Hey guys! So... This chapter has been ready for a while, but I've been trying to contact my beta Nevermoreheaven. Unfortunately, I haven't heard from her in a while. Considering I already usually take a long time to write a chapter, I figured it wasn't fair to make you wait longer... So I'm posting the chapter now, it's unbeta-ed I'm really sorry if there are mistakes. Don't hesitate to let me know! I hope you will still enjoy it, and I hope I will be able to give you a corrected chapter next time.

Meanwhile, I hope you'll enjoy this one anyway, I reread it a thousand times, but my english isn't always perfect and I'm sure there are mistakes that slipped away.

Once again, I'm really sorry this took so long.

Castiel was running. His legs felt lighter than they had ever felt and his chest wasn't compressed by sorrow or grief. He was feeling light. His body, his soul, were weightless. It was like living all over again, without the overpowering pressure of years.

The angel's face was illuminated by a wide, candid smile and his eyes, scanning his environment with a childlike curiosity, were filled with joy and excitement. Everything seemed overly interesting to him. Every tuffet beneath his feet held a singular refinement, every flower looked luminescent. He ran across the meadow with an euphoria he did not question or understand. He did not care.

He had no problem anymore. He didn't think about the cold, didn't think about hunger. All that mattered now, was the soft feeling of grass under his bare feet, and the happy laughter he heard behind him.

"Run all you want Cassie! You can't escape me!" Gabriel's voice said, very close to him.

Suddenly, strong, firm arms were wrapped around his middle from behind and lifted him up. Castiel's blissful giggle filled the air, soon echoed by his brother's victorious laugh. "Gotcha!"

"No! No, let me go!" Cas falsely pleaded, trying to wiggle out of his brother's grip. He couldn't stop laughing, and soon he struggled to catch a breath and had to calm down. Gabriel loosened his grasp and whispered in his hair. "If I let you go, you won't try to fight, huh?"

Cas shook his head, still grinning brightly. As soon as his brother released him though, Castiel went volte-face and jumped on him, trying to make him fall, which he managed to do, and they both lost their balance, landing in the grass with a disgraceful thud.

They laughed, and Gabriel immediately attacked Castiel with tickles, until he lost his breath again. "You cheater! You had promised!"

Castiel writhed, tears of happiness beading at the corner of his eyes. "S-sorry! I couldn't resist!"

Gabriel stopped with a satisfied huff. "Yeah, well don't do it again." He pushed Castiel, who had landed on him, off his stomach and looked up at the sky.

The younger angel rolled on his back beside his brother and did the same thing. "Gabe, do you think we will see each other at the academy?" He asked softly, hesitantly.

He felt Gabriel stiffen beside him. "Dunno Cassie." He answered, but didn't add anything.

"I don't want you to go."

Gabriel turned his head to face Castiel and offered him a sympathetic smile. "I don't want to go either, baby bro."

"Then don't."

Gabriel snorted. "If only I had a choice..."

"But Samandriel said that he wishes his sister hadn't gone. He said she forgot about him." Cas complained, silent fear hiding between his words. He averted his eyes.

"Well, I don't know what his sister's like, but I'm not gonna forget about you Cassie. I'll write as often as I can, and you know I hate writing." Gabriel chuckled. "I couldn't spend so much time without hearing from you. Besides, you don't have to worry about that now. We still have two years in front of us."

Cas smiled weakly. "You're right..."

"Oh, come on!" Gabriel nudged him with his shoulder. "Don't pout. Nothing's gonna separate us now, especially not a crappy school."

"I don't think the Academy is a simple school, Gabe."

"Whatever, my point still stands. We're bros for life now. If you're not happy, you should have chosen another family. Uriel's for example."

Cas laughed. "Oh, no!" He exclaimed. "I'd rather die than have him as a brother!"

"Damn right. I'm the best brother ever, anyway." Gabriel hooked his arms behind his head, a satisfied grin plastered on his lips.

"You sure are better than Uriel, but I'm not sure the 'best brother ever' would have made me jump off a roof."

Gabriel's eyes widened and he turned to Cas with a fake offended look on his face. "I did not make you do that!"

Cas sat up, giggling softly. He found the situation endlessly amusing, but he was ready to prove his brother wrong. He would not stand such an injustice. "Excuse me? How do you explain that I broke my wrist then?"

