Heart by Spearywritesstuff

Originally posted by spearywrites at post

Title: Heart
Story by
On Live Journal: Spearywrites
On Tumblr: Spearywritesstuff
On Ao3: Speary

Art by
On Live Journal: lotrspnfangirl
On Tumblr: lotrspnfangirl

Fandom/Genre: Supernatural Romance, Ghost AU
Pairings: Dean and Castiel, John and Mary, Becky and Chuck, Ruby and Sam, Michael and Lucy
Rating: Mature
Word Count: 90k
Warnings: Suicidal Thoughts
Summary: The heart is a funny thing. Some say it loves, and others say that it is just a muscle, keeping you alive for some minuscule amount of time. For Cas Shurley, the heart was a defective reminder that each day was maybe going to be his last. For years he had been in and out of hospitals. For years he had viewed time as something trickling down the drain. Then Sam Winchester died. He died, and Cas got to live. And in what universe was that fair? But he accepted the gift, and told himself that he would live. Each beat of Sam’s heart in his chest was an anthem, a siren song beckoning him back to life.

This new heart though, wanted him to do more than just live. This heart had a story to tell. It would wake him up in the night, and visit him with cold drafts and a sense of purpose that would propel him out of bed. But before he could truly live and act on the demands of his new heart, he would have to get out of the hospital, and he would have to meet the Winchester family. And though he didn’t know it, he would especially have to meet Dean, Sam’s brother. And meeting him would remind him of just how much more there was to life than just the living.

Fic link:Fic Masterlist
Art link: Art Masterlist

Take Two Chapter 25

Castiel exhaled slowly, his stomach churning as he slipped behind the wheel of the Impala. Part of him wanted to laugh -- it used to take him hours of begging and bribing Dean to get the other man to let him drive the Impala, even if they were just going five minutes down the road, and this morning, Dean had handed him the keys with a kiss and a smile like it was no big deal. Cas would have found it funny, if he hadn’t been so nauseous.

Already he was afraid he was going to be late. The tie he had thought he’d packed to wear with his suit had somehow gone missing, and he spent fifteen minutes panicking as he ripped apart his entire suitcase, dumping all of its contents onto Dean’s queen-sized bed and throwing everything around before Dean had pulled him into his arms, fighting back his laughter, and told him to just grab one of his ties instead.

Castiel hadn’t even thought of Dean having ties… Stupid, really… Cas had nodded and slipped into the closet, pulling a dark blue one off of the hanger. Dean had taken it from his nervously shaking fingers, slipped it under his shirt collar and quickly fastened it for him before giving him another kiss.

“I have coffee for you,” Dean called in parting and left Cas to finish getting ready. He was shaved, dressed, and apparently fed after he’d made it downstairs, but somehow he felt off. He felt like he was missing something, a step he hadn’t remembered to take, and now that he was sitting in the Impala at a red light, on his way to his interview, it hit him just what that ‘something’ was.

He was missing this, this life, a life with Dean and with Dot in Kansas. It had nothing to do with the interview, not really, except that if he got this job? If they liked him and hired him? He would have his life back -- the life he had always imagined having in the first place. A life with Dean.

Getting married at nineteen had been insane -- at almost thirty, Castiel could admit that and he was sure that Dean would agree. Hell, if Dorothy ever told Dean she was going to be getting married that young, he was sure Dean would have something to say about it. But even then, Cas had pictured himself at Dean’s side for the rest of his life, and after that had been ripped from them… well, he never really got rid of that dream.

Although he’d gotten close to replacing Dean’s image with Balthazar’s, and the life he’d planned suddenly shifted from a small town in Kansas to the busy city of New York, when Cas was being completely honest and closed his eyes, it was Dean he’d always seen. Now the chance to get all of that back was grazing his fingertips. He could feel it, every time he laid beside Dean and felt strong arms wrap around his stomach to hold him close. He felt it when Dot pulled him into her bedroom and fluffed her pillow for his head, begging him to read just one more story before bed. He felt it when the three of them sat together in the living room, fighting over which Disney movie was the best and which one they should watch that night.

Cas wanted this, more than anything. And the possibility that he could be turned down? It was terrifying.

Castiel pulled into the hospital’s parking lot, cutting the engine and exhaling slowly as he did so. He ended up being fifteen minutes early -- just as Dean had told him he would be when he practically ran out the door, waving off his good luck kiss, in a panic.

He stepped out of the car, locking the door, and quickly checking his reflection in the driver’s side window before pushing himself toward the building. He could do this -- he was already the CEO of the hospital in New York. He knew the job, he knew the numbers, he knew Kansas and the kinds of people that would end up being admitted here. New York was a busier hospital, and once again he was wrestling with the idea of bringing that up.

Pointing out that the New York location was busier meant that he could handle heavy influxes of patients, and would show that high census and stress were everyday situations for him. But, it could also mean that he came across as cocky and felt his skillset was above what was needed at a smaller city’s facility, which was certainly not how he felt nor the image he wanted to project…
He was still flipping it over in his mind when he found the front desk and forced himself to smile and extend his hand to the assistant in the reception area.

“Good Morning! Castiel Shirley. I’m here to see Megan Masters for an interview at ten.”

“Oh! Yes, she told me to be expecting you.” The woman smiled, shaking his hand before returning to her seat. “Go ahead and take a seat over there, I’ll let her know you’re here and she will be with you shortly.”

“Thank you,” With a smile, Cas turned around, heading for the closest seat in the lobby. Sinking into it he tucked his crossed ankles beneath the chair, and with a calmness he didn’t feel folded his hands into his lap.

Waiting. This was seriously the worst part…

Dean wondered if he should’ve asked Cas to drop him at Bobby's, but he’d known the stress Cas was under to get to this interview on time. Giving the Impala to Cas to drive to his interview was just one way for Dean to show how much he loved him and how important Cas's interview was to him too. He knew he'd have to deal with Bobby's teasing when his partner saw him arrive pedaling a bike instead of driving his beloved car, but that was something he could gladly put up with for the love of his life.

Dean had at least already taken Dot to school before Cas had even awakened. So now he shoved what he needed for work into an old backpack, swung it over his shoulder, and grabbed his bike from the back of the house. It was only a fifteen minute ride over to Bobby’s and he sent up a silent prayer of thanks that it wasn’t a rainy day.

Another thankful prayer followed the first when Bobby was nowhere to be seen in the yard as Dean arrived. He rode past the office and parked his bike at the back of the building before heading in.

“Morning,” Bobby grunted his greeting, looking up once when the door opened and then returning to his coffee and the paper in his hands. “Didn’t hear you come in…”

"Morning. I'm working on becoming a ninja. Glad to see I'm making progress." Dean joked and went right to the coffee machine to pour his own cup.

Bobby rolled his eyes and handed over the paper when Dean walked by to get to his own desk. "Only have a few scheduled for today... had a few tow-ins from last night -- look pretty standard though. That list there's the numbers I pulled from registrations. Wanna give them a call and let 'em know a time frame?"

"Yeah, gonna have a look and call them." Dean agreed and sat down. He sipped his coffee and checked the clock. He took a deep breath knowing it would still quite a while before he heard from Castiel.

Bobby eyed him and then leaned back into his chair, raising an eyebrow in Dean’s direction. “What’s eating you this morning?”

"Cas is in Topeka ... He's got an interview at the hospital..."

"Oh yeah?" Bobby hummed to himself and reached for his coffee, thinking as he took a sip. "Didn't know he was looking for employment down here..." he said slowly, meeting Dean's eyes across their desks. "You ready for that?"

Dean sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Yeah, yeah I am. It's pure horror when he's away. I know it's all happening pretty fast and all, but I miss him so much when he's in New York."

Bobby nodded once, clearing his throat as he shuffled some of the papers on his desk. Dean knew his silence was from the older man thinking, weighing each word, and not that the conversation was over. Finally Bobby met his eyes again. "This is a big step for anyone... Never mind the history you two have. Have you... Talked about it in detail? Is he staying with you and Dot or his own place? Because if he's staying with you, and that's what you both want..? ...there needs to be that conversation..."

"We ... Not really, I mean, we both said it's crazy, but we also said that we both want it. It's hard, and we are well aware of our past history, Bobby, don't think we're not." Dean sighed deeply.

"You know, more than anyone what life can throw at you, Son..." Bobby said softly. "This is an entirely new situation for both of you, and for Dotty. I support you, you know I do, I just want you to be smart and careful... And happy and not to be a goddamn idjit again," He added, giving Dean a fond smile.

"I'm not planning on being an idiot, Bobby," Dean ran a hand through his hair. "I'll sit down with him tonight."

Bobby nodded again and tossed a pack of gum across their desks. "I'm gonna finish up the Smith's van and give Stu a call to pick ‘er up."

Dean just nodded and finished his coffee. "I'll have a look at the ‘tow-ins’," he told Bobby and got up.

Bobby grunted his response, before he pushed past him, heading out to the van in the repair bay. Dean reached behind him for the wall of keys, plucking the ones he needed from the hooks. With a sigh he pushed to his feet and moved out into the yard towards the newly arrived tows.
Dean sighed and shook and his head. Was he making a mistake? Was he going too fast? He felt horrible that he was giving it some real thought only now. He just wanted to hear from Cas and wanted to be able to talk to him.

Cas parked the Impala in front of the small office and carefully got out. He tugged at the waist of his dress shirt to straighten it out before he walked into the room. Dean looked up and gave him a small smile, but was talking on the phone with a customer.

"We'll have her ready by this evening, no problem. Do you need Bobby or me to come and pick you and the kids up?" Dean pointed towards the coffee maker and Cas nodded, heading over to make them both a cup while Dean finished on the phone.

Dean watched Cas while he was making his call. He blew him a kiss when he got the cup of coffee handed over. Once he hung up the phone he beamed at Cas. "Hello, Love, how are you? How was the interview?"

"Hey, I'm good." Cas leaned across the desk to give Dean a kiss before dropping into the visitor’s chair. "You and Bobby busy today? I thought we could do lunch or something and then I can tell you about the interview."

Dean grinned happily. "Not too busy… Lunch sounds awesome." He checked the time on his computer screen. "Let me just tell Bobby, and we're good to go now, actually."

"Alright," Cas nodded and took a sip of his coffee. "Meet you at the car?"

Dean nodded and sipped his coffee too. He got up and walked around his desk to kiss Cas softly.

Castiel kissed him back and then shoved at him gently. "Go… go tell Bobby and let's go. I want to tell you about it and talk to you about something.”

Dean sighed. "Yeah, me too..." He picked up his cup and taking another sip as he headed through the doorway.

Cas followed Dean out of the shop, splitting from him to head to the car. He sipped on his coffee leaning against the passenger door, suddenly nervous as he waited for Dean to join him.

Dean talked to Bobby, telling him about the call and that he was going out for lunch with Cas. Then he went to find Cas and looked at him amused when he saw him standing at the passenger side.

"Ready?" Dean's question made Cas jump and he nodded quickly, giving Dean a small smile and pushing down the nerves that had taken residence in his stomach. Dean slipped into the driver’s seat and Cas handed over the keys as he rode shotgun.

"Do you have half an hour or so?" Cas asked, turning the radio down as Dean turned on the car. Dean gave him a look, but didn't say anything about the volume of the music.

"I have as long as we need, Love - at least this time. So, where do you want to take me?" Dean asked when they got to the main road.

"How about that nice, little Italian place by my Dad's house?"

"Haven't been there for a while, but I heard they're even better now than back when we were regulars." Dean replied and turned right to take them to the suggested restaurant.

"Alright, good. I would kill for some chicken parmesan right now..." Cas smiled, relaxing back into the seat.

Dean cruised down the street where Cas used to live staying rather silent, trying to figure out how to start a conversation about the idea of Cas moving in.

When they finally arrived, Cas exhaled slowly and let out a nervous laugh. "When I said we needed to talk... I didn't expect you to come back with the same..." he said softly before looking over at Dean.
"Please tell me you're not... I don't know... going to say something really awful… that's going to make me wish we weren't out in public? Are you?"

Dean took Cas's hand and squeezed gently. "No. At least I hope not. I wouldn't have agreed to go out if I thought that was something that would happen."

"That really doesn't make me feel any better," Cas laughed uneasily, leaning over to give Dean a quick kiss. "Alright, let's go..."

"Not like I feel all peachy." Dean mumbled under his breath and got out of the car.

Cas sighed and followed after him, giving the hostess a smile when she greeted them at the door. "Two please."

"Right this way," she smiled warmly and led them through the restaurant. Cas was grateful they were seated in a secluded booth towards the back.

"Damien is your server, and he will be right with you."

"Thank you." Dean smiled at the hostess, waiting for Cas to get seated.

"Alright. You first…" Cas suggested, picking up the menu and flattening it in front of him. He glanced down at it quickly, but already knew what it was that he wanted to order.

Dean did the same with his menu, but he was too nervous to know what he wanted. He watched Cas for a few moments while chewing on his lower his lip uneasily. "We ... We never really… um… 'talked' about the ‘you moving in with us’ thing ..." He started finally.

Cas felt his face pale and he swallowed hard, trailing his eyes up from his menu to meet Dean's. "Right. I... I shouldn't have assumed..." He trailed off, suddenly feeling nauseous. He felt his stomach twist as he came to the quick conclusion that Dean maybe hadn't really wanted him to live down here with him. He bit on his lower lip, trying to recall all of their conversations about the prospect of Cas moving back down and getting relocated at the hospital in Topeka. Now he wondered if he had only heard what he himself had wanted to hear. Maybe Dean had never really suggested any of this… Cas felt his eyes begin to moisten.

Instantly Dean recognized the look on Cas's face, the horror in his blue eyes, and without a moment’s hesitation he reached across the table to grasp both of Cas’s hands in his, “No! No, Cas… Calm down… That came out wrong.” He smiled what he hoped was a reassuring smile, before continuing, "I do want you here, I want you to move in.. I only meant that we never actually talked about it… About all the changes it would mean for either of us... About anything..."

"Jesus Christ, Dean..." Cas exhaled quickly, clenching Dean's hands with his own. "Start with that next time..." He squeezed Dean's hands and tried to force his breathing back under control.

