Learning about his son's attraction to that blonde demon kid made Dean pretty curious. There must have been something about Clarence that Jude really liked, but for the life of him, Dean couldn't figure out what it was. Maybe it was the whole cliché 'bad boy' thing. Or the fact that he had a guitar. Or because he talked shit and wasn't afraid of getting his lights knocked out. Whatever it was, Jude liked it. And Dean wanted to know the secret ingredient that made Clarence stand out to his son.
Dean didn't tell Cas about Jude having a crush on Clarence. He figured that it was best to keep Cas in the dark about it for now, especially after seeing what happened between Jess and Sam. Dean knew that his husband was already leery of Clarence being around their child, and the last thing he wanted was for Jude and Cas to have a falling out over a demon boy. So, when the eldest Winchester ended up laying awake for most of the night trying to reach a comfortable resolution about his son's blossoming relationship, Cas was understandably worried. He offered to put Dean to sleep with his grace – or ease him to sleep with a nice blowjob – but Dean politely declined on both. With Jude on his mind, Dean wasn't quite in the mood for naughty playtime. He decided to snuggle up to Cas's sweet-smelling warmth instead, and finally let his thoughts quiet down.
The next morning, Dean woke up in a pretty determined mood. He felt the need to have a nice, long chat with Clarence; ask him a few questions, learn what his aspirations were, figure out if he had any skeletons peeking out from that giant closet he was hiding in. Dean's first stop, however, was in the kitchen for coffee. He couldn't interrogate his son's possible boyfriend without a nice shot of caffeine. Dean poured two mugs, one for himself and one for Sammy, before exiting the kitchen and heading down the hall.
Sam was, of course, still camped out in front of Jessica's closed door. At this point, the guy slightly resembled someone who had just been bitten by a zombie; as if a disease was slowly taking over. His face was pale and weary, eyes were red with dark circles, lips were chapped, and the wrinkles on his forehead were deep where he had been frowning so much. Dean actually felt pretty bad for his little brother, seeing him sit on the floor with his legs crossed and head resting in his hands. His ass was probably killing him.
"She still won't come out, huh?" Dean mumbled quietly.
He held out one of the steaming mugs to Sammy when the guy looked up. Sam exhaled and shook his head as he reached for the fresh coffee.
"Thanks," he breathed.
Dean nodded and glanced toward Jessica's closed door. There weren't any voices coming from inside this time. Jessica was probably asleep with Gabe watching over her. Dean could tell that Gabriel was upset with Sam last night, too. He and Jess had both locked themselves away for hours, but maybe it was a good thing. A little time apart was just what the doctor ordered.
"Don't worry, Sammy," Dean said, leaning over to pat him on the shoulder, "They'll come around soon."
Sam slowly nodded but Dean could tell that the kid didn't agree. He just slumped back against the wall and took a long sip from his coffee. Not wanting to linger and make Sam feel worse, Dean continued further into the bunker. Everything was quiet, as usual. With Sam, Jess, and Gabriel all stationed at her bedroom, and Cas busy helping Jude make his bed and straighten his room a little, Dean thought it was a perfect opportunity for him to scope out the demon kid.
Clarence was in the study, like he had been for the past few days. This time, he was sitting at one of the tables with his guitar out of its case. He was adjusting the strings and giving them a few tiny plucks, tuning it a little. Dean narrowed his eyes toward the shiny instrument as he took a drink from his coffee and stepped into the room. That was a pretty nice guitar. Probably stolen. But at least he had good taste.
"Hey," Dean uttered loudly to announce his own arrival.
Clarence tossed his head back to shake some of the greasy blonde hair out of his face so that he could look at Dean. The eldest Winchester gestured toward the guitar as he walked up to the table.
"Gibson," Dean pointed out, "Nice choice. Jimmy Page had a double-neck Gibson, you know."
The demon kid tilted his head and gave Dean a bizarre look.
"Who?" he spat.
Dean almost cringed. The kid didn't know who Jimmy Page was? Strike one.
"He's the guitarist for Led Zeppelin," Dean explained gruffly.
"Ooooh," Clarence hummed with a smile and a nod, "Zeppelin, huh? They've got some good songs. I've tried copying the riff from 'Whole Lotta Love,' but I'm not too good at it."
The scowl slowly slipped away from Dean's face. Clarence thought that Zeppelin had some good songs? Maybe he wasn't such a bad kid after all...
