51
(Christmas Eve)
"It's getting late." Bobby noted, looking at the clock. "Almost 1030 pm."
"Still Christmas Eve." Abbie told him, with a sigh. "He promised Bobby, he promised."
"I know that, kid, but weather's still bad, and he told us they were having problems driving..."
"He'd have called if he wasn't gonna be here." Abbie looked at Bobby, "He's gonna be here." She yawned.
"Why don't you head to bed, huh? I'm sure they'll be back by the morning." Bobby suggested.
"I'll wait up a bit longer."
"Don't stay up all night, k?" He told her, "You need to take care of yourself."
"I will, Bobby. Night."
"Night, Abbie." Bobby left Abbie alone in the living room, staring out the window.
"I swear, when your daddy gets home, if he's not hurt, I'm gonna kill him." Abbie whispered, rubbing her belly.
(About an hour outside of Sioux Falls)
"Abbie's gonna kill us. It's almost 11, I promised I'd be back." Dean was frustrated, "Damn weather. Any reception on your cell yet?"
"Nope." Sam answered.
"Dammit, I'm so dead. She's gonna think I've let her down."
"She'll understand." Sam assured him, "And then she'll agree to marry you."
"If I'm alive to ask her." Dean grumbled.
(1158pm Christmas Eve)
"Made it." Dean grinned, getting out of the car, and running up to Bobby's front door, and quietly opening it. He sighed when he seen Abbie asleep on the couch next to the window, obviously where she had been waiting on him. "C'mon, let's get you upstairs." He whispered, gently picking her up.
"Dean?" She asked, sleepily. "Put me down, I'm mad at you."
"I'll put you down once we're upstairs ok?"
"What time is it?"
"1159, December 24th 2007. Wanna tell me why you're mad at me?" He asked, with a smirk. "Kept my promise."
"But-"
"Weather affected the cell reception, plus driving was slow." Dean explained.
"I was worried."
"I know, honey, but I'm back now."
"You get the bad guys?" She asked, still half asleep.
"Yeah, I'll tell you all about it tomorrow. Go on back to sleep, k? I just gotta sort out some stuff downstairs."
"Merry Christmas, Dean. I knew you'd make it on time." She told him.
"Merry Christmas, Abs." He leaned in and hugged her. "Sleep."
"Well?" Sam asked, as Dean walked back into the living room. "What did she say?"
"That she was mad at me, until I explained it was still Christmas Eve."
"You know what I'm talking about!" Sam exclaimed, quietly, throwing a cushion at Dean. "Did she say yes?"
"I kinda didn't ask her." Dean admitted, looking at the ring box.
"Oh my God, you wuss!"
"She was half asleep because she waited up on us, and I didn't want to ask when she was too sleepy to take me seriously."
"You were scared she was gonna say no."
"No, I wasn't. I'll ask her tomorrow. Did you bring the gifts in from the trunk?"
"Everything but the ones marked 'From Daddy.'" Sam answered.
"Cool, thanks Sammy." Dean started arranging gifts under the tree.
"What's the surprise you and Bobby have been working on?" Sam asked, curious.
"All will be revealed tomorrow, lil brother." Dean grinned, imagining the surprise that Abbie and Sam were in for. "Abbie's gonna love it. Eggnog?"
"Already waiting for ya." Sam told him, pointing to the glass on the table. "Enough of a kick for you?" He asked as Dean took a sip and almost choked. "I'll take that as a yes."
"This is nice." Dean smiled, "Not a motel, we have a tree, gifts that aren't from the gas station and I have my girl. Life's pretty sweet just now."
"Yeah, I guess it is." Sam agreed, it was good to see Dean happy, even if it was destined to last only until May.
(Next morning)
"Wakey wakey." Dean smiled at Abbie, "It's Christmas morning."
"Still sleeping." She muttered back to him.
"What happened to 'I love Christmas'?" Dean asked, smirking.
"I only love the run up to it, and Christmas morning after-" She squinted at the clock, "7am." She laid back down, "7am? Dean, C,mon!" She moaned.
"7am is a perfectly respectable time to be awake, especially on Christmas morning. Aren't you excited? Don't you wanna see what Father Christmas brought you?"
"Stopped believing in him when I was like 7, Dean." Abbie laughed, "Unless he joins the ranks of things that exist that you thought didn't exist."
"He might."
"Funny, Dean." She turned away from him, "I'm going back to sleep."
"I brought you coffee." Dean stated, "And some french toast."
"You woke Sam up to make french toast, didn't you?"
"He might've helped me." Dean admitted, "Anyway, I wanted to ask you something."
"I don't know where your hair gel is, you probably left it behind in the last motel room." Abbie answered, laughing.
"I'm trying to be serious, Abbie."
"K, I'm listening intently." She sat up and accepted the cup of coffee from him. "Shoot."
"Ok..." Dean started, nervously, throat suddenly dry, he took a gulp of his coffee. "I was thinking..." He stood up and started pacing, "Ummm, well...you don't have to give me an answer right away...or feel obliged to say yes..."
"Jesus, Dean. Would you spit it out already?" Abbie suspected what he was about to ask.
"I had this so well planned yesterday..." He sighed, "OK, I'm just gonna say it."
"Well say it then!"
"Will you marry me?" He asked in one breath. Abbie's eyes widened in shock, although she had expected it, it was still a surprise. She glanced up to see Dean, eyes closed, as if expecting something horrible to happen. He opened one eye, then the other. "I screwed this up, forget I said-"
"Yes." Abbie grinned at him.
"You will?" Dean asked, shocked too. "I mean, I don't know how official we can go, what with me being a wanted man and stuff, but Sam suggested that maybe you could just legally become Abbie Winchester, but I mean we can always have a ceremony of sorts, just not the legal way."
"You over think things." Abbie told him, "We can sort something out I'm sure."
"Wow." Dean whispered, "Oh, almost forgot." He took out the ring box, "I guess this is yours." He smiled, "Kinda new at the whole proposing thing."
"I get that." Abbie replied, "But at least I got the general idea, huh?"
"Yes, that was good." Dean laughed, "Eat up, there's more gifts downstairs."
"Better than this?" She asked, looking at the ring.
"Well, maybe..." Dean teased, "Sam's desperate to know if you said yes."
"Well let's go put the boy out of his misery." Abbie told him, getting up and following Dean downstairs.
"Yeah, this little old lady turned out to be pretty much evil. Can you believe she even chewed Dean out for saying 'bitch'? You should've seen his face." Dean and Abbie could hear Sam talking to Bobby, they walked into the living room. "Hey, Merry Christmas...Oh my God, you said yes!" Sam grinned, standing up to hug Abbie tightly, "Welcome to the family." He turned to Dean, shook his hand, then decided to just hug him too, "Congratulations, dude."
"Someone mind filling an old guy in?" Bobby smiled, from his chair, "I don't remember you having that ring last night."
"Just got it." Abbie grinned.
"Bobby, meet the next Mrs Winchester."
"Congratulations, kids. Are you sure you know what you're letting yourself in for?"
"No getting out of it now." Abbie laughed.
"C'mon then, let's see what else Father Christmas has left." Dean pulled Abbie towards the tree. "You know, I think this is my best Christmas so far." He whispered to her, "Thank you."
