I don't own Supernatural.
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Sorry it took so long! I hope I am forgiven after you read this chapter!
Chapter 14
Sam was released from the hospital, and then the brothers were on the road again, heading to Illinois. Sam had found another job there while searching on his laptop in the hospital. It seemed as if a local diner was haunted by an angry spirit that had been causing its victims to choke on their meals. There had been five deaths already. The authorities couldn't explain it, because even after the victims throats were cleared, they were still choking. After the victims had died from asphyxiation, bruises then appeared around the victim's necks. The Winchesters had wrapped up that case pretty quickly.
The spirit had been the owner of the diner who had been sued because someone had choked in his restaurant, and he had died a few days back. He had lost everything he had due to that incident and he had started taking revenge on everyone that had been involved in the case; the judge, the lawyer, the victim's family members and friends.
The boys had burned the man's remains and restored order, although they had a feeling the restaurant would be closing down after that.
As they continued working various jobs, Sam noticed that Dean had been acting overly 'Dean' lately: drinking more, sleeping less, coming onto girls.
One night, Dean brought a shapely blonde home to their motel. She smiled at Sam, who was sitting at the small table in the motel searching for more jobs on his laptop as she and Dean entered the room.
"We got an audience, huh?" the blonde chuckled as she squeezed Dean's arm. "That's fine with me, perhaps he would want to join in?"
Sam glared at the woman, but Dean simply took another swig from the beer bottle he was holding.
"Well, don't be a spoilsport," the woman pouted at Sam before pulling Dean towards one of the beds. "C'mon then, Dean baby."
She pushed him roughly down, and sat on his chest. Sam huffed from the table; he was going to put his foot down and tell the blonde to take a hike, but Dean hadn't given him the chance.
When the woman began tugging at Dean's shirt collar, he sighed and then pulled her hands away.
"Please, just go." he sat up, and the blonde got off him and stood up.
"I thought you wanted to-" the blonde started reproachfully, but Dean cut her off.
"No." he pointed to the door before picking up his beer bottle where he left it on the night table.
The blonde tossed her head angrily and stalked away. She caught sight of Sam again, and smirked at him.
"Do you want to...?"
"No," Sam said quickly, and the blonde muttered to herself before leaving and slamming the door behind her.
When the woman was gone, Sam glanced at Dean, fully intending to give him a lecture about how he was with Castiel now, but losing his determination as he saw his brother staring out the window chugging his beer.
Another night Dean came home staggering as if he was wounded, and Sam leapt up, expecting blood. Instead his brother threw up all over him.
"Dean, are you alright?" Sam asked as he hauled Dean to his feet and steered him over to a chair so he could sit down.
"I am okay, Sammy." Dean grinned drunkenly and gave his brother a thumbs up before passing out and falling flat on his face.
"Damn it, Dean." Sam muttered as he dragged his drunk brother over to the bed and hauled him on top of it. "What the hell is wrong with you?"
Sam finally caught on to what Dean was trying to do after a few more incidents like this; he was trying to act like everything was the same as it had been before Castiel. Sam knew his brother was thinking about the angel constantly and trying to fill that gap with the things he loved most: hunting, beer, girls. But he was failing miserably at it, because it wasn't what he really wanted and it hurt Sam to see Dean like this. Sam kept finding jobs for them to work to help keep Dean's mind off Castiel, because it seemed that was the only real time when Dean wasn't thinking about the angel; when he was hunting. Sam dedicated himself every night to searching the web for any mysterious occurrences that could be due to the supernatural.
One day they had destroyed a vampire nest in Massachusetts, and were resting in a motel after the hunt. Sam knew that Dean must have thought Sam was asleep, or Dean wouldn't have done it. Sam tried not to listen as Dean prayed aloud to Castiel to come home, or at least send message that he was okay.
"Come on, Cass. Please come home. Or just send me some sign, anything." Dean pleaded quietly, looking up at the ceiling, and Sam closed his eyes as he heard the desperation in his brother's voice. He knew what Dean was feeling. He still missed Jess, and it had been years since she died. But Castiel was still alive as far as they knew, and Castiel had a better chance of protecting himself then Jess ever did.
Sam didn't say anything the next morning, although he could tell that his brother was upset that Castiel hadn't answered him.
