CHAPTER FOURTEEN

The game had been a success, though Dean had had his doubts at first, when he'd been standing in the outfield staring at the stands trying to spot Cas. He couldn't explain the way his gut had tightened when he hadn't found that pale face and blue gaze cheering him on… Or maybe he didn't want to explain it.

When it had been their turn to bat Dean stood there, the lightweight titanium in his hand, staring at the pitcher and he'd made a conscious decision to forced everything out of his mind, he couldn't screw this up.

And he hadn't.

After the match the team had gone to get pizza with the couch before they all headed back home to get ready for that nights party.

Walking into his room Dean was met with the sight of boxes strewn all around; Cas knelt down next to the bookcase pulling his collection of Supernatural book out of their home to place them in the box at his side.

"What the hell?"

Castiel physically flinched at the sound of Dean's voice. He'd hoped to have everything packet and gone before Dean got back. He was a coward he knew, but he couldn't face the goodbye scene. It was strange how attached Cas had gotten in the space of a few weeks, but then that was the reason he needed to get the hell out of here, before he found himself falling any harder for his 'straight' roommate.

"Hello Dean."

"Hello Dean? – What the hell is going on." The taller man demanded, throwing his stuff violently across his bed, where is skidded off the edge and landed with a crash on the floor.

"I'm leaving."

"Why?" he folded his arms across his chest.

"Personal reasons."

"What kind of personal reasons?"

Cas turned to glance over at his so-to-be ex roommate. "Do you not understand the definition of the word 'Personal'?"

"Blow me Cas…"

The dark haired man turned back to the bookcase with a deep blush, Dean's words hitting the wrong note in his head.

"… I want to know why your leaving Cas."

Cas bit his lip and shrugged. "Stress." He finally announced as if that was answer enough.

"Bullshit. – You're the least stressed out person I know… other than Ash. – Try again?"

Silence reigned between them building a tension that was almost suffocating.

"Cas, come on, we're friends right. If there's something wrong, tell me. Maybe I can help."

Help Cas thought, the only way Dean could help was if he'd suddenly discover he was gay and declaring his love and that was about as likely to happen as God walking the earth. "I just need to get away Dean. – There's nothing you can do to help or stop me. – So just leave me alone to pack, please." Castiel sighed, feeling tired and empty.

He hadn't felt this bad since he'd giving up the drugs. - Or more precisely since Balthazar had forced him to go cold turkey.

"Is this about Anna?"

Cas stiffened at his sisters' name. Anna? Of course it was about Anna. Anna and Dean. He'd seen the way his roommate had looked at his sister the day they'd met, he'd seen them that afternoon. Wasn't it always about Anna?

"No - It's about me wanting out of this place, away from everything." He hadn't meant to sound so angry, so cold, but that's just how his tone had been.

"Fine!" Dean practically shouted before storming out of the room and heading straight for his brother's, passing Balthazar on the way.

Balthazar watched the fuming Dean marching from his room to his brothers and flinched at the icy glare the jock shot his way as he passed. The Englishman didn't wait a second before heading to comfort his friend.

Leaning on the door-jam he stared at Castiel's back.

"You sure you want to do this?"

"You're the one who said I needed to get out."

Balthazar looked over his shoulder to where the roommate had vanished. "Yeah, well… maybe I was wrong."

Castiel's head snapped around. "Wrong?" his brow arched. "Your never wrong, remember."

Balthazar thrust his hands in his tight denim pockets; he watched his best friend, his only friend turn back to the bookshelves and was instantly kicking himself. When would he learn not to interfere? He'd already screwed things up between the princess and the frog, now he'd messed it up for angel-boy.

"Castiel?"

"What?" his tone cold as he replied.

"Stay for the party alright…."

"I don't…"

"Think of it as a farewell bash. – Just stay and have a good time, you can head off tomorrow."

Castiel shook his head. "I can't stay here another night, Bal."

"You can crash in my room, just have a party, relax, get drunk."

Castiel's head snapped round. "I don't drink Bal, at least not anymore."

