Dean pulled the needle through Castiel's skin. They were almost out of dental floss. They'd have to stop somewhere and get more soon.

"Why is this not healing?" Dean asked. It was just a normal knife slice across his shoulder, normally he would just work some angel mojo and it'd be fine, but he had tried and it hadn't worked.

"I believe taking in Meg's demonic essence may have weakened some of my abilities." He said, "But I should return to normal soon enough." He winced as the needle pierced his flesh again. Dean cracked a smile then tried to repress it. It was always funny to him when Cas looked a little more human. He didn't know why. He didn't like him being hurt, but seeing him just the slightest bit vulnerable…he couldn't resist it. He knotted off the floss and then snipped off the excess. He put the needle back in the bag that was their makeshift suture kit and then went to cover the wound with a bandage when suddenly he stopped, feeling his hand brush against something he couldn't see. He would have ignored it, but Castiel had shuddered in the same moment.

He continued bandaging him up. "Was that….were those feathers?" Cas would know what he was really asking. He saw Cas nod.

"Yes. You grazed my wings."

"But…what…how…that's never happened before…I thought they were, you know…"

"They are. You aren't supposed to be able to do that, but as Seraphiel continually says there is no manual for what she did to you. You may be able to feel them."

Dean taped off the bandage and then pulled his hands back. He put them palm out and tried to concentrate on what he had felt moments before. He pushed hem forward a bit and then felt something soft. He closed his eyes, spreading his hands apart through seemingly empty air, feeling what could only be described as pure love running through his fingers. He opened his eyes as his one hand caught slightly. He pulled it away and a little feather made entirely out of light fell from his fingers. As it drifted down to the sheets it became nothing but ash.

He shook himself, and then continued checking Castiel for injuries. "Are you good?" He asked, finding nothing else.

"I believe you have treated all of my wounds."

"Good." Dean got off the bed and started going around the room to pack. "It's less than a two hour drive from here to home. If we leave soon we'll get there in time for dinner."

Cas stood up. The clothes he had been wearing were ruined and he didn't have the energy to fix them. He went over to his bag and found one of his reserve shirts, a Led Zeppelin one, and pulled it on, then stuffed the white shirt, tie and suit jacket, bloody and torn as they were, into the bag.

Dean swung his duffle bag over his shoulder and walked out, closing the door behind him. He walked to the trunk of the Impala and threw the bag inside, then slammed it shut. As he did, he noticed Meg standing next to the car and he jumped.

"Jesus…"

"Didn't mean to scare you, big guy." She looked around. "Cas inside?"

Dean full out glared at her. He started to act like he was going to walk past her, put then turned and pinned her to the car, pulling the demon knife from his belt and pressing the point of it just below her sternum.

"Now you listen to me, you demonic whore. I don't want to see, hear, smell, taste or feel you anywhere near me or my family, you got that?"

"That knife isn't going to work on me, I'm not demon enough anymore."

"Yeah, well, it'd probably still hurt" He pushed a little harder, and he could feel it pierce her clothing, and the skin giving slightly beneath. Sure enough, she winced. "That's what I thought. Now you stay away, or I will find a way to kill you…whatever the hell it is you've become. The only reason I haven't already is because we still kind of owe you." He pulled her off the car and then tossed her down to the ground. She flipped her hair out of her face and looked up from the ground.

"Crowley wants to use Thalia to get himself redeemed. Just thought you'd like to know." She said, spitting, before she disappeared. Dean flexed his fingers around the hilt of the blade, and then stuck it back in his belt. He took a deep breath, then turned on his heel and walked back in to the motel room.

Sera pulled the pie out of the oven, setting it on top of a trivet on the counter so it could cool. Sam walked in to the kitchen. "Smells good. I guess this means Dean and Cas are coming tonight."

"Yeah, they should be here before dark." She looked over her shoulder at Sam. "Thalia down for her nap?"

"Out like a light. She really wore herself out crawling today."

"You know this means we have to baby-proof some stuff now."

"Can't we just…I don't know…let her get into stuff? I mean…I highly doubt a Nephilim is going to be taken down by sticking a paper clip into a light socket or something."

"Yeah, but it'd kill our power. It's just less mess to clean up, that's all." She turned completely around to face him, leaning on the counter. "When they get here, don't ask them what's wrong."

"What?"

