+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++SPNSPNSPN++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
"There must be some way out of here, said the joker to the thief." All Along The Watchtower – Bob Dylan
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++SPNSPNSPN+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Sam lay in wait.
Scenarios, postulations, imaginings and predictions of ways he could persuade Dean over to his point of view ran through his mind like a slideshow. He tried to put them aside. The purpose of this morning was to mend any rift between them after the previous day's blow up over Sam's conviction that by passing the Mark they could be rid of the infernal scar and all its effects.
He had brewed fresh dark roast coffee, broken the seal on a new bottle of grade one maple syrup, and was ready to add crispy bacon to his planned short stacks. That was if Dean ever frigging appeared to participate in Sam's civilised 'Sorry I sprung my solution on you' breakfast.
His own first cup of Joe consumed, and the bacon put back in the refrigerator, the younger Winchester paced a groove in the kitchen floor. He had sent Gadreel off on his lonesome for their normally shared morning run. Strictly speaking angels didn't require exercise. Sam knew that part of Gadreel's enthusiasm for their route through the bunker surrounds was to escape from being cooped up inside, an overhang from eternity in a heavenly jail cell. Yet, when Gadreel had nodded in agreement and left with a parting kiss, Sam also understood and appreciated that his partner was giving him the space he desired without having to ask for it.
Strictly speaking Gadreel didn't need to sleep either, Sam pondered as he retook a seat and drummed his fingers on the table, but the previous night the angel had lain with him, a solid presence at his back, a supportive hand on his hip, never vanishing to indulge in his love of the bunker telescope. Sam stirred several times, always finding his angel present, and he was grateful that Gadreel instinctively understood when to stay and when to vamoose.
Noise of movement put the hunter on alert. He tensed. Odds were that Dean considered he had said the final word on Sam's idea of taking the Mark. He expected to be faced with stony stubbornness if he dared to approach the topic. He held tight to a slither of hope that plied with strong coffee and sticky pancakes a full-belied Dean might at least be receptive to hearing his younger brother out before shutting him down. Then there was a chance that Sam's words would percolate in Dean's melon, stewing and marinating until either Dean would come round or use his legendary lateral thinking in tight spots to come up with a new improved strategy.
Sam did not expect to hear the main door being slammed shut. For a moment he thought Gadreel had returned early, but the clatter belied that notion. Next thing Castiel, with his hair sticking up at impossible angles and suit jacket wrinkled, made his way into the kitchen.
"Where's Dean?" came out of Sam's mouth in lieu of a morning greeting.
"He had gone to procure breakfast items." Castiel replied before noticing Sam's feast in the making. "I believe he wishes to placate you with an organic fruit based concoction from the whole foods store"
Sam nodded, a smile worming its way onto his face. He would take great minds thinking alike as a positive sign. Also while he had Castiel on his own he could take the opportunity to ask some pertinent questions.
"So... Cas?"
"Yes, Sam?"
"You and Dean?" Sam spread his palms, raised his brows with a cheeky wiggle, and gave a knowing nod, in the hopes that the angel would catch on.
Castiel did his trademark avian head tilt and screwed up his forehead.
Sam suspected he was being deliberately oblivious. No way was he giving up. He coughed, "Did anything happen... I mean... you and Dean... have you guys... y'know?"
"Dean has informed me what you prefer not to hear details of his intimate relations." Cas deadpanned.
Sam almost balked at the implied imagery before making a rapid recovery to clap Castiel hard on the upper arm. "Good on you, Cas. Finally made the move, Man."
Castiel corrected him. "In fact, Dean initiated with arm slinging in celebration of a successful hunt, to a pleasurable form of hugging at the deeper issues brought to the surface, which back in our motel room developed into..."
"Alright, Cas, TMI. I get it." Sam blurted.
Castiel was unfazed at the protest but spared Sam's blushes by turning course, "I believe it is your relationship with Gadreel which enabled Dean to act."
"You what now? Me and Gad?" Sam's lips remained parted as he leaned forward in his seat.
"Yes. As you 'went first' in an intimate connection with a 'celestial'" Castiel used air quotes twice, "without apocalyptic side effects, and this time your non-human lover has proved benevolent..."
"Yeah, I get it." Sam butted in to prevent Cas travelling down Ruby memory lane and on to demon blood and Gadreel deigning to bond with an abomination.
After pausing to formulate his thoughts Sam ventured, "Cas? You know Dean needs you. I mean he's always needed you in a way, but now, if he's let you in, really let you in... and with how he's been battling the Mark, he..." Sam huffed, meeting Cas's piercing attentive stare, "I don't think is a winning idea for you to scarper upstairs or outta his life. I mean if you've gotta answer a 911 from heaven or Hannah, you've got to come back, Man, as soon as..."
Castiel reached out to place his hand on Sam's shoulder. "I understand. I am in agreement. Dean is my priority."
"Good." Sam expelled a mini-sigh of relief, swallowing down his worries.
"But, you my friend, are also my concern. I urge you to reconsider your hasty and rather insouciant plan."
Sam stiffened defensively.
"Bearing the Mark of Cain is not a decision to be made lightly or carelessly, as Dean now realizes. I know you believe that the remains of Lucifer's grace would assist you to handle, maybe even defeat, the Mark."
"Damn-right, I do." Sam bristled, anticipating the approaching counter argument.
"You may be correct. You may not. What if archangelic grace amplifies or accelerates the effects? What if it consumes you?"
