Sam's right of course. It's not even close to the last thing he hears about the driver. It's all 'Mr. Gabriel' this and 'Mr. Gabriel' that. He's beginning to wonder if Lexi even goes to school at all or she just rides the bus around all day.

He's reminded she does, in fact go to school, when he gets a letter home about parent-teacher conferences. Which are on the one night a week he agreed to work late because Dean had it off. Damnit.

"You need me to what."

Sam pinches the bridge of his nose. "Just go to the school until I can get there, okay? Chances are you won't get called until the end. Pesky 'W' name and all."

There's a loud sigh from the other side of the phone. "Fiiiine but only for the kid. You owe me big time."

"Oh don't be such a jerk."

"Only if you stop being a bitch."

Sam suppresses a smile and hangs up the phone.

He sees Gabriel every day for two weeks when he brings Lexi down to the bus stop. They don't talk, just a nod hello or a wave as the driver shuts the door but his daughter comes home every day with a new story about how Gabriel used to work in a circus or how he knows famous people from when he worked on a movie set for a summer or when he was a white water rapid river guide in Maine. And apparently Lexi was right when she said he was magic because he's legitimately part of the Magician's Guild—'He showed me his card, Daddy. It was so cool'—or whatever it's called.

Sam finds himself inexplicably more and more curious.

Dean is awkward. Not normally but standing in the hall outside a kindergarten classroom is not typically where he hangs out. There are moms staring at him, a few of them making eyes much to their husband's chagrin. He thinks he hears 'I'm literally standing right next to you, Carol. Stop eye-fucking that guy' from the couple down the hall and he has to cover his mouth with his hand to hide his grin. Carol has the sense to look properly admonished and he face flushes red as they walk by when they're called into the room.

It's funny but Dean really hopes Sam gets here soon because he doesn't know shit about parent-teacher conferences and he knows that the sitter they had to hire, some girl named Becky, is expensive. Sam works too much already to have to pay for a sitter and he refuses help from Dean or Bobby beyond taking care of Lexi every once in a while. Not that Dean doesn't find ways to sneak money into the apartment, leaving it in places where one would typically misplace their own and Sam needed a cosigner for his student loans so Bobby pays them off a little at a time so that Sam won't notice.

"Winchester?"

Oh, son of a bitch.

He trips over his own feet walking into the classroom, like a tool. The room is crowded with colorful drawings and papier-mâché projects. There are rows and rows of books along the back wall in yellow bookcases and 20 or so little coat hooks next to the door. One of the walls is all wide windows and Dean imagines that the light is wonderful during the day. He takes it all in, and comes to the conclusion that the room feels safe, cozy and it's no wonder Lexi loves school so much. He registers the man in front of him—Mr. Novak, presumably—gesturing for him to sit on a rug covered in letters and numbers, probably weighted down by glitter and other craft supplies that have sunk in the fibers over the years. He thinks that if he has glitter on his ass when he leaves, he'll have to have words with Sam.

"You're Mr. Winchester, correct?" Novak asks, his voice deep and rich like Ellen's Irish coffee, and for the first time, Dean really looks at him. He's got a mop of dark hair, rumpled and messy from a long day wrangling children and then dealing with their parents. His blue tie is backwards, but he doesn't seem to notice or care, and Dean assumes that he doesn't normally wear one given the nonchalance of the mishap. He feels for the guy, because having the necklace Sam gave him when they were kids on around Lexi growing up was enough of a strangulation hazard; he can't imagine a whole class full of kids grabbing at him for 5 hours a day.

Novak looks at him expectantly, and he's got these crazy blue eyes that Dean isn't ashamed to say are totally his kind of thing. It's not until the teacher clears his throat that Dean remembers the teacher asked him a question. "What?"

"You're Mr. Winchester, Lexi's father?" Novak asks again, clearly using his patient I'm-talking-to-children-voice, which Dean should probably find insulting but he can't help noticing the amusement in the other man's eyes.

"Well, I'm a Mr. Winchester, but not the Mr. Winchester. Sam's running late—"

"Ohh, so you're the famous Uncle Dean then?"

Dean laughs. "Famous? What's she been telling you?"

