A/N: Sorry it's taken so long. Beta'd by the ever lovely AntiNickname.

Chapter 12: The Grass Is Greener On The Other Side

Dean drummed his fingers nervously along the seat. They'd been in the air for about an hour. Another hour and thirty minutes to go before they could touch town in Virginia. Every time he tried to close his eyes, he swore the jolting of the plane got worse. He hummed some of his favorite hits underneath his breath. Sam had once recommended that he grab a pair of headphones instead of humming. That had made it worse, too. If he couldn't hear the rumble of the plane and how bad it was, he was sure it was breaking apart around plane jolted and his grip on the seat became tighter.

"Hey, move your legs. I'm gonna hit the head."

He turned to look at Sam and brought his legs in a little. His brother gave him a lopsided smile and put a gentle hand on his shoulder before squeezing past, saying he'd be right back.

"Right, you do that," Dean muttered and refused to let his eyes wander over to the window, even if his brother had closed it for him.

They hadn't spoken much, well, not about anything serious. He'd picked Sam up from the hospital the day after Cas had left. It had been a little more than awkward.

Sam slid into the passenger seat of the Impala, quiet and shoulders drawn. Dean nodded at him and restarted the car. They drove in silence for less than a mile before Sam shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

"Dean, I'm-"

"Not now, Sammy."

"But-"

"Can it."

A tense silence crept over the car. Dean gripped the wheel tighter and felt his arms shake a little with the effort to keep still. He really didn't want to talk about Sam going behind his back. He really didn't want to hear anything about what Sam had done in the past few months. More than that, Dean hadn't come to terms with his own guilt yet. Maybe if he had kept a better eye on Sam he would've been able to talk to him about it. Wouldn't have gotten kidnapped. When it came down to it, he was convinced most of it was his fault. His parents would be disappointed.

They made it home and Dean walked in first, letting the door swing open for Sam to step through. He let his brother wander towards his room to put back the meager possessions he'd had at the hospital. Dean pulled out two beers and set one on the counter. He opened his and leaned back against the counter, A few moments of silent sipping passed before he heard Sam's door opening. There was quiet shuffling and a soft clink as Sam picked up his own beer.

"I'm sorry."

Dean sighed. "I know. Look, Sam," he took a swig from his beer. He rubbed a tired hand over his eyes and down to his mouth. "Don't ever keep anything from me ever again. Is that understood?"

"Yes, of course," Sam said, eager. He scooted around the counter so he could look his brother in the face. "I don't know how I can ever-"

"There's Dr. Sexy re-runs recorded. You down?" Dean interrupted and marched over to the couch. Sam had followed and kept quiet for the rest of the night.

About a week of avoiding the topic later, Dean's transfer papers were delivered. Sam had been going to regular therapy sessions. He said he was fine but kept going at his brother's insistence. Sam was just getting back from his evening session when he saw the thick envelope sitting in their mailbox. Not thinking much of it he picked it up and brought it upstairs. He'd been getting a lot of paperwork sent his way since his kidnapping and didn't look past the name "Winchester".

A cold chill crept along his spine as he read the words "Congratulations" and "Accepted" and the first day of work.

"What's that?"

Dean walked in with a greasy take out bag of burgers and caught Sam in the kitchen with a stack of papers. He looked a little hurt as he handed the papers over. His voice was quiet. "Just going to leave me here, Dean?"

Confused, he took a closer look at the papers. His transfer to Quantico had been approved. He could get a new FBI badge before transfer or after. He would go through specialized training and another run through the field test in addition to the classes he'd been taking.

"Well getting the Impala up there would be expensive. Someone's gotta stay to look after it," Dean tried to joke.

"That's not funny."

"Right, sorry. I know," Dean sighed. "We haven't really had time to talk about it, and with everything that's happened..." He walked over to a stack of papers he had tucked in a drawer. He fished through them before finding the one paper he was looking for. He tossed it to Sam.

It fluttered a bit in the air before he could get his hands around it. Relief and confusion flooded his face. "I wasn't sure, there's another one I'm looking at. But I figured-"

"It looks great, Dean," Sam said softly. The two bedroom apartment wasn't exactly the as big as the one they had here. Prices were higher so square footage went down. It was a decent enough neighborhood and close to where the Quantico FBI office was.

"Get packing then, I guess."

Which all had led to Dean nervously tapping his foot against the floor of the plane four months later.

"Relax, dude."

Dean jumped in his seat as Sam appeared at his side. "You relax," he hissed back."

"Only an hour left."

"That's not helpful," Dean muttered and went back to focusing on his humming.

