Yes, I know I should be writing on my other stories but Dean's comments about 'skeevy witches' really annoy me everytime they pop up in my head as I myself have dabbled in Paganism. So this is me getting my own back. It's an eventual 'M' because we all know Dean is in complete denial. There'll be 3 chapters.

Slightly unbetaed and title thieved from Agatha Christie.

CHAPTER 1

Dean picked up the bag of candy and closed the boot of the Impala with an angry bang. This year they weren't going to run out of candy, he'd made sure of that. Last year on Halloween he and Sam had been home the whole evening and the candy Sam had bought hadn't been enough. Dean hadn't bothered to buy any and their house had been egged. Dean didn't think the kids did that anymore so after turning the first few groups of trick-or-treaters away he had pinned a sign to the door saying not to bother knocking. They were out of candy. Not a good idea, it had turned out. He had spent the morning after hosing down the house while Sam looked at him through the window with a poorly hidden smirk.

As if the candy worry wasn't enough, Sam had talked Dean into going to a party at the house of someone he knew from university. It was Sam's second year and he had made a lot of friends since the same time last year. They had moved here just for Sam's education. Dean worked at the local music store to support them and Sam worked a few hours a week at the diner. Dean had told him he didn't have to; they could manage if they kept a tight budget but Sam had insisted on helping. He already felt indebted to Dean for moving with him and renting the house so Sam could have a real home and a quiet place to study. He had spent the first month renting a room on campus but had to share with the most obnoxious and noisy guy he had ever met. As soon as Dean found out he had found a house for them and a job and had moved down to help Sam.

Dean closed the door behind him and sat the bag of candy on the kitchen table. He really wasn't in the mood to go to a party. Especially one that was held at some weirdo's house. Sam had insisted Dean came because the guy was a witch. And Halloween was the time for witches. This was a party Dean wouldn't want to miss. Dean had disagreed. He just wanted a quiet evening at home after a busy week on the job. This year, Halloween fell on a Friday and it seemed everybody who was old enough took advantage of that and had a party planned.

Dean started making dinner and Sam came home just in time to eat. He had been at the library and had a stack of books in his arms. The party didn't start until 10 so they had a few hours to hand out candy. It wasn't long before Dean was asleep on the sofa while Sam tried to satisfy the neighbourhood childrens' sweet tooth.

Around 9.30 Sam woke Dean up and handed him a cup of coffee. Dean sat up and rubbed his eyes, taking a sip of the hot drink.

"Sam, I don't think I'm gonna go," he said and stretched his neck, first to the left, then to the right. He had fallen asleep in an awkward position.

"Dean, you have to! It'll be great, just wait and see."

"I'm too tired and I'm not in the mood," Dean complained.

Sam sighed. "I'll make you a deal. You come and stay for a while and if you're not having fun you can go home." Sam looked at him expectantly.

Dean groaned. "Fine!"

Sam smiled and went to change his shirt. He came back wearing a pair of red plastic devil's horns, a black silk cape and he carried a red plastic trifork.

"Really?" Dean said and looked at him with a wrinkled forehead.

"What? It's Halloween. Aren't you wearing a costume?"

"No!" Dean exclaimed.

Sam sighed. "Could you at least try to get into the spirit?"

Dean didn't answer but went to change his t-shirt. The sooner they got there, the sooner he could say he had given it a chance and the sooner he could be in bed.

The party was held in a house a few streets away so they walked there. They both expected to have a drink so there was no point taking the car. There were already a lot of people there, all wearing costumes. Sam looked accusingly at Dean, who just glared back. There was no way he was going to make a fool of himself by getting dressed up.

When they came inside, Dean spottet a few people without costumes. He wondered if they were eager to leave as well or just hadn't bothered. Sam scoured the crowd and Dean asked if he was looking for anyone in particular, like a girl?

"I'm looking for Cas. It's his party. You should meet him."

"Is he the witch?" Dean asked.

"Yeah." Then Sam spottet him and started making his way through the crowd, Dean following as best he could.

"Sam!" Castiel exclaimed when he saw them. "I'm glad you could make it."

"Cas this is my brother Dean. Dean this is Castiel."

Dean looked at the guy and shook his hand. He was dressed up like a Roman soldier, breast plate and red cape, his bare legs white and very visible. His hair was black and unruly, his grip on Dean's hand firm. He didn't look at all like Dean had imagined.

