Author's Note: Thank you so so much for my feedback, darlings. I can not tell you how much I enjoy reading your thoughts after a chapter. Love you all to bits!

Dean opens his eyes and stares into the dark. He doesn't know what woke him up but something has him on edge. It's completely dark for one thing. He vaguely remembers that Cas knocked over and killed the lamp earlier but still... there should be moonlight through the blinds... or something...

"Cas?" he calls softly to his left.

He can feel him lying next to him, quiet… and Cas didn't sleep.

"Cas?!" Dean barks a little louder, feeling the sense of unease increase. He finally grunts rolls over.

"Ya know, if you keep calling me by another angel's name, I'm gonna kick you outta bed."

Dean jerks up and falls backwards off the bed onto his ass. He hears a snap and the lamp, that he knows is busted, switches on from where it's sitting innocently on the bedside table.

That trickster bastard, Gabriel, is lying there in a red and blue striped men's pajama set like he hopped out of a 1950s movie, slippers and all.

"Didn't break that noggin did ya big guy?" He folds his hands behind his head and grins that smug fucking grin. "If you didn't want to cuddle, all you had to do was say so."

Dean roughly yanks the sheet off the bed and wraps it around his waist, haphazardly. "What the fuck are you doin' here? And what'd you do with Cas?"

"Castiel?" Gabriel sits up on his elbows. "He's here? Or... there? Wait, did you just.." He scrunches his face pointing from Dean to the bed.

Apparently his new shade of beet red is answer enough.

"Ewww." Gabriel shivers exaggeratedly with a sound of feathers rustling and hops up out of the bed. "Too close for comfort."

Dean rounds the bed to confront Cas' brother.

"What the hell is going on? If you fucking hurt him-"

"Chill, He-man. He's back where you left him. You're dreaming."

Dean stops and frowns, considering. "You're doing the dream walk thing right now? Like that asshole, Uriel?"

"Yep." Gabriel hops up on the bed-rail at the end of the bed and perches like a gargoyle. Like Cas used to in his old bedroom. Though admittedly, it looks 20 times weirder in Gabriel's get-up.

"So… why?"

"Convo Time, Dean-a-reen-o."

Dean sighs. Loudly. He doesn't know of a way to kill this dick and the only weak spot he knew was Cas' weak spot.. and no matter how he joked, there was no way in hell he was touching Gabriel there. Thinking of that, he gets a flash of Cas writhing under him with his fingers wet and slick, buried in his feathers…

"Whoa… you and him are kinda kinky, huh?"

"Dude!" Dean growls. "No mind-reading!"

Gabriel puts his palms up in a sign of surrender and Dean resigns himself to sitting back on the bed up near the pillows. He puts a pillow on top of his lap for good measure.

"Comfy?"

"Just get this over with."

"No sense of foreplay. Poor Cas. Or is it the other way around? Don't answer that."

Dean closes his eyes and feels his jaw tick.

"Has he told you about Anael?"

He's about to say no but thinks for a second. "That his sister?"

Gabriel just stares at him.

"Just that she fell." Dean stopped just short of saying that Cas had said she was happy or that he'd visited her. He'd picked up along the way that it was a big no no to go popping in on one's fallen relatives.

Gabriel's face darks a little and he feathers ruffle again like he's settling. "Alright so story time, Kiddo. Let me tell you about Anna."

He opens his mouth then closes it and looks up at the ceiling like he's thinking. "Strike that. Better let me tell you about Cas."

Grunting, Dean says, "I know about Cas."

"Do you?" Gabriel stands straight up and walks along the thin rod frame that shouldn't be able to support his weight. "So I suppose you know he killed a certain demon that liked to hide out in cute little blonde girls?"

Dean sits up and tenses. "Lilith?!"

Gabriel just continues walking back and forth like he's pacing along the bed rail. "And of course you know he got you that fancy shmancy knife you're so proud of?"

"What?! But you-" He thinks back to how he supposedly killed him as the Trickster. "That was Cas? Cas put you up to that?"

"Yeah so you don't know much, huh Babycakes?"

Dean grits his teeth, wishing he had that knife right now to threaten this asshole with. It'd be something instead of having to sit here with basically only his dick in his hand to wait while Gabriel smirked at him. He was enjoying this. Dean didn't know what to think. Cas had killed Lilith. Cas had given him the weapon that saved his skin more times than he could count.

"Or best yet… why he isn't a fledgling right now?"

Gabriel's snide voice pulls him out of darker thoughts, Lilith cutting into his ankle that night. Dean shakes his head and asks, "What does that mean?"

Gabriel grins at him with a raised eyebrow until he yells, "Stop with the freaking foreplay already! Tell me what you came here to tell me, goddammit!"

