October wind whistled swiftly through the trees. It pushed the orange and yellow leaves off their branches and sent shivers through the worried squirrels. As he walked amid the city's streets, Cas lifted his eyes from the sidewalk. He spotted an anxious squirrel searching around an Oak's trunk for his lost nut. Cas smiled at the pitiful creature and reached into his pocket, pulling out an acorn.

"Hey, little fella," Cas called to the squirrel who looked curiously back at him. "Here you go, have this." Cas squatted near the tree and set the acorn down in front of him. He watched from a safe distance away as the squirrel snatched up the new nut and scurried away.

Cas smiled distantly and scattered a handful of the acorns in his pocket around the tree and continued on his way. The squirrels always worked for their acorns and buried them so they could come back when the nuts were needed to reap the rewards of their labor. However, they seemed to forget where they hid them. Poor creatures. They aren't the only ones who lost something intended to be kept.

Cas sighed heavily at his thoughts. They were so painfully parallel to Dean, the Campbell boy who walked into his office over a month ago. They had had a great time at the Fair, but Cas hadn't heard from Dean since that night. Cas insisted on walk himself home, not wanting to be a bother. Plus, Cas was hesitant to have Dean see the apartment he lived in. It was trash compared to their mansion. He lived in a broken home, literally and figuratively. His family was so segregated it made him sick. Dean's family was great, though. The Campbell's seemed like a harmonic symphony of the word family.

Damn it, why didn't I get his number… Cas cursed at himself. Of course, he knew where the Campbell's lived, but he could never conjure up the courage to knock on the door. He didn't want to be intrusive. He probably doesn't even feel the same way about me. Cas kicked a small stone and watched in tumble ahead of him.

"Cas?!"

Cas jerked his head up to the sound of Dean's voice. Cas hadn't heard it in a long time, but it seemed to awaken him as if out of a coma. Dean jumped out of the still running Chevy on the other side of the road and ran across the street to greet Cas.

"What's up, man!" Dean's smile glistened.

"Hello, Dean." Cas couldn't think of anything else to say.

"Why haven't you stopped over?"

"I didn't think you would want me to."

"You kidding me? I had more fun with you in one night then I have in years! You should come over more often. Are you busy now?"

"Um…" Cas looked down at the acorns filling his sweaty hand.

"Gathering nuts for the winter?" Dean chuckled at his own joke.

"No, I was...uh…helping out the squirrels." Cas let his voice fade as he finished the sentence and dropped the handful of nuts at the base of another nearby tree.

Dean laughed. "How?"

"Squirrels often forget where they store their food for the winter. I'm simply giving them some insurance."

Dean's eyebrows arched. Cas looked down, his uneasiness showing. You sound dumb, Castiel. Why do you even do this as a hobby? Dean's look soon transformed from judgmental to admiring. "That's a great idea."

Cas blushed. "Really?"

"Yeah, who else would think of providing for the squirrels?" Dean slapped Cas' back playfully. It sort of hurt him, but he ignored it. He finally was talking with Dean again. "Want come over? Sammy and I are having a barbeque in a few hours. I was just on my way to the store to pick some things up."

"Isn't it a little late in the year for a barbeque?" Cas asked slowly.

"Nah, it's not even that cold. Besides, what have you got to worry about? That coat should keep you warm 24/7," Dean joked.

"It is warm." Cas confirmed awkwardly.

"Well? Do you have anything else planned?"

"No, I-"

"Come on, then!" Dean pulled Cas across the road by the sleeve of his trench coat and offered him the front seat. They pulled away and headed to the store.

"Alright," Dean announced when he and Cas went through the entrance of the grocery store. "We need cups, plates, napkins, ribs, chips...Whatever, man, we'll just pick up what looks good." Dean crumpled the list Sam had written out for him and stuffed it into his leather jacket's pocket. Cas laughed quietly.

"What?" said Dean.

"Nothing, just you reminded me of Gabe."

"The other dentist at your work? How?"

"He's a sweet tooth. Sometimes he brings in food for us all and it's always sweets. We get really sick of it after a while but Gabe insists that he picks out the good stuff."

Dean smiled, tossing various bags of candy into the cart. He wasn't even looking at what kind they were. "I guess we both know what the good stuff is."

Cas nodded and looked away, pretending to be searching through the selection of BBQ sauce on the other side of the isle. Come on, you've known him for longer than a day. Why are you still so nervous around him? "So, uh, is there any occasion for the barbeque you and your brother are hosting?"

"Halloween is tomorrow…" Dean said slowly. He studied Cas' face in an attempt to tell if he really didn't know about the holiday.

"Right. Halloween." Cas responded quickly.

"Do you honestly not know what Halloween is?" Dean asked, shocked.

"I wasn't brought up with holidays," Cas admitted.

"Really?" Dean stood appalled for a moment. "Well, Lucy was born on Halloween, too, if that helps you."

"So it's a birthday party?"

"Of sorts." Dean threw piles of ribs and hamburger meat into their cart. "Wait, you've worked with Lucy for how long?"

"As long as I can remember."

"How do you not know her birthday then?"

Cas sunk his head. "She's always been a little extreme for me. I generally try to avoid her, when possible."

"That's adorable," Dean laughed. His laugh sounded like the rush of crystal streams amid quiet mountains.

Cas' heart dropped into his stomach. "What?" He tried to act suspicious, but his excitement got the better of him and he dropped the paper plates he had been adding to the cart.

Dean picked the plates up and hid his flush face, "Nothing."

Cas and Dean continued gathering "whatever looked good" until the cart was brimming full. "Well," Dean said, "We should probably get back and prepare all of this."

"Good idea."

"Do you know how to cook?" Dean asked.

"It's not my best area," Cas admitted. "I'm willing to learn, though." This would be a perfect opportunity to get closer to Dean. Bonding is easier and more natural when you're enjoying the same activity, right? Cas recalled from a woman's magazine he had picked up one day in his office.

"Alright, I'll help you," Dean agreed. They proceeded through the checkout line and loaded the supplies into the Impala. Dean and Cas rolled out of the parking lot, Motorhead blazing.

Next chapter should be somewhat comedic.. at least i hope so. But i laugh at my own jokes a lot, so ..

Hope you enjoyed! thanks lots for reading faithfully :)