He should have known the day was shot to hell when the first thing that he saw was Sam's face. Ten more minutes were all that he needed, so he mentally flipped his brother off and rolled over. On this side though there was a blue tie hanging in his face. He had to sleepily bat the fabric away before it stopped ticking his nose.

It was the snicker that wouldn't let him drift off again long enough to realize there shouldn't normally be a dark blue tie hanging directly in front of his eyes. Dean froze and considered how likely it was that there would be a hole opening up in the ground anywhere nearby. Because judging by Sammy's giggles, Dean would never live this down.

He blinked blearily. Sure enough, he was facing a crisp white button down shirt. Well, fuck. That explained the oddly shaped pillow.

Rolling onto his back, Dean looked up at Cas. He stubbornly ignored his brother, who was busy laughing his ass off, and shared an amused smile with the angel. "Good morning, Cas."

"Good morning, Dean." Cas looked completely composed and unfazed by the situation. It was unfair.

Adopting a similar nonchalance, Dean chose to ignore Sam, who had finally finished laughing and was now packing their bags into the Impala. "Guess I fell asleep."

The angel nodded, "You didn't see the end of the movie." Cas paused, looking thoughtful in a way that made Dean wonder if he should be nervous now. "Do you often go to sleep on people? Is that common for humans?"

Dean considered this a moment. "Uh. No. It's not something people usually do."

Really, it was not something that Dean ever did. He liked his space, and when he slept with women there wasn't much sleeping going on. When the sleeping bit came about, he usually cleared out. Which was why he should be jumping up now, and not chatting comfortably with his head in a man's... an angel's lap. But it was actually pretty nice. And comfortable. Maybe there was something to this cuddling thing after all.

Not that he was cuddling.

"Most people only allow themselves to sleep like that with someone they trust." Sam added helpfully as he kicked at Dean's boots. "Come on, Sleeping Beauty, get up!" His brother smirked evilly, "Unless you're waiting for a wake up-"

Sammy was not allowed to finish that thought. "I'm up!" Dean sat up, glaring at Sam. Jokes like that were common place for them, but Cas wouldn't understand that Sam was being a bitch. "Don't worry, I'm not horning in on your department, Princess." He dodged the cushion Sam tossed by ducking into the kitchen. Dean hadn't missed the way Cas's face lit up when Sam mentioned trust. It made him feel a bit bad that maybe Cas didn't know how much Dean trusted him.

Bobby sat quietly at the table, a cup of coffee in his hands. Dean paused and took a good look at the older hunter. Older was a good description these days. Of course, it was no wonder, with the events of the past few years. The Winchester boys had put more than their fair share of gray into Bobby's hair. And it wasn't like him to not bust Dean's chops for acting like a little kid.

"Morning, Bobby." Dean slumped into the chair across the table and wondered if Bobby was even going to respond.

"You sure are bright eyed and bushy tailed this morning." Bobby looked up from his cup and pinned Dean with a look that made him immediately feel guilty. For what exactly, he had no idea.

Running a hand through his hair in lieu of a comb, Dean shrugged. "Uh yeah." And it was true. In spite of getting nowhere near enough sleep he did feel refreshed and alert now. If Sammy thought he was getting first driving shift; he was wrong.

Dean felt like a bug under Bobby's knowing eyes. He had no idea what Bobby was seeing but there was a part of him that felt like it was too much. Bobby took a sip of coffee. "So the beds here no longer meet your exacting standards?" The hunter's eyebrow rose with the question.

Snorting, Dean shook his head. After the places he'd slept, a bed- any bed was heaven. A bed at Bobby's especially so since this was one of the few places he could be assured his own room and the privacy that came with it. Privacy he'd wasted last night, he realized with a pang of regret. Oh well, making a Batman convert of Cas was worth it. "Nah, Bobby, Cas and I were just having a Batman marathon."

"You and those movies." Bobby shook his head and finally looked away. "So, did your angel appreciate meeting your God?"

"While he is an able fighter for justice, Batman is no man of divinity." Cas protested mildly as he entered the kitchen. "That would detract from the worth of his character." Nodding his approval, Dean kicked a chair away from the table for Cas.

"Not another one!" Bobby rolled his eyes, but Dean could swear he saw a smile before Bobby took another long drink.

Linking his fingers behind his head, Dean leaned back in his chair. As much as he knew they were needed elsewhere, he wished they could spend more time here. Somehow Bobby's had become home base. No, it was more than home base. It had become home. Maybe someday he'd get drunk enough to tell Bobby that.

But then again, the other man had eyes and knew the Winchesters better than anybody. He probably knew already. And as the hunter shared his opinion of emotional scenes, he wouldn't appreciate it if Dean did spell it out. So, it was best that he just leave it as it was, and Bobby would always keep some rooms set aside.

"Thank you for your hospitality, Bobby." Cas reached out and touched Bobby's mug with two fingers. Steam began to gently rise from the cup. Dean grinned; Cas was really learning if he knew the best thanks he could give Bobby was a reheated cup of coffee.

Bobby snorted and took another drink before nodding and setting his cup down. "Well, you keep the boys and yourself in one piece and you're welcome back anytime."

