(Chapter 5)

"Hey, let's get breakfast and hit the road." Sam was reading away on his laptop for about an hour before he decided to wake the sleepers.

Usually, angels didn't need sleep. They were eternal beings, able to continue ticking with zero resting periods. As soon as Castiel and Dean merged soul with grace, things changed. Castiel felt the exhaustion of his human companion throughout his vessel. It took him and Dean a little while to actually roll out of bed, but eventually they were up.

While they got ready and shuffled to the diner, Castiel looked deep in thought. Angels radio was going off about the unknown cause of angelic energy and many worried it may have been a nephilim or the relics.

When Cas was in the diner it was a new experience, the smells of the place were enjoyable. Castiel sensed his human's hunger and when the waitress took orders he ordered something for the first time.

"You...okay Cas?" The brothers spoke in unison, eyebrows were turned up in concern.

"I am fine." Castiel spoke in a low rumbling tone, otherwise keeping silent as he listened in on the voices of his brothers and sisters. Sam looked over at Dean who shrugged and looked around the diner, counting the people and exits.

The younger brother, watched Castiel for a moment and spoke to him again. "So, you mentioned Dean would be able to read Enochian, understand it when it's spoken, and all that. Could you maybe draw something up on the napkin and tell me what it means?" Sam was always interested in languages, so Dean knowing some other language that he didn't quite have a handle on got under his skin a little bit. With a sigh, the angel drew sigils and stories of historical battles on a napkin. Dean was getting annoyed at Sammy's nerd questions. It was complicated what he had to translate but he could, and he just knew what they meant as if he read it his whole life.

The food hit the table and all three dug in. A taste of impeccable proportions hit Castiel's tongue, he could taste like a human! Cheeseburgers were amazing and this worsened Sam's curiosity at the bleeding of their experiences.

"Okay, but what does this one mean?" Sam asked, his mouth full of blueberry pancake. His finger pointed at another spot on the napkin as he looked over at Dean to get another translation.

"That one? It means 'Sam needs to shut his pie hole so Dean can enjoy his food." The older brother's words came out as he eyeballed his juicy all-American beef patty smothered in cheese, bacon, and grilled onions between two lightly toasted buns. The only thing better than that burger's taste was Cas's mouth.

Sam grunted at Dean and shovelled some more pancake into his 'pie hole'. He looked over at Castiel and saw how much he was enjoying his meal. It was one of the strangest things to see after all this time. He'd never really eaten in front of them, especially not with anything that looked like joy and happiness. Sam distinctly recalled the angel saying something about 'molecules'.

The soft fluff of the bun, crisp of the lettuce, and salt of the meat melded together as the trench coated angel bit down into his burger. Now he understood why Dean made such delightful noises when he enjoyed his food. Cheeseburgers were a gift from God.

When they finished their meals, Dean left a few bills on the table and they all piled up into Baby. When Sam grabbed the front seat as he usually does, Dean made a pouty face and looked over at Cas, giving Sam a hint.

"C'mon dude! I need the leg room." The tall man's brow furrowed as he watched his brother put on a fake pouting face. "He's just gonna have to sit in my lap if you want him up here. That back seat is cramped and it isn't happening." Sam fastened his buckle with a defiant click and a smug smirk on his lips.

Cas sat in the back with a chuckle. "It's nice back here." Sitting behind Dean, Castiel ran his fingers through the toasted almond colored hair while Sam flipped through radio stations. There seemed to be a few glances from Sam as he was trying to come to terms that his bachelor brother was settled in a relationship for eternity. Whoa.

Sam was spilling off facts of the case and Castiel put his concentration into listening once in a while, but mostly focused on the back of Dean's head. After a gas stop and bathroom break, they arrived at the college.

Cas was rusty at hunting and playing the part- but damn did he pull off a FBI looking black suit. It was voted that Cas can do the research while they go interview a janitor they heard about who witnessed the events.

"What can I do you for? Geez, I'm going to break my neck trying to keep eye contact with you." The short man in a jumpsuit was munching on a jumbo snickers. Of course he had little information and kept wiggling his eyebrows at Sam.

Dean almost said, "It's okay, sometimes I talk to his bellybutton. He still responds." but he chose against it.

