And with the early dawn
Moving right along
I couldn't buy an eyeful of sleep
And in the aching night under satellites
I was not received
Built with stolen parts
A telephone in my heart
Someone get me a priest
To put my mind to bed
This ringing in my head
Is this a cure or is this a disease

.

Show Me How to Live – Audioslave

Dawn came, at last, and Balthazar had never been more relieved to see it. He went back inside the cave to fetch his brother.

"Castiel, dawn is here! We have to keep moving again." Balthazar announced.

Castiel did not respond, though Balthazar figured that much. He returned to the spot where he had left him, ready to pick his brother up once more and carry him all the way if he had to, when he came to an abrupt stop.

When he last saw him, Castiel barely had any light for his form. Now, however, he had no light at all.

Balthazar was at his side in less than a heartbeat, endeavoring to push aside his initial thought that they were already too late. "Castiel? Castiel? Brother, if you can hear me, give me a sign! Castiel!" he screamed.

Castiel remained totally unresponsive, and dark. There was no warmth radiating off him, no flick of Grace, no anything. He was barely a shadow on the moss and it was as if a light breeze could carry him away like the seeds of a dandelion until he disappeared completely. His wings had lost their splendor, right to the point that wilted, trampled flowers appeared far better in comparison.

Sheer terror rising like the sun behind him, Balthazar did everything he could to elicit a response from Castiel: he tugged at his brother's wings, with each attempt growing more desperate to the extent that he found himself yanking so hard he was almost snapping them.

When that was not affecting him, Balthazar tired to pull Castiel up, thinking that maybe his position on the ground was interfering and blocking the flow of his Grace. He was absolutely horrified to learn that he could hardly touch him, since his grip was literally going through his brother. Balthazar gave several more attempts at grabbing Castiel; however, it was like he had human hands trying to gather water in the same manner as picking up a stick. Castiel was there, he could feel him, but before Balthazar can secure him, his brother would slip away.

Angels' forms were comprised of Grace and pure light, and since Castiel had no light on him anymore, he did not have much of a form to latch onto either.

That left his Grace. Balthazar extended his Grace to Castiel again, hoping that something would happen this time. Normally, it was not hard to find the Grace of another, but for Castiel, it was as if he was sifting through layers upon layers of empty ether and mazes of undisturbed nothingness. The experience became more frightening the deeper he went. For a moment, Balthazar thought that Castiel's Grace was gone, that all hope was lost.

That his brother was dead.

And there, at the very base of his being, was Castiel's Grace, dull and petrified like the surface of a thick sheet of ice. Balthazar projected a tremendous deal of warmth and light from his own Grace and into his brother's, yet they all slipped off and bounced right back into him. Appalled, Balthazar tried again, and he was met with the same result.

With his Grace still within, it was safe to assume that Castiel was not yet dead, which meant that he could still be saved – Balthazar had to stop himself from succumbing to hysterical laughter at that small victory. He can still save him, he can still fix this and he can do it on his own.

Suddenly, the world outside became cloudier and darker as a harsh wind snaked its way into the cave.

He's asleep at last. Now I can have his eyes.

Balthazar's wings opened up in (not fear, not fear, he was not afraid of him, he was not!) preparation to take flight again. The Sandman was here, right at the mouth of the cave. Balthazar scrambled to get a hold of Castiel, which was a near-impossible task. He could sense the Sandman getting closer, moving slowly as if taunting them. As Balthazar strived to pick his brother up, he tried to think of a place they could go to in order to get the Sandman off their trail. There had to be somewhere safe, somewhere extremely far and very protected, a place that had everything they needed and maybe someone that could help them like...

...Heaven.

It was then that Balthazar realized that, no matter how far on Earth they would go, the Sandman will always be nearby. This chase would never stop; the Sandman knew Earth better than they did and what Castiel needed the most was a cure, which would only be delayed if they had to keep watching out for the Sandman.

