Castiel was reluctant to face the cabin beyond the bedroom in the morning. As he was getting ready he tried to find his phone to check Sam's arrival, freezing when his hand reached into the now empty pocket. His breath hitched as he confirmed he in fact did not have it, that it must've fallen. It must've fallen somewhere near the couch. He silently prayed that somehow Dean hadn't happened upon it.

Cas opened the door and carefully stepped over the salt line, immediately taking care to make note of the hunter's location.

Dean was sprawled across the couch, a book balanced in his left hand. He didn't look up but pulled his other hand out, offering the angel the lost cell phone. "Sam says he'll be here around three."

Cas' heart sank, and he wondered just what damage Dean had managed to set in motion. He didn't say anything though, simply coming and taking it back from him. He glanced at the outgoing calls, seeing just the one. He slipped the phone back into his pocket.

Cas walked over to the window, taking a quick look at the grimy thermometer and frowning. "How long does it take for a fire to warm a cabin? It's eleven degrees." He asked, hoping Dean would be cooperative and actually answer him.

Dean raised his brow and turned his lip up in a half grin. "I thought I wasn't allowed to have fire?"

Cas crossed the room, grabbing the salt shaker and approaching the double fireplace. He laid a neat salt line all the way around it on both sides, effectively barring Dean from reaching it. "You aren't."

The demon frowned, a little of the wind taken out of his sails by the flat response. "With a drafty door like that? Five, six hours maybe."

Cas was just relieved for an answer. He set to work stacking logs in the fireplace, wanting it a livable temperature when the younger hunter finally did arrive. "What did you say to Sam?"

"Told him to bring some food."

"I told you, I do not require food."

Dean rolled his eyes. "Whatever. But you can eat. And I'm bored as shit, and I also can eat."

Cas finished lighting the hearth, watching it for a moment to make sure it would fully catch. He was glad for their time in the New York cabin following the crash, or he would have had to rely on Dean to know how to build a fire.

"He's bringing you a knife. Had to pinky swear I wouldn't touch it."

"No." Cas said automatically, straightening up and looking back at Dean.

"Oh shut up." Dean rolled his eyes. "Keep it in the fucking bedroom if you've gotta, we're gonna need one if we're going to cook."

Cas decided to let it go for the moment. They could figure that out later. For now he resigned himself to settling into the chair and waiting for the other hunter to arrive.

"You know, sweetheart. You're gonna have to trust me a little here."

Cas just sent another glare in his direction.

.

When Sam gave him a text he was ten minutes out, Cas got back to his feet. He dipped into the bedroom for a second, coming back with one of the cans of spray paint, which he used to repair the devil's trap in the corner, flush with the wall. He turned back to face the hunter. "Dean." He said simply, tilting his head towards the sigil on the floor.

"You're joking, right?" Dean said, unamused.

"Now, Dean." Cas insisted.

Dean got to his feet. "No. I'm already stuck here, I'm not getting in a smaller cage just to coddle Sasquatch."

Cas walked forward, clamping a hand on Dean's shoulder, pulling him towards the corner. Dean tried to break the grip but the angel's eyes glowed blue and he practically dragged the hunter across the wooden floor. He spun Dean around and shoved him backwards into the trap, watching him trip slightly and fall back against the wall the trap pushed up against with a thud.

"Hmm… I like it when you play rough." Dean purred, but his tone didn't match his expression as he straightened himself up and dusted off his shirt. The demon was a little surprised by that, not expecting Cas to be able to overpower him.

Castiel returned to the chair, simply going back to his book while he waited for Sam to arrive.

When he arrived, the younger hunter felt a bit of relief at seeing Dean in a second trap in the corner. He handed Cas the first armful of supplies, heading immediately back out for the rest.

Cas looked through the varying bags, bringing them to the kitchen and setting them down on the rickety wooden table in the corner.

The rest of the supplies, Sam brought all the way in, walking them to the bedroom. Cas followed. The younger hunter dumped them on the bed for now. "Hey Cas." He finally greeted. He pulled the angel into a quick half hug before stepping back, taking a seat in the one chair in the corner.

"Hey Sam." Cas sat on the end of the bed opposite him, feeling a bit of relief at the change in company.

"How are you holding up?"

"I am fine." Cas insisted.

"Dean said you needed food now."

"Dean wanted food. I can taste food again, but I still do not require it."

"Ah." Sam hesitated, looking at Cas and trying to catch a sense if he was telling the truth, but he couldn't get anything from his expression. He reached into a bag, bringing out a warded lock box. He opened the lid, revealing the ten inch chef's knife. "I figured a little extra protection wouldn't hurt. This is entirely up to you whether or not you bring it out of here." He said firmly.

"Thank you." Cas said, watching the box get shut again and set aside.

Sam let out his breath, leaning back in the chair. He didn't want to admit just how rattled he had been while he prepared to go inside. He was silent for a few minutes, thinking through everything that was happening. "Are you sure it's safe to just have him wandering around here?" Sam asked at last. "You could keep him locked up the whole time. Put him in here, salt the door behind him, keep your distance."

