A/N: And now... the conclusion.

"Dean, we gotta face it. Something's wrong with Cas's wings." Sam knew Dean didn't want to hear that, but there was no avoiding it now. That last hunt had nearly ended with the Winchesters being eaten, and still Cas hadn't flown them out. Sure, he'd managed to smite pretty much the entire room of ghouls with one enormous blast – a move that had left him too drained to even walk straight on their way back to the car – but that was what had convinced Sam that Cas wasn't just being sensitive about his wings.

He couldn't fly.

"But it's been… what, over two months now?" Dean pointed out. "I thought he was fully healed! Well… you know, physically."

"I thought so, too," Sam replied with a frown. "But something's wrong. It can't be his grace, can it? He's still smiting the hell outta everything, and he healed from that cut just last Tuesday like it was nothing."

"Well, then what, Sammy?"

"I don't know. But this explains why he even stayed, you know? I was so glad he didn't go off on his own again, but… maybe it was just because he couldn't." And maybe that was why he'd been so short-tempered. He hadn't just been staying for them, he'd at least partially been staying because he was stuck.

But why? There were no answers, and when they mentioned it to Castiel himself, the angel nearly bit their heads off.

"My wings are fine!" he snapped tensely, glaring so hard at Sam and Dean that the two almost expected to burst into flames right there on the spot.

"Then I'm sure you wouldn't mind flying over to the yard and back, just so we can be sure?" Dean challenged him. It didn't go over well… to say the least.

"What the hell was that all about?" Bobby asked, coming to investigate the explosion of shouting this caused, just in time to see a still raging Castiel storm off in the other direction, and a frustrated, muttering Dean push his way past towards the house for a beer.

Sam just sighed, looking back and forth between the two. He filled Bobby in on everything, to the best of his knowledge – which wasn't exactly extensive. Bobby was frowning, rubbing his jaw thoughtfully. Sam didn't push him, waiting with as much patience as possible until Bobby looked up at him.

"You know, seems I was reading something a while back about angel wings. I didn't even think about it til now, but… if something happened to Cas's, I'm not so sure he could heal them."

"They don't heal?" Sam gasped out loud, eyes widening in horror as he frantically turned in the direction Cas had went, as though considering chasing him down. For what purpose, even he didn't know, but Bobby quickly calmed him down.

"No, you idjit, I mean I don't think he can heal them himself."

That didn't make sense to Sam either. He frowned. "What're you talking about? Cas heals himself all the time."

Bobby shrugged. "I don't know. Wish I did. It wasn't very clear, but from what I read, wings are just… trickier. Maybe he can't heal them. But I can think of someone who might be able to tell you for sure."

"What do you mean, can't heal?" Dean demanded later that night when he'd calmed down enough for Sam and Bobby to fill him in. "Like, ever?"

The younger hunter shrugged, looking worried. "Not sure," he admitted. "There's not a lot in the lore. But I was thinking… remember what Terriel said? They'll only touch another angel's wings if there was a strong bond between them… or, if they required healing."

"So they can heal," Dean clarified with obvious relief. "So why aren't Cas's?"

"Don't know. But we're about to find out." Closing his eyes, Sam called, "Terriel. Wherever you are, if you can hear me. Hey, um… we think something might be wrong with Cas's wings. So… we're at Bobby's house, if you-"

"Something's wrong with his wings?" The hunters spun around to see Terriel there, a concerned look on his face as he skipped the hellos. "What? What's wrong with them?"

"Well… we don't know," Sam admitted, trading a look with Dean and Bobby. "I don't think he can fly. I mean, he hasn't, not once. Granted, the demons did break one of them, but-"

"They broke it?" Terriel looked horrified, and slightly nauseated. He closed his eyes, muttering a curse under his breath. "Damn it… I didn't know that."

"Wait, how did you not know?" Dean demanded. "I mean, just by looking-"

"I wasn't looking," the angel interrupted with a glower. "It's rude. And I was putting up the sigils, and trying to let Castiel keep a bit of dignity."

Oh. Sam and Dean shifted, a little uncomfortably. Dean hadn't been unable to stop staring at the truly glorious wings, broken or not. He knew Sam was feeling guilty, having actually seen it happen, but they had both assumed that Cas would heal himself, as he always did.

