The trip to Grand Junction is as uneventful as the one to Springfield, the only difference is Dean wakes Castiel up at 5am the morning after they arrive.
"Dean if I say I love you again, will you let me sleep for a little while longer?" Castiel hopefully asks this head peeping out from the blanket.
"Nope, come on, get up" Dean nudges Castiel "you can sleep for a few more hours in the car"
"Can't, you like to play music" Castiel mutters, groping for his clothes in the pale light of the room.
"I can turn on the lights if you want" Dean says watching Castiel trying to put on his pants.
"No, please no bright lights, too early for bright lights"
"Ok, stay there for a minute" Dean takes the bags out to the car along with one of the motels pillows, he puts the bags in the trunk and the pillow on the back seat. He walks back in the hotel room to find Castiel dressed but lying on the bed with the blankets draped over him "Come on Cas, you can sleep in the car"
"Can't"
"I won't play any music for at least three hours and there's a pillow in the back seat for you" Dean reaches down and pulls Castiel from the bed.
"No music?"
"None"
"Promise?"
"Promise, now come on Cas!"
Castiel nods and stumbles out the door like a drunk, he doesn't think he's ever felt so tired, he crawls onto the back seat of the car and pulls his coat over himself.
Dean starts the car, about ten minutes down the road he hears a voice from the back of the car, deeper and more gravelly the usual due to tiredness, he thinks "Thanks Dean, love you"
"You too, get some rest"
A little before Salt Lake City, Castiel wakes up "How long have I been a sleep?"
Dean glances in the mirror and smiles, Castiel's hair is sticking up all over the place "About four hours"
"Four hours" Castiel runs his hand through his hair, trying to flatten it "Do you want me to take over the driving?"
"Nah, I was thinking we could get as far as Elko" Dean glances at the car's console to double-check the town name "have something to eat and swap drivers"
"Ok, how far away is that?"
"Three, four hours"
The next thing Dean notices is Castiel's head, arms and a leg coming through the space between the front seats as he climbs in from the back of the car then suddenly the dark hair man is sitting comfortably in the seat beside him "Couldn't stay in the back, now I'm awake"
"I see" Dean switches on the radio "in that case music, any requests?"
"No Dean"
"Zeppelin, it is"
Three and a quarter hours later they reach Elko "Look they have a Biggerson's" Dean pulls into the parking lot of the restaurant.
"I'm ordering for us" Castiel says as he steps out of the car.
"What? Why?"
"Because apart from the food in Bobby's all you've eaten on this trip are burgers"
"Ok you can order as long as I can have pie, they have a pie bar here" Dean opens the door of the restaurant "it's like a salad bar but with pies"
"Of course we'll have pie, we always have pie"
"Welcome to Biggerson's, I'm Brandon, I'll be your server" Brandon leads them two a booth and hands them menus "can I get you drinks to start"
"Two cranberry juices please" Castiel says looking up from the menu "and we'll have a Heart Smart medium and a Sidewinder soup and salad combo, thank you"
Brandon takes back the menus "It will be with you shortly"
Dean frowns at Castiel "a Heart Smart?"
"That's for me" Castiel tells him "no frowning it's good for you to have one day without burgers"
"I know but it's a road trip, junk food is kinda the point"
"Stop moaning and ring Sam to left him know our estimated time of arrival"
"Estimated time of arrival" Dean smiles "that accountant streak comes out sometimes doesn't it"
"Shut up" Castiel laughs "and ring your brother"
Brandon drops their drinks and food as Dean takes his phone out and rings Sam.
"Hey Sammy"
"Elko, about eight hours away"
"Yeah just having lunch"
"5am"
"Not too bad, he slept in the car for four hours"
"I'll get a few between here and your place"
"About nine, nine-thirty I guess"
"Hold on I'll ask"
Dean covers the mouth piece of the phone with his hand "Cas, Sam wants to know if you have any preference food wise"
"Anything but burgers" Castiel smirks "only joking, I don't mind"
"He says he doesn't mind, so order a pizza or Chinese or something"
"Great, I'll let you know when we get there"
"Yeah see you later Sammy"
Dean hangs up, takes a forkful of food from his plate "Rabbit food" he mutters "Sammy is going to order us pizza, we just have to ring him when get into town, so it's there when we arrive at his"
Castiel nods "Eat your rabbit food before it gets cold"
After they have finished their lunch which included two large slices for pie for Dean, they get back on the road.
