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Dean wasn’t sure what was happening anymore, too blissed out from the ministrations of the twins to really notice anything outside their little bubble, but when the screeching, warbling noise fading in and out made Cas and Jimmy pause, Dean sure as hell took notice.
Cas’s strokes stuttered to a halt and Jimmy’s lips left Dean’s cock cold when he raised his head. Dean whined, but then he heard it too, getting louder every second before finally ending in a dull
whump
sound.
Breathing hard, Dean watched with regret as Jimmy got up to investigate the mysterious sound. Cas hesitated, looking over his shoulder as Jimmy left the room. Before they could decide to continue without him or follow along behind him, Jimmy shouted. No longer indecisive, in a tangle of panicking limbs, Dean and Cas scrambled apart, rolling off the bed and to their feet.
Heedless of their nakedness – hell, it was their own fucking house in the middle of fucking nowhere for a fucking
reason
– they barreled down the hall of the large farmhouse they’d purchased together and skidded around the corner into the living room, smacking into Jimmy who was frozen on the spot but otherwise seemed unharmed.
“Jimmy, you all right?” Dean asked anyway, clutching at his lover, running his hands over Jimmy’s body in a way wholly different to how he’d been doing only moments earlier, checking to make sure Jimmy wasn’t hurt.
“Uh…I’m…fine…I think? Tell me you guys see that?” Jimmy finally said.
“See what?” Dean asked.
Jimmy whirled about, just as naked as his boyfriends, and snagged their arms, pushing them in front of him so they would have an unobstructed view of their living room.
“Where the
fuck
did
that
come from?” Was Dean's eloquent response.
The tall, blue box - looking remarkably like an old-fashioned phone booth, only not actually see through and with the words police box on the side – clashed with the décor, standing out like a sore thumb. Castiel stood at Dean’s side, just as dumbfounded as him. Jimmy peeked out from behind them, pressing in close, all the ardor the three of them had been feeling only moments before significantly cooled.
“How did it get in here?” Castiel finally asked the most obvious question.
“Somebody musta brought it here. Came into our house and… But then…where…?” Jimmy’s voice was panicked, clutching at his boyfriends with the sudden realization that there must be some intruder or intruders in their house and they were all completely stark naked.
“But…why would
anyone
break into our house just to put this in our –“ Dean cut himself off as a door swung open, pulled inward with a creak.
“I’m telling you, Rose, the fresh country air, some horseback riding lessons – a nice little rest up, yeah?” A man stepped out of the police box without actually watching where he was going, instead, looking back from whence he’d come.
Still stunned, Dean, Cas and Jimmy catalogued their new arrival on automatic. Messy hair that could rival Cas’s on a normal day, a deep brown, pinstriped suit and a tan trench coat, all completed with dirty white sneakers.
“Oi, you say that now, but something will go wrong, mark my words, Doctor,” a pretty blonde head popped out of the doorway and waggled a finger in the doctor’s face. Her head turned and her mouth dropped, eyes looking down and then back up, her lips curving into an appreciative smile. “Well, now…who are you then?”
The man followed her gaze and grinned. “Hullo, hullo! Sorry for barging in here. I’m the Doctor, this is Rose! Nice to meetchya!” he bounded forward and offered out his hand, while the woman, Rose, followed him out of the box. When no one took his hand in their stunned silence, the stranger grabbed theirs and did the honors himself.
Rose giggled.
The Doctor beamed, shoving his hands into his pockets and rocking back on his heels. He hesitated, halted his rocking movement and pulled his right hand back out of his pocket, inspecting it closely. He looked back up – his eyes moving and his head staying still- at the three men and seemed to fully take in
exactly
how naked all of them were.
“Um…are we in a nudist colony?” he asked hopefully. As one, they all shook their heads, eyes still wide. “So…that means that…oh. Ooooooooh!” he looked down at his hand with a wry grin and wiped it off on his trousers. Rose doubled over laughing, stumbling back and hitting the police box where it sat in the corner of the room.
“Look…how did…how did you get into our house?” Dean demanded finally, finding his voice first of the three of them.
Rose straightened up and patted the box. “That’s the Doctor, for ya. Always muckin’ up the landings.”
“I’m sorry, what?” Dean asked. “Are you saying that thing there ‘landed’? Don’t be ridiculous! It’s just a box!”
“Actually, it’s a TARDIS,” Rose said helpfully from the back.
“Like that means anything,” Jimmy scoffed from where he still stood behind his boyfriends.
The Doctor clapped his hands together and grinned. “Look, I’ll be more than happy to explain
everything
but uh, you gents may be a bit more comfortable if you got dressed first. I mean, that’s up to you, really. I find I really don’t mind. I’m sure Rose doesn’t either.”
Even already knowing he was naked, Dean couldn’t help but look down and turn red as it fully registered that he and the twins were apparently entertaining guests while in the buff. Horrified, his eyes flicked back up at the nameless man in the suit who didn’t seem affected in anyway, and the woman whose eyes were still gleaming appreciatively.
Some anniversary
this
had turned out to be.
Before long, and being way more clothed than any of them had wanted to be on their five-year anniversary, Dean, Cas and Jimmy found themselves in the kitchen, brewing up tea and chatting with the two strangers. Occasionally, one of the three would catch one of the others eyes, or both of them, and exchanged silent looks of ‘
what the hell is happening?
’
Dean may or may not have something a little stronger than tea in his mug. Jimmy called it Irish Coffee. Cas protested that it wasn’t coffee to begin with and Dean responded that he didn’t much care what it was called. He poured more alcohol into his not-coffee and continued to be a grump about the coitus interruptus.
It was hard to be a grump in the presence of the Doctor and Rose, however, and soon Dean found himself talking away merrily, right along with his boyfriends, the five of them exchanging stories back and forth.
