Jessica didn't sleep very well the night before zoo day. She and Dickie had a giant hotel bed all to themselves with plenty of fluffy pillows and soft blankets, but Jessie couldn't keep her eyes closed. She was too afraid of having another nightmare to fall back asleep. Her dreams – especially the ones that she knew would come true – always felt so real. Sometimes they were good, like the one where she saw Papa and uncle Dean helping her pick out a long white dress. But sometimes the dreams were really scary, like the one about being all alone in the dark without anyone to hear her prayers. She hated those bad dreams. They always made her worry about the future.
But another reason Jessica couldn't sleep was because she was so excited to go to the zoo. She couldn't wait to see the animals and have fun with Jude and Ollie. Would there be a gift shop? Would everyone get to pick out a treat? Maybe Jessie could find a friend for her bunny back home. Man, she really wished that she had brought her bunny on the trip. He could have helped her feel better about going to sleep...
It was only a matter of time before Papa noticed that Jessica was awake. Papa never slept, so he knew when everyone else was sleeping or not. Kinda like Santa Claus. When Jessie rolled over, she met Papa's gold eyes from across the room. He was tucked beneath Daddy's long arm under the covers and his lips spread into a warm smile when they saw each other.
"You okay, baby girl?" Papa whispered, keeping his voice down.
Since Papa already knew she was awake, Jessica wiggled her arms out from under her blanket and gave a shrug.
"I'm too excited to sleep," she whispered back.
She didn't mention her bad dream because she didn't want Papa to worry. And instead, her happy answer made his smile grow. Papa carefully slid out from under Daddy's arm and stood up to walk over to Jess's bed. Jessica shimmied over to give him some room and Papa sat on the very edge to reach down and brush some of Jess's hair out of the way to see her better. Dickie uncurled himself from the end of the bed and wandered over to lay closer to them.
"I'm excited too," Papa hummed, looking so happy, "I really wanna see a platypus."
Jessica giggled a little. Platypus? That was a funny name! What kind of animal was that? Before Jess could ask, Papa's grin faded into a soft smile and he leaned down closer.
"Do you need some help falling asleep, honeydew?" he asked.
Though she was still kind of worried about nightmares, Jessica nodded her head. Whenever Papa helped her fall asleep, she usually didn't dream anything bad. She knew that he used some kind of magic to do it, but it was good magic. Angel magic. Love magic. When he got Jess's answer, Papa leaned down to peck a kiss to her forehead. Jessica could already feel her eyelids growing heavy with sleep.
"Sweet dreams, baby rabbit," Papa whispered, "I'll see you in the morning..."
It felt like Jessica had just closed her eyes when the sound of a loud knock woke her up. The night went by so fast that morning had come without her realizing it, and now she was opening her eyes to see the bright sun starting to shine in the window. Dickie was already awake and barking excitedly from the edge of Jess's big bed, sounding like he wanted to know who was at the door.
"Hold on, I'm coming," Dad called.
Jessica rolled over to see that her parents were both up and dressed. Dad kissed Papa's cheek on the way over to open the hotel door and let in the rest of their family. Uncle Dean, uncle Cassie, Jude, and Ollie came in, noisily talking in excited voices. Glancing between their smiling faces made Jessica remember that today was zoo day! They were getting ready to see the animals! The little girl instantly rubbed her eyes and climbed out of bed, feeling so happy that she thought she might explode with joy.
"Oh, hey! I'm so glad you're finally awake, sunshine," Papa sang when she rushed over to the group, "I've got another tiny surprise for you."
"You do?!" Jessie gasped.
"Yep. Well, technically it's for everyone," Papa corrected.
"A surprise for everyone, huh?" uncle Dean repeated with a yawn, "I hope it's coffee..."
"Nope," Papa said, shaking his head.
He dashed over to a duffel bag near the bed to dig around inside. Jessie stood with her boys and eagerly waited to see what sort of surprise it was. Would it be a live animal? Another gift? Some kind of treat? With Papa, there was no telling what kind of surprise it would be! Jess's Papa eventually turned around and held up a T-shirt. It was all black with rainbow letters on the front that said 'Jessie's Wild Winchester Family Adventure' and the current year was printed underneath. Jessie blinked up at the awesome shirt in amazement. Whoa! Did Papa make that? It was so cool!
"Gabe, where did – ? How did you – ?" Daddy sputtered, looking confused.
"I got them special made. Look, there's one for all of us," Papa smiled, tossing the big one to Daddy and digging out another one.
"We're all gonna wear the same shirts?" Jude asked.
"Yep," Papa answered, tossing one to Jude, "That one's yours, sidekick."
"That's a good idea, Mr. Gabe," Ollie said with a nod, "All the kids in my class have to wear the same shirt when we go on field trips, too. It helps us stay together as a group, so no one gets lost."
"Red's got a good point," uncle Dean mumbled, "Alright. I'll wear it I guess. Cas? You okay with losing the coat for one day?"
"Um. I suppose so, Dean," uncle Cassie shrugged.
When Papa was done passing out shirts, he handed a special one to Jessica and nodded toward the bathroom.
"Go get dressed, bunny rabbit. The faster you get done, the faster we can head on over to the zoo," he winked.
