Take Two - Chapter Seventeen - Destiel Fanfiction

[lotrspnfangirl]

Title: Take Two
Authors: islanderbib83 & pdlessard07 (pippin1983 & lotrspnfangirl)
Pairing: Destiel
Rating: R (may change)
Summary: Dean and Castiel get drunkenly married at 19. It's bold, it's rash, it's being young and in love. After Dean walked out, Castiel tried to move and after ten years, he's decided to marry again. The only thing standing in his way is his legal marriage. Dean, however, wants a second chance to prove that he's grown up, he's matured, but his love for Castiel has never changed.
Warnings/Spoilers: Angsty! Totally AU.
Beta(s): Huge thanks and hugs to oldbatj for working with us on this! Jude, you’re fantastic!
A/N: We own nothing! We are taking these characters and playing with them nicely. Our fic was based off of this prompt.. Bibi primarily wrote Dean and Dani primarily wrote Cas. Our eye banners are used to signify scene changes and not POV, even if they coincide. We just think the boys have pretty eyes <3
You can find Chapter One here.
You can find lotrspnfangirl fiction index here.
You can find pippin1983 fiction index here.





Cas sighed dejectedly before dropping his throbbing head down to rest on his crossed arms. He had thought yesterday was the day from Hell, so how could anything possibly get worse today? He groaned aloud as his phone rang and looked up to see Hannah's extension number flashing across the screen.

"Yes, Hannah?" He pressed the receiver to his ear without lifting his head.

"Castiel! I went out to the bookstore last night and I got a few books that I thought might help you and maybe if Mr. Low read them too then--"

"Hannah!" Cas sat up straight and slammed his free hand down on his desk. "I do not want to talk about my personal life any more with you…or with anyone else! What’s done is done… it's over. I've moved on …and I think you should too!"

"Yes, Mr. Shirley." Cas cringed at her use of his surname and then again as the dial tone came through the line, telling him Hannah had abruptly disconnected the call. She should have slammed the phone down...

Yesterday he had cried over a rerun of ‘House’ that had reminded him of one of the last ‘date night’ couch sessions he'd had with Balthazar… had gotten a speeding ticket because he'd gotten fed-up with the bumper-to-bumper traffic jam along the main road between the hotel and the hospital and then when he’d finally found a short-cut around it had been caught driving a bit too fast … and all that was after he had gotten the less than perfect Press Ganey scores…

Now, he had three people to fire before lunch because of inappropriate conduct in the presence of a patient and one harassment complaint and he had already started screaming at employees. He was going to have to buy Hannah the biggest fucking fruit basket he could possibly find and even then...

Cas sighed and dropped back down into his desk chair. Fifteen minutes, he just needed fifteen minutes and then he would be okay.

He peeked over his elbow and stared at the phone. Dean would probably be at work... But he kind of owned the place so...

Before he could give himself the time to overthink it, he dialed Dean's number and felt his heart racing, eager to hear Dean's voice.

"Hello?" Dean's voice sounded a little stressed as he picked up the phone after almost a minute of ringing.

"Hey, it's me…" Cas couldn't help the small smile that appeared on his lips at the sound of Dean's voice. "I know you're working... I just... needed to hear your voice."

"Cas… hey Love. Um, really bad timing. I'm on the way to pick up Dot from the school nurse’s office." A light conflict could be heard in his voice, torn between the needs of his daughter and his lover.

"Oh... is she okay?" Cas sat up, instantly concerned.

"I don't know, they said she was sick, feeling nauseous," Dean replied.

"Oh.. well... Just take care of her. I have a meeting to go to anyways. But... call me later?" Cas shoved down his disappointment. “Please?”

"I'm sorry, Buddy. Yeah, I'll call you later. Take care. Miss you."

"Miss you too..." Cas sighed as he hung up. He had barely gotten to talk to Dean lately since Sam had arrived -- even though he told Dean he understood, the brothers barely got to see each other now that Sam was in his last year at Stanford, Cas had really hoped he would get more than a few minutes with his husband on the phone today.

He bit his lip, feeling guilty when he realized he was slightly jealous. Dotty came first, Cas knew that. And once Dean got her home from school and taken care of, then they could talk. Cas straightened his tie and moved to the door of his office racking his brain for an appropriate apology after the way he had snapped at Hannah. This evening could not come quickly enough.



