I own nothing, all rights and characters belong to Kripke and the CW.

Thanks for reading.

Chapter 4

"Great things are done by a series of small things brought together."

-Vincent Van Gogh

It took a moment for Castiel to realize that he was staring, open mouthed at Dean. He closed his mouth and tried to school his features into a look of pleasant surprise, but to no avail. "H-hello Dean." he said finally.

"Sorry to just turn up like this, I can go if it's a bad time." Dean said.

"No, that won't be necessary. Please, come in." Castiel told him, stepping back to let him in. Dean took a few steps into Castiel's home, eyes darting around the room, taking in everything at once. "Nice place you got here." he said casually.

"Thank you. Please make yourself at home." said Castiel gesturing to the sofa. "Can I get you anything?"

"Nah, I'm good." said Dean sitting down on the sofa. "So, you're probably wondering what I'm doing here."

"The thought had crossed my mind." replied Castiel resuming his seat in his armchair.

"You're probably also wondering why I bailed after the service yesterday."

"Yes."

"Well," began Dean. "To tell you the truth, I came pretty damn close to leaving last night."

Castiel did his best to hide the shock he felt, replying calmly. "Did you?"

"Yeah."

"Then why did you bother coming to the service?" asked Castiel.

"Well, I was gonna say goodbye, but I kinda chickened out and snuck out while you weren't looking." said Dean sheepishly.

"Why were you going to leave?" asked Castiel.

"I just didn't want to drag you down, you know. I couldn't do that to you. I tried to go, I really did, and I thought I could too, but I was wrong. I guess I wasn't strong enough to go after all."

"You wouldn't drag me down, Dean. You don't have to worry about that." said Castiel softly. "I'm glad that you didn't go."

"So am I" said Dean. "Anyway I went to the church today, looking for you, some guy, Gabriel I think, he said you weren't feeling well and he sent you home for the day. I guess I was a little worried so I asked him where I could find you. I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

"I'm touched by your concern." said Castiel. "I appreciate you coming here to see me."

"Yeah well, it's nothing." said Dean looking away shyly. There was a moment of silence before Dean spoke again. "If this is a bad time, I can go."

"It isn't a bad time at all. Actually Gabriel sent me home for the day, so if you'd like to stay for a while you're more than welcome to." said Castiel.

"Yeah, I'd like that." said Dean. "Only if you're feeling up to it."

"I can assure you that I'm fine. Gabriel worries too much." said Castiel with a smile.

"Okay then," said Dean returning his smile. "What do you usually do on your days off?"

"Um, well, I don't usually have them." Castiel told him truthfully.

"Really, well I usually have too many. I usually just spend em' watching crap TV in whatever rundown motel I end up in."

"That doesn't sound like too much fun." Castiel said.

"Nah, not really." replied Dean.

"Is there anything that you've wanted to do since you got into town, or something that you've wanted to see?" asked Castiel.

"Huh, well," said Dean. "I noticed your car out there, 61 Chevelle, right?"

"That's correct." replied Castiel.

"Well, I was thinking if you needed any work done on it, y'know I'm good with my hands and I like fixing cars. I hardly get to work on em' anymore, my baby's in good shape and I dunno I could fix her up for you, if you want." Dean trailed off, not looking at Castiel.

"You'd like to fix my car?" asked Castiel a little baffled.

"Yeah well, if it's not an imposition or anything." said Dean looking fixedly at the floor.

"To be honest with you I don't know how it's still running. I mean you'd certainly have your work cut out for you, but if this is something that would make you happy then I think it's a wonderful idea. I'd compensate you for your efforts of course."

"Really?" asked Dean looking at him finally and grinning happily. "Don't worry about the money, dude, I'll do it for the pure joy of it, how's that?"

"If that's what you wish." said Castiel enjoying the look of happiness on Dean's face.

"You mind if I take a look now?" he asked.

"Of course not," said Castiel. "I'll go with you."

"Awesome." replied Dean positively leaping out of his chair and striding to the door. Castiel followed him slowly and when he stepped outside he saw that Dean was already closely examining the car. "She's a bit of a fixer upper, but she is pretty." he said with the same affection as if he'd been talking about a woman.

