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"Cas now!!" Dean screamed across the room. 'That was a bad idea' Dean realized as the hundreds of angels in the abandoned warehouse turned and swarmed around Cas. "Hold on!" Dean yelled and ran over to Cas knowing that he hadn't heard him this time. Dean ran up until he was face to face with Cas but it was too late, the sigil was already drawn and he had already pressed his hand against it. Dean saw Cas's face then the brightest light that he had ever since seen, it was so bright that it burned he tried to turn away but it was so beautiful, it reminded him of Cas, and then blackness. Dean's eyes didn't have time to adjust before he was hit with splitting pain and blacked out.
---
Dean awoke quickly and opened his eyes to blackness, 'it must be so late' Dean thought as he looked around unable to see anything.
"Dean!?" He heard a familiar and welcome voice coming from somewhere close.
"Where are you?" Dean asked reaching out a wandering hand "isityoucas?" Dean mumbled slurring his words together still not quite conscious.
"Ohh Dean!" Cas said clearly worried "what's happened to you?" He asked as if he were talking to a child who was crying after he scraped his knee. "Come here" he said softly and pulled Dean up. Suddenly Dean felt very sick and his head was rushing, he let go of Cas and dropped to his hand and knees and threw up everything in his stomach. "Dean" came that softly familiar voice again and Dean felt a hand on his back he reached out through the darkness quite aware that he was about to leave consciousness. His hand reached the comforting and familiar fabric of Cas' trench coat and again he left the conscious world.
---
Dean woke in a much softer place, he could feel the pillow under his head and he could feel the warm blankets around him and he relished the feeling of leaving his eyes closed for another moment before he opened them again. The room was pitch black. "Turn on a light" Dean mumbled sick of the darkness around him.
"Oh Dean" Cas said in the same annoyingly worried voice. "You really can't-" Cas stopped speaking and Dean was terrified that something was wrong so he did what he always did when he was scared, he got angry, or at least he faked it.
"Fine! I will do it myself!" Dean said and shot a hand out and found a chord that he hoped was to a light and yanked it down but to no avail, the room was as dark as ever "What the hell is going on here!?"
"Dean" Cas said calmly from somewhere in the darkness. A hand came out of nothingness and landed on Dean's shoulder.
"Don't" Dean said pushing Cas's hand away, he wasn't angry, he was just sick and tired "just don't ok? I can't take all of this 'protecting me' crap, I can't take this darkness crap either just tell me what the hell is actually going on!" There was silence through the darkness for a moment before Cas's voice appeared again.
"The light is on" it said. "Well, you turned one off but the room is light" Dean closed his eyes tightly and opened them again trying to see the smallest glimmer of light, he could imagine a bright room, he could see Cas's face in his mind, but when he looked around he saw nothing.
"You don't mean-" Dean choked on his words but the soft sigh that must have come from Cas's direction told him that he understood.
"Dean, I'm sorry" Cas's voice said quietly and Dean heard the floor creaking followed by the mattress and he felt the bed tilting forward and he let himself fall towards the tilt until he felt the familiar feel of Cas's trench coat and the amazing warmth that Cas always had around him and he breathed in his comforting scent. Cas's arms folded around him and for the first time in a long time, Dean felt protected and he allowed himself to indulge in the feeling. Some time went by before Dean could feel Cas shifting uncomfortably under his weight. He pulled himself off of Cas and reached for a pillow to put under his head but he felt Cas's weight leave the bed and heard those creaky floors that he supposed should annoy him. He heard small *chink*s around the room and decided that Cas must be turning off the lights around him. Dean laid down on the bed with his head on a pillow and he pulled his feet up with him and then he felt the bed shift again as a weight began pressing down on it.
"Is it you Cas?" Dean asked softly knowing the answer but still wanting to hear it.
"It's me Dean" he could hear the smile in Cas's voice and Dean laid his head down on the boney, yet comfortable chest the could only belong to Cas. He felt two strong arms wrap around him and press him into Cas and Dean felt a rush of emotion and decided, just this once, he would release, he deserved to release. His tears came pouring out all at once and his breath was instantly taken away. He felt Cas's muscles tense, but just for a moment because they quickly started to relax and envelope Dean in more comforting ways than he could ever imagine. Dean was pulled into Cas as he softly cooed to Dean telling him that it was ok, that he would never leave him, and everything else that Dean wanted to hear him say. Dean felt the wetness of his tears on Cas's shirt.