Their return in Heaven will not be pretty, but Balthazar figured that whatever punishment was in store for them, saving Castiel will far outweigh that.

"Balthazar... I'm scared."

Those had been Castiel's final words to him. He will not let his brother die with his final words being those; he will not allow it.

At last, Balthazar got a steady hold on Castiel's lifeless form and flew to Heaven, just as the Sandman was a hairsbreadth away. The last thing Balthazar heard was the wind screaming in anguish.

O_x

They appeared at the entrance of Heaven's Infirmary. Balthazar was thankful that there was no one else in here other than a Healer – Mumiah from the look of it – watching over the whole place. After readjusting his grip on Castiel, Balthazar went over to Mumiah just as the emotions and trauma he had accumulated on Earth were just becoming too overwhelming.

The last bit of distance to Mumiah was an inelegant, desperate zoom. Castiel remained dark and utterly lifeless all throughout and suddenly Balthazar just could not take it anymore.

"You have to cure him! You have to! He doesn't deserve to die, especially not like this! It's all my fault and…" Everything just tumbled out of him, the fear, the pain, the frustration, the guilt. It was all just too much; it was too much!

Balthazar glanced at Castiel again, who was hanging off him like there was no life left in him, his lackluster wings dragging beneath him. When he looked away, Balthazar discovered that he was crying, but instead of tears like with humans, light as dazzling as a dying star was streaming from his orbs. He knew it was pathetic to show this level of emotion, he was also aware that Mumiah was encircling them and taking every detail into account, but right now Balthazar could not care less.

"Fix him, please. He's my brother." he whispered. He never begged for anything; if he wanted something, he would just get it on his own. But this was different; this was an exception. He will beg his wings off if he had to.

"Calm down. And he's my brother too so don't talk to me like that." said Mumiah, coming to a halt in front of them. He was older than Balthazar and Castiel's ages put together, making Mumiah very big and very formidable as a Healer. Despite the threatening size, he still exuded the calming aura of his position; however, that hardly eased the pressure in Balthazar's Grace.

As if sensing his thoughts, Mumiah stooped down to their level. "What happened exactly?" he asked.

Balthazar knew he could always lie. Mumiah did not have to know everything; he would just report this to their superiors straight away.

He told him everything anyway. Everything.

When Balthazar was done, Mumiah had on a pensive expression. "I see. So he's asleep,"

"I know!" yelled Balthazar angrily. He just told him that! Had he not been listening to him? Then he realized that they were just wasting time like this. "You can fix him, right? Bring him back?" he inquired urgently.

"Balthazar, sleep is nothing to get concerned about. It's far different from death. Humans do it every night to regain energy. It's a sort of long rest actually, except it's a phase wherein consciousness is lost." Mumiah explained.

That sounded awful. Time would pass and they would not know what happened during that period; he could not comprehend having those kinds of gaps. How could humans live like that? They had such short lives and because of this 'sleep'-phase their existence would practically be made shorter every night. It was horrible, and it sickened Balthazar to know that Castiel was presently undergoing that.

"But Castiel's not human. Is that still bad?" he worriedly asked.

"Technically, angels don't sleep. We have no need of it. Castiel is merely… unconscious, unresponsive." said Mumiah.

Unconscious. Unresponsive. He did not say dead. Then that meant Castiel was not dying.

"His Grace… I can't feel it. And he has no light." pointed out Balthazar anxiously.

"Just as the shroud of evening is cast over the Earth, the sun is simply concealed, not gone." Mumiah moved forward and effortlessly managed to scoop Castiel from Balthazar and into his hold. Castiel followed the movements without any resistance, and Balthazar had to push down hard the idea of him nearing death.

It was difficult not to picture him as dying. Castiel looked so helpless and oblivious as he was being carried by Mumiah; his form was a cold, barely touchable phantom of a shadow and his wings were drooping miserably on his back, seemingly ready to fall off like leaves in autumn. How could this be regarded as 'rest'? It looked more like an irreparable damage that might as well be death.