"I do not think that is a good idea." The angel replied. "We don't know how long this is going to take… and if he really can start to control it, like Cain did, we need to try to let him… Here he can't pose a danger to anyone."

"Anyone but you."

"I was in the hotel with him. I do not believe I am in danger."

Sam sighed. "Still, I don't have a great feeling about this." He looked at the closed door, thinking of his brother across the cabin. "How is he?"

"I don't know." Cas admitted, leaning back slightly and looking up at the ceiling. "He's been quieter than I expected."

"Maybe that's a good thing."

"Yeah." Cas gave a weak smile. "It's hard… seeing him like this again."

Sam swallowed. "I just keep thinking about Eastham." He admitted.

"I keep seeing Dean… but then he'll open his mouth and… even if the things he's saying aren't anything he wouldn't say… the way he says them… It's not him."

"Cas, I'm telling you man. You don't gotta stay here on your own. You don't have to stay here at all."

"No. You're better off working with Charlie and Kevin to find a way to get that mark off."

"Cas-"

"I still want to stay." He repeated firmly. "I do think he can get it under control. I do think he has a chance at approaching something like human, even as a demon with the mark. And while I hope that isn't necessary, I want to work towards it just in case."

Sam looked back at the angel, meeting his eyes and reading the conviction in them. He let his shoulders sag slightly. "Alright." He sighed again. "I want that too."

Cas shook his head. "Dean would want to get it under control."

"Dean never wanted to be a demon again." Sam reminded him.

The angel winced. "Yeah, well… we make the best of it now."

"Cas, you gotta promise me. If this whole grace thing gets worse, or if it gets too much. Call me. The bunker is less than six hours away."

"I know, Sam. I will."

Sam sat still a moment, watching Cas, looking as if he might object again, but he didn't. "I don't know how you do it… when he called last night… just hearing him…"

"I am sorry I allowed the phone to fall into his hands."

"Don't worry about it. He might be right. Something to focus on might do some good. This cabin isn't all that big."

Cas nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah, maybe."

Sam startled slightly when his phone started to ring. He fished it out of his pocket, reading the caller ID and picking up. "Hey Kevin, what's up?" He put it on speakerphone.

"We figured something out." Kevin started.

"What?"

"It's a curse." Charlie chimed in.

Cas furrowed his brow. "A curse?"

"Well, the original curse I guess." Charlie continued. "But a curse."

Sam stared at the phone for a second. "Anything about how to remove it?"

"Not yet." Kevin admitted.

Charlie got a little closer to the phone. "I found a men of letter's book that talks about a couple books they lost. Books on demonic curses."

"Any mentions of where?"

"Yeah, I think I got enough bread crumbs to follow. I'm going to head out as soon as I pack."

Sam frowned. "Wait, I'll be back tonight, you shouldn't go alone."

"Sam, I'll be fine. You gotta stay close by in case Cas needs help."

"Charlie-"

"I'll be careful, pinky swear."

Sam hesitated. "You call if you need backup."

"You got it, boss."

The younger hunter sighed. "Alright." He relented. "Kevin, I'm going to be leaving soon. I'll send you a text when I'm on my way."

"Sounds good. See you later, then." The call ended.

Cas looked up at Sam, watching him slowly think through the call before settling back.

"Great." Sam muttered.

"She is a proficient hunter." Castiel said, hoping it would do anything to offer any comfort to Sam.

"Yeah." He stood, stretching. "I hope so." He headed towards the door, walking out through the upper landing and down to the kitchen.

Cas followed, helping start to unpack the varying bags of groceries.

Dean craned his neck to try and see what they were pulling out. "You get everything on the list?"

Sam didn't answer, keeping focused on the task, opening and loading the small ancient fridge.

"Oh come now. Why the silent treatment?" Dean leaned casually back against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest. "Sam, that's very childish."

Sam pulled a can of heat resistant spray paint out of one of the smaller plastic bag. He shook it, leaning down to spray the front of the wood burning stove. He carefully outlined the same sigil that protected the trunk of the impala, effectively locking the metal door.

"Really? Is that necessary?"

"Yes." Sam replied, turning and finally looking directly at his brother.

Dean leveled a dark smile at him. "So a curse?"

Sam cringed slightly, having hoped that maybe Dean hadn't overheard the conversation. "We're getting rid of that mark."

"Sure you are." Dean nodded, his face twisting into mock sincerity. "I have every confidence in you."

Sam didn't rise to the bait. He turned to Cas. "You tell me if there's anything else you need."

"I will." The angel promised.

Sam walked over, bringing a large canvas bag and setting it down next to the chair. "Your stuff." he said simply.

"Much obliged."

Sam didn't want to admit how eager he was to leave, to walk away from this twisted version of his brother. He gave one last look at Cas and nodded. "I'll see you."

"Goodbye Sam."

Dean watched as Sam turned and left without so much as a backwards glance at him. He waited for the door to close and Cas to turn and come over to let him out again. He grunted and brushed past Cas, heading over and fishing into his bag, taking a brief inventory of its contents. Once he was satisfied the important things were there he crossed the cabin to take stock of the food.

