12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: Supernatural belongs to Erik Kripke, Warner Brothers and quite possibly others who are not mentioned here. No money will be made from this fan fiction.

See further disclaimer at end of chapter.

Author's note NEW: Apologies. I've gone and let a crossover wander into the story. I'm not actually doing anything with it at the moment, so basically it's just sort of there. It's possible nothing will come of it. See further disclaimer at end of chapter.

Summary: When Dean goes to sell his soul at the crossroads to bring Sam back, someone else steps in to negotiate the deal. Cas did get a sign and it sent him off into the past to change things. AU from The Man Who Would be King and All Hell Breaks Loose.

It's All in the Details

By Colleen

Chapter 12

Dean cracked one of his eyes open and immediately wished he hadn't. Groaning, he closed it again and shifted in the chair he'd fallen asleep in.

"Good morning."

He cracked his eyes open again to see the angel sitting in the other chair, looking none the worse for wear. A thing that Dean thought was totally unfair as he remembered enough of the night before to know that Cas had consumed four bottles of alcohol to the one each he and Sam had gone through.

"Too loud, too bright. Turn it off."

"That would be the sun. It would be ill advised for me to do so."

Dean focused on the angel. "Um, right. Don't do that."

"Would you like some breakfast? I believe eggs are good for hangovers."

A groan came from the couch. "Nooo, no food, please."

Eyes a little further open than they had been, Dean managed to make out the image of his brother, laid out on the leather sofa.

"Despite your protests, you will feel better if you eat. The bathroom is over there if you need it." They both squinted at Cas, trying to see in what direction he was pointing.

Dean lurched to his feet. "Dibs." Staggering slightly, he headed off to the bathroom.

Cas considered waiting until both of the Winchesters had used the facilities before curing them of their hangovers, but since it appeared that Sam would probably start throwing up as soon as he stood up, he only waited until Dean was done.

Even though he was no longer in danger of an extended visit with the porcelain god, Sam still needing to use the bathroom. He headed for it while Dean flopped back down in the chair and gave Cas a low powered glare. "Why didn't you do that first thing?"

Cas gave him a small smile. "It wouldn't have been as funny."

"It would have been funnier if you'd waited until gigantor had at least one puking bout."

Dean turned towards the voice. "Oh crap, it's you."

Gabriel smirked at the hunter. "Why Dean'o, is that anyway to treat your god-in-law."

"What?" Dean and Cas said together.

Sam came out of the bathroom right then, freezing when he saw the trickster. "Crap."

"And I'm just feeling the love."

Cas sighed. "Loki, why are you here?"

Gabriel snorted. "I think the cat's out of the bag on that one bro."

"You're an angel!" This time is was Dean and Sam who managed to end up in sync.

"Duh. Anyway, just stick with Loki. "Cause I'm not telling you who I really am." He turned to Cas and pointed his index finger at him. "And neither are you."

Reluctantly, Cas nodded. "What did you mean, god-in-law?"

"Ah." Loki's grin turned into a grimace. "About that."

"What the hell did you do?" Dean asked, certain that whatever was now going on, he wasn't going to like it.

"It's not like it was intentional."

"Loki!"

"Alright, alright. I was checking up on that summons you were complaining about, and I may have put a little more juice into your whole pagan godhood than I originally told you I did."

One angel and two men groaned.

"What exactly does that mean?" Cas asked.

"Well, your cover is really good and because you marked Dean," Gabriel pointed at the elder Winchester's left shoulder. "He's now yours."

"Excuse me?" Dean asked, his eyes wide. "I just finished getting out of a contract with this guy, I'm not doing another one because you screwed up."

Loki rolled his eyes. "It's not that kind of a thing."

"Then what kind is it?" Sam asked, clearly as unhappy with the situation as his brother was.

"Mmm, gift registries and china patterns?""LOKI!"

Gabriel cringed. It seemed his brother had his own command voice.

