Chapter 3

Present Day

Sam

I helped Serra off the floor and took a deep breath, finally feeling the adrenaline hit my bloodstream and as much as I hated to admit it, I started to enjoy myself. I was hunting with my family and compared to the terror we had felt the last few years, this was a walk in the park. I had my doubts occasionally about taking my wife hunting, but I had no idea why. I think it was mostly nerves, knowing how much I loved her and how worried I was about potentially losing her, but overall, the more I watched her in action, the less afraid I was. I reassured myself more and more each time I saw her on a hunt. Serra could take on this whole nest and come out on top, I really had no doubt.

"Finally," I heard Grace whisper.

I turned and gave her a look, and she laughed, effortlessly decapitating a vampire as it ran towards her. "Finally what?" I asked, moving closer to her, throwing off a vampire as it ran at us.

"Finally," she muttered, "seeing her for who she is."

From across the room, Serra was locked in combat with another two fangs, so she didn't have the time to look up. "See her for who she is?" I repeated. "She's Serra. She's a warrior."

Grace nodded, smiling approvingly at her little sister. "She's my Warrior," Grace corrected. "A Warrior of Fucking Heaven."

"Fourteen!" Serra yelled from across the room. Giggling, Grace took a deep breath as she nodded encouragingly at her sister, giving her the 'thumbs up' sign.

Dean turned to watch Grace and me, throwing us a questioning look as he wiped the blood out off his nose. I shook my head, telling him that things were fine, and his wife smiled at him, giving him the thumbs up as well. He grinned and went back to the vampires.

I glanced side-long at my sister-in-law, the Nephilim, and took a deep breath, wanting to ask the question that had been winding around my mind for the last few weeks. I knew that Grace already knew what I wanted to ask, but she was respectful of my thoughts and feelings about having my mind read and let me consider it again without pressing me. From the outside, Grace didn't look that different. She carried herself taller, moved with precision, and now had the same inhuman stillness that the angels had when standing. I was dying to know if she felt different; if she perceived the world differently now that her abilities were fully matured. I also had questions for Dean; but I would never be comfortable asking.

Grace turned slightly towards me and immediately, I knew my secrets were now her secrets as well. It never seemed quite fair that she had such easy access to our thoughts.

"I share quite a bit, too," she whispered next to me. "I don't hold my thoughts in after I read yours."

In the chaos of the battle with the vampires, I turned towards her and cocked my head, seeing that her earpiece was hanging low, obviously trying to keep my secrets to the two of us. I mimicked her, taking my mic out of my ear and allowing it to hang to my shoulder.

"This hardly seems like the place to talk this out," I muttered, turning to watch Dean and Serra once again.

Grace didn't move, "They're distracted. Do you want me to answer without you asking?" she asked, smiling lightly. "Are the questions too embarrassing for a college professor?"

"They're too embarrassing for a brother-in-law," I replied, staring at my feet. "It's awkward, we share too much as it is. You don't have to answer."

Grace turned towards the nearest vampire, reaching out with her palm and touching him long enough for him to explode into a dust cloud of ashes. Without batting an eye, she turned back to me and grinned, "Yes," she commented, glancing at Dean and Serra as they took turns with an overly-large male vampire. "I feel different. Everything is clearer, brighter. More detailed. I hear everyone, all the time."

I nodded, happy with my answers, but didn't mention anything further.

"It feels different, being with him, too," she whispered, holding a grin.

Smiling back at Grace, I pressed my tongue to the back of my teeth, waiting for her to continue.

Grace nodded towards Dean, who stood up to his full height after taking down the huge vampire, "A Nephilim with Michael's Vessel?" the corners of her lips tugged into a wry grin. "We've broken a few windows."

"I don't need details," I laughed, shaking my head.

She chuckled too, but then turned serious once again, "No, I won't get pregnant again, if that's what you're asking. We've had that under control for awhile now."

Waiting, I flicked my eyes to my sister. "How do you know?"

"Because we have all four Gatekeepers," she answered simply.

"Seventeen!" Serra shouted from the corner of the bar.

I turned and smiled at her, realizing that the battle was over. There were no more vampires left to kill. Dean was breathing heavily next to her, smiling just as broadly. "Fifteen," he replied half-heartedly, realizing that Serra had beaten him.

Serra turned to stare at her sister, "How many?" she demanded.

"Four."

"Jesus, did you even try?" Serra chastised. "Four? That's embarrassing!" She turned to me, gesturing with her knife. "How many?"

I shrugged. "Two," I replied.

"Two!"

Grace laughed and turned to Dean, wiping blood off his forehead. "Sammy was letting you have the fun, now that you've got this whole 'Vessel Blood' thing down. You should be thanking us."

