A/N: Ahhhh... what to say? Okay, I'll start with THANK YOU so much for the wonderful feedback! It is so amazing! You all have such wonderful things to say and it just makes my day! Thank you for the congrats and all the kind words about Kerstin. She says hi! I want to take a moment to let you know that I am on Twitter (since some peeps didn't know, lol) so, if you are bored, give a shout out and follow me AleishaPotter. Okay, now, I have a poll for you: I have two endings in mind, well, one ending, but it can go two ways. One would give a definite, happy ever after ending, closure all around. The other would still be an ending, but it would leave a definite avenue open and I have a nice idea for a sequel. What do you guys think? Okay, enough ramblings. On to the good stuff!

Hard Road

Part Four B

Half an hour later, Dean found himself sitting across from his brother, Cas once again at his side. His friend kept his hands to himself and his eyes stayed on Sam as he explained the ritual Bobby had dug up. Everything seemed the same... yet at the same time, completely different. He refocused on what his brother was saying.

"So, the ritual needs a crap ton of power to work. From what we can tell," Sam slides some copies across the table to Cas. Dean can just make out scribbles in a language he doesn't recognize, "the ritual uses the bonds between the couple to fuel the magic used to create, well, a new life, to create a soul, more or less. That takes a lot of power. She would need a couple with a very, very strong bond to have enough power to pull this off. We're talking true love here, Dean, and I'm guessing the previous couples just weren't cutting it."

"Dude, 'true love'? Seriously? What is this, some kind of fucked up Disney movie?" Dean couldn't help but ask.

"It makes sense. Souls are massive pockets of pure energy. Some people find that one person who's soul bonds and meshes perfectly with their own soul and if you could harness two souls so perfectly bound together, you would have the power to do almost anything," Cas explained.

"Wait... are we talking soul mates now?" Dean asked incredulously. It wasn't the first time he'd heard that term, but he was having an even harder time believing in them now than he had back then.

"Yes, Dean. But they are rare. It would be highly unlikely she would find one in the small amount of people she meets through this resort."

"That's why I think we're on round four. My guess is she's brought these other couples before the goddess and while they might really love each other, they don't have this unbreakable bond needed to power the ritual. I bet she'll keep trying until she finds the right pair."

"Well, we'll just have to gank her before she has a chance to try again," Dean spoke up, stating the obvious. His brother fidgeted in his seat. "What?"

"I took copies of her files on each pair and I'm pretty sure she's narrowed it down to two couples," Sam explained, sliding two stacks of paper across the table. Dean felt his heart drop when the first names caught his eye. Jack and Alec. That made sense, really. They seemed to be the only serious couple in this place. The next couple brought Dean up short.

"What the fuck?" he asked, staring at his and Cas's names scrawled across the top of the folder. He turned to look at Cas and found the angel blushing. "Seriously?"

"She seems to think so," Sam told him with a shrug.

"So, what do we do?" Dean asked.

"I think we should keep an eye on Hannah and follow her on the full moon. She'll lead us right to the goddess and we can kill her. Bobby's looking into how as we speak."

"That's taking a pretty big risk with innocent lives," Dean pointed out.

"Well..." Sam started but trailed off.

"Well what?" Dean asked.

"Maybe you should try really hard to be the ones she chooses. Make sure you're the sacrifice." Dean just stared at his brother. "What?" Sam whined.

"And how do we do that? We can't control what goes on in that crazy-ass brain of hers." Sam rolled his eyes.

"I know that, but you can put on one hell of a show and convince her that Cas is the love of your life. It shouldn't be too hard for you, trust me," Sam finished in a mumble. Dean chose to ignore that last comment for now.

"Dean, he has a point. It would be much better for us to face the goddess than Jack and Alec, who have no idea what's going on," Cas pointed out. They were right, of course, but Dean was still nervous. Even when he was in long term serious relationships he had trouble showing how he felt, how was he supposed to convince Hannah?

"Yeah, you guys are right. We'll see what we can do. And on that note, we should head out so we can make it to our one on one session. We sorta missed the group session this morning," Dean said.

"Yeah, I bet," Sam muttered with a smirk.

"Shut up. Cas had a headache," Dean informed his brother.

"Dude, that's like the oldest excuse in the book," Sam told him with a laugh.

"No, it's the oldest excuse for not having sex. Get it right, Sam."

"So, you admit you were having sex this morning," Sam asked. Dean spluttered.

"That's not what I said!"

"Whatever, Dean, I was just giving you a hard time."

"God, you're such a bitch," Dean muttered.

"Yeah, yeah, heard that before," Sam told him with a smile as he made his way to the door. "I'll call when Bobby gets back to me on how to kill the goddess."

"Later, Sammy." Sam waved at Cas then turned and left the cabin, closing the door behind him. Dean turned to Cas.

"So, think we can pull this off?" he asked.

