Flirtin' With Disaster - Part Two

Disclaimer: I don't own anything Supernatural.

"Stop starin' at me, Cas, I'm fine."

Castiel looked away. "I am sorry Dean. I just still cannot believe how close I – we came to losing you."

Dean shifted in his seat. These warm feelings he was getting whenever Cas expressed concern over him, or even whenever he thought about the angel, were starting to weird him out. "Were you watching me at the Doc's house, Cas? 'Cause I could've sworn I felt you there. It was kind of strange."

Castiel looked over at Dean sharply. "Yes, I was. You should not have been able to sense me though. I thought I saw you look around when I arrived."

"Huh," was all Dean said before lapsing into silence. The rest of the drive to Alice was relatively quiet, not even Dean's mullet rock playing on the stereo. The two occupants of the car were both lost in their own thoughts.

~*~*SPN~*~*

They pulled into the town of Alice around dinnertime. Dean looked around as he drove down the main street. Now that Cas had healed him from the venom and its effects, he noticed just how hungry he was. A greasy burger and fries sounded heavenly right now.

Pulling the Impala into the parking lot of a small diner, Dean looked over at his friend. "I'm gonna grab a bite to eat. Can't learn anything on an empty stomach!" He parked the car and got out. "Coming?"

Cas nodded and opened the door. He followed Dean into the diner, and slid down across from him in the booth. The waitress came to take their order after a few minutes, giving Dean an appraising look as she did so. She took Dean's order, and turned to leave when Cas declined to eat.

"So, Cas, you ever hear of this Lechuza thing?" Dean asked as he took a sip of his coffee, savouring the taste.

Castiel shook his head. "No, I can't say that I have. Although I am familiar with much of the world's evil, there are things that are uncommon enough for even us angels to not be made aware of."

Dean nodded his head as though that was the response he had been expecting. "Great; that means more research for Sammy boy."

They sat there in companionable silence for a few minutes as they waited for Dean's food to arrive, before Castiel decided to question Dean about what happened.

The hunter shrugged his shoulders. "Don't remember too much really. Something came loose in the Impala, so I pulled over to the side of the road to fix it. Which I did, because, you know, I'm awesome like that," Dean cocked his head proudly as he praised himself, causing Cas to smile. "Then the flashlight rolled under the car, and when I went to grab it, wham!" Dean smacked his hand down loudly on the table for emphasis, causing the diner's other few patrons to jump and glare in their direction. Dean ignored them and continued. "Saw it was a snake, and I just froze. Finally the bastard slithered away and I managed to get to my phone before everything started getting too hazy." Dean's gaze seemed to unfocus for a second in remembered pain, before coming back to himself. "Then I remember Frank and Jenny finding me and next thing I knew I was waking up at the Doc's place with an I.V. sticking out of me."

The waitress picked that moment to come and drop off Dean's food and refill his coffee, and Dean nodded at her in appreciation. Without waiting for Castiel's response to his story, he grabbed his burger and took a big bite, eyes rolling heavenward in pleasure.

Castiel watched in fascination as Dean ate his food. He had seen the human eat many times before, but this was perhaps the first time he had actually watched him eat. He watched as those luscious lips wrapped around a fry, swallowed as he saw that tongue dart out to catch a drip of ketchup. What was wrong with him? This was Dean, for crying out loud! He should not feel so inclined to study the way Dean's throat moved as he swallowed. Yet he could not help it. Castiel was becoming deeply invested in everything about his hunter. Dean turned to the waitress when she came to take away his plate and shamelessly began flirting. Cas gritted his teeth at the sight.

Out of the corner of his eye, Dean saw Cas tense and glare at the waitress. Luckily she was too enamoured by Dean to notice. He turned towards his friend with a questioning look on his face, dismissing the waitress without hesitation and ignoring her put out huff as she walked away. "Everything all right Cas?" he asked.

Castiel nodded curtly. "Everything is fine, Dean. We should get going, we need to see what we can learn about this witch." With those words he stood up and walked towards the door, not waiting for Dean.

