Chapter Text
Chapter One
Carpe Diem Baby
Glad to see the back of the last customer of the evening, Ian slid the bolt up, locking the glass front doors with a pent up sigh.
It had been a slow evening in the mini mart, but as usual there had been a last minute rush just before closing. The lull in customers throughout the evening had meant that extra staff had been sent home, so Ian had to cope with the small flood right at the end of his shift solo. It was always the case, he was used to it, but it still irritated the retail worker and he was glad to finally be able to lock up for the night so he could head on home.
“Where are the tins of powdered milk for infants?”
“Baby formula? Aisle seven,” he replied automatically, pointing over in the general direction without thinking.
After a second of realization, he turned only to see a dark haired man in a tan coat disappear in that way. “Wait! Sir? Stores closed.”
There was no response and Ian hurried over, staring down the aisle.
But there was no sign of the man.
“Sir? Hello?” he called out, rushing down the aisles, eyes scanning all around. How was someone still in the store? He’d checked the whole place before locking up.
No reply came. And there was no sign of the man.
He was doing his third lap of the small store when he spotted a little pile of cash waiting for him by the register.
xXxXxXx
“What took you so long?” Dean demanded the second the Angel appeared back in the bunker, over the wailing that was echoing off the kitchen walls and past the point of giving him a splitting headache. “You got it?”
Instead of shouting over the din, Castiel held up the large tin with the grinning gummy baby depicted, giving it a little shake by means of an answer, as he grabbed a bottle with his other hand.
"See that my little air raid siren," Dean spoke as softly as he could with his volume raised loud enough to be heard over his baby daughter cries, bouncing her as Cas started making up a bottle in record speed. "We got it. We got it. So how 'bout you quit trying to bust my eardrums, huh?"
Castiel shook the bottle to mix the formula, using his grace to heat the liquid two degrees warmer than body temperature, before pausing his mate's attempt to soothe their daughter long enough to tease the teat between her lips.
“My hero,” Dean sighed out gratefully, as the room fell silent. Blindly taking the bottle, he closed his eyes and let his head fall back against the kitchen wall, soaking up the peace.
Crisis averted, Castiel turned and began collecting up the rejected bottles. Still surprised that his three day old daughter could tell the difference between the different brands of formula when they were virtually indistinguishable, at least molecularly. They had tried seven others, before admitting defeat and Castiel had flown off to retrieve the one singular brand they knew she would drink.
"So, how many places did you have to go to find it?" Dean asked curiously, peeking open one eye and watching as Cas poured out the unwanted formulas down the sink.
"Only three," Castiel replied casually. "Never thought any child of ours would be a picky eater considering, by process of elimination, she must get her appetite from you."
Dean chuckled, "Maybe I would have been a picky eater if I'd had a Dad that would've flown all over town just to get me exactly what I liked," he teased with a grateful smile.
"It was no trouble," Castiel said, as he returned Dean's appreciative grin with a modest one of his own. Flying 'all over town', as Dean put it, was not the hardship that he was implying. He'd go to the ends of the Earth and back again, happily, to provide their Daughter with whatever she needed. Besides, he'd missed his wings and regaled in the opportunity to stretch them. “But I don’t know if ‘likes’ is the right word," Castiel mused as he watched baby Charlene grumpily ingest her meal. "I get the impression that she’s only tolerating it.”
"Can't blame her, this stuff tastes like crap."
Castiel's attention turned up to his mate, a light frown drawing his brows together, as his head tilted. "You've tried it?"
Dean shrugged nonchalantly, "I was curious."
"So, listen," Dean began, alternating his attention between keeping a watchful eye on baby Charlie and Cas' reaction. "I'm thinking, this evening maybe going out to a bar, have a beer or two."
"It's not safe for her to leave the bunker," Castiel immediately protested. "And she's too young to go to a bar... or drink beer."
"Actually," Dean chuckled, "I meant with Sam. Just the two of us. Some things I wanna get him clued up on, that might be better if it was just me."
Castiel nodded in understanding and agreement, already having an assumption on what Dean could have to discuss with his brother and it could provide him with the opportunity that he'd been looking out for.
Castiel simply scooped Charlene out of Dean's arms. "Go get ready," he told him, settling the infant against his chest, speedily resuming her feeding, before the disgruntled expression at being disturbed could turn to loud cries of protest.
His mate had been confined inside, only venturing out when there had been a dire need or due to being forcefully taken, for the past five months. The last time he'd left the bunker for any kind of pleasantry had been their one and only date. Their whole life had changed since. Getting out, even for a short while, was probably the wisest and healthiest decision for Dean to make.
