Four years after the Aryan Civil War

"Dean!" Charlie called, waving to Dean enthusiastically as he made his way to The Roadhouse.

In 4 years, Dean had aged attractively- save for the permanent somber expression in his eyes, even when he smiled. Charlie and Jo looked as they had, but happier since their marriage took place 2 years ago.

Dean hugged Charlie, then Jo, who both smiled up at him. Letting Dean go, the girls practically skipped inside as Dean followed quietly behind. He had been called there but he was waiting to hear why. If he judged it by the girls' expressions, he must have forgotten a holiday again and they were going to guilt him into a really nice gift.

"What did I miss this time?" Dean asked, a tired smile on his face. "Is it your anniversary? Shit, I hope I didn't forget it again."

Jo gave him a look that would have been angry if you ignored the smile on her face, "No, Dean, that was 6 months ago and you did remember. You got us really nice paint for the house, remember?"

Dean sighed in relief, "Yes, I do remember now."

"We did want something from you though, a kind of gift." Charlie grinned impishly, "If you're up to it, of course."

"Ask and ye shall recieve," Dean says passively, taking leftover food from a plate beside him which had been left behind by a previous customer. Dean made a mental note that whoever left the food behind was a wasteful cad.

"We want you to help us have a baby." Jo said excitedly, her smile beaming.

It would be safe to say that Dean's facial expression thoroughly expressed how surprised he was on the inside.

"You need to be more specific," Charlie laughed at Jo then turned to Dean. "What my darling wife means is: we want you to be our sperm donor. Ever since 4 years ago the amount of children in the orphanages are few to none, most left are taken in by older couples who cannot surrogate. So we decided we'd let our honorary brother do the heavy lifting for us."

"I beg to differ," Jo corrected, eyes playful. "I would be the one carrying."

"True." Charlie stated, sparing a glance over at Dean who looked as though he may fall faint. "Oh, poor Dean. We really sprung this on you, didn't we? You head home, just think about it, okay? We understand if you wouldn't want to. Especially since we'd want you to be involved with raising the child, you know."

Dean nodded absently, "I'll definitely think about it."

"Thank you." Jo smiled, holding Dean's large hands in her small ones. "Have a safe walk home."

As Dean left The Roadhouse, he felt the urgent need to talk to someone about it. Glancing backward, he considered talking to Sam and Jess, maybe Samandriel and Adam if the former were not home. However, when he turned his head back he saw the manor looming in the distance.

"Cas."

With that whispered as though it were a dear secret, he made his way to Castiel's home.

...

However, he stopped along the way as a smiling Samandriel greeted him from the porch of the Central Aryan Orphanage (whose name still hadn't change despite the integration of the 3 sectors after the civil war).

Dean met him on the porch, giving the boy a loose hug. "How is everything?"

Samandriel took in a deep breath through his mouth, a smile cracking his features. "Amazing. Anyhow, I was wondering if you could help me with something since I saw you close by."

"What is it?" Dean asked, hoping whatever it was would buy him time to think about his decision for the girls.

"As you know, things have gotten very slow here. Since the previous home-mother died, I am taking her place here and all the children have to go to school. Not like when I went to school, when you could decide otherwise. All the children are at school now, and I need help hanging a banner for one of the girls, Beatrice. It's her birthday today and I got everything else ready but they'll be home any minute and I need this up before she gets here."

Dean nodded, helping Samandriel hang the banner. A few minutes later, just after he had descended the ladder the birthday banner hung above the doorway, Dean was slapped on the back followed by a laugh.

"Hey, big brother. Hope you aren't hitting on my future husband. If you do, I'll twist you into a very tiny ball." Adam grinned, laughing.

Dean rolled his eyes as Adam hugged Samandriel from behind, whispering softly in his ear.

"I'll be headed out then," Dean said with a fake, but polite, smile when Adam stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.

"Come on, Dean-o. We got some decent cake made, just stick around a while."

"Alright," Dean conceded. " Just long enough to eat some cake."

"Good," Adam smiled good-naturedly, "The kids have been wanting to meet you."

Samandriel nodded as if to confirm this, but seemed more shy about the subject, "They hear about you in school, in the history class."

Dean's breath hitched and he let out a shaky smile, sitting on a nearby chair. His legs felt as though they'd fail him, his mind remembering that room with Abaddon, with all of them. The sound of old rope swinging softly, causing creaking from above. The feeling of stale fabric rubbing him as he walked-

"Are you Dean Winchester?" A little girl asked, aged at roughly 9 years old, her hair dark brown, in tiny ringlets, and her eyes a stunning grey.

Something about the honest way she held herself, her dress a dark blue, and the candid tone in her voice reminded him of Castiel. It made his heart pause before starting again. She was smiling at him, as if he were a new form of entertainment.

"Beatrice!" A little boy's voice called, "Don't you want cake?"

"Sure," the brunette said in an exasperated tone, before turning back to Dean. "You are him. I can tell."

Dean opened his mouth to speak but found himself at a loss for words. "How?"

She pointed to Dean's wing and he let out a quiet laugh. Beatrice smiled smugly, clearly having known since the beginning. It was at this point Dean noticed she didn't have any wings. He smiled at that.

