Chapter Three

A few days later, they were all sitting in the library of the bunker. The room was cozy in a way and could seat more than three people. Dean and Castiel sat on one side of the table, Sam and Eileen on the other, and Jack, visiting them once again, sat at the head of the table. Sam and Eileen were reading, Jack was using Sam's laptop to expand his research skills, and Dean and Castiel - well, they were reading too, but holding hands under the table. Dean's right hand was in Castiel's left, fingers intertwined.

It had become early evening by now and Dean, who had promised to take care of dinner tonight, would have to get up soon if they wanted to eat before midnight. But Dean didn't want to get up at all, because he would have to let go of Castiel's hand. He exhaled audibly, and because it sounded slightly frustrated, everyone looked at him.
"What is it?" asked Sam, but Dean just rolled his eyes. Then he stood up and walked away towards the kitchen. Once there, he quietly turned on the radio and began to prepare dinner. There would be pasta with tomato sauce and meatballs, and he would even prepare a salad for Sam and Eileen.

Minutes later, he heard footsteps approaching the kitchen. Since they weren't his brother's heavy footsteps, he relaxed a little. He didn't want to talk to Sam about his feelings now, especially because then he would also have to tell him what was really going on between him and Castiel. And he wasn't ready for that yet. He just couldn't, even though he knew Sam (or Eileen) would be the last one to blame him for anything.

Dean was just about to try the sauce, when two arms wrapped around his waist from behind. Castiel put his head down and looked over Dean's shoulder down into the pot. Dean stopped stirring and leaned his head back to the side so that their temples were now touching.
"Where's Sam?" asked Dean quietly.
"He's still in the library with Eileen," Castiel answered just as quietly. "The three of them are still reading." Castiel swayed them both from side to side a little.
"Cas, you have to let me keep going here. Otherwise, it's going to be obvious."
"So what," Castiel murmured, kissing Dean's neck. Dean cocked his head to the side, closed his eyes, and let Castiel.

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Then they heard a clearing of the throat. Dean froze and Castiel pressed his arms a little tighter around Dean. They both held their breath, not having heard the footsteps of the person now standing in the kitchen with them.

"Cas, Dean." It was Jack, and Dean somehow exhaled in relief. "Cas, you said you were going to go help Dean. What are you helping him with?" Castiel broke away from Dean and turned to Jack.
"Dean asked me to hold the pot."
"But shouldn't you have been standing next to him?" asked Jack.
"Ehm," Castiel said, that was all he could think of.
"It's okay, I got it." Jack smiled first at Castiel and then at Dean, who had now turned around as well.

"What did you get?" asked Dean.
"Well, about you two." Jack was still smiling. "Or do you think I didn't notice the times you two held hands earlier? Or even the times before when Dean went somewhere wanting to be alone and not five minutes later Cas suddenly says he has to go too. I may not have that much experience with the Earthly yet, but I understand that much." Castiel and Dean stared at him. It was Castiel who spoke first again.

"Jack, please be so kind as to keep your voice down, first, and second, I ask you not to mention any of this to Sam or Eileen or anyone else. Dean doesn't want that yet." Castiel then looked briefly at Dean, who had turned back to the stove. Dean's posture looked rather tense, so Castiel briefly put his hand on Dean's shoulder and squeezed it once firmly. Then he took it away and turned back to Jack.

"Is that alright with you, then?" asked Castiel the boy. "This thing with Dean and I?"
"Cas," Jack began, then gave a short laugh. "I don't care. I like you all the way you are and I want everyone to be happy with whoever they want to be with. If Dean is that for you and you are that for him, then so be it and I'm happy for you. So, now I'm going back to Sam. He'll think I drowned in the sink. Told them both I was going out for a drink. Cool, right?" Jack sounded really proud of his excuse and both Castiel and Dean had to laugh a little.
"Cas, one last thing," Jack said and Castiel looked at him. "Be honest and don't hide anything. It'll only get worse later." Then Jack turned and walked back into the library.

For a moment, nothing could be heard except their breathing and the sounds coming from the cooking pots. Then Dean cleared his throat.
"Cas, what did he mean?" Dean sounded anything but excited. Castiel turned to him.
"Dean now is not the time-"
"Cas, don't give me that now. What's going on?" Castiel lowered his head and exhaled audibly. Then he looked at Dean again.
"It's about the deal I made with the Empty, back when Jack was dying. She agreed to bring him back but in turn, I had to take his place. She agreed, but said that she would come back for me the moment I felt true happiness.