Dean took a deep breath. "I'm sorry… God, Cas, I'm so damned sorry."

"It's okay..." Cas reassured him, squeezing his hand one more time before pulling back. "Now that you've officially scared the crap out of me, I guess whatever you have to say can't be that bad." He chuckled and closed his menu. "So... no, you're right. We haven't talked about it much. I think part of that is because neither of us wanted to be disappointed in case this job thing didn't pan out."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. So, how about you start with telling me about your interview first?"

"Well..." Cas cleared his throat and shifted his position on the seat.

"Hello, gentlemen! I'm Damien, I'll be your server this afternoon. Can I start you guys off with something to drink?"

"I'll just have a glass of ice water with some lemon," Cas gave the waiter a small smile and then waited for Dean to order his Coke.

"Can I start you off with any breadsticks? Salad? Some fried calamari?"

"I think we know what we want actually... Dean?"

"I'll have the lasagna, please…" Dean told the waiter with a polite smile. And with a grin directed at Cas “and Cas will have a double order of Chicken Parmesan. Thank you.”

The waiter wrote down their orders and with a smile, picked up their menus before leaving them alone once more.

"Right... so... The interview went okay. I left kind of not really knowing where I stood, you know? The interview was with the current CEO who is planning on retiring, and he was nice and all but.. I just didn't get a good feel for him, you know? Not really sure where I stood…

"Well, as I was driving back to Lawrence... he called me." Cas paused, watching Dean's face and fighting back the smile. "He called me and... he said that he was impressed with me and he'd already talked to a few of the people back in New York and some of the hospitals in the area. Said he'd also contacted the Vice-President for the hospitals division. The interview was just a formality, they'd already decided a week ago.” Cas paused for dramatic effect.

"I got the job. I start in Topeka on January 1st!"

Dean's jaw dropped and he gasped in delighted surprise. Then he blinked at Cas like he wasn't real. "You got it? You're really coming home to Kansas? That's ... Amazing!!!"

“I did… yes,” Cas nodded quickly, a smile breaking out over his face. “I’m coming back, Dean…”

"That's crazy! I'm so fucking excited!" Dean gasped.

"Me too," Cas agreed and leaned over the table to capture Dean's lips in a quick kiss. "I'm coming home, Dean."

"I'm so happy, Cas," Dean breathed out.

"Good, I'm glad. I am too." Cas laughed and leaned back as the waiter returned with their drinks. "So... now the next part. Dean, look... if you're not ready for me to live with you and Dot yet, I get it. I really do, and I am sure Dad would let me stay with him until I got on my feet down here."

"I want it, Cas, I really want you to live with us. I have no idea if we're doing the right thing though," Dean sighed. "But I don't think anyone can say if we are. I think we'll have to find out, but I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that I'm a little scared."

"Alright... Well, let's talk about that then. What are you scared of? Because as much as I'm excited, I'm terrified too. And we know, from past experience, that we have to talk about this and… about what we're thinking and feeling. I don't... I don't want this… to end up like before, Dean. I barely handled it the first time. I couldn't do that again… especially now… now that I would be losing more than just you. I'd be losing Dotty too."

"That's really what I'm afraid of… Of us losing you… of me fucking things up… again..." Dean swallowed the lump of fear rising in his throat. "Look, I’ve never had anyone else live with Dot and me. We're a team, and she and I know each other inside and out. It's gonna’ be all new and different now with the three of us. She wants you to be her second daddy, but I want you to not only be around to spoil her a little but also to really act like a real dad ... with rules and such… you know? A real parent."

"And I really want that, Dean. God, I want that so badly... I can't imagine not having the two of you in my life and I truly want to be a part of yours and hers. I know I've never been a daddy before, and I'm going to have so much to learn… If this is really what we want, if we're really going to do this, then I’m going to need you to help me. I want to make this as easy and good for her as I can, you know? I don't want to upset her life by coming into it-- I want to make it better. I want to make both of your lives better."

"I know that... And I know it will take both Dot and me a little time to feel out our new roles. To learn to share our lives with you every day… but... I honestly mean it when I say there is nothing that I want more than that."

"Maybe we should just give it a try and not overthink it too much, and we should just talk right away when problems arise and not try to imagine them all beforehand.”

"Alright... But only if we do that… really talk . We have to promise to talk to each other, just like we do now." Cas reached across the table and took Dean's hand in his. "This time has to be different. For us and for Dotty’s sake..."

"For us and for Dotty," Dean agreed wholeheartedly, squeezing Cas's hand. "I promise I'll talk about my feelings and my fears and my problems. I love you and I don't want to lose you again...ever."

"I love you too," Cas smiled and his eyes twinkled with hope for their future. "We have a few months until I'm down here... But I’m thinking of taking two weeks off, if I can, so I can get settled in with you and Dotty. Plus, it will be Christmas..."

"A second Daddy for Christmas…That would be an awesome present for our Princess," Dean beamed.

"I don't know if I'll be able to take time off between now and then though... I'll still have to find someone for my hospital to take over my position." Cas chewed on his lip, lost in thought.

"Would you mind us coming to visit you for Thanksgiving?" Dean suggested.

"I would love that," Cas grinned, squeezing Dean's hand. "I still can't believe this is happening..." he said softly and leaned back as the waiter approached their table with their meals in hand.

"Me neither," Dean smiled softly at Cas.


Chapter Twenty-Six

Take Two Chapter 26

Cas let himself into the apartment and was greeted with an armful of Dorothy the second he stepped in through the door.

“Cas!” she cried out, laughing as Cas lifted her up into the air.

“Hey, Dotty!” Cas laughed and hugged her tightly. “Where’s your Daddy?”

“Checking on the turkey,” Dot answered, hugging him once more before slipping down Cas’s body. “I’m watchin’ the parade!”

“Awesome! Let me see if Daddy needs any help and then you can show me which float is your favorite, okay?” Dot nodded and bounced away from him, back into the living room and the large window that overlooked the city. Although they were a couple of blocks over, being on the upper-most floor of the building gave her great view of the gigantic character balloons sailing above the parade route. He could hear the sounds of the TV broadcasting the parade as well and knew Dot would see all the floats and marching bands on the TV screen.

“Hey,” Dean greeted as Cas made his way into the kitchen. Cas smiled and reached for Dean. He gripped the back of his neck and pulled Dean in, pressing their lips together.

“I’m so sorry I’m late,” he said against Dean’s lips. “The subway was so backed up because of the parade… I got there and the issue had already been resolved as well.” He sighed stepped back from Dean to look at the pots and pans Dean had all around the counters and stove. “Are you feeding an army?” Cas laughed, inhaling deeply. “Smells delicious.”

“Well… I couldn’t decide on what to make… Dotty is starting to try more things too, so I didn’t want her to miss anything.”

“Green bean casserole, turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and candied yams?” Cas named off each dish as he opened the pots and pans, his smile widening with each new discovery. “And I bet if I open the fridge there will be every kind of pie known to man?”

“No! Not… every kind,” Dean laughed, pushing Cas’s arm playfully. “I couldn’t find cherry and there wasn’t room in the oven to make one.”

“I’ll make you a cherry pie for Christmas,” Cas promised with a smile and Dean kissed him before shoving three dinner plates into his hands.

“I knew I loved you for a reason.”

Cas chuckled and took the plates to the table, grabbing the wine glasses from the cabinet and setting out three. He figured Dot would want to have a fancy ‘grown-up’ glass for her apple juice too.

Dean hummed happily checking on the dishes again before he slipped into the living room again.

"Hey, ‘lil Miss, any awesome floats yet?" he asked as he moved to his daughter’s side.

"Daddy! Look! You can see Princess Sophia!" Dot squealed, pressing her face against the window. Dean chuckled and ruffled her hair as he sunk down to his knees beside her.

"Oh… I see her!" He smiled and Dot leaned against his arm, looking over his shoulder at the TV before back to the window.

Cas watched them for a moment, feeling his heart swell. This was going to be his… hell this was his! He slipped back into the kitchen to get out the silverware and bring some of the dishes to the table.

Dean watched the parade with his little one for a bit longer before he went back to the kitchen to take care of the food.

"I think all that's left is the turkey and gravy..." Cas said when he saw Dean and gave him a smile. "Do you want to carve it?"

"Me? It's your place, Love," Dean winked.

Cas laughed and leaned over the island to kiss Dean softly. "Alright, why don't you get Dot and meet me at the table?"

"Oh, damn, I handed myself the harder job, didn't I?" Dean laughed.

"I'm a slave driver," Cas smirked and gave Dean a playful shove. "Hey! Are we ‘talking’ to her after dinner?"

"I really think we should ... She and I must prepare ourselves for the ‘slave driver’ to move in with us. It's gonna be a huge change for her. It makes me a little nervous."

"Oh shut up." Cas threw a hand-towel at Dean who ducked it, laughing. Cas shook his head and turned his attention to the turkey. As he sliced into it, he couldn't stop the smile from spreading across his lips.

He was nervous too, more nervous than he'd been in a while, about telling Dorothy what was happening. If she even showed the slightest amount of discomfort at the thought... Cas couldn't help but think that would be it. He loved her, loved both of them, and he knew Dotty was in love with him too. But this was a huge step they were taking, and she needed to be on board.

Dean moved to the window, and leaned down to kiss his daughter’s blond head. "Are you coming over to join us for dinner, my bear?" He asked, watching her face with amusement as she actually contemplated whether to keep on watching the parade and miss out on dinner or have dinner and miss the mammoth balloons.

"Do we have mashed potatoes?" she asked, tearing her eyes from the window to look up at her Daddy.

"Oh, Princess, of course there's mashed potatoes. Like we would have Thanksgiving Dinner without mashed potatoes."

"Okay, I'll come then!" She agreed happily and jumped down from her chair to scamper into the dining room. Cas was already there, pulling out her chair and helping her climb up into her booster seat.

Dean smiled at Cas happily, watching him help Dotty. This was going to be their future, this was the future he was gladly looking forward to. No, actually, it was their present because this was happening.

Cas sat down in his chair and carefully pushed a glass of apple juice over to Dorothy. "It's a ‘big girl’ glass, so you have to be careful, okay?"

Dorothy nodded and looked proudly at her Dad. "Look, Daddy!!! Just like yours!"

"Yeah, I see Cas spoiling you," Dean chuckled.

Cas gave Dean a wink and popped a bottle of champagne, pouring them each a glass. "Happy Thanksgiving!" Cas smiled, clinking his glass with Dean's and then Dorothy's before taking a sip.

"We have to have Thanksgiving like this every year!" Dorothy exclaimed, taking a big gulp of her juice before pushing her plate towards Cas to fill.

“Oh yes, that would be awesome. But maybe next time we could do it back in Kansas, huh?"

Cas gave Dean a smirk and looked at Dorothy as he served a big scoop of mashed potatoes and some turkey onto her plate.

“Oh yes! Would you do that, Cas? Would you come home with us for Thanksgiving next year?"

"You know, Dot… I think I could do that." Cas paused and met Dean's eyes before he continued. They'd talked about having this conversation after dinner, but if this wasn't the perfect opening, Cas didn't know what else would be. "And maybe even some other dinners too, not necessarily holidays, what do you think about that?"

"Will you come to visit us a lot, Cas?" She asked before she took another sip of her juice.

"No, little Bear," Dean started and looked at Cas. "Cas won't be visiting us anymore."

Instantly Dot looked confused, eyes darting back and forth between her Dad and Cas before she turned watery eyes to Cas. "Are you breaking up with us?"

Dean instantly regretted his words, and yet he thought his daughter's question was the sweetest thing ever, or at least the 'us' part of it was, the rest was heart-wrenching.

"Oh, honey! No," Cas said quickly, reaching for her hand and giving it a light squeeze. "No, I am not breaking up with you or your Daddy... In fact... I was thinking that maybe, if it was alright with you, I could come and live a little bit closer."

Now her green eyes widened in delight and she gasped, "Like back with Uncle Chuck?"

Cas's heart gave a flutter at the fact that Dot already thought of his family as her own and had taken to calling his dad 'Uncle Chuck' even after that disastrous dinner. Cas smiled and glanced over at Dean before he shook his head again. "I was thinking more like... with you and Daddy."

Dean reached for Cas's hand under the table and held it gently while he studied Dorothy's face as the information sank in. This was going to be too important for all of them, and it scared Dean.

Dotty was quiet for a long moment, her bright green eyes searching the faces of both her father and Cas for a moment as if she was trying to see if they were trying to trick her. Finally, she turned her entire body to Castiel and whispered, "Really?"

"Really," Cas whispered back, nodding, and then he had a lap full of over-joyed, high energy as she scrambled down from her booster seat and launched her small body into Castiel's arms.

"Really? You're really coming to live with us? You're really, really going to be there like every day and every night and all the time?"

Dean's face was all grin, but his eyes were damp. He couldn't have been any happier than he was right now. His lover was going to move in with them, and his daughter was looking forward to it. That's what he was thankful for tonight.

"Yes, I am," Cas laughed, squeezing her tightly before sliding her back into her seat. "I'll even be there for Christmas."

"When exactly are you going to come?" Dean asked. He couldn’t remember if Cas had already told him or not. He’d chalk it up to nervous memory loss.

"Two weeks, give or take," Cas grinned. "I am officially finished with my position on the 7th of December and then all I have to do is pack up everything and come down!"

"Is there anything we can already take with us? I wish we could stay to help pack, but school and work ..."

"No, no it's alright," Cas shook his head and finished filling Dotty's plate and then his own. "You and I just have to figure out what we actually want from here and what I should sell or have stay behind..."

"That shouldn't be too hard, we can do that." Dean agreed nodding and started dishing up his own plate too.

"Great," Cas gave Dean a smile and turned back to Dot. "I'm glad you're excited, I was kind of worried."

"Why were you worried?" she asked, taking a big bite of her mashed potatoes.

"Well, I want you to be happy! So it was really important to me and to your Daddy that you would be okay with me coming to live with you."

"Well… of course I want that!" She flashed him an exasperated look and shook her head. "I already told my friends at school I had two daddies, so now when they come over they will know it's true!"

