It was very unexpected when Sam came back to the bunker with a dog.

Dean had been in the kitchen (again), trying desperately to figure out a recipe for apple pie when he heard the sound of the giant steel door opening. Before him were most of the ingredients he needed; apples (duh), a bag of flour, white sugar, the works.

Unable to tear his eyes away from the recipe he held in his hand, he called out loudly "Sammy?"

"Yeah, it's me," The younger Winchester shouted back. "I... Got what you asked for."

"Unsalted butter, right?" Dean stressed, as he carefully measured out 1/4 of a cup of water.

He heard his brother's heavy sigh and footsteps as he made his way to the kitchen. "Yes, unsalted butter. Like you said a million times before I left. But I got something else, too."

"Oh?" Dean replied, wiping his hands on a towel before turning to face Sam. "And what would that..." There was a moment of silence as Dean stared, his eyes widening, before meeting Sam's gaze.

"...No." He said firmly.

In Sam's arms, gazing curiously at Dean with a happily wagging tail, was a puppy. A puppy. "Oh, come on, Dean!" Sam protested, shifting his arms slightly. The dog let out a happy yip and reached up to lick Sam's chin. "Why not?"

"Because, it's a damn dog!" Dean snapped. "We can't take care of it! How much did you pay, anyway?!"

"Nothing!" Sam exclaimed. "The poor guy was on the side of the road, no collar, no nothing. It's a puppy, Dean. If he belonged to someone, he wouldn't have been out there!"

It was true, the small scrap was absolutely covered in mud, making it impossible to guess the color of his fur. "You can't be sure about that." Dean reminded Sam. "It's owner could be looking for it right now."

Sam snorted. "I doubt it." At Dean's face, he awkwardly lifted one hand to signal him to stop. "It's just..." He hesitated. "I thought, since we have the bunker now, we could actually have a pet. And think about it, we could train him to go on hunts. Not to mention it'll be good for all of us, especially Cas."

At his brother's last words, Dean stiffened slightly. It had only been two months since the 'Fall of the Angels', as Kevin had dubbed it. Dean had been frantic with worry until they had found Castiel two weeks after the traumatizing event, wandering lost in a small town in Canada. They had brought him back 'home' to the bunker, unwilling to let him out of their sight. The former angel was quiet and subdued, only speaking to exchange pleasantries in the mornings and when he needed help with something decidedly human.

Part of the reason why Dean was baking so much was to cheer Cas up, but so far, it had been a no-go. Despite himself, the hunter began to wonder if maybe Sam had a point. And besides, it was just a puppy... It would be as bad as throwing a child out. Not to mention that Sam looked considerably happier than he had in days.

Dean was silent for a moment as he mused. After staring at the dog and Sam (who were both giving him puppy eyes at the moment), he relented with an aggravated sigh. "Fine." He growled. "But you have to house-train him."

Sam grinned widely. "Thanks Dean!" He practically chirped before turning and striding out of the room, puppy bouncing in his arms. "The groceries are still in the car!" He shouted over his shoulder.

Dean rubbed a hand over his face and sighed. What had he gotten himself into?

While Dean bellowed at Kevin to help him with the groceries, Sam carried the dog to the bathrooms. Although there were private bathrooms for each room, there were public showers, probably for cleaning up after training. Since they were simply stalls, the youngest Winchester thought it would probably be easier to clean up the muddy pup in his arms.

Once in the room, he carefully placed the puppy down. Happy to be on the ground once more, he tottered about happily, sniffing curiously at everything he saw. Sam let him be for a while, taking the opportunity to get a better look at the newest resident of the Batcave.

It was obviously a puppy, though a big one at that, with a longish tail, and folded ears. For a pup, he was pretty fine-boned, and it seemed as if his breed was pretty large.

After a few minutes of watching the puppy frolic around, Sam gently grabbed him and swung him up into his arms. The dog let out a little whine of discontent, but just as quickly began licking as much of the hunter's face as he could, so he guessed the pup wasn't that mad.

