Chapter 26: Old Friends

"Dean," Cas moaned, trying to bring his knees up. He'd opened his eyes only for a moment to see the time. It was too early.

"Hmm?" Dean hummed. His wide palm sliding across Castiel's naked skin, fingers trailing gently as he reached down across the man's abs.

"It's early."

Dean chuckled and leaned down. He frowned for a moment and used the hand he was propped up on to move strands of Cas' hair away from his neck. "Better," he muttered and slid his lips softly across the skin. Dean didn't try to hide his smile as Cas shuddered. He inched closer, careful to keep most of their bodies still separate as he mouthed at Cas' neck, all the way up to his ear. He bit down gently on the lobe of it.

"Dean," Cas whined, blinking one eye open and staring at the clock. "We just got back."

"That was a few hours ago," Dean huffed. He withdrew the hand that had been making its way down between Castiel's legs and used it to turn Cas' head. "And I'm on a time limit."

Castiel rolled his eyes but let his head be turned. His eyes were narrowed and forehead scrunched. His expression still held a bit of haze from being woken up so early but his eyes were steadily clearing. Dean smiled and tried not to laugh at the look. He got a smack on the arm for his efforts. Apparently he hadn't been a good enough liar.

"Ow," he mumbled with a snort.

Castiel stared at him and quirked a brow. "Did you wake me for a reason?"

"Is that a yes?" Dean asked, leaning down and placing a chaste kiss on Cas' chapped lips.

"That's a yes," Castiel whispered back, breath hot between them.

Dean gave a low groan that sounded something vaguely like 'thank god' before shifting forward. He raised himself up higher and turned his upper body. His hand ran a line up Castiel's throat, against the side of his neck and up into that thick, dark hair. Dean's fingers weaved their way through the tangled strands and he gripped, using it as a leverage point to bring Castiel's open mouth back to him.

Castiel trembled underneath him, lips only centimeters apart. "Lose your nerve?" Cas asked, the words gliding over Dean's lips in a puff of air.

Instead of responding Dean closed the distance between them. His tongue slid out to dampen Cas' lower lip before he grazed his teeth against it. Castiel shifted and tried to tilt his head to get more of Dean's mouth on his but his grip in Cas' hair was strong. Dean nipped in again, switching between gentle nibbles and small licks before pressing their mouths together fully. Cas' arm lifted from where it had been lying, passive, in the sheets and he gripped Dean's bicep. His fingers slid down the length of his arm to intertwine with the ones in his hair.

With a shift of his hips Cas bumped Dean a little off of him so that he could slide under further. Dean still stubbornly kept his hips from connecting with Cas' skin.

"I thought you were on a time limit." Cas raised his other arm to grip the back of Dean's head, pressing them closer. He slotted their mouths together, swallowing any response Dean might have given.

Dean groaned and finally scooted up a little. Cas could feel the arm next to his head flex as he lifted himself. The sheets pooled down, sliding down the back of Dean's thighs. He placed one knee on each side of Cas' hips, sitting up just high enough not to brush against anything. Castiel tried to grind his body up only to meet air. Small sounds of protest rumbled in the back of his throat as he moved both of his hands to Dean's hip, trying to push him further down his body.

"Dean," Castiel huffed, finding that he couldn't budge him. He'd have to hit the gym more regularly.

Dean responded by loosening his grip on Cas' hair, brushing his fingers down the soft strands at the nape of his neck and removing his grip completely. He paused, barely breathing, waiting until he had Cas' full attention. He tried and failed not to laugh at the disgruntled expression on Cas' face.

"Glad I can amuse you."

"You do more than amuse me, Cas," Dean said as he leaned back. His feet shifted in the sheets as he made sure he was well balanced on Cas' stomach.

Cas raised a confused eyebrow and lifted up, elbows propping him up a little, hands dropping to his sides. Dean gave a small smirk. He put an open palm to his own chest and trailed it down slowly. Cas tensed, eyes zeroing in on the movement. Dean let his hand stop at the edge of his boxers, fingers dipping into the elastic. He toyed with the edge, pushing it down with knuckles a little before flattening his hand back out. Castiel's eyes watched the fabric snap back in place, transfixed. Once Dean was sure that Cas wouldn't be looking away anytime soon he removed his hand completely.

He could feel Cas take in a harsh breath, chest and abdominal muscles expanding, as he yanked his boxers down from the sides. Dean did this as slowly as he'd done everything else, biting his lip at the feeling of the fabric dragging slowly against his cock. Dean's body twitched a little as Castiel's right palm grazed Dean's thigh. He trailed it higher the more Dean worked out of his boxers, fingertips rubbing against the bottom seam. He tugged at the fabric, biting his lip, flicking his eyes up briefly from the slow reveal to Dean's face.

Dean smirked and reached one hand down, cupping himself protectively as they slid the boxers off. It took a little bit of acrobatics, Dean shifting to his side so that they could pull his leg through the hole. They left them dangling against the other thigh.

"Please," Castiel whispered, watching as Dean ran his palm up and down his cock, his fist loose and movements relaxed.

Castiel's fingers itched to touch as Dean rubbed his index finger underneath the soft head, his thumb adding pressure from the top as he stroked. Castiel arched his body, trying to nudge Dean up his torso a little. If he wasn't going to be moving down anytime soon, he wanted him closer. Sure they'd had a bit of fun the night before but they'd come in late with energy for nothing more than a sloppy, lazy, exchange of handjobs. It hadn't been enough. It had been so long since they'd had the chance to do something.

Castiel's mind wandered to the hotel room and the feeling of Dean inside of him. If he was lucky, if they could move along fast enough- then maybe-

"Thinkin' bout something?" Dean asked.

