Archive of Our Own

Dean Winchester sighed as he folded his clothes and tucked them into the drawer. The case had been a difficult one. Sitting down on the edge of his bed, Dean pulled out his phone and dialed for Cas. It rang. And rang. And rang. It went to voicemail, and Dean angrily ended the call.

"Dammit, Cas." He mumbled, and took a deep breath. "Okay, if that's the way it's gotta be." Dean said before putting his hands together and bowing his head. "Cas, I know you're there. We gotta talk. I get that you're busy, okay? But give me five minutes of your time, man." Dean opened his eyes and looked around. "C'mon, Cas," he said when the angel was a no-show.

So he sat there, hand in palm with his elbow resting on his knee. A second later, he heard a rustling of wings behind him.

"Well aren't you the Flash today-" Dean began, turning around. He stopped when he saw that it was not Cas who was casually leaning against Dean's desk with a light-hearted smile playing on their lips.

She was wearing dark blue and purple plaid under Dean's leather jacket with jeans and worn-in tan biker boots. Her jet-black hair ended halfway down her back and her eyes were a pair of shining bright blue sapphires, although they sometimes had a habit of turning green when she got angry or scared. Her sorta-faded freckles were as scattered as the stars. And around her neck was an oval-shaped silver locket on a matching chain.

"Hey, Dad." Destiel smiled as wide as she could without even trying.

"Des." Dean smiled, pulling his daughter into a hug. She welcomed the embrace, holding Dean tight.

"Heard you callin’ and thought I might as well pop in. Say hey and be on my way and all that jazz." She said not sounding unlike Dean. Dean smiled and looked at her from head to toe.

"Well you look good, kiddo." Dean complimented. She scoffed and sat down on the bed edge.

"Well last time you saw me, I had a knife lodged in my gut." She reminded. Dean looked down. She lifted his chin. "Hey, you don't blame yourself, remember? It was like my dying wish."

"You're not dead." Dean retorted. Destiel scoffed.

"Shut up." She said jokingly.

"So how'd you get here? I mean, I thought I heard-" Dean started. Des cut him off.

"Wings? Yeah. Watch this." She squeezed her eyes shut and bit her lip. The room illuminated and Dean finally noticed the dark, shadowy wings spread out on the wall behind her. They weren't as big as Dean remembered Cas' were, but they were still a good size. She opened her eyes and let out a huge breath. The room dimmed back to normal but the wings stayed.

"Awesome." Dean said, impressed. He gestured to the still-present wings. "You like showing off?" Des looked over her shoulder at her wings, then back to Dean.

"Yeah, about that. See, I'm not really old enough or strong enough to have them be invisible. I can't turn them invisible to human senses, but I can camouflage them. They've been here the whole time, but you haven't noticed them until you really looked just now." Des explained. Dean noticed it too; now that he saw them he couldn't unsee them.

"So how can you fly around?" Dean inquired. Des laughed.

"I was born after the Fall, Dad. That and Father had grace -granted it wasn’t his own but still- it was grace when Reema took his blood."

"Who's Reema?" Dean asked, concerned. Des rolled her eyes again.

"One of the witches who helped bring me to life."

"Oh. So not your..."

"Dad!" Des scolded. "I don't have a girlfriend. Besides, that's none of your business." She crossed her arms and huffed.

"Well, it sort of is. I'm your father, after all."

"No, you're my Dad. There's a difference. You're Dad, Cas is my Father. I'da thought you'd worked that out by now." She elbowed him. "Getting’ slow, old man." She joked. It was Dean who rolled his eyes this time.

"So how's that hunter thing workin’ out for you?"

"Solved four cases in the last two weeks. You?" She smiled smugly.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. So what alias do you play by now?" Dean questioned, knowing his kid. She rolled her eyes another time, even though she knew it was true.

"Odessa Novak."

"Really?" Dean asked, unbelieving.

"What?!"

"Odessa? Kinda girly there, kiddo." Dean made fun of her.

"Shut up. So how's Father? Is he here?" She asked excitedly, looking toward the door. Dean gave her a look. "What?" Dean said nothing. "Dad, Father's okay, right?"

"I don't know. He's been incognito for some time now." She looked at the floor.

"And Hannah?"

"She let go of her vessel because of issues with her vessel's husband and she let Cas go, too. She's gone, Des." Destiel nodded.

"So Father went after his vessel's family, probably." She figured. Dean shrugged.

"I guess so. So how come you don't need a meatsuit?" Dean asked, wanting to change to subject.

"Because your blood is in the mix.” She replied, as if it were obvious. When Dean looked confused, she elaborated. “Take turtles, for example. Normal turtles can hide in their shells, but sea turtles can't because their skin is fused to the shell, because the shell is part of its skeletal system. That's me. That bit of human blood, your blood, ties me to this one body. My body." Des clarified.

"Huh."

"So I guess you could say I really am a one-of-a-kind." She winked as she got up from the bed and instead relaxed in a chair. Dean walked over and ruffled her hair.

"You're a nut, that's what you are." Dean chuckled. Destiel laughed.

