Take Two - Chapter Sixteen - Destiel Fanfiction
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.
Little Dorothy smiled up at Dean when he brought over her plate for dinner and sank down in the chair across from her. She picked up her fork happily, digging into the pile of mac and cheese and then paused.
“Daddy?” she looked up, biting down on her lower lip as her Dad lifted his eyes and met hers.
“Yes, Princess?” he asked, his gaze flitting quickly across the table in case he’d forgotten anything she might now be asking for.
“Well… Sunday is Mother’s Day and my teacher wants us to have a party tomorrow and I lost the paper she gave us last week but she said we can bring in all of our Mom’s and Grandma’s… but I told her I didn’t want my Grandma to come and that I wanted you to come instead. She said that if you wanted to you could come and be both my Mommy and my Daddy.”
“Well, I guess I kind of already am your mommy and your daddy, aren’t I?” Dean smiled at her softly. “It’d have been very short notice for Grandma anyway, but why don’t you want her to be there?” he asked tilting his head.
Dot shrugged and took a bite of her mac and cheese, chewing thoughtfully as she watched Dean through her long lashes. “I like Grandma but she smells kind of funny,” she admitted after a moment. “She smokes too much and then wears all that flowery perfume stuff and…” the little girl stopped and sighed. “Mrs. Mills said that a mommy was someone that loved you and cared for you, even when you were being naughty and always makes sure that you have food and clothes and sleep good at night by reading your stories or rubbing your tummy… and that’s what you do, Daddy… not Grandma.”
Dean swallowed the lump that sprang to his throat. Hearing his daughter say these things made it sound like he was giving her the world every single day, while he actually just felt like he was barely struggling through his life as single parent.
“I’d really love to come to that party, Princess, it’d be great. Thank you.” he smiled at her warmly.
Dot beamed back and him and started eating again. After a few bites of her mac and cheese, she started munching on a baby carrot and looked up again. “Hey, Daddy?”
Dean looked up, still chewing his own mouthful. “Yes?” he asked after swallowing it down.
“Do you think I’m ever going to have another mommy?” she asked quietly.
Dean looked at his daughter for a bit before he sighed deeply. “You have a mommy, she’s watching over you with the angels, little bear.”
“I know, Daddy…” her soft words trailed off for a moment as she pushed a carrot around on her plate. “Mattie from my class has two Daddies…” she let her eyes flick up to see her Dad’s reaction before pushing forward. “Do you think it’s bad to have two daddies?”
Dean furrowed his brow. He was used to his daughter being talkative over dinner, but her mother, or their situation, had never been a huge issue before. Of course it had come up now and then, but this time Dotty seemed far more serious and brooding about it.
“Two daddies?” he asked carefully.
“Yeah… like… two daddies are in love with each other and there’s not a mommy. Like…” she paused and cocked her head. “Like how Cas and that bad man were going to get married. They woulda’ been two daddies, right?”
Dean took a deep breath. “Yes … Cas and Balthazar would have been two daddies,” he agreed with her words.
Dot nodded and fell silent again. She ate the rest of her carrots, crunching on them and giggling to herself whenever she came across a good, loud crunch. When she moved back to finish her mac and cheese, she spoke again. “Daddy? I think you and Cas would be really good Daddies.” she nodded matter-of-factly as she dug back into her dinner.
Dean choked on his carrot and coughed a while before looking up at her. “You think so?”
“Yeah!” Dorothy agreed and reached both hands out for her cup of juice. “I told Mrs. Mills that I wouldn’t mind having two daddies just like Mattie and I already knew who I would want for my other Daddy. Cas read me really good stories at night and that makes a good Daddy, I think.”
“Did he read better stories than I do?” Dean wanted to know, somehow trying to steer the conversation away from Dorothy’s wishful thinking. He would love for Cas to be Dotty’s ‘other Daddy’, but they weren’t ready for her to entertain such thoughts yet. They had to take it slow and had promised each other they would. He knew raising Dot’s hopes now, and then to fail at this new take on his and Castiel’s relationship would be too big a blow for the girl to endure at such an impressionable age.
“No… about the same,” she smiled at him and took a sip of her juice. “I just don’t like you being sad anymore, Daddy. And Cas made you happy.”
“I … I …” Dean stuttered, overwhelmed by his daughter’s observation. “Yes, he did.” he admitted with a small, soft smile.
