So, I've decided to throw all of the parts of my 'verse into one big multi-chaptered thing. It's easier to keep track of, easier to update and just neater all around.

All of the old parts will remain posted on my profile thing, since I'm selfish and like having the reviews and favorites and what not there. But all new parts will be posted as part of this "story" thing.

So yeah, here's that first part! Their first Christmas.

Oh. The title for this collection is from George Santayana's, The Life of Reason "The family is one of nature's masterpieces ."

There were times when Dean hated waking up early, the sun would be too bright and shining in through the window because he had forgotten to close the curtains before he crawled into bed. Then there were the times he didn't mind waking up early, on days like today when the sun was hiding behind a thick layer of clouds, the temperature was cold enough for snow and there was a warm body tucked up against his.

He smiled down at Cas, who had become part octopus in the middle of the night and had attached himself to Dean, arm over his waist and legs tangled up with Deans. Dean didn't mind for once, Cas was like a furnace, putting out so much heat Dean wouldn't need the extra blanket on the extra cold nights. Cas made a snuffling sound in his sleep, pressed his face against Dean's neck and tried to press even closer.

Dean found himself smiling again and rolled over onto his side, causing a groan to come from Cas as he was moved more than he found acceptable.

"Sorry, you can go back to sleep." Cas merely grunted, shifted into a more comfortable position against Dean's chest while Dean wrapped his arms around the sleeping man and tugged him closer.

"Why are you up so early?" Cas mumbled a few minutes later.

"Not sure. How are you feeling?"

"Like I'm dying."

"You're not dying. It's just a case of strep throat that you've got."

"And a cold."

"Okay, so maybe that makes it worse, but you're not dying." Cas grunted again and let out a hacking cough, followed by a miserable groan. Dean chuckled and pressed his lips against Cas' forehead, "It'll be over in a few days."

"You said that a few days ago."

"I was guessing. Want some tea?" Cas nodded and Dean worked out how he was going to get out of bed and into some warmer clothes before he froze. Cas removed himself from Dean's grasp, sat up, rubbed his eyes and blinked around the room.

"Why is it so cold in here?" Dean winced at the sound of Cas' voice, usually gravel rough already but with the strep throat causing his throat to swell it came out more as a hoarse whisper.

"Think the pilot light went out again." Cas sighed, eyed the wooden floor, the dresser which was a few steps away and the floor again. Dean smiled at him and said, "I'll be a really good boyfriend and get you some socks and warmer clothes and do the suffering."

"You don't have-"

"You're sick; you don't need to be dealing with cold floors and shit while you're sick."

"I'm sick, not dying."

"Says the one who said he was dying a few minutes ago."

"I said I felt like I was dying, not that I was." Dean rolled his eyes, muttered a, "Smart ass," under his breath, threw off the blankets, and made for the dresser as quick as he could. Cas watched him and said, "The red socks please, and Sam's old hoodie."

"Not the red socks."

"Please." Dean sighed and hunted through the drawer for the fuzzy, red socks Sam had gotten Cas a few months ago, stating they would keep his feet warm during the winter months.

"I hate these things."

"They're warm, and soft. I enjoy wearing them."

"You just like being able to slide around on the wood floors instead of walking." Cas shot him a grin and nodded, took the socks from Dean and pulled them on, followed by the sweatshirt Sam had left behind, it was about five sizes too big for Cas, but when Cas was feeling lazy or under the weather he liked to sit himself on the couch and burrow into the sweatshirt and read.

When they were both dressed warm enough for the cold house they left the bedroom and headed for the kitchen, "What time is Bobby expecting us?" Cas asked when Dean returned from relighting the pilot light under the furnace.

"He said we're allowed to be a bit late since you're feeling like shit." Cas sighed and said, "I hate that I got sick now, this is our first Christmas after the apocalypse and I feel like I'm ruining it for everyone." Dean rolled his eyes, put on the water to boil for Cas' tea, and turned on the coffee maker for himself.

"Please. You can't help when you get sick dude, shit happens. Also, it's your first Christmas as a human, not just our first one after the apocalypse that never was. Even if you're sick we're going to enjoy it." Cas hesitated then nodded and sat himself down at the breakfast bar and watched as Dean put together their morning drinks.

Dean still couldn't believe it was all over, the apocalypse didn't happen, Sam didn't die, Dean didn't have to become some meat suit for an archangel and Cas had been given a choice. Return to Heaven or stay on Earth and finish becoming human and live out his days with Sam and Dean. For some reason Cas had decided to stay, the three of them had carried on hunting before deciding to finally settle down a little.

