Dean and Rhonda are an item now, and everyone treats Dean like he's won the lottery - including Benny, who called dibs on getting all the details to Dean and Rhonda's "bedroom rodeo", as he calls it. The girls call Rhonda a slut, but the boys envy the ground she walks on; she's hot, and easy, a guy's dream come true. Right?

Wrong, because Dean is already taken.

Sure, Dean knows she's a looker.

And Dean will give Rhonda something else: she endures. He's been hot and cold, moody, and downright rude to her sometimes but she's still tethered to him.

She knows Dean is in love with "an older boy". He insinuated as much, more like nearly admitted it during one of their sexapades. She accepts she's never going to be "the one," but she sticks around, and Dean won't lie, he enjoys the intimacy. In bed, Rhonda is anything but boring.

A part of Dean has humored the thought that maybe there's a longer play at hand; Rhonda may be lurking, waiting for a chance to pounce on Dean, and tie him in a committed relationship, but as far as he's concerned, she can lurk all she wants; she'll never be his other half.

He already cheats on Rhonda with other girls. He often comes clean, she pretends to mind, but deep down, Dean doesn't think she does as long as, publicly, they're still together. In another life, she might have worked well as a beta mistress, if only for her looks, because let's face it, that's her only powerful asset. The girl's got no class.

Dean tells himself he can make do with this broken relationship for now - until he's with his mate. His own mother.

He realizes how it sounds, and he's already bracing himself (mentally) for all the battles he will have to wage in order to convince the world his mom is his. He knows what this love entails; this obsession. He's painfully aware that his mom was claimed before Dean was even conceived - in fact, Dean himself wouldn't be here if he weren't.

He also knows choosing Sam means breaking ranks with his entire family, losing his father, maybe even his brother, and one day having to stand up and claim his own mother, marry him and be both father and brother to his sons and daughters.

It's messed up. If he were an outsider, he'd judge himself and Sam harshly.

But Dean also doesn't care - family politics or societal norms don't hold a candle to the red, hot passion coursing through him at the idea of having Sam all to himself.

He's familiar with the history of Alpha and Omega relationships, and being claimed by family members happened and still happens, albeit rarely compared to the old days. But it's not unheard of, and new social laws are not scripture, he tells himself.

Dean sometimes wishes he could vent to someone. He once thought of Bobby. They talk sometimes during his banishment periods, which are regular now that Sam goes into heat, but he couldn't muster enough courage to talk to him about this.

The closest he came to spilling it all to Bobby was when Dean fell apart this one time. Dean had been staying at Bobby's when he was suddenly hit by a bout of rage at the thought of his father claiming Sam like he once saw him do; the anger soon turned destructive and Dean's awareness caught up with him only in the midst of a tantrum where he was literally wrecking one of Bobby's cars in the yard with a heavy metal rod.

Usually working on the cars was meditative for Dean, but not that time. That time, he got carried away with his thoughts. He came out of his trance when Bobby started screaming at him to stop, holding his wrists, barring him from swinging his make-shift bat and hurling it at the poor vehicle one more time. Dean remembers the moment he came to: He was being manhandled by Bobby, standing in front of a wreck that he'd caused. He unclenched his fist, the rod fell out, and tears started overflooding his eyes.

The adrenaline withdrawal left Dean light headed, and his knees almost gave out. He held together, barely keeping from passing out or having a full meltdown. He sniffed and shifted his gaze away from his handiwork and from Bobby. He expected a lecture, and a phone call to his parents. Out of shame and not fear, Dean then started profusely apologizing. But Bobby just dismissed him. Dean saw him inspecting the damage - or pretending to, while in reality he was probably digesting the scene he'd walked onto - muttering "idjit" under his breath.

Later on, Bobby who usually hated talking about feelings as much as Dean did, popped open a couple of beers, slid one to Dean across the kitchen table, and told him to spill.

And Dean could've done that, would've, right there and then, and perhaps Bobby would've understood.

Dean would've told him his problem, mainly that he loved a man too much and it was making him mad and he didn't understand half of it. He'd tell him that his man was always with him, but always out of reach, loving but not romantically interested, his, but not his.

But Dean made a last minute decision to shut his cakehole, and keep his secrets and moaning to himself. Instead, he told Bobby he's feeling burned out, after losing a boxing match plus enduring overwhelming school work, expectations, etc. to which Bobby listened patiently, finally concluded it was all bullshit, telling Dean that when he's ready to talk, he'll be here. "And not a word to Cas or Sam about this," Bobby had added, pointing to Dean's beer bottle. Dean protested humorously that he's not an idiot, he'd never tell his parents about the odd drink. It wasn't worth mentioning anyway; it was one single beer. And that was that.

