Archive of Our Own ^beta

In the land of Lawrence it had long been known that stories were not just stories.

They were real.

Spinning wheels were only ever allowed for people older than sixteen, young girls stayed far away from apples sold by old women, and no one would have dared trading a cow for a few beans.

In a way, it made things easier.

Life was a set of rules to follow, mostly.

Dean Winchester had been aware of this for a long time.

Ever since he was old enough to comprehend that he was the older brother.

Older brothers didn’t succeed. It was just a fact.

Older brothers were those doomed to fail if they went out into the world, so that the younger ones could show they were smarter and kinder and better.

And Sammy was just that. He was everything a man ought to be.

Yes, it was much, much safer for Dean to stay in their carriage shop and work for their father, no matter what Sam said.

“But Dean, you could go to university too – “

“For what? I’d be back in a month at the most. You know how it goes, Sammy.”

Sam groaned.

“That doesn’t have to mean – “

“What else would it mean? It’s best if I stay where I belong and do what I know best. You go and be awesome, yeah?”

Plus, him staying meant Dad had far less right to complain about Sam leaving to study law.

And so, by the time he was twenty-two, Dean was left with their father at their carriage shop.

Mostly, he worked alone. Dad had long ago discovered that the best remedy against the grief about his wife’s death was the bottom of a bottle.

And so, Dean tended the carriages of their neighbours and, in many cases, friends, and now and then strangers passing through.

It was so quiet in the shop, however. So extremely, sadly quiet. He was used to have his brother around.

So, to pass the time, he began talking to the carriages he was working on. It might have seemed a little weird, but he consoled himself with the thought that it was still better than any fate that would have awaited him if he’d foolishly tried to make his own path in the world.

“You’ll return home twice as fast when I am finished with you” he murmured to an old, well-travelled vehicle.

“That axle will never break again, I guarantee that. It’ll hold longer than the wheels themselves!” he said to another.

“Aren’t you a beauty... I bet you’d sell for at least twice what your owner gave in the beginning” he explained to another one after he’d polished and cleaned it.

His life might not have been the most exciting, but he enjoyed what he did.

So, really, the rumours about the wizard Castiel didn’t bother him.

Castiel lived in a strange house, no, a castle, a castle that was able to move, and it was said he ate girl’s hearts.

Dean called bullshit on that. Castiel, as far as he knew, had never done anything like that. On the contrary, as far as the facts went, he’d actually saved their King Robert only a few years ago, and now and then the king still called to him for help.

If Dean had been worried about anyone, it would have been the witch who, it was said, had returned to the kingdom. But until now, there’d been no sign of her actually showing up, so why should he have been on his guard?

Maybe, he would later come to think, he should have known.

If the older brother wouldn’t go looking for adventure, it was sure to come for him.

For the last few years, he’d started building carriages as well, instead of just repairing them, and he was continually getting better at it, talking to his products the whole time.

He was slowly acquiring a reputation, so he thought nothing of the young woman who stepped into the shop one day.

She was pretty, he supposed, but there was little he could have offered to anyone as the elder son.

She smiled at him.

Something about that smile set his teeth on edge, and he was suddenly glad Sammy was hundreds of miles away.

“So it is you” she said. “I wasn’t completely sure, it could have been a neighbour who wanted to do the nice son of the town drunk a favour.”

“Excuse me?”

Always be polite to potential customers, even if they were giving you the creeps.

She raised an eyebrow.

“There’s no need to try and fool me, dear. I recognize competition from miles away.”

“I assure you...”

She shook her head. For a moment, he could have sworn her eyes looked black.

“Stop. There’s no use.”

She grinned.

“Anyway, I won’t do much to you... you’ll be needed later on... But I can’t really let you continue working like this...”

She pursed her lips. Dean considered his chances of fight or escape. She seemed well built, but she was smaller than him. If he was fast enough –

Suddenly, he was knocked down by an invincible force. He heard the woman giggle.

“You really wanted to spend the rest of your life here, didn’t you? Let’s see how you like to fast-forward through it. Oh, also, you won’t be able to tell anyone about this. Have fun”.

And then everything went black.

He came to in the late afternoon, the sunlight filtering through the windows slowly intruding upon his consciousness.

He groaned.

What had happened? The woman had just strolled in, something had –

He tried getting up and found that it wasn’t easy. Almost every part of his body hurt in some way, and he had to sit down because his knees kept wobbling.

It was then, taking deep breaths, that he saw his hands.

Gnarly. Frail.

Old man’s hands.

He jumped up as quickly as he could and made his way to the little house behind the shop. Thankfully, Dad had already left to go to the next bar, and he was all alone.

His mirror told him what part of him still believed to be impossible.

He was looking at an old man.

He was still himself – he recognized his own eyes with ease... but everything else...

He swallowed.

The witch. The woman must have been the witch.

Hadn’t he heard somewhere that she was hundreds of years old? She’d barely looked older than twenty-five at the most.

But she had cursed him. Of that, there could be no doubt.

What was he supposed to do now?

Once upon a time, there had been white witches who had helped those who’d been targeted by others. But there hadn’t been one since before Dean’s birth.

There was of course the wizard Castiel. Although with all the stories one heard about him...

Dean swallowed.

He had to.

If he wanted to keep working in the shop and live for longer than five years max, if his mirror image was anything to go by, he needed to find the wizard Castiel in his magic castle.

He thought he’d heard that it was in the mountains north of the city a few days ago. He had no idea if that was still true, but he had to try.

So, after he’d grabbed a few clothes and something to eat and stuffed everything in an old bag Sam had left behind, he left the house.

He’d barely made his way out of the town before he decided that being old freaking sucked. His joints hurt, he was out of breath, his heart acted funny now and then, and yet here he was, off on an adventure of all freaking things.

It was true.

After all his efforts, he was still going off on an adventure to find the wizard.

He would have laughed if he could have caught the breath for it.

Halfway across another hill, he spied a wooden stick leaning on a fence and took it. Too bad for anyone it may have belonged to, he needed it.

“You know” he gasped as he made his way uphill, “all this would be much easier if she’d at least allowed me one knee that worked properly...”

Mumbling to himself, or his stick, he couldn’t really say, he made something that might have been called progress, and somehow, he had until now managed to overlook the giant castle that was slowly moving towards him – flying? Gliding? He had no idea.

What he did know was that he had been hexed, everything hurt, and that he was pissed.

Oh, and that he really really needed a place to sit down and rest for a while.

“Stop!” he called out to the castle.

Surprise, surprise.

It didn’t.

Oh hell no. Dean was not spending the night outside, no matter what happened.

He hastened towards the one small door he could see at the side of the castle.

Somehow, he managed to pry it open. Just as he was about to risk a jump, a teenager appeared in the doorway and tried to close it.

“Let it be, boy!” he snapped, jumped and all but knocked him over as he scrambled into the castle.

“What...” the boy muttered, but Dean wasn’t paying attention to him as he got up with help of his new walking stick.

Dear God, this place was a mess.

He’d landed in the kitchen, and while there was a fire in the fireplace, there were also dirty plates everywhere, what he was pretty sure was moldy food on some of them, no one had dusted this place in ages, and man, the floor really needed to be scrubbed.

“Seriously? This is how you live?” he asked, disgusted.

“I didn’t ask you to come in” the boy mumbled.

Dean turned around.

“Yes, by the way, it is very impolite to close the door on someone old enough to be your grandfather, young man”.

“I – “

“As long as you explain it to the big man himself, Grumpy...” a mysterious voice said.

Dean, startled, turned around, but it seemed that they were the only ones in the kitchen. In fact, if he had to guess, he would have said the voice had come from...

“Over here, you scurrying squirrel”.

Yes. The fireplace was talking to him.

Dean approached it carefully. He knew the stories; talking fireplaces were usually not a good sign.

Still, he’d never heard of one who had a face before.

The face – a bearded middle-aged man – smirked at him.

“Weeeeeeeeeeell, look at you”.

Dean had never heard that accent before. He also had the disconcerting feeling that the face knew exactly what was wrong with him.

“Hello” he said for lack of anything else to say.

“Hello. I think Samandriel has been a little negligent in his duties. Who are you, and what do you want?”

“That’s true, you haven’t even told us your name” the young man chimed in.

“Dean Winchester. What’s yours? Samandriel, I gather, and...” he trailed off, looking at the fireplace. Did the face even have a name?

Another smirk.

“Name’s Crowley, and in case you’re wondering, I am a fire demon.”

That was definitely a bad sign. He couldn’t imagine good wizards hanging around with fire demons.

“Aw, don’t look so spooked. I promise I’m nice.”

Samandriel made a noise that might as easily have been a giggle as a snort.

Dean shot him a disapproving glare.

“Now that we all know who we are, I ask again: what do you want?”

Dean had the feeling he should probably be nice. He’d already been cursed, he didn’t need a fire demon angry at him as well.

“I... need to see the wizard Castiel. It’s urgent.”

“Urgent? At your age?”

Crowley gave him a knowing look.

“As a matter of fact, yes.”

“Castiel isn’t there at the moment” Samandriel said, relief written on his face.

“Maybe you should come back...”

“Not a chance, young man”. Dean plopped down on a bench that seemed marginally cleaner than the rest of the kitchen.   

Huh, this whole being old thing might not be so bad if he got to boss others around.

“Sir...” Samandriel began.

He chuckled, remembering when Dad used to insist they call him that. Sam wouldn’t have any of it.

“Look, I am waiting here. You can try to throw me out, but frankly, you look a bit scrawny.”

“Crowley...” Samandriel pleaded, looking at the fireplace.

“Don’t turn to me for help. I’m just a face in the flames.”

“You’re a fire demon!”

Crowley didn’t answer; he just shot Dean another indecipherable look.

Samandriel threw his hands in the air.

“Fine! But I’m telling him it’s your fault!”

He stormed off. Dean heard a door slam behind him, but didn’t turn around. He was only beginning to realize how tired he was.

“He’s going to mope for hours. We have time.”

“Time for what?” Dean mumbled drowsily.

“Hey, wake up!” Crowley snapped. A spark from the fire flew right unto Dean’s thigh.

With a move that made his back protest in pain, Dean leaped up.

“Are you insane?”

“What part of fire demon didn’t you understand?”

Dean sighed, sitting down again.

“Alright. What do you want?”

“For one, I want to know who put that spell on you.”

“You know?”

All in all, Dean couldn’t be too surprised. God knew what that... thing was capable of.

“Please. I’m not just your normal boring fire demon.”

“It was a woman. Brown hair, pretty... dark eyes.”

He cursed in a language Dean didn’t understand.

“Meg. That... witch”.

“Yeah, the witch.”

“Exactly. That particular witch is extremely bad news. Especially for Castiel.”

“Is that so?” Dean asked, growing tired again.

“Yes. Let’s just say they have... history”.

“Hm”.

“Hey! Do I have to shoot another spark up your ass”.

“No” Dean said, sitting up, rubbing his eyes.

“Good. Then let’s talk about our deal.”

“Deal?”

“Yes. You see, the spell she put on you is a pretty difficult one to unravel. Now I’m willing to do that, but you have to do me a favour.”

“Need some more logs?” dean suggested.

“Very funny. No, what I need you to figure out is...” he paused.

“Me and Cassie have an... arrangement of sorts.”

“Cassie?”

“Castiel, you dumbass. Point is, I was at a bit of a low point when I made our deal, so I didn’t really think about the... repercussions. And things could go very bad if we don’t get out of this soon.”

“Why not just tell him? Make a new deal?”

Crowley groaned.

“If it was that easy, do you really think I would need you?”

“Alright. So what is this arrangement that you apparently want me to worm you out of?”

Crowley was silent.

“Oh” Dean breathed.

“Yes, I am afraid we do have the same problem you do when it comes to the magic that binds us together.”

“But how am I supposed to find out how to break a deal I don’t know anything about?”

“You’ll have to figure that out for yourself, Squirrel.”

“Not a squirrel.”

“Then don’t leap into other people’s houses” Crowley muttered.

Dean sighed.

“Alright. I’ll try.”

“Good luck. You’ll need it”.

Silence fell between them, until Crowley started humming a melody Dean didn’t recognize.

God, he really was exhausted. Night had long since fallen. He’d no idea how long he’d even been walking through these hills.

He fell asleep right then and there, listening to Crowley’s weird little song.

He was woken up rather rudely the next morning by someone demanding, “Who are you and what are you doing in my house?”

“Castiel” Crowley groaned. “We talked about this. Manners.”

“As if you had any yourself.”

“At least I know what manners are” he spat.

Dean rubbed his eyes and sat up, his bones screaming at him.

“Who I am?”

He was still not used to his voice sounding like that.

“I’m...” he needed to think fast. The wizard seemed to be in a bad mood, and he couldn’t tell him that he was under a spell, so unless he had the same powers Crowley had...

“I’m your new housekeeper” he decided.

“Housekeeper?”

Dean only now took the wizard in.

He hated to admit it, but the rude guy looked absolutely gorgeous. Blue eyes, dark hair, that stubble...

If he’d walked into the shop one day, Dean would have flirted mercilessly with him.

And probably lost your heart, he thought, thinking of the rumours.

“Yes, and you badly need one!” he said, standing up and waving his hands around.

“Look at the state of this place! And your fire demon and your... assistant clearly don’t do anything!”

“I don’t even have hands” Crowley complained. “How am I supposed to help?”

“Samandriel is not my assistant” Castiel corrected him. “He’s my apprentice. And he’s supposed to learn magic, not clean the house.”

Somehow, it seemed a little surprising that someone like Castiel had taken on an apprentice to begin with. There was... something missing in his eyes. Dean couldn’t put his finger on it.

“Even more reason for me to stay, then” he said, “I can cook, too.”

Castiel huffed.

“Aren’t you a little too old for hard work?”

“It won’t be that hard” he answered even as he cast another look around and winced. Dear God, what chaos. He’d always taken care that their home was clean and orderly, even on Dad’s worst nights, and someone letting themselves go like that made him unexpectedly angry.

“As a matter of fact” he decided, “I’ll start right now.”

And he went in search of a broom and a bucket he could use, sweeping past the wizard.

Surprisingly enough, there were a few items to clean the house hidden in the first cupboard he came across.

Castiel raised an eyebrow as he returned with them.

He slowly turned his head to look at Dean once more. He couldn’t read his expression.

The wizard nodded.

“Well. We usually eat breakfast a little later than this – when Samandriel gets up” and Dean had the strange feeling that he almost had to remind himself, as if he didn’t need to eat.

That was crazy, of course.

“Alright. If there’s still time, I’ll start cleaning up this mess.”

