Title: Under the Influence of Djinn
Chapter: Twenty-one
Summary: AU: The Djinn siblings created a terrible detailed nightmare for Dean out of revenge, nearly killing him, Lisa, and Ben. With Sam alive, Castiel missing, and Campbell cousins in tow, he tries to pull himself back together.
Rating: T
Disclaimer: Supernatural was created by Eric Kripke. No disrespect in intended with this work of fan fiction.

Morning at Bobby's house could either be quiet or chaotic, Dean reflected, pouring a cup of coffee and going to the door to step outside. Bobby had left early to meet up with Rufus, telling them not to break anything or if they did, to fix it before he got back.

While they'd done a few day trips recently, they'd been staying close to Sioux Falls since Castiel had broken up with Daphne. Dean had thought Cas might need some time to process it and sticking close gave Mark's back a chance to heal. Bobby had been tolerant of them all being there, but only because the cousins made a point of either staying out of his way or 'earning their keep' by doing such things as taking phone duty, thereby giving Bobby a well deserved break.

He yawned as he went out the door to see what exactly was going on.

Jo was standing beside Daphne's car, though perhaps it wasn't Daphne's anymore? She seemed unconcerned about getting it back, sending Castiel a simple text telling him to 'keep it', which had probably led to the argument Dean was now witnessing. Jo had been driving it, but Castiel had definitely shown an interest in doing so himself. She grasped the car door. "Out of the car, Cas."

He ran his hands over the steering wheel. The gleam in his eyes was anticipatory. "I wish to drive."

"After your last try? Sweetheart, get out of the car. I can't in good conscience inflict you on other drivers."

"Wait, he can't drive?" Dean looked at him, wondering what had happened on his last try. "Cas, man, did you lie to me?" Dean set his coffee down. He remembered quite clearly asking if Castiel knew how to drive and that Cas had told him he did. "You said you knew."

Castiel adjusted the mirrors. "Can't is a matter of opinion, Jo and no, Dean I didn't lie. I do know how."

Jo snorted. "It's the opinion of both me and Daphne that you can't drive."

"Daphne is no longer here." Reaching down, he adjusted the steering wheel now.

"That hardly invalidates her opinion or mine. You ignore the posted speed limits, tailgate like there's no tomorrow, stop too fast, make illegal u-turns, and have no concept of lanes when turning."

"I watched Dean drive many times," he replied.

Dean held up his hands. "I don't do that stuff." When Jo raised her brows, he added, "usually."

"Dean." She tapped the fingers of one hand on the door.

"Okay, I'll give you the speed limit and u-turns, but other than those two, I'm a damn good driver."

"I know what I'm doing," Castiel insisted. "I also watched you and Daphne. I understand the process."

"Seeing isn't the same as having the actual skill." Jo looked like she was beginning to grind her teeth. "You may know, but you don't do."

"Sadly, I am aware of that fact and of the fact that Jimmy's skill wasn't retained in muscle memory. Hence my need for practice." His jaw set in a stubborn line as he reached for the door handle and tugged.

"Why wasn't the skill retained?" Dean reached for his coffee and tried to take a sip without burning his tongue, but it was still too hot.

"Because he's not here," was Castiel's distracted answer as he temporarily stopped trying to close the door and readjusted the rearview mirror. "Didn't you and I cover that topic of him already?"

"Sure, but him going off to heaven doesn't explain why the muscle memory wouldn't be there." Dean shrugged. "Unless you're not actually in his body anymore and this one was created for you. Brand new body, without the original muscle memories."

"Don't be absurd. Of course this body is…." He stopped and took a long breath in, shooting an annoyed stare Dean's way before he blew that breath back out. "You're trying to distract me from my goal," he accused and was partly right.

Dean blew on his coffee that was still too hot to drink, completely unrepentant about that attempt at distraction.

Castiel gave a hard tug on the door that caused Jo to relinquished her grip.

She sighed. "No amount of practice will fix this. Face it, driving just isn't in your skill set, Cas."

"I won't face it because it will be. I just need to put in the practice hours."

With a roll of her eyes, Jo turned to Dean. "I seriously thought I was going to die when I tried to teach him."

