It was FREEZING outside, but there was no way Cas was moving. He had been standing outside Walmart for five hours now, handing out fliers and petitioning people for signatures, and amazingly he had gotten a lot. By this point, after all the weeks he had been appealing for Dean's reinstatement to the team and Adler's removal as teacher, he had received hundreds of signatures. He was aiming for 1,000 and he honestly thought he might get there.

"Hey there, handsome."

Cas turned, surprised, and there was Dean, smiling at him. Cas smiled back. "Hi, baby."

Dean held out a mug. "Brought you some cocoa."

Cas' eyes widened, love filling him, and he took the mug. "God, I love you."

Dean laughed. "Love you too." He looked down at the papers in Cas' hands. "How's it going?" His cheeks were flushed ever so slightly. Though Dean appreciated Cas' efforts and was incredibly happy with the idea, he still couldn't help but feel shy at the thought of hundreds of people knowing his name, his story. Cas asked him repeatedly if he was okay with it but Dean always assured him that he was, and it was the truth.

"It's going well." Cas held up the papers. "I'm almost at 1,000."

Dean's eyes widened almost comically large. "Are you serious?"

Cas nodded. "I guess people in this town aren't as bigoted as one would think." He smiled somewhat sheepishly. "Although it helps that I travelled to several different Walmarts."

Dean laughed at that. "Yea, I suppose that would do it."

Cas smiled. "We're almost there." He was so happy, especially when he saw that Dean was happy too. That was what he most wanted to achieve here. There was no point in winning this battle if it didn't make Dean happy. He leaned in, kissing Dean softly. "I love you."

Dean smiled. "I love you, too."

Cas was triumphant when he headed into school, petition in hand. There were over 1,000 signatures on it. He didn't wait for the secretary to give him an appointment, simply strode into Principal Moseley's office and dropped it onto her desk where it landed with a loud thump. "Here."

She looked from the papers up to him, picking them up. "What's this?"

"A petition to reinstate Dean to the soccer team and to kick off the boys who beat him up, as well as to fire Mr. Adler."

Principal Moseley just looked at him, and Cas stared defiantly back at him. There were several silent moments and then she sighed. "Mr. Novak….I'm afraid I can't do that."

Cas felt his heart drop; he pointed at the petition. "There are over 1,000 signatures in there proving that people support this agenda."

"I can see that," Moseley said, flipping through the papers. "And I can possibly do something about the soccer players. But Mr. Adler has taught here for many years now-"

"But-"

"And there is no proof that he said anything inappropriate to Mr. Winchester other than the word of Mr. Winchester and Mr. Fitzerald. That isn't enough for me to go on."

Fury filled Castiel. "That's BULLSHIT."

"Watch your language, Mr. Novak."

He could barely see, he was so angry. He pointed at her, his finger practically shaking with rage. "This isn't over." With that he turned and stormed from the room, slamming the door behind him so hard that it shook on its hinges.

Dean knocked on the door to Cas' room, cautiously poking his head in. "Cas?" The boy had never showed up to school that day and it had Dean worried. But there he was, sitting on his bed and looking completely healthy other than the rage on his face. His arms were folded across his chest and he looked angrier than Dean had ever seen him, other than when he had met Balthazar.

Dean crossed the room to him. "Cas?"

Cas just shook his head, muttering "it's not fair."

Dean sat down beside him, wrapping an arm around Cas' shoulders. "What isn't fair?"

Cas was silent for a long moment. "…..I took the petition to Principal Moseley." His voice was incredibly quiet. "She said she may be able to kick the boys off the soccer team but that she can't do a thing about Adler…..that she has no proof he said anything inappropriate. But I don't think that was the only reason. I don't think she wants to run her school by the opinions of students and random strangers."

Dean felt a pang in his chest, but it was only partly due to the pain of having Mosely ignore what had happened to him, ignore Adler's homophobia; no, more of it was to do with the pain he saw on Cas' face. He stroked Cas' hair, his cheek, and finally Cas looked at him, such anger and sadness in those big blue eyes. Dean smiled at him, albeit somewhat sadly. "You can't always get what you want, Cas."

Cas stared at him for a moment, then shook his head. "No. No, fuck that. You've never had enough. All your life, you've given everything you have to everyone around you and never asked for anything, not even the things you've earned, that you rightfully deserve. So this time, you're going to get not just what you deserve, but what you want. Everything you want."

Dean's heart did that ridiculous flutter; he couldn't believe this boy was his, this amazing boy. He smiled fondly, stroking Cas' cheek. "You're amazing, you know that."

Cas turned into Dean's hand, kissing his palm. "More than likewise." He picked the petition up off his nightstand, looking at it. "Tomorrow I'm taking this to the local news."

Dean felt surprise sweep over him. "I…..what?"

Cas looked to him, clearly anxious. "Is that okay with you?"

Dean thought for a minute. If CBS took up the story, so many people would know his story. Was he okay with that? But there was really only one answer he could give. He nodded. "Yes."