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There was a shrill beeping that filled the otherwise quiet office. Cas glanced down at his phone and watched the name "DEAN" pop up on his phone. He snapped his phone shut; it was just an alarm. Knowing that the Winchesters didn't have many connections in Virginia, he had volunteered to pick them up from the airport and drive them to wherever they need to be. Cas couldn't lie to himself, either; there was the thrill of seeing Dean again after so long. They had, of course, kept in touch with e-mails here and there. They'd attempted to keep it strictly to business but every so often a flirtation would creep into their discourse.

It worried him. Not because he was terrified of it becoming an issue in the office (although there was that worry) but because of the keen interest that the still secretly operating joint task force had in him. When the CIA, FBI, and International Bureaus all had their eye on the same man... Well, it never led anywhere good for the people involved. He liked Dean. Enjoyed how brisk and straightforward he was. It helped that Dean had a way of making him laugh. With his covert position still active in the CIA he worried that their correspondences could be used against him. He didn't want to become a tool that would harm Dean.

"Headed somewhere?" Bobby asked from the doorway.

Cas' head snapped up from the small briefcase he was packing.

"The Winchesters are arriving in half an hour."

"Uh huh."

Cas frowned at him and snapped his case shut.

"Any particular reason they're not getting a taxi?"

"I volunteered to drive and pick them up." Cas squeezed himself past Bobby through the doorway. He was hoping to escape before the rest of the office or his team heard about it.

The rest of the team had accepted the addition of Dean to the team, with warning and conditions, of course. This was their little family he was going to try and be a part of. But, with the events of the last half-year, they'd gotten a little closer with the Winchesters than they would have with other agents before transfer. He was a good man and a good agents. And he'd gotten the all clear from the higher ups and the heads of the FBI. The Endorsements didn't get much more glowing than that. They were eager to see how he would react in the field; if he could switch his mindset from the gang unit to profiling. (Even if every agent's job required a little bit of it, it was far from being a specialist it.)

Which was all well and good. Technical jargon. The hardest part was dealing with Pamela. Ellen and Bobby could care less. Charlie spent most of her time behind computers and unless someone actively told her something she stayed out of the loop and in her comic books. Pamela... Pamela, on the other hand, was perceptive and it was almost impossible for her not to notice things. She'd gotten a bachelor's degree focusing on interpersonal relationships for fun. Every time Dean's name came up in discussion, she would smile and stare at Cas. Cas ignored her the best he could but she could be very persistent.

"Volunteered, huh?"

Cas tensed up at the gleeful voice. "Agent Barnes."

"Winchesters land today then, huh?"

"Yes. And I'm about to be late to pick them up," he responded shortly.

"Make sure to call in if you end up taking a tour of the apartment!" Pamela called out after him.

He rolled his eyes and was glad that he'd made it to the elevator before the heat had started creeping up his neck. If asked, he knew he wouldn't deny a short visit. He felt his palms twitching during the drive to the airport. Cas tried to take deep breaths to calm his nerves. If anything else, the warm glow of the word 'friend' thrummed in his chest.

The airport wasn't that crowded and he found a parking spot close to the gates. He slipped on his sunglasses and stepped out of the van. Cas leaned against the side of it, eyes scanning the opening and closing doors. He had to fight to keep the smile off his face when Dean's broad body stepped out. Dean looked around for a moment, bag in tow, as he waited for his brother. There was a small fluttering in his chest. Once Sam had caught up with him Dean took another look around. Cas slid his Ray-Bans off of his face and finally let himself smile. He watched as Dean's face lit up and the man started walking towards him. Sam looked confused but followed.

"Cas! Didn't think you were serious." Dean let his bag drop to the ground and gave him a strong hug. Castiel felt himself tense a little. It wasn't the greeting he'd been expecting but he relished in it. He gave his best attempt at returning it on such short notice. Dean stepped back.

"Agent Novak."

"Sam Winchester. You seem well." They shared a much more formal handshake.

"Thanks. Yeah, I'm... doing good," he gave a side-glance towards Dean that the other man ignored. "First time in Virginia."

"Hopefully you'll find it to your liking," Cas replied.

They made a quick trip of packing up their stuff into the van. Sam slid into back while Dean hopped into the passengers seat. While Castiel and Sam spent most of the time mute, Dean kept a lively commentary the entire trip to the apartment.

"We got it from here. But I'll call you later, if you're free?" Dean smiled at Cas. For a moment Castiel could've sworn the other man looked eager.

"Of course... Dean." Dean smiled brighter at his use of the first name. "But please remember, you're going to hit the ground running. First day is tomorrow."

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"Agent Novak, huh?"

"Shut up Sammy."