Dean felt a surge of gratitude that the older hunter would open his home to Cas so freely. Such an invitation from Bobby, even with the condition, was really unheard of. Last Dean knew, even John Winchester was only welcome if he called ahead. It felt good to see Bobby approved of and seemed to like Cas.

But he also couldn't help but feel that something more was going on. More than Cas getting an open invite to Bobby's. Even more than Bobby, in essence, approving of Cas as a member of their family. He couldn't put his finger on it, but it felt good and right in a way that things hadn't felt in a long time.

Cas's thanks were interrupted when Bobby handed them each a travel mug of glorious coffee. "And on that subject, isn't there some place you were going?" He looked pointedly at the door.

Yeah, he could head out now. "Yes sir!" Dean tossed Bobby a quick salute and pulled Cas out of the kitchen before Bobby could make good on the threat that he was not too old for an ass whoopin'.

****

The first few days went well. They got along smoothly even if Cas wouldn't help him torment Sam. The nights also went well once they got Cas set up with the laptop and a pair of headphones. At Dean's last count, the angel had watched the Nolanverse three times and the other apocryphal Batman movies once more each.

They fell into the habit of intense debate on the finer points of each movie and themes- much to Sam's amusement and occasional disgust. Sometimes his brother opted to cram himself into the backseat of the Impala when things got especially intense. He would hunker down with the laptop and headphones, making an occasional comment when the volume of the conversation rose high enough.

Dean found out that sometimes, when he really had a point to prove, Cas spoke with his hands. He would wave them wildly when enthusiastic, or his finger would jab at the air when adamant. And that was kinda awesome. So much so that Dean didn't mind very much if he occasionally had to concede a point.

The 'fun road trip' vibe was lost when Bobby called with the news that another child had gone missing. They were running out of time.

So there were no more nights spent at motels; they switched off on driving shifts. Sam had suggested having Cas just zap them there, but moving them and the car might draw notice that they didn't need. And Dean was not about to leave the Impala behind.

Dean missed the debates, but they needed to be quiet so Sam could sleep in the backseat while Dean drove. Over time he realized it was different, but still not bad. There were other things they could discuss that wouldn't involve having to prove a point through increased volume. Or they could ride in silence. Cas was good at being a silent passenger.

It was these times Dean wondered what Sam and Cas discussed while Dean slept. Or, if Cas and Sam preferred silent riding. Dean kind of hoped they talked. At least a little.

Dean glanced over at Cas. The angel was looking out the passenger side window at the scenery that flew by. Unlike Sam, he was not clutching the dash or pressing on an imaginary break. Dean thought this was pretty good.

Almost as if hearing Dean's thoughts, and maybe he could because he was now a re-haloed angel; Cas turned to study him. "Shouldn't you be watching the road?"

"Shit!" Dean swerved the Impala back into the right hand lane, grateful that no one else was on this stretch of Interstate 40 at three in the morning. He looked into the rearview mirror and breathed a sigh of relief. Sam was still drooling away in the back. And so untold hours of harassment were narrowly avoided.

That was way too stupid a move. Obviously it was way past time for Sam's shift. He spared a moment to glance at Sam squeezed into the backseat. Only a moment because his heart was still beating a mile a minute in his chest and he was not going to risk that again. That aside, it only took a moment to see the lines of exhaustion etched into Sam's face. They hadn't really rested at Bobby's and sleeping in the Impala, spacious backseat or no, was not the most restful sleep.

If they kept this up they'd be zombies by the time they reached Virginia. However, there was nothing else he could do now but drive; there wasn't a motel for miles.

"Do you trust me?" Cas was watching him now instead of the scenery.

Those words never failed to set off warning bells in Dean's mind. It seemed no matter who said 'trust me'; it usually ended badly for Dean. Or it involved something he was not going to like. Still, this was Cas so his answer was a given. "Uh yeah, Cas." Sue him if it sounded a little hesitant. "What do you have in mind?"

The angel shifted in his seat, half turning to dean. "I could… mind whammy you to be more alert."

Dean always got a kick out of it when Cas said something so unangelic. It took him a moment to let that process. "Like angelic speed?" He shot Cas an incredulous look. He wasn't sure he liked the sound of that. It could be addictive or something.

"More like heavenly No-Doz." Cas never failed to surprise him with the cultural references he did get. "It would help you get to a hotel, but you'll crash hard once you're there."

It sounded just like regular No-Doz, with the exception of being delivered through a laying of hands rather than handy pill format. "All right, hit me. Whammy away." Dean was willing to give it a shot if it meant he could get them to a hotel in one piece.

He felt the quick brush of two fingers against his temple before the world came into sharp focus. In an instant he felt his mind come to a level of awareness it rarely reached. He usually only felt this way, this in tune with the world around him, when everything was going to hell and all he had was his instincts to keep him and Sammy alive. He'd never had the chance to actually enjoy the sensation before what with it accompanied by heart-stopping terror. Now he really wondered if he'd have a chance to eat some good pie under the angelic influence.

He'd probably come in his pants.

