First Light's Future

And the two brothers went to the sandcastle to help their friend and the young maiden. They had a plan that would save the young maiden's life and that of her child. Another way that didn't involve dying. They charged ahead on their borrowed ride. It wasn't Baby and it was slow but it got them to the sandcastle.

Their friend the white lighter was there on the ground. The evil sorceress had him down on the ground and was going to kill him. The maiden was standing there, afraid as the two brothers came charging forward. The younger one shot at the sorceress to distract her but she only grew angry and threw him to the side.

The older brother pulled out the Colt but was knocked over and the Colt was seized. The sorceress gave a sly look and with her powers, she melted the Colt. She destroyed the only thing that would have defeated her. Or so she thought. She had forgotten that there was one other thing out there and it arrived like a punch from the blind side.

The warrior princess had arrived and thrust her enchanted sword under the sorceress' chin. Her eyes glowed with the anticipation of battle as she said, "And you forget there's still me."

The sorceress glared at the warrior princess and dared her to try. The warrior princess moved to strike with her sword but the sorceress was too fast. She disappeared and reappeared in the right spot to grab the princess by the arm and fling her sword away. She threw in a punch knowing that the princess would fight back and she got her wish.

The warrior princess fought bravely until the sorceress hit her hard and she went down. But she wasn't down for long. She got back up and stood her ground against the sorceress and her friend the white lighter was standing with her. They were not going to let the sorceress hurt the maiden or her unborn baby. The warrior princess had a knife out. It was a special one and could hurt the sorceress.

The younger brother watched the warrior princess as she was prepared to even die for the young maiden. It hurt him but he was also proud. It was who she was. She was a champion of the people and fought for them. She was going to do the same as well as the white lighter. The younger brother watched as they stood there while the sorceress looked at them and made her move that would more likely end in death.

It was then that the white lighter grabbed the sorceress' wrist. The younger brother looked up and saw that his eyes were different. The warrior princess' eyes were different too. They were glowing as the sorceress started to glow. The younger brother watched as the sorceress burned to ash at the hands of the white lighter and the chant that was on the warrior princess' lips. The sorceress was defeated and the maiden was safe but the white lighter had different ideas.

The brothers tried to talk to him and convince him to come with them and the young maiden back to their stronghold. They would come up with another plan. But the white lighter wouldn't have it. The younger brother was about to say something but all he saw was darkness but he heard voices before the darkness took him. There was one voice that he heard…

A coo sounded and Sam looked down to see his daughter looking up at him, reaching for his face with her little hand. He grinned as she looked up at him and made her baby sounds. He teased her by wriggling his finger just barely touching her little nose. He murmured, "You like that?"

Sam walked with Jess to where the easy chair was in the bedroom. His lip twitched in memory of sitting in this chair when his wife reapplied his anti-possession tattoo. It was comfortable here in the cabin and one that he needed after what Castiel did. He just had to see his daughter and be with his wife. The whole thing with Kelly Cline and her unborn baby had him anxious with concern for his own family and he could understand Kelly's side of things. Living proof was in his arms and looking up at him with love.

Feeling wetness, he looked down to see Jess' little lips closing over the tip. One of her little hands patted his and until her little fingers closed on it. He couldn't help but smile and he wriggled his finger at her, watching her track his finger and reaching for it. He was under no illusions that she would be normal. That wasn't in the deck of cards considering that her father had a demon blood addiction, was vessel to the devil and her mother was half human and half vampire and is a reincarnated angel sans grace; there was nothing normal about their family but it didn't change his feelings for the tiny life he swore to keep safe.

Sam stared at his daughter as she played with his fingers, giggling when she caught one and started chewing on it. It was calming considering that it seemed that Castiel had betrayed them once again. Dean was clinging to the hope that the angel was so desperate for a win that he was willing to do anything. They had all been in that boat before and it always ended up in disaster. And one of them was always working to stave off the worst of the disaster.

The truth was he didn't know what to think about Lucifer's baby. It was obviously powerful enough to charge up Castiel to do what he did. It was on par what Angela could do with a demon in terms of extracting and setting it on fire. It was something that needed to be treaded lightly the whole thing with the baby and it did raise questions, some that he didn't talk about with his wife since they had slightly different ideas about what to do.

Jess made a sound and it distracted Sam. He made a slight smile and adjusted his grip. He could never stay in brooding thoughts for too long when he was in the company of his daughter. She was a little bright light that chased darkness away. She was perfect and it was why he wanted to give her as normal a life as possible and why he understood Angela's need to keep her safe and in a place she had some measure of control over. It was why he was agreeable to coming to the cabin every few days and would stay.

