The following weekend was the beginning of November and Dean was playing his guitar for Castiel since they the room to themselves that weekend. Castiel had forgotten how much he enjoyed listening to Dean play and sing. It had been over a month since he'd done it.

'You know, Dean, you should play for Jo. I think she'd enjoy it.'

Dean laughed. "Yeah right. She doesn't even know that I play the guitar. You're still the only one I've ever played for."

'What? Why haven't you told her about this?'

Dean shrugged. "It hasn't come up."

'You should tell her. I think you should play a lot more often. You could probably make money from performing.'

He laughed again. "I doubt it. Just thinking about doing that makes me nauseous."

'What about just performing for me, Jo, and Charlie?'

That thought was a little less nauseating but still made him anxious. "I think I'll just stick with you, Cas."

Castiel smiled and shook his head. If he told Charlie or Jo about it, they would probably make Dean demonstrate his ability.

Castiel felt a little guilty when there was a knock on their door that Saturday. He sank down in his bed as Dean opened the door. Charlie barged in while talking loudly.

"Why didn't you tell me you played the guitar?!" She put her hands on her hips and looked at Dean.

"What?"

"You play the guitar and sing?"

Dean furrowed his brows, then it clicked. "Thanks for spilling the beans, Cas." He rolled his eyes and shut the door.

Charlie looked between them. "So it's true?"

"Yes." Dean sighed, knowing it was useless to fight Charlie about it.

She squealed and clapped her hands. "That's awesome! Cas said you were amazing. Can I hear? What does Jo think about it?"

Dean laughed at the excited questions. "Jo doesn't know. I've never played for anyone but Cas."

"What?!" Charlie slapped his arm. "Why wouldn't you share that with your girlfriend? You should be serenading her!"

Dean looked at Castiel. The angel was biting his lip, trying not to laugh. "Well, probably because I have pretty severe anxiety about anyone hearing me."

"Really?" She almost sounded guilty. "Oh no."

"What?" Dean saw her expression change quickly.

"Well," she tried to act casual, "I may have told Jo about it already."

Dean figured as much. Charlie wasn't good at keeping secrets. "Thanks," he deadpanned.

"And, I may have arranged for you to sing at an open mic for one of the local bars." Her face was pinched in anticipation of anger.

"You did what?" Dean's heart pounded loudly in his chest. "Why would you do that?"

Castiel stood from his bed. 'I had nothing to do with that.'

"I didn't realize it was such a big secret or trouble spot for you." She bit her lip in worry.

'I told you about that, Charlie.'

"I thought you were exaggerating." She held her hands out. "I'm sorry, Dean."

"Well I'm not going." He shook his head and started pacing around the room. "No way in hell would I do something like that."

"It could be good for you. You could move past your fear." Charlie smiled, trying to be encouraging.

Dean looked at her with wide eyes. "Sure, just plow through my fear while I choke and puke everywhere. That sounds fantastic!" He covered his face and paced again.

"The spot is for Tuesday night. I saved you enough time for a few songs."

"A few songs?! One wasn't enough?" Dean was getting nauseous already.

"We can't cancel now. You're doing it. I'll make sure of it." Charlie crossed her arms, more determined now.

"I'm not agreeing to embarrass myself, Charlie."

"You won't. According to Cas, you're pretty awesome. Besides, a Tuesday night won't be busy. You'll probably only play for like ten people."

Castiel felt bad for putting Dean in this situation but he thought Charlie might be right. 'We'll help you, Dean. You can do this.'

"I don't think I will." He had already made up his mind that he wouldn't go.

Charlie put her hands on her hips again. "You are going, Dean. I'll make sure of it."

"Yeah? How?"

Dean should've known Charlie would team up with Jo and practically drag Dean out that Tuesday night. He had practiced over the weekend, but he was hoping to get out of this. Now he was backstage mere minutes before his turn and he could feel the bile in his throat. He took a deep breath and grew light headed.

"Fuck." He leaned against a support beam beside him and gripped his guitar tight.

Castiel was with Dean and turned him to look at him. 'You can do this. Just breathe.'

Dean chuckled. "I can't." He licked his lips since they suddenly felt dry.

'You can.' He squeezed Dean's shoulders and gave him an encouraging nod before pulling his arms back. 'You're great and sound awesome. Just focus on me. We're in the front row. Just sing to me. You can do that.'

