"Gate 34, now boarding." The loudspeakers blare as we walk off of the plane. Gabe smirks as he hands the flight attendant our flight stubs, probably with his number written on the back of them. I sigh, rolling my eyes.

"Gabe, come on, we don't have time to hook up, we need to find Hannah."

"Dude, relax. She'll be fine if we're a few minutes late." Gabe replies; Ignoring him, I spot Hannah and her husband Jeremiah standing by a lone column, talking. I wave to get her attention, and she spots us, beaming when she notices.

"Cas! Gabe! Oh, I'm so glad you guys are home!" She tackles us in a bear hug, and I chuckle, squeezing back. "Oh, Cas, I am so, so sorry. I heard bout what happened in Manhattan with... you know."

I gare at Gabe, who had his hands raised in an "i didn't do it" fashion, and I groan.

"...WHAT?!" I grit out, my blood pressure rising.

"Kaia follows you on instagram and she saw your pot. You know, the one you made about you and Trevor-"

"I know which one you're talking about, Hannah."

"Okay, well she showed Claire, who told Jody, who accidentally told the entire police force."

I take a steadying breath, feeling a stress headache coming on.

"Great. I'm not even home 24 hours and everyone already knows." I mutter, making my way over to the baggage claim Makes me wonder what else the town knows about, I think as I grab my luggage off of the line. They probably wouldn't know about Dean and I all those years ago. At least I hope they wouldn't. As soon as I turned around, my face collides with a broad chest; I groan, putting a hand to my forehead.

"Oh my gosh, I am so sorry, I wasn't really paying attention-" The guy next to me says, and I chuckle lightly.

"It's fine, really. I probably was out of it too and not paying attention." I look up at the guy, and my jaw drops. It was Sam Winchester, Dean's younger brother.

"Castiel? Is that you?"

"Sam? Wh-what are you doing here?"

"Picking up Dean. He's coming back from Afghanistan."

"I form an "oh" with my mouth, my mind racing. Wa he invited to the wedding? Wait. You dolt, he's been serving overseas this entire time. Of course he wasn't invited.

"Cas, you okay?"

"Oh! Yeah, I'm fine! Sorry, I've had a rough week." I say, and he scratches his neck.

"Yeah, I heard. I'm sorry-"

"It's fine, but thank you. Well, I have to get going, but it was nice running into you, Sam. Will you be at the wedding?"

"Yeah, I'm planning on it!"

I smile, and we say our goodbyes, the promise of seeing each other in the near future in the air still. I walk back over to Hannah, Gabe, and Jeremiah and begin to walk towards the exit. We have to stop and let Gabe catch up.

"Was that Sam Winchester you were just talking to?" Gabe asks, a look of surprise etched into his features.

"Yeah, I guess he's picking up dean from the airport. He's coming home from Afghanistan."

"Perfect timing." Gabe mutters, and I scrunch my eyebrows in confusion.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I ask, and Gabe's face flushes red.

"Nothing-"

"Gabe has had a crush on Sam Winchester since middle school-"

"HANNAH!" Gabe whisper-shouts, and I laugh. I've never seen Gabe so flustered like this before.

"Really?" I ask, and Gabe rolls his eyes, opening Hannah's trunk.

"Hey, you liked Dean around the same time I liked Sam, so don't give me that look."

"I'm not judging you, Gabe. I'm actually proud that you're acknowledging your feelings. I think you'd look kinda cute together, actually."

Gabe looks up at me, and his face flushes red again. "..oh. That's not what I was expecting. I figured that you'd be surprised, or lash out at me-"

"Gabe, I am not Chuck and Becky. I would never make you feel worthless for being yourself. I had that experience, and it wasn't fun."

Gabe quiets for a second, then shoves my shoulder lightly with his fist. "So?"

"So what? Gabe, you're my brother. I don't care if you're gay or if your straight. Nothing will change between us."

Gabe smiles, and wraps an arm around my shoulders. "Thanks, big brother."

"You're welcome, little brother. Come on, we're going to make Hannah mad if we don't get a move on."

True to my statement, Hannah was tapping her nails on the roof of the car. Grinning, Gabe and I climb into the car, barely buckled in before Hannah speeds out of the parking lot. Once we got onto the thruway, we all take turns telling the others stories about our lives since we last saw each other, laughing hysterically at the drunk stories we all participated in. I smile, glad that I was here instead of in Manhattan, pining over Trevor with a carton of ice cream and tissues.

"I'm sorry to ruin the fun mood, but I have a question to ask Cas." hannah says, and I lean forward in my seat.

"What's up?"

"How long do you plan on staying in town?"

"I don't know, most likely until after the wedding. Maybe I'll stay longer if I haven't found some sort of job with my qualifications."

"Where were you planning on staying?"

"I was planning on staying at the motel by the house, why?"

"I want you to stay with us for a while, until you figure out what you're going to do next. It's the least we cn do-"

"Hannah, you're fine, there's no need to explain yourself. Besides, I want to see my nieces!"

"Hannah laughs, turning into their driveway. "I'm sure the girls are very happy to see both of you."

We all climb out of the car, Gabe and I headed to the trunk and Hannah into the house to grab the girls. Out of the corner of my eye, I see a flash of pink as it collides with my hip.

"Uncle Cas, Uncle Cas!" Keturah exclaims, wrapping her arms around my waist. "Look, I lost my tooth!"

