Notes: Here's another time stamp set toward the end of Sam's freshman year of college. I'm planning one or two more follow up chapters to finish this time stamp. Thanks to everything still reading and especially those kind souls who have left me reviews. I appreciate you guys so much.

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

Trigger Warning: Drinking to excess. Brief hospitalization.

Dean is in his happy place, snuggled up on the couch with his legs draped over his husband's lap, Cas's arms slung casually around his waist, and Sam on video chat on Cas's tablet on the coffee table, looking happy and healthy and making plans for his visit home the following weekend. Sam has been telling them that Gavin will be home the same weekend, for his little sisters' birthday, and that Sam has made plans with him for Saturday night. And, even though Dean took the entire weekend off work for Sam's visit, he finds himself surprisingly ok with the idea of sharing his little brother with Gavin for a few hours of the weekend. He's also becoming more ok with the idea of Sam's girlfriend accompanying him home to meet him and Cas for the first time. The boy had started volunteering at a food pantry at the end of last semester in order to spend more time with Keisha. Sam had discovered early on that Keisha already had a boyfriend and had instead gotten close to a student named Meg, who had been serving out court ordered community service for a DUI. Dean hadn't exactly been psyched about Meg's past arrest, but Cas had calmly talked him down, telling him that they can't pick Sam's friends and need to trust him to make good decisions, that everyone has made mistakes and that Sam himself had served out court ordered community service in high school and that they wouldn't want people to hold that against their child now. Between dating Meg and having a friend whose brother is in a frat and gets them into parties, Dean had noticed an uptick in Sam going out and drinking in the spring semester. Dean is still grateful that Sam is open with them about his life, even when the things he tells them worries him, and they had had a family discussion about Sam's drinking a few weeks back that Dean was particularly proud of. They discussed drinking responsibly as well as their dad's issues with drinking and what that might mean in terms of genetic predisposition for Sam and Dean. Dean felt that he and Cas had treated Sam like the grown up the kid is always claiming to be, and Sam had assured them he just drank socially and never got out of control, that he's still taking school seriously and getting good grades. Sam texts them random screenshots of grades he's particularly proud of and Dean has never seen anything less than a B+. If the kid also texts about heading out for a greasy breakfast to help him deal with a hangover on a Saturday or Sunday morning, Dean just chocks it up to Sam having a normal college experience.

Dean feels like life has been feeling easier lately. He feels ridiculous for it when he thinks about it, because he had always believed himself to be of the camp that a marriage certificate was just a piece of paper, but things have changed for Dean since he married Cas. For the first time he can remember, he feels truly content. Not just with his life situation, which he has been good with for a while, ever since he and Sammy moved into Cas's home and Dean had been able to give his brother the life Dean wishes the boy could have had all along. The contentment he feels now extends past what he has to include who he is. He feels good enough for the first time in his life. Whenever he looks at Cas, he feels the same warm swell of gratitude that he's always felt when he thinks about this amazing man choosing to be with him, but the feeling is no longer laced with an edge of fear that it's only a matter of time until he fucks it all up and loses Cas's love. Gone is the fear of finding himself increasingly alone as Sam ventures out into the world to create his own life. He knows it's probably lame to need validation this much, but ever since the wedding, he feels safer and more secure than he can ever remember, because he has a person who is officially his, and who has sworn to love him and be with him forever. He's always prided himself on being able to handle a lot of shit without it wrecking him, but he now recognizes that he was hardly ever ok, just pushing through shit and trying to act like things were ok for Sammy's benefit. But, things feel different now. Now that Cas has chosen him to be the person he wants to love all his life, Dean feels like he's no longer pretending he's ok. He feels like he actually is, like he can take anything that comes his way. That he could lose his job, that the house could burn down around them, and as long as he still has Cas by his side and Sammy in his life, everything really would still be ok.

"-and since this is my first time bringing a girlfriend home, or anyone from college, really, I just want to make sure we're all on the same page about everything before we get there, just so it won't be awkward or anything."

Dean focuses on what Sam is saying. He doesn't need to be able to see Cas's face to know the guy's frowning at where he suspects this conversation is heading.

Cas shifts slightly under Dean, bouncing his legs slightly. "If you're referring to sleeping arrangements, I thought we were clear on this, Sam." Cas says. "We informed you when you first said you wanted to bring Meg home that we aren't comfortable with the two of you sharing a bed while you're here." Dean feels Cas's head tilt to one side next to him and he knows the guy is studying Sam carefully and earnestly. "Do we need to discuss this further?" Cas's tone is warm and patient, like a man who is happy to discuss a rule as many times as his child needs to.