“Do what you must. I have an appointment.”

And Castiel, without another word, strolled to the door through which Dean had come in yesterday and turned the doorknob, which he only now realized had a small arrow painted on it, pointing up. There was a wheel above it he hadn’t seen before.

The wheel had four colours: Red, blue, green and black. Cas had turned the doorknob so the arrow pointed to blue.

When he opened the door, Dean caught a glimpse of... wasn’t that Kingsbury?

Where the King had his castle?

“You might as well close your mouth before you catch a fly”.

“Did we really move that far in the night?” Dean asked.

“No, that door works in a different way. But we did travel quite a bit, yes.”

“How can you tell?”

“Who do you think moves this thing?”

Dean nodded. What else had he been expecting.

“You’re seriously going to clean up?” Crowley asked as Dean began using the broom vigorously.

“Yes. If I am to stay here, I don’t want to catch anything.”

“Suit yourself.”

Dean attacked the mess with determination.

About twenty minutes in, Samandriel stumbled through a door that Dean found led to a stairway.

“What – what’s going on?” He peered around, trying to understand.

“Castiel will hate this.”

“The wizard has taken me on as a housekeeper, so you better get used to it.”

“What?”

“Come here, help me.”

Dean made the baffled apprentice had to clean the dishes, complaining all the while.

“I am supposed to learn magic – “

“You just got up. You clearly don’t study at this time of the day.”

“I need a new log” Crowley called out, sounding smug. He was obviously enjoying the fact that he didn’t have to do anything except keep the castle afloat.

Dean hurried to help him (deal or no deal, he’d rather not find out what would happen if the castle collapsed because Crowley didn’t have enough fuel) and, as the fire roared back to life, he had an idea.

“Samandriel, what would you think about taking a break and going to buy some bread, bacon and eggs?”

Samandriel was out the door faster than he could add “for breakfast”.

“Bacon and eggs” Crowley said slowly.

“Yep.”

“And what do you plan to do with them?”

“Cook them, of course. For breakfast.”

“Where?”

“What do you mean, where? There’s a fire right here.”

“If you seriously think that I’ll allow you to – “

But Dean had already gone back to cleaning, despite Crowley continuing to protest. He’d stood up to his drunken father often enough when he’d demanded their food money to go and get drunk once more, he could deal with one pissed fire demon.

Cleaning helped him think his situation through. Right now it wasn’t that bad. Sure, he was old and couldn’t tell anyone why, but he had a roof under his head and even something like a job.

He’d have to figure out that wizard though...

There was just something off about him. The way he’d looked at Dean, almost as if he hadn’t blinked. Those blue eyes...

You are way too old for this, he scolded himself. Plus, he’s a wizard. The very wizard you have heard so much about.

“Are you sure that’s good for one’s health? Scrubbing the floor like that?”

“What do you care?” he asked Crowley.

“I don’t, but I don’t want you to die from exertion before you’ve figured out mine and Castiel’s deal.”

To be honest, he did feel exhausted already. Being old was annoying.

He was thankful when Samandriel showed up.

“You are really going to cook?” he asked, looking around with big eyes. Dean’s hard work was already showing a bit.

At least they could eat on the table now.

“Sure” he said, taking a pan Samandriel had washed.

“I don’t know what you think you are going to do with that, but – “

And Dean unceremoniously put the pan right on Crowley’s face and cracked the eggs.

Samandriel’s mouth fell open.

“That’s – you – he’s going to be – “

“What’s going on here?”

Without them noticing, Castiel had come back from his “appointment”.

“I’m making breakfast, as you can see” Dean cheerfully supplied.

“Crowley normally doesn’t allow himself be used like that”.

A muffled voice under the pan proved he’d much rather not be used on this occasion, too.

Dean shrugged.

“We need to eat.”

“Yes we do” Samandriel grinned.

“Can’t remember when I had a warm meal the last time.”

“There you go”.

Crowley was silent when Dean took the pan off, probably trying to be short with him.

No problem there.

“Hope you like it” he said, putting the plates in front of Castiel and Samandriel.

The apprentice clearly liked the food, if the noises he made were anything to go by. Castiel ate slowly, meticulously, the way he blinked, it was as if he didn’t really have to.

“So” Dean said eventually. He’d soon realized that, being old, he couldn’t eat as much as he had been accustomed to, giving him time to think while the others finished their meal. “How did your appointment go?”

Those blue eyes turned to him, studying him.

“It was adequate. The king and I talked about the protections I put on the kingdom”.

“You did?”

Castiel nodded.

“As the royal wizard it is my duty to protect the kingdom”.

“You’re the only wizard”.

“All the more reason to” he said simply.

“Tell me about it” Crowley called from the fireplace. “It’s all work and no play with this one. Every. Single. Day. Nice to know we got an old pervert with a cleaning fetish now to spice things up a bit”.

“Shut up or I’m splashing a bucket of water on you.”

“You will do no such thing” Castiel said. “If the fire goes out, the castle comes crashing down.”

“Alright. No water near Crowley. Got it”.

“And see to it that he always has enough logs.”

Dean nodded, wondering what Castiel thought of him.

“The King has been considering going to war again” he said suddenly, apparently taken aback by his own words.

Dean winced. He’d only been a small child during the last war, but he remembered people being scared. He remembered Sammy crying because he was afraid of the soldier’s uniforms. He remembers Dad saying “At least being the town drunk spared me that” as if it was an accomplishment.

“What did you tell him?”

“That he is the King, and as such his word is law. Of course I told him he could always count on me to be his loyal subject.”

Dean thought of Jo Harvelle’s father. She’d been four years when she and her mother got the news he’d never return to them.

“But... you’re the royal wizard” he said slowly.

“Yes. I am.”

“And that means... you get to consult with the king. He probably listens to your advice.”

“He does most of the time.”

“So you didn’t think it might be a good idea to tell him not to go to war?”

“I do my duty as a loyal subject of his Majesty”.

“And that means going along with war?”

Dean was growing angry. What did this wizard know about how people suffered during the war? He was living sheltered in his castle, what did he know of the deprivations they had had to endure, what did he know of grief, what did he know of useless prayers sent up to the sky –

“It is not my duty to – “

“Hell yeah it is! At least as a decent human being! If you even are human!”

Castiel seemed... slightly bemused if anything.

“Debatable”.

“You can’t be serious!”

Dean was aware that he was shouting, but he didn’t care.

“People will die – “

“I was under the impression that this was –“

“You’re not doing your duty, you’re being a coward!”

And finally, Castiel grew angry. If angry was the right word.

Dean had never seen anger burn so coldly.

He stood up, and Dean swallowed. Suddenly, the room seemed much darker.

“Careful” he said slowly. “I took you off the streets, I can throw you back. You should show me some respect”.

And with that, he strolled to the staircase and presumably went up to his bedroom.

“Wow” Samandriel breathed. “I’ve never seen him that angry”.

“I’m not so sure” Crowley said, “Remember when you stole his invisibility cloak to impress a girl?”

“I thought we’d decided never to speak of it again”.

“You might have done that, I have every – “

But Dean was in no mood to listen any longer.

He grabbed their plates and went to the sink to wash them properly.

And of course in this strange castle there had to be weird water taps he didn’t know how to turn on properly.

“For God’s sake” he steamed, hitting them with his stick, “Water! And don’t you dare be too hot or too cold!”

A moment later, there was a steady, warm stream of water flowing down on the plates and he felt better.

Crowley and Samandriel had fallen silent behind him. He turned around to find them staring at him.

“What?”

“You’re –“

Before Samandriel could say anything, Crowley zapped him with a spark.

“Very thorough when it comes to cleaning, but we already knew that” he said in a voice that brooked no argument.

Dean knew he wouldn’t learn anything if he were to ask.

“Right. And it’s time we resume that, anyway”.

Samandriel sighed.

“Look on the bright side” Crowley said cheerfully, “Castiel’s locked up in his room anyway, playing with his pets. You won’t learn anything like this”.

Dean was tempted to ask what kind of pets someone like Castiel kept, but decided he’d rather not know.

Instead, he started chastising Samandriel about not helping, and soon he had him working again.

Eventually, they might make a proper home out of this pigsty yet.

“Take care with the water!” Crowley cried out at one point when Dean came a littke too close for his liking.

He snorted.

“Do you really think this is the first time I’ve scrubbed a floor?”

“I don’t think you’ve ever done anything else” Samandriel complained meekly.

“That reminds me, you can go clean the stairs”.

He sighed but complied.

Once he was gone, Crowley hissed, “What are you doing?”

“I am washing the floor. Don’t know when it was last done. Probably after this had been built...”

“That’s not what I meant. You’re supposed to grow close to Castiel, so you can help us in our predicament, not playing house!”

“It’s not easy getting close to him. Cold bastard.”

“You’d be surprised” Crowley replied cryptically.

“Yeah, sure, when he’s eaten my soul and made my body his slave” Dean muttered.

“What?”

“That’s what people in the town say about him.”

One of many rumours.

“Human stupidity will never cease to amaze me”.

“He’s a wizard. What did you expect? Especially if he treats everyone like that...”

For a moment, Crowley looked almost – guilty? Then angry? Then confused?

He sighed.

“Look, Castiel – and I can’t believe I’m saying that – isn’t as bad as he seems. Think of our deal.”

Dean rolled his eyes.

“Fine: But I’m finishing this”.

Crowley was silent.

Finally the kitchen actually looked like someone lived here once more. Dean looked around at his handiwork proudly before wheezing and sitting down. His heart was beating strangely again.

Crowley started humming again.

He found he could breathe again.

“Can’t have you dying on me before you fulfil our deal. Figure I’d help out.”

“Thank you” he said anyway. “That was nice of you.”

“I try not to be”.

The same could be said for Castiel, Dean wanted to answer but didn’t.

“Alright”.

He grabbed his stick and his broom and went to the staircase.

“Where are you going?”

“This room can’t be the only one that needs to be cleaned”.

“But you – “

Dean closed the door behind him before Crowley could start complaining probably.

Samandriel was doing a good job on those stairs, Dean mused.

“Dean” the apprentice sprang up, apparently worried he’d get another chore to do.

“Relax, I’m going to go upstairs and check the rooms.”

He gulped.

“But there’s mine and Castiel’s – “

“I’m sure there are others as well. I need a bedroom.”

He blinked.

“Who are you?”

“Told you – the new housekeeper. Let me through”.

And he swept past Samandriel.

Remembering Castiel’s exit from the kitchen, he decided he was probably used to it.

He didn’t expect the very first room on the corridor he came across to be the wizard’s.

But, as he opened it...

There could be no mistaking this... aura.

It felt cold. Precise.

And it was the cleanest room in the house.

But Dean had the feeling this didn’t happen to be because Castiel dusted regularly, but rather because he just... didn’t leave a mess when it was just him in a room.

It sounded crazy, but that was it.

And then Dean saw the window.

The big, clear window that encompassed the entire wall next to Castiel’s well-made bed.

But there was neither hill nor field to be found at the other side of this window.

Instead, there was a beautiful garden, at the end of which were a few beehives.

Castiel was tending to them. But he wasn’t wearing any protective gear.

The garden seemed to be located at the back of another house – which was impossible, since the castle was moving and Dean had seen no other buildings around – and the door opened as a red-haired young woman stepped out. She bit her lip and studied Castiel, obviously worried. Then she shook her head as her expression turned to one of sadness and closed the door behind her again.

Dean left the room, his head swirling from what he had seen. How was this possible? Castiel must be even more powerful than people said he was.

Samandriel’s room was not nearly as bad as Dean had expected. Yeah, it could do with a good, thorough clean-up but it wasn’t disgusting like the kitchen had been.

If the other rooms of the castle looked like this, it wouldn’t be that much work after all.

He still set to work, though. Least he could do for the kid living here. He’d been a bit too harsh with him really, and until now he’d done everything Dean asked him to do.

Once he was done, he remembered that he had yet to check out the bathroom; and remembering the kitchen, he wasn’t looking forward to it.

When he left Samandriel’s room, the apprentice was standing in front of it, hand raised to knock.

“The stairs are clean” he grumbled, “And what have you been doing in here?”

“Nothing: I just dusted a little. Promise.”

Samandriel looked around and nodded.

“Suppose you show me the bathroom now”.

His eyes widened in terror.

Five minutes later, Dean knew why.

“How? How can one grown wizard, one apprentice, and one fire demon make such a mess?”

“Hey!” Crowley protested from the kitchen. “I’ve never even been in there!”

“Be happy for that, I feel like I’m catching something just standing here!”

“It’s not that bad” Samandriel mumbled.

“Not that...” Dean went back into the kitchen for a breath of fresh air.

“Dear God. I thought the kitchen was the worst thing I’d ever seen.”

“Dean” Samandriel tried to interrupt him in a pleading tone.

“Forget whatever you were about to say, it is time to clean in here.”

“Why did you ever let him in?” he asked Crowley petulantly.

“Trust me I have my reasons.”

And no matter how much Samandriel complained in the hours that followed, Crowley was silent as Dean did his best to get rid of the mold and the... whatever else had accumulated in the bathroom for years, apparently.

More than once, he had to go to the kitchen to catch his breath.

“Careful with your heart” Crowley said casually at one point.

“Yeah, yeah, I know, Castiel will eat it or whatever” Dean muttered. He’d just managed to finally drain the sink properly and he still couldn’t get the smell out of his nose.

“Not what I meant. You’re not the youngest anymore”.

Dean shot him a glare.

“Fine. Suit yourself”.

Dean muttered something even he wasn’t sure what it meant and went back to the bathroom.

Finally, in the late afternoon, they had managed to finish cleaning the bathroom.

“I – am – never – doing – that – again” Samandriel panted, slumping down in a chair.

“If you clean it regularly, you don’t have to” Dean said cheerfully.

“Aren’t you the housekeeper now?” he asked, brightening.

“Hey”.

Dean poked him with a stick.

“Respect your elders, boy”.

Alright, so being old had a few good points to it.

Just a few.

“So what’s for dinner?” Samandriel asked instead of being the least bit impressed – or so Dean thought, until the guy who’d just acted like he would never walk again got up to move away from him and his stick.

It was true – they’d missed lunch in Dean’s frenzy to make the bathroom safe again.

“Whatever you get us from the market. I’m a pretty good cook.”

He had to be. He’d fed Sammy since he was four years old.

Samandriel was out the door so fast he was pretty< sure he already had an idea what food to get.

Then he noticed that the knob above the door was now set to blue.

“What does this do?” he asked, pointing at it.

“Basically every colour means you walk through a different door” Crowley said, sounding bored.

