Disclaimer: I don't own SPN.
Once again, Misha's acting skills are AMAZINGLY PHENOMENAL. But this plotline is just making me sad :( DEAN YOU OBLIVIOUS SHIT OF COURSE THERE'S SOMETHING UP! And when Mildred mentioned pining, I immediately thought of Cas. Hehehehehe. Even strangers know what's up.
But yeah. Dean's annoying obliviousness inspired tonight's Moment. Dean bby I love you but sometimes I wanna slap you.
Thanks to mollienaturerocks, RangerHorseTug, CaptainAckles, Avalin Rose Ellyot and masterjediratgrl31 for your reviews :)
213. Always
"Whoa!" Dean jumped back when Cas seemed to silently appear out of nowhere. "Dude, I thought we talked about that!"
"My apologies, Dean," Cas said. But his voice was…not right. Dean squinted at him. "What's wrong?"
"Are you alright, Cas?" he said. Cas frowned.
"Why wouldn't I be?"
"I dunno. There's just something…off about you."
"Papa!" Robbie cried, launching himself at Cas from the doorway of the hall. "You're back!"
"I only went out to buy groceries," Cas chuckled, hugging Robbie. But there was something weird about the way he did so and he didn't even run his hand through Robbie's messy blond hair like he usually did. A bad feeling began to grow in Dean's gut.
"Did you get my chocolate?" Zoey said. Cas rummaged through a bag and handed her a block of Cadbury's Rocky Road chocolate and she beamed up at him.
"I got you some jelly snakes as well, Robbie," Cas said, extracting a bag. Robbie bounced and snatched them away. "And Dean, I got you your pie."
Dean accepted the pie from Cas but he didn't relax completely. Maybe Cas was just tired. Maybe he was going through some crap. He'd have to talk to his angel later.
"I love you, Dean." Cas put a hand on his shoulder like he always did. But in that moment, Dean immediately knew that this was not Cas. Whatever this thing was had made one crucial mistake: it had grabbed his right shoulder. Cas always put his hand on Dean's left shoulder, with the faded handprint scar from when he had saved Dean from Hell.
"Get away from me!" Dean snarled. 'Cas' stared at him in confusion.
"Dad? Why are you being mean to Papa?" Zoey said.
"Get away from him, you two," Dean snapped. "That's not Cas."
To their credit, Zoey and Robbie didn't ask questions but ran to stand behind him straight away. 'Cas' levelled Dean with a wounded look.
"What are you doing, Dean?" he said. "It's me. Cas. Your husband."
"You're not Cas. I don't know whether you're a demon or a shifter or an angel but you're not Cas."
"I am! Test me. You'll see that I'm not a shifter."
"Go and get the silver knife from our room," Dean told Zoey. She immediately ran to get it and returned a moment later, holding it out. Dean took it, grabbed his 'angel's' arm carefully and slashed. Nothing happened.
"You see?"
"You could still be a demon or an angel. Show me your tattoo and give me your angel blade."
'Cas' laughed.
"Why? Why don't you trust me, Dean?"
"I trust Cas. Show me your damn tattoo and give me the blade so I can see if you're an angel. If I'm wrong, I'll apologise and you can have bedroom rights tonight."
'Cas' continued to stare at Dean before suddenly laughing. Dean took a step back straight away, pushing Zoey and Robbie further behind him.
"Dammit," 'Cas' sighed in a voice that was not at all like his usual gravelly tones. "I thought he was just being cute when he told me that you'd know."
"What are you?" Dean demanded. "What've you done to Cas?"
'Cas' blinked and his blue eyes were immediately pitch black, glinting malevolently. Zoey and Robbie let out small screams.
"That – that's the thing that killed Daddy!" Zoey whimpered.
"Demon," Dean said. He narrowed his eyes at the demon. "Get the hell out of my husband, you son of a bitch."
The demon cooed.
"That's so adorable. Really, it is. But why would I go to all the trouble of taking advantage of your angel here accidentally messing up his tattoo and then just leave? Seriously, this was a one in a million chance."
"I won't say it again. Get the hell out of Cas."
"Or what? You'll stab me?"
"And what were you gonna do about the Devil's Traps around this place? Sammy made sure to draw them after I went full-on Mark of Cain. You were gonna get caught in one sooner or later."
"True. But that would've just made me act sooner. You exorcised me years ago, you bastard. And you don't remember me but I sure as hell remember you."
"I've exorcised loads of demons. You'll have to be more specific."
"My point exactly. You made my life hell – literally. So I'm gonna make yours hell. You'll get to watch your precious kids and husband choke on their own entrails before I finally end you."
