Castiel stood in Dean's room for a few moments after the demon disappeared, his heart still racing, trying to accept or make sense of what just happened. He blinked a few times, pulling himself out of his trance before turning and all but running out the door.
Sam barely looked up as he heard the angel round the corner into the library, oblivious to his distress. He absently turned over a second tumbler, pouring Cas a drink. It was an empty gesture, but one he knew his brother often extended. "We are going to call Crowley." He said, hoping his voice conveyed more confidence than he felt.
Cas furrowed his brow, trying to organize his words. "Sam-"
"He can bring him back, Cas. He has to."
"Sam, Dean's gone."
It was Sam's turn to scrunch his eyebrows, finally looking up at the angel. His eyes widened slightly, looking at how disheveled Cas looked. He was breathing hard, his eyes wide open. "Cas, what-"
"The mark brought him back. He was dead one minute, and then..." Cas was having a hard time getting the air he needed to speak.
"Cas, sit down…" Sam's voice shook and he reached out to try to help the angel to a chair, but Cas pushed his hands away.
"Sam, listen to me. Dean is alive but… the mark… he's…"
"He's what Cas?"
"A demon."
Sam's breath hitched in his throat, but before he had a chance to let that fully sink in he found himself reaching forward as the angel finally collapsed. He just managed to catch him and guide him into a chair. "Cas… you have to breathe." Sam said firmly, starting to feel himself panic at the sight of the angel unraveling.
Cas shook his head, his eyes looking up at Sam, trying to express what he wanted. "He's gone." He closed his eyes, feeling the world shifting around him. Breathing was optional for a celestial being, but in his weakened state he was finding himself needing air more and more often. Unfortunate, he thought, that his body would choose now to betray him in this fashion.
"Cas… Cas buddy, we'll figure it out. Just right now I need you to breathe." Sam's pleading was getting further away, mixing with another voice that he couldn't quite place.
"What's wrong with him?"
"I think he's having a panic attack."
"Angels can have panic attacks?"
Castiel lost focus at that point, neatly passing out.
When Cas woke, he could hear the sound of Sam's voice, yelling something in the distance. He shifted, opening his eyes and finding himself laying on his bed at the bunker. He brought his gaze down and found Kevin sitting next to him, watching him closely.
"You're not going to freak out till you faint again, are you?" Kevin's voice was sarcastic, but it was barely containing the borderline panic he felt at the moment.
"No." Cas replied, hoarsely. He pulled himself upright again, listening as the yelling stopped. Footsteps approached and Sam walked through the partially open door.
He looked relieved to see Castiel awake, but otherwise pretty freaked himself. "Hey…"
"What happened?"
"I think you uh… need to breathe now." Sam said tentatively.
"Mmh." Was all Cas said, deciding to leave it be for now. "What were you-"
"I called Crowley. Voicemail. Not surprised."
"What the hell happened with Dean?" Kevin asked, needing to be caught up more than the three or so words Sam threw at him while he was helping move the angel.
Cas closed his eyes for a moment, keeping the returning anxiety at bay. "The mark… it turned him. He said that Cain was human when he killed his brother… that the mark must've made him a demon too."
"So what does that mean?" Sam pressed.
"I don't know…"
The hunter shifted uncomfortably. "And he just...left?"
Cas frowned. "He talked to me for a while. It was like it dawned on him during the conversation. At first he did not know what happened. And as he realized he sort of… accepted it."
"Accepted it?" Kevin asked.
"Gave in. I begged him to come find you, but he just vanished."
Kevin shook his head. "How'd he even get out? Isn't this place like a steel trap for demons?"
Sam brought a hand up to rub his eyes. "I powered down the warding. I was going to summon Crowley."
"Oh." Kevin said softly.
"Okay. We just have to find him, and cure him." Sam said, trying to make it sound possible.
"We don't even know where to begin to look." Cas sighed.
"We start digging."
.
Dean meanwhile ended up hitting the ground full force in a closed supermarket parking lot two states away. He muttered a few curses as he picked himself off the pavement, the bleeding scrapes on his hands and knees swiftly working to patch themselves up.
"It takes a little while to get used to."
