Chapter Fourteen

Oh, man! I'm so excited for this chapter! I have been searching ever since the end of the last one for a way to get Castiel to be influenced by Dean and Buffy more, but he's, like, never around. I just may have discovered a way to keep him around! All you Cas fans out there should be happy! I know I am!

Dean landed in a crouch with the others as Castiel dropped them into a dark room. Castiel suddenly collapsed next to him.

"Whoa! Cas!" Dean yelled, catching the angel as he tumbled towards the floor. "Cas!" He barely spotted a circular table with benches and chairs nearby. "Someone help me!"

Sam took Castiel's other arm, and they eased him down onto the bench next to the table. The lights came on as Dean leaned over Castiel, whose eyes were shut.

"Cas!" Dean tried again with the same response. "Dammit…"

"What happened to him?" asked Willow.

"It must've been that thing Alistair was doing," Dean theorized. "This is not good."

When Dean had started beating on Alistair at the funeral home, Willow had used her spell to free Sam and Bobby first, since they knew how to deal with him. When Alistair had been subdued, they dragged him towards the front door and Castiel since Sam wasn't powerful enough yet to kill a demon that strong and they weren't sure the knife would work. Castiel had been standing on the sidewalk just outside the Enochian wards, waiting.

As soon as they stepped foot outside the place, Alistair had begun chanting something in a strange language, glaring at Castiel. Castiel had immediately laid a hand on his forehead and smote him, white light bursting from Alistair's eyes and mouth. Castiel had looked like he was a bit unsteady, so they suggested they get back to Sunnydale at once.

Dean glanced around to see they were in some kind of shop. "Where'd he drop us, anyway?"

"The Magic Box," Anya told him, heading back out from the counter, where the light switch probably was. "My shop."

"I better call Tara and Dawn and let them know where we are," said Buffy.

"I'll do it, Buff," Xander told her, heading over behind the counter.

Buffy looked down at the unconscious angel. "Does this happen often?"

Dean shook his head. "No. He doesn't even sleep." He frowned a little. "At least, I don't think."

"Well, now what?" asked Willow. "Is the seal safe?"

Bobby nodded. "The seal breaks if two reapers die, and they ain't dead, so—"

"So, we saved the day."

Everyone looked over towards the back of the store at the new voice to find Ruby standing in the doorway of a back room, her eyes black.

"Go, team," smirked Ruby.

Buffy charged towards the demon, but Dean flung himself in front of her, blocking her fist.

"You're protecting a demon?" said Buffy.

"She's one of the good guys," Dean told her.

The others all gave him skeptical looks.

"I know, I know," Dean brushed off. "I'm the last person I ever thought would be saying that, but it's true. She's helping Sam practice his psychic stuff so he can kill Lillith."

"Wow, Dean, I didn't know you cared," said Ruby behind him.

"I don't care," Dean told her. "I just recognize a comrade when I see one. We could use all the help we can get."

"Oh, Dean, I'm flattered," said Ruby, edging around him and heading over towards the table, frowning down at Castiel. "What's up with Feathers?"

"Nothing," Dean told her. "But, uh…I guess I owe you for…Sam. And I just wanted…you know…"

Ruby stared at him. "Don't strain yourself."

"Okay, then, is the moment over?" asked Dean.

Ruby nodded a little.

"Good, 'cause that was awkward," said Dean.

"So…you guys are collaborating…with a demon?" asked Buffy.

"Hey, you're the one who was dating a vampire," Dean shot back at her.

"Okay, so…now, we strategize," said Buffy. "Figure out where they're gonna hit next and…when they'll…strike…"

Dean frowned and followed her gaze towards the front door, where an older gentlemen wearing glasses and carrying some suitcases stood. The man put down his bags and stepped down to the main floor as Buffy went to meet him.

The man smiled and spoke in a British accent. "Oh, God, Buffy." He immediately pulled her into a hug as she hugged him back just as fiercely. "You're alive. And you're here."

Dean leaned over towards Willow with a frown. "This Angel?"

Willow made a slight disgusted face. "No, it's Giles."

Dean nodded. "Watcher. Got it."

"And you're still…remarkably strong," Giles told Buffy in a strained voice.

"Huh?" said Buffy. "Oh." She let him go. "Sorry."

"Willow told me, but I didn't really let myself believe," said Giles.

"I take a little getting used to," said Buffy. "I'm still getting used to me."

"It's, uh…You're…"

"A miracle?"

"Yes. But then, I always thought so." Giles put a hand on her cheek, smiling fondly at her.

Suddenly, the four or so lights closest to the table exploded in a shower of sparks as Castiel bolted upright on the bench, eyes wide and breathing heavily.

"Cas!" Dean exclaimed, leaning over him. "You okay?"

