Disclaimer: I own nothing Supernatural related...sadly enough...

Notes: I'm so sorry for the late update! I got a case of writer's block...

So! One of the winners of the contest helped me with this chapter. The last scene of this chapter was written by darkbloddynightmare38! There will be another scene from her in the next chapter as well. I'm still waiting on the other winner to get ahold of me, but let's hope they do! ^.^

This chapter was supposed to be a lot longer, but I decided to cut it up into chunks. I wanted to get something up since it's been almost 2 months? Yeah, I think that's about right. So, enjoy! ^.^

Summary: Cas receives a bit of bad news one night and goes to Dean for support. What Dean decides to do surprises Cas and confirms just how much he means to Dean.

Chapter 11

Cas woke to find himself covered with a blanket on Dean's couch. He looked around to find the room dark and everyone gone to bed. He must have fallen asleep sometime during the movie and Dean had put a blanket over him.

Cas lifted his head from the pillow that had been placed underneath his head and searched for whatever had woken him from his dream. That's when he heard his phone going off on the coffee table. He reached out and picked it up seeing it was his mother calling him.

He tilted his head the best he could laying down. Why was his mother calling him at two in the morning? He accepted the call and brought it to his ear. "Hello?"

"Castiel…I'm sorry for waking you. I know it must be very early there."

Cas sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "It is okay. Is something wrong?"

There was a slight pause. "Actually, there is…Castiel, it's your father."

Dean was pulled from a dream of chasing down monsters with Sam by a hand gently shaking his shoulder. He rolled over and pried his eyes open. "Cas? What's wrong?"

As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he could see that Cas's eyes were red from holding back tears. "I'm sorry for waking you, Dean. I know it's early."

Dean shook his head and sat up, giving Cas his full attention, knowing that whatever was going on was serious. "What's wrong, Cas?"

Cas was sitting on the bed next to him. He turned his head away as a tear slipped down his cheek, not wanting Dean to see him cry, but needing to be close to him. "I just received a call from my mother. It's…It's my father."

Dean was wide awake now. He put a hand on Cas's lower back and started rubbing small circles against the thin fabric of his t-shit. "What happened?"

"He passed away. I didn't even know he was sick. I hadn't spoken to him in years until a few months ago…" He lifted his hand to wipe away a stray tear. He tried to keep them from falling, but they wouldn't obey. "I have to go back home for the funeral. I don't want to, but it's the right thing to do."

Dean nodded, pulling Cas closer to him, knowing that he needed to be close to him and that's why he woke him up in the first place. He wrapped his arms around Cas's waist and secured him against him. Cas rested his head against his shoulder, not bothering to fight against the contact.

"I'll go with you if you want me to."

Cas lifted his head. "You can't, Dean. You have responsibilities here. I could never ask you to just drop everything for you to meet my insane family and attend the funeral of a man you never met."

Dean shook his head, "My responsibilities can wait, Cas. Ellen and Bobby are fully capable of taking care of the bar while I'm gone and Ben will be fine with Sam for a few days. If you need me, I'm going to be there."

Cas looked into Dean's eyes, seeing the support and care Dean had for him. "What about the house? You're supposed to sign for it this week."

Dean smiled softly at him. "Don't worry about that, Cas. I'll talk to the realtor and get everything situated. I'll see if she'll either let me sign early or a few days late. It'll be fine."

Cas thought everything through for a long moment, deciding if he should allow himself to be selfish for a few days and take Dean with him. Finally, he nodded. "I think it might make things a little easier if you were there."

Dean nodded, "Okay, then I'll be there. When do we leave?"

Cas rested his head back against Dean's shoulder. "Tomorrow night we're flying to Chicago. First thing in the morning, I'll get us tickets."

Dean nodded again before pulling on Cas again. "Come on, get comfortable." He lifted the blanket up and Cas crawled under. Before he could settle down, Dean grabbed him by the waist and pulled him down to lay against him. Cas rested his head on his shoulder and his hand on Dean's chest. He fit perfectly against Dean's body.

