Dean lay still, holding his fallen angel in his arms. He didn't want to get up, but Sam was waiting for them. He held Cas a little tighter and pressed his lips in his soft hair; it smelled like green apple shampoo. He felt Cas plant a wet kiss in the hollow of his throat and smiled.
"Dean?" asked Cas.
"Yeah?"
Cas gazed up at him looking a little embarrassed. Blush was spreading on his cheeks, making his single freckle stand out. He didn't want to ask, but he wanted to know for sure what this meant for them, and he was fairly certain that this was proper relationship etiquette.
"Does this mean that we are... together?"
Dean paused for a beat and then laughed. Castiel's face fell and he looked down, embarrassed. Dean stopped quickly, realizing his mistake.
"Hey, don't look like that Cas. I wasn't laughing at you." He pressed his lips to Castiel's gently, trying to reassure him with his touch. His angel's lips were warm and slightly chapped; they felt amazing. He pulled away slightly to murmur against his mouth.
"Yeah, we're together Cas, if that's what you want."
Cas nuzzled his hunter, happiness blossoming through his body. "It's what I want more than anything."
Dean didn't answer in words. He just pressed their lips together, reveling in the fact that this amazing man was his. They kissed lazily, happy and content until they heard Sam again.
"Dean, come on man!"
They broke apart reluctantly and straightened themselves out as much as they could before leaving the bedroom. When they entered the kitchen, Sam looked them both up and down. He took in their disheveled appearance, eyes dawning in comprehension. Dean shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot until Cas cleared his throat.
"Sam, Dean has agreed to shelter the fallen angels."
Sam's gaze pierced his big brother for a few more seconds before looking away and walking wordlessly to the supply closet for spell ingredients.
Sam, Dean, Cas, and Crowley stood in the same room where they had performed the cleansing ritual on Sam. The fire pit had been cleared out and refilled with logs; there was a table filled with the necessary ingredients nearby. The others stood back and watched as Cas began the ritual.
The former angel lit the fire and began throwing sacred herbs into it, chanting in Enochian.
"GASSAGEN OL OIAD,"
His face was perfectly blank as he focused. He threw a gnarled root into the blaze.
"NOASMI OL OIAD NIIS OD BLANS,"
Cas picked up a knife from the table and cut his palm deeply, wincing at the pain. He held his bleeding hand over the fire, squeezing blood into the inferno and completed the incantation,
"OADRIAX GEMEGANZA OL."
The flames blazed brighter and erupted skyward in a jet before extinguishing, leaving only fragrant smoke behind. Dean was at Castiel's side in a flash, a first aid kit in his grasp, examining his bleeding hand tenderly.
"It is done," said Cas, looking at the others. "The beacon will be effective up to one hundred miles away. It's not as far as I would like, but if any angels are near, they will sense it, and they will come."
"Did you have to cut this so deep, Cas? You're bleeding all over the place." Dean frowned as he tried to staunch the flow of red liquid.
"Sometimes I forget I can't heal myself," said Cas quietly; his eyes were fixed on his hunter.
He watched, glowing with adoration as Dean finished bandaging the cut, his thumb rubbing soothing circles into the back of his hand. Sam and Crowley exchanged a look, eyebrows raised; Crowley cleared his throat loudly.
"So, mate, what now?"
Dean flushed at the other's scrutiny. Castiel answered, "We need to make preparations. We do not know if or when an Angel will arrive, or how many will come."
"Right then. Let's hop to it," said Crowley. He and Cas walked out of the room. Dean started to follow, but Sam gripped his arm, stopping him. Cas and Dean exchanged a look; Dean nodded and Cas shut the door gently, leaving the brothers alone.
"So, you and Cas, huh?" Sam cocked his head to the side, watching his brother closely.
Dean's eyes hardened and his chin tilted up in defiance; it was his natural reaction when he felt threatened.
"Yeah. Me and Cas. You got a problem with that?"
Dean was afraid. What would he do if Sam didn't approve? His brother came first, always. How the hell was he supposed to have a relationship he didn't approve of? Sam's eyes filled with an unreadable emotion and he stepped closer. For a second, he thought his little brother might punch him.