“What?”

“You do realize this is a magical castle, right? With a wizard and a fire demon – “

“I am aware, thank you very much” Dean answered, hobbling to the door.

“So Samandriel is...”

He opened it and looked out at the main street of Kingsbury.

Huh.

“Alright, so this means if I do this – “

He turned the knob so the green colour was up and opened the door.

It opened unto a street not far from his house now.

His mouth fell open.

“Yep. Now, Squirrel, would you please turn it back to blue before our little darling realizes he can’t come in right now? I’d rather not deal with his panic attack. And after he returns, you’ll have to turn it back to black so the master of the house can return”.

“He’s with the bees, right?”

“How did you – did you actually go into his room?”

“I had to check if it needed a good cleanse.”

“You’re a menace. He’s supposed to want to keep you around!”

“Why wouldn’t he, so far I have been an excellent housekeeper.”

Crowley sighed.

“I have my work cut out for me, I can tell.”

“Nobody forced you to make a deal with me”.

“That’s what they all say” Crowley complained, “and then it’s always “But I didn’t think this through before!” or “You never said anything about deadly consequences” or “Just let me go, please!” as if that – “

He was interrupted by Samandriel coming back.

He wasn’t surprised that the guy had picked up meat. Lord knew when they’d had it last since apparently no one in the house had been able to convince Crowley to keep his head down.

Dean was not about to allow the demon to push him around. They already had a deal. He was doing him a favour (ignoring for the moment that Crowley was supposed to study and lift his spell) so he simply brought down the pan on him once more.

“Did you turn the knob to black again when you came in?” he asked as he prepared the meat.

“Yes.”

“What’s behind there, anyway?” he asked so Samandriel wouldn’t realize he’d been in the wizard’s room.

“They don’t tell me” he replied sulkily. “And I’m not allowed to go in. I suppose you won’t be, either.”

“Well, it’s none of our business anyway.”

“I’m his apprentice, I’m supposed to learn – “

“How did that come about, by the way?”

“What?”

“How did you end up as his apprentice? Guy didn’t strike me like the type who’d consider applications”.

Samandriel looked down at the table and swallowed.

“I... I was homeless.”

Oh.

“Sorry, kid, you really don’t have to –“

“It’s ok. I never knew my parents, and well... orphans to care for aren’t really< in high demand. It was a hard winter two years ago, and I was starving on the street when one day I saw Castiel stroll through the door at Kingsbury and for some reason, it wouldn’t close completely without him noticing, so I entered. Said hello to Crowley< and there I was. Basically, I made myself useful...”

Dean didn’t point out that this usefulness clearly didn’t include cleaning the damn place.

“It was about a week or two before Castiel even realized I was there. He was hard at work on a spell for the king at that time.”

“And I assume Crowley didn’t tell him because...”

A mumble under the pan was all the answer he got.

“Shut up. Almost done here”.

“I have no idea” Samandriel said honestly, “But Castiel decided that, if I stuck around, he might as well make me his apprentice. Most of the stuff I do is ten percent magic, ninety percent faith anyway.”

“Because you don’t want the general population getting their hands at too much mojo?”

“Exactly. Castiel insists that it would be too dangerous”.

Dean could agree. Magic was dangerous: Volatile with a tendency to go bad.

He knew his stories.

Plus, he figured he was pretty much the poster child for why some people shouldn’t have magic. Not that Samandriel knew.

“And people pay for the stuff you make?”

He nodded.

“Yes, and the king always makes sure we have enough to live on. Not that Castiel cares; I’m pretty sure he’d starve if we didn’t remind him to eat now and then.”

Crowley made another muffled noise. Dean chose to ignore it.

“So you’ve been here two years – means you’ve got to know more than just how to mumble spells and mix ingredients” Dean observed.

Samandriel beamed.

“Oh yes. I can actually cast some minor spells, and Castiel has been giving me access to his books – “

A muffled protest.

His shoulders slumped.

“Not really the most important ones, but you get what I mean.”

“Of course.”

Personally, Dean wouldn’t have given him the big guns yet either. Kid was still a bit too wet behind the ears. But who knew? He might actually turn out to be a decent wizard eventually.

Magic was a strange force, even in stories.

Dean had often wished for magic growing up.

Just as he had wished for his mother never to have died, or for Dad to stop drinking. But there were no spells for such things.

“And he says if I’m good enough, he’ll eventually tell me how to do real magic” Samandriel said proudly.

“What you’re doing sounds already pretty magical to me. But then, what do I know? I spent my whole life in Lawrence.”

“So you have no family either?”

He automatically opened his mouth to talk about Sam, then remembered and cleared his throat.

“No, I am all alone.”

When looking like this... he truly was. He had no idea if Sam would even have believed him, and knew that Dad would just have thrown him out.

He had no place to go except the crazy castle with the magic door. Doors. Whatever.

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. At least this is an adventure”.

Another grumble from Crowley. Samandriel laughed.

“I could get used to this”.

Dean didn’t comment. He had the feeling that, if Crowley wished, he could get rid of the pan very easily, so he’d rather keep him in as good a mood as fire demons ever were.

Castiel came back just as he finished plating their meal.

“You want some?”

The wizard simply sat down.

“We’ve cleaned the bathroom.”

“Was it necessary?”

“Was it – “ Dean took a deep breath. He didn’t want him to get angry again.

“Yes. Yes, it was.”

“That’s as quiet as he gets. Enjoy it while it lasts” Crowley grumbled.

“You seem to like him. You certainly didn’t put a stop to his cooking” Castiel said.

“You try that when you can’t see and have a pan on your head” Crowley replied.

Dean had an idea. Samandriel had bought too much meat anyway, and his old stomach was protesting again against his usual portion size.

“Hey, catch!”

And the meat flew right into the flame, filling the kitchen with an unexpected nice smell.

“I’m not your freaking dog” Crowley complained.

“Tastes good though” he admitted a moment later.

“I didn’t know you could eat” Samandriel said.

“You never asked.”

“But you already eat logs...”

“I burn logs to stay alive. There’s a difference, mini feathers.”

“Mini feathers?”

“Doesn’t he look like a little angel?”

Samandriel groaned.

Dean wondered if he sometimes regretted not starving on the streets.

“How was your day?” he asked Castiel, careful not to let it show that he knew pretty well.

Castiel tilted his head. He studied him before answering, “It was perfectly satisfactory.”

Not for the redhead who’d watched him from the door, but it was not like Dean could ask about that.

“Nice”.

Castiel seemed slightly surprised by their exchange.

Crowley groaned.

“I can feel the awkwardness from here, and I’m literally fire!”

“What? I just asked him how his day was. Making polite conversation, you know. Don’t imagine you know anything about that”.

“Crowley is... rather special” Castiel said. “And without him...”

“Yeah, yeah, got it, no moving castle without our favourite flaming menace.”

Another spark hit him.

As he jumped up and cursed (Samandriel blushed), Castiel chuckled.

It was the first time Dean had heard anything but his careful monotone from his mouth, and both him and the apprentice stared.

Even Crowley seemed shocked, and that was saying something.

Apparently oblivious to their flabbergasted reaction, Castiel got up.

“Samandriel, tomorrow I must go see the king again and hear whether he has decided to go to war or not. I’d rather he not, but I know who I owe my duty to”.

He was obviously waiting for a reaction from Dean. He didn’t show any. It was better this way.

“Good night” he finally said and went upstairs to his empty room with its view of a garden.

“I think” Crowley said slowly “You just passed a test of some sort, Squirrel”.

To Dean’s own surprise, they developed something like a routine. He and Samandriel decided that they’d both be responsible for cooking and buying groceries – or, rather, Dean had decided that after the young apprentice had tried to tell him that technically, as a housekeeper, “You are responsible for all the – housekeeping stuff you know”.

Just because he had a deal with Crowley didn’t mean he wanted to hang around the castle all the time.

Still, he never went to Lawrence to buy groceries. Even though he was pretty sure he was unrecognizable, he didn’t want to risk it. And, on a more selfish note, he didn’t want to hear what was going on with Dad, now that he had left.

If the others noticed that he always went to Kingsbury to shop, they never said anything.

The king had decided against a war, which had relieved Dean greatly. No one would have thought about drafting him at his age, but Sammy... He’d have been torn away from his studies and right unto the battle fields without Dean there to protect him.

Castiel had told him “I hope you will be pleased” that night, but hadn’t sounded annoyed, angry or even sarcastic.

He’d meant it when he’d said he was doing his duty and nothing else, Dean realized.

He must be as cold as ice.

No wonder people thought he stole hearts. He could use one.

When he’d told Crowley that the next morning, the fire demon had answered, in a strange voice, “Perhaps it’s been mislaid”.

Crowley says a lot of weird things though, so perhaps it wasn’t important.

It wasn’t that difficult to live with Castiel, he found. True, his indifference towards anything like a human connection made him difficult to read, and he could be downright cruel, although Dean didn’t think that came from a desire to hurt anyone. On the contrary, he was just not paying attention to how his words could be taken half the time.

That didn’t excuse everything, of course. Once, when Castiel had casually mentioned that children whose parents hadn’t had any “higher education” had it more difficult to get one themselves, Dean threw a cup at him and then had to clean the mess up because the wizard decided to do another “experiment” and Samandriel had disappeared the second he raised his voice.

Sometimes he wondered what Samandriel had lived through before he found the castle.

On the other hand, it was remarkably easy to get used to this sort of living... After all, he’d done so himself. Maybe it was the old age he’d been cursed with? Maybe he was now just stubborn and angry to be denied anything, like the old people he remembered from home, who’d lost everything and everyone in the wars. They had a right to be selfish dicks, when you asked Dean, who never said anything when they complained at his shop.

Or maybe he’d been more fed up with home than he’d liked to admit, even to himself, and this was different, if nothing else. Some days, he couldn’t believe just how different, like when Crowley shot sparks at Samandriel again because he was bored. 

Maybe he was reading too much into it, too. Maybe he’d just gone insane and was going with the flow.

He didn’t want to contemplate the other possible option. That the witch might have done something to his mind and now he just thought all of this normal.

That couldn’t be it, surely?

Even plagued with these thoughts...

 They had found something like... peace. Alright. Maybe not peace.

Basically, they were all living under a ceasefire, but it was good enough for the time being.

And when had that ever lasted in Dean’s life?

He should have known the witch would reappear. If only to watch him suffer.

He was grocery shopping after asking Castiel what he wanted to eat for the millionth time only to have him come up with “I really don’t mind anything” which confirmed his suspicion that he didn’t actually need to eat but did it more out of habit.

Which was so weird in itself Dean had no idea what to say.

Crowley seemed to enjoy his cooking more than Castiel, for crying out loud. And he was literally fire who did nothing but burn the stuff.

He was picking out vegetables (like them or not, Samandriel was still growing and needed the vitamins – they had to get some meat on those bones) when he heard a chuckle behind him.

He turned around. He knew that voice.

Just as he had expected, the witch was standing in front of him, grinning.

“What do you want?” he hissed, surprised at his own courage. He didn’t feel scared. He felt angry.

“Oh why so mean? You seem to have made yourself a cozy bed with Castiel.”

A shiver ran down his spine.

“What do you know about Castiel?” he asked before he could stop himself.

“Wouldn’t you like to know”.

“Sir? Is everything alright?” the vendor asked, and Dean wished he could tell the truth, only he wasn’t sure whether it would endanger the man or not.

So he decided to play a dangerous game.

“Oh no, don’t worry, my niece is just having boy troubles.”

He chuckled.

When he turned around again, the witch’s face was furious.

“What?” he hissed, taking a few steps to get away from her, “It’s not like I could tell him the truth, is it? Because someone cursed me”.

“Come on, you might be a bit old –“

“My heart’s acting up all the time!”

Especially when the wizard was near. Sometimes, Dean could have sworn it was beating twice as fast as it should have, and then it did weird little jumps. Sometimes it was hard to breathe.

Strangely, Crowley only seemed concerned half the time, but maybe that was already too much for him, being a fire demon and all.

“Oh, is it?”

Another one of her evil grins.

“Look” he said, surprising himself, “I don’t know why you’re here. I don’t know what you want from me. You obviously want something from Castiel, but no matter what it is, you won’t get it from me. And I won’t help you when it comes to him, either.”

He was speaking the truth, he realized. And it was more than just her having cursed him.

It was everything. It was that strangely moving castle, that could easily transport from one place to the other, but for some reason refused to clean itself; it was Samandriel, also so eager to do what was right,s selling people the placebos they needed; it was Crowley, sitting annoyed in that fire place, making comments and shooting sparks whenever he wanted; and it was –

It was Castiel. Despite his rigidness and his uncaring attitude –

Castiel, who, as Dean had soon learned, did various magical experiments in order to “do his duty” – in this case, to help people who came to his door.

Castiel, who still tended to his bees regularly, as Dean had learned when he’d repeatedly sneaked into his room when the door knob had been turned to black.

Castiel in his weird coat and suit that looked somewhat too big on him.

Castiel.

Dean swallowed.

She was studying with narrowed eyes.

“My, my, one’s never too old for romance, I guess”.

“There is no romance” he hissed. “And if I look at you, it’s not difficult to see why there’s none there either”.

Without even considering it, he had hit the nail on the head, it seemed. Her eyes looked black again just for a second, like they had right before he’d been cursed, and Dean was sure he was going to die.

Sorry, Sammy. Did my best.

But then she gave him another brilliant smile.

“An interesting stick you have there.”

“Thank you. Pulled it from a fence. Needed something to lean on. You know how it goes.”

“Oh yes. Please, don’t let me keep you”.

And in the blink of an eye, she was gone.

Dean walked back home slowly, making sure no one was following him.

“What happened?” Crowley asked immediately as he stepped through the door.

“Ah, you do care”.

“I may be a fire demon, but I still realize when someone looks like crap”.

Dean couldn’t help but sigh as he dumped the groceries on the table.

“Samandriel, could you put those away, please?”

The apprentice shot him an apprehensive glance as he did what he’d asked. Then he made himself scarce.

“Alright” Crowley said, “Tell me.”

When Dean was done, the fire demon said slowly, “The witch is definitely up to no good.”

“Yeah. Say, was there ever something between her and Castiel?”

“Why do you ask?”

“Because it seemed like there was, why do you think I ask?”

At first it didn’t seem like he’d get an answer, but then –

“When Castiel arrived here, five years ago” Crowley said slowly, “she approached him. Or I should say, us. She had a proposal to work together, and it soon became clear that her interest was not strictly on work.”

“I see” Dean said neutrally.

“Yes. But you see, our dear Castiel is...”

