((Authors Note: Just to be clear, this takes place in season 9 after episode 11 and before episode 14. It's probably either going to stay here or go off into the future in an alternate timeline, but I'm not 100% sure yet.))

CAS POV

Cas and Dean were at a stalemate. Dean didn't want to talk about the Mark, and Cas didn't want to talk about why he had tried to hook up with him at a bar. Fortunately, Dean didn't know it was him. Cas couldn't let that happen, It would be... catastrophic.

No, Cas had been pinned down, and Dean had cut him, just a bit, to see if he really was an angel. Sure enough, grace shined out. It still hurt, but he could deal with it. After Dean knew he was an angel, he made up some story about being called Eliana. Cas knew an angel called Eliana, but she was dead, so taking her name wouldn't be too hard. At the moment, he was sitting on one side of the bed, Dean on the other. Dean finally broke the silence by standing up, picking up the knife, and coming around to face him.

"Okay, I just- Why?" Asked Dean. "Why would you pose as a random girl in a bar? How do I know you aren't working for Bartholomew or something?"

Cas sighed heavily. "I'm not working for Bartholomew, but that's the least of your problems. The mark of Cain? Dean, do you have any idea what that MEANS?"

"No, actually, I don't, but I don't care at the moment."

"WHY NOT?!" Cas stood up and looked Dean straight in the eye, getting very, very angry. "The Mark of Cain has impact that even the Angels don't know about. How- How did you even get it? And why didn't you tell me?!"

"Wait- tell you?"

Cas winced. He had to be more careful.

"Tell Castiel, I mean. We're... aquainted. If you had told him I would know. AND YOU SHOULD HAVE TOLD HIM!"

"I didn't tell him for THIS reason! He would flip out at me just like you're doing!"

"THE MARK! LEGEND SAYS THAT IT SEPARATES YOU FROM YOUR FAMILY, DOOMING YOU TO BE ALONE!" He was aware of how loud he was yelling, but he was really really mad. "DO YOU WANT TO SPEND YOUR LIFE ALONE, DEAN? THIS MEANS THAT YOU WON'T HAVE SAM, YOU WON'T HAVE CAS, YOU WON'T HAVE ANYBODY! IT MEANS- IT MEANS YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO PROTECT THE ONES YOU LOVE! WHERE'S SAM, IN ANOTHER HOTEL ROOM? IT'S STARTING, DEAN, AND YOU CAN'T STOP IT! SO LOOK ME IN THE EYES AND TELL ME WHY!"

Dean's expression was pure shock. He looked almost speechless, and worried as well. "It dooms me to be alone forever?"

Cas couldn't find the words to say. How could Dean not know? But he couldn't yell anymore. His anger had more turned into sadness. He sat back down and closed his eyes.

"Yes, Dean. But don't- don't worry. I'm sure we'll find a way to fix it."

"We?"

"Why do you think I showed up?"

"Well, you said you wanted to 'do more than talk', so I just kind of assumed you wanted to sleep with me..."

"Dean, this isn't funny. It's very serious."

"OK, fine. So alone forever, huh?"

"Yes. But maybe we can try and delay that from happening."

"Delay it? Isn't there any way to, I don't know, stop it?"

"Unfortunately, only removing the mark will do that. However, there is no known way to do that other than to transfer it to someone else, and finding someone willing to take it will be difficult. I still do not know how you received it, but I assume that you are not going to tell me."

"Wait, back up a bit," Said Dean, frowning. "You said get rid of it. What If I don't want to do that?"

"What- Why would you not want that?" Cas was horrified.

"Because only someone who has the mark can kill Abbadon! You know that."

"But why does it have to be YOU, Dean? For once, why can't it be someone else?"

"It never is anyone else! You know that, too!"

"That's the way things have gone in the past, but maybe we can change it this time!"

Dean didn't say anything, and when Cas next looked up at him, he was at the other side of the room, his back turned. Cas got up, walked over to him, stood behind him, and spoke.

"Always you," He said. "Remember when Castiel 'gripped you tight and raised you from perdition'? Why were you in hell in the first place? Because it had to be you, not your brother who died. And when you were free, there was a prophecy saying that you would stop the apocalypse. And you did stop it, but it cost you your brother. Of course, he came back. He had to, because if he stayed dead and you alive, then it wouldn't be you, it would be him. Next It was the Leviathans, and it was you who went to Purgatory for a year."

Cas paused for a moment, finding the right words to say.

"And then the trials. But something was different, It wasn't you. It was Sam. Closing hell was a job for Sam. He didn't finish it, because you couldn't let anything bad happen to him, you only let bad things happen to YOU. So here are my reasons for giving up the mark: Firstly, because it doesn't always have to be YOU, you don't deserve that. But secondly, because if the legend of the mark comes to pass, (and it will), you and Sam will be separated. And then you can't protect him. Dean, I know you two are fighting, but your first instinct is always to keep him safe. If you lose the mark you can do that. And if you keep the mark, who knows what will happen to him, and who knows what will happen to you."

