Bobby was happy to hear from Dean again, happier that he'd found his brother, and eager to help. He gave directions to the Roadhouse, the bar his friends owned where he'd already sent the Finnermans for help going into hiding. Bobby agreed with Dean's idea of asking their computer expert, Ash, for help.

"He says Ash could find a needle in a stack of needles, not just a haystack," Dean reported to Castiel after he'd finished the call. "If anyone could find Michael and figure out who's pulling his strings, he's the guy. Bobby also says he's really glad to hear you're doing better now. I still cannot believe that bastard Ketch poisoned you!"

Castiel sighed. "Dean…"

"Yeah, yeah," Dean grumbled, clenching Baby's wheel tightly. "We'll agree to disagree for now. Here." He handed his dragon the phone. "Call Sam and give him that address for the Roadhouse, will you?"

Castiel, in the passenger seat, had written down the address to the Roadhouse as Dean relayed it from Bobby. Now he quickly spoke to Sam and gave him the location. "He says he and Balth need to make a slight detour, and they'll meet us there," he told Dean after hanging up.

"Good," Dean announced. "It's about time we got Gabriel into the picture here. I'm looking forward to meeting him."

"Me, too," Cass said cheerfully. "He's the first dragon to successfully survive on his own. I'm eager to hear what advice he may have for us."

Naturally that's what Cass would think. Dean fully intended to look the other dragon in the eye and hear what he had to say about his refusal to help Castiel fight. He didn't want to upset Cass, through, so he smiled at his dragon instead. "You want to take a nap or anything? You were pretty sick there and you're still a bit pale."

"I'm fine." Castiel smiled at Dean in a way that made Dean's heart speed up. "I'm much better now."

Yes, they were both much better now.

Driving to Nebraska from California required a couple of days. Dean made the most of his time with Cass. The dragon seemed to enjoy driving with Dean, occasionally even taking a shift behind the wheel so they could make better time. They ate at various greasy spoons along the way, sampling the local flavors, something they both greatly enjoyed despite the indigestion Dean got from one questionable location. Cass continued to improve. When they stopped for the night at whatever cheap motel they could find, they stayed in the same room, sharing a bed the way they'd done in the humanoid habitat back at the base. They'd done a lot of kissing and holding each other, but so far hadn't had sex. Dean wasn't quite ready for that step and didn't want to take the chance until Cass was completely healthy anyway. Fortunately, Castiel didn't press the issue. The dragon seemed perfectly content just holding Dean through the night. Dean slept cradled in his dragon's arms in creaking beds with suspicious stains on the sheets, more stains on the walls and carpeting, faucets that dripped and a unreliable, rattling heaters. He still had some of the best sleep of his life. Cass showed visible improvement as well. By the final morning, the dragon appeared back in glowing health.

Now they were fast approaching the location of the Roadhouse and the next step of their journey. Dean couldn't help but keep a tight grip on Baby's wheel, his thoughts flying.

"You're worried," Cass called.

Naturally, the dragon was picking up on Dean's turbulent emotions. Their bond was not only back, it seemed even stronger now. Dean sighed. "I just hate the thought of you fighting Michael, especially all by yourself," he admitted. "I've also been wondering how the hell I'm going to deal with Milligan." He paused, frowning. "You know, it's a funny coincidence that his name is Milligan. That was my stepmother's name, before she married Dad."

Castiel frowned as well. "Is there a relationship? That would explain what happened with your brother."

"What do you mean?"

"He said she betrayed him," Cass reminded. "If she's got some relation to Milligan, it would explain a lot about why that happened."

Dean hadn't thought of that. He pressed his lips tightly together, considering. "I honestly don't know," he admitted. "Kate and I never really were close. I suppose part of me felt like she was taking Mom's place, since Dad married her less than a year after she died. I never did really warm up to her, so I don't know anything at all about her family. Sam was a little closer to her, but she was never really interested in us. I actually got the impression that she was glad to be rid of me, even though she wasn't around much herself." He shrugged. "I guess that's another thing we can ask this Ash guy about when we meet him."

Cass looked at him. "What will you do if you find out he's related?"

