Fallen [Dean Winchester FanFiction]

XX

The elder Winchester tentatively took in his surroundings. He hugged his dear friend back, a smile forming on his lips before she drew away.

"She's right. It took us three whole hours to get all this work done. First time I've ever met someone with such an attention for detail. I'm proud of you, Dean. You've gone and found yourself a great girl."

Dean now turned to face Jody Mills. She stepped up, leaning forward to plant a sweet, motherly kiss on his cheek. As he took another quick glance around the room, a sense of pride swelled in his chest. He laughed softly.

"This is...wow. I don't even know what to say." Still at a loss for words, he looked to Charlie and Jody once more. "How long did she have this planned?"

"It was a spur of the moment thing. Sam called and told us what was going on. I drove out here as fast as I could."

"And I took the first flight out I could find," added Charlie. "Alaine was nice enough to pick me up from the airport, but I was surprised when she told me she was your girlfriend. I mean, how could you keep this from me! This is like the best news I've gotten in months. I'd expect you'd share something like this with me."

Dean offered her an apologetic smile. "I didn't think it'd be a big deal."

"Oh, it is. Do you have any idea how long I've been praying for you boys to find yourselves a good girl to settle down with? This here is like a wish come true for any mother, and I know you two aren't my sons by blood, but I'll be damned if I didn't love you as such."

"I know, Jody," said Dean. "I wasn't somethin' I had planned. It was just..."

"All of a sudden." Jody finished. A smile formed on her face. "That's just how love hits you. It comes straight out of left field and you never really find yourself prepared for it, but it still manages to make sense when it's with the right person."

It was as if Jody could somehow see into his mind. The words she'd spoke reflected his very own thoughts. Thoughts he'd never been able to really put into words until now. Now more than ever he was sure of what he felt, and as a third person sauntered into the room, those emotions soared in his heart and made his breath hitch in his throat. From across the library, his eyes met Alaine's. His gaze caught the look of adoration in hers as she sauntered toward him. The smile on his lips then softened out, and he breathed in sharply, his jaw tensing under the caress of her delicate fingers.

Alaine had taken his cheek into her palm, her thumb stroking back and forth gently. She stepped into him, and felt her heart skip a beat as Dean's eyes glossed over. She peered up into their captivating depths and cooed lovingly, "Hey, handsome."

"Hi, baby girl," he murmured, his voice soft.

Smiling, she let his arms wrap around her. "Do you like your birthday surprise?"

"I don't think I can find the right words to tell you how much this actually means to me."

"I'll take that as a yes."

"Alaine." Gazing into her eyes, Dean lost himself in their radiance, their golden hue as enthralling as a tropical sunset somewhere in the Caribbean. He sighed, his gaze never leaving hers. "As much as I find the effort you put into all this amazing, I...I don't think I deserve it."

"I disagree. You have a habit of thinking the worst of yourself, which is why I thought bringing together all the people who love you would help you see just how much you mean to every single one of us."

"I'm no one special, baby. I'm just me."

"And that's what I love about you the most," Alaine smiled. "Your humility, your undying love and commitment to those you care about. Your self-sacrifice for the people who mean the world to you. You, Dean Winchester, are far more deserving of just a simple birthday party. You deserve to be loved just as hard as you love. To be cared for and looked after. You..." she paused. There was a soft, almost inaudible crack in her voice, but Dean caught it. He watched her eyes begin to brim with tears, and felt his entire being swell with such intense love he thought his heart would stop beating.