Waking up from what feels like a very long nap, Lizzy straightens up in the passenger seat. She opens her eyes to look around, seeing it's dark out, and she immediately presses a hand to the side of her head.

"Easy, L."

She turns to her husband's voice as he drive the Impala down the highway at an impressive speed. "Ouch."

"That's what you said the first time you woke up," Dean informs her with a small, apologetic smile. "Martin got you good."

"I have a concussion," she informs him, knowing already that it's true.

"I know," he nods, grabbing a bottle of Advil from off the seat between them. He tosses it over. "Here."

Lizzy picks it up from where it landed on her lap and quickly pours out three. She pops them into her mouth and grabs the water bottle at her feet, groaning with the elevation change.

"Cass said he'll fix you up when we get back."

"You told him?" Lizzy asks with annoyance.

"I want him to fix you, so... yeah," he answers, thinking it should be obvious.

"Shit," Lizzy bitches, not wanting the angel fussing over her. "So, how's Martin?"

"How is he?" Dean wonders what she means.

"I mean, after you beat his ass for cracking me in the head, how did he fair?" Lizzy smirks over at him.

Dean grins a little. "Don't know. He was knocked out on the floor when we left."

"Dean! He's old!" Lizzy scolds him.

"And I don't give a shit," Dean answers right back. "That fucking dick hurt you. He's lucky he's still breathing."

The car gets quiet for a beat before Lizzy pushes him slightly in the shoulder and says, "Aw, my hero."

"Shut up," he laughs a little. "I get why he was so pissed but, damn... you never hit a chick like that. Especially not my chick."

"So, we just left Carencro?" Lizzy has to question, the first time she awoke in the car not having been productive. She barely spoke as she tried to fight the pain and then lost out to sleep.

"Yeah. Picked you up off the floor and ditched town."

"You didn't... make any stops or anything?" Lizzy pries further, making sure Dean stuck to his word to follow her and not go after Benny.

"No," Dean tells the truth. "We left."

Touched, she smiles. "Thank you. Dean, seriously. I know how hard that was for you. Thank you."

"Yeah, well, you made a good point. You never ask for that kind of favor. Hell, you barely ever ask for jack. When you stick your neck out, you mean it. I don't love it, but... I had to trust you on this one."

"You're growing up," Lizzy pokes a little fun.

"Day by day," Dean nods with a tiny tug at the corners of his lips. "L, I just hated what this did to us. We were at odds that whole ride down... and for what? Sam and I, we should have trusted you guys."

"So… you believe me? That Benny didn't do those kills?" Lizzy asks further.

He pauses, trying to answer the right way. "I believe that you believe he didn't do it. That'll be good enough for me."

Lizzy's heart sinks. "You don't think he didn't do it though."

"I don't know what to think," Dean admits. "I'm not exactly used to friendly monsters. But, you say he got your ass out of Purgatory so I hope he considers this me giving him the one I owe him."

"He does," Lizzy nods hard. "So do I."

Dean just nods, watching the pavement fly through the night and feeling like he's done something very wrong in letting this one go.

"I mean it," Lizzy cuts through the brief silence. "I really appreciate this."

Dean nods again and grips tighter when Lizzy's hand pulls one of his off the steering wheel. They sit like that, hands clasped between them like always when the going gets tough, until about thirty miles later when Lizzy's phone rings.

Pulling her cell from her pocket, she quickly glances at the screen and with a furrowed brow, she answers. "Benny?"

"Liz," he answers, his voice off.

"Dude?" Lizzy asks, the question clear with that one word.

"I... I tried..."

"What's happening?" Her heart is beating wildly. Benny never really loses his composure like this. He sounds terribly disturbed. "Did you leave town?" She can see Dean rapidly glancing back and forth from the road to her and back as he tries to figure out their conversation. She needs to keep her composure.

"I was two towns over when he called."

"Who?" she questions, evening her expression and sitting back in her seat, trying to appear calm.

