**Nothing from Charmed or Supernatural belongs to me.**

Chapter Seven

*Five Days Until The Wedding*

Dean tapped his pen on his notepad, flipping through a magazine. Why in the hell would Melinda put him in charge of anything to do with this damn wedding? He blew his breath out and dropped the pen, rubbing his fingers over his eyes. He kept his hands on his face and heard a giggle behind him. He didn't turn around, but soft arms came around him, and he felt a kiss against his neck.

"Are you having trouble, baby?"

Dean let out a sigh, bringing a hand up to rest on Melinda's arms, which were around his neck.

"You should know better than this, Mel."

She let out a laugh, moving to kiss his cheek. He sat back as she moved the chair backwards with her powers before sitting in his lap. She leaned over to press her mouth to his, running her fingers through his hair, making him groan. She smiled as she pulled back, meeting his eyes.

"How about I make you a deal?"

His green eyes were so suddenly so hopeful that she couldn't help but laugh.

"Okay. I will take care of this for you if you'll do something for me."

Dean smiled, rubbing his hand on her shoulder.

"Anything, babe. You know that."

Melinda smiled, slowly letting out a breath.

"Call him."

Dean sighed, looking off to the side.

"Mel…"
"Dean, come on."

He ran a hand over his face. Melinda sighed, then linked her fingers with his.

"I know you're mad at him. We all are. And we have every right to be, don't get me wrong. But Dean … I can't imagine you getting married without Sam there. Hell, I can't imagine getting married without Sam there."

Dean sighed again, and Melinda leaned to rest her forehead on his, both of them closing their eyes.

"Mel…"
"He's your brother, baby. Your Sammy. He is your very best friend, and you know that's true. And you need him to be here, whether you want to admit it or not."

Dean nodded, knowing full well that she was right. She leaned over, pressing her lips to his, moving back just slightly.

"Plus, I'm the bride and I get what I want."

Dean laughed, pulling her in for another kiss. She leaned back, gently running her hand on his cheek, as Dean smiled.

"And you want Sam there."

Melinda nodded, and he let out his breath.

"All right, Bridezilla."

She laughed, making him smile, since both of them knew Melinda was nowhere near a "bridezilla." She smiled at him, and he took in a deep breath.

"I'll call him."

Melinda nodded, taking his face in her hands, kissing him again.

"I love you, Winchester."

Dean kissed her back, running his hands up and down her sides.

"I love you, Halliwell."

Melinda stood up, gathering the materials Dean had spread out on the table in front of him. She winked at him before she walked out of the room, and his cell phone appeared on the table in front of him. Dean let out a laugh, then sighed, picking up the phone. He pressed the number "1" and held it down, listening to the phone ring. On the third ring, a deep, familiar voice filled the line.

"Dean?"

Dean took in a breath, then let the smile come through.

"Hey, Sammy. It's me."

There was silence for a second, before Sam spoke again.

"Is everything okay?"
"Yeah, yeah. Everything's fine."
"Good. Mel's okay?"

Dean smiled.

"Oh yeah. She's neck-deep in wedding plans."

Sam let out a quiet laugh, then spoke even quieter.

"And Peyton?"

Dean looked down as he smiled, speaking just as quietly.

"She's good, Sam."

Dean would put money down that Sam was nodding right then. Dean let out a sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Listen, Sammy. There's a reason why I'm calling."
"I figured as much, Dean."

He could hear the smile then. Dean took a deep breath.

"Mel and I decided to get married a little bit sooner than originally planned."
"You had a date originally?"

Dean laughed. Kid had a point.

"All right, smart ass. Well, we've decided to carpe diem."
"Okay?"

Dean smiled.

"Sammy, we're getting married Saturday. And … we want you here."

Silence filled the line, until Sam spoke quietly.

"Dean, I—"
"Sammy, listen. I know there's stuff we're going to have to work through. Yeah. you did some things, but so did I. Can we put our shit aside for a couple of days and just … I don't know, act like a family again?"

The phone was quiet again, and Dean spoke softly.

"All I know is I'm getting married in five days, and I just don't think I can do it without my pain-in-the-ass little brother there. I can't imagine doing this without you, Sammy. And Mel really wants you here, too. Can you … do you think you can make it?"

Silence filled the line, while a sense of dread filled Dean's stomach. But after a minute, he heard his brother's deep voice.

"Dean, there's nowhere else I'd rather be."

A smile spread across Dean's face, and he let out a laugh. And no, those were not tears in his eyes.

"Okay. Okay, all right."
"It's going to take me a while to get there, though."
"How long?"

Sam was quiet for a second, before he came back on the line.

"Two days."
"Where the hell are you, Sammy?"
"Rhode Island."
"Jesus, man."
"I could always fly in, be there tomorrow."

Dean was quiet for a second.

"You'd do that?"
"Hey, you're the one with the plane phobia, man, not me."

Sam's laugh filled the line as Dean closed his eyes.

"Bitch."
"Jerk. Listen, I'll go check on the flights now, and I'll text you my info."
"All right, and I'll pick you up at the airport tomorrow."
"Sounds good. Hey, Dean?"
"Yeah, Sammy."
"Thanks for calling."