I grin at the gaping hole in the front of her smile. "Wow, that's awesome, Keturah! How much did the tooth fairy give you?"

"A candy bar!" She grins, and I look up at Hannah, who's smiling behind her hand.

"Hey, where's your sister?"

"Right here!" Keturah's twin sister, Moriah, tackles me from behind. I laugh as I spin around for a hug.

"And how is my little starfish?" I grab their hands and lead them up to Hannah and Jody, idly listening as they tell me story after story.

"Alright girls, time for a nap! say goodnight to Uncle Cas and Uncle Gabe!" Hannah says, taking the girls from me. They wav to me as Hannah brings them into the house, and I'm left on the porch with Jody and Gabe.

"Castiel Novak, give me a hug." Jody says warmly, arms outstretched. I sink into her embrace, sighing in comfort when the smell of vanilla and brown sugar wafts up from her hug.

"Hi, Jody."

"Hey, I'm sorry about opening my big fat mouth and telling everyone about Manhattan." She says, and I chuckle, unwrapping myself from her embrace.

"It's fine, really. They were going to find out eventually."

"But still, I feel bad-"

"Jody, I love you, but please, just drop it. I've made my peace with it."

"Okay, okay, fine!" She raises her hands in surrender. "But don't come crying to me when Mrs. Abrams asks you to brunch and then talks about Manhattan!"

Gabe and i laugh as we follow her in, knowing Jody was right. I lift my suitcase and bring it up the stair to Hannah's guest roo, Gabe shortly behind me.

"There are sheets in the closet on the top, and you guys are more than welcome to anything you need. hannah says, but pauses at the door for a moment. "Cas, can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Yeah, sure." I agree, walking out into the hallway. "What's up?"

"I just want to make sure you're really okay. I mean, you were with Trevor for four years, and now you've lost him and your job. I-"

"No, not you too! I've already told Jody that I've made my peace with what happened in Manhattan. Besides, Trevor would never have come here. He hates dust, and that literally all Lawrence is. Dust, dust, and more dust." I say, my annoyance beginning to seep through. Hannah crosses her arms over her chest and looks at me disapprovingly.

"I don't believe you, Cas. You can't bury things like that immediately."

"Well, I already did." I say, grabbing my jacket from my pile in the room and walking past Hannah. "I don't know if I'll be back for dinner."

"Cas...wait!"

I walk down the stairs and past Jody, who was in the kitchen chopping vegetables for dinner.

"Hey! Where are you going? Dinner will be ready soon!" Jody exclaims, pausing her chopping.

"Out. I'll be back in a bit."

She looks at me skeptically, but resumes her chopping. "Fine, but don't be late for dinner!"

I nod, grabbing the keys off of the rack by the door and walking out. Climbing into Hannah's Jeep, I take a shaky breath as I start the car, trying not to cry.

Dammit, Hannah. How do you always find the spot that hurts the most?

I pull out of the driveway and turn the corner, heading into town; what better way to have a homecoming than reliving old memories?

.....................................................................................................................

Dean's POV

"Sammy, what are we doing here?" I ask as Sam pulls into the parking lot of Lou's Bar and Grill.

"Having a celebratory drink. You're home from Afghanistan, Dean! I haven't seen you in months, so I think alcohol is in order." He smiles, and I grin, clapping him on the shoulder.

"Thanks for taking care of Baby while I was gone," I say, running my hand down the hood of the Impala, admiring the shiny, sleek surface. "She looks great."

"No problem."

We head in, and Sam orders us two beers while I go try and find us a table. I pick one that is close to the crowd, but far enough away that we won't need to yell at each other to hear what the other is saying.

"Dean Winchester? Are my eyes deceiving me, or is that really you?" I hear, and I see Garth Fitzgerald standing behind me.

"Garth?" I ask incredulously, since the last time I saw him he was 200 pounds heavier. "You're looking great!"

"Thanks! I decided that I couldn't live like that anymore, eating fast food every other day of the week." He says, walking closer to the table. "How are you doing? I'm sure adjusting to civilian life again is a bit of a difficulty."

"Actually, I'm not having that hard of a time. I'm living with Sammy for a while until I find a new apartment and I have to find a job so I can earn some money, but I'm getting by." I respond, but that little voice in the back of my mind hissed liar at me.

"Well, I'm glad you're back home, Dean. I've got some mingling to do, but it was good talking with you." Garth saluted me, and I chuckle as he walks away, a beer clutched in his fingers so loose I thought he might drop it. I chuckle to myself as I take out my phone, checking it out of habit. The screen lit up, showing me that I had a new message from Sam.

Sammy: Dude, you'll never believe who's standing next to me at the bar

Dean: Who?

Sammy: Lisa Braeden. She looks good for being away in Hawaii all these years

I shake my head, surprised at the way Sam was talking about her.

"Sammy, what are you trying to do?" I mutter, typing back my response.

Dean: Lisa and I haven't talked since we graduated. Why would she want to talk to me now?

Sammy: Because you guys have changed in the last few years.

Dean: You do remember I'm gay, right? I don't like Lisa like that.

Sammy: I know you don't but it wouldn't hurt to talk to her, Dean.

I sigh, wiping a hand across my face. I look up and see Sam waving at me, pointing out Lisa at the same time.

"Alright, alright fine. I'll go and talk to her." I mutter, getting up and walking towards the bar. Just as I made it up to the bar, I heard a voice I never thought I'd never hear again.

"Dean?"