** Author's Note: _

And so it begins.
TO THE DEATH.

Okay hell nah, nope.

Anyways, another chapter- with more plot!

Still figuring out when to add the smut- but it is indeed on the way. I promise.

I also swear I'm up to no good.

Thanks for all the support and reviews!
Love you guys! (:

ENJOY!~

Sam was walking to chemistry today with the widest grin on his face ever.

Last night, he had finally found out about the guy who'd been plaguing him for so long. Apparently, he was Castiel's brother, and his name was Gabriel. Sam was still remembering the conversations they had while Dean and Cas were outside talking. He recalled the moment where they discussed law for a bit, then moved onto their favorite classes. It seemed as though Gabe understood the need for variety as Sam did.

Plus, that night they had all gotten pretty slammed- except Sam because he knew he had classes and was the only one responsible- and we're pretty much losing it. Cas was singing For Whom the Bell Tolls to Dean who was making guitar noises and air played it. Gabe however, was banging his head and laughing. The memory made him smile, it got even wider when he saw how hungover they were in the morning.

Dean was best off, because his brother always got drunk. Jerk.
Sam could almost hear the mental "bitch" in his head.

For the rest of his chemistry class, all Sam could think about however, was Gabe passed out in his bed mumbling things in his sleep. But mainly, the one moment when Sam swore he heard his name escape his lips.

Sam didn't know how much farther his smile could widen.

Castiel groaned.

Getting drunk last night was the worst mistake he's ever made- well so far. He ran into his bathroom and vomited, stomach reeling and eyes watering. That'd be the last time he gets wasted. Or, he hopes it would be. Cas brushes his teeth and slowly makes himself his little hangover kit. He grabbed some pills from his things, and got a glass of orange juice from the fridge.

There was a knock at his door.

Castiel slowly opened it, head pounding as the bright like followed in after Dean.

"Seems like you've got a hangover, dude."

"No shit, Sherlock."

Dean just chuckles, heading into the kitchen, "How about you curl back up in bed and I'll get things ready for you."

Cas slid underneath the covers, seeming to beam with relief as the overkill of light was ceased, "Ready?"

"Yeah, you need something easy shit to eat. Probably toast and eggs would do. I'll fix them for you- just this once. Is this your first hangover?"

Cas just groaned, Dean laughing from inside the kitchen, "Thought so."

It was a few more moments, or at least to Cas, before Dean showed up and shook the covers. The beta put the blanket around his head and made a hood, Dean starting to chuckle. It then turned into a full out laugh and Castiel just sat there extremely confused.

"What?"

"Nothing man," Dean cackled, "just look like fucking ET."

Castiel mumbled while grabbing his eggs and toast, taking a bite and smiling. Dean just stopped laughing and sat down in one of the chairs from yesterday. The alpha just seemed pleased to watch Cas eat the food he prepared rather than make conversation. He was a little grateful for that.

"Well, I'm off. I have to go to culinary and today we're making waffles."

Cas seemed to perk up, "Waffles?"

Dean laughed again, "Okay, I'll save some and bring them back. I'm going to make sure they're damn good."

"Better be! Considering you got me so plastered last night."

Dean gave a playful shrug and walked out the door, smiling. Castiel laughed, finishing the rest of his food Dean had prepared for him. He was kind of grateful he met the alpha, and he was already looking forward to later today when he'd get his- better fucking be- perfect waffles.

Sam was walking back to his dorm when he felt something weird in his stomach. It was odd, like a weird rolling or knocking feeling. He thought for a moment, thinking what in the world it could be. Sam felt a stomach cramp and his face wrinkled in discomfort. When Sam opened the door to his dorm, he went underneath the covers and wished for it all to just go away.

Castiel was in writing now. His head was hurting a little, thanks to ginger ale and meds, and maybe a bit from Dean's cooking. Currently, he was getting to write a twenty page short story. He had been in here since eight and it was almost eleven, time for him to go to his dorm. Castiel was finishing a sentence when the teacher dismissed class.

Castiel put his laptop back into his bag, exiting the room and walking to his dorm. Dean should be done with culinary now, and that meant Cas got his waffles. He was thinking about them with a smile on his face until he reached his dorm. Dean was outside, his face covered in worry.

"Dean, what's wrong?"

"It's Sam." the alpha said, "He says he's sick but he's locked the door and won't let me in."

Castiel nodded, going to his dorm quickly and putting his things away and coming back outside, "Alright, go into my dorm and I'll see if I can get in, okay?"

Dean looked taken aback, "Why? What's so wrong with his own brother?"

"Maybe because you're an alpha and you can flip out easily like you are now."

Dean just took a breath, "Fine. I'll be inside."

