Woooow, so I'm finally able to update because I just got done moving house. Sorry for the wait!

(BLD)

Castiel was looking into the bottom of his glass, swirling it a bit, watching the mostly melted ice twirl when the glint of a ring caught his eye. He glanced down and saw a silver band around Dean's right ring finger. It's simple, with an etched line that divides the ring into two. He let himself keep staring at it, because if he couldn't look Dean in the eye, this was about the next best thing.

"It's my mom's."

Castiel met Dean's eyes then, his shyness forgotten, shock resonating in his bones that he'd been caught staring.

Dean gave Castiel a small smile, "I wear it to remind me of her. She passed away when I was five." He then held his hand up to gaze at the silver band.

Castiel felt a pang of sympathy for the man, and for the first time, he spoke to him and it wasn't awkward, and he didn't feel like he was going to puke, "I lost my mother when I was 16." He told him. He then looked down at his own hands, "I don't think I could carry something of hers around with me. I would get too emotional."

Surprise ran through Castiel when Dean set his hand to Castiel's back, and he made sure not to flinch, "I think if you had something of hers you'd see it every day, and it'd become less and less painful. It might help." He suggested, a hopeful looking smile on his face.

Castiel nodded, "Thank you, Dean. I might try that." He smiled back, and for a moment, he felt confident he wouldn't make a fool of himself anymore.

"So, you know my trade, what do you do?" Dean asked, lounging back in his seat.

"Well, I write. Mostly poems, but at some point I would like to publish a book, maybe a novel." He told Dean.

"Really? Have you gotten anything published yet?" he asked, leaning out of his lounged position to listen more intently to Castiel.

"Yes, actually. I've been published in papers and in compilation books. I just recently sent out a full book of my own work to be published." He grinned, very proud of his own accomplishments.

Dean seemed to smile wider when he saw Castiel smile.

"That's awesome." He chuckled, "I wish I could write. The last thing I wrote…" his eyes drifted over Castiel, filled with rumination, "Was a paper about photosynthesis. It was eleventh grade, I think, and I got a giant 'F'." he admitted.

Castiel chuckled, but then Dean looked to him sharply, "That's not funny." He grinned, "I almost failed that class."

"It's kind of funny." Castiel mumbled, looking away.

Dean narrowed his eyes at him, but he still smiled, amused, "Oh yea? What was your worst subject in school?"

Castiel chuckled harder, "It wasn't actually a subject, but I did get poor grades in P.E."

Dean laughed then, obviously over exaggerating. "Doesn't feel so good now, does it?"

Castiel down right giggled, looking away from Dean. He felt like such a school girl.

Then Michael came back to the table with news, "Hey guys, sorry to cut this short but Anna just called and she said they got an earlier flight than scheduled and they're at the airport now." He told them as he pulled his coat from the back of his chair.

Lucifer stood, "They tell us this now?" he sighed, "I swear, those two…" he then turned to Sam and remembered, "Oh yea, Michael, I'm sending Sam to the office so he can look into getting a job. I hope you don't mind."

Michael stopped in his preparations to leave and looked Sam up and down. Sam suddenly stood as well, realizing Michael was the man to talk to when it came to getting the job he needed.

"I'm currently in school for Law, hoping to be a lawyer, and it would be a great help to get my foot in the door by being at such a substantial… company…" Sam trailed off when Michael reached into his pocket and grabbed the pen that hung from the pocket to his coat. He'd gotten one of his own cards out, with his name and position in the company, along with all his contact information and he wrote something on the back.

"Let's meet up tomorrow morning at the office at this time and I'll personally see that you get the job you want." He told Sam with a broad grin.

Sam was stupefied, not only had he been sitting and chatting it up with the wealthiest family in New Haven, but two of the brothers had just told him he'd undoubtedly have a job at their multimillion dollar business. He stuck his hand out to Michael, "Thank you so much, you have no idea what this means to me."

Michael accepted the hand and shook, "Don't mention it. I have a feeling our two families will be fast friends."