"I need this skill," Castiel insisted. "As a human male, I have to drive. It's an essential part of being a man. I am less of a man without this skill. Tell her, Dean."

"Plenty of people don't drive. Tell him, Dean."

He shot an apologetic glance at Jo, "It is sort of essential to being a man, Jo," then one at Castiel, "and she's right, too, Cas. There are people who don't drive and, in my opinion, they don't know what they're missing."

Castiel raised a brow at her. "See? I'll have this skill if I have to practice for days to get it right. Now, I've adjusted the mirrors, seat, and steering wheel. Which one of you is going to assist me?"

Dean considered everything Jo had said and had what he thought was a genius idea. Swallowing a grin, he leaned down and said in Jo's ear, "Go get Gwen."

"Why?"

"I have an idea."

"Spill."

"I think feminine persuasion will work a lot better on him than the threats you and I would make."

She turned her attention to Castiel, gaze thoughtful. "Good point. I'll go get her."

After a week passed of Gwen taking Castiel down back roads for hours at a time and Dean wondering if she had a death wish once he'd gone along for an hour, Jo finally pronounced Castiel no longer a danger to other drivers. His smug smile had even irritated Dean, yet he had to admit that it was good to see him adjusting and pushing himself to learn all the skills he needed. Now to get him decent with a gun.

Learning to drive was one of the best boosters to Castiel's self confidence.

Gwen's proposed game of "strip written driving test" had been a marvelous motivator in learning the rules of the road. For each right answer, she said she'd make one move towards undressing, such as undoing a button. For every wrong answer, she'd redo a button or add a piece of clothing.

Castiel had studied tirelessly for days, asking Sam, Christian, and Dean to drill him on the rules and taking in all their advice on studying. Dean had commented that he was proud of how Castiel was applying himself. Cas didn't feel the need to inform Dean of Gwen's proposal. He'd merely nodded and kept the goal of getting Gwen naked through an entire test of correct answers firm in his mind. However, he'd felt mildly cheated when she'd given him the written test wearing a shirt that had the exact same number of tiny buttons on it that were on the test. He hadn't been aware that shirts came with buttons that small.

There was a word for that behavior and he believed it was 'tease'.

Still, he wasn't too disappointed because that flirtatious glimmer in her eyes promised him they'd definitely get physical some day soon. He'd fast realized once Daphne was gone that Gwen's manner towards him wasn't merely her natural way of behaving. She was interested in him. After the initial sting of the breakup was over, he decided he was interested in her as well.

When it had come to the driving test, it had been Jo administering it with Dean as backup. She'd refused to even flash cleavage if he did well, but as their relationship wasn't that sort, he supposed he was okay with it. Besides, Gwen flashed cleavage when they got back.

He knew he'd been entirely too smug in proving Jo wrong, but he couldn't help it. He could drive now. How many angels had that in their skill set? Former angels, anyway.

Castiel opened the browser and did his usual standard search, clicking on one intriguing story. "What about this one?" He slid the computer towards Dean.

"What about it?" Dean read through the article. "You know, 'man dies in freak accident' isn't always one of ours. Looks pretty explainable to me. Natural freak accident and not a freaky freak accident."

"But -"

"Let Sam and Mark do the digging, okay? It's time for your shooting lesson. Come on."

"But Dean, it says -"

"You're trying to procrastinate."

"We should go to Georgia, to this small town, and check it out. Freaky things do sometimes masquerade as natural things."

"You're stalling."

"I have a feeling about this."

"You have a feeling about anything that might get you out of shooting practice. You'll do anything to get out of it."

Maybe there was some truth to that, but this feeling was real. They needed to be in Georgia and as soon as possible. He turned to Jo, who was loading clips for him. "Jo. Tell him."

"Sweetheart, you can't get out of this. If you want to be a hunter, you have to practice these things. You'll get used to it, I promise."

"Jo, please."

"Look, I can give it to Sam and Mark to check out while you go with Dean."

"Promise?"

"Of course."

"Don't forget."

"Cas. I won't. Georgia. Freak accident."

But Mark and Sam didn't say anything about it when they got back. Their proposed destination was Missouri and Castiel was more than a little annoyed that they seemed to be ignoring his instincts on this. He thought he'd talk to Sam about it while they were out shopping for the trip.