"You, uh, play the guitar a lot?" Dean asked, still probing the kid with casual questions.
Clarence paused to look down and tweak the strings a bit more.
"Eh. It gets me money on the street sometimes. Gotta pay for drugs and condoms somehow, right?" he asked.
From the twinkle of playfulness in the demon's eyes, Dean could tell that Clarence was attempting an awful joke. But Dean didn't find it very funny. In fact, he found it kind of pitiful. Clarence was still trying to act tough, even though in reality, everyone knew that he was just a scared and lonely kid. Suddenly, Dean felt like he could relate more to a demon than anyone else on the planet...
"So you wanna be a rockstar?" he asked, ignoring the joke but trying to keep the conversation going.
"Ha," Clarence scoffed, returning his attention to the guitar in his hands, "Uh, no. I just like to play around with the strings."
"Who do you listen to, other than Zeppelin?" Dean asked, feeling genuinely curious.
"Are you trying to fill out a questionnaire about me or something?" the blonde kid snapped.
Dean only blinked at him, unsure of what to say. He didn't want to come out and admit that he was actually trying to get to know the kid, even though that was exactly what he was doing. Luckily, Clarence seemed to realize that his remark was a little rude, so he dialed it back.
"... I like Papa Roach. Three days grace. Nine Inch Nails. Alice In Chains. Korn... You know, the good stuff they don't play anymore."
Dean resisted the urge to flinch. That was the good stuff? What, no Bob Segar? No Foreigner, Kansas, or Rolling Stones? Not even the Beatles? Maybe Dean needed to reinstate that strike...
Across the room, a burst of black smoke appeared next to a bookshelf. Dean and Clarence both turned to see Crowley, Bobby, and Rowena all standing together. The three of them looked the same as always; Crowley sophisticated, Rowena smug, and Bobby done with both of them. As soon as Clarence saw Crowley, the kid gasped and put his guitar down to dash around the table.
"Hey! Hell people!" he sang, wearing the first genuine smile that Dean ever saw on his thin face, "Did you find her? Did you find my mom?!"
Crowley scrunched his nose and took a step back when Clarence ran up to him, as if he was afraid the kid was going to clobber him with an unwanted hug.
"No, not yet," the demon king barked, seeming glad that Clarence stopped short, "but that's why we're here."
"We need a strand of yer pretty hair, love," Rowena said, waltzing up to hold out her hand and smirk up at Clarence.
The demon kid looked a little confused. Hell, Dean was lost too. Why did they need a strand of his hair? Were they doing a DNA test or something?
"M – My hair?" Clarence repeated.
"Indeed," Rowena nodded, "I'm going to use a spell that -"
Before Rowena even finished her sentence, Clarence reached up and yanked out a huge wad of his own hair. Dean flinched when he heard the quick rip of the strands being pulled out by the root. Holy shit, that must have hurt! Clarence winced a little, but then held the chunk of blonde toward Rowena. The witch seemed pretty surprised, too. She only blinked between Clarence's freshly-plucked hair and his grinning face.
"Take as much as you need," he shrugged, "Some spells don't work on the first try. Might as well be prepared, right?"
Rowena appeared oddly pleased with Clarence's weird comment. She carefully took the hair from his hand and combed it out while giving him a smirk.
"Aye. Only someone who's had practice with witchcraft would know that," she pointed out with a raised eyebrow.
A proud look bloomed on Clarence's face as he crossed his arms and leaned back against the table.
"You pick up a thing or two when you live with an entire coven," he explained, "So, is this spell gonna find my mom?"
"That's the idea, lamb," Rowena nodded, raising the handful of blonde hair, "A wee bit of this will make it easier to find her."
"Or find out what happened to her," Crowley added bitterly.
Rowena, Bobby, and Clarence all turned to give the demon king a few harsh stares. As rude as his comment was, Crowley only cocked an eyebrow back at them.
"What? I'm being rational," he snipped, "We've been looking for that blasted woman for years, let alone days. Clearly, the odds that Meg is alive are slimmer than a poor man's wallet. No use in getting the boy's hope's up."
Dean expected Clarence to get upset at Crowley's blunt comments, but the kid just glared a hole through the demon's face. Bobby huffed an audible breath before shoving passed his negative husband.
"You keep talkin' like that, and the odds of you cuddlin' up to me tonight will be even slimmer," he hissed on the way by.