Instead of making a sex joke like he expected, the angel seems serious in a way he hadn't seen before. Sadder.

"I'm only telling you this because when it ends… I'm the one that'll be here to pick him back up. After you're dust and bones, I'll comfort him when he's still mourning you."

Dean swallows and tries to relax even though his entire body was on edge.

"She used to call him Cas too, ya know. He was always kinda out of place. Even from the start, always asking 'why' when good little fledglings are supposed to say 'How may I serve?' Pissed Naomi off more times than-" Gabriel cuts off his snickering to say, "Let's just say it didn't make him the popular kid on the playground. Then little Anna found him and didn't mind his questions. She had questions too and they were too weird peas in a pod."

He shakes his head and smiles remembering. Dean knows the bad part has to be coming. After a long minute he continues like he never paused. "So she matures first… she's allowed to mingle with the hairless apes. And she does. For longer and longer. Until one day she stands at the edge of Heaven…" Gabriel face is smiling but it's dark, ugly. "..And we're holding Castiel back.. and she swan dives right into humanity."

After a moment of silence, where the gravity of that moment sinks in, Gabriel continues.

"See after Anna leaves.. pretty euphemism for falling… She's off the map. Sayonara, Sister. We act as if she never existed but for poor Cas… well he lost the second pea to his weird pod."

"Geez." Dean winces, envisioning Cas having to watch that.

"Yep." Gabriel makes the word pop. "But it's her choice. So one moment baby bro is hovering on the edge of adulthood then... nothing. Just like that. He loses the will. Sits for decades, just staring at the edge of Heaven like Anna will fly on back up one day."

"What happened?"

"Well, I always had a soft spot for our little Castiel. I end up nagging Michael to let him come down with me a few times. Take a look around. See the sights. Give humanity a little look-see." Gabriel crouches down again in his gargoyle position. "Really I think it was the chance to see Anna again that made him agree."

"You knew he'd go find her and you were… cool with that?"

Gabriel raises one eyebrow and tilts his head. "He's my brother."

That stark statement made Dean respect this guy just a little bit more. Disobeying the rules and all the bullshit their way of life is built on because he cared for Cas. He could understand doing anything for a brother.

"Anyhoo," Gabriel claps. "Fast forward. He stays with us down here. He trains hard, goes a few rounds with the other side, and he's even allowed to observe as long as he doesn't interfere.

"But Cas came-"

"Yeah you know this part, huh? Our Cas doesn't just observe does he?" Gabriel squints at him and he locks his jaw so he doesn't squirm under the weight of those ancient eyes. "See but we didn't know that yet. All's we know is that one day he comes back and does this funny thing."

"Yeah? What's that?" Dean says as neutral as possible.

"He smiles."

Dean blinks.

"Yeah you may not get how big a deal that was but for him… then…"

Dean thinks back to the way Cas always had the weird blank face when he first met him. It made him look even more apart from humanity. He remembered knowing right away something was different about him.

"So of course being the responsible, caring brothers me and Balthazar are, we tail him one day. You'll never guess where he went."

Dean shrugs.

"The cutest little three story you'd ever seen."

"What, my house?"

"Bingo. He disappears inside for hours, and then comes back to us like nothing happened."

Dean looks away trying not to blush. He'd remembered one particular time when him and Cas had been very out in the open with their groping…fuck stop thinking about it!

"Yeah we saw you humping against the tree."

"Fucking seriously!" Dean closes his eyes and lets his head fall back. Angelic fucking Pervs.

"Relax. No matter how much Balthazar wanted to stay, we left when it was apparent how…" he stops to chuckle, "close you two were."

Dean sighs through his nose and resigns to be the color of a tomato for the entirety of this visit.

"So naturally, we needle him about it until he admits he befriended a human. Right about the time Balthazar was making pretty colorful hand gestures; Uncle Uriel pops up and crashes the party."

"Wait, Chuckles roughed me up in that dream way before the uh tree thing."

"Getting to that. Apparently, he already knew about Cas' nightly excursions. Michael too. They'd had their own little pow wow with Cas and told him to leave you the fuck alone... paraphrasing of course. So you can imagine the shit storm we had to endure when he realized Cas was still going out of bounds for his favorite guilty pleasure."

"And he got in trouble because of me. Again." Dean frowns. Hating this story.

"Let's just say he was told to get in line. After that they kept him busy and his visitor's pass was revoked. No more humans. They were worried Cas might be high risk for… well you know."

"Cas wouldn't have done that. You shoulda heard him talk about it… like it was some awful disgrace."

Gabriel stretches, pointing his toes then slumps down again, "Love makes fools of us all, Dean-o."

