Thanks to the people who submitted reviews! This is the first time I've done this and would love love love some feedback.

I would promise you all a date with Dean if you reviewed, but unfortunately, I don't own Supernatural or any of its characters.

Okay, onward!

Chapter 2

"Oh c'mon, Cas, you can't be mad forever. I got us first class tickets, didn't I? And I got you some real work. You can buy pop tarts!"

"I'm a sellout and I'll kill you if you ever tell anyone I'm doing this."

Despite or perhaps because of his personal antics, Gabriel had been somehow hired as the host of a new dating series ironically named 'Single Ladies'. After screaming his acceptance into the telephone, his first act as host had been to insist that they hire Castiel as part of the filming crew. Castiel had flat out refused.

"No," he said before Gabriel had even finished explaining.

"Cassie—you're not even listening. This is a REAL show. Don't you want to work some place where they give you…I don't know…a paycheck? Plus, hot chicks are involved. Need I say more?"

"No."

"Please!"

"No."

"You know I'll get my way," he said coyly.

"I don't take charity."

"We're back to this again?" Gabriel groaned and pulled his long hair in frustration. "Charity is the money I give you for rent and groceries each month. This is called work."

Castiel knew he was right. It was already embarrassing that Gabriel regularly paid his phone bill and showed up with bags of groceries. He was being offered a chance to make a decent paycheck for once in his life. He just didn't want to give Gabriel the satisfaction of being right.

"They won't even put your name in the credits, okay? It's just temporary work. Then you can go back to doing all that artistic crap you like so much. Plus," he adopted a pitiful expression, "I'd sorta like, you know, a little company while I'm there. You know…family and stuff."

Castiel groaned. "You're not allowed to pull the family card. You still owe me for that night in L.A., remember?"

Gabriel grinned wickedly. "Actually, from what you've told me, I think it's the other way round'. What did you say his name was again?"

Castiel really needed to take a page from the advice he always gave Gabriel and learn to shut-up. He had told Gabriel about Dean in what must have been a fit of temporary insanity. He had just needed to tell somebody, anybody, what had happened; otherwise, if he never told a soul, he was afraid he'd believe he made the whole night up.

"Shut-up. Fine. I'll do it. Just go back to being annoying in someone else's apartment."

"Love you too, Cassie!" And that was that. Castiel was hired as a cameraman for the third season of Single Ladies.

Castiel slouched into his first class leather seat and looked out the window. At least he was getting to travel. They were flying to the middle of Colorado, in the heart of the Rocky Mountains, where the Winchester family spent their summers.

From what he could discern of Gabriel's endless drivel, the Winchesters were generally considered royalty of the political arena. Generations of Winchesters had served in office and the family was wealthy beyond belief.

He interrupted Gabriel's commentary about the Winchester's twenty-four acre ranch, set in the middle of ski country. "Wasn't there something about the Winchesters in the newspaper last summer?"

Gabriel groaned. "Yes—don't you ever read the magazines I bring over? The youngest Winchester—Samuel—was involved in a drug scandal. Apparently he was caught with a boatload of some highly illegal substances. While Daddy's been at work in Washington, Sammy was getting high. That's why the family agreed to the show, you know."

"What?"

"Reputation, Cas, everything's about reputation. Sam just got out of rehab and this show is the chance to show the family in a positive light. The eldest son is of age and needs a wife. It was pretty much the perfect opportunity for them. And for me," he added smugly.

"So, what? He'll find true love on a dating show while simultaneously restoring his family's image?"

"Of course. Doesn't everyone find true love on TV?" Gabriel sniped. "Look, it doesn't matter really, does it? You just need to film this guy in his forced attempt to find a suitable lady-friend while making sure you capture all my funniest moments."

Castiel grinned a little at that. "Wait—so you think you're funny?"

"Why are you always so mean to me?" Gabriel pouted for the rest of the flight.

Castiel had to admit, Colorado was beautiful and the Winchester's mansion fit perfectly into the forested land. Built in the log cabin style, it sat nestled in the shadow of the mountains. On his first day on set, before the Winchesters and the contestants arrived, he worked with the camera crew to rig over a hundred different cameras into every part of the ranch.

Besides installing the usual equipment inside all the extensive rooms of the house, cameras were placed in the stables, the pool house, the entrance roads and even strategically throughout the snowy woods. By the time they finished, not one moment of the Winchesters' lives would be private. It was rather tedious work and it reminded Castiel a little more of Big Brother than he was comfortable with, but he took pleasure in discovering the best angles for each camera.

In fact, the day would have been pretty much perfect if Gabriel hadn't burst into the room he was currently working in with a panicked expression on his sweaty face.

"You have to…need your help…it's bad…but you'll help…and I need some water," he wheezed.

"Altitude's really getting to you, huh?" Castiel commented casually. He had learned a long time ago not to take Gabriel's crises very seriously unless he uttered the phrase "and then I got arrested". Which he actually had once or twice.

Gabriel took a moment to collect himself. "No, this is serious, I mean it. Look, the contestants, the Winchesters, everybody arrives tomorrow and I just got word that our only male contestant quit!"

Castiel was confused. "Male contestant? I thought you said this guy is looking for a wife."

"Well, that's the fun part," Gabriel whined, "This guy's as straight as an arrow, but we're throwing in a male contestant as a surprise. It would have been the first one ever in a show like this. Can you imagine the ratings we would have got? All we need is one stellar first episode and the rest of the season's clinched. But our guy backed out at the last minute."

"Well, what am I supposed to do about it?" Gabriel tilted one eyebrow mischievously and Castiel got a bad feeling in his gut.

"You're insane."

"Am I insane? Really?"

"Yes, you are. I already came on this stupid adventure, you can't ask for this too."

"We have to have twelve contestants, Cas! And it's too late to find anybody else!" Castiel closed his eyes and counted to ten, but when he opened them again, Gabriel was still there.

"I'm going to pretend you are not asking me to do this." He climbed off the ladder where he had been attaching a camera to ceiling, intent on getting as far away from his brother as possible.

Gabriel jumped in front of him before he could leave. He was short, but he could really block a door when he put his mind to it. "They'll pay you extra! Listen to me, Cas—no, look me in the eye—how bad could it be? They're eliminating two contestants the night everybody arrives! He'll get rid of you right away, it'll be a successful first episode, and you can go back straightaway to being part of the camera crew like nothing ever happened."

When he said it like that, it didn't sound all bad.

"How much?" Castiel asked warily.

"A grand. One thousand buckaroos." Images of a new camera he had been saving for swam to mind.

"And it's just for tomorrow evening?"

"Yup. It's a sure deal."

"Why me?"

Gabriel sighed. "Really, do I need a reason? You're my brother and I come to you when I need help. Besides, it's not like you don't have the looks to fit right in. I may be brainy, hilarious and possessing of a certain charm but you, my dear brother, definitely got the good looks." Castiel was pretty sure Gabriel was deliberately flattering him in an attempt to get him to agree.

"You already know I'm going to say yes, don't you?"

Gabriel's eyes twinkled. "Love you, little brother! Now I have to go find you something to wear!"

Castiel picked at an old hole in his favorite trench coat. Trench coats were trendy, right?