Dean led Benny and Andrea through the station and they sat outside his dad's office to wait. Jody had taken Rick back into an interrogation room to get his statement.

"Hey, Benny?" Dean felt the adrenaline from the fight leaving him and fatigue take over.

"Yeah?" Benny turned to look at him.

"Do you think I'd be possible for you to not fill in our room with someone else next semester? I think Cas and I need a break from roommates."

Benny smiled and huffed out a short laugh. "Well, since it's so late in the semester and the circumstances under which Rick is leaving are hardly typical, I think I might just forget to file for a new occupant for that room."

Dean nodded. "Thanks."

Jody came out of the interrogation room alone and looked at Dean. "I need to talk to Benny next. I figured I could get that done so the sheriff could take him back to campus when he gets here so he could go home."

"He doesn't have to do that." Benny put up a hand. "We'd like to stay until Castiel gets here. Andrea is gonna talk for him when he gives his statement."

"Yeah, I can take everyone back. My dad can just go home when Cas gets here." Dean knew that his dad was probably supposed to be off already anyway and felt bad about keeping him any later.

Jody nodded. "Okay, I'll see what he wants to do when he gets here."

Dean glanced at the door behind her. "What did he say?"

"Not much. He's lawyered up. Not that it'll do him much good since we have it all on tape. He's charged with angel cruelty, assault, and attempted rape."

Dean had expected those charges, but Benny and Andrea gasped beside him. "What?" That last one was a surprise for them. "I can't believe he would do something like that. I mean, I knew he was a horrible person, but that…" Benny shook his head and covered his face with his hands. Andrea put a hand on his back to try and comfort him.

Jody nodded in sympathy. "Whenever you're ready, Benny." She opened the door behind her and waited for him to collect himself and move to follow her.

Benny was coming out of the room when John arrived with Castiel. Dean stood as they got closer. John stopped close to his office and said, "Well, his ribs aren't broken, just a couple bruised ones. His wing was out of place, but the paramedic fixed that so it'll just be sore for a while. Everything else checked out okay."

Dean let out a relieved breath. He didn't want Castiel to be hurt at all, but at least it wasn't any worse than the first assumption. "Okay thanks, dad."

John nodded. "I need to talk to you alone for a minute." He opened his office door and waited for Dean to follow.

He had taken one step when Castiel ran forward and embraced him in a tight hug. The wind was knocked out of him briefly but he didn't mind. He wasn't sure of a safe place for his hands that wouldn't hurt Castiel so he just held him gently behind his shoulders.

Castiel buried his face in Dean's neck and wrapped his arms tighter. After Rick and the hospital, he was overdrawn on his ability to hold himself together. His ribs protested a little but he wouldn't let go.

Dean closed his eyes and leaned his head against Castiel's and whispered to him, "Its okay, Cas. Its over. You're safe."

Tears welled up in Castiel's eyes at the words and he had to keep his eyes shut tight to not cry. He held onto Dean a few moments longer and then pulled back while wiping his eyes.

Dean kept his hands on Castiel's shoulders as he stepped back and looked him in the eye. "We're gonna be okay."

Castiel smiled slightly and nodded. He felt like he could start believing that now.

Dean dropped his arms and walked around Castiel to follow his dad. Castiel moved to sit by Andrea and Benny.

John shut his office door once Dean was inside. He sighed and started taking the badge off his shirt. "Okay, I'm taking off the badge," he put it on the table and then pulled his gun from his belt, "and I'm putting this here." He put the gun on the table next to the badge. "I'm officially off the clock and no longer the sheriff. Right now I'm your dad and you're gonna tell me the truth." He held Dean's gaze to let him know he was serious.

Dean nodded. "Of course."

"Did you set that guy up? Did you trap him so he'd get caught?" John felt like he knew the answer, but he wasn't sure.

Dean sighed. He wanted to lie but he decided not to. "Yeah, I did."

John nodded. "Is that why you asked for an officer to be outside your dorm?" Dean just shrugged. "Officer Mills called me before you got here and let me know that somehow another angle of the attack was filmed."

"Really?" Dean kept his voice and face neutral. He would admit to setting up Rick, but he wouldn't rat out Charlie.

"Yeah, and it looked like it was from Rick's webcam on his laptop. Can you explain that?"

Dean shrugged again. "Maybe he was recording something before I left and forgot about it."

John nodded. "Sure, maybe. I guess he also emailed the video to every computer in the station too?" Dean remained silent. "No one is stupid enough to do that, Dean, and I don't believe you have the capability to do that."

"I don't know what to tell you, dad. It wasn't me, and it wasn't Cas."

"That's your story? You're claiming total ignorance?"

"I can't tell you what I don't know."

"Okay," John collected his things and moved to open the door, "that's all I wanted to ask you."

Dean moved to the doorway and stopped. "You can go home, dad. I'll take everyone back to the dorm."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, go ahead. Mom is probably really worried by now."

"I bet." John looked at Castiel as Andrea talked to him. "Take care of him."

Dean looked back at Castiel and smiled. "I always do."

