A Matter of Choice

Title: A Matter of Choice
Pairing: Dean/Jo
Rating: PG-13
Fictable Prompt: #050 Destiny for Not_from_stars
Word Count: 1,132
Summary: Dean’s thoughts the day of his wedding.

“Destiny is not a matter of chance; but a matter of choice.

It is not a thing to be waited for; it is a thing to be achieved." –William Jennings Bryan

Dean shifted in bed, the sunlight spilling through the tattered curtains of the window off to the right of him. He pried his eyes open slowly and blinked at the sight of the partially cracked ceiling coming into view. He lifted his hand and ran it through his hair as he let out a long breath. Today was the day. His chest filled with what he could only assume was happiness as the hint of a smile pulled at his lips.

Dean had never been one to believe in destiny, as a matter-of-fact he hated the word with a blind fury, but a part of him couldn’t help but feel like maybe, this day had been meant to happen all along. He stretched his hands and folded them beneath his head as he continued to stare up at the ceiling, thinking. He knew Sam would come and get him when it was time for him to get up.

If someone would have told him years ago that he’d wind up getting married he would have laughed in their face. He still might. It was hard to believe in a few hours he’d be standing in Bobby’s backyard slipping his Mother’s ring on Jo’s finger. It was surreal. Dean still remembered the first day he met her. The smile on his face widened.

She was all blazing guns, quick wit, and fast hands. That should have been his first clue that she was the perfect girl for him. But he was slightly dense and it took longer than it should have, but they were there now and that was all that mattered. Dean let out a long breath his thoughts turning to sadder things as he wished him Mom could have met Jo. She would have loved her.

Dean swallowed hard idly pondering if he and Jo were kidding themselves. Getting married and having some kind of life out on the road with Sam hunting the evil things that go bump in the night. Was that a fair life? A hint of guilt creeped up in his chest, but he immediately squashed it. Jo would be out on the road hunting even if she wasn’t with him.

Dean was just trying to pysch himself out and he wasn’t about to let that happen. This hadn’t been some spur of the moment proposal. It had been something he’d been thinking about for a while. Something he realized he actually wanted. After today, Jo was going to be a part of his family. He still couldn’t believe she’d said yes when he asked. Honestly, Dean had expected her to say no, especially after all the shit they’d been through and how they always fought about everything.

It wasn’t until after she said yes that he realized those weren’t negative things, they were just the way he and Jo did things. Sure they argued and disagreed, but they never went to bed angry with each other. Not anymore. They’d learned over time, that in their line of work it’s never good to stay angry at the person you love, just in case all hell breaks loose and they don’t come home to you.

It wasn’t something either of them liked to think about, but it was their reality. They were hunters and that wasn’t going to change any time soon. He and Jo needed to be prepared that any day one or both of them might not make it home. It was a truth they’d both had to come to terms with before agreeing to spend their lives together.

The sound of the door being pushed open startled him out of his thoughts and he glanced up and caught sight of his brother moving into the room.

Sam paused in the doorway and arched an eyebrow at his brother who was still in bed. “It’s time, you planning on getting up any time soon?” He asked as he saw the bemused smile on his brother’s face.

Dean shifted and sat up leaning against the pillows. “Is Jo already up?” He asked wondering where in the house she was. They’d decided to spend the night apart for the wedding, but that was pretty much the only traditional thing they’d done.

Same nodded as he leaned against the doorframe. “She’s been up four hours already. Ellen told me to come check on you and make sure you weren’t dead.” He joked.

Dean chuckled as he tossed the covers off of him. “She would say that,” He said lightly as he stood up and stretched before rolling his neck back and forth. He paused when he caught Sam looking at him. Dean arched an eyebrow at his brother. “What?” He asked lightly as he rubbed the back of his neck and moved towards the window glancing outside to see how the backyard was looking.

They had some chairs set up and some kind of archway looking thing. Bobby and Ellen hadn’t invited a lot of people. They wanted to keep things small and intimate. Just a few hunters that were friends of their families, but other than that, the place was locked down tight for the wedding. The entire house and surrounding area had wards around in thanks to Missouri.

Sam and Castiel had used the Angel symbols to keep them and stronger demons at bay. He was pretty sure the earth would need to break open and move before someone or something attempted to disrupt their wedding. Dean wasn’t even going to joke about it though because knowing him and Jo, anything was possible.

Sam watched his brother at the window for a moment before clearing his throat to get Dean’s attention. When the other man was looking at him again, Sam cocked his head to the side. “You ready for this?” He asked quietly as he studied his brother’s face.

Dean smiled, met his brother’s gaze and nodded. “I’ve never been more ready for anything Sammy.” He closed the distance between them and pulled his bother into a hug clapping him on the back. “Now get the hell out of here so I can hop into the shower.” He said with a chuckle. “After all I’ve got a wedding to get ready for.”

Same laughed and nodded. “I’ll see you down there Dean.”

He watched his brother go and nodded. “See you down there Sammy,” He said as his brother disappeared down the hallway. Dean shook his head and glanced around the room one last time as he took everything in. This was definitely where he was supposed to end up. All that crap about destiny, he’d been right all along. Dean Winchester chose his own destiny…He chose Jo Harvelle and it was a choice he’d be happy to live with for the rest of his life.