Castiel swallowed the saliva that had been slowly collecting in his mouth. A hoarse, 'yeah' came out of his mouth.

"Care to share with the class?"

"The hotel."

Dean's eyes darkened, his head tipping forward a little as he squeezed his fingers around himself tight. He closed his eyes and grunted, grinding his hips forward into the tunnel he'd created with his hand. When he opened his eyes he found Cas trailing his tongue over his lower lip.

"Open your mouth," Dean commanded, shifting forward eagerly on his knees. He stopped short, a few inches left before he could bury himself in the wet heat of Castiel's mouth. Dean steeled himself above the other man, not wanting to shove in too roughly and not knowing if he could control it.

Dean jerked forward, hand flying to support himself against Castiel's headboard as he felt a soft tongue against the head of his cock. He stared down as Cas licked at it. Slow, controlled licks, his tongue flattened out wide to cover the most area.. "Fuck Cas," Dean said, lips quirking into a grin. He moved his other hand to the headboard and brought his knees up a little closer. He supported himself by the headboard and shifted his hips lower.

Hot air surrounded his cock first, before finally he found something that was hotter than his own skin. Dean let out a deep breath of satisfaction as Cas' lips closed around his shaft, soft and firm, trapping him in the other man's mouth. He felt the press of Cas' tongue against the bottom of his cock and started to pull back. Dean controlled his breathing as Cas' tongue slid along him. He let the tip of his cock rest against Castiel's lower lip.

They weren't glossy yet, but they soon would be.

After letting himself admire the sight for a moment, Cas' eyes slightly hooded, he pushed back in. There was a light graze of Castiel's teeth that he ignored as the man below him opened his mouth wider. He felt his cock cradled on Cas' tongue once more and shuddered as he pushed in deeper. Castiel swallowed a little and Dean fought the urge to chase the feeling further down his throat.

All thoughts of being gentle flew out of his mind as Cas's hands crept up his thighs, fingers pressing against Dean's ass. Dean only had a moment to adjust his balance before Cas shifted up, forcing Dean's cock further down his throat with the use of his hands and mouth. Castiel kept him pressed there, close for a moment (Dean knew it had to be hard to breathe) until he pulled back a few inches.

Dean's arms flexed and shook a little as Cas started to bob his head along Dean's cock. His hands kept Dean firmly in place as he sucked and moved, taking Dean deeper with every time he came back for more. He nearly lost it as Cas let go of him and moaned. Dean had to lift out of Cas' mouth a little to look behind him. The blanket now completely out of their way he watched as Castiel stroked his own cock. His fingers moved quickly up and down, on every second swipe his thumb stopping to swipe across the slit of his cock.

"Fuck," Dean cursed as he re-adjusted. He scooted one of his knees over Cas' shoulder and changed his position. He kept one hand on the headboard for balance but let the other reach down and grip Cas' hair tightly again. There was a tense coiling of heat in his gut as he pushed himself in harshly, ripping a moan out of Cas. Dean's thighs strained as he held himself off until Castiel had started stroking his cock again.

It didn't take long for Castiel to catch on.

Dean fucked his cock in and out of Cas' mouth at the same pace that Castiel set for himself. He had to close his eyes and concentrate when Cas brought his palm all the way to the base of his cock, fingers reaching down to brush against his sack. Dean bottomed out in Cas' mouth, breath coming out in heavy puffs as Castiel kept his hand where it was, keeping Dean still above him, buried deep in his mouth. Cas moved his ring of fingers back up his cock and Dean pulled back with a moan, pulling all the way out and staring at Cas' face.

There was a bright red flush spread across his cheeks, settling brightest on the bridge of his nose. His eyes were glassy and Dean stroked his hand up and down his cock to the sight of spit slicked lips and Cas trying to take in harsh gulps of breath. Dean reached down and cupped Castiel's chin. He rubbed his thumb against his cheek, trailing it to the edge of his lips and dipping it at the edge. Castiel's tongue swept out, curling around the edge of Dean's thumb. His eyes fluttered closed and Dean could feel the mattress shift as Cas resumed the stroking of his cock. Dean reached back and slapped Castiel's hand away.

"Why?" Cas snapped, trying in vain to bring his hand back. Dean shifted down, yanking the boxers off of his leg and throwing them across the room. He scooted down Cas' body and grasped at his wrist. He tightened his grip and pinned it above Cas' head, quickly doing the same to his other hand.

"We don't wanna go too fast."

"This isn't fast," Castiel protested, testing the grip Dean had on him. A heat pulsed along his body as he found he couldn't budge them.

Dean didn't answer, only chuckled darkly before moving so that he was only holding down Cas with one hand. He trailed the other between them until he reached Cas' cock. Dean brushed his thumb firmly against the underside of the head as he gripped, watching as Cas's pupils widened and he arched himself into the touch. He squeezed tighter and stroked down, gentle despite Cas' attempts to make him hurry.

"Damn tea-" Cas' broke off as Dean widened his hand, placing himself hot against him. He tightened his grip around both of them and thrust forward, closing his eyes to better listen to the stuttered grunts coming from Castiel.

"You got any-" Dean paused to bite his lip and groan as he slid his thumb from the tip of his own cock to Castiel's, an unexpected dab of pre-come smearing with and spreading along Cas' slit. "-fuck, any lube?"

"Side-drawer," Cas panted out. He tried to reach for it but his hands were held in place by Dean's grip.

Dean smirked at him and leaned over, keeping the grip. With the tips of his fingers he yanked the drawer open. The lube was settled close to the edge, within easy reaching distance. Dean chuckled as he fished it out, throwing it in the air briefly and catching it to get a better grip. It was half empty. Dean lifted his eyebrow.

