Another day, another crummy motel in the middle of Nowhere-ville, another dingy diner, another hunt done. Sam was getting tired of this. "Can we do something fun today Dean?" he asks over breakfast. Dean looks up from his bacon and eggs with a surprised look. "What's wrong Samantha, kids giving you hell?" he says, knowing it will earn him a 5-star bitchface look from his brother. It works and Sam huffs at him. "I just thought, since you know, we stopped the Apocalypse and Lucifer is back in his cage, that we could… I don't know, take it easy for a while. I mean, we've been going at it like crazy for the past ten weeks." "Well, you have a point there." Dean admits, "but it's not like we've been ganking hundreds of monsters right?" he asks, raising his shoulders, shrugging. "Dean. We've ganked fourteen things in the past four weeks, Guinness World Records doesn't have a monster killing count, but I'm pretty sure that that is one too many for a month." "He's right, Dean" Cas says. Dean nearly jumped out of his skin. "JESUS H. CHRIST CAS! What did I say about popping up like that?" he very nearly shouts. Sam sits across from them, breathing heavily, trying to calm himself down from the angel's very unannounced entrance.
Cas entwines his hand with Dean and looks at him. "Dean, it would be good to get some rest. You have been pushing yourself to hard." Cas says lovingly, reaching up to brush a bit of down from Dean's shirt. Dean squeezes Cas's hand back and looks back at his angel, forgetting that Sam is watching them with an amused expression. "If you're quite done looking eye-fucking Cas, Dean. We should take a rest for awhile, catch up with Bobby. I haven't seen Rumsfeld in ages Dea, c'mon" says Sam, giving Dean his full on puppy god pout.
Dean finally agrees and as they head out from the restaurant, Sam suddenly stops with a thoughtful look on his face. "Its fourth of July tomorrow Dean!" he exclaims happily. "Oh, yeah. It is Sammy. What did you have in mind?" Dean asks, suddenly excited at the prospect of his favourite holiday of the year. Sam pauses for a moment and finally says "Well, there is a big fireworks display near Bobby's house, we could have a little celebration." "What are fireworks?" Cas asks curiously. Dean looks shocked at the question. "An almighty fluffybutt of an angel doesn't know what fireworks are?" he asks, scandalized. "We have never had a cause for celebration" he replies, matter-of-factly. "Ne-… Never had a cause to celebrate? What about Christmas? Easter?" Dean asks, wide eyed. Cas shrugs, "They are festivals for mortals, Dean. To us, they are like any other day." "Oh" was all Cas got as a reply before Dean starts explaining to him the different types of fireworks and what they do. Even Sam was mildly surprised by the amount of information Dean knew about fireworks.
Three days later, they were settled in at Bobby's, much to Bobby's displeasure, but Sam knew his father figure was only too happy to let the boys stay. He was happier with them around. Rumsfeld had no objections to the intrusion and spent almost every waking minute with Sam, which Sam absolutely loved. Dean and Cas had their own room, Sam and Bobby knew that Dean was happy and they couldn't be happier for him. Dean spent the entire drive talking to Cas who was sitting in the backseat and occasionally laughing or commenting on what Dean said. Sam could see that they were happy and that Dean had nothing but love for Cas.
One morning, when Dean and Cas were lying in bed, holding each other like they were the glue for the world, Cas was thinking to himself. Dean has taught me more about mortality and how fragile it is than anything that I once believed it was. How can humans love so unconditionally, with no restraint, with everything that they have been through? With everything he has been through? Dean woke up to the brooding Cas, brows furrowed, with a concentrated stare at the wall. Dean broke him out of his head by giving him a light kiss on his forehead. "G'morning Einstein, all that thinking doing you any good?" Dean asked jokingly. Cas looked into those glass green eyes and smiled. "Good morning Dean, I was just thinking about mortals." "Did it hurt?" Dean asked, smiling. A confused look flitted over Cas's face, "I was not thinking about mortals harming me, Dean. I was just thinking of how fragile life is." Dean Laughed out loud and said "Cas, when will you ever understand sarcasm?" but mellowed down, turned to face Cas and stroked his cheek with his thumb. "Cas, that's life, it happens in a blur and then it's over. That's just how life works." Cas still felt like it was unfair, but he let it drop anyway. "Shall we get up? Bobby and Sam will be wondering what happened to us." Dean groaned, burying his face into the pillow "What time is it, it's too early in the morningggg." "Dean. It is one in the afternoon" Cas says. "Oh."
Finally, after an hour, Dean has Cas bathed, clothed and their both walking down the stairs, holding hands and Dean is laughing because Cas just asked him why Dean insisted Cas brush his hair. "Because," Dean says between laughs, "You were looking like a homeless man."
