So this is a really serious chapter. All people have both the bright days and the dark days, and it's important to explore the darkest things in both of these boys lives. This is Cass' and Dean's will come eventually.

This chapter is also really long, but I felt it was necessary to have it as one chapter and not split it up in any way because that wouldn't keep the emotion of the scene that takes place.

When Dean and Sam got home from school Sam dropped his backpack at the bottom of the stairs and raced Dean into the kitchen. While Dean went to the fridge to grab a slice of the apple pie their mom had made the day before Sam went to the center of the counter where a pile of Bananas and Apples were laid in a bowl. He grabbed one of the green apples and took a large bite.

"Gross," remarked Dean.

"What?" asked Sam. "I like them."

"Rabbit food."

"Dean," said Sam, waving the bitten apple. "What do you think is in the pie?"

Dean grimaced. "I know what's in the pie, Sammy. You don't need to say it outloud and ruin the magic."

Sam shook his head, and snorted. "You're so weird."

"Hey is Anna coming over tonight?" asked Dean, opening the fridge again, and grabbing a bottle of coke.

"Michael is bringing her over after dinner," said Sam, following in his brother's footsteps and taking a coke from the fridge.

"Darn," said Dean, sitting at the table.

"Why?" asked Sam, while opening the bottle.

"I wanted to give Cass a card I got him," said Dean, then adding, "It's his birthday," after realizing that the first sentence didn't make sense without it.

"Why not just go over there?" asked Sam.

"What?" asked Dean, turning to the boy who was heading towards the backpack filled with his homework. "I mean. I couldn't. I don't even know where they live," he called after Sam, who was now out of the room.

"Look it up," called Sam. "It's called a phone book, Dean."

Dean smirked. He got up from the seat in search of the phonebook. He looked through three drawers until he located the newest one. He turned to 'N' and searched for 'Novak". Surprisingly there were only three Novaks. The closest one was only four streets over from him. Without a thought he ran over to the garage door where his dad lay underneath an old car he was fixing up for their neighbor. His mother stood leaning against the car and Dean knew he had interrupted their conversation.

"Um, hey," he said.

"Hi, Sweetie. Is everything okay?" asked Mary.

"Ya," he paused. "Is it okay if I walk over to Cass' house and give him a birthday card?"

"It's his birthday?" came John's voice from under the car.

"Ya, he's turning fifteen today."

"That's wonderful," said Mary. "Of course you can," she continued. "Just wait a minute, I'll go and pack him up some of those cookies you said he liked for him as well."

Dean's face brightened. "Thanks, Mom."

"I'll just go bring them, I'll be right back."

She passed by Dean and left the garage. John came out from under the car, his shirt has stains of oil and sweat. He wiped his forehead on a towel.

"You and this Cass kid have really hit it off, haven't you?" asked John.

"I guess," said DEan, suddenly feeling embarrassed.

"Hm," said John, leaning against the car and crossing his arms.

"Here you are' said Mary, coming back into the garage. "You tell him your father and I say hello, and wish him a happy birthday, okay?"

"Sure thing! Thanks, Mom!" said Dean, taking the tupperware.

"You have your phone?" asked John.

"Yep!"

"Okay, just give us a call if it gets too late for you to walk back," said Mary.

"Okay."

Dean exited the garage and walked down the pathway to the sidewalk. He made sure again that he had his phone and the card encased within a blue envelope that had "Cass" badly scribbled on it. Dean had tried to make it look as nice as possible, but his handwriting wasn't up to it. Once he got to the end of the street he started walking along a more major road that led into the town. He counted the streets until he reached the fourth and walked down looking for number 33. Number 33 wasn't extremely exciting. The house itself was no bigger than his own, but someone (Dean couldn't help but think it must have been Cass) had spent a lot of time in the garden. Even though the weather was cooler the plants were still very happy, and made the house look like it could have come out of a magazine.

During the entire walk Dean had felt a skip in his step - anticipation...of what, he didn't know - just anticipation. Now nearing the front door where an angel ornament with the name "Novak" etched out on he became particularly aware that if he were to ring the door, and Cass were to greet him with that giant smile and bright blue eyes, the dark haired boy might notice that Dean had a choir of drums being played by his heart along with the pounding of butterfly wings in his stomach, both a which making him feel like he could fly, and that he wanted to die at the same time. He didn't have time to think about turning around because right then the door opened and he was face to face with those blue eyes; but not Cass'. This was a short woman with dark brown hair; she looked like she would be the age of Dean's mother. She opened the door.

"Hello?" she asked.

"Mom, no one is at the door. You need to come back in-" Cass stopped talking the minute he saw Dean. His eyes widened, and a look of panic flashed by them.

"Hi Cass."

"Dean," whispered Cass.

"Dean?" asked the woman, looking at Cass.

"Oh," Cass said, as if suddenly remembering the woman in front of him. "Mom, you need to come inside."

"Mom?" asked Dean, suddenly associating that word with the woman in front of him Cass' mom.

"Dean, what are doing here?" asked Cass, now the one at the front of the door.

"Cass, stop it. Come in. Let him in," said the woman.

Cass looked like he didn't know what to do. Dean just felt like running away.

"Come in?" he finally asked. Dean was going to say no, he really was.

"Thanks," Dean said, and Cass backed up so as to make room for him.