Gabriel rolled his eyes. "Fuck, that was ages ago, I thought you had forgotten."

"Well, I haven't." Castiel assured. "And don't swear!"

"Hey you're not mom, I swear if I fucking damn want to."

"It's rude though and if you think I haven't noticed you changed the subject, you're wrong."

"I didn't make you jump. You were trying to fly!"

"Because you told me I could!" Cas protested, which only made his brother laugh loudly.

"You obviously couldn't."

Cas frowned, pretending to be offended although he couldn't help the wide grin on his face. "It's not funny, Gabe! I could have died. You are not the best brother ever."

Gabriel sat up, looking at him as if he couldn't determine whether Cas was serious or not. "I had it under control Cassie, I promise. I never wanted you to get hurt."

Cas' expression softened at that. "I'm kidding Gabe... I wouldn't want any other brother. I don't blame you for my wrist, and I do think you're the best brother I could ever have."

Gabriel's face lit up, realizing Cas had been fooling him all along and he shook his head. "You little shit... I taught you well, I see."

Cas giggled again, grinning proudly at his brother. "You did!" He exclaimed as he shifted to be able to hug Gabriel gently. The older angel smiled tenderly at the gesture and wrapped his arms around his younger brother. "You know what, Cassie? I think you are the best brother ever." He whispered, and Cas looked at him with bright eyes.

Nothing could have made Castiel happier than to share such a precious moment with his brother and to see him smile like that. Because there was something far, extremely far in his mind that told him to cherish those moments. Something that begged him not to ignore them, and to keep them secured in his memory.

There was this strange pull, that seemed to be coming from a very distant place, which tried to tear him out of his memories and tell him he didn't belong here. It was almost a constant reminder that whatever happened here would never happen again, that if he got to see it one more time, it was because he wasn't fine.

Castiel, the young Castiel at least, didn't think about any of that. He acted like he didn't have a care in the world. Yet, a part of him – a darker and deeper part of him, knew that something was terribly wrong.

Dean's heart was pounding in his chest, so loud he could barely hear Castiel's little whimpers anymore. They had arrived here a few hours ago. Dean had practically carried his angel to bed. He had known his state was bad, but he hadn't expected it to be that bad, or to change so suddenly.

Dean first noticed something was wrong when he woke up, feeling very hot. It was freezing outside, and even though there was a fire burning in the chimney, it clearly wasn't supposed to be that hot in here.

The next thing he realized was that he wasn't the one producing heat.

Castiel, cradled against Dean's chest, was burning up.

His breath was uneven, his features tense, his hair stuck to his forehead. Dean reacted quickly. It was obvious that Cas had a very nasty fever, and he needed to make it go down as soon as possible. He slipped out of the blankets and uncovered Cas. The younger man was shaking. Dean could see the goosebumps on his arms. He knew Cas was feeling cold and his first reflex naturally was to seek warmth. Yet, Dean knew it was just his body tricking him.

The warmer his body was getting, the higher the fever got and the colder he would feel.

"Hey, Cas…" Dean whispered, wiping a sweaty lock of hair from Cas' forehead. "Do you hear me?"

The hunter tried not to panic when Castiel did not give him any sign that he had heard him. Dean tried again, shaking him gently. "Cas?"

No answer.

"Shit." Dean cursed as he fumbled out of the bed and hurried to the bathroom. He picked up a clean cloth that had been left for them to clean up and decided that the situation was urgent enough for him to use some of the water originally planned for a bath. He dipped the cloth in the bucket of water and wrung it. The water was very cold and he had no doubt Cas' body would instinctively reject it. It made Dean's hands shake and he almost jolted back when the cold liquid touched his bare skin. If it was able to induce such a reaction from him, he hoped it would wake Cas up.

He made his way back to the bedroom, making sure not to let drops fall on the floor. The last thing they needed was for Ellen to make a scene because they weren't able to keep a clean room.

They had much bigger problems right now.

Dean sat down next to Cas and gently made him roll on his back. The angel's cheeks were flushed, his lips were parted, letting out small, labored breaths. His eyebrows were slightly furrowed, there was a trickle of sweat glistening on his forehead.

Dean saddened at the sight. He should have been more careful. He should have found a better way to cross the river. Or maybe it was the wound on his shoulder?

