Dean was on the elevator in Cassie’s building before he realized he had made a decision. The first few hours after Sam had fallen into the large hole in the ground, Dean had been numb. Castiel had tried to talk Dean into going to stay with Bobby for a while. Neither of the other men thought it was safe or a good idea for Dean to be alone. Dean was admittedly a bit angry as he told them he would be fine. He drove away as the gravel flew in all directions behind the Impala.
Castiel had gone off back to heaven while Bobby back to South Dakota after he couldn’t convince Dean to go with him.
---
The over six hundred miles from Detroit to New York Dean drove on adrenaline alone. His entire body was in over drive. There were parts of him that didn’t’ want Cassie to find out about the earthquake that had been caused by the ground that opened up to swallow Sam. He was certain that the reports were on the news but she had no way to know that it involved the Winchesters. It wasn't a part of the story he planned on revealing.

He didn’t want her to think that he had been killed or that he had forgotten her. There were other parts of him, that is most of him, that wanted to jump into the ground with his brother. His logic allowed him to keep the Impala pointed in Cassie’s direction to fulfill his brother’s dying wish; that was for Dean to live a normal life.

Sam never knew that Dean had gone to see Cassie before when he disappeared. He had blown off all questions his little brother had thrown at him over interim weeks. He had not spoken to Cassie since then but they had played phone tag with voice mails. Cassie was a busy reporter and for him that would be one thing about normal life that appealed to him. As much as he loved her he didn’t think he would enjoy being smothered suddenly by womanly attention.

He already appreciated Cassie’s choice of residences. She lived in the small town of Tuckahoe, New York just over a half hour from Grand Central terminal and Manhattan. The place was quaint and surprisingly a bit ritzy. Dean didn’t think he could have chosen a better place to come to try to be normal. It would be all about being anonymous which was nice for a man who had been recenly on the hit list of heaven.
---
Dean ran into Sharon as she left the condo; he smiled awkwardly at her.
“Hey,” he said almost shyly with his hands in his pockets as he unconsciously channeled Sam.
“Hi, you are Dean, right?”
He nodded.
“Cas is still at work; you want to go on you can. I have plans so I will be out of you guys way,” she said with a smile and a tilt of the head.
“Okay.”
“You okay?”
“I’ll be fine,” he said with a slight smile before Sharon closed the door.
He wasn’t sure if he would ever be truly fine again as he headed to the bedroom to strip and lie down.

--Cassie found Dean in her bed asleep several hours later. Sharon had called her with a heads up to keep her from working late into the night the way she did at times. Sharon thought too many times. Cassie was sick in love with Dean and her work was a testament to her will power to not give in to the many men that wanted to go out with her.

Cassie bit her lip as she glanced over at him while she undressed to take a quick shower. He seemed dead to the world as he softly snored in his sleep. She would try not to wake him she thought as she slid in under the spray of water.

--Twenty minutes later, Cassie felt refreshed as she wrapped the orange terry towel around her. She sighed before she stepped into her bedroom to find Dean awake. His smirk was missing from his face; a sign that things had not gone well.
“Babe, what happened? Don’t lie to me I can see in your face that something is terribly wrong,” she said before she sat on the bed.
“Sam is gone,” he stated before he pulled her to him.
She wrapped her arms tight around his body as she moved closer to him while the towel fell.
“I’m sorry,” she said as she put her head against his.
Dean leaned into her as he tried not to lose himself to the tears that eventually would come. He was surprised he had slept at all but his body had been tired just as his heart was broken for his brother.

Dean was quiet though Cassie didn’t expect him to say much she did want to know what he planned to do. She hesitated to ask right away.
“You can stay here as long as you want,” she leaned away from him as she looked into his sad eyes, “I won’t ask questions, Dean, but I hope in a while you will tell me what happened, okay.”
He leaned up to kiss her with a nod. He felt lucky to have Cassie. Sometimes a man just needed to be babied a bit but mostly understood.

