He must have drifted off for a few minutes because he wakes up to Cas watching him.

"Geez, you're such a creeper," Dean laughs fondly.

"Your brother will return soon." Cas says, not smiling.

"Yeah, shit." He rubs a hand over his face to wake up. Exhaustion makes it hard to think. Dean notices his arms and the dried blood and bites that a little while ago he could not give two fucks about. Now he wanted to wash it all away, not to mention he'd gone two rounds with Cas and probably looked it.

"Okay. I gotta go take a shower so I don't scar him anymore than I already have." He gets a flash of Sam's face after he was sane enough to focus on him. Groaning, he rolls out of bed. He blushed at how sore he was in unexpected places.

"I'll stay with you." Cas says as he sits up.

"No, it'll be uncomfortable enough."

Cas looks hesitant but Dean is already busy worrying about what he's going to say.. how it's going to go.

"You're certain? I could be of help."

"Yeah, I'll call you back after if you want."

Dean leans down and kisses him quick. Catching him by the scruff of his neck, Cas pulls him roughly back. When Dean makes a little sound deep in his throat, he's yanked down to the bed again and Cas crawls on top of him.

They kiss open-mouthed, all sliding tongues, rubbing lips and shared saliva.

Turning his face, Dean gasps for air. "You gotta go. I can't think with you here."

Cas cups the side of his face and stares at him with knit eyebrows.

"I know.. I'll go. I just want you to remember me while you're having your talk."

"You're kinda hard to forget."

Dean pecks him on the lips and Cas moves on his side to let him go.

Getting to his feet, Dean turns back to the bed made and Cas gone.

He gets clean in record time and dresses. Then he alternates pacing and sitting on the edge of his bed. The blinds are open to let in moonlight. The motel's maintenance will probably be by in the morning to change all the blown light bulbs after the freak power outage. The anxiety lets up for a minute as he thinks about what caused it.

Dean's back to sitting on the bed, barely keeping conscious, when the door finally opens. Sam comes through it looking exactly like he'd been fighting a nest of vampires all night.

"Sam." He's instantly awake.

"Hey, are you.. alright now?" Sam sits down heavily across from him on the other bed.

"Yeah. I think I'm gonna be fine now."

Sam smiles but like it's forced.

"Did you have any problems after.. with burning them?"

"Nothing I couldn't handle."

Okay, enough beating around the bush.

"Look I'm sorry about.."

Not telling him the truth. Letting him find out that way. Almost getting them killed. Leaving him to clean up a warehouse full of dead vampires.

".. I mean, I know you saw Cas."

"Don't be. It's not your fault."

Dean started to smile but then stumbled on the last part. "Huh?"

"I understand. It's okay." Sam gets up and hugs him.

Dean awkwardly pats his back. It couldn't be this easy. "Uh, you understand.. what?"

"We don't have to talk about this now. You should get some sleep. You're dead on your feet."

Dean pushes him back. "No, I need to tell you.. what are you talking about exactly?

"Dean, I've been there. I've trusted the wrong person before. I'm not holding it against you."

He's so tired and it's hard to make sense of all that but Dean knows Sam is getting it all wrong.

"When Ruby used to-"

"Ruby? Man, what the hell does she have to do with this?"

"I'm just saying it's not your fault. We'll figure this out together."

"Dude, no. It's not anything like that. I know what you saw was..'

"What I saw was Castiel beating the shit out of you. Then he like flipped and was all over you."

Fuck, it probably had kinda looked like that. He should have seen Sam piecing things together this way but the truth was even weirder.

"Cas is nothing like that black-eyed skank. I'm actually happy for once. I should have told you before about-"

"But you didn't. Because you knew something was wrong. I did the same thing, Dean."

Shit, how does he fix this? He didn't know how to handle this steady stream of accusation and doubt. He'd planned to explain what Sam had seen at the warehouse and why they'd been kissing. Not defend Cas from using him or whatever Sam thought. He sighs and walks away trying to think.

"I know you can't see it, but Castiel has some kind of hold on you."

'"Jesus, what can I say to get it through to you that you're wrong about him?"

Sam locks his jaw and fixes him a hard look before saying, "You can tell me what that thing on your wrist means."

Fuck. Dean moves it a little behind his leg and just stares at him, lost on what to say. How does he explain.. that?

Sam shakes his head. "Dean, you're letting yourself get bitch-slapped around and doing.. God knows what else."

Dean felt his face flush and he tried to beat down the over-whelming flare of self-consciousness trying to choke him. Dammit, this is not how it was supposed to go.

"I know.. I know it's weird but it works for me.." He has to swallow twice. "..for us."

Sam throws his hands up angrily. "What are you even talking about? All the sudden you're into Cas? Cas, who has been moon-eyed over you for years and just now that you're vulnerable.. you're into it?"