They'd found an old abandoned house a few miles from Bobby's, close enough to visit often and far enough to give the old man his space when he needed it. They'd fixed it up and moved in a few months after the big fight. They still hunted sometimes, but they never went too far and they had a home to come back to now. Dean also had Cas, he didn't know how it had happened but a few months after Cas had lost the last of his Grace they'd come together and hadn't been apart since.

Dean didn't mind in the slightest, for whatever reason Cas loved him. Cas knew everything there was to know about Dean, the good and the bad, he knew what Hell had been like, he understood Dean's insecurities and fears and didn't take any shit from him. Dean didn't know why or how, but Cas loved him and he loved Cas. They were happy here in their home together, they were happy when they went out on hunts together and whatever else. Dean was just happy to finally say he was happy and not be scared shitless by that fact.

Sam had stayed with them for a while, then when they'd been working a case, a simple salt and burn they'd run into Sarah Blake again. She and Sam had hit it off, Sarah had moved here, they'd dated then Sam had moved out and into his own with Sarah. Dean knew Sam would be proposing Christmas morning when they were opening their presents, Cas had helped Sam pick out the ring.

They were all happy. So unnaturally happy that Dean's head still spun on occasion. Hell, they were practically normal. Dean had a job at the local garage in town when he wasn't helping Bobby, Sam ran a bookstore in town and after forging a college degree and several certificates Cas had landed a job as a translator for whoever needed him. It was a good job for him since he knew every language known to man and a few beyond that.

"Dean?" Dean jolted out of his thoughts, realizing Cas had been calling his name for a few minutes now.

"What? Sorry Cas, was...thinking." Cas gave him a small smile, made his cup of tea up, plain with a dollop of honey added into it, and asked, "About what?"

"Just, still think its weird how we're all so happy."

"It's good that we're happy though isn't it?"

"Of course it is, I just never thought I'd have it. I always knew Sam would find a way, but not me."

"Well, as I told you several years ago Dean, good things do happen." Dean poured his coffee and sat down next to Cas who was happily sipping at his tea, already moved on from the conversation. Dean took that to mean they'd had it enough times now, Cas assuring Dean that his happiness was well deserved and that it would last. There was nothing to fear anymore.

"So, Christmas. Are you excited?"

"What is there to be excited about?"

"Presents of course." Cas hummed, smiled at Dean and said, "I suppose. We'll find out when the time comes."

"We'll leave for Bobby's in a few hours. He wants to eat in the afternoon, and he ordered us all to stay there for the night so we can open presents soon as everyone's awake. How's your throat feeling?"

"Better, the tea helped. Not sure I'll be able to eat anything though."

"Don't worry, Bobby will take care of you. I think he said something about making soup for you." Cas let out a sigh and muttered, "He didn't have to do that, he's already doing enough by having us there for Christmas." Dean only grinned at Cas and shrugged. Somewhere along the line Cas had joined Sam and Dean in Bobby's surrogate son pile. He mothered over the former angel as much as he was allowed to and the two were often found locked in Bobby's library geeking out over the old books, languages, and spells.

"It's like a match made in Heaven." Was what Dean had said when he'd found Bobby, Sam and Cas buried behind piles of books. It was worth it seeing a smile on Cas' face though, he smiled more often now that he was human but it still wasn't often enough in Dean's book.

They spent the rest of the morning lounging in the living room, Cas doing some work and Dean watching whatever he could find on the TV. The nice thing about Cas' job was that he was allowed to do it from home, and he made his own hours as long as he made the deadlines. Dean liked coming home to Cas making dinner or waiting with take out all set out and ready to eat, this was something he had no troubles adjusting to.

"Alright lazy, let's head to Bobby's, I'm ready for some food." Cas roused himself from his doze enough to put on some proper pants, jacket and the scarf Sarah had knit for him a few months ago.

"You have enough of your medicine to last you through the night?" Cas checked his pockets, nodded, yawned and grumbled, "Let's go, I want a nap, this medication makes me sleepy."

"Yeah I know and you're a grouch when you're sleepy." Cas 'hmmphed' and disappeared out the front door and to the Impala where he impatiently waited for Dean to get a move on.

When they reached Bobby's and let themselves into the warmth of the house Dean heard Sarah and Bobby cooking in the kitchen and Sam watching TV in the living room. Dean pushed an increasingly drowsy Cas into the living room and aimed him for the couch saying, "Move over Sasquatch, sick person needs the couch." Sam smiled up at them, stood and moved over to one of the chairs while Cas face planted onto the couch with a happy grunt.

"How's he doing?" Sam asked, watching with a smug grin on his face as Dean knelt down and pulled off Cas' boots.