"I'm sorry" Dean mumbled and moved his head away from Cas's chest. Dean had just let Cas see him when he was weak, he had never let anyone get this close to him and against everything that Dean thought he knew about himself he didn't really mind, because it was Cas.
"It's ok Dean" Cas said and he felt a hand land softly on his shoulder. Dean turned away from Cas and reached his hand out searching for a pillow. He felt something soft and plush hit his hand before it quickly left and Dean heard a soft noise as the pillow hit the ground.
"Forget this" Dean mumbled to himself uncomfortable with the fact that he had let Cas in so quickly. He tried to hide any more emotion that might come spilling out so he dropped from his elbows intending to lay down without a pillow but to his surprise he felt a warm pillow slide under his head and he felt Cas get up, most likely to retrieve the other. He jumped slightly when he felt warm fingers gently tracing his face then he was hit by a realization, "wait Cas! You are an angel!"
"Dean" came Cas's voice but he wasn't about to stop now.
"You can heal me!"
"Dean,"
"Just one touch and bam!"
"Dean..."
"Problem solved!"
"Dean!"
"Come on! What's the problem Cas!?" Dean stopped his enthusiasm faltering.
"Dean, I'm sorry" The sadness in Cas's voice told Dean everything and he felt the hope that had come so quickly fall away even faster.
"Cas, please" Dean said exasperated.
"I can't"
"Well what gives? Why not?"
"I'm on strict 'no miracles' orders" Cas's words rung in his ears and Dean was speechless for a moment.
"Orders?" Dean asked. "You mean I am sitting here blind and helpless because you can't give up your spot on the god squad!?" Dean yelled trying to be furious instead of hurt "I guess this is a blessing" he said his voice full of sarcasm and venom "now I know where I stand! Now I know that those winged-dicks are more important to you!"
"Don't act like that Dean!" Cas said his voice full of anger "you think that I haven't already given up everything for you!? Do you think that I would really leave you like this if I could fix it!? Don't pretend that you know what happens to me when I go back to heaven for you Dean!" The floor boards creaked giving Dean the impression that Cas was pacing in front of the bed.
"What happened?" Dean asked dropping the venom, besides Cas was right, he had given everything up for Dean in the past, why was he questioning it now?
"Never mind" Cas said shortly and Dean felt the bed dip violently meaning that Cas must have plopped down on the bottom edge. Dean reached out a hand hoping that he would get lucky and find Cas in this blank world. His hand hit a warm body and Dean pulled his fingers up until he found Cas's shoulder.
"Please tell me" Dean asked quietly, he wasn't quite sure why he wanted to know what happened so badly but he really did.
"Maybe in the morning" Cas said quietly "you need to rest for now" he whispered his voice barely audible. The bed moved again and Dean felt Cas leave and something soft being pressed into his still outstretched hand, the pillow, he remembered. "Goodnight Dean" Cas's voice came from the other side of the room muffled slightly by the sound of bedsprings.