Dean watches Sam start to shake his head before Cas has even finished speaking. "No, Cas. I understand. And, I get it. I'm fine with sleeping on the couch and giving Meg my room." Dean watches a blink-and-you'd-miss-it look of embarrassment flicker across the kid's face. "That's not what I wanted to talk about. It's more about…...how you guys treat me."

Dean scoffs lightly, unbothered because he knows they're good to Sam and that the kid can't have any real gripe about how they treat him. They treat him, as Cas is fond of saying, like the loved and cherished child he is. "Um, do you think you want to say more words and maybe clarify that, Sammy?"

Sam huffs out a laugh. "Yeah, yeah, of course. And, please know that this isn't a criticism or anything. I love you guys, and I think you're really great parents….."

"...But?" Dean prompts. He's still smiling at his brother but he feels himself getting curious as to what the kid is getting at.

"Well, it's just that I've gone home with a couple of friends from college this year and I've noticed that their parents treat them a little differently than you guys treat me." Dean watches discomfort flicker across Sam's face, before the kid runs a hand through his hair and laughs a little nervously. "It's nothing bad. It's just, my friends' parents kind of treat them like they're adults now that they're in college, and well, you guys kind of…...baby me sometimes." Sam looks slightly embarrassed, but he's smiling, too. "And, I was kind of hoping that you could maybe treat me like more of an adult in front of Meg next weekend."

"Hmmm." Dean can hear the playfulness in Cas's voice even in that one sound. "How exactly do we baby you, as you put it?" Dean looks up at his husband's face and sees his eyes narrow in comically exaggerated suspicion, and he thinks about how much Cas has chilled over the years. He's become easier going and more upbeat, and less quick to sternness with Sam. Dean recognizes that Cas has seemed even happier and more relaxed, too, since they got married. Dean touches a hand against Cas's side, over his tee shirt, his thumb feeling the edge of a rib, his fingers splayed against his husband's back, just enjoying the sensation of his body moving with his breath. That's another thing that's changed. They touch all the time now, seeking each other's body's out with their hands, sharing more kisses and cuddling up with each other whenever they can. Even the sex has gotten better. And that wasn't something Dean would have thought they could improve upon.

Sam laughs. "It's not anything bad, I promise. And, sometimes I even like it, probably because my dad never really treated me like a little kid when I was one. And, I love how you guys treat me when I'm not feeling well, like when I had the flu over winter break and you guys took care of me and everything. But, like, maybe you guys could tone it down a little while Meg's around."

"What are you talking about, Sammy?" Dean asks. "It's not like we cut the crust off your sandwiches for you."

Sam huffs out a laugh. "I know, it's more like….." Sam tucks a lock of long hair behind his ear and smiles sheepishly. "Maybe you could not call me Sammy when I'm home, for starters. Sammy's a scrawny little eight year old. I haven't been Sammy in a long time. And, maybe you could not ruffle my hair so much, or smack me on the ass when you're playing around, or make jokes about me sitting on your laps or cuddling on the couch with you guys."

Dean feels Cas's arm shift behind his back and feels a light pat on his hip. "I believe our son is talking to you, sweetheart." Cas teases in a stage whisper.

Dean mock scowls, and Sam's grin gets brighter. "Hey, it's not like I ruffle your hair for my amusement, kid. I'm just trying to help you keep that mop on your head under control." Dean raises a hand and waves it near own head as he speaks. "If you'd just let me take some clippers to that thing, I promise I'll never ruffle your hair again."

Sam smiles but continues without acknowledging Dean. "I'm also thinking maybe it's time to switch out that picture in the hall, the one where I'm sitting on your lap, Dean…..because I don't want Meg to think it's weird or anything-"

"I love that picture." Dean responds honestly before he thinks to censor himself or play off the request with sarcasm. He does love that picture. It makes him smile every time he walks down the hallway. A few weeks before Sam had graduated high school, Dean had decided they needed to take some family portraits to commemorate the end of Sam's childhood. Cas had set his iphone's self timer to burst mode and propped it up on the television and they had come away with some fun candid pictures in addition to some nice posed ones. They ended up buying a frame that displays four photos and filling it with their favorite shots. One of all three of them sitting on the couch and smiling nicely at the camera and three that are more casual, one of them laughing at something funny Sam had said with Cas looking as happy as Dean has ever seen him, and one of a close up of half of Cas's face as he crouches in front of the phone setting the timer, his one visible eye wide with shock from the flash, while Dean and Sam fall against each other laughing on the couch behind him. The fourth picture was taken when Sam had stood up to adjust the phone and Dean had grabbed him around the waist and pulled him down onto his lap. Sam is perched on Dean's knee, his head thrown back in laughter, Dean grinning happily around Sam's shoulder, his arms wrapped snugly around the kid's waist, and Cas looking up at Sam with a warm, indulgent grin. Dean absolutely loves that picture.

