HI, I don't own these character, they all belong to Eric Kripke. Please enjoy. I would love comments and constructive criticism, but no flames. Please enjoy reading this as much as I loved writing this. It will be multi chapter.

The Buddy System

Chapter one: First Grade Bullying

"Dean Winchester." The teacher called the name of the newest kid in the class. "Welcome to the first grade," She was completely ruining that poor kid's life. Who introduces kids to the class anymore, everyone knows it adds to the stress, that was so kindergarten. It didn't help that Lawrence Kansas was small enough to be able to recognize anyone arriving. "Please tell us something about yourself." Mrs. Singer was an original stay at home mom that was stuck forever in the sixties. With the flowing skirt that reached her ankles, brightly colored, that looked like it had an apron over it. Great idea to have on the days when we have arts and crafts, aka today. The chunky pearl jewelry placed delicately on her pale neck. To top it all off she had curled her bleached blonde hair to frame her face.

"Not really." HE looked up at her, his face concealing any fear that he might have from being in front of a new class. HE looked back at the class when it erupted in laughs, giving a charming smile that had no one swooning. Why would they? Girls were interested in Barbie's and avoiding little boys. While boys just wanted to talk about monster trucks and G.I Joe's. They didn't have any interests in the opposite sex yet, that wouldn't be for years. We still had to go through the cooties phase before the hormonal phase.

Mrs. Singer blushed slightly. "Well… I can't force you to talk about yourself." She surveyed the room, no doubt looking for a place for this troublesome kid. I looked her straight in the eye. Statistically, if you look a teacher in the eye he/she won't pick you, she will pick the kid foolishly looking at a fly on the wall. However, I greatly underestimated Mrs. Singer and her need to find me a friend. Probably also thinking that the quietest, the only non-trouble maker in this whole class, could tame the cocky little boy.

"Ok," The spark was back in her eyes. "Ash, why don't you sit by Josephine," A faint whisper in the background of Jo correcting the teacher, asking her once again to call her by her nickname. "And Dean can sit by Castiel." She pointed at the now empty chair beside me. He sauntered over to me, slamming his backpack on the floor.

"Hi, I'm Dean."

Was this weird boy talking to me, the class nerd and the weirdest boy in Kansas? "Castiel." I quickly looked back to the board. Today they were teaching us how to read, sadly I have read 'see Spot run, run Spot run' multiple times. When the entire class seemed to read through it once, the teacher handed out the paperwork. I heard everyone sigh in annoyance.

"Once the four questions are answered you can go out for a recess." And once again the room was overfilled with groans again and the rustles of pencils. The answers were simple enough and really there were only four answers and they were short answers. Three yes or no questions and one three sentence summary of what we just read as a class. Simple fools could do this but that was asking too much of my class.

"Hey, you want to be partners? Everyone else has partnered up." Dean tapped on my shoulder, holding his assignment in one hand, giving me puppy dog eyes.

"Hey!" Someone yelled before I could say yes to Dean that I would love to help him on the assignment. There was a small boy running up to him and I narrowed my eyes as I realized it was Zachariah, who would always tell his friends to call him Zach.

"Hello, Zachariah." I was not one of his friends. I was no one's friend. He gave me a bizarre look that asked why I was talking to him. "My partner and I have an assignment to do." Dean had been the first one to talk to me since my first day of kindergarten, excluding Mrs. Singer of course. I knew the inevitable would come and he would see me as the freak I truly was, but right now, he was being nice to me. The little boy laughed and sat on Dean's desk, folding his chubby little hands on his lap.

"No one wants to be your partner, Castiel, don't you get that." He shoved his thumb backwards. "Anyways, Michael and I want to be Deano's partner, I already asked Mrs. Singer and she felt really bad for sticking Castiel on you." He said the last part to Dean. Dean looked between us, trying to understand what was going on. Zachariah stood up and started to walk away, not noticing that Dean wasn't following him, once he did he headed back to us. "Please, let's not keep the coolest kid in the first grade waiting."

