Hey, there! So, here's another chapter... again, I hope you don't hate it. Sorry about the rating change to M, but the story got a little more intense than I expected and I want to play it safe. I'm still really new to this and really do not want to upset anyone.

Anyway, thank you for the follows/views and a very special thank you to the wonderful person that reviewed! You have no idea how much it means to me and I hope that you are not disappointed with the chapters to come. OKAY, that's enough chit-chat. Hope you enjoy!

Oh, and please please please feel free to point out any kind of errors you see. :)

Warning: Domestic abuse

I slowly sat down at the table. I knew that I had to tell my dad about everything with Cas. He could actually help if he knew, but I felt like I was betraying Cas. I didn't really know what to say at first, so I just sat there for a moment, trying to gather my thoughts and finally answer my father.

"Dean. Did you hear me? Please explain yourself," he said, now looking up at me with stern and unreadable eyes.

"Okay, okay. I'm sorry. So... Um- well, recently, Cas and I-" I didn't know what to say. He already knew about Cas and me, so why was it so hard to say it out loud? "Cas and I came out at school. Somehow Cas' dad found out and he flipped. Dad, he- he hurt Cas," I blurted out. My voice became a little shaky at the last bit, but I hoped that my dad didn't catch it. "Cas had to hide from him until he left their house for the night. Dad, he can't go back there. Please." My dad huffed out a breath.

"Did you tell anyone else about this? About the abuse?"

"No."

"And the other day, when you came home beaten and bleeding, was that- did he do that to you?"

"No. That wasn't him."

"Then who?"

"Dad, this isn't about me! This is about Cas. We can't let him back there." I didn't know why my dad cared so much about my wounds then, as apposed to when it actually happened.

"Okay, so what exactly would you like me do to, Dean?" That question stopped me for a second. What did I want him to do?

"I don't know. But we need to do something. Dad, you can't possibly be okay with Cas going back there with his father!" I still didn't know what to expect from him, but I knew that I expected more than that. He was a good man, so I really thought that he would help more. I thought he would understand. Was it only because Cas and I were together? I couldn't really believe that he was capable of being that low. He sat there, looking at me sternly. I couldn't read what he was thinking and it was driving me crazy. His face subtly turned to pity. Maybe even a hint of sorrow.

"Dean, I'm sorry. There isn't anything I can do. Castiel is a minor and his father has a right to bring him home."

"No! He doesn't have the right to have anything to do with Cas!" I was shouting at that point, not caring anymore. After all of that, Cas couldn't just go back. There had to be something we could do.

"Dean! Stop. Cas can stay, but when his dad figures out that he really is here, you have to understand that there is nothing that we can do about it." My dad looked sorry, but I didn't care. I wanted to understand, but I couldn't. It wasn't fair. Cas wasn't safe in his own home and he didn't have a choice but to go back there. It was all just so fucked, and I didn't know what I was supposed to do. I got up from my chair, not wanting to discuss it anymore, at least with my father. I never remembered feeling so lost. I felt like I needed to fix everything, but I couldn't. I was walking to my room to get my jacket because I needed some air. When I turned the corner to the hallway out of the kitchen, I immediately saw Cas standing there. I almost ran into him. He was looking at the ground with tears close to falling from his eyes, stabling himself against the wall. Shit. He heard everything.

"Cas-"

"It's alright, Dean. I'm fine," Cas cut me off, before going back to my room without further discussion. I followed him, but wasn't sure what I was going to say once I caught up. I didn't want to let him go back with his father, but I felt like it was inevitable at that point. His father already suspected that he was there at my house, so it was only a matter of time before he really figured it all out. It was like there was no escape. Everything was going so fast, it was like I had no time to even process what was happening, and it had been like that for days. My life suddenly got so complicated after meeting Cas, but it wasn't like he said. He hadn't fucked my life up at all. Since I met him, things felt right, even though it was all so very, very, wrong. It was confusing, but every time I was with him- really with him, it was okay and normal, and just natural in every way. I still hadn't thought of what to say to him right then, but I walked into my room after him anyway. He was standing in the middle of the room with his hand in his hair and looking like he was trying his best not to cry.

