Notes: AHHHH! SO SAD RIGHT NOW! My laptop died a couple of days ago taking 7 written chapters with it, including this one! So the delay was me trying to re-write everything, but as you can imagine, it was super tragic to lose all of that hard work. But, I'm back on track (sort of) and should be able to post regularly this coming week :) But seriously, sorry about the wait .

leahelisabeth: possessive dean! and cas! are super super cute! I had to write some in for this story just cause XD And Bela will soooo get what's coming to her, I promise! :D

Disclaimer: I 'dis' this 'claim'

CHAPTER 4

Twenty minutes later, Dean stormed onto the shuttle, brushing by Cas and moving straight for the comm. box, practically ripping it from the wall, "This is your Captain, we're on our way back." He almost growled into the mic.

To those on the Impala, they scrunched up their noses in confusion, all hearing the blatant unhappiness in his voice.

Cas watched as Dean trudged back outside for a moment, only to start pushing a heavy and large crate up the ramp. If it weren't for the permanent scowl on his face, and the rough kick he gave the crate once it was placed in the shuttle, a normal person would have ignored it all, but Cas was far from normal.

He only needed to stare at the box a moment before turning a startled expression back at Dean, opening his mouth to argue, but Dean cut him off before he could say anything.

He held up a hand, "Don't. Just, don't," he said crossly, but he forgot that Cas wasn't one to just back down.

"Dean, this can't be an intelligent choice…"

"Hell, don't you think I know that? I'm not looking for smart…I'm looking for something to help us. Can you trust me enough to go along with this?" Dean almost begged, his eyes pleading at Cas to not make him explain his intentions with this.

Now, Cas trusted Dean with every fiber of his being. However unorthodox his methods, Dean never let him down, and Cas would in turn listen to Dean in this…but this was different since the last time they took this whore on their ship Dean hadn't listened to his warnings and they were almost all killed.

Granted, things had changed greatly since that last time. They were bound in ways that breached normal human understanding, and emotions and trust went deeper than a conscious agreement to obey. He could tell that Dean was far from happy with what he was doing, but he also felt with all his heart that what he was doing was their only choice, that if this all went to plan then Dean wouldn't have to worry about procuring more of the blue pills for him.

Cas hated it when Dean worried about him…and the nausea was truly unpleasant as well…

However…this was one of Dean's more incredibly unorthodox plans and it was bound to cause a bit of a ruckus back on the ship. Clearly Dean was relying on Cas' ability to read him if this was going to work. It greatly worried Cas that Dean was choosing this particular path, and he just knew that this would be rocky for not only them, but the crew as well. This had the potential to hurt Dean's and his fledgling relationship, something that Cas was terrified of and somewhat angry that Dean was considering knowing the consequences.

His thoughts were a chaotic war of wanting to trust Dean and wanting to protect the crew. Cas sighed loudly, glancing once more at the box, "Every time you receive a special box, the surprises that come out of it are usually far from pleasant."

Dean snorted, "Well, there was that one time that something awesome came out."

"I was naked."

"Like I said. Awesome."

As smooth as a trained pilot, Dean maneuvered the shuttle into its pocket on the Impala, the airlocks embracing in a loud click. Exchanging one last conspirital glance between them, the two men left the shuttle to exit and find almost all of the crew, only Gabriel absent as he prepared the next navigation chart and Anna who was probably doing her nails or something.

They all had leather gloves on their hands, and expectant looks on their faces as they greeted their returning crew. Of course they were all still hopeful that Dean's sour tone on the comm. wasn't that they didn't get any packages to deliver, but a glance behind the Captain and into the shuttle didn't show stacks of crates. They all relaxed their stances, crestfallen.

Then they caught sight of their faces. Sam had no idea what could have happened in the short two hours that they were gone, but from where he was standing, it looked like their honeymooning, obnoxiously perfect couple had their first fight.

The two stood a complete foot away from each other, odd since they had a tendency to rub shoulders even in the largest of rooms. Cas held a scowl on his face that no one had seen for a long time, not since he had still been suffering from those horrible back pains, and Dean wore one to match. And Dean's jaw was twitching, a sure sign that he was pissed ten times to Sunday.

And if those weren't evidence enough, there was Dean's bloody nose that stood out starkly, along with the incredibly dusty clothes.

"Uhhh…I'm guessing we won't be needing to do any heavy lifting?" Sam ventured awkwardly.

"One crate. It's in the back. Don't worry about tossing it around. Nothing fragile," Dean said gruffly, his voice a little nasally due to the congealed blood around his nostrils.

"Yes, you may toss it over the railing if you are of a mind," Cas added darkly, practically spitting out the words and making the rest of the crew startle at the bitterness.

Oh, this is not good, Sam thought to himself and exchanged glances with Balthazar. Both of them were a bit surprised that their brothers could go from love birds to growling puppies in all of two hours.

Nobody made a move to go retrieve the crate, mostly because in order to do so, they would have to pass through the wall of quarrelling lovers.

