Alright guys, this is the last chapter of Bright Lights! Enjoy!

Chapter 3

A week later, Castiel had to go back to his house. He had packed in a hurry and didn't have any of his suits with him for work. He had told Naomi what had happened and she told him not to come in for at least a week. He had to go back to work in the morning, so he needed clothes.

He tried to go when he knew Dean was usually at work, but when he pulled into the garage, he saw Dean standing at the front of his '67 Chevy Impala working on it. He cursed his luck and climbed out of his car, not saying a word to Dean.

Dean heard Cas get out of the car and instantly put down his tools and went to his husband. "Cas, baby, please tell me you're back to stay. This last week has been the worst of my life. I can't make it without you baby."

"You should have thought about that before sleeping with Joe." Cas replied coldly, walking into the house. He went straight to his room and collected all of the things he would need for work for a few weeks.

"Can we please talk Cas? I just.. I don't want you to go." Dean begged. "I know we can work this out baby."

"No, we can't talk right now. I need a break, Dean. I have been miserable for over a year now and I just need to take some time to be happy. I've forgotten who I am without you. I'm leaving, and I don't know if I'll ever be back." Cas pushed past Dean and was almost to his car before he remembered the lights. "What's with the lights Dean?"

"I'm leaving the lights on, in case you ever decide to come back home. If I ever start forgetting, I'll turn them off one by one, so that you can see I agree that it's over." Dean seemed hesitant to admit that to Cas.

"I appreciate the gesture, Dean. But you're wasting your time. I'm not coming back. I love you more than anything in this world, but you hurt me one too many times. I can't do this anymore." With that, Cas got into his car and left, not once glancing back to see the stricken expression on his husband's face.

August:

Because Castiel was staying with Gabe, he had to drive by his house on the way to work every day. Going to work that Monday, he didn't see anything out of the ordinary. He spent his day working, not letting his mind drift to anything else. At the end of the day, his boss came in and told him how sorry she was for what had happened, but told him he needed to go home.

He left the building and went to his car. Driving to Gabriel's apartment, Cas wasn't really focused on his surroundings until he drove past his house. Dean was sitting on the front porch and the house was as lit up as the previous week. Out of habit, he almost pulled into the driveway. Realizing what he was doing, he sped off and made his way to his brother's place.

October:

Castiel had finally gotten his own apartment. He loved his brother, but he didn't want to be a burden, not matter how many times Gabriel assured him he wasn't.

It was nice having his own space again. He still had to drive by his old house every day, and the lights always reminded him of what Dean had said.

Nothing had changed in the first month of the lights being on. Every time Cas drove by at night, the house was so bright he could see it from two blocks away. It made Castiel sad to drive by and be able to actually see the hope Dean still held for the two of them.

On his way home that night, as he passed Dean's house (he no longer considered it his) he noticed something was different. The Christmas lights were gone, making the house just a little bit darker. Cas knew what that meant. It meant that Dean was starting to give up hope.

November:

After the Christmas lights disappeared, Cas made a point of driving by the house to see if any other lights went out. At first, nothing changed. They had been apart four months and Cas could feel the loneliness setting in. Despite everything, he missed his husband.

He couldn't bring himself to file for a divorce yet, and he knew Dean would never do it. He knew the end of their relationship would be up to him.

Cas had gotten so used to driving by Dean's and seeing the front yard lit up with the walkway lights that it shocked him when the yard was dark. The lights in the house were still on, but that was another light out. Cas knew it was his decision to leave and that he had told Dean he wasn't coming back, but it hurt to see Dean's hope dwindling a little bit more.

December:

Christmas came and went. It was the first Christmas the Novaks and Winchesters hadn't spent together in over ten year. Cas still went over to Dean's parent's the week before to give them gifts and wish them a happy holiday along with Sam.

The day after Christmas, the front porch light was turned off.

January:

Castiel hoped with the new year, happier times were coming. He was wrong.

Three weeks into January, neither the living room or dining room lights shined through the front windows anymore.

February:

"I can't do this anymore Balth. I miss him so fucking much. And every time one of those god damn lights go off I feel myself panicking because I know the hope of us being happy again is getting smaller and smaller. And I know that's my fault because I told Dean I wasn't going back, but, fuck, I want to go back so bad."

Balthazar and Castiel were sitting at a coffee shop one morning when Cas decided to finally tell someone how he was feeling.

"I can't tell you what to do, Cas. But you are still as miserable now as when you first left. You're not getting over him and I don't know if you ever will. I will tell you this though: if you go back to him, I won't hold it against you. I know how much you love him and how much it is killing you to be away from him. Ultimately, it's your decision." Balthazar had been the most understanding of how upset Cas was because of the turmoil.

"I know Balth. I just don't know what to do." Cas sighed and decided to give it one more month before he decided anything.

March:

Cas drove by the house on the way to his apartment from work.

The back yard light was now off. He made a last minute decision and pulled into the driveway. He used his key to get into the front door. Dean wasn't home. He went through the house and turned all of the lights back on before going to the garage. He pulled down the Christmas lights and put them back up on the house.

By the time he was done, the house was as bright as it had been that first night the Novaks saw it. He didn't want to be there when Dean got back, so he quickly left and went home.

One Week Later:

Everyday since Cas turned the lights back on, more lights appeared. Dean added an additional strand of lights around the porch railing.

The next day, the walkway lights were doubled. The day after that, the front light was replaced with flood lights, spilling light over the entire yard. This continued day after day and it made Cas smile when he saw it.

On Friday, when he got off work, he went straight to Dean's house. He pulled into the garage and walked into the house, not bothering to knock. Cas found Dean sitting in the study, untangling yet another strand of lights.

Chuckling Cas said "Where exactly do you plan to put those? And how have you not blown a fuse yet?" There was a smile on Cas' face but Dean didn't look up.

"I'm putting them on the bushes. Wait… Cas? What.. What are you doing here?" Dean looked equally hopeful and worried.

"Dean, I'm still mad at you. I'm still hurt. But I love you and I meant it when I said I want to spend the rest of my life with you." Cas took a step toward the other man.

"Cas, what are you saying?" Dean had dropped the lights and walked over to stand in front of his husband, hopeful.

Cas put his hand softly on Dean's cheek and whispered, "I'm saying I'm coming home."

Thank you so much for reading. I hope y'all enjoyed! Let me know what y'all thought!