Supernatural Fan Fiction ❯ Angels and Demons: A Supernatural Fanfic ❯ Soul Matters ( Chapter 15 )

15. Soul Matters

“Is there anything else you need? I can stay here if you want me to. I don't have to go on the hunt.” Grace murmured softly, handing Rachel a glass of ice water. Her friend was sitting on the couch, just a little tense, her hand trembling slightly as she took the cup and sipped. There were dark circles under her eyes, the chocolate brown orbs darkening to almost black and looking dull. The light was gone from them. Her face seemed haggard, paler than usual, looking worn. Anya's mental game of cat and mouse was starting to wear on the angel.

“No Grace, don't stay on my account. Go out and have fun. I'll be more than fine here. Bobby and Cas will keep me company, not that I'll be doing much talking.” She said softly, wincing as her head throbbed and Grace's visage seemed to shimmer, blurring. Absently rubbing her temple, fighting the onslaught of another vision, she leaned back and let out a sigh. Rachel felt a jab of irritation, fortifying her mental walls, willing herself to ignore the voices, the pain, the smells, everything that she knew wasn't real. It was all in her head, it couldn't be real, and it was all just a game. A stupid mind game. If she could just hold on a little longer, make her mental walls a little stronger, then Anya wouldn't find her, couldn't find her, at least not before Rachel was able to track the demon down. Anya wasn't the smartest, small things in the visions giving Rachel subtle clues as to where she was hiding. So far she had narrowed it down to about half a dozen counties but hadn't managed to get anything more specific.

Fighting off the visions wasn't proving to be easy however. With each passing day it grew more difficult, because for whatever reason Anya was growing stronger. The flashes were becoming more intense, longer, and more realistic. Rachel knew she couldn't give up though. She was not going to let the demon hurt her friends, her family. She would protect them even if it killed her. Groaning softly as Anya's demonic laughter filled her head, she laid on the couch with her eyes closed, trying to drown it out by going over the numerous spells and incantations stored in her head.

Seeing her best friend curled into a ball on the sofa in obvious pain made Grace feel helpless and more than a little angry, but Rachel had told her there was nothing she could do. Giving her a sympathetic glance, she walked into Bobby's study where everyone else was, clustered around Bobby's computer.

“These cops in Idaho are being killed off in unusual ways. According to the police reports, one guy was found in his cop car, his skin covered in boils. Apparently he choked to death on them. Another guy melted into a bloody puddle in the locker room. The third man died to numerous poison dart frogs that were found on his body. These guys were all on the same squad you could say. All of these guys were called in on a domestic dispute with some heavy racial undertones thrown in. Apparently there was a fight that broke out in the street and it ended in a white teenage boy being shot by a young African American. He claimed it was in self defense, but all the cops were racially prejudiced, because they completely ignored this and put the kid in jail anyway. He ended up being tried as an adult and was sent to prison for the next decade. You'll need to talk to the boy's father, Amos John. From what I've been able to dig up on the man, he's involved in some sort of weird voodoo stuff and it's quite possible that he could be responsible for the deaths. So far, there's one man from the team who hasn't died yet. You'll need to talk to him as well.” Bobby murmured.

“Hmm. Sounds like biblical plagues. I wonder if Castiel knows anything about it. Speaking of which, were is Cas anyway?” Dean asked. Grace rolled her eyes and Ruby snorted. “Wow Dean, you really have to ask?” Sam said. Even Bobby was looking at him like he was stupid.

“Well where do you think he is you igit?” Bobby grumbled, jabbing his thumb in the direction of the living room. Walking into the room, the found Castiel sitting on the couch, Rachel's head in his lap, a grimace of pain on her face. For a moment no one said anything, afraid that their voices would only enhance the headache she was suffering from. She had told them in between the migraine like headaches that their voices could be grating. Dean was the one to finally break the silence, although rather reluctantly.

“Hey um, Cas, do you know what could contribute to or cause cops to die deaths by biblical plagues?” Dean asked softly, hoping that he wasn't causing Rachel any undue pain. He honestly hadn't wanted to say anything, but if the expressions of caution were anything to judge by, then no one else was going to speak.

Castiel glanced at Rachel, placing a calming hand on her shoulder as she shuddered slightly. The only sign that he was worried was the way his eyes widened just a bit when Rachel flinched from his touch. He knew it wasn't her fault however, looking inside her mind he could see that she was occupied with countless whispers of long forgotten memories, haunting in their distorted complexity. What was happening outside of her mind was irrelevant to her, so consumed was she in hiding any identifying factors from giving away her location.