True, if this hadn't happened then they might never have gotten past the eye-sex stage but it did and goddammit why couldn't Sam just say that's great and them go out for a beer?

"This isn't you, Dean. He did this to you."

"Just stop, will ya?" Dean rubs his eyes tiredly.

"Cas did something.. some kind of spell." Sam grabs his wrist to hold up the sigil. Dean pulls it back angrily but tried to keep calm. Yelling at each other isn't going to fix anything.

"It wasn't like that, Sammy!"

"Trust me, I know what it's like. I remember what it felt like.. Becky spelling me to love her. Ruby tricking me into needing her. I won't let this happen to you."

"Sam-"

"I'll save you when you can't save yourself. You do it for me. Every time."

Sam is worked up now, voice choking on the last part.

"Please. You're getting it wrong. It's different and.. freaking amazing. I know I fucked this all up but he's.. you might not get it but I'm telling you-"

Sam sucker punches him and he's outta the game.

"I'll fix this, Dean." he says to his unconscious brother.

Sam moves Dean so he's lying completely on the bed. He quickly washes his faces and changes his clothes so he won't frighten the locals. Two minutes later and he's out the door with the Impala's keys.

Sam lights the last of the seven candles sat amongst the chalk lines. Gritting his teeth, he cuts his own hand to bleed over the mix of herbs.

"Et ad congregandum Eos coram me."

He light the match and drops it into the bowl.

A burst of sulfur makes his nose twitch.

"We have to stop meeting this way, Moose. People will talk."

"Crowley." He's in a black on black suit and smirking coyly.

"I don't see the other wonder twin. A birdie told me he made it back topside. You Winchesters are more resilient than cockroaches."

"I need to ask you a question."

Crowley rolls his eyes dramatically, "I know we've called a cease-fire for the time being but that doesn't mean I want you calling me up whenever you need to phone a friend. Wikipedia, ever heard of it?"

Sam ignores all that and pulls out a folded piece of paper with the symbol drawn from memory. He'd caught enough glimpses of it that he was pretty sure he had it down right.

"Have you ever seen this before?"

Not taking it, Crowley eyes it from where he stands with one raised eyebrow before flicking his eyes back up.

"I happen to be fluent in Enochian."

"So..?"

"So why are you asking about this little scribble in particular?"

"You don't need to know that."

"Can I buy a vowel?"

"Forget it."

"E?"

"I said-"

"A?"

"This was a waste of time."

"For a Sasquatch, you really do run short on patience. Fine, deny me my banter then and cut straight to the chase. What has darling Dean gone and done now?"

Sam glares. "I didn't say anything about my brother."

"Yet here you are, on your own. Nary a Ken Doll in sight."

"Do you know what it means or not?"

Crowley sighs. "The name for it is Darbs."

"Darbys?"

"Dar-Bess" He sounds it out slowly. "Basically means.." Crowley pauses to give an oily smile. "Obey."

Sam sighs through his nose and looks away.

"What's this about, Moose?"

Sam is busy staring at the ground like he's forgotten the King of Hell was even there.

Crowley used the time to think.

After a minute, he finally breaks the silence. "If Dean made it back to the Land of Milk and Honey.. can I assume a certain rebel angel without a cause did as well?"

Grimly, Sam looks up and asks, "How would I undo this?"

Crowley purses his lips like he's thinking. "Well, if it was used as part of a binding spell.. the only way to undo it is to break the connection."

"And how would I do that?"

"Simple. Kill one of the ones connected." Crowley says smiling like he's being helpful.

"Binding spell.. and what makes you think I trust you?"

"You've injured my delicate sensibilities. If I recall, you rang me up for my expertise, remember?"

Sam is staring at the paper in his hand.

Crowley watches him carefully. "Let me ask you, has he been secretive? Does he defend him? Maybe take a little roughing up?" When Sam meets his eyes quickly he adds. "I mean, you guys are the ying to the others yang.. is he different?"

"Yeah." It's soft, almost too low to hear. Sam misses the satisfied look that crosses Crowley's face.

"The Winchester Brothers.. Solid as the rock Dean's head is made of. You know him better than anyone.. would he want to spend the rest of his days shackled to someone? A man no less? Mister John Wayne Manly Man Cowboy himself?"

When he sees Sam is listening he continues. "You know Hotwings was always pining after him.. but did our Dean ever once look twice? Think about it.. it makes sense."

Crowley walks away to idly roll the blood around the bowl of herbs. "Face it, Castiel is back on the villain wagon.. our healthcare plan has better dental."

"Do you have an Angel Blade?" Sam says suddenly from behind him.

Crowley grins openly, still looking down at the bowl of blood.

"Darling, I have several."

Author's Note: Thank you to all my lovely commenters. I roll around in your praise.. it isn't pretty. (o:`, For those of you who might not like this chapter.. just go back to the previous chapter and reread the smut. Hehe.