Men of Letters, headquarters
Lebanon, Kansas
Three days later

"Wow."

It's literally the only thing he can say as he enters the main room of the bunker, leaving the hallway to the bedrooms behind him. It's around nine in the morning, but it feels like so many things have already happened.

"What?" Sam asks from where he's sitting. Just seconds ago he was sitting at the table, fingers pressed against his chin as he seems to be thinking, but now he's turning around, suddenly pulled out of his train of thoughts. Dean comes to stand behind the chair next to Sam and rests his hands against it.

"Kevin," Dean explains, nodding back to the hallway, "Just poured some buffalo milk down his gob twice." And what a sight that has been. Last night Kevin just appeared at the bunker's front door, drunk off his ass and barely able to stand. All that came out of his mouth were mangled words that kind of sounded like Enochian, but Dean couldn't be too sure of that. At least he's stopped muttering 'falafe' on a non-stop basis.

"Buffalo milk?" Sam asks. He turns to his brother and leans back in his chair. He looks concerned for Kevin's well-being, and Dean has to admit that he too shares that unsettling feeling.

"Yeah, the hangover cure-all," Dean clarifies, "it's got everything in it."

Sam shoots him an unbelieving expression.

"Except buffalo milk," he then adds, looking up at the ceiling as he tries to remember the ingredients for the drink. By now he could make it in his sleep, so he hasn't really been paying attention to how he made it earlier on.

Sam's hand reaches to scratch his hair as he frowns, taking a deep breath before deciding what to say. "How's that kid still recovering from Branson?" finally comes out. Dean only smirks because that answer is simple; Linda Tran already explained him the details of how he got in his current state.

"What can I say? He's an amateur," he jokes, because no matter what he's been through, Kevin is still just a teenager with zero alcohol tolerance. "The slippery nipple shots at the Dolly Parton Dixie Stampede nearly killed the guy."

Now Sam smiles as well, returning his gaze to the papers in front of him on the table.

"All right," he says. "Well, uh, I got something that's gonna get us back on the road."

At that Dean finally sits down again, not really sure if he should be happy to hear that news or not. Sam puts his fingers atop of the keyboard of his laptop, getting ready to type something down.

"A case?" he asks.

"Yeah," is all Sam answers.

"You sure you're ready for that?" Dean asks. He presses his hands together, watching his brother worriedly. Sam seems to be taken aback by the question; his eyebrows raise and his mouth has fallen open.

"Why would I not be ready for that?" he asks. Dean can already feel the talking part coming, but he just needs to be sure.

"You just close the Gates of Hell, Sammy. Right before that, Cas said you were damaged in ways he couldn't heal. I just need to be sure you're not going to drop in the middle of the hunt."

Whooh, that's a weight off his chest. Luckily, Sam seems to understand his hesitation on the situation.

"Dean, the minute Crowley was cured, it was like this bright light touched me and completely healed me," the younger hunter explains. "I feel completely clean, as if every bit of Demon's blood inside of me has been burned away. I've never felt better in my life."

Dean eyes his brother curiously, not really sure what to think of it. "So you think the Big Man waved his mojo on you and put you back to factory settings?"

Sam only rolls his eyes, but eventually nods as well. Then he motions the screen of the laptop. Dean turns his back to his brother and puts his foot on the table, toying with some strange cables in front of him.

"Okay, great that that's finally settled," he breathes out. 'Taxidermist named Max Alexander mysteriously crushed to death. Nearly every joint in his body dislocated, very bone broken. Poor guy is a human pretzel. You tell me what's got that kind of strength."

"A demonic luchador?" Dean asks mockingly, knowing quite well that there's no way a demon could have done this. Ah, how great is it to finally be able to say that there are no more demons to worry about! Sam rolls his eyes again. Is it Dean, or is his little brother losing patience? Oh, how great is it to be the annoying older sibling?

"Shop's a couple hours away in Enid, Oklahoma. We should at least check it out!" Sam presses on. Dean doesn't turn around, but instead reaches for his watch to check the hour. A quarter past nine; they still have the whole day.

But still, is it really a good idea to leave Crowley and Kevin alone in here? Sure, Mrs. Tran has arrived half an hour ago to check on her son, so she should at least be able to keep those two away from each other, but still, something is nagging inside of Dean.

