Bonjour Monsieurs and Mademoiselles!

I am sorry for taking another long break, but this wasn't writers block! I had the idea, I just didn't have the time to plan it out like I usually do. College is hard. It's not at all like they show it in the movies (well I also go to a commuter school, so that was the first big difference). Anywho, I welcome you to the next installment of the Mark of Cain! I hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: My life is spiraling out of control and I still don't own most of these characters.

The Mark of Cain: Chapter 15

"Adam?"

Lucifer, for once, does not know where to turn. It seems that his suggestion has sparked intrigue in every able bodied person in the room. However, their reactions definitely vary. Crowley spluttered his response, while both Sam and Tracy reacted with differing levels of surprise. However, the only person's response that matters, sits in awe as the name fell from his lips in a barely audible whisper.

"The original sinner himself!" Lucifer grinned, moving until his face was up close to Cain's. This seemed to shock the First Knight out of his stupor as he shoved the face of his former commander's vessel away from him. This seemed to spur the rest of the group into motion as well. The little shove sent Lucifer moving towards Sam and Tracy's comfortable area on the couch, and he fell between them. The two hunters jumped from their seats. Tracy accidentally bangs into the table positioned just where her hipbone is while Sam ends up toppling over the poorly placed King of Hell as the duo sprawls onto the floor.

"Moose… get… off…" Crowley wheezes from underneath the gigantic weight that is Sam Winchester.

While everyone tries to resituate, Tracy rubbing her bruised skin and Cain helping Sam of Crowley, with the guiltiest expression on his face, Lucifer giggles uncontrollably to himself behind a cushion he picked up. However, this stops when the soft fabric is forcefully yanked from his fingers. The teen devil is met with four sets of ferocious eyes.

"…What?" he pouts.

"How do you know where Adam is?" Crowley asks, pointing his finger so it's smushed against Lucifer's nose.

"For the record I have been out of my cage from time to time…" Lucifer says, "but I digress. It was around the 1800s that I ran into the ol' man. And do I mean old. Apparently ever since the, and I quote, "utter betrayal of his son and loss of his wife to madness", he's been traveling the world in search of enlightenment and inner peace and all that blah blah blah-"

"So you know where he is?" Sam asks now, interested at this sudden turn of events.

"I sure do!" Lucifer grins, "The Mormons were right about one thing… and that's Jackson County, Missouri!"

In Dean's room, there is no commotion, no outburst, and no movement of any kind, actually. Instead, there is only comfort.

Dean has nestled himself into Castiel's open arms and has burrowed as far as he could into the angel's warmth. His eyes are closed, and he keeps releasing tiny huffs of air onto the angel's collarbone, but he is starting to relax from the trauma that was trying to master the darkness within.

Castiel, on the other hand, is doing his best to comfort Dean without trying to comfort… other parts of his body. It's already hard enough with the hunter's hot breaths tickling his skin, and it doesn't need to get harder. But even with the added… discomfort… Castiel can't help but appreciate the feel of Dean in his arms. The protection he is able to offer his hunter is unlike anything anyone else can offer him. He wishes that this moment could never end. That the outside world would disappear, and there wouldn't be any Abbadon to kill or Metatron to stop, and they could live out the rest of there lives on this bed. Snuggled against the other.

But their lives are not meant to be like that.

A knock at the door pops the bubble of comfort that had surrounded the two, and Dean's eyes are now wide open. Castiel gets up slightly, to the chagrin of the man currently using him as a shield from the outside world. Dean holds tight and doesn't allow the angel to move further. The blue-eyed man can't help but chuckle over how possessive his hunter is being, but he uses the little strength advantage he has to remove the fingers that are now grasping for leverage on his sleeves. There's a slight groan of protest, but Castiel quickly shushes it.

"Don't worry Dean, I won't be gone for long. I'm not even going to leave the room."

Castiel pads across the room in his sock-clad feet and unfastens the lock on the door. He opens it to reveal the grim face of the man who sent him into Dean's arms in the first place.

"Cain?" he says, opening the door further, "What seems to be the matter?" The man in question steps through the frame and into the room. Dean sees him and quickly sits up.

"No," Dean starts, "We are not doing… whatever it was we were doing before. Not now. Not ever again."

"Dean it's not about that-well, it has something to do with this-but not everything," Cain sighs, "just hear me out."