Dean didn't move. Cas could hear his breathing, steady and deep. It made him want to hold Dean and tell him everything would be okay, but they both knew that was a lie, and Dean would never let him do anything like that regardless. But right now this was all about keeping Dean safe. Keeping him from being alone forever, which would be horrible for both of them. However, when Dean turned around, there was no worry in his eyes. There was no sadness. No apology. Not even a hint of thankfulness for what Cas had said. His expression was blank, painfully so.

"No. Eliana, the last time I tried to protect my brother, I made him hate me, and got Kevin killed. Sam has been requesting me not to protect him this whole time, and it's time that I started listening."

"It's not Sam that's the problem." Cas looked down. "It's you. I don't want you to be alone forever."

"You don't even know me."

"I know about you. And I admire you, Dean. And I don't want you to be alone."

"I said no."

"Alright."

"Wait, You're giving up that easily?"

"I said I know about you, and I know that you're stubborn. But I'm hoping that maybe you can keep the mark, and not suffer the effect."

"You didn't think that there was a way before I said I wasn't going to give it up."

"That's true, but only because this way is called ignoring the power of it and staying with the people you care about anyways."

"Will that work?"

"Honestly? I don't think so. But It's worth a try."

"So you're saying I try and convince Sam to start talking to me again? I don't think he will listen."

"Well, Sam's going to be hard, but maybe after you've killed Abbadon, you can work on that. I'm assuming the mark will be gotten rid of immediately after, right?"

"I'm not-"

"Dean..."

"OK, fine, after I kill Abbadon it goes."

"Good. You'd better kill her quickly."

Dean smiled a bit, which made Cas smile a bit as well.

"Trust me, I will," He said. "In the meantime, no matter what the mark's magic says, can you a least try and get on better terms with him?"

"Yeah, I'll try."

For a while, neither of them spoke. Dean sat down and looked away from him, but he kept gazing at Dean. Now that the whole mark of Cain business had settled down, he was able to think about the whole 'I'm a girl!' situation. It seemed strange to be doing it during a time like this. Not that strange, though. Any chance to be with Dean is good, he thought.

"I feel like I've known you for a lot more than an hour," Said Dean, still looking away. Then he laughed. "Wow, that sounds really stupid when I say it out loud."

"No, It sounds nice," Said Cas , seriously smiling now. Dean finally turned around to face him, and Cas added: "I feel the same way, actually. Almost like I've known you for years."

Dean started to nod, caught himself, then shook his head. "No, none of this romance crap. I refuse to fall into this."

"I kind of like it," Said Cas.

"Yeah, well, you're a girl, and also an angel, where as I'm a dude who is starting to get seriously weirded out."

"Well, romance aside, it does feel that way."

"Yeah, whatever."

"You might hate me for this, but I'm going to say something else that you might define as flirtatious."

"Oh?" Said Dean, raising an eyebrow.

"I think I want to stay with you, regardless of the mark." Actually, I know I want to stay with you, he thought, but didn't vocalize it.

"Oh," Dean said again, but in a different tone. And then he laughed awkwardly. "Well, this sure is moving fast. I normally save the lifelong dedication for the second date!"

"I don't understand; you've gone on more than one date with many girls, but you have never dedicated your life-"

"It was a joke. Wow, Angels really do not get jokes, huh?"

"Well, jokes seem to be things that are absurd statements, and your statement was one I did not find absurd, just confusing, therefore It would not classify under the label of joke."

"Okay, let me rephrase that. Angels really do not get any kind of human interaction at all."

"I fear that you may be correct, although I think I have had a good amount of practice, and am starting to get the hang of it."

Again, there was silence.

"Well, I need to get some sleep," Said Dean, "And I always found it creepy when people- or angels- watched me, so If you could fly away of something..."

"But I thought we agreed that I was never going to leave you. How can I 'fly away' If that means that I won't be in your presence? How can you sleep if that means we won't be speaking?"

Dean backed away a little, starting to look a bit frightened. "Um..."

"No, Dean!" Said Cas, upset. "Don't panic, I was trying to be absurd! I was trying to make a joke! I thought you would find it suitably strange that anyone could be so over attached, but I guess I was mistaken."

"Oh."

Silence.

"Hey, maybe try a knock knock joke next time, okay?" Dean asked, his smile slowly coming back.

"A knock knock joke?"

"Wow, angels. Never gets old."

"I assume that a knock knock joke is an integral part of human culture that I should learn about?"

"No, forget about it."

"But-"

All of a sudden Dean kissed him, and it felt amazing, just like it did at the bar the first time it had happened. He softened his lips into Dean's and wrapped his arms around his back. He remembered that time he had made out with Meg, and tried his best to imitate what he learned from the baby sitter, but Dean was nothing like the pizza man.

"Dean," Said Cas, breaking away, "I normally save the kissing untill the second date."

Dean shook his head. "How about no jokes, OK, Eliana?"

Hearing that name shattered the moment. Cas felt horrible when he heard Dean say Eliana instead of Castiel, but he just nodded. The only reason he was trying to joke around was to loosen things up between them, because things were still very uncomfortable. They had met, were about to have intercourse, He had a freakout, They had an argument, things got weirdly romantic, and now they were kissing. He smiled, because the whole scenario was kind of like a joke. It was ironic.

"I think I'm going to let you sleep now," he said, his shattered smile becoming whole again. He couldn't help it- he was practically dating Dean, and that was something to smile about.