Notes: Just setting the stage here it seems. This "episode" is going to change quite a few of the original parts of Shindig, but I hope that it still pleases y'all!

RhioTre and west189, you guys are adorable and awesome! I always love getting your reviews!

And as always, WinJennster…so many hearts to you! =-*

Disclaimer: *sniff sniff* I don't own anything here D'X

CHAPTER 2

Anna sits facing her telescreen that hangs from the wall of the shuttle like a mirror. The tab at the top of the screen shows the local data of Lawrence. With a delicate finger she selects the tab and the screen then flips to show 12 small profile pictures of a mix of men and women.

She idly scans the text under each picture and flicks out the ones that she isn't interested in until there are only two left. Touching the first picture a taped video of a request from a pale young hopeful appears on her screen.

He seems particularly nervous and she smiles gently as the message plays, "I understand your time on our planet is limited. And if you've selected my proposal to hear, then the honor that you do me flatters my…my honor!...and I hope…" Anna taps the screen again and the young man's photo disappears. She moves onto the last profile. A chime sounds as she taps the photo, signaling that this person was online and wished to talk live with her. She accepts the request curiously. Only the most bold ever tried to contact her directly like this.

"Ah, now there's the smile made of sunlight. I'm happy that you chose to speak with me."

She smiles politely. He's not attractive, but not hideous either, so she mentally considers him. He is dressed well and supposedly could afford her, so he came from money.

"Mr. Green. It is my pleasure to speak with you."

He smiles broadly and looks like he's fluffing out his feathers, "Did you get my message? I was extra appealing. I've been known to be quite persuasive."

She had seen his message, and she had to admit, he did make it sound quite appealing. "Yes, of course. Yesterday. What a flattering invitation. I had no idea I was arriving in time for the social event of the season."

He smirks, "We only have four of five of those a year, you know. So you'll accompany me, I ask, heart in my throat?" He sounds anything but nervous. In fact he made it sound more like a statement to a done deal. Bold indeed.

She is startled by a knock at the door and momentarily forgets herself.

"Yes, I'm delighted to say I'll be there. Now I am sorry Mr. Green, I have to run."

He nods happily as if closing a business deal, "I understand, I'll see you soon bao bay." (sweetheart)

Anna quickly severs the connection and Mr. Green's leering grin is frozen on the screen. It only hits her just then that she agreed to accompany this man. She hadn't really meant to agree, but she could do little about it now. At least she got to go to the party…

She finally responds to the knock, "Come in?"

Dean enters the room looking a little uncomfortable and distracted. She drew his attention, "Good afternoon, Dean. How may I be of service?"

Normally he would have joked about what kind of service she could provide him, but for whatever reason he overlooked the chance.

"Hiya. We're about to land if Gabe doesn't kill us all first….Probably be around ten a.m. there when we land…" He trailed off looking anywhere but her.

"Yes, Dean. I saw that." Why are you really here, she thought?

Dean gestured towards the screen, trying to seem casual, but Anna had been trained to see past facades. "Making plans?" He asked and moved closer to look at the screen and profile information. "Zachariah Green. He's a new one right? Kinda old for your tastes?"

Anna walks smoothly over and covers the image with a handy shawl. "Yes. He's new."

"Not really what I pictured you with…not that I make a habit of picturing you with…you know. But he must be rich too, to afford your services." He was still gazing around the room, seeming far more interested in the drapery than the actual conversation.

Anna simply smirked, "I suppose. He has engaged me for several days."

That got Dean's attention. "Days? The man must have stamina."

"We'll see. Who knows. Maybe under that confident face he's a real cuddler."

Dean grinned at that, "Well lucky you then. Is he going to let you out at all?"

"Actually it appears that we're attending a ball tomorrow night." She answered sounding excited as a girl going to prom.

"I bet it's a mighty fine shindig," he responded, his attention being dragged across the room again. He obviously wanted to talk about something but was stalling, and Anna decided that she would drag this out a bit longer, just to see him squirm.

"I don't suppose you'd find it up to the standards of you usual outings. More conversation and somewhat less petty theft, hustling games and then getting beat on with pool cues," she responded jokingly.

"Yeah, well. Sounds like a dull party if you ask me." Now he was looking at his feet. Anna couldn't stand to watch him struggle anymore and finally decided to give him an opening.

