Chapter Text
“Where’s Dean?” Mary asked as she stepped into the house.
“Riding, I think. At least, he was. He wanted to work the horses before putting them up for the night. They’ve been a bit feisty lately and harder to deal with, so he’s been taking them out on the trails each evening. He’ll be back in just a bit.” Cas walked Mary to the kitchen where Frank was standing, deep in a discussion on football with Gabe. Both men looked up when they walked in.
“Find what you needed?” her husband asked.
“Yes, the pill bag was in the trunk. It fell into the well with the spare tire.” She held up the bag in question.
“We heading to The Country Kitchen for dinner afterwards, right? Where are Charlie and Dorothy?” Gabe asked.
“In their room, I think,” Cas replied. This was almost chaotic having so many people in the house. The sound of the back door opening and voices filtering down the hall drew his attention, and soon Dean and his brother were walking into the kitchen.
“Wash your hands.” Cas pointed at the sink. Neither man argued as they walked over and did exactly that. Mary snickered but said nothing.
“Ok, we’re ready to go. Who else is coming?” Charlie said as she walked in the room.
“Balthazar and April are meeting us there. Oh, and Meg should be there too. Later Benny, Bobby, Andrea, Victor, and Nena will meet us at the restaurant,” Dean replied.
“The restaurant can accommodate this large of a group, right?” Mary didn’t want them to be turned away.
“Yes, and I called ahead to tell them how big of a group we’d be coming in with,” Cas said.
“The food is great; you’ll all love it,” Dean added. He tossed his brother an extra dish towel and they dried their hands.
“We’re supposed to be there by seven; let’s get moving.” Cas started for the door and everyone followed. Outside, they split up. Sam and Gabe rode with Mary and Frank while Charlie and Dorothy rode with Cas and Dean.
“I love it up here. The air is so clean and fresh. It’s so different from Chicago,” Dorothy said as they made their way to the banquet hall. “I can’t wait to be done with school so we can move up here.”
“Told you. It’s amazing here. Cas and I are very happy, aren’t we, babe?” Dean glanced over at his fiance and saw the man nodding.
“Most of Dean’s allergies have either eased up or disappeared completely since he’s been here.”
“Really?” Charlie was rather impressed by that.
“The pollution up here is so low, it’s fantastic. We put out more wildflowers for the bees and added more hives. We’re now getting enough honey that we can sell some at the farmer’s market in the spring. Cas hoards most of it for himself though.” Dean grinned when Cas shoved him lightly.
“I do not hoard it. I just love the stuff. It’s fantastic on toast, drizzled on waffles, and I’ve even sweetened my coffee with it.”
“He hoards it,” Charlie giggled.
“So, this hall, it’s what, a banquet hall?” Dorothy asked.
“Yes. We were going to do the whole thing at the farm but really, the black flies are horrible, last year and this year. You should have seen Dean’s arms by the end of last summer. He looked like he had chicken pox, and it was all fly bites. We weren’t subjecting friends and family to that, so we opted to rent the hall,” Cas explained.
“The place is really nice, and has a spectacular view off the balcony of the mountains. And for the record, I’m working on getting rid of the flies. Bastards are just persistent.” Dean said.
A few minutes later they pulled into the parking lot at the banquet hall. Frank pulled in and took the parking spot next to them. Once everyone had climbed out of the vehicles, they went inside.
“Oh, wow…” Sam was in awe as he looked up at the crystal chandeliers hanging in the lobby. Dorothy and Charlie were busy admiring the view.
“This place is fancy,” Frank said as they looked around.
“Not really, but it’s nice, and we could afford it.” Cas pointed towards a door at the far end of the room. “It’s through there.”
He led the way and everyone followed. Once they stepped into the banquet room, everyone was in awe.
“This is beautiful!” Mary gasped as she looked around.
