A/N: Thanks so much, everyone! ^_^ Muffing, thanks for your review... I'm so happy you're enjoying this! :)

To get you oriented to this chapter, we begin where TFW's recent adventure started, a while before the events of the first chapter :) Also, got some AU aspects here... and speaking of AU, I forgot to mention in the last chapter that for simplicity's sake, there's no Kevin or tablets or prophets in this version of things, so forget about them.

Enjoy! :D

Once upon a time, because stories should start at the beginning… the woods surrounding the Bunker were dark, a hushed silence in the dim tinges of dawn that left Castiel on edge. There should have been crickets chirping, birds just starting to wake, nocturnal creatures scurrying over fallen leaves. Instead, there was absolute stillness. That alone would have tipped him off that something was wrong, even had he not been able to sense the malevolent presence and the faint whiff of sulfur somewhere close by.

"We sure the alarms were on this side of the building?" Dean whispered, voice barely above the volume of a breath. He leaned around the tree they were grouped behind, hidden by its vast trunk.

Castiel nodded in assent as he clenched his blade tightly.

"Good thing you put the extra warding up for us, Cas," Sam breathed. He held up the demon killing knife in an overhand grip. "Worked like a charm to warn us about intruders outside the Bunker."

"Now let's just hope it's pure coincidence," the older hunter growled. "Take him alive. We gotta make sure the demons haven't figured out where we are."

Again, Castiel nodded. As a celestial being who didn't require sleep, he would have been more than happy to stand guard and take care of the intruder himself, but the blaring alarms had brought both the brothers running from their beds with weapons already drawn. He didn't like the thought that Crowley might have located the Winchesters' stronghold, but the angel would make sure this was one demon who would never report back to the King of Hell.

Following Dean's signals, the three fanned out from their hiding place, eyes peeled and weapons at the ready. Castiel took the right flank, keen senses easily piercing the darkness. Like Dean, he hoped this was just a coincidence, though he had a bad feeling it was not. Crowley was too sharp and his thirst for vengeance ran too deep.

The angel slowly crept across the forest floor towards the copse of trees where he'd hidden one of the sigiled alarm triggers. His eyes narrowed as he noted the demonic presence was getting slightly fainter, indicating he was going the wrong way. Castiel had barely paused to turn around when the gunshot shattered the stillness.

"Dean!" he shouted, eyes widening as he flew towards the sound with a frantic flapping of wings.

The angel stumbled to a halt as he landed beside the hunter, gaping at the scene in silent bafflement. Dean stood with smoking gun raised, an unfamiliar demon collapsed on the ground several feet away, paralyzed by the devil's trap etched into the hunter's bullets.

Directly on the other side, another figure was poised with an angel blade set to plunge into where the intruder had just been. She stared in shock between her fallen quarry and the hunter who had shot him.

Castiel blinked. "Meg?"

She straightened, lowering her blade as her lips tugged up into a half-smile. "Well, well. Long time, no see, Clarence."

"Yeah, let's drop the formalities," Dean snapped, keeping the gun trained on her. "What are you doing here?"

"Dean Winchester-" the downed demon tried to interrupt with a smug drawl, but both Meg and Dean glared at him and snapped,

"Shut up!"

Meg nudged the demon's face down into the ground with her foot and stepped on him to keep it there, muffling any retort. "Relax, Deano," she said. "This creep is one of Crowley's insiders. I was following him, looking for a way to get close enough to the king to stick a blade in his heart." She raised the angel blade as evidence, but then spread her hands in a show of peace. Her eyes flicked to Castiel, who had yet to look away.

Slowly, his mouth stretched into a smile. "You're… looking well," he offered, remembering it as a polite greeting among humans. It wasn't strictly honest. Her true face was as deformed as any demon's, though Castiel had long since become accustomed to it… and the other side of her hidden beneath the twisted brambles and thorns of her tortured soul.

Meg smirked. "That's all I get?"

"You're gonna get a bullet between the eyes if you don't tell me what's going on!" Dean growled.

