Any and all mistakes are my own, this is unbeta'd so any errors I apologize for.
Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural, I'm only borrowing the characters for a bit for my own amusement, love to know what you think, and the title is only 'cause I couldn't think of one, therefore its subject to change sometime in the future.
Warnings: References to torture, M/M pairing, possible future mpreg.
Chapter Three – Time to wake up, Sleeping Beauty
It is a well-known fact to the Winchester's that Angels don't need sleep. It was one of the first things Castiel revealed about himself to Dean, back when their relationship was still a tenuous, volatile thing. Back when Castiel still obeyed his orders, back when things were so different, yet in their own way, things were still so alike.
Castiel had sat down in the chair for visitors at Dean's bedside five days ago, and hadn't moved since that time. It brought back memories of another chair, another bed, another hospital to his mind. Castiel hadn't been able to help Dean then either, but for completely different reasons. That was the time when Dean had been beaten dangerously within an inch or so of his life by Alastair. It was the day that he had asked him to torture again, something he still wishes to this moment that he had never had to ask him, but orders were orders, and back then they had still meant something to him. He had been there for Dean to wake up to then, just like he would be there for Dean to wake up to now. More hours passed, and all the angel did to pass the time was examine Dean, examine the body he knew so well, the body he'd recreated cell by cell after saving him from Perdition. His thoughts on the man that he had saved hadn't changed much since the last time he had sat at his bedside while Dean had recuperated in a hospital bed, yet they'd also changed completely too. Dean meant more to him now, if that was at all possible. All he really knew was that he hated seeing him like this. Dean is and always would be the righteous man as far as Castiel was concerned, seeing him like this, all he knew was that he didn't deserve it, he truly had given enough without this new game Gabriel had decided to play.
It wasn't long after these thoughts that Castiel saw his friend start to come to life again, his fingers twitching slightly on his right hand side, the side where Castiel was sitting, which was the first bit of movement he'd performed in five long days. Seeing his eyes flicker open partly and the panic there as he went to grab at the hospital tube down his throat, making pained, confused noises, Cas was by Dean's side and kneeling on the hospital bed in an instant. Palms placed against his cheeks, staring into his eyes, calming him down, soothing him, before doing as Bobby instructed him to do on Dean's awakening and calling for a hospital nurse to check he was ok and that there was no permanent brain or memory damage.
After giving him the once over and explaining to him why he'd been kept sedated for so long – so that his body had time to heal itself, and checking he didn't need anything for the pain the nurse quickly left to continue on her rounds. When the door to his room shut quietly behind her with a tight "click" Dean waited a few moments before turning round to Cas and asking him, in a voice cracking and deepened with disuse,
"What the hell's going on Cas? One minute I'm driving along, talking about the future now there's no Sam, no apocalypse, next minute I wake up here with a tube down my throat seriously testing my gag reflexes! What happened? Why am I even here?" Dean looked towards the angel expectantly, hoping that the explanation would be simple and then he could get out of this damned hospital bed and continue on with his life, or whatever there was left of it anyway. Dean knew things wouldn't be that simple. So he just stared into the eyes of the angel and waited.
He didn't have to wait long before Castiel opened his mouth to speak, before he shut it again, just watching Dean as if to gauge his reaction to what he had to say.
"Just spit it out Cas, whatever happened I need to know." Dean muttered, voice half laced with fear and authority in equal measures.
Moving slightly towards Dean, Castiel decided to ease him into the information gently, telling him something he knew would both soothe and harm the hunter once the full terms were realized, "Sam is not, and never was, in the cage with Lucifer and Michael after they fell in." Cas felt a cruel tugging in his chest when he saw Dean's beautiful green eyes lighting up fractionally with an emotion he understood well but rarely if at all saw sporting the older Winchester's face anymore – Hope. He spoke quickly before Dean could ask him where his Sammy was and if he was bringing pie with him to celebrate, "But you cannot see him either Dean. He is in someone else's… care. Gabriel's care."
He could see the hope being wrenched away, pain crossing the features before Dean shut it away, and confusion taking prevalence for long moments before anger bloomed on his indignant face instead. This was something Cas knew well from Dean, something he could handle and talk him through.
