Cas was breathing heavily as if he had just run a marathon while Sam was holding his breath, still sitting beside Gabriel.
In the heat of the moment (hehehe) Sam had almost forgotten that there was nothing aside from a blanket separating his birthday suit from Castiel's frantic eyes.
After the initial shock of Castiel's words sunk in Sam finally found his voice and shouted, "Gone! What do you mean he's fucking gone??"
Cas opened and closed his mouth a few times as he tried to speak. He looked as if he was going to burst into tears the moment he spoke. Cas was barely holding it together at this point. That much was obvious.
"I-I don't know... I woke up and he wasn't there!" Cas finally gasped as his lips trembled slightly.
"Look Cassie, did you see anything before you went to bed?" Gabriel asked as he used his mojo to inconspicuously dress both himself and Sam beneath the blankets. At least one of them had a functioning brain in this situation. Clearly neither Sam nor Cas were thinking straight anymore.
Cas shook his head and walked further into the room, shaking his head hurriedly. His hands were fidgety and his eyes were darting everywhere. Sam had never seen Cas so ruffled up over something before. Cas was usually so stony faced and composed. Now Cas was anything but that. Even his hair looked more mussed up than normal just from the sheer stress of the situation.
"When was the last time you saw him? Like did he get up at any point in the night?" Sam asked as he swung his legs over the side of the bed. He didn't dare stand up yet. Sam didn't trust himself to stand up without falling over. Part of it was due to the fact that he just woke up and his muscles were straining sorely from his night with Gabriel while another part of it was from the shock of hearing that Dean was missing.
His brother was gone. Again.
The last time that something like this had happened was when Dean had died and gone to hell. After Dean had come back from hell he had hoped that he would never have to see his brother dead again. That day had been the worst of his entire life. He remembered Dean's bloody body in his arms, the hell hounds having ripped him to shreds and leaving behind his brother in a motionless mess on the floor. The memory of seeing Dean's glassy green eyes staring up at the ceiling while his blood soaked the floor and his shredded clothes was an image that still haunted Sam's dreams in the night. It had been a few years ago, but Sam knew he would never forget the day. He would never forget screaming at Bobby when he tried to give Dean a hunter's funeral. Sam had been determined to bring his brother back. He would never stop fighting to keep his brother by his side not even now.
Even as Cas stood in the front of them Sam's head was swirling wildly as he tried to think of some way to bring Dean back. There had to be a way. He couldn't see his brother dead again. Not like that anyways. They would have to live a full, long life before Sam would ever accept his brother's death.
Castiel's voice broke into Sam's thoughts and pulled him back to reality. The angel's face was full of emotions as he said, "No he didn't leave the room. He would have told me. How could I have not noticed that he vanished?"
"Listen, it's probably that fucking witch who took him. You know, that one that got away. She's probably figured out that were on her case. I mean, we're not exactly blending in as well as we could be." Sam glanced from Cas to Gabriel, emphasizing that bringing guys on campus was definitely getting some attention. "When she figured out who Dean was she probably got pissed and just wanted him out of the picture. Sooo... To get Dean back all we gotta do is track the bitch down."
The last part Sam said mostly to comfort himself and convince himself that everything was gonna be okay.
As soon as Sam fell silent Cas began to babble fearfully as he said, "What if we don't find him in time and-"
Apparently Sam's mini speech hadn't comforted Cas in the slightest. If anything it made him more flustered. Cas ran his fingers through his hair and Sam figured that he had picked up the habit from Dean. That was probably how his hair had become as flustered as it was currently. It was clear that Cas was fairly close to having a mental breakdown at this point.
Apparently Gabriel was also beginning to realize this as he interrupted his brother.
"Cassie, whoa there buddy calm down alright!" Gabriel exclaimed hurriedly as he tossed the blankets back and clambered past Sam.
He sauntered over to Cas and clapped his hands down onto his brothers shoulders. Gabriel moved in front of Cas so that he was now staring directly into the younger angel's face. (Well he had to kinda look up in order to look directly at Cas... But you get the idea)
"Listen. We're gonna get your little boy toy back in one piece. Don't worry about it baby bro. You've got me and Sam here to help and I'm pretty sure Sammich wants to get him back as much as you do." Gabriel said confidentiality. "Trust me."
