Chapter Eleven

Dean entered the motel room in a hurry to find Sam pacing up and down, his expression tense. "Dean!" he exclaimed the moment he saw his brother. "Oh thank God – Dean, the angels took Adam and Cas–"

"Where?" demanded Dean, dumping the lunch they'd never eat on the table.

"I don't know!" Sam said in frustration, running his hands through his hair. "Dean, what do we do?"

"Think, Sammy!" said Dean. "Where could they have taken them?"

"I don't know," repeated Sam, sounding desperate. "If only there was some way to find out..." He trailed off, still pacing.

Dean watched him for a few seconds, and then put his hands on Sam's shoulders, stopping him in his tracks. "Sammy, sit," he ordered, forcing Sam down to sit down on the bed Adam had been asleep on. "Relax."

"Dean, our brother and our friend both just got kidnapped!" Sam reminded him. "How can I relax?"

"You know what I mean," said Dean impatiently.

There was a silence, during which Dean paced a little in Sam's stead and then plopped down next to his brother on the bed. "Anything?" they both asked in unison.

"No," was the simultaneous reply. Then a singular sigh from both of them.

"Stop it," Sam said just as Dean said, "Quit it, Sam."

"No, you quit it," Sam replied at the same time that Dean ordered, "No, you stop it."

They both huffed, glared and looked away.

Five minutes later Sam suddenly sat up straight and said, "Angels!"

Dean raised an eyebrow at him. "Angels?"

Sam nodded so fast his hair flew everywhere. "Yeah, Dean. You said you'd gotten some angel to fix me? Maybe we can ask him!"

Dean looked like he was considering it, and then he asked, "But why would he help us? The angels think we have the Tablet, remember?"

Sam looked disappointed. "Maybe Michael?" he said hopefully.

Dean couldn't help but snort. "Yeah, right. Sam, the only reason he agreed to fix you is because we agreed to get him out of the Cage. I doubt he'll even listen to us now."

Sam sighed in despair, having to agree. "What do we do, Dean?" he asked quietly. "How do we save them?"

"Don't worry, Sammy," Dean said. "We'll find something. Did Cas mention where he was coming from?"

Sam shook his head. "No, he didn't."

"Nothing?" pressed Dean, and again Sam shook his head. "Damn."

Suddenly Sam caught a glimpse of something on his bed, the one Cas had been sitting on, and he stood. "Where are you going?" asked Dean, but Sam waved an arm at him to keep quiet.

"Look at this," he said, holding up a postcard. "I think it fell out of his pocket when he sat down."

Dean stood, walking closer to look at it better. "A postcard. Huh."

"Yeah, it's from–" Sam squinted at it, "Oregon."

"Oregon?" repeated Dean. "It's going to take us time to get there, Sammy."

Sam sighed unhappily. "I know, but I guess if we set off right now, we can get there in a day and a half, maybe less?"

"Let's go, then," said Dean, throwing things into Sam's open duffel.

"Where are we?" Adam asked Castiel, once the angels had left them alone.

"Oregon," answered Cas. He was leaning against the wall with his eyes shut, and he looked absolutely exhausted. The angels had given him quite a rough time, and now he had a few extra cuts as well. The gash on his forehead that Sam had treated had opened as well, the stitches splitting.

"Do you think Sam and Dean know we're here?" asked Adam, sounding hopeful.

Cas shook his head. "I never mentioned it," he said, sounding irritated with himself that he hadn't. He remembered the postcard in his pocket, and discreetly checked for it. It wasn't there, and he felt a surge of hope – maybe it had fallen out and Sam or Dean had seen it. He didn't mention it to Adam, though – it was still a slim chance and he didn't want to give the boy any false hope.

Adam sighed, the sound echoing in their small room. "This sucks," he said, leaning back against the wall as well. The room was too small for them, damp, smelly and bare. Stone walls, no windows, and a door that was locked from the outside. Most probably underground. Adam had deduced all this after the angels had left. They'd left him alone for the most part, and for that he was thankful. He got the feeling they still didn't know what to do with him.

"I agree, Adam," Cas replied. "Hopefully we can find a way to escape."