“He should be my second Daddy!” Dot smiled and scooped up the last of her mac and cheese. “Daddy? Can I watch some TV now? I ate everything on my plate!” She pushed the dish forward, their other conversation apparently over and forgotten already.
“Take your plate to the sink and wash your hands, first, okay? Half an hour of TV and then you’re getting ready for bed.” Dean told his daughter and drank some of his water. “Oh, and would you bring the telephone here, so I can tell Bobby I’m gonna be at your party tomorrow? What time is it anyway?”
“I think she said it would be at 10 o’clock. And we have to bring cookies!” Dorothy hopped down from her chair, carrying her plate and cup with her to the sink. She dropped them off and dragged the hot pink stool over so she could reach the faucets to wash her hands. “Do you think we can bake some tonight, Daddy?”
“You’ll have to choose then, little bear, TV or cookies, we can’t do both before your bedtime.” Dean finished his drink before, picking up his plate and glass and joining his daughter at the sink.
“Can… can we make cookies but have the radio on so we can have a dance party too?!”
"Of course, put it on, Sweetie." Dean grinned and opened the cupboard to gather the cookie ingredients. Dot ran to the living room where the large radio was and opened up the top. She pulled out the large CD case and flipped to the first page where both her and her Daddy's favorite CDs were. She pulled the first one out and set it in the player and pressed ‘play’.
"I did your CD, Daddy!" She called out as the music started playing.
"That's my Princess!" Dean grinned and set the oven to preheat.
His little angel beamed back at him and dragged her stool over to the side of the counter. "What's first Daddy?"
"What kind of cookies do you want?" Dean asked and handed Dorothy the package of flour.
"Chocolate chip, of course, Daddy!!" She gave her dad a disbelieving look. "What other kind is there?"
"There's pecan, and peanut butter…and cranberry, and there's triple choc..."
Dorothy wrinkled her nose at the first two, then stopped. "Triple chalk?"
"Yes, triple chocolate. A good friend of Cas’s and mine back in high school ate nothing but triple choc." Dean grinned.
"Then that's the one I want! Are they Cas' favorite too?"
"Well, he always loved to steal them from Gabriel. I think he loved them." Dean recalled.
"Who's Gabriel?" Dotty asked and accepted the small chocolate chunks Dean tipped into her hand from the open bag.
"The friend I just told you about," Dean explained and weighed the sugar.
"Oh," she nodded and munched on the chocolate, watching as Dean got all the ingredients together. "Can I stir, Daddy?"
"Yes, you can." Dean lifted her up and sat her on the counter, then handed her the bowl.
Dorothy smiled and picked up the large wooden spoon, careful not to stir too hard and make all of the sugar and butter fall onto the floor. Dean held on to the bowl tightly, tipping it so Dorothy could get the spoon and her hand into the bowl. "The butter... is hard!" She sighed, handing the spoon back to Dean. "It's too sticky!”
"Oh, I'm sorry. Shall I?" He asked and took the spoon from Dot. He stirred the mixture long enough for the butter to soften and begin to blend with the dry ingredients before he once again handed her the spoon. "Better now?"
Dotty tried it out and then smiled, "Much! Thank you, Papa Bear!"
"You're welcome." Dean smiled watching her. He couldn't help wondering what it would be like if Cas was here with them. What it would be like if they were a family. He sighed, thinking about Cas struggling to find his new way alone in New York. He wished he could be there to help him.
Dorothy hummed along with the music as she mixed the cookie dough some more before declaring she was ready for the next step. She looked up and saw that Dean was staring ahead and hadn't heard her. "Daddy?" She tugged on his sleeve. "Are you okay?"
Dean shook his head to clear his mind. "Yes, Princess, I'm okay. So, let's get them on the sheet?"
Dot nodded and drew her knees up to her chest, letting Dean get into the bottom of the oven for the cookie sheets. "Can I lick the spoon while you put them on the tray, Daddy?"
"Of course, but I get the bowl." Dean grinned at her and set the trays on the countertop. Grabbing a teaspoon from the silverware bin he started dropping dough portions onto the sheet.
Dorothy beamed and took the large spoon from the bowl, licking at it happily. She watched as Dean used two metal spoons to drop batter on the tray. "Can we eat some when they're done, Daddy? Just one? Please?"
