Callie prepped Ari before the arrival of the agents the next morning, hoping her daughter wouldn't feel too uncomfortable being questioned. Ari was withdrawn when the events of the previous day were mentioned, but other than that she was behaving like her usual self. Callie was trying to pay close attention to see any warning signs, even if she didn't know what they might be. It worried her that the principal thought Ari started a fire. It just didn't make sense. She recalled a mysterious fire starting about six months before, the day she was late to pick Ari up and Mrs. Brown talked about contacting DCS, but they had just been walking to the car when that happened. In fact, Ari hadn't really been doing anything. Callie was the one who had been upset at that point, angry about the difficult position she was in. Ari hadn't been anywhere near the bush that caught fire and had looked terrified when Callie put it out. That was the only incident she could think of involving fire of any sort recently.
At exactly 9 AM there was a knock on the door. Callie opened it, expecting to see the two FBI agents. She was surprised to see a third man standing with them. He was peering at her house, studying it closely, which gave her a few moments to study him in turn. He had dark hair that rested in a slightly unkempt fashion on his head. There was a sharpness to his features that came mostly from the intense look of concentration on his face. She could tell immediately he didn't joke around. He wore a tan overcoat that caught her eye for some reason. Objectively, she noticed he was attractive.
Who am I kidding, subjectively he's attractive, she thought.
At that moment, the man's head turned and he met her gaze immediately. Callie felt like her knees might buckle if she didn't focus. The intensity of his stare was now focused on her, leaving her breathless and terrified at the same time. He narrowed his eyes at her, looking perplexed. She struggled to look back at Agent Nash as he waited politely in the doorway.
"Hi. Um, you can come in. All three of you…" she trailed off, unsure of how to address the additional man.
"This here's Agent Moscone, he's a specialist," Agent Crosby said quickly.
"Like a child specialist?"
"Not exactly. A specialist with the theme of the event."
Callie glanced between Agents Crosby and Nash in confusion, sneaking in a glance at Agent Moscone every few seconds. He was staring at her still. She was pretty sure he hadn't stopped staring at her since he first met her gaze, except instead of him being outside with some distance between them, the four of them were standing in her kitchen. She was becoming increasingly aware of how small the kitchen was and how close he stood, just a few feet away, staring silently. She bit her lip and forced herself to look back at him, trying to figure out what he was doing. He seemed confused and surprised, but she didn't understand why.
"Um…are…are you…do you need something from me?" she tried to ask.
Agent Crosby realized Agent Moscone was staring and elbowed him.
"What? Oh. My apologies," Agent Moscone's low voice rumbled.
Callie felt chills through her body at the sound of it, and for a moment she flashed back to the man in her dreams. She shook her head to clear her thoughts.
"Hey, Ari, can you come join us?" Callie called, and Ari bounded in. "These are the men we talked about, the ones who want to help. They just need a little bit of information about what happened yesterday. I'm going to be right here the whole time."
Agent Moscone was staring at Ari in open disbelief, his mouth slightly ajar.
"Are you sure he's okay?" Callie asked Agent Nash.
"Who, Agent Moscone? Oh. Hey, are you…excuse us a minute," Agent Nash replied, giving a tight smile before dragging the other agent away.
"Some specialist," Callie muttered, and Agent Crosby frowned.
"He's not great with people, but he knows a lot."
"Sorry. Didn't mean to insult your boyfriend."
Agent Crosby stiffened and inhaled sharply, his eyes narrowing. Before he could reply, Agent Moscone's raised voice drew their attention.
"…to find out who!" He seemed to realize they were staring at him and strode back over angrily, closing the distance to Callie in just a few strides.
"What's going on?" She asked, looking to Agent Nash for assistance.
"Who is she? Who's her father? Why are you keeping this information a secret?" he bellowed, and Callie backed away from him, stopped only by the kitchen counter. She thought about how strange it was that in about the span of a day, two men had stood in this kitchen, raising their voices at her and causing her to back into the counter.
"Ari, go to your room," Callie said.
"Mommy?" Ari replied, hiding behind Callie's outstretched arm that she had put instinctively in front of her daughter like a shield.
"It's okay, sweet girl, just go upstairs. I promise," Callie said, trying to keep her voice even. Ari hesitated for a moment before running out of the room and up the stairs.
