Dean was frantic. As soon as Castiel's eyes closed his calm façade vanished. He heard Anna approaching him for behind. "I can't help him, that is not my gift." Dean's heart sunk even further into his chest. "Don't worry. We'll get him back to Sam and Bobby. They can watch you guys until I get someone who can help him."
No comfort came with the words. He was too lost in his world of fear. The blood wasn't flowing as quickly, but still too fast. The flutter of wings was barely able to reach his ears. Dean felt the room spin and suddenly Sam and Bobby were staring, their faces drawn tight across the bone.
"What happened?" Dean cleared his throat. "Zachariah stabbed him. I didn't think he would do something like that. It never crossed my mind." Anna was already gone, to intent on her mission to save Castiel to stay and chat.
"Well why the hell didn't Anna fix him before she took off?" Sam's voice was full of accusation. "She can't. she went to go and get someone who can." Bobby was dead silent for a long moment. "Wait a minute Dean, why is Castiel even bleeding at all? Shouldn't he have healed?"
That was when it broke through in Dean's mind. Castiel shouldn't be bleeding. He shouldn't be dying. The knife Zachariah had used was a normal, human made knife. Dean cradled Castiel's head in his lap as his mind reeled.
Blue eyes opened to met frantic green ones. "Dean." Dean brushed his hand against the side of Castiel's face. Sam and Bobby had stopped the bleeding now, but still Castiel seemed weaker than before. "Dean, I . . I need to tell you something." Dean just nodded, not trusting his voice.
"I fell." The words rang hollow in Dean's ears. Castiel was human. That was the problem. He had suffered, as a human for almost a week and a half. Dean's empty stomach churned. "They made me human." His voice was barely louder than a whisper and Dean found himself leaning closer to hear.
"They took Jimmy out of his body. The made it empty and gave it to me." Dean cringed at the disgust in Castiel's voice. Castiel pause to cough and breath in a shaky breath. "But now I don't have to leave you. I get. . .to stay."
Castiel's eyes slipped closed and Dean began to panic. He glanced to Bobby. "He's alright. Just lost a lot of blood. Anna better hurry though, he aint got long." Dean nodded, trying to swallow the lump in his throat.
It seemed like an eternity before Anna showed back up. Castiel was paler than white, it hard to tell that he was even breathing. "He looks bad." Dean stared at her, his mouth hung open in shock at her words. "He was stabbed in the heart! And he's barely alive! You better have brought some damn help!"
Anna sighed. "Of course I brought help. His name is Gregory." As soon as the words passed her lips a man with black hair entered the room and kneeled beside Castiel's body. "Dang, he's pretty banged up." He went to place a hand on Castiel but stopped when he saw the look on Dean's face.
"I need to help him. I'm no angel but you need to trust me. Without my help he'll die." Dean nodded, letting the strange place his hands on Cas. A few words slipped out of his lips, too low for Dean to hear. "I need you to back away." "No." Dean's voice was firm but still the stranger pressed.
"This will keep his heart pumping, but if you stay too close it will stop yours." A girl's voice met Dean's ears. "I'd move. He's serious." Dean slid away from Castiel, it killed him to do it. These strangers could help, and he needed to cooperate.
"Are you sure you can handle this Gregory? I mean it's been days since you. ." The girl cut off her sentence, but her eyes said that there was more to what she was saying. Her eyes seemed familiar and Dean knew why. They held worry. Worry for the man that was leaning over Cas. Worry that mirrored his own almost exactly.
"Gregory. . ." Her voice was a plea, she was begging him. "I can do this. I need to be able to concentrate or something will go wrong." She was silent then, her lips pinched shut. "How can he help Cas?" Dean questioned her. She motioned him away from the men on the floor and he obliged.
"Gregory is special. Really special." It was obvious in the way she spoke that she cared deeply for the man. "He's taking a curse and using it to save people." Dean was shocked. He was cursed? "How does a curse help us?" She smiled, but it was a sad smile.
"He's immortal. He'll never age, never die." She seemed to choke up a bit, but seemed to regain control after a moment. "But it gives him advantages. He can speed up healing, kind of like convincing the body to move faster. Or in your friends case, to stay alive."
"It'll still take a few days, maybe a week or two, for him to heal completely. But given the alternative, that isn't so bad." Dean nodded. "So he's really gonna be okay." She smiled now. "Yup. He'll be fine." Dean grinned, feeling the first burst of hope since he'd found Castiel. "That's great."
After a few minutes of silence Gregory rose to face Dean. The girl beside him smiled and ran to the man, wrapping her arms around him. "Okay, okay. It's all alright Christen." He smiled at her and Dean felt like he was invading a private moment.
Gregory pulled the girl from him and made his way to Dean. "He should wake up in a few hours. It's safe to move him to a more comfortable location." Dean nodded. "Thanks man." Gregory was silent. "Sorry, he really doesn't know how to interact with people. Do you have a room we could stay in for the night? I'm sure he's tired even though he'll never say it."
Bobby came up then. "Upstairs, second door on your left." She smiled and mutter thanks before the two of them disappeared upstairs. "Why didn't you get an angel?" Sam seemed to be a little angry with Anna. "They were all busy. You guys are lucky that Gregory owes me or he wouldn't have came."
"What's wrong Sammy?" Sam looked really pissed off. "That guy was cursed Dean." Dean waited, expected there to be more and being a little surprised that there wasn't. "Okay, I knew that." Sam seemed at a loss for words for a minute. "A cursed man just healed Castiel. Doesn't that worry you?"
Dean was quiet for a moment. "No Sam, it doesn't. Cas is healed. That's all that matters to me. I could care less who the guy is. He's leaving tomorrow anyway." Sam just sighed and sat down on the couch. "Whatever." Anna placed her hand on Castiel. I'll take him to your bedroom." And then they were both gone. "I'm a little tired too."
And just like that, it was all over. Castiel was safe and home, and nothing else seemed like it could go wrong. Dean was happy and smiling more than he had in weeks. Things were looking brighter. He lay down beside Castiel and let himself relax. His wounds made themselves known now that he was calm.
A noise woke Dean from his slumber and he was quick to get on his feet. He made his way down the stairs and Came face to face with something that made his stomach clench tight. Gregory was holding Christen's wrist to his mouth, his teeth sunk into her flesh.
The girls face was contorted in pain but she did nothing to defend herself. Dean launched himself at the pair, intent on murdering the man he had early been indebted to. The girl's screams stopped him short. "No! Stop, don't hurt him!" Her wrist was free and Gregory was in front of her, protection written all over his face.
Dean stopped and she seemed embarrassed, like a child caught doing something wrong. "Gregory please go upstairs." He turned to face her now. "I wont leave you down here. We don't know him. He could hurt you." Dean snorted. "You mean like you just were?" Gregory growled.
"Hey. Stop it. Go upstairs. I'll be fine. I've got some explaining to do." Gregory picked up her wrist and touched the wound. Before Dean's eyes it disappeared and only a thin line remained. "Okay. Yell if you need me." And just like that he was gone.
Christen brought her eyes up to meet Dean. "I guess there's a story you have to hear." Dean was silent. "It's a long story, but at the end you'll see why Gregory isn't a monster." "But he was drinking your blood!" She just smiled. "I let him. It's part of the curse. Better to be a little from me than from a stranger. Now be quiet and listen."