Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Chapter 1

Dean panted with effort. He had been running through the woods for most of the morning (he had always been in decent shape, but it seemed as if he had developed more stamina, huh), and he didn't hear anyone following when he paused to catch his breath. He breathed in deeply. Wow. He could smell everything. It was amazing. But he couldn’t get complacent or distracted, so he kept going. The pale blue scrubs were damp with his sweat and he was starting to chafe anywhere he rubbed together. He refused to think about what his feet looked like under his socks. He hadn't been able to find any shoes before he left.

When he finally found a road, his green eyes squinted up at the direction of the sun, then he randomly turned south and jogged until he found a crossroad.

Rocky Top Pass. Holy shit! He knew exactly where he was.

OK, OK, where to go? He shouldn't go home, because they would look for him there. And he wouldn’t go to Sammy's, because he had to keep them away from his brother. Couldn’t get Sammy into this mess, but he was going to need help. Maybe Benny.

He made a decision and hurried to cut through the local park. And then almost knocked a woman down.

“Oh, hell, I’m really sorry, ma'am. Are you OK?” Oh, she was a looker, with thick, brown hair, lovely eyes and even lovelier curves.

The woman assured him that she had been startled, but unharmed. She inquired after him (given his state, dress, and lack of shoes) with a puzzled look, but he gave her a line about a “prank war gone awry,” and she seemed to buy it. Any other time, he would have hung around to “make sure she was OK,” but he shook her hand and was on his way.

This time someone ran into him.

“Oof!”

Dean was so unbalanced that he had been knocked down and landed on his butt.

Large, blue eyes expressed their concern as their owner offered a hand to help him up. Then those eyes lit up in recognition. 

“Hey, are you Dean, Sam Winchester’s brother?” A strong and deep voice asked from a wide, gummy smile. The friendly face tilted to the side. He had obviously been running, as he was dressed in a Muppets t-shirt, shorts and some fancy running shoes. Who was this dorky hottie?

He nodded his head after he rose and brushed off his rear. “Thanks. Yeah, man. Who’re you?”

The man offered his hand again. “Castiel Novak. I work with Sam at the firm.”

Awesome. Dean shook back. “Nice to meetcha, Cas. I’ve heard Sammy mention you many times.” Huh. His brother could've at least tried to have set him up with him, sometime.

The handshake lingered a moment. “I recognized you from the pictures in his office. So how are you two doing? Sam said it was a family emergency that made you two take off so suddenly. I assume you’re back? Is…everything OK? Anything I can do?” 

Dean was confused and it must’ve shown on his face, because Castiel's eyes were squinting during the last two questions.

“Uh, no. Everything is not OK. Listen, do you live nearby? Can we go talk at your place?”

Turns out that yes, Castiel did live close to the park and after a short walk, they were now sitting at his kitchen table, waiting for the coffee maker to do its thing.

Dean sighed. He looked (and was going to sound) like he was certifiable.  He hoped he could convince Cas that he hadn’t just broken out of a mental hospital.
Castiel listened attentively and continued to be silent as he got up at the sound of a beep, poured two mugs of coffee, and brought them over to his guest. Cream, sugar and spoons were already on the table.

Dean took a deep breath and explained how he had been kidnapped out of his driveway one night several weeks ago, had been shot up with something that knocked him out and then woke up in some type of medical facility. The people that came in to drag him to the labs and the medical personnel that poked, prodded and did all sorts of tests on him never spoke a word to him, and never answered any of his questions. If he wasn't in the lab, he was left in his room, locked away and unable to see or hear anything outside of it. He was regularly fed, given a bed and books to read. At one point, he had experienced a lot of pain in his lower abdomen that he had no relief from for several days. He also sheepishly described that his body had changed, but he wasn't quite comfortable explaining those bits to a near stranger. 

He sipped his coffee and shook his head. “I know how I sound, man, but I swear that everything that I have told you is the truth. This morning, after they delivered breakfast, I didn't hear the key that usually locked my door. I couldn't believe it. I waited a bit, then slowly turned the handle and peeked out. There wasn't a soul around, so I snuck out and wandered a little until I found an exit sign. I don't know how I got so lucky, but I didn't stop running until I found a familiar landmark.”

Castiel finally spoke. “This was only this morning? This facility is local?”

Dean's shoulders slumped, and he groaned out, “You believe me.”

“Of course I believe you, Dean. Your brother has spoken highly of you, and has praised you as a highly intelligent person and an outstanding brother. If he had come to me with this story, I would've believed him immediately. I trust him. He trusts you. Ergo, I logically should trust you.” Castiel scrunched his face, he assumed in thought, and spoke again.

“You should know that I haven't seen or heard from your brother for several weeks.” Dean felt panic rise up as he continued, “He left a formal letter, informing the firm that there was a ‘family emergency’ (even in distress, he found the guy adorable as he used actual finger quotes) and that he and his brother needed several weeks to take care of the situation. There weren’t any specifics, but there wasn’t any reason to suspect that it was a lie. But now you are here in my kitchen, telling me that you had been kidnapped, and were not with your brother, after all. So this forces me to speculate that the same people that took you may have also taken him captive.”

Holy shit. He escaped but he may have left Sammy behind in that place.

He got an idea. “Cas, do you ever text Sam?”

Castiel nodded and reached for the phone on the table. 

“Ask how he's doing. Ask how I am.”

Cas quickly typed up a message and a few minutes later, a “bzzz bzzz” announced a reply. 

“It seems that ‘Sam' (ohgod, again with the air quotes) is ‘doing fine, but busy' and that ‘Dean is coping well' but that he'll explain everything when he gets back.” Well, that settled it. He had to go back.

He abruptly rose from the table and said, “Thanks, Cas. I’ve gotta go get him outta there.” Then he turned as if to leave, but Castiel stopped him with a hand on his arm.

“Wait, Dean. Please, come sit back down. You are in no condition to be running back and saving anyone. Obviously, you are injured, as I can see from the blood on your socks, and you probably haven't had anything to eat all day, either, have you? You wouldn't do Sam any favors if you went back by yourself in this condition and just got yourself caught, right? We need to discuss strategy.”

They agreed on a plan. First, they would both clean up and get dressed (Cas found some clothes for him to borrow so he didn't look like an escaped patient), grab something to eat and then they would go see Cas' brother. Gabriel was an ob/gyn doctor, but beggars couldn't be choosers, and they couldn’t risk going to the ER. After that, Dean would contact his friend, Benny, to help with the rescue.

The first part of the plan was easy (well, except for soaking and then peeling off his nasty socks that had stuck to his poor feet), and within an hour, the two men were waiting in a consulting room within Gabriel's clinic. Dean had wiggled his feet out of the borrowed flip-flops, and had jumped up on the examination table.

A short, grinning, bouncy, dirty blonde came through the door about five minutes later. “Cassie! So good to see you, bro. After your call, I cancelled my last appointment, so I am at your disposal. Now,” with a waggle of his eyebrows, “please introduce me to this fine specimen.”

“You'd better sit down, Gabe.” His brother's smile dimmed.

Castiel introduced Dean and summarized his tale, but didn't mention Dean's abdominal pain or other symptoms. He had to assure Gabriel that it wasn't a joke several times. When he mentioned his injured feet, the doctor immediately became all business. Turns out, Dean's soles were pretty banged up and he needed stitches for a few punctures from what looked like deadwood. Getting the splinters out was a bitch.

Gabriel tossed his gloves in the trash. “Do you have any idea what they were doing to you, Dean-o?”

Dean shook his head. “Nope.” He explained some of the procedures, told him about the several days of pain and quietly admitted that there were other things he noticed about his body that had changed.

“Do you need me to step out, Dean?” How sweet, Castiel was considerate and went to stand up—

“No, Cas.” He shook his head again. “You're a part of this, now, and I think it's important that you should know everything. OK?” Cas nodded and sat back down.

First he explained how his sense of smell had sharpened, and that he felt like he had more stamina and his reflexes were faster. Then he rubbed his hand across the back of his neck and quietly told them that he had lost all of his hair “down there" and that all of the dark hair on his arms and legs had been replaced with lighter, finer hair. He didn't have to shave his face anymore. And the most embarrassing thing he had to reveal was that his junk had shrunk. It was bad enough that his balls were now the size of large marbles, but his dick was almost half its original size!

Luckily for Gabriel, he didn't laugh or crack one joke.

He did, however, ask to test a few vials of his blood. They had an in-house lab, and the results wouldn't take long to come back. 

Dean got a red lollipop and a batman Band-Aid for his ouchie (Gabriel’s clinic did not cater to children; he had those items for his own amusement).

Gabriel came back holding the test results in his hand with his eyes bulging and his mouth hanging open.

“You were assigned a male gender when you were born, correct, Dean? You’ve never taken hormone therapy? You’ve always been a man?” The doctor looked very confused.