Dean scrunches his face at that thought. The glib way Gabriel threw it out there, it was obvious he meant it as a joke. But still it distracted him into almost missing the next part.

"They trained him hard after that, kept a close eye on him but I still knew he'd slip away eventually. That's when he started changing."

"You mean…"

"The signs were there. Who woulda thought some teen America reject could be the cure."

Dean sits ups straighter. "What are you saying?"

"He was stunted, Dean-o. Wasn't moving forward and didn't give a shit about it. He might never have grown into his feathers... except he found some corn-fed Kansas boy to go get doey-eyed over." Gabriel waggles his finger at him. "You let him move on."

Dean's head hurts just thinking that their innocent angst-ridden fumbling around when he was 16 could have had that effect on an angel. "What do you want from me?"

"I'm just telling you this so you know. Losing Anna, then you…it did a number on him."

"What am I supposed to do?"

Locking his jaw, Gabriel cocks his head and gives him a hard look. "Well I was going to suggest leaving him the fuck alone but that ship has sailed, huh?"

Dean stares at the sheet fisted in his hand and thinks hard about the shit-ton of info Gabe just dumped on him. How lonely Cas had to be after his sister decided to slum it with the apes and how he might have had a part in helping him move on.

"Just try not to screw him up any more than you already did, Barbie."

Without looking at him, Dean tiredly whispers, "I said not to call me-"

SNAP!

Dean jerks away and sits straight up. It's dark again but not pitch-black like the first time. He turns to his left quickly.

"Cas!"

But the beds empty.

Castiel does as expected.

He went on his patrol, watched over an exorcism and returned to report as he was supposed to. The area in which they were responsible, seemed curiously quiet of demonic presence, but he doesn't think on it long. Michael listened, nodding solemnly while he spoke and seemed softer as he dismissed him. His brothers gave him room as he passed, most likely thinking he was still brooding over the human he was banned from. Secretly, he was fighting very hard not to break out into a full grin. He'd only left Dean a few short hours ago and his mind replayed every detail.

Surely they could see the difference in him? This odd new feeling of completeness must be radiating. It set his feathers twitching on end and warmth swelling behind his sternum. But no. Apparently, he managed to remain outwardly devoid of emotion.

As soon as he was able, he left their presence and kicked off into the air, letting his exuberance loose as he swooped and gave into the winds pushing against his feathers. All too easily, memories of Dean raking his fingers through them had him responding against his will. Mid-flight as he pushed higher and higher, flashes of the previous night would hit him. Dean tracing his scars, touching the intimate spot under his wing that no other had, or the sound he made when Castiel had taken him in his mouth. He wishes they could have repeated the night over and over until he learned all of Dean's special noises… but it was done.

He had to remind himself of that fact several times already but inevitably he would be drawn back to softer thoughts. Or of Dean's thoughts the previous night. It was an invasion but he couldn't stop if he wanted to. He had needed to know what Dean felt. Just at that moment when he had never felt more vulnerable. Dean had carelessly asked if it was insufficient, teasing him in his way… but to Castiel, it had been everything. And selfishly, he needed to know if it had been everything for him too or even close. Instead, he only heard Dean's doubts, swirling within his head.

He met Uriel at their nest after his last patrol, reported no altercations besides the earlier demon that a human priest had been successful in banishing, then he left as soon as possible. Uriel had been squinting at him in distrust and if he lingered, he would betray himself. But he was free once more… perhaps he would go back to Dean. Just to see him again, he wouldn't let Dean know he was there. Just for a few moments. Or perhaps only go in to ask how he was feeling. Just talk for a short while. Would it be appropriate to kiss him again in greeting? Most likely not. But humans kissed each other for all manner of reasons. Surely, it would be acceptable to- maybe he should wait and see how Dean receives him.

As Castiel emerges from the tree disguising their nest, his brother's voice startles him.

"Hey, Bro!"

He spins and sees Gabriel rounding the other side of the tree. "Hello." He offers a small smile and keeps walking, hoping to take off quickly. Gabriel knew him better than the rest. He would-

"Going back to your boy toy?"

Castiel stops walking away, feeling himself flush. He stares ahead.

"You know what you're doing?"

He turns and sees the weariness along with his brother's ever present sly smile.

"Not particularly," Castiel admits, realizing he had fully intended to go right back to the human he wouldn't see again after the next few days.

Gabriel shakes his head. "Well Crowley meet tonight. Maybe give Dean-o some sleep before, huh? I'm sure you wore him out."

Castiel frowns, knowing better to ask how he knew. Instead he tries, "I wasn't going to him. It was just once."

Gabriel grabs his arm as he braces to take off. "Don't play a player."

After staring at one another for a moment, Castiel looks away and asks, "Are you going to tell them?"

