Hurriedly, he slipped back downstairs into the chair he had been in just a few moments ago. He could soon see he was right to come down when he did as Dean was down nearly right after him, an angry and uneasy expression lining his face.

"I gotta run an errand," he mumbled nervously, not looking at Cas as he passed. He hurried off in the direction of the dungeon. Cas followed nervously, questioning whether to bring it up or not.

"Where are you going?" Cas asked, following Dean as he went down into the dungeon.

"A hunt," he replied briefly.

"I thought we were still deciding who the vamp was," Cas brought up.

"A… another hunt," Dean replied anxiously. He hurried over to one of the boxes in the dungeon, getting on his knees and frantically looking through it. Cas stood off to the side, looking away for another moment. What was he looking for? Was it the 'angel blade', as he put it?

"You want me to come?" He asked.

"No!" Dean growled, looking back. He stopped, shutting his eyes and sighing as he calmed down. "I'm sorry I just… I have to do this alone," Cas slowly nodded in acknowledgement, however still confused.

"Alright, Dean," He told him, as Dean found whatever he needed and tucked it in his coat. All Cas could see was a glimmer of silver before it was hidden. Dean quickly stood and turned to the door.

"I love you," Cas interjected, before he could leave. Dean stopped in his tracks, looking back but not making eye contact. He was still enveloped in fear that he would find out and ruin it all, and he wanted nothing more than to jump into his arms again. He rubbed the ring on his finger with his thumb. No. He'd fix it. It would stay perfect.

"Yeah… I love you too…" He replied. Quickly, he hurried out of the dungeon and out of the bunker to find the angel on the loose.

Sam was expecting questions from Cas, but surprisingly he didn't pose any. Honestly, he was curious, but that didn't mean he wanted to know. It sounded big, not to mention, Dean seemed to be convinced he ought not to know, so he'd just hold off for now. Really, as he told Sam, he was just tired. The last few nights had gone on three or four hours, a usual hunter's sleep, but every so often you just had to make up for it. So, a nap it was.

Meanwhile, Dean was out into town, but his determination was fading. It occurred to him he hadn't really planned this out. He had no clue what he looked like, where he'd be, or how to find him. So, he took the reckless approach. He kept walking until he found an alleyway, out of the way, and prayed up to the sky.

"Hey!" He cried up. "Whoever you are! This is Dean Winchester, and if you're looking for a lovely fallen angel called Castiel…" He hesitated, reluctantly saying the next bit. "I've got him! Not here in the next hour, you'll never find us. Be here." Dean then sat down against the building to the left and waited.

After about thirty minutes of just sitting there, a man with a bottle in his wavering hand and a too-big sweatshirt over his body sat across from him. "Hey," he greeted.

Dean rolled his eyes and ignored him. He reached into his coat, feeling the sweaty hilt of his knife. He looked up again as the man spoke.

"You know, you call for me, the least you could do was acknowledge me," The man took down his hood, showing a serious face of curly hair and a clean face. Dean rapidly stood, fury in his eyes and his angel blade out. The angel. He lunged at him, but he quickly stood and raised his hand, pressing him hard against the wall.

"Where's Cas, Dean?" The angel asked seriously.

"Fuck you!" Dean spat back.

"I could hurt you,"

"Yeah, I know, I've dealt with your type," He sneered, "Although, never quite so pathetic looking."

"What, did you think I would just appear in a flash of white light? We're in the middle of the city, you already look like a nut for calling me at all. Earth requires subtlety."

"Shut up!" Dean growled.

"Will you tell me where Cas is?"

"No!"

"Fine," he replied. He dropped Dean from the wall, leaving him to slink to the ground. "I'll find him myself," he said. He turned and casually began walking out the alley. Dean growled to himself, rapidly standing, angel blade in hand. He leapt up as he stabbed him in the back of the throat.

"I don't think so," He growled, and let him drop dead to the floor.

While he was there, Cas was at home in a restless sleep. It was worse tonight. He didn't sleep much already, as whenever he started to fall into an actual deep sleep there would be a tight pain in his chest and back. He figured it was something to do with sleep paralysis or something, he was sure it wasn't significant, but certainly annoying. Every time he managed to get to sleep he dreamed something like being killed by a boa constrictor or having ropes tightening around his torso and then be woken with a similar pain, until it slowly faded.

Tonight, however, it didn't seem to fade. His nightmares got worse and worse, now involving angels and torture, and finally he concluded that sleep may not be the best idea. He rose out of bed, seeing now it was reaching nighttime, and headed over to the bathroom. He leaned over the sink, splashing cool, crisp water across his face. Then, closing the door, he took off his shirt. Who knew? Maybe it was something? But as he took it off, he saw his chest and nothing else of importance. He was fine. Yet still, he could feel it getting worse and worse, like heartburn times a hundred. He winced, splashing water again in his face. What was it, he wondered? And why was it getting worse?

