Chapter 13: Windows of the Soul

Cas woke just before dawn, the faintest heat prickling under his skin and preventing him from returning to slumber. He didn't have to sleep, but the tumult of the past few days had made at least a light doze necessary. Dean was still out cold, so Cas grabbed one of the lighter blankets and pulled it over the alpha, protecting him from the worst of the chill. Nearby, a huge stag was sleeping under the trees, his head tucked against his back in a position that didn't look quite comfortable with a rack as large as his. Cas called out, lowing softly in the deer's language, head tilted as the stag didn't answer. The Faerie walked over to his side, sitting down in the grass and rubbing his neck, smiling as he finally got an answer.

When the deer looked up, it became clear that he was old, at the end of his life. His eyes were dim, his face haggard, and he was having trouble supporting his huge antlers. He huffed at Cas and shook his head, struggling to push himself to his feet, clearly at least a little malnourished. Near the remains of the fire, Dean stirred at the sound, shooting to his feet in shock when he spotted Cas with his new deer friend near the trees. "Uh, Cas?"

"He came looking for me," Cas replied, rubbing the old stag's neck soothingly. "He is very old, Dean, and very tired. He says that he was chased off by younger stags this year and he doesn't have the strength for the coming rut. He doesn't want to take food from his children when he can't care for the does who graze in the land he once protected, and he has no purpose if he cannot attend any of them during the rut."

"He's upset because he's too old to get freaky with the ladies?" Cas's glare silenced Dean, the hunter looking down at his boots uncomfortably. "Sorry, uh, I guess this is serious?"

"Yes, Dean. He feels like a burden. I have noticed that the large carnivores that used to roam this land have been depleted in number or are gone entirely; he might live for many seasons with this pain in his heart, constantly chased off by younger stags and unable to win does during the rut. He wants to be useful again, that's why he came here when he sensed my wards. He has been traveling for many days to find a Faerie to ease his pain."

Dean stepped closer, hovering just behind Cas and out of reach of those antlers. Old or not, the stag had a huge rack, and those points looked deadly. "What are you going to do?"

"He wants to die, and I will ease his passing. I have the ability to bind his spirit to this grove and let him become its guardian, able to pass beyond the Veil into my world but also able to return to this one and protect the animals who find haven here." Cas pointed toward the other end of the clearing and the young doe with her rambunctious fawns who was watching the exchange. The fawns were growing fast, probably faring better in the safety of Cas's grove than they had before he came. "She is his daughter from three years ago. Stags don't stay to raise their fawns, but they will recognize them later, if they meet. She wants to say goodbye."

The doe carefully picked her way across the field, ears forward but still alert for danger. Her twins followed her closely, sniffing the blankets as they passed. When they reached the old stag, the doe sniffed his nose, licking him once before offering a gentle head rub, making a soft sound in her throat that Dean couldn't identify. Her fawns sniffed at the old stag but stayed back a few paces, waiting for their mother to rejoin them. Cas nodded and placed his hands on the stag's neck, closing his eyes as the faintest shadow of his wings fell across the animal.

"Faeries are beings of nature, Dean, and we exist to care for it. When an animal is ready to die, they can come to us and we will make the passing painless for them. We can also choose to make some animals guardians, to protect the groves that we favor since we must eventually return to our realm. He has not seen a Faerie in his lifetime, and it has been hundreds of years since one of us walked this land, so there are no groves left and he despaired of a peaceful end. I am happy that I can give him this one thing." The Faerie's hands glowed blue with his power and the stag closed his eyes, grunting happily as his body faded into transparency then vanished altogether. Wind whistled through the clearing as Cas stepped back, smiling at the faint white distortion in the air before him, one that faded away as the doe and her fawns returned to the trees. "He is at peace, now, Dean."

Dean shook his head, placing one hand on Cas's shoulder. "Man, I can't say I understand what you just did, but as long as he's happy that's good. Is this, uh, what you do back home?"

"Yes, I care for the animals in my realm. It is satisfying to have the opportunity to care for ones here for a change." The Faerie wobbled for a moment, reaching out to Dean for support as he almost lost his balance.

"Cas, are you okay?"

"Just a dizzy spell, Dean. I am fine."

The hunter forced Cas to meet his eyes, examining him for any sign of injury or illness. His skin felt hot to the touch, which was unusual because he was normally a bit cooler than a human. "You feel like you might have a fever, buddy. Can Faeries get sick?"

"Not in the way that you mean, no. I am sure it's nothing. I can sense that your parents, Benny, and Gadreel are still sleeping so we have some time before they request a ride back home. We can take a quick swim in the lake and that will certainly cool me down."

Dean pursed his lips skeptically, but he nodded and headed back to their little campsite. He rebuilt the fire since they would appreciate the warmth when they got out of the water, pulling out the towels that Cas had packed and stripping down to his birthday suit. Cas divested himself of his clothes, carefully folding them and leaving them on the blanket before turning and heading for the lake. Dean watched him go, letting himself admire the omega's lovely ass as he hadn't done the first time they went swimming. A small part of his mind whispered that he would love to take a ride on that before Dean squashed it and headed for the water, determined not to let Cas sense any arousal from him. He was fond of the Faerie, but he couldn't allow himself to desire the man, especially after what Cas went through with Dalziel.