"Listen Zach," He smirked, showing his teeth, not even embarrassed of his missing teeth. "I already asked Cas if he wanted to be my partner and if he wants to be…" I quickly nodded yes. "Tell Michael better luck next time." He shoved Zachariah off his assignment and desk with a smirk.

We had a system down real quick, he would ask one question and I would answer, then I would ask and he would answer. When it came to the summary we had decided to write our own. I finished first, obviously, but decided to wait on him to turn in our assignment together. Once we did, we were the first group to go to recess. We separated, him going to the monkey bars and I going to the far end of the field. I knew the kids would be flocking out here in a couple of minutes and I wasn't allowed to be on that playground. It was sad but on the plus side, I had the field all to myself. I could watch the butterfly's fly, sometimes, if I was lucky, I could see a gopher pop its head up from the ground. It was peaceful here, far enough that the screams of little kids was barely an echo.

"Hey Cas." Dean sat on the grass beside me as I was torn from the peacefulness. Looking at him, surprise evident on my face, I tried not to stare. "What are you doing out here by yourself?" I just blinked my eyes at him. "You don't talk much outside the classroom, do you?" I shook my head and I watched in horror as I saw Zachariah heading towards us.

"Leave, please." I stood, lifting him up. I was nervous, jumping on my toes, pleading with Dean to leave before they got here. I just wanted a friend, but they wouldn't allow it and I was afraid they would destroy my peace. "I prefer to be alone, I don't need a buddy." There was a hurt spark in Dean's eyes.

"Castiel," Michael's voice commanded attention. Frist grade sucks for awkward little boys like me. "Why would Dean even want to be your buddy? You're a freak." Dean gravitated towards Zachariah and Michal and they walked off to the playground again. The tears were stinging behind my eyes and before I knew it they flowed out. To stop the gut wrenching pain, I quickly dropped in the tall grass and balled up, hugging my knees to my chest. Then I did what my mother used to do when she was alive to calm me down, I rocked back and forth.

I could hear the teacher call the kids, telling them to quickly get a drink of water and get back inside. It felt like I wasn't even there, that the words didn't register in my mind. I didn't even bother getting up. Just sitting there, listening to the wonders around me as my cries pierced through its music. Mrs. Singer didn't even notice I hadn't come back until the second recess was over. She would scream my name over and over again, but I didn't want to go to a room with hateful comments and stares. I was only six and I knew the cruelties of bullying.

"Kiddo," I opened my puffy eyes to see my big brother Gabe, his face hovering over mine. Gabe was a sophomore in high school, the high school that was right across the street from my school. He went to Eric Kripke high. Gabe was over eight years older than me. Father and Mother had Gabe when they themselves were in high school. Not wanting another kid right away, they waited for the perfect time. Time to see if they truly loved each other or if it was because of the baby. During that time they went to college, got a degree, got married and settled down. During the time when they were not married, wasn't even dating, mother had met another guy.

His name was never mentioned to me because she loved my father and that the only thing that mattered was that she went back to him. This guy gave her two more children, the twins Raphael and Uriel. After having those two kids she decided she loved my father more than anything and married him instead. After they were married, they decided to have another kid, me. Giving Gabe and me an eight year difference and the closest thing I had to a friend. I loved Gabe, with his sweet tooth for candy and girls. He was trustworthy and told me the god's honest truth. The truth of how our mom died, how she had gotten pregnant again but had difficulties, resulting in a stillborn and her death. He told me that our father was heartbroken and couldn't deal with two children, one that looked like mother and the one that acted like her, that he ran away, abandoning us.

"Kiddo," He demanded my attention again. He waved a Bit-O-Honey candy bar in my face. I reached for it and he quickly lifted it up again. "Mrs. Singer rushed to my school again, Castiel. She interrupted my English class."

"Why do you care? You hate English."

