2 weeks before Christmas

Dean nudged Castiel, so he moved to be polite. He could have remained frigid in his spot with the knowledge that no human force could equate that of an angel, but he chose not to. He remained as gentle as he always was with the humans in is charge: Dean was no exception to that rule.

Dean nudged the angel again, and Castiel moved in the direction Dean wanted to send him. He continued to be ever so quiet.

"Come on Cas," Dean said as the water vapor from his mouth condensed to something more visible in the air. Cas stared at the vapor until finally it disappeared and his eyes locked with Deans. He looked at the mans face which was covered in freckles. Dean opened his mouth to speak, but the angel ignored him and began to focus on his facial features.

The Winchester was beautiful both physically and spiritually. His body was strong from years of abuse from whatever life chose to throw at him. His face was a different story. It was gentle and welcoming: a freckled covered mask that could conceal his true emotions. At least, that is what he thought he did. People who knew him, like Castiel and his brother Sam, could easily spot the pain Dean would experience on an emotional level. Cas was better at dealing with it.

The angel then looked at Dean's green eyes. They weren't special and they did what green eyes do, but they were beautiful in Castiel's mind. They always would be.

Dean snapped his fingers at Cas. "Come on tell me what you got me for Christmas," he pestered for the 50th time that day. That wasn't an understatement either; Cas had been counting.

"No," he replied with a smile on his face. For once, Castiel had leverage on Dean, and he was going to use it to his advantage. Dean pouted as they continued to walk down the street.

"Why not," Dean stopped walking and Cas mimicked his motion. Cas placed his both his hands in his trenchcoat's pockets. His right one slid over a small velvet box in his coat. He had been waiting for days, and today might be the day he would give it to Dean. Today could have been when he finally caved in. He contemplated this decision, but released the box from his grasp. It had to be special.

"Because I love you," Castiel said with a smile. Dean began to blush, something he hated doing in public. He looked at both ends of the block only to find them practically barren. Towards the left of him was an old shop, the right a couple walking hand-in-hand toward them. He longed to hold his angel's hand, but he wasn't ready yet and Castiel understood.

"Cas, that's not a real answer. Tell me," Dean said in a playfully annoyed expression. The angel's smile only widened.

He moved closer to Dean. "But, I do love you. That's why I'm not going to tell you." He leaned in for a kiss and Dean happily accepted. He laughed when they pulled away, and nervously rubbed his neck. Now the blood rushing to his face was extremely visible especially with the the cold air nipping at his skin. Castiel then went to kiss Dean's nose, which was also a rosy color from the cold. Dean flinched from the warmth that came from the kiss as soon as Cas made contact. He forgot how warm angels were.

Dean once again looked toward the couple walking toward them. They were closer now and he could see their expressions. One girl was laughing; the other girl was smiling at the result of whatever she said. They looked happy.

He looked down towards his hands now a ghostly white from the cold. He had forgot his gloves: something he deeply regretted. With a sigh, he glanced once more at the couple, his main focus on their hands.

He reached towards Castiel's arm and pulled it out of the trenchcoat pocket. Castiel gave Dean a confused expression as his fingers soon became intertwined with the Winchesters. They remained silent, and Dean looked forward at the path ahead of them.

"I love you too," he mumbled as he began to walk again. This time he led Castiel down the sidewalk. He noticed how warm his hand was getting in just a few seconds and questioned why he didn't think of this any sooner. He almost regretted being embarrassed to hold Cas's hand in public. Why was he embarrassed?

Castiel grinned. "What did you say Dean. I'm sorry, I couldn't hear you." Dean squinted at Cas, pure love and hate were in his eyes.

"I said...I love you. You jerk." He avoided the angels gaze. Cas was so smug, so self-righteous right then. He was so...happy.

"Good."

One week before Christmas

"Sammy, Sam look what we got." Dean said as he entered the motel room they had been staying in for a case. He looked around the room at his surroundings. No matter where they went, the motel rooms they chose were practically all the same. Cheesy wallpaper, weird smelling bathroom, all of them were the same, but this time he decided they would decorate. He looked at the two beds: the one he and Castiel shared whenever Cas felt the urge to lay down with Dean as he slept, and Sam's. Dean's side of the room was cleaner; it was more organized. His bed was made to a level of perfection, and his duffel bag was carefully packed in the corner. His clothing was already carefully packed in the drawers of the dresser right near a few of Castiel's new clothes the angel refused to wear.