"But it's been two months!" Dean argued. "Everything else is healed already."

"An angel can't heal their own wings," Terriel explained distractedly, confirming what Bobby had been afraid of. "I didn't even think- the angels never physically harmed them, but I should have known the demons would. I should have healed them right away, had I known."

"So you can fix it?" Bobby clarified, the question on all of their minds.

To their relief, Terriel nodded. "Yes. I just wish I had known." He sighed, then added quieter, "I keep letting him down."

Looking more and more worried, Dean and Sam cleared their throats, as Dean grumbled, "Well, join the club. So, what, you can heal everything but your own wings? What the hell is that about?"

Terriel opened his eyes, shrugging. "Angels were not made to be solitary individuals," he reminded Dean simply. "We aren't usually in a situation where there is not another angel near enough to help. Where is Castiel?"

"Right here," a voice said from behind them, and the group turned to see a surprised looking Cas. "Terriel… it's good to see you again. What's going on?"

"Castiel," Terriel instantly gasped, stepping towards his brother with an anguished expression. "I'm so sorry, I had no idea!"

"Of what?" Cas asked him in alarm, glancing around quickly as though expecting a horde of demons to appear at any moment.

No demons appeared, though, only Terriel as he took a step closer with the same expression of horrified regret. "They broke your wing?" he demanded, as Castiel instantly froze. "Brother, why didn't you tell me? I can heal them for you. Let me help."

"No." Castiel, warm and welcoming only a moment before, was suddenly transformed into the same terrifying warrior who had defeated Zachariah. There was panic in his eyes, though; to heal him, Terriel would have to actually touch him. "Stay away from me."

"Brother-"

"Don't… touch… me."

No wonder he hadn't said anything about it before, Dean realized with a wince. The angel looked like he was about to have a panic attack, and the thought occurred to Dean that if Castiel was thrown into a flashback, he might actually kill someone without meaning to. This could get very dangerous if they didn't calm him down, but Cas only panicked more when Terriel took a step towards him.

"I said, don't touch me!" An angel blade appeared in Castiel's hand, as he backed away, looking terrified. "Just stay back, stay away from me!" Suddenly, he was right back there in the prison. It wasn't Terriel in front of him anymore, it was Zachariah, the demons, Domiel, Josiah. His wings were forcibly revealed, held apart, leaving him vulnerable...

He heard his name being called, but it was as though from far away. It sounded like Dean, and Castiel tried desperately to cling to that voice. His vision shifted, and he was momentarily back in reality, at Bobby's house.

"Cas, your wing is broken," Dean was pointing out pleadingly. "Terriel can fix it!"

"They're trying to help you, son," Bobby tried, but Castiel took another step back.

"No!"

"Castiel." Terriel's tone was gentle, soft. His hands were held up and he didn't advance. "You can't fly with a broken wing."

Castiel was trembling, eyes haunted, as he held up the angel blade stubbornly in warning. He felt their hands... groping, touching, ripping. So revolting, so shameful... he wouldn't let anyone near him again!

Carefully, Terriel took another step forward, but no further. His voice was still soft and soothing as he went on, "If you truly don't want me to fix it, I won't. I wish there was another way, but I do have to actually touch your wings in order to heal them. I won't make you let me. But Castiel… if you wait too long, you'll never fly again."

"I'll do it myself!"

"You can't, and you know it."

This time, Castiel was silent, but still quivering slightly, as Terriel took another step forward with hands still up. He slowly knelt down so that if Castiel did agree, Terriel wouldn't be standing over him to do this. This would be less threatening. The angel nodded to the ground in front of him invitingly. "I won't hurt you," he promised softly. "If you say stop, I stop."

For a moment, Castiel just stood there, torn. Terriel was a friend. He'd rescued Castiel, and he'd saved Sam and Dean. He could be trusted… but Castiel didn't want to reveal his wings again, didn't want any more hands on them. But Terriel's would be healing, not breaking… respectful, not dominating.

And if he didn't let the other angel heal him, he would never be able to fly. Not with a broken wing, and both of them still a wreck from the demons. And if he couldn't fly, the Winchesters would lose that advantage that he could afford them.