"Cas," I started, hoping he would speak first because my brain still hadn't formed words to say.

"It's fine, Dean. It will probably be better for me not to be here, anyway. You won't have to deal with as much of this shit. I mean- he's looking for me now, so maybe he'll be better. I'll be fine," he said as the tears he had been controlling started to escape his eyes and roll slowly down his cheeks.

"Cas."

"No, really. It's okay. I don't have a choice anyway, right? And I can talk to him. Maybe he'll understand and won't-"

"Cas!" I yelled. He looked like he was on the verge of full out sobbing and he needed to stop talking like that. I couldn't hear anymore of it. I thought I was going to explode. "Just stop."

"What, Dean? I'm just trying to figure out wha- what to do-" he trailed off and he sat down on the floor, leaning his back against my bed frame. He stopped talking and just sat there, tears rolling down his face. I went over and sat down next to him.

"Look, I'll be honest. I have no fucking clue what to do or what to think, either. But I do know that I am not leaving you. Ever. Understand?" I said, looking at him, but he wasn't looking back.

"No. I don't understand. Look at what's going on, Dean! Do you really think you're better off having to deal with all of this? Like I said before; this never should have happened. All I ever do is fuck up the lives of people I love." He was looking at me now. I couldn't say anything. Love. Did he say love? But he also said- again- that this never should have happened and that he fucked up my life. What did it take to get him to understand that he was wrong?

"Cas, for God's fucking sake. Do you have any idea how amazing you are? My life was a disaster before you. I was miserable. Why can't you just accept that I'm here, and that I care about you? Like, really care about you." I moved to face him and take his hand tightly in mine.

"Your life is a disaster now, and I can't imagine that you were less miserable then. Just because of me. I should have known this would happen again."

"Why can't you understand? I'm happier with you than I have ever been! It doesn't matter what else we're gonna have to deal with. I want to be here, with you." Cas' tears had stopped and he was looking into my eyes with those crazy blue ones. He didn't say anything for a little while, he just stared.

"You're telling the truth," he said.

"Wha- Cas, of course I am." He sighed, and held my hand tighter. "Why would I lie?"

"I don't know. No one has ever told me why." Cas had told me before what happened at his old school, but not in detail. It was almost overwhelming, wondering what exactly happened that made it so hard for him to trust. I didn't say anything. I stood up, helping him up with me, and went to my bed. Leaning back on the wooden frame behind my pillows, I gently pulled Cas by the hand to come lay beside me. He did, without hesitation, and we lay there in silence. I hoped he hadn't noticed the single tear that had escaped and fallen from my face. I didn't notice it until it was already gone. I also wasn't expecting it. I had just been so deep in thought, with Cas in my arms and everything that was going on.

Then next morning, I woke up with Cas beside me. We had fallen asleep together the night before, but it wasn't my intention. I didn't think my dad would be at all okay with Cas in my bed with me, so I never considered it being a possibility. It was so calming to wake up with Cas, though. It was just so comfortable, that I didn't remember everything from the night before right away. But, of course, I did. Cas stirred and opened his eyes. We had moved from where we fell asleep, but we were still so close. He smiled at me. He had looked slightly stressed as he slept, like he normally did, but I didn't remember him having a nightmare. When he woke up and saw me, though, he looked better. He usually wasn't exactly the most pleasant morning person in the world, but I thought that he was cute when he was sleepy and grumpy. It was nice to see him smile like that, though. I thought to myself that maybe he had forgotten the night before, as well. We didn't say anything. We just looked at each other, smiling. Smiling to each other, smiling to ourselves, smiling to the whole damn world, I had no idea. He reached his hand out and ran it along the side of my face. So softly and slowly, it was just barely a touch. When he placed his hand more solidly on my cheek, he leaned in and kissed me. The past few days had been hard and we had kissed, sure, but not like that. That was like the first time we had ever kissed. Cas' lips fit so perfectly on mine. Even when we moved faster and we had begun exploring the inside of each others mouths, it was still gentle and meaningful. We got even closer and we fit together so perfectly, it was like we were pieces in a puzzle. When the kiss broke, we were holding each other chest to chest and I could feel the expansion of our lungs as they looked for air that seemed to not exist.