“-and that’s when the Doctor said, ‘Don’t look now, but I think your spaceship was infested by Tribbles.’ Tribbles!” Rose collapsed, laughing, against the Doctor.
“Wait, wait, wait,” Dean said, “Nope. Uh uh. I disbelieve. Tribbles aren’t real!”
“Oi!” The Doctor said, offense in his tone, straightening his back and glaring at the three of them. “I’ll have you know that Tribbles are, in fact, real.” Rose tried to smother another giggle but couldn’t hold back any longer. She fell against him again, peals of laughter ringing through the farm house. When she lost it, Cas, Jimmy and Dean watched as the Doctor snorted and broke down right along with her. “Okay, okay, they’re not really Tribbles. They’re called Flat Cats and they aren’t nearly as reproductively prolific as a real Tribble, so they’re a wee bit less problematic to deal with. But it wasn’t like
these
lads were going to know the difference! Without gravity, they look
exactly
like a Tribble!”
Cas leaned over to Jimmy and whispered loud enough for everyone to hear, “I still don’t understand what’s funny. What are Tribbles?”
His brother looked at him askance, mouth gaping open and eyes wide, “Cassie, babe, don’t let Dean hear you say that. We did a Star Trek marathon just last month! That was one of the episodes!”
“Too late, Dean already heard,” Dean snorted. “And Jimmy, Cas gets a pass, remember? That was when…you know…” Dean nodded his head out the window in the direction of the barn. Jimmy made a face of understanding, his mouth going round in an, ‘oh,’ of realization and a quick glance at his brother to check if he was okay.
Cas’s eyes drooped and his mouth turned down in a frown, and he didn’t look at anyone. Too late.
“I’m sorry, Cassie, I didn’t mean to remind you of…I’m sorry.” Jimmy wrapped his twin in a hug, and Cas gladly accepted it, turning his face to bury in Jimmy’s neck.
The Doctor and Rose looked on with bemused, curious expressions. The Doctor edged closer to Dean and attempted to talk so Cas couldn’t hear him, “Was there a loss?”
Dean nodded. “Cas loves bees. You uh, might have noticed a theme…” he glanced around the kitchen, decorated heavily in yellows, whites and blacks with a clear bee motif. “He had one of those um, apiaries I think? Out behind the barn, but when he went out one morning to check on his bees, they’d all disappeared. We still can’t figure out what happened.”
The Doctor and Rose exchanged a look.
“Right,” the Doctor clapped his hands together. “I think I’d like a breath of fresh air, take a tour of the grounds. Who’s with me?”
“The grounds?” Jimmy mouthed over Cas’s shoulder at Dean incredulously. Dean shrugged. Their place may not be ‘fancy’ enough to warrant the term ‘the grounds’, but it certainly was fairly big which, as Dean understood the phrase, was the second requirement for a place to qualify for a statement like that.
Somehow, all five of them were tromping outside in the middle of the night. Or, not so middle of the night anymore, Dean noted as the light of predawn allowed them to see their way around.
“So, are you really spacemen?” Jimmy asked incredulously, as Castiel proudly gave a tour, Dean hovering behind them both.
“Nope. Just him.” Rose pointed at the Doctor. “And, oh! The places we have seen…you’ve got to come with us sometime.”
Jimmy’s eyes lit up in excitement and Dean groaned. “I’m not flying anywhere!” Dean protested.
“Looks like you don’t have to,” said the Doctor, coming to a halt beside Cas’s empty beehives. Everyone stared at him. “What? Can’t you see it? There’s a rift, just there.”
“A rift? A rift to where?” Dean demanded.
“I don’t know. Isn’t that brilliant? Let’s check it out! Allons-y!” Snatching up Castiel’s hand, the Doctor stepped forward and they both disappeared.
Jimmy and Dean shouted in horror. Rose rolled her eyes but laughed, following after and leaving Jimmy and Dean behind.
“Did he just…he just
took
Cas!” Jimmy whispered, clutching at Dean, his eyes wide. “Oh my god, he took my brother!”
Dean stared at the empty place in front of them, just as stunned as Jimmy, mouth gaping open but no words forthcoming. He took a slow step forward and Jimmy went with him by default.
“We gotta go after him, Jimmy,” Dean finally managed. Jimmy nodded emphatically, and now it was him that dragged them forward to the rift they couldn’t actually see. All the evidence of anything even being there were contained in the footprints on the ground.
Dean and Jimmy stopped just before the scuff marks abruptly halted and stared into the open space before them. This close, if they squinted their eyes at it, they could almost make out some sort of shimmer. Something Dean would normally have blamed on the sun and heat, but there wasn’t near enough sun out here to play such a trick.
Gulping, they took another step forward. They had no idea if whoever went through could come back or not, but it didn’t matter.
Cas was on the other side.
And if he couldn’t come back, then they were going after him. Neither could bear the idea of them not all being together, especially if it was something that could be fixed as easily as taking one step forward.
With a fortifying look at each other, they both took a deep breath – Dean closed his eyes, but Jimmy kept his open wide – and plunged through the empty space.
“Oi! It’s about time you lads got here. We found your boyfriend’s bees!” The Doctor shouted. Dean opened his eyes to find him a good way across a field of strangely colored grass and the riotous colors of unrecognized flowers.
“Holy crap, these flowers are gigantic,” Jimmy said.
“No, they’re not. Gigantic would be bigger than us,” Castiel said from behind them. “Look, Dean, Jimmy, the Doctor really did find my bees! I guess I can’t blame them for coming here. It’s beautiful.”
“It really is,” Jimmy agreed with his brother easily.
“In fact, I think they’ve been coming here for a while and we just didn’t realize it. Remember how I said last year’s honey tasted different? It’s probably because they were visiting here but coming home to us. They were harvesting from these very flowers. You realize, that means we’ve eaten alien food?!” Castiel said excitedly.
