Hi everyone! So sorry for such a late, late update. It didn't feel right not to end this story good and proper! Thank you for reading! And although I started this off Gen I am adding a little romance at the requests of some reviewers ;) Do not read if you do not like Destiel (but then again what else would you expect reading my fics :P) Please enjoy! It's been a lot of fun writing this :)

"Red! Stop spilling the flour on the floor!" Dean scolded as yet another heavy cloud of white splattered in a powdery explosion to the floor.

"I'm not try'na, Io keeps shoving me!" The little angel pouted.

"Am not!" The little girl stuck her tongue out. She'd managed to keep all her baking ingredients in her bowl. "No way!"

"Yeah way!" Red frowned. "Daddy!"

Dean felt like he was saved by the bell as the doorbell chimed. Dean brushed of himself and went to go answer it.

"Hey, behave, you two!" He scolded lightly before leaving the room.

"Chuck?" Dean swung open the front door of the bunker. Behind him, two wingéd kids pattered across the hall, shrieking and laughing. Dean, embarrassingly enough, was wearing an apron.

"Good morning, Dean." Chuck greeted happily, his blue eyes bright and well-rested for once. Dean couldn't remember him looking so chipper. His face suddenly fell as he remembered. His abandoned house, the tents flapping in the wind. The blackouts he'd complained about.

"Oh my God..you're God!" Dean deducted, a wide smile splitting his face. Chuck shifted his feet in embarrassment, a shy smile on his face.

"You really are, aren't you, you tricky fox..SAM!" He poked his head back in the house and gripped onto the doorframe as he leaned back into the house. "SAM! GOD'S STANDING ON OUR DOORSTEP!"

"Dean, you are..I swear.." Chuck rubbed his temples, but his face broke into a smile. He opened his eyes again, nodding at Sam's flustered face peering out from behind the door.

"H-how are you feeling?" Sam stuttered.

"The transition was...a little less than smooth, I'll give you that." Chuck laughed nervously, running a hand nervously through his unruly hair. "I'm still a little, ah, rough around the edges, but at least I have one conscious now." Chuck beamed at them, proud of himself.

"Alright, Chuck!" Dean clapped him on the shoulder. "Way to go! Keep working on that, buddy. God on a first-name basis...hell yeah."

Sam was wanting to get much more technical than Dean immediately. He looked up at him like he was a specimen. "Do you remember anything? From when you were having blackouts?"

Chuck pursed his lips. "Ah...small amounts. I'm hoping that it will all come back to me, eventually." He looked past the brothers and smiled, coming up to the baby archangel who was napping sweetly on the floor, a tiny toy car limply held in one of his hands.

"Oh, my baby. They get so exhausted for a few weeks after their second set of wings come in." Chuck leaned down and very gently tucked the toddler to his chest, barely disturbing him like he'd done it a thousand times before (which he probably had.) He softly stroked the two pairs of eagle brown wings, which fluttered slightly in his sleep. "I remember when this happened to little Gabriel. He threw such a tantrum." He had a faraway look on his face, his eyes growing weary, absent-mindedly stroking his wings again.

"Oh, I..sorry." Chuck looked up, snapping out of it. He looked embarrassed to be handling their kid like that without permission. "Do you mind?"

The brothers chuckled. "Not at all."

Chuck kissed the little boy on the hair and sighed. "Oh...my little Gabriel...my darling little sweet-toothed troublemaker..." He pressed his cheek to Tobias's light brown hair and he tried to keep himself from crying. "I was gone for too long...I let such bad things happen to my sweet angels...my dearest children..." He hiccupped and a tear slid down his cheek. "I won't ever let that happen again. A few of my children are gone forever, but things are going to change."

Chuck carried the little boy and softly lay him onto his bed. The kid barely even stirred as he tucked him under the covers. Chuck lightly pulled on a wing that had flopped in an awkward position, readjusting it to be more comfortable. He sighed, trying to not think about all his children he had lost when he was gone. "They'll learn to conceal them very soon. It's almost a shame. They're so very pretty, aren't they?" Chuck asked distantly, softness in his voice. The brothers were convinced.

"Speaking of wings.." Chuck straightened up and tugged on a black cord around his neck, revealing a small vial full of glowing blue-white light. "I have something very special for my dearest son Castiel."

