Notes: Thanks again to those who have left my reviews. I always look forward to reading your comments and I appreciate hearing your thoughts. :)

Disclaimer: I own nothing except my own obsession with Supernatural.

Trigger Warnings: Mention of past child abuse. Mention of deaths.

Sam sits at the kitchen table, ostensibly working on his chemistry homework, but really just watching his brother move around the room, wiping down already clean counters, straightening chairs and hanging dish towels.

"Dean." Castiel has come home from work early to be here for the monthly visit from Sam's social worker. He is still in his work clothes, of dress shirt, tie and pants. Sam notes how much more comfortable he looks, even though he just walked in the door a few moments ago, than Dean, who is all nervous, frenetic energy before these meetings. "Relax, sweetheart. This is going to go well. Just like it did last month and the month before that. Patricia has never had a problem with us before, she isn't going to have one now."

Dean shoots Castiel an annoyed look as he moves the microwave back into place after dusting the counter underneath it. "That's easy for you to say. She likes you. She's had it in for me ever since that first visit when I told her that I dropped out of high school and work as a server." Sam feels the same tightness in his stomach that he always feels when he thinks about Dean dropping out of high school to take care of him. He hates that that happened, and it makes him worry about Dean's future.

Castiel smiles in amusement. "She does not have it in for you. Do you think you might be being a little dramatic about this?"

"Well, she certainly doesn't have a great big crush on me like she does on you." Dean says as he starts to unbutton the cuff on Castiel's left shirt sleeve.

"Dean, what are you doing?" Castiel asks as he watches Dean roll back his cuff.

"You should roll up your sleeves, Cas. And, loosen your tie a little. It's a really sexy look on you." When Dean reaches for his head, Castiel pulls back, with one sleeve rolled halfway up his forearm. "C'mon." Dean cajoles. "I just want to tousle your hair a little. You look your best when you're still in your work clothes, but you're a little messed up." Dean reaches toward the other man's head again, but Castiel catches his wrist and holds it.

"Dean." Castiel's voice is firm and grounding. "Patricia does not have a crush on me. My appearance, other than presenting as a responsible caregiver for Sam, is not relevant to this meeting. Sam is doing well in school and on the basketball team. He is clean and well-cared for. Patricia won't have a problem with anything that's going on here."

"Yeah, Dean." Sam says with a smile. "I'm clean and well-cared for, just like a dog."

"Hmmm…" Castiel smiles fondly over at Sam as he rolls his sleeve back down and re-buttons the cuff. "Perhaps more like a poorly trained puppy with a fresh mouth."

Sam laughs and Dean shoots them an exasperated look. "As nice as it is to see you guys playing around with each other all cute like this, I'd like to see a little more getting ready and a little less joking around right now."

"Dean, chill. We are ready." Sam says. He knows that Dean's worry that DFCS will take Sam away is real, and he's flattered by how much having him here means to his brother, but getting this worked up can't be good for Dean, and it doesn't lead to Dean being at his best in front of the social worker. "Seriously. It's not like you guys beat me or lock me in the closet or anything. It's going to be fine. You guys are perfectly competent at taking care of me. Patricia knows that."

Castiel puts his hands on Dean's shoulders, forcing him to be still and face him. "Sam's right. This is not an abusive or neglectful household. There is nothing illegal or untoward happening here. Sam is a safe and cherished child. Patricia knows that." Castiel's word choice is always a little odd to Sam. He can't picture his dad or Dean ever calling him cherished. But, he thinks about how odd doesn't have to be bad, and how being cherished gives him a warm, happy feeling.

Sam watches Dean nod and raise his hands to place them over Castiel's. "I know. I know, you're right."

"And, she won't care about whether dust has gathered under our appliances." Castiel says.

Sam watches Dean smile then, and relax a little.

"I definitely think we're good." Sam says with a playful smirk. "Just as long as she doesn't find out about what you guys do in the garage." Two heads snap toward him, eyes all deer in the headlights wide. Sam meant it as a joke, but feels a sudden spike of apprehension at the reaction he's getting. There's no way Patricia would know about what goes on in the garage, but Sam worries that maybe he's offended Dean and Cas. "Hey, I'm not judging." He adds quickly, defending himself, hands up, palms out, worried that they'll think he's out of line. He hasn't received a serious reprimand from Castiel in weeks and he would really like to keep that streak going. "And, I get that you're adults, so it's different for you guys than it would be for me. I'm not saying I even want to do it, anyway. I don't. I just meant it's still technically illegal in Kansas."

Castiel's eyes narrow in confusion. "That can't be right."

Sam is starting to feel awkward for bringing it up, but he's also a little surprised by the reaction he's receiving. "Are you guys really that shocked that I know? It's not like I'm a little kid, and you guys are pretty obvious about it."

"We're obvious about it?" Dean's voice is a little higher than usual and sounds strained.

"Uh, yeah." Sam says. "You guys go out there at night and come back in all blissed out, smiling and giggling and looking at each other with these ridiculous googly eyes. Did you really think I wouldn't figure out that you guys get stoned out there?"

No one speaks for a moment, and Sam isn't sure if he should apologize for bringing the topic up. Dean and Cas aren't usually this weird, and he's not sure what it means.

"Ah." Castiel says, turning to Dean, his expression neutral. "Sam is referring to smoking the marijuana, Dean."

