Sam and Dean have never met anyone as unique as Castiel. The kid wearing a trench coat in the middle of summer introduced himself the day they moved in, and all three of them became instant friends. Then Dean and Cas start spending a lot of time together and Sam finds himself excluded. He doesn't blame Dean at first; it must be hard being fifteen and never setting down roots long enough to make lasting friendships. But as time goes on and he sees less of Dean and Cas, Sam realizes it's even harder being eleven. Originally written on September 16, 2010 for the Secret Angels IV fic exchange, for recipient "writingpathways." I combined two requested prompts -- AU where there is no supernatural and Dean/Cas have been best friends forever, and Sam POV of the evolution of Dean and Castiel's relationship.

It's 1995, and Castiel's high school years are destined to be difficult: home-schooled until eighth grade, he is awkward, shy, and socially inept. The weird kid with the funny name would rather isolate himself and draw in his sketchbook than deal with the constant bullying he faces every day. Things only get worse in his junior year when he excels in home economics class, leading the captain of the baseball team, Alastair, to start taunting him for being gay. Then new student Dean Winchester arrives at Flour Bluff High School, sharing many of Castiel's classes. Castiel has seen his type before -- handsome, athletic, arrogant, and sure to be the most popular kid in school. But Castiel eventually learns that he and Dean have more in common than he thought, and they form an unlikely friendship. This story was originally published October 20, 2010 as part of the Dean/Cas Big Bang Challenge. Warnings: Bullying, homophobic language, some violence related to bullying. Cover for this story comes courtesy of @_thebat

Let me tell you this; hunting isn't all glory. It's filled with death, and pain, and misery. As a Hunter myself, I'll advise you that revenge isn't worth it. Because of revenge, I got my whole family captured. I let my anger and pride get in the way of rational thought. In an unlikely turn of events, I struck a deal with Sam and Dean Winchester. Together, we plan to kill Abbadon and get my family back, with angels, demons, monsters and hunters alike, all out to kill us. But even if we stop Abbadon, and I get my family back, how much longer will I be able to live with what's lurking inside me? How long will it take for me to become the thing I hate most? This is the story about how a monster-hunter became the monster.

Alannah Bynes life has been everything but normal. Seven years ago a man named Dean Winchester stepped into her life, she thought it was love at first sight. But when he left her in the emergency room with questions piling up to the ceiling she wasn't so sure. Finally after countless hours of wondering what had hurt her all those years ago when Dean and his brother had saved her, she figured it out. Demons. Spirits. They were all real.