"Hey Dean, I'm going to that little cafe that we passed on the way here for breakfast, you coming?" Sam asked Dean when Dean didn't get out of bed.
"No. I'm not hungry." Dean said quietly. "You go on."
"You want me to bring you something back?" Sam walked closer to his brother's bed and looked at Dean's weary face. It was clear he hadn't slept all night, his eyes were cloudy and there were dark circles beneath them. "Dean, are you okay?"
"What are you my mother?" Dean managed a forced grin for his brother's sake. "I'm alright, I'm be ready to go when you get back."
Sam shot a last glance at Dean before leaving the room. Dean really did look terrible. It had been nine days so far since Castiel had gone, and Sam feared that if he was gone much longer that Dean wouldn't be able to take it.
When the motel door closed behind Sam, Dean sighed heavily and sat up but didn't make any effort to get out from under the covers. He placed his head in his hands and tried praying to Castiel again.
"Damn it, Castiel, you better answer me. You get your ass over here so I know you're okay. For all I know, you could be dead somewhere, and I can't... I can't handle that. Castiel, come home, or I'm gonna go get you and drag your ass back here." Dean ordered roughly, still speaking into his hands. He kept his eyes closed, listening for the swish that represented Castiel's appearance, but there was no such sound. He lowered his hands and scanned the room, waiting... waiting...waiting, but the angel was nowhere to be seen. Dean slumped back on the bed and stared at the ceiling, and that was how Sam found Dean when he got back.
When Sam saw his brother still in bed, he knew something was wrong.
"Dean?" he questioned, looking at Dean with worry.
"Sam, what if he's dead?" Dean croaked out suddenly, fear in his eyes as he looked at Sam. "He isn't answering my prayers. What if it's because he's dead?"
Sam sat on the edge of his brother's bed. This wasn't a conversation he ever expected to be having with Dean. "I'm sure Cass is fine, Dean. He's just busy. Maybe he did hear you, but he just can't come right now."
"I should have went with him!" Dean sat up and grasped his hair in frustration. "He could be hurt, and I wasn't there-"
"Stop it!" Sam grabbed Dean by the shoulders. "Calm down. You can't beat yourself up, Dean. You don't know what the situation is."
"I'm going to look for him. I'll find him and bring him home."
"That's ridiculous. He could be anywhere. And besides, he's an angel, he can get from China to Italy in a second. You don't know where he's looking, and where's he's been already. It would be impossible to find him. Let's just wait."
"That's easy for you to say." Dean glared at Sam and shook Sam's hands off his shoulders. "How can I just sit here?"
Sam huffed. "Fine. we'll give it a few more days, and if he doesn't show, we'll go look for him, alright? Maybe I can find some way to track an angel, maybe we can even summon him. But I would hate to do that, just in case he's in the middle of some important discovery. Or a conversation with God." Sam added. "Is that okay with you?"
"Fine. Now get off my bed so I get up."
Sam found another case involving a poltergeist, and they headed out. Dean handed Sam the keys to the car and stared out the window as Sam drove.
Sam turned on the radio, thinking that a favorite song might cheer Dean up a bit. When "Living on a Prayer" came on, he nudged Dean and smiled.
"Great song, Dean." Sam said, but Dean just leaned back in his his seat and ignored his brother.
Sam gave up, and tried going a different route. He turned the radio to a modern pop station, and glanced sideways at Dean to see his reaction when "Poker Face" by Lady Gaga came on, but Dean was silent.
Sam shook his head, and wondered if Dean would be like this every time Castiel left.
A few hours of driving later Sam pulled into a gas station to fill up the Impala.
"You want anything to eat?" Sam asked, pulling his wallet out.
"No."
Sam sighed, and slammed the car door shut behind him.
Dean leaned his head against the back of the seat and closed his eyes. He wondered if this connection that was between him and Castiel now had been making him feel so crappy lately. It was like a piece of himself was gone, and it wouldn't come back until Castiel returned. Dean sighed. Damn angels; they always complicated things. He felt that hot rush of anger and betrayal again as he wondered why Castiel hadn't replied to his prayers. Didn't the angel know how he felt at the moment, crazy with worry? Couldn't he feel it? Why couldn't Castiel just send a message somehow, or pop in to let them know he was okay? What was wrong with him keeping them in the dark?