“Yeah, dude, I’m a dude. Always have been. What's with the questions?” Now Dean was confused. Didn't he look like a man?

Gabriel sat down and shook his head as he stared at the paper he held. “Your hormone levels read like you are female, and the amount of somatotropins in your blood is through the roof—those are growth hormones—and your gonadotropin numbers…” He paused and closed his eyes and seemed to be thinking for a moment.

When he opened them he asked, “Dean, I would like to use a sonogram on your abdomen. I have a theory. It might be a weak theory, it might be a crazy theory, but I would like to find out. Would that be all right with you?”

At Dean's nod, he rose and left the room. In a few minutes he came back in, wheeling a large machine in front of him. He parked it on the far side of the examination table, plugged it in and fiddled with the knobs and screen until he was satisfied. 

He had Dean lie back, push down his shorts a bit and lift up his shirt. After he put on another pair of gloves, he squirted a little gel on his lower stomach, ran the scanner back and forth across his skin and studied the machine. For a few moments, all three men watched the screen, but only one knew what he was seeing.

“Bocce balls!” Gabriel's face was filled with awe.

“What?” cried Cas and Dean.

“Dean-o, you, my gender-bending friend, have a uterus!” 

He couldn't speak. He tried opening his mouth, but Dean literally could not get a word out of it. The idea pinged around in his brain until it turned to mush. How the hell did he have a uterus? He had a dick and one hole! What would his body do with a uterus?

Castiel didn't have any trouble speaking. He kept asking his brother questions that Dean subconsciously heard.

Are you absolutely certain of this? Yep. I deal with them on a daily basis, little brother.

How could this have happened? I have no fridgin' idea, Cassie.

Could he actually get pregnant? Ya know, that's a good question, bro.

Dean came out of his daze when he heard that last question. “What? Pregnant? No way!”

Gabriel searched a bit more with the instrument. “Well, I can see ovaries and fallopian tubes on both sides, and it all looks healthy. Let's see where the uterus terminates…”

“Uh, dude, you're getting close to my junk, there.”

“Sorry, Dean, but do you want to find out the answer to your question?”

Dean sighed. His head fell back on the fake pillow.

“Fascinating.”

He stopped scanning, wiped off Dean's skin and turned off the machine. Then Gabriel snapped his gloves off into the trash and sat down to report his conclusions. 

Dean had tidied his clothes and was now sitting up on the examination table. Castiel was sitting back down in the visitor's chair. They waited for what the doctor had to say.

“Dean, from what I can see, it looks like it's physically possible for you to get pregnant. You have what looks like a normal female reproductive system without a vagina. And you’re probably not going to magically grow one of those, because the cervix terminates at a point intersecting your rectum. 

Guys, do you know how birds reproduce? The females have only one opening for excreting, mating and laying eggs, but they have a muscle flap called a cloaca that keeps the digestive and reproductive systems separate. That is exactly what it looks like you have, Dean. A cloaca.

Now, I obviously do not know how this happened. Nor do I know how this system will work in practice for you, Dean. Until we know more, let's just assume that yes, you can get pregnant if you have unprotected sex with another guy.”

They thanked Gabriel for his help and promised to “keep him in the loop" and let him know what happened when they found Sam, or if they found out more about Dean's special situation.

Castiel drove Dean home and offered his phone to call his friends. Then he went into the kitchen to cook them some dinner.

Dean's head was spinning from all of the information he just ingested. With a will, he pushed it all aside. He needed to help Sammy, first. Then he could worry about his new lady-bits. Jeezus.

Benny answered with a gruff, “Hello?”

“Benny, it's Dean.”

Chapter Text

Chapter 2

Benny was coming over after dinner and was going to bring along a friend named Charlie. Dean had worked with Benny for several years, and they had been best friends for most of them. He was ex-military, so he guessed that his buddy, Charlie, was from that particular part of his past.

Good. He would take any help he could get if it meant saving Sam.

The men had an easy and delicious supper of spaghetti and meatballs with a side dish of entertaining conversation (turns out that Cas was not only easy on the eyes, he was easy to talk to, as well) and Castiel was just putting away the last of the clean dishes when the doorbell rang.

Turns out Charlie was a she (a vivacious, geeky, friendly she, wearing a badass Leia Organa t-shirt), and she was a computer whiz who could hack anything. Or locate anyone. So Dean filled her in on what he knew and she whipped out her two rainbow decorated laptops, plugged them in, set’em up on the coffee table and got to work.

Dean filled in Benny on the details of what had happened and then reluctantly shared what had been discovered at the doctor's. 

A gasp sounded from the redhead bent over the keyboard. He thought he heard her whisper something about Hermione and a quest.

Benny just whistled and said, “Whoa, brotha.” and Dean couldn’t agree more.

After that awkward conversation, they started speculating on the who, how and why of the situation.

Well, the who could be anybody, really. People did really weird shit for all sorts of reasons. But general consensus laid the blame at the feet of government. And the “why" was the reason.

For more than a century, experts had noted an incline in infertility, for both men and women. The average person hadn't paid much attention, really, and the typical articles about it had been pretty much buried in the “science" section of the newspapers. In the last couple of decades, however, the rate had increased exponentially. And people were definitely noticing.

Documentaries had been made. Expert panels assembled. The world's population was rapidly declining and no one could figure out why. There were those that stood by a genetic “mutation" explanation, but devil's advocates argued that mutations obviously needed to be passed down to the next generation. Some asserted it was the combination of chemicals and pollutants that were damaging the human genome. But more popular by far was the opinion that Mother Nature (or Gaia, some insisted) Had Had Enough Of Humans Fucking Up The Planet.

Americans weren't the only ones demanding a solution from their government. Both public and private medical institutions all over the world were concentrating on The Problem. People weren't panicking…yet. But the situation was going to get critical soon.

As for how they managed to turn Dean into a…part-woman? Hermaphrodite wasn't right. He didn't have outside lady bits or a vagina. Hmmm…A baby machine? A man-breeder. Ugh. Whatever.

“Yahtzee!” Charlie emerged from behind the double screens with a triumphant fist pump. “Found him.” She looked smug, but let her. She found Sammy!

“Lemme see! Can we see?” Dean hurried over and glommed to her side and searched for a familiar face. There he was. He looked OK. Something inside him relaxed a fraction. He pointed Sam out to Charlie and she singled out his camera in full screen.

“It was easy once I found the building. Pretty sure it's the Feds in some form. Seen their tech before. No problem getting by their firewall.” She snorted. “Tapped into their video easy-peasy. Looks like there's a bunch of people they're experimenting on.”

The video on one computer stayed switched on to Sam, but the other one was rotating through different rooms, and it was obvious that these people were being held against their will. There was even a young man with a baby in his arms. Son. Of. A. Bitch.

Pictures changed to show halls being monitored by guards and labs shut down. It was late enough where there was just a night crew.

Benny and Cas had been watching raptly, kneeling right behind them. Benny said, “We need to call Jody.”

Jody Mills was the town sheriff and good friend of both Dean and Benny. The three of them frequently hung out at the local Roadhouse, sharing dinner or beer, and occasionally one of her deputies would stop by and join them. They were good eggs, and very friendly, with one exception. There's always a bad apple. Another good reason to avoid fruit, Dean believed.

The sheriff was able to meet at Cas' for lunch, and Benny agreed to be there, too. He had to stop by the garage where he and Dean worked to finish up work on a car he had promised to have done by noon. He then would only have a small amount of paperwork to catch up on, deliver to Bess, their secretary, and he would be free the rest of the day. Benny had anticipated Dean wanting him to be there, so he had already cleared it with the boss.

Running into Cas after his escape had been lucky, and Dean was grateful. The man had insisted on Dean staying with him, since they both agreed they should stay away from his apartment. The house he owned was gigantic, built when people produced armies of children, so he had plenty of guest rooms. But it was still kind of him, and he had been remarkably helpful.

Plus, he knew how to make a mean meatball. And, of course he had seen those incredible thighs…Yeah, he had a bit of a crush. 

Dean had made his “famous" blueberry pancakes for breakfast (OK, they were usually chocolate chip, but his host appreciated the healthier option, so he made nice), and Cas had checked on his feet (they were healing surprisingly quickly). The two spent the entire time talking and found they had quite a bit in common, enjoying science fiction and fantasy (both novels and movies), classic rock music and cooking. Where Dean leaned heavier on the movie side, he still liked to read the occasional novel. Cas had an actual library filled with books that he had personally read, but apparently needed to “get with the program, Cas" and catch up on a number of “must watch" films (Jeez, Cas, who hasn’t seen “The Fifth Element?”). Dean's entire music repertoire was recorded before 1985, but Castiel had a broad range of musical interests, of which classic rock was an easy favorite. As for cooking, Dean specialized in baking (pie is love), but was a pretty decent all-around chef. Castiel loved trying new recipes and prided himself on making delicious meals that were also very nutritious (Healthy can be tasty, Dean! Even those big, blue eyes weren’t gonna get him to eat kale. No way).

