There was nothing the Winchesters could do.
One moment things were fine, and the next thing they knew the British Men Of Letters were breaking into the bunker and managing to overpower them all. Not even Cas stood a chance.
The hunters were kneeling on the floor with their arms twisted behind their backs, tight cuffs clasped shut around their wrists.
Castiel. God knows how , was knocked out cold, so he was pinned down on the floor.
"What the hell is this for?" Dean demands to know as he watches the British have the nerve to put Enochian handcuffs on Cas. Twisting the angel's arms behind his back without too much care.
"A forced recruitment of course." Ketch informs as a statement of fact before slapping on an Enochian muzzle on the angel, a muzzle that reminded Dean an awful lot of the one some hunters used for demons to keep them from leaving the vessel. "We asked nicely, but since the refusals kept coming I believe Toni will be more than pleased to have new toys to play with."
"What about Cas?" Sam asks, feeling bile rise up at the sole look Ketch got as he looked down at the unconscious angel.
"The halo? Well, he could have been an outstanding asset if you had willingly accepted, but now... I believe the scientists at our headquarters will be more than pleased to get their hands on an angel. Haven't had one of those for a while now, these little pests are quite hard to come by."
"You want to make him a lab rat?" Mary asks, not quite sure she was actually hearing what she just heard. What the hell were these guys thinking?
"Of course, personally, I have been craving to know what an angel who has been to Hell more than once looks like on the inside, especially one who could defeat the devil." Ketch grins. "Though of course we will first take many things from him, you have no idea how useful their parts can be for spells. How incredibly valuable they are now with how few of them are left."
"You son of a bitch!" Dean snarled hatefully as he tried to lunge forward, yet, his face met the ground, he still looked up enraged. "He's not your fucking toolbox! You fucking touch a hair on him and I will rip your friggin' throat out!"
"God, you really have lost your judgement, haven't you? I should have known from the beginning that the American hunters had long ago lost their skill. Fraternizing with monsters, sparing monsters, letting monsters enter this sacred place." He shook his head in disappointment. "Unbelievable."
"He is not a monster." Sam snaps with his gaze exuding murderous intent as he glared up at Ketch, the Brit stared at him for a moment before scoffing, looking seemingly surprised.
"You actually believe that. Whatever." Ketch states, this before kneeling down next to Castiel and pulling out a knife from his pocket.
"What the hell do you think you are doing?"
"Well, considering a few things, it would be in our best interest to make sure the halo is worth taking with us. If not, I could just kill him here and take what we need myself." Ketch said as a statement of fact. He reached out towards the angel, using the knife to cut through Cas' trench coat, suit jacket and shirt.
"What the hell does that mean?" Sam asks, feeling nauseous.
"All angels fell, and as far as we know none of them have shown signs of being able to teleport. But this one wasn't in the fall. He was a poor imitation of a human at the time, which means if he had fallen with the others, he would have died." Ketch explained, as if he were talking to an idiot, this before pulling at the remains of shredded clothes.
There were silvery scale-like things on the angel's shoulder which traveled like a spiraling glimmering river across his spine.
"This is new." Sam heard Ketch mutter under his breath as his fingers traced the strange scale-like webs. Something about it felt wrong on a cosmic level, like something that shouldn't be touched.
"That still doesn't explain what the hell do you want from him." Dean said, feeling burning rage coiling at the pit of his stomach, even more so as he watched Ketch reach out towards Cas' back with his knife.
A knife he used to carve on him.
"I'm gonna kill you when I break free."
It wasn't a threat.
It was a promise.
Cas groaned and tried to shift as he began waking up. He didn't waste a second to begin struggling and attempting to wiggle away.
"Keep moving and I will make sure to tear them apart."
None of the hunters understood what those words meant, but Castiel went completely still, allowing the carving to continue, though he looked incredibly tense .
And when Ketch stepped back, Castiel made a sound that could have been a strained cry before the hunters watched with stupefied shock the air shift around the angel. And then two massive wings glitched into existence.
