First off, I don't own Supernatural and make no money from these stories

So, this is completely AU, there are no demons or angels, though the demons and angels from the show are in here. This is going to be a series of stories, this one hints at Dean/Castiel but doesn't go into it, I'm going to make more though, and continue the story. I plan to make some very blatant references to the show and some subtle references to different episodes. I'm going to try to get as many characters from the show in here as well. There are a few that are going to be out of character, so please be aware of that and don't yell at me later about it.

Like I said, this is completely AU, yes Mary died in the fire, but it wasn't started by the demon, and John turned to drinking and abusing his sons after that and because of that, Dean basically raised Sam. Bobby will have a huge part in their lives, because I absolutely LOVE that character and he was a great father figure to them, so I kinda threw him into that role.

Please let me know what you think, like I said, I'm going to make this a series if people like it, I'm going to pull things in from the show, not going to say what yet, but other characters will show up in upcoming parts, I have a lot of plans, evil, evil plans.

"Hey Dean," a voice called and Dean Winchester pulled himself out from under the car he had been working on, standing as his younger brother came towards him, a grin on his face.

"Hey Sammy," he said, wiping his hands on a rag he pulled from his pocket, "did you pass?"

"I got an 'A'," Sammy said, waiving the paper around and Dean slapped him on the back.

"Like there was any doubt," he replied grinning back. "Hey Ash," he called to the stoner that was a sometimes-employee of Singer's Auto, "he passed."

"Passed what?" the other man asked, looking confused and Dean shook his head.

"Never mind dude," he called back before turning back to Sam. "We should celebrate," he said leading the younger man out of the garage and into the lobby.

"We can't celebrate every time I pass," Sam pointed out and Dean shook his head.

"Watch me, the more you pass, the faster you get out of this hell hole," he said, moving behind the counter and pulling off his jumpsuit, revealing a white muscle shirt and jeans underneath.

"I don't know if I want to go," Sam said as Dean sat down to pull his boots on, his eyes on the counter in front of him.

"Bullshit," Dean snapped, glaring up at his younger brother, "I'm stuck here, but you have the chance to get out, I'm not letting you pass that up."

"Dean," Sam started but Dean turned him around as he grabbed his leather jacket as he pushed him out of the office, calling a goodbye to Ash as they left.

"No, we are not having this conversation again Sam," Dean said harshly, moving around to the driver's side of his Chevy Impala, Sam climbing into the passenger's.

The drive to The Roadhouse, a local bar and steakhouse, was quiet, Dean's knuckles were white where gripped the steering wheel, his jaw clinched. He had barely graduated high school, but Sam was a certified genius and had a chance to get a full ride to any college he wanted. Dean wasn't sure who was more proud of Sam's accomplishments, Sam or himself, but he was pretty sure it was himself. He had practically raised Sam from when he was six and Sam was almost two. Their house had burnt down, killing their mother and nearly taking their lives as well. Their father had pushed Sam into his arms and told him to run out of the house which he did and then watched from the yard as their house burnt to the ground, their dad had barely made it out himself. From that day on, Dean had felt protective of Sam and he did everything in his power to make sure he had a good life. That was hard though, with an abusive father.

Not long after their mom had died in the fire, their dad had turned to drinking and not long after that, to abusing them. It started out verbal, calling Dean worthless and blaming him for his mother's death, though it had been faulty wiring that had started the fire. Dean had just been happy that Sam was too young to understand and his dad never turned it on him, not until Sam was five.

Dean remembered it like it was yesterday, he had stopped by the babysitters on his way home from school and had been told that his dad had picked Sam up. He had raced home to find his father yelling at the five year old as he cowered in a corner. Dean didn't care what his dad was yelling about, he just flew into protective mode and got between his brother and their father. That was the first time that John Winchester struck his son, but it wasn't the last. Dean had gone the next day and asked the babysitter not to let his dad take Sam home, to wait for him to pick the younger boy up.

Ellen Harvelle had known the Winchester's for years, she had been close with Mary and was worried with what she saw in Dean's eyes, but agreed. Sam was the same age as her own daughter and she feared something was wrong, but didn't push when Dean didn't want to talk about it. Over the years she ignored the bruises that Dean kept showing up with, wanting to believe his stories of wrestling, and not the signs stating that his dad was an abusive asshole.