"Yes." Sam smiles in amusement at Castiel's phrasing. "Smoking the marijuana." The doorbell rings and Sam watches Dean freeze as if caught doing something wrong. "I'll go let Patricia in." Sam says. He claps a hand on Dean's arm as he walks by. "Get it together, Dean."

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The social worker, Patricia, is perched on the edge of the armchair, while Castiel, Dean and Sam all sit lined up on the couch. Dean always feels like an idiot sitting like this. He thinks they need another chair for the living room and makes a note to bring that up to Cas later. He can tell Patricia is in a rush today, and he's good with that. He knows that Sam and Cas are right, that Sam is well-cared for and they have not given the Department of Children and Family Services any reason to question their suitability as caregivers, but he still feels like the less time they spend with the social worker, the better. He can remember a social worker making a home visit at the motel they were staying at one time when Sam was eight because the kid had told a teacher that he was worried about how long his dad had been gone. Thirteen year old Dean had fielded the social worker's questions the best he could, Yes, ma'am, my father travels for work, he calls everyday, he should be home shortly, yes, ma'am, he leaves us money for food. Dean had panicked as soon as she'd left, packing them up, checking them out of the motel and getting them a room in one down the street by giving the receptionist a bribe from the cash their dad had left for food and emergencies. Dean had kept Sam home from school, hadn't even allowed him out of the room, until he saw the Impala pull in across the street two days later. He can still remember the relief he felt at seeing his dad and being able to hand over the problem to a capable adult, even as he rushed over to the car, dragging their suitcases and Sammy behind with him. He knows things are different now, that he's an adult who, thanks to Cas, is able to provide Sam with adequate housing and care. He knows logically that he's doing all right taking care of Sam, and he trusts that Cas will provide any support he needs. But every month when the social worker visits, he can't help feeling the same panicked flutter of butterflies in his belly that he did as he sat at the window of the new motel know that he could be separated from Sam if a police pulled into their parking lot before the Impala pulled in across the street.

"So, Mr. Winchester." Patricia says, after having checked in with Sam on the more mundane aspects of his life, his grade, extracurricular activities, and friends.

"Uh, yes?" Dean doesn't know if she really has it in for him, but her tone is decidedly different when she addresses him than when she's speaking to Cas or Sam.

"You petitioned for custody of Sam. Is this still the plan?"

"Uh, yeah." Dean smiles, not really clear on what is being asked. "We definitely still want to keep him." He huffs out an uncomfortable laugh.

The social worker frowns and Dean wonders what he said wrong. "Of course you do. I meant, have you given any thought to adoption?"

"Adopting, Sam?" Dean asks, feeling caught off guard and knowing he likely sounds like a simpleton.

"Yes, Mr. Winchester. Sam would be the child being adopted." Her expression confirms for Dean that he is indeed coming across like an idiot. He feels Cas give his knee a brief squeeze in support.

"Uh, I don't know. I never really thought about that." He turns to his brother on his right. "What do you want to do, Sammy?"

Sam looks at him and shrugs, and Dean can't read anything in the kid's expression.

"Well, it's something to think about." Patricia continues. "You don't need to decide now. I know that you petitioned as sole caregiver, and things seem to be going well in your current arrangement as Sam seems to be thriving here, but if there is any interest in Mr. Novak adopting as well, that's something we could also work out. Adoption would be considered a permanency outcome for Sam and would close his case with DCFS."

Something inside Dean lights up at the idea of no more social worker visits, and no more monitoring of his parenting. It would lift a huge burden off his shoulders. He realizes he hasn't responded when Castiel does it for him.

"We will definitely discuss the possibility of adopting Sam in all its various permutations." Castiel says. "We are all in agreement that we would like Sam to remain in our home, but we will discuss the idea of possibly moving forward with an adoption. Is it acceptable if we consider this and give you an answer next month on how we would like to proceed?"

Dean watches the social worker smile at his boyfriend, it's the smile she always gives Cas, the one that secretly thanks him for being the only other adult in the room. "That would be wonderful, Mr. Novak. And, if you come to a decision before then, please feel free to call me or shoot me an email and I can get the ball rolling on the paperwork." She smiles pleasantly now, and it annoys Dean that he's never on the receiving end of this smile either. All he seems to get is the judging-you-and-deciding-you're-a-complete-moron-and-totally-unfit-parent half smile. "Because, oh, dear, is there paperwork!"

"I understand." Castiel returns the smile. "I'm an accountant, so paperwork is a large part of my job as well, and I know how time consuming and tedious it can be, and I only deal with finances, not the lives of children." Castiel's expression becomes serious. "I know social work must be very stressful and challenging and we greatly appreciate all that you do for Sam." Dean holds back an eye roll. His boyfriend is such a suck up.

Patricia smiles appreciatively. "Why thank you, Mr. Novak. That's very kind of you to say." She extends her smile to Dean and Sam. "Unless there's anything else you gentlemen think I should know, I just need a few minutes alone with Sam before I go."

"Of course." Castiel says, rising from the couch with a small smile. Dean taps Sam on the leg as he stands up and follows Castiel out of the room.

