Hey all. I'm so sorry this chapter took so long to finish. Woe and behold we have reached the end of this little fic. And when I say little I mean that I didn't mean for it to be 21k. As some of you know this was was only meant to be a short story – 4-6 chapters at least – 10 max! But look where we are – chapter 14. And at the end.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed – thank you SO much. And thanks to everyone who has been following this story all the way thru. You guys have really been keeping me motivated to finish this.

And without any further babbling, here is the final chapter of Lost Little Birdie. Farewell!

-Chapter 14-

April tried not to feel too rejected as she sat in the dark cinema, alone, barely watching as Mickey Rourke was busted from his prison cell. There could be a hundred reasons why Castiel had left her alone. He had been gone for an hour now, and April was beginning to worry. What if he didn't come back before the movie finished? What if he didn't come back at all?

She was debating whether or not to leave the cinema and call the number on the card the Winchesters gave her, when a gust of air blew her hair, and then Castiel was sitting beside her again.

"Where the hell did you go?" she hissed at him. His hair was windswept and his sleeves were rolled up to his elbows. Black mud stained the knees of his jeans and the toes of his shoes, like he had been kneeling in the dirt.

"I was concerned there was demon activity in the area," he whispered back.

April frowned. "What made you think that?"

"The storm," he said. "Demon activity usually draws storms or weather events." He looked away sheepishly. "But turns out it was just a storm."

April laughed softly. "Well, I could have told you that."

They sat in silence for the rest of the movie, and now that April wasn't worrying, she was able to enjoy it more. Castiel had taken to frowning periodically at the screen, mainly at common sayings or funny lines. By the end of the movie, though, he had lost his frown and was even smiling slightly.

As they walked back to her apartment in the unusually humid afternoon, Castiel commented on the movie.

"The character of Anthony Stark reminds me very much of Dean," he said. April raised an eyebrow at him.

"He's a narcissistic womanizer who drinks too much, has too big an ego but is really just the misunderstood hero?"

Castiel thought for a moment before answering. "Yes."

April laughed. "See, I knew I'd like Dean." Castiel frowned at her, making her laugh harder.

At that moment her cell phone rang. TNT rang from the phone this time, indicating her mother was calling.

"Hello, Mother," April greeted.

"Good evening, April," her mom sang into the phone in her usual upper-class New York accent. "How are we today?"

"Good, Mom. What's up?"

There was a small pause in which her mother silently relayed her disapproval of her daughter's vocabulary, as usual, before saying. "Not much, my dear. I was just calling to see how you are."

April could see the ruse a million miles away. "You've talked to the twins today, haven't you," she said accusingly.

"I don't know what you're talking about," her mother replied.

"Please, Mom – you've never been one to call and chat."

"Alright, fine," she said. "I have talked to your brothers today and they told me you're seeing someone."

April sighed into the phone and shot a look up at Castiel who was so obviously pretending he wasn't eavesdropping. Not that she minded. "Well, that was fast," she said. "I was hoping to keep that quiet until the weekend at least."

"Please, April; Jordan and Joshua have never been able to keep secrets from your father and I. So, what's his name?"

April knew her mother was fishing and not even trying to hide it. But a little effort would have been nice. "Castiel."

"Hmm, unusual name. Is it Hispanic perhaps?"

With a smirk up at the angel she said, "Angelic. You know, like Gabriel, the archangel."

"Oh, God," her mother said. "He's not a religious fanatic, is he?"

April winced. "Mother," she scolded.

"What? And I didn't think you were the type."

"I'm not! I just – he has his beliefs, I have mine." She shot an apologetic look at Castiel, who smiled at her in forgiveness.

"Alright, don't get snappy with me. I was simply stating a fact."

"No, Mom, you were stereotyping."

Her mother huffed a little in the silence that followed. Then she said, "Well, when do we get to meet him?"

"Geez, mom, I just met him – at least let me get to know him a little better first. And please don't tell me you're planning for grandkids already."

