Chapter 1

I swore at my reflection and pulled my tie apart for what felt like the fiftieth time. I was quite familiar with basic tie knots, like the four-in-hand, as part of our FBI disguises. However Dean and I decided that for this special occasion, we should use something fancier. So I downloaded step-by-step instructions for the Eldredge knot and practiced dutifully until I thought I'd mastered it. But today of all days, it seemed like I was all thumbs!

"Calm down, Sam. It's not the end of the world," Jody's amused voice said from behind me. "Which you should know better than anyone!"

"Dammit, I practiced this goddamn knot for days! What the hell is wrong with me!"

"Sam Winchester, it is perfectly normal to be nervous on your wedding day! Here, let me try." She put a hand on my shoulder and turned me to face her. She looked over the directions and deftly knotted the tie.

"There! I used to help Sean get dolled all the time when he had to attend formal functions for work. Take a look at yourself now." She carefully tucked the ends of the tie into my vest and patted my chest before stepping away.

I studied my reflection in the full-length mirror to make sure everything was in place. My current outfit was a far cry from the cheap suits we used while hunting. Now I was dressed in a modern-fit, wool and silk blend black tuxedo with peaked lapels. The pleated cotton shirt underneath was also black with onyx studs, while the solid silk vest and silk brocade tie were a deep blue. Black patent leather dress shoes completed the ensemble. The silver cufflinks made from antique devil's trap amulets were a gift from Bobby, while the sapphire blue silk pocket square used to belong to Jody's husband. All in all, this getup probably cost more than twice the combined value of the rest of my wardrobe.

"Do you think he'll like it?" I asked anxiously.

Dean was insisting on the whole 'not seeing each other before the ceremony' nonsense, so I hadn't seen him since falling asleep last night. In addition, neither of us knew exactly what the other was wearing—we'd selected our formal wear separately. Jody was the only one who knew what both of us had picked out, since she'd come along with each of us for support and advice.

"You look incredible. Dean's going to be absolutely gobsmacked when he sees you," she assured me. "Where's your boutonnière?"

"The botanical garden is providing them. We'll pick them up when we get there." I looked at my watch and sighed. We didn't need to leave for another ten minutes, which gave me ample time to indulge in a case of nerves.

When Dean first proposed to me, right after we'd locked Lucifer back in the Cage, I was ecstatic, and of course I said, "Yes." But after the euphoria died down, worry set in. We were two men together at a time when marriage between same-sex couples was legal in very few places. More importantly, we were brothers, which was illegal everywhere. Getting married seemed a beautiful fantasy, but the reality wasn't so simple.

Fortunately, my older brother had already put some thought into the matter. He'd researched and discovered that one of the six places where gay marriage was currently legal was Iowa, which was practically next door to Sioux Falls. Through Bobby, he got in touch with Frank Devereaux to have new false IDs made, which Frank swore would be even better than those used by the Federal Witness Protection Program. Thus the names that appeared on our marriage license were not Sam and Dean Winchester, but instead Dean Smith and Sam Wesson.

I was initially surprised when he insisted on a proper wedding, as I'd assumed he'd be content with a no-frills elopement in front of a nearby justice of the peace. Or perhaps something more outrageous, like the equivalent of a drive-through chapel in Vegas with an Elvis impersonator. But I more than anyone should've known that Dean's "no chick-flicks" outer demeanor was only a façade, that he felt things just as deeply as I did but wasn't always as good at expressing them.

"We're only getting married once, so I wanna do this right," was his response when I asked what he wanted. "I ain't looking for St. Paul's Cathedral and a twenty-five-foot long train. But we deserve something memorable, and I want our family and friends to be there."

So we looked for a venue we liked somewhere in Iowa and chose Davenport after seeing the Hotel Blackhawk and the Vander Veer Botanical Park online. We decided to invest in higher-quality tuxedos, both as keepsakes and because there wouldn't always be another Gert around if we needed to get into a black-tie event again. Dean handled most of the other arrangements and the finances as well. I still wasn't sure how exactly we were affording all this, even with saving most of our earnings from hustling and helping in the salvage yard for the past couple of months. But he assured me that everything was covered.