Dean quickly took a drink of his coffee to hide the smile that flashed on his face. Hearing his no-nonsense uncle threaten the king of Hell's cuddle privileges was too funny to ignore. While Clarence and Rowena spoke to each other – something about how spells work differently when they're cast from different places – Bobby wandered over to stand next to Dean at the table. The old man probably wanted to get away from his quarreling demonic family for a minute and talk with a normal human.
"Hey, Dean," he started, keeping his voice low, "How's things goin' with the kid?"
In his mind, Dean quickly cycled through the events that took place over the last few days; the embarrassing sex talk with the kids, everything that happened with Jessica and the dance, finding out that Jude had a crush on Clarence... Wow. So many things had happened since the last time he talked to Bobby, Dean didn't know where to start.
"Uh... okay, I guess," he mumbled toward his coffee, swishing the thick dark liquid around in the mug.
"He ain't tried to kill any of you in your sleep or anything?" Bobby asked.
The old man was probably joking, but given Clarence's terrible first impression, he could have been sincere. Bobby needed to know about Clarence's real character.
"No," Dean replied, talking low enough that only Bobby could hear him, "I overlook a lot of his bullshit, now. The, uh, the kid has actually had a pretty rough go, Bobby. The other day, he... he told us a little bit about his childhood. If you could even call it a childhood. Said he did anything he had to do to stay alive when he was young... He probably had to steal a lot... even prostitute himself... Poor kid..."
Somehow, mentioning those horrible things out loud made Dean's stomach feel queasy. He remembered what it was like to be nine years old and have to do anything to keep Sammy alive, and stay alive for Sammy in the process. Dean didn't realize that his own voice had trailed off until he felt Bobby's hand rest on his shoulder. He tore his eyes away from his mug and raised his sight to the old man next to him. Hints of pity and concern tinted Bobby's aged face while his eyes gazed toward Clarence nearby.
"Abandonment, homelessness, addiction, prostitution... Geez, could this kid's biography get any worse?" he breathed.
Dean took a deep breath and joined Bobby in staring at Clarence, watching him and Rowena talk and smile. Over all, Clarence wasn't necessarily a bad kid. Yeah, he talked shit, drank juice straight from the jug, kicked his feet up on the furniture, and never said 'please' or 'thank you.' But admittedly, Dean was guilty of those things too. Having Jude and Jessica around made him start leading by example, though. And that was what Clarence needed. He needed someone to show him how to behave. He just needed a family...
"Do you really think Meg is alive?" Dean blurted, looking back to Bobby.
The old man shrugged.
"She might be," he allowed, "If she is, do you think she'd welcome him back with open arms after all these years? He's practically an adult now."
"I've seen the note she wrote him. Trust me, she wants him back," Dean instantly answered.
Bobby nodded but tilted his head to the side, making his hat turn a little crooked.
"But if she's not alive... What's gonna happen to him?" he asked quietly.
Dean's heart dropped a bit. Oh, man. What was going to happen to Clarence if his mom was dead? The only time he ever truly smiled was when they were talking about her. If Meg had already kicked the bucket, what would he do? Would he go back to Chicago? Would he try to hang around the bunker? As much as Dean felt sorry for Clarence, the bunker wasn't a home for lost children. He couldn't let the demon kid live here, especially if he had the hots for Dean's only son. Plus, Clarence would eat them out of house and home in a week. It probably wouldn't be a good arrangement...
But Bobby was starting to get that look in his eye. Dean had seen it before; way back when the Winchesters were searching for a place to live. His gray eyes were misty and twinkling, and there was a smile threatening to grow just beneath his beard.
"What?" Dean hissed, narrowing his own eyes with a smirk.
"Nothing," Bobby replied, "Rowena really seems to like the kid. And don't let Crowley's macho-man complex fool you. He's pretty fond of him, too. Keeps askin' about him to make sure he's still here... It's just nice to see them care about somethin' other than makin' deals and playin' with magic, you know?"
Dean nodded, lifted his mug, and took another sip of warm coffee as he watched Clarence, Rowena, and Crowley interact in front of them.
"Yeah," he mumbled, enjoying the sense of pride and joy hidden on Crowley's face.
"Speakin' of complexes," Bobby mentioned, "Where's Sam?"
Dean sighed and swished his drink around again, thinking about his brother still parked in front of Jessica's room.
"Sam is currently sitting in the dog house," he answered.
