A/N: A Very Special thanks to Barbara Lee Follet's "Checklist for a Perfect Wedding", a handy handbook which turned out to be the best impulse buy ever… mainly because I had no idea that six years later, I would be using it as guide to plan my gay fanfic wedding!

Anyways, thanks for the follows (I appreciate it), favourites (seriously guys, it's an honour) and reviews (I'm always open to suggestions… and criticisms)

As usual, a Shout Out to the usual suspects. You know who you are, you guys are practically family and I'm done mentioning you by name. And to Grim1989 who is slowly turning into a regiewer (regular reviewer).

Part 8

"Hey, Jimmy. You alright?"

Cas turned away from the mirror, his new black suit a little crumpled, his tie askew and sighed. "Do I look alright?" he asked exasperatedly.

Claire laughed and glided into the room, a vision in her blue, off shoulder, knee length bridesmaid's dress, that matched his tie. She wordlessly held out her hand for his jacket. He handed it to her and watched her place it carefully on the bed. She pulled out a small travelling iron – the one he used to carry around in the nomadic stage of his life – from his duffel and set about removing the creases. She silently fingered the warm fabric, then handed it back to him.

"How's he?" he asked, as she straightened his tie, buttoned up his vest, then started straightening his collar.

"This is stupid. Why should I do this…? I'm not coming out..." she mimicked. "He had a few choice words for everybody, but he reserved the best ones for you."

Cas slumped beneath her hands. "This was a mistake," he sighed.

"Hey, you were the one who wanted a wedding," she replied. "We just tweaked it up a little. Now I'll leave you alone," she added quickly, before her brother could strangle her.

Castiel nodded dejectedly and watched as the Maidzilla from Hell walked outside leaving him alone. He had thought after he got Claire back, she would fill the "sweet loving caring" baby sister role that abrasive, brash-mouthed Jo so clearly left to be desired. Now he had to deal with two Jo's. He pulled out his cell phone, a cheap disposable one that Dean had given him for the duration of this… thing, and dialed.

.

Dean picked up on the third ring and at the first "Hey, Major," his anger dissipated.

"You alright?" Cas asked.

"What do you think?" Dean replied. "I was looking forward to my wedding… not a circus."

Cas started to say something, when someone tapped on the bathroom door. "It's almost time, Dean," Jo called out. "Quit yapping and get ready."

"Fuck you, Jo," Dean yelled at the door. "Don't you have someone else to go and harass?"

"I do, actually," Jo shouted back. "But I can't leave here until you come out and wear your pants."

Cas, who could overhear Jo, laughed. "You're not wearing pants?" he asked incredulously.

"Non Cooperation," Dean deadpanned. "If it worked for Gandhi…"

"Have you been reading my books, Major?" Cas asked disbelievingly. The very thought of Dean reading "douche-y" biographies of world political leaders was…

"What?" Dean asked irritatedly. "I get bored when you're not around."

Jo hammered at the door again. "2 minutes," she yelled. "Or I'm getting Sam to break the door down." Apparently Jo hadn't heard about Gandhi.

"I'm not wearing any clothes," Dean snapped, much to Cas' amusement.

"Wouldn't bother me," Jo snapped back, unfazed. "Carmen loves to chat."

Dean blushed and Cas laughed out loud. Then he sighed, this had gone on long enough. "Major," he said exasperatedly. "The faster we get this over with, the faster we can get to other activities." He took a deep breath, "And if you behave, I'll even let—"

"Brain bleach alert!" Claire interjected, before he could even start. He turned around to see Claire holding up a pink Carnation. He raised an eyebrow towards her. "Pink is for loyalty," she replied.

"Gotta go, Major," he said into the phone. "See you at the altar. I love you, hubby," he added quietly, hoping Dean was done sulking. Apparently he had, because he heard, "Jo, fetch my pants," before the line went dead.

Cas plastered a smile on his face, it wasn't that he wasn't happy, he was just tired, and let his sister pin the flower on his lapel, wondering how the fuck they had managed to find themselves in this mess.

