It was the first week of June when Sam, Gabe, Dean, Cas, Charlie, Dorothy, Jo, Balthazar, Benny, Kevin, Anna, and Garth all walked into the Roadhouse.

"Are we being invaded?" Ellen asked from behind the bar.

Jo laughed, "Yeah, Mom. Definitely an invasion." They took up both their usual booth and the table next to it, filling that corner of the bar with laughter and noise.

They had just finished moving into a larger apartment, mainly so Dean and his family could all sit in the same room without overflowing into another room. And this apartment complex had a parking garage, which was perfect since Dean's baby was parked outside.

After Sam had started therapy, money had been really tight, especially after all the hospital bills. Dean went back to working nights at the garage early. He and Cas didn't get to spend as much time together as a result, but they dealt with it. Plus, Cas lived with him. Even if he went to school, went straight to work, and didn't get home until everyone else was asleep, he still got to curl up with Cas before going to bed.

Still, working at the garage, he was able to swing a discount on parts for the Impala. The first chance he got, he introduced Cas to his baby, got her out of Crowley's shop, and brought her to the garage to work on whenever he got a chance. She was good as new now, and she looked beautiful sitting in the Roadhouse parking lot with the sunlight glinting off her new paint job.

"I can't believe I lost it," Cas sighed.

Dean put a hand on Cas' leg, thoroughly enjoying the fact that Cas was wearing shorts, and said, "Don't worry. It was just a ring. I can easily get you another one."

Cas nodded but still looked rather dejected.

Dean glanced over to Sam, but Sam shook his head. In the months that Sam had been out of the hospital, he'd been doing so much better. The change in Sam was so shocking. It was like he was a whole new person. He smiled more, he laughed more, he was all over Gabriel more, though there were some things that Dean just didn't need to see. Sam also seemed to have filled out more and gotten even taller, which Dean didn't think would've been possible. He seemed happy for the first time in a long time, and it was great.

Cas looked at Dean, "What was that?"

"What was what?" Dean asked.

Cas replied, "That look you gave Sam. What's going on?"

Always so perceptive.

Sam sighed, "He thinks I stole it for Gabe, which I did not."

Dean was shocked at how good a liar his brother was. Though, he wasn't all that surprised given how much time he had to perfect it.

Gabriel faked a gasp and said, "Oh my God, Sam! This is all so sudden!"

"Like you'd say no if I asked," Sam teased.

Dean rolled his eyes. Sam kissed Gabriel with a kiss long enough that it made Dean look away.

Cas said, "You know Sam wouldn't do something like that."

Dean just shrugged. Sam was a much better liar.

Balthazar made a face at Sam and Gabriel. "You gonna come up for air anytime soon?" he teased.

Sam released his boyfriend and flipped off Balthazar.

Dean put his arm around Cas but noticed he seemed kind of off. The ring thing was really bumming him out.

Fuck it.

Dean glanced at Sam, and Sam shook his head.

Dean nodded and tilted his head towards Cas.

Sam shrugged and shot Dean a confused glance.

Gabriel and Cas watched Dean and Sam in confusion.

Exasperatedly, Dean held out his hand. "Sam," he said.

Sam looked from Dean to Cas.

"But what about...?" Sam tried. Dean shook his head and motioned for Sam to hand it over.

Cas asked, "Dean, what's going on?"

Sam sighed and pulled Cas' ring out of his pocket. He handed it to Dean.

"But it was going to be so cute!" Sam protested. Gabriel and Cas both shot confused glances at Sam.

Dean sighed, "Ignore him. Cas, can we talk outside?" This was definitely not how Dean had planned all of this going down.

Cas nodded, and Dean led him out of the booth to the back lot behind the Roadhouse, ignoring the muttered comments of their friends.

They walked outside in the summer heat to the spot where six months earlier, Cas had Dean backed up against the wall in the snow. Back to the spot where it all started.

"Dean," Cas said.

Dean sighed frustrated, "This was going to go much better. It really was." He held out Cas' ring.

"This doesn't mean what you think it means," Dean said, "I'm not proposing. We haven't been together nearly long enough for that, but I...I'm promising that eventually I'll propose...or you can...or I don't know. I just…I want to marry you eventually."

Cas took his ring and slid it on. "So, this is a promise ring?" he asked.

Dean rolled his eyes, "Well, if you want it to sound all chick-flicky..."

Cas kissed Dean softly and with much more emotion behind it than Dean was expecting. Dean wrapped his arms around Cas and backed him into the wall.

They kissed a few more times before Cas broke away and said, "We should probably go back inside."

Fair enough. Dean really didn't want their friends to start eavesdropping at the door.

When they went inside, Jo grinned at them, Benny was shoving Balthazar's face away from him, and Sam and Gabriel were back to making out. Charlie and Dorothy were purposely avoiding looking at Sam and Gabriel.

"But everybody else is getting together! C'mon. You know you want me," Balthazar pressed.

Benny rolled his eyes, "Just 'cause all our friends are queer doesn't mean I am."

