Author's Note:
You guys are the best! I'm so thankful for your reviews! I'm updating sooner this time because I'm about to be away from my computer for a week, so your next update will be a little late. Don't worry though, I'm not abandoning you! I will be back, I promise! Thanks to theconsultingtardisbananaangel, .rain, moria galadrial, r2metoo, Queen Beanie, bespectacledfanwarrior, Perry123, and one guest for their reviews on chapter 13!
Chapter 14 - Counting Down
The next morning, Sam took a deep breath and cornered Dean and Bobby in the kitchen so he could tell them his news. Bobby gave him a quick hug and a pat on the back, gruffly informing the younger Winchester that he was happy for him.
Dean looked a little more shell-shocked, but he thawed out of his frozen reaction enough to imitate Bobby's congratulations, his voice still weak from surprise. "I'm happy for you, Sammy," he told his younger brother quietly. After releasing him, Dean ambled out into the yard, still looking distant.
"I should probably talk to him," Sam mused aloud.
Bobby snorted. "You boys are a piece of work," he muttered, rolling his eyes. "Go out there and have that brotherly bonding time thing. I'll order in for lunch."
Sam grinned at his father figure and followed his instruction, moving into the yard after Dean. The older hunter was sitting on the hood of the Impala, staring into space. "Hey," Sam called, keeping his tone neutral. "You good?"
Dean looked up, startled but not surprised. "Yeah, I'm fine. It's just...man, everything, you know?"
"What do you mean?" Sam asked, leaning against the hood and glancing at his brother.
"We're..." Dean blew out a harsh breath and chuckled. "Damn, man, we're getting married. Both of us. How crazy is that? Like, who would have ever guessed either of us would get to have this?"
Understanding now where Dean's head was at, Sam nodded in agreement. "I know. Not that you and Castiel are a surprise. Dude, you guys have been circling each other every since the guy first appeared. It's about damn time you did something about it."
Dean managed to laugh at that, knowing it was true and able to admit it now. "Yeah, I guess so. I'm beyond ready, man. I wouldn't have guessed that even a few months ago, but hey, I'm getting married in less than two weeks and I'm freaking psyched." He smiled softly and rubbed the back of his neck before adding, "It's like my life was this complicated equation I'd given up solving, then all of a sudden I realize that I've been looking right over the solution the whole time, thinking he was a variable."
Sam gaped at his brother in shock. "Did you just use a math analogy to describe figuring out you were in love with Cas?" He demanded, his tone full of amusement.
Dean made a face at him. "Shut up, Sam. I did graduate high school I'll have you know."
"A GED barely counts," Sam retorted, but he was grinning. "I gotta say, the analogy works."
Making an approving sound, Dean relaxed and turned to face Sam. "What about you and Gabriel though? I mean, that one kind of hit me out of left field. Not that I'm objecting or anything, it's just..."
"I know, unexpected," Sam finished, nodding his agreement. "For me it wasn't that I was overlooking what was in front of me, it was that I wasn't looking at a finished puzzle, you know? Pieces were missing. Once it all fell into place, it kind of smacked me upside the head, and it was just right."
Dean made a thoughtful sound in response, nodding slowly. "I can see that. I gotta admit, the guy practically worships the ground you walk on. He's always looking at you like the sun shines out your ass."
Sam laughed out loud at that. "What about Cas?" He pointed out. "The guy moves around you like a satellite. He's completely attuned to you and you alone."
Dean let out a huffed laugh, realizing that was true. "I guess that's true," he acknowledged. "Damn, Sam, how'd we get so freaking lucky?"
"Maybe God cares more than we think?" Sam offered, not sure if he believed that. To his surprise, Dean nodded slowly in response.
"Yeah, maybe." Dean answered, his expression thoughtful. He glanced at Sam again and spotted a hint of the rosary peeking out from under Sam's shirt. "What that around your neck?"
"Huh?" Sam asked, not really paying attention. He glanced down automatically and gripped the cross, massaging it with his thumb and pointer finger without thinking. "It was a gift from Gabe."
"Oh?" Dean inquired, curious. "What is it? It looks like a rosary."
"That's because it is," Sam replied, taking it off and holding it up so Dean could see it better. "It was an engagement present. Gabe made it himself out of stuff from the times we'd met in the past."
Dean examined the rosary curiously, glancing up at Sam when he spoke. "Like what?"
"My stake from the college thing, my stake from the Mystery Spot, the holy oil from TV land, and the sword he went up against Lucifer with," Sam listed off, repeating the items Gabriel had told him went into the rosary.
"He made you a necklace out of stuff that was used to try and take his life?" Dean asked, his tone skeptical and confused.
"Sort of," Sam replied, putting the rosary back on and tucking it beneath his shirt. "It's more like a symbolic thing. None of those times ended so well for us, but they were all steps in getting us where we needed to be to find each other. He said that all the elements he used were once meant to hurt him, but he crafted them into something that would protect me, and our future."
Dean was quiet, gazing at his brother like he was seeing something new in him. "Somehow, I think I'll be able to deal with having Gabriel as a brother in law," he finally said, smiling slightly.
"I'm glad," Sam replied sincerely. "Tensions between you two can get pretty high sometimes."
"Hey, if he keeps his Trickster mitts off my car, he's fine," Dean responded, shrugging nonchalantly.