After readjusting his long legs for the millionth time and situating Dickie on his lap, Sam arched his back and yawned. His ass was completely numb on the stone floor and the sight of gray hallway tiles were starting to annoy him, but at least he had coffee. Dean was the best big brother in the world; always taking care of him, even when he didn't deserve it.
It had been almost sixteen hours since Sam had seen his daughter. He honestly didn't mean to ruin her night at the dance, especially by spilling punch all over her in front of everyone. God, just remembering the sound of the splash followed by the shock and disappointment on Jess's sweet face was enough to make Sam feel sick again. By trying to prevent Jessica from having a terrible night, he actually caused it. It was like some kind of weird karma or something. A self fulfilling prophecy. Shitty parenting at its worst. And the most painfully humbling part of it all was that Sam had no one to blame but himself. He knew he had royally screwed the pooch this time. The only way he could correct this mistake was by making it up to Jessica somehow. But how was he supposed to do that when she wouldn't even see him?
Still beating himself up like a mangey mutt on the side of the highway, Sam slowly took a sip of steaming coffee and settled back against the wall to pet Dickie's soft fur. He figured that it would probably be a few days before he saw Jessica again. For all he knew, Gabriel might have flown her out of the bunker to spend some quality time and help her feel better. Sam actually liked that idea. Jess and Gabe needed to be happy, even if that meant Sam wasn't included...
The sound of a turning doorknob made Sam's ears perk up.
The man leaned forward and looked toward Jessica's door, where he saw light finally peek out from inside. As soon as he realized that the door was opening, he immediately shifted Dickie into the floor and stood up. Sam expected to see Jessica, but Gabriel came out instead. The archangel stepped into the hallway but left the door cracked open at his back. The two of them met eyes and Sam did his best to cling to hope. Was this it? Was Jessie finally ready to see him again? Gabe let out a long sigh.
"She's still pretty upset," he started, giving Sam a warning glance, "but she agreed to give you a chance to apologize."
Relief flooded Sam's entire body. Oh, thank God. He was finally going to see his little girl again. Gabriel's voice dropped even lower as he stared up at Sam.
"Do us both a favor and try not to make things worse, okay?" Gabe hissed.
Sam didn't fight back on that one. Gabe had just as much right to be mad at him as Jessie did. After all, Sam did sneak away from Gabe to get out of the bunker. The archangel turned to the side and gestured toward the door, finally giving Sam a clear shot to Jessica's room. After taking a large breath and placing his mug on the floor – where Dickie instantly raced over to lap up the coffee from inside – Sam carefully walked in to see his daughter.
Jessie's bedroom was exactly the way he knew it. The lavender walls were extremely soft in the dim light of the lamp on the dresser, the air smelled of sweet summertime daisies, and the shelves were full of books. Jessica was sitting on her bed in a white hoodie and a pair of gray sweatpants. She was hugging her knees and looking the other way, obviously trying to ignore Sam as he walked in. Her curly blonde hair was covering her arms and shoulders like a blanket, and Sam could see her stuffed rabbit peeking out from her side. Though he couldn't see her precious face, Sam knew his daughter's eyes were probably pink from crying. And the idea alone made him feel worse.
Gabriel stepped around Sam and walked over to stand by the bookshelf. He nodded toward their teenage daughter and raised his eyebrows, obviously wanting Sam to start patching things up. At first, Sam didn't know what to say. What could he say? He had ruined Jessica's first date by embarrassing her in front of hundreds of strangers.
"H – hey, Jess," he said as softly as possible.
Jessica didn't look up. She only tightened her arms around her knees, silently refusing to acknowledge that he was even there. But she was listening. Sam was grateful for that much. Though he felt unwelcome, Sam brought himself to sit on the very edge of Jess's bed. She needed to hear a genuine apology, and after several lonely hours of contemplation, Sam felt like he finally knew how to explain himself.
"I know you're mad at me. And you have every right to be," Sam began, staring down at his own folded hands to concentrate, "I'm sorry, Jessica. I do a lot of terrible, selfish things. But I only do them because... because I know that I don't deserve you."
There was a little bit of movement from Jessica's end of the bed. Sam glanced over to see that she had raised her head a bit. She really was listening and Sam was very glad. He really wanted her to understand his reasoning. A lump was starting to form in his throat when he started again.
"I don't know if I ever told you this," he almost whispered, "but I was afraid to have a child. It took me a little while to warm up to the idea because... bad things happen to me. I'm bad luck," he admitted, looking away and coughing to try and get rid of the lump in his throat. But it didn't budge, so he continued by saying, "It actually took your Papa and me a few tries just to conceive you... And when you were born, I didn't even get to hold you for two days."
