Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural. No money is being made for my having written this piece.
Sorry about the long wait. Work has been insanely busy and I didn't have the energy to work on this story for a little while. Enjoy the new chapter.
It takes a few days but eventually everything falls back to their old, familiar routine. Bobby stuck around until he was sure that the three of them were going to live and then he skipped out town, back to his place.
"While you were out, I was looking into a few things. Found something you'd be interested in," Bobby said before leaving, handing Sam a manila envelope.
They waited another day before opening it and it turned out to be a brand, spanking new case for them to look into.
"What's up?" Dean asked, feet on the coffee table and a mug of blood in his hand.
"Well," Sam said, shoving the feet away and reading the paperwork, "It looks like...oh, a werewolf thing."
"Werewolves?" Castiel asked from the nearby recliner.
"Yeah, um, apparently there's something wolf-like going after people in a club in...Nevada."
"Vegas?" Dean asked, instantly sitting at attention.
"Reno."
"How far is Reno to Vegas?"
"Dean. You know we can't do big towns. Now listen - this is on the outskirts of Reno and we've gotta move. The lunar cycle is going to be just right but there's only a couple of days left."
"Okay."
"And me?" Castiel asked.
Dean grinned. "Good news, Buddy; you're coming along on a real hunt."
Insert Line
The ride out wasn't as bad as it could have been. It was strange, riding in an automobile for the first time in so long. It felt a little bit more claustrophobic than it used to be. It was probably because he was so used to the speed running.
They arrived at the first motel in Reno that they saw - and it was hideous.
"Tell me we are not stopping here," Castiel said, not exiting the car.
Dean got out first and went towards the main office while Sam went around to the trunk and began gathering their supplies that they'd packed into it. Dean came back quickly with the ring of the key twirling on his finger.
"Come on, Cas. Shake a leg," Dean said, smacking the window with his free hand.
"What've I gotten myself into," Castiel asked himself as he got out of the car and followed them to one of the rooms.
Dean smiled back at them and opened the door and the three of them, as one, jumped back because the smells alone...
"I am not staying here," Castiel said, turning back to the parking lot.
Dean grabbed him on the arm and pulled him inside with him. The smells were some of the most horrible scents he'd ever experienced. Immediately, Castiel put his hand over his mouth to prevent anything from entering his nose.
"It's not that bad," Dean said through clenched teeth.
"Speak for yourself," Castiel mumbled back through his hand.
"This is one of the worst ones, Dean," Sam commented with a sigh.
"Ha."
"Shut up, Cas," Dean said, "We're staying."
Castiel watched from the same spot as the brothers went about making the room their own. They painted what appeared to be sigils on a few surfaces and then carefully put lines of salt around any entrance into the room. When everything was in place, to Castiel anyway, he felt like he was trapped in the room (preferably nowhere near anything that smelled as bad as he believed) and he really, upon pain of death, needed to avoid the lines.
"Bed or cot?"
"Impala."
"Cas..."
"Cot. It smells the least awful."
Dean and Sam looked at each other and then took a tentative sniff each. After everything was all sorted out, Dean set up the laptop on the small table the room had to offer while Sam fiddled around with his phone.
"Are you texting someone?" Castiel asked from the other seat beside Dean at the table.
"Yeah. She's an old friend who might be able to really help out out... Dean, she says she'll be here within the hour."
"Awesome. Thank her from me."
"Who are you talking about?" Castiel asked.
Insert Line
Dean explained the situation and Castiel felt a kindred spirit in her story.
"So she's been a werewolf ever since, huh?"
"Yup. Nice girl but, well, fate had other plans for her."
Someone knocked on their door then and Sam went over to peep through the hole.
"Sam also kind of has a thing for her."
"Shut up, Dean." Sam opened the door and, standing just over the salt line, was a very attractive woman with long dark hair and a bright smile on having seen the man standing before her.
"Sam," she said as Sam wiped away the line slightly so she could cross. She gave him a tight hug and then walked further inside and smiled some more. "Hey Dean."
"Madison," he said, crossing to her and giving her a hug too.
"So, who's the new guy?"
"This is Cas. Cas, meet Madison."
"It's a pleasure," Castiel said, extending his hand for a handshake.
Madison shook it and took a seat at the motel room table.
