When Castiel returned to the mortal realm through a Dimensional Door, he wasn't totally himself. Hell, as it were, was pain and despair, the echo of thousands upon thousands of screaming souls and laughing demons. Souls were burned and ravaged. Transformed into demons by the thousand every day. He wondered how someone like Carmen could handle it. How she could rule it. He could still feel the heat of fire on his wings. It was a little like being near Dean when he was a demon. He smelled like this fire...his skin heated just like this.

Not entirely unpleasant. But it was a painful memory to linger on him, even as he left the place. He went back to his loft in the city, finding Dean still sleeping there. It was early in the morning and he was still in deep sleep. Castiel didn't want to wake him right away. The phrase, "parting was such sweet sorrow" seemed to apply here. And he was very reluctant to part from Dean at the moment.

Again, Balthazar still hadn't returned. An all nighter...again. He was sure his old commander was going to come in and pass out drunk on the couch again. It was a tragic truth and one Castiel was sadly getting accustomed to. But it was fortunate perhaps that he wasn't here. He escaped the mockeries of Dean's presence here. Granted, they might be a little less cruel as Dante's, but they'd be there regardless. He wasn't really feeling up to getting annoyed after a visitation to Hell.

It was also fortunate he wasn't here for what Castiel planned. What Dante had told him about the premonition stuck. Dante was a master manipulator from the very moment Castiel had met him, and it was hard to decipher the truth from a lie when it came to him. He twisted things around until you weren't anywhere near where you began. But he was pretty clear about what Castiel saw. He sounded sure...and mocking, like he wanted it to hurt him. And that definitely sounded like Dante being truthful.

So some part of Castiel. Some small, minuscule part of him thought that maybe what Castiel saw...The vision of Dean burning alive on the rooftop of a building in the sleeping city...was real.

And for that, he was going to take another precaution. He needed clarification from one. Last. Source.

It wasn't one he was fond of, either. Even less than Dante, which was an admirable feat. He headed downstairs after a long look at Dean, making sure he was fast asleep while he went to the statue of the angel that Michael had smashed Castiel into before. It was back in one piece now, obviously. He pushed the statue aside and revealed the scrap piece of paper lying flat underneath it.

Castiel picked it up. And almost immediately, a vast number of symbols shone on the surface in red and blue lights, dancing off the paper. Castiel placed it flat on the dining room table and left it there, beginning a slow pace and line before it.

"I think you know why I've called you," said Castiel out loud. He kept his voice reasonably low. He didn't want Dean hearing a word of this.

"I cannot know your intentions in summoning me. However, I will help you to the best of my abilities," said the boy's familiar voice in his mind.

"You can read my mind, you probably know," Castiel stopped directly in front of the Scripture.

"You are troubled," The boy noted.

"I am...I saw something...Something I should not have seen. I want to know what it means," said Castiel.

"You already know the answer to the question you are seeking. You are simply approaching me to confirm it," said the boy in a very calm voice.

Still difficult to speak to. Castiel ground his teeth together to keep his patience in check. This fragment was not Dominion. It was a memory of Dominion. In a way, he was a memory of him. But he didn't share his personality traits for sure. The memory was always like this. Vague, annoying and pretty closed-off when it came to speaking on any subject. "I want to know if it's true. What I saw. Is it real...or is it just something Havoc put in my mind?"

"Havoc has the ability to influence minds, that is true. However, my readings on your memory indicates that you have incapacitated him through a binding spell and therefore proving that he cannot influence your mind in his current state," The boy told him.

"So what...It's true? Dean's going to die? Like this? He's going to burn alive?" Castiel dropped his voice even lower. "It can't be like that. It can't end that way. There has to be a way to stop this."

"What you saw was a premonition of the future. You had asked me to unlock your power and I was able to do so. By doing that, you established a strong connection to the other fragments of Dominion. The vision in question is merely a glimpse of the path that you have helped set,"

Pretty much what Dante had said. That Castiel's involvement had done this. How? How could he have made Dean's death become an inevitability if all he wanted to do was protect him?

"Dean would die for you, and you would kill for him. But when it comes down to the end, you're not a Fallen. You're an angel. And you know what's right and wrong. If killing Dean will save the world, you'll do it. You may hesitate, but you will. "

He didn't believe that. He couldn't allow himself to.

