Dean blinked open when sunlight settled over him. He covered his eyes with one hand and let the other fall onto the bed. Except instead of a bed, it came into contact with something that felt suspiciously like an arm. This requires further investigation.

Dean shifted so that the sun wasn't in his eyes and moved his hand. Cas lay down on his side with his eyes flickering over Dean's body like a spotlight. Insecure, Dean pulled his thin blanket up so that it completely covered his waist and part of his abdomen. Cas frowned and pulled the blanket away, exposing Dean's body to his gaze. He soaks in the image, memorizing it, blue eyes traveling from his feet to his face, smiling when he sees Dean awkwardly trying not to look at him, then blushing when he realizes Cas saw him stealing a glance. Cas smiled and leaned forward, grabbing Dean's face and kissing him soundly on the mouth. Dean tensed for a single moment - what's wrong, what did I do, is he ok - and then he relaxes into his touch, returning the kiss and pushing him so that he lays flat on the squeaking mattress.

Dean pulls away, smirking when Cas tries to follow him. "Morning," she said, smiling cheekily. Cas beamed at him and drew him into another, gentler kiss, rubbing his foot against his calf. When they part for breath (when Dean does, at least), Dean soon notices that the angel seems nervous, and kind of scared. Timid, almost. Dean doesn't want to ask what's wrong for fear of the answer, but he was determined to make an effort. He takes in a breath to steel himself, then asks, "What's wrong?"

Castiel hesitated to ask his question, unsure of what the answer would be and feeling caged from the way Dean hovered over him, hands on either side of his head. As if sensing his discomfort, Dean moved so that he was next to Cas instead of over him, drawing his fingers over his chest and pressing gentle kisses to his shoulder comfortingly. Still, Cas stared at the ceiling as he asked him, "What are we?"

Dean froze, fingers rigid against Cas's abdomen and lips a breath away from his shoulder. "What do you mean?"

The angel thought carefully about the question before answering. "We," made love, "engaged in intercourse, but you have done so before, and this rarely involved a relationship. So I am asking you whether or not we are a 'couple'." He used air quotes when he said couple, which would usually cause Dean to at least smile. Now he was too busy considering the question. A minute passed before he allowed his fingers to continue their path on Cas's chest, causing him to relax, though he hadn't realized he was tense.

Dean turned Castiel's head, making the angel face him. Cas stared into his peridot eyes as he spoke. "I thought you were dead, or going to die. I was terrified that I would never see you again, and I decided that when we saved you, I would do whatever it takes to make you happy. I want to be with you, but if you never want to see me again - and I really hope you don't want that - then I will respect that decision. We are whatever you want to be." Despite his calm tone, Dean was felt like he was on fire, wanting to turn from the angel, but unable to do so without him seeing how scared he what Cas might say. His logic had one flaw though: Cas always knew how scared he was.

Cas leaned forward and pressed his lips to Dean's, shifting his fingers through the short blond hair. He soon dragged himself away, somewhat unwillingly, to respond, "I want to be with you, Dean."

Dean grinned boyishly, ducking his head away so Cas wouldn't see how stupid he was being. One last thing nagged at him though. "What about the Doctor?"

Cas blinked in confusion, eyebrows furrowing. "What do you mean?"

Dean sighed, wishing he hadn't brought this up, but knowing it was important for them to talk about this. "He likes you, and you two kissed…"

"You believe he will be upset with us?"

Dean shrugged. "I don't know. I mean, you know him a lot better than I do. What do you think he'll do?"

"I don't think he'll be angry. He may be upset, but I doubt that it will last. He's a good man."

"Better than me?" He had meant it jokingly, but it came off more self-deprecating.

Castiel shook his head. "No one is better than you." He cupped Dean's face in his hand, brushing his thumb next to his eye. "I love you."

Dean tried to say it, but the words stuck in his throat. He tried to force them out, but Cas stopped him. "You don't have to say it. I know."

Dean sighed in relief, thankful once more for the fact that Cas knew him better than anyone else. They kissed again, and Dean let his hand slide down to his thigh…

Cas backed away when he heard Dean's stomach growl, squinting in confusion. Dean sighed and stood up, quickly pulling on a pair of pants and hoping Cas wouldn't realize he was blushing (for God's sake, he just had sex with the guy, you'd think he'd be a little less coy). "C'mon. Let's go downstairs before they think if we're dead."

Cas nodded, walking to the door. Dan yelled to him, "Cas!"

Cas stopped in his tracks and looked back in confusion. "Yes, Dean?"

"Clothes?"

Cas looked down, quickly realizing he was still naked. "That is probably a good idea, yes."


The Doctor looked up from his lucky charms and smiled at Castiel and Dean as they walked into the kitchen. Castiel sat quietly at the table, glancing awkwardly at the Doctor. The Doctor leaned forward and smiled softly in an attempt to put him at ease. Castiel remained tense, barely even moving.

Dean took out a bowl and a jug of milk before looking for the lucky charms, frowning when he didn't find them. The Doctor pushed the box towards him. Dean looked at him uncertainly before taking the box. "Thanks."

