Goodbyes were always hard. Even for Dean. He might not have considered the shelter home, but it held a special place in his heart. This was where he met Bobby, a hunter he loved and respected like a father. And now… this was goodbye.

Castiel was in no hurry to return to his hunting lodge and saw no harm in giving Dean a few precious minutes to say goodbye. He wasn't heartless. He knew that this place probably had some special meaning to his hunter.

"Guess this is goodbye, huh?" Dean said quietly, looking up at the old house that was once his home.

Bobby grunted. He really wasn't into goodbyes. He hated them… Every time a hunter got adopted, a small part of him died. Dean was no different, or maybe he was. Bobby didn't want to let him go, but he knew he could never keep Dean here. The boy was a Winchester. He needed to get out and hunt. And well, the law did state that hunters couldn't stay too long at a shelter. The last thing Bobby would want was for the police to come… or him having to put Dean down.

No, this was the best for both of them no matter how much it was hurting them.

Bobby squeezed Dean's shoulder. "You'll be jus' fine… if anythin' ever happens though, you know my door is always open for ya."

A small smile tugged at Dean's lips as he nodded. "I'll keep that in mind." He glanced back at the angel waiting for him and sighed. "Thanks for everything, Bobby."

He replaced his smile with a cockier one. No tears would be shed. He was far past that to let his emotions get the best of him. Winchesters didn't cry over goodbyes. He didn't give one glance back at Bobby or the shelter as he walked over to his new angel. This was goodbye.

"Good luck, Dean," Bobby muttered under breath as Castiel drove off with his hunter. He knew the boy would need it. Sure, Castiel came from a good family, but there were other things to worry about. Would Dean accept his new angel? Only God knew for sure. Bobby could only hope and pray Dean wouldn't do anything stupid.

The ride to Castiel's hunting lodge was rather silent. There wasn't much for the angel or hunter to say. Neither felt like initiating a conversation which was perfectly fine with Dean. He didn't want to get to know Castiel any more than necessary. Castiel, on the other hand, was very curious about his hunter, wanting to know everything about the Winchester. Perhaps Gabriel could help? Then again… maybe not. But at the very least, he could ask his older brother about taking care of the hunter. He wasn't sure if the hunting lodge was even ready for a new hunter much less a Winchester.

He chewed on his lip nervously the closer they got to the lodge. He was feeling anxious about how things would go once he arrived. He had never really payed attention to when his brothers brought their hunters home for the first time. He hadn't prepared for this… which was totally his fault. He didn't think he'd actually buy a hunter. And here he was, driving home with a new hunter in tow.

He couldn't help but smile as he glanced at Dean, his hunter. Dean was no doubt the best looking hunter he had ever seen. He might not be the most knowledgeable about hunters, but he could tell that Dean was well-built for hunting, though, a little on the short side for a Winchester. Having Dean made him actually look forward to the thought of hunting.

After all, not all angels hunted. Some chose to live fairly normal lives. Despite this, all angels were required to at least know how to hunt. The male angels were required to go at least one hunt once they came of age and take on any hunt when called upon.

Castiel's family was one of the average angel homes that chose not to hunt for a living. It was more of a hobby for his father and brothers. Now that Castiel was of age, they had decided to go hunting more often. There wasn't much back to do home, so the boys began living at the lodge more often, closer to the call of hunts.

Dean kept an eye on his surroundings, trying to ignore the frequent glances the angel sent his way. He didn't like being stared at, but it wasn't like he could just flat-out say that. Now would not be a good time to get in trouble with an angel. Dean was not stupid. He could be patient. But dammit… why did the angel have to stare at him like that? It was messing up his focus.

Ring ring!

Both the hunter and angel jumped at the sound. Dean cursed under breath. How could he be caught off guard by a phone? Castiel shot him a strange look before fiddling around with his free hand to answer the call.

"Hello? This is Castiel."

"Heeeeey little bro!"

Castiel winced, pulling his phone slightly away from his ear. "Not so loud, Gabriel. I am trying to drive."

"Heh heh. So sorry."

Castiel rolled his eyes. He could tell the apology was fake. "Did you need something?"

"You got a hunter?"

"That is not the answer to my question."

Gabriel snorted. "That didn't answer my question either."

It was amazing how quickly Castiel could lose all his patience when around his older brother. "If you want answers, you could at least answer my question first."

