Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
Brenda Lee's Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree greeted Dean Winchester's ears as he entered the bunker, shopping bags in hand. He'd gone on a hunter's helper run, using it as an excuse to get out of the bunker alone. He also stopped by the local jeweler. He had the jeweler make a consecrated pure silver anti-possession charm into a pendant. His partner in crime, the definitive love of his life, Christine Elliott, sported an anti possession tattoo on her collarbone, along with a few other works of art inked into her skin. But he wanted to do something special, so he had the jeweler use the charm her father gave her when she'd turned eight.
"You fudgin' touch me again and I'll fudgin' kill ya!" Christine Elliott mimicked Dean's response to the pagan god that held them captive at Christmastime a few years ago. Sam joined her in a hearty laugh at the memory. It was a bittersweet remembrance, it was the last Christmas before her and Dean were literally dragged to Hell. Granted it was the first Christmas that had officially celebrated as a trio, but it was still had a hint of darkness, just like the rest of their lives. The pair just finished putting up some Christmas lights around the banister of the Bunker staircase entrance.
"That was the first Christmas we actually celebrated," Dean spoke up, propping his hip against the railing, "all three of us together." He came down the newly lit stairway to find Sam holding the ladder steady while Christine perched precariously atop it. The three of them trudged through the snowy woods around the bunker and found the perfect evergreen to serve as their Christmas tree that year. Sam passed the angel Christine inherited from her mother when she passed away last summer.
"What a grand celebration it was, spiked eggnog and all." Christine agreed, surveying her work. "How's that?" She asked, swiveling a little to face Dean standing at the bottom of the ladder. The look of pure joy on her face struck him first. Just last week he sat in a pool of blood surrounded by the bodies of some lowlife goon gang who pushed the mark too far. Claire Novak called him a monster, rightfully so. Christine didn't even bat an eyelash, she just took it all in stride, helping hold together the pieces of his shattered life. "Beautiful." He breathed. Sam cleared his throat and ducked his head a little. Christine blushed and climbed down the ladder. Dean suddenly realized how much he'd got caught up in the moment, "Oh, you mean the angel," He chuckled, "Yeah, looks good, Chris." He smirked, continuing on to the kitchen to put away his haul.
Christine shook her head. She could tell Dean was still struggling to push back the darkness that had almost consumed him last week. She was surprised that he complemented her so openly. Maybe the holidays were making him sentimental, not that she was really going to complain. Sam handed Christine a box of ornaments and followed his brother into the kitchen.
"Can I see it?" Sam asked once they were done putting away the groceries. He got out the ingredients to mix up his infamous eggnog.
"Yeah," Dean smirked, "it's practically burning a hole in my pocket." He pulled the small velvet box from his front jeans pocket.
Sam set the carton of eggs on the counter, took the box and slowly opened it, keeping his back to the entryway. The amulet was small, but it gleamed brightly in the plush box. The star was plain silver, but the protective circle was embedded with tiny quartz crystals. The flames surrounding the pentagram were plain just like the star. "Wow." Sam murmured. "It's gorgeous." He looked up to find Dean sporting a very self satisfied smirk.
"Of course it is," Dean scoffed, "flip it over." He turned away and put the last bottle of the beer in the fridge.
Sam gave him a questioning look, but flipped the pendant over. Around the circle, etched into metal with teeny tiny letters was, 'Christine Elliott Winchester'. "Dean," Sam said urgently, "Is this," He started to say, but choked, "Is this your way of proposing?"
Dean looked at him sharply. "What?" He scoffed, taking the pendant back. "No, I asked-" He flipped it over. "Oh shit." Dean swore, "It was supposed to say, "To Christine Elliott love Dean Winchester.'" He pursed his lips. "What am I going to do now?" He looked a little helpless.
Sam covered his mouth to keep from laughing. "Uh, well maybe she won't notice." Sam offered with a signature shrug. If looks could kill, Dean's would have sent him straight to Hell, "Or... or you could take it back and have the guy fix it…"
Dean sighed, "Sam, it's Christmas Eve. There's no way I can fix this in time-"
"In time for what?" Christine asked as she walked into the kitchen. Both men were hovering on the other side of the kitchen island, facing away from the door. They were definitely up to something. She reached into a cupboard and pulled out a glass. Dean shoved the box back into his pocket before turning to face her.
"Dean's saying I won't have time to get any Christmas gifts for you guys if I don't leave now." Sam offered, "What he's forgotten, is I did all my shopping online." He winked at Christine and turned to Dean, "I picked them up at the post office this morning, Dean." He went back to preparing the holiday cocktail.
"Oh yeah," Dean exclaimed, "totally forgot." He started walking towards the entryway, "Don't know about ya'll, but I've got a little wrapping to do."
