Ok, I know it's been way too long since I updated this, but my focus has been on another story I'm working on on AO3. I'm finally back and plan on updating this regularly again. I also apologize for the shot chapter, but what I've added to it seems to be all there needs to be. I will try to make the next chapter longer, but I go where the inspiration leads. I hope you enjoy it.

~3~

At first Sam had found the fact that Dean was whining like a puppy funny. He'd started doing it about ten minutes after they'd left home to head for Jodie's cabin. Now, it wasn't funny any more. He was in the passenger side seat, because this Castiel guy had said that it was imperative that he keep Dean close to keep in order to make him feel safe. Sam hadn't realized how deep the meaning of that statement was until he'd glanced into the front mirror and saw Dean clinging to Castiel's coat and nuzzling his face into his neck.

His eyes had been shut and there had been creases around the edges of them. Sam had frozen in shock at the scene and zeroed his entire focus on his brother's face. His expression had appeared to be pained and when you added the clinginess and the fact that he'd been whining, it had all amounted to desperation. He'd instantly realized that something was seriously wrong and he'd started to freak out.

Castiel had noticed him watching them and his stoic expression had quickly become serious. He'd said, "Don't express your concern out loud Sam. Focus on keeping yourself as calm as possible. He can sense tension and it will only make him worse."

He was doing his best. It had been an hour since they'd left home and the noises Dean had made may have decreased in volume, but the tiny occasional whimpers he did let out sounded even worse. They sounded so pitiful and he appeared so fragile that it tore at Sam's heart and there was a war raging inside of him. The human, family, conscious side of him wanted to freak out, yell at Castiel, scoop his brother up and comfort him, because Castiel wasn't family and he felt possessive of him. The rational side held like an angel barring an abnormally large flame covered sword.

It was telling the other side that staying calm was the best thing. That it needed to back off. That it meant it no harm, but if it didn't stay back it would smite it where it stood. "How long do we have, Bobby?" He looked over at him. Bobby's attention was on the road in front of them.

His expression seemed to be normal, but Sam noticed that his posture was stiff and his grip on the wheel was tighter than usual. He knew he was just as worried for Dean as he was. At first Sam didn't think he was going to respond and he didn't in a speaking words sense. He just gave a grunt of acknowledgement. If Sam hadn't of been so worried, he would've glared at him. As it was, the fact that Bobby was holding it together in that special gruff way that wasn't much different from his normal way of being made Sam relax slightly.

Sam's leg started to bounce involuntarily as he looked around, trying to get a feel for where they were so that he could estimate how far they were from Jodie's. They were moving too fast for him to properly see the endless amount of trees they were passing. The road was just road and asphalt, always looked the same, so that didn't do any good. Damn it! His leg started to bounce faster.

The sound of Castiel's voice made him jump and his leg stuttered in it's jerky movement.

"I can feel the tension radiating off of you from here," he ground out. When he spoke again, his tone was the same leveled tone he'd spoken to him in before, when he'd told him to not voice his worries aloud. "If I can sense it, he can sense it. For a wolf, feelings at a high level can become a tangible thing. You need to focus on keeping yourself calm."

Oh, Sam wanted to spin around and yell at him. He wanted to point his finger in his face and scream obscenities to his heart's content. Who the hell did this guy think he was? What the fuck had he done to his brother? He caught Bobby making glances at him out of the corner of his eye.

"What," he asked. He directed his focus inward. Stress and worry were rolling around inside of him like a freaking hurricane. He forced himself to take long, deep breaths. He imagined the oxygen spreading down the length of his limbs, through his muscles and he sighed in relief when he felt the tension start to leave his body.

/

Bobby eased the Impala next to the large Oak tree that held a tire swing in front of Jodie's cabin and cut the ignition. He leaned forward to peer around Sam. "There's Jodie," he said to him. "I'll go talk to her. You help bring Dean in."

Sam watched him make his way around the car, then turned to face Castiel. His brother was limp in his arms and he asked, "Is he asleep?"

Castiel looked down and he gave a small smile. "Yes. He's calmed down." He gently ran his fingers through his hair before looking back up at him. "I need to get him inside, though. He needs to be in an inclosed space, away from outside elements that could affect his temperament."

"Outside elements?" Sam scoffed. "You mean us." He pointed to himself, then flicked his arm out to indicate Bobby and Jodie.

