A/N: Endings are hard, but here's the final chapter!
Time seemed to tick by slowly as she watched his sleeping form across from her. She'd spent the last month waking up to a pair of loving blue eyes and now, looking at Dean's resting face across from hers, she wasn't sure she was prepared to see the green. She wasn't prepared to accept the realization that those dreamy blues didn't make her feel what the striking greens did.
Her heart skips a beat when Dean begins to move. She quickly closes her eyes, not wanting to see his yet. A moment passes, and she hears his soft snores pick up again. She opens one eye to take a peek, noting Dean had only turned to his side and was seemingly asleep again. Deciding this was her cue to climb out of bed, she slides out from underneath the covers slowly, careful to not make a sound. She's quick to pick up her scattered clothes and is just as quick to dress as she went along. Slipping into a pair of boots and grabbing a coat; she makes her way out of her apartment, shutting the door silently behind her.
Once she reaches the outdoors, she takes in a giant breath of fresh air and slowly releases it.
It was a snowy Christmas morning. The streets were empty and quiet as families were indoors, enjoying each other's company. Elena was the only person out this early in the morning. She began to walk to her car, only to find it covered in snow. She lets out an exasperated sigh as she remembers her ice scraper was back in her apartment. For a minute, a thought crosses her mind... Is this the worlds way of telling me to go back home?
She shakes her head, opting not to believe that thought. Instead, she chooses to walk. She wasn't sure where she was heading; she just knew she needed a moment to think, to breathe.
After about an hour and finally getting tired of walking through the thick snow; she found herself a few blocks away from her home, at a park Cas had taken her to not too long ago. She'd lived here longer than he had and she had just recently found out about this little park. She brushed off some snow from the bench to take a seat. She then stared at the frozen pond in front of her, a smile growing on her lips as a memory began to flash through her mind.
The weather had just begun to warm up. Cas insisted on taking her out to enjoy the sun.
"How is it that I've lived here longer than you and I never knew this park was here!" She exclaims.
Cas shrugs. "I spend a lot of time outdoors," He explains as he pulls out a small bag from his sweater's pocket. He twists the bag open and sticks his hand in. He pulls out a piece of bread offers it to Elena.
She looks at it questioningly. "We just ate..."
Cas chuckles. "I am aware of that," He rolls his eyes. "It's for the ducks." He gestures with his head before insisting on handing her the bread once again.
"Oh," She blushes slightly before taking the bread from him, "I knew that." She smiles, before turning to the pond. She breaks the bread into smaller pieces and begins tossing them into the small pond. Her smile grows as she watches the ducks swarm around the pieces of bread.
This had been one of the first times she'd been able to genuinely smile in a couple of months.
Her phones ringtone brings Elena back from the memory. She sighs as she digs into her coat pocket to pull it out. She looks at the lit up screen, only to see a new text message from Dean.
I just woke up. Where are you? It reads.
She chews the inside of her cheek as she thought about what to respond.
E: I went out for a walk.
D: In this weather?
E: I needed the fresh air.
D: Fine. Where are you? I'll come pick you up.
E: Thanks, but I can walk back.
D: Do you want me to wait for you?
She stares at the message. Did she want him to wait for her? Was she ready to face him when she got home?
There was no doubt in her mind that she loved Dean and even though she hated to accept it, she always did. But then there was Cas. Did she really feel nothing more than a profound friendship for this man? Cas had been there to pick her up, clean up the mess of a woman Dean left behind. Cas had been there to make her smile again, show her that there was a good man willing to love her. And all she had to do was give him a chance; a real chance, one that he had more than earned.
Her phone vibrates again.
D: Elena?
Deciding now was a better time than ever to make her choice; she lifts herself from the bench.
E: I'll be home soon. She responds and begins to make her way back home.
After reading the message, he shoves his phone into his pocket as a sense of relief washes over him. He would never admit this to anyone, but waking up to an empty spot beside him caused him to panic slightly. Sure, he'd confirmed Elena still cared. He'd confirmed he still holds a special place in her heart... But was it enough?
Deciding he didn't want to over-think it, he walks into her kitchen. He knew her well enough to know that she most likely left without grabbing some breakfast. If there was one thing Dean was good at, it was cooking. Watching The Food Network had always been a guilty pleasure for him and the skills he learned from watching Bobby Flay... well he had to admit, he'd never gotten a bad reaction from people trying his food. He scavenged around her kitchen, searching for ingredients. A smile creeps up on his lips as he takes note of how easily he found everything
He spent a good 30 minutes whipping up a large breakfast for the two of them. From fluffy scrambled eggs to crispy bacon, Dean begins to lay out each item in a miniature buffet. As he flips the last couple of pancakes onto the serving plate, he hears a soft knocking at the door.
