Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction based on the television show Supernatural. I do not own the characters listed in this story and am doing this purely for amusement. No money is being made for my having written this piece.

I am sorry to those of you who enjoyed the first version of this story but I just could not continue it the way it was. For me, reading it back, it was just a big jumbled mess and so after a great deal of consideration I went back to the drawing board and started all the way back at the very beginning. I've already got three chapters finished with a new plotline and, if things go well, it'll be better than it was before.

At a quarter passed two o'clock in the morning, the sky over Lebanon, Kansas suddenly opened up, pounding pellets of rain like bullets from high above. It began pouring so hard that the lonely and lowly man knew he needed to find some kind of easy shelter and soon. This was his third night in town and his sixth night without a true roof over his head. Shivering, he finally settled under the overhang of a closed restaurant, huddled in on himself as he waited still as a statue for the storm to at least partially let up.

He made sure to stick to the darkest shadows, that way no one would think to speak to him, not even the police. The city was just so full of living and breathing people. It was taking every single bit of his weakened self-control to not find someone (anyone) to fulfill his aching need.

Hoping to drown out the beating, pounding, noise, he covered his ears with his hands and hummed to himself his favorite song that always comforted him when he was a young child.

Driving since sundown, the Winchester brothers were on their way back to their place when they needed to stop for gas in the big city and maybe to take a quick leak depending on the state of the local Gas n' Sip's restroom.

They were returning home after a three day's long, exhausting hunt that had taken most of their energy and sapped it away. A break was definitely on the horizon and Dean definitely could not wait to sit back on the couch with a cool one and catch up on his DVR'd shows waiting for him thanks to Charlie's illegal, yet totally not illegal, cable setup.

Sam came back from the bathroom and Dean was just pulling the gas nozzle out of the Impala's tank when he happened to take a look across the street and could've sworn he saw the shadow of a figure sitting in the dark, in the pouring rain.

"Dean? We going?" Sam asked, rubbing the drops of water from his eyes and stretching his back until it made a popping noise.

"Sammy, is there some dude across the street, hiding from the rain?"

Sam turned and looked, squinting a little through the drops and, yeah, there was definitely someone over there. The brothers had a silent conversation with their eyes and, as one, they walked across the street, leaving behind their car and walking through the rain to see if the stranger was in need of any immediate assistance. Sam stopped short and Dean skidded to a halt before he could walk into his back.

"What's wrong?"

Sam turned to his brother and turned back, sniffing the air. "We might have a problem..."

He went over the refrain for a fourth time and looked up upon hearing two sets of footsteps stopping before him. Slowly he lowered his hands and, with fear in his heart, said, "Good evening?"

"Um, good evening," the shorter of the two men (brothers, his senses supplied) said. "Is everything all right, dude? In case you didn't notice, it's sort of raining like the end of the world out here."

"I am...perfectly fine."

The taller one sniffed the air and minutely shook his head. Shorter nodded and made a move to reach for something in his back pocket.

Fearfully, he stiffened and...was handed a small, square handkerchief.

"Your face is totally soaked. Must be annoying."

He thanked the kind stranger and wiped some of the moisture from his face.

"Look, my name's Dean and this is my brother Sam. I don't think I can sleep tonight without knowing you had somewhere to go in bad weather like this."

"The men's shelter..."

"Nah," Dean said quickly, "that's probably full. Especially on these kinds of nights."

"What my brother is beating around the bush about is, would you like a sturdy roof over your head? You know, instead of a plastic awning."

He was startled. "I am a stranger. You don't know anything about me and yet you want me to come to your home with you?"

"Well, like I said," Dean said, scratching his head, "you might catch your death on a night like this."

He hesitated and then slowly got to his feet, Sam helping him to stand, his hand lingering in his own and 'oh'. Oh

"You okay?" Sam asked. "Lightheaded?"

"Um, a little. Didn't get anything into me all day."

"You hungry?" Dean asked, crossing his arms against his chest.

"Low blood sugar."

"Yeah," Dean muttered, giving his brother a dark look, "blood sugar."

"Well, I'm still getting soaked," Sam said pointing across the street, "You've been sitting out here for, what, hours? Let's just get back to the car and go. Okay?"

"Sounds like a plan."

"Very well."

The three men exited the alley and ran across the street to get into the waiting black car.

"Nice vehicle."

"Thanks," Dean said, smiling.

