A/N: I know this is a day late but I was in Wales so I couldn't update until today. Thanks to everyone who reviewed it's so helpful and I'm glad you're all thinking about Adam, I'm still deciding what route I'm going to take with him. Wanted a bit more fluff and character development in this so here you go and any ideas even for the tiniest thing you would like to see in the next chapter I love to use your guys' ideas. Song inspiration for this chapter was Awake My Soul – Mumford and Sons as I could just picture Castiel running back to the shop with this playing.
"I, uhm, I have your usual ready." Dean said with an uncertain smile, unwilling and incapable of taking his eyes off of Castiel for a single moment. Castiel's brow furrowed as he tipped his head in confusion and Dean's heart practically moaned in loss of that sight.
"Why?" He asked simply. Dean gulped. The irrational amount of panic seemed to overwhelm his system. Whereas he would've usually come out with a quick Winchester-smooth response, it was like a switch had been flipped and for once he just didn't hold back or hide or mask.
"You want to know why I have your usual ready? I'll tell you. For three weeks and five days every morning I've made your usual, wishing you'd walk through that door. Every day I wake up and feel sick because you aren't there. I keep staring at the clock counting how long it'll be until I've gone another day without you. Jeez, I do a double take every time I see blue eyes or black hair and heart nearly freaking stops whenever I see a trench coat! Everything reminds me of you. It's like I'm homesick or something, but you're home, Cas. And… And I just wanna' go home."
Dean bore his soul and all Castiel could do was listen. When Dean had finished at a whisper he nodded to himself and placed a cup in front of Castiel. He could see Dean's messy scrawl on the side of it and his heart warmed.
"It'll be cold now." Dean said with a sad smile and Castiel couldn't stop the breathy laugh that escaped his lips. He'd missed Dean so much.
"Dean, I came for-" The door opening interrupted Castiel and Balthazar stomped in looking confused and impatient.
"Cassie, if we don't go now it'll be too late!" Dean looked between the two men and quickly put two and two together.
"For the coffee, I know. Sorry." Dean finished for Castiel with one of his trademark 'no really I'm fine' smiles. Castiel's heart clenched as he realised what this must have looked like to Dean. Balthazar and Castiel had been on their way to a late firm conference when they'd driven by the coffee shop.
"Dean, I'm not-" He rushed to explain, to do anything to get that mask off Dean's face. Only a moment ago he'd held no trace of hiding anything. However, Balthazar didn't allow him to get any further.
"Oh coffee, good plan, I'll steal a bit of yours, what're you having?"
Dean recited the order word perfect absently, not catching Cas' eyes, much to Castiel's dismay. Balthazar frowned scornfully.
"Sorry, I really have to close up now." Dean said, eyes glued to the clock above the door.
"Dean, this isn't a date." Castiel blurted out in a flurry, desperate to make Dean see.
"Of course it is!" Balthazar laughed, slapping Castiel's arse, making Dean physically flinch as Cas jerked away.
"Right… well like I said, I really have to close up now, so…"
"Dean, I-" Castiel tried again.
"Cas. You've got somewhere to be." Dean said, levelling his gaze at Cas, his eyes betraying nothing.
"He's right, Cassie. But this coffee's cold, may as well throw it away."
"No!" Castiel shouted immediately, snatching up the coffee. Dean's eyes softened for a second in hope, which Castiel didn't miss. Balthazar stared for a second in bewilderment and then shrugged it off.
"Fine, whatever. Cassie, we need to go now!" Balthazar whined but Castiel didn't budge, eyes clinging to Dean, hands clinging to the coffee, his little piece of Dean. Balthazar smiled impishly as an idea cropped up to him at once.
"Fine, you asked for it." He scooped Castiel up and over his shoulder and marched out of the shop ignoring Castiel's outraged and desperate objections. Dean stood solemn and unmoving, the feeling of a punch to the gut holding fast. He slid down behind the counter, invisible to any onlookers and just sat, defeated.
As Balthazar drove them to the conference he laughed over Castiel's anger. Castiel noticed the cold coffee was now covering him, drenching his trench coat and he still had hold of the now-empty cup. He took the time to read Dean's message.
