**Author's Note: _
Okay, so I redid this chapter as of: 2/26/15
If you have noticed, I'm redoing all of my older writings as a "spring cleaning" kind of ordeal, so yeah.
Also, as for this story, there is NO UNDERAGE. I just thought I put that out there before it was assumed.
Enjoy!~
It was supposed to be like any other case.
Dean and Sam would show up, kill or burn something, maybe recite some Latin verses - then it'd be over, finished for good.
However, it seemed it didn't want to work out that way this time.
The lady had contacted to brothers through John's old cell that was kept in the glove box, making Sam scowl as he opened the compartment up to take out the beaten up phone. When he placed it between him and Dean as he accepted the call, a frantic voice come out of the speaker.
"Is- is John Winchester there?"
"No. John hasn't been-" Dean paused with a wince, and he found that he was unable to finish that admission, "He's not available. I'm Dean, though, his eldest son. Is there a problem?"
"Oh, well he said that if I needed him to just call. If he's not there tell him I'll try again later then-"
"He won't be there to answer, ma'am. John's dead."
Admitting to people over and over again that his father died last year was beginning to wear the hunter down.
She must have clenched the phone tighter, because the plastic strained audibly over the line, "Well then… Can you come take care of these things for me? I'm not sure how to deal with them, they aren't what John prepared me for."
Dean mentally sighed, "Did you try salt or-"
"Of course I did! I'm not stupid as you seem to believe! Look, I just- nothing's working and I don't know if I'm safe or not… They're kids- or they at least look like two kids..."
Sam raised an eyebrow at Dean as he parked the Impala, "We'll look into it. Text us the details and your address and we'll be over as soon as we can."
"Oh thank you!"
Dean hung up and groaned.
"Dean, we just got done with a nasty salt and burn, don't you think we should take a break before we sign up for whatever this is?"
The eldest brother snorts, "Sam, a hunter never truly gets a day off. Look, we'll rest up here at the motel for tonight, if that makes you feel better."
Sam probably wanted to say more, but he was just as haggard as Dean was, truth be told. Arguing with him over this new case would just be nothing but tedious.
The two Winchesters walked over to the motel room they'd paid for just for tonight, and Dean was scowling as he rolled his sore shoulder while trying to unlock the door. Sam obviously had some questions, because he looked practically constipated as he waited for Dean to get them inside.
Sam crossed the room first, and he sat down on the worn mattress across from Dean as he clasped his hands together, "So... Who was that?"
"I don't know. Some old friend or whatever of dad's, I'm guessin'," Dean set John's phone on the bedside table, "All I'm worried about is what she was trying to get rid of."
"Do you think it could be demons or somethin'?"
Dean shook his head, "Nope. She told us she already tried the whole salt test. She said nothing worked too, so that rules out about ten other things."
"Do you think she tried everything?"
Dean shrugged, "If she knew about dad and when and why to call, then I'm sure she knows the basics to figure out what in the hell those things are. Just- we'll handle it when we get there, Sam. After we get some sleep and the text, we're off."
Ironically, the phone vibrated on the bedside table, only making Dean sigh tiredly as he flopped over onto the motel's mattress.
"I really wish we would get days off."
There's a snort from Sam, "You and me both."
-X-
Dean shut off the Impala once they were in front of the small house that the lady's text directed them to.
It was quaint; practically ordinary. No one would know that inside of it, something strange was going on - something that required Winchester-aid to get rid of.
That's always how it is.
Dean smiles to himself at the though as he walked up to the door. Sam was right beside him, and he knocked on the white wood to announce their arrival.
The door opened almost immediately to the sight of a frazzled woman. Her hair was in a messy bun, but strands stuck out here and there - as though she pulled them out of the hair-tie from frustration. Bags sat under her eyes, and her shoulders slumped forward with exhaustion and an overall loss of tolerance. As far as Dean could tell, this woman was completely and utterly done with whatever was inside of her home.
"Can I help you?"
"Actually, this visit is more along the lines of us helping you. You called?" she scowls in confusion as Dean adds, "I'm Dean, this is my younger brother, Sam. We're John Winchester's sons."
The amount of relief that appears on her face nearly makes Dean weep with sympathy, "Thank God you two are here… They were beginning to drive me crazy."
"What's happened to make you say that?" Sam asks from off to the side, and when Dean glances at him, his brows are furrowed and his head is tilted.
