A/N: Ok, so yeah, this is a longer chapter just because I wanted to get this ball rolling and didn't think it worked too well if I broke this up. Hope you all enjoy.
To say that Hezrial was pissed would have been a massive understatement, not that Dean could really bring himself to blame the angel. He had never been banished from anywhere himself, at least not without a bouncer and a lot of alcohol involved, but he was pretty sure it had to hurt like hell since every angel he'd ever seen it used on had screamed in agony. He put on as much of a smile as he could manage and glanced down to where his feet were dangling a good four inches off the ground. Hezrial's grip hadn't loosened even a fraction and he remained only a scant few inches from Dean, a scowl etched across his features that morphed his boyish face into something far older and angrier.
"Dean Winchester," the angel ground out, "your arrogance is astounding."
"Yeah, I get that a lot," Dean said lightheartedly as he swallowed the lump in his throat. He wasn't sure how powerful the heavenly being in front of him was but if the immovable grip pinning him to the wall was any indication, then the ass was whipping he was about to receive was truly going to suck.
"You dare to call to me again after what you have done?" Hezrial's eyes narrowed dangerously and in that moment Dean felt a little thrill of fear race down his back. He really needed to start picking fights with creatures not capable of bending time. Or, for that matter, bending him into any random number of impossible shapes. Unfortunately life just didn't seem to work out that way for him and he wasn't about to back down now when Castiel needed him most.
"Look, you don't like me. I get that. You wanna kick my ass? Fine. But right now Cas is in a whole world of trouble so let's hold off on your bruised ego till AFTER he's safe, ok?" Dean asked forcefully. That seemed to get Hezrial's attention and the stranglehold on his shirt loosened enough to let him slide down the wall.
"You will take me to Castiel," the angel ordered sharply as he released Dean's shirt at last. It was clear enough that this wasn't a request and Dean had no intention of arguing as his feet finally hit the ground again. At least for the moment, it looked like he had escaped his intended punishment and if he could get Hezrial back to the hotel then at least he would have Sam's help should things get out of hand.
"Yeah, it's nice to see you again too," he muttered as he stepped around the other man and headed back across the weathered street toward the hotel. He knew Sam would be waiting for them to return and he only hoped they wouldn't need to make use of the sigil painted hastily onto the wall above his brother's bed. Behind him, Dean could almost feel the angel's eyes boring into his back and he half wondered if Hezrial still thought he was worth all the trouble Cas had gone through on his behalf. The angel's opinion didn't matter all that much of course, as long as he was willing to help. The only ones who mattered right then were currently waiting for Dean on the other side of their motel door and a familiar pit of dread opened up in the hunter's stomach as he slid the key into the lock. It was now or never and he could only wait and see if Hezrial would prove as trustworthy and decent as Sam was hoping for. He wasn't holding his breath.
Dean stepped into the room to find Sam exactly where he'd left him with Castiel perched in his lap. The angel was already staring intently in his direction and he wondered if Cas could sense his own kind the same way he could sense the presence of demons. His suspicions were confirmed when Hezrial slid into the room behind him and Castiel flicked his wings excitedly. Sam didn't seem quite as eager to see the newcomer though and he wrapped a protective arm around the infant to shield him as much as was possible from his potential kidnapper. Dean could see his brother tense and the hand he was hovering over the sigil inched closer to it when Hezrial took a few quick steps toward them. The angel's eyes flicked to the blood smeared wall and then down at his brother again and for a minute, Dean almost felt bad for putting the guy in that situation. Hezrial looked genuinely concerned about the tiny figure Sam was cradling and his form went rigid when he realized he wasn't going to be able to get close to him.
"That's right, princess," Dean said from behind him, "We just wanna talk but if you try anything stupid, we'll send your ass on another fun filled trip to nowhere." He moved to place himself between his brother and the angel but when he met Hezrial's eyes again, he was surprised to see a hint of amusement there. "Somethin' funny?" Dean glanced back at Sam who looked just as confused and concerned as he was.
Hezrial raised one eyebrow at him and for the life of him, Dean could swear the angel was fighting down a smile. "You were correct, Dean Winchester. You are not the smart one."
Dean ruffled up at the comment. "The hell is that supposed to mean?"
"Castiel is also an angel, Dean," Hezrial said. His amusement was clear in his voice now and behind him Dean could hear Sam's hand drop back to his lap. He looked back to see his brother thump his head back against the wall in frustration.