Cas warmed the water as he had done the first time, since he knew that it would be far too cold for his summoner if he did not. It was getting into fall, so the cooler nights would soon turn freezing and prevent these morning swims. The water did help his slight fever, though, and Cas tried to determine the source of his malady without success. Dean coerced him into playing water tag, which apparently involved a lot of swimming and splashing each other, and Cas made sure to let the human win a few rounds to make him happy. When they were done, dry, dressed, and seated back beside a roaring fire, Dean brought out some breakfast bars and handed Cas one.
"I always thought it would be cool to have chickens in the backyard so we could get fresh eggs for breakfast every day. You know, if we had a backyard."

"You don't seem happy living in the bunker, Dean."

The hunter shrugged, poking the fire with his stick. "I mean, it's great to have a permanent place to stay. We lived in motels for so long that I really enjoy coming back to the same room and the same mattress every night. My bedroom doesn't have a window, though, and we don't have anything in the way of a backyard. We had that when I was younger, before Mom and Dad got called back to hunting and we had to start traveling to cases. I don't want to have a family in the bunker, though; if I get mated and have some pups, I want it to be in a decent house on a quiet street far away from here. Lawrence was a nice town, and I would totally be okay moving back there and only coming to the bunker for the more dangerous ingredients and spell books that need to stay locked up. The bunker is safe, but it's not a place I can see spending the rest of my life, you know?"

"I live in a grove, Dean; I don't have the same concept of home as you. Still, in this fragile human form, a house would be more convenient. I don't have any fur to protect me from the elements or wings to keep me warm in winter, so a house near the woods would be acceptable."

Dean chuckled as he finished his bar and started packing up the supplies. "You must be pretty impressive in your Faerie form, Cas. I know you have wings with black feathers, but any other details of your true form have never been recorded."

"My eyes are blue," Cas offered, grinning at Dean's expression. "My body is covered in black fur, my hands are similar to yours but I have retractable claws and pads on the inside like a cat, and my back legs are also very feline in appearance. My shins are much longer than my thighs, due to the shape of my legs, and my foot is nearly as long since I walk on the tips of my toes as cats and most hooved animals do. I have a claw on the back of my heel, which I can use in battle, and my toes have retractable claws to allow me to climb more easily. I also have a tail for balance and a furred sheath protecting my penis. Humans have nothing to protect their penis, I've noticed; though the clothes you wear do help."

Dena cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Well, I didn't think that a question about your true form would lead to a conversation about the inadequacies of human genitalia."

"I do not think your genitalia are inadequate, Dean. I have seen your penis; it is a respectable size. I know that the human grows larger when aroused and your alphas have knots, as ours do, so I think that you must be very popular with the omegas."

Well, it looked like the conversation was going to stay on penises. Very well. "I don't know where you heard that phrase, though I'm willing to blame Gabe, but, if you must know, I have had my fair share of hookups with female omegas, though I normally stick to betas."

"Is that your preference?"

"I don't know, I guess not. I mean, omegas are kind of rare and since I spent most of my life as a drifter, I wasn't prime mating material. I'm not really that good around omegas, anyway, and I've never had a male omega partner. I've never even attended an omega in heat, but I've always wanted to. For my ruts, I normally find a male beta who is used to alpha partners."

Cas nodded, absorbing the information and filing it away for later. "I've never had a partner at all. I have spent my heats alone, as is quite common among Faeries. I meditate, commune with the natural spirits, and let my body work through its biological imperative. Gabriel tries to have all of his heats on Earth with a big alpha male to help him through them, though he will come to any summoner who says the spell right. Some of them know his reputation and ask him to go into heat, which he can do at any time, though only Loki has ever requested offspring."

"Are your heats not normally fertile, then, or is Gabe special in his control over them?"

"Faeries have to choose to have fertile heats, otherwise the egg is never created. I am told that human omegas and females have a finite number of eggs when their reproductive organs first form and those eggs slowly decline throughout their life as they are used up in their heats or cycles. Faeries exist to create and nurture life, so we must use some of our grace to create the eggs during our heat if we want a chance at pregnancy. Our bodies still go through the hormonal changes that force the condition in the first place, but a heat is only fertile if we want it to be. It is, of course, very similar for the sperm of our males and alphas." Cas eyes were distant as he spoke, clearly remembering his own heats alone in the Fae Realm. "It must have been quite a surprise for Balthazar to go into heat just after mating and for it to be fertile without his control. I know he is happy; a mate of his own and pups are all he ever wanted."

"Have you ever wanted that, Cas?"

"I have thought about pregnancy in the past, yes. My fledglings have always been enough for me, but I wondered what it would be like to have one of my own. What would my own little one look like, act like, and sound like? What would they inherit from me? I have thought about it, though breeding is different for Faeries than the creatures of this planet. As a human with a finite lifespan, I imagine that you have asked yourself the same question."

"Yeah, I have."

When Dean didn't say anything more, Cas let the matter drop, sensing that the human wasn't willing to talk about it. From what he understood of human culture, Dean was well into the age where he should already be looking for a mate if he planned to have pups, though perhaps in this country the people waited longer. They did live longer now, Cas mused. They packed up the rest of the camp in silence, Cas transporting them back to the bunker.

Sam called a greeting from the kitchen where he was apparently making a late breakfast, smiling as Dean joined him at the stove. "You're back earlier than I expected."

"I thought you would be done with breakfast by now. What are you making?"

