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xtremeroswelliaSeries: Two Guys, a Girl and a Chevy Impala
Fic 22: As the End Draws Near
Authors: clarksmuse and xtremeroswellia
Rated: NC-17
Pairings: Dean/Chloe, Sam/Sarah
Disclaimer: Not ours. Please don't sue, okay? Thanks. :P
Author's Note at the end... *sniff*
Four months later... Vancouver, British Columbia...
Holding their newborn in her arms, Sarah had never been happier. Jacob Winchester looked so much like Sam, with the dark thatch of hair and the dimples in his cheeks. Though his eyes were blue, she had no doubt at all that they would turn a dark hazel.
The delivery hadn't been easy, but somehow they had all made it. And Sam had been there through it all, his constancy and love guiding her like a light. She gazed up at him, her eyes blurring with tears. "Jacob looks just like you," she said.
Sam smiled at her, his own eyes shiny with unshed tears. He leaned down and kissed her forehead. "I think he looks like you."
"How do you figure? He's a handsome guy just like his daddy."
He grinned. "Which means Dean will think Jacob looks like him."
"What can I say? It's the Winchester genes," came a confident voice from the doorway. Sarah looked over to see Dean and Chloe, hand in hand, standing there with large, toothy smiles.
"Yeah, because our son got all your genes, Dean," Sarah remarked and gave him a look.
Dean pulled Chloe close to him and they walked to the bed. "Hey, Sammy's not my little brother for nothin'," he remarked.
"He's beautiful," she whispered, gazing at the tiny bundle in her friend's arms, then lifting her eyes to meet Sarah's. "How ya feeling? You need anything?"
"Everything I need is now standing in this room," she said and smiled at Chloe. "Do you want to hold your nephew?"
A grin spread across her face. "Yes," she whispered without hesitation, leaning down so Sarah could shift Jacob into her arms. She pressed a feather light kiss against the baby's forehead, tears prickling at her eyes as he opened his mouth and yawned, looking up at her sleepily for a moment.
"I think he likes his aunt Chloe," Dean said and watched, heart full of wonder, at the quiet bonding moment. He looked over at Sam and wasn't sure his brother's feet were on the ground. "Dude, I think you did well... for once."
Sam grinned. "Yeah. We did." He reached down and took Sarah's hand, giving it a gentle squeeze as he watched Chloe with their son.
Dean moved close to Chloe and watched his nephew drift off to sleep in her arms. He draped an arm around her and dared to wonder what life would be like having kids around. Since the four of them practically lived together -- Sam and Sarah lived next door in the small town of Hope, British Columbia, the best place to have settled down until the Feds stopped looking for them -- he knew helping to raise his nephew would be fun. Not "watching your enemy fall dead at your feet" fun, but then again, hadn't Chloe shown him over the last year that fun was relative?
He felt her eyes on him and looked at her. "What?"
"Nothing," she said softly, faint smile on her lips.
"I can still read your mind if I wanted to."
"Just thinking."
"Uh oh, clear the room," Dean teased lightly. "I think her brain might explode with thought."
Sarah snorted. "Not our fault you give her way too much to think about, Winchester." She looked at the engagement ring on Chloe's left hand and gave Dean a knowing look.
"What? We were waiting for the newest Winchester to arrive," he protested.
Chloe smiled. "You wanna hold him?" she asked softly, looking up at Dean.
He swallowed hard and looked at Sam, panic in his eyes for a second.
"Take a deep breath and relax," Sam said with a soft chuckle. "You've held babies before, Dean."
"You do realize that I was four at the time?" he replied with a laugh.
He shrugged. "Exactly. You carried me down a flight of steps and out the front door when you were four and your balance was much worse." He smirked.
"Thanks, dude, for the reminder to kick your a-- butt when you bring the baby home." He sucked in a nervous breath and held out his arms towards Chloe.
"Hey, you need the practice for when it's your own kid," he pointed out, watching Dean's eyes widen.
"One thing at a time, dude," Dean whispered and concentrated on holding his nephew in his arms. Chloe positioned Jacob's head so it rested comfortably on the crook of Dean's arm. He watched as the baby yawned, his tiny mouth making an O. "Hey, Jake," he whispered and smiled as his nephew smiled a little.