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"What do you want to do?" Dean asks. Cas and Dean are making dinner together, but Dean can't seem to focus on anything but the idea of adoption. To Dean's relief, Sam headed over to a friend's house a few blocks away to work on a group project as soon as the social worker was gone. Dean really wants to talk to Cas first, so that he knows whether Cas is willing to offer Sam the same things he is. Cas opens his mouth to speak as he chops vegetables at the counter, but Dean starts talking again before Cas can get a word out. "I think I want to adopt him, Cas. I know that might sound weird, and look weird, because I'm only six years older than he is, but what I keep coming back to is how much harder it would be for them to take him away if he's adopted. And, how we won't be scrutinized every month."

"I don't think you're in any danger of losing him, but I can understand your concern and your desire to have him be legally and officially yours." Cas says.

"Do you think you want kids, Cas?" Dean feels an uptick of nerves at where he's taking this conversation and what he's basically asking Cas to do. He focuses his gaze on the stir fry on the pan in front of him, quickly flipping the sizzling chicken strips with a spatula. "With me? I mean, we've never really talked about this, so if I'm totally off base, please let me know. But if you do…...if you see us adopting somewhere down the line….I don't want us to have not offered Sam the same thing that we're going to end up offering to some kid we don't even know later on. I don't want him to ever think that he's 'just' my brother while some other kid is my kid. I mean, I practically raised that kid. So, do you? I mean is having a family with me something you think about?" Dean knows he's asking a lot from a man who's already given him so much.

"I love the family we have together, Dean, of you, me and Sam, and I would love to expand our family. In whatever form that may take. Whether we adopt, or foster children like Anna, or whether we just have Sam and I am able to play a larger role in his life. I know that whether we are given the opportunity to adopt Sam is completely his choice, but I think we should let him know that we would like to adopt him and make the most profound commitment to him that we are able. Even if he doesn't want us to adopt him, or if he doesn't want me to adopt him, I think the fact that we want to is something he should know."

Dean looks over to his boyfriend and watches him methodically chop an onion, looking relaxed and huggable in sweats and a hoodie. Just like that, Cas has matter of factly agreed to adopt Sam. Dean is reminded of how Cas always seems to give him what he needs, and he feels silly for having been nervous.

"That's so great to hear, Cas." Dean abandons his pan to quickly wrap Cas in a warm hug from the back to not disturb the man's vegetable cutting. "Thank you for always being so awesome about everything to do with Sam."

"Dean." Castile admonishes as the sizzle in the frying pan gets louder. "You're very welcome, but you need to keep moving the chicken around so it doesn't burn. I'm almost ready to add the vegetables."

Dean smiles into the back of Cas's neck and hugs him tighter. "This is your fault for looking so cuddly. You know I can't keep my hands off you when you're in sweats."

Cas turns his head so that Dean can see that he's smiling. "Really? And, I thought post-work, tousled was my best look."

Dean drops a gentle kiss on the back of Castiel's neck, just below his hairline. "That's a good one, too."

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"Hey, Dean. Can I talk to you for a sec?" Sam asks, his voice a whisper, half his body hidden by his partially open bedroom door.

Dean is passing by Sam's room on his way to his own bedroom. "Yeah, sure, Sammy." Dean watches his little brother tilt his head to indicate that he wants to talk in his room. "Aww." Dean whispers teasingly. "Does someone need to be tucked in? Is there a monster in your closet giving you trouble?"

Sam frowns disapprovingly as Dean walks into the room. Sam closes the door behind him. "Dean, this is serious."

"I know." Dean schools his expression to match the seriousness of the situation. "I want to talk to you about this, too. I didn't expect Patricia to drop this on us today, but I want you to know that I spoke to Cas and we are totally on board with whatever you want to do. We can keep going like we have been and nothing has to change, or I could adopt you if that's what you want and no one's feelings will be hurt, or Cas and I could adopt you together and make our little family official. It's totally up to you and we both support whatever you decide."

Sam looks surprised. "Cas wants to adopt me?"

"Yeah, he does." Dean says. "He loves you, Sammy. He has for a while. And, he's already a parent-type person in your life…...he'd like to make that official. But, he also recognizes that this is a very personal choice that's entirely up to you and no one's feelings will be hurt no matter what you decide."

Sam frowns. "You already said that, Dean."

"I guess I want to make sure you know it's true."

"What about you?" Sam asks. "Do you want to adopt me? That wouldn't be weird for you?"

"Weird? No, Sammy it wouldn't be weird for me."

Sam frowns. "You'd technically be my parent, like my dad. You're only 6 years older than me."

"I know that. I may only have a GED, but I can do basic math. I just…..I feel like I raised you as much as dad did. Maybe more. And now that we've lost him….I guess I feel like this is the biggest commitment to you that I can make. So, I'd love to make it. If you want me to. But, if you don't-"

"I know, I know, no one's feelings will be hurt." Sam finishes for him.

"So, what are you thinking?"

"I honestly don't know. She's brought this up to me before when she talks to me alone, so it didn't feel like as big a deal to me today. She wanted me to consider whether I'd like to be adopted."

"And, did you consider it?"

"Not really. I mean it seemed pointless because I didn't really think you'd be into it. I especially didn't think Cas would be into it."

"Well I am. So is Cas. So, how about you think about it for a bit and let us know what you come up with?"

"Yeah, sure, Dean. I will."

"Oh, c'mon. No yes, Dean? I've kind of been getting used to that."

Sam huffs out a laugh. "Whatever. That's only for Cas. I want him to think I'm well-behaved."

Dean huffs out a quiet breath. "All right, well you sleep on it and let us know what you come up with. And, take your time, there's no rush."

