Dean felt so determined that night when he left Castiel's front door, determined to show Castiel that he was sorry and to prove to him he didn't mean to be a jackass. He needed to take responsibility for his actions and he needed to start thinking things through.

"Don't say that. Everyone deserves a chance."Castiel told him over the intercom. Bet he wouldn't have said it if he knew Dean was on the other side. Truth was, Dean really didn't feel like he deserved a second chance, but was willing to earn it. So when he got home that night, he called his best friend, hoping she would help him out.

Charlie sat on his couch and listened as Dean explained, retelling the whole event, from the moment he caught the end of Castiel's conversation with his brother to meeting Castiel as himself in that shelter again.

There was a contemplating look on her face, with her brows furrowed and her lips pinched tight as she carefully inspected Dean's expression. In the end she agreed to help and together the came up with a game plan.

The next day, bright and early, Dean was back in the shelter. Some of the people watched him with wary eyes, but none seem to have recognized him, not as Dean the writer, not as Dean, the homeless guy. He didn't really want to lie to them, but he knew it wouldn't be wise to uncover that he had tricked them. The little kid, Alfie was there, setting everything up for the incoming breakfast.

"Hey, A..." Dean started but stopped talking as the kid startled at the sound of his voice.

"Oh, hello, sir. How can I help you?" Alfie quickly regained his composure and was so cute doing so, trying to be professional. Dean just had to smile, knowing that Alfie was a great kid, helpful and kind, and it reflected in his eyes.

"I am looking for Balthazar Edwards?" Dean asked and could see the kid take a deep breath eying him curiously.

"You're not one of the suits, right?" The kid asked and Dean cracked a smile. Surprise inspections and visits from a government officials was a common thing, but not really welcomed as they always seemed to find something lacking and they never knew what might happen to make them shut the place down.

"No, not a suit. I'm just... Just wanted to talk to Balth, see if he needs some help. Is he around?" Dean asked and Alfie perked up, smiling widely before saying he would go get him. It wasn't a surprise to see a frown form on Balth's face as he laid his eyes on Dean, and Dean had a gut-wrenching feeling he might not be able to overcome not even the first obstacle in his long road. Balth looked around then told Dean to follow him inside so that they could talk. They entered the kitchen and Balth went right back to work on his dough, telling Dean he was listening.

"I take it you know who I am?" Dean offered first, but Balth said nothing, only nodded. "I wanted... I wanted to ask if you would, um... consider... letting me help around?" Dean tried. He wasn't really much of a formal talker, he liked to keep things simple, but he could do it when the opportunity required it. He wouldn't be a good writer otherwise. Balth eyed him for a few moments, frowning.

"I am not sure I should..." He finally replied.

"I know. I know. I fucked up. But I want to fix it, I just need a chance." Smooth talker. But he did sound a lot more honest and a little less uptight, and Balthazar seemed to appreciate this approach more. He sighed and seemed to consider pros and cons of agreeing to this. "Look, I'll do any job you want me to, and I'll... I'll scrub toilets and take out the trash and wash the dishes and anything you need me to, alright? You gotta let me try and fix this. Please." It wasn't really the plan, Dean was supposed to make it seem like the shelter could use another set of hands, not beg Balth, but he just became a bit desperate that the man would say no.

"Can... Can you cook?"

"Yes. Yes, I can make awesome..."

"We don't need any awesome meals. Sure, we don't make tasteless blobs, but here we focus more on the quantity then the quality. Making sure everyone gets a serving..." Balthazar said and Dean took a deep breath and nodded his understanding. "Gabriel is out of country and Cas... Hasn't come around for a few days, so I am a bit short-staffed right now. I need someone in the kitchen preparing the meals, but also someone to help distributed supplies and run smaller errands..." Balthazar trailed off and focused on Dean again. His eyes scanned the man once more then continues with a sigh. "I hope I don't regret this..."

"You won't. I promise." Dean said with a wide smile and such a grateful expression on his face.

"When can you start?"

"Now?"

"Seriously?" Balth was amazed at the sudden enthusiasm. His phone dinged, indicating a text message, and Balth pulled it out of his pocket to see.

"Just tell me what you want me to do..." Dean started but was cut off by Balthazar, who was looking a bit pale.

"Did you do this?"

"Did what?" Dean asked, not sure what he was talking about.