"Unless there's some reason you think we shouldn't?" Sam challenges. Then Dean turns his eyes at Sam in irritation.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he asks angrily, knowing already that he's talking about Cas.

"Come on, Dean, you're acting like the scared army wife who fears her husband won't find her if she isn't at home," Sam explains in metaphors. "Your boyfriend knows where to find you, he's proven that enough times already. Now let's go and save some people."

Dean stands up when Sam does, and they both go to the hallway to get their stuff from their rooms. Before Sam can walk through the door, Dean turns to him.

"Don't ever say 'boyfriend' again," Dean hisses. "It makes me feel like some ridiculous teenager."

Sam only chuckles.

"Whatever you say, Dean."


A few hours later, Enid Oklahoma

Okay, so the getting his throat slashed open hasn't really been what Sam looked forward to. The worst part is that he doesn't even see it coming. One moment there's a noise behind him, and when he turns, his gun is slapped out of his hand and he's bleeding all over his clothes. Damn the camouflage-abilities this madman has taken by eating what would probably be a chameleon.

"Aah!" he calls out in pain, feeling how the blood pulses out. This is bad, really bad. He could bleed to death unless the cut is taken care off.

"Chameleon's aren't that bad," the man wearing a cook's uniform calls out. On his chest, the name 'Chef Leo' is written. "Kind of taste like chicken."

Sam turns around. His whole body is shaking from the pain, and he has trouble gasping for breath as the blood starts to come up his throat as well. With every last effort he has, he lets his mind scream out to Cas, hoping that the Angel could hear him.

Cas, Avant-Garde Cuisine, Enid Oklahoma, help!

The man is already lifting his hand to strike another blow, but suddenly all Sam can hear is a pained grunt and the sound of something smashing against a wall. Faintly, Sam looks up to find Castiel standing there in a very threatening stance. His eyes are glowing blue, and his arm is still in the air from having pushed the chef Leo.

"Cas," Sam calls out before he loses his balance and drops down on the floor. He already coughs out blood. When he feels his hand being pulled away, he panics. He wants to struggle back, but then, all of the sudden, the pain is gone. His vision clears again, and he can see how Castiel has crouched down next to him.

"Are you alright, Sam?" Castiel asks. He pulls Sam's arm to help him get up, and soon both men are standing again. Sam's still a little out of breath, but at least the pain is gone. "Where's Dean?"

"He's still wandering around, looking for this guy," Sam says, pointing at the unconscious chef Leo lying against the wall. Castiel inspects the man quickly with a frown.

"He has animalistic abilities," Castiel states, and yeah, Sam could have told him that. They both look up when Dean enters the room with his gun in front of him. For a moment the hunter stops in his track, probably trying to figure out why Cas is there, but when he notices the blood on Sam's clothes, he seems to make the connection.

Suddenly, Dean drops the gun, running up to Cas and throwing him on the floor. Dean crawls up on top of the Angel, already reaching for his face. Quickly, Sam turns his head around because this isn't really something he wants to watch.

"Dean, why are you licking my face?" Castiel asks in his low and neutral voice, which causes Sam to laugh out loud, despite the urgency of the situation. If Dean would have a tail, it would have been waggling wildly.

"Dean, stop licking my face!" then comes, to which Sam laughs even louder. He doubles over, resting his hands on his knees as he tries his best not to land on the ground as well. He finally turns to look at his brother and the Angel, and no matter what he thought before, but this sight is golden!

Dean is hovering on top of the Angel, ignoring the hands that try to push him away as he runs his tongue over every part of Castiel's face. The best part is, by the lack of having a tail, Dean instead is swinging around his butt.

This could be excellent blackmail material!

"Sam, why is Dean a dog?" Castiel asks after having given up the effort of stopping Dean. Sam decides to come and help him, and not-too-softly he pushes his older brother off the Angel, causing Dean to scramble up again so quickly and growl a little at Sam.

"What, are you going to bite me?" Sam asks with a smirk. Dean slumps his shoulders as he surrenders. He still comes to stand next to Cas to rub his head against the Angel's arm. Castiel sighs and starts to scratch Dean behind his ears. A happy sound comes out of Dean's mouth.

"It's a spell we used, we needed some information of a dog, but as you can see, there are some side-effects," Sam explains as he points at his brother. Then he turns to the man and inspects him.

"He's sick," Dean suddenly says without turning away from Cas. "Cancer, I can smell it on him."