Wings.
Stretching all across the floor for about 20 feet each, maybe more. Feathers several shades of black, something akin to brown, greys and an incredibly dark orange, like rusted steel or dried, cheap paint . Many feathers missing and many others broken, bent, frayed or just flat out charred.
Thin co-webs spreading across the bones with a faint blue glow within.
The sight was as breathtaking as it was heartbreaking. Because it never occurred to them that Cas' wings would look like that. Or that he still had them at all.
Yet, the fact that neither of the British reacted to his wings told the hunters that this wasn't their first time doing this, and that for some reason felt so unforgiving and nauseating. And blasphemous.
Ketch tsked.
"Yours certainly have more feathers than the others, though they are in an even more deplorable state, that's for sure."
Castiel was now staring at Ketch with a near demonic look that promised nothing but Hell carved into the flesh and so much more. Oh, if looks could kill.
And for a moment, Sam and Dean were able to see and remember how Cas was like when he was still with Heaven. A force to fear and not want to cross.
Still.
Dean and Sam were able to see it.
He was in pain.
His shoulders were shaking and making little tremors wreck through the wings. And when Ketch stepped closer, having the nerve to rest his hand on the bone of the wing, Castiel flinched.
"Don't touch me." The angel snapped harshly, feathers shifting and going from regular feathers to metal ones, like a billion knives. One of the wings shot up, bending with disturbing flexibility.
The brits jumped back, but one wasn't fast enough and the wing managed to slice right through his throat. Blood sprayed across the feathers like an insult to the universe as the body dropped lifeless on the floor.
A gunshot rang through and the wings jerked, a choked sound coming from the angel. Blood quickly pooling out from his side, light leaking out from the bullet wound. How the hell-?
"You son of a bitch I'm gonna kill you!" Dean shouted, enraged. Ketch ignored him as he knelt before the angel, grabbing a fistful of his hair and forcing him to look up.
And despite how pale his skin had become and how sick he looked, Castiel's glare could make even the Knights of Hell hide. The gun was pressed against his cheek, but the angel didn't so much as flinch.
"Did you know? That melting angel blades make the greatest bullets? Move them again and I promise you that will be the last thing you do. Behave and I might even consider asking Toni to make one of the hunters be the one to kill you."
That seemed to catch his attention because for the first time, Castiel turned to look at the hunters, taking in on their states. His wings twitched, his gaze wandered around, taking on the people… he glanced back at Ketch, narrowing his eyes at him.
"You are not the first one to shoot me with those." Castiel states, and before anyone could actually register what he just said, his wings shot forward, Ketch jumped away, but he wasn't aiming for him.
He aimed straight for the ones holding the Winchesters. He slammed his wings onto them, sharp feathers cutting through flesh as he gave Sam, Dean and Mary the opportunity to free themselves.
Another gunshot rang through the bunker and the true voice of an angel shocked the bunker with the force of a ravenous earthquake, lights exploding and red lights blaring, making everyone flinch. The metallic high pitch crawled up their bones and tore into their skulls like a merciless drill. Hellbent on turning their eardrums to shreds.
And when it died down, it left nothing but the world ringing around. The Winchesters looked at Cas to find with dawning horror that one of the wings was bleeding. A bullet wound more than clear right on the curve of the bone where the metallic shifting hadn't taken place. Blood and light pooling on the floor as Cas shivered, shoulders spasming as he curled into himself. Wings oddly bent, as if trying to hide himself beneath them.
Even Ketch looked surprised.
Dean turned to the brit with fury in his eyes.
"What-"
Dean's was cut off as Ketch was sent flying across the bunker by an invisible force, slamming into the wall.
The three turned to Cas on reflex, but it wasn't him. Someone completely unexpected stood by the angel's side, eyes glowing a blazing blue very reminiscent of the angels but attached to a completely downright terrifying face.
