A/N: Yay I broke twenty reviews! God, you guys amazing! So, in honor of that, here is the next chapter!

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"The Gate is the only way to get you home," Dean spoke as he led Castiel down yet another winding path on the outskirts of the city. "It's here, in the city, but Lucifer's got his Demons guarding it."

Castiel stayed as far from the edge as he could while keeping up with the Hunter. "I've got to find Balthazar, first," Castiel reminded the taller man. After all, Balthazar was the entire reason he was here, in this mess to begin with.

Dean stopped and Castiel bumped into him. "Haven't you been listening at all?" He asked, turning to gaze at the Angel.

"Er, I don't know how he got mixed up in this," Castiel started, unsure. "You see, he was trying to, I guess surprise me. Somehow he got this amulet," He glanced down, running a finger along the ridges of the necklace idly. "And because of it, because of me, he's in a lot of trouble. If… If it weren't for me, he would be home, safe."

Dean narrowed his eyes, wondering why Castiel blamed himself. He didn't know the full story, but it seemed like it was this Balthazar guy who was at fault, not Cas. "How did he get it?"

Castiel bit his lip, not looking into those green eyes. "I don't know. But I'm the only one that can get him out of this."

Dean watched Castiel with a critical eye, watched as that lower lip was worried tantalizingly and he had to breathe deeply to clear his head. "How do you figure?"

"Well, I've got the amulet. I could use it to negotiate his release?" Castiel suggested, not sure how things worked in this world. But if the higher ups wanted something, they were usually willing to negotiate. At least, that's how it worked in the movies.

"No, you can't negotiate with Lucifer. He's insane. I'm sorry, Cas, but you just need to forget about him and get out of here while you still can."

With a frown, Castiel pressed, "I can't just abandon Balthazar. He's innocent. Besides, I…"

"You what?" Dean prodded.

"That is to say, I think I… I mean, he's the only one who's ever…" Castiel could feel his face heating in his embarrassment. He didn't even know why he was trying to explain himself. Why did it matter if Dean knew that Castiel had horrible people skills and had turned away the very few suitors he had, save for Balthazar?

"What?" Dean asked and when he noticed the blush on the Angel's face, his eyes widened. There was no way Castiel was a virgin, was there? With that bedroom voice, the sex-mussed hair, those wide, blue eyes, and no one had tried to get in his pants? "Cas, you," he started but froze when someone began shouting. "Stay close," he whispered and Castiel followed.

Peeking around the corner, Dean found The Roadhouse entrance crowded with several people. One of which was Ash, the bartender. He was shoved up against the wall while a tall, thin man gripped his collar tightly. "Have you seen him?" the man asked in a sing-song voice.

"I don't know who you're talking about," Ash said defensively, holding his hands out. "I haven't seen him!"

The thin man growled in frustration, "Get out of here!" and tossed Ash to the floor. He moved on to his next target, Gordon. "He told you he was Castiel?" The delight in the thin man's voice was hard to miss.

Dean groaned, running a hand over his face in annoyance. "Dammit, Gordon."

"Who is that?" Castiel asked, leaning over to see what was going on.

Dean was about to respond, when the man seemed to spot them. "Run, Cas."

The Angel didn't need to be told a second time and they were off. Dean led the way, maneuvering around the narrow paths, constantly looking over his shoulder to make sure that Castiel was still with him.

He turned swiftly into a hidden alley, tugging Castiel who had lost his balance at the sudden change in direction. Dean pressed the shorter man to the wall, both breathing heavily from the run. "Shh," he whispered and listened.

At first, the only thing either could hear was the sound of each other breathing. Castiel looked up at Dean, wondering what was going on. Dean caught his gaze and time seemed to freeze. The way the Angel was pressed between him and the wall, with green ivy framing his face, and those blue eyes gazing at him searchingly. Not to mention how Castiel fit perfectly against his body, touching in all the right places.

His gaze dropped to those pink lips that were slightly parted. All Dean wanted to do was to just lean a bit closer, to feel those lips against his. He wanted to know what the Angel tasted like, how his skin felt, how soft his hair really was.

Castiel subconsciously licked his lips and he watched Dean's gaze track the movement. Were they about to kiss? He knew that he shouldn't, that he was still connected to Balthazar, but right now, Castiel wanted to figure out why his body was responding so much to this man. He felt himself leaning forward, could feel Dean's breath against his lips.

Shouts and heavy footsteps snapped them from their trance and Dean mumbled a soft, "Fuck." Neither moved as the Demons ran past, and once the footsteps faded away, Dean pulled Castiel after him.

They ran until they reached one of the aqueducts. A sleek, black boat was tied to the dock and Dean motioned for Castiel to climb inside. "This is my smuggling boat," he said as he started the engine. It roared to life just as the thin man appeared, several Demons behind him.