"Oookay, he could have at least waited for me to get some pie," Dean muttered under his breath as he tossed some bills on the table to pay for his meal. He got up and followed the angel from the diner. He caught up to Cas at the car. "You sure you're okay?" he questioned again as he walked around to the driver's side. Castiel just nodded before climbing in. Dean paused before he got in, wondering if his friend was being honest with him. After a moment he shrugged his shoulders to himself. Cas was a brutally honest guy, and Dean doubted he even knew how to lie. Besides, wasn't lying a sin? He would hardly expect an angel to commit a sin. Pushing thoughts of his friend's odd behaviour out of his mind, he sat down in the driver's seat.

Dean started the car and glanced at his passenger. "So, I'm thinking library? Check out the town records? If this witch has been around for a while, people are bound to have some sort of record for it."

Cas nodded in agreement. He would happily pour over records with Dean if it would help get his mind off of thoughts of Dean flirting with that woman. He did not know why that suddenly upset him. He had seen Dean flirt with countless women, and only recently it had begun to bother him. He was so lost in thought that he did not even realize Dean was talking to him until he felt a smack on his shoulder. He turned to apologize, and saw Dean glance at him with a strange look on his face.

"Dude, what's up with you?" Dean asked. "You've been acting weird…well weirder than normal since you came to get me."

"I am sorry, Dean. I assure you that I am well; I was just lost in thought. What were you saying?"

If Dean noticed Castiel's deflection, he didn't comment. Instead he replied, "Just said to give Sam a call, see if he's been able to learn anything."

Castiel pulled out his cell phone and dialed Sam's number before putting the phone on speaker. After a couple rings, Sam's voice came through. "Hey Cas, how's Dean?"

Dean rolled his eyes. "I'm fine, Sammy."

"Oh, hey Dean. How is he, Cas?" Sam asked in blatant disregard for Dean's answer. He knew that Dean's idea of fine was often times a far cry from the normal person's concept of fine. Dean threw up a hand in exasperation at the same time that Cas told Sam that yes, Dean was well.

"So much trust, Sammy," Dean growled. A snort was heard through the phone at Dean's comment. Dean decided the subject needed a change from his health. "What have you found out about this bitch?"

"It says here that she is a cross between an owl or other large bird and a woman."

"Seriously?" Dean asked. "How the fuck does that happen?"

"I know, weird right? Well, there's a couple different theories on her origin. Some say she's not a witch at all, rather a vengeful spirit. Others say she was a woman who sold her sold to the devil for supernatural powers and immortality."

"Great, so we don't even know what she is. That's just fan-fucking-tastic." Dean pulled into the library parking lot and turned off the car.

"Either way, Dean, we can't hurt it with bullets or knives."

"So, what can hurt it?" Castiel asked curiously. Even with all of his knowledge, he had never before heard of this lechuza.

"Salt, for sure. And, umm…." Sam trailed off.

"What?" Dean snapped. "What else hurts this thing we don't even know what it is?"

"Swearing. In Spanish." The smirk in Sam's voice was obvious, and even Castiel couldn't help a smile.

There was a pause, and then Dean burst out laughing. "Did you just say swear at it in Spanish?" At Sam's confirmation, Dean cackled even harder.

The sight of Dean laughing made Castiel smile even wider. He loved the way Dean's green eyes lit up when he laughed, and how his very soul seemed to shine even brighter. Cas decided at that moment that Dean needed to laugh more. He realized that the Winchester's life did not include much to laugh about, but he would find a way to make Dean laugh more.

When Dean's laughter finally subsided, he questioned Sam on how to find the lechuza. "I don't know how to draw her out yet," Sam replied, "but she draws you out by making a sound like a baby crying."

"Okay, so so far we know that this owl-witch-lady-ghost thing sounds like a baby, doesn't like salt, and is scared of people saying 'fuck' but only in Spanish. That sum it up pretty well?"

"Uhhhh, ya, so far," Sam replied.

"Great. Sounds fun! We'll check out the town records and then head back your way. Keep looking for any more information," said Dean. "And see if you can get a hold of Bobby. Maybe he has some info that can help."

"Already tried Bobby, no answer there, but I'll keep trying."

"You do that, geek-boy. Later."

