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

Chapter Twenty-Two

*The Reception*

Melinda loved hearing everyone catch their breath as they walked outside. The backyard was even more beautiful than she remembered, with the fairy lights twinkling all around, the candles aglow. Dean took her hand and led her out to the dance floor, bringing her close to him before looking over to Sam. He'd insisted on picking out the music for their first dance, and Melinda let him, because Dean's taste in music was one thing she had complete trust in. As the first few notes drifted through the speakers, Melinda sighed.

"Oh, Dean."

He smiled, pulling her even closer and wrapping his arms around her waist. Melinda rested her chin on his shoulder, as Aerosmith's I Don't Wanna Miss A Thing came through the speakers. Melinda closed her eyes, a smile crossing her face as she thought back to a conversation she and Dean had once, long ago.

"I'm being serious."

Melinda let out another laugh, pulling the sheet closer around her. She pushed her hair out of her eyes and turned to look at Dean, who was laid back against the pillows. She couldn't help the smile that spread across her face.

"You're telling me that you think Let's Get It On is the most romantic song of all time?"

Dean nodded enthusiastically, and Melinda fell into giggles again. Dean blew out his breath and she calmed down.

"Okay, okay. I—I'm sorry. It's just … Baby, there is a difference between a romantic song and a song about sex. Let's Get It On is sex."
"And that's romantic!"

Melinda shook her head, biting her lip to keep from laughing out loud again.

"Well, what do you think then?"

She looked over at him, a smile crossing her face.

"It's tie, between Aerosmith's I Don't Wanna Miss A Thing and Bryan Adams' Heaven. Both are so sweet and just … romantic doesn't begin to cover it."

Dean just kind of stared at her, until Melinda leaned over and punched his arm. He smiled.

"Okay, maybe you're right. But I've got an opinion of my own."
"Lay it on me."
"I'll give you both of those. But mine is either Clapton's Wonderful Tonight or Love Me Tender. Can't go wrong with the King."

Melinda nodded her head.

"Elvis is always a good choice."

Dean nodded back, moving in the bed.

"Another good choice would be…"

His sentence trailed off as he fixed his mouth on Melinda's neck. She shivered and moaned, letting her arms come up to grasp his neck.

"Oh, I'll give you that. Always a good—good choice."

I Don't Wanna Miss A Thing seamlessly transitioned into Wonderful Tonight, and Melinda smiled, moving her hand to run it through the hair on the back of Dean's head. He bit back a moan, pulling her close to him, whispering to her.

"If you keep doing that, you'll have to dance with me a while longer to hide—"

Her laughter drowned out the rest of his sentence. She moved her hand to rest against his cheek, and he closed his eyes.

"You're so beautiful, Mel."

She smiled, letting her eyes close, too.

"So are you."
"I love you so much."
"I love you."

He moved back, keeping his eyes closed, kissing her lips gently. Melinda let out a sigh into his mouth, and he smiled against her lips.

"Can we get out of here yet?"

Melinda laughed, hugging him close again.

"Soon, baby. Soon."

He let out a quiet groan, pressing his forehead against hers. The song came to an end, and Dean's hands drifted up, rolling his fingers down her neck as he kissed her lips. She gripped his arms, returning the kiss as shouts sounded from all around the dance floor. Leo walked onto the floor holding Mary's hand, both of them smiling wide as Mary went to Dean and Leo took Melinda in his arms.

"Dance with your old dad?"

Melinda grinned.

"Of course."

Dean was holding Mary close to him, running his hands through her hair, and Melinda smiled. She wrapped her arms around Leo's neck and he pulled her close to him. You Are So Beautiful To Me came through the speakers and Melinda smiled. She closed her eyes as a memory overtook her.

Four-year-old Melinda ran into the kitchen, her long, blonde ponytail flying out behind her. Piper turned back from the stove, meeting the wide blue eyes looking up at her.

"Yes ma'am?"

Melinda blinked her eyes and clasped her little hands together.

"Mama, I need to learn how to dance."

Piper smiled, setting her spoon down as she flicked the stove off.

"You do?"

Melinda nodded.

"Can I ask why?"

Melinda shrugged her shoulders.

"I just need to. Everyone knows how to dance except for me."

Piper chuckled to herself. Her little girl was a tiny bit of a drama queen.

