Chapter 25

(Please Read and Review thank you! Once again I don't own anything.)

"So a museum?" Bella questions as she follows Cas inside.

He says nothing as they head on in. She tugs at his arm as he merely tries to walk through.

"Cas!"

"I have to pay first." She says forcing a smile.

The woman behind the counter looks confused.

"Pay?" He questions.

"Yes Cas."

Once she pays she takes him by the arm and leans in.

"Um I thought we were supposed to be looking for artifacts."

"We are."

She narrows her eyes keeping a hold of him.

"Oh wow…" She says looking around.

"This place is huge."

Cas's mind seemed elsewhere as she looked around. He began to walk off from the exhibit she was looking it. She was still clung to his arm so he was dragging her along.

"Cas, I wasn't quite done."

He continues about like he's on a mission, little aware that he actually was. Bella had expected something much like Italy again. However this was turning out to be something like The Thomas Crown Affair. Cas goes to punch through one of the glass containers. And Bella's eyes widen she quickly shoves his hand down.

"Cas! What are you doing?"

"This is one of the artifacts." He reaches his hand out again.

"Jesus Christ."

Cas narrows his eyes turning to her.

"This one actually has nothing to do with Jesus. But with famine."

Bella sucks back a breath.

"No Cas… I mean there's an alarm system from hell in there and we're surrounded by people. You can't just break into that and take off like it's nothing. That and there's surveillance cameras everywhere."

Castiel looks around.

"See…"

He nods. Suddenly the lenses on the cameras start to bust. The lights flicker.

"Um Cas…" She clings to him tighter looking around.

The room grows dark and she hears the shattering of glass. Oh my god my angels a freaking thief! She finds herself thinking as he grips her tightly and her eyes close.

Bella awakes in the hotel bed.

"Cas?" She calls out coming to her feet.

She looks over to see a piece of paper. Scribbled on it was one word. Heaven. For some reason she laughs.

"Well that's not your typical Dear John or I'm off to the store hun…" She mutters.

She picks up the piece of paper though and places it on the nightstand. Her cell rings and she answers.

"Hells Bells speaking." Something Dean had taught her years ago.

"Bella?"

Bella freezes in place.

"Jo?"

"Um yeah. Look I'm not supposed to be doing this but… He's really bad and he won't listen to me."

"Whoa… hold on. What are you talking about?"

"Dean… He's in the hospital Bella. He made me promise but he just…"

Bella drops the phone her and she stumbles back a bit feeling ill.

"Bella? Bella!"

Her hands shake as she forces herself to pick up the phone again.

"Where are you at Jo?" She says with a quivery voice.

"Same place we never left."

"On my way." Bella doesn't even bother with her things she leaves them behind. She started to call to Cas but she remembered something about him saying he'd turned off communication. He said it so off handedly to her last night she didn't quite know what it meant. She leaves him a note instead.

Bella takes the first flight out. She fidgets the entire flight back. Her right leg doing that trembling thing she'd gotten from John. She didn't sleep the entire time and each stop she'd practically knock people down to get to her next flight. Bella grew more and more impatient. The last plane stop she jumped out of her seat and ran down the terminal. She fought her way outside and paid someone 200 hundred dollars for their cab. She throws down another 75 for the cab driver and told him which hospital to go to.

She could barely breathe once she got to the front desk.

"Room number for Dean Winchester."

The older petite woman looked to her oddly.

"Please what number!"

The woman looks to her computer.

"Oh come on where's my brother!"

"Bella?" Bella turns to see Jo.

Jo grabs her arm and starts to lead her towards the room. Her eyes were sunken in and bloodshot. Jo stops at the door and looks to Bella.

"Bella I'm just warning you now. He's in pretty bad shape."

Bella's heart sinks at Jo's words. Bella opens the door and for her brother's sake she tries not to freak out. He was hooked up to all these machines. He'd lost significant weight. His skin was damn near white his lips purple.

"D?"

His eyes barely open.

"Bells?"

He blinks a few times as Bella makes her way over and takes his hand. But Dean's eyes widen as it comes together.