“Half a nut.” She corrected. “You’re a complete crazy person. That means I’m only half crazy.” Dean laughed.

“If you’re half of me and half of Cas, then you’re two tons of crazy, kid.” Dean smiled. Des laughed, but was then quiet for a minute.

“Hey, Dad?” She asked quietly.

“Yeah, Des?” He answered, looking down at her. She stared off into space.

“Do you love Father?” Dean took a long while before speaking. He didn’t know what to say, and what could he?

“Des, I-”

“Dad, straight up, do you love Father? I mean, I’m your kid, after all. And you’re a little old to still be a closet case.”

“Have you and Sam been talking secretly? Because he said the same thing. Why do you ask?”

“Well, you can’t blame me for asking, I mean, you’re both my parents. And, I mean, just look at all the crap he’s done for you. Not you and Sam, you. He threw everything he knew away to rebel against Heaven when you asked him to, and he fell twice, and he went insane, he’s died for you twice, he followed you to Dick, even though you both died, and you knew that you most likely were going to die, and he’s followed you to Heaven, Hell, and Purgatory. He pulled Sam from Lucifer’s cage for you. He always comes when you call, or mostly does anyway. Your eyesex kinda grosses me out, but it’s super evident, and it’s just…he always comes back to you.” Destiel pointed out. Dean stared at her.

“But that’s him.”

“But you’ve done crap for him too, Dad. I mean, you went against everything you knew about angels and Heaven. You began praying and believing because of him. When he stayed behind in Purgatory, you were so emotionally wrecked that you re-created the scene in your mind so you could blame yourself instead of just accepting that he was gone. You kept the coat, stashing it in your car.” Destiel leaned in close. “God gave me the exclusive tour. Said you sometimes pulled it out at night when you couldn’t sleep and you knew Uncle Sam was, holding it to your chest and cried over it, praying for him to come back.”

“He was my best friend, Des. What would you expect me to do?” Dean defended.

“I’m pretty sure friends don’t tell each other, and I quote “I need you, Cas. I need you to come back and be here with me. Not me and Sam and Bobby, but me in particular. You mean something to me, man. We’ve been through so much shit together, you can’t go disappearing on me now, you son of a bitch.” Destiel recited, as if she were reading it off a page. She gave a triumphant smirk at Dean. Dean looked a bit shocked, then rolled his eyes.

“How did that not sound platonic?”

“How did not not it sound platonic?” Destiel asked back. “You might as well’ve written it in your fluffy pink diary.”

“Shut up, what do you know?” Dean shot, and Destiel shook her head.

“Whatever. So…on to other matters. Just curious, how do you get into Purgatory?” Dean gave her a look.

“Why do you want to get into Purgatory?”

“When I was brought back to life, God gave me the complete low-down of your life from the moment Uncle Sammy left for Stanford.” Des confessed.

“And?”

“And…I want to go to Purgatory to get Benny back.” She said honestly.

“What?! No way! You died once, I doubt God’ll bring you back again.” Dean forbade.

“What makes you think I’m gonna die?” Des countered.

“It’s Purgatory.” Dean stated with force.

“You survived, didn’t you?” Destiel pointed out. Dean stared at her.

“Because I’ve been hunting since I was four. I’ve hunted things that most people don’t even know are real. I let the seven deadly sins out into the world. I’ve been to Hell and Purgatory and Heaven and back. I started and stopped the Apocalypse. I brought on and ended the Leviathan threat. I convinced Cas to stop playing God and I even helped prevent Metatron from taking over the world. I almost helped close the gates of Hell forever. I got my Dad killed. I’ve gotten everyone I love killed, you included.”

“But I chose to jump in front and take that knife. I knew what I was walking into, and if I had the same choice again, I’d make the same one. I told you to not blame yourself for my death. Keep your promises, Dad. It will kill you if you don’t.” Destiel gently lectured, putting a hand on Dean’s arm. Dean and Destiel stared at each other. Dean heaved a weighed sigh.

“Des, I can’t let you go to Purgatory. I lost you once. I’m not going to let it happen again.” He promised.

“You can’t make promises you know you can’t keep.”

“Oh, I’m keeping this one.” Dean said forcefully. Then he gave Destiel a look. “You remind me so much of Cas.” He said, putting a hand on her cheek. She leaned into it. “And of myself. Which is why I can’t let you do this.” Dean finished, quickly cuffing his daughter to the chair, and walking towards the door.

“Dad! Don’t do this, please!” Destiel screamed as Dean continued down the hall.

“Sam! Sam! Where are you?” Dean asked as he came down the hallway, past a confused Sam.

“Yeah? What is it, Dean?” Sam asked, giving Dean a look.

“Destiel is here, but she wants to go to Purgatory, and she’ll find a way out of those handcuffs in a matter of minutes.” Dean explained, turning to Sam.

“How do you know that?” He asked.

“She’s a Winchester. If she’s got half of what I’ve got, then she’s gone. Plus she’s got angel mojo too.”

“What? How?”

“Well, she is Cas’ kid too.”