"Omelets," Sam replied, folding the one in his pan carefully over the ingredients and sprinkling it with cheese before sliding it onto an empty plate. "Gabe asked for them."

"Yeah, I know what an omelet is, genius. What's the stuff inside? It's too green."

"Spinach, some peppers, tomatoes, sliced carrots—"

"Rabbit food," Dean interrupted, disapproval in his scent. "Gabe wants this?" Sam placed a few sliced of avocado on top and headed for the small kitchen table, ignoring Dean's gagging motion at the addition. Sam knew that most of Dean's dislike of the fruit was due to his brother's love of it and the intense association with the health food craze, but he would probably like it if he would give it a shot.

"Yeah, he's starting to like my diet. Do you want me to make you one?"

"Nah, I'll do it when you're done. I can't risk you sneaking something obnoxious into it."

"Spinach is not obnoxious, Dean. It's healthy and has a lot of iron and vitamin C."

"I get my iron from red meat like a normal person."

Sam rolled his eyes and finished a second way-too-green omelet, taking it to the table and leaving Dean to make his own. Cas and Gabe entered the kitchen together as Dean cracked his eggs, the blond eagerly taking a seat and digging into his breakfast while his younger brother headed over to the stove. "I thought we already had breakfast."

"Yeah, Cas, like an hour ago. Besides, I thought we were out of eggs or I would have offered you omelets earlier."

"Does that mean you wish to offer me one now?"

"Yes, dork, I am offering you one. What do you want in it?"

Cas glanced at the ingredients on the table, frowning slightly. "Do we have bacon and broccoli? I like those together."

Sam snorted from the table, raising his hands in surrender when Dean turned to glare at him. "At least it wasn't kale."

"Damn right it wasn't kale," Dean grumbled under his breath as he headed to the fridge to look for broccoli and to grab the bacon that he was planning to use for his own omelet, too. "That's because my Faerie is a warrior and he doesn't eat all that damn rabbit food."

"Very few of the ingredients here would be on a rabbit's menu," Cas countered, the faintest hint of consternation in his scent. "They mostly eat wild plants and grass."

"It's a figure of speech. You said you're kinda catlike in your regular form, so what do you eat in the Faerie realm?"

"We consume the energies given off by the spirits we protect," Cas replied. "Their happiness creates it and we are able to absorb it, using that to power our grace which we use to nurture the spirits under our care or to fight the wars that are needed to protect our realm and yours. Our realm also gets a large infusion of energy when one of these rifts are opened, and that is usually absorbed by the plants who then pass it up the food chain. When we are here and cut off from our realm, we must feed from the person who summoned us, the one we are charged to protect. It is not so different, though the feeding is easier if both human and Faerie are happy. Gabe eats while fucking."

"Most of the time, yes," Gabe replied around a mouthful of omelet. "It's much easier. I'm full right now, though; got a big burst of energy last night and it finished healing my wings. I should be good to start working on the new tracking spell."

"The conversations we have with Faeries would blow a normal person's mind," Dean pointed out. "And I now know way more about my brother's sex life than I ever wanted to."

"I blame Gabe. He's got more stamina than anyone I've ever been with and I can just keep going forever with him, it seems."

"Yeah, see, that's way too much information." Sam shrugged and returned to his meal, Dean directing Cas to cut the broccoli crown into smaller pieces so they could be spread inside the omelet. "Speaking of oversexed brothers, where is Adam?"

"They came back in an hour or so after Gabe finally wore himself out, but that was nearly midnight. They might not be awake yet."

A loud yawn from the doorway of the kitchen announced the arrival of Adam and Alfie, both of them clearly still tired. In order to avoid any other conversations with his brothers about their sex lives, Dean offered to make both of them omelets, pointing them toward the table to wait for their food. He finished Cas's and passed it over, the Faerie choosing to stand at the counter to eat instead of displacing one of the men at the table. He still felt a little weird, tingles under his skin, but he hoped that some of this delicious smelling food would help him. He could sense Gabe watching him closely, probably seeing something off in his aura, but his brother had never been able to read his thoughts.

Cas heard Mary and John call for him just after the six finished eating, so he headed down to the garage to summon them back. Benny called a moment later, and the Faerie brought all of the bunker's inhabitants back without issue. "How was your night away?"

Benny grinned and clapped Cas on the shoulder. The Faerie was becoming used to the human need for tactile contact, so he allowed the familiarity. "Brother, it was wonderful. Not the actual shopping part, to be fair, but getting some alone time with my mate was priceless. We did find an absolutely perfect pair of cribs for the pups, two very good car seats, some of the furniture that the baby websites all say we need, and lots of cute clothes. Gadreel is excited over that the most, I think."

"Do you need help unloading your purchases?"

Benny grinned at the Faerie and shook his head. "Nah, I've got it, but thank you. Hey, are you feeling alright? Your scent is a bit off, a little spicy maybe."

Cas shrugged dismissively. "I'm fine. I spent the night at the grove and we had a campfire. That's probably all you're smelling."

"Yeah, alright, that makes sense. Thanks for the ride, Brother."

"Any time, uh, Brother?"

Benny chuckled and walked back to the car, opening the trunk and grabbing the first of the crib boxes. Cas rubbed his arm, trying to dispel that odd tingling feeling as he clamped down on his scent to get rid of whatever Benny had detected. He headed back into the main room of the bunker, sighing as he sensed his body temperature start to increase again. He stumbled again, just as he had done at the camp, but this time it was Gabe by his side instead of Dean, a Faerie who could not be fooled by Cas's quick dismissal of his symptoms.

