A/N- Thank you for the kind reviews.

Dean got up at the crack of dawn to make his man breakfast and a sack lunch to get the teacher through another grueling day of shaping young minds.

Castiel did a light workout then allowed Dean to sniff his pits, when the Omega got grabby the Alpha rushed to the bathroom, locked the door and showered off, as Dean put it, his sexy rank.

The mates watched the sunrise while sharing a plate of cheesy scrambled eggs and toast while Grace enjoyed breakfast ala Dean. It was all very normal, Dean liked normal this was something just over a year ago that had been missing from the Winchesters lives.

Later that morning Scotty stopped over with Alex. The Omegas caught up with each other's lives. They discussed Sam. Dean was glad to hear his Sammy was still a straight A student who engaged in extracurricular activities like mathletics and as a stagehand for drama club which was mostly to be around Alfie. Sam was on the fast track for his pick of scholarships someday.

Dean told Scotty of the incident with the Omega in heat and Castiel. "That skank needs a good bitch slap," Dean grumbled, "no one feels up my Alpha." He then told his mentor about their marking sex he had with Castiel after their argument.

Scotty crossed his long legs and leaned back on the comfy leather couch, sipping tea and watching Alex show off his new talent of raising his chubby legs in the air and grabbing his toes. Grace was super impressed; she tried and failed, rolling to the side like a ball.

The Omega put Grace on her belly. He looked over his shoulder and gave Dean a warm smile, "They've grown so much."

Dean wanted Scotty's opinion on the Omega and Cas story but for once the blonde was silent and that drove Dean nuts.

"Come on, I know you want to say something."

"You really want to know?"

"Yeah, don't hold back."

"You shouldn't have bitten Castiel and he shouldn't have responded in kind. When you originally marked each other that should have been enough, a claim was made, roles established and your mate status complete. "To draw blood over the old scar is a sign of weakness and jealousy. Both of you should be confident in your relationship. If you want to bite pick another spot and preferably don't draw blood, leave a bruise instead. It would be a shame to scar up Castiel's perky little ass."

"Ouch." Dean took his foot and pushed the bigger Omega's shoulder, "You shouldn't be thinking about my hubby's perky little ass."

Scotty took his very long leg and with the power of yoga, pushed Dean off the couch. "You asked, and sorry Dean, once a person sees a Novak mans ass it's difficult to forget," he added, "you big baby."

"Oh it's on like Donkey Kong, you friggin' giraffe!" Dean lunged for Scotty and the two wrestled around the living room floor. They were almost equally matched except for Scotty's advantage of height and long limbs. They ended up on their backs both laughing like crazy. Both Omegas hadn't any childhood to speak of so cutting loose and acting silly once in awhile was fun and therapeutic.

Scotty pulled a business card from his pocket and handed it to Dean, "I almost forgot, this guy stopped by and left his card."

Dean got a frown on his face as he read the card, "Peter Richards…the name of the Omega in heat was Rich and this guy is Peter Richards."

"Coincidence maybe, you don't know what this Rich guy even looks like."

"I guess you're right."

The mommies turned in unison when they heard a little grunt. Alex had a look of deep concentration and Grace had a goofy grin.

"So which one do you think is taking a dump?" Dean took his wallet from his back pocket, "I'll bet you five bucks it's Alex."

Scotty pulled a wad of sweaty cash from his sports bra, "Nope, its Grace. Everyone knows girls make funny faces when they're pooping."

"Seriously?"

"Maybe, I don't know."

Scotty won the bet.

….

Dean closed his laptop and pushed the stack of school books aside, for once he finished his homework early. He was doing pretty well working independently.

There was spicy chili in the slow cooker and Grace had just started her nap. Besides folding laundry, there wasn't much too do until Cas got home.

Dean daydreamed about their upcoming interviews and photo sessions for Amazonian publishing after the holidays and the money it would bring in. They discussed starting a college fund for Grace and in the spring putting up a new, heated two car garage. Christmas would be tight this year but things would get better.

The bored teen twirled around on the desk chair as he tried to think of something to do. Dean stopped his twirling to look out the window at the dilapidated outbuildings; they used to be a bright shade of barn red back in the day. Now the boards were mostly weathered gray with dulled sections of the formerly cheery color.

