Four
The glassy force field was back, the people had frozen like they were a television show that could be paused, and Dean touched along the crack that had begun to form. He reached his hand out and started to peel away the diner. He revealed an empty field. He peeled all around him until the cracks eventually did the job themselves and the diner shattered away and he was standing in an open empty field. Dean turned in a circle, looking around; there was one lone tree, crooked and bent over and miles upon miles of tall yellowish grass. He heard a flutter of wings.
"I figured we should start a few years after you bought the house," Holly came in from behind and Dean spun to face her. "It's been about ten year's time in your future since then. You and Castiel are very happy together, but there's one thing you guys have been discussing for those last few ten years. Kids."
"You mean Cas and I are together," Dean said breathlessly. "Like together, together?"
"You had a small ceremony," Holly explained. "In the salvage yard of your dear departed friend Bobby. Sam and Gabriel came, Jody Mills too along with Alex. It wasn't much, but it was what you both wanted, you danced late and had many laughs with family and friends. The courthouse took care of the technicalities."
Dean's face went a little sour at the mention of Gabriel's name, as it usually always did.
"Gabriel may have been resurrected by Metatron for all the wrong intentions," Holly said, almost as if she was pleading to Dean. "But in the end he stayed. He stayed with Sam while you were in the hospital. Sam found a kindred spirit in Gabriel, he saw himself and he saw how Gabriel could make him stronger even after tearing him down so many times over the years. He took care of him Dean; he's still taking care of him in the future. They're happy like you and Castiel."
"I know it's just hard," Dean sighed. "Sammy hated him too for a long time."
"Things change," Holly replied. "People do too. Gabriel was like shooting stars lighting up the sky to him when you, his world, went dark for awhile."
"I distinctly remember telling you back at the park," Dean berated his point into her. "No lessons."
"They're a part of life," Holly said. "Father knows I've learned mine."
"Fine," Dean said. "Just show me what happens now."
"Impatient as always." Holly remarked and grabbed Dean. The time changed to night and he was suddenly standing in a church. It was barely standing. The paint was peeling as badly the house Future Dean had bought had been. The windows were boarded up, the cross on top was barely hanging on, and it looked creepy central. The door was cracked open and a light poured out. Someone was inside. Dean's feet betrayed him once again and he found he slipped through the front door with ease. The inside of the church was dark and drafty. He could feel the chilly air from outside seeping in through the cracks and crevices that had been left behind by memories past. Dean looked around him at the rotting red pews and the Bibles, worn and yellow from exposure to air for years without a single hand touching them. Dean could only imagine whose fingers had flipped those pages, whose unruly children had run up and down those aisles. It was kind of sad in a way, how the future moved on sometimes without any regard to the past.
Dean sat down on the end of one of the aisles. The pew was cold. He looked forward, saw Castiel, and held his breath.
"Oh Father," Castiel was kneeling and praying, his eyes closed. The trench coat ruffled on his shoulders like it always did when he sat down. "Please. Send me the angel. Send me the answer I so desire. Please Father do not neglect my wishes."
Dean felt a new energy fill the room. The pews seemed less cold, the drafts all but disappeared, and an angel appeared before Castiel. The angel had fiery red hair and piercing blue eyes. Her vessel appeared to be at least twenty three years old. She wore a green long sleeved shirt and black pants. She wore no shoes. There were remnants of the forest in her hair, little twigs and blades of grass. She smiled.
"Annahita," Castiel acknowledged her. "Angel of Fertility."
"Castiel," she nodded, acknowledging him back. "Angel of Thursday. We have not spoken in awhile. How are you?"
"I've been better," Castiel got to his feet and cocked his head slightly at her. "You haven't changed at all."
"I should hope not," Annahita picked a few of the twigs out of her hair. "I am the angel of new life. It is a constant excitement; I have no need to change the ways in which I feel."
"I prayed to Father," Castiel explained. "So that I may speak with you, regarding just that."
Dean stood, wanting to get closer, wanting to ask Castiel what he was doing, but he remembered it was the future in his mind and that his words would fall on deaf ears. He sat back down and listened further.
"You wish to have a miracle blessed upon you," Annahita asked, her smiling widening. "Oh this is glorious news Castiel! Glorious news!"
"Please Annahita," Castiel said. "The Righteous Man and I wish to have our own child. We want him or her to be made of us. Father has these powers I realize, but you are the only one who can convince him it is of import to us. He tends to turn a blind eye to me lately…"
Castiel trailed off, it hurt thinking about his Father in such a way, but Heaven had been corrupted now and there was no way it could ever go back to the way it was before the angels had first visited earth after Castiel had rescued Dean from Hell. Metatron had secured that fate. Annahita placed a hand on Castiel's shoulder, he looked back at her.
"Father always has the best intentions for all of us Castiel," Annahita explained. "Even his "black sheep" children."
Dean swallowed hard, he could relate to being a black sheep.
"You've had a piece of the Righteous Man in you ever since you rebuilt him," Annahita explained. "If I could combine the piece of his soul with your grace I could easily create a child. It would take a nine month period as usually found in humans and it would be done in Heaven since you and The Righteous Man are both male. In the end the child would be delivered by me to your doorstep."
"So that's where the stork myth must've come from…" Dean muttered to himself.
