After a long pause, Cas let out a breath, looking up, pulling himself away from his thoughts. "If Sam and Dean could forgive me for my faults and give me...multiple second chances, then perhaps Emily deserves one as well."
A small, proud smile spread across Dani's lips as she looked up at Castiel. "Thank you, Castiel. Really," she said gratefully.
"Yes. You're, um...welcome," Cas mumbled, looking unsure if this was the appropriate response for not deciding to kill his niece.
"You can...meet her officially in the morning, if you'd like."
"Officially…?"
"Yes." Dani nodded. "You are her uncle after all. You can meet her at breakfast. Chris will be there to, if he doesn't get called into work."
"What about you?" Sam asked.
"I'll call in the morning to take a few days off, say I have food poisoning. Maybe Aaron would think it was the hamburgers," she added thoughtfully. "I could go a few days without those." She shook her head. "Anyway, I want to get you guys back as fast as I can."
"You think you can do that?" Sam asked in surprise.
"I-I think so," she said, licking her lips nervously, "It's not that I don't know how to cast the spell, it's whether I can. This world...it doesn't allow grace, or magic or anything remotely...supernatural, per-say. I have it I just can't….access it."
"Okay, no biggie," Dean insisted with a confident shrug. "Sam and I will do it."
Dani shook her head. "It won't work. This spell is too big. You'll implode from the effort."
"Implode?"
"Yes. It took...someone very special to get me here in the first place," she remembered wistfully.
"Can't that person help us back out?"
"No," Dani mumbled, looking a little sad. "No, that wouldn't be possible."
"Where'd they go?" Sam asked, noticing the change in her tone.
"I don't know."
Dean looked sympathetic for a moment before huffing and throwing his arms out to the side."Then how do we get out?"
Dani bit her lip. "Well, I do know of some books that might be able to help internet, of course. And my memory. Without grace to factor in the occasion, we'll have to crossover on a special day of the year where the veil between worlds is the thinnest."
"Like Halloween?" Sam interjected.
"Exactly," Dani nodded.
"I thought only the dead wandered into the land of the living on that day," Castiel wondered aloud.
"Yeah, that is usually when we have our most...unusual ghost haunts," Dean agreed dryly.
"How do you think they get over here?" Dani asked, rolling her eyes. "Nine times out of ten it went through the wrong doorway. Eventually, it fades completely from lack of supernatural elements." She shrugged. "It's part of the rules."
"Huh," Dean snorted. "If only we had the same luck. Any idea when the next one is?"
"No," Dani said tiredly, "And we're not going to know until the morning. It's almost three and I haven't gotten any sleep. I don't know when Chris is going to leave for work and I'll like to make him breakfast before he does. Go to bed, all of you. Unless you'd like to have any more secret meetings in my living room?"
All feeling thoroughly reprimanded, the boys shared a look, then looked back to Dani with a nod. Sam headed back to the couch while Dean and Castiel went back to the guest bedroom, Dani following after them up the stairs to her own.
"No funny business, you two. If Emily wakes up, you're both dead meat," Dani called as they went to their room.
Amidst Dean's incoherent sputtering, she heard Cas ask, "'Funny business? From what I understand, business is always quite serious."
Dani refrained from chuckling at her brother's innocence. Sam, however, didn't seen to have as much control. She saw the lamp light go out downstairs and went into her own bedroom, quietly shifting until she was under the covers.
"Everything good?" Chris mumbled. As he turned over, he glanced at the clock on the nightstand, noticing it was almost an hour since Dani had left. "You were gone a long time."
"Yes," Dani replied, pulling his arm over her stomach, moving until her back was pressed against his chest. "Everything's fine."
Morning came suddenly, the strong smell of coffee jolting him awake. Once he realized where he was, and that he was, in fact not trapped in an abandoned warehouse somewhere that a monster was squatting in, Dean let out a sigh, shutting his eyes as he laid his head back down on the pillow that was built into the sleeping bag Dieul had given him. Rubbing his eyes, Dean looked over at Cas, who he found snoring lightly on the bed. He hadn't even bothered to take his trenchcoat off, instead sleeping slightly curled, blankets bunched all around him. '
Look's like that no Grace in this universe thing hit him real hard and real fast.