"How? I want Dean safe. I want...to spend whatever time I have with him...He's happy here. Tell me, how have I set him upon this path?" Castiel pleaded. "Is it me? Do I kill him directly? Do I do it with these hands? Tell me...because I cannot see that. I love him. I love him so much. Please tell me how I can save him."

"I'm sorry," said the boy. "I cannot decipher the future. I can only draw from your memories and those around you. The future is always changing. Different decisions are made at every moment. At this point, you have set Memory on a path to his death, that is true, but it may still be possible to change it."

"Dean. I set Dean. He's not Memory. He doesn't...remember me," said Castiel through his teeth. "Just...tell me that you think it's very possible. Just tell me that it's possible to save him. Please, you don't understand...The Tarana demons that Lucifer created...they want to raise him as one of them, and then this premonition...I can't...I couldn't live with myself if I let anything happen to Dean. Tell me it can be changed. Tell me that he's going to be all right. Tell me you know it. Please."

"I do not know," said the boy after a long moment. "I'm sorry, Retribution. This is something beyond my capacity."

"You have to do something!" Castiel hissed, barely keeping his voice low enough. "This is Dean we're talking about! Don't you care? Don't you care in the least capacity? If he dies, doesn't his fragments get loose? Don't they join Dante or myself? Don't you care that might happen? You have to help me do something!"

"I cannot assist you in any way beyond my current capability. I have unlocked your power...as the other two beings have been unlocked in the past. Beyond this, I cannot assist," said the boy, still in that disturbingly calm tone.

Castiel growled. He opened his mouth to give a biting retort. Abruptly, however, he heard music playing. It was not the music one might have heard through mechanical means like through a stereo or radio or like the music player Castiel had. It was true music. Vaguely, he remembered the grand piano that remained untouched in his bedroom near the window.

A song.

And yet the melody came out so sad. It was strange, the vibrations it produced. Time here had allowed Castiel to familiarize himself with music of all types. He had a preference for classical only because there were no lyrics...and because it was usually very calming. In a way, it was an old type of music...so it figured that a being of so many years could enjoy something like that.

He pulled the Scripture off the surface and immediately used a fraction of Will to disconnect from the boy. He didn't need to hear anymore. There was nothing he could do for him. That was well established in this conversation. He had proved useful in Treachery, now Castiel was wondering very much why he kept the memory fragment around. Perhaps to comfort himself...except now, it was like he had tortured himself.

Castiel's heart pounded in his chest as he faced the inevitability of what Dante had said, of what the boy had confirmed. It made his chest hurt, it made his entire being ache with a kind of pain that he wasn't ready to accept. Not yet.

This music was calming and yet it was not hard to detect the heart and soul that went behind it. Castiel's stride was slow up the stairs, the music growing steadily louder upon his approach. He stopped at the top, finding Dean partially dressed, boxers and t-shirt back on as he sat with his back to him, fingers running over the keys in a practiced manner.

And he sang in a soft, gentle manner, easy for Castiel's sensitive hearing to pick up on.

I could stay awake just to hear you breathing...
Watch you smile while you are sleeping...
While you're far away and dreaming...
I could spend my life in this sweet surrender.
I could stay lost in this moment forever.
Every moment spent with you is a moment I treasure.

Don't wanna close my eyes...
I don't wanna fall asleep...
'Cause I'd miss you, baby.
And I don't wanna miss a thing.

It was strange that even though Castiel usually didn't like lyrics on music, he found he didn't mind Dean's voice. In fact...it was...very nice. It was enjoyable. But perhaps this was because he was so attuned to Dean that it was simply a perk to hear him sing and enjoy it.

Dean seemed completely oblivious to Castiel even as he trailed his song to an end, his finger lingering on the piano key before he rested his hands on the top.

Castiel couldn't resist approaching behind Dean, his hands finding their way onto Dean's shoulders where his grip was light. He heard Dean sigh in response.

"Why'd you stop?" Castiel murmured, bending low to plant a kiss on top of Dean's head, feeling his hair tickle his stubble on the pass. "That was a beautiful song."

"I only sound good to myself in the shower," said Dean, chuckling in response and placing his hand over Castiel's.

"I like your voice," Castiel purred in his ear. "I'll always jump at the opportunity to hear more of it."

"Angel," Dean replied sternly, his head turning back to catch a glimpse Castiel's forehead and eyes. "Are you seducing me? Again?"

Castiel tensed only somewhat at the nickname. His voice dropped to a whisper. "Come here."