Mumiah was staring at him as if he had just blurted out all of his fears and concerns. "I just need to remove the sand from him and he will be alright." he assured softly.

"How? I've tried –" Balthazar began.

"You're not a Healer like I am. Leave it to me; it will be a quick process." The words sounded like a promise, and the sheer fact that Mumiah did not seem worried was cause for hope and relief.

Castiel was not going to die. He will be fine; he will be conscious again. Part of Balthazar felt a little annoyed that he had to go through all the stress of believing that his brother was dying. However, he could not prevent a tremble of great joy passing through his form as his wings lowered in ease.

Mumiah was holding Castiel as if he were a human infant. Castiel actually looked smaller and less of a threat than he already was and Balthazar would have laughed at his expense if it were any other situation. He watched as Mumiah methodically pored over Castiel's state, and he stood back in awe as a fine silvery light materialized from Mumiah's Grace. It swept over Castiel's hardly-there form and eventually Balthazar came to the conclusion that it was to better take into account the extent of the Sandman's effects. When Mumiah seemed satisfied, the silver light disappeared and he turned away from Balthazar with Castiel in his possession.

"Wait! Where are you going?" Balthazar exclaimed, catching up to Mumiah.

"All healing is strictly to be done inside the Infirmary." replied Mumiah passively.

"But you said it would be a quick process! Why not just do it here?" argued Balthazar.

"It is the Law in Heaven." said Mumiah, turning to face him in his full form. There was authority in his voice now, the kind which indicated he would not hesitate in taking extreme measures simply to make a point. "Do you wish to break another one?"

At that, Balthazar knew it was time to stand down.

The menacing atmosphere vanished and Mumiah's aura returned to emanating waves of calm and safety. He studied Castiel again, who had not moved once in his hold.

"I won't remove the sand right away though. He looks like he really needs the rest." said Mumiah.

Balthazar was on the verge of arguing when he realized that Mumiah's last words were true. Even though there was barely any detail and substance that remained in Castiel's form, Balthazar could easily see that Castiel had been badly hurt during their time on Earth. There were scorch marks from when the Sandman had blasted him away, and there were multiple cuts from when he must have smashed into several branches during that same blast. One side of him was sort of - for lack of a better term - pulverized from the impact of falling into the ocean from such a high altitude even for angels. And then there were his wings that had been strained far too much, which Balthazar realized was partly his own doing.

Balthazar merely nodded as Mumiah, with Castiel, went further away from him.

"We will discuss the matter of your punishment, by the way. Don't think that you and Castiel can get away with breaking into the Garden and coming down to Earth." said Mumiah just before he went into the doors of the Infirmary.

Balthazar did not care about the punishments anymore. He just wanted his brother back.

When he looked up, the last thing he saw was Castiel's wingtip helplessly sticking out in a manner that almost pleaded him not to leave. The doors closed and locked before Balthazar could follow.

O_x

Balthazar did not know how long he had been waiting in the halls, but it was long enough for him to lose concept of time. He had been getting more and more restless every time he glanced at the closed doors of the Infirmary. His wings were itching to fly, thrash the whole place, virtually anything that involved him doing something. He hated waiting, hated it because he felt so contained. It was making him insane, and the fact that there was absolutely nothing here to entertain himself with just made it worse.

Despite this, he could not bring himself to leave. Even if he really, really wanted to, he could not because Mumiah had the entire Infirmary locked down, which was mostly to ensure that Balthazar would not go flying off to escape his punishment again, as if he had not already learned his lesson.

His and Castiel's superiors had already dropped by to pay him a brief visit before the lockdown happened. Needless to say that unpleasant words had been exchanged and an unequally unpleasant future was waiting. For Balthazar though, this waiting was punishment enough.

Then, he sensed the doors leading into the Infirmary opening to a crack.

