*Two weeks later*

"So when do I get to meet Castiel?" Charlie asked as Dean handed her a beer. "You want to meet Cas?

"Of course," she said. "As your self-appointed bestie, I'm duty bound to meet him."

The corner of Dean's mouth twitched. "Duty bound, huh?" He flopped onto the couch next to her and popped open his own beer.

"Of course, it's right there in the handbook. The bestie must meet and approve all potential boyfriends."

Dean almost did a spit-take. He sat forward and wiped at the dribble of beer on his chin. "Whoa, hey, don't go throwing the B word around - Cas and I are just friends."

Charlie rolled her eyes dramatically. "Pah-leese. I know you like him and he sounds perfect for you. Just let me meet him. It can be totally casual, we'll throw you a cast-off party or something next week. Please?" She batted her eyelids.

Dean sighed in defeat. "Fine. Just try to be cool, ok? He's kind of… shy isn't the right word. Unenthusiastic about meeting new people."

"It's a deal." Charlie grinned. "Man, you break easy, Winchester. I thought I'd have to fight you way harder on this."

Dean shrugged. "I know when I'm outmatched."

"Good. That saves time." Charlie took a triumphant swig of beer. "By the way, have you heard anything else about the fire since Cas dropped that Potential Arson bombshell?"

"Uh, yes and no. I haven't heard anything new, but I've been looking into the cold cases my dad worked on."

"Really? How?"

"His old partner, Ellen. I got in touch with her and she forwarded me some stuff. Old reports and witness statements and some of Dad's notes."

"Is that… legal?"

"Probably not, but she said the case always bugged her and she's glad to have fresh eyes on it, even if they're off the books."

"Cool, so you're like an outlaw maverick private investigator now."

Dean snorted. "You read too many books. I'm just curious. It probably won't come to anything. What am I suddenly gonna find that a team of professionals couldn't in the last couple decades?"

Charlie shrugged. "You never know. I have a feeling if this guy's out there you'll be the one to find him. It's like fate or something."

Dean snorted. "I don't believe in fate."

"Spoken like every hero in every story who has a great destiny. You don't have to believe in it, that's kind of the point. But hey, let me know if I can help. I've got mad hacking skills - might come in handy if you need to get your hands on more restricted police files."

"I'll keep that in mind, Charlie."

**000**

Castiel adjusted his tie for the dozenth time and glanced nervously at the clock. Hannah should be there any minute, still leaving him an extra half hour before the hearing, just in case. His stomach knotted and he took a few deep, calming breaths. Their lawyers would be doing most of the talking, but Cas still had to sit in a room with his father and attest that he is the one who should be raising Luke's daughter. The prospect was daunting to say the least. Dr. Charles Castiel had the authoritative presence of a king and an IQ to rival NASA scientists. Cas had never won an argument with the man, nor could he recall anyone else having done so. He just prayed his lawyer was up to the task. She should be, given that she charged a small fortune.

He heard the front door open and close and Hannah called up, "Jimmy, I'm here!"

Relief flooded through Cas, followed quickly by dread. Time to go.

He took one more look in the mirror, wishing he'd ironed his suit more carefully, then sighed in resignation and headed downstairs.

Hannah smiled when she saw him. "Hey, babe, you look good! Nervous, but good." She smoothed his lapels fondly.

"I should have creased the seams in my pants," Cas said. "He'll notice and he'll use it against me."

"Just walk in behind your lawyer and sit down right away. You'll be fine." She patted his shoulder and went into the living room where Lily was lounging in her playpen. "Hey, baby girl!" Hannah picked her up and kissed her temple. "You heading out right away?" she asked Cas.

"Yes."

"Alright, well you'll probably beat your lawyer there, so go get coffee or something when you arrive. Don't just sit there quietly psyching yourself out, okay?"

"Okay."

"And don't let Charles bait you into a fight, this is about Lily, not you two and your baggage."

"I'll try."

She hugged him as he headed out. "Go get 'em."

Hannah knew him too well. He got coffee like she suggested (decaf because he was jittery enough as-is) and tried to distract himself by reading news articles on his phone, but it wasn't working. His mind kept running scenarios of all the ways this hearing could go terribly wrong and he was helpless to stop his own thoughts. He kept trying to push them away and focus on what he was reading, but he couldn't get through a whole paragraph without interruption. Cas finally put away his phone and decided to think through a different scenario in his mind and hope he could keep focused on that. The subjects of work and Lily were too relevant, so he decided to think about Dean.

They only had a handful of sessions left before the cast came off, so Cas mentally ran through his checklist of what exercises to focus on before and after its removal. They'd stopped using the pool recently and Cas was pleased with how well Dean's leg was handling his weight outside the water. His main concern now was Dean pushing himself too far too fast and relapsing. It was a real problem with athletes and, Cas guessed, firefighters. Dean was tenacious in their sessions and pushed through near unimaginable pain to get the results he wanted with barely a grimace. Cas was getting good at reading his subconscious tells to determine when they needed to ease up. He suspected the minute that cast came off Dean would be rushing to return to his job, when the reality was that it could still be weeks before they could be sure the bone was strong enough. He decided they would start with more prolonged, low-impact exercise like cycling in addition to their regular sessions and go from there.