She wasn't the only one, they lived in a small town and everyone's business was the town's business, but no one spoke up, everyone pretended not to see, pretended that they believed Dean's lies.

No one did anything until Bobby Singer moved back in when Dean was ten, he had lived their previously but moved away several years ago, for his wife's treatment when she got sick. Bobby had owned a junkyard/garage and was known to be one of the best mechanic's there ever was. When he moved back in, he noticed Dean hanging around the shop when he was supposed to be in school. Instead of calling him on it, he had engaged the boy in learning about cars, and seeing the bruising for what it was, he gave him and Sam a sanctuary to go to after school. Dean had been flunking out of the fourth grade and Bobby made him a deal, that if he passed his classes, he would show the young boy how to fix cars. Dean had agreed immediately and spent many hours doing homework in Bobby's front office, and learning about cars once it was done. It had been a struggle, Dean had fallen far behind because the teachers didn't seem to care, they just wanted the troublemaker out of their class by the end of the year and passed him on to the next grade. Bobby had been furious, he and his wife had never had any children of their own and Bobby started looking at the young Winchester's as his responsibility. He had gone to Dean's fourth grade teacher and ripped into her, bringing the young woman to tears eventually and Dean had never felt so embarrassed or so loved before.

After apologizing, Bobby sat down with Dean's teacher and they worked out a plan to help the boy, it turned out that Ms. Barnes was a fairly new teacher and didn't know what to do with Dean. With their help, Dean started doing better, but never got above a 'B' average and he went on to the fifth grade honestly.

He made it through Junior High and High School, some struggles there, it turned out he had mild dyslexia when it came to numbers, but he walked with his class. Bobby had given Dean the Impala as a graduation gift and he wasn't sure he'd ever seen Dean cry before then.

Bobby had learned quickly, that when it came to Sam, you had to go through Dean first. He once compared Dean to a mother bear protecting her cub, and he wasn't far off. If anyone even looked at his baby brother cross eyed, Dean would jump in, ready to fight. From what he could gather of their home lives, Dean had raised the boy from a toddler to the six year old he met with the first time.

Bobby watched over the years as Sam would stand behind Dean, at first because the other boy protected him, but as they grew older and Sam grew taller, it became more of him protecting Dean as much as Dean protected him. Sam was a senior now and had applied to several major colleges, a lot of the big ones at Dean's insisting and the surrogate father knew he'd get in to almost all.

"Hey Sam," Ellen called as soon as Dean and Sam walked into The Roadhouse, "how'd you do?" Over the years, Ellen had watched Sam while Dean was in school until he was old enough to go to school himself and had loved the boy like a son. That didn't stop her from running him off with a shotgun when she found him and her daughter Jo together when they were fifteen. It had been Dean who had come to talk to her about it and she met him a the door with her arms crossed. He had taken one look at her expression, nodded to her, said 'ma'am', turned and walked away. They had an understanding from then on, Ellen was not one to mess with, and Jo was off limits.

"He passed," Dean called out, receiving a cheer from the patrons around the room, most raising their glasses in congratulations.

"Two beers please," Dean said, walking up to the bar where Ellen was stationed and she gazed back with a raised eyebrow.

"Now, who's that other beer for Dean?" she asked, as she picked up a glass and started filling it, "because I know for a fact that you only drink one." Dean never drank more than that on the fear that he would turn out to be his dad and that was the last thing he wanted.

"Come on Ellen," Dean said batting his eyelashes at her, "that's his last big paper of the year, he'll be graduating in a month." Ellen stared back unmoved, before glancing at Sam who was watching them curiously and sighed.

"Fine, but I'm going to water it down and if Rufus walks in, it's yours. Understood?" Rufus Turner was the local sheriff and was lenient on some things, but underage drinking was not one of them.

"Yes ma'am," Dean said, grinning at her and she rolled her eyes.

"Don't get smart," she said and passed him the mugs, "your usual?" she called after him.

"Of course," he replied and slid into what had become his and Sam's regular booth.

"How did you get her to agree to his?" Sam asked, picking up the beer and taking a sip and scowling a moment later. "Ah."

"Howdy boys," Jo said, walking to their table and carrying their food orders in her hands, her long blond hair pulled back and tucked under a baseball cap that read 'The Roadhouse'.

