Under and Above

15

They arrived at the bunker late in the afternoon. Cas was tired of swimming so much so that half way to the bunker, he had made Dean carry him. He used his Air Tank frequently, but that didn't seem to bother Dean. 

 When they arrived at the entrance of the bunker, Dean let go of Cas and made a nervous humming sound. 

 "Well, here we are. I- I hope you like it," Dean murmured. Cas swam up to the rock and a curtain of seaweed, pushing it aside. 

 "Holy crap, Dean!" 

 The cave walls were lined with glowing crystals, and the water only went so far into the cave before it turned into a sandy beach. A chair made out of squashy seaweed sat in the corner, and a hammock hung from the ceiling. There were shelves of odd things, too. The rim of a tire, a smashed television, a wrench... It occurred to Cas that Dean probably had no clue what those things were. Streamer-like things hung from the ceiling forming pretty patterns. It really was a beautiful place. 

 "So, what do you think?" asked Dean. He look a little nervous to be showing Castiel his secret hideout. 

 "It's beautiful, Dean," murmured Cas. 

 Dean ducked his head, embarrassed. "You think? It took me a while... But I hope it's comfortable." 

Cas made his way up the beach, pausing to stretch. Swimming was really a pain in the butt! Cas put his pack in the hammock and jumped up into it. It was surprisingly comfortable. Cas looked around for Dean, and found him still in the water. 

 "What are you doing? Aren't you coming out?" 

 Dean shook his head. "No, I have some business I need to take care of. Just, don't go outside the cave, and stay quiet. I'll bring back some food for you later, okay?" 

 "Please don't leave me," Cas begged. "You know I'm not safe!" Dean chuckled, and his eyes crinkled making him seem younger than he probably was. "You're fine, Cas. I promise." 

 Cas swallowed nervously, but nodded. "Fine. But hurry." Dean dove under the water and was gone. Cas couldn't help but feel like something bad was going to happen. His gut told him that he was in danger. Castiel got off the hammock and began to pace nervously. Dean had been gone about 20 minutes now. When was he coming back? 

 Sitting on the cave floor, Cas drew in deep, shaky breaths. You'll be fine, he told himself. You're in deep crap, said his gut. He tried to believe himself, but when the curtain of seaweed parted, he knew his gut was right.

                                                                                                ... 

 Dean swam back into the bunker about 2 hours later. "Cas! I'm back!" but only silence greeted him. "Cas?" Dean called. "Castiel? Where are you?" No reply. Dean took a shaky breath. "Castiel, this isn't funny. Please come out." 

 Rising out of the water, Dean quickly searched the bunker which took less time than expected. Cas was gone. 

 "Oh no oh no oh no," Dean moaned, his head in his hands. He felt panic set in. He thought that Cas might actually be safe here. He'd forced himself to believe it. He thought that he could hide Cas from this, this prophecy. He had failed and now he had to find him. Suddenly, Dean spotted something he had not seen before. He hurried over to the piece of seaweed hanging from the hammock. His eyes quickly scanned over the writing on it, before he sighed. 

 "Damn it, Sam!" Dean knew that there was only a small chance of saving Cas. Dean's brother, Sam, had taken Castiel to Dean's home, a place he wished that Cas would never see. Honestly, he was embarrassed that Cas would find out who he truly was, but that had to wait. His priority was saving Cas.

Diving back into the water, Dean made his way the grand palace of the merpeople. His home.    

AUTHORS NOTE: 

Hey all! I'm so sorry I haven't updated! I promise I'll make next chapter super long. I've been crazy busy lately and can't seem to find the time to update or write much at the moment. I swear I'm trying, though! I love you all! Thanks so much!

- M