.-.-.-.-.
Bitten
.-.-.-.-.

Dean opened his eyes and immediately regretted it, clenching them shut against the bright light. He groaned quietly and tried to sit up, only to find himself trapped. He forced his eyes open and blinked against the light as he looked down at the broad leather straps holding him down to the table. His prosthetic arm was missing, and his wrist was being held by another strap. 'What the hell…'

He began to struggle as cold panic settled over him. Was this why Castiel hadn't moved on? Had someone captured him? Someone even more demented than Leviathan?

'Oh, you're up!' Leviathan said delightedly as he entered Dean's line of vision.

Dean frowned and relaxed minutely. 'Leviathan? You're okay! What the hell's going on here?!' he demanded, pulling against the restraints.

'Just a precaution, I assure you. Castiel thinks the pipe might've been a bit much, but I like to be certain. Cake?' Leviathan held up a bite-sized piece of cake on a fork.

'Let me go,' Dean growled.

Leviathan looked from Dean to the fork before setting it on a plate resting on another table. 'I don't believe that would be a good idea,' he said slowly. 'I don't know what you're going to do.'

'I'm gonna strangle you if you don't let me go! Dammit! Lemme talk to Cas!'

Leviathan laughed nervously and paced around the table. He trailed his fingers down the length of Dean's leg as he passed and pulled them away when Dean began to struggle again. 'I can't…do that right now,' he eventually said. 'Are you sure you don't want any cake? It's for you. As a celebration! We've made improvements to your arm. You won't need the harness any longer once I perform the surgery. We can do it right now, if you'd like.'

Dean glared at Leviathan. 'Let me talk to Cas,' he said evenly. He frowned in confusion as Leviathan wrung his hands together, his eyes darting back and forth as he made small sounds of distress. He sighed and tried to speak more calmly. 'Leviathan? What's going on?'

'I can't! He's asleep!' Leviathan shouted, slamming his palms on the table between Dean's feet. 'It was supposed to be for fifteen minutes. It's been fifty! After the first ten, I thought it would be prudent to restrain you. Just in case. Because you like him best. Everyone likes him best,' he said, his voice fluctuating between calm and panicked. 'We've been working without sleep for three days, switching back and forth. We're…running a little thin.'

'Okay, look. I never said Cas was my favorite. He's easier to talk to, yeah, but… How about this: I get off the table, and you take a nap,' Dean said carefully. 'We can talk about my arm once you've had some rest.'

Leviathan studied Dean for a few seconds before nodding sharply. He began to loosen the buckle to a strap holding one of Dean's ankles in place, but stopped. 'Do you promise not to throttle me? Only…you just threatened to.' He drummed his fingers on the strap as he watched Dean's head drop back against the table, slowly shaking back and forth. 'Is that a "no"?'

'No, it's an "I can't believe you're that stupid," but then I remember that you're a Maddy, and it makes perfect fucking sense,' Dean spat. 'Let me up, and I promise not to hurt you.' He sighed as Leviathan made quick work of the restraints and sat up when the one across his chest was pulled free. He swung his legs over the side of the table and stared at Leviathan.

Leviathan shrank away as Dean waved him over. He took a step closer, and Dean patted the table beside him. He eyed the empty space.

'Not gonna strangle you. I just wanna talk.'

He hopped onto the table and sat as close to Dean as he dared. 'So… Ow!' He fell forward and stumbled across the floor. He spun around to stare at Dean accusingly as he rubbed the back of his head where Dean had slapped him. 'You just said—'

'Said I wasn't gonna hurt you. Really hurt you. A hit upside the head? That, I think you've more than earned, and if you think real hard and long about it, you'd agree. Don't you feel even a little guilty or stupid for what you pulled? And don't you dare try to claim that you don't understand. Cas ain't playing conscience for the both of you. There might be a line separating you two, but it's thin and fuzzy, so don't use that as an excuse for your behavior—for both your behavior. You're not the scapegoat anymore,' Dean said, finishing in a softer tone.

