Author's Note:

So I've been receiving some amazing comments recently and I'm so happy that you guys are still enjoying this despite my random absences. That being said, I had time to bust through another chapter so here you go, two in one day :D

Dean opened his eyes with the vague expectation of seeing Castiel curled up with him. He felt cold and couldn't move a muscle; he knew where he really was. Dean tried to take a deep breath but he couldn't do that either. A wash of anxiety struck him and tightened his chest, his breathing became rapid and his stomach started to twist into knots.

"It's okay, Cas." Dean tried to say but knew it wouldn't reach. Cas' thoughts swarmed his mind and overtook his own rationalities. Dean couldn't find a way to tell himself it was just a nightmare.

Terror was a mild word in comparison to what Dean felt in the following moments. He could tell he was in a cage, the floor was hard and cold and he could see bars ahead of him. He wondered what had happened, if it was a continuation after the brain surgery.

His head hurt. It felt like it was going to split in two and all he wanted to do was throw up and scream.

There was a longing for people he didn't know. Cas was begging for his big brother to find him, for his friend Charlie to hunt him down, for anyone to come and save him before it got worse.

Dean didn't want to tell him that it would definitely get worse. That was not the last surgery, it was the first time Cas' body would made into a science doll and it'd only happen more frequently from there.

He felt naked, not just physically but emotionally and mentally. He felt exposed and open with no way of hiding himself. Humiliation was left for people who still had dignity; he couldn't find that for himself.

As he felt the intense desperation seeping into his skin and corroding his nerves and pride Dean noticed something strange. The world around him flickered and darkened rapidly; he heard voices and muffled thoughts. It was as if reality was wavering, like it did it real dreams. The world around him transitioned and left him breathless.

Dean's heart beat rapidly as a bright light flashed and a new room slowly came into focus. It was purely white with two steel doors and a mirror. Dean recognized it but he could feel Castiel's confusion, as if it was the first time he'd ever been there. He could feel the spiraling worry and just how lost Castiel was. It felt like a heart attack, his breath came in short bursts and he couldn't focus. His chest ached and his limbs felt weak, Dean held himself against a wall and stared at the space around him.

The sound of metal moving had his attention briefly, he couldn't keep his mind on one thing long enough to really know what it was. He looked toward the steel doors warily and saw a naked, dark haired teen with scars all over his body. He knew who it was, he knew what it was, but that didn't stop Cas' questions.

Is that me?

Am I me?

His face is just like mine. That's me.

Then… who am I? Why is that me?

What's happening?

Where am I?

Help me.

Dean watched the other Castiel lift its head and there was a sound of a man's voice over an intercom. "Commencing tests of Subject 01 against Castiel Novak."

He shook his head, "I don't want to be here." He said loudly and the world around him seemed to freeze entirely.

"Me neither." A response to his words had Dean feeling skittish.

"Why are you making me see this?" Dean demanded to know, fear bringing a hoarse sound to his tone. "I know what happened to you, I get it, please don't do this to me."

"I'm sorry, I can't help it."

"Why not?"

"I'm dreaming too, this is my nightmare. I'm sorry, Dean. I don't have complete control over myself."

Dean held still for a few seconds as his mind managed to settle long enough to recognize who he was talking to. "You're… you're the real Cas, aren't you?"

"You've met the real Cas already, he has wings and can't say your name right."

"I know, I mean… you're talking to me, you're the part of him that remembers everything right?"

"Something like that,"

"How are you doing this?"

"I don't know, it just started happening as more experiments went on. When I'm awake I can't think and this doesn't always happen when I dream. In fact it's been a while since the last time, but don't worry this won't end like that one did."

Dean continued to try and fight off the frozen dread of his immediate situation but it wouldn't budge. It was mostly Castiel's, he figured. "What happened last time?"

"MacLeod died."

"You… did that?"

"I did."

Dean blinked a few times, at first unsure of how that made him feel but he shrugged after a moment, "Well good, I'm glad you got the chance."

"I'm sorry, Dean. I will do what I can to wake you up."

"What? What do you mean?"

"The nightmare won't end when I wake, only when you do. I didn't mean to drag you into mine, I just wanted you to see what I saw."

"I can watch the videos now, you don't have to put us through this." Dean reasoned, "And if you need to drag anyone in just do it to me, leave Sammy and Jet out of it."

"I'm sorry, I can't control it that way. It hits everyone in my vicinity when I choose to share, and my mindset right now is that I want to share with you. I can't stop it."

"And sometimes it turns into your actual nightmares…" Dean rubbed his face, "Okay… well thanks for telling me about it."

"I hope you can forgive me,"

"How could I even blame you? Nothing to be sorry for, Cas." He smiled despite the paused horror in the room. "I'll talk to you again soon, okay?"

"I… I would appreciate that. Thank you, Dean."

Before he could answer he felt something against his face. It hit hard and repeatedly, he struggled to move but he couldn't get away from it. The world started to move in fast forward and the strange Castiel across the space rushed at him, it jumped onto him and screamed as it swung at his face.