“Why does she want to go to Purgatory?” Sam questioned.

“She wants to save Benny. Pull his ass out of there and bring him back here.” Dean answered.

“Why?” Sam asked, with a little more grudge then he meant to let out. Dean gave him a warning look.

“Because he was my friend, Sam.”

“How does she know about that stuff anyway?” Sam asked, digging around for the keys to the lock-down alarm in his bedside drawer.

“Well, apparently, when God brought her back to life, she was told our entire life’s story from the moment you hit home and ran for Stanford.” Dean explained. Sam looked at him, then looked at him.

“Everything, Dean?”

“I don’t know! Go ask her yourself, nosy!” Sam scoffed, then walked toward Dean's room. But where the seraphim should've been was just an empty chair with handcuffs dangling from the side.

"Dean!" Sam called. Dean ran in with the keys, seeing the vacant room as well.

"Dammit."

~~~

Destiel threw the match into the spell bowl in the basement of the bunker. The flame blew up and then quickly died away.

"What do you two chuckleheads need now?" An annoyed voice said behind her. They both turned, Destiel and Crowley. "Well hello, there." He called, voice showing his evident interest. "What's this? A new chewtoy the Winchesters are tossing to me?" Crowley smiled. Des rolled her eyes.

"I am a Winchester." Destiel retorted. Crowley made a face.

"So which one are you supposed to be Marsha, Jan, or Cindy?" Crowley teased.

"Shut up, Crowley. Now, I need information. And you need to be popped outta the box, jackass." She bartered, pointing to the devil's trap she had him in. Crowley looked taken aback.

“Sassy, arrogant, ungrateful. You are a Hardy Boy. Still’ve yet to figure out what you are, though.” Destiel gave a huff of annoyance.

“It doesn’t matter, Crowley.” She growled. “You’re stalling. Now, all I have is one simple question, and you give a simple answer, and I’ll let you out. Got it?”

“Well, you’re not a demon, and you’re not an ang- oh wait, maybe you are.” He stared at her intently, as if reading it all on her forehead. “But you’re not a full angel, at least not yet…” Crowley worked out, piece by piece. “But you’re clearly a Winchester, but if you’re- hmm…” He mused.

“Listen, you asshat, you tell me how to get into Purgatory and I’ll let you out. Plain and simple.” Destiel spat. Crowley chuckled.

“Purgatory?” He laughed again. “So two years ago, sweetheart.” He brushed off.

“It’d be very helpful if you didn’t test me, Crowley.” Destiel warned. She stalked over to the shelves in the corner, and pulled out some holy water in a spray bottle. The seraphim smiled deviously. “This oughta be fun.” She walked to the edge of the devil’s trap. “For the second time, how do I get into Purgatory?” She yelled, her smile disappearing.

“You think that little piece of junk is going to make me tell you anything, you little shit?” Crowley retorted. Destiel shrugged.

“Maybe. But it would’ve been less entertaining for me.” She said, the wily smile slowing returning, slowly creeping onto her face. “Bad, Crowley.” She said as if talking to an animal who’d just peed on the floor, as she sprayed two squirts of the holy water at the King of Hell. He in turn yelped in pain.

“Ow!” His face steamed in reaction from the contact, he looked in infuriation at Destiel. “That is not okay! Do you know how much this suit cost me?!”

“Aww, poor Crowley.” She pretended to be sorry for him, but then it quickly formed back into a grin. “But then again, it probably wasn’t that much given that you probably killed the guy you bought it from, and being the King of the Pit, that’s not biggie, am I right?” She sneered. He growled at her.

“You can’t just-” He began, but she sprayed the water at him again.

“Bad Crowley.” She reprimanded, enjoying the scene. There were distant footsteps behind her. Her eyes narrowed. “Okay, fun’s over. How do I get in and out of Purgatory?” Destiel demanded.

“I absolutely refuse to aid a Winchester.” Crowley resisted. Destiel’s eyes lidded, but someone opened a door behind her. Destiel flew off, but stayed hidden in the shadowy corner of the room as to appear absent.

Dean and Sam stormed into the room where they were surprised to find Crowley.

“Well well well, if it isn’t the King of Docuhebags.” Dean taunted. S “Let me guess, young girl trapped your ass and asked you how to get to God’s armpit?”

“Unappreciative twat, she was.” Crowley confirmed. “Claimed she was a Winchester as if that were something to be proud of. Lovely to see you again, Dean. Been a while. We should catch up sometime. Love to hear what you two apes have been up to.”

“Okay you asshat, cut the crap-” Dean began, but Crowley interrupted him.

“Hold on, did you just say asshat?”

“Yeah, and?” Dean rolled his eyes. Crowley practically had an illuminated light bulb above his head.

“So she’s yours?” He figured out, asking with a little smirk. When Dean tried to hide his confused feelings, Crowley leered. “That explains the freckles and the snark.” He commented. Dean swung his fist at Crowley, who took the hit and licked his lips, checking for blood. “Was that truly necessary?” Dean glared at him, knowing that there was no denying Des now. “So who do we know that has black hair and bluish eyes-” Crowley stopped, then erupted into revolting laughter that lasted for at least a minute and his face got beet red. After the excruciatingly long sixty or so seconds of ear-splitting guffaws, Crowley wiped tears from his eyes and looked at Dean, still snickering. “Castiel, is it?” This sent him back into another fit of cackles.

“Alright, listen up, you bastard, you’re gonna tell us where she went, or,” Dean pulled out the demon knife, “you won’t find it so funny anymore.”

“Alright, alright. I can’t tell you what you don’t already know. She asked me how to get in and out of Purgatory, but I can tell you where to find her. Just let me out.” Crowley offered. Dean groaned, but reluctantly scratched away part of the circle. Crowley strolled across. “Danka.”

“Now tell me where my daughter is, you son of a bitch.” Dean seethed. Crowley pretended to be offended.

“I love it when you get all tough, Dean. Really puts the sweet in my sugar, but hey, maybe you like that sort of thing.”

“Okay enough with the gay jokes!” Dean raged. “I’m not gay!”

“Fascinating how much society still drives you to continue to be a closet case.” Crowley noted, shrugging. Sam laughed quietly to himself, and pretended it was a cough when Dean gave him a look. “Anyway, I was going to use a spell to find your little brat, but seems I don’t have to.” Crowley continued.

“Why not?!”

“Because she’s in this room. There.” Crowley pointed to the dark corner of the room where he sensed Destiel’s power originating from. Destiel, who was surprised at her discovery, was momentarily paralyzed, and as she tried to run, she tripped over a box full of ingredients for a spell. Dean and Sam rushed to her, grabbing her by her arms.

“Hey!” She protested as they pulled her to her feet.

“Well, it’s been a dazzling reunion, but I think I’ll be leaving now.” Crowley announced. Dean, Sam, and Destiel looked at him. “Give Castiel a kiss for me.” Crowley taunted as he disappeared. Dean’s eyes lidded and he growled his discontentment.

“Let me go!” Des snapped.

“Oh, I don’t think so.” Dean argued. “This might hurt, kiddo.” Dean said, knocking her lights out. She fell limp in Sam’s arms. Sam looked at Dean, bewildered. “I didn’t have a choice.” He said. “Grab the holy oil.” That's when Sam noticed the Mark of Cain was glowing, then quickly died away.