Dean stared at his daughter, his scoop of sweet potatoes hovering above the table. "You ... " he blinked.

Cas looked at Dean with his eyes wide and then burst out laughing.

"What?" Dot asked them, confused at their reactions.

"I just didn't know you were telling people that..." Dean replied, just as confused.

"Well, when Uncle Sammy was here, you and him talked about you and Cas being married, so that means he's my daddy too, right?"

Dean looked at Cas, a little shocked, and a tiny bit amused. "Well, Dot," he said looking at her again, "That's... that's true I guess… Cas?”

Cas’s blue eyes widened and he turned to Dean, opening his mouth once before letting it fall shut. "I..." he stopped and glanced at Dotty again who was looking at him expectantly. “Well… Right now... Your Daddy and I are... dating, I guess," he said, giving Dean a shrug. "But you can call me whatever makes you comfortable, okay?" He and Dean hadn't talked about the fact that they were still married since they'd been trying to get the divorce papers taken care of. Hell, Cas still had the signed papers at the bottom of his nightstand drawer…

He glanced towards Dean, hoping his response was an okay one. They hadn't actually talked about how any of their relationships would change once Cas was in the house, though both of them had already assumed Cas would be taking on a parenting role...

"I think I forgot the cranberry sauce," Dean told them and got up slipping back into the kitchen. He was hoping Cas got the hint ... He knew his daughter could be rather straightforward, but sometimes, like now, she was almost scaring him.

Cas waited a second then leaned towards Dorothy. "I don't think he knows where the can opener is... I'll be right back."

Dean stood at the island, expecting Cas momentarily.

"What the Fuck?" Eyes huge, Dean barely mouthed the words at him. “She’s way ahead of us…”

Cas shrugged, eyes just as wide. "I had no idea what to say... Jesus Christ, Dean... I didn't expect that!" Cas chuckled nervously and ran a hand back through his hair, reaching for a small plate to put their 'emergency cranberry sauce' on. "Was what I said okay? I know we hadn't talked about anything like that..."

"Yeah ... Yeah… of course, it was okay ... I just ... I really didn't expect that, you know? Children are scary, Cas." He came to stand right in front of him and ran a hand through his hair. "I guess we'll have a bit more talking to do tonight ..."

"She hears everything, that's for sure..." Cas grinned and opened up a drawer for the can opener, pressing it into Dean's hands. "Let's just change the subject for now... I bet if we tried we could get her to spend the rest of dinner talking about the parade."

"Let's hope so." Dean took the opener and kissed Cas's cheek. "Let's go back."

Cas nodded, squeezing Dean's shoulder as he passed and followed him back into the dining room.

Dot was turned around in her chair, her eyebrow cocked up as she looked at them. "Were you kissing in there?" She asked, making an ‘icky’ face.

"Yes, we were," Dean smiled happily. "That's what daddies do, get used to it, kiddo." He laughed and ruffled her hair.

Dorothy huffed but turned back around in her chair to continue eating. Cas rolled his eyes, laughing as he took his seat again. "Happy Thanksgiving," he laughed, cutting into his turkey. "I love you guys."

"I love you two, too, and tonight I'm most thankful for the two of you." Dean replied.

Dean stood in the open doorway of Dorothy's room after he had finished taking care of washing the dishes and left Castiel to finish drying them. He watched her sleep, as he often did, wondering how to freeze time. She was growing up so quickly…

Although his baby girl was growing up, his cuddly girl growing into a little lady, and he didn’t want to miss any second of it, he was terrified of it as well. He wanted to see her falling in love for the first time, wanted to be there to dry her tears over her first crush, see her graduate and become the beautiful woman he knew she was going to be. But he wanted her to stay like this, this small and this innocent, for just a little bit longer.

Having Cas at his side to help him raise her and help them both through those times had his heart swelling in his chest and it the entire prospect of Dot growing up an adventure for the three of them to tackle as a family. He smiled to himself as he thought of Cas by his side watching Dot grow up together – if anything, he thought Cas would be the one who would end up being more of a worry wart than he would be.
Cas smiled as he came around the corner into the bedroom hallway, drying his hands on the hand towel he’d been using to dry the rest of the dishes. Dean was still leaning against the doorframe to Dot’s room, a thoughtful expression on his face and Cas stood in silence relishing how beautiful he looked in the soft glow of the room’s nightlight.

Slowly, Cas slipped up behind him and wrapped an arm around his waist. “Hey,” he whispered as he pulled Dean back against his chest and pressed a soft kiss to the side of his neck. He let his chin rest against Dean’s shoulder and gave him a soft squeeze. “You okay?”

Dean nodded and leaned back against Cas. "Tonight, I realized that she's not a baby anymore. I feel old and a little out of my realm. And I'm so thankful you're with me."

Cas kissed him again and hugged him close. "She's not a baby anymore, no... But she's a turning into a beautiful, smart girl. You've done such an amazing job, Dean. I’m proud of you both.”

"We’ll do an even better job together.” Dean turned around and kissed Cas softly, and Cas smiled against his lips, nodding his head. "What are we up to?" Dean asked as he pulled away, letting their foreheads rest together.

"Let's see what should move to Lawrence and what I should sell or leave here," Cas replied, letting his arms trail down until his hand found Dean's as he pulled him away.

Dean nodded and followed after Cas, already starting to think of which things he could see fitting into the house and what to do with the rest of Cas’ things.

Together, they went through the kitchen and living room-- deciding on keeping Cas' china and the pots and pans (since there could never be too many kitchen items), plus the living room television which they agreed to put into a playroom for Dot. Most of the furniture would stay here if the landlord wanted it, otherwise Cas decided he would donate it.
Dotty's room would get transferred, the new bed Cas bought her being newer than the one she had at home, and since the beautiful dresser set already matched it would be worth lugging halfway across the country.
By the time they crawled into bed, Cas felt wiped out and was more than happy to slide up beside Dean and into his arms.

Dean wrapped his arm around Cas and kissed his temple. "How are you feeling, Love?" he asked softly.

"I’m feeling... happy... excited... A bit nervous..." Cas answered honestly, tucking his head into the space between Dean's neck and shoulder. "Mostly excited. I am just excited that I’ll be seeing you and Dorothy every day, you know? Seeing you guys every few months hasn’t been enough for me… I miss you the moment we leave one another."

"Good. Yeah, I know what you mean…Me too." Gently, Dean slid his fingers over Cas's skin. "I'm feeling the same about being apart."

"I love you." Cas reached for Dean, wrapping his fingers around the back of his head and pulling him down for a kiss. "So, so much."

Dean kissed Cas back softly and held him close. "I love you too."

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Take Two Chapter 27

Now that Castiel had moved into the house with Dorothy and Dean, all of their lives were changing. Some of the changes might seem small, almost on the verge of being unnoticeable from the outside, but to Dean and his daughter, the change was huge. Especially Christmas… Dean knew their routine would change. The two of them usually spent Christmas Eve cuddled up on the couch in blankets watching Disney, The Charlie Brown Christmas Special, or Rudolph and other classics while eating nothing but Christmas cookies – except for the few they would keep out for Santa. Christmas morning would bring presents and pancakes and in the evening, they would have Christmas Dinner at Bobby’s, just the three of them. Ever since Sam had met Jessica he usually spent Christmas time with her family so Dean and Dot were happy to enjoy Bobby’s company.
This year their usual plan was going to include Castiel and his father as well. They’d already decided that dinner was going to be at their house, and although Bobby had joked that he was glad he wouldn’t have to be the one cooking this year, Dean couldn’t help but feel a little worried that Bobby was upset about the change. Another change would be Cas having a say in decorating the house and the tree and deciding what they were going to do on Christmas Eve.

Dean was both nervous and excited about seeing Christmas change. Cas and Dean were walking through the grocery store, getting the rest of the supplies they would need to make Christmas cookies and the items they could get ahead of time for a festive Christmas dinner. Dot was still at school for a few hours and once that school bell rang at three o’clock, she would be on winter break and the sugar cookie making would commence.

Cas reached over and squeezed Dean’s hand as they walked down the baking aisle, giving him a small smile. “You okay?” Cas asked, giving him a knowing smile.

Dean nodded, and squeezed back, "Yeah, I think so. You?" He asked and reached for a pack of colored sugar sprinkles. He could almost hear Dot’s voice in his head at the prospect of him forgetting the sprinkles.

"I am." Cas smiled, nodding his head as he grabbed one bag each of flour and sugar and plunked them into the cart. "Really happy."

"Oh yeah, me too. Happy there's more of a family now for Dot to celebrate with."

Cas nodded his head and they finished perusing the baking aisle in comfortable silence before heading over to the dairy section. They came around a seasonal endcap and Cas stopped, chuckling as he picked up a dvd case from the rack. "The Grinch... Dad and I used to watch the Grinch every Christmas Eve!"

"You did? I haven't watched that with Dotty yet, she was too young. You think six is a good age for The Grinch?"

Cas flipped the case over in his hand and then nodded, "Yeah, I think six is good for the Grinch! I can ask Dad how old I was when we started... That's all I can remember from Christmas Eve, the Grinch and making popcorn garland for the tree."

"Good luck with that, the popcorn goes straight into Dotty's belly..." Dean laughed. Cas chuckled and reached for a bag of cranberries displayed in the center of the aisle and tossed them into the cart. "Oh, by the way, does your dad still go to church? I was thinking maybe Dotty should get at least introduced to that part of Christmas."

"Yeah, he does," Cas nodded. "We can all go if you’d like, I think Dad would really like not going alone this year." Cas gave him a small smile and once they finished getting the rest of their groceries, they moved towards the checkout.

"I would really like for us all to join your Dad." Dean smiled as they stood in line for checkout.

"Alright! I'll let him know and we’re planning on joining him. It's usually a midnight Mass on Christmas Eve... I don't think that has changed." Cas suggested as they reached the checkout area. As they unloaded the cart contents onto the conveyor belt, he continued. "I'm really excited to be spending Christmas with you guys."

Dean smiled at Cas, "Yeah, I'm really excited too. If you don’t mind I’ll call your dad and check with him about going to church."

"Yeah, of course," Cas agreed. "He’d really like that, I think."

"I think Dot would too." Dean added quietly as he helped with the rest of unloading.

They were checked out quickly, and after they loaded the car and stopped for coffee, they were on their way back home. "So," Cas said as they were bringing the groceries into the house. "What's the plan for tonight? Dotty was talking this morning about making sugar cookies... I told her we’d see, but probably. Christmas Eve is in four days, but I'm thinking between the two of you, all the home-made cookies will be gone by then and Santa will end up with Oreos!"

"Santa loves Oreos!" Dean explained with big eyes. "Santa never complained. But we'll still need to make more because we're having Christmas dinner here and our guests should be able to get some too. And because we’ll have to share with you." Dean winked.

"Oh I’m so flattered… I get cookie considerations," Cas laughed. "Though, I'd give up my cookies for another kind of sugar..."

"There're other kinds of sugar for Christmas?" Dean joked.

Cas laughed, finding Dean's lips and kissing him softly.

Dean kissed back with his hands on Cas's hips.

Dean pushed Cas backwards gently until Cas’s back hit the counter. Cas smiled against Dean's lips, while trying to push Dean away far enough to give them breathing space. "Dean?" Cas whispered. "We have about five minutes before we have to get Dotty, don't we..."

"Yes, my Love, we do," Dean agreed reluctantly, his tongue darting out to wet his lips.

Cas groaned softly before pushing away. "Fine... Do you mind if I go get Dotty today?" Cas asked.

"What?" Dean asked, surprised by Cas's action. He had thought his boyfriend had meant they had to be extra quick... "No, no of course I don't mind. Her teacher knows who you are, so it’d be fine. I'll start prepping the kitchen for the sugar cookie making while you’re gone then."

Cas reached over to grab the Impala keys off the counter, before leaning into Dean once again. "Then, I think once we tire Dotty out with all of the cookie making and snowman building we're going to do before dinner, she might go to bed early. What I have planned for you will take more than five minutes."

A smirk spread over Dean's face. "That sounds promising. I can't wait." He winked and pecked Cas's lips. "See you later. Drive safe, last day of school is crazy."

“Okay. See you soon, baby!" Cas called over his shoulder as he left.

Dean smiled to himself and started putting away the groceries. When he was done, he looked for the recipe and finally sat waiting for his family, sipping coffee.

Picking up Dot should have been uneventful-- just like any other time he had picked her up. Except for the fact that since it was the last day of school before Christmas break all the other parents had decided to pick up their kids from school, instead of letting them take the bus home.

"I hope your daddy doesn't make and eat all the cookies without us..." He mused, glancing over his shoulder to smile at Dot.

"No! Daddy wouldn't do that, would he, Castiel? He doesn't know which shapes I want this year."

"No, Dotty... I don't think he would," Cas reassured her quickly and waited for a group of kids to pass in front of the Impala before he rolled forward. They'd make it to the road eventually…

Dean decided to spend the time waiting doing something useful and grabbed the phone to call Chuck. Dean smiled when he was greeted with a polite "Shirley," on the other end of the line after the third ring.

"Hey, Chuck, it's me, Dean."

"Hey, Dean! How's it going?" Chuck asked, a smile in his voice. "How's the little princess doing?"

"All fine. The Princess is getting picked up from school by Cas, and she's probably all excited about school holidays and cookie making. How are you?"

"Oh, I can imagine. Santa's coming soon!" Chuck laughed and Dean could hear rustling through the phone. "Grandpa Santa is busy wrapping some gifts now... I think my elves went on strike."

"Oh, don't spoil her too much, okay? Anyways, why I'm calling..." Dean bit his lip.

Chuck chuckled. "You know spoiling is a grandparent’s job! What's up, Dean?"

"Cas said you're still attending church and I was thinking, since Christmas is changing for Dotty and me anyway, maybe we could all go to church together for Christmas?"

"Oh, yeah! Of course! I would really love that Dean. Thanks for thinking of me, really. I would love to have you all there with me."

Dean smiled happily at Chuck's joy over his idea. "Hey, no need to thank me. Thank you for being part of Dot's life now."