“I second that. And the guests won’t have to move from their seats. They stay at their tables the entire time, which is nice. It’s just easier to have the wedding and the reception all in the same place.” Dean pointed out two sets of French doors. “That set there leads out into a garden, where we’ll do the pictures, and that set there leads out onto a huge balcony that gives a full view of the mountain range.”
The doors opened again, and Balthazar walked in with April and the minister.
“Ok guys, it’s time to get this rehearsal started!” Dean rubbed his hands together. He was eager to get to the restaurant; he was starving!
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“That was so sweet!” Mary gushed as they walked into the restaurant an hour later. “Reverend Kimmley is so nice!”
“We checked around and I briefly considered having Charlie step in to perform the ceremony, but I wanted her standing up for me. So we talked it over and decided to find a minister we liked. Some are really homophobic asses, but Joe Kimmley isn’t. He’s very open minded, and we like the guy,” Dean said. They were directed back to the tables that had been put together for their party. Dean sat down, and Cas took the seat to his left. He laid his arm across the back of Cas’ chair as the rest of their family and friends sat down and leaned close.
“We’re going to officially be married tomorrow, babe. You scared?” he whispered. Cas looked at him, a soft smile on his lips.
“Why would I be scared? It’s all I’ve ever wanted. Eager and excited would be a better description. It feels like it took us forever to get here, even though it hasn’t. I couldn’t imagine spending my life with anyone but you.” He leaned in and kissed Dean softly. “But if you’re scared…”
“Hell no, I’m not scared!” Dean said just a touch too loud. He heard Charlie and Gabe both chuckle. “I want this. We’re in a good place financially now. I want a family, Cas. And now that we have everything in place, we won’t have to wait for that.”
Cas smiled and kissed him again, earning a few “awws” from their group. Bobby arrived, as well as Benny and Andrea. With their whole party there, they got dinner under way.
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At home in bed that night, Dean held Cas close, kissing him softly as his fingers skated over warm, pliant skin. This was more than he had ever hoped to have. Cas was more than he had ever hoped to have. It had been four years since they had met that afternoon online, and he was thankful every single day that this man had come into his life.
“What are you thinking about?” Cas asked.
“About how happy I am, and how much I love you. This has been the best four years of my life,” Dean replied.
“Mine too. I was never so happy as I have been since you came into my life.” Cas kissed Dean’s jaw and snuggled closer. “This right here, it’s heaven. We’re about to be done with the lawsuits, we’re about to be married, and…” Cas was almost giddy with excitement. “We’re soon to be fathers. I think our family is going to be upset that we didn’t tell them that part.”
“Hey, Erin has seven more weeks to go before the next Winchester pops out. But I know my mom will be back and probably won’t leave for at least a month,” Dean chuckled.
“We’re still planning to announce that at the reception?” Cas understood why Dean had wanted to wait. This entire wedding needed to be the focus so nothing went wrong, and if the family knew about the baby first they’d focus on that instead. Charlie would insist on a baby shower and decorating the baby’s room rather than helping to plan the wedding, and Mary would be a crying mess. And it wasn’t like they were waiting until the baby was already here to tell everyone. They just needed the wedding to be out of the way.
“Yes. But be prepared to get yelled at, and for a lot of crying.” Dean knew his mother and Charlie, and Dorothy, as stoic as she always was, would be joining in. Hell, he knew Bobby would cry too.
Moving to Montana had been nothing but perfect. The Chicago shop continued to flourish, and Dean made a trip to the city at least three times a year to do an inspection and assess what, if anything, the shop might need. Bobby had felt confident enough to retire completely, and now Dean ran the show by himself. Benny was a competent manager, and Victor was a huge help. With more updates, Dean was able to hire on a couple more people and the revenue had increased by almost thirty percent in the last eighteen months. The shop here was doing even better. Overhead costs were lower and the fact that Dean had all the business for a hundred-mile radius worked in his favor. He had let go of the lazy men that had worked for Darnell after they had proved to be just as lazy for him and hired on six young, eager men. He helped them get licensed, and they worked hard for him. The shop never lacked for business and after hearing about how good the shop was, people started coming from farther away for the bigger issues, like transmission and engine work. He had earned himself a solid reputation not only in the county, but across the state. The idea of opening a second shop here in Montana was something he was strongly considering.
