"You know," Sam said as he walked with his brother towards their mustang. "Maybe we should wait for her to come home."
"She'll be here in two shakes," Dean answered. "You know that. Hell she just called. Do you really want to sit around and smell him stew in his juices?"
"No, but…"
"Sam If we wait then Mia's going to insist on coming along, and she's in no condition to do so," Dean said.
"Fine," Sam conceded. "Drive, but you're taking that phone call."
"Tell me you haven't spent the entire time drinking," Ellen demanded, moving the glass away from Bobby's hand via a shotgun.
"You're worse than the boys," Bobby muttered.
"I can't even take tea with my daughter without watching you?"
"You were with Hermione!" Bobby argued.
"Watch it," Ellen snarled. "She's mine, same as those boys are yours."
"Yeah," Bobby agreed sounding sullen. "I'm an ass."
"You are," Ellen agreed. "Especially because she heard you."
Horrified, Bobby spun around to see a heavily pregnant Hermione glaring at him. "Mia," he said. "I didn't...it's…"
"You're drunk and in pain," Hermione said for him. "Which means you're even more of a crotchety asshole than usual. Who would have thought Rufus managed to bring out the sweet side of you?"
Ellen laughed as Bobby continued to try apologizing.
"You're forgiven. Now where is that wanker who knocked me up?" Hermione asked sinking heavily into a chair.
"The boys found a case," Bobby answered. "In Chester Pennsylvania, which you have no place going young lady."
"You smell like a bar Bobby," Hermione shot back as she struggled back to her feet.
"Anyone tell you that you're a pain in the ass?" Ellen asked before Bobby grinned and kissed her.
"That's why you married me."
"Find anything?" Sam asked after Dean answered his phone.
"Just an asshat in a shiny suit," Dean said. "What about you?"
"Great Grandparents born in Calabria before emigrating in 1912. They've been here ever since."
"What, no horsehead?" Dean asked sarcastically.
"Not exactly," Sam answered shiftily. "Honestly, you're going to have to see this for yourself."
"Wow, that bad?" Dean asked. "Fine, I'm on my way."
Sam grimaced as he hung up the phone and turned back to the woman standing next to him.
"Well?" Hermione asked.
"He's on his way."
"Good. Now go get me some food. I'm starving."
Sam sighed before nodding. It never proved well to argue with a pregnant witch.
"Are you out of your mind?" Dean shouted after catching sight of Hermione sitting on his motel bed eating a cheeseburger.
"You clearly are," Hermione answered. "Sprinting off from Bobby's? Really? We both know you're not that stupid."
"Hunting's too dangerous in your condition," Dean said. "Hell you shouldn't be using magical transportation at all!"
"Mediwitch says it's fine," Hermione answered. "Molly's making you paranoid."
"She's got a dozen children running around!" Dean said.
"Doesn't make her a licensed healer," Hermione said calmly. "Besides you're the reason I'm in this condition in the first place."
"You don't think I'm aware of that?!" Dean yelled. "I fucked up and now you're constantly endanger! Why on earth did you think I wanted you to stay at Bobby's? Now you've got to stay in a shitty motel until we tie up this case."
"Why would I have to stay in the motel?" Hermione asked before rolling her eyes. "I just told you that it was safe to travel magically."
"I don't care. You're already taking too many unnecessary risks," Dean answered stubbornly. "I'm not going to let you continue to do so."
"Because you've proven so adept at bossing me around in the past," Hermione said snidely. "Stop trying to weasel out of admitting you're terrified."
"Of course I am!" Dean bellowed. "I've put you in unreasonable danger because I couldn't stay away from you. Now I've put an even larger target on your back! Do you really think demons and angels won't come after you and the baby just to get to me?"
"For fucks sake Potter the world does not revolve around you!" Hermione yelled back as her magic visibly crackled in the air stinging Sam. "Sorry Sam, my magic's off ever since Dean's demon spawn hit the second trimester."
"My child is not a demon!"
"I beg to differ," Hermione retorted.
"Is anyone going to address the fact that you just called Dean by Harry's last name?" Sam asked concerned.
"The idjit's acting like him," Hermione answered before suddenly gasping, with her hand clutching her abdomen.
"What?" Dean asked suddenly. "What's wrong?"
"Pain," Hermione said through clenched teeth.
"Sam," Dean yelled.
"Go," Sam said. "Get her to the nearest hospital."
"Anne Witting," Sam read off the card into the phone. "She's not related to the Russo's at all."
"So not a family curse," Bobby grunted. "Any word on your brother?"
"Not since he called to let me know Hermione's in labor," Sam answered. "I imagine he's busy fetching ice chips. Hang on, I think I've got something."
Picking up the thin gold thread, and sharing the news with Bobby led to Ellen interrupting to explain that Jo was investigating similar cases, and the commonality between all of them was a maiden voyage of the largest cruise liner of 1912.
"We'll keep digging," Ellen promised before Sam ended the call. On a whim, the hunter pulled out his computer and started researching. When he found the name of the first mate, I.P Freeley and the matching photo, Sam swore before beginning to rummage through the limited ingredients he had to figure out if he had enough to summon Balthazar.
It took him less time to summon the angel than he'd anticipated, though Balthazar of course wasn't cooperative.
"What happened to not being able to change history?" Sam asked him as he attempted to process the information that Balthazar had provided. Imagine preventing a catastrophe because of hating a movie.
"You haven't noticed?" Balthazar asked. "There are no more rules. Besides, I saved people. I thought that was you and your brother's type of thing. Where is he any way?"
"Hermione's in labor," Sam answered.
"Congratulations," Balthazar said. "See you can't be shirty about me unsinking a boat now."
"What?" Sam asked.
"Ellen, Jo, and Hermione," Balthazar said. "Their fate would be quite different had that ship went down. Ellen and Jo died in an explosion, and Hermione would have Crowley breathing down her neck."
"Who the hell is Crowley?"
"Horrible Demon," Balthazar answered. "Really, it's better this way. Dean's happy and is about to have a son!"
"Except someone is killing the survivors," Sam bit out. "We're talking nearly fifty thousand people."
"So?" Balthazar asked. "I'm sorry do I look like your brother's spurned lover? Am I dressed in an awful trench coat? No." He disappeared before Sam could respond.
Holding his nephew, Sam couldn't help, but consider the point Balthazar made about Dean's happiness. Hermione had insisted that he be godfather as Dean placed the baby in his arms. His newborn nephew was tiny and asleep.
Bobby and Ellen had figured out that Fate was behind the deaths before Hermione had finished giving birth. Sam had gotten the information, but couldn't decide what to do with it. Could he weigh his brother's happiness and the birth of his son with the violent deaths of fifty thousand people?
The memory of holding his nephew is one of the most present in his memory. Sam visited it frequently, often when Hermione and his brother were arguing over something inconsequential. It was rare, but he often thought he saw Hermione staring at him sadly when the image was in his mind.
Most of the time, Sam refused to pursue the moment. It wasn't until Dean had stormed out in a huff one day that she looked over at him and spoke.
"You did the right thing," Hermione said quietly.
"What?"
"Balthazar and Cas were wrong," she said softly. "I miss Elijah, and what could have been. However, I cannot justify what they did."
"How do you….I was...I thought only I'd remember."
"Mind magics," Hermione said simply. "It's something I learned when I was young. I have no doubt that's why I remember the alternate reality."
She paused briefly, "It's why I can't help, but watch when you remember holding him."