They were silent for a little while, both trapped in their own thoughts. Dean finally broke the silence, turning his head towards Cas. "Tell me about your family."

Cas sniffed. "My mother is a polite woman. The kind you might find sipping tea and entertaining guests. She is very kind and understanding. She was one of the only ones at first who could accept me for who I am. I have four older brothers and an older sister who will be there. They all stayed close to home. I'm the only one who ventured away, so they aren't happy with me for that. It took some time, but they were finally able to accept me."

"What are their names?"

"Michael is the oldest. He's the most stern and unforgiving. He's very protective of his family. Raphael is the second oldest. We've never gotten along. He is…a very angry person, not at all pleasant to be around even on a good day. Then there is Balthazar. He has always accepted me for who I am, even before my mother could. I think you will get along with him. He has an…interesting personality. Anna is only a year younger than him. She is the most forgiving of them all, but if you make her mad, she can be quite scary. I suggest you do not get on her bad side. Then there is Samandriel. Do not call him Sam. He hates it. He acts like the little kid in the family, quite immature at times. I have always been asked if I am older than he is based on maturity alone."

Dean was nodding along, committing all of the details to memory, knowing he would need to know as much about Cas's family as he could in order to survive the next few days. "I didn't know we both had a brother named Sam. I mean, I know he hates the name, but…"

Cas nodded into Dean's shoulder, a small smile slipping through. "Yes, I had meant to mention it, but the time had never come up. I only discuss my family with Gabriel. Which…he will probably want to come back as well. He has always been close to my family."

Dean nodded again, thinking through what that meant for the bar. "Okay…Bobby knows his way around the bar. He can fill in as a bartender, so can Benny. I taught him a few tricks here and there when we were bored. Ash can fill in as bartender if they need someone extra. He used to work for me, but got offered a job, made bank, and has been living off all the money he made from it since. I don't even pay him to do the books because he doesn't need the money. Charlie has waitressing down, so she'll be fine working on her own if Jo needs to jump in too at some point. As for the grill, any of them can fill in for Benny if he's needed elsewhere. I've basically got the entire thing situated."

Cas smiled softly. "It is a good thing you have so many working for you who know what they are doing and know how to work in other areas as well."

"Yeah, they all basically know how to do everything, except Charlie, but she'd do fine if she needed to be thrown into something. She's a quick learner." He pushed the bar from his mind, going back to their original conversation. "Okay, so those are your siblings. What about any extended family I need to know about?"

Cas thought about it for a couple of minutes. "I do not think you will need to worry about them. My mother was an only child so there are no living relatives on her side. As for my father…He had a brother, but we have not heard from him in years. I do not know if he'll be there or not. I believe you mainly have to worry about my siblings, but I will do my best to reign them in wherever necessary as will Gabriel."

Dean shook his head. "Don't worry about me, Cas. You worry about you while we're there, okay? I can take care of myself against your siblings. Do you…Do you think they'll have a problem with me being there? I mean, since I'm not part of the family?"

Cas sighed, thinking it through. "I believe Samandriel, Anna, and Balthazar will not have a problem with it. Anna and Balthazar have been asking to meet you for months ever since they found out that I have a friend other than Gabriel. They know about Sam and the others as well, but for some reason they wanted to meet you in particular. I fear Gabriel may have said something to them, making them curious."

Dean snorted. "Leave it to Gabe. What about Michael and Raphael?"

"They will most likely not be happy that you are there, but they will have to endure it if they do not want to make matters worse."

They were silent for a long moment before Dean spoke again quietly. "Have you told any of them? About us?"

Cas paused a moment. "I told Balthazar, but that is it. I'm sure he has told Anna and Samandriel though. I know he wouldn't tell Michael or Raphael, but I do not care if they know."

Dean nodded, "What about your mom?"

"As far as I am aware, she does not know. She knows about you, that you have a brother named Sam, and that you own a bar, but she does not know that we are involved. I do not care if she knows either. She has accepted me and that's all that matters."

