Chapter 7

"I can't believe I have three other siblings, and I actually met one of them and didn't even know it!" Meredith exclaimed.

After talking to their parents Kim had gone to fill Jake in, and Meredith and Dean were out in the pasture, away from everyone else. She was having a panic attack, and Dean was trying his best to calm her down. It wasn't working very well.

"I shared a room with her for two months!" she continued, shaking because she was so worked up. "I have pictures of us together, Dean!"

"Maybe it's not the same girl." he suggested. He didn't want her to get her hopes up and then be crushed if it wasn't the same Rebecca Donovan. "Your mom said the twins were adopted when they were born."

"Parents die, Dean." she snapped. "We know that better than anyone. So what if they were adopted when they were born? That doesn't mean that something didn't happen to their parents after they were adopted. Dean...what if she wasn't as lucky as I was? What if she had a terrible life after leaving that house? What if they both did? What if I could've helped them?"

"Mere."

"I could've helped them." she said, her eyes filling with tears. "If I had known they were my half-siblings I could've helped them. Lucy would've taken them in like she did us, and once she got me straightened out I could've taken care of them just like I did with Kim."

She was crying again now, and Dean suddenly felt like he was living in some old movie as he pulled her to him to try to comfort her and she pulled away and beat her fists against his chest in anger and frustration, and then collapsed against him. He forced himself not to laugh at the moment that would have been at least a little comical had she not been so seriously upset.

"Meredith," he said as he held her, using her full name to make sure he had her full attention. "I know you're upset, but what could've been doesn't matter. You didn't know about them, so you couldn't have done anything."

"I still could've helped." she whimpered, her voice muffled against his shirt. "I should've helped."

Dean shook his head. "No. You didn't know who she was when you met her, and you didn't know her well enough to stay in touch with her after she left. You didn't do anything wrong, and you can't go back and change it. I'm sure Rebecca doesn't hold it against you for not rescuing her."

"She probably doesn't even remember me."

"Maybe not." Dean said. "But we know about her now, and we'll find her. We'll find Connor and Miranda too, and if they need help we'll help them. Okay?"

She nodded.

"Good. Now can we curb the hormones and stop pretending you're Scarlett O'Hara?"

Meredith laughed, but it sounded like it was half sob. "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"Overreacting."

"I could've done without you hitting me, but you're not exactly in complete control of your emotions right now." he said, kissing her forehead. "Besides, I overreacted earlier. Now we're even."

Meredith smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck, feeling safe and protected when his arms closed around her. Nothing could hurt her here. Everything was going to be okay. "Do you have any idea how amazing you are?"

"Yep." he said just to make her laugh. "Feeling better?"

She nodded. "Mmhm. I love you."

"I know you do."

"Wrong response."

"I love you too, Pinky Winchester."

Meredith laughed. It started out as a giggle, but she couldn't stop. By the time Gabriel came out looking for them they were both laughing so hard they couldn't stand up.

"Clearly I missed a really good joke." Gabriel said. "But if you're all done having your own little party out here you're both needed inside."

"For what?" Dean asked, wiping away tears he was laughing so hard.

"It's time for the lovely bride to throw the bouquet." The angel wiggled his eyebrows and winked at Dean. "And then you get to throw the garter."

Dean knew what that meant, and he wasn't sure he felt comfortable with reaching up his wife's skirt in front of all their friends and family. He started to ask if he had to, but they had already had this conversation. He knew he wasn't getting out of it, so he would just have to suck it up and make his wife happy.

He gave himself a little while to catch his breath and then stood up, helping Meredith to her feet and steadying her when her heel sank into the ground and threw her off balance. "You good?"

Meredith pulled her heel free, leaning on Dean to keep her balance, and nodded. "Yep."

"Maybe you should just take your shoes off." he suggested.

"Or you can do that for me in a little while." she said, winking playfully. "Come on."