"Dean will tell you if he's ready to tell you but…but don't ask, okay? It'll just…make everything awkward."

"Uh…okay."

"Also, when it's time for them to leave again, you'll be going with Dean, not Cas."

"What?"

"Thalia's gotten big enough and content enough for me to watch over her on my own. Cas has other things he needs to do, and being a Hunter is in your blood. It's what you're meant for. You need to get back out there, saving people and all that jazz."

"But…I don't want…"

"Can it, Sam. You're going to. While they're here you're going to realize that while you may be happy here, you're restless, and you're going to make the decision to leave on your own, I'm just giving you a heads up so you can go ahead and start preparing."

Sam looked conflicted. He didn't really know how to feel about this. She stepped forward, fixing his collar and smoothing the shoulders of his shirt. "Don't worry. We'll be here for you to come home to, and if you miss us, I can zap anywhere in a second, alright? We'll be fine, you need to get back to your life."

"If this is another attempt to distance yourself from me so that I won't be sad when you leave, it's not going to work. You're in my blood now, Sera."

"I know. That's not what this is about."

"What is it about, then?"

"It's about something bigger than all of us. If it were up to me, you and Dean and Cas would all stay here. Safe, loved, comforted, the biggest problems in your lives would be how we're going to pay the bills and what we're having for dinner, or Thalia trying to grow up too fast, but it's not up to me, and you have to go."

"Can't we change it?"

"Don't you dare, Samuel Winchester."

Later on in the night, after Dean and Cas had gotten there and they had eaten and caught up with each other, Dean was in his bedroom, unpacking everything so Sera could wash it. There were a lot of things going through his mind, the foremost being what he wanted to say to Castiel. He wanted to make things right, make everything better, but he didn't know how.

Suddenly his eyes caught movement outside his door. He turned and saw Castiel walking past. He straightened and said the angel's name. He stopped and took two steps back, poking his head into the room. Dean beckoned him in. The angel stepped into the room. Dean saw that he was barefoot. He was still wearing the Led Zeppelin shirt, but had changed into his black and blue pajama pants.

"Shut the door."

Cas looked confused, then waved the door shut with a flick of his hand. "What is it?"

"I need to apologize." Dean said. The angel opened his mouth to stop him but Dean put up his hand. "No, just…don't say anything, okay? I need to get this out." He took a deep breath and turned toward him.

"I haven't treated you as well as I should have. Not just about things lately but…you know…in general. I've always been selfish and disrespectful because it's who I am, and I can't change that. There is something I would change, though." He started stepping slowly towards Castiel.

"The simple fact is that I want you to be mine. All mine. I don't want to share you with anyone else, and that's not fair of me if I'm going to keep having one night-stands with the girls we keep saving and random chicks I meet in bars. I should have learned my lesson about that with the Amazons but…I am who I am…so I just want you to know that…if you want it, I'll be yours. All yours. No more women, or you know…monsters…just you…I don't know how I'm going to be able to cope with that. I'm not really programmed to be monogamous but…I don't want to lose you so…" He cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Yeah, that's pretty much it."

Cas tilted his head and blinked at him, but was silent. Dean rubbed his neck then turned away. "Kind of…you know, putting myself out there, Cas. It'd be nice if you would say something."

He felt the angel's hand on his shoulder, and turned with it as it pulled him. Cas looked him up and down and then smiled. He answered simply, "Yes." It was enough. In fact, Dean was glad that he didn't get all gushy. He forced out a laugh, then grabbed the angel and pulled him close into a kiss.

Dean pulled him over to the bed and sat him down, grabbing the bottom of his shirt and pulling it up over his head. Then, he bent down and grabbed the bottom of his pajama pants, yanking them off. He smiled up at the angel, planting kisses on his knees and inner thighs. He was being gentle, worshipful, and Cas was just eating it up. Dean stood again, leaning over Cas, caressing the inside of his mouth with his tongue. As he moved forward, Cas slid back on the mattress, eventually lying completely down. Dean started kissing down his neck, his chest, flicking out his tongue like a snake. As he got lower he stopped and looked up at Cas out of the top of his eyes.

"Cover your mouth, I don't want them to hear." Cas blinked his big blue eyes, then put both of his hands over his mouth. Dean pressed hard against Cas's hip bones, pinning him down. He never thought he'd be into this, but this was who he wanted, who he loved, and Dean never was one to do anything halfway.