"If that's what it takes then I humbly accept" Castiel bowed his head to her then stood back up straight. "Dean talks of children all the time. We planned to adopt, but we've been discouraged and turned down thus far. You're our last hope."
Annahita's eyes flashed white and she reached into Castiel's essence. Castiel grunted and cried out. His face contorted in pain and his mouth fell open until Annahita retracted her hand and in it she held what Dean assumed to be Castiel's grace. Annahita held it in her open palm. It swirled in front of them and then upwards and dissipated into nothingness.
"It is done." Annahita nodded with a smile and a sparkle in her eyes.
Castiel seemed shocked that it was actually happening now. Annahita smiled and slowly as Castiel backed away, almost tripping over the steps as he went, and Annahita disappeared as though she'd never been there at all. Dean felt Holly's eyes on him and suddenly she was right beside him. Castiel left the scene and the light from all of the candles he'd lit faded. The church was abandoned once again except for Dean and Holly.
"He prays to her," Holly explained. "She gives you both what you want in the end."
"I can't imagine me and Cas with kids," Dean chuckled. "I'm a horrible role model. I wasn't even the best one for Sammy."
"You'll do better than you think," Holly replied. "You shall see."
Dean was transported to the house that he'd bought for him, Castiel, his brother and Gabriel. The downstairs light was on the living room and one was on upstairs. Dean and Holly entered through the front door and Dean looked over in the living room to see Sam, asleep on a ratty but comfortable looking couch. His hair was covering his closed eyes and once again in his hand that was falling off of the couch he held a book. Gabriel observed him and came closer, taking the book from him and placing it on the coffee table. Sam stirred and woke up.
"This is becoming a regular occurrence Sam," Gabriel chuckled a bit, Sam still wasn't used to the archangel being around even though it'd been a few good solid months and he wasn't used to being called Sam by him either. "You're gonna give yourself a wrist cramp one of these days."
"What time is it?" Sam mumbled, sitting up and rubbing his eyes.
"Twelve AM," Gabriel sat down next to him. "Way past your bedtime Gigantor."
"Why?" Sam asked him.
"Well Sambo," Gabriel explained in his usual humorous way. "Daddy made humans so that they needed rest every night to recharge their batteries per se and furthermore—"
"No," Sam asked. "Why are you still here, talking to me, and taking care of me?"
"I told you this in the mystery spot years ago Sam," Gabriel said. "I like you. I like your caliber. I like the way you keep going even after all these shitty things have happened to you. You haven't lost faith Sam Winchester, not like the rest of the world. You always believe in that perfect little pot of gold at the end of the magic rainbow and honestly I don't ever want you to lose that mentality."
Sam stared at Gabriel, curious as to where he was going with this.
"You give me hope," Gabriel admitted. "Father knows I need it some days. You're not like the other humans Sam. You're better than you think, smarter than you think. You're human and flawed, but I think Dad will accept those flaws when the time comes."
Sam hugged Gabriel. Gabriel was getting caught off guard with all of the hugs he'd received from the younger Winchester over the months they'd been interacting with one another. Gabriel reciprocated the hug and held Sam close. The younger Winchester's heartbeat was like a favorite song, warm, inviting, and constantly stuck in his head. Gabriel let go before either of them got too attached and one fell asleep on the other.
"C'mon Sam," Gabriel stood and extended his hand; Sam took it and stood up. He stretched and yawned before grabbing his book and ascending the stairs. Gabriel's eyes followed his every step up to the top floor of the creaky old house. Gabriel held sentences unsaid inside him. Dean could see it in his honey colored eyes. "Goodnight Sam Winchester."
"Why are you saying my full name?" Sam asked with a hint of laughter in his voice.
"Just testing it," Gabriel smirked back at him. "I like the way it sounds."
"You're funny." Sam replied.
"It's a gift." Gabriel smirked and Sam rolled his eyes, disappearing from view. Gabriel's smile was priceless.
Dean took in what he had just witnessed: "an archangel clearly harboring potentially unrequited feelings for his brother" and ascended the stairs as well to the source of the light coming from one of the bedrooms. There were two mahogany dressers in it and two side tables. The two side tables each were different. One had books piled up on history and some were fiction. The other had an old unfilled flask on it along with a watch, a cell phone, and some jewelry consisting of necklaces and rings. They had matching lamps and two different alarm clocks. Future Dean and Castiel lay in the bed, covers over them and laying facing towards each other.
"I prayed to Annahita," Castiel whispered. "She has given us the answer we've so desired. IN nine months we will have a child Dean."
Future Dean looked overjoyed. He couldn't even express it in words. He simply held Castiel close to him; he'd brought Future him to tears. Dean wasn't an easily moved man. This was strange for him to watch. The moment was over almost as quickly as it had begun and Dean watched Future him kiss Castiel. Dean had kissed a lot of women in his lifetime. Never had he kissed one of them like this. There was nothing, but pure love in it. Dean saw his shoulders convulse as Future him deepened the kiss, tears running down his face. Dean caught his breath again, this all felt so familiar yet like some faraway dream. Like he was something that never was. He was grateful for what Holly had shown him so far, but at the same time his heart was aching.
"You're taking all of this very well," Holly commented from behind Dean's back. "Most people in this situation would've quit by now."
"Well I don't have much choice now do I?" Dean replied to her, a hint of sadness in his voice.
"Speaking of which," Holly touched his shoulder. "It's about time for food again."
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