So, I bet you guys thought I had fallen off the face of the earth, never to appear again…I'm so sorry for the long time it took for me to update, real life once again bit me in the rear. And I can't even promise that the next chapter will be up anytime soon…again I'm soooo sorry. I have a question to ask, but I will let you read the new chapter before I hit you with it.

Dean Winchester was definitely not hiding. Nope. He is a Winchester, and Winchester's don't hide. So what if he was off in a shadowed corner of his boyfriend's parent's massive garden. He wasn't avoiding Cas' family or anything. Sure his first look at Uriel scared the holy hell out of him, but that's only because Cas' big brother was one of the largest men that Dean had ever seen. And the fact that shortly after being introduced to the man, he'd snatched Dean away from the relative safety of Castiel's side…well that was kind of intimidating.

Then being surrounded by five of his lover's brothers…yeah that was kind of uncomfortable. The twins, Michael and Lucifer two sides of the same powerful coin, each daunting in their own right. Uriel, still massive and intimidating. Gabriel, his golden eyes dancing with poorly concealed mirth, yet holding more than a hint of menace. And the newcomer Ramiel, a young man a few years older than Dean, sporting dark hair like Michael, but also the icy blue eyes of Lucifer. No, Dean wasn't scared, these were Cas' siblings what's the worst they could do?

What's the worst they could do?! The words Spanish Inquisition come to mind. Questions were rapidly fired at Dean from all directions. These men (Ha! More like demons) knew no boundaries; no subject was too personal, no question too taboo…

"Where are you from…you have a vaguely southern accent?" (Michael)

"I grew up in Lawrence, Kansas"

"Where did you meet our brother?" (Uriel)

"Oh…on campus. I was actually there to pick up my brother"

"Where do you work?" (Ramiel)

"Sandover Inc. I'm an engineer… Um why?"

"So how much do you make year?" (Michael)

"(Sputter) I really don't think you need to know that!"

"So…Dean, Democrat or Republican? (Lucifer)

"I really don't think that that is a relevant question"

"Do you have any children?"(Uriel)

"No! No kids"

"Don't you want children?" (Ramiel)

"Sure...maybe…I haven't really thought about it"

"When was your last HIV screening? (Gabriel)

"Uh…what…uh…what?! Seriously?!"

"So are you and Castiel sleeping together?" (Lucifer)

"Again…not something you need to know!"

"What are your intentions toward our brother?" (Michael)

"We've only been dating a couple of months…"

By then Dean was sweating. These guys were seriously grilling him. His eyes frantically scanned for Cas. Luckily Sera happened to be looking in his direction. The blonde must have read the absolute desperation in his eyes, because she immediately made her way toward the group of men.

"Now what are you boys up to?" she demanded, beads and shells chiming as she swung her hair.

Each of the brothers' faces transformed from a look of suspicion and distrust to looking positively angelic as if butter would melt in their mouths.

"Now Sera…" started Gabriel.

"Don't you now Sera me you ass clown! Leave Cassie's boyfriend alone or I'm telling Mom" she threatened. This threat must have really carried some weight, because the brothers immediately broke rank and moved away from Dean.

Dean shot her a grateful look as he made his escape out of the back door. And that's where he now found himself. Sipping a beer he pilfered from one of the many lavish buffet tables scattered throughout the garden, Dean gave a sigh of relief.

Cas had warned him about the number of people that would be in attendance, he was just grateful he found an unoccupied corner. Well, what use to be an unoccupied corner…Dean noticed a sandy haired teenager coming his way. He shot Dean a somewhat amused smirk as he plopped down beside him.

"What are you hiding over here for?" asked the younger man, in slightly accented English…Russian if Dean wasn't mistaken.

Dean refused to blush at the accusation. "I'm not hiding…and who are you anyway?"

The teen smirked and held out his hand in introduction, "I'm Samandriel Alfred Novak, everyone calls me Alfie"

"Ok Alfie, what makes you think I'm hiding?" asked Dean.

"How about the fact that you are in the darkest corner of Babushka's rose garden, or the fact that Dyadya Cas is in there surrounded by his family wanting to introduce everyone to his handsome boyfriend, and you're nowhere to be found" answered Alfie.

Dean felt a small sliver of shame; he didn't want to embarrass Cas. He just needed a moment to regain his composure.

Dean noticed Alfie pulling out a pack of cigarettes and silver lighter. Noting Dean's stare, the teen offered Dean a smoke, which Dean declined with a head shake. As Dean watched the sandy haired young man lit his cigarette with a shaky hand. Upon further inspection Dean noted a certain pallor to Alfie's skin.

"Hey you okay kid?" Dean felt the need to inquire.

Alfie just gave a small shrug. "I'm just trying to work up the nerve to…uh…have a rather difficult conversation with my parents" he mumbled around the cigarette.

Dean remained silent staring at the ground, allowing the young man to smoke in peace. He knew that Alfie would continue when he was ready.

"Can I ask you something Dean?" the teenager finally asked.

Dean shuddered at the thought of answering more questions, but one look into the earnest faced youth in front of him, and he couldn't refuse.

"Sure kid, ask away" he said.

