Merry Christmas ya'll!

/Sarah

for this event:

The Mistletoe

North Dakota, Devils Lake

"Found it."

Dean looked up from John's journal.

"What?"

"It's some sort of water demon, it's mentioned here. It's an Old Indian legend, two tribes had been fighting over family grounds and then a witch-man summoned it to make the fighting stop." Sam tapped on the screen and looked at Dean. "Water boils is in presence."

"Explains the sudden melt down on the lake. Say ho-"

"How to kill it? No."

"Awesome," Dean said and took a chug from his beer and leaned back in the sofa.

It was December and the team had been hunting the damn thing for a few days now, and hadn't gotten lucky. People had drowned in the huge lake, by mysteriously dropping into melted holes. Their main clue was a witness who had seen her friend being grabbed by the ankle and pulled into the icy water. So far, this was the most information they'd be able to dig up on the monster. Dean nudged to the angel next to him.

"Hey Cas, any ideas?"

Castiel was sitting in the motel room with the two boys, watching TV. Running at the moment was a sappy British Christmas movie where a couple had found a mistletoe and was started kissing. Dean found it funny that Cas had found an interest in television but he was also a bit worried about what he might find. Then again, it wasn't his responsibility what Cas watched, but he felt a bit protective of the angel.

"Dean, I do not understand, is the mistletoe hexed? Their connection seems… forced."

Dean chuckled.

"No, it's just a stupid tradition that people have. It's basically an excuse to kiss someone."

"Oh."

"Wanna help us with the demon or you going to watch A Christmas Story?"

Cas stared at the screen for a few seconds before he stood up and walked over to Sam and looked at his computer screen. He observed a picture of the demon; a large monster with short legs and chubby neck.

"It's Átahsaia. You need to keep her out of the water and kill it with fire."

"Well then," Dean said and closed the journal. Cas turned to look at him. "Ever tried ice-fishing?"

Two years later

Pennsylvania, Lewisberg

The bar was incredible crowded. Apparently the Tavern Shanty was a popular place for the inhabitants of Lewisberg at Christmas. Dean, Castiel and Sam were sitting together at a small table in the far corner. The room was incredibly warm with all the people packing the place and a fireplace right next to where they were sitting.

"C'mon Cas, why not?"

"Dean, consuming large amounts of egg nog won't set my mind to a 'Christmas Mood'."

"Dean, why are we here?"

"Aaaw guys, it's Christmas! We've killed the shifter, we deserve a night off."

Sam and Cas exchanged glances while Dean cracked grin and drank the rest of the egg nog. He made a grimace after swallowing the last.

"Eugh… next year I'm gonna stick to drinking whiskey."

But eventually he persuaded them to drink with him, "For Christmas, man!", and Cas had a pretty hard time communicating with them after that.

"'S just, I feel reelly bad you know? Like, I just, wish our lives were different, you know?"

Sam was half laying across the table, numerous empty glasses and bottles laying around him. Cas, still unaffected by the alcohol, simply nodded in reply. His eyes scanned across the room and found Dean, whom had engaged in a drinking game with a man twice as large as him. A large crowd had gathered around them and was cheering him on as he drank five shots after each other. As he flipped the last one on the table the people around them started cheering and whistling.

The man in front of him had gone vaguely pale and his large beard seemed to be drenched in vodka. He managed to lift a glass, hands shaking, and then proceeded to faint. People started yelling and laughing and shouted Dean's name (well, fake name) as he fist pounded the air in victory, barely being able to stand up.

The noise in the bar was incredibly loud, Cas thought.

He watched as Dean turned around to face a woman, who stood behind him, holding a mistletoe. She was smiling coyly at him. He looked as the crowd started yelling again, urging Dean to kiss her. He hesitated. Suddenly, Dean turned to look at Cas and Sam. Cas, who had been unabashedly staring at him, caught his eye.

Everything went silent. The mass of people around Dean turned mute and Sam's mumbling ceased.

It was just Dean and Cas, looking at each other.

And then the moment disappeared. Dean drew his attention back to the girl, leaned in and started kissing her. The noise started again, but Castiel kept staring, slightly perplexed over what just happened.

Dean brought his hand to the girl's cheek and ran it through her hair, leaning her head back and deepening the kiss.

Cas was mesmerized by how gentle he seemed.

"I bet its cause he's jealous," Sam proclaimed loudly. "What with you kissing Meg and all."

Cas didn't hear Sam. His thoughts wandered a different place.

Two years later again
Michigan, Jackson

It was Christmas.

Dean wondered where the years had gone. It seemed like yesterday the apocalypse was on them, but really it was years ago. So many things had happened, so many things had changed… But some things were the same as ever.

"Sam, give it back!"

"No!"

"I said, give it back, it's mine!"

"No, you've already had two Dean, this one is mine!"

The brothers were arguing again. Cas watched with a bemused smile.