"I know you do, Dean. I like that picture, too." Dean recognizes the tone Sam uses when he's humoring him. "But, I don't think most guys my age have pictures up of them sitting on their brother's lap, and I'm just thinking it might be a little embarrassing having Meg see it. So, maybe we could just take it down, just for the weekend. That's all I'm asking."

"We will take down the picture before the weekend if that's what you'd like, Sam." Cas assures him.

"Cool, thanks, Cas."

Cas turns toward Dean. "Is that ok with you, sweetheart?"

"Yeah, sure. We can take down our best family portrait if that's what our ungrateful brat of a kid wants." Sam laughs and Dean smirks. "Let me just make sure I've got all this, Sammy. You've got a lot of requests here." Dean raises his thumb, then one finger at a time as he lists off each of the items Sam is requesting, his brow furrowed in exaggerated concentration. "Call you Sammy at all times, ruffle your hair every time you're within arm's reach, smack you on the ass as much as possible, you'll basically be fair game whenever you're not sitting down, and replace the beautiful family photo in the hallway with the picture from that time dad gave you that awful buzzcut when you were thirteen." Dean grins. "Did I get everything, Sammy?"

Sam is smiling even as he sighs his annoyance. "Great, Dean. That's super helpful. Thanks for being so accommodating."

"Hey, I aim to please, kiddo. Nothing but five star service around here." Dean gives the kid his best shit-eating grin.

Cas pats Dean's hip again and turns back toward the laptop. "We won't do anything to make you feel uncomfortable, Sam. You can trust us to be on our best behavior while you and your little friend are here."

"Thanks, guys. And, uh…." Sam's smile turns sheepish again. "Maybe you could not refer to Meg as my little friend, or to either of us as a child, since we're kind of adults now. And maybe you could not call me sweet boy in front of her." Dean knows Cas's expression must have shifted into something that looks like hurt when Sam immediately starts to backpedal. "I mean, I don't mind you calling me that when it's just us. I really like that you have a special term of endearment that you only use with me, honestly, but like, Meg is really independent, and she's not as close to her parents as I am to you guys, and I don't know if she'd understand and I don't want her to think it's childish or weird or anything."

"Hey, Sammy, if you're this worried about Meg thinking you're weird, you might want to just stop being so weird." Dean says. "Just a thought."

Cas nods, his expression serious. "I understand, Sam. I will refrain from calling you sweet boy while Meg is here."

"Thanks, Cas. And, maybe you could not call me Samuel while we're there, too. And maybe." Sam wheedles. "You could not tell me to watch my tone, or show you guys respect, or you know, reprimand me like a little kid." Sam grins impishly. "Just a thought since I am an adult now and everything."

Dean nudges his thumb against Cas's side. "Huh. Looks like you're getting your own list of complaints, Cas."

Cas smiles at Dean. "It does seem that way." He turns back toward Sam. "You have my word that I will only address you as Sam in front of your girlfriend, but if you don't wish to be told to watch your tone or show us respect while she's here, I would suggest that you simply watch your tone and show us respect." Cas's voice is still playful, with no trace of irritation or reprimand.

Dean feels himself grinning. "Ha, take that, Sammy!"

Sam laughs. "Yeah, of course, and I have no plans to not show you guys respect, but I'm just saying if anything comes up, like if Meg mentions anything that you don't like or think is ok, or something, like the time I told you I was using pot, and you reprimanded me about it, Cas. If any situation like that arises next weekend, I'm just asking that you maybe talk to me about it alone and not scold me like a little kid in front of her. Does that sound fair?"

Dean and Cas respond at the same time, with Dean asking what have you been up to that you're so worried about us finding out about and Cas asking you aren't using drugs again are you, Samuel.

Sam blinks and takes a beat to process the questions. "Uh, no, I'm not using drugs. I gave you my word that I wouldn't, Cas, and I haven't. I know that's important to you. And, I haven't been up to anything bad. I'm not keeping anything from you guys. It's just, sometimes little things set you guys off, especially you Cas, and I just don't want to get yelled at in front of Meg if-"

"Hey, hold on, Sammy." Dean is happy to listen to Sam's requests and accommodate them as best he can. He knows the kid is likely nervous about bringing his first real girlfriend home and he doesn't want to do anything to add to the kid's stress. But, he draws the line at letting Sam get away with acting like Cas yells at him. "You don't get yelled at and you know it. I know you lived with dad long enough to know what yelling is and that Cas and I don't do it."

"Yeah, ok. Fair enough." Sam concedes. "You guys don't yell. I shouldn't have used that word. I just don't want to get reprimanded in front of Meg. Can we all just agree that if either of you feels the need to talk to me about something like that, that it can happen when it's just us and not in front of Meg?"