Taken by a sudden panic, Dean inspected Cas' shoulder and arm more closely than he had before, looking for pus, dark blood or anything that could be a sign of infection. He had disinfected the cuts, but he figured they'd better be safe than sorry.

Thankfully, he didn't find any trace of infection. He had probably just caught a cold because of the freezing water. It was understandable, and indirectly, his injuries had made it worse. Cas had been exhausted because of them already, not mentioning that he had overused his grace. Dean had just made it ten times worse when he had made him cross the river.

He sighed and carefully placed the wet piece of cloth on Castiel's forehead. The dark haired man moaned weakly in his sleep, flinching a little at the cold.

It took him a few seconds to get used to the contrast of temperature between his body and the cloth, but he stopped moving eventually.

Dean stroked his hair gently for a moment, simply watching him. "You don't deserve all this…" He whispered, more to himself than to Castiel. He knew he probably didn't even hear him at all. If he did, he couldn't process Dean's words.

The hunter sighed sadly and layed down on his side next to Cas. He was determined not to let him out of his sight unless it was absolutely necessary. He wanted to snuggle against him, but he stopped himself. Cas' body was too hot for Dean to be comfortable, and he would only make Cas warmer, which was the exact opposite of what he was trying to do.

"It's going to be fine Cas, I promise." Dean whispered again. He felt like he was going to go crazy with everything that had happened and was still happening, if he didn't talk to someone about it.

"We'll find a place to stay permanently. I'll get a job. I'll give you the life you really deserve." He continued.

His eyes lingered on the profile of Cas' face for a moment and he felt his strength falter. He didn't feel strong enough. They had reached their goal, yet nothing seemed to be alright at all.

They still had so much to worry about. They weren't safe. Dean was sure they would never be.

"Hey Cas? Will you be mad if I tell you that I'm not sure I can do this?" He asked quietly, as if he were scared Cas could hear him despite his state. "This is too much… I need you to get better. Please, baby. I can't do it without you."

Cas only frowned in his sleep and squirmed a little. Dean sighed and touched the cloth on his forehead. It was getting warm already, so he flipped it. He resisted the urge to take Cas in his arms when a violent shudder shook him from head to toe.

Dean hated this. He couldn't do anything. All he could do was wait and hope the fever would go down.

He felt very tired himself, but Castiel was his priority. He wouldn't leave him like that.

However, after an hour or two – Dean wasn't sure, he had lost track of time – Cas started writhing in

his sleep a little more energetically. Dean sat up, looking down at him. "Cas?"

The angel didn't answer. Instead, he whimpered and turned his head to the side, breathing heavier.

"Hey… Hey, Cas. You need to wake up. Come on…" Dean pleaded.

Castiel's lips parted and he mumbled something incoherent. Dean leaned closer, to hear what he was saying. He only caught a few words, which did not even form a proper sentence.

"Gabe… Academy… n'go…"

Dean frowned, confused. He knew Castiel's brother was named Gabriel, and Gabe was the affective nickname he gave him. Cas was dreaming, but if he had looked pretty peaceful until now, it was starting to change.

"Please…" Cas muttered. "Don't 'eave me…"

"Baby, open your eyes." Dean tried again, turning Cas' face towards him. "It's just a dream."

Castiel's eyes opened slightly, but they were unfocused, drowned in fever. He looked up at the ceiling, but he seemed to see something else entirely, for he kept whispering. "Stay… Stay."

Dean tried to catch his attention, turning his head so he looked into his eyes. "Listen to me Cas, it was just a dream."

Cas didn't react the slightest and Dean understood the fever was making him delirious.

Dean let go of Cas' face, internally cursing. He was trying very hard not to panic here. It had been hours and the fever hadn't gone down. It had gotten worse.

He got up and walked around the room for a moment to clear his head. He ran a hand through his hair, but what he really wanted to do was to pull it off. He felt completely powerless.

The person he loved the most was right in front of him, in evident need of help, and he couldn't do anything. "Fuck, fuck, fuck…" Dean muttered. "Fuck!" He exclaimed, a little too loudly.

He was giving in to panic. He didn't know what to do.

He wanted to break something or punch someone. He would have done it if it could have helped Cas, but he knew it really wouldn't.