Castiel sighed and sat down on the edge of the hotel bed. His leg was bouncing nervously, shaking his entire body, but he couldn’t stop it. It had been well over twenty four hours since he had last spoken to Dean. Cas understood, really he did; he knew that Dotty was sick and after Dean had picked her up from school, she was probably craving her father’s attention. But after she went to bed? This morning?

Cas flipped his phone over in his hands and bit on his lower lip. He felt sick to his stomach, nerves swirling around and he wanted to laugh. In the few weeks he and Dean had actually been talking again, how the hell did the other man manage to get under his skin so quickly? Of course, Castiel never really fell out of love with Dean… but there was this ache in his chest that gripped him every morning when he woke up until he went to sleep at night.

He missed Dean. And part of him needed the other man. Castiel had been alone for almost five years after he had come home to their apartment to find Dean’s belongings gone… he would never have considered himself a needy person. He didn’t need a man in his life to get by. Why did it suddenly matter so much that Dean hadn’t called yet?

Castiel glanced at the clock. He had been sitting in the same position for over an hour now. He should just call Dean. He probably forgot that he promised to call Cas back, even though Cas had made it clear he had been having a pretty shitty day and needed Dean. It wasn’t like Dotty was the only one who needed Dean’s attention…

A stab of guilt was added into the mix of nerves. Was he actually jealous over a five year old? He was being ridiculous… But at the same time…

What if Dean hadn’t forgotten and just decided not to call Cas because he didn’t want to? Cas closed his eyes and shivered. It wasn’t as if Dean hadn’t left him high and dry before…

“Honey! I’m home!” Cas kicked open the door with his foot, leaving the keys hanging from the lock. He laughed at himself, excitement bubbling up in his chest. After three months, he still couldn’t believe that he and Dean were married. He placed the grocery bags he was carrying on the small hall table and retrieved the keys before shutting the door behind him.

“Dean?” He called out again, surprised when Dean didn’t come around the corner to take some of the bags. Maybe he was in the shower… or maybe Sam had come by and Dean was out… Cas lifted up the bags again and went to the kitchen, smiling when he saw the spiral notebook on the counter.

“Alright, Dean… where are you…” he said softly as he put the bags on the counter and grabbed the notebook. As his eyes scanned the first line, his heart stopped.

Cas,
I am so sorry. I hope you know that I never intended to hurt you, in any way, shape or form. And that I’ve loved you since I first slammed into you on that skateboard. And it’s because of that love, that this can’t continue.

You deserve so much better than this Cas, so much better than me. You have so many dreams and wishes outside of Lawrence and who am I to hold you back from them? I roped you into making a huge mistake and now I’m letting you out of it. It was fun, Cas, perfect while it lasted. But it’s time for us both to grow up and move on with our lives. You have so much potential and can do so much more than I could ever hope to help you achieve.

Although he has a shitty way of saying it, my Dad isn’t wrong… Although I will never regret loving you, I regret forcing you into this marriage and making you feel like you have to stay. I found your acceptance letter to NYU… and I mailed them the registration fees check. It was the least I could do.

Please don’t try to fix this, there’s nothing left to fix. We’re both going to be happier this way.
Dean

The ink at the bottom of the page started to run, and Castiel realized there were tears streaming down his cheeks. No way, there’s no fucking way Dean did this on his own… Cas dropped the notebook back down and pulled out his phone, immediately pressing the ‘2’ for Dean’s number.

“I’m sorry, the number you have dialed is no longer in service.”

Castiel hung up and opened the keypad, typing in Dean’s number instead.

“I’m sorry, the number you have dialed--”

He hung up, dialed again.

“I’m sorry, the--”

“Fuck!” He threw his phone down and watched it slide along the table, almost falling off the edge. The tears were blinding now and he spun away from the kitchen and into the small bedroom. The room looked the same, nothing had been moved. Slowly, he reached for the dresser drawer containing Dean’s socks and underwear. When he pulled it open, it was empty. Cas yanked the rest of the drawers out and checked each and every one, all of them empty.

