Written for the Great Blind Sassy Exchange 2012. Sherlock AU. Castiel is Sherlock and Sam is John.

"You're in exactly the same position you were when I left you."

Castiel glanced up at the doorway where Sam was standing, looking at him with an amused if not incredulous expression on his face.

"I've been pondering," Cas replied dismissively as Sam dropped handfuls of grocery bags in the doorway of the kitchen.

"Haven't eaten then, I take it." It wasn't a question. Cas did this when he had an especially difficult problem to solve. Sometimes it would be days before his body would become run down enough to remind him he hadn't given it any nourishment, and once or twice Cas had been knocked unconscious by this overexertion. Sam generally tried to intervene before that happened.

"I'll eat when my puzzle is solved," Cas mumbled. "I can't seem to fathom this one out."

"Must be puzzling then," Sam commented as he pulled a few vegetables out of a bag and rummaged around the kitchen drawers for a vegetable peeler. "This puzzle of yours."

Cas broke his deep train of thought long enough to quirk an eyebrow in Sam's general direction.

"There's the famous Winchester logic. Speaking of which, how is Dean doing?"

Sam's hands tensed around the cucumber he was holding but he kept his face carefully expressionless.

"I didn't say anything about seeing Dean."

Castiel's shoulders relaxed as he discarded his mental query and focused on his roommate. He took in the careful focus in Sam's eyes, more focus than was needed to make a salad. Obviously Sam was trying to avoid being deduced, and that just made everything more interesting.

"You have a spot of hamburger grease on your jeans. You never eat burgers unless you're with him." Cas cocked his head to the side curiously. "You didn't want me to know."

Sam grimaced. "I don't care if you know."

"But you don't want to talk about it."

"Not particularly, no."

"Is he drinking again?"

Sam threw the vegetable peeler down and clutched white knuckled at the counter. He did not want to talk about Dean. He didn't really feel like being deduced right now. The outburst seemed to be enough for Cas to draw his conclusions, and he tilted his head in Sam's general direction like he wished to say something but had no idea what might be appropriate.

Luckily, Sam's phone rang just then, saving him the trouble. Sam glanced at the caller ID briefly before answering.

"Yeah," he muttered into the small device. "Yeah ok. Be there in ten." He hung up and turned to Cas. "Bobby has a case for you."

"For us," Cas corrected. He glanced at the counter. "Would you like to finish your salad first?"

"No," Sam sighed with a forlorn look at his abandoned project. "It sounded urgent, and he wants us to meet him at the station. We should probably get moving. Promise me you'll eat something soon?"

"Of course," Cas muttered dismissively, and Sam didn't bother arguing with him.

Bobby Singer had a reputation for being the most calm and collected police chief in the better part of Kansas. He ran his unit mostly with a series of annoyed looks and sarcastic remarks, but that was enough. Everybody respected him enough to stay on his good side, and everyone knew his word was law. Bobby never had to work very hard to keep order.

So when he ushered Cas and Sam into his office, looking uncharacteristically harried, both of them were put on the alert at once.

"I've got a problem boys." Bobby was wringing his hands together anxiously, and Cas perked up despite the warning look Sam was giving him.

"What's happened?" Cas asked with intrigue.

"The state troopers came yesterday and arrested Anna. They think she's mixed up in some business with a man being shot."

"Anna shot someone?" Sam asked incredulously. Cas snorted.

"Well it was just a matter of time. Ow," he added when Sam stepped on his foot.

"Anna didn't shoot anyone," Bobby growled. "That girl in the best second-in-command a man could ask for. She's a good officer. She's been wrongly accused I know she has. You two need to prove it."

"This isn't my kind of case," Castiel said boredly. "There's nothing in it for me. I have no desire to help Anna, and there's no puzzle of interest here. Get a private investigator if her freedom is so important to you."

"I don't want some uppity PI," Bobby insisted. "I want the best, and the best isyou. I'm asking you as a friend." When Cas didn't respond, Bobby changed tactics, and turned to address the heart of the pair instead of arguing with the head. "Sam, please."

"I think we should help," Sam said quietly. Cas just grimaced.

