Alistair could see how Dean's form shivered at the sound of his voice and it made him tingle in his nether regions.
"Why Dean, it's been so long, I thought you'd forgotten about me."
"What are you doing here?" Dean spat. Hell's angel twirled the blood-slick heavenly blade, tilting his head; leering at the 'righteous' man.
"Now, now Dean. No need to be rude." Alistair smirked as he saw Dean's fists clench.
"Where's Cas?" The demon just smiled, excitement flourishing in his long rotten gut.
"Where is Castiel?" Alistair shrugged and turned his back to Dean.
Two bullets slid into his back with soft putting sounds; He chuckled humourlessly.
"Oh Dean, that tickled."
He expected the hunter to yell or fire more pointless rounds into his stolen flesh but instead a fierce whisper cut into Alistair's long congealed veins.
"What have you done with my angel, you charred sonuvabitch."
The greater demon just took another step away from Dean, as another putting noise ricocheted through his skull.
One more shot at Alistair's feet and Dean's finger slid from the Colt's trigger, the pentagram-carved bullets now firmly buried in the cement and Alistair's borrowed brain matter.
Dean released his breath.
"You look a little stuck, Al. In a bit, you bastard," with that the hunter stormed past the frozen devil spawn, jogging into the next room.
Castiel flinched at every shot fired.
'Any of those could have killed Dean,' he thought. The moment he'd heard Dean's brash voice he was filled with elated hope, only to have it crushed right back down again. If Dean's safety was part of the bargain, Cas would do anything for the manipulative demon. Castiel wheezed as Jimmy and hi own dead weight dragged him down toward the hard ground; his legs numb beneath him and his hands stone cold with lack of circulation.
Footsteps rattled the broken glass around him and he sobbed; Dean was dead and Alistair had come to finish him off.
Dean stared around the dark back room, his eyes drawn to the fiery ring in the centre.
An ashen looking mass hung, cocoon-like in the middle of the sparking flames like a thousand flocking birds, its hunched form looked badly beaten and although Dean couldn't exactly make out clear shapes, the form looked tattered and tired.
"Kill me, I'm broken, useless to you now, please-" that deep, throaty voice had never been so vulnerable, so stripped of power; Dean's stomach dropped - there he was.
"Cas," the hunter's feet instantly made toward the limp mockery of a decoration, "Oh God- Cas," Dean sprinted toward his angel, the fire warming his legs even from the door.
Castiel was chained up from the high ceiling, pale skin around his feet and calves was severely blistering with the nearness to the surrounding ring of holy fire. Leaping the circular heat he dropped beneath Castiel.
Castiel's heart twisted; Dean. The footsteps quickened as the hunter- his hunter- drew nearer until finally two combat boots landed heavily next to him, the hunter's movement sending a cool wind past his vessel's seared legs.
"Dean," he stated. The familiar smell of leather, alcohol and sweat overpowered the scent of his burning flesh so he inhaled, a small, weary smile tilting his lips. "Hello Dean,"
"Hey Cas," Castiel's brow creased as he caught the hitch in Dean's voice. "Hold on man, I'll get you out, just wait a sec, okay?" Castiel didn't reply other than to unravel his wings from around himself to fold them tightly against his torn back, revealing the warded cuffs around each limb. He hummed to himself happily as Dean's sinful mutterings worked through how to get him down.
"Son of a bitch, fudgin' bastard, I'm gonna kill that freak of nature..." Castiel closed his eyes. He felt safe; he felt home.
Dean studied the out of reach restraint religiously, grunting and cursing before glancing bashfully at Cas, and apologising. Finally Dean sighed and pulled out his gun,
"Get ready, Cas. I'm gonna shoot you down buddy." Thick chain pinged as it snapped and the hunter spread his arms in order to catch his angel; the moment Castiel it his arms Dean followed through with his weight until they were both on the floor.
"Cas?" He murmured close to the angel's ear, "Cas, can you get up? Can you walk? We need to go,"
He waited for a response, and got none. "Castiel-"
The angel's quivering arms reached for Dean's shoulder, his body shaking as he pulled himself up. Reflexively, Dean placed his hands under Cas's armpits, supporting the weakened being as he knelt; hands now gripping the hunter's arms. Dean shuffled until his knees touched Cas's, pulling the angel, gently, into his chest.