The trio jumps as a sudden yell comes from inside. It's a young voice, its shrillness ringing through the air and causing Dean's skin to prickle with the promise of goosebumps.
He knows this voice... It belongs to the worst monster of all.
"Sarah! Gabriel's trying to steal my candy again!"
Children.
God help us all.
The brothers looked at each other, their eyebrows furrowing in shared confusion. There was an exasperated sigh from the door frame, its tone saying "I told you two so".
Sarah turned to go into the kitchen just as what sounded like a fight broke out from inside of the other room. Dean and Sam quickly followed, curious to see what they were going to have to take care of. When they passed got to the doorway of the kitchen itself, they both froze at the sight before them.
There "sat" two little boys, barely over the age of four or five, who were tangled up and rolling around on the floor. One of them - with shaggy, amber hair similar to Sam's - was trying to get a small piece of chocolate out of the other boy's hand. The boy who was holding the small piece of chocolate was struggling and trying to pop it in his mouth, frowning as the amber-haired one roughly grabbed handfuls of his raven hair.
Dean almost chuckled at the sight, but decided to hold it in as Sarah looked at them with eyes of a woman on the brink. This was obviously getting to be the last straw for her.
"Who are you?" the amber-haired one asked as he looked up with brown eyes, and he began watching the Winchesters closely as they stood there.
The raven-haired boy underneath him stopped, and he began looking upwards from the floor to stare straight at Dean - making the man notice the saturated shade blue that formed his irises. Dean swallowed at the weight that the child's gaze had, and he nearly averted his eyes before the boy spoke.
"Why are you here?"
Sam, who was apparently way more prepared to speak since Dean's throat had gone dry, cleared his own awkwardly, "I'm Sam, this is my brother, Dean. Sarah called us over to help her out."
The boys got off of each other, leaving Dean and Sam to see the reason as to why Sarah believed that they were some supernatural creature.
Wings were tucked up against their backs, and with the way that they seemed to posture themselves as they stood and stared at the Winchesters, they were obviously accustomed to them.
Dean, however, wasn't. He nearly bit his tongue off when he first noticed them, and going by how Sam stiffened and his mouth remained shut instead of open with questions, Dean's guessing that Sam was just as caught off guard as he was.
Normally they don't react like this - but at the same time, they usually know what they're dealing with, too. Now is obviously not either of those cases.
Dean quickly grabbed Sam's arms and dragged him out into the other room. He kept his voice low enough to where no one other than Sam could hear him, but even then, he felt nervous. Either way, it didn't matter really, because it didn't change the fact that Dean was stumped and lost all at the same time.
"What in the hell are those things?"
Sam bit his lip, and he looked uncharacteristically dumbfounded as he spoke, "Your guess is as good as mine, Dean… I don't even know why they have wings-"
"It's because we're angels."
The brothers jumped at sudden interruption beside them, and when they looked down, the small boys were staring up at them again with innocent eyes.
They just held eye contact for a moment, as Sam and Dean were unsure how to respond exactly to the amber-haired child's comment. Apparently a reply wasn't needed either way, because the amber-haired boy took initiative and began to introduce himself and his companion.
"I'm Gabriel, and this is Castiel, though I just call him Cassie. He's my little brother."
Sam, who was always one for defusing the tension in situations, is the first to bounce back from their surprise as he smiles slightly, "Alright, Gabe. You're, uh- you're angels, then?"
Castiel nods eagerly, answering Sam this time instead as he hums his agreement, "Mhm! We know because we have wings! It's amazing, Sam! We're just learning how to glide right now, though. Just the other day, when we were practicing, Gabriel got stuck inside a tree in the backyard-"
"I did not!" Gabe hissed.
"Did to!"
"Nu-uh!" Gabe whined, pouting as Castiel stuck his tongue out at him.
Child fights are the weirdest thing. Who knew that egos were so sensitive when you were only a kid?
Dean looked pleadingly towards Sam who just shrugged.
Wow, Sam. That was helpful.
With a sigh, Dean drops down to his knees to try and defuse the situation, "Hey, you guys wanna go to a park or somethin'?"
The boys brightened, and smiles appeared on their faces as they nodded quickly. The Winchesters watched as the two ran off and said goodbye to Sarah, and they hugged her legs as she smiled softly at them.