"Chill bro, chill. He's a warrior in your name."

Sam frowned. "Like a paladin?"

It was Dean's turn to frown. "What, like the western?"

Gabriel raised an eyebrow at that. "Well, at least you watch decent old time TV, but no, more like…"

"Dungeons & Dragons?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, like that."

Dean shook his head at his brother. "You are such a geek."

Sam bitch faced him and then ignored him.

Cas' brow creased in thought. "That might explain why you are reacting to the area. I thought it was for another reason, but this is more likely."

"Why?"

"As my 'Paladin', you would receive certain strengths through me. Since that power is supernatural in nature, it is reacting to you as if you were a supernatural creature."

Dean looked ready to pull his hair out by the roots. "Great, just great. What strengths?"

"Slight increase in physical strength, stamina and you're probably healing faster than you use to." Loki told him. "Also any magic used against you will have a better chance of failing. Poisons too. Oh, and of course, you can call for Cas… or rather, Kaseva's advice or intervention when faced with a problem."

"And that's it?"

"Pretty much. Other things could show up after awhile, but I've got no idea what they would be. They kind of depend on the god you serve."

Cas pinched at the bridge of his nose to stave off a headache and groaned. Dean nodded in agreement with the sentiment.

"How do we get rid of it?"

Loki shrugged. "Cas should be able to release you from his service, but you might want to consider not doing that just yet."

Dean's eyes were narrowed to mere slits. "Why not?"

"Because, a god having claim to your loyalty would make it more difficult for the angels to mess with you. And believe me, they'll try."

Cas nodded. "It would be best to wait until we are certain the seals are no longer in danger of being broken…" He took in the expression on Dean's face and sighed. "However, I understand your position. I am completely willing to break the bond, as long as it can be done safely."

"Okay." Dean said. "So what do we have to do to bre…?"

A knock came from the front door of the cabin, interrupting Dean. They all turned to look at it.

Dean glanced back at Castiel. "Do you actually know anyone, other than Sam and I, that knocks?"

Cas shrugged. "Bobby, but if there was a problem I would have thought he'd call one of you first."

The knock came again and all four men shrugged before Cas went to the door and opened it.

An older man, with greying hair and a military bearing that no amount of casual clothing could hide stood at the threshold. "Hey." He held out a hand. "Name's Jack, I'm your neighbour from the other side of the lake.

Cas stared at the offered hand until Dean and Gabriel each gave a none to convincing cough. Starting slightly as he realized his error, the angel reached out and shook the man's hand.

Several awkward seconds went by and when it was obvious that Cas didn't realize he should be saying something, Gabriel stepped forward, hand extended.

"Hey, names Luke." He said as he shook hands. "You've just met my brother, Cas, who isn't quite awake yet. And these are our cousins, Sam and Dean."

Both hunters were too use to making things up on the fly to react to suddenly being Cas and Loki's cousins. They just nodded at the man. "Morning." They said together.

Jack nodded at them. "Just thought I'd come introduce myself. I kept missing you back when you first bought the place." He looked around at as much of the cabin as he could see, nodding.

"You did a lot of work in here. More than I'd realized. Guess it was a good thing I was away a lot of the time. I hate having to listen to construction."

"Ah, yeah." Dean said, agreeing with the man. "We just came out to help our… cousin, break the place in, now that it's done."

"Good, good. Well, hope I'll see you boys around."

"You as well, sir." Dean replied, almost wincing when the 'sir' practically forced its way out of his mouth. It had been drilled into him by his father and had become a knee jerk reaction to almost any older military man he'd ever met. He was sure the man had noticed it, even if he didn't say anything.

Jack gave them another nod and a wave and headed back to the trail that ran around the lake to his cabin. They watched him go for about a minute and then quietly closed the door.

"Well, that was random." Dean said.

Everyone in the room nodded in agreement.

