IsabellaFaye11 helped me so much with this chapter (she should just basically be the co-writer to be honest). When I first wrote this it was choppy and a couple scenes were out of character and she just made it even better. SEND HER THANK YOU NOTES.

Chapter 8

Samuel Winchester was trying to distract himself from the fact that his brother had abandoned him by looking through the endless books the Men of Letters had acquired before their untimely demise. At first, he looked at everything involving demons, but then turned to the Mark of Cain. There were countless books on demon possession, demon travel, demon sigils, even one detailing the meaning of the marks on a Djinn's face. Despite the veritable gold mine of information there was absolutely nothing on the Mark.

As he was reading through an ancient book, entitled; "Demon Sigils and Their Meaning: Volume Eight" when he heard heavy footsteps outside the door. Alarmed by the fact he was the only living human who knew of the bunker's existence, Sam slowly reached under the table. He felt the smooth and cold metal of the barrel and slid his hand further down until he felt the familiar handle. His fingers tightened around it and he silently rose from his hard library chair. Sam winced in pain as his sore muscles protested to the sudden movement after so long sitting still. Sam hid behind the wall as he heard the door open. He took in a short breath and quickly turned around, gun ready. To his surprise at the end of the barrel, was a bloody and beaten Angel of the Lord.

Confused, Sam asked, "Cas? Wh-what happened to you?" The angel leaned on the wall next to him. He began to apologize for the intrusion, but Sam waved him off and led him to a wooden chair.

After sitting down there was a soft pause and Castiel answered, "The demons found out about Dean and I. You could say they did not approve. Dean took me back up to Heaven, but after he had left, my brothers and sisters cast me out. At least the angels were less violent in their mutiny than the demons."

By reflex, Sam gave Cas a look he reserved for special occasions, his eyes were full of sympathy with heavy eyebrows. This wasn't something cheap he did whenever he heard a sad story. It was a message that came from his big heart, which said he knew pain and would be there with you through yours.

"I'm sorry, Cas. You can stay here if you want. There's not really anyone else" Sam told him.

A short silence weighted heavily in the air.

"Thank you, Sam. I appreciate you offering your home to me" the angel responded. Sam chuckled softly and looked down at his hands.

Castiel tilted his head and narrowed his eyes as he asked; "What do you find humorous?" The Winchester looked up to the angel with a small smile.

"Cas, the bunker is your home too"

"Oh, I was unaware. I thought this was yours and Dean's home,"

"It is, but it's also yours. You're family, Cas. I know you have your own family up in Heaven, but you're still part of this one. No matter how small it is. A long time ago, even before we met you, Bobby said family don't end in blood. Dean likes to say that family is whoever's been there through the good and the bad, and I think after everything we've been through you count." Castiel looked Sam in the eyes and gave him a grateful smile.

The Winchester continued, "You should get some rest. Even for an angel, it looks like you need it. There's a spare bedroom at the end of the hall"

The angel stood up and added, "Thank you, again"

"Don't worry about it" Cas walked away from Sam and down the hall.

With tired legs and heavy footsteps, the damaged angel trudged onto his own room. Once inside, he carefully laid himself down on the untouched and stiff sheets. He was on his back looking up at the ceiling. Castiel put his hands on his stomach and fiddled with his blue tie. Soon after, his eyelids grew heavy; not with pain, but with exhaustion.

The bunker was empty and silent, it's kitchen clean and spotless and the air inside was stale but light when tragedy struck. Organization was the only thing that kept Samuel Winchester sane, unlike his brother who preferred alcohol. On most days, Sam felt as if the entire underground building was cold; the tables, the floor, the beds, even his own hands that were always so filled with warmth.

It wasn't until Castiel came, did Sam's home feel warm. The little Winchester tried not to show it, but when Dean and Cas disappeared, so did his entire family. It hurt. Both men thought they were doing him a favor, by leaving him on Earth to live a normal life. The question was how could anyone live, let alone find, a normal life after this one. That was the illusion every hunter faced: that there was a way out of this all.

What hurt the most was that when Dean left he didn't die. He left because he simply didn't want to be with his baby brother. It was supposed to be Sam and his big brother against the world, right? Right? Cas wasn't even there, which meant there was no one for him to lean on. Sam was angry that the angel had been keeping such a big secret from him, but he had been so alone for the past couple months. He was willing to let it go…for now. At that moment, the tall man with hair that was, let's face it, a little too long, was buried in a mountain of dusty books. He had read almost all of them three times now, but he was hoping that he missed something.

It was only when his eyes were beginning to hurt, that he decided to take a break. He was debating on whether or not to make a salad, but remembered that Cas was home. The Winchester walked down the hallway to the guest room. He slightly opened the door, but found an empty bed.

Confused and a little panicked, Sam called, "Cas?"

"Yes, Sam?" a dark and gravelly voice said behind him.

The tall man was startled, but was familiar with the quiet man popping up in the oddest of places. "Um, I was just checking up on you"

"Well, I must say after I rested for a short period of time, I do feel better" Castiel said with a small grin.

Sam returned the smile and continued, "Well, I wanted to tell you that I think I know how to help Dean.

Cas asked, "What do you mean?"

"I've been searching through the books the Men of Letters have written and there's nothing on getting rid of the mark…but I remembered when we almost cured Crowley. If we can do that to the King of Hell, then why can't we cure Dean being a demon?"

Castiel protested, "When you tried to cure Crowley, you almost perished"

"Well, yes, but I was under the trials. We have the blood, the dungeon, and everything we need to cure him"

"Sam, Dean is different, he's a demon. I do not think you'll enjoy seeing him like this"

"He scoffed at the angel's reply and asked, "Cas, how can you say that after being with him, while he's demon?"

"Because what will he think when Dean looks back at what he did" he snapped sternly.

"What do you mean?"

"I have seen what he has done down in Hell. I would not be surprised if he was haunted by his actions" the angel said softly. "Sometimes you need to leave things the way they are"

Castiel turned and walked away from Sam, who had a frustrated gaze with furrowed eyebrows. No matter what the angel said or how horrifying Dean's actions were, Sam planned on getting his brother back.