“Wow, that’s…so weird and cool to think of at the same time,” Dean admitted.
“But why did they stop coming home?” Jimmy asked.
“Probably because some bloke made their own apiary with a billion beehives for your bees to choose from and enticed them to stay,” Rose pointed behind them. The field was dotted with beehives, just as Rose had implied, and as Dean, Cas and Jimmy looked around, they realized there were way more bees there than could be accounted for. Where had they all come from?
“Oi! You all may want to watch where you step. It appears there’s a few more rifts around here. It’s what’s drawing the bees in. I don’t think they’re natural.” The Doctor frowned. He held a device in his hands that whirred and clicked as he spun about in a circle. He grinned and looked at Rose, “Ready, Rose?”
She nodded excitedly and he grabbed her hand, shouting again, “Allonsy!” and the two of them took off running, leaving the triad behind.
Dean looked at Jimmy and Cas. Jimmy looked at Cas and Dean. Cas watched his bees with a gummy smile.
“So uh, alien planet, beautiful plant life, nearly deserted meadow – if you don’t count the bees –some sudden alone time and um…an anniversary to finish celebrating. Anyone thinking what I’m thinking?” Dean asked.
Jimmy’s mouth widened into a grin and he waggled his eyebrows at Dean, “Ooooooh yeah! Give brand new meaning to the term ‘Mile High Club’. Be an almost exclusive membership too, I’m sure. I’m game. Cassie?”
“What?” Cas said distractedly.
Jimmy rolled his eyes in fond amusement. “Sex, Cas. On an alien planet. Whaddya say?”
Castiel’s head whipped around to stare at his boyfriends in disbelief and, yup, there it was, growing desire. He gulped and nodded, then looked around again, “But is it safe to do that here? I mean, what do we really know about this place?”
“C’mon, looks pretty peaceful to me. Plus, your bees seem to have given it their own seal of approval.” Dean cajoled, stepping in close. “ ‘sides, you guys kinda left me high and dry a little earlier. What are ya gonna do to make it up to me?”
“But that wasn’t our fault!” Jimmy protested. “You can’t blame us for a home invasion!”
Castiel blinked and his eyes narrowed, “Are you saying we don’t know how to take care of our boy?”
“Mmmmm…not saying that, but if you’re thinkin’ it…” Dean trailed off with a shrug. “Of course, if you don’t
want
to take advantage of this once in a lifetime opportunity, I’m not gonna force you.”
Within seconds, Dean’s shirt was ripped off his body, being drug roughly over his head and leaving his dirty blonde hair in unruly spikes. His zipper was being pulled down, his pants – and only the pants, mind you, because Dean had gone commando (hey, he still had hopes and look, it was paying off now!) – quickly yanked down just after, four hands moving in near unison to divest him of his clothes as efficiently as possible. And with the practice the twins had had over the years, that was pretty damn efficient.
Dean was completely naked and enjoying it, bees buzzing about the trio. Cas’s shirt was opened, and Jimmy’s had been flung off – who knew where – but Dean had been quickly too distracted to make sure they were just as nude as he. He gasped into Jimmy’s mouth, even as Cas’s lips wrapped around his member. Dean arched into the wet warmth of Cas’s mouth with a whine that was swallowed by Jimmy.
Something buzzed his ear and Dean opened his eyes to see a handful of bees all attracted to the same flower which rose above Dean’s head from his laid out position on the ground. More bees were attracted to it and Dean could swear some of them were staring at him.
He broke away from Jimmy’s mouth reluctantly and gasped out, “Fuck, Cas. Your bees are kinky motherfuckers – they’re
watchin’
us.”
“Never mind the bees, Dean,” Jimmy growled, latching his lips to Dean’s neck, sucking on the pulse point. Dean shivered at the arousal that spread through him, his cock hardening even more in Cas’s mouth – if that was even possible.
“Well then,” Cas popped up, causing Dean to whine. Cas’s nimble hands stroked up Dean’s thighs teasingly, his eyes moving up Dean’s body just as slowly before finally meeting his eyes. Cas gave him a large, wicked grin, one corner of his mouth quirking up just slightly. “Let’s give them a show.”
“Oh…fuck…” Dean whispered. Cas’s mouth descended once more and Dean attempted to get his brain functioning enough to move his hands. They fumbled as he reached for Jimmy, for Cas – he couldn’t decide which to start with. Deciding on Jimmy since he was the closest, Dean’s hands flicked open the button on Jimmy’s jeans and had just started pulling the zipper down when there was a shout from across the meadow.
“Run!”
Startled, the three men halted what they were doing and looked in the direction of the shout. Rose and the Doctor were running towards them while yelling and there was…was that…?
“Holy
fuck
!” Dean scrambled to his feet and searched for his pants. He hopped about, shoving his feet into the leg of his jeans, almost falling down, Cas coming to help steady him as Jimmy gathered up their shirts and the three of them began to run.
“Not
that
way! That’s the wrong one!” The Doctor yelled, drawing nearer with every step. Rose hot on his heels. “Left. More left – no that’s too far. YES! Straight ahead!”
His open shirt flapping behind him, Cas ran after his boyfriends. Jimmy and Dean passed through the rift that had brought them here first, but Cas paused, snatched up an armful of the flowers before ducking through the rift and pounding right over to his beehive.
Cas came to a halt, and placed the flowers right below the beehive and watched as a few of the bees that had come along for the ride detached and made themselves at home. Cas smiled and turned back just in time to see Rose and the Doctor hurtle through the rift.
The Doctor skidded to a halt and Rose started laughing breathlessly. The Doctor joined in, beaming.
“What the hell happened? What did you do? How do we close the rift?” Dean shouted at them, his heart pounding from a mix of leftover arousal, sudden bout of running and pure panic.