It felt like there was a rubber band wrapped around him. Trying to get a little more comfortable, he stood up straighter, rolled back his shoulders, expanded his chest, but this only made him hiss in pain and double back over. He kept his hands on the sink, glancing at his pained and afraid reflection. It had never once been this bad. He tried to take in a breath, but quickly let it out again, the pain getting tighter, like it would break the skin. His eyes widened as, looking in the mirror, he could see it; a thin filament wrapped around his chest; shimmering gold and only sometimes visible like a golden spider web. He carefully stood a little straighter and examined it, wrapped tight around his chest and back.

"What the Hell…?" He whispered, before he groaned again and doubled over, the binding growing tighter. It hurt to stand or go against it, but at this point he needed it off. He winced and snarled in pain as he forced his strength against it, somehow keeping his back straight. He could feel something else, too: an extension, another part of himself, only just there, like a shadow, stemming from his back. It must have been his imagination, he thought. Or, he thought before he tried to move them. He nearly screamed and fell to his knees, this fake extension of himself pressing against the golden string. At this point he couldn't breathe, he felt like his heart wasn't beating. He could barely move. But he knew he could break it. He leaned over the sink and arched his back, doing what he had just done. He winced as finally a glimmer of gold fell to the floor. The pain was immediately gone, but he could feel a part of himself he never had before, feel it crashing into the door on one end and the shower curtain on the other, which subsequently broke open and parted, broken by an invisible force. Cas stepped back in awe as he saw in his reflection two arching, black shadows against the wall behind him; two arching black wings.

Cas stepped back, his heart racing with fear. What was going on? What was happening? He would have thought it was just a fluke or a prank had he not felt it himself. Yes, he was sure of it now, another two extensions from his back like arms, and he had control over each muscle and joint. He could move them out… he carefully bent his wing straight, feeling the skin press against the wall and doorway… and he could move them in… he folded up his wings, keeping them just behind his back. He stared at the mirror, still unable to believe it.

Cas was only just trying to call Dean when he saw the impala pull up to the hotel. He sighed in relief, putting down the phone and hurrying outside to meet Dean, stepping out of the car with a worried look on his face. He could tell from Dean's reaction as he walked out that he clearly looked pretty awestruck too.

"Cas?" He said, creasing his eyebrows as he stepped out of the impala. "What's wrong?" Cas shook his head stuttering a bit before resorting merely to,

"I don't know."

The two went inside and Cas tried to calm down a little. He found he could control weather his wings physically touched things or not (probably because he'd need to touch air to fly, which was an insane thought) so he made sure that he couldn't knock things over. Still, it took a lot for Dean to get him to sit down, and even when he did it was odd to think some strange entities attached to his back were floating through the back of the seat.

"I made you aware of… some trouble sleeping," Cas began slowly.

"Yeah, chest pain, right?" Dean reassured, a worried look to his face.

"Yes, that," Cas agreed, "But it was worse today. I figured I'd make up for some lost sleep, take a nap, but I couldn't even manage that. The nightmares kept waking me, and there was this tight pain in my chest…" he explained. "Then… I got up to splash some water on my face and calm down but… something happened."

"Something?!" Dean demanded.

"I'm still not really sure what it was…" Cas explained, shaking his head and casting a glance toward the ground. "But I got up and it just got worse and worse, until I could barely stand up, barely breathe. I felt like there was this way… I could push against it, like an imaginary extension, which I tried. It hurt but I saw this gold string wrapped around me like that was the source and somehow I broke it a-and then there were these huge shadows that just arched out but I could control them, I could feel them, and I still can, and they feel like…" He stopped for a moment, taking a breath to interrupt his now rapid speech. "Wings."

For a long time Dean didn't speak, his heart practically stopping in his chest. Oh god. It was happening already. "Wings…?" He asked, swallowing.

"Crazy, I know, but it's true, I just woke up and it's like… I broke a bind or something."

Dean rapidly stood, unable to hear anymore without wanting to take action. "Cas, I have to-" he said starting out the door again, but Cas stood and grabbed his arm.

"Dean, you know something," He knew, "What's happening to me?"

"I don't know what you're-"
"Dean, I married you, I can tell when you're lying," Cas replied sternly. Dean sighed, looking worriedly back at him. He was torn between leaving right there and telling him the whole truth, but he knew he couldn't do either of those things.

"Cas, you trust me, right?" Dean checked.

"Of course," Cas agreed.

"Then you have to trust that I just can't tell you," Dean insisted. There was a look of honesty in his eyes, and Cas knew it was the truth. Yet still, he was afraid and curious. Somehow, when Dean began to leave again, he couldn't let go of his wrist.

"Dean, wait," He stopped him again. He looked down for a moment, afraid to ask the question itself. Finally, he got it out. "Am I… human?" Dean gave him a long look, his eyes ridden with pity and fear. He couldn't tell him that. But he couldn't lie to him either. So, without another word, he pulled away from Cas' grasp and slipped out the door, leaving Cas in awestruck confusion.