Cas narrowed his eyes ever so slightly in annoyance at the word 'boy toy' but he sniffled slightly and nodded in agreement. The mental breakdown had been avoided for the moment.
"Here, take a sucker. They make everyone feel a thousand times better." Gabriel said as he made a red lollypop appear out of thin air.
"I don't want it..." Cas said grumpily.
Gabriel simply shrugged and said, "Suit yourself." As he popped the candy into his mouth.
Then, Gabriel turned to Sam and winked as he asked, "Want one?"
Sam shook his head and forced out a small no. Ignoring the little wink that Gabriel had just given him. In all honesty Sam couldn't have eaten if he wanted to. His heart felt like it was in his stomach and he wanted to puke. Not knowing what had happened to Dean was stressing him out too much.
"Hey... uh Cassie. Why don't you check your room for hex bags or something." Gabriel said with a sidelong glance at Sam. "Me and the moose will go see if anyone saw something suspicious and witchy last night."
Cas nodded stiffly and turned to walk out the door looking like a soldier going to war.
"And hey, don't do anything too stupid until we regroup." Gabriel called after the dark haired angel as he removed the sucker from his mouth.
The moment the door shut behind Cas, Gabriel was kneeling in front of Sam.
"Hey... Sam are you alright?" Gabriel asked softly as he lifted his hand to brush a stray piece of hair out of Sam's face.
Sam was slightly startled by the fact that Gabriel had actually called him 'Sam' instead of some weird ass nickname. Gabriel must be really worried about him.
"I'm fine." Sam said with a cold snap. He didn't mean for it to come out harsh, but it was the only way he could manage to punch the words out of himself.
"No need to get all pissy. I'm just trying to help." Gabriel said defensively before softening his voice and almost whispering. "I want you to be alright. I can't stand to see you upset."
Sam gave Gabriel a soft glare that clearly said 'Are you being serious right now?'
"Yeah, well what about that time you killed Dean a hundred times?" Sam asked with arched eyebrows.
Gabriel winced a little and said, "You still haven't forgotten about that one have you?"
Sam simply answered by giving Gabriel a cold stare.
Gabriel opened his mouth slightly before breathing, "Well... why do you think I gave him back to you?"
Sam shook his head with a stony look on his face and said, "Honestly I have no fucking clue."
Gabriel looked into his eyes and said, "Well partly because no one can resist those damn puppy dog eyes of yours and well..." He paused and looked away.
Sam could have sworn that Gabriel was blushing. It was strange to see that little pink tint on the ever confident archangel's cheeks. He couldn't help but think of how adorable it made Gabriel look and how it kinda brought out the colors in his eyes. Sam forced that thought away when he remembered he was supposed to be irritated with Gabriel and worried about Dean. That was enough to sour his mood again.
"Well what?" Sam snapped.
"Well... it was then that I actually fell for your dumbass." Gabriel said shyly. "Those damn eyes of yours won me over, plus the determination to save your brother. I mean, I liked you sass when I first met you, but that day was when I really knew I was fucked." Gabriel said as he refused to look into Sam's face.
Sam was silent as he let Gabriel's words sink in. Had he really been crushing on Sam for that long?
"So..." Gabriel said breaking the silence in the air between them. "I need you to trust me when I say that we will get Dean back. I swear to you Sam Winchester. I will help you get your brother back. I suppose since I took him away from you so many times it time I help you get him back for a change."
There was a small tear running down Sam's face but he refused to acknowledge it. He hoped Gabriel hadn't seen it however, seconds later Gabriel's hand moved and softly brushed the tear away.
He was still kneeling in front of Sam as he rose slightly to place a soft kiss on Sam's lips. The kiss was soft and slow as they both grasped for the feeling of healing and trust. Sam couldn't remember the last time someone had kissed him like this. All he knew was that it had been a very long time since someone had cared about him with this level of intimacy. He had been so accustomed to rare one night flings that this kiss caught him off guard.