"Later, Dean. Cas." There was a click, and the line went silent.

Castiel pocketed his phone and glanced over at Dean, who chuckled and shook his head. "I can tell already this will be an interesting hunt. Come on, Cas, let's see what we can find out." With that Dean got out of the car and swaggered towards the library's front door. Cas sat in the car, admiring the view, until Dean glanced back over his shoulder and called out, "Yo! Featherbrain! You coming?" Cas scrambled out of the car and followed Dean into the library.

~*~*SPN~*~*

Two hours later Dean pushed his chair back from the computer in frustration. Castiel look up from the newspaper article he was reading and raised an eyebrow at Dean. "What is wrong?" he asked.

"Fuck this. I thought this was a huge thing here. Some big urban legend crap. All I have managed to find is some crappy article that says someone saw the witch. That's it. Didn't say anything about where or anything!" " Dean growled. "This is why Sammy does the damn research. He can find anything out, I'm just the muscle," he paused, then added with a grin, "and the looks."

"Maybe we are just looking in the wrong places?" Cas suggested, not adding that he in fact agreed that Dean most definitely had the looks.

Dean whirled around and glared at Cas. He crossed his arms over his chest and huffed out a breath. "Well, oh mighty angel of the Lord, where shall we find the information we seek?" he snarked.

"I was merely suggesting that the library of a small town may not have the information we are looking for, Dean," replied the angel calmly. "We should go meet up with Sam and see if he has learned anything else."

Dean nodded. "Ya, alright. Let's get out of here. I hate libraries. They're usually run by little old ladies who are obsessed with quiet."

Castiel put the articles back into the proper boxes and helped Dean place them back on the shelf. Dean pulled out his phone and shot Sam a quick text to let him know they were on their way back to the motel, and then the angel and the hunter left the library and the town of Alice behind.

~*~*SPN~*~*

"Honey! I'm home!" Dean called as he opened the door to the motel room and walked in, followed closely by his angel.

Sam looked up from where he sat at the tiny motel table. The table was too small for his large frame, and he had to sit twisted in the seat. Dean chuckled at the sight. "Learn anything new and interesting while I've been gone Gigantor?" he asked his brother.

Sam stood and stretched his legs. "Hey. Actually, ya. I managed to get a hold of Bobby. He had a bit of info for us. Apparently this witch is a, and I quote, 'real nasty piece of work'."

Dean shrugged. "She's scared of cursing. How bad can she be?"

Sam held up his hand and ticked off points. "For one, she can summon and control storms. Two, superhuman strength. Three, the ability to shapeshift."

Dean raised an eyebrow. "Okay, Sam, all you had to say was pretty bad. Did Bobby say how to kill her?"

"Salt repels her. And so will a shotgun, if we use the engraved bullets. Did you find anything at the library in town?"

"Dick fuck all." Dean threw himself down on the bed, before glancing up at the angel who remained silent and standing by the door. "You sticking around, Cas?" he asked. He hoped he would. The thought of the angel leaving did not sit right with him. Cas turned and looked at Dean, who stared right back.

Sam began to fidget uncomfortably. He wasn't sure if he should leave these two alone and get his own room, or step in-between them so that they could all focus on the hunt. No matter what though, Sam decided that from now on they were getting two rooms. He pulled his phone out, and he mumbled an excuse under his breath about needing to call Bobby and hurriedly left the room.

Dean shook back to himself as Sam made his break from the room. "Sam?" he questioned as the door closed.

"He said he was going to call Bobby," Castiel stated without drawing his eyes away from Dean.

Dean cleared his throat awkwardly. "Oh. Yeah. Okay." He stood and walked over to peruse Sam's notes. "So, we know what can hurt this thing, but not how to find it," he flipped to a page of notes and scanned through it. "Oh hell no!"

Cas moved over to stand behind Dean and looked over his shoulder at the page he was holding. Dean bit his lip over the automatic comment on personal space. It was rather nice having the angel so close. Instead, he waved the paper over his shoulder at Cas and complained, "Sam didn't say she attacks cars on the highway! This bitch can come after me all she wants, but nobody hurts Baby!"