Gabe guided Cas to a chair beside the map table, touching his forehead and staring into his eyes, using his healing powers to probe his brother. "Cas, why didn't you tell me?"

"I wasn't sure," he whispered, closing his eyes as he felt his brother's forehead touch his in a common Faerie action meant to convey love. "I thought it was just a side effect of my fight with Dean at first. Now, with the symptoms getting worse, it's obvious." He took a deep breath, trying to gain some control over his vessel. "I can't do this, Brother."

"You can, Cassie; I know you can. This happens to lots of Faeries on Earth, and you've been through it at home thousands of times."

"This is different," Cas hissed, eyes flying open as he pulled back, instantly switching into full defensive mode. "Humans don't do this alone; meditation and communing with the spirits will not help me here. I'm going to have to have a partner, aren't I?"

Gabe shrugged and nodded. "Yeah, you will. I've done it as a human multiple times, and I always needed someone to help me through it. You'll have to ask him."

Gabe saw the walls come up around Cas's aura, his spirit freezing in refusal. "No, I can't. I can't do that to him. Just help me back to my room and I'll start meditating. I know I can get through this in the normal way."

Gabe sighed and helped Cas to his feet, helping his brother back toward the bedroom wing. He had sensed something off with Cas's aura at breakfast, so he made an excuse to Sam and waited to catch the raven-haired Faerie when he came back up from the garage. Now that his fears were confirmed, he knew that he had to do everything in his power to help Cas through this, even if he didn't want it. "What I don't understand is how this happened. Powerful Faeries are in complete control of our cycles, especially our family. You can't go into heat without meaning to."

Cas sighed as they entered his room, falling down on the bed and struggling to remove his trench coat. It was too hot, now, and he needed to be wearing a lot less clothing. Gabe helped him strip down to his boxers, bright orange ones with white flower designs on them, and he stretched out on top of the covers and stared at the ceiling. "I think maybe I did, a little," Cas whispered. "I have never felt so calm and centered, and maybe my omega felt like it needed something more. Heat is the ultimate expression of omeganess, and I have never experienced it on Earth."

"If you refuse help, it's going to be the ultimate expression of misery," Gabe snapped, crossing his arms over his chest. "Are you interested in five days of hell?"

"Gabriel, I will meditate my way through this as I always have. It may be harder as a human, but I will manage it as I always have. Now, please go tell Samandriel not to worry when I don't come out for a few days. If you can find something to tell Dean about my condition other than the truth, that would be great."

Gabe snorted and left, closing the door behind him as he headed back into the main room of the bunker. As expected, Dean and Sam were there, both of them having sensed something off about their Faeries. Alfie and Adam joined the group a moment later, everyone looking toward Gabe for an explanation. Sam had seen Gabe half-carry his struggling brother into the bedroom wing earlier, so now all of them were concerned.

"Look, he doesn't want me to tell you what's wrong."

Dean crossed his arms over his chest and glared at the Faerie, flecks of red in his eyes. "I can feel that something's wrong. I knew it this morning but he brushed me off. I can't control this bond thing enough to pick out details, but he's not happy right now."

Sam reached out and grasped Gabe's shoulder, smiling gently at the Faerie. "I won't compel you to tell me what's wrong with your brother, but it sounds like he needs help. We care about him just as you do, and I'm getting the sense that you think he needs us but he doesn't want to ask."

Gabe sighed and leaned against Sam's side, clearly struggling to decide what to say. "I'll tell you what it is, okay, but Cas truly doesn't want any help. You have to promise not to go to him unless his asks for you, Dean."

"Me? What's going on?"

"Dean, do you promise?"

"Yeah, of course."

"Cas is in heat."

"Wait, what? Did Cas not know that it was coming? Humans normally start having pre-heat symptoms a week or so ahead of time, and I don't think he had any. Where's his nest?"

"He didn't make one. Faeries as powerful as us can't just 'go into heat'; we have control over it, especially me and my siblings. He doesn't know how it happened, but he thinks that he may have triggered it subconsciously, that part of him wanted to experience 'the ultimate expression of omeganess'."

"Alone, like he does it back in your realm?"

Gabe tilted his head. "He told you about his heats back home? When?"

"This morning. We talked about that, as well as some other things about the Fae Realm. He knows that his vessel is human and that human heats are different, right?"

"He knows, but he . . . he's afraid to ask you, Dean. He actually kinda specifically asked that I not tell you that he's in heat because he didn't want to saddle you with that burden, but I thought you deserved to know."

"What are we going to do? I can't just leave him in his room to suffer alone."

"You just promised that you would unless he asks for you," Gabe reminded him. "Give it a couple of days and we'll see how he feels then, okay?"

Dean set his jaw in an expression that conveyed his disapproval with the plan, but he nodded sharply, anyway. "Yeah, okay, fine. We'll give him time."

