Dean re-entered the room near the same time that Bobby did. Two of the three occupants were still unconscious. Castiel had put his cuffs back on, and was in the middle of giving Anna an examination. The belt to his trenchcoat lay gently between her teeth as he probes her leg. She is unconscious, so the action seems precautionary, so if she wakes from the pain she'll be less likely to bite and injure herself.
Bobby immediately went on the defensive. Trained reflexes cocked and aimed his shotgun in moments. Castiel looked up at the familiar sound. 'Right, Bobby.' His mind was beginning to associate whiskey and shotguns with the man. Just as Castiel considered a defensive move Dean diffused the situation. "Bobby stop. We're good. He's good." He then grasped the barrel of the shotgun and lowered it. Bobby complied, his face marred with perpetual displeasure.
Bobby gestured to Anna, "How is she?" Unable to answer Dean looked to Castiel for a response.
"Stable. Her leg looks fractured at the shin. It's healing. I helped the best I could."
"Yeah helped us a whole lot by bringing that maniac here to begin with!" Bobby snapped at him. Sam moaned in pain again, drawing Bobby's unhappy gaze.
"I suggest you tend to your friend." Castiel turned coldly and tended to Anna. He was here for her, nobody else. The other two could take care of Sam this time. Cas stayed in the chair, back turned to the room, facing Anna for the entire night. Dean posted himself at the door. Bobby didn't feel right staying in the same room as a Blue Eye and settled himself downstairs. As he left Dean tried to get more information.
"What the hell happened out there Bobby?"
"Not sure, caught the tail end of it. You'll have to ask Sleeping Beauty." The old man said dismissivly and entered the hallway.
Throughout the night Dean barely got a nap. Neither Sam nor Anna awoke. He was unsure if Castiel ever slept. Either he had immense dedication to Anna, or he was capable of sleeping while sitting up. Perfectly still. Dean guessed it was the latter.
It was near five am when Dean decided he was too hungry to wait. He left the three behind to wander downstairs. Bobby was asleep at the desk, in what equated to the living room. In another hour and a half the 50-something boys here would rise. Almost a miracle nobody had last night. If Bobby had been allowed to fire his shotgun, surely they would have. This situation just sucks all around.
With Sammy out for the count, and Anna indisposed for however long, it left him and Bobby to manage the place. Dean tries the think of solutions as he checks the building perimeter again. The alarm was good. It seems they were left unmolested throughout the night. A portion of the weight on Dean's shoulders lifted. He padded into the kitchen, opening the fridge. To be more exact, he opened one of their three fridges.
None of them matched eachother. The majority of items in this place came from donations, or scraps. Dean grabbed a gallon jug of OJ. Closing the door, he took a refreshing gulp. Unexpectedly, Castiel stood only a foot away. The shock caused Dean to stumble backwards. Juice flooded his mouth and he coughed.
"Cas! Christ man, don't do that!" This guy is strange, sneaking up on people. Then looks so innocent, like it isn't weird.
"Be mindful of what you say." Castiel responded, changing the subject.
"What?" A change Dean hadn't understood.
"You should not speak blaspheme like that." His face and voice were serious as always.
Dean eyed the man before him. Cas' five o'clock shadow looked more like nine o'clock. A certain haggardness settled around his shoulders. It seemed like those intense blue eyes were assessing him as well. Having to break the stare Dean shrugged and turned away "You're the priest, not me. I'm not gonna worry about a god that doesn't worry about me either."
Concern flashed through Castiel, "You can be a pious and devout man. Your soul can be saved Dean." Without flinching Dean met Castiel's gaze again. So many words crossed his mind, all of the darkness he's seen. Evil he's mastered. Castiel saw wrinkles form around Dean's eyes as he strained against his thoughts. "You don't think you deserve to be saved." It wasn't a question. That bothered Dean. This stranger, seemed to be looking into his fucking soul with that damned stare.
"Ya gonna kiss or what?" Bobby's voice cut through the silence.
Dean stepped back and took another swig of juice. "Good to see you survived another night Bobby. What were you researching?"