"Well, I guess I'll understand Kate a bit more," Dean mused. "I'm not anywhere near ready to forgive her for what she did to Sam, but at least it's a reason why. Right now, I don't even have that. Kate was never really motherly to me and Sam, but she wasn't hostile. It's not like she was this fairy tale wicked stepmother or anything. Mostly, she was just busy. She spent a lot of time away. Frankly, that's probably why she and my dad got along so well, because they didn't have to spend much time together. I couldn't see myself calling her for help the way Sam did, but I still would have expected her to help him. Turning on him, betraying him?" He shook his head. "I would not have thought she'd do that."

"She may not have had a choice, if she's related to Milligan," Cass pointed out.

"Yeah, I get that. That's why I was so desperate to get to Sam, because I couldn't imagine what I'd have done if anyone grabbed him and threatened him to make me play ball." Dean frowned out the windshield, trying not to imagine that. "Honestly, that's the best explanation for what happened I can think of. I wonder who he is to her? I don't really know anyone from her family, but I know I'd do just about anything for mine."

"Speaking of your family, what about your father?" Cass asked. "He's connected to you, Sam, and her. If someone is using someone from your stepmother's family to threaten her into turning Sam in, is Colonel Winchester safe?"

An icy finger of fear went down Dean's spine. "Dad can take care of himself," he said, trying to assure himself as much as Cass. "He's not someone anyone can easily get to. He's a base commander."

"Kate Winchester is an ambassador," Cass pointed out gently. "She's not exactly easy to get to either, but someone did it."

"Yeah, they did." Troubled, Dean kept driving.

The Roadhouse turned out to be a dive bar that had no aspirations of being anything other than precisely what it was. The clientele was a group of rough-looking transients, mostly truckers and others who made their living traveling the great American road. The blonde woman behind the bar appeared to fit right in, a tough and no-nonsense type whose eyes had seen enough trouble that she had little time for more of it. Those eyes inspected the newcomers speculatively. "What can I get you boys?"

Dean and Cass quickly approached the bar. "I'm Dean Winchester," he said quietly, "and this is Castiel Novak. Bobby Singer sent us?"

Immediately, the hardness in her face softened. She smiled. "Any friend of Bobby's, as they say. Go sit down and let's get you fed, on the house."

"That's very generous of you, Ma'am," Dean said humbly.

The woman scoffed and waved the rag she'd been using to wipe the counter at him. "Drop that shit. This ain't the Army, kid. Just call me Ellen." Raising her voice, she called, "JoAnna Beth? These two boys are our special guests. Get 'em whatever they need. Once they eat, I'll go get Ash out of the kitchen so he can come talk to them."

An attractive blonde girl quickly came over, smiling. "Hey, you finally made it! I'm Jo."

Dean shook hands with her. "I'm Dean, and this is Cass."

She shook hands with both men, her eyes appraising Castiel. "So you're…?"

"I am," Cass offered cautiously.

"Wow, glad to meet you," she smiled. "C'mon, I'll get you one of my tables and a menu. You better eat or Mom will throw a fit."

Dean had no trouble following that instruction. The Roadhouse's menu had a surprisingly decent variety of typical bar food. They ordered and Jo brought them drinks, beer for Dean and a soft drink for Cass. Soon, their food arrived. Dean ate with gusto, enjoying the greasy offerings and smiled to see Cass was doing the same.

As soon as Jo left with their empty dishes, a man approached their table. The man's blonde hair was styled in a mullet straight out of the 80's. His eyes were somewhat glassy, likely due to the strong odor of weed that seemed to cling to the man's skin. He pulled out a chair, turned it around, and sat down in it backward facing them. "Hey, I'm Ash. What can I do you for?"

"We need some information," Dean said in a low voice. Looking around, he realized that Jo had seated them at a table off in a corner, away from any other patrons. Their location all but ensured that no one could eavesdrop on them without being obvious. That made Dean feel much better about their hosts. Clearly, they'd done things like this before. Dean quickly explained the situation. He expected Ash to have more questions, but surprisingly, the stoner only nodded.