Christine blinked at his abruptness. Then she cleared her throat, "Careful there, Winchester." Dean stopped and looked back at her, "People might think you're," she paused for dramatic effect, "up to something…" With that she took her now full glass of water and returned to the great room to finish decorating the tree.
Dean gave Sam a shrug and stole down the hallway to the bedroom he shared with Christine. Once he reached the room, he closed the door behind him and leaned against it. Heaving a sigh, he went over the bed and before sitting down on it, yanked the small box out of his pocket. He pried the lid open and stared at the gleaming amulet. What was he going to do? He could just give her the fuzzy socks and bubble bath he'd gotten her and leave the necklace for another time. Or he could still give it to her and hope she didn't notice. He flipped the pendant over. Christine Elliott Winchester It really did have a nice ring to it. "Who am I kidding?" Dean scoffed aloud. It's not like she's going to say yes. Then he remembered the time they returned from the alternate reality where their lives were characters on a television show.
Early Spring 2011
"Married?" Bobby scoffed. "You married Sam?" He exclaimed.
"No! Bobby, Dean!" Christine corrected, "I married Dean!" She shouted, earning a groan from the eldest Winchester who settled on the sofa. "Aww C'mon, Dean. It wasn't that bad."
"Yeah, at least the two of you are already together." Sam sighed, he leaned against the desk,"I married 'fake' Ruby."
"Fake Ruby?" Bobby asked, handing Sam a beer, standing between the brothers.
"She's actually pretty nice." Christine ventured, settling on the floor between Dean's legs. He moved them a little further apart so her back could rest against the front of the sofa.
Sam nodded, "The actor who plays Sam Winchester, Jared Padalecki, married Genevieve Cortese, the actress who played Ruby on the TV show."
"Ah." Bobby nodded. All four hunters took a swig of beer. "Sounds like ya'll had a pretty good life there." He sighed, "What made you come back?"
Sam scoffed, "We weren't family there. Yeah, we were friends, but here, we're all family."
"Family don't end with blood, boy." Bobby reminded him.
Sam smiled, "Yeah, I know, but-"
"Our lives just didn't mean the same thing there." Christine cut in. Both brother's nodded. "There wasn't any impending Apocalypse to stop, or demons to send back to hell or spirits to lay to rest…"
"Alright," Bobby sighed putting up his hand, "I'm just glad to have you back." He looked at the trio. They all looked a little rough around the edges. "I've got a couple of books to grab at the library. Anybody up to taggin' along?" He fidgeted with his ball cap.
"Sure," Sam said brightly. He looked a little more at peace with being back than the other just returned hunters. He put on his coat.
"See ya idjits later," Bobby winked at Christine and they left the house.
Christine waited for Dean to speak. She would always give him space, she didn't ever want to press the issue, usually once he had his thoughts together he would talk. Sometimes he needed a little help getting going.
"Would you say yes?" The question took Christine completely off guard. She'd expected to have to break first. They'd assumed their roles pretty seamlessly while they were gone, trying to make the situation as bearable as possible.
She turned a little so she could stare up into his eyes, her hand resting on his knee. Dean stared at her like she was going to suddenly assume actress mode again, like she was going to morph into something or someone he couldn't hold onto. She searched his eyes for a moment then drawled softly, "Absolutely."
Dean took a quick breath and held it. He looked speechless for the first time in his life. He let the breath he'd been holding go and broke eye contact with Christine. He hadn't expected her to just freakin' go for it, no hesitation, no minced words, just 'Absolutely.' Holy Shit. "Absolutely?" He repeated, his voice a tad higher than normal.
Christine rose to straddle his lap, letting his hands settle at her waist. "Absolutely." She said again without hesitation. Then she sighed, "Of course, you'd have to ask my Dad first, and since he's not here, then well…" She winked cheekily, "looks like you're off the hook, for now, Winchester." She sighed again, "Plus I'm not a diamond ring kinda girl."
They didn't speak of what transpired that afternoon since. Bobby and Sam returned to the house to find the pair working on the Impala in the garage, like they'd never left. She never pressed the issue. She never held it over his head that in an alternate reality they were husband and wife. That was three years ago and he was scared shitless to ask her again. There was no way she was going to say yes now, too much had happened between them. They'd gone to purgatory, then he'd become a demon. Now with the Mark of Cain still branded on his arm, he didn't have the right to lay claim to her, not in this way.
Christine set the final empty box back in the biggest one, stacking them all neatly to be taken back to storage. "I'll get that," Sam announced, picking up the boxes and striding out of the room.
"Thanks, Sammy." Christine murmured, stepping back to survey her work. She adjusted a few ornaments and glanced at the clock. Dean had been gone for the better part of an hour. What was taking Dean so long? She took a sip of eggnog and decided Dean had been brooding long enough, it was time for him to join the festivities. "I'm gonna see how much longer Dean needs to wrap presents." She called down the hallway towards the garage.
