his own. "Do you reckon Cas' memory will be screwy when he changes back?"

Sam contemplated before answering, "There's been nothing to indicate that it would be. I mean you'd think if that were going to be the case, the curse would have affected his memories originally when he de-aged."

"Yeah, that's true." Dean muttered more to himself than his brother.

"What is it you don't want him to forget?"

Again Dean ignored his brother's question in favor of his own. "Hey, ah Sammy?"

"Yes Dean?"

"Would it bother you if, I don't know, say hypothetically, someone who you've known for awhile and that you get along with started hanging around on, like, a more permanent basis? Would that ever be a problem? You know, just hypothetically."

Sam rolled his eyes, "Dean you have to be one of the least subtle people on this planet."

Dean spluttered, "What? I was just speaking hypo-"

"Hypothetically yeah I know." Sam smirked, "Of course it wouldn't worry me if Cas was around all the time." Dean clenched his hands on the steering wheel. "Following you around, being by your side."

"Ok I get the point Sammy."

"Making you happy, helping you through hard times, watching over you."

"That's enough Sam, I get it."

"I'll have to draw the line when the two of you ask to bring home a damn cat or something though."

Dean muttered out a quiet "Shut up Sam," Which was followed by an even quieter "Thanks Sammy."

Sam still heard him loud and clear, making sure Dean saw his reassuring smile as he glanced over.

Dean attempted to smile back but was relatively sure the motion came out as more of a grimace. He was worried about what would happen once the spell was broken more than their ability to actually break it.

What if Cas didn't remember any of the things he'd said to Dean, would Dean have enough guts to remind him? Or would he go back to pretending Cas was nothing more than that Angel who pulled him out of hell. Dean didn't want to admit to himself that the latter was the more likely case. He'd never been any good at any of this. Even now knowing that Cas had been hiding deeper feelings from him too, he didn't think the small amount of confidence he had in himself would be enough to allow him to make the first move.

He couldn't screw up anything they already had. Not with Cas. He was simply too important to lose.

It would all be so much simpler if Cas purely remembered. God, please just allow him this one miracle.

-/-

Arriving in Fairmont Sam and Dean had agreed that they would check out the motel room that the registered car had frequented first, before hitting the more residential side of town.

Checking with the receptionist only one room had been booked by a young girl travelling alone, the girl fit Rose's description more than Jayde's.

Ensuring that the area around them was relatively deserted they snuck into the suspected motel room to find it deserted.
The belongings that were still there defiantly matched that of a single female occupant, and the couple of rustic Wicca books lead them to think they were on the right track.

Heading over to the other address they had didn't take long. The area they found themselves in seemed pretty high end. Large properties, adorned with various exotic looking gardens, and surrounded by expensive looking cars.

"Looks like we're in the wrong profession," Sam muttered sarcastically as he examined a brand new BMW parked in front of them.

"Yea, I'm sure leading people into giving up their souls is a well paid endeavor."

They waited until they were sure there was no-one loitering in the vicinity before leaving the Impala and heading towards the suspected address; a large white house that seemed to have more windows than was entirely necessary.

They jumped the fence that led around to the back yard, figuring it would be less conspicuous than if they were seen trying to force their way through the front door.

Narrowly avoiding a confrontation with a small terrier, that they managed to trap in its kennel without too much distress, the two of them worked their way quietly through the back door. Both had guns cocked at the ready.

There was a back hallway that led them through two large dining rooms before bringing them to the kitchen. The whole house seemed to be made of glass and other shiny materiel, Dean was trying hard not to screw his face up at what he saw whichever way he turned.

Rose was standing in the kitchen, her back turned, standing over a large pot of what Dean hoped was nothing more sinister than soup.

Sam was the one who opted to creep forward to restrain her. He grabbed her unsuspecting body easily, extending an arm around to cover her mouth before she could scream for help. Her slight frame thrashed in his strong arms as much as possible, her muffled voice attempting to escape around Sam's hand, she only went still when she felt a gun rest directly against her head.

"Get away from my sister." A firm voice rang from behind them.

Sam and Dean both turned to see Jayde standing in the doorway. The look on her face border lining thunderous.

Dean gave a cocky grin, "Don't think you're quite in the position to be barking orders." Dean moved his gun further into Rose's hair. "Unless you want me to blow your little sisters brains all over your impeccable kitchen." Rose whimpered as she felt Sam's grip tighten.