"So, tell me about this case."
Madison, Dean and Sam all went through the details, most of which just seriously went over Castiel's head.
"You have eaten right?" Sam asked.
"Yeah. Weirdest thing though but, for some reason, I'm still kind of hungry. I can hold onto it, don't worry about that. I won't be any problem."
"Well, good. We like you Madison, we don't want to have to shoot you in the head with any silver bullets."
Madison and Sam both laughed at that and Cas just couldn't see the humor in it.
"All right then. I've heard of this club - very exclusive and you'll need me to get into it. I have a change of clothes out in my car. You guys need to get changed too."
"Changed?"
"Don't worry Cas," Dean said, giving him a smile, "I think you'll look awesome in assless chaps."
Insert Line
Thankfully, the chaps thing was just a quip. Dean and Cas walked side by side into the full and very hot nightclub. Thankfully they were dressed the same as most of the other guys in there - black shirt, black slacks.
"I haven't been in a place like this since high school," Castiel shouted over the music. "They had the best drugs in the bathrooms."
"Wait, what?"
Castiel shrugged and didn't say anything else.
"You see Sam and Madison?" Dean asked loudly.
The two men scanned the room and Castiel pointed them out.
"Over there. Dancing."
"Oh, this I've gotta see."
The two of them went out to floor where Madison was mostly gyrating to the music around Sam who mostly stood in place and looked totally out of his element. Sam was dressed the same as Dean and Cas except, for fun, Madison put a black dog collar around his neck attached to a (faux) silver chain that she had wrapped around her wrist.
"Sense anything?" Dean asked.
Madison sniffed the air and breathed in while looking behind her. "There's something over there."
Dean nodded and he and Castiel went to investigate. They came upon an emergency exit that they used and immediately the scent of blood assaulted their noses.
"That way," Dean pointed, grabbing his pistol from the waistband of his pants.
Carefully they turned and peeked around the corner. There was an overlarge man struggling and whimpering as a snarling, other guy leaned over him.
"Hey," Dean shouted, pointing his gun at the standing man.
The guy looked away from his meal and Castiel jumped back at the sight of its face, its icy pale blue eyes and large sharp, wolf like teeth. It began advancing towards them, claws before it and the two men really had no choice but to back away.
"Dean," Castiel whispered, grabbing onto his friend's shoulder.
Dean tightened his hold on his gun and got ready to fire when another shot rang out and the werewolf collapsed to the ground. Dean and Cas looked up to see Sam and Madison standing in front of them, having shot the werewolf from behind.
"Dude, you stole my moment," Dean said angrily.
Sam merely shrugged and put his gun away.
Insert Line
Later, around daybreak, the four of them stood at the doorway, back in their regular clothes. Madison had her overnight bag in her hand and proceeded to hug Sam for an inordinate amount of time before finally letting go.
"It was nice seeing you boys again. Keep in touch," she said, looking at Sam in particular before leaving the room and going to her car in the parking lot.
They waited until she pulled away before shutting their door and sighing in relief.
"So, bed and we'll head out later?" Sam asked.
"You know it," Dean said, moving towards his bed and collapsing without even pulling down the sheets.
Sam went into the bathroom to tidy up and Castiel took a seat on his chosen sleeping apparatus.
"You did okay for your first time out, Cas," Dean said, still lying down on the bed.
"Thank you," he said. "Perhaps next time I will be able to play a more active role in affairs."
Castiel leaned his head on the pillow and stared up at the ceiling until his eyelids grew heavy and he fell asleep.
There was a man leaning over him, much like the werewolf was leaning over his victim. Castiel tried to escape but his hands were trapped by his sides, his body felt as though it weighed a ton.
"Who are you?"
Their face was covered by the shadows and there was something overlarge against the figure's back.
"Who are you?" Castiel asked for a second time.
Pinpricks of golden light took on the form of the shadow creature's eyes. A hand reached out and touched Castiel in the middle of his chest, just over his heart. And then the hand went straight into his body and Castiel gasped in pain.
Castiel sat upright and breathed in and out deeply. Peering across the room, Castiel was pleased to see that the brothers were still fast asleep and no one had heard him yet. Turning over under his sheets, Castiel felt a strange feeling deep within him. It felt like, whatever that was, touched his very soul.