"Goodnight Cas" Dean said feeling so alone without the comforting warmth of Cas' beside him, Dean wanted nothing more but to curl up next to Cas, just to be assured that the world was still there all in beautiful color, just beyond Dean's grasp, but as Dean knew all too well, the world was rarely so kind. He couldn't sleep that night at all, Cas's words kept ringing through his mind 'you think that I haven't already given up everything for you!?' Suddenly every moment was coming back to him, every time that Cas followed his word without a moment's hesitation. He had such an obedience to him, he never questioned his decisions, he was like- Dean gulped loudly a horrible realization had hit him- he was like Dean to his dad. Was that what Dean had become? Was that how Cas saw him? An authority figure not to be questioned or else? Suddenly Dean felt very sick 'Do you think that I would really leave you like this if I could fix it!?' Cas's voice ran through his head again. "I'm sorry" Dean whispered. Remembering Cas fixing him every time he was injured, remembering how he had brought Bobby back from the dead when Dean had just lost everything. 'But at least I don't punish him for his devotion' Dean reasoned 'Don't pretend that you know what happens to me when I go back to heaven for you Dean' came Cas's voice again, Dean felt his heart racing "oh no" he whispered, why didn't he realize it sooner? He had caused Cas to be an outcast in his own family, his sisters and brothers hated him and it was all Dean's fault. Suddenly an image formed before his eyes, a hundred angels, probably more were surrounding Cas, all of their wings spread wide, their faces furious, and Cas stood in the middle, on the x, right where he was told to be, not reacting to the oncoming danger, just patiently waiting. Waiting for orders, waiting for Dean to give him a direction "run" Dean shouted but Cas looked at him as if in slow motion, his eyes stuck to Dean his head tilted slightly, his eyes narrowed. Dean broke the gaze and hundreds of angels were on him, tearing him to shreds and then there Cas was, saving him again, as always, fighting against his family for Dean, as always. But Cas was mortal, he couldn't hold them off and he turned to Dean and pushed him out of the way, and Dean fell out of danger screaming for Cas to stop fighting, for him to retreat. Dean was suddenly being shaken roughly and he awoke, not quite sure when he had fallen asleep but that didn't matter to him now. A hand was resting on each shoulder. "Is it you Cas?" Dean reached out and his hand landed softly on a chin and moved slowly up to lips that were parted slightly and moving gently.
"I'm here Dean" he felt the words come out of the soft lips, what he wouldn't give to see the expression on Cas's face right now. He felt the little creases around Cas's eyes that told him he was smiling and the skin stretched over his cheek bones. He heard Cas's happy little relieved sigh that told him everything was going to be alright. "What happened?" Cas cooed as Dean felt a hand softly rustle through his hair.
"What happens when you go back to heaven for me?" Dean asked quietly hoping that Cas would continue to stroke through his hair but at the question Cas stopped.
"I'm sorry Dean" Cas said softly, the room was silent for a moment and Dean wondered if Cas was still standing I'm front of him or if he had moved, the noise of the ac unit covered up all of the floor's noises which made Dean feel so uncomfortably alone. "I didn't mean to worry you" Cas said from somewhere close by. Dean wished that he could open up his eyes and see Cas, watch as he moved around the room, just to see anything would be amazing. He was so sick of the darkness, he wanted to see the light again.
"What happens Cas?" Dean asked snapping out of his self pitying silence. The bed dipped down again and a warm hand came to rest on Dean's knee.
"Don't worry about it" came the soft reply. Dean looked at where he hoped Cas was with a pleading stare and he heard Cas' breath catch. "Dean..." He whispered and Dean realized that he must be looking directly at Cas with his eyes that could only see darkness.
"Please Cas," Dean said, he didn't want Cas to feel like Dean was ordering him to tell his secrets or ordering him to do anything for that matter.
"I'm sorry that I worried you about this,it is my fault really I just-" Dean heard Cas' voice catch and he realized that Cas was holding back a sob "I just needed it to not be my fault"
"What do you mean?" Dean asked quietly still listening for sobs.
"I'm sorry" Cas said in a muffled voice, it sounded like he had his face in his hands. Dean reached out a hand to comfort Cas but he had no idea where he was or if he could even see him. The ac unit turned off and Dean was able to hear Cas' movements again which would have been extremely comforting had he not been able to hear the sniffles as well.
"Cas" Dean said, his voice surprisingly weak.
"I am sorry Dean, this is so selfish" Cas sighed. "you must be so scared err- worried and here I am crying in the corner about my family problems, as if you haven't had enough of those for a lifetime"
"No, it's OK" Dean said.
"No, it's selfish" Cas said and Dean heard the bed springs creak again and felt the bed shift, he was surprised at how disappointed he was that Cas wouldn't tell him what was wrong, usually he hated feelings talk but now he craved the knowledge that Cas was keeping from him.
"You can tell me" he said giving it one last shot then, he told himself, he'd drop it.
"OK" came the unexpected reply "when I banished us back to heaven my brothers and sisters attacked me, they said that my loyalties had changed and that wasn't acceptable to them so they ripped my grace away and threw me out of the heavens to learn what my mistakes have done to the one I love most-" his voice caught again and he sighed loudly.