"I'm really proud of you guys," Chuck said softly, then cleared his throat. "What are the Christmas Day plans? Cas hasn't said yet. Are you... Seeing your parents? Should I come over after Santa comes?"

"We're going to have Christmas dinner at our place and I thought Cas had told you we're expecting to see you here. But you're very welcome to come for breakfast too. Dot's gonna be Skyping with her other grandparents, so it'd be Grandparents morning anyway." Dean chuckled softly.

"Alright, that sounds good to me. I'll head over around 9? Is that too early?"

"I'll have to check with your son. Dot and I will be up, but I don't know about Cas."

Chuck laughed, "You're going to have to sic Dotty on him. Unless he sets an alarm for work, my son is incapable of getting up before ten!"

"Not even for Santa? He's been off work since he's got here but he's usually up before ten. I think having to live with a school kid is changing him too, huh?" Dean laughed softly.

"My little boy's finally growing up." Chuck snorted. "Well, I'll plan on 9 and if anything changes just let me know."

"Of course we will. Oh, by the way, is there any certain type of sugar cookie that Cas loves most?"

"He likes them best on the crispy side and without frosting. Sometimes I wonder if he's truly related to me." Chuck joked.

"Oh dear God, is he even human? Frosting is the lone reason to make sugar cookies ... "Dean shook his head laughing.

“I have asked myself that question before. Hell, you know what he was like in his teens!"

"Yeah, I do… I do remember the awkward kid I fell in love with." Dean smiled fondly.

"Yeah," Chuck said softly, trailing off. "Well, I have a few more things to pick up today and then all my shopping is done so I should get going. Tell that son of mine not to be a stranger and I'll see you guys Christmas Eve for the church services."

"Yeah, my little family should be here any minute anyway, so, yeah. I'll tell Cas. And we'll see you Christmas Eve."

"Bye, Dean!" Chuck said and hung up the phone just as Cas and Dotty walked through the front door.

Dean put down the phone and grinned. He got up and held his arms open for his little girl. "Hey, Little Bear. Vacation finally!"

"Hi, Daddy!" Dotty raced forward, throwing herself into her Dad's arms. "And yes! No school for two whole weeks!"

"Oh no!" Dean teased, "So much time to clean up your room and help with the dishes and cleaning the house."

"Or... Making sugar cookies!" She added excitedly, scrambling out of his arms and onto the countertop and clapping her hands together. "For Santa and me!"

"Oh? But what about Daddy? And Cas?" Dean looked at her mockingly shocked. Then he glanced at Cas and went over to him to kiss his cheek.

Dot eyed them both for a moment before nodding her head with a small sigh. "I can share."

"That's a relief," Cas laughed, leaning into Dean and squeezing his hip.

"Okay, everybody wash your hands, and then we can get started." Dean nudged Cas. "Your dad says ‘hi’ and said to tell you not to be a stranger."

"I'll give him a call later. Did you talk to him about Christmas Eve?" Cas asked as he sidestepped Dorothy heading to the bathroom to wash her hands.

"Yeah, I did. He's looking forward to taking us to church with him," Dean nodded. "And he's gonna come for breakfast on Christmas Day... and Christmas dinner although somebody forgot to invite him... Is nine o’clock gonna’ work for you for breakfast or are you planning on sleeping in?"

Cas rolled his eyes and laughed. "I'm sure Dotty will take care of waking me up."

"I'm sorry, but she will be indisposed with raiding Christmas stockings." Dean teased.

"Oh, well, I guess I'll have to set an alarm then..." Cas sighed dramatically, reaching for Dean to pull him in. "Though, honestly, I may be more excited about this Christmas than Dot is."

"Oh I think you're definitely not the only one." Dean kissed Cas.

"I love you," Cas whispered, leaning against Dean's chest, his arms loose around his waist.

"I love you too," Dean whispered.

Dot came back in waving her clean hands at them. "Cookies! I'm ready!" she declared.

"All right princess! Let's do this! "Cast laughed pulling away from Dean and turning to lift Dotty up and set her back up on the counter.

"Grandma sent me a Pinkie Pie cookie cutter, can we use that?" Dot asked.

Cas nodded and reached for the mixing bowls on the counter while Dean found the box of cookie cutters.

Dean set the box beside Dot and opened it. "Cas? Look… I've still got the Vader cutter you gave me."

"These are going to be the best Christmas cookies ever!” Cas started laughing holding up the cookie-cutter in his hands. "Do you still have the Yoda shape too?"

"I think so." Dean searched the box and held out the cutter. "There it is. And here's one of Hello Kitty."

"Don't we have the coolest cookie cutters, Cas?" Dotty grinned at him.

"Yes!" Cas agreed, laughing as he took one from her, flipping it over in his hands as he inspected it. "I don't know how I possibly made Christmas cookies every year without these!"

"Well… now you'll never have to make them without us again! Ever!" Dot beamed at him and Cas reached forward, pulling Dot and Dean in against his chest, hugging them tightly.

Dean huffed a small, surprised laugh. He planted a sloppy kiss on Cas’s cheek and grinned. Yes, having Cas live with them was the best Christmas present life could have given them.

"Okay... Dough won't make itself," he announced after a while. Cas chuckled and released them and Dot quickly got to work, telling them which bowl to use and informing them she was the ‘stirrer’. Cas smiled and knew there was nothing that would ever beat this.





Cas was humming to himself as he finished popping the popcorn. When Dean had told him to pop three bags, he'd thought the other man was crazy. But between the two of them and Dotty, they'd managed to demolish more than half of their popcorn stash and were already popping a fourth bag. Very little of the corn actually seemed to be making it onto the strings for garland however.
Cas chuckled to himself as he turned the bag into the bowl and carried it back into the living room. Dot was splayed out on the couch, her head resting on Dean's lap, fast asleep. Cas leaned down and gave Dean a soft kiss before lifting Dot's legs and sliding back into his spot.

"Do you think we'll be able to wake her up for Midnight Mass?" he asked, picking up the thick needle and string he'd been working with.

Dean looked at him smiling and nodded. "She's gonna kill us if we don't wake her up. She's been talking about it a lot, plus your dad will be there and you know how she loves him. Won't be a big problem to wake her..." Dean reached into the new bowl of popcorn and put a handful in his mouth, grinning at Cas mischievously.

"You are popping the next bag!" Cas warned, nudging the bowl away from Dean with his stockinged foot, even though he was smirking. Dean chuckled and munched on the popcorn, turning his attention back to the Grinch which was playing on the TV. Although it was the second time it had been on that night, Cas was content to watch it again as he strung the individual pieces of popcorn and cranberries.

"Yes, Sir!" Dean gave Cas a mock salute. "See why Dotty and I never had a popcorn string before?" He laughed softly and reached for another baby blue Vader cookie.

Cas shook his head and threw a piece of the popcorn at Dean's head. "Yeah, yeah... I don't know how you survived without me, honestly."

"Barely, Love. So glad you're finally here to save us." Dean looked for the popcorn that had hit him and, when found, popped it into his mouth.

Cas gave him a small smile and continued on his string. He worked in comfortable silence, playfully batting Dean's hand away each time he reached for more of the popcorn, and when he was finally done, Dean slid Dot off their laps to lay on the couch, while he got up and helped Castiel hang the homemade garland strings on the brightly lit tree.

"How long do you think these will stay fresh?" Cas asked as he handed Dean a strand of the garland from the opposite side of the tree. "I mean... are they going to be soggy or moldy and gross in like a week?"

"I seriously have no idea," Dean said reaching up to drape the garland over some of the top branches. "You're the expert on popcorn strings."

Cas stared at it for a moment before shrugging. "At least if it turns green it will still match the tree." The look Dean shot him through the branches was enough of an answer and Castiel burst out laughing as he accepted the strand back once more. "I'm kidding, babe. I wouldn't make you keep a string of mold on the tree."

"You are so awful… Maybe we should have used ready popped popcorn after all, it doesn’t tend to get soggy as quickly," Dean suggested waiting for the string to be handed back to him.

"Oh yeah, Smartfood popcorn would've lasted so much longer in this house," Cas rolled his eyes and handed the string back. "You finish the bottom... I'm going to jump in the shower real quick. I'll bring down Dotty's dress. She wanted the red one, right?"

"Yes, the red. Maybe you'll find the bow for her hair too?"

"Okay," Cas agreed and kissed Dean quickly before moving up the stairs, taking two steps at a time, and stripping out of his clothes the moment he reached their bedroom. He smiled as he glanced at their bathroom sink. It was no longer separated into his side and Dean's side, their things now seemingly mixed together across the entire counter top, and the sight made Cas happier than he would ever admit. Although he had been happy and excited to move in with Dean and Dot, he didn't expect to be assimilated into their little family group as quickly as he was.

He showered quickly, slipped into a pair of dress pants and a long-sleeved button-down and carefully knotted a dark blue tie around his neck. Hoping to make Dean’s showering a little less time-consuming he picked through Dean's closet and pulled out an outfit for him to wear before he went to Dot's room to gather her things.

"Want me to get her ready while you shower?" Cas asked as he came back down into the living room.

"That'd be great, yeah. I love you." Dean pecked his cheek before heading upstairs to shower. As he headed through his bedroom towards the bathroom, he smiled when he saw his clothes already spread out on the bed for him. It was a sweet, loving gesture from Cas and didn't make him feel like he was a child being told what to wear. Cas knew him well and had a good taste, so it was easy to trust his choice.

Dean showered quickly and dressed, hoping Cas didn't have much trouble with Dot.

When Dean made his way back downstairs, he could hear the excited chatter of his daughter, talking happily with Cas.

"Do you think Santa will have made it here before we're even back? Do you think he'll be upset that I'm not sleeping yet, Cas? Maybe I should leave him an extra cookie and a note so he knows that I'm not being naughty or anything and that I'm just gonna be at Church..."

"I think that if Santa does get here that early, he'll know that you're not being naughty. I don't think you have a naughty bone in your body!" Cas laughed, reaching for the little one and ticking her as he pulled her close. "Nope…I don't feel any naughty bones!"

"No! No! Stop!" Dot giggled, clutching as Cas's hands and squealing every time he tickled her ribs. "No naughty bones! I promise!"

"Wait, no naughty bones? Do I need a DNA test?" Dean laughed as he came into the living room.

"No! No naughty bones, Daddy!" Dot laughed and Cas finally stopped tickling her, letting her sit in his lap.

"Alright, alright... Let me see what I can do with this hair..."

Dean smiled and sat on the couch waiting while Cas smoothed Dot’s blond curls. hair.

"I don't know what I am doing..." an exasperated Cas whispered to Dean over his shoulder as he tried to gather all of her hair into a lumpy pony tail at the top of her head.”I think I'm making it worse..."

Dean chuckled. "Okay, hang on," he offered with a smile. "Dot, my lap. Cas, brush, please..." he instructed.

Cas gave him a grateful smile and waited for Dotty to climb up onto her father's lap before handing over the brush and the pretty hair ribbon he'd gotten from Dot's room. "Alright, show me how it's done, Hair Master."

Dean patted the spot next to him. "Sit here, padawan, and learn," he grinned and started brushing his daughter’s hair.

Cas laughed and moved from his spot on the floor to sit beside Dean, watching as he fixed the mess Cas had made with a few nearly effortless motions. When he was done, Cas let out a low whistle. "Dotty, I think you should stick with Daddy doing your hair."

"You'll learn, Cas. For her prom it'll be you doing her hair."

Cas laughed and shook his head. "Yeah, we'll see about that."

They finished getting ready and were quickly out the door. Dot carried two little gift bags full of cookies -- one for Chuck and one for the parish priest-- and was back to talking excitedly about Santa and his reindeer and wondering aloud if she would be able to see them when they finally got home as Dean buckled her into her carseat. Cas slid into the passenger seat and smiled as he listened to them talk back and forth.

"Merry Christmas, Dean," Cas said softly as Dean slid behind the steering wheel and reached down to turn the key in the ignition. Dean smiled before leaning over to catch Cas's lips in a soft kiss.

"Merry Christmas, Cas."

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Take Two Chapter 28

Dean rolled over in bed and nuzzled Cas's neck. He lifted his head to check the bedside clock and sighed lightly. They’d gotten home a little after two following Midnight Mass, and since it was Christmas morning, that didn't leave much time to linger in bed before they had to shower and prepare breakfast so they could welcome Chuck at nine. Dean rolled onto his back and sighed again.
For a few moments he listened for sounds outside their room and wasn’t too surprised to hear Dotty already in the living room playing with the Filly pony figurines she had found in her Christmas stocking.

Castiel felt Dean moving around beside him and he rolled with him, draping an arm over Dean's waist and pulling them closer together. He pressed a kiss to Dean's bare chest before resting his chin there and looking up to Dean.
"Please tell me it's only three in the morning and we can still have a good four hours to sleep."

"Okay…It is three in the morning and we still have a good four hours to sleep," Dean said and ran his fingers through Cas's hair.

"Thank you," Cas smirked, closing his eyes and leaning into Dean's touch. "You're an awful liar though."

"How can you tell?" Dean asked, trying to stay serious.

"Because there is nothing in this world that would get you up at three in the morning except for coffee, sex and pie. All three, no substitutes, and I'm not seeing any of that right now."

"I'm not up. I'm still lying down. And... can I have the sex?" Dean smirked.

Cas laughed and shifted so that he was lying atop Dean. He leaned down, capturing his lips in a soft kiss before shaking his head. "I give Dot another thirty seconds before she realizes we’re awake and comes bounding in here begging to open her gifts. Later," he kissed him again. "Promise."

"How's she going to notice we're up? She's downstairs and we can be quiet as mice ..." Dean pouted. He kissed Cas softly, before he relented. "But sadly, that doesn’t matter anyways because we have to get up, your dad and Bobby are gonna be here at nine."

"Let me go put on some coffee." Cas pulled off of him, setting his feet on the floor just as the bedroom door flew open and Dot bolted in, her hands full of candy and toys from her stocking.
"Santa came! Santa came! Cas! Can I eat my candy?" She clambered up onto the bed, holding out a Marshmallow Santa and practically vibrating with excitement.
"Told you," Cas laughed over his shoulder. "I think you can pick ONE piece, but the rest is for later. Come help me make some coffee and breakfast so that Daddy isn't a zombie."

