A/N: I am so sorry it has taken me so long to update. For the longest time I had writers block, and then had absolutely no time to write this up as I have been extremely busy at university. But thank you for being so patient with me, and I hope that this (smallish) chapter will suffice while I continue writing the next, larger chapter. :) Thanks for being such good readers.
Oh, and I don't own Supernatural, and I never will.

Castiel leaned forward, carefully peering into the seemingly empty room. The beds were empty, as was the cot; no one was playing on the floor. Tilting his head to the side he moved slowly towards the bookcase, seemingly attempting to search for anyone behind it. At this, a quickly stifled giggle filled the room, before the sounds of someone slapping a hand against their mouth.

With his back turned to the rest of the room facing the bookcase, Castiel let out a small smile. He knew this game.

He sighed, very heavily and as though he had been defeated moved towards the large bed closest to the window. Slumping down heavily he forced another sigh through his vessels mouth. But while he may be the textbook picture of a despondent, unlucky angel, his senses were on high alert.

Another giggle escaped the mischievous two and Castiel sighed "Oh Father, where are they?"

Just as a third giggle was quickly stifled, he moved. In one smooth motion, he swooped under the bed, grabbed Dean and Sam and hoisted the two youngsters in the air. Squealing excitedly, Dean and Sam warmed the room with their peals of laughter, warming Castiel's heart. Dropping them down onto the bed with a plot, Castiel let a small smile grace his lips.

"Cas?" Dean asked quietly, after he calmed down from his laughing fit.

"Yes Dean," Castiel answered patiently, reaching over and plopping Sam into his lap.

"I thought you were all roboty and angel like, why are you suddenly able to do fun stuff?" The boy subconsciously played with his shirt, afraid of upsetting the angel. To his eternal surprise, instead he saw a rare gentle smile on the typically expressionless face.

"Do not fret Dean, I am not mad. It is natural for one your age to be curious. I admit that many of your human mannerisms confound me, no matter how many centuries I spent observing your kind. However," here a fond look entered his eyes, and the brothers could not help but be entranced by this previously unseen aspect of Castiel's personality.

"When I was a fledgling, and indeed with all younglings, it was not uncommon for one to play a game of hide and seek with ones caretakers. Even if said caretaker did not know they were playing." Momentarily pulled back into his memories, Castiel missed the shared look the two brothers shared; acknowledging to each other that hiding from Castiel without informing him was not the best idea even if it had positive consequences. This time.

"Cas?" Sam asked, snuggling back into the angel. "We eats nows?"

"Yes Samuel. We shall eat momentarily." Lifting the small boy into his arms, he adjusted him easily until comfortable, letting Sam rest with his head against his chest, listening to his heart. Producing a small brown and white patched stuffed dog, he presented the gift to the little boy, and while Sam was entranced with his new toy, bent down to address Dean who was sitting calmly on the edge of the bed swinging his legs slightly.

"Dean. I assume that I can entrust the safety of your brother with you?" At Dean's serious nod he continued. "Very well. I need to prepare our lunch meal, and am unfamiliar with the process and as such it will take more of my concentration. If you could look after your brother I would be grateful."

Dean grinned. Taking care of Sammy was something he had been doing as long as he could remember; it was easier than breathing to him. And if it meant that he got a little alone time with his brother, who was he to complain. "Sure Cas! Don't worry. I won't let anything happen to Sammy."

Rubbing a hand gently up and down the small warm back, Castiel nodded. "Thank you Dean."

Taking Deans hand, ignoring the scandalized look the boy gave him, he led the two out of the bedroom and to the previously unexplored room directly across from the kitchen. The pale yellow room had a large window, with a heavily cushioned window seat, several bookshelves piled high with books, chest brimming with toys and right in the corner, sitting as unobtrusively as possible, was a playpen.

Dean tensed and looked towards his baby brother. Sam sure was not going to like this. "Cas..." he began, unsure of how to explain the situation to the usually oblivious angel. But Castiel was already ahead of him. Briefly checking to see that Sam was still entranced with the stuff dog in his arms he lowered his voice.

"I know Dean. Sam was dreaming of his childhood last night, and I am sure that he is currently finding this situation harder to cope with that you are at the moment but it is a necessary evil."

"Your funeral Cas." Dean shrugged. If Castiel thought it was necessary, he wasn't exactly in the position to argue with him, but he knew that Sam was going to chuck a fit over the situation. He hated being out of control, and a playpen was not going to improve his mood.

