July

It started off as a normal exorcism. They just wanted to get the demon out of the poor girl, with the round face, heart-shaped lips, and almond-shaped eyes that were hazel, changing from green and blue to brown with gold specks in them. Her fire-y hair was a mixture of orange and red, shining bright in the light. The girl looked no more than fifteen. Dean felt bad for her, thinking about how worried her parents must be.

Normally he might have only just saw her eyes flash all black and stab her with the demon knife and move on. But ever since him and Castiel have talked about adopting a child, and Dean daydreaming about raising a child, he couldn't look at this kid and kill her, knowing she might have a father, like he wanted to be one day, looking everywhere for her, not knowing if she was dead or worse.

So, with the help of Castiel, they tied her down, and began the exorcism.

"I hope she isn't dead," Cas said what Dean was thinking, but would never say out loud.

Dean reached down and gripped Castiel's hand in his as they waited for the girl to wake up.

Her face had now softened back into childish innocence than when the demon was inside her, twisting her features into one of evil and malice.

"Wha –" The girl looked around in confusion and Dean saw the exact moment her memories hit her. Ones of when the demon taking over her body until now when they sent the damn thing to Hell. Her eyes misted over as she was surely remembering the lives her hands stole thanks to the bastard demon.

"Are you ok?" Cas deep voice murmured as he was afraid to frighten the girl.

The girl blinked and Dean tensed up, waiting for her to start crying. God, what would he do? Hug her? Dean frowned as he realized he felt like running away and leaving Cas to deal with the girl getting all emotional and…chick like.

There was a long pause as Dean waited for the girl's reaction to having been taken over by a demon. Her whole world was probably falling apart around her, having just found out there were monsters in the world.

Cas pulled his hand from Dean's, narrowing his eyes at him. Dean knew Cas had been waiting for Dean to say something, since Dean was more used to human emotions than Cas.

Even though Cas has been human for three years now, he hasn't been around any other human than Sam, Dean, Kevin and all the rest of the dysfunctional hunters. So there was no way for Cas to know how to deal with a crying teenager, and so it was up to Dean.

Dean wished Sam were here, he was good at chick flick moments, Dean would know considering the amount of times Sam has tried to get him to talk about his feeling. But unfortunately, Sam was either at the bunker or probably working.

The girl was standing up, turned away from Dean and Cas as her shoulders shook.

Dean was about ready to reach out and pat her back, saying something like "There, there. It wasn't your fault", but then the girl whirled around so fast, making Dean take a step back.

She was laughing! The girl threw back her head and laughed and when she was finished, with a huge grin on her face she looked from Dean to Castiel, who both stood frozen, not knowing what the hell was going on or if she was one of those evil humans who enjoyed having a demon in them.

"Wow! That shit was cray!" She exclaimed, throwing up her hands.

Cas cocked his head to the side in confusion. "Cray?" he asked.

"Yeah man! That was so sick! The way you two busted up in here and kicked my – or the demon bitches ass? Wow! Totally crazy! And then when I thought you were going to stab me," she looked over at Dean who was giving her a funny look. "You turn the tables and ended up saving me! I mean, wow, I didn't see that coming. I thought I was a goner for sure." The girl talked with her hands and bounced on the balls of her feet, too excited to stay still. Dean thought maybe the demon had done drugs while in the girl.

"Um, yeahh,. You're welcome I guess." Dean rubbed the back of his neck and looked over at Cas. They communicated silently with their eyes. They were both tired and ready to bring this girl home. She was definitely a crazy person who probably hadn't gotten out much before being taken over by the demon. She probably saw all this as a game.

"High fives man for saving my ass and kicking the demons ass back to hell!" She held up two hands for Dean and Cas.
Cas frowned. "Shouldn't someone your age not be cussing?"

Dean rolled his eyes, knowing Cas had been watching Lifetime movies lately and reading up on parenting books to "prepare" for when they adopted, if they even were able to.

The girl frowned, dropping both hands in disappointment. Dean watched in amusement as the kid's face changed.
"Shouldn't someone your age have learned to mind their own business?"

"Ok, enough of this," Dean, feeling tired and annoyed that anyone would talk to his Cas that way, stepped forward to the girl. "Where's your parents? Where do you live? The sooner we get you home the sooner I can get some shut eyes." Dean looked over his shoulder at Cas and winked, causing Cas to blush.

"I don't have a family," the girl said so softly, Dean almost didn't hear her. He looked down at her, seeing a look of sadness and utter despair.

"Then where were you living before? Where do we take you?" Dean asked as Cas stepped forward.

The girl shrugged. "Here, there."

"You saying you were homeless?" Dean asked.

