Author's Note: Ladies and Gentlemen, this is the chapter you've all been waiting for. You will laugh, you will cry, and most importantly: you will explode with feels. You've been warned.

"So how are we gonna pull off your jailbreak?" Dean asked Castiel as they walked to Latin, "Or do you think your tight-ass family will let you go to a party at a bar with me?"

"Are you sure I should even be going?" He asked, eyes shyly drifting to the ground as he continued, "I mean, they're your friends—"

"They're our friends, Cas," Dean corrected sternly, stopping mid-step and laying a hand on Castiel's shoulder, "If you don't want to go, it's cool, but you can't use that excuse. Jo, Charlie, Ash, and Sam love you. You're just as much as apart of the group as any of us are." He paused, letting his hand drop as he added quietly, "I mean...if you want to be."

"Dean, I've never been to an actual party before," Cas admitted with a light shrug, "Unless those insufferable charity fundraiser parties Naomi drags me to every month count."

Dean chuckled, "Nah, not even close. And don't worry, Cas, you're with me. I'll make sure you'll feel the party experience in full effect."

Cas smiled slightly, "Thank you, Dean."

"That mean you'll go?" Dean asked just to confirm, arching an eyebrow.

He hesitated for a second before he nodded, utter trust reflecting in those bright blue eyes, "Okay, Dean."

Dean grinned, "Awesome. You won't regret it, Cas. I promise."

"I never regret anything when it comes to you." Castiel mumbled almost inaudibly.

"What was that?" Dean asked as they resumed their walk.

Castiel smiled innocently, "Nothing."

"Thanks for inviting Dorothy, Jo," Charlie said as the two strolled down the hall (Dorothy absent, much to Jo's silent delight), "It's awesome she's blending in with the group so easily. She's like Cas."

"I don't think she's exactly like Cas..." Jo said before her brain could force her to bite back the words.

Charlie furrowed her brow, "What do you mean? You do like her, don't you?"

"I like her." Jo was never a good liar, and it was painfully obvious. Charlie looked suspicious of the sincerity of her words, so she quickly added, "She was a little difficult to get used to, but I've warmed up to her," She forced a smile, "Besides, it doesn't matter if I like her. It matters if you do."

"You think I should ask her out?" Charlie wondered, and Jo felt her stone heart crumbling. No, you shouldn't. You should just forget about her and stay with me.

"I wouldn't necessarily rush into that department," Jo said as innocently as she could, "You two should just stay friends for awhile. You know, baby steps."

Charlie's smile dimmed, "Yea, you're right." Jo couldn't bear to see her frown; especially when it was her who caused it.

"Maybe I'm wrong," Jo assured her weakly, "I mean, Dorothy's a pretty straightforward girl, right? It's probably better to ask her now before you're sucked into the friendzone."

"You think so?" Charlie asked, a spark of hope in her wide and beautiful eyes.

Jo gave her a smile that tasted bitter on her mouth, "Of course."

"Gabriel, you are a God among men." Castiel declared as he approached his adoptive brother in the hall later that day.

Gabriel quirked an eyebrow and slowly dragged the lollipop out of his mouth to speak, saying nonchalantly, "Okay, you have my attention."

Cas smiled with enough sweetness that it even made Gabriel's sweet tooth throb, "I need a favor."

"Let me guess," Gabriel sighed, "This somehow has something to do with your new boy-toy."

"Don't call him that," Cas told him with a dark glare that melted back into sweet innocence as he added, "And yes, it does. Jo Harvelle is throwing a party this weekend—"

"—and you want me to risk my ass and help you win over the man of your wet dreams." Gabriel finished, rolling his eyes, "I already got that part. What I don't understand is why? I'm not gonna lie to you, Cassie; Dean would ride you like a cowboy if given the chance, but why would you risk it? Is he really gonna be that good of a lay to throw everything you've worked for these many months?"

"It isn't about sex, Gabriel," Cas growled, glaring at him, "He means more to me than that—"

"And do you know if your lovey-dovey feeling's mutual?" He pointed out, coldly and cruelly, "I hate to be Negative Nancy here, but Dean Winchester is emotionally retarded. He can't give you what you want." Gabriel sighed and laid a hand on Castiel's shoulder, saying in a gentler tone, "Besides, you can't risk getting caught by Naomi. You remember last time..." Vivid images came flying across his eyes, the next always more horrific and violent than the last.

