Best Friend's Brother

Chapter 20

Epilogue

"Jack! Claire!" Castiel yelled from the back door. "Your dad's going to be home soon, come help me set everything up!" Immediately, his two kids came running into the house. After being told to strip down from their winter clothes, they began to decorate the house for their dad's birthday.

It was almost 7pm when they heard the rumble of the impala pull into the driveway. Excitedly, they stood in the kitchen to wait for Dean to enter.

When Dean entered the house, it was silent. He hung his leather jacket near the door before making his way into the kitchen. He could smell something sweet and it took him a couple seconds to realise that he could smell pie. His mouth began to water at the smell. 

But the sight was even better. 

Standing in the kitchen with three pies was his family - his amazing husband and his two amazing kids. He smiled when he saw them. "Happy Birthday!" They all chimed. Dean's heart melted. He hugged his kids and kissed his husband to thank them. Dean had spent the entire day at the garage, so he was kinda tired, but being with his family always gave him a smile.

"This is wonderful", he said. "Thank you guys so much! I love you all!"

The night was spent eating pie and watching movies. By 11pm, Jack and Claire were in bed so Dean and Castiel had some time to themselves. They took advantage of their alone time to celebrate Dean's birthday. When they were lying in bed in each other's arms, Castiel was tracing the scars and tattoos on his husband before saying, "Gabriel is visiting next week".

"Oh", Dean breathed. "I don't think he forgives me for when we first met".

"Nonsense! He understands that you were being protective".

Dean looked down at Castiel with a frown. "I pinned him against the wall by his throat".

<3

5 YEARS AGO

Dean and Castiel were alone in the house together. Their wedding was in four days, so they were making last minute decisions and doing some intimate acts. It was 3am when Dean was walking into the kitchen for a drink after he had worn Castiel and himself out, and he heard a noise. Carefully, he went to investigate. Castiel seemed to have heard the noise because he was at the bottom of the stairs.

"Stay here", Dean whispered with urgency.

Castiel didn't listen and followed Dean around the house. Once Dean had found the intruder, he waited for the perfect time to attack them. In a swift movement, Dean had the intruder pinned against the wall by the throat. The lights turned on to reveal a short, dirty blonde guy struggling to breathe. "Who are you?!" Dean demanded.

"Dean! Stop!" Castiel yelled, pulling at Dean's arm. "That's my brother!" Immediately, Dean let go and watched Castiel's brother fall to the floor. Out of instincts, Castiel ran to his side. "Gabe? Are you alright?" His brother nodded while rubbing his throat. "What are you doing here, Gabriel?" Castiel asked in a soft voice. His brother breathed in a couple times before answering.

"My baby bro is getting married this week! Did you really think I'd miss it?!"

A smile edged onto Castiel's lips. "You support my decision?"

"Of course I do! I just want you to be happy", Gabriel replied. "The others may be against it, but that's because they are a great big bag of dick, especially Luci. I've always loved going against everything they say, so they should be used to having disobedient little brothers by now. And if you ever need someone to stand up to them for you, I'll be there".

Castiel pulled him into a hug. "Thanks, Gabe". When they broke apart, Castiel pulled his brother to his feet to introduce him to Dean. "Gabe, this is Dean, my fiancé. Dean, this is my older brother, Gabriel", Castiel introduced the two. 

Dean put his hand out for Gabriel to shake and said, "I'm sorry I pinned you against the wall. I was acting on instinct".

"Some kind of instinct you've got", Gabriel stated, still not shaking Dean's hand. Awkwardly, Dean lowered his hand. "Okay", Gabriel turned to Castiel. "Where am I staying?"

<3

PRESENT DAY

While Dean and Castiel were talking, they heard a little scream from Claire's room. Immediately, they jumped out of bed, pulling on the closest trousers from the floor, before running to their daughter's room. When they barged in, they saw Claire crying in her bed, shaking in fear. Carefully, Dean and Castiel sat on either side of the bed to comfort her.

"Claire?" Castiel asked in a soft whisper. Teary blue eyes stared up at him. "It was just a nightmare. It wasn't real. You're safe here, I promise. Nothing can hurt you while your dad and I are around to protect you. We won't let anything bad happen to you". Claire didn't seem to believe his words because she was still shaking and searching her room for monsters.

Dean sighed. "Claire-bear?" Claire looked at him, and he could see the fear in her eyes. "Would you like to spend the night in our bed?" Slowly, she nodded her head. Scooping her into his arms, Dean carried his daughter to his bedroom. Dean and Castiel lay in bed with Claire in between them. She was still crying, but she had finally stopped shaking.

The three of them were beginning to fall asleep when the bedroom door opened. There was a small figure in the doorway. "Dad?" A small voice called out. Dean and Castiel sat up slightly to show Jack that they were awake. Quietly, Jack walked closer to their bed. "Can I... can I sleep with you tonight? My room is... I don't want to sleep alone".

"Of course!" Castiel said. "Come here".

Quickly, Jack crawled in between Castiel and Claire before getting comfortable. The small family lay in bed together, entangled with each others' limbs. The children felt safe and warm, and the parents felt whole and content. Eventually, they all fell asleep after saying "good night". Dean was the last to fall asleep, wanting to ensure that his family was safe before sleeping.

He began to fall asleep, thinking about what Castiel had told him earlier.

"I can't believe I fell in love with my best friend's brother".