It was late, Sam stayed in the basement for most of the evening, Dean didn't see Jet at all so he spent his time hanging out with Cas. He couldn't wait for the Internet to be hooked up, hell he had half a mind to go home and pick up some DVD's and the player so he could do something with his time. Cas was entertaining and all but he wouldn't mind seeing some old favourites. He wouldn't mind seeing Cas' reaction to a movie either; it'd probably be hilarious.

The two of them were in Dean's room, sprawled out on the bed as he debated with to do with his time other than playing cell phone games. He was pretty good at Angry Birds but it was getting boring, the novelty wore off long ago.

Cas was curled up beside him/partially in his lap, wings folded and spread behind him on the bed, taking up most of it. Dean didn't mind though, he had one hand resting on Cas' shoulder while the other supported his phone; he was pretty comfortable. The mansion was quiet and he wasn't used to not hearing the sound of a city outside anymore, he remembered it when at Bobby's and having that same quiet made him feel more at home. Sure, the room he was in now was far bigger and extravagant but he could make due with that.

As Dean was settling to fall asleep again he could hear voices distantly in the building. He didn't think much of it, though it had Castiel sitting up at attention. "It's okay Cas, they're probably fighting again."

Cas chittered at him in response and hopped out of bed, sneaking out of the room and down the hall. Dean wasn't sure what impressed him more, the fact that Cas had a stealth mode or that he'd figured out doorknobs. Dean climbed out of bed and crept after him, leaving Cas unattended too long was probably a bad decision.

They came to the living room area and heard Sam and Jet talking in that hushed yelling way you would when trying to not wake anyone up but still be intense.

"I don't care if Dean said it was okay, you know anything about flight freaks him out. You didn't see him like I did, okay? He completely spaced out for your twenty minute fly-about."

"I already told him I was sorry, what do you want from me?"

"I want you to know why you should be sorry! Just saying it doesn't teach you anything if you don't think about it! Our parents died while on a flight, ever since then Dean's been-"

"I know, okay?"

"Do you? Because I didn't see any signs of that registering with you today. Dean doesn't take conversations about flying very well; forget about someone he cares about ever doing it. He was gonna have a hard enough time getting over the fact that he did it, you had to jump on that whole thing and volunteer too? What is wrong with you?"

"Everything," Jet's exasperation combined with a more flippant response, Dean could hear him getting fed up. Sam's responding groan was pure frustration.

Cas moved to open the door but Dean caught his arm and pulled him back, the last thing they wanted was to get involved in the whole thing. Dean knew how he was about flying, he knew the kinds of reactions it brought up in him and usually he could keep it together. Too much happened in a short amount of time, he just wasn't ready. That's at least what he kept telling himself anyway. He hated worrying Sam but apparently his brother was more perceptive than he gave him credit for.

"You're impossible," Sam finally said defeated.

"Is that so? Awesome, this conversation over yet?"

"Yeah, sure." Sam had given up and silence followed, Dean was ready to see whoever exited the room first but several moments passed and neither appeared.

"Sam," Jet's tone had lost its edge, it had that sincerity Dean recognized to mean Jet was about to get real. "I'm sorry."

"You don't know what you're sorry for." Dean imagined Sam wasn't looking at Jet but didn't dare open the door to find out.

"Yeah I do, I'm sorry because I didn't think about how you'd feel with all of that. I knew Dean would freak out but it's something he needs to face. I know he's thick skinned and can be pretty dense, he has no idea what we see him doing because he doesn't know he's doing it. The way he looks at Cas is different, you and I both know where this is going." There was a pause and the sound of footsteps, Jet walking closer to Sam in all probability. "If Dean's going to be around Cas he's gonna have to get used to the fact that Cas can fly; I was going for the whole 'immersion therapy' approach."

"You just wanted to fly." Sam pointed out; it was less bitter but still not as vicious as it was before.

"That too, but if that was the only thing then I wouldn't have done it. My point is I'm sorry I scared Dean because it scared you too, I didn't think about that and I feel shitty for putting you through it."

There was more silence that ate at Dean's inner 'I love soap operas' brain functions but he managed to keep himself still. There was some softer mumbling that happened and he didn't catch it. Dean knew about his infatuation with Cas but he didn't think of it the way Jet had mentioned. He tried to think of it more as a curiosity about such a strange situation he'd found himself in. Cas wasn't exactly a normal discovery, what was wrong with enjoying figuring out what made him tick?