Dean was unsure if they understood if they knew they were never going to see her again.
They all piled into the Impala, and Dean gave Sam the responsibility of watching them while he drove. It seemed to be a hard job, if the stressed looks from his brother were anything to go by.
Gabe and Castiel were arguing in the backseat about who was going to get to swing first, or something else just as childish or seemingly insignificant. The hunters looked at each other with strained grimaces as the kids in the back screamed at each other about nonsense that was extremely insulting only to kids - like "having cooties" or who was a "butthead".
No wonder Sarah looked like she was about to go completely insane.
After Cas wails when Gabe hits his arm, Dean finally snaps.
"Hey! Stop fighting back there, or I'm gonna pull over and stop this car with no intention of ever getting to the park!"
Gabe and Castiel stilled immediately.
Thank God for small miracles…
"Heard that!" Gabe pouted.
Dean sent him a threatening look from the rear-view mirror and Gabe shut his mouth and finally stayed still.
Sam chuckled as the Impala pulled up to the park, because, from what Dean can see in the rear-view mirror, Castiel and Gabriel were almost flailing to death in the back seat. Dean shook his head and smiled, feeling some of the irritation ebb away.
It had been a long time since he and Sammy only had the worries of childhood on their minds, and to see these two still in that phase brought back good memories between himself and his little brother. The only differences really were the raven wings on Castiel's back and the amber and white speckled ones on Gabe's. Well that, and the fact that Dean and Sammy are human too, at least.
"Hey, can you guys sheathe your wings or somethin'? Just in case you guys don't hurt them or anything?" Sam asked, sending a glance towards Dean when he voiced his little white lie.
They know this from how people used to deal with them: you gotta find a loophole to get children to do what you want.
Castiel's face was scrunched and his eyes were squinted after they got out of the car, "We can sheathe them a little... Sarah tried working with us on that. It's kind of hard to do, but we're getting better at it."
"Well, try as hard as you can to keep 'em in, alright?" in a lower and quieter voice, Dean looked over to his brother and whispered, "No one else is here, at least. So it should be fine."
The small angels - or whatever they were - ran in front of them and jumped onto the playground. Like Dean had said, not many other people or kids were around, so watching them from afar wouldn't be so bad.
The Winchesters when and sat down on a bench as they watched the two boys sprint around the playground, their smiles and happy giggles filling in some of the silence.
Dean's hands were in his pockets, and one was fiddling with several coins to try and pass some time, "What do you think they are exactly?"
"I don't know. I wasn't expecting the wings, that's for sure."
"You and me both, Sammy."
Sam watched as Gabe swung on the monkey-bars, "Do you really think they actually might be angels?"
The eldest brother sighed, "I have no idea… I'm just kind of... lost. I wasn't planning on taking on two kids from this at all. That Sarah lady owes us big time. I don't even know what we're gonna do with them. I mean, it's not like they can tag along on late night hunts and stuff."
"Think we should head to Bobby's then? It might work out considering no one visits and they won't have to worry about their wings. Plus, Bobby can keep an eye on them both while we go do some small hunts, worse comes to worse. He might even be able to tell us what they are for sure."
"That might be best. Seems like we're going on a road-trip."
The hunters watched as Castiel and Gabriel goofed around on the playground. They even chuckled as Castiel pushed Gabe down the slide when he wasn't expecting it.
For Dean, this whole situation was something he wasn't expecting himself at all. He thought the boys were going to be skin-walkers or some weird type of creature they had yet to discover, but so far, the two never gave any indication that they could be anything like that. If anything, the two boys seemed pretty well-rounded and genuine - especially so whenever they told Dean and Sam that they were angels.
Still, it doesn't change the fact that Dean is quite lost on them.
Dean watches as Castiel goes down the slide, only to have the boy smile at him when he reached the bottom.
Sam sat silently beside his older brother, eyeing those creamy tan-topped and speckled white wings as they opened when Gabriel swung. The youngest Winchester was chuckling at Gabriel's expression of pure joy as the wind caught and ruffled his feathers. The young boy met his gaze and laughed.
-X-
The two fell asleep in the back of the car as Dean drove towards Bobby's. The Impala purred as Sam read beside Dean, because for some reason, he was trying to figure out what Gabriel and Castiel were when it was almost two in the morning. Everything was quiet as the highway flew underneath the tires, and the only thing lighting up the cab of the Impala was some of the light from Sam's phone.