"How did you tell your parents that you were gay?" Alfie asked.

Of all the things the young man could have asked, Dean was not expecting that.

"Uh…well…to be honest…I… uh…I never did" stammered Dean, a warm blush heating his face.

At the teen's startled look, Dean felt the need to explain.

"I'm from Lawrence, Kansas, right in the Heartland. I grew up in a blue collar Middle American neighborhood. Where I'm from, real men work a manual labor job sixteen hours a day to support their wife and 2.5 kids. They drive trucks and hunt on the weekends; they drink whiskey and beer. They don't have their own wine cabinets, wear silk ties, get massages, and they certainly never ever fall in love with other men" Dean said as he idly peeled the label from his beer bottle.

"I knew since the eleventh grade that I liked guys as well girls. I couldn't understand why it was happening to me. I was Dean Winchester, captain of the baseball and wrestling team, I could get any girl I wanted. So why was I suddenly daydreaming about Cody Johnson a senior on the lacrosse team. It was a very confusing time for me, but I knew one thing for certain, I couldn't tell another soul about what was going on" he continued, voice low with remembered fear.

Alfie was hanging on Dean's every word.

"Cody came out a month before he graduated and everyone turned against him. They called him all sorts of names and the guys refused to play as long as he was on the lacrosse team. He had to quit. That poor bastard lost all of his friends and I heard his father disowned him. I…I didn't want that to happen to me. So, I buried all that and focused on graduating. I picked BU in part because of the distance from Lawrence. It wasn't until I got there that I could be myself" concluded Dean downing the rest of his beer in one gulp.

What in the hell made him spill his guts to Cas' nephew?

Alfie's brows furrowed in confusion. He had the same adorable head tilt as his blue eyed uncle.

"Then what is stopping you from telling your parents now?" he asked.

Dean asked himself that a thousand times. Every time he spoke to his mom or dad he felt the words crowding his mouth, heavy on his tongue. He wanted so badly to tell them the truth, to share a massive part of his life that he'd been force to hide.

"I guess I'm still afraid of their reaction. I can't stand the thought of them looking at me differently" answered Dean.

"But what about Dyadya Cas? Are you going to keep as your dirty little secret from your family forever?" demanded the teen.

Dean's gaze snapped up startled. He met gray eyes that had narrowed in anger.

"What the hell are you talking about? Cas isn't some dirty secret!" denied Dean.

"Oh yeah, then your family and friends know he is your boyfriend?" asked Alfie.

Dean's mouth closed with and audible snap.

"You know I was happy to come today, because I knew that Cas would be here. The entire family was in an uproar because he was bringing someone. My totally awesome Dyadya had found someone to be with… I thought surely anyone that he chose would be equally as awesome. But you are not. My entire life I looked up to him because he was never ashamed of who he was, but now you are making me think that he should be ashamed. That being gay is something that I should be ashamed of" cried Alfie.

"Samandriel!" snapped a voice that Dean recognized as belonging to Cas.

What followed was a rapid exchange in a language that Dean guessed was Russian. The sandy haired teen gestured wildly at Dean, while Cas remained his usual unflappable self even in the midst of a raging storm of teenage angst.

In the end Alfie was pulled into a comforting hug by his uncle, who stroked his hair and whispered words of comfort, acceptance, and assurance into his ear. Dean could only watch the scene unfold. The words the teen had flung at him ate at Dean's conscious like acid.

'Did Cas think he was ashamed of him?'

When the teen had finally calmed down, Cas sent him on his way. Finally alone with his blue eyed lover, Dean felt that he could finally breathe after being on an emotional rollercoaster from hell.

Cas pulled Dean into his arms, his face burrowing into the hollow of his throat.

"I am so sorry that you had to go through that…Alfie is just scared that his parents will be ashamed of him. Which is utter nonsense, Uriel may seem like a hard ass but he's really just a big teddy bear" sighed Cas.

Dean allowed his hands to sink into Cas' luscious chocolate locks, inhaling the slightly sweet scent of his lover.

"Wait, Alfie belong to Uriel?" asked Dean slightly alarmed, recalling the 6'3 black man the interrogated him not too long ago. That man was more like a grizzly bear than a teddy bear.

Cas chuckled softly pulling away.

"Alfie is adopted, but don't let my brother's appearance fool you Dean. Uriel was one of the first people I told of my sexuality. He accepted me unconditionally without batting an eye. He is a very loving person with a huge heart. That's what makes him one of the best neonatologists in the world" said Cas.

Imagining Cas' massive brother taking care of tiny premature babies made Dean snicker. Cas joined in. When their laughter died down, Cas pulled Dean into a short but heated kiss. "Come on love, you still have to meet my parent's and the rest of my family" Cas said as he linked their hands and guided Dean back to the party.

Oh my Cas! I thought that I would be finished with the party scene, but it just keeps on going! Damn Castiel and his million and one relatives…sigh. Please don't ask me where all that angst came from, cause I don't even know...

Anyway on to my question:

Would you guys prefer that I not post again until this fic is complete so that you can read it in its entirety or would you prefer that post chapters as I complete them?

Either way it will probably take a while to finish. Remember reviews are love…