"What the hell Cas? You mean Gabriel didn't die in that big face off with Lucifer? And what the hell does he want with Sam! Just wait until I get my hands on that dick, he'll regret ever touching my baby brother when I'm through with him!" Dean spat, anger twisting his features and colouring his thoughts before he went to pull the wires hooking him up to the IV's out of his arms and to swing his legs out the side, looking to anyone else like he was ready to go for round two with anything – human, angel or even archangel that dared get in his way.
Castiel was up and on him like a shot. Before his feet could hit the cold floor he'd grabbed Dean's wrists in one hand and he was using his lower body to push the majority of Dean back onto the bed, gripping his hip with the other, free hand. It happened so quickly that Dean was only aware of the inappropriateness of the position they were in together after several moments, instead caught up in looking into the angry eyes of the angel. Clearly, he wasn't about to be going anywhere anytime soon. Well, not if Cas had anything to do with it, and considering their positions it was looking quite likely that Dean was going to have to submit to someone else's will, at least for right now anyway. Just when he was about to say something along the lines of "personal space?" the door to the room Dean was being kept in opened and a very flustered looking, but very amused nurse went to step inside before stopping, giving Dean and Castiel the once over before chuckling,
"Good to see you up and about Mr. Novak, it would seem that you're otherwise engaged at the moment. I'll give you two lovebirds some alone time then!" She said quite clearly, and if Dean wasn't red already, the more than obvious wink in their direction cemented it for him. When she closed the door behind her Dean turned to an indifferent Castiel, who was watching Dean like he was something vast and interesting. He coughed tersely before saying,
"You know Cas, I kinda need my hands." Dean said, trying to put a lot of bravado and sarcasm in that one sentence. Seeing that he wasn't getting the hint, he continued to push on in a kinder tone, "You can let go of me now, I'm not going anywhere, I promise." It took a couple more moments before Castiel let go of his grip on Dean, on both his wrists and hip, before sitting back down in the seat he had vacated just minutes earlier, even though it had seemed like hours. Just for a moment Dean felt the loss of those hands acutely, before rejecting that thought violently from within him. Don't go there, something whispered from a deep corner inside him. And Dean had every intention of listening to it; it had served him well in the past.
Forcing a cough, the room was silent for a couple of moments before Dean swung his head round to face Cas and almost instantly regretting it. "She called me Mr. Novak and us two… lovebirds? What's going on here Cas? What did you say to them?" Dean asked, deciding to work himself up to the more difficult questions later.
Castiel for his part tried his best to look a little sheepish before answering in deep, gruff tones with a slight blush marring his cheeks, "When Gabriel arranged our arrival here, he also arranged our positions…" Looking at the confusion and slight horror starting to dawn on his charges face Castiel continued to plough on, "Into something I believe might be termed as the 'bridal style' by humans? When the doctors arrived they asked me a multitude of questions, none of which I knew how to answer when a doctor asked my relation to you. I believe I replied that we share a profound bond, therefore they may have taken this to have sexual connotations behind it." Castiel took a calming breath before continuing, now that that part of the story was explained, the rest would be easier to talk through with Dean. He could almost feel the embarrassment radiating off of him from his position in the hospital bed; however before he could continue a slight chuckle came from Dean.
"Well, as clueless as ever Cas, good to see some things never change. I take it you're the one who told them that my name is Mr. Novak, of all things?" Dean questioned, still curious to the choice of identity.
"Actually Dean, you are correct, it was my idea. I hope you do not mind but considering 'Dean Winchester' is thought to be deceased and the fact that I was unsure of which of your identities had been discovered or not, it was the only option I could think of. Bobby agreed that it was a good-"
"Bobby, wait Cas… Bobby is around here somewhere? Actually, where even are we?" Dean questioned, face going red at the teasing that would occur at his own expense once Sam found out about this, and then it hit him. Sam. They still had no idea where Sam was.