He releases his arm and sighs. "You're an idiot sometimes." When he just seems confused, Gabriel clarifies. "No."

That's good. At least. His heart still hammered at the knowledge that Gabriel knew and that they were talking about it openly this close to the ones that could ruin it so easily. Inside their nest, they wouldn't be able to hear the words, but still it made his stomach turn.

"He'll be gone soon." Castiel says the words evenly and he's glad for that.

"I know that. Do you?"

Feeling a pang at the thought of Dean leaving, he can't calmly stand here and discuss it any further. He pushes off the ground and away from this talk without answering.

Dean is reading through an old book. Talking on his phone. Eating greasy food from a container. Castiel smiles as he watches. It feels just like all those years he spent doing this. As if Dean never forced him to appear a few days ago. As if they didn't spend the night together. As if he didn't know what it felt like to lie next to him as he slept.

Would this be his future? Standing outside a window all of this man's life until one day he didn't react quickly enough or was too old continue? What other choice did he have?

He hadn't let himself think about it once since Dean had asked it last night. Not once… But watching Dean close his eyes and rub his temples, he thinks about it now. Falling. Could he fall? Like Anna before him. Abandon the purpose given to him by a father he'd never met. Let himself become frail and old, even die. But Dean would be there too... if he would have him. He would age along with Dean. Possibly become a Hunter. Shoot human weapons. No. He would fare better with his sword. He'd sleep in temporary residences, sit in Dean's car for hours, travel only by his feet, eat burgers like the one Dean left him once…

Stop This! He needed to stop this useless fantasizing. He wouldn't entertain those thoughts again. They were dangerous and painful and pointless.

He left soon after before he gave into the temptation of letting Dean see him.

Dean, for his part, had spent the majority of the day on the phone with Bobby and any hunters in or around Nevada trying to pin-point where his dad had last landed. Apparently, there'd been no word or sign of John Winchester after he hit the state line. Dean had taken to calling the local sheriffs of every town in the state, seeing if maybe he'd been picked up under an alias and was still in processing. As far as they could tell he wasn't in the FBI's system or in any hospital either. Finally, he called on a few other sketchier sources but couldn't get a hit. It was a long and frustrating process that ended with no pay off.

In the moments in between, amongst the growing dread and white noise, his mind would always drift to Cas. Soft memories of fever-hot skin, a wet mouth, dark blue eyes, hands touching-

He had to focus. Focus. Focus. Focus. Crowley meet up was tonight. He had to try and figure out a way to get Charlie's soul back and still get the info about Alastair. Who knew how it would go down with that slimy prick.

He hangs up the phone again after another dead end and rubs his temples. He had a bitch of a headache.

And just like that, he was back to thinking about Cas. Or more like all the crap Gabriel had unloaded on him in that dream. The rest of the night he'd laid awake trying to think back to times when he felt like someone was watching him. Imagining Cas just out of sight. He'd killed Lilith. And helped him by getting him the knife. And he was almost sure now Cas had saved him several times. Like once when a werewolf suddenly stopped chasing him… just disappeared behind him. Or when the dust cleared after a big fight, there had been less bodies than he knew there were bad guys when they'd attacked.

The longer the day wore on, the more he couldn't wait to see him. Grew hungrier for him. It helped him push down all the worry over his missing dad or what would happen tomorrow. After getting a glimpse of the how much he'd affected Cas… well he wanted to see him very much.

Dean takes a shower to relieve the tension. Jerking off thinking of the previous night. Feeling aches and sore in new places as evidence. Cas sucking him, touching him everywhere, holding him in place as he pushed into him just like Dean had done with too many women to count.

Only after he finishes, puffing out a breathe to steady his heartbeat, does he think about Cas telling him he was beautiful. Stupid really. He's supposed to be a hard as nails, swearing, drinking, womanizing hunter… but an angel stroking his scars and calling him that had him staring at the bathroom tiles until the water turned cold.

That night, it's almost 10 and he still hasn't shown up. The angels never gave him a time when they'd show. He's fully dressed, gun under the pillow as he drifts in and out of consciousness waiting for Cas to come. He imagined sometime before twelve. Why'd it have to be freaking midnight? It made Dean uneasy. Lotta bad shit went down around midnight. They didn't call it the "witching hour" for nothing.

Since he hadn't been able to sleep after Gabe's dream and before that he was getting biblical with an angel, he can't quite help just resting his eyes a bit.

He dreams of warm skin rubbing along his. Hands grabbing his hips, tugging him closer. Teeth and tongue and lips… then it morphs into when he was younger. Cas was younger too. Dean's sucking his neck against a tree and getting turned on. He has to remember not to be. This is wrong. This is wrong. Cas turns them and presses him into the bark this time. Showing him what he learned. This is wrong. Cas shifts against him and he feels sparks of pleasure in his jeans. This is wrong. Cas pants and sounds unsure and Dean's telling him it's okay. He lets it happen and god it's happening but fuck, this is wrong...