"Hey Sam?" Cas said through the door, watching Dean shut the door behind him, "It's me, Castiel. Will you let me in?"

There was a moment before the door clicked open. Honestly, Castiel didn't think that would have worked.

"Sam?"

He saw the beta curled into a ball on his bed, his arms wrapped protectively around his stomach. He was groaning and Castiel felt a pang of sympathy.

"What's wrong?"

Sam looked up, forehead covered in sweat and brows furrowed, "I have no idea... I was w-walking back from chemistry when this stomach thing starts up... I keep getting cramps or something."

"Did you drink last night?"

"A little," Sam gritted his teeth as another cramp hit, "but not enough to get doused like you guys."

Castiel tried thinking of what it could be, "Did you eat anything that might have given you food poisoning yesterday?"

"No, not really. My food is always safe- I make sure of that. Dean also knows how to keep his food good too, he's in culinary for Pete's sake."

Cas nodded, "Hmm. What do you think it could be?"

"I have no idea."

The smell then hit Cas. A waft of something he'd only encounter whenever his mom would leave for a week and then come back. A smell he remembered made everything stop for a while then restart. The smell of something he'd never thought he'd encounter again till he came to Richmoore.

"Uh, Sam?"

He looked up, groaning, "What is it? ..."

"I think you're presenting."

"Presenting?! " Sam shouted, throwing his face down into his bed, "This is fucking perfect... What am I now? ..."

Castiel cleared his throat, "I uh- I think you're an omega..."

Dean was angry. In fact- borderline furious.

Sam was inside his dorm with Cas for christ's sake! Sure, Dean was an alpha and maybe that made him protective, but it's his brother! Sammy was in peril! Okay, maybe not in true danger, but something was still wrong. Castiel was right, maybe he was losing his head over something that was probably nothing more than a bug.

Dean waited for another ten minutes.

There was a turning of a knob when Dean was debating kicking down Sam's door. Cas walked in, face straight and his breathing almost non-existent.

"What's up with Sammy?" Dean asked, closing the distance between them.

Before Castiel could speak, it hit Dean's nose.
It was sweet, but it had a familiar tang to it. Dean's heart quickened and he started to growl. His protective instincts drawing him to Sam's room to help his brother- to protect him. He felt an arm hold him by the shoulder, and his wild green eyes met Castiel's calm blue ones.

"Leave him be Dean."

The alpha felt like crashing down the wall between the dorms or breaking down the flimsy door, "Why the fuck do I have to do that!?"

"Because Dean! Your brother just presented!"

Dean stopped, standing very rigid and still. Sammy? His little Sammy? He thought for a moment, wondering for a simple second, "What is he? ..."

"I'm not fully certain, but I believe he's now an omega."

Dean didn't remember hitting the floor with a thud.

Gabe thought Cassie was kidding when he said he needed his help to move a body.

Except, this body was still breathing, and belonged to Dean Winchester. He was out cold when Gabe met up with Cassie in the courtyard, his beta brother's face in a scowl as it poured around them. He could tell that he had a long, tiring day, and was probably still a little hungover from last night. It wasn't helping Sam was nowhere to be found, Dean was out like a light, and rain was dousing the two.

Something did catch Gabriel's attention for a second though. There was a scent lingering around Cas that made Gabe twitch, and he figured his brother must have been around an omega in heat recently. It happened at Richmoore, after all. He just dismissed it and helped his little brother out.

Gabe took Dean to his dorm, throwing the alpha on his couch that had pizza boxes around it. Gabe snorted, but then again he wasn't much cleaner either. He left the note Cassie had written and shut the door behind him and locked it.

What was going on between these three?

Castiel was exhausted.

His stomach was reeling, the hangover making a little bit of a reappearance after his pills wore off. His head was aching and right now he wanted nothing more than a long, hot shower. Dean had passed out on him after finding out Sam was now an omega. It left Cas trying to figure how in hell he was supposed to get the alpha out of his floor and away from his brother. Sam's request.

Castiel honestly felt bad for Sam. Out of nowhere his gender decided to assert itself, leaving the now omega trying to grasp what was going on. He turned on his shower, stepping inside and letting the water hit his back. The ache in Castiel's head eased a bit and his stomach felt a little more settled. He just kept repeating, "I'm never getting drunk again" in his head.

Soon, Cas was out of the shower, slipping into his loose t-shirt and sweats. The beta curled up under the blankets, body crying out in relief as he settled. Today had gotten so out of control, and Castiel just wanted it to slow down or stop.

"Watch tomorrow be worse..." He mumbled to himself.

Cas was worried he might have jinxed himself, and swore before he passed out.

Dean woke up, sitting straight upwards and mind utterly confused.