"That hunter you were with. The one your husband had on my tail," Benny tells her. "He went to the diner. Threatened Elizabeth over the phone."

"Okay.… What happened after that?" she asks casually.

"I showed up, he said he'd kill her if I didn't let him lop my head clean off," he tells the story. "I was ready to die for her, I swear to it, Liz..."

"But?" Lizzy keeps him on track.

"But I snapped. It was fight or flight, I couldn't help it," Benny's voice shakes. "I wanted to stick to my word... I couldn't let him kill her. I... I tore him up."

Biting the inside of her cheek, Lizzy fights to keep it together. She can't tell Dean or Sam. She just can't. They'll go after Benny and kill him for sure. Fuck.

"The way she looked at me after... her eyes. My Elizabeth... she's never gonna forget that," Benny laments heavily.

"What choice did you have?" Lizzy asks, catching the look of concern on Dean's face when his head whips around to her.

"I didn't... but..."

"No buts, Benny," Lizzy explains with an even tone. "This is what had to be done. You had to leave town. You had to put the bad guy down and ditch. I'm sorry you're leaving your family behind but..."

"Had to be done," he finishes for her.

"Exactly."

"He's with you, huh?" Benny guesses with the way she carefully speaks to him.

"We're on our way back home to see our little guy," she smiles a mile wide, ready to get home after this disaster of a trip.

"You hold him tight, you hear?" Benny instructs.

"Always," she promises. "Um... Benny?"

"Yeah?"

"I think... I'm sorry. I am. But I think it's best for everyone in my family if... we maybe don't speak from here on out," she feels her throat closing with sorrow for having to do this. "Maybe only call in extreme emergencies?"

"You cutting me out?" Benny asks, knowing already she is and why.

"I don't want to," her voice cracks and eyes water. "You know I owe you so much..."

"We're even," Benny forgives. "Don't you worry about me, Liz. I can handle myself. You just be with your family. Go find that happiness we always used to talk about."

A tear falls. "You're better than most, Benny boy."

"Nah, you just hit a soft spot."

The line goes dead right then. Lizzy knows he hung up to make it easier.

She drops her phone in her lap and wipes her face. She sniffles once and controls herself, looking at the road.

"Did you mean that?" Dean asks after giving her a few seconds.

"Yeah." she nods. "You need to trust me. And I don't want him dead by you. Or Sam."

Dean nods, feeling a little lighter. They can manage if Benny's out of communications. They can make it work.

Eye closes, Lizzy speaks up as she knows she has to. Dean and Sam will be scouring news papers and news sites for vamp kills still because Benny's still alive. "I have to tell you something."

"Crap," Dean comments. "What?"

"After we left, Benny was already on the road. He was two towns over... when Martin went guano."

Dean's face drops. "Meaning?"

"He threatened Benny and his great great granddaughter."

"What happened, L?" Dean asks in his stern, serious voice.

"Martin shouldn't have done that," she explains. "He threatened to kill someone, a human. Benny defender both her and himself..."

"What happened!?" Dean shouts as she stalls.

"Martin's dead," she blurts it out.

The silence is killing her as Dean drives on. The only thing that gives him away is the clenched jaw. He's fighting not to lose it over this.

"He had no choice…."

"Don't," Dean sharply responds.

"Martin wasn't fit to hunt anymore…."

"Don't blame this on Martin!" Dean shouts at her with pure fire. "A hunter is dead because you couldn't kill a vamp! What the hell, Lizzy!?"

"A hunter is dead because you put a hunter that couldn't handle the job anymore on a vampire that wasn't a threat!" she quickly returns with.

"He's a monster!"

"He's my friend!"

"Stop it!" Dean breaks the already building argument right then. "Just… stop. Okay? Give it a rest for a second."

Lizzy quiets herself, keeping it all to herself when she knows he's right. When they fight like this and they let the heat and anger get to them, they only end up hurting each other and solving nothing.

"Let's get through to Dallas first. We'll take a break, grab some food, then we talk. Let this shit calm down before we make it worse."