Dean slammed his hand into the car door just as Sam opened the driver's side door and got back in. Sam looked at him, alarmed at this sudden burst of emotion, but decided not to say anything. He just prayed that Castiel would come back soon, or Dean would lose his mind and they would be traveling all over the world searching for the angel.
Sam dumped a generous quantity of Dean's favorite junk food on the seat between them and gestured to it.
"You have to eat, Dean. Starving yourself isn't going going to make Castiel come back." Sam picked up a Twinkie and shoved it into Dean's hand. "Eat that." he ordered.
"Sam, I don't want anything to eat."
"I swear, Dean, if you don't eat it, I'll shove it down your throat." Sam glared at Dean until he opened to wrapper half- heartedly.
Sam started the car, satisfied but a little unnerved that Dean had given in so easily, and pulled out of the station and back onto the road. Dean picked at the cake, taking a few bites before putting it back down on the seat.
Sam frowned. What the hell was he supposed to do for Dean? He really couldn't force Dean to eat if he didn't want to; that was just an empty threat. Supposing it took another week for Castiel to come back, and Dean died from exhaustion and starvation?
Sam glanced sideways at his brother, ready to push him to eat something again, but before he got the words out of his mouth, Dean cut him short.
"Please don't, Sammy. Just drive."
They reached Anklin, a small town where strange incidents had been occurring. Sam had deduced that a poltergeist was the cause of the incidents. After stopping at a few local shops to pick up supplies that could help get rid of the creature, Sam pulled into the driveway of Town Hall, where the incidents were reported to be happening.
"We have the typical reports of things flying around the room, items going missing, and lights flickering." Sam explained as he turned off the car and shoved the keys into his pocket. "How do you want to go in? Inspectors? We could say that we're here to check on the electrical system-"
"Yeah. Sounds good." Dean interrupted his brother and got out of the car, heading up to the town hall.
"Dean, hold on. Wait!" Sam called after him. "You forgot your ...never mind." He grumbled as he opened the glove compartment and pulled out their inspector badges from the little metal case they kept there. He tucked them into his pocket and hurried after his brother.
"Here." Sam shoved Dean's badge into his hand, and they continued inside. The entrance hall was made of smooth white stone, and a secretary{Sam wouldn't call her beautiful, maybe handsome? Her every feature was perfect; she was flawless to a scary degree} was sitting at a desk there, waiting to greet visitors.
"My name is Cynthia. What can I do for you?" she grinned at them. Her teeth sparkled, almost as white as the marble, and Sam had the urge to throw on a pair of sunglasses.
"We actually came to inspect the electrical system. We heard you've been having problems." Sam said, holding out his badge for the woman to examine and nudged Dean to do the same.
Cynthia winked knowingly, and her voice fell to an exaggerated whisper. "Oh, you mean the 'ghost'?"
"Ghost?" Sam did a double-take. How did this woman know? Was she possibly a hunter, too?
"Well..since you're city inspectors, you must be in on it, correct? The mayor told you?"
"Yes, yes he did." Sam decided to play along.
"You're here to check to make sure everything is working properly, right?' Cynthia nodded enthusiastically, and stood from her seat. "Follow me, then." she led them down a corridor to their left, and Sam grabbed Dean's sleeve to hold him back.
"Something just doesn't seem right, Dean. What do you think?"
"Yeah, its weird." Dean nodded his head, but Sam could tell Dean really wasn't paying attention.
"Dean. I need you to stay focused. Come on." Sam squeezed his brother's arm lightly. "He's fine. He'll be back before you know it, and we won't have to go on a world tour to find him. Now keep your head in the game and let's go."
"Did you two get lost?" Cynthia called front down the corridor.
Dean sighed and rubbed his temple. He took a deep breath, trying to clear his mind and focus. "Alright Sammy. Lead the way."
Sam let go of Dean's arm and quickened his pace to shorten the distance between them and the secretary.
"This facade has been working so well to draw in more visitors to this town. We're making more money then ever, and the town is booming. Mayor Evans is the smartest man I have ever met." Cynthia stopped her running commentary to gesture to a room with large oak doors.
