Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
One year later,
Cassie was folding clothes in the laundry room while Deanna played in the hallway when the doorbell sounded. She looked up from her folding to find the little girl was in a jam because she had dumped all of her toys over her head and couldn’t find a way to get up or walk out of the mess of stuff animals, pull toys and the like.
“Mama, Unca Sam,” she pouted at the sound of the doorbell rang through the air.
Cassie couldn’t resist laughing at the mess her daughter had created. She picked the little girl out of the pile and hugged her as they went to the door then sat her down before she reached the door knowing she would want to run into her Uncle Sam’s arms by herself.
Cassie checked the peephole as a last thought and was surprised to see there was a woman on the other side of the door that she had never seen before.
“Mama, Unca….”
“Hold on Sweetie that isn’t Uncle Sam.”
Cassie opened the door but left the screen door in place as Deanna wrapped herself around her mother’s leg.
--
“How can I help you?” Cassie asked as she eyed the tall auburn haired green-eyed beauty at her door. She didn’t have a good feeling about the woman.
The first thing the lady on the other side of the screen door noticed was that Cassie was obviously pregnant despite having a little one clinging to her leg.
“I’m Courtney Wend, I am looking for a Dean Winchester, does he live here or have you heard of him?”
Cassie hesitated, “What is your business with him?”
“I’m an ….old friend but I really need to see him; it’s kind of important.”
“Really? Well I am his wife; he should be in from work shortly,” she said without offering to let Courtney in the house.
“Okay I will wait in the car,” Courtney said as she nodded then turned to go sit in her hot car.
Cassie let her get half way down the sidewalk. If she is Dean’s friend maybe, she worked with them on jobs or something no need to be rude.
“Hey, you can come in to wait.”
--
Courtney followed Cassie into the kitchen through the spacious living area where the beige Berber carpet was a good accent to the earth tones of the sofa and loveseat as well as the other hardwoods in the entertainment center. It seemed to be a modest home but well cared for; the smell of berry-scented candles wafted through out the rooms. Courtney was impressed she was afraid she would find Dean living in a trailer park somewhere with a dog and a shotgun as companions.
“Would you like some juice or water?”
Courtney declined as she took a seat at the kitchen counter by passing the oak table where Deanna now sat unhappily in her high chair not far away.
“Mama, Unca Sam?”
“He will be here be patient little one,” Cassie said as she gave her the sippie cup filled with watered down juice to keep her from getting too much sugar in her system so she would be less hyper at bedtime.
Deanna hit the cup on the tray when she heard the doorbell ring again.
--
“I’ll be right back,” Cassie said as she picked up Deanna to go to the door again.
This time it was the cable person whom she had called to come repair the cable box. She ushered him into the living room so he could do his job.
“Busy day,” she said absentmindedly as she put Deanna back in the chair while she watched her daughter pout.
She kissed her cheek,” He will be here, Sweetie.”
A few minutes later Dean came in the back door wearing oil stained jeans and a fitted t-shirt that also had oil stains. Cassie smiled at the sight of him; she was glad that he loved cars it was something legitimate he could do for money now that they needed a real income to live on. He didn’t see the guest because of the wall between the kitchen and outer room. He sat down to take his shoes off when Cassie whispered to him that he had a visitor.
“Who is it?” he whispered back just to tease her.
“Courtney, a friend of yours she says.”
--
Dean blinked a few times as he tried to place the name.
“What does she look like?” he asked in a low voice this time concerned for the answer he might receive.
“Red hair with green eyes.”
Dean’s eyebrows shot up, “Oh.”
“Oh?”
“I will have to talk to her to see what she wants.”
“Is she one of your hunting contacts?”
He pulled Cassie into his arms gently.
“If it’s who I think it is we were friends when you and I had our little “falling out” a couple of years ago.”
“You mean a friends with benefits type friend?”
He nodded.
“Oh,” she said pulling herself from his arms.
Even while they were on the outs, she hadn’t dated anyone else; but she knew Dean dealt with things differently. Cassie blamed herself for them taking time apart but she didn’t know how to tell him the truth so she had ignored his calls for months.
