Dean couldn't really say he was pumped about their situation. When the second pair of clones came down on them no one knew what the hell was going on, and since Cas usually lost control that included him. They'd just been walking and chatting about the facility, which Dean understood might've been a little loud. Cas hushed them and next thing Dean knew he was being bitch slapped by a wing. It had been pretty damn scary, in that moment he wasn't sure who the wing belonged to and was partially convinced he was about to die.

That being said he got lucky, it was just Cas'. That clone had dropped from the ceiling pretty much as soon as Cas knocked them all down. Dean stared with terrified eyes in the few seconds it took him to get his bearings straight. He just narrowly missed hitting his head on the floor, the wind had been knocked out of him, but he still had his rifle in hand so that was something.

Cas was so vicious with the attacker, he'd taken a hit to his right side but he threw that clone to the floor with unbelievable strength. The room flashed blue and Dean had to squint, disoriented and shocked at the sudden commotion. He should've been prepared but, again, he was nowhere close to being used to that kind of environment.

The first thing he knew was that Cas was bleeding now, his opponent sprung up from the floor and went at him again. Dean yelled Cas' name but it was drowned out fast when another clone rushed into the fray. It came up from Dean's side and he just barely managed to drop to the floor to avoid a swipe from its claws. He raised his gun to shoot but the clone grabbed onto the end of the barrel and pulled him back up to his feet. Dean fired but it missed, the clone had it pointed away just enough to survive. It didn't, however, take kindly to almost being murdered.

Dean tried to wrestle the rifle away, he didn't know what else to do. If he just let go of it then the clone would have a gun and he didn't want that to happen. The beast shrieked at him and though Dean expected to be tossed around like a ragdoll, he was surprised when the clone bent the barrel of the rifle like it was made of putty.

His eyes quickly glanced to the others for help; Sam was at Charlie's side who was barely sitting up and Cas was preoccupied with tearing the already dead clone into more pieces. Dean was out of options, his hands clutching a busted weapon and unable to reach for another. His heart was in his throat and his stomach was twisted tight enough to be used as a whip. He did the only thing that came to mind; he screamed for Castiel.

Dean didn't expect it to happen; he thought that Cas was probably too far-gone to help him. But his boyfriend had leapt up from the floor as the second clone closed in on Dean. Cas' jaw was dropped wide-open in that disturbing way, and it clamped shut on the thing's neck. The sound was sickening enough but the sight was a little too much. With a single sharp wrenching motion of his head, Cas decapitated his opponent and dropped it to the ground.

It was then that Cas' eyes flickered and reverted to normal, no longer bloodshot or primal. Dean watched Cas immediate turn to nearly vomit; Dean would've done the same if he could even feel his stomach anymore. His heart slowed down enough for him to register that it was beating out of control, his fingers were tightly wrapped around his useless gun and he could feel them tingling from the pressure.

Sam approached, Dean wasn't listening. He couldn't get his shit together and it was starting to piss him off. Cas was doing all the work; he hadn't helped at all, even needed Cas to save his dumb ass. Charlie did something the first time, this time she was nearly knocked out by Cas so she couldn't save the day. Dean was pretty sure she would've if it hadn't been for that wing move at the start. Sam went to her aid so he had an excuse, but Dean? He just stood there and gawked.

At least he'd fired this time though, right?

It wasn't good enough. He sighed as Cas tried to figure out who was hurt. Dean muddled through the next bit of conversation without being fully present. Maybe Cas wouldn't have been hurt if Dean had been ready for the fight. Maybe-

"Are you okay, Dee?"

Dean's heart fluttered and he looked up, Castiel's head was tilted slightly and his eyes were everything Dean needed to see in that moment. He couldn't help the smile that pulled at his lips, he didn't intend to laugh or make any stupid jokes but they came out of him anyway. He didn't even know what he was saying or what kind of small talk Cas was saying. All he could do was lean in and kiss Castiel with everything he could muster in that moment.

Maybe it didn't matter that he was shitty at fighting real death-threat level fights.

Maybe it was totally fine that Cas was the muscle and did most of the work.

Maybe it didn't matter and was totally fine because Cas was all Dean ever really needed.

"We okay to move forward then?" Cas had said and Dean nodded.

"Yeah," he said simply, it didn't need anything more. He followed Castiel's lead as they continued down the hall, Sam had a map out and they were heading toward a hall that apparently had several extra cages lined up in it.

