POV: Cas
March 3, 2004
I had woken Dean up this morning because he’d hit snooze so many times that my own alarm was going off. He would be a few minutes late, but there was nothing much I could do about that. He didn’t seem to care either. Once he was out the door I got myself straightened up for the day. I was due at the garage by one with a meeting with our contractor. We would get to see the various plans that he’d drawn up.
I could have rode in with Dean but I did have some things to do before going there. One was calling Charlie and that was what I did first.
“It’s about time! I’ve called you so many times, Castiel.”
“I’m sorry. We were in Colorado for Valentine’s week and then when we got home, there were some issues to handle.”
“Issues?” Her voice suddenly sounded confused and unsure.
“Yes. Benny said that someone came by the garage looking for me and that he’d gotten huffy when he said I wasn’t there and he wouldn’t be calling either myself or Dean. When we got home the back window had been broken. Nothing was taken or damaged, just looked like someone came in and ruffled stuff and left. But we obviously called the police.”
“And you didn’t call me?”
“I’m sorry. We just…we didn’t find anything and the police can’t do much.”
He huffed. “Castiel, you know who did it.”
“Of course I know. Robert sent someone or came himself. But he hasn’t called or left messages or anything. They’re still investigating the fire and they have a few leads. I’m sure it was someone connected to Robert as well.”
“And you’re just…what? Fine?”
“I am. Yes, he bothers me. But Charlie, I can’t let him rule my life. It was hard to come back from a fucking great week to that but at the same time it wasn’t that bad.”
She was quiet for several moments. “You sound different. If it’s not the broken window then it must be something else. I thought Colorado was a weekend thing? Dean didn’t mention more than that.”
“Dean arranged a Valentine’s week there. Charlie it was…perfect.”
“Oh, give me the details.”
I spent a few minutes telling her about the cabin, the location, and the perfect dinners and cuddle times. She oohed and ahhed through the whole story. Charlie was hardcore romantic when she wanted to be.
“Sounds like Dean went all out. But what aren’t you telling me?”
I hesitated a moment but Charlie had been there for most of my life.
“I’m no longer a virgin. I can state that proudly.”
“Really?! You said yes to that?”
“Yes.”
“Well…how was it?”
I felt the slight blush. “Fantastic. Honestly, I am glad I waited because I doubt it would have been as special or as good with anyone else.”
“And all it took was a wine and dine weekend?”
“More than that, I’ve been thinking about it anyway. I just wasn’t sure. I’ve got to meet him at the garage at one. They’re going to go over the house plans they have.”
“Why does he need you to do that? Or did he want your opinion?”
“Well, I’m giving up my place and moving in with him.”
“Um, when did you decide that?”
She sounded concerned and I could understand her hesitation. But, she was my best friend and I needed to tell her this stuff.
“Before Christmas actually. Sasha made the comment about living together but I’d already considered it. I mean, we get along so damn well here. And Dean couldn’t afford to rebuild without a loan and I have the credit and ability to get it.”
“Cas…”
“Don’t worry, Charlie. We talked to a lawyer first to discuss the pros and cons. As a precaution, we do have a legal agreement in the very unlikely event that either of us decides to end the relationship. We did that in January before we ever contacted anyone else to do the construction of the place. It was our idea on that too because we both wanted a safety net. But, neither of us believes that we’ll have a problem. The loan paid off his existing property which wasn’t much really.”
“So you know how his finances are?”
I nodded to no one. “We’ve discussed it. How bills will be paid and they’ll be the same, just as here.”
“That’s serious, Cas.”
“I know. But it feels so right. It feels like this is the best decision I’ve ever made. I’ve informed my landlord here and I told him as soon as we had a date, I would let him know. His parents said that if we had to leave beforehand we could crash there until the house is done.”
“Damn, you guys have been busy.”
I laughed. “In more ways than one.”
“So wrong Cas, so wrong.”
“So, how did your Valentine’s go?”
“It was great. We had a good romantic dinner and then followed your idea and spent the rest of the day in bed.”
“Best way to go.”
“It was. I did miss seeing you over the weekend but I suppose Dean’s romantic getaway was fine. What happened with your book?”
I didn’t want to give away many details about the upcoming book.
“I’m done with the new one and I’ve got a few ideas for the next one already, thinking of including some different elements into them. We’re going to release the new one sooner than normal and the current plan is to do a longer tour than normal. It depends on how it sells.”
“Alright, do I need to plan any savings for trips?”
“If you’d like to go a few days, yes, Dean did say he wanted to travel some but it also depends on his business and how well it’s going.”
He wasn’t good on flights at all and it was proven on the trip to and from California, he’d been a wreck.
“Makes sense really. I knew he’d want to travel some if he could. I’m pretty open about availability so I’ll let him choose before me.”
