I really should work on my other stories but this plot bunny appeared and wouldn't leave me until I wrote this little story. It was intended as a short one-shot, but it didn't turn out to be all that short. Also there is room for a prequel from Dean's POV should anyone be interested. But for now, I hope you all enjoy this story.

His phone was ringing. Frantically Castiel searched the pile of clothes he had dumped on his bed to find his cell phone, which he had apparently buried by accident. Of course it was right at the bottom of the pile and when he finally found it, it had stopped ringing and he had made a complete mess out of his formerly folded clothes.

With some effort he managed to find the name of the person who had tried to call him. It was a new phone and he still hadn't quite figured out which buttons he needed to press exactly to make the phone do his bidding.

"Hello?" he finally heard his best friend Rachel's voice.

"Hey, Rache. Sorry, I couldn't find my phone."

"Ah, don't worry about it," she laughed, used to him not always answering the phone due to different reasons. Cas just wasn't good with technology. It didn't like him, he had decided and learned to live with it. Maybe the reason was that he just never read a manual because he thought all those things that were supposed to make everyday life easier, should be self-explanatory. Sadly they seldom were.

"I just wanted to hear you voice once more before you leave for the week tomorrow morning," Rachel continued. "Have finished packing yet?"

Cas looked at his bed with the messy pile of clothing, the pile of books he needed to sort through because he couldn't take all of them and at his still empty suitcase. "I'm working on it."

"Alright, I'll leave you to it. Call me when you get back," she laughed and hung up, knowing full well that Cas hadn't really started packing yet.

Cas put down the phone and sighed as he looked at his bed again. He really needed to start now if he wanted to be able to sleep that night.

Just a few hours later he walked up the narrow, winding road that led to the retreat where he would not speak for a week and no one would speak to him either. The retreat was located on the outskirts of a small town in Montana and he dragged his suitcase behind him up onto the hill, knowing the view would make up for the burning that was starting to build in his arms.

He wasn't disappointed. Before exploring the place though he checked in and brought his suitcase into his small and simple room, which was furnished with a small bed, a closet and a desk with a wooden chair. A small bathroom was there, too, with a shower, sink and toilet. Everything was small, simple and was held in white colors and the furniture was made of untreated wood. It wasn't a luxurious room but it had everything a person needed for one week.

When he was done in his room he went back to the common area to look around. There was a nice sitting room with comfortable chairs and sofas, there were also some tables and hundreds of books. Two women were sitting there already, probably other guests who had arrived earlier.

Two big glass doors opened to a nice wooden back porch from which you could see a placid lake right behind the retreat and the mountains in the distance. It was a gorgeous view and made him feel calm and peaceful. Cas took a deep breath of the fresh air. This would most likely become his favorite place. He felt better already just standing there. Working for a radio station meant he was talking a lot and he was constantly surrounded by noise. His friends were awesome but they were a rather loud crowd, too. So he was really looking forward to this week of silence.

He stayed out on the porch until someone tapped him on the shoulder. It was the pretty blond woman who ran the place. Jess, he remembered her name from checking in.

"Everybody's here now. We're ready for introductions and going over the rules once more," she told him with a warm smile and then turned to go back inside. Cas followed her after a short moment.

"Okay, everyone, listen up," she said when all the participants had taken a seat in the sitting room. "As you already know, my name is Jess and I'm in charge here. I know you all read the rules before coming here but let me tell you once more to be safe. This is the last time for one week that any one of us is allowed to talk. If you can't follow the rule you will receive one warning. Should it happen again you will be asked to leave."

She looked around the room, her eyes stopping at every one of them for a moment, making sure they had understood her announcement and knew that she was serious.

"Mealtimes are on the notes on the insides of your doors. If you don't make it in time; your problem. There are no TV's, no radios and no telephones allowed in the building. There is one phone in my office for emergencies. Okay, that's the rules. Now; you may use everything here in the common area. All the books, the puzzles, the games. You can go for several mile-long walks in the area, if you want. Just make sure to take a map. Any questions?"

She smiled at them and waited for a moment. "Alright then. Let's do the introductions now. You already know me now. So, tell me, who are you and why are you here?" she asked, pointing at a young man with dark blond hair and sad green eyes.

