"Hey, assbutt!" Dean hears before the angel possessing Adam disappears into flames. That should have been me; I should have been the vessel not Adam. Before he can think again he turns around to see his two best friends, his family. He looks over to Cas, the person who threw the Molotov Cocktail. This has either been the stupidest idea in his life or the best.

"Assbutt?" The Winchester says in response. Castiel shrugs. He has only been on earth for a few years now and those words are foreign to him.

"He'll be back-and upset- but you got your five minutes," Cas replies. He has saved Dean momentarily. For the first time since he made the choice to follow the Winchester in this path to save the world, he is scared. His actions can kill him, hell they will, and for a brief moment Castiel knows he has condemned himself to death. He looks over to Dean one more time and nods. Words he never got to say, words he never will say are stuck in his mind, but there isn't time and this isn't the place.

Lucifer interrupts their eye contact,"Castiel. Did you just Molotov my brother with holy fire?" The former angel takes a step back. He wants to run, he wants to fly away and hide, but his wings are clipped and he is all out of mojo. He tries to hide his fear, but it doesn't work.

"Uh...no," he replies. This is it. This is the end. He won't be able to fight the war, and he won't be able to protect Dean Winchester. His mind races back to that one time Dean took him to a stripper club before they thought he would die. He remembers Dean's laugh and how they stood together in the face of Raphael. That's why he came back with Bobby, because Dean had taken the time to come with him when he had no one else and Dean Winchester would not die alone.

"No one dicks with Michael but me." Lucifer raises his hand, and with a snap, Castiel is blown to pieces. Bobby stood behind him, instantly covered in the remains of the other man. Dean's eyes widen with fear as he looks over at the remains. This can't be happening, he thinks to himself. Not Cas. Not him. I got him killed. The Winchester wants to yell, but he can't. He has to convince Sam to fight back or else all of this will be for nothing.

Like the brave little soldier he is, he turns toward his brother, pain seared across his face like angel wings on the ground. He says, "Sammy can you hear me?" Unknown to him, his little brother can hear everything and see everything. He watched as he killed Castiel, the one angel that gave up everything for them, for him to succeed. He is hopeless fighting against a force as powerful as an archangel. Dean, he cries out in his mind.

He grabs Dean by his leather jacket. "You know...I tried to be nice...for Sammy's sake. But you...are such a pain...in my ass." He throws the righteous man into the air and at the Impala, causing the windshield to break underneath Dean's weight. Ready to attack, he leans over the Winchester, until he is shot in the back. He turns around to face the shooter who is no other than Bobby Singer. Like Castiel, he too has condemned himself to death, but he refuses to go down without a fight. He shoots the man possessing Sam once again; this time the bullet barely missing his heart. Sam screams inside his vessel, pleading with Bobby to continue to shoot, but of course his father can't hear him. Dean looks over at the old man who only shrugs in response. He takes a breath before Lucifer snaps his neck with a simple hand motion. Both Sam and Dean scream no in unison, but only one can be heard.

"Yes," Lucifer says to the both of them. He pushes Sam back further into his mind, but this time he is still fighting back. No more killing, no more death. Sam watches as his own hands grab a hold of his brother's legs and drag him off of the Impala. He can feel his hand make contact with Dean's face, instantly breaking bones. Not him. Not my brother.

"Sammy? Are you in there?" Dean says once again, unwilling to give up on the only family he's got left. Sam has lost all hope; he's lost and now Dean is going to die too. Why do you keep on fighting for me? I...I don't understand, Dean why? You gave up on me so many times, why now?

Lucifer reels in for another punch. "Oh, he's in here all right. And he's gonna feel the snap of your bones. Every. Single. One. We're gonna take our time." He punches Dean again and again, over and over breaking bones and popping vessels. The pain Dean is feeling is like no other. His face is burning even though his brother's hands are very cold. He can feel the blood gushing out and his nose is broken, but he hardly cares. This is Sammy. He will get to Sammy. He has no other choice and he doesn't care how long it will take.