With a groan, Dean pulled himself up from the floor, determined to at least get some coffee and food before thoughts about all the problems they were facing popped back into his head. As he walked down the stairs, he heard the murmur of voices in the kitchen and headed there, stopping in the doorway to see Sam already wide awake at the kitchen table, holding a mug of coffee, sitting at the table with Chris, who had his own cup. Emily sat next to her father, sipping a cup of orange juice.
"Good morning!" Dani greeted Dean, glancing up from the batter she was pouring into a pan. "There's fresh coffee in the pot. The mugs are in the cabinet above the microwave. Cream and sugar is over there." She pointed to the containers sitting by the stove. "Is Castiel up?"
"Uh, no," Dean said, taken slightly aback by her attitude . She seemed shockingly relaxed for walking in on the conversation that she did last night. "No, he's still sleeping." Dean replied, glancing over at Sam. "Not surprised that you're already up."
"Hey," Sam shrugged. "Early bird gets the worm."
"But the second mouse gets the cheese," Dean muttered with a grin, making his way over to the coffee pot, pouring himself a cup. He kept the coffee black, leaning against the counter.
"What mouse?" Castiel asked, appearing in the kitchen doorway, his hair sticking up all over the place.
"Ever heard of a hairbrush?" Dean asked, an eyebrow raised as he sipped his coffee.
"Yes," The angel replied all too seriously, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion from Dean's question.
Dani smiled at him, shaking her head. "Morning, Cas. There's coffee over there on the counter, if you want some." She nodded to where Dean was standing.
"Actually...I'm a little...hungry," Cas replied sheepishly, his stomach growing almost as if on cue.
"Perfect," Dani flipped a few pancakes onto a plate, bringing them over to the table. "I'm making breakfast."
Cas pulled a chair out at the table, placing a few pancakes onto the plate in front of him. He began eating. Chris watched him, noticing that he was a little...strange. But he'd accept that. Dani's family was in turn, his family too.
"So what is it exactly that you three do? Dani was telling me you're have a business together," Chris said, drinking some of his coffee as Dani placed a carton of syrup on the table, brushing Emily's hair behind her ear with a smile as she passed.
"We're exterminators," Sam explained.
"Oh."
"Yeah. It's a...family business." Dean shrugged.
"What's the name of it?"
Dean stared at him for a moment, blinking twice. "Of what?"
"Your business," Chris clarified for him.
"Monster Hunters," Cas interjected, gaining a strained look from Dani, Dean and Sam and a set of raised eyebrows from Chris.
"Monster Hunters?" Chris repeated in question.
"Yeah," Sam laughed nervously. "Because you know...all of the roaches, rats. Creepy crawlies. Some people look at them as...monsters."
"I can't say I would disagree with them," Chris muttered, glancing over to Dani, who had a forced smile on her face as she watched the trainwreck happening in front of her. Chris looked back to Sam. "That's an...interesting name. I, uh, I've never heard of you around here."
"Well, that's because we…travel," Dean added quickly.
"Traveling exterminators?" Chris asked, an eyebrow raised.
"Bed Bugs are everywhere," Cas said seriously, looking up from his pancakes. "They bite."
"So I've heard," Chris said, beginning to sound amused.
"Do we have bed bugs?" Emily asked, glancing up from her orange juice.
"No. Your house is very clean," Castiel replied, smiling at the little girl.
"Yeah. Not a monster in sight around here," Dean said before sipping his coffee. "Something I'm definitely not used to."
Chris looked up in question. "Oh, yeah? How do you know?"
Dean shrugged. "We would know, trust me."
"What's your catchphrase again?" Dani called from the stove, bringing another plate of pancakes to the table. She shot the boys a look as she passed. "Saving people's houses, exterminating things?"
"Something like that," Dean mumbled dryly.
"Anyway, I'm sure we could find something better to talk about over breakfast than bugs," Dani said, trying to change the subject. "Emily, you want more pancakes, sweetie?"
"Sure," Emily smiled as her mother pushed some more pancakes onto her plate.
Realizing how badly Dani wanted the subject changed, Sam said the first thing that came to mind. "Does Emily have school today?"