Sam glanced at his watch for the fifth time in about twenty minutes.

They wandered the aisles of the grocery store, Cas occasionally picking items up, studying them, and putting them back down. He read all the nutrition labels and, while Sam supported that in general, the idea of this visit to the grocery store was to get in and out as fast as possible. At this rate, shopping for replacement groceries for Bobby and road trip provisions would take all afternoon.

"What all has Jo taught you," Sam asked. He'd gotten the picture that there were a lot of little things involved. "I mean, you look like you've adjusted pretty well."

"This and that. So many tiny nuances in behavior to learn since, you know, angels don't have that. Angels are fairly straightforward compared to humans." Unfolding a scrap of paper, he peered at it. "I'm now well-versed in humanity since I've had to be. Jo made me. She pointed out that there was no apocalypse putting the lights out so I needed to man up." He led the way into the feminine products aisle.

For some reason, Sam found the phrase 'man up' used as Cas was heading into that aisle funny. "Forceful."

"Jo has been like a mother and friend to me, Sam. Sometimes mothering requires harsh words of truth." He picked up a package of tampons, looked at it, exchanged it for a different brand, dropped it into the basket, and rounded the end of the aisle, stopping suddenly. Reaching out, he grabbed a package of peanut butter cups from the end cap. "I love peanut butter cups."

"And?"

"And what? Do you want some? They're yummy chocolaty goodness with a peanut butter center."

"No, thanks."

"Your loss. I'll get some for Dean, too." He tapped the sign with a finger. "They're on sale, two for a dollar. Jo says to always look for a sale. She's taught me to economize." He dropped five more in the basket, pursed his lips, and added four more. "Go on, Sam. And what?"

"And she dispenses those harsh words?"

"She does. She keeps me grounded and moving forward and I can't function without her." Castiel pushed the cart into the laundry aisle.

"Can't or won't?"

He did a half nod, half shake of his head and placed a jug of detergent in the cart. Sam didn't tell him he was crushing the peanut butter cups with it. For all he knew, Cas liked them that way. "Yes. We're a team."

"Like me and Dean."

"Yes. We're a good team I think. Speaking of teams, I told Jo about a possible case in Georgia. Did she tell you?"

Nice subtle change of topic, there. "She mentioned it, but we couldn't find anything in the article that hit either of our freak-o-meters. Mark checked a few other sources and I made a call, but it's not weird enough or freaky enough to warrant a visit."

"It is."

"Uh, no it isn't. I think I know -"

"Check again, Sam." He wheeled the cart down the card aisle and picked up two present bags and ribbons to decorate them. "I guarantee we need to be there."

"Well, you'll just have to find something else to convince us. Okay, I have to ask…what are you doing?"

"I'm going to give Dean and Jo presents." He said it like Sam was slow for not realizing that. "They deserve presents. Jo deserves many for putting up with my growing pains and as for Dean, Daphne told me it's important to show your best friend that you care. This is me showing I care."

"Sure, but what are you giving Dean in this cart besides the peanut butter cups, because a bottle of Jack would work pretty well and the liquor aisle is -"

"I have a plan." A mischievous gleam took root in his eyes as he pushed the cart towards the checkout, ignoring the liquor aisle, probably because Dean was supposed to be restocking Bobby's liquor cabinet.

Three hours later, Castiel was ready to present his gifts. Sam smothered a smile at the look on Dean's face when Castiel handed him the bright orange bag with colorful bows and curled ribbon on it. Jo accepted her own pale pink package with a soft, "thanks."

"What's this?" Dean hefted the package and made no move to open it.

"Just open it." Jo began to open her own bag, something of a feat with the amount of tape Castiel had put on it. He'd practically covered both bags with tape. "Daphne got him started." She ripped the bag and pulled out her present: the box of tampons. Her sigh was weary. "You read my shopping list."

"You had them underlined four times," was Castiel's solemn reply.

She set the box aside and patted his hand with hers. "We'll go back over gift giving etiquette later."

"Can't wait to see what I got." Dean set the package on the table and opened it using his pocket knife to cut through the tape. "Laundry detergent, deodorant, and car air freshener."