Jessica immediately ripped the fabric out of her Papa's hand and dashed for the bathroom. Once the door was shut, she changed out of her Pjs and into her new shirt. The one Papa gave her was even more special, because her sleeves were purple. She put on a pair of jean shorts and sandals to match. And afterward, she took a second to admire her new clothes in the mirror. The words on her shirt were backwards in the reflection, but the rainbow color of them was still pretty. Man, she had the best Papa in the world! The little girl blew herself a kiss in the mirror before twirling around to dance back out of the bathroom.
In the main part of the hotel room, all the boys had changed into their shirts – and Jessie realized that everyone's sleeves had a different color. Uncle Dean's were green, Uncle Cassie's were dark blue, Jude's were light blue, Ollie's were orange, Daddy's were red, and Papa's were yellow. Together, all of the Winchesters made a perfect rainbow of color! When Jessie rejoined the group, uncle Dean smiled big.
"Okay," he sang loudly, "Who's ready to go to the zoo?"
Jessica, Jude, and Ollie all shouted 'me' and jumped up and down. Yay! The zoo! Jessie really wanted to go! Even Dickie jumped up and down with excitement. Uncle Dean grinned and pointed toward the door.
"Then let's head out," he instructed.
It didn't take long for Jessie and her family to load up in the car and buckle in. They all sat down and started singing 'The Lion Sleeps Tonight' while uncle Dean drove. Jessie noticed that the trip from the hotel to the zoo didn't take much time. Five minutes later, they were already there. The giant parking lot slowly came into view and Jess nearly leaped out of her seat to search for the main entrance. A giant 'Kansas City Zoo' sign was hanging over the gate and it made Jess's stomach flutter with happiness. They finally made it to the zoo! The animals were just inside!
When uncle Dean parked the car, everybody rushed out of the vehicle in a fit of smiles and giggles, wanting to get inside the park as fast as they could. But, as usual, uncle Dean didn't let anyone go anywhere without talking to them first.
"Whoa whoa, slow down, munchkins," he said, stopping Jessie, Jude, and Ollie by the car, "Before we go in, what's the golden rule?"
"Do unto to others as you would have done to you," Ollie said boldly, looking proud of himself.
Jessie and Jude both turned to blink at their friend in wonder. Huh. Jess had never heard that golden rule before. But it sounded nice. Uncle Dean narrowed his eyes and gave Daddy a strange look before shaking his head.
"Uh... That's true, I guess... But that's not the answer I'm looking for," he corrected.
"It's the buddy system, Dad," Jude answered.
"That's right," uncle Dean nodded, "We're gonna use the buddy system. That means no matter what, you always stay with your buddy. That way, if something bad happens, you won't be alone. Okay?"
"But, wait! Who is my buddy?" Ollie gulped, looking around.
"I'll be your buddy, Ollie," Jessica volunteered.
Not only was Ollie one of Jessica's best – and only – friends, but she knew from her dreams that she and Ollie were going to be together for a very long time. It seemed like they were going to be buddies forever. But when Jess made the suggestion, Daddy coughed loudly and stepped forward to wag his finger in protest.
"Uhh, no. I – I think that all three of you should be buddies," he corrected, gesturing to Jessica, Ollie, and Jude, "You know, so you'll have better back up."
Papa and uncle Dean both gave Daddy tired looks, like they couldn't believe that he interrupted to say that. Jessica was kind of confused about why they were looking at each other that way, but she agreed with Dad's suggestion. It probably would be better to have two buddies instead of just one, right?
"Okay," Jess shrugged, "We can be like The Three Musketeers."
"Or The Three Amigos," Ollie smiled back.
"And with our daddies, we're like the Justice League," Jude smiled, glancing up at his and Jess's parents.
"Exactly, little man," uncle Dean nodded, "Alright. Let's go."
Jude, Jessica, and Ollie all joined arms and started to skip toward the zoo entrance like the characters from the Wizard of Oz, with Dickie playing Toto. The adults followed close behind, mumbling to each other about money and stuff. Uncle Dean was still trying to figure out how to use his new video camera, but by the time they got to the ticket counter, he tossed it in the bag that Dad was carrying and grumbled that he was 'done trying to deal with that piece of crap.'
While the adults gave the tickets to the people at the counter, Jessica stood on her tippy-toes to peer beyond the gate, trying to get a glimpse of one of the animals. A few large buildings were just inside and she could hear the call of birds and the sound of splashing water.
"Do you think the unicorn exhibit is open today?" Ollie asked.
Jessie shared a small look with Jude. Did the zoo have unicorns? Jess always thought that unicorns were only make believe. But were they real? Daddy must have heard Ollie's question because he turned to look down at them with a frown.
"Oliver," he sighed, "There aren't any unicorns."
"On this side of the park," Papa quickly added, giving Dad's long arm a stern yank, "The unicorns are on the other side, right Mr. Sam?"
Jessica could tell that Daddy wanted to argue with Papa; that he wanted to tell Ollie that the zoo didn't have any unicorns. But instead, he just gave Papa a weary look and sighed. Daddy may have been upset, but Ollie was really excited.
"Yay!" he grinned, making the freckles stretch across his face, "I hope we get to see one with a big horn!"
After the adults finished talking to the people at the counter, it was finally time to go inside the zoo. It seemed like the smile on Jessica's face grew bigger and bigger as they got closer to the first set of animals. They started with the building full of birdies on the left side. The place was full of all kinds of birds, flying around and tweeting to each other. Jessie loved seeing the birds. She really wished that she could whistle like them.
