Content: In which there is dancing.

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Author's Note: Did I mention before that you are the best? Because you are :DD

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Naturally Ethan's in their close periphery all the freaking time after that.

He doesn't really engage them, apart from a few clipped words and maybe a acknowledging nod or two, but Jo's on edge constantly. For the rest of the day she barely leaves Dean's side anymore. Most of the time she's touching him somehow, taking his hand or at least brushing his wrist, as if to mark her territory. As if to let Ethan know without any doubt that they both have a very special bond.

And Dean gets fairly annoyed by the whole groping thing rather sooner than later, but he keeps himself from saying anything. After all, he promised to keep up appearances and play the devoted boyfriend.

And besides, he's quite sure that deep down Jo isn't only doing this to fool Ethan but to reassure herself that she isn't alone.

That there is someone by her side who supports her completely.

And Dean can most certainly do that for her. It's after all the main reason he's even at this wedding in the first place.

So he plays nice, smiles at Jo as soon as he spots Ethan somewhere and overall pays her a lot of attention. Naturally it's not even that much of a hardship considering she's one of his closest friends and he likes her for a reason. Jo always has been fun and easy to hang around with, so it's not like he isn't enjoying spending time with her.

The downside, however, is that Castiel backs off.

He probably thinks he's granting them some privacy or something as he mumbles excuses about some errands and vanishes before Dean's even able to blink. He keeps himself respectfully in the background and Dean hates it.

Though obviously not as much as Emma.

She sulks the whole time Castiel isn't around and not even another trip to the horses is able to cheer her up. She just pouts and complains that she wanna see Castiel.

Jo's clearly mystified by her behavior. "She grew rather attached to the guy, huh?" she realizes astounded. "What did he do?"

Dean shrugs casually, keeping down the urge to spill the beans. He seriously doesn't wanna explain to Jo of all people that Emma wasn't just joking about her father being supposed to marry Castiel one day. He'd probably only blush fiercely while trying to describe the situation and Jo would definitely notice very quickly that there's more to the whole thing than a little girl constructing a nice dream world.

So he ends with, "Y'know, Emma just likes him. He's a vet and apparently an angel, so …" because that explanation is way safer than anything else that's swirling in his mind.

The corner of Jo's mouth twitch upwards. "You think she got herself a little crush?"

Dean groans. In a way it's not entirely untrue. "I guess …"

Jo laughs delightedly. "Oh, that's great. You must really hate that, right, Daddy?"

Dean grimaces, suppressing the desire to tell her it's not like that. That it's not Emma developing a sweet innocent infatuation and doodling little hearts onto every surface she can find.

However, Jo seems to catch up on that pretty fast herself. "But to be fair, she's been really adamant that you're the one who should marry Cas."

Dean clears his throat awkwardly. "Yeah …"

Jo links arms with Dean and places her head on his shoulder. "She wants you to be happy," she says, her voice having lost the teasing undertone all of sudden. "That little girl knows you very well, Winchester. And she doesn't want you to be lonely forever."

Dean scoffs at that. "I'm not lonely."

Jo pinches his side, making him flinch. "I think you're kinda are. When did you have your last serious relationship?" She halts a moment, obviously mulling this over in her head. "Cassie, right? Damn, that was even before your accident."

Dean tenses up a bit. He never really likes talking about it. "So what?"

"I kinda get it," Jo says and totally ignores his snapping tone. "I mean, you had that accident shortly after Cassie and it took you a really long time to recover from that. And then, when you're finally ready to jump back on the horse, the first chick you sleep with gets pregnant right away. That would throw about anyone off their game."

Dean wrinkles his forehead. "How do you know Lydia has been the first …?"

"You told me once when you were majorly drunk," Jo explains, patting his cheek. "Don't worry, I didn't gossip it to the world or anything."

Dean never thought she did. She may be annoying and infuriating on more than one occasion, but she's indeed a loyal friend.

"But damn, it's a freaking long time and Emma probably knows or at least senses it too," Jo continues. "She wants you to be happy and most likely figures that a real life angel would be the best way to do that."

Dean keeps himself from agreeing with that. It's worse enough that Jo is starting to catch up on Emma's irregular behavior, she seriously doesn't need any further fodder which might rise suspicion.