Dean looked into the angel's eyes and felt himself relax slightly. "Okay. I can do that."

Castiel nodded. 'There's no one else here. Focus on me.'

"Yeah, okay." Dean clapped his shoulder and took a deep breath. He smiled at Castiel and put the guitar strap over his shoulder.

Castiel gave Dean one more nod and left so he could get to his seat in time.

Jo and Charlie were sitting at their table that was front and center to the small stage. It was a little busier than Charlie had anticipated but she was excited to see Dean perform. She leaned over to talk to Jo.

"You ready for this?"

"Yeah, I still can't believe I didn't know about this. I never even guessed that Dean would play any instruments, and whenever he sings in the car, he sounds awful." She laughed at the memories of Dean belting out classic rock.

"I was surprised too. I hope he didn't give you too much trouble about coming out." Dean had insisted on not going up until they got him to the bar.

Jo shrugged. "He did at first, but I know how to get him to cooperate." She smiled.

Charlie leaned a little closer. "What did you do?"

Jo smirked. "I have my ways." She winked and took a drink.

Charlie laughed. "Oh, well. Good for you." She leaned back into her seat. Dean was up to start any minute. The guy before him was done and making his way off stage.

"Where's Castiel?" Jo hadn't seen him since they arrived.

"Backstage with Dean. Since he's the only one Dean has played for, he can probably get him to calm down a little."

"Right." Jo frowned and looked at her soda. She felt like she should've been the one backstage, but he had known Castiel longer. She could see the bond between them.

Castiel made it back to the table just as Dean was taking a seat in front of the microphone. There was some clapping as he came out.

Dean adjusted the microphone and cleared his throat before introducing himself. He was still shaky and glanced at the front block of tables. His friends smiled at him. He made eye contact with Castiel for a second and was able to take a breath.

As he began strumming the guitar, he kept his eyes down and just listened to the music and imagined what Castiel said. Soon he just saw them sitting alone in his room and he felt much better.

Castiel recognized the song as one Dean sang frequently. It was an old country song and a comfortable one for Dean. As he started singing, he saw Jo's mouth open slightly and felt the room get a little quieter.

By the second verse, Dean had gotten over the initial nerves and was focused on the words and the music. He'd forgotten anyone else was there. When he did look up, he only saw Castiel's supportive smile.

As the song ended, the room erupted into applause. Jo and Charlie hooped and hollered. Castiel clapped and caught Dean's eye as he thanked them. 'That was perfect.'

Dean smiled. 'Thanks.'

Jo saw Dean signing to Castiel and was a little jealous of the angel. He hadn't really looked at Jo yet and he'd paid a lot of attention to Castiel.

Dean started the next song with a lot more confidence. It was a more current rock song that Castiel had heard on the radio, but not from Dean. He thought Dean sounded much better.

He ended with "Hey Jude" since it was his favorite. At the end, he got a standing ovation. He thanked them and couldn't keep his smile down as he left the stage. Once he was backstage, he leaned against the beam again and laughed a few times. He felt so high off of the reactions from the audience, not realizing it could feel that good to sing for other people.

When Dean got back to the table, guitar case in hand, Jo jumped up and kissed him. Dean laughed in surprise.

"You were insanely good, Dean." She had her hands on his shoulders and was smiling radiantly. "I didn't imagine it sounding that good."

"Thanks." He dropped his head shyly. Jo pressed up and kissed him again.

"Yeah, Dean," Charlie spoke once they were sitting at the table, "great job."

"I guess I can't be mad at you for making me do this, huh?" He smiled at her, still riding the high of it.

"You can't."

Dean looked at Castiel and was met with a warm smile and shrug. 'I always knew you were good enough to do this. You just didn't believe me.'

Charlie laughed. Dean brought his hands up to sign back, 'Yeah, yeah, rub it in. You were right. It was such a rush to do that.'

'Good. Maybe you'll do it more often?'

'Whoa, let's not get hasty.'

Charlie laughed again as she watched the conversation. Jo felt left out and leaned forward. "What did he say?"

Charlie turned to her. "Just that Cas was always right about Dean needing to perform. He's trying to make him do it more now."

She turned to Dean. "You should, Dean. You could even make some tips off of it eventually."

"We'll see."

The four of them walked back to Dean's Impala after they ate. Dean was loading up the guitar in the trunk while the girls got in the car. Castiel moved behind the trunk and put a hand on Dean's shoulder.