...and it was also perfect timing for what he'd been planning.
xXxXxXx
“These diapers are ineffective, Dean.”
Leaned over the bathroom sink with a towel around his waist, Dean took the toothbrush out of his mouth long enough to holler back to the nursery, “I told ya, the smaller half goes at the front.”
He hadn't been in the shower long, but somehow in that time Cas had managed to finish feeding the baby and Dean heard him bring her into the adjoining nursery. Bringing with them a smell with them that was unmistakably a job for the parent without a gag reflex and unfortunately too pungent to be masked by the sandalwood scent of his body-wash.
“It was at the front, Dean, and there is still fecal matter up her back.”
Dean’s fist pressed tightly to his mouth, his eyes squeezed shut as he tried to stifle his laughter. Taking a breath and trying not to choke he called back. “There’s extra wipes in the top drawer.”
“I’m going to need more than wipes, Dean - Oh shh- It’s down her legs as well.”
Tears leaked from the corner of Dean’s eyes. He shouldn’t be finding it so funny, but he couldn’t help it. His angel was adorable when flustered. “Ya need a hand?” he just managed to croak out, as he watched Cas wield their baby - ass first - into the bathroom, heading straight for the shower - which turned on seemingly by itself.
"I got it," Cas told him slightly unsurely, as he gently teetered their baby back and forth under the warm flow of water. In her father's outstretched arms, Charlene kicked her chubby bowed legs and squealed delightfully.
“How is it possible for a being this small to produce more waste than she consumes?” Castiel asked, as Dean grabbed one of the soft tiny towels with a built-in hood and draped it over Cas' shoulder, ready for when he needed it.
“Someone had to do this for you once,” he said, as he gave his Angel a supportive pat on the shoulder and headed to the other room to give Cas some space and get dressed.
“I assure you, they did not.” Castiel's voice followed him into the bedroom, where he pulled open the closet, grabbing the first denim, cotton, flannel combo he laid his hands on. Choosing what to wear was easy when everything matched.
By the time Dean finished dressing and strode back into the nursery to check on proceedings, Castiel had her back on the changing mat. The scent of baby powder floating in the air.
"Think all that screaming tuckered her out," he commented with a soft smile, seeing the light droop in her eyes, as Cas finished closing up the last of the poppers of her onesie and started wrapping her up like the cutest little fajita. Seemed that as her temper tantrum over what she considered acceptable dinner options was over with and she was clean and dry, her objections had been taken out on her diaper, she was content. Cas would probably have a straight forward, drama free evening ahead of him while Dean was out with Sam.
Somehow that thought soured his mood, as much as it reassured him. "You be alright watching her on your own?"
Castiel rolled his eyes to himself, hiding a knowing grin as he gingerly scoped up their sleepy baby. "We will be fine."
He'd expected Dean's hesitancy. Over the last few days they had proven that while they were more than a capable parenting team, Dean was definitely the more natural of the pair of them. This evening was going to be the first time Castiel would be parenting solo... and the first time Dean would be leaving her. It was natural for either, or both of them, to be anxious. But Castiel felt confident. Charlene was clean, comfortable, fed and would most likely be sleeping shortly.
It was one infant, for one evening... How hard could it be?
"I'll only be gone for a few hours at most," Dean stated, a little too quickly and with a slight hitch.
"Take your time. We'll be fine," Castiel repeated.
"Right," Dean said, looking around the nursery, his hands patting down his pockets unnecessarily. "You sure you've got everything you'll need?"
"Yes, Dean." Castiel resisted the urge to roll his eyes again.
"If you have any problems, you can call me."
"I know, Dean." Castiel actually rolled his eyes.
"I mean it. Don't just struggle through it. You can call-"
"I won't." Castiel started herding his overprotective and overly worried mate out of the nursery with spread arms.
"-Seriously about anything. I'll keep my phone close and can be back here in no time at all."
Castiel closed the nursery door softly behind then and rounded on his mate, with a smiteworthy look of annoyance on his face. "Dean. I'm going to say this with all the sensitivity I can muster at this moment... Get. Out!"
xXxXxXx
"So, you wanna tell me why you dragged me out?" Sam asked, keeping his eyes forward and pretending he didn't notice how awkward his brother was acting.
