Author's Note:

Sorry for the late update guys XP Thank you for those who left me birthday wishes last time ;)

Also in this chapter the song used is 'Chasing Cars' by Snow Patrol

"Cas are you sure you want to do anything today? We could, I dunno, spend some time doing nothing. Or maybe have sex again." Dean called out from the doorway, waiting for Castiel to finish getting ready. He'd decided to take the day off for Dean though he hadn't mentioned whether or not he'd had anything in mind.

"Nope, we can do that another time. Today I wanna show you something." Castiel emerged from his bedroom in a dark sleeveless shirt that outlined his figure nicely, showing off the muscle in his arms and the light tan of his skin. As well he'd put on a pair of jean shorts, loose fitting in most places though it still gave a good view of his ass. Dean loved Castiel's body every time he saw it, whatever he saw it in. The well-toned torso with amazingly athletic legs, not super pale like someone who clearly spent too much time inside, and he tended to accessorize. A ring or two, a wrist cuff, and a necklace interchangeable with his outfits.

"Dean?" Castiel's voice broke his concentration again, his eyes snapping up to meet the curious blue that seemed to entrance him every time. "You listening? I said let's go."

"Sorry, just staring."

"Saw that," Cas chuckled and took his hand, if even for a short while. "Come on." He led Dean to the elevator where they shared a few more kisses before it opened to the main floor. Dean let go of his hand and walked ahead of him toward the car, Castiel trailing behind a little as they went. He curled his bottom lip in to bite at it, his nervous habit that could result in a red rash-like sore if he did it too often. And he'd been doing it a lot lately.

It had been a few months since they'd gotten together and though Cas repeatedly said it didn't bother him that he was a secret, he still wanted to know when it'd end. When was he going to stop being the lie in Dean's life, the 'close friend' that he'd gotten to know at the cafe? Dean's family hadn't met him just yet, maybe that was when it was all said and done. Maybe when he met John and Mary Winchester for dinner or something Dean would tell everyone, a big reveal. Castiel sighed lightly, at the rate they were going he figured the reveal might even accompany a proposal, it was taking Dean so long to get comfortable.

But again, Cas refused to push him. Dean treated him well; Dean loved him just as much as he loved Dean so there was no reason to make a mess of it. Castiel had patience, he knew who he was and what he wanted, and if all he had to do to get it was wait then he would do so with a smile. His relationship with Dean was the best one he'd had in years and he'd be damned if he let this one go over something so trivial. Why would he care who knew about them? As long as he had Dean it didn't matter to him.

Dean glanced over his shoulder at him, an eyebrow raised, "Aren't you the one who wanted to go? Come on, Cas."

"Sorry, lost in thought." Cas smiled brightly at him and hurried to the passenger side, "Follow my directions and we should be just fine."

"If you say so." Dean chuckled and hopped inside, starting the Impala's engine and taking off according to Castiel's guidance. The ride wasn't as long as Dean had expected, they drove to a small, out of the way park with trees all around it, an apartment building and convenience store the closest things to them. Dean climbed out and looked around, wondering what Cas could possibly want to show him in a place like that.

"This way," Castiel ran up a path disappearing into the trees, all Dean could hear were the excited footsteps of his boyfriend distancing themselves from him.

He smiled a little and followed suit, every now and then catching up to a Castiel who waited for a few seconds then ran ahead to another junction. It was kind of like playing a video game where the individual you were following would wait a bit if you trailed too far behind. "What are you showing me exactly?"

"It's a secret," Cas called back, this time he wasn't too far away and when Dean caught up he walked into a very small clearing. At first Dean didn't see what he was supposed to, not until Castiel disappeared up into a tree and into the high sitting branches above. Entirely out of sight, Dean couldn't see a thing up there.

"Cas?"

"Come up, it's up here." Cas called down again, he sounded so excited Dean couldn't bring himself to refuse.

He walked up to the tree and found the same footing Cas had used to propel himself upwards. Dean started to climb and at first he thought it was ridiculous, but the higher he went he passed the branches that acted more like a shield from the ground below and came across a little sanctuary. Dean climbed up into a hole in the bottom of a tree house, the floor his hands pushed on was clean and even a little polished. He lifted himself into the space in some kind of awe as he looked around; there were walls, windows, and even a bit of self-crafted furniture. A small bookshelf filled with what must have been Castiel's favourites, each one with worn binding being a better indication of that. The windows were accompanied by two sets of curtains, a thin veil and a heavier fabric, as well as actual glass and even a screen for the ones that opened.

"Cas… did you make all this?" Dean was awestruck as he walked around a little, looking at the beauty of the space around him. There were picture frames on the walls, all empty despite looking like they'd been there for far too long. Little end tables matching all the rest of the furniture and decorating equipped with candles, and Dean could only imagine there were flashlights and batteries hiding inside for the late night readings.

"It's been put together over a long period of time, but yes. I built it up from nothing on my own." Castiel's tone lingered in the air as he strolled across the floor, his smile content as his fingers traced the top of the only couch in the room. Dean was at a loss for all words as the filtered light from the windows lit up Castiel's frame, he looked so comfortable and at home in his own little world. For possibly the hundredth time Dean wondered to himself how the hell he'd managed to catch the attention of someone like Castiel Novak.

