Even tools can say yes

He felt like a little boy that was getting reprimanded by an elder. Okay, he was actually getting reprimanded by an elder. The last time he had felt this way had been when he'd been called to the principal's office for stabbing Logan Miller's tires and his dad had been called in too. His dad had been pissed, but Logan had deserved it for being mean to Sammy. Period. This here now, however, felt ten times worse…

"So, just let me get this straight, Dean," Cas said in a way too calm voice that made Dean wonder if that guy could talk even deeper than his usual already-too-deep way of speaking. Obviously, Cas could. And had that angel ever been so scary before? "Sam is locked into the cage with Lucifer because he went to meet Crowley and Rowena alone. And you, Dean, met up with Amara. Also alone, because why, Dean, should anyone of you let me know what you were planning to do, knowing that I was the only one who knows the cage and has actually been in it. Mind to explain, Dean?"

Dean opened his mouth to reply but words wouldn't come out and he looked like a fish that was trying to breathe. "Well, if you put it that way…," he began and quickly closed his mouth again as Cas narrowed his eyes even further. Damn, he looked totally ready to smite the shit out of Dean right now. But why? "C'mon, Cas! Cut me some slack, man."

"Cut you some slack, Dean?" Cas asked and came slowly closer, eyes still narrowed and looking absolutely pissed at the world. "I cut you some slack," he said, making air quotes, "when you actually start telling me about what's going on here. Sam is locked in the cage with Lucifer, Dean!"

"I know, I know…"

"And you just go and meet Amara, Dean. Alone! She could have killed you!" Castiel seethed and stopped in front of the hunter who made a tentative step back.

"Look, Cas…"

"Don't look me, Dean!" the angel warned and right now he didn't give a fuck if he was in Dean's precious personal space or dancing right on top of the hunter's head. This was a serious situation.

Dean heaved a deep breath and raised a hand. "Okay, okay. What do you want me to say, huh? You were a mess, Cas. Remember the time you couldn't even leave the house?"

"Dean…," Cas warned, but Dean shook his head.

"No, Cas! You were a mess, so excuse me for wanting to be considerate of you and keeping you out of this fucking mess!" Dean snapped.

"You mean sidelining me again, Dean," Cas returned the favor and Dean could actually feel the air quotes again. He rolled his eyes.

"Yes, so that you get better!" Dean crossed his arms defensively and glared back at Cas. "What would you have done anyway, Cas? Look at you. You're a mess!"

This was the last straw for Cas and he leaped forward to push Dean back against the counter, their noses almost touching. "The mess pulled you out of hell. The mess rebelled and fell for you! The mess lost everything for you! The mess could have saved Sam!" Cas seethed and Dean gulped with a frown. "I'm sick of being treated like a helpless child and kept in the dark, Dean! I'm an angel and more powerful than you!" He stepped back and heaved a deep breath. "Tell me about Amara. What did she want?" he demanded, so Dean did. But Cas wasn't stupid and he immediately became suspicious as Dean began to fidget. "What else, Dean?"

Dean shrugged, eyes on the floor. "She, uhm… She tried to suck out my soul, but…"

Castiel squinted and tilted his head. "But what?"

"She couldn't."

"Of course she couldn't," the angel said and Dean raised his head in surprise and confusion.

"What?"

Cas rolled his eyes. "When an angel leaves a mark on a human, the human's soul is protected. So of course Amara couldn't claim your soul because it's already claimed," he explained matter-of-factly and squinted again as Dean simply stared at him in silence. "What?"

"So my soul is…," Dean began as it dawned on him. His eyes widened a bit. "Oh…" The handprint, of course. "So…my soul is…claimed?"

"Of course it is. I thought you knew," Cas said and looked confused because Dean didn't seem to know. "Didn't you know?"

"No. It would have been nice to tell me," the hunter replied, voice dripping with sarcasm. Both stared at the other in silence for a while before Castiel moved over to the entrance of the bunker. "Where're you going, Cas?!" Dean asked confused and heard the angel sighing in annoyance.

"To the cage. Maybe I can convince Lucifer to let Sam go."

Dean sprinted after him, grabbing the keys to Baby on his way. "You sure?"

Cas contemplated. Was he sure? It was Lucifer in the end. "No…," he sighed and headed for the impala.

It took dozen unanswered calls to Crowley, several fights against demons and finally a pissed off Cas that threatened one of Crowley's minions to smite him to hell and back, before they were told where the entrance was hidden. When Dean asked Cas why he didn't know, Cas simply replied that teleporting directly to the cage didn't include a road map and he couldn't teleport anymore anyway. Dean stopped trying to understand it and just let the angel be. So finally, Dean and Cas found themselves standing in front of the cage.

"Sammy?!" Dean called and leapt forward, but Cas held him back and went to the cage instead.

"Hello Lucifer," he said dryly and was greeted by a smirk.

