A/N: Dean realizes something about Castiel.

DISCLAIMER: This is a work of fiction using characters from the Supernatural universe. I do not claim any ownership. This work is solely for entertainment purposes and is not considered film or tv canon (not by a long shot).

Dean looks up from cleaning his gun at the vibrating phone. Sam meets his eyes and they both hope it isn't Castiel calling to say they have to move ... again. It's been nearly a month and a half since they went on the run from a man named Azazel – the man Crowley answered to ... the man whose determination to hunt Dean down has reached near obsessive levels.

Gabriel picks up the phone and listens. His shoulders relax and the Winchester brothers follow suit. Gabriel telegraphs his emotions clearly – if he's relaxed, it means nothing is very wrong. Dean goes back to gun-cleaning and Sam reviews the data that Balthazar has been sending him on the research being done to take the implant out of Dean's head safely.

Gabriel ends the call and looks over at the brothers. "Castiel is on his way. Looks like maybe we lost them for a while ... he says the focus on this city is starting to fade. Azazel's men are pulling out."

Sam sighs. "That is probably the best news I've had in a month. Did Castiel say anything about the implant?"

"No ... you know you'll hear that from Balthy first anyway. If he finds a way to permanently disconnect that thing from Dean's skull, he'll drive out here himself." Gabriel replies with a grin.

Dean's mouth quirks. He's able to deal with the thought of never getting the joy buzzer out of his head so long as he's able to think for himself. He still gets migraines from time to time, but over the past few weeks, Dean has been able to resist the Omega conditioning from Crowley's with a little more consistency. Dean never thought he'd be so thrilled to be able to dress himself alone but every morning he's able to is a great morning.

That's not to say it doesn't pop up at strange moments ... just last night, Castiel came into the living room with popcorn for their nightly movie and said, "Dean, scoot over."

A simple statement but Dean's brain took it one step farther and he nearly fell off the couch trying to obey with a squeaked, "Yes, Alpha!"

Embarrassing. Sam laughed before he could stop himself and Dean flipped him off with a wry smile. All in all, it was no big deal and Dean is beginning to see the possibility of a life after all this is over. A life where he doesn't have to submit any longer to anyone.

The door opens and Castiel enters the apartment carrying the week's provisions. Dean feels a warmth settle inside him and he gets up to help his Mate take them into the kitchen. It hasn't been a honeymoon per se, but since their confrontation on the side of the highway, Dean and Castiel have settled into a comfortable co-existence. They laugh with Sam and Gabriel; they run when danger is near, and they share small moments of intimacy that Dean didn't know could exist between an Alpha and Omega. Like now, when Castiel slips up behind Dean who is bent over putting the produce away in the crisper. Dean looks back at Castiel upside-down.

"Really, Cas?" Dean says with a chuckle.

Castiel cocks his head sideways in the curious way he has and smiles. "It seemed ... opportune."

Dean snorts and straightens, turning in Castiel's arms to pull his Mate closer for a soft kiss. No heat, just a reassurance for Dean that Castiel is real and hasn't abandoned him. Castiel smiles and releases Dean to finish putting away the groceries. Dean glances down at the counter and sees a white box. Looking through the clear circle top he is thrilled to see a butter chess pie. Dean moves over to Castiel and pulls the startled man into a deep kiss which he breaks with a broad grin on his face.

"Cas, I think I love you! You brought me pie!"

Castiel regards his Mate affectionately. "If I had known it would engender this response, I would have purchased the entire bakery."

Dean blinked. "You could, couldn't you?"

From the living room comes Gabriel's laugh, "Yeah, Cassy ... explain that business expense to Lucifer!" Sam's laughter floats out behind the statement.

Dean rolls his eyes, "Shut up, gigantor!" Turning, he kisses Castiel lightly again and says softly, "Thanks, Cas ... 'preciate it."

"Anything for you, my Dean," Castiel replies just as softly. His thumb gently runs along Dean's jawline.