"Daddy, I think Jacob likes Uncle Dean," Sarah whispered and looked up at Sam.
Sam smiled, eyes filled with pride. "No doubt about that."
Chloe gazed at Dean intently as he held their nephew so gently, so carefully, like he might break and felt the breath catch in her throat at the sight. She swallowed hard, shifting her gaze to look at Sarah for a moment, her expression unreadable.
Sarah gave her a knowing look. You know he'd make a great father, she thought and let their mental bond block everything else out for a moment.
A faint blush touched her cheeks and she nodded slightly in acknowledgement. I've always known that.
Sarah smiled, a wide toothy grin. So does this mean Jacob'll have a cousin to play with in the near future?
Her eyes widened a little. That's...I don't know.
Sam smirked and looked at his brother. "They're talking about us. You know that, right?"
Dean chuckled and looked over at his brother. "Dude, they're always talking about us. Didn't you know? When they get all quiet like?"
He grinned at his brother. "At least they say nice things...most of the time."
"Hey," Sarah protested with a quiet squeak, "we only say nice things about you." She squeezed Sam's hand, her eyes sparkling as she looked at him.
He winked at her and kissed the back of her hand before slowly sitting down on the edge of her bed and looking around at their family.
Still holding Jacob, Dean gazed at the small circle they made and realized they had all come full-circle. The journey had begun long ago, when their mother died, but Dad had done something for them that he could be grateful for: he taught them how to be men, how to care for others, and how to take care of their own. Silently, Dean thanked John for everything they had taught them. He knew wherever he was, he was smiling at them.
"So Chloe," Sarah said and glanced at Dean, deep in thought, "when are you two getting married? Make it official and all that?"
She shifted her gaze back to Dean once more. "Oh, uh..."
Sam raised an eyebrow. "You guys have set a date right?"
Dean looked startled. "Hey, don't look at me. Between the grease monkey gig and hunting, I've been... busy."
"And I've been pretty busy with the paper," Chloe began, rubbing the back of her neck. In fact she'd been spending so much time working on the Vancouver Sun, she'd missed the last hunting trip with Dean entirely, which she was still upset with herself about.
Sam gave both of them looks.
"Don't give me that look," Dean snapped, though he had a hard time looking at Sam.
"Don't make me remind you how Sam and I jumped on that marriage wagon," Sarah replied.
"Well, we're not you and Sam," she pointed out.
"No, you're not, but knowing you two, you'll dance around this issue until we're all old and gray."
Dean bit back a swearing retort, because the last thing he wanted to do was wake Jake. "Hey," he whispered instead. "We'll get around to it."
Sam shifted his gaze to his wife, sighing softly. "All right." He glanced at Chloe. Deep down he had a sneaking suspicion she was holding back on the marriage issue more than his brother was, but it wasn't his place to say anything. They'd have to work it out themselves.
Feeling a little more than guilty over not asking Chloe more about the marriage issue, Dean looked over at her uncertainly. He then reached down and gently gave little Jacob back to Sarah. "We need to talk," he whispered to Chloe when he'd straightened again.
Sarah took Jacob and cradled him closely, though she felt bad for berating them. "Look, guys, I'm really sorry..."
"Don't worry about it." Chloe smiled at her, tucking some hair behind her ear. "We'll be back."
Watching them leave the room, she looked up at Sam. "Think that was enough poking and prodding?" she said with a small grin.
"God I hope so."
Dean took a deep breath and shut the door behind him, turning Chloe around to face him. "So," he said and paused a moment. "Guess we gotta talk about... this." He held up her hand and fingered the small engagement ring on her finger.
She was quiet for a moment. "Yeah."
He watched her features close off from him, and that hurt more than he wanted to believe. Though the last few months had been a little rough for them -- getting into what he'd considered the most normal existence he had ever known -- he assumed Chloe had wanted to still marry him after everything they had been through. "Look, I know I haven't been around a lot."
She lifted a hand to touch his face. "Dean, don't. You know I love you more than anything in this world," she whispered.