“Cold as a son – “

“Not interested in romantic pursuits”.

“Doing his duty, I understand.”

A spark hit him right between the eyes.

“Do you really have to do that?” he complained as he rubbed the sore spot,

“If we need someone to be crude, Squirrel, I will gladly take it upon myself. Point is, she didn’t take Castiel’s rejection too well.”

“So?”

“So she swore to burn his heart out of him”.

“Good luck with that. Are we sure he has one...”

He jumped aside for a whole barrage of sparks.

“Hey, you might end up hurting me”.

“Maybe then something would go through that thick skull of yours”.

“I get it, no more making fun of Castiel’s love troubles”.

“See, you are capable of learning”.

Dean rolled his eyes.

“So, what now?”

“I’m afraid there isn’t much we can do. We have to wait”.

Silence settled over the kitchen.

Mostly because Dean had to cook dinner and Crowley ended up with a pan on his face again.

Afterwards, they decided they would have to wait and see what would happen.

They didn’t have to wait long.

Somehow, it seemed strange to Dean that he’d only been in the castle for three weeks. It felt like so much longer.

But perhaps that had to do with the fact that at home, his days had passed the same way over and over and over again, and now –

“I wanted something to make me courageous, and this isn’t helping me at all!”

“Sir – “ Samandriel began, “If you don’t think – “

Dean was keeping himself busy by dusting, thinking it best not to comment.

That was the trouble with the kind of magic Samandriel could do; it only worked if people believed in it. The guy probably had some deep-seeded doubt in his mind, so deep he wasn’t even aware of it.

“I’ve got a duel to fight in two hours!”

“Sir – “

“For God’s sake” Dean muttered, throwing down the duster.

“Fine.”

He went to the kitchen cupboard (actually organized these days thanks to him) and grabbed some flour. With a few mumbled words and grand gestures, he poured it in a small bag and threw it at the customer.

“There. This will make your opponent sneeze, but only – and I repeat – only if you don’t aim to kill him. Throw it in the air at the beginning of the duel. And now go”.

“Who are you? And what –“

“I’m the wizard’s uncle, so you bet I have a few tricks of my own”.

He muttered a few other nonsense words and flicked his finger at the guy.

He actually stumbled back, his eyes wide.

“Dear God. There you have it”.

The man all but fled.

“How did you do that?” Samandriel demanded. “You didn’t even touch him, and that was no spell!”

“I wasn’t doing magic, I was bluffing” Dean muttered while making sure the doorknob was turned to black again. “People will believe all kind of things if you’re convincing enough”.

“Don’t I know it” Crowley grumbled.

“I assume you’ll want lunch again so I’ll have to deal with that disgusting pan again?”

“It’s not disgusting. It’s clean as a whistle.”

“I can attest to that” Samandriel said miserably, having been forced to do the washing-up the night before.

“Not exactly what I was talking about”.

“How sweet, you think I care.”

At that moment, Castiel stormed in. A glance into his room an hour ago had shown him once more caring for the bees in the garden, although the redhead hadn’t been in sight.

“Everything alright?” Dean inquired.

He nodded, then went up to his room.

“He never even looks at me when he’s in that mood” Samandriel complained.

“You just have to ask in the right way.”

“Obnoxiously, you mean” Crowley said.

Dean got the pan.

It was at this point that a sparrow fell through the chimney.

“What the hell?”

Dean moved faster than he should have, if his breathing and heart were anything to go by.

“It’s still moving!”

He picked the sparrow up carefully; the fall apparently hadn’t harmed it in the slightest, for it only tweeted softly and held out its leg, where a small note was attached.

“What’s...”

“I’ll get Castiel; It’s a message from his old teacher” Samandriel said.

“We’ll have to get the chimney swept” Dean decided as he left and the sparrow was shaking itself to get rid of the soot.

“That’s your first reaction? Really? “ Crowley asked.

“I’m getting used to the weird.”

“I’d rather you find answers soon.”

“It’s kind of difficult when you don’t even know the question”.

“I told you – “

“Yes, trust me, I know a bit about stuff you’re incapable of telling people about” he hissed, his heart doing another weird jump.

“Oh God, you’re not actually going to have a he-“

Castiel stormed back into the kitchen.

“Tell her i’m on my way”.

The sparrow chirped and flew out of Dean’s hands and back up the chimney before he could react.

“What –“

“I’m going to Naomi” Castiel announced, turning to Samandriel, who’d followed him.

“I’m taking Dean.”

“Why?” he and the apprentice asked at the same time.

Of what use could Dean possibly be? Castiel was visiting his old teacher, and from all he knew, that could only be a magic teacher.

And Dean... well, he was plain old Dean. These days quite literally.

“I want Dean to accompany me”.

His voice brooked no arguments, and so Dean grabbed his jacket and his stick and followed him out into Kingsbury, relieved that she didn’t live in Lawrence.

“So, your old teacher...”

“Naomi, yes.”

“Is she in trouble?”

“Something of the kind, but I have no reason to believe she is hurt.”

“I’m glad to hear it. But why is she sending sparrows?”

“It has long been her preferred method of communication. She sees it as staying closer to nature, the source of all magic.”

“Is it like that with your – “

Dean stopped talking. Samandriel had told him Castiel didn’t want anyone to go into his room. He couldn’t ask him about the bees.

“Is it like what?”

“I was about to ask if it’s like that for every wizard. You don’t even have a garden.”

“I could have one”.

For a moment, Castiel sounded almost... playful.

He was even smiling a little.

Dean could only stare.

It was fascinating.

He was fascinating.

Dean cleared his throat. Staring at the admittedly handsome wizard would lead to nothing. 

“But you don’t”.

“No”. After a moment he said slowly, “I’m afraid I’d just let the flowers die”.

He didn’t offer more of an explanation and dean was left trying to understand what he’d meant.

“There we are. She likes to live in the centre of things”.

The capital was probably a good centre to live in, Dean figured, even though he wouldn’t have picked the abode in front of him for a witch’s house. Castiel’s castle? Sure. That was something you’d expect a witch to live in.

But this? It kind of looked like his house once had, before Mom died and Dad took to the bottle. Completely normal. As if anyone could live here.

Castiel didn’t knock. He just opened the door and went in.

“She doesn’t lock her door?” Dean asked.

“You’ve been living in my house for several weeks, and you haven’t realized we don’t either?”

“I assumed there was some sort of magical protection”.

“There are a few, but not nearly as much as you suspect. There are not many who would dare attack a witch or a wizard”.

There probably weren’t, Dean thought, but Meg was a witch herself.

To be honest, he was rather surprised that there was another witch living right in the capital. He’d assumed that Castiel was the only one left. If she’d been his teacher, wouldn’t the King want her as his advisor?

“She retired four years ago” Castiel said calmly, as if he was able to read Dean’s thoughts.

God he hoped not. Otherwise he’d know Dean had watched him look after the bees for two hours the day before yesterday. He hadn’t been able to help it; it had just been such a beautiful day, and the sunlight had made Cas’ eyes sparkly in a lively way he never got to see when he was at home –

“Castiel” a voice calls from inside the house, “Come here and bring your guest with you”.

How had she known?

Dean didn’t ask that question aloud. It was probably safer that way.

Naomi was an elderly woman dressed impeccably, her hair tied up in a bun. You could still tell it had once been red.

She smiled at both of them; her eyes lingered on Dean.

“Naomi”.

“Castiel. And this is...”

“Dean. My housekeeper.”

“I see”. She studied him once more. He shuffled his feet.

“Castiel, someone broke into my house and stole the tail of the falling star you gave me four years ago”.

“What?” Dean burst out before he could stop himself.

Hadn’t Castiel just told him that most feared witches too much to even go near their homes?

“I see you already have some experience with magical security. Yes, it is indeed surprising, which is why I sent Castiel the message.”

What the hell? Apparently she could read his thoughts.

But if so, was there a possibility...

“Where did you keep it?”

“Upstairs”.

Castiel left without another word to inspect the crime scene.

“You are in deep trouble, boy”.

Dean looked at her.

She knew then. He’d been right about the mind-reading.  

He nodded.

“This witch has always been bad news” she muttered, “Of course it helps that the spell has a source within yourself...”

Dean had no idea what she was trying to tell him.

“So you... had the tail of a falling star?”

“Yes. As I am sure you heard, Castiel gave it to me four years ago”.

She sounded inexplicably sad.

“Was it a gift for your retirement?”

“I am not sure I would even call it a gift”. She looked away.

“I’d rather have gotten nothing instead of this. I’d rather not have spoken to him again for the rest of my life.”

“I don’t understand.”

She fixed her gaze on him once more.

“Think, Dean Winchester”.

He hadn’t told her his last name, he was sure.

“You are by no means as stupid as you believe yourself to be. Four years ago, I retired because something happened. It was the last straw. It was something that couldn’t have happened, that shouldn’t have happened.  But my affection and the belief that it would never come to this led me to teach my favourite student more than I ever taught the others. And if this lasts, it will kill him.”

“But... but...” Dean had known something was going on. He had suspected that, whatever was happening between Castiel and Crowley, it must have some bad consequences, otherwise the fire demon wouldn’t have been so adamant for him to do something, anything really.

But death?

He thought of Castiel and the way he looked after the bees, the same way he did his experiments, slowly, methodically, always focusing as if it was the most important thing he could be doing at the moment...

“But what is it? Nobody tells me anything!”

“Because nobody can. Magic has a fickle nature, and its rules must be obeyed. I am certain you have already made the same discovery”.

He could only nod once more.

“Why – why do you think I will be able to save him?” he finally stuttered.

How could anyone expect him to do that? He suddenly had the thought that Crowley, for some strange reason, must have picked him as their saviour too – after all, Samandriel had been living with them for two years, and he clearly had never asked him for help.

But he was Dean. Just Dean Winchester. He fixed carriages, looked after his father, and waited for letters from Sammy. That was all he did. All he was good for.

Only that wasn’t true, was it? Not anymore.

He also cooked on a fire demon on a regular basis, helped a wizard’s apprentice with the salves he made, cleaned a moving castle.

And he did all of this with a heart that seemed to be getting more out of hand everyday.

“I’ll do my best” he told her, this old witch who had retired four years ago to sit in her house and fret over an old student who didn’t seem too fond of her in the first place.

But then Castiel didn’t seem too fond of anyone, did he? He only ever talked about his duty, rarely about doing anything for pleasure.

I’m afraid I’d just let the flowers die.

He didn’t know why he suddenly remembered that.

But he had a feeling it was all connected.

Naomi gave him a soft smile.

“You are starting to understand.”

After a moment during which he contemplated once more what he’d heard, he asked, “Do you have any idea who broke into your house?”

“I think we all have”.

Dean did. If Naomi was powerful enough to have taught Castiel, barely anyone would dare break into  the house to begin with.

And the one who would...

“It’s her” he said.

“I assume she’s the reason for your current predicament?”

He nodded.

“She was always clever. I’m glad Castiel had the sense to stay away from her.”

“Crowley doesn’t like her much either.”

Dean had decided she must know all about the fire demon, considering he and Castiel had met when she retired.

She pursed her lip. Her eyes grew cold.

No love lost between them, it seemed.

“He’s not as bad as he sounds” he said carefully, “I promise”.

“Mr. Winchester, this is a topic on which I’d rather keep silent”.

Maybe they’d fought over Crowley? That might be the reason why Castiel hadn’t mentioned her name before. But the guy wasn’t that talkative to begin with. Sometimes, Dean didn’t even notice when he entered a room.

She apparently didn’t wish to continue their talk. Fair enough. She’d given him more than enough food for thought. Especially considering Castiel, Crowley, their deal, the tail of a fallen star...

How had he found it to begin with? He must have caught one.

A month ago, his biggest problems had been broken wheels on carriages.

And now he was wondering how to catch a falling star.

Castiel came back down, looking worried.

“It’s her.”

“Who else could it be? And we both know she’s not working alone”.

Castiel winced.

“I know”.

“Then maybe you should do something about it”.

“I’m worried about you” he tried to change the topic, “the castle is safe enough, but you are here on your own...”

“And that’s where I intend to stay. If she wanted to kill me, she’d have done it while she was breaking in and stealing my property. I was in the garden tending to the nightshade – it has been growing a bit weak lately.”

Nightshade. Why didn’t it surprise Dean that she had nightshade in her garden.

Still weird that Castiel didn’t have one, though. Dean had already helped out Samandriel, he knew they used a lot of herbs and flowers in their spells.

But back to their problem at hand.

“What does it do?” he asked. “The tail, I mean?”

“In itself, it has no magical abilities” Castiel said. “That part of the falling star... is elsewhere”.

Naomi hummed disapprovingly.

“But it can be used as a powerful ingredient for several spells.”

“So I guess it’s bad she has it”.

“Yes, Mr. Winchester.”

Dear God, he wouldn’t have wanted her for a teacher. He’d been doing bad enough at school. Imagine her disapproving stare locked onto you all day.

Small wonder Castiel had grown to be such an ice cold bastard. Probably had to in order to survive.

“What spells?”

“That’s what you need to find out” Naomi addressed Castiel. “We need to know what Meg is planning, and soon”.

“I know”.

“Don’t worry about me, Castiel. Fix this”.

Dean had the feeling she wasn’t only talking to Castiel, and she definitely wasn’t only talking about Meg.

He gave her a short nod when Castiel turned his back. He was sure she understood him.

The wizard was lost in thought as they walked back to the door.

Dean knew it was probably not the subtlest approach, but he decided to ask.

“This falling star... how did you come by it?”

“I’d been coming here a year” he replied, apparently surprised into being honest. “I’d just finished my lessons with Naomi. I was watching the night sky... It’s so easy to see, here.”

He was talking as if he came from another place entirely. Maybe he did. Dean had never asked.

“And then I saw the falling star. It was beautiful, and sad”.

Dean had never thought that a falling star would be sad, but he could see how it would be.

They were dying after all.

Dying for one short amazing moment to remember.

“It was so scared, it didn’t want to die and I...” he stopped talking abruptly.

“Did you... save it?” Dean asked carefully, thinking that he probably hadn’t since Naomi had owned its tail.

“Yes”.

He waited, but no explanation followed, and the silence that enshrouded them was even denser than usual.

“What happened?” Crowley asked as soon as they stepped through the door. Samandriel was waiting for them as well, doing his best not to panic judging from his expression.

“Meg stole the tail of a falling star I gave Naomi” he said calmly.

Dean could have sworn Crowley looked shocked for a second, but then he only grumbled “Should have expected it”.

“You had the tail of a falling star? You caught a falling star?” Samandriel exclaimed.