"Morning," I whispered. Cas smiled again before nuzzling his face in my chest. That was our whole Saturday morning. Just lying there, kissing lazily, and talking about anything that had nothing to do with the whole situation. The situation that we would have to deal with later on. That morning was so amazing, that I completely forgot about my dad's rule, and forgot to worry about him walking in. Thank God, he didn't walk in once. By the time we finally got up to eat breakfast, it was about lunch time and my dad and Sam were in the kitchen making sandwiches. Cas and I walked in after getting changed and when Sam saw us, he raised an eyebrow and smirked at me. I flipped him off before my dad turned and saw us.

"Well you two slept like teenagers on a Saturday morning," he said.

"But we are teenagers on a- oh," Cas said quiet enough for only me to hear. I chuckled and kissed him on the cheek, but only when my dad turned back to his sandwich making and couldn't see.

"You boys hungry?" My dad asked.

"Yes," we both said in unison. He laughed at us and made us sandwiches. Everything seemed okay for most of that day. My father was actually acting like a father, Cas was happy for the first time in days, Sam was weird and nerdy as usual, and everything was fine. We ate, we talked, we laughed. The day was perfect, until 3:37pm, and then every single thing that had been going good for us was gone. When we heard the aggressive knock at the door, we froze. I looked at my dad, then at Cas, then back at my dad as he got up and went to answer the door. When he was out of sight, I moved closer to Cas on the couch, taking his trembling hands. Suddenly, reality came crashing down on us once again as my dad walked back into the room with a pissed off Mr. Novak. Castiel immediately flinched at the sight of his father, and my stomach turned into a knot. I felt like I was going to throw up, but I had to keep it together. For Cas. Even for myself.

"Castiel!" His father yelled. "You will be coming home at once!" No, no, no, no, no. This isn't happening. Not yet. We still have the rest of the weekend, at least. This can't happen. He can't go back.

"Ye- yes, sir. S- sorry, sir," Cas said, releasing my hands and standing up. He was on the very edge of shaking violently, and I had to stop it. I had to stop everything. But how?

"No, wait! No, you can't go, Cas. We can find another way," I said, standing up. I knew it was no use. I knew there wasn't anything I could do, but it was so hard to accept.

"Goodbye, Dean." I watched as Cas walked out. His father's firm grip on his shoulder.

No.

The next two days passed by slower than anything I had ever experienced. The days were repetitive. I would call Cas, I would text him, I would e-mail him. I would even go to his house, but there was no answer. Not even a simple text message back, at least saying that he was okay. I didn't sleep at all, and I didn't remember the last time I ate a full meal. I just hid in my room, calling Cas, and so on. I drove around town, too. Looking in places that I thought Cas might go, but I never saw him. The time before school was back was excruciating, but when it finally came, I didn't know what to expect. All I knew was that I needed to see Cas. After I dropped Sam off, I sped to school not even considering the possibility of getting pulled over. When I finally got to school, I ran in straight towards Cas' locker. He wasn't there yet so I waited, pacing. After a few minutes, the hallways were beginning to get busier and more full of students, so it was harder to look around for Cas. I was getting anxious and I desperately searched the crowd with my eyes, not wanting to leave the spot next to his locker. Then, I saw him, and my heart broke into more pieces than I could count. Most of his body was hidden under multiple pieces of clothing, but the dark bruises that covered his face were impossible to miss. When I looked closer, I noticed a small limp in his walk and his eyes were red and bloodshot. As he got even closer I could see his face more clearly, and that there were not only bruises, but deep scratches that were swollen and had barely started to heal. When he finally looked up and saw me, he stopped, and before I could say anything, he turned around and started walking briskly to who knows where. I didn't expect that. Wouldn't he be glad to see me? I assumed it was his father keeping him away from me, but maybe it was him. Maybe he hated me. He had a right to, after all. If it wasn't for me, his father wouldn't of hurt him. If it wasn't for me, he would feel safe in his own fucking home. It was all my fault. I ran after him, hoping that the thoughts I had weren't true.