Dean shrieked and throttled the thing off of him, vertigo confused his head and he flailed about as he found himself lying on the floor. His breathing was sharp and pained, his eyes felt dry and stung as tears dripped from the corners. He gasped and sat upright, realizing he was in his bedroom.

Castiel shuffled closer to him from the wall across the room, his wings curled down against his back and his head kept low. He squeaked and Dean knew what had happened, he'd seen Jet do the same thing the morning before.

"Cas," he wheezed and forced himself to move, crawling closer to his hesitant friend despite heavy limbs. "Cas I'm so sorry, are you okay? Did I hurt you?" he muttered, happy to see that Cas didn't move away from him as he closed in. He hugged Cas close and rested his head on the other's shoulder as reality began to sink in again.

Cas' wings curved around them and folded over Dean like a cover, he was quiet but Dean could feel Cas' support all the same. "I'm sorry," he repeated softly as Castiel brushed fingers through his hair.

"It's…" Cas struggled to speak, "…okay, Dee."

Dean looked up, surprised more than anything he smiled, "Thanks Cas," What else was there to say to that? He hugged Cas again and settled down to rest in Cas' lap until he felt more like moving again. It was comfortable where he was; the warmth of another body countered the unfamiliarity of the floor.

He stayed there a little longer than he expected, he might've dozed off again but he felt a lot better when he noticed the light of the dawn slowly brightening the room. "I wonder what time it is," he yawned and stirred. Cas yawned right back though his ended in a squeak and made Dean smile.

"Think we should get up?" he asked and Cas shook his head, "You don't want to go to bed when I say, you don't want to get up when I say, what do you want?"

Castiel stared down at him and Dean knew that he wasn't completely understood. He smiled again and reached up to brush his fingers through Cas' hair. "You could use a bath," he muttered absently, noting that they hadn't actually done that yet. "Sorry Cas, we suck at taking care of people." Dean moved to get up anyway despite Cas' grumbling. He took Castiel's hand and led him out of the room, how hard could it be to bathe him alone?

As they walked down the hall he noticed a strange sound from a room nearby. Dean slowed down and paused before opening Sam's door, his little brother was still asleep though tense as hell. "Sam?" Dean whispered and snuck inside. He could hear the heavier breathing and saw Sam's hands clutching tightly at the sheets; it was the nightmare. Dean grabbed Sam's shoulder and shook him harder, "Sam, wake up."

His attempts were nothing like Cas' who leapt onto the bed and perched over Sam with sparked eyes. Cas shook him harder than Dean had and smacked at his face until a flutter of hazel eyes stared up in shock.

"Cas?" Sam stuttered and gasped for breath, he looked over at Dean with wide eyes and bewilderment. "What's happening? Wha-"

"Shhh," Dean moved to comfort him and gave him a reassuring hug, "It's okay, it was just Cas."

Sam sighed and dropped his face against the nook of Dean's neck, still breathing heavily and barely gathering his thoughts. "It changed part way through," he murmured, Dean could barely hear him, "the dream started in a cell but it changed to that testing room." He lifted his head and looked at Dean with watery eyes, "Cas was in there for so long, they made him fight over and over without a rest. I don't even know how long it was, it just happened like a blur and… and I…" his voice broke down and Dean puled him close again.

"It's okay, Sammy," he whispered and held tight, his chest aching for Sam's sake.

Castiel shuffled closer on the other side of the bed and nuzzled his face against Sam's, his hair slipping over Dean's skin. "It's okay, Sam." He said and Sam looked up almost as fast as Dean did earlier.

"Did you…" Sam sniffled and wiped his eyes, trying to look a little more presentable and gather himself, "Did you just tell me it'd be okay?"

Cas looked at Sam's face and though he looked unsure he whispered again, "It's okay, Sam."

Sam let out a choked laugh as he kept wiping tears off his cheeks, "I'm sitting here crying over what happened to him and he's there just telling me it'll be okay."

"I know what you mean," Dean smiled warmly at Cas then down at his little brother, "he did the same thing for me a while ago."

Sam sat up and moved to hug Castiel instead, a shaky sigh escaping him as he held on. "Thanks Cas,"

Castiel shielded both Winchesters with his wings and nuzzled Sam again, a soft purr rumbling in his throat.

Once the hug was over and Sam had collected himself, he looked at Dean with a little more concern, "Jet usually has more trouble than we do with these things… you think he's okay?"

Dean bit lightly at his bottom lip as he recalled the odd sounds he heard before entering Sam's room. "No, not if he's sleeping he isn't."

They got up and walked down the hall, they stood outside Jet's room and Dean was sure he could hear the same uncomfortable groaning though a little quieter now than it had been. As Dean prepared himself before entering Sam just opened the door to a dark room. It took a few seconds for their eyes to adjust but they could see a figure sitting on the bed.

Dean flipped the lights on as Sam crossed the room, "Jet?" they both said as they saw their friend sitting with knees up and his head down. Jet didn't flinch but a low whine did bubbling up in his throat. Sam reached out and gently tipped him backward while bringing his knees down. Jet's eyes were closed this time but he didn't seem any less alarming in Dean's opinion.