Making his way over to one of the shower stalls, Sam let the puppy down again, and tried to block as best as he could as the wily ball of fur tried to escape. After dodging this way and that a few times, the dog sat down on his rump and looked up at Sammy with big round eyes.

"It's not gonna work on me buddy." Sam mumbled, and rolled up his sleeves before reaching for the shower-head. "I've got immunity to puppy-eyes since I can do them too."

At the sound of his voice, the dog's ears perked up and his tail began thumping, leaving smears of mud on the tiled floor. Sam carefully aimed the shower-head away from him and turning the water on.

As the first spurt of lukewarm water shot out, the puppy let out a yelp of horror and scrambled to the end of the shower stall, pressing himself against the wall. Despite himself, Sam let out a snort of laughter, to which the puppy responded to with an indignant wail.

"It's just water." Sam told the puppy.

Despite his reassuring tone of voice, the pup continued to remain pressed against the wall, eyeing the stream of warm water warily. Very slowly, Sam adjusted the angle of the showerhead so the puddle of water creeped nearer to the pup.

The minute the liquid touched his paws, the dog let out another wail, that was abruptly cut short when he realized he wasn't dying. With a look that closely resembled consternation in his dark brown eyes, the puppy hesitantly lifted a paw and placed it in the water.

"See, it's not so bad!" Sam said, his voice encouraging.

The puppy slapped his paw against the wet floor again, apparently bemused and awestruck as he let out a small yip. Within a heartbeat, the pup promptly lay down and started rolling, making the sort-of dried mud in his fur become wet again.

Sam, unable to contain himself, let out a full-on laugh. "Come here," He said, gesturing himself once he had caught the pup's attention again.

It took a while, but the dog finally seemed to understand what Sam wanted, got up, and shuffled towards the hunter, leaving muddy pawprints behind. Gently, Sam stroked his wet head, and glanced down at his dirt-covered fingers.

While he distracted the puppy with caresses, Sam turned the shower-head onto his back and began to wash the filth from his coat. Unlike his earlier reaction, the pup simply let out little huff and closed his eyes.

"I get you," Sam began as he ran his hand through the pup's fur to loosen any clumps of mud that might have gotten stuck. "I feel the same way when I'm finally able to shower to get rid of all the filth that's gotten stuck in my hair."

Of course, it wasn't exactly the same kind of filth, but that didn't really matter.

After finally managing to get the mud off the pup (he hadn't dared to go find some shampoo for fear the pup would make a mess while he was gone), Sam, whose shirt was just as soaked, turned the shower off and grabbed a towel off the rack nearby.

If the puppy had enjoyed the shower, he definitely liked being rubbed dry even more, his tail thwacking against Sam's leg every second. Finally, with a flourish, Sam pulled away the towel.

The puppy gazed up at him, and let out an indignant bark, obviously enjoying the V.I.P. treatment. "Come on," Sam said, lifting the pup into his arms, "Let's get a look at you."

Now that he was clean and dry, his fluffy black and brown fur shone brightly as he blinked owlishly at Sam, his tail still wagging so hard it was making his entire rump wiggle. Sam loved dogs, but that didn't necessarily mean he was an expert on dog breeds, and his brow furrowed in a frown as he turned the dog in his Lion King-esque pose.

At the puppy's impatient bark, Sam grinned and cradled him to his chest, letting the pup's small head rest on his shoulders. "Alright, alright." He soothed before walking out of the showers. "We'll need to find a name for you, huh, little guy?" Sam mused as he walked to the kitchen.

Dean was leaning against the counter, talking with Kevin in hushed tones about something, but both of them stopped talking abruptly as Sam entered the room.

"Is that it?" Dean asked, pointing at the rumpled puppy in Sam's arms.

Despite himself, Sam grinned. "Yeah. Need to think of a name for him, though."

Dean grunted in response, while Kevin's lips spread into a smile. "Is that a dog?" He asked, as if he could hardly believe it.

"Uhuh." Sam leaned down and placed the puppy on the floor, giving him affectionate rub before straightening. "Found him near the highway. Would've missed him entirely if he hadn't started running across the road."

