I don't own Supernatural.

Chapter 31

Once back at the motel, the others decided to stay in, but Dean offered a walk to Cas.

"You know, get out and get some air." he explained. He glanced over to where Amber was fawning over Sam, making sure he was completely fine. She hugged him around his waist, kissing him. Dean made a face. "Then we also wouldn't have to watch that."

"You and I do the same thing." Cas pointed out.

"That's different," Dean defended.

"How?"

"Sam is my little brother, that's how. Do you want to go for a walk or not?" Dean changed the subject quickly. Honestly, he didn't feel like discussing Sam's love interest with his own.

"Very well."

"Alright then." Dean told the others where they were going before taking Cas' hand and leading him out the door. The battle with War had filled him with hope and joy...and right now he didn't want to be stuffed in a motel room even though it was a bit late. There were things out there that were begging to be seen and experienced. He felt that his chance to do that was getting closer and closer. Finally having a normal life, even if it was a not-so-normal relationship with an angel and a nephilium kid. But still, it was his life and he loved it.

They stood outside the motel and a man passed by, eyeing Cas strangely. The angel shuffled behind Dean a bit so he wasn't as visible.

"Dean what about-?" he gestured to his stomach. Dean quickly buttoned up his trenchcoat, which Cas still insisted on wearing over his new clothes. The bulge was still very visible, but Dean just shrugged light-heartedly.

"Who cares? We're leaving tomorrow. Let's just..enjoy ourselves." Dean grinned widely, and Cas perked up, smiling. Dean took his hand again, and they headed across the parking lot towards the town.

"Where are we going?" Cas asked curiously as they walked down the streets where the brightly lit shops were lined up. Dean shrugged. "I don't know. Whatever strikes you."

"We still need things for the baby, Dean," Castiel pointed out. "Maybe there's a little shop with baby supplies?"

"Maybe," Dean looked over his shoulder suddenly...he got a weird feeling. A man passed by on their left, watching them, and Dean did a double take; it was the same guy that had been outside the motel.

An odd feeling washed over Dean, like someone's eyes were upon them. Dean held Cas closer, whispering urgently in his ear, "Cas...we need to go. I think someone-"

But they weren't on the street anymore; they were inside a dusty old room.

"Cas..where did you bring us?" Dean muttered, feeling for the angel, but he wasn't there. Searching in the gloom, Dean started to get worried. "Cas!"

A dim light appeared in a corner across from Dean. An old busted lamp was trying valiantly to brighten the room, but it only manged to shed light on the two figures standing next to it.

A familiar angel was sneering maliciously at a confused looking Castiel.

"Zachariah," Dean said, with a less then welcoming tone.

"Well, well Dean. One of my spies said they spotted you, but they didn't say anything about the traitor angel." he gestured to Cas' obvious pregnant stomach. "I see you're incapacitated at the moment. Angel mating season to put it plainly, just sucks, doesn't it? Especially if you're the one to bear the child. I am a dominant, so lucky me."

Zachariah fingered his lapel, drawing out a shining angel blade. "The world would be so much better without a little Castiel in it, wouldn't it?"

While Zachariah was flapping his lips, Dean had been inching closer to his mate, trying to keep his heart from bursting out of his chest. By the expression on Cas' face, he knew there was something wrong.

Zachariah made to move closer to Castiel, but Dean jumped in front of him instinctively.

"Aww, he wants to protect you, Castiel. Isn't that sweet?"

Cas suddenly grasped the back of Dean's jacket, and the hunter could feel the fear flowing strongly through him.

Zachariah gave a nasty laugh before swiping his hand, so that Dean flew off his feet and was knocked against the opposite wall. Zachariah grabbed Castiel roughly by the arm; the angel struggled pointlessly in his grasp.

"Bad time, Castiel?" he raised his eyebrows. "I can feel your powers are drained at the moment."

Dean looked up from the floor, his vision a bit hazy. That's why Cas was so scared...he must have used what power he had on War.

"Oh shit," he cursed quietly. Zachariah drew his blade higher, resting it on Castiel's throat, and Dean's heart grew cold.

He stood slowly, a murderous expression on his face. "Let him go."

Zachariah drew the tip of the blade down Cas' throat, Cas still struggling to pull away. A thin line of blood appeared and Zachariah chuckled.