Sam chuckled at that. "I'll do my best to reign him in," he said wryly, knowing full well that he didn't really have any way of controlling his archangel fiance.
"I appreciate it," Dean shot back, his tone equally dry.
"Alright, I'm going to leave you alone with your thoughts out here," Sam told him. "You can continue counting the days until your wedding or whatever, and I'm going to go read for awhile."
"Sounds good," Dean murmured, waving his brother off. "I'll be in when the food gets here."
Chuckling, Sam headed back towards the house, leaving Dean to his thoughts.
Dean wasn't alone very long though, and the sudden appearance of Gabriel almost caused him to lose his balance on the hood of the Impala. "Geez, Gabriel! Warn a guy!" He complained.
"Sorry, Chuckles," Gabriel offered, walking forward slightly until he was at a more conversational distance. "I wanted to talk to you about something."
"Oh?" Dean raised an eyebrow, surprised. He and Gabriel didn't interact much, so he wasn't sure what the archangel wanted.
"Well, it's about Cas," Gabriel clarified, noticing how Dean's attention refocused at the mention of the angel's name.
"What about him?" Dean asked, attentive now.
Gabriel grinned at him. "Okay, so I had this brilliant idea. Obviously Cas already marked you ages ago, right?"
Dean rolled his sleeve up slightly until his handprint was visible, raised an eyebrow at Gabriel, then lowered it again.
"Right, well, obviously rings a more human sign of commitment, which really doesn't play into the whole bonding ceremony thing. I figured it would be nice for you though if you could have a way of showing that Cas is yours the way the handprint shows you're his. So, I'm here to help you make a ring for him." Gabriel swung his hands out as though presenting a show, looking pleased with himself.
"Make a ring?" Dean echoed. "How the hell am I supposed to do that? Don't get me wrong, I love the idea, but how do I make a ring?"
"You don't, Dean-o, I do. You just need to pick what it's made from. Something important to you and significant, preferably. Also, something metal, obviously." Gabriel tacked the last part on for clarification, looking up at Dean eagerly. "Any ideas?"
Dean's gaze slowly gravitated towards the car he was sitting on, and he made a noise of consideration. "Do you think you could make a ring from the Impala without damaging my car?" He asked, rubbing the hood like one might pet a dog. "Baby's easily the most significant thing I own."
Gabriel gazed at the car with approval, making appraising noises in response. "Yeah, I think I can work with this. Give me a second." The archangel placed his hand on the hood and closed his eyes, concentrating hard. When he moved away, his hand was cupped. "Alright, Dean-o, check it out."
Dean was surprised by how light and cool the metal was when it touched his skin. The outward metal was sleek black and gorgeous, just like the Impala. The inside was a thin line of black next to a thin line of tan, like the colors of the upholstery. It was beautiful, and Dean couldn't find words for a moment or two.
"Well?" Gabriel finally prompted, looking impatient.
"It's awesome, Gabriel," Dean told him, not looking away from the ring. "Seriously, this is perfect. It was a great idea. Thanks."
"My pleasure. I can't wait for your ceremony, to be honest. It's about time Castiel found his mate." Gabriel looked pleased, his eyes shining bright.
"What date did you and Sam decide on?" Dean asked, realizing Sam hadn't actually told them.
"May 14th," Gabriel told him. He had come back to stay with Sam overnight and had been told of Sam and Castiel's conversation. May seemed like a long way away, but he had to admit, the idea of a significant date was pretty tempting, and clearly Sam felt the same. They could be patient.
"Why May?" Dean asked with surprise. He considered it for a second, then added, "No, wait, hold on, let me guess."
Gabriel made an amused noise, but didn't reply, letting the hunter figure it out for himself.
"Okay, no that was in February," Dean mused, not explaining what he was referring to. "That one was in the fall...the thing in the cemetery...Oh, wow." He looked up in surprise giving Gabriel an appreciative look. "That's the day you pulled Sam out of Hell."
"Bingo," Gabriel replied, grinning. "All of our other significant dates don't have the same kind of triumphant result."
Dean snorted. "Yeah, no kidding. May sounds good to me. You guys willing to wait that long?"
"For Sam? I'm willing to wait as long as I have to," Gabriel informed him, smiling softly.
Dean couldn't argue with that, and he had to smile back. "Yeah, somehow I think I'll survive having you around all the time," he told him, reiterating his earlier statement to Sam.
"Oh good," Gabriel said sarcastically. "Because you're the Winchester I'm most concerned about."
Dean had to laugh at that, and he rolled his eyes at the archangel. "Whatever, dude. I'm an important part of this Winchester thing you've signed yourself up for."
"I'll admit that," Gabriel acknowledged. "I plan on becoming an honorary Winchester anyway."
"What, like taking the name?" Dean asked with surprise. "Do angels do that?"
"Nope," Gabriel replied, grinning. "Cas and I both want to though. It's kind of a symbolic thing."
Dean smiled broadly at the mention of Castiel. "I like that idea," he admitted.
"Good, because pretty soon you're going to be stuck with us," Gabriel teased him.
"I'll only be stuck with you," Dean corrected him good naturedly. "I'm keeping Cas on purpose."
They both laughed at that, and Dean had to appreciate the easy camaraderie that had appeared between them. Not having an innate desire to take a machete to his brother's fiance's head was reassuring that things would end well for everyone involved.