It was faint, but somehow Dean could swear he heard Castiel say his name. Looking around hopefully, he called to him.

"Cass!"

The realization that he had been heard at last made Castiel jump, both hands now on the wall as he was hit with a wave of relief; Somehow he had gotten through, he knew he had to have. Dean was looking around, the hope in his eyes making his form impossibly brighter as he called to him again.

"Dean!"

Nothing, not even a flinch.

"No, no, no, no! This can't be happening again. Dean! I am here, Dean!"

He watched the light grow dim again as Dean began to lose faith. Cass dropped his head against the wall, a dull pain spreading from where his forehead made contact.

"Why can't you hear me?"

The silence persisted and Dean came to the unsavory conclusion that he had imagined the little voice.

"Great, now I'm going crazy for sure."

He was tired, so unimaginably tired down to the bone. He didn't want to do this anymore, try and keep going when he wasn't going anywhere. It was the same place no matter how long he walked, so dark that even the stars appeared to be gone. Dean sat cross legged on the floor, head in his hands as he resigned himself to the idea of never going home.

Cass pounded on the wall until his hands bled, unable to sit idly by as his friend slipped away from him. He continued to call out, trying anything to reach him as Dean's light steadily faded into the gloom.

"Dean."

He rested his forehead against the wall again, on instinct his right hand snaked over and grasped the handprint once more.

"Why can you not hear me?"

There it was again. He didn't want to get too hopeful, but his imagination had never been that good. Cautiously looking up, a glance around confirmed that he was still alone.

"Cass?"

Castiel froze, not wanting to get too hopeful but also trying to maintain whatever connection he had managed to create.

"Dean?"

He watched the winged man stand, the light from his skin almost blinding.

"Cass!"

Hope surged as he remained rooted in place.

"Dean, can you hear me?"

"Loud and clear, buttercup; I was seriously starting to think I was going loony in this place – where the Hell are you, man?"

"I am right here, Dean."

Again he watched him survey the area, looking twice over his surroundings and twice missing him entirely.

"Where, dude? I don't see anything."

"Turn left."

The winged man complied, facing Castiel head on without the slightest hint of recognition.

"I still don't-"

"Walk forward, Dean."

"Bu-"

"Trust me."

He barely nodded, but Castiel caught it just as Dean began walking towards him. The closer the winged man got the more excited Castiel become. 'Finally.' Quickly it was becoming apparent that Dean was about to walk headlong into the wall between them.

"Hold out your arms like you did before."

"Uh, o – Wait, you saw that? How long've you been there?"

"For some time; I have been trying to get your attention for most of it, I am still uncertain how I managed to make this connection."

"Well, I'm just glad you did."

"As am I."

Dean's fingers brushed something at last, a substance as foreign as the floor with as much give.

"Are you on the other side of this?"

"Yes."

Dean allowed the thought to sink in, his palms slowly flattening against the wall before relaxing into the position. Just touching it, he felt the hope seeping from the wounds the knowledge bore him.

"Cass, I don't…I'm not sure I can get to you."

"We can try."

Dean did what he could to ignore the silent resignation that he heard in the confident voice resounding in his head.

"But how?"

Castiel went silent then, pushing Dean into yet another state of unease.

"Cass?"

"We will try in any way that we can."

Something was happening. Somehow the black veins had finally stopped spreading across Castiel's skin, already mapping out lines down his arm and up his neck, just barely breaching the line of his jaw and threatening to encompass his face. It was fairly touch and go for a while there, his expression turning almost pained, but now he seemed relaxed into his state of unconsciousness. Running his hand gently over his brother's brow, Balthazar breathed a sigh of relief.

"Now where the Hell is Gabriel?"

Gabriel didn't have to wait long in the shadows as a red haired woman hurried to the church in the gloom, continually looking around as if she was running from something. He had to be quick; he didn't want her to get away. Too much was resting on this. As she stooped down to the step to lay her child down Gabriel moved to close the gap before she noticed his presence. He caught the tail end of her farewells just before he called to her.

"…take care, brother. Perhaps someday we will see one another again."

"Excuse me."

Her reaction was instantaneous and violent, pulling a dagger from within her robes and only barely missing him. It wasn't until he saw her face that Gabriel understood the words she had uttered to the infant she was abandoning.

"Anael?"

Dean was exhausted. He'd tried ramming, punching and kicking to no avail. They'd even tried doing so simultaneously but the damn wall was not giving in. Both men leaned against the wall, their breath heaving from their labors despite the discovered lack of a need. Wherever they were 'humanly needs are irrelevant', to quote the ex-Angel during their last burst of activity.

"Cass, I don't know if we can do this."

"Dean…"

"We've tried everything, man, and it's just not working."

"I know."

Wordlessly, Dean laid his right hand against the wall just inches short of where his face rested.

"What if I never see you again?"

"Gabriel."

The name was breathed out in a puff of fog, her body visibly relaxing as she allowed her arms to drop to her sides.

"Anna…what happened to you? I never heard about you falling…"

"It's been twenty-eight years, Gabriel."

"Add another thirty-one for me."

"You're-"

"Yeah, came as a favor for that little bundle of cute."

Nodding towards baby Castiel, he watched the infant sleep a moment before he returned to the task at hand.

"Anna, are you his mom?"

"Strange, isn't it? Spend millennia with him only to Fall and give birth to him."

"When did you…"

"Remember? Funny story, it happened the night he was conceived."

"Really?"

"Father does work in mysterious ways."

"Then why this? Why abandon him now?"

As if remembering herself, he eyes darted around the road, her jaw clenching in fear.

"I don't have much time."

"Anna-"

"You're looking for his Grace, right?"

"Yes, but-"

"August 20th, Pontiac General Hospital at seven in the afternoon; now go!"

"What, but A-"

"Do not fight me on this, go!"

Then she was running, her destination indiscernible a she disappeared into the night. He almost did just as she said, turn and run, but the knowledge that he was leaving his infant brother on the church steps alone with no knowledge of exactly what he was running from made him pause. Turning back at the last second, he shed the overcoat he had forgotten he borrowed and draped it across the sleeping child.

"Take care, Castiel. I will see you very soon."

He ran then, disappearing into the desolate alley ways and the dimming city lights.

Removing his cramped hand from the mark on his shoulder, Castiel leaned the heated skin against the wall as he adjusted his position. A crack resounded as contact was made, his eyes flying open as his body began to lean further into the expanse between them. His body froze, griped by the unknown aspect of the situation. Something was happening and he was unsure what to make of it.

"Dean?"