Hello! Thank you for all the reviews and favorites and follows, you guys are awesome. Some of this story will be told in flashback form. Just a belated FYI. It will all make sense in time. Enjoy and keep reading!
Special thanks to The Mysterious Shadow, Gleca, netherlady, Ally, and Ventorum for the reviews!
Netherlady- Hey, I saw the question in your review. First of all, good question. I usually do not deal with the whole vessel topic in my AU's since I think the idea of a baby Cas is far too cute to pass up. I may tie them in later, but I am not sure yet. I have some ideas but I usually don't know what I will write until I start typing!
-Paperganstah
"Hurry, give me the blood, I need them." Uriel nodded to his brother and tossed him the jar. Some virgin's blood sloshed out from the seal. Other angels advanced on them.
"Do not open the gate bother! Lucifer you idiot" Michael strode forward, his handsome face set in furry and fear. His wings had lost some feathers and blood ran in quick little trails over his body. He was too late. The ritual was complete.
Lucifer smiled in condescension at his older brother. "You are too late Michael. They are mine, all the souls of purgatory. I wish you could feel their power." Lucifer closed his eyes with a smile when he began to shake. Deep black pattered on the ground and for a moment Lucifer was surprised as well. He didn't realize that the darkness was coming from his own body.
"Lucifer?" Michael stepped forward, reading fear in his brother's eyes.
Lucifer shook his head, blood burbling out of his mouth. He began to choke and gag.
"Let them go. Let them go Lucifer, they will destroy you!"
Lucifer's wings beat uselessly against his back as he fell to his knees. He crawled to the gate and pressed his hand against the wall. Light diffused through his yes and he was still. Michael hurried over and lifted Lucifer's limp form in his arms. A vine crept through the cracked plaster as the building began to come down. Some lonely creature shrieked in the distance and even the angels, the soldiers of God, felt afraid.
"Brother…what have you done?"
.
It was a cold morning. Dean groaned as the sun peeked through the fog. He rolled himself deeper into a sea of blankets until a scratchy wool one made his leg itch too much. To own such things Cas was obvious uninterested in creature comforts. Dean sighed and tossed the blanket off the side. Now he was comfy. He watched the sun rise, amazed that he was willingly doing so. There was something about the scrubbed clean air of the forest that made him awake. Even without coffee. Dean still climbed out of bed in search of some.
The kitchen rug was welcome and warm after padding across chilled floors. Dean yawned widely as he spied around for his host. Dean shrugged. Dude was still sleeping. He stood for a moment stretching before deciding to make himself at home. He found the coffee canister and coffee pot. Soon the smell of whole roast blossomed into the air. Dean raided the fridge for some eggs. Cheese came next and Dean began to begrudgingly grate it wondering why everyone didn't just bag bags of the pre-cut stuff. He turned on the radio to listen to the news. Televisions were worthless with half of the telecasting stations in ruins for years.
Dean heard a shuffling in the hallway and smiled as Cas wandered into the kitchen. He was obviously not awake. He wore a gray t-shirt, dark pajama bottoms, and the best case of bed-head Dean had ever seen. He fixed Dean with a sleepy stare and Dean tried not to stare back. Damn the guy even looked good first thing in the morning.
"Good morning." Cas spoke gruffly as he flopped into a kitchen chair.
"Mhhmmm. Morning princess. I'm sorry; did I interrupt your beauty sleep?"
Cas squinted at him. It was rather cute. "Yes." He got up and poured himself a cup of coffee.
"Not like you need it." Dean muttered.
Cas tilted his head to the side and Dean was once more assaulted by butterflies in his stomach. "I find a full night's sleep to be beneficial to anyone, Dean. I was awake late into the night."
Dean felt guilty. "Sorry Cas. My first night and I am already rubbing you the wrong way."
Cas looked confused. "And what is the right way to rub someone?"
Dean swallowed. "Never mind buddy."
Cas eyed him for a moment before choosing to ignore the comment. "Last night there was a report of skin walkers on the edge of the camp a few miles from us. Some men went out into the woods to hunt and one made it back. He said that they transformed into wolves."
"Don't jump the gun. They may be werewolves."
Cas took a sip out of his coffee cup. "The hunters were experienced. They would never go out on a full moon unless it was absolutely necessary. It is a week before the next full moon. I plan on leaving to investigate tonight."
Dean nodded, a bit embarrassed. It seemed like Cas did know something about hunting. "So…when are we going?"
