A/N: When I began writing this fic, I honestly intended it to be a smut-fest; clean and simple, git-r-done in 3,000 words or less. I began writing chapter one almost four months ago and only last week picked it up again, randomly, and turned it into this. I hope none of you fabulous readers mind the thus-far absence of any true smut, but personally I'm having fun with the plot. Your patience will be rewarded, I promise! Thank you to everyone who has reviewed or added this story to their favorites, and thank you even if you're just silently reading without a comment (I's watching you) :D

Chapter Three: Eat your heart out, Edward Cullen

Castiel was smarter than Dean sometimes gave him credit for (he was an angel, after all, and therefore as old as the Earth itself, maybe older). So when Dean left in such a hurry after their encounter in the motel room, Castiel's first instinct was to follow him. Even if the markings carved into the man's ribs kept Castiel from tracking him, it was easy enough to simply flit from place to place as Dean drove into town, staying out of sight.

When Dean entered the bar called Trapper's, Castiel resigned himself to several hours of waiting. He should have just left Dean to his drinking, but a nagging sensation in Castiel's mind told him that he would be needed. There was a strange scent on the air, but he couldn't pin it down amidst all the rain. He stayed across the street, on top of a three-story building where he had clear view of the bar. He didn't need to go inside to know that Dean would quickly locate the most attractive woman and attempt to woo her into bed with him.

His suspicions were rewarded. Dean left the bar with an admittedly very pretty girl on his arm. Castiel watched the two bend against the rain, covering their heads as they hurried to Dean's car. The way Dean's hand went to her lower back, guiding her, was not lost on the angel. He felt a strange twinge somewhere deep inside of himself.

Even as Castiel stood there in the rain, he knew that the introduction of these new feelings that had him gripped would not bode well. Heaven had its fair share of reasons to cast him completely from Grace, and if he were caught, that's exactly what they would do when they realized the extent of Castiel's movement away from the divine. He was becoming too human, and all of his time alone with Dean was the clearest catalyst of that.

Just as he had decided to leave Dean to his evening of promiscuous sex, Castiel caught a whiff of something on the air that made him stop dead. He knew that smell. It was coming at him stronger now; maybe the wind was blowing it at him. His eyes trained on the strange girl now walking around the front of Dean's car to wrap her arms around him.

Castiel knew that scent. Vampires.

The girl knocked Dean unconscious against the side of his own car, and Castiel watched his charge fall in a heap to the wet concrete. It was terrible, watching the vampire kneel beside him to lap up a taste of his blood, but Castiel held his ground. For now. This vampire had a coven to return to, which meant her prey had to be returned to them. At the risk of putting Dean in harm's way, it would now be more than easy to kill the Oakland County coven. All Castiel had to do now was hope this vampire woman didn't stop along the way for a snack.

Dean's first thought that he was dead. Well, if not dead, then well on his way. His ass was asleep and his lower back hurt like a bitch. There was a taste in his mouth like rotting meat.

Vampire. Lana, she was a vampire. Shit. Dean bit this inside of his cheek as a form of punishment for his own stupidity. Lana had vampire written all over her, but he'd been too distracted by his need for over-compensation to realize it. Suddenly he was damn glad that Sammy wasn't on the job with him; he'd never live this one down.

There was a sharp pain in his wrists. Of course, they'd tied him up, presumably to a pole. He tried to stretch and contort his hands, but soon gave up trying to undo the knot. He knew it couldn't be so easy, but it was worth a shot, anyway.

What pissed him off most was that they'd blindfolded him. As if he didn't have enough to worry about.

"H-hello? Is someone there?"

Dean's ear twitched at the voice. It was a girl's. She sounded young. Young and terrified. "Yeah, yeah. What's your name?" he said.

There was a scuffling, as if the girl was struggling against her own bounds. "M-my name is Ashlyn. Who are you?"

"The name's Dean. Listen, I'm gonna get you out of here," he said, putting an urgent hush to his voice.

Then, all at once, he could see.