Sam said he was going to get them a drink and Dean was left alone with the stranger, feeling awkward. Why, he didn't know.

Turned out Castiel had a gift for conversation.

"So, Sam says you moved here to rescue him from his roommate," he said and looked at Dean with a smile.

Dean laughed. "Yeah, well I had to do something. I couldn't let Sam spend the whole year trying to find a place to sleep in peace."

Castiel laughed. "Well, he's lucky to have you. I sometimes have friends stay the night because they can't get any sleep in their flat. You wouldn't believe the stories they tell."

Sam came back and handed Dean a beer, then he was off again, trying to chat up a couple of girls. Dean had seen a few girls he wouldn't mind getting to know himself and he tried to come up with something to say so he could get away from Castiel.

"So what are you supposed to be?" Castiel asked and looked Dean up and down.

"Er, I'm not wearing a costume," Dean said. He thought that was pretty obvious.

"Oh," Castiel said. "Sorry. I just thought you were one of those people who wear distintive clothes every day and like to dress up like a "normal person" on Halloween."

Dean smiled crookedly. "I'm not."

"Right."

Right then, a couple of girls came up to them and asked Castiel who his friend was. Castiel introduced Dean as Sam's brother and the girls almost gushed their approval of Sam. He was so nice, not to mention handsome.

Dean smiled awkwardly. He liked the red haired girl and it made him feel a little strange to hear her talk like that about his brother. He had finished his beer and used that as an excuse to get away from Castiel. He wanted to get another. Castiel smiled at him and nodded.

Dean went over to the table where the beer was and got one. He looked around to see if he could spot Sam. He found him dancing with a blond girl. He looked like he was having fun. Dean took a long swig of the bottle. Maybe he could stay a while. There were a lot of attractive girls here and he could sleep tomorrow. The red haired girl from before came over to him and asked if he wanted to dance. She was dressed up as a nurse, which Dean found arousing, but he had to say no. Dancing was something he never did. Unless it was a slow dance. That he could be okay with because he got to be close to the girl. He didn't tell her that, of course.

The girl made an "Oh, well" gesture and went to find someone who would dance. A moment later, Dean spottet her with Castiel. He couldn't hold back a smile. The sight of a dancing Roman soldier was quite funny.

He had soon finished his second beer and went to have a look around the house. It looked normal. He wasn't sure what he'd expected but the stereotypical witch lived with a black cat and a big cauldron over the fireplace. Dean didn't find either of those things. He felt an urge to look in the bedroom. A personal room like that was usually where people showed their real personality. He didn't think it was the time for it now, though. People were still sober and he didn't want to get caught. He went into the kitchen and spent some time chatting to a couple of guys he knew were in one of Sam's classes. They gave him a beer he hadn't tasted before and after drinking that he started feeling a buzz in his head. He hadn't been drunk in ages. In fact, he hadn't been drinking that often in the last year so. That was probably why he felt the alcohol so quickly. He decided to have a break and go for a soda next time.

He went back into the living room and got spooked by a ghost made of paper mache and a sheet that was hanging from the door frame. Stupid ghost! He straightened his t-shirt, trying to look nonchalant but he immediately spotted Castiel on the other side of the room, smiling at him. Typical! he thought.

He smiled back with raised eyebrows, trying not to feel too embarrassed, then ducked between a few people in an attempt to hide. A moment later, Castiel was behind him.

"I should have warned you about the ghosts," he said.

Dean startled at the sneak attack.

"Sorry," Castiel said trying not to laugh too much.

Dean turned around and tried to play it cool. "No problem. I'm fine." He stood up straight, looking at Castiel.

"So are you having fun?" Castiel asked him.

"Sure. Where's your cauldron?" Dean asked. Maybe it was already too late to switch to soda.

Castiel looked surprised for a moment, then said: "It's hidden away. I only take it out on special occasions."

"Oh. Isn't today a special occasion?"

"Sure, sure. But I don't really need it for the party."

"Right." Dean didn't know what to say now, which was probably a good thing.

The red haired nurse came over and dragged Castiel off to the dance floor. He followed with a look and a smile to Dean. Dean sighed deeply. Way to make an ass of himself!

Against his better judgement, he went and got another beer. He really needed something to strenghten himself on after that. Anyway, there were other people who were a lot more drunk than him. He looked at his watch. It was almost midnight. He looked for Sam and found him talking to a couple of guys. Dean went over and asked him if he was ready to go home.