Then long arms were pulling him close. Sam was hugging him, warm and firm, full of love and acceptance. Relief crashed through Dean's body and he hugged his brother back without hesitation. They held onto each other, saying 'I love you, it's ok' the only way a Winchester knew how. Sam gave him a squeeze and a pulled away with a manly thump on his back.
"Thanks, Sammy," said Dean in a gruff voice.
Sam looked at Dean appraisingly.
"About time you two got together. If I had to watch you silently eye fuck for the rest of our lives, I might have offed myself."
Dean's jaw practically hit the floor. Sam threw his head back and roared in laughter. Dean tried to keep his look of righteous indignation, but he could never resist it when his Sammy laughed; it was one of the best sounds in the world and it was contagious. Dean cracked easily and laughed with his little brother, their voices echoing together off the walls; it sounded like a symphony of happiness. Dean pushed him out of the room, punching him in the arm as they went. "You're a bitch."
"Whatever, jerk."
Dean rummaged through the DVD's they had stored in the entertainment center. Every night after the others had retreated to their rooms, he and Cas picked something to watch. He had been educating Cas about human movies and TV shows; his angel was turning into a nerd. He even had the wardrobe to prove it.
They had gone clothes shopping for Cas last week. Dean had tried to pick plaid shirts for him, but Cas had other ideas. He had chosen novelty t-shirts. In fact, his love of shirts was getting a little ridiculous. He had a Flux Capacitor shirt, a Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy shirt with the words 'Don't Panic' emblazoned on it, a Superman shirt, and a shirt with a velociraptor in a top hat among many others. Today he was sporting a blue one that had Abraham Lincoln wrestling a bear. Yeah, his angel was weird, but he loved it.
He found what he was looking for near the back; a copy of The Fellowship of the Ring. He held it up to show Cas. "You wanna?"
Castiel had been stationed on earth for thousands of years, but he had never seen any movies until after his fall; it was forbidden. But now he was human and he could watch them to his heart's content. He nodded enthusiastically in agreement. Dean put in the DVD and plopped on the couch next to Cas.
He was enthralled with the characters and the beauty of Middle Earth. Dean being snuggled to his side made the whole experience even more enjoyable.
His favorite part was watching the love between Aragorn and Arwen. He couldn't help but think of himself and Dean. Arwen was immortal; if Cas was still an angel they would have suffered the same tragedy.
Ever since he had fallen, Dean had spoken of getting Cas' grace back when they found a way to send the other angels home. Now, watching these two fictional characters and thinking of their plight, he wasn't sure he wanted it back. Living without Dean for eternity would be unbearable.
The end credits started rolling and Dean stretched sleepily beside him. Cas absently carded his fingers through his hair. He couldn't stop thinking about what it would be like to live forever; his friends would die and he would be alone. No Sam, Crowley, or Kevin, no bunker, no t-shirts... no Dean. A dark feeling roiled on his chest. After a moment he identified it; despair. This was despair. He couldn't stand it anymore. Cas jerked Dean up to look him in the eyes. Dean was surprised, but when he felt the need rolling off his angel in waves, his body came alive with longing.
Then their lips crashed together roughly, teeth clashing together as they fought for dominance. Cas let out a little growl and pinned Dean on the soft cushions below them as he plundered his mouth. Dean let out a groan and rolled his hips up to meet Castiel's.
Cas was lost, awash in sensation, slave to the thrust and roll working between them. He let out another moan as Dean's hands found their way under his shirt and roamed his back. Cas caressed his hunter's face with reverence, fingers tangling in the short spikes of his hair as Dean's hands roamed lower. Dean grabbed his ass and ground their cocks together through the layers of denim. Cas let out a strangled noise of pleasure, ecstasy shooting through his body. This was the best feeling in the world. It felt like being in the presence of something purely holy. So right, like being made clean and whole.
A bit of a song Dean liked popped into his head:
'Let me be yours ever truly. Can I make your garden grow, From the houses of the holy, we can watch the white doves go.'
How fitting, thought Cas. Dean broke the kiss and gazed up at him with half lidded eyes. Smokey jade met the azure of a summer sky, asking, wanting; it took Cas' breath away. Their lips met once more; Cas had just begun pulling off Dean's shirt when the alarms started sounding.
They froze; part of the preparations made earlier in the day was to cast a spell on the perimeter. It was set to go off if any fallen angels came near the bunker. They sprang up from the couch at the same time Sammy, Crowley, and Kevin came running into the room pulling on clothes. Dean ran for the wall and started taking down shotguns loaded with rock salt.
