Title: Under the Influence of Djinn
Chapter: Twenty-three
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.

It was Gwen who came after him, not Jo. Right then, he was glad it was Gwen because Jo would push until she knew what had happened and had it all dragged out. He wanted to keep it in and Gwen let him do that. She held him and soothed without making him face the pain of losing his new identity into both his past and that future planned for him. She was the healing balm he needed right then and he did need her. He needed closeness and love and touch and….

Castiel wanted to lose himself in her.

He was glad his room was empty when they returned and that it was only her to see him like this.

"I want you," he told her, gasping the words into her neck and holding her tighter to him. "I want to be with you." He knew it'd be another way to avoid his future and didn't care. Right then, he wanted to do this and be reckless with her. He wanted the touch of her hands and mouth and the feel of her naked body against his.

"Are you sure?" She drew back to look in his eyes.

"I don't want to wait any longer." Any longer and it might be too late. He might lose the human connection that would enable him to feel everything. Desperation crawled over him. When that came he'd lose so much that he'd become used to and the idea was almost too much to bear. Snaking his hands up, he cradled her face in them and kissed her with every ounce of that desperation he was feeling. In between kisses he told her, "I want this. I want it now."

She took little convincing, though she did slow him down, lightening the mood as best she could.

As her fingers worked the buttons on his shirt, he confessed his inexperienced state to her. "Daphne and I never…."

"Doesn't matter," she replied, shoving his shirt down and off him.

"I'm not experienced. I've actually never -"

Gwen placed her fingertips against his lips, stilling his words. "Cas. Honey. It doesn't matter. I think we're gonna have a fun time. Now, do you want to undress me or shall I undress for you?"

"Um…." He wasn't sure which would be better.

She smiled and led him to the bed. "We'll play it by ear."

He let himself completely fall into the moment.

Jo took the fastest shower humanly possible and managed to be changed by the time Dean knocked on the door to the room she was sharing with Gwen. Castiel had the experience of having a room to himself. He didn't have to worry if he woke anyone up when he got up after three hours of sleep.

There wasn't anything Jo could do to pick up Gwen's side of the room, but her own was neat and tidy. "So, what's going on," she asked, leading the way back to the bathroom to tackle the blue stains.

Dean leaned against the doorway. His gaze upon her was steady and warm, yet not flirtatious. This was a serious matter. "Angels and fates. One of Michael's angels showed up. She wants us to help her raise Gabriel."

"Uh-huh. The dead archangel?" She doused the shirt in stain remover, then squirted on more for good measure.

"That's the one." He explained about the angel, Naomi, and then the fate, Moira, along with his suspicion that Moira had done something in a blink that upset Castiel. "She said he matters, he's becoming something, and when he's done growing, heaven may be set on fire."

"Hmm. None of that's really news to us, is it? I mean, you and I both know he's not really human, not with the instinct and healing for himself."

"He's a lot like, though. Eats, sleeps -"

"I hardly call three hours a good night of sleep." It had sometimes irked her how Cas would be awake when she went to bed and awake when she woke up, having gotten his needed rest in while she was out cold. For awhile, he'd pretended he slept all night, but once she'd caught him in the lie and explained that it was a lie, he'd stopped doing that.

"Me either, but there are some people who sleep that little."

"As for him mattering in some way, God did raise him again." She ran water into the sink and began to dunk her shirt. "Raphael found him enough of a threat to pursue him, try to break him, then toss him on earth with a surveillance team on his ass. That's not nothing."

"True. Sounds like fear of what Cas can do. Could do anyway. Naomi kept an eye on us to find him. Moira pretended she wanted to join us, but her main objective was Cas. Has to have been. They want him up there something fierce."

"And we don't know why yet because he's still changing."

"Yeah, but what is he changing into?" Dean's sigh was long and he turned, going into the room itself and lying down on Jo's bed, the pillows behind him and ankles crossed. "That's what's got me wondering. If the human behavior is part of it, what could the end product be?"

Jo dried her hands and joined him, sitting with her side to the headboard to face him. "I don't know. Archangel? Maybe he's going right up that rank in one swoop."

"Archangels are still angels, Jo. They still don't quite get human behavior. Cas however…. He's getting a full education of that without those powers."

She shrugged.

"We're missing part of the puzzle," he said. "I don't think Cas got a full promotion all the way up to archangel, but why would Raphael be afraid of him being full powered? Why would she be afraid of him being an angel at all? What does she know about him that we don't? Or what does she guess?"

