Dean had no idea where he was. He stood in the middle of an ice covered lake in the dead of night with snow and ice blanketing the surrounding wooded area. When he'd been in Bobby's head, it had clearly been a house. Charlie's nightmare had been a hospital. But Cas? Cas' dreamscape seemed to be all ice and cold and dark. It was picturesque, but it definitely wasn't what Dean had been expecting. Cas had to be around there somewhere.

Slowly, Dean started to walk towards the white banks of the lake. The ice groaned beneath his weight, but he wasn't too worried about falling in. He was a good swimmer and had dealt with much worse.

Dean got to the sloped banks, much more worried about the cold than anything. It was freezing. Even beneath his leather jacket, Dean felt himself beginning to shiver. And it was getting colder. Where the hell was Cas?

Dean headed into the surrounding woods as he called, "Cas?"

There was no reply.

Dean started walking through the trees, looking for footprints in the snow, tracks of any kind, anything that would lead him to Cas. It reminded him of searching for Cas in Purgatory, and that feeling made ice pump through his veins.

"Cas!" Dean shouted.

Still no answer.

He needed to get to higher ground to see what he was dealing with. He headed uphill through the snow to get a better vantage point. If Cas' subconscious world was too big, they could both be here for a long time.

Once he reached the top of the hill, Dean smacked his fingers together to get some feeling back in them from the cold. He needed to get higher. He swung a leg up on the lowest branch of the nearest tree and started climbing upwards. He was only able to climb a few branches up before they started to bend in a worrisome manner.

Still, Dean got up high enough to see a small stone building in the distance through the leaves. Considering how significant buildings are in dreams, Dean knew exactly where to look first.

As he climbed down the tree, he heard someone say, "Well, if it isn't the righteous man."

Dean had been expecting to see weird things in here, but Uriel certainly wasn't one of them.

"Uriel," Dean said, "And here I was, hoping I'd never see your ugly face again."

Uriel smirked, and Dean headed off in the direction of the building.

The sound of footsteps crunching in the snow and ice made Dean groan. "You know this is a dream, right? You're dead. You don't need to annoy me postmortem," he said.

Uriel laughed and said, "Funny. Yes, this is a dream, but the real world is still out there. You must be a rare kind of idiot for being in here."

Dean ignored him and kept walking in the direction of the building.

"You left Sam out there, unprotected. You left your body and Cas' body vulnerable. You're going to let them all down like you always do. How long until this dream becomes an afterlife?" Uriel said.

Dean stopped and punched Uriel hard in the face.

Since this was a dream, there weren't real world repercussions, and he'd wanted to plant his fist in that asshole's face for a long time.

Uriel stumbled back and disappeared, letting Dean travel on in silence.

The silence didn't last long.

"Dean Winchester," Zachariah greeted.

Dean walked past him.

Zachariah followed and asked, "Why the cold shoulder?"

"Not in the mood for a douchey angel convention," Dean snapped. He could see smoke coming from the roof of the building. He was almost there.

"So, we're looking for Castiel again. You know, if he really wanted to be with you, you'd think he'd stick around more," Zachariah commented gleefully.

Dean ignored him.

Zachariah stopped and called after him, "Just face it, Dean. You lost him. Which makes him no different than everyone else you've ever cared about. You should really be used to this by now."

Dean turned around, tempted to bury another angel blade in his skull, but Zachariah was gone.

"Hey, Dean," came a voice.

Dean closed his eyes in irritation. "You know, dreams usually only have a few manifestations. What is this? A victory lap of everyone who's fucked me over?" he asked.

Ruby grinned and said, "That's sweet, really. But I didn't do anything to you. I saved your life, I saved your brother's life, I did everything you asked, and you stabbed me with my own knife. If that's what you call gratitude, I can't wait to see what you do to Castiel."

"Shut up," Dean said. The corner of the building was just in view. He was close.

"How's Sam been doing?" Ruby asked, "You guys back to being the best of brothers now that I'm dead?"

