Prologue
Dean thrashed around as he heard the angel's cries of agony. This is all my fault. I should've listened to him, dammit. Now, Crowley had captured ten angels, and for each time Dean didn't answer his question, he tortured one. He had already killed nine of the angels, and if Dean had known that he had been captured too, he would've spilled everything. Another loud cry swooped over the room, and Dean wished he could cover his ears. It was filled with so much pain. Dean zipped up his duffel bag and slung it over his shoulder, ready to be out of this place.
"Dean!"
Dean winced and ran to the window, as he heard the angel scream for his help. Mounting onto the window sill, Dean looked down at the ground.
"Dean...!"
This time the cry was much more hoarse, much more vulnerable, and with much more pain. Dean knew he should try to save him, but Crowley was with him. And with a watered down angel, he couldn't fight a demon alone. Dean turned back, and although he knew the angel couldn't hear him, and a simple 'sorry' wouldn't fix anything in the world, he said it.
"I'm sorry Cas..."
Then, the Winchester turned and dropped silently into the darkness.
One
"What do you mean you left Cas with Crowley?!"
The Winchesters sat in their Impala, eating, as Dean filled him in on what happened last night.
"Sammy," Dean warned. "Not now."
"Oh, no. You're not 'not now'-ing me. What the hell was going on through your mind?!" Sam set his hamburger down, and faced Dean entirely. "Why would you leave Cas to be tortured?"
Dean could tell Sam was actually furious, which made Dean scowl.
"I didn't have a choice, Sam!" Dean said loudly. "There was no time left."
"No time le-?! You honestly think I'm buying that?!" The younger Winchester looked just about ready to punch his brother in the face. "Since when do we notice that there is no time left, and not make time for it?!"
Dean kept silent.
"Dean. You left a friend behind, you left a person that was like family."Sam glared at the eldest Winchester. "How many times has Cas saved our ass? More times that you could ever count. Even when he was having problems in Heaven, even when he was working with Crowley! And when it's our turn to save him we say 'sorry' and turn our backs on him?!"
Dean rubbed his palms onto his face, frustration burning in his throat.
"Fine. I was too scared. I was scared of facing a demon alone with an angel helplessly watching! I was scared that if I didn't make it, I would have let you and Cas down. So I didn't risk it." Dean looked everywhere except Sam's face.
"We need to go find him Dean." Sam said simply.
"No need for that boys."
Both Winchesters jumped visibly at the new voice, Dean banging his head on the roof of the Impala, which was nowhere near a public place.
"Crowley..." Dean heard Sam say in distaste.
"Moose."
"That mother..." Dean shoved the car door open, ready to punch Crowley's face, when he noticed he wasn't alone. "Cas..."
The bloody angel was leaning entirely onto Crowley, his arm around Crowley's neck, and Crowley's left arm around his waist. His head dangled, and Cas slowly raised his head, opening one eye. Dean noticed the other one was a bad shade of purple and swollen.
"Dean..." Cas said simply, and he suddenly dropped. Crowley picked him up with ease, bridal style, as if things like that happened every day.
"Cas!" Dean surged forward, Sam hot on his heels, but Crowley shook his head.
"That's close enough, Winchesters." Crowley glared at the boys, and Dean felt the white-hot rage in his mouth again.
"I came to make a deal with you..." Crowley drawled lazily, and Cas's eyes fluttered open.
"Crowley?" Cas said softly, and Crowley looked down at Cas, all boredom in his eyes gone and replaced with something Dean couldn't understand.
"Yeah, Cas?" Crowley searched Cas's eyes.
"Can you put me down?" Cas coughed, and Dean noticed the blood splatter onto his cheek and clothes.
"Yeah, yeah." Crowley placed Castiel's feet down onto the ground, pulling Cas's right arm over his neck, and his left arm supporting him.
"Dean?!" Cas said in bewilderment when he saw the two guys.
"Cas!" Dean surged forward, and this time, managed to pull Cas away from Crowley.
"Sam!" Cas's voice even cracked in relief, but then changed. "Where have you been?"
Dean shot a warning look at his younger brother. "Looking for you Cas."
"But, Dean, you knew where I was." Cas frowned.
"Cas-"
"Why didn't you come for me?" Cas scowled.
"It's complicated Cas-" Sam walked forward.
"Stop lying to me." The angel said softly.
"We're not ly-"
"Yes, you are!" Cas took a step back.
"Cas!" Dean grabbed the angel's wrist, pulling him towards them. "Calm down! We can explain!"
The angel sagged, defeated, and he leaned forward, his eyes fluttering shut.
"Hey. Hey, Cas!" Dean caught Cas just in time, his arms wrapping around Cas's waist.
"He can only stand for a few minutes. It happened after I snapped his rib in two." Crowley commented ever so carelessly.
"What?!" Sam ran forward, hands outstretched, but he stumbled and fell, Crowley gone.
"Damn bastard." Dean growled, Cas 'mmm'-ing in agreement. Dean tried not to notice how perfectly well Cas fit along Dean, Cas's face fitting into Dean's neck.
"We should go." Sam looked around. "Nobody should see us with a bloody person - er, angel- and much less with a knife in hand."
Dean nodded, and lifted Cas up. Cas groaned softly in pain, and Dean winced.
"Sorry." Dean opened the passenger door of Baby, and laid Cas down.
"I drive, you sit with Cas in the back and make sure he's okay." Sam ordered Dean.
"What?" Dean scowled.
"Something wrong?" Sam asked, sass in his tone.
"Uh, yeah. Why do I have to take care of the angel?" Dean knew he was being childish.
"Really, Dean? Just get in the damn car and take care of the damn angel." Sam got in the Impala, and Dean tried to hide his annoyance.
"Fine. I'll get in the damn car and take car of the damn angel." Dean slide into the car, trying to sit comfortably without hurting Cas, but he soon grew frustrated and annoyed and simply lifted Cas's head into his lap.
"How's he doing?" Sam asked after a few hours of driving.
Dean glanced down at the angel. "Bad."
"I know that. How bad is he doing, is what I'm asking." Sam said slowly.
"On a scale of one to ten, probably an eight or nine." Dean brushed Cas's hair back subconsciously.
"That's not good at all." Sam commented.
"Ya think?!" Dean rolled his eyes.
"At least I didn't leave him there to be hurt." Sam narrowed his eyes at the road in front of him.
Dean couldn't think of anything to say, so under his breath, he muttered. "Bitch."
"Jerk."
Dean closed his eyes in annoyance.