"Doesn't mean you can't drink any less." He laughed, though there was little humour.

Castiel glared at him. "That's not funny Bal."

"It's a little funny. – Listen it was one bad night, doesn't mean it'll happen again. – and you were… well, on other things at the time. Listen, I'll be here. I won't let anything happen to you, alright. Just stay."

Castiel was torn. He didn't want to hang around any longer than necessary; he didn't want to make leaving any harder. But despite this he found himself nodding.

"Good. – Now stop this packing and get ready."

SUPERNATURAL – FREE WILL HOUSE

"Leaving?" Sam gaped. "Why?"

"Not a damn clue, he just came up with some bullshit about personal reasons and stress. – It's all crap, we both know it." Dean said angrily from Sam's bed.

Sam watched his brother curiously. "Dean? – Are you alright?"

"Alright? Of course I'm alright, so what if my best friend, only friend and roommate is cutting out on me, I'm just peachy."

Sam's brows hit his hairline. "Dean?"

"I'm going to get changed."

"Dean, don't start a fight with him please. – I know how you get when…"

Dean paused at the threshold of Sam's room and turned back. "When what Sammy? – When I get abandoned, yeah well, I should be used to it by know."

That was below the belt and they both knew it.

"Sorry Sam. – I – I need to shower." And he was gone before Sam could say another word.

SUPERNATURAL – FREE WILL HOUSE

The party was in full swing by the time Crowley walked in with his usual smug confidence. He wasn't the only member of Hell house to be at the party, when it came to getting smashed, there was no such thing as house loyalty.

It hadn't escaped his notice that afternoon that Dean had spent the first half of the game staring into the bleachers, probably looking for a certain roommate. In fact Crowley had been concerned just a little that the man preoccupation would cost them the game, but luckily it hadn't. When push came to shove Dean had stepped up to the plate and knocked it out of the park, giving them the win.

That near miss had made Crowley even more determined to sort out his friends' love life. That was why he'd turned up tonight, that and the free booze.

And he'd come with a cunning plan, though unlike Baldric his had every chance of succeeding, he was well armed tonight and he knew it would just take a few little pushes in the right place and that damn closet door will be coming right off its hinges. .

Dean stood staring in the kitchen; he had seen or spoken to Cas in hours. After quickly showering and changing he'd spent the time till the party in Sammy's room trying endless to figure out what was the cause of the sudden planned departure. All he could come back to was Anna.

Dean had spent the last two hours drinking. Now on his fifth beer and furious that it wasn't having the desired effect, he scanning his surroundings, spotting said sister in a far corner he marched determinedly over to her.

"Talk to him." Dean practically ordered.

"Pardon?" Anna gaped in surprise.

"Cas, you need to talk to him. – He's leaving."

Anna stared open mouthed at Dean's sudden announcement, unsure what to say or even where to beginning trying to fix it. She knew what she'd done in a heated moment, she knew what he was costing her brother emotionally and she knew there were no words in the universe that was going to fit it.

"I came home after the game and found him packing up his stuff. – This is…." He stopped himself before the words 'your fault' could leave his lips.

Though there was no need to say them, Anna was already being wracked with guilt. "I… don't know if it would make a difference, Dean." She said in a low voice. "I… screwed up."

"You've gotta try." He wasn't pleading, he wasn't. It was the drink that was making his voice so strained. "Please."

"Hey." Interrupted a familiar English accent.

Dean turned an infuriated gaze on Crowley. "What are you doing here?"

The shorter Englishman's eyes widened slightly before softening into a smug confident glare. "Party…." He waved his hands around. "I'm here for the atmosphere, the drink and with any luck a lay." He winked at Anna.

Dean rolled his eyes with frustration, clutching his teammate's arm he started to lead him away. "Then let's go and get you one."

Crowley smirked up at Dean with a lopsided grin and a gleam in his eyes. "A lay?"

The slap to the back of his head surprised Crowley and probably Dean to. "Quit it, Dick." He took a few steps before stopping and looking back at Anna. "Talk to him." he ordered once again.

