Chapter Nine: You Occupy My Thoughts
The next few months went by slowly. Dean and Castiel spent most of their time either at work or together, finding new things to do while also finding time to do things with their friends and family.
After Castiel had given him the purple roses, Dean had turned to Jess to tell him what they meant.
Jess's eyes had lit up at the sight of the flowers and had spent five minutes cooing over them before turning to Dean.
"They mean enchantment," she explained.
Dean had spent the rest of the day with a stupid smile on his face.
Fall came to Lawrence with golden leaves and cool winds and the bright, warm scent of apples and cinnamon. Plans for Thanksgiving were made and even some preparations for Christmas were made.
Heavenly Arrangements was flooded with orders and people every day, all wanting to brighten up their homes for the holidays. Gabriel became a full time employee in order to help with the work that needed to be done and Jess also hired Nora and Tommy, who were friends of Gary's, to help him with the deliveries.
Castiel was worried for his business partner- who had been more quiet and reserved than usual. Castiel had noticed this change in her about a month and a half ago when she had announced that the wedding was being put on hold and didn't say anything else about it. He had chosen not to push the subject.
When he expressed his worry to Dean, he found he wasn't the only one who felt concerned. Dean had explained that Sam was acting different, spending even more time at the office and at their parent's rather than at the small house that he and Jess owned near the shop.
They both agreed that it wasn't their place to ask, but rather they would wait until Jess and Sam were ready to talk about it.
Even today, Castiel found himself watching Jess with an anxious expression on his face. She was talking to Nora and Gary about the deliveries they had to make today, which was slightly more than usual due to Tommy being sick with the stomach flu.
She was smiling and laughing at Gary's pinched expression about having to deliver flowers to the local senior center, since he was complaining about how the older women would pinch his cheeks and coo over him.
Nora rolled her eyes at her friend. "Get over it, Gary."
"Easy for you to say, you get to deliver flowers to the police and fire station," Gary shot back.
Castiel kept wiping down the counter, spraying it with lemon scented Lysol cleaner.
When the two teenagers finally left, Jess turned on a sigh and leaned against the counter, rubbing her temples.
Castiel handed her a cold bottle of water.
"Thanks," she muttered, untwisting the cap and taking a long sip.
"How are you feeling?" he asked gently.
Jess shook her head slowly. "Tired," she admitted.
"Go take your lunch," Cas insisted. "Or maybe the rest of the day. Gabriel and I can handle everything."
"No…no," she protested.
Castiel reached out and covered her hand with his. "Jess."
She looked over at him with dark circles under her blue eyes. "I'm fine."
"I find that when people use that word, it often means they are not fine," Castiel stated, lifting his brows slightly.
"Cas…"
Castiel's hand tightened around hers. "Go get some rest, Jess," he instructed firmly.
Her gaze lowered and her chin wobbled for a brief moment before she nodded.
Castiel watched as she walked out of the shop and how the bell that rang over the door seemed to trill a sadder note as Jess stepped out onto the street.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his brother move to his side as they watched Jess walk down the street in the direction of her house.
"She'll be all right," Gabriel decided. "She's one tough cookie."
"How can you be sure?"
Gabriel shrugged. "Because I can."
Castiel sighed. "I wish I could have that kind of confidence."
His brother grinned and clapped a hand against his shoulder. "Come on. Let's get back to work."
Ooo0ooO
Dean was in the middle of a poker game with his fellow firefighters when they go the call that they were needed.
"Let's go, fellas!" Dean shouted before climbing into the first truck.
The firetruck tore down the road with Dean at the wheel, with Rufus in the passenger seat and in the back was Garth, the newest guy to join the team.
Dean's heart began to pound as they were given directions on where to go through the transmitter, and his knuckles turned white as they gripped the steering wheel tightly.
When they reached their destination, Dean barely had time to put the truck in park before he leapt from it, staring at the fire that was steadily growing.
The sign on the building was slowly melting away, leaving a burned image on the metal that still read Winchester & Winchester.
"Sammy!" Dean yelled, as he yanked on his florescent yellow jacket and helmet. He strapped his mask on and without thinking, leapt through the opened door and into the inferno.
He thought he heard Rufus cursing his name but he didn't care.
He kept yelling his brother's name, tearing down the burning halls.
Then he heard it- the muffled sounds of someone calling back.
"Dean! Dean!"
"Sam!" Dean shouted, slamming his shoulder against the door where the voice was coming from. It was the door leading into the conference room, and the wood had swelled due to the heat.
Dean gripped his small axe. "Sammy, stand back! I'm coming in!"
Then he began hacking away at the door like his life depended on it, throwing everything he had into every swing. When a large chunk of door fell through, he caught a glimpse of his brother, who was pinned down to the floor by a heavy piece of plaster that had fallen down from the ceiling.
Sam coughed and wheezed, looking up again and meeting his brother's gaze. "Dean!" he rasped.
"Sam!"