"You aren't an angel, huh?" Dean asked, trying to make conversation.

The girl's eyes seemed to lose their glisten as she shook her head, "Not really. The mother said that when I was born, my wings were all broken up, and they tore my momma open. That's why I'm an orphan."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Dean whispered, heartbroken for the little girl.

"I know you are," Beatrice said sweetly, "everyone is. They took my wings out of my back 2 years ago... They were painful."

The girl's eyes looked up at Dean, "Dean, would you like to see? I can't have fabric tight on the scar," she explained, "it makes the skin raw."

The little girl took the small jacket off, turning her back to Dean so he could see the ragged scars between her shoulder blades.

His throat tightened, the girl watching him over her shoulder. Tears filled his eyes as his fingers twitched, wishing he had the ability to heal her. To do anything to help her.

After a few moments, she put her jacket back on, then gave him a small smile, "We have cake."

She grabbed his left hand with both of her small hands, pulling until he stood from his chair as she lead him to the kitchen where everyone sat at the table eating cake.

...

The group was quiet as they ate, only 7 children at the table (2 of which were in their mid-teens), until Beatrice spoke up.

"Dean," she called, after he looked up at her, she gave him a serious look. "Do you ever wonder 'what if it was someone else and not me'?"

"Every single day," he answered quietly, finishing his plate and standing to leave.

Samandriel escorted him to the door, clearly uncomfortable, "Sorry, she is very..."

"Honest," Dean answered. "She's a good little girl. Can I ask you something?"

"Of course," Samandriel said with interest.

"When I leave, could you talk to her?"

"About-?" Then, after a moment, he nodded somberly. "Of course."

"Thank you. I'll see you when I see you."

...

Dean had finally made his way to the front door of the manor, but dropped his sense of formality as he entered without knocking. No one was there to correct him, so he ascended the stairs in hopes to have a serious conversation with Castiel. To figure things out.

Walking to the upstairs landing, he spots Castiel sitting in the hallway against a wall, reading a book.

"Cas-" Dean starts, seeing Castiel's cold expression makes his heart still. "-tiel..."

"Yes, Dean?" Castiel asked.

Over the 4 years they had grown to be civil, friends in the loosest sense of the word, but Dean felt he could bring up his situation if only for an open ear.

"Can we talk?" Dean asked, but was met with a sour expression. "Please, Cas?"

Castiel's eyes softened and he sighed, his heart beating quickly in his chest, "What is it, Dean?"

Dean sat down across from Castiel, sitting with his arms wrapped around his legs and set his chin on his knees. He subconsciously begged his body to shield him from all that may happen during this conversation.

"I assume Charlie has told you about her and Jo's plan of having a child, since you two are close." Dean tried to hide the jealousy in his voice.

Castiel nodded, he did know. He knew for days, the girls had been waiting until a break between council meetings to tell him. However, due to the disheveled state that Dean was in, it was clear that Dean had come to talk to him first. Castiel's heart swayed in his chest, ever so slightly.

"They want me to be the surrogate father." Dean almost whispered, shock dripping from his voice.

"They what?" Castiel asked, shocked. He hadn't heard that part of the plan.

"And they want me to be involved with the child, obviously." A thought crossed Dean's mind, which changed his expression into a somber smile. "I want them to be happy, they deserve to be truly happy. After everything that's happened, it'd be nice to be responsible for bringing a life in to the world... instead of taking it away."

Castiel's eyes steeled and his heart clenched within his chest, "That would be a change, wouldn't it?"

Dean, ashamed and wounded by the comment, flinched and curled his arms tighter around his legs as he sat across from Castiel.

"Why don't you find some girl, Dean? I'm sure there are women lined up waited to be bedded by the martyr of Arya."

"That's not fair, Cas," Dean whispered.

"And why isn't it?"

"You know damn good and well, Cas!"

"Please, inform me, Dean!" Castiel hissed.

"I've been waiting for you! I've been holding out on the smallest hope we could try to start over! God dammit, I still love you Cas. I always will. I wanted to start a family with you, but if that never happens then it never happens. I'm not afraid to die alone without you, Cas. I am just afraid that one day you'll turn around and I won't be there anymore."

"Get out."

"What?" Dean asked, hoping he had heard wrong.

"Leave, Dean. We won't! Never! Never..."

Dean felt a burn in his head, as though this mind willed his body to burn all thoughts of Castiel from his mind. The mind's task was fruitless and so Dean ran down the stairs, slamming the main door as he left.

Castiel was left behind, his heart aching, "Never... Never..."

Castiel broke into sobs, throwing his beloved book at a nearby wall before tugging at his hair as he cried in agony. "I love you too... Dean... I love you too... Forget me... Please..."

...

A few days later, at a meeting with the other members of the Order, they congratulate Adam on his engagement to Samandriel. They talk about Adam and Samandriel moving into the orphanage together to take over the care of the children.

After a particularly excited comment from Adam, Castiel rises from the table quickly. The chair knocks out behind him with a clatter, Castiel fleeing the room. Dean sped closely behind, reaching the door to Castiel's room.

