I am so sorry this too so long to update! But here it is- Chapter Five. I really hope you enjoy it! As usual, reviews would be absolutely wonderful, especially since they keep me motivated to update faster. :) Thanks, guys!

Chapter Five

She was still clutching onto him when they zapped into the abandoned warehouse. And she was laughing. "Your timing is impeccable, Crowley."

He held her back at arm's length so he could take a good sweep of her. Blood was everywhere—staining her cloths, smeared on her cheeks, matted in her hair… "As always," he replied, then turned away from her, making his way to the door. He paused, then turned to face her. "Get cleaned up, and we can have dinner."

Her smile was slow and scorching. "Always the gentleman."

"Or I just know how to treat my pets." Her mouth parted. He smirked before leaving her behind, letting the heavy door clang loudly behind him. He knew his words had hurt her. And he knew they weren't quite true. He'd had favorites in the past… But Cara… she was different. She wasn't really just a pet. Not anymore. She was his top dog.

And perhaps something more.

"Did any of that seem weird to you, Cas?" Bobby took another swig of his beer.

Castiel stood near the kitchen entryway, leaning against the wall. Thinking. He glanced up at Bobby's question. "No demon would want to be sent to Hell. They would have rather been killed." Castiel tilted his head to the side. "Everything about that encounter seemed… strange."

Bobby grunted in reply, then stood up from the kitchen table, approaching Castiel until he was only a foot away. "And what about this thing Crowley wants? Any ideas?"

Castiel looked away momentarily, then set his gaze on Bobby again. "I do, actually."

Bobby watched him, waiting for his answer.

Gosh darn it, Cas, just tell him already, Dean said impatiently in his ear.

Castiel straightened so he was standing upright. "It's a weapon from Heaven."

"Okay." Bobby wasn't satisfied. "That could be thousands of things. What's the one thing Crowley wants?"

"Perhaps the most powerful of the weapons," Castiel answered. "The ark."

Bobby leaned his head forward. "Come again?"

Castiel turned away from Bobby, and had to push away Dean's prying voice long enough for him to think. Bobby cut in. "Don't you dare just take off without explaining, Castiel."

Castiel pressed his lips together and narrowed his eyes, then faced Bobby, who was waiting expectantly. "The ark," he explained, "is a Biblical weapon. It's a box, but has the power to wipe out entire cities."

"Any connection to Pandora, by chance?"

Castiel shook his head. "No, that box already released its curses into the world." He took several steps closer to Bobby. "The ark is like a well. It contains God's smiting power, and there is no harness except from the one in possession of it. It is by far one of Heaven's most deadly weapons."

Bobby sucked in a breath, his eyes wide. "Well, then. Are you going to hand it over?"

Castiel shook his head. "Even if I could get to the ark, it is far too dangerous to let Crowley get his hands on it. I can't imagine the damage he'd cause."

What about Sammy?! Dean's voice echoed through Castiel's head. He lightly placed his fingers to his forehead, gently pushing Dean back. "We will rescue Sam," he said, trying to assure both Dean and Bobby. "But we can't hand over the ark. It's impossible."

"So… what? We create a temporary fake, and barter with Crowley that way?"

Castiel's mouth twitched. "Can you build a convincing golden idol like that?"

We don't have to, Dean piped in. Castiel could almost feel Dean's grin. We just need the prop they used for good ol' Indiana.

"I… don't understand." Castiel looked to Bobby for help. "Indiana? Prop?"

Indiana Jones, you clueless bastard, Dean grumbled. The hat, the whip…?

Bobby had caught on while Dean was explaining to Castiel. He shook his head. "Did Dean come up with that?"

Castiel didn't answer. He could sense Dean gloating. Bobby shook his head again. "What's it like having Dean Winchester in your head?"

"It's… distracting," Castiel answered honestly. "I normally turn off the presence of my vessel to avoid dealing with their thoughts and emotions."

"Uh-huh." Bobby looked Castiel up and down. "Well, that's awful nice of ya to be letting Dean into your head. Why's he an exception?"

"He's not my vessel," Castiel said firmly. "Jimmy is. Besides, I thought it only fair to let Dean in on what was going on and to give his input."

Nice, Cas. I'm real touched, Dean's tone was dry, but Castiel ignored it. "So… What is this about a prop?"

"There's a movie about the ark, and the prop looks pretty shiny. We could give it a go. That is, if we can find it. And steal it." Bobby raised his eyebrows. "That was a pretty popular movie. Plenty of people are gonna notice if we steal its number one prop."

"It shouldn't be a problem for me to fly in, get the prop, and fly back out," Castiel offered. "As long as you think it could fool Crowley."

Bobby huffed out a laugh. "The thing's probably made out of plastic, but sure, it's worth a shot." He tipped his head, touching the brim of his baseball cap. "I'll get a location pulled up for you. It's probably on display at some Hollywood museum or another…"

I can't believe this. Dean was nearly jumping up and down with excitement. We're actually going to steal the lost ark!

Not the real one, Castiel reminded him.

Stop raining on my parade.

Castiel started defending himself, but then realized it was just an expression and dropped it.

Soon, Bobby found the location of the fake ark, and Castiel took off.