Dean and Cas stood at the registration desk of a small motel near the park where they'd found the weeping angel. As much as the Doctor insisted they'd be safest in the Tardis, Dean really just wanted this to be like any other case. So that meant a shitty motel room near the crime scene. Sam decided to stay with the Doctor and make sure that Gabriel was recovered from saving Sherlock.

He also said something about helping find a way to track the angel statue, but Dean got the feeling Sam was staying much more for Gabriel than any tracking ideas. If anything else happened with his brother and that feathery asshole of an archangel, he'd start thinking there was something going on there. Dean looked at Cas and knew stranger things have happened than hunters maybe having feelings for angels.

Finally, the clerk came out and handed them the key to their room.

Once in the room, Dean plopped on one of the beds and sighed happily. It wasn't his memory foam mattress, but it finally felt like a hunt. Shitty motel room, a dead body in a morgue, a creature on the loose, and an angel staring at him intensely. Just like a normal case.

Dean propped himself up on his elbows. "You got something to say, Cas?" he asked.

Cas walked over and sat on the opposite bed. "I think it's smart that you haven't told the others about being a demon," he said.

"Well, knowing that John's read the books, he'd probably try to exorcise me or cure me like Sam," Dean said.

Cas bit his lip and looked at his hands.

The fallen angel said, "Would it really be so bad?"

"What?" Dean asked, sitting up, "Of course it would be bad! How can you guys not see how useful this demon thing is?"

"That's not what I-" Cas started.

"And you know exorcism would send me straight to hell," Dean said. What if that was what Cas wanted? Better Dean rot in hell than be polluted by being a demon, right? Okay, may he was projecting.

"Do you like being a demon, Dean?" Cas asked.

Dean said, "What? No. It's freaking annoying. I mean there's perks, but-"

"Then, why won't you let Sam cure you? You know we can cure demons. We'd never do anything to hurt you." "I don't want to lose the only advantage we have," Dean said. It was a lie, well, partially a lie. He did have some serious advantage that made it worth it, but mostly, Dean didn't want his family having to clean up his mess. He asked for the Mark of Cain. He knew there were consequences, and he was stupid enough not to ask questions. He got himself into this mess, he'd get himself out.

Cas sighed, "What's the advantage if you hate yourself?"

Dean looked at Cas. He really didn't get it.

"Cas, look at me," Dean said. He caught Cas' gaze with demonic black eyes.

"It doesn't matter if I see these in the mirror, or these," Dean said, changing his eyes back to seemingly human, "I've always hated whatever stared back at me. Being human isn't going to change the amount of hatred I deserve, especially if I have to get weaker in the process."

"Dean, I-" Cas tried.

Dean asked, "What do you see when you look at me? Do you see some sort of hero or somebody to be proud of? If you do, we aren't seeing the same thing. I'm poison, Cas, and definitely cursed."

Cas moved over to Dean's bed and put a hand on his shoulder, right where he'd touched to pull Dean's soul out of hell. Dean tried to ignore the heat coursing through Cas' touch. The look in Cas' eyes was heartbreaking. Dean didn't deserve someone in his life that cared about him so much. Sam was born into it, being blood and all, so he got that. But Cas was here by choice. Or for lack of any other friends on earth.

"You are more than you give yourself credit for, Dean Winchester," Cas said, "You once told me you'd rather have me, cursed or not. I'd be a poor friend if I didn't return the sentiment."

Dean looked at Cas but was at a loss for words. Cas didn't know how much hearing that meant to Dean. And Dean didn't know how to tell him.

"New subject. What are you going to do about your batteries?" Dean asked.

Cas took his piercing blue gaze away from Dean's face. "I don't know," he said, "I still need it, so I can't just become human, but I don't know how to replenish it. I broke the angel tablet, so I definitely can't use Metatron's method. I'll figure something out."

"Why do you still need it? Why not rip the grace out?" Dean asked.

Cas met Dean's eyes for a second but quickly studied the floor. "It's complicated," he said.

"Too complicated for me to understand?" Dean asked, "Talk to me."

"I need it for you," Cas said hesitantly.

"What?" Dean asked, confused.

Cas took a deep breath and looked Dean straight in the eye. He said, "I don't want you to have to be alone. Sam's mortal and I care about you too much to just-"

"Woah, Cas. You're talking about sticking with me forever. Like literally forever. Why would you-"

"I love you," Cas blurted.

Dean's breath caught. He stared at his friend. Cas couldn't love Dean. He didn't deserve that sort of thing. He was barely worth everyday courtesy let alone the affection of an angel. But the admission still had Dean's heart soaring. What could even say to that? That he was sorry for all the shit he put Cas through over the years? That he should've known how Cas felt? That he should've told Cas he felt the same way? Where could he even begin to look for forgiveness? Then again, he got the feeling that he didn't need Cas' forgiveness. That there was nothing to forgive. Even through the shock of thinking someone so amazing could possibly see something in Dean as demented as he was, it was the best he'd felt in a long time.

"Cas-" Dean started.

A knock at the door prevented his thought from finishing. Dammit.

"We're not done with this conversation," Dean said.

He got up and opened the door. A package sat outside the motel room. This is what he cut short that important conversation for? He grabbed the box. It was addressed to "Sherlock and the Angels."

"What is it?" Cas asked.

Dean shrugged and opened the box. Inside sat a small tv screen and a portable dvd player.

The tv screen blinked to life with the image of a scrawny man in a suit with a weird, psycho grin.

"Hello, Mr. Holmes," the guy said, "How's life on the side of angels when I'm the one with marble angels? I know, I just couldn't stay away. Miss me?"

The video froze in place, and Dean looked at Cas. Cas looked back at Dean with the same amount of confusion and fear than Dean felt.