Dean clears his throat and extricates himself from Castiel's arms. He doesn't jerk away like normal, so Castiel counts this as progress. Since what Castiel refers to as the 'highway incident' in his head, Dean has been less confrontational and Castiel has managed to temper his Alpha tendencies to protect and possess. He still doesn't like it when anyone, male or female, looks at Dean with more than passing interest, but he isn't growling at them any longer. These small shared moments give Castiel hope that Dean will eventually realize that Castiel is Mated for life and doesn't plan on going anywhere.

Dean has discovered he enjoys to cook and that night he makes mouth-watering hamburgers. Gabriel has a transported look on his face as he bites into his second burger.

"Dean-o, that is a very marketable skill you have there! These are fantastic!"

Dean blushes lightly. "Yeah, yeah ... as many of 'em as I've eaten over the years, I better know how to make a decent one."

Sam laughs again, making Dean grin. He hasn't heard his little brother laugh this much in a very long time. He's glad to be the reason.

"Yeah, Dean ... you open the burger joint and Cas can run the bakery!"

Dean spares his brother a disgusted look and shakes his head at Castiel. Gabriel and Sam dissolve into laughter as though this is the funniest joke they've ever heard. Even Castiel can't hold back a laugh at the expression on Dean's face which earns him a gentle shove.

Dean looks over at Castiel as he playful shoves his shoulder. His hazel eyes meet Castiel's blue ones and the elder Winchester is rocked to his core.

Son of a bitch ... I'm in love with my Mate! Dean thinks, floored by the realization.

It's as if everything that has occurred between them up until this point has simply been emphasizing what Castiel knew from the start – they belong together and not just because of biology. Dean is broken, but Castiel is more than willing to take all the pieces and put Dean back together. Dean is scared, but Castiel will always hold Dean in the dark to drive away the monsters. Dean's body was desecrated, but Castiel will spend his life proving that he finds Dean beautiful.

Castiel notices the softening of Dean's gaze and wonders at it, but it is gone as quickly as it appeared and Dean is back to being Dean. Dinner concludes with too much food being eaten and the chess pie being obliterated by all four of them. Afterward, they all sprawl in the living room, Dean with his head in Castiel's lap. Castiel doesn't question, he simply watches whatever drivel Gabriel has chosen and slowly drags his fingers through Dean's hair.

Dean doesn't even know what the hell they are watching. All he can feel is Castiel's hand moving through his hair. It's probably one of the single most arousing things he's ever felt from his Mate. He has no idea why but it comforts and caresses and does things to his nerve endings that throw him completely off balance. In light of his recent emotional epiphany, Dean's head is spinning. He catches Sam's eyes – his brother rolls his eyes and shakes his head in amusement.

"Oh for the love of Christmas, would you two just go, already?" Gabriel complains.

Dean blushes again, having forgotten than he is the one Omega in a room full of Alphas. He might as well have hung up a neon sign pointing to himself that said, "Horny as hell". He relaxes a little when Castiel growls at his older brother and tosses a pillow at him. Sam grins when Dean glances back at his little brother while heading to the bedroom with Castiel. Dean gives him a "what can I do?" shrug knowing that Sam is happy for him.

Castiel pulls Dean into a kiss as soon as the door is shut. They haven't been together since the highway incident and Castiel is determined to make this good for his Mate.

Dean senses Castiel's rising heat and for once it doesn't bring the familiar anxiety behind it. Instead, his body just responds ... the way it was meant to without any outside influence. He's wet and he wants his Mate inside him yesterday. It's more than that and Dean tries to demonstrate that in the way he undresses Castiel and lets Cas undress him ... he wants his Mate to see. He wants to know – although he has a pretty good suspicion – if Castiel feels the same way.

Castiel lets Dean undress him but is surprised when Dean allows him to do the same. He holds his Mate close with gentle pressure on his hips as they stand against each other, kissing. Soft, tender kisses intended to convey something deeper than just arousal. Castiel pulls back from Dean and tilts his Mate's chin up. Dean's distracting hazel eyes meet Castiel's and the softening he'd noticed earlier is there. This time it doesn't disappear behind a mask of control and 'cool'. It stays and Castiel is the one who feels the planet shift.