"Okay, went to the doctors yesterday and got himself a prescription for some antibiotics. I picked him up some cold medicine and some throat junk for him too, makes him sleepy...obviously."

"Well, at least it's nothing horrible for his first time being sick outside of a cold." Dean nodded, he'd been happy about that, no pneumonia or anything that was life threatening, he didn't think he could handle something threatening his happiness right now.

"And what are you looking so smug about anyway?"

"Just you...never thought I'd see you settled down, and here you are, living with someone. A man no less."

"Bite me, bitch."

"Whatever, jerk."

"Would you idjits shut up already and get in here to say hello?" Dean and Sam exchanged smiles and Dean went and greeted Bobby in the kitchen, explaining Cas was passed out on the couch and wouldn't be coming in to say hello any time soon.

"I made him some homemade chicken noodle soup last night so he can eat that while we have our ham." Sarah said after giving Dean a hug.

"Cas thinks you guys shouldn't have done that, he feels bad enough for being sick on Christmas."

"Well it's not the idjits fault, we'll finish decorating the tree in a few hours, the ham is almost done and we have plenty of eggnog."

"Perfect."

True to word about an hour later, Dean was waking Cas up and they were gathering around a sizable Christmas tree that had been shoved into the corner.

Sam approached Dean while Cas, Sarah and Bobby put on the ornaments and whispered, "Dean, look what Sarah made the other night for the top of the tree." He opened his hands and nestled there in his palms was a miniature angel that very closely resembled how Cas used to dress. Tan trench coat, blue tie and messy dark hair, added on was a halo and fluffy white wings.

"You know he won't be happy to see that."

"I know, he'd smite it if he could still smite things." Sam grinned at him, turned and said to the room at large, "Okay, tree topper time!" Sure enough, Cas was not pleased and spent the next fifteen minutes glaring up at his knit counterpart.

After they'd decorated the tree and had dinner they sat around and watched It's a Wonderful Life, Cas chuckling throughout most of it, partially due to the fact he'd mixed his medications with alcohol. Halfway through Sam and Dean went out to their respective cars and got the bags of presents out to be put under the tree.

"Are you happy Sam?"

"What?"

"Are you happy with how we're living now? Running a bookstore instead of a lawyer, only hunting a few times every couple of months, with Sarah?"

"Yeah, I am. Not quite what I expected, sure. But it's better than what I thought either of us would end up with. You happy?"

"Surprisingly yeah, I am."

"Even with Cas?" Dean couldn't help the grin that spread across his face as they entered the living room and saw Cas slouched over on the couch, head resting against Bobby's shoulder.

"Yeah, especially with Cas." At the sound of his name, Cas jerked upright with a snort and a sleepy, "Huh?"

"Bedtime sleepyhead."

"Good." Cas managed to pull himself up right, managed to say goodnight to Sarah, Bobby and Sam and disappeared up the stairs and to the room he and Dean had shared when they'd been living here before fixing up their house. Dean followed, happily watching Cas undress and collapse in the small bed, watching Dean with his eyebrows raised, silently asking if Dean was going to stand there like an idiot or join him.

"Even sick you're still a bossy bastard." Cas grunted, burrowed under the blankets with his pillow and mumbled out, "You wouldn't have me any other way." Dean smiled, slid in behind the former angel, pressed himself close to Cas' back and muttered, "You're right."

In the morning the two of them woke up to smells of bacon, coffee, and the sound of Sam thundering down the stairs, shouting for them to wake the hell up already. Cas sighed, stretched out like a cat and asked, "Is it too early to toss Sam out into the snow?"

"Probably. But he'd probably roll around in it like a puppy and make snow angels and snowmen."

"I dislike him in the mornings."

"Hold your judgment until after you've had some caffeine put into your system." Cas mumbled his agreement and the two dragged themselves out of bed and down the stairs and plopped unceremoniously into their chairs around the small table in the kitchen.

"Morning!" Sam, ever the morning person grinned at them over his cup of coffee. Cas scowled at him and Dean muttered, "Tone it down Sam, not all of us are early birds."

"Should be when there are presents to open."

"I'll get there after coffee." Sarah joined them a few minutes later, handing a cup of tea over to Cas who said something that may or may not have resembled a thank you. Sarah, the smart girl that she was, didn't question and just took it for what it was meant to be.

"Since Sam is being so impatient about it all Bobby said we'd have breakfast after we opened presents." Dean couldn't really blame Sam for being excited; it was their first real Christmas, with actual presents, an actual tree and family. Now that he was waking up Dean couldn't help but feel the excitement himself, there were many firsts happening today, and he couldn't help but wonder what Cas may have gotten him as a present. He could only hope Cas would enjoy what Dean had gotten him.