"When the ‘eff’ did you become the morning person, Castiel?" Dean shook his head and crawled out of bed. "I'm going to take a shower."

Cas rolled his eyes and smirked as he lifted Dorothy off the bed. "Daddy might need some of that candy this morning, princess. Seems like he could use some sweetness..."

"I'm very sweet." Dean stuck his tongue out at the two of them before slipping into the bathroom.

Cas chuckled and carried Dot back downstairs, setting her on the countertop as he pulled the coffee canister down from the cupboard. "I better make a full pot... between your Daddy and mine? We're going to need it!"

Dean enjoyed the spray of hot water washing away the groggy remnants of sleep. After shaving and dressing he traipsed downstairs and joined Cas and Dorothy in the kitchen. "Hey, family…" he grinned.

"Morning," Cas grinned back, pressing a mug of hot black coffee into Dean's hands and a kiss to his lips. "Dad is on his way."

Dean sipped from the cup with a thankful smile. "Then…I'll start on the bacon while you shower, and our little Princess will help set the table, right?"

"Then can we open presents, Daddy?" the little one pouted and Cas bit back a laugh as he slipped past Dean for the shower.

"We’ll wait for Chuck and Uncle Bobby, okay?" Dean replied softly. "But Cas is gone, we could at least be sneaky and eat cookies," he suggested with a wink.

Dot gasped in delight at his suggestion and let out a giggle as her Daddy placed her back down on the floor. "We should still save him one, Daddy!"

"We’ll save cookies, alright. We're not eating them all." Dean pulled a frying pan from the cabinet and went to get the bacon from the fridge.

Dorothy opened the silverware drawer and counted out forks for all of them as well as spoons and butter knives. She carried them over to the table and arranged them at each place setting.
When every piece looked like it was in the right spot she returned to her father’s side.

"Daddy? Can you get me the plates, please?” As she waited she beamed over at their cheerful breakfast table, “Do you think Uncle Chuck and Uncle Bobby will like our Christmas placemats, Daddy? I love all the cute, little snowmen on them. "

“I’m sure they’ll love them too, honey. You did a good job shopping and picking them out for everybody.” Dean opened the overhead cabinet and counted out five plates and handed them to his daughter. "There you go, Princess."

"Thank you!" Dotty smiled and carried the plates carefully into the dining room to finish setting the rest of the table. Cas appeared downstairs, dressed and ready, just as Chuck knocked on the front door and pushed it open.

"Merry Christmas, Chuck! Good Morning," Dean greeted from the kitchen while Dot shot out into the hall.

"Merry Christmas!" Chuck called out, carrying an armful of presents. Cas hurried over to take them from his father and laughed when he caught a glimpse of the Christmas sweater his father was wearing. It was bright red with a large, knitted belt around his middle, and white faux fur around the collar and wrists making him look like Santa.

Dorothy skidded to a halt and looked at Chuck with huge eyes. "I know you're not Santa. I'm already six!" she insisted, but still eyed his sweater rather warily.

Chuck winked at her and leaned down over her to whisper. "Well…I brought presents and I like cookies a lot, doesn't that count for something?"

"I like cookies too. Can I be lil’ Miss Santa?" Dot grinned conspiratorially.

"I can't imagine anyone else filling the spot!" Chuck replied, reaching down with one arm to scoop her up. He carried her into the kitchen and stopped to give Dean a quick hug before he set her back down.
Dean pointed over to the fresh pot of coffee and Chuck laughed. "Oh, you're a saint!"

"Actually, Cas is the saint. Cas started the pot for both of us." Dean winked and put the already fried bacon on a plate and before sliding more into the pan.

"I knew I raised him right," Chuck chuckled as he gratefully poured himself a mug. "So what do you say, little one? Breakfast and then presents?”

"Okay..." Dot agreed somewhere between pouting and excited. "But… can I open just one already? Just one teeny tiny one?"

"I bet we can get your Daddy to let us eat breakfast in the living room if we look at him real sad… or maybe we can give him some of our cookies as a bribe…..and then we’ll be that much closer to opening the presents. What do you think, little Miss Santa?"

"Cas! Help me …" Dean called out in a pleading, whiny little voice. "Your dad is teaching our daughter naughty little tricks on how to manipulate me!" he made sure his voice showed he was just teasing.

Cas laughed and joined them in the kitchen. “As if our little angel needs any help in that department! I think she already has her men wrapped around those little pinkies all by herself.” Grinning at Dean, he added, “Besides he probably learned them from me when I was little ….and I turned out okay. Right?”

Dean sighed overdramatically. "Guess you got a point there... Be a gem and transfer the place settings to the living room?"

Cas carefully stacked the plates and rolled up each placemat with its silverware pieces trapped inside before carrying everything into the living room. Chuck grabbed the TV tables from beside the entertainment center and as he set them up Cas laid out each their placemats and settings. He set up Dot’s dining spot on the coffee table with huge pillows for her to sit on, where she could be close to the shimmering Christmas tree much to her delight.

After blessing the new eating arrangements with her happy nod of approval, Dotty tugged excitedly at Chuck’s hand. "Do you wanna see what was in my stocking, Uncle Chuck?" She offered as she guided him towards her little jumbled pile of treats.

"Course I do! Was Santa good to you?" Chuck asked as he followed her.

Cas smiled watching his father with Dotty and threw a look over his shoulder to catch Dean's eyes.

Dean couldn't help his goofy grin. It wasn't as if their past Christmases with Bobby had been bad in any way, but this, right now, this enlarged family scene made him incredibly happy.
They were actually a family… Dotty had two more people to love her unconditionally. They were only starting their family life of course, but still it was awesome. The only thing they were missing now was Bobby himself… Dean bit his lower lip for a second, wondering if he should call the older man and make sure he was on his way when the front door opened and Bobby’s gruff voice rang out.

“You better not have eaten all the damned bacon!”

Dean laughed, half in relief, half in amusement. "It's Christmas. You know I share on special occasions."

Bobby laughed, stamping his feet free of clinging snow and hung his jacket and hat by the door. "Get over here!" he demanded and pulled Dean into a tight hug. "Merry Christmas, Dean."

"Merry Christmas, Bobby. Thank you for everything you do for us all the time," Dean added as he hugged his friend and borrowed father in tight to his chest.

"Alright, alright, enough of this mushy stuff. Where's my little girl?"

"Living room," Dean told him and went back to his bacon frying task.

Bobby picked up the laundry basket full of presents he'd carried in and made his way into the living room. Cas took the basket from him to put under the tree so Bobby could catch Dotty as she flung herself at him.

"Uncle Bobby! You're here! Did you see Santa came?"

Dean laughed hearing his daughter’s bright enthusiasm. He plopped another batch of buttered toast into the basket and added the last pieces of bacon to the plate, before finally making his way into the living room with a heavily laden tray.

"Should I grab the jug of orange juice and coffee?" Castiel asked, meeting Dean at the doorway. Dean gave him a nod and Cas slipped past him back into the kitchen. Together, they served the rest of the group, dishing out the eggs, bacon, and toast and pouring everyone their drinks. When Cas sank down on the couch between his father and Dorothy, he smiled. It had been far too long since he'd spent Christmas day comfortable and in a house...

Although he tried not to think too much about it, this was a huge contrast compared to the rather proper Christmases Balthazar and he had spent at Balt's family home, in button-ups and ties. He felt a small pang of sadness at the fact that Balt would probably be spending Christmas night alone this year -- when the two of them used to rent the cheesiest Christmas movies and pig out on frozen pizza in their underwear to make as big of a contrast to their day as they could-- unless his new relationship had held out so far.

Dot leaned against him, breaking him out of his thoughts. "I'm glad you're here with us Cas," she sighed, happily and picked up a piece of bacon to start eating. Cas smiled and looked across the couch to meet Dean's eyes.

"Me too, Dotty. Me too."





Dean felt guilty about Cas starting on the dishes on his own while Dean was setting up the Skype connections for Dot to visit with each set of her grandparents. They called Ashleigh's parents first, and of course Dean exchanged a few words with them as well before excusing himself to assist in the kitchen.
Cas smiled as he heard Dean enter behind him and he turned to accept the kiss Dean gave him. "Did you wish your folks a ‘Merry Christmas’?" he asked, rinsing off a soapy plate before setting it in the dishrack.

Dean grabbed the towel and started drying the plates Cas had already done. "It's Ashleigh's parents she's talking to at the moment. But I wished them Merry Christmas."

"Oh!" Cas handed Dean another dish and dug around in the dishwater for the silverware resting at the bottom. "I'm glad she gets to talk to them."

"Yeah, me too." Dean stacked the plates on the counter. "She also gets to see them twice a year. They come here for a week around Ashleigh's birthday and again for the anniversary of her death," Dean murmured, swallowing around the lump in his throat.

Cas released the silverware, before grabbing a hand towel, quickly drying his hands and turning his attention towards Dean completely. "I'm sorry, Dean," he whispered softly, reaching for Dean's hands and taking them in his own. "I don’t think I ever told you how bad I feel about what happened to Ashleigh... and you."

They hadn't talked about it much-- but it was clear Dean had cared for her. They’d had a life together, a family, and then in a cruel twist of fate it was taken from them. Cas was sure that in some way, he had Ashleigh to thank for the Dean he had before him now. All grown up and ready for a serious relationship.

"Thank you, Cas," Dean replied low and looked down with a small sigh. "Sorry... Sorry, I didn't mean to..." Dean shook his head to shake off the sad mood that had suddenly overcome him.

Cas reached forward, cupping Dean's cheek and pulling him in for a soft kiss. "I wish I could have met her," he added softly, meeting Dean's eyes with a small smile. "I’m sure I would have liked her."

"Yeah, probably," Dean replied with a small smile. "Dotty has a lot of her looks though. Her hair's exactly like her mother's...and some of her mannerisms." Dean gently pulled his hands from Cas's and returned to drying the dishes.

"Well, we should be grateful for that," Cas teased, bumping Dean's shoulder with his own before he reached back into the soapy water. They could hear Dorothy chatting away excitedly, running back and forth across the living room to pick up a toy to show her grandparents.

Once they were done, Dean hung the towel on the hook to dry. "Want a glass of eggnog?" he asked as he wrapped his arm around Cas's waist.

"Sure," Cas smiled at him, drying his hands again on the towel. "Should I meet you in the living room?"

"Yeah, I'll get a glass for everyone. Hey, can you dial my parents’ number for her?" Dean smiled at Cas and grabbed the eggnog carton from the fridge and moved to get everyone glasses.

"Sure, no problem," Cas gave him a smile and left Dean to get them all drinks. Bobby and Chuck were both sitting on the couch, with their heads tipped back, asleep. Cas chuckled to himself, at their apparent snoring contest.

"Hey, Princess," Cas said as he knelt down beside his favorite little angel. "Did you have fun talking to your grandparents?"

"Yes! They said that they were going to come and see me soon and Grammy wants to take me shopping for whatever I want!"

"Well, that will be fun!" Cas laughed, putting his arm around the back of her chair and leaning over to kiss the top of her head. "Do you want to call your other grandparents now? I think they're probably waiting to hear from you." Dot nodded happily and leaned back further onto the chair, giving Cas enough room to get to the keyboard and mouse. He made a few clicks and soon the sound of Skype dialing could be heard.

"I don't see anything!" Dorothy complained, peering at the computer screen.

"Hold on... I'll fix it..." Cas bit down on his lower lip, trying to find out where the image had gone.

Out in the kitchen Dean put the bottle on a tray and got four glasses for Bobby, Chuck, Castiel and himself. Then he started to make a Vanilla shake for Dorothy, so she could drink with them.

"Dorothy!" The sound of Mary Winchester replaced the ringing and Cas froze for a second, eyes darting up to the screen.

"Um, one second Mrs. Winchester... The screen isn't... There!" Cas found the right button and suddenly the screen was flooded with the wide eyes of Mary and John Winchester staring at their computer screen, and at the image of Castiel.

"Grammy! Grandpa!" Dorothy squealed excitedly, launching herself forward and waving frantically at the camera. "Thank you, Cas!"

Castiel gave her a smile and then nodded at the screen once before turning away, trying not to shrink back at the heat of their gazes on his retreating form.

"Cas? Castiel?" Mary whispered to her husband. "Was that Castiel Shirley?"

Before John could reply Dotty answered. "That's Cas, Grammy! He's my new other Daddy. He lives with us now and he and Daddy were married but I don't know if they are now. They kiss and stuff... Does that make them married?"

Castiel tripped as he ran back into the kitchen.

"Cas? Cas, you okay?" Dean asked. “Did something happen?” He had just been on his way to the living room.

"Oh, my God, Dean! Dot just told your parents that I'm her other new daddy," Cas whispered, leaning back against the wall. "And even though it's been... eleven years? Your Dad scares the crap out of me… still."

"Shit." Dean whispered. He set the tray back on the table and took Cas' hand. "I'm sorry, Cas. So sorry. I hadn’t even thought about the fact that I had kept our life pretty private from them. But no matter what they think, Cas, this time they can't make me abandon you. I promise." He kissed Cas softly.

Cas swallowed once, giving Dean a tight smile. "Yeah," he whispered, suddenly feeling sick. "Why don't you...umm… go and give everyone their drinks. I'll be right there. I have to check..." he trailed off, pointing over Dean's shoulder and pushed off of the wall, crossing the room to stand back over at the sink.

Dean moved behind Cas and rubbed his back. "Please come back to us soon." He placed a gentle kiss on Cas's neck. "I'll go try do some damage control, okay?"

"Dean?" Cas whispered, squeezing his eyes shut. He could hear Dot once again talking animatedly to her grandparents, Mary laughing and chatting with her, John's calm, firm voice making a comment every few moments, and it made Cas's stomach twist.

Dean moved to his side and slid their hands together, squeezing Cas gently as he waited.

"What if... what if they're not happy, Dean? What if they don't like that we're back together, that I'm here? Last time..." he stopped, shaking his head.