"Let her go, then we'll talk." Jayde offered fairly.

"No way in hell." Dean replied.

"Well, you can't say I didn't offer nicely." Jayde flicked her hand towards Dean and he was sent flying.

Dean shattered through at least two glass feature walls and into a plaster one before he could even truly register what was happening. A blinding pain in his right arm almost had him close to blacking out as he finally fell to the ground.

Dean heard gunshots being fired from the kitchen and a couple of shrill screams and a whole lot of commotion.

Gritting his teeth against the pain roiling through his body Dean scrambled to his feet, stumbling a little as his head spun. Unable to find his fallen gun, Dean moved empty handed as fast as he could back towards the sound of the turmoil.

Rose lay motionless on the floor, a pool of blood seeping steadily around her form. Sam was crouched as much as his large frame could manage behind the kitchen counter as Jayde flung any item within her grasp towards him.

Dean drew her attention by reentering the room and had to move swiftly back behind a wall to avoid being hit with what looked like the same exploding powder that the witches had been using back in Illinois.

Dean heard another gunshot and heard something, or someone, crash to the ground. Poking his head gingerly back around the wall he was over relieved to see that it wasn't Sam.

Sam's last shot had managed to hit Jayde directly in the stomach. She was crouched on her kitchen floor losing a lot of blood at an exuberant rate, any energy she had left going into staying conscious and not spell work.

Dean stumbled into the room going to stand next to Sam; both boys were well and truly out of breath as they stood over Jayde. They were still cautious in case she tried to make another move. They thought it highly unlikely considering the rate she was discoloring.

"Last chance Jayde, reverse the spell you cast on our friend and we'll call you an ambulance." Sam said gun still held firmly in his grasp.

She gave a humorless laugh, "You're lying."

"Maybe," Sam shrugged, "But looks like you're gonna die anyway. May as well take the chance."

"Better an easy death like this." Jayde groaned as her heart gave a painful twinge as it started to fail at recuperating her blood loss.

"Better than what? You make some demon deal? You get all juiced up in exchange for collecting innocent souls for harvest?" Dean growled.

"The three from Illinois would have made sixteen if you hadn't shown up and ruined it." Jayde attempted to put as much spite into her tone as possible.

Dean and Sam both exchanged a look of disgust, "Was Rose even really your sister? You don't seem too cut up about her."

Jayde laughed again, her voice growing weaker, "She was merely a business partner. Known her less than a year."

Dean had endured enough, "You die, Cas goes back to normal, right?"

Jayde rolled her eyes over to him, "If that's the chance you're willing to take."

"Listen, you bitch, you have already destroyed so many innocent lives. Why don't you at least make your dying act one that you won't regret! Now tell me, when you die will it fix him?!" Dean snatched Sam's gun out of his hand and raised it to Jayde's head.

"No answer I give you will spare what you're about to do."

"You're right. But I want an answer anyway."

Jayde looked as if she was about to slip out of consciousness as she glared up at the men in front of her, it took all her remaining strength to grind out her response, "Kill me and you'll have your precious friend back."

Dean nodded, cocked the gun, "See you in hell you bitch," and pulled the trigger.

-/-

Leaving the fancy property Dean had to toss the Impala keys over to Sammy with his left hand as his right arm gave another overly painful twinge.
They didn't waste any time before driving off and finding a more densely populated area of town, relatively sure that with the amount of noise they'd been making authorities would be showing up and finding the bodies of the two girls at some point soon.

Dean let out a pained sigh as he moved around in the passenger seat. Sam raised his eyes questioningly at him as he gave another huff, "I think it's broken," Dean attempted to lift his arm without any support and had to grit his teeth together as splintering pain shot from elbow to collarbone. "Yep, defiantly broken. God, I think she shattered it."

"You want to go to a hospital?"

"Na, I'll be fine, just head straight for Bobby's," Dean folded his right arm gingerly across his chest as he used his left hand to rummage through the glove box, "Could have swore I left some pain meds in here. Ah, bingo!" He popped out a couple of capsules and dry swallowed them, "Just go carefully over the bumpy parts ok Sammy," Dean added sternly.

"Not sure 'shattered arm' is within Bobby's capabilities to patch you up." Sam commented sounding concerned.

"Doesn't matter, Cas will -" Dean paused, biting at his lip, before finishing firmly "Cas will be there."