"Castiel!" Balthazar happily cried out. Before he could stop himself, he was flying at full speed to reach his brother and pull him into an embrace. He was alright, just like Mumiah said. He was bright again and his Grace was as noticeable as a beacon. His form was as good as new and his wings were a sight to behold once more, even though they looked a little ruffled.

But most importantly, he was alive and well.

Balthazar could feel that Castiel was taken aback by his greeting, his blue orbs wide in surprise and curiosity and his head tilted slightly in what room was available. Balthazar had to wonder if Castiel even remembered what had happened, but when his brother returned the gesture - hesitantly at first, then with a force that matched his - Balthazar's worries eddied.

"Are you alright?" he asked Castiel once they broke apart.

"I'm fine." said Castiel, and hearing him say those words had never felt so good. "Thank you for keeping me safe."

"It's because of me you got into this mess in the first place." said Balthazar.

"But you never abandoned me once, so thank you."

That was true enough, albeit that did not make Balthazar feel all that better.

"What was… 'sleeping' like?" Balthazar asked, changing the subject.

A haze entered Castiel's eyes, as if he was trying to retrieve something that was buried deep within. "I don't remember." he said distantly, almost like he was calling out from a faraway place.

"Did it hurt?" inquired Balthazar.

For a moment, Castiel did not look like he was willing to give an answer. "No, not really. I'm not sure." he replied, and he truly appeared as if he did not want to recall any details about it anymore. Balthazar could respect that, that was why he let Castiel steer them onto a different topic.

"I heard that a punishment awaits us," he said.

Balthazar's wings puffed out a bit in annoyance at their superiors. "I managed to convince them to place a heavier burden on me though, since I'm the one primarily responsible." he admitted.

Castiel's eyes glowed brighter and widened again; Balthazar just returned his response with a dismissive pulse from his Grace. Balthazar figured that that was the least he could do for his brother.

"So we're just going to wait here for our punishment then?" Castiel asked, and in spite of the fact that he did not say it out loud, the 'thank you' was more than visible.

"Unless you have a better idea," huffed out Balthazar.

"I do."

As Balthazar was about to ask what he meant by that, he abruptly stopped at the sight of what Castiel currently had in his possession.

"Are those the keys?" Balthazar asked, dumbstruck.

"Yes." responded Castiel bluntly.

"How did you get them from Mumiah?" he wildly inquired.

"I stole them."

Now it was Balthazar's turn to be the victim of pure surprise. Castiel - good, rule-abiding, disciplined Castiel - had just taken something that did not belong to him without permission, and he was showing off his act like it was an achievement. Balthazar stared incredulously at his brother who, instead of displaying anything that even remotely resembled shame or self-disgust, was flashing him a bright, genuine smile.

After everything they had been through, after the massive emotional turmoil that no angel was permitted to experience, Balthazar just had to laugh. He laughed like today was the best day ever in creation, and the bitterness and fear that had stirred his Grace evaporated instantly from him. In a way, he supposed this was that kind of day.

"I believe I'm a bad influence on you." Balthazar chuckled.

He laughed again, and this time Castiel joined him. They laughed all the way out of the Infirmary.

O_x

"I need your help."

"I know. I've been hearing all about you, and as far as I'm concerned, you and me, Cas... Nothing's changed. We're brothers. Of course I want to help you."

Fin (for this mini-story).

Yay! This part is done! :D

So sorry this took a while. Exams are coming up so expect very limited updates for a while.

Mumiah is the "angel who controls the science of physics and medicine and in the change of health and longevity." So says themysticguide . com

If you guys are wondering about their age in "angel standards," I'm not really putting anything definite here. Each of these stories will be set in different points of time, so ages will never be constant. The characters here in every story can be in any age you imagine them to be 8D

Thank you for everyone who read this. I'll give you all a hint for the next character: there's an "h" in the name ;) Cupcakes for anyone who guesses right XD