"It had Katie Berkeley, one of the hottest girls in school, and she was becoming putty in my hands when Mrs. Singer came rushing into the room. Blabbering about my kid brother getting lost, you're not lost; I knew exactly where you were." He dropped the candy on my chest as he thumped down in the grass right next to me. "What's going on baby bro?" He opened a lollypop for himself.

"I don't have any friends." I sat up, crossing my legs.

"So? That's never been a problem to you before."

"Gabe, there was a new kid at school today. He wanted to be my friend." Gabe sat up, hugging me, crushing my bones together. He let out a whistle and laughed.

"Good for you Cassie! Finally made a friend, I knew you had it in you." I grumbled as he finished talking. I pushed him away with my tiny hands, but he refused to let go of me. Gabe always understood me, better than anyone. He knew I wanted friends but had trouble. Said I was socially awkward and that people sometimes didn't like it or accept it.

"Gabe that was until Zachariah and Michael showed up, they went into my safe haven and…" I stuttered, trying not to cry.

"And what?" He pulled back and looked in my wide eyes. He brushed a stray tear that had escaped. HE had done this when my nightmares started up, he had done this when mother died and father left us, and now he was doing this for me again. Gabe was insane and was rash. HE didn't earn the name trickster because he was good. He tricked people and his practical jokes could seriously hurt someone. Gabe had one good quality, he cared for his family, and he loved me fully.

"I didn't want this place to be punished for someone not understanding the rules of the playground. So…I pushed away the new guy, hurt his feelings in the crossfire and he ended up leaving with Michael and Zachariah." My tiny arms couldn't even wrap around Gabe's back. I cried again, into his shoulder and he patted my back.

"Those little punks." He pulled the lolly out of his mouth, pretending to huff out imaginary smoke. "Just because you're a genius and over analyze everything, just because you have freakishly large blue eyes that question everything in your path. Just because of the weird head tilt you do that makes people feel judged doesn't give them the right to torture you. You can't help who you are, little bro. If that new kid doesn't see that, than he isn't worth being your friend." He ruffled my midnight black hair. My blue t-shirt had been wrinkled and muddied from my rolling around, crying. My black pants were stained green from the grass. He lifted me up in his arms, clutching me to his chest. I was miniscule, barely covering half of his chest. Gabe didn't even bother taking me back to Mrs. Singer's class and headed directly to the main office. Checking me out of school for the rest of the day.

When our father left us, Gabe and I were thrown into the foster care. I was sent off to another family that only wanted the monthly check. I hated that family and their real kids; Zachariah tortured me in front of his parents every day and laughed. I was with them for an entire year until Gabe turned sixteen. He filed for emancipation from father and to allow him full custody of me. HE easily won when our own father signed over everything, not wanting to be bothered by us again. I could remember him walking up the steps of Zachariah's family. He was wearing jeans that felt rough against my cheeks when I clutched his legs and a white cotton shirt that soothed me when he lifted me up. He was holding the papers of my custody like it was the Holy Grail and just drank out of the fountain of youth. I had only been living with him for four months, but my life was ten times better than before.

Gabe was a great guardian. He didn't let me stay up past eight, had my favorite candy bars on hand, read me bedtime stories and encouraged my weird behavior. HE worked two jobs. On the weekdays he worked as a busboy to the local bakery and on weekends worked as a team member in the theaters. He worked eight hours there, trying to earn enough money to buy food, pay the rent, anything that he thought we needed. But the biggest sum of his money went to our live-in babysitter, Anna.

Anna was a redheaded college student in angelic studies and was the only one that answered Gabe's ad in the newspaper. The ad had required a college student that could appease a little boys mind and be able to cook. Anna auditioned, she wasn't the best and the brightest, but would bring books back from the college and would read them to me. She said she fell in love while looking in my blue eyes and couldn't say no. She was like my private tutor that lived with us twenty-four seven. I could ask her any questions I wondered about at any time, even when I wake her up in the middle of the night, she would just smile at me. Sure sometimes Anna would ask me to wait until she could find something on it, a book was always my preference, not always available though. She would give me activities that were supposed to stimulate the brain. WE did everything, arts, English, math, science, history, etc. History is my favorite to study, Anna was hesitant and only showed me the good side of history, but how long could she do that. I know today we were learning about Vlad the Impaler, to get me to understand why we celebrate Halloween and where our classic monsters came from. Vlad was assumed to be the image of Dracula for Bram Stoker. Anna was planning on reading to me after we learn about Vlad completely? I was appeased and loved Anna, another one of my only friends, and Gabe loved her for her famous apple pie.

