A/N: WELL. My wonderful, beautiful bobwhites, you were all QUITE upset by the way I left things in the previous chapter. I felt very badly about this. Soooo, I wrote you another one to make things a little better. It may not be what you expected, but at least it should (should?) make you happy, and I do think it's the only possible/logical continuation of the story. If you don't like it, just make believe that the story ends with Ch. 2, and this is just some crazy rambling that has absolutely nothing to do with it. As usual, please review and let me know what you think!

Seriously. Please review. Otherwise I will cry.

Enjoy!

Sometimes life surprises you.

It was a few days after Christmas, just after dark, and Castiel was walking home over the bridge, his scarf wrapped tightly around his face and his hands jammed in his pockets. And then soft white snowflakes began to fall from the dark sky, orange streetlights casting them into relief, disappearing into the choppy black water below.

Castiel stopped, and watched the snowflakes fall for awhile. He stared up at the sky, and then slowly lowered his gaze to the water, resting his hands on the rail, considering…

"Hey! Hey there!"

Castiel spun around.

A man was jogging towards him, in a black wool coat and a knit hat. As he came closer, Castiel realized he was a bartender from Ramone's, his usual place. The one who usually served him on Friday nights, tall with a thin nose and olive skin.

"Hi there, buddy," the bartender said. He slowed to stop by Castiel and wrapped his arms around himself, tucking his hands under his armpits. "It's freezing out here! What're you doing?"

"I just… stopped," Castiel answered, a little unnerved by his familiarity. "The snow is beautiful tonight."

"Novak, right?" The bartender stuck out his hand. "I'm David."

He shook his hand, eyeing the armpit it had come from and thankful he was wearing gloves. "You can call me Castiel."

"Castiel," David repeated. "Cool." He paused a moment, watching him. "Everything alright, Castiel?"

"Yes," Castiel answered warily.

"Sooo, uh…" He rocked back on his heels. "You weren't gonna… jump, or anything."

Castiel frowned. "Of course not."

"Good!" David blurted. "Great!" Then he laughed self-consciously. "Sorry, I must sound crazy, it's just – you stopped, and you were looking, and… statistically speaking, you know, it's the holidays –"

"I'm a psychology professor," Castiel informed him. "I know the statistics."

David nodded, and tucked his hands farther. "Fair enough. You were just looking down over the edge, and you looked like maybe…" He trailed off, and looked at the ground. "Anyway, you had me worried there for a minute." He looked back up at Castiel, and Castiel noticed he had light brown eyes, warm and friendly. "Where you headed?"

"Home," Castiel said. "To an empty house. With a dead Christmas tree I forgot to water and a present I bought myself."

David laughed in disbelief. "Alllllrighty, there is absolutely no way I'm leaving you alone on this bridge," he replied, only half-joking.

"We could walk together," Castiel offered.

"Sounds good." David stepped forward alongside him. "I'm going this way anyway."

They walked along silently, the snow falling down in thick sheets, glistening on their shoulders and dusting their hair.

"So you're a professor?" David asked.

Castiel nodded.

"I'm a bartender," he added.

Castiel smiled. "I've noticed."

"This is a really long bridge," David observed.

"That's true," Castiel agreed.

He pursed his lips. "How offended would you be if I hit on you right now?"

Castiel stopped in his tracks. "What?"

"Like on a scale of one to ten," he explained, turning to him. "One being flattered and ten being… you push me off the bridge."

"I think I would be… not so much offended as confused," Castiel said, struggling to find the right words. "Do you often flirt with strangers you think are suicidal?"

"We're not strangers," David replied, blushing a little – but then maybe it was just the cold reddening his cheeks. "We just introduced ourselves, remember? And from your response, I'm gonna guess a seven. So that's a no go. It's okay, I kinda figured you were straight anyway. It's no big deal."

They walked on silently in the dark.

"I'm not straight," Castiel said.

David glanced at him. "What?"

"I'm not straight," he repeated. "I'm gay."

"Oh," David said. "So you've got a boyfriend? A really neglectful boyfriend?"

Castiel smiled wryly. "No."

"Oh." David's voice dropped. "So it's just me."

"No, it's just that I –" Castiel stopped walking, and yanked his coat tight in frustration. "I don't have anything against you, I simply don't understand why you're doing this! You didn't need to stop to talk to me. I don't even know you."

David had a strange look on this face, and he was looking at Castiel, and the wind blew a strand of his dark brown hair across his forehead. "You don't understand why a guy would be nice to you?"

Castiel felt heat rise in his cheeks, and he looked away, across the water.

"Look, Castiel…" David spoke slowly, carefully. "I see you come in a lot, and… you're always by yourself. At first I thought it was to pick up women, but then I started to see that no matter how many came over to you, you never left with them. And a part of me hoped, that… maybe I'd have a chance…" He sighed, and ran a hand through his hair. "You're right, I don't know you. But I'd like to get to know you. It doesn't have to be all…" He gestured vaguely between the two of them. "You know. It can be casual. I'm not trying to be a creep here, it's just that this is the first time I've ever run into you off the clock, and I thought… Why the hell not?"

Castiel shivered and shoved his hands further in his pockets. "David, I am… a difficult person. I'm not like everybody else, I don't know how to be like everyone else. I'm going to disappoint your expectations. But…." His throat tightened, and he lowered his voice. "If you still want to know me, I would like to have a friend."

And slowly, softly, David smiled. "Yeah," he said. "I'd like that too."

…..

Three years later, Castiel sat in the Indianapolis International airport, a small suitcase and a duffel bag at his feet. Only a few days until Thanksgiving, and the place was crowded as a market street and twice as noisy. Infants squalling, little plastic wheels squeaking, thousands of fellow travelers talking on cellphones and consulting their tickets and complaining about TSA. Castiel sat back in his molded plastic seat and closed his eyes, losing himself in a sea of unintelligible noise.

