Chapter Seven
((This chapter is dedicated to my reviewers, watergoddsskasey, GracefulWolvesInTheNight, and my first reviewer, catbean715. Thank you all, and thank you all followed and or favorited and bookmarked this story! I'm already working on the next chapter, but I'm not sure how long it'll be before I finish since I'm in the middle of job hunting. Again, thank you all! You make me smile and want to continue to write!))
When they got out of the bathroom, Clara and Alex were both up, and trying to figure each other's wings out. Castiel smiled and went over to explain how to properly clean and straighten the feathers.
"Let's get you cleaned up Clara, and Alex you should come so you can see how to do it yourself." Castiel picked the little girl up, and Dean motioned for Alex to follow, smiling as Castiel began telling the two how to move well with their wings and showing them his as he ran the bath. Sam finally came in, and Dean helped him get the food set up, telling Sam quietly about what he and Alex talked about, not quite going into the details about him and his angel. However, instead of looking happy, Sam looked worried.
"Can I talk to you outside?" He asked, and Dean followed his younger brother outside. "Look, don't get me wrong I'm happy that the kids wanna stay, but shouldn't we look to see if their father is alive? Or if there's any other family members that can take them?" Dean tensed. He wasn't expecting this, not from Sam.
"Seriously? Sam, with how those kids are right now….how do you think anyone else would react?!"
"And I don't disagree Dean, it's just...what would you do if your kids went missing? We should just check…" Sam sighed and finally reached up, cupping Dean's face and pressing their foreheads together. Dean gasped, and looked into Sam's eyes. They hadn't done anything like this in years, not since Sam decided to quit the family business. "I don't want you to get hurt. I don't want to see Clara, Alex, or Cas hurt either. Let's just make sure, cover all grounds, before we completely take them in. If there is nothing, I have no problem becoming 'Uncle Sammy'." He chuckled, and Dean gave a weak smile back. He nodded, and pulled Sam into a hug. He relaxed as Sam hugged him back, and was glad to hear why Sam was worried.
"Let's get back inside, ok?" Dean finally pulled away, smiling at his brother. Sam nodded, and when they entered the hotel room, they found the kids already eating, while Castiel tried to eat his burger, but looked concern.
"Something wrong Cas?" Sam went and grabbed his salad, while Dean snatched his burger out of the bag.
"It tastes different…I can taste every molecule…." He groaned, and put the burger down, clearly upset at this discovery. Dean and Sam looked to each other, before Sam handed him his salad.
"Here, try this." Castiel took it, and took a very careful bite, before nodding and humming at the taste.
"This...is much better. Still can taste everything, but it's not as...greasy?" He tilted his head as the thought. Sam chuckled.
"You eat that; I'll take your burger ok?" Sam said, grabbing the forgotten sandwich.
"Thank you Sam." Castiel smiled, and began to munch away happily. Sam chuckled, before looking to the two children. They were eating happily, but he could tell they were still tired.
"Hey Alex...what's your last name?" Alex looked up, and worried a bit. Dean tensed and stopped, watching his brother and the boy he wanted to adopt interact.
"Blakely. My father's name was Spencer...and my mother's was Trish." Alex spoke softly, before suddenly looking to Clara. Clara bit her lip, trying not to cry. "Clara-"
"I know. That man told me that mommy's dead." Dean put down his food, and went and picked up Clara. She clinged to him, and he gave Sam a look. Sam then gave him the 'it had to happen sooner than later' look, before gently talking to Alex.
"I have one more question for you Alex. Do...you remember when your dad left?" Alex put his food down, and thought back.
"It...was after he took us the last time to the doctors. Where they did their weird tests and stuff…" He paused, before looking to Castiel. "Clara said he wasn't daddy. He was someone else."
"He was an angel. But not a good one, like Cas…" Clara spoke up, and Dean smiled at the little girl.
"Right...but no one believed her when she kept telling them he wasn't the same. It wasn't until my first accident...I broke the T.V. I was yelling at our dad, telling him I didn't want to go to the doctors…that whatever they were doing hurt me, hurt Clara...and I couldn't do it anymore. Mom heard us, and told me and Clara to go upstairs, and they began yelling. It wasn't till we were already in bed that Dad came up. He kept apologizing, kept hugging me and Clara."
"He didn't have the wings anymore…" Clara mumbled, remembering back to that day. Castiel looked to Dean, then to Sam.
"Your father must've pushed the angel out of him...because he was hurting you and Clara." Castiel spoke softly.