"Can you hear me?" Sam asked worriedly as he shifted Jet slowly, Jet's head had limply fallen over Sam's arm and rolled a little to the side. His legs slipped without support and he lay entirely in Sam's hold, unmoving.

"Is he breathing?" Dean asked as a familiar tightness encroached on his chest. "Does he feel warm?"

"He's warm, and he's making noise so I assume he's breathing," Sam replied anxiously as he leaned closer to Jet's face to feel for the air. "Jet, wake up. It's Sam, can you hear me?" He spoke louder this time and changed his hold on Jet to cup his face and look at him.

Dean had seen Jet in a catatonic state the other morning; he knew how scary it was. He also knew that Sam hadn't witnessed it and recognized how worried Sam was. "It's alright, he'll wake up." Dean reassured him but Sam wasn't accepting that as an answer just yet.

"Wake up, you idiot! This isn't funny!"

Cas hopped onto the bed and reached over to smack Jet's face, it wasn't a strong hit but he got a few in before Sam shooed him away too. "Don't touch him," he warned and Dean could see Sam still hadn't quite gotten over his own experience.

"Sam calm down, it's alright." Dean kept his best big brother tone in check as he slowly sat down on the other end of the bed. Sam had barely woken up a few minutes before in a wild and tortured state; Dean should've known better than to let him come with. "Jet's gonna wake up, we're all gonna be fine."

Sam took an unsteady breath and looked down at Jet, trying his best to listen to Dean. He recognized his own irrational behaviour and knew it wouldn't help anyone if he freaked out. Sam just held Jet a little closer and waited, carefully adjusting Jet's position until he was comfortably snug in Sam's arms.

Cas sat on the floor and looked at Dean as they waited together, Sam was slowly calming himself down though Dean could see that the dreams were really getting to him. When he woke up he always felt frazzled and freaked out but it usually left him be after a little while, he could distance himself from Castiel's reality. Jet practically fell into mini-comas and took the mental abuse head on. Sam seemed to be internalizing it, instead of letting it go he buried it. Dean wished he could get Cas to fix that dream thing, he really did.

They were sitting there together for a while; Dean didn't take his eyes off Sam as his brother rested. Sam's eyes fell closed after some time passed, Jet didn't move at all and Cas seemed to be intensely staring at the three of them. Dean could tell Cas had some kind of plan but he was too tired to try and figure it out.

And then, when both Winchesters had their guards down, Castiel burst forward and though Dean expected some kind of assault on Jet's face he was pleasantly surprised when his wingman grabbed Sam by the back of the head and forced his face down against Jet's. Though Sam struggled to sit up immediately Cas didn't let go and it took a few seconds longer.

Dean was pretty sure that the speed at which Cas moved and brought Sam's mouth against Jet's would hurt like a bitch. In fact, Cas might as well have just slapped Jet around; it could've hurt a little less.

Sam pulled away and hissed in pain, a confused glare tossed Cas' way.

"Not that I mind the kiss," Jet mumbled and just the sound of it made Dean grin, "but maybe next time could you be a little more gentle, Sam?"

Sam rolled his eyes and tossed Jet off his lap, "Whatever, I didn't do it on purpose."

Jet groaned from his new spot on the floor and slowly sat upright, Dean could see he was still wrapping his mind around reality. Jet's breathing was a bit heavier but he was trying to hide it, "So… what're you guys doing up so early?"

Dean did his best to roll with Jet's attempted cover up and just shrugged, "Figured I'd get a head start on the day."

"Yeah," Sam agreed tiredly and walked to the door, "I'll catch you guys downstairs."

"You know Sam, it's okay to give a shit about me." Jet called after him but Sam was gone without a response. "Jesus fuckin' Christ." He muttered and looked at Dean, that little attempt at seeming fine draining out of his face. "I'm so tired of this, man."

"I know," Dean smiled reassuringly though he knew it wasn't going to do Jet much good. "I am too, but I did get to talk to Cas."

"Like normal functioning Cas?"

"Yeah, he says he can't really control it that well. He hasn't really meant to put us in any kind of torture, he just wanted us to get an idea for what happened to him."

Jet scoffed and looked at Cas, "Well we get it dude, could you not?"

"He'd stop if he could," Dean replied defensively, "Don't give him shit for it."

"I know, I know," Jet rubbed his eyes and started to get himself to a standing position, "I'm just tired."

"Sorry," Castiel managed to say and Dean watched as Jet stared blankly at their feathery friend for a few seconds. "I'm sorry, Chet."

"You know," Jet laughed a little, "considering I could've been stuck with 'Dee,' being called Chet isn't so bad."

"He gets Sam's name right." Dean grumbled though he couldn't help but feel proud that Cas was talking. He was also pretty happy that Cas talking got Jet and Sam to calm down in separate settings.

Jet reached over and ruffled Cas' hair, "It's okay, Cas." He sighed a little lighter this time, "I'm not mad at you, it's my dumbass fault I can't wake up like a normal idiot."

Dean nodded, "True."

"Fuck off, bro, I'm trying to make Cas feel better."