A/N: Whelp, I'm feeling a bit better now so you get a new chapter! YAY! As always, thank you to all who commented and encouraged me in the writing of this story. I am feeling particularly snuggly today so you're all going to be subjected to snuggly Wee!Cas and snuggly Dean. Because frankly, baby Cas snuggling Dean makes me happy, dang it, so that's what I'm writing. ;) AAAAAAND I guess I can throw some plot in there around all the snuggling. Heh. Hope the plot I'm chucking at you makes at least SOME sense. Also, this is a LOOOONG chapter...so yeah...
It was decided amongst the three hunters that it was no longer safe to keep Castiel at Bobby's place. The demons after him were getting smarter and it would only be a matter of time before they tried some new tactic to get him out of the bunker. In all, the angel would be safer on the run as long as Dean and Sam could stay one step ahead of the enemy, something they had a great deal of practice with. Dean had insisted that Bobby come with them at first since the house was no longer safe but the older hunter had stubbornly refused citing the fact that it would be much harder for him to do the research they would need if he was constantly moving from place to place. He finally conceded to relocating for safety's sake and he packed his truck with a wide assortment of books along with a few changes of clothes for the drive up to a hunter safehouse in Michigan. There he would be able to stay off the demon radar until the whole mess had been cleaned up enough for him to return home. The hunters parted ways with a few tight hugs, pats on the back, and the promise to keep in touch with regular updates. Bobby said his quiet goodbye to Castiel with one final twirl in the air, gaining him a happy giggle from the angel much to the surprised delight of the brothers, though the older hunter made them swear never to mention him doing that again.
Dean had decided to head for Washington state as it was far enough away to hopefully throw the demons off their trail for a little while. He and Sam could summon Crowley again once they arrived to see if the demon had come up with any new information since the protection sacks they carried to hide from the denizens of hell would keep him from finding them once they moved. They had thoroughly checked every inch of the impala for any magic coins like the one Crowley had used in the past but it didn't appear the monsters they were currently facing had planted any such tracking device. Dean wasn't convinced they weren't being followed though and he found himself constantly checking the rearview mirror as he drove, worry gnawing at him over how the demons had found them the first time. Sam had fallen asleep about five hours into the drive, his head lolling against the window and his breath fogging the glass with each exhale. Castiel was sitting contentedly in his lap with all the patience one could expect of an angel. He was currently turned to watch the ebb and flow of fog on the window and had been apparently entranced by the sight for the last forty-five minutes. His wings twitched from time to time as he watched Sam sleeping and Dean found himself looking over to watch the flutter. The way they moved was so bird-like that he kept half waiting for Cas to turn and preen them but the angel had shown no signs of desiring to do so since hatching and the feathers seemed to always fall perfectly into place. His thoughts turned to Eddie and he couldn't help wondering if the man's carelessness had left them rumpled but he forced himself to put the thought from his mind as his hands began to tighten knuckle-white on the steering wheel in his rising irritation.
He focused instead on his brother. Sam had been more wound up than usual over the alst few days and Dean was beginning to worry about him. He could actually see the tension flee from Sam's muscles once he climbed into the car and gratefully accepted Castiel settling onto his lap once more. Now, as he slept, Dean noted how slack even his face had gone in the absence of the turmoil that had plagued the young man and he was pretty sure it was Castiel he could thank for it. He had felt firsthand the calming effects of holding the tiny angel each night so it was little surprise that Sam would be affected the same way though he seemed to be far more in need of it. Dean leaned back against his headrest and focused on the winding stretch of highway ahead of them. It would be a good few hours yet till they got to the town he had picked out for their first night on the run and he turned the music down to make sure Sam would be able to sleep the whole way. When he peered over again it was to find that Castiel had turned toward him and was watching him with just as much intensity as he had given to Sam's breathing a few moments earlier. The wings twitched once when he met those big blue eyes and Dean smirked. He reached over and ruffled the thick dark tufts of hair. "I'd say it's a shame you can't talk yet but let's face it, when you were big you weren't sucked at casual conversation anyway. Course, it's not so bad now when you invade my personal space but don't think this cuddling crap is gonna keep happening once we fix you." Castiel blinked silently at him and then nuzzled up farther against the hand in his hair.