From the bird building, Papa led the way to the otter exhibit nearby. The otters were so cute! Some of them were even holding hands while they floated around. Jude said that he really liked the otters and uncle Cassie agreed. With a little bit of walking, they all got to see some llamas and swamp monkeys next. The llamas were so fluffy looking and the swamp monkeys were really energetic. They reminded Jessie of how Jude and Ollie were acting the night before in the hotel, jumping around from one place to another.
The more the Winchesters walked around, the more they could see interesting and exotic animals. Daddy seemed to like the red pandas a lot. He said they looked like fluffy red racoons, which made Jessie laugh. Ollie really liked when they went passed the kangaroos, because two of the babies were boxing with each other near the fence. But uncle Dean's favorite animals were the tigers. There were three of them laying around inside their cage, sunbathing in the bright light and whipping their stripy tails up and down. Uncle Dean hummed a song when they stopped to look at the tigers, but Jessie wasn't sure which song it was. Something about eyes and tigers...
And when they did stop to see the tigers, Papa noticed something strange.
"Uh, Sam? Where is Dickie?" he asked.
The whole family seemed to have heard Papa's question because they all looked down at their feet. Uh-oh. Where was Dickie? He wasn't with them. Where did he go? About the time everyone started looking for him, the other people around the tiger cage started gasping and pointing inside. Jessica followed some of their pointing fingers toward the tigers – where she saw Dickie walking around in the grass.
"Papa! Look!" she gasped.
Papa and Daddy both rushed over to look inside the tiger cage and saw Dickie. The doggie had somehow wandered into the enclosure and was sniffing around one of the tigers, like he was interested in getting to know them. Oh, no! Dickie wasn't supposed to be in there! Tigers were dangerous! They could hurt him!
"That little shit..." Papa cursed under his breath.
"He's not actually gonna try to hump a tiger, is he?!" Dad hissed.
"Have you met our dog, Sam? Of course he's gonna try! He's crazy!" Papa said back.
"Dude," uncle Dean said, leaning close, "You've gotta get him before someone sees!"
"Chill out, Dean-o. I'm on it," Papa promised.
Jessica nervously bit her nails as she watched her Papa brace himself for flight. Inside the cage, Dickie was pawing at the tiger's leg and panting happily, like he wanted to play. But the tiger was hissing back at him and bearing all of its razor sharp teeth.
"Hurry, Papa! Get him!" Jessica pleaded.
Luckily, Papa listened. He flew inside and grabbed Dickie in the blink of an eye, popping in and out of the tiger cage so fast that nobody even saw him. Once Dickie was safe with his family again, Jessica took a big breath and relaxed. Geez, Dickie was like a curious cat! Didn't he know that he could have gotten hurt? Papa and Dad were just as upset as Jess was.
"Dammit, Dickie! You almost gave me a heart attack!" Dad breathed, staring at the dog in Papa's arms.
"You hear that, Dickster? You almost put an entire moose into cardiac arrest! Bad dog!" Papa scolded.
In Papa's arms, Dickie whimpered and hung his head, looking really sorry. But Papa wasn't done punishing him. With the flick of his wrist, a golden leash and collar appeared in Papa's hand and he slipped it over Dickie's neck.
"Until you can learn to control yourself, young man, you're gonna wear a leash like a normal house pet," Papa ordered.
Dickie whined loudly when he heard that he would have to stay on a leash. And when Papa put him back down on the ground, Dickie laid down and refused to move. He didn't get up to walk, even when everybody started to walk away. Papa tugged on him a little, trying to get him to follow. But Dickie didn't get up.
"Seriously, Dickie?" Papa spat, bracing a hand on his hip, "Why do you have to be such a drama queen!?"
"He takes after his owner," Daddy pointed out with a smile.
Jessica giggled at her parents when they playfully glared and winked at each other. She was happy that they were having a good day, but she didn't want poor Dickie to stay on a leash. This was his happy day, too. So to help him, Jessica picked him up into her arms to keep him safe.
"I can hold him, Papa," she offered, "I won't let him bother any more animals."
Papa's golden eyes glanced from Jessie's face to Dickie's, seeming torn.
"I'll let you carry him for a while, but when he gets too heavy for you, we'll switch off. How about that, honeydew?" he suggested.
"Okay," Jessica nodded, petting Dickie in her arms, "C'mon, Dickie. Let's go see the other animals!"
After what happened at the tiger cage, the adults decided to take everyone onto the train and head to the other side of the park. Ollie was really excited when he heard they were going there because he knew the unicorns would be on that side. The train ride was really fun because they got to see all kinds of other animals as they rode through the zoo. Dickie stayed still in Jessie's lap the whole time, seeming happy that she decided to carry him so that he wouldn't have to wear a leash. Jude really liked the train ride, too. He sat next to uncle Cassie and pointed out all the animals that they passed with a huge smile. Jessie was so happy that everyone was having a good time.
When the train stopped at the station, uncle Dean noticed that there was a place to eat called 'Rafiki Restaurant,' so the grown-ups decided that it was time to eat lunch. Jessica and Daddy chose to share a salad while everyone else got burgers and fries. Ollie and Jude slipped Dickie some of their food while they ate and Jessie pet him in her lap. The food was delicious, but Jessica couldn't wait to see the rest of the park. There were so many animals and the place was so big! She never wanted this day to end.
