AUTHOR'S NOTE: This fic is a CONTINUATION of my previous mpreg fics - Mating Season and A Chance to Live Again. Basically, it picks up where they have left off. Warnings are in place once more for mpreg; don't like, don't read, play nicely. Also has a civil partnership at the end.
The rain leaked through the close knit branches laced above their heads as Dean and Castiel made their way through the trees, flitting from trunk to trunk, feet placed carefully upon the ground so as not to attract too much attention. Dean glanced back over his shoulder to make sure he was still there, smiled at the seemingly tirelessly attentive angel following him, who was giving the chase through the trees as much focus as he did anything else.
Castiel turned his depthless blue gaze onto Dean, but didn't smile, just stared intently at the hunter without blinking, making a blush rush unbidden up Dean's neck and into his cheeks. Dean hadn't meant to blush, but it was the intense scrutiny with which the angel always seemed to behold him with that made the blood rush through his body, claimed him with an intense heat and burn. He'd never experienced that with anyone else, and never wanted to again. Castiel was the only one that mattered to Dean these days.
Castiel reached forward suddenly, stopped Dean from tripping over a twisted tree branch blasted by lightning laying upon the ground, saving Dean from an awkward fall. Dean instinctively reached for the angel, clinging to him to steady himself, fingers lingering too long on tan coated arms, gazes locked with his lover.
"Thanks, Cas," Dean whispered, breaking the silence between them uncomfortably.
"You're welcome," Castiel replied, with the barest hint of his fleeting, ethereal smile. "I didn't want you to fall."
"No, I know what happened to Sam," Dean replied, ruefully, thinking over the fate that had befallen his brother not two days ago.
Sam had tripped over while walking through similar woods, falling awkwardly and heavily on his right leg, fracturing his ankle. He'd opted to stay behind with Bobby and Elisha, to look after Caelum, now five, to guard Bobby's house in case of attack there, while Dean went with Castiel on their latest hunt. Sam's argument had been that he'd slow them down, that he wouldn't be any good in a fight against the were-leopard they were currently hunting.
Castiel didn't reply, just looked behind Dean, dark blue eyes scanning the trees behind his lover, searching for sign of the monster who'd been responsible for so many killings over the past few nights. It had been the second spate of killings over the past month, coinciding with the blue moon sailing high in the skies overhead and the hunter and his angel were determined to stop it, before any more murders occurred. Dean followed his gaze, jaw as tight as Castiel's, but neither saw anything, nor did they hear anything either.
"You think there's more of them out there?" Dean asked the angel quietly. "More than one?"
Castiel didn't have a ready answer for him; instead he shrugged, mouth turning down at the corners, large blue eyes narrowed slightly as he scanned the trees surrounding them.
"I don't know, but I think we'll find out, soon enough," he said. "I don't like this, Dean. I think it's too quiet."
Dean cast his gaze around the trees surrounding them, large green eyes narrowed as Castiel's had been, ears intent on catching the slightest of sounds, coming up with none. He turned, sharply, a faint breeze of someone's passing fanning out across the back of his neck and making him shiver, yet no one was behind him, not even Castiel.
"Cas?" Dean asked, voice hoarse, throat dry, as a sudden stab of fear shot through him at the sudden realization he was alone, and that Castiel had gone. "Cas? CAS! Where are you?"
There was no response from Castiel, yet Dean turned, aware of a low rumbling growl somewhere behind him, ricocheting from the trees in disconcerting echoes. The hunter was unable to pinpoint the exact location of the noises, and he turned disorientated, breath wheezing in his throat as he struggled to find the were-leopard, assuming that that was the manner of the beast that had taken his lover.
He closed his eyes, breathed slowly, deeply though his mouth, calming himself, centering his focus until he could concentrate properly once more. His eyes drifted open, heard a small whimper that sounded like Castiel emanating from nearby. Slowly, Dean shifted his feet, his focus, his gaze, trying to find Castiel, to save him from death or perhaps being changed into a strange were-leopard-angel thing, assuming that were-leopards could make more of their own in much the same way a werewolf could.