It simply read, 'My Cas', but that was enough.
"Stop the car." He ordered quietly.
"What? Cassie, calm down, I only-"
"I said stop the car before I jump out of it!"
"But what about the conference!"
"Screw the conference, let me out!" And so Balthazar did, shouting about how this was a pivotal moment in Castiel's career and he was shoving it down the drain. They'd been going to sign everything off officially and then ship Castiel off to Europe. He'd not been able to stop himself from seeing Dean just one last time despite his prior efforts.
He hadn't expected all those feelings to come flooding back. He hadn't expected Dean's speech or Balthazar's interference. Everything he'd felt seemed to multiply tenfold and those two words seemed to ignite a cardiac arrest of emotion in his chest. He couldn't lose Dean. He couldn't leave Dean. His Dean. If it was a question of whether he wanted his career or Dean more, that was really no question at all. Suddenly none of it was very complicated anymore. In fact it was all shockingly simple. He sprinted back to the shop.
Rosalie tapped her foot and sang loudly in her apartment as she cooked some scrambled eggs. She knew it was probably too cold to be wearing shorts and a baggy t-shirt with bare feet but couldn't find the will to care. Everything recently seemed to be going so right and she was just happy. Just as she took the pan off of the hob with her finished eggs there was a knock at the door. She padded over, pan still in hand and opened it with the other. The pan fell from her hand as her eyes widened in shock. She barely snapped back to reality in time to catch Adam as he fell over.
His hair was thick with blood and he had a black eye and a busted lip. One hand was pressed against his abdomen as the other looped around Rosalie as she towed him to the couch. As gently as she could, Rosalie placed him down, still earning a slight groan of pain and she winced for him.
"Adam? Adam, what happened? Wh- What… Who did this to you?" Adam looked up at her, his eyes apologetic.
"My boss." He croaked. Rosalie's brow furrowed as the tears began to stream down her face.
"Fr-From the library? Bill's fifty four, he couldn't…" And suddenly it all clicked. The reason his eyes were apologetic. The reason he disappeared some nights without word. The reason he was secretive about things. She backed away from the couch slowly shaking her head, tears falling fast now, no barriers. He pulled himself off of the couch steadily to stand on shaky feet.
"Rosie, please."
"Crowley?" She whispered. He closed his eyes and when he opened them they were on the ground. He nodded slowly and Rosalie backed away further.
"You lied to me. Oh my god, you were gonna' hurt Sam and Dean!"
"Please, Rosie. I didn't have a choice. He had my Mom."
"This was all a lie. You were… You were just pretending." Adam shook his head frantically and cursed himself for doing so as it span madly and his knees buckled. Rosalie unable to help herself caught him again and put him back onto the sofa. She tried to back away again but he caught he wrist and pulled her to look at him in the eyes.
"It wasn't. I promise you. I didn't mean to get in this deep. I never wanted to hurt anybody. He… He said I had to kill Dean… when he was sleeping." Adam whispered. Rosalie's t-shirt was now damp with tears as she searched Adam's eyes for something, anything to reassure herself.
"What did you do?" She asked carefully.
"I said no. I chose you." He said without missing a beat. His voice was sure and unwavering even as it cracked under the strain of speaking.
"M-me?" She asked and he smiled at her innocent confusion and caught a tear.
"I'm so sorry I lied to you. I-" But his eyes rolled back into his head and he fell limp. His muscles contracted and his starting convulsing and writhing.
"Adam? Adam!" Rosalie shouted, panicked. She didn't know if this was a result of his injuries or of some unknown substance Crowley might've given him. She did the only thing she could think of, she called 911.
Castiel ran, his breath now ragged as they'd driven further than he'd thought. He finally reached the shop and burst through the door, Dean had left it unlocked. Dean didn't move an inch from behind the counter, hoping the customer would just leave.
"Dean?" Dean froze hearing Castiel's voice. He pulled himself into a semblance of indifference and nonchalance before emerging from behind the counter lifting some cleaning supplies with him so it didn't look like he'd just been hiding down there.