Dean remains silent, not saying yes but not saying no either. Castiel has taken this lull to rejoin his hunter on the bed, and Dean quickly clasps his hand with the other man's.

"It has come to my attention that maybe the way of teaching I have planned is not… suited, for your best interests," he explains, "however, there is someone out there who can help you master the darkness inside."

"Is there?" Castiel cuts off, "Why didn't Dean just go there in the first place if this was an option?"

"Because I did not know it was an option until recently," Cain finishes, "Dean, we are going to go see my father: Adam."

Both men's eyes go wide, glancing at each other before refocusing on the speaker at present.

"Adam? Like, Adam and Eve Adam? That Adam?" Dean clarifies to the exasperated nod of Cain.

"I don't understand," Castiel starts, "Adam was not in possession of anything that could have extended his life. How can he be alive now?"

"That's what I want to know as well," Cain says, "which we'll find out when we get there. So get to packing, we leave in an hour."

Castiel gets up to join Cain, "I will go get my bags-"

"I'm sorry Castiel," Cain stops him, "but, sadly, Dean must do this without you."

"What?"

The two men whirl around to see Dean standing there, clutching at his bag with white knuckles. His face is pale, and his green eyes look sick against his pallid skin-tone. He is visibly shaking, and at the moment looks very small. Almost child-like.

"I'm sorry," Cain explains, "but I think it would be best for you to go without Castiel. It's for the best. You need to master this on your own Dean: only you can control the black that's swirling inside your veins." He goes to leave, but stops at the door with his back turned to the two men. "And, there isn't enough room in the car anyway."

"What do you mean?" Castiel asks, curious as to who pushed him out of the trip.

"Well… Lucifer is the one who knows where my father is, and…"

"And, what?" This time Dean is the one to ask the question. The First Knight turns his head to look Dean straight in the eyes.

"Your brother was very adamant that he go as well."

"So what are you going to do?"

Cain is startled from his thoughts by the hand on his shoulder: the large hand that belongs to none other than Sam Winchester.

"I think we have to trust him, even though it pains me to say it," he admits. Apparently, it's not the same thought that was running through the younger hunter's mind.

"So you're going to go all the way to Missouri to this 'Garden of Eden'?" Sam asks.

"It's the only other option Sam," he explains, "you did not see what happened to Dean the first time he came into contact with true darkness. His expression… was not one I would wish to repeat. So if my father can help him, I will take that chance. Will you?"

The young Winchester is stunned into silence for a minute: eyes downcast as he considers the options and variables in his head. Yet soon enough he reaches a decision, and his gaze gets steely with determination.

"You can take him," he says, "but I'm coming with."

Cain tries to dissuade him, but Sam just steamrolls.

"I know what you mean when you say the darkness is too much for him to handle. And… I think some of it has to do with me. You said so yourself that I must have been involved somehow to make Dean what he is now. And if facing his inner darkness means that he must face me too, well, then so be it. I need to go with him as much as you do, to help him through this. We do everything together, as a team. I can't let him do this alone, not now. Not when I know he needs me even if he can't see it. Please, for Dean's sake let me come."

Cain looks at the desperate edge the Winchester has taken: his stance, demeanor, and face all add to the force of his plea. He knows that in war, there are some battles that you cannot win. This was one of those battles.

"Fine, you can come," Cain sighs in defeat. Sam rushes to get his stuff, but is stopped by Cain's grip on his wrist. He turns back to face the older man. "But there are some conditions. Even though you will want to talk to Dean, if he looks like he's on the verge of a panic attack you back down. And… when you aren't watching out for Dean, keep an eye on Lucifer. Even though we must trust him on this, doesn't mean we have to trust him with everything."

Sam's mouth is set in a firm line of determination. "Agreed."

Cain smiles at the youth. "Now go get ready."

"So," Cain finishes, "be ready within the hour." He leaves the two men to themselves and goes back to the others. Castiel turns to Dean and sees the quick, shallow breaths of the man he's come to know so well and can tell that Dean is on the verge of one of these so called 'panic attacks'. He quickly moves towards him. Dean's already dropped the bag and has fallen to his knees at the thought of spending so much time away from Castiel, and so close to Sam.

'Your ever-present failure…' the voice in his head supplies.

"Shut up!" he whispers, eyes closed, teeth gritted, and hand slamming against his temple, "Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!"

