Chapter Fifteen

Cassie sat outside in the sun wearing a tank top and shorts despite her very pregnant condition. She was six months and felt like she was having twins though the doctor insisted there was only one baby inside of her. Cassie was surrounded by potting soil as well as small plants she planned to put in the flowerbed. She moved her dirt covered hand over her forehead with a sigh. The thought of things growing brought to mind her own condition and for a moment a thought of Dean.

She had been outside an hour before she heard the sound of the Impala behind her. She assumed it was Sam returning from his trip to Dean's grave. He had gone off early that morning in a bad mood. Cash had taken off in the middle of the night on a hunt. Cassie hadn't known she was leaving but she left her a note. She had heard through Bobby of a ghost not too far away that was haunting a house of a family with a new baby. Cassie had suggested she let Sam know but Cash's response had not forewarned Cassie that her friend would leave with no notice. Cassie shook her head at the hard headedness of Cash and how she reminded her of Dean at times. Sam didn't have a prayer, Cassie thought.

-----

The sound of the car door opening made Cassie smile, she hoped she could get Sam to help her out. She could see by the mess she had created that her original plan was a bit over zealous for the heat and her condition.

When she heard someone behind her Cassie said, "Sam, I hope you have some shorts inside I think I'm going to need your help."

"Cas?" Dean said before he knelt down behind her.

Cassie's heart jumped in her chest but she knew that whoever was behind her couldn't be Dean. She leaned forward with the small shovel in her hand and pushed the man on the ground. She was swift despite her handicap and she was angry that anyone would pretend to be Dean with her.

"Cassie, STOP," Sam yelled as he stood in front of Cassie with his hand out to avoid her assaulting Dean further.

Cassie looked down, then, at the man that looked like Dean. She couldn't breathe, it was impossible. The words from her dream returned to her, "You will save him." She shook her head as Sam touched her hand. She backed away from the man who looked like Dean as he got up. She could see blood on his hand.

"Cassie, it's really, Dean, we don't know how but I tested him already," Sam said as he looked in his sister-in-law's eyes.

"Cas, it's me," Dean said as he moved toward her to take her hand despite his injury.

Cassie only stared at him before she touched the blood that leaked from him, "I'm sorry I hurt you," she said.

She couldn't think; it wasn't logical despite the fact that she could feel his hands on hers. She felt herself being pulled into his embrace. She wondered if he would believe about her dreams. She would try to tell him, she thought, as soon as they were settled inside.

---

The sun went dark, as Castiel landed on the lawn, His wings outstretched caused the day to go dim. He watched the Winchesters from a distance. He considered his options before Cassie looked up to see his face. It was the first time she had seen him awake. He didn't speak but the ground shook. He stared into her eyes before she turned away.

"Dean?"she said with a tug at his hand.

Dean looked up to see the reason for the change in the light in the middle of the day as he felt the ground move beneath his feet. Sam looked from one of them to the other before Castiel spoke causing a rumble of thunder.

---

Castiel realized his way of speaking to them was not going to work. To avoid causing any additional damage he considered he would have to talk to them through dreams. He faded away before the shadow left the sun.

"What the hell was that?" Dean asked on their way in the house.

Cassie was quiet she wanted to tell him all she knew but first she needed to bandage his hand. She led him into the bathroom, while Sam put his bag and things away. She ran water over his hand, patted it dry, applied antibiotic cream and wrapped it in gauze tightly.

"There."

"Thanks, Babe," Dean said before he kissed her, something he never thought he would have a chance to do again.

Cassie pushed her arms around his neck before she realized she wanted to make love to him very soon. On second thought, she had to be logical, the angel thing might be important if he was showing up in broad daylight. What if the angel returned before she told Dean what he had revealed to her.

Dean took the lead, "Sam don't disturb us for the rest of the day," Dean said before he carried her into the bedroom.

"But Dean?" Sam said to his hard headed brother, "we need to figure out how you got back," he said in frustration while Dean closed the door in his face.

Sam went to his room to call Bobby. Maybe he could find something out while Dean caught up on things with Cassie.

---

Cassie lay in Dean's arms after they made love. Dean had his hand on her stomach while he felt the baby move under his hand. He hadn't stop smiling for the last fifteen minutes. Cassie thought he enjoyed the fun with the baby more than making love to her but she didn't take in the wrong way. She loved that he enjoyed her carrying his baby.

"How does it feel to you?" he asked finally after he decided it wasn't a dumb question.

"Hard to explain but it feels good though I hear as the baby grows it will be less fun and more of a nuisance," she said with a smile, "I think that the baby moves around just to remind us that it's alive and well."

Dean moved his hand to Cassie's face to look her over, "Is there something you want to tell me?"

For a moment, Cassie wasn't sure what he meant.

"Earlier you said my name but then we came inside," he reminded her.

"Oh," she said before she sat up. She wasn't sure how to tell him about the angel other than to spit it out. "I have had a few dreams about believe it or not angels," she started.

"Really?" he asked with an upraised eyebrow.