Cas had never been more miserable in his life. Two days into full heat, he was burning up, writhing on the bed with an erection that wouldn't go down and an asshole that was leaking slick constantly. All he wanted was a knot in his ass, and all of his increasingly frustrated attempts at masturbation had proven utterly useless. Even when he did manage an orgasm, the heat swirling beneath his skin taunted him mercilessly, and his cock just mocked him, almost purple with need where it twitched against his stomach. This human version of heat was more terrible than he had ever imagined; he had abandoned meditation the first day but he was too proud to call Gabe back and beg him to ask Dean for help. The last thing he wanted was to coerce the alpha into helping him with this when he had never attended a male omega in heat before.

"Cassie?"

"Go away, Gabe," Cas growled, unable to find the strength to raise his head. He had managed to end his last session on his side, at least, so he could preserve some of his modesty when his brother inevitably opened the door.

Gabe entered the room as predicted, a bottle of something bright blue in one hand and a bowl of what smelled like soup on a tray in the other. Faeries didn't need to eat during their heats, but this one was taking its toll on Cas's body, his vessel's stomach growling in appreciation of the smell. "So, how's it going?"

"Awful, Gabe, as you can see." Cas knew his eyes were gold, but he couldn't even control that, so he kept them closed as Gabe placed his gifts on the bedside table and pulled up a chair. "I shouldn't be hungry."

"Sam says it varies from omega to omega. Some of them can't stand the smell of food while they're in heat, though they have to stay hydrated, and some are ravenous. Dean said he thought you felt hungry, so he made you some chicken noodle soup."

"That's not exactly what I'm hungry for," Cas sighed, leaning up on one arm and looking for a blanket to cover his lap. Gabe passed him one from the floor, kicked off in one of his sessions, and helped his brother sit up against the headboard. He placed a pillow in Cas's lap and put the tray on top of that, putting the spoon in his brother's hand and helping him take the first few bites. As his energy slowly returned, Cas was able to finish the soup without further assistance, glaring balefully at the bright blue liquid in the bottle on his table.

"It's good for you," Gabe soothed, passing it over. "Dean says it's full of electrolytes, and that's what your body could use right now. It wouldn't hurt for you to feed your Faerie body, too."

"That means having Dean come see me like this, and I can't. Besides, this whole room smells like sex and desperation, and I don't want to expose him to that."

"Cas, he can feel your suffering through the bond. Just let him come feed you, that's all. Then you can go back to that meditation thing that I'm sure you abandoned yesterday morning."

Cas sighed and shook his head, letting it fall back against the wall. He could feel that his energy reserves were dangerously low; he was using a lot of power to fight his heat. He wouldn't need to eat if he would just give in, have sex as humans did it, but that would mean asking Dean to help him. "Can you try to cleanse the air first?"

"Absolutely." Gabe waved his hand and quickly removed the sickly-sweet aroma of an omega struggling with his heat, even using his powers to fix the bed, clean all of Cas's fluids off of the sheets, and cool his brother down so he could get through a quick meeting. Cas's erection never flagged, but he figured with a blanket and pillow in his lap he would be protected. Cas nodded and Gabe dashed out of the room, taking the empty bowl with him and leaving Cas sipping his Gatorade in peace.

A hesitant knock announced the arrival of Dean, the alpha waiting for Cas's answer before slipping into the room. He looked around hesitantly, clearly having expected more of a mess, and his nostrils flared as he tested the omega's scent.

"Gabe cleaned up before he left," Cas explained, placing his empty bottle on the table. "I am sure that he told you of my unfortunate condition as soon as he brought me in here two days ago. Part of me, I think, hoped that he would."

"I was worried about you, Cas; I kinda coerced him into spilling the beans. He said you might be a bit hungry because of how much you're fighting your heat right now."

Cas shrugged, waving at the chair beside his bed. "At home I am able to accept this condition, relax into it, meditate, and enjoy my closeness with the spirits. Here, I can't even get this to go down." He waved angrily at his covered lap, and the faintest blush dusted Dean's cheeks at the thought of the omega naked under that blanket. "Gabe thinks I should feed."

Dean nodded in agreement, reaching out and carefully placing his hand on Cas's left shoulder, the same place that Cas had Marked him. Smiling, Cas echoed the action, closing his eyes as he carefully siphoned off some of his master's excess energy. He grabbed Dean's shoulder harder, pulling the alpha closer as he felt the Mark start to call to him. Cas felt the power flowing between them start to resonate, singing to him as the spirits did back home, and he pulled Dean closer, desperate to hear that music. He buried his nose in Dean's neck and let his cinnamon-apple and leather scent calm his omega, purring as he nibbled at the exposed skin there. Dean wrapped his free arm around Cas's waist and pulled the omega into his lap, uncaring of the pillow he displaced or the blanket that was barely preserving the Faerie's modesty. Cas's eyes flew open and he turned his head, meeting Dean in a passionate kiss.

Cas had kissed Dalziel a few times; those kisses had been gentle and explorative, but this one was all fire and desperation. He felt Dean's hands on his back, the touch both cooling the fire under his skin and making it worse at the same time. He arched against the alpha, no longer caring about hiding anything from him as he rubbed his throbbing erection against Dean's shirt. Dean let out a low growl, clearly approving of the omega's actions, but he gained control of himself and grabbed Cas's shoulders a moment later, pushing him back.

"Cas, no. You don't want this. You specifically told Gabe that you didn't want this."

"Now I do," Cas argued, struggling to break free of Dean's hold as the opal against his throat glowed softly. "I can't do this alone. Please, Dean."

Dean placed his thumb over Cas's opal, sighing softly. "Just . . . wait here a minute, okay? I need to ask Gabe to do something for you."