--
--Flashback--
While she was six months pregnant,
Cassie hung up the phone, “ What an idiot, I am” she said to herself. Then the tears came she couldn’t tell him about the baby she had to fight with him to keep him away. She couldn’t take it if he came only to leave again. It wasn’t in her to let him walk away from her time after time. She knew it was selfish but that was just the way things were for her she needed to focus on the baby being healthy. She just hoped on the day he found out he would be able to forgive her.
“Damn woman,” he said as he headed out of the hotel to the nearest bar.
It was dark and smoky in “Jades Pub” but he didn’t care all he wanted was a way to forget his sorrows. Why does she keep pushing me away when I need her so much? First we were going to try, then I am a realist Dean it won’y work, finally hey let’s give it a shot. If strong drink didn’t kill him, Cassie would. Now tonight I need someone who is ready, willing and able. A tall red head sat down near him at the bar; she smiled at him showing perfect white teeth under bright red lipstick.
“You look like you need to have some fun,” the red head said as she ran her hand over Dean’s thigh.
Dean nodded, a few minutes later they headed out the door.
--End Flashback--
--
“Cassie, all I did was talk about you besides, you know….I seriously don’t know why she even bothered with me,” he said as he began to rub her pregnant belly under her tank top.
She swallowed.
“Go see what she wants okay.”
He kissed her just as the doorbell rang again.
“Good grief,” she said as she grimaced at Dean.
“Mama, Unca Sam, Unca Sam,” Deanna said as Cassie flew through the kitchen then took her from the chair to go with her to the door.
“Hey little Miss, aren’t you going to say hi to your Daddy?” she leaned over to let him kiss her on the cheek quickly but stayed in Cassie’s arms knowing that she would take her to the door and Uncle Sam. Dean’s smile dropped when he saw Courtney sitting on the stool staring at him.
It was a good thing Dean knew his daughter was crazy about him or he would have been perturbed, of course his biggest concern was sitting in front of him.
“Hi Dean.”
--
Sam knocked on the door after no one showed up right away when he rang the bell. Cassie opened the door after letting Deanna down so that when Sam opened the screen she went into his arms.
“Unca Sam,” she said with the awe only a child can have at seeing someone special to their little hearts.
Sam hugged the little girl tightly to his chest.
“How is my little DeeDee?”
Deanna smiled at him showing what few teeth she had then snuggled up to his neck. Cassie reached for his bag but he stopped her after seeing her baby bump.
“Uh, have you and Dean heard of birth control?”
Cassie playfully hit him on the arm.
“I plead the fifth.”
Sam laughed, “Well that’s okay I don’t mind being an uncle again? Is it a boy this time?”
“We want to be surprised,” she said as she led him to the Den to take a seat.
“Where is Dean?”
--
“So Courtney why are you here in my kitchen?” Dean asked while feeling uncomfortable having his dirty work clothes on in the kitchen.
He didn’t want to get anything messed up because Cassie would be very unhappy considering how much time she spent trying to keep things nice and clean. He leaned awkwardly against the kitchen counter.
“I needed to ask you to do me a favor.”
“I don’t mean to be rude but we weren’t that kind of friends,” Dean said hesitantly.
“Well the kind of friends that we were requires that you take a DNA test to see if you are the father of my son.”
Dean shook his head then swallowed.
“We used protection just so we would never have this discussion.”
“We may have been a bit remiss one time about the protection thing.”
He ran his fingers through his hair as his frustration began to build.
--
--Flashback-After Jade’s Bar--
At Courtney’s, the red head at the bar, apartment she and Dean barely introduce themselves before the clothes go flying. Dean is prepared with protection the first round but it feels so good they decide to go at it all again after a few minutes. Courtney insists she is on the pill so Dean does what he has only previously done with Cassie and that is skip his version of protection. Afterward Dean lay back exhausted but concerned about what had happened. He loved Cassie despite the way she was behaving. How could I be with another woman when my soul is so wrapped up in someone else. Damn it Cassie what are you doing to me?
“I am in love with a woman who is not speaking to me,” he states a he leans up on his elbow to look into Courtney’s eyes.
“I don’t see you as the love type but I don’t know you except for what you have demonstrated tonight.”
“I know I am usually let’s say emotionally detached. But this woman, Cassie, has turned my logical mind into pudding. Now she is backing away again. We have gone over our relationship a few times and it always comes back to the fact that we are in love.”