But he just didn't want any more hands on his wings. If he felt someone touching him, he might be taken back to those flashbacks that haunted and tormented him. Castiel just didn't know if he could handle that again. But if he didn't... what if one day, his ability to fly meant the difference between life and death for the Winchesters?

That was a jarring thought, enough to force the angel to realize that he had to do this, but how could he? He couldn't. He just... couldn't. Not alone. Instinctively, Cas turned to Dean, but he couldn't say the words.

He didn't need to. Dean read them as clear as if he was reading a book. "Come on, Cas," he pleaded, holding a hand out to the angel. "I got your back."

"And we'll, uh… we'll be right outside," Sam quickly added, pointing over his shoulder towards the front door. He shot a look at Bobby, but the hunter was already way ahead of him. At least that meant less people to be standing around gawking at Castiel.

When they had retreated, the angel took a deep breath. Then, slowly, hesitantly, he accepted Dean's offered hand, kneeling carefully down with his back to Terriel – trusting Dean to be watching him like a hawk, just in case. Still moving slowly, he shrugged out of his trench coat and shirt, then closed his eyes.

The magnificent wings shimmered slowly into view, the great white feathers glowing softly. The brown and grey streaks were joined by splotches of red, though, blood that had dried onto the feathers. One wing was askew, lopsided from the break. Most of the feathers towards the outside were straightened (except for the ones missing altogether, ripped out by the demons' claws), but the closer in they got, the more that were still sticking out the wrong way. It was obvious that Castiel had tried hard to smooth the feathers back into place, but hadn't been able to reach a large portion of his wings.

Terriel was a bit pale, seeing the state of Castiel's wings, but his expression was determined.

"I'm going to have one hand on either wing, alright? I'm going to do this as fast as I can," he assured Castiel softly. Castiel's jaw was tight and his eyes were closed, but he nodded.

Dean was still holding his hand, and he muttered softly enough for only Castiel to hear, "Squeeze as hard as you gotta."

Castiel nodded at the brotherly gesture, still uncomfortable but trying to trust, fighting to keep his grip on reality.

Terriel gave him a moment, then quietly told him, "Ok, I'm going to start. Remember… it's me, it's Terriel. I'm not going to hurt you, brother."

Carefully, gently, the angel lowered his hands onto Castiel's wings, trying to avoid the joint – that was where Domiel had been holding him. There was a loud hiss of displeasure from Castiel, and Terriel kept up a quiet, soothing commentary to distract the angel and keep him calm. Hopefully, it would keep him out of any flashbacks threatening to take over, too.

"I'm healing them now. It's just me. I won't hurt you, and Dean would kill me before I could."

"He's right about that," Dean pointed out; he was glad to see the corner of Castiel's mouth twitch, but the angel still had his eyes squeezed tight. It was obvious from his expression that he just wanted this to be over, that he was on the very edge of jumping up and fighting them off. Terriel kept talking softly through it all, low and soothing.

"I'm putting the bone back together, Castiel. That'll take a minute. It's already looking better, does it feel okay? I can feel how knotted up it's made your grace, but it's going to be alright. Look, the feathers are already starting to straighten out. That must feel much better, they've been out of sorts for all this time and I know how uncomfortable that can be. They're regrowing now, the ones that were ripped out. I can get the blood off, too. Castiel, how are you doing, are you okay?"

"Please hurry," Castiel gritted out. His eyes were closed, fortunately, which meant Dean didn't have to hide his agonized expression as his hand was slowly crushed little by little.

"I'm sorry, Castiel, I'm hurrying." Terriel was holding his hands as still as possible, masking his awe that the other angel had gone for so long with so much damage to his wings. Clearly, the idea of letting someone else touch them had been harder to take than the actual pain, and that broke Terriel's heart. He was well aware of what it meant that Castiel was trusting him to do this at all.

Poor Dean Winchester, though… Terriel didn't know what had possessed the human to offer his hand to Castiel for this, though it was a noble gesture. Not very bright, but noble. Terriel was impressed and gladdened that Castiel had such friends.

