For Dean, the situation sank in slowly. The police, the yellow tape, and lights flashing everywhere. For Cas, however, he was on his feet immediately, approaching the nearest officer. Dean, foggily, followed him, still trying to piece together what had happened.

"The neighbors heard screams... so they called us and..." the officer stopped to give Cas a woeful look, "well, no residence." Cas nodded soberly, looking over the house with an unreadable expression on his face.

"Cas can I talk to you a minute?" Dean asked softly, observing Cas's facial expressions to see any sort of cracks in his composure.

"Certainly. Excuse me officer," Cas said, giving a polite nod. Dean looked around anxiously, the entire surrounding area telling him to run, but the person in front of him somehow, quietly, asking him to stay.

"Did you- I mean, do you know this guy?" Dean asked, looking over Cas's face for any sort of answer. Cas didn't seem to respond in expressions, but in the way he shifted his body slightly.

"Actually it was a woman," he said, sighing softly, "I don't understand what could have happened to her. She was very well respected." Cas looked away, shaking his head, his forehead displaying two crease-marks between his eyebrows.

"Dude do you... do you need anything?" Dean asked, shifting Cas's attention from the crime scene back to him and looking him over. He tried to give a sympathetic smile, but it seemed to have a negative effect on Cas. He shook his head, looking back towards the house.

"It's okay, I'll investigate this more thoroughly tomorrow," he looked back towards Dean, "I should escort you to your house first-"

"No I-" Dean said curtly, then after a second of exasperation, he shook his head. "No I... I'm all set. You obviously have some shit to deal with," Dean licked his lips, trying his best not to look nervous.

"Are you certain?" Cas asked, causing Dean to scoff.

"Jesus Cas, I'm not an infant. I'll find my way," he said, realizing only after he'd said it that he had referred to Cas as if he knew him. Cas didn't seem to have an initial reaction, so Dean didn't trouble himself with it. Dean zipped his jacket, rubbing his arms to recirculate the blood.

"I'll see you around, okay?" Dean said, looking around him and taking his leave. Cas nodded, his eyes focused on something in the distance.

"Goodbye," Cas said, giving a faint smile- one more forced than felt- in Dean's direction.

Dean started on his way, thinking over everything that had happened in such a short amount of time. He had found out that a woman had been abducted from her home, and that Cas had some sort of connection to her. Dean sincerely hoped that he was not so close that he was hurt-or even afraid- due to her disappearance. Every part of Dean wanted to somehow protect Cas from whatever was out there, whether it be a person or just the fear that comes along with someone being taken away so suddenly.

He couldn't explain why, but he felt responsible for the guy. He seemed to be someone Dean wanted to care for, but not in the way he cared for Sam. A different way. He just wanted to make sure things didn't go to hell while he was watching.

Dean had walked for a few minutes when he heard footsteps behind him. He stopped cold, chills sent up his spine. His heart began to beat faster, trying not to act as though he could tell he was being tailed. He reached for the gun in his inner jacket, but then decided against it. There were officers not far from there. He would have to face this problem head on.

He turned slowly, only to see Cas standing behind him. Dean let out a sigh of relief as he registered it was just Castiel.

"Jesus Christ Cas you scared the shit out of me," Dean said, laughing nervously. Cas did not say anything in a response, he only reached into his trench coat pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. Dean frowned, reading the paper with his eyebrows crushed together in confusion.

"I... this is a number to call for child's therapy," Dean said, not knowing how to respond to the situation.

"No I... I'm not offering that service in particular," Cas said, smiling for real this time, "but this is the number to the residence I am staying in. Could you call me if you need any more assistance... before you leave?"

Dean didn't know what to say. Inside, he had a strange form of ecstasy, for reasons he did not quite want to indulge himself in. He gave a lopsided smile and a chuckle.

"Yes I'll... I'll definitely call you up. But I'm not in town much longer..."