"Yes, of course. We have to make sure your classmates get good cookies. But just one, and then you brush your teeth." Dean told her.
"Okay!" Dorothy reached out and wrapped her arms around Dean's neck, smearing cookie batter on his cheek. Her eyes widened and she burst into giggles. "Now you're a cookie monster, Daddy!"
Dean made a face and "Aaargh" ed and growled at her and nipped her nose tip.
The little one giggled and squirmed against his chest. "Daddy! Daddy! Okay, okay you're not a cookie monster! You're a nice, cookie man!"
Dean chuckled and kissed her nose. "And you're the cutest cookie Princess." He smeared some batter on her nose.
"I love you, Papa Bear!" Dot leaned forward to kiss his cheek, smearing the batter from her nose against his skin. "You're the best Daddy there is."
"You're the best daughter there is." He hugged her tight and then gently kissed her cheek. Grabbing a pot holder he carefully slid the two trays into the hot oven. "PJs while we wait?" he asked her.
"Okay!" she yelled gleefully throwing her arms around his neck
Dean picked her up and set her back down on the floor and she took off like a shot, running for the stairs and her room.
Dean grinned watching her run off and then used his finger to scoop the rest of the batter from the bowl.
After tucking Dotty into bed, reading to her and kissing her goodnight, Dean changed into his pajama pants and went back downstairs to clean up the kitchen. He shook his head at the mess that had been made but smiled as he set all the dishes into the sink. Hearing Dorothy laughing, so carefree and happy, was worth any mess in the world.
As his thoughts drifted back to Cas, he pushed them aside for a few moments. Moving into the living room, he plopped down on the couch and turned on the TV, setting the volume on mute, before grabbing the telephone to call Bobby. He let the other man know about the Mother's Day party at the school.
"You should wear a dress," Bobby cackled as they said their goodbyes and Dean rolled his eyes, wondering why he put up with the older man sometimes. Staring at the phone in his lap for another few moments he sighed and finally dialed Castiel’s number.
"Hello?"
"Hey. It's me… "
"Hey! I was going to call you... I just didn't know if you were putting Dotty to sleep or if you already went to bed or..." Castiel sighed. "I'm glad you called.”
"She's in bed. You… uh ... Left quite an impression on her with your bedtime stories..." Dean smiled. "How are you doing?" He then asked, concerned.
"Okay… I guess..."
"Want to tell me?"
Cas was quiet for a minute, but with another sigh he gave in. "Just had a really, really shitty day at work. I had Hannah all over me the moment I walked through the door, she's my secretary, and wanted to know all about Balt's surprise and our vacation. I told her that we split up and she cried, she actually cried for me.
"Then, Balt decided to call me at lunch and of course Hannah picked it up... I apparently had accidentally grabbed his favorite tie or something stupid and he just had to have it back. He went on and on about this stupid business meeting he had tonight and how he had to look good if he wants to get laid. I told him 'good for you' which was apparently the wrong thing to say...
"Balt was pissed and yelling and crying… and when I hung up Hannah got all nosy and wanted to know if we were fixing things and... I just… I fucking just left early and got to come home to a freaking empty hotel room. So I ordered take out and drank... or am drinking…" He paused and Dean could hear something sloshing near the phone. "Half a bottle of schnapps? And it's not even a good flavor. It's peppermint. I'm in a hotel room drinking peppermint schnapps and my teeth are turning green…" Castiel laughed before the sound clipped short. "Dean… Please tell me your day was better."
"Oh God, Cas. Love, I'm so fucking sorry. I wish I was there to hold you. I just wanna hold you and let you know I'm here for you. Which ... it feels like lying ‘cause I'm so far away..." Dean sighed heavily, trying not to cry for Castiel, like his secretary had.
"I know, Dean." Cas said softly and then he sighed. "I guess I didn't know what to expect. People being mad at me? I can handle that... But people feeling sad and wanting to fix it? I don't... I'm sorry for how it happened, but not that it did. I'm excited and terrified to see where this goes with us, but I'm not sorry. Does that make me a horrible person, Dean? Is it awful that I didn't care Balt was trying to rub it in my face he was looking for a hook up? I hate that he's hurt but..."
