Water Under The Bridge

1 Year Later

A year had passed.

By the end of the summer a few months before, Davina and Hayley were able to open the school that they had dreamed of. The coven and the pack from the bayou all had students of various ages in attendance. And, though it took convincing for some, there were hunters that had their children going there too. While many still never trusted what they called monsters, many others trusted the Winchesters. The chance for their kids to learn from them as well as have a steady place to call home rather than living on the road definitely had it's appeal.

Everyone in the family was happy to relocate back to New Orleans after their curse had been lifted. Sean was a year old now, strong and healthy. Sam was still running the bar while Cami had finally gotten her own practice opened. Elijah and Hayley had moved into the family's French Quarter home together, with Hayley of course working with the werewolves at the school while Elijah handled the day to day, overall school business. Davina taught the young witches, all while busily preparing for her and Adam's wedding. Adam helped when he could, but he was often still taking cases out of town.

Dean and Rebekah were also working cases, sometimes together, sometimes apart. They were still in an odd place that neither of them were quite sure how to work out. Both felt guilty over how they had treated each other, neither feeling like they deserved the other. It was a lot like before they got together, the obvious feelings and tension; everyone picked up on it and wished they would just get back together already. At least Castiel had returned her to being human again.

Madison and Klaus, on the other hand, were back in full swing. While Klaus hadn't initially wanted to get engaged right away as he slowly won her back, Madison was more than happy to have their family back together and even try to grow it. They had talked to Davina about a fertility spell that might help Madison get pregnant again, to give Ava a sibling. They had been trying for a few months but it had yet to work; regardless though, they had been engaged since they started trying to have another baby.

It was Thursday afternoon, with Saturday being Adam and Davina's wedding. Adam and Dean were out working a case, which Madison joked was their version of a bachelor party. She taught a handful of hunting classes at the school and that day she was teaching the senior students about exorcisms. She was just finishing up her lesson when she noticed Dean at the door.

"All right guys, have a good weekend," she told the students as they were packing up. "I'm sure I don't have to remind you no classes tomorrow," she laughed as they all knew they had a three day weekend so those who ran the school could prepare for the wedding. "What's up?" she asked Dean as she nodded for him to come in. "How was the case?"

"Eh," Dean brushed it off. "Kind of a bust." They had been investigating a mysterious death a few towns away, but it seemed the guy may have really just died of a heart attack. In any case, they had to get back in time for Adam to get married. Dean wasn't sure who would kill them if they were late; Davina, Kate, or Maddie. They had put another hunter on it though, just to be safe. "I wanted to run something by you though," he said, though he was warily watching the students leave.

"...what?" Madison asked curiously as he was eye balling the kids that had cleared the room.

"Doesn't it ever freak you out?" Dean asked her seriously. "Teaching a bunch of werewolves, witches, and-"

"Vampires?" she raised an eye brow at him, motioning at herself. "They're good kids Dean, like Ava," she reminded him.

"Right, right," he agreed with her, but he did look over his shoulder. "Look, I ah, wanted to ask you though...what do you think of me asking Rebekah to be my date to the wedding?"

"I would say it's about freaking time," she joked, though her smile was soft; he looked over his shoulder again. "You sure you're ok Dean?"

"Yeah, fine," Dean nodded, though he seemed anxious. "I'll, ah, see you at the house."

"...ok," Madison said in confusion as she watched him go.

Klaus got back to the house after having helped set things up at the bar for the rehearsal dinner the next night. He got back to a quiet house and he knew the ladies were all picking up their dresses while Sam and Adam were locking up at the bar. Dean was there alone, sitting on the couch, looking pretty miserable as he drank out of his flask.

"Maddie will kill you if you're drunk at another wedding," Klaus informed him as he sat down with him.

"Ha," Dean said sarcastically, though he did offer him the flask; Klaus took a drink before passing it back. "Wedding's not for two days," Dean shrugged as he took another drink.

"Are you all right Dean?" Klaus asked seriously.

"I was gonna ask Rebekah to be my date, but I chickened out," Dean shook his head. "I don't know, maybe some things just don't work out."

"I don't think you really believe that," Klaus told him. As he was saying this, Ava had come running into the house.

"Uncle Adam isn't here, right?" she asked them seriously.

