Several buses and a taxi later, Sam trudged into the hotel where the gang had been staying when Jael had arrived. Sam frowned a little as he saw Ella's things resting on his and her bed. He sank down onto the edge of it and laid back on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. He could still smell the aroma of Ella's shampoo on her pillow, which was still a bit wrinkled from where they had slept. All he could think was that it was like Jessica all over again, except he had not felt this deeply for Jessica. Oshea's things were still resting on the bed, a little messily packed. The new and still unused lock picking kit was sitting on top of the zipped up suitcase.

The room was silent for a good ten minutes or more. Dean finally tore his eyes away from Oshea's things, putting on a brave face as he had done on many other occasions. What's done is done. Sitting there wallowing in the pain wouldn't bring Oshea back. But for the first time in years, all he wanted to do was wallow. Sam opened his mouth to speak, to ask his older brother where they went from there. They had dealt with tragedy before, but this… Sam wasn't sure that he could take it. He felt like a child again and more than anything, he wanted his big brother to tell him that everything was going to be okay. That they were going to find a way to get through this together even though things seemed utterly hopeless. He did not get the chance to speak, for as soon as he opened his mouth there was a knock at the door. His heart leapt in his chest and he jumped off of the bed, hoping against hope that it was Ella and Oshea, that they had somehow managed to get out. Instead, he was greeted by the very last person he wanted to see: an angel.

It had been a very long and very frustrating trip for Castiel. He had taken the same buses, though instead of a taxi for the last leg of his journey, he had walked and walked until he could no longer feel his legs or feet. They simply moved mechanically as if locked in an eternal loop. He could still taste Jael's kiss on his lips, though it was tainted by the overpowering bitter taste of betrayal. He should have known that Jael had been in league with Ezra from the start. Should have known when she came to him for aid that he was falling right into their trap. When Jael had informed the others about the seal, he had gone to investigate himself before the others had even finished packing. When he had gotten there, he had discovered Jonah, the hounds, and Ezra, who trapped him in a ring of holy fire in one of the upper floors of one of the many deserted buildings. Jael had released him afterwards, but by that time, the shop was a pile of rubble and Dean and Sam were gone. He had gone back to the last place he remembered seeing them, but because he had foolishly given his powers to Jael, he could not teleport much. It had nearly exhausted him teleporting to Carthage, which is why it had not been hard for the others to trap him. He had decided to conserve his little remaining power in the case of emergencies. He had spent the long ride thinking about Jael and how she had betrayed him. He had loved her for so long and with that kiss, he had thought…. He couldn't have been more wrong.

Whatever he had been expecting when he had arrived at the Winchesters, it was not Sam grabbing him by the throat and throwing him to the floor in the room. It was not Sam slamming and then locking the door behind himself. "This is your fault," Sam hissed through clenched teeth, his eyes still a bit red from tears. "You were the one who told us to trust this Jael in the first place. 'She will not betray us. You have my word.' She's the one that did this right? She was supposed to be guarding Ella and she let her DIE!"

Castiel pushed himself slowly to his feet, his brows furrowed. "I didn't kn-"

"What you didn't know? You're a freaking angel! How could you not know?" Sam yelled.

"He was too busy making lovey dovey moon eyes at Jael to realize that she was a two faced liar with a hidden agenda to screw him, and to screw us over at the same time. Isn't that right, Cas?" Dean asked calmly.

Castiel glanced over to Dean, a feeling of shame washing over him. He lowered his eyes. "Dean… I… I do not know what to say…"

"Say you'll bring them back. I don't care if it kills you or if you get trapped in Hell or wherever they are now, bring them back!" Sam said in a rough voice.

"I… I cannot do that. I transferred my power to Jael…" Castiel mumbled softly, blood running down his lower lip and from a cut above his eye.

"You what now?" Dean asked incredulously. "Of course you did…"

"So what you're all humany now?" Sam asked slowly.

Castiel nodded. Sam nodded in return. "Good. It'll be easier to kill you that way.' He said, grabbing Castiel's throat again before driving his fist into the angel's face repeatedly.

"Sam wait," He said, stopping him. When Sam backed away, Dean punched Castiel clear across the face once. "Okay, I'm done. Have at it, I'm going to go get a burger."

Because food is the answer to everything.

xx

Sam nodded and grabbed Castiel punching him again and again. Several moments later, Castiel was on his knees on the floor, his arms curved around his stomach. He was doubled over, his forehead brushing against the cool floor as blood poured steadily from his mouth. He was clothed in only his dark suit. At some point, the trench coat had been lost. His breathing was labored; so much so that he sounded like a broken air conditioner, wheezing and stuttering. His eyes were both swollen and bruised, his nose was broken, his lips split. He was sure that there were even a few teeth dripping out of his mouth with the thick blood.

Sam was panting heavily, his knuckles and face spattered with the angel's blood. He gave the angel a final kick in the ribs, sending him to the floor. Castiel laid one his side, not seeming to move. Sam stepped out of the hotel to find Dean eating by the Impala. "So… what now…?"

Dean arched a brow as he looked at Sam's blood splattered face and shirt. A lady passing by them on the sidewalk glanced up from walking her pet Pomeranian. The cheery smile faded as she looked up at Sam and her eyes widened a little, before she hurried away.

"Well, first off, you need to go inside and wash up before people start calling the cops."

Sam glanced down at himself and nodded. "Yeah, I do kinda give off that whole Ted Bundy vibe… Cas is… he's uh… gone." He finally finished, starting to feel just a smidge of guilt as he started back inside.

Dean's eyes widened "Gone?"

"Well… uh… he kinda… wasn't moving… anymore," Sam said, rubbing the back of his neck. "I think… I might have broke him…"

Dean stared at Sam before hurrying back into the motel room. He leaned down and checked the unconscious Castiel's pulse. "Well, he's alive. But you probably put him in a coma or something. Good job, Sammy."

Sam stood in the doorway, frowning a little. "Well… dad always said I had his temper," He said quietly. "You think we should uh… call an ambulance?"

"What do you think, Sam?"

Sam cleared his throat and nodded. "Right…" he said quietly as he pulled out his cell phone and dialed the number. A few dark feathers fell about Castiel's back, burning into the floor.