Castiel did his best not to blush, not that it would've mattered with his cheeks already red, and stared the other man straight in the eye. "I'm allowed to find pleasure on my own."

"Nothing wrong with that," Dean hummed in agreement, finally letting Cas' arms free.

He snapped the lube open and coated his palm with it, reaching down to stroke gently along Cas' shaft, inching his fingers lower. Cas groaned under him as Dean leaned to kiss at his stretched stomach as he writhed. He cupped Cas' balls just as gently, rolling them in his palm and squeezing softly. Finally he let his fingers graze down lower. Cas' cock was flushed red with blood and judging by the same tint across the man's chest he was more than ready.

Castiel lifted his head from the pillows for a moment to try and watch Dean but only caught a brief glimpse of him placing an open mouthed kiss onto the base of Cas' cock before his eyes were forced shut. Dean's fingers rubbed against Cas' rim before he slipped a finger in.

Cas apparently masturbated more often than he let on. He didn't remember Cas being so relaxed the last time they fucked.

"I-" Castiel gulped in a deep breath as Dean pushed his finger in deep, watching for signs of pain, and stroking. "-I've been missing you."

Dean chuckled, deep and masculine and licked a lewd, wet stripe from the base of Cas' cock up to the flushed crown as he pushed his finger deeper. Cas' thighs clenched down as Dean's finger brushed against the small bundle of nerves located just at the edge of his middle finger. "Good thing I'm here now then," he said before wrapping his free hand around Cas' cock and pulling it towards his mouth.

He tried to keep his eyes away from Cas' face. He'd just get distracted. Still, between every other suckle and lick at the sensitive head of Castiel's cock he couldn't help but glance up. There was something about Cas' mouth wide open, harsh panted breaths being forced out, until his throat dried out and there was a shuddering groan and he had to close his mouth. Every time his tongue would sweep out to wet his lips and he'd have to swallow repeatedly, trying to get moisture back into his mouth.

Dean only paused his suckling to grab the lube again, pouring a little more onto his hand.

He pushed two more fingers in with the first and angled his palm so that it would nudge up and rub against Cas' balls every time he moved. He wrapped his wet lips back around the head of Cas' cock just as he pushed back harsh again Dean's fingers, making him to buck up and further down onto the three fingers in his ass. Dean didn't fight the rush of pride that swept through him as he continued, flexing his fingers against Castiel's prostate, feeling the nerves heat the more he brushed against them. Castiel shuddered above him and Dean had to slip his mouth off of Castiel's cock as he watched the other man's hand fly up. Although it was hard to see from the angle, he knew that Cas was biting down into his muscled arm. Dean had learned Cas, while loud, hated to bother the neighbors. He also knew that there would be nice, clear bite mark there later. He dropped his mouth back down to Castiel's cock and removed the fingers from his ass to give himself a few strong strokes.

He really didn't have time to draw the foreplay out for forever.

He glanced at the clock and pulled back, his own cock twitching in his palm. Dean thanked whatever gods presided over gay sex, as he glanced over the edge of the bed to find his pants there within easy reach and an unopened condom nestled safely in his back pocket.

"Hurry," Castiel moaned out, spreading his legs and dropping his arm down from his mouth.

There was a bite mark gleaming on his arm, deep indents of teeth and a light coating of saliva decorating it.

"Bossy," Dean hummed and slid the condom open and on in a smooth, practiced roll. He didn't waste time gripping the backs of Castiel's knees and yanking them up. He used the same grip to pull him down on the bed too.

"I am the boss," Castiel protested.

"Whatever you say, sir," Dean said as he pressed the tip of his cock to Cas. He only had one moment to be smug as he pushed in without pre-amble. The second the spongy head of his cock breached through Cas' rim, his muscles clenched and tightened. "God yes," Dean hissed out, putting all of his weight into it an marveling at the smooth and tight slide in. He didn't stop until he could go no further, and ground his hips in.

"Dean-" Cas groaned, hands flying to the bed sheets and gripping them tightly. His eyes were closed tight as he tried to roll his hips down.

Dean ignored him but moved one hand to grasp him.

"Please-"

Dean pulled out just far enough so that the edge of his cock was still nestled in Cas' ass before pushing back in, only enough to watch the crown disappear. He repeated this motion, focused on how Cas' hole opened and spread around him.

"I swear Winchester, if you don't fuck me now-"

Dean didn't hesitate again.

He shoved himself in, pausing only briefly to pull back out with a roll of his hips. He tried this a few times, back muscles tense, trying to find the perfect roll. He knew he'd got it, when both on the up and down stroke Cas's hands clenched and unclenched in the sheets. Dean steadied one of Cas' legs and bent forward, listening to Cas whimper as the position change pushed Dean's cock deeper into him.

He wasn't prepared for Cas to open his eyes and for his hands to fly to the back of Dean's head. He gripped tightly as a litany of curse escapes him, coaxing and encouraging Dean to fuck him faster.

The headboard rocked slightly against the wall, a soft thumping sound as the bed creaked.

"Fuck," Dean hissed as Castiel's fingers twisted tightly in his hair. Sweat dripped down his back and Dean leaned down further, letting Cas' lower body drop enough so that he could lean over him to nuzzle into his neck. He took in a deep breath, body thrumming and high, loving the smell of sex surrounding them both.

"More-" Cas panted, a hiccuped gasp surprising him as Dean thrust into him. "-just- a bit more."

Dean nodded against Castiel's neck, unable to speak and licked at the juncture there. A wave of heat washed over him as he licked at the area, thriving on the salty taste his sweat had left there. He felt Cas starting to clench tighter, breathing more uneven and tried to take deep breath's himself. He had to time this just right. He wanted to come inside him while he was still shuddering and twisting.

