Ianto and Castiel are bothered by different struggles in their love life. John is meddling with things he has no business with. Gwen has a secret of her own, but it soon get shared with members of her family. Castiel gets a tour.

Songs in this chapter

Unchained Melody - Righteous Brothers - M: Alex North, L: Hy Zaret

Too Young - Nat King Cole - M: Sidney Lippman, L: Sylvia Dee

Take Me to Church - Hozier - M/L:Hozier

Ianto stared at his phone as if the words would just pop into the screen and send themselves. He wanted to text Jack, but he had no idea what to say. He did have a chance to talk with him before they left school, but his own tendency to jump to conclusions had ruined that.

Technically it wasn't so. Ianto prided himself in facing every problem with a mind to solve it. He was renowned for being rational and grounded for the most part. With Jack, it was different. Ianto was totally incapable of thinking straight on the matter. and it was very bothersome.

They did make a plan, so there was really no reason to talk about it until they met on Monday for the senior graduation, but Ianto still felt the need. He had promised to take Jack home, but he had no car. Rhiannon would easily let him take hers if it was for a day, but Jack had invited him to stay overnight, and possibly over two nights.

Gwen would leave Tuesday morning, and he had to go with her to the airport along with his mother. Ianto knew he would miss her profoundly. They would still stay in touch and possibly video-chat almost every day, but it was different having her there. She was like a sister. Rhiannon was so much older than him that they never interacted on that level.

With determination, he sifted through his contact list and dialed a number.

"Hi. I need to borrow a car for two days. I know you have a spare, and I beg you." Ianto held his breath, waiting for John to reply. "Why? Where are you going?" His friend didn't sound negative per se, but Ianto could almost feel that he suspected the worst.

"I promised to take Jack home, and before you start fretting about it, I will tell you that I know what I'm doing, and I'm am not going to get hurt. Trust me to take care of myself. Jack will be out of my life in a few days time, but I want to go with him just to, to, erm, I just need to do it."

The silence at the other end was a little disturbing, and Ianto wondered if the connection was lost. "You know how I feel about this." John sounded very serious. "You can borrow my car. It's not because I support your actions, but I don't want you to have to ask around." He paused, and Ianto seized the opportunity. "Oh, thank you thank you, I love you. I will…" He got cut off by John screaming into the phone. "Shut up, I wasn't done."

Ianto did shut up, and he wondered what kind of morality speech John would give him. "I believe that you need this. He's your first crush, and he is truly a good guy deep down. I have to admit that I don't think it will lead anywhere, but if it's what you want… Don't say anything, I'm still not done."

There was no need for Ianto to utter a word, he was just curious about what John had to say. "Okay." He had to confirm that he understood before John continued. "Whatever happens, I'll be there for you. If my predictions are wrong, I'll own up to it and support the two of you, but if I'm right, I will comfort you anyway you want."

That was almost like a come-on. Did John actually know what he was saying? "Anyway I want? Really? Any way?" Ianto wasn't sure he should joke about it. John had just agreed to lend him his car, so it would probably be better if he just thanked him.

"Fuck you. Twisting my words like that is not cool." John emitted an audible huff before he chuckled a little. "Sure baby. If you want, but I think it's better if we keep it on the friendly side."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"Whoa, my love

My darling

I've hungered for your touch

A long, lonely time."

The music trickling out of the radio didn't help Castiel's state of mind much. He looked at the clock on his phone. It was almost five and he hadn't heard a word from Dean. He could of course send a text himself, but he knew that Dean was with his father, and didn't want to bother him.

"And time goes by so slowly

And time can do so much

Are you still mine?"

His dad was still at church, but would be home shortly. The wedding was over a while ago, and Cas knew that unless he was out of the house before he came back, it would take a while to get away.

Michael was procrastinating. He had changed his outfit three times already and wanted Castiel to give his opinion. "Going out with some friends. Right. You are meeting a girl, aren't you?" He shook his head at his brother when the guy came downstairs to show off yet another outfit.

"Maybe. I'm going out with a few friends, but there is a girl…" Michael gestured for Cas to assess his clothing. "I like her, but… What about you. At your age I was in love with all the cheerleaders, and also at least six other girls at school. Is there anybody special?"

