Oh yeah, did I forget to mention that in my story Kevin's not dead?

Oops.

He's not dead. And Cas is human! Surprise! *blows a noisemaker*

About halfway through the second movie Sam dozed off. With the warm laptop over his naval and his brother on his chest, he felt comfortable enough to fall asleep. That was slightly unfortunate because it was Dean who woke up first when he heard the knocking on the front door. He felt it mostly. The vibrations reverberated through the air and echoed off the bunker walls. It took him a few moments to realize what it was. Three consecutive bangs. And then another three. Definitely knocking. He roused himself from the comfortable position he was sleeping in and sat up. He felt better. To his left the credits of a movie were rolling. To his right was the big face of his brother, eyes closed in gentle slumber. Dean scooted off his blanket onto the t shirt below. He banged his brother's chest a few times.

"Wake up, someone's at the door!" He said as loud as he could without straining his already sore throat. Sam shifted slightly, took in a deep breath and let it out. He was still sleeping. The front door was being pounded again.

Dean used both hands and rubbed down as hard as he could, trying to rouse the sleeping giant. Now dean was getting annoyed.

"Wake up you giant bitch!" he growled, digging his nails into what skin he could reach underneath the thick shirt.

Sam squirmed slightly, his brows moving together to create small lines. Something was poking him. Was it a bug? A small animal? He heard his brother in the distance. Why was he so far away? He cracked his eyes open to see a little pissed Dean on his chest muttering darkly at his chin. It took him a few moments to remember what was going on.

"Hmm?" he questioned.

"Someone's at the door." Dean called out to big hazel eyes just as the knocking sounded again. Sam turned his head to the door of his room when he heard the knocking, and a moment later turned his head back to the small hunter on his chest.

"Why're you looking at me? I'm not gonna get it."

An amused puff of air hit Dean like a mild breeze. Sam looked back at the door, considering his options. Sam knew of only four people who knew they were here.

Kevin, Charlie, Garth, and Castiel.

And the first three most likely would have called beforehand. Kevin was in Garth's houseboat, Charlie was off doing her own thing (and she ALWAYS called) Garth, well, garth is garth. He never showed up uninvited. And Cas…he showed up every now and then.

But there was the possibility that it was someone else. Sam eyed the small figure.

"Do you want to come with me? Or…."

Sam watched the little lips purse as dean thought for a moment.

"I think, I'll stay here." he said slowly. Sam nodded and scooped his brother off his chest, moving his computer off his stomach with his other hand and sitting up.

"I feel better." Dean told Sam as the hand moved upwards when the bigger Winchester stood up.

"Glad to hear it." He turned on the heating pad and the knocks rang through the halls once again, slower this time.

"So if it's a friend, do I tell them you're here? Like this?"

Huh. He hadn't thought about that. He looked up into the mildly concerned face of his little brother

"Uh, your call Sammy." Trusting his brother to make the best decision. It was scary giving someone else this choice.

"Okay dean." He moved his hand to the night table. Dean was feeling better if he was able to crawl off his palm onto the heating pad. (okay, he may have tilted his hand a bit, but it was only to help him) he made sure the heating pad was working and made sure there was water in the bottle cap.

"So I'll…be back." Said the hunter as he walked out the door.

He walked down the hallway hearing the knocking. It was very slow this time. Like the knocker was giving up hope. Sam grabbed a gun from one of several stashes he and Dean had hidden around the base. This one was in an easily accessible spot behind the ancient computers near the door. Walking up the curving staircase to the big metal door, he made sure the salt line was in place. One could never be too careful.

He moved a small circle from the door to peek out the peephole. It was Castiel.

"Cas!" Sam exclaimed, opening up the door. The ex-angel looked tired and worn, like every time he came back, but like always he gave Sam a genuine, warm smile.

"Hello Sam." Castiel smiled. Ever since the angel had fallen a few months ago, he traveled around a lot. The brothers offered him a place in the bunker, but for some reason he preferred to travel for weeks at a time to some small town or other picking up random jobs, but always coming back after a few weeks before heading out again soon after. He had his own room in the bunker along with a few sets of clothes and other things that humans tend to accumulate.

"You know the drill." Castiel sighed as Sam reached for the holy water and silver knife on a table set by the door for this purpose. Once the holy water was sprayed, and a small cut on a finger made, he opened the door wider for the other man to enter.

