Chapter Thirty-five: We Reap What We Sow
Our days of peace were numbered. My heaven was the perfect place to vacation from the supernatural world, despite the fact that it in itself seemed to be a part of the supernatural. The fact that I was no longer dead and that it still existed was amazing for me. And it gave me and Cass the quality time that we both were craving so much. But as all good things, nothing can last forever.
"What are you doing?" Cass asked as I putzed around in the bedroom.
"I'm cleaning." I told him. "You wanna take care of the kitchen?"
"You want me to clean the kitchen?" He frowned at me like the question was completely ridiculous.
"What?" I asked as I paused in folding his shirts. "Are you all of a sudden above normal human cleaning?"
"I'm just curious why you want to do the cleaning anyway. One thought from you would make it right itself in an instant." He pointed out as he put his hands on my waist.
"Because it gives me a sense of fulfillment." I said as I moved away from him, continuing to fold the clothes and then put them away.
"I upset you." He said.
"No, you didn't." I said looking at him. Though my tone was a little too high, telling him that he had hit a button. It was a simple human wanting, to clean things up, but since he was an angel he never had those feelings. "It's just the way we humans work." I said stepping up to him, putting my hand on his face. "I'll take care of it."
He didn't say anything. He smiled and left the room. I finished the bedroom and then moved to the bathroom. After almost a week of being here it was amazing how messy we had made the house. The bedroom more than anywhere else but it still was a mess. There were still rose petals in the bathtub from the other night. Smiling, I gently played with them before cleaning them up. Then moved to the rest of the room. I went to the room with my murals and looked at all the pictures, taking a break from all the cleaning. It felt good to feel like things were normal. A normal life. It almost felt like the life the jinn had put in my head. My life with Cass. Stopping in front of the biggest of them. It was still empty. I had made a choice but it still hadn't filled in with anyone. A small amount of coloring around the edges but nothing more than that. It was actually a little unnerving.
It wasn't until Cooper came in with his whinny bark that I thought something was off. Half way downstairs I smelled the heavy sent of lemon cleaner. Cooper ran to the kitchen and I quickly followed him. For a second I thought something was wrong but as soon as I saw Cass standing in the middle of the room I broke down laughing. The sight before me was unexpected but oh so much fun to see. He had rubber boots on, the long yellow gloves, a plastic apron and safety glasses. He looked utterly ridiculous. So ridiculous that I couldn't breathe from the laughter. He just looked at me with furrowed brows and a 'help me' expression. I stepped around the puddles that were already on the floor and took the scrub pad from one hand and the washcloth from the other.
"What are you doing?" I laughed at him.
"I'm cleaning the kitchen like you asked me to do." He replied with that pathetic look on his face.
"Oh, baby." I said and kissed him sweetly. "Thank you, but I didn't realize I was asking so much."
"I didn't either." He said with down turned eyes.
"Baby, it's okay." I said bending so I could catch his eyes. "I appreciate your effort but you don't have to do this."
"You asked me to." He replied.
"And if I asked you to go jump off a bridge, would you?" I smiled.
"Yes." He said as if it was ridiculous to even ask.
Bursting with laughter again, I threw my arms around his neck. "I love you so much." He sighed into my shoulder, the yellow gloves squeaking as they rubbed against each other. "You are a wonderful man. Sometimes I forget that you really haven't been a man very long."
"I'm trying." He said with a sad edge to his voice.
"You don't have to try." I said taking his head in my hands. "You're perfect just the way you are."
"As are you." He said and kissed me again.
"Come on, let's get this place cleaned up."
After stripping him from all his cleaning gear, I directed him as we cleaned up the mess he had made and the mess we had made over the week. It was a perfect day. Even though it was the last good day we were going to have for a while it was so amazingly perfect I almost couldn't take it. Worried I'd break down and cry happy tears. I was so happy. So happy. But then the worst happened. Just as we were finished, holding each other in the middle of our nice clean kitchen, an angel appeared. He acted fast. In the blink of an eye there was a flash of silver and an angry yell. I spun Cass and for a second I took in his face as a moment of fear passed between us before there was an agonizing pain erupting in my chest, making a sharp cry escape my lips. Looking down there was the point of the angel blade sticking out from my center. I felt Cass's arms around me as it was pulled out, quickly lowering me to the floor. He gently ran his hand down my hair, telling me I'd be okay, before he turned on the rogue angel. I sat there against the island, red seeping out across the floor, and my only thought was that we had just cleaned it. There was crashing through the house and then a crack filled the air, telling me that one or both of them had left. When I remained alone, I knew that Cass was either taken away or followed the angel. I tried to stay calm, concentrate on my breathing as I waited for him to come back. I wasn't afraid of dying. I knew that Cass would make everything better. It didn't help that the pain was ebbing away. Cooper had disappeared as well. I was alone. Alone with the whole in my chest and my life ending with every beat of my heart, pulsing the blood out of my body. Tears filled my eyes, running down my cheeks as I shut my eyes, trying to keep control over myself. Then I heard the door burst open and voices as Cooper came into view. John and Mary were right behind him.
