A/N: Sorry for the absence. Life, you know. But here it is, the long awaited ending! Enjoy!
Chapter Eighteen
"Dean! What—How—"
"Heya Sammy," Dean smiled weakly. "Thanks for not redecorating my room."
Sam looked angry and confused and relieved all at once. Castiel understood that feeling. It was still strange to see Dean standing there, alive. Like the battle never happened.
Sam strode forward and for a moment, it looked like he was going to punch Dean in the throat. To their relief, Sam grabbed him in a bear hug. "Never fucking do that to me again," he mumbled. "Or I'll be the one that kills you and revives you."
"Swear, Sammy," Dean choked. Castiel felt himself tear up again and wondered how he had any water left in his body.
"What happened?" Sam released Dean. "How did you escape? How did you come back? Where were you? What—"
"Sam," Dean patted the younger Winchester on the shoulder. "It's a long story, but I need a nap. Cas can fill you in on the basics."
Both Castiel and Sam tucked Dean into the fluffy covers, while he muttered something about, "not an invalid." The second they stepped back, Dean was out like a light.
They stood there for a second, taking in the fact that Dean was here. Castiel would be panicking again if not for the soft rise and fall of Dean's chest reassuring him that he was, in fact, alive.
"Come on," Sam tugged Castiel away. They left the sitting room door open, as if they needed a direct line of sight at all times. "Now, tell me."
Castiel explained everything, starting with his plea to his mother, then his decision to leave. "Gabe's gonna tear you a new one for that," Sam murmured. Castiel gave him a look, and the angel continued.
He told Sam about searching for his father, finding his grave, and how Lailah put Dean back together. How real angels of the lord existed, and that he was a second generation, whatever that meant.
They sat in a stunned silence before Castiel asked his question. "Adam's really gone then?"
"Yeah," Sam said quietly. "I mean, he hasn't come back and there were definitely some human ashes, so…"
"So the curse is broken," Castiel finished. "Adam saved us."
"We're talking to Rufus Turner about building a statue in his honor. I thought Dean would like that."
"He will." Castiel smiled. "How's… everything?"
Sam shrugged. "There hasn't been anymore violence. No riots, nothing since the fire. The towns near the castle have actually sent some representatives to talk to us, and they seem surprisingly not angry."
"Huh," Castiel sat back. "You think the cursed land and water poisoned the villagers too? And now it's gone, they'll be happier?"
"I was thinking the same thing. We—"
The door slammed open once again, cutting Sam off. Gabe, with the same sort of confused and relief and rage filled expression that Sam had, stormed into the room. "Castiel god dammit!" he yelled.
"Shhh!" Sam and Castiel shushed at the same time.
"Don't you dare shush me!" he continued. "It hurts to be here? Take care of everyone for me? How the fuck could you leave me like that?" Gabe tackled Castiel off the couch, and for a second, he looked like he was going to hit him.
Instead, he crushed him in a hug. He and Sam were more alike than they thought. "Sorry," Castiel coughed in Gabe's death grip.
"Sorry does not cover it," he said into Castiel's shoulder. "You better make me dinner every night for a month. Don't you ever leave me like that again."
Castiel laughed and pulled Gabe back onto the couch. Sam rubbed his back, but he still looked furious. "We're all alive," Castiel said, diffusing the tension. "Dean's sleeping in his room and we're all back for good. No more disappearing."
Gabe relaxed a little at the news that Dean was alive. "You better tell me what happened."
After a second, Castiel spoke. "Sam, would you check on Dean? I need a minute."
"Yeah, of course," he smiled, kissing Gabe on the forehead and tiptoeing into the other room.
Castiel once again relayed the story. He remembered more things and told Gabe more details. Dean would tell him to write everything down, every little bit from the past year, into a book to be preserved with the castle's history.
"And that's when you came in," Castiel finished.
Gabe slumped back onto a throw pillow. "That sounds exhausting."
"You're telling me," Castiel smiled. "What happened here?"
He was quiet for a long moment. "You were only gone two days, but a lot happened." Castiel waited. "No one could find you the first day, though Sam said he talked to you for a few minutes. That was really a day of shock. Sam had a lot of meetings and he wasn't really all there, y'know?
That night was when it really sunk in, and he just sort of cried until he fell asleep. I guess I was still in shock too, so I drifted in and out for a few hours. Then I got up and wandered around, and I went down to the servants' quarters." He gave Castiel a short, sad look before averting his eyes.
"Apparently I woke the guards. They thought someone was hurt, but…" he shrugged. "It was just me after I read the note. I still don't forgive you for that."
Castiel folded a dark wing around Gabe's shoulders. If it were Gabe that left, he'd feel the same way. "I guess grief made me stupid," Castiel whispered. "I'll never leave again."
"You better not," Gabe snapped, but leaned his head on Castiel's shoulder anyway. "Today was the worst. Everything kind of came to a standstill. Sam could only stay in a meeting for an hour before he had to leave. He stayed in his room all day and he wanted to be alone, so I went down to assess the damage.
Charlie baked at least thirty pies, but the last few were sloppy and when I found her, she was crying into a can of cherry filling. I got a few of the redshirts to help her clean up, and I made everyone else help with repairs or polish the silver. We—" Gabe stopped. "We got out the dark linens. For the funeral."
"Gabe," Castiel said. "I'm so sorry."