"Me?" Dean asked a little taken aback. "I-" was he really about to say this? He wondered if it was the right thing to do, maybe at least the feeling that he was going to be sick would leave if he just finally admitted it. He felt a hand land gently on his knee and everything he wanted to say was caught in his throat "l-" he tried again and he felt his face blaze red hot and he hoped that the light was still off. The words were jumbling together and and his head started to hurt he started trembling and his words no longer made sense he felt like his stomach was coming up his throat and he felt very cold, he began to sweat.
"Dean?" he heard faintly but the word seemed like it was coming from a million miles away, it was all echo, there was no substance to it. He tasted something metallic, it tasted like blood. Every thing seemed to fade away, even the blackness. He felt his body start to tremble worse and he tried to move but he found that he was unable to, he heard what sounded like Cas' voice faintly then he felt like a bolt of electricity ran through him and everything was gone. When he woke up he felt numb and exhausted he opened his eyes to the blackness again and he tried to sit up.
"Don't move" said the only voice he wanted to hear "it's OK Dean, you are safe, I promise, but please try not to move" his voice still sounded off, as if it were being spoken through a speaker
"where am I?" Dean asked laying as still as possible.
"You are in the hospital, you are having an MRI scan, you really must lie still" Cas' voice came back,"you shouldn't talk either, but I promise I will tell you everything once we get back to the room, OK?"
"ok" Dean whispered and he laid still as Cas asked. Soon he felt himself moving backwards and he heard the motor running. Once he stopped moving he felt hands on him "is it you Cas?" Dean asked hopefully.
"he's right over here hun" a female voice said.
"I'm here Dean" came his comforting voice and a warm hand was placed softly on his shoulder.
"Good" was all that Dean could say. He felt Cas pulling him up and then grab his hand and lay it down something hard and cold.
"sit down" Cas said softly and Dean did as he was was told. The cold bar was part of a chair, a wheelchair, he realized as Cas' hand trailed up his arm and across his shoulder to what must have been the handles and he started pushing. "what happened?" Dean asked again.
"I'm sorry Dean, you had a seizure, I should have taken you to the hospital as soon as I found you passed out, or at least when I realized you were blind," that word hit Dean like a train, he knew that he couldn't see but blind just seemed so final, "I'm sorry I didn't know what to do." Cas replied, ashamed.
"It's OK Cas" Dean comforted "I understand, you never needed to bring people to hospitals to heal them, I mean, you are an angel for goodness sakes!"
"You two are so cute" that woman's voice appeared again making Dean jump.
"crap" he whispered he hadn't heard her footsteps, he had thought that they were alone.
"oh sorry hunny did you this you and your angel" she giggled softly at this "were alone?"
"I didn't mean-" he started defensively but he really didn't have the energy to argue anyways "nevermind" Dean said quietly "so what's wrong with me anyways?"
"We just have to wait for your results dear" came the woman's voice again, seeming far away.
"oh crap" Dean said he felt his muscles start to tremble again "Cas" he said trying to warn him but that was all he could get out.
"Dean? A-" Cas asked but the rest of his sentence faded into a worried tone. Dean tried to regain control but it was all slipping away so quickly, he felt the shock coming on and tried to reach Cas for strength but his own hand rejected his wishes he felt warm hands on him and knew he was safe just for a moment before the shock came and he was gone again.
Dean felt the comfortableness underneath him but he had no strength to move, he couldn't even open his eyelids, instead he groaned quietly.
"Dean!? Can you hear me?" the words hit Dean but the voice remained a mystery.
"listen, this is very important OK? If you can speak you need to show us, let us know that the surgery was a success" these words came at him again without a voice but he did what he was told.
"IsityouCas" he whispered, even his voice felt weak.
"what? Why is he asking-" "I'm here Dean" Cas' voice rang out through his mind and Dean smiled, or at least tried to, his muscles wouldn't allow much movement. "I've brought someone to see you" he said giving his words a lot of space in between them Dean guessed it was because Cas didn't know how much he understood but it helped him to hear his calm and comforting voice.