Dean then looked at the wooden table his brother was sitting at. Sam had his laptop in front of him and was studying the bright screen intently. Without a second thought, he continued to do his research and remain uninterrupted.

"Sam," Dean said with emphasis on the last letters. The other Winchester refused to be distracted and continued a conversation without taking an eye off of his computer.

"Dean, I'm busy okay. I just wanna get this case done so we can get out of this town. I'm starting to become friendly with the natives and I feel like that might be a bad idea." Sam replied with a large release of breath at the end.

"Sammy," Dean said as his expression changed into something a bit annoyed. Then, out of the blue, Sam Winchester finally gave in. He shut gently shut his laptop and turned around quickly to see whatever his brother wanted him to see.

Sam was speechless, worried, and he was also surprised. As he watched Dean smile and nod his head up and down, he began to question his brother's already thin sanity. He had no words; he had nothing.

"Come on Cas, this way," Dean broke the silence and turned toward what Sam refused to take his eyes off. It came waddling toward them.

The sight, a large pine tree about as tall as the room. Sam watched as it moved into the room on its own, leaving a trail of pine needles in the room, their rented room. He watched as it was placed on the ground and from the back emerged Castiel seemingly unaffected by the weight he was carrying before. He wiped the pine off of his hands and Dean wiped some off of his angel's back. Sam had the urge to laugh at the sight, as Dean was continuing to try and annoy Cas by pretending there were more pine needles on him. Cas replied by causing them both to fall on the bed, Sam's of course, and they both burst out in laughter. Then came an awkward kiss and Sam was done.

Even Sam couldn't stand not to laugh at this adorable sight. He was happy for his brother, thrilled in fact. "Okay guys. PG-13. Can someone explain why we have a christmas tree?" Dean and Cas both stopped what they were doing and looked at Sam. Cas refused to get off of Dean, so Dean had to strain to look at Sam from the bed.

"Isn't it custom to get a pine tree on this holiday?" Cas asked. Dean started to play with the angel's hair, so soft and warm in his touch.

"Yeah, it is. But that doesn't explain why we have it? This is a motel, not a home. Once we finish this case in one or two days we are out of here. There was no need for a Christmas tree guys." And that is when he saw it. That is when he saw a glimpse of disappointment slid over Castiel entirely. He watched as the angel's smile slowly faded away, and he watched Castiel get up off of Dean and move toward the tree. He was ready to pick up the tree and take it back where it came from until Dean stopped him.

"Woah Cas. No need for that. The tree is staying. And Sam, have a little Christmas spirit for once. We've been here for a month, one of our longest cases yet, and there is no chance of us leaving anytime soon. Especially with the fact that this is a ghost that tends to come out during the holidays and we haven't seen it yet. This is Cas's first holiday with us, first Christmas and we are keeping the tree." Dean replied as he glared at Sam. Castiel moved back toward Dean, a bit of happiness returning to his step.

"Okay, we can keep the tree. But Cas, you never celebrated Christmas," Sam asked.

Cas replied, "It's originated from a pagan holiday Sam, you know that. We angels celebrate our half-brothers birth in the fall which is incredibly more accurate than your December 25th. Even then, only a few celebrated because we were always busy with the rounds our higher ups gave us. So yes, this is my first celebration of 'Christmas'". He put air quotes around the Christmas part of his sentence.

Sam nodded before another question came into his mind. "Wait, did you spend all our money on a tree. We need that mon-"

"Sammy, relax we stole it." Dean interrupted. Like that made anything better.

"Stole it," Sam said surprised. By now, this was a norm in the Winchester life. They stole to get by only when they had to, the rest of the time they tried to make an "honest" living, but a tree, well that was too far.

"Stole it. Dean who did you steal it from?" Sam asks concerned about the holiday cheer of another.

"A tree farm. Cas hugged it, held unto me, and then we were outside. Don't worry no one saw us Sam. Not with this guy around." Dean pointed toward cause with a proud expression on his face. Then he throws his arm around Cas and pulls him closer toward his body. To react, Cas can't hide the blush in his cheeks, nor can he hide his smile.