"Oh you think so, pretty boy?" A hollow-faced man with stark blonde hair and the typical red eyes of a vampire was crouched before him. He leaned in to sniff appreciatively at Dean's neck. "You two ain't goin' no where."

Dean took the chance to absorb his surroundings. His first guess was that he was in the abandoned meat processing plant. Dirty sheets were hung from the high ceiling to create separate rooms (Dean noticed sickly that most of the sheets were splashed with blood). He and the girl, Ashlyn, were tied to two support beams in the center of the large room, surrounded by a rusted cage. He looked back to the Lost Boys reject in front of him and scoffed.

"I'm just passin' through," Dean said.

The blonde vampire cackled. "Yeah, you're blood'll be passin' through my guts come dawn." He put one finger to Dean's temple and pressed hard. Dean could feel his skin split open where he'd already been bashed against the Impala. The blonde vampire collected a sample of blood on his finger nail and put it to his lips, moaning softly. "Delicious."

"Jackson, back off," said none other than Lana. She entered the cage and grabbed the blonde vampire by the scruff of the neck, tossing him aside. Her gaze softened as she looked on Dean. She bent over with her hands on her knees and her breasts swaying dangerously in her low-slung top. That damn tattoo was practically laughing Dean in the face.

"You know, when most girls want to play rough, we usually start by picking a safe word. S'just common courtesy," Dean said.

Lana's laugh was a mockery. "You're funny. I don't eat funny people very often."

"Just call me a Happy Meal."

She grinned. "See what I mean?" Lana ran her hand gently down the side of Dean's face. He had the sudden crazy urge to bite her and see how she liked it. "But you know," Lana continued, "I was a bit disappointed in you. Being Dean Winchester and all, I thought you'd put up a bit more of a fight." She reached into her back pocket and pulled out his gun and a small knife that he kept in his boot. "And this is all you had on you? Honey, I've killed high school kids who pack more heat."

As if Lana had personally threatened her, Ashlyn began to struggle again on her side of the cage. She was dressed nicely, in a blouse and a white skirt now soiled by the filthy factory floor. If Dean had to guess, she looked no older than eighteen.

"Oh relax, girl," Lana said in a purr to Ashlyn. "We haven't forgotten about you, have we, Jackson?"

Jackson came up behind Ashlyn in a sort of crawl. He stroked the girl's face, making her yelp in surprise. "Certainly haven't," the blonde said, chuckling darkly. "Come on, Lana, let's take them out of the cage now. Maureen and Joe'll just keep complaining about how hungry they are."

"No," Lana snapped. "We have to wait for Paul. You know how much he hates to get last pick on meals. Besides, he said he was going to make a pit-stop at the daycare." Her grin was bat-shit terrifying.

"Sickos," Dean said under his breath. Vampires just about topped witches in the 'skeevey' category.

Lana only chuckled in response. "Oh Dean, wait until you see what we have planned you. We don't particularly give a shit about all this angel versus demon business, but I'm sure you can bet where we're throwing in our chips." She left him with a kiss on the cheek. Over her shoulder, she told Jackson, "You might as well untie the girl's gag. These two probably want to have a nice little chat; share last words and all."

Jackson grinned wickedly as he undid the knot keeping a bit of cloth bound in Ashlyn's mouth. "Catch ya' later, doll face."

"What did you do with Aaron, you bastard?" Ashlyn threw out one of her legs to kick Jackson as he passed, but the vampire avoided the attack nimbly.

Jackson turned and patted his stomach. "Your little boyfriend was quite the screamer. He's lyin' over in Joe's room, if you still want him. But, I feel like I should mention he's missin' a few important bits. Namely, his guts!" The blonde vampire walked away, cackling loudly. The cage door shut with a bang and they were locked in. Ashlyn started to cry.

Dean's head knocked back against the post he was tied to and he sighed. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been so stupid (actually, yes he could; he'd started the apocalypse not too long ago). "Cas, if you can hear me, I need your help," he muttered. He couldn't see a way out of this one. Ashlyn had to be saved if at all possible, and Lana said that children were soon going to be involved. This was a bad situation all around. Maybe if he could somehow get his hands unbound, he'd be able to pick the lock of the cage, kill all five vampires with whatever weapon he could find, save the innocents, and get back to the motel in time to pretend nothing had happened. Yeah, that would totally work.