"Here's the main room. All the controls are in there. It's the mayors office, but he's out for now" Cynthia grinned. "I shall leave you two to your business, then. Ciao!" she ushered them into the room she had indicated and closed the door behind them.
"Okay, what the hell is she talking about? Is she saying this is just a ploy to get people into the town? Cause it's working, look at us." Sam wondered aloud as Dean looked around the huge office.
Dean ran his hand along one of the many bookshelves in the room. The walls were covered with them. There was a plush red couch and two armchairs sitting in front of a fireplace, a little coffee bar with an expensive-looking espresso machine, and a gigantic antique desk that stood in front of a large double-door window that led out to a balcony.
"Damn, the mayor sure likes his comforts, huh?" Dean observed amusedly.
"Why don't you look in here and try to find out what that woman meant by the controls, and I'll check that other room down the hall. We have to make sure there really is nothing here before we skip town." Sam said, still trying to get Dean into the hunt, although he was almost positive that there was no hunt here.
Sam left the room and Dean began searching the office, grazing every surface with his eyes and looking for any clue that might make this situation clearer. As he tore a couple of books off the shelf, he noticed a small brown button that blended in almost perfectly with a knot in the wood. His index finger hovered over it, and Sam's voice said in the back of Dean's mind, "Don't press something if you don't know what's going to happen." But he pushed down on it anyway, ignoring Sam's voice of reason. A book that was resting on a shelf across the room flew off and landed on the floor. Dean headed over to examine the spot. He peeked into the slit where the book had come from and noticed a bump into the wood in the back. It must pop out when the button is pressed, causing the book to fall onto the floor.
"I have to admit, this is genius." Dean said to himself, and he began searching for more buttons. He found one under a vase that was on top of a pedestal and when he pressed it, he heard a loud thump on the floor above his head.
"Oops," Dean winced as he heard shattering as well.
Just as Dean was throughly convinced he had found every button, he discovered the mother of them all. It even had a note next to it. It was a large button on the underside of the mayor's desk marked "Ballroom, caution". Dean shrugged and pressed it. What was the worst that could happen? He ceased his movement after pressing the button, listening for any strange noises but he couldn't hear anything.
"Well, I think that just about wraps this up. The poltergeist doesn't exist. It's just a bunch of a buttons." Dean murmured to himself. This was certainly a waste of time. Leave it to Sam to find a fake case.
"Dean!" Sam pulled the office door open, and Dean jumped. "What the hell did you do?" Sam looked dazed, he was holding his ribs and there was a small cut on his temple.
"Shit. What the hell happened?" Dean hurried over to Sam, shooting an arm out to steady his wobbling brother.
"I was in that room down the hall, the ballroom, and one of the banquet table came flying at me..." Sam groaned. "I think it broke a couple of ribs."
"Let's get out of here, then. This whole thing is a sham. I found buttons that make objects fall and the lights flicker. This was something the mayor concocted to bring more visitors. It's not our thing." Dean said quickly, not eager for Sam to question him about pushing buttons that have unknown effects.
"You made that table fly into me, didn't you?" Sam glared at Dean accusingly, and Dean put an arm around Sam's shoulder to support him.
"You know me, Sam. Can't keep my hands off anything." Dean smiled a little as he helped Sam down the corridor."Although that must have looked pretty funny, a table flying into you?"
"Yeah, it was downright hysterical," Sam said sarcastically. "I have the broken bones to prove it."
Dean chuckled softly, amused, and Sam even smiled despite the pain in his abdomen. It was nice to see Dean smiling after these last few days.
"Oh, my goodness, are you two okay?' Cynthia hopped up from her seat when she saw the boys, looking worried.
"Yeah, all your buttons work. My body is proof of that." Sam retorted as Dean helped him out the front door. "Good luck with your scam, hope it works out for you."
Dean helped Sam to the car, and he sat in the passenger seat of the Impala and groaned. "Uh, that stings."
"Don't worry. We'll shack up for a few days, and you can rest, heal up a bit."
"Great, Dean. I feel so much better already." Sam replied sarcastically.
"Stop complaining, its just a few broken ribs. Bitch." Dean said, actually enjoying their little banter.
"And its your fault. Jerk." Sam sent his usual retort Dean's way and Dean tried to hide a smile, but was unsuccessful.
