Chapter 75.

Dean served up Anael's food, then his own. He was about to sit down when Bobby sad, "Are you gonna make me some of that?"

"You're old enough and ugly enough to make you own." said Dean, "Besides, didn't you eat already?"

"Guilty," said Bobby, but it's not like I'm on a diet, or anything."

Dean nodded. "Okay, I guess you spent a long time dead." He got up and handed Bobby his own plate. "Go for your life." he said.

Bobby started to eat. "Thanks. This is good."

"Do you like it?" Dean asked Anael.

She paused, mid-mouthful, swallowed and said, "It's perfect."

The praise was so warm and heartfelt that it was like a hug to his soul. He stood there for a moment, enjoying her approval, then hurried to cook his own, feeling awkward that Bobby had witnessed the moment.

"Told you," said Bobby, "Kid loves to feed people. And if they're pretty people, so much the better."

"Yeah, don't go thinking you're all that, old man." said Dean.

"You know," said Bobby, "Talking to Anael, I can really see what you see in her."

"But what she sees in me is a mystery to everyone, right?" said Dean.

"No, actually, that's pretty obvious too. You know Sam thinks you're right for each other?"

"Yeah. Sam's been wanting me to find someone for a while." said Dean.

"And now you have."

"And now, maybe, I have. I won't say there aren't complications."

"Yeah, always are, with you, but Anael seems very able to handle them."

"Whether she can handle them is not the issue." said Dean. He glanced at Anael. She smiled encouragingly, seemingly unoffended.

"The angel thing seems like a temporary issue. Apparently, Jack has the mojo to fix it."

"It's not something that needs to be fixed." said Dean.

"So that's not one of the complications?" said Bobby.

"It's about eight of them, but fixing it won't change anything."

"He wants me to give it up and stay an angel." said Anael, "Which is fine, except we both hate angels."

"You don't hate angels," said Dean, "And neither do I. I don't hate Cas."

"And you don't hate Anael, clearly." said Bobby.

"No, I don't."

He was expecting an argument from one or both, but instead, Bobby gave a slight nod. "You'll figure it out. You always do. Thinkin' outside the box has always been your superpower and I think you really wanna make this work."

Dean looked at Anael again. "I do." he said, "I really do."

"And so far, it's working pretty well." said Bobby.

"So far." Dean agreed.

"I don't want you worrying that I'm gonna give you a hard time about any of it. That's not what I came back for, but if you ... any of you, you, Sam, Cas, Eileen, Jules or Anael need anyone to talk to about any of it, I'm available, anytime, day or night."

"You may need to get a life." said Dean.

"Ever think maybe you and your brother are my life?" said Bobby.

He knew it, but there was something special in hearing it said. Even as a kid and he had been a horrible kid, Bobby had always made him a priority. He was getting better at saying it to the others, but he knew he had never said it enough to Bobby. "You were always there for us." he said, "Always loved you for that."

He thought he saw unshed tears shine in Bobby's eyes, but he tried to hide the depths of his emotion. "Yeah, well, sometimes you needed a friend."

"Always." said Dean.

"It's a good thing you like me," said Anael to Bobby, "Because if you didn't, Dean would ditch me without a second thought."

"No, he wouldn't." said Bobby, "Dean never wanted anyone else's approval. Well, maybe his dad's."

"I know Sam thinks I should be asking him." said Dean.

"For approval?" said Anael.

"Hell, no! Sam never cared what he approved or didn't. He just thinks maybe I need advice."

"And do you?" she asked.

"Not from John." said Bobby. He raised a hand to cut off the protest Dean was about to utter and said, "You know I respect John as a hunter and as a man. Loved him like an annoying kid brother and you know how that goes. In Heaven, we worked together, getting all the hunters organised and dealing with the angels when they overstepped certain boundaries."

"I hear a but coming." said Dean.

"But he'd be the first to admit that he screwed up a lot. I'm not saying don't tell him about Anael. He liked her at the wedding. Just don't run your whole life by, 'What would John Winchester do?' because your gut will guide you better. It always has."

"I've made some colossal mistakes of my own." said Dean.

"All hunters do, but when it comes to people, your instincts are good."

"So you're saying Sam is wrong?" said Dean.

Bobby chuckled. "No, I ain't falling into that one. I don't know what Sam said and maybe you heard something he never said, or thought. I'm saying believe in yourself, because Sam and me? We always believed in you."

"And I do too." said Anael.

"Yeah, well, blind faith is built in." said Dean. She flinched from his words and he regretted them. "I didn't mean ... "

"You did." she said.

"Don't take it too personal," said Bobby, "He just has a buttload of angel issues."

"Which I'm working on." said Dean.

"I would hope so," said Bobby, "Because Anael's putting up with a lot."

"I know she is and she deserves better."

"Yeah, I need you to drop that kind of thinkin' too. She deserves Dean Winchester, not John II and not a heap of self-doubt."

"Yeah, well, working on that too." said Dean.

"You are?" said Bobby.

"Sarah, at the farm, she kinda makes us all work on stuff."

"How often do you see her?" said Bobby.

"Not at all, right now," said Anael, "Because he doesn't want to talk about me with her."

"Why not?" said Bobby.

"I didn't, before," said Dean, "Because I didn't want her getting ideas."

"You mean thinking you had feelings for Anael?"

"That kind of thing, yeah."

"Which you do? And did then?"

"I may have been just a little bit in denial." said Dean.

"And now he's in Deanael." said Sam from the doorway. Eileen went past them to the refrigerator and took out their smoothies.

"There's coffee." said Dean. Then he smiled. "Healthy option, right? How far did you run?"

"Around five miles." said Sam.

"Isn't that a bit much, for the baby?" said Dean.

"We didn't make the baby run it." said Sam.

Eileen was smiling at Dean and he felt a little foolish. "Sorry," he said, "I say this stuff because I care, not because I want to patronise you."

"I know." she said.

"You certainly look very healthy."

"Flirt with my wife some other time." said Sam.

Dean grinned at Eileen. "When's good for you?" He saw Sam glance at Anael and he said, "It's okay, Sam, Anael knows I'm joking, right Anael?"

"Of course." said Anael.

"What's Deanael?" said Bobby.

"Ship name." said Sam.

"What ship?"

"It's a fanfic thing, short for relationship, like Destiel, only Deanael."

"Destiel?" said Bobby.

"Long, horrible story." said Dean.

"Most of them, yeah." said Sam, "But isn't Deanael just perfect for these two?"

"Yeah, it actually is." said Bobby, "So, Dean, your avoidance of Sarah is at an end?"

"My reason for avoidance is," said Dean, "But I haven't had time to talk to her just yet."

"That's a no." said Sam.

"Yeah, sounded that way to me, too." said Bobby.

"No, that's not a no," said Dean, "I'll talk to her soon."

"I'd love to get a chance to talk to her," said Anael, "Now that I'm allowed to."

"We'll arrange that soon." said Dean.

"Why not today?" said Sam, "Take Anael and tell Sarah the good news. You know she'll be as happy for you as we are and you did say you two were official now."

"You just want me to be unable to back out of this." said Dean.

"What and you still need an escape route?" said Sam with another glance to Anael.

"I didn't say that." said Dean. That didn't mean it hadn't crossed his mind, but Anael definitely deserved better than that. "Okay," he said to her, "We'll go today."

"Good," said Sam, "Talking to Sarah always helps."

"I don't actually need any help." said Dean.

"Except with the angel stuff and the self-doubt." said Bobby.

"Yeah, maybe that." Dean conceded.