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Dean glanced at his watch and flipped through the channels yet again. It was Friday night, and he actually had the weekend off, but he was too keyed up to relax. It was his first bit of time off in weeks, and Cas was driving down to Virginia Beach to spend it with him. Winchester Security was leasing a condo in the area as they worked to bring Sandover’s newest office online. Overall, it was cheaper than renting hotel rooms, and daily commuting to Northern Virginia was not an option. And this particular weekend, Dean had managed to convince the rest of the team to return home so he and Cas could have the place to themselves.
The past few months hadn’t been easy, especially with Dean spending so much time away from home. Cas had been regularly attending counseling sessions, and he was dealing with Dean being in a different city. And on the more difficult days, a small dose of hydroxyzine helped calm his rattled nerves. It seemed like they were finally turning a corner, and Dean wanted to make sure they stayed connected.
He checked his watch again. Technically, Cas wasn’t late. He’d sent a text a few hours ago saying he got a late start and was on his way. He didn’t give any additional information so Dean was stuck waiting for him to make the drive in Friday evening rush hour traffic. He’d planned on taking Cas out for a nice romantic dinner, and then a relaxing evening back at the condo. However, now, they would most likely end up eating take-out when Cas finally arrived.
He clicked the off button and tossed the remote onto the sofa. He needed to be doing something. The transition team ordered food fairly often, and they had accumulated quite a few take-out menus. Dean gathered up the assortment, trying to decide what looked best. He’d narrowed it down to three places when he heard the knock.
Anticipation thrummed through his veins as he made his way to the door. “Well, aren’t you a sight for sore eyes,” Dean said with a cheeky grin, pulling his fiancé in for a warm hug. Cas seemed to melt against him, and Dean let go of all the frustration he’d been feeling. Cas looked exhausted, and Dean was just so tired of seeing him look so weary.
“Rough drive?” he asked, leading him inside.
“Just got a late start. Hit traffic.”
Dean wanted to ask what had held him up, but he didn’t want to stir up any tension. This was supposed to be a romantic get-away, and they were already starting off on rocky footing. “So, we have the place to ourselves this weekend. I’ll order in. What would you like?”
Cas gave him a half-hearted shrug. “I’m not really hungry.”
“When’s the last time you ate?”
Cas seemed to think about it for a moment. “Probably breakfast.”
“Yeah, nope. Go take a load off, and I’ll see what we got in the fridge.” Skipping meals was a sure sign that Cas was stressed. Dean had learned that the best way to approach this was to offer light meals or small snacks, something that wouldn’t upset his stomach. He nudged Cas towards the living room and turned towards the kitchen, stopping when Cas reached out and grabbed hold of his wrist.
“Dean, I’m sorry. I know you were hoping for a nice weekend.”
Dean leaned forward and pressed a quick kiss to the corner of his mouth. “It’s nice because you’re here. Thanks for driving down, babe. Now go relax while I whip up the most amazing grilled cheese ever.” And that grateful smile that Cas just gave him made it all worth it.
It wasn’t what he’d been hoping for, of course, but any time with Cas was better than none. It had been a rough couple of months for them. Dean’s work schedule made it difficult for them to be together, and he was going to make the most of every opportunity.
It didn’t take him long to make the sandwiches and slice up an apple to go along with it. He was sure that he’d be back later for something else as a sandwich wasn’t going to be enough for him, but it was a good start. “Ok, babe. How about we eat these out on the balcony?”
Cas gave him a little nod and opened the door for Dean who was carrying both plates.
“Have a seat, and I’ll get us some drinks.”
“Dean, I can help. You’ve been working all week.”
“And you just did a long drive. Take a load off. I got this. Beer or do we need water?” It wasn’t subtle, but Dean wanted to know for sure if Cas was in a state requiring medication, for either his back or anxiety.
Cas hesitated a few seconds. “Beer,” he decided.
“Water it is,” Dean countered. “Look, you’re obviously stressed about something, and the drive probably didn’t do you any favors. So take the anxiety pill or muscle relaxer. No shame in getting help if you need it.” Cas had been better about admitting when he needed help. He’d been making great progress, but every once in a while, he had a setback. And Dean wanted to be as supportive as possible.