"Dean."

He jerks violently awake, reaching for his gun until a strong hand grabs his arm.

"Dean! Stop." Cas takes hold of his other arm and holds him down until he blinks and realizes where he is. Who he's with.

Cas still hasn't let him go but tilts his head. They're close. He's here. Finally.

"Are you okay? I came to-"

Dean surges up to ram their mouths together, twisting his head to rub their lips. Still holding him down, Cas' hands spasm then loosen as he cautiously returns the kiss. As soon as Cas starts pulling away to sit back, Dean follows and grabs his face, getting on his knees.

Cas turns his head and gasps so Dean follows his jaw to that sweet spot on his neck and bites him, getting a little spark along his tongue and he chases the feeling.

Breath stuttering, Cas asks, "What are you doing?"

Mouthing over his throat and cupping the back of his neck to keep him in place, Dean smiles into his skin. "Marking." He licks and sucks harder while Cas makes a small, deep moan. "You remember marking, right?"

His fingers tighten on Dean's arms but he doesn't push him away.

"Dean. We-we can't..."

"Don't even tell me you don't want this." He pants into his warm neck. "I know you want to. I can goddamn feel it." He kisses him again. Harder. Forcing Cas to keep up before pulling away to say, "I feel you..."

"Dean, please." Cas rolls his eyes back when he strokes him through the leather. "This is not the time."

"When is it ever the time?" He shoves him back and follows Cas down, grinding against his front without reservation. Jesus, he feels so damn good.

Cas makes a dark noise in the back of his throat and closes his eyes, gripping his hips too hard.

"Fuck… yeah, like that." He groans when Cas' stiffness slides along his in just that perfect way. Dean bends down to bite the crook of his neck and suck skin in between his teeth to worry. Harder. So even if they never do this again... Cas will remember.

"Uhh Dean!" he pants, pushing up into him with purpose to make that amazing friction.

"Yeah... yeah, Cas… uhh.."

KNOCK KNOCK

A sharp pound on the door almost makes him fall off the bed but Cas catches him.

"Do you want to have the demon chat after you fuck like bunnies, then?" that dick with wings Balthazar calls out.

He looks down with open-mouthed horror at Cas in confusion and embarrassment.

"That's what I was trying to tell you," he sighs in aggravation while sitting up on his elbows. "I am not alone."

Dean lets out a short bark laugh and glares down at him. "Yeah, well try harder next time."

He can't stay mad, even though he's frustrated as hell. Cas stares up at him... well at his mouth and he's still sitting on top of his lap.

"So I should probably get off you."

Cas swallows and says, "Probably," but then pushes his hands into the mattress to stretch up closer anyway.

"That was a 'Yeah', Princess. Get off him." Gabriel calls this time.

"Fucking Superman hearing."

He mutters and gives Cas a last heated look before shifting off him onto the floor. He stomps into the bathroom and splashes cold water onto his face until he can get his body under control. When he gets out, Cas is waiting by the door for him. After he grabs his jacket, keys and wallet, Dean blows out a breath and yanks it open.

His two favorite dicks with wings are sitting on the hood of his baby.

"Hey! Ass off the car!"

Balthazar looks up. "Oh sorry. Thought you'd be longer." Both step down leisurely. "You humans have no lasting power. Poor Cassie."

"Cute."

Cas closes the door and comes to stand next to Dean, who starts to say, "So what's the-"

"Oh wow." Balthazar starts chuckling for some reason and Gabriel isn't far behind him.

"What?"

"Ignore them," Cas says, glaring at them.

Dean scowls from him to the amused angels.

Gabriel claps his back. "You reek, Barbie."

"Huh?"

"Humans don't usually come in contact with our wings." Cas says, stiffly.

"Okay… what does that mean?"

Gabriel smirks and says, "Well let's just say it's obvious our boy Cas didn't spend the night wrestling with demons."

Dean feels his skin flush, knowing he apparently smelled like Cas or whatever. What the fuck was that about? And now they're both looking at him and snickering and Cas puts a hand on his shoulder like he needed comfort or some shit. The urge to shoot one of them in the foot is like a happy fantasy. It wouldn't kill them after all.

"Great. Anyway, can we go fucking meet with a demon already?"

Cas steps towards him.

"In the goddamn car, please?!" Dean starts stomping past them towards the Impala. He'll be damned if Cas is gonna carry him thousands of feet up while those two crack jokes. He gets in, slams the door and waits. After a few clipped words from Cas he can't hear over the growl of his engine, all the angels take a seat in the car. Cas gets shotgun. He was surprised Balthazar and Gabe came with him instead of flying but didn't show it.

