About an hour after Castiel had fallen asleep again, Sam took the wheel. Dean was beat. He didn't even need his sunglasses although the warm evening sun lit the car up. He was already fast asleep when Sam accelerated again.
There was a man. Handsome, approximately in his mid-thirties, with a warm and genuine smile.
"Why am I here?" Dean asked and noticed something was not quite right with his voice. But with this being a dream he did not question it any further.
"Because I wished you to be here." The other man's voice was nice, soothing. Somewhere between Sean Connery and Harrison Ford. In the background there were voices too. They whispered. In Latin - but still Dean could understand. "Animus et corpore... et odie... tibi tuus et maxima... sanctus deus ...liberus." He did not get everything because the guy in front of him was capturing nearly all of his attention, enthralling him, enchanting him. Lighting up the darkness that otherwise would have threatened to swallow him.
"I died. Why did you bring me here?"
"You are not dead, yet, my brother." Although that guy didn't resemble Sam even in the faintest he knew that they were siblings. Himself being the younger brother. Huh?
"That I have noticed but I fail to discern the reason for my presence." Ok, this was definitely nothing Dean would say. Not even in a weirdo dream. The older Winchester looked at his body, his lithe hands, his white shirt, his dark trousers, the black shoes made of real leather - this weren't his clothes, this... this was Cas! Cas's vessel, Jimmy Novak! He looked up again.
"If you wish, you may return."
"Why," his mouth asked without Dean doing anything.
"Because we are not only brothers. Because we were friends once. Because I still love you. Even now, even after disobeying, you are still a brightly shining star. I do not wish for your light to vanish."
"You know I will fight you."
The man - Lucifer, Dean noticed with growing horror - just nodded with a pleased smile and took his... Castiel's hand. "My dear brother, beloved Castiel, I wish you no harm but if you choose to fight against my forces I can no longer help you. I will not be able to spare you. But please know that hurting you is the last thing on my mind." Dean was taken aback by the sincere concern in Lucifer's voice - dammit! This guy was the fucking devil for god's sake!
"Lucifer..." Castiel started, but the other man interrupted him by shaking his head.
"You do not need to say anything, just know the next time we meet only one of us will live."
Suddenly the surroundings changed. He was no longer next to Lucifer. There were others... five or six, he was not sure. Dean tried to open his eyes all the way but there was something making his lashes stick together. He blinked a few times unsuccessfully. The hunter could not move either. His arms and legs were bound. To some kind of... rack.
"Dean. Wake up." Sam's voice was soft but next to his ears it prove loud enough to rouse him.
"Sam? What...? Where are we?" The engine was no longer running and it was dark outside. Looked like the parking lot of a...
"At a motel. I've got as a room but I need your help with Cas."
Castiel, right. Dean rubbed a hand over his eyes willing the sleep and the strange dream away before he turned to take a look at the sleeping figure at the backseat. Castiel was tossing and turning. Mumbling unintelligible words - or perhaps it was just a language Dean did not know.
"Looks like a nightmare..." his brother stated with sympathy.
"We better wake him up before he hurts himself. Hey, Cas! Cas! Wake up, pal!" Dean dared not to shake the sleeping Angel but only a moment later Castiel opened his eyes wide, both hands clutching the upholstery while he tried to slide away from the brothers. A panicked expression on his face and his eyes glazed. Somehow, while trying to flee from whatever he was seeing instead of the Winchesters, he must have made a wrong move because suddenly the Angel was gasping for breath, panic giving way to pain. "Cas, calm down. It's ok. You're safe. Just breathe, ok? Breathe." Talking to the Angel like to an injured animal proved to be the right thing. Castiel calmed down again and after a few minutes his body went slack.
~*~
They had to carry him inside, glad that this place was deserted and that no one was taking a walk in the moonlight or some crap like that. After they had laid the unmoving body on one of the two beds, Dean told Sam of his strange dream. "I'm not sure... You know... I really don't wanna freak out or something, Sam, but this did not feel like a dream."
"You mean you actually talked to Lucifer?"
"No. Not me, but Cas. Do you think this was some sort of weird dream-walking-shit?"