"Well, I'm a middle-aged woman, April. And I want a house full of grandchildren before I die, like any mother might."

"Oh, Mom, stop it. You're not dying anytime soon. I've still got thirty years or so."

Her mother continued like April hadn't spoken. "And I really don't think I'm going to be getting any grandchildren out of your brothers for a while yet. They're more likely to get themselves killed doing one of their extreme sports before that happens."

April spared herself a smile. It was the same thing every time. But that was just her mother. "I gotta go, Mom," April said as they entered the alley outside her building. "I'll talk to you Friday."

"Alright, my dear. Be safe won't you? You know how much I worry about you living in the city."

"Yes, Mother. Bye." And then she hung up.

-XXX-

"Your mother seems concerned about the continuation of your family line," Castiel said as April adjusted his tie. They stood in her lounge room getting ready for dinner at Mark and Julius' place. Castiel was dressed in his black suit again, while April had chosen a long black skirt and a sparkly, purple top. She had put enough makeup on her pale skin to cover the exhausted bags under her eyes and wore her favorite white ballet flats.

April looked up at him, barely suppressing a smirk at his choice of words. "Yeah, she's a regular Martha Stewart." Castiel frowned at her in confusion. "Never mind," she said.

She finished with the tie and ran her fingers through Castiel's damp hair. She'd insisted he shower to get the mud off him from his disappearing act earlier that day. She didn't bother combing his hair because it naturally seemed to defy gravity and stuck up at all angles without help. She smiled.

"You look very pretty," Castiel said suddenly. April dropped her hands and looked at him. He seemed sincere in that statement.

"Thank you, Cas," she said, adjusting his jacket and looking away. His hand tilted her chin back up. And then he kissed her.

They'd barely touched all day and the suddenness of this contact shot warmth through her whole body. Leaning up on her tip toes, she began returning his kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck. For a long moment they stood there in her living room, arms around each other and totally ignorant of the outside world. Until the phone in her apartment rang.

Pulling back she glanced at the phone. "That'll be Mark wondering where we are," she said.

"Ignore it," Castiel whispered in her ear before nuzzling her neck. April shivered and tightened her arms around his neck obligingly. They ignored the phone until it stopped ringing.

A few more minutes passed. April was just about to suggest they skip dinner entirely when there was a knock on her door.

"April, honey?" Mark called through the door. "You in there? Dinner's about to start when you're ready."

With a sigh, April and Castiel broke apart. They took a moment to straighten themselves before April opened the door. "Hey, Mark, we were just about to head over."

Mark looked them over. "Sure you were," he said with a smug smile. "C'mon, I want you guys to meet some people." He led them across the hall and into his and Julius' apartment.

It was hard to believe that their apartment was in the same building. Unlike April, Mark and Julius owned their apartment so they were allowed to do whatever they wanted to it. Therefore, the color scheme was a soft palette of blues, grays and whites, rather than the dirty, out-of-date wallpaper that lined the walls of April's tiny apartment. The kitchen was immaculate – white and stainless steel, brand new and cost a fortune by what Mark had told her. The furniture was a modern collection of IKEA pieces to match the color scheme. From her previous visits, April knew the bathroom walls were green and white, with mosaic tiles above the Jacuzzi depicting butterflies and bamboo shoots, and the bedroom was full of rich purples and golds.

There were three other people in Mark and Julius' apartment – two men and a woman. Mark introduced the woman as his sister, Lauren, and one of the men as her husband, Tom. The other man was Lucien, Julius' brother. And from the look he gave her, it was clear that Lucien had been assured that April and him might have then chance of becoming more than friends. He was stunningly gorgeous, she noticed and totally out of her league.

She immediately felt Castiel's hand in hers. She smiled up at the angel gratefully. She really didn't want to have to meet any expectations tonight.

After introductions, they all sat at the table while Mark served out the appetizers. Mark was a natural cook, the real Gordon Ramsey he liked to say, so meals at their place usually consisted of three courses, sometimes more.