Lizzy nods instantly. "Okay. I can do that."

"Good," Dean relieves.

"Good," Lizzy echoes, looking over to him.

And they drive on.

"Home sweet home," Lou says over her shoulder to her brother as they pull into their modest house in Kansas. Putting the Mustang in park, Lou turns off the engine and looks back at Derek's squished form in the backseat. "Sorry for the lack of room."

"It's fine… just get me outta here," Derek laughs.

Lou rushes out of the car and pulls her seat forward to let him out. Sam gets out of the passenger side and heads for the trunk for their few bags.

"I can't believe you have this old thing," Derek mentions, looking at the Mustang again once he's out of it. "That's nuts, Louie."

"Hey, Mac was a great dude and he made a promise," Lou reminds him of the former owner. Lou and their father did all the restoration work on the Mustang for him and he promised, after he saw the care and love she held for it, that he would leave it to her in his will. "He was a man of his word."

"May he rest in peace," Derek smiles and then looks around himself on the front lawn of a two story house. He checks out the porch with the rocking chair and Big Wheel on it. And he sees the chalk drawing on the driveway they just drove over. And then he inhales deep, the air clean and fresh. "So this is Kansas?"

"This is it," Lou nods. "There's a Target about a hundred miles that way," she points to the west. "And the nearest grocery store wouldn't know what an avocado is if it bit them in the ass, but hey… it's home."

"You've lived like this for over a year?" Derek disbelieves.

"You get used to it," she shrugs. "I thought I'd hate it too, but… I'm cool with it."

"You're so different now," Derek laughs at her and goes to pull his arm around her shoulders but stops when he hears a loud, young voice.

"Auntie Louie!"

A small boy tries to get down the front steps as fast as he can, one step at a time. His green canvas jacket and spiky hair make Derek smile a little. He looks like a shrunken adult. And he's damn cute.

"My dude!" Lou yells right back and bolts for him. They meet halfway across the small yet green front yard and Lou scoops him up easily. She swings him around a few times as he giggles loudly. "Ugh! I missed my little man! How did it go with Cassie?"

"Good!" Sammy grins wide. "We goed to the park and we colored and we eated pizza a lot!"

"Ha! We won't tell mommy about the too much pizza, okay?"

"Okay," Sammy shrugs.

"Hey," Sam laughs a bit as he catches up to them.

"Uncle Sam!" Sammy nearly screams and leans out away from Lou, practically diving onto his uncle.

"Wow! Good to see you, too," Sam grins. "Sammy, we want you to meet someone." He points to Lou's brother who had been hanging back a bit. "That is Derek."

"Hi," Sammy says to him, tucking his head under Sam's chin and getting shy.

"Hi there, Sammy," Derek awkwardly hold his hand out to the young man formally.

Sammy doesn't take it.

"Shake his hand, man," Sam tells his nephew, nudging him a little. "This is your uncle."

Sammy's head whips up and looks at Sam. "You my uncle."

"Yes, I'm your Uncle Sam. But this guy is your Uncle Derek. He's Auntie Lou's brother. He's our family."

Sammy's face looks confused.

"Yeah, I know. Just shake his hand and give him a chance. He's a good guy. And I heard he likes playing with cars just like you do."

Sammy smiles a little and looks back at Derek with less timidity. He reaches out and holds the still proffered hand.

"It's so nice to meet you, Sammy," Derek smiles wide and genuinely.

Sammy just grins back.

"Cass! Hey!" Lou calls over to the angel standing on the porch, watching the family speak to one another. "Come over here! I want you to meet someone!"

Without hesitation, Castiel walks down the step of the porch and heads for the group, his eyes narrowing on the newcomer he's never met before.

"Cass, this is…."

"Derek Becker," Castiel nods at her bother, holding a hand out to him.

"Uh… yeah, actually." Lou laughs oddly, still getting used to the angel.

Castiel stares at Derek, waiting for him to shake his hand. Reluctantly, the man does so.

