500 Years

Feelings

By the time Cas walked out of the interrogation room he had managed to calm Beth down and get a detailed description of the creature and the location it had last been seen. He was confident that his skills as a hunter were improving, and he knew Dean would be proud of him. He located the hunter, who was interrogating the officers that had first reported to the scene. When he spotted Cas coming he closed his notebook and smiled politely.

"Thank you all for your willingness to help. It is much appreciated. Have a nice night." He turned and hurried to Cas, taking him by the elbow and steering him towards the door as he talked.

"So the actual abduction happened near State and River Road. That's a very busy area. People were out and about, but only the witness seems to have seen anything. The police responded and met her on the corner of River Road and Wood Street. We need to check the area out. Fill me in on what the witness said on the ride."

Cas nodded and once they were in the car and leaving the station, he started telling Dean about his conversation with Beth.

"She described them as looking like gargoyles, but instead of looking like concrete, she said they were black and that they shimmered in the moonlight. She had a hard time following them by sight in the dark, so she followed her friend's screams. When she reached the corner of..." He flipped open his notebook. "The corner of River Road and Wood Street, the screams stopped suddenly. She turned the corner but the dragon was gone, and so was her friend."

"They went down into the sewers. I bet when we get there we'll see a manhole." Dean glanced over at Cas before reaching out to take his hand. "How are you feeling? Was it difficult for you to find the sword?"

"I am a little tired, but I'll get rest later. And no, the sword was in storage. It won't even be missed. I popped in, grabbed it, popped back out. I moved it to the trunk while you were on your way up to the room earlier."

"Try not to do that too much until you're well again, ok? I don't want you getting sicker." Dean squeezed his hand gently.

"I will be careful," Cas promised.

For a few minutes they were quiet.

"Dean, can I ask you something?"

"Sure," Dean replied.

"Do you care about me?"

Dean was startled by the question. He pulled into a parking lot near where they were going.

"What kind of question is that? And why ask me this now? We have to find those missing girls."

"I never asked you to stop the car, Dean. I simply asked if you care about me. We can keep driving," Cas said.

"No, I need to handle this first, then we go." Dean pulled into a parking spot and turned the car off. He turned in his seat to face Cas. The angel was looking at him, patiently waiting for an answer.

"Yes, Cas. I care about you. And before you ask, I care about you as much more than just a friend." Dean took a deep breath. God he hated talking about his feelings! He exhaled slowly. "Cas, I will say this once, because we have to get moving. If you want to discuss this further when we're back at the bunker, that's fine, but right now, those girls are our priority. I...love you. I don't think I've ever loved anyone that wasn't family as much as I love you. Does that satisfy your question?"

Cas' smile was so bright and beautiful Dean wanted to bask in it forever, but they had to get moving. He settled for leaning in and kissing his angel, slowly. When their lips parted he started the car again and pulled out of the parking lot.

"I love you too, Dean. I have since the first moment I saw your soul in hell. It was the brightest and most beautiful thing I have ever seen in all of my existence. I was unfamiliar with the emotion at the time, but I recognized it for what it was, and I will love you for all of eternity, that much I am certain of. When you cross over from this life and return home to heaven, I will follow you. There will be nothing left for me on this Earth if you're not here." Cas took his hand again, holding it between both of his own as he spoke. The earnestness with which he spoke humbled Dean. He didn't deserve to be loved so deeply, not after all of the horrible things he had done...

Cas squeezed his hand tighter. "Don't do that. I can feel the negativity even if I can't hear your thoughts. You deserve to be loved, and I will not stop loving you." Dean squeezed his hand back.

"Geez, what did I do to deserve you?" he wondered aloud. Cas smiled softly and picked his hand up, placing a soft kiss against the palm. He didn't have an answer that would satisfy the hunter, and he wasn't sure one would even be necessary.

They turned off State and on to River Road. The next street was Wood. Dean swung right onto a quiet residential street and pulled over, parking in the first available spot. As they got out he looked around but the street was empty. Cas was already at the trunk pulling out both swords and several flashlights.

"I see it. Look." Dean pointed at a manhole a few hundred yards farther up the street.

"I mapped all of the disappearances, and this is the center. I believe we'll find the dragons somewhere near here." Cas handed him a map of the sewer system that listed all the city streets. If the angel was right, they would have about a two mile walk underground.

"Near this area here?" Dean asked. Cas leaned over to look at the place he was pointing. It was an abandoned, older part of the sewer system, and had probably been sealed off years earlier. That would be a warm, dry place for the dragons to live.

"Yes."

"Alright, let's go then," Dean said. He hoped the girls were still alive.