Leaving the Novak's behind in their motel with the promise to be back soon, Sam pulled his phone out and called his unruly brother.

"Dean?"

There was muffled noises on the other side, and for a moment Sam thought that perhaps he had dialed the wrong number. Finally, however, Dean answered.

"Sammy, wassup?"

Sam screwed his nose up. "Its Sam." He could hear Dean laugh on the other end of the phone. "Look, are you still in town?"

"You think I could leave? There's a bar."

Rolling his eyes, Sam walks along the deserted street. "Can you meet me? I'm outside the..." He glances up at a nearby neon sign. "Old Bowling alley."

"Already there." Dean hangs up abruptly. Sure enough, Sam could see a dark figure leaning against the wall of the bowling alley. 

Putting his phone back in his pocket, Sam hurries along to meet his brother. He knew it was risky involving another angel in this matter, but Dean wasn't the type to turn Sam in for working alongside the Novaks. Sam trusted Dean more than any other angel out there. 

"What's up brother, you never call me." Dean had his hands in the pockets of his leather jacket, leaning casually against the brick wall. That was Dean though, he never cared or stressed about anything. He would always look at ease no matter where he was.

"I..." Sam paused, carefully picking his next words. "Need some help."

"With the demons? Because last I heard, you had it covered."

"Its something to do with that, look, you know the hunters in town?"

Dean stood up straighter, looking at Sam with a unreadable expression. "The Novaks?"

Sam frowns, noting Dean's odd reaction. "Yes, they were in my way."

"You didn't kill them, did you?"

Sam raised an eyebrow, Dean almost looked.... concerned? "No, but I..." He hesitates, "I had no choice but to agree to work with them, for the sake of ridding this town of them demons."

"You, work with hunters?" Dean looked unconvinced. "You would never go against Heavens orders like that."

Sam ran a hand through his hair. "I know, but it's for the good of this town."

"And when you're done? You're just gonna let the angel killer, the very hunter that is on Heavens hit list, go?"

Sam opened his mouth to reply, but Dean beats him to it.

"Oh you aren't, are you?" Dean laughs, a short and dry laugh, "why am I not surprised, you plan on killing them once they stop being useful, because chuck forbid that Samuel would ever go against Heavens orders even if it means killing good people."

"The Novak's are far from good, Dean."

"But Angel's are?" Dean snorts. "You know, for a race that claims to be loving, angelic protectors, we sure do leave a long trail of dead bodies in our wake." He turns to leave. "I want nothing to do with you and your misguided faith."

"Dean, please." Sam took a step after him. "Look, they have a photo of you because of your... recklessness, I had to talk them our of thinking you were a demon because apparently you were spotted at one of the murder scenes."

Dean turns around, staring coldly at Sam. "Are you trying to accuse me of something Samuel?"

Sam doesn't blink, he's careful to keep his emotions in check. "I'm not, but others might get the wrong idea."

"I didn't kill anyone, I was at the scene because I was tracking the demons."

That was a surprise. "You were? I thought you didn't want anything to do with this job."

Dean rolls his eyes, "I was not doing it because some stuck up archangel told me to, I did it because an innocent human died."

"You should be careful about what you say, angels are already saying how you seem to love humanity more than our mission." Sam never did understand why Dean put humans above angels. Sure, Sam loved to watch them but when it came down to it, he did what needed to be done for the good of his kind.

"Our mission? Does anyone even know what that is anymore?" Dean shakes his head. "I'm done with Heaven, they don't care about humans anymore. I don't think they ever did."

"And yet you won't work with hunters."

A cold anger flashes across Dean's eyes. "No, I won't work with them knowing that you're just playing a game that ends with them dying."

"Why should you care? They just people, dangerous people."

"I care because we shouldn't get to choose who lives and who dies."

Sam frowns. "I'm not doing this again."

"What again?" Dean looks straight at Sam, his phone buzzes in his pocket but he makes no move to check it.

"Getting into an argument with you over where your loyalties lie."

"Good, I was getting rather bored of it after the first 600 years of you saying that."

"Look, would you rather kick up a stink because you're bored and end up locked away again, or are you willing to stop being a baby and work with us?"

Dean stares at him for a moment longer, his eyes unreadable. Finally, he responds. "Fine, but I want nothing to do with your plan to back-stab them."

Sam decides not to mention Dean's absurd love of humanity again.  "Just don't stand in my way when the time comes."

Dean doesn't reply to this, his eyes were carefully guarded. 

~~~~

The walk back to the Novak's was silent. Dean seemed to be deep in thought as he followed Sam across the cracked parking lot. Sam wished he could know what was going through Dean's mind. 

He knocks on the door, and Gabriel opens it slowly. Letting them in, he moves to stand next to his brother. 

Castiel, who had been reading, looked up as the two walked in, his expression that of distaste. He glowers at Sam, before looking over at Dean. Sam was very surprised to see that his expression appeared to be one of recognition and surprise for a split second before his expression morphed back into  one of distaste. 

Sam glanced at his brother, Dean's face was expressionless, but Sam could see the curiosity and... some other emotion in his green eyes. At least no one was killing each other, that was a win in Sam's opinion.

"So, we gonna talk about the case? Or would you all prefer to just stare awkwardly at one another?" Gabriel interrupts the silence of the room, breaking through the thick tension. "Cas, I know you're not happy about this, but you and I both know this case is bigger than we thought."

"What have you got so far?" Dean finally says, sounding somewhat reluctant to take part of any of this. 

Sam breaths out slowly. So far nobody was trying to kill each other, that was progress at least.