A/N: This last chapter is a song fic looking back on the family's journey throughout "Raising Amy." Basically, every time I hear "Faith Hope Love Repeat" by Brandon Heath, I keep seeing scenes from this collection, and since I can't make a music video out of it, I decided instead to do a snapshot montage with snippets from various chapters set to the lyrics.

And Friday we'll start a brand new multi-chapter fic of Cas and Dean taking Amy on her first hunt!

"Faith Hope Love Repeat" - Brandon Heath

I wanna build four walls, keep you safe inside
And catch you when you fall, don't wanna see you cry

"Okay, come on, sweetheart."

Dean peered into the darkened tree trunk and watched Amy uncurl from where she was pressed against the bark on the opposite side, and then slowly crawl her way over. He stepped back then as Cas hurried in to grab her and lift her out the rest of the way. She was covered in dirt and hair mussed, but Dean didn't see any blood.

Cas dropped to his knees and ran frantic hands over her arms and head, searching for injuries. "Are you hurt?"

She shook her head mutely, and Cas wrapped her in a tight hug.

Dean shifted, uncertain about butting in, but… "She said her wing hurt."

Cas's mouth turned down as he peered over her shoulder. "Did you try to catch your fall?"

Amy bobbed her head, biting her lip. Cas ran his hand down her back, then over the space behind her shoulder blades where Dean presumed her wings were, but, you know, not.

Cas's shoulders sagged in obvious relief. "It's not broken. Just a sprain, I think." He let out a stressed breath and wrapped her in another tight hug, cupping the back of her head. "I'm just glad you're okay. I don't know what I'd do if anything ever happened to you."

She raised her arms to hug back, burying her face in Cas's neck. "I'm sorry."

Cas held on for a prolonged moment, and then shifted to pick her up in his arms. "Let's go take care of that wing."

And when you walk down the street, make you hold my hand
I wanna lift you off your feet, be your Superman, Superman

Castiel finally stood up and took his daughter's hand. "Hold on tight," he instructed.

"You won't let go?" she asked with a flash of fear.

"I promise."

He gave a tremendous flap of his wings and leaped into the ether. At first, Amala's wings fluttered frantically in the sudden vacuum of space and lack of ground beneath her feet. Castiel simply kept his solid grip on her hand and let her gradually find her rhythm between bursts of momentum and gliding on the currents. Her smaller wings had to exert more effort than his own, and after a few moments, he guided them out of the celestial currents to alight on a mountainside somewhere in Iceland.

I wanna take you for a ride, when you cannot sleep
Brush your hair to the side, kiss you on your cheek

Sam blinked groggily as he glanced at the clock, which read 2:30 in the morning.

"Mhmp, Amala, what is it?"

"I had a bad dream."

Though still half asleep, he managed to push himself up slightly and switch on the bedside lamp, then rubbed at his eyes. "Are you okay?" He gave her a once-over, and she seemed fine.

Amy nipped at her bottom lip, quiet for a moment. "Daddy's not home."

Sam ran a hand down his face. Right.

But then with a soft smile, he scooted back on his mattress and lifted the covers up. "Come on."

Amy gave him a beaming look of gratitude as she clambered up in bed with him.

I wanna stay up all night, making sure you breathe
Oh, my God, what a gift, he has given me

Castiel stood over the crib in the room the Winchesters had designated as the bunker's nursery, unable to tear his eyes away from the infant sleeping inside. She was so small, so fragile looking. Castiel marveled at this tiny life, still not quite able to believe he had helped create her, that she was his. Watching her sleep, peaceful like this, filled him with immense joy.

Yeah, I brought you into this world
And I'm sorry it's a little bit crazy

Dean and Sam ransacked the shelves and crates in search of the artifact, heedless of knocking stuff over. Every so often something would reverberate through the vents with a boom, and Dean imagined that an entire mountainside might have been uprooted and dropped on top of them. His flashlight beam reflected off something shiny and metallic, and Dean snatched it up.

"I got it!" He spun around and started sprinting back down the corridor toward the library, Sam on his heels.

He almost tripped over a small body huddled against the wall in the passageway.

"Amy?"

Her knees were drawn up to her chest, and she lifted wide, terrified eyes to him.

Dean quickly passed Sam the medallion. "Here, go."

His brother spared him a brief look before breaking into a run toward the stairs.

Dean knelt down next to Amy. "Hey, kiddo. What are you doing on the floor here?"

