A/N: Shall I say it again? To owning this series and all of its wonderfulness, I hereby claim that I own nothing. Sadly.

So...y'all will probably hate me for this chapter...hah. Just warning you. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

Read at your own discretion.

Enjoy.

Chapter 6- Day 4 (Friday)

Friday's and Saturday's are always the busiest when it comes to bartending. That night found Dean and Gabe going from end to end of the bar serving customers left and right. Sam and Cas had shown up right before everything had gotten crazy.

They picked a table out of the way so they weren't taking up space at the bar. They didn't want to get in the way of all the paying customers or distract Dean and Gabe. They figured it'd be best to sit at a table and chat, drink a few beers, converse with Jo or Ellen when they'd walk by, send winks and smiles toward the bartenders.

They sat, swapping stories about their brothers and entertaining themselves for a few hours until it died down considerably and Gabe got off work. By that point, Sam had had quite a few to drink and was in no state to drive. Gabe marched back over to the bar after retrieving Sam's keys. He tossed them to Dean when he looked up. Dean caught them in midair with a questioning look on his face.

"Your little brother's sloshed. Those are his keys. I'm going to drive him home. And yes, back to your humble abode, not mine. Do me a favor and take my darling kid brother home? I don't care who's home. Yours, mine, ours, theirs, whomever. Just make sure he arrives in one piece or it'll be your head, Dean-o. Nighty night!"

Dean rolled his eyes at Gabe's speech and watched as he marched back over to Sam, lifted him from his seat, and helped him out the door of the bar, disappearing into the night.

Cas appeared at the bar moments later having no one to talk to anymore. He sat at a stool a little ways away from other paying customers. He took out his phone and scrolled through his missed messages. He hadn't felt his phone go off, but apparently he'd missed a couple of calls from a woman he works with and a few texts from friends. He made a mental note to call the woman back the next day as he sent off quick replies to his friends. He slid his phone back into his pocket and emptied the last of his beer.

Before he set the empty beer bottle down, another appeared in front of him. Dean smiled warmly as he twisted the cap off, throwing it over his shoulder and into the waste basket. "So Gabe took Sammy home?" Obviously, he already knew the answer given Gabe had walked over to inform him, but he wanted to start up a conversation. He'd wanted to all night, but it was difficult with Cas sitting clear across the room.

Cas nodded, "Yes, he was quite inebriated and Gabe offered to take him home. I told him I didn't think you would mind." Dean nodded, eyes searching the bar to see if anyone needed refills or another beer. As his eyes landed back on Cas, his smile widened into a more flirtatious one.

"So, what you doing after this?" He leaned on the bar on his elbows, occasionally scanning over the customers.

Suddenly a shy smile lit Cas's face and he took a moment before he spoke. Cas had a plan of his own that he had been thinking about ever since lunch the day before. He had spoken to Gabe after Dean had dropped him off. Gabe had given him the same speech Jo and Bobby had given Dean, just worded slightly different.

It had motivated him to take matters into his own hands for once and make a move, to show Dean just how interested he was in the man. "Actually, I was hoping that if you weren't busy once your shift ends, that we might…enjoy one's company. Possibly watch a movie, have a few drinks."

Dean's smile widened and he straightened. He'd spotted a woman waving at him to get his attention. "Hold that thought, Cas."

He could have accepted right away, he knew he was going to. He just wanted to make the man squirm a bit while he helped the customer. He poured her a couple of drinks, one for her and one for her friend, before returning to where he'd been standing.

"So, where were we?"

Dean noticed that Cas's hands were shaking slightly from nerves. He could tell Cas didn't normally make the first move. "Having a few drinks later."

"Oh yes, that's right. Count me in. Where?" Cas's cheeks were starting to turn red as he ran through possible places in his mind. He hadn't counted on Gabe taking Sam home, so he wasn't sure where to suggest. Dean seemed to sense his inner turmoil so he decided to save him from himself.