“Dean, I’m fine. I can’t run and take pills whenever I’m annoyed or have a bad day. We can have a beer together.”
He considered it for a moment and decided to trust Cas’ judgment. “Ok, Beer it is.”
Dean settled into one of the patio chairs and started to relax. It wasn’t what he had originally planned, but the cool night air and calm atmosphere seemed like a better choice. “Thanks,” he said when Cas placed a bottle next to him.
“These are amazing,” Cas told him after taking his first bite. “Something as simple as a grilled cheese, and you make it so delicious.”
“Do you remember the first time I made them for you?”
“Of course,” Cas smiled, licking a bit of melted cheese off his finger.
“You think you’re cute, huh? You were such a pain back then,” Dean said thinking back to the assignment that had led to him meeting Cas.
“And yet you still asked me out.”
“Excuse me, I don’t recall exactly asking you out.”
“No, I don’t suppose you did. You just skipped all the niceties and lured me into your bed. Very unprofessional I might add, seeing as how you were supposed to be protecting me.”
Dean gave him a wicked grin, enjoying the teasing banter. “No safer place than underneath me, sweetheart.”
Cas snorted and took a sip of his beer.
“So,” Dean prompted after they had finished their meal. He was hesitant to break the easy mood between them, but he wasn’t going to let them regress by not addressing their issues. “Want to tell me about your day?”
Cas kept looking out over the balcony, and Dean gave him some space. He hadn’t said no or immediately deflected so he knew Cas would most likely tell him.
“I had a second interview this morning. I got the call back Wednesday, and everything sounded great over the phone. They liked my first interview, seemed impressed by my experience. They just had to do some routine checks, but …. I don’t know, when I went in this morning, it was completely different. I didn’t get the job.”
Dean didn’t say anything. It didn’t make sense. Cas was more than qualified for all the jobs he’d been trying to get, and if he landed a second interview, then he was doing something right. There was no way he should be hitting walls every single time.
“I’m sorry.”
“For what?” Dean asked.
“For being this burden on us, for being such a mess.”
“We’re in this together, Cas. We support each other. I don’t know what’s going on with the jobs, but I do know you. We’ll figure that part out. And you know we have more than enough money. You saw to that when you set up our budget and investment schedules. You have a lot of options. Go back to school. Teach. Start your own business.”
“It’s not fair that you have to cover everything.”
“Babe, even with just my check, we’re still putting a little away each month in savings. And again, that’s because of your budgeting. And once you figure out what you feel you have to do, it’ll come together.”
“I know you’re right. I just felt like this was going to be it.”
Dean reached over and took hold of Cas’ hand, tangling their fingers together. “Thanks for telling me.”
Cas looked at him with a curious expression.
“You’ve been through a lot these past few months, and our communication hasn’t been the best. A lot of that is my fault, for not realizing what I needed to do for you to be able to talk to me. So, you know, thanks for opening up to me about what’s going on.”
“I’m sorry I ruined your plans.”
“You didn’t,” Dean reassured him. “My only plan was to spend the weekend with you. The rest were just ideas. It’s been a long week for me as well and sitting here with my soon-to-be-husband, eating grilled cheese and listening to the waves is pretty damn perfect to me.”
Dean’s concentration was shot. He’d been distracted all morning, and the more he thought about it, the madder he got. He took out his phone to make a call, stopping when John came into his temporary office and closed the door behind him.
“Ok, you got five minutes to tell me what the hell is going on. Any particular reason you decided to postpone a meeting that everyone cleared their calendars for?” John’s tone was simmering near anger, not quite at the boiling point.
“Something came up.”
“Try again,” John snapped.
“Look,” Dean cut him off before he could get too worked up. “I had something personal come up, and it threw me off. I just need a minute to get my thoughts together.”
“Personal.”
“Don’t,” Dean warned. “You know I give this job everything, and I just need thirty minutes to handle this, time that I’m wasting now.”
John opened his mouth but closed it into a frown. “What happened? I’m assuming it’s Cas.”
Dean hesitated, not really wanting to share the details with his father, considering John’s less than supportive attitude. But the sooner he shared, the sooner John would drop his two cents and then maybe leave him alone.