After a few hours, Dean has Cas outside in the yard with Sam, Dean working on the Impala. Sam is sitting next to Cas, teaching him how to use various everyday objects. Currently he's showing Cas how to use a mobile phone properly. "I still do not understand why the lady wants to know my name, Sam" Cas says. Sam suppresses a snigger, "Because, Cas, people won't know it's you calling that's why." "But do handphones not have caller identification?" Cas asks, still confused. Sam stops, pondering that. "I-I guess so. Huh, I never thought about that one." Sam shrugs. Cas looks over at Dean working and smiles. Dean is covered in sweat and grease, and he has a intent look on his face, screwing something and breathing heavily. Cas moves close to Sam and whisper's to Sam, "Why does he love the car so much Sam?" "Well, that car is the only thing left of mum and dad. It means family, a reminder of better days and easier ways. It-It has always meant home to us." Sam says, a sad smile passing his face, a single tear trailing down his cheek. Cas looks at Sam and brings up his hand to brush the tear away. Sam looks down and smiles at the frowning angel. "Im sorry, Cas." "Do not feel sorry, Samuel, it is a perfectly normal human reaction to sadness." Cas says. Sam chuckles, "Yeah, cause you're the expert of human emotions right?" "Sometimes I am" Cas says, a smile playing on his face. Sam looks genuinely surprised and shakes his head, "Dean is starting to rub off you. You know that right?"
"Now who is rubbing off who now, huh?" Dean says, walking over to Cas and planting a chaste kiss on his lips. Cas's cheeks clolour a little and he looks down, smiling, "Sam was just telling me how much I was becoming like you, Dean." Dean raises his eyebrows and then chuckles, "Well, at least someone is rubbing off him, huh, Sammy?" Sam's eye's narrow, "Cause you're the best person to emulate right." "Of course I am Sammy. What with my dashing good looks and stunning personality." Dean says, giving his best smile, which almost makes Cas rush over and do Dean there and then. Even Sam has to admit that his brother could make him weak in the knees if he wanted to.
That night, Bobby, Sam, Dean, Cas and Rumsfeld made their way to the park nearby where couples were gathering and families were having fun together. After setting up and settling down onto the blankets, Sam, Dean, Cas and Bobby were chatting when suddenly time stopped. All around, children stopped in mid run, a Frisbee was stuck in mid-air and the leaves on the tree's were caught in a non-existent breeze. The air around them began to warp and shimmer. The hunters jumped up, ready for anything that would happen and Cas got up, fluidly unsheathing his blade. Rumsfeld started growling and his hackles began to raise. Suddenly, Ellen and Gabriel were standing in front of them, smiling at them. "W-What's going on?" Sam gasps. "Well" Ellen began, "Since it's the fourth of July, and God seems to be AWOL, we decided to try to get to this plane." She moved to Bobby, hugging him and placing a kiss on his lips. "I missed you Bobby." "I missed you too, Elle." Bobby, crushes her with a hug, tears in his eyes and a smile on his face. "Sam" Gabriel says. And that's all Sam needs. He sinks to his knees, unable to control his body. Tears streaming down his face as Gabriel catches him and hugs him. "Shhh, im here Sam, im here." Gabriel says, stroking Sam's hair. "I love you, Gabe" Sam says before sinking into a deep kiss with Gabriel.
After half an hour, the three couples are content. Bobby sitting with Ellen in his arms, her head resting against his chest, Sam sitting into Gabriel's embrace and Dean and Cas, holding hands, shoulders brushing. Then, the fireworks start. Cheers from the crowds grow louder and the night sky is lit up with shimmering red's, blue's, green's, yellow's and every other colour out there. "They're beautiful Dean" Cas says, looking up with awe in his eyes. Dean smiles and looks at his lover. "So are you" he says, before turning Cas's head towards him and kissing him. Beside them, Sam kisses Gabriel, Sam looking up and Gabriel looking down. Bobby and Ellen are silent in each other's arms, but Ellen feels it when Bobby squeezes her a little tighter and whispers "I love you" so softly that she would have missed it if she wasn't listening. Cass pulls away and looks at Dean, "I see why you like this holiday so much" Cas says and goes back to watching the sky. Dean smiles and looks up at the shining flowers and then at Sam, who looks at him at the same time. They reach out and grasp each other's hands. "Happy Fourth, Sammy." "Happy Fourth, Dea."
Cas looks past the fireworks to the Moon above. This is the beauty of human emotion. He loves me so deeply, yet loves his brother just as much. This is why he was Chosen. This is why he is loved by God. This is why I love him. My own angel.