~~~

Sam and Dean sat in chairs in the basement of the Bunker, watching the flames of the ring of holy fire dance as they waited for Destiel to come to. When she did, she held her head in her hands, groaning.

“Sonofabitch.” She moaned sleepily. She looked up at her uncle and her dad. “Holy fire, real original, guys.”

“Planning for Purgatory, summoning Crowley… What were you thinking?” Sam lectured, shaking his head.

“I…” Destiel sighed. She looked at the floor then back at the brother. She paused before speaking. “It’s just, I’ve been lonely and hunting by myself is hard. And given your histories, dragging in new people always gets them killed. So I figured the best person I could ask for who’s still alive would be Benny.”

“So why didn’t you just come to us?” Dean asked, not taking his eyes off his daughter.

“Because be honest: would you’ve let me hunt? I mean, there’s no way on Earth you guys are gonna let me get into harm’s way. Especially not since I just died. And I’m not just gonna sit in the Bunker and let you two get hurt. You’re family. And you never give up on family. Ever. And another thing; you’re my weak spots, and I’m yours, particularly you, Dad.” She admitted. “And I can’t find Father, and he was with Hannah as far as I knew, and she creeps me out. So I thought up someone I might be able to trust. And Benny was the first one who wasn’t a) dead, b) a random person who’s in the dark, or c) a traitor.”

“But he’s in Purgatory. Even if you got there, and even if you found him, how do you expect to get out? It’s a human portal. And we still don’t even know if that’s how Cas got out when Naomi rescued him.” Dean pointed out.

“So? I’m half human. And you have no hard proof that angels can’t get out through that portal.” Destiel waved a finger at Dean.

“But you don’t have proof that angels can get out.” Dean argued.

“Dad…” Destiel started.

“Don’t “Dad” me! I’m not letting you go to Purgatory and you can’t get in even if I let you.” Dean countered.

“What?! Why not?” Des asked desperately.

“Because, the only way to get back in is to stand next to a dying Leviathan or some complicated spell under an eclipse. Have fun waiting for an eclipse. And we’ve wiped all remaining Leviathan off the map.” Dean explained. Destiel unknowingly wore a defeated look on her face. She said nothing, just turned away from Dean and Sam.

“Look, Des, even if you got Benny out, then what? You hunt with him? How do you think he’d react to that?” Sam asked gently. Destiel still didn’t look at either of them.

“This family’s insane. Or what’s left of it.” She commented, as if it had just occurred to her. Then she turned her head straight toward Dean, not unlike something Cas had once done. Sam looked at Dean, Dean looked at Sam, and Destiel looked at Dean. “I have to find my father.” She said, not realizing how much she sounded like Castiel himself.

“No. You’re not going anywhere.” Dean shook his head, standing up.