"A few minutes ago half a million dollars were deposited on our bank account by a organization called Leviosa Win Gardium." Balthazar replied and Dean's brows shot up. That was a lot of cash, but then that name... It struck him and he knew exactly who it was. But how did Charlie get her hands on so much money? Why put up a fake organization? He would discover later that night that Charlie moonlighted as a hacker and was playing a modern day Robin Hood, stealing a few pennies from the rich, pooling it all into her fake bank account and then distribute it all where cash was needed.

"That wasn't me." Dean replied and almost corrected Balthazar by saying it was Leviosa, not Leviosaaaa, that the accent was on the o and not the a, but he stopped himself in time. He didn't want to hide anything from Balth or lie, but he had to talk to Charlie about it all first.

"I... I need to look into this, I need to... To... To contact our lawyer, see if this is... Legit..." Balthazar's voice was still filled with shock.

"I got you covered, just tell me where you need me." Dean offered and Balthazar looked back at him, nodded and lead him outside, back to Alfie. He told the kid to show Dean around and that he had to check a few things, and that he is leaving Alfie in charge. It wasn't the first time he did that, but it was a rarely new thing and the kid would always perk up at the given chance to prove himself.

Dean spent the whole day, trailing after Alfie and doing whatever the kid told him to. Together they started making preparations for the late lunch for the shelter, surprising Balthazar who got held up. Meg came in late and didn't do much but stare silently at Dean. Sure she helped when someone asked her about supplies, but she would always roll her eyes and make people around her uncomfortable, so Dean pitched in when Balthazar took over the lunch.

By the time Dean got home late that night, he felt exhausted, but a lot better then he felt in days. The only thing that still ate him up was the lack of a certain set of blue eyes.

The second day Dean came bright and early and Balthazar just raised a brow at that before he instructed him to hang back in the shelter and handle the supplies along with Meg. Dean had seen her around, and she was always... Annoyed and irritable. She would snap at people or ignore them, acting as if she was better then them. Dean knew she was court-ordered to be there, but he knew she wasn't a bad person in general, just and a bit of a tough luck and was swept off her feet by some jackass criminal who was more interested in using her.

She did stare at him a lot yesterday, and today she decided to approach and talk to him. "I know who you are..." She sang the words and gave Dean a quick one-brow flicker, followed by a one-sided smile.

"Good for you." He replied, no malice in his voice. He knew some of the homeless might resent him for what he did, but he didn't really make any friends before, and didn't have much contact with the same person more then once or twice, asking random questions for his article.

"Would be a damn shame if the people around found out..." She teased and Dean finally focused on her. He took a deep breath, let it out and allowed the tension to leave his body. No reason to get worked up about this. People would figure it out anyway, and Dean wasn't about to allow Meg to blackmail him.

"Whatever you want, forget it. If they find out, I will deal with it. If they hate me for it, they hate me."I would deserve it too."Now, if you don't mind, I have work to do." He said and turned towards the laundry room. She followed him in, and closed the door behind her. He turned to face her, frowning. "What are you doing?"

"What? You can fuck for food and a bed, but not for free?" Meg replied as she stalked closer. Dean backed away, his ass hitting the washer, but Meg still crowed him. She drew her body flush against his and Dean's hands shot up to her hips in an attempt to keep her away from him. Naturally, she misinterpreted his actions and leaned in for a kiss. He dodged her and pushed her away.

"Castiel and I didn't fuck, but even if we did, that's none of your business. And this? This isn't happening, okay. So back off." Dean said and moved around her to the door.

"What? I don't have another limb between my legs, is that the problem?" She tried and coming up to lean on the door so that Dean couldn't open them. She slid down them just a little bit, making her hair raise up and going for that sexy look, complete with a bite on her lower lip.

"No. I'm just not attracted to you." Dean replied. He wanted to push her off the door, but she might mistake his action for something else, so he decided to use his words. "Now, please move."

"Oh, come on... Don't you want to blow off some steam? Don't you wanna..." Meg said reaching forward, her fingers walking up Dean's chest. She flattened her hand and let her palm caress all the way down his stomach. "... Bend me over that dryer? You can even pretend it's a guy?"

Dean grabbed her hand before it went south and shoved it away. "No." He said in a tone that said he was done playing around. Meg rolled her eyes, and moved away so that he could open the door. Just as he was about to exit the room, she grabbed his ass and squeezed hard, making Dean yelp in surprise. His scolding gaze met her teasing one as she walked past him.

"Guess we know who the bottom was." Meg threw back and Dean clenched his jaw tight, stopping himself from getting into an argument with her. Best leave her be.

The rest of the day he spent helping Alfie with the laundry and trying to avoid Meg. He ran into her once in the storage room, but quickly ducked away before she could corner him there too. Dean was a pretty straight-forward guy (even if he swung both ways), and he would make sure someone got the message, but Meg was just... Difficult. Or bored. So it was easier to try and deflect her then to confront her again.