Dean allowed himself to be led back inside, Gabriel following behind them.

The music stopped and Gabriel made an announcement asking for all the single ladies, dead and alive, to gather on the dance floor. "You too, Brookie." he added even though she wasn't straggling.

Gabriel handed Meredith her bouquet and she turned to face away from the group of women waiting to catch the flowers. The DJ played a drum roll and she threw the bouquet backward over her head, pulling a string as she did and causing it to break into smaller pieces. As soon as the flowers left her fingers she turned to watch her friends scramble to catch them. There were delighted gasps and squeaks from the audience because no one had expected the bouquet to break apart, and the expected sounds of excited women scuffling good-naturedy to get their hands on a piece of it.

There were six smaller bouquets and Brooke, Charlie, Donna, Claire, Jo, and Kate ended up with them. Brooke had the largest one, so she would be the one to have the garter put on her leg in a little while.

The crowd was cleared off the dance floor and a chair was brought over for Meredith. She sat down and Sam had to give Dean a shove to get him to reluctantly join her.

"I don't want to do this, Mere." he said quietly, embarrassed to have all eyes on him.

"It's not that big of a deal, Dean." She smiled as she pulled up her skirt some and stuck her leg out, nudging his suggestively with her foot.

Dean swallowed, telling himself that she was right. It wasn't that big a deal. Couples did this all the time at weddings. It's not like they were having sex in front of everyone. It was just a silly wedding tradition, and it wasn't going to kill him. He took a deep breath. It wasn't a big deal. He was only taking a piece of lacy elastic off his wife's leg.

He crouched down in front of her, and nervously removed her shoe. She had only pulled the skirt of her full-length gown up enough to get it out of the way so he could take her shoe off, and he looked up at her, begging her silently to make this easier on him. She acquiesced, hitching her skirt up to her knee, and he realized that she clearly wasn't going to help him out any further. He resigned himself to the fact that he was going to have to reach up her skirt to get to the garter, and was about to do so when someone let out a whistle.

"I can't do it." He said standing up and backing away. "It's too weird."

"I'll do it!" Charlie volunteered from the sidelines, raising her hand.

Meredith giggled, and Dean turned red.

"Someone's gotta do it." Charlie said. "You obviously can't do it, and your wife is hot. I don't mind helping out a little." She looked at Meredith. "You don't mind, do you?"

Meredith stuck out her leg again. "Go for it."

Charlie looked back at Dean for permission, and he gestured for her to go ahead.

Charlie, unlike Dean, had no trouble pushing Meredith's skirt up passed her knee and slipping the pretty, beaded garter off her leg. "Vintage?"

"Vintage inspired." Meredith corrected. "Homemade."

"Nice." Charlie took a closer look at Meredith's handiwork. Elastic covered in white satin, trimmed in pretty white lace, and decorated with sparkling rhinestones and faux pearls. There was even a delicate satin bow with and anti-possession charm dangling from it. She looked up at Meredith. "You did all this by hand?"

Meredith nodded. "Yes ma'am. And Dean had no idea I was working on it."

Charlie stood up and walked over to hand Dean the garter so he could throw it. "This is beautiful. You're wife is wicked talented."

"I know she is." Dean said, taking the decoration and examining it for a moment. It was a beautiful piece of work, and he really hadn't had any idea that she was making it. He thought she had bought one. "She made the dress too."

"Seriously?" Charlie asked, impressed. "Where'd you learn to sew like that?"

"My moms." Meredith said, smiling at Sharon and Lucy who were now sitting together.

"So, uh, can we get the rest of this over with?" Dean asked.

Charlie and Meredith moved to stand with Brooke, and the men gathered on the dance floor to catch the garter. Dean didn't care to make a show of it, so he simply shot it into the crowd like a rubber band.