"Ok."

"Oh, and just to give you a heads up, we might have to have this conversation again tomorrow with Cas."

Sam looks puzzled.

"Me telling you that Cas loves you and wants to adopt you probably wasn't cool. That should be something he gets to tell you himself. I feel like I kind of stole his thunder."

Sam whisper laughs. "So you want me to act shocked when he brings it up?" Sam clutches his hands together and holds them up by his chin, and whispers dramatically. "OMG, Cas, you love me and want to adopt me? What a delightful and surprising turn of events that I in no way saw coming?" Dean thinks about how easy it's always been with Sam, how much fun they had together, before their dad died and Sam changed, becoming angry and sullen, and how grateful he feels to have some of that back.

"Something like that, DeNiro." Dean smiles. "But, maybe tone it down a bit. And don't say OMG like it's a real word."

"I'm pretty sure." Sam starts hesitantly. "That I love Cas, too, you know."

"Oh, yeah?" Dean asks.

"Yeah. I think I realized how much he cares about me the night he stayed up with me when I was puking."

"The night I found you snuggled up on his lap on the bathroom floor like an exhausted toddler?"

"I wasn't on his lap, Dean, but my point is that it's kind of hard to not love someone back when they're willing to do something like that for you. And, like, I was pretty shitty to him the first few months we lived here-"

Dean's expression is one of exaggerated shock. "What on earth could you possibly be talking about? I never noticed anything like that?"

Sam laughs. "And, I'm not saying he wasn't a complete tight ass about, well pretty much everything, in those days-"

"By in those days, you mean less than a month previous to this very conversation, when you were still being pretty salty to Cas every time he so much as looked at you?"

Sam giggles soundlessly. "Yes, back in those days. Once I realized that he wasn't so bad, and was kind of a decent guy, he forgave me, for like everything-"

Dean feigns casual curiosity. "By everything, do you mean telling him that he can only get sex because he pays me for it?"

Sam laughs. "Yes, that and everything else. Every and all manifestations of my previously shitty attitude toward him. He's been really good to me despite everything I've said and done. He's a good guy."

"I know he is." Dean's expression shifts to serious. "But it makes me very happy to hear you say that, kid."

Sam shrugs. "I guess I probably just assumed he sucked at first because of his bad taste in guys." Sam whisper-giggles like crazy.

"Wow, really kid." Dean lightly cuffs Sam on the side of the head, which only increases the boy's laughter. Dean watches him fondly, waiting for his giggle fit to subside. "So, what kind of stuff did Patricia talk to you about today after Cas and I left the room?"

Sam shrugs. "Just the usual stuff. Like, how I'm getting along with you and Cas. If you're feeding me regularly and treating me well." Dean watches discomfort flash across Sam's face. "How you guys discipline me. Stuff like that."

"Did you tell her about being grounded?" Dean is genuinely curious about how much detail Sam gives his social worker. He knows if he were in Sam's shoes, he would tell Patricia next to nothing.

Sam huffs out a breath of air. "Yeah. I mean, I didn't go into too much detail, but I told her I was a complete jerk to Cas and that he grounded me and took away my phone."

"What did she say?" Dean asks.

"She said she was glad to see that you guys were setting boundaries for me and holding me accountable for my behavior." Dean watches Sam's cheeks turn slightly pink, and he feels guilty for making Sam rehash his conversation with his social worker. His own life had been so much simpler at Sam's age. If his dad was mad at him, he'd yell a little, maybe tell Dean he couldn't go out somewhere, but no one had ever expected Dean to have embarrassing conversations with strangers about what he'd done wrong or the punishment he'd received for his behavior. "She said she had doubts about you being able to discipline me when she first met you, because you're my brother and you're so young and everything, but that she's glad Cas is around to help out with stuff like that."

Dean is annoyed at the comment. He knew that the social worker had it in for him from the jump. He couldn't wait to tell Cas about what she'd said to prove his point. "You do realize that I would have grounded you myself for what you did, if Cas hadn't already done it, right?"

"Hey!" Sam raises his voice to a whisper-yell. "Don't get mad at me! You asked what she said and I'm telling you." Sam looks hurt, and that's the last thing Dean wants tonight.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Sammy, you're right." Dean gives him a warm smile. "I got a little worked up, but it's not your fault. I just get all stressed out on days we meet with the social worker." He studies his brother until the boy smiles again. "I'm gonna head to bed, kid." Dean cups the back of Sam's neck and gently tips his head forward so he can land a kiss on top of the boy's head. "Good night, Sammy. I love you."

Sam wraps his arms around Dean's waist and attaches himself to his brother for a hug. "I love you, too, Dean." He mumbles into Dean's shoulder. "So much."

It isn't until Dean is settling into bed next to Cas that he wonders if the adoption was what Sam had pulled him into his room to talk about.

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A little later, long after he believes Cas to be asleep next to him, as Dean is lying on his back reflecting on his conversations with Cas and Sam about the possibility of adopting, he feels Cas turn away from him to face the outer edge of the bed, his back to Dean.

"Dean. Are you still awake?" Cas's voice is low and gravelly, but it sounds off to Dean, maybe a little sad.

"Yeah." Dean whispers in the dark. "What's up?" Dean rolls toward Cas to spoon him, wrapping one arm around the other man's body.