"Can't you zap us outta here?" suggested Adam.

"No," sighed the angel. "This place is warded against that."

A silence followed, during which Castiel cursed himself for landing them both in this mess, and Adam tried to think of more ways. Finally he gave up and asked, "What are they going to do to us?"

"I don't know what they'll do to you," answered Cas, "but they're definitely going to hurt me."

"Why?"

"I was supposed to get them the Angel Tablet, by fooling the Winchesters. And they wanted me to kill Dean. I couldn't do that," explained Castiel. "I just couldn't. So I took the Angel Tablet, and I ran, from everybody. Well, at least until Dean called about you."

"Dean's a hard person to say no to," observed Adam.

"Absolutely," agreed Castiel. "Maybe it's because he never asks."

"And don't even get me started on Sam," said Adam. "Have you seen those eyes?"

Castiel smiled. "Plenty of times. Needless to say, he gets what he wants. And there are two reasons for that."

"What are they?" asked Adam, curious.

"Firstly, the eyes themselves," Cas told him. "Secondly, the fact that Dean causes pain to anyone who hurts Sam in any way... sometimes even himself."

"He's got a major guilt complex," Adam stated. "I don't know why he thinks everything's his fault. It isn't."

"I know that," Cas said. "It comes with having so much responsibility handed to him at such a young age, I suppose."

"But he doesn't think of Sam as a responsibility," Adam said. "He protects Sam because he wants to, not because he has to."

There was a pause, and then Castiel said, "You know, the Winchesters were the first humans I properly interacted with. And they taught me so much about loyalty. Love. Friendship. Family. And when I dealt with other humans – well, you can imagine it was a big let-down."

Adam thought about that, and then said, "They care, you know. Not just for each other, but for, you know, everyone they consider a friend."

"I'm lucky to be in that category, to be honest," Castiel said, looking at Adam with tired blue eyes. "I don't deserve it."

Adam blinked. "What makes you say that?" he asked, intrigued.

"Well, I have let them down," Cas said, his tone sad. "Betrayed them. Hurt them. They've probably told you about it."

"They told me everything," Adam replied. "You've made up for it. They trust you."

"Well, they shouldn't," snapped Castiel, and Adam flinched, surprised. He hadn't expected it from the gentle angel. "I'm sorry," Cas added at once. "I am just... upset."

"It's all right," Adam responded. "I get it. It's okay." But he still looked a little wary and also... frightened?

"I apologize."

"It's okay. Really."

"I'll – I'll just rest now."

"You do that. You need it."

Dean glanced over at Sam, who was tapping his fingers restlessly against his knee. "Listen to me," he said, and immediately Sam's tapping stopped. He looked at Dean. "How do you feel?" asked Dean.

"I'm fine," answered Sam, sounding anything but fine.

"No, really," insisted Dean. "Are you okay with, you know, barging in there and kicking some ass?"

"I'm fine, Dean," repeated Sam. "I can do this."

"You sure?"

"Yes, Dean. If I wasn't I'd tell you."

"All right, Sam."

Some time passed, and then Sam said, "Dean? Do you think they're hurting him?"

Dean shrugged. "I don't know, Sam."

"I kinda got the feeling they didn't know what to do with him," Sam told Dean. "Like, they had no idea he was even with us, you know? I mean, they knew he was out there, just not where he was."

"Well, that's good," said Dean. "They're probably gonna leave him alone until they figure out what to do with him."

"Not Cas, though," Sam pointed out. "They've got, like, a million bones to pick with Cas."

"They might come after us, too," Dean remembered. "They think we have the tablet."

"These tablets are more trouble than they're worth," muttered Sam.

"You said it, Sammy."

The door opened and one of the lackey angels walked in. "Adam Winchester," he said, and Adam looked up.

"It's Milligan," he said listlessly. He'd been in there for hours, and he was bored out of his wits. Ages in the Impala with his brothers seemed like Heaven to him right then.

"Yes, whatever," said the angel. He ignored Castiel sitting next to Adam, not moving at all. If he didn't know better he'd say Cas was asleep. "You're wanted."