"No... No, Cas. It doesn't. You're not a bad person, okay? You're perfect, you're all anyone can hope for. I understand Balthazar being upset about losing you, but he did it to himself. Do not forget that, okay? If ... Yes,.. Um... See, if he had been as perfect for you… as you are, he'd still have you. I'm not saying I'm perfect, I'm totally not… but we're not ... well, not together like you and he were." Dean shook his head. "I'm talking bullshit… well nonsense maybe… I’m not making any sense, sorry. Sheesh…you’d think I was the one drinking."
"I miss you, Dean. You… and Dotty..."
"She misses you too." Dean replied, wondering if he should tell Castiel about their dinner conversation.
"I'm just being dramatic..." Cas sighed after a moment. "I mean, I did this to myself, right?"
"Cas! We all had our part in this. It's not been you or me or him, it's been us. Say it."
"I don't know... I'm the one that started all this..."
"Cas! Don't make me use my ‘Daddy voice’!"
"We all had a part in it but I started it… happy now?"
"No. I started it. If you so desperately need a scape goat, then it's me… If I had signed those papers that first day nothing would have ever happened."
"Do you wish you had?"
"No! No! I ..." Dean sighed and swallowed hard. He had never asked what happened to the signed papers he'd given Castiel right before Balthazar had attacked him.
"You need to tell me, Dean... If you... If you don't want me... I can still submit the papers or we can… I don't… fuck! I'm not sober enough for this..."
"Castiel Shirley, you listen to me, you drunk baby. I love you, and I want you. I want this. I want to give us another chance. I only signed them because I do love you, because when I did, I thought it was the right thing to do. I thought you wanted me to… I thought Balthazar could make you happy... Now… I know that there is a better option."
"I love you, Dean," Cas whispered. "I'm sorry... I think I'm drunk..."
"It's okay. Will you have to work tomorrow?"
"Yeah, but I'll have the weekend off. God... Getting up at 6am is going to be hell..."
"I should let you get some sleep. Sleep off your schnapps. Oh, just one thing - to cheer you up - I'll have to wear a dress tomorrow." Dean joked.
"Wait... You have to do what?" Cas stopped and Dean couldn't answer, he was laughing too hard. "At least you'll look pretty in a dress I suppose..."
Dean was still laughing. "Oh, damn straight, I will. Prettier than any of the other mommies," he promised the other man.
"Okay, Mommy Dean... Are you sure you haven't been drinking too?"
"I’m sure. I've been invited to the Mother's Day party at Dotty's school. Privilege of a single dad, huh?" Dean smiled. He decided not to mention Mattie's dads. In Castiel's current state it'd be way, way too much. “We even got to bake cookies for the party before bedtime tonight.”
"She's really lucky to have you, Dean..." Cas fell silent again for a moment."I think I'm going to pass out. Talk tomorrow?"
"Yes, we'll talk tomorrow. Grab a glass of water and some Tylenol before you crash though. You sleep well, okay? And don't worry too much."
"Okay. Love you, Dean."
"Love you too, Cas." Dean smiled. They said their goodbyes and Dean settled back into the sofa cushions. Cas worried him, but there was nothing he could do except to try to comfort him with his voice. It had to suffice for now, until they were in each other’s arms again in person.
Dean smiled at his daughter as she came into the living room carrying the telephone.
“Daddy,” she asked handing it to him, “help me, please?” She hopped on the couch beside him and watched him.
“Okay, Sammy you said? Let’s see.” Dean clicked through the phone’s contact list to find his brother’s saved telephone number. “There we go.” He dialed and handed the phone back to his daughter. “Should I leave you two alone, is it private?” he grinned.
“You wanted to make us hot choc with marshmallows.” Dorothy smirked as she listened to the dialing sound, politely sending him off.
“Right. I’ll just take my time, little bear. Call me when you’re ready for your hot choc.” Dean kissed her forehead and left the living room.
“Hello?” Sam answered the phone, a smile already in his voice.
“Uncle Sammy! It’s me…Dotty.” she told him, her grin actually audible.
“Dotty! What a pleasant surprise,” Sam laughed. “How’s my favorite niece today?”
“I’m good. Daddy and I went to the playground, on our bicycles.”
“The large one by Uncle Bobby’s or the little one by the river? Your Daddy taught me how to ride my bike before we moved to Lawrence, and we used to spend hours riding along those paths by the big park. Did he tell you that?”
“No, he didn’t tell me he taught you. But he told me you were in the park a lot. He said he was there a lot with Cas.”
