Chapter 25:

Mannequin 3: The Reckoning

Sam and Dean weren't back yet. This made me anxious. I knew that they were alive, they had both at some point talked to Bobby, but not me. Not one phone call, email...nothing. Honestly, I was peeved with them. This told me that something had happened and neither one of them wanted to talk to me for fear of accidentally telling. Of course I knew what had happened. Just like I said, a piece of Sam's wall cracked. He remembered something and he didn't like it. I love that idiot to pieces, but what he was doing was dangerous and unfortunately for me, I felt it. His ass was grass the next time I saw him. I knew that I wasn't being fair, but between them and Castiel being a douche, I was getting really, really cranky. The cherry on top of my crappy sundae was that my dad had finished translating Haos' book, but he wasn't letting me read it for some reason. He kept telling me that it was something that he wanted to talk with me and Sam about, but we had to first wait for him and Dean to get back.

I'm very glad that me and my Dad finally had each other, but he was driving me nuts. Who knew that Dad's were overprotective terrorists? I say that as lovingly as I can. If I'm at my house too long, he just shows up, as if he needs proof that I'm really okay, even if all I'm doing is cleaning the floors three rooms away from my phone. I swear if I don't pick up by the third ring, he has a mini-stroke. Cleaning is not really my thing. I actually hate it and would love to be lazy, but ever since Sam popped my cherry, my God-given powers seemed to have amplified. It's the weirdest thing. Cleaning keeps my hands busy and I can't think too much about things if I'm cleaning. Which leads me to what I was now doing...cleaning my library. Dad had never been in my library before and he decided that he wanted to help. Lord help me, by the end of the day I was going to want to be drunk.

"Why didn't you tell me about this sooner?" He complained. "Hell baby, you don't even know what you have in here. If you had Haos' book, who knows what all you have? Most of these are covered in dust!" He opened his mouth to continue his verbal rampage on my library keeping skills when his phone rang. He looked at the screen and eyed me before turning around and answering the phone. "Yeah?" He paused to listen. "Thanks for letting me know you got there. How's he holding up?" He asked walking away.

I pulled out my cell phone and tried to call Sam. It rang twice and went to voicemail. I tried his other cell numbers and got voicemail on everyone. Pissed, I shoved my phone back into my pocket and creeped around to where Bobby was standing. I was tired of everyone avoiding me. My mind made up, I snatched the phone out of my dad's hand and ran across the room.

"Bobby what was that?" Dean's voice came through the phone.

"You guys are in soooo much trouble, I swear..." I breathed angrily into the phone.

"Uhhh, Nikki...so you took the phone from Bobby?" He sounded panicked and I didn't blame him. But they both had it coming.

"So I haven't heard from you two since you left." I ignored him.

"Well, we've been really busy and now we're in Patterson, New Jersey. Picked up a case...janitor was ganked in a college lab. Doors were locked, nobody else in or out of the building." His voice grew soft. "I promise that we'll be back after we wrap up this case." Dean explained.

"Are you talking to Nikki?" I heard Sam in the background.

Obviously my dad knew what was good for him and busied himself with my library. I put a hand on my hip. "Dean, put your brother on the phone." I demanded.

Dean didn't even say anything and I could just imagine him trying to give the phone to his brother. Sam would shake his head and Dean would raise an eyebrow or make a face and try to make him take it. I waited and after hearing a light scuffle I heard Dean sigh. "He's in the bathroom. I think those burritos he had for lunch are talking back hard and..." I cut him off right there.

"Bull shit. I know he is in the room." I was aggravated. There was a pause. "If you don't put the phone on speaker, I will never make you any type of food, including pies ever again!" I threatened.

"Damn woman...okay, okay...no need to pull out the big guns." He responded. "Okay, it's on speaker."

"Sam, stop glaring at Dean. I wouldn't have to do this if you would answer your damn phone." I reprimanded.

I heard Dean laugh. "What? Trying to figure out how I knew that you were shooting you brother dirty looks? I threatened to stop cooking for him. Of course he is gonna listen to me!" I took a big breath. "Now, not to sound like the nagging girlfriend, but why the hell haven't you gotten ahold of me?"

"We've been really busy." He told me.

"Not too busy if you guys can call Bobby." I threw back.

"You don't understand..." He started but I cut him off.

"I love you Sam Winchester. The good, the bad, the annoying...all of it. I know." I told him quietly.

He tried to play dumb. "Know what?"

"That what I warned you about happened. Believe it or not, the moment it happened I felt it. The flashbacks hit and I felt like I was electrocuted." I admitted. Bobby turned his head and looked at me, shocked.

"What the hell do you mean you felt it?" Dean yelled. "Sammy, when it happened you looked like you got electrocuted."

"Nikki, are okay?" Sam asked me his voice thick with worry.

