Hello again :) sooo even though the timeline has been all over the place, I'm gonna clarify a few things: This is before Cas branded Sam and Dean with the sigils on their ribs that hide them from angels. Also before any of them know what the angels have in store for them. Uriel is dead though. Cas is on their side. Lucifer is still in the cage.

Cas, I hope you have your ears on…

Castiel was gathering intelligence on Lilith, and it was with mild annoyance that he tuned in to the younger Winchester's prayer.

Dean just took the Impala. I don't know where he's going, but if you could watch out for him, I'd really appreciate it.

Castiel was glad he listened. Dean should not be alone right now. He quickly located the troubled man, and teleported to the backseat of the impala. He maintained his invisibility, however. He knew how upset Dean was when he knew he was being watched.

Dean drove to the nearest liquor store, and bought a 12 pack. Cas didn't stop him, although he agreed with Sam that the hunter needed to drink less.

Back on the road, Dean drove to a nearby wooded area. He parked the car, sat on the hood, and began drinking. After the first six beers, Cas decided to alert Sam to his brother's location. It would not be safe for him to drive in this intoxicated state.

Before he could go anywhere, however, he noticed that Dean had gotten back inside the car and was rummaging around for something. He pulled a gun out of the glove compartment.

Really?

Cas materialized in the passenger seat, and simply plucked the weapon from Dean's hands. The hunter yelped in surprise.

"Cas, what the hell?"

"I should be asking you that."

"You're stalking me."

"You were about to shoot yourself."

"No, I wasn't."

"It certainly appeared that way."

Dean glared at the angel. "For your information, I was gonna take some frustration out on nature. Shoot some rabbits or something."

"I don't understand how killing things makes you feel better."

Dean rolled his eyes. "Whatever. You can leave now." He slurred.

"You are intoxicated. It is not safe for you to be handling firearms." Cas tucked the gun away in his trench coat, but it wouldn't surprise him if there were more weapons in the Winchester's car. "You need to go back to Sam."

"No, cause then I'd have to explain everything to Ellen and Jo and Ash."

The fearless hunter looked very vulnerable. "I don't understand," Cas tilted his head. "They all care about you very much. Why do you wish to hide this from them? Maybe they could be of assistance."

"No, no, nooo…" Dean bopped Cas on the nose. "You, my friend, do not understand love."

Cas raised an eyebrow, slightly offended. "What do you mean?"

"When you love people, you lie to them."

"Why would you do that? It has caused nothing but problems between you and Sam in the past."

"You lie…because that's how you become president." Dean started laughing hysterically.

Cas was uncomfortable. "I…do not understand what that has to do with love."

"Not a damn thing, angel."

Cas was growing tired of this. The hunter was not making any sense. With a single touch, he cleared the alcohol out of Dean's system.

Dean blinked, staring at Cas. "What just happened?"

"You were drunk. Now we are going back to the Roadhouse. Start the car or I will transport us there immediately."

"Geez, drunk me sure got your panties in a twist." Dean mumbled as he started the car.

As they neared the roadhouse, Dean looked over at Cas. He felt a sudden pang of guilt. The angel had better things to do than to babysit him. "Hey, I'm sorry."

"It is alright, Dean. I have come to realize that humans do strange things when they are in pain."

"Right. Hey, could you do me a favor?"

"Anything.

Dean was surprised at the sincerity in the angel's eyes.

"Um, no one at the Roadhouse knows about any of this. At least, they shouldn't. If Sam told them….fuck." Dean trailed off. He'd left without an explanation. What if Sam had felt obligated to illuminate the situation?"

"You hope to keep your emotional instability a secret." Cas finished his sentence.

Dean chuckled. "Emotional instability, huh? Okay, we'll go with that."

"I won't tell them, Dean."

"Thanks, buddy."

They walked into the Roadhouse, and Dean prepared himself for the inevitable shit-storm of questions.

Sam was nowhere in sight, but Jo greeted him with a concerned smile.

Fuck, she knows.

"Hey, where've you been?"

"Um…" He struggled to find words.

"We were gathering intelligence on Lilith." Cas offered.

Dean stared at his friend. An angel, lying? Wow, they really had corrupted him. Thanks, man. He said silently, knowing Cas would hear his prayer of gratitude.

Jo seemed to accept it. "Okay. Hey, Cas. How have you been?"

Castiel looked confused. "I…have been good?"

Jo laughed at his awkwardness. "Can I get you a drink?"

"I'm, uh, not sure that would be a good idea."

"Come on, I've always wanted to get an angel drunk." Ash called from the bar with a glint of mischievousness in his eyes.

Cas looked like a deer in the headlights. "Thank you, but I must be going now." He hurriedly vanished.

Dean chuckled. "Maybe next time. Hey, where's Sam?"

"He's upstairs sleeping." Ellen said from behind a stack of chairs. She walked over to Dean. "You sure you're okay, kid? Sam said there was something he couldn't tell us."

Dean knew this was an invitation- well, more like a command- to tell her what the hell was going on with him. But he couldn't…

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just been on the road a little too long." He lied.

WARNING: THE NEXT CHAPTER CONTAINS EXPICIT, SHAMELESS SMUT.