Finally

Chapter One

(Cas's POV)

Crash! The loud, resonating rumble of thunder shook the windows, as lightning briefly illuminated the darkness before him. Castiel wondered how he would be able to drift back into sleep with the sights and sounds of the overhead storm frequently interrupting him.

His eyes scanned the room for the third time that night, making sure all before him was well. Starting at the door, he glanced about from left to right, ensuring the room was secure. The door was locked, the windows shut, and his friends still sound asleep in their motel beds, just as they were thirty four minutes ago, at 4:27am. As the lightning continued to brighten the room at an infrequent rate, Cas looked around, his eyes lingering longer than they should have on the serene face of his friend: Dean Winchester.

Cas noticed how relaxed the hunter's face looked when he slept. All of the troubles and stressors that haunt Dean through his waking moments vanish as he is now lost in a world of dreams. The lines of worry created by constantly needing to assure the safety of his brother, Sam, fade into nothing and the ever persistent frown relaxes as Dean rested on the poor quality motel bed, fast asleep. Cas marveled at how the hunter, who was trained since he was a child to be ready to fight at any sign of danger, was able to sleep through as violent a storm as the one above. The fallen angel hoped the storm wouldn't wake Dean, because he deserved the moments of peace sleep provided him.

The storm, however, was unrelenting; the rain pounded at the quivering windows as the thunder reverberated through building. Cocking his head to the side slightly, Cas listened to the rhythms of the storm. As each new rumble of thunder faded, Cas noted how the silence that followed is the sky poised to strike down lightning once more, like a viper in an attack position, quickly launching itself at its prey just as the lightning streaked through the sky, hitting the ground with a violent force.

The world of similes swirled through Cas's head, the image of the viper striking its prey concurrent with the flashes of lightning brightening the room before him. Suddenly the lightning attacks to kill, shaking him from his lucid daydream. The noise seems deafening, and Cas can feel the vibrations echoing through his body as he jumped, startled by the unanticipated sound. He fell from the chair he was sitting in and onto the hard ground with an unexpectedly loud thud. Worried that this sudden impulse woke either of his friends, Cas remained still, twisted on the ground, lest he make any more noise.

After a short time, Cas decided to haul himself back up onto his feet, standing at the foot of Dean's bed to make sure he and Sam are still fast asleep. Looking towards his right at Sam, Cas hears the deep breathing emanating from the man's body, leading him to believe the brother is still fast asleep. Cas momentarily closes his eyes, listening to the deep rumbles echoing through the sky as he thanks his father for letting his friend sleep. Reveling in the moment, Cas's eyes remain closed for a little while longer, assuming that the man sleeping on the bed in front of him remains asleep as well. He then heard stirring from where Dean lay, the happiness he felt knowing his friends were still asleep seeping from his body as Cas slowly opened his eyes and turned to face Dean, whose green eyes were peering back at him.

"Cas?" asked Dean, his eyes staring into Cas's with a look of uncomprehending confusion. "Cas, are you all right? I heard a crash that didn't sound like thunder... What the hell happened?"

"Dean...," was all Cas could reply, for he didn't want to share the truth about what actually happened. "Dean... perhaps you should just go back to sleep."