Ok, first things first. Shout outs to podothedruid, superchiwo, NeteleJala, Kansas1979, and Damaged Emerald for taking the time to leave reviews. This story now has over 100 reviews, which is more than double my previous record! So thank you to everyone who helped me reach that milestone.

And extra ginormous huggles and thank yous to Eyum daRelmera for helping me beat this chapter into submission, and for teaching me the difference between ellipsis and ellipses. =)

Warning: In this chapter a character expresses extremely homophobic views. Obviously these statements do not reflect my own opinions in any way, and I wouldn't have included them in the story unless they were essential to the plot.

Chapter Twenty

One Sunday in mid-February found Castiel sitting in a small classroom at a local community center with a dozen other parents and their children. Claire was sitting in his lap, so many strangers making her nervous and clingy, and Dean sat beside him, their shoulders brushing comfortingly. Just like with the photo album, there had been no question of excluding Dean from this.

Castiel balked when Dr. Bradbury first suggested enrolling Claire in an ASL class. It felt too much like giving up, like they were admitting that Claire would never talk again, but the doctor had patiently explained to him that that wasn't what they were doing at all.

"She's already started improvising her own sign language, so we're not even giving her a new tool, just honing the one she's been using and making it as reliable as possible for her. The more confidence she has in her ability to communicate her needs, the safer she will feel." Dr. Bradbury's gaze was kind and reassuring. "Don't think of this as labeling her a lost cause, Castiel. Think of it as making sure she can live a full, happy life no matter what the future brings. Besides sign language is a valuable skill for anyone to have."

Put like that, he really couldn't argue.

The class they chose was specifically geared towards families with deaf and/or mute children, and Castiel was relieved to see that he and Dean weren't the only same sex couple there. There were two other men with a five or six year old girl. They also relaxed visibly when they saw Dean and Castiel among all the straight couples. Castiel made a mental note to say hello later.

The teacher introduced herself as Miss Eileen. Her speech had the distinctive sound of someone who'd learned to talk without being able to hear their own voice, but Castiel soon got used to it like any accent and stopped needing to concentrate so hard to understand her. He spent most of the time watching her hands and clumsily trying to mimic the shapes they described so gracefully in the air. Every now and then he felt Dean's arm bump his as the other man did the same, and he smiled at the silent reminder that he wasn't alone in this.

Claire watched Miss Eileen raptly as though the teacher was imparting the secrets of the universe, which Castiel supposed she was in a way. For the first class they started with basic words that would be immediately useful in the everyday life of a child: school, home, play, eat, help, please, and thank you.

Miss Eileen went around the room, gently correcting finger motions where needed. Claire shied back against Castiel the first time she approached them, but the teacher smiled reassuringly and said, "It's okay, sweetie. You're doing fine, but can I show you an easier way that won't hurt your fingers?" And she didn't touch Claire until Claire cautiously extended her hands in permission.

After half an hour, the longest that the youngest children present could be expected to sit still and pay attention, Miss Eileen let them go with a reminder to practice at home as much as possible before next week.

"That was actually kinda fun," Dean said, rolling his shoulders a little.

"Yes," Castiel agreed. His brain wasn't as overloaded with information as he'd expected from learning a new language, and the movements had started to feel more natural towards the end. "What did you think, Claire? Do you like this way of talking?"

She smiled and nodded an enthusiastic yes. Then, to Castiel's delight, she made the signs for 'eat' and 'please' that she'd just learned.

"You're hungry?"

She nodded.

"Okay. We'll go get something to eat. Thank you for asking so nicely." He made the sign for 'thank you' as he said it. Even though her hearing worked fine, it couldn't hurt for her to see him using the signs too. It would help all of them retain the new material, as well as make signing feel more normal.

"Hey," Dean nudged him and nodded across the room. The other gay couple was making their way over. Clearly they had the same idea as Castiel earlier.

Claire saw the strangers approaching and quickly slid off Castiel's lap, darting to hide behind Dean's broad back as Dean and Castiel stood up. Dean chuckled and patted her shoulder reassuringly. "You're okay, kiddo. I'm sure they don't bite."

"Hey. Max Baines," the slightly taller of the two men introduced himself. He had coffee colored skin and a bright smile that made his deep, dark eyes twinkle mischievously. Castiel would have found him incredibly attractive in the days before all his attention swung towards Dean like the needle of a compass pointing true north. Now, however, he felt only an abstract appreciation for the beauty of the man. "This is my husband, Aaron."

Aaron's smile was shy, half hidden by a thick beard. He was clearly the more introverted half of the couple, balancing out Max's vibrant energy.

"And this little cutie is Tasha." Max reached down to ruffle his daughter's hair. She resembled both her fathers with Max's dark skin and black hair and Aaron's big brown puppy eyes. "You want to say hi, Tash?" Max asked gently. He looked directly into the little girl's face as he talked to her, and Castiel realized he was making sure she could read his lips.