Sam gulped, recalling Gadreel's gentle words to stay his fire and not run headlong into taking the Mark. Clinging to the need to deny Cas's words, Sam shook his head so violently that his hair fell into his eyes.
"What if it turns you into a worse type of monster than Cain? A new breed of Knight?"
Under his breath, Sam's desire to refute these prospects morphed into muttered nightmares of being a super powered demon, a new improved Boy King... a force of ultimate destruction. His mind caught in a flashback of tectonic plates buckling in ripples from his body under Lucifer's power.
"You see," Castiel intoned, wrapping his fingers round Sam's wrist to squeeze his support.
After a few steadying moments, during which Sam was sure his visceral nightmare was pushed away by a touch of Cas's grace, he looked up at his friend, whispering "I would take the chance to save Dean."
"But he would never allow it. You would sacrifice yourself and your humanity to rescue your brother, mirroring Dean, who would carry that Mark to infinity rather than risk harm to you."
Dewey-eyed Sam gulped. "What do we do, Cas? If this is a no-go, how to we help him? How do we rid him of it? What do we do now?"
"Cas is right." Dean said from the entryway.
Sam's head shot up, blinking back errant tears, he bit his lip.
"No way in Hell am I cursing you with this," he extended his denim clad smoothie holding arm. "What do we do? We fight on. We keep searching. We take out as many sonsabitches as we can along the way. You hear me, Sammy?"
"Yeah, Dean, I hear ya. But I think we shouldn't throw this idea in the garbage."
Dean braced to protest but Sam stood and stepped over to take his organic fruit packed breakfast. "If we can find proof that my theory would work, and would work without risk of planet wide destruction or imminent death..."
"Or injury to you." Dean interjected.
"And without me turning darkside," Sam added. "Then we revisit it. Deal?"
Dean nodded. "Deal."
"Until then we keep researching on all fronts, We stick together. All of us. You, me. You and Cas. Me and Gad." Sam couldn't stop his lips from twitching.
Dean eyed them both suspiciously. "You been spilling the beans, Cas?"
"I have not been spilling any beans." Castiel smiled. "I have talked with Sam about the ascension of our bond."
"Ascension?" Dean snorted, "Is that what we are calling it now?"
"Yes, Dean. I believe you told me you had an out of body experience."
"Na-Na-Na-Na-Na," Sam plunked his smoothie down to free his hands so he could plug his ear holes. He kept his eyes open though, so he witnessed Dean pressing a kiss to the nest of Castiel's hair.
"Is that pancakes?" Dean sparkled, stretching to look in the now cooled skillet.
"Syrupy pancakes with bacon," Sam promised, "You'd better get in quick before Gad gets back and scoffs the lot."
Dean dived for the maple syrup, cradling it close with an impish smile as Castiel rolled his eyes and Sam made quick work of crisping up the bacon strips. Chuckling as he alternatively flipped protein and pancake, Sam took long drinks of his smoothie.
"I'm gonna eat every one before he gets back." Dean insisted.
"I believe that would induce stomach ache." Castiel said with concern.
"Hah!" Sam half turned, waving his spatula, "Then you can give him belly rubs."
"Would you like belly rubs?" Castiel innocently asked an open-mouthed Dean.
"Ahem," Dean gifted them with a glare for their joshing. "We'll save that for the bedroom, hey Cas?"
Sam smirked in self-satisfaction before gleefully sliding pancakes to build Dean's stack. He couldn't be bitter or overly disappointed at having his idea shelved. When he had initially thought that Dean passing the Mark over might end all their troubles, he had gripped tight to that hope, but he was nothing if not logical and adaptable. He was grateful to Castiel for being blunt and straight enough to point out the serious flaws in his unwillingness to view the other side of the coin. So this way had hit a brick wall, maybe fatally or maybe retaining a future chance that with refinement and greater knowledge it might leap that wall. He could see Castiel's terrifying possible future and the validity of both his and Gadreel's urge for caution. He would continue on his quest to free his brother from the Mark without hesitation. His drive to find a cure was undimmed, and he took balm from Dean's willingness to continue research into all angles.
During the day, Sam wallowed in seeing his brother openly bless Castiel with affectionate touches. He saw Castiel take Dean's hand at the library table. He watched Dean wrap his limbs around Cas on the sofa while trying not to be obvious about his Liam Neeson man-crush as they settled to watch all three Taken movies on Sam's laptop. Once the first one was over, the movies couldn't hold his attention.
When he turned his head, he saw that Gadreel's focus was also not on the laptop. He leaned in to share a quick kiss but the angel had other intentions. Sam found long fingers snaking through his hair, twining through his strands and tugging possessively from the roots. Lifting his own palm to cradle the side of Gadreel's cheek, Sam deepened the kiss, exploring and tasting, tipping teeth and lengthening their caress.
"Just 'cause me and Cas mighta taken the final step doesn't mean I wanna see you and him tongue tangling, Sam!"
Breaking apart just enough to retort, Sam snapped with fraternal fondness, "Shuddup, Dean."
Delightfully ignoring his elder brother and luxuriating in eliciting delicious moans from Gadreel's lips, Sam stayed in the moment. After all it was a pretty damn good one.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++SPNSPNSPN+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
A/N: - Hey, I edited 'rash' to the wonderful 'insouciant'. (I love me some Endverse!Cas).
Sorry this one was a bit Gadreel-lite. Epilogue to follow will be Sam/Gadreel.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++SPNSPNSPN++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++