Dean, in his half-awake state, thought of the night before. He remembered how the moonlight reflected off a thin layer of sweat that covered them both. He remembered Cas' nails running down his back and his fingers getting knotted in his hair. He remembered the silent moans and the groaning of his name against his ear and neck. He remembered the cries of pleasure and the way their bodies moved together like that was what they were made to do. Dean smiled slightly in his sleep, turning onto his side and feeling the bed next to him for the one he loved. He pulled Castiel close against him and grinned, kissing the spot behind his ear. He shivered slightly as he felt the kiss and turned his head. He was still mostly asleep when their lips met and caressed each other.

"Dean…" Cas' deep voice turned the whisper into more of a husky growl that made Dean's hairs stand on end in a good way.

Dean made an agreeing sound against his lips and moved them to his neck, sucking his skin slightly as his lips came together.

"Dean…"

He dragged his lips across to Castiel's neck, kissing him across the curves of his throat as he ran his hands up his thighs.

"Dean, Sam is standing in the doorway."

Dean's hand stopped and he slowly turned his head, meeting his brother's traumatised gaze. "Morning, Sammy."

Sam gagged. "The door is wide open! Control yourselves!"

Dean saluted him, grinning. Sam gagged again and then started to walk away.

"Mind shutting the door?" Dean called after him.

There was a pause and then Sam reappeared with a hand over his eyes, he slammed the door shut. Cas and Dean looked at each other and then burst out laughing.

"'Morning Sammy'?" Cas repeated as he tried to control his laughter.

"Oh he's seen worse." Dean grinned and kissed his forehead, starting to get up.

"Where'd you think you're going?" Cas leant back on his elbows. "Aren't you going to carry on where you left off?"

Dean smirked slowly and climbed back onto the bed, crawling up Cas' body and then kissed him deeply.

Sam opened the front door and walked into the kitchen with the law books he'd left in his car. Dean was standing in the kitchen sipping coffee and reading the newspaper. Sam stopped when he saw him, and Dean slowly met his gaze.

"What?"

Sam shook his head slowly. "You're reading?"

"I know, the horror." He responded sarcastically, looking back to the pages.

"Sam put his books on the table, setting them out to study. "Where's Cas?"

"Picking up some stuff from town. What you got there?" He nodded to the books, putting his mug down on the counter.

"Oh, I've got some tests coming up so I thought I'd better get some work done."

"I guess you don't want to come fishing with me then?"

Sam looked at the books, then at his brother and smirked. "I guess it can wait."

Dean grinned. "Awesome."

As the brothers were driving through town, red and blue flashed in the impala's rear view mirror. Dean frowned and pulled over to let a cop car shoot past them. He wasn't sure why, but he his skin crawled with a deep feeling of dread. A comfortable lump developed in his throat and he watched the police car turned left, away from the direction of the lake and towards the town. Sam looked at his brother, concerned by the crease in his brow.

"Dean?"

"Hm? Oh right…" Dean cleared his throat and started the car again. He drove to the cross roads and stopped, not signalling either way but staring down the left road.

Sam sighed. "We're not going to do any fishing are we?"

"I just want to check it out."

"I don't think that's a good idea." Sam didn't see how looking for trouble would help either of them with they're supposedly normal lives.

"Oh come on, Sam! It's not going to be anything we need to worry about." Dean glanced at him. "I just want to make sure no one's hurt."

He sighed, folding his arms. He wasn't happy about it, but he knew he wasn't going to be able to talk Dean out of it. The eldest Winchester grinned and turned left, following the path of the cop car.

When they arrived on the scene the police had set up a cordon around the entry to a house. There didn't seem to be any outward sign of what had happened. Dean killed the engine and peered through the front window.

"What do think?"

"Looks harmless enough… a break in maybe?"

A coroners van suddenly turned the corner and pulled up in front of the crime scene. The Winchesters exchanged glances and then got out of the car in unison. As they walked up to the barrier, the deputy sheriff glanced over and double took, his focus on Sam. Dean smirked slightly which peeked Sam's attention.

"What is it?"

Dean laughed slightly, covering it with a fake cough. "This should be fun."

The deputy walked over. "Heya, Dean. How's it going?"

"Hey Bill, not too bad. Yourself?"

"Yeah… everything is swell." He glanced at Sam again, and then back at Dean and then to Sam again.

Dean pretended he hadn't noticed and looked over Bill's shoulder at the scene. Bill cleared his throat.

"Who's your friend?"

"Hm? Oh, right. Bill this is my little brother, Sammy." Dean patted Sam's shoulder. "He's come by to visit after a nasty break up."

Sam frowned slightly. What was Dean doing?

Bill looked back to Sam, his expression understanding. "I'm sorry to hear that. What happened?"

"He was a possessive asshole, you know the type. I think Sam had a lucky escape there." Dean glanced at Sam and winked subtly.

Sam sighed, suddenly getting it. "Yeah, real lucky… last time I pick up a guy at a bar."

"Yeah, what you want is someone you can trust." Bill smiled slightly.

