Castiel took the tablet from Dean's hands and fixed his eyes upon the words that had been carven into the stone with the utmost care and delicacy. The minutes ticked slowly by and the angel had yet to speak a word. He furrowed his brows and pursed his lips, giving the impression that he was displeased with what it was he had read. After what felt to the others like an eternity, he handed the tablet back to Dean. Still, not a word emerged from his mouth, it seemed that he was lost deep in thought.

"Well?" Dean asked, growing impatient. "What does it say?"

"It is a prophecy." Castiel simply stated.

"Ok, wanna elaborate?" Dean pressed.

Castiel sighed and turned his gaze to his feet, his expression that of one whom was deeply troubled and conflicted. He contemplated what should be said, what words would offer the clearest, quickest, and safest explanation to the four hunters that surrounded him. After an extended silence, he finally spoke again.

"The tablet speaks of the Aestus, an object of unimaginable power. It is said that whomever possesses it will hold the entirety of the universe within their grasp. That they will be able to gain control over even time itself. Some have speculated that the Aestus will be used in the second coming of Christ, that He will use it to take back this world and create a new Heaven on earth."

"And is that bad?" Emily questioned, intrigued by the the angel's words.

"It is hard to say." Castiel answered, his expression now unreadable. "But if the Aestus should fall into the wrong hands... It would be chaos."

"Well, damn." Dean hissed.

"Oh my god..." Sam muttered softly, his eyes widening as he too came to the conclusion that his brother had.

"What is it?" Castiel's alarm showed through his voice.

"When we found the tablet," Sam began to explain. "It was with Crowley."

"Well... Damn indeed." Castiel agreed, turning away from the rest of the group.

The room grew quite. The same questions swirled through each individual's mind. How much did Crowley know? How long before he found the Aestus? Or had he found it already? One thing they knew for sure. If Crowley ever got ahold of something even half as powerful as the Aestus, the world would burn. And they would never let that happen.

"I suppose I'll be leaving now." Castiel said.

"Woah, woah!" Dean exclaimed as he reached a hand forward to grab the angel's arm. "Leave and go where?"

"To confront Crowley of course."

"Not alone, you're not!" Dean snapped.

"He's right, Cas." Sam added, his tone more gentle than his brother's. "Crowley is too dangerous for any of us to face alone."

"Hell yeah, he is!" Exclaimed Madison. "Count me in."

"Me too." Came Emily's voice.

Castiel's features darkened. "No, I think it would be better if I went alone."

"You listen to me, Cas." Dean snarled, tightening his grip on the angel's arm. "Either we all go together, or no one goes at all. Capiche?"

"...Yeah. I capiche."

"Good."

Dean maintained his hardened gaze at Cas as he dropped the arm he'd been clutching. He hadn't realized how tightly he'd been holding it until he looked down at his hand and saw that his knuckles were completely white. He gritted his teeth and turned his back to the angel, his eyes remaining on his own pale, shaking palms. When he finally looked up, he was met with the dark, hazel eyes of Madison. She wore not her usual expression of mischief and smugness, but instead her features were soft and painted with, dare he say, concern? He quickly looked away and attempted to push aside the sudden sickening feeling in his gut.

"We leave in twenty." Dean announced and then departed from the room.

Sam and Madison followed, each heading to their own respective bedrooms to pack their belongings for the journey ahead. Emily however, remained in the living room. She stood completely still, eyes fixed on the stone tablet. While the concept of the Aestus intrigued her, it frightened her even more. She couldn't quite put a finger on it, but there was just something about this whole situation that unnerved her. When she finally did avert her gaze from the rock, she found that she wasn't alone. Castiel stood across the room, he stared at her with an uneasy look in his deep, blue eyes.

"Why are you doing that?" She asked after a moment of silence.

"Doing what?" Was his response.

"Looking at me like I'm some sort of criminal."

"I... I wasn't."

"Yeah, you were." Emily insisted. "And you've been looking at me like that since the moment you got here. What the hell did I even do to you?"

"Perhaps you should just go pack your things like the others." Castiel said cooly, making a point not to answer her.

Oh, Emily was angry now, "Answer the damn question."

"I don't have time for your games, little girl." Castiel spat. "Now do as you're told."

"Fine, asshole."

And with that, Emily turned and stormed from the room. Little girl? Just who did he think he was, speaking to her like that? The nerve. She would show him.

Once she had reached her room, Emily grabbed her duffle bag and began to stuff it with various articles of clothing. A couple of t-shirts, some jeans, undergarments, a dress, and her favorite denim jacket were all shoved into the pack. She then threw in a bottle of shampoo, some conditioner, soap, and her tooth brush along with some toothpaste and floss.

Emily frowned as she scanned over the packed items. That should be all she would need, so why did she feel like something was missing? Then she remembered. She wondered how she could have forgotten, it was the reason she was here after all. Slowly, she moved toward the nightstand that sat at her bedside. She pulled open the top drawer, reached a hand inside, and pulled out a single, wrinkled piece of paper. She clutched it to her chest and held her eyes shut tight. One day, she told herself. One day.

"We will find him, you know that, right?" It was Sam's voice that spoke.

Emily opened her eyes and turned in the direction his voice had come from. The younger Winchester brother moved from her doorway where he had been looming, and came to stand beside her. He placed a hand on her shoulder and with the other, he wiped a tear from Emily's eye that she hadn't realized she'd cried.

"I know." She answered him. "It's just that... This, this whole thing feels kind of hopeless sometimes. I mean, it's been months since I got the note and I'm still no closer to finding my dad than I was when I first got here."

"He is out there, Em." Sam said with sincerity. "And one day you'll find him. Maybe that day is today, maybe it's a year or three years from now, but it will happen, regardless of how impossible it seems right now."

"Yeah... Thanks, Sam." Emily offered him a weak smile. "You're a great friend."

"Sure, anytime." Sam smiled back.

He then removed his hand from her shoulder and excused himself from the room. The sudden silence irked Emily, so she quickly placed the note alongside her other belongings, zipped up the bag, and headed out to her Nova. Sam's words echoed in her mind as she walked. Perhaps he was right, she would find her father eventually, but for now she would have to be patient. For now she would do what she must and focus on the task at hand. Find Crowley, and kick his demon ass back to hell.