"Where?" asked Adam, and now he looked wary.

The angel didn't say anything, just stared until Adam sighed and got to his feet. "Lead, kindly light," he said, his tone mocking.

The angel blinked. "I don't understand."

"Oh for God's sake," groaned Adam. The angel gave up and the rest of the way they walked in silence.

After a ten-minute walk down a long corridor that probably hadn't been used since dinosaurs walked the earth, they came to an unmarked door. The angel opened it and said, "In there, Adam Winchester."

"Milligan," Adam corrected, feeling irritated. If he was going to be held against his will, the least they could do was get his name right.

He walked inside to find a bright white office, with nothing but a white desk at the opposite end of the room. He blinked, the sudden light assaulting his eyes and making them water. Pretty room in a dilapidated building – Adam wanted to punch something, anything to throw off the deja-vu.

There was a female seated at the desk, a professional-looking type with her hair in a tight bun. "Welcome, Adam," she said. "Take a seat." She gestured towards the white leather chair in front of her desk.

Adam did not oblige. "Nah thanks, I'm good," he said cautiously. "I'm assuming you're an angel too?"

She smiled at him, a cold smile that caused him to shiver involuntarily. "My name is Naomi. I asked for you to be brought here."

"Why?" asked Adam.

She smiled wider. "I just want to ask you some questions."

Uh-oh. That was never good. Adam had seen enough action movies to know where this was heading. "Thanks, but no thanks," he said, taking care to keep his tone light. "I know nothing, really. Nada. I'm the stupidest human you'll come across."

"I don't think so, Adam," Naomi told him. "You interest me very much."

"Thanks, but you're really not my type," Adam told her, grinning uneasily. This was not what he'd meant when he'd wished he'd stop being bored.

Naomi didn't look amused. "Sit down, Adam," she said. She was no longer smiling.

Adam did so this time, feeling extremely conscious. He planted an inch of his behind on the chair and the rest of him remained somewhat hovering in midair, ready to bolt at a moment's notice. Angels were beginning to scare the crap out of him.

"You were Michael's vessel, correct?" asked Naomi, scrutinizing him.

He tried not to look her in the eyes even as he winced at the memories. "Yeah," he muttered.

"What was it like?"

"Absolutely crappy," answered Adam. "I had to remind him to eat, sleep and pee."

The joke fell on deaf ears. "What do you remember of it?"

"All of it." He prayed the questions would be just that – questions. He had no wish to be angel chow – again.

"Can you tell me more?"

He blinked. "Sorry, what?"

She repeated the question, staring at him almost eagerly. Adam looked her in the eyes with some difficulty, not wanting her to think he was lying.

"There's nothing to tell," he told her. "He possessed me, tried to kill my brothers, my brothers are kickass and so two of us ended up in the Cage and not, you know, dead. Might have been better, though," he muttered as an afterthought.

"But you said yes to him," she pointed out. "Why?"

"I was stuck in a room with his true form," Adam said, beginning to feel anger creep up on him. "I wasn't offered much of a choice. It was that, or incinerate."

"And the Cage. What was it like?"

"Complete shit," answered Adam, feeling angrier by the second. Her people were the reason he'd been in there in the first place, and she had absolutely no right to kidnap him, hurt his friend and then demand answers.

"That's not very helpful, Adam," she told him. "I'd like you to elaborate, please."

Adam stood. "Well, I'd like you to shut the hell up," he said, struggling to keep from shouting. At this point he didn't care if she hurt him, he just wanted her to shut up. "Just keep your questions to yourself."

She stood too. "Adam, please do not make me use force."

He scoffed, against his better judgment. "Gee, I'm scared," he said sarcastically. "I wonder what you're going to do, poke me with a toothpick?"

She smiled again, and this time it did scare him into silence. "You could say that." Her tone was light and conversational once again.

Adam tried to turn and run, but found himself unable to move. "Ah, fuck," he muttered.

"How long till we get there, Dean?" asked Sam, yawning. It was nighttime.

"We should be there by morning," answered Dean. "No stopping."

"Hey, do you want me to drive?" offered Sam, noting how tired his big brother looked. "You sleep for a bit."

