A/N: Okay, guys, Hard Road is DONE! I have the final part at the beta's and I will post it in smaller pieces of 3-4k words like I have been doing that way I don't have to wait for the whole thing to be beta'd. This way, the parts you'll get will be smaller, but you'll get them a lot sooner! This whole journey has been amazing and I can't thank you enough for tagging along. Thank you Vicki, for holding my hand through this, from beginning to end (and you don't even like slash!) Thank you, readers, those who left wonderful comments and those who read in silence. I am a little sad to see this end, but very excited for my next project. It feels bittersweet, like closing the door of one part of your life but opening the door to the next. And wow, I'm getting all maudlin and emotional, but this was my baby and it's a little hard to see it all grown up and out on its own. lol! Really, thank you for staying with me, for holding on and taking this journey with me!

The first 1k words of this have been posted, they are in the last entry, but it is part of this part, so I added back in here for the sake of the people who are downloading this in ebook or pdf form. Enjoy! And keep your eyes open, the ending is upon us!

Hard Road

Part Five A

Dean glanced over at Cas's back as the angel perused the old book in front of him. Their mid-afternoon romp had been enjoyable, but had set them back a bit in the research and that really wasn't going to cut it. He was not going to have to explain to Sam why he didn't have an answer to their goddess problem, that would just be too damn awkward, even for their relationship. Nope, not happening.

"Dean! I think I found something!" Cas called out, interrupting his musings.

"Really?" Dean asked, surprised but pleased.

"Yes. I believe she can be destroyed with a birch stake, anointed in the blood of one who is righteous," Cas declared.

Dean raised an eyebrow.

"Um, okay. Kind of... random." Cas rolled his eyes at Dean (that was getting old fast) and motioned him over to the table. He showed the hunter the open book and pointed at the relevant passage. Dean read over it and sure enough, it seemed like it would be that simple.

"Okay. Birch. We can do that. But... 'anointed in the blood of one who is righteous'? Where are we gonna get that?"

Cas gave him an odd look. Dean was lost.

"Dean. You do remember who you are, don't you?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Cas sighed.

"You are the Righteous Man. I believe your blood should suffice," Castiel explained.

"Oh," and didn't that just feel odd. "Well, I guess we should call Sam."

"That is probably a good idea."

Dean flipped open his phone and hit the number one, allowing the speed dial to quickly connect him to his brother. Sam answered after a handful of rings.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Sam. I think we've got a lead," Dean started in without fanfare.

"Really? Great, because I've got nothing here. Want me to come on over?"

"Yeah, that'd be great, Sammy. See ya in a few."

Dean closed his phone and tossed it down on the bed. The very rumpled bed. Oh well, Sam could deal with it.

"Is it really that easy?" he blurted out. He knew how their lives went, nothing was ever this easy. Ever.

Cas stood up from the table and walked over to where Dean was standing at the foot of the bed. He reached out and laid a hand on Dean's hip, squeezing gently.

"I would hardly call this case easy. And while the means of her demise are rather straightforward, I do believe that the actual act itself will be rather difficult. We still have her guard dogs to worry about."

"Right. Like I said, nothing in this job is ever easy."

Cas leaned in and pressed a quick kiss to Dean's lips then pulled back, looking unsure, as if he wasn't entirely comfortable with taking a liberty like that. Dean offered him a reassuring smile and kissed him back.

Dean pulled back when a knocking sound broke the silence of the small cabin.

"Sammy," he announced, though he really didn't need to. Cas had to know it was his brother. Dean moved over to the door and opened it, letting Sam in.

"Hey. So, jack pot?" Sam asked, quickly moving into the room.

"We think so. Show him the book, Cas."

Castiel went over to the table and picked up the book, bringing it back to Sam.

"A birch stake, anointed in blood. Pretty simple, huh?" Dean summarized while Sam read over the passage. His brother glanced up once he'd finished and gave a snort.

"Dean, it's never that simple."

"Yeah, that's what I said, but... it looks like it is here. Of course, then we've got the wanna-be hell hounds and we have to figure out where she actually is, how to get to her or bring her to us, not so simple," Dean told him.

"Well, first things first. The stake. There are birch trees in the woods. Want me to cut some?" Sam asked, glancing back down at the book.

