Song Remains the Same

Chapter 27: It's Complicated

"I love you as certain dark things are to be loved...
in secret, between the shadow and the soul."
- Neruda

He'd rushed into the restaurant kitchen after hearing the type of commotion that sounded like an all-out brawl. But the second he entered, he realized he had it way wrong. In the space of a second, he took it all in: Cas pinning Alex up against the wall with her legs tightly wrapped around him, her dress shoved up as one of the angel's hands grabbed her ass. Cas's trench coat and jacket were both missing, his white dress shirt was halfway off and they were kissing each other with wildly passionate abandon. The way they were moving against each other and the sounds they were making led him to believe that mother of god he'd walked in on them having sex. Stopping blindly mid-step, he clumsily knocked into the counter, sending a pot clattering to the floor. "Holy SHIT."

Alex and Cas stopped making out and froze, looking over at an aghast Sam. Cas had a bloody lip. There was a huge gash on Alex's arm and some smaller scrapes and cuts and crazy red marks where she'd been grabbed repeatedly. Their hair was disheveled, their clothes were a mess—they looked like they'd been in a fight. As their eyes cleared, they registered Sam then exchanged a surprised, dumbstruck gaze as they breathed hard. Cas pulled away first, stumbling back even as Alex shakily sagged into the corner—and there was a flash of semi-relief when Sam realized they hadn't been having sex. Cas's pants weren't even down—but oh Jesus, Cas had clearly been ready to. Sam looked away, traumatized. The angel's face filled with embarrassment, and then guilt and disbelief as he really began to take in Alex's condition.

"What—what's—" Sam stuttered out, at a loss. Was this Famine? Had Famine done this? Because... wait. Sam looked between them in disbelief. "I... I broke Famine's spell like five minutes ago, guys."

Alex looked up at him, temporarily seeming to forget her mortification in favor of severe confusion. "Five minutes ago?" She seemed to think that was impossible. "I was in the Impala five minutes ago," she protested. "You weren't even here five minutes ago."

Sam looked back at his sister in disgruntled bewilderment. He'd been at Biggerson's for like ten minutes. He'd saved Dean from Famine and his henchmen demons... broken the spell... then been told by a frantic Dean that Cas and Alex were missing and you check in here, I'll look outside. Literally ten seconds after Dean went outside, Sam heard pots and pans falling and what he'd thought was the sound of his sister crying out in pain... and then he'd walked in on them.

Cas spoke slowly, looking at the ground. "The spell lingered. And, well. I think that I... accidentally... moved us forward in time by a few minutes, but exactly when I can't be certain." He paused, embarrassed. "I was very..." he swallowed uncertainly, "uh, distracted."

"Jesus Christ," Sam muttered. Alex looked absolutely beside herself with burning embarrassment. Sam gathered himself with a deep breath, trying not to make it weirder than it already was.

His sister straightened up as if to walk forward but faltered, making a sound of surprise and pain. Her arm shot out to catch herself against the wall and she leaned heavily against it, wincing with teeth gritted. Sam and Cas moved toward her at the same time in concern, but Alex took one look at Sam approaching and she shrank away in what was clearly fear. Stopping short, Sam wondered why—then his heart clenched as he remembered. He wiped at his mouth with the back of his hand and away came the bright red demon blood. Suddenly understanding, Sam deflated. "I'm not gonna do anyth—I'm fine," he assured her, feeling his neck burning with self-loathing and shame. Last time he'd been high on this stuff, he'd hurt her.

Alex had allowed Cas near to her and the angel was now holding her up gingerly—she wouldn't look at him though—and Cas regarded Sam in dark suspicion. "You're not fine," the angel said darkly. "You've had demon blood." The way the angel stood with Alex holding her close was fiercely protective; almost possessive and Sam was stilled by the sight of it—then there was a twinge of anger and protectiveness on his end.