Dean kept walking.

"No? Wow. Maybe that's because he blames you for ruining his chances at a normal life? Have you ever thought that maybe Sam chose me over you because he can't stand you?" Ruby asked venomously, "Ever wonder why your angel jumped in the cage without even mentioning it to you? I mean, he didn't even say goodbye. Maybe it's just you. Sam had premonitions, Castiel had angel powers, and you are supernaturally good at driving everyone away. Maybe that's just your gift."

Dean reminded himself that this was just a dream, and it wasn't his dream so he couldn't just manifest the Colt and blow the demon's head off with it no matter how much he wanted to.

By the time he reached the building, Ruby had vanished. He hated knowing that whatever the manifestations said were thoughts he had in his own head. Crowley was right. No one hated Dean as much as Dean did.

As he reached the door of the building, he heard a familiar voice.

"Going to find Clarence?" Meg asked.

Dean quickly reached for the door, but Meg shut it quickly.

"I wouldn't go in there if I were you," she said.

Dean sighed and pushed Meg to the side.

"Even if you find him, he won't go with you," Meg said.

Dean paused and asked, thoroughly annoyed, "Why? Why wouldn't he go with me?"

Meg gestured to her nurse scrubs and said, "Who do you think has been taking care of him in here? Who did he trust and rely on when you left him alone in that hospital? Who fought for him and died for him while you were just concerned with a piece of rock with writing on it? Hell, who did he have his first kiss with? I'll clue you in, it wasn't you."

Dean gave her a sarcastic smile and turned back to the door. He was in no mood to listen to her.

"Who's he going to choose when you ask him to leave, you or me? His track record would suggest you're just flat out of luck," Meg said.

Dean turned back to Meg, grabbed her scrubs, and slammed her into the side of the building.

"You're just an insecure part of my subconscious that thinks I'm not good enough for Castiel," Dean snapped, "And I'm sick of listening to you. You wanna know how I know that Cas is going to come with me? Cas pulled me out of Hell. He did everything I asked. He always came when I called. And you said it yourself, he was my boyfriend first. I don't care if I'm not good enough for him. He saved me again and again. Now, I'm going to save him, and you're going to get the hell out of my head."

Meg smirked and said, "Whatever you need to tell yourself, honey." She vanished before he could say or do anything else.

Dean quickly went for the door to the building before any other dead angels or demons could distract him.

Inside the building, it was much, much colder. Dean gasped. His fingers ached with the cold. He stuck his hands in his pockets. His breath came out as a puff of white. The air was so cold, breathing grew difficult.

Then, he heard that voice, that all too familiar voice.

A light flickered on overhead as Alastair said, "Hello, Dean Winchester."

Alastair was tied with chains to a sophisticated devil's trap. Dean knew the room. He knew the scenario. He knew there was a part of him that wouldn't mind torturing Alastair again.

But he needed to find Cas.

"Care for seconds?" Alastair asked.

Dean searched the room, looking for a side room or a staircase, anywhere the building could continue to where Cas might be.

Alastair laughed, "No? You don't want another go at me? My how we've changed, Dean."

Dean continued to ignore him. If he gave Alastair a reaction, nothing good would come of it.

"Good," Alastair said, "This is the part that scares the angel more anyway."

Dean glanced at Alastair, but he was gone. When Dean turned around the demon stood in front of him.

"Remember those leaky pipes?" Alastair asked. He punched Dean hard across the face.

Dean dropped to the ground, pain pulsing through his jaw and temple. He remember this completely. A hanging light flickered in the corner, and that was when Dean saw Castiel.

Cas struggled against ice covered chains where he was suspended against the back wall.

"Dean!" Cas shouted as Alastair grabbed Dean's shirt and hauled him up to his knees.

Alastair's fist connected with Dean's face again and again. Dean collapsed to the floor again, but it only lasted a moment. The demon grabbed Dean around the throat, Dean's blood pooling down Alastair's fingers. Alastair pressed Dean against the devil's trap and hoisted him by his neck inches off the ground.

