I'm sorry it's taking me so long to update this story but I simply haven't had any time! My main priority is college and all of my writing time has been spent on my other Supernatural fic. But this story will keep on rollin', don't worry.

Thanks so much for the support and all of the awesome reviews you guys have been posting! This is more of a funny, humor chapter, kind of like the last one.

NINE: Sweets for All

"Do you really think prolonging the journey any further is wise? Anymore unnecessary stops and the pendant could be traveling out of reach."

Thorn parked the car in an empty spot in the CVS parking lot, her eyes flashing slightly with irritation. She had been sour with Castiel ever since waking up that morning in the hotel. She looked ill in health; dark bags hung under her eyes indicated that she had a restless sleep and her hair was even more a rat's nest than usual. She breathed out a sigh through her nostrils, resting her forehead briefly on the steering wheel before glancing tiredly at Cas.

"Look, angel. I'm really not in the mood. I just need to get a few things before we hit the road again. If you help out, it could go a lot quicker." She handed him a piece of paper that had a short list of supplies, most of which Castiel could not identify.

"I don't know what any of these are," he said blankly as they exited the vehicle.

"Most of the things are labeled. If you want to go grocery shopping, you can do that instead," Thorn suggested, her puffy eyes crinkling slightly as her eyebrows furrowed.

Castiel considered. He had never gone 'grocery shopping' before, seeing as he never needed to eat, but he had clear idea what it was about. The thought of going through isle after isle trying to find the correct food particles confused him and he didn't like the idea of it. How was he supposed to differentiate all of the various colored fruits, vegetables, and boxes? Also, he didn't want Thorn yelling again if he had somehow failed the task.

He had no idea why she was acting particularly vulgar to him today and vaguely wondered if it was something he had done. Castiel in general didn't understand humans, and even if technically speaking Thorn wasn't one, she was raised in human culture and adapted to their traits. The thing that confused him most was human women.

"I'll get the things we need," said Castiel, looking at the CVS with a determined expression.

"Go for it," said Thorn with a humorless chuckle. "Here." She was about to hand him a wad of cash, but hesitated.

"Do you even know how money works?" she asked uncertainly.

"Dean once brought me to a den of women of who lacked the majority of their clothing. Many men were giving them money."

Thorn raised her eyebrows. "He . . .?" but she shook her head, as if suddenly deciding that she didn't want to know. "That's not much a of a learning experience. Maybe I should just go with you."

Castiel said nothing as Thorn continued to look him wearily up and down.

"I'm sure the cashier could help you out," she said slowly. "Look, it's not that hard. You just add up the numbers on the corner of the paper. Meet back here in about . . . ten minutes?"

Hesitantly, Castiel took the money, trying to imagine how a thin piece of green paper could control humans so easily. She clapped him reassuringly on the back before turning and walking in the opposite direction. Castiel watched her leave, then glanced back down at the paper.

She said the items were labeled. It shouldn't be too challenging to pick out the correct items, should it?

Castiel entered the brightly lit store, realizing he could simply ask for assistance by one of the humans who resided behind the counters.

"Can I help you, sir?" asked a woman who wore a red vest who noted Castiel's lost expression.

"Yes," said Castiel, looking at the first item on the list. "I'm on a quest to find . . . tampons."

The girl's lips parted, then glanced over his shoulder before meeting his eyes.

"Women's hygiene," she said slowly, pointing in the right direction.

Castiel advanced forward, entering the isle that the woman indicated. The shelves were piled high with numerous bags and boxes, all terrifyingly alien to the confused angel.

There are so many, Castiel thought. She didn't say how much she needed.

Uncertainly, he reached forward and picked up one bag, frowning down at it. What if he returned back to the car only to have Thorn shout at him more because he hadn't got enough? It couldn't hurt to get more . . .

He took two of the blue-colored bags and was about to turn away before he caught sight of something else. What if Thorn wanted the pink-colored ones? What was the difference between the two and was one better than the other? There were also other various colored bags, but all labeled with the same word 'tampon'.

Utterly dubious at what to do, Castiel began grabbing boxes and bags left and right until they piled high in his arms, almost blocking his vision.