"I promise not to reprimand you in front of your girlfriend, Sam." Cas says. Dean stays silent for a beat until his husband and brother are both looking at him expectantly.

"Yeah, no worries, Sammy. If you act like a little shithead in front of Meg, I promise I'll drag you out of the room and ream you out for it in private."

Dean hears Sam let out an annoyed exhale as Dean smiles at Cas, his husband returning the smile with loving indulgence in his eyes. They lean into each other and share a brief kiss, smiling at each other as they pull back.

"And, maybe you guys don't need to be all over each other in front of Meg either." Sam adds.

Dean and Cas turn toward Sam and Dean jumps in before Cas can repeat that they won't make him uncomfortable in front of his girlfriend. "Oh, hell no, kiddo. You're not telling us what we can and can't do with each other in our own home."

Sam sighs. "I don't mean to sound like a jerk, but you guys have been slobbering all over each other like crazy ever since you got married. You guys can't even make it through twenty minutes of Facetime without kissing, and you're always touching each other and sitting on each other's laps."

Cas smiles. "We don't sit on each other's laps. Dean sits on my lap."

Dean barks out a laugh. "Yeah, get your facts straight, Sammy." Dean braces himself with his hands against the couch seat cushion to raise his ass onto Cas's lap, then wraps his arm loosely around the man's neck, keeping his gaze on his brother's image on the tablet. "Aren't you the same kid who was freaking out just a few short months ago when we separated for a couple of weeks and you thought we might break up? Can't you just appreciate that your parents are together and married and love each other?" Dean smirks. "Is your little friend really that much of a prude that it'll make her uncomfortable to see us being affectionate?"

"She's not a prude." Sam says. "At all." Sam blushes slightly and Dean wonders what evidence of Meg's non-prudishness Sam might be recalling. "It's just different when it's someone's parents."

"Sam." Cas asks. "Are you asking this because you think Meg might have an issue with us showing romantic affection because we're two men?"

"No!" Sam says, shaking his head emphatically. "It's definitely not that. I would never date or hang out with anyone who had an issue with gay people. I hope you guys know that. It's just, I don't know, none of my friends' parents are so….hands on with each other in front of me, and you guys being like that doesn't make me uncomfortable. I absolutely appreciate that you guys are still together and that you love each other. I was just thinking it might make Meg uncomfortable because she doesn't know you guys and might not be used to it because her parents divorced when she was really young…..But, Dean's right. I shouldn't be trying to tell you guys what you can and can't do."

Dean looks down at Cas. "I don't know about you, Cas, but I'm pretty sure I couldn't keep my hands." He leans down to drop a quick, chaste kiss on Cas's mouth. "Or my lips off my super hot husband for a whole weekend, even if I really tried."

Cas smiles up at him with a goofy smile and so much love in his eyes. "I agree, sweetheart. And, it would be even more of a challenge for me since my husband is far more charming and attractive than yours."

Dean leans down again and meets Cas for a longer kiss. He hears an exaggerated sigh coming from Cas's tablet and then Sam's voice, annoyed and amused. "You guys are making me nauseous. I can't wait until your gross honeymoon phase is over."

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The call comes a little after four am on Friday morning. Dean is at the fire station working a 24 hour shift. Castiel is in bed alone when his cell phone starts buzzing on his nightstand. He is jarred awake by the sound and feels an instant jolt of fear that something has happened to Dean while out on a call. Castiel loves and hates Dean's job, knowing his husband has found a sense of purpose in the work, but also living with the constant knowledge that Dean could get hurt at work, or leave for the station one day and never return to him. The thought flickers through Castiel's mind that he should have expected something like this. That things with Dean have been too good, too perfect, so much better than Castiel had any right to expect, especially these last few months since they got married. Castiel slides his thumb across the screen to pick up the call and holds his phone to his ear. His stomach lurches and his heart pounds in his chest as he listens to the female voice identify itself as belonging to a nurse at St. James' Hospital. It takes his brain a moment to catch on to the fact that St. James is not a local hospital, and this isn't going to be about Dean. The realization hits him like a shovel to the head. He sits up and the dark room swims for a moment as he feels a wave of lightheadedness. He confirms when asked, that yes, he is Castiel Winchester, father of Sam Winchester. It's the first time that using his married name hasn't brought him any joy. The nurse speaks quickly and efficiently, as if she makes family-destroying middle-of-the-night phone calls every day, and Castiel struggles to absorb the details. Found unconscious by campus police. Alcohol poisoning. Receiving fluids, vitamins and glucose. Awake and stable. Should be ready for discharge in a few hours. Castiel clings on to awake and stable with everything he has. He tells the nurse that he's leaving now, that it should take him around two and a half hours to get there. She hangs up and Castiel scrambles into clothes, pulling on a hoodie and jeans over the tee shirt and boxers he was sleeping in, and shoving his bare feet into sneakers. He grabs his wallet and his ear buds, shoving them into his ears and he hurries down the stairs, calling Dean's cell phone as he goes. He tries four times hoping to wake Dean before he gives up, leaves a message telling Dean to call him as soon as he can, scrolls down, and taps the number for the fire station, only to be informed by a very tired sounding man that Dean is out on a call and he doesn't know when he'll be back. Castiel is getting in the car as he asks the man to tell Dean to call his husband as soon as he can. He taps the screen to end the call, sets his phone in the cup holder, takes a deep breath, and drives.

