Good Deeds Returned (SPN)

AFTER being attacked by a vampire who for some reason took no pleasure in the feeding (and left him alive) Dean brings said vampire to his home. Castiel is...different.

"Well Castiel do you need a place to stay?”

The man – for in That moment Dean thought of him as a man – stared at him, uncomprehending.  "I think we both need to get out of here, preferably without being seen. Come on, I'll take you to my place."

Despite being the one with the bleeding gash in his neck, Dean found himself carrying Castiel into his motel room. Castiel fell into the metal dining chair, dazed. Dean let him sit there quietly while he went into the bathroom for the first aid kit. His first instinct was of course not to let his guest out of his sight for a second longer than he had to.

Somehow he got the impression the only thing he was in danger of from Castiel was that the man would run away into the night.  So he patched himself up in front of the bathroom mirror, cleaning and dressing his wound as efficiently and effectively as if it had been his whole profession. He returned to the living room to find Castiel staring at him, his eyes hollow and sad.

"If you're going to kill me, just give me a quick death."

Dean was floored. Not at the request as much as the realization that he wasn't even considering what should have been a common sense course of action. The man was staring at him, his eyes icy blue, his voice pleasant, and pained. “I know you're a hunter. I know your kind. I won't stop you. But please, just kill me and be done with it.

Dean knocked him out with one blow.  When Castiel woke up, he was tied to the chair he'd fallen asleep in. Dean was standing a few feet away from him, holding a silver knife in one hand and what he could only assume was a flask of holy water in the other. His face set with determination, permitting no emotion.  “Here's how it's gonna play. I'm gonna ask you some questions, about you, vampires in general. You tell me what I want to know, you get a quick death like you asked. You screw with me...or lie to me, and things will get very unpleasant...for you.”  He traces the point of the knife down Castiel's jawline  Capiche?”

“I capiche.” Castiel replied, nodding faintly.

Dean stepped back to give himself space to move, and a better view of his...whatever the hell Castiel was right now.<br />

“Okay to start with the obvious, were you targeting me?”

“As a hunter?” Dean nods. “No.”

“Then why me?”

“Your strength. I sensed your strength vibrating off of you. You are powerfully alive.”

Whatever Dean had been expecting to hear, this clearly wasn't it.

“You figured I could survive you feeding off me.”

Castiel could not tell for certain if this was an assertion or a question. Deciding it didn't matter, he shook his head gently. “Take from it what you will.”

“When were you turned?”

“1508.”

It was a good thing Dean was trained by the absolute best hunters or he would have choked on air. “Are you serious?”

Castiel cocked his head to one side, as if surprised. “I wouldn't lie. Threat against my life or no, I wouldn't lie.” He swallowed hard, the defeated tone in his voice returning. Barely looking his captor in the face he added morosely. “And anyway, why would I risk it?”

“I'll accept that.” Dean stepped back, his eyebrows crinkled in thought. “What happened last night?” It was clear by the way his head jerked back, that he had surprised himself with the question.

“Blood loss wasn't the only thing making you weak in the knees, was it?”

Dean clutched harder at the handle of the blade. How the hell did this vamp understand him so completely? And why didn't It bother him more? “How do you know that?”

“Blood is life-force,” Castiel responded, as if stating a well known fact. “The very essence of who you are is in your blood. I learned a lot about you from the feeding.” He cast his eyes immediately to the ground. Worried he'd angered the man, terrified the borderline admission had sounded like a taunt. “Forgive me. I didn't mean that...the way it must have sounded.”

"Continue your story." Dean said with considerable patience.

Castiel looked up again, at least as high as Dean's chest. He took a calming breath before obeying. “For us feeding is an extremely sensual experience, intimate and intoxicating. The...victim isn't always immune to it.” Castiel's calm eyes suddenly became over bright. “I do not know how to beg your forgiveness. But I AM sorry. Please believe that.”

Finally they had gotten to the heart of the matter. One of them anyway. “Is that why you're so eager to die? Because you believe you deserve to be punished?”

“It's not that I'm eager to die.” Castiel answered fiercely. “I am not eager to die. Merely expecting it. And I learned to live without fear of death long ago.”

“Well that I can understand.” Dean remarked. He turned around so Castiel couldn't see him smile. “A man who fears death has already died many times. And you've been around long enough to know that.”

“Yes, exactly.”

Finally Dean decided he'd had enough. Facing the vampire again, he held the knife at Castiel's torso, the left side of his ribs. Castiel's face wide slack. And although he had enough self control not to plead aloud, his eyes began pleading wildly. 'No! No you said that if I answered your questions.'

...Dean cut the ropes.

“Get out of here.” Dean commanded, his voice calm and controlled.

Castiel pulled the ropes off of himself, got to his feet, but made no move to leave.  “I don't understand.” He admitted.

“I needed to know what the deal was with you. And I didn't think you'd tell me in casual conversation. Well now I know. You're a vampire, but you're not a monster. I still haven't figured out what makes you different. But I have my answers. Anyway it seems pretty stupid to kill you after you spared my life.”

"Dean I'm gratified. No that's not the right word. Grateful. Grateful beyond words. But I can't leave."

"Cass, I mean Castiel I don't think you understand I'm not..." He had been about to say 'I'm not joking; you're free' or 'I'm not going to hold you here', or words to that effect but he never got the chance.

"...No I mean I CAN'T!" Castiel interrupted, gesturing wildly to the window. The sun was shining brightly in a nearly cloudless sky.

"Yeah. That...that is a problem."