Dean placed a gentle kiss on his forehead, keeping his voice quiet. "What about your dad? Did he accept you?"

Cas was silent for a long while. Dean could feel his shirt getting wet, but he didn't care about that. He held Cas tighter against him, giving him as much support as he could.

"He was the last one to find out. When he did…he freaked. He all but kicked me out of the family. We got into a huge argument, the last time I saw him, then I left. I moved around a little before coming here when I was offered the position at Stanford. I hadn't spoken a word to him after that argument until a few months ago when he reached out to me. He…apologized for reacting the way he did. He said he regretted pushing me away and asked for my forgiveness. I didn't give it to him at first, but he kept calling. Not to ask forgiveness, but just to talk. It struck me as odd, but I was happy to have him back in my life. I…eventually forgave him, but…"

"You never told him."

Cas shook his head, letting more tears fall. "I never saw an opportunity to bring it up. We never talked about it. I wish I had. I wish he could have known that I had forgiven him."

"He did know, Cas, I'm sure of it."

Cas turned his head slightly, angling it towards Dean's head, but not completely. "How do you know that, Dean?"

"Because he's your father, Cas. The two of you continuing to talk, continuing to share with him what was going on in your life…You didn't shut him out. If you hadn't forgiven him, you would have shut him out. He knew that. He didn't need to hear those words to know that you had."

Cas's hand tightened into a fist, clutching onto Dean's shirt. The tears were coming faster, unable to stop them. "I wish I could have seen him one last time. I haven't seen him in years…"

Dean didn't know what to say. The only person he'd ever lost was his mom, but he'd only been a kid at the time. He wasn't exactly an expert on what needed to be said. "At least you got to fix things before he went. Focus on that. You got the opportunity to mend things between you before it was too late."

Cas nodded into his shoulder. "You're right. I should focus on that."

They laid in silence for a while, sucked back into their own thoughts. Dean was thinking about his mom. It'd been a long time since he let himself openly think about her. A thought suddenly came to mind. "Hey, Cas…what's your mom going to think about you bringing your boyfriend to meet the family at a funeral?"

"You will not be meeting them at a funeral, Dean. You will be meeting them a few days before."

Dean rolled his eyes and resisted the urge to snort. "You know what I mean, Cas."

"I do not believe she will have a problem with you being there. And if she did, she would not say it. Like I said earlier, she is a very polite woman. I believe the only ones we need to worry about are Michael and Raphael."

Dean nodded and didn't say anything more. He was planning everything he'd need to do before they left. Before long, he felt the even breathing signaling that Cas had fallen asleep. He smiled softly down at him and kissed the top of his head lightly. He knew that Cas would need his sleep in order to deal with everything ahead of him.

SPN

Ben poured himself a bowl of cereal and looked up as Dean walked into the kitchen. "Morning."

Dean looked up as he reached the fridge and smiled at him. "Good morning. Hey, has Sammy gotten up yet?"

"Yeah, he just got out of the shower a few minutes ago."

Dean nodded, pulling out the carton of orange juice and pouring himself a glass. "Okay, good."

He went about pulling out pans, eggs, bacon, the works for a big breakfast. "You want that cereal or do you want an actual breakfast?"

Ben chuckled. "I can eat both."

Dean snorted and rolled his eyes. "We're so alike it's almost scary."

A few minutes later, Cas walked into the kitchen and sat down at the table, laptop in hand. Dean glanced towards him and raised an eyebrow. "That Sam's laptop?"

Cas nodded, typing on the keyboard. "Yes, I asked him if I could borrow it for a few minutes. I'll have them ordered shortly."

Dean nodded, turning back to the eggs he was cooking. Ben looked up at Dean. "What's he ordering?"

Dean looked up at him, keeping his eyes level with Ben's. "Cas and I are going out of town for a few days. If it's alright with you and Sam, you'll be staying with him while I'm gone. He'll get you wherever you need to go."

Ben nodded, looking towards Cas and then back at Dean. "Okay. Everything okay?"