“Oi, enough of that. Open rifts are dangerous, yeah? Especially man made ones, which those definitely were. Weeeell, not
man
made, but very much artificial. Sooooo, we looked around to find out how they were happening and when we figured it out, we did what any upstanding citizen would do - we closed them by making sure the machinery reasonable for their occurrence was no longer in working order. Then we ran so we could make it before our ticket home closed.” The Doctor shrugged. “All in a good day’s work. You’re welcome.”
“But…you were being chased by a gigantic bee!” Jimmy protested. “In fact, a whole
swarm
of them!” his voice raised to a hysterical pitch.
“Ye-up!” The Doctor grinned, no trace of concern in his eyes as he popped the P loudly and dramatically.
Rose laughed again, “That’s nothing. I’ve seen worse.”
The Doctor nodded, then he looked past the three other men where they were standing dumbfounded and down at the mass of flowers Cas had brought back. He frowned. “Where’d those come from?”
“I brought them,” Cas said defiantly. “I would have asked you first, if they were a danger to bring home, but you didn’t give me enough time. It was the only way to get at least
some
of my bees back.”
Walking closer, the Doctor inspected the flowers carefully, bringing out the same whirring device he’d used earlier and pointing it at them. “Hmmm…” he flipped the device up and looked at it a moment before smiling at what he saw. Looking up, his grin widened. “No, you’re all set there, Castiel. You won’t have to worry about them turning into Audrey's or growing out of control.”
“But won’t his bees leave again?” Jimmy asked, still reeling from having been chased off an alien planet by gigantic bees. He might have nightmares about that for weeks! How could he tell Cas that?
“Oi, weren’t you listening?” The Doctor’s eyes squinted and his mouth frowned a bit, sending Jimmy a disappointed look. “I fixed that. No more spatial rifts for people – or bees – to go stumbling about in and getting into all sorts of trouble. Rose and I maaaaay have melted some of their equipment – “
“What he means, of course, is that he blew it up rather good, actually,” Rose leaned over to say.
“-who’s telling this story?” The Doctor ribbed good-naturedly before continuing. “Luckily, we had just enough time to make it back before all the rifts started closing.”
“So, then, is this what you do?” Dean asked. “You gallivant around the galaxy getting into trouble and wreaking havoc, dragging innocent people in alongside you?”
“Heavens, no,” the Doctor said in near-disgust. “I don’t go looking for trouble and I never purposely break anything. Trouble just has a way about finding me. And I don’t force anyone to be companions of mine against their will…” He paused, a speculative look on his face. It looked like he was remembering something, “Well, usually anyway. There may have been a few minor incidents over the years, accidents really. Me taking off in the TARDIS before I’d realized someone had snuck inside, that sort of thing.”
“Also, it does more than travel space…it can also time travel
and
cross dimensions,” Rose added gleefully.
“Not that we intended on crossing dimensions
ever
. It was more of an…accident really. Spot of bad luck. Wrong time, wrong place and the TARDIS just…slipped through the cracks. Almost got stranded there. Really wouldn’t recommend it, in case you boys were thinking of trying.” The Doctor said hurriedly.
“Um, no, no, not really,” Dean assured him.
“Oh yeah, we were just getting ready to hop in our DeLorean and get a move on that,” Jimmy said sarcastically.
Dean rolled his eyes. “Jimmy, DeLorean’s can
only
go through time, but not through dimensions or space travel. Actually, what we want for that is Gay Deceiver.”
Jimmy and Cas looked at him blankly. So did Rose, for that matter. The Doctor, however, guffawed. The blank looks, now tinged with confusion – Cas tilting his head, Jimmy raising an eyebrow and Rose crossing her arms over her chest – shifted to the Doctor.
“You enjoy the classics, I take it?” The Doctor grinned at Dean.
“Heh, yeah, I used to read all those old pulps when I was a kid. My mom’s house had like, a million of them. It’s nice to find someone else who’s actually read them for once. Lost the whole collection when the house burnt down though and it’s been a bitch to replace them. There’s one in particular that was a favorite but – well. Anyway, can’t get these guys hooked on ‘em if I can’t find ‘em, right?” Dean shrugged. “But I’d rather lose the books then the people.”
The Doctor nodded solemnly in agreement. “You know, offer still stands. Could always go and meet the authors. Some of them are odd ducks, but whooo-eee…you’ll have something to remember, I can promise you that.”
Dean’s eyes lit up. “Yeah? Well, much as I want to, I gotta say not today. Maybe another time.”
“Are you sure?” The Doctor looked at Dean in surprise.
Rose took his arm and started hauling him away. “Doctor, I really think it’s time to go, let these boys have some privacy.”
“What?” The Doctor stumbled into her pull, “But we’re just getting to know these lovely gentlemen,” he protested.
In a whisper loud enough that ‘those lovely gentlemen’ could hear every word quite clearly, Rose answered, “If you hadn’t noticed, we keep interrupting them from having some sexy times. And I think I overheard one of them saying it was their anniversary. So we should really be getting out of their hair, yeah? Let them celebrate properly and not have to entertain strangers.”
“Oh! We could get them a gift!” The Doctors reluctant steps turned into bounds as he headed for the house, Rose now having to rush a bit to keep up.
“Sure, we can do that. Let’s go shopping Doctor, and come back another day.”
Jimmy, Cas and Dean stood blinking after them, before scrambling to follow their guests inside. They arrived in time to see the two disappear into the TARDIS, the door closing after. That sound they’d heard earlier started up again, louder, of course, then before thanks to their proximity, and the blue box started fading in and out until it completely disappeared.
The three of them stared at the now empty space in their living room and considered the whirlwind the last six hours had been.
“We never even got a tour of their spaceship,” Dean said with disappointment.
“Do you think they’ll ever come back?” Cas asked, curiosity lacing his tone, his head tilted as he regarded the corner with thoughtful eyes. “They seemed rather…flakey.”