Speaking of Cas, Dean realized he'd been holding the poor thing down since he'd tried opening the door. A smile wasn't enough to quell the growing growl in Cas' through, so with a sigh he let go of his captive who immediately swung the door open with his regained freedom as a sort of spite toward Dean.

"Holy shit," Jet laughed at his own startling, "Goddamn it Cas, you have the worst timing."

Castiel chirped at him and thwacked him with a wing for good measure, Dean really wished he knew what Cas had said.

Sam's face was a bit red, Dean wasn't sure if it was from rage, embarrassment or something else since he'd missed the last part of the conversation but he couldn't just let it go. "What's with the blushing there, Sammy?" He grinned the most annoying older brother smile he could manage. The last thing he wanted was for Sam to linger on that worry about him; so what's the best way out? Bug the hell out of Sam until the worry is nothing but annoyance. "I figured you guys were having a conversation but I thought it might be more rage inducing."

"You missed the rage," Sam grumbled and walked past him out the door, "I'm going to bed."

"Wait, wait," Dean caught his arm, "Did you find anything out about Cas?"

"I did, actually." Sam pulled away and looked over at Cas sadly, "It took a while to get through some of the first files though, did you want to come down and see? I haven't looked much into him yet."

"It's like two in the morning," Jet put a hand on both their shoulders, "How about we check it after we sleep a bit?"

"I have school tomorrow," Sam rubbed his eyes tiredly. Dean had a hunch Sam might skip it but there were only a few more months left before he could graduate with honours. Dean didn't intend to let Sam miss that opportunity; if he did Bobby would skin him alive.

"Yeah, you should get some sleep Sammy. Let Jet and I handle the moving crews and Internet installation tomorrow."

Sam raised an eyebrow at them, "So you only want to know about Cas tomorrow?"

Dean wasn't sure how to say 'it's eating me alive and I need to know right now' without sounding exactly the way Jet had described him. He wasn't lovesick for Cas; Cas couldn't even talk yet! It'd be disturbing if nothing else, he'd feel like a creep. "He'll still be here and as much a mystery tomorrow afternoon, don't worry about it."

"But I want to know!" Sam barely managed to say before yawning.

"Uh-huh," Jet put an arm around Sam's shoulders and led him to the stairs, "While that all-consuming curiosity of yours is really convincing and everything, I still insist you go to bed."

"Don't get too rowdy, you two." Dean called after them, which only resulted in Sam pushing Jet off the stairs. Dean snorted in his attempts to stop a laugh, it failed gloriously as Jet dramatically dropped onto his back and remained splayed out on the floor. "Good night Sam," Dean managed to say as his brother disappeared onto the second floor.

Cas hopped over and leaned above Jet's face to inspect the damage. Jet stayed still and kept his eyes closed, letting Cas fret about his possible health issues. Castiel didn't seem all that concerned though, he poked at Jet's cheek a few times and attempted to open his eye manually. Jet rolled his head away and blinked rapidly to readjust his vision, "Damn it Cas, I'm fine."

"So why're you still up?" Dean walked to his side and looked down in amusement. "Had to bug Sam for a few more seconds?"

"I was chilling on the couch when he came up from the basement, he just happened to stop and get mad at me again." Jet shrugged and pulled himself up to his feet, "Heard most of it, I imagine?"

"Yeah."

"Any thoughts?"

Dean had plenty but he wasn't sure which ones to share. "Well… I guess I gotta ask about how chummy you guys are getting, anything going on there I should know about?"

Jet shook his head, "Nah," it was a quick and easy response, which only made Dean question it all the more. Jet was the best liar he knew, if it felt like he was telling the truth he probably wasn't. "I know what you're thinking about and no, I'm not lying. Nothing's happening there, dude."

Dean raised an eyebrow at the tone Jet just used, "But you want it to, don't you?"

He watched how Jet's posture stiffened and the little twitch of his brow gave away pretty much everything. It wasn't like Jet to be so obvious; his crush must've been pretty serious. "I had no idea you liked Sam-"

"It isn't like that, shut up." Jet marched up the stairs to his room, leaving Dean and Cas alone again.

"Wow," Dean looked at Castiel with a smirk on his lips, "Sam turned him down."