"Kevin, stay here," he said firmly; the Prophet nodded. Dean tossed an angel blade to Cas, Crowley, and Sam. Cas twirled it around his fingers expertly; they didn't want to kill any angels, but these blades also killed demons. Better safe than sorry. Dean grabbed Ruby's demon killing knife and they ran to the front entrance.
Sam and Crowley put their backs on either side of the door guns raised. They all exchanged nods before Cas pushed open a door and Dean burst out. He swept his weapon from left to right, making sure it was clear as Cas covered him. When he waved, the others filed out looking around at the landscape for anything out of place.
A shout sounded in the night; as one, the boys sprinted through the darkness looking for the source of the noise. When Cas saw the cause, he stopped short in anguish; it was Joshua, the gardener from Heaven. He was on the ground, groaning. There were four demons surrounding him, beating him mercilessly, eyes pure black.
They overtook the demons before they knew what hit them. Sam plunged the angel blade straight through its heart. Dean ducked a blow and put the demon killing blade through the skull of his foe. Crowley and his target were nowhere to be seen. Castiel let out a scream of rage and gutted the abomination still hitting Joshua. The demon was gurgling blood, but he still managed to spit out, "Doesn't matter. The Queen will destroy them all."
Cas felt his face twist in rage. He plunged the blade through the demon's eye socket and the filth died in a burst of orange light.
Sam picked up an unconscious Joshua and carried him to the bunker hurriedly. Dean approached Cas and grabbed him roughly, looking him over for injury.
"Are you hurt?" His eyes were blazing. All the angel could do was nod. Dean pulled him into his arms, holding him tightly. If anything had happened to Cas...
His thoughts were interrupted by Crowley saying, "A little help, boys."
They broke apart and looked over. Crowley had a cut lip, a black eye, and a dislocated shoulder. With his good arm, he was dragging the last demon; it was unconscious and bound with their demon handcuffs. Cas and Dean immediately walked to him.
"Why didn't you kill it?" asked Dean.
Crowley looked grim. "We need information. You wanted to know what Abaddon was up to; well Merry Christmas boys."
They exchanged grim looks and dragged the demon into the safety of the bunker, closing the door behind them.
Castiel and Dean sat side by side in the infirmary watching over Joshua who was sleeping peacefully. A muffled scream rent the air; Crowley was interrogating the demon in the dungeon. Dean was going to do it, but Crowley had stopped him.
Dean had tried to argue, but Crowley had simply said, "I apprenticed under Alistair too, mate. I can get the information just as well as you can. Only difference is that you don't deserve another blemish on your conscience. I do. I won't live long enough to care anyway."
Dean had been stunned into silence, but let the former demon go after popping his shoulder back into place. He had been at it for three hours; the demon must be one tough bastard. Dean and Crowley really needed to talk. He didn't like hearing him talk about dying. What was the moron planning, suicide? He wasn't sure, but he needed to find out.
Castiel's fingers threaded through his, making him lose his train of thought.
"It is going to be okay, Dean." His angel's voice was quiet, soothing.
"I know," said Dean quietly. He leaned close to Cas, resting his head on his shoulder. They sat, unmoving until Sam entered the room.
"Guys, Crowley needs us."
They all walked to the dungeon together. When they entered, the sight before them was horrific. The captured demon had been worked over with chilling precision. Crowley was covered in blood; his face was a mask, but his eyes held infinite sadness and self-loathing.
"No more, no more, please, I'll talk. Just no more." The demon was pleading, it looked terrified.
Crowley leaned forward, holding the knife point in front of its eye. His similarity to Alistair sent dread coursing through Dean's veins. "Tell you what, mate. I'll make you a deal. Just tell them what you told me, and I won't hurt you anymore."
The demon let out a sob, nodding. Crowley motioned for the others to come closer. "Tell them," he said, voice hard.
It looked up at them, eyes flashing pure black. "The Queen wants the angels dead so no one can stop her plan."
"We know that already. What's the plan?" demanded Dean roughly.
The demon swallowed and whispered, "She's after the Horseman's rings. She's going to release Lucifer and Michael from the cage."
