~*~ Chapter Twelve ~*~

Dean pulled his dirty jeans up over his now soiled boxers, swearing under his breath. When Dean had come down from his orgasm he immediately noticed that Castiel had apparently disappeared on him – not that he was really all that surprised.

Careful not to wake anyone, Dean silently walked outside to grab his bag from the trunk. He fought the urge to pray to Castiel, knowing that the conversation would go much better without the sticky mess in his clothes providing a constant reminder of just exactly what Castiel had seen…and how Castiel had looked watching. Sure, Castiel could have popped in just at the end there, but Dean was pretty sure he must've been there the entire time – or – Castiel popped in and was just so overcome that he had to sit down…either way a more awkward conversation than just 'sorry you had to see that.'

Dean took a long time to finish showering (it was hard to get everything clean when you felt guilty with every swipe of the washcloth and trying to clean up partially dried jizz while at the same time trying to avoid your traitorous dick like the plague). He took so long that by the time he got out of the shower, Amelia had already started making breakfast and Clair was sitting, all ready for the day, at the kitchen table. No way was Dean going to have the conversation in front of them.

"Good morning," Amelia greeted him cheerily. "How did you sleep?"

Dean bit back the snarky comment that would be natural with his foul mood, "Great. You?"

"I slept better than I have since James first agreed to be a vessel. Part of me always worried that Castiel would need him or Claire again and now that that particular fear is gone I feel like I can finally relax back into our lives."

"That makes sense," Dean nodded in understanding.

"By the way, where is Castiel?" Claire asked from the table.

Dean squirmed where he stood. "He…uh…he took off. He'll probably just meet me at Bobby's."

Amelia refused to accept that. Castiel had been ready to ride with Dean. "Are you sure? Last night he said he was going to ride with you."

Dean swallowed nervously, "He might…uh…he didn't really say anything before vanishing." Nothing except the breathy way he said my name just before I came.

Amelia watched Dean closely. Something happened. "Why don't you ask him to join us for breakfast?"

That was the last thing Dean wanted. What if Castiel went and said something about the incident in front of them? But explaining that to Amelia was not something he thought he could do. For whatever reason she seemed to be on the Castiel bandwagon and he didn't want to cross her. His shin twinged at the memory of her well-placed kick.

Dean closed his eyes awkwardly for a moment, about to pray, but it felt too personal for some reason. Grabbing the cell out of his back pocket he called Cas' number, hoping Castiel still had it and hoping that it still had a few minutes on it.

A moment later Dean found himself stumbling backwards as Castiel appeared inches from his face holding a silent cellphone. "It doesn't work anymore. The voice told me I'm out of minutes."

"We'll get you some mo- Wait. How did you know I called?"

Castiel averted his eyes causing a number of perverted things to run through Dean's mind…the starring thought: Did Castiel pleasure himself while watching me shower?

Dean jumped when Amelia walked past him to place a platter of pancakes on the table. "James should be down in a minute but you can go ahead and start eating."

"Thank you. It looks great." Dean sat at the table in the same chair he had last night, unsurprised when Castiel sat down too.

The four had barely started eating when Jimmy came down to join them for breakfast.

"We are going to church after breakfast. Would you like to join us?"

Dean's derisive snort was cut short as Castiel squeezed his knee briefly before moving his hand away. Was that meant as a warning or…

"Actually I was planning on getting on the way right after breakfast," Dean answered diplomatically. "Cas-"

"Castiel mentioned that time could be a factor in their ability to help you," Amelia interrupted, not feeling even the slightest bit of guilt lying her ass off on a Sunday. When your husband leaves you for years and gets blown up for God you should get to break the rules every once in a while, at least she thought so. "He was going to ride with Dean so they can brainstorm ideas for their friend to start researching while they're on the way."

Dean watched Castiel's expression. Even though he remained silent, Dean could tell by Castiel's eyes and minute body language that Amelia was lying about something.

"I understand. I really do appreciate any help you guys can provide."

Dean shrugged nonchalantly, they'd already discussed this and with the exclusion of the horizontal kind of thanks, Dean preferred not to receive more than cursory thanks.

The rest of the meal was eaten in silence. Dean had assumed everyone was lost in their own thoughts. But just as they were about to leave he saw Amelia take Castiel's phone momentarily before giving it back.

"If you figure out what she's up to would you let me know?" Dean asked Jimmy quietly.

"Sorry Dean, but I already promised her I wouldn't, and with how understanding she's being with my…problem I owe it to her," Jimmy smiled conciliatorily. "If it makes you feel any better, she definitely has your best interests in mind."

"Whipped."

Jimmy just smiled, taking the insult for what it was – friendly banter. He was still smiling halfway through the fire and brimstone sermon, wondering if Amelia could possibly be right.

AN: Sorry for the long wait. I know this chapter makes it clear that Amelia confessed to Jimmy what she was doing but should I leave it at that or include bits of their conversation in a later chapter?