"Almost there," he assured them both. "It's this bone that's taking a while, but I'm almost done, Castiel. As soon as I am, I'll let go, I promise you. You can trust me. A little bit more, and it's all over. I can feel how much better your grace is flowing already. Almost done… Okay, I'm finished."

Both angels pulled apart at the same time, Terriel raising his hands immediately, while Cas jumped to his feet and all but ran for the wall, a few steps away. He leaned against it, head bowed and breathing furiously, as the beautiful wings shimmered out of view again at last.

Dean, meanwhile, had also gotten to his feet, and was turning a circle in crushing pain as he held his demolished hand up gingerly. Son of a BITCH, he mouthed, eyes rolling back. Cas had a grip like a damn vice, and he was positive his hand was actually broken.

Terriel turned to him, concern on his face and mouth open to say something; Dean quickly gave him a glare, gesturing for the angel to keep quiet. He didn't want Cas to feel guilty.

The angel silently nodded, holding out his own hand. Dean quickly stole a glance at Cas to make sure his friend still wasn't looking, then allowed Terriel to take the broken hand and heal it in the blink of an eye.

Most importantly, Cas's wings were healed. He'd be able to fly now. Or at least, Dean hoped. They didn't want to crowd him, but he and Terriel shared another quick look before Dean finally spoke up.

"So… Cas, how you doing, buddy?"

Castiel was breathing hard, pushing back a wave of panic, as his heart slowed down slightly. Terriel had not hurt him. He'd healed his wings; he was a friend. Castiel was safe, it was okay. But for a second there… if not for Terriel's constant, mellow voice, Castiel would have sworn it was Zachariah again, and Domiel and Josiah, and the demons.

"I… I believe they are healed," he replied without turning around, and not really answering the question that Dean had intended. But he wasn't doing well at all, and didn't want Dean to know it. Though, his friend probably already did.

Terriel could put the bones back together, rearrange the feathers, clean him up... but no amount of healing could wash out the filth and impurity of demons on a soul. They couldn't exorcise his wings. There were demons imprinted on Castiel's soul, which meant the flashbacks would never stop completely; they were burned into him, almost literally. Angels were one thing... but demons were another. Terriel couldn't heal that.

Still, Castiel finally turned back around, expression sincere as he murmured, "Thank you, Terriel." There was an overwhelming depth of sincerity in his voice, and Terriel nodded gravely.

"Of course," he replied.

"And you, Dean," Castiel nodded, meeting the hunter's eyes for only a second. "Thank you."

"Yeah, Cas."

"No, Dean… I mean it. Thank you." For being there to offer him a hand. For teaching him that no matter how wounded or weak he felt, he could still fight. For not giving up on him, through the worst of it. For giving him a family after Castiel had lost his own.

Dean eyed him for a moment, seeming to understand the deeper meanings in the simple words, and then he nodded. The hunter coughed, clearing his throat uncomfortably at the "chick flick moment" as Castiel had heard him say, and replied,

"Sure... I mean, you're a Winchester, Cas. Course, that also means you're cursed… sorry…"

Castiel was still feeling too shaken by having to bring his wings out again to really smile, but Dean's words went right to his heart and settled there warmly. To be called a Winchester, even if it wasn't physically true, of course, was still a compliment. Curse or no curse, Castiel would take it gladly.

"So, anyway," Dean quickly went on, rubbing his hands together. "You gonna try them out, or what?"

With another nod, Castiel took a deep breath… and flew. He thought he heard Dean and Terriel cheering behind him, but Castiel didn't fly back to them. Instead, he landed quite close by. Just outside, in fact, where Sam and Bobby were sitting with anxiety on their faces. Both of them jumped when Castiel popped up in between them, but recovered quickly with huge smiles.

"Cas! It worked!" Sam exclaimed in clear, genuine delight, as he laughed. "That's great!"

"Good to have 'em back, huh, Cas?" Bobby asked, grinning.

"Yes." The angel's voice was low and strained, but there was also an obvious relief in his tone and expression. No matter how hard the experience was to bring his wings out at all, it had to feel good to have them back, not carrying around the broken weight any more.

He didn't expand on that, though, instead turning to Sam and murmuring, "Sam, a word?"

