"Cas, I-"

"Yes or no?"

Dean looked around, avoiding eye contact with Cas. He sighed.

"Yes."

He turned back towards Cas.

"Okay, Dean, let's go."

"Wait."

"I don't have time to wait."

Dean walked past Cas, over to the table, and grabbed a pencil. He flipped over Sam's note from earlier and began to write.

"Dean, stop."

Cas tore the note out from under Dean's hand and placed it back down.

I'm sorry

It's all that Dean had time to write. It's all that Sam would read when he returned. Dean hated the thought of Sam not knowing where he was, and was beginning to regret his spontaneous decision.

"Let's go, Dean. Now."

In an instant, Dean was unsure as to where he was, surrounded by trees and cool air. Cas seemed content with his decision of location.

"Where the hell are we?"

"A forest in Alabama. It's a pretty good spot."

"Cas, what the hell? What am I supposed to eat? Where am I supposed to sleep?"

Dean hated his impulsiveness. If he had said no, would be back in the motel room, laying down, waiting for Sam to return. He'd be able to hunt down whatever creature they'd been after for three days and save people.

But the thought of never seeing Cas again had scared him too much. It didn't quite hit him that he might never see Sam again.

"Don't worry, Dean. This isn't permanent." Cas began to walk around, admiring the vast landscape and foliage.

Dean followed closely behind, terrified of getting lost in the woods with no way out.

"Okay, well, I haven't eaten since last night."

Cas paused for a moment and grabbed a leaf off a low-hanging branch, feeling its texture and observing it carefully. "Beautiful," he whispered.

"Hey, Cas, I'm sure that leaf's real interesting."

"My apologies. Sometimes I forget how gorgeous everything is down here… precise, intricate patterns. Really is beautiful."

"So, yeah, food?"

"Perhaps there are berries or something around here."

"Berries? Really?"

"Do you have a better idea?"

"Maybe we could pop into a diner real quick? Do we really have to stay here?"

"No, Dean! For now, we stay here. I don't want to draw any attention to myself."

"Cas, I…" Dean didn't want to get angry. He was the one who had said yes, after all. "Berries sound great."

He was lying through his teeth, of course. All he really wanted was a bacon cheeseburger, maybe some French fries to go with it, but the last thing he wanted to do was argue with Cas.

Cas wandered around a bit, and Dean stayed a little bit further behind him this time. The angel looked so fascinated as he admired his surroundings, like a child in a candy shop.

Cas paused for a moment and turned back towards Dean, reached out his hand, and smiled.

"Come on."

Dean grabbed the angel's hand, intertwining his fingers with Cas's. He didn't know where the gesture came from, but he wasn't in any state to reject it. They continued walking.

"So why'd you bring me here?"

"I told you, Dean. I needed to run away."

"But why'd you bring me?"

"I wanted company."

"Company, huh?"

"Yes. Being alone for a very long time isn't an appealing thought."

Cas stopped walking by a large oak tree and let go of Dean's hand. He sat in the shade of the tree, and motioned for Dean to come sit beside him. Dean smiled as he took his seat. He had an amazing view of the forest, finally understanding why Cas had admired its beauty so intently.

"You're right, Cas. It's beautiful."

Cas looked over at him and smiled.

The two of them sat there for a while, side by side, just watching the forest. The wind blew, causing the trees to dance and the leaves to swirl around. Birds chirped and bugs buzzed around. Everything in the forest continued as it always did because even the presence of an angel and a hunter couldn't disturb it.

Suddenly, Dean felt an arm creep around his waist. He was startled at first, but turned and saw Cas, smiling at him. Dean gave into the gesture, leaning his head on Cas's shoulder and wrapping his arm around him in return.

It was odd to him, being in the arms of the angel. He had always pictured it being the other way around, but right in that moment, Dean had never felt safer in his life. His mom used to tell him that angels were watching over him; now, he was really starting to believe it.

He was a bit confused, of course, by the sudden affection that Cas was expressing. Perhaps Dean's initiation of the kiss the night before had caused it, or perhaps it was circumstantial romance created by the atmosphere of nature. Or perhaps Cas did love him, somehow.

Dean didn't have much time to think about it because before he knew it, his lips met Cas's once more. The beginning of the kiss was unclear to him; it happened abruptly, like a bolt of lightning warning of an oncoming storm. Dean grabbed Cas tighter as their frenzy of passion progressed further.

Neither one of them was sure how long they kissed for. They lost track of time, so enthralled with each other they nearly forgot they were practically in the middle of nowhere. In those moments, all that mattered to Dean was Cas, and all that mattered to Cas was Dean.

Dean let go of his worries and frustration just for a little while, focusing on the feeling of kissing Cas, really kissing him, for the first time. He focused on the way Cas's lips felt pressed against his and the way their tongues mingled together so perfectly as they traced the outline of each other's lips and the inside of each other's mouths.

The end of the kiss was as hazy as the beginning; it just sort of ended, and the two of them lay there in each other's arms for a while, simply enjoying the peacefulness that accompanied it. There was so much to be said, yet it all remained unspoken in a blissful silence.

It had probably been at least an hour – it was difficult to tell with the trees blocking out a lot of the light – before either one of them spoke again. Dean smiled a lot and Cas gave that same half-smile he always did, and they would peck each other on the cheek or lips occasionally. They simply enjoyed each other.

"Dean," Cas finally spoke, softly.

"Yeah, Cas?"

"Do you want to know where I've been?"