Castiel's plan to follow Dean had gone perfectly. He knew where the Impala was stashed, and he knew exactly how he would get Dean and any other victims out alive. A part of him was thrilled at the chance to enact some small revenge on Dean in the form of a smug rescue. The angel didn't understand the emotion, but what he was feeling was embarrassment. Part of him wanted to make Dean admit his feelings without getting spooked, which would of course take a near-death experience.

Despite his separation from the host of Heaven, Castiel still possessed the ability to remain unseen but watchful. He observed closely the location of the vampires and the cage which held Dean and the girl, Ashlyn. He watched the female vampire and her blonde companion harass their prisoners, ready to abandon his surprise attack if either vampire showed an inclination to take a bite. When Lana declared that their meal would have to wait until the arrival of Paul, Castiel grinned. He happened to know that Paul would be unable to attend, as his body was lying in a dumpster while his head lay in the trash can beside it. Killing vampires was no problem, which is why Castiel would have a bit of fun with this situation, as he was assured that neither Dean nor Ashlyn would be harmed.

At the sound of his own name on Dean's lips, Castiel moved in closer, still unseen. It would be hard to describe exactly what physical state he was in then. He was closer in that moment to the angels of popular belief; he could see and hear all that happened around him, but he was not at liberty to interact without being seen. The quiet plea uttered by his charge nearly caused Castiel to lose control and reveal himself, but he remained in the shadows of existence for the time being. He wanted to hear what else Dean may have to say.

Ashlyn looked over at Dean. The poor child was completely terrified. Her makeup was streamed down her face in inky black lines, giving her the appearance of a ghost or a zombie. She trembled as she said, "Are you really s-sure you can get us out of he-here?"

Dean nodded, attempting a smile. "Positive." Castiel could see the doubt in his eyes. "I've got a friend on the outside who'll be looking for me." There was doubt behind that, too.

"W-who…what are you?"

Dean chuckled. "I'm just a guy. A hunter, actually. I kill these things for a living."

Ashlyn regarded him for several moments, still shivering. "You're crazy."

"Occupational requirement," Dean said. He fidgeted with the ropes at his wrists again. Inspecting his progress, Castiel was slightly surprised that Dean had already worked the knot loose. With only a little more work, he would have himself untied. "I'm sorry about your boyfriend," he said to the girl. The death of an innocent stranger was the sort of thing Dean blamed himself on as a rule of being a Winchester.

Ashlyn sniffed. "Aaron and me have been dating for two years now. He was taking me to see an opera tonight." She looked down at her ruined skirt and the single high-heeled shoe left on her foot. It was easy to see that she would have been very pretty if not for the cloud of fear and hopelessness surrounding her.

Dean finally got his bonds loose. With scarcely a triumphant grin, he glanced toward the vampires, who were huddled around a television. He stood and went to Ashlyn. Her eyes widened in surprise when she saw him, free and smiling, while he untied her hands.

"Thank you," the girl said, seeming to question the statement.

"Pleasure," Dean responded. "Could I borrow your bobby pin, please?" He gestured to the hair pin keeping up her falling up-do. Ashlyn removed it from her hair without question.

The invisible angel felt a renewed faith in the man. He knew the amount of pride that Dean took in saving people, and after watching so many die, it would be a comfort to know that he'd saved at least this eighteen year old girl from a fate as a vampire's lunch.

"Who's Cas?" Ashlyn said. She was still on the floor, like she didn't have the strength to stand.

Dean looked over his shoulder. His arm was slipped through one of the slats in the cage while he tried to pick the lock, but Ashlyn's question seemed to have him stumped. "What?"

"A minute ago you were muttering about someone named Cas. Is that another vampire hunter?"

Dean didn't have time to explain it now, and so he said, "Kinda." Ashlyn seemed comfortable with the response and allowed Dean to work the lock without interruption. It was giving him trouble, either due to the angle or the rust, but Dean cursed several times under his breath. His eyes returned fleetingly to the vampires. They seemed distracted, but there was no telling if they were just playing dumb.