"There was a loud noise and it scared Kit. I went after her but the lights went out, and I couldn't hear anyone."

Dean grimaced. They hadn't meant to leave her alone; granted, they hadn't meant to bring a wrathful storm elemental to their doorstep, either.

But I tell you there is so much good
Though the future looks a little bit hazy

Cas cleared his throat. "I think before we start that we should all go around and say what we're thankful for."

Dean paused halfway to reaching for the dinner rolls. Aw, really?

"I'll go first!" Amy volunteered. "I'm thankful marshmallows go on sweet potatoes, because then I get to eat candy for dinner."

The adults chuckled and shook their heads in amusement.

Sam started when he realized he was sitting next to Amy, and it seemed only logical it be his turn next. He rolled his shoulders awkwardly. "Okay, uh, I'm thankful my brother is such a good cook, and that he and Ryn made this amazing meal for us."

Dean almost wanted to make a smart-alecky retort to that, but the sincerity in Sam's tone stopped him, and instead he just gave his brother a small smile and nodded in acknowledgement.

Ryn folded her hands on the table. "I'm thankful for this beautiful home, and the life we have here." She looked at Dean.

Oh, that made it his turn. "Well, uh, I'm thankful the world isn't ending."

Sam shot him a mild bitch-face.

"And that we're all together," he added.

There had been too many times when they weren't.

Cas smiled, and gradually shifted his gaze to each of them. "And I'm thankful for my family. I don't know what I ever did to deserve this, but I'm grateful every day." He looked at Amy and reached over to lovingly touch the back of her head.

They all shared smiles at that. Dean was thankful for this, too. And he also didn't know what he'd done to deserve it, but here they were, and like Cas, he was gonna cherish it every single day for as long as he lived.

But see God me and him have a promise
And he'll give us everything that we need

"Do you know what you want to call her?"

Amala's mouth pursed as she gave it some serious thought. "Mhm, Kit-Kat. But Kit for short."

Dean threw a dubious look at the adults in the room as if to say, "Really?"

"I think that's perfect," Ryn said, giving him a pointed look in return.

Amala nodded, too enraptured by her new companion to notice the silent back-and-forth of the adults. "This is your forever home, Kit. It's a good home and you'll be happy here."

Ryn's gaze drifted to meet her husband's, and they shared a quiet, unspoken understanding as two fellow 'strays' who had also found a forever home here, with a family that had taken them in as their own.

Castiel smiled, and reached out to squeeze her hand.

It was a good home.

So have faith, hope, and love
Faith, hope, love, repeat

Amy let out a high-pitched squeal, and Dean looked up to find her nearly getting swallowed by Sam as he tickled her mercilessly. She broke free, though, and started running back toward camp. Sam gave chase.

"Argh, I'm gonna get you!" he rumbled in his 'monster' voice.

Amy shrieked again. "Uncle Dean, save me!"

She darted over, and he quickly picked up a long stick. Sam came galumphing toward them, and Dean slashed the branch through the air.

"Alright, back you Abominable Sasquatch." He swatted at his brother.

Sam ducked under his next swing and tackled him, driving him to the ground with an 'oof.' Amy laughed shrilly as they rolled around in the dirt, wrestling.

"The Tickle Monster is victorious again!" Sam crowed.

Faith, hope, love, faith, hope, love
Faith, hope, love, faith, hope, love

Dean got out the fishing rods Castiel had made a special trip home for after they'd discovered a stream close to camp.

"Let's see if I can catch us some dinner," Dean said. He cocked his head. "Hey, Cas, can you get the fish to swim our way?"

Castiel gave the hunter a bland look. "Do I look like the Trout Whisperer to you?"

Sam barked out a laugh while Dean rolled his eyes.

"Hey!" Amala called. "There are moons on the ground!"

They looked over to the trees where she was standing, then at the ground covered in crescent shaped lights scattered throughout the shadows cast by the branches above.

Sam went over, sweeping his gaze over the ground excitedly. "These are projections of the sun."

Amala's face scrunched up in confusion. "But they look like the moon."

"It's because the small openings between the leaves act like a pinhole camera," Sam explained. "And that makes an enlarged image of the sun, which at the moment isn't a full circle like usual."

"Oh. Cool."

Sam grinned. "It is."

I wanna show you the world, climb the mountaintops
Watch you dance in the rain, I hope it never stops

Castiel stood on a sandy beach, wind whipping around the ends of his trench coat. The air was heavy with electricity and warm moisture, the sky a dark, pewter gray. Thunder rumbled in the distance.