"And then he left?" Dean asked, looking to Sam.
"And then he left. A couple weeks later, those women came…" Alex grew quiet.
"Right, we know the rest…" Sam cleared his throat, feeling bad for bringing it up. "I'm sorry Alex, Clara...I just...I wanted to know, so maybe I could find out what happened. Make...Make sure this isn't happening to others." Which was true, to say the least. He just didn't want his brother and Castiel to get hurt. Not again. Not after all that had happened. Dean smiled, giving him a silent 'thank you' as Clara and Alex went back to eating.
After Sam left for his room, Castiel and Dean got the children ready for bed. Knowing now that they were going to stay, the kids took it upon themselves to get to know the two men better, which basically meant twenty questions.
"What's your favorite food?" Clara asked Dean as he helped her into her night shirt, after cutting slits for the wings in the back.
"Pie. What's yours?"
"I like cake!" Dean chuckled.
"I like apple pie." Alex chipped in, helping Castiel with his own wings and their lack of wanting to be put through the shirt holes.
"Best pie ever. Well...that and cherry."
"Never had cherry pie." Clara blinked up at him.
"We're gonna have to change that…" Dean muttered, brushing his fingers through her blonde hair. After noticing a little tug from them, he grabbed his brush and started brushing out the tangles from her hair. He knew Sam would bitch about them, so he figured might as well save Clara the pain when she woke up. Clara meanwhile, was thinking of the next question.
"What's your favorite animal?"
"I like bees." Castiel spoke up, happy to have finally won the fight against Alex's shirt.
"Bee's aren't an animal." Clara frowned.
"They're insects, so they count." Alex grinned at her. "What about you Dean?"
"I dunno...don't think I have one really."
"We're gonna have to change that" Clara said with a very serious tone, nodding a bit to herself. Castiel and Dean both chuckled.
"What about you Alex?"
"I like rats."
"Ew."
"What? I like them Clara, you don't have to. What about you?"
"I like Kittens, and puppies, and-"
"You like everything." Alex teased, and smiled kindly at his sister as she pouted.
This went on for quite some time. The children would ask a question, and they'd practically go around the room answering. Almost an hour later, with them all finally settled in, and Castiel carefully tucked his black wings around them to keep them warm, the children started to doze.
"Hey Dean?" Alex spoke up, after Clara finished telling them why princesses should be able to save themselves.
"Yeah Alex?"
"Did...you guys…?" He looked between the two men, and it clicked with Dean.
"Oh. Yeah we talked. And…"
"We'd love to." Castiel spoke up. "We want you both to be comfortable, so if you want to call us Cas and Dean, you can. Or...Dads…" He tilted his head slightly, thinking on that. It sounded weird coming from him.
"I'd rather call you papa." Clara muttered into Castiel's shirt. "You seem like a papa. Dean seems like a daddy." Alex looked to them, and smiled.
"Then Papa and Daddy it is." Dean chuckled and paused, looking at the sight before him. He had someone he cared about, granted he hadn't said the three magic words yet, but they were getting there. He had two kids who needed him, and Castiel, and who were both very special in their own ways. He had Sam, who was in the other hotel room, probably looking up what information he could as soon as possible so that they could have their 'happy ending'. And he even had Kevin at the bunker, granted the kid was starting to go insane with trying to decipher the tablets. Maybe they'll all take a break. Try to unwind before they take Metatron and all the angels on.
"Dean?" Castiel's voice shook him out of his thoughts, and he blinked owlishly at him.
"Yeah?"
"You...didn't hear a word I said." Castiel frowned, and Dean felt his cheeks heat up.
"No...I uh...I was thinking. Sorry Cas." Castiel hummed, before leaning in closer to Dean.
"About?"
"...Everything. You, the kids…" who both were sounds asleep, wings linked together in their own little cocoon. "Sam...Kevin...Just everything that's happened." Dean chuckled.
"Do you regret it?" Dean looked up to Castiel, confused.
"Regret what?"
"Everything?"
"No. Of course not."
"Even us?" Dean blinked, and looked into Castiel's eyes. His blue eyes focused on Dean, looking for any hint of regret or change at all, and Dean didn't even realize the words left his lips till he saw those blue eyes widen in surprise.
"I love you Cas." Castiel licked his lips carefully, and waited for Dean to say anything else, and after a smile spread on Dean's face, Castiel smiled back. He leaned in and kissed his hunter, humming happily as Dean kissed back. They parted slightly, and Castiel whispered softly,
"I love you too Dean."