"Agent Moscone, you need to calm down right now," Agent Nash said.
"This isn't funny! Stop this pretense and tell us who her father is. What are you after? Are you trying to get one of the tablets?" Agent Moscone continued to interrogate.
"I don't know what you're talking about! Her dad was Dan Richards, he died a few years ago. What does that have to do with anything? Why are you yelling at me?!" she replied, terrified at the realization that these three men had her trapped in her kitchen, intentionally or not. She felt like a panicked deer surrounded by wolves.
"Agent Moscone!" Agent Nash's voice said loudly. "That's enough!"
"No, Sam, she has to know. This is some sort of set up! Who are you working for? How did you know they would bring me in?"
"I don't know what you're talking about!" Callie shouted, her fear and panic reaching new levels with anger and frustration joining in.
A moment later, her kitchen table was engulfed in flames, surprising all of them.
"Oh, shit! Shit!" Agent Crosby said, taking off his coat and trying to put out the flames.
Agent Moscone was staring at her still, his gaze hard. He looked furious.
"Who is her father?" he demanded again, and Callie stomped her foot.
"I told you who her father was!"
"Cas, maybe you're not thinkin—" Agent Nash started to say.
"I can tell there is power in the child. It's impossible to ignore. I felt it from outside the house!" Agent Moscone insisted, stepping even closer.
Callie held her breath, feeling like her body was shutting down. Agent Moscone was only about a foot away and she could feel the anger radiating off him. She didn't know how to react or respond to what he just said because it sounded insane. He cocked his head to the side suddenly and stared at her with confusion again.
"I sense power in you as well. But you're not an angel…you're…what are you?"
Callie couldn't keep up as his tone changed from anger to confusion to concern to curious with each question.
"Is she a witch? I friggin' hate witches," Agent Crosby said. "I got some witch killing bullets on me, just say the word."
"Holden, help," Callie whispered, unsure of what else to do.
She didn't know why she thought he would come, or how. She hadn't called him on the phone, hadn't sent a text. Even though he asked her to tell him if anything happened, she had been in too much of a daze yesterday to even inform him of the developments with Ari.
"Who's Holden? Is he the child's father? She's not a witch, Dean," Agent Moscone said, directing the last comment to Agent Crosby. She was grateful his curiosity remained, if only to abate his anger from returning.
"I'm just a regular person," Callie whispered, trembling uncontrollably.
"Cas, back off a little, she's terrified! Are you sure she's not human?" Agent Nash asked, which earned him a harsh look from Agent Moscone in reply.
"You're…very old. You're something that hasn't been here in a long time, I can sense that. What...how…?"
Before Callie could answer, there was another knock at the door.
"I don't like you and I know Mommy was scared so I called our friend!" Callie heard Ari yell from the stairs. "Mr. Yuclos is going to be really mad that you're being not nice!"
"Mr. Yuclos?" Agent Nash asked Callie as Holden opened the door and walked in.
"Lady Arella called me in something of a tizzy, love. Couldn't make heads or tails of what she was on about, so I figured I'd pop over. Everything okay?" Holden asked.
In unison, the three FBI agents stared as he walked in the doorway of the kitchen and froze.
"Oh, bugger," he said.
"Holden," Callie said, a small sense of relief washing over her.
"Crowley?" Agent Nash asked in disbelief.
"What are you doing here?" Agent Moscone asked, his voice dripping with disgust.
"Wait a minute, you're Mr. Yuclos? You're going by the name Holden Yuclos? Is that some kind of joke?" Agent Crosby asked.
Holden shrugged and smirked.
"What is she, Crowley?" Agent Moscone asked, tilting his head to indicate at Callie.
"Special," Holden replied.
"And the girl?"
Holden glanced at Callie briefly before replying.
"Very special."
"Okay, someone needs to explain what the hell is going on here or I'm gonna start shooting!" Agent Crosby yelled.
"Squirrel, it's always shoot first, ask questions never. That attitude will get you nowhere in life," Holden said.
"I'll start with you," Agent Crosby replied and then fire a shot at Holden.
"NO!" Callie screamed as a surge of energy burst through her.