“Yes. We have to – “

“But that’s supposed to be impossible!”

“It isn’t, and we should – “

“But you would have to – Ouch!”

Crowley had sent more sparks his way than Dean had seen him shoot before.

“Listen to the man. There are certain things we should probably take care off before you can fawn over your perfect master” he hissed.

Samandriel was silent.

“We need to know what kinds of spells require falling stars or parts thereof. I can’t imagine there are many” Castiel said.

“Probably not. How many wizards have managed to get one anyway?”

“Only one in living memory” Crowley answered darkly.

Dean wondered why he seemed suddenly angry at Castiel’s feat. After all it only proved that the wizard he’d made a deal with was strong. That should be good for him, surely?

Then why...

“Ugh”.

His heart started beating erratically, and with a strange detachment, Dean registered the pain that came it it. He and Castiel had been walking rather quickly, and of course he’d been upset when he found out about the theft.

Wouldn’t it be ironic if Meg ended up killing him afterwards, if only by proxy.

“Dean! Crowley, help me”.

The next he registered, his heart was beating as it should, he was sitting at the kitchen table, and Castiel was gripping his shoulder hard enough to leave bruises.

“You should be fine now”.

“Oh”. He blinked.

Castiel and Crowley had apparently just... healed his heart.

“I’ll check the spells” the wizard decided abruptly, letting go off his shoulder and passing through the door to the staircase.

“I was wondering when he’d do that” Crowley commented casually.

“You could have reminded him! I was battling a heart attack for weeks!”

“You weren’t doing that badly, otherwise I would have reacted.”

Weirdly, Dean believed him.

“You feel better now?” Samandriel asked. “You’re sure?”

“Yes, young man, don’t worry about me”.

But he couldn’t deny that it felt good having a fully functioning heart again.

Until old age did him in, at least.

Still, a win for now.

His train of thought was interrupted when Castiel returned and murmured, “I must have left it at Anna’s.. yes, of course, I gave it to Inias”.

“Who?” he asked, surprised.

Castiel looked up.

We need to go”.

“We?”

“Yes. It’ll be best if you two accompany me. Crowley can look after himself.”

“Love you too, pudding”.

“But where to?”

And Castiel went to the door and turned the knob to black.

Samandriel gasped.

“You told me never to go there”.

“Times have changed. Please come”.

There must have been a reason why Castiel had forbidden his apprentice to ever walk through that door.

Dean would probably have been scared if he’d still been a young man with his whole life before him.

As it was, he just shrugged, grabbed his stick and followed Castiel and Samandriel.

They went through the dark and...

Stepped right into the sunlight.

The town they’d just stepped into certainly didn’t look dangerous; and when Dean turned around, all he saw was a quaint little house.

“Who does this belong to?”

“It’s mine”.

“Yours as you put the castle in it to – “

“No. It’s my house.”

That was all the explanation they got.

Cas walked towards a house at the end of the street that... seemed oddly familiar to Dean, even though he was certain he had never seen it before.

Strange.

Samandriel was walking beside him with big eyes.

“What place is this?” he asked.

“No idea. But Castiel actually owns property here, it seems,  instead of just using what he sees fit”.

He could have sworn he heard the wizard chuckle in front of him.

He hadn’t even known he knew how to do that.

It sounded... almost happy, really.

“So” he asked, wobbling up to him, “what are we doing here?”

“I need a book to read up on certain things. I lent it to my... I lent it to someone, so we need to get it back.”

“Then what did you need us for?”

“I’d rather know where you are. These times are not safe”.

“Surprising, with all the wizards and witches and fire demons around” he mumbled, causing Castiel to chuckle again.

Dean did not like the sound.

At all.

“About that – “ he raised his voice so Samandriel could hear.

“Better don’t mention anything about magic while we’re here.”

“Where is here?” Samandriel insisted.

“Pontiac, Illinois”.

Dean looked at the apprentice. It was clear he’d never heard of this place either.

“I.... come from here.”

“What?”

Dean had always assumed Castiel came from somewhere in Lawrence, or at least a place within the kingdom, just like they did. Now he was from a whole...

Was this a different world?

He’d heard of such things, of course. But mostly other world were supposed to be inhabited by fairies, goblins, giants, that sort of thing. This looked... very much like his own world, if he was being honest. Almost disappointingly normal...

A loud noise made both him and Samandriel jump.

A monster out of metal rushed past them on the road. Castiel was the only one who didn’t jump.

“Castiel...” Dean began slowly, hoping he didn’t sound as shaken as he felt. Samandriel was apparently incapable of speech at this point.

“Don’t worry about it. These things are quite normal around here.”

“Do they hurt you?” he asked. “Are there... slayers for these things?”

Castiel turned around.

“You mean like...”

“For dragons”.

“God” Castiel shook his head. “Remember, don’t mention anything like this. Please”

“But there are – “

“Dean, please”.

He was silent.

A few more of the metal monsters rushed past them, but he learned not to pay them any attention, like Cas.

As a matter of fact, after a while, he came to... like them, in a way. Some of them looked pretty good, in a weird way.

And when he realized that there were actually humans sitting in them...

“Are... humans steering these things?” he whispered so Castiel wouldn’t admonish him again about keeping things quiet.

“Yes. They are... something like carriages”.

So that was why he liked them.

Carriages without horses.

Freaking amazing.

“Do you own something like that?” he asked, forcing himself to curb his excitement.”Or, do you know what they’re made out of? I could probably build one myself...”

“I don’t see you working long hours bent over a motor hood.”

Castiel sounded bemused and Dean bit his lip. He’d forgotten that he’d been turned into an old man.

“I had a lot to do with carriages when I was younger. I am sure I still know my way around.”

“Of course.”

“You want to build one of these things?” Samandriel hissed.

“I’d rather face another dragon than have to – “

Another carriage passed by. He all but squeaked.

Dean laughed.

“Come on, live a little! This is awesome! Carriages without horses!”

“I told you to be quiet” Castiel said.

He grinned sheepishly.

“Sorry.”

Still, though – incredible. What money he could make if he could construct something like this... He and Dad would be set for life, Sam wouldn’t have to worry about them...

If he ever got rid of the hex, he remembered when his knees protested against Castiel’s rapid pace.

“There we are” he said when they reached another small, comfortable house.

He knocked on the door.

And then Dean realized why it had looked familiar. He’d seen it before, just not from this angle.

The red-haired woman who opened the door was the one who’d looked at Castiel sadly while he was tending the bees.

“Castiel! Come on in”.

“Anna. I hope you don’t mind, it’s just the book I lent Inias... I need it for Alfie’s lesson”.

He gestured towards Samandriel.

“Oh, this is Alfie”.

She gave them a brilliant smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.

“And his grandfather” Dean said quickly to back up Castiel’s story.

“But I’m not – “ Samandriel started to say. Dean hit his ankle with his stick.

He turned his protest into a cough.

She squinted at them in a way not unlike the wizard’s – she must be a relative – and let them in.

“Inias is playing football with his friends, but he should return soon. Would you like coffee?” she asked Dean politely.

“I’d love to, thank you”.

He couldn’t very well pass up the opportunity to learn more about Castiel and his... family.

Dena would never have thought he had one, and if the wide eyes Samandriel made studying the pictures on the wall of a younger Castiel, he’d thought the same.

There was something odd about the pictures though.

The Castiel Dean knew always wore the same suit, with the tie wrongly tied, and the coat he was so fond of.

This Castiel wore much simpler garments, shirts and pants made from some blue material, and he appeared to be far more relaxed than the version standing next to him.

In most of the pictures Anna shot him disapproving glares as well. Dean wasn’t entirely sure what had enticed her to hang them up in the first place, but at least there was nothing of the worry or sadness that passed her face these days when she looked at him.

“Remember that spring break? You were high the entire time. Except for when you had orgies, of course”.

Samandriel blushed a scarlet red, and even Dean felt uncomfortable. Castiel didn’t even bat an eyelid, however.

“You were rather angry about it at the time, as I recall.”

“Well...” she said, looking somewhat helpless before brightening up.

“Coffee, then”.

Dean followed her into the kitchen out of habit, if he was being honest.

“Can I help you, Miss?”

She chuckled with that slight condescension he’d come to realize people often had towards ancient folk.

“No, no, it’s quite alright. And just call me Anna, please”.

“Dean”.

“So Castiel’s been tutoring Alfie for almost a year now, hasn’t he?”

“Yes” he said, thinking quickly, “and his... school grades have improved considerably.”

“I’m glad to hear it.”

“He really is an excellent tutor”.

“I’m glad” she repeated, looking down at the pot.

There was something wrong, Dean could tell. She couldn’t be fiddling her fingers for nothing.

“Is everything alright, my dear?” he asked, hoping to sound like a worried grandfather instead of the creepy guy next door who peeked through courtains.

She gave him a soft smile.

“Yes. Of course. I am happy that Castiel has found work that fulfils him it’s just...”

She swallowed.

“He went a little... wild in college”.

Dean had no idea what a college was.

“I’m sure many young people do this nowadays” he said. It sounded as if he was making sense, and if it kept Anna talking, he might be able to figure this out.

“And yes, I disapproved. I just couldn’t see why someone as brilliant as him would attempt to destroy himself with drugs...”

Dean frowned. He knew that word. When Sam had been around fifteen, a girl at his school had got him to try a few things. Thank God Dean had noticed on time and they’d had a long talk.

“I was really glad when it all stopped, when he suddenly seemed to take life seriously, when he started wearing suits instead of those ratty t-shirts and jeans...”

Jeans might be the word for those blue-looking pants, Dean decided.

“But...” she stopped talking.

Dean considered asking “What is it, my child” as fairy godmothers usually did in stories, but wasn’t sure it would work in this world.

Instead, he prompted her with a gentle, “but what?”

“I... He used to smile more”.

“Maybe he just... has a lot to do”.

It was a lame excuse, but it was all he could come up with.

She sighed.

“Maybe. But it was all so sudden, three years ago. And... to be honest... I know it sounds crazy, but sometimes he looks at me and I could swear there is something missing behind his eyes.”

She laughed nervously.

“I must sound mental...”

“You don’t” Dean eagerly assured her. It was true.

In Lawrence, such things were simply common place. People sounding and acting strange, their personalities flipped in an instant, their friends and family not recognizing them anymore. Usually, people didn’t even bat an eyelid.

It was almost always a curse or a monster or something else.

But Anna had said this had happened three years ago.

And Dean knew that Castiel and Crowley had been living in the castle together for three years.

These two events had to be connected.

So part of their deal had caused Castiel to change.

He thought of the relaxed, happy grin he’d sported in the pictures.

He’d have liked to see him like that. Carefree. Enjoying life.

Handsome, of course, but then, he already was...

Dean grit his teeth. He was not going to think about Castiel like that.

He already had enough problems, thank you very much.

“Like I said, he’s a very good tutor. Every other... parent I have met thinks highly of him too” he said, trying to comfort her.

This time, Anna’s smile was genuine.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Of course”.

“Why are you accompanying Alfie? Don’t get me wrong, you’re clearly close, but normally it’s the parents...”

“They... aren’t really around” Dean said quickly, remembering what he used to say when he was a kid and an adult wanted to know why he was buying food for him and Sammy.

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

“We’re managing well enough” he told and realized that he was speaking the truth.

Yes, he missed Sammy. Yes, he was still trapped in the body of an old man. Yes, he had no idea what to do about Castiel’s and Crowley’s deal.

And, yes, the witch was still after them.

But for some reason...

Most of the time, he was pretty happy, if he said so himself. Or maybe not happy, but... content.

He hadn’t felt like this in some time. Small wonder he hadn’t recognized the feeling.

“I suppose that’s the most important thing. Me, Castiel and Inias are all we have too”.

So the father wasn’t in the picture. Dean didn’t dare ask if he’d died or if there was some other reason for him not being around.

It happened in Lawrence too, people walking away from their children. If he was being honest, it was what Dad had more or less done.

The coffee was done and they passed into what Anna called “the living room” where Samandriel – funny, Alfie actually fit him better, if Dean thought about it – and Castiel were waiting.

The wizard studied him, and once again he’d had the feeling like he was looking straight into his soul.

“What exactly do you need the book for? It’s about lore” Anna said to Samandriel, who immediately did his best to disappear into the couch.

When it didn’t work he said, “I have to do a... presentation on... monsters in school”.

It sounded just believable enough.

“They come up with all kinds of subjects these days”.

“I think it’s fascinating:”

“We all know you do, Castiel. By the way, you could come over far more often. You only live down the street, and yet I hardly get to see you...”

“I have a lot of work” he answered, but Dean could have sworn he looked guilty.

So his sister didn’t know Castiel was a wizard, it seemed. Why? Was it shameful to be one in this world? Wizards were powerful, though. Strong. People feared them. Maybe here it was different? Dean had heard rumours once about places were witches and wizards were burned for their trade but had dismissed them. They were just too useful to kill.

The front door opened and slammed shut.

Anna sighed.

“Inias!”

“Sorry Mom! Oh hi Uncle Castiel!”

The teenager who’d just marched into the living room looked a little younger than Samandriel and every bit like his mother.

“Hello, Inias. It’s about the book I lent you...”

“Yeah, man, those grimoires... some fucked-up shit right there”.

Dear God, his father would have killed him if he’d ever used such language in his presence, but Anna only rolled her eyes.

“You nerds and your magic.”

So... magic wasn’t seen as anything important in this world? Dean traded a confused glance with Alfie.

“Yes, well... I need it back for Alfie here.”

“Of course, just let me get it”.

When silence had settled upon them, Castiel said, “The bees are doing well”.

Anna snorted.

“they better. They are the only reason we see you, after all.”

“Anna” he pleaded, “I told you – “

“Yes, I know, little brother. I just want to spend some time with you”.

Yep, now she’d done it. Castiel definitely looked guilty. Samandriel’s mouth fell open and Dean felt it necessary to poke him with his stick again, but sadly he sat too far away and didn’t want to draw attention.

But he really really wanted to.

For some reason, Samandriel flinched and closed his mouth, shooting him a dirty look.

“I’m working on something important right now” Castiel said slowly, “But I will come and spend more time once this is finished. I promise.”

Anna gave him a brilliant smile.

“You can always bring Samandriel over, i’m sure Inias will be glad to find a new friend”.

Oh dear, now she wanted to adopt them as well, it seemed.

Castiel just nodded.

Luckily, Inias soon returned with the book and they said their goodbyes.

By now, even Samandriel had grown used to the strange sights and didn’t flinch at the horseless carriages anymore.