"Lonely rivers flow to the sea, to the sea

To the open arms of the sea

Lonely rivers sigh, "Wait for me, wait for me…"

The Righteous Brothers was still crooning in the background, and it was beginning to get bothersome. Castiel shook his head. "No, not really." He knew that his expression could easily give away the fact that he was lying, but he hoped Michael wouldn't notice.

"It's someone." His brother was singing the words as he cocked his head. "You're hiding something, aren't you?" He walked over to find a pair of shoes. It wasn't easy since Rachel had been turning the pile upside down, but eventually he succeeded.

"...I've hungered, hungered for your touch

A long, lonely time."

"Would you even tell me if it was a boy? I'm pretty sure it could be, but I don't want to jump to conclusions. Don't even answer that." Michael was out the door before Cas was able to digest what he had said.

"...Are you still mine?

I need your love…"

Cas went over and turned off the radio before he followed his brother out and entered the car, while trying to pretend that the words had not been uttered. "Where can I take you?" Cas put the car in reverse and pulled out of the driveway not looking at his brother.

How could he know? Castiel's head was spinning as he drove towards the place where Michael was going to meet his friends. Luckily, his brother was busy checking messages on his phone, and didn't say anything during the ride.

"Okay. I'll call you later," Mike jumped out of the car, "and I'm sorry if I offended you."

Castiel didn't even bother to ponder on it, but he was pleased that Michael didn't seem horrified by the idea of having a queer brother. It could of course change if Cas ever dared to confirm it, but for now, it was kind of comforting.

Just as he picked up his phone to call Dean - he had decided that he couldn't just sit around and wait any longer - it rang.

"I'm so so sorry." Dean didn't even wait for Cas to say anything before he started apologizing. "I was tied up with something, er, big, and I couldn't get away. I will tell you all about it, and I'm sure you will forgive me."

Cas was a little bit annoyed, but they hadn't really agreed on a time, even if 'afternoon' had been mentioned. "It's okay. I did start to wonder if you'd chickened out though." He tried to laugh a little, but didn't really manage to make it sound genuine. He had worried more than he cared to admit even to himself.

"I can pick you up now." Dean sounded chipper enough. "I can be there in ten."

There was no reason for Dean to come and pick him up, and Castiel was not far from Dean's place anyway. "You don't have to. I have a car, and I'm in town. I can pick you up."

Castiel felt stupid. Why did he even bother to borrow a car? If Dean had something planned that would take a while, Michael could suddenly call and disrupt the whole evening. Cas cursed silently to himself as he drove towards the address Dean had told him to come to. It wasn't far from his own house, and he could easily have walked there from home. Not knowing what they were going to do there, Cas decided to have an open mind about it.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

John gave it a few minutes before he dialed Jack's number. He knew he was butting into things that he had no business with, but he couldn't help himself.

"Hi John." Jack sighed heavily as he answered, and John suspected that the guy knew why he called. "What's up?" It didn't sound as if Jack was particularly interested to know the answer, but it didn't discourage John much.

"Ianto is taking you home. Didn't you have any other way to get there? I could have taken you." He tried to say the words in a friendly voice, but it did not work. He sounded like a whiny twelve year old.

Jack must have noticed. "Yeah, of course you could," He huffed audibly. "My parents would have picked me up if I needed them to, but I wanted Ianto to do it. Do you mind?" He didn't even try to hide the sarcasm in his voice.

This was just silly. John didn't call to have an argument with Jack; he just called because he was curious about the guy's intentions, and if he needed to pick up the pieces of Ianto when he came back.

"Sorry. It's none of my business, I know, but I just… I'm looking out for him, and you kinda promised." Jack scoffed at the other end. "I did not promise anything. I said I'd think about it." He fell silent. John knew that it was technically correct, but hesitated to say anything.

"I think I could fall for him, but it makes everything so difficult." There was a whole new tone to Jack's voice now. "I just want to spend some time with him, and explore this a little. I'm not gonna hurt him. He knows that I'm leaving."

For a moment, John felt sorry for Jack. The guy had staked out his future without taking anything else into consideration. Falling in love was one of those things that just happened. It would never be a roll call or a set list for that, and Jack was possibly in a serious pickle.

