Chapter One

Dean woke to the sound of screaming coming from the room to the right of his, where Cas was sleeping. He scrambled out of bed and rushed into the hallway, almost colliding with Sam, who had presumably reacted the same way to the screams.

"I'll handle it." Dean said, and Sam retreated to his room. This was the second night Cas had been 'home', and Dean instinctively knew what was happening. He went into Cas' room, and heard the ex-angel's words clearly.

"No! Stop! Don't hurt him!" Cas screamed, thrashing in his sleep. It was surprising how coherent his words were; usually sleep-talk is muddled.

Dean went to the bedside after closing Cas' door, and he shook his friend to wake him.

"Cas, wake up." He said in a voice dry from sleep. Cas didn't wake, and instead screamed,

"You can't make me! I won't kill Dean!"

Dean froze, shocked that he was in Cas' nightmare. What's he dreaming about? The hunter wondered. He shook Cas hard again, and shouted at him to wake up. This time, Cas jolted awake and scrambled away from Dean until his back was against the wall. His breathing was heavy, and his eyes were full or terror and confusion. Dean sat on the bed silently, deciding to wait until Cas was fully awake before speaking.

Cas relaxed after a minute of staring at Dean, and his face became apologetic.

"I woke you, didn't I?" Cas asked rhetorically. His voice wasn't gravely anymore, and Dean still wasn't used to how high it was, comparatively.

Dean shrugged. "It's no big deal."

"I'm sorry." Cas sighed.

"Cas, it's fine. With a life like ours, nightmares are only natural."

"Do you have nightmares?" Cas asked. He had heard of them before, but thought they were a rare occurrence.

"Sometimes, yeah. Sam more than me."

"How do you make them stop?"

"I guess talking to someone about it works. For some people." Dean added, flinching slightly. He wasn't one to share his emotions with someone, and nightmares tended to be full of emotion.

"I don't want to think about it let alone talk." Cas shuddered.

"I guess I could stay here with you. Until you fall asleep. Sometimes that helps people, too." Dean added hastily. Half of him couldn't believe he'd suggested that, while the other half hoped Cas would agree.

"I don't want to be an inconvenience." Cas replied hesitantly.

"It's no big. Make room." Dean said, standing up again as Cas adjusted himself to the side of the bed nearest the wall. Dean crawled in next to him, and laid on his back with his arms crossed over his chest.

Cas laid down next to him, and their skin brushed slightly, causing them both to flinch away. When they were both settled, Dean closed his eyes.

"Night, Cas."

"Goodnight, Dean."

A few minutes passed, and then Cas said forlornly,

"Dean, I'm so sorry."

Dean turned his head and gave Cas a confused look. Cas was staring at the ceiling.

"I told you, it's fine."

"That's not what I meant. I meant...I'm sorry. For everything. I don't deserve your kindness. Both you and Sam are too kind to me."

"We all screw up. That's life."

Cas didn't respond, and Dean closed his eyes again. The hunter was almost asleep, when Cas whispered his name.

"Dean?"

"Yeah, Cas?"

"My nightmare...When I was being influenced by Naomi, she made me kill you. More than one-thousand times. At first, I refused. But then...by the end, I could do it in less than thirty seconds. Without hesitation." Cas stopped and glanced at Dean, who was now wide awake and watching Cas with a horrified expression.

"That's a rough dream." Was all he could think to say. Cas just shook his head.

"It wasn't a dream. I was reliving the past."

Dean easily connected the dots. If Naomi had forced Cas to kill replicas of Dean over and over, it explained why Cas had, at first, attacked him when they were fetching the Angel Tablet. It would also explain why Cas was eager to kill Naomi when she tried to warn them against Metatron.

"She lucky she's dead." Dean growled, furious. Cas didn't argue. He just continued staring at the ceiling.

"Cas. Look at me."

Cas turned his head, and in the cramped space their faces were a few centimeters apart. His blue gaze locked on Dean's green eyes.

"I'm never going to let anyone hurt you again. If I was an angel, I would've kicked Naomi's ass to the Cage. But even if I can't, at this point, it's you, me, and Sam against the world. And I won't let anyone, or anything, hurt you guys. Got that?"

Cas smiled softly. "Got it."

"Then go to sleep." Dean said, chuckling. Cas closed his eyes, and Dean watched him in silence for a while before falling asleep as well.