"Cas!" I yelled, finally catching up to him and gently placing my hand on his shoulder to stop him. He flinched intensely and hissed in pain as he stopped and turned around, taking himself from my grasp. Oh God. Shit, shit, shit. I didn't mean to- oh my God. I hardly touched him and his reaction was as if I had stabbed him in the shoulder with a dull knife. He looked at me for a second and his eyes were wet and tired. I swore they screamed help.

"Cas..." Was all I said. I didn't feel that I needed to say anything else. I could tell he understood. He looked away suddenly and took a step backward.

"What do you want, Dean?" He said bitterly. It wasn't right. He didn't talk like that to anyone. What had I done? He still wasn't making eye contact.

"Cas, please. What happened?"

"Nothing. I'm fine. I have to go." And with that, he turned around and walked off. I was left speechless. Speechless, confused, angry, frustrated, angry, sad, disappointed, angry, devastated, and so fucking angry. I was ready to go find Cas' dad and beat the living shit out of him. But first, I needed to know that Cas was alright. I had no idea why he was acting the way he was towards me, and it hurt like hell, but I just really needed to know what was going on. I knew that the bruises were from his dad, but I wasn't sure how bad and how many there were. He had a hood up over his head and the only part of him that was really showing was his face. His face that barely had an inch of flesh untouched. When I touched his shoulder he was nearly doubled over in pain and he was limping. Thinking of all that brought the powerful anger that I had tried to overcome seeping back into me. It was overwhelming and I didn't know what to do with it. I considered calling the police, but then what? Even if they could take Cas' father away, Cas would probably go into some foster care program or go back to Iowa. But at least he would be away from his dad. The bell for first period snapped me back from my thoughts and I rushed to class, thinking that I would try to find something to do later. There was nothing I could do right then. I tried not to completely lose my shit all through my classes before lunch. I was surprised when none of my teachers called me out on not paying any attention to their lessons. I tried (but didn't succeed) not to think too much about Cas. I would talk to him at lunch and I couldn't do anything until then. When lunch finally came around, I went to his locker before going to the cafeteria, knowing that he typically went there to drop his books off. He was already there by the time I arrived.

"Cas," I said quietly from behind him. He spun around and looked at me in fear.

"Dean, please. Just go away," he said after quickly recovering.

"Why? Cas, please talk to me. Look at you- you-" I stopped speaking, looking again at the marks that covered his face. I could feel the tears building in the back of my eyes and I just had to stop for a moment, trying to get the heavy feeling in my head to leave. "Are you okay?" I finally asked.

"I'm fine. Please, just stay away from me," he said, starting to walk away. I stopped him, making sure not to touch his shoulder. But even when I stopped him by his wrist, he winced slightly.

"No. I'm not just gonna leave. Just give me five minutes to talk. Please, Cas," I said with obvious desperation in my voice. He nodded, looking at the ground. He hadn't made eye contact with me since we started talking. He followed me to a hallway around the corner and into a janitor's closet.

"This is uncomfortable," he said, hesitating before walking in.

"It's private and the biggest one I know of," I said, defending my choice of closet. I closed the door behind him and turned on the light.

"Okay, Dean, I'm here. What do you want?" He asked. His voice was a little shaky, as he tried his best to seem uninterested in being inside a small closet with me.

"Cas... Just talk to me. C'mon, what happened? Just tell me you're okay-"

"I said that I'm fine," he cut me off. He was still looking anywhere but at me, and I could see a tear escape from his eye and roll down his swollen cheek. I didn't say anything right away, but reached my hand up to gently palm his cheek and brush the tear away. It was so gentle and subtle, but a touch none the less. He finally looked at me and I felt like I could breathe for a moment.

"Please, Cas, I don-" my words got caught up in my throat and I swallowed hard, holding back the heavy feeling of tears trying to break through. It was like lead, trying to pull at and burn in my head behind my eyes. But if I gave in, I wouldn't be able to come back and be there for Cas like I had to be. "I don't know what to do. I need to fix this. I need you to be okay. Just tell me what happened... Please." We stood there without saying a word. For a second, I thought that I felt Cas lean into the touch of my hand on his cheek, but then it was gone.