Chuck.
The floor seems to quake beneath them as the man walks up to Ketch, slow and like a predator stalking its prey.
"Who-"
"Quiet." Chuck's voice sent chills down their spines, furious and reverberating through the walls, seemingly coming from every corner of the room and demanding authority.
And Dean and Sam would have laughed at Ketch's terrified look if it wasn't because they were also fucking frozen in place. Chuck's rage could be felt in the very air, a power so asphyxiating it was nearly crushing them.
"I will just say this once, if you or any from your organization comes anywhere near them, near him. I will wipe you from the face of the Earth before you even realize what's happened. I might be flexible, I might be forgiving, but suffer no delusions. I can and will destroy you. Do not test me, Arthur Ketch."
And just like that, Ketch and the rest of the brits disappeared.
Just then, and only then, did the asphyxiating pressure in the air disappear, though not completely, it did make breathing easier. His hand dropped and he turned around, he stalked past them, straight towards Castiel.
Mary instinctively moved, that power might be like nothing she has ever felt, but she will be damned if she lets it get close to Cas. Yet, a hand stops her, grabbing her arm.
"Don't." Sam tells her in a hushed voice. Though even if he warns his mother to not approach, he does have to admit he feels the urge to go to Cas. Because he's bleeding and curled on the floor, shaking and there's still a ringing in the air, or it might just be his ears.
Chuck seems to get close enough for Cas to register movement because his good wing shoots out straight towards God, and for a very disturbing moment Sam and Dean think they are about to see an angel chop God in half.
But nothing happened, Chuck caught the wing as if it were nothing but a frivolous thing, and oh, the feathers weren't even metallic, just feathers. And Chuck just shook his head with a sigh.
"Now, now, Castiel. Is that how you treat your father?" He let go of the wing and the wing dropped back on the ground.
The hunters watched Him kneel next to Cas, reaching out to rest His hand on the bone of his wing, prompting the angel to flinch violently, but he didn't so much as try to take a swing at Him.
Meanwhile, all Castiel knew was pain, unfathomable, all consuming pain, Crowley tearing into his stomach and the Leviathans fighting to break free had hurt less than this. It felt like endless pulses of agony spread throughout his wing, intensifying with each move no matter how small it was.
And to top it all, the bullet lodged on his side made breathing hurt, sure, he didn't need to breathe, but it was something he had grown accustomed to doing .
Having Chuck touching it made his insides churn, though unlike the repulsion or rejecting feelings it would evoke to have someone touching his wings, it just… calms him. The touch alone fills him with an incredibly foreign feeling that makes his muscles relax…
And even through the blurred vision, he manages to meet His gaze, there's something there… he can't be sure what it is, but it feels warm… like Heaven. It unwinds a weight that's been tied to his chest ever since he was cut off from Heaven all those years ago.
"Everything will be alright." His voice echoes through his head, and somehow, Castiel believes Him.
The world goes black.
~
"You should close your eyes and turn around, just to be safe." That's all Chuck said, and Sam and Dean were quick to do as told, Dean motioning for his mother to do the same.
A bright light engulfed the place, so bright the hunters felt its very warmth seep into their skin, bright enough to sting their eyes even past their eyelids and hands. It felt like the warmest hug. Welcoming. Inviting. Like every bit of it seeped into their very flesh and purified every single one of their sins.
And the overwhelming reminder of just who Chuck was made the brothers' hearts skip a beat.
It took a moment before the light faded, and with it the warmth.
"You can turn around now." Chuck spoke, and the Winchesters did just that. Cas was very much unconscious, Chuck still kneeling next to him, but what knocked the air out of them… his wings. They were no longer bony or almost blackish but completely healthy looking.
Feathers an explosion of vibrant colors with shimmering dust and shifting colors, like a shifting kaleidoscope or swirling prisms, as if rainbows had become tangible and had poured on the floor, like glass encompassing all the colors of the universe, branding stars and curling rainbows . Thick vine-like cracks spreading throughout the bones in an almost reverential picture with overlapping energies between white and blueish.