"How about we go back to your apartment? Gabe will be at mine with Sammy, doing God knows what. I don't even want to think about that, let alone be in proximity to it. I mean, if that's fine by you, of course."

Cas brightened, glad he didn't have to be the one to suggest it. "Of course! That is fine with me. There's plenty of beer in the fridge. Gabe restocked last night."

Dean nodded, spotting another customer. "It's a date." He winked at Cas, who blushed once more, as he moved to serve waiting customers.

The night continued on like that: Cas slowly drinking a couple of beers as Dean switched between helping customers and maintaining a conversation with Cas. They kept it going for the last couple of hours of Dean's shift. There was only an hour left and only about ten or so people in the bar when Ellen appeared by the two men. "Dean, you can go home. Jo and I can cover this."

Dean looked up from the glass he'd been wiping down. "Are you sure? I don't mind staying."

She narrowed his eyes at him, letting him know she meant business. "I know full well that you don't mind, Dean, but I also happen to know that you have plans tonight. It's not that busy and two people are fully capable of handling it. Now get your ass out of here before I change my mind and have you stay and clean the place from top to bottom."

Dean gulped, setting the glass down under the counter and moving out from behind the bar. He looked at Cas, seeing that he was a bit tipsy from the beers he'd drank throughout the night, and smiled. "I'll drive. You're…inebriated. Come on, Cas. Night, Ellen! Tell Jo I'll see her tomorrow!"

He pulled Cas out of bar as Ellen waved goodbye to them. They stepped into the chilly night air and Cas shivered. Dean pulled him closer to him on instinct, sharing his body heat. They walked over to the impala and Dean opened his door, not sure how well it'd turn out if Cas tried to on his own. He wasn't that drunk, but he was getting a little goofy.

Dean was shocked the guy wasn't flat out drunk from all the beer he'd consumed throughout the night. He hopped into the driver's seat and made his way in the direction they lived. "So, Cas, where do you live again? I know we live close by, but I can't remember the street name."

Cas looked over with a small smile on his face, who knew why, "Elmer. Second floor. Apartment 2b."

Dean smiled over at him, finding Cas quite amusing. They arrived at the apartment and Dean helped Cas upstairs. He didn't need that much help, but every now and then he would miss a step and almost fall. Dean would catch him, chuckle, and they'd continue on their way.

They made it into the apartment finally and Cas shut the door behind them. It was dark, so he flipped on the lights to reveal a clean, tidy apartment. It wasn't too big, but it wasn't too small either. It was the perfect size for two grown men to share. There were drawings hanging up here and there along the walls in the small living room and the hallway leading to multiple other rooms Dean assumed were his and Gabe's rooms and a bathroom.

Cas rounded the corner, pulling Dean into the living room. He walked into the kitchen and Dean heard him opening the fridge. "Go ahead and make yourself at home. I'll get a couple beers." Dean nodded, but instead of sitting down on the couch, he looked around at all the different drawings. He assumed they were Cas' since he didn't see Gabe as the drawing type.

When Cas entered with the beers, Dean was looking at a quite interesting piece of a sunset. The different colors that were blended together fascinated Dean, even though he knew absolutely nothing about art.

Cas handed him the beer and stood next to him, admiring his piece. "I drew that a couple of years ago, I believe." Dean nodded, taking it all in. He'd never stopped to wonder if Cas was any good or not, he'd always assumed he was. And he had just proven it.

"Are there any more?" Cas looked up at him with a shy smile. "Yeah, there's some in my room from a couple of years ago. I think shortly after I drew this."

Dean smiled, "I'd like to see them, if you don't mind. Your art is really interesting."

The smile on Cas's face widened as he walked down the hallway towards his room with Dean following close behind. They stepped into a room that was just as tidy as the rest of the apartment Dean had seen so far. The walls were light blue with black borders. The drawings were sitting in a bin on the other side of the room.

Dean walked over to them, setting his beer down on the desk and started to flip through them, taking each piece in.

