Dean stared at Cas, mouth slightly agape. Was he seeing things or was Cas actually scared? It felt silly to think that this thousand year old vampire was actually frightened of his own kind, no matter how threatening. Most likely, whatever punishment they had in store for Cas wouldn't be overwelming painful, since his crimes of bending a rule or two and running off with a human were petty.

Cas saw the incredulous look in Dean's eyes and released his shirt as he backed out of his personal space.

"Here's your food sir," said a scrawny teenager with curly red hair, freckles splattered all over his face, bearing an expression that said his employers didn't pay him enough to care about anything. The word "sir" was strained when he said it, as if it literally pained him that his job forced him to be polite.

Dean blinked a few times at Cas, still a bit confused, and then reached out the window to exchange his money for the paper bag full of their highly anticpated prize for being patient: greasy fast food. "Thanks, kid." He pulled it into his lap and looked back at Cas, who was still staring at him.

"Cas," Dean sighed, "I highly doubt that the people in the car in back of us are who you say they are. If they were, wouldn't they have made their move already?"

Cas thought about this for a second before responding, "I understand where you are coming from Dean, but there are various reasons as to why they are withholding their plan of attack. They could be waitng to see where we drive off to, and then infiltrate our headquaters. Or, this place is surrounded with my brethren and they're waiting for a cue." Cas sniffed the air before continuing. "No, I do not smell several vampires nearby, only the distinct smell of a couple."

Cas was talking as though they were in a James Bond movie and it was freaking Dean out. "Alright, I'm gonna start to slowly drive away and see what they do." Cas glued his eyes to the rearview mirror as Dean pulled out of the drive-thru. Sure enough, the black Hummer, without collecting its food, started to follow them after no more than five seconds later.

Crap, was the only thing Dean could think of as he stepped on the gas, accelerating them off the main road and onto the highway. Dean realized that this was a serious situation, and that it could very well result in both of them dead. Despite this realization, a twinge of excitement shot through him as he thought about how he was in a freakin' vampire car chase and how he was so gonna rub that in Sammy's face. You know, if they ever made it to Sammy's alive and in one piece.

Cas' thoughts buzzed around in his brain, struggling to think of a way to elude their pursuers. They could keep driving until they lost them, but they tried that already. They could access the dozens of different vampire killing weapons he was sure Dean kept in the back trunk, but Cas didn't actually want to off his brethren, more so just slow them down. No, Cas thought as his brain gave him another method of defense, no more running and hiding. This has to stop.

"Do you know the area around your brother's house well?"

"Yeah," Dean answered, trying to keep the suspicion out of his voice. "Why?"

"Pull up into an alleyway near his house. I have a plan. Sort of."

They sped down the highway towards Sam's house. Dean got an uneasy feeling in his stomach about leading those beasts to his baby brother's humble abode, but at least there was only two of them. They had faced worse and Dean trusted that Cas knew what he was doing. As they got closer to their destination, Dean peeled the Impala off of the highway, only to be followed by the black Hummer, of course. He led their tag alongs through a series of twists and turns just to mess with them, and after a few minutes, Cas looked back and revealed that they were not being followed anymore. Dean let out a sigh of relief, but Cas was not so easily convinced.

"Don't let them fool you," he said. "Stick to the plan and pull into an alley." Dean did what was suggested and hid the Impala in between a wall and two large dumpsters, blocking Cas' door and exit route. Undeterred, Cas promptly pulled the keys out of the ignition and climbed over Dean's lap to get out of the car. This startled Dean, but before he could protest Cas said, "We need to go to your trunk and arm ourselves." Finally, something Dean could agree with.

They rummaged through the messy trunk, moving guns and silver out of their way, hands going straight for the dead man's blood. They came in small vials, but there were several of them. Cas pulled out one of the water guns he had talked Dean into buying while they were at the drugstore, along with their cheap disguises. Dean, irritated that what he initially thought of as a child's toy and a waste of money but turned out to be of use, snatched the water gun from Cas' hands as he began to open the vials and carefully pour the blood in. Cas had a smug "I told you so" smile on his face that Dean was pointedly ignoring.

As they finished equipping themselves for the boss battle, Cas pulled on a baseball cap and lathered on a bit of sunscreen (minimal protection against the sun, but still, Dean insisted). With dead man's blood water guns shoved into all available pockets, Dean then made a call to Sam.

One ring.

C'mon Sammy, pick up.

Two rings.

He should have been expecting his call. Where was he?

Three rings.

He's not answering, what if the vampires have already gotten to-

"Hello? Dean?"

"Oh thank god." Dean let out a breath of relief. "Jeez Sam you had me worried, I thought the vampires had gotten there-"

"Wait what? Vampires? As in, vampire plural? You said you were just bringing Cas, as in, one vampire."

"Well yeah, see, that was the original plan, but then while me and Cas were gettin' some grub these two stalker vamps snuck up on us and followed us here-"

"Followed you here? What?"

"Sam, you know how much I hate repeating myself."

"You led them to my freakin' house?! What about Jess, Dean? How am I suppose to protect her from a nest of vampires trying to rescue one of their own kind?"

"Ok Sam, look." Dean let out an overexaggerated sigh. "One, I need you to meet me and Cas in the alley about a block away from your house. Two, we are in said alley, and thus, we did not lead them to your house thank you very much, we're not stupid-"

"Cas suggested you park there, didn't he?"

"Sam, that is besides the point, do not interrupt me." Sam snickered through the phone. "And third, bring whatever vampire fighting weapons you have-"

"Dean," Cas said, tugging on Dean's sleeve.

"Cause I have the strangest feeling these suckers have called in for back-up-"

"Dean."

"Hold on Sam, yeah Cas?"

"Dean," Cas was using that tone Dean hated that was suspiciously close to one someone would use when adressing a small child, "Our goal is not to kill them, they are my family, technically." Cas watched as Dean's eyes softened with understanding.

"Sure thing Cas. Uh, Sam? Only bring the non-lethal artillery, you hear me? Put some of the dead man's blood in some water bottles, works like a charm." Dean gave Cas a small smile, "That idea was Cas', I'll give him that one."

Dean ended the phone call and began to wait paitiently with Cas for Sam's arrival. Minutes passed and neither of them spoke a word, both too lost in their own thoughts.

Thoughts that were running circles about the potential harm the other might face in this fight.

Cas leaned against Dean's shoulder and stared at a light pole as he fretted over Dean's survival rate. It wasn't as high as he would have liked it to be. He knew his family, no matter how much he disliked them, and he knew for a fact that somehow Raphael would find a way to twist his escape from the clan into some kind of dramatic kidnapping, and Dean would undoubtedly pay for it with his life.

Over Cas' dead body, that is.

Cas nowrealized, or mybe he had always known, that he was more than willing to sacrifice himself for the sake of Dean. Heck, he even saw it as his 'duty` to do so. Perhaps he felt this way because of Dean's near death eperience back at the motel with the whole blood fiasco. Perhaps he was starting to grow attched to this strange human, this human who had a knack for terribly unhealthy food, forbid him from touching his car radio, and had a death wish fetish that involved tickling things that were ten times more lethal than he would ever hope to be.

Perhaps.

Either way, if it came down to it and Dean's life was on the line, Cas knew right then and there that he would do everything in his power to rescue him.