Leviathan swallowed and reached for Castiel's consciousness, but it remained unresponsive. He hadn't been prepared for this, and he didn't like having to deal with new situations on his own.

'Well? What do you have to say for yourself, Leviathan? And keep in mind, Cas has answer for himself, too.'

Leviathan eyed Dean warily. His first thought was that it was a trap. Without Castiel's input, he only had his own skills to rely on, and people skills were not his best. 'You told us to leave,' he replied uncertainly.

'Did I?'

'Maybe not. But you did agree,' Leviathan said quietly, looking away. 'We…stopped. After a while. After it became apparent that we made a…a mistake,' he admitted. He fidgeted with the hem of his shirt and tried to look anywhere but at Dean. He could easily take the flak for his and Castiel's mistakes, but he had always done so with the air of someone who never apologized. Under Dean's watchful gaze, however… This was different than the yelling he was accustomed to receiving.

'But you didn't stop for long, did you?' Dean prompted.

'No. Meg appeared, and it was…an opportunity. Gabriel doesn't respect us! Doesn't respect me! Gabriel—!' Leviathan broke off in a frustrated growl.

Dean let out a long sigh because picking what he hope would cause less of a reaction. 'Who's Meg?' he asked with a hint of suspicion, hoping she wasn't someone Castiel and Leviathan were getting too attached to.

'She's a horse,' Leviathan replied with a dismissive wave.

'That sheriff's horse?' Dean asked, his brows shooting up in surprise.

Leviathan paused, recalling that Meg was the spark that had started everything. 'Yes. Is…that still a problem? Have we moved on from that? I have.'

Dean took a long breath and stared up at the ceiling for a few moments. 'As long as no one comes looking for her, no. But the next time you get it in your head to do something like that, run it past someone first. Preferably me or Sam.'

'I suppose we could do that. Although, the impulse to…hm…react is strong,' Leviathan said haughtily. 'Does…Gabriel hate me?'

'No.' Dean shook his head, recalling how worked up Gabriel had been. 'No, he's worried about you.'

'You mean he's worried about Castiel,' he grumbled.

'He's worried about both of you. He actually thinks you're better off like this. Said you were way off the deep end as a kid,' Dean said, watching Leviathan for a reaction. 'Do you…remember much from before you were…you?'

'The only memories that are specifically mine or his, are in times like this,' Leviathan replied, gesturing at his head in annoyance. 'We share the memories of being a child, but Castiel's recollection comes more easily. Back then…things were muddier. Restraint was never a consideration. Whether or not that was due to age is up for debate.' He licked his lips as he rubbed his arm self-consciously. 'He…likes us the way we are? He doesn't want to…to fix us? Me?' Leviathan asked uncertainly.

'No, he doesn't wanna fix you,' Dean replied with a smile. 'Smack you? Probably. But who doesn't?'

'And what about you? Do you hate us? Do you hate…me?' he asked, a small grin pulling at his lips as he leaned closer.

Dean rolled his eyes. 'I don't hate you, but I do think you're brat. You and Cas. I think the two of you have gotten a little too comfortable with putting all the blame on just you. How about you let Cas take the blame for what he's responsible for from now on?' He paused and searched Leviathan's eyes. 'So…who's bright idea was it to leave?'

'Castiel's. I thought…we should set an ambush…string you up and switch your left nipple with your navel. Or maybe just take your legs until you begged to have them back,' Leviathan gleefully replied.

'What?' Dean leaned back.

'I'd put them back, and there wouldn't be any scarring!' Leviathan quickly explained. He had thought it went without saying, but, apparently, Dean didn't. 'Castiel thought the non-violent approach was better. Mine would have been quicker, but I could see the benefits to Castiel's as well. So we took it further than normal when the opportunity presented itself—or herself I should say.'

'Draw it out and make everyone worry about you?' Dean asked.

'No. We… I wanted to prove that we're not a joke! That I'm not a joke! We're not… I'm not completely irrational. We've done well here! We're respected! Even Balthazar has stopped his constant hovering. Even after I proved I could kill him in his sleep.' Leviathan hoisted himself back onto the table beside Dean and leaned against him, resting his head on Dean's shoulder. 'We've done well. I've done well,' he tiredly insisted.