Dean’s toothbrush was gone from the bathroom, his comic book stack missing from under the bed. The picture of Cas and Sam was still on the night stand but the one of him and Dean and Dean with Sam were gone. A closer inspection of the living room showed him that half the movies were gone, along with the Nintendo game console and controllers. Cas heard himself sobbing, the sound sharp and raw in his ears, but he couldn’t stop. He slipped to his knees and held onto his stomach.

This was just a dream. A horrible, nightmare. His head was pounding, his face and nose and shirt were soaked, and any second now, he would wake up and still be wrapped up in Dean’s arms. He didn’t know how long he sat there in the middle of the floor. By the time he moved, the groceries he’d left out were warm, the apartment was pitch black except for where street lights were shining in through the windows, and Castiel ached all over.

He hesitated at the front door before locking it. Dean wasn’t coming back.

Cas exhaled slowly and pressed the speed dial on his phone, trying to ignore the way his hands were shaking. His eyes were closed tightly and he hadn’t realized he was holding his breath until Dean answered the phone. He had half expected to hear the monotone woman’s voice again, “I’m sorry, the number you have reached…”

“Hey, Cas!” Dean sounded happy, although tired.

“Uh, hey Dean…” Cas trailed off, surprised at the sudden anger in his stomach. “Did you forget something?”

"Huh? What?" Dean asked, surprised by the question.

"You said you were going to call me back, Dean... Like, yesterday." Cas sighed and fell back across the mattress, his feet still flat on the floor.

"Fuck!" The word left Dean's mouth slowly as realization set in. "Cas, I'm sorry. Dotty ... We had to go see the pediatrician and she was a mess… still is. She hurts and barely got any sleep…”

"And when she was asleep last night?" Cas didn't mean to sound so short, to let his anger out, but there it was, hanging in between them and Cas couldn't reel it back in. "I'm sure you didn't have five minutes of alone time to call me back after I told you I needed you, right?"

"I slept in her bed with her, Castiel, she wouldn't sleep alone. I’m sorry…”

"Well..." Cas snorted. "It's not like I should have expected anything different..."

"Cas! My 5-year-old daughter is sick!"

"I'm aware of that Dean!" Cas sighed and ran a hand through his hair, his stomach flipping over again. "You just don't fucking understand."

"Yes, I do understand. You take it personally that I was worrying about my daughter instead of calling you. You're acting jealous of a five-year-old who needed her Dad."

"Excuse me?!" Cas suddenly pushed himself back up into a seated position, the anger that ripped through him causing him to shake once more. "I am not jealous of your daughter!" He felt his voice rising but felt helpless to stop it. "Excuse me if I think that in a relationship there should be some part of you that gives a shit about the other person …and I told you I needed you. I waited an entire day and you didn't so much as text me! But then, again, I forgot how well you do that. How easy it is for you to just walk away when something doesn't fit perfectly into your goddamn life!"

"That... That's ... That's so fucking low!" Dean gasped.

"Doesn't make it any less true, now does it." Cas whispered, swallowing hard as he waited for Dean's response.

"I have no time for this." Dean's voice was low. "I'll call you in the morning when you've calmed down."

"Whatever, Dean," Cas scoffed. "For starting over in this relationship? It seems to be playing out exactly like it did before. Except this time, I'm not playing that game." Cas hung up the phone, cutting off any response Dean may have had, and immediately shut the phone completely off.

Regret immediately enveloped Cas and he tossed the phone on the nightstand and made his way to the mini-fridge. He had just the thing to help with that.



"I'll be right back babe," Sam crawled out of the bed, pressing his lips against Jess' forehead as he left the room and made his way downstairs to get himself a glass of water. He froze when he heard a sound in the living room and contemplated going back upstairs to grab something to use as a weapon.

When he heard it again he realized it was a heavy sigh and relaxed slightly. If it was a burglar... he sucked at his chosen profession. Rounding the corner of the stairs he stopped short again when he saw his older brother with his head in his hands, sitting on the edge of the couch.

"Dean?"

Dean lifted and turned his head acknowledging his brother's presence. He sighed again and this time let his head fall back onto the headrest.

"What's wrong?" Sam rounded the coffee table and sat down on the couch with Dean

"We fought. It's only been a few weeks and we already fought. I don't wanna lose him." Dean's voice was shaky.

Sam was silent for a moment, biting on his lower lip. "What happened?"