"Then why aren't we doing that thing?" he asked and leaned into her touch. Wasn't that the next step? Isn't that what couples did when they were already living together and engaged? Didn't he have the job to match the rest of the package?
She leaned her forehead against his, pressing a soft kiss to his lips and letting her eyes drift shut. "I want you to make sure it's right for you." Her voice was barely audible. "Because we're already together in every way that matters and... I don't have to have a piece of paper to tell me that."
"But... I am ready, Chlo. And I want kids, just like Jacob." He sighed and pulled her close to him.
She buried her face against his chest, her arms winding around his waist. "Yeah?"
"Yeah." He stood there and held her, oblivious to the rest of the world for a moment. He didn't see any reason why Chloe shouldn't be his wife, though he wondered if she would keep her last name. After all, her reputation as a journalist usually went with the name. "Hell, we've already got everything else," he muttered against the top of her head. "Might as well find out why Sam and Sarah are always so damn happy."
A smile tugged at her lips. "Actually...I like the name Chloe Winchester a whole damn lot."
"Got a nice ring to it," he said suggestively and tugged her closer.
"I love you," she whispered.
"I love you," he replied. "Now give me a date so I can get over the whole penguin suit thing."
A short chuckle escaped her lips. "Christmas Eve."
He pulled back and kissed her. "Sounds good to me. And maybe this time we can get a nice cabin out in the middle of nowhere to celebrate."
She grinned up at him, her eyes sparkling. "Cabin in the mountains," she whispered.
"With all the cool stuff... to build a fire... maybe see Bigfoot again..." He spoke between soft kisses that held more than a promise.
"You're assuming we'll go outside," she teased softly, returning the kisses.
"No more running away?"
"Who's running?"
"That's my girl." Dean grinned and took her hand. Life couldn't get more perfect, he thought as they walked back into Sam and Sarah's room: everyone had settled down, Sam and Sarah opting to pursue their interests -- law and antiques -- in lieu of hunting, even though Sam went with Dean on hunts for old times' sake. He and Chloe were together, and soon she'd belong to him for good.
Life felt like Miller Time: where was a beer when you needed one?
Fic 22: As the End Draws Near
Authors: clarksmuse and xtremeroswellia
Rated: NC-17
Pairings: Dean/Chloe, Sam/Sarah
Disclaimer: Not ours. Please don't sue, okay? Thanks. :P
Author's Note at the end... *sniff*
Four months later... Vancouver, British Columbia...
Holding their newborn in her arms, Sarah had never been happier. Jacob Winchester looked so much like Sam, with the dark thatch of hair and the dimples in his cheeks. Though his eyes were blue, she had no doubt at all that they would turn a dark hazel.
The delivery hadn't been easy, but somehow they had all made it. And Sam had been there through it all, his constancy and love guiding her like a light. She gazed up at him, her eyes blurring with tears. "Jacob looks just like you," she said.
Sam smiled at her, his own eyes shiny with unshed tears. He leaned down and kissed her forehead. "I think he looks like you."
"How do you figure? He's a handsome guy just like his daddy."
He grinned. "Which means Dean will think Jacob looks like him."
"What can I say? It's the Winchester genes," came a confident voice from the doorway. Sarah looked over to see Dean and Chloe, hand in hand, standing there with large, toothy smiles.
"Yeah, because our son got all your genes, Dean," Sarah remarked and gave him a look.
Dean pulled Chloe close to him and they walked to the bed. "Hey, Sammy's not my little brother for nothin'," he remarked.
"He's beautiful," she whispered, gazing at the tiny bundle in her friend's arms, then lifting her eyes to meet Sarah's. "How ya feeling? You need anything?"
"Everything I need is now standing in this room," she said and smiled at Chloe. "Do you want to hold your nephew?"
A grin spread across her face. "Yes," she whispered without hesitation, leaning down so Sarah could shift Jacob into her arms. She pressed a feather light kiss against the baby's forehead, tears prickling at her eyes as he opened his mouth and yawned, looking up at her sleepily for a moment.
"I think he likes his aunt Chloe," Dean said and watched, heart full of wonder, at the quiet bonding moment. He looked over at Sam and wasn't sure his brother's feet were on the ground. "Dude, I think you did well... for once."
