I own nothing. All characters and aspects of Supernatural belong to Eric Kripke and the CW.

It really came out of nowhere; there was no way of stopping it. The terror clutched at his chest and filled his mind until he was on the ground, clutching his own upper arms and trying to make himself as small as possible, willing the threatening blackness from encroaching on the last part of his vision. He shivered violently, the cold air freezing the cold sweat on his chest and his lower back.

There was something about the demon; the excited malice burning in his eyes, those few extra inches that managed to make him almost tower over him, or maybe it was the clean, sharp blade he held towards Dean; whatever it was, it pulled every last breath from Dean's chest, making him gasp at the absence. As his vision darkened without his consent, a different pair of legs stood in front of him, a different monster threatened him with strength and coercion. This monster couldn't be neatly killed with a knife, or simply exorcised, this monster came closer and closer until Dean's vision cleared and the tears began to stream down his face. As his sight returned, so did the present, banishing the past to where it belonged. Blue eyes were the first thing he was able to make out, the angel's face inches from his own. Even though he was back in the present, everything was slow, unreal. He could see the angel's lips slowly moving, trying to get through to him, but silence was the only thing that made it into Dean's ears. Fingers dug into his arms as Cas tried to get him to respond. Dean wanted to, but he wasn't sure what he wanted; what the angel was asking for, he couldn't find his voice. He watched as the angel stood, leaving Dean on the ground, and turned around, his movements slowed by Dean's sluggish mind. Sam took his place, kneeling beside Dean, as the angel smote the demon that had moments ago been charging him, along with all the other ones in the abandoned warehouse.

When Castiel was finished, when what felt like hours finally passed, the angel returned to crouch next to Sam, obviously Dean was safe. No demons were left to be afraid of, no threats were present. So Dean knew it was ridiculous that his adrenaline was still pumping higher than it did on most hunts, that he couldn't seem to hear any of the more and more desperate shouts that kept coming out of Sam and Cas' mouths. He knew it was ridiculous that he couldn't close his eyes, that they seemed to be stuck open wide, searching for danger, for the monster from the past, but he couldn't do anything about it. He was a prisoner in his own flesh, and that's what really scared him.

His panic intensified when Cas lifted two fingers towards his forehead, afraid of the dark unconsciousness they would bring. The panic he was sure showed in his face put a pained expression on Cas' face but it did nothing to make Cas slow his fingers' already listless pace, and Sam did nothing to keep the angel's fingertips from lightly touching to his temple. The sharp pang of betrayal was the last feeling that filtered through him before the dimness overcame him.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-. -.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Dean was frighteningly still on the motel room bed, all remnants of what had happened back at the warehouse gone. He finally shifted under the blanket that Cas had laid over him when they'd first deposited him on the bed and Cas' breath came out in a long relieved sigh. His shoulders were no longer shaking and his face was no longer scrunched up in emotions that Cas could recognize as fear and discomfort. What brought it on, Castiel didn't know, but he knew that it scared him enough to make his metaphorical blood run cold. Sam was hovering over Dean, his hand fidgeting helplessly as the other pressed a cell phone to his ear. His words didn't grow any less panicked as he alerted Bobby of the situation and asked for ideas as to what caused the episode, signaling Bobby's lack of knowledge towards the situation. Cas wanted desperately to do something, to heal Dean from whatever it was that was ailing him. But he didn't know what was wrong, and in order to heal him he had to know the source of the problem.

It had been a run-of-the-mill hunt from what he could tell. Castiel had only shown up after Sam had desperately called for him. He'd turned up in time to see Dean drop to the ground and begin cowering on the cement in the fetal position, while a meager demon seemed to be the cause of his fear. Sam was across the room, two demons blocking his access to Dean, no doubt the dilemma that had forced him to call out to Cas. No matter what Castiel said, Dean didn't respond to him. The only noises that Dean seemed able to produce was a broken "no" and a soft whimpering that worried Cas more than his intense shivering. When Dean's eyes reopened and he still seemed unable to answer, Cas had left Dean in Sam's capable hands to take care of the demons that still littered the property. When he was done, he'd put Dean to sleep, wanting to end whatever kind of episode he was having and let Sam drive them all back to their motel room in the Impala.

As soon as Cas had relieved him of his consciousness, Dean's face had returned to the peaceful expression he tended to wear while asleep, and his body had relaxed so completely that they'd had difficulty getting him to the car. Whatever had overtaken him, it seemed to leech the energy out of his body, and Cas was glad to see him gain it back now. He desperately wanted to stay and be there when Dean woke up, healing him once Dean could clarify what had happened, but he couldn't justify waiting around when there were things to be done in Heaven. Instead, he contented himself with a promise from Sam to call him as soon as Dean woke before he returned upstairs.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-. -.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

When Dean felt the scratchy fabric of the pillow under his cheek, he felt groggy to say the least. He wanted to go back to sleep and stay that way for as long as he could manage. But a prickling on the back of his neck made him turn over and open an eye, sure someone was watching him. As he did so, he nearly fell out of bed, finding Sam sitting on the bed next to him with wide, unblinking eyes staring down at him.