"Alright idjits, get yourselves settled and we'll get everything handed out." Bobby was waiting for them in the living room, watching as Cas and Dean took over the couch and Sarah situated herself on Sam's lap as he took over a chair.

Sarah had knit them all hats to go with the scarves she'd given them a few months ago, she'd given Sam a new carrying case for his laptop, she gave Dean a new flask with his initials engraved into one side and Cas received a sketchbook and a set of nice charcoal pencils since he'd started showing an interest in drawing.

Sam had given Dean a new bowie knife, one that must have cost a fair amount of money with its mahogany handle and matching case. Dean meanwhile had given his brother the digital camera he'd been mooning over for a couple months. Cas had given Sam several, very old and very rare first editions of books that had Sam nerdgasming in seconds. Sarah had gotten the same deal but with a book of paintings by some painter Dean had never heard of. Bobby had also received some old books on lore that Cas had gathered in his research when he'd still been an angel. Dean and Sam had agreed to clean out the attic and basement as Bobby's Christmas gift, which the elder hunter was more than happy with.

"Okay Cas, next gift is from me. Everyone helped me choose, but mostly it was my idea." Cas blinked at Dean and looked around, obviously seeing the lack of a gift sitting anywhere in plain sight.

"Wait here." Dean headed off outside to the back of the junkyard where Bobby had had an office of sorts, waiting there was Cas' gift, which he immediately took back to the house, hoping and praying that it wouldn't backfire.

Cas simply gaped when he saw Dean's gift.

"Um. I know we talked about it a while ago, and I know we agreed on a puppy, but she's already trained, like...really well. She was meant to be a police dog but she lost her hearing after she got some ear infections or something, but she knows her hand signals and what not. She's a little stand offish, but once she knows you she warms up, mostly. She still doesn't really like Bobby, or Sam...or hell even me-"

"Dean." Dean stopped his rambling and simply smiled hopefully at Cas, then looked down at the mostly black German Shepard standing by his side. He unhooked the leash and watched as the dog instantly went over to Cas and decided it was bath time.

"What's her name?" Cas asked around the big pink tongue currently soaking his cheek.

"Grace." Cas grinned, managed to pull the dog far enough away from his face to simply look at her and say, "How fitting."

"So you like her?" In answer Cas simply wrapped his arms around the dog's neck and hugged her close, resting his cheek on the top of her head, "She's perfect." Sam took the opportunity to snap a picture with his new camera. After a few more minutes of petting and getting know the dog Cas stood, "I have something for you as well Dean."

"Cas you didn't have to-" Cas interrupted him with a wave of his hand and said, "I didn't buy you anything technically. But, I've been meaning to give this to you for a while now and when I heard we'd be celebrating Christmas I decided to wait."

"Okay." Dean watched as Cas went over to Bobby's desk, opened a drawer and pulled out a white cloth, which was wrapped around something Dean couldn't make out. When Cas came and stood in front of him again he looked nervous, which made Dean nervous. In all the years he'd known the angel he'd never really seen him nervous, expect maybe that time at the brothel.

"I want you to have this." And with that, the cloth was thrust into his hands and Cas was retreating to the couch, instantly busying himself with petting and stroking Grace's head. Dean hesitated then slowly unraveled the cloth, and stared at what was resting in his hands, as did everyone else in the room.

"Cas-"

"Yes, it's what you think it is."

It was a feather, but unlike any feather Dean had ever seen. He instantly knew why but it still blew his mind. It was black, a little longer than a foot long and a couple inches wide, if Dean thought about it in terms of bird wings it would probably have been one of the flight feathers. When he moved his hands into better light it seemed to shimmer, every color Dean could name racing along the surface, but a bright electric blue and soft silver color seemed to dominate. When he touched it, a gentle jolt shot up his fingers and his arm, then down his spine and all the way to his feet.

"Cas, I-"

"You don't need to say anything Dean." He looked up, saw that Cas had used his secret ninja powers to move back in front of Dean, he looked up at Dean, still nervous and a little hopeful. Dean was glad for that, he didn't really have any words, he didn't know what to say to a former angel who had just given him a feather from the wings he no longer possessed.

"Just," Cas hesitated, looked up Dean, his eyes wide and impossibly blue, "Just take care of it for me okay?" Dean smiled; touched the feather again was greeted with a slight tingle instead of a jolt, pressed a soft kiss to Cas' mouth and whispered, "You know I will."