Dean made a mental note to convince Cas to let him try the experiment some time when he had privacy. Preferably with a 'Magic-Fingers' enabled bed. He could make it an entire evening. Just the thought of it was making his pants a little tight. And a little guilty since Cas was sitting right. Next. To. Him. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat, and searched for something more distracting than the empty road. "So, this isn't something you angels would need. You've whammied someone like this before."

"Once." Cas's reply was slow in coming and obviously reluctant.

That meant there was a story there. Or something bad. The warning bells were going off again. "Yeah, anybody I know?"

"Maybe…" Cas tilted his head. "Have you ever heard of Rip Van Winkle?"

Dean wasn't too clear on the specifics, but that was definitely the name of a guy who fell asleep for twenty years. "Seriously?!" Dean gripped the steering wheel tightly as he shot panicked looks from the road to Cas and back to the road.

"No." The angel's voice was smug.

Dean relaxed, breathing a sigh of relief when he saw the road sign assuring him that Millwood was only a few more miles away. He could get them there tonight, crash and get started on the case in the morning. And strangle Cas somewhere in there too. But for right now, Dean focused on the road. "You've gotten mean."

"I don't know what you are talking about." Cas protested and went back to watching the scenery pass.

A snicker escaped the backseat.

"You have something to add, Sleeping Sasquatch?" Dean addressed the lump of brother behind him.

"I'm sleeping. I have no idea what you are talking about." For someone asleep, the response sounded pretty awake to Dean.

"Then sleep with less snickering." Dean's eyes narrowed. Sam and Cas ganging up to torment him had never figured into his picture of the future. And hell, that was pretty OK too.

***

Millwood was like almost any other small American town. Nothing was of any real note, though it boasted the usual number of important historical places as most cities and towns in the north east. These 'places of interest' usually turned out to be some home or building that housed some important figure or event.

For Dean at least, he couldn't care less what building some old-timey general lived for a few years before kicking it. Give Dean balls of twine and mystery spots. The first were fun to pose with and the second now made Sam tear up like a girl.

What Millwood did have that set it apart was a growing list of missing persons. Dean straightened his tie and studied himself in the mirror. To him he still looked about as trustworthy as a twelve year old in a room full of girl scout cookies.

All it seemed to take for the world at large was a cheap suit and the "I know what I'm doing' attitude. And a badge. He patted his pocket and felt the lump of fake ID under his jacket. People really put a lot of faith in badges.

"You ready, Cas?" Dean left the bedroom in search of his partners. Sam was already waiting, everything in place and ready to go. Cas was struggling to straighten his tie.

Sam caught his eye and Dean could see his brother was trying to form an argument for why Cas shouldn't come along on the interviews. Which was so not gonna happen. He looked away and took over for the angel. "Here, Cas." He took off the tie completely, buttoned up the last button on Cas's shirt and began to retie the blue tie.

"Dean, are you sure?" Sam finally broke down and said what was on his mind. "No offense, Cas, but I don't think they're going to buy it." And Dean supposed he couldn't fault Sam too much, the past few hours had been spent going over how to do things like open his badge and not mention the demons.

"And why not?" Dean tightened the tie perfectly into place, absently patting the tie before stepping back to take in the effect. Yes, Cas looked like the model G-Man. Dean snickered. Cas sure was the model G-Man. More than those other angels out there.

Cas looked confused at Dean's sudden laughter but Dean shook his head. It was probably only amusing to him. Dean reached out and checked Cas's pocket for the FBI badge that should be there. It was, so he nodded and buttoned one button on Cas's jacket. Now it was perfect.

Eventually Dean noticed that Sam had stopped complaining and was just watching him. "What?"

Sam's lips curled up into a shit-eating grin. "Have you packed him a lunch with his milk money?"

On the brink of the prefect comeback, Dean was stopped by Cas. "Dean… I have to go to the bathroom."

And that made absolutely no sense! Angels didn't pee… did they? As Dean stood there, completely blown away by the possibility of Cas needing to pee and needing to announce the fact to Dean, Cas held his arms slightly out to his sides. "I can't put my arms down."

It wasn't until Sam's barking laughter filled the room that Dean's brain caught the movie reference and the particular scene. Sam was on his way to hyperventilating as Cas just stood there, his arms held out and his smile growing wider. (1)

Dean snorted in spite of himself and pressed Cas's arms down. To which the angel held them out again. "Mommy's little piggy better get his G-Man act together, or he won't live to see his big brother get capped in the face."

Cas slowly lowered his arms, but his smile never wavered. He turned and led the way out of the hotel room, closely followed by Dean.

"Hey! If Lucifer is Ralphie… what does that make me?" Sam hurried to catch up to them.

"The Bumpus hounds." Dean kicked the door closed in Sam's face.

"OW!" (2)

*********

Comments & Criticism would be awesome! =D

(1) "A Christmas Story" Possibly the best Christmas movie ever. One of my favorite movies of all time. Blame the time of the year for adding this. But Dean would be the over-protective mother bundling up her young son (Cas) to go to school in several layers of clothes. So many layers that he could barely move.

(2) The Bumpus Hounds (Sam) are the smelly mangy dogs of the next door neighbors. In one scene one of the hounds gets the door closed on its ear.