Dean loved the garage Cas had built for him. After reviewing bids, they had chosen a contractor that was able to add another bay, turning it into a five car garage and built-in cabinets for all the tools and supplies Dean needed in order to work on antique cars. It was heated and was attached to the house, so in extreme weather, Dean never had to step outside. So far he had restored ten cars and had two more in there now in various stages of completion. He had gotten Cas in on it and to his delight, the man turned out to love working on them. They spent a lot of time in the spring and summer working out in the gardens they had created. The in-ground greenhouse thrived under Dean’s capable hands, as did the fields around it. They built a chicken coop and invested in chickens and a couple of turkeys. Cas wanted ducks too, so Dean put in a pond and a separate house for the ducks. The turkeys pretty much lived in the barn with the horses, and that was ok in their book. The birds went a long way towards ridding the farm of bugs and small vermin, and after securing the coops and barn against predators, the birds flourished. They had invested in Icelandic chickens that were hardy but gentle, and Cas loved hatching new chicks each spring. Dean got a kick out of the ducklings. They got enough eggs that, after investing in two additional freezers, Dean was able to prepare and freeze eggs so that they almost never had to buy store bought during the winter. Dean discovered the joy of baking with duck eggs after a neighbor told him about it, and now his cakes came out even more moist and delicious, as did cookies, quiches, and the odd souffle he had tried once or twice to make. Not to mention that the ducks had turned out to be great company. Whenever he worked out in the yard, he had a rapt audience. In the spring the chickens loved to help him turn over the soil while they and the rest of the birds happily devoured whatever weeds he found and tossed to them. In the summer, they loved the scraps he threw them, from cucumber rinds to soup to green beans not good enough to can, and in the fall they went nuts for the opportunity to run through the fields and gobble up anything that was left. In the winter whatever he and Cas ate, the birds got the leftovers. Sometimes it wasn’t much, so Dean had planted another full acre of vegetables meant strictly for the birds, and Cas loved that his fiance cared so much for them that he felt the need to do that. With the extra vegetables, he had more for the compost bin, and their crops flourished.
Cas had quickly learned just how seriously Dean took his canning. That first spring, Dean had worked tirelessly on getting the shop ready during the weekdays, and on weekends he worked on the greenhouse and in the fields. He found a spot for every single seed he had ordered and Cas was right by his side the entire time, digging and planting, watering and maintaining, until by end of summer they had more vegetables than Cas knew what to do with. Dean knew though. He canned beans and squash, beets and potatoes, made pickles and relishes, and an entire acre had been dedicated to strawberries, so there were preserves and syrups too. The second year Dean planted already established berry bushes along the back of the greenhouse, where he sectioned them off so the birds couldn’t get to them, and by last summer Dean was up to his ears in blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries. He’d been delighted to find mulberry trees growing along the back of the property, and that summer Cas found himself elbows deep in berries as he washed and debugged and prepped them for the various creations Dean was planning for them. By the time winter finally came around Cas had to stand back and admire the hard work they had both put into their land. There were more than two hundred jars of vegetables, jams, jellies, and syrups, and there was a freezer full of various other ones. He was happy, and though this place had welcomed him with open arms and he had called it home, it wasn’t truly one until he had Dean there with him.
After the nightmare with Dick Roman they had hired a lawyer and sued Dick Roman right into the ground. The man had been worth some eighty million before his downfall, and at the lawyer’s suggestion they sued him independently. Dean’s lawsuit covered harassment, threats, and defamation of character, among other things, and he had sued for a meager five million, of which the lawyer was set to get a healthy five hundred thousand. Cas, on the other hand, was furious and after the article hit the news he nearly lost his job with the university. He sued Dick for half his net worth. In the end, he settled for a little more than twenty five million. Dick was rotting somewhere in jail and Cas was finally free of him. What mattered the most though was that Dean was safe. It was all for naught if Dean wasn’t left alone.
