A/N: This story is set during Season 9 and a bit after. In this story what happened in the Season 9 finale never happened to Dean, neither did most of the Season 9 plot since in my opinion, it mostly sucked. If you have not seen Season 9 I don't recommend reading further because there are a few spoilers, so unless you've seen it or don't care go on ahead.

Three

Dean found that he was once again in the street. It seemed to be a common theme of his future, streets leading to unknown locations, kind of poetic in a way. He felt the breeze pick up again and the need to pull his jacket closer to his body. It was clearly Autumn, wherever this was in his future. At this point in his future he'd seen that he'd come out of the coma he'd been put in, Sam and Gabriel had been getting buddy-buddy, and he and Castiel were more than just a couple of chums. It was a confusing future at that, not necessarily scary just new, different. Dean was never one to cope with difference.

"I figured we'd flash ahead a few years," Holly appeared next to him, he'd grown used to her flying in out of nowhere and shook it off like he normally did with Castiel. "Just so things would stay interesting as you put it."

"Hey don't skip too much," Dean said. "This is MY future after all."

"It was not of import," Holly replied, she looked a bit older than before, but Dean played it off as a trick of his eyes. "There was a hunt here, a salt and burn there, motels, bad food, angels, etc, nothing of too much importance that it can't be skipped over."

"Uh huh," Dean took her word for it. "So where exactly are we now?"

"You should know Dean," Holly motioned down the road. "Look around you. Doesn't anything seem familiar?"

Dean looked around. The street looked like any other street, except the deserted factor. There were houses lined up and down the road, with sort of maintained lawns. The grass had the occasional weed popping up. Some houses were badly painted. Some were brick. It didn't seem like a bad neighborhood, just not one that would make any impression on anyone. Something about it did seem familiar though. Dean cast his glance on the green metal street sign after it creaked a bit in the wind.

Maple Street.

Dean's stomach did a small leap, not out of fear or excitement, just more out of recognition.

"Go on," Holly urged him. "Down the street a bit."

Dean walked slowly, his breaths catching in his throat as he did. His hands were dug deep into his pockets and his boots felt heavy on his feet. He stopped when he reached the house he'd seen before: 2340 Maple Street. At first he didn't know what the difference was or why he was there. What difference had a few years made? When he saw the For Sale sign with a SOLD plastered over it though, he somehow knew.

"Ok keep em closed," Dean jerked his head in the direction of his voice and saw Future Dean leading Castiel, whose eyes were closed, towards the house. "No peeking."

"I am not peeking as you say Dean," Castiel explained. "Although I really do not understand how closing my eyes are of import."

"You're real funny Cas," Future Dean stopped them right next to Dean, although Dean was invisible to the pair. "You know that?"

"But Uriel is the funniest angel in the Garrison," Castiel started to say before Future Dean told him to open his eyes. "Ask anyon—"

Castiel paused, taking in the house, the yard, the real estate sign. He turned to Future Dean, cocking his head and looking confused in typical Castiel fashion.

"What do you think?" Future Dean smiled big, excitement evident in his voice.

"I don't understand," Castiel replied. "Why are you taking me to where we hunted that ghost girl Dean?"

"Cas," Future Dean chuckled. "C'mon man, the significance of this place? Dude, it's where we first…where I first realized I couldn't live without you man. I was driving through town again one time a couple months ago and I saw that it was up for sale. I played a shit ton of pool games and hustled so much, but I bought it Cas. I bought it for you and me and Sam and Gabriel. We don't have to go home to motels anymore unless we want to and I don't see why we would. Cas it's ours."

Castiel smiled when he saw Future Dean's smile widen.

"W-We have a home. Finally we have a home." Future Dean stepped closer to Castiel and wrapped him in a hug.

"Dean," Castiel smiled into Future Dean's shoulder. "It's…it's perfect. I mean this; this is what you and Sam have always wanted. Somewhere to call home. I'm glad you've found it."

"C'mon," Future Dean ran up the steps, practically flying up them. "I gotta show you the inside, I mean I know you've seen it, but…I have plans!"

Castiel laughed, Dean hadn't heard an honest to goodness laugh out of the angel…ever. Not including his visit to 2014 via Zachariah. Future Dean laughed too. Dean felt as though he was staring at a manufacturing error. This was him. This was Future him. Why didn't it feel real?

"It does funny things to people," Holly came up beside him, staring at the house as if it were her long lost friend. It took her a moment to break her trance, a moment of Dean giving her a confused look. "Love that is. It changes you."

"And I suppose you'd know," Dean replied sarcastically. "I thought angels weren't supposed to fall?"

"If Castiel did it," Holly said defensively. "Any angel can."