"He's still at the bar," Klaus assured her and she ran back over to the door.

"He's not here!" Ava called and Davina came in with Kate to go hide her dress in Kate's room, Maddie and Rebekah coming in soon after with a few other things. Dean got up to leave to avoid Rebekah but Klaus did snatch the flask from him.

"Jokes on you, this city is full of bars," Dean told him as he turned to go but Madison was giving him a weird look; at least, he thought she was. "What?"

"...what?" Madison asked him, not thinking she was looking at him like anything.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Dean asked her seriously.

"Dean, the only thing I am right now is starving so if you-" She stopped when Dean went rushing out the door. "What the hell was that?" she asked Klaus as he came over closer.

"Probably something to do with this," he said as he held up the flask he confiscated.

"Lovely," Madison sighed heavily. "This is going to be a great weekend," she said somewhat forcefully, as though she was trying to will it into the universe.

The start of wedding weekend the next day was anything but great though. Dean, if possible, started acting even more jumpy than he had the day before. The strangest things were stressing him out. Dean wasn't the only one acting strangely. Klaus was also acting very odd, seeming overly anxious. While Dean seemed to act strangely around his sister, Klaus was acting strangely around her siblings, almost like he was scared of the hunters; Maddie thought maybe the thought of their own wedding was making him nervous. Things came to a head when they were gathered at the church for the rehearsal and Dean, at the sight of the vampires, hybrids and witches, went running out of the church.

"...did something happen on that case?" Sam, who was best man, asked Adam as the church doors swung shut behind Dean.

"Nothing sticks out," Adam shook his head as the rehearsal was breaking up from the altar to get ready to go to dinner. "I never heard anything from Mark, so I figured that guy just had some freak health thing." He noticed Klaus looking at him strangely. "...what?"

"...nothing," Klaus was saying, though he seemed very off.

"I'll call him," Bobby was saying now. "See if he found anything, something that might have followed Dean back."

"You...you don't think there will be another hunter here, do you love?" Klaus was asking Maddie quietly.

"Ah, not surprisingly, there's not a lot of hunters wanting to attend the wedding of a witch marrying a hunter with a vampire sister," she said jokingly as she put her jacket on. "Since when are you so weird about hunters?"

"I'm...not," he tried to put it off but was doing a poor job of doing so. As they were heading outside to walk down the street to the bar they ran into Kol who apologized for being late. He had spent a lot of time out of town still as he wanted to give Maddie and Klaus space after everything that had happened. He wanted Maddie to be happy and honestly, after this long, he was over her.

They all went inside, sitting around the long table they had set up the night before to have the rehearsal dinner, talking about how excited they were for the next day. Dean finally joined them, though he kept his head down as he took a seat between Adam and Sam. He worked very hard not to look at any of the supernatural family members across the table.

"Are you ok Dean?" Rebekah asked him and he just nodded.

"Maddie, you want a glass?" Hayley was asking as she had been pouring wine for everyone, bottle in hand.

"Um, no, I'm ok. Thanks," Madison waved her off.

"What, are you pregnant or something," Sam joked as he had taken Sean from Cami, balancing him on his leg to let him eat some of the food off his plate. Her loss for words was their answer.

"Maddie!" Rebekah exclaimed excitedly.

"I didn't want to say anything before the wedding," she blushed as she hadn't even told Klaus yet, Rebekah leaning from her seat to hug her. "I'm sorry guys," she was telling Adam and Davina as Rebekah released her.

"Don't be!" Davina insisted. "I'm just happy the spell-"

"Are you serious?" Klaus asked Maddie now and the air was immediately thick.

"Hey, Ava," Hayley was saying now, getting the nine year old's attention. "You know what, I think we forgot to get a dessert for tonight. Why don't you come with me to get some beignets," she said and Maddie thanked her as the two of them left, Cami taking Sean and going as well.

"What the hell?" Maddie demanded.

"I just think we should have thought about this more," Klaus was continuing. "With literally everything that happened last time, with the demons and my parents and-"

"Elijah," Maddie said now, nodding at Klaus as though he could do something.

"Man, he had to bring up demons," Dean said, taking his head in his hands as he rested his elbows on the table.