"I'm fine, Sammy," Dean told him. "You rest. You need it more than I do."

"Doesn't mean you don't need it at all," argued Sam.

"Sam, I'm all right. I'm not letting you drive."

"Why not?" asked Sam, sounding annoyed.

"Because you're not okay," Dean snapped. "And you know it. I agreed to let you help save Adam and Cas, Sammy, but trust me, it goes against every instinct I've got. I don't want you dropping again, Sam."

"Dean," began Sam, then thought better of it. "Fine," he finally said. "Okay."

Dean looked surprised. "Is that it? No bitchfit?"

Sam made a face. "I do not throw bitchfits."

"Sure you don't," replied Dean. "You also don't arrange your boxers by color, or use fancy shampoo for your big fat head, or listen to wimpy music – and oh, you definitely are not a big-ass Sasquatch."

Sam punched him, and Dean was pleased to find it actually hurt. "I hate you," grumbled Sam.

Dean laughed. "Yeah yeah. Whatever you say."

Adam rubbed his eyes again. "Bitch," he muttered under his breath for the thousandth time.

"Are you all right?" asked Castiel, looking concerned.

"My eyes are itching," answered Adam. "Bitch," he said again.

He was back in the cell he shared with Cas, sitting in his previous spot with his back against the wall. He had a splitting headache and his eyes felt like they'd been – well, poked. The angel wasn't much better off, either – without being able to heal himself, his wounds were getting worse, and the other angels certainly weren't helping.

"What did she see, inside your head?" asked Cas.

"I don't know," Adam said, scratching furiously at his eyes. "Hey, is this normal?"

Cas shrugged. "I wouldn't know."

"Oh yeah, you healed. Lucky you," muttered Adam angrily. "Bitch," he added.

"Listen to me," Castiel said, his tone serious. "She thinks Sam and Dean have the Angel Tablet, and she's going to do whatever she can to get that information out of you. Don't tell her anything."

"I don't know anything," Adam pointed out. "She's probably only interested because of stupid Michael. Bitch."

"Yeah, that's probably it," Cas agreed. "But don't worry, though. Sam and Dean are most likely on their way right now."

"They better hurry," grumbled Adam. "I swear, if she pokes me one more time I'm going to hit her. Bitch."

"She's stronger than you," Cas reminded him.

"Aren't you a ray of sunshine," muttered Adam, and to his surprise, Castiel laughed.

"You are much like Dean," he told Adam. "Right down to the... language."

Adam blinked. "Thanks, I guess?" he answered uncertainly, not sure how to respond. Cas just smiled at him.

A while passed in silence, and then the angel said, "What are your plans, then, Adam? Are you going to stay with your brothers?"

Adam shrugged. "Where else would I go?"

"Did your mother have no other family you could go to?" inquired Cas.

"Nah, just a sister," Adam said. "And I'm pretty sure she's demonic. She thinks I'm dead anyway. I'd rather stay with Sam and Dean."

"It's a dangerous life they lead."

Adam laughed. "After everything I've seen these past few days, I won't disagree. But it's all right, you know?"

Cas cocked his head to one side. "You haven't been with them very long, yet you seem convinced of your path."

Adam shrugged again. "They're all right. They look after me just fine."

Castiel smiled to himself. "Of course they do." Then he said, "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure, I guess," replied Adam. "Shoot."

"What was it like," began Cas hesitantly, "being possessed by Michael?"

Adam regarded him for a second. "Pretty crap," he finally said. "I could see everything he was doing, but I could do nothing about it. It sucked pretty bad."

"And the Cage?" inquired Cas.

"Worse," replied Adam, deciding to trust Castiel. His brothers did, so he didn't see why he should not. "Michael decided to keep my face. That kinda made it worse than it had to be."

"Sam didn't let them hurt you," Cas stated.

Adam exhaled loudly. "No, he didn't. They just waited until he left."

"Michael, too?"

"No, but he did nothing to stop Lucifer. That makes him just as bad, in my book."

Instead of replying, Cas said, "You know, it was I that pulled Sam out."