Castiel sat in a dark corner, a glass of OJ pressed between his palms watching yet another exchange between Dean and Anna. He knew then that he should never have allowed Balthazar to talk him in to attending the party.

Sam sat on the stairs staring though the bars as his best friend stood in the corner flirting disgracefully with a freshman, a cherry sucker imprisoned between his lips dying them an adorable shade of red.

It had been almost three weeks now since him and Gabe as properly spoken and Sam had to admit it was killing him. What had once been a comfortable home was almost unlivable. At least him and Dean were back on speaking terms. But not having his best friend to turn to was like walking around with half of you missing.

When Gabriel leant close to the freshmen and laughed at something the cropped blond had said, Sam felt his gut clench tight. His hand tightened around the neck of the beer bottle in his hand. It was a surprise it didn't shatter in his grip.

"Sam."

The Winchesters head snapped around to meet a set of dark eyes. "Ruby? – What the hell are you doing here." He said furiously. The woman had the common sense to stay away from him for the past three months, since their break up.

"Party." She smiled, waving a flyer in front of him.

That was the problem with open parties; you never knew who was going to turn up.

"I – I wanted to see you…. Speak to you."

"Well I don't want to speak to you Ruby. I thought I made that perfectly clear.

The dark eyed, dark haired young woman hung her head and pouted. "Can't we just…"

"No." he wasn't in the mood for Ruby's shit tonight, or any night for that matter. "If you're staying fine, just don't expect to drink with me."

"Sammy." She whispered in her best seductive voice, the one that had drawn him in at the begin.

"Don't call me Sammy!" he snapped. Only to people in the world were allowed to say his name like that and one of them was currently ignoring the hell out of him.

Ruby sighed and Sam figured he'd made his point, half expecting her to turn and leave. What he hadn't expected was for her to whisper that she still loved him.

"What?" he glared, his mouth a thin angry line.

"I still love you Samm…. Sam. – I know you have this whole…" she waved her hand dismissively. "… swings both ways thing going. But we were good together."

"Yeah, right up until you're turned all twilight on my ass." he spat.

It had been the biggest shock in history when he'd found out she was into that whole blood thing. It had turned his stomach at first, but he'd been blinded by lust, yes it had most defiantly been lust. So he'd figured if it got her off to suck on his blood, even though it was totally gross and dangerous, he'd deal, everyone had their kinks. It was when she'd tried to get him to join in her little habit that he'd had to draw the line. – That had that she's been hanging with some weird blood-sucking group.

"I can't believe you dumped me because of that. – It wasn't like I was going to force you… I just thought it would…." She shrugged. "… heighten the enjoyment."

"Yeah, well I wasn't up for that kind of high. – Beside, I wasn't the only one you were, for want of a better term, sucking on."

Ruby at least had the decency to guilty.

"You were at it with how many others?"

"It wasn't like I was cheating Sam, we just…"

His hand shot up to silence her. "I know just what you were doing."

"It didn't mean I didn't love you."

Love? Huh. Ruby had no idea what love was. The way her twisted little mind worked she couldn't. Love was about sexy, lust and whatever crazy little kinks got you off. It was… deeper.

It was sat on a couch watching TV, or reading a book with your feet resting warmly in another person's lap. It was the comfortable silences where neither of you needed to talk as long as you were together. It was the ridiculous jokes that no one thought funny but would have the pair of you in fits for ages, while everyone looked on confused. It was knowing every horrid little detail about someone's life. It was getting pissed at them when they royally fucked up. Moping off and hiding for hours when they broke you trust. It was friendship.

His gaze snapped around to the shorter man in the corner, still outrageously flirting, ignoring him completely and his throat tightened and his chest ached. There was no way. It wasn't possible right?

He never noticed Ruby's eyes flittering between him and Gabriel. He never heard her murmured angry curse. He never saw the furious way she stormed from the house with tears burning her eyes.

A/N: Thanks to you all for reading, reviewing and Faving. I am very honoured. :D