He raises a fist to knock, then exhales sharply through his nose and enters Castiel's room unannounced. Castiel glares angrily out the window, his arms crossed as he desperately holds back tears. His bottom lip quivers, making Dean remember the fond memory of kissing those lips. He reaches out to touch Castiel, who flinches under the touch but does not move or turn his head to look at Dean.

"Cas... What's wrong?"

"Do you have any regrets? About us being... trying to be friends again after all these years?"

"No, I'm happy." Dean admits, smiling gently. "I'm happy to mean anything at all to you. Even if I can't be close to you again..."

Castiel's face scrunches in distaste, "It would be much easier to hate you if you acted the part of a villain when killing my family... but I suppose it was for the greater good... Things have gotten better since then," Castiel sighs, the tears falling from his eyes freely. "The sun even seems to shine brighter."

"Why did you leave the meeting?"

"The meeting was over, that was just gossip," Castiel muttered, wiping his eyes.

"Cas..." Dean whispered, turning Castiel sideways so he could look in his eyes. "The truth."

"I'm jealous, is that what you wanted to hear?" Castiel muttered quietly, crossing his arms tight enough against his chest that his knuckles turned white.

"I want to hear what you'd like to say. If that's what it was, then I'll take it."

"Dean," Castiel muttered, "Why do you still wait for me?"

"You're it." Dean said it so quietly, he was sure Castiel couldn't have heard it. "You're my destiny... prophecy or not, I know you're the only person I could ever love the way I do."

"Dean?"

"Yes?"

"I can't forgive you."

"I know."

"I still love you." Castiel smiled, his smile shaking as he began crying again. "I can't stop."

"Then don't," Dean whispered, holding Castiel to his chest. "Never stop. I'll wait forever if that's what it takes. I'll never leave your side."

"That's what I was hoping for," Castiel spoke, his voice raspy and torn with emotion. "So, had you decided?" Castiel sniffed, "About Jo and Charlie's offer?"

"I'm going to do it," Dean admitted, "and I plan on adopting a little girl from the orphanage today. I'm just waiting for Samandriel to finish the paperwork."

"You are?" Castiel asked, moving back to look up at Dean in shock.

"Yeah," Dean smiled. "Her name is Beatrice, I've been visiting her the past few days and she said she would like to be my daughter. In a way, she kind of reminds me of you."

"Can I meet her?" Castiel asked quietly.

"Sure you can. Actually, I was wondering if she and I can move into the manor with you, Crowley and Kevin, the shack in the woods is a tad small. If that's okay with you, of course."

"Yeah," Castiel whispered, his heart exhausted as he leaned his head into Dean's chest. "It's okay with me..."

"I love you." Cas whispered as an afterthought, unsure if he should have even said it aloud.

Dean hugged Castiel tightly, smiling, "You too, Cas, always. My angel."

...

9 months later

"Daddy!" Beatrice grinned, running into Dean's arms. "Class was so fun today, I wish you'd been there."

"No you don't, Bee, your Daddy decided this morning that I needed to try some soup he'd made. It was vile. Be glad you were not there to taste it," Castiel joked, winking at Dean.

"Cassie," Beatrice smiled, "can we go see Aunt Jo and Aunt Charlie after I finish my homework?"

"Sure, baby girl." Dean smiled, taking the girl's hand while Castiel took the other.

After a while, they made their way inside the manor, all three sparing a smile to Kevin and Crowley who were playing a very enthusiastic game of cards. The three headed upstairs to the main hallway, Beatrice taking her place at the table and the boys leaning a nearby wall.

"Can I wear my blue dress to the wedding, Cassie?" Beatrice asked, making Castiel smile.

"I don't see why not." Castiel answered, Dean smiling lovingly at him.

The two walked to the window in front of Castiel (and Dean's) room, watching each other.

"Cas?" Dean asked, once they were alone. "You're sure about this, right? About us?"

"I was the one who proposed, Dean, of course. It's water under the bridge now, besides, I am determined to get married before Gabriel and Jeremiah. I made a bet and I plan on winning it."

Dean smiling, kissing Castiel's neck, "You're awful."

"Marry me?" Castiel cooed, eyes mischievous.

"I plan to." Dean grinned, catching wind of Castiel's train of thought. "Baby girl, go do your homework at Aunt Jo and Charlie's! They'll be glad to see you!"

"Are you and Cassie gonna kiss and stuff?" Beatrice yelled from downstairs.

"Yes, Bee!" Castiel yelled, holding back a laugh.

"Got it! I'm gone! I'll say hi to Daniel and Cyrus for you." She yelled, grin evident in her voice as she made a point to close the front door loudly as she left for Jo and Charlie's.

"Dean," Castiel smiled. "How about we celebrate the honeymoon night a little early?"

"Only if that means we can have two." Dean teased.

"Glad we are on the same page," Castiel grinned, opening the door before pulling Dean in for a breathtaking kiss.

A.N.

Okay guys, so this is the FINAL oneshot and ending for Freak of Nature. It's been a ride, guys. Love you all!

~Danny C.