"For me? What? Dean . . ."

"It's okay, Cas, I'll be right back." Dean kissed Cas's forehead before carefully relocating the omega to his bed, replacing the blanket and gently encouraging the omega to release his arm. Once he was free, Dean headed out of the room, dashing back into the main room where he had left Gabe a few minutes earlier.

The Faerie looked up when he entered the room, tilting his head at the imbalance in the human's aura. Dean's thoughts were flying around too fast for him to catch anything, but he could guess that Cas had asked. "Did you agree to help him?"

Dean groaned and stopped at the table, Sam wisely burying his nose back in the book he had been reading. "He was feeding from me, then he kissed me and kinda jumped me. I pushed him away, trying to respect his wishes, but he said he wants my help now. He was just struggling to get free and I don't know if he was serious or just overwhelmed by his hormones, and that damn opal was glowing when he said it. How can I know if he wants me or if my desire was leaking through the Mark when he fed and the collar is compelling him to give in to my lust? What do I do, Gabe?"

"Look, you said the collar was glowing while he was trying to break free of your hold, so maybe that's why it was reacting. It's still enforcing your order not to use his Faerie magic on you, and using super strength to break free would count."

"And if it's the other thing?"

Gabe bit his bottom lip, sighing in resignation. "If you really need to know that Cas wants you and isn't being influenced by the collar, there is a way. It's not exactly what you would call safe or a good idea."

"Gabe, it's a terrible idea," Sam retorted. "He can't keep himself bound here like you can."

"I can bind him here for four or five days if needed," Gabe replied. "He only has a little over three days of his heat left, so it would be long enough for Dean to help him through this. Cas wants to experience omeganess, and I think that a big alpha with a sizable knot would be a good way to do it."

"What are you talking about?"

"One of my powers is to briefly cross the Veil whenever I need to or send others across. That's how I helped Cas burn all of his books. I can also remove my own collar and stay here, as long as I've been properly summoned and my bond with my master is strong. With Sam, as close as we are now, I could stay for a month without a collar. I'm proposing that I use my power to bind Cas here until the end of his heat so he can remove his collar without being sent back."

"You'd do that?"

Gabe nodded. "You both deserve to be happy, and I know he wants this as much as you do. Come on, let's see if my baby bro would be amenable to this."

Sam moved to stand and follow the pair, but a quick growl from his red-eyed brother stilled the action. He had forgotten for a moment that Cas was an omega, one that Dean's alpha had clearly claimed, and he wasn't stupid enough to go near another alpha's omega in heat. Raising his hands in surrender, Sam sat back down.

Cas was sitting in almost the same place on the bed when Dean returned, his hands balled into fists as he struggled to keep himself still. Gabe placed a hand on the door and whispered a quick spell, watching as a sigil glowed to life, repeating the action on each wall before heading to Cas's side. "Hey, Dean wants you to speak to him without the collar interfering. I can use my power to bind you here until the end of your heat. Will you let me do that?"

Cas looked up at Dean, whining softly. "If I ask you again, without the collar, will you stay?"

"Yes."

Gabe stepped closer and touched the clasp on the back of Cas's neck, carefully releasing it and leaving a tiny sigil behind to hold his brother in the human world. It would also act as an early warning system, calling Gabe if the connection weakened. Cas's eyes glowed with an unearthly blue light as the collar fell into his lap, the Faerie carefully picking it up and placing it on the table. Gabe slipped out, leaving the two alone as he soundproofed the room and pulled up a chair outside the door. He would need to guard his brother until he was wearing his collar again.

Dean stared at Cas, waiting until the Faerie's eyes calmed down before sitting on the bed beside him, running fingers through his raven hair. "Alright, Cas, ask me again."

"Dean, will you partner me during my heat?"

"Is that what you really want? Are you sure? We can find you someone else if you just need an alpha and you don't really want me."

Cas shook his head, smiling at his summoner. "No, Dean, it needs to be you. I am fond of you, and you are the one who subdued me and let me be an omega for the first time in my very long life. I want you to partner me for my first Earth heat." The Faerie could see the moment that Dean agreed, not even waiting for him to say the words before tossing his blanket back onto the ground and glancing down at his erection. "If you could do something about this, that would be greatly appreciated. I can't seem to make it go away."

Dean grinned and reached down, running two fingers carefully down Cas's cock and watching as it twitched. "Yeah, I think I can help you with that. What do you want?"

"Your knot, now."

Dean nodded and pushed Cas back against the pillows, kissing him gently as dropped his hips, letting the omega rut against him as much as he wanted to. Cas went from gentle and enticing to frantic in an instant, his scent exploding out and filling the room in a lure that few alphas would be willing to resist. Dean let it envelop him, eyes turning red as he stripped out of his clothes as quickly as possible, his own cock hard as he rutted back against the omega. He thought back to the day that he summoned Cas and the instant attraction he felt toward the Faerie, and now he could finally let himself give into those desires.

Cas whined and rutted faster, fingernails digging into Dean's back as he searched for some relief from his heat. Dean reached down between them and blindly grabbed at their cocks, wrapping his hand around both of them as Cas started thrusting in earnest. There was some lubrication from their precome, but the Faerie didn't seem to mind the dryness, coming with a jerk almost instantly. Dean released him, not worried about his own orgasm yet, and moved from gently kissing Cas to nibbling on his neck, fondling the omega's balls as he searched lower.