"Uhm, my name is Dean Winchester. I came here because I needed some time away from everything in my life and to find myself again," he said but it was easy to see that there was much more behind that story. The look in his eyes screamed bad break-up but he fell silent and was obviously not going to share any more so Jess pointed to Cas next.

"Hey, I'm Castiel Novak and I work for a radio station," he told them, noticing Dean looking up at him with something akin to surprise at his words. "Since I have to talk a lot in my line of work, I've started going on retreats like this one a few years ago. It really helps me find my center and gather new strength for the next year."

Introductions moved on from him then to a woman named Ellen who needed some time away from her family and wanted nothing more than quiet and then to a young red-haired woman who was called Anna and said that she just wanted to try something different. Last was a man with graying hair whose name was Zachariah and who was terribly overworked and on the verge of breaking down entirely and needed this retreat as a kind of therapy.

When he was done, Jess rang a bell to mark the start of their quiet time and left the group. They all remained seated for a while, looking around a little uncomfortably. Only Cas had done this kind of thing before and he got up first to go back outside on the porch, to watch the sun set over the mountains. After a while he was joined by Dean, while the rest of the group had stayed inside to read.

The men stayed outside standing next to each other in silence until it was time for dinner and they followed the group to the dining room. Like everything in this place the food wasn't fancy but it tasted good and was healthy and they all ate with great appetite.

After dinner Cas went straight to his room. It wasn't that late yet but it had been a long day and he was tired and he also wanted to be on his own now to think. Even though they couldn't talk he felt strange thinking about the other participants of this experience, while he was sitting next to them. He thought about the women only briefly, believing they were there for the wrong reasons, Anna more so than Ellen, but it had been their choice. He just hoped they could pull it off.

For Zachariah he hoped that the man hadn't come too late. The retreat was a great way to calm your nerves and relax but Zachariah seemed so on edge that it might not be enough anymore. He spent the most time thinking about Dean though. The man had given only vague reasons for his being there and Cas loved a good mystery. He really wanted to know more about that man and even though they were at a silent retreat there were ways.

Cas was early for breakfast the next morning and he helped Jess set the table. She thanked him with a smile and then the other guests arrived one after another and they all sat down to eat. Cas made sure to sit opposite Dean, so he could study the man a little. Throughout breakfast he thought that Dean kept looking at him but every time Cas looked up to try and catch his eyes, Dean quickly looked away and Cas gave up for the moment. There were several more meals and other opportunities to come.

For the rest of the day, which he spent inside the house because outside it was raining, he didn't see Dean again until dinner. Cas had spend the day mostly with reading or just staring out into the October rain through the big glass doors in the common area. Dean must have stayed in his room all day. It was a little disappointing that he hadn't had a chance to find out more about this guy but then this place was supposed to give you the chance to think and learn more about yourself. That was probably what Dean had done.

The next day Dean didn't seclude himself that much and even chose the place opposite Cas during the meals, ignoring the fact that there were plenty of free chairs around. Cas was pleased by this, even though Dean still wouldn't meet his eyes. It was better than nothing he thought.

In the afternoon Dean even joined him on the back porch, where Cas had sat down in the sun to read the new book he had just bought before going on the retreat. When Dean came outside, Cas looked up at him, seeing that Dean was holding the same book in his hands. Cas held up his book and smiled and he received a careful smile back.

They both read for the rest of the day and only put their books down to watch the sunset, which painted the mountains in all kinds of pretty colors from purple to red and orange and all the different shades in between. It looked amazing, especially with the leaves that had already started to change color and were glowing in brown and red colors as well, amplified by the sunlight. They both remained outside on the porch until the sun had set completely and it was time for dinner. It was now too dark to read anyway.

On the third day, Cas felt like he needed some time away from the retreat. He packed some food and water, took a map and went hiking in the woods. It was good to be outside, surrounded by nature and otherwise completely alone with himself. He enjoyed the trees and wind whistling through the leaves. The physical exercise from hiking was also good and really helped him clear his head. Meeting Dean and wondering about the man had so far defeated the purpose of his visit to this place but the hike gave him the time to concentrate on himself.