"No you can't be here!" He forces and starts coughing.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Bells please you gotta go! Jo!"

"I'm not going anywhere knock it off ! Are you trying to finish yourself off!" Bella says turning to his heart monitor as it's kicking up.

He shakes his head weakly.

"Bells please…"

"You're the one in the god damn hospital D. Knock that shit off."

He pinches the bridge of his nose.

"How'd this happen?" Bella turns to Jo.

Jo looks to Dean and Bella turns back seeing Dean shaking his head.

"What the hell is going on here! What are you both keeping from me!"

"He's fucking dying Bella!"

"Dammit JO!" Dean weakly growls.

"Is that true D! Are you fucking dying on us!"

He forces a grin.

"I'm not dead yet am I?"

"You son of a bitch D!"

Bella paces the room and runs her fingers through her hair.

"I want to know how this happened!"

Jo goes to answer and Bella turns as her brother's puking up blood into a basin.

"Jesus D!"

He leans back and looks to her but his eyes roll back.

"Hey…"

The basin falls to the floor blood going everywhere.

"Hey!" Bella shakes her brother.

"D!"

"D! COME ON YOU'RE NOT DOING THIS!"

"DEAN!" Jo shrieks as they can't get him to wake up.

Bella hits the emergency light and continues trying to stir him awake. The nurses rush and Bella's world crashes as they start wheeling him out.

"What's happening!" Bella shouts but no one answers her.

They rush out of the room leaving her and Jo standing there. Bella pushes past Jo and tries to figure out where they took him. The entire hospital spins around on her. She rushes to the bathroom slamming the door. She paces the area.

Bella shakes her head and pulls at her hair. She literally falls to her knees. The tears come uncontrollably.

"Castiel… Please… Please…" She comes to all fours upon the floor.

"God! I KNOW YOU'RE THERE! Please I know you can hear me! Save him. Save my brother. I'll do anything. I'll serve you in any way you desire just please help me. Help save Dean." She grabs at her gut rocking her body.

"Castiel please. Come back. Help him. Someone one anyone. He can't die."

Castiel hears everything a single tear sheds down his face. He appears into the room where they're working on Dean. He approaches him. He closes his eyes and puts a hand to Dean's heart and one to his forehead.

"Wake up Dean." He demands.

Dean sucks in a breath and looks around. The nurses look to Dean in wonder.

"Cas?" Dean questions but doesn't see him about the room.

"Who's Cas hun?" A baffled nurse questions.

"How did…" The doctor says looking Dean over.

"It's a miracle." One of the nurses say.

Dean could have sworn he'd heard Castiel calling to him…Yeah a miracle in a damn trench coat.

Castiel appears behind Bella. She's still on her hands and knees. He tilts his head and quietly crouches over. He places a gentle hand along her back. Recognizing his touch Bella immediately turns and wraps her arms around him. He closes his eyes and holds her tighter than he ever has.

"Your prayers have been answered." He whispers into her hear.

She holds him tighter and cries even harder. Castiel scopes her up and carries her out of the bathroom. He sees Jo crying and hugging Dean as they're wheeling him back into the room. He nods towards them as Bella's face is still buried into his chest. He carries her into the room.

"Bells…" Dean says softly as he sees Cas carrying her inside.

She turns and Cas softly places her down. Bella takes off in a sprint and wraps her arms around her brother's neck. He chuckles a bit behind a few tears of his own.

"Easy sis." Dean kisses the top of her head.

But he cuts Castiel a certain look and nods. He mouths the words thank you. He knew it was him there wasn't a shadow of a doubt in his mind now. Castiel nods but wondered himself how this took place. He continues to look on as both girls fuss over Dean. Something else however in Dean's eyes had Cas a bit startled. Dean wouldn't look away from him.

"Is something wrong?" Castiel finally questions.

Bella turns to Cas then back to her brother. She notices Castiel's back in usual tan trench coat, cobalt tie, black pants but she says nothing.

"Bells, Jo Cas and I could use a few moments.

Bella looks to him oddly but nods taking Jo's hand. Castiel waits until the girls have left. He approaches Dean's bedside. Dean sighs trying to think of how to word this.