Dean's eyes widened and he exchanged glances with Sam. His grace, whatever Metatron stole- he had gotten it back.

Dean didn't get to see the ordeal. It could have 'burned his eyes from his sockets' or whatever. Meanwhile, he went to get the kid's things in the oven and get them freshened up before bed. Still, even as he gave the shrieking, splashing kids baths and cooked their floury almost-cookie concoctions, he couldn't keep his mind from wandering about Cas. What was going to happen now?

He wasn't going to be a homeless, broken and depressed human with a heavy burden on him anymore, he didn't need to rely on Dean anymore. He could more than easily handle the little rugrats himself, and haul them all away and back to heaven to raise them there in a moment's notice. He would be able to fly, heal, fight and leave Dean without even a trace. Dean felt anxiety and worry envelop him.

Who was he kidding? He was Dean frigging Winchester. And that meant that all good things would always, goddamn always, come to an end.

It didn't mean he was anywhere used to it yet.

...

He finally saw Cas as he sat in the living room, jotting a few notes down in his dad's journal. He immediately stood up and made his way toward him, cold sadness and paranoia spiking through his chest like a dark icicle.

"So, you got the wings strapped on again, huh?" Dean asked quietly, a smile on his face, yet his eyes were sad. Cas looked up at him, slightly confused at that sadness behind his eyes, and nodded very slightly.

Dean huffed out some air and made a very pitiful excuse for a laugh. "That's..yeah, Cas, that's great. I'm happy for you. Awesome."

Cas tipped his head to the side. "Your heartbeat is very fast, Dean. And I'm sensing anxiety. What's wrong?"

Dean chuckled. "Okay, now you're just showing off with that mojo of yours."

Cas grew defensive. "I'm not-"

Cas did not expect to be pulled into a giant hug, his cheek flattened to the pungent flannel on Dean's chest. Dean's big, square palms were pressed hard onto his back in a desperate hug. "Cas, just hear me out, okay? I..I know heaven is not a bad place anymore, and that it would be safe for the kids but..." Dean struggled with what to say next.

"You don't want me to leave." Cas spoke up gently.

"Yeah." Dean replied huskily, squeezing the angel a little tighter. "I don't want all this to all go away. I know cherubs and clouds and sunbeams or whatever might be nicer than this ol' crappy bunker but...I'm finally happy. I have a family now. My little brothers, whether they be blood like Sammy or brought in like Kevin, and the babies, and..and you." He hesitated, his cheeks burning hot.

"Where in the classification would you put me?" Cas asked innocently, looking up into Dean's face. "A friend?"

"Friend, that's not gonna cut it." Dean took a deep breath. "You're the one who pulled me from hell, Cas. We've got...got, a..." Cas sensed his heartbeat speed even more.

"Profound bond." Castiel finished for him, still confused. He didn't understand what Dean was trying to say, or why he was so nervous.

"Yeah. That." Dean coughed, and suddenly realized he still was holding the angel quite tightly in his arms. "I just want you to stay, Cas. I know things could be different now you're an angel again but..."

"I will stay." Cas replied. His own arms pressed reassuringly to the hunter's broad back. "I could never leave this place. This family."

Dean sighed, his chest deflating from under Cas's cheek. "Okay. Hfff. Good." Dean sighed in relief, and it was only then that the angel realized how much this had really been worrying Dean. Then, Cas heard a tiny pucker by his ear as something soft pressed briefly to his temple, a nose pressed to his hair.

Cas froze for a second."...Did you just kiss me?" Cas asked, confused, his eyebrows pulling together as he looked up at Dean.

"Fuck. Sorry. Sorry, I just felt like...okay. Just-uh-forget that ever happened." Dean scrambled to push away from the angel, his cheeks burning red. "That was totally uncalled for. I was just happy you're staying, you know, I, uh..." He trailed off, wishing he could just disappear.

"It was nice." Cas filled in the silence for him, giving him a confused stare.

There was another small pause. "...Really?" Dean asked, still feeling humiliated.

"Yes." The angel replied. He took Dean's arms- God, they were shaking!- and held him so they were barely at a hug yet. He lightly kissed his cheek, which was pink and warm from the dilated blood vessels. "I will still have to learn all of this." He added as an afterthought.