"Hear me out," Bobby pleaded. "A car was pulled over on the side of the highway, so Anna pulled over behind to investigate. As she was approaching a shot rang out and hit the guy right between the eyes. From the trajectory, the shot had to have come from the road, but Anna said the flow of traffic never changed, she didn't see anyone slow down to shoot or speed up to get away. So this guy had to be enough of a crack shot to make that hit from a car going sixty down the highway."

"Army training perhaps," Cas commented despite himself, and Sam shifted beside him uncomfortably.

"That's nothing I was ever taught," he murmured. "Maybe if he was shooting from a machine gun, but…"

"The bullet came from a .38," Bobby went on. "One bullet, one shot."

"So do ballistics, maybe the gun is registered."

"We did, and it is." Bobby swallowed hard and looked Cas square in the eye.

Cas tilted his head condescendingly at the police chief. "Bobby I know you're fond of her but - "

"Anna did not do this!" Bobby yelled. "She didn't. Put yourself in my place Cas, she's part of my team, I can't just leave her twisting here."

Bobby met Sam's eyes, and Sam shook his head slowly. Empathy was not going to be the way to get Cas to help. Bobby sank into his chair, defeated, and Sam gave him a pitying look before smirking and leaning down close and letting his breath tickle Cas' ear for a moment before whispering:

"Unless of course you think you can't figure this one out. If that's the problem here just say so and we can be on our way. It does seem like a tricky case, I understand if you aren't up to the challenge."

Cas turned, his mouth fixed in a firm line as he glared at Sam.

"Don't be ridiculous."

"Then what are we waiting for?"

Cas looked from Sam's smug expression to Bobby's desperate one, and finally let out an exasperated groan.

"Well I suppose I can at least take a look at the crime scene."

Cas insisted Bobby and Sam stay out of his way as he investigated the blood-soaked sedan, so they obediently stood off to the side, watching the traffic while he worked.

"I've never met anyone who could make a shot that accurate from those speeds," Sam commented as a car whizzed by. "And I've bet my life on the aim of quite a few people. I've seen the best."

"It's the only way it could've happened," said Bobby.

"Unless Anna stood on the side of the road and shot him herself," Sam said cautiously.

"That's what the prosecution will argue, yes."

"Did Anna ever report her gun stolen?"

"Not until after the fact. They asked her where it was and she directed them to a safe in her bedroom. When they didn't find it there she said someone must have taken it."

"From her bedroom?"

Bobby looked up at Sam and caught something resembling pity in the younger man's eyes. "I know you think I'm crazy. But Anna is like a daughter to me and I would know if she were capable of something like this. She's not."

"Bobby - "

"She's not, Sam."

"This car was rented," Cas announced as he rejoined the group. Bobby nodded his confirmation. "When?"

"The stiff rented it about two hours before he died."

Cas nodded. "The ashtray is full, there's at least an entire pack's worth of cigarette butts in it. And there's one water bottle in the cup holder between the seats. This man was alone, and he was stressed. I think he knew he was going to die, and he sat here waiting for it to happen."

"Waiting for Anna, you mean?" Bobby asked.

Cas nodded. "This was a trap."

Sam smiled warmly at him. "You sound almost disappointed."

"What's going on here?"

They turned and saw an older man in a well tailored suit walking towards them. His eyes were fixed on Cas and everything about him read as aggression. Sam automatically placed himself between Cas and the stranger, and when he reached them the man turned to focus his attention on Bobby.

"Singer, you can't have civilians at a crime scene."

"Hi, how ya doing? Captain Sam Winchester," Sam smiled tightly at him and offered a hand in greeting. "And you are?"

"Uriel, I'm Anna Milton's attorney." Uriel took Sam's hand and shook it a tad too strongly. "And all due respect but that does not change the fact that you are not supposed to be here."

"They're with me," Bobby cut in harshly. "Cas here is a consultant I call in on more difficult cases. I trust his judgement more than anybody's."

"Your trust is not admissible in a court of law. I told you to let my people handle this."

Bobby puffed out his chest defiantly, and Sam and Cas could feel the distaste emulating off him. "Your people have been sitting on their thumbs while my deputy rots in a cell. Sorry but we aren't that passive around these parts."

