Can someone please explain to me how the frickafrack this story got to be 18,000 words and ten chapters long?!
"Sam, you know what Charlie said isn't true right?" Dean asked. His little brother had been unnervingly quite during the last two hours of the boys hunt.
"So what? Yesterday she was lying to us? Charlie doesn't lie Dean." Sam spat back.
Dean sighed. This was the beginning of a weekend hunting trip and the last thing he wanted was to fight with his brother. "I'm not saying she was lying, she just wasn't telling the truth. Angels are good."
"But monster books say-"
"Monster books are written by demons." Dean cut him off. "They say demons aren't bad, but you remember last time the Governor's men came to collect taxes?"
Sam shivered at the memory of the demons staying in town. They hung around their small village for almost two weeks last autumn, collecting taxes, harassing everyone, even torturing and killing a handful of people. It had been two weeks of hell.
"Alright," Sam mumbled, kicking a rock into weak running water of the stream that wove back and forth across their mountain. Sam began crossing the dying river to continue on their normal trail.
Dean relaxed, following his brother, artfully choosing rocks so his feet would stay dry. "Good, now I'm sure angels can be aggressive and cruel," a quick flashback of Dean and Lucifer first meeting came to mind, "but I bet they have to be provoked. Like if you threaten them or- Sammy be careful!"
Dean's warning was to late a Sam slipped on the water and mud slick rocks on the river's edge. The youngest Winchester cried out in pain as his bottom landed in the shallow water. Dean rushed over to his brother pulling him out of the murky water and to the river bed. He did a quick check of his brother finding his only injury was a gash slicing across his right palm.
"It's okay Sammy, you're gonna be okay." Dean cooed to his shocked brother.
Dean poured pure water from his water skin over Sam's cut washing off bit of filth that clung to Sam's skin. Sam attempted to wiggle his fingers to make sure they were still in working order but a burning pain stopped him. He bit his lip trying to stifle a cry of pain but it still came out in an audible whimper. Dean had started to remove the scraps of bandages he carried with him when he heard the snapping of tree branches to his left.
"Who's there?" Dean demanded brandishing his knife. He stood in between Sam and the noise, protecting his injured little brother.
A handful of other branches buckled and cracked before Castiel fell from the tree in a way that was anything but graceful. He landed in a heap, hastily standing to reveal his black hair and wings were ruffled and full of pine needles from the tree he had just been in. His face was stretched into a wide grin, dirt smudged on his weathered skin making him look paler than usual.
"Hi Dean, hi Sam," he began casually walking over to the pair, oblivious to Dean's defensive stance.
Dean sheathed his knife back in his belt, knowing Cas wasn't a threat. "So Cas-" Dean stopped in surprise was Cas wrapped his arms around Dean in a hug. He stood ridged for a moment, looking back at his brother. Sam sat open mouthed on the ground. Dean tentatively put his arms around Cas's shoulder's, returning the hug. He held the hug a few minutes, and relesed his hold on Cas. Cas did not follow. Dean tried patting Cas on the back signaling for his release. "Um Cas, personal space?"
Castiel let go, his face in a dopy smile. "How have you been Dean?" Castiel dropped his gaze to Sam, noticing the blood trickling down his wrist. "Sam, you hurt?"
"Oh it's nothing I'll be fine." Sam assured Cas.
"I can fix," He offered, taking Sam's hand.
Cas sat down next to Sam and wiped the blood away from the wound as best as he could. He wetted his right palm with his tongue and pressed to Sam's hand like he was about to shake his hand.
"Ew, Cas!" Sam cried trying to yank his hand away.
"Stop, it's part of healing," He licked his hand again, cringing at the metallic taste of Sam's blood, and placed it on the cut again. "It cleans cut."
"Like pouring alcohol on it?" Dean asked.
"Think so," Castiel answered uncertainly.
Castiel didn't know what alcohol was but he faintly remembered Michael mentioning it when he taught him who to heal people. Castiel began chanting the Enochian healing spell he had been taught. It seemed strange to think of Enochian as a language he had been taught, rather one that had been in his very blood. He was learning it quicker than English, often spitting words or entire sentences Michael or Lucifer had yet to teach him. English was much harder, he had been continually working on it for almost six months now but Enochian was natural. Cas removed his hand to reveal pale scar tissue in place of the bloody gash.
"Wicked," Sam marveled, the setting sun hitting his wide eyes making then look more golden than hazel.
…
"Where are Gabriel and Anna?" Dean questioned.
In the late evening Cas had offered them a place to sleep for than night, the boys eagerly agreed. Now with the full moon over head, they sat around a fire with Michael, Lucifer, and Cas.
"It's mating season," Lucifer stated. "They wanted to be alone." A smirk crept up his face, making his aztec blue eyes sparkle in the dancing fire light.
"You have a season?" Dean was shocked at how blunt Lucifer was.
"We're animals, aren't we?" A small note of dry humor in Lucifer's voice.
"Just because you aren't human, doesn't mean you aren't people." Sam mumbled. He sat curled up in Lucifer's lap. Despite the fact it was July; temperatures still plunged at night making a drowsy Sam snuggle into Lucifer's warmer body.
Michael let a small smile tug at his lips across the fire. Sam's kind manner never ceased to lighten the angel's heart. It wasn't longer before Sam dropped off into sleep wrapped in Lucifer's protective arms. Michael shifted his gaze to the other pair next to him, Castiel and Dean. Dean sat with his back against a log and an arm wrapped around Castiel. Castiel appeared to be asleep, his eyes closed and his breathing shallow and even as he his head rested on Dean's shoulder. Dean's had drifted off as well, his head resting on Castiel's.
Just remember it's angel mating season and Castel is being very touchy feely with Dean ;)