Sam's fake smile appeared, the one that always showed up when a stranger made a remark about his height. Refraining from ducking down to the janitor's level, he asked,"Have you witnessed any strange activity around the campus?" The tallest of the three watched the shortest work away at the snickers, studying his facial expressions as he chewed.

Dean whipped his phone out of his pocket and texted Cas. "Talking to janitor. Short guy, Shorter than you."

It took a minute to figure out the logistics of texting. It was time for Cas to get a better phone, if he was going to keep in better contact with the brothers.

"Weird, as in a kid said he was 'anally probed' by an alien and the FBI show up to next day weird? Or, 'hi, my name is Gabe. Wanna get drinks' kind of weird?" He toted his cleaning supplies behind him in a two-tiered plastic buggy with our wheels as they moved along a narrow corridor.

Dean's grin creeped up on his mouth as he registered what had just happened. His eyes shifted to the side to catch Sam's eyes go wide. "Uhba.. Uh... The first one." Sam cleared his throat and pulled out a notepad, pen included. He flipped it open, acting as though nothing had happened. "Gabe, could you tell me what the kid's name is?"

"I don't understand why his height is of import. Does he have information?" Castiel texted back. Dean felt his phone go off and got back to Cas quickly. "Not sure yet. Sam is asking the questions. He just got hit on! Dude asked him to get drinks."

Immediately after finishing his candy bar, the janitor named Gabe scarfed back another one. Then, as if he didn't already Hork down an ass load of sugar, he took down a Kit Kat and had a soda for good measure during their short interrogation period.

Both Sam and Dean were impressed with how quickly the little guy sucked down sweets. Dean's eyebrow raised, but Sam thought it was sorta cute. In the back of his mind, the younger brother was glad he brought his fake business cards. He could hand the sweet toothed man one as soon as they got all of the information from him that they could. Drinks sounded good, and after all, he was just invited.

Damn he's sweet. Gabe loved how the big oaf stumbled over his words and jotted down half-assed notes. Running his hands through his blonde hair, and when The Sun hit his eyes just right, they were a mesmerizing amber. Like a shot of whiskey.

"Kid's name was Matthew, or something Biblical. Funny thing is, there have been a lot of these myths and bullshit happening. Scorned ex wife, aliens, supernatural shit." The sweet ass leprechaun of a man kept talking, more of a murmur with his eyes only focused on the tall drink of hot chocolate.

"Is Sam like that?" Cas replied, unaware that the younger brother might swing both ways.

Gabe thought he was shot down till he got the card, running his thumb over the lettering.

"I'lI talk more after drinks." He smirked and unwrapped a candy bar.

Sam's tongue wet his lips as he saw the golden stare watching him. He wrote down the name, other instances that were briefly mentioned, and then closed the pad of paper with a snap.

Sam's head bobbed in a nod for a moment at Gabe's words,"Yeah, that works. Just, uh, call that number when you want to meet up." This guy had more confidence than Dean after 5 shots and 3 beers in a dive bar, and Sammy liked it.

"Oh man. He's going to a bar with the short guy later. The guy said he'll talk after drinks. Smooth." Dean's fingers worked quickly on the screen's keyboard, sending the text message within a matter of seconds. The older brother wasn't sure if Sam had a preference. He always just saw him as Sam, the nerdy little brother. He stopped thinking about his brother's relationships after his last serious one ended up the way their mom had. Bad memories.

"Thank you for your time." Sam chimed, a small pull at the corner of his lips hinted at a smile. He held his hand out toward the janitor to shake, that way they could take their leave and report back to Cas.

Gabe was not shy with his eyes as Sam was leaving. Like a very very tall glass of ice cold cola on a warm day. It's decided, he wasn't going to mess with the youngest brother. Well, not in the way he normally screwed with people. Gabe liked the way he blushed too much. Now, baby brother and his mate? Yeah, they need a kick in the tail.

Sure as shit, he was happy Castiel left heaven and found love, but this was unnatural. To distort a human soul was to defile the image of God by angel standards. Gabe made his own rules. He found it beautiful and he's fell for a few of them. He needed someone to climb with long hair and a sweet ass.

It was night time, probably 8:30 ish, when Gabe called Sam for drinks. They went to one of the local dive bars and were hitting it off, playing pool and darts while they waited for their basket of fries to arrive. Gabe was cruel and didn't let up on his winning streak. Sam was decent at bar games, but he couldn't compete with Gabriel's almost perfect form in billiards and bullseye.