He chuckles to himself, as it occurs to him she must have forgotten her keys. He carefully places the plate next to the rest of the breakfast items and quickly makes his way to the door. Not bothering to take a peek through the peephole, he opens the door only to find Cas.
"What are you...?" Cas begins to speak and pauses abruptly as he takes a look at the clothing on Dean. He'd opened the door wearing a black t-shirt and his boxers. His heart aching as he realizes what had most likely occurred only a few hours prior.
"Is she awake?" Cas asks, his voice laced with a slight disappointment.
Dean had to admit, he felt bad for the guy.
"Uh... Yeah. But she isn't here..." Dean explains. "She'll be back soon if you want to..." Dean opens the door, inviting Cas in.
Cas forces a smile on his lips as he shakes his head. "I only came to drop off her Christmas gift," He says as he pulls out an envelope from his coat. He hands the envelope to Dean. "Please tell her..."
He pauses for a moment to consider his next words. He then lifts his head, with a found determination. He locks eyes with Dean. "This doesn't change a thing and that my offer still remains."
Dean looks at Cas, puzzled by the message he was told to deliver.
"What offer?" He questions.
"For a new beginning." Cas grins. "Have a Merry Christmas." He says before turning away and leaving Dean behind even more confused and slightly irritated.
He rolls his eyes and slams the door shut.
"For a new beginning." He mimics childishly to himself with a scoff.
He then stares at the envelope in his hand and takes a moment to consider the level of anger Elena would reach upon realizing Dean had opened her gift. Weighing in the pros and cons, Dean's curiosity gets the best of him and before you know it; he's tearing through the envelope.
His heart sinks once he realizes what Cas meant by "A new beginning."
Upon entering her home, she quickly feels the change in the atmosphere.
"Dean?" She calls out.
Silence.
The smell emitting from her small dining area draws her in. Once she shrugs off her coat and kicks off her boots, she follows the scent. Her lips upturning into a smile as her eyes land on the miniature buffet Dean had set up for her.
"Dean?" She calls out again, making her way to her bedroom.
She stops abruptly once she reaches her doorway; her eyes widen as they land on a small black box and an envelope. Taking a few short strides to reach her bed, she immediately reaches for the envelope first. Her brows furrowing when she realizes it'd been opened already.
She pulls the flap open and quickly pulls out the item it contained within. She's quick to puzzle together who the envelope was from once she realizes it's a one-way plane ticket to Seattle.
A small panic begins to rise as her eyes then shift over to the small black box.
Was this still a gift from Cas? Only one way to find out.
With her heart beating against her chest, she reluctantly reaches for the black box. She closes her eyes as she slowly opens the small container. Taking in a huge breath she opens her eyes. Her breath escapes from her lips as she realizes the gift was not what she'd been expecting but more importantly the gift was not from who she thought it was from.
A smile slowly spreads across her face as she pulls out the silver necklace. She gently holds the small clamshell pendant in her hand. This was no doubt a gift from Dean. As she reaches for the box again, she then notes a small piece of paper that had been folded up and stuffed into the box.
She quickly pulls it out and begins to read the tiny scribbled up message.
He said his offer still stands. But so does mine.
Her smile fades as she realizes she was now left with two offers.
Was she to press reset on her life? Choose to go with the man she didn't love across the country to start a completely new life with him and maybe with time; grow to love. Or was she to stay in the comfort of her home. A location she already knew, surrounded by family and friends but most importantly... near a man who drove her wild and had broken her heart, made her completely lose her mind more times than she could count but still... even with all that still found herself in love with.
Who was she to choose?
A soft knock on the door causes Cas to mute his T.V. The Christmas spirit he once held had been killed by the revelation from the morning's events so he'd spent the last few hours attempting to cheer himself up by binge-watching "Friends" on Netflix. He lifts himself up from his couch and walks to the door. Taking a small peek through the peephole, his spirit is quick to rise.
He swiftly opens the door and finds Elena on the other side.
"Hi, Cas." She smiles.
"Hey," He beams. He then moves aside, opening the door wider. "Would you like to come in?"
The smile on Elena's face then slightly changes. Her eyes are full of pity as she rejects his offer. Cas is then quick to pick up on the reason she was here.
"Oh..." He breathes out as his heart sinks to the bottom of his stomach. "You're picking him."
"I'm sorry..."
He lifts his hand to silence her as his eyes fall to the ground. "It's okay," He lifts his head up to lock his gaze with hers. "Guess I should have known I didn't stand a chance." He jokes.
"Cas..."
