Dean Winchester is known for not being the brightest mind in the world. Not to say that Dean is dumb, Dean is a smart guy, clever even. But when it comes to it sometimes Dean just doesn't think, he just does. And that's what makes Dean just who he is; it's stitched into the fabric of who he is, the fabric of his soul.

So he doesn't really think anything of throwing himself between Castiel and an angel blade that was being wielded by Naomi, some psycho bitch who in his opinion had it coming when she decided to mess with Castiel's free will and his mind. Because nobody got away with messing with Cas, not if he had anything to do with it. But in that moment of not thinking, batting away the sword like it was a needle, he probably didn't see the sheer white force of energy Naomi decided to then unleash.

And Dean Winchester really didn't think when everything decided to go white and he didn't think then because he was in pain and he doesn't get the chance to think, he just passes out.

When our home becomes a cover from the sky
Well my eyes have seen the dust and then the ashes
And the lowland and white sky of your home
And the rain that washed mascara from my lashes
And nothing gave us cover from the sky
When you`re gone I notice all your tiny touches
And it`s then that I see its then that I know why
If the days become the walls you never wanted
Our years will give us cover from the sky

Dean ignored the ache in his bones from lying on the floor, because currently he was more bemused by the fact that he hadn't woken up in a hospital bed or to the awful lights they have in the wards, when he stares directly up, he sees a chandelier. And there is no way hospitals have gone that classy, he looked around and recognised the room from when back in the days when the angels hijacked him ready for Michael and he lets out a groan, "Am I dead?" he groaned out sitting up and rubbing his head.

"Not exactly," a voice replied making him look up to see Naomi sitting on a chair opposite him, immediately Dean jumped up, looking for weapons that he did not have, instead fixing a glare of hatred at the angel as if it was enough to kill her, "Where am I?" he demanded then remembered the white light, the angel blade and him getting in front of Cas.

Cas!

"Where's Cas?" Dean demanded, "Where he is? Dammit?"

Naomi eyes flare with malice, "He is far away, I sent him far away, he disobeyed simple orders, I told him to keep out of heaven apart from when I met him. But he couldn't help himself, the deluded fool and his free will. So he is being punished, I have locked him far away…far away from the thing that destroyed him."

Dean tried to ignore the guilt that twisted his stomach, far away, what the hell did that even mean? What was this place? "Listen, you don't want him in heaven, then let him come to earth, let us have him, just give him back," Dean pleaded, "I won't let him come back to heaven, I promise."

The room rang out with a tinny laugh, cackling from Naomi's lips, "No, I won't give him back to you, he deserves to be punished," she paused looking at the distress, "And he is being punished…"

"You bitch" Dean said starting forward, "I don't know what game you are playing but you lay one finger on him, I swear to God…" he trailed off as she tilted her head at him, watching him like a bird of prey would watch a mouse, toying with its food, "Just give him back," Dean said gritting his teeth.

"No," Naomi replied, she pointed to a door, "If you want him back, why don't you go get him?"

Confused Dean looked to the door that had appeared in the room, when he looked back to Naomi, she was gone, "Son of a bitch."

Dean wasn't sure what to think, he didn't even know where he was, but he figured he was in Heaven or some sick alternate reality, who knew what powers Naomi could have, could be a trick like Gabriel once would have pulled, twisting all realities in to this. He walked past a table that had a sword and a gun on and he pulled them on, just what the hell was he meant to do? How was he meant to find Cas? He had to find him, and Sam?

Where were they? That massive white light thing must have sent them into this world or whatever it was. He walked to the door and opened it, not quite sure whether to believe what he could see, countryside, with darkened skies that threatened thunder and lightning, it was almost like a fairy-tale land, he half expected to see some Disney villain to run by, but it was dark, it was dark and threatening . "Ok so clearly we are not in Kansas anymore," Dean said something to himself, still not crossing over the threshold. Clearly that massive white thing from Naomi had sent them here, but where was Sam and Cas in all this?