Emily pouted, mumbling something under her breath as she stuck a forkful of pancakes in her mouth.
"Yes," Dani said, looking relieved. She wouldn't have to worry much about her. At least for a little while.
"But why?" Emily whined.
"Because I said so. And it's a Tuesday. You have to go just like every other kid. I don't make the rules," Dani smiled
"But what if Joshua is mean to me again?" Emily asked with a pout.
"Just do what I told you and everything will be fine, honey."
"But Mom, it's not working."
"Hey, you know what I think?" Chris interjected.
Dani scowled at him. "No, what?" She knew exactly what he thought.
"I think she should stick up for herself," Chris shrugged, "She shouldn't let him push her around like he does."
"Violence isn't the answer," Dani insisted, looking upset. "A teacher can separate them, stop it from ever happening again."
"So can a well placed punch," Chris insisted. "I'm not saying she should go full WWE on him, just something to let him know she's means business."
"No," Dani shook her head. "No amount of violence is okay."
"What do you guys think?' Chris looked to Sam, Dean and Cas. The three of them glanced over at Dani, who was still scowling. They shared a look with each other.
"She should stick up for herself," Dean finally said.
"But she shouldn't hurt him," Sam added.
"Well, if he's being a little jerk-"
"It's still not right, Dean. You don't fight fire with fire."
"But you don't just sit around and wait to get burned either," Dean mumbled.
"Bottom line, no child of mind is going to settle something with a fist," Dani insisted, looking over to Emily. "Right, honey?"
"Yeah," Emily smiled.
"Great. Now go get ready for school."
"Alright," Emily sighed, scooting her chair back, pushing away from the table before heading towards the stairs. The sound of her feet thumping loudly as she went to her room to get ready echoed through the otherwise quiet house
"What did I say about running up the stairs?!" Dani called out.
"Sorry!" Emily yelled back down, already at the top.
"Uh-huh," Dani mumbled to herself, a small smile on her face as she sat down to finally eat her breakfast.
"At least she's not sliding down the banister anymore," Chris pointed out with a grin "Next think you know she'll be pulling a Kevin McCallister if we leave her home alone."
"If I'm ever as dumb as those parents to forget one of my kids, just take me out right then and there," Dani mumbled, chuckling lightly.
"So what will you guys be up to today?" Chris asked Sam, Dean and Cas, the latter of which who was still stuffing his face with pancakes.
"Oh, you know...stuff." Dean said vaguely.
"We'll be catching up," Dani said shooting Dean a look. "You know, since we' haven't seen each other in years. And then they have to go back home. As soon as possible"
"What? Why?" Chris asked. "You guys just got here."
"They have a some stuff they need to take care of," Dani explained. "Stuff that needs their immediate attention."
"Uh, yeah," Sam nodded. "Some business stuff we have to do."
"Well, that's too bad," Chris said, looking disappointed. "If you guys are ever in the area again, you're welcome to stop by. I'm sure Emily would like to get to know you guys."
"Well, we'd like to get to know her, too," Dean muttered. Dani shot him a look, one that made the expression if looks could kill have meaning.
"I don't believe that came out how you wanted, Dean," Castiel said.
"Ah, you know what I mean," Dean scowled. "She's a cute kid."
"You should get going," Dani said, turning back to Chris "You wouldn't want to be late."
Chris glanced down at his watch. "Oh, you're right," he got up, taking his plate and coffee cup to the sink, placing them down. "Emily! Time to go!" he called.
"Coming!" Emily shouted from the top of the stairs. She thumped her way down until she reached the bottom, wearing a pink and white outfit with purple sneakers.
"Alrighty, kiddo. Let's head out," Chris smiled at Emily, stopping behind Dani's chair to place a kiss on top of her head. "Thanks for breakfast, babe."
"You're welcome," Dani smiled, reaching up to place a kiss on his cheek. "Stay safe."
"I always do."
"This was was all I had left clean," Dani heard Emily grumble as her and Chris went out the front door. "I hate pink."
"How are all of your purple clothes dirty?" Chris asked, his voice fading as they left. "You have a ton!"