"Oh… yeah, of course," Sam replied quickly, though he looked confused. He followed Castiel a short ways away, towards the truck that had become one of the angel's main roosting spots, and waited curiously. "What's up?"

"It's just… I never thanked you properly," Castiel explained with a frown. His wings had been put back together. Now he needed to put everything back together, to tie up all the loose ends that he had left hanging for too long.

Sam tried to brush him off, though, protesting, "Cas, of course. You're family, we'd do anything for you."

"I mean thank you for what you did. At the prison." Castiel sighed, sitting down on the truck and rubbing his forehead, before looking up again at a much quieter Sam. "The whole time it was happening... you kept telling me to hold on. To look at you. You never looked away and that might not seem like much, but… I didn't feel… alone. Part of me is still horrified and... humiliated... that you saw me like that. But to be honest, I don't know if I could have held on if you hadn't been there for me."

"Cas…"

"I just wanted you to know that. I know it was terrible for you to have to watch it all."

Holding his hands up, Sam quickly protested, "Cas! You were the one going through it, it doesn't even compare-"

"Sam." Castiel shook his head and sighed, before admitting, "I know about the nightmares. I don't sleep… but I watch over you and Dean, and I've heard you both. I know what you're dreaming about."

…Oh. Sam looked away, wincing. He'd hoped no one had noticed it, but he was having some pretty gruesome nightmares, dreaming that he was trapped in that cage again while Cas was being tortured. But he could never reach the angel, he could never help his friend. It was torture for him as well, and Sam always woke up with a cold sweat, shaking and upset. He hadn't realized Cas knew about the dreams.

"Anyway," Castiel went on, uncomfortably. "You could have given up on me, but you never did. So… thanks."

"Of course," whispered Sam. He cleared his throat, then added, "I mean, hey, like I said, you're one of the family, man. Family's all we've got."

There was that word again, family. Castiel liked the way it sounded. He liked the way it felt. Of course, it still felt like there were so many broken pieces inside him that he needed to put back together, but for the first time, Castiel felt like he actually could.

There was Dean, hurrying out of the house with a huge grin on his face, waving at Castiel triumphantly. Here was Sam, giving him that quiet, encouraging smile. There was Bobby, gruff but good-hearted, and Terriel, who had broken ranks to protect what he believed in, just as Castiel had himself.

One thing was certain. Castiel was not going to be defined or confined by what had happened to him. What he had experienced was terrible beyond all imagining, but if it changed him into something he wasn't, then he hadn't defeated Zachariah at all. He wouldn't be made bitter by this, and he wouldn't be made fearful. Castiel was a warrior, a soldier, a fighter – with or without his grace.

It would have been easy to turn cold after everything, but that wasn't what Castiel wanted to be. Besides, even out of so much darkness and evil, where he had found betrayal and abuse, he'd also found friendship. Many angels were mindless sheep, many were ruthless, some were even insane… but some were loyal and true to their original purpose. There were still angels, good angels like Terriel, who still believed in humanity, and standing up for what was right.

That gave Castiel hope.

They weren't safe, of course, not even now. They would never be safe. The Apocalypse might happen yet, and there would be other dangers, other battles, but this one was done. It was over.

And Castiel, he was free, and he had his new family, and he was where he belonged.

And that was what mattered.

A/N: And here we are, at the end of this little tale. I can't thank you all enough for the encouragement you gave me! It's been an honor to share this with you bunch ^_^

Always remember, anyone who's going through something of your own: no matter how weak you might feel, true strength doesn't come from having wings or superhuman powers. Anyone can be a fighter, even if the fight is to just keep your head above the water. Know that you ARE strong enough, make the choice to fight for yourself. I love you all.

Thanks to anyone who favorited and followed this fic. Thanks especially to SammysDaemon, LA Suka, Salintha, Fruitatee, Akayuki Sawada, Marianne Ootjers, superchiwo, Aini NuFire, Polaris'05, Trucklady53, Quest's Tails, Ghost889913ab, VattaKeto, theKender, and randomcupofnoodles for their lovely reviews, as well as unsigned guests :) If you ever have a request to see a particular story, shoot me a message! :D