A/N: So, I'm sorry this is late, but the past few days have been just... ugh. So if this chapter is another one that feels a bit rushed I'm sorry. This was a really really difficult one to write, but I hope it's not too bad! Thanks everyone who's sticking with this!
Dean woke up alone. The house was silent and Dean immediately knew something was different. He sat up slowly and stretched, mid-morning light filtering through his window. He poked around the various rooms of the house before making his way to the kitchen, wary of the emptiness.
There was a note on the counter in plain sight that Dean picked up cautiously. In Karen's curvy handwriting it read "Went to breakfast, be back later!" with a little heart attached to the end.
"…What?" Dean muttered, extremely confused. He glanced at the calendar to make sure his head wasn't set on the wrong time. Saturday, January 24. He had been right, but all it served to do was make him even more confused. Heading back to his room, note still in hand, Dean tried to figure out why they hadn't at least woken him up. He grabbed his phone and dialed Cas, but it went straight to voicemail.
Dean went back to the kitchen and just as he was opening the fridge for something to eat, the front door opened. He heard the sound of keys dropping into the dish beside the door and ventured over.
"Hey Dean," he heard Cas say as he came near and greeted Dean with a kiss.
"Hey. Where is everyone?"
Cas slipped off his shoes, saying, "They went grocery shopping, but I walked home. I had figured you would be awake by now." There was a pause. "What?" he asked finally as Dean stared at him in confusion.
After another moment Dean shook his head. "Nothing," he muttered.
"Wanna watch a movie?" Cas suddenly asked, leading him to the family room. Dean shrugged and he took it as a yes, rifling through the various DVD's they had for something he knew Dean would like. Eventually he got Dean to agree on Die Hard 2 and curled up on the couch with him.
The movie was nearly over a couple of hours later when Dean's phone suddenly rang, startling him. It was Sam. "Hello?"
"Hey Dean, could you do me a favor?"
"Uh, sure kid."
"Can you go out to the backyard?"
"What? Why?"
"Just do it!"
Dean groaned but he stood and moved towards the back door. "Okay, but I don't see why I need to—"
He stopped when he opened the door and saw a group of people with a banner on the back fence that said in huge letters "Happy Birthday Dean". The group before him shouted out the words as he stepped outside and Cas followed just behind him.
Dean hung up his phone, openmouthed with surprise as Bobby, Karen, Sam, Adam, Ash, Jo, Ellen, and Bill all crowded around him. Glancing back at Cas, Dean found him smiling smugly and laughed.
"You seriously threw me a party?"
"We didn't do anything for your birthday last year, and now you're legally an adult," Sam laughed, giving him a tight hug, "so we figured we should do something."
Dean felt suddenly sentimental and smiled at everyone. "Thanks guys, really, this is awesome." They all dispersed into smaller groups that Dean continually mingled with while Bobby barbequed up some burgers and hotdogs. Everyone sang to him later when Karen brought out the cake she'd baked for him.
It was well into the afternoon when Dean finally had the chance to talk to Jo alone. She looked better than she had in a long time, or at least since Dean had last seen her a couple of weeks before. Still though, she seemed pale and frail in her wheelchair and Dean still found it discomforting to see her like that.
"Haven't talked you for a while," Dean began casually, twirling a can of soda in his hand, as they monitored the party from the side of the yard. Sam and Cas were laughing about something Ash had said and Adam was talking cars with Bobby and Bill while Karen and Ellen chatted together pleasantly.
"I meant to tell you, but my grandpa died last week so I really haven't had much time to call or anything," Jo said offhandedly. Dean raised his brow at her.
"Really."
Jo offered him an apologetic look. She sighed heavily. "Okay, the truth is that Ellen doesn't want me to be hanging around with you anymore."
Dean nearly choked on the sip of soda he'd just taken and looked at his friend in shock. "What?! Is this because you got hit while you were coming over to my house? Because honestly that—"
Jo shook her head and cut him off tiredly, "No, it's not about that. It has nothing to do with that."
"Then what the hell is it?"
"Well…" Jo glanced furtively around. She sighed again and tapped her fingers together. "She found out about me, and about you and Cas and she thinks we shouldn't be friends anymore."
Dean's mouth was hung open. Ellen, who had been like a mother to him, who was always so kind and sweet and accepting… "You mean she won't let us be friends because we're gay?"
"Yeah… I know, Dean, my first reaction was 'what the actual fuck', but I can't do anything about it while I'm like this and she's not listening to reason right now for God knows why." Jo's voice purely bitter and Dean couldn't even think coherently for a moment.