"I think I want to look for Balthazar." Cas tells him. "I don't know if it's a waste of time. Or if I'll need to hire a private investigator. Or how expensive the search will get. But, I want to try."

"Ok." Dean says, his voice soft, barely above a whisper, as he processes this. "I can understand wanting to look for your brother. What made you decide to do this now? Did something happen?"

Dean watches Cas's shoulder rise and fall in a half shrug in the dark. "I don't really want to talk about it, at least not right now, but I wanted you to know."

"Ok." Dean hugs Castile tighter and kisses the side of the man's head. "Thanks for telling me. Let me know if there's anything I can do to help."

"I can't imagine there will be, but thank you, Dean. I appreciate that."

Dean tries not to take that as an insult. He isn't really clear on what he could do to help this situation either, other than emotionally support Cas during the process. It's not like he can graciously help with the bill, the way Cas would be able to if the situation were reversed, and he knows nothing about how to go about tracking down a long-lost relative.

Dean runs a hand down Cas's flat belly under the covers. "You want a blow job or anything, to help you get to sleep?"

Cas takes Dean's hand in his, intertwining their fingers and resting their hands on the bed against his chest. "Thank you, my love, but not tonight."

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Sam feels a slight uptick of apprehension as he hears a car park in front of the house. Dean is working at the restaurant on this Sunday afternoon, and Sam knows it's Cas who has just come home. Dean also pulls into the garage, whereas Cas has parked on the street everyday without fail since the morning the basketball hoop was put up. Sam is sitting at the kitchen table with two students from his Community Awareness and Leadership class, their laptops in front of them. The plan had been to go to Sean's house to work on a group project, but his mom had asked if they could meet at someone else's home at the last minute, when she realized their group work would conflict with her book club meeting. Sam hadn't understood why they couldn't just work in Sean's room, but Sean had texted something about his mother always sending him and his dad out when it was her turn to host book club. Kelly had offered to ask her mom if they could meet are her house again, like they had last week, but when Sean had texted, what about your place, Sam, Sam had responded with, yeah, sure, feeling the freedom of no longer being the freak who couldn't have anyone over because he was staying in a motel or living in apartment that was so sparsely furnished as to raise suspicion. He had been so grateful to get to be normal in front of Kelly. He didn't know her all that well, but they had been assigned to the same table in chemistry lab at the start of the semester, and he already kind of liked her.

It wasn't until Sam was waiting for his classmates to show up, that he realized he should have texted Dean and Cas to run it by them to make sure it was ok for him to have people over, especially while they were both out. Dean's shift doesn't end until five, and Sam felt sure they would wrap up before then. Cas was volunteering his accounting services with one of his non-profits, and his schedule was harder to gauge since it wasn't an actual work day and Cas just stayed until whatever project they were working on was done. Then the doorbell had rang, and Sam had opened the door to reveal Kelly, smiling broadly at him and looking somehow even more glowy and beautiful than she did at school, and all thoughts of texting Dean and Cas had flown out of his head. It was too late to ask for permission anyway. Sam instead made the decision to act like nothing was wrong if Cas came home before his friends were gone.

Now, he wishes he'd sent a text. He knows Dean won't care, but Cas is always so much harder to read. He also knows that even if he did piss Dean off somehow, Dean would wait until his classmates left before addressing whatever it was he had done wrong. Sam has no such faith in Cas, not because he thinks Cas would want to shame him in front of his peers, but because Cas might not consider them in the equation at all. Sam understands that the way Cas speaks to him is different from how his classmates' parents speak to them, and the last thing he wants is to have Cas give him an embarrassingly childish reprimand in front of Kelly.

"Sam. Hey, Sam!" Sean's voice cuts through Sam's thoughts and he refocuses on the two people at the table with him.

"Uh, sorry, what?" Sean is waving a hand a couple of feet in front of Sam's face, an amused grin on his face, while Kelly is looking at him with concerned brown eyes.

"Kelly just asked if you're ready to move on to analyzing the financial statements now." Sean says. "I think we've covered the services offered and I think the financials are what's going to take us the longest."

"Uh, yeah." Sam does his best to pull his brain back to the task at hand as he hears Cas open and close the front door. This week's assignment is to select a nonprofit agency in their community and put together a group presentation on what services the agency provides, how those services are funded, and how the agency addresses a community need. He turns toward Kelly. "Great idea. Let's start looking at the financials." Sam hears Cas moving through the living room, and he instantly sits up straight in his seat, so that Cas won't need to tell him to stop slouching.

"Did your parents just get home?" Kelly asks, glancing at Sam, then into the living room.

"Uh….." Sam suddenly feels pressure. He'd like to just say yeah, and be done with the question. He knows that saying he lives with his older brother and his boyfriend will only sound weird and raise questions that he doesn't want to talk about, especially not with Kelly, not yet. He thinks about how taking Dean and Cas up on their offer to adopt him could alleviate all this hassle and allow Sam to just answer with a simple yes going forward.

Sam hears Castiel's footsteps approaching and then the man is standing in the doorway to the kitchen, wearing his work clothes with his trenchcoat still on, open at the front. Cas looks momentarily disoriented and blinks at the unexpected guests in his kitchen, before recovering with a pleasant smile.

"Hello." Cas says, making polite eye contact with both Kelly and Sean.

"Hi." Kelly and Sean's responses overlap.