Either way it didn't matter; the Winchesters just hoped they'd get answers.
"We're going to stop in the next mile or so for the night, okay?" Dean told them when a pothole woke them up, and the pair in the backseat began waking up and shuffling on the leather.
"My neck hurts…" Castiel whined.
Gabriel flexed his right wing with a scowl, "Yeah well, I slept on my feathers funny."
Sam and Dean chuckled tiredly.
The motel room wasn't much - just a pullout bed for the boys and the usual two mattresses for the hunters. There was nothing too different from when they usually rented a room, only this time being that Castiel and Gabriel were with them now. The two, however, fell asleep cuddling into each other without much fuss within minutes of them settling down for the night.
There are some small graces, Dean supposes.
The eldest sighs, and he lies down on his bed and closes his eyes, "You know, this was supposed to be like any other job… Why do we keep gettin' things like this sprung on us?"
Dean could hear his brother shrug from his own bed, "Beats me. Let's just get some decent sleep while we can. I'm sure that they'll wake up and start fighting again in no time."
Sam was right, of course.
That meant that Dean expected to wake up to two people yelling beside him - however, he wasn't expecting to see Castiel and Gabriel taller than they were they night before.
Dean nearly fell out of his bed with a yelp as he noticed the height change. Going from the soundless stare Sam was giving, he noticed too.
"What is it?" Castiel asked, his wings flexing as if to cover himself, "Is there something on me?"
Gabriel just shook his head, "No, they're reacting like Sarah did the night after she first found us. I don't think us growing like this is normal."
The Winchesters shot each other worried glances. They both hadn't thought that the small boys before them could change so drastically in the night.
Bobby was going to have a field day with this.
Dean sighed, and he began rubbing his temple to fend off the oncoming headache. Sam just sighed beside him and went to take a shower.
"So, you tend to grow several inches in a night, have fluffy wings, and you're telling me you're angels?" Dean asked, his disbelief edging his voice.
Castiel nodded, "Yes. Gabriel and I can hear the voices of Heaven right now."
"Every second?"
"Every single one."
Dean blinked, "So, why is it you two kid angels are here on Earth?"
Gabriel and Castiel looked towards the floor, and Gabe answers for the both of them, "If we knew before, that knowledge was taken away from us. We had our memories erased or something. The only reason we know we're angels is because Cassie and I get flashbacks sometimes."
"What would make Heaven or God so pissed he'd wipe your slates and turn you into kids?"
"We don't know… When Sarah found us we were literally babies. She's had us for two weeks."
Dean swallowed, and he mostly talked to himself as he mumbled, "Isn't that just grand? …"
"It's not our faults," Castiel pipes up, "but then again, we don't really know if it was… Either way, Gabriel and I aren't bad. The worst that happened with Sarah was when I accidentally broke one of her cups because it was too hot on my hand, and when Gabriel snapped one of her chairs because his feathers got stuck in honey once."
You know it must be a weird situation when Dean just sat silently on the bed.
-X-
The road-trip was beginning to become too much for Castiel and Gabriel.
They were whining in the back seat that their wings were cramping and they needed to stretch them - or it was something else that was just as grating to Dean's already frayed nerves. By the end, when they had gotten to Bobby's place, Dean was fuming and Sam had probably run his hand through his hair from stress hundreds of times. Bobby gave them a confused look as they practically sprinted from the car.
Gabriel and Castiel remained in the Impala, and they sat silently in the back seat.
"Why in the hell are there two kids in the Impala?"
Dean sighs, "We got a call from this woman John used to know named Sarah. She said she had two things that looked like kids, and she had no idea what the fuck they were. Before you ask, she did all the tests and stuff. Nothing happened. We don't even know what they are, exactly, Bobby. I mean, look at them! They even have wings!"
"Wings? ..." Bobby pauses for a moment, and he grimaces in confusion, "Boys, I've gotta tell you, I've never heard of somethin' quite like this."
Sam nods in agreement, "We're just as confused as you are, but it gets worse. They grew several inches overnight. It's like they're sped up or somethin'."
"They say they're angels," Dean adds, and he chances glancing back at the Impala, "Apparently they got their hard drives wiped and they get flashbacks or whatever. We came to you because we don't have a damn clue as to what they are or what to do."
