AU: Next chapter! Thanks to everyone that reviewed!

Once again, Castiel stands completely still. The room is a black void to him. He only knows that the door is a few feet behind him. His palms are sweating in his tightly clenching fist. The room is too big, making him feel trivial and unimportant. He can tell by how the sounds echo around him. He hears the thump of boxes being placed on the carpet to his right. The two Thetas have been working at it for half an hour.

He feels the need to do something, but he's not sure if he is allowed to help. He wouldn't be able to do anything anyway, because Castiel has no clue about how the room is laid out. Perhaps he can try to make his way around and get acquainted with his new home. He takes a hesitant step forward.

A small hand lands on his arm. It's one of the Thetas. The one who smells like blueberries and honey. The other Theta has left the room. Thinking he has stepped out of bounds, Castiel waits for the rebuke.

"Castiel, right?" the female asks surprising him.

He nods. The hand is warm and it squeezes him comfortingly.

"I'm Jo. We're done now. Would you like to me to show you around the room?"

"Yes," he says in great relief. The images of himself stumbling alone through the room, trying to adjust to his new environment, evaporate quickly.

Jo starts walking forward and Castiel quickly falls in step. She is walking towards what he believes to be the back of the room. He shoes sinking into the thick carpet as he moves. Then the tips of his feet touch something solid. A wave of curiosity washes over Castiel.

"This is the bed," Jo supply's.

Castiel's hand comes down and he pats a heavy comforter. It feels dense and rough, probably only used during the winter. He's not sure how to reply.

The female beside him utters in a thoughtful tone, "I'm not sure which side Dean sleeps on."

Castiel pulls his hand back quickly and closes back into a fist. He's sure that his eyes are wide with shock. Whether she notices his discomfort is unclear, because the next moment she's tugging his arm away.

She walks him to a couch and TV set. The TV is useless to Castiel, so he takes little notice of it, other than its placement. There are three doors in the room. One leads to the outside hall, the other to the closet, and the last to a guest bedroom. Jo takes him to a large dresser and wardrobe allowing him to touch them, getting acquainted. Castiel trips slightly over some sports gear that's laying on the floor. His guide apologizes profusely and, from what Castiel can hear, she kicks offending equipment to the wall muttering curses. The last thing Jo leads him to a large stereo system and a phone sitting on a table.

"Am I allowed to use the phone?" Castiel asks remembering Anna's request.

Jo is quiet for moment, "You should ask Dean. But, I'm sure he won't have any problems with it."

Castiel nods. That lights up a little spark of hope.

Jo's hand disappears and he misses the comforting touch.

"Listen… Dean is a good guy. He treats me like a sister. I'm just his Theta cousin, but that doesn't matter to him. He can be a little rough around the edges sometimes. He… He just wants to make his dad proud, you know? Puts on a huge charade for him."

Castiel does not know, but he is grateful she is trying to settle him. It helps a little.

"Thank you," he mutters.

The sudden feeling of a fist playfully smacking his arm is startling.

"No problem. Dean should be back from work in an hour or so. He'll bring you down for dinner, which is always at six. Do you need me to lead you somewhere? The couch? Or bed? Bathroom? It's down the hall."

"The couch would be nice."

She leads to him to it and he sits down. After a quick discussion she brings him some brail books from his things. She gives a quick goodbye while walking out the door. He opens the first book and begins to read, waiting for the return of his mate.

Dean is on his sixth beer and is just starting to feel something. His tolerance has always been a little high. He just needs one more and he'll be better, one more, to get his body to relax. Work was a bitch. Three mechanics didn't show up at the garage and it was slammed with work.

Dean is glaring at the beer dregs in the bottom of the brown bottle.

He thinks about the very disgruntled customer who blamed his car's latest failure on one of Dean's best mechanics. The guy had claimed the car was sabotaged, forcing him to return to the garage for repairs. That was a lovely event, ending with the mechanic threating to quit.

Dean motions to the bar tender for another.

Too top off the whole day, Castiel is waiting at home. Dean groans as the bartender places a new beer down. He remembers seeing the boy during high school. He only caught glances of him by the lockers and walking down the halls, maneuvering through the throngs of teens by just scent and sound. Castiel with his bright blue eyes and tousled short black hair, like he just lifted his head off the pillow. Dean has always preferred female Alphas or Betas, but even he could see the boy was attractive. He was one of better looking Omegas at the school. It was probably because of his strong family genes. What was it with the Novak family? One part good looks, two parts power, and the final part was crazy.