“He would appreciate that. Any plans this weekend?”
“None.”
“You should come over then. We both should be home and we can show you the house plan we choose.”
“Perfect. I need some Castiel time anyway.”
“Yeah, I miss you too, Charlie.”
I could almost feel the smile and before long, we hung up with plans to hang out Saturday. I went ahead and checked my email and then contacted the editor to see how she was doing. I also talked to my publisher. About eleven, I changed into jeans and a long sleeve shirt and then headed out. I grabbed lunch and met Dean at the office for lunch. I let him know about Saturday and he was fine with it, which I knew he would be.
When the contractor arrived, there was another man with him who ended up being the architect. We remained in Dean’s office and after the introduction, we sat down.
“So, I came by before I drew these up to get measurements and see what I had to work with. An engineer has already looked them over and approved all designs as far as strength in the beans and stuff. We didn’t want a repeat.”
“We appreciate that.” Dean said.
He laid down several different sets.
“I used your list of what you each wanted in the home. Open concept, extra rooms, and all. These are the three that I came up with. They can also be modified if needed. I wasn’t sure exactly what you had in mind.”
He walked us through each set. Each contained a second floor, but they differed on how they were used. In one set, the master bedroom was downstairs and the upstairs was just extra rooms, there was no garage for our cars. In the second set the upstairs had an office and master bedroom but very few extra rooms and only if we sacrificed the garage again. The third set though…we both seemed to perk up because the first floor had the garage we wanted, there was a large and very open area with a kitchen, dining, and living spaces which would be perfect for holidays or having guests. The upstairs utilized it as well as it could with two extra rooms and then the master bedroom which also contained an office area for me. There was even a smaller room on the first floor that could be a bedroom, office space, or even just storage.
“Which one do you like?”
“I like the concept of having the second floor just for us, but we did say we wanted the extra rooms for when Sam or Gabe visited. This last one would
accommodate both of them if needed. I also like that my office is private and away from the main floor.” Dean said.
I pointed to the third set. “I like this third one too. There seems to be so much open space in this second plan for the master bedroom that it’ll be mostly wasted. I mean, we don’t really spend that much time in the bedroom.”
The two men across from us blushed slightly but neither said anything.
“Do you believe the third plan is it then?”
We each took another ten minutes of looking at them before we finally chose the third plan. We liked the layout better, the fact it had a garage and it was just a better fit.
“You can renovate the garage area into a bedroom in the future, if needed. You could also reconfigure the upstairs.”
“Yeah, it’s more versatile and I think that’s the best option for us,” Dean said.
“Alright.”
“Now that I know what we are doing I can get my orders in and start building. We are going to ensure the remaining walls are strong too. Reinforce if we need to. But the engineer indicated that they were. So, it’s just a precaution.”
“No problem,” I said.
The architect stayed another ten minutes before he headed out.
“Is there anything about this you don’t like or would like to change, now that he’s gone?”
I leaned over. “Is there a way to put a corner window in here? Instead of these three smaller ones?”
“I’ll check, is that what you’d prefer for your office?”
“Yes. I like the view out the back.”
“I’ll see to it.”
He left after another 30 minutes to begin his planning and gathering of things and he left the plans with us. It was surreal to know we were actually doing this.
“So, Charlie knows about the house.”
He glanced at me. “How did she take it?”
“She had concerns of course. I let her know we protected ourselves. It was a good chat and she’ll be over this weekend. I thought maybe we could invite Sasha too?”
“He’s going to be out of town this weekend. He said next weekend would be fine if we were free. I haven’t told him yet about us doing this together but I think he’s pretty much figured it out.”
“Maybe. I don’t think I mind people knowing.”
He smiled. “I don’t care if they know and have issues. What matters is we don’t.”
I smiled at him. “Now, can we get through choosing tiles, flooring, and paint colors without issues?”
He smiled. “We can. You get to pick it all.”
I laughed. “No Dean, we need to do that together.”
“I’m sure we’ll do fine, Cas. I’m not hard to please and I am not a decorator.”
I leaned down and kissed him. “I’m sure you’ll have great ideas.”
He smiled. “Speaking of ideas, any for dinner? I know we didn’t have plans when I left this morning.”
“None, you have anything in mind?”
“Not really, anything will be good with me. I know we missed our normal shopping day.”
“I can stop by to get something for the next few days and then you and I can go Saturday morning before Charlie arrives.”
“Deal. Oh! Pie.”
“Pie. Got it. Anything else?”
He shook his head. “I’m going to head back to the garage, there were a few we had in and I want them gone soon.”
I kissed him again. “I’ll take these with me.”
“Good plan.”
I rolled up the house plans and put them back in the tube and after several more kisses, I left the garage. I thought about what to get while I drove and found we hadn’t had fish in a while so I was considering that. I parked at the store and headed in; with no afternoon plans, I could take my time and choose some good foods for lunches and dinners and get some extra breakfast items.