"I don't want you to get hurt again, Cassie," Gabriel told him softly, actual sincerity in his bright amber eyes, "I know it sucks ass, but it's the best way to stay safe. I mean, what happens if I'm not there next time?"

"You should have let me die," Castiel said bristly, fists and jaw clenching, "It would've been easier, simpler."

"For who?" Gabriel shot back grimly, causing Cas to glare stubbornly at the ground.

"I'm going regardless of your involvement," Castiel told him flatly, "If you care for my safety, you'll help me. It doesn't matter to me if I get caught or not nor the deadly repercussions. You know it'll only happen eventually—"

"Don't say shit like that, Castiel," He ordered tightly, "It's not gonna go down like that ever again. All she asks is to play by their rules, and you'll be safe. Why rebel against them when you know you'll lose?"

"Then I wouldn't be living," Cas said bluntly with a shrug, "I'd be surviving. There's a difference, Gabriel. Dean taught me that."

Gabriel let out an exasperated breath and ran a hand through his hair, "You're not gonna listen to damn word I say against it, are you?"

"No." He answered unapologetically.

Gabriel stared at him stoically for another moment before releasing a defeated sigh, just like Cas knew he would, "Fine, fine. But on one condition—and it isn't up for negotiation, okay? You either abide by this or you're on your own."

Castiel eyed him suspiciously, "What's the condition?"

"Anna has to go with you—"

"No," Castiel immediately snapped, shaking his head fiercely, "I will not allowing her to ruin this for me."

"She's not trying to ruin anything, Cassie," Gabriel clarified with an impressive amount of patience, "I just want her there so you'll be okay and you won't do anything stupid."

"When do I ever do anything stupid?" Castiel pointed out, "Anna will just do everything in her power to keep me and Dean apart. I won't allow her to control me."

"I said no negotiation, Cas," Gabriel reminded him stoically, crossing his arms over his chest, "Take it or leave it. I don't give a shit which."

Castiel glared at him but after a moment of silence, he lowered his gaze and nodded curtly, "She's not allowed to interfere if I don't seem in immediate danger."

"Don't discuss those terms with me," He said with a smirk, "Talk them over with Anna."

Cas looked up and narrowed his eyes at him, "This is all just a ploy to force me to talk to Anna."

A mischievous glint flitted across his amber eyes, "Maybe."

"You manipulated me." It wasn't an accusation; it was a stated fact.

"I manipulate everyone, Cassie," He defended himself with a shrug, "It's one of the only things I'm good at."

Castiel didn't respond and just stomped away to his next class, but he didn't refuse Gabriel's help; even with that gruesome, nauseating condition.

"You sure you don't want to go?" Dean asked Sam and Jess that Saturday night as he shrugged his leather jacket on and pocketed his keys, "I can guarantee a party is better than a boring study session."

"We have an important Biology exam next week," Sam reminded him for probably the tenth time tonight, "Trust me, we need all the free time we can get." Dean rolled his eyes before a sudden realization overcame him. Quickly, he went back upstairs and dug an item from his night-stand before thundering back down to Sam and Jess.

"Fine, Bitch." Dean said before beckoning Sam over with a hurried gesture. Sam rolled his eyes as he stood up from his spot on the couch and moved to stand beside his brother.

"Mom and Dad won't be back until midnight, remember?" He said lowly in Sam's ear as he discreetly slipped the item into his brother's hand and gave him a wink, "Have fun with your 'study session.'" He was halfway out of the door before Sam opened his hand and discovered the condom in his palm.

"Dean!" He barely heard Sam's squawk over Jess' hearty laughter.

"Rapunzel, Rapunzel," Dean called out sarcastically, standing outside Castiel's window just like instructed, "Let down your feathery ass, so we can get the hell out of here."

"So we're really going to start out the night with you comparing me to a female character in a German fairytale?" Castiel teased with a smile as he jumped from his window and gracefully landed on his feet.

Dean grinned, "I promised you the full party experience, didn't I?"

"Well, then we better get a move on," Anna said as she jumped out the window with ease, "Gabriel said he'll only be able to distract Naomi and Michael until midnight."