He thinks he might have fallen a little bit in love with the man when Castiel primly informed him that the meatballs and sauce both contained chopped and pureed vegetables, and Dean hadn't been able to tell at all. Cas was an alchemist. He knows it's been less than 48 hours, shut up, it might be love.

The morning flew by, and soon they were in the kitchen, making chicken salad sandwiches (All right, shredding carrots and adding onions was acceptable, but he put his foot down with the grapes. No grapes in his chicken salad. No) when Jody arrived. 

Dean introduced Castiel, and then told his story once again. He didn't go into all the medical details, but he did inform her of the important parts. He also told her that they knew where the facility was (in her jurisdiction) and that they had kinda-sorta-illegal proof that the same people were holding Sam and several others hostage. Jody chose to hear that Dean had seen Sam and other people being held there before he escaped, “isn’t that right, Dean Winchester?” She was a by-the-book woman, but sometimes one needs to bend in life, and she knew when to bend.

Benny had joined them for lunch during their discussions and then Jody made a few phone calls. A good friend was a judge, so she got a legal warrant without a hitch. All three of her deputies were on their way to meet them, and she had decided to temporarily deputize Dean and Benny for the rescue (Raid? Dean called it a raid in his head. It sounded cooler). She knew that both men were experienced and capable using guns, and she had her people bringing extra from the station, along with the warrant from the judge.

Donna, Garth and Cole pulled up in an official SUV and Dean greeted Donna and Garth with hugs. They were huggable people. Cole…not so much. 

Since Castiel would be staying behind, Dean promised to keep in touch and let him know what happened. He took Cas' number (those sons-of-bitches took his phone, now he was gonna have to get another one, dammit) and thanked him with great sincerity. His offered handshake was turned into a hug. Nice. Another huggable person. Dean like. 

Castiel wished them good luck and planned to take a nap. He hadn't been feeling well that morning, and was a bit nauseous. Dean hoped it wasn't the chicken salad he made.

The team checked their gear, piled into the two vehicles and were off (like a dirty shirt, his mom always said).

It was remarkably uneventful. 

Dean had no trouble directing Jody to the site, but when they arrived the parking lot was empty. The second clue that something was amiss: the doors were unlocked. They encountered no guards and no personnel. All the lights were on and all the doors were open, but not one computer or piece of paper was left behind. 

The people imprisoned, including Sam, were finally located in the farthest corner of the building. All were still locked in their individual cells, each key hung helpfully on a hook next to each door. There were also small lockers propped open, filled with what looked like personal belongings such as clothes, shoes, purses and phones. 

Dean went right for the door labeled “Samuel Winchester” and unlocked the door.

“Dean!”

Jody didn't require the group to stay at the station for official business very long, but most of them wanted to talk with each other and compare notes. She let them use the conference room for as long as they needed.

Dean learned that the medical personnel had called each of the captives “alpha,” “beta" or “omega,” with a number to indicate an individual. For example, Sam was referred to as “Alpha-4,” Hannah, “Alpha-3” and Doug was called “Alpha-2.” Meg was “Beta-10 and Kevin, “Beta-12.” The runaway called Samandriel (jeez, no wonder he ran away) had been labeled, “Omega-1.” He had named his child (those medical people called her a "pup") Liliana, who was five months old.

Samandriel (or Manny) looked like he couldn't be legal, but assured them that he had just turned 19. He was quiet but frequently smiled, and had no trouble with sharing his story. It seemed he had been imprisoned the longest, but only brought to the facility and changed into an “omega" almost a year ago. The people in charge of him had explained what he was changing into, but gave no details of how they made it happen. 

Several months after he had been transformed (he had the same experience as Dean with his symptoms), and after a slew of tests, they were excited to inform him that he was going to be induced into a “heat,” which turned out to be a very uncomfortable and embarrassing experience where he spent three days hot, sweaty, horny and almost delirious, while also struggling with abdominal cramping and something they called “slick" seeping out of his ass. Delightful. Dean crossed his fingers.

On the morning of the third day, they strapped him to a table and artificially inseminated him.

Six months later, he said, he gave birth to Lily.

The room was stunned. The ramifications were astonishing. 

The “alphas" and “betas" all reported a couple of weeks of fatigue and bouts of nausea. They also had acquired an enhanced sense of smell (now that it was mentioned, Dean realized that he could smell each person at the table, huh), greater vision, hearing, reflexes and stamina. Additionally, the alphas found they had at least double the muscle strength and, for the males, a significantly larger penis that, when fully aroused, grew a “knot" at the base of the shaft.

“What's a knot?”

“Jeez, Dean, figure it out.” Sam gave him his “don't be stupid" bitch face and ignored him. He later discovered (Googled) that it was a hard, round ball around the base of the penis, that when fully inserted kept the male locked into his partner to aid in mating. Such a thing was found in the canine family. Great, we're like dogs now.

The room was silent when Hannah very quietly and reluctantly admitted that her outside female parts had become male outside parts, and that yes, she also got a knot.

Wow. OK, then.

Moving along…

Dean explained a bit what had happened to him, and that his new friend, Cas (yes, Sammy, Castiel, I’ll tell you all about it later), had brought him to see his brother, Gabriel. Since he was a doctor, and was sure that he would love to help. Did anyone want to visit him, since he already knew about Dean? 

Everyone raised their hands in agreement. They wanted more answers.

The next morning, armed with phone numbers, Dean contacted Gabriel to see if he would mind taking a look at several others that came from the same facility he had escaped fr—oh, he would? Oh, of course, he would make it happen today!

The betas went in first. The doctor only had to do basic examinations and bloodwork. But he did a thorough history and blood panel. He even took DNA swabs to send out, and asked them to bring in anything that would have an older sample of DNA on it, like a hairbrush. He wanted to compare samples and see if there was anything interesting to discover.

The alphas were next, and he did everything the same. He very tactfully asked what his patient's estimations were regarding their genitalia, and took good notes. 

With Hannah, however, he additionally used the ultrasound to examine her original reproductive organs, and found that her ovaries and fallopian tubes had almost completely disappeared. Gabriel gently recommended that if she had sex the “original" way in the future, she may need some lubricant since he had no way to determine all of the changes her body had made. She had nodded in quiet acceptance and thanked him for his help.

Manny came in last and had asked Dean to come with him and Lily. Gabriel was, of course, thrilled to see him again so soon, and thanked him profusely for suggesting the group come to see him.

“This is an experience of a lifetime, Deanie! I know you all have been scared shitless—oops, excuse my lack of professionalism, I have always had a little trouble with that when I get enthusiastic at work. Anyhoo, I know you have all been through the ringer, but I am honored to be helping you all figure this thing out.”

Gabriel was enraptured by Liliana (what a pretty name for such a lovely, little lady!) and didn't ask to take any samples from her. Surprisingly, Manny asked him. Of course, Gabriel didn't hesitate, and made it as painless as possible. He was a “good stick” and proud of it.

There were no surprises in the regular bloodwork or under the ultrasound, but he was fascinated to hear about the shorter gestation period, and asked a lot of questions about his pregnancy. 

Dean sort of tuned out of that particular discussion. He did not need to know. Besides, he was busy holding the baby and getting her to laugh. She really was a little darling.

“Whew! I’m glad my day is over. I am beat.” Gabriel had just finished washing his hands and rubbed his face with the paper towels. “Haven't been feeling quite right the past two days. Maybe I should take a day off. Why not? If the boss can't, who can, am I right?” He tore open a lollipop, popped it in his mouth and waggled his eyebrows.

“By the way, Dean. You should call my brother. I think he's got the hots for you.”

Chapter Text

Chapter 3

Since Manny and the baby had nowhere to go, Dean had taken them home to his apartment. It was a two-bedroom place, and the newcomers moved into Sam's old room. His brother had moved into his own apartment several months ago, but Dean hadn't done anything with his old space yet. 

Before leaving the facility yesterday, the group had left with everything they could find (including Dean's stuff, yes!) for Manny to take care of Liliana. They had plenty of diapers, bottles, blankets and basic clothes, etc., plus tons of powdered formula, cereal and jars of pureed baby food. But most surprising was finding a car seat. Were these people planning on taking them somewhere? 

They really did need a crib, though, so a trip to Target was in order. Of course, the crib needed a mattress and sheets, too. Then, upon seeing the itty dresses and jeans, it was impossible for Dean to resist some pink and purple outfits with flowers and cute critters on them. And every little girl needed a pair of mini overalls, right? And of course Lily needed that stuffed giraffe and set of colorful, plastic keys…

So, Dean's savings account took a small hit. It was worth it to see Manny's and Lily's smiles. Who knew babies needed so much crap?

Once his guests were settled, he texted Cas. He was constantly uneasy. Were they just supposed to move on and live their lives like nothing had happened? Should they go to the “authorities" and report what had been done to all of them? Which authorities? Talk to reporters? No one had any ideas last night. It was like there had been a war and only a few handfuls of people knew about it. 