Dean slammed on the gas, sending the boat flying through the water and towards the lake. "Where is the casino?" Castiel asked once they were on the lake and in the clear. There was nothing but water ahead of them, and as they continued at the rapid pace, trees began to rise on the horizon.

"I've already told you, you can't negotiate with Lucifer," Dean said as he let off the gas a bit. Now that they were out of the city, they were safer. A thought occurred to him suddenly, "But, the Demons are a different story. They might be willing to negotiate. It's a long shot, but it's the only one we've got."

Castiel watched Dean's face for a moment, the light from the sun casting shadows over his features. "We?"

Dean kept his gaze forward. "I don't know if you noticed, Cas, but the bar was destroyed. I'm a target not only for the Demons, but the resistance too. There's only so many places in Purgatory I can hide. The way I see it, I've only got one option."

Castiel's brows furrowed, frowning slightly, "Which is?"

"Go back with you. To your world." He cast a quick glance at Castiel out of the corner of his eye, noting the curiosity in those blue eyes. "I have a brother there. Haven't seen him in a few years, but it's worth a shot."

Before any more words could be exchanged, the sound of a helicopter reached their ears. Both turned around, spotting a Dragon flying towards them. "Before we do anything, we have to get rid of that bitch." Dean said and stepped on the gas, trying to get to the forest as quickly as possible.

When they reached the shore, Castiel helped Dean secure the boat, hiding it with foliage. A strange cry pierced the air and the Angel froze, chills running down his spine. "What was that?"

"There's things in these woods that you've only seen in ghost stories," Dean said and stepped away from the boat. Castiel paused, staring after him. A chill ran down his spine at the idea of walking into those woods. Every hair on his body was standing on end. And Dean wanted to go in?

"It'll be harder for those Demons to track us this way. C'mon, we haven't got much time."

He didn't want to be too far from the taller man, and he certainly didn't want to be left behind, so Castiel rushed to catch up. "Are you sure this is a good idea?" He asked, sticking close to Dean's side so that their arms bumped occasionally.

"We can't fight them and we can't lose them. So our best bet is leading them into a trap."

They walked for a few minutes with the sounds of the woods echoing around them. Another cry sounded and Castiel shuffled closer to Dean. He thanked whatever deity he could think of that it was still light out. "You should find a tree to climb," the taller man said, stopping suddenly and looking around carefully.

Castiel tilted his head in confusion, looking up at the other. "What?"

"That trap we talked about? It's here," Dean commented, glancing around the woods with a critical eye.

Castiel was beyond confused. "What do you mean?"

"Hellhounds. Once they catch your scent, they keep following until they're dead. I'm going to lead one to the Demons. Now, go!"

Castiel's eyes widened and he clutched Dean's arm, "But you'll be okay, right?"

Dean was about to respond when a screeching howl interrupted them. They both turned slowly to find a large creature, the size of one of those draft horses Castiel had seen at the fairgrounds a few summers ago. It was gruesome and vaguely resembled a dog, all fangs and drool, with red eyes. It was crouched as though ready to pounce and stared at the two men intently.

"Run!" Dean yelled and took off running, pulling Castiel in his direction. They ran for an eternity it felt like and Castiel's lungs were burning, his calves aching. But the Hellhound was still hot on their tail, never giving up.

A bang of a gun reached their ears, followed by a loud yelp, and they turned to see the Hellhound fall to the ground, still. A man with a beard and a ball cap stood a few yards from the fallen beast, shotgun still smoking.

"What're you idjits doing, ruining my hunt?" Came the gruff question. The man lowered his weapon and approached the two, who were still panting from the desperate run.

"W-who are you?" Castiel asked, barely able to get the words out.

The man gave them a disinterested look, "I'm a Hunter. The name's Bobby Singer. Now who the hell're you?"

"I'm Castiel—"

"The Angel of Legend?" Shock appeared on the older man's face as he interrupted, stepping closer to get a better look at the Angel.

"I don't…" Castiel's voice trailed off. Though it had been mentioned several times, he had no idea what this Angel of Legend was. But he was fairly certain he wasn't one.

"You said Hunter, right? I thought you were all dead," Dean pointed out, changing the subject.

"Well, you thought wrong," Bobby said defiantly. "As you can see, I'm alive and kickin'."

"Are there any others like you?" Castiel remembered Dean telling him about the war between Lucifer and Michael. He had said something about Hunters then.

"If there were more of us, do you think Purgatory would be the way it is, with Lucifer runnin' the show?" Bobby replied sarcastically. Castiel nodded in understanding.

"You took down that Hellhound on your own?" Dean asked, motioning towards the dead beast. He had never heard of such a thing; the Hellhounds were one of the most fearsome creatures in Purgatory.

"What, just because I'm old I can't hunt a beast? Boy, I've hunted things you've only ever dreamed about!"