Sam slapped both hands unto his thighs before getting up. "Okay then. We are going to need someone lights, balls, tinsel, and a bunch of candy canes." Sam said. He reached for the green lightweight-jacket on his chair and places it on himself. Then he goes for a hat, grabs Deans keys, and exits the motel room with a new plan in mind. As the transition from a warm room to the cold outside hits him, he knows what he has to do. He has to make this the best Christmas Cas will ever experience.

Inside the motel room, Cas and Dean cuddled with one another. Dean was the little spoon, curving his body into Cas's, while Cas, though considerably smaller, was the larger spoon. Dean could feel a presence looming over his body making him warmer besides the usual warmth that came from the angel He could feel something tickling the side of his arm as it slid up and down.

Curious he asked, "Cas, what's that touching my arm. I can't see it, but it's almost like something is there." Cas gave a small smile and slightly opened his eyes.

"My wings. It's rather complicated to explain how I've done it, but in order for you to remain safe I've made sure they are not visible." Castiel answered.

"So is this how you kept me warm in Purgatory?" Dean asked. He turned toward Cas; as he did so the angel's wings moved upward. When he stopped moving, they went back down.

"When you refused to keep my trenchcoat over the two of us, yes. My human vessel can only extend so far to provide you warmth Dean." Dean looked up at Cas and grinned playfully.

He bit his lip before saying,"it's not my fault. Your trench-coat smelled terrible." Dean began to play with the angel's trench coat. It's cleaner and less broken than the one in Purgatory. Just the way he liked it.

"And how does my coat smell now?" Cas asked. He looked down at Dean, expectant of an answer. The moment he did so Dean reached up, grabbed his face, and pulled Cas in for an unexpected kiss. On the release, Dean had a strange response. Castiel followed his gaze toward the tree.

"You know...it's tradition to put an angel on top of the Christmas tree Cas," Dean said with a devilish grin. Castiel raised an eyebrow, and Dean got up from the bed and moved toward Cas. Cas quickly rolled off the bed and into a fleeing stance.

"I'm not going on the tree Dean." Castiel said with a determined expression. Dean ignored him and jumped over the bed. Cas teleported away.

"Come on. Go on the tree," Dean laughed.

"No. I don't want to." Cas teleporeds away again once Dean approaches, but this time he made a mistake. The Winchester had gotten so used to his motions, his methods, that he knew exactly where the angel would be that time. He turned around the moment he felt a new presence behind him and wrapped Castiel in his arms. The angel playfully pretended to struggle as Dean picked him up bridle style and walked toward the tree. The belt from his trenchcoat swayed as Dean walked. Castiel kissed his chin.

"Please, no." he laughed. "I love you." Dean kissed him on the forehead. Castiel was light in Dean's arms, despite his muscular frame. Dean wondered if this could possibly be of the angel's own doing, making himself lighter for the Winchester, but he quickly tossed that thought aside.

Instead he said, "If you tell me what you got me for Christmas, I'll put you down." Castiel contemplated this thought for a moment, his mind went back to the velvet box resting in his pocket. No. Not yet.

"No," Dean tried to lift Castiel even higher up, but suddenly it as if the angel becomes paperweight. A new surge of pressure was applied on Dean, and before he knew it, they were both on the ground, giggling like two young children.

"I love you too Cas," Dean said as he struggled underneath the angels weight.

Christmas Eve

It's Christmas Eve and somehow, by some miracle, Dean had managed to make Castiel change out of his regular clothes and into something more festive for the day. An ugly Christmas sweater that Cas didn't seem to mind and Sam looked at with disgust, now momentarily replaced his old suit and tie, but he continued to wear his trench-coat. The coat, as many could point out, was a projection of Castiel's growth and character. It was his shield and a sense of comfort as the days went by in his vessel. When it got dirty and unkept, so was he, and when it was clean and prepared, he was made well again.

The coat, this time, was carefully placed on a chair as both Dean and Castiel sat on the couch watching the usual Christmas specials TV networks would put on at that time of year. The velvet box remained carefully tucked away in the coat pocket, ready to be given away once the clock struck midnight marking the start of Christmas.