He had called Castiel after the group broke up last night, to update him on the results of the “raid.” Even though they had talked for a few hours, he still felt like reaching out again.

From Dean: I’m feeling lost, man. Do I just go back to work and act like nothing has happened?

From Cas: I can sympathize. I haven't been through the trauma you have, but I have found it impossible to concentrate at work. Apparently I haven't been sleeping well, either. I’ve just had my fifth cup of coffee. My advice is to find something to do to help you unwind and forget about it for a while. Do an activity that makes you happy.

So Dean went to the grocery store and bought supplies for pie. The next day he went back to work, and because he was a thoughtful bastard, he brought pie to share.

In the middle of the following week, he got a message from Gabriel, requesting him to come to the office, if he “would be so kind, Dean-o. I’ve got something important to discuss with you.”

He texted Cas to see if he wanted to go with, and he surprised Dean by telling him that his brother had also asked him to join them.

Gabriel had a few “somethings” to share.

“Well, you might be interested to know that the genetic tests have come back with some fascinating results—I pulled some strings to expedite the procedure.” He waved his hand in the air. “It's ‘who you know,’ am I right? You're welcome (he said with finger guns, Dean rolled his eyes). Anyhoo, your DNA has been fundamentally changed in many ways, and most of the changes are obvious, having to do with your senses, for example. It seems that the genetic markers are similar to the Canis genus. You know…dogs and wolves? Isn't that amazing?”

Dean dutifully nodded and agreed, dryly saying, “Yes, it's very cool. Did they say anything helpful?”

“Plebian,” Gabriel scoffed. He continued, “The other interesting tidbit from the results had to with possibly correlating a person's previous infertility with a specific designation—alpha, beta or omega—however, I would need more data, and there are only six of you…well, as of right now…”

Both Castiel and Dean squinted their eyes at the jolly doctor. Dean was of the mind that this guy was just too happy with all of this, this…stuff.

Cas spoke first. “What do you mean, ‘yet?’ Are you assuming the government will find a way to make more, or do you have something else that you discovered?”

Gabriel literally rubbed his hands with glee. “I found another omega!”

“What?”

Gabriel shushed them and explained that he had a woman come in for a regularly scheduled gynecological exam who complained offhandedly of fatigue for the last week and a half. She also said that she felt like “her nose was on overdrive” lately, because everything around her smelled more intensely to her. 

“When I asked her about her son, she immediately said, ‘oh! I was going to ask you for a recommendation for a new doctor for him. His pediatrician retired suddenly, and he had complained about stomach pains last night, but she didn't think he needed to go to the ER.’”

Gabriel questioned her about his health for the past two weeks, and she admitted that he had also complained about feeling tired, and some nausea. But she hadn't taken that very seriously, since he was fourteen, and complained about everything all the time, especially about being tired. She just figured he was “staying up too late playing his stupid video games.”

He convinced the woman (whose name was Lisa) to bring in her son, Ben, telling her that he had examined two other young men lately who had experienced the same symptoms, and that it wasn't terminal, but it was serious.

“And his results were the same as you and Manny's, Dean. He's an omega—that’s what we're calling you now, right—but his internal reproductive organs hadn't completely developed yet. But it was clear to me from the ultrasound that his body was constructing them.”

Neither of them had any contact with any suspicious medical staff or spooky government people recently, so how the boy had changed, he had no idea. He laughed, saying that she had told him that “the weirdest thing that came under that heading was a guy bumping into me at the park, almost knocking me down.” Lisa had told him that the “guy was dressed like a mental patient,” but that he had been “harmless and likely involved in a fraternity prank.” "Now that sounded a lot like you, Dean-o, so I thought perhaps you might know something about this incident."

Dean stared at the doctor. “What does she look like?”

Gabriel exactly described the woman he crashed into at the park, and Dean paled, then explained what had happened. 

Gabriel nodded and said, “I suspected as much, and this is where you come in, Cassie. The reason I asked you to come, too, is because I think that whatever this change is, is brought on by a virus. Have you had any unusual symptoms for the past few weeks, bro? Because I have.”

Castiel nodded and replied, “I have been suffering from fatigue and frequent bouts of nausea. And I have noticed that scents are much stronger. In fact, Dean, you smell a little bit like dark honey to me.”

“Huh. Cool.” Dean took a sniff in Cas' direction. “Yeah, I can smell a hint of apples. Wow.” He sniffed again. “You smell nice, Cas.” They smiled and stared at each other until someone cleared their throat.

“Ahem. You may be interested to know that I have had the same symptoms AND I have been having abdominal pains,” Gabriel announced. 

Dean and Castiel were definitely paying attention to the doctor again. Yes, Gabriel had tested himself and it looks like he was going to be an omega, too.

“Gentlemen, the repercussions of this are staggering. Apparently, it takes only a touch for this virus to travel, and I thought a lot already about how many people the six of you might have come in contact with, and then, how many those people have had contact with and then my mind kind of gave up. Letting the virus loose in Kansas was brilliant, since it's practically the middle of the country. The entire world is about to be changed, and we don't even know what the ramifications are for those changes to begin with!”

Well, ain't that a kick in the pants?

Dean had gone home and thought about their discussion. He had shared the information with Manny, of course, and they both agreed that the others should know, as well. Instead of having a lot of long and separate conversations, he texted Cas to see if he would be willing to host “everyone" for a meeting. 

The gathering was scheduled for that Saturday, and a pot luck easily arranged with a group chat. Gabriel also called and invited Lisa and Ben, Jody would be bringing her deputies, and Benny would be bringing Charlie and their secretary, Bess. Dean figured he'd need at least half a dozen pies for eighteen people. Ya know…to be on the safe side.

Dean drove up to Cas' house and looked for a parking spot. It seemed everyone had left him a place in the driveway, likely out of consideration for Manny and the baby. They had arrived a little late because getting ready to leave one's home is never quick and easy when there is a child involved, no matter how organized a person is.

When they approached the front door, they heard voices shouting. “Perhaps you two might want to wait out here on the porch a bit,” Dean suggested, and left the stacked pies and baby bag with him. Manny nodded and took a seat on one of the white rocking chairs.

Dean walked into chaos. 

Castiel and Benny were restraining Doug, the third alpha from the facility, who was growling at Hannah and the woman from the park. Lisa. They, in turn, were shouting back at him and were standing in front of a young man. It looked like the women were protecting him, and he guessed the boy to be Lisa's son, Ben. 

He drew in his breath to shout above the noise when Castiel beat him to it.

“Silence!” Castiel had gripped the back of Doug's neck and pushed him to the ground. His voice seemed to ring through the sudden hush. 

Dean was rendered silent, as well, and he found himself struggling to breathe.

“Doug, you will be leaving. Benny and Garth will escort you to your car.” He paused to check for the men's nod of agreement and then released the man in question. Dean hustled out of the way as Garth took Doug's other arm and the three went out the front door.

Dean couldn't take his eyes off of Castiel. 

The alpha continued with a quieter voice, “Lisa, do you want to take Ben home, or would you prefer to stay? You can retire to a guest room for a little while, if you wish.”

Lisa turned and conferred with Ben. Then the two went upstairs, followed closely by Hannah.

Dean was now breathing in, deeply scenting the air, and even though the room was filled with a myriad of smells, he had latched onto the overwhelming scent of warm apples. He closed his eyes and opened his mouth a bit. It was like he could almost taste it. It was delicious. And it was alpha, like Sam…but not like Sam.

His eyes popped open suddenly when he heard a growl and saw Castiel's head whip around and lock eyes with Dean's. Dean felt the distinct leak of something warm and wet in his pants. 

People had backed up a bit when they heard that growl, but not Dean. He felt a pull of want and without a conscious decision he found himself walking toward Castiel. His blue eyes were dark and filled with hunger and he could see his nostrils flare as he scented the air.

Dean was about two feet away from putting his hands on the alpha when another growl erupted from behind Castiel. Cole came forward and stepped in between the two, almost touching him from chest to toe. The new alpha then brought his nose close to his neck and took a deep inhale. “Dean…you smell so gooooood,” he whispered in his ear. “I need to taste you.” And he licked up his neck and over his jaw.

Instantly, Castiel grabbed his shoulder and yanked him back. “Mine!” he shouted.

Dean had immediately grimaced at Cole's touch and used the bottom of his shirt to wipe his skin. He watched as Cole reacted to Castiel's claim by taking a swing at the other alpha. Castiel had stepped back to avoid the punch, then kicked him in the middle, which threw Cole into the living room. The two alphas growled and grappled with each other…and Dean had never seen anything so sexy in his life as Castiel fighting. 

In his periphery, however, he was aware of movement on the couch and (what he later identified was) a strong scent of arousal, so he spared a glance over the wrestling alphas. Two other men without shirts were passionately making out, and it took a moment before he could register that it was Sam and Gabriel. What the actual fuck? Sammy wasn't into men! He shook his head and went back to watching the melee.