Castiel sat on the low rock wall that lay in a half circle under his front window and contained a few small bushes and flower beds. He watched, fascinated as Dean lifted the hood and his skilled hands went to work examining the inner workings of the car. "You were right." he said after a while.

"About what?" asked Dean raising his head and looking over to where Castiel sat.

"You are good with your hands." said Castiel.

"Oh," said Dean reddening slightly. "Thanks."

He continued his examination for several more minutes before standing up straight, brushing his hands off on his jeans and walking over to sit beside Castiel. "She's not too bad off." Dean said. "Looks worse than she is. She'll need a new transmission, new ignition coils, and the battery cables are pretty corroded, so those'll need to be replaced. The fuel filter's in rough shape, there's a few spark plugs that have seen better days and the gas cap's missing."

Castiel stared in disbelief. "You got all that from one look?" he asked.

"Yeah, why?" asked Dean.

"That is very impressive, Dean." said Castiel.

"Nah, it's nothing." said Dean looking pleased.

"Will it be difficult to fix?" asked Castiel worried about parts and cost.

"Not at all," said Dean confidently. "Replacing the transmission will be a little tedious and the rest is no problem. There's a lot of rust too, you leave her out on the rain often?"

Castiel looked to the garage he rarely used, for car storage anyway. It was currently filled with the landscaping equipment that wouldn't fit in the church's shed. "I might." Castiel replied sheepishly.

"That's no big deal, a little sanding and a new paint job, she'll be as good as new." Dean told him.

"Thank you, Dean." said Castiel. "This is extremely kind of you."

"You're the one who's being nice, letting me do this." Dean said.

"You seemed so excited about it," said Castiel. "It's nice to see you so thrilled about something."

"Yeah well, some of the best memories I have are of working on cars with my Dad's buddy, Bobby. He had his own salvage yard; he taught me everything I know. I remember I'd go up there every summer growing up. He had like three acres full to the brim of wreaked cars. Every year he'd let me pick one to fix up and by god it'd look brand new by the time we were done. "

"That's a wonderful memory, Dean. You two must be very close." said Castiel warmly.

"We were the man was more a father to me than my own. Funny, I haven't thought of that junkyard in years." said Dean with a faraway look in his eyes.

"Well, I hope you enjoy fixing her up as much as you used to." Castiel said.

"Oh, I will." said Dean with a grin. "What do you say we take a run to the auto parts store; see if we can't find some of the stuff we need."

"I'd love to." said Castiel happily.

"No offense, dude, but, I think we should take my car. Better not tempt fate, y'know." Dean said.

"That is a very good idea." said Castiel. "I never know what's going to happen when I get behind the wheel."

"Yeah, that's never a good sign. C'mon, I'm parked out by the church." said Dean standing up. Castiel followed him to the church parking lot and over to a massive black car. "This," said Dean with immense pride. "Is my baby."

"She is something." said Castiel looking over the sleek lines of the car.

"Yes, she is." said Dean looking at Castiel with a grin. "Get in."

Castiel climbed into the passenger seat and a moment later Dean was seated behind the wheel. He started the car and Castiel actually jumped, Dean burst out laughing as he was backing out. "I might have supped the engine up a little." he said, still smiling.

"It's quite loud." said Castiel.

"You'll get used to it." Dean said.

Castiel smiled to himself, looking forward to the prospect. They were driving now rather quickly and Dean reached over and turned the radio on. The opening strains of the song filtered through. Castiel had never heard it before and Dean saw his look of confusion. "C'mon man, this is like the greatest song ever; you seriously have never heard it?"

"I'm afraid not." Castiel told him. "What is it?"

"This is Ramble On, at least tell me you've heard of Led Zeppelin." said Dean.

"It sounds vaguely familiar." said Castiel.

"Vaguely familiar?" Dean asked, scandalized. "That's it, today you are gonna get educated."

"I am?" asked Castiel, amused.

"Oh yeah, starting with Led Zeppelin and AC/DC." Dean told him.

"I look forward to it." said Castiel with a smile.

They had been driving for about twenty minutes with Dean giving a detailed explanation of every song that came on, when he spoke. "So, you don't listen to music at all?" he asked.

