"Wow," Dean said, lying in bed next to the angel. Cas was snuggled up next him, the blankets pulled over their waists, covering their still naked bodies. Cas's arm rested on Dean's chest and his right wing draped over them, his left wing resting above Dean's head.
"You said that already," Cas said, smiling.
"Wow," Dean said again. "The way your eyes glowed. The way your wings spread out. Let's just say the noises you made were nothing compared to seeing that."
Cas blushed fiercely. "Well, the wings were just a bonus," he said, smiling, and nuzzling Dean's neck with his nose. "Normally you wouldn't be able to see them. And I didn't even know that would happen."
Dean smiled and kissed the top of Castiel's head. "Well, it was beautiful, Cas," he said sincerely, stroking the angel's arm. "And you were amazing. Really. I loved every second of it."
"Yeah, I know," Cas said, smiling up at him. "You made some pretty great noises too, Dean."
Now it was Dean's turn to blush. "Yeah, I did," he said, grinning. "Thanks to you."
Cas scooted up a little and pressed his lips to Deans.
"Dean?" They heard Sam's voice at the door.
"Damn it," Dean said, pulling away. He kissed Castiel once more before climbing out of bed and dressing as quickly as he could.
"Hey, back already?" he asked Sam, stepping into the hallway, being sure not to open the door any further than he had to and closing it behind him quickly. That may have been a bit too obvious, he told himself, and Sam's next comment confirmed it.
"Dude, nice sex hair," he said, staring at his brother. "You might want to fix that before you see Lucifer. He already has enough amo."
"You got him?" Dean said, somewhat surprised. He was relieved and scared at the same time. He wanted desperately to save Mary and Jack, but he was nervous that Cas wouldn't be safe with Lucifer here. And they didn't know if this mission would work at all. Once he stepped through that rift he might never see Castiel again.
"Seriously," Sam said, motioning to Dean's crazy hair.
Dean growled. He went down the hall to his room and came back a few minutes later, his hair back to normal. "Better?" he asked.
"Let's go," Sam said.
They walked into the main room of the bunker and Dean saw Lucifer on his knees, his hands bound behind him in some magical glowing shackles, no doubt Rowena's doing. He was leaning forward but not falling over, and underneath him was a bowl. Gabriel and Rowena stood by the table, watching him.
"The rest of the ingredients are in there," Rowena said, motioning to the bowel. "Now all we need is his grace."
"So, let me get this straight," Lucifer said. "You guys are going to use me to keep the rift open, and keep me from my son, while draining me of my grace. Not bad. I gotta say though, I'm not sure how long you expect these to hold me," he twisted his wrists around the shackles.
"Oh, they'll hold," Dean said, stepping up to Lucifer with an angel blade and cutting his throat, just enough to let some grace leak out and into the bowl.
"Ooh, tough, Dean," Lucifer teased. "Where's your little angel boyfriend? You really gonna risk leaving him here with me? My Dad only knows what could happen to him if I get loose."
Anger and fear boiled up inside of Dean and he lifted the angel blade again, pointing it at Lucifer's neck. "I could just drain it all right now," he threatened.
"But you won't," Lucifer said. "Cuz you need it to last, am I right? This is a pickle, isn't it? Leave the boyfriend here with me and the witch that I've already killed twice," he glanced at Rowena who tried not to appear as afraid as she felt, "or take him with you, into another dimension, filled with war, and blood, and my favorite part, Michael." He grinned at Dean menacingly, knowing he was getting under the Winchester's skin.
But Dean knew he was right, and that was the worst part. There was no good answer. No matter where Cas was he would be in danger. Dean started to panic, the angel blade shaking in his hand. He set it down on the table and walked away.
Sam caught up with his brother in the hallway and saw him rubbing his face with his hands and pacing. "Dean, look, I know this is hard, but Lucifer is just being a dick. He's trying to make you angry."
"No, Sam!" Dean said angrily, "He's right! No matter what I do, no matter where Cas is, he's not safe!" He turned away from Sam, facing the wall, resting his hands up against it. "I can't leave him here alone, Sam," he said, starting to panic. "I can't."
"Dean," Sam said firmly. "I need you over there. Mom and Jack need you over there. Just Gabriel and I isn't going to cut it, okay? We have no idea what we're walking into. We. Need. You." he said, emphasizing each of his last words. "Rowena is staying here with Lucifer, okay? Cas will be safe."
"Maybe we should take him with us," Dean said, turning around.
"Dean, no," Sam said gently. "He'd be in more danger over there. And he's in no condition to fight. You know that." He rested his hand on his brother's shoulder. "Please," he pleaded.
"I don't now," Dean said. He felt like his head was spinning.
"Dean, you should go," they heard the gravely voice say from down the hall. They turned as Castiel approached, wearing his black slacks and his trench coat, but still no shirt. He stepped close to Dean and took his face in his hands, and Sam backed away a little, feeling like he was intruding now. He watched as the angel pressed his lips to Dean's, kissing him softly.
"I can't leave you, Cas," Dean said. He rested his forehead against the angel's.
"Yes, you can, Dean," Cas assured him softly. "It's okay. I will be okay. Your brother, your mom, Jack, they need you. And when you get back, I'll be right here, waiting for you," he said.
Dean nodded, taking Castiel's hand into his. "I love you, Cas," he said.
"I love you, too, Dean," Castiel said.
Dean took a deep breath. "Okay," he said, nodding at Sam. "Let's do this."
All three of them walked back into the main room where the other three were waiting.
"It's now or never boys," Rowena said, and they nodded. She chanted something over the bowl and threw her hands out in front of her, and the rift opened.
Dean grabbed his bag off of the table and turned to Cas one last time. He didn't say anything, just took the angel's face into his hands and kissed him, hard.
"Awe, isn't that sweet," Lucifer said, mockingly.
Dean ignored the comment and squeezed Castiel's hand tightly before he disappeared through the rift with Sam and Gabriel.
"Have fun!" Lucifer shouted after them. "Send postcards!"
**********
Castiel was in his room when he heard loud noises, like furniture moving, coming from the main room of the bunker, and then Rowena's voice shouting something. He ran out to find Rowena on the floor, holding her neck, gasping for air, and his eyes went wide when there was no sign of Lucifer. He hurried over to Rowena and helped her up.
"What happened?" he asked. "Where's Lucifer?"
Rowena pointed to the rift. "He's gone," she said, looking back at the angel with regret and dread. "He escaped and came after me. I pushed him away with a spell but it sent him through."
"You're okay?" Castiel asked, and Rowena nodded.
Castiel looked towards the rift. "Dean," he said to himself. Everything in him wanted to run into the rift after Lucifer. But he knew he wouldn't be of any use. Even with his wings healed and at full power he was no match for the Archangel, especially not in his continued state of anxiety. Having a full blown panic attack in the alternate universe wasn't going to help anyone.
"What do we do?" he said, turning to Rowena, hoping desperately that she had an answer that would stop his racing heart.
The witch looked at him, fearful. "Keep the rift open as long as we can," she said, "and hope they make it back."