"Thanks Jo," they both said as she gave them a wink and turned to walk away, her hips swaying in a way that had most men turning their heads, including Sam's.

"Knock it off," Dean said, kicking his brother under the table and Sam turned his eyes back to him.

"What?" he asked, trying to sound innocent but Dean wasn't buying it as he reached for the A1 sauce.

"She will kill you," Dean warned and Sam looked towards the bar where Ellen was still standing but she was now glaring at each and every man, every one quickly turning back to their dinner or beers. Ellen's eyes met Sam's for a moment and narrowed further, she had never forgiven him for his little tryst with Jo years ago and he swallowed and turned back to his dinner.

"Look, just because you don't like a nice ass," he started, glancing at Dean, "doesn't mean I can't look."

"I like a nice ass Sammy," Dean shot back and pushed a piece of steak with mashed potatoes into his mouth.

"Yeah, just not on a woman," Sam replied and Dean shrugged but didn't deny it, "and don't call me Sammy."

"Hey boys," a voice said and they looked up to find Bobby Singer standing over their table, still in his work overalls and covered in grease.

"Hey Bobby," the chorused, their mouths full.

"Idjits," the older man muttered and looked to the older brother, "Dean, we got a call, there's a car stranded on the I-10 near mile marker 22, can you go get him? Don't look at me like that," he warned when Dean narrowed his eyes, "I don't see well in the dark anymore and Ash is, well he's Ash, you're the only one who can go, so get your ass moving." Dean sighed, stuffed another bite of steak into his mouth and stood, tossing his keys to his brother.

"I'll be back in a half hour," he said, meaning that Sam should go to the shop and wait for him, Sam was older now, taller than Dean, taller than their dad even, but he didn't want him going home without him.

"Sounds good," Sam said, catching the keys and returning to his meal.

"Don't you dare touch my food," Dean said, glaring at Bobby.

"Wouldn't dream of it," the older man said, trying to look innocent but Dean saw right through him.

"Robert Singer, if you sit in my booth and get grease on it, you'll be cleaning it up and banned for a month," he heard Ellen yell as he exited the restaurant and grinned.

The walk to the garage wasn't long and he quickly climbed into the tow truck and headed out of the town. It really was a small place, it had one main road that went from one end to the other and one blinking red light in the middle. The courthouse stood as a social center, they had a large 4th of July celebration every year, and a huge Christmas tree in the park from November 1st through December 31st. It really was the small town he heard in every country song that was on the radio, not that he listened much, he liked the 'Mullet Rock' as Sam liked to call it but country was about all they got out here. Once the main part of town ended, there was nothing but farm land for miles, they were one of the last surviving towns in the country that made a lot of money from their farms and were quite wealthy, considering.

Reaching the highway, Dean pressed on the gas pedal and sighed when the truck only went a few miles an hour faster, missing his baby already. As he drove down the highway, surrounded by darkness and the lights from his dash and headlights, he thought about leaving again. He had thought about it a lot growing up, wanting to get away from his father, he could hot wire a car and he and Sam could just disappear. He had tried hot wiring one of Bobby's cars and that was how he had met the man, he hadn't even gotten the door open before the older man had spotted him. Instead of calling the cops, Bobby had offered to show him to to hot wire the car and cause the least amount of damage and Bobby became his hero. From then on, he and Sam would got to Bobby's shop after school, just so they didn't have to go home. Now, though, Sam was going to leave him and he'd be alone. Not that he didn't love Bobby like a father, and the rest of the town was great, once they stopped pretending nothing was happening of course, but he just wanted to get out.

Sighing as he saw the flashing hazards of a car parked on the other side of the highway, Dean turned around in the median and parked in front of the car and climbed out, the man doing the same. From what Dean could see, he was wearing a long, tan, trench coat over a suit, the tie hanging loosely around his neck. As the man stepped in front of the headlights, Dean squinted and tried to get a closer look, but couldn't get a clear picture.

"You called for a tow truck?" Dean asked as he moved closer to the car.

"No, I just like sitting on the side of the road with my hazards on," the sarcastic reply was a surprise, the deep gravely voice even more so.

"All right," Dean said slowly, trying not to be offended, "what's going on?"

"It's not working," the man snapped and Dean clenched his jaw, trying to convince himself that hitting the man wouldn't help anything.

"I get that, what was it doing before it stopped working?"