It was three days later, and the boys had stopped at a diner for breakfast. Sam had rested up in a nearby motel, and it was time to hit the road again.
"Obviously you're feeling better." Dean said, gesturing at the laptop Sam was working on.
Sam shifted in the uncomfortable diner seat, and his ribs gave another twinge. There was still some healing to do, but it was less sore. "Yeah, alot better."
Sam had noticed a change in Dean while he had been resting. Dean seemed more like his old self, with the comments, the attitude, but now that Sam was up and about, he was slipping back into that depressed, moody place.
The waitress came over with their food, setting it down in front of the boys. Sam started on his eggs and toast immediately, but Dean just picked at his pancakes before pushing them away.
"Dean," Sam warned. "Don't start this again. You were fine the past few days."
"That's because I was too busy worrying about you and fetching supplies for your royal bitchiness that I couldn't think about Cass. Now, I just..I'm really worried about him. I want to look for him, Sam." Dean had been angry at the angel before for not answering his prayers, not stopping by, but now he was just downright terrified. What if something had happened to the angel? What if he never came back, and they never knew what happened to him?
"Let's give it one more day, Dean. Please, I don't want to get my ribs re-cracked just when they're healing so nicely."
"Fine. Just..hurry up and heal." Dean's voice trembled, and he shoved the plate of pancakes further away from him. They reminded him strongly of Castiel, and he didn't want to look at them anymore.
"Will do." Sam said and looked down at his plate, noticing how broken Dean's voice sounded.
Dean stared out the window as Sam ate, his eyes glazed over. He watched the people passing by; a young man jogging, a little old lady walking an uptight-looking poodle, a woman pushing a baby carriage...and then he was pulled out of his trance as a familiar looking figure wrapped in a tan trench-coat starting up the walkway to the diner.
"Holy shit!" Dean's eyes widened as he leapt to his feet. Sam jumped, dropping his forkful of eggs, and looked at Dean in alarm.
"Dean, what's wrong?" Sam peered out the window, following Dean's gaze, but didn't see anything of interest.
Dean ignored his brother's query and rushed toward the diner entrance, dodging waitresses and patrons on the way.
He collided with one waitress, and she spilled her tray of food on the floor, splattering several nearby customers.
"Hey!" she said angrily, but Dean didn't stop.
He met Castiel in the doorway of the diner. He barely had time to take in Castiel's appearance, he was so eager to hold the frigging angel in his arms, but what he did see was disconcerting. Castiel was filthy; his clothes were spotted with mud and dirt, his hair was greasy, and stubble was growing thickly on his face.
"Cass!" Dean cried and pulled the angel into a hug. Castiel fell into Dean's arms and buried his face into Dean's jacket. Relief flooded through Dean's body as he held Castiel close, embracing him tightly. He would never let the angel out of his sight again.
"You scared the hell out of me! Where have you been all this time?" Dean brushed Castiel's hair aside so he could whisper in his ear.
Sam had followed Dean, helping the poor waitress up that Dean had knocked over and apologizing to her. He glanced at the woman who was manning the hostess station; she was watching them curiously.
"Maybe we should talk outside," Sam suggested, and pulled the two out the doors by their sleeves; they were too engrossed in each other to notice what he was saying. Sam released his hold on them when they were outside and headed for the Impala. He wanted to leave them alone to reunite in privacy.
"You don't know how worried I was." Dean kissed the angel fiercely, needing closer contact. Then he took Castiel by the shoulders, pushing him back a little so he could drink in every part of the angel. Dean brushed Castiel's dirty hair off his forehead and took a good, long look at him.
"You're not hurt, right?" Dean said worriedly, glancing at a blood spot on Castiel's sleeve.
"No, I am fine Dean."
Dean noticed the front of Castiel's shirt seemed a little tight over his stomach. Was Castiel showing already? Dean touched the spot lightly, and looked questioningly at Castiel. Castiel placed his hand over Dean's and smiled shyly, answering Dean's question without words.
"Wow," Dean breathed, entwining his fingers with Castiel's. "You're getting big fast."
"It usually happens this quickly with angels."
