When the Bough Breaks
Part 4 of ?
Sam drove down the sparsely filled interstate towards the larger town just North of Bobby's. It was the closest Wal-Mart. He figured the mega-store, which, scarily enough, at times reminded him of hell, would be the best option to find everything they were going to need.
Turning his head slightly to glance at Gabriel, it dawned once again on Sam just how weird his life had become. Here he was, driving to Wal-Mart with an Archangel in the passenger seat, intent on buying baby items for his soon to be half-angel nephew.
Life didn't get much weirder than that... And that was without adding in the fact that said nephew came from two men.
"Here," Gabriel spoke up, breaking into his musings.
Sam glanced over at him again. The other man was holding up a stylish brown leather wallet.
"What's that for?" Sam asked, confused. Since when did angels carry around wallets?
"Just because I'm not snapping things into existence, doesn't mean I'm not going to help out. That kid is my family, too," Gabriel pointed out.
"You seem awfully protective of Cas..." Sam started, but trailed off when Gabriel's golden hazel eyes flashed with warning. Reaching over he took the wallet from the other man.
"Castiel is... different. He understands things the rest of the Host don't... he understands freewill. He understands... me. "
"You took Dean's comment about sleeping with Cas meaning nothing pretty well," Sam said.
"Because I knew it wasn't true," Gabriel said matter-of-factly.
"You seem pretty sure about that. With Dean's track record, how can you know? Did you read his mind?"
Gabriel smirked and turned in his seat to face the hunter.
"Let me tell you something about fledglings. They don't exist because a human and an angel get horny," Gabriel explained.
Sam could feel his face heat up. Seriously, at his age, who the hell still blushed?
Gabriel smirked.
"To create life, to create a fledgling like Cas and your brother did, it would require a perfect blending of my brother's Grace and Dean's soul. That's not something that happens when you're just fucking."
"Wha-" Sam cleared his throat. "What do you mean?" he asked.
Gabriel chuckled.
"When two people love each other very much," he started.
"Okay! I really don't need the birds and the bees story," Sam interrupted.
"Au contraire, Sammy. You know how a human mommy and daddy make a baby... This is something else entirely... but... if you don't think you're mature enough to handle it, we don't have to discuss this."
Sam glared at the Archangel.
"Awww, your bitch face is so cute, Sammy!" Gabriel told him, reaching over to pinch his cheek.
Sam pulled away from the other man's reach.
"Don't call me that," he told him the angel.
Gabriel rolled his eyes.
"Go ahead, finish your story," Sam said as he pulled into the packed Wal-Mart parking lot.
Gabriel sat back in the worn leather seat.
"As I was saying... when an angel truly opens himself up during moments of... intimacy, his Grace will reach out. You can control that, but Castiel didn't know he needed to. If the angel's Grace finds an open soul, it will latch on and take a small sliver with it.
"Remember what I told you about a human's soul coming apart? I meant that quite literally. At the moment of orgasm, the human soul shatters," he explained, sounding like a professor offering a lecture.
"When an angel's Grace reaches out and encounters a sliver, it will pull it back inside the angel, thus forming the basis for a new being.
"If there is no bond, no true feelings between the two, the soul and Grace won't be able to combine. Your brother and mine were not just fucking," he finished with a small smile that looked so foreign on the ex-Trickster's face.
"So that explains most of it... but how..." Sam trailed off, unsure how to ask his question.
Gabriel leered at him.
"Do I really need to explain to you how the genetic material from your brother got inside of mine?"
Sam rolled his eyes.
"No, I get that part."
"Sam, some parts of this defy physics and biology and all other forms of human science. You just have to take it on faith."
Sam nodded.
"So… you… I mean… there was someone in your life once… like that," Sam started, not sure if Gabriel was willing to discuss his past. He couldn't help being curious about the Archangel.
"I'm not talking about it, Sam," Gabriel told him firmly, all traces of humor gone from his eyes.