I’d made it through the produce section and even the bread aisle when I just felt off. I looked around but I didn’t see anything weird or off, so I kept shopping. I was at the end of my trip when I felt it again and this time when I looked up, I saw him. Robert was standing at the other end of the aisle; he had no cart and nothing in his hands.
It was obvious he was watching me but the restraining order we’d taken was already over and he could approach me but he didn’t. I finished up the rest of the things quickly and then headed to check out, choosing one with a male cashier and under a camera, just in case.
I was fidgety though because while he was inside and maintaining distance, it was probably because there were cameras. Outside, there were none. I was paying when I heard his voice, I glanced over toward the door and saw Sasha coming inside.
“Sasha?” I asked.
He turned and smiled. “Hey, Cas!”
He walked over telling whoever he was talking to he would call them back and then stopped at the buggy.
“How are you?”
“Good.”
His brow rose. “Is that your ex down there?”
I turned and sure enough he was standing in the middle of the aisle, just watching.
“Yes, um…would you mind walking me to the car?”
“Are you kidding? I wouldn’t risk Dean’s wrath if I declined and you got hurt.”
I felt the blush coming but finished up and he helped load it up.
“Were you coming to shop?”
“Yes. I need a few things for the next two days. We leave Friday night but we’re eating before we leave.”
I nodded. “Yeah, we didn’t get to shop last weekend. Gabriel was in town and my parents too. We had some random things for the last few days but I needed something for the next few and I don’t know if he followed me.”
“What did you plan for tonight?”
“I got salmon. Going to pair it with a salad and potatoes.”
“Why don’t you leave your buggy here; they’ll hold it. Let me grab the same things so you’ll have more than enough for four and I’ll come to the housewith you. I can come back later for what we need. I have time.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. If he’s being bold here then I don’t want to risk him being bold and following you home.”
“Life saver.”
“My own. Again, Dean’s wrath? I don’t want that.”
I smiled and walked with him to get the extra food we would need. As he was choosing his fish, I got my phone.
Cas: Sasha and his bf will be at the house tonight. Robert at the store - Sasha mentioned not wanting your wrath…
Dean: Robert? Did he approach you?
Cas: No. I saw him and so did he. He didn’t approach me. Just watched.
Dean: Sasha was smart to avoid my wrath. I should be home at the normal time. Love you.
Cas: Love you.
Sasha held the package and smiled. “Dean?”
“Yeah. I let him know you’d be there.”
“Good idea. I’m set.”
We checked out and he put his bags in the car with me, waited until I was inside and already moving before he went to his own car to follow. I went straight home and let him help with the bags. I started unpacking bags and he helped there too.
“Should I be alarmed that I know where things are?”
“Not at all. It took me time to relearn after Dean rearranged.”
He laughed. “He likes his kitchen in a particular order.”
“That he does.”
Once we were unpacked, he eyed the tube on the table.
“What’s that?”
“I’m not sure if I should say.”
I felt like it was Dean’s duty to tell Sasha about this, like it was mine to tell Charlie.
“Saying I should ask Dean?”
“I would prefer he told you, yes.”
“Okay. So, anything we need to do for the moment?”
“Not really. I will make some tea though.”
He sat at the table and we talked about favorite teas, foods, his trip to visit his boyfriend’s family this weekend, how excited he was for that and how nervous. I talked about anything but the house, because I felt that was Dean’s secret to tell, given Sasha was his friend first and his best friend at that.
We also did not discuss anything sex related and maybe that was my fault because I was still a little jealous that Sasha got to Dean first.
Dean made it home before Jordan arrived. He greeted Sasha with a smile and a hug but I got the smile, hug and the kiss.
“Smells good. I’ll get out of these clothes.”
He headed to the room, I was aware we both watched him walk away. He came back about ten minutes later in sweat pants and a t-shirt that was clearly
mine. But I didn’t mind.
“Alright Dean, Castiel wouldn’t spill. What’s in the tube?”
“Our house plan,” he said.
“Our?” he asked.
I was finishing the potatoes and could hear them at the table.
“Yes, Cas and I talked about it and your idea about him moving in was pretty good. So, we talked about it and even asked the hard questions, and said that we would be fine being tied financially with this. We chose the plan today.”
“That is awesome. I’m glad you are rebuilding so…show me!”
Dean and I laughed but he got to see the plans and so did Jordan when he arrived. After that, it was dinner time and the conversation was filled with jokes, reminiscing about past events, and lots of food. It was a very pleasant afternoon and once they headed out Dean asked about the store and I told him what happened. We were concerned, and I told him I would just go with him for several days to see if we saw him. I didn’t want to be here alone if
Robert was getting bold.