“Oh… yeah, he was… Cas was around a lot when we were younger…” Sam cleared his throat once. “Did… did you enjoy meeting Cas, Dotty?”
“At first, uh-huh. Then I didn’t… ‘cuz of his mean friend. Then the mean man went away and then I liked Cas being here a whole bunch. I hope he comes to my party. But he said he couldn’t promise.”
“He had to go home, right?” Sam asked slowly, as if testing the waters of his niece's feelings.
“Yup. I wanted him to stay, but he said he had to make sure that the sick people feel better.” Dot said sadly. “I think he can do that real well. ‘Cuz when he’s here he makes Daddy feel better.”
“Yeah, Cas was always really good at taking care of other people…” Sam trailed off, caught up in his memories. “So, uh… Jess and I were thinking about coming up early and spending the week before your birthday with you and Daddy, what do you think about that?”
“YES!” Dorothy squealed loudly. “YES! Jess can sleep in my room. I’ll go tidy up!”
Sam chuckled and listened as Dot planned out their week, including having Jessica teach Dean how to French-braid because “Daddy tries but… well… I told him that he should probably do pigtails or a plain old braid instead.”
“Well, that will be the plan then. When we’re all done talking, I’ll run it by your Daddy, okay?”
“Okay. Uncle Sammy? When will you marry Jess?”
“Oh… Well… Can you keep a secret?” Sam dropped his voice and whispered through the phone.
“Yes!” Dotty gasped dropping her voice to a whisper before looking around conspiratorially.
“I want you and I to hang out one day, we can tell Jess and your Daddy that we need a Niece and Uncle bonding day… I need your help picking out a ring. Do you think you could help me do that?”
Dot’s jaw dropped open and she just nodded. “Yes, I can help you.” she whispered eventually.
“Perfect. Thank you so much, Dotty. That’s why you’re my favorite niece, I knew I could count on you.”
“Do you have another niece?” Dot asked raising her eyebrow.
“Well… no… but if I did, she wouldn’t hold a candle to you.” Sam chuckled.
“Of course not, I’m amazing...” she chuckled. “ Daddy tells me that all the time.”
“You take after your father!” Sam laughed loudly. “So… was there anything you wanted to talk to me about, or did you just miss your cool Uncle Sammy?”
“Just talking to my Uncle Sammy. Did you know that Daddy is married?”
“Um… What do you mean?” Sam asked carefully, halfway wondering if he should ask for Dean first.
“That bad man said Daddy was married to Cas. But I don’t think they are, ‘cuz Cas doesn’t live here.”
“Oh… did you ask Daddy about it?”
“No.” Dorothy’s voice was low as she thought about it. Sam was silent, weighing his options. He could push, see what the little one’s thoughts were, but then he might risk saying something Dean didn’t want him to… He sighed softly.
“Well… Daddy and Cas used to be in a… um… a relationship when we were kids. They lived together for a little while too but sometimes when you get older, things change. Daddy and Cas ended up… going their separate ways.”
“I wish Cas lived with us. I want him to be my other daddy.” Dot sighed softly.
“Um.” Sam choked, nearly dropping the phone. “Um… what?!”
“Mattie has two daddies, and I think it would be cool if I had two daddies too. And Cas could be my other Daddy. I like him. And he reads good stories when he tucks me into bed. And he makes Daddy happy too.”
“Oh, Dotty…” Sam sighed and shifted the phone to his other ear. “There is nothing wrong with having two daddies or two mommies or both a mommy and daddy… but two people have to really like each other, have to be in love for that to happen. Daddy and Cas are… friends right now. And that’s a very different kind of relationship. Does that make sense?”
Dorothy shook her head. “Julie has a mommy and a daddy, but they don’t like each other. They say bad things to each other. Why can they be a mommy and a daddy? Daddy likes Cas, so he can be my daddy.”
“Oh, well… I am sorry that Julie’s parents fight a lot… I’m sure that they still love each other though… sometimes adults have really, really bad ways of showing it to each other… And Daddy… He...” Sam stopped and laughed. “Dotty, princess… I don’t have a good answer for you. All I know is that Daddy and Cas are friends right now. Don’t you like seeing Daddy have a friend?”
“Grown-ups are weird. I don’t wanna’ be a grown-up.” Dot decided.
