Chapter Text
It had been 3 months since the angels had fallen and Dean and Sam feared the worst. Although they had managed to create network of most of heavens ex-occupants which ran out of the bunker which logged the names and locations of the newly human ex-angels and connect them to their brothers and sisters nearby, they had heard nothing of the angel that had become a third of team free will and a member of the winchester family.
“Cas, if you can hear me, get your feathery, or otherwise, ass here right now! Please! I need you. I need to know you’re okay... Please!”.
It was prayers such as these that Sam had become so accustomed to hearing by the end of the 3rd month that it he just wanted to yell and kick Cas if he was still alive for doing this to Dean. Or to do the same to God if Cas was dead and he’d allowed Dean to suffer unknowing with ever fading hope of Castiel’s return. Especially when these prayers were so often followed by the soft sound of Deans muffled sobs and drunken rages.
Sam and Dean had almost given up hope. They hadn't heard from Cas themselves and nor had anyone in the hunting community or any of the ex-angels. Deans drinking was almost back to it pre-purgatory levels and Sam was growing increasingly worried that Dean would either die of alcohol poisoning or that, in his intoxicated state, he would do something stupid like drive, get into a fight or even worse.
Then the phone call came.
“Sam, it’s Garth, I have some news on Cas.”
“Are you serious? What is it, is he alive? Is he ok-“
Sam’s question was abruptly ended as Dean launched himself at Sam in order to wrestle the phone from his brother’s hand.
"Dean, stop it!"
"No Sammy, if it's Cas I have to know! Give me the damn phone, bitch!"
The scuffle continued for a long minute until they were interrupted by Garth's voice slowly rising in decibel and annoyance on the other end of the phone.
“Sam? Sam?! SAM!” Garth’s voice shouted down the phone. “If you to idjits would stop squabbling for 2 seconds I could tell one of you where your angel friend is.”
One look one look at the determined Dean who was still sat half on top of him keeping him from snatching the phone back and Sam relented. He reluctantly nodded to the phone signalling Dean to take the call whilst he contemplated why Dean cared so much about the angel. No, that’s stupid. He knew why. He just hadn’t realised how much Dean cared for Cas… until now at least.
“Garth where is he? I told you he’d be fine. He is okay isn’t he? Where is he? I’ll go get him and-“
“DEAN! One question at a time man. He’s okay I guess, Ben Watkins found him working in a diner in Utah. Recognised him from that picture you sent me.”
“Which diner? I’m going to get him.”
“Dean, soon as he realised that Ben was a hunter, he tried to bolt. Thankfully Ben stopped him and played dumb about knowing who any of you are and claimed to be a lone hunter like Gordon with little connection to the hunters network.”
“Okay.. so?” Dean questioned trying to ignore the uneasy feeling that was creeping into his gut
“Dean… Cas doesn’t want to be found…”