Cas turns toward Sam. "Sam, did you inform me that you were having friends over today?"

"No, Cas. Sorry." Sam says. "We were going to meet at Sean's house to work on our project, but we couldn't at the last minute. It's ok that we're meeting here, right?"

"Of course. It's fine." He holds out a hand first to Kelly, then to Sean. Sam watches with a bad feeling that Cas will say something wacky, like hi, I'm Cas, one of Samuel's caregivers, but all he does is introduce himself as Castiel Novak, listen to their names, and tell them each that he's pleased to meet them.

When Cas moves behind Sam at the table, Sam sits ramrod straight in his chair waiting for two fingers to prod at his back, but all he feels is the gentle shoulder squeeze that Cas always greets him with when the man gets home.

"Would you children like any snacks?" Cas asks as if it's a normal thing to say. Kelly is still grinning brightly and politely, but Sam can tell that Sean is holding back laughter, and Sam feels a surge of unexpected protectiveness toward Cas.

"I think we're all set, Cas. I can grab us something if we get hungry." Sam says. "But, thanks."

"Well, I wouldn't exactly say no to snacks…" Sean says, and Kelly laughs.

Cas pats Sam's shoulder affectionately and smiles warmly at him. "It's no trouble, Sam."

Kelly and Sean go back to discussing their assigned nonprofit agency, while Sam tries to listen and watch Cas at the same time. Sam watches the man remove his trench coat and hang it on a hook by the kitchen door before thoroughly washing his hands at the kitchen sink, emptying the contents of a bag of chips into a bowl, retrieving the large bowl of grapes from the refrigerator, and pouring three glasses of water. He makes two trips to carry the bowls and glasses over from the counter, setting the bowls in the middle of the table and one glass beside each person's laptop. Kelly and Sean thank him and the whole thing feels like a normal interaction that Sam would witness at one of his friend's homes. Sam notices Kelly watching him closely during his own interactions with Cas, receiving his water with a thank you, Cas and answering Cas's question about whether they have everything they need with a yes, Cas. Cas returns to the table one last time with a handful of napkins, and freezes beside Sam, who looks up at him questioningly.

Cas tilts his head toward the screen. "Is that what your project is on? The St. Francis Catholic Shelter for the Homeless?"

"Yes." Kelly tells him. "Are you familiar with it?" Sam looks toward her and she is all cheerful energy and smiles, her dark ponytail bobbing as she nods enthusiastically.

"Yes, very." Cas is wearing his typical neutral expression. "I was sheltered there when I first moved to this area." Sam's head snaps up. He hears Sean make a sound that's half laugh, half gagging on a chip, but Sam keeps his eyes trained on Cas, trying to give him a nonverbal cue to stop sharing. Cas of course, doesn't notice either boy's reaction, and is only nodding solemnly. "St. Francis is a very fine organization. It's been my experience that they treat everyone who seeks lodging there with great respect, regardless of their circumstance. I have stayed in contact with the organization and have provided volunteer CPA services to assist with their compliance work for the past few years."

"That's so cool!" Kelly enthuses. "My mom is an accountant, too, but she works for a big, corporate firm, and I don't think she's ever volunteered her time anywhere. That's so nice that you do that." Sam appreciates Kelly's tact and kindness in skipping over Castiel's reference to being homeless and latching into his volunteer work instead. He is impressed by how poised she seems for someone their age.

"It's the least I can do." Cas says. "So many agencies helped me when I was experiencing great difficulty. It feels appropriate to give something back."

"That's such a great attitude, Mr. Novak." Kelly says. "I tried to volunteer somewhere last summer, but everywhere I went had an age requirement of sixteen."

"It's commendable for someone so young to already be seeking out community service opportunities. I'm not sure what type of volunteer work you're looking for, but I know the Humane Society location on Grove has one Saturday morning a month when they have volunteers come in to stuff envelopes for fundraising mailings. There is no age limit because the volunteers aren't working with the animals and I have witnessed children as young as six or seven accompanying their parents and helping out."

"Thanks! I'll definitely check that out." Kelly grins, and Sam knows he's staring, but can't stop himself.

"And, as you said, many nonprofits accept volunteers at sixteen years-old, so you could have your choice of volunteer opportunities after your next birthday if you have grown tired of stuffing envelopes." Cas smiles at Sam to include him in the conversation. "I would like to get Sam involved in some sort of volunteer work once he turns sixteen, as well."

Kelly turns her broad smile toward Sam. "That's so great, Sam! Maybe we could volunteer together. That could be really fun!" It hits him that instead of embarrassing him, Cas might actually be increasing his chances with Kelly with all this do-gooding, community service talk.

"Yeah, that would be great, Kelly." Sam says, still kind of in shock at how this is turning out.

"I turn sixteen next month." Kelly says. "When's your birthday, Sam?"

"Uh." For a moment Sam's freezes, unable to process that this is really happening. "In a month and a half."

"That's perfect! Let's connect before then and decide on where we want to volunteer."

"Yeah, that sounds great." Sam can feel the huge grin spreading across his face.

"So, are you like Sam's stepdad?" Sean is still crunching on chips as he speaks, and Sam really hopes that Cas doesn't say anything about it like he would to Sam.

"Not officially." Castiel says. "But, I suppose the stepparent, stepchild dynamic sums up the gist of our relationship fairly accurately. Would you agree, Sam?"