Sam was jolted out of his musing by Castiel putting him down on the ground; Jess had made a dog just like this one while they were in college and it brought back a lot of happy memories, surprisingly for once thinking of her didn't make him upset. Maybe he was finally finding peace with her untimely demise and his hand in it.

Looking up in confusion, his surveyed the new room that they were in, he hadn't been in this area of the house before and it looked like a room he could grow to love easily, what with all the books on the shelves. But then he was brought out of his happy planning when his mind registered the bars around him. Cas wouldn't!

Dean clambered clumsily into the playpen as soon as he saw the disgruntled expression on Sam's face. Hurricane Sam looked like it was about to explode.

"Hiya Sammy!" He chirped as brightly as possible, and the full effect of Sam's puppy dog eyes hit him, almost more potent now that his face was framed by the baby fat. "Wanna do something while Cas cooks dinner?"

Despite his forced cheerfulness, Sam did not look happy, nor look like he was going to change his opinion on the situation anytime soon, so Dean decided to pull out the big guns. Standing up, he peered into the corner before looking into Castiel's eyes pleadingly.

"Hey Cas, do you think you could bring that gold leaf covered book in the corner over here?"

Castiel looked curious at this request but obliged, curiosity tainting his being. Dean accepted it with a muttered thanks and settled himself into a beanbag that was inside the playpen proceeded to open the book. Sam's eye watched his brother curiously. But Dean continued to ignore him, reading the book, until Sam crawled over and into his lap.

"De?"

"Yes Sammy?" Dean asked calmly, no hint that he knew this was going to happen in his voice.

"Weed to me?" Sam's eyes were pleading and Dean smiled, settling more comfortably into the beanbag and returned the book to the opening page.

"Alice in Wonderland, by Lewis Carrol." And Dean started reading the well known book to his little brother, making a little shooing motion with his hand to Castiel to get out of there.

Castiel backed quietly out of the room and shut the door softly before heading back into the kitchen. Once he got there he took a moment to sit on the table, shoulders slumped. When he got his orders he didn't think it would be this tiring to look after the Winchester brothers. With a sigh he shook his head and straightened up, he had things to do. Getting out the ingredients for both dinner and dessert he sat there stumped.

How on earth was he going to be able to make an apple pie?

Dean smiled as he looked at his sleeping brother, wrapped securely in his arms. Sam had fallen asleep about forty-five minutes into the books, his small body naturally curling into his older brother.

When he had seen his brothers extremely put out face he knew that the only way to get him to calm down was the one things that still had an unfailing track record. Ever since Dean had learnt to read, even if it was just the little beginner books back when he was four and five he had always taken great pleasure reading them aloud to Sam. And Sam in turn had become enraptured with the sound of Dean's voice. Whenever he was upset, or put out that Dad once again had failed to return on time for the soccer match he had promised to be there for, Dean had sat him down and proceeded to pick up a book and just read. They would read for hours on end, until the sound of Dean's soothing voice, rising and falling with the pace of the words took him away from his upsets and into a better world. As he grew older the contents of the books began to change, but a favourite still was Alice in Wonderland. It was the first challenging book that Dean had read to him and he read it with such passion that it was still Sam's favourite book.

It was Dean who taught Sammy to read and he knew, for Sam had told him when he asked him to proofread an essay for him during high-school that it was because of their tradition that Sam had developed such a love of reading.

With Sam's curly head resting on his shoulder, his small body wrapped securely in his arms Dean drifted off, safe with the knowledge that Castiel would go to the ends of the earth to protect them.

It was to this scene that Castiel returned to, after his adventurous time in the kitchen. Leaning on the doorway a small smile graced his face. This little family that the world itself seemed determined to destroy had managed to survive against all odds and it was because of that, their strength and determination that Castiel had fought so hard to protect his precious charges. Originally the host had decided a much rougher way of teaching to pair obedience, but Castiel had argued and put his on position and life at stake in order to ensure the safety of the troublesome Winchesters. They had, despite his initial behaviour welcomed him into their fold and tried their best to make sure he was happy, and in the process he had learnt how precious and special each individual life was on earth. For that he owed them everything, and was willing to do anything to ensure that they continued to have at least a small amount of happiness in their life. By becoming their father figure, he hoped to inject a little more laughter, love and happiness into their lives.

Deciding to let them sleep a little while longer before dinner, he turned off the light and the room was enveloped in darkness, the peaceful brothers safe against the monsters of the night.