Sorry this is so short! Haha compared to the chapters I've been writing, this one is shorter. But it had a good stopping point and I hadn't updated in a while, sooooo yeah, lol. Sorry for the wait! I just haven't been on FF very much lately due to the fact that I've been focusing on more of my original stories and their completion. But I'm back, at least for now XD lol. So I will try to get some things done :D Yays.

Thanks so much for all of your wonderful, lovely reviews! They are what inspired me to finally continue this story :D

Onward!

Chapter Twenty-One

Dean hated being practically bedridden. If he wasn't in his wheelchair or on his crutches, he was confined to his room by Warden Sammy. He wasn't amused in the slightest. His ankle felt a lot better now. It had been over a week since he'd been released from the hospital - why couldn't he just walk around on his own? His ankle and foot were in a small, immobile cast thingy anyway. Well, Dean couldn't call it a cast. It wasn't something someone could sign - otherwise he'd have made Sammy sign it and Cas as well. No, it was more like a little black harness thing that kept his ankle from moving the wrong way. It was very annoying but he was sure he could just walk around in it by now, and not worry about the wheelchair and crutches. He was fine.

As it was, though, he was sitting in his room in silence, staring up at the ceiling. They got TV reception here but the cops had only paid for basic channels - and more than half of them were either sports or news. Dean didn't mind sports, but he hated just watching them on TV. What was the point? Going to a football game at school was entirely different than watching one on TV. Playing in one was even better. One was more involved that way. So, no TV for him he'd decided for the most part.

He could read but it gave him a headache. Sam said it was probably a side effect from the skull fracture. That just made Dean sigh.

He could do some homework - Cas had been kind enough to get it for him, after all, he'd might as well do it - but really, he'd rather sit in silence than worry about math. Especially when he knew there was a cop car sitting outside for a reason, not just because the police felt like it. His family was being treated like this, being kept away from town in a safe house like this, for a reason. And as much as Dean tried to put it to the back of his mind, it kept pushing back to the front.

He was probably going to have to leave soon. Most likely, anyway. His home had been burned down and he and Sammy had been injured - of course there was a threat to them now. Whoever had killed Jimmy was seemingly after them as well, and Dean didn't know why but he knew it was dangerous. Sammy could have been seriously hurt in that fire - or worse. Hell, they both could have. And then where would that have left them?

It was getting risky, staying here. He knew this safe house was only temporary. He also knew the cops didn't like Castiel coming and going all the time, or Dean always going to his place, but damn it, Dean had a life too. He couldn't just put it on hold and twiddle his thumbs until the police decided what to do. That thought angered him slightly - what right did the police have to make that decision? To decide what was best for them given the circumstances?

The whole situation was touchy. John snapped at him and Sam more often these days. He was under a lot of pressure. Dean wanted to help him carry the burden, but truthfully, he just didn't want to know. He didn't want to know what the cops were thinking, what they were telling John, or how soon they might have to leave. He just wanted to enjoy the time he had at the moment, the time he could spend with Cas, and time he could be normal…

Because he was sure once they made his family leave, everything would change. And he just didn't know what to think about that. This was a situation he had never planned for, had never thought would happen.

His thoughts were interrupted when the phone rang. He had left it in his room earlier after ordering a pizza for the family and having the cops go pick it up for them so no one else, not even the freaking pizza delivery guy, knew where they were. It was awkward.

Now Dean grabbed the phone and brought it to his ear. "Hello?" he sighed, still looking up at the ceiling.

"Hey, it's me," Cas said.

Dean smirked. Talking with Cas always brightened his otherwise boring and glum day. "You know, you don't have to keep saying 'it's me'. I know it's you. You're like, the only one who has this number. Plus, I know your voice, Cassie."

He could hear Castiel's huff over the phone. "Well sorry - I happen to believe in common courtesy."

"Courtesy is dead, haven't you heard?" Dean retorted.

"It's on life support - it's not dead yet."

"Touché," Dean said, grinning. "So what's up?"

"Not much," Cas replied. "Took Soldier for a walk. He barks at every squirrel, did you know that? And when he sees tall grass, he simply must roll in it."

Dean chuckled. "Sounds like the dog I got you."

"Mm, yes. Other than that, Gabriel and Jimmy are playing video games yet again."

"Of course they are - that's how they rule the world," Dean said.

"I can't picture them ruling the world. My mind implodes if I try."

"Well, we can't have that, now can we? We'll simply have to rule the world first."

Castiel chuckled through the line and Dean smirked. "How are you?" Cas asked.

"I'm great," Dean replied. "We ordered pizza and had the cops go get it for us like the delivery boys they are at heart, and I've been staring at my ceiling for the past hour or so. Did you know if you stare hard enough, you begin to get X-ray vision? Cas! I must try this on you."

Castiel snorted. "You're being ridiculous," he commented fondly.

Dean grinned to himself. "But being ridiculous is fun. It's so…ridiculous. Even the spelling of it is ridiculous."

He could practically feel the way Cas was shaking his head. "How's your ankle?" he asked, changing the subject. What a good idea.

Dean shrugged to himself. "It's fine, though Warden Sammy won't let me walk. I've been confined to my bed for the most part. You should come over - be confined to my bed too. I could think of a few ideas."

"Dean," Castiel said, but there was clearly a smile in his voice.

"I'm going out of my mind with boredom, Cas."

"Read something."