Dani laughed, looking up from her plate. As soon as her eyes settled on the three men in her kitchen, she instantly sobered. Her family was gone, safe for now. It was time she focused on returning the Winchesters and Castiel to their universe
"So," She began, wasting no time to get down to business, "You need to tell me everything."
"Where do we start?" Sam asked.
"Where are you guys exactly in the timeline?"
"Timeline?"
"Time is fluid. It moves faster or slower depending on the universe," Castiel explained.
"And as far as I can tell, yours runs faster then this one, although not by much. Just enough for the writers to write the script and for them to shoot scenes, give or a take however long it takes them to put it together. So, a month or two?"
"That would make sense, yeah," Sam nodded.
"What's that got to do with it?" Dean asked.
"Because they're so intertwined, maybe if we have a better understanding of how the two universe work alongside each other, maybe we can get you back easier," Dani suggested. "The last episode of the show was about Lily Sunder."
"Alright, well, that's not too far off. A couple days before we came here, we were at a Prince of Hell's farm where Cas almost died," Dean said, very clearly still affected by what had occured.
"You almost died?" Dani asked her brother, looking over at him with worried eyes.
"Almost," Cas nodded. "But I didn't."
Dani let out a heavy breath, shaking her head. "The Winchester's really have had some influence on you, huh, Castiel?"
"I've been told," Cas replied, glancing down.
"That's not a bad thing. I know people have told you it is, but it's really not. They're not perfect, far from it. Very, very, very far-"
"We get it," Sam interjected, shooting her a strained smile when she glanced over at him.
"Anyway. They are good people. Really," Dani said, looking to the boys. "Which is why we have to get you home. So you can keep doing what you do."
"Completely fucking up the world?" Dean guessed dryly with a scoff.
"Well...yes. And saving it," Dani added an intense honesty to her voice. After allowing a small silence to fall over the room, she began again. "So, how exactly did you guys get here? In detail."
"Cas was telling us about you and mentioned Heaven Archives, which sounded pretty useful," Sam explained. "We were trying to figure out a way to get there when I found this book that was written by a priest you had visited-"
"Father Daniel," Dani replied with a nod. "I remember him well."
"Then we did some spell, a freaking glowing door appeared, we walked through it thinking were gonna be in the stupid Heavens Archives, but instead we ended up in a damn closet," Dean complained, still upset about it.
Dani grinned, not able to help herself. "And then you...came out of the closet."
"Oh, ha, ha. You're so creative," Dean grumbled sarcastically. "Like I haven't heard that one before."
Sam furrowed his brow, glancing up to his brother in question. Dean ignored him, grimacing as he drank the rest of his now nearly cold coffee.
"I'm sorry, I had to," Dani chuckled lightly, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear.
"Yeah, yeah." Dean rolled his eyes.
"Okay. Let's get down to business," Sam said briskly.
"We have to find a way back before Lucifer's child is born," Castiel said urgently.
Dani looked up at her brother, trying to hide the discomfort she felt with the situation at hand. "And what will you do, exactly? Providing the you find the mother before he does?"
"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it," Sam interjected, sensing Dani's discomfort. After what she'd told them last night, he didn't want to make her worry more than she already did.
They weren't monsters, they didn't hurt the innocent...at least that's what Sam was trying to tell himself.
"Until then," Sam continued, trying to change the subject. "It couldn't hurt to do a little old fashioned researching."
"Dude we have the internet for a reason," Dean complained, crossing his arms.
"No, Sam is right. There's a library on the campus in town that has a lot of old books on lore. I'm sure we could find something there," Dani said.
"I thought you already knew these things," Dean said raising a eyebrow expecently, looking impatient. "Being the Keeper and all?"
Dani scrowled. "There are many things I know. However, there isn't much I can do, being away from the archives," she said stiffly, gripping the cup she had wrapped in her hands tightly.
"Also without grace," Cas chimed in. "As angels, we're all but useless."
"Correct," Dani nodded, still looking a little miffed about Dean's comment. "You're lucky, though. Gabriel gave me some of the books I left behind in heaven as a wedding gift." She started to get up from her chair. "I'll get those and we can head to the library."
With that, Dani got to her feet, beginning to head up to her and Chris's bedroom. No one even so much as muttered a word to her as she left, but as her foot hit the first step she heard Sam and Castiel asking Dean why he has to be this way.