"So, wait," Dean furrowed his brow and looked over at Charlie, "The basement is separated into different sections, I get that. There's the lab and the area with the experiments, which are the ones we vaporized. And now you're telling me there's another area with experiments in it?"

"Yeah," Charlie laughed a little, "There was the big main area with the computers and a lot of the lab equipment. Then MacLeod extended it into the old tunnels his predecessors had built under the property, changing it into places to keep his experiments. I read one file that said that Cas' enclosure was the most advanced so they kept him in it, despite its odd location." She lifted up her map and pointed to approximately where they were, "They didn't convert the whole basement the first time around, so when MacLeod ran out of space he decided to change up the rest of it too. So the second set of experiment cages were built, my guess is that since the new equipment and spaces were stronger and better designed MacLeod put the better and strong experiments there."

"Kinda makes sense," Sam shrugged and glanced back at them, "I mean Desirae was basically left for dead aside from the food, so maybe most of the experiments in that part of the basement were failures."

"Or they weren't part of the Castiel project," Cas added bitterly.

"Well, whatever the case the 'incinerate' code didn't transfer to the newer area," Charlie said with a comforting pat on Cas' shoulder to at least show her remorse for him.

"So we're dealing with bigger, badder clones than the run of the mill guys," Dean smirked, "Cas handles them pretty well, I think we'll be fine."

"Says the guy who messed up his rifle." Sam jabbed and Dean flipped him the bird.

"Not my fault,"

"No, but it's a good point," Cas looked over at Dean with concerned eyes, "Remember what I said, I can't control myself. You got lucky back there, Dee. I happened to go after the other clone before it could hurt you, but that might not happen."

"I know, I know." Dean waved it off, "It's okay, Cas, I get it. I just wanted to lighten the mood a little."

"Yeah I know," Cas furrowed his brow at Dean, "That's the point, this isn't something to laugh about. You told Sam to smarten up or go back upstairs, now I'm telling you the same."

Dean swallowed past a lump in his throat, his chest suddenly feeling tighter. Part of him wanted to get mad but logic stuck with him; Cas was right. Maybe he was a little uptight but he made a good point. If Dean didn't get his shit together he'd get them all killed. Just because he felt like he could count on Cas for everything didn't give him the right to just leave it all to Cas. While there was always the option of agreeing but not listening, Dean felt that maybe he should actually listen to what his boyfriend had to say. Cas wouldn't tell him this if it wasn't important.

"Sorry," he finally said once his thoughts settled, "You're right." Cas said he might not be able to protect Dean, and if that was true then he might not be able to protect himself in every situation either. Dean absolutely had to get his head on straight, he loved Cas with everything he had and he had to make sure he could protect that relationship.

Cas' expression softened, "Thank you," he said with obvious relief in his voice.

"This must be the door," Sam cut in, he was standing in front of a door that looked like all the others down there.

"You sure?" Dean raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah," Sam muttered, his head tilted down and Dean followed his gaze to a gross-looking bone, it had some flesh on it but more or less was picked clean.

"He's right," Cas sniffed the air a few times, "There are more on the other side of that door, I can smell them from here."

"So we gotta go in there," Dean took a deep breath and put on his game face, "I'm ready, let's do this."

"Yeah," Sam's bitter expression had come back, his brow creased and eyes narrowed. Charlie didn't say anything; she just looked at Cas who gave a simple nod.

Opening the door revealed a cleaner hallway – other than the trail of blood; it looked far newer than the rest of the experimental areas. There were doors on either side of the long hall and a that same trail of blood led right around the first corner. Dean felt a chill run up his spine, he knew that whatever happened to Jet probably happened in there.

"It's still a goddamn maze," Sam grumbled quietly as he readied his shotgun. The team moved in together, all eyes open as they progressed. It was an unspoken decision to check any already opened doors first, they could open more and handle what was inside later but they had to make sure they wouldn't be jumped by anything already free.

Dean noticed the low growl in Cas' throat and paid attention to its intensity, the more vicious Castiel became the more likely it was that a clone was nearby. They walked by all the closed doors, Dean made a note that they looked like heavy-duty protected kinda shit. Whatever was free wouldn't be easy to deal with.

