New Years came and went, and Dean found some sort of routine pretty damn fast. He was super glad he never gave in to Lisa asking him to come work at her office. She came home with numerous offers, at the helpdesk, at the mailroom, at accounting (which had been tempting, because then he could have watched Castiël's ass all day every day, but no. That would not have been enough to make him happy) and even in the cafeteria. But Dean had declined them all and said working on engines and brakelines all day with Bobby was all the job he ever needed.

Now he slept in, because he didn't have to stand in gridlock for fifteen to thirty minutes to get at the salvage. He rolled his pretty ass out of bed and after a bit of primping and priming, he was downstairs and had his hands in an engine. Of course he knew he needed a place of his own. He couldn't mooch off of Bobby forever. Bobby loved his company, but their privacy was not all that. And, as Gabe had put it on their first night out in the new year, if Dean was to go back out there, it could be awkward to have your surrogate parent walk in on you. And Dean knew that went both ways. Bobby was no spring chicken, but he wasn't a monk either.

For now, Dean had tried to find an apartement, but they were expensive and even though he had rights to half of the value of the house he bought with Lisa, she still hadn't signed. Loathe as he was to contact her again, Dean feared he would have to.
"Sam, you're the big shot lawyer here. How can I get her to sign and let go?" he asked, one Saturday, when Sam came over for lunch. Sam sighed.
"I'm afraid you can't force her to sign. But I'm willing to be your representative and see if we can shake her tree a bit."
The offer was sincere enough, but Dean was a bit worried.
"Isn't that a conflict of interests? I mean, you're my brother..."

"I could get Cole to do it. He's almost done interning, so I trust he's capable enough."
Dean bit his lip.
"I can't afford your firm, Sam." he started, but Sam waved him off.
"We do pro-bono cases too, Dean. And no, that's not a fancy way of saying charity. It's equal rights to proper defense or legal aid. So take it."

That was why Dean was now sitting in the reception area of Lisa's firm, with Cole at his side. His leg jumped and nothing Cole said made him relax. Lisa was in a meeting and would be out 'soon'. Dean hated 'soon'. It meant anywhere between now and over an hour.
"Geez... I haven't been this nervous since highschool, when the principal tried to get a hold of Dad because I threw a stinkbomb though the window..."

Suddenly a warm hand landed on his left shoulder and over the other a hot cup of coffee was pressed into his hand. When Dean looked up behind him, he saw the retreating back of a guy. His heart skipped a beat. Navyblue suit, dark sexhair and, oh yeah, there it was... that sexy ass. Castiël. How the Hell did he know Dean was there, and that he really needed a hot coffee?

Dean sipped the coffee, delighted to find it perfect. No sugar or cream, not that liquid dirt that came out of the vendingmachines, but honest to God executive level coffee.
"Wow. That secretary was nice. He even got me a packet of sugar and some real cream." Cole said, stirring his cup lightly.
Dean followed Castiël with his eyes.
"Castiël isn't a secretary. He works in accounting. He's smart and, apparently, very nice."
Dean sipped his coffee again.
"I'm grateful he made the wait that much less annoying. I really needed this." Cole smiled, and Dean had to agree. The coffee made the wait a lot more agreeable.

Gabriel came sauntering down the hall and grinned as he spotted Dean.
"Hello! What in the blazes are you doing here?"
Dean smiled up at him and introduced him to Cole.
"We're here to see if we can persuade Lisa to sign some papers. I need to have that money from the house, or I can't get an appartement. And I really should, right?"
Gabriel hummed and nodded. Then he tilted his head.
"Cups? Where did you get these?"
Dean drained his and looked at it.
"Castiël brought them to us. The receptionists didn't offer us any, but all of a sudden he pops up with two hot cups of coffee."
Gabriel smiled, then frowned.
"Just a mo, fellas. Be right back." he said and darted off towards reception.

When he got back, his eyes were dark and his usual smile was gone.
"That stuck-up, vindictive bitch... She ordered them to not offer you anything and to tell you she was in a meeting. Hang on. I'll get her down here for you."
He pulled out a laptop, and his fingers danced across the keys.
Down the hallway upstairs, a phone started ringing. Lisa's voice answered it and then they heard her gasping out an "oh God!"