Dean furiously cut through the wood before throwing himself against the shattered door, breaking through it. He stumbled and threw himself down onto his knees.
Ripping off his oxygen mask, he pressed it to Sam's mouth. "Breathe, Sammy," he ordered.
Sam's face was covered in soot and plaster, his eyes red from the smoke. He winched as he breathed in.
Dean then crouched and began to push and shove at the chunk of ceiling until he managed to drag his brother out from underneath it. He pulled Sam to his feet and put his brother's arm over his shoulder to support him as they stumbled their way out of that room.
"Someone help!" Dean yelled hoarsely, making sure the mask was still pressed to his brother's nose and mouth.
"Dean!"
Dean peered through the smoke and saw the slim figure of Garth running towards him and Sam. Then another appeared, and Dean recognized the figure as Cole, another firefighter.
Cole sprinted forward and helped Dean with supporting Sam.
"Is there anyone else?" Dean shouted.
"No, everyone else got out. Let's move!"
Garth pressed his own mask to Dean's face as they made their way out of the smoking building and into the blinding afternoon light.
Ooo0ooO
Castiel's fingers tapped in rhythm with Dean's heartbeat as it rippled across the monitor.
When he had gotten the call at work, Castiel didn't remember much about how he got to the hospital, only that when he did, Jess was already there in the room with the two brothers, weeping quietly.
Sam had suffered from first degree burns and a few shattered ribs from the ceiling collapsing in, along with some major bruising and scratches.
Dean had dislocated his shoulder when he had busted through the door, and both brothers had suffered from smoke inhalation.
Jess sat with Sam's hand in her own and sat there with tears streaming down her face.
Castiel sat in the same position with Dean, while his free hand counted the beats of Dean's pulse. He closed his eyes and sent a silent prayer.
Please. Let him wake up. Let them both wake up. Please.
Suddenly, Dean woke with a start, coughing and gagging on his tubes. His green eyes rolled around in his head.
"Dean!" Cas exclaimed, grabbing both of Dean's hands in his own. "Dean, it's all right!"
When Cas let his hands go, Dean fumbled to take off the tubes and coughed a little more before breathing in raggedly. "Cas," he rasped. "Sam."
"He's here," Castiel said gently. "He's safe."
Dean's gaze followed Cas's, to where his brother lied in the bed next to him. He visibly relaxed, slumping against the pillows before rubbing a hand over his eyes and pinching his nose.
Castiel sighed with relief too, retaking one of Dean's hands before pressing it to his lips. "I was so worried," he whispered.
"Hey," Dean said softly, running his hand through Castiel's hair. "I'm okay."
Castiel exhaled deeply, turning his cheek into Dean's palm and closing his eyes briefly.
A few hours later, Sam woke up in a similar fashion to Dean.
Sam then looked at his brother. "Dean."
"Hey, Sammy," Dean said with a smile. "You look like shit."
Sam blew out a laugh. "Yeah, you don't look any better, jerk."
"Bitch."
After the banter, the doctor came in and checked on both of the brothers. Dean was cleared to go home under instruction to take it easy for at least a week, while Sam was told he would have to stay a few days until his ribs began to mend themselves and the burns healed a bit.
Castiel drove Dean home while Jess opted to stay longer at the hospital with Sam. He helped Dean into his apartment.
"Do you want something to eat?" Castiel asked as Dean rested on his worn down couch.
"I could eat, like, ten cheeseburgers."
Castiel smiled as he opened Dean's fridge before reaching in to pull out two containers. "How about some leftover Chinese instead?"
Dean smiled.
They both ended up eating the leftovers on the couch, their legs folded up as they faced each other, talking and laughing.
Dean reached out to wipe at the corner of Castiel's lips and they stared at each other heatedly before Dean slowly withdrew his hand.
"I have something for you," Dean said before unfolding his legs and rising.
Castiel watched as Dean walked into the other room and returned with his hands behind his back. Castiel squinted at him. "What is it?"
Dean just smiled before revealing what was hidden. It was a small pot, filled with dark soil and a small pair of flowers with stems that were intertwined. Their petals were a dark indigo, nearly black, that faded into a bright purple at the edges. They had a small, bright yellow centers.
"Pansies?" Castiel asked with a slow smile spreading across his face.
"I've been thinking about those roses you gave me," Dean explained. "I've been thinking about a lot of things lately. And most of them are, well, about you."
Castiel blinked before reaching out to take the flowers from Dean. "Thank you, Dean. I… I've been thinking a lot about you too."
Dean's eyes crinkled at the edges when he smiled widely. He sat down next to Cas before reaching out for Castiel's hand. His thumb brushed over Castiel's knuckles.
"What do you want to do now?" Dean asked.
Castiel eyed Dean's expression, which was both hungry and playful. Then he smirked. "Game of Thrones?"
Dean burst out laughing.
Ooo0ooO
Disclaimer: I do not own SPN.
Author's Note: Please review!
Purple pansy: You occupy my thoughts