Dean didn’t pay them any attention either. He kept thinking of Anna’s sad eyes, and the devotion both she and her soon obviously had for Castiel.

“You have a lovely family” he said suddenly.

Castiel looked at him.

“Thank you”.

“You mean a lot to them”.

A pause.

Then quietly, Castiel answered, “I know they mean a lot to me.”

Strange wording, but still – it was kind of comforting to hear that Castiel had any feelings to begin with.

“Will they be safe?” Dean asked cautiously.

Anna seemed a really nice lady, and he didn’t want her or her son to suffer because of that – witch.

“They are under protection”.

“Good. Didn’t doubt it”.

He really hadn’t. Why should a powerful wizard leave his family at the mercy of a dangerous witch after all?

“You really didn’t?”

“No. Why would I?”

They were staring at one another, blue eyes boring into green ones, the only one of his features that had survived being turned into an old man without any changes.

Samandriel cleared his throat.

“Guys, are we going on or not?”

Castiel blinked.

“Of course”.

They returned to the castle.

“So” Dean said once he had shaken of the sense of weirdness following that little scene, “What about the book?”

“I am pretty sure Meg found a powerful Grimoire. We need to know which one. Only a few can offer powers of this kind, I am certain.”

“If you think so...” Dean muttered. “But how does this help us? If she has it..:”

“It’s always better to know what you’re up against” Crowley said. “Anyway, Castiel, how are you folks?”

“Anna and Inias are quite well, thank you” he replied somewhat testily.

“I am sure you were very happy to see that”.

Now there could be no mistake about the fury stealing over Castiel’s face for just a moment.

“Wow” Crowley winced.

“Haven’t managed that in a while.”

“Crowley...”

“Alright, go bury yourself in your book, kitten”.

Dean had no idea what had just happened, and by the looks of it, neither had Samandriel.

That reminded him.

“Hey Alfie, what do you say we go and make dinner?”

“That’s not my name” he complained.

“It suits you” Crowley said.

“It doesn’t!”

“Come on” Dean said, “you never had a nickname you didn’t like but had to deal with anyway before?”

“I never had a nickname before period.”

Right. He’d grown up on the street. Dean almost cursed.

“Alright, then” he said instead. “Alfie it is”.

Samadriel grimaced.

“But don’t I get a say?”

“No, that’s the point about nicknames.”

“Squirrel’s right”.

“See?” he asked, gesturing towards Crowley. “I certainly never asked to be called Squirrel, thank you very much”.

“Then you shouldn’t have hopped on board so adorably, as i told you”.

Alfie sighed.

“Between you two, there’s never going to be an end, is there.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, I’m a pleasure to be with –“ Crowley began, just as Castiel snapped, “I’d like some silence, please”.

His face was stormy. Whatever he’d found, it wasn’t good news.

“What is it?” Dean asked.

He wordlessly handed him the book.

“There are several options. And they all seem to be about someone exercising power over something or someone else...”

“Awesome. So how do we find out which one she’s trying to cast?”

“I need to think” Castiel murmured.

He left them there and went back to the door, doorknob turned to black.

“Are you going to see your bees?”

He turned around.

“Anna told me” Dean lied. “She’ll be glad to see you so soon, anyway”.

For one second, he thought Castiel was going to get angry at him again like on that first day; but then, he simply said, “There are some things you cannot possibly understand, Dean”.

“Then make me understand!” he tried to argue, but Castiel had already left.

He sighed.

“Damn wizard”.

“Don’t talk about him like that” Alfie said.

“Come on, he could be a bit more talkative.”

And he could smile more, he added in his thoughts, and he could relax more, like he does when he’s tending to his bees...

Without another word, Dean headed for the staircase.

Let them think what they want.

He was just making sure Castiel was safe, he told himself.

That did nothing to make him feel better when he didn’t just see Castiel working on the bees, but also talking to another red-headed woman smiling brightly at him. An ugly feeling rose in his chest.

Why did it matter that Castiel was actually smiling at her, instead of scowling or looking mildly annoyed? It didn’t.

To prove to himself how much it didn’t matter, Dean decided that another deep-cleaning session was in order.

“I did the bathroom three days ago” Alfie complained, “And we don’t have any cleaning fluids left, you told me to get some tomorrow – “

“Vinegar will do” he hissed, grabbed it and poured it into a bottle.

“You’ll clean well and strongly, won’t you?”

“You’re talking to vinegar” Alfie said. “You’re actually talking to vinegar”.

He mumbled something unintelligible because he didn’t want to hurt the kid despite his bad mood and went to pick up the bucket.

A few drops of vinegar swept over the edge.

“What the hell?”

The floor where the vinegar had fallen instantly began to hiss, smoke pouring up.

“I think the vinegar is a bit too strong, even for cleaning” Crowley remarked.

“Shut up or I’ll throw this on you”.

“And here I thought you wanted to keep moving specially with a witch on the loose”.

Dean grinded his teeth and carefully poured it down the drain.

The day kept getting worse and worse.

Later, Alfie had long since fled to his room, Castiel strolled back in, looking much calmer than when he’d left.

“And? Had any ideas?” he asked, waiting whether or not he’d mention the mystery woman.

“A few, but I think we’ll have to trust our luck and the probability”.

“What do you mean?”

“A little more than half the spells that require the tail of a falling star also need mandrake root”.

“Mandrake root?”

Dean had heard about it, of course. Everyone had. The stories were used to teach kids not to grab just any weird plant and pull, just in case it was mandrake and they ended up dying from the screams.

Come to think of it though, Dean had never seen one. Nor had he ever met someone who had.

Maybe they’d all died from the screams?

“How does this help us?”

“It does because there’s only one field left in the kingdom where they grow. We can watch over it.”

“Why don’t we just get rid of the things?”

Castiel tilted his head.

“They are living, breathing creatures, Dean. They’re not just plants. We can’t kill them”.

“Fine” he said, reluctantly agreeing. He guessed they were alive in a sort of way.

“So... we’ll watch the plants”.

“I think we can use this as a cover, actually”.

“How? She’ll know immediately that we’re looking after – “

“Not many people know there are mandrake roots on the field. It’s... not usually used for good magic. I only know about it because of Crowley, and she’s not aware he told me.”

“So we are seriously going to play this off as “what a coincidence?”

“Do you have a better idea?” Crowley asked from the fireplace.

Dean thought.

“We shouldn’t take the castle there. We should just move one of the entries”.

“Not as easy as it sounds, Squirrel.”

“But doable” Castiel said. “Plus, we should move some anyway so Meg doesn’t know where they are”.

Crowley groaned. “Fine. But if you drop me...”

“I haven’t dropped you yet”.

“Drop –“

“I’ll have to move Crowley from one fireplace to the next” Castiel explained. “It’s a risky procedure, but you are right; it’s far better to do this covertly. I’d rather not Meg attack us before we’re properly prepared.”

Dean could have pointed out that he’d rather have had Meg not attack him at all, but had the feeling it would be useless to do so.

As it turned out, moving Crowley wasn’t as scary as he’d believed it would be. Yes, there was a rather tense moment were Alfie almost ruined everything by sneezing – although it was Crowley who almost jumped off the shovel. Castiel barely even bat an eye.

“Alright” Dean said once the castle had stopped shaking, Crowley was happily devouring a few logs and Alfie had stopped to apologize, “Phase two”.

“What do you mean?”

“Look, she knows what I look like. And it’s easy to assume that she knows all the other members of our household as well. So it would be better if we made it look like I... left and started a business.”

“What kind of business?”

“Flowers. It’s a field, right? And you can make flowers grow?”

A pause. Then...

“This... is actually so ridiculous it might work” Crowley said slowly. “She wouldn’t think we’d try and trick her in such a ludicrous way.”

And that was how they ended up opening a flower shop in Kingsbury. Or rather, how Dean ended up opening a flower shop in Kingsbury, since Castiel wasn’t supposed to be seen there.

It was pretty easy, actually. Through Castiel’s magic, the flowers were always in a fresh bloom; Dean and Alfie, who was getting used to his new name (good riddance,e Dean thought, it slips of the tongue far easier) cut the flowers every morning and brought them in, arranging them in the small shop the green part of the door knob opened to now.

Crowley complained endlessly about the scent of the flowers.

“I’m a fire demon, how am I supposed to –“

“You’ll smell and look extra pretty now, won’t you?” Dean asked the bunch of gardenias he was carrying. “I know you will”.

“Your habit of talking to dead objects will bring us all to our graves” Crowley hissed.

“I don’t see how”.

The fire demon appeared to be gritting his teeth.

“If you could just use your brain for a second – “

“I am, that’s why we’re running the flower shop”.

Crowley groaned.

“Just look at the damn things!”

Dean did. They really were beautiful. Magic sure came in handy.

He went into the shop. They were making quite a bit of money too; and Meg hadn’t come near the field yet.

It all seemed to be going well.

Castiel was even regularly visiting his family.

And the red-haired woman Dean had never seen before often came to talk to him while he looked after the bees.

Not that Dean cared. He just didn’t want Castiel to be... distracted, that was all.

Definitely.

Still, he could later have said I told you so with an air of satisfaction, if they hadn’t all been into deep trouble.

It was a few weeks after they’d started guarding the field. They had just closed the shop for the day and Dean was making dinner. Castiel had once more been called to the king, but thankfully, all talks of war had disappeared.

And then there was a knock on the door while it was turned to black.

Dean looked at Alfie, who was obviously stunned.

“What are we supposed to do? It could be Anna”.

“In that case we can’t open it, Squirrel; do you really think his sister won’t notice that the house has quite inexplicably changed?”

“And what if something’s wrong?”

“Castiel would know. Do you really think he left them without any protection?”

While this was something Dean liked to hear, it didn’t really solve their problem as to who was knocking at the door.

“But then .- “

The door sprang open, to everyone’s surprise, and in strolled the redhead who had been talking to Castiel.

Dean felt instantly on edge.

“Oh, sorry, I was just looking for Castiel...”

“He’s not here. Who are you?”

Dean could have been more polite, but considering she had just come barging in, he didn’t think he had to be.

Crowley had thankfully decided to hide, and Alfie was too busy staring at her to react.

Dean supposed she was attractive enough. It didn’t matter.

“I’m Abbie – a new friend of his sister’s. I just moved here”.

Her smile seemed predatory to Dean, but that was of course because she’d dared lay her fingers on his wizard –

Wait, his? He certainly hadn’t meant that. Castiel wasn’t his by any means.

So what if he’d given him a home, and listened to him, and cured his heart, and –

“I was hoping to talk to him some more about his bees. It’s very important we save them, you know”.

Dean decided then and there that he didn’t think much of the world Castiel came from. Their own had plenty of bees, and no one had said anything about them dying, thank you very much.

“Listen, Miss Abbie – “

“Oh, what a nice vase!”

She picked it up. Dean had decided earlier that day that they might as well gain some pleasure from the flowers Castiel let grow as well, Crowley’s complaints nonwithstanding, and had made an especially pretty arrangement of roses in one of their vases for the kitchen.

“It’s so pretty! Did you make that yourself?”

“No, flowers grow on their own if you let them”.

He was really being a brute, but why shouldn’t he be? There was this very handsome woman who was obviously after Castiel, and then there was Dean, who no one would look at again twice.

Yep. That was totally the reason. He was very much jealous that Castiel should be chased after by such a hot girl.

It was much, much better than any other reason he could possibly have thought of.

She put the vase down and pouted.

“Who are you, anyway? Cassie said nothing about having any visitors”.

She glanced at Alfie.

“And please don’t mind me saying that, but you’re a weird duo”.

“Listen, lady...”

Thankfully, he was spared trying to be nice when the door sprang open and Castiel appeared.

Huh. So he could after all control from the outside which door it opened to. Could have told him that, the bastard.

“Dean, what – Abaddon?”

Abaddon? Seriously? Who called their children that?

Probably people who thought Castiel was a perfectly normal name, Dean decided.

“Cassie” she gave him a brilliant smile.

“How did you get in?”

“I just opened the door, silly.”

It was then that Dean remembered. Of course she shouldn’t have been able to make it through the door.

Castiel thought the same. His eyes narrowed and he quickly stepped between her and then.

Dean did not feel good about that. At all. His heart was just... getting worse again. Yep. Sucked but what could he do? Just heart troubles.

“Come on, what’s weird about it? It’s just a door...”

“No, it’s not, and you know that” Castiel decided.

“I’m not –

“Show thyself” Castiel intoned, followed by a string of syllables Dean didn’t understand, but which seemed to shake Abbadon to a certain extent.

“Come on, you heard the man! Show thyself or whatever!” Dean called, more out of instinct than anything else.

Abbadon hissed, and suddenly the room was filled with a bright fiery light not unlike the one Crowley gave.

“She’s a fire demon!” Alfie screeched at the very moment Dean understood.

Castiel was making gestures and mumbling under his breath, unflappable as always, but Dean just ran to the sink.

“Water!” he beat at the sink. “Come on, water! We need all the cold water we can get!”

What he did get was all but a fountain, drenching him and Alfie, who’d come running to help.

Abaddon reacted to the threat immediately by throwing them against a wall; Castiel’s spell had apparently weakened her powers somewhat, since they weren’t harmed.

“You fools!”

Then she laughed, skipping over the puddles of water.

She’s mad, Dean thought, they are both mad.

“Not that it matters. I already have the mandrake root, just wanted to see if I could do my mistress a favour. Oh well – you’ll be under our control soon enough, Cassie”.

With that, she left as she’d come.

Dean slumped down the wall; Alfie did as well, only he landed right back in the steady stream of water from the sink.

“For God’s sake” Dean muttered, getting up “Stop, would you”.

The flow stopped immediately.

“What’s with Crowley?” Dean suddenly realized. Castiel had already walked over to the fireplace.

“He’s not wet...”

The wizard actually sounded almost worried this time around.

“I... I’d be able to feel it if he was... He must be alive. I just...”

“Come on” Dean spoke to the wood that should have been cackling under a bright flame, “Crowley, this isn’t finny. Wake up, you pathetic piece of – “

“I’m quite well, thank you” Crowley interrupted him burning back to life. “So touched to see you so concerned...”

“Crowley” Castiel breathed, obviously relieved.

“What happened to you?” Dean asked.

“That damn fire demon must have used a spell on me” he groaned. “i remember the knocks, and then nothing”.

Castiel shook his head.

“I can’t believe Abaddon was a demon...”

“Didn’t you tell me your family was safe? And yet she came waltzing in here saying she’s a friend of your sister!”

“Yes, I thought that – “

“This is your family we are talking about! Can’t you just show a proper emotion for once you freaking – “

But again, he wouldn’t be allowed to insult someone properly since Alfie interrupted him.