"It won't change a thing between us. All the contact I still have with them is only thanks to my little girl. They won't take it out on her, and I don't care if they never talk to me again. Please, don't worry about them, please..." Dean urged softly.

Cas nodded and turned, Dean opening his arms as he did so and Cas immediately melted into them. "It's hard not to worry," he muttered against Dean's chest, wrapping his arms around him tightly. "But I'll try."

"I know... Come on, let's go by your dad and Bobby." Dean kept Cas tight against his side.

Cas’s fingers pulled at the back of Dean's shirt to keep him close. Dean kissed him gently and ran his fingers through Cas' hair, causing Cas to gasp against Dean's lips and lean into him completely, letting the heat of Dean's body comfort him.

Dean loosened his hold slightly, still comforting Cas. He started feeling guilty that he hadn't talked to his parents about this earlier to avoid this nasty situation. But on the other hand he didn't owe his parents anything.

"Alright," Cas said after another moment. "Let's go join everyone. I'm okay."

"Alright," Dean nodded. He let go of Cas slowly and then moved to retrieve the tray with their drinks.

Cas followed behind Dean as they made their way back into the living room and Dean headed straight to the couch and set the tray before the two older men.

"Thanks, Dean!" Chuck said as he reached for one and shifted over on the couch to give Cas room to sit.

"You're welcome," Dean smiled before leaning down to kiss Cas on the cheek. "Gonna’ go check on Dot ..." he said quietly.

Cas nodded and gave Dean a reassuring smile before he sunk down beside his Dad and reached for his own glass of eggnog grateful for the liquor hidden in its depths.

Dean went over to his daughter, who was still chatting on the computer with her grandparents.

"Merry Christmas, Mom, Dad," he said more cheerful than he actually felt.

"Merry Christmas, Dean," Mary smiled at him and turned to look over at John. Dean unknowingly held his breath waiting for his father to say anything.

“Didn’t know when you said you were in a relationship that it was… this serious,” John said, meeting Dean’s eyes over the camera. “Sammy didn’t say much of anything about it either, kind of funny.”

“Yeah … I guess.” Dean forced a smile.

“Dot seems to really like him.”

“I do, Grandpa!” Dorothy exclaimed, wrapping her arms around her Dad’s arm. “He’s nice and funny and he let me eat candy this morning from my stocking before breakfast!”

“Yeah … he’s spoiling her a bit … But he’s doing really good on the being a ‘dad’ front.” Dean kissed Dotty’s temple. “He’s the best thing that could happen to me and Dot.”

Mary cleared her throat and John sat back in his chair, pursing his lips slightly, but thankfully fell silent. “Well,” Mary said softly. “You know we’ve always just wanted you to be happy, Dean.”

“Daddy is very happy!” Dot nodded seriously. “He’s always smiling and he sings when he makes dinner and he gets Uncle Bobby yelling at him all of the time for being a… a ‘loved stick fool’ cause he likes to call Cas a lot.”

“Hey, Dot! You’re not ‘posed to tell anyone those things,” Dean laughed.

“I think this conversation isn’t appropriate for Christmas,” John said, his voice low and rough, but Dean couldn’t tell for the life of him what his father was thinking at that moment. “Why don’t you get back to your Christmas. I’m sure Bobby’s there, tell the old man I said hello.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right, Dad. I’ll tell him you said ‘Hello’. Have a nice Christmas,” Dean nodded.

“Merry Christmas, Dorothy. We’ll see you soon, okay?” John turned his attention to his granddaughter and gave her a wide smile.

“Okay, Grandpa!”

“We’ll see you no later than at the Wedding,” Dean smiled, mostly at his mother. “Bye.”

“Bye, Grammy!” Dot waved and Mary gave her a wave back.

“Merry Christmas, baby girl, we miss you. And Dean?” Mary flicked her eyes to Dean’s. “Merry Christmas to you and Castiel, too.”

“I’ll tell him. He’ll appreciate it.” Dean nodded lightly, thankful for his mother’s wishes. He could have sworn she even smiled at him when she’d mentioned Cas.

Mary blew them a kiss as John stepped away from the computer and Dean reached forward to shut the program down.

“I miss them, Daddy,” his daughter sighed, leaning into her Dad’s chest.

“You do?” Dean asked a little surprised by Dorothy’s statement. Dorothy nodded and slid off of the chair, reaching up to take her Dad’s hand in her own.

“But I’m glad I have Grandpa Chuck.” She paused and looked up. “Can I call him Grandpa Chuck?”
Dean took his daughter’s hand and stood up, grinning touched that she would want that.. “Why don’t you just ask him yourself?”

Dorothy nodded once and when they reached the living room she jumped onto Chuck’s lap. “I’m going to call your Grandpa Chuck, okay?”

Chuck almost choked on his eggnog, but when he looked down at Dorothy the entire room could tell how pleased he was with the exclamation.

“I would love nothing more, princess.”

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Take Two Chapter 29

“Dotty!” Cas laughed, trying to hold onto the squirming seven-year-old still. “I might end up poking you with this bobby pin if you don’t hold still!”
The little girl was practically vibrating with excitement but she took a deep breath, holding it as she tried to stay still so Cas could fix the rest of her hair. Jessica had come to their room after the rehearsal dinner last night and rolled the little girl’s hair up on soft curlers, but was too busy now getting her own hair done to finish her flower girl’s hairdo. That left Cas in charge of little princess hair duty. He’d come a long way in the past year and a half, but Dean was still much better in the hair department.

‘Probably why he’s helping Sam…’ Cas snorted to himself and settled the last bobby pin into place, making sure the crystal flower on the end was facing outward.

“Alright… all set, Princess,” Cas patted her shoulder and Dot slid from his lap, racing over to the mirror to twirl around gracefully in front of it, admiring her pretty white dress.

“How do I look, Cas?” she asked, spinning back to him, a huge smile on her face, showing off two of her newest empty spaces on her bottom row of teeth.

“You look beautiful, Dotty. Now, think you can help me with my hair?”

Her bright green eyes lit up and she ran back over, letting Cas pick her up so she could stand on the hotel’s bathroom countertop. He handed her a comb and let his eyes fall closed, letting her get to work.



“Dean! Dean, stop that! My hair is just fine!” Sam groaned.
“Oh… Come on, Sammy. Jess is getting her hair done all beautiful, so you should at least let me brush it,” Dean groused.

“I can brush my own hair. You’re supposed to … I don’t know. See that my tie is straight and there’s no lint on my suit.”

“Okay, Bitch, I’ll behave…” Dean promised.

Dean had stayed overnight in Sam’s room, making sure he didn’t start a drinking habit out of nervousness. They had stayed up late watching silly TV shows and rehearsing Sam’s vows. Even reciting them to Dean had made the normally articulate younger man stumble over his words. He got better with each time they were repeated, but after hearing them for the seventh time, Dean had given up and they had finally settled for the night.

Sam had been too nervous to nibble more than toast for breakfast so Dean had followed his lead and simply downed coffee and toast. Taking turns in the bathroom they were finally dressing for the ceremony.

“Okay, so, do you want to try it again now?” Dean suggested while he buttoned up his shirt.

“Huh?” Sam asked a little confused.

“Your vows?” Dean clarified.

“Oh... No, I think I’ve got them down pat. And if not…? Well, if all fails I can just ad-lib, right?”
Sam babbled nervously. “That’s okay at my own wedding, isn’t it? It’s all about my feelings for Jess.”

“Yes. It definitely is okay,” Dean nodded. “So? You all ready to get to the church, little brother?” Dean asked and adjusted Sam’s tie.

“Yep, let’s get this done.” Sam nodded.



Cas handed Dotty over to her grandparents when they reached the church, surprised when Mary gave him a quick hug and thanked him for bringing Dot over from the hotel. John stared at him, his expression impassive, and Cas gave him a quick nod before turning and disappearing into the church to find himself a seat. As Sam’s best man Dean would be standing with the groom near the altar while Dotty would be walking down the aisle as the flower girl.
“Castiel!” came a stage whisper, from the groom’s family seating area.

Cas looked up and saw Bobby waving him over to one of the first rows. Bobby had always shown a fondness for Cas and as usual was looking out for the younger man. Cas smiled and gratefully slid into the pew beside him.

“You’re family, boy, you belong here,” Bobby whispered with a reassuring pat on the shoulder.

Meanwhile Dean had driven his brother to the church and together they went to greet their parents and Dot. As they approached the Winchesters, Dotty gave them a happy wave. Giggling she spun around in a quick circle to model her new look for Dean and Sam.

“Oh, Wow! Princess, you look so beautiful! I love your hair.” Dean hugged his daughter and kissed her cheek. “Did you have a good time on your ‘special sleepover’ last night?”

“Yes!” she grinned, hugging her Dad carefully so she wouldn’t wrinkle her pretty dress. “Cas and I had a camp out in our hotel room since you weren’t there, Daddy. We ordered ice cream on the phone and a man knocked on the door and delivered it like pizza!” she giggled. “Then we watched a whole season of Teen Titans on the special movie channel! Auntie Jessica even came to visit and curled my hair before I went to bed. After we had our pancakes this morning Cas made my hair all curly for me. He even got these pretty hairpins with little flowers, see?” She leaned forward, showing off her hair pins.

“They’re so pretty. He’s done a great job with your pretty curls, princess. And an entire season? Did you get any sleep at all?”

Dorothy shrugged and pulled away from her Daddy and reached for her Grammy’s hand. “I asked Cas if I could have one for you if you want it, Grammy!” Dot opened up her small fist and held out one of the hairpins to her grandmother.

“Oh!” Mary said, taking it from her small hand and holding it near her own carefully coiffed hair, “Thank you very much, sweetheart! Do you want to help me put it in my hair?”

Dean smiled watching them. “Okay. Sammy? Time to go inside,” he nudged his brother. “I’ll see you guys later,” he said as he hugged his mother and daughter quickly, nodded at his father and then let Sam take his turn for hugs before he finally ushered him inside.

In the sunlit church interior, time seemed to be crawling by very slowly as everyone watched the rear doors and waited for the groom to appear, marking the beginning of the ceremony. People were getting a little antsy, especially Bobby Singer. “How long do you think it’ll be ‘til we can get some grub?” Bobby grunted, leaning over and bumping Cas with his shoulder. Cas snorted, bumping him back.

“I warned you about needing to eat a good breakfast. I don’t think the reception starts until 2…”

“You mean we’ll be in church for three hours?” Bobby turned to him in dismay, his voice louder than he’d intended. Cas shushed him gently when the woman behind them frowned.

“No, I doubt it will take that long,” Cas grinned as he saw Dean and Sam move into the rear of the main aisle and begin their trek to the altar.

Dean smiled as he spotted Cas and Bobby. “Be right with you,” he told Sam and went over to Cas. “Hey, Love. Good job with the littlest angel’s hair,” he said before quickly giving him a peck on the lips.

Cas chuckled, “Good, I had no idea what I was doing! How’s Sam?”

“Nervous, but doing a good job of covering it up.” Dean smiled.

“He’s going to do fine,” Cas said softly before adding, “Just tell him I said there’s no one that’s ever looked more gorgeous than Jessica, he’s a lucky man.”

“I’ll tell him,” Dean smiled and squeezed Cas’s hand. “I’ll see you later.”

Beside him, Bobby snorted.

“What?” Cas asked him, nudging him gently.

“I assume you two’ll be next in line and I’ll have to squeeze into this monkey suit again.”

“Don’t worry, Bobby,” Cas laughed and shook his head. “Technically we’re already married.”

Bobby eyed him carefully. “Thought you two signed those papers?” Cas nodded and gave him a small smile. Rolling his eyes, Bobby turned away from him and looked back up to the front of the church. “You’re all a bunch of idjits anyways,” he said, smiling and Cas just chuckled.

Dean quickly joined his brother near the altar. “Cas said to tell you, he’s never seen anyone looking more gorgeous than Jessica.”

Sam smiled and turned to see where Cas was sitting and smiled at him thankfully. “I think I’m going to vomit,” he whispered as he turned his attention back to Dean. “Do you think she would forgive me if I threw up?”

“No! Oh, God, Sammy, don’t vomit! She won’t forgive you. Most of all, do not, I repeat do not, vomit on her dress!” Dean whispered back in a panic.

Sam’s eyes widened almost comically at that mental image and he nodded quickly, straightening out his tux.

“I can do this. Right? Right, Dean?” Sam whispered frantically.

“You can do it, Sam. Just remember, she’s still the same Jessica that you’ve been dating for … how long’s it been now? Forever? You can do it. I’ve got your back, little brother.”

Just then the sanctuary door squeaked open and the smiling minister came to join the brothers, nodding cheerfully as he took his place.

Sam nodded, exhaling slowly and smiling at Dean to let his brother know he was good, until the music started and Sam instantly paled again. “It’s eleven?” he whispered, fisting the bottom of his jacket. “Oh God, Dean… what if she doesn’t come? What if she changed her mind? What if I do vomit on her dress or screw up my vows?” Suddenly, patting at his pockets, he babbled “Oh, no… did I forget the rings?!”

“Jesus Christ, Sammy. I’ve got the rings…” Dean hissed. “Come on…Take a breath. Take a deep breath. Now turn around and look at the beautiful girl walking down the aisle, only to become your beautiful wife. Can you do that for me?” Dean laid his hand on the small of Sam’s back.

Dean turned to see his mother slipping into the row with Cas and Bobby, choosing to sit directly next to Castiel in the front row reserved as always for the groom’s immediate family.

Sam nodded and exhaled once more, letting go of all the stress he had been holding and turned to face the aisle, just as his father acted as an usher and escorted Jessica’s mother down the aisle, a smile on her face. She winked at Sam when she reached the front and slid into the front row on the opposite side of the church.

Both Sam and Jessica had elected to have a small wedding party, requesting only the presence of Sam’s brother as Best Man and Jess’s sister as Maid-of-Honor. Now Jessica’s sister, Molly, glided down the aisle, walking beside Dotty who was beaming and tossing pink and white rose petals out of the basket she was carrying. When they reached Sam and Dean, Molly took Dot’s hand and they stood off to the side, the little flower girl paused to wave quickly at her Daddy before moving to her spot.

