I'm not sure why there was such a delay with this chapter. The last two weeks have had days run into each other with various things going on, and I can only put it down to forgetting that it was Friday and forgetting that I hadn't posted!

Thanks for the support in the last chapter. It's building up now with them both being out of school, and I can't wait to see what you think about this next chapter. I'm trying to stay ahead of the writing, but I only have one more chapter so far. It all depends on whether I get a little time today and this weekend to continue with the story. The muse is back, though!

Chapter 14

"I'll be over in a few hours, okay?" Castiel could hear Dean's voice outside as he walked around the kitchen. The window was open, trying to cool down the home with the heat they were facing this summer, and Dean's conversation was loud and clear. Cas didn't know who he was talking to, though, "I want to see him, Lise."

That answered the question. He was talking to Lisa, and it was obviously about Ben. Castiel smiled at the thought of it. Dean always made sure conversations about Ben were kept to a minimum around Cas, worried about causing tension. No matter how much Castiel said that he wanted Dean to be in Ben's life, Dean still tried to make it easy for all involved. He'd only go to see him when Castiel was back in Topeka most of the time, but it was July 4th, and he deserved to be with Ben at this time.

Hearing the backdoor open, Cas was surprised that his thoughts had drowned out the rest of the conversation. Dean looked just as surprised to see someone in the kitchen when he walked in.

"Hey, erm, you wouldn't mind if I went to see Ben, would you?"

"Of course not," Cas shook his head with a smile, "Why doesn't Lisa bring Ben over?"

"Now that's a good idea," Mary said, walking into the kitchen with Charlie following behind, "I barely see my grandson now you're not in the hospital."

"Do you want me to go back?" Dean asked, chuckling at his poor humor. Mary rolled her eyes and patted her son on the cheek.

"You know what I mean," she told him, "Why don't you ask her when you see her later."

Dean nodded, but Castiel could see there was some doubt in his eyes. He couldn't quite place what the doubt was all about, though, "I'll see what I can do. You know what her dad's like."

Ah, that answers it. Castiel thought to himself. Lisa's dad had been a cause for concern over the last couple of months. He had tried to convince Lisa to give Ben up for adoption, causing her to threaten to run away. Mary and John had offered to help, but Lisa didn't want to be a burden on anyone else. What she hadn't realized was that Dean would have loved to have his son around. Being a family man, he wanted his son near him.

With a quick kiss on the cheek, Dean rushed out of the kitchen mumbling about needing to make another phone call, leaving Castiel and Mary together. That was when Mary's expression changed. Castiel could see her worry forming in her brown eyes. It was worry she would only show now and then, and usually when Castiel was quietly passing through the house to find Mary and John talking alone.

"Is everything okay, Mary?" Castiel decided to pry. Mary shook herself, as if remembering that she wasn't completely alone, before looking over to Castiel.

"Oh, I'm fine sweetie." Mary smiled, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. As she busied herself with cleaning the already clean counters, Castiel knew that there was definitely something wrong.

"Are you sure? Is there anything I can do?"

Mary looked up at Cas and shook her head, that same smile still on her face. Castiel decided to just accept the answer. He still didn't feel like he knew Mary enough to go prying into her worries. But he wasn't going to completely let his own worries die. He'd talk to Dean or Sam about it. Maybe they could find out something more.

With a nod, Castiel grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and then asked for the shopping list. It was time to grab Dean and get to the store before it got too busy.

After 15 minutes of being on the phone, Dean and Castiel set off to the store, borrowing Mary's car to get there. It was obvious Dean still wasn't happy about his baby being in the garage, but John and Bobby hadn't had time to completely fix it up. There were a few issues under the hood, but now that Dean's arm was out of the cast he was going to fix things himself. He often told Cas that he couldn't wait to get back behind the wheel of Baby.

Finding a parking space, Dean killed the engine and shook his head, "I feel like a soccer mom."

Castiel couldn't help but chuckle at the comment. The car was something a soccer mom would use. Hell, Mary technically was a soccer mom with Adam's interest in the sport. It's no wonder Dean felt that way, especially when he was used to driving his Impala.

"So, what do we need to grab?" Dean asked, looking over at his boyfriend and grabbing his hand as they walked into the store. Castiel pulled the list out of his jeans pocket with his spare hand, checking it over.

"Apples, flour and eggs…" Castiel said, stopping when he saw the smile on Dean's face, "What?"

"Apple pie." Dean simply stated, and Castiel knew exactly what that meant. His mom was making one of his favorite desserts.

With a shake of the head, Castiel continued with the short list. The rest was some salad and juice for the kids. Cas had seen John come home with crates of beer for the adults a few nights ago. It would take them 20 minutes tops to get everything, especially since Dean knew where the majority of the needed items were.

"Let's start with the salad stuff first. It's as we walk in." Dean said, unlinking his hand from Cas' to grab a shopping trolley. The two walked side by side, looking for everything that Mary had written down. They were just finishing up with grabbing everything for the salad when a familiar voice called out to them.

"Well, if it isn't the fags. Who said you could come in here?"

Castiel rolled his eyes, looking up at the taller, stockier black teenager in front of him. Cas felt Dean tense beside him, as if he was gearing up for a fight with Uriel. All Castiel wanted to do was reach out to his boyfriend, but it would just escalate this situation. While he didn't care about what other people thought, he didn't want a fight. Not in the store.