Actually, it wasn't much different than some of the presents he and Dean had given each other over the years.

Castiel smiled. "You often told me cleanliness is important, Dean, and I know how much you love the Impala. Every lady deserves nice perfume."

"Oh. Okay. Thanks."

He held out the paper sack in his hands. "Here. These are also for you both. The peanut butter cups are for you and the Riesen is for Jo." He looked at them each in turn. "So…. I'm hungry. We should go to dinner. Sam pointed out that peanut butter cups aren't a meal despite them containing protein from the nuts."

"Sure." Dean sniffed the car air freshener. "Let's hit that bbq place on the highway."

Halfway through dinner, Sam realized that Gwen was flirting with Castiel.

Not that Castiel seemed aware of it. He was carefully tasting the food that Gwen had ordered for him and glancing about the table at everyone else.

Sam caught Dean's eye and directed a pointed glance Cas and Gwen's way.

Dean frowned, watched Gwen suck on a rib bone and Castiel watch her, then brushed his elbow against Jo.

It was sort of funny. Gwen was determined to seduce Castiel now that Daphne was gone and he either didn't understand or was pretending that was the case. Watching Cas, Sam started leaning towards pretending. He certainly didn't look like a guy who didn't get what was going on with her. He looked like a guy who was letting himself be chased.

Good for him, Sam thought, and when Christian and Dean started a betting pool later that night for when Gwen would succeed in seducing Castiel, he put his vote down for less than a week.

"Samandriel. A word in my office."

He followed Naomi inside, wondering what this was about. He'd carefully done what she'd asked, given no reason for her to suspect the efforts of the rebellion. Had she found out about the meeting with Nia?

She sat at her desk and folded her hands together, looking at him. Her expression was almost friendly, a frightening thing to see. "It's time we cleared up the misapprehension of yours that Castiel is in any sort of danger from me and my agents."

He had no reply to that. No danger? Naomi was dangerous to everyone.

"I'm aware of your concern for him and you can relax. He's not lost."

No, he wasn't. He and Jo had met up with the Winchester brothers and had been at Bobby Singer's house off and on for the past few weeks. Samandriel knew that. Nia had made him aware of that by asking to meet him there to talk.

"I've known exactly where Castiel is since he and the woman met up with the Winchester brothers and their cousins in Indianapolis." She rested a hand on the large book on her desk, sliding the tome slightly to one side.

He tried to see the title without success. "You knew where they were?"

Naomi's lips curved in what could have been the start of a smug grin. "Of course. I've had Dean Winchester hidden and tagged for months. He slept through that pain. I've since tagged Sam and their cousins and have made sure Jo Harvelle and Castiel are tagged as well."

She'd tagged them all like troublesome animals. For some reason, that annoyed Samandriel, though he tried not to let it show. No wonder Rachel hadn't found Dean when she'd searched. She hadn't had the frequency for the tag.

"Do you really think Gabriel's Garrison are rebels from heaven?"

The sudden switch of topics caught him off-guard. "Yes. They've killed -"

"Raphael's agents. Samandriel, I have more pieces on this board than you will ever dream of having, including your own ragtag band looking to free Castiel and return him to heaven. We're on the same side. I never would have given you asylum otherwise. Frankly, I'm pleased the Garrison were so convincing, though I suppose Azariel's melodramatic streak assisted in that endeavor. He was friends with Gabriel before he was friends with Castiel."

"They're yours?"

"They sent me a report once they reached Dean to apprise me of the situation."

Her tone was all wrong and he didn't quite believe her. When he'd met Nia, she'd pleaded for Castiel to be left alone and kept out of heavens schemes. She'd given no indication that the Garrison were interested in Naomi's sort of plans.

"We need to continue on with the plan. Gather your troops. I predict we'll be ready to fight very soon."

What was her stake in this? He wanted to ask more, but knew better than to try. She was liable to retune his brain if he pissed her off.

"If you'll excuse me, I need to have a chat with Dean Winchester. It's time we met face to face."

As he leaned over to stand, he was able to read the title of the book. Spells for the Resurrection of High-Level Beings. What was she up to?