"Okay!" Sam called back, it sounded like he was climbing the ladder to the storage loft, boxes in hand.
Christine smiled to herself, at Sammy's enthusiasm. She poured a second glass of eggnog on her way to her and Dean's bedroom. "Open up, Winchester." She called, rapping a knuckle on the wood. No response. "Dean?" She tried in a more normal voice, turning the knob and pushing the door open.
Dean lost himself a little in the memory of their time as man and wife in that alternate reality. What he thought was just a few minutes, had been almost an hour. He looked up at the sound of the door, barely registering that he held Christine's necklace in his hands.
Christine set the glasses of eggnog on the nightstand and knelt on the floor in front of Dean. "Dean, you with me, baby?" She murmured, her hands coming up to cup his face. Her fingers were cool against his flushed face, he jumped a little at the contact.
"Hey," He drawled gruffly, clearing his throat. He looked down at his hands, drawing her gaze with him.
Christine's right hand slid down his cheek to grab his chin, bringing his eyes back to hers. "Hey, yourself." She chuckled. "You alright?"
Dean was stunned yet again. Obviously this little black box was for her. He sure as hell wasn't getting Sam anything that came in a box like that. "Uh, yeah." He nodded, "Guess I just lost track of time."
"I'll say," Christine quipped, she reached over to the nightstand. She handed him a glass of eggnog. "Sammy's specialty." She winked, taking a sip from her own glass. Then she went over to the dresser and pulled open the top drawer. "I'm almost done with decorating," She rummaged around pulling out various brightly wrapped packages, setting them on the bed. "I was hoping you'd helping me hang a few sprays of mistletoe, maybe we could Christen them-" She turned to find him standing behind her.
Dean Winchester was not a chicken. Contrary to popular belief, he wasn't all about the one night stands in every town they had a case. While his good looks were definitely an advantage in this line of work, he did enjoy being in a committed relationship. That was why he'd kept Christine by his side, why he'd done the work of repairing their relationship every time this life tore it apart. She had always given him space, and she didn't nag him, which was a huge plus. He got up while she was busy at the dresser and cleared his throat. She'd turned at the sound, and stopped her explanation of Christening mistletoe in the bunker. "I've got something I need to ask you." He drawled, his voice a little hoarser than he'd care to admit. He extended his hand to her.
Christine took his hand and let him lead her to sit on the edge of the bed, right where he'd been when she walked in. Then he did something that pulled the air from her lungs. He got down on one knee, cradling a little black box with a red bow on top between his hands.
Dean swallowed, hard. He stared into Christine's eyes and squared his shoulders. "Thank you." He began, "Thank you for being an amazing partner to me, to Sam," He sighed, "I don't know how I would have made it to this point without you by my side."
Christine's mind raced. 'Is Dean Winchester, PROPOSING! OMG! OMG! This can't be happening! Okay, calm down, breathe. You're a 34 year old Demon Hunter Badass. Get ahold of yourself, girl. He's probably lost his marbles, let's just see how this plays out...' She tried not to panic and focused on what Dean was saying.
"I know you said you weren't a diamond ring kind of girl." He took a deep breath and peeled open the lid on the box, revealing the gleaming pendant.
Christine stared at the now open box, then back at Dean's face. "You remembered," She giggled. She remembered how panicked he'd been when they returned from 'Bizarro Earth.' He was so afraid she'd want the life they'd experienced as man and wife. While she liked the security that marriage provided, she didn't want the added pressures of societal norms that came with it.
Dean nodded, "You've earned the title, 'Winchester' more times than I can count." He chuckled, "I'd like to make it official." His eyes glistened a little as he held the box out to her.
Christine's rather endearing habit of eating her knuckles kicked in. She sank to her knees in front of him, taking the box. She recognized the charm used in the pendant immediately. "This was my great grandfather's." She said, looking up to find Dean sitting next to her, his back against the bed, hands resting on his knees. She brought to pendant closer to her face, "The quartz is a beautiful setting," She breathed, then she flipped it over. "Christine Elliott Winchester," She read aloud, then locked eyes with Dean, choking back a sob.
Dean's heart felt like it was going to leap from his chest. His breathing had become ragged, his mouth ran dry. He waited as she read the inscription on the back. "Is it okay?"
"Absolutely," She breathed, then broke into a wide smile. "Dean!" She exclaimed with a giggle. "Is it okay? Ha!" She laughed, "Oh, it's absolutely okay, Winchester." She took a deep breath to calm herself. "Now, I don't expect a big well to do, we could just keep this between us."
Dean blinked. "What?" He asked, shocked that she'd even be okay with that.
"Yeah, I know you're not big on the whole marriage thing, and that's fine." She shrugged, taking the pendant out of the box. "Here, help me put it on." She swept her hair back from her neck and turned away from him.