Dean's eyes had grown bigger and bigger while Castiel had been telling him all this. The angel looked at him with wide eyes, almost as if waiting for a reaction from the hunter.
"Dean, please say something. You're scaring me looking at me like that." Castiel smiled apologetically at Dean, but it didn't seem like he found the whole thing particularly funny. Instead of responding to Castiel, Dean took a few steps towards the man and, placing his hands on his torso, shoved him backward.

"Why, Cas?" hissed Dean. "Why are you just saying that now?" He shoved Castiel back a little further. "What am I supposed to do now, huh? How are we supposed to get you out of it? What were you thinking?"
"Dean, please. Calm down." Castiel grabbed Dean's arms and held them tight so he couldn't push him again. "I already talked to Jack about it. Dean, don't turn away, listen to me."
Castiel shook Dean gently, noticing how Dean"s mind had started spiraling. "I'm not leaving, okay! Jack has secured this universe against Chuck and the same goes for all the others. No one's gonna find us here, and no one's ever gonna break us apart again. You got that, Dean?"

"But why, Cas?" asked Dean in a strained voice. "Why didn't you say something sooner? What would you have done if Jack hadn't managed to build this universe for us here? Would you have just been gone at some point without us knowing where you were? Without me knowing where you were?" Tears welled up in Dean's eyes.
"I don't know," Castiel muttered, lowering his eyes. He couldn't look at Dean right now. " Something like that probably would have happened, yeah. I didn't know how to explain this deal to you or Sam. I acted the same way you and Sam would have. Protecting the ones you love."

Almost defiantly, he looked at Dean again. "I just want that mentioned. And I don't want to fight with you about it. We both know you've done exactly the same kind of thing and would do it to the end of your days."

"You're probably right." Now it was Dean who had lowered his eyes.
"I can understand why you might be disappointed now, but I promise you that I won't do anything like that from now on. I love you, Dean. And nothing and no one is to stop us from being together from now on. Do you understand me?" Dean turned without saying a word and walked to the stove. Then he turned and laughed briefly. He walked back to Castiel and stopped in front of him.
"You look like a deer in headlights. What were you thinking? I just had to turn off the stovetop or the pot would soon burst into flames." Castiel exhaled in relief. He had thought for a brief moment that Dean would just leave him like that.
Dean put both arms around Castiel's neck and pulled him close. He kissed him on the cheekbone and then put his lips to Castiel's ear.

"I love you, too, Cas. And that's why I was so shocked and hurt. Or rather, still am." He took one arm and put it around Castiel's lower back. Then he pulled him a little closer. "But like you said, we don't want to argue about that now. I could also imagine you felt the same way back then when I made another deal." Castiel had his arms around Dean's middle and was now grumbling something.
"What are you saying?" asked Dean after he had disengaged himself from Castiel enough to look at him.
"I said I want you." Castiel's voice was soft but firm. Dean, who hadn't expected anything like this, gasped.

"Cas, you can't do this now." He tried to swallow the lump in his throat. "The others aren't far away."
"Then we'll move away. Come up with some way we can leave them alone." Castiel nibbled on Dean's earlobe. Dean sighed softly.
"Okay, got it." Then he called out rather loudly from the kitchen so that the three sitting in the library would be sure to hear. "Dinner's ready. You guys can come." Then he pulled away from Castiel's arms. "I've got to cook the pasta real quick now, but as soon as they sit here and eat, we're out of here." Dean had spoken very quietly again and then turned and gone to the stove. Castiel paced restlessly back and forth in the kitchen. Less than 15 minutes later, dinner was served and Jack, Sam, and Eileen took their seats at the table.

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Dean and Castiel, however, took their filled plates and excused themselves. They were determined to continue watching the season of Scooby Doo, after all. Jack grinned as they hurriedly left the kitchen. What the three in the kitchen couldn't see was that Dean and Castiel didn't go to the TV room, the Dean Cave, but stopped in front of the door of Dean's room. A glance over his shoulder was enough and Dean quickly opened the door, let Castiel enter, and looked around again to make sure no one had followed them. Then he stepped into the room as well and immediately Castiel was on him. Dean just managed to lock the door and put the plate down before Castiel's lips were on his.