The last thing that the alpha remembered was Cas telling him Sammy was now an omega. He cursed and got up, a piece of paper falling off of his chest.

" Dean,
You passed out after I told you Sam presented. Just in case you don't remember- he's an omega now.
I had Gabe carry you back to your dorm while I helped Sam out a bit.
You two really owe me, Sam less so. Assbutts.

- Cas "

Dean chuckled at Cas' new swear. He decided he'd make it up to the beta by making him those waffles he promised.

Dean was walking through the courtyard, hands in his pockets and whistling Thunderstruck as he made his way to Castiel's dorm. It was muggy out today, and Dean felt his clothes cling to his skin. He just wished it would rain already. Dean walked up to Cas' door, knocking on it.

He could hear mumbles from inside, the door unlocking and a very irritated Castiel opening the door, "What do you want?"

"I came here to repay you for taking care of my ass and Sam's last night, with fresh waffles. How's he holdin' up, by the way?"

"He's doing pretty well, he's gone to the doctor though. I might have to go today too..."

Dean looked back, "Why?"

Cas coughed, "Well, it seems that while waiting outside in the rain outside with your limp unconscious self, I've caught something."

"Oh.." Dean started to feel really bad, "You want me to take you then? I have a shit car that my baby's going to replace."

Cas nodded, curling under his covers while Dean went into the kitchen. The alpha fixed Cas some waffles, some noises like coughing or grunts coming from the other room. Dean even brewed some tea. He walked in the room, Castiel completely and tightly wound up in his blanket. He looked like a caterpillar in a cocoon. Dean chuckled.

"Come on, here's your food."

Castiel took it greedily, throwing down the waffles in a few bites and the tea in a few swigs.

"Damn!" Dean laughed, Cas glaring.

"Thanks, dick."

Dean just rolled his eyes playfully, "Come on, let's go to the doctor."

"What are you seeing me for today, Mr. Novak?"

Castiel looked towards the doctor, his head and stomach still bothering him, "I'm sick." God, this doctor was obtuse.

The doctor nodded, seeming to ignore Cas' tone, "I would think so. Now, let me listen to your breathing."

Cold metal pressing to his skin made Castiel cringe for a second, but he made himself sit still. The doctor listening to him take deep breaths and exhales. He wrote something down, returning to take Castiel's temperature from his ear.

"Have you had stomach cramps, headaches?"

Castiel nodded, "Yea, but I had a hangover so I think it's connected to that."

The doctor wrote something else down, "Do you have brothers and sisters?"

"Yes," Cas was unsure, "why?"

"What genders are they?"

"Alphas and betas."

The doctor thought for a moment, "I'm afraid I have some news to tell you."

Dean was sitting outside in the waiting room. He left leg was bouncing up and down in annoyance, the woman's damn kid vomiting into a bin and missing across from him. Dean nearly walked out. But Cas was here, and this small little clinic was the only place open for him, considering alphas and omegas had different doctors for obvious reasons.

Cas walked out of the door leading to the examination rooms. He passed Dean who jumped out of his chair and followed Cas to the car.

"Hey!" Dean said, shutting the door behind them from the clinic, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing Dean, just take me home..."

Dean just stared at Cas till he sighed, "Please Dean- I... I just- I really wanna go home..."

The whole ride back was spent mostly in silence. Cas didn't speak to Dean, in fact, didn't even look at him. The only thing Castiel was even paying attention to was the world racing by outside the window.

Dean felt awful. Sam was now an omega and was dealing with that, and apparently something happened to Cas. The alpha just gripped the worn steering wheel tighter as they arrived back at Richmoore.

"Cas wait-"

He was already out of the car and running to his dorm.

Dean cursed, thinking about just getting plain drunk again. He walked slowly to Sam's door, knocking lightly. His brother opened the door slowly, his muscles tensed and eyes wide. When he took in the sight of his overly stressed brother, he let him in.

"What's wrong?" Sam asked.

"I should be asking you that."

Sam just rubbed his arms, "Yeah I know... Omega."

The Winchesters remained silent for a moment, then Dean spoke up, "It's Cas."

"You piss him off or somethin'?"

Dean huffed, "No, or I at least don't think so. He said he might have been sick so I took him to the doctor and I guess he heard something he didn't want to- I dunno. He ran into his dorm before I could talk to him."

"I guess he's just a little stressed or something. He's having to help me and Gabe appearing out of nowhere for him- worst of all he has to deal with you."

"Bitch!" Dean punched his brother in the arm playfully.

Sam laughed, "Jerk."

"Anyways, what did the doctor say?"

Sam rubbed the back of his neck, Dean could tell his brother was anxious, "Well uhh- he said I am indeed an omega. Apparently this is a false heat or something? It's apparently my," Sam did a mock voice and air quotations, "gender asserting itself."