Dean's seventh beer is almost empty now. He turns to look at the TV, some football game that he doesn't care playing. He really doesn't want to go home. Having your mate picked for you was just… embarrassing. Castiel probably hates it more than Dean, which made the whole thing even more frustrating. His dad is ecstatic, practically growling about with idea of pups. Dean grimaces, he is not going to think about that. Thank God Castiel hasn't gone through his first heat. Maybe Dean can actually get to know the kid before he has to… His mind won't let him finish the thought as it turns back to the game on the TV.

His eyes focuses on the time near the bottom of the screen. It reads 5:46. His practically jumps in surprise. His dad is going to kill him. Dean swigs down the last mouthful of beer and stands, throwing some money on the bar.

The drive back is a bit of blur and far too soon Dean finds himself standing in front of his bedroom door. He was so wrong. Seven beers is not enough. He swallows thickly. His hand reaches down and turns the door knob.

The door swings open and the first thing Dean sees is a small pile of boxes to his right. That must be Castiel's stuff. Dean's attention is drawn to the couch on his left. Over the back he sees a head of dark hair. He clears his throat.

"Umm. Hi."

The head doesn't move.

"Hello," comes the reply. Castiel's voice is rough and deep like it's never been used.

Dean takes a couple unsteady steps forward.

"Castiel right?" He mentally slaps himself. No, Dean chides, it's the actor Misha Collins, who the fuck do you think it is? Thankfully Castiel doesn't seem to be offended. The back of his head just tilts to the side.

"Yes. You smell like leather. You are Dean?"

And Dean thought he was going to be the awkward one.

Dean moves next to the couch arm. Castiel's palms are placed over a book. The pads of his fingers skim smoothly over the pages. His head is tilted downward as though he can actually see what he's touching. His frame is smaller then Dean's, but he is defiantly not a boy anymore. Dean suspects that when the guy stands at his full height he's only a couple inches shorter then Dean.

"I smell like leather?" Dean sniffs his arm in disbelief. He can't smell anything.

"Yes. I remember it from school. Although your smell is different now, more complex." Castiel's flips over a page, "Leather, whiskey, cinnamon, and apples."

"Holy shit! You can smell all that?!" Dean feels just a tad creeped out that Castiel remembers his scent. Which immediately labels him as a hypocritical bastard because Dean remembers Castiel too.

Castiel raises his head, unseeing eyes locking with Dean's chest. Castiel's face screws into a confused look.

"You cannot 'smell all that'?" the quotations can be heard in his voice.

Dean leans over and gives the air around Castiel's body an experimental sniff. He ignores how Castiel's body stiffens. Castiel's scent is soft and crisp mixed with earthy undertones that make him feel slightly nostalgic. The scent isn't very strong from where he is standing. Curious Dean walks around until he is in front of the guy. Castiel's head follows his motion. Dean gives another sniff, then another, and another, and then another. He realizes too late that he can't stop. The scent is intoxicating him. His head is being pulled down by it.

Dean had never been under an Omega's pull before. He's heard about it from others, warnings to stay away from the unmated, especially those who were close to heat like Castiel. Dean had thought they were just exaggerating.

He feels the scent set the blood in his veins on fire. His face was right next Cas's now. The scent is dragging him down to his neck where it seems to be thickest. Dean drops to his knees, hands landing on either side of Cas, trapping him to the couch. Dean's eyes slide shut when his noes nuzzles under Cas's ear.

Dean groans when his arousal strains against his jeans. He needs more of the scent, he needs more of Cas's neck. A growl rumbles up through his chest. Cas's reaction is instant. His head snaps to the side and his hands fists into Dean's jacket. Dean lowers his head into the newly exposed skin.

Dean inhales a deep breath, fighting the urge to open his mouth and bite into the soft flesh. Not yet, not yet, not yet, not yet, not yet, not yet. His mind repeats on a loop. Dean begins to question his sanity. Cas is his mate, he belongs to him. Why can't Dean claim him now? What the hell is he waiting for?

There's banging on the door which is followed by Sam's voice.