~*~*SPN~*~*

"Sam? What are ya calling me back for already? I told you I would let you know if I found out anything new," Bobby said gruffly.

Sam continued to wander away from the hotel room. "Uhhh yeah, sorry. Just needed an excuse to get out of the room."

"What? Why?"

"Dean and Cas are doing the staring thing again. I just wish they would admit how they feel to each other and get it over with," Sam answered.

Bobby chuckled. "Dean? Admit anything resembling feelings? Good luck with that."

"Yeah, I know. And I am pretty sure Cas has no clue how to either. I mean, the only thing he has ever loved before has been God."

"Boy, it doesn't matter how many opportunities we throw their way; if they can't admit it to themselves, they will never be able to admit it to each other."

Sam nodded in agreement even though Bobby couldn't see him. "I know, I know," he cleared his throat. "So I guess you don't have any more information on this witch for us, hey?"

"I'm looking right now, Sam. There isn't too much info, most of it all says the same thing. Controlling storms, supernatural compulsion, etc.. She appears to be similar to Banshees, if someone hears her outside the house then there will be a death in the household. Another reference says she prefers attacking drunks. It's kind of all over the place."

"Drunks hey? Well, that will make Dean happy." Bobby snorted in reply. "He already cackled like a hyena when he heard she's scared off by swearing in Spanish."

"I'll bet," Bobby retorted. "Listen, I'll keep digging, see if I can find anything else." There was a brief pause, before he added, "Give me call and let me know of any more news on the lovebird front."

Sam chuckled. Sometimes Bobby was worse than a woman with wanting gossip. "Will do, Bobby. And thanks." He hung up his phone and looked around. He had wandered about a block from the motel, and was standing across from a coffee shop. He figured he could do with a little caffeine, and maybe he would grab Dean one and bring it back to him…maybe in an hour or two.

~*~*SPN~*~*

When he walked back into the motel room an hour and a half later, Sam noticed two things. One, his brother was half naked and sprawled out on the bed closest to the door, a sheet of paper with some words written in Spanish lay beside him. Two, Castiel, angel of the Lord, was nowhere in sight. Sam stepped over to the table and placed the cup of coffee he had bought for his brother down. When he turned back to the bed, he saw his brother watching him from a half-opened eye.

"Hey, Dean," he said. "Where's Cas?" Sam asked his brother as he sat down on his own bed to pull off his shoes.

"Sam," Dean acknowledged. "He uhhh…had to go do angel-y stuff. That coffee for me?" At Sam's nod of confirmation, Dean sat up and groaned. "What the hell took you so long? Thought you were just going to make a phone call?" he walked over to the table and opened the lid of the coffee, savouring the smell that floated up out of the Styrofoam cup.

Sam looked up and raised an eyebrow at Dean. "Angel-y stuff?" he asked. "And I was on the phone, I just decided to stop for a coffee as well. You're welcome, by the way."

Dean waved his hand in Sam's direction. "Yeah, yeah. Thanks, Sammy." Taking another sip of the rich brown liquid, he turned to his brother. "So, how are we going to go after this bitch?"

Sam shrugged his shoulders. "Bobby did let me know one more piece of info that you will like."

Dean arched an eyebrow. "Oh? Do tell."

"She has a tendency to be drawn towards people who have had more than a few beers," he said.

A grin split Dean's face. "Awesome! To the bar, Sammy! To the bar!"

"Shouldn't we wait for Cas?" Sam asked. Dean had a way of attracting trouble, and with a bird-woman with super strength on the loose, Sam didn't want to take any chances.

There was a slight hesitation, but then Dean replied, "Nah. Who knows how long this angel business is going to take. Besides, we got our special bullets ready, right?"

Sam nodded in agreement as he followed his brother out the door, wishing that he could shake the feeling that something would happen if the angel wasn't there.

~*~*SPN~*~*

Dean glanced around the bar at the local people. There were more than a few hot chicks hanging around, a couple even tried making eyes at him, but for some reason he just wasn't interested. Turning back to his beer, he drained it in one gulp, then signaled the bartender for one more.

