75. Chapter 75

“Alright now, what kinda tree are you looking for?”

Castiel blinked. “A… Christmas tree?” he said after a pause, and heard Dean giggle.

“We want a big tree,” Dean explained. “Probably at least six feet or higher. And we need two of them.”

“You’ll want to stick to the paths that are outlined in blue, then,” the worker said, handing Dean a small map. “Prices vary. Each tree is tagged with a ribbon that dictates their price, which is on the map right there. I’ve got a beeper here for you, too. Once you figure out the trees you want, hit your beeper. A worker will come out and help you cut them down, then haul them back to the cabin. Please make sure you don’t go off the paths. It’s pretty easy to get lost out there.”

Dean nodded along, opening the map to look at it. Castiel leaned over his shoulder and traced out the blue paths. He knew that Anael and Charlie had gone looking for a tree that was over ten feet high, which meant that they would be on the orange paths. They’d all agreed to meet up at the cabins when they were done and have some hot chocolate together before they went home.

“I guess we go this way,” Dean said, pointing to the right. “It’s the closest blue path.” His wings fluttered with excitement. Castiel caught the worker staring at them and narrowed his eyes. The worker paled slightly and hastily moved away to help another family.

“Shouldn’t we head for a path that’s further away? We’ll have a better selection,” Sam said, shoving his hands into his pockets again. He wasn’t wearing gloves, Castiel realized. Actually, now that he looked at Sam more closely, what Sam was wearing wasn’t appropriate for the weather. Sam had on a leather jacket, jeans and boots that were more suited to walking on pavement. Hardly suitable attire for traipsing through the snow.

That wasn’t right. Castiel caught Gabriel’s eye and sent his brother a message through their grace, urging Gabriel to take Dean and start out. Out loud, he said, “T hat’s a good idea, but there’s something I want to grab before we go. Why don’t you head out and I’ll catch up?”

“We can wait,” Dean said immediately, his smile fading slightly. Of course he was worried. He still didn’t like letting Castiel out of his sight if it could be avoided.

“It’ll be fine, kiddo,” Gabriel said, smoothly wrapping a wing around Dean and ushering the baby alone. He whispered something about Sam’s clothing to Dean in a voice too soft for Sam to hear. Dean, of course, let his own concerns go in favor of letting Castiel take care of Sam, and started walking along with Gabriel.

“What did you want to get, Cas?” Sam asked, looking curious.

“You some new clothing,” Castiel said.

Sam frowned. “Gabriel already offered like five times. I’m fine, really.” He hunched his shoulders as he spoke, like he was trying to make himself look smaller.

“It’s very cold out today, Sam. Weren’t you the one who gave me a lecture about dressing appropriately when I was falling?”

“Yeah, but that was different.”

“Really?” Castiel said, folding his arms across his chest. “Please explain to me how you’re going to pass your exams when you inevitably catch a cold because you’re not dressed for the weather.”

“Ugh, you sound like such a dad when you say things like that,” Sam said, rolling his eyes.

And that kind of reaction made Sam sound more like a temperamental three-year-old, but Castiel knew better than to say something like that out loud. “That’s because I am a dad, but more than that I’m your friend. You know it’s nothing for me to get you into warmer clothing, and it would make both me and Dean feel better if we didn’t have to worry about you being cold while we look for our trees.”

Sam was still frowning, a muscle in his jaw visibly twitching as he struggled to come up with some kind of answer. Castiel watched him placidly, already knowing how this would go. It was probably a bit mean to play the Dean card and the friend card, especially after he’d referred to them all as a family just to get Sam to stay, but Sam wouldn’t be able to argue against that. Besides, Castiel could’ve really rubbed it in and said that he just wanted to repay Sam and Dean for helping him during the Apocalypse, but he figured Sam was smart enough to come to that conclusion on his own.

“Okay, fine,” Sam said finally. “I guess it’s better if you do it. Gabriel would probably mojo me into some ridiculous pink snowsuit.”

Castiel grinned. “He absolutely would,” he agreed fondly. It was tempting to put Sam into a snowsuit, but he figured that would be pushing things too far. He settled for something in between, using a touch of grace to transform Sam’s leather jacket into a much heavier bright blue parka. He swapped out Sam’s boots for winter boots with a good tread on the bottom, and added a blue hat, scarf, and mitts.

“Oh, hey,” Sam said, looking down at his new clothing. He patted at the coat experimentally, then examined his mittens and tugged lightly on his hat.

“Does it meet your expectations?” Castiel asked, and was surprised to see Sam flash a grin.

“This is great, Cas, thanks. Living in California, I forget how cold it can get,” Sam said. He took a couple steps with his boots, looking pleased when the snow no longer rose above them. “But, uh, I’m gonna need my leather jacket back when we’re done. I paid big bucks for that.”

