Dean came back to consciousness to a throbbing head. He blinked at the light that suddenly seemed too bright. Please, not a concussion he thought as he rubbed his eyes. For a moment he looked around, trying to make out his surroundings. He was lying in the middle of the woods and he could hear gunshots from a distance.

And in a second, it all came back to him.

He jumped to his feet and started to run towards the wrecked building, not bothering to make sure there was no shooter around. Lifeless bodies were lying on the floor and he did his best not to think about how they were his future self's friend. He still couldn't believe that version of him chose to sacrifice people. Like throwing a side of beef to a bunch of dogs he thought grimly. He kept running, until something, or rather someone caught his eye.

"Cas!" he yelled, rushing towards the bloodied body. Erratic breathing came painfully from the wounded man, but his eyes were closed. Dean cradled the former angel's upper body in his arms, gently shaking him awake. "Come on, wake up!"

Slowly, blue eyes cracked open and met hazel. Castiel blinked a few times, then he weakly smiled. "You're the… good one." He choked out.

Dean scoffed. "Yeah." He frowned when the other man's body was shaken by heavy coughs that brought up blood. The hunter gently tilted Castiel's head to the side so he wouldn't choke. "Hang in there Cas, I'm gonna get you help. Get you patched up. You'll be fine."

Castiel smiled again. "Has anyone ever… told you that… you were a lousy… liar?" he rasped. Dean just shrugged. He didn't try to lie again. What good would it do? None of them would believe it. "Hey Dean?"

"Yeah?"

"Can I… ask you… a favor?"

"Yeah, what?" Dean asked, confused.

"When you… get back to… your year…" Another coughing fit interrupted the former angel. He gasped a few times to catch his breath and spat a mouthful of blood. "Just… don't… become that."

Dean's throat tightened. He wished to God he wouldn't become that heartless bastard. But there was no guarantee that it would never happen. It scared the hell out of him to think that this was actually him. Swallowing hard, he nodded.

"And..." Cas added after a few ragged breaths. His voice was now a mere whisper. "Please… don't… let me… become this." He finished with pleading eyes.

Dean bit back a sob. "I promise, Cas."

"Thank you." Castiel all but mouthed. The next second he was gone, leaving Dean kneeling in the mud, holding his friend's corpse.

After over a year spent with Cas, Dean had acquired the idea that nothing could ever happen to him. Especially when he came back from the dead. To the human, nothing could defeat the angel. And though he knew that this was the future, or one of Zachariah's sick jokes, something inside him broke as he held the fallen angel in his arms.

When he was sure he could stand without having his knees giving out, he carefully laid Castiel back down on the floor. Taking a deep breath, he started running again, intending to find his future self, not even sure whether he wanted to save him or not.

"Then I guess I'll have to teach it again!" Zachariah yelled, "Cause I got you now, boy, and I'm never letting you…" Dean never heard the end of the angel's sentence. With the blink of an eye he found himself standing on the side of a road. Then he turned around and faced another angel. Only this one he was more than glad to see.

"That's a very nice timing, Cas." He said, relief coloring his words.

"We had an appointment." His friend replied, and Dean could have cried when he recognized that familiar deep voice and composure. He laid a hand on the angel's shoulder, and told him the only thing he thought mattered.

"Don't ever change."

The End

Love it? Hate it? Just tell me!

nerwende