The sight was as breathtaking as it was hypnotizing. Even more so with the ethereal glow humming across each wing. The sight was too pure. Wrong. It felt so wrong.
"Did you just heal those?" Sam breathes out, and why is he even surprised or shocked? Of course he could do that, Chuck was God, God who created the angels and by extension could very much heal them in ways none of them could possibly imagine. He had rendered Lucifer powerless with just a thought.
"You sound surprised, I am God, you know? I literally crafted his wings by my own hand when I first made him." Chuck states, fixing some askew feathers absentmindedly.
Mary's heart skipped a beat upon hearing that. I mean, sure, Dean had told her about God and His sister, but she didn't actually think she would ever see Him. Even less for him to appear in this situation, but again, she guessed she could somewhat understand.
I mean, angels were technically His kids, right?
"Didn't think we would see you again after… you know." Dean said, not daring to get close even though he wanted to check on Cas himself.
But Chuck's kneeling by his side with His hands running absentmindedly through Cas' feathers and it feels uncomfortable and just wrong to get close.
"Wasn't really planning on it, I was in Reno with Amara when I heard his scream."
"You heard him?" Sam asked, surprised, Chuck gives him an indecipherable look.
"Of course I did."
"Why did you come? It's not like you have ever shown up before whenever he was getting his ass handed out to him. Or when Crowley was torturing Alfie, or when Lucifer killed Gabriel. Pretty sure they were screaming then, or when Naomi was shredding his mind to bits." Dean feels the need to point out, because this was… weird.
And alright, he wasn't a big fan of angles, but as far as he had been able to tell Alfie had been decent, and he got tortured and then killed. Dean remembers his screams, how he set someone on fire out of sheer pain. How Gabriel got killed by Lucifer, Gabriel who they pulled into a fight he had insisted on not participating into.
Chuck never moved a single finger for that. Even less for Cas who's been in and out of shit repeatedly. Sure, he resurrected him, but He wouldn't have had to resurrect him if He had saved him in the first place.
"I have my reasons, I know not many might like them or understand them. Even I don't like them sometimes, but some things just cannot be changed, it's how growth is achieved." Chuck states cryptically, as if that made all the sense in the world.
"Then why did you come?"
Chuck didn't answer, and for a moment, it didn't seem like he would. And then.
"You could say I've always had a soft spot for him." Chuck states, patting the angel's head almost, dare they say, fondly. This before Cas disappears. "He's in his room." He announces before anyone has the chance to panic. He then stands up. "I will be going now."
And just like that Chuck disappeared, leaving the three hunters standing there speechless.
For a moment, no one said a word, and then.
"I fucking hate that guy." Dean breaks the silence, deciding to check if Cas was, indeed, in his room, though he couldn't see any reason why Chuck would take him, but you never knew with that guy.
Cas was, indeed, in his room. Still out cold, wings still very much visible and spread across the floor like feathered curtains of rainbow prisms, the light making them shimmer, it almost reminded him of Christmas lights, in a very weird way.
He stepped into the room, making a point at dodging the wings. Cas hadn't wanted Ketch to touch them, be it because it was Ketch or something else, he didn't know, but better not touch them.
He knew Chuck had healed him, but he felt better checking him himself to see if he was healed, there was no trace of a wound on his side, and neither was on his wing. Good. That at least let him relax.
"How is he?" Sam asked, standing by the doorway and trying very hard to not look at the wings.
"I think he will be fine. There aren't any wounds left, he healed them all."
Sam relaxed at that, good, I mean, sure, Chuck said He healed him, and He did admit to have some sort of soft spot for Cas, which Sam still was unsure what that might mean at all. You didn't exactly leave to die or suffer someone you had a soft spot for.
But Cas was safe, and he seemed to have gotten his wings back, as far as he could tell, that was a win in his book.