A/N This is the third part of my trilogy, which started with Us Against Them, then moved on to Witches and Winchesters. You should read those first to understand everything happening in this story. Thanks for reading!

Dean pulled Sam away, out the back door and close to the beehive, allowing for some privacy.

"Dean…when did you…I mean, is this-," Sam continued to stutter, staring at the open gift in his hands.

Dean just smiled as Sam pulled the stack of papers out of the box, holding them in slightly shaking hands. The header across the top of the page gleamed, and Sam's eyes again fell to reading the first line of the letter.

Dear Mr. Winchester, Columbia University is pleased to inform you of your acceptance into the pre-Law program.

"I didn't even apply," Sam said, finally managing a coherent sentence.

"I know you didn't. I applied for you. I figured Stanford wouldn't want you back, you know, after they saw your face on the news as a dead mass murderer. Consider this your wedding gift," Dean said, clasping his arm onto Sam's shoulder. "I'm serious, Sammy. I want you out of this life. Go have your career and your family. You deserve that."

Sam wrapped Dean in a tight hug, nearly lifting his feet off the ground.

"You're sure? I mean, I can do this later. It's no big deal, really," Sam said.

Cas and Anna came into the backyard, Cas carrying a squirming Pirg in his arms. Pirg licked at every inch he could reach on Cas' hands, and Cas grinned at him before cuddling him closer.

"No, Sam. Cas and I can handle whatever happens. If we need your brains, we can call you. I told you before, I knew you wanted out of this life. They expect you to be at school in August."

"Besides, Sam," Cas continued, handing the puppy to the tallest brother. "You'll need to be home to take care of Malpirgi."

"What?" Sam asked, stopping his cuddling of the ball of fur instantly. "Pirg is your dog!"

"We can hardly take him on the road with us. He would be quite uncomfortable. Anna has already agreed to have him, if you approve."

Sam cast one look at the look of adoration on Anna's face and knew he would take Pirg, or anything else she wanted.

"We'll keep him. But you have to visit us. I don't want to be completely left out of the action," Sam said, finally caving and allowing Pirg to run around the yard on his own.

"Boys! Anna! Come in here, it's time for cake!" Charlie yelled out the screen door.

Anna and Cas turned to grab Pirg and go inside, but Sam pulled his brother back for a moment.

"Dean…thank you," Sam said seriously.

"Damn, dude, I should be thanking you. I was only supposed to pull you out of school for the weekend. That was almost eight years ago."

The brothers walked back to the house in contented silence. Sam had his school, career, and family, just like he'd always wanted. Dean couldn't have picked a better gift.

After a smattering of gifts, some increasingly drunken dancing on Charlie's part, and lots of cake, everyone called it a night and left the newlyweds to their married bliss. Sam and Anna waved everyone off with a glow to their faces. Bobby flat refused to let Charlie drive back to the house, since she was so drunk that she started comparing Anna's beauty to that of Princess Leia. He hopped behind the wheel of her tiny car, Charlie grinning from the passenger seat, and told Cas and Dean he'd meet them at home whenever they felt like it.

Dean and Cas climbed into the Impala and were soon on their way in the darkness, windows down and the radio off. The only sound in the car was the rumbling engine and the whoosh of air. Dean chanced a glance toward Cas, who was laying peacefully back in his seat, his arm flying in the wind outside of his window. Even after a day in the suit, he still looked perfect.

Dean pulled the car over in an area where the empty country road widened near a corn field. He climbed out, and Cas followed, confused.

"Are you alright?" Cas asked, but Dean simply sat on the hood and patted the space beside him.

Cas climbed up, then Dean lay back on the hood. Cas followed his actions, and lay his head quietly on Dean's shoulder, wondering what could possibly have been wrong with him. He paid no attention to anything around except Dean's face, looking for some sign of what could be troubling him.

"Cas, I'm fine," Dean said. "I wanted to relax a bit. Look up there," Dean said, pointing up at absolutely nothing, and Cas refused to turn his head, continuing to look at Dean with concern.

"There is nothing up above us but air, Dean. Are you certain you're feeling alright?"

Dean sighed deeply. Not out of annoyance, but peace.

"Cas, look at the stars," Dean said softly, and Cas squinted his eyes at him, trying to decide if it was a distraction technique, before finally looking up.

"Oh," Cas breathed.

The sky was covered in a smattering of stars, more than he had ever seen from Earth before. He knew the stars so well, and from here, he could point out the constellations and planets to Dean, who listened attentively. Dean let him ramble on about the stars and their beauty and meaning for a few minutes, until Cas fell into a silence beside him.

"Remember back in that graveyard? The night before I turned into a full-blown woman?" Dean asked, and Cas nodded.

"Of course. We talked about the stars."

"No, we talked about soulmates. You told me that soulmates were made of the same stardust," Dean said.

"They are," Cas replied.

"What about Sam and Anna? How can they be soulmates if one was created so much earlier than the other?" Dean asked.

"I cannot answer that," Cas said simply. "Perhaps they are lovers, but not soulmates. It does happen, and frequently. The odds of finding one's soulmate are staggering. Finding the one person created with your same stardust? It's unusual. There were some in Heaven who believed Anna and I were soulmates."

That caught Dean's attention.

"You and Anna? Did you ever…you know, have a thing?" Dean asked.

"Of course not! Anna is like a sister to me, and that's all. They only believed we were because she and I were created on the same day. I assume they thought our Father must have used the same stardust to create us both, but that doesn't seem to be the case."

Dean relaxed.

"So it's rare to find your soulmate, but it actually does happen?" Dean asked.

"It does. And it's a beautiful thing to behold. When both souls are together in Heaven, they create a light to rival an angel's."

Cas stared into space, marveling at the wonders he could see in this dark area of the country. Dean watched him, the skies reflecting in his blue eyes, peace radiating from his body. He looked like Heaven like this.

"I love you, Castiel," Dean said, and the use of his full name caught Cas' attention.

"I love you too, Dean Winchester," he said, a smile playing on his lips.

"Then marry me."