"Whatever, Cinderella." Dean said as he rolled his eyes, causing Anna's gaze to narrow. Honestly, Dean wasn't thrilled about their bitchy chaperone, and he could guarantee he wasn't the only one.

"Let us depart." Castiel declared with a nod, giving Dean what seemed like an apologetic smile for the unwanted third party. Dean silently waved off his apology and led the two to the Impala, already thinking up ways to ditch Anna and her hawk-like gaze so Cas could actually have some fun for once.

"Cas gets shotgun." Dean told Anna pointedly before spinning around and walking towards the Impala, missing Anna's eye roll at his words and Castiel's dirty look in response. As she moved to follow Dean, Castiel held her back by catching the crook of her elbow.

"You will not ruin this for me," He said lowly with a challenging stare, "Do you understand?"

Anna smiled weakly, "Cas, you can trust me."

"No, I can't," Castiel said tightly, blue eyes flashing, "You made sure of that."

"You Chatty Kathys coming?" Dean called out, silencing any potential response that might have tumbled from Anna's lips.

Castiel smiled at Dean and nodded, "Of course." Anna pursed her lips and couldn't help but think that this was going to end in disaster.

"Are you sure going to this party is a good idea?" Harry Spangler asked as Garth vigorously brushed his teeth.

"Yea," Ed Zeddmore added, crinkling his nose, "What if she calls the cops?"

"That's a risk I'm willing to take," Garth answered after he gargled and spit in the sink, "Jo's worth it."

Ed scoffed and looked to Harry, extending his hand, "I bet you twenty bucks Jo's gonna punch him in the balls."

"I bet she's gonna shoot him in the balls." He stated, accepting their arrangement.

Garth rolled his eyes and sought out a third opinion, pulling out his puppet and asking, "What do you think, Mr. Fizzles?"

"I bet she's going to fall in love with you and have your beautiful, badass babies." His trusty sock-puppet answered.

Garth smiled and glanced at his two friends, "Why can't you guys have faith in me like Mr. Fizzles?"

Harry and Ed exchanged a look before shaking their heads, remaining silent but their expressions said it all. They didn't believe he could do it.

Well, Garth Fitzgerald IV was always good at surprising people in the most astounding ways.

When they finally arrived at the party, it was in full swing. There were a lot more people than Dean had expected, but the discovery was a pleasant surprise.

"Remember, Cas," Anna said, dampening Dean's good mood every time she spoke, "Don't drink anything anyone else gives you, don't go anywhere private with someone, and don't—"

"Have fun?" Dean finished, flickering his gaze over to her to catch her sour glare.

"And don't do anything you're uncomfortable with just because Dean thinks it's a good idea." Anna finished sharply.

Dean rolled his eyes, "What, like perform an animal sacrifice? Because if so, that means we have an addition hour and a half to kill."

Castiel smiled, giving him a soft look before he turned to his sister, his face hardening, "Anna, I will be alright. Dean is my friend, and I trust him." With Castiel's back to him, Dean stuck out his tongue at Anna mockingly, chuckling at her repulsed expression.

"C'mon, Cas," Dean said, tugging at the crook of his elbow, "We're gonna say hi to Jo before we start pigging out at the refreshments."

"I should have known you were going to begin at the food." Cas said with a sigh but allowed Dean to lead him away. Anna wanted to follow them, to make the asshole wouldn't take advantage of her young and lovesick brother, but she knew that that was the last thing Cas wanted. He wanted to be trusted, and if Anna couldn't trust him, then how the hell could he ever begin to trust her again? No, she decided to keep her distance, watch from afar until Dean hit on the nearest girl and broke Cas' heart. Then she'd walk over, pick up the piece, give him a long hug and gentle kiss in the cheek, and force back the words 'I told you so' as she took him home. All she had to do was wait, and patience was a virtue Anna was blessed with having.

Jo Harvelle put on a fake smile as she greeted guests, always keeping a careful eye on Charlie and Dorothy as they laughed and flirted on the other side of the room. It was painful to keep her distance and watch as her best friend seemed to get closer and closer to Dorothy with each passing minute, but Jo had to have evidence before she broke up their love-fest and expose Dorothy for what she truly was. She sent Ash to investigate her records only an hour or so ago, and she wondered what the hell was taking him so long. She needed to act before Dorothy leaned in and met Charlie halfway.