Gabe carried me outside and walked to the high school. Everyone knew me there and the teachers loved me, one in particular. Mr. Singer, yes Mrs. Singer's husband. Every time something like this happened, Gabe would drop me off in Mr. Singer's class. Mr. Singer would accept me with a smile and call his wife to explain that I was safe and that I was going to be his little student today. Mr. Bobby taught mythology, covering all topics from religion to the occult, from Greeks to the Celtics. Today's topic was angels, how they were not the typical cherubs, that they were actually badass. At least that's what a student said, earning an idjit and a covering of my own ears. The day seemed to go by quicker and my mood seemed to lighten with it. Before I knew it Gabe was walking back into the room.

"I picked up a double shift tonight," He kneeled in front of me, handing me his cellphone. "The bakery is on speed dial 2, and Luc expects you to text us every five minutes. I expect you not to be dead when I get home tonight." He ruffled my hair and walked out with me from the school. We separated there though; the bakery was on the other side of town. I scuffed my feet across the gravel as I walked across it, looking at the ground. There was a piece of gravel that I kicked and enjoyed the sound of it hitting the sidewalk. The little apartment we lived in wasn't that far away, the apartment was small but there were three bedrooms, a living room, and a kitchen with working appliances.

"Cas!" My head snapped up. There was only one person that calls me that. I wanted to run when I saw Dean chasing after me. I stopped to allow him to catch up, though. "Hey where did you go today?"

"My brother." I continued walking.

"What is he invisible?" He chuckled, keeping up with my pace.

"What?" I watched as Dean looked around us, running his hand through his short sandy blonde hair.

"I don't see anyone here."

"Don't ridiculous." Giving him that look, the one that says you're an idiot. It didn't make Dean falter though and smiled. "He went to work."

"And you're walking alone?" I sighed and completely stopped, looking at his emerald eyes again.

"Yes," And started to walk again, picking up my pace. My legs were longer then Dean's and I quickly left him behind. I only had to go a couple of more blocks to the apartment and I would be able to shake the day off. Maybe I could listen to my classical collection, throw some Beethoven and Mozart together and my worries would be over. I could ask Anna to throw together a peanut butter sandwich before starting on our lessons.

"Hey, Cas!" Dean once again ran up to me, and my shoulders fell slightly. "Well, my dad forgot to pick me up today." He said, smiling.

"And why did you tell me that, Dean?" His smile just got wider and he shrugged his shoulders.

"I am pulling the Buddy System card."

"The Buddy System?" Dean's mouth gapped at me.

"You don't know the Buddy System?"

"The Buddy System is a procedure in which two people, the "Buddies". Operate together as a single unit so that they are able to monitor and help each other. In adventurous or dangerous activities, where the buddies are often required, the main benefit of the system is improved safety; each may be able to prevent the other becoming a casualty or rescue the other in a crisis." It looked like Dean's mouth dropped to the floor.

"Dude, did you memorize the definition of the Buddy System?" I felt the blood rushing to my face as I scuffed my shoes on the floor. "You're weird, just like Zach and Mike said."

"Yeah, I don't have many friends. If they told you about me, why did you approach me?"

"Approach?" Sometimes I could forget I was only a first grader.

"Uh… talk to me?" Trying to phrase it in laymen's terms.

"Oh!" He blushed slightly. "I don't listen to what other people say, I wanted to see if it was true or not."

"Well now you know, you can leave now." I turned once again, heading to the apartment.

"I can't leave you alone now, what if you got kidnapped, I don't want that on my shoulders." He rushed after me. "Besides, who cares if you talk funny? Anyways, Zach and Mike are a bagful of dicks." He stepped up to me.