“What did she mean? What did she mean when she said they’d have control over you soon enough?”

“She said what!?” Crowley exclaimed as Castiel remembered and paled.

“What the hell’s going on?” Dean demanded.

“Wait – let me get – “

Castiel hurried out and returned a moment later with the book he’d lent to Inias.

“Here...”

He held it out to Dean, who took it into his hands not without a slight sense of dread. Grimoires could be powerful items in themselves.

“A spell to bind someone to you for eternity” he read out loud. “What does it do?”

“It’s not as simple as making sure a person can’t leave another one. It’s actually about controlling someone else”.

“That’s exactly what Meg would want” Crowley said. “Castiel at her back and call, doing whatever she wished... this is what Abaddon must have meant”.

“Shit” Dean cursed. “And there’s the tail of a falling star...”

He grew silent as he read the other ingredient needed, since Abaddon had managed to sneak in and steal a mandrake root.

Three, he thought warily. Of course it would be three ingredients.  

“Seriously? The heart of a powerful sorcerer?”

How did she expect to find that? There was no witch or wizard left in the country apart from Castiel and Meg –

No, he suddenly realized with dread, there was.

“Castiel” he said. “Naomi”.

The wizard had already swept everything off the table and was busy mixing several tinctures into a bowl.

“But you said she was okay... if Meg wanted to target her, why should she just steal something at first and later come back?”

“In order not to tip us off” Crowley said. “That would have immediately told us which spell she was trying to accomplish. We’d have been a lot more careful concerning the remaining mandrake roots...”

“Yeah, yeah, we screwed up, you don’t have to remind us”.

“She isn’t answering” Castiel, who’d been hunched over the bowl for a while, stated.

“Then we need to go” Dean said.

“I’m coming with you” Alfie immediately jumped in, and quite frankly, they didn’t have the time to argue.

“Alright. Crowley...”

“I’ll spend my time trying to strengthen this place’s protections. Don’t thank me”.

“Alright then, I won’t. We have to go”.

Castiel was staring at him, a curious, open gaze.

“What?”

He only realized they’d had a staring match again when Alfie asked, “Didn’t you say we need to go?”

“Yes, and right now” the wizard decided.

They left and hurried towards Naomi’s, ignoring the confused looks that were thrown their way, since they were all more or less running as quickly as Dean was able to.

Dean was more thankful than ever that Castiel and Crowley had fixed his heart. Now he only had to convince his old bones to hobble faster.

The house looked just like they’d left it, and he was starting to hope that nothing had happened when Castiel said, “The flowers...”

It was true. The small patch of flowers Naomi had kept in front of her house was... scorched.

Dear God no.

They went in, not caring that several people had stopped to stare openly at them.

“Naomi?” Castiel called out.

“Are you at home?”

“Naomi!” Dean shouted up the stairs.

“She’s probably in the garden...” Castiel began, and for the first time, Dean thought he sounded truly scared.

He reached out and took Castiel’s hand into his own, no matter how strange it looked. He gave it a squeeze before letting go and decided to check it out himself in case... in case...

In exactly this case.

Naomi wasn’t in the garden.

She was in the living room.

There was a dagger through her heart.

He wanted to call out that the others shouldn’t come in, but Castiel was already kneeling beside him, and Alfie was standing near the door looking green.

There was a book lying next to her. Dean picked it up. While not the grimoire Castiel had, it explained enough about the spell to figure out what was going on.

“I don’t think that was Meg or Abaddon” the wizard said quietly with something that could almost have been called a small sob.

“What do you...”

And then Dean understood.

He looked down at the brave women with the dagger in her heart.

She’d done it herself, and she’d done it in such a way that her heart was of no use to anybody.

“She was very brave” he said slowly.

“She was. Most people thought she was a little scary, but I always found her the best of teachers”.

His voice was most definitely breaking now.

“I’m sorry, Cas”.

It was only later, after everything was over and done with, that Dean would remember that this was the first time he’d ever abbreviated his name.

Cas looked at him and nodded.

“We can’t leave her like this...”

“Send a message to the king. I am sure he’ll do whatever needs to be done.”

“You are right”.

He could see the pain it was causing him not to be able to do by his teacher as he ought.

A small sparrow fluttered din through the window and tweeted sadly.

Cas reached out and it jumped on his hand.

He scribbled a message for the king and carefully wrapped it around its tiny leg before it flew away.

“Come on” Dean said gently, laying a hand on his shoulder.

“We need to go”.

He nodded, but wouldn’t leave the room before he’d brought Naomi into a position that might have been called peaceful if not for the dagger.

Dean and Alfie went into the hallway first, giving him a moment to say goodbye.

When he stepped out, a single tear was making its way down its cheek.

“Let’s go”.

Crowley was in agony when they came home, and for a second, Dean thought the witch had done something to him after all, but then he groaned, “Tell me. Tell what happened. It has to be bad.”

Not for the first time, Dean thought about whatever deal they had made connected them in some way. Sometimes, Crowley seemed to feel Cas’ pain; but then he’d watch the wizard cut himself not so long ago and the fire demon hadn’t even twitched.

It was a damn puzzle and he wished Naomi had been clearer when she’d told him to look after Cas.

Naomi...

Unexpectedly, his vision grew misty. He’d only met her once, but she’d clearly cared a lot for Cas, enough to take her own life to help him.

Still...

“So now there’s only you left, right? The only powerful sorcerer whose heart she can take for the spell?”

“You’d be surprised” Crowley said darkly. “It might be more difficult than you imagine”.

“Come on, she can’t very well take her own”.

“If push came to shove, I wouldn’t be surprised at all if exactly that was what she’d do”.

He shook his head as he turned around.

The spark Crowley shot at him this time felt different. Almost less angry and more... Impatient. Almost scared.

Art least he was used to it by now. He barely felt it.

“Seems counterproductive to me. You can’t take someone’s heart and then expect them to still follow your orders.”

“Yes” Cas said simply. “Yes you can.”

“What?” Dean’s eyes widened. “Magic can keep you alive even without...”

“Trust me, Dean” Cas said, “It can very well”.

And something like a suspicion suddenly formed in Dean’s head.

He looked from Cas to Crowley and back again.

It couldn’t be, surely? It was... the thought was incredible.

But then, so was having a fire demon in the house in the first place.

“So you think Meg’s going to attack us?” Alfie asked, drawing him out of his thoughts.

“She has to, if she ever wants to complete the spell”.

He shivered.

“Don’t worry, kid” Dean said. “We won’t let any harm come to you, will we, Cas?”

“Of course not. When I took you on as my apprentice, I gave you a safe home. I intend to honour that promise”.

Dean smiled at Cas, who truly smiled back for the first time. His eyes sparkled. Dean could just get lost in that gaze....

“Seriously? Now?” Crowley asked. “We have better things to do than this!”

“Yes, we do. How are the protections going?”

“I am doing all I can!”

“I am sure you are” Dean sighed. Sometimes, there was no telling whether or not Crowley meant what he said, but he really hoped that this time he was actually doing his outmost to help them.

Over the next few hours, they slowly prepared themselves for an attack.

An attack that was really slow in coming, Dean thought miserably a few weeks later.

It was one thing to fight. It was another to wait, day in and day out, for a fight that apparently had decided never to descend upon them after all. Cas was constantly flitting between his home and the castle, looking after his family without really telling them what was going on, much to Anna’s chagrin, as he told Dean.

He’d become much more talkative since Naomi’s death. Dean didn’t know if it had been his attempt to comfort him or the fear of losing someone else he cared about (not that Dean thought he cared that much about him, of course not, maybe he actually saw him as a kind of uncle thanks to the curse he was under), but he was suddenly around Dean and even Alfie and Crowley a lot more, talking, sometimes even smiling.

Dean was suspecting it may have something to do with his and the fire demon’s deal, since Crowley was downright nice to him most of the time. When he wasn’t, he seemed annoyed at himself.

It seemed that his suspicion might actually turn out to be true, only that Dean had no idea what to make of it.

Even if it was true... what was he supposed to do about it?

Naomi had sounded like he actually could do something, like wave a magic wand, but he had absolutely no idea. Plus, what would it do to them if he –

If he –

If he returned –

The thought was still utterly bizarre, and Dean wasn’t sure if it wouldn’t have spared him one sleepless night out of two if he’d never realized in the first place.

Then, right in the middle of them walking on eggshells, someone else knocked on their door.

Dean saw Cas stiffen, and quite frankly, he felt the same. Yes, their usual clients still came and asked for help, but they nevertheless expected bad news every time.

He wobbled over to the door, determined to see who it was. After all, it was silly to think that Meg or Abbadon would just casually walk in a second time.

So he opened the door but was utterly unprepared for what happened.

“Hello, I – Dean!?”

Next thing he knew, he was enveloped in  strong hug.

“Oh, Dean! What happened to you? When I got Dad’s letter, I immediately came here, but no one knew where you had gone... He had no idea what to do either, of course, and I thought... I thought...”

“Dean” Cas interjected calmly, “Who is this?”

He gently freed himself from his brother’s grip.

“This is Sam, my little brother.”

“Little brother!?” Alfie sputtered. “How old are your parents?”

“Seriously? And you want to be a wizard’s apprentice?” Crowley asked. “He’s under a spell”.

“Who? Dean?”

“No, the giant Moose who just walked in... of course Dean!”

“Sammy” he said. “It’s good to see you”.

From his brother’s pained smile it was easy to guess that try as he might, he couldn’t quite repay the compliment.

“I’m so glad you’re... alright...”

He looked at Cas.

“I was going to ask the royal wizard for help to find you, but it’s clear that’s not necessary”. After a pause he added, “Unless... it wasn’t...”

“Nah, it was the witch. Just came in the shop and hexed me. I realized I wouldn’t be any good for Dad in this state, so...”

“So you... Dean, I was so worried”.

“I know that. I should have thought. I’m sorry”.

“It’s okay. It’s safe to say it must have been a shock”.

“You bet. But it’s okay; I can get around pretty easily, and Cas fixed my heart...”

“Cas?”

Dean was glad he had outgrown the age of blushing.

“Castiel. That reminds me”.

He gestured towards Sam.

“Cas, this is my brother Sam. Sam, the royal wizard, Cas. This is Alfie, his apprentice. And Crowley’s in the fire place.”

“Fire...” until now Sam hadn’t paid attention to the other inhabitants of the castle, too focused on his brother.

“A... face in the fire place. Okay.”

“Actually a fire demon, Moose”.

Sam blinked slowly.

“He’s like this with everyone, don’t worry.”

“Alright. Are you going to lift the curse?” Sam asked Cas.

And surprisingly, he actually looked... embarrassed?

He shuffled his feet and cleared his throat before answering, “I... am doing my utmost to ensure this outcome.”

“What?” Dean asked. Until now, he hadn’t known Cas was even aware of a spell, let alone that he was trying to do anything about it.

“I have repeatedly tried to lift the spell when you were sleeping”.

Dean did his best not to be creeped out by the fact that Cas had watched him sleeping.

“But it persisted... I came to the conclusion that part of you doesn’t want – “

“Part of me doesn’t want – what are you even talking about!? Do you really think I want stiff joints and a creaky back and – “

“Squirrel, it shouldn’t be hard to understand, everyone could see you weren’t happy at all in your previous life – “

“If you dare say another word – “

“Can we all just calm down for a second?” Sam interjected. “And could someone explain to me what’s going on?”

“Alright, I’ll do the honours” Crowley said. “As you may have noticed, Dean was placed under a spell. Cas here has been trying to – “

He was interrupted by a loud noise that sounded like a horn being blown.

Cas paled.

“Anna!”

Before any of them could react, he raced to the door and was gone.

“Dude” Sam said slowly, “That wasn’t Lawrence.”

“No it wasn’t” Dean said, “But that’s not the point. Crowley?”

“An alarm. Set to go off if someone attacks the family – “

Dean was already running up the stairs as fast as he could.

“Wait” Alfie panted behind him, “You can’t just – “

Dean threw open the door to Cas’ room.

There, in the garden, near the beehives, stood Meg.

She was beckoning towards the backdoor of the house, smiling in the way she smiled at Dean before she cast the spell, and he shivered.

“What’s going on?” Sam, who’d followed them, asked.

Dean could hear Crowley shouting “Somebody tell me what she’s up to, I can’t exactly walk the stairs...”

“Dear God” he breathed when the door opened and Anna and Inias came stumbling out their garden door, obviously fighting every step but unable to stop...

“Inias!” Alfie called, and Dean pushed him to the side to get back to Crowley.

“Meg’s making Anna and Inias come to her”.

Crowley cursed.

“If he tries to intervene...”

“I know, he’s bound to...”

Dean bit his lip.

“Crowley, how did Cas transport you from one hearth to the other?”

“What are you thinking?”

“Easy. I am thinking we go in, drag Cas and his family back and shove another door in so Meg’s trapped on the other site”.

“Oh yes, that does sound easy. Wonderful”.

“Crowley, would we be able to pull it off?”

“I think so” he said with surprising sincerity and Dean called, “Alfie!”

A second later, both the assistant and his brother were at his side.

“We need to go there and get them out and fast”.

“What am I supposed to do?” Sam asked.

“Not you, Sammy, I – “

“Dean, you’re my brother, and you clearly care for these people, I’m helping you, end of discussion”.

Dean very much didn’t want that to be the end of it, but he had no choice. Time was of the essence.

“Fine. Crowley, you need to make sure that we can pass through the door but Meg can’t. I don’t care how you do it”.

“I will just go!”

He didn’t have to be told twice.

They must have been a strange sight, running down towards Anna’s house, but Dean paid no heed to the passers-bye or the metal carriages.

Meg must have put some kind of spell on the house so nobody would notice what was going on, since he couldn’t hear a thing.

He threw the door open and rushed into the garden.

Anna and Inias were lying on the ground, trying desperately to crawl away (although Anna seemed to be at odds with herself whether to get away or to Cas as soon as possible) while Cas and Meg were flinging spells at each other.

“Grab them. Get them to the door, no matter what” Dean ordered Sam and Alfie before hurrying to help Cas.

“Get back!” he screamed at Meg, pointing at her (it might have looked more intimidating if he’d had the sense to grab anything that might be called a weapon).

To his surprise, she was indeed flung against the wall.

“Dean! What are you doing here?”

“What do you think I am doing here?” Dean said. “Helping you out, of course! You could have had that easier if you hadn’t just ran off! We have a plan! Sam and Alfie are taking care of – “

A surge of magic threw them in opposite directions.

