"Closed for a private affair!" Charlie announced as she tacked a bright pink sign onto the door of the bakery. "I can't believe Emily is a whole year old," she sighed and smoothed out the paper.
"Does this look okay?" Castiel asked her, his face wrinkled in manly confusion at the streamers he was tasked with putting up. "Jo? I think I need more tape." He wished for the hundredth time that one of the girls would have done the decorating, but he was the only one tall enough to reach the ceiling, even on the ladder. (Dean was too, of course, but they were pretending he wasn't so his fear of heights didn't need to be discussed. And Sam was still at home with Emily while she napped before the party.)
"Think fast!" Jo mimed throwing the roll of tape at him, and Cas had a moment of panic. "Woah, just kidding! Here," she stretched to hand it to him. "Careful up there, Wobbles." She grinned at his scowl.
"It looks wonderful, Cas, thank you." Jess told him. She was looking much calmer now that Sam was home and the party planning was coming to fruition. Castiel climbed down the ladder with relief. The main room in the bakery had been elaborately covered in pink and blue, which were the colors Emily seemed to like the best. Charlie and Kat, being the most crafty, had collaborated on a large mural of a castle that was hung on the biggest wall. Jo was helping Jess wrap gifts, and assisting wherever she was useful.
"When is Sam coming with the guest of honor?" Charlie asked Jess.
"He just texted me, actually. She's up from her nap so he just needs to let her wake up a little bit more and get her dressed."
"Mom and Bobby should be here soon too," said Jo. "She's bringing cheese and crackers and a veggie tray."
"Well, the bakery looks beautiful. Baby girl is gonna love it." Jess stuck a bow on the final gift and started cleaning up the wrapping paper scraps.
"Oh! Cas, I think Mom's here." Charlie gestured to the little blue sedan pulling into a parking space. Castiel breathed a sigh of relief as he stuck the last end of colorful paper to the ceiling, and then carefully climbed down the ladder.
"I'll go out and help her, I need to put this back on the truck anyway."
Joanne was already busy pulling brightly colored gifts out of the trunk by the time Castiel had the ladder safely secured on his truck. He leaned down and pressed a kiss to the top of his mother's head and started taking some of the packages from her.
"You're a good boy, Cas," she said with a smile. "How did I get so lucky that I got such a wonderful son?" He tilted his head in confusion.
"I don't... Know?" His mother was a warm loving woman, but she didn't normally greet him in such an emotional way. She smiled at him again and pushed the trunk closed with her elbow, her hands were full of presents. Castiel took a few packages from her arms.
"I know I went a little overboard," she told him as they walked into the bakery. "But once I started shopping I couldn't help myself."
"Goodness, Joanne! Did you leave anything in the stores?" Jess jumped up to take things from the two of them.
"I had a good time playing Grandma." she laughed. "I have a weakness when it comes to that little girl.
"I've actually been waiting to talk to you, if you don't mind?" Jess started picking at her nails, something she only did when she was nervous. Joanne finished stacking the gifts on the designated present table.
"Sounds very mysterious," she teased Jess. "Of course we can talk. Why don't we go into the kitchen so I can say hello to Dean first." The two women left the dining room.
Jo linked arms with Charlie and looked around the room, appraising their combined decorating skills. Cas swept up the last few scraps of wrapping paper and ribbon. He still felt like something was slightly off between him and his mother, but maybe she was just in a particularly affectionate mood. She adored Sam and Jess, and of course she was over the moon that they had given her honorary Grandmother status for little Emily. Maybe the fact that she had never gotten the opportunity to celebrate a first birthday for a child was making her extra sentimental today. That particular thought was a bit painful. Castiel and Charlie had already seen seven birthdays by the time their parents adopted them, and while they obviously had a 'first' birthday with them, it wasn't the same, was it?
Joanne didn't seem sad, so he considered that perhaps all of this was over thinking on his part.
Bobby, Ellen, and Sam with Emily managed to arrive at the same time. Everyone cooed over Emily in her special birthday dress as soon as Sam got her in the door. It was made of soft purple fabric, and she wore a matching headband with a large bow.
"Doesn't she look like a little princess!" Ellen exclaimed, and smacked Jo's hand away from the snack trays.
"Ow, Mom!" Jo whined with her best wounded expression.
"You eat when I say you eat, and not a second before." Ellen scolded her daughter and started putting the crackers back in the straight lines.
"I don't see why you need to make them all neat when we're just going to eat 'em." Jo grumbled.
"You keep sass mouthing me and you won't get a single crumb." Dean sauntered into the dining room and smirked at the blonde.
"Getting into trouble already Joanna Beth?"
"If our precious little niece weren't here, I'd show you trouble." Jo retorted. Dean just tugged on her ponytail and dodged her punch with a laugh.
"There's my favorite girl!" He exclaimed and swooped her out of Sam's arms. She giggled when Dean rubbed his rough cheek against hers. "I hope you got lots of room for cake," he winked at Cas and lowered his voice to a joking whisper. "Because I made one just for you, and it tastes way better than Kat's."