“So I’m on lock-down?!” Des squeaked in shock.

“Yes. You’re grounded here so I know you won’t go flapping off to try your damnest to get into monster heaven.” Dean turned to leave, but Sam stayed behind, looking at his niece.

“Dad, you can’t be serious!”

“Dead serious.” Dean grumbled back as he exited the dungeon, slamming the door behind him.  Sam looked at Des, and she gazed at the place where Dean’d stood.

“He won’t be back for a while.” Sam said quietly.

“I know.” Destiel said, slowly smiling. Sam gave her a confused look, then just stared. “I needed to make up some reason for him to go for a drive.” She explained.

“Why didn’t you just ask him to go out and grab something?”

“Because he knows I can just flap off and grab it. Besides, what’s the fun in that? No, I needed to talk to you, Sam.”

“Why?”

“I need your help.”

“With what?”

“I want to, err…“parent trap” Dad and Father.” Sam gaped for a minute, then laughed. He clutched his stomach, chuckling.

“So even you’ve noticed it.” Sam noted.

“Who hasn’t? Seriously, when they stare at each other, I can’t tell you how much I want to scream “get a room” at them, it’s ridiculous.” Destiel smiled. Sam nodded.

“Trust me; I’ve been dealing with it for the past six years. Six long years of being the awkward one in the back who’s forced to watch their soapy eye sex.” Destiel pointed at her uncle.

“Yes! Oh my gosh, so you see it too. I mean, well duh, but I mean, it’s so evident, but yet they act like it’s the most private thing in the world!” Sam and Des chuckled.

Then Dean stormed in.

“Sam, we gotta go.”

“Why?” Sam asked.

“It’s Cas. He called, he says he needs help and that it’s an emergency. Wouldn’t tell me over the phone.”

“Go get-em, Romeo.” Des sniggered. Dean shot her a look.

“That’s enough out of you, Happy-Meal.” Dean snapped, pointing a finger at his daughter. “You’re already in a mess of trouble. It’s just me and Sam on this one. I’m not bringing you on another hunt. Ever.”

“Why? I die one time, and suddenly it’s “the end of the world”? I mean, how many times have you and Father and Uncle Sammy died?”

“Des, enough.” Dean warned.

“But-”

“I said, enough.”

Des huffed and crossed her arms.

“Fine. So are you gonna just leave me here or what?”

“I took care of that. A friend of ours, Jody Mills is gonna come up and look after you while we’re gone because we may be gone for a while. Please be good.” Dean ordered. Des rolled her eyes.

“You be good.” Des sassed back. Dean rolled his eyes and kissed the top of her head.

“We’ll be back.” Dean said, as he and Sam started for the door, after putting out the holy fire.

“Dad?”

“Yeah?” Dean answered, poking his head back in.

“Just promise me you’ll come back?” Des asked. Dean smiled.

“I promise.” Then he left. Des flew to the edges of the property, but find she couldn’t leave. She swore when she found a ring of contained holy fire around the building. So she sat at the table in the main room and flipped through some of Dean’s father’s journal to keep her occupied until she would meet Jody.

~~~

Episode 10x09

~~~

Jody had left the day she got a call from Sam that he, Dean, and Cas were coming back to the Bunker.

But the homecoming was not as expected for Des.

Dean had passed out, and Cas had a young girl with him around Des’ age.

“Daddy!” Des shrieked as Sam carried the unconscious Dean in, and set Dean on his bed. “What the hell happened?” She cried frantically. Then she saw Cas and Claire. She hugged Cas, but he simply stood there, unsure of what to do. Des looked up at him, wondering why he wasn’t hugging back. Cas looked away and Des backed up, feeling pushed away. “Father…?”

“Father? I guess there’s a lot that you haven’t told me, Castiel.” Claire said accusingly at Cas. Des looked at Claire.

“And who are you?” Des asked.

“I could ask you the same thing.” Claire snapped. Des turned to Sam as he returned to the main room after putting Dean down.

“You know, just cause you brought me a date doesn’t mean that I’m not still mad that Dad’s passed out." Des said pointedly at Sam. Claire shuddered.

“EW! What the hell? Date? I’m straight, you freaking homo!” Claire screamed, disgusted. Des’ eyes widened, and her mouth dropped open for a second then just like a snap of the fingers, Des’ surprise turned to anger.

“Homo? Homo? Who do you think you are? The fucking queen of England? I can be whatever the hell I am, cock-sucker! I’m half-angel, bitch. Watch your mouth before you tangle with me! I could blast away your existence with a snap of my fingers.” Des raged.

“Alright, alright enough.” Sam decided. “Des, come with me.” Des rolled her eyes, but went with her uncle to another room.

Cas turned on Claire.

“That’s my daughter, Claire. Show her some respect.”