While he made his way around the lake, he decided to stop thinking about Dean and just focus on himself from now on. His resolution lasted until dinner when Dean sat right across from him at the table once again and for the first time looked at him. Once his green eyes met Cas', neither man seemed able to look away and they almost forgot to eat. When the first guests got up again they were reminded of where they were and quickly finished their dinner of now cold chicken and rice.

Dean seemed embarrassed by what had happened during dinner and disappeared once his plate was empty. Cas stayed behind a little longer and ended up helping Jess with the cleaning. He didn't mind helping her. Doing a little bit of work every once in a while was nice and Jess was always so grateful for a helping hand that it made him feel good to help her.

That evening, when he, Ellen and Zachariah were sitting in the common room, all of them reading books, Anna came to join them and her foot caught on the edge of the rug, making her stumble and almost fall on Ellen's lap. Ellen smiled at her and helped her up but Anna looked outraged, at the rug not at Ellen, and started yelling.

"I can't take it anymore. All this silence is making me crazy. I'm leaving," she shouted and stormed out of the room. A few minutes later she had packed her things and left.

At breakfast the next morning Dean looked at Cas again. Apparently he had done some thinking last night and decided that he had no reason to be embarrassed. When they were finished eating, Cas gestured to Dean to follow him and showed him the map he had used the day before, asking him to go hiking with him. Dean nodded and together the two men went outside. Cas chose a different route than before. It led them up on a mountain and when they sat down for a lunch break they had a stunning view down into the valley with the retreat and the lake.

Even though they didn't talk they felt comfortable with each other and enjoyed their time together. They stayed outside till it started to get dark and they had to hurry to still get any dinner. After the long day outside they were both pretty tired and they shared a long look and a bright smile when they parted ways at the door to Cas' room.

Saturday was the last full day of the stay at the silent retreat. Cas couldn't believe it was almost over. Time had passed so quickly. He had had a good time though and he felt calm and centered again. He was determined to enjoy the last day, whether anything became of his little flirt with Dean Winchester or not.

But during breakfast the flirting continued and this time Dean initiated the idea of spending the day together, by showing Cas a map on which he had marked a hiking route. Cas smiled and nodded and again they spent the entire day outside in the woods. The day was just as nice as the one before had been and when the sun started setting and they made their way back to the retreat Cas wished that it wasn't over yet. Especially when he slowly moved closer and closer to Dean and he didn't seem to mind.

When Cas stumbled, Dean caught him with an arm around the waist and didn't let go again. Cas smiled at him and they continued to walk home, only letting go of each other when they climbed the stairs to the front door. During dinner their feet kept touching under the table while the two men kept looking into each others' eyes.

They sat next to each other on the sofa that night reading, until Dean yawned and got up to go to bed. Cas left with him, not caring what anyone else might think and not wanting to lose Dean's company so soon. At the door to Cas' room they stopped and looked at each other for a long time. Then suddenly Dean stepped closer and quickly pressed a small kiss on Cas' lips.

Cas was surprised but pleasantly so and when Dean pulled away with a smile Cas put a hand around his neck and pulled him back for a second, longer kiss. It lasted for a while and when they parted they both smiled happily and went to their separate rooms.

Cas went to bed after having packed all his things but he couldn't sleep. His thoughts kept wandering back to Dean and the chaste kisses they had shared. When there was a soft knock on his door he practically jumped out of bed, hoping to find Dean on the other side. And he did. Dean looked as if he wasn't quite sure what he was doing there but Cas just smiled, grabbed his shirt and pulled him inside the room.

The lay awake for a long time that night, kissing and caressing each other, enjoying the closeness. Eventually Cas fell asleep in Dean's arms and he slept better than he had in a long time. When he woke up in the morning he felt wonderful, until he noticed the empty space next to him. But before sadness and disappointment had a chance to settle, he found the note on the pillow.

Sorry to just leave you. I have an early flight to catch and you looked so peaceful and happy, I just couldn't wake you. Thank you for the time you spent with me. You were just what I needed. I hope to see you again soon.

~ Dean

He had also put his address and phone number on the note and Cas was thrilled to see that Dean actually lived in Kansas, too, in the same city as he did. He would definitely see him again, he decided when he got out of bed and got ready to go home now himself.