Agent Moscone was knocked back into the table by a purple-tinted force. Callie watched in horror as Holden was shot, horror that turned quickly to confusion when he simply looked down at the bullet that entered his stomach and sighed.
"I would ask when you'll ever learn, but we both know the answer," he said to Agent Crosby.
"What…oh, my god, how are you okay?" Callie asked.
"Mommy?" Ari shouted, and Callie could hear the tears in her voice.
"I'll be right back, love, just going to bring Lady Arella somewhere a bit less…shoot-y," Holden said before disappearing in an instant.
"Crowl—damn it!" Agent Crosby yelled.
"What did you do just now?" Agent Nash asked her.
Callie felt like her world was collapsing. These men seemed to know Holden and kept calling him a different name. Holden got shot and nothing happened before he disappeared into thin air.
"Oh, god, Ari!" Callie said, racing out of the room and heading toward the stairs.
"She's safe, love," Holden said, reappearing in front of her and grabbing her. "I promise you that she's safe. I'm so sorry for what's about to happen," he said.
"Crowley, I swear I'll stick you in a devil's trap for the rest of eternity if you don't tell us what the hell is going on!" Agent Crosby shouted.
Agent Moscone was staring at Callie again with the intense curiosity, with no trace of anger to be found.
"How did you throw me back? What was that purple light? What are you?"
Callie stared back at him silently, unable to answer his questions, her mind racing with everything that was happening. She fought her instinct to panic and forced herself to trust Holden, believing that he somehow brought Ari to a safe location. If she were still here, she would be screaming for Callie at this point. Holden loved Ari; she knew that. He wouldn't lie about protecting her.
"Crowley, you've gotta tell us what's going on," Agent Nash said.
Holden looked at Callie sadly, almost as if he was saying goodbye.
"Boys, allow me to introduce you to the last unicorn in existence."
Everyone was silent as they stared at Callie. Agent Nash looked confused but intrigued, Agent Crosby looked angry, and Agent Moscone looked like he was going to pass out.
"Unicorns aren't real," Agent Crosby responded.
"I'm human, I don't understand why you said that. And why is the FBI here for this?" Callie asked.
"They're not FBI, my Queen. Jolly Green and his shorter, more stupid sidekick over there are hunters, and the other one is an angel. The world's most annoying angel. Who should have recognized what you were…odd that he didn't. I do apologize, because this next part will be difficult. My name isn't Holden: it's Crowley" he said slowly, and Agent Crosby snorted.
"Holden Yuclos. I mean, what kind of an idiot thinks that's a real name?" Agent Crosby muttered.
Callie realized he wasn't actually an agent, if what the man formerly known as Holden was saying was true. They did call him Dean. She heard the tall one called Sam, and the other one Cas.
"You called her your queen?" Sam asked. "Are you two, uh, involved?"
Callie thought she saw Cas's expression tighten at that.
"Not exactly," Crowley replied. "I've been quite the gentleman. But she is a queen, and should be respected as such. Unicorns are much holier than angels."
"I think I might faint," Callie said, and Crowley put his arm around her.
"Just lean on me, love. I won't let you fall."
"Unicorns aren't real!" Dean said again. "I mean, I know we dealt with that one a few years ago, but that was just some drawing come to life because of that nutjob. They're not real," he insisted.
"Dean, Crowley's telling the truth," Cas said, his voice sounding pained.
"What makes you so sure?"
Cas watched Callie leaning against Crowley, his expression a mixture of awe and repulsion.
"I can sense her power. What he's saying is true. I should have been able to recognize what she was."
"Maybe when Naomi was playing Minesweeper in your brain, she took out more than we thought," Dean said.
"I feel like a person," Callie whispered.
"You're much better than that, love," Crowley said.
Cas was staring at her still, eyes flitting between her and Crowley.
"What about the child? What is she?" he prompted Crowley.
"Where are your manners, Castiel? Did you leave them behind in Purgatory?"
Callie pulled back a little in surprise, staring at Cas with repulsion of her own.
"What kind of angel ends up in Purgatory?" she asked, and he sagged visibly.
"One who made mistakes but paid for them," Dean said sharply. "Answer his question, Crowley, what's with the girl?"
Crowley sighed lightly, as if this questioning was a minor imposition for him.
"She's half-unicorn."