"Or maybe," his eyes glinted maliciously and he touched the blade to Cas' belly. Tears squeezed themselves from Cas' eyes, and Dean leapt forward desperately.

"Stop!"

Zachariah tutted and pressed the blade closer the nearer Dean came. "Why are you so concerned with this angel, Dean? He's worthless."

Dean narrowed his eyes and spat quietly, " He's not."

Zachariah tilted his head, a gesture reminiscent of Cas, and regarded Dean interestedly. The protectiveness that he was expressing..it was beyond that of what a human normally would. Desperation was written on his face, concern...love. A sudden thought formed in Zachariah's mind.

"You haven't mated with a human, have you, Castiel?" the angel asked. Even after everything that had happened between Castiel and Heaven, he managed to look guilty at Zachariah's disbelieving question. Like he had betrayed his brothers by being with a human.

There was no answer from hunter or angel, and the lack of speech confirmed Zachariah's assumptions. He laughed mercilessly.

"This if priceless. It's a whole new low, even for you, Castiel. No angel would have you so you go to the hairless apes. Oh, this is just laughable."

"Just let him go." Dean snarled. He could see that Cas was trying to keep his composure, but the panic and fear coming off of him were so potent that Dean's own eyes grew wide in terror and his voice trembled as he spoke.

Zachariah studied him thoughtfully. "You want your precious angel back unharmed? I'm going to need something from you." he paused for effect while Dean waited. "A yes for Micheal, perhaps?"

Dean met Cas' teary eyes. His mate shook his head, whispering, "No, Dean. You cannot give in."

Zachariah sighed disgustedly. "This is really getting tiresome. How about incentive?"

He brought the blade back up to Cas' cheek, drawing it swiftly across the flesh so there was a deep gash that glowed with white light.

Castiel screamed in pain, and Zachariah smiled. He raised the blade again, but Dean lunged unexpectedly at him, grabbing the hand that held the blade. Cas tumbled to the floor as Zachariah pushed him away to turn his attention to Dean. The hunter leapt at him again, only for Zachariah to slash his arm and blow him back with a flick of a finger.

A loud rumble suddenly shook the building. Zachariah looked irritable as he nodded as if listening to a voice that only he could hear.

Dean got unsteadily to his feet again. Zachariah was glaring at him. "I need to go. But we will get that yes, one way or another."

Dean was almost going to breathe a sigh of relief, and then he saw Zachariah raise the blade again.

"Something to keep you thinking, Dean."

Dean saw it in slow motion, how Zachariah bent slightly, how he brought the blade down, how he plunged it into Castiel. Cas had seen what was coming and moved slightly so that inside of landing in his heart, the blade punctured his shoulder.

He gasped as the metal went through his flesh, looking up to Zachariah to see if he had to prepare for another blow, but the angel was already gone.

"Cas!" Dean ran over, falling to his knees beside the angel. Cas touched the wound dazedly. Blood was fast seeping from it, along with a burning white light that Dean could hardly look at because it was so bright.

"I can't heal it, Dean," Castiel mumbled. Dean ran a hand through his hair and tried not to scream for help. He was the help.

"Shit, shit, shit." he swore quietly and Cas glanced up at him.

"It's okay, Dean." His eyes were losing focus quickly. The wound was not as bad as others he had sustained, but combined with the pregnancy, the stress, and Cas' weakened state from draining his powers earlier it was quickly taking its toll.

Dean wrapped an arm around Cas' back, and one under his legs, lifting him up. Staggering a bit under the weight, he nevertheless managed to maintain his balance. Panic flooded through him as he went to the door of the room. He didn't even know where they were; they could be in a whole different state then the others.

He backed out of the door into a corridor; it seemed as if this was an old, burned out apartment building or something. Praying that Cas could hold on until they got out of here, he made his way through the corridor, adrenaline the only thing keeping him going.

There was a front door in the lobby at the end of the corridor. It was boarded up, and Dean had to put Cas down to kick it open. The angel whimpered a little as he did so but other then that did not speak.

Bursting through the door, Dean took a look around outside; relief flooded through him as he saw a few shops he recognized. He and Cas had passed them on their brief walk. In fact, they had seen this apartment building. It was a little ways down the street from where they had disappeared.

Dean thought this oddly convenient but did not question it as he rushed back in to retrieve Castiel.