“Well, Cassandra mentioned that a few items of importance had been stolen out of the storehouses, among them the Staff of Moses. That is the only thing I could think of that has the power to cause something like that, although if a mortal is wielding such an object with awesome power, killing a few cops is only the beginning. This could spell disaster for your entire country if it isn't stopped.” Castiel softly replied. After thanking him for the information, Dean, Sam, and their wives all set out for Plainsburough, Idaho. Upon arrival, Ruby and Sam found the police station and after posing as Federal Agents and asking a few questions they got the address of the cop that they were looking for. While they went to interview him, Grace and Dean found the house of the victim and went inside, hoping to get some questions answered. They found Mr. John asleep in his recliner, a pile of discarded beer cans beside him strewn about on the coffee table.

“Hey, he looks like Morgan Freeman.” Dean murmured. Grace rolled her eyes and smiled. Walking over to the old man, she tapped him and stepped back as he jerked awake. She flashed her badge, identifying herself as a FBI agent. Dean did the same. “Hello Mr. John. My partner and I have a few questions regarding the dispute that involved your son. You see, almost every cop on that case has turned up dead, and we were just wondering if you had a personal grudge against any of them. It was a racial dispute wasn't it?” Dean said.

The man's eyes narrowed. “So what if it was? White men never listen to us black folk anyway. They always assume the worst in us. My Jacob was innocent I tell you. He only shot that other boy in self defense. What would you have done if some stranger had ran at you with a knife?” he grumbled.

“So, you had nothing to do with the cop's deaths?” Dean asked. The man shook his head. “No, I didn't. Whatever death they get is too good for them though. They didn't even have a proper trial for my boy. Everyone just assumed he was guilty. There was nothing I could do, no way to help him.”

“Who are these people dad? What are they asking about Jacob for? Those cops are really dead? I didn't believe it would actually work.” a young voice behind them said. Turning around, Grace saw that the boy must have been no more than fifteen. Her blue eyes narrowed in suspicion. “What didn't you believe would work?” she asked. The boy gulped nervously and looked to his father, who fixed him in a stern glare. “Now Jeremiah, you tell these FBI agents what you've done. I don't want any more trouble from the law. Did you get into my voodoo stuff again boy?”

“No, of course not. It's nothing like that. You see, after the cops took Jacob away, all I did was pray to an angel and ask that he give me a way to get revenge on them for mistreating my brother. The angel promised that he would help me and gave me this. Those cops deserve what's coming to them.” He mumbled sourly, pulling out a thick, short stick. Dean took it and examined it closely.

“That's the Staff of Moses? It's kind of small don't you think?” he murmured, looking at Grace. “Well, pray to Cas. He knows more about it than we do.” She said.

Sorry to disturb you Cas, but if you can help me and Grace out here it would be great. We think we've found the Staff of Moses. A second later the angel appeared. Castiel took the object from Dean, regarding it closely and sighed. “This is the Staff of Moses, but it's only a part of the whole. Whoever stole it has cut it up into pieces to be used like bargaining chips. The question is, what is it being used to bargain for?” he fixed the boy in his steel like gray gaze. “What did you have to give this angel to attain your revenge?”

“It was nothing really, just my soul. That's not important though and he said he would give it back once he was done, so I lent it to him.” the boy replied.

“Who was the angel that gave this to you?” Castiel asked with growing apprehension. The boy shrugged. “He didn't tell me his name.”

Dean's cell phone rang and he picked it up.

“Hello?”

“Hey Dean, it's me Sam. We found the other cop, but he died on us.”

“He died on you? How?”

“Well, one minute he's pouring alcohol into his coffee, the next his scalp is bleeding. Ruby peeled it back and found bugs in his head, literally. It was completely disgusting.”

“Well……that's gross……” Dean muttered.

“Yeah, totally. What have you found?” Sam asked. Dean filled him in. after Sam agreed to meet him at the victim's house he hung up, murmuring that Sam would be just a few minutes. Castiel interrogated the boy until he arrived, not able to uncover any useful information. Sam and Ruby walked in, flashing their badges to an increasingly nervous Mr. Johns. Castiel rolled his eyes in annoyance, realizing he was getting nowhere. “Follow me.” He murmured, grabbing the boy and disappearing a second later.