Dean hadn't thoroughly explored the buildings which consisted of a large barn with a connected milk house, a machine shed, a wood shed and a good sized hen house. There was plenty of daylight left to do some poking around. Dean wasn't into antiques like Spencer or even Castiel, unless it pertained to cool classic cars or basically anything with a motor. He thought there might be something in one of those buildings he could spiff up for a Christmas gift for his father-in-law.

Dean put on his boots, pocketed his phone and clipped the baby monitor on his belt next to his hunting knife.

….

The machine shed was full of tools and farm equipment from a bygone era; Dean knew one man's trash was another man's treasure. It would have been a lot more fun exploring if Castiel had been there. "We should auction all this crap off this spring."

Dean tightened his jacket around him when the temperature dropped inside the building. His cell went off just then, Unknown Caller popped up on the screen but this time Dean let the call go to voicemail. The Hunter hoped a message was recorded, something he could play back and try to decipher.

He wasn't concerned about Grace; the house had been warded up the wahoo for almost every conceivable nightmare the Hunter had encountered in his short life.

Dean never saw it coming. The Omega was backhanded by an unseen entity; the blow was hard enough to bounce him off the back wall, narrowly missing an old Ford tractor. He had no time to catch his breath; the Hunter scrambled toward a pile of junk and lucked upon an iron crowbar. Icy fingers wrapped around Dean's ankle and he was dragging around the stone floor like a ragdoll. The Hunter did a two handed grip around the bar and swung, sending the entity away long enough to allow him time to make a run for the house.

Dean made it as far as the porch but it grabbed him by the belt and yanked him down the stairs, head bouncing painfully along each step. The Hunter was tossed in the middle of a clump of dormant wild roses.

"Show yourself you son of a bitch!"

After dragging its prey through the thorns the icy fingers began to prod, squeeze the Omega's body. Dean wildly swung the bar, buying him enough time to make it inside their house.

Dean backed away from the door holding the iron crowbar out in front of him. The heavy oak door shook in its sturdy frame, screams filled with anger and madness went on for at least a minute and then suddenly everything stopped.

The mother bounded up the stairs to the nursery and was relieved to find Grace peacefully napping and nothing out of place.

Dean checked his voice mail and found one message. As with the last call, it began with static and the strangled sounds of someone choking on their own blood, saliva, and secretions.

It was known as a death rattle.

Then, clear as day came two words.

"Hello, killer."

…

Both the student and teacher parking areas had almost cleared out and just a handful of vehicles remained in each. All after school activities had been canceled due to the approaching snowstorm.

Castiel pulled off one of his leather cashmere lined gloves, a gift from Spencer, and fished around in his pocket for his keys. "I need to get one of those springy wrist thingys in neon orange."

The teacher didn't hear the footsteps approaching him from behind, they were muffled by the new layer of powdery snow.

"Castiel Novak?"

The Alpha turned to find a brick wall of a man towering over him, an Alpha so big he gave Salvatore a run for his money. Sensing danger, instinct kicked in and Castiel went for the man's knees, kicking one so hard it sent his would- be attacker to the ground. Howls of pain came from the man.

The stranger wasn't alone, a hand clamped over the teacher's mouth and another around his chest. Cas was no match for the morphine laced syringe plunged into his shoulder.

…

Castiel didn't answer his phone so Dean left him a message.

"Cas, don't come home. Meet me at your dad's house. I'll explain when you get here."

Grace was bundled in her snowsuit and strapped to Dean's chest. "Ok, baby girl, here we go."

Dean dragged the bag of salt to the top edge of the porch and poured half down the steps, coating them and the first few feet of gravel. He cast the rest of the salt heavily along the ground and though it didn't create an impenetrable line, Dean hoped it was enough to get them from the Impala, several yards away.

"Hang on Gracie." Dean made a run for it, he flung the door open and slid inside and slammed the door shut. Dean unstrapped the crying baby from his chest and secured her in the car seat. He dropped the iron crowbar on the passenger seat and proceeded to try and put the key in the ignition but Dean was trembling so hard it took him several tries.

Just as he put the Impala into gear, what could only be described as a nightmare formed directly in front of the Impala.

The flickering specter with the expensive clothes, sharp, handsome features and predatory smile were the same as Dean remembered except the white teeth appeared very wicked in the afterlife, more wolf than human.