“Cas came down Friday and spent the weekend. He had a call back interview Friday morning. He was so sure he was going to get it, but by the time he got in there, they did a one-eighty on him. Something he said got me thinking, so I had Charlie call Anna and pretend she was checking Cas’ references for potential hiring. She blackballed him. No way anyone would hire him after what she said.”
John’s frown deepened, and he took a seat across from the desk. “You sure?”
“I trust Charlie. You know how thorough she is.”
John rubbed a hand over his face and sighed. “Well, we can’t let that go, but for right now, we need to concentrate on this meeting.”
Dean was about to protest, but John held up his hand. “Tonight, Dean. We’ll sit down and figure out what we should do but only one problem at a time. Let’s wrap this up, and we can discuss it over dinner.”
“Yeah, ok.” It wasn’t lost on him that John hadn’t shut him down. He wanted a quick answer, but there weren’t any easy fixes. It was hard to stop thinking of how much Cas had suffered because of this. If he’d been home, he’d already be in Anna’s office.
“Dean, we’ll figure it out. Messing up now is only going to create bigger problems, and I can guess what you’re thinking, but Cas doesn’t need you flying off the handle either. Now take five minutes to get yourself together and meet me in the conference room.”
Some days, he hated his job, especially when he only wanted to concentrate on taking care of Cas. Other times, it was a relief to lose himself in his work. That was what he needed now. He forced himself to think about the security plans they wanted to implement and promised himself that he was going to fix it.
John was true to his word and insisted they have dinner together that evening. He had chosen a small Italian restaurant a few blocks from the condo. Dean figured he chose a public setting to keep Dean from making a scene. The bottle of red wine was a nice touch.
“You trying to soften the mood?” Dean asked, “cause I gotta tell ya, no matter how calm I might seem, I’m still pissed, and I still intend to make Anna pay for screwing Cas over.”
John took a sip of wine and studied him for a moment. “I chose this place because I thought it would be nice to explore the local area with my son. There’s a reason I wanted to have a family business.”
Dean was surprised. Of course there had been times when the family felt closer from shared work experiences, but lately, the focus had just been on the jobs and profits. And John hadn’t exactly been the most supportive father lately, taking exception with most of Dean’s choices.
The waiter came over and took their orders. John waited until they were alone before speaking again. “Good job today. Appreciate you pulling it together.”
“Yeah, well, didn’t have much choice.”
“Actually you did,” John told him. “And like I said earlier, we’ll figure out what to do with the job situation.”
“Not sure what I can do,” Dean frowned as he played with his wine glass. “The damage is done. Cas lost out on a lot of good job opportunities because of her. His self-esteem has taken a big hit as a result. So she gets the credit for his hard work, and Cas gets a chronic injury and black-listed.”
“Are you sure he’s ready to be back on the job?”
“He’s more than ready. Cas is sharp, and work would be good for him. Counseling has been going well. Anna’s the one saying he isn’t ready, and it’s not her call to make.”
Their waiter brought out their food, and while it looked and smelled delicious, Dean’s appetite was gone. He felt so helpless. There wasn’t anything he could do for Cas. Confronting Anna wouldn’t undo the damage she’d caused. He could tell Cas what had happened, but to what end? And putting the word out about what Anna had done would just drag Cas into an unprofessional he said-she said.
“Well, let’s bring it in house.”
“What?”
“You met Cas when he needed protection for an investigation, and again here recently, he would have benefited from extra security. There’s a market for what he does and with our resources, he’ll have the foundation.”
“Are you serious? Cas won’t take a handout.”
“If he’s what you say he is, he’ll work for it. We’ve been planning to move Charlie from in-house tech to her own branch of cyber investigation. It will be a similar move with Cas. We’ll be looking at them to build up those departments.”
Dean was stunned. He’d known about tentative plans for adding a cyber investigative branch to Winchester Security, but he’d never heard them mention anything about forensic accounting. “Why now?” he couldn’t help but ask.
“Why not?” John replied, setting his fork down and leaning in a bit, his eyes focused on Dean. “You guys are taking your sweet time on making it official, but he’s going to be a Winchester, and we take care of our own. You say he’s ready to work. I believe you, and this way, he’d have the full support and protection of our security team for any potentially dangerous cases. And if we happen to go head to head against Anna’s firm, so be it.”
