Supernatural © the CW. Not mine, obviously.

An: This is a complete AU of season 4. Spoilers for all episodes. Basically, there's a longer gap between episode one and episode two of season 4 where Dean learns about Ruby and Sam meets Cas. The rest of the changes you'll have to read to find out.

ch 1

"Dean."

He doesn't want to look. He knows who's standing by the door of the sleazy motel room, and quite frankly, he doesn't want to talk. He's still laying face-down on his bed, back and arms bruised and bloody from their last hunt. He hurts in more ways than one. So he doesn't move.

There's a sigh, and the bed dips slightly as Castiel sits down next to him. He's close enough that Dean can feel the warmth from his body. /Dean./ the angel speaks again, and this time the words appear inside Dean's mind.

/I really don't want to talk right now./ Dean grumbles. His face is buried in the pillow.

Castiel's hand barely ghosts over Dean's back. /You haven't cleaned your wounds./

/Can't reach 'em./ Dean grunts. /Sam's gone./

/With Ruby./

Dean can't bring himself to respond. He doesn't want to think about what that means. He can't bring his mind to even touch on why his brother left when it was clear Dean is still injured. He wants to cry, but the tears won't come. So he just lays there and tries not to let the pillow suffocate him.

Foreign anger drifts across the back of his mind before Castiel regains control. /I can heal it./ the angel offers.

Dean doesn't even twitch. /Don't bother. It'll be fine by morning./ he mutters. Castiel doesn't make it a habit to randomly heal Dean unless it's life-threatening, and Dean doesn't want him to start now. He's used to scars.

/May I at least clean them?/ Castiel moves from the bed. Dean can hear him digging around in his duffel bag for the first aid kit they always keep on hand. He doesn't immediately return to the bed and set to work. He's waiting for Dean to give permission.

The hunter barely nods. /Sure./ he whispers, and even his mental voice is raspy with pain and betrayal. Castiel resumes his position on the bed and rips the remains of Dean's shirt with ease. Cold peroxide hits the open wounds, and Dean bites his lip hard enough to draw blood. His shoulders tense, and he forces himself to relax.

Castiel knows his charge is in pain. The nature of their unexpected link won't allow for lies. He says nothing as he continues to clean the gashes with peroxide-soaked cotton balls. It would be easier and less painful just to heal Dean's back, but the hunter won't allow it, and Castiel will not go against his wishes. He merely keeps his motions smooth and quick to keep the torment as short as possible.

He's in the process of taping gauze patches to the wounds when Dean speaks again. /I can't sense him./

Castiel doesn't have to ask. They've had this conversation before. /I know./

/What's keeping him from me?/

The angel sighs and pulls a blanket over Dean to protect his back. The hunter immediately shrugs it away, wincing in the process. Castiel doesn't try again. /I wish I knew, Dean./ In the six months since he pulled Dean out of Hell, he already knows the man almost as well as he knows Uriel. He thinks he's starting to care for the hunter, although with his limited experience with humans, he's not sure. Considering the telepathic bond he now shares with Dean, it could just be the human's emotions filtering back to him.

Dean sighs. He tries to sit up, ignoring the searing pain in his arms and shoulders. Castiel frowns and presses his hand against Dean's neck, holding him down. /You need to rest, Dean./ hey says. Dean shakes his head.

/I need to find Sam./

Castiel grits his teeth. He blames that habit on Dean. /Sam will come back. He always does./ he reminds the younger man. Dean simply shakes his head the best he can still pressed into the pillow. Castiel doesn't let him up. /You are in no condition to drive./

/I have to find Sammy!/

/I will find Sam./ The offer comes out before Castiel can actually think about it. Dean stops struggling and simply tilts his head enough that he can see the angel. When he speaks, his voice is raspy.

"You'll find him?"

"And bring him back. You have my word."

Dean sighs and relaxes almost instantly. "Please." he whispers. "Please bring him back."

Castiel nods. "Rest." he murmurs, and vanishes from sight. Dean simply stares at the place where the angel sat. Then he buries his face in the pillow again and closes his eyes.

/-/

Sam is a full zip code away from Dean, just exiting the motel room he's sharing with Ruby for the night. He's not expecting the sound of feathered wings. He turns, coming almost nose-to-nose with Castiel. He jumps and curses. "Dean's right – you gotta stop – "

"Why are you here?" Castiel demands.

Sam doesn't know how to answer that. "Did Dean put you up to this?" he shoots back, and instantly he knows that's the wrong thing to say. Castiel's entire expression hardens, making him look more like the soldier he's supposed to be.

"Dean is still injured." Castiel says flatly. "The werewolf clawed his back before you killed it. Were you even aware he was in pain as he drove you to the motel?" Sam doesn't respond. He can't read Castiel the same way Dean can – he knows Castiel is angry, maybe even rightly so – but he can't figure out what the angel's endgame is. Castiel stares at him a moment longer, as if trying to force Sam to understand.

"I'm not a mind reader, Castiel."

Castiel's lip curls in a faint sneer. "You used to be." he says quietly, his voice dull. "There used to be a time when you would have killed me for taking what's rightfully yours. You would have – "

"What the hell are you talking about?" Sam explodes. "Don't pretend like you know me, Castiel. Don't pretend like you know or even care about what happened to me while Dean was gone." He almost chokes on the word. "You can't possibly understand that."

"You truly don't get it, do you?" Castiel murmurs. Sam opens his mouth to retort – perhaps to ask his original question, since the angel seems to have an aversion to giving a straight answer – but Castiel touches his forehead, and he's back in the motel room he and Dean rented.

His first reaction is to curse loudly – Sam doesn't want to be here, he wants to be with Ruby! She is training him! – but then he catches sight of Dean. He's not wearing his shirt, and Sam can clearly see the pink-tinted bandages on his back. Dean shivers slightly before settling down into sleep again.

Did Castiel bandage Dean's wounds? Sam's fists clench at the thought. That has been Sam's job for as long as they've been hunting together. Still, he doesn't approach Dean's bed. He merely gets comfortable on the spare and falls asleep.

Castiel returns an hour later.

When Dean wakes, he'll tell himself that is was Sam who placed the blanket over him when Cas brought him back. Sam will just nod when Dean thanks him. Both will know the truth. Neither will acknowledge it.

Later, when Sam is in the shower and Dean is packing, he'll whisper a 'thank you' to the heavens and pray that Cas can hear him.

/-/

AN: Yeah, sorry about Sam in this one. I love Sammy to death, but he was acting like a jerk in the beginning of Season 4.

Confused yet? Keep reading – it'll start to make sense later.