Castiel released almost all of Dean and grabbed his hand, tugging lightly as Dean swung around on the piano chair and let Castiel pull him off, meeting him in a heated kiss. Castiel...may not have been as careful as he usually was. The recent premonition...the idea that Dean was Tarana, whose demons were running rampant in the city, trying desperately to find him or kill him. It was too much to know that this life he held in his hands had become so breakable, and become the target of too much. It was like fate cursed them. Each time there was a smile, fate laughed and sent a storm in response.

He felt Dean's resistance after a few moments, felt him pull away to catch his breath. His eyes were still closed, and his lips had become red and swollen. Castiel stared there for longer than necessary before meeting green eyes that slowly opened.

"That's one way to say good morning," Dean whispered when he could catch his breath.

"A good way, I hope," said Castiel in a husky voice.

"The best way," Dean wrapped his arms around Castiel's neck and proceeded to kiss him again.

At first, Castiel lost himself in it. Lost himself in the bliss of simply being with Dean, of being close to him, with so little restriction. He allowed his mind to wipe away its worries as if it was on auto-clean. It didn't matter, he told himself. He could handle anything that came their way just because he was right here with Dean and nothing could hurt him while Castiel stayed right here.

At first, it felt so simple.

But then Castiel opened his eyes to pull away and let Dean breathe. What he saw wasn't Dean's face at all. It was a horribly disfigured and decayed black skull that he had his lips pressed to. He felt the slime of rot and burnt flesh touching his mouth in a foreign tickle before he abruptly pried himself away from Dean and nearly pushed the other man away as he staggered back.

"Cas?" Dean's hand went to his lower lip as he stared at Castiel's tense back. The Fallen was holding himself strange, his palm covering his mouth as if to control harsh breathing. He could imagine his eyes wide and surprised. "Cas, are you okay? What's wrong?"

"I don't know how. I don't know why...But he's going to die. And there is nothing you can do to stop that."

"Nothing," said Castiel, too fast. He turned back to Dean and forced his demeanor to calm, for his expression of panic and horror to dissolve underneath the perfect mask of calm. "Nothing. I'm fine."

Dean didn't look convinced. He took a step closer to Castiel who automatically stepped back in response, his stance going still once again. He watched Dean's face fall from creased lines of worry to a frown of true rejection.

"Is it me? Was I...Was I not...good?" Dean asked uncertainly.

But Castiel wasn't listening, his gaze intent off Dean's face in a twisted sort of way, pained and slightly annoyed. "I have to go. There's something I have to do. You should...get dressed. Balthazar should be home soon. He won't delight in seeing you here."

Dean came close again and this time Castiel didn't have time to move away from him. He took a hold of the tops of Castiel's arms very lightly. "What's wrong? Tell me."

Slowly, Castiel slid his gaze back to Dean. The blackened corpse was there again. Leering at him in a disturbing way. Wearing Dean's clothes. This time, he could see his hair was still Dean's. His eyes were there, bloodshot and red where Castiel could see them outlined in the sockets.

Castiel trembled once in Dean's grip, shaken with horror that he could barely contain. He didn't throw Dean off him like the temptation was. He didn't pull away either. What he actually did, might have been considered better or worse for the situation.

He spoke in a steady voice, mentally commending himself for maintaining it well enough. "I think you should go."

"Cas..," Dean raised a hand to cup Castiel's cheek. This time, Castiel did move away, turning his face, focusing on a piano key behind Dean. He saw Dean's cheeks redden in his peripheral. Anger as well as embarrassment. But more hurt than anything else."Cas. If it's...If I was...If...I did something last night...If i was inadequate...or I did something wrong...you'd tell me, right? Please? You can tell me right now...I'd rather hear it from you...then know that you told someone else that I was like...the worst lay you ever had."

"It's not that," said Castiel. His voice was meant to be sharp and reassuring, but his shock made him sound uncertain and that seemed to worsen the situation.

"Cas," Dean said yet again. "I...I know we just met each other...but it's...weird. I feel like...I feel so different being with you. Last night was...Well, it was amazing. I don't think I've ever felt this way about anyone else in my life. Usually I just...Well...Never mind about that...but I don't usually get attached."

Castiel closed his eyes. It was easier to hear Dean this way than to see the premonition come to life right in front of him.

"I'm an angel, Dean," said Castiel, not opening his eyes. "No, I'm a Fallen. I'm a spawn of Hell just the same as any of the others you fought, I'm just a little stronger. I will never age. I will never grow older...or change. Even injuries that could kill you easily would only mildly irritate me. I use elements that abhor the forces of nature. I'm one of the worst beings you've ever encountered. And you can't...stand there and say this."