Amala stayed close to his side, posture tense with anticipation. A flash of light shimmered through the clouds. Four seconds later, the heavens cracked and roared. Amala flinched, but there was excitement in her eyes.

Castiel could feel the high pressure system roiling closer, the combination of hot and cold air igniting into plasma. This time lightning splintered across the sky with a snap, and the resulting thunder was immediate and booming enough to startle the eardrums. Static prickled the back of Castiel's neck and along his feathers. He'd told Amala to keep her wings tucked in.

Lightning forked down from the heavens and struck the beach several yards away. Amala let out a small gasp and jumped, but Castiel held her close. The thunderclap rattled their rib cages. Burnt ozone fizzled on the air.

And then it was like a duel of the thunder gods above their heads—whip cracks lashing to and fro across the sky. Two offshoots collided with overlapping thunderbolts. Castiel stood firm underneath the onslaught, a moored sentinel in the face of Nature's awesome prowess.

Whatever tomorrow brings, I hope it brings you joy
And when it's all too much, I'll hold you in my arms

The movie ended, but Dean didn't get up, as Amy's head was resting against his shoulder. He craned his head to glance down at her face, and found her on the verge of tears.

"Hey, hey," he said, lifting an arm to drape around her. "Is it that bad?"

She sniffed. "It won't stop. I want it to stop."

Dean winced in sympathy. He remembered when he'd broken his leg several years back, how irritating and frustrating it'd been, not just to be laid up, but the cast had itched something fierce, and his leg muscles had struggled against atrophying. It had not been pleasant at all, and he hated seeing his niece having to suffer through something similar.

Dean shifted, drawing Amy closer against him in a secure embrace. There was one other thing he used to do for Sam when his baby brother was upset. Clearing his throat, softly, Dean began to sing.

He may have had the songs from Tangled memorized from sheer repetition, but that wasn't the tune he chose. Just like with the tomato rice soup, there was only one song that fit the bill for situations like this.

"Hey, Jude, don't make it bad. Take a sad song and make it better. Remember to let her into your heart. Then you can start to make it better."

He kept up the low cadence, gently rubbing Amy's arm in sync with the rhythm. He felt her gradually still against him, lulled into sleep where she could finally get a break from the discomfort. Dean smiled, tilting his head to watch the distress lines in her face smooth out. She really was a little angel.

Yeah, I brought you into this world
And I'm sorry it's a little bit crazy

Dean paused and quirked a brow at his niece. "What's with the flannel? And suddenly wanting to go jogging?"

"I want to do more stuff that you and Uncle Sam do," she replied. "So I can be a hunter when I grow up."

Dean couldn't help but stiffen. Deep down, he knew they probably should have expected this, but there was no way in hell they were gonna raise Amy to become a hunter.

"Whoa, kiddo," he said. "I'm flattered, really, but…you can be anything you want when you grow up. There's much better stuff out there than being a hunter."

She frowned at him. "But you're all hunters. And I want to be like you."

Oh, hell no. This could not be happening. Dean shot a pleading look for help at Cas and Ryn.

Ryn had her mouth pursed thoughtfully. "It might be time to start some training."

Dean gaped at her in horror. "What?" he sputtered. "You can't be serious."

Amy clamored out of her chair. "Yes! I want to start training!"

Dean's mouth moved soundlessly in stupefaction. "Cas, come on."

Cas, at least, had a concerned pinch between his brows as he cast an uncertain look at Ryn.

"She's from a family of warriors," Ryn pointed out gently. "Of course she's going to grow up to be one."

But I tell you there is so much good
Though the future looks a little bit hazy

Castiel shifted his weight nervously, not liking the narrowed gazes the other angels were targeting his daughter with.

But then someone was nudging their way forward from the back, and Castiel's jaw slackened in surprise as Joshua parted a path to the front. The aged angel took several steps toward them and slowly bent down to one knee in front of Amala.

"Hello, little one," he said, and only the fact that Joshua was considered wise among the angels kept Castiel from yanking his daughter behind him. He still didn't let go of her hand, though. "I'm Joshua."

"I'm Amala. Or you can call me Amy like Uncle Sam and Uncle Dean do."

Joshua smiled. "That's a pretty name."

Amala canted her head at his brown-stained coveralls. "Is there dirt in Heaven?"

His lips twitched. "Yes. I'm Heaven's gardener."

Her face lit up with interest. "Can we see the garden? Does it have the same types of plants and flowers as Earth, or are there species only found in Heaven?"

