Around midnight Dean found himself kneeling on the floor right at the edge of the fireplace salt line.
He took a moment, trying to work out the angle he needed, carefully considering the distance between him and the grille, and how wide the inner ledge was. Finally he tossed the log, leaning back and pumping his fist when it landed in the middle of the flames, feeling an irrational pride in this small victory.
Of course, he knew without access to a poker, it was going to eventually die anyway. There was only so much he could do.
Cas hadn't even left a poker inside the salt lines, instead choosing to reposition logs by pushing up his sleeves and reaching right into the fire. So for now the demon simply resigned himself to tossing logs and keeping it going as long as possible.
He got back to his feet, taking a bit of time to more closely examine his surroundings. He ran his hand along the wall, looked at the painted runes he couldn't touch on the glass of the window. He sighed.
This prison was getting old, fast.
The demon considered that there were possibly ways to get out, but realistically they were probably not worth it.
Maybe, just maybe, he could throw something at the fireplace hard enough to knock loose a burning log. But the chances were slim, and he wasn't sure he wanted to experience fully burning in a fire just to break the runes.
It was one thing to put his hand on the stove, but that seemed a little more uncomfortable.
No… it was likely this really was his reality for the next who knew how long...
.
Castiel woke to his phone ringing. He blearily looked at the called ID before pulling it up to his ear. "Hello Sam."
"Cas." The younger hunter greeted. "How are you holding up?"
"I'm fine." Cas assured him, pulling himself more upright.
"No problems after I left?" Sam pressed.
"We didn't use the knife." Cas finished, catching up to what Sam was really asking about. He knew Sam had his reservations about the potential weapon.
"Oh, uh. Okay." Sam stammered slightly, feeling a little embarrassed he was so easily read.
"Is there something else you called about?"
Sam took a deep breath. "Yeah, actually. To warn you. Charlie is heading your way."
"Charlie?"
"She's about an hour out. She was hunting down a couple of texts on demons and curses from a Men of Letters chapter house over in Illinois. She sort of kicked a demon hornets nest on her way out. We were hoping she'd make it home, but I'd feel safer if she had backup. She's about forty minutes from you guys." He sighed. "I'm grabbing my stuff and heading out, but I won't be able to make it until the afternoon."
"Alright." Cas said. "I'll make sure we are ready for her." Make sure Dean is contained, were the words left unspoken.
"Thanks Cas."
Cas ended the call, pausing for a second and wondering if that had been rude. Dean used to admonish him for just hanging up without comment before. He dismissed it, instead standing up and getting ready for the day.
He was surprised it wasn't too cold when he exited the bedroom, and he noted the fire still had the barest of embers. He had expected it to have long since burned out.
"I threw some logs in last night." Dean said casually from the kitchen table, as if sensing Cas' silent question.
"The salt-"
"Literally threw."
"Ah." Cas headed over, crossing the salt line and reaching in to move aside the smoldering ashes by hand. He then settled some logs back in place and coaxed the fire back to life. He finally straightened up and looked at Dean, noticing the steaming mug in his hands. He glanced over at the counter, noting the fresh pot of coffee.
"Help yourself." Dean said passively. He leaned back in the chair. "So, what do you want breakfast to be?"
Cas poured himself a mug, sampling it and pulling a face at the bitter flavor. He ignored the small snort of laughter from the demon. He took it anyway and leaned against the counter, finally replying, "There is no time for breakfast today."
Dean furrowed his brow. "What are you talking about?"
"Charlie is going to be here in half an hour."
Dean looked confused for a moment, and then his face relaxed into an expression that Cas couldn't quite place, but it made Cas a little uneasy. "Interesting."
"She will only be here for a few hours. Until Sam arrives."
Dean gave a small hum of acknowledgement as he turned this new information over in his head.
Cas left him alone with his thoughts, turning his attention back to the food in the kitchen. He briefly looked through everything, pulling a few things out that didn't require prep, just in case Charlie was hungry when she arrived.
Twenty minutes later, Cas walked across the room, again repairing the devils trap in the corner. When he looked up, Dean's expression had hardened, and his eyes were now reflecting pure black.
"No."
"Dean-"
"I am not getting put in the corner like some sort of child, Castiel."
Cas' gaze flattened, a look of annoyance settling in place. "Yes, Dean. You are."
