Sam stilled, studying Crowley carefully. "Your mother?" He asked, tone incredulous.
Crowley just scowled, clearly less than enthused by the idea. "No idea how you'll convince her of course."
"Your mother is alive." Sam continued in the same disbelieving voice.
"Oh yes. Unfortunately." The demon replied, his voice taking a more detached and upbeat tone. "As I said, a powerful witch."
"Fine. Where do we find her?" Sam ground out, clenching his hands into a tight fist around the notebook.
"Haven't the foggiest." Crowley dismissed, leaning back in his chair. "Let me off the chains, for good, and I can whip together a summoning spell though. Get her attention for you."
"Tell me what to do, and we'll perform the spell."
"No can do, Moose. Afraid this one is a bit beyond you lot." He lifted his shackled wrists. "What do you say? We have a deal?"
"No." Sam said firmly, turning and starting out of the room.
"We have a common goal, you and I. And it isn't as though you have any better options."
The younger hunter whipped around. "And why on earth should I trust you?"
"I don't break my deals." Crowley tilted his head up. "Besides. I'd rather have that scheming bitch where I can see her."
"Mommy issues?"
"We did not part on the best of terms, no." He lifted his hands a little higher. "So?"
Sam didn't move. "You summon her outside the bunker. I discuss the terms with her, alone."
"As you wish."
Sam took one last look at the notebook, his heart sinking as he realized he really didn't have a plan B. He didn't say anything, but he walked over, pulling the key from his pocket and letting Crowley loose again for the final time.
The demon flexed his neck and wrists, stretching slightly and settling into a more comfortable stance. "Now then. We need just one more thing before we do this."
"What."
"A way to lock her down."
.
Charlie and Kevin had been less than happy about the new plan.
Sam was just glad they didn't argue. He made sure they stayed inside while Crowley set the spell and trap in front of the bunker. He only got a flash of a Scottish accent and a glimpse of red hair before the demon had a set of engraved cuffs on her arms. Sam stayed back while Crowley explained the situation, waiting for him to retreat back inside before approaching.
Rowena glared up at him, fire in her eyes. "If you think you can control me… if you think I'll lift one finger for that pathetic little-"
"I'm not asking for him." Sam interrupted abruptly, his voice carefully reserved. "Crowley is working for me. Now he says you can do powerful spell work, and I have a spell that needs crafting. I'm asking you, on behalf of myself. Can you do it?"
Rowena stilled. "A spell." She said, tone flat. "You summoned me… me to cast a spell for you." She crossed her arms to the best of her ability in the restraints, leaning casually to the side as she studied him. "Sam Winchester, summoning a witch, the mother to the king of hell for a spell."
"You know who I am." It almost wasn't a question.
"Aye. Not many large players on the board who don't." She shook her head. "What exactly is this spell you're needing?"
"A curse removal. A brand touched by God himself… The mark of Cain."
Rowena visibly straightened. "Come again?"
"My brother took the mark. Now we have a pretty good idea of how to get it off, we just need someone to assemble the spell and cast it."
She frowned, but he knew he had her rapt attention. "What is in it for me?"
"Name it."
"I want my son… Dead."
"Done."
.
Two states over, the darkened evening brought with it a chill, kept at bay only by the roaring fire Cas had built.
Dean looked down, frowning. "Hey." He shoved Cas' shoulder, jostling him awake as he just started to nod off. "Go."
"I'm-"
"Now, Cas." Dean's tone didn't leave any room for argument.
Castiel sighed, slowly gathering himself and getting up from the couch. When Dean had awoken that morning, he was distant; almost staring through Cas, and responding to questions with one or two words at most. Over the day he had begun to even out, and by afternoon, while they still found comfort in proximity, it was clear Dean's humanity was rapidly being overtaken.
Cas hesitated before leaving. "You going to be okay?" The waves of pain might be further apart, but if anything, they seemed to have built in intensity as the mark reasserted itself.
"I can manage a few hours without a babysitter." Dean replied flatly.
Cas bit back the urge to sigh again. "Yeah." He relented, turning and heading back towards the double salt lines. He spared one last glance over his shoulder before he disappeared into the bedroom.
He felt numb as walked to the chair in the corner of the room, mechanically beginning to slide off his coat. He froze, coat still in hand, not quite to the chair where he had intended to put it. He took a shaking breath, closing his eyes for a moment before pushing through, forcing himself to drop the coat and turn to the task of changing.