Small hands wrapped around Dean's and pulled it down from where he had rested it on Castiel's head. The angel set to carefully examining the large palm and long fingers, apparently fascinated by the size in comparison to his own, and he clamped onto Dean's index finger and pinky as he turned the hand about. Dean chuckled and tapped the infant on the nose with his middle finger. Cas started and pulled away from the offending digit with a look of surprise before going right back to his careful study as if nothing had happened. Dean choked down a snort of amusement and tapped the little upturned nose again when Cas brought his face within reach. Again the angel started back, his wings flapping indignantly, and then shot a look of such complete disapproval at Dean that the hunter couldn't help but laugh out loud. Sam stirred in his sleep and Dean bit his bottom lip to keep the rest of his chuckling inside. Once satisfied that his brother was still soundly asleep, he turned back to where Cas had resumed his earlier inspection. The child was poking gently at the skin of Dean's palm but he looked up when he felt the hunter's eyes on him again. He released the hand in his grip and stretched his arms up expectantly in an obvious request to be held. It was the second time the angel had demanded his affection in such a manner and Dean felt bad that he couldn't safely drive and hold the baby at the same time. "Sorry, Cas. No can do right now."
He was met with a soft nasal grunt and when he looked over Cas was still waiting expectantly. "Hey look, I'm sorry. You know I'd hold ya but I can't right now. Just sit there with Sammy till we stop for the night. Then I promise I'll pick ya up, ok?" There was no response at first but when he peered over out of the corner of his eye, he could still see the angel holding up his arms like a porcelain doll someone had posed on his brother's lap. "Cas," Dean sighed, "Man, I wish I could, all right. Just…not right now." This earned him another higher and more insistent grunt that pulled heavily on the man's heart. He couldn't believe how guilty he felt ignoring the request but he turned resolutely away and stared out of the windshield. "No, Cas."
"Den."
The voice was tiny and soft, so quiet Dean wasn't sure he'd even actually heard it. He flicked off the radio entirely and looked to see if perhaps his brother had mumbled in his sleep though he knew the voice had been far too high to belong to the 6'4" figure slouched in the other seat. Castiel was still holding his arms out expectantly but his face was utterly blank and Dean decided he had to be hearing things. He moved to turn the radio on when he heard it again. "Den."
This time his head snapped around and he almost swerved off the road. Castiel was forced to brace himself against Sam's leg and Sam snorted and shifted in his sleep. Dean eased the car over to the side of the road and cast a wary look at the angel. "Did you just…." The infant's face was unreadable but once he managed to regain his balance he went right back to holding his arms up expectantly toward the hunter. Dean rubbed his eyes and turned back to the steeringwheel. "Ok, I'm hearing things. Great. That's just freakin' great." Castiel let out a little whimper and when Dean looked again the angel was leaning farther in his direction. There was no impatience on the upturned face, only a long suffering sort of calm as if the child was simply waiting for Dean to figure out what it was that he was asking for. "Cas, seriously, I can't right now. I'm sorry." He brushed a few stray locks back from Cas's forehead and reached for the gear shift when he heard the tiny voice call out again. Dean looked up and stared deadpan at the infant. "Cas?"
The angel opened and closed his hands once to indicate he'd like to hold onto Dean but when the hunter made no move to pick him up, the angel leaned a little farther toward his side of the car until he was practically bent in half. Dean raised an eyebrow and moved his hand as if he were going to put the car back in gear, this time carefully keeping watch on the passenger side of the car. Sure enough, as his hand closed over the shift, Castiel called out in a thin pleading voice. "Den?"
A huge grin split Dean's face. "Dude…you just said my name. Well, sorta, but close enough. I'm your first word!" The smile on his face spread from ear to ear and he slapped Sam across the arm to wake him, determined to brag about the discovery to someone. Sam jolted awake and the motion threw Castiel off balance again, sending the angel sprawling across the leg he'd been perched on. Sam scrambled to catch him before he slid right off and into the floor. He shot a glare at his overly happy brother as he plucked the angel up and curled him protectively against his chest.