"who" Dean said more as a breath than a word.
"hey brother" Dean recognized his voice this time, not that he had to with what the voice said.
"Sam" the word flew out of Dean's mouth before he could think. "what are you doing here?" Dean said catching up with his mouth. Dean opened his eyes to stare his brother down but he stopped dead. The blackness had returned.
"I came to make sure you were OK!" Sam's voice replied indignantly "forgive me for dropping everything and running down here to make sure you aren't dying!" there was a loud scrapping noise like metal across tile and footsteps.
"Sam wait!" Cas' voice followed the footsteps and stopped were Dean guessed the door must have been
"I told you he wouldn't want me here" Sam said.
"what happened between you?" Cas asked.
"exactly what happens every time!"
"what?"
"Dean refuses to trust me because I obviously am not worth my brother's precious time so I leave and realize that I am better off without him and then he turns up in trouble or dying and we work together again until he decides that he's done trusting me! I have had enough!" Sam said and it went silent for a moment.
"Sam, he's your brother" Cas started.
"No, if he wanted me here-"
"but he needs you-"
"if he needed me he would have asked!" the footsteps started again.
"just wait! Please, listen to me, you and I both know that he is too stubborn to admit when he needs help"
"why do you care so much anyways?"
"well I..." the voices continued but they lost meaning again.
"help" Dean tried to scream but it came out as a whisper. He felt sick, his body shook even though he had gone limp, he saw a glimmer of light in the darkness and tried to reach out to make contact but it was no use his body wasn't obeying his controls it started to shake violently, the more that he struggled to regain control, the more that he lost it. He felt his world slip into chaos and he felt nearly numb, just to the point that he could still feel this muscles moving, he tried to yell again but his throat was closing up. He gasped for air but nothing was coming, he was falling away again.
Words were being whispered around him, just out of reach. "please" that one he understood, that's all that's was said, just "please" and then gibberish. He had no idea how long he laid there before another word came "Dean, please" and soon more words made sense again "Dean please be ok" Dean tried to open his mouth, or make a noise but even just listening was exhausting. "please be ok" he wanted desperately to respond, his throat felt so dry, he nearly couldn't remember how to make sounds anymore, he tried again, almost there, just a little more work and he could do it, but he was tiring quickly. One more chance, "ihh" it was weak but it was something Dean thought as he allowed himself to fall back asleep for now. Some amount of time passed, probably, it was entirely possible that no time had passed at all, but there was that voice again, coaxing him back to reality. "come back to me" it whispered. Dean felt a bit stronger now, maybe he could make more than one syllable this time. "ihh" he tried again, "ihhshht" Damn, he thought but this time these attempts were giving him strength, "IsityouCas" he mumbled and hoped that his attempts may possibly pay off.
"I'm here Dean" Dean smiled as well as he could, "I'm so sorry, I am going to make this right, I promise ok? I will make this right" Cas sounded bad, his voice was weak.
"Cas" Dean tried to comfort him, and tell him that it was ok, but he was so weak.
"No, shh, it's going to be ok, just listen ok? You can hear me right"
"yehh" Dean tried to answer, but Cas seemed to get the message.
"Dean, I am doing this for your good ok? Please don't try to stop this, or reverse it, please, do you understand?" Dean was confused, what was Cas doing? Why did he think that Dean would stop him, and more importantly, should be try to stop him?
"Dean, I love you" Dean's mind was racing, what was Cas going to do? And how could dream stop him, or at least respond before it was too late? "I have to go"
"No" Dean said hoping that Cas would stop.
"I'm sorry"
"I l-" Dean tried but his do throat got the better of him and he started coughing.
"it's ok, it will all be ok soon." what was going on? Dean wondered unable to do anything but lie back and wonder what was happening. Dean felt a sudden rush of strength and he sat up and opened his eyes to a world of full color.
"Cas!!" Dean yelled jumping out of bed. He ran towards the door but instead ran full force into a six foot four plaid moose.
"Dean! What are you- how are you- wait, where's Cas?" Sam said and stared at Dean waiting for an answer.
"I was just going to look for him, he was just here- wait, I was lying in bed dying a few minutes ago and the best you can come up with is where is Cas?" Dean questioned.