The pieces were in chronological order from when Cas had made them. They started off as random things. Different objects, perspectives, landscapes. Then they started to gather a theme. Dean immediately recognized this theme as the one Gabe had told him about from when Cas was younger and his mom had died.

There were beautiful pictures. Some were of angels, some were of wings of different shapes, sizes, and colors, some were of feathers of the same varieties. Dean watched the dates on all of these themed drawings, coming to a strange realization. The first picture of an angel was drawn the day he was in the accident, the day he went into the coma. He kept flipping through the drawings, there was at least one for each day.

The same theme continued for three and a half months until a new image started to pop into the same drawings. They started out with just a man. He was alone, surrounded by darkness. The different colors seemed to portray some kind of pain. As they continued, Dean quickly realized that the man was in Hell. He stopped on the most beautiful drawing he'd come across so far. He pulled it out of the bin and just looked at it, taking it all in.

Cas had drawn an angel with deep blue eyes the color of the ocean pulling a man with deep forest green eyes out of Hell. The angel left a handprint on his arm, a symbol of his salvage. The angel looked fierce as he pulled the damaged man from the fiery pits of Hell. It was fascinating. Dean had never seen anything so…beautiful. He looked at the date on the painting and realized that it had been drawn on the day that Dean had awoken from his coma. The day he had miraculously woken when there'd been no hope.

He turned to look at Cas, trying to come up with some kind of logical explanation for the coincidence. Cas was replying to a quick text as he sat on his bed. It was obvious to Dean that the alcohol was starting to hit him and he smiled. He made a mental note to ask him about the drawings tomorrow when he was sober as he placed the drawing back into the bin, not realizing that the next drawing had nothing to do with the angel theme.

Dean picked up his beer and pulled Cas into the living room. He sat them both down on the couch and looked at Cas, smiling.

"So, Cas, this is a nice place you got here." Cas smiled and nodded more enthusiastically then needed, an effect of the alcohol. "Thank you, Dean. I rather enjoy it. Though my father would greatly disagree. He is not…fun."

Dean chuckled, "Fun? How so?" Cas looked around his apartment for a few moments. Long enough for Dean to wonder if he'd forgotten what they were talking about given his state of intoxication.

"My father doesn't approve of most of the way I choose to lead my life, same with Gabe...Gabriel. When he learned I was going to become an art teacher, he was furious. He said it was a waste of time and that I would never amount to anything. I remember that day quite clearly. That was also the day I told him I am gay. He all but disowned me at that. Actually, I think he did disown me. I have not heard from him in…years. I do not believe Gabby has either."

"Gabby? Wow, you really are drunk. You know, you don't have to tell me all this if you don't want to, Cas." Dean placed a hand on Cas's letting him know that he understood.

Cas shook his head and continued, "No, that is quite alright, Dean. I have come to terms with it years ago as we were never that close. I was so angry that he disapproved so strongly about my career choice that I suddenly blurted out my deepest secret. He had been speechless for many moments before finally he exploded into a fit of rage. If Gabby hadn't been there, I don't know what would have happened. My father raised his hand to hit me, but Gabe stepped in between us. He told our father to back off and that if he hit either of us that he would call the cops. That is when Gabby also came out of the closet. Why do they call it coming out of the closet, Dean? Why use that term? Why not come out of the car, come out of the house…maybe even come out of the dark. These choices seem much more suitable than the closet. I do not understand."

Dean was astonished at the way Cas expertly switched topics right in the middle of his story. He couldn't help the smile that formed on his face as he shook his head and attempted to get Cas back on track.

"Cas, what happened after Gabe came out to your father?" Cas looked up confused for a moment before remembering what they'd been talking about.

"Oh yes. Gabby threatened to expose my father and have him arrested. He said he would tell the cops about all the years of our childhood and tell them what my father had done. Of course that frightened him and he backed off. But not before kicking us out and telling us not to come back."

Dean nodded, remembering his own childhood and suddenly fearing for the following weekend when Sam planned to come out to their own father.

"Cas…what did your father do? When you were a kid, what did he do?"