"At least Dean didn't let me down," Serra continued. They high-fived to drive the point home.

"Well," Grace shrugged, turning towards her sister, "I'm glad you got your playtime. Can we go home now?"

…

Three Weeks Ago

Dean

The wind kicked up by the time I drove home; bringing back flashes of the night Delilah almost killed Serra with a tornado and took my son and nephew. I shook my mind free of the suffocating memory, trying to concentrate on the idea that things were better now; that we had our kids back, everyone was alive, and I had a chance to be bored. It was refreshing. I knew it couldn't last.

I turned up the gravel drive, turning off the engine of my car and sat in the silence for a few minutes, just staring through the windshield up at my house. The lights were on through closed curtains, giving the whole scene a warm glow in the just-after-sunset dusky light.

The farmhouse had been built in 1901, suited for a family of at least six, just like ours. Each of the kids had their own bedroom, which was more than I could have ever asked for, and the girls would never have to fight over using the bathroom. There were two bathrooms upstairs, one and a half on the ground floor, and one more in the basement. To say that we were lucky was an understatement. It was hard to imagine that just over ten years ago, Sam and I were basically homeless nomads, barely surviving the day to day. Now, well…I was staring at the best thing that had ever happened to me.

She wandered down the steps of the wraparound porch, touching the handrail lightly with her long, blonde hair swaying in the breeze as it whipped around the house. Grace moved with an elegance that I would never take for granted. She smiled, seeing me meet her eyes through the windshield, and reached for the door handle, and let herself in. Sitting gently on the seat beside me, Grace took a soft breath.

"Thinking about running?" she asked, a hint of a smile in her voice.

I turned to glance side-long at my wife. "Wouldn't dream of it," I replied, touching her hand. "I've got it too good here."

"Damn right," she giggled.

"Miss me, did you?" I asked, remembering her touch while standing in the middle of my shop, talking to Stu. "Made it a little hard to focus on closing up."

Grace licked her lips, suppressing a grin. "Made it a little hard?" she repeated.

"And they say I'm immature," I laughed, turning to get out of the Impala.

Grace followed suit, meeting me at the hood and taking my hand. "Lib's bursting to tell you about her field trip to the farm," she changed subjects.

"Field trip?" I asked; my attention diverted to my eldest daughter. "We're sending our lead Gatekeeper on a field trip?"

"Serra wanted to be here to see you freak out," Grace commented, leading me up the steps. "It's not like we can't go with her. One of us can be a chaperone."

I made a face, shaking my head. Being surrounded with about sixty second graders was not my idea of a party. "I'm not going on a trip with all those kids," I curled my lip in disgust. "On a school bus. With sticky, loud, demanding creatures that I didn't make."

Grace laughed, walking through the screen door as I held it open for her. "You don't have to," she replied. "There are quite a few of us in this family. You're just one of the possibilities."

"Yeah, well," I muttered, still shaking my head. "Not really."

"Daddy!" Lib cried, running to me with her arms spread wide.

I grinned at my little girl. "Hey, Meatloaf," I chuckled. My kids being happy to see me would never get old. "How's it going? How was school?"

Liberty's green eyes were bright, "It's so fun! We've been talking about how a farm works and we get to go to one! We get to go to a real life farm with a barn and pigs and everything!"

"So," I glanced up at Grace with my eyebrows raised, "Your class is coming here?"

Looking confused, Lib turned to glance at my wife. Grace laughed. "Daddy is teasing you," she soothed. "We have a barn. Auntie Luck has a pig."

My daughter giggled and shook her head. "No, Daddy, a real farm. There are cows!"

"Thanks for clearing that up," I replied. "So, when is this field trip?"

…

Dean

Three Weeks ago

"Have we decided who's going with the eldest Gatekeeper on her field trip?" I asked as I helped Grace put the rest of the dishes away. "We know it's not me, and she's not going if one of us isn't there."

"I could go," Grace shrugged, "but then someone has to pick up the little kids at 2:30."

"I can probably pick them up from school and just take them back to the shop. Does Sam have class that day?" I asked, "Or does it have to be one of us?"

Grace tilted her head. "I don't think it matters as long as we have our volunteer stuff filled out," she commented. "I think it would be hilarious if we sent Serra."

"Would she even survive the trip?" I laughed, turning to Everett who had suddenly appeared at the edge of the counter. "What's up kiddo?" I asked.

"I want to go on a field trip," Everett said simply.

Grace smiled at our son and took a deep breath, bending down to his level. "Ev, it's Lib's turn to go on her trip. When you get to second grade, you'll be able to go with your class, too."

Everett narrowed his eyes but seemed to be satisfied with her answer. He hugged her and meandered away, showing a hint of a smile when he sat down again next to Glory as he joined in her Lego-building session.