We arrived in Davenport from Sioux Falls yesterday afternoon and checked into our deluxe room at the hotel. Jody and Bobby accompanied us to the county courthouse to serve as witnesses at the civil ceremony in front of the magistrate, since our chosen officiant for the actual wedding couldn't perform legal marriages (particularly since the government didn't know that angels even existed). We met Cas at the botanical park for a run-through of the next day's ceremony, and then we all went to a local brew pub for burgers and drinks. Afterward, Dean and I retired to our room, where we made love before falling asleep.

There was no sign of my brother when I woke up this morning, just a note on the hotel stationary that he was with Bobby and would see me this afternoon. After ordering a continental breakfast through room service, I spent the morning first working out at the hotel fitness center and then going to the hotel spa for a massage, hot shave, and haircut. I met Jody at the hotel restaurant for a leisurely lunch before returning to my room to get dressed.

The sheriff now poked me in the chest. "Stop worrying, mister! Everything is going to be fine. The powers-that-be seriously owe you both, so someone upstairs ought to be looking out for you. You're going to have a gorgeous wedding today, and tomorrow you'll leave for an equally fabulous honeymoon. Where are you going, by the way? With all the hubbub of the wedding planning, I don't think either of you mentioned that."

"Um, we actually don't know," I admitted. "Cas told us not long after we got engaged that he received a message stating our honeymoon plans were being taken care of. He told us to pack for two weeks at someplace warm, and that's all we know so far. According to the message, we'll find out more after the ceremony."

"Huh! I guess we'll see what he's got planned later then." She picked up her clutch handbag, black satin with garnet beading to match her elegant burgundy gown. "We should probably head out. There's no harm in arriving early, and you're just going to stew if we wait here."

I followed her out of the room. "I want to thank you again for everything, Jody. We wouldn't have been able to pull this off without your assistance. Weddings aren't something either of us have had much experience in, and fancy stuff like this isn't exactly Bobby's forte either."

"I'm always glad to help! I was a bridesmaid or maid of honor so often before I got married myself that I almost could've been a wedding consultant." Jody laughed as we entered the elevator. "Comes with having a big family, not to mention all the girlfriends from college and the police academy."

"That's the sort of normal, everyday stuff Dean and I missed out on. We've only had each other—and Dad whenever he was actually around—and there never was much time for celebrations of any kind."

The older woman put a hand on the side of my face, her eyes warm. "Well, you have more family now. And maybe you two can slow down a bit to enjoy life more, seeing as you don't need to save the world anymore."

"That would be nice, though I don't know if Dean will go for it. Then again, the break we've been taking now was his idea, so . . ." I shrugged. "I suppose I'll have to find out what he thinks after we get through all this wedding and honeymoon stuff."

The past nearly three months since we averted the Apocalypse was the longest hiatus we'd had since I left Stanford. The closest to hunting we'd gotten was helping Bobby with research and accompanying him on two cases that were too big to sit idle for. Planning for the wedding obviously took up some of our time, but the rest we did what we wanted with for a change. We went to concerts and sporting events, visited museums and sightseeing attractions, and sometimes just hung out and lazed about. This was something we both sorely needed after how hard the previous few years had been, and I wasn't sure how I felt about returning to our old lifestyle after this.

"Well, I'm sure you boys will work it out. And you know you can turn to me and Bobby and the rest of your friends if needed," she said as we got into her car. "But for now, the only things I want you to be thinking about are enjoying yourself today and for the next two weeks!"

Jody and I parked near the main entrance to the botanical garden and stopped by the conservatory to pick up my boutonnière and her corsage of red and white roses. We then walked down the stately Grand Allée to the Rose Garden, where we met Dean and Bobby in front of the center fountain.

I had to pause once I got a good glimpse of my fiancé—he looked stunning. His slim-fit tuxedo was light grey wool with a shawl lapel and cutaway hem, his pique-front shirt was white with mother-of-pearl studs, and his silk vest and brocade tie were dark green. His shoes, cufflinks, pocket square, and boutonnière matched mine. His dark gold hair, which he'd grown out a bit and swept to the side, gleamed in the afternoon sun, and the colors of his outfit made his large green eyes stand out. He was clean-shaven, which made him look younger and accentuated his high cheekbones, full mouth, sharp jaw, and freckled skin.