Even though he annoyed her just now, she couldn't be too mad. He did save the world on a couple occasions
Pushing her frustrations behind her, Dani head into the bedroom, leaving the ceiling light off as she went, needing only the natural light to come in from the windows. She knew exactly where she'd left the books that meant so much to her. In the deepest corner of their walk-in closet, she knelt down, picking up the dusty box that contained the books. She hadn't laid a hand on it since they'd been placed there six years earlier.
Opening the box, Dani ran her hand lightly over the top of the first book, remembering her shock at seeing them in Gabriel's hands when he'd presented them to her.
"How did you get these?" I gasped, gaping at the three thick volumes Gabriel held in his hands effortlessly. I hesitantly touched the top one's cover, a tingle moving over my fingertips as I did so. Suddenly, the urge to read the familiar pages within came over me and I yanked my hand back like something was about to bite me.
"Oh, you know," Gabriel said with a carefless grin. "I have a few tricks up my sleeve."
I smiled, pulling in a breath. "Seriously, Gabriel."
"Well, being the former Messenger still has its perks. Like knowing all the backdoors."
"You shouldn't have done this," I said, shaking my head.
"And why not?"
"I left all of that behind." I gestured to the books, glancing at the guests around us, making sure none of them saw us.
Gabriel sighed, almost looking sad. "It's still who you are, Dieul."
"That's the pot calling the kettle black," I snorted. "Former Messenger?"
"I guess we both have identity issues," Gabriel shrugged. "Besides, they're a gift. You can't return gifts."
"You're such an asshole," I grumbled.
Gabriel smirked. "Watch your mouth, now. Daddy wouldn't like that very much."
I rolled my eyes, "Give them here."
"Please, your much too weak now," he chuckled.
"Gabriel, give me my books."
"Hey. They're not just yours."
I chuckled. "You've never opened one in your life,"
"For your information, I've dabbled in writing," He said with a grin. "For all you know I could've written in these books right here."
"Better not have," I said, narrowing my eyes at him.
"Didn't say I did for sure," Gabriel shrugged. "Where's what's-his-name's car? I'll drop these off and then I have to pop on out of here."
I frowned, disappointed he couldn't stay longer. "You're leaving so soon?"
He smiled apologetically. "You know how it is. Places to be, women to do.:."
"Right," I said, "And TMI."
"I'll come back in a few months," he promised. "We have a lot to catch up on."
"We do," I smiled. I started to walk away until I heard him call my name.
"Duiel…" he hesitated. He looked serious again and I was suddenly reminded of standing in that shining doorway, him telling me that if I left, I could never come back. "You deserve this," he said, nodding over to where Chris was laughing with some of his police buddy's. "Don't ever let anyone tell you you don't. And don't let anyone try to take that away from you, either."
I nodded, confused with his sudden change in attitude, but appreciative of what he had said. I didn't get a chance to ask exactly what he meant though, because he began to walk towards Chris's car.
Still slightly puzzled, I put the feeling out of my head, instead feeling contentment as I kissed Chris on the lips for the third time this evening, ignoring the hoots of laughter and suggestive comments that followed.
Dani closed her eyes, letting the bittersweet memory of seeing Gabriel for the last time - alive, that is - wash over her. Opening her eyes slowly, she gathered her strength, putting her hands under the box and lifted, grunting at the weight. Slowly, she got to her feet, unsteadily beginning to walk back where she came from.
"Here they are," Dani grunted as she turned the corner of the kitchen and set the box down on the table. "I don't really remember everything that's in there," she said apologetically, "It's been...years since I've looked at them."
"You do remember how to read this though, right?" Dean asked, picking the first one up and ruffling through the pages, staring down at the enochian symbols with wide eyes. "It's making my head hurt just looking at it."
"I'm a little rusty, but I'm sure Cas can help with that," Dani nodded to her brother.
"Of course," Castiel replied, shooting her a strange look.
"Great. That library I told you about isn't too far from here. With the four of us, we should be able to find something fairly fast. Hopefully."
"Great," Dean said. "So where's your keys?"
Dani shot him a skeptic look. "Why?"