Jessica finally raised her head to give him a look of slight surprise and Sam instantly felt better. It seemed like she wanted to ask him why, so he went ahead and answered the question without hearing it.
"We had to deliver you early because of complications, and Cas and Gabe had to keep you surrounded in grace," Sam explained, "So I only got to see you from a distance. I was worried that I had somehow passed on my bad luck to you. I didn't want you to have to go through life like I did... I eventually got to hold you in my arms. And when I did, I swore to myself that I was never going to let anyone hurt you. I devoted my life to making sure that you had the best life possible, no matter what I had to do."
Sam paused and Jessica fidgeted with the sleeves of her hoodie, seeming a little curious to hear what he was going to say next. But Sam had to work up the courage just to say it, because the memory made his heart ache.
"Jess, do you remember that time we went to the park at night when you were three-years-old? When you woke up and turned those angels into glitter?" he asked.
Jessica nodded her head a bit, making her blonde curls slide around her shoulders. She was so much older now than she was then. The difference made Sam swallow harshly and look back down. He could already feel the hot tears trying to swell in his eyes as he twisted his fingers together.
"The angels... They told me that I wasn't doing a very good job as your dad. And they were right. At the time, I couldn't give you some of the things that you needed, like a mother-figure and a home. The angels offered to take you and raise you in heaven... and I... I almost let them take you," he choked, having to pause and clear his throat again, "I almost made a giant mistake. I almost gave you away because I felt like you deserved a better parent than I could be... And I've been trying to make up for that ever since."
Sam sniffled and tried to calm down, but he was too afraid to look back at his daughter. He was too ashamed to see her face.
"I know I cling to you too much," he added with a nod as he wiped his eyes, "I know that I'm overprotective and rude to people that try to come close to you. But it's because I don't want to lose you. I've already lost too many people. And I cannot ever imagine losing you... I'm not trying to excuse what I did last night. Your Papa is right, I should have never left the bunker. I feel horrible for making you so upset... I just want you to know that I'm sorry."
After a bracing breath, Sam eventually turned to look at his daughter again. Jessica was resting Indian-style on her bed now, with her hands in her lap and her eyes wide. She was blinking at him, but her expression seemed torn. Sam knew just from looking at her that she was still a little hesitant to forgive him. As he stared at his daughter, Sam realized that he needed to do more than just say a verbal apology. He had to prove that he was sorry... and he knew just how to do it.
With Jess and Gabe both watching, Sam leaned over to reach into his pocket and pull out his cell phone. Though his stomach was churning with discomfort, Sam forced himself to scroll down his contacts until he found Oliver's cell phone number. He pressed the call button and 'speaker' afterward, letting it ring out loud. Curiosity had engulfed Jess's face and Gabe looked confused – until the ringing stopped and Oliver's voice filled the air.
"H – hello?" he asked timidly.
As soon as she heard Ollie's voice, Jessica's eyes lit up and her mouth fell open a bit. She was stunned that Sam had actually called her would-be boyfriend. Gabe, on the other hand, had nestled into a smug expression and leaned back with his arms crossed, looking proud.
"Hey, Oliver. It's Sam," Sam said toward his phone.
"Oh... Hi, Mr. Winchester," Oliver said back nervously, sounding a little intimidated, "How is Jessie? I mean, is she doing okay? I know she was pretty upset..."
Sam paused to study his daughter, watching her nod a little with a tiny smile.
"Uh, yeah. She seems to be doing better now," he answered, "Listen, Oliver, I'm really sorry about the dance. I didn't mean to ruin your night."
"Oh. That's okay," Oliver assured, even though it wasn't okay, "I'm just worried about Jessie."
"You're not mad at me? Even a little?" Sam gently pressed, trying to get the kid to admit the truth.
"N – no," he replied carefully, "But Mom is, though. She said some pretty mean things in Spanish when she heard what happened. Even mentioned something about mounting a moose head on the wall and throwing darts at it. I'm kinda glad you weren't around to hear it."
A tiny giggle came from Gabriel's side of the room and Sam paused to look at the archangel, who was grinning with a red face as if he was holding down more laughter. Obviously, Gabe and Jane were going to have lots of fun never letting Sam live down this catastrophe...