"I believe it's possible. It will ultimately come down to Hannah's decision, but there's a possibility that we can convince her to choose us."

"I hope so. For Jack and Alec's sake."

"I completely agree."

Dean sat down next to Cas at the table the other man had chosen. They'd made it just barely in time for lunch and the dining room was empty. They were able to grab a couple sandwiches and Dean was scarfing them down so they could head over to their session with Hannah. A tap on his shoulder drew his attention away from his food. He glanced up and found Alec standing behind him. He swallowed quickly and offered the blond man a smile.

"Hey, how's it going?" Dean asked.

"Good. We were worried about you when you didn't show up this morning. Everything okay?" Alec asked.

"Yeah, everything's fine. Just had a late morning, decided to stay in," Dean explained.

"That's good. Cas, man, you were pretty wasted last night, are you feeling okay?" Alec asked, turning to smile at Castiel. Cas blushed.

"I... don't drink all that often. I overestimated the amount of alcohol I could handle." Alec laughed at that.

"Hey, it happens to us all. We've all been there at some point. Well, I'll let you guys finish your lunch; I've got to get back to Jack anyway. We'll catch you guys later."

"See ya," Dean waved as the blond man left the dining room.

"I, uh, take it my actions were embarrassing last night?" Cas asked hesitantly.

"Dude, don't worry about it. Like Alec said, we've all done it before. It's part of being human," Dean assured him. Cas just smiled.

They finished their lunch quickly and headed over to the meeting room where their one on one sessions were held. Hannah was waiting for them when they got there. Dean reached over and took Cas's hand, threading their fingers together. Cas squeezed his hand as they took seats across from Hannah.

"We missed you this morning. I hope everything is okay," the blond woman told them, eyeing each of them in turn.

"Yeah, we thought we'd take some time for us. We've had a lot to think about over the last few days and it was nice to just talk and spend the time together," Dean explained. Hannah was practically beaming at them.

"That is so wonderful to hear! You two certainly seem happier, less stressed," she told them.

"We are," Cas agreed. Hannah eyed their clasped hands and her smile grew even wider.

"Well, in that case, let me ask you this: what would you like to discuss today? Anything particular on your mind?" she asked.

Dean had to think for a minute. What would be a good topic to bring up that would be in their favor? Something that would scream, "totally committed".

When both men were silent, Hannah spoke up again.

"Why don't I bring up a few topics and we can discuss them, or if either of you are uncomfortable, we can skip it and move on to the next?" she offered. Dean glanced over at Cas and nodded when he shrugged.

"Alright. Let's start with a pretty obvious issue. Dean, you said your family didn't know about the two of you. Do you think they would have a problem with your relationship? Is that what's keeping you from telling them?" Hannah asked.

Dean scratched at the back of his neck, thinking about the light teasing and the meaningful words Sam had said before, the way he had hinted that they already knew how he felt.

"Actually, uh, I've talked to them over the last couple of days and... well, I guess we weren't hiding it as well as we thought because they more or less knew," he explained.

"And how did they take it?"

"They were fine with it. I, uh, think they were happy to see me happy," he answered honestly. Hannah smiled brightly.

"That's wonderful, Dean. Cas, what about your family?" Dean felt Cas tense up beside him.

"My family... I, um, Dean and his family are my family, at least in the ways that matter," he replied quietly. Dean squeezed Cas's hand. Hannah nodded, a sympathetic look in her eyes.

"Alright, we don't need to dwell on that. Now, you two seem much more comfortable around each other. I have seen you two being much more physical in the sessions. I know in the past any talk about your physical relationship made you uncomfortable, so I won't push the issue, but if you have any questions, you are more than welcome to ask them." Dean looked over at Cas and could tell by his expression that, act or not, this was one area they should stay away from. He had to agree.

"We, uh, we've been taking it slow, but I think we have that under control." Hannah nodded and thankfully didn't continue with that line of questioning.

"Okay, I'm going to bring something up that many couples don't often think to discuss but I've found it is good to talk about upfront, to know where both partners stand. You two are in this for the long haul, yes? I mean, you want this to last, right?" she asked.

"Yeah," Dean answered as Cas gave his hand a squeeze.

"Have you two discussed a marriage or commitment ceremony?"

Dean just stared at her. Were those even legal?

"Uh... No, not really. Do we really need something like that?" he asked.

"Well, no, I guess you don't, but many feel that it's important to publicly make your commitment known. There's something symbolic about getting up in front of your friends and family and claiming your partner as yours, forever. Now, I don't mean to talk you into something you aren't ready for, I only wanted to bring it up so you two could discuss it." Dean just nodded. She seemed to be bouncing from point to point. She was worse than a damn basketball. He could plainly see how she was trying to get as much information as possible. She was actually kind of sloppy. Dean just loved when the bad guy was an idiot.