"Castiel. I've been expecting you," Lucifer said and his eyes fell on Dean, who was glaring at him from further back. "And Dean. I'm sorry but Michael isn't here." He chuckled.

"Son of a bitch," the hunter growled and pushed Cas's arm out of the way as the angel wanted to hold him back. "Let Sammy go!"

Lucifer looked at him innocently, then turned to give Sam, who cowered in a corner, a look. "Why would I? My roomie and I have so much fun in here. Isn't that so, Sam?"

Castiel glared at his brother and stepped before Dean. "You need him to be your vessel, isn't that so? Because yours is deteriorating."

Lucifer smirked at him but nodded. "You're not looking so fresh either, Castiel. What happened? Humanity finally got the better of you?" he mocked and tilted his head with a snicker. "Well, happens when you love humans too much." His eyes flickered passed him to Dean. "Or a human. But yes, I need my true vessel. And you, as dear Sammy here told me, need my help against the Darkness."

"We don't need your help!" Dean barked and Castiel ignored him.

"Then take mine."

Dean froze and also Sam looked up in shock. The first very sure he had heard wrong, the latter shaking his head no. Lucifer though simply laughed and clapped his hands.

"That bad, huh? What happened? Your human doesn't love you back? Our brothers and sisters disowned you? Lost your place in the world?" he mocked and noticed how Castiel lowered his eyes. He grinned. "They did, didn't they? They disowned you and now you have nowhere to go. Hm…interesting."

Dean frowned and looked to and fro between them. What the hell was Lucifer talking about and why did Castiel look the way he did. What did he miss? "Is that true?" he asked and Cas refused to look at him.

"It doesn't matter…," the angel muttered.

"Cas…"

"It doesn't matter, Dean!" Castiel said in a voice that made it obvious he wouldn't discuss this any further. But he finally met Dean's gaze and the hunter was confused at what he saw in those blue pools. Anger, disappointment, rejection, sadness… A whole whirlwind of emotions. "And why would you care anyway…"

Dean was taken aback. "We're family, Cas… We…"

Cas snorted and the smirk was a sarcastic one. "Are we? I didn't notice lately," he said and turned back towards Lucifer. "My offer stands. You can take my vessel and Sam goes free."

"Cas, no!" Sam said and shook his head. "He tricked me! It wasn't God sending me those visions it was…"

"Lucifer," Cas nodded.

"Yeah." Sam nodded and got slowly up. "He wanted me to believe that we need him, but…"

"We do need him, Sam, so much is true," Cas said and his eyes were back on his brother. "So?"

Lucifer looked smug. It was a different outcome than planned, but he would take this chance, if it meant he would walk free. "You need to say it, brother."

Before Cas could say anything Dean stepped between them. "Cas, no! I won't let you do it!" he said determined and grabbed the angel's shoulders in a desperate attempt to prevent whatever was happening around them right now. "There has to be another way."

"There isn't," Lucifer commented dryly and examined his fingernails.

"Shut the fuck up, asshole!" Dean snapped at him. "Cas."

"Get out of my way, Dean. I made peace with my decision," the angel said matter-of-factly and tried to push him out of the way, but Dean held on, his grip firm. "Dean!"

"No, Cas! I won't let you do this. There has to be another way to free Sammy and to beat the Darkness," Dean insisted, sounding desperate. "We're family, Cas… I…"

Castiel snorted, a sad smile on his lips. "Are we, Dean?" he asked, eyes sad whereas Dean just was confused. "You're my family, yes. A family I sacrificed my whole being to. But where's my family when I need it, Dean?" he asked and Dean's arms dropped to his side. He held the hunter's gaze though. "I know I'm just a tool for you and not of use without my full powers, Dean. So let be of use now." Without waiting for a reply he turned to Lucifer, who was still smirking at him mockingly. "Yes!"

"You were never just a tool, Cas…," Dean muttered loud enough for the angel to hear, shocked at how broken his best friend sounded. As he looked up again, he startled since Sam was suddenly standing right next to him, staring at something in front of them in shock. Dean frowned and followed his gaze. Cas was standing in front of them, but it wasn't Cas. The body language was wrong, more arrogant and daring, the blue eyes cold and calculating, the smirk presumptuous and cocky. Dean's face fell and something in him shattered to pieces. "No…"

"Yes, that why brother should have said instead," Lucifer said in Cas's voice and snickered, then pressed his hand against his chest and looked at the brothers in a fake sad way. "Poor Castiel. So in love with you and you treated him like shit." He shook his head and sighed heavily. "Well, too late. He's gone." He grinned as the devastated look on the Winchester's faces. Lucifer raised his arm, ready to snap his fingers. "So, shall we?" he asked and they disappeared from hell in a blink of an eye.

My first Supernatural fic. Let me know what you think! Thanks for reading.