Mr. Novak smiles a tiny smile. "Nothing much, I think she just worships you. I'm not sure we've had a conversation where she didn't mention you, to be honest."

He can practically feel his chest swelling with pride but he tries to play it off. "It seems all she can talk about at home is school and her bus rides so I think we're even. Though I have to say, you don't really sound like a robot. I'm a little disappointed."

"A robot?" the teacher asks, his eyes shining. "Why a robot?"

"I think it's 'cause she grew up with me and Sam and our uncle Bobby. We're not generally the most eloquent bunch," Dean explains. Novak nods like he understands and shuffles a few papers on the carpet in front of him.

"Well, even if Lexi's dad isn't here, I suppose I can give you the run down," he says. "Lexi is very smart. She's got great problem solving skills and she's ahead of most of the class in the reading department."

"So she's basically a genius," Dean says with a cocky grin.

Novak's lips twitch, like he wants to smile. "Lexi is quite smart and she's also incredibly social. She gets along very well with the other students—with perhaps one exception."

"Jake?" Dean asks and the teacher seems surprised.
"Yes, they've had a few…squabbles," he says.

"Yeah, Lexi told us they haven't really gotten along since the first day. He said some…mean things about our family," Dean explains. Novak nods like he understands.

"Children are…impressionable. I just finished my meeting with Jake's parents," he says. They're quiet for a moment, but it's not weird. "Lexi seems very comfortable in the classroom. Is she always so social?"

Dean shrugs. "Sam moved her around a lot when she was younger so she's used to making friends quickly. I think the challenge is going to come in a few months when she realizes that she's not moving and she can stay. It's either gonna go really well, or it's gonna totally suck."

Novak frowns. "Do you mind if I ask why they moved so much? If you don't feel comfortable—"

"No," Dean says, "No, it's okay. Sam never married Lexi's mother. They were dating and together through her whole pregnancy and even a little while after she was born, but Ruby—she just wasn't a good person, you know? She would go out, come home drunk or high, yell and scream at Sam. I think she hated him for getting her pregnant even though—I mean it takes two, right? And she resented Lexi for 'stealing' Sam from her. How fu—messed up is that?"

Novak reaches out in an aborted gesture before clasping his hands together in his lap. "So your brother took Lexi?"

"Sam's smart. He didn't just take her. He got a bunch of evidence together, did it up all nice and got one of his law professors—he's a lawyer now—to help him file a custody suit. The courts—it's not as bad as it used to be or anything—but they tend to side with the mother, you know? But Sam got all his shi—stuff together and he won. Ruby was crazy. Like certifiable. She followed them, not because she wanted Lexi, though. Just because she didn't want Sam to have her, you know what I mean?" Sam doesn't really talk about it. He doesn't discuss how he showed up at Dean's door with Lexi in tow after driving a day straight or how after they put her down for bed, he pulled the letters from Ruby—all of them terrifying and full of what she was going to do Sam if he kept running. Sam said all those things disappeared the second they were filed in evidence.

"Was Lexi involved in the case?" Novak asks. He sounds angry and a little bit sad.

Dean sighs. "No, not really. She was just at a couple of the hearings when I had to testify or Bobby did. When we didn't have someone to look after her. She was three by the time it all wrapped up. Not sure she remembers." He clears his throat and plasters on a smile when he sees the way the teacher is looking at him. "Sam and I do our best to make better memories, just in case, you know?"

Novak smiles at that. "That's admirable. I'm assuming from the way she talks about you, and even the fact that you're here, you spend almost as much time with her as Sam?"

"Well Sammy just got this new job and he's still pretty fresh from school and his boss is a dic—jerk who makes him work crazy hours. I mean, it's not like I live with them or anything, but I've got my own corner in Sam's closet, just in case," he says. "I take her on day trips and stuff. We've been to the zoo and my friend, Jo's farm a few times." Dean smiles. "She's been bugging me about the aquarium ever since you guys started your 'Under the Sea' thing."

The teacher brightens. "You know, we're still looking for chaperones for our fieldtrip."

"Fieldtrip?"