'So you're doing good for yourself. That's…good?'

Leviathan nodded. 'This whole, ah…fiasco could have been avoided if Gabriel had just said he liked us the way we are,' he mumbled. 'Or, at least, we wouldn't have gone as far. Maybe. I do like the idea of the dashing bounty hunter chasing down his quarry and…possibly…punishing him? Maybe a bit of rope?'

Dean swallowed at the images his mind came up with. 'Later,' he promised. 'Guess this ain't too bad. If this is the worst you two—er, you and Gabe. You, Cas, and… Right. I can't think in two-and-a-half people terms.'

'Gabriel is just a half a person, isn't he?'

Dean chuckled and wrapped his arm about Leviathan's waist. 'Anyway, if this is the worst you guys are capable of, then at least it's all out in the open.'

'Oh, I'm capable of much worse. As is Castiel. There are just disagreements as to how. Don't tell him I told you,' Leviathan said sleepily, 'but we could easily take control of an entire town through their water supply.' He was crashing fast, and was thankful that Dean didn't seem angry with him anymore.

'Not exactly an argument in your favor, y'know.'

Leviathan shrugged as he snuggled closer to Dean. 'You wanted honesty, and you asked the right one. Castiel is the one to look out for.'

Dean stared ahead and licked his lips as he slowly nodded. 'I can actually see that… So what's with the cake?' He looked down when he received no response. He could just make out the veins fading away.

Carefully, he got off the table and lowered Castiel down. He took his newfound time and freedom to look around the lab. On a nearby counter space, surgical and mechanical tools alike were laid out and gleaming. Beside them was a schematic of his prosthetic arm. He looked around and found the arm lying on the table that held a half-eaten cake. He picked it up and looked at his stump and back to the arm. There was something different about it.

He walked back to the schematic and looked over the cross-section of where the prosthetic connected with his bone and stump. He couldn't make out much, but it looked as if something was supposed to screw in somewhere. With a sigh, he set the arm back on the table by the cake. He wasn't going to be able to attach it himself. He probably would have had trouble with the original design, too.

Dean startled as a loud knock echoed through the lab, followed by the rattling of a door handle. He hurried to the door, his foot kicking a discarded pipe along the way. He stooped down and picked it up before pressing himself against the wall beside the door.

'Castiel! Leviathan! Whatever you're calling yourself! Unlock this door!' a voice called out, and the handle rattled again. 'You know the rules. No locked lab and in bed by midnight. At least pretend to follow the rules! There's an issue, and I'm hoping you're behind it.'

Dean glanced at Castiel's sleeping form and back to the door. 'Cas is indisposed at the moment. Can I take a message?'

There was a long stretch of silence followed by the sound of the door unlocking.

Dean stepped away from the wall, putting himself between Castiel and the door. He raised the pipe, ready to swing at the intruder.

The door opened, and Dean and Balthazar stared at each other in shock.

Dean was the first to recover, pointing his pipe accusingly at Balthazar. 'I know you!'

Balthazar flinched and entered the lab, closing the door behind him. 'Like I said before: I just sell things, I don't make them,' he said calmly, raising his open hands.

Dean narrowed his eyes. He had met Balthazar years before—a so-called clueless shop owner who sold curiosities alongside the normal wares of his apothecary. He had been friendly enough when Dean had originally run across him, going so far as to ask him and Sam to look over his entire stock to see what else he had unknowingly 'acquired.'

Dean brought his arm back and let the pipe rest against his shoulder. 'Uh-huh. And I just hunt rabbits.' He mentally winced at the reminder of 'Jack.'

Balthazar quickly glanced past Dean and saw Castiel lying on a table. He looked back at Dean and ran his eyes over the man's bare chest and missing arm. 'What's going on in here?' he asked carefully. 'You didn't use that on Castiel, did you? Or…did you have to?'

Dean scoffed as he rolled his eyes. There was more understanding than accusation in the other's tone. 'He used it on me, actually. So I take it you and Cas are friendly?'

