Author's notes - This is another MPREG fic which loosely follows my previous one "Mating Season." Don't like, don't read! Title taken from "Paschendale" by Iron Maiden. Lyrics included come from the song of the same name. This one was quite a hard one to write.
Home, far away
From the war, a chance to live again
"I think something big is brewing," Bobby said, as he opened the door onto Sam's inquisitive face and Dean's far more tense expression.
"So you said on the phone," Sam murmured as he walked past the wheelchair bound hunter, while Dean wondered aloud where the pie was behind him.
Bobby rolled his eyes at the forever hungry Dean Winchester, before he said - "Try the fridge, Dean. Second shelf."
Castiel followed Dean silently in, eyes taking in every aspect of his surroundings, fingers skimming over the surface of every book he could reach before he sat down upon the couch in the living room. Sam sat down on a vacant armchair, leaving the space beside Castiel free for Dean when he returned with his pie. Dean settled down beside his lover, thighs touching, arms resting close, as the younger Winchester turned his attention to Bobby once more.
"Ignore my brother. He hasn't eaten in all of a half hour. What were you saying, Bobby?" he asked, a smile flickering across his face at Dean's mock angry exclamation across the room from him.
"Yeah, I know your brother too well by now, Sam. Anyway, as to the reason why I called you here, I was reading something about a prophecy," Bobby said, with a one shouldered shrug. "Might be something, might be nothing."
He didn't immediately add anything more to his ambiguous statement, leaving the two Winchesters and angel staring at him expectantly.
"And? Care to enlighten us?" Dean asked, when it looked as though Bobby wasn't about to continue, before biting into the slice of pie hungrily.
Bobby shook himself, as though from some far off realm of his own imagination, before he replied.
"It was an old prophecy I found in an ancient text. Japanese actually. It said - before the fate of the Apocalyptical world can be decided, before the second fall of the great dragon, there will come a time of great unrest, when the sides of good and evil come together for a common goal. There will be a hybrid in our midst, born of two great warriors, shining angels both, " and Bobby's voice tailed off, as the hunter's eyes darted from first Dean, then Sam, then on to Castiel's. "Any idea what that means?"
"Wait, I'm still stuck on great dragon," Dean murmured, chewing on a mouthful of his pie as he listened to Bobby's words carefully. "Is it a Japanese dragon?"
"No, Dean, the text is referring to Lucifer, if I'm judging the apocalyptical reference right," Castiel supplied, immediately. "In the Bible, Lucifer is referred to as a dragon. Michael is the one that slew the dragon the first time when he cast the Light Bearer out of Heaven."
"Huh, okay, Sunday school lecturer," Dean said softly, before taking another bite of his pie, chewing thoughtfully as his tongue lapped out to catch fallen crumbs from his lips.
Castiel smiled slightly as he watched him, lips parted, eyes wide as though he wanted to kiss the remaining crumbs from Dean's mouth, making the hunter smile at him with a brief quirk of amused lips. Castiel leant in, but was stopped by Bobby's next question, before he could follow through with his intent.
"I'm more concerned about this hybrid that was mentioned at the end of the prophecy," Bobby pointed out, taking little notice of the almost kiss between Castiel and Dean, all too used to displays of affection from them by now. "I thought it quite important, if you're not too busy or anything."
Dean chuckled, returned his attention to the older hunter and caught the brief smile that brightened Bobby's face, hidden all too soon beneath his beard and his ball-cap. Castiel cleared his throat and gave Bobby an innocent look, eyes large and guileless, looking even more like a poster-boy for angelic behavior than usual. Bobby's smile grew, and he chuckled behind his hand. Castiel had grown on the elder hunter quite a lot in recent times, especially after taming Dean and winning the wayward Winchester into almost married life. Bobby could see that Castiel was a good influence on Dean and they both seemed happy in their relationship.
"Did it say anything more? Give off any clues as to what this hybrid consisted of?" Castiel asked next, drawing Bobby's attention back to the task, the matter at hand.
