The Blood You Drink

Chapter 6: Cure

Dean drove all night. Castiel had fallen asleep in the passenger seat and was snoring lightly. Dean occasionally looked over to make sure Castiel was okay. He felt paranoid that his brother had done something, but he knew Castiel was fine. Thankful it was easy for him to stay awake at night, he kept driving until they were far enough away from the town that no one would know him or the priest. He pulled up to a small roadside motel and went inside to get a room. He glanced back at Castiel to make sure they weren't followed. Going back out to the car, he opened the passenger door and shook Castiel awake. Castiel groaned and smacked Dean away without opening his eyes. Dean rolled his eyes, "Fuck it." He scooped up Castiel and carried him to the room after kicking the car door shut.

He struggled to open the door carrying Castiel's dead weight, but managed. The room was small and smelled like bug spray, not a good sign. Dean lay Castiel on the king size bed and kicked off his shoes. He threw his jacket on the nightstand and lay down. Sleep seemed like an impossible thing to acquire at the time. Castiel's snoring faded, making Dean feel compelled to stay awake, but reminded himself that they were safe. He tossed and turned feeling disgusted with himself. He got himself and Castiel to safety, but Jo was back with the clan, probably scared, being bled out, and being kept just barely alive.

Castiel was in a deep sleep, but part of him could sense that something was wrong. He shifted in his sleep and started to wake up. "Dean?" he groaned as he propped himself up on one elbow. He could barely see the outline of Dean's face from the moonlight shining through the window near the bed. "What's wrong?"

Dean immediately knew Castiel woke up because of him. Since Castiel was halfway through the process of being changed, he was already starting to develop instincts that would connect him to Dean. Dean rolled over to face Castiel, "Sorry I woke you. And it's nothing."

"You don't have to lie," said Castiel scooting over closer to Dean. "I don't know how I know, but I know something's bothering you. It's like it woke me up."

Dean chuckled, "It did wake you." Castiel looked at Dean questioningly. Dean could barely see Castiel's expression with his heightened senses. "When I fed from you, it was the first step in changing you. That's why you can sense something's wrong," Dean paused, making sure to choose his words carefully, "that's why you understood my actions towards Hannah and Amelia."

"You mean I understand why you killed them," replied Castiel. Dean forced a small smile.

"It's my job to correct you when you choose not to be literal," he said. Castiel smiled and chucked, letting his head fall to his pillow.

"So," he began, "if I'm already halfway done being changed, what's left? Shouldn't you change me now? I'd be stronger."

Dean shook his head, "No, not yet. When you're first changed, you're weak. You're so hungry and you're too busy getting used to not breathing and not having a heartbeat. You're better like this. And to answer your question, in order to change you, I have to drink your blood, and you have to drink mine." Castiel's eyes widened in shock.

"While I'm still human?" he asked. The thought of consuming blood still came across as disgusting and left him feeling nauseous.

"Don't worry," started Dean with a small laugh, "even just a few drops will be enough. Most vampires are assholes and would make you drink a lot, but I remember how bad it tastes when you're human."

Castiel maneuvered closer to Dean, "Dean," he began, "I hope I'm not intruding, but how old are you? I mean you've obviously been around a while."

"Old."

Castiel suddenly felt disappointed. "I can't have a number?" he asked. He felt trust should be a mutual thing between them. He was trusting Dean with everything, so Dean should at least trust him with his real age.

Dean stared at the ceiling and made a clicking sound like a clock with his tongue. Castiel looked at him confused and slightly uncomfortable. Dean turned to look at the priest. "Hear that?" Castiel nodded yes. "I don't hear anything. After you change, time just kind of stops. Most vampires keep track of how old they are because the older you are the stronger you are. It's this stupid pride thing. I didn't keep track personally because I never wanted this. My brother reminds me of my age all the time though." Dean paused. "I'm 635 years old. Just four years older than Sam."

"That's…old," Castiel stifled a laugh. Dean pushed Castiel's face away mumbling "shut up". "So what's the plan? We obviously have to have something worked out to save Jo."