Uriel turned away from Bobby and smiled cordially at Castiel. "Thank you for your assistance boys, but your services will no longer be needed."

Cas' gaze flicked down Uriel and then back up again, before he nodded once in agreement. Sam opened his mouth to protest, but Cas grabbed him by the crook of the elbow and started to lead him away.

"We have other business to attend to anyway," said Cas. "Bobby, call me if you need anything else."

Bobby nodded, and a long gaze passed between him and Cas that Sam did not quite understand, he only knew that it made him nervous. Before he had time to dwell on it, he found himself being guided away from the scene and back towards the car. As they walked away the sound of Uriel raising his voice to Bobby travelled with them, and if it weren't for the insistently tight grip Cas had on his arm, Sam would've gone back and bloodied Uriel's pretty face.

"I didn't realize this was the business we had to attend to." Sam punctuated the comment with a moan as Cas sunk his teeth into the curve of his neck.

Cas soothed the bite with his tongue and grinned. "You know what it does to me when you get so serious, Captain."

"I don't like being called a civilian," Sam murmured. He brought a hand up to twist in Cas' hair. "I also don't like that Uriel guy."

"Yes, he was troubling."

"Do you think he's involved?" Sam asked as he planted kisses along the line of Cas' jaw.

"Undoubtedly."

"Did he set the trap for Anna?"

With a small smile Cas ran his hand down the large expanse of Sam's back and placed an affectionate kiss on his shoulder. "The trap was not for Anna."

"Who was it for then?"

In a surprising display of strength for his size, Cas pushed Sam easily down on the bed and covered his mouth with his own. An appreciative noise in the back of Sam's throat and Cas slid his tongue over Sam's lower lip and teeth. Sam's tongue battled back, and his strong hands came to rest on the back on Cas' neck and the curve of his spine, holding him close. They rocked together like this for a long moment, both flushing with the heat of close contact, until finally Sam pulled back and looked up at Cas with dark, lust addled eyes.

"What aren't you telling me?"

"Later," Cas promised. Sam looked like he wanted to argue, but then Cas was kissing down his chest, tongue flicking out to trace the outline of his abs as he went lower, and soon Sam was happy to forget what it was they had even been discussing.

"Cas."

Sam woke up to the sound of Cas talking on the phone. When he looked, the other man was sitting on the edge of the bed with his back to him, one hand holding the phone to his ear and the other wound tightly in his own hair.

"Yes I understand." Cas' tone was grave, and Sam was instantly awake and alert. "Listen to me Bobby, do not get involved. They don't want you. This could be dangerous, let me and Sam handle it."

"Cas?" Sam asked cautiously, but if Cas heard him he didn't make any indication.

"I promise I will bring her back to you safely if you promise not to do anything rash…yes…yes…thank you. I will talk to you soon."

Cas hung up the phone, visibly shaken. Sam automatically moved forward and wrapped his arms around Castiel's smaller torso.

"What's happened?"

"Anna was taken from the jail cells last night. There's no trace of her."

"Uriel?" Cas nodded. "All right, I think it's time you told me what's going on."

Cas sighed and leaned his head back on Sam's shoulder. "Uriel was the shooter. Anna has aspirations beyond being Bobby's deputy, I wouldn't be surprised if her and Uriel are friends, he's the kind of man who could further her career. If he were ever in her house it would be simple enough to sneak upstairs and take the gun from her safe, I doubt it has a whole lot security on it, people feel things are secure in their own bedrooms. He also had access to the police rotations, he knew she would be in the area that night, he knew if there was a car in apparent distress she would be the one to stop and help. He set her up to take the fall."

"That just means he organized it," Sam pointed out. "Not that he pulled the trigger."

"He wasn't impressed when you mentioned your rank, most people are. Maybe he's just arrogant, but it's more likely that he's ex-military and held a rank higher than yours. No I'm certain he pulled the trigger. He looked at me at the crime scene like he knew who I was and why I was there before we'd been introduced."

"Ok," Sam said nodding slowly. "I still don't understand why though."