Dean was quiet as he nodded, and his voice was rough as he spoke.

"Always, Sammy. See you tomorrow."

He hung up the phone, wiping his eyes and letting out a long breath. When he had composed himself, he walked into the kitchen, where Melinda was sipping a cup of something—he guessed tea since it was fairly late in the day—with her glasses on her face, the laptop open in front of her, along with his pen and notepad, which was now filled with her pretty handwriting. She glanced up, blinking at him as she set her cup down and slid her glasses off. She closed the laptop, linking her hands together on top of it as she looked at him.

"So…?"

Dean smiled.

"He's catching the next flight out."

Melinda smiled and got up from the table, going to hug him. She let out a sigh as he wrapped his arms around her.

"Dean, I'm so glad. We'll all be together again."
"I love you."

She pulled back, staying in his arms, and smiled. Dean smiled back at her.

"We're just going to put aside our shit until this is over."

Melinda nodded.

"That'll be good."
"It's what we Winchesters are best at. You'll see."

Melinda laughed and Dean bent to kiss her. They stayed wrapped up like that, kissing, for a while, until a little voice broke them apart.

"Do you guys do anything besides kiss all the time?"

Melinda laughed as she and Dean looked down to see Kate standing in the doorway with her hands on her hips. Dean winked at Melinda as he walked closer to Kate.

"Oh, sure. We do lots of stuff, like … Tickle little brown-haired, blue-eyed girls."

Kate was still for a second, before she took off running, with Dean hot on her heels. Melinda laughed when she heard Kate's high-pitched squeals and giggles down the hall, knowing Dean had caught up with her. Peyton walked into the kitchen, smiling when she heard Kate.

"Dean get her again?"

Melinda nodded, going to sit back down at the table. She reached for her glasses, which Peyton moved out of her grasp. Melinda cocked an eyebrow at her cousin.

"Peyton, what are you doing?"

Peyton smiled.

"You know what I'm doing. There are exactly five days until your wedding. Well, nearly four now. I am a big fan of not having the bachelorette party right before the wedding, so—"
"No. No way. Hell no."
"You cannot get married without having a bachelorette party!"
"Peyton, do you remember Jenny's bachelorette party? I sure as hell don't. I barely remember the wedding, because I was still so hungover from the night before!"
"Which is why we're going five days ahead of time this time around. You learn things, you see."

Melinda shook her head, her stubborn side peeking through.

"Peyton, I seriously don't think my body can handle it."
"Please. You're marrying Dean Winchester. He's got a liver of steel. Some of that has bound to have rubbed off on you."

Melinda sighed, and Peyton sat down in the chair beside her.

"Melly. I am not afraid to beg. This is your last chance to throw down as a single lady! Anna and Jenny have prepared P3 for us tonight, and they've even got a special musical guest."
"On a Tuesday night?"
"For you! Come on, Mel!"

Melinda groaned and covered her face with her hands.

"There is still so much we have to get done before Saturday."
"And we will! But tonight… Girl's night, Bachelorette night, just a fun time all around. Come on, Blondie. What do you say?"

Melinda stared at Peyton, whose dark eyes were pleading. She shook her head, then let out a sigh, and Peyton leapt to her feet.

"Yes! I knew it! Come on, come on, we've got to start getting ready."
"I swear to God, if this ends up the way Jenny's did…"
"It won't! It'll be even more epic."

Melinda groaned as Peyton took hold of her hands, dragging her up the stairs and pushing her into the shower.

"I'm a painted whore."

Peyton groaned from her spot across from Melinda.

"Shut up. You look beautiful. Trust me, this mixed with that dress is going to make you stand out like—"
"A five-dollar hooker?"

Peyton set the mascara down and picked up a tissue, gently wiping under Melinda's eyes.

"I am not going to punch you, because a black eye most certainly will still be around in five days, especially for you, since you're so prone to bruises and all. Plus, Aunt Piper has threatened bodily harm to anyone not in tip-top shape for these wedding pictures."

Melinda smiled, and Peyton stepped back, grabbing the silver sequined dress and sliding it, ever so gently, over Melinda's head. Melinda slid her feet into a pair of impossibly high heels, silver to match the dress, and Peyton took her hands, helping her to stand up. Melinda smoothed out the dress, then turned to look in the mirror.

"Holy shit."
"I know, right?"

Melinda's mouth hung open as she reached to pat the fluffy curls that surrounded her face. She didn't look a thing like herself. She looked …

"Hot. You are smokin' hot, Melly."

Melinda's mouth stayed open, and Peyton stepped closer to her, in long, flared black pants and a silver top. Her hair was pulled back in a bun, her makeup gentler than Melinda's.

"Peyton, I—"
"Need to stand out tonight. The girls all know it, and we picked this outfit out for you. They should be downstairs, so we need to shag ass."

Melinda shook her head, and Peyton smiled.

"Come on. I can't wait to see Dean's face when he sees you."

Peyton took her hand, leading her out of the room. They stopped in the hall when a little head poked out of a room.

"Whoa, baby."

Peyton laughed and Melinda closed her eyes as she smiled. Kate walked up, gently patting Melinda's dress.

