Author's Note: SURPRISE, GUYS, IT'S AN EARLY UPDATE! I'm busy tomorrow, and I didn't want to risk not having time to update, so I thought I'd do it now. (:

So, oh my gosh, there were SO many reviews last chapter! You guys are absolutely fantastic! So, all the love ever to these beautiful people: Hellaradyo, BurningChaos21, BekaForEver, CanadaLover008764 (the mid-season finale in one word... hm. Horrific. You?), Jesyca12, BananaPudding, Gustin azza, FreeSpirit18 (sorry to hear that. Is it general teenage sadness, or a proper sadness?), MissMarie27, Hunting For Johnlock (thanks! Your username made me laugh for about ten years), Emlii (Thank you so much! And, no, feel free to tell me about your life! My inbox is always open, if you would prefer!), abzbee, more-profound-bond, crabby06, MusicChannySkyscraper (I love and hate the mid-season finale in equal measure, to be honest. It was so painful, but so devastatingly great at the same time!), PixieF, Locked Secret Keeper, fluffy-CrazyCatLady-whovian, SuzanneFK, Lili Lina (awww, thank you! You're very sweet~), xToastedZelda, flutterby cupcake, soulfert, tii-chan17 (you sarcastic person, you), Agnes, sofia-sama, jfkgotblownaway, xBeautifullyxxShatteredx (haha, yeah, it would be a terrible cliffhanger! Thankfully, I am not the Sherlock writers), MadWithMusic (hahahaha), a guest (aw, thank you!), Bakeddd Alaska, Shahara Dagon, Toki Asamia, Hell-homeofintegrity, Emery, missiontothestars (well then, I am honoured, haha), and becca65d! Thank you all so much! (: I honestly do love you all, and your very kind words!

Only two more chapters after this one! I hope you like this one, though, it's definitely less angsty, in my opinion!

See you all on Friday,

~Rainbow Fruit Loop xx

~Praying for Redemption~
Chapter Thirty Seven.

A month and a half after Dean's betrayal, Cas was still exactly the same; numb and lifeless on the inside. The only difference now was that he was numb, lifeless and surprisingly wealthy, but that didn't matter. Nothing mattered anymore, and Cas doubted it ever would.

It was a Sunday afternoon, and Cas had been wandering around the shops; anything to keep himself distracted from the frosty loneliness that awaited him when he went back to his apartment. He could afford to move to somewhere a lot nicer now, but no matter where he was, he was still going to be alone, so he didn't really care.

The only place he wanted to be was home again - home, in the deliriously warm arms of his once-upon-a-time lover, but, unfortunately, home had accepted its small silver key back, and had watched him walk down the excruciatingly long corridor without saying a word to stop him.

Cas sighed to himself, and took a final sip of his large cappuccino. He had been hoping that the bitter caffeine would stir something inside him, but he was left as unsatisfied and empty as always. With another resigned sigh, Cas pushed the ceramic cup away from himself, and stood, before ambling slowly out of the café; no clue where he wanted to go next.

He needed food, he supposed, even if he didn't eat too much these days. He couldn't even look at burgers anymore, no, and his favourite spicy Italian pizza made him feel sick to his stomach. He could afford more than cheap, home-brand instant noodles now, he knew that, but instant noodles were effortless to make, and he simply didn't care enough to create a healthy, home-cooked meal.

Without really focusing on where he was going, Cas turned left, and started walking down the street that would take him to the grocery store. Because he was so lost in his own thoughts, it took him a few moments to become aware of the insistent cries echoing after him down the fairly busy street.

"Hey, Cas! Castiel!" the voice called, and Cas turned around - his heart pounding nervously against his chest because there were only two people in the whole entire world who called him 'Cas' - and was greeted by the smiling, undeniably cheerful face of Sam, who was running down the street after him.

And, despite everything he had been through, and despite just how much he wanted to forget about both of the Winchester brothers, Cas couldn't help the small, hesitant smile that graced his face.

"Hey, Cas, hey!" Sam exclaimed, coming to a stop in front of Cas. His face was all lit up and happy, and it made Cas's heart feel all warm. He'd missed Sam too - maybe not as much as Dean, but definitely more than he ever would have thought.

"Hello, Sam." Cas greeted, ignoring the way his stomach clenched painfully at the mere sight of his friend. Everything about Sam reminded him of Dean - his eyes, his smile, his gentle thoughtfulness. Everything he had tried to forget about times long passed, Sam had made him remember again. "How have you been?"

Sam smiled. "I've been good, thank you, Cas. I'm, uh, I'm actually back at Stanford now. It was hard at first, you know, getting used to seeing all the places Jess and I used to go together, but," Sam chuckled self consciously. "I've actually met someone else."

"That's great, Sam." Cas was pleased that Sam was moving on; slowly, but surely. He had been through such a tough time, what with Jess's horrendous accident, and then, presumably, he had had to deal with a forlorn and guilt-ridden Dean after everything that had happened. Cas was glad that he had found someone to help ease the burden. "What's her name?"