Kevin sat down on the floor, and the puppy immediately scampered towards him, yipping excitedly. It seemed that the prophet couldn't stop grinning as the pup clambered in his lap and began to lick his face, and started to pet him affectionately.

"So, you're actually serious about keeping it." Dean said flatly.

"Him," Sam corrected "And yes. He'll do us a world of good."

Kevin's eyes lit up. "We're keeping him!?"

Despite himself, Dean couldn't help but smirk just a little bit at their pleased expressions. "Yeah."

Sam smiled widely. "I'll need to get stuff for him, though." He reminded. "Food, a bed, a collar and leash..."

"Yeah, yeah, don't worry, we'll take care of him... By the way, where's Cas?" The last part was directed to Kevin.

The prophet looked up at him and frowned slightly. "In his room, as..." His voice trailed off, but they all knew what he was going to say. As usual.

Despite himself, Dean winced ever so slightly, his green eyes turning sad for a heartbeat. But in the next instant, he had straightened, and his gaze turned neutral once again. "Alright then. Sam, go get... Whatever dogs need."

The younger Winchester rolled his eyes in exasperation, bent down and pet the dog before grabbing the keys to the Impala and the bunker. "Maybe you should let Cas name him." He suggested as he left the kitchen.

Kevin was still on the floor, cuddling the puppy as they heard the large door creak shut. "He's right," The prophet said finally. "But if Cas can't decide then I nominate that we call him Casals."

Dean shot him a confused look. "Casa-who?"

"Casals." Kevin repeated. At Dean's blank stare, he tried to elaborate. "You know, Pablo Casals? One of the most famous cello players ever?"

Dean shook his head. "There's no way we're naming him after any classical musicians. And besides, I'm pretty sure Cas'll think of something."

"Think of what?" At the scratchy, rough voice, both men turned to see a tired Cas in the doorway. Dean's eyes immediately caught the dark circles under his eyes, the drooping shoulders, how frail he looked and how he slumped against the doorframe in exhaustion.

Kevin, either obvious or choosing to ignore how tired Castiel appeared, held the puppy up. "Sam found a puppy!" He said, and the excitement in his voice made the hunter smile slightly. It had been a while since any of them had been enthusiastic about, well... Anything, really. "We're gonna keep him!"

"Oh." Castiel's voice was mildly confused, but he approached all the same.

"Sam wants you to name him." Dean added, walking over to them. Discretely, he laid his hand on the former angel's shoulder, and the way Cas suddenly leaned against it showed how off-center he really was.

At the action, dull blue eyes suddenly darted to green, filled with shame. Dean squeezed his shoulder, indicating that he wasn't going to say anything, and Cas' gaze dropped to the puppy once again. "He wants me to name him?"

"Yeah." Dean said, still not withdrawing his hand.

Cas knelt down, and when Kevin offered him the puppy, he took it, gazing at it curiously. At the attention it was receiving, it let out a small yip of happiness, it's tail starting to wag again. Cas brought it closer to his face, and jerked when it managed to lick his nose.

"It's showing affection." Kevin supplied unhelpfully.

Despite his obvious perplexion, Cas still managed to shoot the prophet an annoyed glare before carefully placing the dog on the ground. "Maybe..." He started before hesitating for a moment. "What about calling him Merry? Like that character in those movies you all enjoy so much..."

"Lord of the Rings?" Dean asked in amazement. It was true, the hunter had taken it upon himself to educate Cas in the movies of the century, but he had never really expected the angel to remember stuff like that.

"Yes." With conviction, Castiel nodded his head. "If that's alright with you, that is..." He added as an afterthought, looking up at Dean sheepishly.

The hunter's lips spread into a wide smile. "Nope, Merry seems perfect to me, Right, Kevin?"

"Mhm." The prophet replied as he tickled Merry's stomach.

"Does Sam know what breed of dog he is?" Cas asked curiously as Merry let out a happy bark and scrambled to his paws.