"What are you doing here?" I asked John weakly as he knelt in front of me, putting one hand over my wound, the other on my face.
"Cooper came to us barking up a frenzy. We knew something was wrong." He replied. "What happened?"
"There was an angel fight." I said and tried taking a deep breath.
"Why are you here?" He frowned at me. "You're still alive."
"It was a vacation with Cass." I smiled at him.
"Cass." Mary said and looked at John.
"Please don't hate me." I frowned at her.
"Never, sweetie. Never." She said putting her hand on my shoulder.
"I couldn't stand it if you did." I added as I felt the sobs starting to form in my throat. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry but things have not ended up the way they we had planned. Dean and I are not who we used to be and Cass makes me happy. I am so happy. And if the world is going to end then I want to be happy for as long as I can."
"You don't have to explain yourself." John said rubbing my cheek with his thumb.
"No, sweetie, you don't." Mary added. "Especially right now considering what's happened to you."
Nodding as I tried blinking away my tears, I looked at Cooper who had willingly lain in the pool of my blood and rested his head on my thigh. Putting my hand on his head, I tried to choke back the tears.
"Where is Cass?" John asked.
"Fighting an angel." I replied.
"He just left you here?" Mary frowned.
"I don't know. After I was stabbed with the angel blade they fought and then I heard them leave. I don't know what happened." I told her. "We just cleaned this room."
"You're going to be okay." John said before calling out for Cass.
"Don't." I frowned. "If he's not here then he's still fighting for his life. An angel appeared and tried to kill him. I just put myself in the middle."
"You have to stop doing that." John frowned back at me.
"If he died there would be no one to bring me back." I told him with a smile as I started to struggle for breath. "But I think you're right. It sucks being the one who's dying all the time."
"Evy!" Cass's voice shouted from the other room.
"He's here." I smiled at John before everything faded to black.
When I opened my eyes, John was pacing the room as Mary stood and watched him. Cass was cradling my head in his lap, gently pulling his fingers through my hair. Rolling onto my back I looked up at him. For a moment I saw a pained look on his face, his hand through his hair, but he quickly erased it and looked at me with a small smile.
"Are you okay?" I asked putting a hand on his face.
He smiled wider and kissed me gently. "I should be asking you that." He whispered.
"I knew you'd come back for me." I whispered back.
"I'm sorry for getting you hurt." He frowned.
"Don't worry. I'm always going to get hurt. There is always going to be something out there that is going to be after us. You can't protect me from everything." I told him gently.
"Yes I can." He said with determination.
"If I hadn't moved in time that blade would have hit you and then you'd be dead with no one to bring you back. You'd be gone. Don't you get that? Can't you realize that that would end me. I've had bad things happen to me. Horrible things. I've seen the people I love die more times than I can count or care to remember. It doesn't get any easier. It gets harder. So you see…if anything happens to you I will be worse than those experiences." I told him, gripping his jacket.
"I'm not going anywhere." He said caressing my cheek before kissing me deeply.
"You better not." I told him as I felt tears coming on, wrapping my arms around him. He pulled me up against his chest, holding me so tight. Releasing him, I sat up, turning to John and Mary. "I'm sorry."
"For what?" John asked me.
Standing, I walked over to him, the tears still there. "For everything."
He pulled me into a hug. His hug was fatherly and made me feel like everything was going to be okay. "You don't have to be sorry."
"Yes I do." I nodded against his chest. "You shouldn't have had to see that."
"I don't blame you." I whispered gently.
"He blames me." Cass said from behind me.
Frowning, I turned to him before looking up at John. His jaw was clenched. He did blame Cass. "It wasn't his fault." I told John.
"Yes it was." John told me. A protectiveness coming to his grip on me.
"John…" I said trying to move away from him. Sighing, I forced his arm from around me and moved to Cass's side. "It was not his fault. Something will always be trying to kill us. If anything Cass has allowed us to live longer. He brought Dean back from Hell! So don't you dare blame him. Don't you try and turn this into something more than it is."
