Sam leaned against the kitchen counter and sipped his coffee thoughtfully. Something was out of place and he couldn't quite figure it out. There was literally nothing, and no one to worry about. Chuck had been defeated, Jack had returned everyone, and the world was getting back to "normal", whatever that meant. Two days ago, Cas had shown up at the door, resurrected – again, by Jack he assumed, and therein was the problem.

Initially, he had expected them all to fall into the easy groove that the three of them had together. Except they didn't. Maybe it was because for the first time since he could remember they weren't in crisis; racing to stop some kind of impending doom. He didn't know, he just knew that his awkward friend seemed even more, well awkward. On the first night he was back they had takeout and drinks to celebrate his return. Sam noticed that Cas had been quiet and didn't really join in on the conversation, Dean for that matter had been visibly relieved and obviously happy when Cas had shown up but also got quieter as the evening wore on. He wasn't sure what the elephant in the room had been, but it was definitely there.

Doing his best to break the tension, he had jokingly asked Dean and Cas if they were going to take advantage of their "more profound bond" and shut him out of hunting trips moving forward. To say that went over like a lead balloon was an understatement. Cas had put his fork down and stood up from the table.

"Sam, Dean, it is good to be back. Thank you for dinner. If it is alright with you, I am going to my room. I am still not myself after coming back from the Empty…and would like some time alone."

The angel had barely left his room since, and if Sam didn't know any better, he'd say that Cas was depressed. Withdrawn, quiet, avoiding both he and Dean, Sam was more than a little worried about Castiel, that maybe something had happened in the Empty, something that he hadn't shared with them. The three of them had each had their experiences with torture and trauma over the years, if that's' what was going on, he hoped Cas would bring it up when he was ready to talk about it.

Dean felt like a dick. He was blowing it, big time.

When Cas had died, what he had said to Dean just before, it had broken him. Thinking about it now still brought him to tears. What could have been, what he wished he had said, the unbearable loss, and the knowledge that it was too late had tormented him until Cas had walked back through the bunker door. Relief, joy, and hope had washed over him all at the same time, and he had run to Cas to welcome him home, to make it right, to tell him that he felt the same way, that he loved him. And then Sam showed up.

What he needed to say, couldn't be said in front of Sam. He hadn't told Sam what had happened between Cas and him in the dungeon, it was too private, too painful when it looked like Cas had been gone for good. His angel was back, and he was never going to let him out of his sight again. The only problem was that he wanted to tell Cas without an audience, so he didn't say he wanted to say, he said what was safe.

"Cas, buddy, you're back, we missed you! You will not believe what's been going on around here, right Sammy?" As soon as the words left his mouth he knew, knew he'd fucked up. Whatever light that had been in Cas's eyes, those piercing blue eyes, had dimmed immediately.

Trying to recover, he had suggested takeout to celebrate. Not that Cas ate anything but to get Sam out of the bunker so they could talk. Once Sam left, he took a deep breath and tried again.

"So, ah…how was the Empty?"

"It was empty, Dean." Cas's expression became guarded. Strike two, this wasn't going well.

"Oh, right. Obviously. What I meant to say was, did you see Jack?"

"Yes, he came to get me. Gave me the choice of returning to heaven or returning here. I told him that I at least wanted to come here first before I decided…to see if I was still needed here now that Chuck is finished."

Shit. This wasn't going the way Dean had planned. Panic flipped a switch inside his head and he began to spiral on the inside.

"Jack told us that he was taking a hands-off approach, I wasn't expecting to see him again. Do you mean that you can just pray to him and he'll just, uh, pick you up and take you to heaven?"

"I'm an angel Dean, I can go back to heaven whenever I want to. I don't have to ask Jack for help."

"Uh, yeah, right, I know that." Strike three. He looked Cas in the eyes, willing him to see in them what he was failing miserably at saying. All he saw back was hurt and disappointment. Deep breath, he'd try again.

"Listen, Cas…about what you said in the bunker…"

And at the worst possible moment Sam walked in the door. "Food's here!"

"Great Sammy, I'm starved." Fuck.

It was without a doubt the most awkward dinner the three of them had ever had. And then Sam had made that joke about he and Cas's "profound bond", which, at least put them all out of their misery because it ended the evening so abruptly.

For two days he had been trying to get some alone time with Cas, but he wouldn't come out of his room. He wanted to break the damn door in so they could talk, but Sam hovered like a mother hen. Concern lining his features. By the third day he was terrified that Cas was just going to leave, I mean maybe he wasn't even in his room anymore, maybe he'd already left. Dean couldn't take much more of this. He had to do something.

He found Sam in the kitchen drinking coffee.

"Hey Sammy, we need to talk."

"Sure Dean, what's up."

"I've got everything under control here, why don't you go see Eileen for a few days? I know you miss her."

"Thanks Dean, but I want to stick around. I'm worried about Cas; I think maybe he's depressed or going through something."

Why was everything so hard? None of this was going the way he wanted. Frustrated and afraid he was running out of time, he tried to make it clearer.

"Sam, it's fine, Cas will be fine, I'll take care of him. Go see Eileen."

"Dean, I really don't think now is the time for me to lea…"

"Dammit Sam, get your gear and go." Sam was caught of guard by the intensity of Dean's words and more than a little pissed. He loved his brother but sometimes he was sick of his shit.

"What the hell is your problem Dean?" He snapped back, and then he stopped to look at his brother, really look. He looked…. awful. "Dean, what's going on here, what am I missing?"

Dean looked at the floor and then looked back at Sam and then back at the floor. He took a deep breath and Sam swore he heard Dean mumble "here goes nothing" under his breath. He took another deep breath.

"I'm sorry Sam, I uh…, well, would you please do me a favor and take of for a few days? I uh, want to spend some time alone…with Cas…" Dean lifted his eyes to look at Sam, there was a pleading look that Sam had never seen before.

Three, two, one, and there it was. Comprehension dawned on Sam.

"Oh." A few seconds pause. "Oh." Compassion and relief flooded through Sam; everything was going to be ok. Dean's cheeks burned red; he was embarrassed. Sam put him out of his misery, but maybe not without having a little fun with it first.

"So, the mighty Dean Winchester has finally fallen. After a dozen years and the longest slow burn in history, it's about damn time. I'll be out of here in ten minutes."

Dean looked down again, his brother was enjoying this too much.

"Thanks Sam." Dean watched Sam as he turned to put his mug in the sink and went to walk out, pausing in the doorway.

"Dean, do me a favour?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't fuck it up." Without waiting for a reply Sam turned and walked out.