"I love you, Cas," Dean says huskily, confirming what Castiel's leaping heart is telling him. "D'you ... um ..."

Dean's voice fades into a faint whisper and Castiel feels faint sadness that Dean even needs to ask. He doesn't display that, though ... he simply kisses Dean as deeply as he can and then meets his Mate's eyes again.

"Yes, Dean ... I love you. I will love you ... for all the moments left to us I will love you."

Dean grins and pulls Castiel tighter against him. "Did you know you smell like licorice to me?"

Castiel shakes his head, bemused. Dean nods as he kisses a line along Castiel's shoulder.

"Is that a good thing, Dean?"

"Oh yeah ... I love licorice. Like ... a lot." Dean says with that child-like emphasis as though he has just imparted some piece of knowledge Castiel should never forget.

Castiel smiles and nips at Dean's ear, drawing a faint groan out of his Mate. "You smell like the air just before a storm to me."

Dean tilts his head back as Castiel kisses a line across his throat. "Y-you said that before ... the first night ... don't even know what that means ..."

Castiel pauses which makes Dean whine softly. Castiel finds Dean's eyes with his own. "The air before a storm is clean and clear, Dean ... it's the harbinger of rain – it portends change – good or bad. It's the smell I've loved all my life because it always meant something new was coming into my life. This time the new thing was you ... and I love you and everything you've brought into my world, Dean."

Dean shivers lightly at Castiel's words. He doesn't even know how to respond. His first instinct is to make a joke - a crack of some sort to break the moment so it isn't so intense. Dean finds he doesn't want to do that this time ... he loves that this man in his arms wants him ... needs him ... and - wonder of wonders – loves him.

Dean pulls Castiel down on the bed, wanting to feel his Mate's body over him. Castiel obliges him and kisses a line down Dean's body much as he did during their first Mating. Dean arches off the bed when Castiel's lips find his very hard cock. Castiel doesn't linger there ... he continues down Dean's legs, kissing and licking and cataloging every sound his Mate makes. He then slides up and lays beside Dean who frowns in confusion. Castiel smiles and leans in to plant a soft kiss against Dean's cheek.

"Close your eyes, Dean," Castiel whispers. "Trust me?"

"Yeah," Dean replies with a nod. "I trust you, Cas." He can't even begin to fathom how he's gotten to this point when he's spent his entire post-manifestation life trying to avoid it. He doesn't think about it too long and lets his eyes slide shut.

Castiel sits up and begins at Dean's forehead. He doesn't touch his Mate, but his hand is only a breath away from Dean's skin. He knows Dean can sense it ... it's a touch that isn't quite a touch ... it's an almost-touch and Castiel can see Dean's skin flushing as he moves his hands over his Mate's body.

Dean is sure he's about to lose his freaking mind ... Sam told him Gabriel described his brother as "woefully inexperienced". Obviously Gabriel is unaware of Castiel's skills in the bedroom department. Either that or Castiel is the fastest learner on the planet. Whatever the case, Dean finds himself trying to arch upwards to make contact. He's rewarded with an indulgent chuckle from his Mate. It's in that gravelly voice of his that seems to come from the basement and Dean's cock is more than hard, it's desperately hard. It's oh-dear-God-please-fuck-me hard. Dean whimpers as the torture continues. His breathing is coming in short gasps now. Castiel's hand is so fucking close to his cock he thinks it might just leap off his body to finally have that touch. He sucks in another gasp of air as Castiel works his way back up his body.

"Please ... Cas ... please ... uhnn .. Cas ..." Dean is close to begging. He's fairly certain he'd fall to his knees and beg Castiel to fuck him if he wanted that.

"Turn over, Dean," Castiel says.

Dean does so without opening his eyes. The Omega response to obeying an Alpha is just nature ensuring submission. Dean moans with it however because his body is already thrumming with pleasure ... he's going to burst into flame if Castiel doesn't touch him soon.

Castiel, king of all the heartless bastards, starts the almost-touching again over his back. Dean whines and tries to lift up to meet Castiel's hand. He's so hard he can't imagine that he has any blood left in any other part of his body.