"Seriously?" Sam asks, but Castiel confirms it.

"Aw, I had my dog friends ready to take down this fella," Dean suddenly whines. "They're going to be so disappointed!"


Lebanon Kansas, that evening

The bunker is kind of crowded at the moment. For the first time since his arrival, Crowley has shown himself at the dinner table, eating from the dinner Dean has prepared in the kitchen. Linda and Sam are both discussing some books Dean's never heard of, so he's quickly stopped listening to the two. Kevin is treated by Castiel's healing hands, and immediately the color in his cheeks return and he has stopped making dying noises with every movement he makes.

Dean looks proudly at this little family they have built for themselves – if they can be this relaxed every evening, he's willing to include the depressed Crowley. Heck, it's not like he's a real threat at the moment, so what trouble would it be to, kind of, befriend the ex-demon?

The moment everybody returns to their bedroom – luckily the men of letters were numerous, because there are only so many couches to crash on.

It has never really been discussed, since Castiel hasn't spent the night here so far, but after seeing a hesitation on the Angel's face, Dean grabs his hand and pulls him along with him, ignoring the knowing looks he receives from Sam and Kevin. Linda, of course, is oblivious and just enters her bedroom with a high-pitched goodbye to everybody.

"C'mon, Cas," Dean says, squeezing Castiel's hand as he pulls him along to his bedroom. The Angel just lets himself be pulled along, making no effort at all to pull away from Dean's grip. From the moment they're inside, Dean closes the door behind them. Castiel moves to the bed immediately, already sitting down when Dean starts to change into his sleeping attire. He can see the way the Angel's shoulders are slumping, seeming sad for some reason. He has his hands together, resting his chin upon them in some sort of thinking pose.

"Okay, spill, what's wrong?" Dean asks after he's taken his t-shirt off. He's stopped changing to watch Castiel curiously. The Angel only sighs quietly, but doesn't turn around.

"I'm not sure if I should return to Heaven for a while," Castiel says in a long breath. He keeps out his hands to look at them. He starts to bite his lower lip, which is again a very human reaction Dean has never really seen him do.

Dean pulls himself away from the drawer, not yet wearing his worn black shirt with a faded Led Zeppelin logo on it. He has the clothing in his hands, but makes no move of putting it on, instead walking closer to the conflicted Angel currently sitting on his bed. When he finally reaches him, he kneels down in front of him, resting one hand on Castiel's knee in an attempt to win his attention. Slowly, Castiel looks up with saddened eyes, meeting Dean's gaze and holding on.

"What happened?" Dean asks, not really caring what exactly is happening upstairs, but if it brings down his Angel, then it's his business alright.

"They're going to hold elections for who would represent Heaven from now on," Castiel explains, and Dean listens. Castiel tells him how he proposed they would try it the human way, how then Angels could choose who to follow themselves. How Malachi and Bartholomew have been less than hospitable, how Azrael seems to be the most popular candidate, along with Ezekiel. And how Naomi has insisted Castiel would be in charge of the elections, in disagreement to the other Angels. Dean learns that the only Angel Castiel can really talk to is Inias, and that he sometimes goes to visit Metatron without really knowing why.

"I could have found a way to earn their trust again, Dean," Castiel then finishes, lowering his gaze again to look at their intertwined fingers. "But I can't do that and be with you at the same time, and we both know by now that I would always choose you."

Dean remains silent. What do you say to that? What would anybody say if they told them they left their family to be with the other? But then again, Heaven hasn't been Castiel's family for a while, now, and the Angel seems to know that now. They have each other, Sam, Kevin, Linda, Charlie (where-ever in Oz she might be), and heck, even Crowley at the moment, though they don't have much with that ex-demon for now.

"The hardest thing is to let go, Cas," Dean says, knowing that from experience. He's let go so many things in his life that he could almost write a book about it. "And while you're grieving, you should know you have a new family down here in this dusty little bunker that will get you through all of the doubts you might have."

Castiel smiles lightly, barely noticeable, and then Dean stands up again to wrap his arms around him. Without further changing their clothes, they both lie down on the bed. Dean still holds Castiel tightly, and the Angel lies with him, waiting for the human to fall asleep. Right before Dean dozes off, he glances down to look at the Angel.

