Title: Dean's Angel
Author: jennine_9
Pairings: Dean/Castiel (mild)
Rating: Mature Themes
Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural or it's characters.
Summary: Castiel falls in battle and comes to Dean for help.

***

Dean sat on the stoup of Bobby`s porch dangling a rosary absentmindedly. That damn Angel had been right. Faith was his problem. He had made a career out of using, but not believing in the religious scriptures, and blessed tools that warded off, exorcized and killed evil. He knew they worked, but he never allowed himself to question why they worked.

Sam believes. Always hoping for hope. Where has it ever gotten my family? Where was God when the Winchesters bleed and burned here on earth for years? Now suddenly God sends an Angel to save me to help do what? Save the world. Real nice, thanks for caring God, I'll just be your happy loving tool now, no problem. Dean scoffed at his own thoughts. Anger, that's what having believe shoved down his throat was giving him. A hell of a whole lot of it.

Dean was pulled from his mental rant as a beer floated before him. He grasped it from Bobby and let some of his anger melt as the older hunter sat down beside him.

"You want to talk about it?" Bobby asked. He kept his eyes on the gravel drive way to avoid pressuring the younger man.

"Not you too? Seriously, Sam is driving me nuts with his wide eyes and wonder."

"Can you blame him? If that fellow is who he claims to be, it's real proof that there's something other than evil out there."

"Doesn't that make you angry? To know that it's been there all this time and NOW it shows up?"

Bobby was silent for a few minutes, when he responded his voice was gruff, "I've been angry about allot of things in life boy. It sure ain't a nice way to live."

*

Sam pulled up to Tom's Drive and Dine to pick up dinner. He felt a warm feeling of nostalgia as he ordered Dean's meal. Grease, fat and more grease. It was nice. No, it was great.

He felt a fear too. A fear of what will happen when Dean finds out about his new abilities. He knew he shouldn't have bull-face lied to Dean about not having used them, but he was so overwhelmed with having Dean back that he couldn't bring himself to disappoint and anger him. So now he was just screwed.

*

An off tune grandfather clock chimed 3:30am as three tired men sat in Bobby's living room around a plethora of tomes that would make a Scholar's wet dream.

Sam rubbed his eyes for the millionth time and tried again to focus on the screen. Seals and apocalypse theology were the primary focus of tonight's research, and last night, and the night before.

"Alright." Bobby said closing a tome in a cloud of dust. "That's it for tonight. We're not gonna learn anything new exhausted."

Dean yawned, "Ahem to that! Say, think we could watch some apocalypse movies? Their packed full of little bits of truth."

"Boy, don't make me go over there and smack you."

Sam cracked a smile as he passed by Dean.

That was when they felt it, a wave of air that was sickingly hot and smelled putrid. It came and passed in a matter of seconds, leaving shaken and sickened hunters racing for weaponry.

"What the fuck was that?" Dean hollered as he raised a shot gun and edged to a window. Bobby and Sam where doing likewise. Sam held Ruby's knife in cut throat position.

"I'm betting that was some kind of shockwave." Bobby exclaimed.

"An explosion? Military testing some new bombs in your backyard Bobby?" Dean said.

"Rotten egg war fare, Dean? That was sulphur." Dean and Bobby looked to Sam.

"That's just great." Dean sighed.

*

Bobby hung up the phone. "That makes 2 other hunters in the state who felt it. So far, no one's seen anything."

"It's on the 6 a.m. news too. Local Meteorologist's are calling it some kind of freak low pressure system. It's effects where felt for 124 km, give or take." Sam added.

"So why hasn't anything happened yet? A big bang then what? Calm?" Dean paced back and forth clutching a gun.

"Dean, sit down, you're gonna owe me a new rug."

Sam cleared his throat drawing attention. "What about Castiel? Could we summon him?"

Bobby raised his eyes brows questioning as he turned to Dean.

"No freak' in way! I don't need his almightiness coming down here to tell me how I need to believe more and talk les-."

A loud crash of broken glass and a thud echoed from the upstairs.

"The waits over." Bobby whispered as the men formed a line toward the stairs.

As they reached the upstairs hall they could hear shuffling from the closed spare room to the left. Unconscious taking positions around the door, Dean reeled back, and on Bobby's nod kicked it open. Early morning light streamed into the hall as the hunters barged forward seamlessly into the room like a swat team.

A man leaned on a bureau facing out of the smashed window. Sam motioned ahead knife raised, but was stopped by Bobby's outstretched arm. Before Sam could protest Bobby's resistance Dean spoke.

"Castiel?"

The man turned slowly, in a manner that Dean decided lacked Castiel's previous grace.

"Dean."

Dean inched towards the Angel, unable to resist a tug in his mind. He found himself dropping the gun and running forward as Castiel lost his balance and toppled over.