Dean stood as well, "Thanks Michael, you really are doing us a huge kindness." And they shook hands as well.

"You can say I'm being generous. But to be honest, I like seeing different faces on the first floor when I walk in in the morning." He joked, and got the table to laugh.

Gabriel was helping Kali into his own jacket, knowing she'd complain about the chill again, and Lucifer was drinking down the last of his drink. Things were moving a bit more quickly now, and Castiel realized he'd have to say goodbye to Dean as well. He also realized that he really didn't want to. He'd only just begun talking with him.

"Well, it's been great seeing you. I hope we bump into each other again soon." Dean chuckled, and patted Castiel on the back. Not a hug, because that implied that they knew each other on a deeper level, and not a hand shake, which implied it had been a formal affair. But a simple pat.

Castiel gave a tight lipped smile, "I hope so, too." He mumbled, standing to his feet and fitting his trench coat more securely over his shoulders. "And thank you Dean… For the advice." He added, almost sheepishly, not meeting his eyes.

"Hey, everyones lost someone." He mumbled. He then turned to his brother, "Come on, Sammy. It's about time we beat it, too."

Sam nodded, still looking at the cards in his hands, and Dean guided him out of the bar with a hand to his back, "Bye guys!" he called out, and everyone from the table replied back with a farewell of their own.

It wasn't until the Winchesters were well out of earshot that Lucifer, Gabriel and Kali began to giggle, laugh and cheer at the same time."Oh my God, Castiel, did you see the way he couldn't take his eyes off you?! He wants you!" Kali told him, gripping one of his arms."Listen Bro, that guy may have seemed waay butch, but those eyes were definitely longing." Gabriel chimed in, "He's sooo got the hots for you.""Castiel, I am awe struck. Not only did that guy not stop staring at you, but it even sounds like he wants to see you again." Lucifer barked a laugh, "It would've been nice if you'd exchanged numbers, but that seems too high school, doesn't it?"

It seemed everyone had something to say on the matter, except Michael, "Guys, we really do need to go, though. They're waiting on us."

With that, the five of them headed back out into the windy late evening, huddling deep into their coats as they quickly made their way to the SUV. Once they were all inside, Lucifer sighed, "Hey, I know we haven't seen them in a while, but could you drop me off at the house? I'm tired, and air ports give me anxiety attacks."

Michael and Gabriel both chuckled, "Yea, no problem." Michael commented, pulling out of the parking lot.

Castiel was sitting in the passenger seat, looking out the window, thinking about when the next time would be when he'd see Dean again. He realized that Lucifer had been right, and they should have exchanged numbers. But was that being too forward? Maybe Dean was only interested in being friends.

Castiel frowned to himself and shoved his hands into his trench coat pockets, trying not to get himself too worked up. But then he felt something in one of his pockets that wasn't there before. His brow quirked, confused and he pulled the object out of his pocket.

It was a napkin from the bar, folded in half. He turned it over, seeing nothing particularly special about it, then unfolded it.

He gasped, and immediately shoved the napkin back into his pocket, wide eyed.

He slightly glanced around to make sure no one had seen what he'd done, and thankfully everyone was busy with something else, whether it be going through the things they had bought, or talking to one another, or keeping their eyes on traffic.

Castiel let a relived sigh leave him, and then he grinned, giddy.

He slowly pulled the napkin back out of his pocket and stared down at what was written on it.

"Hey Cas, call me any time.

-Dean"

Dean had scrawled his number underneath, and if Castiel hadn't been so giddy, he might have been afraid of what that implied.

When the SUV stopped in front of the house gates, some minutes later Lucifer climbed out with his bags in arm. Castiel was right behind him, and went around the back to open the back hatch of the SUV.

"You're not coming?" Kali asked, turning in her seat to look back at Castiel through the opened hatch door.

"No, I just remembered I need to call my friend Balthazar." He told her, pulling out his few small bags from the back. He then closed it and went back around front to join with Lucifer.

"Alright. We'll call when we see them." Michael told them, and they exchanged goodbyes for the time being and the SUV drove off. The gates opened slowly for the two Autmans, and the brothers walked back to the house, for the most part silently.