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Sam feels like shit. His throat is scratchy and sore. His body aches dully all over and there's a sharp pain in his left elbow whenever he moves his arm. It feels raw, like the skin might be scraped off, but he hasn't been able to check out his elbow for fear of dislodging the IV tube running into the back of his left hand. His head hurts, but he knows the fluids they're giving him must be doing their job, because his headache is nowhere near as bad as others he's had during past hangovers. He still can't believe this happened. It isn't the first time he's blacked out while drinking and had chunks of memory missing from the night before, but it's the first time he's passed out and that feels so much scarier and out of control. He feels emotionally rung out. From tonight and from everything else that happened this week. Meg breaking up with him. What he did to make her want to. And, waking up scared and alone in the hospital, distraught and tearful as the nurse informed him that he had been found passed out in his own vomit behind Frankie's brother's frat house, telling him he was lucky he hadn't choked to death before campus security found him. He's been on the verge of crying ever since. Thinking about Meg, and how stupid he is for losing her. And about how his stupid behavior and bad judgement could have cost him even more than that tonight. He thinks about what could have happened, and how wrecked Dean and Cas would have been if he had died behind that frat house, choking on his own vomit, or not being found and rushed to the hospital and dying of alcohol poisoning. He feels a wave of guilt at the pain he could have caused his family, especially Dean, who has been sacrificing on Sam's behalf since the day Sam was born. His mind goes back to the gentle lecture on drinking he received from Dean and Cas earlier in the semester, the warning that he may be naturally predisposed toward his dad's drinking habits. He feels stupid and ungrateful, scared and ashamed. He feels his eyes get damp with tears.

Then the curtain around his ER bed is being pushed aside and Cas, looking completely out of place in a rumpled hoodie, his hair a tousled mess from sleep, is moving toward him, the man's expression downgrading from real fear to concerned relief as his eyes meet Sam's. Then he's there by Sam's side, leaning over him, wrapping him in a tight hug. Sam hugs back with his right arm and buries his face against Cas's neck. The familiar feel and smell of Cas, one half of the smell that makes up home for Sam, floods his senses, and he feels safe, like he's going to be ok, for the first time since waking up in the hospital. "I'm sorry, Cas." Sam feels the tears that have been welling in his eyes since he woke up start to spill over. "I'm so sorry." Then he's sobbing, quietly but uncontrollably into Cas's neck, feeling like he'll never stop, and Cas is holding him tightly, rubbing his back and soothing him with whispered words of reassurance. It's ok, Sam. It's all right. You're safe now. I've got you, my sweet, sweet boy.

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It's mid morning by the time Sam is discharged, the sky is overcast and a light rain is starting to fall as they leave the hospital and walk to Cas's car. Sam appreciates the comfort Cas gave him in the hospital, but he knows he's got a pretty serious lecture coming and he's grateful that Cas seems to be waiting until they're alone in the car to give it to him. Cas hasn't spoken since they received discharge instructions from the nurse. Sam lets himself into the car and sits in the passenger seat, waiting for Cas to lay into him. He shivers slightly, having lost his jacket at some point the previous night and having left the hospital in just jenas and his tee shirt. Cas notices as he inserts the key in the ignition and looks toward Sam, his brow furrowed in concern. Sam watches the man pull his own hoodie off over his head and hold it out to him, leaving him in a long sleeve shirt that Sam recognizes as one Cas sleeps in, and it hits him what Cas's night must have felt like, being woken up in the middle of the night and so frightened for Sam that he hadn't even had the presence of mind to change out of his pajamas before rushing up to school to be with Sam. Sam feels a rush of guilt at having done this to his parents, and he feels tears welling in eyes at Cas's willingness to always give him more than he deserves. He starts to shake his head. "No, Cas." His voice is thick with emotion. "I don't want you to be cold. I'm ok."

Cas narrows his eyes. "I didn't spend the night in the hospital, Samuel." Cas's voice is part stern, part loving concern, and Sam has to wipe at his eyes to keep the dampness pooled in them from streaming down his face. "I'll be fine. You heard what the nurse said about not straining your body for the next few days. That includes keeping you warm so that your body doesn't have to work harder to warm you up." Cas moves the hand holding the sweatshirt closer to Sam. "Now, put this on. It isn't a request." Cas's eyes are kind and it takes the sting out of the order.

