Alright, the epilogue! Thank you guys for all the amazing reviews, and I'm glad you've enjoyed it! :D

When Castiel woke up, he had no idea where he was. He was laying on a bed somewhere, that much was for sure, but it was unfamiliar, stark and white and uncomfortable. Not to mention he could smell nothing in the room…nothing at all. And his body…

He sat up suddenly, ran his hands down his chest. Human hands, on a human body and…

"Anna…" The awe was strong in his voice, his eyes coming open wide. He'd hoped for the chance to be Dean's dog again but this…well it was either better or worse and he wasn't sure yet. His mind was suddenly a jumbled mess of possibilities, everything from visions of Dean wrapped around him on the couch like he'd seen Sam wrapped around Jess to the fact that as a human Dean might never let him as close into his life, might never speak to him again…but surely if he had no chance of being with him, Anna wouldn't have done this. That, at least, was what he hoped.

He took a deep breath, pushed off the bed and walked in the direction of the bathroom he could see off from this bedroom. This form was closer to his own, and though he'd spent months getting used to four legs and a tail, it felt nice to be walking on two again. He flicked the light on in the bathroom, turned to look at himself in the mirror for the first time.

His eyes, those were still the same, and he was glad at least one thing hadn't changed. They were brilliant blue, almost as deep as his true color had been. He was average height he supposed, though he didn't have much frame of reference. He had messy brown hair, a crooked blue tie and a rumpled trench coat, and he had no idea who the hell he was supposed to be. Was this his apartment? Had she stuck him in some man's body, or made this body for him? He knew absolutely nothing, except that he wanted to get to Dean as soon as possible. She'd have known that, and she'd have put him close by.

The rest, who he actually was…it should have mattered, and he probably should have taken the time to try to find out, but he couldn't. He just wanted Dean, even if that meant just telling him the truth…however horribly that might be received.

Once he was outside and down a couple flights of stairs, he recognized the place. It had the big sign that said Red Roof Inn, and it was just down from the garage. He could definitely find his way from here. He knew it should have been one of those days when Dean was home but Sam had class, so he should be home. Perfect. That was, at least, if he could come up with the right thing to say.

He was caught up in trying to figure that out, right up until he found himself at the door. He took a deep breath then, shoved one hand in the pocket of his trench coat and rang the doorbell, his nerves jangling. The sound of footsteps in the hall had his heart in his throat, and by the time he heard the lock turning he was terrified. Dean wouldn't know him, he'd never believe him, and…

"Hello?"

"Dean." It came out before he could stop it, his eyes meeting Dean's. Emerald green, and he couldn't help but be mesmerized. He hadn't mean to come right out with that but…

Dean stepped back, eyes narrowing. "Who-"

"I'm Castiel." He blurted it out as quickly as he could, low and rough and a little stronger than he felt. He shoved his other hand in his pocket, his shoulders hunching. Any minute now, Dean would tell him he was crazy, slam the door in his face, anything. Probably both.

Instead, he stepped closer, dipped his head just a little to catch Cas' eyes again. His eyes widened a little as he caught Cas' blue eyes, and Castiel latched onto the tiny sliver of hope that gave him.

"I…I died last night in the field, I know. Or, the dog died, and I was the dog but also really me and…" He trailed off, unsure how exactly to explain. "Dean, I-"

"Cas?" Even human, the thrill he felt when Dean said his name hadn't changed. He felt his whole body warm with it, the sound squeezing at his chest in ways it never had before.

He nodded, his throat dry. "Yes."

"Holy shit…" He blinked, still just a little in shock before he stepped back, holding the door open. "Jesus, c'mere, I…"

He stepped in, resisted the urge to pull Dean into a hug. He'd been on the receiving end of them so many times that the urge to return it was almost uncontrollable, especially now. He stopped himself, barely, but he still stepped in close, hovering. "I know, it's complicated, and I can try to explain, really I-"

Dean motioned toward the living room, gestured for Cas to sit down beside him on the couch. "Alright. Start talking."

"I…I think humans call us stars. It all started when I went to court…"

"…and so I told Anna if I could choose, I wanted to come back here." He hesitated, his eyes flickering away. "To stay with you."

Dean let out a deep breath, leaned forward with his elbows on his knees. "Wow."

"I know, believe me I know it sounds crazy but Dean, I swear, I-"

"It's ok, Cas. I believe you." He laughed once, short. "God help me, but I believe you." He looked over at Cas, crooked smile in place. "This is insane though, you know that right?"

"Yes." He shifted just a little bit closer, looked down steadily at the coffee table. "Ruby…she was my companion." He couldn't help it, he needed to talk about her betrayal to someone, and Dean was the only one he would've wanted to let see just how much it had bothered him.

"Is that...was she like your wife?"

"Something like that, yes."

"Damn."

"Yes."

"So…" Dean cleared his throat, sat back against the couch and turned to face Cas, eyes trailing over him. "Do you even have any semblance of normalcy, here? A job, anything?"

"She told me nothing. I'm…assuming no."

Dean smirked, reached over with gentle hands to straighten his tie. "Well, our first order of business is gettin' you some new clothes. You look like a friggin' tax accountant."

His heart jolted at the feel of Dean's hands brush against his chest. The feel of it was new, utterly unfamiliar. The image of Sam and Jess popped up in the back of his mind, and he leaned forward on instinct, his lips brushing against Dean's. He pulled back almost instantly, his eyes squeezing shut. "I…I'm sorry, I-"

Before he could get any farther, Dean's hand was on his chin, pulling him that last inch closer. This time it was a real kiss, still tentative but Dean put some pressure behind it, his thumb rubbing gently against Cas jaw when he tensed up too much to relax into it. Dean's lips moved smoothly against his, and though he tried to mimic it he was sure he wasn't managing quite as well as he should have. He didn't think he should be blamed for that entirely, though, because this was an utterly new sensation for him and his head was absolutely spinning.

Dean took a breath before pulling him in closer, parting his lips and putting just a little more into it, and Castiel gasped when his teeth caught his lower lip, tugging on it gently. One more kiss and he was fairly sure he had the rhythm of it, his lips moving well enough with Dean's to earn him a soft sound of his own. Dean pulled back then, rested their forehead's together and laughed softly, his breath cool on damp skin.

"Cas…this is a little screwed up, you know that right?"

"I…yes." It should've been, sort of. But at the same time, it wasn't. His feelings for Dean had been different before, but now…all that love and devotion had had to fit into his soul somewhere, and he wasn't a dog anymore. As a human…this worked. It made sense. "But it…at the same time, it isn't. Or at least…I don't care."

Dean smiled, real and warm, and his thumb rubbed against the side of Castiel's neck. "Me either. C'mere." He pulled him against his chest, hugging him fiercely. "I thought you were really dead, you know. It was terrible. I'd never…well everybody at work would've just said you were a damn dog, you know? I just…." He swallowed, held on a little tighter. "Anyway, Sam, he understood. Thinkin' you were really, gone, man I…"

He pulled back, let Dean see the regret in his eyes. "I'm sorry. I-"

"It's ok."

They lapsed into silence, comfortable and easy. Out of habit Cas shifted until he rested against Dean's chest, and he smiled when Dean's arms came up around him. A thought came to mind then and he almost sat up, his eyes widening. "How are you going to explain all this to Sam?"

Dean laughed, and he could feel him shake his head. "I don't know, man. The truth, maybe? I don't know. But we'll think of something."

As I said before…I definitely wanted there to be sex here at the end, but they were very adamant that that wouldn't happen quite yet. So…just this. X.X sorry guys, lol Anyway, hope everyone loved the end, and I hope everyone had fun reading it! ^^