Dean dried himself off and put on his sweat pants. Cas had already redressed himself in comfortable clothes and was out in the kitchen figuring out what they should make for dinner.

Dean left the bedroom to join him and saw Cas standing in the kitchen looking up into an open cupboard.

"Looks like we will be having cocoa puffs, with chocolate milk, and a side of sour worms." Cas said.

"Mmm, sounds like a stomach ache." Dean said as he walked up behind Cas to help him look through the groceries.

"Yes, it does." Cas said as he placed his hands on his hips.

"How about I cook?" Dean asked.

Cas whirled around to look at Dean without realizing how close he was behind him.

"Oh, hello." Cas said, their faces so close their noses were almost touching.

"I told you I could walk quietly." Dean laughed.

"Sure, but can you cook? I would prefer not to get food poisoning."

"I made the bird food didn't I?"

"I thought Karen helped? And we aren't birds."

Meg squawked from her cage in the living room.

"Ok, you're a bird." Cas corrected himself.

"Well, I did manage to keep Sam and I alive. It was mostly thanks to kraft dinner, but whatever works right?"

"That isn't inspiring Dean."

"Ok fine, you cook. I'll just stand around and flex or something."

"I was going to suggest you tell me about your day, but I kind of like your idea better." Cas said as he reached up into the cupboard to grab a box of pasta.

Dean smiled and flexed at Cas, throwing a wink on at the end. Cas just laughed and continued gathering his cooking supplies.

Dean left the kitchen to give Cas space while he worked.

"My day was good. Listened to Gabe whine mostly. He met my Aunt Karen, she's dying to see you by the way."

"Really? She's very sweet. That reminds me." Cas said as he pulled his phone out from his pocket. He was busily poking at the screen in silence for a minute before he put on a satisfied grin and put his phone back.

"Jess is actually really good at scrabble." Cas said as an answer to Deans confused expression.

"Nerd." Dean mumbled as he bent down to release Meg from her cage.

"What was that?" Cas called into the living room.

"Uh, bird. I said bird." Dean lied.

"Liar." Cas muttered as he chopped up some onions and peppers.

Meg clawed her way up Deans arm to sit on his shoulder. He really wished he had put a shirt on as he looked down at the little bright pink scratch marks now running up his arm.

"How was your day?" Dean asked.

"Long, and kind of boring." Cas replied, still focused on his chopping. He had a sauce started on the stove that was already making Deans mouth water. "I don't have to go in to the office any more this week, so that's a bonus."

"So what? They just trust you to get work done at home?" Dean asked.

"Yes, I'm a professional Dean, not a kid skipping class." Cas said with an eye roll. "And I'll actually be going out and doing some scouting tomorrow, so I wont really be at home long."

"You're cute when you get all sassy." Dean said as him and Meg leaned over the higher counter to watch Cas cook.

Cas blushed slightly and smiled to himself.

"You're, you, shut up." Cas said as he went to the fridge to grab some chicken for their pasta.

"Shield your eyes Meg, you aren't going to want to see this." Dean said to the bird on his shoulder as Cas unwrapped the chicken.

Deans phone started ringing from the floor in Cas's bedroom where his pants were. Him and Meg retreated to the room to grab it.

"Just in time, you don't need to watch that horror show." Dean said to Meg as he bent down to fish out his phone. He looked at the screen and saw it was Karen calling.

"Speak of the Devil." Dean said as he looked at his phone and answered it.

"Heya Karen. What's up?"

"Hey kiddo. I was just wondering if you guys want to come here for dinner Friday night. If you won't bring that man over here willingly, I figure I'll just have to set it up myself." Karen sighed.

"One sec, I'll ask Cas." Dean said as he stuck his head out of the bedroom and towards the kitchen.

"Karen wants us to come for dinner Friday." He said.

"I think Friday is supposed to be Gabe's last day in town." Cas told him, "My parents will probably want to do dinner."

"Bring them." Karen said to Dean.

Dean froze. Bring them? As in Cas's family? Things were getting better with Dean and Gale, but he had a feeling that taking her to a salvage yard to meet his very protective practically mother could set them back a bit.

"Dean, tell him to bring them." Karen said when she didn't hear Dean continue speaking.