The bartender put the bottle down in front of him, then looked at Sam. "You're DD tonight, right?" At Sam's confirming nod, the bartender gave a satisfied humph then walked off to serve another patron.

Sam turned to his brother. "You sure you don't want to wait for Cas?"

Dean rolled his eyes and took a long pull off his beer. "Yeah, man. I am. And yes, for the tenth time, I'm sure I am going to be the bait. Too late anyways, I'm already five deeper than you," he replied with a grin.

"Well, maybe we should stop then. We don't want you too drunk man, just in case."

"Awww, Sammy's worried about me! All good bro, I got this." Dean finished his beer and belched. Sam wrinkled his nose in disgust. "Let do this!" Dean slid some bills onto the bar top and swaggered towards the door.

Sam smiled at the bartender and held up the keys before turning to follow his brother.

~*~*SPN~*~*

Sam drove the Impala along the back highway, forest close on either side. "Keep your eyes on the sky, Dean. Apparently we need to watch for freak thunderstorm clouds starting to form."

"I see a freak. He's driving my car." Dean said from the passenger seat. Sam just rolled his eyes. Yup. His brother had a few too many.

"Look for the clouds, Dean," was all Sam said in reply. After about ten minutes of driving the highway, Sam was starting to think they had the wrong area. He was just about to suggest as much to his brother when roiling black clouds appeared in the sky to his left. He pointed them out to Dean, who seemed to come back to himself with the prospect of a hunt. He pulled the car far over to the side of the road and turned off the engine.

"Let's get our stuff together and get going, Sam," Dean said, climbing out of the car and heading for the trunk. Sam followed, and they both grabbed their guns they had loaded with the engraved bullets, and a flask of holy water.

Sam pulled out his cell phone, thinking they should at least leave Cas a message to let him know where they were. He flipped it open and frowned when he saw that he had no reception. "We're in a dead-zone," Sam said to Dean, holding up his cell so Dean would understand.

His brother shrugged. "Not much we can do about it now. Come on, I really want to see what something that's half bird and half woman even looks like!" He began heading in the direction of the storm, whistling as he walked.

Sam turned and followed Dean down the path, stopping occasionally to mark a tree so that they wouldn't get lost. He tried to stay close enough that he could help his brother if he was needed, but far back enough that the lechuza would hopefully not see him.

They had been walking for about twenty minutes when Dean stopped. He cocked his head as though he was listening to something over the thunder. The storm was close enough now that, while it wasn't raining on them yet, thunder and lightning were pretty much a constant. If it wasn't supernatural in origin, the brothers would have been awestruck by the sight.

Sam strained his ears to see if he could hear whatever it was that Dean heard, but to no avail. Without warning his brother spun toward the right and rushed off through the trees. Sam cursed and hurried to catch up to Dean. Suddenly, he remembered what he had learned about the lechuza's M.O.. Baby cries, supernatural compulsions…..Fuck. He needed to catch up to Dean, and fast.

~*~*SPN~*~*

The lechuza swooped down from the trees, a piercing shriek leaving her lips, sounding nothing like the cry of a human child from before. Dean looked up, and even in his slightly inebriated state knew he was in a heap of trouble.

Dean frantically tried to remember the Spanish curses he went over earlier before Sam and him had hit up the bar, but his mind drew a blank. "Shit," he cursed. Apparently English swears didn't work as well as Spanish. The witch kept on coming. He swung his gun up, but it was too late. A choked cry of agony was the only sound he was able to make as her talons gripped his arm and shoulder, and hauled him into the air. The pain was excruciating, and he was dimly aware of Sam calling his name from somewhere below him. His eyes that he had clenched shut when the witch grabbed him pried open and looked down. He immediately wished he hadn't. He saw the ground receding, and inhaled sharply as nausea coiled in his gut.

Then his eyes landed on his gun that was still clenched in a white knuckled grip in his free hand. His father had trained him to not let go of his weapon no matter what, and he was grateful for that lesson now. He bit his lip. The fall was going to hurt, but not as much as being eaten alive would. He raised the gun over his head, and fired.

