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A few months ago
Gasping for air, Castiel woke up. He’d just come back from The Empty, the suffocating darkness, the malicious laugh of inky darkness acting as Dean, surrounding him with agonizing pain both mental and physical, and then he woke up. As he woke up he remembered Dean and what he’d said before The Empty had come, what he had told him. Castiel rolled over on his side and gasped, attempting to get up.
“Castiel, it's okay. Stop. You’re safe,” a familiar voice told him, and Castiel opened his eyes. It was Jack. They were in Heaven, he assumed, as it was white all around. He was in a bed, he thought, or somewhere soft.
“What happened? Is Dean okay?” Castiel coughed out.
“Dean and Sam are fine, don’t worry about them. They defeated Chuck and I brought everyone back,” Jack explained. He sounded different than Castiel remembered, more confident.
“I need to go see Dean,”
“He’s fine,” Jack reiterated. “I need your help though. I brought you back and I don’t know who to trust or what to do.”
“Are you God?” Castiel asked, a flip switching in his brain that Chuck was now gone. He wasn’t as weak as he thought, either, he felt stronger than when The Empty took him.
Jack let out a soft laugh. “I guess so.”
“Jack… why do you need my help then?”
“I want to rebuild Heaven, I have to. Heaven is still collapsing. We need angels and a better strategy,” Jack explained. “That’s where you come in. I restored your powers and I need help figuring out what to do. For Mary, the other hunters, and the angels left. We need to change things.”
Hesitant, Castiel thought of Dean again. “Jack…”
“I know I’m asking a lot of you Castiel. I know I’m stepping in between you and Dean,” Jack said with a soft smile. “You can blame me.”
“Dean won’t see it that way,” Castiel told him, but he knew Jack was right. Heaven needed help. If all of those souls plummeted to earth, they would turn into ghosts or vengeful spirits and the earth would go into chaos. “But I’ll do it.”
Present Day
Dean Winchester was sitting in an old, beige recliner that the springs weren’t so great in and he kept getting poked in the ass by one of them. He had the foot rest up and was leaning back in the chair, trying to relax. A beer was in his hand; it had definitely been a day. Desperately, he wished he was back at the bunker with his soft bed and good water pressure. They were, of course, in some dingy motel room in a small town in Montana. Neither the appliances or bathroom had been updated since the 80s and he was scared to use the microwave in case it caught fire and burned down the motel. The stove was even worse… Dean had decided to get pizza.
The minutes ticked past on the chrome-colored starburst clock as he waited for a phone call from Castiel. They were on a hunt together while Sam was back at the bunker with Eileen, where they were helping a couple of other hunters out. Every lead today was a dead end; every time they thought they were onto something, this monster was one step ahead. He’de’d gotten a text from Castiel that he was following some leads and would call later and that was about two hours ago now…
This hunt wasn’t one he wanted to be on, but Sam had insisted. His brother had showed him an article of a man named Louis Newman who had killed someone while he was drunk driving before drinking himself to death. Sam and Castiel had argued it was odd because Louis stayed at his house for days, cell phone untouched just drinking himself to death.. Annoyingly, they argued for hours that drinking himself to death over the course of a few days was not a good way to die; there were better and quicker ways to die, and there was something that just didn’t sit right with them over it. Then to Dean’s dismay, Sam told him to take Castiel. Dean just didn’t want to go, it was very awkward between him and Cas. But Dean’s reluctance was honestly just him being stubborn because he knew they had a point.
The hunter had thought Cas was dead for the longest time after the fiasco with Billie and The Empty. His mind had reeled for months after what Cas had told him, telling himself he should have said something, done something. After they defeated Chuck, everyone came back except for Castiel. It had been a couple of months since they had heard anything from Jack and then one day in the bunker, Castiel had shown up when Dean was petting Miracle in the library. Jack had gotten Cas out of The Empty a couple of months prior but neglected to mention it to Sam or Dean. When Castiel told him, Dean had exploded, just barely listening to Castiel’s explanation; some nonsense about rebuilding heaven and how Jack had needed him. It had almost curbed Dean’s anger and made him cave, confessing that he was just glad Cas was back. But almost wasn’t good enough. He had thought Cas was gone for good, had spent months miserable and lonely and second guessing everything - all while Jack had saved Cas and neither had bothered to tell him anything.
For the next few weeks after Castiel came home, he tried to talk with him but Dean had changed the subject every time. Everything had been too much. Dean had thought Cas was dead, had been struggling to come to terms with what that meant, and he thought he’d never have to face it. So he buried it. Then there Cas was in his trench coat with those sky blue eyes and his usual “Hello Dean” that Dean had missed so much. Dean wasn’t sure about these feelings and everything this was bringing up.