"Hey, um dude?" Sam asked. "What's your name?"

"Castiel," he said, "my name is Castiel."

Everyone got into their seats and Dean exited the lot and headed out to the highway. "So...Castiel? That's an interesting name."

"It means 'My Cover is God', according to my parents. Came to them in a dream apparently."

"So, you religious?"

Castiel shrugged his shoulders and leaned his head against the window. "There might be a God out there. I know there are other strange things afoot."

"Afoot, Cas? Seriously?"

"So, Cas - can I call you Cas?" Sam asked, glaring at his brother.

"You may."

"You been in town long?"

Looking up at the ceiling, Castiel counted back. "I have been in the central US for about a week."

"Why Kansas?" Dean asked.

"I wanted to get away."

Sam and Dean both shared a look and the rest of the ride was silent.

At four, the Impala pulled up into the garage of a smart looking ranch house just outside of Lawrence.

"You have a lovely home," Castiel said, slamming his door shut.

"Hey, easy with Baby."

"Baby?"

"Dean..." Sam sighed.

Dean gave the car a subtle rub before everyone trooped to the front door and Dean let them in. "Make yourself at home," he said, dropping his keys on the table next to his door and Sam and him removed their wet jackets and hung them on the rack above it.

"You can put yours there too, Cas."

Castiel removed his own, now threadbare due to the elements coat and hung it up. His mind came to a conclusion but he really needed to ask if it was all right with them.

"May I...?" he began to say and broke off, suddenly unsure.

"May you...?" Dean repeated.

"May I trouble you for use of your shower?"

Dean made a face and shrugged his shoulders. "Knock yourself out. Down the hall, third door on the left."

Castiel nodded his thanks and left to find the bathroom.

Sam and Dean waited until he was out of direct earshot before making their way to the lower level of the house, the level where they really lived.

"You thirsty?" Dean asked.

Sam let out a yawn and nodded. "I could drink."

Dean got to the downstairs refrigerator and removed two, seven inch plastic packets full of red liquid.

"Think Cas wants one, too?"

The shower was a refreshing burst on his cold skin. Castiel turned off the water and stood straight, staring at the tiles and thinking hard about how he ended up without a home.

These boys, whoever they were, were the first to offer him any kindness in days. Or, they were the first that he'd actually allowed rather than the others whom he'd made getaways from as soon as he was spotted. Somehow, he knew exactly what their game was. Mainly because, that was the game he was playing too. He would have to face them, and soon.

Knock Knock

"Hey, Cas?" Dean called through the door. "I've got some spare clothes for you. Your others are in the wash right now."

"Thank you, Dean. You may leave them beside the door and I will exit the shower and change into them."

"Okie-dokie. Sammy and I are downstairs so, when you're done, you can meet us there."

"Thank you." Castiel wiped his wet face with his hand and pulled back the shower curtain. His stomach cramped and Castiel almost collapsed, the only thing keeping him from crashing to the ground being that he grabbed onto the counter to hold himself up. His mouth was feeling sore tonight. Staring into the mirror, Castiel wiped the glass until he could see his face. After a week, it still surprised him that he could see himself reflected back despite everything the books and movies tried to tell him otherwise.

Castiel got dressed in the comfy pajama pants and white tee-shirt and exited the bathroom, searching until he found the stairs leading to the lower level.

"Dean?" he called out once he was on the lower level. "Sam?"

Castiel suddenly stopped short because he smelled something nearby. It wasn't something that most people could immediately recognize, but Castiel knew what it was and his stomach cramped once again.

Wanting. Needing.

He turned the corner and came upon a refrigerator unit that reeked of the stuff hidden inside. God, he was just so hungry. Putting his hand against the handle, Castiel stopped for a moment to think this through. Why did a refrigerator, in the middle of two guys' house, smell of copper and life?

"Cas."

Castiel slowly turned around to see the two brothers standing behind him (how had he not heard them approach?) and holding in their hands two empty packets that he knew at least a few minutes beforehand contained at least a pint of blood, each.

"You hungry, Cas?" Dean asked and Castiel found himself nodding his head, looking down at the floor in shame and sadness.

Dean came forward and gave him a pat on the back before reaching in to the fridge and removing a pint for Cas himself. Castiel took it and, without wasting any time, tore into the package with his teeth and drank.

"It's okay, Cas," Dean said, now patting him on the shoulder, "We'll keep you safe here."