Cas' face dissolved into the most beautiful smile; his hand cupped Dean's cheek and he kissed him. "I'm going to make this happen," he promised. "I will."

Dean didn't know that he could, but just seeing Cas try so hard, seeing Cas so determined to take care of him this way…..that was more than he could ever have hoped for. "I know you will." He covered Cas' hand with his own, a soft smile on his face. "If anyone can, it's you."

Cas' smile grew; he kissed Dean. "I love you."

Dean smiled. "I love you, too."

The adoption papers came through not long before Dean's birthday, and it was one of the best presents he could ever have imagined. He gave Ellen what was probably the biggest hug possible, and she laughed. Jo hugged him too, smiling. "You're my brother now for real." That nearly made him cry. He had to leave the room and hide in his bedroom, sketching away at some poetry for a while. He was only half aware of what he was writing and was pretty sure that when he read it later it would be ridiculously over-emotional, but he couldn't help that.

Dean didn't return upstairs until shortly before dinner. Ellen was cooking, her back to him. He bit his lip, nerves filling him. He wasn't certain if he should do what he was dying to do. Then Ellen glanced over her shoulder, smiling at him, and he knew he couldn't help it. It was destined to happen sooner or later.

"…..majka?" he said tentatively. Ellen, her back to him once again, paused in her movements, then turned to face him.

"What was that?"

He flushed bright red, glancing at the floor. "It means 'mother' in Croatian'," he mumbled, his voice nervous. "I just thought that...I mean..." he was playing with the hem of his shirt, wringing it in his hands so tight it would definitely be wrinkled. "...since you're not my mom...but you also sorta are..." He could never call her "mom". That name was reserved for Mary and always would be. But Ellen had given him so much; she really was like a second mother to him.

Ellen could feel her heart skip a beat. She crossed the kitchen in two steps and enveloped Dean in her arms. Surprised, he simply stood there for a moment, then wrapped shaking arms around her.

"I would love for you to call me that," she whispered.

Dean felt tears gathering at the corners of his eyes; he blinked them back but they were relentless, burning trails down his cheeks. "I…." he was so nervous. He couldn't remember the last time he had said this to a parental figure, and he had debated so long whether or not he could say it to a woman, if it was a betrayal to his mother. But he realized in the end that his mother would have loved Ellen, would have been so grateful for all she had done for the boys, so happy that Dean and Sam had found someone who loved and cared for them. "…..I love you, Ellen."

Her grip on him tightened and she took a deep, shuddering breath; he realized she was crying as well. "I love you too, Dean." She pulled far enough away to look at him. "I'm so very happy you and your brother are in my life."

He managed a smile, scrubbing the tears away with the back of his hand. "Me too. I…..thanks for this. All of it."

She was shaking her head. "You don't have to thank me. I told you, Dean. I think of you boys as family." Her smile grew. "And now you are. Officially."

Dean was overflowing with happiness; he didn't know what to say. Then he wrinkled his nose up. Something was burning. "Dinner!"

"Oh, shit!" Ellen ran for the stove; Dean followed, sniffing at the air again. It smelled familiar.

"Did you try to make my pasta sauce?" He had a homemade recipe he had created years ago but you had to be careful to stir it regularly or it could burn on the bottom. Still, the fact that Ellen had tried to duplicate it was incredibly flattering.

"Yes." She saw his grin and glared. "Hush."

"No." He couldn't stop grinning. "Want some help?"

"No." Ellen sighed. "Yes."

Dean laughed. "We'll have to start from scratch. Once you burn the bottom you can't get the taste out."

"Goddammit."

Dean had to stifle a laugh; he carried the pot to the sink and dumped it. "It's okay. It won't take too long."

Ellen heaved a long-suffering sigh. "Okay. Teach me your ways, sensei."

Dean burst into laughter. "Alright, young padawan. Let's begin."

It was January 24, and Dean's birthday. He woke up with butterflies in his stomach. He couldn't remember the last time he'd had a real birthday. He and Sammy had never been able to do much for each other, though he always managed to bake Sam a cake and buy him something small. But John had never been involved, so having a birthday with a real family? That was new, exciting, and nerve-wracking all at the same time.

He woke up to Ellen and Jo bringing him breakfast in bed. Apparently it was a Harvelle tradition. Cas was with him and they shared a breakfast of pancakes, bacon, and eggs, and then the two of them, Jo, and Sammy all played Cards Against Humanities. There were moments where the cards were a bit TOO raunchy and Dean felt guilty about letting Sam play but hey, it was a special occasion.

For lunch they ordered Chinese and Ellen had even baked him a birthday cake. Sam had decorated it which resulted in it looking like a mess, but that just made it even more fantastic. He had attempted to draw the logos of some of Dean's favorite bands and they were barely recognizable. "I love it, Sammy." And he did. He really did.

Sam's face glowed at the comment. "Blow out the candles, jerk."

"Bitch."

"Hey. Watch your language." Ellen chided.