The janitor didn't waste time being shy. Throughout the entire evening, Gabriel complimented Sam's smarts. He knew shit about mythology, geology, theology, and so much more. It didn't hurt to mention how attractive Sam was either.

Gabe and Sam got wrecked and passed out at his place as Gabe planned. Castiel and Dean had some time to romp around and Dean got to groom his wings for the first time.

Come morning, Castiel felt different. The world was quiet. He turned over to see a blonde woman sleeping in his bed and that made him look down. He had breasts, that's...not right.

Sam tried to sneak in the hotel, the door clicking and creaking slightly as he entered. He saw two naked women and checked the door number again with a look of embarrassment.

"Sam?" The woman with blue eyes said. Her voice was the same as the one from Dean's dream. Castiel had reverted back to his former vessel.

"...Cas?!" Sam saw Dean and couldn't choke back laughter, which shook the blonde woman awake.

Dean tossed for a second, hearing his brother calling out in what sounded like confusion. And then the laugh. Dean's eyes opened slowly as he rubbed the sleep from them. His hands moved from his face slowly as he realized there was no stubble. Blinking for a second, he looked at his ultra feminine hands and then saw the blonde strands of hair fall from their tips onto his chest. His chest had boobs! "What the fuck is- Ah! My voice! Cas!" The Winchester's voice had gone up an octave, no longer growly or masculine in the slightest bit.

His face looked distraught and he saw that Castiel had changed too. He looked similar to the woman from Dean's dream where they had first become intimate in the biblical sense, though her hair had been tossed in the fashion called 'bed-head'.

Dean clutched at the covers and threw them over Castiel's form, trying to shield the now female's nakedness from Sam. "What the hell is going on?"

While Sam was clenching his side, Castiel tried to calm Dean. Standing up the blanket dropped to expose Cas' new vessel and its tattoos. They were binding his powers to prevent him hunting down the source of magic.

"Did you speak to anyone of interest yesterday?" Sam covered his eyes from more confusion. Cas and Dean can't be hot lesbians. It's too much.

"Just the janitor..." Sam tossed Cas clothes from Dean's drawer.

"AND I BET HE TASTED SWEET DIDN'T HE? HOW WAS THE BAR?!" Dean was hysterical over his loss of his genitals.

"Sweet? Does this janitor have a name?" Cas had to get dressed slowly like a human.

Dean shook his head the whole time he was getting his clothing, putting it on, and going to freshen up in the bathroom. He needed to pee, and sitting without doing brown business angered him more than he could express. "I'm gonna kill whoever did this! Shoot 'em in the FACE!"

Dean's distress only tickled his brother further. Sam scrunched his nose at Castiel,"Yeah, uh...What- His name's Gabe. Why?" He wasn't sure why Castiel would want a name, but it might be important. Angels are weird.

Dean went to wash his hands and face in the sink and almost had a heart attack. It was definitely like being in someone else's body. Brushing his teeth like a mad man (or woman), he walked out of the bathroom and glared at Sam. Pointing his toothbrush furiously at his brother, he barked out,"If this was your freaking boyfriend, my boot is going to go so far up his..." He looked down at his feet and wiggled his toes. They had become smaller with his female form and his eyes twitched.

They all got in the car, karma hit Sam when Dean had to pull the seat forward to reach the pedals. Cas was unphased by his own transformation, but he couldn't stop staring at Dean.

"You look like her Dean. It's beautiful." Cas shared all memories especially the ones of his mother and reached forward to hold his hand. Though Dean knows that it wasn't meant to hurt, Castiel's comment was something that he was hoping to avoid. He whispered, "Thanks Cas," and a small piece of his heart broke. Dean missed Mary and knowing that he had transformed into a damn near perfect clone caused him grief. The hand that appeared beside him was clasped gently with his own.

Sam flipped his phone out of his pocket and called Gabe.

"Hey- no, yeah... It's Sam. I had a great night too ." He hid his face with his hair with the amount of glare he was getting from his sister. As soon as Sam said he had a great night, Dean spit out, "Bet you did, ass-hat!" "Can we meet up, Gabe?" He was nervous he was going to lose a blossoming whatever it was so soon.