Dean started pacing again. He glanced at the window and he had an idea.

It wasn't the most brilliant he'd had, but it was all he had for now. He put a shirt on, so he wouldn't catch a cold too and went over to the pane. He opened it a little, to cool the room.

Cas' body heat was warming up the whole room, so Dean figured they needed to make it colder for Cas' fever to go down.

It was freezing outside and Dean immediately shivered. He made sure not to open the window too wide, so Cas' state wouldn't worsen.

The hunter wrapped his arms around himself in a poor attempt to warm himself up.

He went back to the bed and tossed the cover on himself, staying close to Castiel to make sure he wasn't too cold now.

Half an hour went by and Cas didn't show any sign of recovery. Dean, however, was now shaking almost as badly as his companion.

He got up again to close the window, seeing it had no effect. His anger made him slam it shut.

"Cas… Fuck, what do I do now?" Dean asked, desperate. Of course, Castiel did not answer.

A few minutes later though, someone knocked at the door. Dean jumped, surprised. He wasn't expecting anyone, and it was the middle of the night.

Suspicious and nervous, he grabbed his gun. He quietly went to the door and opened it, hiding his weapon behind his back.

Ellen was standing in the door frame, frowning and looking extremely displeased. "Hasn't anyone ever taught you to behave in a public place? Two clients came to me to complain that you were making noise. You see, an inn is made for people to sleep in. That's what everyone here wants to do, but you're here, slamming doors or whatever the hell it is you're doing."

Dean felt bad suddenly. It wasn't how he had imagined their first day in town. He looked down, whispering. "Sorry…" Discreetly, he put his gun on the counter beside him.

He didn't know why, but this woman intimidated him. She had a lot of prestance and she looked like someone respectable, someone fair. She was someone he somehow wanted to get along with and disappointing her wasn't on his list of things to do.

She looked at him with disapproval and he felt like he had done something terribly wrong. He felt the need to justify himself.

"I mean it… I'm not being noisy for the hell of it. It's just… Nothing seems to go well for us lately."

Ellen raised an eyebrow. "And you decided to take your anger out in the middle of the night? Life's hard for a lot of people. Can't you curse at your life during the day?"

Dean sighed and shook his head. "Yeah, right… Sorry, I wasn't thinking."

Ellen softened a little and nodded, visibly satisfied with the apology. "Okay, don't do it again. What were you even doing anyway?"

"Cas… He has a very bad fever and no matter how hard I try, I can't make it go down." Dean informed her, with a glance behind his shoulder at the passed out angel on the bed.

"Cas? The other guy?" Ellen asked, and Dean noted a trace of worry in her tone.

"Yeah… I don't know what to do." He admitted.

He must have looked pretty miserable, because Ellen sighed and laid a hand on his shoulder. "Let me see if I can do anything, alright?"

Dean was reluctant to let anyone near Cas, especially when he was so vulnerable, but she was their best shot. It was already a miracle that she proposed her help.

He stepped back, letting Ellen in the room. She was at Cas' side in no time. Her gaze had changed. There was something soft to it now, something almost maternal.

She touched the blue eyed man's cheek and frowned. "He's burning up."

"I know, thanks." Dean groaned.

Ellen took the wet cloth from Cas' face. "You know, you actually need to change this once in awhile." She informed Dean, looking at him as if she couldn't believe he didn't think of it sooner.

"Go and wet it again." She handed it to him and Dean didn't protest this time.

He came back with the cloth, that was now cold again. Ellen took it from him and put it back where she had taken it in the first place.

She looked at Cas almost fondly now, as she would have her own child. "Poor little thing…"

Dean kept himself from telling her that Cas was everything but a poor little thing. He usually wasn't this weak. He was the strongest person Dean knew. He was, in his own way, much stronger than Dean himself.

But then and there, he did look like a poor little thing. It only reinforced Dean's instincts to protect him. Apparently, he had the same effect on Ellen because she was now gently stroking his cheek and whispering words of encouragement.

When she turned to Dean, her gaze didn't change. She had nothing of the strict woman who absolutely wanted to stay out of her clients' business anymore. She seemed genuinely concerned and looked at Dean compassionately.

"I don't think you can do anything without proper medical care." She told him. "I don't know where you're from, but you both look like you've been through a lot. You deserve a break."