Joshua flicked a smile up at Castiel before returning his attention to her. "Those are very good questions." He straightened. "Let's go see."

Amala shot Castiel an exasperated look when he still didn't release her hand, so he moved to follow them, still casting wary glances at the other angels. With Joshua's approval, though, some of their hostility was beginning to shift to confusion and uncertainty. It was progress, he supposed.

But see God me and him have a promise
And he'll give us everything that we need

Castiel smoothed out the purple coverlet and then sat on the edge of the bed. "What kind of story?"

"How about when Uncle Sam and Uncle Dean saved the world."

Castiel's lips twitched. "Alright. Once upon a time, many years ago, there were two brothers. They were very special brothers, chosen ones in a great conflict that would decide the fate of the world. But the problem was that each side in the great war chose one brother for themselves, and wanted them to fight each other. The Righteous Man, Heaven's chosen, didn't believe he was worthy. The Boy with the Demon Blood had a heart too pure and good to side with Hell."

"What did they do?"

"Well, they decided that they would change destiny. That neither Heaven nor Hell had the right to determine the fate of the world and the humans who lived in it. Armies of angels and demons constantly pursued them, until Sam and Dean ended up face to face with the Devil himself. The Devil tried to take Sam, but the brothers' love gave them the strength to stand fast. Sam fought back Lucifer and cast him into the Cage, stopping the Apocalypse and saving the world."

Amala smiled. "I like that story."

Castiel's expression softened. "Me too."

"You left out one of the most important characters," a new voice spoke up from behind.

Castiel half turned to find Dean standing in the doorway and leaning against the frame.

"Your dad was there, too." Dean pushed away from the doorjamb and came the rest of the way into the room. "So the Righteous Man, he had doubts. He was afraid. But the angel Castiel had faith in him. And when the Righteous Man asked for help standing against the forces of Heaven, that angel chose to fall, because he loved humanity. And the Demon Boy King, he worried that he wasn't strong enough. But then an angel became his friend, and he started to believe that maybe there was something good in him after all, if something as good as an angel could see it."

Amala's expression was rapt with attention.

"And that day, when Sam and Dean went to face Lucifer," Dean went on. "The angel Castiel was right there with them."

So have faith, hope, and love
(Faith, hope, and love)
Faith, hope, and love

"How about this one?" Amala called out.

They turned to where she was standing next to a young fir with branches fully filled out. When Sam came to stand next to it, he was just a foot shy of the top.

"I think it looks perfect," the younger Winchester declared.

Dean eyed it critically before nodding in agreement. "Alright, this one it is."

Castiel stepped forward to take hold of the top portion of the tree and hold it while Dean got into position to chop at the base. After he completely hacked through the trunk, Castiel lifted the tree up and gave it a couple good shakes to dislodge any insects that might have made their abode in its branches. Then he carried it a few feet away and laid it down on its side. Dean handed him some twine, and together they bound the branches for easier dragging back to the cabin.

On the return trek, Amala paused to scoop up a handful of snow and threw it at Sam. It splatted against his back. He spun so quickly toward her that she shrieked and took off. Sam chased after her, galumphing through the drifts as Amala nimbly darted in and out of trees.

Dean just shook his head at them, whereas Castiel felt a warm glow of contentment.

But there will be days when you lose your faith
And there will be nights when you give up hope

"What's wrong with Dad?" Amy asked, twisting in Sam's arms to look back over his shoulder.

"He's fine," Sam assured her, sweeping into her room and closing the door behind them. He then set her on the unmade bed.

She gazed up at him with frightened eyes. "Was that blood?"

Sam hesitated. He didn't want to outright lie to her. "Yeah, he got a little hurt on this last hunt. But your mom and Uncle Dean are gonna fix him up good as new."

Amy continued to stare at him in something like shock. "But…you never get hurt on hunts."

Sam grimaced. Crap. He supposed it was inevitable this would happen eventually. "Actually, we do. It…kinda comes with the job when you're dealing with monsters."

Her bottom lip quivered as she whispered, "Do you get hurt a lot?"

His heart broke at the devastated look on her face, and he took a seat on the bed next to her and pulled her into a side hug. "Yeah. Hunting can be dangerous sometimes. We just always tried to keep you from seeing any of that, so your dad has always healed us before we came home."

Amy pulled back to look up at him with wavering eyes. "Then who heals him?"