When Cas put his hand on Dean's arm, the demon jerked back, ducking out of his grip. He squared himself up, ready to fight the angel if need be.
Cas however simply reached forward, getting a hold of Dean with two hands. His eyes glowed blue and he began dragging Dean against his will. Ignoring Dean's renewed struggle, he threw him back a few feet, the demon landing in the middle of the trap on the ground, his back hitting the wooden floor with a thud.
"Oh, fuck you." Dean snapped, pulling himself up and dusting off his clothes. He took a moment to be grateful he didn't need to breathe, because that would have certainly knocked the wind out of him.
"I would appreciate it if you were polite to Charlie."
"Shove me in a cage and you want me to play nice." Dean muttered.
"Yes, I do." Cas snapped.
Dean blinked. He frowned, but he didn't say anything else. He crossed his arms over his chest, considering the trap containing him.
Cas turned his attention back to the door, managing a warm smile when Charlie finally poked her head in.
"Sup losers?" She easily greeted Cas, sparing a small sideways glance at Dean. She was trying her best to play it cool, but deep down she was more than a little concerned.
"Charlie. You alright?" Cas asked.
"Yeah. Got lucky." Charlie breathed.
"How many?" Dean probed.
She looked back over at him. "Uh, eight I think."
Cas' eyes widened.
She smiled. "Yeah. I'm pretty sure I lost them, but we figured it'd be safer if Sam caught up."
"I agree." Cas said.
"So, figured I'd crash this party for a few hours, lay low."
"Well you're more than welcome."
"We live to entertain." Dean taunted from the corner.
Charlie threw him a bit of a glare. Cas did as well.
Dean smirked, satisfied with their responses. He turned his attention back to his surroundings, quietly beginning to test his powers against the second layer of warding.
Charlie wandered the rest of the way in, finally turning and sitting down on the couch. Cas came to sit opposite her. She felt a small shiver run up her spine as the warm fire chased away the last of the chill from being outside. "So what have you two been doing out here?"
"Keeping busy with reading mostly." Cas admitted.
"Sounds riveting." She said, though she had to admit that was most of what she had been doing as well.
"Oh it's a blast." Dean muttered from the corner. He pushed just a little further against the trap.
"We've been doing alright." Cas said, ignoring the demon.
Dean replied anyway. "We could be doing better, but Cas is worried if we fuck we'll break the cabin."
Cas glared at him, unamused but unruffled.
Charlie looked down, not quite managing to stifle a small amused smile. When she pulled her head back up she jumped to her feet, watching Dean finally walk through the edge of the devil's trap.
Cas followed her gaze and stood quickly, immediately stepping sideways to put himself between the demon and Charlie.
"Relax, Castiel." Dean drawled, the corner of his mouth pulling up in a smirk.
Cas knew a devil's trap wasn't entirely effective on a knight of hell, but he had expected it to hold its own a little longer. He frowned as he watched Dean stagger slightly, though he tried his best to mask it. Maybe he could get through it, but it seemed to have had a significant impact on him. He relaxed slightly.
Dean straightened up, walking forward and putting a hand on Cas' shoulder. He simply pushed against him, moving the angel slightly out of the way before taking his seat.
Cas stared at him for a moment, annoyed.
Dean just looked up at him with mock innocence.
With a sigh, Cas walked across the room, grabbing a chair from the table and bringing it back to rejoin the group.
Charlie tentatively settled back on the couch, following Cas' lead on how worried to be about Dean's newfound freedom.
The demon let the silence stretch on for an uncomfortable few minutes before finally addressing Charlie again. "You read all the books on how demons are created, right? When you built this warding?"
Charlie hesitated, looking up at Cas, unsure of how to address this question.
Dean pressed on anyway. "How long does it take to corrupt a human soul into a demon? If regularly tortured."
Cas caught her eyes and gave her the slightest shake of the head, and she returned with a similar nod. She coughed, pointedly changing the subject. "So, you guys know about the huge blizzard coming this way?"
Dean smirked, watching her deflect. "No, nobody gives me the news." He said, mocking bitterness. He shifted to sit sideways, throwing his legs up over the arm of the chair.
Cas instead nodded his head. "Yes, I heard. We should be fine."
Everyone was quiet again for a couple minutes, the silence feeling somehow even more awkward this time.