It was 8:48 and Castiel couldn't help but fidget each time he stared at the clock. In just a few hours, it would be mid-night, and then he could give his present to Dean. Then Dean would stop pestering him to tell him what he got him. Cas turned his head toward the tree. There was his present from Sam, his gift to Sam, a gift from Dean, and a gift from one Winchester to the other. Unlike the others, his gift to Sam was carefully wrapped up: he had spent a few minutes on Youtube learning the proper way to gift presents. Since Sam and Dean rarely ever celebrated Christmas, they had no clue how to wrap gifts, and as a result, their presents didn't look as good. Jess used to wrap up the presents, when she was dating Sam, and he would ask a friend to wrap Jess's presents. Lisa would wrap up the gifts for Ben, and Dean would unsuccessfully wrap up his causing both Ben and Lisa to laugh, but that was a long time ago.

Christmas presents weren't the only thing different about the tree. This time Sam bought real Christmas decorations; lights, balls, ornaments, all of them were there on the tree causing it to become one of the most beautiful things either of them had ever seen. Sam was determined to make this year could for Cas, and he had outdone himself. He hung mistle-toe on the door way and above Dean and Castiel's shared bed, taped wool stockings on the wall that constantly needed to be retaped, and bought Christmas cookies for everyone to enjoy. In fact, he actually enjoyed the process of decorating, and he hoped to do it once more.

Dean took a deep wiff of the smells circling him. The smell of pine reached out from the tree to coat the motel room, then there was the smell of cookies, and Cas right by him. For the first time, in a long time, Dean was happy with where he was. He looked over to Cas who was studying the television special and smiled. One arm was around his angel, the other holding an ice cold beer. He took a sip of it before placing it on the coffee table by the couch and shifting to face Cas. The angel noticed, but ignored this and continues to watch his show. He knew what Dean was about to do.

Dean leaned over toward Castiel's ear before whispering,"I don't see a present underneath the tree." Cas could feel how close Dean was without even looking. He could feel the warmth of the words coming from the Winchester's mouth, the purr in his voice. He could smell the light scent of alcohol on the other man's breath, and clocked him in as not intoxicated.

Dean leaned back into his spot like nothing ever happened. Cas moved toward his ear and whispered,"I know," which gave Dean the shivers. He was about to kiss the Winchester, when the door to their motel room was roughly opened.

The two of them quickly shifted their attention toward the door to see Sam wide-eyed and nearly out of breath.

"Ghost...Spotted... Hurry... I'll be...in car." Sam managed to say in between breaths before he left once again in a hurry. He left the door wide-open for the two of them to exit, causing the cold to take over the warmth that once coated the motel room. Dean and Cas rushed to get ready, Dean putting on his shoes and grabbing his jacket, while Cas reached for his trench-coat. He placed his hand in his right pocket and brushed against the velvet box now wrapped in paper. It was there. Good.

Dean looked annoyed as he struggled to put on his other shoe. "Oh come on. On Christmas Eve really. Can't ghost take a friggin break once in awhile." He said as he hopped around.

"Ghosts don't celebrate festivities, Dean." Cas replied as he put on his trench-coat. Dean finally got his shoe on and grabbed Castiel's hand, his mouth holding his jacket, before rushing out of the room, and closing the door with his free hand. Cas turned off the lights, and they both rushed toward the Impala Sam was sitting in. He was in the front passenger seat as always, and he was warming the car. He rubbed both hands together as he tried to regain the warmth he lost. He should have taken the Impala to the diner, but it was only a few blocks away, a short walk with his long legs. He now regretted that.

Dean and Cas got into the car, slamming the doors behind them. Dean removed his jacket from his mouth and placed it on as he began a conversation with Sam.

"So what happened to your date Sam?" he said. He looked at Sam's clothes, similar to the ones they would wear as the pretended to be FBI agents. Sam looked back at his brother.

"He's fine Dean. I told him I had to go check on my brother the instant the sheriff came in telling me that a woman was killed by the old, abandoned Church." Dean rubbed his hands on his lap before grabbing the steering wheel. He smiled at Sam.

"A dude huh. Didn't know you were interested in guys Sam." Sam blushed a bit. He often kept his sex life to himself.

"It depends. This one was pretty cool." Sam looked out the window and back at the diner, a small dot in the distance.

