Baby was about ready to collect the toys and not give them back until they were in the motel. It was mostly that they kept getting dropped or thrown on the walk over. She was so glad that they hadn't needed to cross the street at any point. She knew the boys would have run out in traffic for their toys and she wasn't certain what would have happened then. Even carrying her boys didn't help as they all seemed to keep dropping their toys.
"Okay boys, hand 'em over," Baby said when they got to the consignment shop.
"No," Sam said stubbornly, gripping his knight to him. Castiel hesitated, though he clearly looked like he would obey if she said it again. Dean also hesitated and looked worried. Baby couldn't decide who she was more happy or frustrated with. Sam was clearly the most like a child and that made her happy. But he stubbornness was not that appreciated. And Castiel would follow her orders, but she disliked that he wouldn't tell her no. And Dean… well, he clearly hadn't forgotten earlier. She thought he must be wondering what he'd done wrong. She'd heard adult Dean tell her how he didn't deserve thingst hat got taken from him.
She rather wanted to punch John Winchester and God both in the face.
"I'll give them back when we get back to the motel, but for now I'm going to hold onto them so you don't lose them," she tried to explain calmly. "Plus, if you boys are good I'll let you pick a toy each when we're done getting you clothes," she said.
That, at least, seemed to get through to the boys, who while none of them just handed their toy over, at least more willing to accept her terms. She glanced around a found a bag. She grabbed it and opened it up. "Drop 'em in."
Castiel did it instantly and didn't seem to look for praise for doing as he was told. Dean reacted similarly, though his eyes did linger on the bag. Sam grumpily dropped his knight in, but stayed close for a minute until Baby ruffled his hair. She mentally noted to try and get Castiel and Dean to ask for what they wanted.
"Excuse me," a woman said. She had a name badge on, and Baby assumed she worked there.
"Yes," Baby said, "Bonnie," she added. The older woman looked very much like she took care of herself, though she smelled enough to cigarettes for Baby to know why the woman hadn't aged so gracefully. She was white with hair dyed brown in a manner that said 'who do you think you're kidding' more than it said 'youth'. Her face was lined and wrinkled, but her eyes were an interesting kind of hazel and Baby smiled at the woman.
"Yes?" Bonnie asked, clearly getting annoyed.
"Wow, how do you get to be so old?" Sam asked looking up at the woman.
"Sam!" Baby said harshly. Sam's face fell instantly and Dean tugged him back close by. Sam either didn't realize he could hurt someone's feelings with what he said, or he thought it was some kind of demented 5 year old complement.
"Sorry about that," Baby said. "I'm looking for clothes for my boys and a few for me."
Bonnie gave Baby a look that could strip paint off the walls. Baby frowned, not certain what she'd done to deserve such a look. But Bonnie sighed and nodded. "This way," she said.
She led them over to a section of children's clothing. It took up like half the clothing part of the store, something Baby was grateful for. It held the boys attention for like a minute. Castiel kept his gaze on the bag that Baby had their toys in and Dean had spotted the toy section and Sam had noticed the shelf with books for kids.
"Stop," Baby said forcefully to the boys. They at least stopped for a minute. She looked at Bonnie. "Help? Please?" she asked.
She must have looked really hapless because the woman's expression eased and she laughed. "Take the boys to the changing room, I'll find things their size," she said. She handed Baby a few shirts for them to try on.
"You're a saint," Baby said. She herded the boys to the dressing room. She was very, very glad that the dressing room's door touched the floor. She had a feeling one of the boys would have crawled away otherwise and made a break for the toy room. Wrestling them into clothes was trouble enough. It also only took noticing that Castiel had gotten into the toy bag for Bonnie to hang it up on one of the highest hooks where they couldn't reach.
"You brats weren't so much trouble when I was carrying you into town," she whispered to them fondly and they had the audacity to giggle. She smiled despite herself. She was struck with just how much she loved them.
"Delivery," Bonnie said. She waited a moment and opened the door, bringing in a crazy amount of clothes on hangers. She shut the door behind her to arrange the clothes. "We get donations of unused socks and underwear," she said, handing Baby a bag to look at. "They're fairly standard sizes, should I just add them to your purchase?"
"Yes," Baby said. She nodded up to the bag. "That too."
Bonnie took the bag off the hook and left with it. One of the boys, Baby wasn't certain who, let out a whimper.