"It's kinda cute, actually," Jo coos. "That sweet little girl, hoping that her Daddy would get a dreamy boyfriend."

Dean grits his teeth. "Would you please just shut up?"

But as always Jo simply ignores him. "You'd actually make an adorable couple," she snickers. "Maybe you should ask him for a drink. Emma would be freaking thrilled."

Dean rolls his eyes and refuses to get provoked by her teasing. Instead he hears himself responding, "Maybe after the wedding. Right now I'm your boyfriend, remember?"

Jo laughs aloud as she gives him a side-way hug. "How could I forget? Did you see Ethan's face? He hates it."

Dean finds himself grinning as well. Ethan indeed appears far from happy every time he watches them from afar. When he stumbled upon him and Jo holding hands about an hour ago he grimaced so hard Dean actually thought his muscles would get stuck that way. And when he noticed Jo fixing Dean's collar like a doting girlfriend sometime later he threw them a rather impressive death glare (though that hadn't even been a deliberate act of their part but simply just a twisted collar Jo couldn't stand looking at any longer).

It's quite entertaining, Dean has to admit.

It's almost worth it.

"You think his head will explode by the end of the weekend?" Jo asks excitedly.

Dean smirks. "I sure hope so."

Jo's whole body is brimming. "It's even better than I anticipated. Maybe we should announce some fake engagement, I'm sure he'd get an aneurysm."

Dean tenses up instantly at those words. That's seriously a step too far. "Jo, no –"

"Oh, don't worry, you big baby," she counters amused. "I'm not gonna fake-marry you. I'm not the marrying-type anyway, Ethan would know right away that something isn't right." She pats his chest reassuringly. "Besides, you're promised to another, am I right?"

Dean sighs. "Right."

"Though we have to do something about that. Your daughter is way too enthusiastic about it. I don't wanna Ethan catch up on that." She turns her attention toward Emma who is currently talking with one of the stable hands, an older guy named Frederick, probably asking him a million questions about the proper horse care. "Emma, honey, would you come over here for a second?"

Emma doesn't seem elated to leave her interesting conversation behind, but she obediently trots over to them anyway.

"We have to talk about Castiel," Jo says, kneeling down so she's on Emma's level.

Emma perks up immediately. "What about him?" She starts to look around. "Is he here?"

"No, honey, not right now." Jo shakes her head. "But I'm sure he'll back with you soon. He seems quite fond of you."

Emma starts to beam. "I like him too."

"That's great," Jo says and she sounds really genuine about that. "I'm happy you found a friend here. He's a good guy and I honestly understand why you want your dad to marry him."

Emma bounces excitedly. "Daddy likes him very much."

Dean clears his throat and needs all his inner will power not to blush like a school girl. It's a hard battle, but in the end he figures he succeeded somehow. At least if nobody would bother taking a closer look.

"The thing is, however, that you just can't walk around and tell everyone your dad and Cas are getting married," Jo states with emphasis. "It's making them a bit uncomfortable."

Emma frowns. "Why?"

"It's an adult thing," Jo explains. "You see, marriage is a big deal and actually a very private matter. And it takes time, most of all. Your father and Cas just met each other after all these years. They have to get to know one another first before … well, before anything else might happen."

Emma stays silent for a while and glances back and forth between the two grown-ups in front of her as if to assess whether they're kidding or not. And in the end she sighs so deeply and melodramatically that Dean can't help wondering who taught her that move.

"Uncle Sammy said the same," Emma informs them. "But Daddy gets so red and shy around Cas, I'm just trying to help."

Jo laughs aloud while Dean hastily ducks his head and curses the fact that everyone seems so freaking invested in his love life, even his own five-year-old daughter.

"So that's what you were talking about with Sam when you called him yesterday?" Jo asks, amusement glinting in her eyes. "You wanted some relationship advice?"

Emma grins brightly. "Uncle Sammy is the best."

Dean rubs his temples and tries to dampen the upcoming headache. What the hell did he do to deserve this torture?

"He sure is," Jo agrees easily, still chuckling, and Dean so knows that he'll never hear the end of that. "And he's right, you know? Relationships like that have to develop on their own, between those two people and no one else." Then she halts and tips her head to one side. "Well, okay, sometimes there are more than two involved, but polyamory is yet another department –"

"Jo!" Dean cuts in warningly. "How about we postpone talks like that to another time?"