Eight hours and one pit stop later they pull into the town of Stanford "Cas will you ring Sammy" Dean hands his phone to Castiel.
"Hello Sam"
"That's correct it's not Dean, it's Castiel"
"He is driving and he wanted me to let you know we are in Stanford"
"I do not mind"
"That is fine Sam"
"No, not every meal, today he had a soup and salad for lunch"
"Thank you"
"Yes see you then, bye"
Castiel hangs up "He is ordering one pepperoni and one veggie supreme" he tells Dean.
"You can share the veggie one with him" Dean says. Ten minutes later they pull up outside a small apartment complex, get out of the car, grab their bags and walk up to Sam's apartment. Dean knocks on the door.
"Hey Dean" Sam hugs him "come in" he stands aside to let Dean and Castiel pass "Hi Castiel"
"Hello Sam" Castiel looks around the small apartment filled with boxes "you have a lovely home"
"Thanks Castiel" Sam smiles at the politeness of his guest "it's a mess at the moment, packing everything up"
Castiel nods as there is a knock on the door, Sam grabs his wallet and opens it.
"Hello, Sam Winchester?"
"Yeah"
"One pepperoni and one veggie supreme" the pizza man hands over the food to Sam.
Sam hands over the cash "keep the change"
"Thanks, night"
"Night" Sam closes the door and walks back to the sitting room to find Dean and Castiel sitting comfortably on his couch, Dean with his feet up on the coffee table, beer in hand "Made yourself at home I see"
"Yeah" Dean smiles, nodding to a beer on the table "your beer is there, now hand over the pepperoni"
"We're sharing the pizza's Dean" Sam tells him.
"No sulking Dean" Castiel says "remember what Barney says"
"Barney!?"
Sam looks at Castiel who continues "Barney says sharing is caring"
"Watching Barney now, are you Dean?" Sam laughs taking a slice of pizza "and I thought Dr. Sexy was bad"
"Hey, don't pick on Dr. Sexy"
"It's compelling" Castiel says taking a bite of his pizza.
"Don't tell me he's got you hooked too" Sam looks at Castiel.
Castiel shrugs and takes a sip of his beer.
"He's not hooked" Dean says to Sam "he just knows a good thing when he sees it"
Castiel nods at Dean in agreement "Hate to change the subject but what are the plans for tomorrow Sam?"
"Gates open at 8am and the ceremony itself is 9.30 to 11.30" Sam takes a drink "we should be out of there by 12ish, then lunch and later go out for dinner and drinks"
"Sounds good Sammy" Dean finishes another slice of pizza "what about your friends don't you want to hang out with them?"
"We did that last week-end as a lot of them are leaving right after the ceremony. When are you guys heading back to Boston"
"I was thinking Sunday lunch time" Dean says looking strangely at Castiel as if to tell him not to say anything about their return trip "You?"
"My flight isn't until Monday afternoon, I have to meet the landlord in the morning to give him the keys back"
"You're flying? What about your things?" Castiel asks looking around the room.
"And your car?" Dean adds.
"The company I did my last placement with, have a shipping deal with a cross-country courier and I got a great rate so I am sending my stuff with them. And my car was a heap of junk so I sold it and Bobby is looking out for a better one for me" Sam smirks "he said I should ask you about he Volt"
"I'll kill him" Dean throws a pillow at Sam.
"Dean wanted to take his baby but I talked him out of it" Castiel says to Sam "it involved a lot of"
"I don't want to know" Sam jokingly puts his hands to his ears "what it involved"
"I was just going to say pouting" Castiel says to Dean.
"I know" Dean kisses his cheek, he turns to Sam "think it's time to hit the hay"
"Yeah" Sam agrees "you and Castiel are in my room, I'll take the couch"
"Sam we couldn't let you do that" Castiel is aghast "this is your home"
"Don't worry Cas" Dean tells him "it's a pullout"
"Oh" Castiel stands and looks the couch up and down "are you sure it's big enough, Sam is pretty tall Dean"
"It's fine Castiel" Sam says "I've slept on it before"
"If your sure"
"He is, now come let's go to bed" Dean grabs their bags with one hand and Castiel's with the other "Night Sammy"
"Night Sam"
"Night and Dean" Sam pauses "it's Sam"
"Yeah, yeah, see you in the morning"