"Dean! No!" Cas screamed, trying his hardest to pull his arms from his icy restraints.

"You've got a lot to learn, boy," Alastair hissed, "So, I'll see you back in class, bright and early, Monday morning."

"Cas!" Dean managed to shout, "This is a dream!"

Cas kept struggling and calling out for Dean.

Alastair grinned and closed his fingers tighter around Dean's throat.

Despite being strangled, Dean kicked Alastair as hard as he could in the solar plexus.

Alastair stumbled back, and Dean ran for Cas. He grabbed the angel blade out of Cas' trench coat, and he turned around just in time to dodge a blow from Alastair.

Dean quickly sank the angel blade into Alastair's chest, watching the life spark out of him.

Cas said weakly, "Dean, are you okay?"

Dean went over to Cas and said, "Yeah, I'm okay. This is just a dream. If you wake up, we can both get out of here."

Cas shook his head and said, "No."

"Seriously, I took dream root to get here. It's definitely a dream. If you focus, you could probably manipulate this world. You just have to wake up," Dean said.

"I can't," Cas said, "I've tried changing things. I can't. I know it's a dream, but I can't wake up, Dean. I'm sorry."

Cas' lips were blue, and he looked paler than normal.

Dean decided to prioritize. "Okay, we'll figure it out. Let's get you out of here," he said.

"There's a lock on the left," Cas said.

Dean looked at the keyhole. It was rusty from all the ice, but it seemed functional. Dean felt his pockets for his lock pick. Luck was finally on his side.

Within minutes, Dean had picked the lock, but the chains did not fall away. The ice was keeping the chains attached to Cas. Dean knew what to do, but he didn't like it.

"Cas, the chains are frozen to you. If I get you down, it's going to hurt," Dean said.

Cas nodded and said, "I have felt worse pain, Dean. I can handle it."

Dean stretched his fingers and tried not to worry about the lack of feeling. He grabbed the top chain tightly and said, "I'm sorry."

Dean ripped the chain away from Cas, parts of Cas' trench coat, shirt, and skin from his hands coming with it. Cas screamed in pain.

"I'm sorry," Dean said, scared, "I'm so sorry. You okay?"

Cas gasped, "Keep going."

Dean clenched his jaw and pulled away the other two chains as quickly as he could. Cas collapsed down from the wall, gasping for breath against the pain and cold.

Dean gathered the angel in his arms and brought him outside. Even though the outside was still icy and snow covered, it was still quite a bit warmer than the room they'd just left.

The skin on Cas' hands healed as Dean pulled Cas into a hug.

"Dean?" Cas asked, confused, "What are you doing?"

"This might be a dream, but you're dangerously cold," Dean said. Cas didn't argue, but he remained stiff in Dean's arms.

Once Cas' skin didn't feel quite so frigid, Dean released him and saw the perplexed expression on Cas' face.

"What's the last thing you remember?" Dean asked.

"The cage," Cas said, "But I'd rather not talk about that."

Dean asked, "What about before the cage?"

Cas said, "I was in the car with you. You said you were going to kill God. You had a point, though. You deserved better. Sam deserved better. I left to see if I could get Sam out. I pulled up his body and jumped in the cage for his soul. And I failed you."

"You didn't fail us," Dean said, "I still can't believe you sacrificed yourself for Sam."

Cas stayed silent and let his eyes wander from Dean's face to the snowy ground.

Dean asked softly, "Cas, why can't you wake up?"

"I'd rather not talk about it," Cas said.

"I took dream root to get here, Cas. You know what that means. If you don't wake up, I don't either. You gotta tell me what's going on," Dean said.

Cas looked at Dean with that intense blue stare. He said, "You shouldn't have come in here. I can't wake up. If I do, I'll die."

"What are you talking about?" Dean asked.