"When I was told about you guys, I did some looking," he explained. "A couple of things stood out. First, there's multiple places Michael might be, because he's, like, super mobile, you dig? So pinning him down won't be easy. I can give you a short list of places he's been seen near, but the thing is? Those are all places that have a lot of military activity. He's getting seen there because that's what he's going after, hard targets that can put up a fight. He's, like, showing off, right? It's like, 'Hey, check me out, these are all places that are hard as hell to get into, and I'm burning them to the ground because I'm super tough,' see?" Ash made gestures with his hands like a child mocking another during a schoolyard fight. "So if I had to guess, I'd say these aren't real targets. They're more like demonstrations of what he could do."

"That makes sense," Dean agreed. "The group with him already embarrassed the military with how easily they stole him and Raphael's egg. Now they're rubbing the Army's nose in it by showing off how easy it is for Michael to take down their bases." Looking at Ash, he said, "Do you think this is some sort of advertising? Whoever's behind Michael is looking for potential clients?"

"Looks that way," Ash said, perfectly at ease. "With a little more digging, I can give you a list of potential targets, but that won't narrow it down much, either. See, when I say Michael's super mobile, I mean, like, super-dooper mobile. Looks like the dude's got access to an airplane because he's literally coast to coast. Whoever's behind Michael doesn't seem to need too many clients, either, because they've got some serious cash. Busting into a military base is tough to do even for a big, well-armed force. To do it the way it seems to have been done needed inside help, people taking bribes to look the other way or forget to lock doors, things like that. They also knew just where to go to get Michael, the egg, and the guiding partner, meaning they knew the layout of the base and where everyone would be. We're talking a lot of Benjamins getting passed around to a lot of people."

"That is not good news," Cass sighed. "For someone to have the amount of money, influence, and tactical ability to do that, plus the ability to fly coast to coast, they would have to be a very powerful person. That can't be a big list. Can you narrow it down any further?"

"Maybe," Ash mused. "Most of this is classified. Fortunately, I can get into a lot of databases I'm totally not supposed to be in, including military stuff. Since I couldn't do much with Michael, I started focusing on his partner, Adam Milligan." He eyed Dean. "Didn't you say your name was Winchester?"

"Yes?"

"Any relation to a Colonel John Winchester?"

"Yeah, that's my father," Dean admitted cautiously, eyeing Ash with trepidation. "Why?"

Ash ran a hand over his mulleted hair. "Well, he's listed as married to a Kate Milligan."

"Yeah, that's my stepmother."

"Ouch," Ash commented, drawing slightly back from Dean. "That's Lieutenant Adam Milligan's biological mother. John Winchester is listed on the Lieutenant's birth certificate as his father."

Dean froze. "What? But that's not possible! He's close to my age, and Mom and Dad were married for two years before I was born."

"Dude, I hate to break this to you, man, but it looks like there was some trouble in Paradise," Ash said sheepishly. "The LT's your half-brother, man. It's right there in print for anyone who thinks to look. Makes sense, I mean, isn't there a genetic component to the whole dragon thing?"

"There is," Castiel agreed. "The trait is actually unusually strong in Dean, and based on his scent, I'd say it's strong in his brother Sam, too. If that trait was passed to them by their father, it explains why they were determined to use us for Project Castiel, despite Dean's, well…"

"Despite the fact that I'm otherwise the last thing they wanted," Dean grumbled. "Yeah. It finally makes sense now. They knew the trait was in my family, so they knew I'd be able to do what they needed, especially since they were running out of time fast. Son of a bitch, it all makes sense now. Bring me in with my proven ability to form a bond, then use that bitch Tapping's poison to break our bond and put Ketch in my place. It must have seemed like the perfect solution."

"I don't know if you're thinking clearly about this," Cass warned. "Adam Milligan is your brother. This explains why your stepmother was so willing to help by giving up Sam. That is your half-brother, under the control of these terrorists, likely being forced to use Michael as their weapon. It's your family, Dean."

"Family I never even knew I had, because Dad hid his cheating ways until Mom died," Dean growled. "Then he just picked up right where he left off with Kate and didn't even tell us he had a whole other family the entire time." Dean was shaking with anger, fists clenched tightly on the table. If his father was there right now, Dean had no doubt he'd punch the man right in the face. "I cannot believe he cheated on Mom!"

"Based on your birthdays, it looks like they both caught preggers fairly close together," Ash supplied. "I'd say he had a hell of a decision to make between his pregnant wife and his pregnant mistress. At least he stayed with his wife, right?"