'I'm glad you were able to do this tonight.'

"Me too, Cas. Thanks for the pep talk beforehand. I'm not sure I could've done it without you there."

'I'm sure you could've.'

Dean put a hand on Castiel's shoulder and pulled him in for a brief hug. "Let's go." Dean closed the trunk and walked around the car with Castiel behind him.

After that performance, Dean would play and sing a lot more often while in the dorm room. It helped open him up a little more and Castiel was glad that Dean had something that made him so happy.

A couple weeks after the bar performance, Jo and Charlie were hanging out with them in their room. It was the weekend and Rick was gone so they decided to watch some movies together and eat some pizza.

Jo and Charlie were sitting on Castiel's bed and arranging the pizza boxes. Dean and Castiel were at Dean's desk. Dean was leaning close over Castiel's shoulders and talking to him close to his ear in a low voice. Castiel's wings were dropped low to make room for Dean which was something angels wouldn't do for most people since it left them vulnerable.

Charlie was pouring herself some soda when she noticed Jo watching something. She turned and saw Dean whispering to Castiel. Castiel listened intently before laughing and covering his mouth with his hand. Dean chuckled and continued talking.

"They're like that a lot aren't they?" Jo was holding an empty cup, having forgotten about getting her drink.

Charlie frowned. "I guess, yeah. They've been through a lot together." She turned back to Jo and saw the sad look on her face. "Hey, what's with that face?"

Jo blinked and smiled. "Nothing. Just spacing out." She took the soda bottle from Charlie and filled up her cup. Her eyes landed on the pair again as she took a drink.

"You three, I swear." Charlie rolled her eyes.

"What?" Jo was genuinely confused.

"I just can't handle it." She shook her head. With all the jealousy between them, she didn't know how they could stand it. She looked at Dean and Castiel. "Hey, secrets don't make friends."

Dean looked up and held up a hand. "Just give us a second."

"Do you want us to start the movie without you?" Dean just held up a hand again as he told Castiel something. "I will lick every slice of pizza, I swear to God."

"Alright, alright." Dean said one more thing that made the angel laugh before they both joined the girls on Castiel's bed. Dean sat next to Jo. Castiel sat next to Dean, with Charlie next to him.

They watched the movie and ate. Dean had an arm around Jo but would occasionally lean over and say something to Castiel.

When the movie ended, Charlie went back across the hall, and Dean walked Jo back to her dorm. Castiel cleaned up the trash.

When they reached the doors to Jo's building, she turned to Dean and put a hand on his chest. "Dean, after class on Monday, could you hang back and wait for me? I have something I want to talk to you about."

Dean nodded. "Sure, I guess. You can't tell me now?" He smiled.

"I don't want to. I'm not sure how it'll come out if I don't take some time to think about it first." She seemed oddly somber to Dean.

"What's wrong?" He touched her arms gently.

She pulled away from his touch. "Nothing. I'll see you Monday."

"Jo," he touched her arm again, "tell me now."

"Dean…"

"Please." He knew it would bother him all weekend if she didn't tell him.

She took a deep breath and then turned to face him. "Okay. I don't think we should go out together anymore."

Dean hadn't expected that. He felt like he'd been hit in the chest. "What? Why?"

She shook her head slowly and tears filled her eyes. "I just…I can't be with somebody that's in love with someone else."

"What are you talking about? You think I'm cheating on you? I would never do that."

"I know." She huffed out a laugh as a tear fell down her cheek. "You don't even realize it do you?"

"Realize what?" He was so confused. Who was she talking about?

"I really like you, Dean. I just can't do this anymore. I hope you figure it out soon. You may not have a chance if you wait too long."

"I don't know who you're talking about, Jo."

She smiled sadly and put a hand on Dean's arm. "I'm sorry. I hope we can be friends some day, Dean. I really do care about you."

She turned and entered her building. Dean stood there for a minute trying to process what just happened. None of it made any sense. Who was Dean supposed to be in love with?

That question echoed in his head the whole walk back to his room. He still felt in shock when he entered the room and saw Castiel looking at his phone.

Castiel could tell immediately that something was wrong. He stood from his bed and went to Dean. His face and eyes looked blank. He put a hand on his arm to get his attention.

'Dean, what's wrong?'