"Nope. I think he's a mutt." Dean said. At that exact moment, both Merry and Cas lifted their heads and sniffed deeply.

"What's that smell?" He mumbled.

Worried, Dean followed suit and smelled the air. "Oh." He said, his ears turning red. "I made some pie. For you. For all of you, I mean."

Seeing how Dean was stumbling over his own words, Kevin let out a small snigger, while Cas just looked confused. Dean shot the prophet a glare before turning his back on them and rushing to get to his masterpiece before it burned.

Cas, unperturbed, went back to petting Merry, who clambered into his lap and tried to lick his face. The former angel kept his face out of licking range, but allowed the puppy to nuzzle his chin happily.

Eventually, seeing that Merry much preferred Cas at the moment, Kevin stood up with a sigh before retreating to his room, after warning Dean that there had better be pie left when he returned.

As Dean took his apple pie out of the oven and put the finishing touches though, he couldn't help but turn slightly every once in awhile and smile when he saw Castiel's content expression.

Merry's introduction to the bunker, like Sam had thought, did everyone a world of good. It was rare that any of them weren't being followed by the puppy, who was now growing into the gangly teenage stage and was constantly tripping over his own paws.

Sam took care of him, Dean trained him, Kevin played with him and Cas was the one who petted him the most, his fingers absently tangling with the dog's sleek fur as he read through some of the classics.

The atmosphere of the bunker itself was lighter, nearly always punctuated by a happy bark that was gradually growing deeper, or one of their laughs as Merry skidded across the floor in his joyous attempts to greet them when they came home.

Even the nights were easier, and soon enough all four of the the boys were leaving their doors open before going to bed so Merry could come and leap onto the bed. He had a strange sense of being able to pick up when one of them was having a nightmare, and was quick to race to their sides and comfort them.

And even when everything began to fade into 'normalcy', or as close as you could get with them, Merry would stop by everyone's rooms in the evening to check on them before choosing which room he would sleep in that night, which often ended up being either Sam or Cas' bedrooms.

Soon enough, Dean had taught him to recognize the smell of sulphur, to bark when anything supernatural was happening, and to attack if the monster they were dealing with if he could. More often than not, when Sam and Dean went out to do a job, the Hovawart (Sam had finally found out what breed of dog he was), went with them.

But the best parts were when they played fetch with Merry outside, or when they found him waiting at the door for them, or when he would simply leap up onto the couch and rest his head on their laps before falling asleep when they were watching T.V.

And once, in the middle of the night when Dean got up to get a snack, he had passed by Cas' room and heard muffled sobbing. Alarmed, he had peered in, only to find the former angel, his face pressed into Merry's scruff as he hugged him and cried.

Unwilling to intrude but unable to just leave either, Dean quietly sat down outside his door, his back leaning against the wall. He waited silently, eventually drifting into a doze as the sound of Cas' tears quieted.

Dean was practically asleep when he felt a cold wet nose nudge his cheek, and opened his eyes sleepily. Merry was next to him, whining softly and his tail wagging. Heaving himself to his feet, Dean pat him on the head gently before peering into Cas' room again.

The former angel was finally sleeping, his chest rising and falling evenly. He was curled up, the quilt tangled around his feet and the sweatpants and loose T-shirt he wore to bed already rumpled from sleep.

Quietly, Dean entered, Merry at his heels. The dog bounded onto the bed, somehow managing to not disturb Cas, and lay down next to him. Almost as if by instinct, Cas wrapped his arms around Merry before relaxing once again.

Dean smiled slightly and mumbled under his breath, "Thanks boy." Merry glanced at him, liquid eyes understanding what he was saying. Before leaving, Dean reached forward and gently trailed his fingers down Cas' cheek, causing the dark-haired man to stir slightly and let out a breath.

With that, Dean left the room, so discreet that he was barely a shadow. Once he was outside, he exhaled slowly, releasing a breath he didn't know he was holding. And as he padded back to his bedroom he felt a smile grow on his face as he realized that he didn't regret Sam dragging that little pup into the bunker at all.