Castiel stood, watching him immediately get to pulling things out of the fridge and off the counter, starting to dig into different packages. He recognized Dean assembling two sandwiches, noting his impatience to get started on food.

Dean finished, grabbing his plate and walking past Cas to flop back down onto the leather chair once more. "Other one is yours." He said passively, digging in.

Cas looked over the sandwich on the counter, acknowledging it did look appealing. Reluctantly he grabbed it, opting to sit at the small wooden table nearer the kitchen to eat.

Dean raised an eyebrow, watching Cas from afar, his expression unreadable.

Cas simply ignored him for the moment, focusing on his food.

.

That evening, Dean insisted they cook a so-called "real meal".

Cas was reluctant to start, not sure he was ready to approach the problem of the knife.

Dean rolled his eyes, sensing his hesitation. "Fine, whatever." He groaned, heading over to the kitchen. "Pasta." He relented. He threw a look at Cas. "No knives." He turned away from the angel, getting to work pulling various pots out of the old wooden cabinets.

Castiel walked over, watching what Dean was doing with mild interest. He wasn't particularly interested in working with Dean, but he was somewhat curious to see what he was doing.

"Start the stove." Dean said simply, nodding towards the old wood burning stove.

Cas headed back and grabbed what he needed to come start the fire, impressed with how quickly it sparked up.

He closed the front and stepped away again, letting Dean get back to preparing ingredients on the counter. They stayed like that in silence for a few minutes.

Dean didn't look up from crushing garlic. "Has there ever been a half angel half demon kid before?"

Cas' expression fell back into a bored annoyance. "We already have a cat, Dean." His dry sarcasm completely flat.

"I'm not talking about us, dumbass, I'm posing a hypothetical."

"The chances of a demon being able to form offspring is already nearly impossible and requires a perfect storm of power, spell work, and a direct flair of Lucifer's power. I do not believe such an offspring could come to be, and I don't believe such an offspring could even survive within a human form."

"Makes sense."

"Why do you ask?"

"I was just thinking. That kid, Jesse. He was so powerful, and you talked about nephilim. I was wondering what happened when those combined. Wouldn't it basically be a god? I mean, if it worked."

"A lot of nephilim and demon offspring's power comes from the merge of their angelic or demonic power and the human soul. With those powers being charged by the soul directly, they are stronger. Without that human factor, I do not believe their abilities would be half so intense."

"Hmm." Dean said, not having considered that. "Weird." He threw the ingredients into the pot. He put his hand down directly on the stove top, testing its heat, his hand immediately healing from the burning contact. Satisfied, he moved the sauce over to begin cooking. He turned and leaned against the counter, his arms crossed over his chest. He looked thoughtful. "How does… did flying work differently than demons teleporting?"

Cas furrowed his brows slightly, wondering where Dean was going with this, or if he was going anywhere at all. "Angels have wings… we actually just flew quickly enough we could slip through the molecules and arrive at our destination."

"And demons?"

"Demons tap into their twisted soul and sort of…" He thought about the best way to simplify it enough for an explanation. "Step out of reality and then back in again." He shook his head. "The mechanics of a demon's teleportation is best described in equations."

"Yeah, not that interested." Dean dismissed. He turned around, getting back to work. "I was just wondering how different it got, with the whole demons being the descendants of Lucifer's grace or whatever."

"Most demons aren't." Cas stepped back to let Dean reach the sink. "Lucifer handcrafted Lilith, the princes, and the knights. The demons after that are merely human souls that have been corrupted through the tortures of hell. Though I suppose the mechanics of teleportation are fairly similar on the surface."

"Mmh." Dean replied, turning his attention back to cooking for the time being.

When it was done, Dean divided it between two plates, grabbing his and heading back towards the chair near the fire.

Castiel walked over to the counter, taking the other bowl and opting to sit at the small kitchen table again.

This time Dean smirked. "Too good to eat with me?"

"Dean."

"Yes?"

"Enough."

Dean rolled his eyes. "Fine."

.

It was Dean who noticed the fire starting to burn down again. "Hey… you should put another couple logs on."

"Sam is gone, we do not require the warmth."

The demon studied Cas carefully for a moment. He kept his expression bland as he looked back down at his computer. "Yeah, but it's something distracting. Gives me something to look at." He said with a shrug. He didn't point out that Cas had added logs twice since Sam left, though he would admit it was at least somewhat likely an excuse for something distracting to do.

Cas hesitated for a moment, but he stood, walking over to feed the fire again. He had to admit. Necessary for survival or not, it did feel a lot nicer. He looked at the hunter as he continued to watch some movie. For just a moment he was reminded of the Dean who brought him to that motel room after his grace almost burnt up. That something almost approaching the real Dean.

"You should get some sleep, Castiel." Dean said with sarcastic romance in his tone and Cas was snapped back to the present.

He rolled his eyes, standing and setting aside his book. He turned and headed up the two steps towards the back bedroom. "Goodnight." He said simply, slipping inside and closing the door behind him.

Cas caught the quiet "goodnight" from the demon in the other room.

He sighed, resigning himself to get ready to sleep another night.