While they didn’t have the money from the settlement just yet, Cas had completed three new books, the last two not being about bees at all. They were biographical in nature, the first one covering his time with Dick Roman and what a hellish nightmare it had been while the second one described the time during which Dick was threatening Dean’s life. Charlie’s involvement was left out of the book, and it was explained that they had received anonymous tips that Dean’s life was in danger, and that Dick Roman was stalking them. The books went over very well, and Cas was surprised by just how well they did. Money was not something he or Dean would ever have to worry about again, and for that he was very glad.
As they lay there in bed on the eve of their wedding, they discussed plans for the next two weeks. After the wedding they were setting out on a two-week honeymoon in Cabo San Lucas, and they were both excited to go. They were flying and Dean had already talked to his doctor about anxiety meds, so they were prepared. When they got back the interior designer was set to arrive and start on the baby’s room. They knew they were having a boy, but the room wasn’t being done up in blue. Instead, they were doing a whimsical forest theme that they knew would work when they had more kids down the line. This was the culmination of their dreams, all their hard work and patience was paying off. They had both known that once they were officially married, neither man wanted to wait to have kids. They’d had four beautiful years to get to know one another, to learn even the tiniest of flaws in one another, and had fallen in love with one another time and again, and they felt ready to take on parenthood. Cas was not taking time off from teaching, but he had lightened his course load some. Due to his rise in popularity the school basically bent to his every whim, not that he abused that, but he wanted time with their son too, so when the new semester started he planned to teach in the mornings so that he could be home in the afternoons with his husband and son. Dean did primarily supervision and paperwork, so the baby would go to work with him at the garage in the mornings. Later, when their son was mobile, they would look into the possibility of a nanny, but for now, they wanted as much time with their child as possible.
“We’re going to be fathers, Dean. I can scarcely believe it. And we still haven’t agreed on a name,” Cas said.
“I’m excited. I know we’ll both be good dads. He’s going to be loved and he’ll learn so much. From working on cars to keeping bees, to working a farm. We might have money, but I don’t want our kids to be spoiled brats.” Dean had put a lot of thought into this too. He didn’t want to raise spoiled assholes like Dick Roman, and he knew Cas didn’t want that either.
“I suspect that your parents are going to move up here. I don’t think we’ll have to look into a nanny.” Cas laughed softly.
Dean smiled. “Yeah, well, the farm next door is up for sale. I think we should buy it. It would give us another forty acres since I really don’t think my folks will do much gardening, not when my mom would rather just have me give her stuff.”
“I like Daniel. Daniel Winchester has a nice ring to it.” Cas was mulling over names in his head, looking for something that they would both like but that would sound good with what would soon be both of their last name.
“Daniel’s ok. I was thinking Sean, or maybe Ryan. How does Ryan Daniel Winchester sound?” Dean asked.
Cas did like that. “Yes, that’s wonderful. Is that what we’ll call him?” He tilted his head back so he could see Dean’s face.
“Yeah, I think it’s a good, strong name,” Dean said.
Cas traced the two rings sitting already on Dean’s left hand. As of tomorrow one would be moved to his right hand in order to make room for the wedding band. He’d been unable to resist buying an engagement ring for Dean, not once he had learned that he could get one with the Impala engraved on it. Dean loved it and wore it with pride. Their one real argument in the last year was which ring would be moved to Dean’s right hand. Dean had argued that he didn’t need a third ring. The one from Frank’s dad went well enough with the Impala ring, and he felt they could pass as a set. Cas argued that no, they did not look like a set at all. The Impala ring was black Tungsten with the Impala engraved on the top. The first engagement ring was a silver band with diamonds embedded in the top. Dean quickly learned just how stubborn his fiance could be, and he figured it was a battle not worth fighting. If Cas wanted him to have another ring, then he would have another ring.