“You’d do that for him?”
“I’m not giving him a handout, Dean. You know how I feel about this company. I wouldn’t make this offer if I didn’t believe it could be successful. I expect him to work just as hard for us as he would anyone else. And I expect you to let him do his job and not coddle him.”
“As if he’d let me.”
“So you think he’ll go for it?”
“I don’t know,” Dean sighed. “We can be strong medicine. Not sure he’ll want his father-in-law to be his boss. He also doesn’t know about Anna yet. Not sure how he’s going to take it.”
“Probably not well. I don’t see any point in confronting her, but I have no problem going up against her in business.”
Dean nodded, feeling much the same way. Any cordial feelings he may have had for Anna were wiped out when she decided to go after his fiancé. “Ok. We’ll set up a meeting.” There weren’t any guarantees, but seeing his dad accept Cas and try to bring him into the fold meant a lot to him.
It was another three weeks before life and work settled down enough for everyone to get together. Their assignment in Norfolk didn’t require them to be on site as much, and Dean was only spending a couple of days out of the week there. John was also home more often, and he was eager to start working on this next phase of the business.
Cas wasn’t quite as eager for the family dinner, though.
“I promise it’ll be fine. It’s just dinner with the folks. We’ve done this dozens of times, and you know Mom is a good cook,” Dean told him as they made their way up the steps and in through the front door. “We’re here!” he shouted.
Cas shook his head. Dean never announced himself in a calm manner, and John always fussed at him for doing so.
“Keep it up,” John grumbled, coming out to greet them, “and you won’t be getting as many home-cooked meals.”
“Cas can cook,” Dean replied with a cheeky grin. “But I’ll behave.”
“Only because you smell that pie,” John replied.
“Yup.” Dean reached for Cas’ hand and pulled him along to the kitchen. “Smells amazing in here, Mom.”
“Of course it does.” Mary greeted them both with a kiss on the cheek. “You’re just in time. I just put everything on the table.”
“Are we not waiting for Sam and Sarah?” Cas asked.
“Oh, they’re not coming. It’s just us,” Mary answered.
Dean placed a reassuring hand on Cas’ lower back and guided him over to a chair “It’ll be ok,” he murmured, brushing a kiss along his cheek.
Dinner was casual, and Dean was happy to note that everyone seemed pretty relaxed. His parents seemed to be really making an effort for Cas to be included and feel as if he were part of the family. By the time Mary served the pie, Cas was smiling and chatting easily.
John cleared his throat and looked at Dean before turning his focus to Cas. “We’re glad you were able to make it to dinner. I did have something I wanted to discuss with you, though.”
Dean saw Cas tense up and his smile become a little tighter. He reached over under the table and placed his hand on his thigh.
“Sure. What’s on your mind?” Cas asked.
“A few weeks ago, Dean and I had a discussion about some areas of the business where we’d like to expand. We think it would be a benefit for Winchester Security to add forensic accounting, and we would like you to bring that online for us.”
Cas’ eyes widen in surprise before his expression turns somber. “Thank you, but you don’t have to do this. I’m sure I’ll find a job soon, and I’ll be able to contribute more.”
“It’s not charity,” John said. “The work you do can be dangerous and being paired with a security company makes sense. I think there’s potential there. We’re also approaching Charlie about adding cyber security services as well. The company is poised to grow, and we think this is a good direction.”
“We?”
“Of course Mary and I have discussed this, as well as Bobby, Dean and Sam.”
Cas looked over at Dean and seemed lost. “It’s ok, babe,” Dean reassured him. “I asked many of the same questions, and he’s right. It makes sense. I didn’t tell you about it because I didn’t want you to feel like I was getting this job for you.”
“I wouldn’t put my company at risk, Cas. I don’t have any issue or doubt about your abilities,” John said.
“My recent track record would suggest otherwise.”
Mary looked over at Dean. “You didn’t tell him?”
“Um, I didn’t see the point, especially knowing what Dad had planned.”
“Tell me what?” Cas asked, glancing back and forth between Dean and Mary.