Dean hugged Castiel again and squeezed the angel close to him, overjoyed at his return. "I'm so glad you're okay, you frigging angel. What did happen to you? And why didn't you answer me when I called?" Dean's voice had a slight accusing tone as he asked this, and Castiel's eyes fell to the sidewalk.
"I apologize, Dean. I was afraid if I heard your voice, I would abandon my search to come back to you. I did not want you to come with me because I knew it would be too dangerous for a human. And it was. I'm sorry if I worried you, but I thought it was the best thing to do. I also missed you terribly, Dean. I hope you are not too upset with me-"
Dean's lips crashed into Castiel's again, and Castiel's eyes widened in surprise, not expecting it. Dean tipped the angel's chin up and looked him in the eyes.
"That's a good excuse, Cass. How can I be mad at that?"
"It is not an excuse, Dean." Castiel said, somewhat ruffled. "I am telling the truth."
"Calm down, I know you are." Dean wrapped an arm around Castiel's shoulder, reassuring him that he wasn't mad. Not now that he had his angel back.
"Did you have any luck in the search for God?"
Castiel was quiet for a moment, and Dean felt his attitude change immediately. He stared across the parking lot and sighed.
"I looked everywhere for him. I even double checked the places where I had been, sure I was missing him, but he is not there, Dean. Of course I could not look in Heaven, but if he was there, the other angels would know. Raphael was right. God left us alone. What are we going to do?" Castiel looked at Dean desperation in his blue eyes.
Dean held Castiel close, trying to comfort the upset angel and felt the swell of Castiel's stomach against him."Don't worry. If he doesn't care, Cass, that's his frigging problem. We'll clean up his messes, and we'll do it with a smile."
"But how could he leave us? I do not understand it." Castiel nestled his head into the crook of Dean's neck. He needed comfort; he didn't understand how his Father, his Lord God had left them to sort out this mess by themselves. A few hot tears trickled from his eyes and landed on Dean's neck.
"Shh, please don't, Cass. Everything'll be alright. I swear, We'll win this." he tilted Cass' chin up gently and kissed him,cradling Castiel's face in his palm as he did so and wiping the tears away with gentle strokes of his thumb. He looked into Castiel's eyes, and saw the confusion, desperation and hurt there, and it almost killed him.
"Dean, sometimes I wish things could go back to the way they were before, when I was happily serving my Father. That I was not a rebel, and could just follow orders without question."
"But if you didn't rebel, you wouldn't be here right now, I wouldn't have you with me. I'm glad you're defiant and stood up, Cass, or we wouldn't be together."
Castiel didn't look satisfied with that answer, and Dean sighed softly. "We'll figure it out. There has to be another way to kill Lucifer. We'll find it." Dean grasped Cass' hand firmly. "C'mon. You look like crap. We need to get you cleaned up." He tugged Castiel towards the Impala. Sam was sitting in the backseat waiting for them and twiddling his thumbs.
"Hey, Cass." Sam looked up when Cass opened the passenger door and got in. "You okay? Did you find God?"
"No, I could not locate my father." Castiel replied, that desperate expression settling on his face again at the renewed question.
"But that's fine, cause we'll find another way to kill Ol' Lucy, right, Sam?" Dean said quickly, starting up the car. He didn't want Castiel getting upset again.
"Yeah," Sam agreed, although the absence of God had hurt him more then he knew. If God gave up, how could they keep fighting? How could they stop the devil if God thought it was hopeless?
"Dean, you're going the wrong way," Sam pointed out, noticing Dean was going in the wrong direction. "Minnesota is the other way,"
"Minnesota? What's in Minnesota?" Dean said confusedly.
"Oh, I forgot. I didn't tell you. It's another case I found in the diner. I know we have to focus on stopping Lucifer, but until we have more information, we should keep taking on regular cases." Sam explained. "There were six disappearances in the last three years. Two victims were taken in one week each year, and it was always this week each year."
"I'm going back to the motel. Cass needs to rest and get cleaned up."
"But, the time line for the disappearances-"Sam began, arguing, but Dean cut him off.
"You go then, and Cass and I will meet you there. Take the car." Dean pulled back into the motel parking lot that Sam didn't think he would see so soon after they left it this morning. Dean took the keys so he could open the trunk and got out. Sam looked disbelievingly at Dean's retreating back. Really? Really? Castiel needed rest? He was an angel. He didn't have broken ribs that had just been broken three days ago. If anyone needed more rest, it was Sam.