Before she left, Meg blew him a kiss and laugh at his attempt to hide his disgusted face. But when he got home, once again exhausted, but feeling more productive that he had in years, he forgot all about Meg and pondered where Cas was. Since he hadn't been in the shelter for over a week now, Dean feared he might never come back again.

Dean ran a little late on the third day. Naomi called him and grilled him for the topic of his next article, and he pretended it was a secret, but the truth was, he didn't have the slightest idea what to write. In fact, he had no desire to write at all. Still she let him off the hook for now, and Dean knew it was because of the success of his previous work. It took him a month to come up with it, and three months of research, but in the end, his article had so much effect on the issue he presented, and a great circulation for the newspapers, that Naomi gave him a break.

He called Charlie and gave her a not-so-enthusiastic update, not because the work itself wasn't fulfilling, but because he wanted to see those blue eyes again.

He was however lucky today and Castiel showed up just after breakfast. Dean felt so happy and overwhelmed that he almost ran to the man and hugged him, but the expression on Castiel's face stopped him. There were no bad emotions in his eyes, just surprise. Balth walked in their line of sight, breaking it, and Dean just... Ran.

Most of the day he tried to keep his breathing and his hammering heart in check as he caught glimpses of the man. He was just as Dean remembered him, his hair tousled, his eyes serious, but kind when looking at others and with a hint of shyness and curiosity when he would look back at Dean.

Dean figured he should try and apologize face to face, but soon realized Cas didn't want to be reminded of that night, so instead, he made sure Cas didn't mind him helping out at the shelter. It was a rather nice save of the situation.

It was about three hours later that Dean saw him again and couldn't stop glancing at the man, filling strangely giddy that Cas was 'asighed' to help him with the stew. It was the first time Dean was tasked with such an important thing and he really wanted to prove himself. He felt like such a klutz when he cut his finger, like a damn amateur, but it made Castiel's caring side come to the surface and made him come closer. It was silly, the way Cas grabbed his hand to inspect the cut and Dean just wanted to feel his touch for as long as possible. Cas fussed over his hand and the whole time, Dean couldn't tear his eyes away from him.

Truth was, Dean had been sneaking glances at the man ever since he first visited the shelter as a homeless man, coming to that particular shelter more often then any others, not that there were all that many to begin with. There was just something about Cas that drew him towards the man and made him want to be close, maybe even the center of his attention. Dean had recognized that wouldn't be a good thing for him right now, so he tried to stay away. Until that night.

It was a bold move, asking Cas to let Dean accompany him home. But at least they talked a bit and he learned that maybe, Cas wasn't wary of him, just a bit asocial, and he hoped that Cas didn't lie when he confirmed that he didn't mind Dean working at the shelter.

That night Dean didn't fall asleep for a long time, just kept thinking about Cas, going over every little detail he knew about the man and excited for a chance to learn more.

It was pouring the next day. And Cas didn't come for breakfast. But that was okay, there was still a chance he would come later. When Dean asked him last night if he would come in today, Cas did say maybe, and no matter how excited about seeing him Dean was, that didn't mean he would get to.

It was a bit busy, but Dean remembered Fridays mostly were, even if he never figured out the exact reason. Maybe the people were trying to get by during the week days and by Friday they would do all they could, considering a lot of government sectors or banks didn't work on Saturday.

Dean helped put up a tent by the door above their serving table, since it rained they couldn't have the people eat outside, so they let them carry in the dishes into the sleeping hall. There was a lack of space and it was just easier to organize meals on the large tables outside when the weather permitted, or let the people eat on tent beds when it rained or snowed, or was too cold to stay outside. Days were getting colder and Dean wondered how they managed during the winter.

After breakfast was done, Dean took over the washing duty and Alfie helped, while Balth and Meg went about the rest of the chores. Alfie kept getting texts on his old-looking phone and kept sheepishly glancing at them and trying to text back, but not wanting to stall with his task.

"Is it someone you like?" Dean asked with a small smile and Alfie blushed like crazy, looking unbelievably adorable.

"Yeah... A girl. Claire. She's hot. I mean... No... She... She is one of the popular girls, but she isn't... She isn't mean like the rest... And I... I dunno. I like her." Alfie fessed up too easily.