Cas keened as Dean slipped a finger inside him and found his prostate almost instantly. He hadn't stopped slicking all day, so there was no resistance, and Dean was able to milk a second orgasm out of him almost instantly. Dean grinned at his success, moving his attention to the omega's sensitive nipples, chuckling as he managed to coax a third one without much effort at all. Cas whined and pushed at Dean's chest, clearly overwhelmed, so the alpha pulled back and stretched out on his back beside Cas, tucking the omega against his side while he calmed down.

"How was that?"

"I feel much better already," Cas whispered, squirming uncomfortably as his now-flaccid cock pressed against Dean's hip. He summoned his powers to clean the white ropes of come drying on his belly and the slick he was still leaking on the sheets. "I haven't been able to make that thing calm down since my heat began in earnest."

"Your heat is really different here than back in the Fae Realms, isn't it?"

Cas nodded. "I won't know how different until you knot me." His eyes were blue, but there were flecks of gold floating around the edges warning that his heat would flare up again shortly.

"You're sure you want that? I don't want to hurt you."

"You won't, I promise. Other than the unexpected appearance of my heat, which is possibly a result of my subconscious wanting to connect with my omega in a meaningful way, I am in complete control of my body. I can accommodate you, no matter what." He glanced down and hesitantly reached for Dean's erection and the dark knot just starting to swell at the base. Dean actually had quite a bit of control for an alpha in the same room as an omega in heat, so the knot was just beginning to form. "Besides, you gave me pleasure multiple times but have not taken any for yourself yet. That does not seem fair."

"I'm here to help you through your heat; my own issues are not a concern. I can go for hours if I never pop my knot."

"But I want your knot."

Dean burst out laughing at the immature, petulant tone of Cas's voice. This heat had really done something that all of his visits to Earth had never managed; it had humanized the Faerie. Now Dean was seeing some private part of him that he never allowed out into the world, and he knew how precious a gift that was. "Yeah? You do?"

Cas kissed the Mark on Dean's shoulder and started rutting against him again, his cock swelling as gold swirled in his eyes. "Yep. Now would be good."

"Alright, do you have a preferred position? I don't know if you would be comfortable in the traditional presentation pose or if you might prefer something more face-to-face."

Cas rolled away from Dean onto his belly, sticking his ass in the air and grinning enticingly as he spread his legs slightly to adjust his position. "I want to try presentation. I might not get another chance after this heat is over."

Dean moved to kneel behind Cas, rubbing his lower back and ass gently before probing him with a couple of fingers. The omega was beyond ready, thrusting back against the intrusion as his scent got even sweeter, begging his alpha to fuck him silly. Dean pulled his fingers free and lined himself up, slowly pressing into Cas's eager hole. The omega keened, bracing himself as Dean pressed deeper. "Damn, Cas, you're so tight."

"I didn't think you would be this big," Cas panted, digging his nails into the edge of his mattress. "I feel so full I can barely stand it."

Dean gripped Cas's hips tighter and paused, giving the omega time to adjust, glad to see that he was making more slick to ease the slide. "I'm only halfway in. Are you sure you can take it?"

Cas turned to look over his shoulder, eyes bright gold with an odd blue sheen flickering around the edges. "Knot me, Alpha."

Dean sunk home in one quick thrust, groaning as Cas clenched around him instinctively. His knot was already growing, eager to bind him to his Faerie, and it caught after only a couple of moments. Cas whined and keened every time Dean's knot pressed on his prostate, only lasting for a couple more thrusts before dribbling on the sheets, not having much come left after his own masturbation and the three orgasms Dean had given him earlier. Dean's knot finally swelled to its full size as he came, hard, wrapping his arms around Cas's waist as he felt the omega shake his way through another extended orgasm. Cas writhed and whined, unable to help himself as Dean's knot lodged firmly against his prostate, milking him dry as his eyes glowed brilliant gold with a hint of blue and he collapsed.

Dean rolled onto his side and pulled Cas against his chest, knowing that the change in position would shift his knot just enough to allow the omega to come down from his high. Cas slowly relaxed, aftershocks trembling through his system as Dean reached for the pillows and tucked them under their heads. "You okay?"

"That was . . . mmmh . . . wow." Cas pressed back down on the knot, grinning as his cock managed to twitch its way through another, weaker orgasm and Dean ejaculated inside him for a second time. "I didn't know a knot could feel like this."

Dean smiled and ran his fingers through Cas's hair. "I'm sorry that you live a life in the Fae Realm that prevents you from having someone to knot you when you want it so badly."

"I could never risk it back home," Cas whispered. "You saw how much I lost control when you knotted me; a general could never submit like that, and there aren't any alpha Faeries who aren't in the army under my command except my brothers. I have to stay in control in order to protect my realms and your world from the ravages of the Demonic and Monster Realms, but I wish I could give in to my omega instincts from time to time. I've never felt as whole in my entire life than I do right now."

"You know, you're welcome to visit me anytime; I know that I can get Rowena to teach me the spell to summon you back."

Cas smiled. "I would like that, Dean. The crystal that I gave Dalziel can still speak across the Veil, and I will gladly give it to you."

Dean nodded and kissed the back of Cas's neck, pulling back when he felt the four tiny scars. "Cas, why didn't you heal these?"