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Gabriel turned to his brother. "Before we deal with Dean's little problem, I was wondering if you've fixed whatever it was that sent you flying off last time?"

Cas frowned, searching his memory.

"You mentioned Adam."

Castiel stiffened. With Dean's knowledge of what Cas was and trying to explain to the brothers what was to have come, the reason he first went to talk with them had fallen to the back of the list.

"Adam, the first man? Sam asked.

"No, Adam, your half brother."

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Dean was searching the empty bottles of liquor, trying to get enough together for at least a partial glass worth.

"No, just no. Dad wouldn't have."

"Dean." His brother followed behind him, deftly avoiding an empty whiskey bottle when the elder Winchester threw it over his shoulder. "Dad was a man and sometimes things happen."

Dean turned to look at his brother. "Then why didn't he ever tell us about him?"

"Your half brother, Adam Milligan will turn eighteen in September. Your father didn't know of his existence until the boy was twelve. Originally, you didn't find out about him until after he and his mother were attacked and eaten by ghouls."

Cas' recitation of the facts halted any further movement from the two brothers. They turned to him, twin expressions of horror on their faces that became more pronounced as Cas continued.

"I have checked on them and they are fine for the moment, however there is an added problem. As Adam is of John Winchester's bloodline, it is possible that he could also be used as the righteous man."

"So someone might try to get him into Hell to break the first seal? Dean asked.

Castiel was just starting to nod when Gabriel spoke up.

"Ah, about that."

Dean shut his eyes, the mental pain was just that bad. "You're going to do that a lot, aren't you?"

The archangel shrugged. "What can I say, I hear things. And what I've heard, is that while they know you died, they never did catch a clue about who was holding your contract. So they don't know you've come back. At least, not yet."

"What does that mean?"

"It means that both Heaven and Hell are looking for the righteous man in all the wrong places and they've got no idea what the right ones are."

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"Bela darling, how are things?"

Bela Talbot jerked on the rack, feeling the hooks dig in a little deeper. She clenched her teeth, refusing to whimper and distracted herself by mentally congratulating herself on correctly guessing that something was up. They'd only been through a half day of torture before she'd been pulled back together and that had never happened before.

"Crowley, what do you want?"

"Some information."

She snorted at him. "Sit on it and spin." She closed her eyes and settled back, waiting for the pain to start again.

"Now really darling, is that anyway to talk to the man who's going to get you out of here?"

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"That's why you don't want me to break the bond thing with Cas." Dean said, glaring at Loki.

"Like I said, it'll make it more difficult for the angels to dick with you. Think about it. Take your experiences dealing with me and multiply it by the Host of Heaven."

"We are not all that bad Loki."

Gabriel smirked at his brother. "No, the rank and file, the choirs from the third sphere, most of them would do anything to fight against Lucifer and Hell. It's the first sphere you have to worry about." He tilted his head, looking at his brother. "You, you're a Powers now, aren't you?"

Cas nodded. "I rose to that level when Father brought me back a second time. I was a simple angel before that."

"Power?" Dean asked.

Sam answered. "Powers or Authorities. They're warriors and were created to be completely loyal to God."

"And he made you an archangel on top of that." Gabriel shook his head. "I'm not sure if he was rewarding you or…"

"Or giving me enough rope to hang myself." His brother continued.

Gabe nodded.

"I have wondered myself. Even now, I am uncertain." Cas added. He shook his head, dismissing the question for the moment.

"Dean, as I said, if you wish to break the bond…"

"Leave it."

Cas looked at him, surprised. Dean shrugged. "For now anyway. With everything that's going on, I think it's the least of our worries." Maybe it didn't make much sense, allowing himself to remain tied to this being, but somehow, listening to Cas' problems with his Father, well, let's just say, he could relate.

"Great." Gabriel said, clapping his hands and rubbing them together. "Just remember to dedicate your hunts to him, or rather, Kaseva. He's gonna need all the power he can get."

And of course, that was exactly the moment Loki chose to disappear.