"C'mon, baby, keep making noise," Dean murmured, more to Castiel than to the were-leopard.
A louder whimper broke the air, then Castiel's voice, distinctive in its gruffness as he said - "Dean, please. Help."
Dean's heart tightened at that, thought that he'd never heard Castiel show even the faintest flicker of fear before, yet he could detect it now.
"I'm coming, Cas. Keep still," Dean demanded, surging forward, shotgun raised and ready to shoot.
Loaded into the shotgun were pure silver rounds, dipped in Holy Water blessed by Bobby a mere few short hours ago, and Dean only hoped that he could get a clear shot; both so that he could kill the feline son of a bitch and save his lover's existence. He broke free from the surrounding trees, almost plunging to his face onto the floor of a clearing, straight onto the back of the were-leopard.
The hunter used the forward charge to club the leopard around the head, temporarily stunning it and Dean pushed it away from Castiel's body. He barely looked at his lover still laying on the floor, concentrating instead on emptying several rounds into the were-leopard's furred chest, piercing the heart.
Castiel sat up, wearily, propped his body on his elbows as he watched his lover stand over the beast's body, waiting for the slightest hint of movement, to have an excuse to shoot him again. The beast remained still, silent, eyes glazed over in death and staring at nothing. Only when he was satisfied that that the were-leopard was dead did he turn away, satisfied that it wouldn't get up and walk again. He looked down at Castiel, smiled as the angel looked back at him, eyes wide, propped on his elbows still and looking fragile upon the ground.
"Cas, you alright?" Dean asked, feeling that same sick sense of fear stab through him again, at the thought that his lover perhaps wasn't alright.
He knelt beside the angel, hands running over Castiel's body, looking for wounds, breaks, anything that would tell him Castiel was hurting. Castiel almost smiled, turned his languid gaze onto him, before he reached out to touch Dean's shoulder gently, preventing him from checking him over for a second time, hands fluttering obsessively over his body.
"I'm alright, Dean. Thank you," Castiel replied, voice calm, yet grateful to the hunter for his obvious frightened concern.
Dean blew out a sigh of relief, droplets of rain scattering from his lips with the force of his exhalation, before he leant in, rested his forehead against Castiel's, one arm settled securely around his lover's shoulders. Castiel sat a little straighter, no longer leaning on his elbows and draped his arms around Dean's body, slipping slender hands beneath the hunter's wet leather jacket, long fingers caressing his lover's back soothingly.
"I thought that - " and Dean seemed unable to finish his own sentence.
"You thought I was going to die? No, Dean, I didn't. I knew you were going to come for me," Castiel replied, with utter conviction settled into his deep voice and turning it grave.
Dean smiled, green eyes aching as he stared into Castiel's calm face and the look trapped deep in his gaze told the angel everything. Castiel knew that Dean wouldn't survive if Castiel left him for any reason, and Castiel knew, in turn, that if Dean died, he wouldn't survive it either. They both had children to raise and ached for more. He thought once more of beautiful Elisha, cheeky little Caelum and smiled. He leant in, pressed pliant lips against Dean's firmer ones, tongue lapping at the hunter's mouth, capturing droplets of rain and the taste of Dean himself from his lips.
Dean moaned, lips parting and allowing Castiel in, wet tongue sliding in and filling his mouth with its heavy, familiar weight. The rain pattered down upon them, growing heavier still and soaking their hair flat onto their heads, but neither seemed to notice at first. It was only when Dean shivered against Castiel's body, that the angel drew away, blue eyes deep with his concern for his lover, as Dean shivered again.
"We need to get somewhere warm and dry," Castiel observed, cupping Dean's cheek with one tender hand and staring into his eyes as though checking him over for illness.