Dean glanced in Cas's direction and met his gaze. Cas nodded subtlety and Dean looked back at Ben. "Cas's dad passed away last night. We're going to the funeral."

Ben's eyes widened and his head whipped around to look at Cas. "Sorry, Cas. I…know how it feels."

Cas's eyes slid up to meet Ben's and they shared a quiet moment. Dean looked away, giving them what privacy he could give while he continued to make their breakfast. Cas had been hoping for something more to connect him with Ben, but this hadn't made the list.

Dean had finished making their breakfast and was serving it up when Sam finally strolled into the kitchen. Cas shut the laptop and set it aside, looking up at Dean. "They are booked. The flight leaves at six tonight if that is okay with you."

Dean nodded, setting the plate of bacon down in the middle of the table. Sam pulled a glass from the cabinet down and froze, turning to look at the two of them. "Flight? Are you two going somewhere?"

Dean turned to Sam and nodded. "Yeah, Sammy, can I talk to you for a minute?"

Sam nodded and followed Dean out of the room. They walked down the hall and into Dean's room, the door shut behind them. Sam sat down on the bed and looked up at Dean with a raised eyebrow. "What's going on, Dean?"

Dean rubbed a hand down his face and frowned. "Cas got a call last night from his mom. His dad passed away. He's going back to Chicago for a few days for the funeral and I'm going with him."

Sam's eyes widened, his lips parting slightly. "Oh my- Is he okay? He didn't seem upset?"

Dean nodded, sitting down on the bed next to him. "He was pretty upset when he woke me up last night. He's hiding it, not letting himself think about it while he's around people. He tried to hide it last night, but it didn't work."

Sam nodded, thinking the bit of information over in his mind. "So, what about Ben? Do you want me to stay here with him?"

"Yeah, I was going to ask you if you could. You'll have the impala so you can get him to school and get yourself to school, wherever you need to go. Gabe will be going back too. I guess he's pretty close with the family too."

A thought flitted through Sam's mind. He turned to Dean, both eyebrows raised. "So, if Gabe's going, why are you going too?"

A slight blush crept onto Dean's cheeks and he tried to push it back down. "I, uh, well…" He rubbed a hand along the back of his neck, fidgeting. "I guess I might as well just say it. Cas and I are together."

Dean's eyes flicked up to meet Sam's, to gauge his reaction. What he saw surprised him. There was a wide grin plastered to Sam's face. "It's about damn time! How long have you guys been together?"

"Uh, since yesterday."

Sam's eyes were practically glowing with excitement. "I'm happy for you, Dean. I really am. It's about damn time you did something for yourself to make you happy. You're always focused on everyone else and making sure everyone else is happy, never stopping to think about yourself. Cas is good for you. And you're good for him. It was obvious the first time you met that you liked each other."

Dean rolled his eyes, the blush still staining his cheeks. "Yeah. Don't say anything to anyone. The only one who knows is Ben. We want to tell everyone next weekend when we move into the new house."

Sam nodded, "Yeah, don't worry about it. My lips are sealed. But, I do have to warn you, if you chicken out and don't tell them next weekend, I will. I can't keep it a secret for long otherwise I may burst."

Dean chuckled, getting to his feet. "You got it, Moose. Come on, breakfast is getting cold. Let's grab a plate before Cas and Ben eat it all."

Dean put away all the dishes before turning back to Cas. "Okay, I just have to run to the bar and get everything situated there and then make a trip to the realtor's office to talk to her about the house. Then I'll come home and pack. Have you told Gabe yet?"

Cas looked up from his phone and shook his head. "No, I haven't gotten a chance to yet. You'll be seeing him at the bar, correct?"

Dean nodded, pulling out his own phone. "Yeah. If you want, I can tell him."

Cas nodded. "I was about to ask if you would. I need to make a couple of calls when I get home to pack, but other than that I do not have much to do to get ready. Do you need my help with anything?"

Dean shook his head, pulling up Ellen's number. "Nah, I've got everything under control. I just have to call Ellen real quick and rally the troops."