"Yes. I'm taking the children to the aquarium next week. We still need a male parent chaperone." Dean stares at the teacher for a moment. Is he asking him to be a chaperone? Dean with his leather jacket and dirty hands from working in Bobby's garage? Novak's smile dims when he stares without answering. "Unless of course—it may be presumptuous to assume—"

Dean laughs and holds up his hands. "No, I was just surprised is all. I mean I'm not actually Lexi's dad…"

"No, you're her Uncle Dean and she loves you very much if her artwork is anything to go by." Novak gestures to the wall behind him and it's covered with scribbly drawings. He sees more than one that features his brown leather jacket. Some have Sam, some with Lexi and horses, some that are just him with a big smile plastered on his face. He doesn't get choked up and Novak doesn't mention it. "I think it'd go over well with the other students too. I'm not exactly…'cool'." He says, complete with finger air quotes.

"I'll do it. It sounds awesome," Dean says with a laugh. He snags a pen from the pocket of Novak's shirt and jots down his email address on a piece of paper from a nearby table. A timer goes off near the teacher's desk and he hauls himself to his feet before offering a hand to the other man. "Guess my time's up?"

Novak takes his hand, his grip is strong and sure as Dean pulls him to his feet. "Thank you, Dean."

"Thank you, Mr. Novak," Dean returns. "I'm glad I finally got to meet you."

"Likewise," the teacher says with a small smile. "And please, call me Castiel."

"It's not a big deal, Sammy," Dean says from the other side of the phone. "It went great, you've got a good kid."

Sam groans into his cell. "I know I've got a great kid and thank you for doing that but it was her first parent-teacher conference ever and I wasn't even there."

"The teacher's a good guy, Sam. She's in good hands."

"What? What is this now? Big, bad, protective Uncle Dean approves?" Sam laughs. "Is he hot?" There's an awkward silence from the other side of the phone. "Oh my god, tell me you didn't hit on my daughter's kindergarten teacher!"

"I didn't hit on him," Dean says defensively. "He asked me to chaperone a field trip."

"What?"

"To the aquarium."

Sam pinches the bridge of his nose with his free hand. "Do not have sex with my daughter's teacher, Dean."

"What about Mr. Novak?" Lexi says as she wanders into the living room.

He can hear Dean laughing over the tinny speaker of the phone. "Nothin', baby. Go brush up and I'll be right in." She nods and scrambles down the hall to the bathroom. "I hate you."

"No you don't, bitch."

"Jerk."

The last person Sam expects to run into on his lunch break is the mystical Mr. Gabriel, but as he grabbing an overpriced, but outstandingly delicious sandwich from Panera, he literally runs into the bus driver.

"Oh, god. I'm so sorry," he says, fumbling with napkins where he's spilled his coffee on Gabriel's shoes. "I didn't see—" he realizes just who he's mopping off "—oh. Hi. Um…"

The bus driver just grins. "No worries. You're Lexi's dad, right? Winchester? I can't say I've ever heard you called anything but 'Daddy' and it might be too early in our relationship for that sort of thing."

Sam finds himself startled into laughter. "Yeah maybe a bit. I'm Sam," he says, offering his hand.

Gabriel shakes it firmly. "You already know me as Gabriel so I guess I'll do last name? It's Novak, by the way."

"Novak—?"

"Yup! Cas—aka 'Mr. Novak'—is my little bro. He actually got me the job driving," the man says mopping the last of Sam's coffee from his sneaker.

"I've heard some stories about you and your sorted job history," Sam laughs.

Gabriel just shrugs. "I don't really like to be tied down for a long time. I have to say this gig is pretty sweet though. Morning runs, time off during the day, afternoon runs and summers of. Not bad."

"Yeah but you also have to deal with reckless children who punch other kids in the face," Sam remarks.

The driver grins. "Those are the best parts of my days, Sam. Love the little tykes." There's a bit of an awkward silence when Sam doesn't know how to respond. Finally Gabriel sighs. "You know, since you did kind of dump coffee on me, the polite thing to do would be to buy me lunch."

It's not until he's back at work, the sound of Gabriel's laughter still ringing in his ears and the stories the man told bouncing around his head that Sam realizes he might have just had his first date in 5 years.