Secrets and Camera Flashes

Chapter 61

Apparently there's a tradition during Harvelle/Winchester Christmases to watch a holiday movie on Christmas Eve night. Dean's immediate response to hearing that it's movie time is that he wants to watch Die Hard, and everyone else's immediate response is to yell "No!"

"One day you're gonna cave," Dean says. "You can't turn me down every year."

"Wanna bet?" Sam asks.

"Well, I think we should let Cas choose the movie," Jo says. "Since this is his first Christmas with us."

Castiel finds himself hoping they'll pick the movie themselves instead, but there's a murmured agreement among everyone that this seems like a solid plan. Well, this is just great. What does he want to watch? And what would no one object to watching?

After a few moments of deliberation, Castiel asks, "How do people feel about old movies?"

"Is 1988 considered old?" Dean asks immediately.

Once again, he is bombarded with "No!"s.

"I take it that's when Die Hard came out?" Castiel guesses.

"Damn right," Dean says.

Castiel rolls his eyes, but he has to admit, Dean's childlike excitement is kind of adorable. "I think I watched that once in, like, middle school, but I don't remember anything about it." He's not sure what the movie is about, but judging by the word "die" in the name and the fact that it's something only Dean wants to watch, it sounds like something his brothers would have made him watch, too.

"Then you have no idea what you're missing out on," Dean says. "Come on, now we have to watch it."

"Hey, Castiel," Sam says, "I am thrilled that you wanted to spend the holidays with us, but if you say we're watching Die Hard, I will kick you out on the street."

Castiel chuckles. "No, I wasn't gonna pick Die Hard."

Dean crosses his arms with a teasing glare.

"I was actually gonna suggest something like White Christmas or It's a Wonderful Life — if that's something you guys would be into," Castiel says. "I know they're way older than anyone in this room, so if people don't want to —"

Jo raises her hand. "I vote It's a Wonderful Life."

Castiel cocks an eyebrow. Well, that was easy. Granted, he was decently sure Jo would agree with any movie he chose as long as it wasn't Die Hard.

"I second that," Charlie adds.

"Yeah," Ash agrees, "I could go for the angel flick."

"Only you would call a movie about a suicidal guy 'the angel flick,'" Jo says.

"Is it not about an angel?" Ash counters. "Does the angel not set off the entire series of events that is that movie?"

Jo narrows her eyes. "Okay, technically —"

Ash grins. "'Technically' is all I needed."

Dean heaves a dramatic sigh. "Well, I guess if we can't watch Die Hard, this is a decent second."

“Right, I was thinking about that, too,” Castiel says. “Now, I can’t in good conscience force anyone else to watch it, but if you want someone to watch it with tomorrow…?”

Dean frowns. “I mean, I won’t say ‘no,’ but half the charm of watching Die Hard on Christmas Eve is that it takes place on Christmas Eve.”