Chapter four

Cas was aware of warmth behind him, the rhythmic rise and fall of Dean's chest as it pressed against his back, the smells of sex and the auto oil and grease that seemed to perpetually linger wherever Dean was, the soft hum of music that still played from the radio in the corner and the buzzing of his cell phone on his nightstand.

He opened his eyes slowly to stare at the annoying technological device. It was the phone that woke him. Dean exhaled an unhappy grumble as he turned his body away. Cas grimaced at the loss of his warmth and willed the buzzing to stop with the sheer effort of his mind. Just before he meant to lift a weary hand to silence the device, the buzzing ceased. Cas let out a relieved breath and closed his eyes. Just as he was nearly back to sleep, the buzzing resumed.

"Cas…" Dean grumbled in a low hoarse voice.

Cas scrambled to answer the noisy phone and saw the caller ID revealed it was his mom.

"Mom?"

"Castiel, I… are you okay? You sound weird…"

Cas grimaced. He smoothed his hair down as if his mother would peer through the invisible waves that enable her to hear him and coughed to clear some of the hoarseness from his voice. "I'm fine, Mom. Did you call a little bit ago?"

"Yes, I did. Why didn't you pick up?"

Cas blew out a breath in embarrassed irritation. "Mom, is something wrong?"

"You got a letter in the mail today."

A letter? There was something not quite right about why a letter should warrant a call to Castiel and he could tell by her voice that she was upset. "You know we'll be there at dinner, Mom."

"Oh. Well… good… but…" He could almost hear her biting her lower lip to avoid saying something.

"Mom?"

Cas acknowledged Dean with a shift of his body as he was drawn to the conversation by Cas' voice and his side of the conversation. He looked over to see green eyes intent on Cas.

"It's just… it has the Police Academy heading on the envelope."

His mother sounded worried. "Police Academy?" He screwed up his face in confusion. Then he laughed, trying to sound casual and unconcerned. "Don't worry. I've been studying Mixed Martial Arts with one of their instructors. It's nothing, Mom. It can wait until I get there."

His mom didn't sound satisfied. "I wouldn't worry, Angel, if we didn't get an envelope from the Office of Navy Affairs as well. You didn't enlist, did you?"

That did surprise Cas. "Open it, Mom. What does it say?"

He heard her rip open the envelope and unfold the paper. He looked over to Dean who sat up and leaned into Cas. Cas knew he was able to follow both sides of the conversation through the small speaker. He put it on speakerphone so they could both hear.

"It says they want to recruit you. It says 'you have been recommended as a possible… you would need to fill out the… Castiel, why are they sending this to you?"

Cas could hear panic in Ana's voice. "Relax, Mom. I didn't apply. I didn't inquire..." He said this as much to Dean as he saw his lover's eyes narrow and the slightly interested but calm appearance melt into tension and suspicion. Cas continued as he knew he was going to have to convince Dean before they left their bed. "It's okay. It's probably just a… a form letter or something."

"Castiel…" she was still unconvinced.

"Mom, I have to unpack and take a shower before we come over tonight. We can talk about it when I get there, okay?"

There was a long pause on the line. He looked into Dean's eyes and willed him to believe his next words even as he said them to his mother. "Mom, it's nothing to worry about. I swear."

"Okay, Angel. We'll see you boys in a little while."

They said their good-byes and Cas never let his gaze leave Dean even as he disconnected the call.

"The Navy?"

Dean's voice had a sharp edge. "No, Dean. I never signed up or inquired. I'm sure it's a mistake, that's all. My instructors have been… for Martial Arts Class. They want me to take this seminar… It has been a lot of fun and I've been spending a lot of time with the instructors and some of their friends. Some of their friends are connected to military and law enforcement. It's nothing, I swear."

Cas took Dean's hand and held him close even as the tension continued to build in Dean's body.

"It's nothing." Cas reiterated.