"Aunt Melinda, you look so pretty."
"Thank you, sweetheart."
"I want a dress like this."
"No way in hell, kid. Not until you're at least thirt—forty. Maybe even fifty."

Wyatt walked up behind Kate, laying a hand on her head, smiling at his sister.

"You're beautiful, Mel."

She blushed, and Peyton laughed.

"And there's the color I was trying to get on her cheeks! Thanks, Wy."
"Anytime. And you, short one. Bed time."
"You owe me a quarter for the jar, Daddy."

Kate and Wyatt kept talking as he swept her into his arms, walking into her bedroom. Melinda let out a sigh as Peyton linked their arms together.

"Did I tell you our moms are coming out for a while with us?"
"What?! Peyton!"
"It's okay! They're cool, Mel. You know that. Why am I telling you? Like they would miss sweet little Mel's bachelorette party."

Melinda groaned as she and Peyton came to the stairs. They walked down, meeting the rest of the girls in the living room. Whistles and catcalls rang out, making Melinda's cheeks flush again, while Piper walked up to her daughter.

"My God, do not let your father see this dress. You look amazing, honey!"

Melinda grinned as her cousins made their way around her, fawning over her dress, her shoes, her makeup. Melinda laughed, holding up her hands.

"Okay, if you get this worked up about the bachelorette party, what's going to happen at the wedding?"

Laughter and shouts sounded all around them, and Melinda laughed. Peyton reached for her phone, checking the time.

"Okay, the limo will be here in about ten minutes. Anna and Jenny are already at P3, getting everything set up for us."

Everyone nodded, until Phoebe let out a laugh.

"I just can't get over this dress!"

Laughter sounded again, and Dean came walking into the living room with a glass of water in his hands.

"What in the hell is all the fuss abou—"

His sentence trailed off as the girls parted, giving him a clear view of Melinda. The glass fell out of his hands, and would have shattered and spilled on the floor had Piper not frozen it. Dean would have made his way to Melinda, had his feet suddenly not been glued to the floor. He somehow took his eyes away from Melinda, landing on Peyton.

"What the hell is wrong with you?"

Peyton smiled a devilish little smile as Melinda glanced back at her. Dean kept on talking to Peyton.

"What possessed you to think that this outfit would be okay?"
"It's her last time to run wild as a single girl, Deano."
"She's not single, Peyton. She's with me. We're getting married."
"I know. That's usually the reason for a bachelorette party."

Quiet laughter filled the room, and Dean shut his eyes, shaking his head. Melinda smiled.

"Honey?"

He flicked his eyes to her, and she could see the burning lust in the thin ring of green around his dilated pupils.

"Do you like my dress?"
"Mel, you can't wear that."
"Why not?"
"Because!"

Paris rolled her eyes.

"Oh, that's a good reason."

Phoenix elbowed her sister, smiles on both of their faces.

"Come on, Paris. Can't you feel it? One look at her in that dress, and it's like this—"
"Jealousy."
"Possessiveness."
"Almost an animalistic kind of thing."
"Hey!"

Melinda turned around, glancing at her cousins who held the powers of a cupid.

"My mother is right there!"
"And she's not even an empath and I bet she can feel this."

Melinda shot Peyton a look, while Piper shrugged her shoulders and nodded. Dean groaned again, and Melinda walked over to him, almost able to look him in the eye in her heels. He took her hands, letting out a ragged sigh.

"Mel, please don't wear this dress."
"Dean—"
"I'm serious! One look at you, and every guy in the place will be falling over himself to buy you a drink. And I'll have to kick so much ass. Baby, please."
"Honey, you're not invited."
"Oh, I wasn't. Then you walked down in that dress."

Phoebe was shaking, trying to hold her laughter in. Paige kept pinching her, trying to get her to keep it under control. Piper was enjoying the situation tremendously, while Phoenix and Paris whispered to each other, making Peyton laugh as she overheard them. Melinda let out a sigh.

"Honey, listen. The dress is just a dress. Any guy wants to buy me a drink, hey. It's my bachelorette party! But keep this in mind. When this night is over, whether it ends in 20 minutes or after the sun comes up, I will be coming home to you. That is a promise, Winchester."

She took hold of his shirt, pulling him to her as she crushed her lips to his.

"Holy mother of God. I need a—Jesus."

Peyton grabbed a nearby piece of paper, fanning herself as everyone around her finally lost it, roaring with laughter. Phoebe was fanning herself too, until Melinda pulled back from Dean, smoothing his shirt out.

"There. That should tide you over for a while. You got some lipstick on you, though."

Melinda turned around, grabbing her purse as she walked through the girls.

"Let's go."

With mouths hanging open, glancing back at Dean, the girls hurriedly grabbed their things and followed Melinda out the door, to the limo Paris had reserved for them. They climbed in, grabbing glasses of champagne as the limo started off. Phoenix shushed them all.

"Okay, so just to clear things up. Mel, you know he's following us, right?"
"Oh, yeah. I'm not stupid and he is totally not as clever as he thinks he is."

Laughter rang through the limo as the girls lifted their glasses, clinking them together and cheering.