"Shit!" Dean hissed as he caught him and went down under Castiel's weight.

Sam stood back by the door and gaped. "˜This is Castiel? This is an Angel?'

Dean glanced up at Bobby and Sam. "We've got a problem here."

"You ain't kidding." Bobby said.

"Can you get up?" Dean asked Castiel. He felt he knew the answer before the Angel glared up at him.

"So that's a no. You guys wanna help me here?" Dean motioned for Bobby and Sam to lend a hand.

"No." Castiel said. "Do not think me ungratefully, but I cannot be handled by so many humans, it is... disconcerting."

"So what, it's fine for me?" Dean asked in a huff as he tried rising the both of them.

"We've already made contact."

Dean felt a shiver at memories he couldn't recall. "˜What had it been like being carried out of hell by an Angel?'

Bobby cleared the bed in the room as Sam, a little slow due to shock, pushed boxes out of Dean's path. With more effort than Dean would like to admit he got Castiel onto the bed, who then closed his vessel's eyes and ceased to move. The three men looked back and forth to one another until Bobby gestured for them to go speak in the hall.

"What can do that to an Angel?" Sam whispered. "This isn't how he was before was it?"

"No. Shit." Dean could feel that tug again, and an alarming feeling of concern. "˜That bastard must be pulling my mind or something. Freak' in Angel of goodness my ass.'

"He said that there are battles going on. Maybe there's been another one." Bobby offered.

"The source of our low pressure wave?" Said Sam.

"Only one way to find out?" Bobby turned to Dean, who nodded grimly.

Bobby and Sam stayed back from the bed as Dean leaned over Castiel.

"Castiel? Can you hear me?"

"Yes." Castiel's voice was very low. Dean could barely hear it.

"What...what happened to you?"

"A battle. It did not go favourably."

"Why did you come here? Wouldn't you be better back in ... Heaven, or someplace?" Dean nearly choked when saying this, he was bearing believing in it himself.

"I could not fight past their front."

"Another seal broken?" Bobby whispered.

The Angels skin seemed to go a shade paler, but he did not speak.

Sam pulled Dean over.

"Ask him how we can help him. He must be hurt pretty bad."

Castiel opened his eyes to a slit and looked at Dean expectantly.

"Do you...er..." Dean gestured to the room as he avoided Castiel's gaze.

"I need shelter until I can heal. My injuries are also weakening my vessel." Castiel said with a sigh.

"˜Great,' Dean Thought, "˜I get to play sick nurse to a creature who recently threatened to toss me back into Hell.' Still he felt that feeling of concerning, loathing it.

"Is this place protected?" Castiel asked.

"Protected?"

"Safe. I changed to my vessel so as to be harder to find. But they will find me, no doubt. Is this place safe from their entry?"

Dean looked to Bobby, who shook his head, then pointed to the floor.

"Not up here. But there is a place underground that's safe." Dean said.

"Bring me down there."

Dean hesitated, he wanted very much to rebel against being ordered, something that had always been ingrained in him.

As if reading his mind Castiel said;

"I carried you Dean, you WILL carry me."

Sam and Bobby looked frantically at one another. Dean's was either going to start swinging....or start shooting. But he did nether. Instead he sucked in the mother of all breaths and bent forward to get his arms under Castiel's shoulders and knees.

Cursing like a sailor, Dean managed to bring Castiel down to Bobby's "˜Panic Room'. He felt his back crack painfully as he set the Angel down on the cot.

"Next time you get your ass handed to you, find some virtuous soul to bother."

Castiel eyes flashed sorrowfully.

"You could no more reject me, Dean, than I could send you back to hell."

Dean was startled back by this statement. He didn't know which to respond to first. Thankfully Castiel continued.

"I raised you from hell, do you not think that creates a bond?"

"I...I...You said you would." Dean looked away as he stuttered.

"I was angry and you need to stop pushing me. Others of my kind will not be so tolerant of your attitude."

After an awkward pause Bobby and Sam came in with a host of tomes, chalk and other supplies. They began marking the room for protection against demons, and everything else they could. When Dean and Bobby went upstairs to contact other hunters for updates, Sam found himself alone with Castiel for the first time.

Sam couldn't help but stare. He had so many questions about God, Heaven and the forces of good. But what he burned to ask was if his "˜not God given talents' where tainting his soul? If he was damning himself by using them to fight evil?

Castiel's eyes snapped open and bore down on Sam's. Sam knew that the Angel must know what he was thinking, what he was.

"Not in my presence will you use such means." Castiel said, in a tone that rumbled with menace.

Sam suddenly felt very ashamed. His mouthed dried up and he turned away. When Dean and Bobby returned Sam felt like he could breathe again. Glancing at Castiel he saw the Angel had closed his eyes again.