Dean looked Castiel in the eye as tears finally formed in his eyes. His voice was a hoarse whisper. "Jo just broke up with me."

Castiel's eyes widened in shock. He pulled Dean in for a hug. Dean hesitated briefly, but soon hugged the angel tight and rested his head on his shoulder. Castiel took a breath and let Dean hold him as long as he needed.

Dean closed his eyes and felt tears fall and soak into Castiel's shirt. He had been blindsided by this and felt like he'd been kicked in the gut.

Castiel put a hand on the back of Dean's head and gently rocked him. He couldn't say any encouraging words like this but wanted to show him support any way he could.

Eventually Dean pulled away and wiped his eyes. He saw Castiel's hands moving.

'I'm so sorry. What happened?'

"She said she couldn't be with someone that was in love with someone else." Dean shrugged.

'Someone else?' Castiel didn't know who she'd be referring to.

"Yeah, it doesn't make any sense to me. If she just wanted to break up with me, she could've. She didn't have to make up another person." Dean walked to his desk and sat down with a thud. "I don't get it."

'Was she angry?'

"No, she seemed sad."

'She didn't give you any hint about who she was talking about?' Castiel moved a little closer to Dean's desk.

"No, she said that she hoped I figured it out soon." Dean sniffed as more tears formed in his eyes. He rubbed his eyes and stood up. "I'm gonna go to bed."

Castiel nodded. Dean went to his closet and pulled out his pajamas. Castiel was already dressed for bed. He moved to stand by the head of his bed as Dean came back.

'You'll be okay. I'm here if you need anything.'

Dean smiled. "I know. I'll always have you, right?" Castiel nodded and Dean put a hand on his shoulder. "Goodnight, Cas."

'Goodnight.' Castiel waited until he was up the ladder before turning off the light and getting into bed.

The next morning, Dean was quiet and just worked on his homework for a few hours. Castiel went down to the food court and brought up lunch for both of them. Dean thanked him, but didn't do more than open the container and take one bite.

Castiel texted Charlie when Dean wouldn't eat. He told her everything that had happened and also that Dean probably didn't want her to know about it yet.

Don't worry I won't tell Dean that you told me. Don't tell him that I'll be on my way over in an hour or so.

Okay Charlie. Thanks

Castiel put away his phone and sat on his bed. Dean was staring at one of his textbooks with a blank face. Castiel tapped the desk lightly to get Dean's attention.

'You might want to take a break from that. You've been staring at that book for half an hour.'

"I have homework to finish." He turned a page and continued looking at it.

Castiel took out his marker board and wrote on it. You have tomorrow to work on homework. Take a break. He put it on the desk beside Dean.

Dean read the writing and sighed. "Sure, but what else am I gonna do?"

Anything?

Dean laughed and looked at Castiel. "Did you have something in mind, Cas?"

Castiel shrugged. 'Not really. I just don't want you to just sit there all day.'

Dean shut his book and turned to face Castiel. "You wanna play a card game?"

They spent the next hour playing a few different card games on Castiel's bed. The only thing that stopped them was a knock on the door. Dean got up to answer it. He was surprised to see Charlie with a couple large bags on her arms.

"Hey, Dean." She smiled at him as she pushed by him. "Hi, Cas."

"What are you doing here?" Dean shut the door and turned to face her.

"I'm here to right some wrongs." She put the bags down and pulled out three DVD cases. "I remember you telling me that Castiel still hadn't seen any of The Lord of the Rings movies. I couldn't let him suffer anymore. We're watching all three today." She smiled proudly and put the movies on Dean's desk.

"Charlie…" Dean wasn't in the mood for another movie night after the night before.

"This is happening, Dean." She started pulling the other items out of the bag. She had two 2 liter bottles of soda, one Coke and one Pepsi. "I brought drinks, and food." She pulled out a couple to go bags from a Chinese restaurant.

"Why are you doing this?" Dean had a suspicion that Charlie knew about what happened.

"Frankly, because I'm bored and I wanted to hang out with you guys again." She smiled at Dean and tousled his hair. "I almost brought The Hobbit trilogy too, but I figured I wouldn't completely overwhelm Cas."

Dean stood silently as his two friends set up the food and drinks and Charlie put the first movie into the DVD player. He knew Charlie was lying and that Castiel had probably told her what had happened, but he couldn't be mad about having friends that cared about him so much.