Conversation was relaxed and casual. Tom, April and Julius talked about the down-turn in the markets (Tom worked in the Financial District) and Julius' new acting role, while Lucien and Lauren tried to talk to Castiel about what he did for a living. April worried for a moment but Castiel seemed to handle himself well enough. He told them he was a travelling salesman for add space on cable TV. Mark flitted about the kitchen and dining table, as he served the main course.

Dinner was exquisite, as always. April and Julius drew the short straws and began clearing the table while the others moved to the living room at Mark's insistence. As April stacked the plates, Julius said to her, "I'm so sorry, April. I didn't realize you were bringing someone with you, otherwise I would have told Luke to bring a date." April assumed Luke was his brother's nickname.

She smiled at him as she carried the plates to sink. "It's OK, Jules. You're off the hook. I didn't think I'd be bringing Cas either until today."

Julius smirked. "So, is it serious?" he asked, humor coloring his rich, deep baritone.

April tried to hide her own smile. "I don't really know. I mean I kind of just met him."

"He defended you against Nick, didn't he? In my books, that would make him a keeper."

April shrugged as she helped him stack the dishwasher. "Maybe. But he travels a lot, being a salesman, so I don't think he's really planning on staying anywhere for long."

"Hmm," Julius murmured. "Fair enough. So, when does he leave?"

"Tonight," April replied. She had been trying not to think about that all day. The fact that here was the most tender, genuine, sweet person she'd ever met, and he wasn't even human; and he was leaving before sun-up. Now, she couldn't avoid the fact. "His… flight leaves at midnight."

"Oh, I'm sorry." Julius rubbed her back soothingly. "Here, could you help me with desert?"

Under Mark's supervision, they scooped chocolate, vanilla and honeycomb ice-cream into seven bowels and poured warm maple syrup over it. April carried hers and Castiel's over while Julius carried the rest on a big tray.

April squeezed in between Mark and Castiel on the two seater sofa while Tom told them all a story of how he 'lost' a bag at the airport on their honeymoon. Then Lucien leant over and asked Castiel about his home town, while Mark asked if she was alright after last night.

"Yeah, I'm fine," April replied. She'd almost forgotten all about Nick's attempt to smash down her door.

"You look tired, that's all."

April shrugged. "I didn't get much sleep after that."

Mark cocked an eyebrow at her. "April, honey, really?"

She blushed when she realized what that sounded like. "Not what you're thinking, Mark. We just talked until morning."

"But you did later… right?" Mark pressed.

She shot a look around the room to see that everyone else was engaged in their own conversations. "Yes," she said quietly.

Mark clapped excitedly and hugged her with his skinny arms. "Good for you, sweetie. I have always said you need more sugar in your diet." April laughed despite her red cheeks. Mark sure did like his food metaphors.

Mark released her after a moment and held her hand in a brotherly fashion. He leant toward her again.

"You know, you two can leave whenever you want to – we'll understand."

April smiled at him. "That's OK, Mark. It's only 8.30."

Mark cocked an eyebrow at her but dropped the subject. They all chatted amongst themselves for another half hour until Castiel turned to April and said quietly, "I think Mark made a good point earlier."

April looked at him and saw something flash in his eyes, something left over from their kiss before dinner. "OK," she said, feeling a fire flare in her own stomach. Squeezing his hand gently, she turned to Mark.

"I think we're gonna head off now," she said quietly. "Thank you for dinner."

There was a knowing gleam in Mark's eyes as he said, "No problem, honey. I'll walk you to the door."

April and Castiel said their goodbyes and April congratulated Julius for landing the acting role. After a long winded farewell, and a promise to invite her over for dinner again, April and Castiel finally made it back to her apartment. And just in time, too.

-XXX-

April struggled to keep her eyes open as she lay next to Castiel. His warm skin, his fresh scent, and the soothing patterns he traced on her bare shoulder threatened to drag her into sleep. Peering at her alarm clack she saw it was nearly midnight. She sighed.