“Yeah, so I heard. You got some explaining to do, Castiel.”

~~~

Sam sat down Des in her room she had taken up at the Bunker in Sam and Dean’s absence. He told her everything that had happened, Cas taking care of Jimmy Novak’s child and Dean losing control over the Mark and passing out then coming back.

Des said nothing for a long time after Sam had finished. She didn’t even look at Sam, she only stared at the floor.

“All that time I was gone, for maybe a month, and he never once looked for me. Suddenly he’s reminded of his vessel’s kid –who, as far as he knew, had a mother to look after her- and he’s off on the second.” Des shook her head. “He cares more about her than his own kid.”

“No, that’s not true.” Sam sympathized.

“Yes it is!” She argued, standing up and staring at Sam with a hard gaze. “He has never cared for me! I’m created and he keeps his distance. I die and he passes out and doesn’t say a word. I come back and leave, and he lets me go and doesn’t bother looking for me. Just now, I gave him a hug, and he just stood there, not moving or hugging me back. I got verbally attacked by his…pet, and he doesn’t say anything! Uncle Sammy, my Father doesn’t give a rat’s ass about me.” She said, turning away. Sam looked at her and purposefully held her gaze.

“Des, look. I know it seems like-”

“It doesn’t seem like, it is!” She screamed. “It is.” She said, quieter. “Ask him yourself.” Then she flew off to confront Cas, who was still with Claire.

“Des…” Sam called, but she was gone, and he let her go, though he wandered back to the main room where she had gone.

“You care more about her than me, you asshat!” Des screeched at Cas. “You never gave a crap about me! And now I’ve lost my Dad and you won’t say anything! Say something, Father, please! I beg you, say something!” Destiel pleaded.

“Don’t you think there are more pressing matters than this? We should find a place for Claire to stay-”

“You’ve got to be kidding! What a joke! You didn’t care whether I lived or died! You come to this bitch’s beck and call! And even now, you’re more worried about her than me!” Des turned to leave, but then turned back on Cas. “I hate you!” She screamed, flying off.

Cas stood there, in shock, unsure of what to do.

“Is that how she normally-” Claire began, but Cas waved her off and she fell silent.

~~~

Destiel wandered defeatedly over to a small, dark-wood chair that was so old it creaked when she sat in it. She pulled it out from under the desk in the corner which was littered with loose papers. Des put the chair next to the bed and sat down in it, putting her feet on the edge of the chair and resting her chin on her knees. She stared at Dean, hoping and waiting for her dad to wake up. Des sighed and stared at her Dad for a while before speaking.

“Please wake up, Dad. You’re the only one who really gives a crap about me. I know you think you’re a monster, and you don’t do anything right, but you’re wrong, Dad.” Destiel paused, sniffling and blinking away the tears that were forming in her misty eyes. “You raised me, didn’t you? You always had my best interests at heart, and you’ve always kept me safe. You’re a good Dad. That’s gotta count for something, right?” She took a deep, shaky breath as she trembled and tears slowly rolled down her cheeks. “So I need you to wake up.” Des pleaded. “Daddy, please. You’re the only one I’ve got left.” She stopped for a moment, to wipe her eyes with the back of cuffs of her purple sleeves.

Destiel looked down at her feet, deciding on whether or not to say the next thing:

“You know,” she began, choosing her words carefully, “Cas doesn’t love me. Not really. Not like you do. He’s not the father I need. He cares more about some random homophobic chick than his own daughter.” Des let a small sob and her words became higher pitched and broken: “I just wish he loved me the way you do. He doesn’t and I feel like everything I do isn’t good enough for him. It’s like I don’t even exist for him. He ignores me and avoids me.” Des bit her lip and rubbed her red eyes. “I’m sorry.” She said, flying off.

Des ended up outside, next to the Impala, where Sam had forgotten to put it in the garage. It was dark and a bit wet because it had previously been raining before Sam, Cas, Dean, and Claire had returned. Not that it bothered the young seraphim much.

“Please.” She prayed, looking up to the stars. “God, please. I know You can hear me, Chuck. You brought me back for a reason, but if it’s to see the end of my-” She stopped. “No. If that’s the reason, You should’ve left me dead. So I’m asking You, please. Bring Dad back. Don’t let him destroy himself. I don’t want him to die. Or worse, turn into that monster again. My Dad is not a monster. He believes he is, but that’s not true. Show mercy on him, please. You did for me. So why not him? All he does is save people and give and give and give for the world and all he gets is shit and misery and no self-worth, so please!” She screamed, anger rising like the tide. “Save him!” When no one came, Destiel’s anger rippled through her Grace, and she screamed, shattering the glass in the light posts that were closest to her.

Destiel looked back up at the starry black sky, willing herself to stop crying. She bit her lip and tried to force herself not to do it, yet it was just too hard not to. She sobbed, loudly and awkwardly.  Des was glad there was no one around and screamed at the sky.

“What more can You take from me?!” She accused. “You’ve taken my Father, and now my Dad!” She sat on the Impala hood. “It‘s not fair.” Des sniffled.

There was a rustle of wings Destiel couldn’t hear over her own crying. The mystery angel sat down next to Des, and startled her. She jumped, then calmed and rolled her blood-shot eyes.

“Oh. It’s you.” Des said, disgusted. Castiel sighed, and also gazed up at the sky.