The fight was escalating: both men's clothes were torn, both were bruised and bleeding from obvious scratches and it looked as if some of the others in the room had tried to break them up from their own torn shirts and scratches.

Finally, Castiel managed to stay on top of the other alpha and had him on his stomach with one hand on the back of his neck and the other holding his left arm. 

The victorious alpha growled at Cole. “Dean is mine. You will submit.”

Every person in that room (except Sam and Gabriel, who were obviously too wrapped up in whatever they were doing) fell to their knees and tipped their heads to the side, including Dean.

Dean's body flooded with the feeling of need and desire. “Cas,” he breathed. He was feeling unusually warm and his pants were now soaked.

He saw the alpha tense at his name and watched him squeeze his hand around Cole's neck.

“I submit,” he heard.

Castiel responded through gritted teeth, “If you say his name or even look his way, I will beat you into the ground. Do you understand?”

“Yes.”

The alpha released Cole and stood up. As he looked around at the kneeling people, he made no comment or look of surprise, but quietly ordered for Cole to be escorted to his car.

He paused a moment to glance at the couple on the couch (who, Dean noticed, were now decidedly doing more than just making out, holy shit), then turned his attention to Dean.

They were oblivious to their audience.

Castiel's cheeks were flushed and he was still panting from exertion as he stared at him. The alpha's hands clenched as if to stop himself from reaching out, then he whispered, “Dean.”

He could not stay away and flung himself into the alpha's arms, then shoved his nose where he smelled a concentration of his scent: at the juncture of shoulder and neck. Unable to help himself, he latched his mouth on it, and licked, sucked and nipped until the skin began to bruise.

Castiel seemed to encourage his behavior by wrapping one arm around his waist and digging his other hand through his hair. When Dean lifted his face, Cas gripped his fingers harder and maneuvered him so he could capture Dean's mouth with his own. He opened up for him immediately and felt his whole body surrender to the alpha's wish. His hands roamed over his chest and he ran his fingers through the rips to feel the warm skin beneath.

He moaned and stopped for a breath, “Cas, you taste so good.” Then he brought his hands up to twist in his hair and pulled their mouths back together.

The arm around him tightened and he could feel the alpha's hard arousal through their clothes as they began rocking into each other. Cas' lips slid down, giving open-mouthed kisses along his jaw to behind his ear, where he licked and sucked until Dean's knees started to buckle.

“Omega,” he breathed into his ear. “I want you.”

Dean shuddered and gave out a strangled moan. He brought his hands back down to tear at the remnants of his shirt and begged, “Oh, yes, Alpha! Please, alpha…” His fingers managed to get rid of the remaining cloth.

Castiel grabbed the collar of Dean's t-shirt and tore the material right down his chest, then he pushed the remains off of his shoulders. He pulled (a shocked and thrilled) Dean closer to him by the front of his jeans, and proceeded to kiss him senseless.

Dean was dizzy from the heat of his mouth and the curl of his tongue. He only vaguely felt Cas open the button of his jeans or lower the zipper, but he moaned when he felt the alpha's hand slide down his backside and his fingers slip in between his cheeks. 

With the feel of their chests together and the touch exploring his ass, Dean could only clutch at the other in bliss. He was, in the back of his brain, vaguely aware that there had been people around them (beside the pair still going at it on the couch) and he hadn't cared at all. Hell, he could still scent that people continued to stay in the house. Didn’t. Care.

Cas had both hands down the back of his pants, now, and the jeans were falling past his knees. Finally, Dean was desperate enough to push off his shoes and work on the alpha's pants, but his hands were sweaty and trembling and he couldn’t seem to manage it.

“Dammit.”

Castiel's long fingers appeared in front of him and he watched as the alpha licked at, and then sucked on them. He moaned like it was a delectable feast. “Oh, Dean. You taste devine.” 

He moaned again and kissed Dean, and he tasted himself for the first time with the hot slide of Cas' tongue. Honey. He tasted like honey. Huh.

Dean felt the slip of his (soaked through) boxers off his body then the unbelievably erotic feeling of the alpha's cock coming into contact with his own. He instinctively rubbed against the other and gloried in the feel of warm hard wet and could hear Cas moaning along with him.

Their lips never parted as Cas led them to a large, stuffed chair, where the alpha settled and pulled Dean on top of him. Yes! Now they were getting somewhere.

Then Cas went exploring with his mouth down Dean's neck, licking and kissing and nipping, stopped to graze his lips, then his teeth across the collarbone, proceeded down to a nipple, where he kissed and licked and sucked until Dean cried out. Then he mercilessly went over to the other and worked on it with his mouth and tongue until Dean was mindlessly thrusting his hips forward, over and over, and groaning out, “Alpha! Please! Alpha!”

Castiel had been rubbing both hands from the omega's hips over his ass until his fingers met in the crease, continuously while his mouth worked on his chest. His fingertips would touch, then he would squeeze and part him to expose him to the air. Then his hands would let go and continue back to his hips. Slow torture. Dean was now shaking with need to have his alpha's fingers touch him there.

He must have begged and pleaded enough, for he was rewarded with fingers delving with intention down the crease of his ass. Dean mouthed at Cas' neck, shoulders and collarbone, his skin slick with sweat and the taste of apples, most potent closest to the neck. He had an urge to bite down hard, but managed to stop himself.

Castiel's long, lovely fingers gave him no pain as first one, then quickly two, breached his entrance. For the moment he was satisfied, as he rocked back on those fingers and enjoyed the feeling of being mildly stretched with no burn and the delightful viscosity from his own body. He never even noticed when the fingers changed to three. Wanting to share his pleasure, Dean turned his focus to the alpha's substantial cock. Swiping his hand over his backside, he gathered some of his own slick and used it on his alpha.

At Castiel's groan, he looked up and saw his eyes blazing with desire. When he stopped his hand to just below the glans, then rubbed his thumb at that perfect spot underneath, the alpha's breath hitched. Cas put a hand on the back of Dean's neck, then slammed their mouths together. They kissed and sucked and nipped at each other until Cas bit down on Dean's bottom lip. “Cas…” he whispered again as he ran both hands up and down the length of his erection.

“Dean, I want to fuck you.”

He whined and nodded, rose up on his knees.

Cas helped to line himself up and Dean slowly sank down on him. There was no pain. No burn. Only the glorious feeling of the slide of Cas' cock rubbing against his rim and then, with a small adjustment, his prostate. 

“Ah! Cas! Fuck! That's amazing!”

With Castiel's new strength, he was easily helping Dean as he bounced up and down.

“Fuck, Dean! That feels so good, Sweetheart.”

Castiel had taken it upon himself to curl his fingers around Dean's smaller erection and had been working at it only a little while when his orgasm creeped up and rushed through him all at once. “Alpha!” he cried out. He was a bit disappointed that he came so fast, but was soon very surprised to find that his cock was still hard. 

It seemed as if his refractory period took a hike. But no wonder—Dean was overwhelmed with sensation: the scent of sex and Cas in his nose, apples and alpha on his tongue, the repeated thrusts of pleasure igniting every nerve ending in his ass, and the sounds this man was making! 

“Cas...Oh! Cas, you’re gonna make me come again,” he keened. 

Cas bent him forward to growl in his ear, “I’m going to make you scream my name, Omega.” He licked and sucked behind his ear, then with a low voice asked, “Are you going to take my knot, Dean? I can feel it growing, and rubbing against your rim. Are you ready for me to stuff you full? You want me to come in your ass? To be more full than you’ve ever felt before? Are you ready for that, Dean?” 

The omega whined and rolled his hips sinuously as they panted in each other's mouths. He could feel the knot, and found himself wanting it desperately. It was so good, so good.

The voice in his ear continued, “Are you mine, Dean? All mine, Omega?”

“Yes, Cas! Yours! Don't stop. Don't stop!”

“That's it, Sweetheart. Ah! Almost there…Ah! I want to bite you so badly…”

There was only the slapping of skin and the decadent noises of their pleasure. Both were now working on reaching the height, now frantic and uncoordinated with their bodies. (Ah, ah, so good, so good) Dean felt the knot push against him with resistance, again, again, then Cas slammed him down, “Dean!” and they locked in place. He could feel himself clench around the knot, feel the pressure on his prostate, “Castiel!” and his thoughts went white.

When he opened his eyes, Cas' face showed the unmistakable look of ecstasy. He could feel the cock inside him pulse several times and the alpha shook and gasped with each.

He could feel his heartbeat through his rim.

Wow.

His head dropped to his alpha's shoulder. This was, without a doubt, the best sex and the most intense experience of his life.

A voice interrupted his euphoria.

“Sooooooooo, how was your Winchester, Cassie?”