"He gotta name. Do I have to beat him up if he breaks your heart?" Dean replied as he stepped on the gas. He was enjoying teasing Sam about his little crush.

Sam looked back at Dean," Gabriel. But I doubt you could beat up an angel, dude." The other Winchester was shocked and slightly impressed. Cas shifted nervously in his seat. He knew Sam and Gabe were dating this entire time, but Sam made him promise not to tell Dean or he would give Dean information about Castiel's Christmas gift.

"You...an angel," Dean took his eyes off the road for a moment to glare at Cas," did you know about this?" Cas stared back at Dean.

"Eyes on the road," the angel replied, content with his answer. Dean smiled before nudging Sam.

"Well, congrats Sammy. Now, about that Church, is that the one we decided not to investigate because we were to set in our ways to believe a Church would have a ghost," Dean asked. Their assumptions made sense at the time: why would a ghost, a vengeful spirit to add, be on holy ground?

"Yep," was the one syllable response he got from Sam. Dean changed the direction the car was moving, to their new destination. He turned the windshield wipers on as the snow fell flake by flake. It wasn't that bad of a situation they were in, but if it got any worse, they would be screwed. Dean turned the heater off realizing he needed as much visibility as possible.

"How is that even possible?" he asked.

Sam shrugged,"it's not uncommon. How about that priest that thought he was an angel? He was in that Church." He recalled that even several years ago when his faith was put up to the test. When the first discussion the Winchesters had about angels came about and Dean firmly declared they didn't exist, only to have his words shoved back at him a year later.

"I just figured since he was a priest and all. That the holiness and halos just kinda let him there." Dean replied. Cas listened to the entire conversation, only to be reassured of their lack of knowledge on this specific topic.

"That's not it," he interjected,"if a soul is pure upon death, such as that of the Priest, and has not been claimed by Death's reapers, it does have a large possibility of being able to walk into a church." Dean looked at Cas through the mirror.

"So, what. We could be dealing with a priest that was a good person, but became a vengeful spirit after death?" he asked.

"Or a nun, a visitor. Even a small child. The possibilities are endless. We will not know what we are dealing with until we get there." Castiel replied. Dean hit the steering wheel.

"Great," he said. Castiel looked at the time on his phone. 9:00 pm. 3 more hours.

9:30 Christmas Eve

The thirty minute drive led them to a old Church barely holding itself up. It was clearly abandoned years ago with its rotting wood, and stain glass windows broken. The Winchesters pulled up to the structure, not surprised by what they saw. The sight brought pain especially to Castiel, to see a structure made for celebration so broken and empty and meant to love his father and all his creations just upset him.

All three of them got out of the car. Sam began to look in the trunk for all the items they would need: salt, salt rounds, iron; Dean had a talk with Cas.

"Look. You gotta stay outside Cas. You know I love fighting with you by my side, but Sammy and I need a look out, and we are better equipped to fight with ghosts, just like you are better equipped to fight demons than we are. I need you to stay out here okay. If anything gets bad in there, I'll pray to you and then you come, but I need you to do this." Castiel understood, but he was still upset.

"You never pray to me Dean. Not when your in battles. If you did, you wouldn't have had to received all of that pain before." Dean look hurt.

"I know," he said as he grabbed Castiel's hands, "but I promise I will okay. If things get really bad in there." He kissed Castiel's forehead.

"Okay?" he asked.

"Okay," Cas responded. He watched as the Winchester's walked toward the Church, armed with whatever they would need to remain safe and finish that hunt. He could only hope for their safety.

Sam had to break the lock on the doors, before either of them could get in, but when they did, they entered, prepared for whatever may come at them.

The interior of the Church was dark, the pews and rugs torn in various places. Even some pieces of the church were missing, indicating that it had been looted many years ago. Both Sam and Dean turned on their flashlights and made a signal for each other to inspect the place. Cas watched this from outside the car until he saw a glimpse of a young figure stand by the door and slam it shut. It had no eyes.

Sam and Dean turned their flashlights toward the door the instant that happened, but nothing was there. Whatever let them inside, didn't want them getting out.

