"I didn't sign up for this," Dean complained as he pulled the Impala into the Seven Statues State Park parking lot, wincing at the crunch of gravel under Baby's tires.

When Sam had called him, begging for a summer road trip before starting Stanford in the fall, Dean had jumped at the chance for a fun trip with his brother. He had had visions of weird roadside attractions, greasy diners, sneaking his eighteen-year-old brother into dive bars with a fake I.D. and finding hot dates for both of them.

But to his great dismay, all Sam wanted to do was visit museums, aquariums, and nature parks.

When had his little brother gotten to be such a nerd?

"You promised," Sam reminded him. "Anywhere and everywhere I wanted to go, as long as it was accessible by car. As a going away to college present."

Dean sighed. "I know, I know. But there's so many awesome places I could take you and you want to go to all these lame spots. C'mon, Sam, let's live a little. You have time for all that educational shit in college."

Sam rolled his eyes. "First of all, this isn't educational. This is sight-seeing. And second of all, how on earth can you find this place boring? Seven statues just showed up one day in 1950 out of nowhere. I don't know about you, but that's kind of interesting."

Dean huffed. "I saw the picture on the brochure. These are just life-sized statues, nothing big and exciting. Anybody could have just shown up and dropped them off here. I bet some old geezers are still laughing about how a prank they pulled when they were our age blew up so much."

"I sincerely doubt this was just a prank, Dean. Do you realize how many people have visited this park over the years? It's not just a silly local superstition. People from across the country believe that these statues are actually angels trapped in stone. I'm very interested to hear more about how that myth began and how it spread."

"Nerdy stuff," Dean said with a sigh. "I was afraid of that. You're not even in school yet and you're already trying to write some psychology thesis shit."

Sam socked him in the arm. "I'm just curious about how it became such a big deal, not writing a paper on it, jeez. And even if I was, I'm not making you do any of the writing so I don't see why you'd care."

Dean put his hands up defensively. "Alright, alright. Let's go satisfy your curiosity and then maybe we can move on to better things, yeah?"

According to the map he had looked at in town, there was an apple festival a few miles from the park. And where they had apples, they were bound to have apple pie.

Sam didn't answer, just wrenched open the Impala's door with more force than necessary and stalked off towards the visitor's center.

Dean gave Baby a consoling pat. "Teenagers, am I right? I'm sure he didn't mean it."

Sam had no reason to be so pissy and certainly no reason to take it out on Baby. Dean had taken him to his shitty statue park, just as he agreed. But insisting he had to like the place was asking too much.

Dean followed Sam into the visitor's center, a small squat building at the end of the parking lot.

It wasn't a big place to begin with and all the crap crammed inside made it feel even smaller. There was the cashier's booth right by the door, two rows of wooden shelves bearing guidebooks on the park itself and the local area, brochures and pamphlets, and information guides on arranging a tour of the park. And who the fuck really needed a tour of the seven statues? You could just walk up, see the statues, and walk out.

On the far wall was a large photo of the statues illuminated by the sunrise surrounded by smaller pictures of various celebrities posing next to the statues. So it looked like Sam was right. This was actually kind of a big deal. But the park was pretty small, considering. And there had only been a single tour bus in the parking lot when Dean pulled up. So maybe people had finally come to their senses and realized statues were boring. But then of course, Sam would be interested in how all the furor started to die down.

Dean perked up a little when he saw the giant timeline across another wall, detailing every event in the park's history. All the way from the statues' appearance to the local attractions, to the founding of the state park.

He hurried over to where Sam was browsing guidebooks and elbowed him in the side. "Hey, there's your timeline right there. That's what you wanted to know, right?"

Sam grunted in response and continued rifling through the guidebooks. "Hey, check this out," he said. He thrust a slim pink book called Stone Soulmates into Dean's hands.

Dean flipped through absently until he came upon the section claiming that the statues were actual angels, trapped in stone until they felt the touch of their human soulmate.

It was the dumbest thing Dean had ever heard.

How did anyone fall for this shit? How did thousands of people fall for this shit?

Maybe Sam really was onto something. There had to be a reason all those people had decided the stupid local legend was actually real. Some facet of the human subconscious that yearned for fairytale romance. But there was no way he was going to admit that to Sam.

"People are crazy," Dean said. He put the book back on the shelf. "So, you read enough for your not-thesis yet?"

Sam gave him an unimpressed look. "Dean, we've been here for all of five minutes. And we haven't actually seen the statues yet. Don't try to bail on this place already."

Damnit. Sam had his number.

Dean huffed. "Then let's get this thing over with." He paid the cashier five dollars to cover parking fees and access to the statues. It was a rip-off in Dean's opinion, but at least it was cheaper than all the fucking museums Sam had dragged him to.

A few yards out back from the visitor's center, was the cluster of statues. There was enough room between them for people to walk all around them, but they were still close enough together that Dean could see all seven of them in a single glance. They were all pristine white marble, like the ancient Greek statues Dean had seen in books, only in much better shape.

Well, there, Sam had seen his fucking statues.