And by act, Jo meant her being forced to break Charlie's heart. Every time that poisonous thought crossed her mind, Jo tried to assure herself that it was for the greater good, that she was her best friend and she was obligated to look out for the naive redhead so she wouldn't fall for the wrong person. But why was Jo so convinced Dorothy was the wrong person? She never even gave her the chance before she began plotting out ways to have her exterminated from their lives. Besides, Dorothy gave her no proof that her intentions towards Charlie were nothing but pure. She seemed like a strong, charming girl that would be a perfect match for Charlie...

But something in Jo's gut, the part that burned and sizzled every time she looked at the two, told her Dorothy Baum did not belong with Charlene Bradbury. Charlie deserved someone better—someone who knew her much longer than just a few months; someone who not only accepted her geeky tendencies but embraced them with utter fascination; someone who knew what her favorite video game was and what she sounded like after a screaming match with some moron on the Xbox; someone who would go out of their way to make her day better, even if their success only lasted a few minutes; someone who thought her faults and shortcomings were just as beautiful as every other part of her; someone who found her smart, and funny, and endearing, and deserving of a much better love than theirs...

And deep down, Jo wasn't capable of believing that that someone was Dorothy.

"Hey, Jo," Dean greeted with a grin, Castiel by his side, "Startin' to regret your decision of inviting every other bastard under the sun?"

"Not a chance," Not yet anyway, "What took your fat ass so long to get here?"

"I had to break Cas outta prison," Dean replied with a shrug before he added with Indignation, "And making fun of someone's weight isn't very mature. Why can't you be sophisticated and levelheaded like me and Cas?"

"You're mature?" At Dean's cocky nod, Jo rolled her eyes and scoffed, "Dean, you still have a Batman bedspread and laugh when a teacher says Homo Erectus."

Castiel could barely contain his bubbling laughter as Dean sputtered for several seconds before saying, "Your point?"

"My point is don't say stuff that is total bullshit." Jo told him sourly, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Aren't you extra bitchy this evening?" Dean observed, raising an eyebrow.

Jo sighed and ran a hand through her blonde hair, "Sorry, I just—I have a lot on my mind."

Concern flickered in Dean's green eyes, "You okay?"

She gave him a weak smile, "Yea, I'm fine. Just...stressed, I guess."

Dean gave her a skeptical look, "Okay. Well, Cas and I are heading for the refreshment table. You wanna come?"

"Nah, I'll just...chill out here for awhile." Jo declined, her eyes soughing out Charlie completely without her brain's permission.

"Okay, let's go, Cas." Castiel lingered only a few seconds to give Jo a pitiful look before slowly following Dean, leaving Jo alone and vainly grasping for any hope of things returning to normal.

"...I'm just saying," Dean began, taking a long drink of his punch, "Which one would you rather be: a steroid-looking alien in tights, or a badass millionaire that doubles as a kickass superhero?"

Castiel sighed, "Is this truly an opinion question, or does this have a right and wrong answer?"

"It's an opinion question," Dean declared before shrugging and adding, "That also has a right and wrong answer."

Castiel breathed out a light chuckle, looking around at the crowd of people, "So this is what a party's like: an overcrowded room full of sweaty and rioting individuals where the alcohol in plentiful yet unavailable and bias debates of superheroes take place."

"Hey, don't sound so pessimistic," Dean advised him, "We've only been here a few hours. Give it time." He looked to Charlie and Dorothy, who were lounging around the jukebox and shamelessly flirting, and shouted, "Hey Charles, donate a quarter and turn on some music."

Charlie gave him a thumbs up and deposited a coin, flipping through the selection before selecting one. When the intro to "I Will Survive" came filtering through the speaker, Dean groaned and shot the treacherous redhead a dirty look. Charlie laughed and blew him a kiss before returning to her conversation.

"I asked for music," Dean grumbled mostly to himself, "Not '70s pop garbage."

Castiel titled his head, "You don't like this song, Dean?"

He rolled his eyes, "It's not really my style, Cas."

Cas listened to it for a minute, his brow crinkling, "I think Balthazar sung this to me once."