"Tell me about it…" Dean sighed in resignation.

Ellen got up, squeezing Dean's shoulder gently. "I'll be right back." She said as she left the room without waiting for Dean's reaction.

She came back a few minutes later, with a blond girl. Her hair was tied in a pony tail. She seemed slightly younger than Dean. Actually, she was probably the same age as Sam. Dean's first reflex was to position himself in front of Cas. Someone he didn't know, in the same room as his sleeping angel? He wasn't going to take any chance.

"This is my daughter, Jo." Ellen informed Dean.

Jo smiled at him a little, then joined him on the bed, next to Cas. Dean let her. "Mom told me. I'm here to help. I'm studying medicine with Chuck, the village's healer."

Dean looked at her, dumbstruck. She could help Cas. These two women really were a miracle.

Jo tilted her head, waiting for something. "So, do you want me to help him or not?"

"Hu? Oh, yeah! Right. Go ahead please." Dean said, quickly getting up to leave her some room.

He watched as she inspected Cas, who kept trashing on the bed and whimpering in his sleep. She worked silently, and Dean waited anxiously.

"So?" He asked after a while, unable to stand the suspense much longer.

Jo pulled away from Cas and smiled at Dean. "I know what I can give him. I need to go gather some stuff, but he should be better in a few days."

Dean let out a long sigh of relief and Ellen smiled at him, visibly not insensitive to his worry. "He's gonna be fine." She promised.

Jo left to grab whatever it was that she needed. Ellen and Dean sat back down on the bed.

The woman ran a hand through Cas' hair and whispered, "Hold on sweetheart."

Dean smiled a little at the sight, glad that he wasn't alone and that Cas got attention from someone else than him. He felt better now, reassured. Cas was going to be okay.

He looked up at Ellen. "Thank you. For everything you're doing."

She shook her head and smiled softly. "Don't mention it." She went back to petting Cas' hair in hope to soothe him, as the angel kept whining in his sleep. After a moment of silence, she spoke again, "Are you two together?"

Dean tensed slightly. She didn't seem to be the kind of person to judge them, but he couldn't be sure. He was used to people being judgmental, and he had never really been free to be himself because of his father. However, he did not want to lie about his and Cas' relationship.

"Yeah, we are. Is that a problem?" He asked, narrowing his eyes.

"No, not at all. You look like good guys." Ellen said. "Sorry if I seemed harsh yesterday. I learned to be wary of strangers. Not mentioning you looked like you were in bad shape. Especially Cas." She paused. "His name is Cas, right? It's a strange name."

"Actually, his name is Castiel. He wasn't born in Nanta, he's from a western island. Apparently, they all have strange names there, but they're good people." Dean lied. It was easier than to tell the truth, and would definitely spare them a lot of trouble. He hoped it was good enough for Ellen not to dig any further.

Thankfully, she didn't. So Dean thought now was a good time to ask questions of his own. "You said you were careful with strangers? I thought Sanburry was a peaceful place."

"Oh, it is." She assured. "Most of the time. We did have few problems with leviathans stopping here for a few nights. A guy named Dick." Ellen explained and Dean couldn't help but snort. He looked down, embarrassed, but Ellen only chuckled. "Yeah, it suited him well."

"It's fine though, right?" Dean asked. "Leviathans don't come here every day.

"Sure. Strangers come here often though. You two. Two days ago a guy named Alistair. He crashed here for a night, then said he would stay at a friend's. So he didn't leave the village. It's a pity, really, 'cause he was weird."

"Alistair…" Dean repeated, trying the name on his tongue. He didn't like it. It didn't sound right. Yet, maybe it was just because of what Ellen had said. He didn't have time to study the name any longer though, because Jo slipped back in the room, trying to be quiet not to wake Cas up and scare him.

"I've got everything." She told them, showing a little piece of cloth made of silk, in which she had put green seeds of a plant Dean did not recognize. Then again, he wouldn't have been able to tell which plant had curative virtues and which one didn't for the life of his.

She placed the seeds on the table and grabbed a strange tool that she used to crush the seeds, making a thick mash out of them. She gathered the substance in her hand, poured it in a glass and mixed it with water, so it formed a weird-looking liquid. Dean wouldn't have tried it for the world.