"When I was really little we used to live a few miles away from here," Cas lowered himself onto the couch and looked up at Dean in a way that beckoned him over. "I'd gotten into a fight with my dad over something then, I can't remember for the life of me what it was now but at the time it seemed important. I ran away, as far away as I could get on foot. Again, back then a few miles was a big deal."

"I think every kid thinks that." Dean chuckled, getting comfortable beside his boyfriend who promptly hopped a bit closer and snuggled in against him.

"Probably true," Cas sighed softly, closing his eyes as if it somehow helped him tell the story better. "I came across the park, it was just as empty and abandoned as it is today."

Castiel walked through the tall grass slowly, out of breath but refusing to show it. He kicked at a few acorns strewn about mindlessly, wishing the anger would just leave him. He knew that his dad would find him, that running away meant nothing because he'd end up at home again by the end of the night. But maybe if he managed to worry his dad and his brothers, just a little bit, they'd see he was important to them. A childish notion that really doesn't amount to the same events that it might in movies.

Regardless, Castiel wandered around the park in search of something to occupy him. Some place that maybe he'd be able to call his. There were small trails through the bushes and trees as a sort of 'adventure' or something. He didn't really care, his imagination was disconnected and his mind blank. He almost decided on taking a different route through the trees but for some reason decided that taking the left turn rather than his usual right at a fork in the road was better. Cas walked right into a clearing with a tree in the dead center. The landscaper must have decided that it was a beautiful tree and it'd be a real shame if it were to be cut down, so instead blazed the trail around it.

Cas stared up at the tree for a long time, the branches on the lower part of the tree were fairly thick and less than halfway up it had completely concealed the rest of it. Castiel contemplated his next move, whether he should continue on his wandering or not. He decided against it and climbed up the timber, just to see how high he could go.

"How high did you get?" Dean asked softly, comfortable and happy to listen to Castiel's re-telling of what happened.

"Pretty damn high, actually. Higher than we are now. I wanted to know if there was a limit to it, what was beyond the canopy hiding the rest of the tree. As it turns out it was just more tree but hey, I saw promise in this." Cas smiled and looked up at Dean with such a complacent expression. "I'd finally found a place no one could find me in. I went home later in the evening, they were pissed I'd ran off but it didn't matter; I had a place to myself."

"Is that what this is? Your own little sanctuary?" Dean ran a hand through Cas' hair absently as he looked around the room again, eyeing the picture frames a little more.

"That's exactly what it is, I like to come here when I need to think or be alone or whatever else. I'm comfortable here, I can be what I want and do what I want. I know I have an apartment and everything where I can do these things but… I don't know, it's different. Sanctuary is a good word for it."

"It's beautiful, Cas."

A soft chuckle was the reply and while Dean would have asked why Cas was laughing he decided not to. Instead they sat and enjoyed each other's silence, the sounds of the trees waving in the wind around them, nearby wildlife, and the distant sound of vehicles passing by. Dean felt as though he'd just been let in on something very important, something special to Castiel. The feeling had a tenderness to it, a little bit of magic maybe. It was warm and welcoming, something Dean would never want to pass up or let go of.

Time slipped past them as they laid together on the couch, tangled in one another's arms as they rested. Dean breathed in the subtle scent of Castiel's cologne and smiled in his drowsy state of mind; it was the faintest smell and yet it was one of the strongest reminders that Cas was there. Something so faded and weak brought on the strongest emotions, it was always said that smell was one of the senses that affected memory the most. "Cas," Dean heard himself whispering the name he knew floated through his dreams at night.

"Hm?" Castiel couldn't have been bothered to answer properly, his soft grunt as strong a response as Dean was going to get.

"I love you."

"I love you too, Dean." Castiel smiled and sighed happily but Dean felt like it wasn't enough, like he didn't do enough, like those three words were said so often that they weren't enough anymore.

"Cas, I really… I really wish there was a way to tell you. I love you. More than I know how to say." He felt himself stumbling over thoughts and the frantic sensation of needing Castiel to know tripping him up even more. And then Castiel's finger touched his lips to hush him. Dean stopped and exhaled slowly, taking in the sight of his lover resting against him, that smile on his face. It was like it was telling him that everything was going to be alright, and Dean believed Cas.

"We'll do it all, everything, on our own." Castiel sang softly, the voice of an angel to soothe him. "We don't need anything or anyone. If I lay here, if I just lay here… would you lie with me and just forget the world?"

Dean closed his eyes and listened, he'd heard the song before though he couldn't put his finger on it. It didn't matter because it was Castiel, because they were together.

"I don't quite know how to say how I feel. Those three words are said too much, they're not enough. If I lay here, if I just lay here, would you lie with me and just forget the world? Forget what we're told before we get too old, show a garden that's bursting into life."

As Castiel sang the worry lifted from him, he knew what Cas was trying to say, what he meant by it all. There would never be a way to properly say what they meant, to really and truly show how they felt. Love was just the start of it and Dean wanted nothing more than to explore that part of them.

"All that I am, all that I ever was, is here in your perfect eyes; they're all I can see. I don't know where, confused about how, as well. Just know that these things will never change for us at all."

"If I lay here…

If I just lay here…

Would you lie with me and just forget the world?"