"No," he muttered. "You're my best friend."
Jo suddenly realized what he was about to do and tried to grab his arm, but he was already moving. "Dean! Stop!" she shouted after him, unable to follow as he strode across the yard. Cas glanced over at her yell before his eyes went to Dean and he started towards him in Jo's place.
"Hey, Dean," Karen said with a smile as he went up to Ellen. Ellen didn't say anything though, she just looked at the expression on his face with rising horror.
"How could you, Ellen?" Dean's voice was broken in his ears and he almost wanted to throttle her, but he quenched that feeling, he knew it wouldn't do him any good. "You can't just decide who gets to be friends with who because you don't like it."
"Jo told you…" she breathed, eyes narrowing.
"Dean, what's going on?" Karen looked between them in obvious confusion. By then Cas had arrived at Dean's side and they had gathered the attention of everyone else at the small function, too.
"Honestly, Ellen, I could have gotten this from anyone else. But from you?" Dean was so focused on the betrayal he felt that he didn't even care everyone was just staring at him and Ellen in confusion.
"Dean. What the hell has gotten into you?" Bobby had moved behind Karen and interrupted the tense quiet between Dean and Ellen.
"She doesn't want me and Jo to be friends because I'm dating Cas." Dean's eyes moved to Bobby as Cas stiffened beside his elbow, all other eyes turning to him.
"Ellen?" Karen was the first to look away, back at her friend.
Ellen looked half-scared and half-angry as she tore her eyes from Dean. "Yeah, it's true. I don't think my daughter needs to be in this kind of atmosphere anymore. We're leaving." She turned on her heel to grab her husband's arm and drag him to their daughter. Jo gave Dean her best "I'm sorry" look and let herself be wheeled away.
Bill managed to get away for just a second and stopped by Dean's ear. "I'm really sorry, Dean, she's been irrational lately. But I want to tell you that I don't agree with her. She'll adjust eventually." Dean just gave him a tight nod as he left.
There was silence as they left and finally Dean turned to Adam and Ash who were still a little in shock. Glancing at Cas, Dean saw that his blue eyes were wide and his face pale, so Dean stretched out his arm and took Cas' hand.
"Personally, I kinda thought you two were a thing," Ash said after a moment, sheepishly running a hand through his hair. Adam glanced at him and then back to Dean and shrugged.
"Well I don't really care either. You're still the same guy, Dean," Adam told him.
"Thanks guys," was all Dean could say. He felt suddenly tired and all he wanted to do was go back to bed with Cas and sleep for days.
Adam waggled a finger towards Bobby, Karen and Sam with a question in his eyes. Dean nodded in reply and he made a "that's cool" kind of expression.
"Well, uh, I guess we probably should get out of your hair now," Ash said slowly, poking Adam on the shoulder.
"Yeah. Have fun with the cleanup. And happy birthday," Adam added, patting Dean's shoulder not unkindly.
They both left and the other five turned to each other, each with various stages of shock and exhaustion on their features.
"Well that didn't go as planned," Bobby said, picking up a bottle of beer and sipping from it.
"Why don't you go inside and we'll work on picking up, okay?" Karen directed towards Dean.
"I'll help. It's the least I can do," Dean replied with a slight shake of his head. Karen nodded and they all got to work picking up the party.
That evening, Dean sat on his bed and tried to not think about Ellen. It didn't work. When Cas eventually joined him, Dean was lying curled up in the middle of the bed. Cas lay beside Dean and held his head to his chest.
"She's just being stubborn and emotional right now. I'm sure she'll come around soon," Cas whispered into Dean's short hair.
Dean just breathed in the fresh laundry smell of Cas' shirt. "She's been like my second mother for years," he muttered after a while. "I mean she's always been rough around the edges, but she's always been supportive about everything for Jo, and even for me and Sam. She's just been there for a long time. And now…" He trailed off, the betrayal still raw.
Cas didn't say anything, but just let him vent out everything he was feeling until late into the night. There were long periods when he wouldn't say anything, but Cas knew he was still awake, still thinking, so he'd let Dean be until he felt like talking again.
And right before the green-eyed boy finally fell asleep, he said, "Even if everyone hadn't accepted us… I'd still fight for you. You're mine, Cas…" Cas just held him tighter and smiled into the top of his head.
A/N: Also, you know how before I've used my own personal experience with parts of this story? Well this is another one of those times. I just like adding a personal touch sometimes because I think it's sometimes easier to write.
So there's only I think three chapters left after this one! Getting close to the finale! Reviews are fantastic guys! *hint hint*