Dean grabbed his duffel bag from the trunk, and swung it over his shoulder before tossing the keys back to Sam and gesturing for Castiel to follow him. Castiel got out of the car and joined Dean, taking his outstretched hand.
"Just go, Sammy, and Cass can zap us there when he fells rested." Dean raised his free hand to Sam, waving goodbye.
Sam took Dean's place in the driver's seat, still disbelieving that Dean was going to stay here just because Castiel was dirty and tired. On long trips, they would take turns sleeping in the car for a few hours while the other drove, and they sometimes went days without showering, covered in the blood of whatever they had killed on their last hunt. But Dean already had his back toward the Impala, and heading for the motel, hand in hand with Castiel.
Sam wondered briefly if his brother just wanted him out of the way so he could spend some time alone with Castiel. He shuddered at the mental images his mind was providing him with before quickly speeding away, anxious to put as many miles between himself and his brother as possible.
"Why don't you take a shower, I'll order us some food, and you can relax for a little while before we get back to the hunt?" Dean suggested as he closed the motel room door behind them.
"That sounds satisfactory." Castiel entered the bathroom and Dean gave a small smile, although he wasn't sure why. The whole world was messed up, but his life seemed perfect for once. He felt like everything would be fine now that Castiel was back He could do anything.
Dean kept his promise to Castiel, quickly calling up a nearby pizza place and ordering a pie to be delivered. He grabbed some clean clothes from his duffel before pushing open the bathroom door.
"Cass?" Dean said, placing the clean clothes on the edge of the sink.
"Yes Dean?" Castiel called from the shower.
"Do you want company?" He stepped over Castiel's dirty clothes, which were piled on the floor.
Dean could almost see that quizzical expression that usually accompanied that confused tone of Castiel's even through the thick shower curtain as he spoke. "Why would I need company in the shower, Dean?"
It seemed like Castiel had completely lost his crazed lustful desires now that the mating season was over, and Dean kind of missed it.
"Well, I need a shower too, and I was thinking what would be the sense of wasting water when we can take one together?" Dean began pulling off his clothes, letting them drop to the floor.
"Won't it be crowded in here, Dean?"Castiel asked, still not catching on.
"That's the point, Cass," Dean sighed, trying not to laugh.
Castiel was silent, and Dean knew the angel was pondering his statement. Dean shook his head with amusement as his last piece of clothing fluttered to the floor. He pulled the curtain open a crack, and slipped in besides Castiel, into the steamy,tiled shower. Castiel's blue eyes widened more at the sight of Dean's quirky smile.
"Hey, Cass."
"Hello, Dean." Castiel frowned, wondering why they were exchanging greetings.
Dean took half a step toward the angel, all that was needed as they were so close anyway, and pressed his lips against Castiel's. Then he pulled Castiel into a tight hug.
"I really missed you alot. I'm glad you're back." he whispered in the angel's ear.
"I missed you also, Dean." Cass smiled into Dean's shoulder.
Dean was glad they were in the shower, because the few tears of relief that escaped his eyes mingled in with the water from the shower head. "So..are you gonna tell me about your adventures?"
"I would prefer not to right now, Dean. I do not want to think about that. I am just glad that I am home."
"Alright. When you're ready, it'll make a great bedtime story for the kid." He kissed Cass' forehead, and admired the angel's newly shaven face. "You look a lot sexier when you're clean, Cass."
Dean found himself kissing the angel again, but more with love then lust. He touched Castiel's cheek gently. "Don't you worry about anything, Cass. So God is gone, but you still have me, alright?" He tried to run a hand through Cass' hair, but it was difficult as it was plastered to his head. Cass let a smile play on his lips as he nodded. Dean looked relieved at his reaction.
"You will always be here, Dean. I know that. And I am glad I pulled you from Hell. I love you, Dean."
"I know." he turned the water off, and reached for the towel on the rack right outside the shower, and wrapped it tightly around Castiel. "You ready for some food? I ordered a pizza. It should be here soon." He helped Cass step over the lip of the shower, one arm around Castiel's waist, his hand resting on Cass' baby bump.
"Yes, that would be fine."