"Dean, you'll want to lock the door before we start these." Charlie talked as she skipped to the DVD menu.

"Why?"

"Because that's not normal soda in those bottles." She gave him a big smile.

Dean locked the door and then picked up the Pepsi bottle. It had already been opened, even though it looked full. "What did you do to these?"

She shrugged. "Taste it."

"No, tell me what's in it." Dean was a little scared. He never knew what to expect from Charlie.

"It's not drugs or anything, just try it." She waved a hand in his direction.

Dean opened it and took a sip. The burn of alcohol took him by surprise. He coughed and closed the bottle back up. "Charlie!"

"What? It's just vodka." She shrugged.

"We're not allowed to have alcohol on this campus, especially not when we're under age." Dean was whispering despite being in his own room.

She turned to him and took the bottle. "Oh, calm down. No one is gonna catch us. It just looks like any regular soda."

Castiel was a little worried about breaking the rules too. He didn't want Dean to get in trouble. Being found with alcohol would get them expelled.

"We'll be fine, guys, loosen up." She handed them each a container of food and sat on Castiel's bed. "Sit down so we can start the movie."

Castiel and Dean each took a seat on either side of Charlie. Castiel had picked up the Coke bottle and set it on the floor next to the bed.

"So, are they both vodka?" Dean was curious since he didn't really like the flavor from that first drink he'd had.

Charlie shook her head as she took a bite of food. "No, the Coke has rum. I wasn't sure what you'd like."

Dean held out a hand and Castiel handed him the other bottle. He took a drink and nearly choked again. "Holy shit, Charlie, these are strong." He coughed a few times, but found he liked that flavor more.

"Yeah well, I had to empty out the alcohol bottles didn't I? Couldn't have those found in my room."

Dean shook his head. "I'll drink this. I don't like the other one much."

"Good, I prefer vodka." She smiled and picked up the Pepsi bottle. She held it out to Castiel. "Go on."

'I've never had alcohol before.'

"It's a good time to try it."

Castiel took the bottle and took a short drink. It definitely burned, but he didn't hate it. Charlie took it back from him with a smile.

Dean held out the Coke bottle. "Here, try this too."

Castiel reached across Charlie as she took a swig and took the bottle from Dean. The rum didn't appeal to him as much, but he would drink either one. He handed it back to Dean and focused on eating his food.

"Okay, now everyone be quiet so Cas can hear everything." Charlie hit play on the remote.

Dean snorted. "Yeah, more like so you can hear everything. Nerd."

"Shh." Charlie smacked him as the screen went black and the voice over started. When the inro was over, Charlie spoke again. "Like you don't have all these movies memorized too." She elbowed Dean.

Dean rolled his eyes and took a drink. He looked at Castiel and could see that the angel was already drawn in to the movie. He was watching the screen intently and had put his food aside.

The bottles were passed around and the food quickly disappeared as they watched the movie. They had gotten to the point where Arwen was about to make her entrance when Dean told Charlie to pause it.

"Ugh, now?" Arwen was her favorite and she was annoyed at having to pause her arrival.

"You're the one who brought all the drinks." Dean pushed himself up to stand, swaying slightly from the effects of the alcohol. "I'll be right back." He made his way slowly to the bathroom.

Charlie sighed and took a drink. She looked at Castiel. "You liking it so far?" She offered him the Pepsi bottle.

Castiel nodded and took the offering. He was feeling a little more relaxed than usual but he seemed more resistant to the alcohol than the other two. He handed it back to Charlie.

Dean came back and took a moment to lock the door again. He was on the way back to the bed when Charlie spoke.

"You know, I heard that when Tolkien wrote the books, the elves were supposed to be angels. That's how they were originally written, wings and everything. But no one would publish the story that way, especially with the whole Aragorn and Arwen thing, so he had to change it."

Dean fell onto the bed, bouncing everyone. "No one knows if that's true."

"It makes sense though doesn't it? The way the elves are is similar to angels. Can you imagine this movie with all the elves being angels with wings?" She turned to Castiel. "I really wish they could've kept it that way."

"It doesn't matter now. Just start it up again, Charlie." Dean waved and picked up the Coke bottle.

She hit the play button to resume the movie. Castiel watched with a new imagining. All the elves he saw after that he pictured as angels. It did make the story a little more personal and interesting for him.

