Disclaimer: Don't own Supernatural, don't own Castiel.

Pancakes

Jane woke up at 7:38, according to the digital clock on her nightstand. It was much earlier than she was accustomed to, especially for a weekend. Saturday mornings were usually spent in a semi-comatose state after the rigors of a long week of studying and Friday night partying. Nothing was further from her mind this morning, however. She climbed out of bed and tiptoed to the door, carefully creaking it open.

No demons lurked, and no angels either. Down the short hallway was her living room, an area that encompassed half her apartment and included the kitchen and dining room area. She padded down the linoleum tiles, looking towards the couch.

Rats. He wasn't there. Maybe angels didn't sleep after all. Slightly disappointed she hadn't caught him sleeping, Jane wondered where Castiel could have gone. Unless he'd already left….

"Good morning."

Jane gave a little yelp of fright. "Jeez, don't do that to me! How did I not see you there?"

Castiel's answer was a cryptic look. He was sitting in a chair by the window, watching through the slats in the blinds. He looked over at her as he spoke and the sun hit his face in just the right angle that he seemed illuminated from within.

Jane was suddenly aware that she was standing there in her skimpy, grungy pajamas with her hair a crazy mess.

"Hold on…." she said as she raced back to her bedroom, rifled through the clothes on the floor and pulled on an outfit of questionable cleanliness. She yanked her fingers through her hair and pulled it into a ponytail, more or less.

She reappeared a moment later in the living room. Castiel was still seated, looking through the window. He was hunched over, and he seemed lost in thought.

"So, um, what are your plans?" Jane asked as she sat down on the couch, which bore no appreciable signs of having been slept on.

"I just stayed to say goodbye," Castiel said. Now he stood and looked like he was preparing to go.

"What? No, you have to at least stay for breakfast. I mean, you've got to be hungry after last night," she said, jumping up herself.

She had ordered take out the night before and spent dinner watching Castiel poke at it bemusedly.

Castiel looked slightly exasperated.

"Come on, I'll make pancakes. You can't say no to pancakes," Jane said.

"Fine. But after that I have to go."

Jane's face lit up. "Great. I just have to make one quick stop. Just don't leave the apartment. You might, uh, get hit by a car or something," she said, grabbing a wad of cash on the table and speaking as she unlocked the front door.

Jane hurried downstairs and out of her building and raced across the street, which, fortunately, was not very busy on a Saturday morning. On the opposite curb she turned back to look at her building and located the window of her living room. She couldn't see him sitting there anymore.

A few minutes later, she emerged from the convenience store across the street, purchases in hand. The plastic bag contained a razor and toothbrush, and she dashed back into her building with it.

Castiel was examining her family photos when she made it back. He turned from the wall lined with frames and looked at her inquisitively.

"I got this for you. You're looking kind of scruffy, you know." She handed him the plastic bag, which he took with a bemused nod.

"You can clean up in the bathroom while I'm making breakfast. There's soap and towels and stuff in there."

She watched him walk to the bathroom, smiled and shook her head. Jane headed for the kitchen, which was getting rather neglected these days. She wasn't much of a cook, but she was pretty sure she could manage pancakes. Fortunately, there was pancake mix in the pantry. There was fake maple syrup as well, and some blueberry jam in the fridge that was probably still okay. She considered asking Castiel if he liked eggs, but decided that he probably didn't know either.

While the pancakes were cooking on the stove, Jane peeked around the corner at the closed bathroom door. She could hear water running.

The pancakes and friend eggs surfaced only slightly burned, and she was just finishing setting the table when Castiel emerged from the bathroom. He looked a bit better and was at least more or less clean-shaven, but Jane couldn't help bursting into laughter when she saw him.

"What happened to your tie? You get in a fistfight with it?" she said, laughing.

It was indeed a very messy tie. Castiel looked both annoyed and slightly apologetic. "I'm not exactly accustomed to this," he said, forehead creased in annoyance.

"Eons of wisdom and he can't even tie a tie," Jane said as she moved towards him. "Fortunately for you, my friend Alyssa made me go in costume to one of those Harry Potter movies, so I'm pretty much an expert at this. Hold still."

She undid the tie and rearranged it into a fairly neat knot. Passable, at least.

"All set," she said in mock seriousness.

"You'll have to teach me that one," Castiel said. Jane wasn't sure if he was joking or not, but she smiled anyway.

Breakfast went over better than dinner the night before. Whether it was because Castiel was getting used to that human condition known as hunger or because of Jane's constant nagging to eat another pancake, she eventually managed to get him fed. The stack of pancakes had dwindled considerably when Castiel pointed to the photographs on the wall.

"Who are those people in the pictures?" he asked, looking at them curiously.

"That's my family," Jane said, looking at them herself and smiling faintly.

"Your father is not in any of them."

"Very perceptive. No, he died when I was really young," Jane said, stabbing a final piece of pancake with her fork. "It's just my mom, my sister, and her kid, Jacob. His father a total jerk, you know…." Judging by the look on Castiel's face, he did not know. "Um, he didn't really stick around, so it's just us." She grinned and swallowed the bite.

Castiel was looking at her oddly.

"You have family near here?" he asked, intense eyes drilling into her across the table.

"Well, yeah. They live like five minutes from here," Jane said, frowning.

"We need to see them."

"What? Why?" she asked, completely baffled.

"There may be something—" he broke off mid-sentence. "We should see them." He looked at her earnestly.

"Um, okay. We can leave now, I guess. Are you… okay?" she said, standing up cautiously, wondering what his problem was. She dropped her fork and it clattered loudly on the plate.

"There's nothing wrong with me. But we need to go." All serious now. Jane was starting to get freaked out.

They left the apartment, Jane slamming the door shut harder than she meant to.

A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed and added my story to their favorites. It's oddly fulfilling to find that other people like my story. Next couple chapters the plot's going to be picking up, so stay tuned.