“What the Hell?” Dean and Sam simultaneously exclaimed. Ruby and Grace grabbed them and followed Castiel's trail, ending up in an unoccupied one room apartment. They found the boy lying on the bed, knocked out. Castiel was standing in front of a bowl that was lying on a small table, his hand slit open as blood oozed into it and he muttered indistinguishable words in Inokian. Then, once his spell was complete, his hand healed and he walked over to where the boy lay. Placing a hand on the unconscious youth's chest, he slipped his hand through and, ignoring the boy's scream of pain, found what he was looking for. Sam and Dean took a step forward to help the kid, but Grace and Ruby held them back.

“Let go Grace, I have to help this kid.” Dean muttered.

“Don' worry, I have a pretty good idea of what Cas is doing and there won't be any permanent damage.” Grace said. Castiel withdrew his hand and the boy shook for a moment, and then went limp once again. Walking back over to the bowl and resuming his chanting, Castiel smiled in satisfaction a few moments later, having gotten the location of the angel who had made a deal with the boy. While disposing of the blood and the bowl as well as the knife, he explained to the obviously confused humans what he had done.

“I had to find out which angel had made the deal with the boy. Theft isn't to be taken lightly and neither is damaging a powerful ancient artifact such as the Staff of Moses. In order to glean the angel's location, I had to reach inside the boy and find the mark, like a fingerprint, that had been left where his soul used to be. It's painful, but short, and I made certain that he won't remember. Now, I know who the culprit is and I'm going to get this ignorant mortal's soul back.” Castiel disappeared again.

“Oh come on, freaking angels!” Dean muttered irritably. Ruby and Grace rolled their eyes again and grabbed them. A second later they were in a warehouse. Castiel and another angel were standing in the middle of the floor. Looking around, Dean realized that Grace and Ruby were gone.

“Well look at this, keeping company with the Winchester's now are we Castiel? And here I thought that was the Guardian's job. Oh, and by the way, I hear Anya's back. Congratulations on the wedding too, Rachel always did play hard to get. All fun aside however, it is good to see you again Castiel. We were such good friends you and I.” A man with dark blonde hair murmured.

“Belshazzar, I wish I could say the same. Why did you steal this? What were you thinking? Pawning mortals out of their souls is forbidden. We are to have nothing to do with them. What's your game?” Castiel said, holding up the piece of the broken Staff.

“Well in case you haven't noticed, pretty much everything we've ever known is falling apart all around us. When we angels fall, and some of us will because we don't care for Raphael too much, we'll need a way to survive. By doing this, I have a means of bartering and making money. You'd be surprised who's interested in mortal souls.”

“I don't care who's interested. It's against the rules Belshazzar.” Castiel murmured. Belshazzar scoffed. “Oh please, open your eyes won't you? The rules don't apply anymore. God is gone and the old ways are being done away with. It's a whole new world for us Castiel, and I intend to live life to the fullest. Now, how about you give me that Staff piece back and we go our separate ways?” he held out his hand.

Castiel shook his head. “I don't think so. If you give the boy back his soul, then you can have this back. otherwise there's no deal.”

“Alright fine.” Belshazzar mumbled, snapping his fingers. Dean and Sam looked curiously at Castiel, who murmured that the boy's soul was fully intact. Suddenly the building began to shake and the lights began to flicker. Both angels looked at each other, their eyes widening. A moment later none other than Raphael stood in their midst, and he looked extremely angry.

“You're the thief, aren't you Belshazzar? You'll die for that. Castiel, you will too. You and Rachel defied your orders after all, and the penalty is death. I shall destroy all who oppose me.” He said, his voice booming as it bounced off of the walls. Before he could make a move however, Dean threw a flaming bottle of holy fire at Raphael. Belshazzar chose that moment to disappear and Castiel wasn't far behind him, grabbing Sam and Dean, ignoring Raphael's screams of pain and outrage. A second later they appeared in Bobby's kitchen, unharmed.

“Dean, why did you do that?” Castiel muttered, more than a little irritated because now Raphael had a whole new reason for wanting him dead.

“What?” Dean mumbled, looking away from Castiel's icy glare. “He was being a dick.”

“You think all angels are dicks.” He retorted.

