In Dean's mind everything was perfect. He considered his current state of mind 'a happy life'. Sam was alive, Bobby was in heaven now, Kevin was doing better, and Castiel was okay- as far as he knew. What more could he ask for? He smiled happily as he glanced over at his brother who was asleep in the passenger's seat. Most importantly, Sammy was here by his side. His brother was his life and that's all that mattered, that's all that kept him going.

Of course the pending situation of Ezekiel being inside of Sam was inevitably going to become an issue but for once he didn't worry about the future problems. He would stay focused on the here-and-now because being a Winchester alone made life difficult, he didn't want to add to it. He'd enjoy the time they had because in the end, that's all a hunter could do.

Hours later they arrived at the bunker and he woke Sam up. Garth already assured that Kevin was safely in the bunker so they were ready to see a relaxed Kevin. Sam forced himself out if the impala and looked at Dean when he leaned against the car. "You okay?" He asked.

Dean just nodded, of course he was okay. "Yeah, why?"

"You're smiling really hard."

"I've got a lot to smile about, Sammy. You head on inside; I'll take care of Crowley, okay?"

Sam nodded with no objections. He really wanted to shower and eat something it had been a long week. "Alright, call me if you need me." With a bright smile he headed to the door and knocked since Kevin still had the key to the bunker.

Dean on the other hand just stared up at the star filled sky. He couldn't believe how far they had come since they reunited 9 years ago. It was sad to think about how simple things were in the beginning, when it was just demons and Wendigos. Where did that life go? Regardless, his heart felt light and his mind was clear. He couldn't remember the last time he felt like that.

"I just need you now, Cas." He said softly before tearing his gaze from the stars. "Then I truly will be satisfied."

He rubbed his face tiredly and moved around to the trunk to get his 'junk' out of there. "How was your alone time, Crowley?" Dean teased.

Crowley glared.

"The silent treatment? That's cool; I can dig some silence anyway." He reached down and yanked Crowley out of the trunk. "Don't worry though, you can have all of the alone time that you want in your new suite."

It didn't take Dean long to lock Crowley up in the dungeon. Those handcuffs with the symbols carved into them were pretty darn handy. He wondered why they hadn't thought of it before.

When they all were settled in, Kevin approached him and Dean instinctively opened his arms and hugged him tightly. "Kev, it's good to see you, you know like, not at breaking point and possibly suicidal." He said with a warm smile. He knew reading those tablets nearly killed Kevin and he wasn't sure he expressed his gratitude to the kid. "I'm glad you're okay, kid. I couldn't handle losing another family member."

"It's g-good to see you too, Dean." He choked out. Holding back his tears seemed less achievable the more Dean spoke.

Sam sat at the center table and watched. It was strange seeing Dean like that. He couldn't remember the last time witnessing it. He wouldn't complain though. The trials were over, Dean and Castiel were alive and so was Kevin. He understood why Dean was smiling. Still, he couldn't quite put his finger on it but something felt different, in a good way.

About six months had passed and still no word from Castiel. Dean tried not to worry about it but his mind always went back to wondering if Castiel was okay. They spent months searching for him but someone was very skilled at keeping a low profile. To distract himself for at least one day he decided to work on the impala. It had been a while since he had worked under the hood.

Perhaps three hours of modification was enough though. Dean didn't realize how much time had actually passed but they had nothing to do so he wasn't worried about time management.

"Shit." He cursed under his breath as he nicked his finger on something. Yeah, that was a sign that he needed a break.

"Hello, Dean." A deep gravelly voice echoed over the wind.

Dean's eyes widened in disbelief, that couldn't be who he thought it was. "Cas?" He wiped the grease from his hands before moving from in front of the car to follow the direction of the voice. Just like he thought, there was Castiel standing there behind the impala.

"My apologies for taking so long, I ran into a few- complications." With those last words, the formal angel collapsed.

"CAS!" He rushed over to his friend and held him close. "Stay with me Cas, you have to hang in there, do you hear me?!"

Castiel was in really bad shape. He was drenched in blood and there was a fresh deep wound on his stomach. He lost a lot of blood but managed to hang on until he reached the bunker.

"SAMMY! SAM." He yelled as he carried Castiel through the door.