"S-sir," said an ambivalent voice. It was a man who was also wearing one of the red vests. He was staring at Castiel with wide eyes, looking him up and down. "Would you—would you like a cart?"

Castiel followed the man who rolled a large red shopping cart to him, and Castiel dropped the merchandise inside. Castiel met his eyes seriously.

"Your aid is much appreciated," said Cas before taking a hold of the cart and rolling it down the isle. It took him awhile to get a hold of it, especially when it came to turning. After a couple of minutes he even found it a bit . . . fun.

He looked at the next item on the list, oblivious to the stares of other customers who were eying his cart filled with woman hygiene products. The next few items were a bit easier for Castiel simply because he was more familiar with them. Toothpaste, hair comb, soap, and other human necessities.

Castiel couldn't understand why the woman behind the counter was giving him an odd look as she ran the small scanner over the numerous boxes. Cas didn't have much trouble with the money; he simply heeded to Thorn's advice and added up the little numbers.

When done, he exited the store with hands carrying the many plastic bags. He waited at the car for a full ten minutes before Thorn made an appearance. She too was only carrying two plastic bags opposed to Castiel's five.

"Everything go peachy?" said Thorn, her eyes catching sight of how much Cas was carrying. She frowned. "I—didn't think I asked for that much."

"Never ask me to enter the store with the red bold letters again," said Castiel as Thorn unlocked the car and they both climbed in. She took hold of one of Castiel's bags and peered in. She stared at its contents for a full ten seconds before looking up at Cas.

"I wasn't sure how much you needed," said Castiel but he was cut short by Thorn who had suddenly erupted into a fit of hysterical laughter. Castiel watched, confused as the Nephilim's entire body was shaking as she leaned over the steering wheel. Cas had never heard such a laugh before; the closest resemblance he could come up with was a mule's call. She was guffawing so loud that when she threw her head back on the head rest, she was clutching her stomach.

After several long moments of the howling Thorn and baffled Castiel, she wiped away a few tears of mirth and smiled at him.

"Of all the people I thought were going to make my day better, you were the last on my list, angel," she simpered.

"When did I make a joke?" Castiel questioned, wondering what had caused this scene of hilarity.

Thorn merely shook her head, still grinning as she shifted the car's gear and they drove out of the parking lot.

"Can you get me something from the bag?" she asked after a few minutes down the road, turning on the wipers as a small sprinkle started. "The chocolate. Tell me you didn't get fifty of them, too."

"Five," said Castiel. He handed a single bar to Thorn to which she unwrapped it and took a large bite out of the dark candy.

"Want shome?" she offered with her mouth full, revealing a few slabs of chewed chocolate. Cas looked at the sweet she was offering.

"I have no need for food," he said. "I never get hungry."

She gave an enormous swallow, one that made her throat bulge slightly.

"Do you think the women who eat chocolate do it 'cause their hungry?" She urged the bar into his hand where Castiel took it tenderly. With a small glance to Thorn whose eyes were set on the road, he nibbled a corner of the candy.

He chewed slowly, then froze. For a moment, he and Thorn made eye-contact. She gave a small smile.

"Good?" she asked.

Castiel's only answer was taking a much larger bite out of the bar. The flavor was so curious; it hit the taste buds that had never been activated yet on Castiel's tongue. His eyes narrowed further as the sweet substance began to melt in his mouth. He swallowed.

"Why were so many of these left on the shelf?" he asked, taking another bite.

"Don't you dare eat all of it," Thorn warned, swiping it from his hands. Castiel swallowed the remnants of the sweet, looking for something to wipe his hands on. "You suck it," said Thorn.

He looked at her.

"Your fingers," she explained, nodding at the excess chocolate. It seemed a bizarre tactic but Castiel obliged. When done licking up the last bit of melted candy, he found that Thorn was eying him. She shook her head as if trying to shrug something off and looked back on the rainy road. "You angel types are so weird."

"And humans are a good counterpart?"

"I'm not saying that," said Thorn quickly. "You're just odd. Do you not have things like chocolate in heaven? You've got to. Any sweets at all? Ice cream? Cotton candy?"