When Dean stepped in the house he immediately noticed that at the bottom of the stairs there was one of those chairs he had seen at one of his friends house for the grandparents so they could go up and down the stairs.

"Mom, are you okay?" asked Cass. Dean hadn't noticed but he was leading the woman into a small room with a couch.

"I'm fine. Can you help me sit down?" she asked.

"Yes," Cass said, and helped her sit down onto the couches surface. He came back to the stairs and took Dean's hand and pulled him into another room before releasing it. Dean didn't even have time to think about that, he was feeling slightly sick from nervousness. "Dean, what are you doing here?"

"Um. I came. I have cookies." Cass looked at him in confusion. "I mean. I brought you cookies, and a card. Happy Birthday," said Dean, holding out the the tupperware and handing it to Cass, and then he pulled out the small card from his pocket. The writing really was just a messy scribble, he noticed.

"Oh, you remembered," said Cass, his voice growing soft.

"I just thought, you should hear Happy Birthday...on your birthday. I had no idea, about your mom, I mean."

"Idea?" asked Cass.

"I mean. Well. I thought. I understood you wrongly. I thought your mom was dead," Dean whispered the last word.

Cass let out some air that he had seemed to have been holding in.

"My mom." He paused. "She has cancer."

Dean didn't know what to say. He tried to think of something smart. Something that his mom or dad would say. "I'm so sorry."

"Ya." Cass sat down in one of the kitchen chairs. "I take care of her when my dad is working."

"Is she alright right now?" asked Dean, looking back towards the other room.

"Ya, she's just resting for a moment. She's tired a lot. She'll be sleeping soon."

"You take care of her. That's why you're homeschooled?" asked Dean tentatively.

"No," answered Cass. "Not at first." Dean sat down next to him. "She used to homeschool us, but after a while she really didn't have the energy to do it full-time. I can do it on my own, but Anna; she needed to be in a classroom with friends."

"What about Michael?" asked Dean.
"He's home right now, working right now. But in January he is going back to school."

"Oh."

Cass nodded. "Ya, oh."

"Gabe and Balthazar know, right?" asked Dean.

"Yes."

Dean felt hurt. "So this isn't like a secret?" he asked finally.

"Not really. We don't really talk about it though..."

"You just," Dean tried to find the right words. "You looked shocked when you saw me."

"I'm sorry about that."

"Why?" asked Dean, abruptly.

"Why did I look shocked?" asked Cass.

"Cass, stop avoiding the question," said Dean.

"I." There was a pause, and Cass played with the table cloth. Dean suddenly felt bad about making him so nervous and looked away from the boy. "I don't know," Cass finally continued. "I've known Gabe and Balthazar forever basically. Telling them was like telling family. But when other people find out. I don't know-"

"They pity me," came the voice of Cass' mother.

"Mom," said Cass, getting up from his chair. "You should be heading upstairs. It's late."

Dean scrunched his eyebrows and looked down at his watch, it was almost four thirty.

"I wanted to meet the boy I've been hearing about," she said, coming over to Dean. Dean got up out of his chair.

"Hello, Ma'am," he said.

"Rebecca," she said, taking his hand and patting it. "Cass here has seen a couple of friends giving up on us because they can't take seeing me like this," she said sadly.

"That's not fair," said Dean, looking at Cass.

"No, it not," said Rebecca.

"Mom," said Cass, his cheeks flushed. "Please, you need to go sleep."

"Okay, sweet-boy," she said patting his cheek. "You make sure you tell your father that I love him when he comes home."

"Sure-" said Cass but she quickly cut him off.

"Oh, I need to take the pill, the purple one," she said.

"Mom, you took that one an hour ago," said Cass, taking her by the shoulders and slowly guiding her to the stairs.

"Oh. Okay."

Dean sat back down while Cass helped his mother get on the chair to get her up the stairs. When Cass came back in the room they didn't speak for a few moments while they listened to the low hum of the machine as is sluggishly took her upstairs.

"She's really sick," said Dean. He wasn't asking.

Cass didn't answer, he didn't even turn around to face Dean, he just sighed and shook his head in confirmation.

"It's terminal," he whispered.

Dean and Cass sat in silence. They were within inches of each other, yet neither moved.

"Cass," Dean started.

"Cass. I'm sorry. I need help," came his mother's voice from upstairs.

Cass looked at Dean apologetically. "Dean, could we?"

"It's okay. I just wanted to tell you happy birthday," said Dean, getting up.

"Thanks."

They walked to the door and Cass gave a small reassuring smile before turning to the stairs. Cass walked up a few steps and then turned and ran down to where Dean stood with the door opened.

"Dean," Cass said. Dean turned in surprise, looking at the boy. Cass didn't let a beat go by before he gave Dean a quick hug and then went back to the stairs and up to where his mother's call had come for. Dean stood there, his feet rooted to the spot, then smiling softly closed the door behind himself.

The character of Rebecca is based off of my aunt who has terminal cancer. I wrote this in mind of seeing first-hand the symptoms of what cancer does to a person, and to the family. I think in many ways this is why Cass is the way he is. He is still a kid, and so around his friends he tries not to let what his home life is like to block having a childhood (something I think is due to his mother's pushing). I know Cass' dad is not in this chapter, and I'm not really sure when he will show up, but he will be here at some point. I think this also will help people not to hate him, because I don't see him as being a mean father.

Thank you for reading! I love you guys!