Castiel sighed, just as the crashing sound of Sam's footsteps heralded the hunter's approach, not able to run as quickly as the angel could fly.

"Dean!" he gasped. "I heard the shot-"

The younger hunter broke off as he recognized Meg. He stumbled to a halt, looking between her and the frozen demon on the ground. "Um…"

"Hiya, Sammy," Meg greeted him with the same even tone. "Yes, it's me. No, I'm not invading. I'm actually here to help, if your brother would put the gun down for a minute."

"Dean," Castiel murmured, reaching out to urge the hunter's weapon down away from Meg. "If she's been following this demon, we should listen to what she knows. Has she not proven herself an ally?"

Meg waited a beat before stowing her own angel blade away. Her eyes darkened as she explained, "Like I said, he's one of Crowley's. I've been keeping tabs on as many of the inner circle as I could. Crowley has been after you boys since Purgatory, so I figured the best bet was to take him out first. This guy might give me a way in."

"But how did he find us?" Sam demanded, fixing his glare on the paralyzed intruder.

"That's what we're gonna figure out right now," his older brother replied. "Come on, let's get him down to the dungeon."

"The… dungeon?" Meg echoed, canting her head. "Kinky. Didn't think you boys were into that sort of thing." Her eyes flashed black. "But I need him. You are planning to leave some for me, right?"

The brothers traded a quick look, while Castiel maintained his silence. Though it had been months since they had returned from Purgatory, and though there had been no mention of the souls he had swallowed or the atrocities he had committed in that time, Castiel wasn't eager to side against their wishes. What Meg said made sense; surely they would realize that on their own.

"We need to know how close Crowley is to finding us," Dean finally said. "But yeah, killing him would be good. Let us take a crack at this guy, then he's all yours."

Meg pursed her lips, but seemed satisfied, to Castiel's relief.

"And, you can stay out here," Dean added. "No offense. Cas?"

The hunter gestured to the demon still on the ground. Castiel nodded and stepped over to the enemy, took him by the arm, and flew him straight down to the dungeon. With efficient caution, Castiel locked the demon in the chair that sat in the center of the enormous devil's trap, taking pains to ensure it was fully secure. By the time he'd done so, Sam and Dean were already hurrying into the room.

"Will you be alright alone with him?" Castiel spoke up before the interrogation could begin. Though this was certainly important, he had every confidence in the hunters' ability to get the answers they were looking for, but there was another demon who might still have more to tell them. It only made sense that they split their attention so he could talk to Meg.

Dean glanced at Castiel, then smirked. "Yeah, yeah, go see your girlfriend. We got this."

"She's not my-" the angel started, before deciding it wasn't worth the argument. Besides, he didn't even know what they were, to correct Dean. With another flap of his wings, he returned to the woods outside the Bunker.

Meg was leaning casually against a tree, but her eyes quickly found Castiel as he landed beside her.

"So," she jumped in before he could say anything. "Still with these two?"

He nodded. "And what of you?" Castiel asked. He studied the demon; though Meg seemed entirely at ease to all outward appearances, there was a reservation in the way she regarded him and didn't come any closer as she would have done back at the ward. "You've been on your own all this time?"

Meg laughed and gave him a wink. "Jealous that I might have found someone else?"

"Have you?" The possibility hadn't actually occurred to him.

With a shake of her head, the demon looked away. "No."

A silence descended, making Castiel shift from one foot to the other. Finally, he tried again. "I'm sorry I haven't contacted you since our escape from Purgatory, after the Leviathans. Which… I don't believe I've properly thanked you for."

This time when Meg looked at him, the uncertainty in her gaze was more overt. Either she was dropping her guard or he was getting better at reading her. Or both. Castiel waited, and Meg finally murmured,

"It's fine. I didn't know if…"

Castiel raised his eyebrows. "What?"

She snorted. "Look, Clarence, it's not that complicated. I'm a demon. You're an angel. I'm not exactly the kind of company you should be keeping. I think Crowley proved that."