"Bag of dicks?"

"Oh," He rubbed his neck nervously. "My father says that about people he doesn't like, not quite sure what it means yet." I started to laugh; it had been a while, laughing with someone that wasn't Gabe or Anna. HE just smiled at me and walked all the way to the apartment.

Anna was there pacing the living room. She turned when she heard the door open, not even noticing Dean behind me. "Where have you been? It takes ten minutes to get here from the school." She held up the timer. "That was tripled today! I have called Gabe three times and he has called me ten times." She held up her notepad. "See, I counted it." She started counting off the lines of how many times Gabe called her. "Then I got a phone call from Luc, yes Luc called, that's how bad it is, if you got the big bad scary man to worry. You were supposed to text your brother." She threw her hands up in the air and started pacing again. "I told him not to let you walk home alone."

"Anna." I tried to get her attention I waved Dean in and we headed to the kitchen table, dropping our bags on the floor. "You want a drink? We have soda?" I asked as we sat on the chairs, he nodded. "WE have coke, diet coke, dr. pepper, sprite, Canada dry, Fanta strawberry and orange, and…"

"Orange Fanta would be great." He stopped me mid-rant.

"You could've been kidnapped. What if there had been a pedophile walking the streets." Anna was still ranting, she stopped and clutched her chest, and her breath's coming in and out shallow. I walked swiftly to the fridge, pulling out two orange Fanta's.

"Do you want a peanut butter and honey sandwich?" I asked as I handed him his soda. He nodded yes and I pulled out the ingredients.

"How long will she do this?" Dean asked.

"I don't know, could be ending right now or it could last another hour." I handed the sandwich over and we ate in silence, watching Anna and her dramatic reaction. Pulling out the cellphone, I dialed Luc's number and Gabe answered on the first ring, explaining what happened. By the end of it, Gabe was laughing.

"I can imagine her ranting right now, her eyes matching that flaming red hair of hers. I'll see you tonight little bro." He hung up.

"I can't even imagine you being tied up." She chuckled, calming herself down. "By the end of it, the kidnapper would beg us to take you back; he wouldn't be able to handle your genius brain." She chuckled, looking at us. "Oh, hello there." She noticed Dean for the very first time. "When did you get here?"

"My walking time was tripled because Dean insisted on using the Buddy System card." The peanut butter was sticking to the roof of my mouth, making Dean laugh at everything.

"Don't worry, ma'am, I wouldn't let Cas get kidnapped." Anna smiled and I knew I was in trouble. Everyone knew I didn't have friends.

"And Dean, are you going to walk with Cas every time he walks home?"

"I plan on it." He had peanut butter on his shirt.

"Does that mean you are his buddy?"

"Yep." He chewed another piece and that was it. Anna squealed and picked up her phone calling Gabe about Cas' new friend, swearing I could hear Gabe squealing on the other side.

"You're going to regret saying that, Dean."

"I doubt it."

TheBuddySystem

"So Vlad was called the Impaler because he impaled the heads of his victims? Cool." Dean commented and to be honest, it was pretty cool. Anna invited Dean to stay longer, only after he called his dad that he was going to be late. Dean's dad was apologizing to Anna and thanked her for picking up his son, Anna didn't correct him. "Can I come back tomorrow? I really would like to read Dracula with you guys." He was jumping where he was sitting, making it look like he had to pee.

"Of course, Dean. Just tell Gabe and if Gabe isn't picking Cas up, then walk with Cas. I live here so we can start whenever you guys get here." She lifted him up, sitting him next to me on the counter. She was packing my lunch for tomorrow and I saw here packing snacks in Dean's bag too. "Ok, your father told me that you only live down the block, I will walk with you." She placed Dean's bag on his shoulder. "Stay, Cas."

"No." I stomped my foot and I rushed to Dean, holding his hand. "Buddy System, it works both ways." And Dean just smiled as we all walked out the door.