Dean just laughed despite the situation. It seemed as though fate was always against them- which lead Dean's mind to the "Winchester Curse". When his dad was a young beta, he had apparently found their mother and they had started dating. But to Mary's dismay, soon after she met John her parents died in a house fire. Leading Sam and Dean to be named after them, another additive onto Dean's list. Another event that had started the whole "curse" idea, was when Dean was little and next thing he knew he was falling out of his treehouse after he carved "Dean Win-" (he never got to finish) into the wood. The doctors told Dean he had nearly broken his neck, and that's what sold it in the young boy's mind.

Recent events weren't helping.

Cas just sat in his bed, face in his hands.

This couldn't be happening- no, not to him.
He was a beta, always was and always will be. There was no way he was an omega.

Castiel remembered the conversation with the doctor from earlier.

"Mr. Novak, I'm afraid you're presenting."

"What?!" Cas barked, throat constricting and his heart volting.

The doctor's expression seemed to soften a little, "It seems you are a little late- but that doesn't change what's happening to your body right now. Have been around someone who's recently presented as well?"

Cas nodded, "Yes, one of my friends became an omega yesterday."

"Well it seems their pheromones have kick-started your body's systems to present yourself. From what I can tell, I believe you're an omega."

Castiel couldn't believe it.

He still didn't.

The rest of the doctor's appointment was spent over pamphlets and ads for birth control and heat suppressants. Honestly, Cas just wanted to run out of the room. There was no air in his lungs, and the room was slowly beginning to spin and close in around him. He felt small, utterly helpless against the world and it's cruel ideas of a joke.

"I think I'm going to go home now..." Cas whispered, the doctor stopping.

He must have been used to this, because he didn't seem to be surprised when the new-found omega ran out of the room.

Castiel remembered Dean in the waiting room, his leg shaking and the kid in front of him vomiting. Cas thought he might do the same, his stomach flipping and lurching in his abdomen uneasily. He didn't feel like himself- he wanted- no needed- to go home.

Dean had wondered why Cas was so off edge, why the be- omega did nothing but watch the world slip by through the window. He wanted to leave, to disappear and never be found again. Castiel wished for Gabriel, and before he was out of the car, he sent a text to his older brother.

"Need you. Dorm in ten."

The reply was instant, "I'll be there in five."

Then Cas was out of sight of Dean and his alpha-ness.

Right now, Gabe was in the kitchen, fixing Cas tea- which always calmed him down. The once beta was still in shock, unable to think clearly and have his nerves settle. Gabe had been helpful, letting Castiel cry on his shoulder while he bawled about losing everything. Because he could.

Michael and Lucifer would end him if they found out.

"It's okay Cassie, they won't hurt you here."

"I don't care, Gabe! You know how they are- you know how they treat anyone who isn't an alpha- let alone an omega! Blood doesn't matter!"

It didn't, Gabe being an obvious reminder of that fact. Michael and Lucifer thought alphas were the supreme and dominant gender, the only one that mattered. For Gabe to even be late and still technically be a beta insulted them with just his presence. They thought omegas were nothing but tools for breeding, their minds still stuck in the stone age in the twenty-first century.

Castiel feared for himself, knowing that Michael and Lucifer had warned him about Richmoore. They had told him they'd be watching, and it alone made Cas' spine crawl. Now that he was an omega and he couldn't hide it- his brothers would certainly come to disown him or worse.

"Cassie, look at me." the omega did, eyes wide and full of tears at the uncertainty of everything, "I'm not going to let them hurt you- okay? Or Sam for that matter. You two boys will be under my watch."

"What about Dean?" Castiel sniffled.

Gabe rubbed circles into his brother's back, "Dean's an alpha, which means they won't mind him as much- probably even leave him alone at first. Plus, I've heard about some of the fights he's gotten into- dude can handle himself."

Cas nodded, biting his bottom lip, "What am I supposed to do now? ..."

"Richmoore will let you stay- after all it was meant for alphas and omegas. However, you'll get time off every month for your heats and special places and rooms to go. Worse comes to worse you can ask Sam to-"

"No!" Castiel interjected, "I can't- they can't know I'm an omega! I just- ... not yet..."

Gabriel raised a brow in confusion, "Why not? I've seen Dean, he won't judge. Besides, he's got googly eyes for you so it won't matter."

Cas glared at his brother, "Dean isn't looking at me anyway other than a friend- and you know that. It's not that at all it's just- I need to get used to it first and figure out how to break it to them."

"Well, you my brother," Gabe smiled lightly, "have a time limit. Considering you can't hide being missing and smelling like an omega heat."

"I know..."

With that thought, Cas tried thinking as to when the bomb was going to go off.