He found himself just standing in the middle of the room, staring at the bed, aware of hearing his pulse echoing in his head before jolting himself out of it. He moved on autopilot and plugged in the phone before turning and sitting on the edge of the bed.
Cas took a second to observe with detached interest how breathing was slightly more difficult than it had been moments ago. It was amazing how quickly he had adapted to the change. Three nights sleeping pressed against Dean, and the empty bed seemed so much more daunting than before. Mixed with how close to human Dean had been since Cain, the loss was almost tangible.
It felt worse… each time he lost Dean to the mark it was worse than the last time. Letting him go, letting him die and become this again was hard enough, and he thought it unbelievably cruel that he should have to suffer it yet again.
Of course, he wasn't the only one. He closed his eyes, unable to stop the flooding memories of each time Dean begged not to let him turn into a demon again. Asking to be human again. Or asking to be taken out entirely.
Cas wondered again if they were doing the right thing, denying him. If they truly were getting close to removing the mark, they could turn him back to wait… but he knew this was kinder if they didn't. It could be years before they find a cure for the mark. Assuming they do find one, which he does believe they will… mostly. It would be worse for Dean, every time.
And slightly more selfishly, it would be harder for himself too.
The chill in the air forced him to move backwards and scramble under the covers. He knew now that the discomfort he felt was more than surface level… Dean had made it clear warmth was a necessity. While he didn't want to admit it was true, the more he paid attention, the more he found evidence it was.
He leaned his head back, feeling a flood of annoyance. He hadn't anticipated this stay would come attached to the annoying needs of humanity, and worse that Dean would remain relatively unaffected. He tried to take comfort that at least Dean's strength was diminished, and while he was also affected, it seemed to a far less degree.
It wasn't enough though.
Cas turned onto his side, closing his eyes and trying not to feel the phantom echo of Dean wrapping an arm up over his side. He tried to cling onto hope that they could cure the mark… that maybe soon this could all be over. That he could hold Dean close and it would be like it was before.
Maybe soon.
.
Dean had just straightened up and turned back towards the fire when the pain crashed in on him like a tsunami. He had no opportunity to brace himself, and it was all he could do not to scream. He felt himself stagger, crashing to the ground. He didn't manage to stifle a strangled noise as he felt his right kneecap shatter with the impact. He arched on the wood, only able to keep himself up for a second before the tense pull of his muscles yanked him in on himself and he thudded sideways onto the floor boards.
He panted through clenched teeth, feeling the sweat build and run down his face, seeing his vision start to flicker, but he knew it wouldn't give him the relief of going out. Instead he gasped for air, his hands feeling out for anything to grasp onto, anything to anchor himself.
He wanted Cas.
It was stupid, and he hated himself for that, but all he could think at that particular moment was how much worse this was alone. He felt his back jerk and he was forced to wrench himself from where he had curled up, his body twisting and leaving him writhing on the ground.
The slow crawl of minutes was unbearable, and he could hardly think through the haze before it finally began to recede but he wasn't yet quite able to take stock of his surroundings. His sweat soaked skin began to rapidly cool, leaving him shaking on the floor, his breath still coming in shallow gasps.
He felt his raw throat as he swallowed and he froze, recognizing that he likely hadn't been as successful at biting back the screaming as he thought. It took a moment to recognize the slow circles pressing into his back, the steady hand on his shoulder, a silent show of support.
It was a monumental effort for Dean to pull himself to the side, dragging his eyes up to look at the angel that was now kneeling beside him. "Cas…" He croaked.
The hand on his shoulder tightened. "Hey."
The word was soft, and Dean allowed himself a moment of weakness to let himself go limp. He closed his eyes, listening to his heart echoing and pounding in his head as his heart finally began to even out and start to slow down.
Cas' hand trailed down his arm, leaving his shoulder in favor of gently grasping the demon's hand.
Dean cleared his throat, wincing at the sting. "That was a bad one."
"I noticed." Cas said simply. "Are you ready to go back to the couch?"
Dean shifted slightly, but his legs were shaking so badly they couldn't even begin to find enough purchase for him to stand. His knee was slowly patching itself up and he didn't think it was up to holding his weight just yet. "I don't-"
Before he could finish the thought, he found his arm looped over Cas' neck. The angel's eyes glowed blue for a second as he took on most of Dean's weight, lifting him off the cold ground and towards the warmth of the fire.
"You need to-" His breath hitched as he shuddered through a small aftershock of pain.