Castiel stared at her, brow wrinkling in confusion. "That never stopped you before."

"You weren't sane before."

Oh. Understanding locked Castiel in place as he considered the demon before him. "You believed once I was in my right mind, I wouldn't feel the same?"

She didn't answer, merely raised an eyebrow as though waiting for a confirmation. Castiel shook his head and took a step closer. Hesitantly, he reached out and—when she didn't move away—set a hand on her shoulder.

"I was sane when you convinced me to leave Purgatory with you," he reminded her, voice low and gravelly.

Meg's eyes dropped to the hand on her shoulder, and the tightness in her face evaporated. "True," she said smoothly. "Well then. In that case, I think we should order some pizza and move some furniture around. You understand?"

Castiel dropped his hand, less out of discomfort and more out of the need to turn away before she realized he was blushing at the sudden shift in conversation. The pizza man… yes, he understood the insinuation. That was the Meg he remembered. "I- yes, actually. Um…"

Her soft chuckle sent another flare of heat to Castiel's cheeks. "You're cute when you get all flustered, Clarence."

"Cas!"

Both Castiel and Meg whirled towards the sound of Dean's voice. The angel straightened as he noted the expression sported by both Sam and Dean as they stormed forward, and for half a second he thought they might have overheard Meg's innuendo and were angered by it. Then he registered the underlying panic and fear from the two hunters.

"Dean?" he asked, looking between the brothers. They hadn't been with the demon that long… "What is it?"

"Bobby," Sam snarled.

Castiel stared. "What?"

"Bobby's soul!" Dean raged, drawing to a stop in front of Castiel. "He's in Hell! You gotta go get him out!"

Wait… that couldn't be right. "No," Castiel argued, feeling Meg tense beside him. "Bobby was granted a place in Heaven."

"Damn it, Cas, the demon had proof! We don't have time to argue. This is Bobby. You need to go get him, now!"

Meg pushed her way past Castiel, standing in front of Dean with arms crossed and a cool glare on her face. "You've got some nerve, Deano," she said evenly. "Handing out orders to an angel? Go run an errand to Hell for us, Cas. Like it's the supermarket."

"Meg," Castiel murmured, touching her arm. He stepped forward, swallowing. "Bobby is a friend. Of course I would help."

"That's my point!" she retorted, still glowering at the brothers. "They could have just asked. But not you two, you come in demanding he do this for you-"

"That demon was here to deal!" Dean cut her off, raising an accusatory hand to point at Meg. "He knew you were following him, set everything up nicely for a trade! We hand over Meg, and Crowley releases Bobby. So unless that's the arrangement you prefer-"

"That makes it even worse, dumbass!" Meg snapped back, voice rising at last. "So not only do you expect Cas to just fly into Hell, Crowley's practically daring him to do it. That means he'll be expecting Cas. You want him to go waltzing into Crowley's arms? Because trust me, as bad as Crowley wants me, he wants Feathers here even worse. If you're that eager to sacrifice him, why don't you just call Crowley up and say so?"

Dean drew his gun, face thunderous. "Say that again," the hunter hissed, as Meg narrowed her eyes.

"What, that you're always ordering him around? Or that you're willing to send him to Hell like it's nothing? You Winchesters have died so many times, it's like Hell doesn't even impress you anymore. Well, you might not remember, but I happen to know both times Cas went in after you, he nearly died, so how about you take five seconds to appreciate what you're demanding him to do?"

"Meg," Castiel sighed. He knew Dean didn't intend to be callous, or that he was eager to send the angel to his death; he was simply scared for Bobby, and rightly so. Dean meant well.

Besides, after everything Castiel had done to hurt his friends, he wouldn't balk at this chance to do something good, no matter the risk.

But for her to speak up for him, to care… it was unexpected, and touched Castiel's heart.

"For your information," Sam grumbled as he stepped into the mix—though Castiel noticed he was also moving close enough to grab Dean if need be. "We do know what Hell's like. That's why we need to get Bobby out, now. And we're not sending Cas in alone. He just has to get us there."