"Thanks." Sam takes the sweatshirt and pulls it on over his own head, feeling comforted as Cas's scent envelops him again. He pulls the heavy material down his body, feeling warm and cozy.

They don't speak again until they pass the turn toward Sam's school. Sam looks toward Cas to see if Cas realizes his mistake, but Cas's expression is neutral as he stares out the windshield as he drives. "Uh, Cas." Sam speaks hesitantly, not sure if he should say something. "You just passed the turn to campus."

Cas nods, keeping his eyes trained straight ahead. "I realize that, Samuel. You will not be returning to school today. I'm taking you home."

"Oh…..but, uh…...I have an afternoon class today." Sam says.

Cas levels a brief, stern look at Sam before turning his attention back to the road. "I am aware of your class schedule, Samuel. You will not be attending your class today. You will need to do whatever is required of you to make up what you miss."

"But, I don't have any of my stuff." Sam is getting a bad feeling in his stomach. He knew Cas was angry about what he had done, but he had believed that anger to be more the kind that parents get when they're scared for their child. The kind that dissipates as soon as they realize their child is safe. Now, Sam is thinking this might be more than that, that he might actually be in trouble with Cas, and maybe with Dean, too. He feels his cheeks warm with embarrassment at the idea of being punished at his age, at just turned nineteen, three weeks before the end of his freshman year of college.

"You have sufficient clothes at home to get you through the weekend."

"What about my laptop?" Sam tries, thinking that Cas will realize how impractical it is to take him home without any of his stuff. He knows Cas won't want to jeopardize his grades by not letting him study over the weekend. "I have work to do for Monday. I have a pretty big quiz on Tuesday that I need to get ready for."

"You may use my laptop to log into your school's intranet and do whatever you need to do."

"But-"

"You are not going back to school today." Cas's tone is stern, just this side of a real reprimand. "You are also not having your little friend over this weekend. Am I making myself clear, Samuel?"

"Yes, Cas." Sam feels a wave of sadness at the mention of Meg. "And, uh, Meg broke up with me yesterday…so, she wasn't going to come home with me anyway…..." Sam trails off, unsure if now is a good time to share this information, and not expecting much in the way of sympathy since Cas is still clearly upset by his behavior from the previous night.

Cas glances over at him, mouth turned down in a frown and eyes filled with compassion, before quickly turning his gaze back toward the road. "I'm sorry to hear that. I know you care for this girl very much."

"Yeah, thanks." Sam says, his voice soft. He still cares about Meg very much. She's the first person outside of his family that he's ever told he loves. He thought Meg loved him, too, and maybe she did, maybe she meant it when she said it. Maybe she even still does love him, but just isn't willing to deal with his shit. He can't fault her for that. Sam feels a wave of remorse as he thinks about his behavior this week. Cas steers the car onto the highway and they ride in silence for a few moments, Sam lost in thought about Meg and his own stupidity.

"Sam, please take out your phone." Cas's tone is serious, but it isn't exactly his reprimand voice, and when Sam looks at the man, his expression is neutral and offers Sam no clues as to what he's thinking. Sam sighs, then pulls his phone out of his jeans pocket and holds it out toward Cas. He had been grateful in the hospital when the nurse had handed him a ziplock bag of his phone and wallet, to learn that he had been lucky enough to not lose anything more important than his keys and a sweatshirt. But, it seems like his luck has run out regarding his phone.

Cas turns, casting a brief glance at Sam's outstretched arm and the hand holding his phone. Cas's brow furrows in confusion as he glances up toward Sam before turning his gaze back to the road. "We need to call Dean, but since I'm driving, I would like you to call him. Can you do that for me, Sam?"

Sam pulls his arm back, resting his phone on his thigh, feeling a mix of embarrassment at being ready to turn in his phone to Cas as he had always been required to do when he was being punished in high school and relief that he had been reading Cas wrong and that the guy wasn't going to treat him like a little kid even though he'd fucked up big time.

"Yes, Cas." Sam sighs and looks down at his phone, not eager to speak to his brother. He can't explain why he gave the nurse Cas's number instead of Dean's. He doesn't even remember doing it during those first few waking moments in the hospital when everything felt scary and confusing. He only remembers waking up later to the nurse telling him that he was going to be ok and that she had called his dad like he had asked and that he'd be there soon. Sam had instinctively known that even in a still drunk, barely conscious state, Cas is the only person he would have referred to as his dad. Cas had filled him in at the hospital that he hadn't been able to get ahold of Dean until just before he reached the hospital and that Cas had been texting Dean updates while the nurse had given them instructions and gotten him ready to be discharged.