"I wanted to keep them, to remind me."

"To remind you of what?"

Cas reached up and rubbed the scars, marks where Dean's elongated canines had broken skin. "To remind me that there are times I don't have to be strong, and you are the first person to let me be an omega without all of the responsibility that my father placed on my shoulders."

Dean didn't know how to respond to that, so he kissed the scars again, almost reverently, and tucked his nose against the back of Cas's neck, offering the alpha equivalent of a purr. Cas grabbed Dean's free arm and pulled it around his waist, holding it there as he rested, responding with a real purr and eventually drifting off to sleep. He had suffered greatly from this unending heat, and now that he was knotted and flaccid, he was able to relax.

It took almost an hour for Dean's knot to go down; he had never been with an omega in heat and the scents were keeping his alpha riled up. When his knot did finally shrink enough for his cock to slip free, come and slick followed it onto the sheets, the mess waking Cas from his nap. He reached down to clean up the fluids, but Dean stopped him, fingers wrapped loosely around the omega's wrist. "Don't, Cas. It's okay to be messy; you're in heat. You don't have to zap it away as soon as we're done with one round. It's a terrible waste of your power."

"It is sticky and uncomfortable."

"Let me clean it up the human way, then."

Cas sighed in reluctant agreement, staying perfectly still as Dean rolled off the bed and headed toward the bathroom. He soaked a small washcloth in hot water and came back to Cas's side, cleaning him quickly while being as gentle as possible near his sensitive asshole. Even the faint touch of the warm towel was more than Cas's libido could handle, the omega groaning in a sort of resignation as his cock perked up again. "Do I not get any relief?"

"You had a nap. Your body is in full breeding mode, Cas; this is how it works for omegas."

"Are alpha ruts like this?"

"Much worse. I can get hard again while knotted, and I never run dry. It's insane what my body can produce in that state. Alphas only go into rut every two or three years, but omegas can cycle every six months. You'll have to give me a little time if you want another knot, but there are other things I can do to help you with your overactive libido in the meantime."

Cas looked up curiously, rolling onto his back and scooting closer to the head of the bed. "What do you mean?"

Dean got rid of the washcloth and crawled back onto the bed, smiling as he leaned over Cas's lap and nuzzled his erection. Dean kissed the flushed tip and watched it twitch toward him before swallowing it down, holding Cas's hips still as he tried to buck up against the alpha. Dean was actually surprisingly good at blowjobs, considering how few male betas he had ever dated, but Cas was far more sensitive than he had anticipated. It was over fast, Dean tasting the slightest bit of come before Cas's cock softened and slipped free, relaxing back against the pillow with a kind of radiance in his eyes that Dean couldn't stop staring at as he leaned back on his heels.

"What?"

"I've never seen someone enjoy sex like you do. I just wanted to watch your afterglow."

Cas focused on Dean, tilting his head curiously. "I do not understand that word."

"You just . . . you're kinda beautiful after your orgasm."

"Your countenance is just as intriguing after yours, I am sure."

"Do you want to find out?"

Cas grinned, his scent spiking as he raised his knees in invitation. He could see that Dean was slowly hardening, so he beckoned him closer, reaching up to grab his shoulders as the alpha joined him on the bed. One of his hands was on the Mark, and he embraced their bond through it, feeling that this coupling was somehow more now. Dean was careful when he slipped in, eyes locked with Cas's as he bottomed out, the Faerie hooking his heels behind his alpha's legs to encourage him to go faster. Dean refused, keeping his thrusts slow and steady, always pausing when he felt Cas get close to the edge. Cas started to whine and writhe beneath him, the grip on his Mark tight and unyielding, but Dean refused to relent. He made sure to keep his knot under control, not ready for this to end just yet.

Cas never broke eye contact, the omega gold sparkling with the blue of his grace as he inched closer to his peak. Dean slowly increased his pace as his knot swelled, making sure to keep his eyes locked with Cas's as they both came, firmly locked together. Cas's eyes were glowing with the bright blue of his grace, and Dean couldn't help but think how beautiful he was. "Wow, look at you, gorgeous."

"I must repeat your sentiment," Cas whispered, the blue grace fading from his eyes to leave the gold of omega arousal behind. "Now that I have seen your eyes during ejaculation, I do believe that you are quite lovely."

Dean grinned. "Thanks, Cas." Dean rolled them onto their sides away from any wet spots on the sheets and pulled a couple of pillows under their heads. He helped Cas arrange his arms and legs, since resting face-to-face with a knot locking them together was not an easy position for two grown men. Cas found a comfortable position and relaxed, one arm tucked against Dean's chest while the alpha used his free arm to hold them together.

Dean stared into the omega's eyes, not willing to look away for reasons that he could not yet put into words. Cas didn't seem uncomfortable by the scrutiny; on the contrary, he acted like staring into Dean's eyes was the most natural thing in the world for him, and maybe for a Faerie it was. Dean never looked away, losing track of time as both of them eventually nodded off, but that warm, tingly feeling that he had been pushing down and hiding from himself since Cas appeared would not be silenced this time. He had a dream during their brief nap of Sam talking about relationships, something about how staring into someone's eyes for too long could make you fall in love with each other, and he woke wondering how long was "too long". He didn't want to admit that he already knew the answer.

AN: So many things happening here that won't be fully explained for a while. Gabe is going to be in a lot of trouble when the truth comes out!