"That's not true, I only had one! Cas, tell him."

Dean and Sam turned to Cas as their judge of this clearly problematic situation. He raised his hands in defense, stepping slightly back. They looked expectantly at him; Dean pleadingly, Sam with a defiant expression.

"In all honestly Dean, you did have two of the cookies."

Sam snapped his head at Dean and yelled "HA, I told you so!" and stuffed the last cookie in his mouth. Dean gaped at him and then at Cas.

"Oh you're so gonna pay for that," he said, trying to keep an annoyed face, but failing horribly.

"Besides Dean, it's not good to eat so many cholesterols in your condition," Sam chuckled, hitting Dean's stomach on his way to the couch.

"You can talk," he snapped back.

"Actually Dean-"

"Shut up Cas."

The three of them had decorated the Cabin for Christmas. Garlands, tinsel, holly, Christmas stars were hung and strung up throughout the little house. Dean had insisted they needed to celebrate Christmas this year, since it had been so long ago any of them had time to sit down "and be a family". Although most of the decorations were cheap, and they ate pizza instead of a traditional Christmas dinner, all three of them where happy and content with each other's company.

They sat in the sofa in front of the fireplace; Sam on the right, Dean in the middle and Cas to the left. After Dean had given up on forcing Cas to eat something, he asked him:

"Cas, tell me about Jesus."

Castiel and Sam looked surprised at Dean.

"Why?" Cas replied.

"I don't know man, Christmas is the time he was born right? Normally people just read stories about him, but you're, I mean, you where there."

"I supposed…" he said, and trailed off. His eyes looked distant as the angel remembered some of his earliest days. He sat quietly, wondering where to begin. "Firstly, Jesus wasn't born in December."

"Oh yeah, Sam mentioned that."

"And there were four wisemen."

Dean sat quietly, just looking at Cas. Then he started laughing loudly, clapping him on the back with a loud SMACK.

"You telling me the bible got it all wrong?" he asked. His eyes were crinkling up, a large grin spread across his face.

"Not all of it but… a lot of the details aren't exactly correct," Cas said, bemused at Dean's reaction.

Dean was about to ask Cas something again, when Sam's phone suddenly started ringing. Dean snapped to attention, waiting. Sam quickly pulled it up, mouthing "Amelia" to Dean and got up to go outside.

"Well, I'm gonna go get some more whiskey. Care to join?" Dean said, getting up too. Cas gave a short nod and followed Dean to the kitchen disk. Dean found two glasses, just in case and turned back to Cas, pouring the amber liquid in one of the crystal glasses. Cas seemed nervous and shuffled awkwardly where he stood.

"Cas, wha-?" Dean asked, his eyes suddenly flickering to the celling.

Oh.

A bright green mistletoe with the small white berries hung just above their heads.

Oh.

"Huh. A mistletoe," Dean said dumbly.

"Yes, it is."

"Well."

They stood there, attempting to avoid each other's eyes, but ending up looking at the lips instead. Cas' tongue darted out on his chapped lips to which Dean cleared his throat because it seemed to get quite dry.

Oh fuck it, he thought to himself.

He set the glass on the table next to them again, and regretted deeply not drinking some of it before. Dean desperately willed his pulse to slow down, but his heart would not listen. Before he knew it, their lips were drawn closer and suddenly they were there.

Dean's plumb, soft lips met Castiel's chapped, rough and it seemed like a perfect contrast. Dean could swear he heard Cas sigh, and the feeling in his stomach suddenly intensified. He felt so warm and fuzzy and Cas was so close and soft and smelled so nice, like a sweet vanilla. He brought his hand up to caress the angel's cheek, keeping him still. He lost track of what they were doing.

Dean slid his tongue out to taste Cas rough lips, which induced a soft 'mhmmm' from him.

Cas felt so safe with Dean. The man who could was known to kill every monster, but so gently with those he cared about. The thought of this, made Cas' urge for Dean grew stronger and suddenly he forced Dean's lip open with his, desperate to claim more, explore more of Dean.

Dean, although surprised, did not hesitate.

Castiel's soft and warm tongue met his own and their breath's mingled, moans and sighs getting louder, both feeling warmer each second. Cas pressed up against Dean, pushing him up against the table, wanting to feel him, holding his hands on his side, on his neck, in his hair. They grasped and pulled each other's hair, the kiss getting more sloppy and needy until they were both breathing so hard. Dean pulled back with a wet 'pop', salvia connecting their mouths. He swallowed hard, Adam's apple bobbing, while Cas slowly opened his eyes, like he was afraid what to see.

"Well," Dean said quietly, "that was definitely worth the wait."

Cas hummed in agreement and brought their lips back together again.

5 minutes later

"Hey guys, hope you didn- oH MY GOD."

"Sammy, this isn't what it looks like!"

"Dean and I are simply executing the mistletoe tradition."