"Gabe?" Cas snatched the phone. "Gabriel, you bastard. Where are you?" Castiel was fuming all of a sudden. Dean's so angry...The older Winchester's rage was slamming in waves over the dark haired angel. Cas's quick recognition of who we were dealing with, and his sudden movement to snatch the phone, caused Dean to swerve the car a little.

"Congratulations, Baby brother! Don't cock block. Put the sexy one back on. You're not gonna find me, sweet cheeks. It's been too long since I gave you hell." Gabriel was enjoying a cake while reading his magazine.

Castiel tossed the phone back. Sam was conflicted with the thought of if he could still talk to the trickster, since Cas knew him.

"Dean, pull over. We'll be like this for a while." Castiel rubbed his face and shook his head as he sat back in the driver's side passenger seat. "For a while? How long is a while? Who, or what, is the janitor?" The questions would linger on Dean's mind for a while. They'd gone shopping at a few different stores and picked up shoes, bras, panties, and other garments to wear.

They hit the mall. Small as it may have been, it was able to provide all of the items that Dean and Castiel would need for their odd biological shapeshifting. It only took a couple hours of wandering around for the stores to gather the clothing and accessories, Sam holding the bags and laughing almost the entire time. He'd snapped well over twenty pictures of Castiel holding up different confusing articles of clothing against Dean or himself.

Dean was very particular about what he chose to pick up, only going for things that would have purpose while hunting. He put together five different get-ups, making sure to cover each of the usual personas he took on while working undercover on jobs. The only thing he didn't hold up in plain sight were the underwear he'd chosen to go with.

The biggest complaint from Dean was about how women's pants rarely had decent pockets. The majority of what he picked up, the pockets were fake and it had him glaring at the stupid faux openings. They forced him to buy the one thing he'd never thought he'd have to: a purse.

The diner that they'd eaten at previously wasn't half bad, so as everyone got in the impala, that's where the decided to go. The clothes were all dumped into the back seat with the powerless angel, aside from the stuff they changed into inside of one of the mall bathrooms. Dean was sporting more plaid, some skinny jeans that were almost as stretchy as jeggings, and a white tank top. His long blonde hair was pulled back with a scrunchy sitting in a high ponytail. Castiel wore a white blouse with black silk neck-tie, a black pencil skirt, and his hair down around his shoulders in soft waves.

As they walked into the diner, Dean holding Castiel's hand and Sam currently taking the roll of third wheel and shipper brother, the host greeted them with a bazaar smile. "Hello, ladies..." He'd drawn out his syllables as though it were a cat call. "And hello, sir." The drawing out stopped. "Right this way," The lanky looking twenty-something year old guided them through the floor and to a booth at the far wall next to a large window. "I'll be right back with some menus."

The way that the waiter's eyes wandered over both Dean and Castiel made the older Winchester uncomfortable. Castiel was his, no one else's. The guy game off rather skevy and it left a horrible taste in Dean's mouth. He bristled and another wave of emotion washed across Castiel, a reminder of the bond they shared.

Sam, Dean, and Castiel sat in the booth and Sam wasted no time asking the angel about his connection to the sweet toothed janitor. Coffee and menus were brought by a young red headed woman, the last attendant was still back in the kitchen.

"Gabriel is my much older brother." Castiel stirred sugar and cream in his coffee. This was an enjoyable experience. To share a cup of coffee, feeling apart of the Winchester family, talking about hunting trips while listening to rock music. It was something that the celestial had longed for. Cas reached out and played with Dean's hair with a smile. His hair was softer and much longer than before, which was a gorgeous turn on.

The comment of 'much older brother' caused Dean to cough into his coffee cup and sputter a little bit. How much older is much older? He didn't want to ask this question out loud, but it did strike a thought.

Sam choked on his coffee as well at the words 'older brother'. Was the flirting a ploy to get his guard down? Last night was more than exciting. Gabe and him drank the night away complaining about their fathers, and their fathers fighting with their brothers. They bonded in their mutual pain of seeing a ripped apart family and abandonment.

Castiel explained some more about Gabriel and Sam scratched his head, wondering how he didn't see something fishy about the guy.