Dean hunched his shoulders and looked longingly back towards the visitor's center. "Can we go now? These things creep me out."

Sam smirked. "Aw, did that Doctor Who episode give you nightmares?"

"Fuck no. You know how organized religion and all that gives me the hives. Stick around in a place like this too long and people will want to convert you to their craziness. Sooner we get out of here, the better."

"We drove all the way out here," Sam said firmly. "And we're not going to leave without making an effort to participate in the ritual. So pick a statue and take a picture."

God, Sam was going to involve them in his research, wasn't he? All that talk about not letting Dean help with his paper was just talk. But whatever. Whatever would make Sam happy.

He huffed and wandered through the statues, dodging the small high school tour group running around the area.

"Is this it?" one of the teenage boys asked plaintively. "This is lame."

Ha. Kid had the right idea.

The high schoolers were eventually summoned back to their bus with the promise of lunch at a cafe down the street. Dean envied them. God, he was going to need so much pie to make up for this shit.

Under Sam's watchful glare, Dean actually gave the statues a closer look.

Admittedly, the poses the statues were in seemed rather complicated. One angel had been sculpted as if he had just taken into flight, his legs drawn up and his whole body balanced on the points of his massive wings. Another had been sculpted with long hair streaming behind her, one arm and one leg raised as if to strike.

And all it took to get Sam off his back was to touch any one of them, any one at all. He reached out to touch the female angel and then reconsidered.

Statues were statues and he didn't believe in any of the soulmate nonsense, but he found himself drawn to one particular statue.

The statue wasn't in a particularly unusual pose. The angel faced forward, both legs planted firmly beneath him and his wings splayed out wide behind him so the entire statue was way more balanced than the others. And normally that would make Dean write the thing off as more boring.

But there was something that drew Dean in anyway. The angel had obviously been modeled after some really hot guy in the area. He had an athletic build, full lips and strong jawline. Unfortunately, since the statue was all white marble, Dean couldn't see hair color or eye color, but he was sure they could have only added to his attractiveness.

And maybe it was because the thing could have been an attractive dude or maybe it was the statue's expression. There was an imploring look on the statue's face and one hand held out, as if desperately reaching for something or someone. Even Dean felt an impulse to reach out and give the statue's hand a reassuring squeeze. Maybe this was how the local legend had started, as a way of explaining that impulse.

"Hey there, " Dean said. He put his hand in the statue's and gave it a friendly pat. "I'd say your soulmate's out there somewhere, but I'd be lying. I don't believe in that crap." He almost wanted it to be true, just so he'd never have to see that pathetic expression again.

Well, he wouldn't have to see it again anyway. He was getting the fuck out of here and never coming back again.

Sam's sudden yelp made Dean whirl around.

He had expected Sam to have gotten hurt. But no, he doesn't look hurt at all. Just struggling to stay upright, arms full of a short, blonde man with giant golden wings.

"Did it hurt when I fell from heaven?" the blonde asked with an exaggerated eyebrow waggle. "Nope, because this handsome young buck was here to save me." He patted Sam's cheek. "Nice catch, by the way. I'm definitely keeping you."

"Sam," Dean hissed. "What the hell did you do?"

"I didn't do anything," Sam insisted, unsuccessfully trying to shove the man off him. "I just put my hand on one of the statues and bam, this guy falls right on top of me."

Dean's eyes flicked back over the statues. The one closest to Sam, the angel in flight, was gone.

Holy shit. The legend was true.

"My god, Sam. Do you realize what this means?"

Sam chuckled nervously. "Yeah, I kind of can't..." He trailed off and his eyes went wide. "Holy shit. Dean."

Before Dean could figure out what Sam was looking at, he felt a hand curl over his shoulder. He tensed. "Please don't be a weeping angel, please don't be a weeping angel," he whispered under his breath.

He turned around slowly.

His jaw dropped.

Even though he was flesh and blood now, Dean would have recognized that chiseled jawline and perfect lips anywhere. But lord, he was right. Those deep blue eyes and dark, tousled hair only added to his already unfairly attractive appearance.

"Hello, Dean," the angel said in a deep, gravelly voice.

A hysterical laugh bubbled up into Dean's throat.

Oh god, a real life angel. All the crazy fairytale romance bullshit was true. He had a soulmate. He, Dean Winchester, had an angel for a soulmate.

"Well, well, well, what are the odds?" the blonde angel said, kicking his feet back over Sam's shoulder. "Cassie and I make our great escape on the very same day. Took you boys long enough. But hey, I get me a hot piece of ass out of the deal so I really can't complain much."

"Gabriel," the dark-haired angel said warningly.

Gabriel, huh? If Dean remembered his bible correctly, Gabriel was an archangel. A really powerful archangel. So this weird little pervert really wasn't what he expected.

"I thought angels were supposed to be bigger."

Gabriel rolled his eyes. "You people have a saying. Good things come in small packages."

Dean scoffed. "What, like your dick?"

