"Okay Cas, this is our home," I introduced our giant house in the woods. "Murdock and I own all this land in every direction so it's completely safe." I added.
"Not warded against angels and demons." Castiel frowned.
"Didn't you ward yourself from angels?" I reminded. "I can't demon proof this place or else Cliffy and I wouldn't even be able to go in."
"Yes, you're right." Cas said and followed us inside. Clifton immediately runs to the play room where the twins are.
"Okay, this carpet is expensive though, so...CLIFTON CASTIEL!" I roared.
"Uh-oh," I heard my twin sisters gasp.
My son returns to me fearfully. "Yuh?"
"What do you think you're doing?" I demanded, folding my arms over my chest.
"Play," Clifton answers, pointing to the play room.
"Are you standing on my carpet?" I asked calmly.
He darts his amber eyes at the floor. "Yuh."
"What's on your feet?"
"...Shoes."
"Are you standing on my carpet with shoes on?"
"...Yuh..."
"Take them off and then you can play."
"Okay," Clifton takes his sandals off and dashes back to the play room.
Cas takes his shoes off quickly. "I don't want you to scold me." He said with wide eyes.
I giggled and took my shoes off as well. "This is the living room. All we do here is watch TV or movies. The broken off room all the way to the right is the play room for Cliffy, Addy and Sera."
"Your sisters," Cas remembers. "I don't think I've ever seen them."
"Really?" I'm shocked. "Well come on." I lead him to the play room and call out to the three year olds, "Adena, Serafina, say hi to Cas."
"Hi Cas," Adena waved.
"We're playing toys," Serafina announced.
"They look just like Lucifer," Cas noticed.
I cover his mouth and shove him back into the living room. "Seriously Cas?! They don't need to know! But yes, the vessel Lucifer used," also known as Nick. "They do look like him."
"Shouldn't they have a right to know who they came from?" Cas asked confusingly.
"Castiel, you do not decide the well being of my sisters. I do, but thanks for your input."
He frowns as a response and stays quiet as I direct him to the kitchen. "This is Lucky. He's a skinwalker." I introduced. The German Shepard perks his head up.
"Like Jinx," Cas seemed to make a reference.
"Who?" I ask. Isn't that a Pokémon?
Cas shook his head but was smiling. "Don't worry about it."
I shrugged. "Lucky usually stays in the kitchen because the tile floor is cooler. It's also very expensive flooring so again, no shoes."
After a tour of the house, I show Cas his room and ask him if he has any clothes. "No." He answered.
"Then I'll get you some," I decided. "I'll get you a TV and cable in here too." I offered.
"Thank you," Cas says honestly.
"You're welcome. I'm sorry you got kicked out of the Bunker. You're always welcome in my home."
Half an hour later I heard Juliet scream at the top of her lungs. "YOU LIVE WITH US NOW?!"
"Yes," Cas said warily.
"COOL! Yeah, yeah!"
I erupted in laughter. Cas should get comfortable quick if the kids are already accepting of him.
"Lynn, guess what?" Juliet tried to start a conversation a few days later. I ignore her, and keep watching my son take his nap. "Lynn?" She repeated.
"What?" I mumbled finally.
"The Bunker has a garage," Juliet informed me. "Dean said so. He said that Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz is real and she took Charlie to Oz with her."
"Funny," I smirked.
"He really said that!" Juliet pouted. "He said Dorothy is real and Charlie's gone to Oz with her!"
"Dean finally cracked," I decided.
"They're both telling the truth," Murdock interrupted as he entered our room. "At least about the garage, and Sam honestly said Oz is real, and so is Dorothy, and she took Charlie to Oz with her to...hunt." He explained.
"You're not kidding," I realized.
"Told you!" Juliet spat. She folded her arms across her chest giving me a stern look. Her pink glasses are a little crooked so I reached out and adjusted them for her. "Thanks." She said quietly.
"Everybody out, I don't want Cliffy waking up," I ushered. "Where's Cas and the twins?"
"Cas said he would make sandwiches for us for lunch," Juliet answered. "Addy and Sera are in the kitchen with him."
"I don't trust him and sandwiches," I mutter. "I don't trust sandwiches at all. Not since GG got high off one."
"What?" Murdock said curiously. On the way downstairs I told the story of the Leviathans making those nasty goo sandwiches that put Megan and Dean on cloud nine. They thought it was just as funny.