"ya, ya how are you? Great? Prefect? Better than ever? Aren't you the least bit curious how this happened?" Sam replied.
"honestly, I'm just so happy to see you in full plaid color" Dean said with a wink.
"Dean" Sam looked at Dean with his 'this is a serious matter' face.
"what?" Dean asked raising his hands into the air to show that he was going to be serious.
"Cas went back to heaven" Sam said dodging one of Dean's hands.
"what? Why'd he go crawlin back to those winged dicks?" Dean asked a little shocked remembering what they told Cas.
"how is this not obvious to you!?" Sam asked incredulously. Then it hit Dean, he felt sick, of course, why hadn't he seen it before.
"for me." Dean said out loud so Sam knew that he understood. "but why did that work? They cured me in return for Cas? Why?"
"Cas begged them to give you your health back, I told him that we could find a way out of this together but he was sure that you didn't have enough time." Sam sighed and sat down on a chair next to the bed. Dean looked around the room, there were blankets, pillows, and personal items around the room, and the trash was filled with fast food wrappers.
"Sam" Dean said squinting and tilting his head slightly "how long have you two been staying here?"
"wait, do that again, you looked just like Cas" Sam smiled.
"Sam" Dean said with more force.
"like I said, you are dying" Sam replied quietly.
"so what? A week or so?" Dean asked.
"or so" Sam said. This was obviously going to take more prodding.
"or so? Exactly how long was I out?"
"well you were in and out of consciousness for a few months" Sam looked up at Dean as if waiting for him to yell.
"so Cas traded himself for me" Dean said still thinking about what Cas had told him. "so how do we get him back?"
Sam looked up from his laptop at Dean "you think I know?" he said raising his eyebrows to an almost unbelievable height. "the angels have him, it's not like we can just hop in the Impala and drive to a place on the map to find him!"
"ok I get it" Dean said and raised a hand to stop Sam from going on. "so what do we do now Sammy? Who can we call?" Sam sighed and closed his laptop.
"I don't know Dean, even if we had favors to cash in, I don't know that any of our contacts could help." Sam looked at Dean in the eyes "I understand that we need to find him but I don't know what to do, any ideas?" Dean looked around the room trying to find inspiration from anything.
"we could try summoning someone" Dean tried.
"who?"
"well... What about Gabriel?"
"and where do you suppose we could find him?" Sam seemed exasperated.
"we could pray to him"
"he doesn't seem like one to answer prayers"
"well we can try ok?" Dean said trying to be patient with his little brother, he realized that he probably hadn't gotten enough sleep in a few days judging from the dark circles under his eyes.
"fine" Sam replied and threw out a hand for Dean to start.
"umm," Dean hadn't done this in a while, he had already forgotten how these things usually went. "Gabriel, if you can hear me, might I suggest that you get your feathery ass down here" Dean looked at Sam who's eyebrows were hitting great heights again. "in the most respectful way umm, ok listen, we could use your help, Cas is in trouble and-"
"you call that a prayer?" Gabriel laughed from the corner. "I mean I get it, you don't do this prayer thing much but 'get your feathery ass down here in the most respectful way'? What was that about? If you want me to respond again, let's go with something that you don't say to your little boy toy" Dean flushed bright red for a moment but Gabriel had already turned his attention way from him, satisfied that he was sufficiently embarrassed "ohh and speaking of boy toys, why didn't you tell me the big one was with you? I would have done something with my hair" Gabriel winked at Sam who quickly turned away. "awe don't be like that baby" Gabriel laughed.
"hey" Dean said finally regaining his composure "look we didn't call you here to flirt ok? We called about Cas"
"ohh ya" Gabriel smiled a mishevious smile "I heard her pulled quite the Romeo stunt for you"
"Listen I'm just asking-"
"ohh I know 'wherefore art thou sweet Romeo' although I wouldn't go the suicide route, angels tend to come back better from that than humans, sorry sweetcheeks, no room for the grand finale just yet" Gabriel patted Dean on the cheek and have him a soft wink. "as for you, I'm thinkin more like a princess bride kinda thing, but you gotta let me be Wesley this time, there is just something about the name buttercup that really gets me fired up." Gabriel said watching Sam's face as he talked.