"I just have to pay for the bag, you'll get your toys later," she assured them. Then she went back to the monumental task of getting the boys to try the different clothes. No one was happy when they got out of the dressing room with their purchases.
Baby lay the clothes out on the counter and glanced down at her boys, who were looking far too innocent for her liking. She needed to try on clothes for herself but she didn't know how she could do that and police three boys.
"Why don't you send them to the toy room, I can watch them from here," Bonnie said. Baby didn't know if she'd said it out loud or Bonnie could read minds, but it didn't matter either way.
"Thank you," Baby breathed, sounding as thankful as she felt. "Okay boys, go on. You can pick one thing each and don't break anything."
She didn't have to tell them twice. The boys ran off to the toy room, which Baby realized Bonnie actually could see all of. Baby slipped off, going to the women's section. She had a harder time finding things because she didn't know her size for anything.
"You're not very good at this, are you?" Bonnie asked.
"Is it that obvious?" Baby asked.
"Well, you don't do bad with the kids, but what kind of girl can't pick her own clothes. What, were you raised in a cult or something?"
That, at least, sounded plausible. "Actually, yes," she said. "I was married to Dean and Sam's dad for a while."
"Oh, dear," Bonnie said, suddenly very sympathetic. "Yeah, their mom died when they were very little. And then John died about… a year?" she tried to find a date that sounded plausible. Of course, anything sounded better than saying she'd spent her whole life as a car and just turned human recently.
"Who's is the third, then?" Bonnie asked.
"Castiel was our leader, our god's son. But he disappeared and I've been taking care of all the boys sense then," Baby said. The lies came so easy it was kind of shocking. And suddenly Bonnie was very sympathetic.
"Okay," Bonnie said. "Then looks you're getting a crash course in American living," Bonnie said. "Come here, bring a few of those clothes with you."
Baby came over. They both glanced to the toy room where the boys were still playing. Bonnie helped Baby figure out her approximate size for all of her clothes. When Bonnie pointed out how well Baby's clothes fit, Baby admitted she hadn't picked them. She then made up a story of a nice stranger who gave her clothes so she could hide. The frisky, tight fitting clothes were nothing like what the cult wore and so no one noticed it was her.
Bonnie cooed over her and showed her how to look at clothes and what would look good on Bonnie's skin. She sent Bonnie to the dressing room with a measuring tape and instructions on how to measure for bra size. Baby said size A and Bonnie pointed her to the right clothes.
Baby was actually thrilled for the help, especially when she came out of the dressing room with her purchases and found out that the boys were in the book section. Bonnie had helped them pick one two each, and she told them that she'd let them each have a book for free. Sam was diligently looking at each child's book. Dean had his arms wrapped around the first Harry Potter book and would not let go. Castiel had used the step stool to pick a very thick tome that Baby was sure was too big for him.
"What do you have there, Castiel?" Baby asked, bending down.
Castiel blushed and showed her his book. "Brothers Karamazov?" Baby asked, reading off the title. She looked confused, and looked at Castiel.
"I remember it," he said quietly.
And Baby understood, Castiel's angel powers probably gave him a lot more memories than Sam or Dean. Baby smiled at him and kissed his forehead. "I'm certain it'll be okay."
She nudged the boys toward the front, picking out a couple of extra books herself, a few of the thin story books Sam had been looking out, a second copy of the Magic Tree House series that Sam had finally picked from, the second and third Harry Potter book for Dean, and Crime and Punishment for Castiel. She also picked up a romance book. She'd seen women reading them, so she imagined that they were important for human females to read.
Bonnie rang everything up. She's loaded the toys into the bag with the rest and sorted the books into different bags so the weight wouldn't be so bad, though the clothes she was able to fit into one bag. "Can I help you to your car?" Bonnie asked.
"No, we walked," Baby said. "Come on boys." She scooped up all the bags, thinking nothing of the fact that the load was not light and she showed no signs of even noticing the weight, though the bags were a bit awkward. "Stick close to me," she told the boys in her most serious voice.
She knew that might get them a few blocks, but not much more than that. She hoped she could get them to cross the street without much trouble. She scooped up Sam, at least, letting him back on her shoulder. Then she picked up the other two because even with the bags hanging over her arms it was just safer for her boys. She didn't see the way Bonnie was staring.