---It was the first time that the two of them had slept in the same bed without having sex and Cassie liked it. They spooned together and slept for almost three hours. Cassie had no idea that she was so bone tired. Dean awakened before her to watch her sleep because he didn’t want to wake her.
Finally she rubbed her eyes and woke up complaining.
“I’m so hungry,” she said as though it was something that never happened to her.
Dean smiled, “Let’s go get something to eat.”
“I have food here, there’s leftover Chinese and pizza,” she said with a grin at him as she pushed him down then ran toward the kitchen as though they were children and she wanted her pick first.
Dean followed her with a grin on his face, “I think you are ashamed to be seen with me.”
She shook her head, “Yeah that makes sense,” she said as she put the pizza in the microwave then set the button.
He raised his eyebrow at her, “I get the Chinese?”
“No, I’m warming the pizza for you silly,” she said before she pushed him against the counter.
“Oh I like the way you think,” he replied before he kissed her waiting lips.

---Dean tried to be cheerful that day with Cassie but even after they made love that night and she lie soundly asleep in his arms he couldn’t turn off the memory of Sam falling into the pit. He wanted to do his best to honor his brother’s wishes for him. He wanted to enjoy the woman he loved that had taken him in without question but it would take time. He had time.
---Meanwhile----
Lucifer wanted to enjoy his torture of Sam but Sam didn’t break easily. He hadn’t screamed once in all the hours he had been beaten, torn to bits and reanimated. It had been more than a week in hell time for Sam. There was nothing for him to do but to resist the temptation to cry out in pain. He went to a place in his mind were no one could harm him. He went to a time when his brother held him in his arms and rescued him from the Fire. It was all he needed to frustrate the one who had turned on him as soon as he said yes.
---

End Part one

Chapter Two

Dean reached over with his eyes still closed to find the warm body that should have been beside him was missing.  It was only for a moment, but he thought he might have dreamed he had gone to see Cassie.  It was before the sound of Cassie’s muffled voice came to his ears.  He turned over with a wide yawn to see the bathroom door across the room was ajar.  He caught small pieces of the conversation as he became more aware of the room where he lay.  Mom it will be fine……….I’m sure, yes…………I’ll see you later………I love you too. 

The crimson colored curtains were still drawn closed though a slight sliver of light landed on the sand colored carpet.  The room smelled of the sweet scent of Cassie, that lingered as well in the sheets.  He let out a sigh of relief.

---

Dean removed the offending sheet with a grin as Cassie walked over to him a few minutes later.

“Sorry, I was trying not to wake you, though it seems you are on high alert,” she said with a sultry smile at his naked body. 

She pulled off her tee shirt then straddled him waist.  This was going to be an exciting day for them.  Dean only wished Sam was there to enjoy it.

Flashback – three months before

The morning after Dean showed up to tell Cassie about the apocalypse with the information he wanted her to have in case she needed to get out of the city.  The night before had been all about saying goodbye. 

“Dean we need to talk about something that I know will make you upset,” Cassie said as she moved from his arms to sit up to look down in his eyes.

Dean swallowed.  “Okay?” he said he couldn’t imagine what she could say to him that would be worse than his news the night before.

“I’m just going to say this and hope for the best, she began with a lump in her throat, “………we have a son.”

“WHAT? Where?” he said because it didn’t make sense.  He did have a sudden flash of the mysterious third room that was in the condo; he hadn’t been around enough to investigate it.  So many questions came to mind that he didn’t know how to express them so he was quiet as he waited for the answers.

He sat up as he noticed Cassie was nervous.  He watched her bite her lip.

“His name is Andrew and he is almost five………”

He shook his head as he tried to figure out what that meant.  He and Cassie had gotten together a few times over the years but that would not have accounted for a child that age.

It hit him as he jumped off the bed.  Cassie sighed. 

“Why haven’t you told me all these years?  Those times we met up like in Colorado a couple years ago?  You were unusually on edge I recall and more than a bit ready for anything; I should have known something was up,” he was angry that she had lied to him not just kept his child from him.

Cassie sighed again she had been afraid of Dean’s life even though she loved him enough to put all that love into their beautiful son.  Their Colorado adventure had been at a time that she need a few days away, she had even thought at that time that she might tell him about Drew. 

“You were busy,” she started.

“Cas?  I don’t know what to say to you right now,” he shook his head as he rolled off the bed.  His mind was full of reasons why maybe she had not told him but he was hurt so he left.

