Hey, happy birthday to me! This chapter is seriously a birthday gift to myself, and I have to say that I love it. Not as much as the TARDIS mug my best friend sent me wrapped in Captain America wrapping paper, but it's pretty great. It's a little indulgent, too, but honestly, I'm incredibly happy with this chapter and I hope you like it too. Thanks again for all of your wonderful reviews. I just loved them, and the encouragement and support from all of you.

Enjoy!

Ellen placed two large, frosted mugs of beer in front of Dean and Castiel, then leaned against the table. "You two gonna tell me what's going on?"

Dean recognized that this wasn't a request; it was an order.

"I took Cas to a Poltergeist exorcism today," he said lamely. At Ellen's raised eyebrow, Dean took a deep drink of his beer and dove in. "Ellen, Castiel is going through his Awakening."

Ellen's eyes widened a bit, and she set a comforting hand on the Angel's shoulder. "Oh, so that's why you were so confused the other night! I should have—oh, Cas!" Castiel turned his huge blue eyes up to Ellen, making her rub her hand over his shoulders and back at his hound dog expresion. Ellen then pulled up a chair. "Okay, start at the beginning."

Castiel told his story once more, about Charlie and Gilda, how he stumbled upon The Roadhouse, and about Dean and his offer of help. "I had a dream where I had wings, so we believe I may be an Angel. Plus, I am named after an Angel and have a similar birth story to other Angels." He was huddled in his chair, his hands tucked up his sleeves, leaning heavily over the table.

Ellen nodded. "I figured you were an Angel. You sort of have a halo. Well, so why do you two look like you just ran over a herd of puppies?"

Jo came over with burgers, fries, and thick wedges of chocolate pie. She leaned against her mother as Dean started the story.

They had been invited inside the house by a very frightened looking woman. She was clearly grateful they were there, and pointed out some of the Poltergeist's handiwork: a stack of chairs on a table, books thrown all around the room, pictures skewed on the wall.

"We'll take care of this, ma'am," Dean said kindly. "Why don't you go someplace else, a diner or a coffee house, and I'll call you when we're done."

Dean had made sure that Castiel was close by him since this was his first hunt (an excuse that Ellen clearly wasn't buying, Jo either if the look they exchanged said anything) and they went looking for the spirit.

Dean started as per usual by salting the doors and windows so the spirit couldn't flee as he chanted the exorcism through the house, only to return later. He started in the attic and worked his way down to the second floor. The master bedroom was when they first experienced trouble. The spirit was incredibly unhappy at being cornered and unable to leave, so it started throwing objects at Dean and Castiel. One of those objects was a very large, heavy glass sphere and it was aimed directly at Dean's head.

"Are you okay?" Ellen exclaimed, grabbing Dean and running her hand over his head. "Oh, honey!"

Dean gave Ellen an indulgent smile. "I'm fine, mom," he snarked.

Ellen gave him a good patent no-nonsense glare. "Watch it, boy. I can still whip your ass you know."

"I know," he pouted. "So, the spirit lobbed this heavy glass thing at me, and…"

Dean had been sure he was dead. There was no way to duck, move, get out of the way. Then this hand just came out of nowhere and caught the ball of leaded glass, crushing it to dust.

Dean turned and gaped at Castiel, who had this hard, menacing look on his face. He was no longer a bewildered Purchasing Manager at an IT company going through an Awakening. No, he was an Angel, dangerous and eternal, and the Poltergeist didn't stand a chance.

Dean watched as Castiel advanced on the spirit, then stretched out his hand and obliterated it without chanting an exorcism or anything.

It would have been impressive, really, if the Angel hadn't collapsed right after that, sweating and shaky and practically unable to move.

"So you came here?" Ellen asked, alarmed.

"He was starving, I figured we needed to recharge his batteries."

"How'd you get him out of the house, Dee?" Jo asked, bright smile belying what a little shit she was being. Dean scowled at her. "You carried him, didn't you?"

Castiel picked up a fry and dipped it in ketchup, hands shaking as he brought it to his mouth.

"Jo, go start taking orders," Ellen said, making Jo huff and complain before stomping away. "Cas, are you okay?"

Castiel nodded, chewing his fry as he tried to pick up a second one.

"Don't lie to me, boy," Ellen growled. "You look like hell and you're shaking like a leaf." She turned to Dean. "You need to get him to your place, boy. Get him warm, he's in shock."

"This was the first place I could think of going," Dean breathed. Seeing Castiel collapsed on the ground had shaken him badly. He reached out for Ellen's hand. "I knew you'd know what to do."