"Tried that, gave me a headache."

"Homework?"

"It's like you're a mind reader. No - math is too boring. I can't do it when I'm bored, it will only make me more bored, don't you see?"

Castiel sighed. "Why don't you play cards with Sam?"

"I don't have any cards…but I could see if those cops have any. They're like my own personal shoppers. I need something, they get it, STAT."

Cas chuckled faintly. "Ah." There was a pause. "Do they…Have they said if you're…leaving yet?" he asked timidly.

Dean sobered and bit down on his lower lip. "I…No, not yet," he replied quietly, sitting up in bed. "They haven't said anything."

"Oh."

"That I know of, anyway. Dad's been snappy, though, so…maybe they've said something to him? I really don't know, Cas. Like I said, I've been pretty much confined to my room, so…"

"Oh," Castiel murmured.

Dean chewed on his lower lip for a minute before he sighed. "But, hey, don't worry, okay? I'm sure everything will work out in the end."

"How can you be so sure?"

"I just…I am."

Things have to work out, don't they? he thought to himself. Because he couldn't picture himself leaving Cas any more than he could picture the two of them breaking up. The thought of not being with Cas was…well, it wasn't meant to be, really. The thought didn't want to form in Dean's mind, at least not completely. He didn't want to think about it. Things had to work out.

Castiel released a slow breath. "Well…okay. Then I guess I can be sure too."

"That's the spirit," Dean said softly.

Castiel couldn't feel his legs. He was sitting on his bed with his back against the wall, his legs stretched out in front of him, down the length of his bed, and he couldn't feel them. He put his book down and glared at his dog. Soldier lifted his head from where he rested on Castiel's legs. "You're cutting off my circulation," he accused. Soldier just wagged his tail. He shook his head and slid his legs out from under the dog.

He put the book on his bedside table. He hadn't really been that into it anyway - he couldn't even remember what it was about, at least not the main plot. He could just vaguely remember the last page he'd read and the main character's name. His mind was elsewhere at the moment, and though he'd been trying to distract himself with reading, it hadn't exactly worked.

He wanted to believe things would be okay, that everything would work out in the end, but really, how could they when so much had happened already? Castiel didn't know what to do to fix the situation. He doubted he even could.

He sighed and stood from his bed. Soldier stood on his bed, wagging his tail happily as he nudged his face into Castiel's side. Castiel patted his head and left his room to go downstairs.

His mother was in the living room, watching TV. She glanced over at him when he entered the room. "Hey, honey," she said with a warm smile. It was just the two of them in the house, seeing as how Jimmy had stayed at a friend's place for the night. She patted the couch next to her. "Sit."

Castiel sat. "What are you watching?" he asked.

"Just flipping through channels," she said.

"Dean likes to do that," he said before he could stop himself. It was just a connection he made in his mind and it sort of slipped out. Bethany smiled at him and nodded, turning her attention back toward the TV.

For a long moment, they sat in silence. Bethany stayed on a channel for a bit and then flipped to a different one. There didn't really seem to be anything on.

Castiel chewed on his lower lip. He wanted to talk about it with someone, but he wasn't sure if he should tell his mom. He still didn't know if Dean wanted anyone to know. However, this was his family and Castiel felt like he should tell them anyway. He glanced at his mom. "Mom?"

She looked at him. "Yeah, sweetie?"

"I, uh…well…" He shifted somewhat in his seat. How was he supposed to say this, exactly? "You know how…Dean and Sam were in the hospital, right?"

"Yes," she replied, frowning at him somewhat.

"Well…you know how the police think it was arson?"

"Yes," she said again. "What's this about, Cassie?"

He took in a slow breath. "Well, uh…the um…the police think it's connected with…Dean's uncle's murder in jail." He'd told her about it - of course he had - before it had hit the papers. She had then promptly invited Dean over to make him some pie. Dean, of course, hadn't declined.

"Connected? Connected how?" she asked, her frown deepening.

He hesitated - should he tell her, or not? But then he took in a small breath and pushed himself forward. "The police think that…whoever killed…Justin is coming after them. So…they're in a safe house. And…and they might have to leave. To be put into protective custody," he said, almost stumbling over his words.

"Oh, that's awful!" Bethany said. "How horrible! Why would someone be after them, do you think?"

Considering the fact Castiel tried to not think about it, he didn't really have an answer. "I don't know," he murmured. "I just…they're going to be leaving soon. I think. I mean…unless they catch the guy who did this or whatever, because they think…this guy's the one who set their house on fire, and…" He took in a slow breath. "It's a big mess."

"I can tell," Bethany said, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry, Cassie. I know Dean's your friend."

More than a friend, he wanted to tell her, but he and Dean had never discussed when to really tell Castiel's parents and he'd said enough as it was for one night. So he just kept his mouth shut and nodded tightly.

"Hopefully they'll catch the guy and everything will work out," Bethany sighed.

"Yeah…hopefully," Castiel mumbled.

He could hope, but that didn't mean things were going to be okay. That didn't mean Dean would get to stay.

That didn't mean he might not have to soon say goodbye.

And there it is :D My short-ish chapter, lol. Sorry if there are mistakes, I stayed home from school today due to a nagging headache and decided to write it, soooo yeah. And I don't have a beta, so XD lol yeah. Anyway, thanks so much for reading and please continue to leave your wonderful reviews!

~Muffy the Dough Slayer~