He spits out some blood before saying, "Sam, it's okay. It's okay. I'm here. I'm here. I'm not gonna leave you." He touches Sam's shoulder. Both he and Lucifer freeze. Dean...I'm so sorry Dean. You.. you never really gave up on me did you. You always fought for me. You...you always cared. That's why you won't give up...and that's why I won't give up on you. It's gonna be okay. I promise big brother. I'm going to make you proud. Sam fights even harder, something Lucifer didn't expect. He didn't realize that through all this hate and hurt, there is so much love. Too much love. Love he and Michael never experienced. Sam catches a glimpse of the army man he put in the Impala so many years ago, and his mind races back to everything. He thinks about the laughs, their fun their sacrifices, and for a brief instant he has control over his vessel and his body.

He lets go of Dean, who falls back before saying, "It's okay, Dean. It's going to be okay. I've got him." Fear runs through Sam. He knows there will be no end to the torture. He knows he'll be in hell forever, but at least he'll save his brother. At least he will save the world. Dean looks up at Sam, his face bloody and swollen. He is scared too, but more than anything he is proud. This is the man he practically raised since they were kids. He is the same man fate screwed in the ass and now he is winning against fate. He is winning.

Sam reaches inside his pocket for the horsemen's rings. His fingers touch it, but before he can grab a hold of it, his hand freezes. No. Suddenly, he is paralyzed. He can feel Lucifer coming back, and he can't do anything.

"I'm sorry Dean," Sammy says.

"It's okay Sammy," Dean replies before Sam lets out a bloody curdling scream. He falls to the ground, and silence covers the area. They have lost. They have lost. Lucifer gets up and cracks his neck before smiling.

"Nice try Sam, but you aren't good enough." Lucifer raises his hand and slams Dean into the Impala, instantly breaking his back. He walks over and grabs Dean by his hair as he writhes in pain.

"Now, you are going to watch me win. Michael! Where are you brother?" In an instant, Michael appears and all hell breaks loose.

Dean couldn't stop it. He couldn't do anything to stop it. He watched as his brother destroyed Adam and tore him apart piece by piece. He knew he would be next. He had a feeling he would be, but when Lucifer came up to him, and Dean closed his eyes preparing for the worst, the strangest thing happened. The angel touched Dean's forehead, instantly healing him. Dean looked back up.

"I spared you. Remember that. I'll pray for you," Lucifer said before delivering another touch that knocked out Dean. "And you," he snapped his fingers and Castiel appeared, renewed and reborn. "You are coming with me," He snapped again and both of them were gone. And Dean was alone.

*Night 2 Without Sam*

"I couldn't save him," Dean mumbles under his breathe,"he was so close." Dean's body is covered in sweat as he recalls the event in his sleep. He moves a bit, alerting the sleeping angel resting underneath his arm. Cas involuntarily leans further into Dean, nudging him with his soft hair. This works for a brief instant, the Winchester waking up for a few moments before falling back asleep and continuing the process.

Castiel opens one blue eye to look at Dean. He moves his hand to the spot where his hand print once scarred Dean's arm and places it there. Cas sends out calming thoughts through this connection, allowing the man some peace. This spot has always been an open connection between him and the Winchester. It's their profound bond even though it is no longer visible. "You can't save everyone my friend. Even though you try" he says. Dean moves closer to Cas.

"Mhhhhm, Cas," Dean says a few moments later to the now wide awake man, "You smell really, really terrible you need a shower." He smiles with his eyes still closed. Castiel just remains there akwardly.

"I would shower, but you are holding me and I didn't want to disturb you." he replies as he tries to get up. Dean refuses to let go.

"No, don't go. I didn't say I wanted you to go. I smell terrible too dude, yet you are dealing with me," Dean holds Cas even tighter in his arms. It doesn't matter whether or not he smells good or bad, he is just happy to have someone with him. After everything he lost, he's glad he has someone. He wouldn't know how he could make it, heck he doesn't know how he will make it.