Once lunch was over, uncle Cassie pointed out a big tram in the sky. It was like a string of seats that floated over the African park and Jessie really wanted to ride it. Jude was a little nervous, because the tram was way up high and he was afraid of falling. But uncle Dean talked him into going by reminding him that Jessie and Ollie would be riding with him. When Jude finally agreed to go, he, Jessie, and Ollie all piled into a tram seat and lifted high up into the air to sail over the animals.
During the tram ride, the kids saw lots of zebras, giraffes, ostriches, and animals that looked like deer. Dickie barked at a few of them from above, which made the kids giggle because the animals didn't know where the sound was coming from. Jessie was glad to see that Jude wasn't afraid of heights anymore. He and Ollie gently kicked their feet in the air like they were in a huge swing. Jessica really liked hanging out with her boys. They were so funny that they made her tummy hurt from laughing.
When they got off the tram, Daddy and Papa were there to meet them on the other side. They all waited for uncle Dean and uncle Cas to get off too before they all walked around to see the gorillas and the lions. Jessie really liked the gorillas because they seemed so smart. They waved at the people near the glass and played with each other just like humans did. One of the lions with the fluffy mane roared really loud too, and everyone got to hear it. Seeing the lions must have made Ollie want to sing 'The Lion Sleeps Tonight' again because he was humming it when they walked away.
The path through the west part of the zoo made a circle, So when the Winchesters made it back to the train station, the adults decided to stop inside the gift shop before getting on the train. Uncle Dean said that Jessie, Jude, and Ollie could all pick out one thing to take home. And Jessie already knew what she wanted. With Dickie in hand, she dashed over to the pile of plushie bunnies and looked around for a friend to take home to her own rabbit. There were a few different kinds but Dickie helped her pick out a good one. The bunny he grabbed had orange-ish fur and brown eyes that reminded Jess of Ollie. She plucked that one out of the pile and handed it to Daddy to pay for. Jude chose to take home a pair of otters with magnets in their paws that held hands. And Ollie chose a pretty butterfly mobile to take home to his Mommy. Jessie thought that was so sweet. Ollie was so good to his momma...
With their new stuff all packed up and ready to go, everyone headed back toward the train. Jessie noticed that Ollie seemed kinda down when the loaded up. She watched him tug on Papa's arm when they took their seats.
"Mr. Gabe? What about the unicorns?" he asked, sounding sad.
"You know what? I think we passed the unicorns when we came in," Papa said, "Don't worry, carrot-top. You'll get to see one today. I promise."
That must have made Ollie feel better because he smiled and nodded. The train carried them all back to the east side of the park and Jessie hoped to see more animals. Her feet were kind of tired from walking all day, but she didn't want to stop. She was having so much fun with all her guys. When they got off the train, uncle Dean mentioned that they forgot to see the polar bear exhibit. He led the way to the polar bear passage and Jessie finally handed Dickie back to Papa so that she could run up and see the polar bears for herself.
The polar bear exhibit included a huge clear glass that held a lot of water, kind of like a fish tank, and the bears were swimming around and playing in it. Jessica saw that there was already another small family standing near the huge glass looking at the bears, too. There was a mommy, a daddy, and a small baby inside a stroller. Though Jessica was excited to see the polar bears, the little baby in the stroller kept pulling her attention away. He was so cute and small! Such an adorable baby! Jessie smiled and waved at him – and he actually waved back. Aww! What a cutie!
"Look, sunshine," Papa called.
Jessie looked up from the baby to see her Papa walking back and forth in front of the glass. The two white bears inside were following him along the glass, swimming behind him like they were trying to play. Jessie, Ollie, and Jude all giggled. That looked so fun.
"Why are they doing that, Mr. Gabe?" Ollie asked.
"I don't know. I guess they like shiny things. And I am pretty shiny," Papa said, turning to give Dad a wink.
"Cool! Let me try!" Ollie exclaimed.
He raced up to the side of the glass and started walking in front of it – and the bears actually followed him, too! They smacked their big paws against the glass like they were trying to catch him and it only made Jude and Jessica laugh again. Even the baby in the stroller was smiling. That was so funny!
"I wanna try too," Jude grinned.
Jude ran over to join Ollie – but he accidentally tripped on the way. Jessie could feel a slight change in the air when he gasped and fell forward. Jude used some of his grace without meaning to when he caught himself on the glass... and his angelic touch accidentally cracked the clear surface. Jessie saw it when he stood up and lifted his hand. The spider-web-like crack quickly inched across the entire glass, springing leaks from the water behind it. Oh no! Jude broke the polar bear enclosure!
"Jude, come away from there!" uncle Cassie called, sounding scared.
"Gabriel, fix it!" Daddy gasped.
Before Papa could even lift his hand to snap his fingers, the glass broke completely – and a huge wave of water rushed out of the enclosure like a flood, making screams come from almost everyone, including Jessica. She was instantly engulfed with water and pushed back against the wall behind her. The ice cold liquid poured out like a tsunami to cover the whole room and it pulled the polar bears out with it. One floated by Jessica and its big white paw almost touched her head, making her shriek again. Those claws were so huge and sharp! That would have really hurt!
The polar bear passage was open on both sides, so most of the water flowed out into the park. It took the two bears, Daddy, uncle Dean, Jude, Dickie, and the two adult strangers outside. She could hear uncle Cassie shouting at Papa over the water, saying, "Gabriel! We must put the bears to sleep!" It was all happening so fast that Jessica barely noticed that most of her family was gone. When the water went down enough for Jessica to catch her breath and stand up on the ground, she realized that she and Ollie were the only two people left inside the wet canal – and that the baby stroller was turned upside down on the floor. Jessica's heart leaped into her throat when she saw it. Oh no! The baby!