When the first movie ended, Castiel was eager to start the next one. Charlie stopped the DVD and excused herself to the bathroom. Dean adjusted himself so he was sitting more against the wall.

"Hey, Cas," Dean waited for Castiel to look at him, "thanks for telling Charlie about this."

From his slightly slurred speech, Castiel guessed that he had passed into the drunk phase. He nodded and took the bottle from Dean's hand, worried he would spill it.

"You were right. I needed to do something to distract myself. I was just gonna mope all day and think about Jo. This is better." He put a hand on Castiel's arm. "Thank you."

Castiel put a hand over his and smiled. He took a drink and then put the bottle on the floor by the bed. He was glad that Dean was feeling a little better, even if it was because he was drunk.

Charlie came back and put the second movie in the player. She sat on the bed while it loaded. "So, who is your favorite character so far?"

He had to think about it a moment. 'Probably Aragorn. Although I like Sam too.'

She nodded. "Yeah, they're pretty good. You ready for the next one?"

'Yes.'

Charlie started up the second one and they settled into silence as they watched. When that one was over, they all took another bathroom break. They all finished the drinks before the third one ended. Dean was close to falling asleep by the time the third movie was over.

Charlie put the DVD back in the case. It was late into the night and Castiel was the only one that wasn't too drunk to walk straight. Castiel walked Charlie back to her room to keep her steady and avoid suspicion. As they crossed the stairs, Charlie leaned against Castiel and fumbled with her keys.

"I think we helped Dean today. The first day after a break up is always the worst."

Castiel waited until she got the door open to sign anything to her. 'I think we did too. He'll be okay.'

"He's got you, right?"

'Right. I'm not going anywhere.'

They arrived at her door. "He's lucky to have such a good friend. You care about him a lot don't you?"

'I do. I just want him to be happy.'

Charlie leaned against her door and studied the angel. "How much do you care about Dean?"

Castiel furrowed his brows. 'More than anything. He saved my life.'

She shook her head. "You love him, don't you?"

Honestly, Castiel wasn't absolutely sure. He didn't know what love really even felt like. All he knew was that he'd never cared more about anyone than he did for Dean. Charlie seemed to read his pause as a yes.

'Charlie, please don't tell Dean that.'

She laughed. "I won't. If it makes you feel better, I think he's in love with you too."

'No he's not.'

"He just may not realize it yet." She patted his shoulder in sympathy. "He will."

He waved to her and waited for her to enter her room before crossing back over to his side. He thought about Charlie's words the whole way. Was he the reason Jo broke up with Dean? Did she think there was more going on between them than there actually was?

He had to shake off those thoughts before he entered their room again. It was quiet when he entered. He locked the door behind him and changed for bed.

When he moved around the corner, he saw Dean lying asleep in his bed. He probably didn't get up once after he'd left with Charlie. Castiel smiled as he watched Dean sleep. He looked so peaceful sprawled out and breathing evenly. Castiel decided he could sleep in Dean's bed tonight.

As he was climbing the ladder, Dean stirred and mumbled something but when Castiel looked over the side of the bed, Dean was curled up and sleeping. He let his wings hang over the side of the bed and quickly fell asleep.

When Dean woke up, his head was pounding and his mouth was dry. He groaned and covered his eyes with an arm. He didn't want to get up yet, but he felt like he had to. With a yawn, he sat up and immediately knocked his forehead into the bed above him.

"Fuck!" He fell back flat and touched the sore spot on his head. He hadn't realized he was in the bottom bunk.

Castiel woke up when he felt the bump from under the bed. Dean's curse made him sit up.

Dean saw Castiel's wings pull up and heard him making his way off the top bed. He threw his legs over the side of Castiel's bed while he came down the ladder.

Castiel knelt in front of him and looked at the bump forming on his forehead. Dean was squinting from the light. 'Are you okay?'

"I don't know." Dean shut his eyes and took stock of the room. He didn't even remember falling asleep last night. "Why didn't you kick me out of your bed?"

'You looked peaceful. I didn't want to disturb you.'

Dean laughed. "It is your bed, Cas. You can tell me to get off." He put a hand on Castiel's shoulder and pushed himself up to stand.

Castiel stood with him. 'Next time.'

Dean laughed again as he left to use the bathroom.

That day, Dean was better and didn't spend all day in his books. He and Castiel went to the food court for lunch and dinner. He was even laughing a lot more. Castiel was glad that he seemed a little better.

