While dinner was extremely plesant all around, one member of the group had a difficult time. Dean sat there quietly the entire time. Castiel Had twirled pasta on a fork and offered it to him, but he never opened up his mouth. Castiel frowned. Dean absolutely loved pasta night. It had become one of his favorite foods since they'd started this lifestyle- mostly because it was the first time Castiel had cooked him something as his Daddy. He set the fork down and studied Dean's face. Now that he was looking at it, his face did seem a bit pale. He found that disconcerting. Dean only ate three bites of his dinner. Sam's chatty volubility distracted Gabriel and Chuck, but not Castiel. The only time they noticed Dean was when he sneezed with a mouthful of pasta and got sauce all over Cas' shirt. Gabriel howled with laughter at the sight. It made him so giddy that he even offered to clean the table. Once he was up and cleaning, Sam's attention went to Chuck, and Castiel used the distraction to his full advantage.

"Dean? Are you alright, buddy?" He said, frowning. He pressed a hand to Dean's forehead. He didn't have to be human to understand when fever had struck.
"You're burning up, sweetheart." He murmured. He pulled Dean up onto his hip. "Come on, let's get you into bed." He said. It was only then that he realized that Dean was all sweaty. "But let's give you a nice bath first." He amended. Dean didn't even bother to fight him on it. It was a sign of how tired he was.

He went into the nursery and shut the door behind him. He was kicking himself as he turned on the water in the bathroom. He should have known something was off. This was what his instincts were trying to tell him all along. He felt his guilt increase as he started stripping Dean of his clothing, causing him to shiver and shake to the point where his teeth were chattering. He took off Dean's diaper and set him in the tub. The water was hot enough to turn his skin red, but to Dean it was like someone dumping him in the Arctic Ocean. He shivered and tried to make himself as warm as possible as his Daddy started washing him up. He tried to make it as quick and painless as possible, but knew that he hadn't completely succeeded. He drained the water, wrapped Dean in a towel and quickly diapered him before taking him out to the nursery to get him into a pair of fleece footed pajamas. Once he was clothed, he seemed a little less cold. Cas wrapped him up in a blanket, before setting him on his hip and carrying him out to the kitchen to fix him a warm bottle. Dean was perfectly quiet the whole time. So Castiel took the time to take his temperature. One hundred and two degrees.

Yikes.

The bottle was done quicker than expected, and Cas took it from the microwave and took Dean back to the nursery. He gently laid him down in the crib and handed him the bottle. Before Dean could even ask him for it, he gave him his favorite blanket and his pacifier. Dean smiled at him warily and yawned. He picked up the bottle and started sucking on it. Castiel smiled at him.

"Goodnight, baby boy." He kissed his forehead and pulled up the side of the crib. Before he could begin to whimper at the idea of his Daddy leaving him alone, he went over to the rocking chair, took out the book he'd been reading, and started reading. Dean relaxed and resumed suckling on his bottle and quickly fell asleep.

Castiel leaned back into the chair and got lost in the world of the book he'd been reading. For about an hour he was able to enjoy himself until he heard the prayer of one person who really surprised him.

Claire Novak, the daughter of his vessel, Jimmy.

Castiel was torn. His promise to Jimmy to watch over his family was still incredibly important to him, but his own paternal instincts told him to stay with Dean. Castiel shut his book and set it down in the chair. Promising to only be gone a minute, he went out to the living room. Gabriel was sitting on the couch, watching over Sam as he played on the floor. Chuck was on the floor with Sam, helping him build a castle with blocks.

"Gabriel, could I speak with you a moment?" Asked Cas. Gabriel was surprised, but nodded. He took him into the kitchen. "I need a favor."

"Sure, anything."

"Jimmy's daughter needs something. Can you go find out what it is? I would but I just-"

"You can't leave Dean."

Castiel nodded. "Yes."

"Don't worry about a thing, Cassie. I'll take care of it. But you'll have to watch over Sammy for me."

"Of course." He promised.

Gabriel flashed him a winning smile, then went to see Claire.

When he appeared, Claire was less than impressed.

"Who are you supposed to be?"

"I'm Gabriel, Cassie's older brother. He wanted to be here but he has something really important going on so he sent me in his place."

"You're Gabriel? As in the Angel who came to Mary, Gabriel?"

"I love it when people know my work. Yes, that Gabriel."

"... Somehow I pictured you taller."

Gabriel's face fell. "I get that a lot. But any who, what can I do for you?"

"I'm on a hunt and I needed a little help."

"Alright. Just give me a second."

Claire backed off. Gabriel whipped out his phone and dialed Cas' number.

"Hello?"

"Hey bro. Looks like I'm going on a hunt."

"I assume you want to talk to Sam?"

"Right-o. Put him on." There was murmuring on the other line.

"Hi Daddy!" Came the cheerful voice on the other line. Gabriel's heart melted inside his chest.

"Hey buddy. I just wanted to let you know that I'm gonna be gone for a few days, okay?"

"But why?" Came the sad reply.

"Because someone needs my help. But I'll be back soon. Until then, you be a good boy for your Uncle and Grandpa, okay?"

"Okay. I love you, Daddy."

"Love you too, sport." Sam handed the phone back to Castiel.

"If he needs me, you call me. Understand?"

"Of course. Don't worry, Gabriel. Everything will be fine."

"It better be when I get back. But I gotta go. Say hey to Dad and that nephew of mine."

"I will. Good luck, brother."

"Later."

Gabriel got off the phone. "Alright, let's go."

With that, the hunt was on.

Author's Note: Claire is one of my favorite characters so I just had to find a way to incorporate her into this story! Please Review!