“I do not! Rachel isn't.” Dean replied. Castiel rolled his eyes and snorted. “Look, Raphael wants all of us dead, so stop giving him reasons to hunt us down and kill us. If he wasn't so preoccupied with other things he'd be on our doorstep right now.”

“Sorry. You're right Cas. How's Rachel doing?” Dean asked. “She was alright when I left.” Castiel murmured, walking into the living room. Sam and Dean followed him. They found Grace sitting on the couch by Rachel, who was curled up in the fetal position. Ruby was sitting on the adjacent couch, looking slightly worried as Rachel groaned in pain, shuddering.

“Where's Bobby?” Sam asked. Ruby pointed in the direction of the library. Castiel walked to where his wife lay and sat down beside her, murmuring for Grace and Ruby to join Sam and Dean. The four of them found Bobby sitting at his desk which was covered with papers and books. “Come over here guys, you need to have a look at this.” Bobby said.

On his computer screen was a map of the U.S. and on it were about a dozen flashing red dots. “What are those?” Grace asked curiously, getting a sinking feeling that it wasn't good. Bobby's grim expression confirmed her worries.

“These red dots are all unusual natural and supernatural disasters that have occurred within the last week. They include wildfires, floods, droughts, etc. The scary thing is that they seem to be blazing a trail straight for us. Now, Sam and Dean, look closely at the map and tell me if you see anything familiar.”

“We were in some of those towns recently. They were all towns with demon problems! You don't think it's….” Sam couldn't finish. He, along with Grace, Ruby, and Bobby all looked very worried and a little fearful. Even Dean looked a little nervous.

“She's coming for Rachel then, as well as us. What do we do? Is there anywhere we can go, someplace safe?” Ruby asked. Grace looked a little uncertain but murmured, “Well, the safest place I can think of is the apartment that Rachel and I have in Israel. That should throw Anya off our trail.”

“You guys still have that place? You haven't been there in months though! What if someone else has it now?” Sam said. Grace smiled and shook her head. “Don't worry, that won't happen. For Rachel and I, being gone for a few months at a time isn't unusual. In most circumstances we would disappear for a year or more before returning. We have a long running contract with the landowner's family. The apartment should be just as we left it, although it might be a little dusty. Pack your bags guys, we're going to the Holy Land!”

“I hope this works.” Sam muttered. He and Ruby went upstairs to pack. Bobby did likewise, packing everything that he would need for the journey. No one had any idea how long they'd be staying.

“We're not going to have to fly are we?” Dean said, looking slightly apprehensive. Dean hated flying. “Of course not, Cas, Ruby, and I will just zap you there. It's much more convenient.” Grace murmured, giving him a reassuring smile. While Dean was finishing packing upstairs, she went and told Castiel the plan. He agreed that it was probably their best option. After a good half hour everyone was ready. Thankfully Rachel had awakened and was conscious enough to know what was going on. She still had a terrible headache, but it was manageable she said. She went upstairs and grabbed a few well worn books and her laptop, along with her cell phone and a few articles of clothing. Rejoining everyone in the living room, the humans grabbed onto the immortals and instantly disappeared. A second later they found themselves in the apartment.

“Wow. This isn't so bad. For some reason I expected it to look more feminine.” Bobby murmured. For a few, while Grace and Rachel turned on the lights and made sure everything was still in working order, the humans showed themselves around the apartment. The kitchen was modern, with up to date appliances and dark wooded cabinetry. The countertops were granite. The entire floor throughout the apartment was cherry wood stained mahogany. The furniture in the living room was modern and sleek with an old world flair. The furniture was also of darker stained wood with soft shades of cream and a few soft, muted blues thrown in to balance it out. The walls for both the kitchen and the living room were a light grey, almost silver. In the living room on one wall was an enormous bookcase lined with both new and old titles ranging from cookbooks to Stephen King novels. A short hallway led them to the two bedrooms, one off to the side and one at the back of the apartment. The adjacent door held a half bath. Grace came back to show them the bedrooms and explained to them that both her and Rachel's rooms contained their own bathrooms, reassuring them that they wouldn't have to share.

“Alright, Dean, Sam, you can stay in my room.” Grace said, pointing to the room at the end of the hall. She turned to the door on her right. “Bobby, you can stay in Rachel's room.”