Dean inspected the left side of the church, waving his flashlight in different directions. He let the light touch the different statues and paintings, slightly disturbed by what he saw. The paintings were torn and slashed in various places, and the statues were broken. One statue in particular caught his attention. He looked at the plaque in front of it. St. Lucy. It was holding its eyes on a plate, while the area where the statue would have had them, was bleeding. Dean shivered, not sure if this was caused by the ghost, or the cold from the weather. He could only hope it was the latter.

Sam inspected the right, only to see the same things Dean saw: broken objects of various sorts, until he heard something. Towards his right, he heard what sounded like faint crying, so he began to walk toward it, through the rows of pews. Suddenly, his flashlight highlighted the back of a figure in front of him. The figure, from what Sam could see, looked like a young boy of about sixteen. The teen was sobbing into his hands.

"I didn't mean to," the boy said over and over again, as if hoping that repeating his words could change what had happened. "I didn't mean to, but she wanted that young girl to die."

Sam's human side got the best to him. "Are you okay?" Sam asked. The boy ignored him and continued with his rant. Sam swallowed. "You didn't mean to what exactly?" The boy stopped sobbing and removed his hands from his face. He then turned his head in a speed that seemed almost not humanly possible to face Sam. His eyes were gauged out, blood still seeping through them. Even after all these years, Sam had to suppress a scream. These types of ghosts, the gory kind, were always the hardest to deal with, the hardest to look at. It lept out at him, sending him crashing into a wall.

Dean heard the large crash and hurried to where the noise was. He saw his brother lying on the floor, blood seeping through the top of his head and struggling to remain conscious. He also saw a figure, revealed by the light from Sam's flashlight on the floor slowly making its way to his brother. It stopped moving, and faced towards Dean before letting out a large screech. Dean recognized the boy right away, even without his eyes, as a victim he glanced over during his research. The name was on the tip of tongue.

The figure teleported away and then behind Dean, throwing him in the same direction it threw his brother. Dean hit his head first, causing his vision to get blurry. He racked his brain, for the name of the ghost, but nothing came out as it walked towards them, eyes in hand.

"It wasn't my fault." he repeated again. Dean needed to buy him and his brother some time. The boy walked back and forth.

"I know," Dean said, not sure what happened. The ghost moved closer to Dean.

"She came in here screaming about 'God hating fags'," he looked disgusted at that word,"then she sat down and had the nerve to pray. She...she asked god to murder a girl and for what. Because that girl loved another girl. She wanted god to kill, in the name of love. She...she said if he didn't do it, she would. I couldn't...I couldn't let it happen." The ghost began to cry. "I never hurt anyone before."

That's when it hit Dean. The name, the story, everything came rushing toward him. The boy's name was Tomas Charm. He grew up in that town, and died 30 years ago. His father was homophobic, and when he found out his son was gay and dating the pastor's son, he murdered his son without a second thought, taking out his eyes first so he would never been able to see the man he loved again, the result, death.

The ghost leaned towards Sam. It was flashing in and out, most likely from anger.

"Tomas," Dean let out. Again the ghost directed its attention toward Dean. "it wasn't your fault. It never was. Your father just couldn't-" The ghost screeched at the mention of his father. It grabbed Dean and lifted him up.

"Don't talk about that man," it hissed,"you know nothing," It continued to hold unto Dean.

"I know he murdered you thirty years ago in this very Church. I know he killed you because you were gay." Dean said. He thought of his own father, John Winchester. He thought of how ashamed his father would be now that he and Sam were both dating men. He didn't even want to know how his father would react.

"That's only half of it." the ghost threw Dean against the altar. It began to walk up the steps. Dean yelled out in pain, his back made an unnatural noise. He could feel the blood trickling down his forehead and racing toward his eye, so he closed it. Soon, he could taste the blood on his lips.

"He then took my boyfriend dragged him down to the lake, and murdered him too. And for what, in the name of God! I'm trapped here, because he thought God hated me for loving someone. He murdered me and someone else and no one batted an eye because we were gay! Bullshit."

"You have to let that go Tomas. You have to move on okay. That's the only way you can go to heaven."

"Heaven! You think God wants me! My father said he hates us. That all of us are going to hell okay. Do you know what it feels like to be condemned for loving someone. Being told that I can't go to paradise, cause of who I love and finding out that its true. Because I'm stuck in this hell right now." It stuck its face in front of Dean's. Dean looked over to his brother, now unconcious.