"No problem." No one spoke for a moment so he continued, "How'd you sleep?"

Dean stopped moving, looking to see if he was subtly mocking them. When he realized that this wasn't the case, he answered, "Pretty good."

"Good, good…"

There was awkward silence before Sam trudged into the kitchen, yawning into his hand. Dean rose and lead him over to a chair, supporting him with one arm. Sam rolled his eyes as he sat down, ignoring the lingering pain in his head. "Dean, I'm fine. You don't have to baby me." Still, he didn't protest when Dean began making him breakfast. Sometimes, having a coddling brother has its advantages.

Dean made him eggs and bacon, though he set some aside for Cas.

"Dean, I do not need to eat." Cas looked at the food as though it were going to bite him.

"Try it, it's good."

Cas relented and ate a piece of bacon. He chewed slowly, concentration apparent on his face. Sam fought his urge to laugh. Eventually, the angel stated, "It's good."

Dean smiled and kissed him on the cheek. "What can I say. I'm perfect."

When he finally tore his gaze away from Cas (don't know how he managed, to be perfectly honest), he looked at Sam, who's eye and mouth were wide in shock. Dean wondered what was wrong with him before realizing what had happened. "Oh."

Sam sat in shock for nearly a minute. Dean was sure that if he poked him, he would fall over onto the floor. Eventually he came back to himself and half-shouted, "Seriously! You actually told me that you did not like Cas, but as soon as I'm gone, you two get together!" Castiel flinched at Sam's words, and Dean frowned, moving closer as though to protect him from them.

The Doctor sensed the tension and tried to help. "Actually, they only got together last night to this morning at the latest. I think they were waiting for you."

Dean raised his eyebrows in surprise. Then he laughed. A low chuckle, nothing special, but it made the Doctor happy to know that Dean didn't consider him an enemy, even if they weren't exactly friends yet.

They ate in silence. Finally, Dean asked, "So what do we do now?"

"What do you mean?" Cas asked, confusion gracing his handsome features.

In the blink of an eye, Dean changed from cheerful and easygoing to having eyes as hard and cold as stone, hatred detailed into his every feature. "About Eris and the Master. You know, the people that kidnapped you and literally drove Sam fucking crazy? You don't think that we should maybe, I don't know, stop them?!" He banged his fist on the table, anger suddenly overflowing him as the image of Cas and Sam, helpless and in pain, flooded his mind. He wanted to go to them right now and kill them, tear them to shreds so that no one would never hurt anyone he cared about ever again...

Luckily, Dean lived in a world where Castiel both a) exists and b) knows better than to let Dean try to murder a couple of nearly all-powerful gods. "Dean," Cas began calmly, "we have few weapons that can hurt them, none that can kill them, and no allies. Neither Nyx nor Amoriel will even consider helping us again. I understand your anger, and I want to end this as much of you. But we need to bide our time and find something or someone that can help us." Dean held onto his righteous fury for mere seconds before the energy abandoned him, leaving him looking tired and defeated. He slumped forward onto the table, his forehead pressed into the worn wood. Sam thought that if someone were to kick at him, he would fall to the ground with no resistance.

Cas stood up silently and walked over to his lover, wrapping his arms around his waist and resting his head in between his shoulders. He pressed a few careful kisses to his neck and shoulders, seemingly unaware of the other two men in the room. Sam shifted uncomfortably in his seat. The Doctor grabbed him by the upper arm and pulled him outside without saying anything. Sam practically jumped out of his chair, passing the Doctor out the door.

Castiel began to speak to him in a low, hushed voice. "We will set up defenses against Eris and the Master. We will find a way to defeat them, and they will never hurt anyone that we care about again. Ok?"

A beat passed before Dean nodded reluctantly. Cas traced circles on his abdomen. "I'll protect you."


A week passed, but they found nothing. The strongest weapons they had were the angel blades, which might be able to kill them, but only if they were severely weakened. Castiel had tried reaching out to other pagans, but they were too scared. None of them wanted to be so much as in the same room as Eris or the Master. There was only one, Hel, who had seemed as though she might help, but only if she were certain of victory. Still, he was half certain that the only reason she had even considered it was because she was Gabriel's daughter from when he had hidden as the pagan god Loki. She demanded more information before making a decision, although he was welcome to hide in Helheim, the realm she ruled, so if nothing else, he knew there was a place he could send Dean where he would be safe, although Cas doubted he would like it.

As the days dragged on, the boys grew antsy. Even the Doctor began to leave for short trips in his TARDIS, although he was careful not to change time in case there was an emergency. Sam decided to start searching for a case to hold off the tedium.

Within an hour of searching, he found something. His stomach twisted when he saw where it was, and rushed to show Dean.

Sam stood outside of Dean's door with his open laptop in one hand and was about to barge in when he remembered the last time he did so and ended up seeing much more of Cas than he ever wanted to. Instead, he knocked and waited impatiently for an answer.

Dean opened the door (fully dressed, thankfully) and looked at him in annoyance. "Dammit Sam, I was trying to take a nap."

"Sorry. Is Cas in here?" He braced himself, half ready to go downstairs and wait until the angel had clothes on.