The girl pursed her lips, looking anywhere, but at them as she nodded. It looked like she was fighting tears.

"Being homeless, it is unpleasant," Cas said, causing Dean to tense up as he remembered the horrible time when he had kicked Cas out of the bunker. Cas placed a hand on Dean's shoulder, as if to remind him that Cas had forgiven Dean a long time ago.

It felt like another life, but it still made Dean feel like complete shit.

"Yeah, it is," the girl sighed. "I guess you could drop me off at a bus station, maybe even spare me some money if you got any?" The girl's face no longer looked doom and gloom, but hopeful.

"Dean, I need to speak to you," Cas said, grabbing Dean's hand and pulling him away from the kid and outside of the building. "We should bring her back home," Cas told him right as they got outside.

"Cas," Dean warned, rubbing his forehead, knowing what was about to come.

"Dean," Cas whined.

"No, she's not some pet we can just take home!"

"But Dean," Cas gave him the puppy dog look that was as bad – or as good, depending how you saw it – as Sam's.

"No Cas! Come on! With the life we lead, no friggin way we'll be able to –" Dean stopped, realizing his mistake.

"If you don't even want to take a child in until we find her a home, then how are we ever going to adopt?" Cas shook his head, his eyes narrowing. "This whole time you've been putting it off, getting us into more cases, it's because you're trying to distract me from wanting kids? Is that it Dean?"

Dean put up his hands, "Whoa, hold on, Cas, that's not –" Dean shook his head, he so did not want to do this now. "You know what? Let's take the kid home."

Cas brightened, clasping his hands together in excitement and looking more human than he ever has. Leaning forward, Cas gave him a quick peck on the lips before turning to go tell the girl the good news.

Dean smiled, loving that he was the reason Cas had a pep in his step. He loved making Cas happy. It was what he lived for, it sounded corny and he'd never say it out loud, but Castiel's happiness brought Dean happiness.

Dean had a bad feeling about this whole thing though as they all loaded into the Impala. They didn't know jack squat about this girl. Her name, where she came from, nothing.

"My name's Helena by the way," the girl said, practically bouncing in the back seat. Dean frowned, briefly wondering if the girl could read minds. "I know your names, the demon recognized you two right away. She practically had a hard on when she saw you two."

"Yes, I'm Castiel, former Angel of the Lord. Now though I am human, since my grace was stolen," Cas said nonchalantly.

"Ha! You're so adorably funny," Helena said, and she reached forward, tapping Castiel's shoulder. When she pulled back she started to tap the back of Dean's seat.

"So Dean, were you also a former 'Angel of the Lord' or what?" Helena mocked.

"Nope," Dean popped the 'p'. "I'm just a plain ol' human."

Cas reached over and placed his hand on Dean's thigh. "I wouldn't say plain," Cas said, giving Dean the look he always did before they went at it like animals. Dean coughed and focused back on the road as he realized that there was still a kid in the car with them and giving Cas a 'fuck me' look while she was watching, wasn't cool.

Geez, and they were trying to be parents? How would they ever manage to raise a child and have sex all the time like they wanted?
"So are you two married or something?" the girl asked.

"No," Dean said.

"Not yet," Cas said at the same time.

Dean looked over at Cas in surprise, wondering if Cas was waiting for Dean to propose to him or something.

"How long have you been together?" Helena asked, swaying side to side. Dean wondered if she had ADHD.

"Three years and a week, but we've been in love way longer than that" Cas said, sounding proud.
Dean grinned, not being able to hold it back.

"Then what are you waiting for?!" Helena shouted out, sounding flustered for some reason.

"Um, the right moment?" Dean shrugged as Cas raised an eyebrow at him.

"Wow, you two are –" Dean and Cas whipped their head around in alarm as they heard a thud.

Helena was laying down in the back seat, having fallen over and passing out.

"I guess she was tired?" Dean questioned as he turned back around, reaching out to turn on his music. "Thank God too, she talks too much. I felt like she was about to ask how long we've been having sex."

"That would have been uncomfortable," Cas frowned.

Dean smiled, reaching over to place his hand on Castiel's knee, sliding it up and down. After a minute he had to pull away with a groan. He wanted to do what he always did after a hunt and whenever they were in the impala. He wanted to tease Cas, as he had been, by rubbing higher and higher before feeling Cas up through his pants, making Cas get hard.

Dean frowned as he gripped the steering wheel. They've been together three years, and having sex longer than that, and yet, here he was feeling like a horny teenager who couldn't control himself.

Cas looked over at a frustrated Dean and smirked, loving the way Dean looked like he was going to explode from not being able to touch him like Dean wanted to.