*

No news did not feel like good news. It had been 17 hours since the wave hit, and 14 hours since Castiel had come for cover. Bobby, Dean and Sam were exhausted, but sleep wasn't a luxury they had. Evil had beaten out good in this battle, so where was the bloody carnage of celebration?

"Should we tell the other hunters?" Sam asked.

"And how do we explain how we came about that knowledge?" Bobby answered. "We can't risk Demons hearing that there's an Angel here. I can't believe there's an Angel in my basement."

Castiel had requested to be alone for a while. Dean had last ventured down to check on him 4 hours ago and been told that company was a hindrance at this time. Bobby suggested that Dean try again and this time go down with food for the vessel. Maybe Castiel would tell him more about what was going on. Dean grumbled outwardly, but inside he was anxious to speak with Castiel.

Down in the Panic Room Dean found Castiel just as they had left him. Lying straight on his back, not a ripple in the covers displaced. Dean cleared his throat and Castiel opened his eyes.

"Er...Does your vessel need to eat?"

"Yes, thank you." Castiel raised himself up on his elbows with visible effort, and pushed his back up against the wall.

Dean brought the tray of Bobby's meatloaf, bread, and a glass of water down beside the Angel. Then sat back across the room as Castiel made a very slow act of eating the bread, and drinking the water. Once done with that he pushed the plate with the meatloaf away.

"Thank you. I am done with it."

"Bobby may not be a gourmet chief but the meatloaf isn't half bad."

Castiel didn't respond.

"Okay then. How are you healing?"

Castiel frowned.

"I'm not fit for battle. I would hinder my brothers if I attempted to join them like this."

Dean sat silently, trying not to feel sympathy for a warrior down. He couldn't count the times he'd been laid up in bed from a hunt and not able to help his family finish the job. It has always burned him.

"So, before you came there was a funky wave of heat. Was that "“ "

"Yes, the blast that shook the sky and sent me down. It killed many others. I was...fortunate."

Dean bit his lower lip, "˜How the hell can I fight against forces that can do that kind of damage? What do they expect from me? Freak' in cannon fodder?'

Castiel locked his eyes into Deans. It gave Dean the sinking feeling the Angel was waiting for him to offer help, beyond shelter and food. He didn't think he'd like it. "˜The bastard pulled you from the Pit. Yeah, but what about the other 28 years? He's a freak' in Angel. So he says...Inner talks suck ass.'

"Can I...help you?" Dean ground out.

Something resembling a grin began to form on Castiel's face before his expression turned ashen and grave.

"They've found me." He said quietly.

Everything around them started to quiver, Bobby and Sam came barrowing down into the room, locking up behind them. When the walls stilled the three hunters turned to Castiel.

"How many demons do you think are out there?" Bobby asked.

"No less than 30."

"Bobby, can this room hold that many back for long?" Sam asked.

"The hell if I know."

The hunters began setting up the speakers for the exorcism rituals. A trick they used before in the siege at the Police Station, and hoped would work again.

As Sam reached to connect the speakers to the battery the room rocked violently to the side as if it was a punching bag and something had one hell of a left hook. As Sam lost his footing and fell the cord tore out of the speakers.

"Shit!"

Bobby took a shaky breath, "Looks like where doing this the old fashioned way."

Rips in the Iron walls began appearing, followed by an unending reel of violent laughter. The volume became deafening, interrupting Sam's and Bobby's Latin.

So far nothing was getting in. At least not yet.

"Now would be a great time for some secret Angelic fighting tips!" Dean yelled as he dropped down next to Castiel. When he didn't get an answer right away Dean thought he hadn't heard, heck, he couldn't even hear himself over the laughter.

Castiel had heard him, and when he answered his voice came through clearly.

"You cannot win this. But I can."

"How? You can't even get up!" Dean yelled back, feeling angry build up again.

"This vessel is virtuous but he does not have your endurance, I have exhausted his stability limit to help heal myself. With your strength added I can handle their small number."

"You've got to be kidding!"

"No. Don't be afraid. You must trust me."

Dean could scream. "˜That bastard had all this planned. Drain me, my ass!'

A loud crash and a break in the horrid laughter causing Dean to jump and turn to see Sam and Bobby thrown into the adjacent wall as the iron door caved in.

"Damn you!" Dean said turning back to Castiel.

Castiel grabbed the collar of Dean's jacket pulling it down, than swept his hand up and under the arm of his t-shirt pressing his palm into the brand he marked on Dean's soul and flesh.

"Close your eyes!" Castiel commanded in a voice that had become so unearthly in tone that the three hunters obeyed without thought.

The last thing Dean remembered was the feel of Castiel grip tightening and a hot flash pressing him down. He thought he might be screaming when the pressure turned into a fierce pull. It abruptly ended in a whiteness and calm.