"Join me?" he asks, and Castiel knows what he means. With a small nod, he helps pushing Dean over that edge of sleep, and after giving him a light kiss on the cheek he dives after him, joining the hunter in his dream.

And the next morning, nobody mentions the little toddler with dark hair and green eyes that joined them in the domestic fantasy from that night.


A few days later, Lebanon Kansas
Men of Letters headquarters.

Though Castiel doesn't really sleep, he does like the waking-up part of the morning. Right after leaving another one of Dean's dreams, he spends another few minutes just watching the hunter in front of him with full adoration, knowing very well that Dean is currently in a warm, sunny place, getting ready to make a swim in a beautiful lake.

When Dean opens his eyes, his lips automatically form a smile. His hands make a slow movement to the Angel's face, and then he does nothing else but caress his cheek for a moment.

"Mornin'," Dean says with his typical morning voice. Castiel smiles back at the hunter and shuffles a little forward to meet Dean's lips halfway.

"Good morning, Dean," Castiel says. Then he snuggles closer to him again and rubs his face against Dean's cheek, causing Dean to chuckle.

"Damn, you really are a cat," Dean jokes. Castiel decides to play along, and starts to fake-purr. Dean laughs even louder now, holding the Angel even tighter and not willing to let him go.

"Dean?" suddenly comes from a little further away. The pair stop moving, and Dean looks up to check the hour.

"Damn, it's almost noon," Dean says, making his way to get out of bed. Castiel does the same, though while Dean needs to get dressed for the day, Castiel just blinks at his clothes one time to automatically clean them.

"Show off," Dean mutters, slumping to his closet to get some clothing. Castiel receives one quick kiss before he turns to the door after hearing Sam call out for both him and Kevin as well.

The moment he reaches the main room he finds Sam sitting next to a book shelf, holding a pink book in his hands. Castiel can see that it's one of those 'Oz' books Dorothy's father has written.

"Good morning, Sam," Castiel greets. Right before Sam can answer him, a cellphone on the table next to Castiel starts buzzing. With a frown, the Angel turns to look at it. Sam does the same, looking a little annoyed at the device currently waiting for the call to be answered.

Neither of them makes a move to answer, mostly because Castiel recognizes that phone as Dean's phone. Dean wouldn't want him to mess with his stuff, right?

"Dude, it's your boyfriend's phone, you can answer it," Sam says, not even bothering to move from his spot. Castiel nods quickly. In an awkward turn, he now faces the table. With one reach of his hand he holds the phone between his fingers.

"I don't understand, how do I pick up?" Castiel asks with a frown.

"It's a touch screen, Cas," Sam says with a smirk on his face. "Just put your finger over the green icon and slide it to the right."

"That doesn't even make sense," Castiel complains, but he does what Sam tells him to. After a soft sound, the buzzing stops, but the screen starts counting. Slowly, Castiel lifts the phone up to his ear.

"Hello?" he asks, ignoring the snort coming from Sam's way. Castiel tries to walk away, only to have the phone almost snatched from his hands since it's still attached to the charger. Silently cursing, Castiel unplugs it to turn his back to Sam.

"Heya Dee-dawg," an unfamiliar voice says on the other line. Castiel really is confused now. Who is this person? Why does he have Dean's phone?

"Apologies, but I'm not familiar with any Dee-dawg-?" Castiel starts, but then the phone is pulled out of his hands by Dean.

"I got it, babe," Dean tells him, now dressed up in is typical layers. Then he holds the device to his ear and continues the conversation. "Sonny hey."

Castiel turns to look at Sam again, who has now dropped the book in an attempt to follow the conversation.

"So what's up?"

It's frustrating not to be a part of the conversation, but Castiel knows how keen Dean is about his privacy, so listening in to the other side of the line would be really inappropriate of him. Sam comes to stand next to him, crossing his arms.

"Okay," Dean says, and then there's a pause. "Al right, yeah, just sit tight. I'll be there as soon as I can."

Then it's quiet again.

"Shut up," he suddenly says, cheeks coloring red as he glances one look at Cas. After that he hangs up, and Sam starts leaning against the table, smirking.

"So, what was that all about, 'Dee-dawg'?" Sam asks, clearly amused by this new discovery. Castiel just keeps his eyes on the phone, viewing it with interest. Dean gives him a soft poke in the ribs – which Castiel really doesn't appreciate, and then he starts explaining.