~*~*SPN~*~*

Sam saw everything happen as though it was in slow motion. He burst through the trees after Dean and his mouth dropped in astonishment. This was exactly why he said they should wait for Castiel, he just knew something bad would happen. His heart leapt into his throat as he saw the witch snatch his brother off the ground.

He ran as fast as he could, screaming his brother's name as his long legs pumped in tandem with his racing heart. He skidded to a stop underneath his brother and the lechuza, and stared upwards through the trees in shock as he saw his brother raise his gun. "Dean! No!" There was a sharp rapport of a gun being fired, followed by an ear piercing shriek, and then his brother was falling towards him. He had enough time to wince in sympathy when Dean hit several tree branches on his way down, and then Dean was upon him.

Sam braced himself to catch as much of Dean's weight as he could, but the sharp pain that lanced through him when his brother landed in his arms stole his breath. He pushed the pain aside and lowered his unconscious brother to the ground. While part of him was thankful the branches had slowed Dean's descent; he grimaced at the possible damage they might have caused. There was a gash over his eye, but although it was bleeding steadily, it did not appear too deep.

First things first, he had to stop the bleeding from where the witch grabbed him; Dean's left side was awash in crimson. The hunter ripped off the tattered remains of Dean's shirt, frowning at the deep grooves and puncture marks where the lechuza had gripped him, the life-giving crimson fluid steadily leaking out. "I got ya, Dean," Sam whispered under his breath as he tore of his own shirt, hissing at the pain in his shoulder. He shred his shirt into strips, laying them aside until he had cleaned the wound. Then he pulled out his flask of holy water, pausing only to murmur "I'm sorry," to Dean as he upended the contents over the wounds.

Dean's eyes snapped open as the water hissed and fizzled in the wounds. His mouth opened in a soundless cry as his feet and hands scrabbled for purchase on the forest floor. Sam ignored his own pain as he lifted Dean's upper body so he could finish cleaning the wounds before he threw the flask to the side. He continued whispering his apologies into Dean's ear, as his brother's breaths came in harsh pants against his chest. Twin tears leaked out of the corner of his eyes and left wet trails down his cheeks.

"Sammy?" Dean croaked. "Why're you crying like a girl?"

Sam slowly released Dean, keeping a hand by him to make sure he was able to remain sitting. He choked out a sound resembling a laugh, but felt more like a sob. "Hey man. Thought I lost you there. Don't ever do that again," he said, reaching over to grab the torn strips of cloth. He began bandaging Dean's shoulder. "These need stitches, but the supplies are back in the Impala. We need to get them, unless we magically have cell phone reception and can get a hold of Cas. Do you think you can make it there?"

Dean hissed as Sam wrapped his shoulder and arm. "'M fine Sam," he replied, ignoring his brother's pointed look. "Did I get the bitch?"

Sam paused in his ministrations. "I know your suicidal stunt hit it," he said, "but I don't know if you killed it. I was too busy trying to save your falling ass."

Dean grinned despite the pain. Sam suppressed a shiver; the sight of his brother grinning like that with half his face coated in a crimson mask was downright maniacal. "Awww, Sammy, my hero." The grin fell away from Dean's face as soon as Sam groaned in discomfort as he reached around Dean's back. "Sam? What happened? Are you hurt?"

"It's nothing Dean, just buggered the back of my shoulder a bit when you landed is all."

Dean paled at the thought of his brother getting hurt on his account. "Let me see," he demanded.

"No. It's fine, really. Now sit still and let me finish wrapping this. You've lost a lot of blood," Sam replied. Despite Dean's repeated attempts to push Sam away so that he could check out his shoulder, Sam managed to finish binding Dean's wounds. "Okay, let's get you up so we can get out of here." He reached out with his good shoulder and gripped Dean's hand, and pulled. He wasn't prepared for the bellow of pain that left Dean's mouth when he got his feet under him. Sam almost let go but caught himself in time.

"What the hell!" he exclaimed, at the same time that Dean let loose a string of curses. "What's wrong?"

"Fuck, my leg! Fuck! What th-" Dean broke off with a groan, his hand reached down to grip at his leg. "It didn't hurt a second ago, what the hell?"