"And her father is an angel," Cas said, staring at Callie.
"You sure, Cas? I mean, how could you know?" Dean asked.
"I recognized that part of her frequency."
"What do you mean, her frequency?" Sam asked in confusion. Cas looked back at him with equal confusion.
"Every living creature vibrates at a specific frequency. I recognized an angel parent from the sound of her vibration."
"So, let me get this straight: you can hear us...vibrating?"
Cas tilted his head, still confused at Sam's confusion, and hesitated a moment before answering.
"…yes. Humans have a surprisingly soothing vibration. You wouldn't believe what bees sound like; it's incredible."
"He still on about those bees?" Crowley asked.
Dean rolled his eyes and sighed.
"Okay, so what does that all mean, Cas? I mean, you listen to us vibrating and whatever, she's a unicorn and her daughter's got an angel for a dad. So, who is it? Gabriel? Do you think he was that…horny…before the apocalypse?" Dean smirked at his joke and Sam shook his head, rubbing his forehead with his hand.
"I don't understand what that means. I can't tell who the father is unless I touch her soul."
"You're not going anywhere near her!" Callie said loudly, stepping away from Crowley and standing squarely in front of Cas. She tilted her head up to meet his gaze. "I don't care who you are, any of you, none of you are going near my daughter, and you're definitely not touching any part of her, especially her soul! Whatever the hell that means!"
Cas stared back at her, his gaze piercing her to her core. Callie wasn't going to back down, but he was certainly intimidating, even though she got the distinct impression he wasn't trying to be at this moment. He stared at her for a few more seconds before stepping closer, stopping with just a few inches between them. He continued looking closely into her eyes, as if he was searching for something.
"Why doesn't she know who she is?" he asked suddenly, turning to Crowley and stepping away from her.
Callie felt her body relax a little at his departure from her personal space. She hadn't expected him to get as close as he did. When he was that close, she thought she could feel the vibration he was talking about, because her whole body felt like it was tingling.
"Beg pardon?" Crowley asked, pretending he hadn't heard.
Cas glowered at him, and suddenly Callie heard a faint ringing. Whatever she felt when he stood close was getting louder and stronger, building each second. She noticed Cas's eyes were glowing blue, and a bright, white glow was beginning to surround him.
"Calm down, Castiel, no need to make a scene. Someone used a spell on her."
"A spell? A spell shouldn't have been able to affect her, certainly not this deeply."
Cas stared at Callie again, clearly confused. She said nothing but waited to hear Crowley's answer.
"It was a strong spell. A very old one, and one with a lot of power behind it."
"Did you do this to her?" Dean asked, and Callie looked at Crowley with concern. It wasn't something she would have thought him capable of, but now she wasn't sure.
"Of course not! I've been protecting her. Trying to keep her from getting set off and alerting anyone to her presence here."
"Why?" Cas asked, and Sam and Dean looked equally as surprised at Crowley's explanation.
Crowley hesitated for just a moment. Callie saw it immediately, even though the others didn't seem to notice.
"Someone asked me to look after her. Someone who is among us no longer."
"Oh, and what, you just said sure, I'll stick around and be friends with the amnesiac unicorn and her half-angel kid because I'm such a great guy. Seriously? You expect us to believe that?" Dean asked, irritated once again.
"We all must pay for our mistakes at some point," Crowley said.
Sam and Dean looked at each other, seemingly having some sort of conversation without speaking. Callie crossed her arms, hugging her body tightly. Now that no one was trying to kill anyone else, her adrenaline spike was dropping.
"If I'm a unicorn, how come I look like this?"
"You were brought here from your realm. This form is a consequence of that, essentially."
"It still doesn't explain about the kid. Do you know who the father is?" Dean prompted again.
"Does it really matter? In the grand scheme? He's not around anymore," Crowley replied. "And anyway, we've got bigger problems now."
"Like what?" Sam asked.
"Like the fact that you BLOODY MARSUPIALS set her off and now the other angels will know where she is."
"And demons," Cas added.
"They've been obeying their orders so far. Aside from a stray here or there, but I've taken care of all of those, I believe."
"Demons? Who ordered them to leave me alone?" Callie asked.
"Why, me, darling. I'm the king of Hell."