The 'dark' incident was shoved under the carpet, and for that Dean was immensely grateful.

...

It's almost the end of this school year, and the next is Dean's freshman year in high school.

He knows it's a big deal for his parents, but for him, all that he can think about is his sixteenth birthday, which, according to his pre-set plan, he's going to celebrate by fucking his mom.

He plans to do it some time around the Lupercalia festival, and his official coming-of-age ceremony as an Alpha male of the Winchester family. Both traditions are very medieval in flavor but his father's family uphold the tradition religiously. He's never attended the festival before; only adults are allowed to. But he hears that everyone dresses up for it, that it's grand and regal, and that during the festival, the family's freshly matured Alphas are honored by the heads of families. Dean doesn't think Castiel is progressive enough to force him to miss such a celebrated, life-defining event.

And again, Dean believes it's fit to claim his mom around that time, in the after-glow of his own ceremony, after his mom witnesses his enthroning as an Alpha.

But he's no way close to being anything like that for Sam. In fact, he had to take it all down a notch, sensing a strong reluctance from his mom's end when he pushes or when he tries to brave new territory, especially during the last couple of weeks.

Sam still wavers between holding back and giving his all - and Dean is sometimes not so sure if his mom is still buying into his innocent charade.

Dean thinks perhaps it's time he let go of polite pretenses and instead, reveal to his mom his true intentions.

It's a wager; he could lose all. But how else is he going to make this work?

Besides, Dean would like to think that his mom loves him too much to risk losing him, even if it came down to a choice between him and his father. Or is he wrong?

His string of thoughts is severed when he hears his mom calling him down for dinner. His dad, as per the new tradition, is not around. He's so close to promotion, and he's working his butt off these days, spending more time in the office, and in work-related events, than ever before. Dean was propped up against the headboard waiting for the aspirin he popped half an hour earlier to kick in when he heard Sam's call. He was badly beaten in sparring, and took a bad hit to his chest. His ribs are aching. He was distracted and clumsy and his boxing coach was not happy.

Dean climbs off the bed, and walks down to the ground floor. His mom and Adam are already around the kitchen table, as Dean shuffles into the kitchen then grunts in pain as he plops down in his seat.

"Your ribs?" his mom asks, concern lacing his tone, but also a hint of anger that Dean doubts has anything to do with him being banged up.

"Getting better," Dean responds.

"I highly doubt."

"I'm fine, mom."

"Whatever, Dean. Eat," his mom says, dropping a plate in front of him.

OK, something is most definitely wrong. Throughout the meal, Dean tries to start a conversation but his mom's clipped responses kill those attempts. Sam is uncharacteristically impatient with Adam, who's like any three year old at a dinner table, is squirming in his seat, and playing with his food between mouthfuls. When they're done, Dean tries to help his mom clear the table, but Sam tells him not to bother. Dean takes Adam to the living room, and pops a DVD in, a cartoon to entertain his little brother, something he can fall asleep to. Then he returns to the kitchen where Sam's washing the dishes. His mom's back is straighter than usual, his shoulders are visibly tense, and he looks agitated - his distress is radiating off of him in waves. Dean swings his arms around him and hugs him from behind, chest to back, but Sam doesn't relax. Dean lays his head on Sam's back, in the nook between his shoulder blades, and starts massaging his mom's abs, wanting to soothe him of whatever it is that's eating him up. But Sam wriggles, clearly uncomfortable with the gesture and wanting to break free, and asks Dean if he has school work that requires attending to.

Dean doesn't know what to do with himself, so he withdraws to his room.

The week goes on with Sam being aloof and physically unresponsive. And between school and training, and studying for exams, Dean can't find the time to corner his mom and finally find out what's going on. Roll on the weekend, he thinks, because he really wants to get to the bottom of this.

On Thursday, late in the afternoon, Dean feels disenchanted with the cold situation at home, and he's climbing the walls. He decides to call Benny to see if he could come over to study with him. Cas is in early from work, a rarity but it happens, and Sam is showering his husband with attention. They're both ignoring him; Cas is not doing it on purpose, and Sam? Who knows what's going through his mommy's head right now. Where else do you think Dean got his talent for closing up and shutting his emotions away?

To make it all worse ... Dean has this dreadful feeling in the pit of his stomach that his mom and dad might have sex tonight, and he's helpless to stop it, as always.