"Slanderous lies!" The curvy brunette cried from the kitchen. She pushed through the swinging doors with Garth, the two of them carrying a tray with the elaborate birthday cake she had worked so hard on.
"Oh, Kat," Charlie sighed. "You did a beautiful job, that is amazing." It wasn't a large cake, since the party was an intimate affair, but she hadn't skimped on any details. Kat flushed with pleasure and waved off the praise.
"I had fun doing it," was all she would say.
"Where's Jess?" Sam asked, looking around the room.
"She's talking to Joanne in the kitchen," Garth told him. "She said they'd be out in a few minutes."
"Wow, guys the bakery looks great." Sam took in all the decorations. "Thanks for doing all this for Em."
"Please, we're already looking forward to her second birthday." Jo told him. Sam paled a little bit.
"I'm having a hard enough time coming to terms with the fact that she's already one, let's not bring up her second birthday already." Jo laughed and hugged him. Jess and Joanne came back into the room and Jess lit up when she saw Emily.
"Hey Baby Girl!" The baby held her arms out to her mother, and Dean passed her into Jess's arms. "I can't believe you're a whole year old, it feels like yesterday you were still just a little jelly bean in a sonogram."
…
Even though Emily had taken a nice long nap before coming to the party, everyone could tell that the little girl's energy levels were waning by the time she was done opening her presents. She was far more interested in the brightly colored paper and ribbons than she was in any of the clothes they unwrapped.
"This is the last one, Em." Sam set her down on the floor next to Castiel's gift, the chest had been too large to put on the table with the others. Jess pulled up one of the edges so Emily could rip into the paper.
"Oh my goodness, Cas this is gorgeous!" Jess exclaimed when the little girl had uncovered the lid. There was a little girl holding a dragon's head in her lap, the rest of the dragon's body curled protectively around her, burned into the wood.
"I know the party theme was princesses, but I wanted to do something a little different than unicorns and...stuff." He suddenly felt bashful. Dean squeezed his hand and ran his fingers over the image.
"She'll love keeping her toys and treasures in here, thank you Cas." Jess kissed his cheek.
"Can we have cake now?" Jo asked, everyone laughed and groaned.
"Yes, Jo, we can have cake now." Sam told her. "Emily looks like she could use a bit of a sugar rush, maybe she'll get her second wind."
"Let's try and get a picture of her next to it first." Jess patted her pockets for her phone and Sam posed Emily next to the colorful confection so everyone could snap pictures of the birthday girl with her very first birthday cake. Dean pulled Castiel aside after they both got a few shots.
"I didn't know your gift was going to be so elaborate," he murmured in his boyfriend's ear. "I guess I know what you've been so preoccupied with lately." Castiel blushed and lifted his shoulder in a shrug.
"I was inspired by you, actually. Partially." He smiled at Dean's confused expression. "The dragon. You are so gentle with her, but I know that you would become her fiercest protector if she was threatened." It was Dean's turn to blush, the tips of his ears turning a bright red.
"You never cease to amaze me." He whispered. "I need to get Em's cake out of the cooler." He pressed a kiss to Castiel's temple before stepping awkwardly away. We've been together an entire year, Castiel thought. And he still acts so skiddish sometimes.
...
Dean presented Emily with the smash cake he made especially for her while Kat started cutting into her masterpiece.
"Oh my GOD this tastes as good as it looks," Charlie said after a large bite. Emily took a little more coaxing to dig into hers.
"Come on sweetheart, have at it," Dean stuck her fingers into the frosting. Emily crinkled her nose in distaste. She wiggled her fingers and then stuck them into her mouth. Once she got the taste of the fluffy sweetness she started eating with more enthusiasm. More camera sounds popped around the room as everyone documented Emily eating her cake.
"Well now that everyone is sitting here together, and the party is winding down I have a bit of an announcement," Jess began.
"You're pregnant again!" Jo exclaimed with wide eyes.
"No! I love being a Mom, but I'm not ready to handle another pregnancy, or another child quite yet. Actually, I've decided to rejoin the work force. I've talked with Sam a lot about this, and he's helped me realize that while I left the hospital for the right reasons, those reasons no longer exist."
"Jess, you were so stressed working there. I would hate to see you get buried under all that work and miss out on time with Emily." Ellen reached out and touched her arm, concern all over her face.
"I know how stressed I was Ellen," she replied. "I left because it was so overwhelming and I needed to take better care of myself so Sam and I could start our family. And the time I've had with Em over the last year has meant more to me than I can possibly say, but it's time for me to find fulfillment in other places too. I miss working." She took a deep breath and smiled. "I won't be going back to the hospital, so you can all breathe easy. I'm going to work as a visiting nurse three days a week. I can still spend good quality time with my daughter, but I can also help people. That's why I became a nurse in the first place."
"That's a really good idea," Dean said. "But what about Emily? What does she do while you and Sammy are both working?"