Disappointment and pain, and you'll flirt with the shame
So you call me from the end of your rope

"Do the angels really hate you?" Amy asked in a whisper.

Castiel's face pinched with remorse. "Some of them."

"Because of me."

"No," he said firmly. "Because of me. I've done things in my past I'm not proud of. Heaven suffered a lot because of it."

"Things you're not proud of," Amy murmured. "Like me?"

Castiel's eyes widened, and he shifted to fully face her. "No. Amala, don't ever think that."

"Is it true, though?" she pressed. "Am I some kind of- of aberration? A mistake that wasn't supposed to happen?"

He reached out to grip her arms. "You are not a mistake," he said fervently. His eyes crinkled. "Unexpected, was more like it. But also the most precious gift I have ever been given."

And I'll give you whatever I have
But there's only one thing you'll need

Amy started to back away, but a glint of yellow pupils appeared in the dark, followed by a snarl and a creature leaping out at her. She screamed and tripped, falling backward to hit the ground as a wendigo towered over her. It was hideous—bones jutting out from gray skin, eyes so sunken they looked like shriveled pits in the sockets. It arched an arm up, massive claws set to strike.

And then a flash of tan came out of nowhere with the force of a tornado, and Amy watched her dad slam a palm into the monster's chest, throwing it back several feet to hit the mountain face. It howled upon impact, a few chunks of granite falling to the ground with the beast. The wendigo let out a gnashing growl and struggled to get up.

A blue aura blazed forth as an angel's grace crackled on the air. Massive wings snapped taut with a strike of lightning above that illuminated the tenebrous shadows.

And that's love, I'll give you my love
My love, I'll give you my love

"Dad, why is that one still there?" Amala asked, pointing to the drawing right next to the one he'd just put up. It had nothing but multi-colored scribbles scratched out haphazardly across the page.

"It's the first one you ever drew," Castiel replied.

"But that was forever ago. And I can draw much better now."

"I still think it's beautiful," Castiel said.

And he did. It was strange sometimes to think that he was several billion years old; he'd watched humanity for so long that nothing should be new for him. Everything had been done before, even a child's small scribbles. And yet everything Amala made, no matter how abstract or unpolished, was infinitely precious to him.

Yeah, I brought you into this world
And I'm sorry it's a little bit crazy

"Uncle Sam."

He turned to find Amy hugging the wall, her pallor ghostly and shoulders hunched forward. His heart leaped into his throat and he surged forward.

"What's wrong?" he asked urgently, coming to crouch down in front of her. Amy's eyes were red and she didn't answer, just held out one arm with the sleeve rolled up. Sam's eyes widened in horror at the black webbing encasing her skin. "Oh my god."

"What?" Dean demanded, finally having noticed something was wrong. He strode over, only to pull up short. "What the hell is that?"

"I don't know," Sam replied. "Amy, what happened?"

"The- the bracelet," she hiccuped. "I found it in one of the storage rooms, and- I just wanted to try it on."

Sam's gaze latched onto the black band around his niece's wrist. It seemed innocuous enough, but the treacly webbing did look like it was coming from underneath it.

"It hurts," Amy whimpered. "And I can't get it off."

Shit. Sam exchanged a panicked look with his brother. "We need to call Cas."

But I tell you there is so much good
Though the future looks a little bit hazy

The moon continued its journey, slowly devouring the sun. There was a diamond flash right before the moment of total eclipse, and suddenly the world was plunged into darkness. Sam took off his glasses and gazed upward at the dark circle in the sky ringed in orange from the sun's corona. It looked like the end of the world.

But what Sam had come to appreciate from these escapades was not only that they were rather frequent, but also ephemeral. Darkness may come upon them from time to time, but it didn't last, and they always came out the other side.

Sam bumped shoulders with his niece, reveling in the miracle that they were here at all. Amy just smiled at him, having no idea how her birth had been like an eclipse—filled with darkness and uncertainty.

Until the sun had come out the other side.

But see God me and him have a promise
And he'll give us everything that we need

"Wait, what about Rapunzel?" Dean asked incredulously. "You love that movie."

"Rapunzel didn't know she was a princess, so she didn't think she had to act like one," Amala replied matter-of-factly.

"And she saved the hero, Flynn Ryder," Charlie put in. "And herself. No damsel in distress there."

"Nope!" Amala chimed.

Dean cast a lost look at Ryn, who shrugged. She just hoped there wasn't any princess paraphernalia in these bags.

But then Charlie was reaching into one of them and pulling out a plastic crown.

