CONTEXT: This chapter takes place 7 weeks after the previous, so Dean and Cas have been living together for almost two months and have been officially together for almost 3 months (about 11 weeks). They've known each other for over four months now (17 weeks).

…

The Men Tell All

…

Cas was unsurprised to find that he and Dean had been invited to Los Angeles for "The Men Tell All" episode. After all, they'd made Bachelorette history. No one had ever found love on the show with someone other than the Bachelorette. He imagined Chris would ask them all sorts of questions about their relationship, which Cas was mostly fine with. I mean, he wasn't particularly fond of the idea that he and Dean's romance could be turned into a piece of fluff for the paparazzi, but he could handle it.

But he wasn't sure about Dean.

Dean had already come out on national television, which Cas knew had been terrifying for him. Dean had been on edge ever since they'd gotten the call. He knew they couldn't refuse the invitation, as it would only interest the media more in their relationship. But Cas could see he wasn't eager to go back in front of the cameras.

Cas tried to talk to Dean about it, but the man had little to say.

"I know I'm being stupid, Cas."

"I didn't say…"

"Yeah, but that's what you meant. And you're right. There's probably nothing to worry about. It's not like they're going to ask about our sex life. I'm just nervous. It's a live audience, and I just… I don't want them all staring at me. What if they hate us?"

Cas grabbed Dean's upper arm and said steadily, "You're NOT being stupid. It's okay to be nervous, Dean. I just want you to remember that it's not about them. It's about us. You and me, okay?"

Dean nodded reluctantly and Cas pulled him into a hug. Still, Dean radiated nerves for days before it was time to go on air.

Cas wanted to put Dean at ease, but he knew he couldn't do that completely. But he had a feeling that Dean was underestimating the audience. These were people who loved to see people fall in love, and though there might be skeptics, he guessed that most would be accepting of their relationship. In fact, the majority might even be rooting for them.

Cas wanted Dean to see that.

He knew Dean was insecure about his sexuality and perhaps regretted his decision to come out on camera, but Cas wanted him to see that he had nothing to be ashamed of. That he was perfect just the way he was.

He only hoped that he would be able to gauge the situation well enough in the moment to know how to best do that.

Fortunately, he had a few ideas.

…

Dean tried to calm himself, but it was no use. Time has passed quickly, and now he and Cas were being ushered onto the stage of "The Men Tell All". He wasn't just nervous; he was downright terrified. His hands were shaking.

They seated Cas next to him, who took one look at Dean and immediately grabbed his hand, leaning in.

"It's gonna be okay. I'm right here."

He kissed Dean's cheek gently and moved back into his original position. However, his hand still remained holding Dean's own. It was a small gesture, but it did help. Dean squeezed Cas's hand in thanks.

Sometime later, the show began, and though Dean's heart raced, he smiled for the cameras and managed not to fidget too much.

After introductions, Chris began spotlighting the most interesting contestants of the season. He spoke with two or three of them before announcing, "And after the break, we'll be talking to Dean and Castiel, our two contestant lovers. Stay tuned!"

The cameras cut to commercial and some crew members ushered Dean and Cas to the couch opposite Chris. He smiled encouraging at them, and Dean smiled back nervously. Cas still held Dean's hand, but his attention was on the audience, surveying them like he was solving some great mystery.

Soon enough, the cameras returned, and Chris welcomed the audience back, introducing Dean and Cas once again. Then he played a short video of them on the show. There were a few clips of each of them with Atara, and then some of them together as friends. Then the highlights from their confession to Atara were shown, and the video ended with a shot of the two kissing in the back of their car as it left.

The video ended, and the lights came back on.

"So what's it like to watch that footage back?" Chris asked.

"A little weird," Dean admitted. "We watched the season 6 episode together, but it almost feels like watching someone else, even though that's my life. That night was kind of a rush. A bit of a blur in my memory, to be honest."

Chris nodded. "How about you, Castiel?"

"It's just Cas. And I feel rather the same. Everything happened so quickly, it's so strange to see it on screen like this."

"Do you think maybe you made a snap decision?" Chris asked. "Should you have thought about what you were doing more, or do you think you did the right thing? Do you have any regrets?"

Dean looked at Cas, who decided to answer the question.

"That's a complicated series of questions. I do regret leading Atara on for as long as I did. I grasped at straws because, like everyone else, I wanted to find love on the show. Which I did, just not with her. I just didn't think the man I had feelings for would feel the same. It took him longer, though, to make his decision. So, while I regret what happened with Atara, if I hadn't stayed that long, I wouldn't be with Dean. And I certainly don't regret my relationship with Dean."

Chris looked at Dean, who shrugged.

"He pretty much said it. I wish I'd known earlier. I never wanted to hurt Atara. And I – we – hope that she is with a man that deserves her. She's really a spectacular woman."

Chris smiled and nodded.

"So then, am I to assume you two are still together? How's that going?"

Cas smiled brightly and said, "Great! I actually moved in with Dean a little while after we left the show."

Chris's eyes widened and he laughed, "So it's going very well, then! That's great! Congratulations!"

Dean blushed.

He looked over at Cas again, whose eyes were scanning the audience again. Suddenly, he spoke up.

"Chris, there's something I actually wanted to say before we leave. Do we have a few minutes?"

Chris looked surprised, but answered, "Sure. What is it?"

Cas seemed to be wrestling with his words, but finally came to a decision on what exactly he wanted to say. Dean watched on with curiosity.

"Dean did something incredibly brave when we were on the show. He came out on national TV. He didn't have to do that, but he's an honest man, and he thought that it was the right thing to do. But he also did it for me, and that's something I can't ever forget. We've been together for three months now, and I have fallen in love with him so completely, it astounds me."

The audience let out a collective "aww" and Dean bit his lip, unable to take his eyes away from Cas's excited, sparkling eyes, which had now turned to look at him. He didn't deserve this. But his heart felt warm and full of love, as lame and girly as that sounded.

Then Cas stood up, and the entire audience went silent.

"Dean, you know how I feel about you. You own my heart. And more than anything, I want it to stay that way. I look into my future and all I see is you. So…"

And Cas got down on one knee and Dean could hear the audience gasping, but his heart was pounding so loudly that it flooded his eardrums.

"Will you marry me?"

Dean's throat felt dry and useless. Audience members were screaming excitedly, and Chris had a knowing grin on his face. Dean tried to open his mouth to speak, but after such a beautiful speech, he had no way of following that. A simple yes wasn't enough, didn't speak to how elated he felt right now. No words could convey the contents of his heart and mind.

So he simply nodded, eyes clouding over, and Cas stood up to pull him into a tight hug. The audience cheered as Cas pulled Dean into a brief, but heated kiss, and then pulled a white gold ring from his pocket that he slid onto Dean's finger.

Dean was blown away by the whole thing. He could have never anticipated… this.

It was more than he ever could have hoped for. More than even his wildest dreams could produce.

But it was perfect.

…

REVIEW!

There will be just ONE more chapter: "After the Final Rose" (unlike this chapter, Dean and Cas will be watching the show instead of being on it).