I enter the kitchen. Addy and Sera are at Castiel's hip, their matching sapphire eyes watching him make food. "Don't burn the house down." I deadpanned.
"I won't." Cas promised.
A few more days later, I hooked Castiel up with a job so he wasn't stuck inside all day. I got him working at the local Gas-N-Sip with a simple enough job.
Dean calls that same day requesting Juliet's help. "You said she can talk to animals, right?"
"...Yes?" I confirmed confusingly. Have I ever mentioned this? According to Nephros shortly after I'd first met him, he said that each Nephilim has their own special power or ability. Laena admitted that she was able to share thoughts and memories, and it passed down to her son, and thus it passed down to my Clifton. Juliet just so happens to know how to talk to animals. That explained why she liked Lucky so much.
Dean explains that there were a couple of murders that happened supernaturally, and that the only witness to the murders was a lone dog. He and Sam needed Juliet to question the dog about what he saw.
"I'll help!" Juliet decided. "I'm a hunter in training!"
"Unfortunately," I sighed, and sent her on her merry way to accompany my brothers.
Nephros...
Is he okay?
...Damon. DAMON! Why hasn't he called me?! Does he even know about Nephros joining Metatron? I scroll through my phone until I find his name and call him. "Brother!" I yell when he answers. "I...I have something to tell you."
"I already know," he said in a tone I hadn't heard him use since I first met him in Hell. "I lost him."
"No you didn't," I argued. "He's just-"
"Don't bullshit me, little sister! He came to me, and said 'thank you for taking care of me my entire life, but I am with my father now, and he is going to let me make a home for all Nephilim in Heaven.' and then he left with nothing more to say."
"Damon..."
"Don't even. I lost him. I lost...my son..."
So many days have passed. The children all love that Cas is here. "Can he stay forever?" Juliet requested.
"Oh I don't think so," I answered. "He's just here until everything gets figured out." I told her. I hope this isn't a lie.
"See Nora!" Cliffy roared from upstairs. He was hot on Castiel's trail as they came downstairs together. Cas is dressed in his work outfit. "See Nora!" Clifton repeated.
"Who's Nora?" I raised an eyebrow. "Nora Montgomery from American Horror Story?"
"No," Cas answered. "Just a woman I work with at...work."
Juliet gave the twins an evil grin, and then she started shouting over and over, "CAS HAS A GIRLFRIEND!" And this caused the twins to start chanting it too.
"She is not my girlfriend!" Cas remarked in defense. "She's just a woman at my work!"
I crack up laughing. "We'll all take you to work today, how about that?" I offered.
"Yeah, yeah!" Juliet agreed.
It took us a few minutes, but I got everybody into shoes, and everyone buckled in the mini van tightly. "Where Ducky?" Clifton wondered.
"Ducky is... I don't know. He left early this morning. He has the Cobalt." I answered. "Maybe he just wanted to get out of the house for a while."
I drive Cas to work and drop him off. Everyone says goodbye to him, and I take a cruise through town. We pick up fast food for breakfast, and then I see my blue Cobalt parked in the lot for the town library. Murdock is there? Our library at home must not be big enough...hmph, fine, whatever.
The next day, I have a nagging feeling in my skull. I haven't slept in almost a week. The twins were sent to their cousin Alice's for the rest of the week this morning after we took Cas to work. Juliet went to visit her mother, so it's just Cliffy, Lucky, Murdock and I.
"Love?" I called out chirpfully.
"Yeah?" He called back.
"Want to go for a walk?" I offered. Lucky gave his answer by wagging his tail. "We do live in the woods, you know. I'm sure there's always pretty scenery to look at." I added sarcastically.
"Sure," Murdock made himself visible by coming into the living room. I call Clifton from the play room and get him in his shoes. A few minutes later, all four of us are taking a walk in our woods.
"What's going on with you?" I finally asked. I watch Lucky sniff the ground as we walk. "You're being so anti-social."
"I don't know what it is," Murdock admitted. "I've been feeling a little funny. Maybe it's hormones." He guessed.
"I doubt it's hormones." I scoffed.
"Walk with Lucky," Clifton said happily, trying to keep up with the skinwalker. I try to get more out of Murdock, but he doesn't say much else. He's not even holding my hand. I feel a little hurt. I hope my son doesn't notice.