-x-x-x-

In hindsight, it could be said that the problems had started cropping up four months ago, the day after their engagement.

Sam and Jess, the first ones to know, had been elated. But they wanted the wedding to happen before the baby arrived, because they wanted to name Dean and Cas as Godparents, and thought it would be better if they signed as a married couple, as opposed to two single men. That had essentially set the deadline.

And if having a "4 months" (because at seven months, it was the latest Jess could safely travel long distance) clock ticking on you is not enough, the fact that Dean wanted a quiet low-key court marriage hadn't gone down with… well, anybody.

For Sam, and by extension Jess and Dee, his only brother was getting married and, like the little bitch Samantha that he was, he wanted to make the occasion as special as possible. When Dean refused saying he didn't need Sam's help, Sam pulled out the biggest weapon in his arsenal and had Dee plead his case. And since Dean has always been a sucker for pretty faces, and his niece, he had no choice but to comply.

When Cas mentioned, just in passing, that he wished he had his family with him, Ellen muttered, "Family don't always end in blood, boy," and promptly adopted him, even agreeing to pay for his share of the ceremony. Cas refused saying he had some money saved up. But when Ellen goes "Mrs. Harvelle" on your ass, or Jo glares at you like you've set the Devil free, and there's always a possibility of Ash wiping out your existence from the face of the earth, you don't really have a choice. So Cas let them pay for the food and drinks.

After that the wedding took a life of its own. It seemed like everyone in town wanted to be a part of it, because as some old bitty, who had married off 2 daughters, 1 son and 4 granddaughters, said, "What do two men know about planning weddings?" More than being the town's most prominent gay-wedding, the fact that it was Dean Winchester… the Dean Winchester… settling roots down, that made it the event of the century.

Since they didn't have anyone other than their extended family of 10 to invite, all those people who called Dean and Cas their friends, not necessarily vice versa, invited themselves. When Dean absolutely refused to pay for the 100 odd guests that had answered the RSVPs, most whom they didn't even know, the guests decided to pitch in for themselves.

"I don't want anyone's fucking charity," Dean had yelled, "I just want to get married in peace," turning around and stalking away.

"It's not charity, ya idjit," Bobby said, dragging him to the secluded corner of the yard for his long pending "man talk". "All those people out there have been touched by "Rusty" Winchester, in some way or the other. And this is their way of showing how much you mean to them. So be a man and suck it up. What's important is the person you get married to, not how you get married."

And Dean, who was more touched than he would ever admit, agreed to get a little more involved. If by getting involved he meant veto'ing each and every suggestion that was brought up, he may have neglected to mention it.

Ellen found a couple of caterer friends and teamed with a woman named Tamara for planning the reception, while Jo immediately established herself as the "Maid of Honour" and the head of wedding committee.

A girl named Becky set up their wedding registry and teamed with Carmen to sort guests into their categories, checking seating arrangements, allotting roles.

The local band, that had opened for a band, that had opened for a band, that had opened for Rolling Stones, and whose lead guitarist was one of the "Dean-boys", agreed to play at the wedding and reception. Dean and Cas fought over the song list, but ultimately settled for a few songs that they both agreed upon.

Dean refused to have anything to do with pink or flowers, but Cas allowed them only where absolutely necessary. Needless to say, most girls liked Cas better.

It wasn't like they didn't have their share of naysayers. Lilith and her church group were vocally opposed to the idea of those people destroying the sanctity of their town. That is, until Pastor Jim, who had married Sam and Jess, and Dean's parents and grandparents, offered to officiate the wedding, saying that while the church was opposed to two men getting married, he was willing to make an exception in their case, because they were practically family.

