Wow! Sure has taken me a long time but here we are at Chapter 30! Not too many more to go before we reach the end of this season – and therefore the end of this part to this story. As always, I welcome reviews and messages – let me know if there's something you like or you don't like! Want more emotional moments? Let me know! Feeling like the story's rushed? Let me know! And if course if it's perfect I accept those reviews as well ;). I want to know what y'all think. With that, here's chapter 30 :)

CHAPTER 30

"Keep your eyes closed!" Maggie's voice was whining in Emma Gordon's ear. She shook her head and smiled, warily letting Maggie pull her down the stairs of Bobby's house, the house she could always call home – that she had really grown up in. "I swear to God Emma if you open them –"

"Careful," Emma warned humorously, "He might be listening." She held onto the handrail. "Are we almost there? This is freaky."

"Sh!"

Dean was standing outside in Bobby's backyard, which Maggie had done a damn good job of fixing up – if he said so himself. Per Emma's request, there weren't many people there, but Dean knew most of them. Bobby, Sam, and himself (of course) were waiting outside for Emma to come out the door. Ellen Harvelle was also leaning against a table, talking to Bobby with a beer in her hand. Jo was nowhere to be found, but no one was surprised by that. Other hunting friends – Luke Warren (coincidentally Maggie's ex and also Dean's old acquaintance), Glenn Harmone, and Yasmine Ramone were all there with a partner of some kind, chatting and swapping stories. Beth Turrentine was sitting on top of a cooler, with a little boy on her lap, and her husband sitting next to her. Dean stared at them for a long time. They had gotten out before all the apocalypse shit had hit the fan. Dean would never admit it, but that's what he wanted. That's what Emma wanted. Some farmhouse somewhere with a horse and a couple kids, parent-teacher meetings and a picket fence. The picket fence was important. Dean kept telling himself that one day he would have that – with Emma if he was lucky – but every time they turned around it seemed like something else got in the way.

"Surprise!" the chorus of voices shouted, bringing Dean out of his thoughts as he smiled at Emma standing at the back door, covering her mouth and smiling. Maggie had somehow wrestled her into a black dress, and it hugged her curves and fell to the middle of her thighs. She wore her boots and a leather jacket over them. Her nails were actually painted. It was the first time he had seen her like this in a long time. He loved it. "Happy birthday!"

Her face was bright red in a blush, with everyone looking at her, as Emma climbed down off the back porch where Dean was waiting for her. "I tried to keep it minimal." He assured her and she kissed him on the cheek.

"Thanks," she said back into his ear as his arms wrapped around her. "If it were up to Maggie she would have invited the whole state."

"Stop hogging her!" Maggie scolded Dean. He turned to Maggie and scowled at her, his arm still protectively around Emma's waist. "We have to go greet the guests!"

"It's her birthday," Dean argued. "She can do whatever she wants." Maggie narrowed her eyes at Dean.

"You need to go help Sam with the barbeque." She said. Emma laughed under her breath. "If you want any of our guests to eat tonight." Dean stared at her for a few seconds, looking as if he was going to argue, but Emma nudged him with her hip. The sun had just gone down, casting a dark shadow across the backyard that Maggie had lit up with lanterns – hanging from the trees, placed on the tables.

"It looks beautiful, Maggie. How am I ever gonna compete with this when your birthday rolls around?"

Maggie laughed and looped her arm around Emma's. "You're not allowed to plan my party – that's how."

"Emma Gordon! Get yer blonde ass over here and give us a hug!" Glenn's deep southern voice was calling her, and she gave Maggie a forced smile.

"Here we go."

"Okay here we go!" Maggie shouted from on top of the table an hour and a half later. She stood up there in her tight red skirt, a black blouse tucked into it. Her heels were enough to make everyone worry if she was going to fall down off the table – but Maggie was a pro. Everyone turned from their own conversations, Emma still laughing at something Ellen had just said. Sam ran his hand through his hair as he closed the barbeque, the last of the smoke trailing off into the air, a sign that everyone was fed and full. How he had somehow been wrangled into second in charge of this party, God only knew – but Maggie was like that. You were agreeing before you even knew what you were agreeing to.

He liked her a lot. She was the complete opposite of people that he had dated. She was quirky and bubbly, but could work a shotgun like no woman he had ever seen before. She made his blood boil with frustration, and at the same time calmed him down when she wanted to. It wouldn't ever work out, though. And Sam knew that. He frowned as he hung up the spatula on the side of the barbeque, before paying attention to whatever Maggie was saying.

"It's time to cut the cake!" she shouted, and everyone cheered. Dean walked behind Emma as she was beckoned and pushed to the giant cake that Maggie had procured (somehow) at the table. She shyly laughed, looking around at everyone as Dean used his lighter to light each and every one of the candles.

"Gettin' old you're gonna burn down the forest." Beth teased from across the table. Her son was staring at the cake with wide eyes, practically begging Emma to just blow out the candles already.

"Justin," Emma said as she sat down at the picnic table. The little boy looked at her. "I don't think I can blow all these out by myself. Wanna help me?" The boy nodded and ran over, sitting on her lap. Dean was taken aback by the surge of emotion that he felt, watching Emma and the little boy as the group chorused a round of "Happy Birthday" to her. She was holding him in her arms, bouncing him on her knee, and laughing when he tried to blow out the candles too early.