Dean looked at the clock on the wall, suddenly hit with a pang of worry and irritation at the same time. It was almost midnight and Castiel should have called a few hours ago. Dean was trying to show Castiel he trusted him and let him follow his own lead. He drank the rest of the beer and dug his phone out of his pocket, then dialed the familiar number. It rang before it went to voicemail. Dean frowned and tried again and again. Nothing. He couldn’t lose Castiel, not again.
“Dammit, Cas,” Dean swore as he pressed his legs down, closing the leg rest. He got up and crossed to the little table by the kitchenette and opened his laptop, navigating to the tracking site he used to track Cas’s phone sometimes, since he was always losing it. Dean sometimes got worried about him when he was gone for a while or wouldn’t answer. It pinged in the middle of town, near the sheriff's station. Dean frowned. What was going on? Then he felt a stabbing sensation in his leg and almost hit the floor. Dean looked around and then down at his leg and saw a bloodstain coming through his jeans.
“What the hell is going on?” Dean asked himself, reaching down to pull up his pant leg. There was a small, perfectly shaped cut, and if he hadn’t known any better, he would’ve thought it was a knife. He looked around the room once more and then started to strip. He dressed the small cut quickly and then changed into his monkey-suit before grabbing his keys and heading out the door.
12 Hours Earlier
Dean and Castiel were on their way to Yellowstone, Montana. They drove down the highway in the black ‘67 Chevy Impala, there weren’t many cars on the road this afternoon. The drive was tolerable but Castiel wanted to start investigating. It had been a while since he’d been on a hunt. Dean and Castiel had been arguing almost the whole trip if their vic had committed suicide or been murdered. Dean was annoyingly stubborn and Castiel honestly wanted to just prove him wrong.
“How long until we get there?” Cas blurted out.
“Maybe about fifteen minutes?” Dean answered. “We’re not far.”
“Maybe I’ll fly there then, just scout.”
“Cas…” Dean started but Castiel had already flown to the scene of what he thought was a murder. Dean would probably be upset Castiel left without letting him finish, but there was a case here and Castiel knew it.
Castiel knew what he had said before The Empty took him had had a tremendous impact on Dean. Not saying anything when he came back was on him, but Dean was acting as if nothing had happened… like Chuck didn’t betray them, or the fact they probably wouldn’t see Jack as much anymore, or that Castiel hadn’t laid himself bare before disappearing. He was pretending like they weren't free of Chuck's rule anymore and that they could do whatever they pleased. Dean was closed off again and Castiel was trying his hardest to show Dean he cared.
A couple houses down, Castiel landed on a backroad a little ways from town. There were multiple houses on the street, making up a nice little neighborhood. The only house that was out of place was the victim’s. It was run down, roof tiles falling off, and a lawn that hadn’t been tended to in months.
Castiel walked toward the victim's house where two officers were casually talking outside and Castiel looked them over. The older officer had chestnut brown hair with gray flecks, a gray beard, and dark hazel eyes. The younger one was probably in his late twenties, with light blonde hair and bright green eyes. They stopped talking when they saw Castiel and turned toward him. They were wearing matching sheriff attire, light brown uniforms with a weapons belt and golden badges, but the older gentleman was decorated with some patches and pins.
“Hello, I’m Agent Aldean,” Castiel introduced, pulling his badge out of his pocket. “Can you catch me up on what’s going on?”
They were quiet for what seemed like a couple of minutes but Castiel knew it had only been a couple of seconds. “Agent Aldean?” the older one responded.
“FBI,” Castiel clarified, meeting the man's eyes and holding out his hand, which the older man shook. “We’re just following up.”
“FBI? Why do they care about a small-town suicide?” the one with blonde hair asked, frowning.
“Max, stop,” the other man said. “I’m Thomas, Head Sheriff. Max is new, my apologies.”
“It’s fine,’ Castiel told him. “What can you tell me?”
“Well, honestly it’s weird. It seems as if Louis was starved or drank himself to death over a few days. He was a drunk, sure, but not suicidal. Even after the accident. You think he would have gotten help after a couple of days in or something? The coroner that picked up the body said they thought it would be ruled it a suicide though. I was here trying to find answers myself but maybe the man actually had a conscience, I don’t know,” Thomas explained scratching his head a tad. "You can take a look inside."
“Thanks, Sheriff,” Castiel said and walked toward the front door to head inside. The moment he was over the threshold, he felt an odd amount of power. Before he could question anything, his phone rang. Grabbing it out of his pocket he looked at the screen. It was Dean.
“Cas, where are you?” Dean asked with irritation in his tone. “I thought we agreed no ‘beam me up’ stuff.”