“Humans are such a wonder, aren’t they? They can be fascinated with something as crude as the stars, which are only big orbs of gas thousands of miles away, yet humans take them as if they were the eyes of God.” Cas chuckled quietly to himself. Then he looked down at his daughter. “I know you tried to pray to Him. Trust me, He won’t-”

“Trust you? Trust you?! Give me one good reason why I should trust you, Castiel.” Des said with as much spite as she could. Cas refocused his gaze to anywhere but Destiel.

“Because I am your Father, and I care about you.” Cas explained gently after a moment of thought. Des scoffed.

“No, you’re not my Father, you’ve made that very clear. And saying that you give a crap about me is about as authentic as saying that the Mark isn’t affecting Dad and that he’s just peachy!” She turned away from Cas. “Just leave me. What do you care if I pray to God?” Cas gave his daughter a long, thoughtful look.

“Do you really hate me so?”

Destiel then slowly looked back up into Cas’ cerulean, ocean blue eyes, non-identical to her current jade ones.

“No,” she sighed, “but you’re more focused on someone who’s not your flesh and blood than your own daughter. You don’t care, so why should I?” Des asked softly. Castiel sighed again, and took a deep breath.

“I don’t know if I ever told you this, but God? He abandoned me too. My own Father didn’t care what happened to me, though I loved Him and believed in Him when no one else did, and everyone told me I was wasting my time looking for Him. Well, everyone except Dean. He said I should look for God because Dean believed I could do it. Dean understood when no one else did.” Cas babbled, continuing on longer than he meant to. He smiled and slightly shook his head. “Anyway, what I’m trying to say is I didn’t want that to happen to you. Though I guess it did nevertheless.” He looked his daughter dead in the eyes. “I’m sorry, Destiel.” Castiel apologized sincerely. Destiel studied Cas for a moment, her face and mind unreadable.

Finally, she said:

“Do you mean it? Really? Because if you’re lying or if this is a trick, I swear; I’ll never-”

“Des,” Cas cut in.

“Yeah?”

“I’m sorry. And I mean it. You mean much to me, and I was just so scared of failing you that I didn’t know what to do, so I did nothing. I couldn’t see it until now, that I was basically doing the one thing I’d hoped to avoid. And what I’ve done is the worst thing I could’ve. And I’m completely honest when I say that I am sorry.” Cas clarified. “I know it is a lot to ask, but I beg you for forgiveness, and I hope that we might be able to start over.”

Des said nothing, but stared up at Cas with her green-but-slowly-turning-blue eyes. Then she smiled and threw her arms around Castiel’s middle and buried her face in his chest. At first, Castiel was too shocked and stunned to move. Then he slowly unfolded his arms and wrapped them around his daughter, holding her close.

“I love you, Father.” Destiel said, her words muffled in Cas’ tan trench coat. Castiel’s surprise  showed on his face, even if his daughter didn’t get to see it.

“I love you too, Destiel.” Cas replied without doubt in his mind. He leaned down and kissed the top of her head lightly. “And I’m here now.” He added, and Des took it as the promise it was meant to be. “I don’t intend on leaving.”

~~~

Dean Winchester snuggled up to the warm body in front of himself. The sheets were smooth silk, but they were also comfortably warm. He was about to fall peacefully back into sleep when a young child's voice cried out from a room down the hall:

"Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!"

Dean and his bed partner, Castiel, simultaneously groaned.

"She gets that from you, you know." Cas grumbled, not moving. Dean let out another sleep-deprived groan, and wrapped his arms tighter around Castiel's middle.

"No, she's an early riser. That she gets from you." Dean argued, smiling and kissing the back of Cas' neck, which he then nuzzled into.

"Daddy!" The little three-year-old girl called, and both men heard it.

"She wants you. She said "Daddy"." Cas reminded Dean. Dean sighed, planted one last kiss in Cas' raven mess of hair, then slid out of the sheets. Cas sat up in bed as Dean left it, collecting the young girl. Cas smiled at his lover and their daughter, the little girl who had Castiel's black hair and blue eyes along with Dean's freckles and smile. Dean and his daughter, Destiel, smiled back at Cas as they entered the room.

"What do you say, Des?" Dean asked Destiel as he lifted her into his arms. She turned to look at him.

"I love you." She said in her young voice, having trouble pronouncing some syllables.

"Can I get a kiss?" Dean asked, smiling. She smiled back, and pressed her lips gently to his. The two smiled, as did Castiel, who still sat in bed. "Can you tell Father that you love him?" Dean asked Destiel. The young girl turned to Cas.

"I love you, FaFa." She said, not being able to completely say "Father" yet. Cas and Dean smiled at each other, then at Des.

"I love you, Destiel." Castiel replied.

"Can you give Father a kiss too?" Dean asked. Destiel put her hand to her lips, then released it with a smack towards Castiel's direction. Cas pretended to snatch the kiss from thin air. "Alright, let's go get some food, okay Munchkin?" Dean asked Destiel, carrying her to the kitchen. Cas settled back down into the sheets.

Dean soon returned after feeding his only daughter and putting her back in her crib. Luckily, she fell asleep quickly. He slunk back into bed, resuming his postion.

"What do you say, Dean?" Cas teased his lover. Dean gently squeezed Cas.

"I love you." Dean whispered into Cas' ear before kissing his cheek. Cas rolled over to look over at Dean, blue eyes shining. "What do you say, Cas?" The two smiled.

"I love you, Dean."

"Can I get a kiss?" Dean repeated with a wide grin on his face. Cas shook his head, although he was smiling. He leaned in, pressing their lips together lovingly. "I love you, Cas."

"I love you too, Dean." Cas said again as he brushed a stray hair from his face. Dean's sight focused on the golden band on his fourth finger. He smiled and kissed Cas again, caressing Castiel's cheek with his hand which had a matching gold ring on his own hand.

And just as the two were about to slip back into a pleasant dream, a voice rang out;

"Daddy!"

~*~*~*~

Dean woke up, breathing heavily. He thought about the dream he'd just had. He remembered who he was and where he was. He sighed, running a ring-less hand through his light brown hair. The bed space next to him felt empty, though he had been the only one in it ever.

Dean pondered over the dream. He thought about Des and he thought about Cas, considering them both individually and together as lover and daughter.