"Touch yourself," Dean commanded, lifting just enough for Castiel to desperately shove his hand between them.

He lowered his head back into the safety of Cas' neck and took in one final steadying breath. He smirked against Castiel's skin before opening his mouth, licking a small stripe, and latching his lips onto it. Cas groaned loudly underneath him, voice nearing a higher octave as Dean fucked back into him, pace unrelenting. He soon lost the ability to simply suck a nice, red spot into Castiel's neck and let his teeth graze the skin.

When they both came, Dean sooner than Castiel, there was a perfect imprint of Dean's mouth along the sharp line of his shoulder and neck. Castiel whined at the loss of contact as Dean pulled his head back, body shuddering as his cock pulsed inside of Cas. He was vaguely aware of Castiel's hand working himself to completion as Dean panted above him, sweat dripping down to Cas' body and sliding off. Dean felt his cock give one last weak pulse as Cas' come decorated his stomach, strangely cool against his own heated skin.

"Holy fuck," Dean whispered, breath coming out heavy. A grin lit up his face and he laughed, then finally collapsing down.

"Oh-" Cas huffed, groaning and weakly shoving at Dean's shoulders. "Get off, please."

"No," Dean mumbled burying his face into Cas' neck.

"Your stubble is itchy," Cas protested. He rolled his eyes as Dean shook his head back and forth, smile getting wider as Castiel continued to try and shove him off.

"Five more minutes?"

"No," Castiel said and tried to shove at Dean's side. "We're sticky and I need to shower."

Dean grimaced, becoming aware of the mess between their bodies. He sighed and looked at the clock. Sam would be expecting him home anyway. He could fib about the time they'd flown back home from a case only so long. Sam would start wondering where he was sooner or later. The office had given him some mandatory time off due to the virus incident and there wasn't exactly much to do at their apartment. "Well," he said finally lifting himself off of Cas' body, "I guess when you're right, you're right."

"Of course I am."

Castiel tried to keep his expression neutral as Dean rolled off of him, but it was hard not to let his eyes linger on the curve of Dean's back.

"Wanna join me?" Dean asked, winking as he headed for the shower, grabbing his phone on the way.

"We need to actually get clean, I don't think it would help if we went in together." Castiel shifted on the bed, bending one leg as he let the other dangle from the edge of the bed. "You go first, I'm sure Sam will be worried."

Dean colored a little, eyes darting around the room. It seemed like every few days someone was dying and the world needed saving so they hadn't had a chance to really discuss much. Castiel never said anything and Dean was too big of a coward to start the conversation himself. They both knew it'd be easier if they just told Sam. It wasn't like he would report their relationship to the office.

Dean coughed and awkwardly rubbed at the back of his neck. With a sigh Castiel stood, walking over to Dean and placing his arm on Dean's bicep. "Go shower."

"Right, yeah." Dean gave Castiel a quick peck on the cheek and disappeared into the shower.

Castiel held in a sigh and started searching around the bedroom for underwear. As he walked he scratched at this belly and frowned as his hand came away sticky. Instead of bothering Dean in the bathroom he wandered out of the bedroom and into the kitchen. He ripped off a piece of paper towel, wetting it in the sink and cleaning off his stomach. He leaned back against the counter top as he listened to the shower start, staring across the room. Dean would be leaving soon and he tried not to think about the stack of papers he'd be analyzing when he left.

His conversation with Zachariah hadn't given him anything good to think about.

The virus incident made his blood run cold.

Castiel shivered.

… … … … … … … … … … … .. .. .. .. .. . . . . . . . . .

Sam rubbed at his temples as he sorted through the growing pile of papers on his desk. He could feel a headache coming on and the constant ringing of phones wasn't helping one bit. Even with the door closed to his office he felt peeved. They'd given him his own office and upgraded his status. He figured it was an attempt to placate him from being pulled from the field. For the most part Sam smiled and nodded and did his job as he was told but couldn't help but feel some envy for his brother still being allowed to do serious work. Though, it did have its upsides. This way he could keep digging into whatever was in their past. The mystery woman, Ruby as he'd learned, had been keeping in touch.

Despite his jealousy there was a massive benefit to Dean being gone so much. He'd been able to research to his heart's content without having to worry about Dean looking over his shoulder. Hell, even when he was home, more often than not he'd be spending the night somewhere else. Or helping Castiel "finish up a case and crashing there". Sam couldn't tell if it was endearing or frustrating that Dean was trying to so hard to hide whatever was going on between them. It wasn't difficult to figure out.

Sam's phone beeped at him and he let out a relieved breath. Dean was being called out on a case and would be flying out. Good. He'd been planning on meeting Ruby that night. There was no way he was going to bring her to their apartment, though she probably already knew where that was anyway, but they needed to talk. One of the first things he'd noticed while going through their families records was that many were missing. There was all the important information, occupations, bills, birth records, and newspaper clips. How John had been a hero. How tragic the fire had been. Still, not all of the records matched. Depending on the source he went through some of the dates and details were changed, histories, locations. Most of the information on their mother seemed to have chunks cut out of it.

Then he'd noticed patterns of violence in their family tree when he finally dug out some of the more locked away files. He hadn't exactly gotten them in an ethical way but it was for a good cause. He'd also started piecing together the information that was relevant out of all the files and brought them together. It almost seemed like it was impossible for any of them to die a natural death in the past two decades. Specifically around their mother's family tree. Ruby was right.