"Look, don't get your panties in a bunch," Dean threw up his hands. "I didn't mean you couldn't you just seem so…"

"Young?" she asked, finishing his exact thought.

"Yeah…" Dean nodded.

"Well I am young," Holly replied. "But I've seen love. Real love. It's powerful and it's divine. It was the most beautiful thing I have ever witnessed."

Dean backed up slightly. He hadn't meant to offend her in any way. How was he to know she'd know firsthand about love? God knows where she'd seen it, hopefully she hadn't been exposed the same way Castiel had: the pizza man, but still. She stayed silent for a moment before beckoning Dean to follow her up the steps.

"Come," she motioned to him. "There's more inside."

Dean followed her up the creaking steps. He remembered the inside well. The peeling paint on the wooden surfaces was peeling worse now, but it was fixable. The walls were probably loaded with asbestos. The stairs looked older, less taken care of than they had looked before, but again, fixable. Dean could see a half decent house just by looking at it. He'd always dreamed of fixing up something like this, somewhere he and Sam could live out their glory days without fear of someone else sleeping or doing worse things in their bed before them. No more yellow sheets, no more moldy walls, no more loud neighbors, no more motels, no more sleeping in the Impala, this was home now. This was what Dean had wanted his entire life.

"You and I can have one room," Dean heard Future Dean's voice echo from upstairs. "Sam can have one room, Gabriel can have one room. It's perfect! We have a basement for weapons storage and other stuff like that, then there's a living room, full kitchen, the things we could do to this place!"

"Dean," Castiel chuckled. "Slow down."

"That's just it Cas," Future Dean laughed, grabbing Castiel around the waist and pulling him closer to him. "I can't slow down, no matter how hard I try to and honestly I don't think I want to slow down. I've been in a rut my entire life, the hunter's rut. Here's the thing Cas, I haven't lived not really."

"Dean on the contrary," Castiel replied. "I'd say you've lived almost half of your life by now. It's not what most people would call unfulfilled. You've helped people; you've saved so many with so little thanks."

"Cas I haven't lived the normal life that I want to," Dean replied. "I want to settle down. I want a home. Sure I want to hunt, but I've just bought us a place we can call home for once. Don't you want a place you can call home again?"

Castiel looked up, as if he were looking to the Heavens. Future Dean was right; Metatron had taken away Castiel's home. The matter had been fixed in the last few years, sure, but Heaven had never felt the same after Metatron's defeat. He was rotting in jail as they spoke, but he'd created such a mess of Heaven it wasn't even worth restoring anymore. The angels still lived there; they still did the work of their Father even though he was undeniably absent, but they absently walked along unable to process the damage that had been done over the years and how their Father hadn't done a damn thing to fix any of it.

"I suppose I do Dean," Castiel replied. "It just…doesn't feel like home anymore."

Dean knew exactly how Castiel felt and Future Dean's reasoning for the house. Dean wouldn't have ever considered settling down anywhere anytime soon if he hadn't seen this. He'd never felt ready, he'd never felt like there was any reason for him to until now. He saw the smile on Future Dean's face as he looked at the house, at Castiel. Dean had been denying himself something he'd desired for so long that it had twisted inside of his brain and laid dormant.

"Sometimes we don't know what we want," Holly said, adding another quote of life experience into Dean's brain. "Until we go for it."

"Well aren't you just a walking book of positivity," Dean replied sarcastically. "Where do you keep it all?"

"I believe it's always nice to be positive," Holly explained. "In the event that something horrid does happen, you can see the good in life before it does. Why do you think I'm only showing you the important parts Dean? They're the good. You need to see the good that's going to come out of your life."

As Dean looked over at Future Dean and Castiel, Future Dean leading Castiel into the living room and pointing out where they could have this and this and even maybe have a couch or a television if they were lucky, he felt this warmth spread through his chest. Jealous warmth. He didn't quite know why he felt jealous of himself, but all he knew was that he wanted this. Now. If only he could wake up just a bit faster.

"Come on," Holly grabbed his arm. "We need to keep moving. You've got a lot to see before you wake up."

Dean allowed himself to be guided by the angel, who started to lead him out of the house. Dean glanced back at Future him and Castiel. Future Dean had Castiel's hands in his and the pair was staring into each other's eyes, smiling at one another. Their faces moved as close as they could, just as Dean was forced to leave the house and the scenery changed once again.