"There's nothing to fix, Dean. I have to go," he said as he pulled away and rushed out the door, leaving me without a chance to say anything before he was gone. Again. All I wanted to do was collapse in that janitor's closet and completely lose it. I wanted to stay in there and hide while I cry and scream but I knew I couldn't. I had to fix things. I kept saying that to myself. How I had to fix everything, but what could I fix? I had no idea what I was doing. All I wanted was to be with Cas and just be happy and know that he's happy too. Happy and safe. I kept saying that, too. Safe. But yet again, I had no idea what to do. Eventually, I accepted that all I could do at that moment was keep trying to get through the day. It seemed like Cas would be alright at school, so I just had to keep going and finish the day. Then, I would do something. Anything. I would do anything.

When the bell rang for school to let out, I went outside to wait at the door for Cas. I thought I would try one more time to talk to him and make sure he had a ride home. I had to try. I couldn't stand Cas not talking to me. It was excruciating, mostly because I didn't know why. I didn't know if it was something that I did or something his father said- or something his father did. When Cas walked out of the school, I quickly swooped in front of him and he stopped abruptly.

"Hey," I said.

"Dean, I have to go home," he said, trying to move past me.

"Wa- wait a sec. Do you have a ride home? I can, uh, drive you home if you want."

"I have a ride. Goodbye, Dean." He walked away towards the same BMW that Mr. Novak was driving before. My body filled with rage and I started walking toward the car. Cas had already gotten in, and Mr. Novak started to pull away from the curb.

"Hey! Mr. fucking Novak! Wait, you piece of shit!" I yelled at the top of my lungs. He continued to drive off and I ran after him yelling for about ten yards before finally accepting it wasn't worth it. They were nearly out of sight already. I realized that screaming profanities at him probably did anything but help, but the anger took over again and I couldn't do anything about it. I had to stop the pure rage from exploding any more than it had and walked to the Impala, ignoring the stares from the students that were flooding out of the school. I held my head, gripping at my hair as I got to the car, still cussing without breaks. I needed to get home and tell my dad. We could call the police. No, we couldn't call the police. Maybe my dad could go and talk to Cas' dad. I knew that I couldn't, because he wouldn't answer the damn door every time I went. But what good would that do? I was pacing in the parking lot, violently kicking small to large stones that got in my way. I eventually went to get Sammy and I didn't speak a word to him the whole way to the house. He had been so worried about me all weekend, and I was sure that that made things a lot worse for him, but I didn't know what I would say. I tried my best not to speed the whole way home. The more I kept thinking, the harder my foot fell on the pedal. As soon as I pulled into the driveway, I got out of the car and went straight in to talk to my dad. I burst through the door and went to my dad's office before even putting my bag down. He was at his computer and I should have second guessed interrupting him, but I didn't.

"Dad!" I said more suddenly than I intended, making him jump.

"Jesus Christ, Dean, what-" he stopped, noticing how frantic I was and the tears threatening to burst through in my eyes. "What is it, Dean?"

"It's um- It's Cas," I said, biting my lip that I could feel was about to start quivering. "He won't talk to me and um- dad, he's covered in bruises. He's hurt real bad." My dad looked at me for a moment and I tried extra hard not to fall apart under his stare. I didn't know what I wanted him to do, but I needed his help.

"Okay... And did he say anything to you about how they got there?"

"No. But I know his father did it. He was limping, too, and he wouldn't talk and- dad, we need to do something. Please."

"What were you thinking we would do, exactly?" His tone wasn't helpful. It was bottom-line, and the bottom-line was that we couldn't do anything. At least not yet.