"Home? We've hardly been here at all." Sam looked at him for a long time. "Dean how much have you had to drink?"

"Hmm?" Dean said. "I don't know. A couple of beers. And another." He smiled at Sam, who shook his head and told him to have a break for a while.

"Schure," Dean slurred. He went over and sat down in one of the sofas. Well, this sucked. What was he supposed to do now? He looked around at the other people. They were all preoccupied with each other. He stood up casually and made his way towards the stairs, bumping into a few people on the way. There were a few couples sitting on the stairs so he could easily walk up without getting too noticed and went to sit on one of the top steps behind the others.

After a moment of surveying, he quietly stood up and walked down the hallway, looking for what could be the bedroom door. He tried the one closest to the stairs and opened it slowly, peeking inside. Sure enough, it was the bedroom. Or a bedroom. He wasn't sure it was Castiel's. He went inside and closed the door behind him, turning on the lights. No, this was probably just a guest room. There were no personal belongings in here. He sighed and went to lie on the bed for a while. He must have dozed off because when he woke up it was after 1 o'clock. He sat up with a jerk and rubbed his eyes, confused for a moment as to where he was. He swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood up. He was thirsty. He should probably have gone for a glass of water but when he came downstairs he went for a beer instead.

There were still just as many people as before and Dean looked for Sam. He was dancing with the blond again. Dean drank his beer quickly and got another. By this time, his judgement had gone out the window and he started to loose track of what he was doing, what the time was and where Sam was. Around 4 in the morning, he was lying on one of the sofas and the nurse came over to him and asked if he was okay. Dean felt reassured now there was a nurse present because he wasn't actually feeling that great. She was really attractive and Dean had a vague memory of them dancing at one point. He sat up and put an arm around her shoulder. Maybe he still had a chance of scoring.

Then he heard Sam's voice to the left of him and thought that was pretty uncool. He was really cramping his style. He moved closer to the nurse and whispered in her ear what he thought would be sexy talk. She giggled, so he must be doing something right. Then he sucked her earlobe and Sam said: "Alright! Let's go!" He hauled Dean up on his feet but had to support him so he didn't fall down again. The next thing Dean remembered was that they were in the Impala driving home. No, wait. They'd left the Impala at home. He looked around confused. Then they were home and Sam pulled Dean out of the car and up to the door.

"I'll see you on Monday, Sam," someone called and Dean turned around to see a Roman soldier get into the car and drive off. What were the Romans doing here? And how did they know how to drive a car? Sam put Dean to bed where he fell asleep in only seconds.

Dean felt terribel the next three days. He almost called in sick Monday morning but decided not to. He could make it through if he took a couple of pain killers and drank a lot of water. And it was worth saving up some sick days for later. Sam didn't say anything about his behaviour at the party, and frankly he didn't need to. Dean was aware he had made a fool of himself. He could always defend himself by saying he hadn't wanted to be there in the first place. Sam only had himself to blame. But that was probably a bit unfair.

When Dean got home from work on Thursday, he heard voices as soon as he opened the door. He went in and saw a black haired guy sitting at the kitchen table with Sam. It took Dean a moment to place him, then he remembered it was Castiel. He immediately felt a surge of embarrassment in his stomach.

"Dean." Sam said. "You remember Cas?" He looked at Dean with a funny expression.

"Sure, hi Cas." Dean took off his coat.

"Hello, Dean." Castiel looked at him with a smile.

Dean cleared his throat and went to pour himself a cup of coffee.

"Um, Cas is staying for dinner," Sam said with a strange lighthearted tone of voice.

"Okay," Dean said. He went over and sat down. Castiel was wearing black finger gloves, which Dean found strange since he was inside.

"So, Dean, did you enjoy the party?" Castiel asked.

Dean waited a moment to answer. Sam had an annoying look on his face. "Sure. It was fun." He looked at Castiel's hands again. Gloves? Inside the house? He had nice slim fingers, though. Dean shook his head. There was a smell that was familiar but he couldn't place it.

"So what are we having?" he asked.

"Huh?" Sam said.

"To eat?"

"Oh, we've ordered pizzas. They'll be here in a few minutes."

"Oh, good." Pizza. Dean could definitely eat a couple of slices of pizza.