"Happy birthday to youuuu!" a round of cheers erupted, enough to wake up half the state if there were any neighbors close by, and Justin and Emma blew out all the candles, sending a cloud of smoke into the air.

"Great job!" she said to him, and let him off her knee, leading him back over to his parents who winked at her. "I'll be right back with y'alls pieces."

-+s+-

"Hey," Dean said as he wrapped his arms around Emma's waist. The last of the guests were leaving the party heading inside to pass out somewhere or make their way home, leaving behind a trail of empty beer cans and whiskey bottles. Most of them were flat out drunk. Emma was getting there. Dean kissed the back of her neck and Emma turned around in his arms.

"Hey yourself," she said to him and kissed him on the lips, wrapping her arms around his neck. He lifted her so she rested on the edge of the picnic table, moving his lips to her jaw.

"I got a surprise for you," he said into her ear. Emma smiled. "C'mon." Maggie and Sam had disappeared into the house, as had Bobby, leaving Emma and Dean outside on their own.

Dean Winchester led Emma down a path leading away from Bobby's property and into the trees. She looked at him suspiciously, only occasionally stumbling on the rocks in the path. She had a half empty whiskey bottle in her hand. "Where are we going?" she asked after a few minutes. Dean smiled.

At the end of the path they found a tiny clearing in the middle of the woods. Here Dean had laid a blanket on the ground, torn and frayed, and had the Impala's trunk backed up into the space. It was shabby and nothing like Maggie's decorating and gourmet cake, but it was, "perfect." Emma said, her voice breaking as she looked at him. Dean shrugged his shoulders, one hand in his jacket pocket and Emma dragged him to stand in front of her, kissing him hard on the lips. "I've never seen somethin' so special." She said. Dean grinned and walked her over to the blanket, and lied her down on her back.

"Look up," he said as he lied down next to her, but Emma was already doing that. Nothing but stars. Stars upon stars that stretched on for the whole sky. "Do you really think God's up there watching us?" Dean asked. Emma turned her head to look at him.

"What?"

"Well you just always seemed like the more religious of the group. I mean, you went to church that one Sunday."

"Right you're supposed to." Emma laughed, shrugging her shoulders. "Just how I was raised. I feel comfortable doing it." Her face fell, "Now I don't know they'd even let me in."

"I wake up every morning, and I'm afraid that you're gone again. I always gotta look." Dean said quietly. Emma turned on her side and rested her head on his arm. Dean took a swig of whiskey and shrugged his shoulders. "I've never had that feeling with a woman before."

"Love 'em and leave 'em right?" Emma asked. Dean laughed.

"Right."

"Dean I don't know how to make it up to you that I-"

"It should make me so mad that you left. I can't believe you fucking left. Took at least ten years off my life worrying about you, and trying to get past it. And, every morning I woke up and you weren't there and I… I don't know how to handle that, Emma." Emma tucked her chin against Dean's shoulder, staring at the ground.

"I'm so-"

"You were great with Beth's kid." Dean cut her off, as if he hadn't even heard her. Emma smiled a little bit understanding he just needed to get it all off his chest, and just listened. "I was watching you and it felt so natural. You made being a family look so natural." Dean took another swig and turned to look at her. "When all this apocalypse business is done, I want to be done. I wanna retire. We've earned it haven't we?" Emma felt her bottom lip tremble a bit and she kissed his cheek.

"Yeah we've earned it."

"Some house in the suburbs," Dean said at the same time Emma said, "A farmhouse in the country."

"A little boy to teach how to play baseball," Dean said. Emma was saying, "A little girl to teach how to sing." They looked at each other and both laughed. Emma took the whiskey from him, taking a long sip.

"We'll figure it out when we get there." She said and Dean rolled so he was hovering over her. She leaned up and kissed him hungrily, wrapping her legs around his waist. Dean slid his hand along her bare thigh, and began tugging on her boot. "You said you wondered if God was watching us?" Emma asked, as she pulled away. Dean only nodded, preoccupied with getting her boot off her foot. She took his chin in her hand and pulled his face so his eyes met hers. "I hope not." She winked, and the two disappeared into their own world, with mumblings of "I love you" back and forth between them.

-+s+-

Emma was wrapped in Dean's flannel shirt, and the both of them were curled around each other in the back seat of the Impala, the blanket over them both when the birds started singing. Dean groaned as he realized Emma was up, looking at the ceiling.

"The sun's not even up yet." He said, tilting his head to the side. She didn't reply, didn't even blink. Only stared up at the ceiling of the Impala. "Emma?"

"Emma!" the hunter found herself in an old Italian restaurant, not too much different than the one she had been in before. She was standing in the center of a dining room, looking around in confusion and shock. Emma looked down at her body she realized she was only wearing a large shirt – Dean's.

"Oh!" she cried, and jumped in surprise as a waiter seemed to walk right through her, on his way to another table. She looked around the room, noticing the families and couples who were all sitting down for a nice dinner, some with a bottle of red wine. None of them seemed to see her there.

"Emma, dear! Come come!" it was a voice Emma knew all too well. Her face flat, and her arms folded across her chest, Emma turned around and raised an eyebrow at the demon who was seated in the corner booth.

"Hello Crowley."