"Dean, I could have dropped him." It was then that Sam noticed the lack of movement and realized they had pulled over. His tone changed from irritation to concern. "What's wrong? Why are we pulled over?"
Dean raised his chin proudly. "Cas just said his first word. Guess what it was." He shot his brother an arrogant smile and tugged on the collar of his jacket.
"He talked?" Sam sounded utterly elated by the new development and he grinned down at Cas. "That's great! What'd he say?" The angel looked lost by all the excitement and he flicked his wings uncertainly as he glanced between the two brothers.
"He said 'Dean'," the other hunter announced proudly.
Sam chuckled and raised his brows. "Really? Can you say it again, Cas?" The infant simply looked at him blankly and then over to Dean again. "Come on Cas, say 'Dean'." Castiel let out a small sigh and flapped his wings once before stilling.
When it didn't look like the child was going to repeat the experience for Sam, an idea popped into Dean's head and he leaned over. His fingers brushed the child's arm and he motioned as if to take Cas. The angel immediately responded by reaching out again as he had earlier, his small hands making grabbing motions, but Dean remained just out of reach. "Come on, Cas. Say it for me."
Sam frowned when Cas let out a frustrated whimper as Dean once again moved out of his reach no matter how far the angel stretched. "Dean, come on, that's kinda mean." The angel stretched out a little farther and let out another pleading whimper as he reached again for the other side of the car.
Dean had to admit he felt a little bad about teasing the infant but he wanted so much to let Sam hear the child talk. "You can do it, Cas. You said it just a minute ago. Say for me again. Please?"
Finally the hunter was rewarded when Castiel chirped his name in his attempts to get the man to cooperate. "Den?"
Dean laughed and pointed excitedly. "SEE? I told you! He said my name!" He happily gave in to the child's demands and at long last Castiel was lifted into the driver's seat. He clambered up Dean's shirt and nuzzled happily into his favorite spot against the etched collarbone above him, his face all but buried in the collar of Dean's leather jacket. He flapped his wings a few times and then settled, warm and comfortable, in the arms cradling him.
Sam chuckled at the whole exchange. "I don't know, Dean, it sounded more like 'den' to me," he teased. He couldn't resist the chance to pick on his big brother what with how excited he was over their friend saying his name.
Dean frowned at him and narrowed his eyes. "Was not," he pouted, "…ok, maybe it was, but that's close enough. He's trying to say Dean. You weren't much better at it when you were his age. You kept calling me 'Da' for like six friggin' months." Sam laughed and leaned against the window. "Don't listen to him, Cas," Dean whispered conspiratorially, "He's just jealous you said my name first."
"Ok, Dean, whatever," Sam chuckled, "at least he's talking. Maybe we can get him to say 'Sam' next. It's easier than 'Dean.'"
The other hunter patted Castiel reassuringly and sulked on his side of the car. "Not if you keep picking on him."
Sam snickered and shook his head. "Ok, ok, I'm sorry. I think it's cute." Dean seemed satisfied by this and he smiled proudly as he reached across and put the car back into drive with his off hand. Sam's eyes went wide. "Dean, you can't drive while holding him."
"Watch me," Dean said in challenge and he pulled carefully back onto the deserted road. "Trust me Sam, I've driven this car while doing things that required a whole lot more concentration than just holding a baby. A whole lot more." His lusty smile earned a shudder from Sam.
"I don't want to know," the younger man said as he turned to look at the window again. "Just warn me if I need to put plastic down on the seat first."
"Oh dude, it is WAY too late for that. You shoulda asked before you got back in the car after I picked you up from college. Actually I'm kinda surprised the seat was dry by then."
"Oh god," Sam moaned, "I just said I didn't want to know."
"Her name was Carla and he did this thing with her tongue ring…"
"DEAN!"
The boys pulled into Spokane just before dawn that night. Dean had wanted to put off calling Crowley until the next night but Sam was insistent that they should at least let him know what they had discovered since they last saw him and he was eager to see if the demon had any new information. They set up a hasty altar and then waited with weapons drawn. Crowley had proven useful in the past, certainly, but Dean wasn't about to trust him and the situation would be far more dangerous now that Castiel lacked the protection of the bunker. Sam stood leaning against the bathroom sink with the angel in his arms. The door to his left was open and he glanced over again to recheck the warding sigils and devil's traps he had drawn on the tile around the shower. If things went poorly he could be within the relative safety of the small protective circle they had erected in the bathtub before Crowley could move two steps. Even the shower curtain bore warding symbols meant to keep potential attackers at bay. Neither brother was taking any chances.