"Castiel?"

He opened his eyes.

Standing there, in a leather jacket and t-shirt, was Dean Winchester.

Castiel blinked, and sat up. "Dean?"

A little behind him stood a dark-haired woman and a distracted teen, who was busily texting someone on his phone. "I cannot believe this," Dean said, just staring at Castiel. "It is one small freaking world."

"This must be your family," Castiel said, smiling at the other two.

"Yeah – right, of course!" Dean shook his head and put his hand to the woman's elbow. "This is my wife, Lisa, and our son, Ben. Lisa, Ben, this is Castiel Novak."

"Nice to meet you," Lisa said, offering him a brilliant wide smile and her hand. "How do you and Dean know each other?"

Castiel shook her hand. "I was his professor once."

"And then we ran into each other a few years back," Dean interjected. "Out in Oregon, one night at the bar. Back in my insurance days."

Castiel raised his eyebrows.

"I quit insurance," Dean informed him. "I work in construction management now. Closer to home."

"I see." Castiel felt strangely happy to hear it, and he smiled again. "Are you flying for the holidays?"

"Yes," he muttered. His mouth twisted, and his face went a little queasy. "Because according to these two, South Dakota is too far to drive."

Lisa rolled her eyes and patted him on the shoulder. "It is, Dean. It really is."

"It definitely is," Ben confirmed, still texting.

"Anyway," Dean pointedly continued, "what about you? What are you doing in Indiana?"

Castiel took a deep breath. "Well –"

"Hey Cas, did you want a bagel or a muffin?" David called as he strode back towards Cas from the Starbucks. "I couldn't remember, so I got you –" He stopped, and looked at the group. "Oh. Sorry! Didn't mean to barge in."

Castiel stood up and gestured to David. "This is my partner David. And we're flying to spend Thanksgiving with his sister in Vermont. This is just a layover."

And Dean looked at Castiel then, really looked at him, straight in the eyes, and he smiled so sincerely that Castiel felt it in his bones. "That's great. That's really great. I hear Vermont is beautiful this time of year."

"Hey Dean?" Ben said, looking up from his phone for the first time. "We have ten minutes before our flight starts boarding."

"Crap. Ahh…" Dean checked his own phone. "He's right, we gotta go, I wish we could stay and chit-chat –"

"That's alright," Castiel assured him. "It was nice to meet you Lisa, Ben."

"Likewise," Lisa replied, flashing him another smile.

"Uh-huh," Ben mumbled.

"Goodbye, Castiel," Dean said, squeezing him by the hand. "Take care, alright?"

Castiel squeezed back. "I will."

And Dean held on for a second longer, and then said quickly, "I didn't forget you."

Then the three of them walked briskly off towards their gate, blending in with the herd of other hurried passengers. Castiel watched them until he lost track, and then he sat back down in his plastic chair.

David sat down next to him and handed him a bagel. "Who were they?"

Castiel ripped a piece off the bagel and ate it. "An acquaintaince and his family."

"Oh." David took a bite out of his muffin. "Did you see his cheekbones? Those are Johnny Depp-level cheekbones."

Castiel pulled off another chunk of bagel and ate it. "What about my cheekbones?"

David shrugged and took a big bite. With a full mouth, he said, "Meh."

Castiel frowned. "Meh?"

David swallowed his food. "Yeah, Cas, I didn't want to say anything, but you're kinda hideous. Super hideous, actually. I've faked being wildly attracted to you this whole time to keep from hurting your feelings."

Castiel glared at him. "You're making fun of me."

"No," he corrected, "that was teasing. Now I'm making fun of you." And he sat up stiffly in his chair, ripped off a tiny piece of his muffin, popped it in his mouth and glowered in a way Castiel knew was supposed to represent his own expression.

"Very funny," Castiel muttered, slumping into his seat and picking at his bagel.

They ate quietly for a minute.

"I was just joking, you know," David finally said.

Castiel nodded.

"I love you, Cas."

"I love you too," Castiel replied, still picking at his bagel.

"You're kind of ridiculously handsome," he said. "There's no way you don't know that. You're basically – the most handsome man I've ever known."

Castiel smiled. "Thank you. But flattery will get you nowhere."

"No, I mean it."

Castiel looked over at David.

He was gazing at Castiel with this odd expression, equal parts earnest and timid, and he smiled hesistantly and said, "Cas, this is probably terrible timing, but…"

Castiel waited patiently, his heartbeat picking up speed against his will.

"We've been dating for a long time, and… now you're coming to meet my sister, and…" David wiped his forehead with his hand, and Castiel saw his fingers trembling. "Shit, am I sweating? I think I'm sweating. Shit."

Castiel sat up in his seat. "Is everything alright, David?"

"I'm fine!" David answered, his voice jumping an octave. "It's just that – I – well, I was going to wait until Thanksgiving, but I don't want – I just realized that I don't want to even wait that long, so…" He took a deep breath. "Cas, you're pretty much the best thing that ever happened to me, and…"

Castiel accidentally started squeezing his bagel in his hands.

David gulped. "I love you so much, and I can't imagine trying to live without you, and so I figured, heck, why should I imagine that? Why can't I just – make sure you stick around forever –"

The bagel was crumpled to bits, and Castiel began to feel light-headed.

David's entire face was flushed red, and his voice cracked as he concluded, "So I was wondering. If you would. Marry me?"

Castiel reached out and grasped David's hands in his own. "Yes. David. Yes."

And David pulled him into his arms and kissed him desperately, right there in the middle of the noisy crowded airport, and a small child somewhere in the vicinity said, "Ewwwww!"

And Castiel had never been happier in his entire life.