"Did you forget something, Cas." Dean said not looking at him.
"Yes, yes I did." He walked around the counter and took the cleaning supplies out of Dean's hands and threw them behind him.
"Hey! I-"
"I'm completely in love with you, Dean Winchester. Do you still love me?" Dean still wouldn't meet his eyes, not fully believing Castiel's words.
"Cas, you don't have to do this, I'm-"
"Do you still love me?" Cas pushed, not giving an inch.
"Really Cas, I don't-" Cas grabbed Dean's face and forced him to meet his eyes.
"Dean, do you still love me?" He asked firmly. Dean stared into the blue eyes he'd missed so much and could see the love in them.
"Of course I do, Cas. But I'm okay with it if you don't." That wasn't true, he'd be devastated.
"What are you talking about?" Castiel said, momentarily lost. Dean sighed.
"That guy. You and him were…" He cleared his throat and became fascinated with the floor.
"Dean," He waited until Dean looked at him again.
"We were on our way to a conference. In fact it's probably starting right now. I was going to be sent off to Europe. Balthazar's my boss and he was taking me there. I just wanted to see you again before I went, that's why I came in." Dean's eyes filled with the light and fire that Castiel loved so much but it was doused as quickly as it had came. Castiel frowned, wondering what could still be wrong. Dean rubbed the back of his neck.
"So, I guess you're leaving then, you'd better get going if you want to make it in time." He said with another smile which Castiel saw straight through.
"Dean, for a very intelligent person, you are infuriatingly dense sometimes. I'm not taking the job." Dean's head snapped up.
"Wait… You're not?" Castiel shook his head, smiling
"You asked me if I'd forgotten something. Well I had. I'd forgotten how much I loved you and how much you loved me." Dean looked utterly torn for a second, complete and painful indecision before he backed off with a moan.
"Jesus, Cas, I can't keep up. One minute you want me, the next you don't. What if you forget again? I know I haven't exactly been perfect but you weren't even going to tell me that you were going away!"
"I know, I've been foolish and idiotic and blind but I thought you'd be better off without me." Dean shook his head in disbelief and stepped forward again running a hand through Castiel's hair as he spoke.
"Cas, you are the best thing about me. You and Sammy are my family. Along with Adam, Rosie and by some miracle, Gabe. Don't you ever think you aren't worth it. And don't you dare ever leave without telling me, you hear me?" Dean said seriously and Castiel smiled.
"I'm not going anywhere, Dean."
"Damn straight." And with that he pulled Castiel into a kiss filled with apologies, love and relief to be in each other's arms again. Dean tangled one hand in Cas' hair and wrapped the other around his waist holding him there, as if Castiel needed anything to keep him there. Castiel had one hand fisted in Dean's jacket pulling him in and reassuring him that he was there and the other wrapped around him having missed this embrace. Dean's hand slipped into Cas' trench coat but before he could get to work getting it off his phone rang.
Dean ignored it for a second but it got to prominent to ignore. He tried to pull away but Cas made a 'uh-uh' noise keeping their lips attached and Dean smiled in to the kiss. He had to really fight to find the will to pull away and the noise Cas made when he did nearly broke his resolve entirely as he was ready to jump on him right there. As he answered the phone he kept one arm around Cas, keeping him close.
"Yeah." He said into the phone.
Castiel saw the change from his personal Dean to big brother Dean in a split-second and knew something was wrong.
"Okay, hold on, I'm gonna come and get you, okay." And he hung up promptly.
"It's Adam." And he tugged Cas from the shop.
A/N: First of all, I apologise profusely for the lack of Sabriel, I just couldn't fit it in, in this chapter but I promise there will be some next chapter! I don't know if I've quite finished with the Adam/Crowley plot line yet I just wanted them to find out so any ideas would be helpful. Anything you want to see from a character to a scene or just a little idea I could add into the next chapter, as always, I love to read what you think of my chapters and what you'd like to see. Please review! Hope you enjoyed. Thanks for reading! Izzie.