"You are speaking of human inventions. Any number of those things can exist in a person's own personal heaven, but not for angels. Why is it important?"

"Sweets make me happy," said Thorn with a small smile. "You have a constant look that suggests your puppy just died or you're just constipated. I think I know why now. You've been missing out on sugar." She ended her sentence with another large bite of chocolate, leaving Castiel to frown at her.

"Are you telling me the key to happiness lies in these little brown bars?" asked Castiel after a short pause, picking up one of them and turning it over.

"I'd assume many overweight woman over the age of forty have tried to convince themselves that, but no. Not technically." She paused. "I can't believe I'm talking to you about this."

Castiel said nothing. He wanted to know more about chocolate and why it would make anyone happy. It certainly appealed to his taste buds, but the element of happiness was not conceived as far as he could tell. He wondered when the time came to regain her flame, whether or not Thorn would continue to possess her bizarre behavior, if she would still be the girl who made witty comments, had the pig-like laugh, and had an entire conversation with him over chocolate. As slightly irritating as it had proven, Castiel didn't like the idea of it going away.

It was almost ten minutes later of driving through the dense rainstorm before Thorn spoke to him again.

"Angel?"

He glanced at her. When she was sure she had his attention, she spoke again.

"You wouldn't happen to know—well of course it isn't likely, but uh . . ." Castiel watched as she gave a small swallow and released a sharp breath. "You wouldn't know who my real parents are . . . would you?"

Castiel looked out onto the road which was darkened by the thick curtain of gray clouds. He recognized the signs of anxiety as he watched Thorn's fingers tighten slightly over the steering wheel, or the way her lower lip was tucked under her front teeth. Shifting in his seat, he took several beats before replying.

"There would be no way of knowing that," he answered shortly. "The idea of a demon and angel mating is obviously not encouraged, so if it were to happen the two would evidently do everything in their power to remain hidden. Finding your parents would be as easy as counting every single grain of sand on earth."

Thorn breathed out in a defeated sort of way, nodding.

"I was ready for that answer," she said stiffly. Another pause. "I just don't get it. I really can't imagine an angel and demon getting it on. I mean, don't demons supposedly hate angels because they can smite their ass on the spot? How the hell had there been a relationship to start with?"

"That's why it's said only four Nephilim had been born in the past six millennium. I can't imagine either one of those births were a result off of a demon and angel's affection for one another. How I see it, both of them came to terms how powerful a child of both races would be."

"Henceforth, the Nephilim walked the earth," Thorn nodded. "Glad to know I was born to a loving family. Maybe it's good I don't know them. I hope this flame thing doesn't change me into some psycho, black-eyed, halo-twirling bitch."

"You remind me strongly of Dean," said Castiel.

Thorn choked back on a laugh, glancing at the angel with highly raised brows.

"And—why do you say that?"

"Your use of heavily-watered down insignificant sarcastic terms," replied Castiel, looking at her. She was staring at him with an extremely uncertain smile creeping along her plump lips. She gave a small chuckle, shook her head again, and once more returned her eyes on the road.

"Well at least I don't talk to everyone in a voice that says I'm the crypt keeper," she snapped, still with a small smirk. "Or in the least, the narrator of a Stephen King movie. Have you ever smiled before? Do you even know how to work your mouth muscles?" Pause. "Don't answer that."

"I'm perfectly content at the moment," said Castiel with a hint of thoughtfulness.

"So that's you happy? Huh. Remind me not to piss you off."

"Are you intending to?" he questioned.

He watched as the smirk coiled upward in a lopsided grin. For a few seconds she studied the sodden road before glancing sideways at Castiel.

"I'm a curious Nephilim, angel."


I hope you've enjoyed this very-much delayed chapter. I know, it's a short filler chapter but writing the dialogue between Cas and Thorn is one of the most entertaining things. Next chapter things will get picked up and get more into the plot.

I was just thinking of how amusing it would be if Castiel was forced into the situation of dealing with 'girl problems.' Henceforth, I had way too much fun writing this.

So, don't be afraid of leaving a little review telling me what you think, and don't fret about being honest. I want to know how I'm doing! Thanks heaps! Reviews are what keep me goin'!