Dean backs out and pulls into the sparse late night traffic. "Okay, where's this cemetery?"

Gabriel leans over the seat and gives directions to a graveyard about 150 miles away. Apparently what only took Gabriel a few minutes to warp speed fly, took the Impala two hours to cover. His stomach churned just thinking about it. Another reason he was happy to be covering the distance on the ground… even if it was damned slow in comparison.

The angels in the back seemed bored and frequently complained about the cramped space but Dean just turned Rush up higher. Cas seemed content though he shifted every once in a while like he was trying in vain to get comfortable. Dean didn't really look at him too often. It was hard not to concentrate on the parts of his body he knew pretty intimately now or memories from last night and with angels probably listening in... Unbidden, he focuses on Cas' mouth for just a moment and that's all it takes.

"Can you please refrain from vivid fantasizes of our brother giving you head while we're in the car?" Balthazar smiles at him politely in the mirror.

Cas looks at him startled, before looking out the window, trying to hide the way his lips are curling up in satisfaction.

"Stay the fuck outta my head if you don't like the show," Dean calls over his shoulder, smiling back sweetly.

As he turns back, Cas looks at him and it's a little hotter. A little darker.

Dean tries not to look his way again the rest of the time. It would be really freaking embarrassing to have a hard on when he got out.

Finally, they pull up a little after midnight and all the angels immediately pour out, stretching comically and making shivering motions with their back. Feathers ruffling fill the air as they get re-adjusted.

Dean takes a quick look around. Nothing stirs, only the dead resting. Clear night, no fog or cloudy skies covering the moon like in a monster movie... that had to be a good omen right?

"He didn't show?" he asks, walking forward into the cemetery and squinting down the rows of tombstones.

Cas steps beside him and spins slowly. "No, he's here." Gabriel and Balthazar spread out to their sides and search the darkness too, hands on blades at their sides.

"Didn't think you could fit a blade in pants those tight," Dean throws back towards Balthazar.

"You'd be amazed what I can fit in these pants," Balthazar smirks as he scans the shadows.

"Focus, kids." Gabriel says, staring ahead at Crowley who suddenly just appears before them.

"Well hello, Boys. Nice night for a rendezvous." He raises an eyebrow at them as they each hold their blades higher and Dean steps a little closer. Bowing his head, he paces slowly like he isn't concerned in the least at being outnumbered and out-gunned.

"So glad you could make it. And with all your extremities attached even."

"No thanks to your royal prickness." Dean grips the hilt of his knife harder. "Start talkin' or I'm taking out one more demon."

"Did the whole angel brigade have to come? We couldn't just chat as friends?"

Balthazar makes a "pfftt" noise and Dean asks, ""Considering your stunt last time? Think I need the back-up."

Crowley nods. "And what if I said I'd only talk to you? Alone. Without the holy trinity."

"No." Cas says it with his voice so low it's almost painful to hear.

"Even if I promise not to kill him?"

Before Dean can answer that, Cas steps forward into Crowley's space.

"I will destroy you right now if you suggest it again."

Crowley turns to Dean and it's apparent he's rattled by the cold venom in Cas' expression. "Calm your boyfriend, will you? Obviously he's the dominant one. "

When Cas seems to snap out of his menacing stance and step back, Crowley notices. He tilts his head at him, watching him actually blush before looking away.

"Oh ho, well that's rich. Something's changed since our last little get together."

Dean huffs and tries to move past it. "Look, I don't know what you're talking about but-"

"Been touched by an Angel, eh?"

Gritting his teeth, Dean says, "Yeah and you're about to be stabbed by a Hunter."

Crowley gestures towards Cas' neck and laughs. "And a hickey? My, my, what are you 14?"

"He's 23," Balthazar offers, smirking at Cas.

Gabriel twirls his blade, clearing his throat to stifle his own laugh. "Alright, enough stalling. Get to the main event."

"Fine, deny me my banter. Have you heard of the Prophecy of the Righteous Man?"

Gabriel stops twirling abruptly and Crowley grins at him.

"Care to clue the rest of the class in?" Balthazar glibly asks.

"The Morning Star," Gabriel says softly, suddenly looking right at Dean with a suspicious frown.

The two other angels flinch in recognition.

"Bingo." Crowley bows his head coyly, continuing to pace again. "And it is written, He that halts the rise of the Morning Star will also offer the key to his cage."

"Okay?" Dean raises an eyebrow looking at Cas who's face has gone stony. "What the hell's this star got to do with anything?"

Crowley shakes his head. "Kids today."