His eyes widened in turn as he caught sight of me. "Damn, you cleaned up good, sweetheart! Gotta get you dressed up like this more often," he purred.

"Not as good as you! Everyone is going to be envious today that their husband isn't as gorgeous as mine." I kissed his lips reverently.

"Dammit, I'm gonna need an insulin shot if this keeps up!" Bobby groused, though his fond eyes belied his tone.

I eyed the older hunter in his black suit and burgundy vest and tie (which coincidentally matched Jody's dress). "You're not looking too bad yourself, old man."

"Watch it, boy! Don't think I won't take you over my knee, big day or not! You two better be ready—Cas wants to start as soon as you're both here. Jody, shall we?" He offered her an arm and escorted her around the fountain to where the other guests were seated.

As Dean and I waited, he looked up at me through the fringe of his long lashes. This is it! You ready, darling?

I don't know, I admitted nervously. This feels bigger than anything else we've done, even facing down Azazel or Lucifer. But I have absolutely no regrets about any of this!

Neither do I, Sammy. You're the best thing that ever happened to me, and I'm looking forward to telling that to everyone else.

At that moment, the four-piece quartet we'd hired began to play Nino Rota's Love Theme from Romeo and Juliet. (After a lengthy disagreement, we'd compromised with my choice of music for the wedding and his for the reception.) We paced around opposite sides of the fountain, took hands on the far side, and slowly walked under a long trellis supported by stone pillars, past where our guests were seated on cast iron benches between the pillars.

Our guest list was necessarily quite small, since it was limited to not only those who knew our real identities, but also those who accepted the true nature of our relationship. Besides Bobby and Jody, both Missouri Moseley, the psychic who'd first introduced our father to the supernatural and later taught Dean and I how to control our abilities, and Melissa Choi, the doctor who'd become the de facto medic for hunters in the Sioux Falls area, were there. Seated next to Missouri was Bobby's old friend and frequent hunting partner Rufus Turner, who'd found out about us when Bobby accidentally let slip about our wedding plans. Fortunately, he was fairly blasé about the revelation, remarking that what consenting adults did in the privacy of their bedrooms was none of his concern.

Also present was Garth Fitzgerald IV, who was decidedly the oddest hunter I'd ever known. We met him on one of the hunts we'd helped Bobby with recently, in which he called in hunters from all over to take down a massive vampire nest in Boulder, Colorado. He ended up spending time at Bobby's house recovering from his injuries, and it wasn't long before he figured out what was going on between my brother and me. Despite his quirky and sometimes bumbling behavior, Garth turned out to be probably the most laid-back and open-minded person I'd met in my life. He was not only understanding of our relationship but also thought it was really sweet. He ended up being like that goofy cousin that you didn't want to admit you loved to hang with.

The most unexpected guest was Crowley, our erstwhile ally in the fight against Lucifer. Once the Devil was locked up again in the Cage, we assumed we wouldn't hear from the self-proclaimed King of the Crossroads again. However, he kept showing up wherever we were on an almost regular basis, seemingly just to chat. We eventually figured out that he was simply lonely—apparently he thought other demons made lousy company. When he heard about our upcoming nuptials, he insisted on attending, and we couldn't refuse him. We still didn't trust him—we knew he'd easily turn on us if it suited his purposes—but it was hard not to like the charming bastard.

At the far side of the trellis waited Castiel, wearing a white suit and his ubiquitous blue tie. His dark hair was tamed for a change, his clean-shaven face was calm, and his bright blue eyes were smiling. We stopped in front of him, still holding hands, and waited for the music to finish.

"Friends, we are gathered today to formalize the union between Dean and Sam," the angel began in his resonant voice once there was silence. "God's laws are not man's laws. He does not care for gender or race or any of the other taboos society tries to impose on who should or should not be together. What matters to him is love, pure and simple—the love between spouses, between parent and child, between siblings, between friends, and the love we all share for our fellow man.

"My father made these two men soulmates because he knew the love they shared could overcome all obstacles. This love enabled them to not only save the world more than once but also to save each other over and over. It allowed them to withstand adversities most people couldn't even imagine, because they always had each other. Thus it is only fitting that they come together today to proclaim their love before us all."

