Hi there!

Ok, this is again post-apocalypse, with Dean/Cas.

Not slash, though has definite mentions ;)

A follow up from something said in 5:03.

Enjoy and please review!

Dean looked down at the prone body laid out in front of him, a single tear running down his cheek. The breeze caught up and gently lifted a side of tan material, flapping it up over a trouser clad leg, folding. He reached out a trembling hand to pull it back to where it should be, smoothing the creases out of the coat.

He looked up, begging the heavens to rethink, to show some mercy.

How had it ended like this?

It had started like any other hunt; he, Cas and his brother had been called by Bobby to check out possible demon activity in Illinois. They had travelled through the night, Castiel riding shotgun, Sam slowly falling asleep in the back seat, exhausted from nightmares he had suffered the night before.

'I could help him' Cas' soft voice broke through his thoughts. 'To stop the nightmares, I mean.'

He looked over at the angel. 'You can ask dude, but I don't think he'll say yes.' He shrugged.

Cas tilted his head, a motion he did every time he was confused. 'But if it helps, why would he refuse?' he asked.

'Sammy's not the kinda guy to accept help. He'd rather struggle on by himself than admit defeat.' Dean patted the angel on the knee, a dismissive, but reassuring smile on his face. They travelled the rest of the way with the music turned down low, Dean quizzing Cas on the artist and track name, delighted when Cas got them all right first time.

They had reached the motel early next morning, waking up the slumbering motel clerk.

'Two rooms please. One single, one double.' Asked Dean, putting down his weapons bag, wincing at the metallic clunk it made on the floor.

The clerk, a young looking scruff of a man raised his eyebrows and looked at them each in turn, analysing them in his mind. Which one was the single and who was sharing the double? Having seemingly given up, he handed them two keys, his eyes still narrowed, a smirk on his face. 'Have a nice night' he added as they made their way through, craning his neck as they went pass, as though the motion would give him all the answers he needed.

That afternoon, after a well deserved sleep (during which Sam had vacated to the library) and after Dean had pulled himself away from Castiel (that guy sure was a distraction); they had travelled to the location that Bobby had told them, a large, abandoned warehouse, which Sam told them used to house cars.

'Strange place to keep your car' noted Cas, which set Dean off into chuckling.

They had split up, Sam on his own, Dean with Cas, both taking different directions. Sam would be looking at the upper floor, Dean and the angel, the basement area.

They both trod carefully down the stone steps, which were surprisingly steep, which Dean found out when he nearly cart wheeled down them. Castiel grabbed him just in time, steadying him with a firm hand on his forearm. They then made their way through the labyrinth of tunnels, which smelt of must and soil.

Castiel stalked stealthily behind Dean, his eyes peeled, scanning the darkness for any sign of demonic activity. There was nothing, which set his suspicion into overtime.

'Dean-'he started, but was shushed by a flick of the humans' hand and a finger to his lips.

'Hear that?' whispered Dean, head tilted to his right side. His eyes narrowed. 'Is that rustling?'

Cas listened closely, his own head tilted. The silence was deafening for a few moments, the pressure intense. 'I cannot hear anything Dean' he said plainly.

Dean shook his head. 'Must've been a rat or something.' He shrugged, though it was clear he was still listening.

They walked forwards a few hundred more yards, turning through a corner and coming to a large room, with machinery in a corner. A huge metal staircase ran around the top of the room, a viewing platform of some kind. In the darkness, Dean could just make out a car parked in another corner, though its make and model he couldn't make out.

'Cas, I don't get this. Demons would've realised we were here by now' he turned to the angel, who was looking up at the staircase.

'That's what I was trying to tell you before' Cas told him, looking around with a frown on his face. 'It's too quiet to be demons.'

Hackles now definitely raised, they both raised their weapons; in Dean's case his gun, in the angel's one hand bare and the other clutching his angel knife. Walking forwards slowly, on foot at a time, they edged towards the other side of the room, the darkness and silence pressing in on them from all angles. Dean flicked his head over to Cas, checking his was coping ok. He needn't have worried; the angel had his knife raised and eyes narrowed in concentration. He felt a swell of love and pride and looked forwards again.

After several tense minutes there was a massive bang, static burning through the air with the force of a hurricane. What looked like two barbs of horizontal blue lightning jetted out of the darkness, a man sized gap between them.

Dean automatically brought his hands up towards his eyes, unwilling to be blinded. He felt Cas move in front of him, shielding him from the glare with his body.

The light suddenly dissipated, leaving white spots dancing in Dean's vision. In his momentary blindness, he felt Castiel tense in front of him.

'Cas, what is it?' he asked, feeling out for him.

Then a deep voice thundered from the darkness.

'Castiel. I told you I would find you.'

He recognised that voice. A dark face, illuminated with Holy Fire in a rundown house they had squatted in for a few days. His hand, which had fisted up and caught in Cas's trench coat, moved forward as Cas took a step toward the voice.

'Raphael' He heard his angel breathe.

Ooh!

This will be a multi chaptered fic (cos' obviously I can't leave it there )

Please let me know what you think, and yes there will be more action in the next chapter!

Thanks for reading,

Luckypixi

xxx