An hour after his call, Benny comes round and at least now Dean has someone to talk to.

Believe it or not, they do study for a bit, in Dean's room, but then Cas swings by and tells them that dinner is served. When they're at the table, everyone makes polite conversation - it's not too often that Dean brings friends to the house - and for some reason everything is a little awkward. Sam doesn't talk to Dean a lot, it's like he's avoiding him or something, and Cas is making small talk. Adam is being his cute self, and telling Benny about his day. At three, he can string some sentences together, already, and he likes talking.

The conversation inches forward until Benny starts talking about his obsession: hockey, and it's something that perks Cas' interest, and they start going on and on about the last hockey season, making projections as well about the next one. Dean's eyes are on his mom, trying to read him, get into his head. He's only distracted when Benny nudges him, and asks if he's willing to come over to his place and watch this recorded game, something that he's organizing some time next week. "It'll be fun. Ash will be there, Charlie too. And oh, bring your girlfriend."

Dean's heart skips a beat, he chokes on his food, coughs a little and his watery eyes jump to meet his mom's, who's not looking at him but who has stopped chewing now and is staring at his plate, frozen like a statue.

Dean didn't tell his family about her.

To his friends, she's his girl, but here, in the Winchester home, she's a nobody, or at least Dean would've wanted to keep it this way.

Dean clears his throat before responding, "Sure, Benny. I'll ask her." Shit. He now just confirmed it. Shit, shit, shit. He looks at his mom, and Sam's face is unreadable, but his ears and neck have turned beat red.

"Girlfriend? How come I don't know anything about this, young man?" Cas asks, not exactly sternly, but playing it up. He's barely keeping himself from beaming; it almost feels like Cas is mentally sighing in comfort. He adds: "Tell us about this girl, Dean."

"Yeah, Dean," Sam says, almost challenging, and he's practically glaring at Dean now. "Tell us about her."

"Erm, we haven't been together for long."

"What are you on about?! It's your longest relationship yet, Dean," his very dumb friend says. "And they're all over each other, sir," Benny adds addressing Cas.

"Benny!" Now it's Dean who's flushed, his face burning.

Why does it feel like he's been caught cheating on his mom, like he's been ratted out by Benny. Practically, there's nothing between him and his mom, but he still feels like the scum of the Earth, and his mom's reaction is not helping. Is he reading this right? Is Sam pretty mad at him?

If Sam is livid, Dean deserves it of course. Dean and Sam are best friends; he doesn't keep anything from him. So Sam probably feels betrayed, for not knowing. He'd feel the same in his shoes. For a moment, Dean feels like it could be more; he wants it to be more. A part of him has always been indignant at the thought of being forced to tell Sam about Rhonda, and another longed for Sam to find out ... to test his reaction, to spark his jealousy.

"Alright, Dean, I'm sorry. It's just that you've never stayed with anyone for this long. As your best buddy, I'm happy for you."

"So, who is she?"

"Dad, do I really have to do this? Benny, I'll kill you."

"What? Were you going to keep this from us forever?" It's Sam again.

"No! Ugh. It's just that-I hate chick flick moments, mom, alright? Talking about relationships and all that. And I'm not exactly getting married here. So there's no forever. Is this clear?"

"She's not an omega, is she?" It's Cas who's asking.

"No, dad, she's a beta. And her name is Rhonda."

"You know I've met your mom when I was your age. Are you in love yet?" Cas teases. He is enjoying this a little too much, on his son's expense. In fact, Dean's discomfort is egging Cas on. When Dean just glares at his dad, and doesn't respond, Cas continues, "Alright, that's enough. Dean, you're inviting your girl over. Your mother and I would like to meet her."

"Dad, come on, we're not even that serious. I don't wanna give her the wrong impression."

"And the right impression would be to hide her away from your family, Dean Winchester? You're already together from the sound of it. It's as serious as it gets for your age. Bring her here. No girl is dating a son of mine without passing our test."

"What? You're gonna let her jump through hoops for you?"

"Keep talking, and I very well might," says Cas winking at Sam, who gives him a tight smile back.

Castiel, for some reason that Dean is starting to feel in his bones, is suddenly very cheerful. He knows, Dean thinks, about his feelings for Sam. But Dean can afford to entertain the disturbing thought for a brief moment, before moving onto the more pressing issue: the fact that he'll have to ask Rhonda to come and meet the family. To meet Sam.

"Tomorrow night," Cas says and his tone is final. Dean nods slowly, his shoulders slumped, feeling defeated.

This is going to be interesting.

He most definitely will kill Benny.