"I'm driving," Dean said obviously.
"Oh no you're not. My car, I get to drive." Dani smirked, jingling the keys in her hand. "Sounds like somebody you know?"
Dean rolled his eyes. "Do I at least get shotgun?"
"No."
"Fine. But you better not play some crappy music," Dean huffed, pushing away from the counter as the four of them headed to the garage, Sam with the large books in his hands.
"Hey, you're the one that likes Taylor Swift, not me," Dani muttered with a grin.
"I do not," Dean said, a sour, defensive look on his face.
"Oh, please," Sam scoffed out a laugh. "I've seen your playlist. You nearly have her entire discography."
"You know what, we don't have time for this," Dean grumbled, about to open the back door behind the driver seat when Dani placed a hand on his shoulder, stopping him. He looked up at her.
"It's okay, Dean. Just...Shake It Off," Dani smiled brightly. Dean narrowed his eyes at her, flinging the door open, plopping inside.
With traffic, the drive to the library took fifteen minutes. The large building loomed above them as they approached. Cas moved ahead, opening the door for Dani and Sam, who was gracious enough to carry the books all the way inside and to the back table where the lore section was available to the public. They all began pulling books off the shelves that they thought would be helpful and set them down on the table.
"I'll be right back," Dani said after looking thoughtful for a minute. "I think they have a section on ancient texts that I want to go check out."
"Do you want me to come with you?" Cas offered, looking up from where he was looking through a book.
"If you want," Dani shrugged. "And then it's time to start translating the books."
"Sam and I will start going through these," Dean said gesturing to the pile of books with a scowl. "Is beer allowed in here?"
Dani rolled her eyes and turned to head toward the front desk, Cas following behind her. After the desk lady scurried off to go check in the back for the books Dani requested, Cas cleared his throat and glanced around.
"Back at the house," he began awkwardly, "You called me 'Cas'"
Dani raised an eyebrow. "I didn't know that was a problem."
"It's not," Cas hurredly insisted. "It's just, well, Sam and Dean call me that-"
"I just thought it'd be nice, hearing a name you associate with family," Dani interrupted. "I'm sorry, I know I probably don't fit in the category anymore-"
"No, no," Cas shook his head. "Dieul, you will always be my sister."
"I betrayed heaven. I left you."
"I forgive you. I understand now what you did to get away. Why you did it. And I can tell...that you're very happy here, more so than you ever were in heaven."
"Thank you, Castiel."
"Of course," Cas smiled warmly. The librarian came from the back room then, a pile of books on the small tray she pushed beside her.
"This is what I could find," she grumbled.
"That's perfect, thank you," Dani smiled, taking half of the pile, leaving the others for Cas to grab.
As the pair headed towards the back of the library where they'd left the brothers only moments ago, the voice of a young girl in hysterics suddenly broke through the quiet air in the large room. Cas and Dani shared a quick look of confusion before rushing forward their last few steps until they rounded a corner to find Sam and Dean sitting frozen at the table, a teenage girl with long blonde hair standing in front of them, clutching a book to her chest with one hand, the other to her mouth as she breathed heavily through her nose.
"I can't believe this!" She squealed, her voice slightly muffled by her palm.
"Um," Sam stuttered.
"Jared Padalecki," she breathed, "And Jensen Ackles. Oh, my god."
Out of the corner of his eye, Sam saw his brother roll his eyes, about to say something he assumed would be stupid. To stop him, Sam swiftly,but subtly elbowed Dean in the ribs, shooting him a quick look that read just play along.
"Hi," Dean sighed, giving in, shooting the girl a strained smile. "So, you're a fan?"
The girl giggled, blushing as she shifted from foot to foot. "A little. I have all the seasons on DVD and a bunch of merch. I'm like your biggest fan," She paused, thinking it over for a split second. "Well, one of them, I guess. We sort of have a club," She babbled, nervously biting her lip as she continued, "We, um, gather every Thursday to watch the show and get caught up on all the news and stuff. How are your kids?" She asked suddenly. "And your wives? Are they here?" She asked, stretching her neck out to look around the library.
"Okay, you seriously gotta take a breath," Dean said.
"Dude," Sam hissed.
