Author's/Underhill's Note: So, chapter 10! First off, apologies for it's lateness; we've been training people at work and I'm goddamn exhausted. Also, I've been getting twitchy since I hadn't watched a horror movie for like...two weeks. After like, a week without horror, I start to lose it, so last night I watched a bunch of people get slaughtered and it was GLORIOUS (I have problems). ...I need to lay off the caffeine, what was I talking about? OH! Disclaimers! MOOOORE disclaimers! DISCLAIMERS FOREVER

"I've never had the occasion, okay?" For some reason, Castiel is embarrassed to admit this to Dean. He has never felt embarrassment before, but he does now. He wants Dean to think well of him, he wants…

"All right." Dean gets up, grabs his jacket. Cas looks at him in question. "Let me tell you something. There are two things I know for certain. One, Bert and Ernie are gay. Two, you are not gonna die a virgin. Not on my watch. Let's go."

Castiel follows. When it comes to Dean Winchester, Castiel will always follow.

Jan 18, Housatonic, Massachusetts

Sam figures he should pray more often. Cas responds quick, immediate, blasting the demon out of Nora in a flash of light. He unties Sam and looks him up and down.

"You look different," he says.

Sam blinks in bemusement. "Are you kidding? Please say you're kidding."

"Why would I be kidding."

Sam sighs and snags Cas' cell phone from his pocket. He dials Bobby, third on speed dial. Sam is second. Dean is still first because Cas won't let anyone change it.

"Hey, Bobby. Yeah, I'm aware I sound like a sixteen year old. You found him? Good. Punch him for me. Yeah, I KNOW that I'm gonna be wearing the bruise, I don't care, I want the kid to feel it now. Okay, here's the address." He rattles it off and sits back with Cas to wait. He'd been worried for a moment if Bobby would be able to handle himself, but he shouldn't have underestimated him. Wheelchair or not, Bobby is a badass. He bet Bobby ran Gary over with it.

"Thanks, Cas. Nick of time there."

Cas nods. "Yes, it was very timely."

Sam sighs, and looks heavenward. Cas, master of restatement.

"In the future, I may not be able to find you fast enough though, with your ribs engraved. You may want to find another partner different from Bobby."

"Cas - - "

"I do not mean to insult Bobby, I have no doubt of his abilities, but perhaps his skills could be put to better use elsewhere."

"Yeah, why don't you tell him that."

"I would rather not."

Neither would Sam, but Cas has a point. But who else could he hunt with...

Jan 21st,

The Cornucopia is as long as Dean's arm and as heavy as a goddamn toddler. Dean passes it over to Bela and she almost falls over with the weight of it. She would be more bothered if she weren't distracted by the ornate carvings that were sure to raise the price on it.

Dean's surprised at how unassuming the horn is, and pleased that they didn't have to deal with the damn demon the thing came off of, because damn is it huge. Shaking his head, he wipes the blade of his knife against his vest, relishing in Bela's wince (hey, she made him wear this stuff). "You know what might help next time?"

"Some casual clothes?" she laments.

"Ruby's knife. We could kill them a lot faster that way."

"You just don't want to memorize the exorcisms," she accuses.

"Heh. Yeah." Knife clean, he surveys the carnage around them.

"Well, that was unexpected," he says. "Forget to mention something?"

"Alright, so half of them were demons," Bela concedes. "But they were all still witches."

"Your information source? Sucks."

Bela snorts. "Don't blame me. Blame the spirits. I only read what they told me."

"I told you so! Ouija boards are only good for slumber parties!"

"And you would know this how?"

Dean has no response.

"So, what now?" he asks, failing at nonchalantly changing the subject.

"Now…"

"Paperwork? Are you serious? Fucking PAPERWORK?"

Bela raises an eyebrow and passes him a stack of papers. "Sign those." Dean snatches them with a dirty look and Bela smiles sweetly.

"Invoices? Bank statements? What the hell is all this?" he demands.

"This is a legitimate business, Dean," Bela tells him, turning back to her own papers. "What do you expect? That we keep our money in our mattress?" At Dean's thoughtful look, Bela says, "NO."

"Awww…" Dean pouts and stares down at the pile of sheets in front of him. "I thought I was done with homework."

"Suck it up, darling."

"This is worse than research."

Bela smiles. She almost can't wait til tax season.

Feb 4

Sam is dreaming when Anna contacts him. He is not happy. And is extremely embarrassed.

"What are you doing here, Anna? This is private!"

"I can see. This is what you dream about?"

THIS IS AWKWARD, says a voice in his head, suspiciously like Dean's. That happens to him sometimes, like a running commentary in his head. He is so used to Dean in the driver's seat while he rides shotgun that he can practically hear his brother's voice out loud.

At his silence, Anna sits down next to him. "I can't find you."

"Oh. Uh. Cas marked us." He waves his hand at his ribs.

"Cas. Right. Now, there's a friend you can count on."

"What?"

Anna scoffs. "He didn't tell you?"

Sam is getting annoyed at how long the conversation is taking. "Can you get to the point?"

"He betrayed me. He turned me over to Heaven, prison. All the torture-"

"He's different now," Sam interrupts, because it's true. And what Anna's saying is probably true too, but that was before Cas rebelled, and he's even more different since Carthage.

"I'm sure," she says dryly.

"What do you need, Anna? I'm kind of trying to sleep here."

"I need you to meet me. 225 Industrial. And please… hurry."

Sam wakes up. He rubs a hand across his face and sits up. "God dammit. CAS!"

Sam's been hunting solo for a couple weeks now and Bobby's been back at the house researching various cases for various Hunters. He has time for it now, as Cas is still running the phone lines.

Turns out Cas is surprisingly adept at managing the phones. His perfect and natural deadpan makes people uncomfortable enough not to question his authority. Though he is almost always by the bank of phones, there is also always a stack of books in front of him as he continues to research a way to pull a demon - - a very specific demon - - out of Hell. When Sam calls though, Cas always answers.

"Yes?" Cas pops in with a flutter of feathers.

"Anna dropped in on my dreams. She wants me to meet her." He doesn't mention what she said about Cas turning her in.

"I will meet with her," Cas decides. "Where is she located?"

"225 Industrial - - "

Cas disappears.

"Good bye to you too," Sam says. Despite a yawn welling in him, he gets up to brew some coffee. He's not going to be getting anymore sleep anyhow.

Meanwhile…

Dean tosses in his sleep. He is dreaming, though, unlike Sam, his dreams are undisturbed.

Along with angel-proofing their bodies, Dean and Bela had angel-proofed their minds. Anna - - all angels - - cannot access their dreams.

There is, however, one exception.