Cas offered him a small smile. "You wish to come with me?"
"That's right. I'm not letting you deal with this one by yourself. Skin walkers were creepy sons of bitches."
Castiel nodded. "Dean?"
Dean looked up from his pan of scrambled eggs; which he was adding about a pound of cheese to. "Yeah Cas?"
"I…thank you." Castiel looked shyly into his cup.
"No worries Cas. I like hunting and you seem like a cool dude. Do you mind if I let Sammy in on this? He's pretty nerdy. I bet he could help us research this one." Castiel looked pleased.
An hour later Dean wondered why he had invited the Samsquatch. Cas and Sam were sitting next to each other pouring over old books. Occasionally one would whisper something or glance at Dean and laugh. He was beginning to get royally pissed off and bored with blowing spit bubbles.
"So, what did you kids learn in class today?" Dean got up to make himself a sandwich.
Sam stretched. "A lot, actually. The skin walkers originated in the storied of the Navajo Indians. They were known as yee naaldlooshii."
Dean cracked a large grin. "Did you just say yee nal-duchy?"
Sam pulled a classic bitch face. "No I didn't and you know it. Look man, we need to figure this out before it gets dark. That's when the lore says they come out. Listen to this: a skin walker is a type of Navajo witch. They may take the form of any animal. They can read minds, and bullets are useless."
Dean sighed. "Man I hate when we can't gank 'em with guns."
"Yeah, there actually isn't any stabbing or shooting on our part. To kill them you have to find out their real name and call them by it."
Dean rolled his eyes. "Great, so we are hunting a bunch of Rumplestiltskins that look like Jacob and his buddies?"
"No man. They can transform into any type of creature, not just wolves. They can steal people's skins too."
"So whatever we are hunting could look like anything that breathes?"
Castiel shook his head. "No. The skin walker will have eye shine like an animal when he is human. The opposite is true for animal forms."
"What?" Dean chomped up the last bite of his sandwich.
"The animals won't have eyes shine. If we bring some good flashlights out there tonight we should be able to tell the difference."
Dean nodded. "Nice work Lone Gunmen. Now are you nerds done?"
Cas looked amused at him. "You are very impatient."
"Yes I am."
Dean leaned over Cas and grabbed a book off of the table. He rushed out the front door. Cas looked put-off and ran after Dean. The two young men raced throughout the front yard like hooligans. Dean dropped the book and lifted Cas over his shoulders. He spun in circles as Cas tried to break free. It didn't take long for him to get too dizzy and collapse on the ground. Cas lay next to him panting just as heavily, hair a mess once more.
"Give…give me…my book." Cas reached for it as Dean grinned, still too out of breath to say anything. Cas tried to wrestle away the book from the more muscular man.
"No way Cas. You gotta fight for it!" Dean started to poke the other man in the ribs.
"Dean stop it!" Soon they were both howling with laughter as an older woman looked disapproving at them.
"Jealous much hag?" Dean smiled at the old lady as she marched away, nose in the air.
Dean gripped one of Cas's wrists and held it above his head. He then noticed the long white scar across his otherwise perfect skin. "What happened here?" Dean traced the scar with a calloused finger.
Cas sat up slowly and his other hand covered the mark, as if it still hurt him. "It happened a long time ago. I don't really remember it."
Dean nodded. "Sorry dude. Difficult subject?"
Cas shook his head. "Not overly." He held out his hand and Dean helped him up. "May I have the book now?"
"Yup, all that work and you earned it cutie."
Dean tossed him the book. He didn't notice the way Castiel's face burned with the comment as he stood there hugging the book. He didn't notice the effect he was already having on him. Something Dean did traced its way through his burning blood. Something in his voice planted tremors in his heart and his smile a weakness in his knees. Cas slowly followed after the man, a puzzled expression on his face.
.
They were invited to dinner that evening in the Gideon cabin. Dean made sure to put on his best shirt and combed his hair before he and Cas made their walk down the road. He didn't know why, but he wanted to make a good impression on the man.
The food was simple, but well made. Simple china made clean circles on a wooden table but the silverware was custom made and beautiful. A cross gleamed dully by the door. Dean eyed it uncomfortably for a moment but forgot its presence when he dug into a warm plate of stew.
"Nice work Leah, food's amazing." Dean stuffed his face as Sam sighed. Dean was unintentionally rude and embarrassing.
"Thank you Dean." She smiled at him but Sam was beginning to notice the way she looked at Cas. Leah sat next to him at the table and placed her hand lightly on his from time to time. Dean seemed to notice as well.