"Jack. For crying out loud. If you are falling for him; if you already fell, can you at least be honest about it to yourself. It doesn't have to spoil your chances in New York." John knew Ianto well enough; the guy was normally quite grounded. "Please don't be wishy-washy about it. A long distance relationship could suck, but if you want to try, I'm pretty sure Ianto can handle it." He could hear that Jack cleared his throat. "Well, yes, I mean… I know, I understand what you're saying, but he is so young. He's not ready." Jack paused and John seized the opportunity. "Too young? Too young to get his heart broken? Yeah, and you are so old and wise. Stop kidding yourself. In a few months time it could be over anyway, but don't run off to Broadway giving him that silly excuse." John had worked himself up a bit. "No matter what you said to make him agree to drive you, you can't just lead him on like that. If you are falling for him, be honest. Tell him. He is perfectly aware that you will not give up your dream. We all know that you already have a part in a show."

There was a moment of complete silence on the line before Jack finally replied. "I hear you. I do agree with you, but it's crazy in New York, and I'm afraid I will be too caught up in it to care for my own heart, let alone Ianto's."

It made sense on a twisted level, but John couldn't just let that be the last word. "So invite him there then. Let him keep you feet on the ground. He is calm and sensible; he can help you."

John knew that Jack was a good guy, and he did understand that this was a challenge for him. "If it's meant to be, it's meant to be. You are both young, and will get over it if it doesn't work, but you owe it to Ianto, and yourself, to give it more than a couple of days at your place."

He wasn't sure what happened at Jack's end, but he could hear faint music through the line. He thought for a second that Jack had just put down the phone and left.

"They try to tell us we're too young

Too young to really be in love

They say that love's a word

A word we've only heard

But can't begin to know the meaning of."

"I couldn't help it. This conversation made me think of a song, and I just had to find it." Jack was humming along for a few beats. "Sometimes people find love early in life. It's possible." John wasn't sure if the 'Ianto and Jack connection' would apply, but it was kind of romantic to think about.

"Possibly." John didn't know if this conversation changed anything, but he left it there. "I'm sorry for butting in, but you know…" As Nat King Cole continued singing in the background, he ended the call.

"And yet we're not too young to know

This love will last though years may go

And then some day they may recall

We were not too young at all."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Dean was standing on the sidewalk when Castiel parked, and he came running over to open the door for him. "Tadaa. My new home." He pointed towards the house at the end of a short unpaved driveway. It was a dump. Not as bad as their current abode, but the house looked like it could fall apart if you knocked the door too hard.

"Erm, really?" Cas tried to hide his discontent, but didn't feel he managed that well. Dean grabbed his hand and practically pulled him out of the car. "It's not as bad as it looks. but it does need some work."

Before he knew it, he was standing in front of a shabby-looking front door. Dean stuck a key in the lock. "It's not technically ours yet, but it will be." He opened the door and gestured for Castiel to enter. "Let me show you around."

The unmistakable scent of mold tickled his nostrils, and Cas wondered if the Winchester family had lost their mind. "The water damage is limited to right here, erm, and there." Dean pointed to a door to their right. "The rest of the house is fine."

Castiel wasn't so sure about that, but he was willing to give it the benefit of the doubt. "The kitchen is old, but functional, but we need a plumber to do something so we can install a dishwasher." Dean kept talking and didn't seem to be aware that Cas hadn't said a word since they entered.

"The living room is there," he pointed to the back of the house, "and we have three bedrooms, and two, erm, well, one and a half baths." Dean was already halfway up the stairs as Castiel threw peek into the room at the bottom of it. "That the small bedroom. My dad will get that, but come on."

On the top floor, Dean showed him the two decent-sized bedrooms, before he dragged him along to a bathroom that looked like it belonged in a different house. It had obviously been renovated quite recently. "You see. It's not so bad on the inside. What do you think?" Dean was leaning on the windowsill on the landing, and Cas could see Michael's car on the street behind him.

"I, I don't know what to say. Is this the reason you didn't call earlier?" If the Winchesters were buying a house, it was a very good explanation for the fact that Dean waited so long to call him. "Yes. Yes it is. I'm sorry, I should have told you. I was tired of looking, and I was ready to abandon the quest around two o'clock, but then we found this house."

Castiel nodded slowly a couple of times. "Okay, and then you didn't call regardless?" He didn't want to be angry, and he tried to calm himself. Dean just shrugged. "My dad called the owner and there were some negotiations involved. I got caught up in it. I'm sorry, but we didn't set a specific time." He cocked his head to the side as he smiled apologetically.

That was correct, but Cas couldn't quite forget the feeling he had as he waited for the call. "I thought you wouldn't call at all, and I was sad and frustrated. You could have sent a text."