"I fucking heard that, asshole!" Jet shouted from above and Dean shrugged.

"Yet you failed to deny it."

"Fuck off!"

Dean waited for the echoing door slam that came several moments after. "Yep. Definitely got shut down, poor guy." Cas of course didn't understand but he cooed a reply anyway. As they climbed up to their room again Dean wondered about it less humourously. He really had no idea Jet liked Sam, when it might've started or when Jet would've asked Sam out. Neither of them mentioned it to him, he was curious why but maybe it was obvious. He was Sam's older brother; therefore Jet wouldn't want to tell him for fear of being put under scrutiny. Or maybe he felt Dean would laugh at him and bug him endlessly. Sam wouldn't tell him every time someone asked him out so that made sense, but Jet told him everything. Well, Dean thought so anyway.

He dropped into bed again and Castiel crawled on top of him, snuggling close and sighing once he was comfortable. Dean hadn't been around Cas long but he really enjoyed having him around. Castiel was so expressive it was hard not to like him. Sleep eventually greeted Dean and he dozed off peacefully.

He opened his eyes to complete darkness, a strange sound buzzing nearby. Dean attempted to speak but all he heard was a disgruntled moan in his throat. It didn't sound like his voice, either.

Dean knew immediately where he was, that nightmare was back and picking up where he'd left it. He remembered what Jet said but he didn't want to experience the same thing. His heart rate increased as he realized he couldn't move, his entire body felt numb and hollow. He knew the sound to be that saw he'd heard the first time, buzzing and undoubtedly cutting him. His stomach turned as he felt the dull movement of his neck, his head was jostled about but he couldn't tell which direction.

Something pricked inside his head, an itchy, tingling feeling that only went deeper the longer it stayed. He was certain it hurt but he couldn't register the pain. It didn't feel like a normal headache.

"He's in my head… oh god he's in my head!"

That was Castiel's voice, loud and clear ringing in Dean's ears. He hadn't spoken; it was like hearing a thought. Dean wished he could see, see Castiel and tell him it'd be okay, tell him he'd live through it and that help was coming. But he couldn't do that. Even if he'd manage to meet Castiel internally he'd never be able to help with that kind of information.

"Stop! STOP! Please let me go!"

Dean's chest tightened and pressure built behind his eyes, it wasn't exactly his body but he felt it all the same. His hands wouldn't move, desperation grew and his heart felt like it'd burst from his chest. Cas tried to scream but a soft moan escaped instead.

"Shh, Castiel. It'll be done soon." MacLeod said, Dean felt nauseous.

"Help me, please help me."

Castiel's thoughts were repeating, every little variation came with more desperation and anxiety. He pleaded with MacLeod to let him go, with God to save him, with himself to just pass out and stop the experience. His thoughts could almost become a real image, he mentioned names Dean couldn't understand but he did get one; Michael. Michael was Castiel's brother. It was a name Jet couldn't quite grasp when he felt the same thing the night before. Dean wished he knew a last name. Michael what?

Dean could feel how hollow his head was, something was disconnected and cold. He wasn't sure how numbness worked but that dullness didn't feel like pain, though he was certain it should've. Dean screamed to just wake up and he didn't know if it was him or Castiel that wanted it more.

He was conscious enough throughout the procedure he started to feel again by its end. His head throbbed, he had no idea what was happening but it was causing so much pressure on his skull or on his brain, he wasn't sure which. Castiel's mental plead had dissolved into quieter repetitious whimpers, some of which managed to reach his tongue in garbled sentences. Dean's heart broke when he heard them. 'Please keep talking, Cas. Don't lose that. Please don't lose that.' He thought desperately but he knew it wouldn't change a damn thing.

And then it was over. He opened his eyes to see a somewhat familiar room and felt a heavy kind of warmth on his chest. "Cas?" He asked worriedly and heard a purred squeak as the weight lifted.

Castiel peered over Dean, tired eyes blinking slowly in the daylight. His hair was a bed-head mess, lips parted slightly as he stared at Dean for some kind of clarification.

Dean breathed a sigh of relief and touched the side of Cas' face, "Sorry I woke you up," Cas pushed against Dean's hand affectionately and then dropped his head back onto Dean's chest. It wasn't a gentle landing but Dean didn't complain, he rested his hand in Cas' hair and stared at the ceiling.