Castiel frowned as he stared at the floor. "I believe I am unharmed."

"What was that Alistair hit you with?" asked Dean.

"I am uncertain," Castiel told him. "But I do believe it was meant to cause me injury."

"Masterful deduction, Sherlock," Dean grumbled, straightening up.

"I take it this is our new Slayer," Giles said, his gaze sizing Dean up. His eyes then slid over to Castiel. "But who is he? Or what?"

"I got a better question," said Dean. He pointed to the doorway past Giles. "Who is he?"

Buffy looked at the doorway to see an older, portly gentleman standing there. "Oh. You." She crossed her arms in annoyance.

"Pleasure to see you again, Ms. Summers," said the man in a British accent.

Dean rolled his eyes. "Let me guess: Watcher's Council."

Buffy waved her hand at Castiel. "Giles, Castiel: angel." She waved her other hand in the man's direction. "Dean, Quentin Travers: Watcher's Council."

"I knew it," Dean grumbled, crossing his arms also.

"Mr. Winchester," Travers said as he walked towards him, "I strongly impress upon you the seriousness of the Slayer-Watcher relationship. As unprecedented as your calling is, every Slayer is to be assigned a Watcher to train them."

"Again, I point out Buffy," Dean told him.

"Buffy Summers had a Watcher in Los Angeles and then for almost three years in Sunnydale," Travers told him. "She has therefore met the appropriate training requirements. You, however, have had no such training. You will, therefore, train with a Watcher in order to meet the Council's orders."

Dean stepped closer to the man, hoping to use a deadly glare and the man's knowledge of his strength to intimidate him. "Listen, pal, I've taken orders my entire life. I ain't listening to anybody. And the hell I haven't had any training. I've been training for this since I was four. My dad was my Watcher. I don't need another one."

"I'll be his Watcher," Bobby said suddenly.

Dean whipped his head around to stare confusedly at Bobby. "Huh?"

"You'll train him?" asked Travers.

Dean glanced at Travers before quickly looking back at Bobby.

Bobby shrugged. "I've known him his whole life. I know his style."

Dean stared pointedly at him. "Bobby!"

"Very well," said Travers.

Dean quickly looked back at him.

"Mr. Winchester will begin training immediately," said Travers. "Mr. Singer, we'll be in contact." He turned towards the entrance to the store.

"Don't you need my number?" asked Bobby.

"We already have it," said Travers, stopping at the door and looked back. "It was good to see you again, Ms. Summers." He nodded at Giles. "Mr. Giles, good day." He headed out of the store and into the night.

Dean rounded on Bobby. "What the hell, Bobby?"

"Got him off your back, didn't it?" said Bobby with a smirk.

Dean froze as he realized what Bobby had done, and he smiled. "Nice one, Bobby." He looked at Buffy. "They don't give up easily, do they?"

Buffy smiled and shook her head. "Not really. It was nice having them stop by for nothing that had to do with me for a change, though."

"I don't think I could've stood taking orders from a stuffy, stuck-up British guy," muttered Dean. He looked at Giles. "No offense."

Giles gave a small smile. "None taken."

"Dean," came Castiel's voice.

Dean turned as Castiel stood from his seat at the table.

"I must return to heaven," Castiel told him. "My superiors will have orders for me."

Dean nodded. "Sure, go ahead. Just let us know if you get any leads on the seals."

Castiel nodded stiffly at him.

The next second, Dean's jaw dropped as two massive white appendages blinked into existence before disappearing just as quickly. Had he blinked, he would've missed it. Whatever Alistair had done had apparently weakened Castiel enough to make him stop concealing his wings to humans, for that had to have been what Dean had seen: two gigantic, pure white wings stretched over his head towards the ceiling as he prepared to take flight.

But Castiel's failure to hide his wings wasn't what worried Dean. What worried Dean was the fact that Castiel should have been gone five blinks of an eye ago, and the angel had doubled over against the table.

"Cas!" Dean called, rushing forward and putting a hand on his shoulder. "What's wrong? You okay?"

Castiel frowned with confused eyes down at the table. "I am unable to fly."

Dean stared at him. "You're out of angel mojo?"

Castiel glanced up at him before looking over at the bruise Willow sported on her forehead from when the demons had knocked her unconscious. He reached two fingers forward and touched her in the middle of the forehead. The next second, the bruise completely disappeared from her face.

Castiel looked down at his hand as he drew it back. "No, I am not powerless. But it seems as though Alistair's spell has temporarily weakened or disabled me."

Dean's eyes widened at the angel. "You mean you're grounded?"

Castiel looked up at Dean, nodding slightly. "To put it figuratively…yes. I cannot return to heaven."

I know. It's a little short. But what a perfect cliffhanger!