Mary hung up the phone, still chuckling. Hearing Dean so flustered was unusual.
She peeked into Cas's room, just to check on him. She frowned when she saw him tossing and turning. She hurried to his bedside, touching his forehead gently. The fever was back...
She tried to untangle him from the mess of blankets; cool him down. His eyes shot open, and he grabbed her arm.
"Dean?" His stare was unfocused.
"No, Castiel. It's Mary."
"Lucifer...another trick." Cas's words were slurred, but laced with panic. He pushed her away.
"Castiel! It's me!"
"It doesn't matter. I know...I know he hates me...you can stop now."
"Cas, whatever you're seeing, it's not real." She shook his shoulders.
"He could never want me." The angel whispered brokenly.
"Oh, sweetheart..." It was heart-wrenching; seeing him like this. Mary hurried to get another cool washcloth. They needed to get this fever down.
Two hours later, Dean pulled into the Bunker's garage. He and Sam hauled their gear inside, and Mary greeted them each with a hug. "I'm glad you're home safe." She said.
"Yeah. Are you doing okay, Mom? You look tired." Sam noticed.
"Oh, I'm fine." She assured. "Castiel had a rough night though. I stayed up with him, but I'm okay."
Dean frowned. "You should go take a nap or something. Last thing we need is for you to get sick too."
"I've been careful. Besides, my immune system is mom-strong."
Sam laughed. "I believe it. But you look exhausted. Go lay down for a bit. We're home now, we can keep an eye on Cas."
Mary had to stand on her tip-toes to kiss his cheek gratefully. "Thanks."
Dean was on his way to Cas's room, but Mary intercepted him. "Hey, aren't you supposed to be taking a nap?"
Mary chuckled. "That's my line!" But her smile quickly faded. "There's something I think you should know."
Dean felt a flutter of anxiety. "What?"
"I know you told me a little about the Darkness, and...Lucifer." She shook her head. "The Devil...that's still so crazy. Anyway, about how he was possessing Castiel?"
Dean nodded. "Yeah?"
"Earlier today his fever came back, he was pretty out of it...I think he was reliving that."
"Oh, no..."
"Yeah. I mean, imagine being possessed by something that powerful...we can't expect him to walk away from it without some kind of damage."
"But he's been fine, I mean he's pretty resilient."
"I think he's more human than you give him credit for." Mary said softly.
Dean had to admit, she was right. They often took him for granted; just assuming he was damn near invincible.
"I think Lucifer was telling him things, things that aren't true."
"Like what?"
"Well he was saying something along the lines of, 'I know he hates me, he could never want me,' things like that. He wasn't making much sense."
Dean felt his heart drop, and suddenly it all clicked.
His mother had apparently come to the same conclusion. "I just thought you should know. He's been through a lot. He told me about losing his family; how he doesn't feel like he fits anywhere. You and Sam should know this better than anyone, but a little reminder doesn't hurt."
"Thanks, Mom," Dean cleared his throat, trying to get rid of the lump. "Go get some rest."
She nodded. "Wake me up if you need me,"
Sorry about the short chapter. I reaaaaaallly need to watch the next episode of Supernatural lol. The next update will probably include an emotional scene between Dean and Cas. I'd really appreciate your input, how much Destiel do you guys want? Pre-Destiel, confessions of love? I mean how far should I go lol. Help me out here. Thanks guys!
