Author's Note:

Written by; vampireluvr15

Co-written by; XspriteyX

Plot by; Susangel

The unstoppable duo is BACK! *dancing around like a complete and total idiot* Kim and Cassie have returned for their second collaboration, along with a plot supplied by the lovely Susangel, and here you have the short but necessary prologue by yours truly! Kim will be in the next chapter providing her infamous funny lines, so stay tuned :D Though I might add that while her notorious humor will be present, this will be much angst-y than Iris was, so strap in my dears! It will also welcome the children (Sam and Gabriel's, Dean and Castiel's, Crowley and Aziraphale's, etc) so be ready for some new members of the SPN family XD And also, unlike my other fics this won't be updated every single day, but I promise it will still be updated frequently!

Thanks to any readers that have dropped by to check this out!

P.S. The "lullaby" from this chapter is a real song, a link to it is on my profile :-)

"I'll sing it one last time for you

Then we really have to go

You've been the only thing that's right

In all I've done."

~Run by Snow Patrol

Castiel's low, melodious voice drifted through the room as he sung a six week old James to sleep, Dean nodding off right along with their son. Something about his husband's voice always lulled him into sleepiness, though right now he was already exhausted, so Cas' quiet singing was just enough to push him into a deep slumber in the armchair he'd been occupying for the past hour while Castiel tried to get their son to sleep. It was the same song, the same lullaby he'd been singing to James since the night he was born. Dean let himself absorb the sweet notes of the song as his eyes fell shut, his eyelashes dark smudges against his cheeks in the shadowed room.

"I've seen them appear with the crescent moon

Felt the air turn cold, heard them whistle a tune

That raises the dead from a ghostly cocoon…"

Sam had drug them to some ridiculous play, and the show tune had stuck with the angel, who had used it to sing their son to sleep ever since. Dean had tried introducing Cas to every possible television show the angel could imagine with no success in drawing him to the luxuries of modern entertainment, but let his nerdy ass brother take him to one effing play, and suddenly Cas won't shut up about how brilliant Randy Harrison is. Un-fucking-believable, Dean had thought.

Meanwhile, Cas placed a now sleeping James into his cradle, stepping back quietly. Dean snored softly in the armchair, his lips parted, his exhales pushing wisps of air between them. He watched his hunter sleep, thinking about how lucky he was to have Dean. His husband, his partner, his Mate. Castiel had loved Dean from the moment he'd pulled his soul from Hell, seeing that soul's beauty even after it had been damaged, and now they had everything that Cas had ever wanted and so much more. Their own home, two rings declaring them married, wonderful friends, and above all, a beautiful son. They had even discussed having a second child someday.

Castiel folded himself onto the floor at Dean's feet and leaned back against his jeans clad legs, closing his eyes. James was a fitful sleeper and Cas knew better than to think he'd get more than three hours of rest before the fledgling was awake again. But the constant feeling of fatigue was well worth it, of course. It was all simply a part of parenthood. Gabriel had jokingly warned him once that no amount of anti aging cream could mask the dark circles and stress lines that eventually came with giving birth to and caring for a child. Castiel was starting to understand that statement now.

The room was silent except for the sound of three people breathing. Right then, Castiel felt more at peace than he had in a very long time. Dean was warm and solid behind him, the sound of his breathing as much of a lullaby to Cas as a familiar show tune was to James. The angel was slowly drifting off to sleep himself, blissfully unaware that they only had a few short years of this beautiful, uncomplicated life left before the unthinkable happened.

With great love also comes great tragedy. Castiel would soon learn this firsthand.