Sam and Cas frowned. "Are you certain, Gwen?" Cas asked. I nodded. "Yes. Bobby agreed with Dean and Gabriel. If Grace is needed, you and Gabe can provide. I really, really want my wings back." Sam heaved a big sigh. "Well, might as well start gathering ingredients then." and he got up. Dean put a hand on my shoulder. "Tough call, kiddo. But I'm glad you made it. I could see you really miss having your wings. Now you get your butt off to bed. Some ingredients are a bit tricky, so tomorrow, we can get you together again." I smiled at him thankfully. I was feeling very tired, and stifling a yawn, I got up. "Hold on, Dean." Cas interupted with his deep voice. "I could see this coming a mile away, so I actually took the liberty of collecting the ingredients. If you are ready, Gwen, we can get to work right now."
Dean looked at the angel, impressed. "I thought you didn't agree with this?" Cas smiled a bit ruefully. "Like I said, I could forsee that Gwen would." He shot a glance at his brother. "And I think it might be good for others too." Gabe bristled. "Excuse me, Captain Side-eyes? What's that supposed to mean?" Dean bit his lip, and Sam, who was getting a mixing bowl, candles and whatnot, grinned. Cas, on the other hand, looked innocently at the annoyed Archangel, and said: "Just that you're feeling guilty that Gwen lost her wings on your watch. Repairing said wings, might just ease that guilt a bit. I love you Gabriel, and I hate seeing you up to your eyebrows in guilt." Gabe deflated a bit and sighed. "I'm sorry, Cas. I.. I just... Oh, I don't know what's come over me lately." He patted Cas on the shoulder in passing. "I'll be in the library, saving up my Grace." Cas looked at the brothers with a sly expression on his face. When Gabe had gone, Dean chuckled. "You sly fox..." He waggeled a finger at Cas. "You played him like a lute!" Cas grinned, his eyes crinkling up at the corners. "I learned from the best." he said, making Sam laugh.
"Right." Sam said, plunking a wooden bowl on the table. "Let's get going." He mixed up some dried herbs, pounding them to a fine dust with a mortar and pestle. After pouring them in the bowl, he got an ancient looking amphora and uncorked it. A splash of it's contents got added and stirred in well. Sam carefully took a small box, opened it and took a pinch of the fine, glittering powder within. "What's that?" I asked, curiousity peaked by the almost revered care Sam took in handeling it. Cas looked at the box and it's contents. "Some of the Sands of Time, I think." he commented. Sam nodded as he carefully sprinkled it into the mixture. "It is. The Men of Letters kept an extraordinairy stock." A melancholy smile flashed over his face. "Balthazar would be happy as a clam here." Cas smiled a sad little smile. "Yes, Balthy loved doing spells." he sighed, uncharacteristicly tender. I quirked an eyebrow. "Balthy? The angel with the mixed gender stripclub Heaven?" Cas smiled a bit. "Yeah," Dean piped up, as he gave me a big, fluffy towel. "That's the one. Here, to cover up. You'll need to strip. We don't know what will happen if you're wearing clothes." I gulped.