The walk back to the motel was the longest mile Dean had ever walked in his life. The possibility of losing Cas was gripping his heart so hard he could barely breath, but that could have been the effort from carrying a pregnant angel as well. The motel sign finally loomed ahead of them and Dean quickened his pace, spurred on by the neon sign.

Soon he had crossed the parking lot and reached their room, kicking the door. He had not dared to look at Cas during their journey; he was too afraid. He knew it was lucky that no one had stopped him, but then Cas bloody shoulder and cheek were pressed against Dean so hopefully it didn't look too weird.

Sam opened the door, looking back at Amber and laughing as he popped a potato chip into his mouth.

"Move," Dean snapped, pushing Sam out of the way as he entered the room. Sam's eyes widened when he saw Cas, but he quickly moved aside.

"What happened?"

"Zachariah," Dean spat, loathing in his voice. He made his way over to their bed, laying Cas gently on top of the covers. "Sam, help me with him."

Sam only just saw the blood on Cas' coat; his injured side had been pressed up against Dean so it wasn't noticeable upon first sight.

Dean was ripping off Cas' coat and shirt, revealing a deep puncture in his shoulder that was glowing with light. The light was growing dimmer even as they watched.

Dean finally looked at Cas' face, immediately noticing the paleness. Reaching out a finger to touch his uncut cheek, he found that it was as cold as ice.

"Cas, c'mon baby. Can you hear me? It's not that bad. It's not that bad." Dean stroked his cheek and the angel made a small noise.

Sam had gotten the first aid kit from their bags and had brought it over, but Bobby appeared, pushing him aside.

"I'll do it," he said gruffly. "If there's one thing I'm good at, it's patching wounds."

Sam stood back, Amber by his side looking terrified. She reached for Sam's hand and he took it, squeezing gently to reassure her.

"What's Zachariah anyhow? An angel I'm assuming?" Bobby asked as he started on the wound.

"Yeah." Dean said quietly. His one hand was still on Cas' cheek while his other was holding Cas' unresponsive hand.

"What happened, boy?" Bobby said, trying to get Dean to talk . He knew the kid was in shock. He was almost as white as Castiel.

"We were just walking and suddenly we were in a building. He was there. He had Cas and wanted me to say yes to Micheal...when I didn't he sliced Cas' cheek open. Then I jumped him."

Bobby finished cleaning the would and threaded a sterilized needle to stitch it up. "What then?"

"He sliced my arm," Dean looked down at his arm in surprise; he had forgotten all about it. It gave a sudden, painful twinge.

Bobby took a quick glance before commenting, "That's pretty deep Dean. It's gonna need stitches too."

Dean nodded absently before glancing back down at his mate, whose eyelids flickered briefly.

"How did you get away from him? Did Cas zap you out?" Sam asked quietly from behind Dean. The elder Winchester shook his head.

"No. Cas' powers are drained again. After Zach stabbed me there was a rumble like someone was calling him from Heaven, and he said he needed to go, but not before he gave me something to think about. He just ran that knife into Cas like he was butter. Didn't give it a second thought."

Dean rested his head on Cas' bare chest, sighing lightly. "I'm so stupid...I don't know why I took him out..."

He was speaking more to himself then to anyone else in the room, but Bobby grunted in response as he finished with Cas' shoulder.

"It's not your fault, Dean. It's the damn angels."

Dean shook his head, moving his face up and pressing it into Cas' hair. Sam tugged Amber away over to the couch; they didn't need an audience. Bobby put a clean bandage on Castiel's shoulder, and then quickly cleaned the gash on his cheek.

He glanced down at Dean; he could hear muffled whispers and he knew Dean was talking to the angel. He patted him on the back when he was finished, saying, "I need to clean that arm, too. When you're ready."

He left the two of them alone. Dean was grateful, because the tears falling from his eyes now were more then noticeable. Raising his head a bit, he looked closely at Cas' face. It was still pale, but not as cold.

"Oh, Cas, I'm sorry." he rubbed a hand over Cas' belly, feeling the baby kick in response. Cas made a small noise, and Dean felt a flutter of hope in his chest.

The angel's eyelids flickered open as Dean continued to rub his belly and he smiled weakly at the hunter.

"Hey, Cas." Dean whispered. "This position seems to be getting quite common for us, doesn't it?"

"More common then I would like it to be," Cas whispered in agreement.