"Aw Cassie. You got a hunter didn't ya?"

Castiel sighed. "I did. Are you satisfied?"

"Hmmmm… naw. What breed did you get? Is it as cute as mine? Haha!"

He had to count to ten before he dared try to reply to his brother. "You will see when I arrive. I need to end this call." He slammed his phone shut and tossed it into the backseat. Sometimes, his brother just really irritated him to no end.

Castiel's ears turn a slight pink as he noticed his hunter looking at him. "Ah… um. That was my brother," he explained, feeling rather embarrassed for having forgotten about the hunter being there.

Dean merely raised an eyebrow and nodded. Important information to be stored. The angel had a brother. It might make things difficult, but he'd adjust somehow. He always did.

Castiel sighed inwardly and focused on just driving. He hoped things wouldn't stay this awkward between him and his hunter.

But of course, he should have remembered his brother loved making things miserable for him.

The hunting lodge was up in the mountains close to Wisconsin, and Dean had to admit it was a nice lodge. Nothing like the ones he used to stay at when he was still with his angel. They were constantly on the move, so they never really had time to reserve a high-class lodge.

"You're home!" Gabriel greeted, opening the front door wide. "Welcome back, Cassie! And this…" He eyed Dean with approval. "Must be your hunter."

Dean growled a little in warning as the angel came close to him. He only tolerated Castiel because he had to. There was no reason for him to like this other angel.

The angel merely grinned. "A feisty one, I like!" He eyed the hunter again. "And a Winchester. How did you manage that, Cassie?"

Castiel ignored his brother and motioned for Dean to follow him.

"Awww, just ignore me, why don't you!" Gabriel huffed as he closed the door after them. "And to think I got the lodge empty for just the three of us and this is the gratitude I get."

Castiel turned to his brother, surprised. "The others are gone?"

Gabriel nodded smugly. "I sent them on a hunt."

Dean perked up slightly. A hunt? Would he go on one soon? He missed going on hunts… He hadn't been on one in forever!

Castiel frowned slightly. "But I thought you said that there were-"

"Tsk tsk! Not now, Cassie." Gabriel threw his arm around his brother's shoulder. "I thought it would be nice to spend quality brother time and help out with your hunter."

Dean scowled as he shifted his duffle from one arm to the other. He wasn't feeling any love towards the other angel. He hoped that his *ahem* that Castiel would say something because there was no way he'd be able to keep his temper in check with his angel brother.

"Gabriel…" Castiel pinched the bridge of his nose. "I've had a long drive. We can discuss things more at a later time."

Gabriel rolled his eyes. "Oh fine. You rest and I'll get your hunter all set up."

Dean's eyes widened. There was no way he was going to spend time with this guy! He shot what he hoped was a pleading look to Castiel. He had never bothered to master the puppy-dog look. He never needed it until now. And boy was he ever glad that Castiel seemed to understand his pathetic attempt at puppy eyes.

"Gabriel, I believe Dean is tired as well from our trip." He gave his brother a knowing look. "It was a long drive."

Gabriel huffed. "I get it, I get it. But once you two have rested, I get a little fun, okay?"

Castiel sighed and nodded. This was only a little bit of respite, but he would take what he could get. He just hoped Dean would be able to handle it. His hunter seemed to be a little irritated with his brother.

"Come, Dean. I'll show you to your bedroom."

Dean blinked in surprised as he trailed after the angel. "My own room?" he found himself asking.

Castiel paused to look at his hunter. Dean noticed that the angel seemed to have a habit of cocking his head when confused, like a puppy dog. (And no he wasn't smiling at the thought.)

The angel furrowed his brow some and nodded. "Your own room."

Dean nodded slowly as he entered the bedroom. He was slightly relieved not to be sharing a room with the angel. He hadn't shared a room since with Sammy. He didn't want to get close to this angel. He was loyal to Sammy alone. Though, the room was really nice, not that Bobby's was terrible or anything… but the room was huge compared to the one at the shelter. It had a large bed in the center, a desk to the side, and a dresser for clothes. It was a rather nice set for a hunter, Dean had to admit. It made him a little uneasy. Bobby had said Castiel was from a good family. He hadn't said they were a hunting family. Dean gnawed at his lip some. Castiel's family must be one of those angel families that hunted on the side… It certainly explained the whole room thing. Sammy's dad never stayed in one place long. They were constantly on the move, following hunts. Dean wasn't sure he'd be able to get used to all this… fancy stuff. He didn't belong here. He belonged with Sammy.