"It was rattling and making a 'clunking' sound," he said and Dean sighed before requesting that the man open the hood as he turned to turn on the lights built onto the truck for this purpose. Once the lights were on, he turned back around and found that the man was now bathed in light and he could see his features. He had dark hair that was sticking on end as if he'd ran his hands through it a half a dozen times, dark stubble on his jaw and he looked tired. Turning back to the car, Dean was pleased to find the hood open and moved forward.

"When was the last time you had the oil changed?" he asked, peering in at the engine.

"Oil change?" the man replied, sounding confused and Dean closed his eyes.

"Yes," he shot back, barely keeping the sarcasm out of his voice, "it's where they add oil into your car's engine to make things work." So maybe by the end of that sentence the sarcasm had slipped in and he glanced over his shoulder to find the man glaring.

"I don't know, this isn't my car, I borrowed it from a friend."

"Great," Dean muttered and stood straight, closing the hood as he did.

"What are you doing, aren't you going to fix it?" the man demanded and Dean counted to ten.

"What it sounds like, is that you have a possible thrown rod, if that's the case, I can't fix it here, we need to take it back to the shop. If you're really lucky," he went on when the other man opened his mouth, "it will only be a rod knock, not as serious. Either way, I will need to get in and get a closer look at the underside." With that, Dean moved to his truck and backed it up so he could get the car hooked on.

"You have three options, one : you can ride in the car, two : ride with me, or three : stay here, your choice," he said once the car was hooked up and moved to the truck, not caring which option the man took but hoping for the third. When the door to the truck opened, the man climbed inside, looking around distastefully but not saying a word.

"I'm Dean by the way," Dean said once they were a ways down the road and neither had said anything.

"Castiel," was the short reply after a long moment where Dean thought the other man wasn't going to respond. The rest of the ride was mostly silent, interrupted by Castiel calling his 'friend' and yelling at the voice mail when he didn't pick up, but nothing else was said between them until they reached the dark garage. Dean moved Castiel's car into a parking spot then parked the truck, looking around for Sam but not seeing him.

"Why aren't you fixing it now?" Castiel demanded and Dean turned to him.

"It's nearly eight, we're not open past five," he said, with fake patience.

"Well I don't have time to stick around here," the other man said, looking around with a sneer.

"Well you're going to have to make the time, we're closed and our supplier is closed so no work could be done, even if we did stay open this late."

"What do you mean supplier, don't you have the parts?" Castiel demanded.

"Sorry, we don't keep a slew of BMW's in the back, just for spare parts," Dean shot back sarcastically.

"Fine," Castiel finally said and looked around again, "does this town have a hotel?"

"Two blocks that way," Dean said pointing to his left, "take a right, three blocks beyond that."

"Great," the other man said before moving to his car and pulling out a suitcase, a computer bag and locking the car before stomping away. Sighing, Dean turned and looked around the parking lot again, but neither the Impala or Sam were there. Cursing, he was just about to leave when something on the door caught his eye. There was a piece of paper taped there and he quickly pulled it off and read the messy scrawl.

'Dean, I just realized that I should be receiving my acceptance letters, went home to try to stop dad from seeing them. -Sam." Cursing a blue streak, Dean started running. John had no idea that Sam had applied for college, they had decided with Bobby to keep it from him. John had a philosophy that living in this town was good enough for him, so it would be good enough for his sons. Nothing he did or said would stop Sam from going to college, Dean would make sure of that, but he would make Sam's life hell until he left.

He was a block away when he heard the shouting and picked up his pace, barely sparing their older neighbor a smile as he raced past, and burst into the kitchen.

Sam and his dad were standing toe to toe, Sam's nose was bleeding and swelling, John had several letters crumpled in his left fist, his right index finger in Sam's face.

"-you think that I'm going to let you go off to some fancy college, I'm not paying a damn dime to them," his dad was yelling and Dean saw Sam open his mouth to reply, but grabbed his arm and moved between them.

"What is going on?" he demanded, looking between the two taller men, hating the fact that he was the shortest.

"This little shit," his dad answered first and Dean could smell the alcohol on his breath, "thinks he's better than us Dean, thinks he's better than this whole damn town!"

"I am better than you!" Sam yelled back and Dean pushed him away so their dad couldn't hit him.

"Sam, now is not the time," he tried desperately, trying to defuse the situation.