"My brothers hurt me," Cas said quietly, "They burned off my wings and broke me in ways that I...I had to put myself in a suspended state of animation in order to survive. If I wake up, I'll be in so much pain without enough grace to fix it. I'll die. The damage they did to me is not the kind one survives."

"Gabriel is with us," Dean said, "If you wake up, he can help. He can heal you."

"Gabriel is dead," Cas said.

"No," Dean said, "He's not. How do you think we got you out of the cage without starting another apocalypse?"

"You got me out?" Cas asked, staring at Dean with wide eyes.

"Yeah, Cas. We got you out. We would've come sooner, but we didn't know. Crowley made a duplicate of you, and we had no idea you were-" Dean started.

"Crowley made a copy of me? Why?" Cas asked.

Dean said, "Because he knew I'd do anything to get you out."

Cas looked at Dean, confused.

"What?" Dean asked.

"Why did you come back for me?" Cas asked.

Dean looked at his feet. This wasn't exactly a conversation he wanted to have while they were stuck in Cas' subconscious.

"There's a lot you've missed," Dean said, "It's 2014. We've been through a lot over the last few years. I'll have to fill you in on what your copy has been up to."

Cas nodded and said, "That doesn't answer my question, Dean."

"I couldn't just leave you in there. I need you," Dean said quickly. He met Cas' gaze reluctantly.

Cas studied Dean's face for a moment before saying, "I've died for you twice already, I suppose I can do it again."

"You're not going to die, Cas," Dean said, "You'll be okay. I promise."

"You're a good friend, Dean," Cas said, "But you don't have to lie to me."

"I won't let anything happen to you, Cas," Dean said.

Cas closed his eyes.

Dean recognized the look on Cas' face. It was the look he got when he was facing his death.

Dean grabbed Cas' hand, forcing Cas to look at him.

"Good things do happen, Cas," Dean said softly, "I love you, nothing bad is going to happen."

Cas stared at Dean in shock as the sky around them turned brighter, almost unbearably bright.

Dean gasped as he woke up. He turned to Cas, leaning over him.

"Cas?" Dean tried.

Cas opened his eyes and looked at Dean. His eyes were tight. When he couldn't hold it back any longer, Cas let out a blood curdling scream as blood poured from his back onto the mattress beneath him.

"Shit, Cas!" Sam shouted, alarmed at the blood.

Dean grabbed Cas' hand, locking eyes with Cas, and shouted, "Gabriel!"

Gabriel rushed in the room and looked at Cas with fear in his eyes. "Turn him over," he snapped.

Dean and Sam flipped Cas onto his stomach, eliciting cries of pain from the broken angel.

Gabriel touched Cas between the shoulder blades, and his back was healed.

"What did they do?" Gabriel muttered to himself angrily.

The archangel closed his eyes, focusing. He reached his glowing hand into Cas' back, making the younger angel scream. Gabriel's eyes glowed with grace for a moment before he retracted his hand and slowly backed away from his brother.

"I'm so sorry, Castiel," Gabriel said.

Cas gasped against the mattress.

Dean looked from Cas to Gabriel. "What just happened?" he asked.

Gabriel said, "They burned his wings completely off. I just healed the back wounds. And they destroyed much of his grace. He would've died from it draining away in less than a week. So, I ripped it from him. Castiel is human."

Cas started shaking, and it took Dean a moment to realize he was crying.

Dean asked, "But he's okay, right?"

Gabriel nodded.

Dean pulled Cas into a hug. Cas clung to Dean, crying silently.

"It's gonna be okay," Dean said.

Cas said with a tear thick voice, "I'm not an angel anymore. I can't-I don't know how-"

"It's okay," Dean said, rubbing Cas' back, "We'll figure it out. I'm here for you."

River tugged on the Doctor's sleeve, and they left, followed by Sam and Gabriel, to let Dean and Cas have some privacy.

All Dean cared about was that Cas was alive. They'd figure out the rest later. This Cas, the real Cas, had never been human, but at least he was alright. Dean held onto Cas until the former angel stopped crying.