"Gabriel, please this is serious" Sam said trying desperately to get off this topic.
"as you wish" he said with a wink. "ok boys what can I do for you?"
"where's Cas?" Dean started acusingly.
"and why would I tell you that?" Gabriel asked.
"ohh you owe us" Dean said menacingly.
"for what?" Gabriel laughed.
"does Tuesday ring a bell?" Dean asked angrily.
"hey, that was a favor to you!" Gabriel raised a hand in defence of any oncoming attacks from the Winchester brothers.
"how?" Sam spoke up.
"Dean was a dead man! You had to learn to get along without him." Gabriel said matter-of-factly. "besides how was I supposed to know that my oh so righteous brother would go to hell and back for you?"
"Cas was following orders" Dean said.
"ohh is that what he told you?" Gabriel laughed "that's rich, maybe I miss judged him"
"what do you mean?" Sam asked incredulously.
"ohh wake up, my home has been dysfunctional a lot longer than yours." Gabriel said still laughing quietly. "only difference is that I learned how to play my hand right! I saw him watching you one day and I told him to go for it"
"so you were responsible for all that other crap to?" Dean asked angrily stepping towards Gabriel.
"ok now hear me out!" Gabriel said backing away a little. "I didn't know that you were Michaels vessel ok? Although I really should have mean just look at that foreshadowing. OK!" Dean had pulled out an angel blade and was still advancing on him. "let's just take a step back here compadre and remember who is really in charge." with a flick of his wrist he sent Dean and the blade flying in different directions. "ah much better" he smiled. "now if you are done insulting me with these silly attempts to get me on your side, I really should be going"
"wait!" Dean yelled from the ground where he had landed. "please, we just need to find Cas, please what do you want in return?" Sam looked at him shocked and Dean turned away to face Gabriel.
"ok" Gabriel said then turned to Sam "sorry bae, me and the big one- well older one" he corrected with a glance back at Dean. "have to talk, but I will see you later" he winked and flicked his wrist and sent Sam gently gliding backwards out of the door which closed behind him. "let's get down to business shall we?" he said turning back to Dean and finally giving his flirty attitude a rest.
"please just tell me where Cas is" Dean said quietly, "I need to find him."
"you really love him don't you?" Gabriel asked. Dean felt a little blush come to his cheeks and a smile come to his lips.
"he saved me ok?" Dean said pretending that he hadn't already made his feelings blatantly obvious.
"ohh I see" Gabriel laughed "you are just paying your debts, ok, I get that."
"please just tell me where Cas is" Dean said, he was done playing games, he knew what he wanted.
"I can't do that Dean, these angels aren't stupid, they may be wrong but definitely not stupid. If you want to find Cas, you have to do it without any bloodshed, you got that? That means none of these" Gabriel flicked his wrist and sent Dean's weapons clattering to the floor.
"so you think that they are just going to give Cas back if I just what? Ask nicely?" Dean said, he was done work Gabriel's games, he just wanted to know what to do.
"well that's a start but of course they won't just hand him over, they are angels for goodness sakes, anyone who knows anything knows that we tend not to be the most charitable type. It will cost you, but I can bring you to Naomi and you can talk to her about this whole mess. In return for my kind and selfish living deeds" Gabriel's grin made Dean nervous.
"what do you want?" he asked.
"your brother" he smiled.
"I don't think he swings that way" Dean laughed.
"you let me worry about that" Gabriel said. "so do we have a deal?"
"wait, I'm not just going to trade my brother to you!" Dean said incredulously.
"listen, just think of it like your his pimp ok? You go get what you want and I spend the time with what I want" Gabriel said and held out his hands again, "so, deal?"
"fine" Dean said "but I'd you pull any crap with him I will have you for it"
"ohh, best of both worlds" Gabriel smiled.
"No that's not-"
"relax, I get it, you are being all big brotherly, and I have to say the same to you, just think about it" Gabriel said patting Dean on the back. "by the end of this we will be brothers," Gabriel touched Dean's forhead and sent him to Naomi' office with the words "one way or another" ringing in his ears and after clearing that image from his mind he walked through the large closed doors that lead to Naomi's office.