Sam clocked out early and tossed the stack of files he had into someone else's bin as he walked out. He glanced at his watch and sent out a text with a location. He'd picked a nice enough motel, nothing skeevy, and paced in it as he waited for Ruby. It seemed like hours had passed before there was finally a knock on the door. His heart pounded as he yanked the door open.

Ruby canted her hips and smiled.

"Hey, Sammy."

Sam stepped aside to let her in and let the door slip out of his fingers and slam shut. "Oh my god," Sam breathed, settling on one of the chairs. "They're dead, all dead. In our family. Everyone that my mom knew. Someone just systematically wiped them off the map and went through a hell of a lot of trouble to hide it."

Ruby drummed her fingers on the table between them, "Yup. And that guy's Azazel."

Sam's hands clenched in his lap and rage boiled under his skin. His shoulder's were tense as he stared at her. "So what's your deal? You know more about me and my family than I do, you show up everywhere."

"I told you. I'm-"

"Right, of course. Just another agent. Just an agent who knows everything about me. Just tell me who you are."

"Sam, it really doesn't matter."

Sam stared at her, teeth clenched down. He knew to trust his gut instinct. Either she had ridiculously high security clearance or…

Ruby laughed and raised her hands up a little in surrender. She lifted her arm between them on the table and started to roll up her sleeve. Sam's hand immediately went to the gun he'd kept hidden at the small of his back. He'd seen that branding before. Lucifer's people. Azazel's people.

"I really wouldn't do that."

"Give me one reason I shouldn't," Sam said, the gun now out and pointed, his free hand digging for his phone.

"I'm here to help you."

"Help me? Are you kidding?"

"Honest, cross my heart and hope to die, my hand on the bible or whatever."

"You're a crook."

"Don't be such a dick. We have morals too. And I'm here because I want to help you, but you have to trust me."

"Trust you?" Sam spat out with a harsh laugh. In the back of his mind he could still see Andy, ripped open on the floor. Jake with his head blown off. His hands shook.

Ruby didn't move but attempted to scoot back a little in her chair. She raised her hands in a defensive gesture a little higher. "Sam, calm down."

"Start talking. All those murders, what was Azazel trying to cover up? What was the damn point?"

"I don't know," Ruby sighed, eying the gun warily.

"What about my mom?"

"I don't know that either. Honest. But it's what I'm trying to find out. The only common denominator I've got is you."

"Me?" Sam repeated, lowering his gun a little. After awhile it started to strain your arm and if you weren't going to shoot, you shouldn't keep it up anyway. "That doesn't make sense."

"Come on Sam. They're trying to cover up what he did to you. I'm sure you didn't see the doctor who delivered your brother on that list of the dead?" Ruby relaxed as Sam finally lowered his gun. "I want to help you figure this out."

"Why?"

"I have my reasons. We're not all the same. Yeah we wear the same brand, yeah we've done some bad things but not all of us are some… hive mind groupies. We want things for ourselves. Me? I want to help you out from time to time, and if you let me, there's something in it for you?" Ruby hid her smirk.

"There's nothing you could offer me to make me tru-"

"I could help save your brother."

… … … … … … … … … … … .. .. .. .. .. . . . . . . . . .

Dean rolled his shoulders and sighed, satisfied. There was a bounce in his step as he went up the stairs. The case had worked out quickly and he'd been able to get a bit of quality time when they landed. His body felt sore but he was glowing. Fucking Cas had that effect on him. Things had been going well for them too. He felt a little bad for ditching out on Sam so often but it was hard to stay away. But hey, he was spending the night at home this time.

"Sammy?" Dean called out, kicking off his shoes.

He frowned when there wasn't a response and wandered around the apartment. He paused in the living room to see Sam's laptop open with something flashing on it. Dean got himself a beer before sitting down in front of the computer. He pulled it towards him. It wasn't being nosy or snooping. Sam's own fault for leaving it out in the open like that. Besides, he was doing his brother a favor. It could be something urgent. He clicked on the little file icon and his eyes widened in surprise. They were articles about Mary and John.

"What the hell?" Dean muttered as he clicked through them until the file beeped at him. The other pages in the drop box were classified, they'd need personal request to get.

"Might as well," Dean said as he dug out his phone. He carefully dialed the number that was flashing at the bottom of the screen. "Hi, yes. This is Dean Winchester, I've got a file here that's requesting I call in person?"

Dean groaned as the automated message started playing. It took him an hour and six different transfers to finally reach a human being. The call wasn't what he was expecting.

"Dean Winchester?"

"Speaking."

"This is going to sound surreal but we have a letter here for you. Pre-paid, express mail, if you were to ever call."

"Who's it from?" Dean asked, closing Sam's laptop and walking into the kitchen.

"It doesn't say, but would you mind giving me your current address so that we can get this thing started?"

"Sure, I guess," Dean said and then rattled off the number. He hung up feeling odd. They'd have it to him by the end of the day.

Worry started to build in his gut as he started cooking a late dinner for him and Sam. He was tempted to call Cas but chose against it. He couldn't call the guy with every single damn odd vibe he got. Besides, it was probably nothing. It just didn't seem like this was something that normally happened. Best case it was a really elaborate prank, worst case… Dean shrugged his shoulders, trying to shake off the feeling when the bell rang. He nearly ran to the door, knowing it would be the package. There was no one else coming, Cas would've knocked, and Sam had a key.

"Dean Winchester?"

"That's me," Dean said, grabbing the tiny package out of the delivery boy's hand. He quickly signed for it and let the door slide shut behind him.

