"Sam." Sam jumped at the sudden sound of his name in the relative quiety of the library. Usually Cas' pop-up greetings were reserved for Dean, so he hadn't gotten accustomed yet to the angel's sudden appearances. Castiel looked troubled, and if Sam didn't know better, he would say the angel was tired.
"Hey Cas," Sam greeted the angel, "Everything ok?"
"Yes," Cas responded quickly, then, "No. I am…confused. I was hoping to find your brother."
"Dean stepped out," Sam told him, brows quirking in concern, "Is everything okay with you two?"
Castiel sighed, pulling out a chair to sit next to Sam, resting his head in his hands wearily.
"I had thought, despite my betrayals with Crowley, that our bond had remained strong," Cas confided in him, "Our journey in Purgatory only seemed to confirm this."
"You guys have been close for a long time," Sam agreed, "What's up? Did something happen, Cas?"
"Nothing I can name," Cas said, "But Dean seems…on edge around me lately. I am afraid that perhaps my presence has become a disturbance for him."
"I'm not sure the problem is you, Cas," Sam said gently, "I think this might be something Dean has been dealing with for a while now." Castiel looked at him, head tilted in puzzlement.
"Is it an issue of Dean's conflicted sexuality?" Cas seemed unselfconscious about his question, although he did blush when Sam raised his eyebrows in surprise. "I was aware of his struggle, ever since I glimpsed his bared soul in Hell," the angel admitted, "Though I never interpreted his conflict as it might have applied to myself."
"Maybe it's time that you did," Sam suggested. Castiel looked surprised, though Sam could see something that might have been hope sparking behind the angel's blue eyes. Cas swallowed nervously, his face growing redder under Sam's scrutiny.
"I have been uncertain on many occasions as to the nature of our relationship," Cas admitted, "But I thought that last night…I thought I felt-Dean!"
"Whoa Cas," Sam cut him off, "TMI dude!"
"No, you don't understand," Cas corrected, suddenly in full on smiting mode, "Dean is being attacked. He's praying." Sam felt his stomach tie into unexpected knots. Castiel was staring into the distance, as if listening very carefully to a frequency beyond the realm of human hearing.
"Where is he? Who's attacking him?" Could this be another of Gabriel's antics? It wasn't anything they had discussed last night. He could feel the crackle in the air as Castiel prepared to take flight.
"Demons." That was all Sam heard before Cas vanished, the flutter of his wings the only sound left in the library.
"Cas wait! We need to-" The words died in his throat as he surveyed the now empty room. Sam waited, hoping to see the angel reappear with Dean safely in tow, but when the minutes ticked by with no sudden appearances, he decided enough was enough.
"Alright Gabriel, you son of a bitch!" Sam called out, jumping out of his seat, "Don't pretend you can't hear me. This is too far and you know it!" He spun around to come face to face with the archangel, causing him to nearly jump out of his skin.
"Hey Sam," Gabriel greeted him testily, "What's with the name calling?"
"This wasn't part of the plan," Sam accused, "What are you playing at?"
"I'm not sure what you are referring to," Gabriel informed him, "Did your talk with big bro not go smoothly? Where are those lovebirds at anyway?" He looked around, as if he expected to see Dean and Cas making out against a bookshelf or something. Sam felt a growing sense of dread in the pit of his stomach.
"So the demons attacking Dean are not one of your twisted illusions?" Gabriel's eyes grew wide, then narrow with fury.
"Definitely not," he assured him, "Where's Castiel?"
"He just disappeared to find Dean," Sam told him, "This must be something to do with Crowley. He must have had demon's out looking for us, hoping to catch us off guard. What are you doing?" The last question addressed Gabriel again, who was staring into the air as if reading a very complicated map.
"I'm looking for my brother," the archangel said, "Dean may be sigiled against me, but Castiel isn't. Who's Crowley?" Sam forgot Gabriel had never met the snarky demon.
"Crossroads demon, took over hell when Lucifer got locked down," Sam filled him in, "He's a mean son of a gun. And British."
"Sounds like fun," Gabriel quipped, a predatory grin spreading across his face, "Got him. Sit tight Sammy, I'll handle this in a jiffy." And for the second time that day, Sam found himself alone in the library with nothing but the sound of fluttering wings. Hang tough guys, he thought, the cavalry is on its way.