“Then why are you here? Really? This won’t prove that you love her. Maybe you should stop your bitching and go to the woman?”
Courtney got up with the sheet around her and pointed toward the door.
Dean nodded, “You are right,… thanks,” he said as put his clothes on silently then headed to the door.
--
The next night Sam and Dean went to Jade’s again but Dean was actually surprised to see Courtney sitting alone at the bar. Sam watched as he brother approached her like she was an old friend. Sam shook his head then downed his beer. Dean had considered going to Cassie’s but they had work to do and no time for a break that involved driving across the country. That night Dean stayed with Courtney the entire night.
--End Flashback--
--
“Dean is in the kitchen with some woman named Courtney. A Red head with green eyes, she is kind of tallish, a bit flamboyantly dressed in a tight little jean outfit.”
“Courtney?”
“What you knew her too?”
He covered Deanna’s ears as she played in the floor in front of them.
“We never did anything like that.”
“Gutter mind Sam, I didn’t mean knew like biblically,” she laughed.
Sam laughed too, “Sorry, it was your expression that made me think that’s what you meant.”
“Yea blame it on me,” Cassie teased.
“So why is she here?”
“Hey you know her I am just the door opener to day. Shoot, I need to check on the cable guy, watch Ms. Dee for minute.”
“No problem,” Sam said as sat down on the floor beside his niece.
It was good to be with family again the last time he visited them had been almost three months ago during Spring break, now school was starting up in a month; he was ready for it so he could be done with it. He thought Jess and his mom would have been proud of how well he had done so far. He was going to finish two semesters early and with honors. He looked forward to moving near Dean and Cassie to practice law once he was finally out of law school.
--
“Dean I confess to not knowing who the baby’s father is that’s why I need you to do the DNA test; I will pay for it.”
Dean ran his hands through his hair.
“Okay fine I will have to take time off so give me some notice so we can get this over with,” he said a bit harshly.
Courtney swallowed the lump in her throat. She had cared about Dean because they seemed to have a few things in common besides being wild in bed. They were both rough around the ages and showed very little emotion. Maybe he was just nervous because he had a family to take care of; she couldn’t blame him if that was why he was being a jerk.
“Dean, I’m sorry about this. It took me all this time to find you. I just hoped the stop today wasn’t another dead end. You know if the baby is yours I won’t bother you I just need to know so I can tell him someday,” she said as she headed toward the front of the house.
He stopped her by grabbing her hand.
“I’m sorry, I just had a long day,” he said simply as he dropped her hand.
Cassie saw the exchange from the living room as the cable man was putting away his things.
“Dean do you want to check the cable before he leaves?”
“Sure,” he replied as he went into the living room and Courtney left out the front door.
--
When Dean arrived in the kitchen it was to find Cassie and Deanna watching Sam eat a sandwich; they were all sitting at the table laughing and talking as he came in the room.
“Cassie, can I talk to you a moment?” Dean asked.
“Hey little brother, we will be back shortly, can you keep an eye on the little one please?”
Sam nodded between bites. Deanna pouted when she saw her parents leave the room.
“They will be back in a minute,” Sam told her as he touched her cheek.
“Unca Sam,” she grinned.
“That’s me, DeeDee.”
--
They both were seated on the sofa before Dean said any thing.
“Cas, Courtney was here because she thinks I may be her baby’s father.”
Dean took her hand just before she jumped and into his face.
“I should have known; it’s not like you ever understood how to keep it in your pants,” she ranted.
She took a deep breath as she looked in his eyes.
“I was afraid this would happen some day.”
Dean had no defense but he did keep eye contact with her though she had pushed his hand aside. He stood in front of her so that she had to look up at him.
“You are absolutely right, but I love you and I hope you can forgive my stupidity.”
She bit her lip, I am the one who pushed him away.
--
“I was the one who put you through hell; I just hoped that you would find another way to deal with it. I don’t deserve to be happy with you.”
He pulled her into his arms as tears run down her face.
“You were stubborn but I wanted you all along, Cas, I am responsible for my actions. I am just sorry that things turned out this way with Courtney and all.”
“Maybe it won’t be your baby.”
TBC