Cas shoots him another look when he hasn't moved after a moment. "Can you please call Dean now, Sam? I don't wish to keep him waiting."

"Yes, Cas." Sam feels a spike of annoyance at himself for so easily falling back into the response he always supplied so readily during childhood reprimands.

"And, please put him on speaker. I would like to speak to him, too."

"Um, yeah, sure." Sam forces himself out of the yes, Cas cycle, wanting to distance his current situation from all the times Cas scolded him as a child. He earns a brief look from Cas, equal parts stern and confused, and has to choke down the yes, Cas that wants to rush out of his mouth to restore the familiar order of things between them. Instead he busies himself with his phone, filling the silence to not allow Cas the space to correct him. "I'm doing it right now, Cas. Pulling up Dean's number. Here we go." He holds out the phone between them again and they listen to one ring and half of the next before Dean answers.

"Sammy?" Dean sounds urgent, and a little scared, and Sam feels his stomach twist and dampness come to his eyes at how much he knows he worried Dean. "Are you ok, kid?"

Sam nods his head. "Yeah, Dean. I'm ok. I'm sorry." Sam hears his voice break on the last word and he hopes he isn't going to start crying again, at least not the way he had when he first saw Cas at the hospital.

Sam hears Dean exhale loudly. "Jesus, Sammy. You cannot do shit like this. Do you have any idea how bad you scared us?"

"I know." Sam's voice is thick with emotion. He does know. He gets how scared he would have been to hear that Dean or Cas was lying in the hospital after being found passed out drunk in an alley. He gets what he did, and how stupid and reckless it was. "I'm sorry, Dean. I…...I'm just so sorry."

"I could have lost you, Sammy, and that is not ok." Dean's voice is all raw emotion and it tugs at Sam's heart, leaving him feeling guilty and ashamed. "That is not going to happen. You do not get to do something this fucking stupid and get yourself dead. Do you understand me, kid?"

"Yes, Dean." Sam wipes at a tear that spilled out of his eye with the back of his hand.

Sam hears Dean sigh again, but he can tell from the sound of the exhale that his brother is moving past his anger. "So, how are you doing? You feel like dog shit that's been stepped in twice, or what?"

Sam huffs out a quiet breath. "I don't feel great. I'm exhausted, and pretty sore, but the fluids and everything they gave me at the hospital must have helped a lot because I've definitely had worse headaches from drinking. I actually feel way better than I would have expected to, given the circumstances, physically at least, I mean. But I feel like shit for scaring you guys." Sam pauses and takes a breath, shooting a look over toward Cas. The man is looking out the windshield as he drives down the highway, but Sam can see compassion in his profile, in the slight downturn of the corner of his mouth and the soft crinkle of skin next to his eye. "And for making Cas drive all the way up here in the middle of the night. I'm so sorry, really."

Cas shoots Sam a quick, sympathetic look and turns back toward the road, reaching out a hand to blindly pat Sam's shoulder.

Dean takes a loud breath. "We know you're sorry, Sammy. But, jeez, kid…...you could have died." No one speaks for a moment and Sam hears Dean breathing through the phone in the silence. "We aren't done talking about this. Right, Cas?"

Sam watches Cas nod, his eyes trained straight ahead out the windshield. "We most certainly are not. I think once we get home, we all need to sit down as a family and discuss what happened, so that we can make sure it never happens again. Don't you agree, Samuel?"

Sam feels his stomach clench with trepidation at the reprimand he knows he has coming, and he falls back into obedience mode. "Yes, Cas. Whatever you guys want."

"Dean." Cas says. "We're only a few miles from the school, so it will still be a couple of hours before we're there."

Dean yawns loudly and Sam feels a twinge of guilt at knowing that Dean's night shift was likely rougher and more exhausting because he was worried about Sam. "All right. I'm going to grab a little shut eye. If I'm still asleep when you guys get here, wake me up, ok?"

"Ok, Sweetheart." Cas say.

"Drive safe." Dean says. "I love you guys."

Cas's We love you too, overlaps with Sam's Love you, too, Dean.

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Sam sleeps on and off over the course of the drive, waking up groggy and disoriented each time, before focusing on Cas behind the wheel. When Sam's stomach starts to growl, Cas pulls into a fast food drive through off the highway. They take a break, eating breakfast sandwiches and drinking coffee and orange juice in the car in the parking lot as a light rain taps out a rhythmic pattern on the roof of the car. Sam eats his breakfast and feels the familiar feeling of gratitude that he always gets when Cas does something kind for him even after Sam's done something bad. It takes him back to the dinner Cas left at his bedroom door the night Sam had had a meltdown and unloaded on Cas when he was fifteen. Sam can still picture the three little ramekins of condiments on the plate next to his hotdog, and the care that has gone into Cas's actions even after Sam had said the worst things to him. It's a feeling he thinks he may never shake, the overwhelming feeling of bone-deep gratefulness for the man sitting next to him, who was once a stranger, who owed Sam nothing, and who decided to love him and care for him anyway. He feels a wave of emotion at how much Cas loves him and how lucky he is to have that love. He wonders if it's the physical result of being so drunk the night before, or just the knowledge that he could have died from alcohol poisoning or choked to death on his own vomit, but he feels like his emotions have been embarrassingly close to the surface all day. He wipes at his eye with his napkin, hoping Cas doesn't notice.