"But I am Dean, I'm better than him, I'm better than this town and I'm better than you," Sam yelled and everything seemed to stop. Dean had said it to Sam thousands of times over the years, 'you're better than everyone, especially me', but Sam had always refuted it, until now. Dean felt like he had been sucker punched in the stomach and saw the shock on Sam's face as he registered what he'd said.

"Dean," he started but Dean shook his head, pointing to the family room behind them.

"Don't, go sit in there, I'll talk to dad," with that, he turned back to their father who had been watching them.

"How does it feel Dean?" their dad mocked, "he thinks he's better than even you."

"I know he's better than me," Dean shot back, watching his dad closely for signs of an attack, "he is better than this town and he is better than you."

"Bullshit," John spat and Dean looked at him in what felt like the first time in a long time and for the first time felt an overwhelming sadness for the man. He remembered before their mom died that John had been a great dad. They had gone to baseball games, played catch, family bike rides and trips, but the man that had been was gone now, the only thing that was left was a shell of the man he once was.

"Dad," Dean said quietly, "he is better than us, he's better than the two of us put together. He is so smart it's scary, you should see his test scores, the papers he brings home. He's going to college and you're not standing in his way."

John moved so fast that Dean didn't see him move until he was pressed against the wall, the older man's hand around his throat, cutting off his air supply. Dean's eyes widened in panic as every self defense move he knew fled and he did nothing but scratch and pull at the hand wrapped tightly around his neck. He tried kicking his dad, something anything, trying to get Sam's attention, he tried calling out but John's hold was too tight, finally his foot struck a chair nearby and it clattered to the ground.

"Dean?" Sam's voice called as spots started dancing in his vision and out of the corner of his eye, he saw Sam enter the kitchen. "Dean!" he yelled and the next thing Dean knew was that they were all on the ground, Sam had tackled his father to the floor and they had dragged Dean with them.

Dean lay there coughing and gasping for air for a good minute, ignoring the sound of flesh striking flesh until the spots stopped dancing and he looked towards his brother.

"Sam!" he called, his voice hoarse so he cleared his throat and tried again, getting his brother's attention. Sam had his father by the shirt, his fist raised to strike again when he glanced at Dean and sat back, letting go of their unconscious father. Standing, he pulled Dean to his feet and tried to touch his throat but Dean batted his hands away.

"Go get your stuff," Dean said, clearing his throat again, "we're going to Bobby's and we're not coming back." Dean gathered up the scattered acceptance letters before moving upstairs to do the same, packing two duffel bags full before meeting Sam downstairs.

Not even glancing back at John, they left the house for the last time, climbing into the Impala and headed to the only home they had felt welcome in.

"What the hell happened?" Bobby demanded when he opened the door, taking in Sam's swollen nose and Dean's bruised throat. "Never mind, get in here you idjits," he said and stepped back allowing them to enter.

"So, which one are you going to chose?" Bobby asked an hour later, Sam was holding an icepack to his nose, Dean was on his second beer and they were looking over the acceptance letters. As Bobby and Dean had thought, Sam had been accepted to every one of them. Sam reached forward and picked up one in particular.

"Really Sammy, across the country?" Dean said and his brother looked up, seeing the smile to show he was joking.

"Stanford was my first choice, they have a great law program," Sam defended though he didn't need to.

"I know it is kiddo," Dean said quietly, "you can send them your reply tomorrow, you need to get to bed, you have school." Bobby looked between the two and wondered, not for the first time, how Dean had managed it. He was still a kid himself but he put everything aside for his younger brother, hell he only had an old brick cell phone, one that was probably ten years old, even Bobby had a newer one, thought he hated the thing.

"Night guys," Sam said, standing and heading upstairs, the older men wishing him a good night as he left.

"What are you going to do when he leaves?" Bobby asked as Dean stood to grab another beer, "that's your third one tonight kid."

"I know Bobby, but my dad just tried to kill me, I think I deserve this. Last one, I swear," he said as he popped the top and took a swig.

"So?" Bobby prompted when he didn't receive a response to his question. Dean sighed and put his beer down, running a hand over his face

"I don't know, probably go crazy worrying about him out there all alone."

