Author's Note: First I would like to say sorry for not being around, took some time off! I hope you all had a Happy New Year's. I had some trouble with this (completely forgot about Jo and Charlie) so I went back and re-did some of the story. Sorry if I skipped something!

~This has been edited by QueenOfHearts

Chapter Six

It turned out that Gabriel did need his suit. Standing in front of the upstairs bathroom mirror, the blond decided against slicking back his hair and left it loose around his face while he straightened his tie. Originally Ellen was going to cook them a meal for Christmas Eve; upon finding out her plans however Gabriel insisted on taking them out. She could cook on either Christmas Eve or Christmas, not both as far as he was concerned.

Everyone was quick to agree to go out, especially when Gabriel mentioned that he was picking up the tab. Dean had thought to protest, but a quick kiss on his friend's lips had silenced him on the matter. Another phone call and Gabriel had them all booked in at the local Italian restaurant. At a knock on the door, Gabriel checked his appearance once more before opening it.

He was greeted with the sight of Dean in his suit, neatly framing his body, those green eyes widening for a moment before locking on his own. It was something else being the center of Dean's attention. While he had been before, the past few days while they were pretending to be together, Dean had been nothing but attentive. It was perfect, everything that Gabriel had ever dreamed of, and it was only for pretend. There were times, like now as Dean took in his suit and licked his lips, that Gabriel thought there could be more than merely wanting to pacify his mother in Dean's actions. Perhaps it was wishful thinking.

"You look good." There was a slight break to Dean's voice while he spoke, his eyes never leaving Gabriel. Licking his lips, Gabriel leaned forward, bringing his hands up to adjust Dean's tie. It was already perfect; the man had probably taken just as much time to dress as Gabriel did. Still, it gave him a chance to be close to Dean, to take in the scent of his cologne and feel the heat from his body.

"You look good too, Sugar. You ready for this thing?"

"Yeah, you and I are taking my car. Mom, Dad, Sam and Jess will be riding together. Charlie and Jo will meet us there." Leaning up, Gabriel placed a soft kiss to Dean's lips before flattening his hands on the other's muscular chest. Dean was quick to respond, holding Gabriel close before letting go. As he took a step back, Gabriel winked at Dean, making his way down the stairwell before the taller man could realize that Gabriel had kissed him without witnesses. It was hard, trying to remember that they weren't together, that he only had the right to touch Dean when someone could be watching.

"There you are, Gabriel; we were just about to head out. You two ready?" An arm came to wrap around him from behind, making Gabriel tense for a moment before he relaxed into the hold.

"We're good to go, Mom, we'll meet you there." The hand that was resting on his side squeezed slightly, and Gabriel knew that Dean wanted to talk about what had happened. Having no intentions of doing so, the smaller man smiled at Ellen before slipping on his jacket, making certain he had his wallet and holding out his arm for the lady.

"Would you mind me escorting you to the car?"

Ellen laughed but hooked her arm in his, giving Gabriel the chance to escape Dean even if only until they entered the car. He thought about asking Sam to switch with him, mentioning something about Dean not having the chance to spend any time with the younger sibling. Shaking the thought aside, Gabriel bit the bullet and after waving goodbye to the family who pulled away, he was left alone with Dean. Turning his back, Gabriel opened the passenger door and climbed inside the Impala, hopeful that Dean would let the subject drop.

"So, are we going to talk about it?" asked Dean, his eyes on the road as he started to pull out of the long driveway. Gabriel pretended not to hear him. His head turned toward the window at his side instead of facing his friend. It could ruin everything. Instead of forcing the issue, as Gabriel expected, Dean sighed heavily before turning on the radio and drowning out their silence. It was a long drive the restaurant. Once they arrived, Gabriel looked at Dean and waited for some kind of sign from the other man.

Without saying a word, Dean opened his door and climbed out of the car, waiting for Gabriel to do the same. The others were already there, having arrived only moments before, but Gabriel couldn't think of how he was supposed to be acting; all he could see was that Dean knew. He should never have kissed the man without someone watching, of chancing the taller man realizing that something was wrong. Soon his thoughts were interrupted by a red-haired blur who wrapped him in a tight hug. Not knowing what else to do, Gabriel hugged the woman back who seemed to be a ball of energy.