Dean closed the distance between them in one half step. Even with Castiel's vision closed, he could feel the heat of Dean's body being so close to him. It only reminded him of what they did last night. But his voice was calm. "That all doesn't matter to me. I told you...I haven't felt this way before. I feel like we're connected...I feel like...in the past, we were...something else. I know it sounds funny...Like reincarnation or whatever...but don't you understand, Cas? I'm trying to tell you that I-"

"Don't," Castiel interrupted, shaking his head. "I can't...I can't."

Dean took his cheek again, cupped his chin with some force. "Open your eyes, Cas. Look at me."

But he was afraid. He was so afraid. To see the blackened face looking at him. A symbol of his possible future. He was afraid that seeing it would confirm it. That Dean would inevitably die and there was nothing he could do to stop it. How cruel was their lives.

Maybe he should have accepted that Dean could never be his.

"Whatever you saw was a shift in the future, something changed. Something you did, changed the future. What you saw...was something that is coming. Soon."

But if I could change it, Castiel thought to himself. I am in control of my own fate. I can save him. I did it before. I may not have brought him back as he was before, but all in all, he's not in Treachery anymore. He's here...In a place where he's at his happiest.

"You think you can control everything, Retribution, but you can't. You don't have to deliver the blow...just by being there, by involving yourself, you've set the new future. "

But his happiness doesn't have to be because of me.

Slowly, he opened his eyes. Dean was not in the black, hellish state he saw before. He saw the man. But that was through sheer force of Will. He would not let the image from the premonition haunt him or ruin Dean. Will curled inside of him and he welcomed its power. Castiel had used Retribution's power very few times. The first time was in Treachery, when he was going to face off against Dante and proved to be too late and proved to be too weak to face off against the alternative, Michael.

The second time was against Dante, just before leaving Treachery with Balthazar and Carmen. He harnessed it's power to punish Dante with the binding curse that he had on him currently. It was the first time he used Retribution to mete out punishment. But that was his primary power, to punish. He didn't have to hear it from Dominion or Dante or anyone..but perhaps the reason, the big reason why he felt so drawn to Dean as a demon before was because Law and Retribution went hand and hand.

And he was going to make that a reality.

His eyes took on a fiery red glow and he knew he must have looked terrifying. Everything in Castiel's vision dripped red and all he could see was the glowing twinkling lights that meant life. He saw Dean in this state before, with barely a a flicker inside of him. Now he could see it all. It was his true sight, always contained. Always held in check to keep the world from fearing him now that he resided in it.

The room responded to his show of power, items growing unstable on the surface of the end tables. The ground shook just a bit and he even saw the grand piano begin to grow unstable where it sat. But he did not see Dean flinch. Rather, Dean kept looking at him, with the same resolve that he had before.

I can change it. I can change it. I have the power to change it. I know myself better than anyone else. I can change the future. I don't care what the dreams say...what that Fallen says. I'm in control.

Castiel took Dean's hand then, stepped back and knelt down in front of him. He knew it looked odd because he saw Dean's eyes widen. Yes, it may have looked like a marriage proposal...but you may as well have considered this as good as one.

His fingers closed around Dean's and he looked up at him. "I can't offer you much, Dean. I really can't."

"Um, Cas...This is...kind of weird," Dean commented, his cheeks reddening again.

"I know," Castiel replied. "But it's something I have to do. There's something I can offer you. My life. Among demons...among Fallen, there's something called a Life Debt. It's not common...It usually occurs between demons and sometimes very rarely between a human and a demon when the human is owed something...but it's not impossible for a Fallen to swear one either...to a human. It might be a first, heh. I've never heard of a Fallen swearing their life to a human."

Castiel didn't mention that he hadn't heard of a demon swearing their life away to a human either until Dean swore a life debt to Sam very long ago to pay him back for saving his life. Normally, demons just killed them. That was the moment...when Castiel had to learn more. Every thing about Dean was a contradiction to him. His soul was tainted like a demon. His eyes even showed some kind of demonic fire. But his heart was unmistakably human.

And it was this heart that he swore himself to. The same heart.

It was different from the Link he established with Balthazar. That was much less and not nearly as dangerous. A Link simply established a connection between minds and could be broken at any time. Of course, for Balthazar it was still dangerous, given the potential of his mental state collapsing if he detached from Castiel. But still...it wasn't the same as this. Castiel hadn't sworn his life to Balthazar.