"Jesus, Sam! You're as bad as Cas," he harrumphed, turning over again to bury his face in the pillow.

"He's definitely awake, Castiel," he heard Sam mutter behind him and the flutter of wings quickly followed. He felt Sam's weight lift from the bed before his brother shook his shoulders lightly. "Get up, Dean." Sam's voice sounded relieved, and the curiosity it awoke in Dean was enough to get him to give up on sleep.

"What's so damned important that I can't sleep in a little?" Dean whined, sitting up on the bed in the spot Sam had just vacated. He rubbed at his eyes before looking up at his brother and the angel. They both watched him with interest, their eyes following his movements. Neither man responded to his question. "Am I missing something?" Dean asked as he finally opened his eyes all the way, ignoring the strain the motel bulbs put on them. "You guys are starting to freak me out."

"Are you being serious?" Sam finally inquired when Dean started to glare at them.

"About what?"

"About what happened last night," Sam clarified. Dean thought back to the night before, obviously missing something. He conjured up memories of demons and salt rounds but nothing out of the ordinary stuck out to him.

"What about last night?" he probed, trying to remember something, anything, that would explain their behavior.

Sam seemed at a loss for words, so Castiel took a few steps toward the bed, "Dean, if you tell me what happened, I can help you." Cas' face was earnest and full of pity, and Dean felt a defensive edge claim his jaw. When Cas tried to place a, what he probably figured was comforting, hand on Dean's shoulder, Dean had had enough. He rolled over the mattress to get up on the other side of the bed, putting a few more feet between him, his brother, and the angel.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," he warned. "What are you guys talking about?" Cas' eyes scrunched in what looked like confusion and Sam finally found his voice, again.

Sam combed his fingers through his hair, "You really don't remember? Damn." Now Dean's curiosity was definitely piqued and he was getting a little frustrated.

"What happened?" he almost growled, not trying to hide his impatience. Cas was quiet as he stood beside Sam, his eyes never leaving Dean's face; almost looking at him like a grenade that had yet to detonate.

Sam took a deep breath before he explained, "Last night we were checking out a warehouse, Cas had filled us in on a what looked like a demon hideout. It was an easy hunt, nothing out of the ordinary." Sam eyed Dean's expression, waiting for it to falter, but Dean hadn't heard anything worth a reaction yet. "A demon ran at you and you collapsed-I swear to God, Dean, you just dropped-and you were like stuck in a weird trance until Cas knocked you out." Sam rushed through the details and waited for Dean's reaction.

Dean ran a hand across his chin, rubbing the stubble that had grown there. The warehouse was familiar, he remembered driving there and hearing the demons inside, but the rest of the story was foreign to him. He squinted at Sam and crossed his arms, "Are you sure?" he had to ask. "I honestly don't know what you're talking about." His words straightened up Cas' already rigid posture and Sam just peered back at him, clearly trying to determine his honesty.

A few soul-staring moments passed before Sam sighed and he seemed to dub Dean's words truthful. Cas looked less convinced but he didn't say anything, still busy watching his every move. "Cas, really. I don't remember, you can stop staring," Dean suggested, relieved when the angel's eyes finally fell from his face.

"And you feel fine now?" Sam confirmed, his eyebrows raised.

"Yup. Despite feeling a bit sleep-deprived." He gave them both a pointed look before he fell back onto the bed, groaning in delight at the softness of the mattress. "Wake me up when you've got a real case." He grabbed a pillow and stuffed it over his head, tuning out any noises they might make. He heard a few muffled words before he was pretty sure Cas disappeared. He peaked out from under his pillow and watched Sam climb into the other bed, resigning himself to sleep as well. He noticed the bags under Sam's eyes for the first time as his brother laid down and turned away from him. Things must've been pretty bad last night for Sam to stay up the whole night. Dean probed his memories one more time for some recollection of what they'd told him. Finding nothing, once again, he resigned himself to some much-needed sleep.

AUTHOR'S NOTE

So, this is just an idea I had a couple weeks ago. Not sure exactly where the idea's gonna take me, I've only got a very vague sense of the story line at this point so I'm not sure how often I'm gonna be able to update. I know there's not a whole lot to go off from this chapter, but let me know what you think! I promise there's a story behind Dean's outburst and I'm gonna try to keep it pretty secret until I have to divulge it. Thanks for reading!