"Time for her feeding."

Sam shifted in his seat to see Angela holding a bottle. She correctly guessed that he wanted to feed her and smiled up at her. He accepted the bottle and adjusted his grip when Jess started to squirm. He listened to his wife's throaty chuckle and said, "Seems like she has your appetite."

"Don't you start."

Sam chuckled at the mocking annoyed look that Angela was giving him. "Just pointing out the truth."

The result ended up being a hair ruffle and a kiss to his cheek. Sam took it on good humor as he adjusted his position to feed the baby. Jess was never a fussy eater and took the bottle and moved her hands in an attempt to feed herself. She was only going on six months and was already trying to do a lot of things for herself. It gave him a sense of pride.

While Jess was holding onto the bottle and his hand it gave him a chance to look at his wife. He watched as she moved across the room to clean up and check on things. He didn't miss that she used this as a means of making sure everything was secure. It was force of habit when they were on the road hiding and doing what they did but it was different here. He could see her concern and worry. It was visible like a thick cape. He knew part of it was because of the Brits and she was only going on their past history, which he wasn't going to get into an argument over. He trusted her judgement. He always had but this…

"I put feelers out for Cas. We'll see if something pops up. You'll let Dean know?"

Sam looked at her as she stood there looking at him with a pensive expression on her face. "Yeah," he replied, "I'll let him know. He'll be… glad for that."

Sam watched her hum her response as she wrapped her arms around herself. He checked to see if Jess finished her bottle. Since she was, he adjusted her to burp her and stood up. He rubbed the baby's back as he approached Angela. "He's not mad at you."

"There's a lot to be mad at. Hell I'm mad and at Cas."

"I know."

There was silence for a moment before Angela murmured something that Sam didn't quite hear. He looked at her as he continued to rub Jess' back. It was a means to soothe her to sleep. "What?"

"When light fails and darkness falls, call upon the angel who is 'beloved' of all." Angela frowned a little at that as she looked at Sam and added, "That's what it told me before Cas stunned me."

Sam looked at Angela and they shared a look. "You need me to do anything?"

"Usual," Angela replied with a shake of her shoulders, "Research." She looked at the baby that was settling in Sam's arms and smiled. "You spoil her."

"Hey," Sam mock pouted.

"Daddy's little princess."

Sam couldn't counter that and let Angela kiss him on the cheek. She left the room murmuring that she was going to get dinner ready. Sam watched her leave and noticed the slightly distracted air she had. The whole thing was on her mind and it was on his too. He got the feeling that she wasn't telling him everything about what happened at that moment with the Nephilim powering up Castiel. He was certain because he heard something too. He didn't mention it to Dean since the assumption would have been feedback.

Walking Jess over to her crib, he put her down for her nap. He was reluctant to put her down but he knew that she would be happy to see him again later and want to be held again. He prayed that she would never grow out of it. He touched her head gently as she soothed to sleep, touching the soft wisps of hair that would be dark like her mother's. His nostrils caught the scent of the jasmine blossoms that Angela tied to the crib. It was something Sherlock had started and they kept it up even though Dean thought it a bit girly. He checked to make sure they wouldn't fall down and leaned on the edge of the crib and looked down at Jess as she blinked at him blearily.

Stroking her hair, Sam said, "When the younger brother saw darkness, he heard something in his mind clear as day. The voice said to call the one who is beloved by name. The younger brother didn't know what it meant but he was shown something wonderful. He wasn't sure about what to make of it but it was on his mind as he rushed home to his own little daughter.

"It was a promise and one that the younger brother wanted more than anything. He just wasn't sure though. He wasn't sure about the child of the maiden and what it meant. He trusted the warrior princess though and they always fought together. It was a promise they made and they intended to keep it."

Sam leaned forward and gave the sleeping Jess a gentle kiss on her head. He smoothed her hair and hummed gently. "They made a promise for their daughter to give her a safe world. It was possible that the child of the maiden meant it but they would have to wait and see."

Sam finished what he was doing and made sure that Jess was tucked in. He straightened up and sighed. Turning, he quietly walked out of the room, passing Gabriel who came in for his watch. He gave the prepubescent angel a nod and walked out of the room. He paused at the door to give one last look at his sleeping daughter. What Castiel did, he didn't understand and what he saw and heard… It was something to think about. After all it concerned his daughter's future.

A/N: Sam is reflecting on what happened with Cas and Kelly while spending time with his baby daughter, Jess. Tag to The Future. Enjoy.