Fallen Heroes

Chapter Twenty: I Do... I Think

My eyes snapped open. I suddenly felt the urge to vomit. It was a dream, wasn't it? A hallucination.

Suddenly, someone rolled over next to me, his familiar scent filling my nose. As I reached out to him, I felt the ring on my hand.

It was then that I knew that it was real. That Cas and I were engaged. I grinned into the dark, pulling Cas closer. He turned and snuggled into my chest, the ring on his finger glinting in the darkness as he tightened his fist around my t-shirt.

I buried my nose in his soft hair, the strands tickling nearly it to the point of a sneeze. "I love you so much," I whispered. "I love you so, so much."

***

"Dean, would you like to say your vows?" Gabe asked. It was Cas' idea to have his brother ministrate.

I pulled out the crumpled piece of paper, my hands shaking. "Cas, the first time I met you, I stabbed you in the heart." Sam chuckled. "I knew that you were special, but I didn't know just how special. You were the one who raised me from Hell and pieced my shattered soul back together. For that, I thank you."

Cas wiped a hand under his nose. He sniffed back tears and laughed. I got lost in those blue eyes for a moment, my heart soaring.

"For years, I denied the fact that I felt something for you. But they weren't going away. I'm glad they didn't. I've messed up so many times in my life, but never greater than when I told you I didn't love you. I've loved you from the first moment we met, from the second I first laid eyes on you."

I smiled, wiping my nose on the back of my sleeve. I took a deep breath and launched myself back into my vows.

"You were, and still are, the greatest thing to ever happen to me. I love you so much, Cas. And I promise to love you forever."

Gabe smiled. "Cas?"

Cas' soft smile resurfaced. "Dean, you were the worst thing that ever happened to me." My eyebrows furrowed as I blinked in surprise. His smile hadn't wavered. "You were the reason I fell from Heaven, the reason I became an outcast."

I looked down at my feet, my heart beating rapidly. He was going to leave, wasn't he? Or I was going to wake up and this was all another dream. I felt his soft fingers lift up my chin, his thumb wiping away the tears that I didn't realize had fallen.

"You made me human, Dean. You showed me the beauty in everything. I got to experience a sunrise, a sunset, and everything in between. Because of you. I got to see a flower bloom and then a thunderstorm wash it away. You showed me things that I'd never expected to."

His eyes searched mine, his expression loving. My lips unconsciously curled into a small smile, my heartbeat unsteady.

"You gave me a home. You took me in and cared for me. A broken angel. Thank you. I love you more than anything, Dean. This is a dream come true," he gestured around him. "You're a dream come true." I felt myself blush. "And I'm going to love you until the end of time."

Gabriel smiled. "Dean, do you take Castiel to be your holy-wed husband?"

I grinned. "I do."

"And Castiel," he turned to his brother. "Do you take Dean to be your holy-wed husband?"

The laugh lines I missed so much appeared. "I do."

"Then by the powers given to me by our holy Daddy-o, I now pronounce you husband and husband. You may kiss the-"

I didn't wait for him to finish. I yanked Cas into my lips, kissing the breath out of him. We finally pulled back, pushing the rings on each other's fingers. "I love you," I whispered.

"I love you, too," he smiled back.