Dean chuckled, "That's actually pretty believable." Castiel smiled at him, silently remarking to himself how even though there were over four dozen people here, the only person that captivated his gaze was the beautiful and divine Dean Winchester.

"This isn't that bad though, right?" Dean asked, gazing hopefully at Cas, "I mean, it's better than staying inside all night."

Cas smiled, "Dean, I was kidding. This has been a very positive experience."

Dean grinned before his gaze moved to something over Castiel's shoulder, his grin blossoming into a dangerous smirk, "Well, it's about to get a lot more positive."

Castiel furrowed his brow and turned to follow his gaze, grimacing at what—or more like who captured Dean's radiating attention.

A beautiful brunette with big brown eyes and an hourglass figure laughed at something her friend said, her gaze flitting to Dean every now and then with a growing smirk. Castiel swallowed his repulse and anger like a huge pill, all positive emotion turning sour at the girl's suggestive wink projected their way. Castiel glanced over at Dean and was devastated to see his green eyes glazing over, a predatory look overcoming his features.

"You think she likes me?" Dean asked, tearing his gaze off of the brunette to look at his friend.

"She seems to appreciate your appearance." Cas replied sourly, but Dean was too entranced to notice his voice's sharpness.

Dean drained his punch and slapped Cas on the back, "I'm going in. Wish me luck." Castiel didn't reply and just watched sullenly as Dean left him to charm the scandalous dress off of the whore. With just a few words, Dean had the girl in the palm of his hand, casting those bewitching grins and lingering gazes that used to belong to him. Fury and sorrow shuddered through his body like an earthquake, and Castiel bitterly wondered if this was the night Dean found his replacement; that this was the night Cas would finally lose his knuckle-white grip on the ever enchanting yet uncontainable Dean Winchester.

With one last look at the man who could never possibly be his, Castiel pushed through the crowd and tried to put as much distance between them as possible.

Arriving promptly late, Garth strolled into the Roadhouse with confidence and swagger, feeling on top of the world in his flashy (but perhaps outdated) tux. He looked sharp tonight; no way Jo Harvelle could resist him this time. With a quick sweep of the room, he found her standing all alone in a corner, looking like she wanted the wooden floor beneath her feet to swallow her whole. His heart broke at the sight, and Garth moved towards her—

But suddenly, he smacked into a hard, broad chest and stumbled back, only barely regaining his balance in time. He looked up and almost quivered at the sight of large, older man standing intimidatingly close to him.

"What do you think you're doin' here, Barf?" The man snapped, and suddenly Garth recognized him as a regular in the Roadhouse, "Still harrassin' Ellen's girl?"

"I wouldn't call it harassing..." Garth trailed off and swallowed hard as a group of men slowly surrounded him, all varying sizes but all possessing the same aura of danger.

Garth cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his neck, "Look, I'm not bothering you, so—"

"But you're bothering Jo," Another man cut in and jerked Garth up by his collar, causing him to yelp, "And we don't take kindly to obsessive freaks—"

"Hey, Assholes, lay off him." An unrecognizable female's voice snapped, causing the man to growl but release Garth nonetheless.

"Back off, Sweetheart," One of the men said, "This doesn't concern you. We're just making sure Jo doesn't get taken advantage of."

"He's harmless," The girl insisted with iron-hard certainty, pushing through the circle of men to stand bravely at Garth's side, "Unlike you pestering oafs. What are you doing at a high school party anyway? Fresh hunting grounds?" Garth almost swallowed his tongue when he realized it was the courageous and gorgeous Anna Milton who came to his aid, staring the men down like they were just elementary school bullies.

"Don't know why you're running after Harvelle," The man growled to Garth as he and his buddies backed away, "You already have a girlfriend as equally crazy as yourself."

"Bastards," Anna grumbled under her breath as the group of men left the Roadhouse before she turned to Garth and asked in a smooth, whimsical voice, "Don't listen to them. They're just a bunch of overcompensating dickbags." At his silence, her brow crinkled in concern as she added, "Hey, are you okay?"

Garth just stared at her starstruck as he felt Cupid's bow strike his pounding heart.

Jo was to the point of nausea when Ash finally came to her.

"What the hell, Ash?" She demanded, glaring at her brother, "I've been waiting for hours."