"I called up an old friend. He's going to help us. At least, I hope he will. He knows my brother, but they never got along, so I'm hoping he'll take our side."

"And if he doesn't?" asked Castiel feeling himself tense up. Dean reached over and put his finger tips over Castiel's palm. He gently rubbed his thumb over the center of Castiel's palm. It was a simple, caring gesture.

"Then I don't know," he whispered keeping up a steady motion. He maneuvered to make room for Castiel. "Come here. Please." Castiel wiggled over to Dean and laid his head on Dean's chest gently. The position felt strange at first. He had cuddled before, but it was always Hannah that curled up to him. Now he knew why Hannah liked to snuggle up to him; Dean made him feel secure. It was eerily silent, something was off, and then he remembered Dean didn't have a heartbeat for him to listen to. He was starting to feel exhausted again, and as soon as Dean's arm was firmly around him, he fell to sleep.

Morning came and Dean was the first to awaken. He looked to see Castiel still sound asleep curled up to him. Smiling, he gingerly placed his hand over Castiel's heart to feel it beat. Something so simple, so normal, but he had long forgotten what it felt like. Dean felt relaxed; Castiel's heartbeat was slow and steady. When Dean normally heard Castiel's heartbeat, it had been fast paced from him being either scared or nervous, but now, he could feel it and it was stable and left him without any worry.

Castiel slowly awoke, and his heartbeat immediately picked up the pace. Dean's smile stayed present despite this. He was just glad his priest had slept soundly. Castiel readjusted himself and laid his head in the crook of Dean's neck. "Good morning," he said in a low, sleepy voice. His voice sent pleasurable chills up Dean's spine.

"Good morning," replied Dean in the same type of low, tired voice. His voice had the same effect on Castiel. "We should get going." He didn't want to let go, but they had to hurry. Castiel got up and went to the restroom to take a shower, and Dean double checked the location he needed to meet his mystery person at.

Castiel came out into the room wearing a towel around his waist. Dean nearly dropped his cell phone at the perfect sight. Castiel felt himself blush. "Sorry, I forgot my clothes," he said as he started rummaging through his bag.

"It's fine, you just took me by surprise," stated Dean. He couldn't help but to stare at the tattoo that took up almost all of Castiel's back. He had a very well done, detailed tattoo of angel wings on his back. The nubs of the wings were detailed with shadows, and the feathers looked light and fluffy, spread across his back all the way down to his waist.

Castiel turned around holding his clothes and noticed Dean's intense stare. "What is it? Oh. My tattoo?" Dean nodded. "Yeah. I got it when I turned 18. I grew up with angel statues in my room. You know how the stereotypes go with religious families. 'Angels are watching over you'. All that. But I liked it and decided to get a tattoo my parents might actually somewhat approve of." Dean found himself smiling softly. He felt like he could cry. Castiel looked at Dean with curiosity and concern. "What is it?"

"Oh, um," stuttered Dean realizing Castiel wasn't exactly blind. "When I was a kid, way before I was changed, my mother used to tell me angels were watching over me. Every single night she'd say that to me. When I got older she would say that, and then she would tell me that one day the Lord would send me an angel. 'Dean, I promise you the Lord will send you an angel'. That was the last thing my mom said to me…"

Castiel's eyebrows knit. "The last thing she said to you? Dean, what happened? Was she…" he didn't know if he should finish his sentence.

"Killed by a vampire?" Dean finished for him. "Yeah. That's actually why Sam and I ended up changed. He, my dad, and I all hunted that vampire down. The vampire killed my dad and changed me and Sam."

"Dean…I'm so sorry," said Castiel. "One moment," he quickly went into the restroom and dressed himself in jeans a blue shirt. He came back out and immediately embraced Dean. "I'm so sorry." Dean hugged him back and closed his eyes. Castiel waited a minute before continuing. "But I'm confused. I thought vampires only changed people when it was their mate."

Dean pulled away from Castiel's grip. "That's usually how it is. But the vampire that changed me was creating an army. He wanted vampires to become the superior race. But of course he was stopped. No one knows what happened to him. Those of us that were left, we split up into clans, and went our separate ways. But that was centuries ago."