Gabriel huffed. "My dick is definitely a good package. I bet even Samsquatch here would be impressed." He fluttered his eyelashes at Sam. "But I bet you're pretty hung yourself."

"Okay, no," Dean said. "You leave my little brother alone. Come on, Sam, let's go. Ditch the weird pervert. Cas here…" Dean wavered a moment. "Yeah, Cas can come with us if he wants." He didn't know much about Cas yet, but he was hot, he seemed like he kept to himself, and he was annoyed by Gabriel's antics. All pluses in Cas' favor.

"Thank you, Dean," Cas said with a faint smile. "I think I would like to accompany you on your journey."

"Not getting rid of me that easily," Gabriel declared. He looped his arms around Sam's neck. "Where he goes, I go."

"Hell no. Sam's going to college in the fall. There's no way in hell you're going with him."

"Ooh, so Sammy's a smart one then. Nice. But I prefer smart asses myself." He slapped Sam's butt with a wing.

"I apologize for my brother's rudeness," Cas said with a long-suffering sigh. "We are both very grateful to be freed from our punishment and I'm sorry he isn't showing it."

"Punishment?" Dean asked with surprise.

None of the variations on the local legend mentioned punishment. But Dean really should have thought about that. There had to be a reason the angels were trapped in stone.

Cas nodded. "We disobeyed orders from our commander. We spent too much time admiring humanity, falling in love with the wonders of our father's creation. Time that should have been spent on other duties."

"Our superiors are joyless dicks," Gabriel confided in a whisper.

"So they banished us to earth. And we were cursed to remain as stone until we felt the touch of a worthy human. I'm sure they believed no worthy humans would ever be found." Cas gave Dean an adoring look. "But I felt it, the second your hand touched mine. We have a profound bond, Dean."

"Me and Sammy too," Gabriel said gleefully.

Sam's face was sour. "I did not sign up for this."

"Oh yes you did," Dean said firmly. "You dragged my ass out into the middle of nowhere to look at boring statues and shit. If you hadn't insisted, we wouldn't be here. So, yeah, this is all on you."

Sam's irritated expression deepened into Bitchface #236.

Dean grinned. "Hey, since you woke Gabe here up from his stone sleep, it's only fair that you look after him. Make sure he's aware of everything that happened while he was under."

"Sounds good to me," Gabriel said cheerfully. He squeezed Sam's bicep. "Brains and brawn all wrapped up in one big, beautiful package. I'm going to have so much fun with you."

Sam shot Dean an imploring look.

Dean's grin only widened further. Sure, Gabriel was a pain in the ass. But he could put up with all of it for the sake of irritating his brother.

"You're sitting up front with me, Cas." He put an arm over the angel's shoulder. "Let's leave these two in the back."

"Yes," Gabriel said. He kicked his feet wildly like an excitable child. "Take me to my chariot, Sammy. I can't wait to get out of here."

Dean eyed Cas speculatively. "Do you want me to carry you, too?"

"It's not necessary," Cas said. He slipped a hand into Dean's. "I am happy to be at your side."

Hell yes. He was so lucky he ended up with Cas. Cas was just so easygoing and understanding. Dean loved him for that.

Wait. Love?

Whoa, slow your roll, Winchester. You just met the dude.

Dean shoved those feelings down deep in his chest and started resolutely back towards the visitor's center, practically dragging Cas along with him.

Before they reached the door, the cashier stepped out, nervously brandishing a shotgun. "Stop right there."

Dean put his hands up. "Easy, easy. Watch where you're pointing that thing."

With shaking hands, she pointed the gun at him. "Don't move or I'll shoot. I really will."

"It's okay," Sam said soothingly. "We're not here to start trouble. Just put the gun down and we can talk this over like rational people."

"Yeah," Dean said. "You don't want to shoot us. You don't even know how to use that thing, do you?"

"I know enough," the woman insisted. "The boss made sure I had basic training in case anyone tried to steal park property."

"Are you fucking kidding me right now?" Dean growled. "These are actual human beings, er, angels. You can't just keep them here forever."

Cas patted Dean on the shoulder. "Let me handle this." He took a step forward, uncaring of how the woman quickly pointed the gun in his direction. "You advertise this park as a place to possibly meet your soulmate, yes? What good would it do for the park's reputation if they find out you won't let soulmates leave? I'm sure you want what's best for the park."

She blinked at him in confusion.

"He's right," Sam said. "Just think of all the good publicity you could get out of this. It's not a legend anymore, it's a proven fact. I'm sure park attendance will go up through the roof."

"Just think about it, sweetheart," Gabriel purred. "I'll get back in position and do a few poses with hot stuff here. My bro will do the same. And then you can plaster those pics all over the walls."

"I suppose that would be alright," she said slowly. "Let me get the camera." She waved the gun menacingly at them. "Don't go anywhere until I get back."

"Not moving a muscle," Dean promised.

He let out a relieved sigh as the woman disappeared back inside the visitor's center and then leveled Sam with a glare. "If you get us killed, I'm never taking you on another road trip."

"Fine by me," Sam muttered. "I've had enough excitement for one summer."