It was easy enough to figure the case out. The people they questioned had smelled sulfur and the main suspect behaved so differently that it almost screamed demon.
Not so easy was finding the demon. Cas wasn't able to localize it, Arathiel never showed up and two more people died before they got a real lead on it.
And of course the demon hid in an abandoned warehouse. Maybe next time they should just check out every abandoned place first, Dean thought. Would be a lot easier.
They had agreed to give Cas the demon knife because Dean would not hand him a weapon that could be used against him, but on the other hand he did not want him unarmed even though he would probably just smite the demon if he got attacked.
So Sam had the angel blade and Dean would use his purgatory weapon. They entered the warehouse very carefully, Sam first and Cas in the middle so that Dean could watch both their backs.
They stepped through the door, all three highly alerted and then Sam stopped dead.
It was a trap.
Instead of the expected one or two demons they faced eight. Oh crap, Dean thought. This could take a while.
They positioned themselves against the wall so that no one could creep up on them. One of the demons stepped forwards.
"Give us the angel and you are free to go."
"What?" Dean asked perplex.
"Give us the angel and you can leave", he repeated.
Dean moved a bit in front of Cas. "Yeah, right, not happening."
"What do you want with him?" Sam asked. God bless his little brother because Dean wouldn't have thought of that.
He just wanted to kill all of them. No one would lay a finger on Cas.
The demon laughed. "As if Crowley would tell us what he wants with the pretty angel boy", he snickered.
Cas stepped forward, past Dean. "Where would you take me?"
"Cas", Dean said disbelieving and even Sam turned his head. "You're not going anywhere." He grabbed the trench coat in an attempt to draw Cas back. "How should I know. We just collect the goods." Cas tilted his head. "We're supposed to call him once we have you."
Cas nodded and stepped back, until he stood next to Dean.
"I'm sorry. I have to decline. I'm not going anywhere."
The demons' smile faded. "Then we'll take you by force."
"I'd like to see you try", Dean countered with more confidence than he actually felt and tightened the grip on his weapon. No one would take Cas. Least of all Crowley.
On an unheard signal they stormed forward. Dean went for the leader but he dodged his first strike. Dean threw one strike after another at him and finally he had him knocked out.
He looked around only to see that Sam was busy and just in time to see how the demon knife got knocked out of Cas' hand. Dean let go off his weapon and threw himself at the demon, right before it could hit Cas.
"Smite the leader", he yelled at Cas as he rolled of the demon and whirled around, picking up the demon knife in the motion. The demon tried to attack him again but Dean stabbed it in the chest.
The body fell to one side and as Dean pulled the knife back out his eyes fell on Cas. He had one hand on the head of the leader and it looked like he was about to smite him but nothing happened.
Except that he woke up again and knocked Cas off of him. It seemed to be quite the hard blow because Cas just fell to one side, blinking hard.
The demon was on him the next minute, strangling him. "He said alive not unharmed", he panted. Cas tried to loosen the grip on his throat but it did not work. He was too weak.
Dean's body flooded with adrenaline as he saw how Cas movements became slower and slower. He tried to get back to Cas but he knew he wouldn't make it, especially as another demon stepped into his path.
One glance over to Sam showed him that he couldn't help either, he was still fighting.
Dean watched in horror as Cas eyes fluttered over to him and then slowly closed. Dean didn't even notice that the demon in front of him hit him hard.
"Close your eyes", Arathiels' voice suddenly shouted. Deans' eyes snapped shut but he could still see the light so he also covered them with his arm.
"Okay, you're fine now", Arathiel said after a few seconds. Dean opened his eyes and every demon was smitten.
He took a few seconds to check on Sam, then he rushed over to Cas.
He rolled the body off him, hands shaking violently and he wasn't able to breathe properly just like he had been the one who got strangled.
Cas was panting heavily, eyes still closed but definitely alive.
"Cas?", Dean said reluctantly but when Cas finally opened his eyes relieve washed over him. "What happened?", he asked as he helped him sit up. Cas dizzily shook his head a few times.
"Apparently I am not able to smite demons anymore."
"No shit, Sherlock", Dean said angrily. Cas seemed still way to unfocused, so Dean gripped his chin.
"Cas, look at me." Cas tried but he was unable to meet his gaze, his eyes wandering aimlessly.
"Cas?" Dean got worried now and he carefully turned Cas' head. His left side already had a purple color.
"Cas, what's up with the bruising?", he asked, now alarmed. Cas weakly lifted a hand to touch his cheek but flinched at the light contact.
"I don't know. This is not a pleasant feeling." Dean was too terrified to respond to that. If Cas had lost his powers and got injured he was practically human now. And humans could die.
"Cas, how is your grace?", Sam asked from behind Dean. Cas' attention seemed to turn inwards for a few seconds.
"My grace is still fine." He frowned but immediately hissed in pain. "I don't understand what is happening. I should be able to heal myself." He looked in Dean's direction. "I was able to heal you", he said and there was an accusing tone to it, like it was somehow Deans' fault.
And it was very likely that it really was his fault. He turned away, hurt, that he was probably the cause that Cas laid there in the first place.
"Arathiel, why don't you just…"Dean trailed off when he noticed that the other angel was gone. "Great. Not suspicious at all", he muttered.
He turned back only to see that Sam was searching the body of the leader while Cas tried to get up.
He made it to his feet but swayed horribly and nearly fell over. Dean rushed to his side and steadied him.
"Careful." Cas leaned heavily into him and Dean put an arm around his shoulder.
"Let's get you back to the motel. Sam, you coming?" "Yep", he triumphantly said as he got a phone out of the jacket of the body.