Day 05: Santa hat, mall; Dean & Jess
Tag: 'What is and what should never be' (Alternative Universe)
A/N: This is a chapter I'm really proud of for some reason…!
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"So – what do you think?"
Dean, busy with carrying an enormous amount of shopping bags, looked up at his sister-in-law, who grinned at him from under a Santa hat with huge, blinking, red stars attached to the rim.
He stared at her, managed to hold all the bags in his left hand and quickly snatched the hat off of her head to throw it back unto the pile with Christmas hats: "Yeah, you're not wearing this!"
Jess pouted and Dean sighed and gave in: "Sam probably thinks you look cute with this thing. I'm okay with it as long as it's not on your head when we eat dinner Christmas eve."
Jess grabbed the hat and went to pay for it while Dean rearranged the bags in his hands.
"Lucky Sam who couldn't make it to this awesome shopping trip because of work", Dean grumbled.
"You're lucky Carmen isn't here, either", Jess, who reappeared to add yet another bag to Dean's overly full hands, "She doesn't shop as light as I do."
"That's light?!"
"Of course it is. We haven't even had a look at shoes yet."
Dean groaned.
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They'd stored most of their shopping bags in the car to have their hands free again. Dean had demanded a stop to eat something, and Jess didn't object.
Now, however, Dean's plate was untouched, his burger slowly growing cold.
"What is it?", Jess asked, worriedly drawing her brows together.
"There's a reason I asked Carmen not to come with us today."
"Oh?"
Dean fought an internal battle to find the right words. So far he hadn't let anyone in on his secret. He knew he could trust Jess, but still… He could still back out now without someone knowing.
Speaking it out loud would make it real. Real was scary.
Then again, his parents surely wouldn't have ended up together if John, at some point, hadn't had the courage to ask.
"Dean?"
"I was… I was hoping you'd help me pick a ring", he rasped against his quickly drying throat. God, was he really doing this?
"What? Wha – Oh!"
Dean had expected an outburst of emotion from Jess, an excited giggle or squeal, especially now, but she only smiled brightly and grabbed his hand to squeeze it: "Dean, I'm so happy for you."
"She hasn't exactly said 'yes' yet."
Jess slapped his arm: "Oh please. She'd be a fool not to. Now eat your burger so we can have a look at rings before I get too fat to move!"
Dean grinned and now dug into his burger with renewed appetite. Speaking around meat and salad, he mumbled: "It barely shows yet, Jess, there's plenty of time left."
"But I'd like to fit into a dress for the wedding, thank you very much!"
Dean chuckled: "I'm sure we can fix a date after your little one has been born."
Jess stuck out her tongue and looked at her stomach: "Yeah, that'd be great. I'd love a family photo then – you, Carmen, Mary and Sam and me, together with our kid."
Dean, suddenly swallowing against a lump in his throat, nodded and smiled: "We'll do that, Jess. That's a promise."
Then he smirked: "And please bring the hat."
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The End