Chapter 11
"Put your faith in what you most believe in, two worlds one family." – Phil Collins (Two Worlds)
December 24th
Dean needed a vacation…
He'd never taken one nor had he ever felt the need to take one, but right now it'd been damn great and just what the doctor ordered. Team Free Will plus Gabriel had been driving nonstop from town to town, motel to motel; it was no way to live for the time being, but hell he was used to it by now. It felt like déjà vu climbing into the driver's side of the Impala and speeding off down the road to their next case, their next vic. Ruby was certainly a bitch.
"C'mon Dean-O," Gabriel said. "Just one song on the radio…PLEASE?"
Dean had managed to ignore Gabriel's pleas for about the fiftieth time since they'd taken off on this little adventure. The further north they went the chillier it had gotten and the more irritable EVERYONE, not just Gabriel had gotten. The four men had been at wits end with each other for at least a few days now.
"My car," Dean gritted his teeth. "My rules."
Gabriel only sighed; he winced when he felt one of the twins kick his stomach. Sam smiled slightly and placed his hand where the infant had moved. He kissed Gabriel's forehead and chuckled a little. Dean couldn't help but sneak a peak, his kid hadn't moved at all. He couldn't help but wonder if his cynical and cold nature had rubbed off on the poor thing. He secretly touched his stomach, nothing. Not even a single movement. The baby rarely moved inside him and when it did it wasn't kicking it was more like tapping with a tiny finger, something Dean could barely feel.
"Dean," Cas said. "It is December 24th…"
"Thank you Cas," Dean replied, slightly sarcastically. "I'm well aware of dates and time."
"I meant," Cas stared at Dean's stern look. "We've been on this Ruby hunt for weeks now, everybody's irritable, mostly you though; we all could use a little…family time."
"Family time," Dean smirked and laughed. "Honestly Cas that's the gayest thing I've ever heard come out of your mouth…"
"Dean," Cas reached over and placed his hand upon Dean's, holding it there long enough so that Dean had to acknowledge him. "I think we ALL need it…"
SPN – SPN – SPN – SPN – SPN – SPN
Bobby Singer wasn't one to celebrate holidays. Hell, every day of a hunter's life that he's not getting his ass whooped was a holiday to him, but none the less he did get lonely and miss his boys around this time of year. He knew Dean wasn't one to celebrate anything, the birth of Jesus Christ himself could happen over again and Dean would find no plausible reason to acknowledge such a "holiday" or "occasion".
Still, every year Bobby left his door open for the boys. As rare as things will he knew one day they'd cave and join him. They hated being alone as much as he did. Although he had to admit it came as surprise when he walked to his door that evening and found both Winchesters and their angels standing there wanting to stay the night if not longer.
He couldn't say no to that.
SPN – SPN – SPN – SPN – SPN – SPN
"How about matching clothes," Gabriel smirked and joked, rubbing his stomach with happy thoughts, the fireplace crackled with joy and the cocoa in his hands warms his fingertips. "They'd look so cute."
"Yeah and so queer," Sam laughed too, sipping egg nog with just a hint of bourbon in it, not enough to get him drunk but enough to make him giddy. "Gabe how would they ever develop their own personalities if we make them fricken clones of each other?"
"We'd cross and salt and burn that bridge when we got there." Gabriel grinned and looked into his lover's eyes from his comfortable place in Sam's arms on the couch.
"I love it when you talk hunter." Sam kissed him and moved some hair from Gabriel's eyes.
Cas sat with Bobby and Dean at the table, Bobby took a swig of whiskey and cleared his throat.
"So," he said. "You two idjits waiting for an invite from Santa Claus himself, get into the spirit!"
"Not in the mood Bobby…" Dean grunted, shifting in his seat, he wanted nothing more than an escape from there.
"I honestly don't understand the concept," Cas cocked his head in confusion. "Why would children want anything from an old man in a beard who comes down their chimney like a creep of some sort?"
"You knockin beards Cas," Bobby smirked and drank more liquor. "It's just a fun thing for kids, you'll understand one day when you have your own, right Dean?"
Dean abruptly stood from the table and walked away upstairs, his icy cold stare enough to freeze hell over twice.
"Was it something I said?" Bobby shockingly stated.
SPN – SPN – SPN – SPN – SPN – SPN – SPN
Dean walked out of his room feeling like a new man. The sun had set and the voices he'd heard downstairs had died away. The hallway was dark, but not dismal or scary in any way. It was the comforting kind of dark, like the kind before dawn when all is right and nothing can make it otherwise. The kind where you're coming downstairs for warm milk in the night in your favorite footie pajamas as a kid. Dean had never felt this before.
"This must be what Christmas feels like…" Dean thought to himself.
He walked a little further, letting only the outside lights guide his way, when he heard the voices he'd actually missed for most of the evening outside. He looked out the window. A once empty trash can in Bobby's junkyard had been turned into a makeshift fire that Bobby, Sam, Cas, and Gabriel stood around smiling and joking with one another. Gabriel was snuggled up to Sam's side, one hand on his stomach and the other around Sam's waist. Sam had him in a half hug. Cas and Bobby stood by one another and laughed, slapping each other's shoulders when the other made a joke or a funny comment. The "warm milk feeling" as Dean had come to call it within the past few minutes had faded and he suddenly felt like a dog left in the rain.
He felt alone…
"Go out there already," a voice behind him said. "For bloody Pete's sake!"
Dean spun around to meet Balthazar's gaze.
"You know I never understood that phrase," Balthazar contemplated. "Who is Pete and why do people do everything for his sake, is he like sick or something?"
"What do you want…?" Dean sighed, too tired and slightly saddened to protest.
"A nice sports car, unlimited wine and beautiful women to have sex with," Balthazar chuckled. "But mostly for you to stop moping and get your ass out with your family right now."
"What's the point," Dean stated. "I'd put a damper on things…"
"They're your family Dean," Balthazar said. "Personally I'd kill for a moment like this to happen with my family, I'd take advantage of it if I were you, memories are what you make them."
Dean stared at the man behind him, scanning for any sarcasm and surprisingly he found none. This archangel who was quoting what seemed like a cheesy Hallmark card was, dare Dean say it, right.
"Merry Christmas Dean Winchester." Balthazar nodded and flew away back to heaven.
Dean looked out the window again, unfogging it with his jacket sleeve and smiling slightly before walking outside to join the other four. They laughed and smiled when he took his place by Cas. Snow had begun to fall, but the fire blazed strong. Laughs, jokes, and stories were exchanged and an array of something unexplainable was felt.
Dean certainly couldn't explain what he was feeling right now, surrounded by the warmth of the flames before him and the people he'd come to call family. He looked at each of their smiling faces and chuckled to himself, most people would think of them as dysfunctional freaks.
An ex blood junkie, an old drunk, a broken man, a fallen angel, and a trickster all together, all laughing and all family.
But then again it's Christmas eve and everyone is welcome.
Read and Review
There's that family time I know you all have been craving, I needed some fluff after tonight's heart wrenching NCIS finale. More to come soon.