"Why pumpkins?" Jack asked as he glanced around at all the activities as the three of them approached the entrance to the pumpkin patch.
"Well I consulted the google for appropriate Halloween related activities," Castiel explained as he and Hannah came to a stop at the ticket booth. "Visiting a pumpkin patch is a significant ritual. We have to journey through the corn maze, eat nutritionally deficient but seasonal foods, ride the carriage, and at the conclusion, we must select some pumpkins to take home so we can carve them into faces to frighten young children on Halloween."
Hannah mimicked the confused look on Jack's face as the Nephilim cocked his head to one side. Both looked at Castiel for clarification as the angel glanced up from reading the list off of his phone. Castiel smiled as he noticed the two of them looking at him like confused lost birds.
"I don't understand how consuming nutritionally deficient foods is necessary for this activity, Castiel," Hannah spoke up, trying to wrap her mind around yet another strange human concept. "And wouldn't frightening the children cause a traumatic reaction?"
"I'll show you both," Castiel assured them, a soft smile spreading across his face as he took Hannah's hand and ushered her towards the ticket booth while Jack looked on.
"Three tickets please," Hannah told the ticket booth attendant. The woman glanced at the three of them, eyes lingering slightly on Jack, who seemed preoccupied with the activities going on just beyond the gate.
"How old is he?" the woman asked as Hannah handed her some cash.
"He just turned one," Castiel explained, proudly. Hannah glanced at him as he received a dumbfounded look from the woman. Now it was Castiel's turn to be confused. "Was… that not the correct answer?"
"Well… he looks a little big for his age," the women replied, glancing at Nephilim who stepped closer, trying to understand the reason of her confusion.
"Oh I grow fast," Jack insisted. "Dean said it's because I eat my wheaties."
"Right…" the woman seemed skeptical but she reluctantly handed them the tickets and moments later, they were through the gate and immersed in a labyrinth of tables and booths with vendors selling everything from food to artisan crafts. The ground beneath them was sprinkled heavily with hay and straw and just beyond the crowd of vendors was a twisted thicket of pumpkins.
People wandered around, young children bounded about in their thick jackets, laughing and socializing about. As Hannah strode through the crowd with Castiel, she had to smile to herself at the look of wonder on Jack's face as he took everything in.
"Look at this place!" Jack exclaimed enthusiastically as he walked up ahead of them. "I want to see everything, can we please see everything, Castiel?"
"Of course," Castiel replied pleasantly as walked hand in hand with Hannah. "Just don't get too far ahead of us, we don't want you to get lost." Hannah found herself feeling a little protective of the young Nephilim; her eyes watched his every move as he bounded about ahead of them, while the two of them tried to absorb the atmosphere of the pumpkin patch as well.
"Should we tell him?" Castiel asked suddenly as they walked together. Hannah glanced at him with a frown. She knew what he was talking about. She knew Jack and Claire had both been suspicious when she had spent the morning being sick.
"How do you think he will take the news?" she wanted to know, eyes darting about the area.
"Better than Claire will, I assure you," Castiel warned. Hannah sighed. The still had a few people to tell about this pregnancy. Jack, Claire, the Winchesters. Castiel assured Hannah he would take care of the Winchesters himself, which left only Jack and Claire to worry about.
Hannah did not doubt that Claire would react negatively. The girl had made it clear she was opposed to Hannah having anything to do with Castiel. Hannah had tried her best to stay out of the girl's way, to let Castiel take care of caring for her, but Claire was determined to drive Hannah away, and this would solidify her relationship with the only father Claire had.
"We'll tell him today," Hannah replied just as Jack rushed over to them with a big grin on his face.
"I'd like my face painted," he declared, pointing to a booth where a line of children had formed in front of a woman who was busy painting their faces. Castiel dug out a few dollars and handed them to the Nephilim who took them eagerly and hurried to join the line. He was easily the oldest looking child in line, and a few of them gave him some quizzical glances. Hannah frowned as she and Castiel stood nearby to watch. Human children had a hard time figuring Jack out. He was a conundrum. A one-year-old who should still be wearing diapers, but with the body of a teenager and the intellectual capacity of the angelic being that he was.
As they waited, Hannah happened to glance towards a small popcorn stand and caught sight of something else out of place. There, standing beside the wooden building, stood a young child. Children abounded about her, so it wasn't her presence so much as her appearance. And the way she stared at Hannah, her blue eyes unblinking as if trying to pierce through the angel's very soul- that is, if the angel had a soul.