The angel takes a whiff of the air before scrunching his nose up. "Barely," Dean laughs at Castiel, unsure whether or not the angel is purposefully being sassy or just being honest. He had come to understand that this was a part of his personality that he liked, no matter how confusing it could be. He playfully pushes Cas away from the bed.

"Fine, you know what? Go take a shower then. I'll wait here till you finish so I can stop stinkin' up the place even more." Cas tries to get up, but the pain from his wounds is too much. His knees cave in and he falls to the ground.

"Cas?" Dean says in a worried tone as he slides over to help lift the angel up. Castiel winces at the touch and Dean loosens his grip. "Hey take it easy buddy. You're still healing."

"You're the one who suggested getting up," he replies. Dean gets out of the bed to check on Cas's wounds. As guessed, the one on his arm has started to bleed once again.

He touches the bandage and Cas flinches again. "I'm gonna check your wounds before you get cleaned up okay?" he says. Castiel appreciates the fact that Dean is asking for permission to do these things. His caring nature comes out more during things like this. He would have made a fine doctor. Cas nods.

Dean carefully removes the bandage on the angel's lower torso to be greeted by a faint bright light. "Woah..." He's speechless.

"My apologies...that's my grace. I'll try to tone it down as much as I can. It's an angel blade wound," The light dims down, enough for Dean to get back to work, which he does. As his hands go to work, inspecting the wounds he makes conversation.

"So that's you. That, that light." he says while looking at a wound that is now nearly closed. It was much worse the day before, and Dean wonders how this is possible, until he realizes that maybe healing is different angels. When it comes down to it, he actually doesn't know that much about them either.

Cas sighs,"Yes, well that's what you humans see. This is just a vessel; I look nothing like this in heaven. In heaven, I am a seraph," He grunts as the Winchester hits a tender spot while removing on bandage on his lower left arm.

"A seraph? Like that douche bag Zachariah? I thought you were just some regular angel," Castiel clenches his jaw and squints ahead.

"Careful what you say Dean. That is my family you speak of. Yes, Zachariah was a 'douche bag', but he was also my brother, and he is deceased." Dean instantly feels guilty. Often, too often, he forgets things like this. He forgets that the angels though seemingly emotionless, will fight for their own like any other species. They aren't just machines, they just have difficulty expressing themselves. He then recalls all the times he and Sam made snarky comments toward Castiel's brothers and sisters and how quiet he was during all of it. Insulting a person's family isn't something you should do, and Dean Winchester out of all people should know that.

He looks up at Cas, who continues to look at the wall. "I'm sorry. I forgot," he lets out before he looks back down to continue his work.

"I forgive you Dean. Anyway, I was a normal angel when we first met. My powers were limited to smaller things. Back then, I could only smite demons when I was focused, and sometimes I I couldn't at all when facing powerful demons like Alistair. Now, it should pose no problem . I am also able to bend time with little to no effort, unlike before. The healing process is quicker as you can see. Wounds like these would take at least about a weak to heal as a lower class angel, but now a day later I'm almost healed. I can remove your lungs if I wanted to, but I don't, so I won't. All the other powers I had before still exist, they're just more powerful." He replies. Again, Dean is dumbfounded.

"Wow. So you're a big shot now. When did all this happen?" he asks, a smile pressed against his face, "I mean last time we met you were practically powerless." Castiel's facial expression hardens. This isn't a topic he wishes to speak about, but he can't keep it bottled up. He has learned from the Winchesters how unhealthy it can be.

"When Lucifer resurrected me," he replies with hate in his tone. Dean's eyes widen. "He didn't grant me these powers. No angel, no matter how powerful can do that, rather it was the work of my father himself. I can only assume he did it to protect me against Lucifer and his...creative ways. It didn't really work as well as it should have, being that a seraph is nothing compared to being an archangel, but it protected me more than being a regular angel would have."

"God?" Dean questions why he chose to make an appearance after all hell broke loose. Shouldn't God care what happened to his creation and fight for it? Shouldn't he have stepped in when he had the chance, or does God just enjoy being a sadistic bastard.