Sam grinned. "Yeah. We did." He reached down and took Sarah's hand, giving it a gentle squeeze as he watched Chloe with their son.
Dean moved close to Chloe and watched his nephew drift off to sleep in her arms. He draped an arm around her and dared to wonder what life would be like having kids around. Since the four of them practically lived together -- Sam and Sarah lived next door in the small town of Hope, British Columbia, the best place to have settled down until the Feds stopped looking for them -- he knew helping to raise his nephew would be fun. Not "watching your enemy fall dead at your feet" fun, but then again, hadn't Chloe shown him over the last year that fun was relative?
He felt her eyes on him and looked at her. "What?"
"Nothing," she said softly, faint smile on her lips.
"I can still read your mind if I wanted to."
"Just thinking."
"Uh oh, clear the room," Dean teased lightly. "I think her brain might explode with thought."
Sarah snorted. "Not our fault you give her way too much to think about, Winchester." She looked at the engagement ring on Chloe's left hand and gave Dean a knowing look.
"What? We were waiting for the newest Winchester to arrive," he protested.
Chloe smiled. "You wanna hold him?" she asked softly, looking up at Dean.
He swallowed hard and looked at Sam, panic in his eyes for a second.
"Take a deep breath and relax," Sam said with a soft chuckle. "You've held babies before, Dean."
"You do realize that I was four at the time?" he replied with a laugh.
He shrugged. "Exactly. You carried me down a flight of steps and out the front door when you were four and your balance was much worse." He smirked.
"Thanks, dude, for the reminder to kick your a-- butt when you bring the baby home." He sucked in a nervous breath and held out his arms towards Chloe.
"Hey, you need the practice for when it's your own kid," he pointed out, watching Dean's eyes widen.
"One thing at a time, dude," Dean whispered and concentrated on holding his nephew in his arms. Chloe positioned Jacob's head so it rested comfortably on the crook of Dean's arm. He watched as the baby yawned, his tiny mouth making an O. "Hey, Jake," he whispered and smiled as his nephew smiled a little.
"Daddy, I think Jacob likes Uncle Dean," Sarah whispered and looked up at Sam.
Sam smiled, eyes filled with pride. "No doubt about that."
Chloe gazed at Dean intently as he held their nephew so gently, so carefully, like he might break and felt the breath catch in her throat at the sight. She swallowed hard, shifting her gaze to look at Sarah for a moment, her expression unreadable.
Sarah gave her a knowing look. You know he'd make a great father, she thought and let their mental bond block everything else out for a moment.
A faint blush touched her cheeks and she nodded slightly in acknowledgement. I've always known that.
Sarah smiled, a wide toothy grin. So does this mean Jacob'll have a cousin to play with in the near future?
Her eyes widened a little. That's...I don't know.
Sam smirked and looked at his brother. "They're talking about us. You know that, right?"
Dean chuckled and looked over at his brother. "Dude, they're always talking about us. Didn't you know? When they get all quiet like?"
He grinned at his brother. "At least they say nice things...most of the time."
"Hey," Sarah protested with a quiet squeak, "we only say nice things about you." She squeezed Sam's hand, her eyes sparkling as she looked at him.
He winked at her and kissed the back of her hand before slowly sitting down on the edge of her bed and looking around at their family.
Still holding Jacob, Dean gazed at the small circle they made and realized they had all come full-circle. The journey had begun long ago, when their mother died, but Dad had done something for them that he could be grateful for: he taught them how to be men, how to care for others, and how to take care of their own. Silently, Dean thanked John for everything they had taught them. He knew wherever he was, he was smiling at them.
"So Chloe," Sarah said and glanced at Dean, deep in thought, "when are you two getting married? Make it official and all that?"
She shifted her gaze back to Dean once more. "Oh, uh..."
Sam raised an eyebrow. "You guys have set a date right?"
Dean looked startled. "Hey, don't look at me. Between the grease monkey gig and hunting, I've been... busy."