"It's so good to meet you, I'm Charlie by the way." Introduced the woman as she pulled back, a slim blond woman coming to her side and smiling at him. "Mom has been talking about you, I'm Jo, though I have to say you are way out of my brother's league." Laughing, Gabriel pulled the blond into a hug, wiggling his eyebrows once the hug broke. "You two lovely ladies wouldn't have room for a third then would you?" Charlie laughed, shaking her head. "Sorry, but your, shall we say, spare parts put me off." Dean shouted, coming behind Gabriel and wrapping his arms around the smaller man, a possessive hand on his hip. Winking at Jo, Gabriel leaned into the touch, closing his eyes for just a moment before doing so. "I suppose I'll have to settle for Dean-o here then."

The group continued to tease and joke before entering the restaurant. Getting to their table, Gabriel leaned into Dean's touch, the hand at the small of his back felt warm even through the layers of fabric. Before Gabriel was ready, they were sitting down, the comfort of Dean's hand leaving so that the man could sit at his spot, though Gabriel was quick to reach out once settled and place his hand on Dean's knee. If he was never going to be able to be close to Dean again, he was going to make the most of it while he had the chance. Instead of pulling away, Dean placed his hand on top of Gabriel's holding it in place before turning his attention to his mother who was looking at them.

"You know I never thought I would see you two together. I knew about you, of course, Gabriel, but I never thought Dean would get his head out of his ass long enough to make a move." Ellen waved her hand to cut Dean off from his protests. "I knew of course, that he wanted more than friendship but was afraid to rock the boat. When did you figure out that you had more than a friendship between you? I don't think we've heard it from your side before."

The waitress returned, taking their orders which gave Gabriel a bit of time before he had to answer the question. Once the waitress was gone, Ellen turned her attention back to him and licking his lips, Gabriel couldn't find it in himself to lie to the woman. "I knew I was in love with Dean years ago." The hand which had been holding his own flexed slightly, but Gabriel didn't dare turn toward the man who was trying to gain his attention. "He may not have noticed, but I tried for weeks to gain his attention. I flirted and annoyed him until he had no choice but to respond. The thing was after getting to know him, I wanted more and toned down my flirting to see what happened."

Taking a drink of his water, Gabriel glanced at Dean out of the corner of his eye. "We hung out for a while, going to bars and such, and the more I held back, the more I realized I was falling in love with who I thought was a straight man. Five years we've known each other, and I've been in love with your son for at least four of them." Ellen looked like she wanted to reach out for him, to reassure him, but Dean was quicker, his thumb rubbing soothingly on the side of Gabriel's hand.

"How you thought I was straight I still have no idea. I spent most of the time we were together checking you out." Dean's voice was sincere, and Gabriel couldn't help but give the taller man his full attention, his whiskey eyes locking with green. There was something there, something real that Gabriel wanted to explore. Their food arrived, breaking the connection, though Gabriel noticed how Dean kept using every chance he could to reach out and place a hand on his knee or arm.

The rest of the meal was spent with everyone catching up, discussing their lives with their family and teasing one another. Even though he didn't know the people around him except for stories Dean had told him, Gabriel didn't feel left out. Instead, he found himself sharing stories of his own, connecting with those around him. After dessert had come and gone, Gabriel was quick to pick up the check, ignoring anyone's protests. By the time they were making their way back to their cars Gabriel had all but forgotten the tension between him and Dean from before, the taller man having his arm wrapped around him while they walked.

"Hey, Gabriel?" asked Sam, his bottom lip between his teeth for a moment while he turned to face them. Raising an eyebrow at the man, Gabriel remained against Dean's side. "I was wondering if I could ride with Dean back? There's something I want to talk to him about if you don't mind switching with me?" Gabriel had an idea of what Sam wanted to talk to Dean about. He had been giving them both odd looks through dinner, and while he tried to protest, the last thing he wanted was another awkward car drive to ruin his good mood.

"You mean you're going to let me sit next to the lovely Jessica for the trip home?" Leaning toward Dean, Gabriel placed a soft kiss to his lips. "Don't worry, Stud Muffin; I'll have her convinced that our bed is much more interesting before we arrive home." Before anyone could do more than laugh, Gabriel winked at Jessica, making his way over and hooking his arm with hers. Everyone laughed at Sam's frown, though Gabriel noticed the same look as before in Dean's eyes, of possession and heat. The smaller man ignore the wolf whistles from Charlie and Jo who were getting into their own car, claiming that they would stop by the house the next day.

Licking his lips, Gabriel climbed into the car, watching Dean's green eyes as Bobby pulled away.

P.S. If you want to keep up to date on my writing add me to Facebook, Tumbler, Twitter or Instagram as CrowNoYami ;-) Also, if you want to see what I'm reading (I always review so you know what you're getting into) I'm on Goodreads as well, the same name as always.