"Me," Dean corrected, eyes flashing. "He just needs to get me there. I'll get Bobby myself."

Sam spun towards his brother, spluttering in dismay. "What? No, I'm-"

"-going to stay here! You're not going back, Sammy."

"But to clarify," Meg jumped in, "it's okay for Cas to go back, which kinda proves my point-"

"Meg," Castiel cut her off again, seeing fire in Dean's eyes. He touched her cheek, twisting her to face him fully, away from the hunters. "This is the best option we have," he pointed out. "You and Sam stay here. I won't abandon Bobby in Hell, or leave Dean without backup. And we need as few of us going as possible, to remain inconspicuous." If there was any way of talking Dean out of joining him, Castiel would have done so, but he knew better than to think the hunter would be swayed when it was Bobby on the line.

The female demon's eyes darkened as she leaned in closer. Her voice lowered as she murmured, "This is a trap to get you. If Crowley wanted me that badly, his demon wouldn't have let me follow him all the way here."

Castiel nodded; he'd drawn the same conclusion. But still… "I have to take that chance." He paused with hand lingering on her cheek, feeling the heat radiating from Meg's core where hellfire had scorched her soul. It didn't burn so much as simmer, a forbidden flame that he should not be so near, and yet no longer cared about resisting.

It wasn't like he'd followed the rules in a long time, anyway.

Stepping closer to Dean, Castiel raised his head. "We'll be back. Hopefully."

…

"Is this better?" Castiel asked Meg as she stretched out in the bed without moving away from him. "Am I telling it properly?"

"Mostly. That's not exactly how I said things."

Castiel's mouth twitched. "No," he agreed. "I didn't find some of the words necessary to repeat."

"I still think they're ungrateful jerks," Meg told him with a careful shrug. She winced and rubbed her shoulder as the movement pulled on a wound. "Honestly. Don't you get tired of the disrespect? Given how angels used to be treated?"

Castiel shook his head. "They mean well," he assured her. "Their hearts are in the right place and they are true friends. And no, to be honest, I never enjoyed being frightening to humans even in the old days. Not like some of my brethren. But after the things I've done… mistakes I've made… I'm not all that deserving of respect."

The demon looked up at him, a hand catching his cheek to keep their gazes locked. "You actually are."

How was she so able to constantly throw him off base? Castiel paused, captured by Meg's intensity, then cleared his throat with a little smile.

"Anyway," he hurried on, "after that stunt you pulled, perhaps their attitude may change."

"That stunt I pulled? You're welcome for that. They needed it and I'm not sorry. Don't forget, this isn't the first time I've seen them take you for granted."

…

Meg couldn't pretend it wasn't a relief when the Winchesters finally made it to the ward. Cas was making her uncomfortable, the way he so fully trusted her. She could have killed him ten times by now, and the stupid angel just kept giving her those puppy dog eyes of adoration like she wasn't the most grotesque thing he'd ever seen.

"He's in here," she said, leading the boys up to Cas's room. "Brace yourselves. He's different."

Dean didn't say anything, looking like a constipated mule, but Sam asked softly, "Different how?"

"Oh, you'll see."

Meg opened the door to let the boys in. Cas was seated on his bed, gazing out the window with a look of such contentment that it actually hurt for Meg to see, though she couldn't quite say why.

"Cas?" Sam called, coming to a stop as they regarded the angel. "It… it's us."

Slowly, Castiel twisted towards them, face breaking into a huge grin like he was seeing Christmas for the first time. "Sam!" He looked from one to the other. "Dean! You came!"

Dean still didn't say anything as Meg went to stand by the wall and crossed her arms. Sam frowned, studying the angel.

"How? When we left you-"

"I was comatose, yes," Cas finished for him, beaming. "And then I woke up. Isn't it marvelous? You can see the gardens from here. There's a little bee hive in the top corner of that tree, do you see it?" He reached forward, grabbing Sam and pulling him over to look out the window with him. Behind his back, Sam shot Meg a questioning look, but she only shrugged.