"Well, there's never really a whole lot of time for personal interests, like music and reading." said Castiel, regretfully.

"Well, that's Bull," Dean said. "You should get time to do things, like everyone else."

"It never posed a problem before."

"Why's that?"

"Because I never had anything that I wanted to do or anyone that I wanted to do it with." said Castiel honestly.

"What about that guy Gabriel?"

"He's a good man," said Castiel. "But we're not very close. I don't know, I guess I find it difficult to get close to people. I usually prefer solitude."

"Usually?" asked Dean with a sly grin.

"There are exceptions." said Castiel, trying to hide his blush and failing.

"That is good to know." said Dean. There was silence for a moment before Dean spoke again. "I know what it's like to not be able to let people in, to not trust anyone."

"I know." said Castiel.

Dean looked at him curiously and was about to speak when they pulled up to the auto parts store. They got out of the car in silence and walked into the store. Castiel followed Dean, who obviously had more experience in this field than he did. He couldn't help but notice the looks they were receiving. He realized how strange this must look, the reclusive priest and the mysterious stranger in town shopping for car parts together. He also realized how little he cared about what they thought. He liked being with Dean and time spent with him made him, well, happy and he'd gladly take the unwanted attention if it meant that he could prolong this feeling. Dean stopped in front of a rack of wires and plastic bits that looked thoroughly alien to Castiel; he pulled a few things down and continued on his search, a look of determination on his face. They hunted for a few more minutes before Dean turned to him and spoke. "I thought this might happen." he said.

"What?" asked Castiel.

"Well, seeing as your car is about fifty years old, finding the parts we need is gonna be damn near impossible."

"That's alright." said Castiel. "I appreciate you trying."

"Now don't count me out yet." said Dean. "I said almost impossible."

"Do you really think you'll be able to find what you need?"

"Oh ye of little faith, this is me we're talking about, 'course I can find it, just gotta know where to look." said Dean.

"And where would that be?"

"Any salvage yard worth anything would probably have what we need. Hey, what do you say we hit up a few places one of these days? It'd be fun, y'know, like a road trip." said Dean.

"That sounds wonderful." said Castiel. They made their way to the checkout counter and when Castiel offered to pay for the parts Dean refused, saying. "Don't worry about it, man. This is my project after all."

They left the store and halfway through Led Zeppelin IV they pulled up in front of Castiel's house. Dean cut the engine, got out and immediately went to the Chevelle propping up the hood and laying out the parts on the ground. He then went back to the Impala, popped the trunk and lifted out a large tool box. Castiel watched all of this with a look of bemusement on his face. He made his way back to his place on the rock wall and settled down to watch Dean work. After an hour he had replaced three small parts that Castiel didn't recognize. When he finished he brushed his hands together and turned to Castiel with a smile. "Not too bad for a day's work, eh?" he asked.

"What did you do?" asked Castiel curiously.

"Well, the gas cap and spark plugs were easy to find and replace, they're pretty much the same for every car. The transmissions gonna be a bitch though."

"That's great, Dean." said Castiel. "You must be hungry, if you'd like I could fix us something to eat."

"That sounds good, I'm starving." said Dean.

They went into the house and while Dean went to clean up Castiel went to the kitchen and made them some sandwiches. Dean returned a few minutes later and they both sat down at the table to eat. There was an awkward moment where none of them said anything, until Dean took a bite of his sandwich. "Oh my God! What is that?" he asked looking incredulously from Castiel to the sandwich in his hands.

"Oh," said Castiel surprised by the reaction. "it's cucumber, do you like it?"

"This is the best freakin' sandwich I've ever eaten in my life." said Dean around a large mouthful.

"It's really nothing." said Castiel enjoying the look of delight on Dean's face. "I grow them myself, out back."

"You have a garden?" asked Dean.

"Yes," replied Castiel. "It's nothing much, some cucumbers, tomatoes, strawberries, things like that."

"That's pretty awesome." said Dean.

"Thank you." Castiel said.