"And I've been pretty busy with the paper," Chloe began, rubbing the back of her neck. In fact she'd been spending so much time working on the Vancouver Sun, she'd missed the last hunting trip with Dean entirely, which she was still upset with herself about.
Sam gave both of them looks.
"Don't give me that look," Dean snapped, though he had a hard time looking at Sam.
"Don't make me remind you how Sam and I jumped on that marriage wagon," Sarah replied.
"Well, we're not you and Sam," she pointed out.
"No, you're not, but knowing you two, you'll dance around this issue until we're all old and gray."
Dean bit back a swearing retort, because the last thing he wanted to do was wake Jake. "Hey," he whispered instead. "We'll get around to it."
Sam shifted his gaze to his wife, sighing softly. "All right." He glanced at Chloe. Deep down he had a sneaking suspicion she was holding back on the marriage issue more than his brother was, but it wasn't his place to say anything. They'd have to work it out themselves.
Feeling a little more than guilty over not asking Chloe more about the marriage issue, Dean looked over at her uncertainly. He then reached down and gently gave little Jacob back to Sarah. "We need to talk," he whispered to Chloe when he'd straightened again.
Sarah took Jacob and cradled him closely, though she felt bad for berating them. "Look, guys, I'm really sorry..."
"Don't worry about it." Chloe smiled at her, tucking some hair behind her ear. "We'll be back."
Watching them leave the room, she looked up at Sam. "Think that was enough poking and prodding?" she said with a small grin.
"God I hope so."
Dean took a deep breath and shut the door behind him, turning Chloe around to face him. "So," he said and paused a moment. "Guess we gotta talk about... this." He held up her hand and fingered the small engagement ring on her finger.
She was quiet for a moment. "Yeah."
He watched her features close off from him, and that hurt more than he wanted to believe. Though the last few months had been a little rough for them -- getting into what he'd considered the most normal existence he had ever known -- he assumed Chloe had wanted to still marry him after everything they had been through. "Look, I know I haven't been around a lot."
She lifted a hand to touch his face. "Dean, don't. You know I love you more than anything in this world," she whispered.
"Then why aren't we doing that thing?" he asked and leaned into her touch. Wasn't that the next step? Isn't that what couples did when they were already living together and engaged? Didn't he have the job to match the rest of the package?
She leaned her forehead against his, pressing a soft kiss to his lips and letting her eyes drift shut. "I want you to make sure it's right for you." Her voice was barely audible. "Because we're already together in every way that matters and... I don't have to have a piece of paper to tell me that."
"But... I am ready, Chlo. And I want kids, just like Jacob." He sighed and pulled her close to him.
She buried her face against his chest, her arms winding around his waist. "Yeah?"
"Yeah." He stood there and held her, oblivious to the rest of the world for a moment. He didn't see any reason why Chloe shouldn't be his wife, though he wondered if she would keep her last name. After all, her reputation as a journalist usually went with the name. "Hell, we've already got everything else," he muttered against the top of her head. "Might as well find out why Sam and Sarah are always so damn happy."
A smile tugged at her lips. "Actually...I like the name Chloe Winchester a whole damn lot."
"Got a nice ring to it," he said suggestively and tugged her closer.
"I love you," she whispered.
"I love you," he replied. "Now give me a date so I can get over the whole penguin suit thing."
A short chuckle escaped her lips. "Christmas Eve."
He pulled back and kissed her. "Sounds good to me. And maybe this time we can get a nice cabin out in the middle of nowhere to celebrate."
She grinned up at him, her eyes sparkling. "Cabin in the mountains," she whispered.
"With all the cool stuff... to build a fire... maybe see Bigfoot again..." He spoke between soft kisses that held more than a promise.
"You're assuming we'll go outside," she teased softly, returning the kisses.
"No more running away?"
"Who's running?"
"That's my girl." Dean grinned and took her hand. Life couldn't get more perfect, he thought as they walked back into Sam and Sarah's room: everyone had settled down, Sam and Sarah opting to pursue their interests -- law and antiques -- in lieu of hunting, even though Sam went with Dean on hunts for old times' sake. He and Chloe were together, and soon she'd belong to him for good.
Life felt like Miller Time: where was a beer when you needed one?