Bobby just nods to himself, and after a few moments of thinking, he tells the Winchester brothers to get Castiel and Gabriel out of the car. The two boys complied eagerly, happy to be outside the cramped metal casing of the Impala as they began to stretch their wings.
Castiel's had grown shinier and now had specks of silver and white if the light shone at a certain angle. Gabriel's had gotten more muscle and were beginning to reach his head. Other than that, though, the only differences in the two supposed angels were their heights.
Bobby watched them closely when they stopped in front of him, "What are y'alls names?"
"I'm Castiel, and this is my brother, Gabriel. We're sure that Dean and Sam have explained everything accordingly."
"For six-year-olds, you're kind of articulate."
Castiel smiles softly, "Thank you... I believe it's because every day we remember things more and more. It's bound to happen."
Bobby led them all inside, and he ends up going into his study where copious amounts of papers and books litter the floor and tables.
Empty beer bottles were quickly put aside as Castiel and Gabe walked in last. They became distracted by all the texts on demons and hunter lore as the Winchester brothers get straight to business, as always. Castiel and Gabe explored around quietly as Bobby and the two Winchesters read on, only occasionally causing some disturbance whenever Castiel asked Dean about the tome he'd picked up and when Gabe decided to ask Sam about his hair length. They got bored, however, early on into things, and they ended up going outside to play.
It took several hours of research and debating for them to call it quits, and they still came up with nothing. By the end, the trio had at least three beers each and had gone through stacks and stacks of Bobby's old books and other pieces of informative writing.
"Dean?" Castiel came inside the study by himself, covered in dirt and car oil while his black hair was ruffled, "What is with all of the broken and dead cars here?"
"It's a scrap yard."
"What does a scrap yard's purpose exactly serve, Dean?"
Dean chuckled, because Castiel's innocence and curiosity was a little humorous towards the hunter, "It helps you find car parts to replace bad or damaged ones. Bobby helped me rebuild the Impala outside I don't know how many times."
Bobby smiled from where he sat at his desk, "Knowin' how you two drive, the count won't stop for that poor car."
"Hey! It's not our fault people shoot at us all the damn time and that demons like to rough her up! My baby's got all her battle scars from hunting trips and from all the things we've tracked down and finished for good! Not a single one are from me, thank you very much!"
"What about your initials carved into it, along with Sam's?" Castiel asks, "Gabriel and I saw them while we were outside after we were done exploring Bobby's scrap yard."
Dean blinks in surprise, "Those are from when Sammy and I were kids. That was a long time ago… My dad was sleeping after a hunting trip and we were bored."
Castiel nodded, apparently taking mental notes, "What are hunting trips?"
Sam and Dean looked at each other, but the eldest Winchester answers, "There's a better time for that- like when you and Gabriel are ten inches taller."
"Oh, okay. I'll be outside with Gabriel."
"Don't wreck anything!" Bobby called out, "They're almost like you two idjits."
Dean chuckled, then sighed, "Thanks, Bobby. Anyways, Sam and I might take some cases on, but we promise they'll just be salt and burns that are nearby."
"That's okay, as long as you aren't completely dumping those kids on me. Just because they seem like they're good n' all doesn't mean it's okay to leave them all alone with me for days on end. They look like handfuls, and I ain't dealin' with two more repeats of you numbskulls."
"Wouldn't dream of it, Bobby," Dean said with a smirk.
Dean and Sam were still chuckling at Bobby's words when they went outside to get into the Impala. They were still walking down the length of the gravel driveway when they spotted the two boys playing.
Castiel and Gabriel were running around, chasing each other in between the rusting cars. They saw the hunters and ran up to them, and there wide smiles on their faces.
"Where are you guys going?" Gabe asked.
Sam smiled as the kid bounced up and hugged his leg, "We're going to do some work for a bit. We may be back in a few days, and Bobby will be watching you until then. Listen to everything he says, and follow it to the letter."
"I don't understand…" Castiel looked towards the dirt unhappily, "Why do you have to go?"
"We have stuff we have to do. Trust us, it's stuff you guys don't wanna deal with," Castiel was still pouting, and it made Dean's heart stammer a little, "It's okay, Cas, we'll be back soon."
The small angel seemed to brighten at the nickname, "Alright. See you guys in a bit, then!"
The two watched as the black Impala reversed back out onto the road, only to drive away.