Jo clears her throat. "Yeah, right. sorry about that." She straightens herself. "My point is, whatever is going on between your dad and Cas is their own business and they have to figure it out for themselves. And when you're yelling around that they're gonna get married, they'll get embarrassed and run away. Like frightened baby deer."

Dean scoffs at the comparison, but he refrains from protesting since it actually seems like Emma is starting to understand.

"So … I should stop helping them?" she asks in a low voice now, leaning toward Jo as if she's trying to not let her father overhear.

"Oh no, honey, have your fun," Jo counters with a cheerful smile before glancing back at Dean. She's obviously way too entertained by the whole thing and thinks it's one big joke. Damn, she has no clue what's really going on. "But be subtle about it, okay? Don't yell around."

"Because they're baby deer," she says, nodding.

Jo laughs. "Exactly. Now go back to your horses."

Emma beams before rushing back to Frederick, her mouth moving by a mile as if she's asking him all the questions at once she had to hold back for the five minutes she talked with Jo. The poor guy looks a bit overwhelmed at first, but eventually answers patiently.

Meanwhile, Dean shoots Jo a hard glare. "Why didn't you just tell her to stop for real?"

Jo smirks. "Oh please. I only care about Ethan not noticing this. Everything else doesn't matter."

Dean shuts his eyes for a moment. "You're an awful friend, you know that?"

"And you think I don't know your daughter?" Jo asks, not at all impressed by his words. "I'm not blind, Winchester. I've seen her pushing you and Cas together at every opportunity she got. I mean, she told me about your breakfast in bed and I seriously don't know how she managed that, but she's obviously a fucking genius! I really should use her as a wingman in the future." She nudges Dean's shoulder. "And I'm quite sure you tried to make her stop several times too, am I right? What makes you think I could make a difference here? She is set in her ways and she inherited that nasty stubbornness from you, my friend. So you have to deal with that."

Dean groans. "You really are a horrible friend."

Jo's grin grows even bigger. "Oh c'mon, she'll get over it. She'll see that you and Cas are only friends and she'll be okay with that eventually. She only wants you to be happy after all."

It makes sense, in a way. If this would be a normal situation with just one of his other former classmates, it'd resolve itself in the end.

But it is not. It is Castiel and Emma knows Dean way too well to misinterpret anything.

Granted, it's probably mainly because she's a fairly open-minded child who isn't distracted by her father's past all-ladies love life. Jo most likely would've at least become suspicious at this point as well if it weren't for all the girlfriends and female hookups she heard about in the past.

But Emma doesn't really know about that. She only sees Dean looking at Castiel like that dude from "Tangled" and is determined to call this love.

And she isn't entirely wrong.

Not really.

Dammit.

"You'll see, everything's gonna be fine," Jo promises, obviously noticing the conflict in Dean's eyes. "Just wait."

Dean presses a quick kiss onto her temple and simply nods.

Deep down he knows that she's right. The ride might be bumpy, but in the end everything's gonna be good. It always has been that way for him and it always will be.

And he needs to have faith that this time it'll be the same.

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Castiel always loved watching the sunset.

It's a relaxing experience, just to sit down and witness the sun settling down for the night. For a short time the sky transforms into the most beautiful painting, so many color stretching over the horizon you're incapable of distinguishing them all.

As often as possible Castiel tries not to miss the event. It doesn't always work out in his favor, especially during fall and winter when the sunset takes place mostly during business hours, but generally he's able to get his proper fix over the week.

Also today he's determined to catch it. It took him a bit of time to get away from Gabriel and one of his long stories that usually involve way too many inappropriate anecdotes, but eventually he managed to get himself free and vanish through a back door to the big veranda.

He sits down onto one of the stone benches, takes a deep breath, and revels in the silence and the spectacle right in front of him.

It's always his favorite time of the day. When everyone is preparing for the evening to come, the world becoming slower and quieter, the hectic of the day gradually disappearing.

Castiel smiles softly and lets his lids fall down for a second, enjoying the aloneness.

Until there is suddenly a new presence next to him.

Castiel blinks his eyes open and turns around just in time to see Emma dropping onto the bench right next to him, a sweet smile on her lips. "I missed you," she announces without further ado, as though this is a normal thing to say to a man you know for barely two days.

