Here's the last chapter, guys! Hope you've enjoyed my story, even though it took SO LONG to get to the end!

P.S. This chapter is pretty much just fluff with a little citrus.

…

After The Final Rose

…

Dean got home just in time for the finale.

"Cas! I'm home!"

Home. He'd called this place home before, but he'd come to realize the statement hadn't been entirely true then. A house is not a home. Home is with the ones you love. Cas made this place more of a home than it had ever been before.

"Hurry up, then! The show's about to start!"

Dean made his way to the living room and sat next to Cas on the loveseat, throwing his arm around the blue-eyed man as usual.

"What took you so long?" Cas asked

"It's not every day you buy your fiancé an engagement ring. I wanted to make sure it looked right."

"And that took you three hours?" Cas asked, raising an eyebrow.

"What can I say? I'm picky… and I may have stopped for lunch."

Cas sighed. "Typical. Oh well, at least you made it."

Dean pulled the ring box out of his pocket and presented it to Cas. Cas opened it, and Dean watched his face earnestly, hoping for some sign that Cas liked his choice of ring. He got his wish, as Cas smiled pleasantly at the ring.

Unlike Dean's ring, Cas's ring was mostly yellow gold. The yellow gold was etched with an elegant swirling pattern, and was complimented by a white gold border. It nicely contrasted the white gold of Dean's ring, which had a braided detail etched in it.

(A/N: If you want to see pics of Dean and Cas's rings, there are links at the end of the chapter)

Cas slipped on the ring and said, smiling, "It's perfect. You did well."

He leaned over to kiss Dean, who kissed back eagerly and then whined unhappily when Cas pulled away. Cas simply shrugged and said, "The show's on."

Dean rolled his eyes but made himself comfortable next to Cas.

They were both really interested to see who Atara would end up with, especially because they had ended up deciding to watch all the episodes past Week 6 out of curiosity. The two men left for her to choose from were Dustin and Edmund. Dean and Cas had differing, but not entirely opposite opinions on who Atara would pick.

Dean was certain she'd pick Dustin. He thought they complimented each other really well and had more chemistry than she and Edmund.

Cas, however, thought it could go either way. He said that Atara and Dustin were very different, which could be a benefit or a curse. She and Edmund, on the other hand, were very alike, which made their relationship less exciting, but far more stable. If Atara was looking for someone to compliment her personality and wasn't afraid to face some conflict, she'd choose Dustin. But if she was looking for something simple and easy, something more likely to succeed in the long run though it had less passion, she'd choose Edmund.

Dean had tried to bet Cas that Dustin would win, but since Cas was impartial, he didn't take the challenge. Plus, he told Dean that he actually hoped she'd choose Dustin, as he believed he would be a better mate in the long run and could "balance her out".

In any case, Dean didn't have DVR, so they had to watch it live.

The show began with its usual introductions, but by the time Dustin and Edmund had met Atara's parents, Dean was far too distracted by Cas. He'd taken a nap while Dean was out because he hadn't slept well the night before, so he had a serious case of sex hair (bedhead) going on and his eyes were bright. It was so tempting, and Dean was having a hard time paying attention to the show anymore. All he really wanted to see was the proposal at the end, assuming there was one.

When the show cut to its third or fourth commercial, Dean started kissing Cas's neck, and then began nipping at and sucking on certain places. Cas's eyes closed and he let out a soft moan.

Dean moved on to Cas's lips, which he captured in an intense kiss. Cas met him with equal passion, wasting no time slipping his tongue into Dean's hot mouth. Now it was Dean's turn to moan. He moved his hands from Cas's head to his chest, where they pulled at his shirt buttons. Cas let him proceed, and shrugged off the shirt when Dean had completely unbuttoned it. He tugged at the bottom of Dean's t-shirt, and Dean lifted his hands in compliance, letting Cas lift the garment off of him. This continued for the next four or five minutes as the long string of commercials continued, the men getting more and more wound up.

Eventually, the show started back up again, but Cas seemed to take no notice. Dean pulled his lips off the man and gasped in a breath.

"The show's back on," he said breathily.

Cas pulled him back in, mumbling, "Not important. We've got an hour or so before the important stuff."

Dean smiled into the kiss, and then pulled back briefly, noting with a seductive grin, "We can do a lot in an hour."

…

An hour or so later, Dean and Cas were back on the couch, once again fully clothed, but sharing the sort of satisfied and breathless look people only do after making love.

Cas leaned into Dean, smiling contentedly and glancing down at the ring on his finger, still amazed that he was actually going to marry the green-eyed man.