"Jesus Christ Dean! Get your ass down stairs. Dad's been bitching about dinner since you walked in the door."

Finally Dean tears himself from the smooth flesh and looks at Cas. His eyes are wide, unfocused pupils blown open. He is breathing heavily through his parted lips. There's a hint of red on his cheeks. The guy looked equal parts shocked, terrified, and excited. Dean swallows thickly, trying to fight the urge to return to his previous position.

"Okay, we're coming right now!" Dean calls to his brother.

He turns his gaze back to Cas.

"Sorry about that," Dean isn't sure if he is apologizing for the whole thing or just the interruption, "I was late coming home from work and my dad doesn't like waiting." Dean rubs his neck.

Cas nods, any evidence of what Dean was doing wiped completely from his face. Dean stands up giving him room. He rises and Dean starts to walk away. He notices Cas has yet to move.

"Hey, what's up?"

Cas head lowers as if embarrassed, "I'm afraid I don't know my way around the house, yet. I don't wish to-"

The realization kicks Dean in the ass.

"Oh!" he moves back to Cas, "Do I need to hold… erhm… your hand?" God, he is hopping Cas says no. Images of his family sending him sly glances across the table makes his stomach sick.

"If I am allowed to grasp your arm that should be sufficient."

A wide smile sprawls across Dean's face, "Sure buddy."

Cas's right hand comes up and Dean pushes his left shoulder into it. It feels like his skin is burning from the contact.

Castiel stays quiet on the walk from the bedroom to the dining room. His hand gripping the cloth on Dean's shoulder tightly. He feels foolish. Castiel could have just followed Dean's scent, but after what just happened, he felt the overwhelming need to touch Dean, afraid that he might vanish. Like someone would come running down the hall and just whisk Dean away.

Castiel's reaction to Dean on the couch was not what he expected. His whole body was running on instinct, ready to submit to anything Dean wanted him to do. It terrified him. The prospect that he couldn't stop even if he needed to was disturbing. But, Castiel didn't want to stop. He had never felt anything like it. He heart and breath sped up, his head became light with Deans scent and there was some kind of burning in his stomach that made his whole body warm. He yearned to reach out and touch Dean, to pull himself into Dean's warmth. He never wanted it to stop. But, it did and Castiel found himself hating his body's betrayal.

Castiel wasn't a fool. He knew the only reason he reacted so strongly was because of him being close to fertility. He didn't have feelings for Dean… Right? He had just met him. It was just his hormones kicking in and looking for prospective mates, Dean being the perfect specimen.

Castiel tears his mind away from the past and focuses on the present. Like the fact that Dean has lead him to a chair. It's pulled out for him by someone and Castiel sits down scooting loser to the table. The room is quiet. He wonders if this is normal. His hands quickly map out the dinner placement in front of him. It seems standard. A plate surrounded by utensils and a glass in the upper right hand corner.

After that is done he sits and waits, curious of what will happen next. Dean has sat down on his left. There is the sound of a chair being dragged out on his other side. Castiel wonders who it is. There's a sharp and noxious smell of sulfur. He fights the urge to gag. It reminds him of the Crowley family's prominent smell. As quickly as the scent attacks his noes it's gone, replaced with the familiar smell of thick dark woods. Then he smells aged paper and cloth, reminding him of musty books, with undertones of honeysuckle seeping in.

The person next to him decides to introduce themselves.

"Hi I'm Sam," oh, it is Dean's brother. His voice is pleasant and smooth.

"Pleasure, I am Castiel."

There was silence for several seconds. Castiel feels like Sam is waiting for something.

Then Dean speaks up sighing, "Sam, Cas can't see your hand to shake it."

Feeling embarrassed for Sam, Castiel's arm snakes in his direction. Sam's hand wraps around Castiel's. It is very large, dwarfing Castiel's smaller one. Sam must be huge.

"I apologies Sam. I sometimes forget what is common procedure."

"Jerk," at first Castiel believes Sam is talking to him, but it's directed past him. The tone is playful and familiar.

Dean grumbles back, "Bitch."

It must be a sibling thing. Castiel smiles at the thought.