The girl smiled, letting out a breath. "I know, I'm sorry. I'm just so excited. I never- I never thought I'd get to meet you guys."
"It's okay," Sam said, smiling awkwardly. "So I guess you uh...want a picture?"
"Would you mind?" she asked eagerly. "I mean, if you're busy…"
"No, no, it's fine," Sam smiled, standing to his feet while the girl fumbled, taking her phone from her pocket.
"Dude, really?" Dean grumbled.
"Come on," Sam hissed back.
With a heavy sigh, Dean got up, trudging over to the girl as she attempted to hold her phone out to take a picture with the front facing camera. As the screen focused on their faces, she caught a glimpse of the people standing behind her, a sharp breath leaving her lungs the instant she saw him. She spun around, her mouth dropping open.
"Misha!?" The girl shrieked.
Castiel glanced over at Dani, his eyes wide and confused. She nudged him forward, giving him a smile. "You'll be okay," She whispered to her brother.
"Um," The angel begin, swallowing hard. "Hello."
"Oh my god, are you honestly doing Cas right now?!" The girl asked excitedly. "Is this even real life!?"
"Depending on what your perception of real life, might be. Technically, this is your real life. So, the answer would be yes. Of course, it's real life," Cas answered, completely serious. Behind the girl, Dean rolled his eyes, rubbing his face with his hand.
"I knew you'd be good at not breaking character! Except for when Jared fondles you, I guess," She giggled. Sam grimaced, his brow furrowed at that as the girl continued to gush. "That really is a great line, by the way, of course it's real life," She lowered her voice, mimicking Castiel's. "
Castiel cleared his throat. "Yes, well-"
"We're very busy," Dani interrupted him, smiling at the girl. "They just came here to relax for awhile and practice for their scenes, so if you wouldn't mind if we took that picture now….?"
"Oh, yeah," she said, looking a little disappointed. "Do you mind taking the picture?"
"Of course not," Dani smiled. "Just one sec. Casti- I mean, Misha and I need to put these books down."
The girl smiled excitedly. "The others so not going to believe this.
"Well, pics or it didn't happen, right?" Dean mumbled sarcastically, getting in position behind the girl..
"Oh, Jensen," The girl giggled.
Dean rolled his eyes, not even trying to keep his expression neutral. Sam elbowed him when the girl wasn't looking, giving his brother a wide-eyed look. Sam didn't like this either, but he also didn't want to ruin the reputation of the actors. As weird as the entire thing was, it seemed like a lot of these people really respected them.
"Alright guys, ready?" Dani asked, taking the phone from the girl.
"Uh-huh," Dean complained as Cas stepped over to them, standing awkwardly to his right. The girl stood in between Sam and Dean, a big smile on her face as she wrapped each arm around them. Dean kept his arms down to his sides while Sam uncomfortably draped an arm across her shoulder.
"On three. One, two, three." Dani pressed the button on the iphone a few times, snickering slightly at Sam and Dean's forced smiles and Castiel's grave look. Yup, Dani thought to herself, if people didn't think Jared and Jensen were method actors now, this picture sure sold the look.
"Thank you so much," the girl gushed again, plucking her phone from Dani's hands, beginning to look threw her photos.
"Yeah, yeah, not a problem," Sam assured, running his hands through his hair. "I'm really sorry, but we're busy filming and you know how strict they are about staying on schedule…"
"Oh, I bet," she nodded. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone you guys are here. I just have to stay that I- I really love you guys. Everything you do," She smiled, turning to the angel. "Especially you, Misha. You're all so selfless and I just wanted to thank you."
The two Winchester's shared a look with Castiel, slightly taken aback by her words. Sam cleared his throat, smiling at her. "Thanks. That- that's really sweet of you to say."
"I can't wait for the new episode!" The girl smiled widely, heading off down the hallway, still staring down at the pictures on her phone.
"Oh boy, am I glad she's gone," Dean muttered, plopping back down in a chair,his handover his face. "I don't think I can take much more of us pretending to be these actors. Damn, I really need a beer. Are you sure I'm not allowed have one in here?"
Dani scowled at him, turning back to her books instead of answering him. "We've wasted too much time. We need to get to work."