"That's...not...true." Dean tried, but the ghost wouldn't have any of it. He clamped his hand over Dean Winchester's mouth and nose, sick and tired of hearing his words.

"I had to save that girl. No one else was going to die in the name of some God." he said. Dean struggled underneath the ghosts force. His lungs began to burn, and his eye lids were getting heavy. He thought of his brother. He thought of Cas.

"How much do you love me Cas."

"More than heaven itself Dean."

"Cas!" he tried, but it only came out as small mumble.

The doors to the Church flung open with a great surge of power nearly knocking them of their hinges. Lightning struck all around the barn, as the man walked in, striking to the beat of his step. The man glowed in this darkness, his rage and grace filling himself up. His eyes gleamed a bright blue and the shadow of his wings encompassed the majority of the Church. This was holy ground; this is where Cas had leverage.

The ghost was overwhelmed by sudden fear. It let go of Dean, and he sank to the floor, weakened from his lack of oxygen. He watched as Castiel slowly made his way to the ghost.

"What are you?" It squeaked. Castiel's voice boomed through the Church shaking the entire structure. It seemed as if it would fall, but with an angel inside, there was no chance that would happen.

"I'm an angel." Castiel snarled. The rage built up inside of him as he caught sight of both Sam and Dean and their injuries. This wasn't just angelic rage; it was also human. The shadow of his wings got stronger.

"Have you come to take me to hell, like Dad said you would cause you guys hate gays" the ghost let out. Castiel stopped in his tracks. The light went out from his eyes, and the shadow of his wings faded away. The lightning around the Church stopped, and it grew silent.

"What?" Castiel asked while briefly confused.

"You heard me. You and God hate us." the ghost said. It's voice trembled.

"That isn't true." Castiel responded. He could see the tears coming from the eye sockets of the ghost. He could see its tattered soul writhing in pain.

"What?" the boy responded. Now he was the confused one.

"We angels do not discriminate against individuals of any sexuality, race, gender or religion. That's only a human concept created to back up their wrong actions. We only act out against those who have done wrong in life, individuals like your father." Castiel assured the ghost. It was speechless.

Cas teleported in front of it.

"Really?" the ghost asked.

"Really," Castiel said. He watched the boys movements. He watched as his soul began to put itself back together again piece by piece.

"So, my boyfriend..."

"Is waiting for you in heaven" Castiel finished. He now focused his attention on Dean, who was unconcious from the wounds inflicted upon him. Castiel gently touched his face with his hand, before healing him. He gave Dean a kiss on the forehead before going to heal Sam. The ghost watched the angel's movements intently, surprised that he kissed a man.

Cas placed Sam on a pew in the back before heading back to Dean. He picked his Winchester up and held him in his arms. Dean shifted a bit, asleep because of what Cas did whenever he healed them. Cas looked at the ghost carefully staring at him.

"This...is my boyfriend," Castiel told the ghost,"I love him, a lot actually. I believe he loves me too, otherwise our whole relationship would be strange. That other man over there, he is currently dating my brother, the angel Gabriel. We do not care who you love, as long as you love them right. We will never condemn you for that. People may, but if one has chosen religion as an outlet for safety, such as you used to, let it be known that you can always seek comfort in knowing that we accept you. Even those who do not believe have our acceptance." Castiel placed Dean on a pew and went back to the ghost.

The ghost looked down, as the angel approached, but Castiel gently used his finger to raise its chin. As an angel, he could touch a living soul, and he could watch as it healed. He watched as the ghost began to glow.

"You are loved." Castiel said. The ghost hugged him, the rage, fear, everything he had experienced over the past thirty years melting away. It began to glow even stronger, healing itself and turning back into its original unharmed form. It looked back at Cas, eyes now back in their sockets, before fading away.

12:00 am Christmas Day

It's a good thing Gabriel knew how to drive. In fact, it was a great thing he answered when Castiel called him. That way, Gabriel could help watch over Sam in the front passenger seat, while Castiel could take care of Dean in the back. The hunt, wasn't supposed to go this way. It was supposed to be an in and out case, fairly simple, and fairly easy, but everything just turned for the worse. By the time Dean called him, he was already half dead, and Castiel was already mentally cursing the Winchester for taking so long to call him.