John went home while Dean went in to give his statement. He told Jody that he left to hang out with Charlie and called 911 after getting the call from Castiel and then went back to the room to stop Rick.

She seemed to have the same suspicion as his dad but she took down his statement and let him go. She talked to Castiel briefly after that. There wasn't much he needed to say since his involvement was recorded for the most part.

The four of them left the station almost two hours after arriving. It was late and Dean and Castiel were extremely tired. They walked back to their rooms together and split off on the floor. Benny put a hand on Dean's shoulder.

"Try to get some rest tonight you two. If you need anything, you know where to find me."

"Thanks, Benny." Dean waved to him and Andrea as they left. He unlocked their door and let Castiel in and he followed. They were both quiet when they entered and seemed lost as to what they should do.

'What happens now?' Castiel felt a little groggy from the pain medication the hospital gave him.

"Now, we sleep. I have classes tomorrow and then we'll have all weekend to relax." Dean opened his closet to get his pajamas. Castiel stayed where he was and seemed to be staring blankly at the beds. Dean took Castiel's pajama pants from his closet and handed them to the angel.

Castiel took the clothing automatically. He was too tired to think very well. Dean was able to see that and gently guided him to stand beside his bed.

"Don't worry, Cas. We'll never have to see him again. He can't hurt you anymore. We're safe." Dean put his clothes on the top bunk and turned Castiel to face him. The angel almost looked asleep already. "You got the good pain meds, huh?"

Castiel blinked slowly and nodded. 'I don't feel anything, Dean.'

Dean laughed. "Good. Hopefully you won't feel the pain for a while." Dean began unbuttoning Castiel's shirt so he could take it off to sleep. Castiel looked down and watched as he did so.

Dean was careful to slide the shirt off his injured wing first and then pulled it off the other side. He winced at the dark bruises on his chest. That would hurt for weeks.

He guided Castiel to sit on the bed and handed him his pajama pants. "You got it from here?" Dean was a little wary to try and take Castiel's pants off after what happened. Castiel nodded. "Good."

As Castiel fumbled with his jeans, Dean took his clothes and changed by his closet, tossing his dirty clothes in the laundry basket. He came back as Castiel was pulling his pajamas on. He helped him lay back slowly on the bed and he turned on his right side and fell asleep almost immediately.

Dean heard a sound coming from Castiel's pocket in his jeans and pulled out the bottle of pain pills. He left them on the desk and tossed Castiel's jeans in the basket with the other clothes. He turned the lights off and climbed the ladder to his top bunk to sleep.

When Castiel woke up, his first breath felt like he was being stabbed with a fork. He jumped and put a hand over his bruised ribs. The warmth from his hand seemed to help slightly. He kept his breathing shallow and tried to roll over to get out of bed. The small movement to try was enough to shoot pain through his body.

Castiel bit his lip and stilled his movements. He was going to need help getting out of bed. His right wing ached and his neck burned. He wished he could fall back asleep, but that wasn't possible now. Dean had an early class today so he should be up soon.

He only had to wait about fifteen minutes before Dean's alarm went off and he was climbing down the ladder. Castiel raised an arm up to get his attention.

"Hey, Cas," Dean leaned on the bed frame, "how are you feeling?"

Castiel couldn't sign right now and just shook his hand at Dean so he'd help him up. Dean got the idea and took Castiel's hand. When he tried to pull him up, the pain was too much and he signaled to stop.

"Maybe we need to roll you on your back first."

That wouldn't be easy with Castiel's sore wing behind him. He'd have to lift up enough to move his wings flat beneath him. Castiel reached up both hands and Dean helped him move enough to put his wings were they needed to be.

It hurt but Castiel was able to get on his back. He stayed flat for a minute as he breathed through the pain. He moved his legs to hang off the bed, hoping he could push up to stand, but it wasn't happening.

'Hold my neck and arm and pull me up.' Dean would almost have to carry Castiel out of bed.

Dean nodded and ducked under the top bunk. He put his right arm under Castiel's neck and shoulders and took his right arm in his left. Dean's face was inches away from Castiel's and he felt a little strange at the proximity.

"You ready?"

Castiel nodded and let himself be lifted up by Dean. If he didn't use his muscles, it didn't hurt much. Dean got him sitting upright on the edge of the bed. He took a few slow breaths and braced himself on Dean's shoulder so he could stand.

Dean picked up the pill bottle from his desk and took one out for Castiel. He handed it to him. "Here, it'll help."

'Thanks.' Castiel took it and swallowed it dry.

Dean looked at Castiel's bruises and they were a lot darker than yesterday. He turned away and went to get his clothes for the day. He changed and then went to use the bathroom.

When he passed the mirror, he stopped and looked at his face. He hadn't seen the damage on himself until now. His left eye was swollen and the skin around it was dark blue and purple. His knuckles on his right hand were cut up and red.

He washed his hands and returned to the room. He helped Castiel get a shirt over his wings and arms. "I'll be back after my morning classes. You can let Charlie know what's going on whenever she's out of class too."

Castiel nodded and could feel the pills kicking in. He was still nervous about being alone but he had to tell himself that he was okay now. Dean picked up his bag and was heading to the door when Castiel caught up to him and grabbed his arm.