Bars had always been Dean's home away from home, having spent so much time there as a child, learning how to hustle pool, meet contacts, etcetera. Exceptional circumstances notwithstanding, he was always at perfect ease in bars. Yet, at present, it was more than clear Dean wanted to be there about as much as he wanted to contract sepsis. He had been hesitating before leaving and now he was out, seemed completely unable to sit still or go without checking his phone every few seconds. Anxious and fidgety, with nerves that seemed to radiate out of him, standing out in sharp unmissable contrast to his usual carefree janty attitude.
Picking at the bottle's label with his thumbnail, Dean took a deep breath, letting it out in a slow sigh, preparing himself. Unable to stall any longer he powered the words out. "I'm retiring."
Sam took a long swig from his bottle of beer, swallowing slowly. His eyes remaining forwards, un-reacting.
"I'm still gonna be around," Dean quickly rambled on. "The bunker is the safest place for Charlie, so I can't exactly go anywhere. Not for a while anyway... But as far as going looking for trouble is concerned: I'm out."
Sam took another sip, waiting a beat to make sure Dean was done before replying, "I think that's a good idea."
Dean's brow collapsed over his eyes as he stared at his younger brother, completely dumbfounded. "You do?
"What? Did you expect me to have a problem with that?" Sam questioned, nearly laughing at Dean's baffled expression as he finally turned to face him. Dean was a near expert at hiding his inner self. Putting on such a macho front that most would only see him as the cool, calculated hunter, who's only drive was getting the job done by whatever means necessary.
But Sam wasn't stupid. Nor blind. He knew his brother better than that.
Despite his appearance Dean was a family man at heart. Always had been. Dean didn't dream of hunting monsters, that was his living nightmare that he'd been forced into as a child. One that his selfless need to protect and fierce loyalty had trapped him within thereon after. It was a mask that Dean wore well, but over the years Sam had caught rare glimpses behind it. He'd seen it in Dean's family values, how he cared and connected with kids on a practical parenting level, or how he'd repeatedly converted friends into the family members they never had... and when they'd been to Heaven and all Dean's favorite memories had been family orientated he'd known it for sure.
Dean's claims and actions didn't match his aspirations, at least they hadn't before, but with a child of his own they could finally align. He could take off the costume of a tough ruthless monster killer that he'd worn for as long as Sam could remember and fully expose the devoted protector that was deep in the core of his being. Because in order to give his daughter the life and the father that she deserved, he would have to put her needs ahead of the needs of others - something his selflessness would have never have allowed him to do of his own volition.
"You're a father now, Dean," Sam voiced aloud, to his still mildly shocked looking older brother. "Charlie doesn't need a Dad who's always out looking for monsters and never there when she needs him... We've lived that life. I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy, let alone my niece."
Dean stared, unable to deny Sam's logic. He hadn't expected his revelation to be taken so easily. He had expected some kind of pushback.
"Besides, most hunters hunt solo and you're not twenty-six anymore, you'll only slow me down" Sam shrugged, taking another swig.
"Hey!" Dean objected hotly, while Sam chuckled lightheartedly.
Sam gave his older brother a light slap between his shoulders. "It's the right thing to do. You're making the right call. And for what it's worth, I think you're gonna be a great Dad."
xXxXxXx
The Impala had barely rolled to a stop, before Dean was throwing the door open. Despite Cas' reassuring texts, assuring him that their baby was absolutely fine and he was doing perfectly well tending to her every need on his own, that were so numerous and came through so often that Dean practically had an play by play itinerary of their entire evening, he needed to see her with his own eyes.
He'd missed her.
He practically threw himself out of the car, sprinting from the hidden parking garage in a mad rush, surprised to find a smirking Sam following him, albeit at a more relaxed pace, keeping up only because his stupidly long legs gave him larger strides. He gave him a brief, confused frown over his shoulder, before refocusing back on the task at hand - He needed to see his daughter. He almost couldn't believe how much he'd felt her absence in just the few short hours he'd been out. It felt like the pressure of a physical lump in his chest that the many, many... many photographs Cas had sent him hadn't erased, or even lessened.
He decelerated as he rounded the corner, slowing to a near crawl as he approached Cas and his shared room. Cautious that his loud speeded stomping could wake the baby if she was sleeping. Gingerly he pushed at the door, easing it open bit by bit to avoid any possible squeaking and peeked his head inside, his eyes immediately falling onto his daughter, tucked up contently in her bassinet.
"There she is," he breathed happily, a soft smile growing up his cheeks as he rushed over, drinking in the sight of her like he was starved from it. "Hey Princess," he whispered, keeping his voice gentle so as not to wake her. "She give you any trouble?"