But then Lucifer grinned in Castiel's direction. "So what was that piece of paper about?"

Castiel stopped in his tracks, staring at Lucifer, "You saw that?"

"Of course." Lucifer ran an arm around Castiel's shoulders, forcing him to continue onward to the house. "You aren't really all that subtle when you're surprised." Lucifer commented.

Castiel sighed, his shoulders falling, "I guess you're right." He mumbled.

"Well, that and I saw Dean slip it into your coat when you weren't looking." He smirked at Castiel and his younger brother stared at him, mouth agape. "So, what's it say?"

Castiel grimaced to himself, "It just said that I could call him any time. He also included his number." "I knew it!" Lucifer exclaimed, excitement in his eyes.

"Oh my God, Castiel…" they rounded the fountain and were on their way through the arching vines, "I am so excited for you."

Castiel then suddenly looked up to his brother, "What were you doing back there?" he asked, vaguely.

Lucifer's brows furrowed, confused, "What do you mean?"

"With Sam, why were you so…" he trailed off, not sure what to call it. Why had he been so friendly, offering him a job although he hardly knew him? He hadn't seen him ever do such a thing for anyone. What had all of that been about?

"Flirtatious?" Lucifer offered, "Simple, Castiel. Sam Winchester is a fine lookin' young man." He answered, without hesitation.

Castiel stopped again, "What?!" he asked, one hundred percent not expecting the answer he got. Sure, Lucifer joked a lot. But he hadn't been serious…

Lucifer looked back down at Castiel, "What?" Lucifer looked Castiel up and down for a moment, seeing the look he gave him, "You knew I was bisexual…" he asked, though it had come out more as a statement rather than a question.

Castiel slowly shook his head 'no', surprise and shock clearly on his face.

Lucifer frowned, "Remember Baldur?" he asked, a quirk to his brow.

"Kali's ex? Yes, I remember…" Castiel answered, but as Lucifer began to smirk, Castiel realized what he was implying. "Oh my God…" Castiel looked to the ground.

Lucifer chuckled, jostling Castiel by his shoulders as they approached the front doors. "I guess you didn't know." He concluded.

Castiel tossed his trench coat onto his desk chair and sat on the edge of his bed. His hands shook, almost nervously, as he slipped off his socks and shoes. He was excited to call Dean, but maybe calling him right away seemed too enthusiastic.

He sighed, realizing he would need to tip toe around Dean, because he still wasn't sure of his intentions. He didn't want to get his hopes up about any kind of relationship with him if all Dean wanted was simple companionship.

He stared at the napkin he'd pulled out of his pocket, looking at Dean's handwriting and admiring it. He then pulled out his phone and typed the number into his contacts, then assigned the number as Dean's. He didn't have many people in his contacts, but the ones he did have were good friends, and any one of them he could easily call right up and have a conversation with.

Well, except his Uncle Metatron.

And Aunt Naomi.

And Rachel.

He shook the thought away, and went back to the top of his list and pressed on the glass screen to call Balthazar. It was time that he was completely honest with him. He couldn't call him his best friend if he didn't know the truth.

The phone only rang once before Balthazar answered, "Castiel? Is everything alright?" he asked, sounding uncharacteristically concerned.

For a moment Castiel was taken aback, "Um, yes, Balthazar. Everything in fine, comparatively." He answered, staring down at his little note.

"Oh God, I was worried that today was the day." Balthazar sighed, "I was so scared for you when I saw you were calling."

Castiel sighed, "No, my father is still with us." He then shifted on his bed, laying on his stomach with his elbows on his pillow, he continued, "But I did call to give you an update on the situation." He then blushed wildly, "And I have some surprise news."

"Ooooh, Castiel, tell me the surprise news." Balthazar pleaded enthusiastically.

Castiel grinned shyly, letting his face fall into his pillow for a moment. He mumbled something, but it was completely muffled by the pillow.

"Castiel, talk to meeee." Balthazar chided.