Chapter Text

Chapter 4

Later, he heard all about how after Benny and Garth had made sure Doug had gotten in his car and drove away, they had stopped to talk to Manny to update him on what had happened. Doug had scented Ben as soon as he and Lisa had arrived, honed right in, and then proceeded to touch him quite inappropriately, obviously wanting the boy. When the alpha refused to be reasoned with, things escalated quite quickly. 

Soon, though, there was more shouting from inside, so Garth went to see what was happening. 

He returned, not very quickly, as one of those to escort Cole, this time, out to his car. Jody and Donna had helped him, and they all discussed the two conflicts, that Sam and Gabriel were having sex on the living room couch—what the hell?—and the very interesting way Castiel had managed to get everyone to obey him with his voice.

They wanted to talk about all of that further with the others, and find out what other information was to be had, so they helped Manny with the baby's things and Dean's pies and went back into the house.

Where they discovered not one, but two pairs of men having sex in the living room. And it didn't seem as if they even noticed they had an audience. 

They located the others (Bess, Kevin, Meg, Charlie and Hannah, who had also come downstairs to discover what all the noise was about) who had found another room to gather in—a large library with a great selection of comfortable seating. No one had wanted to leave, despite the fact that their hosts were having sex in another part of the house. Everyone was invested in finding out more information, and was especially fascinated with the afternoon's revelations. 

Gabriel's snark could not hide how he, and the other three men in the living room, were pretty shaken once they had all come down from their “crazed, man-sex party,” as Charlie later dubbed it. None of them had even entertained the idea of public or group sex (well, not really), and they didn't know what to make of it. Everything was so awkward that Dean didn't even take the opportunity to tease his younger brother that he had just had sex with a man.

They quickly dressed when they could (Cas brought down extra shirts for Dean and Gabriel, and remembered to ask Lisa and Ben to come downstairs) and alerted the others that the living room was again rated G. 

Meg walked in first and immediately opened all of the windows. “Whew! Guys!” She waved her hands to fan out the stink. 

The men sprang into action. Castiel sheepishly brought out a box fan for one window and turned on the ceiling fan. Dean had found some Febreze in the bathroom and sprayed the furniture. Gabriel and Sam each put down throw blankets over the offending cushions.

It was a definite improvement. 

Castiel cleared his throat. “We obviously have a lot to talk about,” he blushed but continued, “so why don't we all get something to eat and then Gabriel can share what he knows to start us off, OK?”

A buffet was quickly set up in the kitchen and plates were filled. Castiel had provided tray tables and put cushions and tablecloths on the floor, and a few extra chairs were brought in. Everyone eventually found a place and tucked into their food. Red Solo cups were passed around, followed by jugs of lemonade and sweet iced tea and napkins.

It was a comfortable gathering, everyone (still present) chatting easily with the others around them. 

Gabriel waited until he was halfway through his plate before he stood up to talk. He reported everything that he had told Castiel and Dean and answered what questions he could.

Finally, someone addressed the elephant in the room.

Meg raised her voice. “So what was with the sexy exhibition earlier? Is this some kinky thing with you four?” There was a lot of good natured chuckling and Lisa pretended to put her hands over Ben's ears. “He's just a baby!”

The doctor shook his head and smiled. “I’ve been mulling over everything that's happened ever since we…well…when things were over. And I asked Sam, Dean and Cassie a few pertinent questions to compare to my own experience.” He took a deep breath and ran his hands through his hair.

“I think a few things are happening here. First, both Dean and I, upon smelling Castiel and Sam, respectively, started a heat. Both of us got overly warm and sweaty and really, really…” He paused and looked apologetically at Lisa. “Horny,” he concluded. Laughter.

“Ya think?” someone shouted. Then a snort. More laughter. 

“Now Cassie and Sam, being alphas, I’m sure have been programmed to respond to an omega's heat—probably strong pheromones—and seemed unable, or willing, to stop themselves from answering the call of those pheromones. Obviously, these new instincts override our inhibitions or feelings of embarrassment. 

“What is also interesting, though, is that Hannah never responded to any of the omegas here. And neither Sam, Cassie or Cole reacted to Ben's scent, nor Ben to any of the alphas that are—or were—here. These are things that we're all still learning about our new lives. 

He turned to face his brother. “Including the way Cassie, here, brought everyone to their knees. Who knew you had it in you, little bro? We were definitely preoccupied, but both Sam and I felt the command. I think the imperative, biological need in front of us managed to allow us to ignore it.”

All eyes now moved to the alpha, who squirmed a bit in his seat. He sighed. “I don't know how it happened. It just came out differently than anything else. I wanted something, so I put my will into my words.”

“Yes,” Hannah responded. “It was the same when you called for silence in the kitchen. We all obeyed instantly.” She tilted her head in thought. “I wonder if I, or any of us, would’ve been able to say something in that moment, or if we were all just surprised and had no trouble agreeing to the owner of this house.”

All eyes went back to Castiel. His eyes widened (a bit comically, as he seemed to be floundering a bit) and he shrugged. “I don't know.”

Then they wondered if it was an “alpha” thing, or just a “Cas” thing. So they did some experimenting and were stunned at the results. 

It seemed as if it was an alpha thing, because Benny, Hannah and Sam could give commands and the others were compelled to obey. It worked on all the betas (only Cole and Benny had become alphas and Ben, an omega; everyone else seemed to be betas) and omegas, but not on each other…or on Cas.

When Castiel gave a command in the same way (they ended up calling it the “alpha voice"), he was able to do it on all of them, compelling even the other alphas.

Huh. Cas was not only an alpha, he was The Alpha. The stud.

It was thrilling and a little horrifying.

For the rest of the meeting, they discussed the repercussions of their discoveries. There were quite a lot of them, many of them appalling, and it was very obvious that the world was going to change significantly. The list of conclusions was mind-boggling.

There was also a general consensus that everyone had carried a feeling of discontent, like they hadn't belonged out in the world since the changes. They all agreed, however, that particular feeling had disappeared since they had gathered. They decided to get together regularly, to see what would develop.

Dean had begun to notice that he was becoming uncomfortably warm again, and he fidgeted a little when he felt the tell-tale sign of slick appearing in his underwear (Cas had discreetly loaned him a pair, since the original ones needed a thorough washing). He wiped his brow and glanced over at Gabriel, who was whispering to Sam. 

The pair stood up and Sam announced, “Gabriel's heat symptoms are coming back, and we don't want a repeat performance, so we're gonna take off.” 

While everyone was wishing them a good evening, Dean took the moment to alert Castiel that they needed to deal with the same thing.

No one was surprised when Cas stood up and concluded the meeting. Once the rest of them understood, the scent of heat was undeniable and people hurried to take their leave.

Manny approached Dean and let him know that Benny had offered to take them home, and before they left, that they would supervise leftover detail and kitchen clean-up. They were in no hurry, since Lilianna had taken a good nap in the library earlier that afternoon. The couple was grateful and retired to Castiel's bedroom.

After another amazing bout of sex with Cas, they fell asleep, only to awake again in the middle of the night with Dean's need. It seemed as if he went in cycles of a handful of hours. He found himself constantly thirsty, but Cas made sure he had enough water to drink, even offering him the Gatorade he normally kept in his fridge for after his runs.

It was a little harder to encourage him to eat, though, between the sweats, the full feeling after chugging down a gallon of water and the ache in his belly that came and went. Not to mention the exhaustion of participating in really good sex every four to five hours. So Castiel concentrated his efforts with foods high in protein and vitamins, which was something the alpha was already good at as Dean knew, since he had first hand knowledge of his alpha's culinary genius.

During one of their nutrition-packed mini-meals, Castiel brought up a subject that Dean had already been secretly worrying about. “Dean, I have to confess something.” He saw that he had Dean's attention and continued. “I have no idea why, but I have had an intense urge to bite you while we're having sex.”

Dean relaxed. “Me, too, Cas!”

The alpha shook his head. “No, you don't understand. I mean I want to bite down, break the skin and make you bleed.”

Dean put down his (awesome and delicious) sandwich and took Castiel's hand. He said slowly, “Me, too, Cas. I wanted to do it the very first time. Do you think it means something?”

The other man shrugged. “I don't know, but I think you should do it to me next time. Is it right here that you want to do it?” He pointed to the juncture of his neck and shoulder and Dean nodded in response.

“Yup. That's the place. I’ve had to stop myself many times already.”

“All right. Just don't stop yourself next time.”

“You got it.”

Later that evening, Dean was getting a pounding from his alpha. He had been licked, kissed, sucked and nipped at all over his body and after begging for what seemed like hours, he finally had a dick inside of him. Cas had waited until he was shaking and pleading—had come three times—and Dean couldn’t wait anymore to get that knot. It seemed to be the only thing that truly brought his symptoms down.

“Come on, Cas! Fuck me! Make me feel it for days, Alpha!”

Cas increased the force of his thrusts and he could feel his knot beginning to catch. He egged his lover on further.