Hasty heelclicking announced her approach and she ran by them, out into the parkinglot. She looked around, then her shoulders released tension and she turned back inside.
"A glitch in my carjacking alert system I guess." she explained to Marley at reception.
"I got the automated alert call, but my car is fine. I'll go back to..."
Gabriel cut in by stepping in her line of view.
"Hi Lisa! You got company, did you know? Since it is against policy to keep guests in the reception area for more than an hour, I'm sure you knew. They have been here 55 minutes. If you do not attend to your guests, it will be a pay deduction, am I right?"
Lisa spluttered, but waved Dean and Cole on.
Gabe winked at them and packed away his laptop.

Lisa showed Dean and Cole into a meeting room. She sat down and eyed them coldly.
"Why are you here?" she demanded.
Dean sighed. He was not the bad guy here, he had to keep that in mind, or she would wipe the floor with him. Thankfully, Cole started talking.
"Well, miss Braeden... We were wondering if you had signed the papers about the house yet. As you know, Dean has full rights to half of it's worth, and unless you buy him out, he can demand you liquidate the house."
Lisa blanched, then her cheeks got blotchily red.
"You wouldn't dare! He still has his kid to think about!"

Cole smiled a bland, professional smile and knit his fingers together on the tabletop.
"Actually... seeing how you can't claim it is his until there has been a paternity test, I think you will find we can and will do so. You have three months in which to decide wether you want to pay up, or liquidate. Thank you for your time, ms Braeden. We will find our own way out. You should mind the baby."
Admiring how Cole could be calm and collected, yet still burn someone like that, Dean followed his example and stood.
"Dean... please! Think about the baby. He should have a father..." Lisa plead.
Dean shook his head, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"Low, Lisa. Very low. Playing on my family instincts like that. You should have thought about that before you went bedhopping and got yourself knocked up by the Devil knows who. I am through with being your punchbag. Take care, because that baby does deserve a life, even if one without a dad. Bye Lis." Dean calmly walked out of the room, shoulders straight and head high.

Once the door had closed behind him, he sagged.
"Jesus Christ. That bitch. It hurt, Cole, to realise that baby won't know who his daddy is. But I cannot let her have that power over me. Not anymore."
A hand clapped down on his shoulder, hard.
"Too right, Dean-o. She doesn't deserve you. Hey... I know of a place. My baby brother is looking for a roommate of sorts. I think you would be perfect!"
Dean blinked at Gabe.
"What? Wait... what?"

Gabriel chuckled.
"Your living arangements. My brother has a place, but the guy who lived with him, Balthazar, he skipped out, and it's getting troublesome to pay for housing and food from his sole paycheck."
Cole beamed at Dean, mind already buzzing.
"That might be a good solution for now. You can get things settled in the privacy of your own place."
Dean pouted in thought.
"Maybe. But I'm not sure. I mean, I'd be exchanging Bobby for your brother. Still no chance of taking that hot bartender to bed."

Gabe grinned.
"I can assure you, my brother wouldn't mind if you took the hot bartender to bed."
A wink and a sassy grin underlined that statement.
"Besides. He works two jobs at the time, just to make ends meet. He might want to keep both jobs until he got a bit of reserve back. He won't be in much if he does."
They had walked towards the exit, and the ladies in reception were giving them the stink-eye.
Gabriel waved cheerfully at them and turned back to Dean and Cole.
"He's got plenty of room. You'd just have to share the living room and the kitchen. And even then, there is enough space in that living room, that you won't be bothered by eachother. Or anybody that comes over."

It did sound awesome. At Bobby's Dean didn't really have the power to turn people away at the door, and the steady stream of well wishers hadn't lessened since word got out that Dean was living there. Bobby knew them all, and he rarely slammed the door on people. Dean would come in to wash his hands, and there would be Ellen, or Donna, or Jody, or Martin, or Phillip, or Asa... Dean sometimes longed for true alone time.
"Ok. Set me up, Gabe. It couldn't hurt to have a look at the place."
Gabriel grinned that sassy smile, that had Dean wonder what he was up to.
"Sure thing, bucko! I'll text you the deets!" He opened the glass door with a flourish and bowed them out like they were royalty.
Dean looked at Cole and they both doubled over in laughter.