Charlie cleared her throat. "I'm starving."
"We have a variety of foods here." Cas offered.
"Wanna order a pizza instead?" She suggested.
Cas tilted his head.
Dean leaned his head back. "I would kill for a slice of pizza."
Cas successfully suppressed a shudder, knowing this Dean probably would. He looked back at Charlie. "Sure."
"They deliver out here, right?"
"We've done it here before." Dean supplied. "Back when we stayed here with Bobby." This particular cabin wasn't too far from town.
"So like a gajillion years ago, thanks." Charlie rolled her eyes, but she pulled out her phone to look up numbers.
.
Dean didn't want to admit just how much pushing through that devil's trap took out of him. His body felt a little like he had run a marathon. Before getting thrown into a brick wall. Still, he maintained as much of a facade as he could.
He was still surprised to find himself actually hungry and not just bored when food arrived.
The demon opted to settle back in by the fire, allowing Charlie and Cas to sit across the room at the table. He half listened in on their conversation while also amusing himself with a game of solitaire on his computer.
"So what happened with these books?" Cas asked.
Charlie grabbed her pack and put it on the table, pulling a few texts out to show him. "Kevin had a theory that we might be able to do what we did with the traps. Sort of boost a curse removal with something angelic. The archives had a couple books on breaking celestial bonds. We know reapers can be controlled, right? And it turns out cupids too."
Cas nodded in confirmation.
"Not maybe quite an archangel, but we're working on it." She said. She tapped her finger on one of the texts. "Then I got to thinking, there has to be a book on demonic curses. Turns out I was right. The library referenced a couple of books that they had on demonic curses… sort of a break all hex type thing, but they were missing."
"But you found them."
"I found a log book of things that were taken out of the bunker. These books were listed as lent to David Johnson, but he died before returning them. They searched his home but couldn't find them, and they just assumed they went missing. But I didn't think so."
She leaned back. "I put together a few things and found out he had a second house under a pseudonym, trying to protect a bunch of powerful stuff he didn't want to get into the wrong hands. They were there. Along with a boatload of other things we're going to have to go back for."
"And the Demons?"
"The place was warded better than anything I've ever seen outside the bunker. They couldn't touch it but they must've known what was inside. They were stalking the place, probably have been for years. They waited for me to come out with the books. I barely got away from them."
"I am glad you were able to."
Charlie nodded. She hesitated for a second before dropping her voice to just above a whisper. "It's really weird seeing him like this." She admitted.
"He can probably still hear you." Cas warned her, his voice the same volume on the off chance.
"I can." Dean spoke up, boredly, shattering that hope.
Charlie flushed, coughing slightly.
"Charlie, I have another question for you."
She started pushing the books back into her canvas bag, feeling a little uneasy. Cas mirrored her concern, wordlessly picking it up and walking it back into the bedroom beyond the salt line.
Dean continued anyway. "You've been through all those books. How much grace did Lilith have? Or a prince like Azazel?"
Charlie looked back at Cas again, who didn't really know how to guide her.
"More than you." She replied, hoping that was a vague enough middle ground between answering and not.
"Interesting." Dean said simply, his eyes never leaving the screen.
Charlie and Cas both frowned, not terribly settled by that response.
It was another hour of quiet conversation about various methods of curse removal before Cas noticed the soft sound coming from across the room. He looked up, surprised to find the hunter with his head leaned back against the chair, eyes closed, seemingly asleep.
"Getting out of that trap really did a number on him." Charlie said softly.
Cas watched Dean thoughtfully for a moment. "Yeah." If he was weak enough he could sleep, it must've.
.
Dean was awake again by the time Sam arrived. The younger hunter frowned at seeing Dean unrestrained when he walked in.
Castiel had decided it was safe enough to leave the demon free this time. Despite appearances, Dean was still fairly drained at the moment, and he didn't think him much of a threat.
"Samuel, it's been so long."
Sam ignored his brother for the moment, walking over to where Cas and Charlie were now standing. "Hey, you okay?"
Charlie nodded. "Yeah. Still in one piece."
"Good. You ready to get out of here?"
She spared a glance up at Dean across the cabin. "Yeah." She said, a little too quickly. She headed back towards the bedroom, gathering her things.
"You guys need anything before the storm?"
Cas shook his head. "We should be alright."
"Okay. You keep in touch."