“Oh Dean Dean Dean” Meg said happily, “i was hoping you’d come by – “

“Shut up!” he shouted. “No one wants to hear you! Just shut up and stand still until we can get away!”

Until now shouting had usually seemed to help when confronted with out-of-control magic, and it did again.

Meg stood as still as if she had been turned to stone, and Dean was not about to let this opportunity pass them by.

“Cas!” he turned to find the witch getting up.

“Your family! We need to get them!”

Without waiting whether the wizard agreed or not – not that he assumed he’d be met with any opposition – hurried back through the house and unto the street, hearing Cas following him after a split second.

Sam and Alfie had managed to drag Anna and Inias about halfway to Cas’ house, and by now, people were definitely noticing.

“Damn it –“

Dean came to stand beside them, tugging on Anna’s arm.

“Come on! You too, Alfie! She has no power over you, do you hear me?”

For some reason, it worked and the next second, they were all running towards Cas’ door.

Black smoke engulfed them from nowhere.

Meg.

“We need to see!” Dean exclaimed “We need to see where – “

Cas’ door began to glow in front of them. With a jump, Dean had reached it and wrenched it open.

Several people ran past him, but he couldn’t tell who was who.”

“Sam?”

“We’re all in here –“

Dean got into the kitchen and slammed the door behind him.

“Crowley, are you ready – “

“As ready as I’ll ever be. Just be careful – “

“You won’t fall down. This will be easy” he said determinedly, grabbing the shovel and shoving it under the burning log beneath the fire demon.

“Our house in Lawrence alright for you?”

“Sure, just don’t drop me”

“I told you you won’t fall”.

And Crowely didn’t.

Dean somehow transported him so that the black door now opened to their house in Lawrence. As long as Dad didn’t stumble in while drunk, they’d be fine.

He set down the shovel and made a few deep gulps of air.

“Ugh. Smoke, clear away!”

Again, he was obeyed.

The ensuing sight made his blood run cold.

Not because of what was there, but because of who wasn’t.

“Where’s Cas?”

“He was right behind...” Sam looked around.

“I don’t understand... I could hear him...”

Dean’s blood ran cold.

“Dean, you are – “

But he didn’t pay attention to whatever it was Sam was saying, because he was too busy hurrying back to Cas’ room.

What he could see through the windows was definitely not Anna’s garden anymore.

Instead, Cas was lying, bound and helpless, in something that looked like a dungeon.

Meg came through the only door in sight, smiling at –

Dean.

“Hello there. I was wondering when you would check up on my dear unicorn here... He really is one, you know. He’s just as unique as me. We belong together”.

“I don’t think so” Dean pressed out through gritted teeth.

“I wish I could see your face right now... I’m sure it’s cute. The point is, Dean, either you come to get him or Castiel stays here with me, where he belongs”.

Of course he couldn’t allow that. He bolted away before she could taunt him some more.

“Dean!” Sam barred his way as he was running towards the door.

“You can’t just – Anna and Inias have questions, which I understand, based on what I’ve seen from their world, and have you even noticed that – “

“I don’t need to notice a thing! Crowley! How do I get to where she’s keeping Cas? Do I need to move you again?”

“Considering either of us would have to know where exactly he is it wouldn’t help”.

Dean almost sat down then, defeated, but in the next moment, he was marching towards the door.

“Doesn’t matter, I’ll find him”.

He turned the doorknob to black.

“You’ll show me the way to Cas, alright? It’s important”.

And without regarding Sam shouting his name, he moved into the darkness.

It didn’t lead him to their home in Lawrence. Nor did he end up in Castiel’s world.

But he also wasn’t in the dungeon the wizard was kept prisoner in.

It was a dark, starry night on an open field.

Dean stood there, unable to move, his mouth hanging open.

He really hadn’t expected that.

Wait... he actually recognized this. The field where mandrakes grew.

And there, someone was walking, towards him...

His heart took a leap.

Cas.

“Cas!”

He didn’t hear him. He paid him no attention at all, calmly walking down the field, now and then stopping to pluck a flower out of the grass.

Nightshade, Dean remembered. Cas had mentioned it once. If it was used for magic potions, it could only be plucked at a new moon in the hour of midnight.

What was going on?

Only when Cas came nearer did he notice he looked younger than he should have.

When he passed right through him, Dean understood, feeling strangely calm.

This was a memory.

This was the past.

For some reason, the door had decided that showing him the way to Cas meant seeing this.

And somehow, Dean knew it was true. Somehow, he felt certain that as long as he was here, time would not pass; for the moment, Cas was safe; and it all would turn out well in the end.

Was it magic – was it Cas’ magic whispering to him?

And then he saw it – the falling star.

So beautiful it pained him to see it fall – and yet he knew that it could only be so beautiful because it was falling to its doom –

But that wasn’t what happened.

As the night grew brighter, Cas looked up, and Dean was awed at the expression on his face – admiration mixed with pity and determination, and before he could understand what was going on –

Cas caught the falling star.

His face, illuminated by the fading light of the dying star, was more beautiful than Dean had ever seen it.

And then he heard the voice.

“Don’t let me die”.

Crowley had never sounded so desperate before, not even when they’d been under attack.

“I won’t” Cas said softly. “What can I do to help you?”

A pause.

“It won’t be easy. I need your heart”.

“My heart?”

“You have to agree to give me your heart to keep. You’ll be fine, don’t worry. And you’ll be more powerful than ever. Do we have a deal?”

Dean was sucked back into the darkness, but he already knew what Cas’ answer had been. That was what Crowley had been trying to tell him, why Cas could be such a bastard. He didn’t have his heart. Crowley had used it to keep himself alive.

But everything ran its course eventually. And now, time was running out on them.

Dean had no idea what to do to save them, but in this one glorious moment he was sure he would find one.

And then he was no longer in the field.

He was in a dungeon. The dungeon he had seen, but Cas wasn’t there.

Meg was though.

“Hello, Dean”.

He looked at her, but before he could say anything, an arm wrapped around his neck, choking him.

“Now, now, silent” Abaddon crowed.

Meg smiled.

“Yes, we don’t want our visitor to talk. We want something else.”

She moved towards him as Dean tried to wriggle out of Abbadon’s grasp.

“And this time I’m sure to get it”.

She reached out and stroked Dean’s chest.

His efforts to free himself grew even more desperate.

“Your heart is perfect for the spell”.

His heart? But the spell was only supposed to work with the heart of...

“My, my, you don’t know?”

Meg laughed.

“You really had no idea, did you? Well, how did you think you broke my spell? I have to admit I am a bit annoyed, yet impressed at the same time.”

Her spell? What was going on?

“It doesn’t matter in the long run of course, but still...”

She stroked his face and he tried desperately to get away.

“It’s almost a shame, killing someone as pretty as you... Abbadon, strap him to the table, please. And don’t even think about Castiel coming to save you. We both know he doesn’t have the heart to”.

Dean swallowed and continued to struggle against the fire demon holding him, but it was of no use.

Meg was wrong though; Cas would come, if only to prevent the spell from being completed. True, he would probably not care if Dean was already dead; but then who would? Sam wouldn’t have to worry about him anymore, Alfie would probably be glad no one was ordering him around, and he didn’t even have to think of an excuse for Crowley. A fallen star was nothing but a demon in their world.

But he wouldn’t go down without a fight. Meg had said he had magic, right? That’s why they had gagged him, so he couldn’t speak.

Come to think of it, stuff had normally happened because he had spoken... but that couldn’t be all there was to it, right? If he had magic...

Desperately, he tried to make something happen. It took him a few moments to realize that he had to be more specific.

Only that his bonds wouldn’t budge, and Meg was advancing towards him with a knife, Abbadon looking on with a bright smile.

He was going to die.

The only thought on his mind was Cas.

And then it wasn’t just a thought anymore.

Cas burst in.

“Leave him alone, Meg!”

“Why? You know you and me could do great things, Castiel”.

“You want to watch the world burn; I choose to save it”.

“Like you chose to save your little pal in the fire place? Should have known you weren’t cut out for it when I saw him; why wouldn’t you give him a body, like I did?”

“I would never sacrifice another human under any circumstances”.

“Too bad. Gues you’ll have to watch your pet –“

Cas attacked. But he had both a witch and a fire demon against him, and Dean was... Dean was...

Come on, he thought, help Cas out. I can do that, right? He needs more power...

And a connection, a bond, was formed between them.

Suddenly he could feel himself channelling power he’d never known he had, and Cas shot him a look as he threw another spell at Meg and Abbadon, stronger than any he’d cast before, as Dean knew with shocking clarity –

It seemed like the room around him exploded, everything was confusion, everything except Cas, who was his anchor, and Dean would have been dragged away if it wasn’t for him –

And then Cas was getting rid of his bonds.

“What happened?” he asked, sitting up.

“You helped me defeat them” he said matter-of-factly. “They’ve fled... for the time being. We should probably – “

“Cas, someone like Meg won’t stop until she gets what she wants!” Dean insisted, jumping off the table.

“You don’t have to worry, Crowley warded the castle – “

Cas abruptly stopped talking.

“What is it?”

“Dean, when Abbadon came into our home... Did she touch anything.”

“I don’t think – “ he paled.

“She touched a flower vase. What does that mean?”

“It means they have a way in”.

Without another word, they turned around as a team, Dean pointing at the door and shouting, “You better get us home!”

He thought he saw Cas smiling from the corner of his eyes.

When they burst into the kitchen of the castle, everyone but Crowley was sitting at the table, drinking tea, and Dean breathed a sigh of relief.

“Dean, which vase?”

“This one – “

He went to grab it, but before he could, or before even Sam could ask what was wrong, the vase burst into flames and flew right at him.

He grabbed his trustworthy stick and beat at it.

“Oh no you don’t – you can’t – stop it – “

He figured talking had worked quite well until now, and indeed, apart from the stick slowly catching fire, he seemed to be stopping Abbadon’s progress.

“Dean” Meg sang, appearing in front of them, “I still need your heart”.

“You won’t get it” Cas muttered darkly and unleashed a spell at the same time as Crowley, knocking her back; it bought them just enough time for Sam and Alfie to drag a bewildered Anna and Inias upstairs.

Meg managed to throw Dean against a wall, freeing Abbadon to –

No, God no, was all Dean could think as he watched helplessly.

Abbadon had conjured water – at great personal risk to herself, Meg really must have complete control over her – and had thrown it at Crowley.

Cas’ knees buckled and the fire demon screamed.

“No!”

Dean rushed in and once more trusted his instincts.

Meg had said her and Cas were a lot alike, hadn’t she?

And that meant –

“Sorry” he told Abbadon, “but I need this and frankly, you deserve it”.

And without saying another thing, he reached out, into her chest, and grabbed her heart.

Meg’s heart.

And he squeezed.

Both the witch and her fire demon screamed.

Dean smiled, a dark, unpleasant smile he would later remember and not regret for one second.

As he could feel the heart crumble, so did Meg and Abbadon, screaming to the last.

As soon as they had turned to dust, Dean let his hand fall and rushed to the fire place; whatever was wrong clearly had to do with Cas’ heart, maybe Crowley knew something...

“Crowley?”

He looked worse than Dean had ever seen him.

“Crowley?”

He mumbled something that sounded like “end of the line”.

“Oh no it isn’t” Dean said with conviction. “Look at you... a thousand years left at least, I’d say. In fact, you don’t even need this – “

And he gently took a shrivelled, dark mass into his hands that he knew could only be the wizards heart.

“You just rest here for a moment, alright? You’ll be okay again soon enough”.

Without waiting to see what happened – perhaps too scared to actually see Crowley go out – he hurried over to Cas, muttering to the heart.

“You’re alright. In fact, you’re as good and healthy as when he gave you to Crowley to keep – understand? I’ll put you back in and you’ll beat perfectly fine”.

He didn’t dare to think about it, or how pale and lifeless Cas looked as he placed the heart back where it belonged.

Only then did he turn around. His throat seized up when there was no light in the fire place.

Then, quite suddenly, Cas groaned and opened his eyes.

“Did you throw cutlery at me again?”

Dean huffed, the fire demon forgotten for a moment in the relief he felt. He hugged Cas close, squeezing him before letting go. 

Cas looked at him.

“You’re beautiful” he breathed.

Dean snorted.

“Yeah, I bet, all old and wrinkly”.

“No Dean, look”.

He gestured toward the pool of water on the floor. Dean looked at his mirage.

He was young again.

“I – how – “

Even in his joy, he remembered.

“Cas – Crowley – “

The wizard had already strolled up to the fire place.

“He’s not dead; he’s just gone. You freed us both, Dean”.

He realized he would actually miss the fire demon just as Cas came back to him and cupped his face in his hands.

“Dean – can I kiss you?”

He could only nod.

Of course the others would choose this moment to barge in.

“Dean – “

“Castiel!”

“Uncle, what’s going on – sorry Alfie – “

“It’s ok I still have another foot – Dean! Cas!”

Dean leaned his forehead against Cas’ and sighed.

“This will be complicated, won’t it?”

“Oh yes” Cas answered, his eyes sparkling. “And rather magical, I am afraid.”

“That’s okay, I can deal”.

“Dean?”

Alfie was tugging at his sleeve.

“What?”

“Why did Crowley just fly in through the window?”

“What?”

They turned to find the fire demon at his old place, burning brightly.

“Crowley?”

“As long as I’m not fettered to this place, I don’t mind staying. Always a good idea to have a home base”.

Dean cradled his – lover close and laughed.

A few months later

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Alfie asked fearfully.

“Come on, it looks awesome” Inias assured his boyfriend.

“But still...”

“Shut up, you two”.

Dean closed the hood of the car (“So that’s what they are called” had been all he’d said when Cas told him), a 1967 Chevy Impala his wizard had given him for his birthday.

Anna, who’d been overjoyed at getting her brother back with a functioning heart (and no intention of taking drugs ever again) had quickly become one of his closest friends and had helped set him up with a mechanic who’d shown him the ropes.

Things had changed since Dean had returned Cas’ heart to him. There was now not one, but two royal wizard, advising King Robert as best as they could to ensure lasting peace; and the rumours of the evil magician had slowly dwindled away as people learned the truth.

Apparently one could only believe in someone being bad while watching them walking around hand in hand with their boyfriend for so long.

“As long as you don’t expect me to sit in that metal death trap..:” Crowley said, floating next to Dean and staring art the car in disgust.

“I would never. You’d ruin the upholstery”.

Cas stepped out of the castle and drew Dean into a kiss. “It looks beautiful”.

“Hell yeah she does”.

Dean grinned.

“How about we scare some of the locals before Sammy and the others get here?”