The wedding bands would match. They were silver but the center had a Tungsten inlay engraved with a beautiful scrolling leaf pattern that had appealed to them both. Cas had decided that the Impala ring would be the one moved, but if later, Dean wanted it paired with the wedding band, he would be ok with that. Dean didn’t care what ring was on what hand as long as he didn’t have to stop wearing either one, and as long as he got to take Cas as his husband. He had joked with Cas that if they had more than one son, they’d have a ring to pass down to each of their boys. Cas trailed the tips of his fingers up Dean’s side before splaying them over the bare skin of his chest, right over his heart.
“I love you, Dean. More than anything in the world.”
“I know, baby. And I love you just as much.” Dean’s hand slid down Cas’ side, coming to rest on his hip. Four years in and the sex between them was still just as hot and passionate as it had been the first time they’d made love, but the tender moments where they simply laid together, talking, touching, kissing, those were more frequent now that there was no worry of being apart. Dean wasn’t going anywhere ever again. They had decided to pass on the sex tonight so that neither was too sore the following night, once they had left the reception, but that didn’t mean oral was off the table. Cas was lying next to him, all warm and firm and naked, and it was very hard to resist not wrapping his hand around his fiance’s length and stroking him until he was hard before swallowing him down whole.
“What are you thinking about?” Cas asked.
Like a full 180, Dean’s train of thought suddenly shifted.
“Do you think Sammy’s dating?”
Cas pulled back a bit more to get a better look at him.
“That’s what you’re thinking? I would have sworn you were debating on whether oral was in the cards for tonight. Cause I was really hoping it was.”
Dean laughed and kissed him. “Well, yes, I was, but then you asked that and my brain just slid totally to the left. I suddenly wondered about my brother. You know he hasn’t really dated since Jess died.”
Cas rolled onto his back but continued looking at Dean.
“I don’t know. He doesn’t want to settle. He wants what we have, and none of the girls he has dated meet his expectations. He set the bar pretty damn high.”
Dean sighed. “Yeah, I know. But he deserves to be happy with someone that will love him totally and completely. He moved up here to be closer to all of us, but the dating pool is a bit thin. I want him to find someone that will not only love him but will respect him, and want to share in his dreams and helping him become everything he possibly can. Like you do with me.”
“So...like Gabe.” Cas said.
Dean frowned. “Except Sammy’s not gay. Or bi.”
Cas turned on his side and propped himself up on one elbow.
“His orientation is not the question. My brother, though he has been extremely mature about it, much to my surprise, has been head over heels in love with Sam for years now. If you think Sam moved up here to be close to you and me, I’ve got some news for you. That’s not why he did it.”
Dean sat up, putting his back to the headboard. “You really think Sam feels that way about Gabe?”
Cas sat up, scooting closer so he could place a hand on Dean’s thigh. “I know two things. Gabe is in love with Sam. I can see it in the way he looks at him, and the way he acts around him. But he sees the turmoil inside Sam, so he hasn’t said or done anything to push Sam one way or another. It would crush my brother to lose Sam as a friend. Age difference aside, Sam’s his best friend. The second thing I know is that Sam is in love with Gabe. There is a lot of fear there though. Stigma, sharing feelings, the idea of sex with another man, it’s all scary territory that he is completely unfamiliar with. Baring feelings is sometimes painful. He’s scared.”
Dean mulled that over for a moment. When he and Cas had come up to bed tonight they had left Sam, Gabe, Charlie, and Andrea talking in the living room. Gabe, at some point, would go home, but at what point? He seemed to naturally gravitate towards Sam. Sam had an apartment in town, a nice place near the town square. He’d either crash on the couch tonight or he’d make the drive back to his place. No doors had been opened yet, so they were still downstairs talking. Dean didn’t care one way or the other. He just wanted his brother to be happy, but he wanted Gabe to be happy too.
“I’ll talk to him later, let him know there’s nothing wrong with finding love with another man. He’s cool with other people loving whoever, but he always identified as straight, so I think you’re right, he’s struggling with his identity right now.”