"Dean, what's wrong-" he paused when he saw Castiel in his brother's arms. "What the hell happened?"

"I don't know. He just showed up bleeding. I'm guessing the angels got to him but we gotta help him, Sammy." He looked at Sam and narrowed his eyes. "We have to fix him. Do you understand me? He can't die. He can't."

"Dean I—"

Dean was getting upset because he couldn't get Ezekiel to show himself. He glanced down at Castiel in his arms. "Hang in there, buddy. I need you, do you understand me? I need you, Cas." He grabbed his face and shook him lightly. "I just got you back and I ain't gonna lose you like this. Not now, not ever. I love you, Cas." He looked back up at Sam. "Fix him damn it!"

Sam's eyes glowed blue and his posture changed. "Very well." He reached down and placed his hand on Castiel's head and the injuries began to heal- well, only the major injuries. Ezekiel couldn't completely heal him since most of his strength went to keeping Sam up and running.

Dean waited a few moments and nothing happened. "Open your eyes, Cas. Come on."

"My hearts bleeds when I see you weep for me, Dean." The formal angel groaned eyes half-lidded.

Dean smiled while the tears in his eyes stained his cheeks. Castiel was alive. He wrapped his arms around him and held him close. "Damn it, Cas. You can't do that, man. You just can't."

"Dean, is Cas okay?" Sam asked.

Dean glanced up at his brother and nodded. "Yeah, he just uh- he needs some rest. I'll take him to the room."

"You need any help?"

"Nah, I got it."

Dean took Castiel to his bedroom and stayed by his side until he woke up a few hours later. He heard a groan then a cough before the covers began to shift. "Cas?"

"Dean," he whispered because of the soreness in his throat. He wasn't sure what was happening but it was most likely a cold. He had gotten caught in the rain more than he cared to in the last six months.

"H-hey, Cas." His tried to mask his anxious feeling but curiosity took over. "Where the hell have you been?"

"You are upset." He stated calmly, exhaustion was clear in his tone though. When was the last time that he actually rested in a warm soft bed? He sat up and felt dirty from the way his shirt was sticking to his chest. It was a mixture of blood and sweat. Reaching for the ends of his hoodie he pulled it over his head, wincing at the way his unhealed wounds throbbed. He soon remembered the last wound he acquired. His hand drifted down to his abdomen and his eyes squinted. "Dean, I was stabbed."

"You sure?"

"Yes. I lost a lot of blood."

"I didn't see a wound there, just uh a few cuts and bruises." He tried not to stare too hard but Castiel had definitely changed. He was more defined and toned compared to before. Then again, the guy was stripping and covered in blood and bruises which did something to Dean. He shook his head and tried to focus. Castiel not only lost his grace, but he was human now and that was finally sinking in for Dean. He could only imagine what was going on in Cas' head. Those cuts wouldn't just heal up in seconds like before. There was a process now. "Talk to me."

Castiel stared down at his shaking hands and shrugged. "I was in Idaho for a while before making my way towards Kansas. My brothers and sisters were close on my trail so I had to keep moving and divert them in a different location away from me."

"How ya feelin', man?" He asked.

"I do not know Dean. I'm alive is that not the point?" He answered. He was feeling more fragile than ever.

"Okay, c'mere." Dean ran his fingers through his hair before pulling his friend into his arms. He hugged him closely even though he wasn't sure how Castiel would react. This wasn't like before, things had changed and so had he. "I'm sure you could use a hug, buddy."

Castiel said nothing else; he just immediately pressed close and melted into Dean's embrace. It had been a while since he had any human contact so Dean's touch affected him more than it should have.

Dean rested his hand on the back of his friend's neck and held him for what seemed like ages. "I'm sorry we didn't find you, Cas."

Cas remained quiet. It wasn't their fault that they couldn't find him, he didn't want to be found but he didn't have it in him to reveal that to Dean. He wanted to get stronger on his own, he wanted to make sure that when he returned to the Winchesters that he could hold his own as a human. The last thing he wanted was to put Sam and Dean in danger because the angels were after him.

Trying to block those thoughts he gripped at Dean's shirt and buried his face in the Winchester's neck. There was still another situation that Castiel wanted to address. It was beginning to possess his every thought. He heard what Dean said to him, he heard him say,

I love you, Cas.