Dean was almost glad for the distraction of classes on Monday. Math would be a little difficult with Jo in the class, but he could get through it. His angel studies class was always an interesting hour.

"Emotions and relationships for angels run much deeper and mean much more to them than humans can understand. They are fiercely devoted to their family and close friends. There is a connection that happens with angels that is hard to describe to someone who can't feel it." Balthazar was giving a lecture on their current lesson. He was walking around the room as he talked.

"Because of this, they are known to mate for life whenever they find their mate. They would do anything for their mate: fight to the death, feel their emotions to a degree, and even be able to communicate telepathically with them at a greater distance."

There was a small mumbling around the room at that. Balthazar smiled as he walked up and down the aisles. "You've learned earlier in the semester that angels communicate telepathically, but it has to be at a close distance, the same as when you make normal conversation. Some mates have a strong enough bond that they don't even have to be in the same room. In rare cases, they can be in different buildings. I myself have never met any angels that could do that, but it is theoretically possible."

Dean was taking notes in earnest. This class was giving him more interesting information than any other class he was enrolled in. He was planning to take as many angel study classes as possible while he was at the university.

"With the emotional depth, it is also a lot more likely that angels will suffer from emotional trauma and be more susceptible to developing mental illnesses due to that trauma." He had made his way back to his chair and leaned on the back of it as he finished. "We feel things very deeply. That can be good or bad, depending on what we're reacting to. We're also a lot more resilient than we get credit for as well."

He checked his watch. There was only about one minute left of class. "Alright, everyone please make sure you've read the chapter by the end of the week. There will be a test over it on Friday. You're free to go."

The class packed up and began leaving the classroom. Dean packed up most of his things but headed to the front of the classroom. He was wanting to talk to Balthazar.

"Professor?" Dean stopped close to the table Balthazar was standing behind.

"Yes?" He looked up at Dean.

"I had a question about what you talked about today."

He began picking up his papers and briefcase. "My office hours are posted on the syllabus. I'll be happy to discuss this more then."

"It was actually in regards to the angel I own."

Balthazar stopped and gave Dean his attention. "Okay, how can I help you?"

"Well, Castiel had a pretty horrible owner before I met him. He went through years of abuse and I was wondering what kind of affect that would have on him."

"What kind of abuse was it?"

Dean shook his head. "I don't know for sure. He's never really told me anything about it, but it was physical if nothing else. He has a lot of scars from it. He has nightmares a lot and it took him a long time to feel like he was allowed to exist like an equal in our house."

Balthazar's eyes turned sad and he shook his head. "Well, he's obviously suffering from some kind of disorder from it. I would say PTSD but I'm not a psychiatrist."

"What can I do to help him? He's had panic attacks before and has a hard time going out in public with too many people."

"Just let him know that he's safe with you. Don't make him feel like anything he's going through is stupid, and respect any boundaries he has."

Dean nodded. "Thanks."

"No problem."

Dean left the classroom and hoped that he could try to help Castiel a little more now that he knew more about angels.

Dean met Castiel at Charlie's room. They didn't really need to learn any more sign language from her but they used the same times when they used to have lessons to just hang out together.

Charlie was laughing when Dean entered. She and Castiel were sitting in a couple of the big bean bag chairs she had. They looked up when Dean came in.

"Hi, Dean," Charlie waved, "Cas was just telling me about what happened when you woke up yesterday." She laughed and leaned over in her chair.

Castiel was trying to hold back his laughter. Dean shook his head. "Well I'm glad it was so funny to you, Charlie. My forehead still hurts." He put down his books and sat on the floor next to them.

"So, how have you been feeling? Other than the forehead."

He knew she was talking about the Jo situation. He just shrugged. "I'm okay. It helps to have some distractions today. This afternoon will be a little hard though." Dean looked down at his hands while he chewed on his lip. Hopefully it wouldn't be too awkward with Jo in their class together.

"I'm sure it'll be fine. Today will probably be the worst day." She leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms. "Has that roommate given you any trouble recently?"

"No more than usual." Dean looked up to check with Castiel. He spent more time with Rick than Dean did.

'He's been his usual self.' Castiel was still dealing with some aggressive behavior from Rick, but nothing any worse.

"That's good, I guess. I'm still serious about my offer to take care of him if you want me to."

Dean laughed. "Thanks, Charlie. I think we can handle him."