November 23, 2006
"Crap!" Andrew waved the dish-towel in front of the blaring smoke alarm as Paula watched from the oven, her arms crossed. He balanced on the wooden kitchen chair waving the faded yellow checkered towel wildly to dissipate the air around the detector.
"Andrew, just open a window. You know that waving that rag in front of it won't do anything…"
"No way! I'm not paying to heat the outdoors, and besides, it worked last time."
She rolled her eyes as he continued. He smiled triumphantly as the beeping stopped, Paula already having returned to the kitchen to finish basting the turkey. As he got down the doorbell rang.
"Coming!" He yelled, quickly stashing the dish-towel as he crossed into the living room. He opened the door to see Sam, Dean, and a girl he didn't know standing at the door.
"Paula! The boys are here! And one of them brought a friend!" He yelled back as he gestured for Sam and Dean to enter along with their female companion.
"Coming!" Paula replied, bustling out of the kitchen, her apron still on as she came to greet the group. "Hello Sam! Hello Dean!" She hugged her sons. "And who are you?"
"I'm Jessica Moore, but you can call me Jess." Jess smiled politely as she stuck out a hand.
"She's my girlfriend." Sam added, coughing nervously. And Mom is going to kill me for not mentioning her sooner…
"Well, congratulations!" Andrew smiled, "Glad to have you. Can't say we've heard much about you, but we sure are glad to have you!"
"Dinner should be ready in just a few minutes, so wash up and I'll start bringing everything out." Paula smiled as she excused herself.
**SPN**
Six minutes and forty-two seconds later the five were sat around the Beretta's dining room table.
"So, how long have you and Sam known each other?" Paula asked, plating some of her green bean casserole onto Dean's plate.
"It's been around three months." Jess said her voice dropping slightly at the end. "While the circumstances of our meeting were…"
"Less than ideal?" Sam suggested.
Jess nodded in agreement. "…I'm glad that I met him." She smiled.
"Well, I'll have to hear more of that story later, if you don't mind." Andrew added, "But for now it's time to pray."
The Berettas lifted their hands upward to join as they sat, with Jess unfamiliarly joining in.
"Bless us, O' Lord, and these thy gifts which we are about to receive. From thy bounty O' Christ, our Lord, Amen." Andrew nodded as they finished.
Following the prayer Andrew continued the tradition of reading for Thanksgiving, reciting a few passages from the Bible pertaining to the occasion. As he continued Jess had shrunk slightly into her chair; her shoulders slouched as she rubbed her forearm and started to serve herself mashed potatoes.
Andrew quickly exchanged a look with Paula, the two having learned to communicate near perfectly without words after the many years of marriage they shared, before he spoke, "Is everything alright Jess? You look a tad uncomfortable. I can change the temperature if you like."
"No… I'm okay." She smiled, not wanting to offend her hosts. "I'm just not used to all the New Testament stuff."
Andrew exchanged another look with Paula before she spoke, "I'm sorry, are you Jewish? We didn't mean to offend you…"
Sam nervously looked at Jess; they had discussed the possibility of his parents' reactions to her background. Given how they had handled Dean, Sam had hoped that it would be okay, but while generally kind people his parents were quite traditional. "Yes, I am." She said.
"Oh." Paula replied, quietly as the grandfather clock in the corner ticked in the silence, Andrew and Paula exchanging a series of glances that indicated they were discussing something without words.
Alright, enough is enough. "Yes. You have a gay son and a son who is in love with a Jewish girl." Dean stated, huffing slightly, "Life goes on. Jess is great, and I'm happy with who I am. Let's skip the awkward dancing around the elephants in the room and just be adults about it. If you don't want to talk about it, fine. But don't judge Sammy or Jess." Dean commanded. Let's just act like we used to before any of this stuff happened.
"Sorry. We didn't mean to make you uncomfortable." Paula looked at Jess, "We are genuinely interested in getting to know you."
"And we still love both of you boys, even if things are a bit different now." Andrew added, clasping Dean on the shoulder. "So, if you ever end up bringing a boy home… Your mother and I will make sure we try our best with him."
"Forgive us, but you must admit it is a bit to get used to." Paula laughed, "But you're right Dean, we do need to just act like adults."
Dean sighed, silently looking at Sam-who also was breathing normally again for the first time since walking in the front door.
"So, how about we hear how the professor and our teacher are doing?" Andrew asked, smiling.
**SPN**
The rest of the day had gone smoothly. Sam and Jess had discussed their meeting (with some of the more supernatural and traumatic elements excised), Dean had managed to regain his parent's approval, and everyone had a calm evening as they ate and later watched football on the new television in the living room-a sixty inch rear-projection model! As Dean brushed his teeth he thought about how the day had gone, though one persistent notion wouldn't leave. Eventually he conceded, and in his prayer again requested Castiel to meet with him.
"Hello Cas." Dean smiled as he heard the angel approaching. Dean had commented how it had been unsettling that the angel appeared at close distances without sound, so the angel had started to add normal footsteps to his movements instead of teleporting and gliding silently.
"Hello Dean." The angel nodded as Dean smiled.
"Cas, do you have a family?" Dean looked at the man across from him (well, angel really).
"Yes, I have many brothers and sisters. Though not exactly as you do. The heavenly host is a large family, and though we are related we do not often act as closely as humans who share family bonds. Mainly due to your more emotional engagement you are much closer to your relatives. For me my brothers and sisters, while quite close in terms of family relationships, are more akin to coworkers. We work together to provide peace and order, and to combat the ways of evil." The angel paused.
Dean nodded, "Do you ever wish your family was closer?"
Castiel tilted his head. "I suppose there are moments when it may seem distant, but I am comforted in knowing that my family is always there for me, even if in a different way than yours may be."
"Sammy and I are about as close as anyone after everything that happened, and he and Jess are too. We celebrated a holiday today. It was Thanksgiving. Normally you invite your family, but you can also invite friends to join in a feast to celebrate the good things that have happened. A lot of bad has happened this year, but you weren't part of it. Sammy says that you even sometimes stop in to check on him…"
"As per your request."
Dean raised an eyebrow, "Well, I think you may be taking a shine to him. For one, you haven't called him demon-blooded or Lucifer's vessel for a bit."
Castiel was silent, so Dean continued. "I wanted to see if you wanted to have a sort-of Thanksgiving dinner. I don't know if Sammy could join, but if not I'd be fine with just living a few memories with you."
"Given his psychic abilities I believe he could transverse the dreams of others, though I do not believe he could given his current inexperience." Castiel stated.
"Well, in that case, let's just take a trip down memory lane." Dean stuck out his hand as the room melted into the Beretta dining room nearly a decade earlier. He pulled out an empty chair at the table and watched as the angel awkwardly sat himself down.
"I'm guessing you aren't invited to many dinner parties." Dean snarked.
"Given that I do not possess the need to eat, it is infrequent." Castiel stated blankly.
"Well, at least try the desserts. This is the last year my Nana was around, and she could really bake." Dean watched as his grandmother sat down at the head of the table. He'd relived this memory hundreds of times. It was the last day he saw his grandmother before the funeral in early December. She'd died two days later, right after she got home from the airport. It was a peaceful way to go; she'd been watching television when she passed-Mom had found her the next morning when she came over to help with laundry.
"Are you okay? This memory appears to be causing you some degree of sadness." Castiel stated.
Dean sighed, "I'm actually quite happy. I miss her, but I know she's in a better place." He shook his head, "But enough of that for now, let's enjoy the meal."