They followed Jet's route without words exchanged, just with their hearts in their throats and limbs tense with anticipation. A light from an open door was ahead as they turned another corner; the blood trail was darker and wider closer to the lit area. Dean clenched his jaw and glanced at the others; Sam looked pale but pissed, Charlie was staring forward intensely, and Castiel's eyes were starting glow again.

The sound of another being was getting clearer as they continued on their path, Cas snarled low in response to the sound of its feet. The clone responded in kind with another growl, its shadow appeared by the only open door. Instead of waiting until he lost it, Cas rushed forward on his own, wings flared out once his opponent appeared.

This clone had four arms, it was as bloody as Cas, and Dean would've bet anything that the odd fabric hanging from its face was part of Jet's clothing. The two clashed with a sharp screech that echoed down the hall, the noise alone started what sounded like a riot behind any closed doors. Dean aimed at the four-armed one fighting Cas but found that he couldn't get a clear shot in on it, not without just as likely hitting Castiel.

"What do we do?" Dean asked agitatedly, his lip pulling up in a snarl of his own.

Sam and Charlie both stood ready but no other clones came at them, the rest were all stuck behind the doors. "Cas is in the way, we can't get in there without losing our own limbs," Charlie said as she looked around, "We could open them one at a time and take out what's inside, just keep an eye on Cas' situation."

Dean felt his stomach dip at the thought of leaving Cas alone, "But what if he needs our help?"

"You could just stand here if that makes you feel better." Sam nudged him and stepped over to a door that was moving each time something on the other side rammed into it.

"It doesn't but thanks anyway," Dean couldn't decide whether or not to follow Charlie's idea; Cas' fight was already taking longer than it normally did, Cas usually won within a few bloody seconds. The clone he was fighting was a little bigger, judging by the gore around its mouth it had definitely eaten recently so it wasn't as fatigued as the others.

Cas was caught between the thing's first set of arms, his arms stuck at his sides and legs desperately kicking to try and get a good shot in. A frustrated shout escaped him and Dean's heart jumped; Cas was stuck. Dean abandoned Sam and Charlie and ran down the hall, he didn't know what he'd be able to do but he couldn't ignore what was happening.

Cas' wings swung forward and started beating on the clone as its second set of arms tried to hold his legs still. The thing shrieked and threw Castiel away; the amount of force in those wings was more painful than it seemed to anticipate. The clone shook its head, trying to orient itself again.

Just like the other fights this one still moved fast, faster than Dean knew how to react to but he did see that Cas was bleeding a little more than before. Dean raised his gun and took his first opening, firing three rounds in the hopes that at least one would hit.

The clone screamed, blood poured from a new hole in its face as it gargled and hit its knees. Cas shrieked at it again but scrambled backward, watching with light-filled eyes as it died painfully. The thing writhed slowly on the floor and Castiel carefully moved around it until he could scuttle back to Dean.

"Cas," Dean felt breathless despite not doing anything terribly strenuous. He knelt down and checked Cas' injuries, his boyfriend whimpering softly as his consciousness hadn't quite snapped back yet. Dean figured it was due to the other clone not quite being dead yet, but he didn't bother to think on it too much. The first cut was shallow like Cas had said, but the second wasn't quite as clean. Dean couldn't tell how deep it went, the skin was torn in a jagged cut. It was practically overtop the first scar, he realized as he wiped the blood away. Dean took off his over-shirt and bundled up the torso section before placing it on top of Cas' side. He tied the arms around Cas' abdomen and tightened it to try and help stop the bleeding.

"Dee?" Cas asked wearily, just coming back around. "What-" he was cut off by a wave of pain as Dean double-checked the tightness of his homemade tourniquet. A hiss slowly escaped him and looked down, "Did it open further?"

"You got hit there again," Dean looked up at him with a semi-smile, "But good job, that guy was pretty tough."

Cas closed his eyes and let Dean lean him against the closest wall, "I feel sick," he mumbled and Dean kissed his forehead.

"That's probably shock or something, just sit still for a little bit." He brushed Cas' hair out of his face, it was matted with sweat and possibly blood but Dean didn't consider it further than that. "I think that was the only one left that was wandering free, the others are all behind the rest of these doors."

Cas looked down the hall to where Charlie and Sam had halted their endeavors to watch how Dean and Castiel were doing. "If you say so, I'll watch from here but don't move out of my sight, okay?"

"Deal." Dean gave Cas a quick kiss and ran back to join the other two.