Of course Gabriel chose that moment to arrive, "Whoa, Cap! Don't tell me you got in a fight with Monty!" he exclaimed, not noticing the wince from the crew at the mention of Dean's face.

Chuck gasped, latching on to the hope that maybe the Captain and Cas weren't fighting, like a kid hoping his parents still loved each other and weren't getting a divorce, "Oh, is that it!? But I thought we loved Monty!" he leaned over to whisper to Sam, voice completely confused, "Don't we love Monty?" It was hard to keep track of who was an enemy and who was a 'frenemy' now.

Sam rolled his eyes, blessing Chuck with one of his more favored bitchfaces, the 'Are you kidding me?' face, "Chuck, if Dean had a fight with that Happy and Hairy Giant, we'd be in the dirt right about now scooping up Dean's teeth."

Dean let out another growl and stomped down the ramp, holding them all in an even glare, but not even glancing Cas' way.

"You know what? I don't really want to talk about this. Now we all have chores to get done, so everyone shut up and do them before I take away dessert," he warned.

Hesitantly, Gabriel stepped forward, fearful that he might actually lose his nightly sweet, "Uh, Captain? I think Anna was looking for you…," Dean didn't stop and just continued to walk away, "Uh, okay then…you can handle it later I guess," the pilot finished lamely.

As soon as Dean was out of sight they all turned their attention to Cas who flinched under all their gazes.

"You want to share with the rest of the class, baby brother?" Balthazar asked gently. He had thought things had been going so well between Cassy and Dean, hell, he was already pondering what kind of flowers to get for their wedding, and now they were fighting? Would this do anything to Cassy's fragile psyche?

Cas fidgeted with the sleeves of his coat, "Uh, the essence of lying is in deception, not in words, but I must say nothing is as quite as strenuous than keeping up the deception," he finishes awkwardly before dashing off.

The crew stood there for a moment, letting the comment sink in. For the moment they were all at a loss, but like with all things that Cas said, they had a habit of making sense eventually. Boy was practically a horoscope in his own right.

They moved in to the shuttle to move the singular crate, but they decided not to toss it over the railing as Cas suggested. Just as a precaution.

Without waiting for an invitation, Dean stepped into Anna's shuttle and standing ramrod straight at the door, waiting for her to speak instead of plopping himself down on her couch like he usually did.

Ever observant, Anna mentally sighed at the defensive posture, and aggressive glare at the wall. Seems there was trouble in paradise. She smiled coyly to herself, sensing that maybe it was time for her and Dean to have another little chat.

But the Captain was even more impatient than usual, "You were looking for me," he almost snapped, his arms crossed over his broad chest.

Anna was seated at the small table, preparing a kettle of tea, her whole attitude exuding formal, inviting, and calm emotion, but it didn't seem to even Dean's temper in any way. Odd…that usually helped a bit.

"I was, care to sit?" She offered.

He looked like that was the very last thing he would want to do, but he half keeled on the shuttle floor next to the table.

"I was hoping to talk a little business. Would you like some tea?" Please take the tea, she pleaded silently, it would do to sooth whatever nerves had been frayed.

Dean sensed the trap and stood up again slowly, "Okay…what's the game?" he asked suspiciously.

She looked up at him confused, "I offered you tea…"

"After inviting me into your shuttle, of your own free will, which makes me more than a little skittish."

She rolled her eyes at the dramatics, "Dean, I was just trying to be hospitable…"

"You were trying to gut me!"

"…What?"

"You were trying to get me to spill my guts, and I'm telling you now, it ain't gonna happen, so stop using your…feminine wiles. Your Companions training, your some-might-say uncanny ability to make a man all sweaty and/or compliant, of which I have had just about enough of today," Dean stated with finality and started to hedge towards the door.

Anna's eyes widened at the outburst, "Um, maybe this isn't the best time…"

"It's a fine time! Just…just talk plain, is all I'm asking. I'm done with riddles and deception…"Dean wearily sat down on the couch.

"Okay…Did something happen with Castiel?" she asked eventually.

"We're fine, stop changing the subject. Tell me why you needed me here."

She steeled herself, "I'm not sleeping with you Dean."

A beat passed.

"Uh, no, I think you may be right on that one. I think I might have noticed if you were. My keenly trained senses and all…plus I'm pretty sure that Cas would have screeched until both my ears fell off if that were the case," he replied, completely at a loss for where she was going with this.

"And I agree, but there remains the issue that I am not conducting affairs with anyone on this ship."

"….Listen, Anna, if you have a crush on Balthazar or something you have to just step up to the plate and—"

She cut him off, "No! What I'm saying is that we are all suffering from a lack of business on this ship, and I also have been unable to conduct my affairs! I haven't had a client in three weeks. "

Frustrated, Dean stood up from the couch and leaned over her, "We go where the work is! I can't help that you've got a dry spell going on!"

"There are all kinds of worlds where both of us could work. We used to visit them, remember?"