As if he could hear the thoughts spinning in his head, Castiel addressed Dean with a voice that could only be described as tender, "Were in Sioux Falls General Hospital Dean, and Bobby is indeed 'around here somewhere', in fact, he only left a couple of minutes before you woke to take care of some business he's been trying to deal with. A locator spell for Gabriel, and in extension, for Sam." He didn't tell Dean how unlikely it was that this would help them, he didn't need to. But Castiel knew that the thought behind it would be appreciated.
Almost as if on cue Bobby opened the door to the room slowly, eyes on something on his mobile phone, totally unaware of Dean's more than apt presence, "Oh balls! I still don't know why you idjits can't spell what you mean out in these text things, give me a line of Latin to translate any day of the week!" It was then that his eyes lifted from the screen, connecting with Dean's green orbs almost instantly. And if he didn't know any better, Castiel would say he could see the shine of tears in the older hunter's eyes.
In three wide strides he was across the room and holding Dean in a bone crushing grip, "Don't do that to me again son. If things weren't bad enough as it is without you having to land yourself in the hospital too." He huffed, before releasing the younger man who was like a son to him.
"I'll remember that for next time Bobby." Dean choked out, surprised at the pure emotion in Bobby's voice before feeling the flick of water on his face, causing him to shut his eyes and moan exasperatedly, "I am not a demon Bobby!" But still it caused a small smile to grace his features; some things truly never did change.
"Yeah well, better safe than sorry these days isn't it, ya idjit?" Turning to face Castiel, Bobby became all business again, "How long has he," at this point of the sentence he pointed a thumb to Dean, "been awake for?" He asked.
Not amused by the fact that he was being talked about like he wasn't even here, or worse, still in the coma, Dean huffed out, "I am sat right here you know, could've just asked me instead of the angel over there."
"Well I'm not asking you am I boy? Besides, nobody better to ask than an all knowing Angel of the Lord. Last time I asked you the time was during that hunt in Wisconsin, the whole place nearly burned down!" Bobby huffed out, but you could see the amusement shining through his eyes.
"That was one time Bobby, one time! When I was fifteen! And it wouldn't have happened if Sam hadn't turned the watch back an hour early the day before the clocks went back! You're never going to let that one drop though are you?" Dean said exasperatedly, falling back onto the pillows of his hospital bed and regretting the jarring motion that created.
It was at this moment that Castiel decided to get back to the topic at hand, knowing Dean would prefer that attention wasn't placed on him due to the pain his injuries had just caused him, which was obvious to the angel, but perhaps not to the room at large, "Not long. I was just about to find you and update you on Dean's progress and ask you how the search was going for the locator spell."
Bobby became practically just a hat wearing a scowl as he said, "Damn Rufus, he's gone and got himself arrested in England, needs someone to bail him out, and not only does he have the locator spell but some information about how to retrieve my soul from that damned demon. I've told him though, it'll have to wait, I'm not leaving you boy." Bobby said with a very pointed look towards Dean.
"Really Bobby, I need you to go more than I need you to stay, best case scenario this spell can help us get Sammy back, and the worst case? You come back with information on Crowley which will in turn get your soul back and we manage to get one problem solved at least," Seeing Bobby was about to cut in Dean held a hand up in a gesture of silence before continuing, "And if it makes you feel any better, me and Cas, all knowing, all powerful, all mighty Castiel, Angel of the freaking Lord will stop at your place while I heal and at least until you return, please Bobby, do we have an agreement on this?" Dean asked, the tone in his voice quietly respectful of the man before him who was more of a father to him than John in so many smaller, more traditional ways.
Bobby opened his mouth to argue, but just like always he couldn't argue with Dean, not when he gave him a look as open and honest as the one he had on now. He knew he didn't mean to look so vulnerable, Dean would hate it if he knew such a look was on his face, a look that said, "Please, don't fight me on this… I don't know if I've the energy to fight you too". And it was with that that all the fight inside him left his body, slowly draining out of him as he uttered, "Ok… idjit."
Snapping his head up from what he had expected to be a long barrage of reasons why he had to stay Dean could only ungraciously say, "Are you serious, or just jerking my chain about?"
"Why on earth would I be doing a thing like that boy? Did your brains get scrambled in here too?" Bobby asked, his voice taking on a high pitch towards the end of his sentence before he told the room at large, "I'm going to go find one of these idjit doctors, see if I can get you an early discharge from here, you know how hospitals make me feel. You two try and not get into any more trouble for yourselves while I'm gone ok?" He asked sarcastically before making his exit.