"I will Sam."
The younger hunter sighed, turning back to face his brother. He hesitated, reluctant to talk to him, but trying to follow Cas' example and keep things sort of civil. "I'll be back, end of the week."
"I look forward to it Sammy." He watched his brother open his mouth. "Yeah, yeah. It's Sam. I know." He rolled his eyes at the same time Sam did.
Cas suppressed a small smile, caught up in the familiar moment.
Charlie came back out again and pulled Cas into a quick hug. She turned around and looked at Dean. "We are going to fix this. We're going to find a way to save you." She said, her voice set with conviction.
"Sure, kiddo." Dean dismissed, sounding just a touch too sincere.
Sam blinked for a moment before turning and leading the way out. He gave one last nod to Cas before closing the door behind them.
Cas let out his breath, listening to the engine of the impala as it drove away. He came back over to sink down on the couch.
"Wasn't that fun?"
Cas just settled further, leaning his head back. "Why all the questions about angels and demons?"
"I'm simply curious, Castiel." He frowned when he saw him flinch. "Cas." he corrected softly.
The angel looked up at him for a second before turning his attention away. He decided to let it drop for now, opting instead to change the subject. He tried to think of what to say. "Did you have anything you wanted to cook this evening?"
"Are you willing to use the knife this time?"
Cas hesitated, considering the request. He nodded slightly. "Okay."
Dean smiled a bit more genuinely. "Then yeah, I've got a few ideas."
.
Cas was apprehensive when Dean settled down across from him at the table to eat. It took a moment for him to sort of shove that aside and let himself enjoy his food. They sat in silence for a few minutes, each lost in their own thoughts.
"Last time I was here, Bobby, Sam and I were working a djinn in Des Moines. Stayed here for two weeks." Dean said absently.
"Was the hunt successful?"
"Yeah, in the end. It was pretty good at covering it's tracks, but we got it." He gave a half smile. "I used to love hunting with Bobby. Was a completely different experience than hunting with dad."
Cas studied the demon. The conversation brought back memories of him in that motel room again, while his grace was on its last thread, and Dean helped him to recover. It was sort of vulnerable and almost… human. "What was hunting with your dad like?"
Dean frowned, leaning back in the creaky wooden chair, trying to think of how to describe it. "Simple." He finally decided. "He knew exactly how he wanted the case to go. I didn't have to think, I just had to follow his orders." He shook his head. "And if you messed up, you took whatever you had coming to you and got ready for the next one."
"Your father sounds like he was… complicated."
"Yeah, maybe." Dean said dismissively, crossing his legs and putting them up on the other chair.
"What was it like hunting with Bobby?"
"Bobby taught us. Dad sort of showed us and expected us to remember. But Bobby explained things. I don't know. Plus he actually stuck around even when we weren't hunting. Dad usually bailed on the motel any chance he got. Library, bar, his secret second family..." He rolled his eyes, wishing not for the first time that Sam had offered them more than a small bottle of cooking wine in the way of alcohol. Maybe he didn't need to get hammered, but this conversation at least deserved a drink.
Cas considered Adam, somewhat regretful he hadn't been able to save him in the failed battle to the cage for Sam.
The hunter continued. "Good memories of this place. Cots are just small enough Sam's feet hung off the end."
Cas gave a weak smile. "I'd imagine."
Dean looked over across the cabin. "Think we could convince Sam to get a pool table in here?"
Cas furrowed his brow and tilted his head.
"Foosball. Ping pong. Anything." He shifted slightly to sit up against the wall. "I'll take anything really."
"I do not believe Sam would be willing to bring any of those."
"Hell, I'll take a deck of cards, just give me something."
Cas looked at him. "I'll forward your request."
Dean grinned. "Thanks, babe."
The angel's expression flattened again.
They lapsed into silence yet again.
Dean was staring back over towards the fire. "You should put another log on."
Cas didn't bother to argue this time, standing and heading over towards the fireplace. He listened to Dean put both dishes into the sink before heading over and flopping down on the couch.
"Why did you decide to stay here with me?"
The question caught Cas off guard. He looked up, hand still in the flames. "It is unwise to leave you unsupervised."
"No, that's why Sam thought it was a good idea for someone to be here. And there are plenty of ways to lock me down and not have to interact with me." He kept his gaze on Cas. "So why decide to stay here?"
