Roads Untraveled ~ Sam Winchester

Chapter One Hundred and Seventy-Eight - No Jackpot Casino

Using Eden's heightened senses, the two celestials made their way back to the portal in the hopes that Dean had gone there.
They'd almost made it when Cas stopped mid-step, his eyes squeezed shut.
"Pigeon? What is it?" Eden asked, turning back to him.
He didn't reply, only held up a finger.
After a minute or so, the Dark Angel noticed a tear trickling down her friend's cheek.
"Pigeon, what's wrong?" She pressed, stepping towards him to take his hand.
He opened his eyes, taking a deep, shaky breath.
"It's Dean... I think-" He cut himself off, shaking his head.
"You think what? Is he in trouble? Where is he?" Eden was bordering on frantic.
Cas surveyed the surrounding area, looking for any sign of life.
"We need to keep moving." He sighed, leading the way.
Eden watched him walk away as she took out her phone. She glanced at the countdown on her screen, telling her they only had thirty-two minutes before Michael's portal closed.

Eventually, the portal was in sight through the trees. But Dean was still nowhere to be found.
They opted to sit by a tree to wait for him.
The next time Eden looked at the countdown, they had just four minutes left.
"Come on, Dean... We're not leaving without you." She uttered under a heavy breath.
"You are." Castiel told her. "If that countdown gets to zero, you need to be through that portal with the Leviathan Blossom when it closes. You need to save Sam, Willow and Eileen, you need to stop Chuck and you need to live a happy life with your family."
"I'm not going anywhere if you and Dean aren't by my side." Eden argued.
"Yes, you are. You have to. I need to stay here until I find Dean. We'll find another way back." The Angel replied sincerely.
The Dark Angel sighed.
"I'd do the same for Sam..."
"I know you know exactly how I feel." Castiel mumbled, looking at his hands resting on his knees.
"It's hard to miss when it's radiating off of you." She gave a small smirk. "And to be cherished by someone and loved as much as you do... It's the best feeling in the world. I hope Dean knows that."
"Yeah... Me too." Cas tipped his head back, resting it on the tree above them.
Eden then heard rustling behind them and smiled.
"Speak of the devil."
Cas got up, calling Dean's name as he helped Eden to her feet.
"Cas..." The Winchester panted, grinning through his shock.
"You made it." His Angel staggered over to him.
"I made it." Dean closed the gap between them, hugging Castiel close to him. He looked to Eden as he did. "You guys okay?"
"We're fine." Cas replied as they parted for Dean to hug the woman.
"What happened?" The Winchester asked.
"They were after us, not you. We thought it'd be safest to give ourselves up." The Angel sighed.
"They take you to Eve?"
"Yeah. Eden had her reunion and in return, Eve gave us this." Cas took the Leviathan Blossom from inside his trench coat.
"You did it... You did it, Cas." Dean smiled, forgetting where he was for a second. When he remembered, he cleared his throat. "Uh, you both did it. And Eden, you got what you wanted, so that's a big win in my book."
Eden stood a few feet behind Cas with a knowing smile on her face.
"We did. But, not to burst this rather beautiful bubble, but we have under a minute to get through the portal." She nodded towards the golden tear.
"You go on ahead. I have to say something to Cas." Dean instructed.
"You don't have to say it. I heard your prayer." Castiel told him, giving a small smile before he walked off towards their exit.
"He didn't tell me what you said, by the way." Eden moved towards the Winchester. "But I know that it helped. It helped massively."
With that, she took his hand and led the way.

Back in the Bunker's library, with instruction from the spell Donatello had deciphered for them, they prepared themselves.
As Dean crushed up the Leviathan Blossom and scooped its paste into a copper bowl, Eden sprinkled in herbs and Castiel recited the spell.
He then took his Angel Blade and brought it to his palm.
"Wait, wait, wait." Dean held up a hand. "Are you sure?"
"Dean you've already taken the Mark, you can't take it again and who knows what it'll do to Eden and the baby." Cas replied. "I can, it's the only way."
He sliced into his hand and squeezed it into a fist over the bowl, allowing a small amount of his blood into the mixture.
Dean threw in some more herbs and the bowl flashed, sky blue smoke whisping out of it and into a crystal ball Cas held over it, turning it a muddy grey.
"Because I'm taking the Mark, someone else will have to destroy this." He said, slipping the ball into the pocket of his trench coat. "One of you, or Sam."
"Right then. Let's not waste anymore time. I need my fiance and my daughter back." Eden sighed, storming off towards the garage.