Back at Garth's place you and Dean unpack the groceries and then you go upstairs to check on the girls. You watch them playing with dolls from the doorway for a while before they notice you. When Destiny looks at you, you wander in and take a seat on the end of Gertie's bed.
"Hey girls, having fun?" you ask.
They both nod and then Destiny asks, "You get everything you need?"
"Yep. Dean and I will have plenty of human food to eat. Just let me know if you girls want lunch. I'll let you play." As you stand up you hear a little stomach growl. "Sounds like someone is hungry?" you ask as you look between them.
They both nod again. Your heart aches a little at how good they look as sisters and you question whether or not you will get to bring her home, even with Dean finally on board. "Yeah, I am hungry," Destiny says quietly.
"Me too!" Gertie adds.
"Alright then. Let's see if we can find you both something to eat. Come on."
The girls quickly pack up the dolls and then follow you downstairs to the kitchen where you find Bess already plating up some lunch.
"Have you girls washed up? We might be wolves but we still value hygiene," she adds looking at you. You smile as the girls run off to wash their hands in the bathroom. You stay and help Bess set the table and get lunch ready. You make sandwiches for yourself and Dean.
Once the table is set you ask the girls to get the men from the lounge for lunch and then you all sit down for another lovely meal.
Towards the end of the meal, you start to feel like an intruder in Garth and Bess's little wolf pack. Destiny fits in so well, opening up slowly about some of her memories which they can understand and relate to. Dean notices you zoning out and squeezes your knee under the table. You give him a small, forced smile and start to stack your dishes.
He leans over and whispers in your ear, "Whatever is best for her, remember. Be strong, Sweetheart."
You nod and pull away to take your dishes to the kitchen, trying your best not to interrupt the conversations. As you start to do the dishes, you feel a pair of arms wrap around your waist from behind.
"Don't hide in here. Just 'cause she's opening up, doesn't mean her mind is made up. You need to prepare yourself for it. But don't get too stressed or upset about it yet. Just give her a chance to adjust."
"Thanks, Dean. I love you."
"I love you too, Sweetheart. Need a hand?"
You nod your head in the direction of the tea towels and he helps you dry up.
─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───
Later that night, you're snuggled up with Dean in the guest room bed. The house is quiet and peaceful. Everything feels uncharacteristically good for once as you lay on his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat. You eventually start to drift off, when you hear a soft knock at the door. You feel Dean's muscles instantly stiffen beneath you. You pat his chest and get up.
On the other side of the door, you find a startled Destiny. You kneel down to her height and pull her into a hug. "What's wrong Sweetie?"
"I-I had a nightmare."
You see the tears and hug her tighter. "Come here. You can stay with us tonight. And we're here if you wanna talk about it."
She shakes her head and grips onto your arms. You lead her to the bed where Dean is now sitting up watching the scene in front of him. He reaches down beside the bed and slips his T-shirt back on feeling very self-conscious and aware of the child crawling into his bed.
Destiny seems to understand his apprehension and stops and stares at him. "Sorry," she whispers, "I can try to go back to-"
He puts his hand on her knee making her stop. "It's alright. We both have nightmares sometimes too."
You mouth the words "thank you" to him as he looks up at you, he nods and holds the blanket up to let Destiny crawl under it and get comfortable. Once she's settled you climb in beside her. Dean lays his left arm out across the pillows above her head to reach your cheek. Laying on your side to face him you mouth "I love you" and he smiles.
"Good night, sweet girls," Dean says softly as he adjusts on his back and closes his eyes.
Destiny snuggles into your side so you drape your arm over her shoulders so she knows you're there and she's not alone. This warms your heart as you drift off to sleep, imagining the three of you as a happy family in a little house with a nice backyard.
─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───
You're sitting on a swing chair on the patio with an open book in your lap, a jug, three glasses of homemade lemonade and a plate of fresh cookies on the table beside you. You look up and watch your husband as he pushes a lawnmower methodically across the lawn in straight lines as a little girl and a fluffy dog run around the yard dodging him. You rest a hand on your sizeable stomach as you smile at the scene in front of you.
As if sensing your eyes on him, Dean glances over at you and blows a kiss. You blush. Then Destiny and the energetic dog come bounding up the stairs, stopping just short of the table. She sculls a glass of lemonade as the dog laps at a water dish on the ground.
"May I have a cookie?" Destiny asks once she finishes drinking.
"Of course. Yours are on the right, give one to Woolfie too," you tell her.
"Alright. Thank you. Is the baby kicking?" she asks as she takes a cookie.
"Not at the moment. I'll let you feel next time it does."
"Okay!" She offers the dog a cookie and then puts her own in her mouth before running back into the yard.
"Be careful running with food in your mouth!" you call out to her.
Once Dean mows the final strip he shuts off the machine and wipes his hands on his jeans. He climbs up the stairs to sit beside you. He rests his hand with yours on your belly and kisses your cheek. You reach over for a glass of lemonade and hand it to him.
He takes a sip and then grumbles, "It's not the same as a cold beer..."
"If you want beer they're in the fridge. But don't go expecting your pregnant wife to get it for you," you tease.
"Course not, Sweetheart." He finishes his glass and goes to put it on the floor but you take it and put it on the bench then you hand him a cookie.
─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───
A squirming beside you startles you awake. You look over at the restlessly sleeping girl beside you and gently rub your hand down her arm. As you watch her start to settle you try to reminisce about the perfect life your subconscious created. It felt so real, but also so hard to believe. You look over at Dean, still surprisingly fast asleep. You smile. Maybe you don't need that exact perfect dream life. Maybe your perfect is right here; you're married to the love of your life, looking to adopt a little girl and try to reduce or stop hunting.
Destiny starts to stir again, but this time more peacefully. Her eyes blink open a few times before her gaze settles on you.
"Good morning, Sweetie," you say quietly.
She frowns. "I'm sorry I disturbed you last night. I...I..."
"It's okay. We all get nightmares sometimes. Especially when you've been through as much as you have and we have. I know this all must be so hard for you, but you're not alone okay. This is all very new to us but we want to be there for you and help you in any way you need."
She nods. "Can I-Can I stay with you?"
"You don't want to stay here with Garth and Bess and Gertie?"
"They're nice. I can...But I..."
"How about you give it another day before you make a decision?" You sit up and she crawls into your lap. You wrap your arms around her. "I-We just want what's best for you. If that's with us, great. If it's here with a pack, that's perfectly fine too."
She snuggles into your embrace, curling up like a ball, making herself smaller. You feel a warm hand on your thigh so you smile over at Dean, acknowledging him.
"Morning," he drawls, his voice raspy and full of sleep. He sits up and stretches his arms out then looks over at you noticing the pup curled up in your lap. He fights the urge to pat her on the head, opting to keep his hands to himself. He leans over and kisses the top of your head. "I'm gonna shower and then go see about breakfast," he says as he pulls away.
You nod as you watch him get up and gather his things. As he gets to the door his glances back at you and Destiny. A small smirk teases the corner of his lips.