"Remember when we were kids that spring in upstate New York? Dad was on a rugaru hunt," Dean tells Sam. Castiel understands that this is something he wouldn't know about, so he keeps in the background. "We uh, we crashed at the, uh…" Dean seems to think for a moment before he continues, "…the bungalow colony with the ping-pong table?"

"Yeah, you disappeared," Sam says as he recalls as well. "Dad came back, you were gone. He shipped me off to Bobby's for a couple months and went and… found you. You were lost on a hunt or something?"

At that, Dean frowns, for a moment before lifting his head with his mouth open.

"Ah, so that's what we told you," Dean says, seeming to remember the excuse they offered him when he was just a kid. "Right…" Dean walks away, leaving Sam and Castiel sitting at the table alone. Sam looks a little surprised for a moment, but only starts speaking after shooting Cas a questioning glance.

"I'm sorry, that's what you told me?" Sam asks with clear frustration written all over his voice. Castiel doesn't really like it when the brothers are angry at each other so he hopes it doesn't escalate to that. He remains quiet, though, because he doesn't really have anything to add to this.

"Truth is, uh…" Dean says as he turns back to Sam. His right hand reaches for his front pocket to fumble nervously with the fabric. "I lost the food money that dad left for us in a card game."

Sam doesn't respond, so Dean continues.

"I knew you'd get hungry, so I tried taking the five-finger discount at the local market and got busted," he clarifies. When he keeps on moving nervously, Castiel comes to stand next to him to calm him down, putting a hand on Dean's arm. "I wasn't on a hunt; they sent me to a boy's home."

Sam lets out a huff of breath, clearly surprised at what he's hearing.

"A boy's home? Like a… reform school?"

"Yeah, more or less," Dean says, tilting his head a little to the right. "It was a farm and the guy who ran it – Sonny – he, uh… you know, he looked after me."

"Wait, does this Sonny know what you do?" Castiel asks before Sam can even open his mouth, but by the looks of it, the hunter had the exact same question ready.

"Yeah," Dean says, as if that's the most normal case. At Castiel's confused look, he continues. "He's good people. I gave him the number to the Bat phone, and sounds like he's got something in our wheelhouse."

Castiel then plucks the phone out of Dean's hand, eyeing it thoroughly.

"What is so different about this phone that it is considered a 'Bat' phone?" Castiel asks. "It has nothing on it that could indicate the animal?"

Both Dean and Sam roll their eyes, but Castiel does receive a playful shove against his shoulder, and the phone is once again taken out of his hands, this time put back on the table, plugged right back into the recharger.

"It's from Batman," Dean says as he passes his hand through Castiel's hair, messing it all around so it looks like he's just gotten out of bed. Castiel doesn't really like it, but if it amuses Dean, he won't say anything about it. "Remind me that we need to make you watch those movies."

Oh, more movies to watch. It isn't like his list isn't already endlessly long. Sam is already turning around, on his way to pull the pink book back out of the shelf, obviously intending to read it further as they drive to their destination for the hunt.

"So, are you ready to go out on a hunt?" Dean asks with a broad smile, leaning a little closer to Castiel so their chests almost touch. The Angel returns the smile, and his hand reaches up to Dean's face, caressing his cheek with his thumb.

"Oh, c'mon guys, don't act all lovey-dovey around me, it's getting really depressing," Sam complains, keeping his eyes away from them. Without waiting their reaction, Sam already makes his way to the hallway to leave the room. Before he gets to the door, though, he turns around again.

"Hey Dean…" he starts, sounding a little unsure. "Why didn't you just tell me you went to a boy's home?" He has his arms spread in an attempt to make it perfectly clear how that would just have been a more logical explanation. Dean pulls back away from Cas again, to the Angel's disappointment.

"I don't know, it was dad's idea," Dean answers, frowning again as he digs back into his memories. "And then it just, you know, the story became the story. I was sixteen, Sam, just give me a break."

With his hands in the air, Sam shows surrender, moving back away again to leave the room.


"Dee-dawg!"

Dean is pulled out of a faraway memory when the familiar voice of Sonny speaks out his name. The man looks different from when he last saw him; his hair is pulled back in a ponytail and he's wearing glasses now. His moustache, though, that is one that will never change.

"Sonny! Good to see you!" Dean says before receiving a strong hug from the older man. Behind him, both Sam and Castiel stay in the back, clearly not really knowing what to say.