Cas had continued to study with the MMA instructors at school even after he took all the required units for a general requirement. He became a Teacher's Assistant in the beginning learners' class and also took more of the advanced training outside the school offerings. But it was really no different from other classes in which he discovered both interest and aptitude. Cas found that he also enjoyed a psychology class he had taken for general education credits so much that he considered changing his major. Dean had known this. By the time Spring Break came around, he was more than considering it. He spoke to both his friend, Joey, and to Dean about his ideas. Both seemed supportive, but Joey voiced concerns about what Cas wanted to do with the change when he graduated college. He also was more pragmatic in his argument than Dean, expressing his concern that Cas is likely to take more classes he might find even more interesting in the future and he should remain "undeclared" until he knew for sure.

Dean showed enthusiasm for the change and told Cas that he should "follow his heart or dreams or whatever chicky shit" he wanted that made him happy. Cas smiled at the memory of the conversation that ended with them in bed together.

Cas spent a week at home during Spring Break and counted it too short when he was ready to go back to school at the beginning of April. He decided that he didn't want to take any more classes in his major until he decided what his major should be, but he convinced his Aunt Kat to help him pay for private Martial Arts classes taught by his college instructor outside of school. He met his instructor's business partner, Riley, who also was a fitness instructor for the Police Academy outside of town.

Riley enjoyed sparring with Cas and had invited him to socialize with other Academy instructors from time to time. Castiel found that he had an aptitude for the topics they all discussed during his nights out with the guys from the Academy. His suspicions were confirmed when Riley told him he couldn't believe how quickly he had learned the physical training (better than his students at the Academy). He confided that he had thought Cas had been studying for many years, based on his ability level, instead of months.

Dean was not likely convinced as he left their bed to get a shower, leaving Cas there thinking about what could have happened.

When it came time to leave for the parents' home, Castiel didn't even pout when Dean declared they would take the Impala. He had been the object of the 'Silent Treatment' to some extent since Cas' mom called. He didn't feel like making a letter sent in error a Federal case, but he felt that he didn't want to sit next to a grumpy Dean all night and if driving his Baby would make Dean even a tiny bit less sour, he would forgo taking his newly restored truck this time.

As it happened, everyone was at the house for dinner. Cas' return home from school was, apparently, cause for great celebration. Kat and Oh, Henry were expected as was Gabriel, though Cas hadn't thought to hold his breath in anticipation of seeing him tonight. What was a rather large shock was that Michael, Cas' oldest brother, had flown in from Chicago to visit. Additionally, John and Kate from next door as well as Adam, Dean's step-brother, and Sam, Dean's younger brother, were also expected to join in the dinner.

Cas greeted his aunt and uncle with typical love and attention. Kat squeezed his shoulder and offered a meaningful look of support as Michael entered the room to greet his youngest brother. Michael strode to him with purpose and with no wasted movement. He brought Cas in closer to him for an awkward embrace. Cas tried not to allow the strain he felt overwhelm him. The room swam in awkward tension as John and Kate sat in the living room waiting dinner. Both Cas and Dean greeted Dean's parents with reserve and forced smiles.

Ana was unwilling to allow whatever pressure that was building deter her from conferring her typical adoration on her youngest son. She fidgeted and fussed over him as if she hadn't seen him in a year when it had only been several weeks. She kept trying to get him to snack on vegetables or bread prior to dinner starting. Cas responded that he could wait. He opted, instead, to take up his father's offer to get a drink from the fridge and he, Dean, Sam and Adam all went out onto the back porch to escape the full adults in the living room.

"Does this happen every time you come home?" Adam asked with a gusty sigh.

"No, thank goodness. I think it's because Michael is here." Cas explained.

"Did he decide whether or not he was going to run for whatever post he was thinking this winter?" Dean asked.

Cas nodded. "Kat thinks that since he won this high-profile murder case, he's able to get some name recognition in order to really make a bid for District Attorney. But because he's so young, Oh Henry seems to think it may not do enough to land him the election."

They remained quiet again for a while as they drank their sodas. Cas couldn't help but feel like the connection between all four of them was forced. There was none of the easy comfort they had previously. Even Adam had begun to come around when he was with Cas and Dean. Sam always had felt at ease around them and the tension in his shoulders was obvious.

"What's going on with you guys?" he ventured.