"He was acting for someone else. It's not easy to get a man to agree to sit in a car and wait to get shot. Someone powerful is behind this, someone who knew that attacking Bobby's unit would ensure I got involved. Someone with a flair for the dramatic."

"Your brother?" Sam asked, and Cas actually smiled.

"I think Gabriel would only shoot someone to get my attention if it was my birthday. No, this is business."

"Oh," Sam said with quiet realization. Cas picked up his phone and started to text.

I don't want to play your game. Let her go. - C

I don't want to let her go. Play my game. - R

Where? - C

Cas' phone dinged once more, and the boys exchanged a look before getting up to find their clothes.

Cas walked ahead as they entered the parking garage of the Lawrence Memorial Hospital, but Sam was close behind, one hand resting on the holster of his gun, his train eyes scanning every inch of space, looking for any kind of trap. He didn't expect to find one though. This was a showdown.

"She didn't think you'd come, you know," a voice rang out. Sam and Cas turned quickly in the direction of the sound, and saw the face they'd expected to see. Raphael, or as Cas liked to call him, the consulting criminal. The only one in the world. Sam liked to call him Cas' archenemy - he hadn't liked the term originally, when Gabriel tried to claim it, but something about Raphael just made it fit.

"She said you didn't care enough about her, she said she was a poor choice in bait." Raphael was standing behind a chair with his hands folded behind his back, and in the chair sat Anna Milton, hair pulled tightly back from her face and a white cloth tied across her mouth. She was looking at Cas like she could hardly believe he was real.

"I don't care about her," Cas confirmed, and Anna narrowed her eyes.

"Yet here you are," Raphael pointed out.

"If I didn't come Bobby would have."

"Yes," Raphael said thoughtfully. "And I would have shot him. Shame, that might have been fun."

Anna's eyes widened and she looked at Cas again, her expression resembling something like gratitude. Sam didn't think Cas noticed that, but he filed it away for later, thinking Cas might get a kick out of the idea that Anna was grateful to him for something.

"You need to choose better friends, Anna," Cas commented. Raphael chuckled.

"Did you like Uriel? Army colonel. Brilliant guy. He was experimenting with different methods of controlling bullets in high velocity winds." Raphael grinned. "He's not experimenting with anything any longer."

"Why am I here, Raphael?"

"I wanted to chat, it was the only way to get you to talk to me," Raphael smirked, and brought his hands forward. Sam saw for the first time that he was holding a gun, and he ran it gently down the side of Anna's face in a kind of caress.

"Sam," Raphel said softly. He suddenly pressed the barrel of the gun into Anna's temple and clicked the hammer. "Throw me your gun now or she dies."

Anna squeezed her eyes closed and started trembling as Sam slowly pulled his gun out of its holster, dropped it, and kicked it over to Raphael.

"There," Raphael said happily. He put the safety back in place and pulled the gun back as Anna started panting with relief. "Now we can all just talk as friends."

"If you want to kill me there are easier ways," Cas said coldly.

"Easier, yes," Raphael agreed. "But not nearly as fun. However I have no intention of killing you today. You will walk out of here, you will even get to take the girl with you. But you will never solve another case again. You will never again interfere in my work."

"You think so?" Cas asked with an arched eyebrow.

"Anna are you ok?" a voice rang out from the entrance of the parking garage and footsteps ran towards them. Cas squeezed his eyes shut in horror.

"No no," he whispered. "You moron."

"You followed us?" Sam demanded as Bobby ran up to Anna and started untying her ropes. It didn't go beyond his notice that Raphael was letting him.

"Of course I did ya idjit." Bobby muttered. "I wasn't going to let you boys get yourselves killed without me."

"Well this does cut things short," Raphael said with a sigh. "The moment is gone, I won't be able to persuade you nicely."

"Like you ever could," Cas shot back. "Go on then, kill me, get it done with."

Raphael smiled and pointed his gun at Castiel. "You underestimate me, friend. This isn't business. That ass in the sedan, he was business. He was executed. But you and me Cas, this is personal, and you don't shoot someone in the head over personal matters."

The gun shifted its focus from Cas to Sam.

"You shoot them in the heart."