"Me too," Sam replied to the phone, "Anyway, I'm really sorry for messing up your night with Jess... And I was wondering if maybe you would like to take her out on another date soon, since I ruined the first one."
Both of Jessica's hands shot up to cover her open mouth and Sam could see the surprise and excitement shining in her eyes. She really wanted to go on a date with Oliver, and hearing Sam arrange it must have been pretty shocking. Hell, even Sam was shocked to hear himself saying it. But he wanted to redeem himself. And if dating Oliver made his daughter happy, he wanted to let her do it, no matter how much it scared him.
"Wh – what? Really?" Oliver stuttered, "Yeah! I mean, yes. I would, um, I would love to take her out. If – If that's okay."
Sam smiled a little, seeing Jessica nod with her face all lit up.
"It's okay with me," Sam replied.
"Good! Because there's a farm just outside town that's having this Harvest Festival thing tomorrow, with a corn maze and stuff, and I was thinking maybe we could go together. Like, not 'together' together. But like as friends. Just, um, whatever she wants to do. You know?"
Jessica muffled a giggle with the sleeve of her hoodie, apparently finding Oliver's jumbled words hilarious. Sam smiled back at her, feeling so relieved. He loved hearing his daughter's laugh. And Oliver was pretty funny when he was nervous.
"That sounds perfect," Sam agreed, "How about Gabe and I take you guys at about one o'clock tomorrow and drop you off? I promise I won't come back until you're ready to leave."
Sam added on the last part just to make it clear that he wouldn't be repeating the awful mistake he made the night before. On the line, Oliver gave a squeaky, high-pitched laugh.
"Um, yeah. That – that'll be good. Thanks," the kid said.
"No problem," Sam replied, "We'll see you tomorrow, Ollie. Thank you for taking Jessica... And I'm sorry again about the dance."
"It's all good," Ollie dismissed, pausing for a second before mumbling, "Mr. Winchester? Can you do me a favor?"
Though Sam was a bit worried about what that favor would be, he felt he needed to oblige.
"Sure. What is it?" he asked.
"Could you tell Jessie that I thought she looked very pretty last night? I mean, even when her dress got wet, she was still the prettiest girl there. I still would have danced with her, if she wanted to stay," Oliver uttered quietly.
Sam gulped as he blinked at Oliver's name on his phone. Wow. That was the sweetest thing he had ever heard a teenage boy say. Sam glanced toward Jessica, whose face had faded into a look of awe, and smiled again.
"I'll be sure she gets the message," he promised.
"Okay. Thanks," Ollie hummed happily, "I guess I'll see you tomorrow."
"Yep. Tomorrow," Sam nodded, "Bye, Oliver."
"Bye, Mr. Winchester," he sang back.
Sam carefully ended the call and lowered his phone, feeling like he had just completed the first step in a long rehabilitation process. He really hoped that pouring his heart out and setting up another date for Jessica and Oliver would be enough to make up for that awful thing he did. Though, he would totally understand if Jessica didn't want to forgive him right away. After all, he earned the punishment that he was given.
But to his pleasant surprise, Jessica actually crawled over to smile warmly at him before wrapping both arms around his neck. Sam gulped again, feeling the lump in his throat trying to make a reappearance. Part of him was so afraid that Jessica would never want to even see him again, and now he was lost in one of her gentle hugs. Sam slowly reached up to hug his daughter back, feeling undeservedly blessed.
"Thanks, Dad," she whispered, "I love you."
Sam couldn't stop the tiny tear that escaped the corner of his eye. He breathed in the flowery smell of Jessica's blonde curls and tried very hard to hold himself together.
"I love you too, Jess," he replied.
While the two of them quietly rekindled their bond, Sam glanced over to look at his husband near the bookshelf, who was watching it all with a smirk. Gabriel seemed proud of Sam for being able to fix this mistake all on his own. The archangel stood up and leaned over to peck a kiss to the side of Sam's head.
"For the record, kiddo, you're not bad luck," Gabe breathed, running his small fingers through Sam's hair, "You're the best thing that ever happened to me."