Meanwhile in California, Jessica disowned her parents. Apparently the Moores had no idea Dean was "an abomination" because he was in the army, and his social life had never been up for discussion until Cas came along. And after a few "God loves all" speeches, Jess' hormones finally won over her rationality and she called her mother a "homophobic bitch" and her dad "a spineless jerk" and told them that not only were they not invited to the wedding, they also were not welcome at their house anymore. And they could forget about meeting their grandson – who was to be named John Nicholas Winchester, after Sam's dad and Cas' brother – because they didn't want their children growing up around people who couldn't love and respect their own family.

Then two weeks ago, Adam's date turned out to be Cas' little sister, and she and Jo got along like a house on fire. Claire had called her mother – her father passed away last year – and Balthazar, Nicky's once best friend, and Cas' sort of first boyfriend, to the wedding. Apparently, Nicky had confided to him about her a few weeks before he died, and Balthazar had watched out for her afterwards.

The family reunion had been a tearful on both sides, and while Balthazar could not come to the wedding (he was still wanted in connection with the alleged murders of the Walker gang), he agreed to send his wife, Celine – which Cas thought was hilariously ironic, considering Bart had a stalker-y obsessive sort of hatred towards Celine Dion – and kids, Megan and Luce "with a 'C'. They all had arrived two days ago, setting up shop at the Roadhouse, which had unofficially turned into Camp Novak.

Then last week, Jo and Claire had marched into the garage after closing time, packed Cas into the Impala and taken him to Roadhouse for the traditional "separate beds" custom. It hadn't gone down well with both of them, but they had no option other than to go along with it. They still met at work, and the phone Dean had gifted his fiancé was their lifeline.

Then 3 days ago, in deference to their wishes for a low-key, quiet, court marriage, Dean, Cas, Sam and Claire had driven down to Iowa, where gay-marriages are legal, and registered for the license. Cas officially changed his name to James Castiel Novak-Winchester. They didn't need any blood tests or physicals, but they both still had gotten one done after Cas' freakout over the condom the night of their engagement… and needless to say, both were clean.

Sam and Claire had left soon after. And Dean and Cas had sneaked a few hours at their pond, their last date as an engaged couple, before Dean reluctantly dropped Cas off at Ellen's. The papers would be finalized in time for their wedding.

But the shit hadn't hit the fan until rehearsal dinner last night, when Dean had taken one look at the last minute preparations, and locked himself in his room, refusing to come out until they left him alone – just a classic case of pre-wedding jitters, Cas had been assured – blaming Cas for making him go through this.

That is until, Jo came in with news that Dean had agreed to move his pity party to the wedding venue.

-x-x-x-

"Hey, Cas," Adam hissed coming to stand beside him.

"What?" Cas asked. The Maidzillas from Hell had gone to powder their noses, leaving him alone outside the chapel door. Jo and Claire were going to escort him down the aisle, while Dean was supposed to be waiting at the altar with Sam and Adam.

"He wanted you have this," Adam whispered, furtively glancing around and handing him a folded piece of paper.

Cas suddenly tensed. What if Dean had bailed…? He looked suspiciously at Adam, dread creeping into his every pour, and unfolded it with shaking hands. "Is he for real?" he asked aghast, looking at the scribbling on the paper.

"Apparently," Adam smirked. "He spent the whole night working on it. 'If I'm gonna make fool of myself in front of everyone, I might as well do it my way'," he mimicked, air quoting.

Cas laughed, because, yeah, that would totally be like his Major. "Who knows about this?" he asked.

"Sam, Jess, Dee and Me," Adam replied.

Cas nodded. He should have guessed. The usual suspects would also be the partners-in-crime. "Anything else I should now about?"

Adam hesitated and grimaced. "Not really… It's going to be a surprise. For Everyone," he said.

"Hey, what're you doing here?" Jo asked coming to stand beside her charge. "Aren't you supposed to be…?" she asked, thumbing in direction of the closed doors. Claire took Cas' arm on the other side and stared inquisitively at her boyfriend.

"Nothing," Adam replied. "I was just here to wish him luck. I'm gonna go now," he murmured and casually turned around walking to side entrance, before running to stand behind Dean. "Done," he whispered in Dean's ears, taking his place on the other side.