"I'm aware. I was just hoping you would contact me before you depart," he said, a twinkle apparent in Cas's eyes. Dean rolled his eyes, shaking his head playfully.

"I'll definitely make sure to then," he said, flirtatiously winking at Cas. It was Cas's turn to roll his eyes, sighing.

"Painfully heterosexual indeed," he mocked, winking back. Dean raised his two fingers in a salute and turned back towards the road.

"And don't follow me this time," Dean said as he turned slightly towards Cas, laughing.

"I don't intend to," Cas said back, waving as Dean turned back around.

They both separated ways but there was only one thing on both of their minds; the yellow house around the corner.

"Where the hell were you?" Sam said as Dean walked in, Sam rising from his chair instantly. Worry was easily read across his face. He walked towards Dean, searching for answers.

"Slow down for a second," Dean said, raising his hands up for attention. He placed his bags on the table, then looked back at Sam.

"I was just shopping. I met some friends-"

"Friends? But Dean you said we weren't supposed-"

"I never said that! I just meant that you can't tell them about us," Dean retorted back, shaking his head.

"Dean-"

"Hang on, let me finish!" Dean said, rubbing the bridge of his nose. He then looked back towards Sam once it was quiet again.

"I was talking to some friends and we were headed back here-"

"You told them where we live?" Sam asked, panic in his gaze.

"It's not what you think; they don't know anything," he said, beginning to unload the groceries in the bags.

"Okay, so?" Sam asked, looking around nervously as though he expected one of Dean's friends to pop up and slit his throat.

"We were walking and we saw a crime scene up the street." Dean prepared himself for the "you were around police officers?" speech that he had given to Sam a thousand times, but instead he was greeted by silence.

"A crime scene?" Sam asked incredulously. Dean looked him over suspiciously, then nodded.

"Yeah."

"What... what happened?" he asked, not exactly concerned but interested.

"A woman disappeared," he said, slightly worried about Sam's sudden shift from fear to intrigue.

"How did she-"

"I don't know Sam! I honestly have no idea. No one has any idea," Dean interrupted irritably. Sam sighed, pouting, then shifting his attention to Dean's hands.

"What are you holding anyway?" Sam asked. Dean looked at his hand then flushed, looking away quickly.

"I... a number," he said quietly, hoping that the subject would shift quickly.

"A number?" Sam asked in confusion. His face soon switched from confusion to a bitch face.

"Oh my god Dean please tell me you aren't hooking up with someone," Sam said in vexation. Dean shook his head, groaning.

"Sam, I couldn't if I tried! We only have one more night and the only girl I met wasn't even into guys," he interjected quickly. Sam shook his head and began looking over the groceries, before grabbing the paper out of Dean's hand while he wasn't looking.

"Hey!" Dean said, trying to grab the paper back. Sam began to read the paper out loud.

"Child therapy, the place where imaginary friends come to die-" Sam stopped, registering the information in his head and becoming speechless. He looked at Dean, dubiously, who angrily grabbed the paper from Sam. A long silence filled the room before Sam finally shook his head again.

"I don't know how to respond to that," he said. Dean rolled his eyes, putting the paper in his pocket.

"That's not why I have the paper, dumbass. It's this Cas person's home number, apparently," he said sarcastically.

"Cas? I thought you said you didn't hook up with any girls..."

"Okay first of all, it's a dude, okay?" Dean said, rubbing his temples. "And second of all..." he paused thoughtfully, sighing. "I'm not sure what I was going to say. It's late, let's go to bed." Sam moaned as he slammed onto the dusty couch next to him.

"I'm sleeping here tonight," he said, closing his eyes.

"Suit yourself," Dean said, unrolling his sleeping bag. They settled into the darkness, the comfortable silence enveloping them.

"Night Dean."

"Night Sam."

"Dean?"

"Yeah?"

"Is she hot?"

"The lesbian chick?"

"Yeah."

"Very."

"And what about the other one?"

"What other one?"

"Cas."

"Oh fuck you."

"Love you too."