"Hey, you, too, brother!" Sonny answers, slapping Dean one time on the back before turning his eyes towards the other two men. "Now which one of you is Sam?"

Sam walks forward, holding out his hand for Sonny to shake, which he does.

"Good to meet you," he says with a smile on his face. Sonny seems to be impressed by Sam's height, but, hey, who wouldn't?

"Back at you, brother," he says, then turning towards Castiel who just stands there uncomfortably. "So you must be babe?"

Castiel gives him a confused look, turning towards Dean who is currently slapping his forehead. Typical of Sonny to bring that back up.

"No, my name is Castiel?" the Angel says hesitantly, accepting the handshake he receives. Sonny just laughs out loud before pulling back again.

"Man, that one's a keeper, Dean," he says. Thankfully, the man doesn't seem to judge them in any way, but Dean wouldn't really have expected it from him.

"So, farm looks, eh, nice," Dean says in an attempt to change the conversation.

"Oh, please man," Sonny returns, smirking despite the sudden sad look in his eyes. "It's barely standing. Only got a handful of kids working around here now."

"Why's that?" Dean asks, not really noticing how Castiel and Sam both seem distracted by the maid looking at them as they speak.

"Because these days the system would rather incarcerate a boy than redeem him," Sonny explains. Then, suddenly, Sam speaks.

"Hey, Sonny, uh, you mind if we talk alone?" he asks, nodding towards the maid currently cleaning the table. Sonny agrees, sending the woman – Ruth – away. After that, they get to business. Sonny explains what exactly happened with Jack, the tractor. Sonny doesn't really seem sure what to believe, but when he mentions the flickering lights, the scratching noises… it's clear that there is indeed something going on here.

"All right, you think you can round up the boys while we take a look around?" Dean asks.

"Well, that shouldn't be a problem; most are home on break – well, except those with no home worth going to," Sonny says. Dean then thinks of all those young kids, homeless and probably orphan, getting on the wrong track. One time long ago he had been one of them. When Sonny walks away, Dean turns to Sam.

"Well, why don't you take the house? I'll check the barn." Castiel looks up, surprised that Dean is going out alone. Sam nods shortly, letting out a small yeah when Dean is already on his way to get outside.

"You know it's easier if I just check the whole place," Castiel complains. Dean only grunts.

"No, you need to learn how to be a hunter," Dean counters. "We'll do it this way." Then he's out the door.


Seeing Robin again has been something on Dean's mind from the moment he got here. She still looks the way he remembers her, only a lot more grown up. Her hair seems a little lighter, and she has a few freckles on her face.

Dean doesn't mean anything romantic with it; his feelings for Robin have since long passed. But still, after all those years, he finds he really wants to know what has become of her. Dean wants to know the things that happened to her since after he left.

"Hi, welcome to Cus's. What can I get you three?" Robin asks when she reaches their table. That sentence is spoken in such a fake enthusiasm, like she's said it a little bit too much by now.

"Bet you never thought you'd see me here, huh?" Dean asks with a giant smile on his face. Castiel tenses a little bit next to him, but Dean barely notices. All he can see is Robin's blank expression, without any recognition. Sam eyes the two warily.

"Uh, look, I'm a little bit slammed right now. Do you guys want to hear the specials?" Robin says quickly, sounding slightly frustrated. Ah, well, Dean's frustrated too. How could she not recognize him?

"Robin… Dean Winchester?" Dean says as he gestures himself. Robin's eyebrows rise and her eyes widen a little bit, but other than a short uhm nothing really comes out of her. She still doesn't seem to make the connection. "I used to live up at Sonny's."

Castiel looks down, but Sam stares at his brother, shooting him a strange expression;

"Oh, oh," Robin says, nodding slightly. "Uh, look, sorry. There's just – there's so many boys that pass through there, it's – it's hard to remember every – every name and face." She trips over her words a few times as she tries to explain herself, but somehow, Dean doesn't really buy it. Still, he decides not to push it. He'd rather not cause a scene in front of Castiel.

"Yeah, uh, no. Sorry," Dean mutters, looking away from her and to the menu instead. "I just, I remember you coming up there with your mom. She'd give guitar lessons. It's, uh – it was a long time ago."

"Yeah, mom… she loved helping out the boys," Robin says, looking at Sam for a moment. "I guess that's why I kept giving lessons after she passed."