"It's a free country." Dean sneered back at his former teammate.

"Hey, Uriel, where…" another familiar voice spoke, but stopped when he rounded the corner. Castiel didn't need to see Zach Newns to know it belonged to him. Sometimes, he really wished he didn't have to see the 18-year-old again, but they all lived within driving distances from each other. Castiel had also found out towards the end of the year that Zach's parents were moving to Lawrence because of Zach's dad's job. It was easier and cheaper than the commute. Obviously, that relocation had taken place.

Castiel prepared himself for something from Zach, but it didn't come. Instead, Zach just looked between Dean and Castiel, before rolling his eyes. He couldn't help but notice something in Zach's eyes that said he wasn't going to bother with derogatory comments for once.

"C'mon, Uriel, we need to finish this off for the party." Zach said, pulling his friend away from the two teenage lovers. Castiel frowned slightly, as Uriel growled.

"You just gonna let 'em stay here? They need to be put in their place."

Zach rolled his eyes and shook his head, "This isn't high school, anymore." With that, Zach threw a look towards Dean that almost looked apologetic, before pulling his defender friend away. It really threw Castiel for a loop, but he needed to focus on Dean right now. Without realizing, Dean had gripped the trolley bar tightly, his body shaking.

"Hey, you okay?" Castiel asked, placing a hand on Dean's arm. Dean looked at him, and Castiel could see fire in his eyes. He had to admit that it scared him slightly. The last time Dean had been like this…well, Cas didn't really want to think about the last time. That was a very bad time, and far too recent for his liking.

"I'm gonna rip their heads off." Dean growled, making Castiel rub his back gently.

"They're not worth it, and you know it," Castiel said, "They're just two dicks from high school. C'mon, let's get on with this and get back to yours."

It took a few moments, but Dean finally nodded his head. It wasn't worth it, but Castiel had to admit that he was angry, too. He really hated the prejudice at times, especially when it involved people he'd spent the last four years being around.

If only that was the day over with. As the two boys made their way around the store, they saw Uriel and Zach again. Luckily, only Zach saw them, and he threw another apologetic look. This time Castiel couldn't help but question it, "What's Zach's deal?"

"What you mean?" Dean asked, frowning as he grabbed the eggs. Checking them over to make sure none were broken, he placed them in the filling trolley.

"Well, Zach would usually lay into me," Castiel shrugged his shoulders, "Now he…It's almost like he's accepted I'm gay. You've not noticed those looks?"

"Nope." Dean said, emphasising the 'p' before moving on and asking for the next item on the list. They were onto the last one, and rounded the corner. It just had to be the same aisle that Zach was currently in. Uriel was nowhere to be seen. Dean rolled his eyes, as he aimed straight for the flour. Castiel was left watching the former high school quarter back, who now just happened to be walking over after looking around behind him first.

"Uriel can really be a dick at times, huh?" Zach asked, making Dean and Castiel both frown. Zach was always the ringleader of the group.

"Yeah, Uriel is the dick." Castiel sighed, with a shake of his head. Zach nodded his head, with a guilty expression.

"I guess I was a dick, too," Zach nodded, "Look, I'm…well, I guess I shouldn't have…you know…been a dick."

"What do you want, Newns?" Dean asked, with a tired and bored sigh. While his voice said one thing, Castiel could see Dean gripping the trolley again. He was clearly trying to control his temper.

"I shouldn't have acted how I did…I was just shocked, man," Zach sighed, "I guess I'm so…sor…"

"Sorry?" Castiel helped him out, making Zach chuckle to himself.

"Yeah, that. I…you were, well, I thought we were buddies and then I find out you were gay the whole time."

"Not gay; bisexual." Dean pointed out, making it clear that there was a big difference. The comment took Zach aback, but he didn't comment with anything derogatory.

"Well, I wasn't expecting it," Zach explained, "I'd…I kinda expected that to be something you'd have told me instead of me finding out from others."

"Why would I have told you when I saw how you treated Cas?" Dean asked, scoffing at the audacity of the teen. Zach nodded again, glancing at Castiel again before looking back over at Dean.

"Yeah, you're right," Zach nodded, "Well, I just…It woulda still been cool being roomies at college. I'm sorry you couldn't take the scholarship with the car crash and all that."

Castiel frowned, but movement behind Zach caught his attention. Uriel was just walking back around to the aisle, making Castiel nod upwards, "You might wanna walk away before your friend gets back. Not sure he'd be as welcoming to a couple of fags, huh?"

Zach frowned, but turned to look behind him. Nodding, Zach walked back to where he'd originally been standing in the aisle. Castiel didn't miss the question from Uriel about Zach talking to 'a couple 'o fags' but he didn't hear Zach's answer. Not that it mattered. It wasn't going to be any good.

"What the fuck was that about?" Dean shook his head, "Has Newns had a personality transplant?"

"Maybe he's realized he's gay too," Castiel joked with a wink, "You remember how you changed once you realized how you felt."

"Haha, funny Cas," Dean rolled his eyes before grabbing the flour and placing it in the trolley, "Let's go, huh? I need to get across to Lisa's."

I know there will be mixed reviews about that, but I wanted to add it in. After all, prejudice can be due to being in a group with others who have that viewpoint. Please R&R. Your reviews really do keep me going.