As Dean and Cas got closer to the tables, Dean said to Benny, joking, "Maybe Jo would work better for you."

Jo blushed and walked over to the bar quickly to grab drinks.

Holy shit.

Benny looked from Dean to Jo. Balthazar cackled hysterically while Benny got up to talk to Jo.

Dean laughed and put an arm around Cas.

Charlie asked Cas, "So, what's all the craziness with your ring?"

Cas grinned, "We're getting married."

Gabriel broke away from Sam in shock.

Dorothy choked on her drink.

Dean shoved Cas in the arm.

"Eventually," Dean amended, "In the distant future. Many years from now."

"It'll be nice to have a married couple in the apartment," Dorothy said, shooting Charlie a sideways glance. Charlie rolled her eyes.

"Years from now," Dean repeated.

Charlie said, "As long as you guys are out on your honeymoon or at least quiet after you get hitched, have at it."

Dean sighed, "Years. Really. Years from now."

Sam laughed, "Too bad Gabe and I have the room with the better sound proofing."

Cas shook his head, "My ears beg to differ."

Charlie grinned, "Actually we have the best sound proofing."

"How would you know?" Dean asked, "We've only been in the apartment for a night."

Charlie wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. "We've tested it out. Twice," she said impishly.

Dean tried not to spit out his drink. When they first met Charlie and Dorothy, Dean kind of thought the lesbian thing was hot. Now, it was just weird to hear stuff like that. He didn't want to know what his sisters were doing behind closed doors. He was even more disturbed that he hadn't heard a single noise from their room.

"Twice this morning," Dorothy added, watching Dean squirm.

Thankfully, Kevin jumped over to the booth with Anna. "Any of you guys want to dance? We're gonna get some music going," he asked.

Charlie nudged Dorothy, and Dorothy rolled her eyes.

Charlie shoved Sam and Gabriel out of the booth, got up, and shouted, "Play 'Walking on Sunshine'!" as Dorothy followed after, shaking her head.

As Sam got back in the booth, Gabriel hesitated.

"Gabe?" Sam asked.

Gabriel nodded over to the door. Dean looked over and saw a lanky kid about Sam's age standing awkwardly near the door, looking around nervously.

"Who's that?" Sam asked.

Gabriel answered, "He's Mike's friend."

"Who's Mike?" Dean asked.

"Gabe's brother," Sam answered.

Ah. So, awkward door kid was his brother's boyfriend's brother's friend. Right. Okay.

Gabriel sat back down, and Sam said, "We should invite him over."

"Why?" Dean asked.

"Well, look at him, Dean," Sam said, "He's just keeping the door company over there. Might as well give him a less obvious place to be weird."

Dean shrugged, "Go for it."

Gabriel stood up in the booth and shouted, "Adam!"

The kid looked over in surprise and walked over.

"Hey, Gabriel," Adam said quietly.

"Come, sit," Gabriel beckoned, "What brings you to the Roadhouse?"

Adam sat down and sighed, "Michael is being a...I needed a place to go for a bit."

Gabriel nodded, and Dean decided not to ask.

"Well, we're just hanging out here today, but we're going to the beach tomorrow if you want to come with," Sam said.

Adam smiled a little, "Sure. Sounds fun."

Adam's presence seemed to make Gabriel and Sam rein it in a bit. Dean liked this kid already.

After a while, Cas twiddled with the ring on his finger when he said to Dean, "I love you."

Dean grinned and kissed Cas regardless of random Gabriel's brother's friend being there.

"I know," Dean replied, earning a smirk from Cas.

They discussed plans for the beach the next day, and enjoyed relaxing with friends after the long day of hauling boxes up and down stairs.

Sam was doing so much better, and he was sickeningly in love with Gabriel.

Gabriel had moved in with them and was quickly becoming another annoying little brother to Dean.

Charlie and Dorothy were happy as ever, aside from some occasional spats over whether they'd ever tie the knot.

Cas was caught up on Doctor Who and Sherlock, and he finally had enough of his own belongings that Dean had to share closet space with him.

And not a day went by when Dean wasn't completely awestruck by how lucky he was to have Cas, to have Sam back, to have his baby back, to have his family. He was so lucky. And it was amazing.

Eventually, it started getting dark out, and Bobby had shot them more than enough looks for drinking his booze so quickly. Finally, they went home.

Endings are hard. Any chapped-ass monkey with a keyboard can poop out a beginning, but endings are impossible. You try to tie up every loose end, but you never can. The fans are always gonna bitch. There's always gonna be holes. And since it's the ending, it's all supposed to add up to something. I'm telling you, they're a raging pain in the ass.

So, what's it all add up to? It's hard to say. But me, I'd say this was a test... for Sam and Dean. And I think they did all right. Up against the past, the future, Lisa, Luci, pain, and life itself, they made their own choices. They chose family. They chose love. And, well... isn't that kinda the whole point?

No doubt - endings are hard. But then again... nothing ever really ends, does it?