'Friendly's one way of putting it,' Balthazar replied. He quickly raised his hands at the raised brow Dean gave him. 'We're not killing each other, and I trust him not to terrorize the chickens, is what I mean. He said you turned over a new leaf… Not exactly a Maddy hunter anymore?'

'Oh, I'm hunting a Maddy. And I seem to have found him,' Dean said, indicating Castiel.

'I see. And what are you planning to do with him?'

'Right now? Let him sleep.' Dean looked over his shoulder at Castiel and smirked. 'And maybe do the same thing he did to me. You wanna give me a hand with strapping him down?'

Balthazar made a frustrated groan and stared at the ceiling in thought. 'If I do, then you do not let him know I helped.'

.-.-.-.-.

Castiel slowly opened his eyes. He felt groggy and his mind was silent. He moved to sit up, but found himself bound to a hard surface. He breathed in sharply and desperately forced Leviathan awake as he tugged on his wrists. He looked around and found himself back in the depths of Azazel's lab.

'I was having the most wonderful dream,' Leviathan griped. 'You weren't in it.'

'Trapped! We're trapped! It's Azazel! He's found us!' Castiel silently whimpered. He cringed as Leviathan took control.

Leviathan stared at the ceiling for a moment before looking down at himself. He still had all his clothes on, and he couldn't feel any new wounds. As he glanced around, Castiel's vision of Azazel's lab faded. He saw Dean and Balthazar seated at a nearby table, silently playing cards and drinking. 'I think we've been had,' he muttered, dropping his head back with an annoyed sigh.

'I didn't know this is what it would be like to be tied up! It's too similar. You have to make it stop! Make it stop!' Castiel screamed, causing Leviathan to wince.

'I think being tied up with rope would be different than straps,' Leviathan mumbled. He fought to blink away Castiel's panic-induced visions. He cleared his throat and spoke louder to the room in general. 'If someone would be so kind as to let me up, I would be less inclined to stab them in the eye with a syringe. Or someone could just drill a hole in my head. Whichever makes him stop screaming first.' He sighed when he heard a chair scrape against the floor and looked over. He caught Dean's smug grin and narrowed his eyes. 'I might find this amusing, but Castiel does not.'

Dean frowned as he approached the table. 'Whaddya mean?'

'Being strapped to this table is reminiscent of our…stay with Azazel, and Castiel is more in tune with those memories.' Leviathan flinched away as Castiel's vision replaced Dean with Azazel holding up scalpel. He chose to close his eyes instead of fighting the hallucinations.

Dean's eyes widened, and he hurried to pull at the buckles holding Leviathan down. He cursed in frustration and looked over his shoulder. 'A little help here?'

Balthazar looked up from their card game (and peeking at Dean's hand) and dropped his cards on the table. 'What's the matter, Cas? Don't like the taste of your own medicine?'

Leviathan winced again and struggled as he felt the phantom pains of the scalpel digging into his chest. 'Just get me out. Please,' he managed to ground out.

The moment he was able to sit up, Leviathan latched onto Dean, wrapping his arms tightly around Dean's neck as Balthazar worked to free his legs. 'It's not real,' he kept repeating in whispered murmurs.

Dean brought his arm around Leviathan and lightly stroked his back. 'Hey, sorry about that. I didn't think that'd happen. Shoulda known better, huh?' he said softly. Leviathan's voice shifted from reassuring to frantic, and Dean tightened his arm. 'Cas? You gonna be okay?'

Castiel nodded stiffly against Dean's shoulder. He took a shaky breath and reluctantly pulled away. 'I'll be fine. It was just…unexpected.' He shivered and stared at Dean, letting every bit of misery he felt show. 'I'm sorry,' he whispered before looking down. 'For running. It's hard to—'

'He knows,' Leviathan happily informed.

Castiel's mouth snapped shut as dread pooled in his stomach. 'I…see… Can you forgive our…my impulsive behavior?'