"Shh." Cas whispered, settling the hunter against his chest. "I'm not leaving right now."
"Cas…"
"I won't sleep. I promise." Cas held him tighter.
Dean couldn't summon the will to argue. More than that, he didn't want to. Even as he was losing grip on himself, even when he hadn't been human at all, he craved Cas' touch… And as spent as he was, he wasn't willing to deny it.
Cas continued to rub his hand over the hunter's arm, taking a slow measured breath. "Just rest."
Dean had no choice but to obey.
.
To Cas' dismay, by the time the demon woke in the morning, the reprieve seemed entirely over.
With the absence of pain came the loss of the last scrap of humanity that Dean had clung to in the last days, returning him more or less to his demonic self.
Even so… Cas would admit, the next two days were surprisingly smooth.
The fight seemed to have sated the mark for a bit, even after the withdrawals ended. While he was gruff, and still making rough attempts at seduction several times a day, Cas found his company tolerable… somewhat enjoyable even.
Still, on the third day he was grateful to get the call from Sam. Cas came out of the bedroom to find Dean cooking breakfast on the hot plate. He didn't hesitate to get a mug out of the dish rack and take advantage of the full coffee pot on the counter.
"Mornin'" Dean muttered.
Cas studied him carefully. Dean was always worse in the mornings. It was becoming hard to deny that his analysis hadn't been incorrect. The angel's touch really did mimic the call of the blade… however different. But just proximity alone seemed to impart some small calming effect on him. It was left unspoken, but Cas made an effort not to pull away this time. Not to treat Dean as a stranger… not let him fight this entirely alone.
Cas regretted not seeing it sooner.
Dean slid a plate across the counter, letting their hands brush gently against each other, and it shook Cas from his thoughts enough to find his voice again. "Sam called."
"I heard."
Right. "Charlie is coming here."
That grabbed Dean's attention. "Why?"
"I told you we were going to try getting out of this cabin."
The demon was still for a moment, and Cas fought down his mild revulsion as his eyes turned black in thought. A second later, he nodded, letting them slip back to green. "A test run." He said at last.
"Yes." Cas agreed.
"When is she getting here?"
"This afternoon."
Dean quieted again. After a minute he simply returned to eating his breakfast without further comment.
Cas turned his attention to the food, unable to steer his thoughts away from the conversation he had with Sam. The younger hunter had kept his distance through Dean's withdrawal, and he could hear the guilt in his voice when he asked after his brother.
Both Sam and Dean had found it too painful to try to speak to each other during the precious days Dean was close to being himself again. Cas wasn't surprised. Neither was he surprised by the sharp edge of regret in Sam's voice. He almost rolled his eyes at the familiarity of self-imposed Winchester guilt.
"What?" Dean asked.
Cas looked up, pressing his mouth shut for a second, debating with himself. "They have made progress removing the mark."
Dean froze, his fork halfway to his mouth. "What?"
"The tablets and the books… they're crafting a spell to remove the curse…"
Dean swallowed. "Will that work?"
Cas didn't look away, but thought out his next words. "I think it might."
The hunter took a second to process this. "How?"
"Crowley's mother." He replied. He gave a small smile at the confusion and disbelief that crossed Dean's expression. "I know. But apparently she is a centuries old powerful witch, and she seems to be making headway with the research the others have already done."
Dean nodded thoughtfully. "Good… that's… good."
Cas searched for any hint that Dean might be lying, but if he was he was doing a damn good job of it. "We'll have to keep an eye on the time. Charlie should call when she's about fifteen minutes out…"
"And you need to lock me down." Dean finished.
"Yeah."
Dean sighed. "Alright."
Cas let the tension out of his shoulders, not aware it had built. He was grateful Dean seemed to be willing to put up with the plan without a fight.
.
Cas was just clamping the demon cuffs onto Dean's wrists when there was a knock on the door and Charlie poked her head in. She met Cas' eyes and beamed a smile before throwing a slightly more shy look at Dean.
Dean didn't return the smile, but he gave a nod, his face neutral.
Cas straightened up and wasn't too surprised this time by the hug. Charlie walked back to the door, grabbing a large kerosene heater and handing it to him. "Sam thought you might like this. Said you deserved to be a bit more comfortable in the back room." She said carefully.
Cas frowned, wondering when Sam had somehow been clued into his need for warmth. He spared a glance back at Dean who was doing his best to project innocence. He took a second to appreciate that Charlie didn't say it outright. "Yes, perhaps." He said simply, turning and walking it across the room, leaving it over the salt on the upper landing. Sam suddenly sealing off the door made more sense now.