It sailed across the room and hit Cas squarely in the face. The angel reacted as if Dean had thrown a spider at him, reflexively catching the garter and then tossing it off as if it might poison him. It fell in the floor after hitting Sam's arm and he leaned down and snatched it up before anyone else could. Brooke may not be his girlfriend, but he wasn't sure he liked the idea of anyone else sliding the garter up her leg.

The crowd cleared, the chair was returned, and Brooke took her seat. Sam admired the evidence of Meredith's talent for a moment, and then remembered that he was supposed to be putting it on Brooke. Like his brother he was uncomfortable having everyone's eyes on him, and when he attempted to remove Brooke's red pump he couldn't do it.

Charlie sighed and held out her hand. "This is really sad. Big, strong monster hunters can't handle a little lace. It's not like you're doing something dirty. It's not even that sexy."

"Sexy enough." Sam said. "My son's in the room, Charlie."

"Do you mind?" Charlie asked Brooke.

"Nope." Brooke replied.

They played it up a little just to embarrass Sam as Charlie removed Brooke's shoe and slid the garter into place.

"Who wants cake?" Gabriel asked afterward, getting a cheer from everyone.

"Can you handle cutting the cake?" Meredith asked, teasing her husband.

"Of course I can handle cutting the cake."

The cake was three tiers, chocolate with white butter cream icing that was actually yellow because of the butter, with fudge drizzled over it, and homemade by the bride. She had had to chase Dean out of the kitchen five times, placating him by allowing him to lick the beaters when she was finished with them. It was trimmed with edible ribbon and flowers that matched the bouquet and other decorations. It was the prettiest cake Dean had ever seen and he felt a little guilty about cutting into it with the silver knife, but his guilt quickly faded because he knew it was going to taste even better than it looked.

"Is that the knife you used to kill Alec?" Kim asked.

"Maybe." Dean said. It was, and it had been Meredith's idea to use it. Sort of a symbol of their love.

"Gross." Rowan said, making a face. "I'm not eating cake cut with a murder weapon."

"That knife saved my life." Meredith said.

"Uh, excuse me." Dean fussed. "I saved your life."

"Yeah. With this knife." she said, picking it up.

"And a little help." Jake added.

"Can we just cut the cake?" Dean asked, wrapping his hand around Meredith's. "And the knife is clean, by the way."

They cut a small slice out of the cake and Dean let Meredith transfer it to a plate so it didn't end up in the floor. But it still didn't make it to the plate. Instead of transferring it to the plate she transferred it to her hand and smashed it in his face, rubbing it in for good measure as everyone laughed at him.

"Thanks, Mere." he said dryly as he licked cake and icing off his lips.

She grinned up at him. "You had to have known that was coming."

"I thought it might be." he admitted, and grabbed her before she could escape, leaning down and rubbing his face all over hers.

She laughed and grabbed his face to kiss him.

"That may be the best tasting kiss I ever got." Dean said. "Good cake."

He grabbed a napkin and began wiping her face off because her hands were now covered in cake as well, and Alex picked up the knife and started cutting up the cake and putting the slices on plates for everyone to grab. There were also brownies, cake pops, and three different kinds of cookies, all baked by Meredith with help from Rowan and Maddie.

After Dean cleaned her face off Meredith licked her hands clean, and then wiped them off with a napkin and licked a clump of icing off Dean's cheek when he sat down to clean himself up.

"Really?" he asked, looking up at her.

She scraped more icing off with her finger and licked her finger clean. "What? Why waste perfectly good icing?"

He knocked her hand away when she reached out to scrape more icing off his face, but couldn't help but smile at her. She had a tendency to get really annoying sometimes, but that was part of why he loved her so much. Even so part of him couldn't wait for their kids to grow up so she would have someone else in the house to irritate. Then again, with his luck all three of his children would take after their mother and the four of them would team up and drive him out of the house. At least he knew they would always be there when he came home.

A little short, but fun, right? I think my favorite part was Cas' reaction to the garter. How 'bout y'all? ~SG