"Cas there's no easy way to put this so I'm just gonna spit it out. I think Bella's in danger."

Cas narrows his eyes and looks back towards the door where Jo and Bella wait.

"This was no accident this was a message." Dean sighs.

"One of your own did this. Or at least I think he was. A tall African American with a bad attitude ring a bell?"

"You mean Raphael?"

Dean shrugs.

"I guess he never said a name. But he was pretty persistent in finding Bella."

Castiel closes his eyes for a moment.

"He did this?"

"Fraid so. All the more reason you need to keep an eye on my sister. He seemed like one pissed of angel. I didn't realize angels… well you know… He was a real asshole Cas."

"Asshole… indeed." Castiel says throwing Dean completely off.

Both turn towards the door as the girls come back in. Bella's last to enter and goes to pull the door shut. It slams back and Bella's yanked by her hair. Raphael cuts Castiel a menacing smile and vanishes. Castiel looks to Dean and he too disappears.

Castiel appears at his and Raphaels usual meeting grounds.

"RAPHAEL!" Castiel roars in his true voice as he witnesses Raphael throwing Bella down.

"YOU WILL NOT HARM HER!"

Raphael turns towards him and yanks Bella back up. Anger resides in Castiel one he'd never felt before it was different from anything he'd ever experienced. His lover's face was bleeding her eye swollen shut. His brother held her up like she was merely an insect ready to be squashed. Castiel was FURIOUS.

"THIS RELATIONSHIP YOU HAVE WITH THIS HUMAN IS A DISGRACE, AN ABOMINATION! I'D BE DOING YOU A FAVOR BY ENDING HER MISERABLE EXISTENCE! SHE'S HOLDING YOU BACK!"
Raphael forces Bella to her knees. Castiel becomes more alert than ever as Raphael goes to put his hands about Bella's forehead. He immediately appears behind Raphael and sends him flying back. He grabs Bella and places her behind him. He takes out his blade facing Raphael.

"You'd actually take out one of your own? For this human?!"

Castiel tilts his head.

"Yes… yes I would especially you Raphael."

"You'd betray one of your own!"
"No! You betrayed not only me but God. The Winchesters aren't to be harmed. They serve our father's will. You have tried to kill Dean and now you seek to slay Bella."

"What is this human to you?!" He wrinkles his nose as if disgusted by Bella.

"She is my intended, my truest love."

"Ha, what would you know of love?"

"We all bask in our Lord's love, my love for Bella is just as great. My soul, existence, whatever you wish to call it belongs to our Father. My heart belongs to her!"

Raphael shoots out his hands and Castiel is fired back.

"NO!" Bella screams and turns.

"Cas!" She cries crawling her way towards him. Castiel comes to his knees and blood drips from his nose and mouth.

Castiel grabs at his chest as Raphael begins to pierce his blade into Bella.

"RAPHAEL!" Another voice carries and Raphael is penned to the ground.

Castiel quickly makes his way to Bella. He begins to heal her and looks up to see Michael standing between the two of them.

"This human is not to be harmed! You have fallen from grace and are no longer welcomed beyond the gates of Heaven! Castiel end this!" Michael demands.

Castiel nods and Michael picks Bella up. He puts a hand to her cheek.

"Do you know who I am?"

She shakes her head. He smiles.

"Of course you wouldn't. My vessel wasn't even born yet. He was never meant to have died that day. He's within me Bella. I'm your brother." Michael closes his eyes. When he opens them he looks upon her.

Bella's jaw drops.

"We will meet again I assure you." He says and disappears.

Bella's hands shake in disbelief still she comes to her feet. She peers over to see Castiel taking his blade out from Raphael's heart. He's crouched over on one knee. Curiously she watches as Castiel takes his blade running it along the area of his own heart. As Bella approaches Cas he comes to a stand and he takes off the tan trench coat. He places it over Raphael's body. She looks to her feet and see's white feathers scattered about the area.

"Cas?"
He turns to her he places the blade in the back of his pants like her and Dean. His eyes lock with hers and he nods holding out his hand.