This is fanfiction, which basically means I don't own the characters, I just borrow them to play.

No copyright infringement intended, no money made and so on.

Usually Cas healing somebody happens fast and almost painless, but this time the angel is depleted of energy because Castiel is wounded himself.

Chapter 1

The younger Winchester flinched when he felt the damaged bones shift under his fingers. The thing was they seemed to be smashed in more places than one, or even two.

To his own surprise Dean - even in his half conscious stupor caused by pain - felt Sam lift his lips and open his jaw, so he could peek into his mouth.

Then he heard Sam curse.

"Cas? Dean has a punctured lung, mouth's full of blood, rips smashed in multiple places. Looks bad."

Dean was kind of levitating somewhere, the connection to his body was thinning.

He was going into shock.

The pain was too much.

The fact that he was aware that his wounds must be terminal added to the problem.

He barely heard Cas whimper from the other corner of the room and it took him several long seconds until it registered that the angel must be in severe agony, too.

Dean felt reality kind of whiplash, come back to him with painful force.

Painfully, something jerked back into his body and he himself was suddenly there, too.

Cas was hurt!

The angel was never hurt… Well, almost never.

Sam seemed the be close to panic due to his own realization of that fact. He hurried over to the crumpled trench coat clad figure and gently turned the angel so he could inspect his wounds and see his face.

"Cas? Are you hurt?"

"I'll be fine, Sam… Just… need a moment," Cas' voice was barely more than a whisper.

"Don't you dare to start with this crap, too," Sam growled, "You're not fine!... Can you heal yourself? Dean is bad. Easy…"

The angel moaned but slowly a few of his injuries seemed to mend under Sam's anxious gaze.

"What is it?" Sam asked.

"He sucked… the life out of my grace… Second thoughts… I am not fine."

"I can see that. How bad is it?"

"I won't die."

"All right. Can you help Dean?"

"I… will help him."

Cas staggered to his feet, but he had barely managed to stand when his knees gave way again, Sam hurried to keep him from hitting the ground hard and caught him in an awkward half-hug-fashion-way.

"Shit, Cas… How are you holding up?"

"I will adapt."

Dean felt a huff of air leave his lungs.

He must be delirious to find humor in this situation. The angel had just used a phrase that seemed to be lent from Star Trek. He heard - more than saw - Castiel shuffle over to him, supported by his brother who seemed to be the only one not severely injured.

Dean tried to turn his head into their direction to see more and felt blood ripple from his mouth, the taste thick on his tongue.

After a few moments the angel sank to his knees next to him, his hand then reached out.

Dean tried to shove his arm away, wanted to ask some important stuff first, but it took him a moment to actually put his thoughts into words, seconds Cas needed to gain his balance, Dean had managed to bring him off balance even in his dreadful condition.

"Don't even try to get him back to a normal condition if you can't," Sam expressed what Dean wanted to say.

Cas didn't look good and Dean's agony ridden mind now wasn't sure any longer if he needed help at all.

It couldn't be that bad, could it?

He would heal on his own.

No need for Cas to wear himself out.

"Just keep him from dying, we'll manage," Sam added.

"I fear that'll be all I can manage in my current state… keep him alive, I mean. It'll cause profound pain, though, since I can't do it in normal speed and… I mean…"

"'s alri', C's," Dean managed, although he was hoping his pain might be taken away soon.

He fucking hurt.

But he didn't want Cas to risk his own existence trying to bring him back to normal.

Sam seemed a bit uneasy about that statement, too.

"Do what you can to keep him alive. Modern medicine can do the rest," Sam tried to take the pressure off Castiel, but the panic was clear in his voice.

"It might not be enough," the angel groaned. "I'm sorry, Dean."

A moment later Dean felt Castiel touch his forehead.

It felt quite different from the usual healing right from the beginning.

For starters, it wasn't over in a second, it didn't even start within the first three seconds of contact.

Before he really knew what was happening Dean was screaming.