“But what about the rest of you guys? What will you do?” Sam asked curiously. Grace smiled. “Don't worry, if we need anything we'll knock and come in and get it. Look, you're mortals and you have to sleep, and even though the couch is just as comfortable as the bed and I wouldn't mind kicking you out of my room, Rachel wouldn't have it. She's convinced that it's rude to do that, so you get to sleep in our rooms for the time being.”

“Well thanks then, to both of you. It's appreciated.” Bobby murmured. Sam and Dean thanked her as well. “Sure, no problem. Help yourself to beer in the fridge. Ruby and I are going to go to the market and get some food, because Rachel and I don't normally have to entertain and you guys have to eat. We should be back within the hour. Make yourselves at home.”

Sam and Dean exchanged glances and opened the door to Grace's bedroom. Flipping the light on and setting their bags on her bed, they took a moment to look around. Apparently her favorite colors were green and purple, with a little blue thrown in. Her bed had about three green pillows on it and a thick purple comforter on top. Pulling that back, they found a purple sheet underneath and a green mattress covering. On the purple comforter were various butterflies, a mixture of green and blue. Her pillows were similarly adorned. There was an ornate bookshelf that took up a whole wall, save for a small space that a reading lamp was wedged into. Adjacent to the lamp was an oversized, soft, plush purple chair. Opening her closet doors they found that it was an enormous walk in space. Her bedside tables were covered with stacks of books. She had a small desk that sat in front of a window with blue curtains, and on the desk was a blue laptop, plugged in and charging. Beside it sat a radio that doubled as an alarm clock. On the wall opposite of her bed there was a flat screen TV. Looking into her bathroom they found it to have a tropical vibe, being painted in light blues and greens. It had a Jacuzzi tub and a big shower and included his and her sinks.

Dean let out a low whistle. “Damn. It's a wonder she ever left her room. Why can't hotels be this nice?”

Sam shrugged. “We might as well enjoy it while it lasts I guess. This is pretty cool, for a girl's room anyway.”

“Yeah. I wonder if she gets Casa Erotica….” Dean said. Sam looked at him and laughed. “Dude, we're in the Middle East. It's probably more along the lines of Harems Gone Wild.”

Dean smiled. “Come on, let's go check out Rachel's room.”

After knocking and receiving no reply, the boys cautiously opened her bedroom door. They paused for a moment, taking a look around. Rachel's floors were the same cherry wood mahogany like in the rest of the house. Her walls were a light blue color. The large comforter that covered her bed was dark blue. She had five pillows, all of them varying shades of blue that flowed together. Her two nightstands were clean and the windows above them had dark blue curtains. An entire wall and half of another was covered by floor to ceiling bookshelves. The other half of the wall had a desk with a laptop and other various books, magazine articles, and papers all in languages that the boys couldn't read. On the adjacent wall was another large walk in closet and the bathroom. Opposed to the greens and purples that Grace's had, Rachel's was plain in comparison with soft blues and creams melding together to create a calming affect. Unlike Grace's bathroom, Rachel's had a claw foot tub and a single sink. She also had a large shower.

“Well, this is nice. Different, but nice.” Dean said, walking out of the room.

“Yeah, both of their rooms match their personalities I think.” Sam murmured, nodding in agreement and following him out.

“I wonder who had more books.” Dean said. Sam smiled and shrugged. They found Bobby in the living room, along with Castiel and Rachel. They were relieved to find that she seemed to be doing much better, as she was chatting amicably away with Bobby about the local legends and stories. Castiel was sitting beside her, seeming to be much calmer and not so care worn, listening to Rachel talk. Her voice, infused with amusement, excitement and happiness, was a healing balm in and of itself. For the first time in a long time, it seemed as if things were finally getting better.

Grace and Ruby walked in a moment later, their arms full of groceries. Setting them down on the counter, her eyes found Rachel's and they smiled. Getting up to help her friends while still talking with Bobby, she helped them put things away and began cooking the evening meal. Rachel's good mood was infectious and soon everyone was talking about something or other, content to pass the time with easy conversation while the aroma of spices and meat filled the apartment. On the menu that evening was Mongolian chicken, brown rice, a vegetable stir fry, lentils, yeast rolls, and of course, pie. They decided it would be best if they all ate in the living room, seeing as the small table that Grace and Rachel owned wouldn't provide enough seating. Ruby, Sam, and Bobby all sat on one couch while Dean, Grace, Rachel, and Castiel sat on the adjacent one.