When the broke apart entirely Sam looked into Gabriel's eyes not knowing what to say now. Instead of words, Sam carefully leaned in for another kiss as he tried to convey all of his feeling into the kiss. Sam could tell that Gabriel just somehow knew everything he wanted to say from this kiss alone as the archangel curled his fingers into his long dark hair and pulled his face closer.
Once they broke apart again the two of them kept their forehead pressed together.
After a very long silence Sam cleared his throat and said, "Thank you Gabriel."
One corner of Gabriel's mouth curled into a soft smile as he finally stood up. Sam stood up shortly after as he said, "You ready to go find Dean?"
"Let's go kick some hoodoo ass." Gabriel said as he clutched at Sam's hand and led him to the door.
~~~
After four hours of searching the three of them had still found nothing. There hadn't even been any hex bags in Cas and Dean's room. Even after asking around the school they hadn't been able to unearth any information.
Dean had just vanished as if he had never even existed.
"You know, he could have just gotten antsy and gone out for a beer last night but passed out at some bar." Gabriel said as he tried to come up with ideas.
"Yeah, and I could be a piece of kale." Sam said sarcastically as he picked at a piece of unappealing pizza.
"I can make that happen if you want." Gabriel offered as he tried and failed to lift Sam's spirits.
Sam just shook his head and sighed in defeat as he looked down at the food on his plate.
Around one thirty the three of them had decided to take a break so Sam could eat. Sam honestly didn't feel all that hungry but Gabriel didn't like the fact that his stomach kept grumbling and he insisted on them taking a lunch break. So now here Sam was, the only person in their group who actually needed food, sitting there staring down at the gross slice of pizza and wishing that they had actually found something. Sam was honestly surprised that this place even sold pizza. It was one of the few 'non-fancy' meals that this school had on their menu. He had planned on getting a salad or something but as soon as he got a look at the limp leaves of lettuce he had changed his mind. Although be was beginning to think that it probably tasted much better than this pizza did.
"Well... maybe some of the girls here seduced him into joining in on a sleepover to do his hair and make out with each other." Gabriel said with a shrug. "That's what girls do at sleepovers right?"
Sam stared at Gabriel incredulously but still said nothing.
Cas on the other hand gave his brother a strange look and asked, "Girls kiss each other at sleepovers?"
Sam rolled his eyes and said, "Not usually..."
"But does it happen?" Cas asked persistently.
Sam was pretty sure that Cas was simply trying to distract himself at the moment so he decided to play along. "Yeah... I mean I guess so... but that's not normally the kind of thing that happens."
"How would you know Sam?" Gabriel asked as he waggled his eyebrows.
"Because I'm not stupid. Do guys make out at sleepovers?" Sam arched with an unamused look at Gabriel. Sam knew the moment he said those words that he should have just kept his big mouth shut.
Judging by the smug look on Gabriel face, he knew it too. Gabriel smirked broadly at him and said, "Well I dunno... You tell me Sammich. Apparently you're the sleepover expert." Then he leaned in and kissed Sam on the cheek.
Cas looked between them in confusion as Sam's face flushed red.
"Are you two-" Cas started, but Sam interrupted him by standing up with his plate in his hands.
Hurriedly Sam exclaimed, "Let's go look for Dean again."
Then he rushed off to throw his food away and proceeded to drag both Cas and Gabriel out of cafeteria.
The rest of the day was very uneventful as the three of them scoured the school for any sign that Dean had been there, but there was simply nothing.
Eventually around three in the morning they had to turn in for the night, though Cas tried to insist that they continue looking.
Sam, yawning as he spoke complained that he needed his three hours. To sway Cas he also mentioned that people would probably get suspicious if they kept on wandering around all night. That was the last thing they needed. They were lucky that they had even been allowed to stay here at night. They hadn't even told the headmaster that Dean was missing. She probably wouldn't like that too much and would most likely snap and throw them off the case if she found out.
Begrudgingly Cas agreed to stop looking for a little while so Sam could sleep. However, they did move Cas into the same dorm as them just so they could keep a better look out.
Since technically speaking neither Gabriel nor Cas needed sleep the two of them would remain on guard while Sam slept in Gabriel's arms.
Apparently, after the little kiss in the cafeteria Cas just decided not to inquire about what was going on between Gabriel and Sam. Maybe he was too worried about Dean to care anymore.