(Author's Note: *deep, cleansing breath* Well. I certainly hope this chapter was able to help Sam get back on to your good side, reader. Like all heroes, he finally owned up to his mistake and tried to make amends. And I promise that Jessica and Oliver's next date will not be ruined by Daddy Sam. It will go much, much smoother. Lol. :D Clarence is a little old school when it comes to music, (90's hard rock is his favorite,) but not quite as old school as Dean. The two of them have a lot in common though, which will be very helpful later. Lol. ;D You can all thank the lovely Ms. gothichic for helping me pick out some of Clarence's favorite bands. (Thanks, girly!) Fun fact: this chapter and the next were supposed to be one big chapter, but I had to split them up because I tried to cram too many events together at once. I hope you don't mind that I extended it a bit. ;) Thank you guys so much for reading and commenting! (Every comment is like an early Christmas gift. I love them all! Lol) XD The next chapter – which includes some Jude/Clarence feels – will be out soon!
Banana Theft, Hahaha! I absolutely adored your weather report! And you're right; folks show probably grab the tissues while they can. It's gonna be a wet one. Lol. XD Of course Luci would report on Cage Wrestling. He's been in the world's longest match himself. ;D Awww, I'm so glad that you enjoyed Dean's reaction to Jude and Clarence! Unlike Sammy, Dean has been at this for a little longer, (considering he basically raised Sam too) so he knows that it's important to stop and think about things before freaking out. ;) And did Dickie have some ulterior motives with his moose, you ask? Well, of course he did! What else is man's best friend for, if not match-making? ;D He couldn't help himself. Jude and Clarence are too cute. ;) I'm really glad to hear that you'll be sticking around through the angst, darlin. I completely agree! The angst makes the fluff so much better! :D Thank you so much for supplying me with all the giggles, and for reading and reviewing. :) (Ps. 76 points for 'Futile?' That's amazing! :D I once scored pretty high for the word 'matured.' Ironic, huh? XD) I hope you enjoyed Sam's redeeming chapter! :)
GeekGirlForLife, Lol, yeah. Dean has come a long way from his days instinctual dislike, huh? I blame Cas for most of his character development. ;D Aww, I know poor Sammy was having a rough time last chapter, but luckily he was able to redeem himself in this one. I hope you enjoyed it, darlin! :) Thank you so much for reading and reviewing! :)
Sammy's Rose, Ooooh, yes. "Judence" is a perfect ship name for our baby boys! :D Now, every time I hear Dear Prudence, I'm gonna sing "Dear Judence" instead. Lol. XD Aww, yay! I'm so glad you like Jude's POV! He takes after Cas a lot, which is why he has such philosophical thoughts. ;) Hahaha! Omg, Dickie really did act like Lassie! No one fell in a well, but Jude did fall into Clarence's arms. That counts, right? ;D Yay! Thank you so much for the Rumbelle points! :D (I actually own seasons one and two on DVD, but I'm not up-to-date on the current plot. I've only watched to the beginning of season four. But Rumbelle is, hands down, my favorite ship from that show. Followed by Snowing and Captain Swan. I love OUAT!) :D Oh, don't worry darlin. I'm sure they'll be ready for a kiss eventually. Maybe. ;) But yes! Destiel and Judence have lots of parallels! History repeats itself, I guess. ;D I'm so glad you enjoyed Dean's reaction, and Cas's reaction is on the way. (In the next chapter, in fact.) ;) And given that Sam sorta redeemed himself in this chapter, I think we can finally get out of this dog house now. *crawls out and stretches* Phew! I need to start doing yoga. XD Thank you so much for reading and reviewing, darlin! I hope you enjoyed the new chapter as well! :)
Deanstiel's Daughter, Aww, I'm so glad you loved chapter six! I figured that since Dean has had so much practice with parenting (with Sam, Jess, and Jude) he would be a little more understanding. Plus, John is that constant reminder of bad parenting that he actively strives to avoid. (Wouldn't it be hilarious if John came back to this universe and met his grandchildren, who both have two dads? I think about that a lot. Lol) XD But yes. Dean is giving Jude the chance that he would never have had from John. ;) And you're right. Part of the reason Sam clings so much to Jess is because of all the women he's lost. He can't ever imagine losing her too. She's, like, the only girl in his life anyway. (Other than Jane and Rowena, of course.) ;) I really hope you enjoyed his method of redemption in this chapter, darlin. Thank you so much for reading and reviewing! :)