"No, it didn't, other than it being born of two great warriors," Bobby replied, with a rueful shake of his head and a frown that creased his forehead. "And I haven't found any reference to it anywhere else. Yet."
His lips thinned down into a disapproving line at the lack of knowledge and he stroked his beard as he thought.
"Hybrid," Sam said suddenly, voice musing, slightly raised in recognition, attracting his brother's attention away from his pie and onto Sam's face once more.
"What, Sammy? What is it?" Dean asked, pie now forgotten as he wondered why it looked as though the penny had dropped for Sam and no one else.
"Say, wouldn't you call Elisha a hybrid?" Sam asked, before raising his hands as though to forestall argument from Dean or Castiel or perhaps both together. "She's half human, half angel, isn't she?"
"Yes, she is," Castiel replied, slowly, as though he didn't like her being termed a hybrid and was uncertain whether that was worthy cause to try and smite Sam for defaming family.
Elisha Winchester was Castiel and Dean's daughter, conceived during a rare angelic mating season, resulting in Castiel being pregnant for nine days two years previously. Due to her advanced angelic genes, she'd grown up quickly, now appearing to the world as twenty year old woman, beautiful, full of life and energy, and a seemingly endless supply of intelligence, enthusiasm and good humor.
By the look on Dean's face, he didn't like what Sam was referring to either with his earlier statement, and he said - "Don't call our daughter a hybrid, Sam. That's as good as calling her a freak."
"Hey, she's my niece, Dean; my family too, you know," Sam pointed out, tension evident in his voice as he replied. "I don't like her being called a freak any more than you do, probably less so. I don't think I need to remind you why."
Dean at least, had the good grace to look guilty, before he said - "You're right, Sammy. I'm sorry."
"Yeah, so am I," Sam replied, but for what he didn't say.
He looked down at the floor, brows pulled down in discomfort and Dean watched him, wondering what was going through his brother's mind in that one moment. Then Sam spoke once more, voice rising up from his mouth as he continued staring at the floor.
"You know where she is?" he asked, thinking that someone else who wasn't him would know.
"Yeah, she's in North Dakota, following up a hunt," Bobby replied, turning towards his phone as though intending to call her back himself.
"Let me go call her," Castiel said immediately, tone of voice brooking no argument.
He raised his hands when it looked as though Bobby were about to protest before he reminded the hunter - "I am her father, Bobby."
"Castiel's right, Bobby. Just let him do it," Dean rejoined gently, making Bobby smile.
"I spend so much time with her these days, I sometimes forget you're both her fathers," he said, reprisal at himself clear in his voice.
Dean could only smile while Sam leant back in his chair to watch Castiel leave the room, cellphone already in hand to call his and Dean's daughter.
"That still doesn't explain the two great warriors reference," Dean pointed out, glancing over to the door where Castiel had just walked through. "Castiel, I get - he's an angel, a warrior of the Lord. But me? I wouldn't say I was a warrior."
"In a way you are, Dean," Sam said, before Bobby could, leaving the older hunter with his mouth wide open, empty of words. "You fight evil, and you're a vessel for Michael. If that doesn't make you a warrior, then I don't know what does."
Dean looked down at his pie, took a bite from the remainder of the crust, before he said, through the crumbs and pastry - "Huh, I always knew I was a hero."
"In your dreams, maybe," Sam murmured, without any real rancour, eyes glimmering with amusement up at his brother.
Bobby chuckled beside him, but was robbed of further words once more, by Castiel returning to the room and announcing the fact that Elisha was on her way. They settled back to wait for her, Castiel settled deep within the crook of Dean's embracing arm, one slender hand resting high up on Dean's thigh, slender fingers stroking gently at his lover's leg. Dean dropped a kiss to the top of Castiel's head and smiled when the angel turned his face up to Dean's, placing a gentle kiss on Dean's responsive mouth in return.
Sam and Bobby watched them, as the elder hunter passed over a book to the younger hunter, telling him to make himself useful and look through the pages for mentions of the prophecy. No one spoke to break the silence between them.
-tbc-