Dean found himself in the living room, sitting on the couch as he ripped the package open. He called himself seven thousand types of idiot for just tearing into it. The letter bomb incident at OKC so long ago should've taught him better. Hell, with the time stamp on how long it had been sitting there it could've been a trap. Dean fumbled for his phone to call Cas, at least to ask for advice to see if there were biologically contaminants he'd released, but paused when he saw 'John Winchester' printed on the first page, with a signature next to it that looked like his fathers.

"Well fuck," Dean said dropping his phone and digging through the papers. They were authentication papers, guaranteeing that the material held inside the letter package were genuine. The authentication paperwork took up most of the package, the only thing that was actually from his father to him was a little paper written note, hastily scribbled.

'Dean… when the time comes, if Sam goes bad. You have to stop him. You have to kill him. There's something wrong with him."

"What the fuck," Dean said, hands shaking as he re-read the paper. It had to be a joke, a damn joke. Attached to it was a set of numbers. A phone number and the password to a voice mail with an online site to access it from. It wasn't like he couldn't not call.

Hearing his dad command him to kill his brother from the grave didn't make him feel any less sick. He deleted the voice mail. His hands were clammy as he gathered up the papers from the package. He had to make sure none of this ever made the light. He couldn't… his dad couldn't have been serious. Besides, he was dead. Dead people didn't get to make demands like that.

"Dean?"

Dean froze, hearing Sam call his name. He rushed into his room, tossing the incriminating papers into his closet and making a reminder to destroy them when he had the chance. He marched back out to the living room, trying to will himself to be calm and collected.

"Where've you been all day?" Dean asked, his tone harsher and more accusing than he'd intended it to be.

"Out," Sam said with a shrug. He nodded his head towards his laptop and frowned, "Dean. Were you on my laptop?"

"What?" Dean's eyes snapped to the computer he'd closed. "Just for like a minute."

"I told you not to touch my stuff, Dean."

"Oh quit bitching about it. Grub's ready."

"Whatever."

Dean stayed where he was, watching his brother open his laptop back up before heading to the kitchen.

Was there something wrong with his brother? Guilt churned in his gut as he analyzed every single movement. Looking for something… off, something so wrong that their dad had left him such a craptastic message. Sure, there was the Azazel thing and then the blood- Dean tried to control his breathing. He hadn't thought about the Croatoan incident in awhile. Everything had been fine, everything had been good… but what if?

"You coming?" Sam asked, holding up two plates.

"Yeah, shit, sorry," Dean tried to put on a smile, "just spaced for a bit. Long day."

"I'm sure," Sam said, eyes twinkling. "Filing paperwork with Cas has to be…exhausting."

Dean glared at Sam, marching past him and yanking the plate out of his hands. "Shut up."

They ate in silence and Dean went to bed feeling sick.

He burned the papers the next day but it didn't help.

Castiel even noticed something was off with him but Dean brushed it off. This was his issue and besides, it was probably just a really… really bad dad prank. It wasn't like John had ever been the nicest guy.

Still, he couldn't help but be fine tuned into his brothers behavior. He made sure to spend more time around the apartment and what he noticed he didn't like. Sam was always out. Always going somewhere. There was something he was hiding. Sam's tells hadn't changed since he was a kid. Usually his first thought would've been a secret girlfriend, he might've even pointed it out and made fun of the guy but now…

Dean ignored the concerned look Castiel sent his way and went straight to his desk.

"I know why I'm grumpy as hell but what crawled up your ass?"

Dean rolled his eyes and gave Ellen an unfriendly look. "Nothing's up. Mattress is getting lumpy."

"I bet," Ellen muttered with a quick side glance to Castiel.

"Why are you grumpy as hell anyway?" Dean shot back.

"Jo took off."

"What?" Dean sat up straight, worried.

Ellen shrugged, stirring the spoon around in her coffee. "Took off. Left me a note and said she was gonna go find her own way. I can't even bring her back because she's legally 18 now."

"Well fuck," Dean muttered, not sure how to feel. On one hand he was all for a little exploring, a little rebellion, but he'd gotten to know Ellen pretty well. She'd worry herself to death over it. "Sorry?"

Ellen rolled her eyes, "Don't be."

"Right…"

Dean tried his best to pay attention during their meeting. Even as they touched down he had no clue what city they were in. The case went by in a haze, something about asphyxiation and prostitutes. He tried to ignore the hurt and confused expression on Castiel's face as he turned down the offer to go home with him.

"Dean," Castiel sighed, stepping into his personal space. He glanced around the parking lot for a moment, making sure it was clear. He drew Dean closer and placed a gentle kiss on his cheek. "What's going on?"

"Nothing, just," Dean shrugged and pushed Cas away. If he stayed too close he might end up letting something slip.

"Did I do something?"

"Don't be stupid, Cas. You're fine," Dean said with a sigh, he rubbed a hand through his short hair and stared up at the ceiling.

"Look, just… some stuff. Not gonna lie I guess. No use with you." Castiel smiled a little. "Just, not now okay?"

"All right," Castiel said, still feeling confused.

"I just need to be home for awhile."

"Is there something wrong?" Cas asked, now seriously concerned. With everything the brother's had been through…

"No, just, Sam, ya know?" Dean said.

"Of course."

Dean laughed a little and proceeded to kiss the disgruntled look off of Cas' face. By the time they were done, they had to straighten each other's ties and tuck shirts back into slacks.

"Visit soon?" Cas asked, eyes hopefully.

"First chance I get," Dean promised, sealing it with a kiss.

The glow lasted only until he walked into the apartment, seeing Sam's door closed. Last time he'd acted this way hadn't worked out very well for any of them.

The cherry on top of his suspicions came a few days later.

"Here."

Dean frowned at the stack of papers being thrown on his desk. "Uh, what the hell?"

"Do something with them."