Ellen leaned over and kissed his cheek, squeezing his hand tightly. "Oh, you're a sweetheart, Dean. But really, he probably needs a place to process what happened." She leaned into Dean and indicated Castiel, who was still listlessly eating his fries. "Look, I don't know exactly what a Hunter/Angel bond entails, but I do know that he just took care of you, and now it's your turn to take care of him." She stood and patted him on the shoulders, dropping another kiss to the back of his head before leaving them to their dinner.

Dean scooted to her vacated chair and moved close to Castiel, pulling the plate with the burger on it up to him. He cut it in half and held the half up to Castiel's lips. The Angel looked up at him, eyes tired and glassy, and opened his mouth, gripping Dean's wrist to hold it steady while he took his bite. Dean's breath hitched when those full, plush lips wrapped around the burger. Then Castiel dropped his head to Dean's shoulder and Dean had to resist the urge to nuzzle the dark, wild curls that spilled warm and soft against his neck. He could feel Castiel working his jaw as he chewed, and it felt vulnerable, those little bites.

He could have reached for his own burger, but he took a bite of Castiel's instead, not really thinking about the fact that the Angel still had his hand wrapped around Dean's wrist. They ate like that for the whole meal, splitting both burgers, fries, and pies. They would chew together and he would rest his jaw against Castiel's head. It was comfortable to be this close to Castiel. It felt amazing, and it was so…erotic. Watching food disappear into that mouth, those lips wrapped around a fry, a pink tongue darting out to lick at whipped cream that didn't quite make it in. Dean couldn't help a little groan escaping when Castiel raised Dean's hand to his mouth and swiped at a bit of chocolate pudding that got caught on his thumb. He was hard, and it took every ounce of self-will to not haul Castiel into his lap and shove his tongue down his throat. What was worse was that he could imagine what it would be like to suck on the Angel's lips, clean that little bit of ketchup on the corner of his mouth.

Castiel looked up at him with glassy eyes, and it was clear that the Angel wanted him too. It was so easy to think with his dick in this situation, to just take Castiel home and make love (make love, really?) all night, but he wasn't sure he could do that yet. Castiel was still going through his Awakening. What would Dean do if Castiel came into his power fully and chose someone else over him, or chose no one and went on his way? Dean had only ever been in two steady relationships, but he had fallen hard and fast for both. In the end, Victor had been murdered, and Benny had chosen his hive over Dean. He couldn't go through that kind of heartache again, not until he knew he could trust Castiel.

He looked up from that gorgeous face and those bluer-than-blue eyes to glance around The Roadhouse. Most folk were ignoring the two lovers, though a few were looking at them curious, some with jealousy, and two with outright hostility in their eyes. Dean knew those two and understood that their hostility stemmed from envy of biblical proportions. Two of the curious ones were his brothers. Adam had apparently entered earlier when he was otherwise occupied and sat at the bar, chatting with Sam. When Adam realized Dean was looking at him, he offered a shy wave and a tentative thumbs-up. Dean motioned him over.

"Cas, my baby brother is here."

Castiel disengaged slightly from where he was slumped against Dean's side. He was less shaky now, though the dark circles under his eyes told Dean how drained he was after the Poltergeist incident.

"Dean," Adam said pleasantly, allowing his older brother to pull him into a hug. "Who's your friend?"

Dean wanted to roll his eyes at that question. As though he and Sammy hadn't been gossiping like two old hens while Dean and Castiel shared their meal. "Adam, this is Castiel."

Castiel stood and extended his hand, swaying slightly. "Hello, Adam. A pleasure."

Adam gave his big, happy smile. "Hi, Castiel. Wow, it's really nice to meet you."

Castiel glanced at Dean who shrugged, then gave his brother his best Defcon 4 glare as he stood slightly behind Castiel's shoulder.

"Are you ready to go home, Adam?" Dean asked, changing the subject. "Castiel's had a hard day, and he needs to go home and rest."

"Oh, I was totally planning on it, but Sammy just mentioned that Jess finally got their guest room all done up, and I promised to take their brand new mattress for a spin tonight." Dean decided to go with Defcon 5. "Besides, you know, Sammy pays for most of my schooling. I really ought to spend more time with him."

"That's very thoughtful of you," Dean mused.

"Hmm, I thought so," Adam agreed, his eyes shining a little too brightly, his smile waaaayyyy too happy. "Well, you two have a good night all by yourselves."