Sam was glad that Cas didn't bring it up again. He didn't really feel like explaining the situation nor was he in the mood to be questioned about it. Dean would tease him enough about it when he figured it out.
Despite how tired he was, Sam slept horribly. He felt himself toss and turn as he weaved in and out of dreams that depicted various ways of Dean dying. Between these dreams Sam vaguely recalled apologizing to Gabriel a number of times as he moved throughout the night. Sam was sure that Gabriel was getting tired of it, but the archangel would simply tell him that it was alright and stroke his hair lightly until he fell back asleep again.
The next morning brought more worry and fear. Their little group seemed to be breaking down from the stress of their hunt. Since Dean was gone they knew it was only a matter of time before he showed up dead in the same manner as the other girls who had been killed. They had to find him before that happened.
As the day began to reach its close, the three of them were on the verge of wanting to give up all hope of finding Dean when a wide eyed Amy ran up to them.
Her hair was windblown and she doubled over forcing herself to catch her breath as she tried to speak.
The three of them were watching here as she stood in front of them gasping for air.
When she could finally talk she gasped, "I know where we can find the witch but I don't know how much time we have."
At the same time, both Sam and Cas fired off a question at her leaving Amy flustered and confused.
"Whoa, one at a time there boys! By the way, love the fem look Sam." Amy added with a curt nod in Sam's direction.
Sam ignored the comment and decided to take the initiative as he asked his question first, "Where is she?"
Amy gave him a bitter smile as she said, "The old basement. Go figure. A creepy witch in a creepy basement. Sounds like typical horror movie stuff right there."
"This place has a basement?" Sam asked with an open mouth.
Amy nodded and said, "It used to be kinda like an old bomb shelter, maintenance area type thing I guess. However, since this school is so old it was basically forgotten about over the years. Hell, it isn't even on the new version of the blueprints for this place. That's why it took me so long to find it. It's been abandoned and collecting dust for years."
"Why was it abandoned?" Gabriel asked curiously.
"You'd never believe it..." Amy said bitterly. "So apparently back in the late 80's and the early 90's girls would sneak their boyfriends in and have loud, hot kinky sex down there. The headmistress at the time began to get suspicious and ended up walking in on a huge ten person orgy with some of her students and their boyfriends."
Sam pursed his lips and said, "Go figure..."
"Yeah... Apparently she totally flipped and it was a pretty big deal around here, but it was kinda all hush hush to the outside world. Somehow word never really got out about the events and the school was able to kept its reputation. Not long after that the kids from the orgy started turning up dead, but the cases were never tracked back to the school." Amy told them.
"How did they even figure out what was going on down there?" Cas asked softly.
There were a small group of girls who found out and told the headmistress that something was going on. You'd never guess who one of those girls were." Amy said with a dark look on her face.
Sam lowered his voice and looked around before he asked, "Was one of them the current headmistress?"
Amy snorted and said, "Nah, course not! She didn't even move down to this area until a few years ago. It was that councilor that went missing."
Sam and Cas glanced at each other. That was one of the women that Dean had killed. She had to have been the witch who had been trying to convert girls at the school. There was no doubt in their minds about it.
"I looked into the other women who had been in that group and every single one of them went missing without a trace just before you guys showed up. I'm guessing that means you took care of them already." Amy said.
"Yeah, those were the ones who made Dean the way he was. He took care of them... That just leaves us to guess who this new witch is..." Sam grumbled.
Amy stopped and looked around for a moment before she asked, "Speaking of Dean... where is he?"
Cas looked like he was about to cry when he breathed, "She got him. Yesterday night."
Amy's eyes widened in horror as he said, "Oh shit. That means he's probably down in the basement. I had no idea that the witch had someone now... I figured she'd still be tracking down a new victim."
"We need to get down there." Gabriel said quickly.
"Amy, you stay here." Sam ordered as the three of them began to run off.
"But you have no clue where you're going!" Amy exclaimed as she ran after them.
They couldn't object to that so they let her tag along, but they made her swear to hang back when they attacked. When she agreed, the four of them ran down the halls, following Amy's lead as she took them to find Dean and hopeful capture this elusive witch so they could get rid of her once and for all.