"I would know the younger half brother of Elizabeth just by sight," Castiel explains, locking his eyes onto Derek's and make the man very uncomfortable when his free hand encloses Derek's. "It is a pleasure to meet you. I never actually thought we would properly meet, so I'm happy for this opportunity."

Derek's eye blow wide. "Uh… wow, ha." He takes his hand back. "Anyone ever tell you that you can be a little intense?"

"Often, actually,"Castiel nods with his very dry and truthful response.

"No kidding," Derek laughs. "So, you're… who?"

"Castiel," he tells him.

"You're… an angel?" Derek asks skeptically. This guy, with his trench coat and odd ways, is an almighty angel from Heaven?

"I am," Castiel nods once. "Though, not a good one I hate to inform you."

"Screw that," Sam cuts in. "Cass is a good guy. You can trust him. He's family."

"Well, Lizzy left her kid with him so I guess he has to be good," Derek smiles, not sure how to feel about anything.

Castiel looks at Sammy and sighs. "Honestly, I have a new-found respect for parents. These few days have been… eventful."

"We gonna go to the zoo!" Sammy bursts out with.

"Ah, that was if no one returned home today," Castiel stipulates. "And Sam and Lou have made it home. Why don't we take the day to be together and wait for your mother to go to the zoo?"

"I no wanna wait!" Sammy whines loudly.

"I believe your father would have plenty to say to you about that whining, young man," Castiel lightly warns the boy. "We are still going. Just not today. We should go clean up the house before your parents return and never trust me ever again."

Sammy sulks in Sam's arms as everyone starts heading into the house. Sam stays on the front lawn for a few moments longer, getting a little time with Sammy in. "Hey… how bad is the house? Did you wreck it?"

"It messy," Sammy just shrugs a little.

"So, it's trashed," Sam assumes now. "How did Cassie do? Did you have fun?"

"He a good babysitter," Sammy tells his uncle with honesty. "We goed to the park and I played with my friend there. And Cassie talked to my friend's mommy until she got all mad and leaved."

"How did Cassie make your friend's mommy mad?"

Sammy shrugs, having no idea.

"Hm. Guess I'll just have to ask Cassie myself then." Sam smiles to himself, excited for the true story behind Sammy's explanation. "I missed you, kid."

"Miss you too, Uncle Sam," Sammy tells him and puckers up, kissing Sam like he does his family all the time.

Sam grins and his heart melts, just like every time Sammy does this. He's a loving child, filled with positive and happiness. "Okay, let's go inside."

Sam puts his nephew down and the child bolts into the house. Sam's left there alone for a couple seconds and he lets everything hit him. That will never be for him. That moment, a child showing affection and love for him, will never be his own.

He'll never have children.

As much as he's already accepted that, already knew even though he's brought it up several times, it's like a fresh wound. They're going to create the ultimate evil if they ever actually have a child. He and Lou cannot be parents.

Biting the need to shed some tears for his loss, Sam sucks it up and heads for the house once he grabs all the bags from the Mustang. Moving forward. That's all they can do.

"Ugh…" Dean complains as he rubs his stomach through his t-shirt, walking towards the Impala.

"I told you not to eat so much," Lizzy scolds as she smirks a little at him. The time they took was good. Maybe Dean figured something out about them as a couple. They need to cut the heated shouting dead in its tracks and wait a moment. They need to stop, calm, and focus on something else like getting food and preparing to be cordial and kind to each other. Hell, she's even hopeful that they can get through this without yelling at all.

"Pie," Dean answers in one syllable, taking his keys out of his jeans pocket to unlock the passenger side door for his wife once they reach the parking spot in front of the roadside diner that the car is sitting in.

"Yeah, I get it," she rolls her eyes at him and stops before getting into the open car door. "Want me to drive?"

"No," Dean immediately brushes off.

"You really think, with six full slices of pie in your stomach, that you can drive the rest of the way home without falling asleep?"

Dean stops and thinks for all of five full seconds. "Nah. You have a concussion," he says and gestures to the open car door. "I'll be fine."