"I have no idea - Angels don't dream, do they? But is Castiel still an Angel?"
Dean nodded. "He's still not told us why he's changed. Why he can't heal Jimmy anymore."
"We should ask him as soon as he is lucid again."
~*~
It was at sunrise that the Angel woke up again. Dean was sitting next to him in the bed, head resting against the wall, heavy eyes watching both sleeping figures. Too many thoughts had kept him awake. Questions and theories were chasing each other. Dean yawned and noticed the body next to him stirring. Castiel groaned softly and in the next moment his blue eyes were piercing into Dean again as if nothing had happened. As if he still was the no-shit-I'm-an-Angel-of-the-Lord-show-me-some-respect Angel who always kept a stiff upper lip. "Hey Cas, ya hungry?" he asked as he got up. It was one thing sitting so close to a sleeping person with their butts touching, but it was a totally different thing with a wide awake Angel. Castiel frowned in deep concentration and then simply nodded. Another thing that was weird. Castiel eating? Not going to happen - except now Dean could witness it first-handedly. Apparently the Angel was hungry. He ate everything the hunter found in their duffel bags. Sam would have to grab something for him and Dean as soon as he was awake again.
After the Angel had finished breakfast and was resting his head on the wall, the way Dean had done only half an hour ago, looking better, sated and drowsy again, Dean sat on the foot of the bed determined to get at least a few answers before Castiel would fall asleep again. "Hey, Cas. There's one thing Sam and I can't figure out. And I think after eating my breakfast too, you owe me something. So you think you could answer a few questions?"
The Angel looked genuinely sorry. "I did not mean to commit petty larceny of food. Are you starving now?"
"No sweat, Cas. Just tell me something. What's up with your angel-mojo? You're not fallen, are you? So why don't you heal Jimmy's body?"
"Jimmy perished." Castiel stated dryly.
"You mean…"
"He is no longer inside this body. He died while I... was killed." Although the Angel still sounded unfazed Dean could see the pain in his eyes. Castiel mourned the loss of Jimmy Novak.
"Oh... I'm sorry."
"He was redeemed."
Dean dried to shrug off the dread he was feeling. "So... having cleared that up, back to my question. About your angel-stuff..."
"I am still an Angel. I did not fall."
"But...?"
"But... I am no longer a member of the Host. I am a renegade."
"With a death sentence on your head like Anna?"
Castiel nodded gravely. "Therefore you should leave me here. If my... kin find you in my company it would end unpleasantly." He averted his eyes, studied the old blanket draped over his body.
"No chance. Forget it. The only reason you're an outcast now is because of me. I'm not gonna let you down, Cas. That's what friends do for each other."
Castiel raised his head again, looked into Dean's eyes and the hunter could spot hope blossoming inside them.
"I'm not going to let you down. If the Angels want to fight you, they will have to fight us too. But it's important you tell me exactly what you're still capable of."
The Angel breathed deeply, wincing when broken and sore ribs moved. "I'm still an Angel but I no longer should use my powers. As soon as I do so my bro... they will know where I am hiding."
"But you still can heal yourself?"
"I am not sure. I haven't tried. I know there are some things I am no longer capable of because it was the Host granting me those powers."
"And you don't know which?"
"Dean, I have never been cut off from the Host. I simply do not know." the Angel explained sounding a bit impatient.
"And what do we do now?" Sam joined the conversation. He looked as if he'd just woken up, rubbing his eyes and yawning.
"Hey, mornin' Sammy." Dean beamed and his brother automatically watched out carefully. "Cas is feeling better. And... he might have eaten everything we had. You could grab us some breakfast. I want pancakes."
Sam's answer was a thrown pillow Dean could have dodged easily. But instead he let his brother hit him with a grin. "Don't forget the syrup!" When he turned to Castiel again the Angel had fallen asleep once more. The hunter sighed. At least he'd gotten some answers.
~*~
Dean was still thinking about what he had learned and what that meant for their next steps when the doors started to rattle and the ground to shake. Blinding light was shining through the windows and a piecing sound slowly built in force. Fuck! They were coming!
AN: Now I'm off watching 5.01 and how Kripke brought Castiel back :)