He hit send and pressed the phone to his ear. It rang three times before it picked up. "Hey, Dean."

"Hey, Ellen. Are you busy today?"

"No, I was planning on heading up to the bar real soon. Why, what's up?"

"I need you to rally the troops and have everyone meet up at the bar in about an hour."

There was a slight pause before she responded. "Okay. Is everything alright, Dean?"

He shifted his weight to his other foot and stuck his hand in his pocket. "Yeah, yeah, everything's fine, I just everyone there. Call it a bar meeting if you want. I have to finish getting ready here and then I'll be heading there to open up. See you in an hour?"

"Yeah, Dean. I'll give everyone a call. See you soon."

He hung up the phone and slid it into his pocket before pushing away from the counter. He walked over to Cas and slipped his arms around his waist, pulling him against his chest. "Do you need my help for anything?"

Cas shook his head from where he'd rested it against Dean's shoulder. "I'm just glad you are accompanying me. I do not know if I could maintain my sanity if I went alone."

Dean chuckled and tightened his hold on him. "I'm glad you're letting me. I'd worry the entire time you'd be gone if I were staying here."

Cas pulled his head away and looked up into Dean's eyes. "I would be perfectly safe, Dean. Why would you worry?"

He shrugged. "That's just what I do." He leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to Cas's lips. They stayed that way for a few minutes before breaking apart when they heard footsteps coming down the hallway.

Dean smiled down at him. "I need to take a shower and finish getting ready. When do you want to meet back up?"

Cas thought for a moment. "How about three? That would give us enough time to get last minute details sorted and get to the airport in time."

"Three it is. If you need anything before then, don't even bother hesitating to ask, got it?"

Cas chuckled, reached up, and pressed a quick kiss to his lips before pulling away. "I won't."

Dean smiled and stepped away from Cas, heading for his room. "I'll see you in a little bit. Be careful getting home."

Cas chuckled again, loving having someone to worry about him again.

SPN

Dean finished up the paperwork he'd had left to do and looked up as the last of their group walked into the bar. He'd brought everything out into the main area to work on while he waited for everyone to arrive. He spun around on the stool to face everyone.

"Okay, so…I need your help this week. I'm going to be out of town until Friday night. I need you guys to take care of the bar for me."

Ellen leaned against the bar, smiling softly at him. "Of course we'll take care of the bar. Don't worry about a thing."

Jo narrowed her eyes at him, stepping closer. "Why are you going out of town? You're not going to bail John out again, are you?"

Dean sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "No, I'm not. I'll never do that again, I guarantee you. I, uh…Cas and I are going to Chicago for a few days."

It was Gabe's turn to narrow his eyes. "Why are you and Cassie going back there? And why didn't he tell me? What's going on, Dean-o?"

Dean looked up and met his eyes. "Let's walk in the back, Gabe. We need to talk."

The tension rose incredibly at his words, staying behind even as he and Gabe walked back into his office.

Dean sighed and leaned against the desk. "Cas got a phone call from his mother last night."

Gabe shifted his weight to his other foot, a knot of dread tightening in his stomach. "Why?"

Dean's eyes lifted, leveling with Gabe's to watch his reaction to convey just how serious the call had been. "It's his father, Gabe. He passed away last night. We're going back for the funeral."

Gabe's eyes widened in shock. He stood there frozen for a minute, letting it sink in. "Why didn't he tell me?"

"He found out at two this morning and ever since he got up, he's been busy trying to get everything situated. We're leaving tonight. I told him I'd tell you when I saw you here."

Gabe nodded, looking away from Dean. "I have to go. I…"

Dean nodded. "Cas already said you would want to. I planned on letting Ellen handle the schedules and rearrange everything to cover for you for whenever you want to leave. You don't have to worry about anything."

Gabe looked up at him with sad eyes, nodding slowly. "Okay. I, uh…okay."

Dean stood. "If you want, you can leave now. I'll let them know what's going on. Go book your flight, pack a bag, drink a bottle of whiskey, whatever you need to do. I'll handle everything here."