"It must have been hard," said Castiel gently keeping his hands on Dean's arms. "This vampire we're meeting up with, is he—"

"No!" exclaimed Dean. "No, it's someone else. Don't worry. Come on we need to go." He and Castiel grabbed their things and loaded up the Impala. Castiel held the umbrella for Dean while he stuffed all their belongings in the back of the car.

Night had spread across the sky by the time Dean and Castiel reached their destination. The moon was high in the sky, which was their only light source aside from Dean's flashlight—which he had out for Castiel—as the made their way through the dense woods. Dean made a huff sound despite not needing to breathe. What was it with other vampires and the woods? Dean and Castiel walked hand in hand, mainly for Castiel's sake. Though Dean's hands were cold, there was something that felt warm and comforting to the priest that gripped him tightly. Dean and Castiel stopped walking in an open area and waited. Castiel's whole body tensed as he heard footsteps in the distance. A man slowly approached until he was slightly visible from the moonlight. Dean shifted and clicked off his flashlight, leaving everything in the moons glow. "Benny."

Benny smiled, "Good to see you, Dean. You haven't changed a bit," he said. Most vampires found that joke to be funny, but Dean was unamused. "Nothing? Damn. Your sense of humor is even worse than I remember."

"Cut the crap, Benny, what the hell is going on with my brother?" asked Dean in a threatening tone. Castiel was slightly shaken by Dean's intensity. Benny stepped closer to Dean and threw a blood bag that was half empty at his feet. "What's that for?"

"That's what I've been giving to your brother. Take a whiff," answered Benny as he placed his hands in his pockets. A smirk appeared on his face. Dean's reaction was sure to be one for the history books. Dean picked up the blood bag and tore the top. Before he could even bring his nose near the bag, the foul stench sent him into a coughing fit. He threw the bag as far away as he could. The smell of the blood was disgusting, rotten.

"That is vile!" exclaimed Dean. He brought the sleeve of his shirt to his nose trying to block the smell. Castiel stood in place breathing heavily, but quietly. He was scared and confused, and couldn't smell anything. "What is that?"

Benny would have sighed if he could. "Special blood that isn't easy to come by. Special blood you just wasted."

"Yeah, well what kind of blood smells that rotten?" asked Dean still feeling nauseated from the odor. Benny began to pace back and forth. He knew he was enjoying toying with Dean a little too much, but he never had any fun anymore.

"I want you to think about it, Dean. Your brother may be a clan leader, but what clan leader is that fast, strong? What clan leader has the kind of senses your brother does? And what clan leader could possibly know you have a same-sex mate unless you brought the man home?" Benny turned his attention to Castiel, "I'm Benny, by the way."

Castiel's eyes were wide with fear, "Castiel," he barely managed to speak out. He unconsciously moved closer to Dean.

"Nice to meet you, Castiel," said Benny with a small smile. He liked to mess with Dean, but he didn't want to frighten the vampire's mate. Not yet anyway. "I'm surprised you brought him with you, Dean. He's only halfway changed, figured you'd make him wait in the car."

Dean narrowed his eyes and took Castiel's hand. "I'm not leaving him alone, if that's what you're implying. Anything you say to me, you say to him too, he's a part of this now."

Benny raised his hands in defeat, "Fine," he let his hands fall to his sides, "your brother's insane, Dean." Dean rolled his eyes.

"Care to tell me something I don't know, Benny?" he sassed.

Benny fake sighed again and began to explain. "You see, Dean, once upon a time, Sam was simply a prideful vampire. You can tell he was born to be one. He loved being stronger than a normal human. And because of this, he wanted more power. He wanted to lead the clan you two were in. So he called in a favor to me; he knew I had connections. So since he had saved my skin in the past, I thought, 'why not?' and gave him that same kind of blood you just vomited from. Upon consuming it, Sam became the strongest vampire around. He killed the clan leader and took over, chose a mate, and was content. But slowly, the blood was replaced over time by what he was newly consuming. His powers faded; he needed more. I refused to give him more, because what I have isn't easy to come by. That's when it all went downhill."