"Yes, the last time the angel, Castiel, said that ……."

"Wait, what was the name?"

"Castiel,….why?"

Dean explained that before he woke up in the pine box there had been a disturbance of sorts in hell. At one point he heard someone cry out CASTIEL. He thought he had imagined it until she brought it up.

"So I am not imagining it."

"What?"

"Dean, Castiel said that somehow the baby and I could save or maybe he said we will save you."

Dean pulled Cassie back down beside him while they considered what had been said. Dean didn't know what it meant but he was glad to be back in his wife's arms. Cassie didn't understand and wanted to know more. Her natural researcher's instinct had kicked in from the moment she dreamed of the angel. She hadn't found much on him so far. She remembered she hadn't told Dean that she saw Castiel outside, she was going to tell him but leaned over to see he had fallen asleep. She would tell him later she thought as she snuggled into his arms, him being with her was the best thing that could happen other than their baby being born.

--

Castiel brought Cassie and Dean together in the dreams that night. Dean saw Cassie as she sat on a bench outside in a park. He walked over to her with a smile on his face. Cassie looked up at him with the wind blowing in her hair. She smiled before Castiel landed behind Dean quietly.

"Dean," he said before Dean faced him, "we should talk."

"Who are you?" Dean asked.

"This is Castiel," Cassie answered him before Dean sat beside her on the bench.

Castiel's long trench coat blew in the breeze while he paced. He considered what to tell them that would have the most impact. He looked up after several moments. "You should not have gone to hell," Castiel pronounced.

"What?" Dean said with a tilt of his head which was mirrored by Castiel.

"The terms of your agreement with the demon were altered when you married Cassie. "

Cassie raised her eyebrow at the angel who seemed to take the expression as one of aggression. Castiel stuttered. "Your wife claimed your soul, it was cemented when you created a new soul," he said as he pointed to Cassie's stomach, "your child."

Cassie understood what Castiel meant but could see that Dean had a few problems. She explained to Dean while Castiel waited. A husband and wife involved a covenant. They become one, Cassie wasn't involved in the demon deal but Dean's involvement in the new contract voided it. Them creating a baby, a new soul, their baby, voided it all together. The demon, Lilith would have known but would have done everything to deny knowing about it. Ruby would have also known about it. Dean knew nothing of contracts but he was able to grab the gist of the transaction. He was horrified with his actions in hell as he learned that the wrong that had been done to him had been rectified. He looked over at Castiel who stared at him.

"The first seal will be broken when the righteous man shed's blood in hell," Castiel said.

Dean knew what the angel meant this time but dreaded explaining to Cassie. "So what happens now?" he asked before Cassie asked what he meant.

"For now," Castiel said, "live, raise your son as a hunter, use your second chance for the good," he said before walked away.

===Cassie woke up to find that Dean wasn't in the bed==

She found him in the kitchen talking to Sam. She could see by the set of his spine that he and his brother were talking serious things. She considered her desire to join them. For long moments, she only watched because had missed him. The sound of a car driving up surprised her at first but at the back door she saw it was Cash who got out of the small car. Cassie felt happy that they were all together again.

Cash came in the door, surprised that they were up.

"Hi," she said before she did a double take as the fact that Dean was at the table sunk in.

"Yeah he is here," Cassie said.

Cash smiled, Sam had left her a message in case she ran into him before things were explained. "Sam didn't want Dean to get hurt again after your reaction and his own," she said to Cassie, "so I knew."

The rest of the night they discussed the things that Dean and Cassie had been told by Castiel. Cash appeared to be into the discussion but her mind was far away. Her actual errand had taken her to the other side of town for a meeting with Ruby. She had summoned her with Bobby's help. Bobby had informed Cash that what he believed was going on with Sam. He insisted he had no evidence but the times that Sam had come to see him recently he wouldn't look him in the eye. Cash had begun to admit the same to herself about Sam's strange behavior. Bobby knew about Ruby and mentioned that the demonic influence could be something affecting Sam he didn't not reveal Sam's secret.

It was just that Sam went off by himself often but when they were together he was distant, not like himself at all. Cash had hoped the he would confess to whatever he was doing but Sam hadn't done that. Cash had confided in Bobby because Cassie didn't need the stress of her relationship issues.

After Dean went off to the room with Cassie, Cash cornered Sam in the bedroom.

"We need to talk," she said before she pushed him on the bed.

Sam smiled up at her but as he saw her face turn to one unhappy frown he put his head down. Cash lifted his chin.

"I don't like the way things are going latey, Sam. It seems that since we shared the I love you's, you aren't around much. I hope I'm not taking it personal but my feelings have been more than a little hurt," she began with the emotional issues instead of jumping in to explain how she had threatened Ruby to leave him alone or she would find a way to send her back to hell.

Sam stuttered, "Cash…….I'm sorry. There is so much I need to tell you," he said before he pulled her onto the bed beside him.