Castiel arches his brows, rendered speechless for a moment. The affection which she obviously holds for him despite their brief acquaintance is still highly baffling to him. Granted, a lot of people value him just fine, so he isn't a stranger to open displays of fondness, but usually they take a little time to get used to him and his unique traits. Emma, however, instantly took a shine to him and yes, maybe that's just because she's a child and fairly fascinated by the angel story, but Castiel can't shake the feeling that it's so much more than that.

She deems him at least worthy enough to marry her father – the man she certainly loves above anyone else – and that's probably the biggest compliment he could get.

"I missed you, too," he says softly. "I'm sorry for being somewhat absent today. But a wedding is a lot of work."

It's only part of the truth, of course, but he can't exactly state that the main reason for keeping his distance had been to grant Jo and Dean some time for themselves after Ethan's unexpected early appearance. He has no idea what happened between Jo and Ethan in the past, but it's obviously been heavy enough to make Jo seek her boyfriend's support and find comfort in his presence. And Castiel sure as hell wouldn't want to intervene by attracting the focus back to himself.

No, it's apparent that Jo needs Dean by her side for now. And Castiel is happy to provide that.

Although he finds himself with an odd sort of feeling in his stomach he's just unable to explain.

"Are weddings always so much work?" Emma jerks him out of his thoughts, looking at him curiously. She's swaying her legs back and forth, appearing so sweet and innocent with her big eyes (which look so much like her father's it's almost uncanny) and her beautiful flowery summer dress.

"Well, it depends on the wedding," Castiel answers as he subtly begins to look around after suddenly reminding himself that Emma showed up all by herself. He seriously hopes she didn't just wander off, worrying her father to no ends, but just a moment later he spots Dean and Jo close by, talking with each other. Dean seems relaxed and unconcerned, even smiles at Castiel from afar when he notices the other man looking in his direction and for some reason Castiel finds himself thinking that this small quirks of the lips is even more breathtaking than the sunset.

It's a sudden thought and a very odd one as well, and Castiel wonders where the hell it even came from.

Dean, thankfully, doesn't seem to notice as he makes some quick hand gestures and points at Emma, probably wondering if her company might be bothering Castiel in any way.

Castiel takes a deep breath, cleansing his mind, before eventually smiling back in return and shaking his head. He can't imagine ever be bothered by Emma.

"Cas?" Emma startles him once more.

Castiel can't fight a blush, especially when her expression turns knowing as she gazes at her father for a second, assessing their brief interaction.

She is way too advanced for her age.

"Um … yes," Castiel mutters. "It depends on the wedding. And … the people."

"The people?" She seems amused now, almost teasing, and Castiel has no real idea how to deal with that. And he certainly doesn't understand why his heart does a little somersault.

"Uh … yes," he agrees. "Some people … well, couples want a big wedding. And some like it small, just a ceremony with their closest family and friends."

Emma nods, looking pensive. "What would you want?"

"Me?" Castiel frowns. He can't remember anyone ever asking him that. "Uh, I don't know, really. I mean, I don't care much for huge events, but if my partner would want a big wedding, I would give it to them."

Emma stays quiet for a moment after this, just contemplating his words. "To make your partner happy?"

"Yes," Castiel answers. "Like I said, I don't care much either way. But if my potential partner would love a big, fancy party, I would go for it. You're only marrying once after all."

Well, at least ideally.

Emma purses her lips, obviously ready to comment on this, and Castiel already prepares himself to hear once again about his apparent marriage plans with Dean. But in the end she just lets out a blow of air and says, "I think I want a big wedding. Even if I can't dance."

Castiel feels some tension he hadn't been aware of leave his body and instead starts to wonder whether Dean would be thrilled that his daughter is already thinking about her wedding day. But then he reckons that it's probably just a normal thing to think about at her age, especially while being part of a pompous wedding herself.

So instead of telling her it's a bit early to mull over her own wedding plans, he finds himself smiling at her. "Dancing isn't hard. You can learn it in no time, I'm sure."

Emma eyes him skeptically. "Yes?"

"Of course."

She starts to chew her lips, looking a bit shy all of a sudden. "Can you dance?"