Adam blinked in surprise. "Really?"

Castiel nodded. "Of course, my intentions were not... what they should have been. And I left his soul in there."

"So the Sam that was in there with me, that was his soul, not his body?" Adam looked like he was trying to process all of this brand-new information.

"Yes. Though in the Cage, it manifested as a body. Mainly for Lucifer's twisted pleasure, I suspect." Castiel looked regretful. "Looking back, of course, I wish I hadn't left his soul in there. Or at the very least, I could have left his Wall intact, afterwards."

"Why didn't you pull me out too?" asked Adam, his face shut off and expression unreadable.

Cas sighed. "I was selfish, at the time. I thought I was doing good. I was hiding things, even from Sam and Dean. You were not relevant to my plans at the time."

"And after?"

"And after, to quote Dean, I went 'crazy town'."

There was a silence again, and Castiel found he was unable to meet Adam's eyes. Clearly the boy was wondering what it might have been like if he'd been pulled out earlier. He definitely wouldn't have to suffer through what he was going through. And for that, Castiel blamed himself.

"We're here," Dean said, shaking Sam lightly. "Wake up."

Sam got up with a jolt, blinking rapidly. "Oregon?"

"Yep," confirmed Dean. "That little town on the postcard, Whatsisface."

Sam looked outside the window, nearly blinded by the bright sunlight but looking anyway. "Dean, they could be anywhere in here."

"Nah, I did my homework," Dean told Sam, grinning. "While you were asleep, I asked around, and there's a bunch of abandoned warehouses nearby. Remember Van Nuys?"

"How could I forget?" muttered Sam. "Damn Zachariah."

"Well, I figured it's kinda like that," Dean said. "So I did some scouting, and here we are."

Sam got out of the car. "You sure this is the right one?"

"Positive," answered Dean, following him to the trunk. "Now let's go kick some ass."

"Adam Winchester."

"For the last fucking time," growled Adam, reaching the end of his tether. "It's Milligan."

"Follow me."

"I'm not going anywhere," declared Adam, crossing his arms and glaring at the angel. "That bitch is gonna poke me in the eyes again."

Cas looked weary as he said, "There is no point in resistance, Adam. She'll get you to talk to her some way or another."

"What would I do without your sunny disposition," muttered Adam. He got to his feet and said to the other angel, "All right, but she better not poke me this time."

The angel simply looked bored as he said, "Castiel, you as well."

Cas looked surprised. "What, why?"

The angel did not answer, just said, "Come, Castiel."

Adam looked askance at his friend, but only got a shrug in response. The angel led them down the same hallway, before letting them into Naomi's office and leaving.

Once again she made Adam sit in the same leather chair, before turning to Castiel and saying, "I'll only ask you once. Where is the Angel Tablet?"

"I will not tell you," Castiel informed her.

She smiled at him, before moving to Adam's side. She placed her hand on his shoulder, and immediately he let out a gasp of pain; her touch was scalding. "Do not resist, Castiel. You know there is no point."

Adam shrugged out from under her grip and got to his feet, clutching his shoulder. His clothing in that area was smoldering. "Bitch," he gasped. "That was not necessary."

She forced him back into the chair, and Castiel cringed when he saw the smoke rising from Adam's clothes. "This is a brand-new shirt, bitch," complained Adam, trying to fight her. "My brothers got it for me. And now it's ruined."

She touched two fingers to his forehead, and immediately he went limp. "This is just the beginning," she told Cas. "Answer my questions, or he suffers."

"I refuse," Castiel said, determined. "I will not let you hurt him."

"And how are you going to stop me?" she asked. "You are cut off from Heaven, almost powerless to stop me. You cannot even heal. And for what, three humans?"

"Those humans are my friends," Cas said. "And I will not let them down."

She moved towards him, causing him to back into a corner. "You already have, Castiel."

The door burst open and the angel from before staggered inside, gasping, "Winchesters. They're here."

Naomi stopped in her tracks. "How did they find us?" she demanded.

"I don't know," panted the angel. "But they've already killed three of us, and they're on their way here. I just managed to get away." He held out his arm, which had a long gash in it.