"Better get used to it, mom," Jo said, smile on her face. "They do that all the time."

The cake was delicious, but when they pulled out gifts Dean felt nerves hit him. He didn't like being singled out in general and he definitely wasn't used to opening gifts, let alone doing it in front of people. Luckily Cas was giving him his gift later.

Sam gave him book of Vonnegut's stories collected, with illustrations to accompany them. It was amazing, since his copies of the books were battered after owning them for so many years and reading them so many times. Jo gave him a Led Zepplin shirt.

Then Bobby rose from his seat. "Ellen's and my gift for you is outside."

Dean was surprised. He couldn't imagine what reason they had for keeping a present outside, and he hadn't noticed anything out there. "Um….okay." He stood, the others doing the same, and they followed Bobby outside, but what he saw there made him stop dead.

It was the Impala. THE Impala. She was beat up, as if she had been in a crash, but it was definitely the same car he and his dad used to drive.

He couldn't stop staring. "I…..what?"

"I was looking for an Impala for you for your birthday and I found this," Bobby said. "Your dad crashed her and was selling her for parts. Didn't want to sell it to me but he needed the money, so he gave in." Bobby ran a hand along the beat up hood. "So as long as you don't mind putting in the work on her, she's yours."

Dean was crying. Fuck, he was crying. "Thank you." He wanted to give Bobby a hug; even though he didn't usually do that sort of thing, he wanted to. He doubted Bobby was one for hugging, either. But this was so incredible. Still, he definitely couldn't help it. He found his arms around Bobby before he realized it and quickly pulled away, coughing to cover up the awkwardness. "Sorry."

Bobby was smiling. "It's okay, boy."

Then Ellen was hugging him too and he had no trouble returning this one; he knew she didn't have any issues with hugs. "Thank you," he whispered.

"You're more than welcome."

Dean couldn't believe this was happening. These people, who loved him this much. "You…." He forced back the tears, shaking his head. "You're all wonderful."

Bobby patted his shoulder. "You deserve it, boy."

And just that….knowing that Bobby and Ellen thought he deserved such a thing? That meant even more to him. Knowing that this was his life? That was amazing. Looking around at what were his adoptive parents, his new sister, his brother and his boyfriend? They were more than he ever could have hoped for.

"Thank you all," he said. "This was the best birthday ever."

But it wasn't over yet.

Cas stayed over again that night and he still had his present for Dean. He snuggled up in bed beside Dean. "So…..quite a day, huh."

Dean flushed happily just at the thought of all that had happened. "Yea."

"That Impala." Cas nuzzled Dean's throat, murmuring. "Bet we can get up to some fun in the backseat of that once it's fixed up."

Dean sighed happily at Cas' touch. "Thought we already did."

"Well, yeah. But I was more thinking I could fuck you back there."

Dean choked. "Ah…..yea. Yea, that sounds good."

Cas smiled. "I thought so." He shifted closer, his legs in Dean's lap, kissing his cheek. "I still have a present for you."

Dean's stomach was full of butterflies. "Yea?"

"Yeah. Well…..two presents." Cas reached over to the bedside table to grab his bag. He tugged it onto the bed beside him and fishing around inside it, pulling out two small packages. "Here." He offered them to Dean and took up his prior position, legs in Dean's lap again. "Happy birthday."

Dean took the packages with a blush and a smile. "Thank you." He carefully opened the first. It was a key. He looked up at Cas.

"It's the key to my house. I know it's usually unlocked when you come over, but this way you can get in even if you come over late."

Dean's face lit up; he kissed Cas. "Thank you."

Cas just nodded to the other package. "Open that one." There was something apprehensive to his gaze. That usually meant this was going to be good. Dean tore into it and his heart stopped.

It was a ring. On the outside it looked to be just a plain silver band but on the inside was an inscription: To Dean~ forever yours, with love. ~Cas.

Dean looked up at Cas, his eyes huge. Cas was bright red, having difficulty maintaining eye contact with him. "…..Cas…." His voice was merely a whisper.

"….is it…..I mean, there's a chain in there so you can wear it around your neck. You don't have to wear it on your hand, if that's too much."

But Dean was kissing him practically before he had finished speaking, breaking away breathlessly. "I love you."

Cas blinked in surprise. "…I…..you mean you like it?"

"I LOVE it!"

Cas' face lit up; he pulled Dean into a kiss. "I'm so glad," he murmured. "I was so worried."

Dean shook his head. "You didn't have to be. This…." He slipped the ring on his finger, admiring it. Cas' entire face was aglow to see it. "This is AMAZING."

Cas took Dean's hand in his own, raising it to his lips and kissing it. "I'm so glad you like it."

"I love it."

"I love YOU."

Dean smiled, hand taking hold of Cas' pajama shirtfront and tugging him close. "I love you, too."

Cas stroked Dean's cheek with a smile, leaning in for a kiss. "Happy birthday, baby."

Dean kissed him, lips brushing as he murmured "best birthday ever."

~tbc~