*

When Dean awoke he was in Bobby's spare room upstairs where Castiel had first arrived. He felt tired as hell, and was panting by the time he managed to sit up against the head broad.

His struggles didn't go unheard, and Sam came rushing in. Dean could swear he saw a breath of relief exhaled upon seeing him up.

"You're awake! How do you feel?" Sam said coming to sit on the end of the bed.

"Like crap. What happened?"

"What do you remember last?"

"Peace, love and really wanting to kick Castiel's ass."

Sam smiled.

"Umm, yeah. After Castiel told us to close our eyes, there was this flash of light. When it passed Bobby and I saw him standing in the middle of the room, saying something in a language we've never heard. It was beautiful in that awe inspiring terror kind of way. Whatever he was saying worked though. It killed more than half of them. Can you imagine killing a dozen of Demons like that! The stronger ones survived, but he sent them back to Hell at least."

"Well that's just great. Where is he now?"

"He left the next day. Went back to fight I guess."

"The next day? How long did he knock me out for?"

"It's been 4 days." Sam said with a cough.

"Dude, no."

"Yup. You can thank Bobby for keeping a bed pan around."

"Uuuugh. Anything else."

"I don't know if you want to hear it."

"Shoot."

"Castiel carried you back up here -"

"How poetic." Dean grumbled.

"I'm not done. He pretty much hovered over you the whole time."

"Glad to see he didn't want his charge dying on him, wouldn't make his boss too happy."

"And he kissed you." Sam said in a rush, "Said you'd be fine after some rest."

"Wow, backup. He what?"

"He said something about energy transfers. You were pretty bad off after he umm, borrowed yours. This is weird to talk about dude."

Dean suppressed a shiver at the image, and he felt an urge to touch the brand.

Sam and Bobby insisted he eat and stay in bed. Dean made his expected peals of being fine, but he knew he wasn't getting up today, unless he wanted to face plant into the carpet right after.

*

Dean woke several hours later to a dark room and the click of the door as a figure stepped in.

"Dean." Castiel stood over the bed. Both stared at one another for several moments. This time Dean broke the silence.

"This is when you say, "˜Feeling better?' and I say, "˜I would be if I wasn't getting violated by Angels.'"

"I did not "“" Castiel paused, he bit his vessels lower lip in frustration. "It was the less invasive way of returning enough of your strength to keep you from dying. Exchanging energy through the bond of your brand is more effective, but more intense, I was not sure you could handle it again so soon."

"˜More intense? Seems like you drained me dry.'" Dean said.

"I did not drain you dry. I took what was needed to defend us. We were fortunate that your energy was viable, as you are not "“ "

"Not a virtuous man?"

"You are more than you think."

Dean shifted uncomfortably. He did not want to talk about any destiny....or chosen anything.

"Yeah well, you can go back to your Holy Wars now, I'll be kicking evil ass by the end of the week."

"I've no doubt." Castiel said as he leaned forward and reached a hand towards Dean.

"Wow. Personal space here. We just talked about this."

Castiel brow's curved in a puzzled expression.

"There's no need for any more touching. I'm going to be fine." Dean continued.

Castiel sighed in exasperation.

"What you need is stop being so difficult. I am concerned. Not so unlike how you felt when I was weakened."

"I wasn't concerned. And how the hell would you know how I felt? Not that I did feel anything."

Castiel opened his month to respond, but was cut off by Dean's continued rant.

"And don't say we've got a bond."

Dean flinched as Castiel briskly sat down on the bed and again invade his private bubble placing his hand on the branding on his shoulder.

This time unable to suppress his reaction Dean shook as searing heat folded in on him. When it subsided he came back to himself to find that he was wrapped up in Castiel's embrace.

"Holy shit." Dean gasped into the crook of Castiel's neck.

"Perhaps you would have preferred the less invasive approach?" Castiel said, then began to pull away till Dean's grip on his clothing stopped him.

"I thought that kind of thing was...a sin?" Dean murmured.

"To act out of carnal cravings or crude intentions is sinful. But love and intimacy are not."

"Oh." Dean untangled himself from Castiel hating how disappointed he felt for not being able to say his sudden interest was nether carnal or crude. "˜Damn, I'm gonna need to find a chick, it's been too long.'

He rolled his shoulders as he felt his old strength return to him. Then a thought struck him, "Does that mean that you...uh."

Castiel shifted forward and in a motion to fast and smooth for Dean to track he weaved his fingers through Dean's hair and pulled him back into his embrace. The kiss that followed left Dean with the feeling of being struck by lightning. Dean closed his eyes as he leaned into Castiel, but fell forward onto the bed.

"What the f-" Dean jumped up and looked around the now empty room.

"Bastard!" He hollered.

***