Noting Dean's confusion, Sam elaborated. "If I use the angel banishing sigil then I banish ALL the angels in the room, Dean."
Dean could have kicked himself. He swore loudly and pulled the colt from his waistband, leveling it at the angel's head. Hezrial had just become a much bigger threat since they no longer had a way to fend him off should he decide to take Cas with him. Dean's mind raced as he tried to think of a way out of their sudden predicament. "I TOLD you this was a crap idea," he growled at Sam.
"Thanks, Dean. That helpful," Sam grumbled as he pulled Castiel up into a protective embrace and shied away from the other angel. Hezrial had made no move yet to take the infant from them though. He looked at each of them in turn with a forlorn expression that said he wasn't overly happy about what he was about to do and Dean hoped for a moment that he'd change his mind.
"It's obvious you care about him," the angel said softly, "I can see that. I understand that you think you are doing what is best for him but you must understand that you are wrong. The host can protect him. You said yourself that he is in danger. Let me take him. Let me help him." Hezrial took a step forward, his arms out to the side in a show of non-aggression, and Castiel perked up in Sam's arms. He reached out toward the other angel, making the same grabbing motions with his tiny hands that he'd done toward Dean on multiple occasions, and for some reason he didn't care to think about that bothered the hunter. "Dean," Hezrial continued in the sort of voice one usually reserved for spooked animals, "please don't make me take him."
Dean's fingers instantly turned knuckle-white on the grip of the colt. He wasn't sure if it would work on an angel or not but he was perfectly willing to try. Every fiber of him had reared up angrily at the idea of Castiel being forcibly stolen from them and he tensed visibly, his jaw setting into a grim hard line. "You try and I'll kill you, you sunnuva bitch," he snarled through gritted teeth.
Hezrial seemed to realize that his words hadn't had the intended affect and his mouth twitched into a slight frown. He stared long and hard at where Castiel was still silently reaching for him before taking a single step back. "Why did you call me here if not to take him then?" he asked. He seemed to have calmed considerably from the initial meeting at the church and Dean could only assume it was because he knew he could take Cas at any time without the Winchesters being able to do much about it.
"There's a demon called Legion after us," Sam spoke up, "We think Belial sent him to get Cas and we need your help to fight him." Hezrial cocked his head slightly and Sam took it as a gesture to continue. "We know we can't send him back to Hell but we can at least trap him. We just need to get dirt from a grave in Syria. Will you help us?"
The angel cast his eyes down as he mulled over the request. "Once I take Castiel from your care, you should no longer be under threat from the demon," he said matter-of-factly, "but I am not above being willing to aid you this once." He looked pointedly from Dean to Sam. "If you give me my brother quietly and without further issue." The look on Dean's face was clear enough answer and Hezrial sighed through his nose. "I am being more than generous. He will come with me either way. I am offering to help you when we both know I don't have to."
"Yeah well screw you AND your help," Dean snapped. He knew he didn't stand much chance of winning this fight but he couldn't bring himself to just let someone he barely knew take Castiel out of his sight when his friend was so vulnerable. He'd fought against all of Heaven before when they'd tried to make him Michael's meatsuit so he wasn't about to roll over for a single angel that easily.
Sam on the other hand was at least trying to be more diplomatic about it all. "Please," he said with what Dean was sure were the biggest puppy dog eyes he'd ever seen, "we all want to help Cas, ok? Taking him off somewhere when we don't even know what's happening yet might be just as dangerous as letting us keep him. If there is an angel out there that did this to him, then how are you going to keep him safe? We don't even know what happened yet. Dean and I are hidden from both angels and demons yet Legion keeps finding us somehow. How long do you think it's going to take for him to find Cas if we aren't hiding him anymore?"
Hezrial's frown deepened. "As I explained to your brother, there is no angel in Heaven right now who would have the power to change Castiel in this way. He is safer there than here with you." The angel shook his head and sighed quietly. "I wish it did not have to be this way." In the next instant, Dean found himself suddenly unable to move. His muscles locked in place save for his eyes which darted to his brother to see if Sam had also been affected. The younger Winchester was standing just as rigidly and a muscle twitching in his throat was the only indication that he was struggling to move even as Hezrial stepped forward. "I am genuinely sorry," the angel said before plucking Castiel from Sam's arms. He cast a rather adoring look down at the infant who pawed with curiosity at the aquiline nose of the man holding him.
