Chapter Text
“So,” Charlie came into Anna’s apartment without bothering to knock on the door. “Is everything ready for tonight?”
“Oh yeah!” Anna smiled from where she was standing in the kitchen. “I thought we’d start with soup and a light salad and then see how we feel after that.”
Charlie laughed as she walked towards the kitchen island dropping the grocery bags she had in her arms. “I love how you always know what to say, Anna.”
“You’ve made me watch that movie enough times, Charlie.” She answers with a smile, then takes a peek in the bags. “What did you bring for dinner?”
“I brought pasta, sauce, chicken and some bread.” Charlie starts getting everything out of the bag “Also, some greens for a salad, Sam will thank us for that, and I also ordered two pies from downstairs, cherry and apple. Donna will bring them over when she closes the shop.”
“And who is joining us tonight?”
“Just the coffee crew, Jack is bringing his mom and Kevin said something about a new girlfriend and Donna is bringing Jody and the girls.” Charlie counts everyone off with the fingers in both her hands, quickly running out. “Then there’s us and Sam, and the guests of honor Dean and Cas.”
“So around 13, give or take?”
“Yep.”
“And we are using the fireplace to do that burning thing you wanted, right?” Anna asks.
“Yes! We write down our past negativity, suffering or pain that we want to get rid off. It can be relationships, burdens or situations that have not been the best for us this past year.Then we throw them in the fireplace to burn them away.” Charlie grabs paper and pens from inside one of the bags. “I even brought paper for everyone.”
“Sounds like a plan.” Anna nods. “Now, help me with this dinner, it won’t prepare itself.”
“Right. It’s dinner time!”
-
“Are you done, Cas?”
Dean and Cas had been trying to finish writing in the piece of paper Charlie had given them to ‘burn their troubles from the past year’. Dean had been breaking his brain trying to write more than just ‘didn’t lose enough weight’ or ‘ spent too much money on stupid things’. He didn’t really think those were really bad things but this had been a good year.
“Almost.” Cas, on the other hand, seemed to need more than one paper to write stuff on. As soon as Charlie had given him the pen, he’d started writing and had not stopped yet.
“What are you writing in there?” Dean tried to take a peek at what Cas was writing but Cas covered his paper with his left arm. “All the things I want to leave behind.”
“Are there that many things?”
“Well, no… but I want to be very clear on what happened and how I felt about it.” Cas said, going back to his paper. Dean scratched the back of his head and looked at his three lines of text on his own paper. “I don’t think you have to be that specific.”
“Well,” Cas said without looking up at Dean, “A lot has happened this year. I don’t want the universe to get confused.”
“Alright, angel.” Dean shrugged. “I’m gonna go talk to Sam for a bit and let you finish.”
“Thank you, Dean.”
-
Donna, Jody and Sam were standing in a corner of Anna’s apartment talking in hushed voices.
“Does anyone have any confirmation that our conspiracy worked?”
“I was barely involved in that so you’ll have to tell me.” Jody had not been as involved as she’d wanted in the conspiracy but knew just about everything Donna did.
“Dean hasn’t confirmed anything but I know for a fact they’ve spent the last few days together.” Sam said.
“I’ve seen them kiss a few times, nothing that confirms they are together together , but all good signs.” Donna nods conspiratorially.
“I guess we’ll know when they are ready to tell us.” Jody shrugs.
“True.” Sam says. “Here comes Dean. Act natural!”
-
“Charlie, Charlie!” Jack sounds worried even when he’s been fed and has had a few drinks already. “Have you seen Cas and Dean? They are not together!” He tries to whisper but his voice comes out louder than expected.
“Jack, calm down.” Charlie grabs his shoulders.
After a few deep breaths Jack starts again. “Cas and Dean are not together and it’s almost midnight.” Jack looks to his right and stares at Dean, who is with Sam. And then to his left, where Cas is talking with Claire and Alex. “They are not together!”
Charlie looks back at the television where the countdown in New York is showing. The clock reads 11:50. It’s almost time and no one seems to have noticed. “Shit, you are right! I was supposed to give everyone a shot of tequila.”
“Anna!” Charlie grabs Jack and drags him towards Anna “We have to get the shot’s ready!”
“Is it time?” Anna ask’s worriedly.
“Yeah! We need tequila shots for everyone.” Charlie starts looking for the tequila glasses and passes them to her. “Help me out. just make sure we have enough for everyone.”
“Of course.”
-
“Everyone!”
Dean turns from his conversation with Sam to look at Charlie. She’s standing on a chair and holding a shot glass in each hand. “Come grab a shot. We’re all drinking one to welcome the new year!”
“I thought it was supposed to be champagne?” Sam asks from behind Dean.
“Yeah, probably. But you know Charlie,” Dean says to his brother with a shrug. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have somewhere to be.”
“Sure.” Sam says quietly.” Happy new year, Jerk.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Dean walks away, “ You too, bitch.”
-
Sam is the last one to grab a shot and turns his attention to the television. There is only one minute left on the count down and the ball drop in Times Square is starting to move.
“Do we start counting down?” He asks Charlie, who seems to be staring intently at the screen.
“Yes, yes! Everyone! Gather ‘round!” Everyone in the room gathers closer to the television and holds their glass. Sam looks around the room for his brother and finds him with Cas. They are close together, ignoring everyone else in the room.
He elbows Charlie and points at them. She gasps at the same as everyone starts counting down from “Ten, nine, eight!” Alex, Claire and Jack are counting down obnoxiously loud, everyone else joins them happily.
“Seven!”
“Six!”
Jody and Donna are holding each other, the same as Kevin and his girlfriend Channing.
“Five!”
“Four!”
Sam can see how Dean and Cas are in their own little world.
“Three!”
“Two!”
“One!”
“Happy New Year 2023!”
-
Ignoring his friends and family around the room, Castiel shares his first kiss of the year with Dean. “Happy New Year, my love.” He whispers against Dean's lips. "May this be the first of many years shared together with you."
After a few more kisses and hugs Dean whispers in his ear. "Should we tell them that we know about their secret conspiracy?"
Castiel looks over Dean's shoulder. Everyone is trying, and failing, to pretend they are not looking at them.
"No, let's wait a little longer."
Dean smirks and kisses Cas again.
"I knew I loved you for a reason.”
The end.