Then the music changed and Sam stiffened, eyes widening as he watched Jessica and her father arm-in-arm stepping gracefully down the aisle.

Dean felt a chill watching Jess walk down the aisle and he could only imagine how Sam must be feeling. He looked at his own small daughter who was beaming and watching Jessica like she was a real princess. Today, she was. Dean felt his eyes mist as Jess’s father took her small hand and placed it in Sam’s much larger one. Her father kissed her cheek and smiled at Sam before moving to join Jess’s mother.

The Minister went through the ceremony at a surprisingly reasonable pace, easily moving things along until Sam and Jessica were holding hands and speaking their vows to one another before the entire assembly.

Cas smiled as he heard Sam pause a few times, as he lovingly rolled through the words Dean had told him Sam must have recited at least a dozen times, just to make sure they were right. Although he couldn’t see Jessica’s face, he could hear the emotion in her voice and knew she had tears shining in her eyes as she spoke her own vows back to Sam.

When they were pronounced ‘Husband and Wife’, Dot lit up with a huge smile and threw the rest of her flower petals at the couple as they kissed until she realized what they were doing and then she turned her head quickly away, her eyes closed and nose scrunched up. Cas could just imagine the soft ‘ew!’ inside her head and he had to bite back a laugh as he watched her. When the newlyweds moved down the aisle, Cas stood with Mary and Bobby, clapping and cheering for them.

Mary slipped her hand into Cas’s, squeezing gently, and Cas turned to her not bothering to hide the surprise on his face.

“I’m sorry, Castiel,” she whispered, giving him a sad smile. “I’m so sorry that your own wedding to my son wasn’t just like this. I love Dean, his happiness means the world to me, and I regret not always remembering that and losing the relationship I once had with both of my sons because of it.” She paused, giving his hand another squeeze. “It’s obvious, even after all these years as you two have come together again, that this was meant to be. And though John is too stubborn and proud to admit that we were wrong, I am not.

“You make my son happy, Castiel. I apologize for the part I played in delaying your happiness as well as Dean’s. I just hope that the two of you can eventually forgive us and let us be a part of your lives once again.”

Stunned by Mary’s admission Castiel stared back at her, his eyes wide and his mouth slightly open. Behind him, Bobby shifted uncomfortably and seized the first chance he got to push out into the aisle and wait for Cas there.

“I…”

“It’s okay, Castiel,” Mary patted his cheek and released his hand. “You don’t have to answer me. You don’t owe me or my husband anything. I just wanted you to know that I’m so glad you and Dean found each other once more and that we’ll both support you… like we should have done before. Now,” she straightened out her skirt and pushed on Castiel’s shoulder gently to turn him around. “We have pictures to take and a party to attend.”

Dean waited for Cas at the church door, tilting his head in worry and confusion as he saw the expression on his boyfriend’s face as he moved towards the exit.

“Hey, Babe, what’s wrong?” he asked quietly as he hooked arms with Cas. Mary nodded at them and slipped out of the doors to find John, who was waiting at the bottom of the church steps with their little granddaughter in his arms.

“I…” Cas shook his head, giving a small laugh. “Later… In the car.” He gave Dean’s arm a squeeze and together they moved to the side of the church where the photographer and Sam and Jess were waiting. Dean pulled his brother in for a hug and then kissed Jessica on the cheek, pulling back to let Cas do the same and then the rest of the couple’s family members joined them.

The photographer was relatively quick getting the pictures taken--probably since their wedding party was so small-- and Dean was grateful for that. Not only was he starving, but he was itching to know what had caused that expression on Cas’s face as he’d walked out of the ceremony…

When all of the poses had been photographed, Dean took Cas’ hand and together they walked away from the church toward the Impala. Since Dot was riding to the reception with her grandparents, Cas slipped into the front seat with Dean. He waited until Dean started the car before he spoke.

“Your mom apologized to me,” he blurted out.

“What? Uh, She… apologized? For…” Dean shook his head confused. “What did she say?”

“That she regretted not supporting you, essentially. That she regretted the way it changed your relationship with me …and with them,” Cas sighed softly, reaching over to take Dean’s hand. “She said she supports our relationship and... she misses you, Dean…”

Dean gulped and looked at Cas with wide, suddenly moist eyes. “Really? That’s what she said? Oh… I…” he exhaled with a small, surprised ‘Ha!’. “That’s kind of awkward, actually.”

Cas nodded and gave a short laugh. “Well, definitely unexpected. She said… she said your dad felt the same about it… too.” Cas shrugged his shoulders and leaned his head back against the seat. “Now’s not really the time to talk about it with them but maybe… maybe we should have dinner with them or something…”

Dean took a deep breath and nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, you’re right, we should. We should maybe do that tomorrow, get that over with as soon as possible.”

Cas laughed and shook his head. “We can ask them tonight,” he agreed, then changing the subject he added, “I’m really happy for Sam and Jess.”

“Me too. So happy. He managed those vows okay, didn’t he?”

“Yeah, he did really well,” Cas smiled. They drove the rest of the way in a comfortable silence, Cas’ hand never leaving Dean’s.



When Dean and Cas stepped inside the banquet hall, Dot was already waiting for them and ran up to them.

"I already found our name cards, Daddy!" She babbled excitedly, “Grandma said we get to sit at the big table with Aunt Jess and Uncle Sam and Grandma and Grandpa and Jessica's mom and dad and Molly. I saw our cards right by our forks and spoons, Papa. Uncle Sam and Jess aren’t here yet but Grandma says it's ‘cuz they're still taking photos of just them, but they’re gonna be here soon."

"Thank you, sweetie. Daddy and I were just wondering where we would get to sit." Cas bent low to give her a hug and the little girl beamed at him. "Well, after they get here, you can take some of your own photos of Jess in her pretty dress and Uncle Sam in his tuxedo. Your Daddy bought a special camera just for you so you can take your own pictures.”

Dotty gasped in surprise and clapped her hands happily, “Really, Daddy?! That is so cool!”

Cas continued, “Daddy thought you might want to do your own photo album. So now you can be a photographer just like the man at church, and then we can get the film developed on Monday."

"Developed?" Dotty frowned, puzzled by the new word.

"Yes, ‘developed’... There's a special film ribbon in the camera box, little bear, and it gets taken out at the store and the pictures you take are put on shiny photo paper," Dean tried to explain the process to his 7-year-old daughter.

"So the pictures don't just pop up on the computer like with Papa's camera?" she asked.

Cas's heart swelled at the name and he didn't bother fighting back the grin spreading across his face. Dot had been bouncing back and forth between using a few different titles for him, but more recently she'd settled for Cas or Papa, leaning towards the latter of the two most often. It made Cas feel something warm surge inside of him every single time he heard her say it.

"No, they don’t, kiddo... It's a very special little camera." Dean smiled and pulled the camera from his pocket. "I'll show you how it works, okay?"

Dean leaned down close as he handed her the camera. Cas gently laid his palm on Dean's back and as a family they huddled together, with Dot looking at her camera as Dean pointed out which buttons to use and how to see through the little viewfinder.

"Thank you so much, Daddy," she hugged Dean tight. "I'm gonna go show my camera to Grammy!" She declared proudly and dashed away to find her grandmother.

Cas chuckled and leaned against Dean’s side. “Do you have your little speech and wedding toast all ready to go?” Cas asked him.

“Yeah, but … do I really have to? I hate talking in front of so many people you know that….” Dean complained.

Cas shook his head fondly, adding “That’s what happens when you’re the best man!” He playfully bumped Dean’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, Sam and Jess are both going to love anything you have to say.”

“Yeah… I hope so.” Dean smiled. “I’ve got you there… that helps...”

“Always,” Cas whispered, leaning over to kiss Dean softly. “Let’s go and find our seats.”

Dean smiled and nodded. “Yes, let’s do that. I hope they get here soon. I want a beer… and I’m hungry.”

Cas rolled his eyes affectionately and moved towards the main table. Just as Dotty had said they quickly found the special name cards by their place settings. Cas slid into his seat beside Dean who was seated on Sam’s immediate right. Dot would sit beside Cas and then John and Mary Winchester were next to her. Jessica’s parents and sister and brother-in-law were at the opposite end of the table next to Jess’s seat. Castiel leaned forward to move his marker closer to his water glass and leaned back into his chair.

“Pretty fancy, huh? Do you regret we didn’t get to do this?” Dean asked as he laid his arm across the back of Cas’s chair.

Without hesitation, Cas shook his head no. “Don’t get me wrong… this is beautiful and I think that it’s making Sam and Jess very happy, but I don’t need all this to tell me that I love someone, you know? What we did...” Cas trailed off and gave Dean a small, shy smile. “I’m kind of glad we didn’t waste all the money, you know? We really weren’t ready for something like this.”

Dean just nodded quietly.

Cas turned to look at Dean. “What about you? Do you think if we had done something like this… things would’ve been… different?”

“I think… if we had, we’d have done some more planning, not such a spur of the moment thing. And maybe, yes… maybe things would have been different if we had planned it more. I’m sorry,” Dean sighed.

Cas was silent for a moment before he reached over and took Dean’s hand in his own. He squeezed gently and waited for Dean to look up at him. “I’m not,” he whispered, shaking his head. “I’m not sorry at all. If we had done things differently, if we had stayed together ten years ago, I can’t say we would be together now. We certainly wouldn’t have Dotty… we wouldn’t have… grown up. I don’t regret anything that got us to this point, Dean. Not one thing.”

“You’re right, Cas. You are. There’s just one thing I do really regret about it. I hurt you when I behaved like an ass. That’s my only regret.” Dean kissed Cas gently.

“I love you,” Cas smiled at him. They sat in silence, watching as Sam and Jessica’s friends and other family members filed into the hall, chatting animatedly with one another and slowly making their way to their seats. When a grinning Dot came bounding over, pulling her grandmother along behind her, Cas knew that meant Jess and Sam had arrived.

“You ready to see your Uncle Sammy and Aunt Jess?” Cas asked the little flower girl as she hopped up into her chair and reached forward with both hands to take a sip of her water.

“Yes!” she beamed. “I already took two pictures with my special camera,” she proudly told them.
“Grammy helped me. I got pictures of their cake! It’s soooo pretty! I wish we didn’t have to eat it…”

Mary leaned over then and gently suggested, “Why don’t we take a picture of your family, honey? I can take a picture with your camera if you want to sit with your… with your dads…” She trailed off at the end, looking up carefully to both her son and Cas to make sure she hadn’t said anything wrong.

Dean looked back at his mother, both surprised and thankful. “I think that’s a great idea, don’t you think so, Princess?”

“Can I sit on Papa’s lap for the picture?” his little girl asked in way of agreement.

Cas’s gaze shot upward, immediately seeking out the eyes of John Winchester and he was pleasantly shocked to see the gruff, older man was simply watching them --albeit carefully-- with a calm expression on his face. Cas didn’t trust his voice and instead just nodded, opening his arms so that Dotty could climb up into them.

Dean shifted closer to Cas and Dot and looked at the camera. Cas lifted his arm and placed it around Dean’s shoulders, pulling him in closer. Dotty leaned back into Cas’s chest and beamed at the camera aimed towards them. Cas squeezed Dean’s shoulder as he smiled and then the camera flashed.

“Gram and Grampa are going to need a copy of that photo too, sweetheart,” John grunted nodding at Dot and then turned his attention away from them and towards the rest of the hall.

“You’ll get it,” Dean promised with a happy smile, feeling like years of anger and pain were falling off his shoulders just at this simple remark from his father.

Cas could feel Dean straightening up beside him and knew the surprise and happiness he was feeling at hearing his father’s simple words of acceptance. Cas met Mary’s smiling, hopeful eyes and he gave her a reassuring wink and gentle smile of his own.

“Yeah, definitely. Maybe we can get some more pictures done for Christmas time or something, what do you think, little one?” Cas lifted her up and placed her back into her seat.

Dot nodded happily as she accepted the camera back from her grandmother, “I’d like that, Papa! Can we put this picture of all of us beside the picture of me and Mommy?”

“I think that’s the perfect place for it, sweetheart,” Cas agreed, reaching over and giving her a fond hug. “Then we could have the entire family in one place.”

Suddenly her eyes grew wide and a smile broke across her face as she spotted her Uncle Sam and Aunt Jess coming into the hall.

“They’re here!” she exclaimed and Cas laughed, looking up.

Cas watched as Jess and Sam slowly made their way to the table stopping to exchange hugs, kisses and thank you’s with several people before they came to the main table. Then the family members were each given the same show of affection. When Sam pulled Cas in for a hug, holding on for just as long as he had for his brother, Cas finally, truly, felt accepted.

Chapter Thirty

Take Two Chapter 30

Cas laughed as he spun Dorothy around on the dance floor, her skirt and her hair flying about as they whirled. The little girl squealed in delight, the sound carefree and happy and everything Cas ever wanted to hear. He lifted her up and she immediately wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a hug, letting him twirl them a few more times before the song ended.
“I need something to drink, princess. You are wearing me out,” he panted, still smiling as he set her back down to the floor as the song changed. “Think we could get your Daddy out on the dance floor?”

Dean had already been making his way across the dance floor when he saw Cas and Dorothy stop their movement. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but may I ask for this dance?” he asked as he joined them.

Cas kissed his cheek and Dorothy giggled and took his hand. “Let me just get a drink of water first, I’ll meet you guys out there.”

“Sure.” Dean found Cas’s lips for a soft kiss and then took Dorothy’s other hand too, starting to dance with her, spinning her in a circle with him before gathering her up in his arms. “So, are you having fun?” he asked.

“I am!” Dorothy smiled as Dean gestured for her to step up on top of his shoes so he could guide her more easily around the dance floor. “Papa is a very good dancer! Did you see how he spun me, Daddy? My dress went all poofy and huge!”

“Oh, yes, I did see. You two were the best dancing couple on the dance floor, little bear. And the second best looking,” Dean winked.

“Who’s the first?” she asked, confused.

“Well, no one is allowed to look better than Bride and Groom at the wedding, right?” Dean replied.