Dean could punch him. "Yeah, you too. Tell Jess I said hi."

"Oh, don't worry, I'll tell her you send your best."

Dean decided to take his Angel and go home. He sent a wave and another glare to Sam, kissed Ellen, and led Castiel from the bar to the Impala. It felt like it had been weeks since he had sat in his kitchen, proposing a Poltergeist hunt to Castiel, but it had really only been about twelve hours.

The house felt warm and solid as they stepped in, and Dean helped Castiel take off his long coat.

"Thank you, Dean," he murmured, and Dean couldn't help but let his hands linger on Castiel's shoulders as they stood by the coat hooks that hung in the hallway.

"You gonna be okay?" he asked gruffly, giving Castiel's shoulders a little squeeze.

Castiel turned, not moving back, and their chests were nearly touching. "I feel much better after having eaten. I think I need to rest."

Dean nodded. "Good idea." Space would be nice. He needed some space or he was going to do something stupid.

Castiel leaned up and kissed his cheek. "Thank you, Dean. For caring for me."

Dean stared at Castiel's ass as he walked away (that thing was like a magnet—left, right, left right, he stopped because his head was following the sway of his hips), the spot on his cheek burning where Castiel had kissed him. It was an invitation; that was apparent enough, as was the perfectly sculpted derriere currently wiggling up the stairs. But it was too soon. Surely Castiel had to see that it was too soon?

"Castiel," he called, wanting to make sure the Angel knew he wasn't just blowing him off.

"Yes, Dean?"

Dean foundered for something witty to say. "Uh…Sweet dreams?"

Castiel gave him a blank look, then realization dawned. He looked a little embarrassed, but also sad and understanding at the same time. "Of course. You too, Dean."

Dean watched his ascent.

Right.

Left.

Right.

Left.

Okay, now Castiel was just trying to jerk his chain because there was no way a man had to shake his hips that much.

"Good job, asshole," he muttered to himself.

}O{

Castiel didn't realize he was screaming out loud until he came fully awake in Dean's arms. The Hunter was rocking him gently and stroking his hair, murmuring that everything was okay, that it would be okay.

"Dean!"

Dean shushed him. "What happened, man?"

Castiel arched his back. "My wings! My wings are…I think something's wrong with them."

Dean placed his hand flat on Castiel's back, stroking the skin in long, soothing motions. "I'm sorry, I can't see them."

Castiel pressed into Dean's hand. "That feels good, though. I don't…what do you think it is? Do you think I broke my wings?"

"I don't know. Um…maybe we should call one of your friends. They might be able to help."

Castiel thought that over as Dean helped him snuggle back into bed. "I think Balthazar and Lucifer could help me out. We can call them in the morning."

"How are you feeling, other than that?"

Castiel thought it over. He had been really hoping Dean would want to take him to bed, particularly after their dinner, but he saw the wisdom in holding off. They barely knew each other, and physical attraction could be overcome. If there was something else there, something deeper, he'd rather take his time and let the relationship unfold slowly.

After banishing the Poltergeist (he wished he could remember how he did it!), he had been utterly drained. He barely remembered Dean hoisting him over his shoulder and carrying him out, but Ellen's food had helped revive him some. He had been plagued with odd dreams that seemed real. The dream that Dean woke him from had been painful; his wings were caught in a door and he couldn't free them. He could still feel them, and they felt like they were cramping. The best way he had always found to release a cramp was to stretch, but how did he stretch his wings? He felt oddly disconnected from them, as though they were an internal organ. Something that was there but that he couldn't manipulate.

"I feel much better than I did last night. Ellen's food is wonderfully restorative."

Dean smiled at that. "You can say that again. She puts her heart in every pie."

"It shows," Castiel yawned. Dean was touching his shoulder, and Castiel on impulse grabbed his hand and held it to his heart. "Thanks for waking me up," he murmured. "Bad dreams."

Dean stretched out next to Castiel and Castiel put the blanket over him. They fell back asleep quickly, and Dean kept Castiel's nightmares away.

}O{

Balthazar sounded happy to hear from Castiel. He expressed worry over his friend and asked some incredibly specific questions, particularly in regards to Dean.

"He hasn't tried to mate with you, has he?"

Castiel got up quickly and closed his door. "No!" he whispered harshly into the phone. "Good grief, Bal!"

Balthazar chuckled on the other end of the line. "Oh, grow up, Cassie. Seriously, though, he hasn't?"

"No," Castiel said again, this time petulantly. "I don't think he wants to."

