A/N: Okay, I know publishing three chapters in one day is super outrageous, but I had to. I know you guys want this one. So happy December, everyone!

Fanfiction Writing Month: December [1554]

If You Dare Challenge - #222 (Dripping)

Are You Crazy Enough To Do It Challenge - #139 (color) dark blue

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Sonny gave each boy a backpack filled with anything they might need and some cash he had been saving up for years. "If anything happens," he told them, zipping up Castiel's tan backpack, "you call me, okay? There's money in the bottom of your bag that's specifically for if you run into trouble and need to call me. I'll pick you up, wherever you are." He sighed. "Come back with Sam, okay?" And hopefully in one piece.

Amina drove for almost four hours before dropping them off at a gas station. "The hospital's a few miles that way," she explained. "You stay out of trouble, okay?"

She gave Castiel and Jaime a hug, kissing their cheeks. To Dean… She knew he still couldn't handle being touched. But to her surprise, Dean flinched and then held out his hand. Holding back tears, she shook his hand gently. "Find your brother," she said, "and stay safe."

"Thank you," he said quietly. His voice was still hoarse with disuse. He turned slowly, then, and followed Castiel and Jaime to the road. Amina watched, trying not to cry, and drove back home.

Dean was quiet; even when they grew tired of walking in the sun and were exhausted, he said nothing, enduring in silence like he always did. It took them about an hour to reach the hospital, and soon they reached the front desk and asked for Dr. Gilmore. The nurse barely looked at them. "Do you have an appointment?" she asked, flipping through papers.

"Well, no," Jaime replied, "but she's expecting us."

They didn't have to argue with the elderly nurse for long; Dr. Gilmore arrived a couple minutes later to greet them. "I'm so glad you're here," she said. "Is Dean—"

Cas stopped her. "He's better, now." He glanced at his boyfriend. "Once we find Sam, everything will be okay."

She took them into her office, where she pulled out a thick file and placed it in front of them. "I went to the station this morning. This was everything they had on the Winchesters."

To her surprise, Dean took the file from her. Once he saw it, however, he fired rapid questions at her, all with minimum word count. "You seen Sam?" he growled.

"Not since you last saw me, no," she answered. She wanted to ask him about his well-being. She knew he was in a dark place, but—

"You know where he is?"

"I don't know anything that's not in that file, Dean. If you read the—"

"You know where Sir is?"

She frowned. "Sir?"

"John," clarified Castiel.

"No. Dean, if it's not in the file—"

Dean flipped through the file frantically. It was clear he was frustrated; he kept mumbling to himself and making fists. To Castiel, it became obvious; whenever Dean was emotional, he struggled to read. Gently, Cas said, "Dean, liceat me." Allow me. Castiel's use of Latin surprised Dr. Gilmore, and she quickly glanced at Dean to see his response. "Obsecro." Please.

Dean handed it to him; Cas began to read aloud immediately.

They discovered that Sam and John Winchester had last been located at a motel only a few miles away, so they set off immediately. They thanked Dr. Gilmore profusely, but she understood that they were trying to find Sam as quickly as possible. "Best of luck," she said, and she resupplied them for all of Dean's meds.

They reached Wendell's, the motel, at around 12 and ran inside. "You seen any little boys here?" Dean snapped. "A forty-year-old Caucasian male and a ten-year-old boy?"

The man at the desk muttered something about a reservation, not paying him any attention, and Dean pulled his knife out in response. He climbed over the counter and pinned the man against the wall, pressing his knife against the vulnerable skin of the man's throat. "I asked you a question," he growled, low and dangerous. "Have you seen them?"

Both Cas and Jaime stood there, scared but knowing there was nothing they could do.

"Uh—I don't—" A bead of blood appeared on his pale, sweaty neck. "Y-yes! They were here a c-couple w-weeks ago—I-I—they left a-and I d-don't know—"

"Where'd they go?"

"Uh—" The man squeezed his eyes shut. "I heard 'im said something ab-about Ra-Raleigh? I think?"

"What else did he say?"

"Nothing! I don't know! I swear th-that's all I know!"

Dean knocked him unconscious with the handle of his knife and climbed back over the counter. "Let's go," he said.