“Well, now, I completely agree! I think you should stay young and cute forever. Why don’t you let me talk to Daddy for a minute?”
“Okay!” Dot hopped off the couch and ran to the kitchen. “Daddy, Daddy, Daddy, Uncle Sammy wants to talk to you!”
“Oh, really?” Dean grinned and took the phone from his daughter. “Go get your dvd started, I’ll come to join you soon.” Dean waited until she was out of the room before he spoke. “Hey Bitch, what’s up?”
“Jesus Christ Dean.” Sam exhaled, too worked up over the conversation with his niece to reply to the ‘bitch’ comment. “Your daughter is three seconds away from planning your freaking wedding with Cas! What the hell happened this past week!?”
“She’s what? I thought she’s planning yours… Sammy, hold on... Nothing happened. What do you mean, ‘what happened’?” Dean prodded.
"Dude, she wants Cas to be her second Daddy. She said that Cas made you happy and she didn't know why you weren't living together. She also asked if you were married... I tried to deflect that one."
Dean took a deep breath. "Yeah ... Balthazar mentioned that we are... I don't know how to explain that one to her... But I don't really see how it's such a bad thing she wants him as her second daddy. I mean, if it really does work out with me and Cas, I think I'm pretty lucky my daughter already accepts this man in both our lives, you know?"
"So I take it you didn't file the papers? I know you said you wanted to try again... But Dean, you're not married, no matter what that paper says."
"No, Cas didn't file the papers. He's still got them though, I think. So, maybe we're not married in the way we should have been. But that's not our concern at the moment, you know? That's not what's important. What's important is that Cas and I have to work on being a couple again."
"Right... But I don't think you should have Dotty involved in it as much... I mean, Dean, she's your daughter and you know what's best… but she's already wrapped around Castiel's little finger and if this relationship bombs? Dean, she's going to be crushed."
"And how should I have kept her out of this? Dump her at Bobby's the whole time Cas was here? She's my daughter, she's part of my life and that means, she's around. I needed to see if she liked Cas … and if he liked her, too. God, I know, she's got it bad for Cas. I know she'd be crushed if it doesn't work, but seriously, how could I have not involved her?"
"I don't know Dean," Sam whispered, sighing softly. "I just... Part of me is so happy for you, you know? I know first-hand how fucked up you were when you came to me at Bobby's and fell apart, okay? I watched over you for months while you self-destructed because you’d left Cas. I want you to be happy, and if that means trying things with Cas again? Dean, you know I will always have your back.
"But as an Uncle who loves that little girl more than anything... I'm terrified for her. She's strong but she has already lost so much when --- her mom died. She may not remember her mother, but Dotty knows what not having her feels like. To have to feel that again, along with the pain of losing another person..."
"I know. I know, Sammy! I wish there was some way to make the whole thing easier for her. But I'm at a loss here. I'm happy that she likes him, but I'm freaking scared of hurting her." Dean slumped back in his chair and sighed. "I'm a terrible dad. Say it, Sammy, I know you're thinking it."
"No way, Dean. You would do anything for that little girl, we all know it. You're nothing short of the perfect Dad. I'm allowed to be worried about you and Dotty without you putting yourself down. Stop being a jerk." Sam smiled gently. "I trust you, big bro."
"Thank you, Sammy, for worrying about us. Love you, Bro."
"Just... call me more often, okay? I told Dotty about coming down next week, she seemed happy about it. I'll send you the flight details, okay?"
"Of course she's happy about it! Her favorite uncle is coming to spoil her rotten. Did you want a hotel or will you stay with us?"
"Whatever is easier for you...? I don't want to mess up your routine or anything."
"You should hear yourself..." Dean huffed a laugh. "It'll be my pleasure to have you stay with us. And since when do I have a routine in which there's no room for my brother?"
"Alright, alright. Let's not get sappy now." Sam laughed and Dean could hear a muffled voice in the background. "Jess says I have to stop giving you a hard time. Why is she always on your side?"
"Because she regrets not having gotten the sexier brother."
"Ahh, yes, well... Doesn't seem like she would be your type, now does she?" Sam laughed and then hung up before Dean could reply.
"Dammit!" Dean cursed listening to the beeping of the disconnected line. He got up shaking his head and finished the ‘hot choc’ milks for Dotty and himself, then joined her in the living room.
Chapter Seventeen