Dean looked back over his shoulder when Cas' answer wasn't immediately forthcoming and did a double take at what he hadn't noticed in his mad rush to see his daughter.
Cas stood at the center of the room, his trench, suit jacket and tie missing, his dress shirt unbuttoned to mid-chest and sleeves bunched to the elbow. One hand held behind his back, hiding something. Sam loitered in the doorway, an irritatingly knowing smirk on his face as he casually leant on the doorframe watching the proceedings with interest.
"What's happening here?" Dean asked, as he straightened up, eyeing the pair of them suspiciously as he flicked his index finger between them both.
"Oh, you'll see," Sam informed him smugly, giving nothing away, though his grin was threatening to break out into a full blow chuckle. He strode over in three long strides and delicately took up the bassinet. "Say night night to your Daddies."
As Sam disappeared out of the room with baby Charlie, Dean turned to Cas looking for an answer, but instead of providing one Cas pulled his hand from behind his back, revealing a singular flower. He held it out in offering. "Dean, will you let me take you on a date?"
"Now?" Dean asked, confused, taking the single stem anyway. "I've only just got back."
Cas leaned forward, cupping his palm around his mouth and lowering his voice. "Don't worry. We're not actually going anywhere. This is just a recreation," the Angel whispered as if confessing a hidden secret and winked conspicuously, before crossing to the bedroom door, holding it open for Dean.
"You're a weird guy, you know that?" Dean shook his head with an amused smile, allowing Cas to guide him from the room.
"I know it's not the same flower," Cas apologized, as he led Dean down the corridor. "But that was a spring flower and they're no longer in bloom."
None the wiser to what Cas' problem with the flower was, Dean glanced down at the stem still in his grip. It was a wild flower with multiple deep blue bell shaped petals that he'd seen hundreds of before, but its commonness didn't diminish that, as far as flowers to give your partner before a date went, it was perfectly acceptable... It wasn't all that different, in fact, it was very similar to the one he'd given Cas on their first (and due to the pregnancy, only) date.
"Hey Cas, when you say 'recreation' you don't mean-" Dean broke off as the pair entered the bunker's kitchen and did a double take as he looked up and noticed the subtle transformation the room had undergone while he'd been out.
The lights were dimmer, warmer somehow, highlighted by the gentle glow from a single candle deliberately placed in the center of the small table neatly laid for two people. Classic rock played softly, though from where exactly Dean couldn't tell.
"Curiouser and curiouser," Dean mumbled to himself. When Cas had had time to plan and set all of this up, Dean didn't know, but he suspected he had a helping hand in the form of Dean's sasquatch of a brother.
"Dinner, then a movie. Dating Dean Winchester style," Cas explained with a smile, gesturing to Dean to take a seat. "I adapted it a little because I assumed you'd want to stay close to Charlene."
Dean's face lit up, touched that his Angel would go to such lengths for him. Still grinning, he took a seat. "You know that means there has to be pie, right?"
"Of course," Castiel confirmed, with a smug grin, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. He went over to the counter to retrieve their meals. "But that's for after. We've got popcorn, a bucket-sized soda and a movie with Schwarzenegger waiting for us in the nest."
"Wow, you really did think of everything, didn't ya?" Dean said as Cas deposited the takeout containers directly onto the neatly laid plates.
"I wanted tonight to be special," Cas told him, returning back to the counter for the drinks.
"Well nothing says special better than a meal out of styrofoam," Dean teased, popping open the lid, and sending a waft of the scent of warm ground beef and grease directly up his nostrils. It had been too long since he'd gotten to enjoy a good burger and it looked like Cas had nailed it was the double layered bacon cheese with extra bacon. His mouth watered as he took it up, taking a huge bite. It was official, a pescatarian diet could not satisfy the Meat Man.
He hummed in satisfaction, chewing grateful as he blindly took the glass Cas handed him automatically.
"Be careful drinking that," Cas warned casually, taking a seat opposite. "There's a ring in it."
Pausing mid-chew, Dean threw a baffled frown at the crystal tumbler half filled with a deep bronze liquid, that Dean suspected was the good whiskey they kept in the library for special occasions, tilting it trying to get a glimpse through the opaque liquid.
It couldn't be what it looked like. Cas was just being... Well, Cas. His clueless dorky Angel, not having a lot of dating experience, had probably just googled 'date ideas' and ended up going down a rabbit hole that led him off topic. He obviously had no idea that this fanciful date looked like... something else entirely. Because there was just no way Cas would do... that!
