"Hey! Wake up!"

Cas' eyes sprung open. His head slid from where it was resting on his hand and smashed into the keyboard on his desk. He yelped, then groaned, looking with narrow eyes toward the door of his office.

Gabe was laughing uncontrollably. Cas rubbed his eyes, followed by his head.

"What?" Cas grunted.

"You have a patient waiting," Gabe replied between gasps of air.

Cas pushed through Gabe, weak from laughter, and strode to Meg who was sitting at her computer, typing. He went to the filing cabinets behind her and opened a drawer. Cas searched through the contents. Without turning around, Meg held up a folder.

"Is this what you're looking for?"

Cas turned. "Uh-yes, thank you." He clumsily took it from her and briefly looked over the information.

"You should probably get to it."

"What?"

"You should probably get back there, the patient has been waiting for a half an hour." Meg clarified.

Cas sighed deeply and rubbed his face. "I'm sorry-"

"Don't apologize to me, she's the one waiting." Cas nodded. "And Cas, why have you started doing that?"

"Doing what?" Cas asked gruffly.

"Making people wait for you."

Cas didn't reply and he shuffled into the room where an unhappy customer was waiting. Cas apologized and sat down, adjusting her chair as well.

"It's about time, Dr. Novak. I have to pick up my son from soccer practice in twenty minutes!" she scolded.

"Look," Cas glanced at the papers, "Clara, I'm sorry. I…got held up."

Clara scoffed. "Well, I've never been late a day in my life and if you think I'm going to start because of your hold up, you're absolutely wrong. I will not be known by the other moms as the one who was late to pick up her poor son from practice because of an irresponsi-"

Cas pushed his tools into her gabbing mouth, mostly for his own sake. His thoughts wondered from Clara, still making muffled sounds under his hands. He was only half way to his next appointment with Dean, and it had been a long wait. He had started slacking off at work, dozing off, and losing focus. Ever since Dean Campbell walked into his office, he hadn't been able to keep his mind off him. He had begun wondering strange things about him. What did Dean like to do in spare time? Did he read? What did he like to eat, besides pie, of course? Did he still have anything from childhood?

That was an interesting question Cas actually thought about a lot. Childhood could tell a lot about one's self. He always liked studying human nature. Cas had his trench coat since he was a born. His father used it as a blanket for him when he was a baby and he never felt at home without it. What would Dean have with sentimental value? Stolen credit cards from when he was four? Cas smiled at his thought.

'Dean is innocent somewhere deep down, we all were at some point in time. It's our experiences that shape us.' Cas thought to himself. His thoughts trailed backwards in his silent monologue, then stopped short. His trench coat. Where had his trench coat been the past two weeks? Cas had been so lost in his dreams about Dean he hadn't noticed that his lifelong treasure had disappeared.

Startled by the sudden realization, his hands slipped and Cas jabbed the sharp pick into Clara's gums. Clara shrieked and jumped out of the chair, holding her hand over her bleeding mouth. Cas wasn't sure who was more stunned at his misguided hands.

"That's it, Dr. Novak. You make me wait for you and late to pick up my son and I maintain my patience. When you're this distracted though, I don't think I can trust you as my dentist!" Clara grabbed her purse and stormed through the doors, calling back, "Goodbye Cas!"

"Clara, wait!" Cas stumbled after her. Clara banged the door behind her as Cas tumbled through the door to the lobby. Gabe and Meg stared at the entrance, then at Cas.

"What was that about?" Gabe asked, Meg also awaiting the answer to that question. Cas looked at Gabe with heavy eyes.

"Clara won't be coming back…" he stated, then hurried to the coat stand.

"She what?" Gabe exclaimed. "What did you say?"

"I didn't say anything!" Cas said, annoyed. "I was distracted!" He was searching through all the coats on the rack. There weren't many, it was barely fall yet. Still, there was no trench coat. His old, but well-maintained treasure was not there, but it should have been. He took his coat with him everywhere, even in the summer time. He felt naked without it. How had he not noticed it was gone until now?

"Distracted?" Gabe asked, "What distracted you?"

"Nothing," Cas replied coldly. "It was nothing."

Meg jumped in. "You've been out of it for weeks. Really Cas, what's up with you?"

Cas looked at them angrily. He didn't have to tell them everything, just what was bothering him at the moment. As long as they didn't find out about his appointment with Dean next Friday. He wanted to be alone with Dean.

"I… seem to have misplaced my coat."

"That's what you're upset about?" Gabe said with a laugh. "A horse blanket?" Cas disregarded Gabe's provoking. Gabe knew what it meant to him, but he never did understand it.

"Stop it, Gabe," Meg interjected, "This obviously means a lot to Cas. Why don't we help him so he can focus instead of joke about it?"

Gabe grew quiet. "Fine," he agreed, "Less work for me if he can actually do his."

"Alright. When did you last have it, Cas?" Meg inquired.

'Damn it.' This wasn't where he had wanted this to go. Cas just wanted them off his back about it. Now he had no other choice; he couldn't lie.

"Um, last Friday."

"Last Friday?" Meg looked curious and shifted towards her monitor. She brought up the matching schedule. "That was the day that one-timer came in. Dan, wasn't it?"

"Dean." Cas loudly defended. They looked at him in silence. Cas could feel his face reddening with every growing second. He turned quickly, pretending to shuffle through the coats again.

"It's not important. What's important is that after that day I don't remember having it again."

The wheels were turning in Gabe's head. He changed the subject. "Why are you blushing, Cas?"

"What? What are you talking about, that's nonsense."

"Then turn around," Gabe said with a smirk. Cas couldn't bring himself to move. He just turned his head back and glanced at Gabe from behind his shoulder, revealing his tomato-like cheeks.

Gabe let out a wave of laughter. "Cas, you're so obvious!"

More red.

"What's obvious? What's going on, Gabe?" Meg yelled over Gabe's loud laughs.

"Cas has a crush," Gabe explained, "And by the looks of it, his first!"

thank you so much! it was A Long Wait (pun intended)
I appreciate your support! xoxo