“Yes, Cas! Give me your knot! Stuff me with that big cock! Ah! Ah! Ah!”

He felt the sweat dripping from the alpha's forehead onto his chest and reached up to lick some from his neck. The smell of warm apples completely surrounded him. It was delicious and heady. He was gonna bite him this time. He could feel the stutter in Cas' hips and he knew his knot would catch any moment. 

He latched his mouth onto the perfect spot—it was already bruised there from receiving so much attention over the last two days—and when he felt the knot catch and Cas beginning to come, his jaw clenched (along with his ass) down hard, into the alpha's skin. 

He tasted blood and instinctively licked at the wound.

Cas had been especially vocal at his climax and his dick seemed to twitch and jerk a lot longer than he usually did. 

The alpha was still panting when he said, “That was incredible.” 

Dean grinned in response. “It felt good?”

Still panting, he nodded and said, “Yes. Really good. Why did you wait to bite me until the end?”

Dean tapped his temple with an index finger. “Dean smart. I figured if I was gonna really bite you, it was gonna hurt. So, I figured if you were coming when I did it, it wouldn't hurt as much, right? Your attention's diverted and you get that flood of endorphins…”

“Quite right, Dean. It was a good idea. It hurt only for a moment, then there was an intense rush afterwards. It was truly amazing. You're amazing, Sweetheart.”

He loved it when the alpha called him that. He felt special and cared for. Cas gave him a firm kiss then rolled them onto their sides to wait out the knot. The first time the swelling had lasted about a half an hour, but it had dialed back to average about fifteen to twenty minutes, now.

Hmmm…well, if it felt that good, then Dean expected a bite from Castiel next time, and told him so.

Cas readily agreed, and promised to wait for Dean's orgasm, too.

Dean called out sick for work for the next few days, not knowing how long his heat would last. Bess had taken the call and assured him that she would handle it. There had been a serious lull in business, anyway, so he “was not to worry.”

The pair managed to get their brothers on the phone when both were on a “heat break.” Both couples had wanted to check in with the other, not only because they were close, but they wanted to, sort of…compare notes. The four of them were on speaker together, just finishing up the requisite brother teasing part of the program.

“You’re gonna grow to love me, Deanie, I can feel it in my bones,” poked Gabriel.

“Dream on, short stack. Besides, with the amount of sweets I’ve seen you shove in your mouth, I bet your bones are made of spun sugar.” Dean laughed.

Sam interrupted, “You still need help with your comebacks, Dean.”

Dean sputtered, “You need help with your comebacks, Sasquatch!”

He heard Sam mutter, “See what I mean?” Dean opened his mouth to vent his spleen upon his stupid, stupid-head brother when Cas intervened. 

“Anyway, we wanted to ask if either of you have had the urge to bite the other,” Castiel said.

“Wow. Blunt much, Cas?”

“It was simply a question, Dean.”

Gabriel and Sam answered at the same time. “Yes!”

Dean and Cas described their experience, and the other pair were obviously intrigued.

Gabriel also shared that he had figured out that the reason that spot was so fascinating to them was because there was a scent gland at that location, and it exuded oils during sex. Scent was clearly a high priority with their new changes. He hadn't discovered why they wanted to bite each other there, but Dean had no doubt that the two of them would do their own “experimenting" soon.

“I’ve been taking notes, and I plan on writing a paper as soon as I can,” Gabriel revealed. “There hasn't been much in the news yet, and I figure I might be one of the first doctors to have collected this much information—besides the ones in government who obviously know, but they aren't saying anything—so I’ll be able to get the jump on everybody.”

“Cool,” Dean approved. “You’re gonna be famous, doc.”

The four agreed they felt much better “touching base" and promised to get together after the omegas’ heats were over.

“I actually do like your brother, Cas,” Dean later admitted.

He got a sweet, gummy smile in response.

Turns out the second bite was a lot more significant. 

Dean was on his forearms and knees, keening from the sensation of Cas' tongue in his ass. The alpha sounded like he was devouring a tasty treat and had been torturing him with his very talented mouth. “Oh, Dean, you smell so good, you taste so good…” Dean had been mindless with pleasure and unconsciously bucked back onto Cas' face with abandon. 

“Pleeeeeeease, alpha…” He didn't even know what he was begging for. To stop? To never stop? To fuck him? Probably all of it.

Castiel finally desisted and got on his knees behind him. He had barely lined up to his entrance when he entered him with a groan and one, long thrust. This was heaven. Dean had decided that he had never felt so whole and satisfied as when Cas was inside of him, whispering endearments into his ear, and he never wanted it to end.

Although he must admit, after almost three days of frequent fucking, Dean’s hole was getting a little tender, so he hoped his heat didn't last too much longer.

Rimming Dean must have really got Cas' motor running, because he could feel him getting close to knotting him. This was perfectly fine with him, since he had been pretty close to coming for a while now. Cas had just changed his angle, and—there it was! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!

“Cas, I’m gonna come!”

So the alpha got ready and clamped his mouth onto his scent gland. Dean felt the wave of pleasure and then Cas' teeth pierce his skin and—

Another orgasm rushed through him and he could feel himself clench around Cas' knot. In the background, he also heard Cas shout out, “Dean!” behind him, and felt him collapse over him as they both flattened out on the bed.

But there was something else he could sense. Was it in his brain, his body? He could sense, no he felt another's feelings of euphoria, amazement, love (love?) and joy. He could actually feel that it was separate from himself, and that he was somehow connected to it. “Cas?”

“Dean, what…what is that? Is that you I feel?” Now Dean could sense confusion, curiosity…

“Cas, I can feel you in my head! Holy shit!”

“I can feel you, too! You're in awe, you're happy! I could tell how good you felt when you came, and how satisfied you were. This is amazing! We made some sort of mental or emotional bond…

“Dean,” he said quietly. “I can feel your love. Dean. You love me?” He was rubbing his hands over Dean's shoulders, his arms, then up his back. He followed his hands with kisses and Dean could feel his joy.

He could feel his skin flush. He whispered, “I can feel your love, too, Cas.” And he started to make this sound…like a cat? Was he…was he purring? What the hell? It abruptly stopped.

Castiel had stopped moving instantly upon hearing the sound. “Dean, what was that? That was you, I could feel the vibrations in your body. Do it again!”

“I don't know what the hell that was, Cas! I sounded like a freaking cat!” He was a little freaked out. He had never done that before, and he certainly never heard anything human make that sound before! “I thought we had DNA stuff from dogs and wolves, not cats! It doesn't make any sense.”

“Well, I liked it.” Cas was running his hands through his hair and over his skin again. He could feel little kisses on his neck, and the alpha licking at the bite wound. He started to relax again under his touch. “And I was enjoying how peaceful and happy you were feeling through our link. We are going to have to tell Gabriel and Sam about this. I wonder if they have a bond like us, now, too?”

Chapter Text

Chapter 5

Oh, Gabriel and Sam most definitely did have a bond, too, and the other omega had also experienced the purring phenomenon. Unlike Dean, he was delighted, and could bring it up at will.

“Sam can't seem to reproduce the sound, but he has his own thing, like a rumble. It's adorable.” Cas was thrilled and declared he would figure it out and rumble at Dean in the near future.

“So we may be permanent alpha-omega pairs, now. The link isn’t going away or fading at all since it happened, and, oh! Have you checked your bites, lately? Ours have already scarred over!” Gabriel seemed to be in Biological Discovery Nirvana with all of these changes. The medical field was gonna have a freaking field day with all of this. Gabriel's paper and the spread of the virus were going to tip the world upside down.

Dean nodded even though they couldn't see him. “Yeah, I forgot to tell you about the healing thing a while ago. Ya know, with all of this going on, it slipped my mind. After you patched me up, doc, I noticed that my feet healed really, really fast. They didn't even hurt after the first day, then I forgot all about them until I took another shower and noticed that they had all healed up. Stitches were gone and everything.” Dean couldn't believe he had forgotten that important bit, but his brain had been busy, dammit!

Gabriel was gleeful and Sam reported that he was taking more notes. “I told him he'd better get to writing. We watched the news today, and it mentioned reports of weird medical mysteries across the country. It's happening quickly.”

Dean's heat never came back, and he was a bit relieved. He and Cas talked it over, and it seemed logical—and felt right—that Dean should move in with Cas. It worried Dean a little that it felt so easy and comfortable, because they had only known each other for a few weeks. They hadn't even dated! What were they doing? He could only imagine what Sam would have to say.

But Cas said he felt the same way, and that maybe this was how their new DNA worked. And, he added, they were plainly in a relationship, and if they were both on the same page and kept communication open (kind of hard not to when you can sense how your partner was feeling emotionally all the time), they could always decide to do something else in the future. 

They also agreed that Manny and the baby would move in, too, as long as the other omega agreed. Besides, the young omega couldn't afford to live by himself, anyway, since he currently didn't have a job and had a baby to care for. Cas and Dean made money enough and there was plenty of room in Cas' big, old house, too.