"That's fine with me." Dean leaned down and pressed his nose to Cas's. "That will be the fun part."

Cas was awestruck by the sudden images that began to flood his mind. He'd almost forgotten what it was like to mindread, and right now Dean's thoughts were being very, very loud.

"I can read minds again, you know." Cas spoke up, just in case Dean didn't want him to see and he could try his best to look away.

"Yeah, I know." Dean chuckled. And Cas looked.

They were back on the roof of the bunker the night Dean had found him and brought him back. Cas saw his own silhouette, a little hunched back and messy hair against the backdrop and orange-yellow streetlamps strung up like pearl necklaces, and the smaller and cleaner white-light pinpricks from up in the vast, dark sky. He really does look fallen. Something in the way he carries himself. I hope his back isn't still hurting. Cas heard Dean's gruff inner voice through the memory. He saw Dean's arms in front of him as he climbed up the roof.

Dean saw the egg. He was suddenly struck with a silly comparison to Humpty-Dumpty. He had a great Fall...and all the king's horses and all the king's men couldn't put him back together again. Cas was seized with Dean's cold fear. What if I can't fix him? What if I can't fix him? What if I can't...

Dean sighed an held Cas closer. Cas knew he was not a very verbal person when it came to this situations (as he had just shown), so this was the only way he knew how to confess.

Castiel Winchester, open this door right now! Dean had been screaming, his foot coming up and planting in the middle of his bathroom door, his thigh muscles screaming as he kicked as hard as he could. His heart skipped a beat when he saw Cas slicing up his pale forearm, red blood had dripped to the floor and his face, God, his face was so damn pale and white as a sheet. Dean, Cas saw himself whisper before his eyes rolled back in his head and he passed out onto the tiled floor.

No! Dean had screamed at the top of his lungs, rushing forward and planting his palm over the bleeding gash, it was sticky with warm blood and the deep split sickened him. God, Cas... He frantically had checked for his pulse. It was faint, but beating steadily under his fingertips. He wanted to shake him, and berate him for being so goddamn stupid. Can't you see people love you, goddammit? I love you, you bastard!

Harsh realization.

...I love you.

Castiel Winchester, don't you fucking die on me.

It was Dean who sewed up his forearm and the laceration above ribs with great care, he felt like he was fixing up some kind of broken doll. He took Kevin's blood and slid the needle into Cas's pale arm and then slid his fingers through his messy black hair, even though he wouldn't be able to feel it. He imagined Cas's blue eyes folding open right then, and he'd look to Dean with shock and maybe even a little admiration and then Dean would lean down and kiss him like he was the knight in shining armor who had saved the day...but, of course, his eyes didn't open on his relaxed face. Cas was out, he wasn't going to wake up for a while. Stop being such a stupid idiot, Winchester. Dean scolded himself, embarassed at his childish thought. Your life isn't a fucking fairy tale. You'll be lucky if you even get a thank you.

"I'm sorry, Dean." Cas didn't realize. "I'm sorry I put you through so much."

"Don't be." Dean grunted. "Only doing my job."

"I didn't think your job was to fall in love with me." Cas said, a tiny smile on his face as he melted into Dean's chest, his eyelashes fluttering as he closed his eyes. A warmth spread in his chest. It felt nice to know someone loved him.

Dean was speechless, and he let out a few strangled sounds that were barely words. Frusterated at himself for his inability to say anything, he rushed forward and planted a soft kiss on Cas's lips, taking the sides his face in his palms.

The two pulled apart shortly after. Dean looked embarassed, his cheeks flushed again. Cas looked equally humiliated.

"I...told you I will have to learn all of this." He tried to say in his defense. He was embarrassed that when he had those lips on his, he had absolutely no idea what to do next.

"Sorry." Dean ran his hand through his hair nervously. "It's..it's okay. We, uh, we should go tuck in the kids now."

"Agreed." Cas's own cheeks felt a little hot. Being a bad kisser had never been a concern of his before. Now, like a middle schooler, getting better seemed to slip to the top of his list. Maybe he could ask Sam. Yes, he could do that. Sam wouldn't mind, would he?