They chased John Winchester's trail all the way to Raleigh, North Carolina with a train that took them all the way there. On their third day, they stopped at a motel called Yellow Stones and tried to rest a little before continuing. Obviously, Dean was antsy and wanted only to leave and find Sam, but Cas could tell he was tired as well. They gave Dean his medication and ate some of the food Sonny packed for them. Jaime insisted that Cas and Dean took the beds and he took the couch because both had gotten far less sleep in the past couple weeks than he had.

Cas and Jaime tried to sleep, but it was difficult once Dean fell asleep, because his nightmares racked him so intensely that he almost always woke screaming. So Cas opened Dean's bag of dark blue sleeping pills and approached him with a glass of water. "Dean," he said quietly.

His boyfriend was skinny and shivering, and his face was wet with tears. He rubbed his hands together almost feverishly; Cas prayed he wasn't sick. "I've got your pills," he said, and Dean flinched, raising his hands to protect himself and backing towards the wall.

"No," he whimpered. "I already had my pills, please… You promised…"

The ache in Cas's throat grew tenfold. "I know, Dean, I know. I just want to help you sleep, that's all."

"No…" Dean let out a low wail. "No, please, please… You promised… I don't want any more, no, no…"

Eventually Cas had to order him to take them, which he despised doing. But it was the only way he and Jaime would get any sleep. He went back to his bed and fell asleep almost immediately.

The next day, Cas and Jaime awoke to find Dean's bed empty. Shocked, they scrambled to their feet, but they found Dean at the door instead, slicing his hand open with a sharp blade, red dripping from his palm. "What the hell?" Jaime ran forward and pulled the knife from Dean's hand. "What do you think you're doing?"

Dean cowered at Jaime's anger. "I have to—I wanted to protect—I'm sorry, sir, please don't—"

Cas moved so that he was between them. "Jaime, you're scaring him. Just back down, alright?"

"I scared him? He scared me! Cutting his hand open with—"

"Please, sir, I didn't want to—" Dean began, shivering.

"Jaime, please…" Cas turned to Dean. "Dean, what were you doing?"

Dean squeezed his eyes shut and pointed at the door. "Protection," he whispered.

The door was covered in strange symbols and marks, some of them outlined in blood. "Holy crap," Jaime said.

Cas nodded. "Whoa." He shook his head, trying to convince Dean that some odd drawings on the door would not protect them, but he was stubborn that it would. Finally, Cas agreed to let him continue the marks as long as he used Castiel's blood and not his own. So he sliced Cas' hand open and began.

Cas didn't know that Dean had a gun until he pulled it out on a motel owner. When he finished interrogating him, he slipped the gun back into his waistband. "Dean!" Cas hissed as they dragged the man behind the counter. "Where'd you get that gun?"

Dean was unapologetic. "Found it."

"Dean…"

"A lot of people have guns, Castiel."

Cas flinched. He knew that Dean wasn't himself when he called Cas by his full name. "You stole it?"

"Ita. Nobis necesse est." Yes. We need it.

"We don't need it, Dean. We won't be attacking anyone."

"Domine nobis necesse ut impetum." I need it to stop Sir.

"Sonny told us not to confront him, remember? It's not safe."

"Non mihi curae est." That's not my problem.

"Of course it is, Dean! I care about your safety. Sonny cares about your safety. We all care about you, and if you attack him, it won't end nicely."

"Mihi opus Sam." I need Sam.

"I know, Dean, I know."

It didn't take them long to track the Winchesters down; when they didn't find them at any motel in the area, they located every abandoned house and checked there. On their fourth try, they heard movement. Dean squatted, hiding himself in the shadows, and Cas and Jaime followed suit. His safety was already off. IF HERE, Cas signed. WE LEAVE. NO ATTACK.

Because one hand held a gun, Dean fingerspelled to his boyfriend. I-F S-A-M H-E-R-E I A-T-T-A-C-K. Then he flung open the door and entered.

Dean could hear voices; to his joy, one of them belonged to Sam. He whipped back around to face Cas, but he wasn't there. C-A-S?

He turned around fully and saw both his friends unconscious on the ground. He raised his gun, but then a sharp pain split through his skull, and he fell headfirst into darkness.

A/N: Mwa ha ha! Your present is a cliffhanger! Have fun waiting for the next chapter!