~~~

“Are you two done with your chick-flick moment? Or should I give you another minute while I puke and cut my eyes out?” A familiar voice teased from a short distance not too far from the Bunker entrance.

“Daddy!” Des shrieked, jumping off the Impala and flying into her Dad’s arms, because she didn’t think her feet could run fast enough to Dean. She was swooped up into his arms, and Dean stroked her long, raven hair. Sam came out too, and smiled.

“Hey, Des.” Dean murmured, kissing the top of her head. Then she backed up and slapped him across the face.

“That’s for scaring me and losing control over the Mark and not telling me.” Des snapped sternly. Then she gave a stunned Dean another hug. “This is for waking up and coming back.” Dean just stared at his daughter as Sam laughed hysterically behind them. Finally, after a long, shocked pause, Dean found his voice:

“One; you don’t hit me, that’s my job to smack me around. Two; I was just passed out, I wasn’t dead.”

“Yeah, but I was convinced you’d wake up as a being of demonic nature…again.” Des countered.

“But I’m not.” Dean argued. He opened his mouth to reprimand her more, but decided not to. He remembered his dream and looked to Cas. Dean swallowed hard and opened his mouth again. “Des, can I talk to your Father privately for a minute?” He asked, looking at Cas.

“Sure thing, Dad.” Des said, looking at him, then Cas, then back at Dean. She then headed for the Bunker, and went inside with Sam.

“Cas.”

“Dean.”

“I see you got a boost on your Daddy-scale today.”

“I see you’re up and not a demon.”

“Look, Cas.” Dean said, coming close to Cas.

“No, you look, Dean. You scared her.” Cas said, nodding toward the Bunker. “She needs someone to rely on. If that’s not motive enough to get rid of the Mark, then I don’t know what is.”

“Cas, not now. We can discuss the Mark later, I have to tell you something-” Dean said, wanting to explain the dream he’d had and how he truly felt about everything.

“No, Dean. You cannot continue avoiding this subject, the Mark is killing you! It’s doing more than that, even. It’s destroying you, Dean. It’s destroying who you are. I can’t let that happen to you.”

“Why?” Dean asked, wondering if he could maybe trick Cas into saying it for him.

“Because, after all we’ve been through, after all I’ve done and pain I’ve caused you…you never gave up on me. So I don’t want to give up on you, Dean.” Cas said, honesty in his deep blue eyes.

“Cas…” Dean said, coming closer, so that he and Cas were in each other’s’ personal spaces. “Cas…” Dean repeated, putting a hand up to caress Castiel’s face. Cas looked terrified.

“Dean-Dean what are you…Dean, are you okay?” Cas asked frantically. Dean smiled warmly.

“Yeah, Cas. I am.” Then, he gently cupped Cas’ chin, and Dean Winchester softly kissed Castiel.

Cas tensed at first, but then melted into the kiss. He put his arms around Dean, and held him tight. Dean had his other hand behind Cas’ head, running his fingers through his soft mess of hair. When the kiss ended, Dean felt sad that it hadn’t been longer. But then Cas pulled Dean back into another kiss.

“Cas.” Dean said quietly when the kissing had ended.

“Yes, Dean?” Cas whispered, equally quiet.

“I want you to move into my room for good.” Cas smiled, and Dean couldn’t help but taste his grin. “Help me raise Des. We can be a real family.” Dean said on Cas’ lips.

“Alright, Dean.” Cas ended his sentence with another kiss.

~~~

From the window in the Bunker, Des snickered and Sam’s mouth fell to the floor.

“Just wait till they find out that I gave Dad a dream that would convince him to admit his feelings for Father.” Destiel said, clutching her stomach and laughing more. Sam, after getting over his shock, laughed along with his niece, whether out of relief or more shock, he wasn’t sure.

“So that’s your “parent trap”?”