She looked nervously over at Dean and Castiel, gave a shy wave, and then promptly hid her face against Aaron's jeans.

"Castiel Novak," Castiel said, shaking first Max's hand, then Aaron's. "This is my boyfriend, Dean, and," he paused slightly, not wanting to get into the whole complicated story of their family dynamic, continuing with, "this is Claire."

Claire peered suspiciously out from behind Dean.

"Hey, Claire," Max said, giving her an encouraging smile.

She blushed and hid behind Dean again. Although it hurt Castiel's heart seeing her so timid and frightened, the trust she had in Dean to protect her warmed him inside.

"Nice to not be the only odd ones out here," Aaron said, speaking up for the first time. His voice was deeper than Castiel had expected.

"Very nice," Max agreed. "Would you guys want to exchange numbers, get together some time? Trade gay parenting tips?" He laughed a little as he said it, but it was still clearly a serious offer.

Castiel liked the idea, but he looked to Dean before he said anything. Dean… had a rather odd look on his face. "Yeah, that sounds," he hesitated, "good. I mean, if Cas wants to."

"Yes, I think it would be nice," Castiel said. He took Dean's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. Whatever was bothering the man, they could figure it out later in private.

~o0o~

They went to a small, reasonably priced bistro called Milk and Honey that served breakfast all day every Sunday. When Claire pointed to the chocolate chip pancakes on the menu, the waitress looked uncertainly from Castiel to Dean and back, clearly wondering whose permission she was supposed to ask before giving the kid a plateful of sugar. Castiel said, "It's fine." Claire had been very cooperative about giving up one of her school-free days for the ASL class, and he felt that she deserved a treat.

The waitress, whose name tag said Robyn and who couldn't have been much more than eighteen, wrote down the order and turned to Dean. "And for you, handsome?" she said with a flirty smile.

"Actually, those pancakes sound really good," Dean said. "I'll have the same." He was either oblivious to the girl's interest or tactfully ignoring it. Either way it gave Castiel a warm thrill of mine.

He tried not to look too smug as Robyn directed a now slightly disappointed smile at him. He gave the menu one last glance, mentally said fuck it, and told her to make it three stacks of chocolate chip pancakes with extra whipped cream on the side. "We'll just have to find a way to work off the calories later. Right, honey?" he said to Dean with a suggestive smirk, and for good measure, put his hand on Dean's thigh under the table.

Dean gave him a look that said he knew exactly what Castiel was playing at, but also that he had no objections.

Robyn flushed bright pink and said, "Okay. Be right back with your order," before beating a hasty retreat.

"You realize she was probably just trying to get a bigger tip, right?" Dean said, putting his hand on top of Castiel's and rubbing soothing circles with his thumb.

"Yes, well, flirting with my boyfriend is definitely not the way to do that."

"Wow." Dean laughed suddenly, a surprised, delighted sound. "You actually have a little bit of a possessive streak, don't you?"

Castiel glanced at Claire. She was busy decorating her paper placemat with the crayons the restaurant provided for that purpose, but he knew that didn't mean she wasn't listening to every word. "We can discuss it later," he said, "while we're working off the pancakes." He scraped his fingers lightly along the inseam of Dean's jeans, watching Dean's pupils dilate, but withdrawing his hand before he could get the man unfairly worked up in a situation where they couldn't do anything about it.

The pancakes were wonderful, fluffy and chocolaty and just the right amount of sweet. Claire and Dean had a contest to see who could stuff more in their mouth at one time and both ended up looking like chipmunks. Castiel just watched with amusement, ignoring Dean goading him to join in. "You already know I can fit quite a lot in my mouth," he finally said with a raised eyebrow, "but if you'd like me to prove it again…"

Dean almost choked, and once he'd recovered and swallowed, he retaliated by dabbing whipped cream on Castiel's nose and then leaning over and licking it off which had Claire in fits of giggles. Castiel was about to give Dean a whipped cream facial of his own when someone cleared their throat pointedly nearby.

The three of them looked up. Castiel was expecting that a restaurant employee had come to tell them they were making too much of a disturbance although they weren't being particularly loud, and there were several other families with far more rambunctious children. But the middle-aged woman standing beside their table wore a smart, wool suit, not an apron. Castiel's eyes caught on the small silver cross around her neck before rising to take in the disgusted expression on her face, and all the happiness of the moment vanished, leaving only the dizzying sensation of the fight or flight adrenaline rush.

"Can we help you?" Dean said in a flat, ice cold voice Castiel had never heard him use before, not even with Naomi.

Go away, Castiel begged silently. Please just go away. Not in front of Claire. Please don't make her listen to this.

"You should be ashamed," the woman said, her voice shrill and carrying. The noise level in the restaurant dropped abruptly as people turned to stare. "Your sinful lifestyle is one thing. That is between you and God. But to bring a child into this… this…" Words seemed to fail her, and Castiel dared to hope that it was over, but then she drew a breath and burst into impassioned lecturing again. "If this country had any morals whatsoever, she would be taken away from you and given to a normal couple who haven't been blessed with children of their own."