Dean was screaming inside as he struggled to pull the trigger on the colt but it came out as little more than a strangled grunt of frustration. He wanted to kill the bastard, wanted to yell, wanted to beg; anything to keep the angel from disappearing with his friend without even letting them say a proper goodbye. He found himself completely immobile though and unable to do much more than watch helplessly as Hezrial turned for the door. Dean grunted again as he strained with every muscle in his body to stop what was happening. Castiel turned to look at him suddenly as if the infant could sense his distress and he reached out for Dean with the high nasal whine he used when he wanted to be held. The sound almost broke the hunter's heart. He couldn't move to take Cas back, couldn't do anything to reclaim him and he decided he would have much preferred any physical beating over this.
"Den!" Castiel called out. The angel carrying him paused at the door and turned to look back at the person his tiny cargo was struggling to get to. The infant's wings were fluttering quickly with the effort of trying to reach Dean and he let out an unhappy noise as his hands opened and closed. Hezrial tried to soothe him by speaking in hushed whispers but the infant was having none of it and gave the man holding him an imploring look before turning once more for the hunter. Hezrial cast his eyes between the two of them, taking in the struggle on Dean's face as well as the desperate plaintive noises the child was making, and after a long moment he seemed to make a decision that he didn't entirely appear to be happy about. He shook his head and sighed before making his way back over to Sam and Dean where he plucked the colt from the latter's hand and tossed it onto the bed.
Castiel was still squirming in the angel's arms as Hezrial leveled a stare at both Winchesters and in the next moment Dean found himself able to move again. The first thing he did with his regained freedom was to punch Hezrial square in the face. It hurt like hell and Dean snatched his throbbing hand back to his chest but the angel didn't seem terribly offended, perhaps because the blow hadn't so much as knocked a hair out of place. Dean would have hit him again just for that if he didn't know full well it would only result in his other hand hurting too. In the next moment he found that he had a better use for his arms though as Hezrial calmly handed the infant over to him without a fuss. Dean snatched Castiel to his chest and took a few steps back in case the other angel changed his mind. The bundle in his arms wriggled happily up to his favorite spot and settled down quietly now that he could latch onto Dean's shirt again. Hezrial watched the whole exchange with a bemused if exasperated expression. "I am not without mercy," he said softly, "It is obvious that it distresses my brother to be so far from you. I would be doing him no kindness to put him through that."
"Thank you," Sam said as he stepped up to brush reassuringly over Castiel's head. Dean was still glaring daggers at the older angel though. He wasn't as willing to just forgive and he certainly wasn't going to thank the bastard for doing the right thing. Part of him was still convinced this was a trick and that Hezrial was going to snatch Cas away again at any moment. His apprehension eased however as Hezrial shot him a small lopsided smile.
"You are remarkable men to have earned such love and loyalty from my brother," the angel said, "but I still contend that you cannot protect him on your own so I must insist that you allow me to mark you that I might locate you and check in periodically to ensure my brother is in good health."
"You wanna WHAT?" Dean snapped. He wasn't sure what the angel meant by 'marking' him but he was positive he didn't want to find out as his mind ran the gamut from having more sigils carved into his body to much less pleasant methods. Additionally, the last thing he wanted was for this whack job to be able to hover over his bed at night while he was sleeping.
"Uh..That's fine. Thank you," Sam managed far more politely. He wasn't terribly thrilled with the idea either but it was better than having Castiel taken from them and he couldn't argue the usefulness of having an extra angel on standby.
"It is settled then," Hezrial announced. He stepped forward and Dean instinctively flinched back as the angel reached for him. Two fingers poked into his side and there was a spark of searing pain that faded just as quickly. Beside him Dean could see Sam wince as well but they seemed none the worse for wear as the angel stepped back again.
"Lemme guess, you just added your own personal tag?" Dean grumbled. "I swear to God if you people don't stop chiseling away at my bones, I'm not gonna have any ribs LEFT."
Hezrial was utterly unfazed. "My brother hid you from our eyes through the use of the enochian sigils he inscribed. I simply added an addendum to allow me to find you. I will remove it once my brother is back to normal."
"Oh, that's great. I'm your personal freakin' etch-a-sketch. That's just fantastic," Dean said grumpily but Hezrial either didn't notice his surly tone or simply didn't care. He calmly turned and began heading for the door again.