It didn't take too long after the sulfur was ignited before Crowley's low drawl caught their attention. "Haven't either of you ever heard of using a phone? I've got better things to do than come running every time one of you rings the bell." He was leaning casually against the door to their room and Dean spun around to face him when he spoke.
"So sorry to bother you but I don't exactly have 'dial a demon' saved in my phone," Dean snapped.
"Well here's an idea," Crowley said, "ASK, you dimwit. Here, don't strain yourself." A disposable prepaid cellphone was tossed in Dean's direction and the hunter snatched it out of the air.
"You expect me to take this? How do I know you haven't bobby-trapped it or bugged it so you can find us?"
"You don't, you idiot, but since I know you're going to be ringing my dinner bell anyway every time you want information, why would I bother tracking you? All I have to do is wait long enough and you'll call me right to you anyway, moron. I'm just trying to save you the joy of sleeping in rooms that smell like rotten eggs and save me the joy of having to drop what I'm doing EVERY TIME ONE OF THE TWO OF YOU MENSA REJECTS DECIDES YOU WANT TO ANNOY ME," the demon shouted.
Dean cleared his throat and shrugged. He hadn't really thought about that. "Yeah…well…FINE. I'll take the damn thing." He jammed the phone in his pocket and tried to maintain his illusion of controlling the situation.
"Did you find out anything?" Sam interjected before Crowley started a new rant.
"Actually, yes," the demon purred, his demeanor relaxing at once into his usual air of distant snootiness. "And what I found isn't the devil, but it comes in a close second. I was right that a fallen angel is responsible, but it's not just any angel, it's the right hand of the big guy himself. A being known as Belial, first in command of the Morningstar's troops when he decided to rebel. He was a loyal SOB, one of heaven's best and brightest as it were, no pun intended."
Dean stared blankly but Sam looked a little confused. "Belial? Isn't that just another name for Satan?"
"Common mistake," Crowley said dismissively, "Most people think Lucifer had multiple names, which was true enough, but most of his generals wind up getting lumped into that list too. Belial was the epitome of a good soldier. His love of Lucifer was only matched by his love of God himself but the Morning start is nothing if not persuasive and he won Belial to his side by convincing him that it was a test of his loyalty to his father to see if he would put a lesser creature ahead of him. Poor sap believed it and earned himself a trip straight to the pit for it."
"Great," Dean muttered, "Lemme guess, now he wants to let his boss back out of the cage by using Cas?"
"Actually, no," Crowley shrugged, "here's the kicker. He believes that he and all the rebellious angels deserved their punishment and he doesn't want to set Lucifer free…he wants to lock down the cage he's in."
Dean and Sam exchanged looks. "Come again?" Dean said.
"That's right. You see, Lucifer's cage has some small leaks in it as it were. He can't get out but he still has influence in hell and can rule there. Belial wants to seal the cage entirely. He wants to cut Lucifer off and make it so he can't even talk to his minions anymore, leaving Belial as the next contender for the throne since he's the next strongest being in hell," Crowley explained.
"Ok," Dean said warily, "So then why don't we let him? I mean, he can't be much worse than having Lucifer ruling, right? Hell, let's give the guy a hand."
"Not so fast. It's not quite that simple," the demon said cryptically.
"Of course it's not," Dean mumbled.
"See, in order to seal that cage tighter, he needs heaven's help. The only way to seal the cage entirely is through a sacrifice on the part of a heavenly being. More specifically it can only be done by burning an archangel's grace. Think of it as holy caulk."
Sam shuddered. "Burn his grace? Oh god…he's gonna use Gabriel."