"Everything just stopped. People were working, but nothing was done. Even Naomi looked like she hadn't slept. It's been rough." He suddenly sat up. "No one knows Dean's back. He just got here and no one knows he's alive."
They both sprang up from the couch. "Sam!" Gabe called. "Wake our Grace up, we need to tell everyone he's alive!"
o o o
Sam called a castle-wide meeting and everyone crowded into the throne room, servants and council members alike. Castiel helped Dean dress in something better than an old sheet. Luckily he was feeling a little better and could walk on his own, but Castiel and Gabe flanked him, ready to catch him at a moment's notice.
Castiel could tell that Dean was nervous. His… death had obviously changed him. He didn't have his kingly stride or his mask of fake confidence. He looked tired and haunted, but his face was more open and honest, like when he was with Castiel.
With a last squeeze of his hand, Dean opened the throne room doors.
It took a moment for everyone to see Dean approach his throne, but when they spotted him, it was chaos. There was screaming and crying and unintelligible words hurled forward, but when Dean held up a hand, the room quieted.
"This is not a trick," he began, "I did die, but I was brought back, and I will tell you how. I will tell the full truth."
It was more like the basics, but he outlined how he followed Adam into the flames, how he was burned alive, and how an angel of the lord repaired him and sent him back to his kingdom.
"I have been given a second chance, one I don't deserve," Dean continued. "Nevertheless, I stand here, and I'm going to use the life I've been given to fix the last hundred years of suffering this kingdom has endured. There will be some major governmental changes in the next weeks, and we will build small village governments so that you may all have a say in how our kingdom will thrive.
"And—" his voice cracked, and he paused. "And we will have a memorial ceremony for Adam Milligan, Adam Winchester, who gave his life to save ours."
"For Adam!" a servant yelled.
"For Adam!" chorused the crowd. They erupted with cheering, and when that died down, they yelled questions. "Your Grace! How did the angel fix you?" "Your Grace! What will happen with the angels now?" "Your Grace! Are we safe now?"
"If the servants could bring in chairs for everyone, I will answer every question you have."
Dean talked until nightfall, taking questions from everyone. Every now and then, he would bring in Castiel or Sam to answer something he wasn't around for or didn't know, but he did so well. He was honest but calm, humble but kingly, and clearly dedicated to moving the kingdom forward.
Dean really was back.
o o o
Castiel cried out, arching his back off the bed, then falling into the mattress. A moment later, Dean shouted his release and collapsed on top of Castiel, still inside him.
"Missed this," Castiel wrapped his arms and wings around Dean's sweaty form. "Missed you."
"Same here," Dean breathed. "God, I love you." He pulled out and wobbled to the bathroom for a washcloth.
Castiel smiled. Dean had been so busy for the last week, but he was there, he was here, he was back. They had gone through some rough times, but Castiel didn't know how happy he could truly be with Dean until after he'd felt that loss. It was amazing.
The bed dipped and Dean wiped him off, shimmying under the covers when he was done. Castiel folded one wing behind him and draped the other over the bed. They lay in silence for a long time.
"Cas?" Dean asked quietly.
"Hmm?" he hummed.
"Would you… uh…" Dean scratched his head. "I mean…"
"Dean," Castiel pushed himself up onto his elbows. "What is it?"
He chuckled. "This probably isn't the place to ask, and I don't even know how it would work, but…" He brushed a lock of dark hair off of Castiel's face. "Will you marry me?"
Castiel's mouth dropped open. Dean wanted to marry him?
"I mean I know you marked me and that's the angel equivalent or something, but I want to get you a ring and—"
Castiel crashed his lips onto Dean's, silencing him with the most forceful kiss of his life. "Of course I'll marry you! Oh my god!" he kissed Dean again, and he could feel the king smile into it.
After several more minutes, Castiel lay back with a huge grin on his face. "What will I be called? King part two? Queen? Angel with a crown?"
Dean chuckled. "I don't know. Something like that."
They lay together, counting their heartbeats. Castiel was grateful for both of their heartbeats. They'd come very close to laying still forever.
"This won't be easy," Dean murmured. "There's a lot to repair in the kingdom, and a lot to figure out with the Garrison. And we've never had two kings on the throne, so we'll have to figure that out."
"Dean, you literally died and came back to life," Castiel said. "I changed into another species. We can handle politics."
Castiel rolled the both of them over and brought his lips to Dean's, relishing the slow slide of skin. It wouldn't be easy, not in the slightest. But as long as they had each other, they could survive anything.
"Hey!" they heard the muffled voice of Sam and some knocks on the door. "You two have to come out soon, you'll be late to the council dinner!"
Castiel gave Dean another small kiss. "Duty calls," he grinned.
Castiel once again helped Dean dress, putting on a pair of pants himself. Dean left to be the great king that he always was, and Castiel opened the curtains. When the light shone enough to illuminate Dean's desk, Castiel sat and arranged a stack of blank papers. With a brand new green pen, he began to write.
"Soldiers of the castle!" Castiel wrote. "Open up!"
A/N: How was that? I know the ending was a little clipped, but I wanted to save room for a potential third story. Again, thank you for everyone who stayed with me all this time. You can't know how much your favorites and reviews mean to me.
I'm starting a few new pieces that I hope to get up to you soon, but as I always say, inspiration is a fickle bitch. Until then, I love you all, and happy reading.