Chapter Text
Castiel likes to spend his free time away in Norway. He enjoys the company of deer and other calm wildlife. He enjoys the smooth sounds of the nearby waterfalls as he sits in the forest reading a book that Dean gifted him. It isn't very interesting to Cas, being a book about uninteresting topics, but it was a gift from Dean. After a while of reading, he hears his phone make a small chime. Dean, the screen reads. Dean is calling. With little hesitation, Cas picks up the phone.
“Dean? Hello.” Castiel says, his voice as gravely and bland as always.
“Yo, Cas. We need your help for a case,”
“I can help. Are you at the bunker?”
“Yep. Thanks, buddy. Bye, Cas… Oh- Sam says hi,”
“Hi Sam,”
“Bye Cas.”
The tone sounded, signaling that Dean had hung up. Cas took a moment to think. Thinking about what danger there could be, if he’s needed to heal or for his grace or a spell. He had worried himself quite a bit before he remembered that he needed to go.
……
The only notice that Cas had flown in was the soft flutter of wings… which was completely overshadowed by the sounds of an argument. Yelling and movement. He decided that it might be worthwhile to find the source of the fighting.
Cas walked over towards the kitchen, stopping in his tracks when he heard a glass break, the argument came to an abrupt stop after the shatter.
“That's the kitchen,” Cas mumbled, quickening his pace to find Sam on the floor, a terrified glimmer in his eyes, next to an equal part scary and terrified Dean. There was a perfect circle of shattered glass surrounding Sam, similar to the salt circles that they make so often.
“What’s going on?” He questioned. The brothers remained silent. Sam was the first to break it with one simple sentence.
“Welp. Guess my powers are back.”
……
Dean, Cas, and Sam sat around a table. They were sitting in front of countless books of lore, trying to focus on the case and not on Sam.
“Maybe my increased contact with Rowena and Jack brought them back?”
“... Maybe..” Dean finally said, “Or maybe it was self-defense.”
“You haven’t been drinking any demon blood, have you?” Cas said in his gravelly tone.
“Of course not!” Sam and Dean said in unison. Sam’s tone was a lot more like a hurt puppy’s and Dean’s was defensive. Cas decided not to push his luck and return to the silence that he had been comfortable in.
“We should call Rowena,” Dean finally said after a minute or two of silent thinking from the trio.
……
Rowena entered the bunker, the large metal door slamming behind her. “Alright, what have you boys done now,” She barked in her annoyed Scottish accent. Cas gently led her to the table that the trio had been using thus far.
“Sammy’s powers are back,” Dean said, “We want you to tell us how.” Rowena looked at the boys, a shocked look on her face.
“Really? That’s incredible!” Rowena sang. She glided towards the bookshelves to read a title that had caught her eye. Sam, Cas, and Dean just watched her.
“This might have something to do with it,”
The book she was holding was old. Really old. Hand-bound by the look of it. Its cover was a dark green leather with gold embellishments. Its title faded out, and only the outline remained. The Tome of Demonic Magicks.
“That's new,” Dean said after a few seconds of gawking. There was a moment where there was just silence. Everyone was staring at this new, seemingly random, book on the shelves of a library that had been combed and read innumerable times.
Castiel was the first to break it.
“Dean. I need to speak with you... Alone.”
……
Cas had stepped into a side room, the hallway that led down to the other rooms in the bunker, except the kitchen which is in the opposing hall. Dean followed slowly, he walked the way he usually did. Confidence oozed out of him, even in his semi-panicked state.
“I recognize that book. It’s not something you should have.”
“When it's something we shouldn't have, it usually saves the world.”
“Or ends it.”
“You’ve got a point,” Dean shrugged, leaning backward to rest on the hallway’s wall. His arms were crossed in his typical manner, sassy and confident.
“That book,” Cas starts, “Was under lock and key in heaven. I don’t even know how it got down here. It’s probably something to do with the recent decline in Angel numbers since very few are left to guard it. If it gets into the wrong-”
“Wrong hands,” Dean Interrupted, “All that jazz. The bunker is the safest place for this… weird… probably super-powerful book. We both know that.”
“Yes, but-”
“But nothing,” Dean interrupted again, “It’s going to be fine, Cas. I promise.”
“Okay. I believe you, Dean,” Cas said reluctantly, soft traces of emotion in his tone. And he truly did trust Dean, he just didn’t want the book stolen. Or worse, used.
……
The pair headed back to their table where they found Rowena was already reading the tome with a glimmer in her eyes. Sam was busy on the computer, trying to find details for the case.
“It says here that there was a string of murders in suburban Illinois, right near that Oak Park case we did all those years ago. Forest Park this time,” Sam said, trying to break the awkwardness of the room.
“Ooh!” Rowena cooed, “This spell discorperates every demon or angel in a 10-mile radius, interesting.”
“Now’s not the time,” Dean chimed in, “Is there anything in there that would explain Sam’s situation?”
“Just wait, I do have to read it after all~” Rowena sang. Dean rolled his eyes and plopped down between Cas and Sam at the table. Dean fidgeted with his lighter, flicking it open and on before closing it again.
The silence, pierced by rhythmic clicking, remained for another 10 minutes. Dean awkwardly fidgeted, Cas thinking and staring off in Rowena’s general direction, Sam googling more about the case that would eventually get some more attention rather than him, and Rowena taking her merry time while reading the tome.
“Aha!” Rowena exclaimed.
“Finally!” Dean groaned.
“It says here in the afterward that the ‘Tome of Demonic Magicks’ that any person who has or has had powers who comes in contact with the book gets a boost for around two days unless they touch the book again in which the time renews. So, Sam, you must’ve brushed your big hand against the book this morning!” Sam nodded slowly, taking in the information.
“So just don’t touch it again, got it,” Sam reasoned, “Should be easy enough.”