“Beam me up?” Castiel asked, confused. As he looked around the small house, he noted it was lightly furnished. A couch, a coffee table, a TV, and that was about it. There were liquor and beer bottles everywhere.
“Nevermind,” Dean sighed. “Where are you?”
“The victim's house,” Castiel answered. “The Sheriff didn’t think Louis was suicidal.”
“So? Doesn’t mean anything,” Dean said. “Come on, Cas, you know the weight of what he did.”
Castiel was silent for a moment then responded, “Dean, I have this feeling I can’t explain at the house.”
“Fine, Cas. Fine.” Dean sighed and hung up. Putting the phone back in his pocket, Castiel started searching the house. About half an hour later, Dean showed up and Castiel could hear him chatting with the officers, saying he was meeting his partner.
It took them a little over an hour to thoroughly search the house. Dean was still being stubborn but not as bad, though he complained a lot. Dean had wanted to quit after the first fifteen minutes, and Cas kept telling him no. Surprisingly, Dean hadn’t argued with Cas on the point of continuing the search. Desperate, he used his angel vision to look around. It paid off though because there was a hex bag inside a sufficiently patched wall. The hex bag was small and black, tied with red string, and had a pagan symbol painted on it. It gave off a good amount of power.
“Well, that was a bitch.” Dean sighed. “We’re dealing with a witch. This dude was in jail for a bit, wasn’t he?”
“Yeah,” Castiel answered, slightly annoyed with Dean and trying not to be too “I told you so” towards him and cause any more ill-temperament. “The hex bag must have been the weird feeling, powerful little thing.”
“Witch must have come in, put a hole in the wall, and patched it again. They must have some juice,” Dean guessed. “Well… you and Sam were right, I was ready to give up.”
“I know, you complained enough.” Castiel sighed, then he looked Dean in the eyes, moving a bit closer, to add, “Thank you for saying we were right. I know you hate admitting that.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Dean told him, his lips in a firm line. He looked a little uncomfortable with the closed distance but didn’t say anything. “I’ll go talk with the neighbors to see if they saw anything strange while Louis was in jail. You go ask the two cops about the accident and the girl Louis killed.”
“Got it,” Castiel responded. He was close enough to Dean now he could smell his cologne, a delicious mix between bourbon and pine. “And Dean, be careful, okay?”
“You too, Cas.” Dean replied slowly backing away from Cas, but meeting his eyes. Then they headed back outside, the only cop left was Max and Castiel sighed. Max was standing towards the end of the street and had a cigarette in his mouth.
“Max, where is Thomas?” Castiel asked, approaching the young cop. Max dropped the cigarette on the concrete and stomped it out, looking a little more attentive than before.
“He got called back to the office,” Max explained. “What do you need, sir?”
“No need for the sir stuff,” Castiel told him. “What can you tell me about the drunk driving accident and the girl who was killed?”
“Oh, uh,” Max stammered for a second, “do you think it was more than a suicide?”
“We don’t know yet,” Castiel deflected, remembering how Dean and Sam would respond to these types of questions. “The accident?” he prompted.
“Her name was Allison Ford,” Max replied. “Her parents died years ago, she usually hung out with this one girl, but I don’t know her name.”
“What was she like? The other girl?” Castiel interrogated. “Why was Louis let out early?”
“This was a while ago now, she kinda just up and vanished a couple of years ago,” Max explained. ''Someone posted Louis’s bail, don’t know who. The stupid judge set it pretty low, in my opinion.”
“A couple of years? Did she have any other friends?” Castiel questioned.
“Honestly? I didn’t notice. I just noticed this one girl because she was odd. Always liked weird things,” Max answered. “I didn’t know Allison well.”
“You don’t remember what she looks like? What was the ‘weird’ stuff?” Castiel sighed, furrowing his eyebrows. It felt like he was getting nowhere fast. Hopefully, Dean was having more luck than him. “Anything, Max.”
“I think she had blonde hair and green eyes. She was into ghosts and stuff, like weird stuff, and always wanted to go to abandoned places,” Max told him. “It was a while ago, sorry. Like I said, I didn't know Allison well.”
“Thank you,” Castiel told the officer with no meaning behind the words at all. It seemed like a dead end, being so long ago, but there was something nagging at Castiel. “I’m going to go into town. Tell my partner if you see him.”
Castiel walked away before he said something he regretted. Dean would be angry that he left again, but Castiel wanted to talk with the sheriff and ask around town about Allison. Something wasn’t sitting right with him; if this witch wanted revenge, wouldn’t she have been seen around the other girl? The whole situation made him uneasy. He’d been with Sam and Dean long enough to know when something wasn’t right with a case and this was one of those times. Castiel stopped for a second though, grabbed his phone out of his pocket, and texted Dean:
“Max doesn’t know anything, Sheriff may. Going to town. Please don’t worry, I'll call if there is trouble.”