"Let me have a look Dean," Sam said. Dean shook his head frantically. "Dean, show me your leg," Sam ordered in his best impression of their father's military voice. Dean's head shot up and he glared at Sam, but slowly lowered his hand.

Sam pulled up Dean's pant leg and winced. There was a massive bruise starting to form on Dean's lower leg. "Shit Dean, you must have hit a branch pretty hard there when you fell. I really need to get you out of here; that bruise might indicate a break, or a fracture." Dean grit his teeth and moved to try again. He cried out and fell back.

"Stop trying to stand on it right now!" Sam scolded. "Let me find something to use as a splint first for fucks sake!" Sam moved to scour the bushes for some sort of straight sticks he could use to bind Dean's leg, all the while keeping an eye on his stubborn brother to make sure he stayed in one place. "Stubborn asshole," he grumbled.

Locating a couple pieces he figured were the proper size and shape, he made his way back to his brother. As he was tying the sticks to Dean's leg, his brother spoke up above him. "I have come to the decision," he began, pausing for emphasis before continuing, "That hide-and-go-seek angel sigils suck donkey dick." As Sam looked up from splinting the leg he saw Dean's blood covered face, and taking in his bandaged arm and shoulder, he was inclined to agree.

~*~*SPN~*~*

The walk back to the car was torture for Dean. Even though Sam was taking a significant amount of his weight, every step shot spikes of agony up his leg. The gashes from the lechuza's claws continued to bleed slowly but steadily, weakening him even further. Add in various other bruises and small cuts from his trip through the branches, and Dean was downright miserable. And he wasn't afraid to voice his opinion. Loudly. And often.

"Fucking bitch bird! If she was in front of me right now, I'd rip all of her goddamn feathers out and shove them down her throat before blasting her away!"

"Jesus fuck! Watch it Sammy!"

"Why the fuck did we have to go into the woods where there's zero cell reception! I fucking hate the woods!"

Sam was taking deep breathes to calm himself. He knew how his brother reacted to stress and pain, he had plenty of experience. But even his patience had limits.

When Dean began swearing loudly at the moon for being 'too fucking dim to see anything', Sam decided he had had enough. He halted the two of them in their tracks, and turned to his brother. "Dean, I know you're upset and in pain right now," Dean opened his mouth to declare he wasn't upset, he was fine, but was stopped by Sam continuing even louder, "but if you don't shut-up right now, I swear to God, I will tie you naked to that tree over there and leave you here overnight!"

Dean stared at his brother in disbelief. Sam wouldn't do that….would he? He was wearing bitchface number sixteen, so the possibility was definitely there. Maybe he was being a bit…vocal. Finally he grinned and attempted to deflect Sam with humour. "Gee Sammy, while I appreciate that you're into that sort of kink, you're just not my type."

Sam snorted. "No, you lean more towards the trenchcoat-wearing-angel type, don't you?"

Dean felt his ears heat up as he gaped at Sam. "What did you say?"

"Nothing. Come on," he tried to pull his brother forwards, but despite the pain the action caused, Dean planted himself firmly and yanked his arm out of Sam's grip.

"What the fuck did you say that for Sam?"

Sam held up his hands in a gesture of peace and calmly replied, "Relax Dean, I was…I was just making a joke, that's all. You know, because of how close the two of you are." He wasn't joking, not really, but Dean didn't need to know that.

Dean continued to glare at Sam. In truth, Sam's words hit a little too close to home. The feelings he was getting lately when he was around Cas, or heck, even thinking about the angel, were an unknown territory for him. The emotions both scared him and drew him in like a moth to the flame. "Yeah, well, that's not funny," Dean said for lack of a better reply. "Now can we get moving? My leg and shoulder are killing me, and I would really like to get out of here in case that bitch isn't quite as dead as we would hope."

"Yeah, let's go." Sam went back to help his brother, and the two of them continued their trek to the car, and Dean managed to not complain too much for the rest of the hike.

~*~*SPN~*~*

Castiel sighed as he took in Dean's bloodied form. "Dean, why is it I am always having to patch you up?" he reprimanded softly as he touched two fingers to Dean's forehead. The blood and the injuries vanished, and Dean sat up and met the blue eyes of his angel.