“I hope not! I’ve been cockblocked enough for one day!” Jimmy exclaimed, rounding on the two. “Bedroom, now. And strip! They could be back any minute! Go, go, go!”
Dean laughed, “Jesus, Jimmy. I think we’re safe for the rest of the day.”
“Good, let’s make it last…” Castiel smiled happily.
Dean’s prediction of the rest of the day proved true, though that didn’t stop Jimmy from the urgency he felt, an urgency that transferred to Dean and Cas as he worked both of them up and over the edge. Afterwards, they curled together in a lazy pile, trading languid kisses and stroking along each other’s bodies.
Soon enough the touches turned heated once more as they made good use of the day. Eventually, they all fell asleep, their limbs tangled together after multiple bouts of lovemaking. This was one of Dean’s favorite things, though he’d never admit it to anybody other than the twins. These moments after the rush of adrenaline, the high of sex, when he got to curl up with the men he loved.
“Cuddling,” Jimmy insisted with a tired smile.
“Ain’t cuddlin’,” Dean protested sleepily.
“Leave him be, Jimmy. Don’t rile him up over this again,” Cas sighed, pulling Dean closer to him, and thus Jimmy as well.
They fell asleep like that, Dean in the middle as he so often was, in a blissful contentedness none of them had ever dreamed they’d get before they had moved out here.
It was broken the next morning by a sound they had thought they’d heard the last of. Cas was a heavy sleeper and it fell to Dean and Jimmy to wake him up. Dean woke first and quickly recognized the weird sound. He groaned and pushed at Jimmy who was already sleepily blinking his eyes. Together they took turns shaking and kissing Cas awake, while looking for boxers. It was their own house dammit, and they weren’t going to get dressed any further than that.
When they finally made it out of bed, Cas stumbling along behind them, they found the blue box was actually nowhere to be seen. Exchanging confused glances, they searched through the rest of the house to find…nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
Except a bookcase in the hallway they’d never bought, filled to the brim with books. It was navy blue and had doors, and shelves even on the doors when it was opened up. As Dean looked at the shelf, his eyes lit up.
“Holy shit! Robert Heinlein, Isaac Asimov, Edgar Rice Burroughs…” Dean paused and grabbed a gaudily colored book off the shelf and nearly squealed, “Robots Have No Tails!”
He flipped the book open as his boyfriends stared on bemusedly. Deans mouth dropped. He thrust the book carefully at Jimmy who flipped it over to stare at the pink and purple cover with a raised brow. Dean snagged more books off the shelf and opened the covers, his mouth dropping open more and more.
“They’re signed…holy shit…” Dean kept pulling books, looking at them and shoving them at Cas and Jimmy who started making towering piles. How many books were even
on
this bookshelf, anyway? “All of them, they’re
all
signed! How is this even possible?”
“We know a time traveler now, and you ask how it’s possible?” Jimmy said with a roll of his eyes.
“Dean, Jimmy, look at the shelves…” Cas said with awe.
“What about them?” Jimmy asked.
“Look, no matter how many books Dean pulls off the shelves, there are almost no gaps!” Castiel pointed out.
Dean paused, looked behind him at the stacks of books that had quickly grown out of control and then back to the bookshelf. Sure enough, it had just enough space that he could put a couple of books back, but didn’t show gaping holes like it should have. He bit his lip and held a hand out behind him. Jimmy slapped a book into Dean’s hand without a word being passed between them.
Jimmy and Cas crowded in behind him as Dean slowly pushed the book back onto the shelf. He blinked. There didn’t seem to be any difference. Then again, it was just one book. He turned and saw Cas holding a short stack of five books. “Thanks, Cas.”
“Of course, Dean.”
Turning back, Dean continued the experiment. He pushed the books around so the gap was big enough to place five books back at once…it was just the right size and the gap should have closed up immediately and yet, it didn’t.
“Holy crap,” Jimmy whispered. “It’s bigger on the inside. It’s like, some sort of, spatial thingy.”
“Do you think the Doctor and Rose…” Cas trailed off. Jimmy and Dean shrugged. Together, they put all the books back but one. Dean held on to the gaudily colored book and babbled on and on about it as they made their way back to the kitchen. It was, apparently, the one he’d been looking for unsuccessfully for a while now. It was great to see him so happy.
In the kitchen, which they were sure had been empty before, was fresh squeezed orange juice, freshly brewed tea, still sizzling bacon and mounds of hash browns. Their mouths dropped open and they drooled.
“What is going on?” Jimmy asked, reaching hesitantly towards the food. “Do you think it’s safe?”
“I found a note,” Cas said. “It’s from the Doctor and Rose. All it says is ‘Happy Anniversary’. Oh! Wait -” Cas flipped it over. “- and ‘Our sincerest apologies for interrupting your private celebration’.”
A crunching sound filled the room and Dean and Cas turned to see Jimmy unapologetically stuffing his mouth with bacon, closing his eyes and moaning happily. “Mmmmm….” He opened his eyes and looked at his boyfriends. “What? It’s
bacon
. When have you ever known me to resist bacon?”
Cas and Dean smiled fondly at Jimmy and the three of them settled in for breakfast. “Seriously guys, this has to be the
best
bacon I’ve ever had!” Jimmy enthused.
“It’s like the doc knew you had a bacon kink or something,” Dean teased.
“It’s not a kink,” Jimmy protested feebly. Dean guffawed and Cas shook his head.
“You keep telling yourself that. I certainly remember something incredibly different,” Cas said, their minds all drifting as one to the night Jimmy had bought bacon flavored lube.
“Okay, so breakfast for all three of us with a heavy emphasis on bacon for Jimmy. I got an unending bookshelf of classic sci fi’s to share with y’all. Wonder what Cas got?” Dean mused.