I'll find out what's going on. I always do.
Cas' shifted ended, but he called to say he didn't need a ride. I smirked and thought maybe Nora was taking care of him. As long as she doesn't hurt him. I think Clifton would kill her quicker than I could, or would.
Night came. I guess Juliet's staying the night with her mother. Murdock's in our library, reading, being distant like usual. It's really starting to bother me. I just decided to completely confront him about it when my phone rang.
"Lynn," Cas spoke on the other line. "Tanya's sick, and I don't have a vehicle to get her to a hospital quick enough."
"Tanya?" I repeated.
"Nora's daughter. I'm at Nora's house. Can you come help her?"
"Sure," I said. "You're lucky she has a daughter, and not a son named Thaddeus." I added.
"What would be wrong with that?"
"Nothing, Cas. I'm just rambling. Now where am I going?"
He tells me the address and hangs up. I peek around. Cliffy's busy in the play room. This will take less than five minutes.
I fly to Nora's house, where Cas lets me in. I instantly hear a baby crying. "Tanya is a baby..." I realized. "...are you babysitting?" I almost laughed.
"Unintentionally," Cas answered, leading me to Tanya's crib.
"Hi Tanya," I greeted, lifting her up. Goodness, I remember when Cliffy was this small before he could walk. Someone else starts knocking on the front door. Cas goes to answer, and I put my palm over Tanya's hot forehead.
I can feel her body temperature going back to normal. "All better?" I soothed.
"Hello Castiel," a man's voice alerted. He follows Cas into the kitchen. "Oh, this place," he said in disgust. "No wonder she's sick."
"Was sick, Ephraim," Cas corrected. "Lynn just helped her."
"Aloha," I greeted the new guy, Ephraim. Obviously the name of an angel.
"You remember my name?" Ephraim sounds impressed. "I was just a nobody when we met."
I put Tanya down in her crib, and start walking to the door. "I'll be going now." I decided. "Nice to meet you." I said to the new guy.
"Wait," Cas said to me, and it was all I needed to hear. Suddenly Ephraim doesn't seem so cool.
They talked to each other for a couple more minutes until I knew Ephraim is here to kill Castiel. I can't let that happen, so it's time to fight.
He tried to blast me back but my archangel power was a little too much for him, so he was barely able to keep me at bay. This is a powerful angel. I yell out and blast him away from Cas, just as Dean comes out of nowhere.
"BACK!" I screamed at him, blasting him out of harm's way. As he lands in a corner, I notice he has an angel killing sword. I turn back to have Ephraim stick my gut with an iron blade. Goddamnit, my name must have given my weakness away to him.
I groan, stepping back. I'm useless now.
Ephraim breaks Cas' hand, and gets him down on his knees to kill him. He just puts his hand on Cas' head when Dean slides the blade over. Cas quickly grabs it and stabs Ephraim in his own gut.
Dean gets up, out of breath, and steps over to me. "Was just trying to protect you." I groaned.
"I know. Hold still." Dean yanks the iron blade out of me quickly, then goes over to Cas. He sort of snaps his hand back in place, then I touch his palm with my index finger to fix him up.
A car pulls up outside. Probably Nora. Oh, shit, the body, and the burned in wings! I snap my fingers to make the wings disappear, and I use my strength to lift Ephraim up.
"I'm out." I said, and zapped myself home. I drop Ephraim in the backyard. Should I bury him? I groan from my wound. I whisk my fingers to have the back door open by itself. "Lucky!" I hissed.
The skinwalker jumps outside and runs to me, growling when he sees the body. "Listen, go further in the woods. Not too far away but not too close to the house either. Dig a hole big enough to put this body in. I'll be right back outside."
Lucky barks once and takes off running. I slowly walk to the back door and go in. I zap into my bedroom, grab a clean shirt, and then stumble out and into the bathroom to change. I slowly pull off my bloodied shirt and pull on my clean one, after washing some of the blood on my wound away. It hurts like a bitch.
Eventually I go back outside and Lucky helps me drag the angel's body with his teeth to the dig spot. I toss the body in and Lucky starts kicking all the dirt back in the dirt coffin. When he's done we both pad it down good. "I won't tell if you won't." I told Lucky. He almost seemed to nod so I nodded back.
As we walk back home, I think, what an unusual ending to such a normal day. I'm prepared for whatever comes my way next.