Castiel put his phone away and ignored the vibration it gave off mere seconds later. Castiel wanted to do this on his own.
Castiel used his wings again and flew into town. He had to admit, having his wings back was nice. Human cars were weird and slow compared to his wings, they felt natural. A lot of angels felt that way after the fall and Jack had helped them. Jack didn’t give Naomi her wings back or most of her powers and Castiel was thankful for that. He had to admit she had helped a lot with rebuilding Heaven, but he was still weary of her and hadn't forgiven her. Her lower position helped Heaven and it also made sure that she was being watched over.
Castiel stopped in an alleyway in town, not far from the sheriff's office. West Yellowstone was a small town with various shops and tourist destinations being so close to Yellowstone Park. It was nice though. The office was small and had a few police cruisers parked in front of it. It was starting to get dark, he noticed. Castiel made his way inside and headed towards the front desk and secretary. One other officer was present, she had dark skin and curly hair, with green eyes, and was talking to a pretty woman with short blonde hair and light-gray eyes.
“Hello, I’m agent Aldean. I’m looking for Thomas,” Castiel introduced himself, showing his badge.
“Oh, hello! I’m Jennifer,” the officer responded then pointed at the secretary. "This is Alex.”
“What do you need?” Alex asked.
“I need information on the girl Louis Newman killed and who she associated with,” Castiel told them.
“Oh, you should ask Max,” Jennifer said in a cheerful tone which made him frown. “He was dating the girl who was killed. A real shame, they were engaged.”
Castiel tried to not look as shocked as he really was. He thought Max was dumb and new… But he couldn't be their witch! Castiel hadn’t felt any power from him and Castiel would’ve felt this power coming off of him. He’d only felt the power inside of the house. Castiel knew Dean was with Max but he wasn't worried. Dean could take care of himself against a twenty-something-year-old.
“I think he’s on his way back,” Jennifer added.
“Did Allison have any friends?” Castiel asked. He thought about Max and Max talking about the blonde.
“Paige Anderson," Alex responded this time. “She was like an older sister to Allison but was real trouble. Small towns talk, Agent.”
“How so?” Castiel asked.
“Oh, just always asking Allison to leave town with her, even though she was engaged to Max,” Alex answered. “Paige got in trouble a couple of times with Max, but they both cared for Allison and I’ve seen them talking sometimes. I only noticed because they used to never interact.”
“What does Paige look like?” Castiel asked.
“Red hair, blue eyes. Small,” Jennifer answered. Castiel thought for a moment; no one like that was near the crime scene which wasn't unusual and this wasn't the description Max gave him. "She has a fiery personality, that's for sure. After Allison was killed, I think she was almost arrested for assault."
"Did she ever hang out with a blonde?" Castiel inquired.
"No, I don't think so. Allison was a blonde though," Jennifer responded.
“I’ll be going now. Thank you,” Castiel told them. He had many questions but first he had to tell Dean about what he’d learned and make a plan of action to find Paige.
The street lights were on now and there were fewer cars in the parking lot. He headed back toward the alleyway he’d flown to before he’d gone into the police station. He was about to call Dean when a surge of power hit him from behind and he hit the ground in a daze. He tried to comprehend what was happening; this type of power was very rare. He tried to get up but another surge hit him and he blacked out, hitting the ground again and dropping his phone.
When Castiel came to, he was sitting in an old kitchen chair, his chest and legs tied but his arms free. He blinked his eyes a few times and looked around the space. There was a dilapidated red couch on one side of the room that had stuffing coming out, and a fireplace in front of the couch. The fireplace was burning. The rest of the cabin was sparsely furnished.
A woman with red hair and hazel eyes watched him with interest. The red hair reminded him of Rowena but other than that, there was no resemblance. She wore a white top, a black pencil skirt, and black heels. Her hair was in a braid and she was holding a large glowing quartz crystal in front of him. Max was next to her, peering over her shoulder. He looked as if he had achieved something, his lip quirked up on his face.
"Paige, I'm guessing?" Castiel asked.
"Who are you? Who is your friend, really?" Max interrogated.
"Max, they're hunters! This one is powerful though… An angel I think!" Paige exclaimed. "I knew I shouldn't have done this. I got lucky taking him down and its only because this stupid soul crystal helped."
"You wanted to," Max pointed out. "For Allison."
"You wanted to. You convinced me to! Allison wouldn't have wanted any of this! I loved her too!" Paige screamed at him, tears falling down her cheeks. "Now look what you've done! Brought hunters!"
"Paige, calm down," Max told her.
“Did you put a soul in the crystal Paige?” Castiel asked.