"I've asked Joanne if she wouldn't mind taking her during those days," Jess slide her arm around the older woman's shoulders. "And being the incredible lady she is, she has agreed."
"Quite enthusiastically, I might add." Joanne's eyes shone with happiness. "I can't wait to spend more time with her. Retired living gets quite tedious sometimes."
"Trust me, Em is never tedious!" Sam laughed and pulled the older woman into a hug. "I can't tell you how much we appreciate this. You were pretty much our first and only choice." Castiel thinks he sees his mother's eyes swim with tears at the younger Winchester's praise, but he blinks and her eyes appear dry again. He doesn't know why there's a twinge in his stomach that feels a lot like worry. Everyone seems to be happy and content, Joanne just as much as the rest, so he takes a deep breath and pushes the strange feeling aside.
"Oh my GOD." Charlie exclaims, effectively ending the discussion of Jess's plans. She gestures at the baby, absolutely covered in cake. Emily has managed to rub frosting and crumbs into her hair, face, and all down her arms and torso. Phones get pulled out again to document the mess.
"Someone's getting a bath tonight!" Jess sing-songs and takes the damp cloth Garth retrieved from the kitchen. Emily giggles and halfheartedly bats at her mother's hands. Dean and Kat start gathering up all the wrapping paper from the gifts.
"Why don't you guys get her cleaned up enough to take her home? She's probably heading for a sugar crash." Dean says to his brother. "We can take care of things here without too much trouble." Sam frowns.
"Dude, we can't just leave you here to clean everything up, you already did so much!"
"Sam, it's fine. It's gonna take a lot less time to take it down then it did to set it up."
"Don't worry about it, it really isn't any trouble." Castiel tells him. "Jess has been here all day, and Emily will be quite exhausted I imagine." His calm, reasonable tone is gentle, but brooks no argument. Sam holds up his hands in defeat.
"Okay, okay, throw us out why don't you?" He grins and pokes Jo in the ribs. "Help me load up the car, blondie?" He gets a harder poke in return.
"Come on Charlie, poor little Sam needs our help."
…
An hour later Castiel is shooing Ellen and Bobby out the door. His sister and Jo ducked out soon after Sam and Jess left with the baby; Dean sent Garth and Kat on their way after they had done up the few dishes. Cas noted that they left with Kat's arm linked up with Garth's. He shot Dean a significant look but he just shrugged. Joanne had gone home with a headache brewing, and promised to text her son when she got home.
"You're sure you don't want anymore help?" Ellen asked him again while Bobby just got into the truck and started it up.
"Dean and I just need to take the trash out to the dumpster and do a quick walk through to make sure we didn't miss anything- which we didn't." He hugged Ellen and hesitated but then presses a kiss to her cheek. She smiled warmly at him.
"Alright then, I won't ask again. Make sure that boy of mine puts his feet up when y'all get home."
"Yes ma'am." Ellen pinched his cheek playfully and got in the truck with Bobby. He waved at them as they drove away.
He barely made it in before Dean started carrying all the garbage out by himself. Castiel took one of the bags and shook his head at his boyfriend. "I told you I was coming back to help you with this."
"I know, but I can take out the trash by myself Cas." They heaved their bags into the dumpster and Dean pulled the lid closed.
"It never hurts to take help when it's offered," he replied quietly. Dean smiled and put his arm around Castiel's waist to pull him closer.
"Okay, mom." He pressed his face into Cas's neck and sighed deeply. "What a day."
"I know. Are you alright?" Cas ran his fingers through Dean's sandy hair.
"Yeah. Long day. 'M tired." Cas made a sound of agreement in his throat. "And..." Dean pulled away and shifted in the way he did when he was uncomfortably verging into what he called a 'chick flick moment'. "It's kind of sad. She'll never have another first birthday."
Cas knew by now that the best thing to do in this situation was to just take Dean's hand and squeeze. His tough yet vulnerable partner seemed to prefer silent support, so they stood in the cool twilight for a few moments while Dean reflected on the day. After a minute or so he smiled again and tugged on Castiel's hand. "Ready to go home?" Cas returned the grin and nodded.
"I'm under strict orders from Ellen to make you relax tonight." He told Dean when they both got to the house. He rolled his eyes and huffed.
"Whatever. I'll put my feet up if it'll get you all to stop nagging me." He gestured at Castiel with his keys accusingly. "You're just as bad as I am! Don't think I don't notice you hurtin' after you spend all day in your shop." Castiel looked away, a sheepish look on his face. "Uh-huh. You need to take it easy just as much as I do." He shucked off his jacket and started a bit when he felt Cas press his body against his. "Don't try to distract me." he said, with no real heat.
"I'm not," Cas peppered the back of his neck with kisses. "Trying. I am distracting you."
"Are not." Cas slid a hand down his stomach and proved him a liar.
"I'm helping you relax," he purred against Dean's ear, and the other man shivered. "Let's go get your feet up."
"Ah well, who am I to argue with that?"