"That's enough!" Dean said, standing up abruptly, but that wasn't what snapped Castiel out of his terrified paralysis. It was the tiny, heartbreaking whimper that Claire made just before she burst into tears.

Castiel shot out of his seat, pushing past the woman so forcefully that she stumbled into another table. He crouched down to pull Claire into his arms, and she clambered out of her chair to wrap herself around him like an octopus, clinging on tightly. He tried to murmur soothing words to her, "It's okay, honey. You're safe. No one is going to take you away. I promise," but his words were mostly drowned out by her sobs. She hadn't made this much noise in months, and it was terrifying him.

Castiel was only dimly aware of an argument taking place above his head. A restaurant employee had come over and was telling the woman to leave. The woman was protesting that she was a paying customer, and the employee was explaining less than patiently that that didn't give her the right to harass the other paying customers and frighten their children. But between Claire's screaming and his own mounting panic as he tried and failed to calm her down, Castiel had no attention to spare for anything else.

He flinched when he felt a hand on his arm, but it was only Dean kneeling beside him, wrapping strong arms around both him and Claire. In that moment Castiel kind of wanted to burst into tears himself, but he knew that would only frighten Claire more, so he locked down his rising emotions.

He was pretty sure Claire only stopped screaming because she was out of breath. She still clung to him like someone might try to drag her away at any moment, but the silence was a relief to his ears and probably everyone else's, and she could finally hear him telling her that she was safe. "No one's taking you away. I promise," he repeated over and over like a mantra.

The noise level in the restaurant was still muted, but at least people were trying not to stare. The employee who'd made the homophobic customer leave was a plump, motherly woman. Her name tag said Doris. "I am so sorry," she said sincerely.

"It's not your fault," Castiel reassured her.

"Still, I'm sorry you were subjected to that in my restaurant. Or anywhere. People like that… Ooh, they just make me so angry. And scaring a kid like that? I don't know how she sleeps at night."

Castiel thought of Jimmy. Would he have agreed with any of the things that woman had said? That Castiel and Dean had no business parading their "sinful" love in front of an impressionable child? That Claire would be better off in a traditional home? But no, he had never wanted Claire to be raised by strangers. That was why he'd had Castiel sign those papers despite his opinions on Castiel's sexuality. And he certainly wouldn't have approved of frightening Claire or any child with talk of forcibly taking her away from her family. He knew a thing or two about that. In this if nothing else, Castiel was sure that he and his brother would have been on the same side.

"Your meal is on the house," Doris was saying.

"No, that's not necessary," Castiel protested. "You shouldn't lose money because of someone else's bigotry." He knew well that restaurants like this operated on a shoestring budget, often just barely keeping the doors open from month to month.

Doris hesitated a moment, and then she crouched down next to them and smiled kindly at Claire. "Hey, sweetheart, what's your name?"

"Claire," Castiel answered for her.

"Claire. That's a beautiful name. Do you like milkshakes, Claire?"

Claire nodded warily.

"Chocolate, vanilla, or strawberry?"

Claire held up three fingers.

"All of them?" Doris said, sounding amused.

Claire shook her head and held up three fingers again.

"No, I think she means the third one," Dean said. "Strawberry? Is that what you want, kiddo?"

She nodded and gave him a watery smile of thanks for understanding her.

"Okay. One strawberry milkshake coming right up. On the house," Doris added with a stern look at Castiel.

He held up one hand in surrender, the other still wrapped protectively around Claire.

They moved back to the table, Claire finally loosening her hold on Castiel but insisting on sitting in his lap again.

"Cas?" Dean said, scooting his chair a little closer so he could rest a hand comfortably and comfortingly on Castiel's back. "Are you okay?"

What have I ever done to deserve this man? "Please don't ask me that," Castiel said, his voice coming out tight and strained as he fought back tears again. "I can… I can be not okay later. Now I have to be," he trailed off. I have to be a father.

Dean nodded, and then he picked up a purple crayon from the table, pushed Castiel's plate aside, and said, "Hey, Claire, you want to play tic tac toe?"

It wasn't quite the happy, carefree mood from before, but they played games and had drawing contests on the placemats, and Claire drank her free milkshake.

They all tensed up when another woman approached their table, this one with a little boy in tow, but then the boy stepped forward and offered Claire a sticker with a dinosaur on it. "I gots two stickers cause I didn't bite the dentist," he said gravely. "I gots a triceratops and a T-Rex. I think you should have the T-Rex so if the mean lady comes back, it can bite her. The triceratops wouldn't bite her cause they're plant eaters."

Claire took the sticker and signed 'thank you' which Castiel translated for the boy.

"You're welcome," he said and let his mother lead him away.

"There's hope for the future," Dean murmured, squeezing Castiel's hand.

Castiel squeezed back. "Yes. There is."