“Oh! You’re right Daddy!” Dotty looked over her shoulder to where Sam was spinning Jess around the dance floor. Jess had her head thrown back, a few blonde curls had fallen loose from her twist and were bouncing free against her shoulders as she pulled back up laughing before sealing her lips with Sam’s. “I don’t think anybody could be prettier anyway, ‘cuz Jessica looks like a princess.”

“Yes, she does. And you look like a little Princess.” Dean smiled.

“Thank you, Daddy!” Dotty looked back up at him and smiled. “You and Papa look really, really good too! Like… like handsome princes!”

“Aww, really? Thank you.” Dean leaned down and kissed Dorothy’s forehead.

“I love you, Daddy,” Dorothy said and gave her dad’s hands a squeeze. “Do you think you and Papa will have a wedding like this?”

“Oh… we… Well, we haven’t thought about anything like this yet. But I think if we did, it would be a little less fancy. Probably something a little smaller than this… with just you and Uncle Sammy and Jess, Grammy and Grandpa, Uncle Bobby and Grandpa Chuck, I think. Is that okay with you?”

The little girl smiled broadly. “So that means you gonna’ marry Papa…again?” She asked, cocking her head to the side as she watched her father’s face carefully. “ ‘Cuz I would really like that, Daddy. And I bet you Papa would too!”

Dean smiled, dipping Dot down once, chuckling as she let out a peal of childish laughter. She wrapped her legs tighter around his waist and clung to his neck with her small arms. Dean leaned forward and whispered against her ear, “I am thinking of remarrying Papa… yes, I am. But don’t tell him okay?”

She nodded quickly and smiled wider and hugged him tight just as Cas approached them and wrapped his arm around Dean’s back, holding the two of them close.

“May I have this dance?” Castiel asked, smiling as Dean leaned back into his chest.

“Course, Papa!” Dorothy giggled, gripping the lapels of Cas’ suit jacket over Dean’s shoulders and holding on tightly. The song changed to one with a slower tempo and the three of them danced to it, circling slowly in the center of the dance floor.



Dean was getting his second piece of wedding cake when his father joined him at the buffet. He smiled at him, genuinely smiled at his son, not just the general happy-for-Sam, wedding smile. Dean couldn't remember the last time he had seen that look directed at him.
"Dean, do you have a minute or two for your old man?"

"Sure," Dean nodded and waited for his father to pick up his own piece of cake. "Looks like our table is all busy dancing, if you want privacy?" Dean suggested. John nodded and they headed to their seats at the abandoned head table. "So, what can I do for you?" Dean asked once he had sat down, picking a corner of the cake off with his fork.

John cleared his throat, his hands nervously smoothing over the linen tablecloth. He stared out at the crowded dance floor, his eyes following the dancing couples. Dean was about to ask his dad again what was up when John swallowed hard and looked down at his hands. "Dean..." he started, sighing once before pressing forward. "Your mother is right... about how we feel and all. I know we haven't..." John stopped, the tips of his ears turning pink. He cleared his throat again glancing over at Dean and meeting his eyes for only a moment before looking back down at his hands once more. "We missed you, Dean." John’s voice was a whisper.

Dean looked at his dad, confused. The fact that his mother had apologized and wanted to be part of his and Castiel's life was one thing, a very beautiful thing even... But his father feeling the same way was huge. Dean didn't know what it was that he was feeling exactly. Of course there was relief and joy, but there was anger as well, all overwhelming as he stared down at his slice of cake and poked and pushed it around on his plate. Why couldn't his father just have accepted his life, Cas and their love all those years ago? Dean sighed, trying to push back the vast wave of emotions coursing through him at that point, and gave his dad a small smile. "I've missed you too, Dad. There… there were so many times during the years past I could have used advice from you."

"I know," John whispered, hands stilling on the table cloth. He looked up slowly, eyes finding Sam and Jess on the dance floor. "Your brother told us Cas might be coming back into your life... I didn't believe him at first. But... you seem happy."

"I am very happy. God, Dad, I didn't think I could be happier than with Dotty in my life, but then Cas came back into it..."

John reached over and gave Dean's hand a quick reassuring squeeze. "For what it's worth, son, I’m sorry for the way we acted back then. We were scared for you because we thought you were too young. We believed you would never be able to have kids or a real life and would end up divorced with your heart broken. And in the end, all of us lost... You lost Cas and we lost you.

“I regret that, Dean, I regret that so damn much. Even if the worst was going to happen between the two of you, you were my son and I should have been able to support you and speak with you like an adult instead of shoving you away. I apologize for that."

Dean felt his throat tighten and he shoved away from the table, turning in his chair and reached for John, pulling his dad into a quick hug. "I forgive you," he said honestly. He leaned back in his chair and caught a glimpse of his daughter, bouncing over the dance floor with one of Jess's younger cousins. "And a tiny part of me kinda’ even thanks you, I guess. Without all that, there would never have been my little Dot of sunshine, and I might not have matured the way I have, into a man who's able to give Cas the life and love he deserves," Dean admitted thoughtfully.

"I'm proud of you, Son," John clapped Dean on the shoulder. "Damn proud."

"Thank you, Dad." Dean smiled, honestly happy about his father's words. He watched John’s face carefully, smiling to himself before turning his attention back to the crowd of people around them celebrating his brother and sister-in-law’s new life.



Cas looked over his shoulder as he moved down the hallway, crossing his fingers that Dean hadn’t decided he needed to use the bathroom too and had followed him. When he saw the main hallway was clear, he turned down the next hall and hit the call button for the elevator, punching the ‘3’ button when he stepped into the car.
He checked his pocket again for the keycard and when the doors opened, he turned towards the room they’d rented for the weekend. There had been no point in worrying about driving three hours back to Lawrence after the reception was over. Both Dean and Cas had decided they could make a full weekend out of their trip and let Dorothy spend some extra time with her grandparents while they were there.

As he let himself into the room, he couldn’t help but smile. Dean and Sam had gotten ready in this room and their clothing pieces were strewn about on the floor and beds. Seeing the zipper on his bag open Cas’ heartbeat did a small skip and he almost tripped over Sam’s jeans in his haste to reach its spot on their bed so he could check it the contents.

Apparently after returning to their room from a night of drinking, Dean had placed his bracelets and neck-chain in the top part of Cas’s bag for safekeeping. It didn’t look like Dean had gone through his bag more than unzipping it and Cas sighed in relief. He pulled out Dean’s jewelry and placed it on the nightstand before digging under his clothes and pulling out the folded papers he’d stored there.

Petition for Divorce was written in thick block letters across the top of the stapled pages and it made Cas’s stomach twist as he stared down at them. Everything was there-- the terms of their divorce simple and laid out in plain words, and at the bottom of the page were two signatures screaming up at him.

Castiel N. Shirley and Dean Winchester… Signed... Dated... Ready to file.

With shaking hands, Cas folded the papers back up and slid them into his inner jacket pocket before reaching back into the bottom of his bag and grabbing the other item he’d shoved in there. He smoothed out the clothing once more and laid Dean’s jewelry back on top before turning away from his bag.

His heart was pounding as he made his way back out of the room and into the elevator. He could feel the papers pressed warm against him almost like they were on fire, their presence a heavy weight against his chest. He thought of what Dean’s face would look like as he handed them to him, he could already imagine the way his eyes would widen, his lips would part slightly and his brow would furrow as his green eyes stared at the pages in his hands, questioning every single second until Castiel would speak.

He knew that it would cause Dean’s heart to skip a beat, would cause the other man pain, and for a moment Castiel wondered if he was making the right choice. He inhaled deeply as the elevator dinged and the door opened, he straightened his shoulders. The decision had already been made.

Back in the reception hall, people were in various states of dancing and talking, the room mildly smelled of alcohol and heat, but it was the sound of laughter, of happiness and love that really registered with him. Cas scanned the room quickly and smiled when he saw Dorothy bouncing on Sam’s lap, telling him and Jessica some story that involved both of her hands waving about wildly.

Beside them at the table, Dean was leaning on his elbow, slowly eating what was probably his third piece of cake, as he listened to Bobby talk. He was nodding every few seconds and then Dean let out a laugh, throwing his head back and Cas could hear the sound from across the room. It made Cas’s heart squeeze and he pushed himself into gear and started walking across the dance floor.

When he arrived at Dean’s side, Dean looked up at him, his eyes shining, a smile still playing out on his lips.

“Hey babe, what took you so long?”

Cas swallowed hard and tried to give him a smile, but his face wasn’t cooperating and his stomach was clenching almost painfully. Dean blinked once, sensing that something was off and he excused himself from Bobby and walked around the table, wrapping an arm around Cas’s shoulders and leading them away.

“Dean… can I talk to you? Outside?”

“Yeah, of course,” Dean answered, reaching down to take Castiel’s hand in his own and lead him out the French doors on the side of the hall. Beyond the doors was a small courtyard with stone benches and a garden, lit by romantic small solar lights, but Cas needed something different. He didn’t want anyone walking out on them…

Without saying a word, Cas tugged on Dean’s hand and pulled him through the yard to the gate that lead to the parking lot. They moved towards the Impala and Cas leaned against it, waiting for Dean to settle beside him. After a few moments of silence, Dean spoke.

“Cas? Are you okay?”

Slowly, Cas reached into his jacket, not trusting himself to speak. He unfolded the papers and then pressed them into Dean’s hands, looking at him from the corner of his eyes to see what his response was.

Dean swallowed hard as he recognized the papers Cas was handing him. It didn’t matter that the parking lot’s lights were dim and he couldn’t read the words if he wanted to… he knew what he was holding. He just didn’t know why he was holding them. He hadn’t known that Castiel even still had these papers, and he sure as hell never expected Cas to bring them along to the wedding.

A million thoughts swirled through Dean’s head as he stared down at the papers in his hands, shaking slightly and he tightened his grip to stop the pages from fluttering. The biggest question of all was what had he missed? How had he not seen that Castiel was unhappy? He felt his throat and eyes burning and slowly, he let his eyes trail up to Cas who was watching him carefully.

“Will you marry me, Castiel?” Cas had been asked that before, too many times in his opinion, and he wasn’t going to go down that road again. It had been too painful and every time he thought that he was happy, that he had a man who truly wanted him for who he was, something had ruined that.

He reached for the papers in Dean’s hands and looked up to meet Dean’s confused eyes, glassy with unshed tears as he searched Cas’s face. Without saying a word, Castiel wrapped his hands over Dean’s fists and slowly pulled, effectively ripping the pages in half. As the sound of the papers tearing, Dean gasped softly, now looking even more confused as he opened his mouth once then closed it again.

“I…” he said, but Cas shushed him and pulled the pages free from Dean’s grasp. He tossed the ruined documents onto the hood of the Impala and moved so he was standing right in front of Dean, boxing him in and pressing him against the car.

“Dean, I’ve spent so many years asking myself what I did wrong, what I could have done better, what happened to us back then. More recently, I’ve asked myself why I waited so long before I tried to really be happy, and why did I try to settle for someone that never, truly, made me feel that way.” Cas paused, shifting as he reached into his pocket and closed his fingers around the second thing he’d brought with him.

“I’ve always let someone else be in control. Even when I came here, asking for you to sign those papers, I was following what Balthazar wanted, then when I stayed and refused, I was following what you wanted.” He shook his head when Dean opened his mouth to argue and covered his lips with a finger.

“I thought I was ready before, but I wasn’t Dean. I wasn’t ready to be married when we were teenagers, neither one of us was… And … in all honesty… your parents were right. We weren’t ready then. I thought that I was happy and content when I was living and planning the rest of my life with Balthazar, but I wasn’t.

“Now, Dean, I am. I am ready and I am finally happy with a man that is everything I have ever wanted and ever needed. As much as I wanted you to be that for me back then? You weren’t. You hadn’t become the amazing, strong, confident man that you are today.” Cas reached out for Dean’s hand and pressed something into it, waiting until Dean opened his palm to reveal two gold bands before Cas continued.

“Dean, will you wear this ring again? Will you be my husband again? I’m sick of answering awkward questions about what our relationship is and wondering what I should call you when in my heart, and in every other sense of the word, you are my husband. You have accepted me into your life, into Dorothy’s life, and I don’t doubt that I am a part of this family or doubt the love I feel for that little girl. I think of her as my own, and I am so humbled by that.”

Dean turned the rings in his hand, a small smile on his lips as he glanced up and met Cas’s eyes again. “So… you really want a Winchester again?” he asked softly, leaning into Cas’s chest, bringing them closer.

Cas smiled and took one of the rings from Dean’s hand, slipping it slowly onto Dean’s left ring finger before holding out his own hand to let Dean do the same. They joined hands, and Cas smiled at the two glinting gold bands in the dim light before he met Dean’s lips in a kiss.

Dean reached for Cas, one arm curling around his waist as the other pulled his hips closer, reeling him in. Dean leaned back onto the hood slotting Castiel between his legs. Cas reached for Dean’s face, holding it between his palms and deepening their kiss.

Near the building, they could hear Dotty calling for them in the courtyard and Cas broke away, pulling Dean back to his feet with a smile. He kissed him once more, soft and quick before he found his hand.

“A Winchester… ? Yes, Dean. I’ll take two.”




A/N: What a ride! Never would we have expected something so big to come out of just a tiny prompt and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts for sticking this out with us, even after we fell off our posting-schedule wagon. Thank you to those who came in at the start, those who came in during the posting, and for those to come for all of the feedback you've given us! We appreciate it so very much.

Although we will still have timestamps, both pre and post Take Two, we are sad, proud, and happy to say that this installment has been completed.

I want to say thank you to Bibi for writing with me -- I missed this, just like I missed you, and reconnecting and writing together once more was such a blast ♥

Thank you all! Dani xx

Take Two - Complete 30/30

Take Two
Co-written with pippin1983
Rating: R
Warnings: Angst. Totally AU.
Summary: Dean and Castiel get drunkenly married at 19. It's bold, it's rash, it's being a young and in love. After Dean walked out, Castiel tried to move and after ten years, he's decided to marry again. The only thing standing in his way is his legal marriage. Dean, however, wants a second chance to prove that he's grown up, he's matured, but his love for Castiel has never changed.


You can find the master list of all chapters here.