With a shrug, Dean put the ridiculous notion behind him and took a sip of his drink - Yep, it was the good stuff - carefully avoiding the circle of metal clinking around at the bottom, before returning to his burger. It was the thought that counted, right? Cas' misstep didn't matter, it was still the most consideration and effort anyone had ever put into a date for him.
"It's good?"
"Perfect," Dean grinned, around his mouthful (not only referring to his food), as he reached across the table taking Cas' hand in his own, adding his own part to the recreation of their first date.
xXxXxXx
With his appetite mostly appeased - and after a brief pitstop to Sam's room, to check in on their sleeping babe, and her babysitter, who was happily reading quietly against his headboard - Dean was led to his old bedroom... and had to bite back a snort of shocked laughter when he caught sight at what his Angel had done.
He didn't want to laugh at the efforts his angel had gone to, but it seemed Cas had gone more than a little overboard on the whole rose petals on the bed cliché.
In fact, there were so many that the nest currently resembled a giant bowl of potpourri.
"Looks like full on American Beauty in here," Dean commented.
"Glad you like it," Cas beamed happily, missing the reference, and Dean chuckled to himself with a light shake of his head, as he began scooping aside the magnitude of red petals, feeling like a human snow plough as he did.
Once he'd created a large enough space, he climbed in, and wriggled to get comfy, before patting the cleared area beside him. "So, what we watching?"
xXxXxXx
"Well, that was... something," Dean commented, reaching forward and flicking off the screen as the credits started to roll.
When Cas had told him that he'd chosen a Schwarzenegger movie he'd expected an action flick, maybe Conan or Total Recall, or possibly the lame third installment of the Terminator saga.
The last thing he'd expected was Cas' choice to be 'Junior', one of the few Schwarzenegger flicks that he'd never watched before, and had therefore no prior warning about... He hadn't expected Arnie to get pregnant in the movie, he hadn't expected a pregnant man to be the main plot of the movie and he certainly hadn't expected a male pregnancy to be the butt of every joke. All in all it made him wonder why Cas would have chosen that particular movie in the first place.
"Did you not like it?" Castiel asked, his near permanent frown drooping worriedly, as he climbed out of the nest, offering a hand to help Dean do the same.
"No, no, no," Dean half-lied speedily, not wanting to sour the mood of the evening, as he took Cas' hand and climbed out also. "It wasn't that, it was just it was... well, it was something." Not knowing what else to say he fell silent and let Cas lead him out of the room.
"According to the research I did, romantic comedies were an ideal choice," Castiel pondered out loud.
' Knew it. He did research and strayed off track,' Dean thought with an I-told-you-so nod to himself. "See, there's your mistake right there," he said, giving Cas a playful slap on his ass. "You know I don't do chick flicks."
Castiel gave him a side eye, but decided not to argue. Dean had a smile back on his face, the evening wasn't over and the main event was still to come.
"Thought you said there would be pie?" Dean questioned pointing in the direction of the kitchen, as Cas led him straight past and into the library.
"That's where we're going," Castiel informed him, being as vague as possible, as he steered Dean into the garage.
"We're going out?" Dean inquired.
"No," Castiel stated simply, pulling open the Impala's rear door.
The smell of baked cherry pie wafted up Dean's nostrils and he didn't have to look to know there was his favorite treat resting on the backseat. He wasted no time in digging in.
"You want some," Dean offered, turning around with his mouthful and cherry syrup and crumbs smeared around his lips.
And froze...
Cas was down on one knee.
Swallowing as quickly as he could without choking, Dean stammered out, "W-w-what ya doing?"
“Dean," Cas began, gazing up at the stunned man with a look in his eye like no one else in the world existed. "You’ve been my charge, my guide in this human world, and you’ve been my mate. Through you I’ve learned to care, to feel and to love. You’ve given me a family, bore my child, made me a father. But there is one thing that I’ve yet to experience and I hope you will share that with me also.”
“What’s that, Cas?” Dean croaked out, already believing he knew the answer, but not wanting to presume.
“Will you become my husband?” Castiel asked with a shy hopefulness.
Dean blinked rapidly, completely blown away even though he'd somewhat seen it coming. “Cas? Are you... are you proposing?
“That was my intention, yes," Cas told him with a nod, a worried frown creeping up onto his face. "Unless... I did it wrong? There didn't seem to be a definite procedure.”
“You’re asking me to marry you?” Dean asked, needing one more clarification as he leaned forward, eyes wide and brow high.
“Yes,” Castiel confirmed brightly.
Dean grinned cockily. “That’s my line.”