"Sam went crazy over that blood. He broke into my house and stole it. He sucked down at least five bags, and took revenge on my clan, killing at least half of the members, including my mate, Andrea. By the time the night was over, we had made a deal. He would never attack my clan again, in exchange for blood whenever he needed it. I knew there was no other way. I only gave him half a bag, any more than that, and you're an addict. He became addicted to it the moment he drank more when he broke in. And so I still give him the blood whenever he calls, if it means keeping my clan safe."

Dean stood in complete shock. What kind of blood could do that to a vampire? "Benny, what kind of blood did you give my brother?"

Benny looked at Dean with sad eyes, "The kind that can only be drained from someone who is infected with pure evil. An evil so powerful, that it gives whoever consumes it, the strength to be unstoppable."

"You didn't," whispered Dean not wanting to believe what he was hearing.

Castiel looked to Dean confused. "What is it?" Dean remained silent; maybe if he didn't say it, it wouldn't be true. "Dean, please talk to me. What is it?"

Dean swallowed back tears. How could he let this happen? How could he let his little brother go this far astray? "Demon blood."

Now it was Castiel's turn to look completely thrown off, "W-what?" he stuttered. "That's not possible," he looked up at Benny, "no one could possibly tie down a demon, especially not to drain its blood!"

"When a demon possesses a human," Benny began to explain, "it's much easier to catch them. A simple devil's trap is all it takes. And even that's not necessary sometimes. Demons like chaos, and a vampire on steroids is pretty chaotic."

"That doesn't explain why Sam is trying to force Jo to be my mate, and kill Castiel!" screamed Dean. He was hysterical by this point. Two tears rolled down his cheeks. "It doesn't make sense! I could just move away from the clan with Cas, and he would never have to see me or this 'vile' relationship ever again!"

Castiel's eyebrows knit from worry, "Dean, please calm down." He gingerly placed his hand on Dean's shoulder only to have Dean tear away.

"Don't you dare tell me to calm down! My brother is addicted to demon blood!" Dean yelled at Castiel for the first time. Castiel was taken aback, but didn't take it personally. He knew Dean was stressed. Instead of getting worked up himself, he quickly pulled Dean in for a kiss. Dean seemed to instantly relax being in the priest's gentle embrace. Castiel brought his hands to Dean's face, wiping away the tears as he kissed him as softly as he could. He slowly pulled away and rested his forehead against Dean's. Dean's whole body relaxed, "Thank you."

"If you two are finished," said Benny with a strong amount of sass. Both Dean and Castiel turned their attention. "There's a large amount of lore that tells the story of a vampire. He's the leader of his clan, and he has a brother with a same-sex mate. Over time, his addiction to infernal blood causes him to lose what was left of his mind. He goes on a rampage, and it causes mass destruction. The only person that can stop him is his brother. And the brother does stop him, but only after he changes his mate, which according to lore, any vampire with a same-sex mate is a very powerful vampire. No one knows why, or how. But anyway, at the end of the story, the clan leader is killed by his brother."

Dean shook his head in completely disbelief. "No, no, no, that has to apply to someone else! My brother's a douchebag, but I would never kill him!"

"You might have to, Dean. Sam thinks if he can re-write your fate, it'll change the story. That's why he's trying to kill Castiel, and make you choose Jo. So until you stop him, none of you are safe."

"There has to be another way! I won't kill Sam!"

Benny thought for a moment before responding, "There might be another way." Dean's eyes were suddenly wide with hope. "But it won't be easy." Dean simply shook his head, unable to speak. He didn't care what it took, just as long as it meant he didn't have to kill Sam. "Sam won't stop trying to change the story…unless he's not a vampire anymore."

"Wait, what?" asked Castiel. "There's a way to turn people back human?"

"Yes, there's a cure," replied Benny, "but it's going to be nearly impossible." Dean finally found his voice again. He walked closer to Benny and looked at him with the most pleading expression he could make.

"You know I'll do anything. Just tell me, please," he begged. Benny stuck his hand in his jacket pocket and fidgeted for a minute. He pulled out a piece of paper and placed it in Dean's hand.