"He is the archangel Gabriel. I have no doubt he finds you sexually attractive. We can use this to our advantage." The waiter returned with his flimsy little notebook in hand, eyes immediately traveling over the assumed women at the table. Castiel wanted a breakfast platter with fried ham, eggs, and pancakes. Dean wanted the whole food pyramid, while Sam settled for egg whites and wheat bread. Cas and Dean rolled their eyes in unison. The guy taking their orders was completely ignoring Sam, aside from quickly jotting down what he wanted to eat. It was awkward, and the amount of eye contact and straying to his sister and, well, sister-in-law, was giving off the creeper vibe, hard.

As soon as Cas's exploring fingers found Dean's hair, he shared a grin with the angel. It was comforting to have someone run their hands through his long hair, especially Castiel. One of Dean's hands slipped toward the bound celestial's knee and gave a gentle squeeze.

"If you ladies need me, just scream for Chad." He winked and walked away.

"...I think the last woman who screamed his name was during birth. His mother likely trying expel him via exorcism." Cas's face had actual expressions of disgust and Sam and Dean couldn't stop laughing.

"Ok, ok, so our plan is: Sam sucks the whereabouts out of Gabe to find the relics, while we can hopefully find a cure for Cas's binding spell." Dean saw Sam blush and Cas nearly puke at the idea of his big brother having more than just friendly relations with the giant Winchester. They were both his brothers now.

After Dean spoke, gaining a reaction from Sam and Cas, he pounded down the bacon and omelette on his plate in just a few bites. Sam took a more proper approach to eating his food like a civilized human being, placing the egg whites on his toast and taking moderately size bites. At least Dean was still Dean on the inside.

Castiel was experiencing mood swings and saying things he wouldn't have before the bond. Before, he would have left it aside and moved forward with Gabriel, but he felt betrayed. It was a heavy feeling on the heart and it felt like walking through snow uphill, pretending it didn't bother him, but Dean would know. It was difficult to pick and choose what their bond shared.

"I am unable to hear angel radio. This was probably Gabriel's intention. He left me. Left all of us." Cas tried to shove food in his mouth to stop talking, but it was a complicated feeling that stung his eyes and sent tears down his cheeks. Castiel touched his face in confusion.

A sense of sorrow and internal disruption hit Dean in the chest and he looked over at Cas, seeing tears fall. Dean's lips tried to kiss Castiel's tears away, following them as they rolled over the edge and began to tumble down her soft cheeks.

"I can't stop, I'm fine. It will stop." It was a burden that the angel didn't want to place on Sam. There was no reason to feel guilty for enjoying Gabe's company. Castiel could lie with a straight face, but the side effects of a human soul were surfacing and oozing through cracks in his armor.

Gabe sent a text to Sam with a location and to come alone. Sam informed his temporary sisters as Dean held Cas's hand.

"We will finish our food and Dean and I will research." Cas's tear stained cheeks were getting cleaned up with kisses and hushed comfort my his hunter. Sam finished his plate after Cas had calmed a little, Dean still poured kisses and light caresses over his angel. "We'll figure this out. I promise." Dean whispered in Cas's ear quietly as the the waiter popped up on them again, this time with even less tact than the last. It was inappropriate as usual. The unwelcome scum opened up his dribbling mouth once more, preying on what looked to be an emotional woman.

"Hey babes, you sure know how to handle a load. I can cheer you up, hun. I see you have a key the local hotel." Chad bit his lip. "I'm partial to blondes though." He had the nerve to touch Dean's shoulder with one of his clammy hands. Cas stood up, grabbing Chad by the back of his neck. The moron smiled and leaned in, but he long kneed the pervert in the gut.

At the touch on his shoulder, Dean's head turned around and his hair whipped with the velocity. His teeth were bared in a menacing snarl and then all was over shortly. Cas had already knocked the wind out of the guy and set him straight. Dean cocked his head to the side and gave the bastard an evil grin. "I don't think you could handle us, douche nozzle."

The Winchester ushered Cas out toward the exit, making sure to push Chad over on their way out. Sam pointed and laughed at the dude on the ground practically gasping for air.

Once they got in the car, heading toward the hotel, Dean started talking Sam through a couple of things. One, to text or call if there's trouble. Since Cas has lost his ability to hear prayer, that wasn't an option.

From Sam's understanding, he was going to face an archangel alone and appeal to his better nature. It didn't sound too bad, obviously Cas saw him as no threat. The issue was Gabe was a huge flirt, and thus, difficult to predict. Sam left to the university and met up with Gabriel.