"But...Cas...," Dean protested feebly. "What...What does it mean?"

"It's one-sided. I'll feel everything you feel. You could be across the planet and I'd feel it. Your pain...Your emotions. I'd feel everything. It's a formal oath that I am yours."

"But...what about me? Can't I...?" Dean began. Castiel knew what he meant. He wanted to know if he could reciprocate the debt. He probably could. But Castiel wouldn't allow that. The life debt put himself in danger, and he wouldn't allow Dean to be put in danger in the event that something happened to him.

So he lied. "No. I'm..a supernatural being. You're not."

"But...,"

Of course Dean and Sam connected mutually in a Linked Bond, which was something different. Even with Dean being the one to swear the oath. That was because they were close, mentally and emotionally enough to do so. There would be a danger that Dean's emotional attachment to Castiel might mutualize the bond. But Castiel had enough power over himself to keep it this way. He wasn't taking any chances.

"I, Castiel, swear my allegiance unto you, Dean. May I perish in my own blood if I disavow."

"Cas," Dean began, but something slunk between them like a chain made of red, similar to Castiel's red lightning. It connected one end to Castiel's wrist and another to Dean's before disappearing. It was there in the metaphysical sense of course, not the physical.

He felt it a moment later. Felt a vibrancy in Dean that he never felt before. The glow around him became almost tangible to Castiel. He could feel it like heat waves swirling everywhere. He had never done this before...and yet he wouldn't have done it with anyone else. Almost better than physically touching him, he could feel Dean inside of him, attached like they were as one as they could be. Why hadn't he done it sooner? He could feel his warmth..and the affection that he exuded so easily.

Castiel stood up then, not releasing Dean's hand as he pulled him close for another kiss. Dean's lips yielded easily to his, and he heard him groan almost in protest which only made Castiel's grip tighten on him, keep him close and secure as though he never wanted to let go.

"Cas," Dean murmured against him as their lips smacked and he took a breath. "Cas. Cas. Wait...Is this...Is this dangerous for you? Could it hurt you? Couldn't you...die?"

Castiel pulled away, almost speaking the thought out loud. Does it matter?

"Don't worry," said Castiel, capturing Dean's face between his hands again and pulling him close for another kiss.

"No," Dean pulled away. "Are you in danger, Cas? If you...'disavow', what happens?"

The absolute truth was that yes, if Castiel for any reason tried to tamper with the established Link to Dean, he would die. It could only be broken in two ways. One, Dean had to release him of it verbally. The second way was to swear to someone else. The second might have been an easy fix but he could foresee no reason to do that.

"I'll perish," said Castiel, holding Dean's cheek this time. His entire vision was still red and pulsing. "It's all right, Dean. This is my choice. I'm here to protect you. I'm your...guardian angel, so to say."

"Cas, I don't want you to get hurt," said Dean, frowning.

"Don't worry about me, Dean," Castiel answered dismissively. "It's not about me. It's about keeping you safe."

"Why? What do I need safekeeping from? You just spent some time telling me that you're so dangerous. What's after me, Cas?"

Castiel just looked at him. So many answers to that question. He didn't know if he could just pick one or say any of them at all. How to even begin the situation?

Well, Dean. You're a former demon king. In your past life, you were a tyrannical ruler in most of your subjects' eyes. Most hated you for your actions under the crown. Long story short, you were turned back into a human and people either want to kill you or return you to your former state. Both alternatives are ones I'm unwilling to accept because I love you too much to allow it.

"It's just a precaution," said Castiel after a long moment. "Nothing's after you. You have nothing to worry about...I simply want...to protect you."

"But I don't want you to get hurt," said Dean.

"I know," Castiel gave him a small smile. "That's the best you can give me."

"Cas...I don't like it," said Dean quietly.

"It's all right. My choice. My choice is to be with you. Isn't that enough, Dean?" Castiel brushed his temple once with a thumb. "Isn't it enough that we have this time, here and now?"

"It's...," Dean took a deep breath. "Kind of annoying...but I suppose there's nothing I can do about it now, right?"

"Right?" Castiel flashed him a wider smile. "Sorry, Dean. You might have to get used to losing a few rounds sometimes."

"You think so," Dean nearly growled in a way that reminded Castiel all too well of the old Dean's speech patterns.

"I know so," And before Dean could offer another protest, Castiel sealed their lips again.