Once again, the angel takes time to answer this question, much to Dean's irritation. How could his father do this? How could he have let this happen? How could he have been there under all their noses without any of them noticing. "Yes...I didn't see him, as per usual, it can only be of his work. He just did, how you would phrase, a pretty piss poor job once again. He let Sa-Lucifer torture me. He let your brother be overpowered. He's a sick son of a-"

Dean interrupts Cas, "Hey bud, that's enough. Calm down okay. We don't need you smiting up the place," Cas looks over toward Dean who has covered his eyes before he looks down at the bright light he let out without knowledge. He takes a few deep breathes, and the light dims down one again showing the outline of his wounds.

"My apologies. Controlling this new power isn't as simple as it seems." Dean finishes with inspecting the wounds leaving only the bloody arm bandaged once again. He helps Castiel up and into the bathroom before turning on the water for him. With the angel barely being able to stand up on his own, he realizes he might have to act as a crutch. He is about to exit the bathroom until the angel's voice stops him. At first it is his real voice, shaking the room and cracking the mirror, but then it turns into something he can understand. Cas looks down at the ground with a sheepish expression, embarrassed by his lack of control.

"I believe I will need your help. It causes me a great deal of pain to move my limbs," he says. Dean lets out a sigh. This would get more awkward then he thought possible.

"Wouldn't Jimmy mind me seeing him naked. I mean you're using his body," he jokes. The small bathroom becomes silent.

"Jimmy Novak is dead," the angel lets out. He recalls his last moments when even he could feel the fear build up from Jimmy. Jimmy, the same man who gave up his body and control to the heavenly host of heaven. The same man who gave up the remainder of his life to save that of his daughters; he is the same man who taught Castiel what true love is.

"Are you sure Cas?" The Winchester asks with a sad expression on his face. He actually liked Jimmy even though he only met him for a brief moment. He was a better father to his kids than his father ever was.

He nods. "It's all empty up here. Just me, myself, and I now. So will you help me?" he asks once again. Dean nods and helps strip Castiel of his clothing before placing his hand in the water. It's nice and warm compared to Cas's body which is still cold. He lowers the angel into the tub, keeping his eyes focused on the upper part of his body so he doesn't appear to be a pervert.

His body is a masterpiece like any other humans. Though damaged, it is beautiful, like any other humans. His frame is muscular, showing signs that Jimmy must have been a man who regularly worked out. His legs tell a tale that Jimmy was a runner, something Castiel barely does when he can teleport. Further up the body you'll meet eyes that can be considered the bluest blue to have ever blued. This set mimics Castiel's actions, piercing into the world and always curious. Even further up is Jimmy's rustled hair; it must have been so neat before he met the angel. The angels true form is quite different from his vessel. His true height matches that of the Chrysler building, with six large wings to cover his form, and four faces- a lion, an eagle, an ox, and of course his human face. Though these two forms are very intimidating, he considers himself both of these at the same time. This vessel has become his home, and it is was he would describe as part of him.

Dean leaves the room to get some soap, shampoo, a towel, and an extra luffa from his duffel bag before continuing on with the process. He is halfway through with washing Castiel's hair when a new question comes to him.

"You know Cas...I don't mind doing this, cause I used to have to do this for Sam when he was injured even though it was it awkward, really awkward seeing your brother's dang-a-lang hanging all out, but can't you just snap yourself clean. I mean, you have more power now." He looks up at Dean, who stops fiddling with Castiel's soft and dirty hair. The water in the tub is a different shade of red and brown as Dean washes the dirt away.

"I would, but I barely have control over my powers now, especially since the torture Lucifer put me through weakened me greatly," Dean freezes at this sentence. Sam...Lucifer tortured him. He looks back at the angel, sorrow is in his eyes.

"You...you know that wasn't Sam right. Sam would never hurt you." he says, not only to comfort Cas but also to comfort himself.

"I know,"