Paige stopped for a second and looked at him and cursed. The crystal was still in her hand. “Yeah, the drunk's soul is in the crystal. And I’ve been siphoning it for power.”
“Why won’t you stop, Paige?”
"Because I want Allison back! She died horribly, she suffered. Maybe if I get a reaper to come, I can get her back. Bargain you off,” Paige growled, turning on him. "Max is right. I wanted Louis to pay. So I did this."
Then it hit Castiel. "You were in the car, weren't you? Why didn't you kill Louis then?"
"I was too weak..." Paige whispered, barely audible. “I couldn’t even heal Allison.”
"This won't bring Allison back," Castiel told her. "It's not how things work."
"SHUT UP!" Paige yelled, pushing the crystal in his face and muttering something in Latin. Castiel almost screamed, his head pounding. After a little while, he wasn't himself. He couldn't get any thoughts in his head. All he wanted to do was poke this doll that looked oddly like Dean.
Present
Dean drove the Impala down the dimly lit streets from their motel to downtown. It was only a twenty-minute drive past a convenience store and a small park into town. Castiel's phone was pinging a couple of blocks from the police station. He parked the Impala near the alleyway where Castiel's phone signal was coming from on the app on his phone. Dean didn't see Castiel anywhere and his heart sank. He couldn't lose Cas again. Dean called Castiel's phone and quickly found it on the ground with the screen cracked and Dean swore. Something had happened. There wasn't a sign of a fight or anything, which was odd.
Dean's breath was coming shallower now and his vision was blurred. He needed to think and find Castiel. Castiel had said he was going to go talk with the sheriff. Dean turned around and headed quickly towards the police station. There was a receptionist, who was pretty cute. She had long dark brown hair and sparkling hazel eyes, set behind round, brown wire frames.
"Hey, I'm Agent Roland, my partner Agent Aldean came in a while ago and I can't find him. Can you help me?" Dean asked, showing her his badge. She frowned and shuffled some papers.
"Let me make some calls, Agent. Please take a seat," the lady told him in a cold tone and Dean frowned.
"Come on, I can't find him. Please?" Dean asked, giving her a puppy dog look.
"I need to make some calls. I wasn't here." She sighed, glaring at him, and Dean took a seat. He tapped his fingers on his knees and also tapped his foot on the tile floor, making the woman glare at him again.
"Your friend was asking about Allison White and Paige Anderson. You should ask Officer Max about this. They were engaged," the receptionist told him after half an hour. Dean frowned. That stupid newbie was involved in all of this?
"Can I get a location on Max's cruiser please so I can speak with him?" Dean asked in an almost sickly sweet tone.
"Of course," the receptionist told him and did some typing on the computer before she frowned. "Odd, it looks as if he is outside of town, maybe thirty-forty miles. I can text you an address."
"Thank you," Dean told her and gave her one of his numbers before he rushed out of the police department and to the Impala. He followed the GPS on his phone which said he was about thirty miles out and was headed to some wooded area.
Dean was hitting at least a hundred down the highway toward where he was going, not caring if a cop pulled him over. He was breathing shallowly again and could barely concentrate on the road. Castiel could be in real danger if these people took him down; something bad was going on and it gave Dean the usual pit in the stomach about it. He was going to kill the witch and Max for taking Castiel, and God forbid if they hurt him. He didn't give a shit about the consequences that followed.
Soon, Dean was on a dirt road in an area thick with pine trees and pitch black. He was only a couple miles out and parked the Impala on the side of the dirt road. Once Dean got out, he fell to the ground, clutching his arm in pain. The pain soon faded and he took his arm out of his jacket sleeve and looked at it. Just like earlier in the motel, there was something that looked like a stab wound just below his shoulder that was oozing blood. Dean swore. He didn't know what was going on, but he was starting to get pissed.
Dean took a moment to check over the Impala, making sure there wasn’t a hex bag hiding anywhere. When his search came up empty, Dean went to the trunk. He pulled out a flashlight, two guns, and witch-killing bullets. He put his Glock into his boot - he didn't want to be caught off guard again - and slid his Colt under his shirt, into the waistband of his jeans. He felt better having his gun with him and close, if he were being honest with himself. Dean held the flashlight and phone in opposite hands, and used the GPS to lead him to the cruiser.
Before Dean was able to find the cruiser, pain shot through both his arm and leg. He almost collapsed. It was the same as the shoulder and Dean guessed he had a couple more stab-like wounds. Dean swore again, this was starting to get old.
Dean stopped at the edge of the road. "Jack if you are listening, let this be where Castiel is, and let him be okay, dammit."
