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"Charlie!" Dean all but yelled into the phone, "I have an emergency and I need your help. I found my familiar and it's going to take both of us to get him out."
"Wait? You found your familiar? That's terrific! What do you mean about getting him out?"
"I took little Mary to the zoo today to make good on my promise of spending some 'Uncle Dean' time and because Sam was giving me another bitchface for looking moppy. He said that time out of the house would do me good and that he and Eileen could use some time for themselves. You know I hate going to those places and seeing all the animals locked up. Anyway, we were out at the penguin exhibit when I saw him. His eyes flashed a brilliant electric blue and we recognized each other from the moment our eyes met."
"Okay, but I'm still not seeing the problem here," Charlie responded.
"Don't you see? He was one of the penguins in the exhibit. We've gotta find a way to spring him."
"And, you're sure that this penguin is your familiar? That it's not just wishful thinking on your part. I mean it's been almost a year. I can see where you might be getting desperate and maybe seeing what you want to see..."
"Damn it, Charlie, I know what I saw. Sure, the binding ritual was nearly a year ago but I know it's him. We were able to establish a psychic link even under the circumstances. His name is Castiel and he is more than ready to get outta the zoo. I'm texting you pictures of him and all the info I could gather from his enclosure and our brief contact."
"I-I don't know what to say. I'm sorry for doubting you, Dean, but you have to admit that the chances of finding your familiar locked up in a zoo is like a bazillion to one against. And he's a penguin? I'm not sure what's the hardest part to believe."
"We can be sure and ask Cas for all the particulars once we've got him sprung. For now, let's work on getting him out of there."
Coming up with the plan to spring Cas was the easy part; doing all the work to put it into action was what took the heavy lifting. Charlie worked on hacking into various systems to make perfect forgeries on the papers needed and making sure that all of the approvals for Cas' transfer were in the system. Meanwhile, Dean worked on the spells and charms that he'd need to make sure that no one who saw him could easily recognize him. Charlie, of course, would make sure that there was no trace of him on any of the surveillance cameras that would give more than a blurred look at him.
They had everything in place by the next morning and even had a chance to catch a couple of hours of sleep so they'd be sharp for the day's activities.
With a folder full of official-looking paperwork in hand, Dean headed toward the zoo's administrative office to start the transfer of Cas to his custody.
It took just a minimal amount of time and spell casting to ensure that all involved in Cas' transfer would have only the vaguest of memories that such a thing had happened. In fact, if questioned they wouldn't recall that a male penguin of that description had ever been in their custody.
It was just a little past noon when Dean emerged from the penguin compound with a carrier containing one male penguin who was anxious to get the hell out of there.
Dean carefully placed the container in the backseat of his car and got in the front. Before turning on the engine, he eyes met Cas' through the gaps in the crate.
"Hey buddy, as soon as we get somewhere safe I'll let you out then we can see about helping you transform. I just wanna get clear of the zoo and their security first, okay?"
The penguin gave a short nod of understanding, and Dean put the car in drive and headed for his house where he knew they'd be free from prying eyes.
It was times like these when Dean was thankful that he lived in a secluded part of town with plenty of trees to prevent anyone from looking into his yard. He pulled into the long driveway and parked in the garage.
He lifted the animal carrier and proceeded to gently bring it into the house. He sat it down on the floor next to the couch and opened it.
The penguin stepped out and shook himself from head to webbed feet.
"What now?" Dean asked.
" Complete the ritual ," a voice said in his mind. " It will break the spell and I can once again transform ."
Dean hurriedly gathered all that was needed. With everything in place he lit the candles and started to chant. A brief wind blew out the flames and in the blink of an eye the most beautiful man Dean had ever seen was standing naked before him.
"Hello, Dean. Thank you for coming to my rescue so quickly. I appreciate it more than you know. As I mentioned before, my name is Castiel and you are my destined witch."
Dean's eyes were riveted to the sight before him. It took him a moment to realize that staring at Castiel in the nude may not be the most polite thing to do.
"Ah, yeah, it's great to finally meet you. Here, let me get you some clothes. I think we're close to the same size." Dean dashed off and grabbed a pair of sweatpants and a pullover shirt and brought them back so that the familiar could get dressed if he wanted.
"Thank you, Dean." Castiel pulled on the offered garments and breathed in Dean's lingering scent on the fabric. "Just as I suspected, we are greatly compatible."
"You can determine that from scent alone?" Dean asked.
"Oh, yes. The dreams I had prior to your summoning were the first clue. My family always knew that I would be a very powerful familiar and they coveted my potential for themselves."