"What's the rush?" Dean asked, with a shrug. "So we don't find it today. There's always tomorrow and the day after that. If time moves slowly here, the longer I'm away from the devil's baby mama, the better."
"Well, no offense, but you guys bring bad luck and I don't need any of that catching up to you while I'm around."
"You know," Dean said casually, leaning back in his chair about to plop his boots on the table when Sam and Cas looked at him with disapproval. Dean rolled his eyes, looking back to Dani. . "You've broken a lot of rules, what with coming here and getting hitched in this world while leaving everyone to rot in your home universe."
"Dean," Castiel snapped.
He ignored him. "And then, there's your kid. She's what, five; almost six? So that had to be around the time we put Lucifer in the cage and the war in Heaven started."
"Great job counting," Dani said sarcastically. "Anything else to add?"
"Yeah, " Dean said. "I think all this researching is bullshit. You know how to get us home. You have from the start."
"And pray tell, why would I keep that information?" Dani asked, trying to hide her emotions. She should've known they'd figure it out.
"Because you're running from something." Dean narrowed his eyes. "Or someone. And you want us to take care of whatever it is because you're too scared to do it yourself. "
Dani glared down at Dean, leaning forward on the table until she was inches from him. "You have no idea what you're talking about," she hissed. "So don't you dare pretend to know anything about my life."
"Alright, alright," Sam interjected, holding a hand between the two of them. "Look, I think what Dean is trying to say is that back in our universe, you felt alone. Undervalued all because you didn't want you fight. And- and you were. So you wanted to get away. And I understand that. But now it's not just you that you have to look out for. You have a family. And now someone is threatening them and you're running out of options-"
"And then here we come, a few hunters who have a certain level of expertise that you need. Only, they need to get home and you're the only person who can make that happen," Dean added harshly.
"So, you think I'm holding you hostage in order to get you to help me?" Dani asked.
.
Dean shrugged smugly. "I mean, you needed to get out of the house because you think it's being watched, or you didn't want to spend anymore time there then you had to, just in case he was close enough to suspect that maybe that was where you lived."
Dani shook her head, crossing her arms. "You weren't this much of a dick when you were with Tori," They heard her mutter.
"Who?" Sam asked, furrowing his brow, glancing over to Dean. "Do you know a Tori?"
"Nope," Dean mumbled, popping the P, mouthing she's crazy to his brother
"I'm not crazy! Tori-" Dani paused, remembering the promise she'd made to the girl she met what felt like a lifetime ago in another place in time. Dani let out a breath, changing the subject. "So, how did you know?"
"Well, no one comes to libraries anymore now that we have the internet. And, you said Gabriel gave you those books as a wedding present, so figured he would have told you just in case something happened."
"Well, you're wrong about that. Gabriel didn't teach me anything. He knew I had a new life and wanted nothing to do with dimension jumping. I only use it in case of emergency."
"Dani, I- I think this counts as one," Sam said cautiously. "Look. If we help you, and you help us, then we both get what we need. How does that sound?
Dani sighed, not wanting to give a straight answer right away. "I feel like this is going to be an ongoing discussion. Which we will have plenty of time to have in the car while we get everything we need."
"Son of a bitch," Dean huffed as Dani pushed away from the table, leaving the room.
"We have to help her," Cas piped up.
"Excuse me? If you forgot, our universe is about to be burned from the inside out by the spawn of Satan?!"
"Dieul is my sister. She is my family. And if there's anything I've learned from the Winchesters, it's that you help family," Cas said, standing tall as he turned on his heel, heading off in the direction Dani had went.
Sam glanced over at his brother. "He's-"
"Right, Dean," Dean mimicked Sam horribly, rolling his eyes as he stood to his feet, mumbling to himself. "I don't know who he thinks he is, throwing my own words back into my damn face. Fucking angel."
"Hey. Practice what you preach, dude," Sam shrugged, standing up alongside Dean.
Dean glared at his brother, letting out an angry breath as he began to head for the exit. "For Christ sake, I need some fucking whiskey."
A.N: Heeey! I'm not dead, just a lot of school work I had to do, but summer is coming up so me and phoenixwritesSPN should be able to right more! Also, there's something we're up to ;) See y'all soon!