It was a dark and stormy night. An unnatural haze lingered over the land. In his bed, Dean shivered. For a summer night, the air was cold and the sky was black. It was almost as if something evil lurked out there in the shadows.

Dean rolled over, clutching his pillow, and tried to fall back asleep. But a worry nagged in the back of his mind. Something was not right. No matter how he tried, some ghostly force prevented him from sleeping. It made him uneasy. With a sigh, he rolled out of bed, pulled on his jacket, and poured himself a cup of water from the pitcher on his nightstand. Quietly, he left his room.

The halls were silent as he walked in the dark. He did not know where he was going, or why, but his body seemed to move on its own accord. He was being drawn by an unseen power. Past his brother 's bedroom, past the dining hall, past the room, and out onto the terrace. With the moon hidden behind thick clouds, it was nearly impossible to see in the inky black night. But something lying on the path to Dean's right made him gasp in shock. A body!

He leapt over the terrace railing and onto the ground below, running toward the fallen form as fast as he could. Tree branches scratched at his skin and pulled at his clothes, but he paid them no mind. Heart pounding, he fell to his knees on the pathway and placed a gentle hand on the figure's hair.

Now that he was closer, he could see that this was a young Elf of the Dark Forest, a Prince by the look of him, who appeared to be no more than 27 years old. But he was in dire need of help. His clothes were torn and bloody, and his hair was matted with blood. He needed the attention of a healer, immediately. Without a second thought, Dean picked up the wounded man and, cradling him in his arms, carried him inside to seek the help that was so desperately needed.

...

'His situation is severe,' Sam said in a worried voice. 'Whether or not he will live until morning is beyond my sight. Our team of healers will do the best they can, but...' his voice trailed off.

Dean could sense his fear. There was a good chance the young man might die. 'Is there anything I can do to help?' he asked.

Sam sadly shook his head. 'Nothing the healers are not already trying. But it might help if you just sat with him. He will need to see a friendly face when he wakes up from this ordeal, and you are the closest thing he has right now.'

'I understand,' said Dean. 'And I will stay with him for as long as it takes. I will not let him die.'

With that, Dean turned and hurried to the room where the wounded man was being housed. He was surrounded by healers, all of whom wore the same concerned expression. They had washed his body and dressed his wounds with healing balm, but still the man showed no signs of improvement. His breathing was shallow, and his pulse was weak. One of the healers turned to Dean with a defeated sigh.

'It will be an uphill battle,' she said. 'We have done all we can at this time. Now, we can only wait and see if he wakes.'

Dean nodded resolutely. 'I will stay with him through the night and keep watch as he sleeps.'

One by one, the healers left the bedside, the last one closing the door behind her. In the flickering candle light, Dean dipped a square of cloth in the bowl of warm water left by the healers, and gently used it to stroke the injured Elf's neck. Then, taking up the Prince's limp hand, he settled into his bedside chair and prepared to wait through the remainder of the long, cold night.

...

'Where... where am I?'

Dean jerked awake with a start when he heard the words being spoken. He stared down at his patient, an immense wave of relief coursing through his body. The Elf was alive! And from the looks of things, he was on his way to making a full recovery.

'You are in the Upperland,' Dean told him. 'I found you last night, lying unconscious and nearly dead on a path coming from the forest. I carried you inside, and our healers tended to your wounds. Please, tell me your name and how you came to be here.'

'My name is Castiel,' said the Elf. 'I come from the Dark Forest. I was on an errand from my father, to deliver an important message to the Queen of the Mountain. But last night... All I remember is that I was riding through the forest when suddenly I was attacked by a group of orcs. At least 7 surrounded me. I tried to escape, but there were so many, and I had only my bow for protection. And that is the last thing I recall. I do not know how I came to be here, or why I am not dead.'

Dean smiled at him. 'The stars must shine favourably on you. To live through such an ordeal... that is more than mere luck.' It was more than luck, too, that Castiel had wound up in Upperland and Dean had found him. Now that they two were together, it felt almost like fate had lent a hand. Castiel was meant to be here, and Dean was meant to have found him. Why, Dean did not know. But it felt so certain.

It also did not hurt that Castiel was one of the most beautiful individuals Dean had ever seen. His dark hair contrasted with beautiful, blue eyes set in a lovely face. And his sculpted body, half-hidden by the bed linens, was a further attraction. Dean could hardly suppress his desire to run his hands over that soft hair and perfect body. But he kept his feelings under control. Castiel had just barely survived a nearly fatal encounter. Now was not the time for romance.

...

Within three days, Castiel had improved enough to leave his bed. Sam gave him a new set of clothes, and he was able to wander the corridors and gardens by himself. But the one thing that troubled him was Dean's absence. Since the morning when he'd first awoken in Upperland, he had not seen Dean at all. It was as if his rescuer had simply disappeared. He had asked his father where his son could be, but he had no answer. Dean was gone without a trace.

Castiel desired to speak with Dean again, and properly thank him for saving his life. But he also just wanted to see the handsome human once more. He could not explain it, but he felt a deep connection to Dean, either forged by the lifesaving bond or some other power. He knew that Dean was someone special. Someone he had to see again.

It wasn't until the sixth day after Castiel had recovered that Dean returned to Upperland. He rode up the same path where Castiel had been found, dragging a net filled with the heads of people behind him. All 7 of them.

'Here are your orcs!' he called to Castiel. 'I found them hiding out in a cave not far from here.'

Castiel stared in surprise, eyes going wide. 'You killed... all of them by yourself?'

'I cannot let such dangerous creatures roam free in our lands,' Dean replied. 'And I did it for you. They nearly killed you. I do not want anything like that to happen again.'

Castiel could feel his heart pounding as Dean spoke. John killed those people... for him. Before he could stop himself, he leapt at John and threw his arms around his neck, kissing the brave human on the cheek.

Dean laughed in surprise, but did not pull away. 'What was that for?'

'Just a thank you,' Castiel said. He smiled, but when he saw the suddenly serious look in Dean's eyes, the smile faded. 'What is wrong?' he asked, worried.

'Castiel,' said Dean, 'I have to confess something to you. That first morning you were here... I thought you were so beautiful. I wanted to kiss you then, but I did not know how you would react.

Castiel gasped in shock. 'Kiss... me?'

'I told myself I must not, because of the terrible ordeal you had just suffered. It was not the right time. But these past few days while I was gone, I could think only of you the entire time. And now...'

'Dean...' Castiel sighed his name. 'I thought about you too. All the time, while you were gone. I was worried I would never see you again.'

Dean lifted his hand to gently stroke Castiel on the cheek. 'I am sorry I ran off like that. I should have said something to you.'

Taking a deep breath, Catsiel said, 'Dean, there is something I have been considering over the past several days. I think we were meant to find each other. What happened to me... it was no accident of fate. I was meant to come here. You were meant to rescue me.'

A bright smile broke across Dean's face as soon as Castiel had spoken. 'You know,' he said, 'I had been thinking the same thing! That night when I found you I had been worried an unable to think. Some strange power led me out to the terrace, and that was when I saw you.'

Castiel took Dean's hand. 'So you think... we are meant to be together?'

'I have no doubt of it.' Slowly, Dean leaned in and kissed Castiel softly on the lips. 'I love you,' he whispered.

'I love you too, Dean,' Castiel whispered in return.