Dean shook his head. "No, he's meeting with Hel again. Don't know why. She already said she wouldn't help unless we were sure we could win." He backed away from the door and let his brother in and sat down on the bed. "What do you need?"

Sam sat down next to him and showed him the news report he'd found. "So get this: within the last week, there have been a sudden influx of patients at the Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center, with a reported 32 new patients all displaying the same symptoms, including amnesia, auditory and visual hallucinations, and jumbled speech."

Dean frowned. "That is insanely specific." A beat passed before he asked, "Get it? Insanely?"

Sam sighed, sad by how not-surprised he was. "Yes, I get it. Do you think we should check it out?"

Dean sighed and rubbed the back of his hand across his eyes. "I don't know. I mean, shouldn't we be trying to find something to stop Eris and the Master?"

"That's what I thought too, until I realized where this was happening." He passed the laptop to Dean, nodding when realization dawned on his brother's face.

"It's in Lawrence," he said softly, the name like a ghost leaving his mouth.

Sam nodded. "I don't think it's a coincidence. I want to check it out."

His brother waited a moment before nodding, "Yeah, you're probably right. I'll tell Bobby we're leaving." He stood up and opened the door. "Hey, what do you wanna bet he jumps up and starts dancing?"

Sam scoffed. "Dean come on, that's not gonna happen… he's gonna start singing."

And though he'd never admit it, Sam smiled when he heard his brother laugh fill the hallway.


Dean resisted the urge to leave the room as Sam interviewed the man. They had been here over an hour, spoken to six different patients and their doctors, and still had nothing concrete. The sterile white halls of the clinic made him antsy, and none of the patients had spoken to them. Some of them hadn't even realized that they were there. Their glassy eyes simply stared straight ahead, as though the walls were holding some sort of secret that only they were privy to.

As though this wasn't already weird enough, they all bore some small resemblance to Sam. This man, who had only been checked in yesterday and that no one knew the name of, had his eyes and his hair was the same color. They looked weird against his clammy skin and sunken eyes. They probably wouldn't have even noticed the similarities if this hadn't been the case in everyone they'd seen.

Finally, Sam gave up. "Thank you for your time, sir." They made to leave.

"Mara!"

Sam and Dean jumped when he heard the man shout. His eyes were wide as sweat dripped down her face. Sam walked back over to him and took out his notepad. "Sir, what does that mean?"

"Her name...was Mara."

"Who is she? Did you see her?"

But it was pointless. Having said his piece, the man laid back on his bed, hands trembling. They realized that he wasn't going to speak again, and left.


The young god would be angry. Yes, very angry. She would kill him… But it was necessary… She needed to be stopped… Stop her… Stop them…

A world of darkness, of black, purple, and gold… Pain, pain and chaos and time… Blood fell from the skies… A mad man's howling laughter… Green eyes… A little girl's innocent grin as her enemies screamed…

Yes, it was necessary…

He saw her, face twisted in anger. Her small legs carried her over to him and she rested her hand upon his forehead…

He screamed so that his throat was raw in a second, and could scream no more.


"Find anything?" Dean asked his brother.

Sam sighed and shook his head. "Nothing new."

They had researched the word "Mara" for hours now, and all they had found was that it was a girl's name meaning "bitter". It was almost midnight, and Dean at least was very close to falling asleep at the library.

Dean rubbed his eyes, turned off the computer and stood up. "Ok, I'm gonna turn in. Ready?"

Sam looked back at his laptop and answered, "No, I think I'm gonna stay another half-hour, just in case we missed something."

"You sure?"

"Yeah. Besides, the motel is only a mile away. I'll just walk back when I'm done." He smiled appeasingly at his brother, silently urging him to go and get some much needed rest. He soon relented and left, taking Sam's laptop so he wouldn't have to carry it back.

Sam spent 50 minutes trying desperately to find any sort of creature that could be causing this, but nothing quote fit. He was beginning to believe it was one of those things that was just really weird and coincidental.

He dragged himself out of the building, yawning into his hand and wishing he'd left with Dean.

"Hello."

Sam whipped around and stared at the little girl, who couldn't have been more than six years old. Her curled hair was a deep walnut that framed her round face. She was wearing a fancy steel blue dress with some sort of weird silver pattern that looked like it might be circles. Over the dress, she had a black velvet cloak with a silver clasp. She was grinning excitedly, as though she had just discovered a stash of her favorite candy.

Sam stared at her. She didn't look supernatural, but he wasn't going to get closer to find out. Sam rested one hand on the gun in his jacket before saying, "Hi. Where are your parents?"

"Oh, they're looking for me, but they won't find me. It's ok. I'll go back when I need to." She stepped closer, but he backed away. She didn't seem surprised, or even upset. She just smiled wider. "You're Sam, right?" He didn't answer.

The girl took a couple of steps forward and casually waved her hand at Sam. Sam was knocked off his feet and fell several yards away. The gun fell out of his jacket. He crawled over to it, but the girl stomped on it, completely crushing it in a single second. He looked up to see her mere inches away from his face. She placed her hands on his cheeks, and they were gone.