They finished their meal, talking comfortably about a number of things while they did so. Castiel couldn't remember the last time he had spoken so easily to another person. He usually found himself uncomfortable and uncertain of what he should say, but not with Dean. He felt completely at ease chatting about anything and everything with Dean. After they'd finished Castiel rose and took the dishes from the table to the kitchen to wash them. He didn't notice that Dean had also left his seat until he looked over to see that Dean had wordlessly begun to dry the dishes that he had washed. They worked in a companionable silence until everything was washed and put away. They stood for a moment regarding each other. "So," Dean said.

"So," replied Castiel.

"I was thinking, I mean it's still early, we should do something fun for your day off, y'know."

"What did you have in mind." asked Castiel.

"Well," said Dean. "I was thinking, maybe we could hang out, watch a movie, or something. Pretty lame, I know."

"That's not lame at all." replied Castiel with real warmth. "That sounds like fun, I'd love to. I will warn you that if we're choosing from my movie collection, we're going to have pretty slim pickings."

Dean laughed heartily at that. "I'm sure we can rustle something up. Show me what you got." he said, still chuckling.

They stood before the small bookcase where Castiel kept his limited collection of books and movies. He owned all of nine DVDs and he was sure exactly none of them would be to Dean's taste. He was very surprised then, when Dean reached down and plucked a movie decisively from the shelf. It was The Lion King. Castiel looked at Dean curiously, wondering if he was going to start laughing at Castiel for even owning the film. To be fair to himself he only bought it for the children's movie nights at the church, not for his personal viewing pleasure. Well, maybe there is a reason it ended up in his house rather than in Michael's office with the rest of the movies, but that's neither here nor there. He waited anxiously for Dean's ridicule, but it didn't come. There was a smile on his face and when he spoke, it was with a playful tone. "Let's watch this." he said.

"Really?" asked Castiel shocked. "You want to watch The Lion King?"

"Sure, why not? I haven't seen this in years, not since Sam was a kid. I always kinda liked it." Castiel couldn't stop the grin that spread over his face. "What?" Dean asked. "Hey, this is a classic and besides I'm not the one who owns the damn thing."

"Of course, Dean." said Castiel, still smiling. "I meant no offense."

"Good," said Dean. "And if you tell anyone I said that, I'll kill you."

They both burst out laughing. Dean clapped Castiel on the back warmly. "C'mon let's do this. Hey, you got any popcorn?" he asked. "It has been forever and a day since I watched a movie with some popcorn."

"I think I might, I'll see what I can find." Castiel went into the kitchen and began hunting through his cupboards for the ever elusive popcorn. He found a bag a short while later, although Castiel was unsure how long it had been there and in all honesty where it had come from. 'Good enough" he thought and placed it in the microwave. A few moments after the popping began Castiel heard Dean call from the other room. "Success!" Castiel just laughed to himself while the kernels finished popping. He grabbed the bag and proceeded to transfer it to a large bowl he grabbed a few sodas from the fridge and went back to the living room to see that Dean had already set the movie up and was sitting on the couch, waiting. He looked up to see Castiel enter. "Awesome, get over here, let's start this bitch." he said.

Castiel sat down on the couch with Dean, while Dean started the movie. They munched on popcorn and sat back in contentment. Usually Castiel would not sit so close to someone, he liked his space, and it wasn't like he wanted to sit close to Dean, he just needed to be able to reach the popcorn bowl, or that's what he told himself at least. It was a little ways into the film and Castiel began to regret his close proximity to Dean, no matter how hard he tried not to, Mufasa's death always made him cry. The scene was rapidly approaching and Castiel shifted uncomfortably, he held his breath and looked away. It didn't last long; his eyes were drawn back to the screen in seconds. The scene came and went and without fail Castiel felt a tear slide down his cheek. He reached up to surreptitiously wipe it away, he was sure he saw Dean smirking from his side of the couch, but he didn't say anything. The time passed away in easy contentment. After the last bit of popcorn was eaten they settled down further, Castiel curling his legs up underneath him and Dean propping his feet up on the coffee table while his arm rested on the back of the couch behind Castiel. The film ended a while later and Castiel's heart fell, he was reluctant to move from his cozy spot on the couch beside Dean.

They both sat up on the couch, neither of them saying anything. "So," Dean said at last.