"Well, what kind of dancing are we talking about?"
"You know. The kind with the boy and girl, where she's in a pretty dress and he twirls her all around."

Piper smiled, nodding her head.

"Well, in that case, I think you're talking to the wrong person, kid."

Melinda's mouth dropped open and she took off, yelling for her Daddy. Piper just shook her head as Leo walked into the kitchen, going for the sink to wash his hands.

"Is that Melinda?"
"Yep. Little Bit's just decided she needs to learn how to dance, and she's gunning for you."

Leo smiled, wiping his hands on a dishrag.

"Guess I better go find her, then."

Leo found Melinda at the bottom of the stairs. She was sitting on the last step with her chin in her little hands.

"Hey, pumpkin."
"Daddy!"

Melinda launched herself off the step and into Leo's arms. He smiled, carrying her into the living room. He sat her on the couch, then knelt in front of her.

"So Mommy was telling me something about dancing?"

Melinda smiled and nodded her head. Twenty minutes later, Leo was twirling her around the floor, her giggles peppering the air.

"You're a natural, kid!"

Melinda giggled some more as Leo let go of her hand, kneeling in front of her again.

"Want to try a waltz?"

Melinda scrunched up her nose, a move that reminded Leo so much of Piper. He smiled, pushing a long strand of blonde behind Melinda's ear.

"I don't know what that is."

Leo smiled, realizing that four was most likely too young to learn something as complicated as a waltz. But he had an idea.

"Come here, little bit."

She walked over to him and he picked her up, setting her down on top of his feet. She looked down, then up at him and smiled.

"How about some music?"

She nodded, looking over at the stereo and blinking her eyes. A slow song started playing out of the speakers, and Leo started humming along with it. Melinda closed her eyes as she wrapped her arms around Leo's legs. She opened her eyes and looked to the door, where Piper was standing and watching.

"Look, Mama, I'm dancing."

Piper smiled.

"I used to dance with my daddy like that."

Leo winked at her and Melinda patted his legs. He stopped moving and she hopped off of him, walking over to Piper. She took her mother's hand and led her to Leo.

"Dance with Daddy."

Piper smiled, looking over at her husband, who shared her smile. He held out a hand and she took it, before he pulled her close to him. Melinda walked over to a chair, climbing into it, watching her parents dance around the living room with a huge smile on her face as You Are So Beautiful to Me softly played.

Melinda let out a laugh against Leo's shoulder and he looked down at her.

"What's so funny?"

She looked up at him, smiling.

"I was just remembering the first time I heard this song. When you were teaching me how to dance and I made Mom cut in."

Leo smiled.

"I hoped that would happen. That's why I picked this song for our dance. And I think it fits well with Dean and Mary, too."
"I love you, Daddy."

He kissed her forehead as the song came to an end. Melinda turned to smile at Dean as Piper walked by, kissing Melinda's cheek and going to Dean. John walked over with his hands in his pockets, something Melinda had seen Sam do many times. She smiled as he reached her, holding his hands out. She smiled and took them, letting him pull her in. Bryan Adams played through the speakers, (Everything I Do) I Do It For You. Melinda smiled as John began to lead her around the floor.

"I like this song."

John smiled.

"It's a good one."

Melinda smiled back, moving just a little closer to him.

"I'm glad you're here. And I know Dean is, too."
"Well, thank you for getting us here."
"It means a lot to both of us, having you and Mary here."

John smiled and nodded, and Melinda smiled, too. John Winchester was a man of few words, she had come to discover. He hummed along with the song and Melinda's smile fell. There was something about the sound… Something about the way he was humming the song that sparked something in Melinda's memory. She squeezed her eyes shut, opening them again to see Peyton right across from her, a worried look on her face. Sam stepped up beside Peyton, looking out, catching Melinda's eye. John shifted her in his arms.

"Hey. You okay?"

She looked up, meeting his dark eyes.

"Everything's all right, kid."

She closed her eyes and gasped, as a premonition overtook her.

There was a child with a toddler in his arms. He looked up, wide green eyes locked on a younger John Winchester. John let out a sigh, taking the baby in his arms. He ran his hand over the blonde curls on her head, laying his other hand atop the little boy's head as he wrapped his arms around John's legs. John walked with the little boy beside him, whispering the same sentence over and over to the little girl.