Castiel muffled a yawn and gave Dean a light pat on the back. "You get some rest, okay?" He resisted ruffling the hunter's hair as he headed towards his own room. "Gabriel will call us for dinner soon." He gave his hunter a small smile before leaving Dean to get settled in his room. Hopefully, Gabriel wouldn't get any ideas while he took a short nap. He didn't want anything happening to his hunter when he wasn't around.

Once the bedroom door closed, Dean gingerly set his duffle down. It seemed so worn and dirty compared to everything in the room. He didn't want to risk getting in trouble for messing up the room on his first day here. Who knows what Castiel and Gabriel would be like when angry? He hadn't personally seen an angel in its fury, but he had heard many stories and see evidence of what an angry angel could do. Not something he would relish experiencing.

But enough of that, it was time to explore the place and get to know the area. Every hunter knew how important it was to familiarize themselves with new territory. Dean started off with his bedroom, sniffing around and inspecting things. For not being a hunting family, the angels seemed to do a decent job at protecting their lodge. He found salt lines around the windows and a few sigils here and there as he quietly explored the rest of the lodge. It was comforting to see the familiar patterns drawn on the floor and walls of the lodge. His fingers traced out the patterns somewhat longingly. Deep inside, he yearned to be out again. To hunt alongside his angel. But that won't be happening for long time, Dean thought grimly as he continued to explore the lodge. Soon… I'll come back to you, Sammy. Just wait.

He tensed slightly as he heard footsteps behind him. His hand trailed down toward his hidden gun. He paused, sniffing the air. He let out a snort and turned to face a rather sheepish angel.

"Aw… I was hoping I could sneak up on you."

Dean scowled, crossing his arms.

Gabriel grinned and reached up to ruffle Dean's hair, earning a deeper scowl. "Not very talkative, are we?"

Dean just growled. He wasn't going to give the angel the satisfaction of hearing his voice.

"Castiel is napping. So I get to have some fun with you." The angel grinned, holding up some collars. "I'm glad I decided to go for the more masculine ones." He tugged Dean's arm and dragged the hunter towards the back of the house. "At first, I thought little Cassie would get softie hunter, but then I realized it would be exactly like Cassie to get the opposite of himself." Gabriel sat a rather grumpy Dean onto a chair and continued, "I'm rather proud of my little brother. I was worried for a little while that he would never take onto hunting."

He gave Dean a smile and undid his collar, replacing it with a black one with small spikes. "Hmmm… not bad." He laughed at Dean's scowl and moved on to the next collar. "Next one, shall we? But as I was saying… Cassie is a bit of a softy. He doesn't like hurting things."

Dean raised an eyebrow but remained silent as Gabriel fiddled with another collar.

"Now Cassie would never admit that, which is why I'm telling you." He tightened the new collar around Dean's neck, causing the hunter to gasp for breath. "If anything, anything, happens to my baby brother, you'll regret it," the angel hissed into his ear. "I don't know what your past angel was like, but forget whatever you knew before. You belong to Cassie now."

A smile crossed his lips as his fingers traced over the collar. "I think this one suits you best." He ruffled Dean's hair once more. "You can go back to exploring." He leaned over to whisper in the hunter's ear. "Don't forget what I said. I am not one to be toyed with. I'm not merciful like Cassie. You step out of line for him, and I won't hesitate to end you."

Dean gave Gabriel a cold look which the angel merely laughed at.

"Feisty. You're going to be a lot of fun to be around, aren't you?"

For once, Dean would just like to punch the angel in his pretty teeth. It was getting so damn hard to keep his temper in check.

Author's Note: Just finished up my very short holiday break. ^^;; Now back to hit the books heh heh. I hope you guys enjoy this update! I am working on "Baby on Board," but it needs a little more tweaking before I can update it. Just thought I'd update this story real quick while I still had the idea running strong and had time off from school. :)

Thanks for reading!

OfPensandPencils: Thanks for your review! I wish you the very very best in whatever you are hoping or trying for. :D I'm glad you like this story so far. Hope you enjoy this chappie. I got waaaay too many ideas for this one. Please keep an eye out on this story as well as many more Supernatural fanfics from me. XD