"That's what I've been telling him! Hey, Bill… maybe you two could go and get a drink. Sam could use one."

Sam looked heavenward for a moment. "Yeah. I could."

Bill looked around, unsure. "I don't know, Dean… I'm supposed to be keeping an eye out around here…"

"I'm not going to tell anyone…" Dean nudged him, grinning. "Go have some drink. You deserve it."

Bill smiled back, nodding. "You're right… Thanks, Dean."

"Anytime."

Bill ducked under the police tape and walked beside Sam. He motioned for him to follow him and they headed towards the bar down the street. Dean grinned.

"You kids have fun now!" He called after them.

Sam turned and gave him the death glare. Dean blew him a kiss and Sam rolled his eyes, walking with Bill.

Dean sobered and looked around before he ducked under the tape and headed to the building. At first he didn't see anything, and then he went into the bedroom and stopped. The over powering smell of sulphur made him gag involuntarily, but it was also the blood that made his own run cold. There was blood everywhere. It splattered the walls, the windows and created little puddles on the ground. The body, or more accurately the pieces of what used to be a human, was sprawled across the bed. Great caverns of giant claw marks through their torso, one of their arms was missing. Dean swallowed, exhaling slowly.

"Hellhounds… why did it have to be hellhounds?" He muttered.

An unwanted memory suddenly flashed into his head. A hellhound was tearing into his flesh, the claws like white hot rods digging into him like he was the dirt under its feet. He remembered the snarling that sounded like a thousand souls screaming that made his ears bleed; and the sulphur breath on his face, burning his eyes like acid. He was paralysed by the memory, his throat too tight and dry. His neck felt like it had fused together and he was unable to look away. Another memory replaced the first, this time he was watching it happen to someone else. His own hellhound ripping and slashing into a deal maker. As his beast mutilated the human, a small smile had grown on his face. Blood had spurted from him and splattered Dean's face, he jumped back as if it had actually happened again. He could almost feel the warm liquid running down his cheek. Dean stumbled backwards and out the door. He ran into the alley and dropped to his knees, unbuttoning his shirt that was now too tight. He was hyperventilating and unable to get control of it again, his skin felt hot and cold at the same time and he felt weak. His entire body was shaking. He closed his eyes, straining to force out the images that plagued him. When he felt a hand on his shoulder he cried out and stood up quickly, reaching for a gun that wasn't there. He stared at the man before him in astonishment. He thought, wished, that he was just losing his mind and hallucinating.

"You…" He breathed, his heart only pounding faster, but he was surprised how strong his voice sounded.

Cain smiled slightly. "Hello, Dean. You seem troubled."

Dean swallowed, trying and failing to get control of himself. "I… I don't know what's wrong with me."

"It's the mark, Dean. It does this to you…" Cain stepped closer and Dean held his ground. "Hellhounds, correct?"

"Yeah… but I know the guy it killed. He hasn't left this town in twenty years and there's not crossroad here…"

Cain smirked slightly. "The king of hell seems to have disappeared again. And after what happened to Abbadon… thank you for that by the way-"

"My pleasure."

"-No demon is willing to step up and take control. There's chaos in Hell. Demons don't know what they're doing. It's all falling apart."

"Not my problem." Dean said defiantly. He could feel where this was going, and it wasn't going to let it.

"Of course not, you're just the mark bearer after all…" Cain gave him a sardonic look and then cleared his throat. "Speaking of which, it's time."

Dean frowned slightly. "What?"

"Remember what you promised me?" Cain folded his arms, his eyes looked older and more worn than they had before. His beard was unkempt and longer.

Dean did remember, and the familiar sense of dread rolled down his spine. "You want me to kill you…"

"Yes." Cain nodded.

"Look, man… no can do. I don't have the mark anymore, and the blade is gone." Dean sighed slightly. "I'm sorry."

Cain stared at him for a long time as if trying to decide whether he was joking or not. "Where's the blade?"

"I burned my half, I don't know what Sammy did with his and it's going to stay that way."

Cain's hand was suddenly around his throat, holding him to the wall. "That was not yours to destroy, boy. The promise we made was not one you can go back on. That was a blood bond, Dean. You HAVE to kill me."

Dean groaned, he tried to get free from Cain's iron grip but he couldn't. He felt the air in his lungs run out and couldn't breathe to refill them. "I… can't…"

Cain pulled him back and then slammed him against the wall again, making his back crack and see stars. "You MUST!" Cain's eyes were pitch black with rage, it was the same rage Dean had recognised in his own. Cain was a broken man.

After almost too long, Cain dumped him in the ground, stepping away. Dean gulped in air and coughed violently, trying to clear his air way.

"You will find the blade, Dean. And you will take back the mark and then you will kill me like you owe." Cain looked down at him, speaking with barely contained rage. "Then, and only then, may you make your own choices. If you don't do what I ask… I will destroy everything you hold dear. Starting with your brother."

Dean looked at him in horror.

Cain kept the same hard look. "You have three days." He vanished.

Dean pushed himself up, holding onto the wall for support. What the hell was he going to do?