Dean waited another moment before he sighed and went into the woods. He decided to not follow the road but kept it in sight, still following the GPS. He didn't really want to use the flashlight, but without it he couldn't see a damn thing. He stepped carefully across the forest floor. About fifteen minutes later, Dean saw lights and turned off his flashlight, replacing it with his Colt. He stalked upward and he saw a rundown cabin that the dirt road led up to. There was smoke coming from the chimney and he noticed the siding was falling off. The cruiser was parked in front along with a black Subaru.
Dean ducked down and went up to the window on the west side of the cabin. He peered in and saw no sign of Max. A woman with bright red hair paced the room, a large glowing crystal in her hand. Dean saw Castiel and had to bite his lip to not make a sound. Castiel was in a chair, blood dripping down his forehead. He held something in his hands that looked like a doll, and he also held an ornate knife. He looked up for a moment and his wonderful blue eyes were almost red with what seemed to be blood. Castiel seemed to not see Dean.
He held something in his hands that looked like a doll, and he also held an ornate knife. He looked up for a moment and his wonderful blue eyes were almost red with what seemed to be blood. Castiel seemed to not see Dean.
"Well hello there," a voice behind Dean purred and he recognized it as Max. Dean glared as he felt a gun to the center of his back and he put his hands up.
"Give me the gun and turn around slowly, or I shoot. And I have a good aim," Max threatened.
"You’re going to regret this kid, stop,” Dean told Max as he turned around, allowing Max to take the Colt from his hands.
“I’m the one with the gun and it already looks as if Paige has done a number on you, anyways.”
Dean raised his eyebrow at Max. “I’ve never even met Paige, who I assume is a witch. These stab wounds her work?”
“Your friend is doing it, actually.” Max smirked.
Dean frowned. “What did she do to him?”
“It’s a voodoo doll.”
“Pretty powerful stuff without my hair or anything,” Dean commented. “Paige is controlling him. This isn’t his fault.”
“You’re right, it isn’t. Every time he thinks of you or any time Paige wants, you get stabbed,” Max explained. “He’s protecting you! Damn shame Paige and I had to rough him up so much. We’d hoped he could help more but kept refusing.”
“Help?”
“That’s all I’m going to say,” Max told Dean and jabbed him in the chest with the gun. “Now, come on.”
Dean let Max lead him into the cabin and as soon as they entered, he looked at Castiel. The angel was completely unaware of Dean’s presence. Dean noticed that the doll in Castiel’s hand looked like him moments before Max jerked him to the side and shoved him down to sit. Max tied Dean up with some rope. Paige was still pacing the cabin floor.
“Cas! I know you’re in there. I know you’re trying to protect me,” Dean whispered. Castiel looked at Dean, but his eyes were bloody and almost hollow. Castiel held the small ornate knife in one hand and brought it down on the Voodoo into its thigh and Dean gasped. He knew it was risky talking with him but he needed to. “Stop it, Cas!”
“Shut up!” Paige yelled and shot her hand out toward Dean. Dean's body started convulsing and pain shot through him. Dean's head hit the floor and he couldn't see straight anymore, little black dots danced across his vision. Soon enough, Paige stopped using her magic on him and Dean's body calmed down. Dean didn't sit up right away, trying to catch his breath. He was pretty sure Paige just caused a tiny stroke in his body.
"I'm not going to kill you yet. I need you," Paige breathed.
"For what?" Dean asked, his breath a little shaky.
"You're a Winchester. I went through your friend's mind a little bit and saw this. You know God. He’ll bring Allison back," Paige told Dean with venom in her voice.
"God wouldn't help you. You're a monster. You killed a man, are torturing Castiel, and you just used your magic on me!" Dean spat, struggling against his bonds. Max had done a good job tying them, but they were kinda loose due to Paige's little stunt.
“I’ve heard of the Winchesters, the hunters that never stay dead. And you’re saying I can’t get Allison back?” Paige questioned. "I loved Allison! I just want her back. What wouldn't you do for someone you love?"
Shocked and guilty, Dean stayed quiet. He thought of all the times he’d gotten Sam back, the ways he himself had come back from the dead. Then Dean looked at Castiel and thought of what he’d just recently done to bring Castiel back from The Empty… All the demons he’d tortured, even some angels, desperate to find any way to bring Cas back. He’d been on a warpath and when he thought nothing could be done, when he’d exhausted everything he had, he lost himself in the bottom of a bottle. Luckily enough for him, Castiel came back and Paige must have seen that as well. He knew how unfair that must seem to Paige.
"I've learned over the years that everything comes with a price. Especially bringing someone back or hell, even coming back. I've made mistakes, I admit, but I've been trying to learn from them," Dean explained. He was being truthful, he had been trying to learn. He looked Paige in the eyes. "Allison wouldn't want you to do this."
"You know the angel loves you, right?" Paige whispered, not looking away. "Like how I loved Allison."