"But you have gone through this before. That's what Cas said."
"I had a son, yes. But I am not. Talking. About. It."
"Okay, okay. I get the point. Sorry," Sam told him, wishing for the light teasing atmosphere they'd had on the way there.
"We're here," he announced, nodding towards the large building they were parked in front of.
"Well, what are you waiting for? Let's go!" Gabriel said, eagerly jumping out of the Impala.
Sam sighed at the Archangel's enthusiasm and desire to get out of the car. It obviously still hurt, whatever had happened so long ago. Then again, did anyone ever really get over losing a child?
Heavy, harsh breathing woke Dean up. The first thing he saw when he opened his lids were scared blue eyes, eyes that were glued to the golden egg that sat on the bed between them. Cas's breaths were coming out as near pants. Not a good sign.
"Cas, how ya feeling, Man?" Dean asked, hoping to calm the angel's obvious panic.
Frightened blue eyes met his.
"Um... better, I think. It's been awhile since I've needed to sleep, but I believe it has helped. I feel stronger."
"That's good," Dean told him, pulling himself up to lean against the headboard.
Cas followed his lead, pulling himself up to a sitting position before allowing his eyes to fall back to the egg.
Dean reached out and brushed his fingers against the golden shell and smiled as feelings rushed across his mind. Cas cleared his throat and made to get up off the bed but Dean reached out and grasped his hand, effectively halting his retreat.
"Cas, what's going on? Talk to me, man," Dean pleaded, embarrassed at the desperation in his voice.
Cas met his eyes for a long time before he finally spoke.
"Dean, I haven't the first idea what to do with... that," Cas told him, nodding at the egg. "I am an angel. I don't... I'm not... Dean, I can't do this."
"Bullshit," Dean bit out vehemently. "You fucking rebelled, you turned your back on heaven, and you are afraid you can't take care of a baby?"
"It's not the physical act of caring for an infant that I feel inadequate about. It's... it's the nurturing, the... the loving him part I don't think I can fulfill," Cas admitted, looking very uncomfortable.
"Why?"
"Dean, we aren't created to... love."
"Again I call bullshit. God created you to love Him, right? And to love humanity..."
Cas sighed. Dean realized he still held the angel's hand. He tugged until Cas scooted closer to him, still holding himself back from touching the egg.
"I don't know anything about being a parent," Cas pointed out.
"Cas, look at the role models I had. Look at my childhood. So we have to make it up as we go along, so what? We'll have help. Sam, Bobby, hell, probably even Gabriel. We'll just... make shit up as we go."
Cas still looked unsure so Dean did the only thing he could think of. Taking the angel's hand, he placed the palm flat against the warm shell. Cas sucked in a breath, immediately going to pull his hand away but Dean held on tight.
He watched a hundred emotions flit across Cas's eyes before the angel slowly, almost hesitantly, reached out with his other hand to pick up the egg.
Dean watched Cas cradle the golden ball in his lap, his eyes wide and frightened. The hunter reached out and cupped Cas's jaw, turning his head to face him.
"It's gonna be fine. We'll figure it out, together, okay?" Dean asked. Cas nodded, eyes still a little unsure.
Dean leaned in and pressed a gently kiss to the angel's lips. He felt Cas lean in to him for a moment before pulling back and ending the kiss.
Cas glanced back down at the egg in his lap.
"He'll need a name."
Dean smiled at that.
"Any ideas?"
Cas was quiet for a few minutes.
"Daniel," he finally offered.
Dean thought about it for a minute. He actually kind of liked the name.
"It means 'God will judge'," Cas offered.
"I like it," Dean told him.
Cas gave his first tentative smile.
"Daniel... John?" Cas asked, eyes meeting Dean's once more.
"Daniel John Winchester it is," Dean agreed, a smile blossoming on his face.
"He approves," Cas told him, eyes returning to their son once more.
"Good."
Dean laid his hand next to Cas's on the egg and smiled at the feelings flowing through him.