*A year later*
This was the day I never thought I'd get to. Not after everything. Not after the battles, the bargains, the bruises, inside and out. Never in a million years had I thought I'd get to be here. If my younger self could see me now, she'd think it was all a Djinn dream.
I stood in front of the mirror, fidgeting with the sleeve of the dress. The dress was beautiful, sure. Delicate, intricate white silk hugged my body like a second skin, accenting every curve I had. Beautiful trains of lace flowed over my shoulders and arms down to my wrists. An elegant neckline that dipped to just above my breasts. And an open back that showed off the scars and tattooed wings I was still so proud of. Someone had put a lot of effort into it. Maybe Charlie. Or Donna. I assumed both had had a hand in picking it out since I had refused to.
But it didn't feel right. Didn't feel like me.
The sleeves came all the way down to my wrists, delicate lace tapering down like a beautiful cage of vines. I ran my fingers over the fabric, searching for the connection I was supposed to feel. The joy. The rightness. Anything that would say this was it.
But there was nothing.
With a deep breath, I grabbed the seam above my shoulder and yanked.
The rip was louder than I had expected, echoing through the too-quiet room. A clean tear down the arm, lace snapping thread by thread until it was no longer connected. I let go of the ruined sleeve and let it fall to the ground. Then I did the same to the other side.
Bare shoulders, free arms. But it still wasn't perfect.
I glanced down at the train next.
It was too long.
It swept the floor like pearl colored fog, dragging behind me like a symbol of something I wasn't. This mess of purity and grace that just didn't fit me. I didn't want to trip over it as I walked to him. And I didn't want to feel like I was drowning in silk either.
I looked around the room until I found a pair of scissors on a nearby vanity. I hesitated only a second before grabbing them and cutting a clean line through the silk, just above my knees. The lace and silk fell like snow. When I stepped in front of the mirror again, I saw someone who looked a little more like me.
The dress was raw at the edges now. Bare-armed, short-skirted, and unapologetic. The strap of my black thigh holster just barely poked out from beneath the new hem.
I could hear them just outside the room, Charlie and Donna and a few others. They'd have opinions, but I wasn't about to apologize. Not today. Not when this was the closest I'd felt to myself in months.
A soft knock at the door pulled me from the mirror.
"You decent?" Dean's voice said through it, warm and teasing.
"Define decent," I called back.
The door opened a crack. Dean stuck his head in, and his eyebrows immediately lifted at the sight of my altercations.
"Well, damn." He said, stepping into the room fully. "You look like yourself again. It's the best damn thing I've seen all day."
I smirked at him. "You mean I didn't look perfect in the doily version?"
Dean gave a low whistle. "I mean, if lace curtains and floor-length regret are your thing, sure. But this?" He gestured at me and the new dress of my design. "This is you."
I breathed a sigh of relief. "That's what I was going for."
Dean leaned against the edge of the vanity and folded his arms over his chest. "You nervous?"
I paused. Then nodded. "Not about him. Never about him."
He nodded slowly, understanding settling in his eyes. "It's the peace, huh?"
"Yeah," I said. "The fight feels over. For real this time. And I'm…here. Breathing. Alive. With the people I love."
Dean chuckled. "It's one hell of a thing, isn't it?"
"It's fucking terrifying," I said honestly.
He pushed off the vanity and gently adjusted the gold necklace around my neck. "You earned this. Every single second of it."
I nodded, tears welling in my eyes. "Thank you, Dean."
He cleared his throat. "You haven't said who's walking you down yet."
I didn't hesitate. I had been thinking about it for months now, but hadn't had the chance to ask him yet. "I was hoping you would."
Dean blinked in surprise, then smiled. "Well then. Let's get you out there, Winchester-style."
The clearing behind the bunker had been transformed. String lights hung between old pines. Folding chairs, mismatched but perfect, were filled with faces I hadn't seen all together in too long.
Charlie and Jody stood near the back, deep in conversation. Donna sat in a row already with Claire, Alex, and their newest members, Patience and Kaia. Sam and Gabriel were on the other side, sitting closer together now that their relationship had started to blossom. Crowley and Rowena sat in the second row, bickering quietly with one another. Michael stood off to the side, ever observant. Cas sat near the front, patiently waiting with a camera, a new hobby he had picked up recently. Elly, Ally, and Lucifer stood on either side of the altar, standing in as our best man and maids of honor. Lucifer looked damn fine in a suit still, and Elly and Ally looked stunning in their red dresses. Even with the five new years they all wore.
Jack stood in the front with a calm smile, radiant in a light suit that shimmered faintly with his new celestial grace. We'd decided to make him the officiant, and honestly, I couldn't imagine it any other way.
We had tried to send an invitation to Mary and Bobby, but hadn't received a response from Mary. And Bobby had said he wasn't one for the ceremonies, but we'd see him later at the after-party.
Cael approached me just before I started walking with Dean, his expression soft and thoughtful. He had taken on the five human years with grace. He still looked to be in his mid-twenties, but now with some laugh lines and true happiness in his eyes. "You did it."
"We did it." I reminded him, smiling softly. "Thank you for kicking my ass in gear."
He chuckled softly. "I'll always be there for another, if needed."
My chest tightened again. "Good."
Dean hooked my arm in his then and leaned into me. "Ready?"
I nodded, and Cael took a step back to watch us go.
The music started with a simple melody played by Gabe on a borrowed guitar. I hadn't even registered him moving from his spot next to Sam until it had started playing. People stood and turned to look at me.
Then, I saw him.
Arthur Ketch stood at the end of the aisle, dressed in a rich black suit, his hair neatly slicked back like always, brilliant red tie a perfect accent. The smile he wore on his lips was soft, real. His grey eyes locked on mine and didn't let go.
Every step towards him felt like I was coming home at last. Like I was stepping towards the future I was always meant to have. When I reached him, Dean squeezed my hand before stepping off to join Lucifer.
"Don't screw this up," He muttered to Arthur with a wink on his way by.
"Not a chance," Arthur responded.
Jack smiled at us both before starting his speech. "Friends, family, morally complicated associates." A pause for the bubble of laughter. "We're gathered today to witness a miracle. Not the end of the world, that was last year, but something far rarer. A love that survives it all."
We all laughed softly at his jokes.
As Jack continued, Elly caught my eye from over Arthur's shoulder. She gave me a thumbs up, her eyes already wet. Ally nodded slightly from behind her mother, her hands folded around a small bouquet of wild flowers.
Jack finished his speech and turned to us again. "Do you have vows?"
Arthur went first, turning to me. "I've walked through Hell. Been a monster. Been a man. And through it all, you reminded me I was human. You have always loved me through the worst of anything. I will never stop trying to earn it. Never stop protecting it either."
My throat burned. I swallowed hard. "You were the one thing that made me believe I could still be saved. That I deserved to be alive. I want a life with you. Messy. Beautiful. Real."
Jack raised his hands. "Rings?"
Dean stepped towards him, rummaging in his pockets for the beautiful red and black set before extending his hands to Jack without fanfare. We slid them onto each other's fingers, the metal bands warmed by the setting sun and the red gems glittering in its rays.
Jack looked between us again. "Are you ready?"
I looked at Arthur.
He looked at me.
"Always." We said together.
And with that. The world began again.
The End