Ash shrugged, "The search was more difficult than I thought."

Jo raised an eyebrow as a small smile laced her lips, "So you found something?"

"Not even a parking ticket," Ash answered, breaking the remnants of Jo's already fractured heart, "Dorothy Baum's clean. I couldn't find any dirt on her. She's...perfect, as far as the national database goes."

"What?" She demanded in shock, glancing back at Dorothy, who was smiling at Charlie so intimately that it felt like she was somehow invading their privacy just by looking, "I can't believe I was wrong. I was so sure she was hiding something..."

"You were jealous," Ash told her with a sigh, resting a gentle hand on her shoulder, "That's what happens when—"

"Jealous," Jo repeated in confusion, looking at her brother like he just started oozing green slime, "Why would I be jealous?"

Ash groaned like her words pained him, "Jo, you seriously can't be that oblivious."

"What are you talking about, Ash?" She pressed, his words registering but his meaning lost in translation, "What do mean oblivious—"

"Charlie was in love with you!" Ash exclaimed in frustration, bringing Jo's whole world to a brutal halt.

"W...What?" She asked, barely able to get word out.

Ash sighed, pity in his gaze as he repeated slowly, "Jo, Charlie was in love with you. I mean, she had been for years."

Jo shook her head violently, denial flooding her veins, "No, she isn't. I would've known—"

"I thought you did," Ash said with a shrug, "But when Charlie started hanging out with Dorothy and you started acting like this, I realized...well, maybe you weren't as sharp as you claimed to be."

Jo shook her head again, "But Charlie doesn't love me. She..." And that was when she was overwhelmed with flashbacks—of Charlie staying by her side twenty-four/seven, of Charlie comforting her when she broke up with her first boyfriend, of Charlie getting that sad look in her eye every time Jo talked about boys...

As the realization hit her, Jo felt all air leave her lungs. Her legs felt shaky and unsteady, and she had to grip Ash's shoulder to keep her balance.

"Charlie's in love with me." Jo said finally, her voice cracking as she uttered the startling announcement.

"Was in love with you," Ash corrected gently, nodding towards her and Dorothy, "Now she's finally moved on to someone else." Jo followed his gaze and felt tears build in her eyes as she watched Charlie lean in and kiss Dorothy. Abruptly, Jo turned away, not being able to stomach the sight. Charlie used to love her, and Jo believed she loved Charlie too—had always loved her but had been too blind to realize it. But she missed her chance, and Jo couldn't walk over there and ruin her newfound happiness.

So with a mournful sigh, she let go of her tight, possessive grasp on Charlie Bradbury, hoping that her best friend would finally receive the happily-ever-after she deserved. Even if that happily-ever-after wasn't with her.

"Charlie," Dorothy said suddenly, breaking the kiss as she pulled back and shook her head, "We can't do this."

"Why not?" Charlie demanded, trying to figure out what she did wrong.

Dorothy smiled, but it wasn't a happy smile. It was the sort of smile that only brought bad news; like how the nurse smiled as she gently told Charlie that there was no chance that her mother would ever wake up from her coma, and it would be better to just let her pass away in peace. It was the sort of smile that Charlie knew would break her heart.

"Charlie, we could never work," Dorothy said gently, like maybe the soft tone in her voice would soften the inevitable blow, "Because you're in love with Jo."

Charlie felt her brain glitch as she jerked back to stare wide eyed at her, "What?"

"Don't patronize me, Charlie," Dorothy told her, hints of exasperation in her tone, "You can admit you love her. It's alright. It won't hurt my precious little feelings."

"I don't—" She began to deny but couldn't bring it in herself to lie to Dorothy because deep down, she knew it was true. Charlie Bradbury was still hopelessly in love with Jo Harvelle; no matter how much she wished she wasn't.

"I can learn to love you," She begged desperately because dammit, she would not let her attachment to Jo ruin another potential chance for her to finally be happy, "Please, just give it time. My feelings for Jo will go away."

"No, they won't," Dorothy argued with a sigh, smiling sadly, "Love like that doesn't fade, Charlie; I know from experience."

Charlie shook her head, gripping Dorothy's hand to the point of bruising, "Please, don't. I really like you, and—"

"I really like you, too," Dorothy sighed out, removing herself from Charlie's grasp, "But you love Jo."