"Hell no, I'm not okay. I want my boys home." I said trying to keep my voice even.

"Home." Sam and Dean said almost at the same time.

"Yes. Me, I'm home. You guys get your shit together and get home. This case is not gonna do nothing but tear you down some more. It won't be in the win column by the way. It's a bunch of dicks getting killed for what they did to an innocent woman. The only way to get rid of her is to kill her sister, who is also innocent." I was nervous about what I had seen in my sleep but it needed to be said. Bobby shot me a look and I put my hand up. "Oh and Dean?"

"Yeah?" Dean said.

"Ben is going to call you and tell you that there is an emergency. It's not. He misses you and Lisa is dating. I'm sorry. You need to call her and for heaven's sake, get them some anti possession charms." There was silence.

"I love you guys. Please come home?" I begged.

There was more silence. I couldn't stand it. "Fine then." I threw the phone at Bobby and walked out of the room and straight into Balthazar. "What do you want?" I threw at him.

"You're a fire cracker aren't you?" His accent thick and his laughter loud.

"Boom." I said, my voice laced with sarcasm.

He threw up his hands. "I just wanted to meet God's favorite little girl, no harm there, doll." He smiled.

I hugged him swiftly and pulled away. "There now you've met me. See you around." I walked down the hallway, then down the stairs heading towards the kitchen. He followed.

"You seem tense. Wanna talk about it?" We stopped in the kitchen and he leaned up against the counter.

"Why? So you can not listen to me too?" I snorted. "No thank you." I pulled the hair tie off of my wrist and pull my hair up in a messy bun. "So you've decided to waste some of your time talking to me? I sense a motive. Care to share?" I asked him while I washed and dried my hands. I took out a bowl from under my island and a paring knife out of my chopping block.

"I'm still trying to figure out what everyone sees?" He responded his eyes focused on me peeling and slicing my Granny Smith apples. I threw a handful of brown sugar over them when I was finished and covered it with a towel.

"What are you doing?" He asked. His curiosity getting the best of him.

"Baking." I said casually. He smirked. "What? If you're nice, I might be tempted to share." I cocked an eyebrow at him and turned on auto pilot. I began to sing and tune out the rest of the world to focus on my baking. It wasn't until I was pulling the pie out of the oven that I remembered that Balthazar was still there watching.

"Do you want some coffee to go with your pie? I'm going to be making a cup for Bobby, so it wouldn't be any trouble?" He grinned at me.

"I would love some coffee thank you." Balthazar walked around the kitchen. "You know, my brother misses you."

"Cass?" I asked aloud already knowing the answer. "Doubt it." I said sadly. "I love Cass to death. He's like family to me and I'm really worried about him, but he's been a big bad of dicks lately and said some very hurtful things to me." I pulled three mugs from the rack.

"Why do I get the feeling that this isn't just about Cassie?" He ask coming closer to me.

Tears stung my eyes. "I'm so overwhelmed." I broke down. "I've been tossed aside and ignored most of my life. I grew up knowing that I was unwanted. It was something that I had gotten use to. I knew that God loves me and that is all I had to cling to. Now I have a bunch of assholes in my life that I would die for and everyone decides to ignore me all at once? I'm suppose to be the light in the darkness...how can I do that when those that make me glow don't want anything to do with me?" I looked at him through blurry eyes and laughed. "I'm so sorry. You didn't want to know that." I handed him a cup of coffee and a hot slice of pie. I wiped my face. "I'm gonna go give Bobby his piece. Be right back."

I walked back up the stairs and into my library to find Bobby engulfed in a book. I sat down the coffee and pie on the dark cherry coffee table and left him to his book. By the time I made it back to the kitchen, Balthazar had already finished his pie and coffee and he greeted me with a smile. "I have something that I would like you discuss with you. I figured out why you are so special." He laughed loudly and put a hand on my shoulder and gazed in my eyes.

"I thought I saw it in your eyes when I first saw you, then you hugged me and I felt safe. But it was this little hand print that sealed the deal. Not everyone knows about you, you know. You're like a fairytale to us angels, but nobody actually believe that you exist...even with an entire book written about you." Balthazar said his eyes shining bright.

"Okay? What are you talking about?" I asked him starting to get really confused.

"Come with me, we'll talk awhile. Everyone will worry with you being gone. It's a great way to make a point." He held out his hand. "What'ya say love?"

"Bobby will be so mad at me..." I reflexed, no sure if I should.

"Daughters are suppose to worry their fathers and make them a little pissy. It's in the job description."

"You will bring me back though...right?" I asked my blue bubble making itself known.

He wrapped his arms around me. "Put that thing away, you'll be back before you know it."

I swallowed. "Let's go then." I closed my eyes and when I opened them I knew exactly where we were. "Why are we in Canada?" I asked him. He just smiled.