The girl seemed to be about five, her dark brown hair woven into large, thick ringlets and pulled back with a bonnet. Her thick red wool dress looked out of style compared to the other humans around her. If Hannah knew anything about human history, she might have placed this girl's clothes and hairstyle as being from some time in the late 17th century.
"I suppose Jack isn't the only one who is out of place here," Hannah murmured to herself, not taking her eyes off the girl. "She looks out of place as well."
"Who?" Castiel's voice cut through Hannah's interest in the girl and the angel turned to look at his deep blue eyes. Those eyes… they were similar to… Hannah glanced back only to find that the girl was gone. She squinted in confusion.
"Nothing," Hannah said quickly. "It was my imagination, I suppose." Castiel regarded her with concern but was distracted when Jack returned at that moment, beaming ear to ear as he donned a large red dragon painted on the side of his face.
"Quite fierce," Castiel commented. "Come on Jack, let's get something to eat, Hannah and I have something to share with you."
"What shall we eat?" Jack wondered, glancing at all the food vendors. He narrowed in on a booth selling cotton candy, sugar cookies, and hot cocoa. "Could we have that?"
Moments later, the three of them sat on a picnic table, and Jack happily nibbled on his tray piled high of various types of cookies. Hannah had to smile as she watched the Nephilim eat his way through his lunch of sugar and dough.
"I am uncertain if Nephilim requires the same nutritional needs as humans," Castiel said. "So you must eat a healthy dinner tonight to compensate for this."
Hannah took a breath as the moment approached. "Jack there is something we need to tell you," she began carefully. The Nephilim looked up from his meal with alarm as he studied both of their faces, noting the seriousness in their expressions.
"What is it?" he wondered. "Is everything alright? Is someone ill?"
"No one is ill," Castiel began. "But it seems that Hannah and I will be expecting a baby."
Jack blinked, puzzled as he received the news. He squinted at them both. "Expecting one?" he wanted to know. "Is it being delivered by mail? I'm… not sure I understand."
"No," Hannah explained, glancing at Castiel as she realized the Nephilim had no idea what they were talking about. Hannah could see how this conversation was going to take a turn for awkward and she wasn't sure she understood what they had just walked into.
Castiel cleared his throat, considering his next words. "Jack, er… Hannah is having the baby. It's inside of her. Like you were inside of your mother at one point. Do you understand?"
Jack's gaze shifted to Hannah, his eyes scanning her as if trying to discern where exactly the baby might be. Hannah frowned as she realized what the Nephilim's next question would be. "I remember being inside my mother," He admitted. "But I don't quite know how I got there. How did you get the baby inside of you, Hannah? Was it sex? Because some kids at school have suggested that-"
"Uh, perhaps we will answer that question a little later," Hannah stammered quickly, blushing bright red as she glanced at Castiel for help. "But the baby is growing inside of me, according to the doctor, it will be born sometime in May or June."
"I will be the baby's brother? Like Sam and Dean?" Jack asked a hopeful note in the tone of his voice.
Hannah nodded, relief flooding through her as Jack seemed excited about the news. "Yes," she said. "You and Claire will be the baby's older siblings."
Jack frowned. "Claire will not be happy," he pointed out. "I don't think she will like hearing about this."
"There are a few people we still have to tell, so you have to keep this to yourself for a while," Castiel explained. "Don't tell anyone."
The Nephilim nodded. Hannah smiled, daring to allow herself to feel excitement for the first time over this pregnancy. She dared to hope that this was something she could look forward to, that she could be happy about. In the back of her mind she worried about the possibilities, would she even be able to survive, would heaven approve, what would Michael do? So many concerns still haunted her thoughts. But for now, she was happy. She never thought she could be satisfied living on Earth. It was the last place she ever wanted to be before she met Castiel. She never knew there could be happiness outside of heaven, but here she was with a family, with friends, with a life, people who cared about her. Maybe this was what humans treasured so much.
They spent the rest of the day enjoying the pumpkin patch before Jack selected a number of pumpkins to take home and carve. As Castiel lugged an armful of pumpkins to the car, Jack talking excitedly about having a baby brother or sister, about how he was going to carve pumpkins, about how he had been learning things at school, Hannah thought surely this was bliss.
If only it could stay that way.