His smile faded and his expression became infuriatingly neutral. "Yes." He sighed when he saw the shift in Sam's demeanor. "This isn't personal against you, Sam. Nor to Bobby."

"It's simply how it is. This wasn't supposed to happen, but I..." There was a slight crease under his left eye, then it was gone. Was that... regret? He'd made some kind of mistake and it had caused his brother to go into this... state? He didn't know what else to call it.

Sam was pissed. "What did you do to my brother you asshat?" The leather of the seat separating them made a sound of protest as he squeezed it.

Dean's head jerked slightly and his eyebrows drew together as he let out a tiny whimper. Sam's eyes widened and he ground his teeth as he glared at Castiel. Castiel had looked down at Dean at the same time Sam had and he glared just as hard back at Sam for disturbing his calm state. A knock at the window drew their attention. Bobby was pointing towards the house.

Watching a man smaller in build and height as Dean carry his brother across the yard like he weighed nothing baffled Sam. Once they were inside, Castiel set Dean down on the couch in the living room and started going through the rooms of the house.

Wide-eyed, Jody turned to Sam and Bobby and asked, "What's he doing?" She let out a small sarcastic noise. "Better yet, who is he, exactly. I mean, I know you said he was a friend, but ugh... something tells me you're leaving out a few important details."

Sam didn't feel like talking about any of it. Shrugging his shoulders, he turned and felt a pain in his gut at the sight of his brother who was curled up in a ball and still making those whimpering sounds. He went to him and knelt down on the floor by his head. Like he'd seen Castiel do, he gently ran his fingers through his hair. Dean tensed and buried his face in the couch cushion.

Was he afraid of him? Sam's eyes widened and he swallowed hard. "Dean," he whispered and he felt the first pin prick of the stinging unshed tears brings on. "It's Sam. Can you hear me?"

He had to be able to hear him or he wouldn't be reacting. Or maybe it was an instinctual thing. If Dean was whimpering, then whatever was going on with him had to have something to do with the way animals reacted to people. There were those animals that were skittish and never allowed a human to get near them and the thought of his brother in that category scared the crap out of him. What if Dean stayed like this?

The sound of heavy footsteps coming closer made him look up and Castiel was standing over him. He look determined as he leaned down and eased his hands underneath Dean's body. Pulling him close to his chest, he lifted him off the couch and over Sam's head. Sam watched him carry him around the corner and there was a loud thunk thunk sound that seemed to shrink in volume. Curious, he got up and went around the same corner he'd watched Castiel disappear around.

His eyes were wide in fascinated curiosity as he peered down a set of wooden steps that he'd known was there. He'd seen the wooden door that opened to reveal the staircase, but for some unknown reason he'd never thought to ask where it lead. Carefully, he made his way down the stairs. When he got to the bottom, he saw that Castiel had collected a few blanket and pillows before he'd come and got Dean. He was unfolding them and laying them on the clay floor. When he'd laid two blankets down, he used a third one to forms an arc across one side of them, then he used another one to do the same thing to the other side.

Sam watched in rapt attention as Castiel, then proceeded to fill the circular area between the arc of blankets with pillows. When he was done with that, he carefully placed Dean in the middle of the pillows. He took a step back in surprise when Castiel was suddenly standing in front of him.

"You need to leave now," he stated.

Sam glared, wanting to argue, but he knew that his brother needed Castiel's help and there was nothing constructive he could add to the situation. Sparing one last glance at his brother's prone form, he turned around and started back up the staircase.

/

Castiel didn't expect Sam to close the door at the top of the staircase, but he was glad when he did. It helped keep outside elements from reaching Dean's senses. He removed his coat, folded it up and set it aside. Next he removed the rest of his clothing, folding each piece up and setting them beside his coat. Carefully, he undressed Dean, folding and setting his clothing aside, as well.

The pups scent wasn't as bitter as it had been in the car and he was happy about that. Gently he began to work his fingers through his hair, then he moved to the muscles in his neck, down his back, his arms, his legs. When he got to his feet, he couldn't help, but smile as Dean started twitching. The pup was ticklish. Castiel scented the air again and his eyes grew heavy with happiness at the light warm smell he picked up. Dean was comfortable. There was still a tiny undertone of acidity that meant that Dean was still not completely content, though, but that was to be expected. He'd never shifted before, so his young nature was like a newborn child coming into the world for the first time. It had to get used to it's surroundings. It had to learn that it was being cared for and that it was safe.