He knew it wasn't a time for her to be in his lap. He needed to have the serious chat with her. As he looked her in the eyes he knew he had to tell her everything. He had to take the leap to see if she would stay with him no matter what she knew.

He spilled the beans about the demon blood, his sick relationship with Ruby as well as his desire to kill Lilith to revenge Dean who had died for him. He also explained how now that Dean was back that they had a new enemy arising but it wouldn't be only them fighting this time.

"I heard, the end of the world is happening and you have to prepare not only a hunters army but keep up the good fight you have always done," she said as she looked in his eyes.

"I am telling you all of this because I have wanted to from the start, Cash, I love you and I really want you with us on this journey. I want you to be my wife, my partner in hunting, my lover for life.

Cash wasn't sure even though she believed she didn't think it was wise to give in right away. "Sam, you have had all these months to come clean with me instead you make yourself into what could have been a disaster. How is the blood going to effect you down the road? I do love you but Ruby isn't just a bitch she is a demon you know the spawn of hell?" Cash got up to walk across the room. She was half afraid to tell him what she had done and half afraid he was going to talk himself into believing what he had done was wrong.

Sam realized something was going on he didn't know about.

"What have you done?" he asked with the curiosity of a child. Ruby was of no use to him since Dean returned he couldn't care less what happened to her. If he wanted to get Lilith he would get help from his family. Ruby had her own plan to get Lilith but he didn't need her any longer, he thought.

"I did nothing except meet with her and tell her to keep far away from you with the understanding that the next time she tried to contact you she would be sent to hell no explanations," Cash said with her arms over her chest. She had planned to do research with Bobby to get a spell or exorcism to send Ruby back whether or not she came near Sam again. She didn't need Sam to be tempted because she had every intention of staying with him in sickness and in health.

Sam walked over to Cash to pull her back to the bed, "You told her that?" he asked with a slight smile.

Cash bit her lip, she nodded. "If nothing else she knows I have your back," she said while he pulled her in his embrace.

"Cash, I am not going to tell you how dangerous……….." Sam started.

"It's okay Bobby had my back in all of this, he helped with the entire thing. I didn't want to bother you or Cassie," she said before they fell on the bed kissing.

--

Three months later,

Cassie went into labor while she and Dean were out for ice cream. Her water broke on their way back from Dairy Queen. Cassie had finished her ice cream and felt something wet in her seat. It didn't take her a moment to figure out what happened.

"Dean we need to go to the hospital, it's time," she said to him.

"Now?" he asked as though he was surprised even though he had known it could be any minute or they might have to induce labor since she was a week over due already, "okay, we will go straight there, call Sam to bring your stuff, okay, Cass."

"I will Dean I'm fine for now, relax," she said before she dialed Sam at home.

She hated that the incident happened in his beloved Impala but Dean didn't seem to mind. He simply made the adjustment after a u-turn and took her in to have their little boy.

It was the first time that Dean had no concern for his beloved car, his only thought was that Cassie was going to have his child, his son. He smirked in the dimness of the car. Castiel had told them to live their lives and keep doing what they had been doing. To Dean that meant that they had to be doing something right.

"Hold on Cas, we are almost there," he said to Cassie who was not concerned she could see that Dean had a self satisfied grin on his face. She thought it was adorable. He could still surprise her with his reaction to different situations, she thought it was what made them work together.

Several hours later, In the delivery room, Dean was torn between holding Cassie's hand and watching the birthing process. He wanted to support her but he was curious to see the goings on. Cassie smiled between contractions, Dean was like a little boy at the fair, so many things to do, so little time. Dean would hold her hand then move down to see what was happening. "Babe you can……watch it's okay," she said to him.

"Cas, no, you need me to hold your hand," Dean said with a smile.

Cassie shook her head, "If I need your hand I know where you are," she insisted.

The nurses and doctor found him amusing also. Not many men were as eager to see the actual process unless they were video-taping. Dean was the room announcer.

"Cassie the head, it's full of hair," he said to her as she worked through the pain. If he could see a body part then she was doing work she thought. She didn't mind though. It actually relaxed her.

"Cassie he has dimples," Dean said at one point before he was at her side.

Cassie raised her eyebrow at him, as if, the dimples showed it was certainly a Winchester baby and not someone else's. "Really?" she said.

Dean leaned over to kiss her, "Um not that there was doubt."

The nurse behind him giggled. He was going from doing good to getting in trouble with his wife, she thought he should go back to being the baby announcer.

Cassie loved him more for his efforts. It was seven hours after they arrived at the hospital, that Sam as well as Cash waited in the waiting room before Joshua Dean Winchester was born.

"It's a boy and Cassie is doing fine," Dean said as he walked out to let them know what was going on.

His face glowed with excitement, Sam couldn't believe his brother was a father. It was something he had looked forward to after Dean's return.

He pulled Dean into a hug, "Congrats Bro, we will be here don't worry about us. If not," Sam added, "we know where you are and we will be back," Sam added with a grin toward Cash before Dean wandered off again

Dean knew no matter what Sam would be there for him and Cassie would be By His Side.

The End.