The long dead man then morphed into a pallid, blue tinged figure coated in frost, ravaged by cold. The shard of white plastic still stuck firmly in the carotid artery and the ghost's face and clothing a landscape of ruby blood crystals.

Fists came down on the car's hood actually caused the 3,500 pound vehicle to bounce. The wail started low, growing to ear splitting proportions within seconds. Grace let out a scream or terror. Dean put the pedal to the metal, driving the Impala straight through the vengeful ghost.

On the drive to his in-laws, every horrible moment of his abduction, every physical and emotional violation right up his trek through the blizzard came flooding back to Dean. Like all horrible events that happened in his young life, Dean compartmentalized each one, locking them neatly away behind one of many doors inside his mind. Sometimes all it took was the right trigger and one of the doors would give way.

He held it together long enough to get them safely to their family.

…

Castiel's SUV and the kidnappers van were parked at the end of Sycamore Bridge. Located in the sticks, it was mostly used by the locals in the area with little to no traffic in a winter storm. Locals tended to hunker down to wait out the bad weather. Cecile, the bigger of the two men, opened the doors of Castiels vehicle and with the help of Darnell; the two men rolled the SUV right off the end, sending it crashing down into the water below.

Darnell let out a string of curses when the only the front end submerged but the rear axle became hung up on a bolder. "Fuck, now what?"

Cecile flung the teacher's messenger bag and overcoat onto the rocks below, "I like the thought of the cops going on a wild goose chase looking for this fancy little fuck. Is the teacher in the water, is he frozen under a tree somewhere in the woods?"

Darnell snickered, "You are one evil bastard."

…

Spencer and Sam ran out to the Impala idling in the driveway. They found Dean with his head back, eyes closed and Grace crying. Sam shut off the engine then shook his brother.

"Dean, wake up." Sam's guts tightened up just looking at his brother's face, Dean looked as if he had went two rounds with Mike Tyson.

Dean open his eyes, "I'm just resting, Sammy."

Spencer had already taken his granddaughter into the house and given her to Scotty. He went back out to help Sam get Dean inside.

The Omega perked up as soon as he got inside. Castiel was his focus; he took out his phone and found no messages from Cas.

Dean held up his hand to stop the barrage of questions headed his way and called his Alpha again, he left another message. Dean sent text after text to Castiels phone.

…..

Cecile watched the text messages pouring in, "I better answer the little bitch."

"Why? Who gives a crap about Winchester?"

"It's called buying time Darnell."

"On my way to dad's now, the roads are very bad so it will be awhile."

Dean answered back, "Drive careful, I love you."

"Same."

That gave Dean, pause. It was cold and impersonal, at least for Castiel but Dean rationalized the response, "He's driving and its better he doesn't text anyway."

Cecile tossed the phone off the bridge. They then began the slow journey back to Rouan Manor.

…

Sam sat at his brother's feet to remove Dean's soaked boots and socks. Dean was too exhausted and distracted to protest, at that moment Sam could have stripped him naked and rolled him in sugar for all Dean cared.

The young Alpha rested his head on Dean's knee and stared up his Omega brother with hazel puppy eyes filled with worry. Sam knew he should wait for Dean to say something first. His brother had a tendency to shut down when someone pushed him.

Spencer on the other hand didn't have the patience, "Dean, what the hell happened? Who did this to you?"

Dean took a deep breath and started with the attack in the outbuilding and finished with the harrowing drive over. "I never thought I'd see him again…I don't understand, why now?" He slowly shook his head, eyes on the floor, "Who would want him back?"

…

"Sam, I can wash my own hair, stop being creepy." Dean gathered the bubbles to hide his nether regions even though they had seen each other sans clothes a thousand times.

Sam dumped the vanilla scented shampoo on his brother's dirty hair and leaned over the tub to scrub the Omega's scalp. "I'm not being creepy. Cas isn't here yet so you need someone to take care of you." Sam paused his scrubbing when his brother looked at him as if he'd grown a second head. "Damn it Dean, why can't I do stuff for you once in awhile?" Sam's shoulders slumped and his eyes looked about ready to let loose a few tears, "You don't understand me."