Nobody really responds to that. Robin clears her throat, Sam and Dean look at their menus, and Castiel just stares at Robin with a big frown on his face. Dean reaches out to touch his leg underneath the table in a gesture to calm down. In a silent plea he begs Castiel not to say anything.

When suddenly somebody calls out Robin's name, she excuses herself and walks away towards the source of the voice. After she's gone, it's like everybody breathes out at the same time. Dean still has his head down, but now Sam is looking at him again with a smirk. Oh, he's enjoying him.

"Dude," he says. Bitter, Dean throws the menu back on the table and pushes his chair back.

"Let's go," Dean says as he stands up. He picks up his jacket and is almost halfway through the room before Sam and Castiel are up as well. Quickly, they follow him. It's only when they're outside that Sam starts talking again.

"What was that?" Sam asks, obviously enjoying himself way too much here.

"Nothing," Dean bites out. When his phone starts ringing he looks down.

"Nothing?" Castiel suddenly says, sounding bitter and hurt. Dean turns to him the moment he hears his voice. "Obviously it was something."

"I said it was nothing, all right? Just believe me and drop it."

Then he picks up his phone, only to hear Sonny on the other line, telling him that Ruth just died.


It's when Robin suddenly sits in the living room of Sonny's place that Castiel seems to have enough of doing this hunt the old-fashioned way. He wants to get out of there as fast as he can; wants to keep Dean away from her. He doesn't understand why, though. He's never felt so possessive over somebody ever before, and it kind of creeps him out.

So when suddenly the kid Timmy shows up, Castiel understands it completely. He can see his mother's spirit hovering around him. Her soul seems so conflicted, so pained and troubled, and obviously her judgment is clouded.

And then Timmy tells them he can't control her, and that's when Castiel jumps into action. He flies towards her, grabs her by her arm and stops her from starting anything that could harm the others.

"Don't do this," he urges her on, very much aware that the others can't see her and that he might as well just be talking to himself. Dean and Sam don't seem so confused, but that Robin-lady sure as hell does, and that satisfies Cas a little bit. When the ghost stares Sam down, Castiel turns to the two hunters. "Timmy needs to tell her to let him go if she wants to leave here peacefully," he explains.

Timmy, who has been listening, shakes his head. "But she's my mom," the boy says with tears in his eyes. By then, the ghost has found a grip on Sam with her abilities, and she throws him against a wall. Robin shrieks in surprise and fear. Amateur, Castiel thinks. A little further away, Sam gasps in pain.

"Listen to me," Dean says. He kneels in front of the kid and puts one hand on his shoulder. "Sometimes you got to do what's best for you, even if it's gonna hurt the ones you love."

So the kid tries. "Mommy… stop it." It's barely a whisper, the words don't even reach his mother's ears.

"Hurry up, Dean," Castiel grits out. He's still trying his best to hold the ghost back, but she's really strong.

"Timmy, Kung Fu grip!" Dean suddenly shouts. Then, a new expression comes on the kid's face, and he finally raises his voice.

"Mommy, stop it! Stop hurting people!"

And then, whatever force that has been pushing Sam down seems to let go. The hunter gasps for breath loudly, making a loud sound of relief. Castiel loses his grip on the ghost because there's no more reason to hold her back. She's aware of her surroundings; at least that is clear when she looks down on her child with her arms holding out to him.

"You have to go. Never come back. I'll be okay, I promise," the kid says, and then the scorched image of his mother's ghost peels off its burned skin, and she finally looks healthy again. The woman looks at him with tears in her eyes. "I love you, too."

Then Castiel puts his hand on her shoulder as she agrees that it's time to leave. So, Castiel brings her to where she belongs, even though returning to Heaven has been the last thing he's wanted.


Lebanon, Kansas
Men of Letters headquarters, that night

Castiel doesn't come home until long after midnight. Dean isn't happy with that.

When he appears in Dean's bedroom, he just stands there until Dean looks over.

"Holy crap, stop doing that!" Dean curses as he startles from the sudden presence in the room. He rubs his eyes and sits up a little bit. "What was your problem today?"

Castiel doesn't speak, but walks towards the bed, this time removing his shoes before coming to lie down next to Dean. He crawls in Dean's arms, trying to get close. His face rests in the hunter's neck. Dean just wraps his arms around him, pressing a soft kiss at the back of Castiel's head.

