Dean turned the Impala onto the empty highway, the headlights illuminating the darkened road ahead. Castiel sat to his right, hands covering the silver weapon in his lap. They had left Angela's house several hours back; the physic had been more than helpful. She had known everything: Dymanos' name, his location, his weakness.

Α...Ω

"He came to me a dream," Angela insisted as Dean paced through the light and airy living room, a place too bright and clean for his liking. "H-He said two men would be coming here just like you two. He said you would be looking for him."

"Yeah, I bet he did," Dean muttered, and he only stopped his pacing when Castiel put a hand on his shoulder.

"Dean." The angel's voice was deep and soft, and Dean reached up to cover Castiel's hand with his.

Angela rose to her feet, her light blue eyes studying the two men for two quiet seconds before she spoke. "T-That wasn't all he told me," she began slowly. "He told me he was in Hastings, Nebraska, w-with a man named Sam? And then he gave me this." She moved over to the trunk against the far wall and produced a long, thin something wrapped in cloth. "He said you would know what to do with it, and when I woke up … there it was."

Dean stepped forward to take it, but he knew what he held even before he unwrapped it. An angel blade.

Α...Ω

"Archangel blade," Castiel corrected, snapping Dean out of his memories. "It's an archangel blade: Lucifer's, I believe." He looked over at Dean and must have sensed his displeasure at having his thoughts read as he looked away apologetically. "You … were thinking quite loudly."

"It's fine." Dean reached over and put a forgiving hand on Castiel's knee. "Don't sweat it." He returned his hand to the steering wheel and added, "So. Lucifer's weapon, huh? Why would this guy just give us the weapon that could kill him?"

"I don't know." Castiel shook his head in concerned puzzlement. "Perhaps …" He turned his gaze out the window as he added, "Perhaps Dymanos wants us to come. Perhaps this is his way of ensuring that we go to him."

Dean looked at Castiel, and he couldn't help the tightness in his throat at the implication. "So this is a trap," he restated.

"Yes."

Dean hit the steering wheel with the heel of his palm. "God dammit." He felt Castiel's gaze on his face, and he flushed in embarrassment when he realized what he had said. "Sorry."

"You're stressed. I understand." The angel's hands fidgeted nervously with the handle of the weapon. "What should we do? Should we try to find an alternative way? Although perhaps that's what he is expecting."

"Yeah. Thanks." Dean drew in a deep breath before he slowly let it out. "But no. We're going in. Right through the front door."

"Dean —"

"Cas, we need to find Sam, okay?" Dean's voice rose angrily before he could catch himself, and he looked away guiltily. "We need to get Sam back alive," he repeated.

"Of course, Dean." To his surprise, Castiel's voice was soft. "Saving your brother — that's my priority. We will get Sam back. No matter what." A hand rested on his arm, warm and comforting, and Dean met the angel's gaze.

"Yeah," he agreed quietly. "Thanks, Cas."

Α...Ω

Dean leaned up against the hood of the Impala, staring out through the early morning mist towards the grey concrete of the factory up ahead. Castiel stood at his side, his fingers laced with Dean's in a silent gesture of comfort and affection. "If you're not ready —"

"No." Dean shook his head firmly as he cut his angel off. "I'm ready, just … give me a minute." He turned his head to look at Castiel. "This doesn't feel right," he added. "It feels like a trap."

"I believe it is a trap," Cas agreed solemnly. "The only wardings within are to suppress my wings." He stared out at the factory, and Dean saw his pale lips twist into a frown. "Dymanos wants up to go in on foot."

"Alright. Then that's what we'll do." Dean reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out Lucifer's blade. "We get in, find Sam, and kill that son of a bitch. Then we get out. Simple as that," he finished, a little bit of force in his voice to convince himself as much as Castiel.

The angel didn't immediately agree. "Dean, if this is a trap, it's not going to be that simple." His warm hand drew away, and Dean turned with a small frown. "Chances are Dymanos won't let us go so easily."

The hunter shook his head. "No. You said it yourself. He wouldn't expect us to come bursting through the front door. Not when he made it this easy." He twirled the archangel's blade in his hands before he stepped away from the Impala. "Come on. Let's go."

Castiel followed him up to the large front door of the factory. It was locked, but a brush of his fingers against the metal lock had the door swinging open. Dean stepped through first, green eyes flitting down the halls. He paused for a moment, blinking so his eyes could adjust, but a hand on his shoulder had him stepping aside so Castiel could enter. "This way." The angel turned towards a descending stairway on the right. "They're down a floor."

"Hey." Dean paused as they reached the lower level, his flashlight turned to the paint strokes on the walls. "I've seen that before."

Castiel moved back to stand at Dean's side, their shoulders brushing. "It's a sigil," the angel confirmed. "But whoever put this up did it wrong." He reached out and touched the edge of an incomplete circle. "This would be why I'm not as affected as much as I expected to be." Castiel turned to another sigil on the other wall. "These wardings weren't drawing precisely."

"Huh." Dean couldn't help the warm trickle of cocky satisfaction within him. "Then maybe we have the upper hand after all."

"It would take an experienced hand to efficiently complete these," Castiel agreed. "It seems Dymanos overestimated his ability." He started moving back down the hall, and Dean lengthened his stride to catch up. The angel paused at a fork, and Dean watched as his eyes squinted and head tipped to one side. "Sam is straight ahead," Castiel finally announced. "He's unconscious, but he is alive."

"Okay, so what's the hold up?" Dean darted his flashlight up and down the hall, frowning in confusion as to why they had stopped.

"Dymanos is to the left," Cas finished. "It feels like he's waiting." Indecision flashed in his eyes, evident as the tension of their dire situation settled in. "He may have laid a trap at Sam's door."

"Then we'll go after him first." Dean glanced down the hall toward where his brother lay. "We'll kill him before he even knows we're here."

"No." To Dean's surprise, Castiel shook his head. "You should go after Dymanos — you're the one with Lucifer's blade. I'll rescue Sam before anything else can happen to him." A flash of light caught Dean's eyes, and he looked down to see Castiel's angel blade in his hands. "Go," Castiel repeated, voice tinged with a bite of frustration when Dean didn't move. "I'll come find you when I know Sam is safe."

Dean wasn't sure who moved first, or how he had gotten his hands on Castiel, but the warm and solid push of lips against his had him forgetting that he even cared. His hand found its way into the angel's hair, and he pulled him deeper into the kiss.

He was the first to pull away, needing air for his burning lungs. Castiel moved away more slowly, his lips parted slightly as he stepped back. "Be careful, Dean," he finally said after a second of silence. "I'll return with Sam."

"Yeah." Dean looked down to see their hands were still entwined, keeping Castiel near. "Yeah," he repeated dropping his angel's hand. "You too Cas. See you soon."

Castiel disappeared down the dark hallway, and Dean turned down his own path.