Jo sat down next to Cas, but it was Dean she was looking at. "I need you to lift his head up a little so he doesn't choke."

Dean nodded, waiting for Ellen to step away before gently cupping the back of Cas' burning neck with his hand and lifting it up slightly. He scooted closer so we could rest the angel's head on his lap. Cas he opened his eyes, foggy with sleep and sickness. He looked up at Dean, but he did not seem to really see him.

The older man caressed his cheek and whispered, "You're alright, don't worry."

Castiel didn't react but he didn't resist the slightest when Jo pushed the rim of the glass past his lips. She tilted the glass and Cas drank slowly, under Dean's careful watch. He frowned when he swallowed, but Dean didn't know if it was because he disliked the taste or because he had trouble ingesting it while lying down.

"You can lay him back down now," Jo commanded, "he should sleep for the rest of the night."

Dean did as he was told and cautiously placed Castiel's head on the pillow.

Not caring what anyone could think, he leaned down and kissed the angel's forehead. He gladly noticed that neither Ellen or Jo made any comment.

Instead, Jo smiled at them. Dean wasn't used to people being so tolerant. He knew what look his father would have given him if he'd showed up with a guy and claimed that he was the person he wanted to spend his whole life with. He'd expected to be looked down on all his life, and to know that Cas would live the same thing filled him with sorrow. Yet, here he was, facing two amazing women who seemed totally okay with who they were and how they'd chosen to live their lives.

Suddenly, he felt pretty lucky. In fact, for the first time in a while, he didn't feel like utter shit about what he was.

"Where are you two going? You don't look like sellers. You're not going to Ors, are you?" Jo asked after a while.

Dean shook his head, "No... Actually, we were looking for a place to settle in."

"And you want me to believe that out of the hundreds of villages on this territory, you chose Sanburry?" Jo laughed and Dean wondered if he had made a mistake. "What was so attractive about it? Was it the people? The beautiful weather?"

Dean didn't understand that she was being sarcastic before he heard Ellen scold her. "Joanna Beth Harvelle, stop it. Sanburry is a great place."

"Yeah, if you wanna die of boredom." Jo snorted.

"Enough. Your father and I lived here before you were even born, so watch your mouth." Ellen growled, and Jo immediately calmed down.

Dean fidgeted uncomfortably. He felt like a child, unexpectedly trapped in a family dinner that had nothing to do with him.

"Anyway..." Jo said, after rolling her eyes. "Why on Earth would you want to live here? I don't even think we have any house to sell in the village."

Dean sighed. Now was the moment to lie.

Partly.

"My father wasn't very... Receptive of our relationship." He explained, nodding his head in Cas' direction. "We wanted to be together anyway so we decided to move out. We were looking for a calm, simple place where my dad wouldn't look for us. I think we found it but... I don't think we would have enough money to buy a house even if there was one to sell."

His confession was followed by a heavy, uncomfortable silence. What Ellen said after a while, changed Cas and Dean's lives.

"So, if I understand well, you are also looking for a job to make some money?" She asked, and Dean nodded. "I may have something to offer then. Jo and I are the only ones working here, we could use additional hands."

Dean blinked a few times and sat straighter on the bed. "Are you giving us a job?"

Ellen smiled warmly. "And a room if you want it. You'll have it for free but I won't pay you much. Let's say your salary will pay for the rent and I'll give you a little extra so you can still live your life. But don't expect mountains of money from me boys."

Dean couldn't believe it. Life had been everything but merciful on them so far, and now luck seemed to finally be on their side.

"Is that serious?" He asked hesitantly, internally scared that it could be nothing but a tasteless joke.

Jo nodded. She was grinning. "Mom and I have been talking about hiring more people for a while. We could use some company."

"Yeah, but we still have to see if you fit the job and if you're really trustworthy. If you are, then everything should go well for you." Ellen added quickly, to clarify things up.

Dean impulsively took her hand and squeezed it. "Thank you. Thank you so much. I don't even know what to say..." He blurted out, a wide smile on his lips.

"You don't have to say anything." Ellen assured, as she took her hand away. Dean didn't formalise, he knew she wasn't completely sure if she could trust them yet. Although this time, Dean knew that she would eventually warm up on them.