With her clothes all soaking wet and her heart racing, Jessica ran over to the stroller and turned it over. The baby boy inside was gasping and coughing like he was having trouble breathing, but Jessie wasn't sure what exactly to do. She started by unstrapping him from the seat and taking him out to hold him. She knew that he probably breathed in some water by accident, so she needed to get it out. But how? Maybe she could do what Papa always did and use her grace. Wanting to help, Jessica placed her hand over the baby's tiny chest and let her grace shine, carefully removing all the water from his lungs. And as soon as she did, the baby started crying again.
"I – it's okay, baby," Jessica cooed softly, "I'll find your mommy and daddy."
When she turned around to see the broken glass and wet floor, Jessie focused her attention on finding the baby's parents. There was a feeling in her heart that she had never felt before. Jessica felt really important in that moment, like a brave knight in a storybook. She had a duty to accomplish and she was determined to see it done.
While she held the crying baby in her small arms, Jessica noticed that another polar bear was starting to crawl out of the broken window. It seemed like he was curious to see what happened, but he was also staring hard at Jessie. And he was very big. Jessica carefully backed away from the bear, hoping that he wouldn't hurt her. But he kept walking toward her, sniffing in her direction. A little bit of fear started to rise in Jessie's stomach. Uh-oh. What if he tried to hurt her? Or the baby she was trying to save?
"Shoo!"
Jessica almost gasped when Ollie jumped in front of her. The red-haired boy was soaking wet and standing between her and the bear, waving his arms like crazy.
"Shoo, bear!" he said again, "Go away!"
Jessica thought that Ollie's loud shouts would make the bear go away – but they only made the bear stand up. The polar bear got up on his hind legs and towered over them like a giant statue. Ollie squeaked in fear and turned around to wrap his arms around Jessica, who closed her eyes and held the baby tight. They both braced for the bear to attack them.
But Papa made it back just in time to stop it.
With a single glowing touch, Papa put the bear to sleep, making him fall over and lay on the wet floor like a huge stuffed teddy bear. When she saw her Papa standing there, Jessica could feel the fear in her stomach turning into relief. She was so glad that he came back inside! With the bear asleep, Papa rushed over check on Jess and Ollie.
"Jessica! Oliver! Holy crap, are you okay?!" he breathed, sounding scared.
"We're okay, Papa," Jessie nodded, "but I need to find -"
"Joey?!" a lady's voice called, sounding so worried, "Joey?!"
Jessica turned to see the baby's mommy run back inside. She picked up the empty stroller and looked around with terror, searching desperately for her baby in soaking clothes. With that feeling of importance swirling in Jess's heart, she boldly stepped away from Papa and Ollie and walked over to the lady. She held out the baby without saying a word and the absolute joy on his mommy's face made Jessie so happy.
"Oh! Th – thank you!" she cried, carefully taking the baby out of Jessie's arms to hold him close, "Thank you so much!"
"You're welcome," Jessie smiled.
The little girl took a small step back when the daddy came back inside. He and the mommy both showered their baby with love and the view made Jessie feel so good. She was so proud that she helped a small family stay safe. This must have been what Daddy was talking about when he said that hunting was mostly about helping people. It was no wonder why he and uncle Dean did it all the time. This big giant feeling of happiness made Jess feel so good.
"Jessica!"
Jessie turned around to see Daddy run toward her. He dropped down on both knees to wrap her into a tight hug and she could feel his whole body shaking.
"Oh my God, are you okay?!" he breathed into her hair.
"Yeah. I'm okay, Daddy. I helped that little baby," she answered, pulling away to point at the family nearby, "I saved him. I was a brave hunter, just like you!"
Dad's smile was both sad and happy at the same time. He stared down at Jessie's face and she smiled up at his wet hair and pale cheeks. It was like he didn't know what to say, but he was very proud of her anyway. Papa eventually wandered over to join them, holding onto Ollie's shoulders.
"Guess what, Daddy-moose?" Papa grinned, "This lil' gingersnap protected our daughter from a huge polar bear."
"Wh – what?" Dad breathed, his eyes dropping to Ollie, "You did?"
"Well, um, sorta," Ollie mumbled, playing with the bottom of his wet shirt, "I just did what my dad does when the raccoons get into our trash outside. Mr. Gabe is the one who really saved us."
"Give yourself some credit, carrot-top. You done good," Papa grinned, patting his shoulders.
Beyond Papa, Jessie could see uncle Dean and uncle Cassie walking back into the room with Jude between them. Poor Jude looked so sad. He was holding onto his Papa's side and shivering hard.
"I – I didn't mean to break it, P – Papa," he cried, his blue eyes full of tears, "I didn't -"
"Shhh. It's alright, son," uncle Cassie said softly, stroking Jude's wet hair, "It was only a mistake. No one was hurt. Everything will be alright."
With one hand still on Jude's shoulder, uncle Dean wandered over the broken glass on the floor to stand between Dad and Papa.
"What are we going to do about this?" he asked quietly, pointing to the giant hole in the glass wall.
"Well," Dad sighed, "I would suggest some damage control, but unless Gabe can wipe the memories of everyone in this park I don't think there's much we can do."
"That's true," Papa agreed, "I can't fix everything. But I can get rid of the surveillance video so that no one knows that we were here. Sammy knows that I'm pretty good at that."