"I am going to be so tired tomorrow," she murmured into his skin. She felt his hand pause in its movement before starting again.

"You should have slept instead then," Castiel said, but she could hear the teasing tone in his voice.

She scoffed. "Yeah, right." She snuggled into him a little more and then sighed. "I hate goodbyes," she said softly.

Castiel's hand stilled on her shoulder and didn't resume its movement. "I'm needed in other places," he started. "If I wasn't – if it weren't for the Apocalypse – I would stay with you."

April propped herself up on her elbow to look at him. "I'm not saying that, Cas. I know that you have to save the world, and I'd never be so selfish to beg you to stay. I'm just glad you decided to stay with me this long."

Castiel's hand moved to trail up and down her spine. A small smile graced his lips as he said, "I stayed because you asked. And because I wanted to explore what you were offering." April saw a little bit of embarrassment in his eyes. She smiled, the sparkle of its radiance lighting her face.

She then schooled her features into a small smile like his. "Is that so? Well, then." She paused a moment as she positioned herself over Castiel, looking directly down into his face. His eyes brightened with expectation. "I think we've got a little more time to… explore… don't you?"

She watched as he swallowed his excitement and raised an eyebrow at her. He was becoming more and more flirty the longer he spent with her. "Will you sleep then?"

April let a full smile creep across her lips. "Like a baby," she whispered back before leaning down to capture his mouth with a kiss that sent his heart racing.

-Epilogue-

Castiel watched her sleep for a little longer. It was well past midnight, closer to 1am, and he had promised to meet the brothers on the road wherever they might be. He supposed they'd be at Bobby's by now so he could go straight there. Only he didn't really want to leave just yet.

After watching the sleeping patterns of the Winchesters for so long, he'd noticed that most humans slipped into a dream-state after a certain time. He waited until April had entered this state and reluctantly slipped from her bed. She'd not bothered to fold his suit neatly this time and a fond smile tugged at his lips as he dressed. He looked down at his tie where it hung loosely around his neck and tried to remember how April had tied it. But truth be told, he hadn't been paying that much attention to the tie at the time. Perhaps Dean or Sam could help him tie it later.

It was time for him to leave. He'd already stayed longer than he should have. And that was mostly because of April; also a little because of his own curiosity. He had to admit that it had been… productive… to stay, and he wished that he could have stayed longer.

He tried not to think about what his desire to stay meant. How far had he really fallen? How human had he become? He tried not to think about it at all.

April rolled over in her sleep, moving into his recently vacated space on the bed with a tiny sigh. Castiel smiled again at the sound and how it reminded him of all the other sounds she'd made this night. Bending down next to the bed, he touched a hand to her messy curls. Then he placed a tender kiss to her forehead.

"Thank you, April McInnes," he whispered gently. Then he stood and quickly began warding the apartment. It would keep out the worst of things – demons, ghosts, poltergeists, etcetera – but he knew it wouldn't keep out people like Nick Hilton. That worried him. But there was little he could do about that.

He double checked the wards before returning to the bedroom. April hadn't moved and Castiel couldn't help but stand and watch her for a moment. The clock on the bedside table flicked over to 1am and Castiel knew he was late. With a sigh he rose to his feet and with a tender, yet wistful, glance at the young, vibrant woman, Castiel vanished with a flutter of wings.

Perhaps one day he'd see her again. But for now he would direct his energy to stopping the apocalypse; if not for humanity, then for he'd do it for her.

-XXX-

A/N: One last thing before I sign off - when writing this I imagined April's mother to be a cross between Charlie and Allan's mother from "Two and a Half Men" and Rick Castle's mother, Martha, from "Castle", but married and happy. Also, I had Shamar Moore (Derek Morgan from "Criminal Minds" - the ultimate hottie!) in mind when I thought of Julius' brother Lucien. Anyway, thanks again for reading!