Dean stared from the stranger to the folders with 'Sam Winchester' sticky noted on them. "Why don't you just go and hand them to him yourself?"

"We don't want them to pile up on his desk and he's not coming to pick them up himself."

"He's not doing what now?"

"We know he's taking a leave of absence but you're supposed to get your shit done before you take off."

"Leave of absence?" Dean repeated, confused and starting to get angry. He brushed off the, what he assumed was an intern, and and marched into one of the closed offices. The door slammed shut and he ignored the looks everyone else in the office was giving him.

He dialed Sam's number and chain called him, getting angrier and angrier with each unanswered call that went to voice mail. Each message he left got more and more creative. Dean almost threw his phone against the wall when he finally got a text back.

[Sam]: it's not a big deal

[Dean]: the hell it's not, now answer the damn phone

[Sam]: can't in the library

[Dean]: wth sam

[Sam]: I'm just running some leads.

[Dean]: ON WHAT. Sam answer the phone. Now.

The messages stopped there and Dean nearly ripped the blinds off of the private room. His hands shook. The door banged the wall as he ripped it open.

"What's wrong?" Pamela asked, standing up from her chair.

"Sam is what's wrong!" Dean snapped, shoving his chair into his desk.

"Something's up with Sam?"

Dean turned, ready to yell some more but paused in confusion. He hadn't seen Ash since Oklahoma City. Not that he didn't know the guy had been transferred, and working closely with Charlie, but they never really crossed paths.

"He's getting himself into trouble."

"I don't think a little research is going to kill him," Ash replied. He nearly stumbled over when Dean marched forward, grabbing him by the shirt collar and dragging him out into the hall and a private room.

"You knew about this?" Dean snapped.

"Knew about what?" Ash asked, trying to tug at Dean's hand. "Sam asked me to look up some stuff on the kids he was kidnapped with."

"What?"

"How about you ease up on the grip there compadre and we can talk like civilized people."

Dean reluctantly complied, crossing his arms instead. "Talk."

"Sam wanted to know more about those kids he got shanghaied with. He had a few things he wanted me to dig into with Jess too. Of course he came to me with a lot of his own info already but no one's got access like I do. They don't have the skills."

"And what did you tell him?"

"Everything I could find. Didn't look at it much myself but dark, creepy stuff man. That Azazel dude was fucked up."

Dean's hands shook and he tried to stop himself from punching the wall, or Ash. It wasn't the guys fault Sam was an idiot. "This stays between you and me," Dean hissed, "and if you get him killed, so help me."

First things first he had to get to Sam. And he needed time to sort his ass out. John's message weighed on his shoulders as he marched up the steps. He yanked Cas' door open without knocking. "I've got a shit ton of vacation days saved up. I need a few days leave."

"Dean?" Castiel said, setting his phone down and excusing himself from the call. "What's wrong? I heard something about Sam?"

"May I please have my leave? Or do you desperately need me?" Dean repeated.

"Would you just please sit down for a moment-"

"Chief, bossman, sir Novak, I am requesting a few days leave."

Castiel froze, feeling a cold breeze brush over him. He leaned back in his chair, miffed and hurt. There had never been this level of formality with them. "As you wish," he said weakly, digging the correct paperwork out of the drawer. "You can turn it into Charlie."

Dean stormed out of the office, hastily scribbled his information down and nearly threw the paper at Charlie. She opened her mouth to say something, to stop him, but Ash drew her back, shaking his head. The first thing he did was drive around to the local libraries, probably disturbing the hell out of the people there, but it didn't matter.

Sam wasn't anywhere.

He'd lied to him.

Dean fumed by his car, and opened up his laptop. It was a cheap, dirty thing to do but he'd called to turn the GPS on in Sam's cellphone. The fucker was at some motel. Of course the GPS couldn't show him which exact room the guy was at but he could at least wait in the parking lot. Dean let his anger build as he waited, finally getting out of the car to pace so that he didn't punch something in the car.

Then things went black.

Dean's head pounded and there was a roaring in his ears. He groaned and frowned, feeling something tacky at the back of his head. Probably blood. "Not today," Dean muttered, thinking he'd been mugged.

"Something wrong with today?"

Dean forced his eyes open and let out a dry laugh. "Gordon. Haven't seen your ugly mug in a while. What are you doing so far up north? Vacationing? Did they fire you?"

"Oh no Dean," Gordon stepped forward, gun in hand. "I'm here on a special mission.

"I dunno what you're into buddy," Dean tugged at the ropes binding him to the chair. "But this isn't how you healthily communicate with folks. What do I owe the frisk and kidnapping for?"

Gordon laughed and shook his head. He pulled a chair for himself. "I've been promoted for my good work recently. You thought my scores were impressive when you were back at the office?" Gordon whistled. "But that's not the point, the thing is. This new rank, put me on a new task force. Care to guess what force? What my special case is?"

"I was never really very good at these games," Dean said with a smile. "We could try playing Pictionary for it?"

"Funny," Gordon said relaxing in his chair. "Lucifer's Children, Dean. I've been assigned to Lucifer's Children."

"And that has to do with me how?"

"Your brother."

A chill crawled up Dean's back. "What about him?"

"He's special to them. There've been whispers, oh god there have been whispers. And sometimes screams. I heard about the Croatoan thing, Dean. There's something wrong with him, and they're going to use him for it. He's one of them, Dean. A sleeper cell, if that means anything to you."

"What fucking cocktail of shit are you on?" Dean snapped, trying to wiggle his hands out of the bonds.

Gordon was an obsessive fucker and things had gone from mildly irritating and worth an ass kicking to life or death situation. He didn't like what Gordon was saying. Especially with how it seemed to coincide with what his dad had been saying.