"I had to earn my title of Queen of Moondoor," she said, placing the crown on her head. "By leading my army into battle against the Dark Elves and defeating them."

Amala's eyes widened with interest. "Really? Can I lead an army into battle?"

Charlie stroked her chin thoughtfully. "Perhaps one day, young grasshopper. But today, your mission is to evade all party preparations. Catching sight of even one decoration before everything's ready could break the spell and turn you into a toad!"

So have faith, hope, and love
(Faith, hope, and love)
Faith, hope, love, repeat

Sam already had his skates on and took the first tentative step out onto the ice. "It's been years since I've done this," he remarked, wobbling slightly.

Amy stomped through the snow to reach the smooth edge, and then glided out onto the ice toward him. Sam took her hand, and together they worked to find their balance, which wasn't working out so well with their disproportionate sizes.

Ryn sat on a large rock and pulled her own pair of skates on. Even Castiel was lacing up a set. Dean was holding out.

"Come on, Dean. What are you waiting for?" Ryn needled him.

"For Sam to fall flat on his ass first."

"Don't be such a grinch," said brother retorted.

"Yeah, come on, Uncle Dean!" Amala cajoled.

Grumbling under his breath, Dean plopped down on a fallen log and started pulling his boots off.

Ryn pushed herself to her feet and made her way to the pond, which was almost the size of an actual rink, but with a little tributary branching off into a smaller oval in the back. Charcoal gray trees dusted in white powder stood in thickets under a pewter sky.

A startled yelp followed by uproarious laughter broke the moment, and she arced around one end of the pond to head back toward where Dean was sitting flat on his ass on the ice, and Amala and Sam were laughing. Dean scowled at them as Castiel skated over to help him up.

"I'll race you," Amy said.

Dean snorted. "Yeah, right. You win already."

Sam hunkered down and pointed to the opposite end of the pond. "Ready? Go!"

Faith, hope, and love
(Faith, hope, and love)
Faith, hope, love, repeat

A new beat filled the kitchen as the iPod queued up the next song, one Dean couldn't resist dropping everything for. He brought his hands up to hold an air guitar as he began to mime ripping through the punching riffs. Just as the lyrics were about to start, he whipped a hand toward his niece, pointing at her as he began to lip sync.

"Rising up, back on the street." Dean arced his extended arm out to the side. "Did my time, took my chances!"

Amy snatched the spatula off the counter and held it spade end up as she fake sang into it. "Went the distance, now I'm back on my feet."

"Just a man and his will to survive." Dean switched to air drums for the next bit.

Amy spread her feet apart and shot one hand into the air in a class rock star pose as she raised the spatula-mic. "It's the eye of the tiger, it's the thrill of the fight."

Dean skirted over to her, jamming out on an air guitar again. "Rising up to the challenge of our rival."

Amy started performing some of her karate moves to punctuate the last part of the chorus. "And the last known survivor stalks his prey in the night."

"And he's watching us all, with the eye of the tiger."

They rocked out till the end of the song, and then descended into a fit of chuckles and giggling.

Faith, hope, and love
(Faith, hope, and love)
Faith, hope, love, repeat

A splash of salt water caught him in the face, even though they were away from the tide, and Dean jerked in surprise as his brother, the creature from the black lagoon, surged up from under the water and started pelting them with a splash attack. Amy squealed and slapped water back at him, and Dean took the opportunity to get around Sam and dunk his head under the water. If he thought his hair looked bad before…

By the time they finally decided to swim back, Cas had been going to town building a sandcastle. Except, sandcastle wasn't the right word for it.

"Is that the Taj Mahal?" Sam sputtered.

"A model scale of it, yes," Cas replied, as though it were no big feat.

Ryn had a fist pressed to her mouth, but it wasn't hiding her grin.

"Wow!" Amy exclaimed. "I have to go get my camera!" She ran up the beach toward the house.

"That's impressive, man," Dean said. Maybe tomorrow he'd challenge Cas to a competition. After all, Dean's whittling skills had gotten pretty good, and he bet he could apply them to sandcastles.

Later that night, they built a bonfire next to the Taj Mahal and settled in to look at the constellations. Dean never could memorize them, and so it was always Amy and Cas and Ryn pointing them out for him again.

"Did you see the shooting star?" Amy said excitedly.

"I did," Sam replied.

"We should make a wish."

Dean's eyes met Cas's, and they shared a knowing smile. There was no need to wish for what you already had.