"Maybe this will be good for the both of you," the older man pointed out and received a grunt in response. "I'm serious Dean, your whole life has revolved around that boy since you were six years old, no six year old should have to raise his brother. Don't look at me like that," he said wagging a finger in Dean's face when the boy looked offended. "You've done a damn fine job considering, but maybe it's time you lived your life for yourself, and not for him. When was the last time you had a date?"

"Well it's kinda hard to find a date when there are no other gay men in town," Dean pointed out and Bobby rolled his eyes.

"Riverside is a half hour from here," he pointed out. The other town was about three times the size of theirs and more lively.

"I'm not looking for a gay cowboy," Dean shot back, they were considered to be cowboys, not the hard working ones, but the ones that stood around in too-tight jeans, big cowboy hats and spitting chew everywhere and had never seen a cow in their lives.

"I'm not saying go find a 'Brokeback Mountain' love story," Bobby said and Dean spit his beer out, staring at the other man in surprise.

"You've seen 'Brokeback Mountain'?" he demanded and Bobby glared.

"I've heard of it," he defended and Dean laughed.

"Sure you have," he replied, still chuckling and taking another sip of beer.

"I'm just saying Dean, that you need to find someone."

"I know Bobby, maybe one day, but not right now," Dean replied before setting his empty bottle down and standing. "Thanks for letting us stay, goodnight," he said and moved past the older man, squeezing his shoulder as he went.

The next day, Dean waited for Castiel to show up, the car had a thrown rod and the engine block needs to be replaced, so either the prick would be staying in town for a while or he was going to have to find a way out.

"You're favorite person is here," he heard Ash say and pulled himself out from under Ellen's old beat up truck to see Castiel making his way towards them. He's not wearing a suit this time, just slacks and a blue sweater, his trench coat over that. He still has a five o'clock shadow, as if he couldn't be bothered to shave and his hair looks wind blown. Sighing, Dean pulled himself up and wiped his hands off on the rag in his pocket.

"What's the verdict?" the other man asks, not even offering a greeting and Dean tries not to be insulted as he turns towards the car in question.

"Well your oil lines are dry as a desert and you threw a rod, it's going to take a few days to get it fixed," he replied and leaned against the car. Castiel sighed and ran a hand through his hair, making it stick up more.

"Alright, I can do that," he said and glanced at Dean out of the corner of his eye. "Look, Dean," he said awkwardly, "about last night, I'm sorry. I was already pissed off when this piece of junk stopped working and took it out on you." Dean blinked in surprise, not expecting that at all, he had expected more anger and rudeness.

"Don't worry about it," he replied feeling awkward. "So you don't mind being stuck in a backwater town like ours?" he asked a moment later and the other man smirked.

"No, plus my friend can't get out here for at least a few days, and there is no way in hell I'm going to pay for this, that bastard can fork over the money. Look, can I buy you lunch or something to make up for last night?"

"Sure," Dean replied after checking his watch, though he had been thoroughly pissed off last night, he never passed up an opportunity for a free meal, plus Castiel was hot.

They made their way to The Roadhouse, it was the only place in town that was open for lunch, and took a seat in one of the booths. Soon after, Castiel excused himself to go to the bathroom and Jo nearly skipped over, grinning. Considering that she was carrying a tray of glasses, it was a miracle that she didn't drop them.

"Way to go Dean!" she cried, placing two water glasses down and he looked up at her, confused.

"What?"

"That guy is totally hot, good job," she replied.

"You don't even know he's gay," he shot back, getting what she was hinting at.

"Oh please, my gaydar is never wrong," she said, placing a hand on her hip.

"Please," he scoffed and she narrowed her eyes at him.

"I knew you were gay the moment I met you," she said, pointing a finger in his face.

"I've known you since you were a baby," he said, grabbing her finger and pulling hard.

"Ow, you jerk," she said, hitting him on the shoulder, "but that's how good my gaydar is."

"Gaydar?" a voice said from behind her and they both turned to see Castiel standing there, a smirk on his lips and an eyebrow raised. To Dean's amusement and wonder, he watched as Jo blushed and pushed past the other man.

"Who does she think is gay?" the other man asked curiously and Dean bit back a groan

"It's nothing, forget it," Dean said, shaking his head and turning to the menu, though he didn't really need it.

"Was it me?" Castiel asked and Dean sighed.

"No, she was talking about me," he finally said, everyone in town knew it, and most didn't care, there were a few, but knew not to mess with him.