"You two seem pretty close."
Father Gideon nodded. "Those two have been close since they were young. They are practically siblings."
"Yes, we really do seem to have a connection. Cas and I are very close." Leah placed her hand on Cas's shoulder. He looked uneasily at her until the offending hand was removed.
The rest of the evening remained relatively normal. Dean still felt uncomfortable about the earlier exchange and sort of wanted to punch Leah's smug holier-than-thou face in. He didn't know why but every look, every touch she molested Cas with pissed him off. He was starting to scowl by the time the apple crumble cake was put away. The chick didn't even make pie.
Cas and Sam were first out of the door but the pastor caught Dean's arm before he quickly shot out after them.
"Dean. You seem like a wonderful young man."
Dean shifted awkwardly, eyeing the door. "Erm..thanks Padre."
"Cas informed me about the hunt. Any hunt is dangerous and I would like you to keep an eye on my boy. He's not as strong as he thinks he is. If you notice anything…unusual, could you tell me?"
"Unusual?"
The pastor smiled sadly. "His health isn't the best. He tries to hide it but I know him." He shook his head. "He's stubborn. I can tell you are as well."
Dean didn't know whether to take that as a compliment or not. "Yeah. Sure thing Padre, your little angel will be safe with me."
"W-what?" The Father Gideon blanched. "What did you call him?"
Dean swallowed. "Sorry, I didn't think about it. Probably not a good form of endearment these days, huh?"
Father Gideon looked relieved and smiled again. "Yes. Yes, I am sorry, Dean. I over reacted. No, I should be the one to apologize."
Dean nodded. "It's okay." He made his way to the door. "Thanks for dinner, Padre."
"Have a safe trip." The pastor closed the door behind the hunter and poured a line of salt behind it. He checked the windows for charms and remade the devils' trap in front of every door. It would have seemed paranoid to someone thirty years ago, but with the abundance of monsters going bump in the night one could never be too sure.
Leah helped her father after she washed the last of the dishes. She had been in the perfect spot to hear everything. "They must have been excited to leave. Cas didn't even say goodbye."
"I know Leah. I'm sure he will miss you greatly dear one."
Leah nodded and kissed him on the cheek. "Good night Daddy."
"Good night Leah." The pastor retired to bed.
"Daddy? What's wrong?"
The pastor hurried into the cabin. His clothes were burnt in places and soot covered the sides of his face. He carried a small boy in his arms over the threshold. Leah let out a small gasp when she saw the blood dripping steadily onto the floor.
"Daddy!"
"Leah please. Get the first aid kit. And heat up some water."
Leah nodded, clutching the hem of her pink nightie for a moment. She hurried down the hallway and lugged a large leather doctor satchel into the kitchen. He father had already begun cleaning the wounds on the boy with a mixture of Epsom salts and water.
"Is he dying?"
The pastor gritted his teeth as he tried to fix the damage under his hands. Bones were broken in places and he didn't know how to pull them in place. The wings were gone. "I hope not baby. Pray for him."
The night began to gray at the edges when Leah sent her father to bed. She crept into the room where the angel fitfully slept. She climbed into bed next to him and watched the moonlight travel over his lovely face. Castiel's hair was beautiful and dark with his fair skin a perfect contrast. Leah ran her hand through his soft hair. The angel awoke and eyed her for a moment, drugged out and in pain.
"Boy? Are you in pain?" Castiel nodded and bit his full lower lip. Leah locked eyes with him and smiled. "It is okay. You know, you have beautiful eyes."
.
If the autumn morning had been cold it was nothing compared to the damp chill of the night air. It made Dean's exposed skin burn as the wind picked up. An older truck with a camper shell was loaded and gassed up. Dean rubbed his hands together after he zipped up his jacket.
"Alright Sammy. We should be back in a couple of days. If you've been hanging out with that hot blond chick I store the condoms in the bottom drawer. Ciao!"
Sam's face went bright red. "Dean, you're a dick." He marched into his cabin that he shared with Ash and slammed the door.
"What a bitch, any other brother would at least thank me for my generosity."
Cas shook his head and pulled off of the road. "He's at that age."
"What, were you like that? I can't picture you that way."
"Young and in love?"
Dean grinned. "One you aren't that old. And two, your cabin looks like it has never seen a pair of pink panties on any of its floors. I can't see you love-struck over some girl."