"So," mirrored Castiel. There was silence for a beat. "So, I was wondering if you're hungry, maybe you could stay for dinner, if you want to." Castiel stammered and blushed a little, not looking at Dean.

"I'd really like that." said Dean.

"Alright," said Castiel suffused with a happy warmth. "You make yourself at home, I'll fix us something."

Castiel rose and was surprised when Dean did as well. "I'll give you a hand." he said.

"You really don't have to trouble yourself." said Castiel.

"Nah, I don't mind." Dean said. "C'mon, put me to work."

"If you insist." said Castiel making his way into the kitchen.

"Hell yeah I insist." replied Dean following him.

Dean leaned against the counter while Castiel began pulling ingredients from various places throughout the kitchen. He pulled out a pot and a pan from a cupboard. "What do you need me to do?" asked Dean. "Keep in mind, I'm a horrible cook."

"Think you can handle pasta?" asked Castiel.

"I think I can manage it." Dean replied moving forward he took the pot, filled it with water and put it on to boil. He looked over to see what Castiel was doing and saw him filling the pan with broth, some spices and broccoli. "Dude, broccoli, really? That's like the worst vegetable in the history of vegetables."

"Not the way I make it." said Castiel. "Trust me you'll like it."

Dean still looked a mite uncertain, but he went back to his pasta without complaint. After several minutes when the pasta had been drained and the broccoli had finished simmering Castiel tossed them all together in a large bowl. He looked up when he had finished to see that Dean had found the silverware and had set the table. Castiel served them and they sat down to eat. Dean stared apprehensively at his plate. "Eat your vegetables, Dean." said Castiel playfully.

Dean grumbled something unintelligible before taking a bite. He brightened considerably. "This is freakin' awesome." he said surprised.

"I told you you'd like it." said Castiel.

"I will never doubt your cooking prowess ever again." said Dean solemnly taking another large bite and making thoroughly indecent sounds of appreciation.

Dinner passed with easy conversation and comfortable silences. When they'd finished Dean joined Castiel once more at the sink to help with the cleanup. Castiel dried his hands and turned to Dean a little uncertainly. Dean seemed to consider something for a moment. "C'mon," he said with a grin. "It's not too late, let's watch another movie."

"Alright." said Castiel returning his smile.

Once again they found themselves looking down upon Castiel's meager movie collection. It was several moments before Dean reached down and pulled one off the shelf. "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, I can't believe you have this. Clint Eastwood is the man. What do you think?" he asked Castiel holding the movie aloft.

"That sounds great." said Castiel. "Clint Eastwood is my favorite actor."

"No way, me too." said Dean delighted.

They adjourned to the living room once more and in no time they were back on the sofa and settled in. This film was much longer than The Lion King and halfway through Castiel felt his sleepless night begin to catch up with him. He looked over to see that Dean was looking a little sleepy as well. He tried to focus on the screen, but it made no difference, he was asleep in minutes. He awoke an hour later with his head resting on Dean's shoulder. He wondered how he had ended up so close to him and began to panic before he realized that Dean had fallen asleep as well. His head rested on the back of the sofa his arm all but around Castiel's shoulders. Castiel tried to shift away carefully before Dean woke and realized how close they'd gotten. He'd managed to shift a few inches when Dean opened his eyes with a sigh. "What happened?" he asked voice muzzy from sleep.

"I think we fell asleep during the movie." Castiel said nervously waiting for Dean to notice their close proximity and jerk away.

"Oh," he said sitting up slowly and stretching. He looked around and realizing how late it was, got to his feet. "Well, I guess I'd better get going." he said. They walked to the door together.

"I had a wonderful time today, Dean. Thank you for making my day off so enjoyable." said Castiel.

"Thanks for letting me hang out here today, sure as hell beats that crap motel." Dean said. "See you around, Cas."

Castiel smiled. "You called me Cas; no one's ever called me that before."

"Oh, sorry," said Dean quickly. "I just…"

"No, I like it." said Castiel.

"Alright then, bye Cas." said Dean smiling softly before opening the door.

"Goodbye, Dean." replied Castiel as Dean stepped out into the night and disappeared.