It was a hot, muggy day in mid-August. Despite being close to ninety degrees and a high level of humidity, Dean Winchester still had his favorite leather jacket on. He doesn't remember when he first got it, just that he hadn't parted with it for years.
Dean let his eyes roam across the empty park as he settled back against the uncomfortable wooden bench. His cellphone vibrated gently against his thigh and he gave it only a passing thought. A light breeze caressed his face and he shifted again, trying to get into a more comfortable position. His phone vibrated again and he slid it out from his pants pocket, feeling slightly guilty when he realized there were multiple missed calls from his little brother Sammy.
"Hello?" Dean asked gruffly into the receiver, pushing himself to his feet as he abandoned trying to get comfortable.
"Dean? Christ, Dean. I've been trying to get ahold of you all damn day!" Sam almost shouted in reply, his irritation obvious.
"Geez, Sammy. I'm on vacation and I just decided not to answer my phone. Now what'd ya need?" Dean asked patiently, used to Sammy's random outbursts. Dean could hear Jess and their baby girl, Mary, making incoherent noise in the background.
Thinking about his little niece brought a rare smile to his face so Dean was content with being nagged by Sam. He blinked a few times to shake him out of his thought-drift, feeling guilty again when he heard Sam mid-lecture.
"—and you've been gone for weeks. How is this just a little vacation? Just come back, we aren't even friends with Anna anymore. I even think she left town."
Dean's smile turned into a frown again. He didn't like thinking of Anna any more than he liked thinking about getting his teeth drilled. Memories of the beautiful red headed woman clouded his thoughts for the first time in a month. Dean could feel himself slipping slowly back into the murky pool of depression and he tried to shake the negative thoughts away.
"Dean?" Sam asked softly, his voice taking on a worried. Dean came to a halt in the middle of a sidewalk next to an empty street and sighed deeply.
"I'm heading home tomorrow, Sammy. You're right, it's been too long. I'm sure little Mary misses Uncle Dean, anyway." Dean murmurs gently, running his fingers through his hair absently.
They continued to talk about arrangements for Dean to visit with his brother and sister-in-law, and he closed his phone with an inaudible click.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Uncle Deanie!" Dean's adorable little niece, Mary, cried out loudly as he entered their home on a late Tuesday afternoon. He had been home for a week and she still greeted him as if they hadn't seen each other in years.
He scooped her up in his arms and pressed a kiss to her forehead, stroking her long, dirty-blonde hair absently. He kicked the door shut with the heel of his boot and carried Mary into the living room.
"Mary Winchester, you shouldn't leave your toys everywhere!" Jess scolded in a motherly tone. She continued to pick up the toys that were strewn about, not bothering to fully punish her five year old child. Mary giggled gleefully and continued to cling to her beloved uncle.
Sam came into the room from up the stairs and smiled at his older brother. Mary wiggled out of Dean's grip and skipped towards her father, clinging to his leg as he wobbled towards Dean. He wrapped his arms tightly around Dean and held him for a moment before letting go, patting his back with a grin.
"We just saw each other Sunday, Sammy." Dean grumbled, a small smile working its way onto his lips. Sam laughed and nodded, picking Mary onto his hip as he led Dean into the kitchen. The smell of cooking meat filled his nose and he glanced around, spotting an open window with a view of a large grill.
Sam cast a knowing glance back at Dean and grinned, setting Mary down on a chair next to the table. "Bacon cheeseburgers just for you. And Jess made pie earlier today." Dean continued to smile as Sam told him about his day. Jess was a total sweetheart for making pie every day he came, knowing that it would cheer Dean up considerably. Sam got the both of them a bottle of beer and sat down in the chair opposite of the counter Dean was leaning on.
Dean used the counter to pop open the top and he took a long swig of the drink. He and shared stayed in a comfortable silence for a minute before Sam had to go flip the burgers. Dean set his drink down beside him and rested back onto his palms. He closed his eyes and let his shoulders relax.
"Dean!" Jess called out loudly from the living room. "Mind coming here for a minute?" Dean pushed himself away from the counter and lumbered slowly to where her voice came from. Little Mary clinging to a pair of jean-clad legs was the first thing Dean saw. He let his eyes travel up the lean body and rest on a pair of the most dazzling blues eyes he's ever seen.
Dean's breath caught slightly in his throat and he felt his face flush. "Y-You need something, Jess?" Dean asked shakily, cursing to himself for stuttering over a simple sentence. The stranger cracked a slight smile and kept his eyes glued to Mary.
"Dean, this a good friend of ours," Jess started, nodding her head back at the man. The stranger lifted his blue eyes to meet Dean's again. "Dean, this is Castiel Novak."