"Hard to tell. Not like she'd share information. Maybe he's a hybrid of sorts, an angel without the restraints of the angels. Being able to feel, enjoy food, experience sleep."

"Which would make him a new class, because that kind of angel doesn't exist." He frowned, then shook his head as though to clear his mind of that line of thought. When he continued, he'd segued into a different topic. "You seem to be having an easier time hunting these days."

Her smile was slow. "Ditto. There's something to be said for the support structure of good friends to help you get back to work."

For the most part, she'd been partnered with either Sam or Dean on those day trips, though she'd gotten to know Gwen, Mark, and Christian as well. They'd all given her the backup she'd needed to get through those moments of sheer terror that she was going to die again. Dean had been an especially good help, sharing his own tips and tricks to keep moving.

And as those days had passed, Jo had once again become aware of that thrill of having the sole regard of Dean Winchester. She fell for him all over again, this time with a grown woman's perspective instead of that girl she'd been. Even when he was moody there was something about him that drew her and, this time, she knew her interest was returned. Jo could see it in the sometimes thoughtful way he watched her. It was there in the flirtatious moments and the serious ones; in how he said her name and every interaction they had.

He wasn't pursuing her exactly, just…testing the waters and fully respecting, as he put it, 'that self respect'. Jo appreciated him acknowledging that she was a woman as well as a friend and if their flirting went nowhere, she thought she'd still be okay.

There was a thump against the wall behind them.

Jo and Dean both turned to look at the wall. Jo frowned. "Was that…."

"That's Castiel's room."

Another thump sounded, followed by Castiel's rather ragged voice saying, "Oh! Oh, oh, oh, oh, ooooh….yes…."

Jo burst into giggles. "Somehow, I don't think he's upset anymore."

"I'd agree with that assessment. What's say we go out?"

"Sure. We inviting Sam?" She climbed off the bed.

"Nah. He's out running."

They had a long dinner and returned to her room to watch tv.

Dean woke spooned to Jo, one arm at a funny angle, a crick in his neck, and his face pressed to her neck, nose against her hair. They were still dressed and on top of the covers with the television on. Easing back a fraction, he stretched, then returned close to her, breathing in the tempting scent of her fading perfume from the previous day. The scent and her nearness brought a delicious heat into his veins and he closed his eyes a moment, relishing that moment of arousal.

She fit well against him and he raised his hand, drawing his fingers slowly down the line of her spine and around to the curve of her waist. The indent felt perfect under his palm and Dean slid his fingers lightly just under the hem of her shirt right there, touching warm skin. The last thing he remembered was discussing the difference between real vampires, movie vampires, and world legends of them. Falling asleep with her had been natural, a thing that had simply happened. He'd closed his eyes and…boom…he'd been asleep with Jo in his arms.

It occurred to him that he was happy. In this moment, he was happy with the sort of feeling he hadn't had since before he'd gone to hell.

Raising up on his elbow, he looked down at Jo's profile.

Happiness had crept up on him and yet it made sense that he'd be happy. Sam was alive and well and their relationship had never been better. Castiel was with them and, while he wasn't what he'd been, he was still Cas. Dean had family besides Sam and…he had Jo. They were relating better day to day than they ever had, sometimes communicating with each other with a single quirk of a brow or smirk. He was even happy with hunting, the joy in it slowly and surely returning as he felt they had some tiny bit of control in their lives.

Sure, the angels and other higher beings were out there, yet it wasn't directly involving them. Cas, but not them. The world was, in a sense, small again and he was glad for it.

Jo stirred, stretched, and yawned, eyes opening. "Mmmm…. You're still here." She seemed surprised by that.

"That I am."

She moved onto her back. The hand that had been at her waist slid across her stomach under her shirt. Jo didn't move it away, stretching her own hand up to slide her fingers across his cheek in a slow caress. "Good morning."

"I think it is." He almost leaned down and kissed her good morning. Instead, he turned his cheek into her palm.

"Sleep well?" She swept her thumb across his cheekbone.

"Awesome. You hungry?"

"I could eat."

"Half an hour to shower and change?"

"Perfect."

Gwen hadn't returned while they were sleeping and, on his way back to Jo's room, he saw Castiel carefully letting himself back into his room with a bag and what Dean presumed was coffee. Before Dean could call out, Castiel closed the door. Neither of them emerged from Castiel's room all morning and Sam and Jo left to do laundry, leaving Dean all alone for lunch.

He was pondering his lunchtime options, phonebook open, when a third visitor appeared: Death.