"So what do you think happened?" Gabriel asked, disrupting the silence. He had one hand on the wheel, the other was holding Sam's as he slept. Castiel looked out the window and at the snow. To be fair, he wasn't sure exactly what happened, but he had a feeling it was good.

"I'm not quite sure," Castiel replied. He looked down at Dean's head in his lap. The Winchester was still asleep, buried underneath Castiel's trench-coat.

"Anything on angel radio." Gabe questioned once again as he gently made a left turn. He could see how discouraged Castiel was about this whole thing.

"Our brothers and sisters were rejoicing at the entry of a new soul into heaven. One can only hope that it belonged to Tomas," Cas began to play around with Dean's hair. He thought about how he could have easily lost him if he were human, if he were powerless.

Gabriel couldn't help but want to make sure his brother was okay. "You're upset."

"Is it that easy to tell," Castiel responded. Gabe gave a small smile.

"With you no. But I know you. I practically raised you. So what's wrong. Cas." Castiel thought for a moment how he could possibly condense all his emotions and beliefs into a few simple phrases, until he realized that there would no way he would ever be completely understood.

"The humans. It's just, they use our name to justify their actions at times, and its upsetting. Humans,blessed with the wonderful gift of life die for the strangest of reasons because individuals think that is what God wants and life should not be that way. As a result, people grow up angry and afraid, and do things, unspeakable things. Why? That child had his life taken away from him because of his homophobic, ignorant father and his father used us to justify his actions. I saw his soul and it was torn in unimaginable ways. That woman was going to murder another young woman because that woman was in love. It...it's just all so very confusing and frustrating. If they just tried to understand each other..." Gabriel understood. He too, like many of the angels, was angry.

"Yeah. I know. I'm sick of the violence too. At least, some of them are trying to understand." Gabe added.

Castiel watched as Gabriel carried Sam back into their motel room. Soon, very soon, the affects of Castiel's powers would wear off and both of them would wake up. Then, they'd celebrate Christmas and leave town like they always did, searching for a new hunt to grab their attention. This was the life he preferred; a human one.

"Merry Christmas Cas," a voice mumbled. Castiel looked down at his lap to seen Dean yawning and forcing himself to wake up.

"Go back to bed Dean," Cas responded. Dean smiled.

"I don't wanna," he sat up from the angel's lap and placed his head on the cold window of the Impala. His mind began to recall the events of that night, and when he was finally awake, he got up and exited the car. Cas followed.

The angel walked over to Dean who gripped the sides of the car as he leaned against it. He didn't want to look at Cas.

"I'm sorry, I should have called earlier. I wasn't-"

Castiel interrupted him. "Yes, you should have, but at least you called this time." He too leaned against the doors of the Impala. Both of them looked at the stars, thoughts of Purgatory flashing over their minds. A sudden breeze caused Dean to shiver, and instead of reaching for Castiel's hand he dove into the pockets of the trench-coat he was wearing. Castiel's coat. His hand brushed over the box Cas had put in his pocket for weeks. He lifted it out of the pocket out of confusion, and Castiel smiled in return.

Dean didn't even notice the angel get on one knee. He was just infatuated with the box, but when he did look down he was still confused.

"Cas, what are you doing I can tie my own shoes," Dean said nervously. The angel's smile widened.

"I believe it is custom for one to get down on one's knee during this process," he said. Dean looked at the box, then at Cas. The wind continued to nip at his cheeks.

"What?"

"Will you just open the box Dean? It's your Christmas gift." Dean began to unwrap the box ever so slowly. He looked at it, unwrapped and couldn't hide his blush. He began to smile.

"Oh Cas," he then opened the velvet box. Inside, was a silver ring. Dean was flustered.

"Dean Winchester. Will you marry me?" Castiel asked. Dean smiled and looked around. He quickly grabbed Cas, startling the angel, and pulled him in for a a passionate kiss.

"Hell yes I will," Dean replied. Sam and Gabriel cheered from the doorway of the motel room, momentarily interrupting the moment. Dean and Cas laughed as they walked toward the motel room hand in hand.

"Ya know Cas. This isn't fair," Dean stated as they walked.

"What do you mean?"

"I was gonna propose on New Years but you beat me to it."