"Dean" Naomi said from behind her desk "I was told to expect you" Dean walked towards her desk.
"Where is he?" he yelled.
"ohh quite the temper you have, I can only assume you mean Castiel, right?" she said calmly. "you aren't just trying to make sure that selling your brother to that scoundrel wasn't the wrong choice?"
"where is Cas? What are you doing to him?" Dean demanded.
"we call it reassimulation, his loyalties were too far gone, he had become less than an angel, too much pain and remorse, a very human thing, don't you think?" Naomi said with venom him her voice.
"the most human thing" Dean replied "but what's wrong with that?"
"nothing if you are human" she answered
"but angels hold themselves to a higher standard than you human vermin" a guard said.
"enough" Naomi said to the guard "don't you have more important matters to attend to Virgil?" He sneered at her and disappeared. "now then" she said with a short sigh "I assume that Gabriel didn't send you here expecting to walk away with Castiel with no price"
"I will give you my soul" Dean said suppressing his anger that he was going to have to pay for what they simply took.
"ohh Dean, I'm an angel, not a demon, you have sold your broken little soul so often that it doesn't even mean anything to you anymore, that's your default. No, I won't take it, the value of the item is what it means to you, I don't care what it is, so don't try to sell me short, you don't care about your soul, you never have, make me a worthwhile offer or I'm afraid that we can not make any deals today."
"but I don't have anything else to give!" Dean complained.
"well if that's how you feel, then you might as well go home." Naomi said and picked up the phone on her desk "ok you can restart the drilling, we aren't getting anywhere in here." Suddenly the room was filled with screams that made Dean's heart stop.
"CAS!?" Dean yelled recognizing the voice immediately. "Please stop this!" Naomi looked at Dean with a soft sympathy.
"sorry, I'm afraid I can't do that, come again soon" she said over Cas' echoing screams. She was standing only a few inches away now and pressed one long finger into Dean's head and he appeared back in the hospital room.
"NO YOU CAN'T DO THIS PLEASE LET ME BACK UP THERE, LET ME KNOW WHAT TO DO" Dean screamed and a woman rushed in the room.
"Hey! Listen hunny you have to calm down ok?" Dean recognized the voice immediately as the woman who was with him and Cas on the way back from the MRI but now was not the time to catch up, somewhere Cas was being torchered and Dean had to stop it.
"I NEED TO GET OUT OF HERE" he yelled and ran into the hallway and our of the nearest door. He soon realized that the hospital was full of doors and hallways, he ran a quickly as he could once he heard a group of people chasing after him. He kept running and finding locked doors, finally he found one that would open and he came out into a larger hallway with more people, he stopped running and followed someone who said something about getting out of here to beat the traffic and was out the door quickly. He found the Impala parked in the back lot and ran to it. "Damn" he didn't have the key in his pocket anymore, luckily he knew how to break into cars so he broke the window of the Jeep parked next to him and hotwired it telling his baby that he would be back in the morning to pick it up. Dean drove out of the parking lot and onto the highway. He took the first exit that he found and stopped by a small gas station. Dean closed his eyes and started to pray, "Naomi, listen to me, take back my sight and my health, undo the deal that Cas had done, I don't care if this means that I will die, I need him, please send him back to me, please" Dean felt no different, so he continued out loud hoping that somehow that would make her hear him. "Please, I need him, I need Cas. Take my health, take my sight! Undo his Deal! Please, take anything, no, take everything, please I need Cas back!" Dean opened his eyes and was hit with the darkness, the beautiful blackness that the world had become. He felt a warmth beside him, and he felt his throat getting tighter. He gasped for air and whispered through the comforting blackness with all the air he had left "IsityouCas" Dean asked knowing the answer but wanting to hear it anyways and as he felt his body going numb he heard the whispered words "It's me Dean" and he could hear the smile in Cas' voice and Dean laid his head down on the boney, yet comfortable chest the could only belong to Cas as he fell into the blackness allowing it to take him away, and Cas gently took hold of his soul and brought it up to heaven where he sat and watched the fireworks with Dean every day.