Cas moved until he was straddling Dean’s lap. His fingers sliding down his soon to be husband’s chest before coming to rest on his hips. He smiled so wide his cheeks ached from the effort, but still he couldn’t stop.
“What has you smiling like that?” Dean asked.
“At this time tomorrow you’ll be my husband.” Cas replied. Dean’s smile was nearly as wide as Cas’.
“Castiel James Winchester. Has a nice ring to it, don’t you think? You’re still sure you want to take my name? It’s not going to confuse your fans?”
“They know I’m gay, and they know I’m engaged. On my last tour I told them flat out, both in person and in the book, that I’m taking your name. They aren’t going to be confused. Carrying the Novak name…” Cas shook his head, his smile faltering a bit. “It’s a burden. There is nothing good that comes from it, except my brother and myself, so I am quite happy to take your name. I love your family as if they were my own, so it feels natural. I’ll truly be a Winchester, even if it’s only in name.”
Dean pulled Cas against him, wrapping the man in his arms. “Honey, you’re a Winchester no matter what. Family doesn’t end with blood, and you know how much mom and dad love you. And Sammy, and Charlie, and even Dorothy. You’re family, end of story. It’s more than just in name because you’re the other half of me, ok? Tomorrow is a formality of sorts, but I see it as the last tie that will link us for the rest of our lives. I love you, Cas, and I’m honored to take you as my husband.”
Cas melted against Dean, loving the firm, warm body beneath him. His life wasn’t perfect, but it was damn close. He had the man he loved and was about to marry, and in just a few weeks time they would be welcoming their son into the world. He was so happy that they were finally reaching this point. This was the happy ending he had sought after since he was a little boy.
“You know, Gabe was right about something,” he murmured.
“Hmm? What was he right about?” Dean asked.
“When I was a little boy, there were all these beautiful princess stories. Snow White, Cinderella, The Little Mermaid, you get the picture. Anyway, I used to sit in my room, reading my fairy tales and instead of wondering where I would find my princess, I prayed that I would find my prince. I just wanted my happily ever after, but for a long time I never thought I would get to have that. Gabe said you were my prince, and he’s right. You’re my happy ever after.”
Dean smiled as he listened to Cas talking. He’d never thought he would ever be anyone’s prince, or that he’d ever get a happy ever after of his own, but sure enough, he had that with this man here in his arms. Cas was the only person that had ever been able to put up with his OCD without wanting to rip their hair out or scream. Cas had the patience of a saint, and enough love in his heart to move mountains if he saw fit. He put up with Dean when he was an asshole, when he made a fool of himself, and he forgave him for his mistakes. He wasn’t perfect but Cas loved him exactly the way he was, and he loved Cas exactly the way he was too.
“You’re my happily ever after too, babe, but for the record, I see myself as more of a Prince Phillip type rather than Aurora.”
Cas laughed and sat up so he could loop his arms around Dean’s neck.
“I’m partial to Anna and Kristoff, myself.”
“What’s that?” Dean asked.
“Elsa was the ice queen? Frozen?”
“Oh, that one with the talking snowman?” Dean swore that was the one with the snowman…
Cas snickered and nodded. “Yes, darling. Olaf was the talking snowman.” He was glad that not only did Dean not knock him for his love of fairy tale movies and the Disney cartoons, but he usually watched them with him. Dean particularly liked Brave.
“Ok, I can accept that.” Dean kissed the tip of his nose, earning himself a full, gummy smile.
“Are we going to just sit here talking about princes and talking snowmen or are we going to take care of this itch under my skin that only an amazing blowjob by my equally amazing fiance can give me?” Cas cocked one eyebrow expectantly, and it made Dean laugh. He grabbed Cas’ hips and flipped him so fast it had the man gasping. Cas found himself laid out flat a second later, and a second after that Dean’s mouth was on him.
“Fuck!”
Dean smirked. Not yet, that was being saved for tomorrow!