Castiel lifted his head back up, "I met someone." He mumbled to him, his eyes drifting over the letters in Dean's name.

Balthazar gasped, and Castiel could hear him moving about. It sounded like he was quickly walking down a flight of stairs. "Who? Where? Oh my God, tell me everything, you fool." He hissed through the phone.

Castiel chuckled, "Me and Gabriel were getting a drink at a bar-" "Oh God, Castiel, you can't have long lasting relationships with people you meet in a bar." He groaned. Castiel stayed quiet for a long moment, not pleased that Balthazar interrupted. "I'm sorry, Sweetie. Please continue." He then apologized.

Castiel grinned, "He asked me if I had any ones, because he needed some change for a five-" "It's a he?!" Balthazar burst out with.

Castiel began to giggle, feeling like a teenager all over again, except this time he had someone to have a crush on. He buried his face in his pillow again, muffling his laughter as his face undoubtedly turned red. Yes, it was a boy, and for the first time ever he wasn't confused. He just hoped this whole scenario didn't end with Dean Winchester telling him he wasn't interested, or worse.

Castiel then pulled his face back out of his pillow, "His name is Dean. He's a mechanic here in town and he worked on Kali's car today." He told him quickly so he couldn't be interrupted again.

"CASTIEEEEEL!" Balthazar screamed it over the phone, and Castiel swore it sounded like he was indoors. "You have made me a very happy man today." He told him, "God damn, I am so excited for you." He admitted. "Please tell me you're not being awkward. For the love of God, we don't need you scaring him away." Castiel rolled his eyes.

"I was a little awkward at first, but I think I'll be able to get past that." He told him. "In fact…" he paused, grinning, "After I'm done talking with you, I'm going to call him."

Balthazar gasped, "You have his number?"

"Yes, we saw each other again today at the same bar and he slipped his name and number on a napkin into my coat before we left." He chuckled, "I didn't realize he'd done it until I got into the car."

"How sweet." Balthazar swooned.

Then Castiel's smile turned sour, "But the thing is, I'm not sure he's even interested in me that way." He confessed.

There was a long pause on Balthazar's end before he spoke, "Wait, so you can't tell if he's gay?"

Castiel sighed, "Unfortunately, no. I can't. Everything he's done, and everything we've talked about could have been seen as friendly gestures and conversation." He took his finger and pushed down into his pillow, dinting it. "He's also very masculine, and he's hard to read."

"Well it sounds to me like you need to spend more time with him before you go swooning, Darling." Balthazar advised. "I mean, he did slip his number into your pocket, and that either means he's into you, or he's a naughty flirt." He chuckled.

Castiel rolled his eyes, but he was no less excited, then he remembered the second reason why he called Balthazar.

"Um, Balthazar… I have something else to tell you, and it's kind of big." He began with.

"Uh-oh." Balthazar sighed, "Lay it on me."

"Well, I'm from New Haven, Idaho. I don't suppose you know the business that started here, do you?" he asked, hoping if he led him along, Balthazar could figure it out for himself.

"I have no clue." Balthazar admitted.

Castiel sighed, rubbing his fingers over his forehead, "Autman Furnishings is the multimillion dollar company that breathes life into New Haven." He said simply.

There was a very long pause over the phone, and for a moment, Castiel wasn't sure if Balthazar was on the other line. He glanced at the screen of his phone, and made sure that he was in fact still there. "Balthazar?" he called out.

"Castiel…" Balthazar replied, though there was another long pause before he continued, "Do you mean to tell me… That your family is worth millions…"

Castiel swallowed, "Yes. And that's only part of what else is happening." He sighed, turning over on to his back, and then waited for Balthazar to inquire deeper.

"Well I can't even fathom what else could possibly be going on with you and your family." Castiel heard the clink of glass then the shifting of ice, like Balthazar were drinking something. "Do carry on." He mumbled.

"Well, my father spoke to me recently, alone, and told me after he passes, that when his last Will and testament is read… Everything will be passed over to me." He let Balthazar soak that in for a moment before he continued, "But he only did it because he feels I can sort through our family better than he can at the moment, and he wants me to hand down what I think my family deserves." His eyes closed, the weight of his own words crushing him slowly. He didn't know how everyone would react, but he hoped that at least his brothers would have his back.