Dean did remember, but she knew why that had changed. They stopped visiting those worlds the moment that the Novaks came aboard. Planets like that were the perfect place for some ignorant do-gooder to spot one of the brothers and turn them into the feds. They were working under the radar, and he thought that Anna understood that.

"Ee-chee shung-hoo-shee, are you saying that I should risk Cas so that you can get it on?" (Let's take a deep breath)

She shook her head, "I'm not saying that we should take Cas out for a stroll through the Garrison station, but I am saying that maybe we should consider other options. Obviously what we are doing right now isn't working. We're running on fumes right now, and we all have heard by now that Cas is running low on his meds. For the sake of everyone…we know you're worried about him, but don't forget you have a whole crew to worry about as well," she finished with a deep breath, waiting for Dean to snap.

But he didn't. She could see him tossing around thoughts in his head. She wasn't sure what exactly he was thinking, she wasn't Cas after all, but he wasn't blowing up yet.

He seemed to gather himself before responding, "I never forget my crew…" he started and she balked.

"Dean, I wasn't accusing you of anything, it's just—"

"Hey, no, if things get to that point then I'll have Gabe set course for Planet of the Lonely Rich and Appropriately Hygienic Man. We can park there for a month if it'll help."

"Dean…"

He ignored her and continued, "But I'm still Captain here, and I'll decide when that is. After I exhaust each and every other choice we have. I'll see you at dinner," and he left Anna standing alone in her shuttle, wondering how, with all her training and calming tricks she had managed to tick off the Captain even more.

Of course Dean didn't get far before Sam caught up with him.

His little brother was all about getting up in Dean's emotional well being, and he wasn't about to let that little display by the shuttle get by without some sort of explanation. He had been watching Dean and Cas interact with each other for the last few weeks, both in the blissful world of a happy break, and somehow in two hours that had completely disappeared? Sam wasn't buying it.

"Dean! You want to tell me what's going on? I mean, what's up with earlier? Why is Cas suddenly scowling at any poor inanimate object that happens to catch his eye?"

His brother tensed up and punched his fist into his hand, "You know, maybe you all should focus more on the fact that we are nearly bankrupt…again, and that we are in desperate need of a job, instead of gossiping over my love life!"

Even though Sam sensed that there was something his brother was hiding, he also sensed that Dean was about at the end of his tether and pulled back a bit, "Uh, okay. Then tell me about what Monty said. Did he have anything for us?"

"No," Dean answered curtly.

Sam nodded, "Okay, then if that fell through, then what's our next plan of action."

"I'm working on something", Dean replied, not giving any further details.

"Well, if the criminal world is on the fritz, then maybe we should try another avenue for a bit," Sam offered.

"Now you're trying to turn us on the straight and narrow?"

"Dean, one of the best jobs we've ever pulled was on a central planet!"

"Yeah, and we almost lost Cas and Gabe!"

It was a sore subject for both of them, but neither could argue that they got the greatest take from that job that they had ever had in their criminal life.

"Okay, then what about the last job that your criminal mastermind got us? What was it again, Dean? What was it that we snuck past the Garrison to transport?" Sam prodded gently, pulling out all stops in this. He knew as well as the rest of the crew that there were in fact a good many jobs that they could be taking on, but because of certain…restraints that Dean had imposed, they couldn't take on any of them because of "too high a risk factor".

Dean jumped to his own defense, "We made a perfectly decent amount of cash—"

"What was the cargo, Dean?"

Dean's face turned red, half with anger, half with embarrassment, "They were dolls, you know that!"

Sam nodded sagely, "Yup, they were little geisha dolls with big heads that wobbled."

"Hey, people love those!" Dean defended.

Sam rolled his eyes, "Yes, Dean. People loved the little dolls, and our cut was next to nothing. All it got us was gas money. We need to stop all of this petty crime—"

"Petty?" Dean asked, suddenly clearly offended.

Sam winced, "Dean…you have to understand that we haven't been after serious work in a while and—"

"Serious work? You wanna know what I…," Dean stopped himself suddenly.

"What?" Sam asked, now a bit concerned with his brother's erratic behavior.

"Nothing," he replied and then walked away, this time leaving Sam alone in the corridor.

When he knew he would be alone, Dean descended the stairs into the cargo bay. Quickly he scanned the boxes and crates around the hold, his eyes falling upon the one from the moon. He stalked over to it angrily and grabbed a crowbar, quickly prying off the lid and leaning over the edge and peering in, a look of distaste on his features.

He had been hoping that he could change his mind, end this whole thing here and now and just toss Bela off at the next planet, but with both Anna and Sam digging at him to take on a job, well, he had had an opportunity here to show his crew that he could still take care of them. Damned be the risks. He wouldn't be caught with his pants down this time...

"All right. Tell me more about this job of yours," he said, frustration clear in his voice.

Bela looked up at him, somewhat uncomfortable from being wedged into the crate for the last couple hours, and smiled.

Oh man! What are Cas and Dean fighting about? What happened on the ride back? All will be revealed...at the end! Mwah ha ha ha!