"Why don't you take a break and she what she's up to? I got this covered." Dean offered and Alfie wasn't sure he should accept. "Go on. If anyone asks, I'll just tell them you're in the john." Alfie made a disgusted face, but with a smile he tried to tone down, unsuccessfully. He nodded and in the next second, Dean was alone. Not that he minded, Alfie was just a kid, he deserved to have some free time.

"Hello, Dean." A deep voice spoke from the door, startling Dean so much that he dropped the plate into the sink. He didn't break it, but the drop caused the water to splash and some of it, somehow ended up in Dean's eye. He hissed and on instinct went to rub his eye, feeling the soap burning. The voice spoke again, this time a lot closer and Dean was pretty sure that the blur before him was actually Cas.

"Are you alright?" Fuck, that was embarrassing. But Dean forgot all about it as Cas' hands came up and grabbed Dean's, stopping him from rubbing his eyes. The touch was electrifying, but his eyes still burnt. "Blink. The protective barrier in the eyes should produce tears that will help extract the soap from your eyes." In other words, cry Dean.

"Ah..." Dean breathed out as he did what he was told, feeling his eyes gathering tears that spilled with ease. He must look ridiculous, red-eyed and crying and oh, great, now his nose was running.

"Better?" Cas asked, reaching out to cup Dean's face and tilt it so that he could gaze into his eyes as if he could see the soap and make sure all of it came out. Not that Dean minded the touch. He barely held himself from leaning into it.

"Better. Thanks." Dean said with a smile. He still couldn't see straight, and Cas was still one big blur, but he was there.

"You should take a brake for a few minutes, I'll finish the dishes."

"Nah, it's fine, I got it. There is only like three plates left." Dean said and started blindly feeling around the sink. There was a sigh of amusement probably coming from Castiel, the sound making warmth spread inside Dean's chest. "Alright, maybe it would be better if you finish these... I am not sure I would wash them properly." Dean huffed and found the chair that was nearest. He felt like an idiot, just sitting there and blinking, trying hard not to rub his eyes, but soon enough his vision cleared and he could see Cas move around. Dean was normally a charmer, and always knew what to say, but he found himself tongue-tied. Luckily, someone called out to them from the outside. The rain stopped and the sun was out.

"What's up, Balth?" He asked as both he and Cas walked up to him, standing in front of a big movers truck. Balthazar was looking over some papers, a bunch of them, his eyes slightly widened and a very suprised look on his face.

"We... we got a delivery. I, um..." Balth started but trailed off just as the driver of the truck came around. He was an older guy, short, with grey hair, glasses and a nametag that said 'Frank'.

"Alright, listen up!" The driver shout out. "I got a bad back, and my contracts says I am a driver, not an unloader, so you want this stuff, you gotta carry it out yourselves, capiche? Now, get a move on, come on..." He shouted as he opened the back door to a truck filled with boxes. "I got a nearly four dozen boxes, and I gotta be outta here in thirty, so chop, chop."

They started unloading and carrying the boxes inside, since it was still wet from the rain, and arranging them in the small space of the storage room at first, then in the hallways. There was a total of 46 boxes, some smaller, but mostly standard moving boxes. Once it was all done, Dean asked Balth what was in them.

"Donations, apparently. We never got this many, though, I am... Beyond words." Balthazar said as he looked over the mess around the place. He opened the closest box and took a look at it's contents. He huffed a smile as he showed the others - there were a few cans of food, a can opener, three spoons, a thin blanket, six soap bars, two old, but still fluffy towels, toilet paper, two tooth brushes and three drawings, clearly made by kids. "There is so much stuff here..." Balth was clearly overwhelmed by it all.

"I can help sort them out after lunch, if you want." Dean offered. He knew Balthazar had another appointment later today regarding some investors who were looking to help expand the shelter. It seemed as though Dean's article helped raised awareness and made people move and take action.

"Are you sure? It is Friday." Balth asked, moved by the offer, but wanted to make sure it didn't interfere with Dean's plans. In such a short time Dean had become a part of their little family, but Balthazar didn't want to keep him away from his private life.

"I didn't make any plans, so it's cool." Dean said with a small smile.

"I can stay and help too." Cas offered and Dean looked back at him, his smile wanting to expand into a wide grin. He barely held it back, trying to breathe thought it all and force himself to relax.

"Only if you're both sure. You don't have to finish it all today, there is time." Balthazar offered.

"Whatever we don't finish today, we can pick up tomorrow, or, I can, if Cas has plans..." Dean offered, trying to hide the giddiness in his voice. He couldn't contain his smile when Cas said he was free. This meant that Dean would get to spent a whole evening with the man, and most of the Saturday too, working together side by side. There was no better way to spend the weekend than that.