The room was dead silent, but it felt like the world was crashing around them. Everything they had worked for had the potential to be undone. Sam was white as a sheet.
"Why?" asked Castiel. For a second it looked as if he had forgotten he lost his mojo. His tone said, 'I am an angel of The Lord. Tell me, or I will destroy you.'
The demon shrank in its chair and answered, "The angels are cut off from the mother ship. That means Michael is powerless. Lucifer gets his power from Hell, and let me tell you, our Queen is making it burn hotter than ever. When she releases them, Michael has no hope of winning."
The demon's eyes flashed black again and it smiled. "Our sides gonna win. I can feel it. And just as a precaution, we're killing the other angels off. You can't send them home to power Heaven if they're all dead. There is no hope for you." Its eyes flashed back to normal. "Now let me go. You said you wouldn't hurt me if I told you."
Crowley bent down to eye level and said, "I'm not going to hurt you, mate. I'm going to kill you." Without any further warning, he plunged the demon knife into its throat, eyes burning. The scum gurgled, eyes bulging before dying in a crackle of orange light.
Crowley pulled out the knife and wiped it clean on a towel as he left the dungeon. The others followed him into the kitchen where they each poured a tumbler of whiskey and drank deeply.
"Why can't these sons of bitches just leave it alone?" demanded Dean suddenly. "I mean, how many times do we have to derail the fucking Apocalypse?" Cas squeezed his hand, trying to reassure him.
"What are we going to do?" asked Sam. He looked afraid. The apocalypse had cost him so much the first time around. He obviously didn't want to tangle with Lucifer again.
"I'll tell you what we're going to do," started Crowley, "we're going to stop the bitch."
"How the hell are we going to do that?" said Dean.
Cas looked thoughtful. "We have several distinct advantages this time, Dean. Michael and Lucifer haven't been released yet. We scattered the horseman rings. Even if she found those, she would still have to take Death's ring to complete the key, and Death will not become slave to Lucifer again if he can help it."
"Okay, fair points," said Sam, "but we can't take the chance that she could get ahold of the rings. We need to get the angels home."
"Kevin is working on it, but right now we've got nothing, Sammy. There's gotta be something else." Dean chewed on his bottom lip as he thought.
"There's another way," said Crowley. His voice was quiet; Dean didn't like it. The idiot must be about to do somehow stupid. Dean knew that look, he had worn it himself more than once, but he listened intently.
"We could close the Gates. Seal Abaddon and every other black eyed bitch in the pit."
Everyone stared at the former demon like he was insane.
"I don't understand," said Cas, "the trials kill the person who completes them. Who would do such a thing?"
Dean knew the answer before Crowley said it. The former demon raised his head, looked Cas in the eye and said, "Me."
There was dead silence. "Crowley," started Sam.
"No, Moose. Just don't," a sheen of tears covered his eyes before he blinked them back. "I've told you before I don't deserve mercy for the things I've done. If it wasn't such a meaningless gesture, I would have put a gun in my mouth the second Dean uncuffed me. But that's pointless." He looked at Dean and continued. "You told me before that I had the chance to atone for the things I've done. Do enough good to balance the bad. Well, this is my chance."
Dean was speechless. "We can't let you do this," said Sam quietly. Crowley looked amused.
"You can't 'let' me do anything, Moose. Fact is, this is my choice. Kevin already told me what the trials are. He taught me the spell. I'm going to do this, with your blessing or without it. This is my choice, so help me, boys."
They were all silent for a few moments. They exchanged looks and nods before Dean opened his mouth and said, "Okay, man. Not like we've got much of a choice anyway."
Crowley grinned. "Damn right you don't."
They all drained their glasses in unison. "We'll worry about it tomorrow, boys. Get some sleep."
Everyone said goodnight and headed to their rooms. Cas tangled his fingers with Dean's. They closed the door behind them and kissed gently; they were too exhausted for anything else. Both men stripped to their boxers and slid under the covers together.
Dean pulled Cas into his arms, spooning him. Cas leaned back into Dean's warm chest, loving the feel of strong arms holding him. He felt safe. He snuggled closer as Dean sleepily burrowed his nose into Castiel's fragrant hair. Their legs twined together, and Cas was soon fast asleep. Dean pressed one last kiss onto his angel's neck before falling over the edge of consciousness and into a dreamless sleep.