"Sammy, you up for it," Dean asked once again. He turned to his younger brother who was going to carry most of the burden.

Sam smirked. "I played football, Dean," he replied, bending down to his level. "And unlike someone I actually like to work out."

Dean grinned, as the band hit the chords and started the intro to Nothing Else Matters (Cas' entrance music), and the doors clicked open. And everyone turned around to look at the grand entrance.

"Okay, Sammy," he whispered rubbing his hands conspiratorially and reached up throw his left hand over his younger brother's shoulder, "Up."

Sam's right hand found his brother's waist and he stood up straight, heaving Dean to his feet. Adam pushed the wheelchair a little back and supported him from the other side, just as Cas stepped through the doors flanked by Jo and Claire on either side.

Cas was the first one to see it. Sam, Dean and Adam were practically huddled together at the foot of altar… Dean standing upright, grinning like a fool. He hissed, and fought every urge in his body to hurry towards his fiancé, forcing himself to remain calm. He should have known Dean would do something like this. He had mentioned a while back that he wasn't getting married in a wheelchair. He just hoped Sam wouldn't drop him till they finished.

Jo was the next one. "What the heck is he doing?" she hissed in his ear.

"Being Dean," Cas simply replied.

As Cas came to stand beside him, the audience saw the sight in the front and emitted a collective gasp. Cas ignored it in favour of giving his groom a once over. They both were wearing identical suits, but where Cas' tie was blue to bring out the colour in his eyes, Dean's was forest green to match his. Unlike Cas' pink carnation, he had a Lily of the Valley boutonnière stuck to his lapel. Cas resisted the urge to reach forward and touch it. "You alright, Major?" he whispered and Dean smiled.

"It pays to have a giant Sasquatch for a brother," he whispered back, winking at Sam, and taking his hand away from Sam's shoulder and holding both of Cas' hands in his own.

Sam moved behind him and used both hands to keep Dean standing. If he was feeling a little uncomfortable practically being used as a crutch, or if his arms had started aching for more or less holding up full weight of a 190 lbs man, his elder brother's happiness more than made up for it.

The Pastor cleared his throat. "Dearly Beloved, we are gathered here today to witness the joining of two souls…"

The silence was a bit prominent when the Pastor asked if anyone objected to the union.

When Pastor called for the vows, Dean whispered that had their own vows. Adam handed the ring to Dean, a simple gold band, reminiscent of Cas' engagement ring. And instead of the beautiful promises of true love and affection, that a starry eyed romantic named Polly had written, the ones that had initiated his temper tantrum, he cleared his throat and sang in a loud voice…

"No one told me I was going to find you… Unexpected what you did to my heart…
When I lost hope… you were there to remind me, this is the start…"

…pushing the ring on Cas' finger. Cas smiled and reached to Claire for his ring.

"I'll be there when the world stops turning… I'll be there when the storm is through…
In the end I wanna be standing, at the beginning with you…"

He sang sliding his ring on Dean's finger. Dean grinned at him, his trademark dazzling cocky grin, as the Pastor cleared his throat and took a lot of time proclaiming, "And by the power vested in me, by the church and the state of South Dakota, I now pronounce you "Husbands". You may kiss each other."

As soon as he said "kiss," Cas practically leaped at Dean, pulling him close, leaning his full body against himself, as he captured his Major's lips in their first kiss as a married couple. Sam stepped back, shaking off the hurt in his arms, and pushed the wheelchair forward, so that when Dean was finally released, breathless but on top of the world, he could directly fall back into it.

The entire crowd erupted in loud whooping cheers as Cas knelt before his new husband and kissed him once again, like he always did… like he always would.

A/N 2: The vows are the lyrics to "At The Beginning" by Richard Marx and Donna Lewis, from the movie Anastasia, the same movie Cas was singing from when Dean overheard him the first time, outside the Roadhouse. (Apparently it's NOT a Disney movie.)