"I'm sorry, Dean," Cass said, gently squeezing Dean's arm.

"Yeah," Dean said bitterly, "me, too."

"Well, the good news is that I can use this information as another angle to try to figure out where they're based," Ash said quickly. "See, your dad isn't listed on Milligan's contact information, just his mom. So that means his mom's the one who was in contact with him, and we know these assholes have been in contact with her. So if I can hack into her phone records, I might be able to pull up a number that I can trace."

"Hey, wait a minute," Dean said. He dug in his pocket and produced a folded piece of paper. Unfolding it, he revealed Sam's poster. "This is the poster that went up all over Sam's campus and the town when he first ran. Someone was looking for him and Balthazar, the guy who helped Gabriel escape."

Castiel was frowning at the images. "That's a good picture of Sam, but the drawing looks nothing like Balthazar," he declared.

Dean rolled his eyes. "Everyone's a critic. Anyway, there's a number to call if you have information, see?" He tapped the bottom of the poster. "Think you could trace that?"

"Yeah, man!" Ash's leg was bouncing excitedly as he took the poster. "Totally rad move, bringing this along."

The door opened, the bells positioned above it jangling to announce the arrival of another patron. Dean glanced over and saw Sam cautiously entering. "That's my brother Sam."

"Oh." Ash eyed the newcomer. "Yeah, I'll go work on this. I think you two have some talking to do, huh?"

"I agree." Castiel was getting up too. "If you don't mind, Dean, I'd like to go and see Lanette, make sure she's alright. While I'm fairly sure no one gave her any 'vitamins,' I'd still like to warn her that they are available."

Dean hid his smile over the dragon's use of air quotes. "Sure, buddy, that's a good idea. Jo or Ellen should be able to tell you where to find her." He tossed Baby's keys to Cass, but Cass shook his head. "You keep your car," he declared, handing them back. "I'll use Sam's. Baby shouldn't ever be separated from you."

If Dean didn't know he loved Castiel before this, he certainly knew now. Getting up, he kissed Cass, gave his hand a lingering squeeze, and let go. Ash quickly made himself scarce as Cass moved to Sam and collected the keys before speaking quickly to Ellen and heading out. Dean waved at Sam, who had already spotted him, and waited for his brother's lanky form to climb into the chair. He looked back at the door and raised an eyebrow to see no one else was entering. "Where's Balth?"

"He needed some time away from you," Sam explained curtly. "It was not a pleasant drive here, Dean."

"I can't say I'm upset, but we'll talk about that later," Dean replied. "I got something to tell you."

Sam listened incredulously as Dean explained what Ash had discovered. When Dean finished, Sam seemed numb. He sat there, the salad he'd ordered barely touched, hands folded in his lap and staring at nothing on the table. Dean was starting to worry when Sam finally spoke. "I kind of wondered about him and Kate," he said quietly. "She just seemed to show up out of nowhere and the next thing we knew, they were getting married. I kind of wondered if there'd been some sort of history. But never even telling us that we have a brother, not even after they were married?"

"Telling us that would have meant admitting he'd cheated on Mom," Dean pointed out bitterly. "Since when have you ever known John Winchester to admit he'd made a mistake?"

That made Sam look up sharply. "Adam is not a mistake. He's our brother, one we never got the chance to meet. Now, thanks to these fuckers with Michael, we may never get that chance." He leaned forward angrily. "I want a piece of these assholes, Dean!"

Dean let out a low whistle and leaned back. "Easy, Tiger. This is no place for a civvy."

"I may be a civvy, but so is Ash," Sam pointed out. "I'm not anywhere near as good as he is with computers, but I'm a good researcher. There's surely other things I can do, too, just like Bobby and the people here. I can help. I want to help."

"Then you can help," Dean declared, smiling fondly at his brother. "I'm sure Bobby would love to have whatever you can offer. You have his number, so give him a call. I don't want you anywhere near the fighting or Michael, but I'll take all the behind-the-scenes help I can get."

"You know, that's something you need to remember you said when you see Balthazar again," Sam pointed out, making Dean grimace. "What you said to him really bothered him. He barely said two words the entire trip here."