Charlie clapped her hands together. "Alright you crazy kids. Ready to get out of here?"
"God, yes." Dean replied, wincing slightly.
She waited for Cas to nod before walking over to the door. She reached a knife up, scraping away a section of the outermost ring.
The effect was instant, and Cas took in a deep relieved breath as his strength hit him with the same dizzying force as last time.
"Better?" She asked.
He smiled. "Much."
"Now how about springing me?" Dean pressed, fidgeting in place, anxious to get out from these four walls after so long locked down.
Cas walked over, reaching down and breaking the devil's trap, carefully keeping one hand on the shackles just in case Dean got any ideas while Charlie was nearby.
"Come on Castiel. Lighten up. I promised to play nice."
Cas sighed, but he kept a hold of the chains until they were standing on the porch of the cabin anyway.
Charlie followed them to the doorway, leaning against it. "Okay, you two. Have fun. Don't do anything I wouldn't do."
At this, Dean flashed her a grin before stepping off into the ankle deep snow and starting towards the lakeside, his angel escort hovering close behind him.
Dean stopped a couple yards out, taking a second to look up at the hazy gray sky, feeling the weekend warmth of the sun through the cloud cover as it drifted low on the late afternoon horizon. He sucked in a deep breath, raking in the smells in the air, appreciating the soft breeze more than he could put to words. The urge to run itched beneath his skin, but he resisted, instead walking away from his prison over the hill, trying to quell the desperation for it to be out of sight sooner.
He heard the ice crunching behind him, and he felt a wave of annoyance. "This is just great. I'm basically a dog now. Getting taken out for walks." He complained bitterly.
Cas didn't deny it, not really sure what he would say.
Dean closed his eyes for a moment, and forced himself to calm down. "Yeah, yeah. We're trying." He repeated. He looked behind them, satisfied they were out of view. He flopped down into a snow drift, leaning back and savoring the moment.
Cas settled down beside him, watching him settle. "You don't get cold,do you?" He asked, not quite able to summon the accusation.
"No. But you do and you don't notice." Dean replied bluntly.
Cas frowned, looking away towards the lake. "And you've been trying to keep me warm since then." He shifted to pull up his leg so he could lean on it. "Why didn't you just tell me?"
"Didn't think you'd feel comfortable with me knowing you were even more limited."
Cas paused, but he acknowledged the truth in that.
"I don't know why you won't just care for your needs." Dean looked down at his boot, absently brushing off a bit of the snow.
Cas gave a weak smile. "I learned from the best."
Dean snapped his eyes up at him, muted surprise fading into a flat stare.
Cas looked between the empty cabins across the water. "Charlie can only stay for a couple hours." He said softly. "She has to make it back to the bunker tonight."
Dean didn't say anything as he took that in, feeling a flash of painful disappointment. He did his best to push it away for now; no use wasting what little time he had. He let out his breath. "Yeah, okay."
Cas nodded. "Next time we will be able to stay longer."
"Sure." Dean said softly, not quite believing that. He scooted sideways, settling down deeper into the snow and pressing his side up against him.
Cas readjusted slightly to accommodate him, feeling a blooming comfort from the contact.
"Best make the most of it." Dean started, testing the water.
"Mmh." Cas said, pointedly ignoring the bait.
Dean frowned, but seemed to recover quickly. "We should get them to come even later some time." He said instead. "Watch the stars."
"We will have to wait for a night to be clear enough." Cas frowned. "It might be difficult to coordinate."
Dean pulled a face. "How is it we always end up talking about the weather?"
Castiel shrugged. "It is cold and there is little else to talk about."
"Yeah." Dean muttered. "That's kind of the problem."
"I know." Cas said softly. "We're working on it."
"Yeah."
.
They sat in comfortable silence broken up only by occasional observational conversation for most of the next two hours. Dean seemed content enough to take in the quiet of the outdoors, and he seemed further calmed when it began to lightly snow.
Cas looked up when Dean shifted to sit up a little straighter, clearly lost in thought. "If the roads were salted heavily enough, would it stop a demon from being able to travel down it?"
Cas considered the question for a moment. "Only if it formed an unbroken line. Just loosely I do not believe it would."
"But it did? If I was driving, would I just get ripped backwards through the car? Like if I'm going 70 down a highway-"
"I imagine you would, which if you were lucky would put you out the back windshield."