Daddy rolled his eyes but Papa snapped his fingers, using some grace to make the cameras in the corners fall and smash to the floor.
"That's good enough for me," uncle Dean muttered, "They're already evacuating the park. I say we slip out of here while we can."
"Alright. Let's go," Daddy agreed, climbing to his feet.
"But..." Ollie squeaked, sounding sad as he followed everyone out, "What about the unicorns?"
Jessica felt bad for both of her boys. Poor Ollie wasn't going to be able to see the unicorns because they had to leave. And poor Jude was so sad because he accidentally broke the polar bear glass. Everyone was leaving the park in a gloomy mood and Jessie wished that she could change it. But people and workers were rushing around the park in a panic, like they thought more animals would be on the loose. While the family quickly headed for the exit, Jessica slipped over to Jude's side and gave him a hug to help him feel better.
"Don't worry, Jude," she said, "It's okay. The polar bears aren't hurt or anything."
Jude was too upset to say anything back. He only sniffled and clung to his Papa's side. Jessie gave him a soft smile as they ventured out of the zoo entrance and headed toward their parked car. The grown-ups were talking about their wet clothes and how long it would take for the polar bears to wake back up. And Jessie noticed that Ollie was lagging far behind. He was shuffling along with his head down, looking so depressed that it made Jess's heart ache. There had to be something that she could do.
"Papa," she said, reaching over to tug on his arm, "Can't we go and see the unicorns really quick? Just for a minute? Ollie really wanted to see them."
Jessica's plea must have done something because Papa paused in the parking lot to give her a weary smile. His gold hair was all wet and it made him look funny when he tilted his head to the side. He leaned down to get close to Jessie and hide his hand between them, where he quietly snapped his fingers. Afterward, he raised his head to smile.
"Oh! Look at that," he mentioned loudly, pointing across the parking lot, "Somebody must have broken into the unicorn enclosure too..."
When he heard the word 'unicorn,' Ollie popped his head up to look around and see what Papa was talking about. Jessica stared over in the distance too... and found a beautiful unicorn slowly walking up to them. It had a long flowy mane and tail of pure white hair and its eyes were the brightest blue that Jess had ever seen. A pinkish, spirally horn jutted out from its forehead and it looked almost shimmery in the light. Jessica was in shock. Wow! Unicorns were real! They were so pretty! And Papa had let one out of its cage so that Ollie could see it!
The magical white horse wandered over to Ollie and sniffed toward him, waving its pretty horn around when it bobbed its head. And Ollie just stood there with a giant smile frozen on his face. Jessie carefully walked over to her friend, not wanting to scare the awesome creature away.
"Ollie," she whispered, "It's a real unicorn!"
"I... I know!" Ollie squealed, his face all pink with delight.
While the two of them stared up at the unicorn in awe, everyone else slowly came closer. Especially uncle Cassie, who was gently pushing Jude forward by angling him toward the magic horse. Papa sneaked up to kneel between Jessie and Ollie.
"Hold out your hands, kiddos," he smiled.
Papa gave Jessie and Ollie – and eventually Jude, too – some apple slices to let them feed the unicorn. And one by one, the horse nibbled on the fruit from their palms, making them each giggle at his ticklish movements. When he ate the last piece from Jude's hand, the pretty unicorn neighed and bounced his head a few times before slowly turning to gallop away. Ollie's brown eyes were wide and he was holding both hands to his mouth, looking so happy that it made Jess's whole heart feel good again.
"Bye, Mr. Unicorn!" Ollie faintly called, waving as the magic horse disappeared around a building.
"That was purely magical," uncle Cassie said, blinking strangely with a small smile.
"I feel like I just lived through my own personal version of National Lampoon's Family Vacation," uncle Dean mumbled with a smirk as he rang-out the bottom part of his shirt.
"C'mon, munchkins. Let's head back to the car," Papa said, waving for everyone to follow.
Seeing the unicorn must have made Jude feel better too, because he and Ollie grabbed each other by the arm and shared a laugh before racing each other to the car. On the way there, Jessica caught sight of her Daddy leaning close to her Papa. His big hands crept over Papa's shoulders and he bent down to nuzzle his mouth next to Papa's ear.
"Gabe. You're amazing," he whispered.
Papa turned his head to smack a kiss to Daddy's lips.
"I know," he replied with a wink.
