9

The Fairest of Them All

Monday

Now what did I tell you? They just seem to pop in whenever they feel like it without regard to anyone else's privacy. Drop in while Dean and Kat are kissing, and two inches from them no less! Goodness.

Well, Castiel scared the crap out of everyone. Smartass fell out of his chair, Paranoia ran into Grumpy, Cry-Baby hid his face in Sam's shirt and Happy fell onto the couch into Sweetie's lap. This left a lot of them either frightened, enraged or both.

Dean gave the angel a solid piece of his mind, receiving no reaction and making him angrier. Kat finally got him to calm down and listen to Castiel. That was over thirty minutes ago.

Right now Kat was sitting on her couch, her elbows resting on her knees, staring blankly at the floor in front of her, shaking her head.

"There is no way," She said. "No way in Heaven, Hell, Earth or anywhere else in the universe."

"It's true." Castiel said.

"Are you trying to be funny?" She asked.

"I don't know how." He said.

"How come I didn't know about this sooner?" She said.

"Because our orders were to not tell you." He stated.

"Dude," Smartass giggled. "This is the second freakin' time."

"Shh!" Sweetie said.

"You're sure?" Kat asked. Castiel nodded.

"We couldn't get this wrong." He said.

"Half angel, whew, if Mom could see me now."

"Your mother is the reason you are what you are." Castiel said.

"What? Serious!" She exclaimed. "Wonder if Dad knows." The angel shook his head.

"He has no idea."

"So, does that mean Mom's an angel?"

"No," He said. "She prayed for her daughter's life to be blessed. So we did."

"Yeah, meaning go to college, marry for money, have ten kids and retire to Florida like she did! Not make me an angel!"

"Just half angel," Cas corrected. "If you weren't, you would have gone blind when you saw my soul."

"Why are you telling her now?" Dean asked.

"I was ordered to."

"You can give me more than that." Kat said.

"I told you," Castiel said. "Your life is in danger. You have a right to know why."

"I was fine and dandy thinking it was for my power, not because I have holy water in my veins!"

"I just follow orders."

"Do you ever think on your own?!" Grumpy bellowed. "All you do is follow orders and never question them!"

"Sounds like up when Dad was alive." Cry-Baby mumbled.

"Not the point!" Grumpy barked. Cry-Baby winced.

"Hey," Kat snapped, hugging Cry-Baby. "Be nice. He was just making a point."

"And he's right." Sweetie said. Dean nodded.

"How much danger is she in?" Paranoia asked.

"More than you understand. She needs to get as far away from here as possible." Castiel said.

"I'm not running away." Kat said defiantly.

"Katherine, you are not protected like other angels. You can die as easily as humans can." Castiel said.

"So physically I'm human and useless but mentally, oh yeah, I am a mental dynamo. Watch out Jeopardy contestants."

"You have to leave, Katherine." Castiel repeated.

"Cas, there's eight people in this house that will kill anything and anyone that tries to hurt her," Dean said. "And it'll be nine if you stay too."

"They'll find her if she stays here." Castiel said.

"Castiel," Sweetie said. "What are your orders exactly?"

"To protect Katherine." He said.

"Then could you stay here and protect her? Please?" Sweetie asked. Whether the angel was surprised that Dean Winchester's voice just said please, or that he had just realized the loophole in his orders, they didn't know, but the look on his face said everything.

"Right," He said slowly, thinking. "Yes, I'll stay."


Castiel was entertaining to watch. And so incredibly awkward. It was like he didn't know where to stand, what to stay. Whether he should be by people or stay away from the crowd. Kat would watch him from time to time, noticing how he would stand in one place for an hour and then move, standing on the outskirts of conversations, listening intently. At seven o'clock she decided to talk to him.

"Hey, Cas," She said. "Do you ever sit down?"

"I have no need to." He said.

"Man, you guys don't get to have any fun at all do you?"

"Since when is sitting fun?" Grumpy asked.

"I can think of three good reasons." Happy grinned.

"I'll bet you can." Smartass said, waggling his eyebrows.

"Oh, knock it off." Sweetie snapped. Kat stood, ruffling Sweetie's hair and walking to Castiel.

"You look confused." She said. Castiel nodded, looking around at the seven Dean's and Sam, who were conversing amongst themselves.

"I didn't get a chance to ask but," He turned to her. "How did this happen?" Kat sighed and gave him the cliff notes version of the strange tale.

"Ruby," Castiel spat, showing actual emotion for the first time since she had met him. "She's been a problem for awhile now."

"I take it you don't like her." Kat said.

"No Angel can get along with a Demon," He said. "That was set in stone a long time ago."

"Yeah, I guess that whole Satan thing threw everything off." She stated. He nodded.

"Yes." He looked around again, face still filled with confusion.

"What's wrong?" She asked. He looked back at her.

"I don't understand them." He said. She looked at the seven, then back at the angel.

"What about them don't you understand?"

"Everything. One seems to feel nothing but violent rage. One is worried about everything. One only wants to fornicate, another makes it all a joke. Another is truly kind. And the last, ha saddens me."

"He makes everyone sad." She said.

"I can see the pain of Hell on his face, in his eyes. The guilt the years have built up. And the fear…" The angel bowed his head. "He even fears me," He sighed. "I don't know what to make of them, any of them."

"I don't know how to answer that," She shook her head. "But Sweetie might." She walked to the couch and tapped the man on the shoulder. She spoke to him for a moment, he nodded periodically, before he stood and followed her to Castiel.

"Katherine can't explain you to me," Castiel said. "Can you?"

Sweetie thought for a moment.

"Yeah," He nodded. "Okay, Paranoia is Dean's instinct. He makes it so Dean is alert at all times, just in case. Grumpy is every bit of rage Dean has ever felt. Happy's self explanatory, Smartass is the mask, I'm his conscience. And Cry-Baby's every bit of nightmare, pain, fear and guilt that Dean has buried deep inside of him. Hell included." Castiel shook his head.

"Terrible," He said. "For one person to have to fear everything at all times. To think about such pain always."

"He's not scared of Katherine," Sweetie said. "She's the only one he can smile around. She makes him feel safe. If only for a few moments." Kat bit her lip and looked at Cry-Baby.

"Really?" She asked. Sweetie nodded. Kat smiled lightly, painfully. "S'cuse me." She sat down on the couch next to Cry-Baby, looked into his fearful eyes, and hugged him tight, not knowing what the tears he was crying were from. He buried his face in her neck and stopped seconds later.

For once, Cry-Baby didn't want to cry. He wasn't scared, he wasn't remembering something painful, he was in Kat's arms and at peace, a peace he only knew when she was near him.

And now my dear readers I hope you understand why Kat is truly, the fairest of them all.

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