"But it's pointless," She said, "Jo doesn't love me; not in that way."

Dorothy smiled, raising an eyebrow, "You sure about that?" Before Charlie could ask what she meant, Dorothy gave her a soft, chaste kiss on her cheek and left her. Tears of rage and sadness flooded her eyes as she swept her gaze over the room. When she finally caught sight of Jo, years of hopeless pining and hidden pain bubbled up inside her as she stalked over to her, knocking Jo's cup of punch out of her hand like the simple act of violence would soothe the rupture in her heart.

Jo's eyes widened, "Charlie, what's wrong? Are you okay—"

"I'm not okay, Jo!" She exclaimed, causing the room to immediately fall silent.

Jo's gaze darted around as if the people around her could explain Charlie's outburst, "Charles, I don't—"

"That's the problem, Jo. You don't," She shouted, "You don't love me. You don't want to hurt my feelings by telling me so. Well, guess what? Even after years of wishing otherwise, I still love you. I've loved you ever since you held my hand at my parents' funeral!"

Her eyes were wide and glassy, like she was barely holding back tears, "C-Charlie, I—"

"Let me talk," She demanded through clenched teeth, "I've been suffering in silence for long enough. Just let me rant about how even when I try to move on, you still somehow manage to ruin that for me, too." Charlie took a long, shuddering breath, staring at Jo with tear-full eyes, "I love you, and I will always love you for the rest of my life. And believe it or not, that's more of a curse than it is a goddamn blessing." And with that, she stomped away, leaving Jo shocked and heartbroken for not the first time that night.

At a glance, the girl was hot—tall, brunette, not immune to his charm—but as Dean continued to swindle his way into her bed, he realized how absolutely wrong she was for him. She had too much curves, and her eyes weren't the ideal color (brown, really? Why couldn't hers be some exotic color like blue or something?). She came off too strong, too, laughing at everything he said like he was some fucking comedian. Her smirks weren't shy and mischievous; they were flirtatious and suggestive. Her lips were painted red instead of naturally pink and chapped, and—

And she just wasn't beautiful; not like Cas. Speaking of Cas, he thought as he abruptly walked away from the stereotypical slutty girl and looked around, where is he? He knew he only left him for a few minutes, but when he looked back to the spot where Cas formerly resided, he was nowhere to be seen. Confused and slightly hurt, Dean scanned the room about four times before he decided to check the back. He pushed through the crowd and stumbled through the door the connected the main room to the kitchen. Like Dean hoped, the kitchen was empty…all except for Castiel.

He was leaning against the closet door, sullenly looking down at his punch like his dog just died (or like someone else already eaten the last piece of pie, in Dean's case). Cas only glanced up at him once when he heard him enter before casting his gaze downward again. He looked so...sad. Like the world was unravelling right in front of him and there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it.

"Cas," He said softly, setting his cup down on the counter and slowly walking towards him, "What's wrong?"

"Where's your newfound female companion?" Cas demanded sharply, staring bitterly at the floor and refusing to meet Dean's gaze.

It took Dean a moment to realize who he was referring to, "Who? The slut back there? She wasn't worth it. Besides, I would never abandon you like that. I just..." Wanted to know I still had it in me, he wanted to continue but his mouth was wise enough to refuse to spit out the words, turns out I do, but I don't want it anymore.

"How long?" He asked abruptly, finally raising his gaze to meet Dean's.

Dean furrowed his brow, "How long what?"

"How long is our relationship going to last before you find someone better and leave me behind?" He asked, a sort of tired resigned glint in his eye like he'd already accepted the cruel twist of fate.

"Cas, what are you talking about!" Dean demanded, repulsed and angered at the very notion of their separation, "I would never—"

"That's what you say now, but you'll realize soon enough that I'm not as perfect as you once believed me to be," Castiel said flatly, causing Dean to violently shake his head and clench his fists at his sides, "You'll abandon me one day, Dean; everyone always does. So the least you can do for me is tell me how much longer we have together before you—" Before he could even get another word out, Dean surged forward and connected their lips.

