Soldier Boy

Chapter Thirty-Two

It took months of therapy before they could even begin to heal.

Cas's nightmares persisted, and Castiel could only be soothed by Dean. The army, after hearing of Castiel's condition and codependency on Dean, decided to give Dean an honorable discharge. Dean was grateful, knowing he couldn't leave Castiel like this.

Dean's own nightmares became regular, uninvited guests in Dean's and Cas's bed, all morphing from war and bloodshed to the idea of Cas leaving when he gets well or beginning to hate Dean. The counselor had a field day when she'd discovered Dean's deep, horrible feeling of self-hatred and strove to fix that.

This was met with resistance, but at Cas's pleading looks, he'd relented.

Chuck had stepped into the dating pool after months of hesitation and a push from his sister. He found a woman by the name of Becky that took to mothering like a fish to water. She soon had all the boys whipped into shape- even Raphael- and had them all wrapped around her finger. Within months, their father had proposed, and they were married the next spring. By the next year, she was pregnant with twins- a little boy and little girl- who they named Samandriel (but everyone calls him Alfie) and Hael. The siblings all welcomed the two new additions with open arms, all eager to show the little ones all the love and attention they'd denied each other for years.

Lucifer soon met and fell in love with a man named Nick, who'd recently lost his wife and child. Nick was a bit broken, but Lucifer didn't mind helping him find all the missing pieces. Michael was wary at first of Lucifer's boyfriend, but soon grew fond of him himself. Raphael met a pretty girl who stole his heart and made him humble, while Michael met a smart girl that was willing to deal with Michael's mood swings.

Balthazar didn't end up settling down. He had no eagerness to start a family. He enjoyed traveling, which he did regularly. Anna just wanted to help her own family.

Sheriff Mills soon welcomed a troubled young girl named Alex into her home, the whole family loving Alex. Rufus eventually retired, choosing to spend his days messing with Bobby or fishing. Bobby finally got up the courage and asked Ellen on a date, and she happily agreed. Jo was ecstatic that her mom found happiness. Dean's friends all moved on to do exactly what they'd wanted. Jo and Ash began working together, solving cases left and right, Jo quickly climbing the ranks of her precinct. Bela really did start her own club, and Benny began working for her, even becoming her manager and helping her run the place. Charlie began working for the FBI as a computer analyst, and even started a romance with her coworker and FBI field agent, Dorothy.

Dean remained in contact with Lisa, the reporter, who actually relocated to Sioux Falls eight, almost nine, years later. He met her son, Ben, and wondered if he was his. Lisa reassured him that Ben wasn't his, but Dean still took on the role of father figure for the young boy. Lisa met a doctor named Matt who was very receptive to the role of father, but Dean still remained a large part of Ben's and Lisa's lives.

Tracy eventually took Andrew back, and Ansem took it hard for a while until their mom finally got him some help. A few counseling sessions later, and Ansem was finally working through his issues. Kate and Lily finally got married and started a restaurant together. Jake went into the military, where he became incredibly successful and rose in the ranks under John Winchester's tutelage.

John actually managed to move on from his grief for his wife, finding love with a woman named Kate Milligan. The two had a son together, Adam, and the Winchester brothers were happy for their father and accepted Kate and Adam as members of the family.

Sometime in high school, Dirk started applying himself in school again, taking an interest in studying cancer cells. He made huge contribution to the scientific community regarding cancer. Barry fulfilled his dream, going to Michigan State to study veterinary medicine. After Barry's parents got a divorce, he went to some pretty dark places, but Dirk and Sam and his other friends helped him through it.

Jessica traveled all the way to Stanford with Sam, both studying to be lawyers and sharing an apartment. Gabriel stayed in town, decided to go to culinary school to learn the art of baking. He even started his own bakery in town, hoping to give Sam some place to call home. Gabe visited Sam frequently in college, and just before Sam graduated, he popped the question to Gabriel. Kevin went on to navigate the dangerous mine-field of American politics, going so far as to become the first Asian-American president.

For their part, Dean took up managing Bobby's shop full time, and when Bobby chose to join Rufus in retirement, he took over completely. Castiel became a doctor, and he got to save people every day. The two tied the knot after Castiel's graduation, and soon they met a woman, Amelia, who was willing to act as their surrogate. Soon, they had a little girl named Claire, and the beautiful little girl grew up healthy and happy with a mommy and two daddies. Alex and Claire were close in age, becoming close friends when they met.

Castiel watched his friends and family all become happy with a smile on his face. He knew he and Dean wouldn't be happy forever, but that was fine.

They could get through Hell if they simply had each other.