"Good," Dean declared. "I want him to be bothered. You're a civvy. He's not, and neither is Gabriel. I'll take whatever you and Bobby and these people here can give me, but I'd really like someone else up front with Castiel when the time comes. I know," he groaned, seeing Sam's glower. "I can't make them grow a set. They've gotta let 'em drop on their own."

Sam rolled his eyes. "I see you're just as eloquent as ever. You probably still think you're funny, too."

"I think I'm adorable," Dean declared.

That earned him another eye roll. "Whatever."

After that, Sam went back to his salad and managed to finish it. Dean nursed his beer, chatting with his brother. People came and went at the bar. Dean paid them no attention, enjoying the atmosphere and the conversation with his brother. They were deep into a playful argument over sports when bullets suddenly started flying, smashing through the mirror and some of the glassware behind the bar.

"Everyone get down on the floor, now!"

Dean instinctively threw himself over Sam, looking up in shock to see a group of men wearing ski masks and toting automatic weapons. They were spreading through the bar, weapons trained on the staff and patrons. Shit. Feeling the alarmed touch of Cass's mind, Dean focused on sending the image through to his dragon, warning him not to come charging in. That would more than likely get people killed.

One of the masked men had spotted Dean. A gloved finger pointed in his direction. "You! Get up and get your shirt off."

Beneath Dean, Sam stiffened. His brother clearly knew what was happening. These men were checking for Dean's mark, but there was little either of them could do right now to stop it. "Geeze, man, buy me dinner first," Dean complained, cautiously climbing off of Sam and raising his hands.

"I said get that fucking shirt off!"

"Alright, alright! Damn, I know I have perky nipples, but my tits aren't that great, calm down!" To Cass, he sent, "These fuckers are looking for me, Cass. They're making me take my shirt off, checking your mark."

"Hang on, Dean, I'm coming!"

"Just stay back and let them take me away from the bar first," Dean ordered. "We'll deal with them when Sam and all the other innocent people here are out of danger, ok?"

It was obvious that Castiel didn't like that. It was also obvious that Castiel was in the air, flying rapidly back toward the bar. Amazing that Dean could sense that now.

Apparently, Dean had hesitated too long. The man stormed over and grabbed Dean's shirt, tearing it and jerking Dean roughly forward. Dean yelped and quickly pulled the shirt over his head. "There," he sighed, turning to display the mark of Cass's hand. "Happy?"

"Other arm, wise ass!"

Confused, Dean turned, showing his unmarked arm. "Um, ok?"

"What the fuck?" the man muttered. Handing his weapon to one of his buddies, he grabbed Dean, rubbing hard at his unmarked arm and then jerking Dean roughly around to do the same to his other arm. Dean blinked, looking at the skin of his arm. Now he understood the man's confusion. His mark was gone. Dean thought back to when he and Cass had reformed their bond. The dragon hadn't remarked him afterward. Dean hadn't realized that the mark had faded. A surprising pang of loss went through him. Still, this could work out to his advantage. Dean pasted on a smirk. "Dude, if you're gonna keep feeling me up, I'm going to start charging you."

The man gave Dean a rough shove and, to Dean's alarm, grabbed Sam, pulling him up to his knees. The stress of the situation was obviously affecting his civilian brother far more than Sam had believed it would. The younger Winchester's face was pale and sweaty, his eyes unfocused. Dean yelled out when the man brutally ripped Sam's shirt open, sending buttons flying. An accusing finger pointed at an odd tattoo, a pentagram surrounded by what looked like a sunburst, on Sam's chest. "What's this?" the man demanded.

"T-tattoo," Sam moaned. He was swaying, looking like he was moments away from passing completely out. "I'm W-wiccan."

That was news to Dean, but his brother's religious conversion was hardly a topic to discuss now. In any case, it clearly wasn't what the man was looking for. Roughly pulling Sam's shirt off, the man rubbed at both of his arms, cursed and gave Sam a shove. Sam went backward and would have hit the floor if Dean hadn't caught him. Ignoring the brothers, the man turned to his companions. "This isn't them," he complained. "I thought the bastard we wanted had the mark on his arm, but I checked. It's not covered with make-up or anything, either. Neither of of 'em is marked."