Dean turned to look at Castiel. "What?"

'I want to tell you about my last owner and what happened to me there.'

It was the first time he'd ever offered to talk about that. "Okay, um," he really couldn't miss class this close to finals, "tell you what. Write it all down, or see if Charlie will let you borrow her computer, and type it all up for me, everything you want me to know. Then, I'll read it whenever you say I can."

Castiel thought about it and nodded in agreement. After what happened last night, he finally felt ready to tell someone else about his past.

"I will be back in a few hours." Dean smiled and then left for class.

Castiel texted Charlie and she agreed to bring her computer over for Castiel to use. She stayed a while so Castiel could fill her in on what happened after she left. She gave him a gentle hug before leaving for class. Castiel sat at Dean's desk and stared at the open Word document for several minutes. He didn't even know where to start.

Dean was in his last class of the morning: Angel Studies. Balthazar was going over the main points on the final exam. Dean had a hard time concentrating as he thought about getting to finally know what had happened to Castiel. He wasn't sure he really wanted to know, but he felt like he needed to.

When class ended, Dean made his way to the front of the auditorium. "Professor?"

Balthazar turned around. "Yes?" He gasped when he saw Dean's face. "Good lord what happened to you?"

Dean laughed. "My asshole roommate decided to try and beat up Castiel last night."

Worry crossed Balthazar's face. "Is he alright?"

"Yeah, he'll heal. He has a few bruised ribs and sore wing, but he'll be okay."

"I hope you called the police."

"I did. My dad is actually the sheriff."

Balthazar laughed. "Well tough shit for that guy."

"You have no idea. But, I was just wanting to let you know that they had to take my computer for a little while and I won't be able to get our final paper done as quickly as I'd hoped."

Balthazar nodded in understanding. "I see. Well, as long as you get it to me before the final, I think you'll be fine. You're one of the highest scores in the class, Dean. Your papers have always been done well. I expect nothing less this time."

"Thank you." Dean sagged in relief. He'd been worried he'd have to start the paper over in the library to finish in time.

"Just take care of yourself and Castiel."

"I will." Dean left after thanking him again and made his way back to the dorm. When he got to his floor, he saw signs up for a mandatory floor meeting that night. He could guess what it was about.

He found Castiel typing at his desk when he walked in. Castiel glanced back at him before turning back to the computer.

"Where's Charlie?" Usually she was with Castiel this time of day.

'Bringing food.'

"Great." Dean put his books down and sat on Castiel's bed. "Balthazar gave me until the final to finish my paper."

'Good. I know you were worried about that.'

"Yeah, he was worried about you."

'He doesn't need to worry about me.'

"I know." Dean glanced at the computer. "You still working on that?" Castiel nodded. "Okay, just let me know when you're ready to let me read it." He stood up took out his phone.

A few minutes later, Charlie entered the room with lunch for everyone. They sat around and talked while they ate. As Charlie was throwing away the trash, Dean thanked her for letting Castiel use her computer.

"No problem. That's not my only one. My favorite, personal computer is in my room. This is just one of my spares. Castiel can actually keep it if he wants."

Dean frowned at Castiel. "Really?"

She shrugged. "Sure. I'll just delete all my stuff on there and he can have it."

'That would be great, Charlie. It would be nice if I didn't need to use Dean's.'

"Cool, it's settled. That computer is now yours, Cas." She cleared off her data and then left for class.

Dean checked the time and realized he needed to leave too. "I'll see you later." Castiel waved as he left the room.

Dean was on his way to Math and saw Jo coming down the opposite end of the hallway. He cursed himself internally. He should've told her about this when it happened. They were close to the door when she could see his bruises.

"Oh my god! What happened?" She moved close to him and put a hand on his arm.

"Rick finally snapped." It had been a few weeks since she'd broken up with him and this was the first time they'd spoken.

"And Cas?"

"He's hurt but nothing too serious. Rick is in jail. He's not coming back." It still felt good to say those words.

"Thank god. When did this happen?"

"Last night."

Her eyebrows shot up. "What are you doing going to class? You should be resting."

Dean smiled. "This close to finals? I can't miss precious study time."

"I think the teachers would be okay if you told them what happened."

He shook his head. "No, I'm fine. This is my last one today. I can handle it."

She sighed, knowing she wouldn't change his mind. "Alright, whatever you say." They walked in together and took their seats.

After class, Jo pulled him aside. "Listen, Dean, I'm sorry about the way things ended. I may have been a little more blunt than I needed to be."

"Well, you did warn me to wait to hear it from you."

"I did. I do still hope we can be friends. It's been boring without you and Charlie and Castiel."

"You can still hang out with Charlie, she's not exclusively my friend."

Jo smiled. "I know. It just feels weird to ask."

"I miss you too, Jo. Maybe after things have calmed down and winter break is over, I'll be ready for that." He was still confused and a little hurt by Jo's reasoning about ending their relationship. He needed time to get over that.

"Fair enough. I'll see you later, Dean."

"Later." They waved to each other and parted ways down the hall.