Thinking about Dean's treatment plan worked to calm and distract Cas and before he knew it his lawyer had arrived and it was nearly time for the hearing.

"Dr. Castiel?" She asked as she approached him.

"Just Castiel is fine. Good to see you, Ms. Gray."

"Naomi, if we're being casual. Do you want to go over any of the points we discussed before the room opens up?"

"No, thank you. I'm confident in your abilities to speak on my behalf."

"Good, this should go very smoothly, then."

And it did, at first.

Cas managed to look his dad in the eye, sit across from him, and answer the magistrate's yes-or-no questions without issue. He even kept his cool when Charles' lawyer brought up his failed marriage like that was somehow relevant. But then the smug bastard went after Dean. Cas' fists clenched and his face started to get red as the lawyer recounted Charles' discovery of Dean in Cas' office with absurd embellishments and exaggerations. Naomi sat there quietly and listened, which a tiny corner of Cas' brain knew was what she should do, but the bigger, louder part insisted that she was useless and complicit and he should take matters into his own hands.

"Upon further investigation," the lawyer was saying, "We have found Dean Winchester to be not only unqualified as a childcare professional, but an unsavory person of disreputable familial affiliations and a history of violence."

"That's bullshit!" Cas exclaimed, surprising everyone including himself.

"Mr. Castiel, please compose yourself," said the magistrate. "Ms. Gray, does your client need to take a moment outside?"

"It's doctor Castiel," Cas said under his breath, even though he didn't actually care. Suddenly everyone in this room was the enemy.

"No, sir, and I apologize." Naomi put her hand on Cas' sleeve and said quietly but firmy, "Let me handle this." She folded her hands in front of her and fixed the other lawyer with an icy stare. "Were you quite finished, Marv?"

Marv crossed his arms and sat back in his chair. "I think I made my point." He smirked at Castiel.

Naomi took a breath and began her counter argument. "Firstly, Dean Winchester is not the person currently seeking custody of the child in question, but if the unfortunate pasts of my client's acquaintances are the best argument there is against his qualifications as a caregiver, then so be it. Mr. Winchester is not a certified childcare provider, that's true, but he's also not employed as one by Dr. Castiel. He simply babysits from time to time, which is perfectly normal and legal. Additionally, he does have CPR certification as per the requirements of his very reputable and heroic occupation. As for his family, none of us can choose who we're related to. As I understand it, his brother is now clean and thriving and his father was never brought up on criminal charges. Lastly, the only history of violence my colleague could possibly be referring to is the occasion upon which Dean and his associate intervened on behalf of a woman being harassed in a bar and received a night in jail for their trouble, which is, in my opinion, not a red flag, but rather a testament to his already established heroism." She paused to let her words sink in.

Cas smiled quietly to himself and took great pleasure in the sour look of defeat on Marv's face. Charles' face, infuriatingly, was stoic. Cas felt a sudden surge of hatred that surprised him. All his life he'd admired his father and sought to emulate him. Even when he grew up and began to see his father for the flawed human being that he was, there was still a strong sense of respect and loyalty. Their relationship had become strained in more recent years since Luke left and Castiel's marriage ended, but it wasn't until this moment that Cas realized just how cold things had become between them. It seemed the elder Dr. Castiel viewed his children as extensions of himself and therefore only valued them as long as their reflections of him were favorable. Charles' love was not unconditional, and in fact, now seemed impossible to earn.

As Naomi continued her arguments, focusing on Cas' good qualities and the positive improvements he'd made to Lily's quality of life, Cas realized with a sinking feeling that whatever the outcome of this custody battle, his relationship with his father was over. If he'd ever had the man's respect, it was gone now. Cas had failed to meet expectations before, but the fact that his dad was fighting him for Lily was proof that Cas was now officially not good enough. Charles didn't really want to raise another child, he just didn't trust Cas to do it. He was probably kicking himself for not trying to take her from Luke years ago. No one was worthy to raise his grandchild; his last chance at a legacy that he could be proud of. Spite rose like bile in his throat as Cas realized this whole ordeal was essentially about Charles' ego. He resolved there and then that he would stop at nothing to win custody of Lily and to make sure she had all of the affection and freedom that he never had growing up.

"In conclusion," Naomi was saying, "Given the bond that has formed between my client and his niece, to remove her from his care now would be not only unnecessary, but potentially harmful to her emotional well-being."

"Thank you, Ms. Gray," said the magistrate. "I will review the evidence presented today and you will each be informed when the next hearing is scheduled. My preliminary ruling is that the child will remain where she is at present. This session is now closed."

Marv whispered something to Charles, who shook his head angrily and got up to leave. Cas didn't move until Naomi touched his arm, startling him from his musings.

"Castiel? It's over for today."

"Oh, yes, thank you. Did we win?"

Something akin to a smile flitted across her stony face. "Yes, I suppose we did, despite your outburst. Next time…"

"It won't happen again. I promise."

