Cas thought that over. "Then stay here."
"Yeah, Cas, that's a big tickle.."
"Why not?"
"'Cause I don't wanna bug you and your family. 'Sides, we don't need people thinking we're circled too."
"You wouldn't bother at all. We have more room than we need. Just stay here until your dad calls you back or you go to your Aunt and Uncle's. I don't mind. And if my siblings do, they'll have to go through me."
Deanna gave him a little half smile. "I can't just throw myself on you."
"I insist."
"You'd be getting Sam too. Ellen and Bobby are going on vacation in two days."
"I happen to like your brother."
She sighed. "Okay. Whatever. But I'm buying supper as long as I'm here, got it?"
Castiel chuckled. "Okay. I'll show you your room, then."
They both got up and walked down the spacious hallway down to the last room on the right.
"You'll have to share with me. There's two beds in there anyway."
A smile grew on Deanna's face. "Thanks, Cas. Gosh, you live in a mansion."
"Not really."
"This is the nicest house I've ever been in..."
Castiel's heart sank. His house wasn't that large. It was an average suburbs home for South Dakota. One story, three bedrooms. Typical. And it was the nicest house Deanna had ever been in.
"Thank you. If you want to go in, I'll, um...I'll go get you one of Anna's night dresses."
Castiel turned around and walked back to his sister's room, knocking on her closed door.
"Come in," Anna said from the inside.
Castiel opened the door as Anna was hanging up her phone.
"What's up, Cas? Who was at the door earlier?"
"Deanna Winchester."
"Really?" Anna looked in the direction of the door as if Deanna would walk in any moment.
"Yeah. She's having home problems and needs to stay here for a couple days with her brother. I was wondering if she could borrow one of your nightgowns?"
"Um...okay."
Anna got off the bed and slowly moved to the dresser, digging in it. She finally pulled out a ratty, old yellow nightgown.
"Anna."
"What?"
"You can't lend her that."
"Why not? It works."
"It's damaged."
"Well I don't want my good ones to get ruined!"
"Anna. Her presence is not going to ruin a nightgown. And I would appreciate it if you stopped talking down on her. That's my girlfriend."
Anna sighed. "I'm sorry, Cas. Maybe if I could talk to her?"
"Come on. She's in my room."
Anna grinned and followed him down the hall. When they walked into Castiel's room, Deanna was looking through his records.
"Dee? My sister wanted to meet you."
Deanna looked up at the redhead. "You're Anna?"
"Um..yes. And you're Deanna?"
The Winchester nodded. "Cas says wonderful things about you."
Anna smiled. "You too."
Dee glanced at Cas. "You're brother's pretty cool."
"Thanks. I'll go get you a sleep dress and be right back."
She vanished from the doorway and Deanna smiled at her boyfriend. "She's nice."
"Yes. She's the typical annoying little sibling some of the time, but for the most part, she's great."
"So, you have an awful lot of Elvis."
Castiel smiled at the floor. "Yeah. He sings about nice things, you know?"
"I know. You should put something on."
He got up, moved the needle and then played the music. Elvis' "I Love You Because" came pouring out of the speaker.
Cas looked down sheepishly. "I was listening to this earlier. It...it made me think of you."
Elvis began to sing, then.
"I love you because you understand dear
Every single thing I try to do.
You're always there to lend a helping hand, dear.
I love you most of all because you're you.
No matter what the world may say about me,
I know your love will always see me through.
I love you for the way you never doubt me.
But most of all I love you 'cause you're you.
I love you because, because my heart is ligther
honey everytime, everytime I'm walking by your side
and I love you, yes I love you because the future is a little bit brighter
and the door, the door of my happiness, you open wide
No matter what may be the style or season,
I know your heart will always be true.
I love you for a hundred thousand reasons,
But most of all I love you 'cause you're you."
Cas looked over at Deanna, whose eyes were a bit dewy.
"Cas...that's-"
"I found one!" Anna said, walking into Castiel's bedroom.
He smacked his forehead.
Siblings.
When Cas walked into school the next day, the space around his locker grew silent. He could feel everyone staring at him. And then James walked up.
"Nice job, Novak. Knocked up the closet case."
"It's not true."
"Sure it is. Look at her, she's getting fatter by the day!"
His cronies laughed behind him.
"And how's the shiner she gave you healing?"
"Just as well as the one her dad gave her."
That was the last straw. Castiel lunged at him, pushing him up to the lockers as he had done so many times to Cas.
"Don't talk about things you don't know about, James. You know nothing about Deanna. NOTHING. You don't know her, you don't know her family, and you don't know me. So you cool it. Asshole."
Cas let him hold his own weight and then turned to face The rest of the hall.
"Anyone else?"
"It's adorable, how this germ thinks he can stand up for that piece of trash homosexual he knocked up," Hester hissed from the sidelines, a condescending smirk on her face.
"Funny. You run your mouth about me and the people I care about, but you can't even come out to your peers about all of your lesbian endeavors back in California."
Hester's eyes grew wide and the smirk dropped.
"That's right. I know all about that. So I suggest you stop lying to people before I let that one drop all over this school."
And with that, Castiel picked up his book bag, closed his locker, and headed to class.
Funnily enough, the pregnancy rumor was dispersed by the end of second period.