The hunters had made it back to the Impala, but it took the drive back to the motel before they were able to reach the angel by cell phone. Cas arrived in the room just as Dean was about to pass out from blood loss. Sam was grateful his brother had managed to stay awake this long; it would have been hell to try to carry him with his shoulder buggered the way it was. That too was a quick fix thanks to the angel.

"Aww, Cas, admit it. You do it 'cause you love me," Dean responded cheekily.

"I do it because I love you," Castiel replied solemnly. Dean felt the heat rush up to his face, as Sam began to cough.

Dean turned to glare at Sam. Great, this would just add fuel to Sam's 'jokes'. "Shut up, Sam!"

Sam grinned at his obviously embarrassed brother. "Sorry Dean, I just thought that was cute is all."

"Shut up Sam!"

Castiel looked between the two brothers, his head tilted in confusion. "I don't understand. Did I say something wrong?"

Dean opened his mouth to reply, but Sam beat him to it with a big grin on his face. He clapped Castiel on the shoulder as he said, "Don't worry about it Cas. There are just certain intricacies of the human language that you are unaware of." He turned to his brother and almost burst out laughing a second time at the look on Dean's face. "Now that you're healed up we should go back and see if we can find the lechuza's body. I marked the trail entrance we used when we went out there so it should be pretty simple to find it again."

"I am coming with you this time," Castiel said, his voice brooking no argument.

"Good idea Cas, it seems whenever you aren't with us, Dean manages to get himself hurt in one form or another."

The elder Winchester glared at his brother, but didn't reply. It certainly seemed that lately his luck had been running a little short. Having his angel of the Lord around probably wasn't a bad idea.

~*~*SPN~*~*

The three of them arrived at the spot where Sam had parked the Impala the night before. Sam found the trail entrance he had marked relatively quickly. "So we walked for about fifteen minutes or so, and when she grabbed Dean she flew straight up rather than away. So I'm guessing if you did manage to kill her, Dean, I imagine her body will be at least relatively close to where you landed."

Dean nodded and started walking through the trees, swatting at the occasional bug that flew too close to his face for comfort. "And watch out for snakes. Stupid, fucking snakes," he called out over his shoulder. "I think I hate snakes more than rats," he muttered to himself.

A few minutes later, the trio stopped as Castiel held out his hand. "There is death here," he said. He turned slowly in a circle, eyes scanning into the trees. He stopped and pointed in a direction. "Over there," he said.

Slowly, they crept through the bushes. Sam pushed aside a plant and grimaced. "Uh, guys? I think we found her. And I think it's safe to say that she's dead."

Cas and Dean walked over to where Sam stood. Dean winkled his nose in disgust. Before them lay the body of the lechuza. Her one wing had been almost completely shorn off by the bullet, and now lay at an odd angle to the rest of her body. Blood lay in a halo around the wound. Her face, beautiful in an odd kind of way, seemed peaceful, almost as though she had welcomed death. Perhaps she had.

"Well, at least with an angel around we don't have to worry about the trees catching fire," Dean shrugged. "Let's burn this bitch so we can get out of here. I friggin' hate Texas. It's got snakes and witch bitches." He began pouring the salt all over the body. "Cas, hand me the accelerant, will ya? Cas?"

Castiel was staring at something on the ground. "What's up, Cas?" Dean stepped over and tried to figure out what Cas was looking at, but didn't see anything unusual.

After a moment, pained blue eyes looked up at Dean. "She has your blood on her." And then Dean understood what Castiel was looking at. The witches taloned feet lay stretched out underneath her, coated in blood and gore. Dean shivered as he remembered what it felt like to have those very talons rip into his flesh as though he was made of butter.

Suddenly Cas growled as he upended the can of accelerant over her body, throwing the empty can has hard as he could at the lechuza's head. Sam and Dean both cringed at the wet pop her head made as the can hit it with the strength of an angel behind it.

They stood for a minute in silence, Cas's heavy and angered breathing the only sound. "Well then," Dean said. "Adios, bitch." He lit the match and watched passively as her body caught fire. She would never again terrorize the unsuspecting people of Texas.