"I know about Meg too. A lot of things you guys have tried to hide. The boy's a time bomb ready to go off. We need to eradicate him before it's too late."

"Wait a damn minute-"

"I have been waiting. Very patiently. You're a hard man to trap Winchester."

"Well thanks," Dean spat.

"Dean, I really am sorry it has to be like this. You know I like you."

"Then why the hell am I here, Gordon?"

"Why? Because you're bait."

… … … … … … … … … … … .. .. .. .. .. . . . . . . . . .

"Sorry I didn't get a chance to call you back."

"It's fine Sam," Castiel said, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I was just worried about Dean."

"Yeah, but he's not home yet. I dunno what to tell you."

"Just… let me know when he gets home- hold on," Castiel frowned, "what's that sound?"

"I dunno-oh shit Cas. Hold on, I've got another call. Gimme a minute."

Cas hummed an agreement and leaned back in his office chair. Of course it was within Dean's rights to request a leave. He was a fine agent with an impressive record. Except… they'd been planning on using it together. Getting a little bit of free time together. Even with as much time as they spent with each other on the job it was hard to get private time. More often than not when Dean did spend the night at his place they were too exhausted to do much else but sleep, maybe a lazy make-out session.

"Castiel?!"

"I'm here," Cas said sitting up, a frown on his face.

"Dean's been kidnapped."

"What?" Cas snapped, tensing.

"I just got a call-oh fuck Cas, what do I do- I need to. This is all my fault-"

"Wait there Sam, and that's an order." Castiel hung up, rushing out of his office and nearly tumbling over the railing as he ran into Bobby.

"Gordon's gone rogue," Bobby said, holding up a phone. "But I figure what you've got to say is more important."

"Dean's in trouble," Cas said calling out the rest of the team.

"I'm gonna go ahead and bet it ain't coincidence that Rufus called to warn me," Bobby said and cursed. "If only he'd thought of doing that a little sooner."

"What's wrong?" Ellen asked.

"Pretty sure Gordon's got himself zeroed in on Dean," Bobby said as he walked past them to his own office to grab his gear.

"It's like every other week these boys are getting in trouble," Pamela said shaking her head. It was hard not to be amused even as worried as they were. What she remembered about Gordon made her uncomfortable but dark humor always a good coping method.

"You know their not gonna let us lead the taskforce on this?" Ellen said as she shrugged into her vest.

"Then let's head out before they figure it out."

… … … … … … … … … … … .. .. .. .. .. . . . . . . . . .

Two hours later they were in front of a building that was on fire.

Castiel stared at it, confused. Sam was sitting on the curb, surrounded by officers and a fire truck. He kept trying to talk to someone in the back of the ambulance. He was guessing it was Dean.

"Well looks like this got taken care of fast," Bobby said, sliding out of the vehicle.

"Sam doesn't listen well to instructions," Castiel muttered, starting to feel furious. "Where's Gordon?"

"Sir?" They both turned a uniformed man approaching them, "please step back. You can't be here, this is a crime scene."

Castiel resisted the urge to roll his eyes and yanked his badge out of his pocket. "FBI, now what's going on?"

"Sorry, I didn't realize you'd get here this fast. We just called dispatch. We were alerted to a ransom demand by Sam Winchester. We found Gordon Walker holding Agent Winchester hostage, he had explosives set around the perimeter and set the building to blow. We managed to save everyone and Gordon is in custody."

"How's Gordon?" Bobby asked, digging in his pocket for his phone to call Rufus. He'd want in on this.

"The guy's stark raving mad. We got the call out for a rogue agent, he's insane. Keeps yelling about Satan and purging. We had to restrain him for his own safety. Something about evil in blood."

Castiel tried not to sigh. This was bad. Very bad. But first… "Thank you for the information officer. If you'll excuse me."

He left Bobby to deal with the details. Sam couldn't even look him in the eye as he approached, instead just nodding his head towards the back of the ambulance. Dean laid there, IV drip jiggling a little as he tried to move.

"I don't need it," Dean snapped, trying to move away from the EMT's.

"They're only doing their job."

Dean stopped struggling and couldn't help the smile that spread on his face. "My knight in shinning armor. Came a bit late tho'. Dragon's already been slain."

Catiel shook his head and tried to keep his reactions controlled. Dean was safe, and that was the most important apart. They could deal with his anger and how badly he needed to hold Dean later.

"Nothing wrong, huh?" Castiel said feeling tired.

Dean looked down and coughed. "Later?"

Castiel didn't respond, instead waiting until Dean had sorted through his own emotions. "They're never going to let either of you in the field again. You're starting to have an outstanding record of getting into trouble."

"Oh shut up, Cas. This wasn't even my fault."

"So it usually is?"

"I said shut it," Dean snapped but couldn't fight the smile on his face. He was just glad to see Cas again. For a little bit there, and it was something he would later only confess to the bare skin of Cas' back, he'd been worried he might never see anything again.

A/N: Sorry for the super late updated. I finished Exotic Berry, and I just got done with finals (which, ya'll keep your fingers crossed. I just need to pass this math class and I've got a degree. I'm just awful at math and this class was super super hard and it's been stressful.) I also went to comic-con over the weekend (Nathon Fillion is amazing! So worth the hour and a half wait in line). Also, I really need to do heavy job searching, and the second I find out if I've got my degree or not I'm gonna apply for different jobs. So I'm limbo atm. Also 2; I signed up for DCBB and I'm still struggling on what the hell I want to write for it. I've got a few ideas but can't focus on one. So I'll have that going on as I finish up Alibi.

Remember to thank K for her lovely beta job and being so patient with me and just being an amazing person in general. She's amazing.