Castiel was sick for three days. Dean never once left his side. Jo and Ellen checked on them from time to time, bringing them food, fresh water or medicine.

Dean was more than grateful for their help. He didn't think he could ever thank them enough.

Ellen did not even make them pay their stay for those three nights.

Castiel, who kept slipping in and out of consciousness during that time, only truly awoke in the middle of the afternoon, on the fourth day. Dean was on him in a second, overshadowing Cas' now weak and fragile body with his own, more massive and strong.

Castiel wasn't usually that pale and thin, but those three days spent doing nothing but sleep and trash around in the bed had visibly weakened him.

Despite Dean's desperate attempts to get him to eat something, Castiel had barely swallowed anything at all. Now, the lack of food was starting to show on his body, and the lack of proteins on his energy.

It only reinforced Dean's will to protect him.

He was getting slightly better. At least now, the fever had disappeared. He still needed to get a hold of himself though. He needed his strength back.

This time, Dean would make sure he recovered correctly.

Castiel opened hazy eyes and looked up at Dean, as if he didn't quite understand why his gaze was filled with so much worry and affection.

"Dean?" He started. His voice was husky with sleep. It sounded so weak it was barely a murmur. "What are you doing here?"

Dean smiled a little and leaned down on Cas, until he was practically crushing him underneath his body, although he made sure not to weigh on him completely. "You looked like you were finally waking up." He whispered, so he wouldn't wake him up too brutally.

Castiel looked confused and let out a soft moan as he closed his eyes again. "Mmh… My head." He complained, frowning.

Dean watched him carefully, concerned. "Do you need something to feel better? Anything."

He seemed so eager to help that Cas couldn't help a smile. "I'm fine." He assured, although his expression suggested otherwise. "How long did I sleep?"

"Almost four days. Well, you woke up many times, but you were so drowned in fever you probably don't even remember." Dean said, almost as if he was thinking out loud.

He had spent three days as close to Cas as he could physically get, but he still felt like he had missed him immensely.

He hadn't been feeling well either, knowing that his angel was sick. He hadn't eaten much, but had forced himself not to fall too deep into despair, hanging on to the single thought that he needed to watch over Cas. He had internally vowed that he would keep Cas safe, that he would be more careful and would make sure nothing of the sort happened again.

Cas sighed and averted Dean's eyes. "I'm sorry…"

"What for?" Dean's eyebrows knotted together. "You've got nothing to be sorry for."

"I do though… I've been reckless and now I've ruined our arrival here. It was supposed to be special. The start of a new life… And I made it bad."

Dean immediately shook his head and kissed Cas' cheek. He quickly ended up covering his face with featherlight kisses. "You didn't ruin anything. You're okay, and it's all that matters to me. I swear, Cas, it doesn't change anything. I'm not gonna start that new life without you. I waited for you."

Dean grinned wide, his teeth showed behind his lips and his eyes wrinkled. Cas thought for a second that the sight would make him blind. Even when he was feeling terrible, Dean managed to make it right.

"Wait…" Castiel said, unsure what Dean was implying. "You mean you haven't left the inn for three days?"

His eyes were wide as he searched Dean's face for a hint that would tell him he wasn't serious. He didn't want Dean to stop living his life because he was ill for a few days.

Yet, Dean only shook his head. He was still smiling. "Course not. I wouldn't leave you alone. You needed me."

Cas took in the information. He did remember Dean holding him close for several hours. He had kept him warm, had made sure he was fine.

It was blurry, but he definitely recalled Dean's warm body being pressed up against him, or the gentle words he whispered in his ear. Whispers Cas couldn't remember no matter how hard he tried.

It was useless now, to pretend that Dean was wrong, that he would have been fine on his own. He was just feeling guilty that Dean had had to put on hold something he was very excited about, just to stay with Castiel.

"Thank you…" The angel whispered, and he allowed his lips to spread into a soft smile.

Dean leaned down to kiss Cas' forehead and whispered, "Now that you're better, we can really start over. It's gonna be great baby, you'll see."

To Castiel, Dean's smile looked like a silent promise of a better future, and it filled his chest with warmth and hope. They had been through a lot but it was over now. From this day, they would live peacefully together, and wouldn't let anything come their way.

So, what are your thoughts about this chapter? Please, leave a review, it's always appreciated!