"What have you two been smoking?" Maddie asked as she looked between the two of them. As she was asking this, Bobby had finally joined them at the bar. The first thing he did was go to where Adam and Dean were sitting next to each other, smacking each over the head.

"Ow!" Adam complained.

"You're so mean," Dean winced.

"Did you two idjits investigate that case at all?" Bobby asked, though he knew the answer. They barely got through the autopsy before they had to head back to New Orleans; honestly, they shouldn't have even taken it. "Your heart attack guy? He died of ghost sickness. The two days leading up to his death he was acting like this," he motioned between Dean and Klaus.

"Oh I hate when he yells," Klaus said, putting his head on the table, his hands over his head.

"What the..." Madison trailed off as she watched both him and Dean.

"How do people even get this?" Elijah asked curiously.

"It takes one person coming in contact with the initial spirit," Bobby explained. "Then it just spreads like a regular sickness."

"Oh, like you getting hit with that spleen stuff at the autopsy," Adam was saying to Dean now.

"Or me drinking after you," Klaus was saying as he lifted his head to look at Dean; Dean was looking annoyed at Adam though.

"You got hit with it too," Dean pointed out.

"And we've kissed," Maddie pointed out as well that she wasn't sick either.

"That's the other part," Bobby continued. "There were other victims. One was a high school bully, one was a bouncer, one was a vice principal..."

"They were all dicks?" Sam questioned.

"Hey," Klaus and Dean said defensively.

"They scared people," Bobby clarified. "So, now the sickness is scaring them to death."

"How long do we have?" Rebekah was asking.

"Tomorrow would be two days for both of them," Bobby continued.

"Wait, wait, wait," Dean said, annoyed. "Adam scares people too, so does Mads."

"Well, apparently, we're not dicks," Madison smirked at him.

"No, everyone here should be sick," Klaus agreed with Dean, their panic making them only make sense to each other. "Everyone here has killed someone before. Except Kate," he tacked on.

"That you know of," Kate joked, sipping her wine. Dean and Klaus though didn't seem to get the joke.

"I'm done," Dean said, pushing away from the table.

"I'm with you," Klaus agreed as he got up as well, both rushing out the door.

"I don't know Maddie," Rebekah was saying reluctantly the next morning. Maddie had all but forced Kate, Davina, Adam, Sam and Cami out, with Ava and Sean in tow to get ready for the wedding still. She insisted that Mark and Bobby who had gone to help were close to closing the case and that she wouldn't let this ruin a family event. They were going to have at least one normal family event!, she had insisted.

"We have to keep them calm, until the sickness passes," Maddie was reminding her. "Sam is Adam's best man, you're the only other one that Dean will talk to."

"Why don't you talk to your brother and I'll talk to mine," Rebekah suggested.

"Oh, sure," Maddie said sarcastically, pushing Dean's bedroom door open. "Hey De-" She barely got his name out before he dove into the closet. She motioned for Rebekah to go in, with Rebekah giving in and going into the room. Whatever they had to do to keep them calm until this was over. Maddie went back down the hall, quietly letting herself into her and Klaus's room where he had started to pace.

"I wish you would sit down," Madison said gently; Klaus obliged her, but he continued to fidget. "I know you don't feel this way, but there is nothing for you to be afraid of."

"Dean, would you come out of there," Rebekah sighed heavily at the closet door. "There's no one else here, just you and me." Dean poked his head out from behind the door.

"You sure?" Dean asked.

"Positive," Rebekah smiled at him, taking a seat on the bed. "Not that your sister or my brothers would ever-"

"Hello Dean," the hallucination sitting next to Rebekah said. Though, of course, Dean didn't know he was a hallucination.

"Oh no," Dean said as he darted back into the closet.

"Dean, what's going-" Rebekah said as Dean grabbed her hand and dragged her in to sit on the floor with him. "What on earth are we doing in here?"

"You didn't see him out there?!" Dean snapped at her.

"See who?" she insisted.

"A...Alistair," he managed to explain, fear in his voice.

"The demon from-"

"From when I was in hell, yeah," Dean finished for her.

"Let's talk about our wedding," Maddie said cheerfully as she sat next to Klaus on their bed, taking his hand in hers. "Do you want to have it quickly, before the baby? Or wait until after?"