Dean sighed and roughed up Castiel's hair. 'Yeah, but you need to have a talk with your brother. Trust me, secrets between brothers lead to nothin' but trouble,' he said.

Castiel nodded solemnly and reluctantly met Dean's eyes. He dropped them again to stare at Dean's stump. 'I should probably reattach your arm,' he said quietly. 'The hookup's different now. More permanent. I can do a local anesthetic if you don't want to be put under.'

Dean looked from Castiel to Balthazar and back. As disturbing as it would be to watch Castiel cut into him, he didn't want to be unconscious around a Maddy he wasn't particularly familiar with—which happened to include all of them. 'Local's good. I'll hand you tools.'

His breath caught when Castiel looked up at him, eyes shining bright and a soft smile. Whatever he was about to go through would be worth it if he got to see that smile again. He silently cursed himself. He knew he was already head over heels for the mad scientist, but now he was completely gone with no hope of ever coming back.

.-.-.-.-.

The operation went quickly and easily, and Dean had a newfound respect for Maddy-produced anesthetics. He hadn't felt a thing in his stump during the operation. Even when Leviathan was happily humming as he drilled into Dean's humerus, he felt nothing. Just a soft vibration around his shoulder where the anesthetic's effects stopped.

He had tried to look away when Leviathan cut into his arm along the partially healed lines, but curiosity got the best of him. His gaze would switch between his arm and watching Castiel and Leviathan work, each switching easily back and forth for different parts of the procedure.

Castiel inserted a threaded tube into Dean's bone, sighing when it was fully inserted. 'Having you conscious makes this so much easier,' he said as he picked up Dean's prosthetic. 'I should have all my patients be awake.'

'Yeah… Don't think they'd appreciate the humming from Lev,' Dean replied.

Balthazar nodded, tossing Castiel's discard tools into a sink. 'It's disturbing.'

Castiel thinned his lips at Leviathan's indignant cries. 'Duly noted.'

'They'd have to know about him, too,' Dean said carefully.

'Of course. Not a good idea, then.' Castiel sighed and handed the prosthetic to Dean. 'Slip it on, elbow back, and it will do the rest.'

Dean held the arm and slipped it over his bone and bicep. He looked at Castiel when nothing happened. 'Uh… Not to cause a stink, but…'

Castiel frowned and took the prosthetic back and looked over his notes spread across the table beside them. 'I don't understand.'

'Is he still numb?' Leviathan asked. 'Oh, we could have fun with that…'

Castiel flushed and smiled nervously at Dean. 'The anesthetic.'

'I've got it,' Balthazar said as he grabbed a syringe from nearby.

Dean winced as Balthazar injected his arm and all feeling flooded back. 'Fuck, that feels so weird,' he grunted.

'Try again,' Castiel urged, handing back the prosthetic.

Dean sighed and tried slipping the prosthetic over his bicep once more. He made a strangled cry as the prosthetic screwed itself into his humerus and all the sensors clicked into alignment. He likened it to having his whole arm fall asleep and reawaken with double the pins and needles that was normal. He tried to flex his fingers, but they didn't obey him very well. His fingers clawed and his spiked knuckles and tiny gun flipped out.

'Sorry to break it to you, Cas, but I don't think you fixed anything,' he ground out.

Castiel smiled and patted Dean's shoulder. 'You just need to…walk it off, as it were. Like any other limb where the blood flow has returned,' he smugly replied.

Dean gave Castiel a half-hearted glare as he tried wiggling his fingers and flexing his wrist. 'Last I checked, ain't no blood in this damned thing,' he grumbled under his breath. 'This didn't happen last time.'

Castiel's smile turned stiff. 'Last time was a prototype. This time, the connectors have been refined, and the receptors on your arm replaced.'

'Or weren't you paying attention during the operation?' Leviathan asked. 'I added new receptors and replaced the old ones, and you didn't think to ask what I was doing?' He scoffed and looked away, crossing his arms. 'I could have… Wait. You…trust me enough not to ask?' He stared at Dean, dumbfounded.

'Well, I trust you enough to not mess with me while I'm watching,' Dean replied.