He then remembered Naomi's words, that she had sent Cas far away, far away and that he was being punished and he felt ice grip his heart, punished and Naomi had implied it was because of Dean that he was being punished. In a twisted way he could see their logic, he always remembered Hester's words, The very touch of you corrupts. When Castiel first laid a hand on you in Hell, he was lost, rang in Dean's mind over and over again, and was it because of him, because of what he did in Hell, that he corrupted an angel of the lord. That Castiel was lost because of Dean.

But right now Castiel was being punished, being hurt and that was something that Dean couldn't handle, Cas had managed to survive leviathan's, being a god, the apocalypse, he had managed to survive Purgatory, but right now he could be in pain and Dean wasn't going to let him be lost again. Naomi the bitch said go find him and Dean smirked, she was like all the evil bitches out there, underestimating him because in his gut, that might be crawling in guilt and self-hatred, he knew one thing as he walked through the door.

He was going to get Cas back.

Hospitals smell of disease and death, no matter how much bleach and how clean you try and keep them, they always smell of death and disease. Of urine, of blood, of sweat the stench of those who are ill, those who are sick and dying and you might be a patient that spends a long time in hospital, a visitor or a doctor, but you never gets used to the smell.

No matter how many times they get injured, Sam Winchester never gets used to that smell; he never gets used to smell or bodies getting weaker, getting closer to death or closer to life. He sipped his coffee and ignored the bile that threatened to bring it back up as made s his way back to room c291184, trying to keep his curious eyes from the various sad stories in the rooms he passed to get there.

As he reached the door he saw Cas had not moved from his vigil and he let the sigh out that had been trapped in his lungs since he got out of the lift. He placed another coffee in front of Cas and sat down on the opposite side of the bed, watching the angel.

Castiel was listening to a simple beeping noise, he had concentrated on this computerised noise since they got here, it's the only thing that matters right now this metallic little beep that could be the Pachelbel's Canon in D Major for all he cares, because it's the most beautiful thing he has ever heard.

And at the same time the most terrifying.

He watched the screen of the machine that the beep belongs to as if he needs to remind himself of the situation, it doesn't change, he heard the machine that holds the oxygen breathing life in to Dean Winchester, keeping him alive on his hospital bed.

"Cas," Sam started softly, "Look you should get some rest, there has been no change, even if you sleep-"

"No," Castiel said firmly looking to the younger Winchester, "I won't, I can't not when Dean is like this, not when it's my fault that he is like this.."

"It's not your fault, Dean ran in the way to protect you, nobody knew what Naomi was going to do…whatever it was," Sam replied, sipping his coffee and looked to his brother on the bed.

The thing was Dean looked completely normal; there was not a mark on him, he looked like he was sleeping. Except he wasn't, he was in a coma, with some sort of brain damage but the doctors could not tell how serious, not until the swelling had gone down.

Castiel could not heal him either, because that massive power of light had been Naomi and a spell that had ripped most of Castiel's grace from him and because Dean was in front of him when Naomi did said spell, was the reason why Dean was in a hospital bed.

The time they needed Castiel to heal Dean, was the one time he could not.

Castiel looked back from Sam to Dean; he just wanted those green eyes to open, to make a sarcastic remark about he felt, turning it in to a joke. But he didn't instead the machine that told them his heart was beating continued its musical beat, the oxygen kept going through the tube in his mouth to his lungs.

And Castiel was helpless, he couldn't change it, all he could do was watch. He was still an angel, with a small portion of grace, but no powers, he couldn't help Dean and he felt his heart seize at that knowledge.

Castiel remembered before he could feel and for one second he wished he didn't have to feel, did not have to feel the guilt that his grace had done this Dean, his grace and Naomi who had taken it from him as punishment. Castiel wasn't sure what this made him, whether it made him human, he was not sure whether he would mind being a human, and he could then stay with Sam and Dean. But would Dean be here, he looked at the man on the bed in front of him, what was a human life if Dean wasn't there?

No matter what happened, Castiel always could protect Dean, no matter what and yet now he couldn't what did that make Castiel?

He looked at that face that showed no emotion, willed those green eyes to open, willed those lips to take in his own air, because Castiel wanted Dean back.

He wanted Dean back.