"You didn't call." It was a statement, not a question. Every time previous when he was headed back to the bunker he would call. Once or twice he and dean would rush back from a hunt to pick him up or open the door. Sometimes it stunk that the bunker only had one key. Castiel let out a weary sigh.

"Most of my belongings were stolen when I was a few miles away. My phone wasn't, but the money and charger were." Sam had noticed that he wasn't carrying his usual duffle.

"Loose anything important?"

"My angel blade and phone are still with me. I had nothing else of value or that can't be replaced." They both walked down the stairs. The man pulled off his trench coat with stiff movements. Sam saw purple and blue skin as well as blood on his wrists

"What happened?" he inquired, trying to get a better look at the injury.

"I never said they didn't try to take my phone." He tilted his head with a wry smile.

The ex-angel was attached to only a few items. His angel blade and trench coat, of course, but dean had let him pick out his own phone and he cherished it. Sam knew the fact that it held pictures of the three of them was one of the reasons he was fond of it.

"Let's get you cleaned up." The smaller man followed him to one of the bigger bathrooms. This wasn't the first time Cas had come back beaten and bloody. Last time it was much worse and Dean nearly had a heart attack when he picked him up a few towns away. After Castiel took a quick shower Sam bandaged up a few cuts and scrapes and helped bind his ribs where a mark that looks suspiciously like a boot was imprinted on his left side. Once he had on fresh clothes and was slurping on a warm cup-a-soup did he finally ask the question Sam was waiting for.

"Is Dean here?" surely Cas saw the Impala parked outside the door. Dean rarely went anywhere without it.

The relationship between the older hunter and the ex-angel was frustrating at best. Castiel was a part of their family. Sam loved him dearly. But Dean loved him differently, and was loath to admit it. Even if the former angel was his best friend other than his brother, he had other feelings for him. A blind man could see that. Sometimes when they were together the silence was comfortable, other times it was strained. Castiel respected boundaries. He got better at them once he became human. But what was going on between him and his brother was a complicated mess of issues and ridiculous events. Like the apocalypse. There were times in the past years when his brother and friend were in the same room and doing that staring thing between each other, it was like eye fucking and it made Sam feel like a very uncomfortable third wheel.

Castiel was family. He deserved to know.

"Yeah. Dean's here. He's sick." The former garrison leader sat up straighter.

"Sick?" The spork was lowered into the noodles.

"It's a bad cold. Drained his energy. He'll be good in a few days."

"Oh."

"There's something else."

Those bright blue eyes could look into your very soul. They used to, not so long ago.

"Uhh…y'know how this place has tons of ancient magical items and lore?"

"Ye-es." Was the slow reply, not understanding where this conversation was going.

"We've learned that some of the magical items still work." Lines formed between two dark eyebrows. Not only could those eyes look into your soul, but they would pierce it too.

"Dean accidentally touched something he shouldn't have." Eyebrows went up.

"He shrunk." Now the eyebrows were down low over the eyes in confusion and slowly raised in understanding.

"How small?"

Sam picked up a hand and held two fingers apart in what he guessed was Dean's current height.

"That is, quite small."

"Tell me about it." Sam told him what happened not so long ago, when Dean shrunk, how he was found, and what the situation was. He didn't mention the fact that he nearly lost him in the car.

"He needs to stay warm. The heating pad works but body heat is better. Also our voices are really loud to him, so keep it quiet and low." Castiel nods.

"And he has a cold?"

"mm. It makes him sleep more."

"Can I see him?" that made Sam pause.

"I'll ask. The curse will wear off in less than 30 hours, so unless you don't vamoose before then, you'll see him at his regular size."

"Alright." With nothing more said, the previous heaven resident turned back to his noodles.

Sam walked back to his room to find Dean sleeping. He wasn't surprised, but apparently the sound of the door opening woke him up. At least now he could sit up by himself.

Sam lowered himself to the floor in front of the nightstand. Head almost level with the little man.

"Cas is back."

"How's he doin?"

"Not too bad, only a few bumps this time. He's eating in the kitchen."

"Why didn't he call first?"

"Someone stole most of his stuff. Including his charger on his way back. Looks like he hitchhiked again."

"That idiot. He could have called!" Dean dragged his hand through his hair in frustration.

"It's a good thing he didn't." Sam answered quietly.

"That would have meant me leaving to pick him up, and taking you with me."

"Oh."