"Stay with me, Dean," Castiel says gently. "Trust me, my lovely Mate ... trust me."

Dean relaxes a little and begins to drift with the sensations that Castiel's creating. When he gives over to Castiel, the pleasure begins to intensify although Dean does not understand how that is even possible. He's sliding into some molten pool of feeling that only comes with Castiel. Dean's breathing deepens out as the pleasure suffuses his entire body with a heavy warmth different from the gasping spikes of a moment ago.

Castiel smiles as he hears his Mates breathing change. He patiently continues moving his hands along Dean's body and another smile emerges when Dean's hips begin thrusting into the mattress and he starts making soft guttural sounds with each thrust.

Dean is lost in whatever sea of bliss Castiel has dropped him in ... he doesn't know anything except what Castiel tells him ... he doesn't feel anything beyond what Castiel makes him feel ... he's gone and he doesn't care. His entire world has zeroed in on Castiel and his own body. He's just a bundle of nerve endings that are all firing at once and it feels so very good. Dean's brain then relinquishes even that small bit of sentience and all Dean knows is sensation and the need to find that release. It's a near-feral response as his body starts thrusting. He isn't anything other than this primitive pleasure response ... he can't even make intelligible sounds and soft grunts are all that emerge. It doesn't matter, all that matters is the release.

Another deep groan is the only response Dean gives when Castiel finally enters his Mate. He finds it hard not to groan himself ... Dean is so hot and slick. He starts to move and Dean instinctively follows, slowly rising from whatever fugue state he's slipped into until his mind returns with a gasp and then with a long moaning cry that is almost a scream, Dean comes. It's Dean completely out of control and unafraid because he trusts his Mate not to let go ... not to let him fall.

Castiel falls over the edge when he hears Dean say his name in a wrecked-sounding growl. He rides his orgasm through the aftershocks and slides out of Dean before his Omega has even come down from his own release. Dean turns and curls into Castiel's body. Castiel holds his trembling Mate and kisses the tears that hang on his eyelashes. He makes soft sounds of comfort and Dean's tears gradually fade. He looks at Castiel with an almost shy expression.

"Thanks, Cas ... for everything."

Dean's lips brush Castiel's and then the kiss is deepening. It's the best kiss Dean has ever experienced because it's with the one human on the planet that he trusts with his heart.

Later, in the dead hours of the night, Dean's phone rings. He irritatedly grabs it and flips it open. Castiel wakes and groggily hears Dean say, "Yeah, ok ... whatever."

"Mmm ... who was that, Dean?" Castiel asks sleepily.

"No one ... wrong number. I'll be right back ... gonna go take a leak." Dean murmurs.

Castiel grunts an affirmation and then relaxes back into his pillow. He's asleep again in minutes. Dean grabs his jeans and pulls them on before walking down the hall. He pauses at the bathroom long enough to turn on the light and close the door.

Dean walks to the front door and disarms the alarm system using the special code that also disarms the phone alert Balthazar added as a backup in case anyone figured out the main code. Gabriel forgets that the Winchesters were raised to observe and Dean saw him enter the code when they first came to this safe house.

Dean closes the door quietly behind him and pulls out his phone to make a call. He listens to the response and throws his phone down on the sidewalk hard enough to shatter it.

He hears a car coming down the street in front of the apartment and he waits at the curb for it to pull up in front of him. The car door opens and Dean automatically falls to his knees. His head bows.

"Dean, darling ... good to see you again," Crowley says with a dark smile. "You've been away so long, we'll have to see just how much of your training they ruined."

Dean says nothing. He can't. He's just an Omega and he has to wait until an Alpha tells him what to do. He vaguely remembers his phone ringing and then a loud tone seemed to split his head. When the sound stopped, Dean heard the Word and this Alpha's voice telling him everything he had to do. Dean did everything exactly like he was ordered.

"Get in the car, Dean. There's a good Omega."

Dean shivers with pleasure at the Alpha's praise as he curls up on the floorboard at Crowley's feet. He's a good Omega. He just has to do whatever the Alpha tells him.