The answer to that question came quickly.

One wrong move of the bobby pin, and a crunching of rusted metal rang loud even to Dean. It caused all four vampires to turn at once. They didn't look happy.

"Trying to escape, eh?" said Lana. She stood, smirking at the two in the cage. "Guys, why don't you fish the girl out of there? We'll have a nice little snack."

Ashlyn shrieked, freshly terrified. She scuttled to the back of the cage, shrinking into the corner and covering her head as if it could stop the three ravenous vampires.

Dean showed no sign of fear, despite his not having a weapon. He stood in front of Ashlyn, ready to fight.

He didn't get the chance.

Castiel appeared outside of the cage, just in time to knock back the female. She hit a distant support beam with an echoing clang and fell to the ground, dazed. The remaining male vampires accepted the new foe quickly and set in on trying to subdue him.

"Cas!" Dean threw himself against the wall of the cage, trying to open it and join the fight. "I need a weapon!"

"You have me, don't you?" was the angel's only reply.

Castiel grabbed the hulking dark vampire, Joe, by the shoulders. In a sharp crack and a shower of blood, Joe's head was sent rolling into some shadowy corner of the warehouse. There was no time to recover before the female, Maureen, threw herself at Castiel and moved to tear into his neck. Her attack was easily blocked and her head removed. The angel kicked aside her body and got to his feet. Jackson was standing back, crouched as if to attack but showing no desire to.

"What are you doing, you idiot, kill him!" Lana shouted.

Jackson looked nervously between his boss and his enemy, unable to decide which was worse. "This guy ain't human, Lana!"

Castiel vanished and appeared again directly behind the blonde. "You're right," he said. Jackson's headless body fell forward in the next second.

"Cas, she's running!" Dean pointed to Lana's retreating back as she stumbled away. He'd never seen a vampire stumble before; maybe the fear was a contributing factor.

She wasn't hard to catch. Dean knelt beside Ashlyn, not needing to watch Castiel to know that she would be taken down.

Ashlyn was curled in on herself, blocking her face with her arms. Her shoulders shook violently with the threats of hyperventilation. She sort of looked like Dean felt.

"Hey, Ashlyn," Dean said softly, trying not to scare her further. He hesitantly put a hand to her shoulder, which she flinched away from. "It's alright, they're dead. They're all dead. You don't have to be afraid anymore."

"I don't want to see them," she said in an unsteady, rattling whisper. "I don't want to see the bodies."

"Alright, it's okay." He could sympathize with that. He'd hide from it all too, if it weren't so much a part of him. "Just stay here a second." Dean stood, turning.

Castiel stood in the open door of the cage, covered in the vampires' blood. The angel looked completely undisturbed by what he'd just done. "Are you alright?" he said, despite already knowing the answer. Dean had not been harmed physically, beyond the injury to his head in the parking lot.

The hunter nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. You?"

Castiel looked down at himself. In an instant, his soiled clothes were cleaned, and all signs of blood vanished from his hands. He was back to looking like a geeky accountant. "I am fine," he replied. "What of the girl?"

Dean scratched the back of his head. "She's alright. Her boyfriend was killed. She doesn't want to see any of the bodies, though. Could you, uh, y'know, do your teleport gig and take her home?"

Castiel wordlessly moved past Dean and put a hand to the girl's shoulder. He said something in her ear, to which she nodded. With the sound of fluttering wings, they were gone.

Now alone, Dean stepped out of the cage and went to the set of dilapidated couches and chairs that served as the vampire living area. His gun and knife were sitting on the damn coffee table, right next to a bloody pile of teeth that still had braces glued to them. Dean winced; vampires were skeevey.

Castiel returned with salt and a can of gasoline. Together they disposed of the vampires' bodies, and separately, the corpse of Ashlyn's boyfriend and any other victims they found in the warehouse.

They left soon after lighting the match and throwing it onto the piles. They didn't speak, not once, while disposing of the carnage. Dean didn't even complain about being teleported home.