“After you told me what happened on that last interview, something just didn’t sound right. So I asked Charlie to call Anna and act like a potential employer who wanted a reference. Anna blackballed you.”
“What?”
The hurt look on Cas’ face made Dean want to reconsider his stance on not approaching Anna. No way did he deserve that from her. “She told Charlie that while you knew your stuff, due to recent circumstances, you were unstable and that she could no longer vouch for you and that she didn’t have confidence in your ability to do the job. That’s why she let you go.”
“I’m more than capable of doing my job. I’m more qualified than she is!” Cas growled, his eyes flashing. “The temp work I did for Balthazar’s friends was exemplary.”
“Babe, we know.” Dean took hold of his hand and squeezed. “We know.”
“That’s why we want you on our team,” John told him.
“Are you doing this because of Anna?”
“Partially. I fully expect this to be a profitable addition. Of course, you’ll have our full support to get off the ground, but within the next three year, I’d like to see positive growth trends.”
“What do you think, Cas?” Dean asked, unable to read his expression.
“I’d like to discuss it some more to make sure I know exactly what you want from me and that I can deliver, but overall, I would love the opportunity to do this.”
"That’s what I like to hear. We’ll schedule a time when we can all meet and get this ball rolling.”
“All right, as exciting as this is, enough work talk for now,” Mary declared. “With all of us working in the business, we need to make sure we have some separation. Dean, why don’t you and Cas go sit out back and relax while John and I clean up?”
“We’ll clean up, Mom. You did all the cooking. You should be the one resting.”
“I enjoyed cooking. It won’t take us ten minutes to pack up the leftovers and load the dishwasher. Go spend some time together. You two are going to both be fairly busy soon. I suggest you take the time when you can.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Dean reached for Cas who pulled away and offered his hand to John. His father took hold of his hand, and held on until he had walked around the table and then pulled Cas in for a hug.
“Welcome aboard, son.” John gave him a solid thump on the back and then stepped back, not drawing the moment out. He nodded at Dean before grabbing a few plates and following Mary over to the sink.
Dean pretended he didn’t see the tears that Cas was blinking away and headed out to the back porch. He took a seat in the glider and lifted his arm so Cas could slide up next to him. He brushed a kiss across his temple.
“Some negotiator you are. You didn’t even ask about your salary,” Dean teased.
“I’d do it for free. I’d thought of trying to start my own business, but I didn’t think I could do it. I thought it was a reflection on me that nobody was hiring me.”
“You got dealt a shitty hand. Their loss.”
“And you didn’t do this?” Cas asked, turning to look Dean in the eye.
“Nope. Wasn’t my idea. I found out about Anna right before a big meeting, and I had to explain to him why my head wasn’t in the game. Once I told him what happened, he said we’d talk later. And when we did, he dropped his idea. He even warned me to not baby you and to let you do your job.”
“This really means a lot to me.”
“I know it does, baby. And my dad doesn’t play around with his company. If he wants you there, he means it. He did say something, though, that’s been on my mind a lot more lately, though.”
“What’s that?”
“You’re family, and you always will be, but legally you’re not a Winchester yet. You don’t have to take my name, and we can remain engaged until you’re ready to set a date, but I’m ready now. Life is busy, stuff happens. I don’t need a huge wedding with all the fixings. I just need you.”
“So courthouse?”
“I think I can do a little better than the courthouse.” Dean leaned in and nuzzled against his neck. “I was thinking maybe booking a wedding package where they make all the arrangements, and all I have to do is show up with my gorgeous groom and tell my family the date and address. And then insta-honeymoon.”
“Such a romantic.”
Dean shrugged. “It was a thought. If you want a big wedding, we can make it happen. Probably should hire someone, though, since neither of us have a clue as to how to plan a wedding.”
“I think you did just fine. A destination wedding sounds perfect.”
“You sure? It’s not too much? Too fast?”
“It is a little overwhelming, but I wouldn’t want to do any of this without you by my side. And I’d be honored to take your name.”
Dean felt a possessive thrill course through him at Cas’ words. “I promise to be worthy of you.”
“As do I.” Cas leaned in, sealing his promise with a kiss.