"Dean, Morning Star is another name for Lucifer," Cas informs him, frowning.

"Lucifer? Seriously? As in the devil?"

He's so not getting what everyone's beating around the bush about. What has Cas on edge and both pain in the ass angels quiet. He'd always thought the devil was a myth made up by demons.

"Go on. Tell him the rest. Get it all out." Gabriel says, staring at Crowley.

"No." Cas clenches his jaw.

"As the Son of this righteous man breathes his last breath-"

"I said, No!" Cas growls, grabbing Crowley by the tie and shirt collar.

"So shall He take his first on Earth." Gabriel finishes behind him.

"You lost me. He who? He the devil?"

Cas shoves Crowley away and starts to pace now, blade out.

Crowley seems to be enjoying all their reactions. "It means, darling, you have to die to let Lucifer free. They've mapped out the time, the place and your number's about up."

"So we just kill him now and we're good, right?" Balthazar says but throws up his hands in surrender when Cas gives him a deadly look. "Sorry, sorry."

Dean can't really wrap his head around some ancient prophecy talking about him. "Why me?"

Crowley shrugs. "Ask the great absent one if you seen 'em. Isn't he always asking someone's son to die? Bit bloodthirsty, isn't he?"

"This is their endgame? Unlocking the devil's cage? I thought these things took centuries or whatever for everything to line up right and shit." Azazel had went on about it that night his mother died but he doesn't really want to mention that night here and now.

"Usually they do. The next one isn't due for a millennia. They have this one last chance to make good on their promises to the all-powerful trapped one. Just imagine how coveted your presence will be." He steps closer to Dean. "Round two, Game Match. Everything's falling into place. They've already sent their demon henchman out to gather the sordid ingredients."

Looking at Cas and smirking, he says, "And eventually, they'll come to their last one."

Dean sighs. "Me."

"You." Crowley turns back to him.

"So why haven't I seen more black-eyes out searching for me? Don't seem to be in any hurry."

"What makes you think they don't know exactly where you are?" Crowley raises his eyebrows in a smug expression before asking, "Or maybe they think you'll come to them."

"How's that?"

"Dean, we should leave," Cas says suddenly.

He looks from him to Crowley. "No, how's that? Why would I-"

"Dean, please. This demon isn't going to help-"

"Now now, Castiel. He's a big boy. See, the prophecy only says Son and correct me if I'm wrong, but your daddy had two boys, no?"

"Sam!" he gasps before he can stop himself.

"Now you're getting it."

Dean lunges but Castiel puts out an arm to hold him back. He practically spits in Crowley's face as he yells, "You fucking bastard! "

"And where do you fall in all this?" Gabriel calmly says behind him.

"Glad you asked." He plucks his jacket from Dean's hands and tries to smooth it. "Bloody barbarian."

"I would start talking," Castiel says, holding a hand to Dean's sternum to keep him from charging again.

"All I was supposed to do is lay the cards down and let you know the score as it were… but I wanna up the ante."

"Oh, this should be good." Balthazar folds his arms.

"Regime change. Alastair and Azazel… they're from another era. Stuck in the old ways. Now if I go tell them you're a good little dog and will give up without a fight, then I give your angel bodyguards the when and where…"

"You don't know where Sam is," Dean realizes aloud.

Crowley pauses. "Don't we?"

"No, you don't. I'm a hell of a lot more hassel. If you had him, you wouldn't need me."

Crowley continues and Dean knows he's right by the way he lost a little of that smugness. He can relax just a fraction. "So they call up their angel armies, stop the rise, keep Dean topside, and take out some nasty pieces of work in the process. Everybody wins."

"You left out that you'll take over Hell." Gabriel folds his arms now too.

"Well I'm nothing if not ambitious."

"So you'd help us?" Dean asks with distrust.

"No I'd give you a few pieces of information. The rest is up to you and your heavenly helpers."

Dean takes a minute to consider then asks, "Have you heard anything about my father?"

"Sorry?"

"John Winchester. The Righteous Man or whatever bullshit. They… they get em?"

Crowley sneers but simply says, "Not that I'm privy to. So are we done? You go home, act natural, I'll ring you when it's time and you pray at your angel, okay? Everyone's happy."

Dean nods but then remembers. "Wait! Charlie."

"Now who's this then?"

"Charlie Bradbury. About my age. Redhead. Yea high." Dean raises his hand up as he walked closer. "You snatched her soul in a demon deal."

"Oh right. Poor mama didn't last as I understand it. I should send her a card."

"Keep the card. Give her back her soul."

"Well... since you asked nicely."

Dean straightens. "Really?"

"Of course not!" Crowley yells it. "Who are you to come asking for a soul from me?! That's my bread and butter, Sunshine. I'm giving you a hell of a lot of help at great risk to my own person."