(Author's Note: Ah. How's that for a family vacation? :D I promise that no polar bears were harmed in the making of this chapter. Lol. ;) I will state for the record that I have never been to the Kansas City Zoo. However, I did watch a few youtube videos about it. Plus, I googled the map of the park and basically used it to write this chapter. To those of you who have been there, I hope this chapter used a close representation of the actual zoo. :) I'm pretty sure that after what happened with the polar bears, Ollie might be finally – slowly – getting himself into Sam's good graces. (Small steps. Lol.) And I really hope that you all enjoyed the unicorn at the end. Are unicorns real? I'm sure that if you've got the grace to do it, anything is possible. ;D There will be some Destiel smut and more fluff in the next chapter – but there will also be a pretty big cliffhanger. I'm just warning you ahead of time. ;) Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing this story! I hope you enjoyed our trip to the zoo! The next chapter will be out soon! :)
Eleven75, Ha! Oh, I would love to have some of that aphrodisiac too, darlin! Aww, it's so sweet that yours would smell like your husband. :) Mine would probably smell like pumpkin spice. Lol :D I'm so glad you liked the chapter, hon! Thank you so much for reading and reviewing! :)
Banana Theft, Lol! I love how you can replenish your candy supplies with the snap of a finger. Did a certain archangel teach you that trick, perhaps? ;D I know. Sam takes the thing between Jess and Ollie a bit too far, doesn't he? (Luckily, what happened at the end of this chapter may have changed his mind a bit.) :) Its totally understandable that the foreshadowing with Jess's dreams made you suspicious. In fact, what she saw will happen to her in this story eventually – and it kind of does have something to do with the Angel Interference (patent approved) – but, as always, I will revolve it in the best way I can. Ha! I'm so glad you enjoyed the smut as well, hon! And Jessie's lil comment about smelling Ollie. I knew that would just do poor Sammy in. lol! XD Awww, you are so sweet to say that the chapters are all good! (I personally think that some are better than others, even though I try to do my best every week.) I really enjoy hearing from you, darlin! Thank you so much for reading and reviewing! I hope you enjoyed the new chapter as well! :)
Classical E Centric, Aww, you are too sweet, darlin! Thank you so much for saying that! :) I know. Eddie Thompson is like one of the most close-minded parents ever. Not supportive in anyway. And you're right. It's a very good thing that he has Dean and the rest of the Winchesters – and his lovely Mom – to keep him on the right track. ;) Will there be Destiel smut, you ask? Oh, honey. You know I can't write a story without some bow-legged hunter on blue-eyed angel action! Lol! :D There will be some smutty Destiel stuff in the next chapter! (Chapter 5.) XD Thank you so much for reading and reviewing, love! I hope you liked this chapter, too! :)
Jawn Lennon Aid, Haha! Oh yes, hon. I think a majority of people enjoy some *ahem* wet sexy times? Pool smut? Jaccuzi jizz? LOL! XD Yeah, I'm really glad that none of the hotel staff came in and saw them, too. That would have been hilarious though, wouldn't it? The hotel staff would be angry – until they smelled Gabe's bubble juice. And then they would be trying to have sex with each other. Lol! XD Attack of the Otters? I'm sure after this new chapter, Jude would love to see that movie. (Or, he would be too scared to see it. Probably a bit of both. Lol) I really hope that you enjoyed the wild trip to the zoo, darlin! Thank you so much for reading and reviewing! :)
Sammy's Rose, Awww, thank you so much for the compliment, Ravenclaw! :D I'm so glad that my description of kids sounds close to the real thing. I would imagine that rambunctious little boys would literally jump on beds like Jude and Ollie did. Your brother is 11? Oh boy, how do you cope?! Lol! XD Omg, I love how Gabe can change moods in an instant too! He just flips that switch and he's suddenly ready to hump a moose! (*in the voice of Bruce Banner from The Avengers* Gabe: "That's my secret, Cap. I'm always horny.") LOL! XD Oh, and I'm glad you caught the Madagascar reference! I love that movie too! I think the anxious Giraffe is my favorite. Lol. And you know what? I actually based Gabe's aphrodisiac off of the Amortentia potion from Harry Potter! (I totally meant to mention that in the AN but I kinda forgot. Lol) Gabe's stuff is way more X rated, though. I doubt students would be allowed to make it at Hogwarts. Lol! :D Ooooh, I love how a slowed-down version of Candyman started playing in your head! (They need to make a sexy version of that song. Lol) I'm glad that you enjoyed Jude and Jess's sibling moment, too. He's very protective of her and I tried to bring that across. Ha! I'm so glad that Sam's reaction to Jess smelling Ollie made you laugh! XD And I loved seeing all of your gishwhes stuff, hon! I'm so glad that you had fun with it again this year. :) Thank you so much for reading and reviewing! I hope you enjoyed the new chapter as well! :)
Deanstiel's Daughter, Aww, thank you so much, hon! I'm glad you enjoyed it! :) I love how Jude and Jess stick together too. In many ways, I'm trying to mold them into a similar relationship that Dean and Sam have. Siblings and best friends. :) I know. Poor Ollie has a terrible dad. He's gonna fit right in with Dean and Sam, huh? He's practically a Winchester already. (Don't tell Sam.) LOL! XD You're not evil, hon. You're a writer. And us writers know which of our characters deserve a horrible end, don't we? *sneaky laugh* ;D Oh yes. Gabriel used that aphrodisiac on their honeymoon. Many times. The whole time, in fact. Sam's boner never went away. Poor moose. Lol! XD thank you so much for reading and reviewing, love! I hope you enjoyed the trip to the zoo as well! :)