Gabe nodded again. "Thanks, Dean-o. I'll let Cas know when I'm leaving and I guess I'll see you in Chicago."

Dean smiled softly at him, leading him back to the main area. "Yeah, as long as Michael and Raphael don't flay me alive by time you get there."

Gabe chuckled, slapping a hand down on Dean's shoulder as they walked into the main area. "You'll be fine, Dean-o. They can be pretty scary if you're on the receiving end, which you will be, but you're big and tough. You can handle them. And if you can't, well, Cas can get pretty scary when he's pissed."

Dean chuckled and nodded. "Oh, I know, believe me. Let me know if you need anything, Gabe."

Gabe smiled at him and shot him a wonky salute. "Aye aye, boss!"

When he left, Dean turned towards the group who were staring at him confused. Charlie grinned awkwardly. "Um, if you don't mind me asking, Dean, but…what's going on?"

Dean sighed and took a seat on the stool he'd been occupying earlier. "Cas's dad passed away last night. I'm going back with him for the funeral. Gabe's going back too, but I don't know when yet. You guys will be two people short. Think you can handle it?"

Ellen rested a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry about a thing, Dean. We'll take care of the bar while you're gone. You just take care of Cas."

Dean nodded, knowing that was exactly what he would be doing for the next few days. He just hoped he would be enough to make the next few days bearable for both of them.

Dean walked into the realtor's office and approached the desk. "Excuse me; I need to talk to Ms. Evergreen. Is she here?"

The receptionist looked through a book before looking back up at him, smiling. "She doesn't have an appointment for a couple of hours, so she should be at her desk."

"Okay, thank you." He walked away from the desk and went in search of his realtor. He found her sitting behind her desk working on some paperwork. He cleared his throat to get her attention and smiled when she looked up at him.

"Mr. Winchester, I wasn't expecting to see you until Wednesday. Is there something wrong?"

"Well, actually, there is. Something came up and I have to leave town for a few days. I have a family emergency. I won't be back until Friday night. I was wondering if we could move up signing the papers or push them back until I get back."

Ms. Evergreen took in the information, thinking through their options. "I'm sorry to hear that. Let me give the owners a call and see what we can do. When are you leaving?"

"My plane leaves at six tonight."

She nodded, picking up her phone and dialing the number she needed. "Okay. Let me see what I can do."

Dean took a seat across from the desk and waited while she talked on the phone. He pulled out his cell phone and pulled up his conversation with Cas, sending off a quick message.

Hey, Cas. I'm at the realtor's office now. Everything's set at the bar. Gabe knows. He went home to book a flight and pack. How are things on your end?

It wasn't very long before he got a reply.

How did Gabe take it? Everything is fine, Dean. I have finished packing already and am running out of things to keep my mind occupied like you suggested.

Dean sighed, running a hand through his hair before replying.

Head on over to the house. Sam and Ben are there. I won't be too much longer here, I don't think. She's still on the phone with the owners setting up a new time to sign.

Okay. I will head over there. I will see you soon, Dean.

She set the phone down, cuing Dean to shove his phone in his pocket. "Well, if you have the time, they're on their way in to sign over the house now. They've already finished everything they were planning on doing to the house, so it's in tip top condition for you."

Dean nodded, "Yeah, that sounds great. When will they be here?"

"In about ten minutes?"

"Okay. If you don't mind, I'm going to step outside and call my brother."

She smiled kindly at her. "Of course, take your time."

Dean smiled at her and stood. He made his way back through the office and out the door. Outside, he pulled out his phone and dialed Sam's number. It rang three times before he finally picked up.

"Hey, Dean. What's up?"

"Hey, Sam. I'm at the realtor's office now. The owners are on their way in now to sign over the house. Don't tell Ben or Cas. I want it to be a surprise when I get home, but I don't know how long I'm going to be here."

"That's great, Dean! Of course, I won't tell them. Wait, why would I tell Cas? He's not even here."