Dean slipped his fingers into Cas's as they walked down the hallway. Cas felt a warmth spread quickly in his chest again. This was nice. You can't be bad at hand-holding, right? Dean gave him a reassuring squeeze before he let go, stepping into the kid's room. Cas knew things were never going to go back to the way they were before.

Cas waited in the doorway, watching as Dean smiled and talked quietly to the baby angels, pulling the covers up over their shoulders and playfully squeezing their foot-lumps under the blankets, ruffling one boy's hair and kissing another's forehead. He was so good with his little ones, wasn't he? Cas felt such an all-encompassing feeling of home that he almost felt a little dizzy, and he steadied himself on the doorpost. It was a good kind of dizzy.

"You know I don't require sleep now that I have my "mojo" back." Cas protested weakly, complete with air quotes. Dean grinned at him and patted the empty side of his bed once again. "Humor me."

Cas came uncertainly up to the bed and trailed his fingers along the quilt, before uncertainly climbing on and laying down, his fingers laced together and resting lightly on his stomach. "I don't know what to do. I have shared a bed with the children, but a full-sized human being is-"

Dean chuckled happily. "Oh, relax." He smiled, propping his head up on his elbow. "You're doing just fine."

Cas looked uncertainly at him, his eyebrows drawing together. He also turned to the side, his eyes concerned. His hand dragged lightly along the blanket as he reached out tentatively to the space between them, and Dean slipped his hand out to meet him in the middle and laced his fingers between the spaces.

"Is this when we kiss?" Cas asked uncertainly, his voice lowered, as if he were telling a secret.

"Only if you want to." Dean grinned, giving his hand a reassuring squeeze.

Cas looked nervous. "Maybe...just one." He whispered.

Dean pulled forward and gave him a soft kiss, extending his neck and flashing his clear-cut jawbone. Cas reached up and took the side of his face, his ear between his first two fingers as his thumb rubbed along the soft hairs in front of his ear.

"G'night." Dean whispered when they'd pulled apart. His nose was still lightly touching the angel's, and his lips had broken into an easy smile. "Love you, Cas."

The angel's heart pattered in his chest. "I love you too." He whispered back, his eyes shutting with shyness. Dean squeezed his hand again. The blankets rustled as Dean pushed his feet underneath and lifted it for Cas to slip under too.

Dean faced Cas and wore a tiny smile on his lips. "G'night." He said again. "Y'know, I'm probably never going to get tired of that." And with that, his eyes were closed, leaving Cas to count freckles. As the angel waited, he resorted to counting those slightly blonde-tipped eyelashes that would flutter slightly every now and then.

Was he asleep?

Cas cautiously peeked into his thoughts- he wasn't quite under yet, but he was slipping fast.

"Dean?" Cas asked uncertainly, not sure if he would be a light enough of a sleeper to hear him. He was too shy to repeat himself if he didn't.

"Hmmm." Dean grunted, his consciousness coming up closer to the surface, yet he still wasn't fully awake, Cas could tell with his re-found abilities.

"I am very glad I found you." Cas whispered. There was that odd, honey-like viscous spread of warmth in his chest again.

"Mm? Mm-hmm." Dean grunted, his lips not quite coordinating with his mind. Cas placed his hand on the side of his head again and kissed him on the forehead, between his eyebrows. Dean chuckled a little this time, but his eyes remained closed. "Cas, you sly dog." He mumbled with a sleepy laugh, pulling a little on the covers again.

It was very warm here, Cas deduced. There was something very calming about the blanket of darkness, the steady breathing of Dean next to him and the way he'd sometimes mumble in his sleep, reaching out for him to reassure himself all of this wasn't some kind of dream. Cas always met his searching palm and would curl his fingers around it, smiling happily in the dark with his sleepless eyes fixated on his Hunter as he'd hear Dean's content, sleepy sigh. This man was his friend, his family, one of the fathers of his children,the one he saved, his savior, the one he loved after all. Thinking about his future made his head spin. It wasn't perfect, and there was hard work to be done. But he found a peace in knowing he'd have his dearest baby angels to take care of and watch grow, he would be hunting alongside his family and cleansing the world of evil one case at a time. He thought of his future with Dean, that his "G'night" would be the first of thousands. Maybe even more, Cas thought. If we share a heaven. Maybe, they just might. And finally, that word didn't spread a chill down his spine.

Yes, he was going to stay.

THE END