"Yes, Cas." Sam says, not wanting to be disrespectful to Castiel, but not wanting to go into any additional detail about his and Cas's relationship. It's no one's business. Especially not Sean's, who Sam barely knows.

"Well, I'll leave you children to your project, It was very nice to meet you both." Kelly and Sean reciprocate the nicety to Cas, and with one last pat on Sam's back, Cas has left the room with no damage done. Sam feels himself breathe an audible sigh of relief.

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Kelly asks Sam if he wants to walk her home. Sam likes to think it was a premeditated ask, since she ducked into the bathroom as Sam was walking his guests to the door so that she wouldn't be leaving at the same time as Sean.

Sam jumps at the chance to spend time alone with Kelly and is already walking down the front porch with her when he realizes that he needs to tell Cas, or more appropriately, ask Cas's permission. He gets that having other kids into the house is one thing, but him leaving the house without asking permission or letting someone know where he's going, is another thing entirely.

Sam freezes on the bottom step, and Kelly notices and looks at him with concern. "What's the matter, Sam. You look…...nervous. Are you ok?"

"Uh, yeah." Sam says. "I just realized I need to make sure it's ok with Cas if I go out. I mean not go out, obviously, but like go outside, like leave the house."

"Oh, I get it." Kelly's smile is back. Sam is starting to think it's her default setting. He's never been around anyone as happy and upbeat as she is. It's amazing and intimidating at the same time. "My dad is like that, too."

"I'm just going to run in for a sec and ask. I'll be right back."

Sam finds Cas in his and Dean's bedroom, lying on his back over the covers, propped up on a pillow, his tie loosened but his work clothes still on, reading through some sort of multi page report that looks, to Sam, like it's related to Cas's work.

"Hey, Cas?" Sam starts.

Cas looks up toward Sam as he flips another page of the report in his hand. He sets the report down on the bed next to him and sits up, giving Sam his undivided attention. "Yes, Sam?"

"Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt you."

Castiel is staring at him solemnly and Sam can't read the man's expression. "It's fine, Sam. You can always talk to me. Do you children need something?" Sam makes a mental note to ask Cas not to refer to him and his friends as children, but he doesn't have time to get into it now with Kelly waiting downstairs.

"No, uh, we just wrapped up with everything. They're leaving. I just wanted to ask if it's ok if I walk Kelly home. It's only a few blocks away and she asked me to." Sam rushes through his question, not wanting to keep Kelly waiting any longer than necessary.

Castiel smiles at him. "That sounds fine. You are a very thoughtful boy, Sam."

"Thanks." Sam says, still speaking more quickly than usual. "I'm going to go. I don't want to keep her waiting." Sam is about to walk out the bedroom door, when he turns back suddenly. "And, we're ok, right? You're not mad at me for having people over without asking you or Dean for permission first, are you?"

Cas is giving him that cocked head, confused, I-don't-get-what-you're-saying look that used to drive Sam crazy with frustration. "Do you believe that you're opposite-sex oriented, Sam?"

"Uh, what?" Sam is totally caught off guard.

"Are you attracted to girls or boys, or both? I don't want to assume." Cas's expression is serious and unreadable to Sam.

"Girls." Sam says, feeling slightly puzzled at the line of questioning. "Definitely girls. Just girls. Why?"

"Because if you are attracted to girls, I would prefer that you do not have girls over without either Dean or myself being home. Does that sound like a reasonable request?"

"Yes, Cas." The response comes so naturally now to Sam. "Sean was here the whole time, too. Kelly and I were only alone for about five minutes because she got here first."

"That's fine. I mean this as more of a general rule for future situations. As for today." Cas continues. "I'm happy that you feel comfortable enough to invite your classmates to our home, Samuel, but I would appreciate it if in the future you let me know ahead of time. I can't imagine a situation in which I would not allow you to have people over to work on a school assignment as you did today, but I would like to be informed in advance. I have learned that things go smoother for me when I'm not surprised. Does that sound fair?"

Sam nods. It's what he expected, but also more than he expected. Letting Cas know and having to ask for permission are two different things, and Sam is appreciative of the distinction Cas is making. "Yes, Cas. That's totally fair. And, I'm sorry for not letting you know this time. The change from Sean's house to ours was pretty last minute…..but I should have texted you or something."

"There was no harm done, my sweet boy." Cas smiles fondly at him. "Now, go walk your little friend home. Will you be back in time for dinner?"

"Yes, Cas."

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"Is everything ok?" Kelly asks once Sam re-joins her outside.

"Yeah. Uh, yeah, Cas is fine with it. I just didn't want him to worry if he noticed I wasn't home and he didn't know where I was." Sam unlatches the gate at the end of the front walkway and holds it open while Kelly walks through, then follows her out to the sidewalk, latching the gate behind him.

Kelly frowns softly at him. "Is that something that would make him angry?"

Sam considers the question. "I don't know. Probably. I didn't want to take the chance."

"So, if Cas isn't actually your stepdad. Is he your mom's boyfriend?" Kelly asks.

"Um, no." Sam thinks about not saying anymore, but he worries it would make him look closed off and he doesn't want that. "My mom died when I was a baby."

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Sam. I had no idea." Kelly turns a face filled with compassion toward Sam and he feels something ache in his chest.

