Back in Blackberry

Chapter fourteen

Cas was nervous as he waited in the bedroom. When he'd gotten Charlie to help him call Sam it had seemed like a good idea, but the more time passed, the less he was sure. He couldn't hear what was going on, so all he could do was sit and wait. He was just about to go out and find them when he heard the door open.

"Dean?" Cas asked.

"You called him?" Dean asked. Cas couldn't tell if it was a good thing or a bad thing from Dean's voice.

"Yes," Cas said softly, and before he knew what was happening, he felt Dean's arms wrap around him.

"Thank you," Dean murmured into Cas' shoulder. Cas smiled as Dean let him go.

"I couldn't just let it be, you were so sad," Cas said. Dean took Cas' hand and led him back to the living room.

"Castiel. It's nice to meet you in person," he heard Sam say. Cas smiled as he and Dean let go of each other.

"It's a pleasure to meet you as well," he said.

"I'm glad you and Dean are friends," Sam said. Cas nodded.

"So am I. Dean is the best family I ever could have had. That's actually why I was so determined to fix you two. I wanted Dean to have what he gave me," he said. There was silence for a second and Dean's hand slipped back around Cas'.

"Thank you," Dean said.

"You already said that," Cas told him.

"I know. I just really mean it. Thank you, Cas," Dean repeated. Cas smiled.

"So what have you been up to recently, Sam?" Cas asked, unlacing his hand from Dean's and making his way to the couch.

"Law school. Work. And... a girlfriend," Sam said. Cas grinned, and he could only imagine what Dean was doing.

"Really?" Dean asked.

"Yeah. Her name is Jess, and you would love her," Sam said.

"I'm proud of you, Sammy," Dean said.

***

Sam, Dean, and Cas talked long into the night about what had been happening in Sam and Dean's lives in the last couple years.

"Look, this has been amazing, but I should probably go," Sam said.

"You can stay here if you want," Dean said quickly.

"Really?" Sam asked. Cas nodded.

"Of course," he said.

"Okay. Thank you," Sam said. Cas smiled. They ended up having a lengthy debate about whether or not Cas would take the couch since the spare room was originally Sam's, but Sam won out and Cas ended up back in the spare room, wondering what made Winchesters so determined that he shouldn't sleep on the couch.

As Cas crawled into bed that night, he kept thinking of the sound of Dean's voice when he had come in after talking to Sam. He didn't know why, but Cas wished he could make Dean that happy every day, and as he fell asleep, he played the memory over and over in his head, never wanting it to end.