When the demon threatened Cas, Zoey and Robbie, Dean immediately saw red as his 'PROTECT FAMILY' instincts kicked in. Before anybody could react, he lunged at the demon and tackled it to the ground before it could make a move at any of them. Zoey and Robbie screamed as Dean grabbed the demon's wrists and pinned them above his head. Dean's stomach jolted, memories of doing this to Cas in bed flooding back, and he almost lost focus for a brief moment.
"Like I said," he spat. "Get the hell out of my husband. Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus, omnis satanica potestas…"
The demon howled and writhed, trying to buck Dean off with its superhuman strength. It nearly succeeded in dislodging him, until Zoey threw water from a silver flask on him – Dean recognised it as one of the flasks of holy water that they kept around for emergencies. While the demon screamed in pain – and the sound coming from Cas' throat was like a stab in the gut – Dean hurried to finish the exorcism.
"…facias libertate servire, te rogamus. Audi nos! Get the hell out of Cas and never come back!"
Black smoke poured out of Cas' mouth amidst a hoarse yell and streamed down into the floor, all the way back to Hell. Cas crumpled on the floor, his eyelids fluttering and his breathing shallow, and Dean immediately scooped him up and crushed him against his chest.
"D-Dean?" Cas rasped. "What – I was at the store and – someone bumped into me – I cut myself – then I was here –"
Dean pulled back and pressed a firm kiss to a startled Cas' lips. It was a mark of how serious the situation had been that Zoey and Robbie didn't protest but instead threw their arms around Cas and clung on like barnacles.
"Your tattoo got screwed up," Dean murmured. "Demon shoved itself down your throat. It only got in here 'cause it knew how to in you, like Crowley knows how to get in here."
Cas' mouth dropped.
"A – a demon? But – you – Zoey and Robbie – I threatened you –"
"And then I snapped and exorcised it. Zoey dumped a flask of holy water on it to help."
Cas reached up with a shaking hand and touched his damp hair.
"I – I can't believe I was so – so weak! I threatened harm against my own family! How could I –"
"Hey!" Dean scolded. "Enough of that, angel. No one can help a demon getting its claws in them and that tattoo thing wasn't your fault."
Cas' shoulders shook. His stomach twisting, Dean cupped Cas' face and began to pepper him with small kisses on his forehead, his cheeks, his nose, his lips, even his eyelids.
"You knew it wasn't me," Cas whispered. "I remember…you knew almost immediately that it wasn't me."
Dean pressed a long kiss to Cas' lips. Cas closed his eyes and returned the kiss, clinging onto Dean's shirt as though it was a lifeline.
"Always, angel. I'll always know if it's not you. I'd have to be an idiot not to. And I'll always kick ass for you."
Cas' grip tightened. Dean stood up, gently pulling Cas with him and holding him close.
"Cas needs to rest," he said to Zoey and Robbie. "No bothering him tonight, okay? Can you two behave?"
Zoey and Robbie nodded quickly. Dean carefully guided Cas to their room and laid him down on the bed before crawling in after him, not even caring that they were fully clothed. Cas stared up at the ceiling blankly as Dean pulled him close and stroked his dark hair.
"You okay, Cas?" Dean said, leaning down to kiss his forehead.
"I…had no idea that possession could be so unpleasant," Cas said, closing his eyes. "Now I truly understand how Jimmy must have felt. How could I have done that to him?"
"Hey, cut that out. He said yes – you didn't force yourself in. And that was years ago. He hasn't been in there for years."
"That's not the point, Dean."
"It kinda is. Look, how 'bout we just don't talk about it? Just go to sleep, Cas."
"I was lucky," Cas mumbled. "I was not as unfortunate as others, such as your father or Sam. I didn't have the chance to do anything truly awful."
Dean buried his nose in Cas' hair and mouthed small kisses while stroking it again. Cas exhaled deeply and nuzzled into Dean. Dean heard a small rustling noise and tried to twist around to see what had made it but that was unnecessary because a moment later, the source became apparent: Zoey and Robbie, who had crept into the room and onto the bed. Zoey crawled over to the edge of the bed behind Cas and wrapped her arms around him, pressing her face against the nape of his neck, while Robbie forced himself between Dean and Cas and snuggled into Dean's front to hug Cas. Nobody said a word but Dean knew that Cas appreciated them simply being there with him, offering him as much comfort as they could. Still stroking Cas' hair, he lifted Cas' chin with his other hand and softly kissed him.
"Always, angel. Don't you ever forget that."