-8-8-8-8-8-8-

They were at the diner again. The atmosphere there hadn't changed, except this time Dean wasn't staring a cheeseburger in the face, but instead found he was staring forward at another booth. A little girl sitting, pouting, was sitting by herself. The girl had soft brown hair and piercing blue eyes, she looked about eight. Her hair was stick straight and ordinary, but in the most charming and beautiful way. Her face was downcast like she was upset. She was wearing an ordinary brown and pink dress, not too frilly, not too plain. It fit her perfectly. Her shoes were brown flats, complimenting the dress. Dean actually felt sort of sorry for her, until she looked up at the man that sat across from her: Future Dean.

"Now," Future Dean had been carrying a tray with two ice cream sundaes on it. He set his down in front of him and another one in front of the little girl. He also pulled a large paper placement and a package of crayons from the tray and set it aside. "You wanna tell me what happened squirt?"

"Billy was mean to me again…" the girl said quietly, still not making eye contact with Future Dean. "He called me an ugly face."

"Ah c'mon kiddo," Future Dean leaned closer to her and lifted up her chin. Her face was soaked with tears. "Chin up. Look he's just a jealous kid ok? You're not ugly and don't ever let some jerk tell you that you are."

"But you're s'posed to say that," the girl sighed. "You're my daddy. You're s'posed to call me pretty even if you don't mean it…"

Dean was shocked. Another kid? He had a daughter too…he'd always wanted a little girl.

"What makes you think I don't mean it huh?" Future Dean asked her. "I mean it with every bone in my body. You're my beautiful baby girl and I don't want anyone crushing your spirit. Billy, he's just jealous of your beautiful face, that and he got it confused with his ugly heart."

The girl smiled a little, tears still running down her face. She sniffled and Future Dean handed her some napkins.

"Blow," Future Dean said and she did, blowing her nose and wadding up the tissues. "And smile why don't you? Sad people don't get their ice cream and especially not their cherry."

"No," the girl cried out and reached for the glass full of semi-melted vanilla ice, chocolate syrup, and a ripe red cherry on top. "I want my ice cream and my cherry! Daddy, please!"

"Since you asked so nicely," Future smiled and handed her the ice cream sundae, she smiled appreciatively. "But ice cream's not a cure all you know?"

Future Dean had opened the pack of crayons and smirked at his daughter. The girl smirked back and neglected her rapidly melting ice cream to grab the purple crayon. Future Dean chose the green crayon to start with. His daughter begun to draw in the upper right hand corner of the paper, a purple moon.

"Someone once told me that moon couldn't be purple," Future Dean's daughter said to him with a bigger smirk. "I told them to suck it."

"That's my girl," Future Dean laughed. "Although next time let's use a nicer word than that in school. I don't need you getting in too much trouble."

"Yes daddy." His daughter laughed at his worried face.

Dean chuckled a bit himself. His daughter's wit truly matched his in every aspect, but she had the calm of Castiel. Dean stared until he felt a presence behind him. Holly stood and stared too. Her stare seemed a bit melancholy though. Dean could imagine why, many angels wanted what humans had and what some of their fallen brothers and sisters had gained.

"The future and past can have hiccups," Holly said. "You weren't supposed to know this yet, but you have a daughter as well as a son. You have her first though. I suppose you'll want to know how all of this happens after your little tube feeding session in the hospital in real life is over with?"

"Yes," Dean nodded, almost in a trance by how he had a daughter. "Please…"

"You should eat first," Holly suggested. "Before the opportunity dissipates again."

"Good idea," Dean turned, trying to keep his eyes on Future Dean and his daughter, but Holly chose a booth on the other side of the diner, so it was near impossible. The waitress greeted them almost immediately and Dean ordered the same thing as last time. "You sure you don't want anything?"

"I ordered already," Holly cocked her head a little, confused, Dean chuckled a bit it reminded him of Castiel. "You really do have an issue with details don't you?"

"If you spend too much time on the details sweetheart," Dean replied, a bit annoyed that Holly was picking him apart. "You don't live."

"And if you spend no time on the details," Holly defended her point, looking Dean in the eyes. "You always miss some things."

Dean was about to counteract her point, but the speedy waitress came back with a tray holding two fat and juicy cheeseburgers. Dean was a bit surprised at Holly's choice, but he figured angels never really got their hands on a good burger in Heaven so he didn't question it too much. He picked up the burger and took a huge bite out of it. Holly followed suit. They both wiped their chins as burger juice dripped down.

"Real graceful sweetheart," Dean said after he swallowed. "Well if you wanted to appear human that's the way to do it."

"You're not any better," Holly gave him a look. "Besides I just…really like burgers."

"You're worse than Cas." Dean closed his eyes when he laughed, after he opened them though Holly was gone and so was his burger. "Oh c'mon! I didn't even get to—"

He then looked over to the side of him and realized reality was cracking again.