Balthazar huffed. "Yeah, right. He could be wary. Maybe he has some baggage? Plus, Michael wants you too, and he might think you'd prefer your own species over himself."

Castiel frowned. "I like Michael, but he's just a friend. I'm not…attracted to him."

"Well, keep an open mind, love. I thought I wasn't attracted to Lu at first, too, and now look at us."

"Bal, can I ask…"

"Anything, darling. I'm an open book."

"Did you know that I was one of you?"

"Yes," Balthazar said immediately. "Once you come fully awake, you'll recognize all Angels when you see them, and you'll remember them."

"So we were once all together? In another life?" Castiel started to play with the peeling wallpaper next to his doorjamb.

"We were all in Heaven," Balthazar confirmed. "You'll be able to return there after you Awaken."

Castiel hadn't been expecting that. "I was wondering if I could see you today. I've had some odd dreams, and my wings hurt, or I think they're my wings. I don't know. Something hurts, and I can't do anything about it."

"Come on over! Or would you rather we come to you?"

Castiel thought that over. "I guess I'd rather have you come here. I'm still not comfortable to be in my apartment after…Michael."

He gave Balthazar Dean's address, and close to lunchtime, Lucifer and Balthazar were there in Dean's living room, both sporting an impressive pair of wings. Dean and Castiel both stared at them with open-mouthed awe.

Balthazar's were ice blue, reminding Castiel of a glacier and Lucifer's were a calming pond green, deep and glossy with golden highlights as though sunlight were reflecting off of them.

"Wow," Dean breathed.

"How do you do that?" Castiel wondered, reaching a hand out to Balthazar's, then pulling it back as if remembering himself.

Balthazar rolled his shoulders and the wings were gone. "You tell them to come out or go back."

Lucifer took Dean by the arm. "You two work on that. I need to have a few words with Dean here."

Dean searched Castiel's face to make sure he was all right, and Castiel inclined his head to let Dean know it was fine. The Hunter left with Lucifer and Balthazar sat Castiel down on the sofa, taking the seat beside him.

"Okay, here we go. We close our eyes…" Castiel obediently closed his eyes, "and we imagine our wings sprouting from our back, coming out to say hello."

Castiel tried for several moments, then opened his eyes in exasperation. "I just don't think I can do it, Bal!"

Balthazar opened his eyes and looked above Castiel's head. "Oh no?"

Castiel frowned and looked behind his shoulder. There was something there, but as he moved, it went out of his vision. "What…?"

"They're just like your arms, Castiel. You just think of them moving, and they move."

Castiel rolled his shoulders a little and the wings stretched out next to him, fluffy feathers waving like dandelion pods, downy white and speckled with light brown. "Why do my feathers look so much different than yours?"

Balthazar reached out a hand and stroked down one wing. "They're your baby feathers. You're still a fledgling right now. They'll molt and new ones will come in. Your wings will grow, too. That's probably why you were feeling pain. Growing pains, you know."

Castiel touched the downy fluff, softer than any birds feathers he'd ever felt. "The color is different too. I thought they'd be blue. In my dreams, they were blue."

"The color will change when you molt," Balthazar said dismissively, running his hands over them. "They feel good, though, nice and curved and strong. Nothing the matter, really. When you get your first flight feathers, we'll have to teach you how to fly."

Castiel thought this over. "You're not going to throw me out of a nest, are you?"

He and Balthazar laughed together. "Don't tempt me," he joked. "Oh, Cassie. I'm so happy you're with us now. It doesn't matter what you choose to do, if you want to mate with Dean or Michael or neither…you're our brother, you know, and we've missed you."

Castiel was shocked by the emotion in the usually aloof and snarky Brit. On impulse, he stood and hugged his friend. "Thank you, Bal," he said. "I really can't wait to remember everything else. I assume we had some history together?"

Balthazar nodded. "We were very good friends, you and I. We trained under the same Master when we learned swordplay and hand-to-hand combat. We had a lot of fun."

Castiel nodded. He'd always liked Balthazar a lot. It was good to know that they could still be close. He wanted to say something else, but then Dean and Lucifer came back. Whatever they had talked about, neither one looked very happy.

"Lucie. Shall we get lunch?" Balthazar asked.

Lucifer nodded. "Yes, that's a good idea."

Both Dean and Lucifer stared at Castiel's wings, but for different reasons. Lucifer checked them over in the same way Balthazar had, making sure the bones were straight and the feathers were laying right. Dean just stared in awe.