Dean was caught off guard by this, he took a breath. "Max will never let you love Allison that way."
"Don't listen to him, Paige," Max insisted, grabbing Paige by the shoulders and turning her toward him. "Allison would want to be alive. With us."
"Not if you sacrifice who you are, the person she loved!" Dean pointed out then looked at Castiel again. His heart completely sank looking at him. Castiel still had the knife above the Voodoo doll, his hand a little bloody. He knew Castiel would understand what he did since Castiel himself had made these bargains in the past. "Let go of me and Castiel."
"Paige, come on. We're so close!" Max told Paige, shaking her shoulders and trying to get her to pay attention to himself and not Dean. Paige looked hesitant but Dean wasn't sure he’d gotten through to her. Dean also wasn't sure he wanted to save her, after what she had done to Castiel. He pushed away the ugly thought that he’d done worse.
"Paige..." Dean started, but before he could finish Max had let go of Paige and punched Dean in the jaw. Dean managed not to fall over again and when he spat on the floor, there was blood. Dean gave Max a death glare. Dean was pulling at the ropes that were tied around his arms and legs, silently hoping Max was too pissed to notice.
"Just shut up!" Max hollered at Dean. "Allison was the love of my life. I'll do anything to get her back!"
"No! You are using her. You only want Allison back for yourself," Dean growled. Max tightened his fists at his sides. Dean braced for another punch but Max turned and guided Paige to the kitchen. Dean then turned to Castiel. "Come on Cas! You're stronger than this!"
Castiel gave him a blank stare then plunged his knife into the Voodoo doll's stomach. Dean groaned, falling over again. Blood stained the front of his shirt and his stomach burned. Max and Paige were now talking in hushed tones in the kitchen. He couldn't hear what they were saying but Paige had her fists clenched now, looking down. Dean wrestled with his bonds, he was gritting his teeth in pain, trying to break free. They had loosened with him being moved around so much. He wasn't going to die before he was able to rescue Castiel. He refused to.
"I loved her too Max!" Paige yelled, throwing her hands in the air.
"Be quiet," Max growled at Paige, thrusting her arms down.
After what seemed like forever, Dean was able to get his hands free. Struggling with the rope on his feet he gave up. They were loose but knotted now from his struggling. Usually, he could get out of these bonds no problem but he was in a lot of pain; his movements were pulling at the wound in his stomach and rebreaking open the cuts on his arms and leg.
He shoved the ropes aside to get to his boot and then pulled his gun free. He twisted and aimed, yelling, “Max! Stop!”
Max turned around, letting go of Paige and stepping away from her. Max put his hand down to his holster, pulling out his gun to aim it back at Dean. Dean was faster though. He lined up his shot quicker and pulled the trigger, putting a bullet through Max’s head. It took a couple of seconds but Max crumpled to the floor, his eyes rolling back in his skull, blood pooling beneath him. Paige screamed and turned towards Dean, her hand raised. But she hesitated. They stared at each other until Dean let out a slow breath and lowered his gun.
"Paige, please don't make me do this. Allison isn’t coming back," Dean pleaded with her. He watched the anger cross over her face and he raised his Glock again. Paige screamed and pointed her hands and the crystal at Dean.
"Son of a bitch!" Dean swore as the gun flew out of his hand, landing on the other side of the room. Dean looked around for a minute. His Colt was on the kitchen table, which of course was beside Paige. Once again he bent over, wincing at the pain, and struggled with the ropes around his feet.
"You think I'm a monster?" Paige yelled. "You just killed him.”
“Who’s calling the kettle black?" Dean retorted and got the rope undone from his legs. He made a decision and lunged for the Colt and Paige. "You gave Louis a torturous death."
"Max was hurting!" Paige cried as Dean lunged at her, but she used her magic and tossed him back to the other side of the room. He hit the wall crumpling to the ground.
"Max was cruel!" Dean grunted, getting on his knees. "He was using you."
Paige didn't respond. Dean looked around again and saw he’d landed near his Glock and silently prayed a thank you to Jack for this miracle, even though it probably had nothing to do with him. Dean grabbed the gun and struggled to his feet, pointing it at Paige.
"Paige, stop!" Dean screamed at her. He didn't want to kill her. He had zero regrets about Max, but Paige was a different story. Max had used her to try and get Allison back.
Paige held the crystal up and it started glowing even brighter. Dean felt an aching sensation and he gasped as he pulled the trigger, putting a bullet through her chest.
"I'm sorry, Allison," Paige muttered, then fell to the ground. Dean looked at her body, a pit in his stomach. When she stayed still, Dean moved to Castiel, gun still in hand. He grabbed at the ropes tying Castiel up with his free hand. "Cas! Castiel!"