"We didn't mean to sound offensive," Castiel said quickly and Bobby flicked his gaze towards the Angel. His eyes lowered, looking at the pendant around his neck.

"Is that… You have the Amulet of Purgatory," Bobby sounded amazed and hopeful when he spoke.

"Can you help us?" Castiel asked, just as hopeful.

Dean groaned, pulling Castiel aside and out of earshot of the older man. "Cas, we need to get out of here. Have you forgotten about the psycho chasing us?"

"But he's survived out here on his own, maybe he knows a thing or two," Castiel insisted and returned to Bobby. "Do you know anywhere we could lay low for awhile?"

"As a matter of fact, I do." Castiel sent a smug look to Dean, who was stunned. "Well don't just stand there! Let's get movin'!"

Bobby led them a few yards away where there were two large horses, sleek and black, tied to some trees. "You'll have to share," he commented as he opened a satchel, pulling out a net. He whispered a few words that neither Dean nor Castiel could understand before tying it to a pole and attaching it to the saddle of one of the horses. "This'll cover our tracks." He said and repeated the process for the other horse.

The older man mounted his own horse before indicating that Dean and Castiel should do the same. "Haven't got all day," he grumbled impatiently.

Dean moved to climb on the horse when he felt Castiel tug at his sleeve. He noted the uncertainty in the blue eyes and couldn't help but think how adorable the dark-haired young man looked. "I've never ridden a horse," the Angel confessed softly.

Dean smiled and patted him on the back. "Don't worry, I'll do the navigating. You just hold on." He climbed on the horse then instructed Castiel to put his foot in the stirrup. Dean swung the shorter man up to rest behind him. Castiel gasped and wrapped his arms around Dean's waist tightly when the horse, impatient and eager to catch up to its buddy, lurched forward. The taller man couldn't shake the smile from his face when he felt Castiel's body press against his. He had to remind himself that it still wasn't a good idea to lust after the Angel.

In an attempt to distract himself, Dean watched the ground for a moment, noticing the deep prints the horse made. He turned his head, glancing behind the horse. The net dragged across the ground, leveling the hoof prints as though they were never there. "That's pretty nifty," he commented and Bobby huffed something about them being 'idjits.'

"You comfy?" He asked lightly.

"Not particularly," was the muffled response he got. Castiel refused to look at the ground, instead keeping his face pressed against Dean's back, eyes shut tightly. The scent of the other man filled his nose and he let out a sigh, finding the scent soothing. It was hard to describe, maybe sandalwood mixed with something that he was certain was entirely Dean.

Dean laughed softly, but said nothing else. It was almost peaceful as they travelled through the forest. If he didn't know any better, he would think it was just a regular forest. But he knew there were more Hellhounds and other creatures stalking the woods.

"Welcome," Bobby said after awhile, "To my humble abode."

When the horse stopped, Castiel risked a glance. A sprawling city lay before them, picturesque. The buildings were made of a white stone and tall trees were spread out between the structures. A thin fog had settled over the city in the dimming light, orange and pinks splashing color across the walls of the city. It reminded him of an old, Greek city. "Beautiful."

"We have to walk the rest of the way," Bobby said as he slid off his horse. Castiel breathed a sigh of relief as he slid off, landing with a soft thump on the ground. Horses were beautiful creatures to look at, but he didn't care much for riding them. He was grateful Dean didn't seem to mind how close Castiel had been. He blushed at the thought.

Bobby tended the horses, leading them to a small paddock that Castiel hadn't noticed right away. While Dean helped, Castiel moved to the top of the hill that overlooked the city.

He wasn't quite sure what to make of his feelings for Dean. He still cared for Balthazar, didn't he? After all, he was sole reason he was here. But there was something about Dean that the Angel couldn't shake. Even with all the danger he had faced since coming to Purgatory, Dean has helped him the entire time. And considering that Castiel was a stranger to the taller man, and had no obligations to do anything for him, Dean continued to protect him.

He risked a glance towards the man, watching him spear a chunk of hay and carrying it towards the horses. Dean had shed his outer shirt and was only wearing a thin, black shirt that hugged him tightly. He could see the muscles in the man's back ripple as he worked and he gulped, remembering how they felt against his body even through their clothes.

He hadn't ever felt this way about Balthazar. What was he going to do? When Dean caught his eye, the Angel blushed and turned away. If Gabriel were here, he knew what his older brother would say, "You've got it bad, bro."

Instead, Bobby's gruff voice broke his thoughts, "Let's move out, idjits."

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A/N: Finals are coming up in the next few weeks, so I'm afraid that updates may not be quite as often as they have been. I tried to make this one a bit longer to make up for that. I do have most of the story written out, though, and all it really needs is some major TLC before posting.

As always, comments, questions, and concerns are welcome!