Like Sam had said, the pizzas arrived a few minutes later. Sam went to the fridge to get drinks. "Dean do you want a soda?" he asked.

"Yes, what else?"

"Mm, I just thought maybe you'd like a beer or something."

Now, his tone of voice was annoying.

"No. Just a soda," Dean said sternly.

They ate in silence for a moment, then Sam asked: "So, Dean, when did you most have fun at the party?"

Dean looked at him, then he did a double take to Castiel who was smirking at him. Dean narrowed his eyes and turned back to Sam.

"What's going on?"

"What do you mean?" Sam asked with poorly hidden innocence.

"Don't play games, Sam. Tell me what the hell is going on!"

Sam stopped smiling for a moment, then turned to Castiel and said: "I told you he has a bit of a temper. Keep that in mind."

Castiel "Mmmd" and nodded. Dean was getting really angry now.

Sam noticed the look in his eyes and decided to stop teasing him.

"Alright. Er, Dean, how much do you remember from the party?"

Dean huffed out a breath. The party again?

"Well," he said, trying not to sound too gruff. "I remember us going there and having a drink. And I remember talking to you." He gestured to Castiel who was looking at him like you would a kitten you thought was cute. Dean tried to ignore him.

"Is that all? Don't you remember the red headed nurse?"

Oh yeah. The nurse. Now Dean remembered.

"Yeah, I remember her," he said, softening a little. "What about her?"

"Nothing really, you just seemed to think you were hitting on her when you were actaully hitting on Cas."

Dean almost spat out the drink of soda he had just taken.

"What?" he exclaimed. He looked to Castiel who was still smiling at him, eating his pizza slowly.

"No way! There's no way I would hit on a dude. Drunk or not!"

"Except you did," Sam said. "You even danced with him."

Dean took a sip of his soda. His mouth was getting dry.

"Actually, that's why Cas is here now. He wants to know how serious you were."

"Can he not talk for himself? He's right there!" Dean gestured towards Castiel.

"Oh! Sure. I'll let you two talk" Sam got up and went to his room. Dean hadn't meant that he actually wanted to talk to Castiel about this. He just found it strange that Sam was doing all the talking, trying to set his brother up with a guy. When he was so obviously not into guys.

Dean took a deep breath and tried to calm down. Then he said: "Look, I know for a fact that we didn't dance because I don't dance."

"I know you don't. You told me you only do slow dancing. So we did."

"What?" Dean said with a thin voice. He felt a cold creeping down his spine.

"Oh, yeah. We danced. You insisted, in fact. And you told me about all the things you wanted to do to me if we were alone." He looked at Dean with a lewd smile.

Dean thought frantically. There was no way this was true. He would never hit on a guy, let alone tell him what he wanted to do to him. He didn't want to do anything to a guy.

His brain almost had a melt down. "The nurse..." he said. "I was hitting on the nurse."

"Annalise? She was there. Maybe you're getting things muddled up because your not ready to face your attraction to a man."

"No. No, I was hitting on her."

"No, you weren't. But she was standing next to me when you came over and told me we were going to dance. And also when you sucked on my earlobe."

Dean made a strangled noise in his throat. Had he really done that?

"But..." he said.

Castiel sat up straight and wiped his fingers in the napkin. "Look, Dean. I came here because in spite of your drunken state Friday night, I thought you were kinda interesting and I wanted to know if we could get to know each other better."

"Better? As in...err"

"Yes, better as in let's see if we have enough in common to be in a relationship."

This day was getting more and more absurd.

"I'm not gay," Dean said.

"I'm not saying you are, but you were definitely interested in being with me. So why not explore that?"

"I don't think so." Dean didn't meant to be rude but this was ridiculous.

Castiel looked at him for a while, then said: "Alright, well at least I tried."

He got up to leave and when he was at the door he turned around and said: "You know where I live if you change your mind."

Dean didn't say anything, just stared at him. Sam came out of his room at the sound of the door closing.

"Did Cas leave?" he asked.

"Yeah." Dean got up and started clearing the table.

"So?"

"So what?" Dean chucked the empty pizza boxes in the bin with an angry motion.

"So, are you going to spend some more time with him?"

"Sam! I'm not gay!"

"Alright, I'm just asking."

He backed off for a moment but before he disappeared into his room again he said: "You just seemed to like him a lot."

Dean turned around and glared at him and Sam quickly made his getaway.