Cas frowned, taking a deep breath. "I am not sure how long it will take to remove the mark, nor if it is even possible." He said carefully.
"You really do believe I will be able to control it like Cain did."
"I do." Cas agreed.
Dean looked away, considering this. "I don't think being locked in this cabin is the solution."
"You want to leave."
"I want to stretch my legs." Dean replied. "Being stuck here, right here, it's just a prison."
"You should not be anywhere near people." Cas said firmly.
"Cas-" Dean cut himself off from using the angel's full name. He grunted in frustration when he saw his unwavering expression. "Whatever." He muttered, backing down from the fight for the moment.
"You decided not to fight it." Cas pointed out.
"It's not like I had a choice."
Cas re-positioned himself to lean against the arm of the chair. "Still. You could have tried to put up a fight."
"I still remember dying." Dean said, his tone somewhat far off. "I remember promising to try."
"And that's enough?"
"I guess." Dean dismissed.
"That's something."
"Sure." He leaned over the side of the couch, picking up a magazine from the small rack, casually flipping it open and turning his attention away from the conversation.
"Hopefully it's enough." Cas finally said, more to himself than to Dean. He scrubbed his hand over his face.
"You're tired." Dean noted without looking up.
"Yeah."
"You should get some sleep."
Cas took a moment before he stood. "Yeah. Goodnight." He said, a little less abrupt than usual.
"Goodnight." Dean echoed, his eyes still on the magazine in his hands.
Cas spared a look back at him, feeling once again that pang of mourning. He turned, finally dragging himself towards his bed.
Dean watched Cas walk through the door, and his eyes caught the moment it happened. Cas didn't quite manage to pick up his foot, scuffing the toe of his pristine black shoe through the intact salt line, neatly severing it. The demon waited, watching for any indication the angel noticed, but he just closed the door behind him. Dean could feel the path remain open.
Inside, Castiel shrugged off his coat, hanging it over the chair. He slipped out of his normal clothing and into the soft shirt and pants Dean had given him. The thought of Dean settled like a weight in his chest, and he sighed, laying on the bed and curling up on his side.
He was almost asleep when he felt the bed depress behind him and a warm arm reach up over his side. It took a moment for his sleep laden mind to register what was happening, but his spine jerked to the side. He whipped himself around, throwing himself back at the same time, half falling off the edge of the bed.
Dean casually lay on the other half of the bed, dressed down to his t-shirt and boxer briefs. "You need to be more careful." He said at last, his voice holding just a touch of sarcastic scolding.
Cas stared at him, his mind struggling to catch up. "The salt line."
"Mmh." Dean confirmed.
Cas pulled himself back up to sit upright. He took a deep breath.
"Lay back down."
"Dean." he warned softly.
"Nothing r-rated, I promise."
Cas could see the invitation clearly laid out for him, and he fought a war in his mind. On the one hand, he couldn't easily remove Dean without a fight. He didn't expect Dean would respond to a request that he leave. He wasn't sure what kind of trap Dean could have in mind right now. If he slept while Dean was around, he would be vulnerable to any number of attacks the demon might have in mind.
Then of course there was the always present pull of longing to be close to Dean. He had missed their contact, and especially as he required sleep again, laying on the cold bed without Dean had been difficult. Here he was, staring at the thing he had been missing the most, but not sure if he could trust it. No, knowing he shouldn't trust it.
Still. Any number of manipulations or restraints aside, Cas knew that Dean couldn't kill him. And he couldn't escape. That didn't rule out pain or injury, but it wasn't as if there would be dire consequences.
He swallowed, trying to convince himself to resist what he wanted, but he knew he had lost. He moved forward, into the open arm of the hunter, laying against his chest. He tensed as Dean's arm moved, but it just came to casually loop around his back, holding him gently in place.
Castiel let himself relax slightly, and let his mind stop reeling at the events. He closed his eyes for a moment, breathing in the hunter's smell, feeling his warmth against his cheek. He couldn't help a tear sliding down his face as the familiarity stabbed through him like a knife. He needed Dean.
He was surprised to feel Dean's hand start to rub gentle circles on his back, and he worried this was a front that soon would crumble. He feared the pain he would feel when this was ripped away from him.
But that time never came. And against all his better judgement, the angel found himself drifting off to sleep.