"Um… yeah, Cas, that's great," Sam said. "Are you feeling alright?"

"I'm feeling wonderful. This place… everyone is so nice here. They bring me food three times a day, because Meg says I musn't tell them I'm an angel and don't need to eat. Everyone sort of leaves me to my own devices. There's no more wars. You know, I've been at war since before the dawn of man, and it's finally over."

The honest, almost naïve relief in his voice drove another spike through Meg's heart. Perhaps it was jealousy, she mused. Perhaps she envied the angel this chance at such simple peace, something she'd never had before her death, or any time since. Something she could never have. She wondered what it felt like.

Looking at Cas's face, erased of all worry and stress at long last, Meg realized this was the closest she would ever get to finding out.

"Cas?" Dean finally spoke up, looking confused and almost angry. "Look, man… don't get me wrong, I'm glad you're awake. Hell, I'm… I'm ecstatic. But what's going on with you? We need your head in the game."

"The game? Like Sorry? Meg plays it with me sometimes." He turned towards the demon, smile so radiant and pure that Meg's heart ached because she didn't deserve that look from any being of goodness. "Just look at her," he sighed contentedly. "My protector."

"Your-" Dean started, then cut off. He glared at Meg. "What did you do to him?"

The demon straightened, expression not betraying her annoyance at the accusation. "You heard him. I protected him. That was the deal, remember? You go do your thing, I watch after our wayward angel?"

"Then why is he acting like he has bats in the belfry?" Dean demanded.

Cas's face fell, and for a second, Meg hated the Winchesters. "I'm sure I must seem different," he confessed, looking at the ground and slumping. "I don't seem to have managed the Cage scars as well as Sam did. But… we can still be friends, can't we?"

"Cas, of course we're still friends," Sam assured him urgently, either not hearing or not having time to acknowledge the worry more fully. "Listen, do you remember the Leviathans?"

"Yeah," Dean added. "The ones you let out of Purgatory? They're wreaking havoc! So it's time for you to help clean up your mess."

Castiel shrugged with clear apology. "I don't fight anymore."

The Winchesters traded a swift look, laden with incredulity and a touch of desperation, before Sam turned back to Cas. "What?"

"I don't fight," he repeated. The angel sat down on the bed, spinning so he was cross-legged and looking out the window. "When I do, things break. I… I broke Sam. I broke Heaven. Trying to help. I murdered thousands of-" He broke off, kneading his hands together as he looked down. "No, the fighting's over."

"Okay, stop feeling sorry for yourself," Dean snapped, storming over to the bed. "We need you in this or we wouldn't be asking. I don't care if you don't want to fight, you have to. We all do. So let's go."

Meg's cool expression slipped, her brow tightening as she watched Cas curl in more and more on himself. Even she, a demon, had not been able to elicit such a reaction from him. The simple peace was gone, replaced by crushing guilt and despondency that she could still remember herself when her human soul had first found itself in Hell.

"So that's it?" she drawled with an unimpressed glower at the Winchesters. "You didn't come to see how he was doing, you came to drag him back out into battle? In this condition? He said he doesn't fight anymore. So why don't you back off?"

"Really?" Dean snorted. "You're a demon. Why are you defending him?"

Meg stepped forward, tilting her face up at the hunter's. "You're his best friend. Why aren't you?"

And that was when something changed.

Maybe it was because here was an angel who had thrown himself into a cause, who had given everything for what he believed in, and lost so that everyone else could win… and those who reaped the highest benefit from that sacrifice were now the ones who still wanted more.

Maybe it was because Meg could relate.

But whereas she would have been furious, Cas's devotion never wavered. Meg couldn't imagine being treated with that kind of loyalty. Castiel was an enigma: he should despise her, but didn't… an angel who clearly needed looking after, who wouldn't be as much protection as she'd originally thought. Yet… maybe one worth being her cause.

At least for a while longer.