"He's on his way over. He ran out of things to keep his mind occupied from everything, so I told him to head over."

"Okay. I'll make us all some lunch after he gets here. If it runs a little late, I'll just tell them you had to make a run back to the bar or something."

Dean chuckled, "Thanks, Sammy. Oh, could you switch loads for me? I forgot to before I left."

"Yeah, no problem."

Dean looked up and noticed a car had pulled up not too far away and a couple was getting out. He watched out of the corner of his eye as they made their way towards the realtor's office. "Listen, Sammy, I think that's them. I gotta go. I'll be home soon."

"Okay, I'll see you soon. Bye, Dean."

Dean hung up and walked back into the office, sliding his phone back into his pocket. He had just sat back down in the chair he'd occupied earlier when the same couple he'd seen outside walked in and smiled at Ms. Evergreen.

"Hi there."

They came to their feet and the introductions were started. Dean shook hands with both of them before they all sat back down. For a while, it was a bunch of legal talk. They talked about owner's insurance-which Dean knew plenty about-and the papers, legally binding issues, sub-clauses, things Dean had to really concentrate to keep up with. Then they talked about the neighborhood, about 'thugs'. They asked Dean if he had any children and he told them about Ben. He left out the part where he wasn't technically his son. Turns out there were kids his age on the block he went to school with. Dean hoped it was someone he actually liked versus one of the kids he was having issues with.

After what seemed like hours, they finally came to the point he'd been waiting for. They signed all the papers and then handed Dean the keys. They thanked him, told him they hope he liked the house, and then left the office. Dean turned back to the realtor and smiled kindly at her. "Well, I really should be going too. I have to get packed for my flight. Thanks again."

She smiled, extending her hand towards him. "It was my pleasure. If you ever need to buy another house, look me up, Dean."

He chuckled. "I doubt I'll need to, but I'll keep that in mind."

He placed his last piece of clothing in his bag followed by his tooth brush, tooth paste, hair gel, body wash, and his phone charger. He made sure he had his ID in his wallet as well as his credit cards and everything else he'd need during the week. He slid his laptop on top of his clothes and zipped the bag shut. He was officially packed.

He picked up the bag and took it out into the living room where Cas was talking to Sam about something. He set the bag down by the wall and sat down next to Cas. He put his arm on the back of the couch behind Cas and checked his phone while the two continued talking. He had a text from Gabe he's missed somehow.

Hey there, Dean-o. Just booked the flight. I'll be flying out tomorrow so I'll see you then. Be a dear and let Cassie know, would ya? Thanks!

Dean snorted and rolled his eyes. He quickly typed back a response before shoving the phone back in his pocket. Sam and Cas turned towards him, eyebrows raised.

"What was that about, Dean?"

He shook his head. "Just a text from Gabe. He said he'll be flying out tomorrow so he'll see us then."

Cas nodded and looked down at his watch. It was almost time to go. "Okay. We only have a few minutes before we should probably leave."

Dean nodded. "Okay, I'm going to go talk to Ben. Let him know we're leaving."

He stood and walked back through the house to Ben's room. He knocked on Ben's door before opening it slightly. "Mind if I come in?"

"Yeah, come on in, Dean."

Dean stepped inside the room and left the door open a little. He sat down on the bed and looked over at Ben who was sitting at his desk playing some game on his laptop.

"So…Cas and I will be leaving here in a few minutes. I wanted to make sure you were going to be okay while I'm gone. I'll have my phone on me so you can call or text whenever. If you do while I'm on the plane, I'll get them after we land. It doesn't matter what time it is, if you need something let me know."

Ben turned around in his chair and smiled at him. "Dean, don't worry about anything, okay? Everything will be fine here while you're gone. If we need anything, we'll call."

Dean sighed. "I feel bad for leaving you with Sam for almost a week. If it weren't something for Cas…"

"No, Dean, seriously. Don't worry about it. I'm fine with staying with Sam. He's awesome. Cas needs you, so you go take care of him."