“No Dean, we need to talk about this,” she yelled after him.

---

Dean had to get away from her, he had to think.  It dawned on him he had a son.  He had a son that Cassie had begun to raise alone; that part bothered him.  Even though if anyone could do the single mother thing alone then it was Cassie.  He smiled to himself.  He needed to talk to her to let her know that he was glad she kept their child.

Dean realized he was probably going to die.  What if he never saw his son, would it be better for him not to have known?  Was Cassie right in keeping Andrew hidden?  He walked around the village thinking and randomly talking to himself. 

Cassie explained to Sharon how Dean had reacted before she went off to work.  Sharon could only shake her head she knew Cassie was a hard nut to crack when it came to her Dean but she really hoped they worked it out.  Andrew was a cool very smart kid and Sharon wished they could make a family of it.

 Dean needed time Cassie understood that; she just hoped with all that was happening he didn’t take too much time.  She pulled herself together to get ready to go to work even though she had thought she might take the day off. 

It was an hour later before Dean returned with flowers. He wanted to know all there was to know about Drew.

“I’m sorry Dean, it was its not as though I was ashamed of you but you had your work and it’s……”

“It’s okay,” he said before he knelt down in front of the couch where she sat. 

“What are you doing?” she asked with a tilt of the head.

“Cas, if I were going to be around later, I would want to be with you and Drew,  you know that right?”

She let out a teary sigh before she leaned down to kiss him. 

End Flash.

“Hey, earth to Dean,” she said to him as he seemed to daze out on her for long minutes, “we should get ready.”

“I hope we are doing the right thing, as much as I want to have a chance with Drew I don’t want to bring darkness into his or your life.”

He absentmindedly traced his fingers over her firm bottom as she looked down before she pulled up his chin.

“We have a second chance at this, I think we should take it together. 

Dean  traced his hands over her hip bone and up her back sending chills down her spine. Dean gave her his answer with a hungry kiss, as he claimed her mouth to his none too gently. His tongue sought and conquered hers.  He didn’t have to say anything his body spoke it for him.

          Cassie wrapped her arms around his neck to pull him to her. He deepened the kiss as his hands moved up and down her back invoking whimpers and moans from her throat. He rolled her on her back before he moved his lips to her neck where he nipped and sucked as she let her pleasure be known.

          Dean kissed her chest above her breasts before he licked down the valley that separated them. He loved the shape of her breasts, he noticed they had grown some from her having their son; he thought they were just the right size. “They’re beautiful, never change them,” he said kissing the tip of each one before he sucked the left one in his mouth.

         It took her second to access what he meant because her mind was full of what he was doing. She arched up toward him as she tried to get more of her inside his mouth. She held his head to her while he continued to pleasure her body the way only he could.

          Dean took turns between her nipples until she was close to cumming then stopped.  He loved to torture her. Cassie whimpered as he kissed down her body even farther. His teeth made marks as he went down to her belly button where he set up camp with another round of licking and sucking that had her almost jumping off the bed.

          Cassie wanted him to keep going she begged for it with the sounds she made. Dean grinned up at her before he kissed her folds as he let his tongue slip inside to her clit and darted it back out again. Cassie arched up and if her eyes had not been closed she would have given him a look worthy of a good spanking.

          “Now behave or I'll stop,” he said as he pulled away which made her groan.

          “Dean,” she pleaded for his return and after she stopped moving he did so.

          Dean smiled with the parting her folds as he saw her juices flooding out for him to taste from his earlier manipulations on her breasts. He darted his tongue out licking her clit.  She arched up before he took hold of her hips to suck her clit into his mouth.

          She felt completely out of control with Dean nobody else had this type of control over her, just Dean. Cassie let her body go to him as the orgasm started in her belly, she could feel the rush with each pull on her love button until she came screaming his name while she gripped the sheets.

          Dean waited till she was on cloud nine before he moved away from her. He crawled back up her body to push his ready erection inside of her.  There was a slight cry to be heard from her as he hit home The cry wasn’t from pain but a second orgasm which was not uncommon for the two of them. He enjoyed her tightness as well as the overall fact that is sassy woman still wanted him.