Dean could tell he had hurt Sam's feelings. Maybe since Sam had entered puberty, maybe Dean didn't really understand the kid's inner turmoil. He patted his baby brother on the arm and gave him a smile, "Fine Sam, knock yourself out. Scrub my cares away."

"I'm only washing your hair unless you need help with…"

"Nope."

"Good because then I'd get Scotty. I mean it's not that I couldn't but…"

"Sam, my hair is still dirty."

Dean sighed as he felt his brother's long fingers work the shampoo in. He had to admit, it felt great.

"Maybe you should become a professional shampoo guy when you grow up."

"Ha ha," Sam rinsed Dean's hair until the water ran clear. "There you go."

…..

Dean got out of the tub with some effort. The Omega's skin had bloomed with bruises and he felt tender all over. He rinsed the bubbles off and slipped into one of Spencer's terry robes.

A knock came at the door and Scotty popped his head in, "I brought you something for the pain." He held out his hand with two pills resting on the palm. "I also warmed up some chicken noodle soup for you."

Dean was suspicious of the pills, "Will they make me sleepy?"

Scotty stepped inside the bathroom. "Yes, but this will also help with," he ran his fingers lightly over Dean's bruised cheek, "all of this. You won't do Grace or Castiel any good hobbling around, tired and hungry."

Dean took the pills and then followed Scotty to the kitchen where he ate two bowls of soup and some homemade bread. Sam had made the bread and Dean likened it to a rock with a mushy center but soaked in enough broth it was palatable.

….

Dean found Spencer sitting in front of the bay window facing the driveway. All the outdoor lights were on and Spencer was fully dressed in warm clothing. The elder Alpha's hand was wrapped around a mug of coffee instead of his usual evening glass of scotch.

Dean hesitated at first then placed his hand on the Alpha's shoulder, "No sign of Castiel?"

Spencer's blue eyes were wide and fixed as if staring long enough would magically make his son appear in the driveway. "No…no call or text either but with this weather he might have gotten stuck or something and has no signal. It's no problem Dean, there are plows out everywhere keeping up with the storm and emergency crews and cops keep a look out for stranded drivers." The Alpha said it to comfort not only Dean but himself as well.

…..

Trooper Jackson kept his distance behind the plow clearing the less traveled roads. The plow driver wisely took his time. The plow crossed the bridge and came to a slow stop. Jackson hit his lights then got out of his vehicle to meet the plow driver on the bridge.

Jackson called through the howling wind, "What are you stopping for?"

The plow driver pointed to the water below. A vehicle had slide off at some point during the storm. The front end was submerged but the rear was hung up on the large rocks along the bank.

The trooper immediately called it in then carefully made his way down the embankment.

…

Andy had hauled his little backpack into the study where his mother sat staring into the fire. It was a way to be close to Peter without actually engaging him. Andy's nanny said after daddy died, his mommy had gone to a hospital that had special doctors. Mommy had come back still not right but Andy should give him time to adjust.

Andy tried his best to be a shadow but it was hard. He wanted Peter's hugs and kisses. Andy hoped if he colored quietly near him, Peter would eventually notice.

Peter turned his attention to his son after awhile, "What are you drawing?" The Omega stood and went over to Andy.

The little boy smiled up at his mother, "I'm makin' pictures for Mr. Cas." He pointed to the high school year book from the year previous. It was opened to the faculty page and Castiel's photo was circled in blue crayon.

The drawing was of Andy, his mother and Castiel. There was an apple tree and sunshine, a dog and cat and little hearts all over. "This is actually quite good…I'm glad you have a true talent."

"Really Mommy, you like it?"

"You know me dear, I never give false praise. That was more your father's department." He grabbed the five year old boys face and turned it side to side, "You look just like him, and me of course." Peter gave a sharp laugh. You are a complete Roman through and through."

He plucked at the fabric of Andy's pajamas, "What in the world is this?"

Andy hopped to his feet and did a series of jumps and kicks then let out "hyiah". These are my ninja turtle jammies!"

The little boy was so cute he was almost hug-worthy. Peter took a deep breath and let the motherly feeling pass.

….

Darnell drove the van slowly up the winding drive to the gates and swiped Cecile's security badge. Cecile looked back at the unconscious man lying on the floor, "Welcome home asshole, I hope you were worth all this bullshit."

TBC