"I should hope not. Go home, Castiel. I'll speak to you soon." She shook his hand and gathered her papers to leave. Cas turned in his chair to look at her.

"Ms… Naomi."

"Yes?"

"Thanks for what you said about Dean. And about me, I guess."

She stared at him for a moment, her face unreadable. "It's my job, Castiel," she said at last. Nothing I said was untrue." She gave him a polite nod and left.

Castiel took another moment to compose his thoughts and then stood and headed for the elevators to the lobby.

"James."

Cas turned as he reached the elevators to see that his father had waited to ambush him.

He steeled himself for a fight. "Charles."

"I hope you didn't see that farce in there as a victory," Charles growled. "So it was decided you're not dangerous enough to take the child from immediately, it means nothing. You won't win full custody. I promise you that."

"And why not, Dad?" Cas put his hands in pockets to keep them from shaking. "Why are you putting me through all this? Putting Lily through it? You never seemed too concerned about her before."

"I've always been concerned for her, and rightfully so, as it turns out. It's my duty as her grandfather to ensure that she has the best possible care and you… you can't give that to her."

"Why not?" Castiel feared the answer, but he had to ask. He hoped with his last shred of love for his dad that he was wrong and they could find a way to reconcile.

"You know why."

"Say it."

"Alright, James. I don't want my granddaughter being raised by someone with your questionable morals. Your lifestyle choice simply isn't appropriate for young children." His voice dripped with condescension and self-righteousness. "I'd hoped that employing you would keep you on the right path after what happened, but your vulgar display today confirmed my suspicions about you and your… friend, Winchester."

It hurt so much more than he'd expected to finally hear it out loud.

"I'm sorry you feel that way," Cas said after taking a breath to calm himself. "But homosexuality is not a moral failing, Dad. I hope you know it's also not a valid reason to sue someone for custody." Cas was feeling a little bolder now that it was all put in the open at last. He took a step forward and Charles visibly flinched. "And just so you know, I'm not sleeping with Dean. So you can stop picturing it every time you look at me."

Cas pushed past Charles and took the stairs without looking back.

At home, he ignored Hannah's questions to scoop Lily up in a tight hug.

"You don't ever have to hide who you are," he promised her. "Uncle J loves you, no matter what."

**000**

Dean's shoulder lightly brushed against the wall as he crept down the hallway, machete glinting in the sparse moonlight seeping in through damaged shutters. He cleared the last room on his left and was hit with a wave of deja vu as his eyes focused on the final door at the end of the hall. There's something bad in there, he thought. Don't go in. But he had to. It was so important, the whole reason he was here, even if the finer details on why were a little fuzzy. Turning back was just not an option.

His heart beat faster as he got closer and he pushed down the panic with forcedly even breaths. His vision began to tunnel the closer he got to the end. That feeling of deja vu wasn't gone, but had morphed into the similar sensation that accompanies recurring dreams. He knew if he focused he may be able to change the outcome of the dream, but it would be difficult. Teetering on the edge of lucidity, Dean fought the fears that tried to drag him back down into helpless unconsciousness.

At last he reached the door. The bad thing was in there and he had to kill it this time. Dean gripped his weapon in both hands and lunged into the room swinging. The monster didn't immediately jump at him this time and the room was filled with smoke. Dean squinted and coughed as he continued to chop the air, desperately hoping to hit his mark and confused at the change in scenario. The smoke thickened and the room started to get unbearably hot. There was a whoosh and a thump as something big dropped from the ceiling and landed behind him. Dean spun with his machete outstretched. A blackened hand reached out and grabbed the blade, stopping its trajectory.

"Dean…" a deep voice said menacingly. Through the smoke he could make out two glowing yellow eyes. "Dean!" The knife was ripped from hands and the force of it threw him to the floor. "DEAN!" The voice changed in pitch and intonation as Dean felt himself shifting violently toward consciousness. He knew that voice...

"Benny?" Dean felt a hand on his arm trying to pull him up. "Is this a dream?" Dean asked. He seemed to be in his bed now, but the room was still hot and smoky.

"Move your ass, Winchester."

Benny pulled him to his feet and shoved him toward the window. Smoke was pouring in from under his closed bedroom door. Dean struggled to breathe as he tugged at the window, but it was latched. "Dammit." The windows in this place were so old and painted over they were a bitch to get open in the best of circumstances. He couldn't even remember which direction he needed to push the latch in to open it, so he started trying to work it back and forth, coughing against the smoke and straining to focus through the residual panic from his night terror. The latch was stuck fast and Dean was quickly overtaken by a coughing fit and dropped to his knees.

He glanced around helplessly and screamed, "Benny!"

He couldn't see him anywhere, but the stool by his desk suddenly flew across the room and shattered the window above Dean's head. Mustering all his strength and will, Dean hauled himself up and over the window ledge, flipping out onto his lawn. He leaned back against the house, grasping fistfuls of cool grass and taking heaving, stuttering breaths of fresh air as the sirens wailing in the distance grew closer.