Dean moved to oblige her, but stopped. "Wait," He drawled, "What if I want the pomp and circumstance?"
Christine whirled around to face him. "What?"
Dean sighed, "What if I want the world to know what you mean to me?" He watched disbelief and disappointment flash across her face.
"You can't be serious." Christine quipped, "Dean," She sighed, "Of course I want to make it official, but I don't want the big-"
"White Wedding," Dean finished for her, "I know." He assured her, pulling her into his lap. "Tell you what, you wear that necklace for awhile, then come springtime, we'll find a quiet spot and make it official."
"You're really serious about this." Christine eyed him suspiciously. He nodded, sliding off the bed, getting back down on one knee.
"Christine Elliott," He drawled, "Would you do me the incredible honor of becoming my wife?" Those were words he'd never thought he'd say, yet here, with this woman, they never felt more right.
"Absolutely." She answered, launching herself into his arms. Dean caught her up and held her tight. It was the same response she'd had all those years ago. Then he tilted his head back to claim her lips in a soul searing kiss. Christine pulled back to stare into his eyes, her eyes bright with tears. "To hell and back, " She murmured, a smile playing at her lips.
"Whatever the cost." He answered with smile, he pressed his lips to her ear, "I love you." He whispered, not wanting to break the intimacy of the moment.
"I love you." She replied, pulling back a little. She sighed, "I think dinner is probably almost ready."
"Yeah, Sam's quite the master chef," He chuckled. They had been planning to cook a big meal Christmas eve and eat leftovers for the next few days. "Let me help you carry your presents, Mrs. Claus." He quipped with a wink. He'd been teasing her for a week about how many presents she was squirreling away in their dresser.
"That's future Mrs. Winchester," She corrected, piling up the presents in his outstretched arms.
He scoffed and followed her down the hallway to the great room. The Christmas tree glowed softly, the lit angel smiling down at them. She piled the packages into little groupings under the tree. "One pile for you, the other for Sam." She explained. There was a third pile Sam had wrapped, presumably for her.
"Who wants to carve the beast?" Sam asked, emerging from the kitchen. Dean insisted upon having prime rib, even though it was just the three of them, hence the leftovers.
"Sam," Christine started to say, looking at Dean, "Uh, well…" She trailed off. It was now or never.
"She said yes, Sammy." Dean drawled, putting his arm around Christine.
"Alright!" Sam exclaimed, "Congratulations!" He stepped forward and wrapped them both up in a big hug. He released them. "I'm so happy for you guys."
"Thanks, Sammy." Dean said, scrubbing the back of his neck. "I'll take a crack at carving up the beast."
"Great," Sam answered, turning to go back into the kitchen. "Can you set the table, sis?" He asked, trying out the new title.
"Sure thing, bro." She answered with a smile. They'd always been a little family, even without the titles.
The trio went to work and soon all the food except the main course was on the table. "Hurry up Dean, you don't want to miss this!" Sam called. Christine settled at the baby grand piano and began playing, 'Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas.'
Have yourself a merry little Christmas,
Let your heart be light
From now on,
our troubles will be out of sight
Have yourself a merry little Christmas,
Make the Yule-tide gay,
From now on,
our troubles will be miles away.
As she began the refrain Dean appeared, carrying the platter. He set it down on the table, and joined Sam by the edge of the piano.
Here we are as in olden days,
Happy golden days of yore.
Faithful friends who are dear to us
Gather near to us once more.
Through the years
We all will be together,
If the Fates allow
Hang a shining star upon the highest bough.
And have yourself A merry little Christmas now.
She ended the song with a flourish and joined the brothers at the table. Dean stood up and pulled out her seat, "Mrs. Winchester." He teased. Sam looked like his face was going to split in two, he was smiling so big.
Dinner was delicious and lasted for almost an hour. They ate and talked, talked and ate until they could stomach no more. After dinner, Christine insisted they open presents. While Sam rinsed a few dishes in the sink, Dean pulled Christine aside under a spray of mistletoe he'd hung while she wasn't looking.
"Mistletoe?" Christine asked, "What if I get caught under it with Sam?" She teased, her eyes dancing with mirth.
Dean growled at little, "Not gonna happen." Then He pulled her close and kissed her silly. Before He released her so they could open presents, he pressed his lips to her ear and whispered, "Merry Christmas, baby."
From the author's desk…
Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas - this song is near and dear to my heart. I sing it every Christmas. I've never written something holiday themed, so this Christmas, I thought, why not?
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
I hope you are enjoying the holidays with family and friends. It's not about the quantity, it's definitely about the quality. If you are unable to celebrate with anyone, please know you are loved and valued by the SPN family. We love you and think you are amazing!
xoxo
Lumora The White