Sam grinned, and Cas could see the raw adoration flickering through his hazel-green eyes. "Her name's Amelia. She's amazing. Actually, she should be around here somewhere…"

As if on cue, a small brunette appeared at Sam's side, her dark curly hair all strewn about her face because of the wind. "There you are, Sam. Why'd you go running off down the street like that?" she huffed, before noticing Cas's presence.

"Hey, Amelia, this is Castiel. Cas, this is Amelia." Sam introduced, before smiling sheepishly, and turning to Amelia with half-amused eyes. "Sorry for ditching you like that, but I didn't want to miss Cas. We haven't seen each other in ages."

Cas nodded in a quiet agreement, and he was just about to speak up, when, suddenly, Amelia's face lit up in recognition, and she turned to Sam with expectant eyes. "Oh! Castiel? Like, your brother's Castiel?"

Sam chuckled awkwardly, obviously noticing Cas's self-conscious confusion. "Yeah. Look, Amelia, do you mind if we meet up again a bit later? I really need to talk to Cas, you know." Sam threw Cas a hopeful glance at the idea of a conversation, and Cas nodded again.

"All right. Look, text me when you're done, okay?" Amelia reached up, and kissed Sam's cheek. "Okay? I'll see you later. Bye, Castiel. It was nice to meet you."

"Goodbye." Cas managed, and, after a few seconds of watching Sam watch Amelia's retreating back, Sam turned to him.

"How does coffee sound right about now?"

Despite the fact that he had only been in the café a few minutes ago, Cas soon found himself seated in one of the booths at the back, another caffeinated beverage clasped in his slightly shaky hands.

"So, um, yeah. That was Amelia." Sam said after a few seconds of silence. "She's different to Jess in every way, but I think that's a good thing. I don't… I don't want to forget about Jess, not ever, but… I really, really like Amelia, and she helps to numb the pain."

Cas nodded his head in a soft understanding, and took a sip of his still-too-hot coffee. "Does Amelia study at Stanford too? Is that where you met her?"

Sam smiled, and his bright eyes lit up in a way that reminded Cas of the way Dean had used to look at him. "Yeah, she does. She's studying to be a vet." Sam smiled proudly, and it made Cas long for such happiness in his life again too. "But, enough about me and my life. It's really nice to see you again, Cas." Sam murmured over the top of his coffee. "Dean and I have both missed you so much."

Just the mention of Dean made Cas's heart thud painfully against his chest. Despite the fact that everything had happened over a month ago, the memories of life spent happy were still fresh in his mind. Was Dean really missing him? Was he missing Cas as much as Cas was missing him? Or was Sam only being polite?

"How… is Dean?" Cas finally managed to force out. He didn't quite know what he was expecting to hear from Sam, but he had to know. Had Dean moved on? Was Dean with someone else? Was Dean… happy?

"To tell you the truth, Cas, he's not doing well at all." Sam admitted, taking a sip of his coffee. "He's a bit of a mess, you know; always drinking, not working, staying up until the early hours of the morning. He doesn't do much of anything anymore."

Cas's eyebrows furrowed as he took in all of the information. He might have expected Dean to still be missing him, and to be regretting what he had done, but, from Sam's explanation, it sounded almost as though he was… mourning.

"I thought… I thought Dean would have moved on by now." Cas finally confessed, hanging his head low. He couldn't look Sam in the eye, not now. He was scared of what he might find there. "I didn't think he would be too affected by everything that had happened. I thought maybe he would have found someone else."

Sam's face crumpled in a sad sort of compassion. "Oh, Cas. You don't understand, do you? Dean really does love you, and what he did was just a mistake. A terrible, terrible one, I know, but he truly hates himself for what he put you through. Sometimes I hear him talking to himself late into the night, and he's always saying how sorry he is, and how much he wishes he had never hurt you. I don't think he'll ever forgive himself for what he did."

Cas could feel the tears prickling hotly at the back of his eyes. God, all he wanted was to feel safe and warm in Dean's arms once more. He wanted the warmth that Dean could give him; the happiness, the tenderness, the love. He wanted to feel like he was beautiful, like he was cherished. He wanted… he just wanted Dean again.

Because, suddenly, it didn't matter that Dean had cheated, because Cas knew that it had only ever been a mistake. And it didn't matter if Cas had sworn to himself that he would never trust Dean again, because of course he would - he'd trust Dean again in a heartbeat, because Dean was something special, and he couldn't afford to let someone so amazing slip through his fingers.

"Look, Cas." Sam took a deep breath in, and Cas looked up, hopeful now. "I'm not saying you owe him anything at all, and I'm not saying that he deserves a second chance, but if he's unhappy, and you're unhappy, then why not give it another go? You need each other, Cas, that much is obvious. Just… please."

And, when Sam's voice cracked on the word 'please'; all broken and desperate and hopeful, Cas knew then what he had to do. Because it was ridiculous to stay away from Dean, when he needed Dean like he needed the sunlight; like the stars needed the night-time sky, like Romeo needed Juliet.

Theirs might not have been a Shakespearian love story with all the melodic rhythm of iambic pentameter, nor did their love contain heartbreaking sonnets or truly sappy love quotes, but their love was everything to Cas, and it was more beautiful than the setting sun, more beautiful than the evening moon.

And Cas knew it for sure now; he needed to get Dean back.