"Yeah you're such a saint." Dean stands his ground as Crowley seems to fume at the presumption.

Sighing out through his nose like he's working to calm himself, Crowley looks up and says, "I'll just go tell them you passed on the deal then shall I? Let them concentrate their efforts on finding the other Winchester boy." He makes as if to walk away.

Dean glances at Cas' tense expression and knows they're out of options. "Stop."

Crowley sighs and turns back with an oily grin. "Good. Now if we're quite finished… "

"No. We're not. We don't even know when this is going down."

"You'll know when I know. Azazel's not back in town yet."

"Tell me where Alastair is."

"So you can go tearing after him and blow the whole thing early? No thank you. We need both of them taken out. Be a patient pup and wait for my signal."

Dean stiffens to threaten him but its Cas that steps forward. "If you betray us again, Demon, I'll carve out your heart."

"Now Castiel, its poor taste to flirt in front of your boyfriend."

With a gust of wind, he's gone.

"Well he's barrel of laughs." Balthazar flips his blade absently while they turn to walk back towards the road.

Balthazar and Gabriel talk quietly while Dean and Cas say their goodbyes on the other side of the car.

Even leaning against the Impala's side, Cas seems tense, staring out at the cemetery they were just hashing out a plan with a demon in.

"It'll be alright, ya know." He glances up at Cas who just continues staring ahead. That prophecy shit kinda shook him a little too but he doesn't want to think about it. What's some dead prophet know about him anyway? "It's just words. Doesn't mean-"

"It's a prophecy, Dean! About your death letting Lucifer out. Nothing is alright." He fists his hands at his sides and vibrates with anger.

"Hey. Listen to me. You'll go give your angel buddies the info, they'll come in like the cavalry, there's nothing to worry about."

Cas nods but still with that frown.

"So, last night…" Dean drops his hand at his side between them, casually.

That does the trick. Cas' expression breaks a little and his lips twitch, close to a smile. "Yes. Last Night."

Looking straight ahead also, Dean shifts in place and says, "It was nice." Everything sounded lame inside his head. Nice? It was fucking amazing and he's still kind of in awe of the whole thing. But this was new territory. Complicated. Usually, once it was over he was looking for his shoes. He didn't even know how to ask for more. If he should. If Cas wanted to. Fuck, just talk.

"Maybe we could…" Dean doesn't know why he feels like a nervous virgin but he touches Cas' fingers cautiously by his side so that it could be a mistake if he wasn't into it.

Cas smiles and checks over his shoulder that his brothers are busy bickering. He laces their fingers and turns so he's very close.

"Yes, Dean?"

Dean smiles, knowing Cas is playing with him now. "I think you know what I'm talking about."

Cas opens his mouth then glances away again to their distracted audience.

"I don't believe I do."

Dean rubs a thumb over Cas' and says, "Read my mind."

He thinks of them back at the motel. This time his brothers aren't just on the other side of the door. He thinks of them in that exact position but without clothes on. Dean straddling him, Cas thrusting into him. Dean biting his neck and making a darker, angry mark. Rocking over him harder. Faster. Deeper.

Cas' eyes widen and he licks his lips as Dean leans a little closer and reaches forward to cup his neck, dragging a finger over the stupid hickey.

"Hey, Lover Wings!" Gabriel's voice intrudes on their moment and they both take a step back. "We need to get back to Michael and report. Remember the whole Lucifer getting sprung from his cage problem-o?"

Both Gabriel and Balthazar come around the side of the car. "Keep us in the loop, Barbie. No going off cowboy-style and screwin' this up."

"Yeah, I'll pray to Cas-"

"You'll pray to all of us," Gabriel corrects.

Cas seems annoyed by that but nods. Then it's apparent that this is the moment when he should leave but he doesn't move. After a second of Dean and him staring at one another, his brothers get impatient and each take an arm and fly off with him. He's left alone in an empty cemetery 2 hours away from his hotel. Maybe he should have let Cas fly him here. At least then they would have been close for a little while before he left. And with that sappy thought, Dean sighs and looks up.

Come back if you can. Dean prays it towards that dark sky above him. Not knowing where they stood. What would happen. He just knew he wanted to see Cas again.

As he turns and unlocks the Impala's door, he hears a soft thud and rustle of feathers.

He spins and sees it was Cas that dropped back down behind him.

"What?"

Cas' fingers reach around to the back of his head and kisses him hard, practically pressing him into the car with his body. Before he fully knows what's going on, Dean snakes an arm up his back and holds him close, giving back as good as he's getting.

When he pulls back, Cas gives him a warm smile. "I will."

Kissing him quickly once more, he releases Dean and shoots up into the air.