"Uh, don't you want to know what dirt we were asking for?" Sam called after him.
Hezrial paused at the doorway and looked back at them. "I know the demon you speak of and I know what earth will keep him at bay. I will go fetch the things you will need to defend yourselves. You will remain here until my return." Before Dean or Sam could even argue the point the angel was gone in a gust of wind and the rustle of feathers.
Dean scowled at the spot where the angel had been only a moment before. He was still irritated over the attempt to take Cas away and he couldn't get the image out of his head of the infant struggling to get back to him. He turned to find Sam giving him a sympathetic look and he realized that he had curled defensively around his young friend without even thinking about it. He straightened up and shot his brother a look that dared him to make a comment but Sam merely gave him a sad smile and then started packing their bags so they could leave as soon as Hezrial returned. Dean flopped down onto the end of his bed and gently rubbed at the space between the child's small wings, eliciting a contented grunt from somewhere just over his left shoulder. "God, I need a beer," he said to no one in particular. He breathed out a little of the tension that had been riding his shoulders, satisfied at least for the moment that no one was going to take Castiel away.
Sam made his way over and leaned against the squat dresser that huddled against the opposite wall. "If you wanna go get us some, I'll hold Cas till you get back." He let out a small humorless chuckle. "After that, I think I could use one too."
Dean quirked a grin at his brother and tried to decide if it was worth relinquishing his hold on the angel in favor of getting a six pack from the convenience store just up the block. Hezrial was no longer a threat to them and Sam had already proven he was more than capable of protecting Castiel so in the end Dean decided he and his brother had more than earned the right to a cold one and an afternoon of watching old football games on the tiny television their room sported. He handed Cas over and was relieved to see that his friend was perfectly ok with trading Winchesters so long as he was curled up against one of them and he watched with amusement as the little angel butted his forehead against Sam's cheek in a clumsy sort of hug, his chubby arms wrapping around the hunter's neck. Sam chuckled and his face brightened considerably from the worried brooding he'd been doing earlier.
Satisfied that he'd left Castiel in more than capable hands, Dean wandered down the sidewalk toward the garish neon lights marking the 24 hour store up ahead. As he walked, his mind turned back to a time when Sam was as young as Castiel appeared to be now. He could remember his little brother giggling up at him from his crib, his bright eyes crinkled up with joy as Dean dangled some toy or another over him. He could still recall how happy he'd been when his mother and father had brought Sam home. He was a big brother. His father had sat him down and told him how serious and important a task it was to be someones' older sibling and that Sam would look up to him for advice and guidance. He would need to protect him, to keep him out of trouble and sometimes to get him into too. Dean smiled as he walked, memories filing in one by one like a slideshow, recalling adventures playing in various hotels, going to Sam's soccer games, pretending to drive the Impala while Sam rattled off commands more akin to someone flying a spaceship than driving a car. By the time he reached his destination, Dean's mood had greatly improved and he could think of nothing better than sitting back and enjoying a good game and a cold brew with his little brother.
He grabbed up a six pack and even felt up to flirting casually with the pretty little thing behind the counter. He left with her number in his pocket and her wink still fresh in his mind even though he knew he wouldn't get the opportunity to do much with either. Sometimes the chase was worth more than the destination. With that pleasant thought in mind, Dean popped open the door to the motel and stepped inside. The smell of soil hit him squarely in the face with such power that he gagged on it at first. The case of beer hit the ground but he didn't even register the sound of the shattering glass over the high terrified cry of Castiel from within the room. Dean's heart slammed into the bottom of his stomach as he took in the sight of Sam's still form laying on the floor and figure standing over him with Castiel cowering in its grip. Brilliant green eyes met his own and the demon let out a low growl. Long thin fingers tipped with dirt caked, ragged nails curled in a vice-like grip around Castiel's arm while the other bony hand curled around to support the infant's weight. Cas's wings were plastered tight to his body and he was curling himself into as small a ball as he could manage, his wide terrified eyes peering out over the creature's hand. Dean drew his weapon and lunged for the monster but he didn't make it more than a few steps inside before something slammed against the back of his head. His body hit the ground and he barely managed to roll onto his back as he fought to stay conscious. Laying on the carpet with the blackness closing in around the edges of his vision, he looked up to see another demon standing just behind the door with a heavy cudgel in one hand and Legion towering over him with Castiel still in its grip. The infant let out a high frightened squeak and curled in farther on himself.
"Den!"