"Yeah, and uh, my dad died this year, so now I live with my brother Dean and his boyfriend. That's who Cas is, my brother's boyfriend." Sam gestures back toward the house with a thumb over his shoulder. "That's Cas's house. Me and Dean moved in with him after my dad died."

"Wow. That's a lot to go through. That has to be so hard. I'm so sorry you lost your dad, too, Sam."

"Thanks." Sam doesn't know what else to say. He hates that their first real conversation alone has already led to him telling her that he's lost both parents, and that she's now probably compartmentalized him in her mind as a pitiful little orphan boy. And who wants to date someone they pity?

"And, how do you like living with Cas?" Kelly asks tentatively. "He seems…..nice."

"Yeah, he is." Sam says. "He's a good guy."

"Is he…... hard on you?"

"He's definitely stricter than my brother, or even than my dad ever was. He's got a lot of rules and ways he likes me to speak to him and everything. He's kind of old fashioned about how he thinks kids should behave. And, he cares about things my dad and Dean never did, like get this, I have to ask his permission before I leave the dinner table every night. I mean, that's weird, right-" Sam had been about to add but, he's a really good guy, when he sees Kelly's face. It's probably just her concerned look, but it's way too close to pity for Sam's comfort. "Wait, why did you ask if he's hard on me?" Sam tries to run through what Cas had said and done in front of Kelly and Sean that would possibly make Kelly worry about how Cas treats him, but he comes up empty. Aside from referring to them as children and Cas's disclosure that he was formerly homeless, Sam thinks Cas behaved appropriately and even got along well with Kelly.

"Please don't take this the wrong way. I just noticed that you seem really nervous around him, almost like you might be scared of him."

Sam reflects on this, feeling a pit forming in his stomach. Why does he never get to come across as a normal kid with a normal family? "I do?"

"Yeah, I mean, you seemed really nervous when he first came home. It seemed like you were scared of what he might do when he saw you had people over. Your posture changed, you couldn't focus. It seemed like an intense reaction to your brother's boyfriend coming home."

"Oh. I uh, hadn't told him you guys were coming over." Sam says. "I wasn't scared. I was just worried that he'd be annoyed with me, I guess, for not letting him know."

"Ok." Kelly says.

"What?" Sam asks.

"It's just that you seem really careful and tense around him. You respond to him so formally, with yes, Cas, and no, Cas and thank you, Cas." This kind of judgement would irritate the hell out of Sam if it was coming from anyone else, but Kelly looks so genuinely concerned on his behalf that he hears her out. "I know this is none of my business, but the whole situation, how you acted, how Cas was so welcoming to me and Sean even though it was obvious you were tense with him being there…...it all makes me think of this girl who was on my softball team in middle school. Her parents were dead and she lived with her uncle's family and she was the same way with her uncle as you are with Cas. Her uncle was a pastor who was really involved in doing good things for the community, and he always hosted our end of season parties at his house. He came across as this really great guy, but this girl was never comfortable around him. She was always tense and kind of nervous, like you are with Cas. No one knew he was abusing her until after he died in a car accident. He used to hit her in places that she could hide under her clothes. She moved away a little bit after that, to go live with other relatives. I felt really bad, a lot of us who knew her did, that we got all these weird vibes off her and her family, but none of us ever told anyone or did anything about it. So, I just wanted to check in and make sure that's not what's going on with you."

Sam sighs, feeling the excitement of getting to walk Kelly home draining from him. "Cas isn't abusing me." He doesn't know how to state it any more plainly than that.

Kelly nods. "Ok. That's good to hear." She gives him a small smile. "I really hope I didn't offend you."

"You didn't." Sam's not sure if it's true, but he says it anyway because he knows it's what she wants to hear. "It's fine."

"I just didn't want to be lying in bed tonight, playing scenes over in my head and worrying that I didn't say anything. Again."

Sam is momentarily distracted by the thought of Kelly in bed, but then he starts to see the afternoon through a new lens. Was Kelly being so social and friendly with Cas because she thought she needed to appease Sam's abuser? Had she only tried to get him alone to walk her home so that she could bring this up? Had what Sam seen as reciprocated interest just been the same concern for his well-being that someone as nice as Kelly would show for anyone who she thought was being hurt?

"I get it." Sam tells her. "It's ok. Really. I'm glad you asked if it was bothering you, but there's nothing to worry about. Cas is a good guy. He's never hit me or hurt me. I can't picture him ever doing anything like that. He doesn't even yell at me." Sam gets a flash of them in the car, outside the vegan restaurant, Cas's hand coming toward his face to take his phone, and Sam misconstruing the situation, and he almost adds even when I deserve it. "He's a little….different, maybe, but he's been really good to me." Sam realizes then that the nervousness Kelly saw was likely the trepidation he felt over Cas embarrassing him in front of his classmates. "If I'm nervous around him, that's on me, not him."

They stop walking on the sidewalk in front of Kelly's house. "Thanks for being so cool about this, Sam. I'm glad I was wrong. I just knew I needed to say something." Her expression is apologetic, but hopeful, and Sam's perspective shifts again. Maybe she does like him and felt that she needed to get this out of the way so that she wouldn't need to worry about it every time she thought about him. Maybe there was hope…..

"I get it. Don't worry." Sam goes for what he hopes is a charming, playful smile. "I won't hold it against you that you pretty much accused my kind-of-parent of child abuse."

Kelly smiles sheepishly and Sam can feel himself moving past this and falling for this girl.