"Everything's all right, kid."

He held her close to his chest, her little head close to his neck. He started humming, the only song he could think of at the moment. He reached his black Impala, opening the door as the boy scrambled in, and John set the baby in his arms.

"Watch her, Dean. Do not let her go."

The boy nodded, picking up the song where John had left off, humming softly to the baby girl, who watched him with wide blue eyes.

Melinda gasped again as she stumbled, falling into John's arms. Piper and Dean rushed over to them, Peyton and Sam right behind them, and Leo and Mary after them. John ran a hand over her face as Phoebe and Paige walked up. Phoebe held a damp washcloth in her hand, and Paige held a glass of water. John carried Melinda to the chair Sam had dragged over and Dean knelt in front of her.

"Hey. What is it? What's wrong?"

Melinda looked at him, then up to his father.

"I know you. I've met you before."

John stood still, just blinking.

"I have, haven't I? That wasn't a premonition; it was a memory."

Melinda looked to her parents.

"What aren't you telling me? There's something that you're not telling me, and it has to do with John. What … what happened?"

Piper's eyes were full of tears, but Leo gave her a gentle smile. His voice was shaky.

"It was the August before your second birthday. There had been … these disappearances. All children, from magical backgrounds, just … gone."

Dean took Melinda's hand, looking over to Phoebe as she spoke.

"We were terrified. We all moved back into the Manor. I had my three, Piper had her three, and Paige had Matt, and she was pregnant with the twins. You all spent a lot of time at Magic School."

Paige smiled and nodded. Piper took Melinda's other hand.

"We watched you every second of every day. One Sunday afternoon, I went to P3, leaving you with your dad. When I got home…"

Piper gasped in a breath, as tears refilled her eyes.

"Leo was bleeding on the floor, and you were gone."

Melinda looked down, then back up. Piper held a hand over her mouth as a tear slid down her cheek. Leo cleared his throat.

"And then magic went down. Just completely gone. We couldn't scry, no one could sense you, and all the powers in the family were gone."

Paige cleared her throat.

"So I got Henry to call one of his distant cousins. Someone who knew who to get in touch with, someone who could find our girl."

Melinda shook her head.

"Uncle Henry has a cousin?"
"Me."

Melinda and Dean looked over as Bobby came walking up, his hands in his pockets. Dean smiled almost unbelievingly.

"Bobby, you're related to Henry?"
"Distantly."

Bobby nodded, smiling softly. Peyton and Sam had come to stand behind Dean and Melinda, and Peyton shook her head.

"I don't understand."

Bobby stepped closer.

"I was able to put them in touch with one of the best hunters I'd ever known. This son of a bitch could find just about anyone."

Bobby met John's eyes, and they shared a smile. John cleared his throat.

"I was in Casper, Wyoming, following what I thought was a lead on Yellow Eyes. It was a bust, so…"

John shrugged his shoulders.

"I didn't have a case when Bobby called. And to tell you the truth… I didn't want anything to do with this case. I didn't exactly trust witches, and a sixteen-hour car ride with a six-year-old and a two-year-old was not appealing in the least."

Dean and Sam smiled, and Mary stepped over to take John's hand. He let out a sigh as he turned to look at her.

"But then I thought… What if it was one of my boys? And what would Mary think if I just let this little girl go on missing?"

John shook his head.

"So we made the trip, and I'll be damned if Sam didn't cry for half the godforsaken ride."

They laughed at that, and Phoebe spoke again, wrapped up in Coop's arms as he stood behind her.

"We filled John in the best we could, and while he worked, we took care of Sam, who was just about the most adorable, chubby baby I have ever seen."

Sam groaned and closed his eyes, but Dean laughed. Phoebe locked eyes with Dean.

"And you didn't make it easy for us, I'll tell you that. Every single thing we did, you had an opinion. Sammy likes this, Sammy doesn't like that, that's not how Daddy does it."

Melinda let out a laugh, taking Dean's hand again as a blush spread across his cheeks. Sam gripped Dean's shoulders for a moment before Paige spoke.

"We, uh … We discovered that the kidnapper was a lower-level demon, taking the magical children and delivering them to … to—"

Paige turned away, into Henry's chest, and he wrapped his arms around her. John let out a long sigh.

"Hell. He was delivering them straight to the King of Hell."