Sam shuffled and Adam straightened. "I turn eighteen next month. I've been thinking…"

Dean interrupted. "No, Adam! We've talked about this… all of us… you need to finish school and get your certs. This isn't the time for you to be heading off and doing something… you know what? No. We're not talking about this here. Cas just got home and he doesn't need our family dramas interfering with…"

"…with my family drama?" Cas offered with a smile.

Dean nodded as he fought to restrain a smirk as he agreed. "Right. With his family drama."

At that moment there arose a cacophony of sound inside as well as raised voices. "Speaking of family drama," Castiel said. "I think Gabriel arrived."

All four of them smiled genuine smiles and turned to head back inside. What they walked in on was akin to an old western stand-off. A slim woman with mocha-colored skin and jet black hair stood ramrod straight toe to toe with Michael, Gabriel glaring over her shoulder at his older brother. Ana, Kat and Oh Henry were standing behind Michael with shock written all over their faces and John, Charles and Kate were standing with anger and practically vibrated with unease. Cas didn't know what they were walking in on, but it was clearly not good.

"Perhaps, this is neither the time nor the place," Kali was saying when she saw the boys enter. "Perhaps this is a discussion best had when there aren't so many tempers to interfere with what you meant to say." She stared pointedly at Michael.

Michael swept his glance slowly through the room and came to rest on Cas and Dean at the back door. His eyes narrowed the smallest bit, but it was enough. Cas hadn't had Gabriel or Michael around much as he was growing up, but they were still his brothers. He knew the look he received. It was the look he hoped to never earn as he worked hard to get through coursework in high school. It was the look he earned when Michael found out Cas would have to repeat the eighth grade. It was the look he earned whenever he saw Cas and Dean together as children. The look he received now, Cas was sure, was unearned on his part. He still felt the tremor of trepidation that coursed through him. He wrapped his arms around his middle and lowered his eyes to the ground. When he heard a growl from Dean next to him, he looked up sharply to see fire in his boyfriend's green eyes that matched the light in Gabriel's amber and Kali's black eyes. That was when he knew…

His family was rallying….

…Against Michael. They were standing up to his oldest brother on his behalf. He didn't know why Michael suddenly decided that Cas was unworthy of the loyalty displayed by the family in the living room. It was his worst nightmare from before he came out to his family. This was the first opportunity that Cas had of seeing his brother since Winter Break from school when he came out. He had no idea that Michael had expressed disapproval about what everyone else seemed to accept. Hell, even John frickin' Winchester was coming around.

His gaze went into the living room to see what, if any, reaction was coming from the Winchester patriarch. Like Dean, John tended to hide most of his emotions behind a poker face of truly epic proportions. Cas knew what to look for, though. He saw the slight widening of John's pupils, even from this distance. He saw the ticking of his jaw as he clenched his teeth in anger. He saw the slight movement forward onto the balls of his feet. Several cues John displayed were things he had learned from MMA, but others had been observed while growing up. He had watched Dean use these same preparations right before a fight.

"Michael," Cas practically whispered, "May I speak with you out here on the patio?"

They stared at each other for several long moments before Michae dipped his head once and began to walk toward the door. Dean drew up behind Cas in what Cas thought was a defensive position. Cas laid a flat hand across Dean's chest. He leaned forward to whisper in Dean's ear.

"I need you to calm Gabriel and your dad. I'll talk to Michael and see if we can't salvage the evening."

"The hell you will!" Dean exploded.

Cas smiled and rubbed his hand from the center of Dean's chest over to slide down his arm and grasp his hand. He whispered to his lover. "Please, Dean. I'll be fine. He's my brother… and he's running for public office. He's not going to start a fight with me. I'm safe. Go calm down those two hot heads."

It seemed to take forever as Dean warred with two opposing desires; one to go stand in solidarity against the oldest brother and one to do as Cas so sweetly requested. Cas' entreaty won and Dean leaned in to rest his forehead against Cas' before he turned to talk to his roommate and his father. Sam followed behind him but Adam remained near the back door. Cas tilted his head in question as he approached, but Adam folded his arms over his chest and looked as menacing as possible. His body language all but screamed, "Go ahead. I got your back". Cas smiled at such a show of support. He opened the door and walked into the darkness to have a long overdue conversation with his brother.