His family and Dean's had been delighted to hear the news. Since they'd gotten engaged on live TV and most of their friends and family members had been watching, they'd received a multitude of calls once the show had ended. Anyone who hadn't called had received a phone call right away. By this point, Dean had met the rest of Cas's assorted brothers and sisters, and Cas had met Dean's friends at home. Dean seemed to almost weigh less now, after seeing how many people supported him. Cas loved seeing him so buoyant. He still wondered at times whether his father would approve, and Cas could only say that John would want to see his son happy.

"Here we go," Dean said excitedly, drawing Cas's attention back to the TV. Clips of Dustin and Edmund getting out of helicopters were being shown. Atara was about to break one of their hearts.

It took only a few seconds for the show to cut to Atara's first meeting, and Edmund was shown walking towards her, nerves evident in his eyes.

"I was right!" Dean called out triumphantly, and Cas smiled at his fiancé's enthusiasm.

Atara sent Edmund away with a great deal of grace and respect, telling him that while she cared greatly for him, she hadn't fallen in love with him. He was so much like her, but ultimately, perhaps too much like her. While it would be easy with Edmund, she wanted and needed someone who would challenge her in ways he wouldn't. She wished him the best and then watched him leave with a bittersweet smile, noting that as much as he wasn't right for her, she also wasn't right for him.

The show cut to a commercial break, during which Dean went to dish up some ice cream.

"To celebrate Atara and Dustin's everlasting love," he said with a goofy smile.

"Or to celebrate you being right," Cas said with a chuckle.

After the commercial, the show returned, and Dustin approached Atara, looking every bit as nervous as Edmund had, perhaps even more. But Atara looked at him with a big smile, one that Cas knew all too well because it was how he looked at Dean.

Atara told Dustin that she realized that even though it would be easy to be with Edmund, she wanted to take a risk, to be with Dustin not just because she loved him, but because in the end, their relationship would be stronger because of their differences. He beamed when she offered him the final rose, and could barely hold still while she pinned it on him. As soon as she had, he dropped to one knee and delivered a disjointed but passionate speech, ending by asking her to marry him. She accepted, and Dean whooped through a mouthful of ice cream. Cas simply smiled. He hoped Dustin would be as good a match for Atara as he'd thought.

Dean kissed Cas when the show ended, cutting to the live "After the Final Rose" special.

"Your proposal was better," he said with a smile.

Cas blushed.

Dean pulled him closer and rested his chin on Cas's shoulder.

"What did I do to deserve you?"

"Well, you came out on national TV," Cas replied jokingly.

Dean laughed, "Yeah, I guess there's that."

A few minutes lapsed in near-silence, with only the sound of the TV.

Then Cas said, "You know, sometimes I wonder if we would have ever met if we hadn't been on the show. Because… our brothers both convinced us to do this. Balthazar signed me up and convinced me to accept the invitation, and Sam got you to sign up. If it weren't for them, we might both be sitting alone at home right now, hundreds of miles apart."

"I guess we'll have to send them thank you cards," Dean joked.

"I guess so."

"You know…" Dean started, but then he paused, hesitating. After a few moments, he said, "I think maybe we would have met anyway."

"How?"

"I don't know. Maybe you'd have driven this way for something and your car would break down and I'd have to fix it. Or I'd get bored on a trip and wander into Balthazar's bar while you were there."

"That doesn't seem very likely," Cas replied skeptically.

"Yeah. But it feels like… fate. Or something. I don't exactly believe in fate or destiny or any of that crap, but… this feels like it was meant to happen. I can't imagine living my life without ever even meeting you."

"Me neither," Cas said, blushing. "I'm just glad things turned out the way they did."

Dean suddenly laughed, "Damn, I guess I forgot about my "no chick-flick moments" rule. Guess you bring out my soft side. I think I'm gonna get a beer. You want one?"

"Sure."

Dean got up and went to the kitchen, returning a minute later with two beers. He handed one to Cas and they clinked their glasses together, toasting perhaps to the coincidence that brought them together, though no words were spoken.

Cas moved one of his hands to link with Dean's free one, and they sat quietly together, watching the rest of the show. Dean started to fall asleep during the end, his eyes fluttering shut as he lost himself to the world of dreams.

"I love you," Dean said sleepily as he drifted off.

Cas grinned.

"I love you too."

…

REVIEW!

The Engagement Rings…

Dean: i66 DOT tinypic DOT "COM" SLASH 124c28p DOT jpg

Cas: i68 DOT tinypic DOT "COM" SLASH f0c3kh DOT jpg

[Remove the Spaces and Add Designated Symbols]

*Sorry the links have to be so weird, but the FF overlords make it VERY difficult to link to things. Not sure why.