"He wanted to know if he can see you. It's your call if you want to see him. Like this. The curse will wear off in less than 30 hours so if you don't, you can still see him when you change back." The smaller man took in a deep breath and closed his eyes in thought. He was so still that for a moment Sam thought that he had fallen back asleep while sitting up!

"What do you want to do?"

"I want to finish the nap I was interrupted from, and then see that asshole who doesn't call when he's in trouble."

That's dean. The more you're loved the worse he insults you.

"So I'll be checking in every fifteen minutes?"

"Whatever, giant bitch." Dean said rolling over, shutting out the cruel world and helpful, bigger brother. But they both knew that he would be checking in every quarter hour. He lift the door open a little bit when he walked out of the room.

Cas went to his own room so Sam was free for a bit. Usually he would be researching hunts but with Dean out for the count at the moment he didn't think it was the best idea. But hunters know how to stay busy. He cleaned his guns, and the one's hidden around the base. One behind a green book, two strapped under tables, three in storage rooms, one in a top drawer in the kitchen. All the while checking in on Dean's small slumbering form periodically.

After the third check-in Dean was up. Sam offered lunch and Dean readily agreed. They found the bunkers other resident in the kitchen, trying to make a PB and J.

"Sam, did you run out of peanut butter?" he accused turning around. He glared at the younger Winchester and then followed his shifting gaze down to his chest where his hand was pressed up next to, holding what looked to be from that distance a handkerchief. Castiel's gaze softened as he realized who he was looking at. Sam and Castiel both migrated to the table and at down. Sam moved his hand and slowly slid both man and cloth onto the table. From here Castiel could see Dean clearly. The cone of paper was placed close to the small man, close enough for him to lean to his right and speak into it.

"Hello Dean." He whispered.

"Hey Cas." He spoke into the makeshift megaphone. Dean kneaded the white cloth over his legs between his fingers. This vantage point was plain fuckin weird. He was so used to looking down at Castiel (well literally, not figuratively) and now here he was, the size he once claimed to be.

"Not so far from Chrysler building size huh?" he joked. A small smile grew from a corner of the new human's mouth.

"If only you could have seen me then."

"How are you in this, state?" he continued. Dean shrugged lightly.

"Not too bad. Sammy's been taking care of me. Almost like when I used to when he was a hairy infant." Right on cue, Sammy's bitchface made an appearance.

"I was not a hairy baby." He objected. Dean waked his hand in Sam's general direction without looking.

"Please, you were like an ewok in a diaper and onesie." This was familiar. The brothers teasing each other was safe territory. It was when they were ignoring each other that meant that things were bad.

In truth, Sam was a pretty un-hairy child. And only when he was eight did he start to refuse haircuts and grew his hair longer.

"I was going to make some lunch for me and Dean, you want?" Sam interrupted his train of thought.

"Only if you have creamy peanut butter and grape jelly." Both Sam and Dean knew that the specific combination was a favorite of his. But they were in a cabinet that he hadn't checked yet.

"Of course." Sam walked to a lower cabinet and pulled out new jars of both spreadable sandwich aids. Where at least three jars of each were kept. The smile that Castiel gave was a true one. Sam pulled the bread out of the old-fashioned breadbox. A real breadbox.

"Toasted?"

"No thank you." Sam shrugs and pops his own bread in the toaster after bringing the jars, a plate two knives and two slices to the table.

"Would you like?" the free man asked the small hunter.

"A very small piece please. Not crust." Castiel nodded and commenced with the making of the sandwich.

Dean had read once that in some parts of the world that tea ceremonies were almost a religious-like procedure. With specific ways it MUST be done. The way Castiel made PB and J must have been somewhere up on that list. The man concentrated on getting the thickness of the peanut butter just right, and the jelly was placed in a square shape in the middle, and then moved around when the two pieces met and were squished together. It was eaten down one bite at a time downwards. Not turned at all.

Not like Dean paid attention to the way Castiel did everything when he was around.

What surprised Dean was while he was watching, before Cas took a single bite he tore the sandwich in half, and ripped off a small piece between his fingers, passing it to Dean in his blanket, who was shell-shocked from the break in the procedure that he just blinked at the large lump of PB & J held in front of him.

"thanks." He finally croaked out, lifting both his arms up to retrieve the sandwich. They munched through the soft bread as Sam scraped the condiments onto his toast. He crunching was quite loud to dean who flinched slightly at the first bite.

The three of them ate in silence, enjoying the company.

PB&J never tasted so good.