When he became a dad, Dean knew immediately that his daughter was now the most important thing in his life, next to Castiel of course. He was prepared for being overprotective and for loving her unconditionally. What he was not prepared for, however, was the multiple times she would nearly give him a heart attack over the years.
The first time was when Mary was just a few weeks old. Dean was attempting to give her a bath and in the middle of her giggling and splashing she vanished. Right in front of his eyes. One second she was there and the next she was gone. Dean had panicked, frantically looking around the room, calling her name.
"Dean….I think I found her," Cas had said, waking into the bathroom holding a dripping wet Mary.
Dean had been so relieved he'd nearly burst into tears right then and there. He'd gathered the two of them into his arms, holding them close. That was the moment they'd discovered that even though Mary was only part angel, she still had some of their abilities.
The next time he'd nearly had a heart attack was when Mary was seven and had asked why she had two fathers.
"All the kids at school have one mom and one dad," she had said, tilting her head to the side in a way that reminded him so much of Castiel.
"You see honey," he had said, drawing her into his lap after mopping up the soda he'd inadvertently spit out at her question. "Love comes in many forms. And when you love someone, it doesn't matter what gender they are. All that matters is that you love them and that they mean something to you."
"Oh, okay Daddy," was all she had said and then went back to the picture book in her lap.
Dean was okay for a few years…until puberty started. He wasn't sure who was more embarrassed the day he and Cas had to have "the talk" with Mary. She sat there, almost thirteen, watching her fathers attempt to explain sex to her. Both of them were bright red and Mary sat there with big eyes and a grin.
"Well Mary, when two people love each other," Dean started.
"Dean, I am fairly certain you did not love all those women you slept with. We need to teach her properly," Cas had interrupted.
"Shut up Cas. It's not like I really know what I'm doing here," Dean had responded with a frown.
"It's okay guys," Mary had laughed. "I learned about it in school. I get it, don't have sex."
"No…Mary…" Dean had said, taking her hand. "It's okay to have sex. Just, make sure it's on your terms. Don't ever let anyone talk you into something you don't want to do."
"And use protection. Because if you get pregnant well….you know how good your father is at using a shotgun," Cas had said.
Dean liked to think he'd done well as a father. Mary had never gotten into any huge amount of trouble. She'd gotten good grades and enjoyed reading and she'd loved working with Dean on the Impala. Over the years he'd taught her how to fight, and they'd slowly taught her about ghosts and demons and all the things that went bump in the night, being very careful not to traumatize her. Uncle Sam spoiled her rotten and, to be fair, Dean and Cas did their own fair share of spoiling. But somehow she'd turned out okay, a mild-mannered kid with a wicked sense of sarcasm.
The fourth time she'd nearly given Dean a heart attack was the night of her first date. Mary was sixteen. She had come home that day, super excited and couldn't wait to tell her Dads. They'd both been happy for her but at the same time Dean immediately hated the unknown boy. He's positive his heart actually stopped when Mary came down the stairs that night, however, ready for her date. She was wearing extremely high heels, a mini skirt and a shirt that barely covered her midriff.
"No…just….no…" Dean had stuttered and Cas had a similar looking expression on his face but said nothing.
Mary had just burst into laughter, gripping the banister. "Oh my gosh Dad, you should've seen the look on your face. You really think I'd go out in something like this? Please," she had said through her laughter and ran upstairs to change.
"Is it too late to just tie her up and lock her in her room?" Dean had asked, turning to his husband.
"I believe that is frowned upon in most societies Dean," Cas had said with a smile.
Dean had sighed, running a hand through his now-graying hair. "I know. I just…I want her to be my little girl a little longer. I feel like she's growing up so fast," he had said.
At that Cas had gotten off the couch and wrapped Dean in his arms, kissing him softly. "She'll always be our little girl Dean. But we have to give her room to grow, to find herself as a person."
"Why are you always right?" Dean had said with another sigh and then the doorbell rang.
"Oh that's Nick!" Mary had called from upstairs. "Can you get the door? I'm still getting ready!"
"Shall I get the shotgun or do you want the honors?" Cas had said.
Mary had broken his heart a few times as well. He knew it was bound to happen eventually but he was so unprepared for it when it actually happened. One day she had come home from school and just walked by him in the garage without even seeing him. Immediately he knew something was wrong and he followed her into the house. When he asked her what was wrong, he got the silent treatment. She headed upstairs and quickly locked herself in her room. Dean had followed her, asking softly if everything was okay.
"Just go away, Dad!" she had yelled through her door, voice choked with tears.
"Mary, I know you're crying in there. Please, honey, just talk to me," he had said through the door. His baby was hurting and he couldn't do anything about it and it made him feel absolutely horrible. It made him feel lower than low.
Finally she had opened the door and looked up at him teary eyed. "He broke up with me, Dad. Nick broke up with me," she sniffled then launched herself into his arms and sobbed into his shirt.