"Well, yes," he confirms, nodding. "My aunt owns a dance studio and as a young boy I spent a lot of time with her when my mother had late shift. I learned a thing or two there."

It had been fun, that's for sure. He will never be able to win some dance competitions or whatever, but his very critical aunt gave him her patented nod of approval more than once and that's so much more worth than any trophy on earth.

"Can you show me?" Emma asks, her voice so timid that Castiel's heart melts a bit. "I wanna … I wanna dance with Daddy at the wedding, but I don't know how."

If that's not the sweetest thing Castiel's ever heard, he has no idea what is.

"Of course." Castiel eagerly leaps to his feet and offers his hand in a dramatic gesture. "Would you do me the honor of dancing with me, mylady?"

Emma's eyes widen for a second before she starts to giggle. "But there is no music."

Castiel shrugs. "Then we make it ourselves."

Emma hesitates for a minute, most likely wondering whether Castiel is messing with her or not, before eventually taking his hand and letting herself be swept away.

It's been a while since Castiel actually danced so he needs a moment to get into it again, but as soon as he recalls the familiar tune, humming it lowly, the memory kicks in and his feet find their rhythm all by themselves.

Emma has a hard time understanding the steps at first and grows impatient rather quickly, but Castiel soothes her with a few warm words and encourages her to hum along with him. It's a simple melody, basically just a waltz, fairly easy to remember and soon enough Emma beams again when she takes it all in.

She still stumbles and steps on his feet at first, but she's good-natured about it and laughs when she gets something wrong. However, it doesn't take long for her to catch on and her movements become almost flawless.

They're far from perfection, of course, since Castiel has to bend over a little bit to hold her correctly in his arms and it gets rather uncomfortable after a time, but some backache is worth the sunny smile on her face. She even takes the lead at some point and Castiel is so endeared by it that he doesn't emend her.

From his point of view women should lead more often than not anyway.

Castiel can't say how much time has passed, but the sun has nearly set when he hears some footsteps approach. He glances up and notices Dean standing nearby, all by himself, watching them.

He stays silent, just looking at them, and his expression morphs into something so deep that Castiel's breath catches in his throat.

Dean's features are gentle and warm, his eyes so full of fondness as if he's watching the most beautiful thing he's ever witnessed in his life. Everything about him says love so loudly Castiel can almost hear it in his head.

And Castiel's steps actually falter when he realizes this is not all about Emma.

No, Dean is clearly affected by the whole picture in front of him, by Emma dancing with Castiel. By them being together. By them being so affectionate with each other.

Castiel has no idea how to react to that and he probably would have frozen in shock if it wasn't for Emma leading him eagerly over their impromptu dance floor and grinning at her father when she spots him as well.

"Look, Daddy!" she exclaims excitedly. "Cas teached me dancing!"

Dean chuckles amused. "I can see that. You look good, sweetheart."

"Now you can dance with me at the wedding."

Castiel hadn't thought it possible, but Dean's face turns even softer at those words. "Well, I'm honestly not much of a dancer myself, but nonetheless I can't wait to try it with you."

"I can teach you," Emma offers. Her steps are already out of rhythm as she's fixing her attention rather on her father than their melody, but she doesn't seem to mind. "Or Cas can teach you. He's a very good teacher."

Dean's smile blossoms. "Yeah, why not? Sounds like fun."

His gaze is trained on Castiel, a question in his eyes that Castiel is unable to decipher, as he suddenly comes closer. For a moment Castiel wonders if he's about to cut in and get some dance lessons right this instance and Castiel feels his heart picking up its pace only imaging that scenario although he seriously doesn't understand why the hell his body is reacting that way, but Dean halts next to them and simply smirks.

"But how about some dinner first?" he proposes. "You can tell me everything about your little dancing class."

"Okay," Emma agrees easily. She looks up at Castiel and says, "You're coming with us?"

He remembers her words from before, how much she had missed him over the course of the day, and Castiel doesn't have the heart to deny her anything at this point. "I'd love to, mylady."

She giggles once again as she starts to move in the house's direction, clasping his hand tightly as if she's determined to never let go. Castiel follows obediently, a warm feeling settling in his chest.

And Dean simply continues watching them like both of them interacting with one another that way is the most wonderful thing he's ever seen.