Death held a large paper sack and two Styrofoam cups in a carrying container. The cups were about as big as the slushies Gwen usually got. He stepped to the table and set everything down. "I've brought you something." Death removed one cup from the container and set it across from him. "Sweet tea."

"Um…thanks?" He closed the phonebook. Whatever Death had brought in that sack smelled awesome.

"We need to chat, Dean."

"Sure. What's on your mind?"

Death opened the sack. "Sit."

Dean sat in the chair across from him, waiting for Death to begin talking. It didn't take long. Death got right to the point.

"This…situation with Raphael and the angels is annoying." A bony hand reached into the sack and brought out a handful of ketchup packets that he distributed evenly between them. "It's got all of heaven in an uproar and is disrupting order more than your antics normally do."

Death did like order. He was rather OCD about it.

"I'm not pleased. This matter must be resolved soon."

He expected Dean to resolve it? Couldn't he do it himself? "How," he asked with as much caution as he could.

"Gabriel must go home, of course."

"That'd be nice, but he's dead. Lucifer killed him."

He reached into the bag. "Try the fries. They're not the best, but they have a certain something."

Dean obediently took the proffered package and ate one, then took a sip of sweet tea. He wasn't sure what to say.

"I found the most delightful little restaurant in Georgia."

Interesting change of topic. Hadn't Cas been babbling about Georgia lately?

"The desserts are fresh daily, made on the premises, and they serve slabs of pie that are worth the price. I brought you a piece of their apple crumb pie, though the blueberry is by far their best."

"Thanks." Why was it everyone and their uncle could remember the pie, but Sam never could?

"This restaurant is in a small town, the address is on the cup. A visit wouldn't be a waste of your time." He set a sandwich in front of Dean. "Pulled pork. I had them add extra slaw sauce for you."

Death chatted about the necessity of order as they ate, though how raising Gabriel would keep order Dean didn't know. He made this big stink about how Dean and Sam messed up his precious order, then he turned around and wanted a resurrection? Didn't make sense. Dean thought he had to be missing something here. He'd been feeling like that a lot lately and he ventured a question. "Weren't you bothered when Castiel died and was raised this last time? Didn't that mess up order?"

After a sip of his tea, Death shook his head. "No."

"May I ask why?"

Death's dark eyes fixed upon Dean and he didn't answer the question. Instead, he took a large bite of sandwich. When he'd swallowed, he wiped his mouth with a napkin. "Why does everyone assume that Gabriel wasn't raised."

The question threw Dean for a moment. Everyone was assuming that, weren't they? Dean included.

"You, of all people, should know better. After all, Castiel was raised multiple times. They both assisted you humans. Why would Gabriel be neglected? He went against everything to assist you, the only archangel to do so. Would that not be of some…significance to God?"

"Wait…. Are you saying Gabriel is alive?"

Death finished his sandwich. "Try the corn fritters, they're delectably sweet. Like candy." The idea that that slight quirk to Death's lips could be a smile unnerved him. "It would behoove you to get this done quickly, before a certain angel in charge finds him first and assassinates him."

"Naomi?"

Death slowly quirked a brow.

"Oh, you mean the other certain angel." Raphael.

"You're not stupid. The reason you prevail is that your enemies constantly underestimate you. It works to your advantage. I suggest you milk it for all it's worth." Death's eyes glittered with cool intensity and he leaned forward. "There is a limited amount of time to take care of this matter. You have until the new moon. If you don't take care of this before then, you may find that your noble display of free will earlier hardly matters at all."

He was gone then, leaving Dean with the remains of the meal and wondering exactly what Death had meant by that. In what way would their 'noble display' not matter?

Dean finished the food, agreeing that the pie was good, his mind going back and forth over what had been said and when Sam came through the door, he didn't waste time saying, "We're heading to Georgia."

"Why?" Sam set the duffel bag on the bed.

He turned the cup over in his hands, reading the address printed there. "Because Death was here."

"Yeah?" He shot a questioning glance Dean's way. "What'd he have to say? Why Georgia?"

"Well…apparently the spell the angels have planned won't work even if they succeed in using it."

"Uh-huh. Why is that?"

"Because you can't raise from the dead what's already been raised."

"And that means…." Sam raised his brows. "Gabriel's alive?"

He nodded. "In Georgia and the sibling bond doesn't go very deep because Raphael is planning to assassinate him if she finds him."

"Leaving herself the only archangel alive for real."

"Exactly." Death's timeline didn't give them too long to take care of Raphael. "You want to roust out Gwen and Cas? I'll tell Jo."

They were on the road two hours later.