"No, Elena it is quite alright. No hard feelings," He forces a smile to force back the tears he'd begun to develop in his eyes. "I enjoyed our time together and I will forever treasure it."
"I did too," She says before tightly wrapping her arms around him. He returns her hug by wrapping his own around her; holding onto her for one final time. "Thank you for everything." She whispers in his ear.
Cas mutters his 'you're welcome', not wanting her to hear the cracking in his voice.
Once they pull apart, she wipes away a couple of tears that managed to escape and pulls out the envelope from her coat. She hands the plane ticket back to Cas, to which he lifts his hands and rejects. She looks at him with puzzled eyes.
"Keep it," He smiles. "Even in Seattle, my door will always remain open for you."
With a quick nod, she stuffs the envelope back into her coat. The two exchange silent goodbyes before she turns, leaving the heartbroken man behind.
She walked with her shoulders slumped, mentally kicking herself for being a terrible person. How could she do something like this to a man like him? But as she reached the outside of the building; her eyes landing on the smirking man leaning against that 67' Chevy Impala; she realized it was because Cas deserved someone to love him the way she loved Dean.
"You alright?" Dean asks.
"Yeah. Actually," She smiles.
"I guess that's good," He chuckles as he reaches for her hand and pulls her against his chest. "Cause I think Sam spilled about us."
"What do you mean?" She questions.
"I've got about 30 missed calls from Caroline." He replies.
She lets out a sigh. "Explaining all this will be fun." She says sarcastically.
"Yeah, glad I'm not you." He teases.
She quickly pulls away from him, brows furrowed. "Oh, no. Don't you dare try to leave this all up to me!" She scolds.
"Hey," He protests. "I told Sam everything already. Not my fault you didn't tell Care." He shrugs.
"Dean!" She whines with a pout.
He laughs. "Calm down, Lena. I'm only teasin'. We'll deal with the wrath of Caroline together."
She rolls her eyes. "I swear you make me lose my mind."
Dean pushes himself off of his car and opens the passenger door. "Don't act like you don't like it." He says with a smug smile on his face as gestures for Elena to enter the car.
She opens her mouth to oppose, only to find herself dumbfounded and unable to shoot back with a witty remark.
"I hate you." She mutters as she enters the vehicle.
"Nice try, but you've never been a good liar, sweetheart." He responds as he shuts the door.
She tries to quickly come up with a response in the time it takes for him to reach his side of the car, but once again she comes up empty-handed. Her eyes remain glued to him as he takes his seat beside her and begins to drive. An overwhelming warmth fills up in her chest as she takes in his profile.
Feeling her gaze on him, he turns to look at her, the look in her eyes speaking those 3 words that he had so stupidly feared before. That look drove him to make one of the biggest mistakes of his life, but now... here he sat beside her. His error, seemingly fixed.
Deciding he wanted to break the silence, he speaks up.
"Careful," he warns. "The last time someone gave me that look, I thought they'd fallen in love with me." He teases.
"Really now? Does that mean you're going to run again?" She questions jokingly.
And although she'd said it with a humorous tone, Dean could hear the underlying fear and seriousness beneath her question.
He grabs her hand in his. "Not this time, sweetheart." He gives her hand a reassuring squeeze.
And just like that, all those months she'd gone without him disappeared. Like an image etched in sand on a beach; that part of her past had been washed away. She hadn't chosen to start a new life with Cas, but she did start a new life with Dean. The two wasted no time in rekindling their relationship.
John and Mary accepted Elena with open arms; the old couple proud and happy to see their son so happy. Alaric and Jeremy, who were confused by it all at first; were then quick to warm up to Dean. Sam was very understanding and accepting; so that only left Caroline.
She glared at the two holding hands.
"So this had been going on since that 4th of July Weekend?" She questions. Both Dean and Elena slowly nod. Caroline's eyes then snap over to Sam. "And you knew about this?" She asks. He takes a giant gulp and nods as well.
She lets out a frustrated groan. "I want to be so angry with the three of you," She starts. "But really, all I'm thinking is... I was right!" She beams. "I told you, Sam!"
Both Dean and Elena look at Sam questioningly. He fakes his ignorance with a shrug, not wanting to tell the two that the weekend trip had been one of many schemes Caroline had come up with to get the two together.
The scheme that inevitably changed their lives in the best way possible.
A/N: GUYS! We reached the end and HOLY CRAP. I hate writing final chapters. I tried my best here and I swear I'm sorry if it's not an ending you enjoyed. I'm a sucker for happy endings. And like I said I tried my best here haha. Anywho, thank you alll sooooo much for reading and supporting this story! It means a ton to me, it really does! I a thousand times apologize for taking soooo long to post this chapter lol!