Castiel stretched his body out behind Dean's, pulling him as close to him as possible. He nuzzled his face against his neck and Dean made a needy sound as he pushed his body back, seeking the warmth. Closing his eyes, Castiel projected his energy outwards and formed it into a security net, which he wrapped around Dean. It would work on his senses, letting him know on an instinctual level that he was safe and it would also alert Castiel to his state when he left him here. It wasn't long before Castiel felt him grow heavy.

He peered over him and his face was indeed relaxed with sleep. Carefully, he got up and used the last folded up blanket to cover him up with. He tucked it securely around him and redressing himself, he headed upstairs.

/

They all were sitting in the Living-room, Jodie having made them all cups of coffee.

"So, what you're saying," Bobby began. "is that Dean is like a baby wolf?"

"A pup, yes," Castiel said, tipping his head in a sharp nod of acknowledgement.

Sam had his arms crossed and he was sitting slouched on the middle cushion of the couch. "He said he did it by accident," he added.

Bobby looked at him, then back at Castiel. "What exactly did you do by accident?"

Regret instantly filled Castiel's face and he looked down for a few seconds. When his eyes found Bobby's again, he said, "I've been dormant for a long time. My social skills are a little rusty. I reacted on instinct, treating Dean like he was any other misbehaving pup. It was only after, that I realized what I'd done."

"He's a newborn. It was a mistake. He's ok, now, though."

Jodie took a sip of coffee and said, "What I'm not getting is this whole pup talk."

They all looked at her.

She made a face. "What? It's not like you're really making sense. I mean, all you said was Dean was in a bad way and that you needed to use my cabin to help him. That's very vague, then I meet this guy..." She pointed at Castiel. "...and he's kind of... different. You all start talking about wolves and pups and babies and I'm so lost." She leaned back in her chair.

Bobby grimaced. "Jodie, Castiel is a wolf. A shape shifter. Dean is a descendant of his kind."

Her face went blank. She puffed her lips out as she looked at the ceiling. The tension was thick as they waited for her to say something. When she spoke she didn't look angry, so Bobby counted that as a plus that she wasn't going to hand him his ass later for involving her in something like this. "Alright. Well, what now?"

"Now, I nurture Dean until he comes back to himself."

Sam uncrossed his arms and sat up, scooting closer to the edge of the seat. "When he comes back to himself, then what? Is this..." He struggled to get the rest of the sentence out, because he was angry and he was still unure how to phrase any of it. "Is it going to be possible for him to end up back in the state he's currently in?"

Castiel's expression hardened. "There will be times where Dean will need an Alpha to keep him out of trouble, but even if I dominate him again, his state won't be as severe and it won't last as long... unless I want it to."

"You said something about it lasting as long as you wanted when you first did this. I thought you meant that you could just make it stop. So, if you don't like him like this why aren't you making it stop now? What's different? Exactly what has gone wrong?"

Castiel blinked at him in confusion. "I told you, already. He's a newborn pup. This is his first time shifting. His human side and wolf side need to reconnect and until that happens he's going to remain this way."

"So, you have absolutely no control over it?"

He sighed. "Unfortunately, no. I'm sorry."

"Give the man a break, boy," Bobby said. "He's just doing his job. It's all going to be ok."

Sam's eyes flew to him. He stared at him, his heart rate speeding up, his breaths coming out in loud puffs. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore. He jumped to his feet and pointed at him. "You hid all of this for years," he angrily accused.

"Dean might not be in this position if you had of told us something." He threw his hands out. "Anything, but no. Dean almost dies at the cabin and then we come home only to have a stranger attack him, once again he's down for the count and he's a pup!" He laughed hysterically.

"A pup. A wolf. An animal baby. Dean isn't even human anymore. He's..." He wracked his fingers through his hair. He was shaking when he turned for the door. "I can't deal with this shit right now." Slamming the front door behind him, he started walking.

Bobby turned back around in his seat and said to Castiel, "He'll be alright. He's a little bit of a hot head. When he calms down he'll most likely feel like the jackass that he's making himself out to be. He's usually the rational one, but where his brother is concerned, not so much."

Nodding in understanding, Castiel said, "I understand. At one point in time, I would have done anything for my brother's, as well. It's the way family is supposed to be."

Bobby couldn't help, but note that Castiel had said 'at one point in time he would have done anything for his brothers', as in past tense. He planned on asking him about that later on down the road. At the moment, though they all had to focus on Dean's recover or growth or whatever the hell it was that was going on with him.

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