'I wonder how long you can last being so close to thing you've tainted the most… how long do you think you can last being so close before you drive yourself off the road and into an early grave-'

"Dean!"

Dean opens his eyes and locks with the blue orbs he has come to associate with safety. Castiel has grabbed Dean's arms and pinned them to his sides, so as to stop him from hurting himself. Dean has stopped, his body's rapid heartbeat and breathing slowing down as he tries to match that of Castiel's. It's slow going at first, but soon enough, he's already calmed down. Yet the amount of energy that he used up just having and stopping his attack has left him drained, and he falls into Castiel's open arms. His eyes are barely staying open, and he's about to drift into unconsciousness. Castiel smiles softly at the limp hunter.

"Rest, Dean," he coos, running his fingers through Dean's soft locks, "I'll pack your gear for you." He picks the hunter up and positions him on his bed, under the covers. There is little protest from the pampered man, and soon enough he is falling into a deep slumber. Another small smile, and Castiel gives Dean a quick kiss on his forehead before picking up the discarded bag and moving around the small room, packing what will be needed for the road ahead.

In Sam's room, he's just about finished packing his stuff when a throat clearing startles him from his inner musings. He turns to see Tracy standing there, arms crossed, watching him with a smirk. He returns it with a small smile before continuing his packing. Tracy steps into the room.

"So," she says, "I take it I get full run of the house now that everyone's going to be gone?"

Sam stops, and he turns towards her again. "I don't know," he fires back, "does this mean you're joining the team?"

She puts her finger on her chin, "I have thought about it and, well, if this is what a girl's gotta do to gank some demons then, might as well."

"I'm really glad to hear that Tracy," Sam says genuinely, putting his hand on her shoulder. However, she uses her small hand to slide the bigger off of her shoulder.

"Hey, just because I'm part of the team means that we're friends," she huffs, "we're team members. And touching is for friends only." She starts to leave, but Sam's protests stop her in her tracks with a smile on her face.

"Really! After everything we've been through I'm still not a friend?"

She glances back at him over her shoulder with a small smile. "It takes a lot to become a friend in my books." And just before she fully exits the room she calls over her shoulder: "Keep at it!"

She leaves him once more to his work, and he can't help but chuckle at her behavior. He's going to return to his work, until-

"That was adorable!"

The smile quickly falls from his face, and Sam can't help but roll his eyes. "What do you want Lucifer?" he huffs.

Apparently it was the perfect time for Satan to come and annoy Sam with… anything really. He just has to be in the same room as him for Sam's eye to start twitching.

"Oh nothing, Samuel, I was just passing by your room and couldn't help but overhear your delightful attempts at flirting."

Sam starts to splutter. "Bu-what? I wasn't-We're no-You don't know what you're talking about!"

Lucifer just smiles, "Oh please, Sam. I may be just a smoke entity, but I know a little something or two about body lang-uage!"

"Oh my God, you're being serious…" Sam mutters, horrified as what is happening.

"Why wouldn't I be Samuel? The only thing I want for you," he pinches Sam's cheeks, "is eternal happiness… well that's not the only thing but the first item on that list is unfortunately a no-no right now."

"Get off of me!" Sam snaps, moving away from the Devil and grabbing his bag. It's only half-zipped, but he doesn't care. He needs to get out of his room. He's out the door but he can still hear Lucifer calling to him:

"You can run away from me Sammy, but you cannot run from your heart!"

His only reply is a face to the palm.

When he returns to consciousness, Dean finds that he has been placed back in his bed. He struggles to sit up, the comforter weighing like steel to his tired body, but he manages to sit up mostly. It's fairly dark in his room, and he can barely see anything.

"Dean?"

It's Castiel. He's turning on the lamp by his bed, and Dean has to shield his eyes over the too-bright light.

"Cas?" Dean asks, "What time is it?"

"It… is very late, unfortunately," Castiel admits, "you were asleep for a long time. But the others understood that you will need your full energy, and have been waiting for you to wake up. I will go tell them you are up now-"

"No, wait!" Dean says, grabbing Castiel's hand yet again, freezing him in his ascent. Castiel smiles at the joined hands, and slowly settles back down.

"Yes Dean?" Castiel asks, moving in closer.

"It's just, I haven't really had the time to do this, but thank you," he says, eyes screaming with adoration, "thank you so much for everything you've done for me so far. I know you don't have to do this-"

"You are wrong, Dean Winchester," Castiel whispers, cradling the man's face that has looked away so now their eyes are re-connected, "I do have to do this. I want to do this. It is only right that I protect the things I cherish."

