AN: Hey guys! The story's really moving along, plan for a little conflict somewhere in the next few chapters. Again, what are your thoughts on this becoming M rated? PM me or write it in a review; reviews are my drug. Enjoy!

Chapter 6

Castiel entered the restaurant ahead of Dean, looking around eagerly for Jo. In her place at the hostess's podium was her mother, Ellen. His face fell slightly. He had wanted to tell her all about his date later.

"Where's Jo?" he asked with concern.

"It's her day off," she said, looking up at the door as Dean entered. "Dean! How've you been, hun?"

"Great, Ellen," Dean smiled, giving her a hug. "And yourself?"

"Not bad," Ellen took a step back to get a better look at him. "You know, you just get more and more handsome every day."

"And you haven't aged a day," Dean replied, all charm.

"Yeah, I'm sure," Ellen rolled her eyes but smiled all the same. Castiel watched the interaction with a fond smile. After a pause in the conversation, Ellen led Dean to an open counter seat.

"I'm going to head back to the kitchen, let you two catch up," he said. "And Dean, I'll be seeing you at quittin' time," he added as he left.

Ellen raised her eyebrow at Dean, climbing into the seat next to him. "Do I need to have another conversation with you about sleeping around with my staff?"

"No! No, this isn't like that."

Ellen looked entirely unconvinced. Dean sighed. "Look, if you must know, we're going on a date. Like, a real date, where two people hang out and talk and laugh and get to know each other before sleeping together."

Ellen lounged back in her seat. "Well, I'm impressed."

Through the kitchen, Castiel could see Dean and Ellen. They were chatting and laughing animatedly. He smiled to himself as he turned back to his work.

"I thought you might like some pie," Castiel said, setting the plate down in front of Dean.

Dean's eyes grew as he stared at the plate. "You, sir," he said, snatching up a fork, "are amazing."

"Yeah, tell me something I don't know," Castiel smiled. He watched with amusement as Dean dug into the pie, groaning. "Woah, Dean, do I need to leave you and the pie alone for a little while?" he teased. Dean just closed his eyes in bliss as he took another bite.

"So you've known Ellen for a while then?" Cas asked, leaning against the counter.

Dean nodded, swallowing. "She used to watch me and Sammy when my dad was out. Woman practically raised us."

"Sammy?"

"My little brother," Dean answered, pulling out his wallet. He flipped it open to a photo of himself and another man whom Cas presumed to be Sammy. Sammy was taller than Dean by a good three inches.

"Little brother?" Castiel handed the wallet back to Dean.

"He hit a growth spurt," Dean defended, pouting slightly. Cas laughed at the endearing expression. Ellen walked up to them.

"Got another order for you, Cas," she said, handing him the order.

"Yes, ma'am, right away," he saluted before returning to the kitchen. Dean and Ellen laughed.

"He's a good kid," Ellen said, watching him fondly through the window. "He's had a bum rap, a lot like you, Dean. But he's such a good kid."

"Ready?" Dean asked when Castiel exited the kitchen at 11.

"You bet," Cas said, pulling on his coat.

"I thought you might want to get grab something to eat before our movie," Dean suggested. "Something tells me you haven't had much time to eat."

Castiel's stomach growled loudly. "My stomach seems to be agreeing with you," he laughed. "What did you have in mind?"

"Well, it's already 11, so not much is open, but I know of a little sandwich-coffee shop that stays open pretty late."

"Sounds great."

"After you, then," Dean motioned towards the door.

Ellen stopped them as they passed the hostess podium. "Have a nice night, boys. And I meant what I said earlier, Dean. Mess with my new cook, and I'll hunt you down."

"Ellen, I-" Dean began to protest before Ellen silenced him quickly with a look. "Yes, ma'am."

She smiled. "That's more like it." She walked around the podium and pulled them both into a hug. "See you boys on Monday."

Dean and Castiel wished her a good night before stepping out into the cool parking lot. "I see where Jo gets it from," Castiel laughed. As they got into the Impala, Cas's stomach growled again.

Dean chuckled. "The sandwich shop's not far from here, I promise." Sure enough, within minutes, they were pulling into a new parking lot.

"'The Beach City Grill'?" Cas read the sign hanging over the shop. "I've never heard of this place before."

"It's great," Dean assured him as they walked through the door. "The spicy Italian's to die for."

"Alright," Cas said as they reached the cash register. "One ten-inch spicy Italian, please."

"Anything else?" the man at the register asked.

"Yeah, I'll take a coffee," Dean said. "Cas?"

"Sure," Cas shrugged.

"Alright, that's a spicy Italian and two coffees, coming right up. That'll be $11.43."

Castiel reached for his wallet. "Don't even think about it," Dean stopped him. "It's on me."

"Thanks," Castiel returned his wallet to his pocket. They seated themselves at a table in the corner, and their meal came out to them in no time.

"Holy shit," Cas said, swallowing his first bite of sandwich. "You weren't lying. This sandwich is amazing."

"What can I say? I never fail to please."

Cas took another bite of sandwich. "So tell me about your brother," he said around the mouthful.

A smile instantly lit Dean's face. "Sam's brilliant. He got a scholarship to Stanford, full ride. He's studying to become a lawyer."

"Wow, full ride? That's really impressive." Castiel reached for his coffee. "Do you have any family that lives up there?"

The smile slowly left Dean's face. "No, not anymore. My mom died when I was around 4, and my dad died a few months ago. That's actually why I moved back down here."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Castiel said sadly.

"The sad part, actually, is that it wasn't sad at all," Dean shrugged. "Like I said, Bobby's been the most prominent father figure in my life, and Ellen practically raised us. And it's not that he neglected us, not really," Dean explained. "He just felt like he had a lot to prove ever since my mom died, I guess. He worked so hard, he never had the time for us." Dean stared solemnly at his coffee for a while, before shaking it off with a smile. "What about you? Any siblings?"

"More than enough," Castiel grimaced. "Michael's the oldest, then Raphael, Uriel, Anna, Balthazar, Gabriel, Lucifer, me, and then the youngest one, Samandriel."

"What's with all the, er, interesting names?"

"My parents were really religious," Castiel explained. "They named all of us after one of God's angels."

"Wait. Lucifer? As in the devil?"

"An angel's an angel, I guess," Cas shrugged.

Dean hesitated, a question on his lips. "So… if you're parents are so religious…. How'd they respond to…"

"…to me being gay? Not well at all."

"Which would explain your…"

"My living conditions, yes."

"I didn't mean to pry, I just-" Dean began to apologize.

"No worries," Castiel waved the apology off. "It's natural to be curious. My parents send enough money to pay for the rent, and that's all the communication I've got with them."

"And your siblings?" Dean was almost afraid to hear the answer.

"Gabriel and Balthazar will stop in periodically. Other than that, my family is completely silent."

They sat in silence for a moment, each reflecting on his own thoughts.

"Look, I'm sorry," Dean broke the silence. "I didn't mean to bring up any bad memories."

"Seriously, it's fine. Honestly, people so rarely take the time to stop and ask. It's a nice change of pace." Castiel smiled sincerely.

Dean picked up his coffee and drained it. "It's already 12:30," he said, checking his watch. "Still up for that movie?"

"Absolutely." Castiel's smile turned into a grin.