Dean's eyes widened. "Otherwise it'd be like the car hitting a brick wall… only from inside."
Cas bowed his head in agreement.
"Maybe let's avoid driving again until we cure this thing."
"As I said, the chances of finding a completed line across the road randomly is incredibly low."
"Even so." Dean shook his head, feeling a shudder as he considered it.
Cas gave a small smile. He looked at the final fading glow of sunlight, trying to calculate how long they had been out. He was dismayed to see they had already overstayed what he intended.
"You should have worn your hat."
Pulled from his thoughts, Cas looked up at him with a frown. "What?"
"Your Duff's hat. I saw it when I rifled through your stuff that night."
Cas just glared at him for a moment before he rolls his eyes. Of course Dean went through his bags. "As I am outside of the wards, I don't need the warmth."
Dean thought for a moment. "Even so… maybe you need warming up anyway." He smiled coyly, rising to his knees and bridging the gap between them.
"Dean…"
Dean lifted his face up, just inches apart. "Come on Cas, I'm already cuffed and everything."
"No." Cas replied softly, carefully resisting the urge to lean forward onto his lips. "We have to go back. Charlie needs to leave soon."
"Make her wait." The chains rattled as he lifted his hands to rest flat against Cas' chest. He deftly swung himself over to straddle Cas' lap. He settled his weight down onto his thighs, roughly grabbing Cas' shirt and pulling him close.
Cas' breath hitched, and his hand came up to steady Dean's side without thinking about it.
"What do you say?"
It took Cas a second before he gathered himself enough to gently put his other hand on Dean and slowly slide him off his lap to the side. He hid the shake as he pulled himself to stand and he hesitated before holding out his hand.
Dean let out a frustrated huff, but he took the angel's hand anyway, getting to his feet. "Could always wait until she's gone." He muttered half heartedly. He gave one last look over the lake feeling a bit of static building as they turned to leave it. The resentment grew as they got closer to the cabin.
He fought it down, managing to push it back for the moment, but he was almost shaking with the effort.
Cas walked with him, putting a hand on his shoulder just in case as they crossed the doorway inside. Charlie locked the warding behind them as soon as Dean was safely within the devil's trap and Cas stepped forward to release the cuffs from his wrists.
Dean snapped his hands back as soon as they were free. He sighed, leaning back on his heels, careful to hide how he was struggling to maintain composure.
Charlie gave one last half look at Dean before turning her attention to Cas. "Sam is looking for a place… Somewhere bigger you guys can stay." She fidgeted, her hand resting on the door handle. "Just sort of not a priority with Rowena being there and all."
Cas nodded. "How is it-"
"Slow." She said too quickly. "She's sort of the worst. I volunteered to come out here just for a break."
Cas gave her a sympathetic look. "If she is truly Crowley's mother, I can't say I'm surprised."
"Yeah, but it would have been nice to be surprised." Charlie replied with a small smile. "But I have to get back there. Pieces of the angel tablet are still all mixed up, and I can help with that."
Dean huffed slightly. "Yeah, you should probably get right on that." He said pointedly, eager to be let out of the devils trap. It was bad enough being confined inside again, being further restricted was driving him mad.
Charlie kept her eyes on Cas. "Anything you guys need?"
"We'll be fine." Cas assured her.
"I'll be back with food in a couple days. Just text if you guys have any requests."
Cas smiled gently. "Alright."
Charlie reached forward and caught him in one last hug before she turned and pulled open the door.
Cas shivered at the sudden gust of cold air, but he watched after her as she left and listened to the sound of her getting in the car and driving away.
Dean shifted his weight to the other foot, feeling the impatience strengthening. "Come on Cas. If you're not going to fuck me, at least let me out of this trap."
The angel didn't move for almost a minute, still just staring at the closed door. Then he moved so suddenly it almost made Dean jump.
Dean wasn't expecting Cas to step inside and pull him forward into a kiss. The impatience burnt off in a sudden flash as the intense feeling of contact flooded through him, resonating in the mark. He let himself get pushed backwards into the wall that brushed up against the very edge of the trap, hands coming up to brace Cas against him. He moved to accommodate the arms trying to slip behind him, fighting to shake off the last few tendrils of shock that was preventing him from moving.
Finally he managed to pull his hand up and behind Cas' head, the fog lifting as quickly as it had settled. "Yeah?" He breathed.
"Yes."