gothichic, Hey there, birthday girl! :D I am soooo glad that you enjoyed all of your presents! It seems like Destiel, Sabriel, and Crobby all enjoyed them just as much as you did! Lol! XD It absolutely warms my heart to know that you loved the gifts and your card. I hope you get good uses out of them! *hugs* And, awww, I'm so glad to hear that you look forward to Fridays! I look forward to them too. I love the weekend. Lol. :) Oh, those angels up in heaven aren't exactly sneaky, but they are up to something. (In fact, we are gonna find out what at the end of chapter 5.) But you're right. The Winchesters aren't gonna let a little interference ruin their family getaway. ;) Oh yeah, Jessie might just turn out to be smarter than Sam one day. (Maybe.) ;D I'm sure he quizzes her a lot about history and stuff. She loves to learn. :) Yep, Jessie is almost as tall as Gabriel now. Crazy, isn't it? I figure that she would hit a growth spurt around puberty and tap into some of Sam's height. My plan is to keep her and Jude the exact same height for the rest of the story – until she starts wearing high heel boots. Then she's taller. Poor Jude. Lol! XD I'm glad that you enjoyed the brochure idea too, darlin! And as you can see from the new chapter, Gabriel and Sam had to buy her a souvenir from the gift shop too. They can't compete with her pretty eyes. Lol. :D Haha! I know, poor Dean can't figure out how to use that video camera. He totally gave up on it in this chapter. He's definitely too stubborn to deal with new technology. XD Yes, I agree. Eddie Thompson is a total bag of dicks for making his son think that he can't sleep next to another boy. I'm sure that one day, waaaay in the future, when Oliver and Jessica finally get married, Eddie will be horrified to learn that his son will be a Winchester. That means Eddie will have three sets of same-sex couples in his extended family. Talk about karma! Lol! XD Maybe Rowena can cook up a spell that will change his mind? ;) Haha! Oh, I'm sure Sammy would stare lots of daggers into Ollie's back. Lol. But, after Ollie protected Jess in this new chapter, I think Sam will loosen up a bit on his dislike of the kid. ;) Ah, Gabriel. Always breaking the rules to have sex with his moose in public. Lol! Yeah, Sam did like the aphrodisiac that Gabe used – until Jessie said that she could smell Oliver. And then Sam's eyes started twitching and he wanted to explode. Lol! XD I know Jess's dream seemed really scary, hon, but don't worry. It won't happen for a while. But you're kind of on the right tract with what it was about. ;) I really hope that you enjoyed the trip to the zoo in the new chapter, darlin! And I really am sooo happy that you liked your birthday package. Thank you so much for always reading and reviewing my stories! You really are an angel! :) *hugs* Love ya, hon!
Hullosweetpea, I'm so glad to hear that you're all caught up, darlin! :D Haha! Yeah, Sam totally needs to chill out about the kids, doesn't he? I think what happened at the end of this chapter with Oliver protecting Jess will help him out with it. ;) I know, darlin. Eddie Thompson is still a major dick after all these years. Sometimes, people are just set in their ways. But it's alright. Ollie's got the Winchesters. He's pretty much set for life. Lol. :D Thank you so much for reading and reviewing, hon! I hope you enjoyed the new chapter as well! :)
Pups3942, Well, hello there, darlin! It's so great to hear from you again! :D I'm so glad that you enjoyed everything that happened in the last chapter. I agree; I think Jude and Jessica are turning out to be quite normal – if not better – even without attending school. With all their adults constantly teaching them, I'm sure they might be better off without cramped classrooms and homework. ;) I'm sure that the kids had a small idea as to way the grown-ups kept stopping on the way to the hotel, but for the most part, they enjoyed their trip. (I imagined that they stopped at a few places to eat and maybe a road-side museum of sorts. Just fun stuff to do along the way.) ;) Ha! That's true. I bet Dean's trip would be comical. He is the funnier of Jude's two dads. Lol. :D Aww, I'm glad to hear that Dean and Cas's interactions make you smile! Even when they're bickering like an old married couple. Lol. :D Oh, I know. Poor Oliver has had a hard time with all his dad's homophobia. I don't think that Eddie's views change the way he sees the Winchesters, they just make him feel conflicted. Because on one hand, he really wants to make his father happy and proud of him, but on the other hand, he wants to follow his heart and accept everyone for who they are. (Sound like John and his boys, much?) ;) I'm glad that you liked Gabe's collage idea as well! And yes, he got distracted along the way. Lol. It doesn't take much to distract that trickster. ;D When I read your comment that moose belong in the zoo, Gabriel's voice popped into my head and replied with, "Yeah, but there's nothing wrong with giving him a good bath first." lol! XD Oh Gabe. What would we do without you? :D Jessie's dream is something that will actually happen in this story, but she will be much older when it does. (We're talking two or three more parts away. Lol.) It will be written. And it actually does have something to do with heaven, in a way. But I promise that she will be able to pull through it. I completely understand where you're coming from. I sometimes feel bad for writing a nightmare for her because she is so young. I guess from a omnipresent narrative perspective, I tend to give her the bad dreams as a kind of warning. Like, 'yes, bad things are going to happen. But here is another happy dream to remind you that even better things will happen after that.' I am assuming that Chuck gives them to her so that it will help her brace for the bad things somehow. Or help her. Because remembering how a certain dream goes will help her defend herself or save someone when it happens for real. (Kind of like what she did in 'Home,' when the angels wanted to take her and raise her in heaven, and she turned them into glitter instead.) And yes, love, Gabriel will always be there to help her. He has the most experience with special angel gifts and he would – and will – do anything to keep his lil bunny safe and happy. :) Oh, I know that Jude adores the fact that Jessie still wears the bracelet he made her. :) And yes! They are five months apart! (Someone's been paying attention! 50 house points to you!) :D And, oh, believe me, honey. There will definitely be some Destiel smut very soon. You know I can't write a story without it! Lol! :D Don't you worry yourself about reviews, darlin! I am happy to get them whenever you can spare the time! I find it both humbling and awing that you set aside time to think and write out such a well constructed review. I absolutely adore every word! (I'm actually tearing up over here. Lol) There's not much I can say other than thank you for giving me so much of your time and energy! I am beyond grateful for everything you've said! Thank you so much! :') I hope you enjoy the new chapter as well! :)