Briefly, Cas considered asking the Winchesters if it was equally annoying when he went and disappeared. However, since he suspected that he already knew the answer, he didn't bother.

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Crowley sat at the desk in the office he kept in Hell and looked across at Bela, who was sitting in a chair on the other side of the desk. By his calculations, she'd been in Hell a little over twelve years now. She was still very much herself, something that surprised him a little. Given all her schemes, he thought she'd have folded by now. After all, the sooner you could forget your life, the sooner you could join in on the killing and destroying, the less you yourself were hurt.

Initially, he'd planned to pump her for information before tossing her back into the Pit, but now… He was certain that that would be a waste. Even as a human soul, she was more devious, conniving and resourceful than half of his staff put together. Certainly, it would be better if she were already a demon. However, in the Pit or working for him, eventually the problem would sort itself out.

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Bela crossed her legs and leaned back into the chair, the sheer comfort of it causing her brain to spark and jump in a way that let her know that going back to the rack after this small reprieve would probably end her. Still, she sat there quietly. She would look for the angle in anything given her, but she already knew that begging and pleading only got you more pain in the end.

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"Cards on the table, dear." Crowley started.

"We're playing Go Fish then, are we?" Bela countered.

Crowley laughed quietly. "Yes, something like that. You see, I need to know where I might be able to find Sam Winchester. Of course, I would also like to know where Dean Winchester's soul got too, but I don't expect miracles."

Bela raised her eyebrows. "That's a tall order. So if I help with it, what do I get?"

"Well, you could perhaps, stay off the rack for the next decade."

Bela laughed, although the sound carried no joy in it. "Somehow, I think that would be worse."

"Fine, get me some answers and you can come work for me. Stay useful and you stay off the rack. Keep your mouth closed, and I'll make sure to single you out to Alistair myself."

Bela swallowed the sudden sour taste in her mouth. She had spent all of one day under Hell's master torturer since she been here and the experience was permanently etched into her memory.

She clenched her fists shut in an attempt to stop them from shaking. "Ask."

"Sam Winchester."

She glared at him. "Last I saw him, he was standing by his brother, whole and hearty, even though I'd shot him, twice."

"You shot him?"

She nodded. "Yes. Except that, by way of Dean's contract, if Sam died anytime during Dean's last year he'd just be brought back. So sending me off to kill him was somewhat useless."

Crowley frowned. That was an unusual article for a crossroads deal, but not unheard of. "Did he simply revive, or did the demon show up to do it?"

Bela took a deep breath, remembering the form she'd seen beneath the body he'd been wearing. She still doubted that he was a demon, even if she hadn't figured out what he was.

"Bela?"

"He showed up. He stayed to help them question me. He even pulled up my contract for them." She held onto her suspicions, she might be able to parlay them into something if she didn't just go blurting them out.

Crowley grimaced. Only himself, Lilith and maybe Alistair should have been able to access Bela's contract.

Bela decided to throw him something extra. "He knew who you were and it didn't sound as if he liked you."

Sadly, that did not narrow it down for the king of the crossroads. If there was anything he had in abundance, it was enemies.

"Oh yeah, he also said that Lilith didn't really want Sam dead. Apparently she had some kind of plan to use his powers for herself."

Crowley felt a small buzz of fear work its way up his spine. That was more than what a few of Lilith's most trusted people had known. That he himself knew was simply an example of his skill at espionage.

"Any place you can think of that Sam Winchester might be now?"

She shook her head. "No… However, if I were looking, I'd start with Bobby Singer. If there's anyone he'd keep in contact with, it's him."

He nodded. "Then I'll have to see about introducing myself to him."

He wondered what deal he could talk him into.

Further Disclaimer: Stargate: SG1 and its spin-offs are owned by MGM and probably several other people and corporations. No money will be made from this fan fiction.

Author's note: Wasn't actually expecting Bela to come back, but she insisted.