Leviathan stared at Dean for a minute before a big grin spread across his face, and Dean leaned away minutely. 'That is so sweet! If I'm capable of love, then I think I love you, Dean Winchester.'

Balthazar grimaced at Dean from behind Leviathan's shoulder. He grunted as he was suddenly elbowed in the stomach.

'Don't ruin my moment,' Leviathan hissed before throwing himself at Dean.

.-.-.-.-.

Gabriel was having another argument with Gilda inside the wagon as it moved steadily along the trail. It had become a regular occurrence, happening at least once every three hours.

Sam, Benny, and Charlie had all taken to sitting on the front bench to avoid the loudest of the shrieks and shouts. Benny slept between the pair of humans with a large brimmed hat pulled down over his eyes, waking only when the shouting would start anew.

Sam glanced down as Benny startled and settled back down, resting his head on Sam's shoulder. 'You gonna be okay for tonight?' he asked.

Benny shrugged in response. 'I 'spect I'll make due,' he mumbled.

Sam looked over Benny's hat to meet Charlie's eyes.

Charlie licked her lips in thought. 'You can have a quick bite from me later tonight,' she said. She sighed as Benny sluggishly waved her off, mumbling incoherently. 'Sorry about all this,' she said quietly to Sam.

There was a loud bang from within the wagon, and Sam shook his head. 'There was no way you could have known,' he replied. 'What are they even arguing about now, anyway?'

'It was about the gears last time. I'm sleeping alone tonight because I picked the wrong one.'

Sam laughed as he recalled when the window behind them had slid open and Gilda thrust out a hand, demanding that Charlie 'pick one.' Charlie had chosen, and Gilda had given her the darkest glare she could manage.

'How much farther, do you think?' Charlie asked around a yawn. 'Can't wait to get a real night's rest. Hell, even sleeping on the ground would be better than this.'

Sam nodded sympathetically. He was feeling the strain of nonstop travel as well. Anytime he had suggested stopping for a few hours of sleep, both Gabriel and Gilda had jumped down his throat. 'Their minds are set,' he said eventually. 'I told you about that stuff Gabe me. I… I get it.'

Charlie sighed and leaned against Benny, earning a soft grunt from the vampire. 'Think he'd hook me up if I asked? I'm kinda curious what it'd be like to remember it like it was yesterday. Might get me 'n' Gildy a little closer if I had a refresher on the Madness.'

'Gabe's more patient with me now. Or me with him. I can't really tell, to be honest.'

'If the two of you don't shut up, I'm gonna take my chances with the horses,' Benny grumbled.

.-.-.-.-.

Elsewhere, a man with yellow eyes left a shop, not giving a second glance to the pair of cats that watched him leave. Once he had rounded the corner, the cats stretched and made their way to the outskirts of the small town. They reached a large house and spent a bit of time sniffing around and rubbing along the front porch before moving to the side of the house and jumping in through an open window.

They wandered through the house to the kitchen, greeting other cats along the way. Inside the kitchen, a dark-haired man of average height stood at the counter preparing fish. Cats sat on every available surface and rubbed along his legs, mewling and purring. The pair moved closer, and one propped herself against the man's leg, lightly batting as high as she could reach, meowing softly.

The man immediately stopped, and the rest of the cats quieted. He looked down at the cat, and she meowed a few more times before butting her head against his leg. He sighed and wiped his hands on the apron he wore, which had been decorated with an embroidered crown across the breast. He bent down to stroke the small cat from head to tail before tossing a bit of fish down for her and her companion.

'No other choice… I'll have to leave tonight. The meat won't keep, so we'll be having a nice feast. And then I suggest everyone make themselves scarce. No telling what that maniac will do,' he said as he moved from the counter to an icebox in the corner. He pulled out a tray that held wrapped cuts of various meats and brought it back to the counter. As he crudely chopped up each one, he tossed the chunks to the floor, much to the enjoyment of the surrounding cats. When he finished he popped a small piece of chicken into his mouth and chewed thoughtfully.

'I think it's time I paid Castiel a personal visit.'