Dean ran a hand through Cas' hair. "I'm sorry. I can't believe I was so stupid-"

"Dean, please don't." Cas reached out, touching the tips of his fingers to Dean's cheek. "There's no way to predict what will happen. I should have known, I should have sensed them..but again, my powers are off."

Cas drew his fingertips down the wet streaks on his mate's cheeks almost as if he were entranced by the tears. "I have never seen you cry before."

"What?" Dean looked surprised, and then he quickly wiped his face. "I'm fine."

"Always the tough hunter, Dean." Cas managed a smile and Dean bent over, careful not to hit Cas' shoulder. Their lips met, and a shared sense of relief that the other was okay flowed between them.

Dean leaned up, propping himself up on his elbows so he could stare at Cas, and the angel looked right back, Dean' gaze acting like a painkiller for his wounds.

"I wish I could heal you." Dean whispered quietly.

"I'll be fine. Once I regain my powers I can finish the healing process." Cas gaze was suddenly drawn to Dean' arm. "Dean!" he reprimanded and the hunter jumped at his firm tone.

"What?"

"Your arm is bleeding."

"Yeah. Zachariah-"

"Why are you sitting here then? Why didn't anyone bandage it?" Cas tried sitting up, but Dean pushed him back down, alarmed.

"Chill, Cas."

"Let me do it. Bring me the-"

Sam and Amber, who were sitting on the couch, and Bobby, who was having a drink at the table, all looked over curiously at the elevated noise level.

"I'm fine," Dean protested."It's not that bad."

"It's a deep wound." Cas gently touched the area around the gash, which was swollen and red. "It needs to be cleaned out."

"Alright. I'll do it." Dean gave in. "But you stay there."

"You can 't do it by yourself."

"Cas!" Dean sighed in frustration. "I have before."

"Dean!" Bobby suddenly barked from the table, taking pity on the younger hunter. "Get over here and let me take care of that arm."

Dean glanced at Bobby, silently thanking him, before grabbing up the first aid bag and going over.

"Which is what you should have done in the first place," Cas said loudly, obviously disgruntled at the lack of attention Dean was getting.

Dean reddened as he sat in front of Bobby. The older hunter smirked at Cas' annoyed words, and Dean snapped.

"Shut up."

Nevertheless, Bobby had a few hearty chuckles as he was patching up Dean's wound.

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"He hasn't left Cas' side all night," Bobby observed quietly to Sam. They both glanced surreptitiously over at the two in bed. Cas was propped up on some pillows and Dean was sitting cross-legged on top of the blankets, talking so low that they couldn't hear. It must have been a joke or something because Castiel laughed lightly and Dean broke a grin.

"That's how it was when Cas had Pestilence's disease. Dean stayed with him until you two had to go that vamp hunt, remember?"Amber put in quietly.

"So what you're saying is that Dean is not going to leave Cas until he's better?" Bobby said incredulously.

Sam shook his head. "No, it's different this time. When Cas was really sick, he couldn't even move. Dean was messed up, he thought he was gonna die. But Cas seems to be doing fine now."

His eyes widened suddenly and looked over to Amber; she had just given his ass a soft squeeze."I'm gonna quit this spying stuff and go to bed I think. Worrying all day makes one tired." Amber said, giving Sam a more innocent hug before going to the bathroom to get ready for bed.

Sam and Bobby were tired as well, but the elder hunter still couldn't get over how devoted Dean was to Castiel. He was like that with Sam, yeah. But Sam was family. The angel had dropped down from Heaven, was their enemy turned ally, and now he was Dean's best friend/baby daddy/ mate. None of Dean's other 'conquests' had ever worked out.

Well, maybe that's why. Bobby thought wryly as he watched Dean finally slip under the covers next to his mate, exhausted from everything that had happened that day. 'He just needed a guy with an incredible amount of power and knowledge of the universe instead of brain dead bimbos. Who would have know. Or he just needed someone that he had a strong connection with.

Bobby watched Dean kiss Cas tenderly and the angel replied the caring gesture with the most trusting smile Bobby had ever seen before he closed his eyes and curled up next to Dean. Dean studied his sleeping face for a few minutes before laying down himself.

Amber came bounding out of the bathroom, and asked Sam, who was cleaning up their mess from dinner in the kitchen, if he was coming to bed.

Bobby Singer had never felt more alone in the world as he watched his adoptive sons with their girlfriend and angel. He had never wanted to hold Karen in his arms as much as he did then.