“So, have the visions gone away?” Sam asked, looking intently at Rachel. She sighed and shook her head. “No Sam, they haven't, but now they're less frequent. They're still intense, but I've only gotten two in the last four hours as opposed to half a dozen or more. I think distance plays a factor in them, but I don't know for certain. I'll enjoy it while I can, but I know it won't last. Anya will find me. She always does.”

“Do you know where she is yet?” Grace asked.

“No, I don't. She keeps moving on me. At first I thought she was in the Southwestern part of the U.S., but now I'm not so sure. The last vision I had was distorted, like in the beginning. I didn't see Anya that time and I have absolutely no idea what it means.” Rachel responded.

“But you're safe for now right? We're all safe, aren't we?” Ruby questioned. Rachel gave her a small smile and nodded. “Yes Ruby, for the time being we are, I think. If Anya can't find me then she can't hurt you. If the visions are anything to go by, then we've succeeded in throwing her off of our trail.”

“Is everything in Arabic over here?” Bobby grumbled, flipping through the TV channels. Rachel smiled. “Yes, sorry. If you know the language then it isn't a problem. Here, there's English subtitles.” She said, grabbing the remote. After turning them on he seemed content. Rachel turned her attention to Dean, because he was telling her about their hunt and how it had gone. She already knew what had happened, Castiel had told her, but she let Dean talk and listened, happy to hear everyone speaking normally around her and not in worried, hushed whispers. She hated the fact that she'd caused them so much worry and fear, but she hadn't been able to help it. One way or another, she would destroy Anya, of that much she was certain.

After the news had gone off and everyone was through eating, the girls cleaned up the dishes and kitchen while Dean, Sam, and Bobby sat around and talked about the good old days when all they'd had to worry about was werewolves, vampires, ghosts, or wendigos. Life had seemed so simple back then, black and white, easy. While they were at the sink, washing, drying, and putting up dishes, Rachel murmured that she'd like to go and check on some old friends of hers. The sun wasn't going to set for another couple of hours and so the streets were still considered safe. Grace and Ruby agreed to go along with her, just to make sure that she would be okay and if something happened be able to get her back to the apartment quickly. So after they were through in the kitchen they kissed their husbands goodbye and promised to be back before it got dark.

Sam excused himself to go take a shower and while he was doing that, Dean went to go see what else was on TV in Grace's room. For a few minutes Bobby and Castiel sat and watched a game show, eventually growing bored. Bobby went to Rachel's room, intent on doing some research into the local legends that Rachel had told him about. Castiel turned the TV off and wandered into the room where Sam and Dean were. The brothers were looking intently at Sam's laptop, mumbling about what terrible Wi Fi reception they got. Dean looked up when he saw the angel. “Do you need something Cas?”

Castiel shook his head. “No, I'm just bored and wondered what you were doing.”

Dean grabbed the remote and tossed it to him. “Here, watch some TV.” Castiel sat down on the edge of the bed and Dean smiled. Sam noticed and whispered, “What did you do Dean?”

“Guess what I was watching before he came in here.” Dean said, grinning as Casa Erotica flashed on the screen. Sam's eyes widened. “Dean, tell him to change the channel! Rachel would kill us if she knew what he was watching! You do realize you're corrupting an angel don't you?” Sam vehemently whispered.

“Oh come on Sam, it's not like he understands what's going on. Let it play out.” Dean replied.

Castiel's eyes widened, ignoring whatever it was that Sam and Dean were whispering about. “Why is the pizza man at the babysitter's house?” he asked, feeling confused. Sam bit back a laugh and Dean smiled. “He's making a special delivery Cas. Just keep watching.”

A few moments later he asked another question, still confused. “Why is the pizza man slapping the babysitter's rear? Did she do something wrong?”

Sam couldn't hold back his laughter. Dean rolled his eyes. “Cas, you're sitting in a room full of dudes. You aren't supposed to discuss porn or even watch it with other guys in the room.”

“This is porn? Huh, and I thought that it was bad. It seems fine to me. Oh wait, why is the pizza man taking the babysitter's clothes off? Are they going to fornicate?”

Dean burst out laughing and Sam nearly choked.

“Cas, we're not supposed to discuss this remember? It's just awkward.” Dean said, after he had managed to stop laughing.

Then Bobby walked in.

“Hey boys, I just…..what the Hell?” he stammered, seeing the images on the TV screen. Castiel's eyes were glued to it and Bobby looked over at Sam and Dean who were struggling not to laugh.