“Who says that’s how it works?” Cas asked. “The books are for all of us, the food was for all of us, the private time…” He paused and everyone thought happily and contentedly of the time they’d spent together. Cas cleared his throat. “was for all of us…I’m not expecting anything special and I don’t need it. I got my bees back. I have the both of you. I’m happy.”
“Me too, I only wish…” Jimmy sighed and shook his head, looking down at his right hand, at the simple silver ring that adorned it. A ring that matched the ones that Dean and Cas also wore. The outside was simple, but the insides were engraved. Hidden, just like them, their relationship.
It was a sobering thought. The idea that they couldn’t ever legally marry, much less be open and public about their relationship. They had a few trusted friends and family, but to most outsiders Dean was dating Jimmy while Cas was too ‘awkward and innocent’ to leave the nest.
It was unfair to them all, but especially Cas, and it was why they’d gotten this out of the way place to begin with. Someplace that gave them more freedom to be themselves. And it had helped. But that didn’t stop them from still wishing for a little more.
“Do you realize…the Doctor and Rose…They saw and they didn’t care?” Cas suddenly said into the silence. Jimmy and Dean straightened up, looked at each other and back at Cas, blinking.
“Huh, you’re right,” Dean said, biting his lip. There was no need for a leap of logic. They’d all been thinking about it, they knew what Cas meant. It was…well, it was nice to have more people who knew about them. It felt liberating. That was actually the best anniversary gift of them all, Dean thought.
The rest of the day passed lazily, uneventfully. Cas checked on his bees while Jimmy helped Dean plant the flowers that Cas had brought back. Luckily, they’d not wilted in the time they’d laid by the hives. When they were done, they thoroughly enjoyed a shared shower – they’d had the original teeny tiny shower completely remodeled to accommodate three men and to have great water pressure and temperature (it was a complete dream) – before they found themselves back in their room on their custom-made bed.
Things were getting steamy again when the noise once more penetrated their consciousness. Dean wasn’t sure if he should laugh or cry. Cas looked perturbed and Jimmy
did
start laughing. Eventually, with a collective sigh, the three of them tossed on boxers once more and headed in the direction of their new friends.
They found the TARDIS in the same place it had been the last time, but there was no evidence of the Doctor or of Rose. Cautiously, they approached it. They stopped before the door and stared at it. Dean, with his love of sci fi, should have been the first to reach for it. Jimmy, with his high curiosity and lack of impulse control should have been right behind him. Or in front of him, or…
Well, basically, it should have been a race to see who’d get to it first with Cas smiling indulgently behind them.
Instead, Cas rolled his eyes as his boyfriends stood frozen and he pushed past them to knock on the door.
After a moment, the door creaked inwards and the Doctor poked his head out. “Hullo, hullo! That’s a first. I’ve never had anyone just
knock
before. Well, what are you waiting for? Come in! Come in!”
He backed away from the door and held it open wide. The glimpse inside had all three men gaping. The Doctor made an impatient come in motion with his hand. They stepped inside to wolf whistles and clapping.
Gazing about the impossibly large room with more doors leading off and implying an even bigger contraption than they’d thought, they saw family and friends all dressed up in their finest, standing about with smiles on their faces.
“What’s going on?” Dean squeaked, suddenly feeling naked.
“Well, do you have any plans for the rest of the day? Or maybe tomorrow?” The Doctor beamed at them.
“Uh…no?” Jimmy answered uncertainly.
“Brilliant! And is what I’ve heard true, that the three of you wish to be married, if only the conventions of society would let you?”
“Of course,” Cas said simply. Dean’s fingers reached down for his ring and fidgeted with it, biting his lip as he and Jimmy nodded their agreement.
“We-eeeelll then, what if I told you, I could arrange that?” The Doctor’s beaming had – if it were at all possible – gotten brighter, his grin bigger, eyes crinkling just a tad, sparkling with good humor, compassion and mischievousness.
“How?” they asked in near unison.
“I know a place. Caters to all types. And I
am
ordained by my own people and quite a few others to perform the appropriate rites. I’ve even gathered those family and friends closest to you to be in attendance.” The Doctor looked proud of himself.
Jimmy’s throat closed with emotion and he clutched at Dean and Cas. Cas was staring, stunned and Dean gaped, then sniffled. Dean cleared his throat and wiped at his face, and before Jimmy knew it, there were tears on his face too. Soon followed by Cas, the three of them overwhelmed.
“Oh my God…we can, we can do this?” Jimmy whispered. “For real? We can do this?”
The Doctor nodded before clapping his hands together. “Let’s get the three of you some appropriate clothes! Oh! And you can’t see each other in them. Tradition and all that.” The Doctor winked at them.
“Rose, why don’t you take Jimmy to the third wardrobe. I’ll take Dean to the second one and Jack can take Cas to the first one.” At his words, one man separated from the crowd and the trio realized that there was, in fact, one more person there that they didn’t actually know.
The tall stranger came towards them and stopped before them. “Hello, handsomes. So, which of you lovelies is Cas?”
“Jack,” the Doctor said warningly. “No flirting. It’s their wedding day.”
“Wait, I’m going with you!” Sam shouldered his way to the front of the small crowd. “Best Man’s job to help you get ready.” He clapped Dean on the shoulder.
“Awesome,” Dean grinned, “What about Cas and Jimmy? They gotta have Best Men too!”
“I got Cassie!” shouted a voice from the back. The source was unseen, but everyone grinned at the sound of Gabriel’s excited voice.
But then Cas and Dean looked at Jimmy worriedly. The worry was short lived. Mary stepped forward and smiled, whispering to Dean, “Don’t worry, sweetie, I’ve got Jimmy, since Sam’s got you.”
Dean crushed her in a hug. “Thanks, mom.”