"Dean…did you need something?" She asked gently. He stiffened immediately and she knew that whatever it was that was bothering him, was on the sensitive side, a side he rarely visited. She braced herself to offer any and all advice, happy that he chose to come to her, even if she wasn't sure why he came to her and didn't go to Sam or even Bobby for advice.

He didn't meet her gaze, but he answered her. "Why would you want to be with us? Why would you want to stay with our kind of people if it just ends up hurting you?"

She wasn't expecting that so she stuttered out, "You don't mean that."

"I don't? We're a bunch of miserable, lost criminals with flexible morals... Lowlifes of society…" He trailed off.

Anna was prompt in her answer this time. She had been asked the same question by many others before, "You all are also glowing with loyalty, forgiveness…even love." Dean finally looked up at her at the last part.

"Pain?" He choked out after a beat.

"Bobby's cooking."

"Guilt?"

"The antics of the crew" she said more firmly.

Dean snorted, "Okay you got me there."

"I mean it. Every emotion. Even the bad ones. It's why I stay here Dean. There is nothing fake. Everything is painfully revealed and true. No hiding behind the conformity of society and the Garrison rule," she emphasized by gesturing wildly with her hands, somehow making it look elegant.

"Feelings are over rated if you ask me."

"Beats being a robot."

Dean stood up from where he had been leaning against a table and began pacing around the room. "How is that possible? You have power in society, a figure of status…"

She cut him off, "Like a stone cold marble statue? There to admire, but bearing no life? Dean I know it's hard to believe, but out here…I feel more alive than ever before. I feel more pure than ever before. Out here I don't have to put on a mask for society. I can be myself every once in a while…Now tell me why you really came to my shuttle? You've never been this curious about my feelings before. That's usually Sam's thing."

He stopped pacing, but kept his back turned towards her. "I just…I needed to know if…if having people like me…like us around Cas…are we the ones keeping him from recovering? If Sam is right, and Cas is sensitive to evil, then maybe we're hurting him. You're an innocent…in a criminal sense, but I wanted to know if you felt…dirty because you rode with us." He finally turned back to look at Anna, waiting for an answer.

She smiled, "Dean. I've seen the way that Castiel looks at you. You're a hero to him. He trusts you wholeheartedly. And I do believe that Castiel is sensitive to evil. I also believe he is sensitive to good. And he is drawn to your light like a wayward moth….Just don't burn him because he gets too close Dean," she warned. Dean could only nod and a silence fell between them.

Anna decided to help him out again, "So, I understand if you have to go deal with that, "it's ten in the morning" thing." She smirked at him.

He gave a small smile in return, "Yeah, I better get to that. Besides, I'm pretty sure this is more of an evening look." He gestures to his normal outfit as he moves out of the room. Mentally thanking Anna for her help and then moving to do his Captainly duties.

Anna watched him leave. She knew that he was concerned for Castiel, but she never suspected that Dean felt like he was holding him back or even harming the sweet yet troubled young man. She was seeing new depths to their captain every day since the Castiel arrived on their ship. She was also seeing more and more why Castiel might be drawn to the Captain.

But, she was also curious to find out why the Captain was drawn to Castiel. Before Dean had always been protective of his crew, but she had only seen this type of hyper vigilant sheltering when Sam was involved. That was until Castiel came aboard.

Castiel had arrived acting like a small child who was terribly afraid of something in the shadows. And he immediately trusted Dean with absolute conviction. And in return, Dean had offered him shelter and an odd friendship that only they seemed to understand and left the rest of the crew wondering.

She didn't doubt for a moment that Dean would try to protect Castiel with everything he had, but Anna still worried that maybe Dean would hold too tight and end up suffocating him. It was one thing to protect Castiel from the world, but Castiel had to re-adjust to the world. And if Dean was going to treat him like a fine china set, then Castiel might start to believe that he was as delicate as that and he would never heal.

She mused one a line from a poem she had read long ago.

God loved the birds and invented trees, but when Man loved the birds, he invented cages.

She went over to her dresser to choose which dress she was going to wear to the party. She was thinking of something green….

Wooo! Mix up all of the scripts! Woooo! If anyone of you recall, the convo with Anna is somewhat, kinda, very much like the one she had with Dean in Supernatural. It fit so perfectly for this plot line that I was giggling while writing it XD