So the next day, Dean notified his landlord, got Sam (Gabriel's heat had also ended), Benny and even Garth to help with the move. It went very quickly, since the apartment had come furnished and Dean didn't have much in the way of knick-knacks. He may have noticed that Liliana had a bit more to pack than he did, but he didn't mention it out loud for fear of embarrassing Manny.

Dean also noticed how solicitous Benny was being with the young omega and the baby. He surreptitiously watched them out of the corner of his eye to see if he was correct, and yep, that was fawning behavior for certain. Wait…were those heart eyes? And he could see the gooey look reflected in Manny's face. Well, he mentally sighed, Benny always had a “type” (Dean had met quite a few of Benny's thin and pretty young men over the years) and he loved babies, so he hoped it worked out for them.

Benny and Manny weren't the only two pairing off; while having a beer break, Garth mentioned to the men that he and Bess were going on their second date the following evening. He was happy for both their sakes since each of them was a truly good person, and he wished Garth well in his quest to woo the sweet Bess. 

Sam never did say a word against moving in with Cas, and with good reason, too. He and Gabriel were planning the same thing. It was a relief to know that his stable, we-should-talk-about-this-some-more brother was having the same feelings and concerns. And it helped that they were all in the same, weird-looking boat together.

Dean went back to work the next day, and spent most of it talking with Benny and Bess, and later, Garth, when the deputy stopped by to gift Bess with a vase of Gerbera daisies (she blushed as pink as the blooms). She hadn't been exaggerating when she had suggested business was slow. Dean was grateful for the time to talk with his friends, however, since so much had happened and in very little time to properly process it all. They each had stories of their own, with people that they knew and their experiences with the changes, especially Garth, who had been on several calls that involved alpha aggression. It was evident that personal conflict was on the rise, and no surprise to all of them. They anticipated even more for the near future.

Saturday arrived with another amiably arranged potluck. Dean was extremely proud that the group had demanded more pie, so he made another six (because, duh, pie = love). He was, as a result, hailed as “King of Pie,” which caused Sam to roll his eyes and sigh. Dean, righteously smug, grinned at him while eating his third piece, and declared that “the King of Pie deserved more pie!” about twelve inches from his brother's nose. It was interesting that Sam didn't punch him, and he decided that it was probably because Castiel was (luckily) standing right next to him.

Everyone initially invited (except for the two previously ejected alphas) came again, and stayed through the afternoon, and well into the evening. They ate, talked, laughed, cried, sang (Dean had an old guitar and both he and Meg could play), ate some more and played card games. No one seemed eager to leave, and in fact, several of them admitted that they were reluctant to go home. About a half a dozen admitted to being lonely, and Kevin confessed that he had been living in a motel room since he had graduated college a month ago.

Well, Dean wasn't letting that slide, so he asked after his family and discovered the young man's only relative had been his mother, who had passed away earlier that year.

Dean turned to Cas and looked into those lovely, blue eyes. He could feel love and approval through their bond and knew that his alpha was on the same page.
Kevin moved in the next morning.

Charlie and Meg moved in after the following Saturday gathering, and Donna and Hannah looked exceedingly jealous. 

The Winchester and Novak couples had dinner over at Sam and Gabe's the next Wednesday evening. They were celebrating Gabriel's paper getting published in not one, not two, but three medical journals. More were likely to follow, and it would be all over the internet, soon. The past two weeks had seen a lot of chaos in the country, and the international community was beginning to show signs of the virus. 

Gabriel had named it the “ABO" virus for the three types of new humans it created. Part of the doctor's delight was that he was part of creating new words and phrases that everyone would come to use as part of the vernacular, such as “alpha voice,” “scent gland" and “mating bond.”

“Is that what you're calling it? So, what, Cas is my mate?” It sounded so primitive, but he certainly didn't have a better idea.

Castiel smiled. “I think it sounds perfect.” 

“Thanks, Cassie. I knew I could count on your support. I bounced most of this off of Sammykins, of course (Dean laughed at Sam's squint at the sound of that ridiculous nickname), and it seemed like the most logical phrase.

“I also told your story, Dean, without using your real name, of course: how you escaped and then went back to rescue your brother and the others. Listen, I theorized that you were actually allowed to escape and your subsequent rescue of your brother was both anticipated and planned for. They wanted to spread this virus, and they didn't want a big fuss. That's what I put in the paper, anyway.

“In the end, it doesn't matter, because the result is the same, and the government obviously wanted it to happen. Maybe they didn't advertise what they were about because they didn't want anyone to attempt to stop it. Maybe they were afraid of the international governments' responses.” He shrugged. “It's all out in the open, now, and the world will have to adapt or die.” He chuckled. “Adapt or die is basically what this virus is all about, isn’t it?”

His theory had merit, and at first Dean was angry at the thought of being manipulated like that. They had unquestionably done their research about him and his brother before their abduction if they counted on Dean's first response: to turn right around and find his brother. 

Gabriel was also right that it really didn't matter, so he just let it go. They had enough on their plate without worrying about the freakin' government. Speaking of which…

“Gabe, what do you think about our new friends moving into Cas' house?” Dean asked.

And Castiel put a hand over his and insisted, “Dean. We've talked about this. It's our house, now.” Dean patted his hand in agreement, not willing to argue at the moment. 

“Ah!” Gabriel's eyes lit up. “I have a theory for this, too!” Of course he did. “I think,” he shifted his eyes back and forth to make sure he had their attention. “that we are becoming…a pack.”

“A pack? Do you mean like wolves?” Castiel asked.

“Precisely,” replied his brother. Then he sat up straight looked proudly at him and declared, “And you, dear Cassie, are its alpha. Our leader.”

Later that evening Dean and Castiel were lying in bed, resting after another rigorous game of Cas', “Let's see how loud Dean can get if I put my mouth here.” Also known as “Can I get Dean to beg even harder,” or “How many orgasms can I wring out of my mate?”

Mate.

Dean decided that he really liked that word. And he really liked (…fine! Loved) Cas. He loved his ridiculously blue eyes, his out of control hair and his wide, all gums and teeth smile. He loved the way Cas looked at him, touched him, kissed him. Like he was beautiful. Worthy. Cherished. Precious. 

And he loved touching him—how he was hard and soft at the same time—and kissing him (those plushy, velvet lips) and the smell of him. Dean could not get enough of the alpha's scent. He wanted to shove his nose on top of his scent gland all the time. Before he left the house he always rubbed the backs of his hands and wrists all over Cas' scent glands so he could smell him all day at work. The scent of warm apples, now with a touch of honey since the bond, kept him in a good mood, even in the face of an irate customer.

Bess now called for Dean more frequently when dealing with complaints, and he had bragged about it to Cas.

A whisper broke into his thoughts. “I don't know if I can do it, Dean.”

He didn't have to ask what Cas was worried about. He knew. “Cas, I’ve seen you in action, man. You are amazing and smart. Plus you have an easygoing temperament, so you’re cool under intense situations, ya know?” He sat up and put his palms on either side of his gorgeous mate's face and looked into his worried eyes. “Alpha, you are also the kindest and most generous person I have ever known. I think those are very important qualities in a leader.” He stopped to drop kisses over his cheeks, temples, forehead, jaw, then lastly, his nose. “Not only that. You have me standing right beside you the whole way. Right?”

He could feel the bond fill with love and peace as he watched Cas' face light up with a smile that reached his eyes. 

Castiel brought Dean's forehead to rest on his own. “I love you, Dean Winchester.”

Dean breathed in the smell of honeyed apples. “And I love you, my Cas. My mate.”

Epilogue 

Neither Dean nor Castiel had thought about it at the time, but it was only after a week of nausea that only occurred in the morning that Dean got a clue and remembered Gabriel's warning. 

So, it turns out that a pregnancy test from the drug store worked on male omegas, too. Son. Of. A. Bitch.

It took Castiel, Sam, Gabriel and Manny to talk him into unlocking the bathroom door.

Gabriel was pregnant, too.

Six months after their heats, Dean gave birth to a baby girl that they named Mara Elizabeth Winchester. A week and a half after that, a cranky and overdue Gabriel gave birth to her cousin, Mathilda Grace Winchester. They called her Matty.

The Novak brothers had decided to change their last names to Winchester because their parents had always been indifferent to their children, and their other siblings were assholes. They also never liked anyone on the Novak side, either, so good riddance to the name.

And so the Winchester Pack was born.

Charlie invented an alpha condom and quickly patented it. She made millions.

Gabriel became a specialist in omega health and opened a new practice very close to the pack's home.

The pack home (Cas and Dean's house) had eight original bedrooms in it, but the property also claimed a large guest house in the back. Eventually, every person in the pack lived together on the land. Other homes were built next to the others as the pack expanded.

Because the Winchesters had many more children. And so did Benny and Manny, and Garth and Bess…