"Oh my." Was Balthazar's only reply, for the moment. There was a pause, then rustling of paper, and he spoke again, "Cassie, if you want me to come down there for when it happens, I will gladly be there for you." He told Castiel.

Castiel sighed, "You don't know how much that would mean to me." A small sense of relief washed over him, and he was at least able to breath a bit easier.

"It's no problem. Do you want me to notify Chuck? I can see if he can come down for the funeral." Before Castiel could answer, Balthazar swore, "Damn it, Castiel, I'm sorry. I'm making it sound like he's already gone."

"No, no, it's fine, Balthazar. Michael has already made funeral arrangements. If he's not working, he's doing everything that he can to make this easier for all of us." His brows sank sympathetically. "I'm starting to worry about him more." He confided to him.

"I understand. I suppose this is taking a large toll on him." Balthazar offered.

"It is. And I think it's only making it worse that Michael is getting ready to take control of the family business." He sighed, heavily, "I don't know how he'll take it when the Will is read and it says control goes to me." He then sat up in bed, looking at the bedding he sat on, "I mean, I will automatically give it to him, but I just don't want him getting the wrong idea."

"Right. I think if you explain things to your brothers beforehand-" "That's just it." Castiel interrupted. "My father has told me not to say anything to anyone."

"Well isn't that just dandy." Balthazar groaned quietly.

Castiel sighed, "I'm not sure what he expects to accomplish by not letting me tell anyone. I'm sure that my brothers would understand if I told them."

"Well, maybe he's protecting you from what they might do if they don't take it well." Balthazar suggested.

Castiel's brows furrowed. He never knew his brothers as men who weren't accepting of anything that he did. The only time he ever saw them disapprove of him, was during his move to Seattle. And most of that was simply because they'd miss him, and they couldn't accept him being so far away.

But to actually condemn him for having been bestowed the entire inheritance for security reasons? He wouldn't believe that. Michael may be let down, confused, maybe a bit angered, but not enough to warrant protection in the form of keeping information away from him.

"Whatever the case may be, I only hope it turns out for the best." He sighed. "We'll only know until it happens." Castiel concluded.

Balthazar then tried to lighten the mood, chuckling, "Alright Castiel. Enough of this. You are going to hang up with me and you are going to call this Dean fellow."

Castiel grinned, looking out his window at the swimming pool, which was currently covered with a weather tarp, "I'm actually nervous." He admitted.

Balthazar scoffed, "Don't be. He obviously wants to talk to you. All you have to do is be your sweet self." He then took another drink from whatever it was he was drinking. "By the way, I'll be sure to stalk you up on booze again, okay?"

Castiel's brows furrowed "Are you at my house?"

"Yes I am." Balthazar answered, without any hesitation, "I'm sleeping in your bed, eating your food, and wearing your clothes."

Castiel sucked his teeth, "Please tell me you're joking."

Balthazar chuckled, "Well, all your food was going to go bad if it wasn't eaten, or thrown away, and I've been stopping by after work to get your mail and water the plants-" "I don't have plants." "And it's so late that I might as well sleep over." Balthazar took another drink of Castiel's liquor, "And, well, I like your pants…" he concluded.

Castiel rolled his eyes, simultaneously sighing, "Please don't eat all my food. I'd like to return at some point."

Balthazar chuckled, "Call Dean, Lover Boy." And he hung up.

Castiel stared down at his phone, at first worried for his home in Seattle. But then he stared at it because he couldn't make his hands call the number on the napkin. He looked at the time and was glad it was a reasonable time of day. Dean hopefully wasn't in the middle of dinner, and hopefully wasn't already in bed.

He thumbed the number into the dial pad and held the phone to his ear, nervousness making him a little uneasy. He was only seconds away from quickly canceling the call and trying again tomorrow, but it had only been one ring when his call was answered.

"Hi Cas."