"Cas?" Dean gasped, mind whirling at the implications. He couldn't help the pleased smile that came to his face for a few moments before what the angel had said sank in. "Your Charge?"

Castiel tilted his head slightly as he moved forward to offer a hand to the two prone men. "Yes. Dean Winchester is my Charge," Castiel replied simply as he hauled Sam to his feet before offering his hand to Dean. "I was assigned to watch over Dean and care for him as my Charge. When he was cast into Hell to save his brother, it was I that gripped him tight and raised him from Perdition. He still bears my Mark upon his shoulder. As you do," he finished as he got Dean to his feet. He leaned down and scooped the unconscious Dean into his arms carefully, the motion almost seemed tender and familiar.

"What?" Dean asked, mind not quite able to catch up. He'd felt a tingle in his arm when this new Castiel mentioned that Cas had marked him when he'd pulled him from Hell, but how this newcomer knew the mark was still there, under his skin, didn't fully click.

"You bear the Mark of your Castiel. Though, he did cover it when he healed you after the fight with Michael and Lucifer," Castiel offered as he headed for the hallway. "Which room may I put him in? He needs rest. The spell was quite draining for him. His soul is drained. He did too much too soon. Though it did give me a way to find him and pull myself between the dimensions to find him again. We do share a profound bond after all."

Dean could feel his cheeks heat slightly at the mention of the profound bond that it seemed all Castiels and Deans seemed to share. He knew that their relationship wasn't typical Angel and Charge, but he didn't like looking at it too closely. "Um, the room across from mine should be fine."

"Thank you," Castiel replied with a formal nod of his head. He moved into the room gracefully and settled the Wiccan onto the bed with all the care he could muster. "He will need to sleep for several hours. More than his usual four to six hours. Though this place should provide him with a good location to regenerate his energy. Do you have a fan?

"A fan?" Sam asked as he trailed behind the others.

"Yes. An electrical fan?" Castiel replied as he looked around the room like he was familiar with it.

"Um... I think there's one in the storage room...?" Sam offered as he turned to go get it.

"That would be kind of you. Dean has a great affinity for the element of Air and a fan will help him recharge his stores faster," Castiel offered as he noted the confused look on both brother's faces. "Moving air stimulates his connection with the element of air."

"Affinity? You know, I'm stilling having trouble reconciling the face that a version of me is a witch," Dean countered as he held up a hand to halt Castiel.

"He is not a Witch," Castiel interrupted with an irritated look on his face. "He is a Wiccan, human Warrior of God. And his Sam is on a quest to shut the Gates of Hell forever. Is that not a worthy cause?"

"No, it's a perfectly good cause. But ... magic?" Dean asked as Sam disappeared around the corner, off to get the fan. "It's just ... something we avoid like the plague."

"Not really. If you're anything like my Dean and Sam. You use symbols to protect yourselves, do you not?" Castiel asked. Dean stared and shook his head. "And you have used anti-witch magic. Summoning magic. Seers, and exorcisms. That is magic. You just never thought about it that way. My Dean realized that a few years back. And he decided that it would benefit them to have one of them know how to cast more potent protective spells. And healing. Like the Men of Letters."

Dean blinked dumbly at the angel before him as Sam brought in an ancient, metal fan.

"I hope that answers your questions," Castiel replied as he grabbed a chair and pulled it close to the bed where Wiccan Dean was resting. "Dean needs rest."

"And you're going to sit and watch him? Like a creeper?" Dean asked, unable to stop the smart-ass comment from leaving his lips.

"Yes. I plan to watch over him. Though 'creeper' is not the right word for it. I am concerned. And I share a deep bond with him, it would be unwise for me to not keep watch when he is in a place he is unfamiliar with while he is unconscious," Castiel countered, tone tired and unrelenting in his certainty of being right. "But I appreciate your concern."

"Right," Dean replied slowly. "If you need anything... just call."

Castiel nodded as he plugged in the fan; which looked almost new now, and aimed it towards his Dean's face. He nodded as the sleeping man gave a faint smile and the tension drained from his face. He turned and waited for the brothers to leave the room so he could sit closer.

"Do you think they ...?" Dean asked as soon as he thought he was out of earshot.

"Are a Dean and Cas from another reality a couple?" Sam asked, thoroughly enjoying his brother's discomfort.

"Yeah. You think so?" Dean finished, slightly irritated by his brother's arrogant attitude.

"Obviously," Sam replied with a shake of his head and a raised eyebrow.

"Okay," Dean replied with a look of concentration on his face as he processed the new information. "Makes sense."

Sam's head reared back at the off-handed comment, shocked at his brother's seemingly easy acceptance. "Seriously?"

"Seriously," Dean replied as he gave his brother a questioning look. "What?"

"You just seem surprisingly chill about this ..." Sam made a vague gesture. "I figured you'd be..."

Dean raised an eyebrow at the awkwardness of his brother's comment.

"Freaking out?" Sam finished lamely.

"Why would I freak out? It's not like either of them is making us watch. Or flaunting it in our faces. That," Dean frowned as he pointed towards the room where Wiccan Dean slept, "is something that could have happened. Why are you having an issue?"

"I don't know," Sam huffed a bit, hands flailing in frustration. "You just seem so staunchly straight. Gay guys make you nervous! And what do you mean 'that could have happened'?"

Dean blinked at his brother in silence for several moments as he tried to formulate the best way to approach the subject.

Sam shifted uncomfortably in the weighted silence. He opened his mouth a few times but said nothing.

"Sam, I'm not interested in guys. At least, not for the most part. I'm kind of into ... Cas," Dean said after a few moments of trying to get his thoughts together. "We... kinda ... understand each other. You know? But I never really thought about it. And with everything that's been happening lately, it wasn't really something I wanted to think about. Seeing that Cas with his Dean? And ain't that an odd thing to say? I dunno. Kinda has me thinking about stuff." Dean rubbed the back of his neck in discomfort from talking about his feelings and emotions. John Winchester had never been the kind of father to talk about feelings. Hence the 'no chick-flick moments' rule.

Sam blinked in disbelief for several seconds before laughing and shaking his head. "Hey, I was wondering if either one of you was going to admit to the tension in the air. Nice to know you aren't that oblivious."

Dean leveled a glare at his brother. "Just because I don't want to talk about it, doesn't mean I don't know that stuff is happening. I am a hunter, you know."

"Yeah, and we all have our blind-spots," Sam replied with a shrug. He couldn't hide the grin that came to his face as he saw his brother's jaw clench as he prepared to yell at him. "But I'm sure you just wanted to wait for the ... right time, right?"

Dean's hands unclenched as he rolled his eyes at his brother. "Yeah... I'm done. I'm going to bed. I'm tired."

Sam opened and closed his moth several times before he shrugged. He realized he'd pushed his brother a little too much but that he should leave him alone for. A bit. He watched as Dean headed to his own room and shut the door.

TBC ...