Dean met Ben's eyes and he smiled. "Yeah. I'm just hoping this week doesn't completely backfire by me going with him. I don't want to make things worse by trying to make things better."

Ben nodded. "Yeah, but you know Cas. Just by having you there with him will help him no matter what else happens. Just…block everything else out and concentrate on him. That's why you're going."

Dean chuckled. "I'm getting advice from a fifteen-year-old about what to do with my boyfriend at his father's funeral and meeting the family…I never thought I'd use that sentence."

Ben snorted. "Yeah, well, neither did I. You'll be fine, Dean. Just be your normal charming self and they'll like you, I bet."

Dean nodded, getting to his feet. "Okay. I'll play it your way for a while, see where it gets me. Honestly, I couldn't care less what they think of me, but they're his family so I have to play nice."

Ben rolled his eyes, standing as well. "Yeah, Dean. Play nice."

They walked out into the living room and Ben wrapped Dean into a hug. He lowered his voice so that only Dean could hear him. "I'll miss you, Dean. Just be careful."

Dean tightened his grip on him. "Don't worry about me, kid. I'll call you when we land."

Ben nodded, taking a step away. He gave Cas a hug while Dean wrapped Sam into one of their bro-hugs. "You take care of him, Sammy. Call me if you need anything and I mean that."

Sam smiled at his big brother, pulling away. "We'll be fine, Dean. You'll be a phone call away if anything happens. The bar will be just fine. The house will be fine. Ben will be fine. I'll get him to school, he'll do his homework, he'll go to practice. Don't worry about a thing."

"You know, Sam, it's when people keep reassuring you that everything will be fine when something goes wrong."

Sam rolled his eyes. "Relax, Dean. Just go. You have a plane to catch, remember? Take care of Cas."

Dean smiled softly, glancing over at Cas who was talking to Ben. "I will. You don't have to worry about that."

Cas sighed as he settled into his seat on the plane while Dean put their carry-ons in the overhead compartment. He wanted to back out as soon as they were driving to the airport, but like he told Dean, he had to pay his respects and it was way too late anyway. As he looked over at Dean, he saw that he was a bit tense and chalked it up to being nervous about finally meeting Cas's family; at least until the plane started taking off.

"Dean, are you alright?" Cas asked putting his hand on top of Dean's which had somewhat of a death grip on the armrest between them. "Huh? Oh, yeah I'm fine." Dean said and smiled unconvincingly. Of course, this would be the time that the plane decided to actually take off, thus causing Dean to grip the armrest harder, and earning a bit of an appraising look from Cas.

"Alright, so I may have a thing for well-" Dean started, gesturing a little when the plane evened out.

"Flying." Cas deadpanned, "You know if you told me you didn't like flying, we could've found another way. Like a road trip for example." Cas said squeezing his hand comfortingly.

"Oh yeah? And how long do ya think that would've taken us? I mean, we could miss the funeral that way." Dean said with a determined look in his eye.

Cas was then hit with such a strong wave of gratitude and love that he leaned over and kissed him.

"Whoa. What was that for? Not that I'm complaining or anything." Dean smiled.

"I'm just really happy you came with me." Cas replied. "Did you know I've flown on a plane a few times before?" Cas asked him.

"Hmm." Dean replied while they went through some turbulence.

"Yup. And every plane I've been on has never crashed before, so if it makes you feel any better, I highly doubt that this plane is going to crash." Cas said smiling a little at the look that Dean shot him. "Well, I mean it's more likely to get into a car crash than a plane crash, so if we do get into one, you can tell me I told you so as many times as you want." He looked away blushing a little "I guess what I'm trying to say is to just think of me as your good luck charm. As long as we're together, nothing bad will happen to you." Cas said meeting Dean's eyes. Dean just smiled and kissed him, and he was a tad more relaxed, which was more than Cas could've hoped for.

So, what did you think of the chapter? Let's thank darkbloddynightmare38 for helping out with it! Thanks again! ^.^ I can't wait to read your next scene either, by the way. Until next time!