Cas quirked an eyebrow at him. "Who says it would have to be some girl?" He turned up the heat as Dean looked surprised at him, wondering if he read into that correctly.
The silence grew between them for a while but it was not completely awkward. Bob Dylan's Knocking on Heaven's Door came on and Dean was glad he didn't have to shut his cake hole. He was more than fine with having Cas pick the tunes. "Do you get a lot of baddies out here? It seems like a good spot for all sorts of monsters."
Cas nodded. "It is secluded with plenty of forest. The people here do not wish to leave their homes although it would be safer if they did. I'm sure it was lovely here before the apocalypse."
"Yeah if those dumb ass angels hadn't ripped open Purgatory we would get a chance to live again. Wouldn't it be weird to live in a world where no one knew monsters existed?"
Cas squinted ahead as he pulled the truck to a stop. He grabbed a large flash light from under his car seat and flashed it across a field. Long blades of grass bent under the quiet wind and the darkness felt like it was expanding. Dean shivered. "Cas?"
Cas ignored him. Dean unbuckled and glanced over Castiel's shoulder. He saw the spotlight dance over the field until it stood still on a large buck. The creature tilted its head to them and let out a loud call that made Dean's mouth go dry. Then he saw it. The buck's eyes reflected the light.
"It is just a family of deer. Look." Cas directed the light to a few does and their long, skinny legged children.
Dean grinned. "Cute. Did you think we found some skin walkers?"
Cas nodded. "I saw the buck first and had to be certain."
Cas twitched and Dean realized then that he had pressed up against his back. He reluctantly pulled away. Cas leaned back for a moment and jolted upright when he realized Dean was no longer as close. He coughed awkwardly and put away the flash light.
The night went by quickly. Cas and Dean passed a canister of coffee back and forth. Along the way they surprised a family of raccoons and dark shapes with bright eyes. The forest was eerie and a mist clung from the bases of the trees to the tops. Dean didn't mind. He didn't even really notice. Cas was something else and Dean couldn't get him out of his mind. He would look away from his blue eyes for only a moment when he needed a fix again.
"I believe it would be in our best interests to sleep now. The sun will be up in the next hour."
Dean nodded. "Alright. You did pack a tent right?"
Cas shook his head. "I usually just set up the back of the truck. That way if I have to leave for any reason I may do so quickly.
Dean grinned at him. "Smart." They climbed into the back of the truck and began to unroll sleeping bags and quilts. Dean frowned when he found another wool blanket. Cas glanced at him as he pushed it into a corner.
"You will want that by morning. It gets very cold."
"Nah, I would rather just crawl naked into a sleeping bag with you." Cas's ears went red. Dean gave him a wink before he fluffed his pillow.
They sat on the tailgate eating sandwiches in the cold night. A beer or two was popped open as the night left behind a deep blue morning. Cas stood brushing his teeth and leaning against the truck as Dean changed into a set of sweat pants. He didn't look. He glanced over at Dean briefly and it was not on purpose at all. This was what he told himself when Dean opened the back of the camper shell.
"Coming to bed honey?" Cas smiled slowly. Dean patted the side of the blanket pile on his right and waggled his eyebrows suggestively. Cas climbed in and snatched his pajama bottoms. He quickly slipped out of his jeans.
"You're putting pajamas on? Does that mean no sex tonight?"
Cas looked baffled at Dean before he realized he was joking. "You won't even get a kiss if you don't brush your teeth."
"Are you this bossy in the bedroom?" Dean rinsed his mouth out with cold water that burned his mouth from the minty tooth paste.
Cas rolled onto his side and rested a hand under his chin. "If we were sleeping in a real bedroom maybe you would find out."
"Mmmm now ain't that a pretty picture?" Dean climbed next to Cas and put his mouth near his. "Minty fresh."
He leaned closer as if to kiss the brunette before pulling away with a grin. He rolled over as Cas looked surprised at his broad shoulders. Cas felt his heart pound in his chest. He glanced out the misted window until he fell asleep to meet up with Dean in his dreams.
Dean noticed the smaller man shiver. He noticed the way his shoulders twitched and his beautiful mouth looked soft and pouty. Dean as he gently pulled the blanket around him his fingers brushed the pale skin of a prominent hip bone. Cas shivered again and moaned softly at the touch. Dean felt heat in his veins as he traced is hand over the exposed skin once more and was rewarded with the same reaction. His hand traveled in a bit farther when he realized what his traitorous body was doing. Dean quickly returned to his side of the blankets but his body burned for more.