"What about children?" Cas spoke up. Dean whipped his head around to stare at the other man. What the hell?

Hannah's face went pale at Cas's question.

"What do you mean?" she asked, voice trembling slightly.

"Well, we've been talking with Alec and Jack and they've told us how hard it is for them and I know that Dean has always wanted a family. Is it really that hard for everyone or are they just running into bad luck?" Cas asked. Hannah shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

"It is still looked down upon to bring a child into a same sex home, I'm afraid. Unless you have the money to go through a private agency, there really isn't a lot of hope and even if you can find an agency, you'd still need a family willing to give their child to you. But, if that is something the two of you truly want, something will work out, there are always ways," she told them with a small cryptic smile.

I bet, Dean thought. He knew know what ways she was talking about.

"Well, I think we are out of time, gentlemen. I hope I'll see you tomorrow at the group session," she told them, standing up quickly and making a hasty escape.

"Cas, I think you hit a nerve with your question," Dean told Cas as he stood to leave, much slower than Hannah had left.

"That was my intent," Cas admitted making Dean laugh.

Dean convinced Cas to take a walk before they headed back to their cabin. Sam still hadn't called them so he was pretty sure that meant no new information. It was a gorgeous day and Dean really wanted five minutes, just a short little break. Things with Cas were confusing and he was unsure about so many things. Five minutes in the beautiful outdoors where he could forget about the hunt would be perfect.

Cas must have understood because he just smiled and took Dean's hand, leading him off the path and into the woods. They stopped when they reached a small stream. Judging by where they were, Dean was pretty sure the stream fed into the pool they'd visited with Jack and Alec.

"It's in places like this that I am reminded of the beauty of my Father's works," Cas murmured. Dean couldn't help but agree. He reached for Cas and pulled the angel in, chests pressing together as their lips met. He snaked one hand around his waist and pressed it into his lower back while the other moved up to cradle his stubbled jaw. He licked along the seam of his lips and sighed softly when Cas opened easily for his exploring tongue.

The kiss was unrushed, a mere exploration. There was passion and heat, but it lacked the manic lust and sense of urgency that their previous encounters had been riddled with. He felt Cas grip his waist as their hips met in a lazy roll. This was nice and while Dean loved sex, he was content to keep this as it was.

After what felt like hours, Dean finally pulled back. Cas's lips were swollen and wet. His eyes were heavy-lidded, pupils dark and swollen. His appearance sent a bolt of heat straight to Dean's dick.

"We should probably get back," Dean muttered.

"Thought one of your fantasies was sex outdoors," Cas teased. Dean threw his head back and laughed.

"Yeah, it was, but we'll save that for after the case is closed," Dean told him. Cas gave him a small smile. Dean took his hand again and led him back towards the path.

Sam hefted another piece of wood into the wheelbarrow. He needed to get all of the timber down to the pond before he could start on the dock. He'd already repaired the bridge but Hannah had decided the dock needed attention as well. Bobby was seriously going to pay for coming up with this idea. His blisters were getting blisters!

He bent over to pick up another piece of wood when a whistle sounded behind him. He spun around and found himself face to face with one of the campers. He had short, spiky brown hair and stood a bit shorter than Sam.

"Uh, can I help you?" Sam asked, taking a step back.

"Oh, you most definitely can. I'm afraid the tub in our cabin isn't draining properly. Think you can take a look at it?" the other man asked, eyes trailing up and down Sam's body. Sam had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"Um, I'm really not a plumber. I can get Hannah to call someone for you if you want," he offered. The other man pouted.

"Well, I suppose that would work. Are you sure you don't want to take a look at it?" he all but purred.

"Yeah, very sure, I wouldn't know what I was looking at anyway." The other man gave him an evil smile.

"Oh, I'm pretty sure it wouldn't be that hard to figure out." Sam blanched at that.

"I'm gonna go tell Hannah now about that," he told the camper before bolting for the main house.

Sam made it inside and up the stairs as quickly as he could. He wasn't sure where Hannah would be so he started towards the office first. That seemed to be his best bet. He raised his hand to knock when he reached the door but paused when he heard Hannah talking inside. He leaned in towards the door to hear what she was saying.

"-please, Derek, just hear me out." There was a silence before she continued. "I have it figured out. It's the answer to our problems. Everything will work out this time, I just know it. Derek, please, come home. No- ... That's no- Derek, if you'll just... Derek? Derek! Damnit!"

Sam heard a phone slam down. He pulled back quickly so he wouldn't be caught. He'd have to tell Dean about this. Raising his hand, he knocked on the door to inform her of the camper's plumbing problem when it dawned on him that he'd never even gotten the man's name. Oh well, he could describe him and she'd probably know. He had a feeling it was that creep Mike anyway. Sam shuddered at the thought. Did the guy even have a plumbing problem?