Castiel wasn't responding to Dean, his eyes glassy as he raised the knife over the voodoo doll again.
"Son of a bitch, Cas, stop!" Dean yelled.
Dean looked around, trying to think before he got stabbed again. His eyes landed on the still glowing crystal. Dean cried out as Castiel stabbed down behind him, pain blossoming higher up on his stomach again. With his arm shaking, Dean raised his arm and shot the crystal. It shattered and the glowing blue light of the soul escaped. The light dimmed and standing there was a balding man with greying brown hair in his late sixties, wearing a blue t-shirt and jeans. His eyes were hollow and haunted as he frowned at Dean.
"Louis?" Dean muttered. The ghost didn't say anything before it vanished.
"Dean?" Castiel choked out, breaking through the bonds easily. Dean struggled to stay standing and collapsed on the floor. "Dean!"
His eyesight was starting to go black again, but Dean struggled to keep them open. The angel leaned over him, his eyes wide and still bloody. There was a glimpse of the blue Dean knew so well, but there was no white. Castiel touched him and when he raised his hand, it was covered with blood. Dean’s own blood, he realized. All he’d been focused on was saving Castiel.
"Castiel, I'm so sorry," Dean muttered. Dean knew he was dying, but he didn't care. Castiel was safe. "I'm so sorry."
"Why are you sorry, Dean?" Castiel asked. He was holding Dean in his arms now, and Dean leaned his head against Castiel’s chest. "I'm going to heal you, don't worry."
"I treated you like shit."
"Dean. I… I treated you like shit first. I deserved all of it. I could have come down to earth and told you I was alive. There's no excuse."
"I love you too," Dean muttered. With the last of his energy, he lifted himself up a bit in Castiel's grasp and kissed him, smiling softly at the small gasp Castiel made against his lips. Then, Castiel kissed him back hard, his hand moving to cradle the back of Dean’s head, holding him close. Dean felt warmth where they were connected, spreading through his entire body, and despite his eyes being closed, he could see a soft glow around them. Dean let out a little gasp as he pulled away, his wounds completely healed. Castiel looked down at him, his eyes shining and clear, a soft smile on his mouth.
"I love you too," Dean muttered. With the last of his energy, he lifted himself up a bit in Castiel's grasp and kissed him, smiling softly at the small gasp Castiel made against his lips. Then, Castiel kissed him back hard, his hand moving to cradle the back of Dean’s head, holding him close. Dean felt warmth where they were connected, spreading through his entire body, and despite his eyes being closed, he could see a soft glow around them. Dean let out a little gasp as he pulled away, his wounds completely healed. Castiel looked down at him, his eyes shining and clear, a soft smile on his mouth. .
"I… you..." Castiel smile widened. "You said it back."
"Of course I did." Dean laughed and kissed him again, softer than before. When he pulled back this time though, he turned his head to look at Paige.
“It’s not your fault,” Castiel told him. “I know I was out of commission for the fight and mostly everything, but you tried to get through to her and so did I. I saw that much. We can’t save everyone.”
Dean sighed, leaning into Castiel once more. “I know, Cas, but you were a major help actually. I had to piece it together, but finding your phone where it was was a good clue.”
Castiel let out a sigh. “I messed up, Dean. Again.”
“No you didn’t,” Dean told Cas and he smiled.
Together, they took the bodies further into the woods and burned them. Because it was late at night and cold, and they were far out in the middle of nowhere, Dean wasn’t worried about anyone seeing the smoke or flame. Still feeling a pang of guilt, Dean looked at the flames. Even after what Cas had said, he felt horrible. He’d wanted to help Paige; he knew the pain she had been going through and it wasn’t fair how it ended for her.
Before hiding the cruiser, Dean smashed the GPS. He drove the cruiser farther down the dirt road and into the wood before he covered it in branches. As he headed back to the Impala and Cas, Dean still felt guilty.
"Dean. I meant it, I'm sorry," Castiel said, stopping Dean and grabbing his hand.
"I know and I meant everything I said." Dean smiled. Grinning, Castiel gave Dean a hungry kiss, grabbing at Dean's shirt. Dean pulled at Castiel's as well and together they fumbled with the back door of the Impala, falling in a tangle of limbs into the backseat once they got it open. They were thirsty for each other after denying themselves this for so long. Dean's lips touched places he had only ever imagined and Castiel knew what he was doing, playing Dean’s body like he’d done it for years.
They stayed like this for another couple of hours, Dean letting go of his guilt, his fears, letting Castiel put him back together, piece by piece. As the sun started to rise, they got into the front seat, ready to get out of there before any more cops came looking for Max or Paige.
As Dean drove, they talked, about everything and anything, all the way back home.