Dean grabbed the clean clothes resting on the sink and handed them to Castiel. "Here, you can wear my stuff while we get your clothes cleaned."
Castiel pulled on Dean's grey t-shirt, and Dean stared at him in awe. Castiel noticed his expression and frowned. "What is the matter?"
" just look really weird. More like a regular guy then a holy tax accountant." Dean tugged on the shirt, which was a little loose on the angel and chuckled.
"This does feel more comfortable then my usual attire," Cass observed as he finished getting dressed.
Dean laughed as he dried off and pulled his own clothes back on. "You can keep the shirt and sweatpants if you want. I have others."
"But..what about my clothes? I am rather fond of my trench-coat."
"We'll get them cleaned up, and then we can get you your own bag. Or you can share with me." Dean suggested playfully.
There were suddenly several loud knocks on the door, and Dean's grin widened.
"Pizza's here!" he pulled the bathroom door open quickly. He was starving; the past few days he had lost his appetite, but now that Castiel was back, it felt like a monster was gnawing at his empty stomach. He was so hungry, it almost painful.
He flew to the door, his hair still dripping, and almost knocked the pizza delivery boy over in his eagerness. He drew some money from his wallet and threw it at the kid. The poor kid looked stunned as Dean grabbed the pizza from his hands and closed the door in the kid's face.
Dean went over to the couch and placed the pizza on the coffee table so the two of them could easily reach it.
"C'mon Cass!" Dean called and Castiel stepped out of the bathroom, carrying his muddy clothes. "I'll take care of that, just leave it." Dean said impatiently. The food was calling him strongly; it wanted him to eat it.
Castiel dropped his clothes on the floor an came over, sitting besides Dean.
"Here you go," Dean handed him a slice from the box and Castiel took it carefully.
"I do not believe I have ever indulged in this pizza before."
"Well, then you have missed out big time. It's right up there with pie, beer and burgers."
Castiel studied the steaming, cheesy slice before taking a small bite off the end. He nodded quickly as he chewed. "Yes, that is quite delicious."
Dean had a sudden thought as he watched Castiel scuff down the pizza. "You know, maybe you shouldn't be eating that."
"Why not?" Cass shot him a quizzical glance. Didn't Dean just say that this was delicious, and he was missing out by not eating it?
"Well, you're pregnant," Dean pointed to Cass' stomach. "So you should probably eat vegetables and crap like that. Stuff that tastes horrible."
"Why would I want to eat something that tastes horrible?" Cass questioned, and Dean didn't have an answer.
"I don't know. There's people that think stuff that tastes bad is good for you, like broccoli and crap like that. But I'm pretty healthy, and I don't eat any rabbit food."
"I do not think I want any of this broccoli." Castiel looked at Dean, slightly alarmed. He didn't want any 'rabbit food'. It didn't sound like it was very appetizing by the way Dean was talking about it.
"You and me both, but I don't know what a pregnant dude is supposed to eat. I'll ask Sam. He knows about 'eating healthy'."
"Should I not eat this then?" Castiel pointed at his second slice.
"No. Enjoy yourself now, dude, because once Sam gets a hold of you, you'll be eating hippie food like yogurt and organic tofu."
"And broccoli?" Cass shuddered.
"Yeah," Dean chuckled, glad he was making the right impression on Castiel. He flicked the TV on with the remote. "Look, a Chuck Norris movie! Awesome!" Dean pumped his fist in the air and took another giant bite of pizza.
Castiel took his time finishing his food. When he was done, he wiped his fingers carefully with a napkin and leaned against Dean. He stared at the TV for a few minutes in silence before saying something he had wanted to say for a while.
"Thank you, Dean."
"For what?" Dean stuffed the last bit of his pizza slice into his mouth.
"For helping me."
"Helping you with what?" Dean frowned.
"Everything. Raphael, giving me your amulet, becoming my mate. The list is endless." Castiel gave Dean a small smile.
"Hey, that's just who I am." Dean grinned and wrapped an arm around Castiel's shoulders. "Now are we gonna watch this movie or not?"
Castiel snuggled into Dean, and the hunter smiled, hugging the angel tighter. He brushed his lips against Castiel's forehead and whispered "Thank YOU, Castiel, for being here with me."
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