"Dotty ... Because I had to pick her up I couldn't talk to Cas when he called yesterday. I said I'd call him back because he sounded so upset, but with all the sick child drama I forgot I promised to call. He called today and is all pissed." Dean sat up straight. "Fuck, he knew I had a little kid to take care of and he gets all jealous because she comes first. I love him Sammy. And I wish I had been there for him when he needed me yesterday ...." Dean trailed off, his chest aching.

"I don't know man... Maybe he’s just over-reacting, you know? He had a crap day and no one to vent to and then it all blew up... Just... Call him tomorrow. You guys can apologize to each other and all that shit. Dotty comes first and he should know that."

"Yeah. Yeah I know. I will. I told him to calm down. I promised I'd call tomorrow." Dean gave his brother a small smile. "Hey, just in case, remind me, okay?"

"I've got your back," Sam clapped him on the shoulder and then stood up, stretching his long arms up over his head. "Come on, get up and get to bed before Dotty wakes up and you can't."

"Thanks man." Dean got up and gave his brother a brief one-armed hug. "Thanks for being here, Sammy."

"No problem." Sam smiled and watched his brother disappear up the stairs. When he heard the upstairs bedroom door shut he let out a sigh and ran his hand over his face. He was already terrified this was going to crash and burn before it ever really got off of the ground.



"Daddy?" Dean was putting Dot’s hair in pigtails while she sat on the edge of the sink. "Is Cas going to come today?"

Dean sighed deeply. "I don't think so, Love. I think he has a lot of work."

"Oh..." Dorothy looked down at the floor, a frown on her face. "Can... I call him later?"

"Yeah, you can. Maybe he'll call you. He knows it's your birthday." Dean hoped he wasn't lying to his daughter. It had been three days since their angry exchange and he hadn't talked to him since. Although Dean had called him the morning after their fight, Cas hadn't answered his phone. He had even tried calling the hospital office but was always told Cas was in a meeting. His text messages remained unanswered as well.

"Okay..." Dotty sighed dejectedly and was silent as Dean finished her hair.

Dean felt bad for his daughter. She had hoped so much Castiel would come. Maybe Sam was right.

"Go on downstairs so Daddy can get ready... People will be here soon." Dean lifted her off the stool and gave planted a noisy smooch on her forehead before she ran off towards the stairs.

"Hey..." Sam leaned against the doorframe of the bathroom. "You okay?"

Dean shook his head, there was no way he could lie to Sam, his brother knew him too well.

"Still hasn't called?" Sam gave him a look, a cross between pity and guilt, as if it were his fault for being right. "I'm sorry, Dean..."

"I feel horrible. I really hope he'll at least call for Dotty's sake. He knows she adores him. Maybe she was the reason we fought but it's still not her fault. It's not her fault she got a damned miserable ear infection, right?'

"Dean... It's not your fault either. Cas may have needed you or whatever but he's acting immature now. But... This is good..." Sam sighed and shrugged at the look Dean gave him. "It's true, I mean, this is what happens when you have a kid and if he can't handle that..."

"Yeah ... Yeah… you're right. I get that." Dean sighed resignedly and nodded lightly. You're right, he should have known what he getting himself into." Dean agreed. "Poor little Bear though..."

"I just... Wish it could have been different, for you, I really really do."

"I know you do." Dean smiled sadly at his brother.

The brothers fell into silence and Sam stepped forward to pull the older man into his arms for a hug. He opened his mouth to speak when a high-pitched screech came from downstairs.

"Well... Looks like some of the guests must have arrived early." Sam stepped back and clapped Dean on the back.

"I'd better get downstairs then, huh? Thanks for being here, Sammy."

"I've always got your back, jerk!" Sam laughed and moved to let Dean by.

"See you downstairs, Bitch." Dean smiled and went to the stairs. Halfway down he stopped dead… surprised, and speechless. He could feel his heart beating a million miles an hour in his chest but he couldn’t move. He just stayed where he was, watching Dot happily clinging to her guest.

"Daddy!!!! Look! Cas came!" Dorothy was giggling, her arms wrapped tightly around Castiel's neck, the rest of her body supported in his arms. "This is the bestest best birthday ever!"

Cas smiled at her and gave her a hug before looking sheepishly up at Dean. His ears and cheeks were tinged pink and he cleared his throat once before he opened his mouth.

"Um... Surprise?"

Chapter Eighteen