Gunpowder and Lead

XXVI

[The Foundry]

Mary sat alone at a table in the Men of Letters bunker, looking through John's journal in the middle of the night. Castiel looked concerned as he walked up to Mary.

Mary saw Castiel and smiled tiredly at him. "Castiel. What are you doing up?"

"Oh, I'm always up. Angels don't need sleep."

Mary looked surprised, then looked down towards the journal. "Wish I had the problem."

Castiel entered the room further and walked up to the table Mary was sitting at.

She sighed and closed the journal. "Anyway... I think I'll go try again." She stood up and started to move away from the table. "Wish me luck."

"Luck," Castiel replied.

Mary stopped and turned to look at the angel. "Castiel?"

Castiel turned to face Mary.

"After you left Heaven, when did it start to feel like... like you fit, like you... belonged here?"

"Well, I'm still not sure I do," Castiel admitted.

Mary gave a small sigh and smiled, then turned back to leave.

"Mary... you do belong here," Castiel told her.

Mary smiled. "Goodnight, Castiel."

Mary washed her face as she got ready for bed. She stared at herself in the mirror for a moment before picking up some scissors and cut her hair.

The brothers, Kennedy and Nadia were sitting in the kitchen eating breakfast.

"All right, so what have you found on her Majesty's Secret Suckbags?" Dean asked.

"Well, Kennedy and I may have turned the bunker upside down looking for any reference whatsoever to the British Men of Letters, and all we found was this letter tucked into an old ledger, uh, from the "London Chapter House,"" Sam said.

"Okay, well that's something."

Kennedy glanced at him. "Yeah uh... not so much."

Sam turned the letter around and most of the letter was blacked out. Dean took the letter so he could look at it better.

"Awesome," Dean muttered.

Castiel walked into the doorway of the kitchen.

"Morning, sunshine. Some coffee?" Dean offered.

"No, thank you. I have to go," Castiel replied.

Castiel walked away. Sam, Dean and Kennedy, who picked up Nadia, got up to follow Castiel.

"Cas?" Sam and Kennedy called.

"Cas, wait up," Dean said.

"Hey. Wait a second. Where you off to?" Sam inquired.

Castiel paused and turned to answer. "Cleveland, Ohio."

"For what?" Kennedy asked.

"I think I may have a lead on Lucifer. I found a police report in Cleveland about a man whose eyes flared a glowing red. It could be Lucifer in a new body."

"All right. Yeah, that sounds like something. We should go check it out," Dean said.

"No. The Devil is free because of me. Finding him is my responsibility."

"Cas, you're gonna want some backup on this," Kennedy told him.

"If it is him, I will call you. In the meantime, I think you're needed here."