Dean nodded, looked up to the sky and felt the rain fall upon his face, closing his eyes almost shut with the weight of the water droplets pouring down. He looked back to Castiel, before he asked the angel a question.
"What about Sam, Bobby, our children? They'll be waiting for us to come home," he said, shivering again beneath the chill of the ever pounding rain.
He stopped suddenly, pondering his own words, wondering why he'd chosen to say home, when he'd never had a true home his whole life. He wondered whether Bobby's house had become a home to him now that they were all spending a lot more time there, whether his children with Castiel tied them there more securely than anything else did. A warm glow of unexpected contentment settled through him, a feeling he hadn't expected he'd ever get to feel in his life. He was shaken from his reverie by his lover's next words.
"They'll understand, Dean. They can live without us for the night. Besides, there's something we can do to fill the time while we're gone," and Castiel's eyes warmed with an internal lust driven heat that Dean couldn't help but grin at, suggestively.
"I can't say no to you, Cas; I never can," Dean replied, softly, leaning in to kiss Castiel's soft, pliant lips tenderly.
"I know," Castiel replied smugly when the kiss ended, gaze locked with Dean's, breath playing across Dean's pouting lips gently with each huffing exhalation from Castiel's mouth.
Dean remained silent and smiling, staring at Castiel's soft lips fixedly, before he leant in to kiss his lover once more, mouths working against one another gently, mutual satisfied moans working between them, echoed with more aroused murmurs.
"We need to go," Castiel insisted when he felt Dean shiver against the rain slipping down his neck once more.
Dean didn't argue, just pulled away reluctantly and let Castiel get to his feet with his usual feline grace. He held his arm out, hopefully, smiled when Castiel settled beneath it and let Dean drape his hand around his shoulder. Castiel turned his face to Dean's, claimed a kiss before sliding his arm easily around Dean's waist. The hunter felt even more like a couple when they stood this way.
"Where are we going anyway?" Dean questioned, unable to look away from Castiel's intense, unblinking steady gaze.
He licked the water from the rain away from his lips, and Castiel stared transfixed, watching every small movement that Dean made, making Dean grin at him with genuine affection. Castiel's expression brightened a little, dark blue eyes twinkling a little with momentary amusement at Dean's ever cheerful grin.
"There's a barn nearby, Dean. We can shelter there for the night," the angel said, gesturing towards the west. "It's not far from here."
"Okay," Dean replied, wondering when Castiel had the time to sight-see for barns.
Then he remembered the dude was an angel, and probably saw everything, definitely saw more than Dean himself ever did. He pressed a kiss to Castiel's temple, lips lingering against wet skin as he inhaled the scent of Castiel, wet hair clinging to his nose in wet strands. Finally, he pulled away, looked down into Castiel's bright gaze, before he nudged the angel into action, walking beside his lover when Castiel started leading him away from the death scene to more pleasant - and dryer - surroundings.
Several times on the walk through the rain spattered trees, Dean scanned the trees, wondering why he could feel the unmistakeable sense of being watched. Beside him, Castiel also scanned the trees, feeling the same thing but neither commented upon it, remained silent, suspicious, slightly tense and on edge. Nothing happened to make their tension disappear, and neither did anything happen to justify their fears.
Within fifteen minutes they'd reached the safety of the barn, and the dry interior welcomed them in its dusty straw filled embrace. Dean used the brief respite from the cold and the rain to call Bobby, tell him what had happened with their successful hunt, to tell him that Castiel and himself would be home in the morning as it was too bad on the roads to travel. It didn't sound as though Bobby was entirely convinced by the paper flimsy excuses; instead, it sounded as though the older hunter had guessed the real reason behind their protracted absence.
Either way, it didn't matter to Dean, for there were already two manifestations of Dean and Castiel's love at Bobby's house in the very solid forms of Elisha and Caelum. If Bobby and Sam didn't know that Dean and Castiel enjoyed a very active sex life, then their children confirmed it ....
-tbc-