"Assuming it's yours," Klaus heard an all too familiar voice saying from the other side of the room.

"Oh," Klaus squeezed his eyes shut to make him go away.

"...what?" Maddie asked, looking over to where she saw nothing; Bobby had warned her about hallucinations. "Baby, what did you see?"

"Mikael's here," Klaus told her, eyes still shut.

"No, he's not," she reassured him, moving to kneel in front of him. "My mom killed him, or whatever it was she did," she reminded him of the day she went into labor with Ava. "He cannot hurt you."

"Sounds like the same voice she uses on your daughter when she has nightmares," Mikael mocked him.

"C'mon, really," she said, getting Klaus to look at her. "Let's talk about our wedding. Do you want to elope? We'll take Ava somewhere and just have the three of us-"

"Mmm, probably doesn't want to get married in front of Kol," Mikael continued. "Which brings me back to my first point, are you sure that baby is yours? Or Ava even?"

"Stop!" Klaus turned to shout at Mikael who laughed at him. Klaus lunged for him but fell to the ground, clutching his chest; this must be what a heart attack felt like.

"No,no,no,no," Maddie said as she rushed to kneel next to him, letting his head lay in her lap. "I need you to slow down, to breathe ok?" He tried to do as she asked but it felt like his chest was going to explode. "Because we're having this baby, we're getting married," she listed to him.

"They all deserve better," Mikael continued.

"You don't want to miss your brother's wedding," Rebekah continued to try to keep calm by reminding him of what was most important to him, his family.

"Oh man, Adam's marrying a witch," Dean groaned, taking his head in his hands.

"A witch that's saved all of us more than once," Rebekah reminded him. She couldn't help but remember the time out in the bayou when she was hallucinating and he was trying to calm her.

"Maybe this should happen to me," Dean continued.

"What are you talking about?" Rebekah demanded.

"You know what I did down there," Dean reminded her. "You know...you know this is why your brother and I are the only ones that are sick." His chest started hurting. "Mmm, I don't deserve any of you."

"That's not true," Rebekah insisted. "You're a good man Dean. You deserve everything you've always wanted. A home, a family, a-"

"Tick tock," Alistair appeared inside the closet, reminding Dean of the time. Dean went scrambling out of the closet but was soon laying on the floor, holding his chest.

"Dean, listen to me," Rebekah insisted, leaning over him as she held his hand; as he held it close to his chest she could feel his heart racing. "You can't leave me again, ok? Because now we're even," she tried to laugh though tears sprung to her eyes. "You left for hell, then I left with the hollow. We're even!" she insisted. "And we're going to move on from that, but only if you calm down." They both felt his heart rate slow and he squeezed her hand tight. "Is it over?" she asked him.

"I...I think so," Dean said, feeling like himself for the first time in days, glancing over at the closet where the hallucination of Alistair was gone. His phone in his pocket started ringing with a call from Bobby.

"You all right?" Bobby was asking him. "Mark and I just got the spirit that's the root of all this."

"Yeah, I'm all right," Dean assured him as he sat up, Rebekah sitting on the floor with him still. "Actually, I'm perfect," he said as he hung up the phone before going to kiss Rebekah.

"You guys-" Madison asked as she opened the door to see if they were ok, with Klaus feeling back to himself now as well. They ignored her as they continued to kiss. "Yeah, they're fine," Madison smirked at Klaus as she shut the door.

"I think we have a wedding to get to," Klaus said lightly as he held a hand out for her, with her taking it as they went towards the stairs. "Not that I'm not happy for Adam and Davina, but I am happy I get to see Ava as a flower girl finally."

"Junior bridesmaid," Madison corrected him of her title with a laugh as the nine year old thought she was too old to be a flower girl.

"And to answer your question from before," Klaus said as he stopped her by the front door. "I would love nothing more than to take you and Ava away for awhile, for us to elope and have some time as a family."

"That sounds perfect," she agreed as she kissed him, never wanting a huge wedding herself.

"If for no other reason than I'm terrified of Bobby showing up with an actual shotgun," he joked.

"That's entirely fair," she laughed as she kissed him again. "Let's go."

thanks so much for reading! just one more chapter after this one to wrap everything up!