"You came," Castiel whispered and Dean's breath caught.
"Of course I did, Cas, you're family man, I ain't ever gonna leave you."
And his angel sobbed.
"It hurts, Dean. Everything-" Castiel buried his face into the hunter's leather-clad shoulder. Dean spread his hands over Cas's sticky back and gasped. The angel's back was sliced methodically and slick with blood; that had to be beyond painful. "God Cas you're cut up bad, man."
Cas seemed to zone out, muttering to himself, "If I hadn't have been so weak-"
"Shut up." Dean growled, "Don't you say one more thing you idiot."
He pulled away from his angel noting the whimper. His hands cupped Castiel's cheeks,
"Let's get you home, hey?" Dean waited until Cas nodded. The hunter assisted his friend in standing then looked over the smaller man's form. "Cas, can you put your wings away?"
Immediately Castiel's eyes brimmed with tight-lipped tears and he shook his head. "Hey, it'll be okay, we'll manage. Here," Dean's hands began to fumble with the buckle of his belt, gently sliding from its loops. "This'll probably hurt like a bitch, sorry buddy," Dean cautiously reached around the frail angel, using the belt to fold Cas's wings into his waist; re-buckling the leather just under Jimmy's belly button. Castiel hissed as his wings were jostled but made no other sound. "Okay, let's go," and Dean hooked his arms under the angel's shivering knees, the other just above his wings, and lifted.
"Dean-!" The angel's eyes were wide as his fingers gripped Dean's back.
"Relax Cas, I got you. You're safe now," The hunter was surprised by how little difference there was in the smaller man's weight.
Angel cradled to his chest, Dean scuffed out the holy fire with a well-worn boot, as soon as he broke through he was jogging back to the impala, wincing whenever he jolted Cas, expecting him to cry out or at least let his breathing hitch; his silence was worrying. They reached the middle room and Dean felt Cas's heart rate pick up. The angel's wild blue gaze was pinned on Alistair; still frozen in the middle of the room.
"Cas," the hunter whispered, "Castiel," Dean jostled his angel until Castiel turned his face to look at Dean and then slowly, uncertainly, pressed his face into his charge's neck. "That's it, come on, I'm gettin' us out," the hunter ran straight to the next door, ignoring Alistair's eyes following them.
"Catch you later Little Angel, Dean."
The moment they crossed the threshold into the abandoned church Cas gasped and arched in his charge's grip.
"My grace, Dean ah-!" The angel crumpled in pain, moaning into Dean's chest.
"I'm sorry, Cas. I'm doing my best,"
Cas settled in the back seat of the impala, flat on his stomach, wings tucked tightly against his back. Dean sat behind the wheel, for once unable to hum, casting nervous glances back at his angel's rigid form.
"Hey, Cas? How you doing back there, buddy?" Silence met Dean as a sickening answer. "Cas? Castiel!" Still nothing. The hunter glared worriedly through his rear view mirror at the beaten man who was currently staring pointedly at the ground. Dean released his breath - Cas was fine; just needed some time. "Whatever man." And Dean started to sing, pumping up the volume of his music to cover the hitch in his voice; he stepped harder on the Chevy's gas pedal.
Castiel did his best to ignore Dean's worried voice, his body felt heated with embarrassment, self-pity and general pain. His inglorious wings throbbed painfully while his exhausted grace worked tirelessly to heal all of his vessel's wounds; before he was numb but now...
The angel couldn't tell where Dean and he were, or the distance from there to the bunker but his back ached awfully, the newly developed bone structure straining his muscles, he couldn't stay like this much longer.
"Dean," he murmured, the music drowning out his voice. A sudden pull in his stomach made his throat clench. "Pull over! Dean-" the hunter's head whipped round to see what had him so riled, realisation clicked and the Chevy swerved into a verge. In seconds Dean had pulled open the side door and was yanking Cas out by his shoulders.