"Something! Anything!" That was it. I was losing it. I left the room and went out the door, not thinking. I could hear my dad calling after me but I didn't register what he was saying. I was gone and in the Impala before I knew what I was doing. I pulled out of the driveway and drove down the road towards the small beach. The last time I went there was the day that Cas showed me what his father had done. Thinking back on that day was what finally made the tears fall out of control. I tried to not get so upset. It didn't seem right. Cas was the one going through all of that shit with his father, so I felt like it was wrong. I could only imagine how much worse he must of felt. I was being selfish. When I got to the beach, I walked down the path, trying to calm down. I emerged from the trees and continued onto the sand. The sun was setting above the water, so the beach was lit up with beautiful colors of orange, red, and even purple. I went near the water and sat down on the cool sand. I didn't know what the fuck I was doing there, but it calmed me down a little bit. I needed to see Cas, but I also just needed to think for a while. I knew that Cas needed to get away from his father as soon as possible, but I couldn't do anything without even knowing what I was going to do. The only thing I could think to do was sell my soul for Cas' safety, but then I remembered that wasn't possible. I sat there with drying tears on my face, just thinking. After a little while, I decided to call Cas. I knew it probably wasn't worth it, but I wanted to try. I wanted to hear Cas' voice. I dialed his number and I suddenly heard a ring coming from across the beach. It was coming from the rock that Cas and I sat on before. I walked over- well, more like ran over- and the ringing stopped. There was no one on the rock, but I walked around it cautiously. I had never guessed Cas would be there, but there he was. Sitting up against the tall rock with his knees to his chest.

"Dean?" He asked, startled when he saw me standing above him. "What are you doing here?" I slowly sat down next to him and he moved away slightly.

"Cas," I breathed. It was all that came out. I wanted to say more and I was going to, but that was all that made it's way from my vocal chords.

"I'm gonna go," Cas said, about to stand up. I gently touched his hand to stop him. He froze at the touch and looked at me.

"Please," I whispered.

"Dean, I can't. I- I can't." His voice was starting to shake. "He'll- he'll know."

"No, he won't." I kept a light touch on his hand and he sat back against the rock.

"What?" He asked, staring at our hands.

"Talk to me," I said, starting to run my thumb across his hand soothingly.

"About what?" He replied, still not quite looking at me.

"Cas, stop. Please. I'm done with that shit. I'm losing my fucking mind, here. Talk to me." He finally looked up at me. It was getting kinda dark, so I couldn't fully see his face before. When he looked at me I could see his face more clearly, and everything came racing back as my gut clenched at the sight of the darkness and pain the had overtaken his face. I had seen it before, but then, his hood was down and I couldn't help but react again. My stomach twisted I tried not to get angry.

"What if he-" Cas started, but he choked out a sob that caught him before he could finish.

"Hey. Don't think about him. I'm here, he's not," I said. Cas had slightly fallen in towards me, like he was desperate for comfort, but so afraid.

"I'm so sorry," he said. His head was down as he looked at the ground and grasped my hand.

"For what?"

"Everything."

"Cas, stop. Don't apologize. For anything. Now tell me what happened, okay?" I asked just above a whisper, not wanting to push, but I had gone long enough. I needed to know what was going on so I could stop having to guess and wonder, torturing myself.

"He just wouldn't stop." Cas paused. He was speaking so slowly and quietly, like he was terrified that someone was listening in. He had fallen onto me more. Mostly for comfort, but also from weakness, his forehead rested on my shoulder. "I couldn't-" he stopped. I knew what he was saying. I understood. I began to slowly run my fingers through his hair, trying my best not to hurt him. "He had to work late today... I just couldn't be in that house anymore, and I didn't know where else to go."

"Why didn't you come see me?" I asked. Cas didn't speak for a minute and I wondered if maybe he had fallen asleep. Poor guy looked exhausted.

"He said he would kill me if I ever spoke to you again," Cas finally said, even more quietly than before. His voice so weak and helpless. It was almost as if it physically pained him to say the words. I wanted to take my phone out and call the police. I wanted to go find Cas' father and make sure he know never to treat Cas like that again. He needed to pay, one way or another. He couldn't get away with that.

"Cas, we have to call the police," I said.

"No. Please, Dean. We can't fight him. No one can... and maybe he'll stop. He didn't used to be like this."