Dean turned to face me and took my other hand in his. "You know I ain't great with talking 'bout my feelings. But . . . Sammy, you've been the most important thing in my life since you were first put into my arms. Taking care of you was never a chore—it often was the highlight of what wasn't an easy childhood. Watching you grow up strong and smart and good made everything I had to go through worth it though. And seeing the kinda man you turned into, it ain't a big surprise that I fell hard for you.

"Most people won't understand why we're together and will try to say it's wrong. But you're what makes my life worth living. Having you by my side is what's gotten me through all the dark, difficult crap that's been thrown at us, and it makes enjoying the good times we've had even better. You're my everything—my kid, my brother, my best friend, my partner, my lover. I can't imagine being anywhere else but with you, and I wanna spend the rest of my life as your husband."

I took a deep breath and met my brother's eyes. "Dean, you've always been there for me. You raised me, protected me, and taught me how to be a good, honorable man. You had the strength to let me go when I needed to get away, to sacrifice yourself to save my life, and to forgive me when I hurt you. You've been there for me from when I took my first steps, through when I thought I'd lost everything, and even when I made the worst mistakes of my life. Despite what I've done, you opened your heart to me and offered me everything—your hopes, your dreams, your love, your very soul.

"There's no way I can ever make up for what you've given me, but I want to devote my life to trying. I want to shelter you the way you've always protected me, to take care of you the way you've always looked after me, to offer you everything I can because you gave up everything for me. I want to love and cherish you the way you've always deserved, I want to prove to you that you're the brave, smart, kind, awesome man who's always been my hero, and I want to spend the rest of my life as your husband."

By the time I finished speaking, we both had tears in our eyes. We'd said similar things to each other before, but never with an audience, in front of all our loved ones. From out of the corner of my eye, I could see several of our guests wiping at damp eyes as well.

Castiel reached into his jacket pocket and brought out two rings. Dean originally wanted to use the silver ring he'd always worn since he was a teen as his wedding ring and have a copy made for me. I appreciated the sentimentality of using something that had belonged to Mom and been given to him by Dad. However, I was adamantly against the material symbol of our love also being something that caused him constant pain. So we had two replicas made in platinum, and the original now hung around his neck on the same leather thong as the brass amulet I'd given him years ago.

Cas held out one of the rings and looked at Dean. "Dean, do you vow to love, honor, and cherish this man above all others, to always treat him with honesty, fidelity, and loyalty, throughout this life and the afterlife?"

"I do. With this ring, I pledge to put you before everyone else, to stand by you through thick and thin, to be the other half of your soul for all eternity." Dean slid the ring onto my finger.

The angel offered the other ring to me. "Sam, do you vow to love, honor, and cherish this man above all others, to always treat him with honesty, fidelity, and loyalty, throughout this life and the afterlife?"

"I do. With this ring, I pledge to put you before everyone else, to stand by you through thick and thin, to be the other half of your soul for all eternity." I placed the ring onto my fiancé's finger.

"I pronounce these two wed in the eyes of God and man. Let no person or creature attempt to sunder this union, which is now under Heaven's blessing and protection. We wish upon you both a life of harmony and joy together," Cas announced loudly. He then leaned forward and continued in what he obviously thought was a surreptitious voice, "I believe this is where you are supposed to kiss."

As people chuckled behind us, Dean and I each placed a hand on the side of the other's face. We looked into each other's eyes for a moment before exchanging a deep kiss. We then turned to face our guests, smiling.

Castiel concluded with, "I now present Sam and Dean to everyone here as husbands, soul mates, and partners in all ways. Please join me in bidding them well as they embark upon this new phase of their lives together."

Garth shot to his feet. "Let's hear it for these guys! WOO!" Most of the guests around him laughed and clapped.

Before anyone else could speak, a voice called out from the direction of the fountain, "Hey everybody! Did I miss all the fun?"

All of our heads whipped around towards the other end of the trellised walkway. Standing there in a cream-colored suit and light blue shirt with the collar popped open, a large red lollipop in one hand, was the archangel Gabriel. He smiled ingratiatingly under our stares.

"What? Is this a bad time?"