Dinner starts soon after. Both Dean and Sam make sure Castiel's plate is never empty. They aren't quiet as adapted as was Anna, who divided Castiel's plate into quadrants, telling him what was in each section. Thinking about Anna is a mistake. Castiel begin to immediately draw comparisons between the two families' dinners. His heart cracks in pain. He misses Gabriel threating to stuff dessert down his throat. Michael and Lucifer bickering at the head of the table. Aunt Naomi trying to force feed Hael vegetables. Uncle Raphael complaining about how Castiel's father ran the family. Samandriel quietly trying to make everyone get along. It was chaotic, yet warm and inviting. No one was left out and everything was up for speculation.

The conversation here is controlled and calculating. John is very much in charge of it. He guides it like a river flowing down a mountain. If something is brought up that John doesn't want to be discussed he immediately changes the topic or ends conversation. It makes dinner very lonely, everyone is present and participating, but not allowed to convey their actual thoughts. They're like actors playing parts. A charade of a perfect family that John has wrapped himself in.

Castiel tries his best to stay quiet, only answering question that are directed at him. Kevin, the youngest Winchester, is making it difficult. He seems excited to have a new family member and is constantly trying to get Castiel to talk.

"Castiel, did you know it's my birthday next Monday?"

Castiel smiles lifting a forkful of what he hopes is mashed potatoes to his lips.

"No I did not, happy birthday Kevin."

The fork slips pass his lips. He is disappointed by cream corn.

"I'm going to be seven!" Castiel imagines Kevin holding up his fingers. Kevin continues, "We're going to the pool to celebrate. You're going come with right? There's going be cake and ice cream and presents and we're going play in the water."

Castiel freezes. He doesn't know what to say. Socially he isn't allowed to leave the house until after he's mated.

"I don't believe I can make it."

Castiel's is shocked by Sam's whiny voice next to him, "What? Why not?" Is this really happening? Does Sam really not understand? They were taught this in school. Castiel's focuses on his plate, determined to ignore that's happening around him.

Kevin seconds Sam with a, "Yeah! Why not?"

Apparently John has enough. "Kevin," he says, getting the child's attention, "we can't let Castiel walk around outside, someone might try to steal him from us. You don't want that, do you?" Translation: someone might try to mate with him before Dean does.

Sam's voice once again startles Castiel, "That's just ridiculous! We can't keep him locked up around here for months, like some kind of living house decoration!"

Castiel wishes Sam would stop. He doesn't want to be dragged into the center of attention. He is fine with his role in the family.

"Yeah!" apparently Kevin really wants Castiel to be at his party.

"Until he's mated that's exactly what he is, now, sit down you two!"

Castiel hadn't heard them get up.

"Dean?" Sam's voice pleads across Castiel, hopping Dean will back him up. Castiel sucks in breath waiting for Dean's reply.

"Sit down Sammy," Dean says.

Relief floods over Castiel, because with Dean's comment the conversation is over. He shrinks back into his chair as John maneuvers the conversation to Dean's garage. Soon the relief dissipates, he feels some new emotion wiggle at the back of his mind. It shoots right down to his heart like lighting, burning it. It hurts so badly and he clutches the table to steady himself. The pain fades quickly, taking his appetite with it.

Some small part of Castiel wants Dean to stand up for him. To say Castiel is more than an object, a mate to bear pups. Castiel is starting to like Dean, just a little bit. That makes everything worse.

AU: I discovered that writing from Castiel's POV is a bitch. Dean's was much easier, probably because I identify with his situation more (how messed up is that?) and he's allowed to actually see things. So more from Dean in the future.

When I get stuck writing, I ramble on the page about what I want to convey. It helps me loosen up the gears in my head. Well, my sister was reading a rough draft of this chapter and thought this particular one was hilarious. I couldn't, for the life of me, come up with what Sam would smell like.

*The smell is of brimstone and sulfur and… shit, I don't know. (GAH WHAT WOULD SAM SMELL LIKE!? NO ONE KNOWS! *Throws hands up and walks away* He would probably smell like demon blood = sulfur, he eats like a rabbit so carrots/lettuce=boring, wait he has to smell a little bit like his dad, soooooo thick dark woods, and he has a kind heart, umm, flowers? Honeysuckle, awwwwwww! Adorable. One more. Something else… fuck it I give up.)*

I hope some of you found my frustration amusing.

So, make sure to review if you like the story! That way I'll know you want more!