"Dean?" Cas asked from the kitchen.

Ok, he had to say or do something.

"She said we should bring them." Dean told Cas.

"Oh. Goodness." Cas said as he suddenly stopped seasoning the chicken. He realized quickly that he had frozen with the container still facing down and moved it, spreading seasoning along the counter.

Dean felt better that his reaction was apparently normal. Cas seemed to be taking the suggestion about as well as Dean had. Dean could see the wheels turning behind Cas's eyes.

"Is that a good idea?" Cas asked quietly, hoping Karen wouldn't hear him.

"Of course it's a good idea, I had it." Karen said into Deans ear.

"She thinks it is." Dean said out loud.

"I, ok. I'll ask them. Yes, I'll ask them. Can we get back to her about it?" Cas asked.

"Of course you can Dear." Karen said to Dean, though she was clearly speaking to Cas.

"She said yes." Dean relayed the message.

"Ok. Thank you Karen." Cas said a little more loudly.

"I'll see you in the morning." Karen said to Dean.

"See you in the morning." Dean said as they ended the call.

Dean stuck the phone in his pocket and looked at Cas, who was still frozen and lost in thought in the kitchen.

"Babe?" Dean asked. "You ok?"

"The chicken is going to be salty." Cas said as he looked down at his chopped up, over seasoned chicken.

"Oh yeah, I thought that must be what's bothering you." Dean said sarcastically.

Cas looked up at Dean now instead and raised an eyebrow.

"My mother..." Cas started.

"I know. She's been better though remember. Maybe it'll go really well."

"Or maybe all hell will break loose and we all die in the resulting fire storm." Cas said as he attempted to fix his salty chicken.

"Hell." Meg repeated.

"See, Meg agrees with me." Cas said stubbornly.

"Thanks Meg." Dean grumbled as he went to put her back in her cage.

"Well, what do you want to do? We could not invite them and say we did." Dean offered.

"And lie to Karen?!" Cas said, his shock and disbelief clear on his face.

"Ok, so not that then. What do you suggest?" Dean asked.

"We could pack up and move away tonight. Somewhere far away where they will never find us. They have lots of interesting birds in Australia. They have cars too, you know, for you." Cas said.

"Well, we're up two bad ideas." Dean said as he ran his hand over his face.

"Dinner will be ready in about 10-15 minutes." Cas said. "Lets pack it up and take it to your place. Gabe's there right? We can ask him what he thinks."

"We can do that." Dean said.

"Also, we can test the salty chicken on him." Cas added.

"There it is." Dean laughed as he went to put a shirt on.

When he came back out into the kitchen, Cas was leaning up against the counter, once again deep in his own thoughts. He barely noticed as Dean came around the counter, and didn't snap out of it until Dean was standing directly in front of him.

"Am I being ridiculous?" Cas sighed.

"No." Dean said as he reached out to grab Cas's hand.

Cas gave him a look that expressed that he appreciated the fib, but that he didn't believe Dean for a second.

"Maybe a little. I'm not exactly excited about it either. It could be like game of thrones, your mother the ice, my aunt the fire." Dean said.

"Finally, a reference I know." Cas laughed. "You do realize how many people die in those books right?"

"Books?" Dean asked.

"Yeah, its … never mind. You know how many people die on that show." Cas said. "Dinners especially never go well."

"And it probably wont go that badly. If we use that as a standard, basically everyone who leaves Friday night alive counts as a win."

"It PROBABLY wont go that badly." Cas repeated back to Dean.

"Yeah, probably." Dean laughed and laid a kiss on Cas. "Quit worrying so much. Let's go ask Gabe what he thinks. Maybe he will have some terrible ideas we can add to our own."

Cas turned away to start putting everything into Tupperware containers. Once it was all packed up and Dean was holding everything together, Cas looked him over.

"It probably would have been easier to invite him up." Cas laughed as he ran his hand through his hair.

"Too late now. Let's roll." Dean said and moved towards the front door. He glanced down at the door knob and his full hands. "A little help?"

"Ok." Cas said as he reached out to open the door. "Gabe better have a good idea, or we are doing my Australia plan."

"Deal." Dean laughed, and they headed downstairs.