Dean pulled away from the sill and walked up to Castiel. "I'm sorry. You're right, but buying a house is not something we do everyday. As soon as we got the key, I made a plan to steal it so that I could take you here. It took a little while." Cas could feel Dean's hand on his back. "My dad didn't even want it. I had to convince him. I was happy that it looked better on the inside, because I knew that your house isn't that far away."

If the procrastination was due to the fact that Dean wanted to live in this neighborhood - in Castiel's neighborhood - everything was totally excusable. For a split second, Cas wondered if he ever could trust Dean to be on time, but when he felt his lips on his neck, he was unable to think straight anymore.

"I can help you move in. The church has a van." Castiel spoke with Dean's lips on his. "That'll be great." Dean pushed his pelvis forward and Cas could feel that they were equally excited. It was kind of scary, but he couldn't help pushing back.

"This is not the place. I want to… I don't even know what I, erm, I want you." Dean sighed heavily as his hand traveled up Castiel's back under the t-shirt. Castiel felt exactly the same, although he did his best to quelch the desire. "We have time. You're going to stay, and we're going to live very close to each other." He was well aware that he was panting as he spoke, but it couldn't be helped.

"My lover's got humor

She's the giggle at the funeral

Knows everybody's disapproval…"

Castiel hurried to pick up his phone. He could see the surprised look on Dean's face, but didn't have time to explain. "Can you pick me up now? The others want to see a movie, but I saw it already." Michael lowered his voice a little bit. "She didn't show up anyway."

That was it then. His and Dean's first date ended almost before it had started. Cas could feel that he was about to cry, but managed to compose himself. Dean wrapped an arm around him and kissed him on the cheek. "Don't worry. We have time." Dean repeated Castiel's words from a few minutes ago. "We're practically neighbors."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Gwen did not feel well when she turned out of bed that morning. She knew perfectly well why, even if she hadn't gotten it confirmed by other means than her own common sense. She wanted to tell the world, but figured that it would be more fair if she told Rhys first.

It didn't work out.

When she exited the bathroom and ran into Rhiannon, her cousin gave her a crooked smile as she walked over to the linen closet to fetch a couple of towels. "Morning sickness? Don't try to fool me." She kept her voice down as she patted Gwen's shoulder. "I won't tell."

She wasn't quiet enough. The door to Ianto's room was open, and even if it was a couple of meters away, he had obviously heard every word. "Really? Really?" He came running out in his boxers and grabbed Gwen's arm as she was about to hide in her room. "Gwen. You have to tell me. You're leaving tomorrow. I want to know."

Gwen looked at her two cousins. Rhiannon was standing in the hall behind Ianto with her hand over her mouth, staring apologetically into the ground. Ianto was clenching his hands together. looking at her with anticipation.

"I don't know. Didn't take a test, but…" She blushed a little. "I'm like more than four weeks late, and I have been nauseous every morning for a while." She didn't know if she should continue. "At first I thought I was just a hangover, but when I didn't even drink…"

"Late for what?" Ianto looked at her dumbfounded for a split second. "Oh, yeah, right." Then he furrowed his brows. "But Rhys was here… it's a long time ago. What did you do?"

Rhiannon saved her from more prying questions. "Stop it. It takes a little while for the morning sickness to come, and as far as I know, Gwen hasn't had regular periods in her life, so it's probably Rhys. Is it?"

Gwen startled a little when she met Rhiannon's eyes. She didn't look completely convinced. "Of course. Of course it's his. Unless the holy ghost…" She rolled her eyes. "Please don't tell anyone. I already booked an appointment with my doctor at home."

Ianto looked ecstatic. "It's just awesome. Are you sure you want to keep it a secret? This would be a great going away present to the choir. They will love it."

She cocked her head and gave Ianto a piercing stare. "But I don't know for sure, and I don't want to get too excited before it's confirmed."

Ianto looked at his watch. "But we have time though. Don't pee just yet, let me run to the store." He headed back to his room and before Gwen got a chance to say anything he came back out with pants on, struggling to get a t-shirt over his head. "Hold it. I'll be back in a few."

Rhiannon and Gwen looked at each other. "Just as well." Her cousin shrugged. "Ma and Pa have left already, and Johnny worked the nightshift so he's in a coma right now. You can just take the test and get it confirmed. Ianto and I won't tell anybody until Rhys is informed."