"It's them," another insisted. "You saw the same pictures that I did. That is Dean Winchester, the one we're looking for. Bonus, the other one's Sam Winchester. Boss wants 'em both, now get 'em trussed up and let's get the hell out of here!"

Dean clung to his brother, snarling at the man. Letting these fuckers take him was one thing. Letting them take his little brother, especially when Sam was obviously in a complete panic, was quite another. Every protective instinct he had rose up, making him jump to his feet, pushing Sam behind him, and raise his fists. If these fuckers wanted to take Sammy, he vowed, they were going through him.

But the man ignored him completely. To Dean's surprise, the man was busy was kneeling next to two shirtless men lying on the floor, roughly cuffing their hands together behind their backs. Some other men came forward, dragging the bound pair roughly to their feet. Dean blinked, seeing himself and Sam being dragged out the door at gunpoint. He looked back at Sam, who was on his hands and knees and panting hard. He looked back at their retreating doppelgängers. Confused, Dean moved to follow them, but Sam quickly grabbed his arm. "It's ok," he panted. "Just wait here a moment."

Outside, the sound of squealing tires marked the departure of the kidnappers. The bar exploded into noise, screams, and yells to call the police. Ellen was racing outside, rifle in hand, bravely trying to do whatever she could to stop their escape. Jo was sobbing into the phone at the police. No one paid any attention when a man with wavy brown hair, sideburns, and amber eyes that immediately fixed on Sam entered the bar. Dodging the panicked bar patrons, the man ignored Dean and ran to Sam, gently wrapping his arms around the much taller man and helping him to his feet. "I got here as quickly as I could," he soothed, brushing back Sam's sweaty hair. "Are you alright? You're bleeding!"

To Dean's alarm, blood was dripping from his brother's nose. He quickly grabbed for some napkins, which the man snatched from his hand to press against Sam's nose. Sam grimaced and took the napkins. "I'm ok," he said, still a bit short of breath. "That was hard, though. I'm glad you got here, because I couldn't have kept it up for much longer. I thought sure they'd come running back to grab us."

"They still will once they get out of my range and they realize the only thing they did was give up two sets of handcuffs," the man replied anxiously. "Dean-o, grab those off of the floor, would you? We need to get gone. Oh, and do me a favor and tell Cassie to flutter back to wherever he was, because I can guarantee they'll be back with a fuck ton more people, especially now."

"Especially now?" Dean quickly snagged the handcuffs. They were lying, he realized, right where their doppelgängers had been. Things were clicking into place. He turned back to the man, quickly moving to Sam's other side to help get his brother through the door. "Gabriel, I presume?"

"At your service," Gabriel replied with a gleeful smirk. "Now shut up and help me get Sam away from the building. I'm going to need some room."

Dean didn't ask why he needed the room. He quickly hurried his brother out. As he did, he glanced back down at his arm, relieved to see that the mark of Castiel's hand was there. Then he looked over at his brother and gasped. Where the odd tattoo had been on Sam's chest a moment before was the clear mark of a hand. It wasn't a burn like Dean's or Donnie's. The mark looked more like Sam had somehow developed a deep suntan in the exact shape of a human hand, fingerprints and all. He stared at it, and then looked up at Sam. "Sammy?"

"Yeah, we'll explain later," Sam sighed. At least Sam seemed to be recovering. "Right now, I suspect anyone who looks is going to see a big bird of prey go flying up out of this parking lot."

"Big bird… Flying?! Wait, you don't mean…?"

Gabriel transformed in an instant, silently going from human to dragon in less than a second. While he was noticeably smaller than Castiel, Gabe still was easily larger than a van, with a wingspread that took up several parking spaces. Grabbing Sam in one paw and Dean in the other, the smaller dragon's wings beat down hard while the back legs launched all three of them into the air.

"Don't scream!" Sam hissed, clutching tightly at Dean's arm. "He's going to have a hard enough time keeping up the illusion while flying with the two of us as it is, so just keep quiet!"

Dean managed to turn the scream he'd opened his mouth to release into a high-pitched hiss of air through his clenched teeth. He squeezed his eyes tightly shut. First, he needed to survive this flight. After that, he had every intention of beating his brother. How Sam had managed to find and bond with a dragon and then somehow hide it from him and Castiel was a story that could wait for later.