"Don't drive if you get sleepy," Lizzy warns strongly.

"I'd never put Baby at risk," Dean counters and with an eye roll she drops into the passenger seat. He shoves the door shut with a squeal and slam.

"She's not a fucking person," Lizzy bitches under her breath as Dean walks around the back bumper to the driver's side. "Should be more worried about hurting your wife…."

Once on the road, Lizzy waits a full five minutes before jumping into it. When they have issues hanging over their relationship, Lizzy needs it sorted out as soon as she can and she's been patient.

"I cut ties with Benny for good," she starts. "And I meant it. We're not speaking anymore. He's on his own, I'm with you. End of story."

"That doesn't bring Martin back." Dean's eyes are hard on the road, never ready to talk but ready to get this over with.

"I know." Lizzy's heart aches a little at that reminder. "And this wasn't at all the intended outcome I planned for this whole mess. I thought for sure, when I left Benny and we had a plan for him to leave, that was going to be the end of it. I didn't know just how unhinged Martin had become after the life finally got to him."

"He was pretty fucked in the head," Dean comments, agreeing. Martin was in a much worse place mentally than he's assumed when Sam suggested putting him on Benny.

"Very. What he must have seen in his lifetime…."

"No worse than what we've seen," Dean comments to her.

"Not a contest. And he wasn't prophesied like us so he probably wasn't made to withstand it all."

"Touche," Dean agrees. He then glances at Lizzy and sighs. "Look, this whole thing has been a fucking disaster and I'm willing to admit that… maybe choosing Martin to… follow Benny was a… bad idea."

"Thank you for saying that!" Lizzy gets excited, angling her body to him. "Dean, I really appreciate that you can admit to that."

"Okay, okay… this isn't a therapy session," he bitches right back.

"Sorry, but that was really big of you. I was impressed. It made me love you more," Lizzy smiles at him with adoration.

"Ugh, stop," Dean complains more, gripping his stomach and hunching over a bit. "My stomach is already sick enough."

"Glutton," Lizzy comments quietly. "And… I know this whole relationship I have with a vampire is hard to swallow. And I know that if I were you, if you were friends with a vamp… I wouldn't be very trusting either. Not that I wouldn't trust you, but I wouldn't trust him. I get your perspective and I should have been a little more… patient. And understanding." She takes a deep breath and huffs out some stubbornness. "And you were right. Benny ended up killing someone. He won't do it again, because I cut ties and I won't fuck up his affairs and put him in that position again. I… was supposed to help him and… Fuck. Just… fuck."

Dean takes a moment to look over at Lizzy. She's shaking her head, brow lowered with concern and massive amounts of guilt.

"You're not taking this okay," Dean says with certainty.

"I put blood on his hands," Lizzy gets a little choked up. "Benny was clean. He never killed. He fights his natural drive every day… it's so hard for him to live like that but he does it because he wanted to go legit and he promised me he would. He did that for me and… he had to kill because of me."

"Don't do that crap," Dean cuts her off. "Lizzy, we put the wrong guy on Benny. It was me and Sam. Don't blame yourself for that."

"But I could have…."

"You always do the could-have game. I always tell you to stop. Does Benny blame you?"

"I don't think so. No."

"Then shut up about it. He's in the wind. Shit we can't change happened. You're done with him. All of it… it's over. Don't over think what will end up making you go just as nuts as Martin is. Was. Ugh, my stomach…."

The slip up doesn't make her feel all that great, but she feels better. Dean's been trying to make her calm down, stop the over-thinking, and let go of the shit she can't do anything to change. It's been very helpful. She's never had someone try and help her like that. The year she was gone did Dean some good. He truly grew up and is becoming the man he was always meant to be.

A man that overeats at a pie bar at 9:00 am and regrets it while whining like a child.

"Are we okay?" Lizzy has to ask, locking eyes with him quickly before watching the road again. "Like, can we get past this? Can you accept that I'm linked to a vampire because I can accept that you had a moment where you didn't trust me… even if it was well-intentioned because you wanted me to be safe."