"Wow." John said and scratched the back of his head. "I'm used to being the one giving orders."
"And you're dead, John." I frowned at him. That hit him hard. Immediately feeling guilty I stepped up to him. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it as harshly as it came out. But you don't have a lot of say in the ways of the living."
"I know that." He told me.
"But you want to so badly that you can't stand it." I stated. He simply nodded. "I understand and respect that. But you're not a ghost. You're not some spirit that's holding on to something down there. You have your wife again. Your home and an afterlife that most would kill for. Don't worry about all of us. Cass is the reason why you don't have to. We'll be okay because he's around."
"Does Dean feel that way?" He asked.
"Dean is Dean. We'll figure things out like we always do." I told him. "He knows everything. I don't hide anything from him. He and Cass have already worked out their problems the best they can for now. Dean is still there for me and we are overdue to return."
"Even when I'm dead I can get your blood boiling." He smiled at me.
"Yes you can." I told him. Turning to Mary, I smiled at her. "I'm so sorry for how this visit went down."
"It's okay, it was nice to see you." She smiled.
"I upset you. I know I did. I'm sorry for that as well." I frowned at her.
"I'm not sure what to be more upset about. With you for leaving Dean or Dean for letting you go." She told me as she played with a strand of my hair.
"When it came to the end I didn't give him much of a choice. And he was too angry at me to give a damn." I told her.
"He gives a damn." John piped up.
"I know, John." I shot at him. "But you haven't been there to see everything that has gone down. Believe it or not my decision is justified."
"I'm sure." He stated.
"We're still family so I'd appreciate it if you didn't treat me like I'm not."
"Why do you care? I'm dead."
"John." Mary frowned at him. "She has a point."
"Don't, Mary." He frowned back.
"You're just as stubborn as your son is." I frowned at him. "The next time I'm up here…don't come here. Stay the hell away from me." I told him and looked at Cass.
Putting my arms around him, I didn't take a second look at my father-in-law before Cass and I returned to Bobby's house.
"I can't believe him." I said immediately starting to pace the living room.
"Hey." Dean said coming into the room. "Where have you two been?"
"A mysterious angel tried to kill Cass and got me instead." I told him.
"What?" He frowned rushing to me.
"I'm fine." I said as he looked me over. "But while I was bleeding out on the floor Cooper went and got mom and dad." I told him annoyed.
"And that's a bad thing?" He asked.
"Yeah, it is." I told him. "John didn't like who I was there with."
Dean froze and looked at me with raised brows. "And?"
"And we fought and I told him to stay away from me. Which is ridiculous since he's dead." I replied.
"Well, we're there often enough to have to see him again." He replied without looking at me.
"Which really, really sucks." I told him with a smile.
"Yeah it does." He said smiling back.
"I know it sucks and I have no right to anything that includes you but after fighting with your dad…I could really use a hug." I told him as my eyes filled with tears.
Dean just smiled at me. "Of course." He said and wrapped his arms around me.
"Thank you." I said resting my head on his chest. "Even though he's head he makes me hate him."
"I know. He has that effect on people. Just look at Sam." He said and let me go.
"Yeah. I thought we were past all that but he's pretty mad at me."
"He'll get over it. I'm sure Mom is getting after him right now. Telling him that she won't forgive him if he doesn't make it right. If he's the reason a wedge is put between all of us then she'll be very angry."
"You are so right." I smiled at him. "Maybe it was worth it then."
He laughed. "Maybe."
"Thank you, Dean." I told him sweetly.
"Good to have you home." He said and nodded at Cass before he left.
Turning to Cass, I heaved a heavy sigh before walking up to him, putting my arms around him, my chin resting against his chest. He placed a kiss on my forehead as he held me tightly against him.
"I'm sorry about all this." I told him.
"Don't worry." He said putting his hand on my face. "I'm sorry I brought it on."
"You didn't." I told him. "The memo just didn't get all the way to heaven."
He smiled and kissed me tenderly. Then he kissed me harder, his hands running up and down my back. Grinning, I wrapped my arms around his neck, standing on my tiptoes to get better access to his mouth.
"Cass?" I asked sweetly.
"Evy?" He replied the same.
"I am completely and insanely in love with you." I whispered to him.
He smiled and pulled me into a passionate kiss. For a moment it was blissful and then the world came tumbling down again. Only it wasn't me who was hurt this time.