"You're gay?" Castiel asked, sounding surprised and Dean grit his teeth, wondering if he would have another problem with him.

"Is that a problem?" he demanded and Castiel chuckled.

"If it were, that would be hypocritical of me," he said nonchalantly, gazing at the menu. Dean blinked, then blinked again and jumped when he heard a 'whoop' from the counter, knowing it was Jo.

"I knew it!" he heard her call and shook his head.

"You shouldn't have said that," he warned and Castiel looked up confused.

"Is there a problem?"

"Not unless you consider the fact that everyone in town is now going to hound you for information and try to set us up." The other man studied him for a long moment, his head cocked to the side.

"Well we could always beat them to that step," he said, returning to his menu and Dean nearly gaped at him.

"Are you asking me out?"

"Depends on your answer," the other man said, peering at him over the top of the menu.

"He says 'yes'," Jo said, coming to their table and setting down two plates in front of them and Dean glared up at her.

"He didn't even order," he pointed out, but she ignored him and grinned at Castiel.

"He'll have what you're having; so where are you from?" she asked, staring at Castiel and pushing into the seat next to Dean.

"Why aren't you in school?" Dean demanded.

"Half-day, now shush, I'm talking to him," she said pointing to the man across from them.

"You don't even know his name," Dean said and tried to push her out of the booth but she didn't budge.

"Jo," Ellen's voice interrupted them as Jo opened her mouth, "what are you doing?" the older woman demanded.

"Just talking," the younger girl said, standing.

"I let you stay home today to study for that final, either study or get your ass to school." Jo grumbled and stalked past her mother. Ellen gave them both an appraising stare before she smirked at Dean with a wink and turned away.

"I am so sorry," Dean said the moment they were gone. He turned back to the other man to find him trying to hide a smile.

"She's charming," Castiel said, gazing after the two women, Ellen was glaring at her daughter as she sat at one of the bar stools, opening a textbook as she settled.

"Charming, right," Dean said and turned to his meal.

"So, what do you do for a living?" Dean asked as they walked back to the shop when they were finished eating.

"I'm a lawyer," Castiel replied, his hands stuffed into his pockets.

"Ah, so you're a bloodsucker huh?" he asked and the other man laughed.

"Something like that, yes."

"That's what Sammy wants to do," Dean said, and speaking of, he looked up to find his younger brother waiting for him in the parking lot, leaning against the hood of the Impala, talking to Ash.

"Sammy?" Castiel inquired.

"My younger brother," Dean replied, and said younger brother looked up when they entered the parking lot and grinned at them. "Sam, this is Cas, Cas, this is my younger brother Sam," Dean went on, knowing that what the younger man's grin meant, word spread fast in a small town.

"Nice to meet you Cas," Sam said, sticking out his hand which the older man shook.

"Actually, it's Castiel."

"Sorry, I tend to give people nicknames," Dean explained and Castiel shrugged.

"Don't mind, Dean tells me you're going to be a lawyer?" he asked, entering into easy conversation with the younger Winchester.

"Yeah, I was accepted into Stanford, I got my acceptance letter yesterday," Sam said, nodding, looking between his brother and Castiel.

"That's my Alma mater," Castiel replied and Sam's grin widened.

"No way. It was my first choice of schools, I've heard their law program is one of the best."

"That it is, they have some great teachers, just watch out for Criminal Law with Nicholas Bishop, he's earned the nickname 'Lucifer'."

"Sounds like a load of fun," Sam said and Dean left them to talk as he went to check in with Bobby.

"I thought you didn't like him," Bobby said the moment Dean stepped past the threshold of the office.

"He seems like a nice guy," he said shrugging, glaring at the grinning man, "God you guys need to get a life," he muttered, leaving the room to the sound of Bobby's laughter.

"Hey Dean," Sam's voice had him pulling himself out from under Ellen's truck and he looked up at Sam and Castiel who were looking down at him. "Cas says he just accepted a job in Riverside."

"Is that so?" Dean asked, glancing at the other man.

"That's where I was coming from last night, I thought I could make it home but was wrong and got stranded."

"Well I'm glad you did," Sam said, slapping the older man on the shoulder, causing him to stumble forward a bit.

"Me too," Castiel said, not looking away from Dean who grinned back.

Ok, so there you have it, I'll probably get the next one up in a day or so.