"If you promise to not say the word pie until we pull into the driveway… then yes. I can put it behind us."

Lizzy smiles and reaches across the seat, rubbing his very full belly. "Poor baby."

"Ugh, hurts so much," Dean just lets her sooth him as he whines even more.

"You're insane," she gets a good laugh at him, all the while never stopping rubbing his stomach.

"Just get us home," he tells her with a short tone. "And keep doing that."

"Home. I can't wait to get home," Lizzy says to him with excitement. "I missed my little man."

"Me too," Dean admits, driving on. "And I missed our bed."

"Yes!" Lizzy agrees hard. "I missed being home."

Dean glances at her, a smile threatening his face. "You did?"

"Yeah," Lizzy smiles, moving over in the bench seat to be closer. "Why wouldn't I?"

"I don't know," Dean starts. "You kinda… weren't exactly comfortable at our house at first."

"I was adjusting from Purgatory," Lizzy reminds him.

"I know that, but… I just… it's good to hear you say home. And that you want to be there."

Lizzy smiles and lays down across the front seat, her head in his lap.

"Hey now," Dean jokes with excitement when her face is so close to his crotch. "Am I getting lucky?"

"Oh, so lucky," Lizzy slickly returns, reaching under his shirt.

"Oh, god… yeah," Dean groans when she starts rubbing his stomach skin to skin. "That's so… good."

Lizzy laughs at his pornographic sounds as she innocently rubs his overstuffed stomach. "You can't eat like this anymore, Hot Shot. You're not a kid anymore."

"You're not a kid anymore," he returns with, acting very much like a kid.

"I'm serious," Lizzy ignores his lame line. "You're gonna get a gut."

"No I'm not," Dean denies hardily right away.

"Honestly… you already kinda do," she giggles at him.

"What!?" Dean gets offended instantly.

"Dude, you didn't hunt for a whole year. You never work out. You drink and eat all the time… and you're getting older. Metabolism can only take you so far."

"Did you just call me fat!?" Dean asks with appalled anger.

"No!" she keeps giggling. "Just… chubby."

"What the fuck!?" Dean gets outright mad, trying to pull her hand away from his stomach.

"Oh, stop!" Lizzy says while pressing her hand to his skin again. "Your dad bod is cute!"

"I'm not cute! What the hell is a dad bod!?" Dean looks down with pure fear and insult written into his expression.

"It's a dad body. You know, like how dads don't have time to work out and let themselves go a little bit."

"I'm not letting myself go!"

"Dude, I take it all back," Lizzy tries to calm him and lifts his shirt up a little. She kisses his tummy and drops her head back into his lap while once more rubbing. "I love your body. I wasn't complaining."

"Then why say it?" Dean bitches grumpily.

"I don't know," Lizzy shrugs. "Just being honest. Isn't that what we do with each other these days? Be honest?"

Dean wants to fight back but he can't. She has a good point. "I'm still hot."

"The hottest man I've ever seen," she smiles and shuts her eyes, settling in. "I'm more than lucky to get to fuck you whenever I want."

"Damn straight," Dean tries for confidence but fails. "You going to sleep?"

"Yeah. Head hurts still."

"Need more pills?"

"No. Just get me to Cass."

Dean nods and keeps driving. His head is still running her words over and over again. "Seriously though… still hot?"

"Baby, I have to beat them off with a stick daily. You're smoking hot and you're all mine."

Dean smirks to himself and lets her sleep, knowing she's being truthful. He knows, even if he gained a hundred pounds, she wouldn't go anywhere or be less attracted to him. He's got himself a good one.

Looking down at Lizzy's form, already asleep with her injury, he evaluates her body. She's incredible still. The pregnancy, the injuries, the wear and tear… she's better looking now than ever. He's never wanted her more than now. How did she do that?

Right. Purgatory.