Breathing a big sigh when Bobby left the room, Dean turned to face Cas and noticed how the angel was already watching him closely, a look of intent on his face. Figures, he thought to himself, the angel always seemed to be looking at him at one time or another. It should make him uneasy, other people usually felt that way when they fell under the angel's watchful gaze, but Dean never did, for him, it always felt just… comfortable. Finally tired of the lack of conversation Dean tried to keep his tone light while genuinely asking, "Something I can help you with there?"
Castiel looked startled, and drawing himself back a little in the chair replied rather tersely, "I was assessing your condition. The doctors I spoke with were positive you would have to remain in hospital for at least another week, maybe longer, to be certain that there is no lasting long term damage, and I believe that since they are the experts, it might be prudent to listen to them."
"It's too dangerous for me to stay here Cas, I'd heal a lot faster back home at Bobby's, not to sound ungrateful or anything though, but why didn't you heal me yourself when we got here anyway?" Dean asked, simple curiosity on his features at the obvious answer to his current predicament. Healing him had never been a problem for the angel before, so what was going on now? Had something happened while he had been out?
Quickly choosing to shield the truth from Dean, Castiel placed the blankest expression on his features before replying, "It was decided that the safest option would be to let your body heal itself naturally after the healing failed the last time. I didn't want there to be a chance of your body going into shock again, and when I rang Bobby he agreed with the decision."
It was just when Dean was about to inquire into why Cas' powers failed in the first place that Bobby appeared with a bag in his hands and a pair of crutches, "Get dressed Princess, I managed to convince them you were fit to go home with us, they weren't happy about it though." Tossing him the bag of clothes and leaning the crutches against the chair Bobby turned to leave before he heard Dean call,
"What are the crutches for Bobby? Neither of my legs are broken."
"No but apparently you've a badly swollen ankle, they wanted you to put as little pressure on it as possible, and I figure its best to just go along with it for now don't you?" Bobby replied, and from his tone Dean looked at him, really looked at him, and took notice for the first time since he stepped in the hospital room. Bobby looked tired. Really tired. But more than anything he looked old, frail almost, and the feelings they welled up in Dean were best left untouched, he was emotional enough without beginning a care and share with the older hunter on top of all that too. So putting on his best smile he replied quickly with a "Sure thing" before turning to his other friend in the room who was still sat patiently in the visitor's chair.
Clearing his throat and looking pointedly at him, Dean asked, "Can I get a little privacy in here please?" and waited a moment until he saw the realization dawn his friends face as he disappeared out the room leaving nothing more but the sound of flying wings in his wake to hint that he'd ever been present at all. Chuckling to himself lightly Dean slowly got up and dressed himself, assessing and listing each of his injuries as he went on.
Later that day the three of them arrived back at Bobby's house. At some point when Dean had been knocked out in hospital Bobby had very kindly brought Dean's baby back to the scrap yard for safe keeping, and since agreeing with Dean had arranged the first flight out he could take to England. He would have preferred to stay longer, make sure Dean really was ok and coping, but Rufus needed him there quickly and Bobby figured if there were any problems the angel would come to collect him. The sooner he left the quicker he would return after all.
Later that night he left his house in charge of the man he very happily called son in his subconscious and made his way to the airport. Trouble may follow the Winchester's around like an old friend but what trouble could Dean manage to get himself into now, especially with an Angel of the Lord as a roommate? Bobby didn't know but he was willing to bet high stakes on it that if it was possible, Dean would manage it. He only hoped that by the time he returned his house would still be standing in one piece.
A/N's: Nobody reviewed last chapter so I'm hoping it was ok for you all?
As to the Gabriel/Sam situation I think I'll write a chapter just on them for the next one and see how you guys like it, you can let me know in either a PM or review.
Due to college life I probably wont be able to update again this week, and I want to spend a bit of extra time writing those two anyway, so I hope you'll enjoy this update for now, the next update will probably arrive this time next week now. Thanks for reading and if you review thank you for that too.