"Yeah, that'd be best. Uh, Cas? Exactly how much blood do you need?" Dean asked.

"And where do you plan to get it?" Sam interjected.

"We won't need much blood, and Dean will provide the blood."

Sam furrowed his brow, glanced a Dean then muttered a soft, "oh."

"Yeah, 'oh,'" Dean said, rolling his eyes. "So, problem number two: how do we find her?"

"My best guess would be to start at that cave. That's where we found her guard dogs," Sam offered.

"I agree with Sam. The sigils there were very concentrated as well," Cas told them.

"And she's what? Just hanging out there? Do we need some way to summon her?"

"The summoning ritual requires the blood of a virgin," Cas informed them.

"Oh."

"It's almost the full moon," Sam pointed out. "Can we assume she'll be there for the ritual and attack then?"

Cas canted his head to the side.

"I believe that may work best. It is the one time we know exactly when and where she will be."

"That's cutting it awfully close and putting some innocent people in danger," Dean said, looking from his brother to his angel.

"Unless she's planning on using you and Cas," Sam pointed out.

"Yeah, but what if she's not?"

"Okay, then, do you know a virgin? Or how to get virgin blood?" Sam asked.

"No." Dean answered in a clipped tone.

"Then what else are we going to do, Dean?"

"I don't know, Sam!" Dean snapped.

"This isn't getting us anywhere," Cas spoke up, stopping the brothers before a real fight could break out.

Dean took a deep breath.

"Okay. Alright, so... we wait? Tonight's not the full moon, right?"

"Right. And, you should probably use the time we have until the full moon to convince Hannah that she needs to sacrifice you and Cas. It'll take all the innocent bystanders out of the equation," Sam suggested.

"Worth a shot. You up for it?" Dean asked, glancing towards his angel.

Cas nodded.

"Okay. Then, I'm off to cut a birch branch. I'll drop it by later tonight, sound good?"

"Great. Thanks, Sammy."

"Dean-"

"Yeah, I know, don't call you Sammy."

Sam huffed a sigh and shook his head.

"I don't know how you put up with him," Sam said, glancing over at Cas with a smile.

"Ropes... and gags," Cas deadpanned.

Dean nearly chocked as Sam burst out laughing.

"Dude! TMI!"

Cas looked a little confused.

Sam waved and left the cabin as Dean turned towards Cas.

"What the hell?" he asked with a smile.

Cas shrugged.

"I am allowed to joke, am I not?" Cas asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Hell, yeah, just... uh, not about sex... at least with Sam."

"Oh."

Dean laughed.

"Oh, forget it, the look on his face was too good. Way to go, Cas."

Cas smiled.

"We should probably show up at dinner, then, if we want Hannah to think we'd be the perfect baby making pair."

"I agree. Shall we?" Cas motioned towards the door.

Dean and Cas took their customary seats across from Jack and Alec and quickly realized they'd interrupted a very... interesting argument.

"You can say that all you want, but I'm telling you, he's a total bottom," Alec swore.

Dean glanced at Cas out of the corner of his eye. He really wasn't sure he wanted to know what they were talking about. He opened his mouth to try and change the subject when a loud voice caught all of their attention.

"Tommy! Get over it! Your whining is seriously getting on my last nerve!" Mike hissed out for the whole room to hear. The shorter man got up from the table he'd been sitting at with his partner and stormed out of the room. Tom glanced around, face red with embarrassment before standing up and leaving the room in the opposite direction that Mike had gone.

"Those two... I don't know how they haven't killed each other yet," Alec whispered, sounding really sad.

"Mike's such a douche," Jack added, shaking his head.

"Why does Tom stay with Mike if he is so horrible to him?" Cas asked.

Alec and Jack looked at each other before Jack spoke up.

"Who knows. I see the same shit in abuse victims all the time. We get called in, time and time again, but one partner just won't leave the other. Sometimes its deep seated issues, other times it's just... they don't think they deserve any better. It's sad any way you look at it."

Cas nodded, a deep frown on his face.

"Okay, this is cheery. Seriously, they've got problems, let them figure their own shit out," Dean told the group, really wanting to get a smile back on his angel's face.

"I agree," Alec said, digging back into his plate of food.

"Kirk and Spock," Jack blurted out.

Dean was confused.

"Huh?" he asked.