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An hour or so later, Castiel pulls to a stop in front of their family home, the heavy rain engulfing the car as soon as he turns off the windshield wipers. He's exhausted and grateful to be home. He feels an ache in his back and shoulder muscles from the strain of driving in heavy rain with low visibility for the last forty-five minutes. He rubs at the back of his neck as he looks toward Sam, sleeping in the passenger seat, the boy's head resting against the window, snoring softly. The boy looks young and innocent and sweet, and Castiel feels a rush of grief at what he could have lost last night. He cannot imagine going back to a life without both Dean and Sam in it. He's grateful beyond belief that he doesn't have to, but he's worried about his child, his sweet boy. Castile reaches out a palm to the boy's forehead and gently pushes the long hair out of his eyes. He knows that many college students experiment with alcohol, but it's his understanding that happy children, happy people, don't almost drink themselves to death. This feels indicative of something more serious and concerning. He lets his palm linger on his son's head for a moment before moving it to grip Sam's bicep, gently shaking the boy's arm to wake him up.

"We're home, Sam."

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Castiel turns off the shower and reaches for his towel. He feels much better after a hot shower, the chill gone from having gotten drenched down to the skin when he ran from the car to the house in just his tee shirt, insisting that Sam keep his hoodie on until they were inside. Castiel had sent Sam off to take his own hot shower with the order to lay down and rest after he was done, telling the boy that he didn't need to go to bed if he didn't want to, that Castiel was fine with him laying down on the couch in front of the television as long as he rested. Castiel dries his body and pulls on a clean pair of sweats and a soft cotton tee shirt. He raises the towel to rub at his wet hair. When he had entered the bathroom to shower, Dean had been asleep in their bed, lying on his back on top of the covers, having changed out of his uniform and into comfortable clothes of his own. Castiel knows Dean wouldn't want to miss any time with their son, but he decides to let his husband sleep, at least until he and Sam are done showering. Castiel is pulling a sweatshirt on over his head as he exits the bathroom. He lowers the neck of the sweatshirt past his face and his heart warms as he takes in the sight on the bed. Dean is still lying on his back, snoring lightly, but now Sam, changed into an old pair of pajama pants and a sleep shirt that he had left behind when he went to school, is fast asleep in the center of the bed, curled up and clutching a pillow to his chest like a small child with a teddy bear. Castiel grabs a pair of warm socks from his dresser and perches in a chair across from the bed as he pulls them on his feet. He sits for a moment, just taking in the sight of the people that he loves so dearly, both safe and sound at home. He could use the sleep, too. He had texted Naomi from the hospital this morning to let him know what was going on and that he wouldn't be in today. He had assured her that he would work from home this afternoon, and he has every intention of doing so, but he decides it won't hurt to rest for a few minutes with his family before he starts. Castiel crosses the room and, with care not to disturb his sleeping family, lays down next to Sam.

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Dean slowly stirs, his jaw stretching into a yawn. He opens his eyes to see the back of a head of brown hair a few inches from his face, hair that is distinctly not Cas's. He smiles, his heart filling with the familiar contentment he always feels at having Sammy home. Then the events of the night before come rushing back and Dean feels his stomach turn at the idea that he could have lost his brother, the kid he's been watching out for and taking care of his whole life, the person who has always had the starring role in Dean's life, giving Dean the greatest sense of purpose he has, the one person that Dean can't even begin to comprehend who he'd be if he lost. Dean lifts his head and sees Cas asleep on the other side of Sammy. Cas, his beautiful husband, is laying on his side, his handsome face relaxed and peaceful against his pillow. Dean knows that today might not be a day of fun family feels. He knows that they need to have a serious talk with Sammy about his behavior and that they need to come down kinda hard on him about what happened, for his own good. But, right now, nothing feels better than kicking off his weekend with a family cuddle. He scoots closer to Sammy, carefully bringing his chest into contact with the kid's back, two layers of sweatshirt between them. He wraps one arm around the kid in a loose spoon, the tangible weight and warmth of his little brother being the balm he needs after a long night of waiting and worrying himself stupid. Sammy is ok. Cas is ok. Everything is going to be all right.