"No," Anna cried out. She jumped forward and swung her leg to catch Raphael in the back of the knee. He faltered, but not before a loud bang echoed throughout the empty garage.

"Sam!" Cas fell to his knees beside Sam and shoved his hands over the bleeding hole in Sam's chest.

"I'm ok," Sam tried to assure him. "I think he missed anything vital - or not." Sam's breathing was suddenly coming out in a wheeze, and Cas could see blood starting to bubble up in his mouth.

"Shit, shit, no," Cas looked over and saw Anna had her knee on Raphael's back and was putting him in cuffs. Bobby rushed over to help Cas and Sam.

"We need to get him inside," Cas said, his voice shaking violently. "Help me Bobby. Now."

It was hours before Sam got out of surgery, and even longer before anyone would let Cas see him. Night had fallen by the time he was allowed into the hospital room, and when he finally was his knees almost gave out from the sight. It was daunting, seeing this giant of a man laid out on a tiny bed with a respirator mask on his face, but what was even more overwhelming was that he was alive. Cas made his legs carry him the rest of the way to Sam, and he sat down on the edge of Sam's bed and smoothed his fingers through Sam's long hair. Sam was asleep now, but that was fine, Cas was content to watch his chest rise and fall, appreciating for the first time how truly wonderful it was that it could.

It was about twenty minutes later that Sam woke up with a start.

"Shh," Cas whispered, pushing lightly on Sam's shoulders to keep him from sitting up too fast. "Shh it's ok, you're safe now."

Sam pulled the respirator off his face with annoyance and looked up at Cas, wide-eyed.

"What happened?"

"The bullet hit your lung. You had to go into emergency surgery, but you'll be fine now. You have to stay in the hospital for a few days, but you'll live." Cas pushed the mask back against Sam's face, and Sam obediently took a few slow, calming breaths before he pushed it away to talk again.

"Raphael?"

"Anna arrested him, but I doubt he'll still be in jail come morning. He'll either bribe someone to drop the charges against him, or he'll just escape."

Sam nodded. "So Anna's ok? And Bobby?"

"They're fine. Anna probably saved your life," Cas admitted bitterly. Sam smiled.

"I might have lived anyway. It wasn't his best idea, was it? Shooting me outside a hospital?"

"There was a kind of symmetry to it," Cas explained slowly, trying not to let on how well he understood the criminal mastermind, even though he knew Sam was already aware of it. "He wanted to take you from me in the place we met."

Sam reached over and closed his hand around Castiel's.

"But he didn't, so you can stop looking so pale."

Cas tried to force a weak smile but failed. "Sam did I ever tell you what it was I was pondering about yesterday, before all this?" Sam shook his head. "I thought…well I was worried…that you lied to me about seeing Dean -"

"I didn't lie Cas I just wanted to keep something to myself for once," Sam interrupted grumpily.

"I was worried you kept it from me," Cas corrected with a frown. "Because you were planning on leaving. I thought maybe if he had really stopped drinking this time you would want to be with your family again."

Sam ran his thumb in circles on the back of Cas' hand. "And where did your deducing lead you?"

"Between that and what happened today, I have decided I would be very put out if you left me."

Sam half laughed, half coughed, and put up a hand to stop Cas from fussing over him as he took another few breaths off his respirator. "No, I'm fine. You're just adorable. Do you see the kind of situations you get yourself in Cas? I can't go anywhere even if I wanted to. You need too much looking after." He smiled and made sure Cas was looking him in the eye. "And for the record, I don't want to go anywhere either. Especially not with my brother." Sam made a face and Cas couldn't help but laugh.

"I'm going to get us something to eat, keep this on." Cas pulled the respirator band around Sam's head to hold the mask in place. "It's meant to help you. Take it easy, I'll be back."

Cas pressed a kiss to Sam's forehead and walked out to track down some dinner. He was numb with shock and happiness that Sam was awake, and was going to be all right, but somewhere deep inside his mind, another storm was starting to brew. The law was never going to have Raphael in its grasp long enough to make him pay for what he did to Sam. Cas though - Cas could make sure he paid. It wouldn't be fast, and it wouldn't be pretty. It would be perfect.