"It's a game. We guess at which person in each pairing would be the top and which would be the bottom," Alec explained, blushing a little. Dean let out a bark of laughter.

"Kirk's totally taking it up the ass," Dean announced with relish.

"I have to agree with him," Jack said. Dean offered him a smile.

"Who...?" Cas asked. Dean chuckled before throwing an arm around the shorter man.

"Remind me to introduce you to Star Trek when we get home. You and Sammy can geek out over it," he told Cas.

"So, swimming tomorrow?" Alec asked, ending their game.

"Uh, give us a call. We'll see," Dean told him. He wasn't sure what other prep they'd need to do, but he kind of thought a relaxing afternoon with Cas would be nice before this whole thing ended. And didn't that just make him a girl?

"Well, we really do need to head out. Jack promised his sister he'd call her on her birthday and... the day is almost over," Alec explained as he stood up, taking his now empty tray with him.

"Have fun," Dean told the other man. The couple waved their goodbye and left, hand in hand.

"I don't understand the point of their... game," Cas admitted, picking at his salad.

"Honestly? Neither do I. I guess it's kinda like... boxers or briefs. Or.. guess her bra size. Pointless games to pass the time and make you laugh," Dean tried to explain.

"Oh." Cas still looked confused. "Why does it matter which partner is penetrating the other?"

Dean choked on his water at Cas's rather loud question. He glanced around, but thankfully no one was paying attention to them.

"Uh... well, it matters a lot to some people. Some... uh, some people really don't like, um... being penetrated," Dean tried to explain as his face heated up. Jeez, how in the world did he end up in these conversations!

"Oh... I'm assuming you are counting yourself in that group?" Cas asked.

"You know what? Let's finish this discussion back in the cabin," Dean told him, turning his attention back to his half eaten meal.

Cas nodded and continued to eat in silence.

When they made it back to the cabin, Dean was a nervous mess. He didn't even know why. It was just a conversation. Right?

He sat down on the bed and watched Cas make his way over to the refrigerator and dig out a can of Mt. Dew. He had a feeling his angel had an addiction. Though, after the glimpse he'd had of Cas from 2014, a little caffeine addiction was nothing.

"Okay. So... ask," he offered, opening up the discussion.

Cas tilted his head to the side.

"You don't enjoy penetration," Cas made it more of a statement than a question.

Dean shifted on the bed.

"I don't... honestly? I've never done that so... I have no idea. But, it doesn't sound pleasant," he admitted, deciding honesty was the best bet here. Get it over with quickly.

Cas walked over to the bed and sat down beside him, can of soda tight in his grip.

"I assure you, it is very pleasant," he told him with a smile. It was really nice to see Cas smile. He didn't do it often enough.

"Yeah, that's what your grimaces and hisses were telling me that first time," Dean snipped.

Cas's smile slipped off his face.

"That... was not pleasant. But I believe that might have more to do with our... technique than the act itself."

Dean couldn't argue with that. He was adult enough to admit that was mostly his fault.

"But, the second time, I promise, was very pleasant."

Dean swallowed nervously, almost afraid to ask his next question.

"Is that... is that something you want me to try?" he asked, turning his head to look fully at the other man.

Cas stared at him openly for a minute before answering, eyes never leaving his.

"Dean, I would never ask you to do something you were uncomfortable with," Cas swore, and Dean believed him. Cas would never be one to pressure him, to ask for more, it just wasn't Cas. So, why did that thought make him feel guilty?

Later, when asked, Dean wouldn't be able to say exactly what led him to this point, but he would be able to say that he was pretty sure he was always going to end up here.

Two slim hands gripped his naked hips, hard. He was pretty sure he'd have bruises there in the morning. Dean shifted nervously on Cas's thighs where he was perched. Cas leaned against the head board, blue eyes watching him warily.

"Are you sure?" Cas asked.

"Damn it, Cas, I wouldn't have asked you if I wasn't sure," Dean growled to hide the fact that no, he really, really wasn't sure, but Cas's questions earlier had made him realize that... well, was it really fair for him to ask, to expect something from Cas that he wasn't willing to offer in return? He trusted his angel, with everything, he could trust him with this.

Cas stared deep into Dean's eyes and he was filled with that feeling that the angel was staring past him and into his soul.