Castiel tracked Dean's movements for a little while before he reorganized his thoughts and turned to Bobby. "Trying to find something better than those cuffs to keep him off the radar," Bobby explained. Surprised marred Dean's expression. That was unexpectedly thoughtful of the old coot. Even Castiel, who didn't always pick up on social cues, reacted to the news. "Don't think it'll look good to have a blue eyed stranger in handcuffs following you around like a love sick puppy. The boys'll get the wrong idea." There was an awkward pause where Dean wanted to say a witty comeback but couldn't form the words in time, "The boys will be up soon, and I may have found a solution."
Bobby brushed past the two and made himself some coffee. Dean moved on, replaced his drink and grabbed some cold pizza. Bobby seemed content with his own beverage. Castiel hadn't eaten since breakfast yesterday. For brevity's sake he snatched up an apple and placed it in his coat pocket. He then joined the two in research.
"So apparently the spell that is on those cuffs is transferrable. Issue is that the cuffs then become useless."
Dean shrugged, "I can live with that."
"Alright we'll need an owl's feather, holy oil-" Bobby began to read off the list.
"Is there a way to adjust the spell?" Castiel stepped forward and observed the books laid out on the desk, "I need to avoid detection, not imprison myself in my own body." Bobby moved over and allowed Castiel to work. It was only a few minutes and he stood up, triumphant. "This should be it."
Both observers leaned over to read the new spell. "Cas, this is awesome!" Dean was impressed with the results.
"So you removed the output side of this and reduced the input, to almost nothing. But won't that leave the equation unbalanced?" Bobby was trying to figure out the subtly of it.
Addressing both men Castiel explained, "You see these symbols? You probably don't know them." Bobby's face went a bit red at the backhanded insult. Castiel carried on, heedless of his feelings. "It's Enocian. The holy language. It is used to control power as it flows into me. Such as Uriel seeking me out. It is the power of God. This portion is in Latin. It's demonic and used to control power as it flows out of me. This, I no longer wish to inhibit me. It is the power of Hell. Your power Dean. With this portion removed, in order to maintain balance I should find an portable, inconspicuous item that has passive Green Eye power." Silence passed as they all thought. "Otherwise I may explode violently."
Finally Bobby thought of the solution, "Dean." He didn't want to come out and make Dean sacrifice his keepsake. His necklace was special. It was his father's. Castiel turned innocent, hopeful eyes on Dean.
Of course Dean knew what had to be done. He knew right away, and spent the time trying to figure out another solution. 'Fuuuuuuuuck'
He spoke his disagreement, "There's gotta be another item."
"Not really Dean. Magical items aren't that common. Especially not passive Green Eye magic. That happens to also be conviently inconspicuous." Bobby argued.
Dean just shook his head 'no'. "Dean, please. It's just to keep me safe until we can figure this out," Castiel begged with his expression and words.
As he relented and pulled the pendant off Dean spoke, "I want this back."
Gratefully Cas accepted the item. It was Bobby's turn to speak next, "If ya need anything else, get it your damn self. I'm getting some food." and walked out.
Without delay the priest got to work. The cuffs clinking occasionally. He blended ingredients: a feather from a jar, oil, a parchment with script, and his own blood. Castiel had drawn an ornate blade across his upper forearm for the last ingredient. Cas then dropped the precious necklace into the mixture. Dean had to hold himself back in order to maintain his pride and not whine like a little girl over jewelry.
Smoothly Latin flowed from Castiel's lips. There was a small flash of smoke and the handcuffs fell from his wrists. Cas clutched the magically clean necklace and looked up at Dean as he slipped it around his neck. He didn't say thank you. Instead he nodded, and disappeared.
Dean, suddenly alone, sighed heavily. "You're welcome!" He shouted. Know Cas was probably with Anna and Sam right now. Above his head he heard a student's door open and shut. Sounds indicating the morning chaos was about to begin. And he wasn't the least bit prepared for it.
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I am on a Desitel kick. I have at least two more chapter's worth of material written on scrap paper. I'll convert it to text after my night shift. I hope you guys like it so far!