Dean whipped his head around, finding the king of hell casually leaning against a light post. He groaned, straightening his back and regarding the demon carefully.
Crowley watched the hunter carefully. "Got pretty far from the bunker, I'm impressed. The further the distance the harder it is."
The hunter brushed the last of the gravel from his hands when the blood had cleared. "What are you doing here?"
"Chasing a rumor. Heard you bit it, wondered if the mark really let you go. Seems like I have an answer."
"You've been following me." he growled.
"You're welcome." He reached into his jacket and pulled the first blade out into the open. Neatly flipping it around, he tossed it to Dean who deftly caught it in his hand. "You left in such a hurry, figured you didn't get a chance to collect her."
Dean felt the blade resonate with the mark, his new senses making that rush downright euphoric. He breathed through it before tucking the weapon away. "And you're just going to give this to me? No strings attached."
Crowley spread his hands. "I'm offering you much more than that. Come with me."
.
It was weeks before Dean had what he considered, a proper grasp on his newfound demonic abilities. He had been reluctant to follow Crowley that first day, but for the most part he had been glad he did. It saved him a lot of trial and error.
He was learning a lot about Crowley as well. Dean was passively curious as to why the king of hell was so willing to abandon his kingdom for whatever sightseeing tour they were currently on. This was their tenth dive in two weeks, each new town bringing a new assortment of drinks, entertainment, and pleasurable company. He supposed if he were enjoying living life, no strings attached, he shouldn't be too surprised Crowley would be too.
He looked up as the king slipped onto the bar stool beside him, drink in hand. "We'll have to pick our next destination with a little more care than our last honeymoon spot."
Dean rolled his eyes, sending a sideways glare at the demon. "Yeah? And why is that?"
"Your brother and your boyfriend have split up, and as far as I can gather, they've deputized more than a few hunters to keep an eye out for you. It would seem they're casting a pretty wide net."
The hunter merely grunted, knocking back his whiskey.
"I figure a day, two tops before someone catches on and starts sniffing around this joint."
"They wouldn't have anything to sniff if you weren't sending me Abaddon groupies left and right to gut."
Crowley sputtered slightly, looking up with barely concealed alarm. He composed himself. "Ah… so… you know about those."
"Oh yeah." Dean narrowed his eyes. "I know."
"Yeah, well I did it for your own good."
"Enlighten me."
Crowley looked entirely unamused. "You're joking, right? That fancy little design on your arm isn't just for show. Your body is strong enough to handle it now, sure, but it still expects blood. Think of this like a steam valve. You relieve the pressure, all is good. You don't, and for all I know you level half a city."
"You mean you're worried I'll plunge this jawbone right where your heart should have been."
"The thought had crossed my mind, yes." Crowley absently brushed a piece of lint from his sleeve, doing his best to look nonchalant.
"Sam and Castiel. Where are they now?"
The king looked him over. "Do you care?"
Dean rolled his eyes. "I thought you wanted me to pick our next destination with a bit more care."
"We could always return to hell, avoid any and all possibility of an unhappy reunion-"
"Yeah, I don't think so. Where are they?"
Crowley scowled and sighed. "Sam is sniffing around that bar we left a couple weeks back. The one with the twins?" He pushed his drink glass back across the bar. "Our dear Cas was in New York last I checked. No idea what lead has him over that way, though the way I hear it maybe his mind is gone too."
Dean leveled his gaze on the king, waiting wordlessly for him to elaborate.
"Demon spotted him heading into a motel out near White Plains, barely on his feet. If I had to guess I'd wager his grace will burn out some time in the next week or so. Should help decrease our odds of discovery."
The hunter grunted again, knocking back his second drink.
Crowley studied him, trying to get a read on what he was thinking. "Problem with that?"
"None at all." Dean stood, throwing down a twenty before turning to leave.
"Where are you going?"
He pulled the first blade from his pocket. "Going to go let off a little steam if you don't mind. Or would you rather I let it out here?"
Crowley put up his hands in a sarcastic surrender. "Fine. When you're done we'll plot our course, I'll send out a couple scouts to make sure the coast is well and truly clear."
"Don't wait up."