"This is the ritual, but what it calls for, Dean, it might not be worth it," he whispered. Dean looked at Benny with shock and confusion, as if to say, "what could be so bad it's not worth saving Sam?". Benny squeezed Dean's hand left the paper with him. "You need the blood of the vampire that turned you and Sam." Dean's entire world came crashing down. How could he track down the vampire that turned him and his brother? He knew the vampire was still alive, he and Sam would know if he was dead, but this was an impossible task. He knew he'd end up dead the moment the vampire saw him.

"I guess I've got a lot of research to do. I've got to track the son of a bitch down somehow," said Dean stuffing the paper into his pocket. "Let's go, Cas."

Benny grabbed Dean's shoulder and turned him to face him, "Dean, you're not seriously considering this! You, and your mate, are dead if you go. If you're lucky you'll end up dead. I know who turned you, I don't know where he is, but I know you're in over your head."

"I don't care, Benny! I won't kill Sam! I'll die before I kill my own brother!" shouted Dean slapping Benny away from him.

"You're going to risk him in the process?" asked Benny gesturing to Castiel. Dean turned to look at Castiel, whom was looking extremely stressed and frightened.

"I won't let him hurt Cas, I'll protect him with my life!"

"And that is what will get you killed."

Dean walked away from Benny over to Castiel, taking the priest's hand in his. "Thanks for your help, Benny. We're leaving now."

Benny knew there was no changing Dean's mind. "Be careful. And good luck," he said as he watched Dean leave holding tightly onto the man that would either be his salvation or destruction. "Lord have mercy…"

Dean drove for a few miles until he and Castiel stumbled upon another cheap motel. They checked in and Dean double checked the locks on the door. He was becoming more paranoid than before. Sam was high off demon blood, who knows what he was capable of. Dean was so stressed he didn't realize he hadn't said a word to Castiel. Castiel took it upon himself to break the silence. "Dean," he started, "are you alright?" Dean looked up and realized the deafening silence.

"Yeah," he said. "Sorry, I didn't realize I was being so quiet." He sat down on the bed and ran his thumb along the paper that rested against his palm. "I don't know how I'm going to find the son of a bitch, but I will. I won't hurt Sam."

Castiel sat down next to Dean, "What are you going to do if you find this vampire, Dean? Benny made him sound really dangerous, even for you."

"I'll find him and I'll do what I have to, to save Sam." Castiel noticed tears gathering Dean's eyes again. "He was such a good kid. He had the most genuine heart. But he always got picked on for it. My dad would always tell me, 'keep an eye on Sam.' So I did. Every damn day. He was my little brother, my responsibility. And I never minded at all. Sometimes I would feel like it was a burden, for just a second, and then he'd do something like bring me an injured animal like a rabbit, and ask me to help him take care of it. If this cure works, then that'll mean maybe I can get my baby brother back…"

Castiel gingerly wiped away the tears that fell from Dean's eyes, the beautiful emerald eyes Castiel had seen a million times, but now he felt like he was truly seeing them for the first time. All the pain, what makes Dean who he is, was finally being shown. And as sad as it was, Castiel felt honored that Dean was allowing himself to be vulnerable in that moment. Castiel gently kissed Dean again. He held him in a comforting embrace, and gave him every bit of passion he had. Dean blinked away the last of his tears and kissed Castiel back, slowly. He wasn't kissing roughly or hungrily like he was used to. Instead, he felt loved for the first time in a very long time.

Dean and Castiel maneuvered to the center of the bed and lay in each other's grasp, still tasting each other as much as they could. Castiel realized he had never felt like this before, even with Hannah. He fit into Dean's body perfectly. Even their hands fit together, as if their fingers were designed to interlock like puzzle pieces. Dean moved his mouth away from Castiel's and kissed at the priest's jaw and neck. That night, they weren't tearing at each other like animals. They simply continued to move together, which was more satisfying than anything else. They were happy just being close to each other. Eventually, they drifted to sleep together, knowing that as long as they were together, nothing in the world could be all that bad.