AN: I'm going to try and make it so that this story isn't 80,000 words long, chapter/chapter. Hopefully it won't turn out wonky.

Also, I don't own the Supernatural characters.

"Garth called." Sam called to Dean as he walked in through the front door of their small lake house closing it behind him when a cool breeze followed.

"Kevin okay?" Dean asked looking up from the TV and setting his beer down on his lap.

"He's fine." Dean returned to drinking his beer. "They're finding a safe house now." Sam moved the distance of the room to stand opposite Dean in front of the TV where Dean had redirected his attention to. "Garth has a case for us."

"So Garth is giving us cases now?" Dean asked trying to catch a glimpse of the movie he had been watching from around Sam's tree trunk torso, directing him with his arms to move out of the way.

"Apparently." Sam said ignoring Dean's childish antics.

"Okay," Dean grunted giving up on the movie, not able to see any action taking place and turning off the screen. "well what is it?"

"Missoula, about three hours south of here." Sam replied walking towards a map he left on the table across the room. "Garth said a hunter was looking into some big demon activity down there. Apparently he saw a young girl getting rid of a swarm of the demons he was after. She not only fought the demons but saved the people they were possessing."

The thought of Krissy rippled across Dean's mind. His mind told him it would be impossible for her to take on that many demons at once and that she said she wouldn't go looking for trouble but he couldn't help but be worried. The life always found a way to drag you back down. He decided to push the thought aside and get more info before he let Sam know he was worried. He could already hear him reassuring him in his mind. "So a hunter?" Dean asked instead.

"Not exactly." Sam said sitting down in the chair next to the couch hearing it creak as he did. "He helped her with fighting them off and after she got the last one, he turned to her to ask her if there were any more and to basically ask how the hell she did that when he saw her eyes changed. Then she flung him across the parking lot they had been fighting in. All the way across, into the store across the street. He's alive but pretty banged up. He called it into Garth and looks like we're the closest."

"So a demon exorcising demons?" Dean asked curiously. He never heard of a demon performing exorcisms. It didn't seem possible.

"And hurting hunters." Sam understood, confused as well. Why would a demon immune to exorcisms, exorcise other demon and attack hunters. The two didn't go together. Who would fight against both sides?

"Well that sounds like us." Dean said disgruntled. He was looking forward to having a tiny break before having to face anything or having to face what Kevin found on the demon tablet. It was, after all, why they traveled all the way to the lake house. They hadn't run into anything along the way and they all needed some rest after what had happened recently. Dean still couldn't believe that Cas chose to stay in Purgatory. He felt responsible for it. Even having Cas feel that way seemed to be his fault. He should have been there for him more. Now he didn't know what Cas was going to do or if they were even going to work on who got him out. The winged idiot was doing nothing really. He still seemed kind of drained from Kevin's rescue and had just been zoning since he told Dean what happened in Purgatory. He didn't even poof anywhere. He just sat in the car and let Dean drive them back to the lake house. "Okay let's go." Dean said standing and grabbing his keys off the tall table behind the couch.

"Should we bring Cas?" Sam asked tentatively. He knew Cas wasn't himself but he really didn't know what to do with him. Leaving him here when he was like this just seemed cruel.

"I don't know. He hasn't been…you know." Dean said playing with his keys in his hands not looking Sam directly in the eyes.

"Where is he anyway?" Sam said glancing around the room in case he missed the bright trench coat when he walked in. It was hard to believe he could though. The room itself was dark both from the lack of use and dust pile up and from the cold, dark wood encasing every corner and all the furniture. Any sign of Cas and the room would be glowing off his coat.

"Outside. He's just been sitting and staring at a tree." Dean said sparing a glance through the window to see the cloudy day graying the atmosphere. He didn't know what Cas was doing out there, let alone thinking.

"Well, do you want to leave him?"

"I don't know." Dean dragged his hand down his face and up through his hair.

Both left to get their things together. It wouldn't take long because they never really unpacked. All they needed was to check they hadn't unpacked anything important and that they had their aliases in order.

Sam grabbed his bag and jogged his way down the stairs to put his stuff in the trunk of the impala while Dean lingered on the porch, locking the door. He turned to face Castiel, stoically standing and staring across the porch balcony to the trees in the distance. Dean stared at the back of him, his trench coat flowing from the breeze, before he made up his mind to ask what he was doing.

"Ugh…Cas?"

"Yes Dean?" Castiel did not turn to face the hunter. Instead he chose to continue his stare into the horizon. He didn't want Dean to worry about him. He just needed to make hard decisions. Dean would understand.

"Are you okay?"

"I was just thinking." Castiel had expected him to ask that. He had to think about what he was going to do with his eternal life. Purgatory made sense to him. It made sense for him to be there, paying for his sins. If he wasn't in Purgatory he didn't know where he belonged. Heaven would probably not accept him again. The Winchesters were an option but he always seemed to mess up. He always did what he thought was right but always ended up hurting them. He ended up hurting Dean, the one he was meant to protect most. He could go off on his own but even then he didn't really know what his purpose was. He was sure he would screw up anything he tried at without help. He just didn't want to ask for Dean for help. Dean had helped him so much already.

He wasn't sure where he would go if he died. He wasn't sure where any angels went. Purgatory seemed like the most likely place but he and Dean had not seen any of his brothers and sisters there. He had not heard their angel radio like he had heard Dean's prayers. The thought of his abandonment of Dean and his prayers in Purgatory ate at him. The guilt was also something he needed to work out. There were so many things. He remembered a time before the Winchesters when things made much more sense. He was not corrupted with human emotions like he was now.

"Well we're going to work a case. You can come if you want." Dean was almost hopeful that Cas would say yes. Anything really. He hadn't spoken much lately. Maybe a case was just what he needed to get back in the game.

Cas turned to face Dean, starring at the ground when he responded. "I don't know Dean." It seemed like the easy way out to Cas. It would be an easy way to take his mind off of the difficult questions and to procrastinate his answer but he would also be around the Winchesters again. He may screw something up. It was probably best if he just came in when they absolutely needed him.

"Well don't think about it too much because we're leaving now." Dean said with half a laugh. "Well...just poof over if you change your mind." Dean gave him a final glance over his shoulder as he walked down the stairs towards his car. Cas had just turned to face the trees again.

Castiel knew he wouldn't end up going unless they needed him but he also knew he couldn't help but check in on them and make sure everything was okay. Whether Dean knew it or not, he could still feel when he was in true danger. It was a part of the bond they shared. He didn't want to share that with Dean though. Dean would just get even more mad at him for all the times he let him down and didn't come to help him when he needed it most. Most recently being in Purgatory. That was torture for Castiel, knowing how much Dean needed him and wanting to reach out to him so much. He didn't deserve him.

"Is he coming?" Sam asked glancing up at Cas when Dean had reached the impala and was stuffing his things in the trunk next to Sam's. Dean just gave him a look and a shrug before opening the door and sliding into the driver's seat.