The three groups broke off then, following their guides deeper into the TARDIS. Dean gaped at how humongous it was. “How’s this possible?” he asked as they walked.
The Doctor smiled, “Come now, Dean, you don’t really expect me to tell you all the secrets of the Time Lords of old, now do you?”
“What, you think I’m gonna steal it, patent it and make a million bucks off it or something?” Dean snorted at the absurdity of the scenario.
“Oh, don’t be silly! The 21
st
Century doesn’t have the technology to even attempt to replicate the work of the Time Masters.”
“Don’t worry, Dean. Humans do eventually master time technology,” Jack shot back, his arm around Cas’s shoulders. Cas peering up at him in confusion and trying to pull away without being rude about it.
“Hey! Hands off my fiancé!” Dean called, feeling giddy about being able to call Cas that.
Jack raised his hands in the air and wiggled his fingers. “Don’t worry! I won’t do anything he doesn’t want.” They disappeared around a corner, and they could hear Gabriel’s voice piping in.
“Now, I don’t know Jack very well, but I’m not sure him and Gabriel are the best combination,” Dean stared after them, though he could no longer see them.
“Oi, I carefully planned who went with who. I think Cas is the best combination with Jack there possibly could be. Jack is going to be so flustered and frustrated when he’s done.” The Doctor grinned at Dean. “I fancy myself a good reader of men and women of all shapes and sizes, and I knew right away that Castiel only had eyes for you and Jimmy. That there? Is the safest combo.”
Jimmy disappeared around another corner with Rose and Mary. The Doctor pointed after them, “And that’s the other safest combo, since Jimmy is unapologetically gay in every way, even if he wasn’t so totally lost on you and Cas.”
Dean was impressed. “And me?”
“Well, after that, you got stuck with me by default. Hopefully I won’t be too disappointing. Now, off we go!” The Doctor grabbed his hand and cheerfully hauled Dean through the corridors of the TARDIS – seriously, how was this thing so big? At least he was getting that tour he’d missed out on last time – with Sam following a long bemusedly.
The Doctor led them into the biggest wardrobe Dean had ever seen and he gaped. “You’ve got
three
of these?”
“Oh no…I’ve got mmm…as many as I need actually. A couple devoted to different periods and eras of Earth dress, some for less fashionable, emergency wear, a few for outfits for alien worlds. I actually don’t know how many I have, to be honest. Oh! Try this on!”
The Doctor whipped through the racks, tossing outfit upon outfit atop of Dean. With a sigh, he shoved it all at Sam and grabbed the first one off the top, turning around to nearly collide with Charlie. Dean yelped and jumped back.
“Charlie! What are you doing here?”
“I’m the go between. Already got a map, and I’m gonna make sure you boys at least don’t clash with each other’s styles.” She eyed the outfits the Doctor had chosen. “Which looks like it might be an even harder task than I thought.”
“I just thought I’d use my phone for that,” Sam noted, holding up the device. “I’ve got both mom and Gabe’s numbers, after all.”
Charlie pouted. “Aww...but…montage! And what’s better than a montage, then
three
of them!”
Dean rolled his eyes and chuckled. “Off with you, Charlie. Why don’t you check on Cas? He’s got the worst taste in clothes and I don’t trust Gabe
or
that Jack fellow.”
“On it, handmaiden!” Charlie tossed him a peace sign and scurried off.
Charlie arrived in the next wardrobe to note that Dean’s fears were unfounded. Cas looked sexy as hell. You know, if she was into guys. But she could appreciate, and the simple clothes he’d chosen were pure elegance. She nodded approvingly.
“Charlie, are you sure this is all right? Jack insists, but I thought this one would look particularly nice.” Cas held up and black and yellow outfit, the yellow glaringly bright, and she winced.
“Nope. This is perfect. I’m gonna check on Jimmy and give you some feedback but first –“ She raised her phone and snapped a picture. “-for posterity.”
“You didn’t need to do that, Gabe’s taken at least 30 since we started,” Castiel pointed out.
“What? And you trust his camera skills?” Charlie quirked an eyebrow at Cas and he chuckled. Gabriel looked offended and Jack laughed uproariously.
“I
like
you guys! We should visit you more often.” Jack winked at her and she smiled.
“Sorry, buddy, you’re not my type,” she said.
Jack sighed. “Shot down again.” He shrugged. “Well, can’t blame me for trying.”
“All right! Later, bitches!” she scampered off and followed her map easily to the last wardrobe. Jimmy was being fussed about by Rose and Mary and looked like he was in wonderful hands, style wise. She snuck a few pictures before announcing her presence, knowing Jimmy would make a face and ruin the shots if he was aware she was there.
“Charlie!” Jimmy grinned, “How are Dean and Cas? I assume you’ve been checking up on them?”
“Yup. Cas is all set, and it looks like, so are you and the two of you will suit each other quite nicely, I think. Dean hadn’t tried anything on yet when I left, too worried about Cas’s choices,” Charlie explained.
“Actually, Sam’s sent us a few photos of Dean’s choices and Rose here has been trying to find something that would work with it. What do you think?” Mary leaned over to Charlie and showed her the pictures.
Rose joined them as Charlie pulled up the picture she’d taken of Cas. The three women looked between Cas and Dean’s outfits and back up to Jimmy, comparing. “Well, I don’t know where he gets it from, not when more than half of the wardrobe is comp
lete
ly ridiculous, but the Doctor doesn’t have a bad fashion sense. At least, not this one,” Rose said nodding her approval. “I think all three will work nicely together. Why don’t you tell Sam that, yeah? I think it's about time to get this show on the road.”
“Oh, can I see?” Jimmy jumped down and headed for them.
“No! No, no, no! You stay right there! It’s bad luck to see your groom before the wedding, especially in their outfits,” Rose rushed off to push Jimmy back away from the phones. “Lock your mobiles, I think this one has no compunctions trying to steal them and take a look for himself, am I right?”