"Cas, we can't let him get away with this. You can't go back there." Cas had too much faith in his father, when at the same time, he knew that his father was wrong and it needed to stop. I didn't really understand it, but I could clearly see it. He didn't say anything. I guessed that he must have been accepting that he really couldn't go back to his father. If he found out about Cas and I meeting, he could kill him. Although, the longer Cas didn't say anything, the more I began to think. Thoughts and worries flooded my head. Would he just go back to ignoring me? Would he listen to his father, and never speak to me again? I knew that it was possible for him to be that scared. I had only seen part of what his father had done to him, and just that was worse than I could handle. But even if he was that scared, didn't he trust me? I stopped thinking like that. I was there with Cas, at that moment, and that was what I had been wanting for days. I sighed and rested my head on his, which was still placed on my shoulder.

"What do I do?" He asked. He said it so quietly that I could barely make out what he said. I almost mistook it for a breath. I wasn't sure what he meant at first, so my mind froze.

"You need to stay as far away from him as you possibly can. You can't get hurt again like this, Cas," I replied. I didn't know what else to say. It was true, he needed to stay away from him, but I didn't know how to make that happen. It was the same thing than before, and it was like everything was repeating and I still couldn't do a damn thing. I felt like I was useless. Cas got hurt again because I couldn't help him, and the same thing was going to happen again because I still couldn't help him. At least I felt like I couldn't. There we were, sitting at the beach after running away, trying to fix everything- again. But I couldn't let that happen to Cas again. This time, he would be safe.

"Dean, how are we supposed to pull this off? He's my dad. I have to go back. There's no other choice," Cas said. His voice was stronger now. Not strong, but not as weak and tired. It was like he was accepting the wrong fact of that he had to go back and get hurt.

"Cas, no. You can't," I said as he started to stand up. When he got to his feet he swayed and almost fell backwards. I quickly stood up to help him and keep him from falling.

"It's fine, Dean," he said, still looking dizzy.

"No, it's not. Cas, you can't."

"I already said, Dean. I don't have a choice. My father will be getting home from work soon and he expects me to be there. If I'm not, then he might know," he said. His voice was fading. "You have to accept this, Dean. I have to go." He pulled away from my arms that were attempting to support him, about to walk away toward the path. I couldn't let him go, but I knew I had to. What was I going to do? I couldn't bring him back to my house. That would be the first place his father would look, and we couldn't risk that.

"We're gonna fix this," I said as he began to walk away. He stopped and turned his head toward me. He looked so deep into my eyes, and for a second I thought I would fall over.

"That's what I thought before," he said, his voice on the edge of breaking. He walked away and I couldn't move. His words made my chest feel like concrete and I couldn't even form the words to offer him a ride home, even though I knew that he would decline. The possibility of his father seeing my car at their house was not something we could risk. I stood there until Cas was far out of sight, probably half way to his house. When I finally moved to drive home, the concrete in my chest broke into pieces and Cas' words still stabbed at my mind. I didn't want to move. I didn't want to keep going, repeating this over and over again. Cas would get hurt again and there would still be nothing I could do about it. I was only in high school. How could I do anything? The only person I thought could help me was my dad, and he wasn't even trying. I walked back to my car with the same thoughts I had been thinking for days racing through my head. It had gotten pretty late, and I could barely see my baby in the dark. I opened the door and the squeak of the old metal was comforting. Everything about that car was comforting. When I turned the key, I heard an abhorrent grinding noise and the car didn't start. I tried again and I again, mumbling swears as the engine neglected to start. When I accepted that I wasn't going to hear the rumble and purr from the hood, I dialed my dad's number.

Hello?

"Hey, dad. The Impala won't start and I can't see the hood in the dark. Do you mind coming to pick me up?"

Sure. Where are you?

"Umm... I'm at a small lot around the corner, your third left off of May street."

What the hell, Dean?

"I'll explain later."

Fine. Be there in ten.

I hung up and got out of the car. I thought about what I would say to my dad as I leaned against the door, with my hands deep in the pockets of my leather jacket. I supposed that I could just tell him the truth. Everything in my life was so full of lies and fear that I almost forgot when it was okay to tell the truth. I also contemplated whether I should try again to get him to help Cas. It seemed like he had no intention to, but at that point, I felt like he was my only hope.