All he could do was hold her and stroke her hair and tell her how she deserved a guy so much better than him and she would one day find a man who would love her unconditionally and treat her like the angel she was. It was all he could do to keep from grabbing his shotgun from the basement and hunting down Nick.
So the years went by and Dean could say with certainty that the day he and Cas sent her off to college was one of the hardest days of his life. He and Cas had helped her unload and set up her room. They'd met her roommate and gotten her all settled in but Dean couldn't make himself leave.
"You've got your salt and a rosary for holy water right?" he had asked. "And your angel blade?"
"Yes Dad, for the millionth time, I've got everything," she had responded with a laugh.
"Come on Dean…we have a long drive back home," Cas had said, putting a hand on Dean's shoulder. Cas hadn't changed much over the years. His face had taken on some smile lines and his hair was salt and pepper but otherwise he'd stayed exactly the same. The same source of constant love and affection and often the only voice of sanity in their household.
"Don't worry Dad, I'll be fine," Mary had said, tears in her eyes as she pulled her fathers into a hug. "And I can always pop back home real quick if I did forget anything."
"Or..you know…if you ever just miss your dad and I," Dean had said, hugging her tightly.
"Yes, that too." She watched them leave and Dean turned to look back at her before he stepped out the door. She had smiled and waved and said, "Bye Daddy." And he got out of their as quickly as possible, not wanting her to see his tears.
And now Dean was standing here, not even six years later, at the end of the aisle in a large white church. His daughter stood beside him, a vision in white and a grin plastered on her face. Three years ago she had met the man of her dreams and he'd passed all the tests he and Castiel could think of with flying colors. He bounced nervously on his toes, simultaneously wanting it to be overwith and wanting this whole thing to be a horrible dream. Today marked the day he lost his little girl, willingly gave his little angel to another man, trusting him with her safe keeping. He didn't know if he could physically do this. But Mary was so happy and he wanted everything to go perfectly on her big day. He froze when he saw Sam stagger out of a side room, wiping some blood off his hands.
"Excuse me honey," he said softly and hurried over to his brother. "What the hell Sammy?"
"It was just a demon Dean, nothing I couldn't handle," he said. "Though I seriously think I'm getting too old for this."
"A demon!" he hissed. "Here? Today?"
"Dude it's, like, the biggest gathering of Hunters and angels ever. You really didn't expect a demon or two to show up and crash the party?" Sam asked, raising an eyebrow. "Honestly I'm surprised Crowley hasn't shown up."
"Don't say that Sam, please don't say that. You'll jinx it," Dean complained.
"Everything okay over here?" Castiel asked, walking up to the two of them.
"Yeah…yeah…no Cas, everything is not fine. There was a demon here!" he exclaimed in hushed tones.
"Calm down Dean, it's going to be okay. I've already got some angels taking care of it," he said. "Now relax and smile! It's our baby girl's big day!"
Dean sighed and rested his forehead against Castiel's. Neither of them noticed Sam slip quietly away to rejoin his wife and kids in the pew. "What would I do without you?" he asked softly.
"I don't think you would've have made it this far without me Dean," he laughed. He kissed Dean softly then patted him on the shoulder. "Now go wait with her."
"I love you," he whispered before walking back to Mary.
"Everything okay?" she asked, looking up at him with wide eyes.
"Yeah, it's all good," he said with a nod.
"Good. More stress is the last thing you need," she said, patting his arm before linking hers through his.
He chuckled and then had to paste on a smile as the music started and he and Mary started to walk down the aisle. Her fiancée waited at the altar for her, a huge grin and a look of wide-eyed awe plastered on his face as he watched Mary. The two of them didn't take their eyes off each other and Dean thought he was going to die of cuteness overload. On the way down the aisle, they passed everyone they knew, which wasn't a whole lot, but it filled the church nicely. One side of the aisle was Mary's fiancée's family. They were a normal bunch who didn't know about Hunters or demons or any of it. On the other side was the Winchester family, along with all their friends. Kevin gave Dean a wave and Missouri gave him a wink. Even some of Castiel's brothers were there, like Samandriel and Inius.
When they reached the end of the aisle, Mary turned to look at her father. She smiled up at him, so happy, and yet she knew he was hesitant to let her go.
"Well….looks like this is it," Dean said.
"I just want you to know that I love you Daddy. And I'll always be your little girl, no matter what," she whispered, tears glistening in her eyes.
"I love you too, angel. Now go on…he's waiting for you," he said with a smile, tears in his eyes as well.
Mary pulled her father into a hug and he hugged her back, kissing her forehead before she finally turned and stepped up onto the altar, taking her fiancée's hand. This time Dean was okay with letting her go. She may be giving herself to someone else, but she'd always be his baby girl. And he'd always be ready with the shotgun if her husband ever slipped up.
Author's Note: So what do you guys think? Reviews are always welcome! :)