If he thought his extensive experience of kissing girls would prepare him for this, Dean was certainly mistaken. Castiel's lips weren't slick with slimy lip gloss or tasted like any superficial nasty crap; they were rough and chapped, and so vividly male that Dean was surprised at the prickle of pleasure that trickled down his spine when their lips pressed together. He could feel Castiel's hitch of breath at the sudden contact and had already somewhat prepared himself for rejection when Cas would inevitably push him away, demand what the hell his problem was, and point out bitterly that just because he was gay, that didn't mean he wanted to kiss someone as hick and backwards as Dean Winchester.

Yes, he wasted precious seconds stuck in their semi-awkward-yet-undeniably-breathtaking chaste kiss waiting for Castiel to pull back and stare at him with horrified blue eyes. And even though he expected it when Castiel jerked his lips away from Dean's at that very moment, it still hurt like hell nonetheless.

Even over the noise coming from the main room, Dean could still hear his heart shatter like glass as he began shakily, "S-Shit, Cas, I-I'm s—" He was interrupted by Cas winding his fist in his leather jacket and blindly reaching back to open the closet door. Even though the majority of his body continued to wallow in his pathetic heartbreak, Dean felt a shred of confusion enter his body, but just as he opened his mouth to ask what the hell was he doing, Cas roughly shoved Dean into the cramped space and followed close behind him before he slammed the door shut with a thundering boom.

The only light in the closet was the dim illumination coming from the faltering light bulb above them, but Dean could still make out Castiel's wrecked expression—

But before he could analyze his friend's face further, Cas tackled him without warning, slamming Dean against the cold hard cement wall as he forcibly pressed his still chapped, still male lips to Dean's.

And just like that, all coherent thought in Dean's mind went completely out the window because holy fuck, Cas was kissing him back.

It was chaste at first, Castiel sliding his mouth against Dean's in that inexperienced-but-eager way of his, until Dean finally got back an ounce of sense in him. Gently, he brought a calloused hand up to cup Castiel's cheek, guiding him as he swept his tongue over his chapped lips, softening them up a bit before nibbling on them tenderly with his teeth.

There was a jolt that went through Castiel's body at his actions, and soon Castiel's slender fingers knotted through Dean's hair and the kiss abruptly switched from chaste to open-mouth in probably a half a second flat.

For a moment, it was nothing but a chaotic masterpiece of teeth and tongue, of need in their gasping breaths and of radiating heat pooling in their abdomens. Dean was barely in control of his hands as they roamed Castiel's body, sliding under his shirt to feel the taunt, lean muscles of his chest and stomach, gripping Castiel's narrow but solid shoulder blades, scratching his blunt nails down Castiel's milky back...

"Dean," Cas gasped more huskily than he ever thought possible just as Dean broke the heated kiss and latched his lips onto the boy's pulse, "Dean."

Dean moaned at the debauched tone in Castiel's hoarse voice, and he moved his hands to unbutton Castiel's shirt—

There was a sudden sound of hard footsteps and before their frazzled brains could catch up with their surroundings, the closet door slammed open and then appeared Charlie, whose eyes grew as wide as skyscrapers and mouth went completely ajar once she saw the two. Panic spread through Dean's system like wild fire as he jumped away from Cas as frantically as he could, slamming his own back hard against the wall in the process. Now from the light coming in, Dean had a clear view of what Castiel looked right now—cheeks flushed, clothes ruffled, hair in a tousled mess, lips red and swollen, and pupils so wide that they almost swallowed up all the blue surrounding them—and he guaranteed that he most likely appeared in the same state.

"C-Charlie," Dean stuttered out finally in a horribly hoarse voice, his throat still burning from the quenching thirst of Castiel, "I-It's not—"

He was interrupted by Charlie's bitter chuckle and it wasn't until then did he notice her swollen red-rimmed eyes and dried tears that left traces upon her pale cheeks, "Well...at least someone's fairytale worked out."

Author's Note: So...yay Destiel (sorry for the Jo/Charlie shippers, but don't worry; that ship hasn't sunk yet)! I've never wrote a kissing scene before, so I hope I didn't disappoint. But yeah, Anna/Garth! Surprise pairing! I thought those two deserved some love, too.

You know the usual: follow/favorite/review (and especially tell me how you felt about the kiss that literally took a year and over 100,000 words to get to)