"Don't worry, we're almost home," Cas leaned over and whispered into Dean's ear, and pulling back, but not before giving Dean's ear a little nibble. Dean growled and sped up. "Careful," Cas scowled. "Helena's not even in her safely belt. What if the car crashes? What if we get pulled over? You're supposed to be dead you know."

"Really Cas? Really?!" Dean shook his head. "You can't just, you just – fine!" Dean slowed down, hating how whipped he was when it came to Cas, but not being able to help it. "If we adopt, you better not act like this all the time. She's fifteen, she doesn't need a safety belt."

"It's not 'if', but when we adopt, don't act like it's not what you want. I saw how you were with Ben you know. And I watched a movie last night where a teenager girl didn't wear a safety belt and got into a car crash. She's dead now Dean."

"It was pretend," Dean said with a sigh, wishing Cas would stop watching those stupid Lifetime movies.

"But it could happen," Cas said stubbornly.

Dean huffed. "Fine, Cas, whatever."

Cas shot Dean a look, that Dean more felt than saw. A tingle ran up his spine and he wanted to pull the car over, and fuck Cas in the back of the Impala. But oh, wait, a homeless teen girl was back there that Cas just had to take with them.

Dean knew he shouldn't have agreed to this, he should have just taken the girl to the cops, dropped her off with them. But then again, she was all alone in the world, where would she go? Dean felt bad for the kid.

"Maybe we should drop Helena off with Kevin and Sam tomorrow, let them take her in. Kevin's moving in with his girlfriend soon and won't be there for long so Sam will get lonely," Dean wouldn't have ever wanted the Hunter life for a kid, or anyone, it was a cruel fate and being a Hunter never ended good for anyone, so he didn't want Helena sticking around with Dean and Cas for too long, before she got any ideas about becoming a Hunter too.

Sam had stopped hunting, instead going to college for two years to be an EMT. Which he now was, he was staying in the bunker until he found a real home. Dean and Cas were living in Bobby's now rebuilt house. Dean planned on giving Sam the house once he finished it. All that needed to be done now was furnishing, decoration, all that other girly shit that Cas was doing for him.

It was only right for Sam to have it and Dean and Cas to move back into the bunker since they were still hunting things and saving people. Cas couldn't let it go because even though he wasn't an angel any longer, he still wanted to help humans. And Dean wasn't himself unless he was hunting.

"Why can't she just stay with us?" Cas pouted.

"What, like as in forever? I thought you wanted a baby."

"She has nowhere else to go Dean. And we can still get a baby. Why can't we have both?"

"Okk, so you want a teenager and a baby to take care of and we're moving into the bunker in like a month or less and we have cases piled up. How exactly would that work Cas? Getting a little ahead of ourselves, are we?"

"We could take turns staying home," Cas insisted.

"No way in hell am I letting you work a case alone Cas, no way!" Dean growled, not liking that thought of Cas going out all alone, and all human to fight demons and all kinds of monsters that want to kill him. Cas was safest with Dean around and Dean would have it no other way.

"I'm human, Dean, not weak. You've been training me for long enough now."

"I said no!" Dean took a deep breath, not wanting to fight with Cas. He hated fighting with Cas, but he'd be damned if he'd let Cas got out on his own. Glancing over, Dean saw Cas looking out the window, his jaw clenched. "I'm sorry babe, I shouldn't have yelled," Dean forced out the apology, not because he wasn't sorry, he was, he hated seeing Cas upset, but he wasn't good at apologizing.

"It's alright Dean, I guess I would worry if you went hunting alone too. I just, I really want a family with you. It's all I seem to be able to dream about these days."

"Me too, Cas, me too. We'll figure it all out."

"I can do it!"

Both men jump as Helena jumps up and sticks her head forward, in between them.

"How long you been up?" Dean asked, steadying his hands as he had begun to swerve.

"It's wrong to eavesdrop," Cas scowled the girl, but she just childishly stuck her tongue out, much to Castiel's amusement. She looked so adorable to him, he even forgot his annoyance.

"So anyways, I could watch this lovechild of yours, I used to babysit and I'm very good with kids. So while you two do your thang, I could babysit."

"You want to stay? With us?" Castiel asked hopeful, looking over at Helena with wide eyes.

"Well, where else would I go?" Helena said in a 'duh' tone.

Dean glanced over to see both Cas and Helena looking over at him.
"What?" He asked, confused.

"Well, can I stay?" Helena asked.

Dean groaned when Cas gave him a puppy dog look and when Helena noticed this, she copied the face, making her eyes go wide and her bottom lip poke out just right. He knew how it would be, between Cas and Helena, he was doomed.

"Only if you let me call you Lena," Dean, ever the one giving everyone nicknames, said.