Mary moved closer to him, and John pressed his lips to her forehead. Melinda let out a shaky breath.

"He was going to take me to Hell?"

John locked eyes with Melinda.

"He tried."

She closed her eyes, and John spoke softer.

"He also tried to take Dean."

Dean's head popped up.

"What?"

John sighed, running his hand over the back of his neck. Mary laid her hand against his chest and John sighed again. He took her hand and brought it to his lips, then kept holding it, resting it against his chest.

"The only thing we could come up with was that the bastard mistook you for Wyatt. He got greedy after he got Mel, I guess, and—"
"I went with him."

They stopped, looking over to Dean. He took Melinda's hand, looking off to the side, remembering. Piper looked to John, then down at Dean.

"What?"

He shook his head.

"He came to the house, and I … I told him I was Wyatt. He took me instead."

John shook his head.

"Dean, what are you—"

Dean shook his head again, then closed his eyes.

"I heard you talking about how important it was to find her, to bring her home. To get her back and keep her safe. She was so little, just like Sammy. I knew you'd find me, and if I could just get to her…"

Dean opened his eyes, looking straight into Melinda's, and he flashed back, seeing her as a toddler, those same big blue eyes staring up at him. John shook his head, but Melinda smiled. She took both of Dean's hands.

"You found me. And you kept me safe."

Dean smiled back at her.

"I found you, and I took you in my arms, and you looked up at me with those big blue eyes—"
"And I knew everything would be all right."

John, Piper, and Leo exchanged a glance and shared a sigh. John stepped over and knelt beside Dean and Melinda.

"I found you two after … Well."

Dean and Sam shared a smile, and John continued on.

"I started to walk back to the car when a couple of demons showed up. I started to hand Mel back to Dean, but I guess magic showed back up. A blink of your eyes, and they were gone."

Melinda smiled and reached over, taking John's hand.

"You sang to me."

He smiled and nodded.

"What song was it?"

The smile spread across John's face and he looked back to Mary.

"Angel Flying Too Close To The Ground."

Tears filled Mary's eyes, but she smiled. Dean nodded.

"That's what it is."

Mary cleared her throat.

"I, uh … I found that song when I was pregnant with Sam. It was simple and sad, and I liked it."

She didn't mention that she used to sing it to John when he'd wake up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat, caught up in nightmares from his time in the Marines. She didn't mention that it was the only thing that could calm him down. He didn't mention the way he sang it to her while she was in labor with Sam, that the only way she could concentrate on something other than the pain was John's rough voice softly singing to her. And after Mary died, the only way he could get Sam to sleep was to gently sing that song.

Piper let out a long breath, smiling at Melinda.

"I didn't think you remembered anything from that. You were so little."
"I didn't. Not until this morning, when that damn song was in my head. And when I saw John, when he hugged me."

She looked over at him with a soft smile.

"You smelled familiar. Kind of like Dean, a little. But the biggest thing was that in your arms, I felt safe. Like I'd been there before, and I knew it was safe."

John smiled at her, leaning over to kiss her forehead. He went back to Mary, taking her in his arms and softly humming the song again. Dean leaned up to kiss Melinda's cheek, humming just as softly in her ear. Melinda's eyes drifted close, and she smiled. Peyton smiled, walking closer and laying a hand on Sam's back. His eyes drifted shut at her touch, and she ran her hand up and down his back for a moment.

"Well. Guess it's a small world after all."

Melinda let out a quiet laugh, reaching for Sam's hands, and he pulled her to her feet.

"Sammy, dance with me?"

Sam smiled.

"Of course. I'd love to dance with my new sister."

Sam kept hold of her hand, leading her out to the dance floor. Peyton walked up beside Dean, resting a hand on his shoulder.

"What do you say, Winchester?"

Dean smiled.

"Come on, pretty girl."

While How Sweet It Is To Be Loved By You played from the speakers, Leo took Piper's hands, bringing her out to the floor while she tried to refuse. She ended up just laughing as he took her in his arms. Phoebe and Coop danced out to the floor, while Paige and Henry followed behind them. Mary laughed and pulled John out, and little Kate had a firm grip on, surprisingly, Bobby. Jenny held Castiel's hands, smiling as she tried to teach him how to dance. The dance floor quickly filled up with the rest of the guests, as laughter rang out through the backyard.