Dean's shoulders were hunched as they made their way up the elevator. The second he'd seen Castiel, his heart had sped up and he'd nearly tripped over his own bag. Somehow he'd managed to steady himself until Sam had caught up with him. When Cas had slid his sunglasses off and Dean had seen those eyes. He'd nearly tripped over himself again. The foggy memory he had of the man really didn't match up to the real thing. When Cas had offered to pick them up from the airport, he'd been ecstatic. He'd also made the choice not to tell to Sam about it. And now he couldn't avoid it.

"I'm not saying anything just..." Sam paused as Dean fiddled with the key to their new apartment.

"Just what?" The door swung open.

Sam took a look around the new apartment. They walked through the parlor in silence, taking in the new place. There was still the smell of a fresh layer of paint. One of the windows had been left open for them. He couldn't help but smile. He took one look at Dean's tense back and shook his head. "Nothing. I'm just glad you've got a friend here."

"It's something at least," Dean muttered, but he felt pleased.

It would be a few hours before Cas got off work, provided they didn't get a new case. He'd been informed exactly how hectic the work schedule would be. Still, as he made his way through the empty apartment, he couldn't help but let his thumb play over the buttons of his phone. "I'm the eldest so I get first pick!" Dean yelled out from one of the bedrooms. It had come unfurnished; it cheaper that way. He dropped his bags to the floor and walked back out, trying to find his brother.

"Well?"

"It's great, Dean."

"Good. Because getting a place this close to the office was a hell of a search. Now, how about we go get a rental and some mattresses? Our stuff won't get here for at least a week or two and I'm not sleeping on the floor."

"You know, I'm surprised you're letting anyone other than you drive the Impala up here."

"No one's driving the Impala up here. Rufus has her on lockdown until I find a safe place to keep her here. The apartment didn't exactly come with a garage and I wanna make sure it's safe to park her on the street. Now get your shit, we're losing daylight."

The shopping ended up taking them most of the day. Finding a rental car had actually taken the longest. It had to be one that Dean approved of, of course, but Sam argued that with how much he'd be working Sam would be in charge of it more often than not. It had ended up with Sam telling Dean that he was going to get other shopping done while Dean had a midlife crisis over a piece of metal. Although it almost hurt him physically to stray from his classics, he'd ended up picking a smaller model, sensible, cheap van. Whenever the Impala got up there it wouldn't matter. Besides, it wasn't like they were going to strap the mattresses to the roof of the car along with the other crap they needed for the apartment.

Sam had seemed far too happy with the choice when Dean had rolled up to the furniture store Sam was browsing through. Apparently a bath mat and a shower curtain were something his gigantor brother couldn't do without.

"Maybe a small table?"

"What? Dude, we can just eat off the floor."

"The floor is gross."

"Then clean it if it bothers you so much!"

Trying to save money Dean had insisted on bringing most of the furniture they'd had at the old place with them. He hadn't really thought about how they would be living for the first few weeks. For him it wasn't too big of a deal. Back in his troubled kid days he'd spent too many nights at friends' places, living the same way.

"Fine, but you're paying for it."

By the time they were done with their shopping trip, they had a fridge full of food and a sparsely furnished apartment. Dean had grumbled the entire time they'd hauled things up and down the stairs and elevator respectively.

"It's practically fully furnished," Dean complained as he put away some of the groceries.

"Two mattresses, a miniature TV, and table do not count as furnished."

"You have a laptop. Watch TV on that," Dean muttered. He'd grumbled it into the fridge so Sam hadn't heard.

For a moment Dean just watched his younger brother eagerly arrange the two or three items in their living room. A small smile twitched at his lips. Sam looked healthier than he had in months and actually excited. While from now on he vowed to keep a closer eye on his brother, he was happy to see that some of the guilt had slipped away from his shoulders. It'd been a shitty thing to do, but hey, it wasn't like Sam had gone looking for trouble. A little misguided search for answers, but not trouble. He started walking out to the living room with two beers in hand when a stack of papers on the counter caught his eye. Dean placed the beers down and flipped through the papers.

"What's this?"

Sam looked up at his brother and blushed a little. He rubbed the back of his neck, nervous. "Well, you may have been transferred but I haven't gotten the all clear yet. The ethics committee needs to go over my actions to see if they'll even let me finish my internship. Or work in the law field ever again. So in the meantime," he shrugged, "I'm not gonna be a freeloader, Dean. You've done way too much for me. It's not much, but there's coffee shops around here hiring, and a printing shop. Hell, I bet I could find a McDonalds that's hiring. I'm not going to be a burden on you. I'm gonna do the best I can."

Dean felt a warm swell of pride and a little embarrassment course through him. "Oh come on. I know agents don't exactly get paid that much but it would've been okay 'til you got back on your feet. What else are older brothers for?"