Bobby blushed. “So you guys just sit around watching porn with angels while your wives are away?”

“We're not supposed to talk about it.” Castiel absently responded. Sam and Dean started laughing again and Bobby snatched the remote out of Castiel's hands, turning the TV off. He looked down at Castiel and his face turned another shade redder. Walking out of the room, he muttered about how stupid the Winchesters could be sometimes. Dean got up and saw the reason for Bobby's embarrassment, laughing because he found it funny. “Great, he's got a boner. It must have been your first time watching porn huh Cas?”

Castiel gulped, looking from his lap to Dean and nodding. He still felt confused, not quite understanding why Bobby had been so embarrassed.

“Wow, I didn't think this episode of Casa Erotica was that good. I guess I was wrong.” Sam said, grinning at Castiel, who was fighting a blush. “It wasn't that great. I was thinking of someone else pretty much the whole time.” Sam and Dean quite laughing and gaped at him for a moment. Their eyes widened in comprehension as they realized who the angel was talking about, and they both ended up blushing too. Castiel got up. “Excuse me while I use your bathroom. I need a cold shower.” He said, limping to the bathroom and locking the door behind him. Dean and Sam stood there in stunned silence for a few moments, unable to speak.

“Well, this isn't awkward at all.” Dean muttered sarcastically. “That was more than I ever wanted to know or see about Cas.” Sam said.

“We are never letting him watch porn again.” Dean said.

“No, never.” Sam murmured, nodding in agreement.

They decided to go out to the living room and wait on their wives to get home. After about an hour Grace and Ruby arrived, supporting a pale Rachel between them. They sat her down on the couch and while Grace got some Excedrin and ice water, Sam got Castiel and Bobby and Ruby explained what happened.

“We were walking down the street and there was just one more family that Rachel wanted to check up on. So we walked for awhile before we reached their house. The children were out playing in the yard and once they saw Rachel invited us inside and got their parents. For awhile everything seemed fine but then their grandmother walked into the room and that's when things got weird.”

“What do you mean things got weird?” Sam asked, looking over at Grace who handed Rachel the painkillers and ice water. After she took them, Grace resumed the conversation. “Well, this lady wasn't far off the mark. She must have a second sight or something, because she started muttering some weird stuff in Arabic, but that's not the freaky part. She knew that Ruby and I were demons, and she also knew what Rachel was. Of course this freaked us out, Rachel and I haven't met anyone like that since the days of Christ walking the Earth, so naturally we excused ourselves and got out of there. On the way home though, Rachel started getting another vision.”

“Can you remember anything about it, anything that could tell us where Anya is?” Sam asked. Rachel looked at him with a somber expression, her face ashen, and her eyes dark and dull. She laughed bitterly and it was almost hollow sounding. It sent a trickle of fear down his spine. “I wish I could forget Sam. I could see nothing that would identify Anya's location. It was just more of the same. As usual, there was screaming, heat, fire, blood, more torture, more lost souls being eternally damned. I saw Anya, and she vowed to destroy me and what not, but that's about it. I just want it to stop Sam, that's all. I'm so tired, I feel so weak, like the weight of the world is on my shoulders. If I fail, it's not like it's the end of the world or anything right? It's just the end of my world…….I don't know which is worse to tell you the truth. I just want this to be over.”

“Believe me, I understand. We're all going to do everything we can to help you. I know how bad the vision must be, even though mine were different from yours.” Sam said.

“Yeah, and I know how scary it is to face the fact that you might have to kill your own sibling to save the world. It sucks, but you'll get through it. We all get through it.” Dean said.

Rachel gave them a grim smile. Grace slipped an arm around her friend. “We're your family Rachel. You're not alone in this and we'll do whatever it takes to beat Anya. If she even so much as touches a hair on your head, I'll kick her ass all the way back to Hell.”

Rachel smiled a genuine smile, feeling a small surge of hope, thankful that she had such wonderful friends. Giving them all a grateful glance she murmured, “I know that everything will turn out right in the end. Family is key in something like this, and I consider each and every one of you a part of that. At the end of the day, I believe that love will triumph over evil. And Anya has another thing coming if she wants to bring me down, because unlike her, I have something worth fighting for. You guys are my reason for living, and no one, immortal or not, is ever going to take that away from me.”