Hello everyone,

here I am with another one-shot for Supernatural. There are so many moments in the two newest seasons that give me ideas for such short stories.

This is set somewhere in the first episodes of season 12. Remember the look Mary sent them when she saw Dean and Cas hug in 12x01? My take on what she might have thought about the situation in that moment.

This includes mentioned Destiel (just talking about it since neither Dean nor Cas actually appear in this fic), so warning for shounen-ai and Spoilers for those who haven't seen the beginning of the 12th season yet.

Disclaimer: Nope, Supernatural is not mine.

Sleep is eluding him again. Not that it is very surprising. They are having a low after saving the world from Amara. There are no cases in sight either, so for a hunter they are getting more than enough or rather too much sleep. Coupled with nightmares means that he is walking through the bunker hallways at 1 am in the morning.

Sam yawns, a hand combing through his hair. Dean is sleeping, he can hear his snores when he passes his door. Cas has left the bunker days ago, searching for Lucifer according to him. So Sam is surprised to see light shining from the library. Moving slowly he walks up to the door. And frowns when he sees Mary curled up on one of the chairs, book on her lap.

"M-Mum?" he mumbles.

She startles and her eyes snap open, "Sam," she sighs, "I didn't hear you coming."

He smiles as he settles in a chair next to her, "Comes with the job."

It earns him a slightly sad smile, "So what are you doing up?"

"I couldn't sleep. Dean and I are used to five hours max per day. So now we probably get too much sleep each day," he shrugs.

"You mean, you're having nightmares?" she fixes her gaze on him, one hand covers his.

Sam averts his eyes, "Yeah, well, that too. But it's not like I'm not used to it."

"I'm so sorry about that," her face is sad, "With all you two have been through."

"You really have nothing to be sorry for. You didn't have anything to do with it. I'm just glad I finally got to meet you."

"Me too, even though there is so much I missed. Something a normal mother should know," she shakes her head sadly.

A chuckle escapes Sam at that, "Well, you are not a normal mother. Nothing about our family is normal. But after all who needs normal. I would take whatever crazy family Dean and I have over normal every day. Even though at some point I surely thought otherwise."

Luckily that brings a smile back to Mary's face too, "Crazy family, alright."

A short but comfortable silence settles in. Then the woman clears her throat.

"So, since we are already talking about your new family. Since when has that angel been with you?"

"Cas?" Sam frowns.

"Yes, I mean not that it's bad or anything," Mary hurriedly assures him, "It's just surprising. I mean, for as long as I can remember angels didn't exist."

"No, it's fine," the brunette waves off, "Believe me, we were as shocked as you the first time we met him. Dean didn't believe in angels to begin with and suddenly there walks a guy in who claims to be one."

"Pretty sure it took some convincing."

"Yeah, well, according to Dean, Cas walked in, more or less creating a storm around him. That made it pretty believable I guess," he shrugs, "But yeah, Cas has been with us since then. This makes… yeah, about ten years now," that causes a wistful smile to appear on the brunette's face at how long the angel has accompanied them by now.

"That's a long time," Mary nods.

"Yes, it is," Sam shakes his head, "Wow, I never realised. We should thank Cas more often. It's not like he has to help us."

"So why is he here then?" the woman frowns.

Sam only smiles. He doesn't want to give her the answer that immediately sprung to his mind, that Cas has nowhere else to go, so he stays silent. His mother looks at him and nods. Then she suddenly asks a question that throws the man completely out of his tracks.

"So how long have Dean and he been together?"

After a second of shocked staring, the brunette bursts out laughing. Mary startles, looking at her son in confusion. What did she say that's so funny?

"Are you okay?" she asks tentatively.

Sam only waves his hand to reassure her. It takes a whole minute for the hunter's laughing attack to finally abate. He is still grinning though when he sits straight again.

"Ah, I haven't laughed that good in long time," he smiles, then meets his mother's confused gaze, "I'm sorry. It's just…"

Another chuckle breaks his words, while Mary just stares. Then he clears his throat.

"No, it's just," he takes a deep breath, "Dean and Cas aren't a couple."

A frown settles into his mother's face, "What? Really?"

"Yes, really," he chuckles, "It's funny, that even though you only saw them interacting for a very short time, you think so too already."

"So I'm not the first?"

"Oh by far not. Others pointed it out and I see it more times than not."

"But I thought… By the way they behaved," she frowns, "When they saw each other there in the bunker before we knew you were gone. The way they embraced and all the looks they keep exchanging…"

"It's unnerving I know. Try living with that 24/7," he chuckles.

"For how long has that been going on?"

"Honestly, I don't know," Sam grimaces amusedly, "I seriously can't remember a starting point. It's nearly like it's always been there. From the moment they first met."

"So… they have been staring at each other for ten years?" she asks incredulously. After a nod from her son, she snorts, "It's been ten years of unresolved pining? Are you kidding me?"

"More in the direction of nine years of serious pining, but yeah," the brunette snorts.

"And no one ever acted on it? How thick are they?"

It causes Sam to laugh out loud again, "No, none of them. Cas probably doesn't understand human emotions well enough. Dean on the other hand is too busy with pushing everyone away and insisting that he's straight, that he is blocking every non-platonic feeling he has for our dear angel off. That stubborn idiot would rather push Cas away than admit that he might just be in love with an angel, especially one in a male vessel."

"Dean does know that none of us would think any less of him just because he is together with a male, right?" she asks warily.

"I hope so, but," the male bites his lip, "Well, father was a very strict man and he could be pretty old-fashioned sometimes. He would rant about anything and everything when he was drunk, including homosexuals. Uh, not to speak badly of him, but…"

His mother only nods, "It's fine. I understand."

"Okay, well, Dean always did everything like dad wanted him to. So yeah, could be that there is some of that left in his mind," he shrugs helplessly, "Only adds to his imaginary pile of why he won't admit anything."

Mary takes a few moments to process that, then he tilts her head in a gesture slightly reminiscent of Cas, "But from what I could see from their interaction, they are very comfortable with each other. They do each other good. Dean seems tense now that Castiel is gone or is that just my imagination?"

"No, it's true. You should have seen him when Cas was possessed by Lucifer last year. He couldn't seem to sit still for longer than a minute and was drinking even more than usual," a smile steals it's way onto his face, "But having the other at their side immediately puts them more at ease. They are much stronger together."

The woman nods, then a slightly mischievous spark comes alive in her eyes, "Maybe we can do something. To get them together."

"Seriously?" Sam chuckles, "I have been thinking about it. I just never got around to doing it."

"You tried locking them in a room?" she suggests, only half serious.

"Cas would just simply blast the door apart," the brunette waves it off, "But just out of curiosity, why would a mother try to trick her son into confessing his feelings for his best friend?"

"Because I want to see my son happy of course," she smiles, "From what I can see, no matter how unconventional it is, Castiel makes him happy. So if my son is too stubborn and thick-headed to manage it on his own, he needs a push in the right direction. And I will be happy to give it to him. Or a kick in the ass if that's what he needs."

Sam smiles at her, a warmth he has never felt before spreading through him. So that's what it's like to have a parent who actually puts their children first. He is basking in that feeling until another sudden question of Mary rips him out of his peace.

"So anyone like that in your life? I don't think you have another angel hidden somewhere, do you?"

That's it. Thanks for reading.

So just a short family fluff. Hope you liked it nonetheless.

Argh, I can't wait until episode 12x09 airs (not that I can watch it live since I live in Germany ;).

Please review and see you some other time.