"Seriously, Dean," Sam stood up and crossed the threshold. He wrapped his arms around his brother and pulled him close. Arms shaking a little with the pent up emotion. It wasn't like Dean was ever very receptive to emotional moments. "Thank you."

"Yeah, yeah."

Thankfully, before the situation could get too emotional for Dean to handle, his phone buzzed. He untangled himself from Sam and gave him a small smile and a pat on the back. It was a text message from Cas. He felt another warm feeling entirely swell through him as he flipped it open. He was done with work and available if Dean wanted to call. 'how bout a beer?' Dean sent instead. Nerves pulsed through him and he couldn't help but shift a little from foot to foot. If Sam noticed, he didn't say a word. Maybe he was being too forward? 'I'd like that.'

They agreed on a place a little down the road from Dean's apartment. Close enough for him to walk. And if Dean spent a little too long in the bathroom getting himself ready to go out. Sam didn't say anything about that either.

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"Drinking on a work night?"

Cas smiled as Dean sat down across the table from him. "Every day is a work night, Agent Winchester," Castiel said with a small grin.

Instead of correcting him, Dean gave a soft chuckle and shook his head. "Glad you could make it."

"It was a slow day. Not every week is filled with terrorist attacks."

"That's a relief. I mean, I know there are some bad guys out there, but I'd be a little concerned for people's safety if it was that common."

The corners of Castiel's eyes crinkled. Although he'd seen the other man plenty of times, he still found that his heart thumped a little faster when Dean walked in wearing a leather jacket and faded, slightly torn jeans. Casual looked good on him. He assumed Dean cleaned up nicely; the few times they'd run into each other at the office, he hadn't been in full uniform, but seeing him like this made him feel warm.

He really had been lucky that there hadn't been any major developments that day; only consultation on a few local cases and some paperwork. He'd sent the others home early and was glad for it. He wasn't sure if he would've been able to handle the teasing from Pamela as he fretted in his office on whether he should change or not. In the end, he'd simply walked out the door and called himself an idiot of the highest class. It's not like Dean would particularly care.

"Are you settling in well?" Cas asked as Dean received his own beer.

"Yeah. We are, actually. The place is nice. You should come see it sometime," Dean blushed a bit at the dirty implications that had come uninvited. He'd only taken one sip of beer, but he blamed it on the alcohol regardless. They were friends. You didn't do that to friends. "Sam seems to like it. Already picked out furniture."

Cas chuckled. "Your brother didn't strike me as the type to simply sit still and do nothing."

"Tell me about it. He's already got a stack of job applications a mile long lying around the apartment. We only hit the ground like a few hours ago. Kid doesn't waste time."

"An admirable quality. At least he's driven."

"Maybe a little too driven," Dean muttered. A small flinch followed that statement. They both knew exactly what he was talking about. It had been months since the incident, but it wasn't something that they'd discussed between them. Judging by the frown on Dean's face, Cas guessed that he hadn't discussed it with his brother, either.

Giving Dean a reprieve, he changed the subject. "Eager to begin work tomorrow?"

Dean's eyes lit up and he looked almost grateful. "Hell yeah. Can't wait to see the rest of the team again. Any 'new guy' things I should be worried about?"

"New guy?"

"Come on. I know you guys are all fancy and serious business at the BAU but everyone has a little initiation hazing."

They both ordered another round of beers.

"I wouldn't be able to tell you. Perhaps because I am the Unit Chief? I worked with Bobby Singer before being promoted but the rest of the team was fairly new to me when I started."

"Promoted from another section?" Dean whistled. "That's impressive."

Castiel blushed and hid it behind heavy gulps. "Agent Singer is very well respected in the FBI. I owe my current standing to him."

"Don't sell yourself short. From what I can tell you're kind of a bad ass," Dean gently tapped Cas' hand with the end of his beer bottle. "And besides, you haven't been voted off the island yet so you can't be doing that bad."

"Thank you," Cas chuckled a little. "I do take pride in my work."

"Well," Dean raised his beer in a cheers, "It'll be a pleasure to be working under you, Agent Novak."

Both of them ignored the visual that popped into their heads, glancing away from each other at the same time before regaining their composure.

They were friends. Friends and now co-workers. Those weren't innuendos they should be fishing out of innocent sentences.

A/N: You may have noticed that updates have been a little slower. My apologies. I've got Cardinal!verse due to be re-published with new art and the entire thing re-written and edited by the 17th so I've been trying to work with that. The next bits are also when we pick up with actual cases and really hit it hard. Most of the case dialogue will be in context of Dean and Cas working together, so you don't have to worry too much on reading boring technical info, but I still have to plan it out in detail. I thank you for your patience.