Dean didn't realize how close they have gotten until now, how he can feel Castiel's breath ghosting over his lips. "You… cherish me?" If he tilted his head maybe-

"Dean, I have cherished you from the very moment I laid eyes on you."

"Cas," Dean breathes, gunning in to close the distance, "I lo-"

"Castiel is Dean even close to-oh!"

The two men separate, and greet the newcomer with flushed faces and wide eyes. It was Crowley, who usually has a line or two ready up his sleeve at any given moment, is stunned into silence as well. His mouth is opening and closing, trying to get something out. What does come out, is a garble which is less understandable than usual. Saying his… "piece", Crowley turns, and walks away.

The moment, however, is ruined, and the two know it. Dean gets up, collects his bag and shoes, and heads towards the door.

"Dean?" Castiel calls, his arm outstretched but too hesitant to touch. Dean stills.

"Yeah?" he asks, turning around.

"Be safe."

"I know."

The group has gathered by the Impala: Sam and Tracy sharing a few words while Cain is doing his best to not strangle Lucifer. When Dean arrives in the garage, they all turn to look at him. Crowley, who at the moment was reading a book he picked up from the library, quickly returned to the thrilling read that was "Supernatural Herbs and Their Effects".

"So," Dean huffs, "we goin' or not?"

"Yes, Dean," Cain supplies, "we were just waiting for you. We should head out soon, especially if we want to get there by daybreak."

The group starts to get in, Lucifer scrambling into his designated spot in the back while Dean starts to get into the driver's seat. But he stills when he notices who is getting into the passenger seat.

'This should make the trip more fun. We'll make it a game: How Long Can You Look at Him Without Wanting To Cry, perhaps?'

Dean shuts his eyes and presses a hand to his temple. He can't shut down now. He's been acting too weak, and he knows it. He needs to be strong for the mission… and for himself.

"Cain?" he turns to someone he can actually look at for more than a few seconds without wanting to throw up.

"Yes, Dean?" he responds.

"I need you to sit up front with me. I have a few… questions about this Mark and all that other crap, and I'd rather ask without getting a crick in my neck." Dean's question seemed normal enough, but the fear in his eyes clued Cain in on the real reason for Dean's request.

He turned to Sam, and he shared the same understanding with the First Knight. Sam ambled his long leg out of the car and made to sit in the back with Lucifer. The forced smile on Dean's face relaxed into one of relief when Cain joined him at the front. He's already in the car when there's a knock at his window.

It's Castiel.

Curious, Dean rolls down the window to see what the former angel would want. But just as the last edge of the glass is rolled down do two hands grab his collar and pull him forward.

And suddenly Dean feels peace. That rage, the darkness, the worry, all stills as the rough press of Castiel's lips covers his own chapped ones. His eyes flutter, and he too grabs the lapels of the trench coat, trying to bring Castiel even closer to him, to join them together in some way.

But soon enough, Dean is left holding onto nothing.

Castiel is already walking back towards Tracy and Crowley (who at least have the decency to look away) with a small smile on his lips. "Get back safe, Dean Winchester! And fast!" With that, he turns around and heads out of the garage. Dean's eyes refuse to leave the door where Castiel walked out of, but soon a rough clearing of the throat has him returning to the situation at hand. He looks at the faces in the car (the ones he can look at without terror seizing his throat) and turns scarlet at their ranging expressions.

"As much as I love awkward situations as much as the next demonic creature, we are running on a tight schedule," Lucifer states, hand rubbing the back of his vessel's neck.

"Y-yeah," Dean agrees, and he turns back to the steering wheel, and twists the key into the ignition. When his hands grasp the wheel, he feels that thrum of energy from before. It's not in its full from, but its there: flowing through his veins, surging inside of him. He feels nearly invincible, limitless even. Like he can fly to Missouri without pissing himself in fear.

He smiles softly to himself.

He can do this.

He shifts gears, and hits the gas.

Soon they are driving off into the night.

Sooooo….. what did you think? All the cuddles, all the close calls, and that final goodbye! I actually planned to have their first kiss happen WAY later, but I figured you guys suffered enough what with my erratic schedule. Remember to review, it'll keep me going as I suffer until Thanksgiving!