          They made love, blissfully, sometimes dirty,  sometimes sweet, until they both came whispering each other’s names hoarsely. 

 --

The hours went rapidly by before they knew it was time to prepare to go pick up Drew from his grandmother. Cassie grinned as she leaned over to look in Dean's eyes.  "I didn't know what I was missing," he said.  "Yeah well we can't be this wild with Drew around until we get our own place," she said as she got up to dress.  She felt suddenly bruised but it was a good soreness, she thought.  She hoped having Dean around was going to be all she hoped.  She loved him so much; she felt she would do about anything to make it work for them. 

Dean smirked "You walk like that and your mother is going to know what we did all day," he teased.  "Shut up," she said with a smile before she threw a pillow at him then ducked as she went into the restroom.  Dean smiled to himself as he reached for his bag to get out a fresh pair of jeans.  He was going to meet his son; this should be interesting, he thought.

--

Audrey, Cassie’s mother,  had planned to stay overnight initially but with Dean in town she decided to simply go back on the next flight that evening.  Drew had gone to stay with her a couple weeks because he loved his cousin’s that lived near-her.  It was his last chance to visit because he was starting school at the end of the month. 

 At the airport Dean wasn’t sure what to think.  He was relieved at the moment he finally saw his son.  He was a little man his sparkling green eyes lit up at the sight of his mother.  Cassie met him half way and picked him up to twirl him around.  She was clearly happy to see her son. 

Drew looked at Dean curiously after Cassie put him back down.

“Dad?” he said before he looked all the way up at Dean who decided he better kneel down to meet him eye to eye.

His son's wavy hair and dimples made Dean smile.  It was obvious he had been told about him. 

“Yes, I’m your father,” he said before Drew reached to hug him with a smile of his own. 

Chapter Three

A Year Later

Cassie couldn't sleep because Dean was thrashing in his sleep again.  He had a lot of nightmares but not as many as when he first came to her.  She worried about him often those first few weeks though he always tried to ease her fears with a stiff upper lip and a lot of sex.  She knew that he had to be mentally scared after years on the road hunting monsters; it just made sense. 

She wanted to reach over to touch his forehead to soothe his pain.  Her baby had so much pain because of his memories.  You can't run from your past, she thought. 

Dean would be upset with himself if he knew how often Cassie slept on the floor by the bed she could bear to tell him he still thrashed some times.  She didn't want him to leave over something he couldn't help.  It wasn't his fault that his subconscious tortured him.  She didn't want him on meds and she knew he would leave before he took anything. 

More than once he had apologized for his behavior to her.  Dean was a good father for his son but it was in his eyes when he thought no one was looking that he felt a failure.  Cassie saw it and it hurt her heart.  It was as though he really didn’t understand that no one was perfect not only in parenting but in life.   He was overly hard on himself that was certain. 

She decided if he understood how much she trusted him and needed him it would help his self esteem. She would make an effort to let him know he was a good father in small ways.  She understood Dean didn’t like outrageous displays like parties and extravagance.  It would mean more to him for her to show him that they were a fairly normal couple.   

--

Meanwhile, Sam’s return to earth had been jarring for the planet though no one was aware the various tremors throughout the globe had been caused by him being literally spit out of hell.  Sam had no memory of what happened just waking up to find he was on the earth instead of inside of it. 

He had been relieved, confused and concerned all at once.  He had gone straight to check on Dean to find that his brother was working at an automotive shop and he and Cassie lived together with their son in a small house not too far from where she had lived before Dean had returned. Sam had gotten the details about Drew from Bobby who spoke infrequently with Dean.

Sam was satisfied that his brother had moved on with his life the way that he had hoped.  He left with a feeling that he had at least done one thing for Dean to pay him back for the many times he had saved his life as well as watched over him growing up. 

Sam had gotten off to a questionable start with his resurrected grandfather and namesake.  Samuel Campbell showed up when Sam was looking for answers to his own reappearance on earth.  The elder Samuel had almost appeared out of thin air while Sam was hunting. 

The older man insisted he had no idea why he also had no idea why he had been returned to life.  He had heard of the Winchester gospels and felt it was somehow connected.  Sam didn’t trust Samuel completely but he accepted him because he was tired of hunting alone. 