"I'm so sorry, Dean," Castiel mutters.

"Sorry about what?" Dean asks, understanding that the Angel is not just talking about his behavior today.

"I'm sorry that this vessel is a male one," Castiel confesses. "I know how much you like women, and here you are, stuck with me…"

Dean frowns. What is Castiel talking about? Is this about Robin? He's been acting all jealous since they saw her in that restaurant. But Dean doesn't understand why; he has made no indication that he misses being with her in any way, right?

"Cas, don't talk like that," Dean whispers in his ear while stroking his hair. "You are amazing and I wouldn't trade you for anything in this whole world. I like you just the way you are."

Castiel just nods. Dean can see how conflicted the Angel looks, though. It's completely normal; since forever, he's been living with no emotion at all. Ever since he's met Dean, he's been faced with tons of emotions suddenly, and it's only understandable that he'd be a little freaked out.

"If it's about Robin, I was just interested in how her life has been so far. I'm not the awkward kind of ex who refuses to be friends, babe," Dean adds before pressing another kiss on Castiel's hair. The Angel nods lightly, but otherwise doesn't move.

"I love you, Dean," suddenly comes out, leaving Dean breathless for a moment. The moment the words reach his brain, he stops breathing, stops blinking, stops everything. Castiel has just told him the L-word; a word that hasn't really been said to him since Lisa, and even back then he's had trouble accepting it.

His head is going crazy, trying to get Dean to get himself out of this, to run away. But he knows well enough that running away won't help anyone. So, Dean just takes a deep breath to calm himself down. Then he takes Castiel's hand in his.

"And I need you," is all Dean can manage to say. It's not exactly the same thing, but for Dean, it still means a lot. Castiel pulls away from Dean's shoulder to look at him. Nobody speaks anymore. Then, they both lean forward to meet each other in a kiss.

"Then prove it," Castiel whispers against his lips, and, oh, Dean is down with that. Without giving any kind of spoken response, Dean pulls at Castiel's trench coat, peeling it off of the Angel's shoulder. A gasp escapes from his lips, when the coat is thrown on the floor. Dean takes his time taking off the black jacket of the tuxedo. Castiel doesn't stop him. Their lips barely leave each other as Dean rips open Castiel's shirt. He doesn't have the patience to open it button by button. He can borrow the Angel one of his t-shirts tomorrow; it's about time he changes his wardrobe…

Dean feels how his body warms up by every layer of clothing that is removed from the Angel. With all the gentleness he has, his fingers travel all over Castiel's skin. He wants to touch him everywhere, wants to show the Angel that he loves every part of him, no matter what he believes.

Castiel has trouble keeping still as Dean touches him. He lies down on his back, hands pinned down behind his head by Dean's left hand as his right one travels all over Castiel's body. His lips follow everywhere, light kisses forming in every place Dean can find. He doesn't know if he's imagining it, but somehow it seems like Castiel's skin is glowing. He can't really describe what he's seeing; it's like Cas is becoming his own light source, and it's amazing.

"Dean," Castiel whispers, and when Dean looks up at him again, he can see how Castiel appears defeated. His lips seem to beg for another kiss, so Dean complies. His right hand goes lower then, intending to bring them both the pleasure they so obviously need.

"How come you light up like that?" Dean asks, and he sounds out of breath. Castiel throws his head back as he tries to find the words to answer.

"My Grace, is responding to what we're doing," Castiel explains. "I like this very much."

"I like this too," Dean whispers in his ear. After that, Castiel is quiet the whole remaining time, only gasping one or two times when Dean speeds up the movement of his hand. They press their foreheads together as they both get closer to that highest peak, lips slowly moving together.

"Dean," Castiel mutters again, right before stumbling over the edge and letting out a long breath. He has his eyes closed from that overwhelming feeling all over his body, and just seeing him like that makes Dean join him, reaching the top and releasing all he has. A giant wave of pleasure passes all over him.

Castiel still glows blue when Dean comes to lie down next to him, and when he smiles, that bright light only seems to get stronger. Dean doesn't see how he could ever let this amazing creature go. He hopes he never has to.

Castiel cleans them both with a simple hand wave, and the remaining night they spend more time together in Dean's dream. In his sleep, Dean's fingers find Castiel's, and they don't let go of each other until morning.