"Okay, put them away," Lucifer instructed. "Just like taking them out."

Castiel complied, surprised that he was controlling them so well. "Wow. That's the first thing I've done that I know what I'm doing."

Lucifer gave him a pat on the back. "It's okay. You'll start controlling your powers sooner than you think. And you'll start sustaining the power better. Dean told me about the Poltergeist. Are you okay?"

Castiel nodded. "Yes, thank you. I was tired afterwards, but I feel better today."

Lucifer frowned. "But you had nightmares last night?"

"Is it significant?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. Once you fully Awaken, you won't need sleep unless you're seeking Revelation. This usually comes in the form of a dream, so dreams usually mean something. You're still Awakening, though, so it could just be your subconscious reacting to your day."

Balthazar wrapped his arm around Lucifer's shoulders. "We don't need to eat , either, but I like to eat, so let's go get some lunch."

Lucifer took them to a family diner that Castiel had never noticed before, and no wonder, for it was a Bizarre place full of the supernatural. Their waitress seemed to be part tree and appeared to have leaves for hair. They ordered and were silent until their food was brought, and then Lucifer used the bottle of ketchup to make a sigil at the corner of the table.

"This will keep them from listening in on us," he said. "Now, Cas, tell Balthazar about the Poltergeist."

Castiel related the incident from his own perspective, the only part changing was how he came to banish the spirit. "I knew Dean was in mortal peril, and my body just reacted. I didn't know I could move so fast, and when I reached out, it was impulsive. I had no plan in mind. Was it instinct?"

"So you banished a Poltergeist first time out to bat. Good job, Cassie," Balthazar said appreciatively, even as Lucifer glared at him.

"It's not "good job, Cassie,"" Lucifer groused. "Bad job, Dean! What were you thinking? You could have forced him to Wake fully with all his powers, unable to control them!"

Castiel frowned. This was the second time he'd heard this. "What would happen if I did that?"

Lucifer and Balthazar shared a look and Balthazar reached across to put his hand on Castiel's arm. "If you had all your powers and none of your humanity, you'd be a force to be reckoned with," Balthazar said gently. "Instead of seeing Human shades of grey, everything would be black and white, right and wrong."

"You'd turn vengeful," Lucifer added.

"Like Dogma?" Dean asked in awe.

Lucifer glared at him. "Yeah, only instead of cuddly Matt Damon, you'd have a frightening machine."

Castiel frowned. "What are you two talking about? I don't understand these references."

Dean put his hand on Castiel's thigh. It felt warm and wonderful. "I'll show you the movie later. Let's just say, I think I understand what's going on. So Cas would know everyone's sins and punish them accordingly."

Lucifer nodded. "With blood and pain and more pain."

"We had a bloke do that about a hundred years ago," Balthazar mused, spreading brown mustard onto his sandwich. "It took both Lu and Mikey to bring him down. And he was just a Cherub. Cassie here is a Seraph. It would probably take all seven Archangels for that, and two of them haven't been born yet and one is missing."

Castiel wrinkled his brow. "How do you know who has been born and who hasn't?"

"The same way we show our wings, Cassie," Balthazar replied. "We'll work on that, I promise you. Now eat your soup."

They ate quietly, but not in awkward silence. They were just eating and had nothing of interest to say. For desert, Balthazar and Lucifer decided to share a piece of pineapple upside-down cake, and Dean ordered a piece of pecan pie. When it came, he took the fork, speared a piece, and offered it to Castiel. Castiel looked up at Dean with a smile, remembering their shared meal from the day before and grasped Dean's wrist, directing his hand as he leaned in for the bite. He looked up at Dean as he chewed, a light smile around both their mouths. Dean looked immensely pleased with himself and his eyes were so green and warm, like a Christmas tree.

"Poor Mikey," Balthazar murmured, pulling Castiel and Dean from their trance.

"What's that?" Castiel asked, looking back and forth between Lucifer and Balthazar, who were sharing knowing glances.

"Just saying poor Mikey," Balthazar repeated. "You know. Because he doesn't stand a chance against Dean."

Both the Hunter and the Angel turned red at that assessment.

So, I apparently have a food kink? I don't know...I just know when I was writing this, I was trying to decide if I wanted Castiel to lick something off of Dean's fingers, and I came to the (slightly embarrassing but not really) realization that I was writing food porn and OMG, who do I think I am? WinJennster? I'm not quite that awesome, but I think the food thing at least has earned me my M rating, though there is more M-rated stuff to come.