“Oh, you know Jimmy fairly well already,” Mary agreed with a laugh.
“So, we have three grooms and three approved outfits – what’s next?” Charlie asked excitedly.
“Now we see if we’ve arrived yet at the Golden Cascades of Veyruta. The Doctor insists that it’s just
gorgeous
this time of year. Perfect for a non-traditional wedding, he says. Your photos will be simply
amazing.
Trust me, this is going to be an event to remember!
”
Rose gushed.
It turned out they had, and through careful management of the grooms, The Doctor, Rose and Jack managed to get the whole party set up and settled. No decorations were deemed necessary, not when they had the entire backdrop of the Eylia Nebula to work with. An amazing assortment of colors flitted through the air, wispy bits of breathable smoke and fog.
The gathering attendees started to argue about what it smelled like, till the Doctor passed by, calling out, “It’s psychic fog – takes on whatever your favorite smell is. Isn’t that brilliant?” Then dashing off again.
It was a different story inside the TARDIS as Dean, Jimmy and Cas all fidgeted. Except for their Best Mans and for Mary, they were each sequestered alone in the silence of the TARDIS, anxiously awaiting word that it was time.
At last, Rose and Jack returned, bearing blindfolds. “We’re going to lead you all out at the same time, and arrange you at different points. The Doctors timed it right down to the second. Then we’ll whip the blindfolds off and you can finally look at each other. The Doctor will say a few words and then…you’ll be married. Excited?” Rose asked, giving the speech three separate times as Jack tied the blindfold on.
“That’s it? That easy?” Jimmy asked in disbelief.
Dean looked at the blindfold warily and hoped he didn’t embarrass himself.
Only Cas answered Rose’s question with a self-assured yes, a gummy, dopey grin on his face.
One by one, they were led out to the main area, advised to stay quiet and lined up on the ramp. They could hear nothing from where they were, but then the door creaked open. There were a few rustles and murmurs before Rose and Jack told Mary, Sam and Gabriel where to lead the Grooms.
Jimmy smelled bacon as he was led out of the TARDIS, Cas smelled honey and Dean smelled his mother’s pecan pie. Nearly drooling, they stumbled along, trusting their family not to steer them wrong. Within moments, they were stepping up into some sort of structure, then arranged together.
Music flowed around them suddenly, swelling and changing direction with the wind.
“Ready?” The Doctor's voice caused all three men to jump, but they nodded as they turned to face the direction of his voice. “You may remove the blindfolds,” the Doctor instructed.
Sam, Gabriel and Mary untied them and – having been prepped a little more than the Groom's had – handed the three pieces of cloth to the Doctor. He took them gravely, staring at the three men as they took in where they were.
They could see no source of music, no source or the lovely smells. They stood in beautiful, overgrown ruins, the branches of ancient trees leaning down to create a canopy in all but on spot – directly in front of them. In the empty place, in the sky, they could see swirling eddies of color, dotted with stars and close-by planets. The effect was ethereal and they turned awed faces towards each other, smiling giddily.
“Before us stand three men, who love without reservation, who have fought through pain and judgement to be where they are now. They wish with all their hearts to bind themselves to each other in every way and so we shall grant this. Hold out your hands,” The Doctor intoned seriously, but couldn’t keep the twinkle from his eye, the upward quirk off his lips. He took the blindfolds and swiftly and efficiently bound each man to the other. Dean to Cas, Cas to Jimmy, Jimmy to Dean. “You have already exchanged vows in the secret places of your heart. Here, on Veyruta, your family can bear witness to the beautiful harmonies your souls sing together.”
Dean, Cas and Jimmy looked up from their bound and clasped hands to stare at the Doctor quizzically. He pointed then, at the colorful, swirling fog, which had risen into the low hanging branches of the trees. As they watched, they noted that some of the branches had holes, like a woodwind instrument. The music was eerie and beautiful – and familiar. Dean suddenly realized that the odd music only sounded odd because of the tonal quality – and because it wasn’t some unshapen wind chime song. It was mixing their favorite songs together.
The Doctor leaned forward and whispered conspiratorially, “Psychic. Fog.” He winked and drew back, the little quirk turning into a wide smile.
The music of their souls indeed.
“The three of you are already one, partners, equals, but now it is my great honor to pronounce you officially Husbands,” The Doctor exclaimed loudly, the cheers and clapping from gathered friends and family not able to drown out his words or their soul’s song. “As recognized by the Council of Time Lords and the Lords and Ladies of Galifrey. You may now kiss if you like.”
Dean hoped to God someone was filming this. Their song was beautiful and he wanted to be able to hear it even after they were long gone from this planet. When the Doctor and Rose dropped them off at home, Dean wanted to have proof that this day had been real. Looking in Jimmy and Cas’s eyes, he knew they felt the same.
With a smile, the three of them leaned in for a combination of chaste and sloppy kisses, chuckling at themselves. The giddiness was unbelievable. With a nudge from Sam, Gabe and Mary they finally broke apart enough to turn and face everyone, take in their smiles and their well wishes, their congratulations. They were blinded by the flash of cameras, but they didn’t truly mind.
And the Doctor looked on proudly, feeling that it was a job well done. It was nice to spread a little bit of uninhibited happiness when it was there. He thrived on the thrill of trouble, but it touched his 900-year-old hearts to see the joy in their faces. It made him ache in remembrance of memories that tried to be long forgotten. Of a different time when he’d had this.
He looked at Rose – and kept the forlorn sigh locked up tight. She was something else, all right. And so goddamn young. He loved her…but it didn’t
feel
right to him. It felt selfish. Maybe one day, he’d get over that.
But today was not that day.
Today was
their
day. That was good enough for now. He was a Time Lord, and his time would come.
Eventually.