And then he peers at her hand, now still but remaining on his stomach. He gently pull her hand out of his shirt and places it by her side.

Shit. He's got dad bod.

"You sure you're good?" Lou asks for the hundredth time, fixing the pullout sofa in the living room once more as Derek is already laying in it.

"Louie! Go to bed! Leave me alone!" Derek finally shouts, having dealt with this crap since they arrived at the house.

"Sorry!" Lou gives up with frustration. "Just trying to make sure you're fine. I mean, you just gave up your life and now here you are, sleeping on a shit excuse for a mattress in the middle of a living room littered with Matchbox cars."

Derek sits up and stares her down. "I'm fine. I'm happy to be here. This mattress sucks but I'll live and you need to get some sleep. Go to bed. I'll be fine."

"Alright," Lou just shakes her head. "You're still so fucking difficult."

"Bite me, sis," Derek grins.

"See you tomorrow, ass face," Lou smiles back and walks out of the room, but not before throwing a pillow and hitting her little brother in the face.

"You suck!" Derek yells to her as she climbs the stairs.

"You suck more!"

Derek grins wide. He missed that. He missed his sister terribly. And he's so excited and grateful to have her back. The situation is beyond fucked, her life is scary, he just jumped off a ledge and left everything he knew behind… and he's never been more excited.

He has a nephew. He has his half-sister on her way to see him. He has an instant family now, one he thought he'd lost forever, one he thought was dead and gone until recently.

Even now, even with the truth spelled out and the world caving in on him… he's happier than he's been in a long time.

"You seem to be in good spirits."

"Shit!" Derek shouts as a voice cuts through the silence in the room. He whips his head to the recliner and sees Castiel sitting there. "What the fuck!? Where did you come from?"

"I see you share a similar vocabulary with your sisters," Castiel comments, looking at Derek with seriousness.

"I do when people creep up on me like that. The hell did you come from?"

"I was always here. I just chose to not allow you to see me until now," Castiel explains plainly. "And I am not people."

"I'm getting that," Derek tells him. They sit there for a moment, the silence awkward. "I'm gonna go to sleep now."

"Alright," Castiel nods and settles into the recliner, his eyes staring off at the opposite wall. He doesn't move.

Derek quickly gets weirded out. "You just gonna sit there?"

"I usual do, yes," Castiel answers. "I remain invisible most nights, to not make people uncomfortable. Dean tells me it can be off-putting at times."

"Really?" Derek sarcastically replies.

"Yes."

"Would never have guessed," Derek tells him insincerely. "Cass, would you mind finding somewhere else to stare off into the distance for the night? I've never really slept in the same house as a nonhuman, so…."

"Say no more," Castiel answers, standing up. "I understand. I will seek solace elsewhere."

"I appreciate that. I don't want to put you out or anything…."

"No. I should probably be finding my independence once more, going out on my own again. It's been… difficult since I returned from Purgatory. I've possibly grown too attached to this place."

"I can see that being a problem," Derek nods, going with it. He's been given too much information in the past day to iron out what Castiel's issues might be at this point.

"I'll leave you now. Have a good night," Castiel nods once and with a flap of wings and a breeze blowing through the room, Castiel vanishes.

Derek jumps a little. "Fucking… what the hell!?" he freaks out a little with the display.

A deep breath in, hands running through his hair, Derek lets the moment go. He has to let these types of things roll off his back now. He has to… if he's going to assimilate. And become a real part of this family.

And become a hunter.

Derek lays down, pulls the blankets over him and starts making inventory of what he needs to accomplish. He needs to work out harder. Like, Sam harder. Whatever the hell that guy is doing is working. And he needs to learn how to fight. And shoot a gun. And load a gun. And probably learn about all the monsters and whatnot out there, how to kill them. And he needs to know how to use weapons, like a knife. And Sam mentioned something about salt, he should probably ask about that…. And… demons are real. And after… his sister….

Derek falls asleep mid-thought. He's exhausted.

Thank you for your patience, everyone. I adore you guys! So much to come with this story!