Naomi cursed, before turning to Castiel. "This is not over," she hissed. She turned back to the angel and said, "Restrain Castiel and the boy. Bring them to me." And she vanished in a rustle of wings.

Immediately the room went back to its previous state – a damp, dark room with dust on every surface. The chair Adam had been on vanished and he slumped to the floor, clearly unconscious. The angel proceeded in his direction, but was stopped by Castiel.

"I will not let you take him," he said, his tone steely.

"You cannot stop me," the angel replied.

"Maybe not," Castiel said, "but I know someone who can." And without warning, he punched the angel. "Ow," he muttered, his knuckles throbbing. "Sam and Dean make it look so easy."

The angel was furious. "How dare you," he sputtered angrily, before slamming Cas into a wall. He advanced on him, saying, "These are maggots you are fighting for, Castiel! You are only causing yourself harm!"

Castiel got to his feet, lip bleeding. His knuckles were beginning to bruise from the punch he had delivered, but he was not done yet. He outstretched his hand and spread his fingers open wide, and immediately the other angel fell to his knees. It only lasted a moment, however – in his weakened state Castiel couldn't have tickled a baby angel.

He didn't have to, at any rate – just then the door banged open and Dean barged in. "LET HIM GO!" he roared at the angel, who just grinned.

"Make me," he challenged.

Dean rolled his eyes. "Did you not see what happened to your pals?" he demanded. "Do you want to go the same way?"

Sam had rushed to Adam's side, and was checking his pulse. "He's all right," he called out. "Just knocked out."

"Take him," Castiel said, "and run. Now."

"What are you going to do?" asked Dean.

Cas looked determined. "I'll hold him off," he answered, gesturing towards the other angel, who was watching the exchange warily. "Take Adam and leave, before the others find you."

"Why can't we just kill him?" inquired Dean, as Sam joined him at his side with Adam over his shoulder in a fireman's carry.

Cas looked somewhat annoyed. "Because it's unnecessary," he said. Dean looked like he was going to protest, and so Castiel continued, "Trust me on this, Dean."

Dean nodded reluctantly. "Sure you'll be all right, Cas?"

"I'll be fine," Castiel replied, even as the angel began to raise his arms to attack. "Now go."

Dean gave Castiel one last glance, before pushing Sam out the door. "Run, Sammy."

They got outside without running into any other angels. Sam bundled Adam into the Impala and got in the front, just as Dean started the car and pressed his foot down on the pedals. "Let's go," he muttered.

Behind them, the warehouse was enveloped in a flash of white light, almost invisible in the morning sun, before it went dark again.

I had a couple of days free, and so I go this out as fast as I could. You're welcome, peasants.

My exams are going well so far, I'm done with five out of twelve, and the next one is tomorrow. I'm just really hopeful I do well, a scholarship to the university I want to go to depends on it. And you know the awesome part? My mom promised that if I get into uni on a scholarship then she'll use the money she saved up for my college to get me a driving license (and hopefully a car). And guess which car I have my eye on?

DAMN STRAIGHT, PEASANTS. I FOUND A '67 IMPALA IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD :D *dies of happiness* since you're all my peasants, you have to pLEASE PRAY THAT MY PARENTS AGREE TO GETTING ME ONE OF THOSE.

Just one year to go till I can drive... *counts down days on fingers and marks calenders all over the planet*

BUT YOU GUYS. THE FINALE. THIS FUCKING FINALE. THE LAST TIME I SOBBED THIS HARD WAS DURING THE SEASON 5 FINALE. THAT WAS LIKE, 90 YEARS AGO. But I don't know if all of you have watched it, so I'm not going to spaz about it because that would ruin it for you. And I'm too awesome to allow that. Nothing worse than spoilers.

If I get the all-clear from you guys, I'll spaz about it next chapter. *nods*

Today's question - which finale is your favorite, and why?

Mine's definitely the S8 finale (THANKS TO THE LONG OVERDUE BRO MO) and the S5 finale, mainly because I sobbed for days afterwards.

What is my life.

Anyway, review, eh, peasants? And remember, your Czar loves you :D

-Peace x