"I gotta ask, how did you wind up in a zoo?"
"As I mentioned, my family wanted me for their own ends but my magic wasn't compatible with any of my immediate or extended family. Let's say that some of my cousins resented that and took to heart the saying that if they couldn't have me then they'd make sure no one else could. I never thought they were capable of hatching such a scheme, but they tricked me into transforming into one of my rare forms to entertain the various nieces and nephews. Before I could change back one of them cast a spell to trap me in my animal form. The spell could only be broken by the witch I was fated to be with and only then once the bonding ceremony had been completed. To try to thwart any attempt of me meeting my witch, they bundled me up and took me to a local animal sanctuary which then transferred me to a zoo that had room for an additional penguin."
"So it was a longshot that we even met."
"Yes and no. I've always had faith that fate would bring me and my witch together and that we would go on to do great things. It seems that my faith was not misplaced."
"You hungry? I can fix us something for lunch or order to have something delivered."
"I would like that very much, as long as it isn't fish or sushi. I think it will be a while before I feel like having fish again."
"I understand. I'll fix us some sandwiches while you settle in. Make yourself comfortable."
Castiel followed Dean into the kitchen and watched while he prepared the food.
"Say, Cas, were you thinking of getting revenge on your cousins? That was a real shitty thing to do to you."
"It wouldn't be worth the price we'd have to pay. They're not worth a three-fold return on revenge. Besides, the fact that the spell is broken and I'm now with you is revenge enough. I come from a family of powerful witches and as you know familiars are becoming more and more rare. So you can understand why they wanted my power to stay in the family as it were. I could tell from your summons that you are very powerful, perhaps even more than any of my kin. What is your full name Dean?"
"Oh, in all this activity I guess we forgot to do formal introductions. Dean Winchester. And you, Castiel?"
"Castiel Novak of the Milton coven. I've heard of you, Dean. You're of Campbell blood as well as Winchester. No doubt you are a force to be reckoned with even without a familiar."
Dean handed Cas a sandwich which the man devoured in a few quick bites. Dean handed him his own sandwich and watched as this time Cas took the time to chew his food.
"I can make more if you're still hungry."
"This is fine for now. I didn't realize just how much I missed real food."
"So, if you're a Novak then I'm guessing that the Milton's are your dick cousins. I've heard of both families and you've got quite the magical lineage. You said they tricked you into one of your rare forms, what is your preferred animal form?"
"I like to take the form of a Pembroke Welsh Corgi. It allows me to go pretty much anywhere and doesn't alarm anyone."
Dean could only imagine how cute this handsome man would be in his canine form.
"Let me give you the nickel tour of our home. My bedroom is here and your room is the one across the hall, the workshop is..."
Cas interrupted him, "Why do I need a room? I thought I'd be sharing with you. I am very attracted to you and detected that you feel a similar way towards me."
"Ah, Cas, it's generally considered polite to not just presume something like attraction and sexual compatibility. Especially when you've only just met the person."
"I'm sorry. My people skills have always been a bit rusty. Sorry if I overstepped. I will sleep in the other room and not disturb you."
"Wait, no, I didn't mean...Cas, we can get to know one another. I'm not rejecting you. You're right. I am very much attracted to you. I just want to make sure that we aren't rushing into something. I think we could really have the start of something unique and special. I just don't want to do anything that might put you off. In just the brief time that I've known you I already feel a pull towards you and can't imagine not having you in my life."
"I feel it too. We have a profound bond. If we didn't I never could have communicated to you while still in the zoo."
"Come on, let's head back to the living room and get to know each other better. Maybe think about this as a first date."
"Okay, I'd like that."
Dean and Cas sat and talked for hours until the grumbling of their stomachs prompted them to order pizza and then they talked for hours more. The clock struck midnight and they still found that they had much more to say about the various things they had in common.
Cas started to yawn, "Wow," Dean said, "I didn't realize it was getting so late. You must be exhausted after the day you've had. I really should have been more considerate."
"It's fine, Dean. This whole evening has been great. Better than what I had expected. But perhaps you're right and we should turn in for the evening."
Dean took him by the hand and led him to his bedroom.
"Dean? I thought you wanted me to sleep in the other room."
"I figured that for your first night in a new place we could share the bed and cuddle and then play it by ear."
Cas never did sleep in the room across the hall. His place was always by Dean's side.
Dean did remember to thank his brother for prompting him to go to the zoo that fateful day. It was a trip that changed both his and Cas' lives forever.