“I’ll return it to you when we leave,” Castiel promised, falling into step beside him. Their boots crunched through the freshly fallen snow, following the path that Gabriel and Dean had left. He was pleased to note that Sam looked like he was in a much better mood now that he wasn’t cold.

They caught up to Gabriel and Dean within a couple of minutes. Dean smiled at the sight of his brother in better clothing, and mouthed a ‘thank you’ at Castiel. Castiel winked back at him and gently dusted the snow off of Dean’s wings, using a little more grace to cast a shield around them that would keep the newly born wings warm and free of any more snow.

“What do you think of this one?” Dean asked his brother, pointing to a tree in front of them.

“It’s kinda small, don’t you think?” Sam said. “If you’re getting a tree for Bobby’s, it’s gotta be fat. He has all that space in the corner of the living room to fill. And Jody strikes me as the kind of woman who goes all out once she gets started decorating.”

Dean put his hands on his hips and stared at the tree with a critical eye. "You're right, Sammy," he declared after a moment. "All of the ones around here have been picked over. We need to go further up the path." He started walking and Sam quickly followed, falling into step beside him. That left Gabriel and Castiel to bring up the rear, which Castiel didn't mind. It meant that he could easily keep both boys within his view.

"How'd you get him to agree to the clothes?" Gabriel asked, voice soft enough that neither Dean nor Sam heard.

Castiel shrugged. "Same way you get any Winchester to do anything. I told him he was my friend and that Dean would worry about him if he didn't."

Gabriel snorted. "I should've figured. That's the same reason he finally agreed to come with me. Kid was practically glued to his desk and refused to come with me until I pointed out that Dean would be really happy to see him, and that he'd get a chance to see that Dean was fine. Even then, he made me swear it wouldn't take more than two hours. I dunno, Cas. I'm not sure how much Sam will be interested in this whole Christmas thing. We might be fighting a losing battle here."

"Maybe, but I don't think so. It was hard with Dean at first too," Castiel reminded his brother. Dean had been a little more starved for affection and touch than Sam had been, though. A little further gone. The time that Dean had spent in hell had been very hard on him, leaving him more fragile and emotionally vulnerable. He'd been on the verge of a true breakdown before Castiel got a hold of him. While it was unfortunate and disturbing that Dean had been so poorly off, the time had actually been very fortunate. Sam, on the other hand, was focusing on his degree and pouring everything into it. So long as Sam had that focus, it would be hard to make him consider anything else.

"But you and Dean-o had that connection," Gabriel said. "Dean's always adored you."

"He stabbed me the first time we met," Castiel said dryly.

"That was one time, and he's a hunter. In retrospect, I'm glad he had that reaction. It probably kept him alive before we came around," Gabriel said. He sighed, rolling out his wings into a stretch. "I dunno. We'll see how it goes with Sam."

"Don't give up, Gabriel. Sam needs this just as much as Dean," Castiel said. "And you're the best angel for him."

Gabriel made a non-committal noise and then suddenly smiled. He looked straight at Castiel. Castiel stared back at him suspiciously. As a result, he didn't see the snowball that formed behind him. But he definitely felt the cold wet as it impacted against the back of his head. He let out a yelp and Gabriel burst out laughing. Both Sam and Dean spun around to see what was going on. Castiel brought his hand up and hastily wiped away the worst of the cold snow, glaring at his brother.

"Uh, just a joke," Gabriel said, holding his hands up.

"Then I'm sure you'll love this one too," Castiel said. He flicked his hand and sent dozens of snowballs flying at Gabriel. Gabriel dodged most of them, but a few impacted - including one that struck him full in the face.

Sam burst out laughing. "Oh my god, Cas. Good aim."

"Excuse you!" Gabriel said indignantly, wiping his face. "You think that's funny, Sam? I'll show you."

"What - no - don't you dare!" Sam held his hands up like that was going to be enough to stop Gabriel, quickly backing away. Gabriel snapped his fingers and suddenly, the air was filled with literally dozens of snowballs. Sam made a high-pitched squeak and took off, sprinting up the path with Gabriel and the snowballs in hot pursuit.

"Are you okay?" Dean asked, moving to walk over to Castiel instead of following Sam and Gabriel.

"I'm fine, Dean," Castiel said. He could feel the traces of fear and a surge of adrenaline; Dean had been truly scared, even if it was just for a moment. He gathered the baby into a comforting hug, realizing that play fighting, even with snowballs, probably wasn't a wise course of action so soon after the attack at Bobby's house. Dean was just getting back to the point where he didn't feel like a demon was going to leap out and attack them at any second.

But Dean needed to have fun too. They had to find a good balance.

"I knew that," Dean lied, hugging him tightly. "Is that why Uncle Gabe brought Sam?"

"Probably, knowing Gabriel, it was definitely one of the reasons," Castiel replied. He smiled, kissing Dean's temple. "Wanna go help Sam pin Gabriel down and cover him in snow?"

Dean's eyes lit up. "Yes!"