---Dean had the longest day at the auto shop that he had ever encountered.  It seemed everything that could go wrong had gone wrong from angry customers to working the counter which he hated.  All his life helping people did not equal up to customer service experience. 

His eyes were almost closed by the time he got in the Impala to go home.  All he wanted to do was to lie in his comfy bed and cuddle his woman.  “Cassie,” he said to himself as he put the key in the ignition.  He turned the key then pulled the door shut.  “Okay Baby, get me home,” he said aloud.  There was a loud sound behind the car then everything went dark. 

Dean woke up on his own sofa.  Sam looked over at him nervously while Drew sat near him.  For a moment he thought that maybe he should have stayed away. 

“Dad, you okay?.  You fainted,” Drew said.

Dean tried to get up to get off the sofa at the same time.  He couldn’t believe someone that looked like Sam was in his house.

“Get OUT!!,” he said in a loud voice.

“No Dad, it’s Uncle Sam,” Drew said as he looked from one man to the other.

“No no no Sam is dead long dead, “ Dean insisted as he  got up and almost fell over before he walked off to kitchen to get a knife. 

Sam followed him quietly, “Dean, it’s me I get you are freaked.  I don’t know what happened or why you…”

Dean turned around and sliced Sam on the arm, but it had no affected other than to gush blood on Cassie’s clean kitchen floor.  He dropped the knife then reached for Sam’s throat but Drew got between them.

“Dad stop I tested him he is fine,” Drew said calmly. 

Dean pulled away from them both as he looked curiously at his son then his brother. “You what?”

“I tested him like you taught me with the holy water, the knife,,,”

Sam showed Dean the band-aid on the other arm as he tried to stop the bleeding on the fresh wound,  “Yes I have been thoroughly tested,” Sam said with a smile even though he felt a little weak from the blood he was losing. 

Dean went from concern to being furious, “Drew go to you room,” he said without looking at his son who a moment before had been proud of his accomplishment.

“Yes sir,” Drew said as he went off to his room.

“Shut the door in there, “ Dean said, “please,” he added with a softer tone his voice.

He took a deep breath as he looked at his brother who held a kitchen towel on his fresh wound.   Dean went to the bathroom to retrieve bandages for his baby brother.  The baby brother he thought had died a year ago, he wasn’t wrapping his mind around it very fast.  It all felt off to him but he could help him. 

“Here,” he said to Sam as he handed him the bandage.

“Thanks,” Sam said before he went to sit down at the table to apply it.

Dean stood in the middle of the floor with his hands on his head, he didn’t know whether to scream or cry.

“Why in the hell didn’t you tell me you were topside? How long has it been because I got a funny feeling it wasn’t this morning since you look well rested and fresh pressed no less,” he said. 

Sam stalled a few moments though he didn’t dare make it too long in Dean’s present state he might end up on the wrong side of the situation.  Dean was known for throwing punches in anger.

Sam explained the best he could about what had happened after Dean had come to live with Cassie and their son.  He started with the moments after he fell into the pit or as Dean had seen it the whole in the ground.  

“The tossed me around in there for a few what I would call minutes then took my soul and spit me back out at least that is how I recall it.  Samuel has other idea’s about it. 

--

“I uh we all hoped that you could have a good life outside of hunting, Dean.   You seemed to be doing well, Bobby has said.”

“Oh great Bobby was in cahoots too, so basically I can’t trust anyone that I knew when I was hunting.  SHOCKER,” Dean said sarcastically he finally took a seat.

“Can you tell me that you don’t enjoy your life more now? If you can tell me that than I will apologize if not then I won’t,” Sam said as he glared at his brother.

Dean couldn’t deny he adored being with Cassie and Drew it was the family that was his to be with and to love.  He was glad that Cassie had taken him into her life.  He loved his family it was true.

“No I cant’t or won’t say that I don’t like it here; they are my family.  I mean I have a son Sam.  I do have to thank you because without you asking me to do this I would not have known since Cassie is so damn stubborn.  On the other hand, you are my brother and I don’t like being lied to,” Dean insisted as he heard the back door open. 

TBC