Cas looked at him peacefully, too intoxicated to really let the conversation bother him all that much. He was definitely one of those happy drunks.

"Why, Dean, he hit me. After my mother died, he would come into my room and vent his frustrations on me. I wasn't sure what to do since I was just a kid, so I didn't tell Gabby. We weren't that close anyway. One day I let Gabby into my room though after months. He saw my drawings and was fascinated by them, but he was also scared. You see, I had drawn a man trapped in Hell. A man who was abandoned by his father and forced to face the real world alone. I drew pain, suffering, loneliness. The drawings had come to me when I was sleeping, after my father would leave my room. You know, the only thing that got me through was an image that repeatedly came to me. It was of a boy a few years older than me…he would come to me in my dreams and help me through it. I thought I was crazy so I never drew the boy. I still remember what he looks like though. Kind of like you actually. But Gabe saw the drawings and started asking questions. He found out what our father had been doing and had put a stop to it immediately. I don't know how…but the beatings stopped. That's when Gabe started getting into fights at school. He would get bruises on his arms that I saw when he wore t-shirts. There were some on his neck and face a couple of times. Whenever I would ask, he would always say that the kids at his school just liked to fight."

Dean sucked in a breath. Everything that Cas was telling him hit him right in his gut. Cas's father abused him after his mother had died. He'd kept his sanity because of a boy that looked like Dean who he'd see in his dreams every night. Cas had seen a little boy with deep forest green eyes and freckles who was in a very similar situation, yet different. Cas had dreamt of a little boy who kept his sanity by dreaming of a boy a few years younger than him with scruffy black hair and deep ocean blue eyes. Then the information about Gabe sunk in and the knot in his stomach tightened. He knew instantly that Gabe had traded places with Cas in order to protect him and that Cas didn't know. He'd been too young to make the connection. He knew because he connected with Gabe on a level that only protective older brothers could.

"I stopped dreaming of the boy for years. I didn't know why. I actually missed seeing him in my dreams. Then a few of years ago he returned. He looked exactly like he had when I'd seen him as a child, which I thought was strange, but realized that I appeared as a younger version of myself as well. It was when I was with Jason and he had started doing exactly like my father had done to me. I saw the boy the night of the first beating. He was the reason I had hope that maybe things would get better. He was why I hadn't just given up. He was there the night I almost died. I didn't see him after that until a year or so later. We talked in my dreams a lot. One night I asked him not to go anywhere, that I enjoyed talking to him. He told me that there was nowhere for him to go, that he was stuck. He told me that all he remembered was glass shattering and then he became stuck in blackness."

Dean couldn't believe what he was hearing. Was Cas really telling him what he thought he was telling him? That…No, there was no way it was possible. This was impossible. It was all just a huge coincidence.

"One night he told me he didn't want to be in the blackness anymore. He said he had a little brother waiting for him and that he needed to protect him. I told him to start fighting. Just fight his way out. That's when images of Hell started appearing mixed in with angels. It confused me, but I never told a soul. I assumed it was my consciousness's way of telling me something, though I had no idea as to what. I helped him fight his way free of his Hell. I had to help him get back to his little brother, even though I would miss him. I could not be selfish though, so I helped him. The last night I saw him, an angel pulled him free of his Hell. It was an angel with eyes the color of mine, which I thought was weird, but thought nothing of it. The last thing I saw before I woke up was the image of a handprint on the man's arm where the angel had grabbed him and pulled him out of Hell. I never saw the little boy again. I hope he found his little brother. I miss him."

Dean smiled as he looked into Cas's eyes. "He did find his little brother. And he misses you too."

Anyone hate me yet? I thought long and hard about continuing after this point and not leaving it here...but...I figured what the hell? To make up for it, as soon as this is posted, I will be opening up a new Word document and starting on Chapter 7, or Day 5. More like a continuation of Day 4 that progresses into Day 5. There you go! Spoiler alert! =D Review and let me know what you thought! If you were confused at all, message me and I will explain further. Thanks! =)