"Are you doing this out of guilt, Dean? Because if that's so, I don't want this."

Dean sighed. Yes, he'd felt guilty earlier, but when he'd really thought about it, no, he wasn't doing this out of guilt. This was something he wanted. There was precious little he could give Cas, but... this was one thing he could.

"No. This is something I want to do with you. Now, can we drop the chick flick shit?"

Cas gave him a small smile and nodded as he slid his right hand from Dean's hip to circle around and trace the crease of his ass. A shiver ran down Dean's spine, part anticipation and part nerves. His dick definitely seemed to be into it though.

"Lube," Dean reminded Cas, a slight quiver to his voice.

Cas reached over and grabbed the tube of lubricant they'd left on the bed in preparation. He quickly slicked up two fingers and went back to griping one hip while his other hand went back around, forefinger lingering just against the puckered opening.

"I don't... I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do," Cas admitted.

"It's pretty self-explanatory," Dean told him. "Just... one at a time, and go slow."

Cas nodded before taking a deep breath. As if he was the one who needed fortifying.

Slowly, Cas let one finger breach the tight muscle and sink in.

"Fuck!" Dean bit out at the burning stretch. How the hell had Cas taken his dick the other night!

"Dean," Cas called, earning his attention. The other man let his left hand move up from Dean's hip to his shoulder. He pulled the taller man down so his forehead rested on Cas's right shoulder, then he let his hand move down to take Dean's semi-hard cock in his hand. He kept the finger inside Dean perfectly still while he slowly stroked him back into full hardness.

Dean shifted as the burn faded into a fullness, into pleasure. It still felt weird, but... a pleasant sort of weird. Cas kept the strokes on his dick easy and slow as he pulled his finger out and pushed it back in. It didn't hurt, but Dean wasn't sure it felt good either.

Cas continued with both the strokes and the thrusts before Dean felt a second finger at his entrance. He tightened up on instinct, but Cas didn't enter him. Instead, he sped up the strokes on his cock, adding a little twist just at the head that brought all of Dean's attention to his dick.

"Fuck," he whispered as Cas stroked him closer to the edge. He was so into the hand job, he almost didn't notice the second finger slide into his ass. A slight sting and an even fuller feeling let him know that it had happened.

Cas kept up his strokes on both his dick and in his ass and his fingers hit something. Something that had Dean seeing stars.

"Holy shit!" he bit out, throwing his head back and gulping in air.

"Yes, very pleasant, isn't it?" Cas asked, voice wrecked. Dean glanced down and noticed Cas's very hard cock for the first time. It was swollen and precum pearled and spilled from the slit.

Cas's fingers brushed against his prostate again, sending jolts of pleasure along his body. He reached out and grasped the other man's dick, offering pleasure in return.

Cas's mouth fell open as Dean stroked him from root to tip. The rhythm the angel had set up faltered as Dean thumbed at the bundle of nerves just under the head.

"You... you are making this very hard to concentrate," Cas mumbled as his fingers brushed over Dean's prostate once again. Dean let a moan slip out as he leaned forward, burying his face in the bend where neck met shoulder.

"So sorry," he whispered into sweaty skin, even though he was far from sorry.

Cas's hands kept moving, finding their rhythm again even as Dean kept up his own stroking. He added a third finger just as he gave a twist of his hand and let his thumb flick over the slit of Dean's dick. The multiple sensations were enough and Dean surprised himself by shooting all over Cas's hand and their stomachs.

"Fuck! Sorry... I..." Dean muttered, brain floating in the high of orgasm.

Cas's hand, covered in semen, grasped his own dick and his fingers interlaced with Dean's. Together they stroked Cas to his own completion.

They both sat together, panting until they could catch their breath.

"Wow," Dean muttered into Cas's shoulder.

"I told you."

"Smug bastard," Dean blurted out with a laugh. He shifted and finally remembered the fingers up his ass. He grimaced at the feeling. It didn't feel quite as pleasant any more.

Cas lay a calming hand on his side and pecked his lips as he pulled his fingers out. That part was far from pleasant. Cas chuckled at the face he made.

"Shower?" the angel offered.

"Definitely," Dean agreed, getting up off the bed and flinching at the pull in his ass. And that was with only Cas's fingers. Again, he had to wonder how in the world Cas's had handled his dick.