"Bingo," Crowley said with disturbing cheerfulness, "and trust me when I say that's not going to be a pleasant end for your obnoxious friend. The ritual would seal the archangel into the cage itself, leaving him with Lucifer at his back and all of hell at his front for all eternity. But the mystery thickens further, my dears, because the ritual in question can't be performed by anyone but another archangel or someone of equivalent power. And since Belial is still locked in his cage, that means he can't do the ritual. He needs someone else to do it for him. Or…he needs someone to let him out. Once he's out, he can use your little holy battery over there," he said pointing to Castiel, "and give himself a power boost big enough to do the deed on his own."
"Ok, so we just have to keep him from getting out of his cage then," Dean said firmly.
Sam didn't look so convinced though. "Wait, so if he's still in his cage then who turned Cas into a baby?"
"That's the million dollar question," Crowley said, "I still don't know how he got your little friend back into diapers but I can tell you that he's got some serious manpower walking around up here to help him get his hands on that tender morsel and it's going to spell trouble for the two of you." He turned meaningfully toward Sam. "So tell me, how have you been feeling lately, pet? Cranky? PMSing? Moody?"
Sam tried to swallow the lump of fear growing in his gut. He wasn't sure how Crowley knew about his loss of control in the warehouse but he hoped that word had simply spread somehow. "What's it to you?" Dean snapped suddenly, placing himself between Crowley and his baby brother. Sam felt a swell of gratitude for the protectiveness as it afforded him a little breathing room from Crowley's knowing stare.
"Oh it doesn't mean anything to me but you might want to be concerned. Belial's help? None other than the home wrecker himself: Legion."
"Legion?" Dean said unimpressed, "We already dealt with Legion when we fought the seven deadly sins. We'll just kick their asses again."
"Not quite," Crowley interrupted, "You see, you fought a legion, not THE Legion. Two different horses. No, Legion, the demon itself, isn't something even another demon trifles with. He, IT, isn't really one demon. It's sort of a culmination. You've read the bible. Remember that old story about Cain and his unfortunate temper tantrum? Well Legion is the damned soul of every descendant of Cain who ever made it into hell and let me tell you, they inherited their forbearer's disposition. Legion is sort of a demon of vengeance against those who it feels were praised unfairly or who escaped punishment they deserved. If you've ever felt put upon, or like life has handed you a bad deal, its presence will increase that. It plays on every jaded and bitter emotion you have and then amplifies it to murderous proportions and let's face it, in the world of those who have been shat on by life, the two of you are at the top of the list. And which one of you got the rawest deal?" He leveled a stare at Sam. "Think about it, boys. One of you was the golden child who daddy loved and god chose to be the vessel for heaven while the other one was always the outsider, the one destined to be Lucifer's meatsuit even before he could crawl. That's got to leave a few harsh feelings behind."
Sam was shaking his head before Crowley even finished. "No, that isn't Dean's fault. He didn't have anything to do with it."
Crowley held up a hand. "Doesn't matter. Legion has the tainted soul of Cain trapped somewhere in it and mark my words that the closer you get to him, the more dangerous you're going to be to anyone you care about."
The words of the demoness from the warehouse echoed in his head once more and Sam shuddered. I am but the servant of the servant. He is coming, he cannot be stopped, and you will bring death to all you love, Sam Winchester. He closed his eyes and shook his head in denial but his uncertainty and worry faded as a small hand pressed against his cheek. Sam turned to look down at the fragile creature he was holding and his resolve solidified. Castiel blinked solemnly at him and patted his cheek again as if offering comfort the only way he knew how. "No," Sam said flatly, "That's not going to happen. If Lucifer himself couldn't get me to kill Dean, then some demon doesn't stand a chance." He looked over at his brother and offered him a reassuring smile that was echoed with one tinged with pride.
Crowley just rolled his eyes. "While I hate to break up this little homoerotic family bonding moment, you two have one more problem at hand. Belial is going to need the help of a powerful angel to get out of his cage, that's the key that breaks his seal, which means he either has to get it from Lucifer or he has to get it from someone a little farther north. Since it's doubtful that Lucifer is going to be stupid enough to help someone that wants to make life harder for him, then it's a safe bet that Belial isn't looking to him for assistance. Which means that he's working with someone else. Someone capable of turning your friend into an infant. Someone powerful enough to help him capture Gabriel. Gentlemen, I think we might have a rogue angel on our hands."