Jawn Lennon Aid, Yeah, it was a really big mess. But hopefully a good mess? XD If your average day consists of falling into the arms of someone you have a crush on, you have amazing days! Share them with me! Lol! XD It is weird how Dean is the only level headed one here though, isn't it? It used to be Sam, but his 'protective moose' mode keeps getting in the way. Lol. :D Ah, you're not old, darlin! You're only as old as you feel. And there's nothing wrong with knowing useless info. It might win you some money one day. You never know. ;) Thank you so much for the encouragement, hon. And for reading and reviewing! :) I hope you enjoyed Sam's chapter of redemption! :)
GinnyTonic, Hello there, love! Awww, you read this whole series in three days?! That's amazing! :D (fifty house points to you. Lol) XD I'm so sorry that the chapters come out once a week, (if I had more time, they would come out sooner. Trust me. Lol) but I promise to always update on time! :D And I'm so glad you like OUAT too! (Rumplestiltskin is, like, the sexiest beast ever. See what I did there? Lol!) XD Thank you so much for reading and reviewing, darlin. I hope you enjoy the rest! :D
Leora Condour, Hahaha! Omg, I'm so glad you liked the Sunny D scene! XD I think Clarence flips the bird a lot for no reason other than to frustrate people. Especially Jude's dad. Lol. :D I know that Dean didn't quite give Clarence the 'watch yourself' talk in this chapter, but he is sizing him up. So maybe there will be one in the future. Lol. :D Thank you so much for reading and reviewing, darlin! I hope you enjoyed Sam's redemption chapter as well! :)
gothichic, Hey there, sweetheart! :D Awwww, I'm so glad that I could make your whole day with the last chapter! :D I hope you know that most of that Jude/Clarence stuff was written for you. *gives you a hug anyway* You're very welcome for it! I'm so happy that keeps making you happy! :D Haha, nope. That fire feeling isn't coming from those naked ladies, Jude. Or your friends going on their first date. It's coming straight from that demon boy in the library, baby. Lol! XD Dude, I'm so glad you liked that "fires that don't burn out" line! I italicized it for more emphasis and everything, just to make it stick out. ;) Haha! No, I think Dean hid that black bag so well that not even Dickie could find it anymore. ;D Yep, Dickie totally got his moose stuck up there on purpose, I think. He was trying to make Jude interact with Clarence, because his doggy senses were telling him that they like each other. Lol. XD Clarence was definitely keeping a close eye on Jude. Two in fact, while Jude was concentrated on the moose. The second he started to slip, Clarence jumped up and raced over to catch him, because he knew that 'Superman' wouldn't be able to land on his feet. :D I think the only thing going through Clarence's head when he saved Jude from that falling globe was, "Holy shit! I can't let this innocent lil cinnamon roll get hurt! He's too cute!" XD Too bad Dean wasn't around to see it, huh? That would have been a good way for him to earn some brownie points with Jude's dad. ;) Aww, yeah. Jessie was still pretty upset from the dance. And Sam feels just as bad. And you're right; part of the reason he clings to her so much is because of all the other women he's lost. Plus he just feels like he doesn't deserve her. :( Actually, I don't think he's ever told her where her name came from! Maybe he and Gabriel should tell her that one day. I totally forgot to mention that to her. Lol! XD Aww, I'm so glad you liked the little fluffy scene between Dean and Cas! :D (I actually decided to throw that "Chamomile tea" line in midway through the chapter. Lol) Yeah, Dean always acts like the big brother around Sammy, which is why he covered him up in the hallway. ;) Dean really is an amazing father, isn't he? I bet his mom would be very proud of him. ;) John might be proud too, if he ever got over the fact that Dean was married to a male angel. (I wonder how John would react if he came back and found out that Dean and Sam both married 'men' and have children with them? It would be hilarious!) XD I'm really glad you liked Dean and Jude's late night talk, darlin. Thank you so so so much for everything. Like, seriously, everything. Lol! XD You are the best! Love ya, girly! I can't wait til you get your present, and I hope you enjoy the new chapter as well! :)
Pups3942, Aw, I'm so sorry to hear that you're stuck in class, darling. That's not the best place to be, is it? lol. :) Oh yes! Clare definitely has a crush on Jay bird. ;) Like Dean said, sometimes people prove themselves with their actions instead of words. and Clarence just proved to Jude that he feels the same way Jude does. Get 'em, baby! ;D Yeah, Dean's handling things better than Sam, but Sam's got his reasons for behaving the way he does. (As seen above) ;) I really hope you enjoyed seeing Sam's redemption in this chapter. I had his POV in mind all along, just waiting for the right moment to reveal it. :) Aww, thank you so much, darling! I'm more than happy to invest hard work into this. ;) Thanks for reading and reviewing! I hope you have a great weekend!
