Greetings my beautiful SPN Family! I hope you're all doing well! Big hugs and high fives to each and everyone of you. I cannot thank you enough again for the reviews, follows, favorites. You all hold an extremely special place in my heart. If I could, I'd send every one of you to every Con with Gold Front Row Tickets!
I'm kind of in a fluffy mood lately, not to mention getting so many requests for little Natalie, so I hope you all are going to enjoy the feels. We'll have some little Natalie action coming up soon, I promise. But I hope you have fun with some fluff!
Jenmm31- you rock. Thanks for being Natalie's best cheerleader, and my dear friend. I wouldn't be here without you!
Thank you all again to each of you who review. I try to respond to each and every one of you. If I missed you, I sincerely apologize and want you to know how much I appreciate your time. Alright everyone- read, review, and enjoy!
A/N- in this story, Natalie is eighteen months old. Please see Profile Page for disclaimer.
"Up!"
"Down!"
"Up!"
"Down!"
"Up!"
"This is starting to feel like a freaking Jane Fonda video," Dean grumbled, as he hoisted his nearly thirteen month old daughter onto his lap for about the thirtieth time that hour. He and Sam had been trying to work at their laptops, doing research on their new case, but it was being constantly interrupted by Natalie. She wasn't just walking anymore; she was now running everywhere she went. Recently, she had become obsessed with being picked up and put down. She would streak over to Sam or Dean and start patting their legs or knees impatiently with her open hand. She would then declare "Up!" and hold her arms out to be picked up. If they didn't immediately oblige, she would begin repeating the word incessantly. So they would haul her up onto their laps or in their arms, where she would be content for anywhere from thirty seconds to five minutes. It really depended on...well, they weren't sure what it depended on. Natalie just had an internal clock that went off randomly, declaring it was time to get down. She would then start squirming and declaring "Down!" loudly. She would wriggle so hard if she wasn't put down immediately that both Sam and Dean had almost accidentally dropped her numerous times. It didn't seem to bother her at all though. As soon as she was down, she would go running again, occasionally stopping to play with the few toys that she had. But about five minutes later, she would be back, patting their legs, demanding their attention.
From her new vantage point, Natalie reached out for his laptop, but Dean was expecting it. He gently grabbed her hands and held them away from the keyboard. "No, Natalie," he said, almost absentmindedly as he tried to continue to read the website he was on. "You know not to touch." Natalie made a growling noise which Dean knew meant she wasn't happy about not being allowed to play with the computer. He knew it was only a matter of moments before she would start wriggling and-
"Down!"
He sighed, and set her back on the floor, where she took off running again. She dove onto the couch with a delighted giggle. Sam looked over at her and had to laugh. It certainly didn't take much for the kid. He looked back at Dean, who was rubbing his temples in an effort to concentrate. Sam smiled, because he knew exactly how Dean felt. It was tough having a baby around. Their schedules, which had always been wide open, allowing them to do their case work as they pleased, were getting more and more limited. One of them always had to stay behind to make sure Natalie was taken care of. They had usually been able to make friends with at least one person in the town they were in who didn't mind babysitting, and Natalie was a perfect little angel. No matter where they were, people were actually sorry to see them go now, since she had rounded out their threesome. Everyone who met her instantly fell under her charm. She was a very happy baby, but also an extremely hyper one. It was as if Red Bull ran through her veins instead of blood. She could function pretty well on between four to six hours of sleep, but Sam had really pushed Dean to make sure she got more than that. More often than not though, she just wasn't tired. It usually took Dean quite a while to get her calm enough to sleep, at which point, he was ready to pass out himself. He looked at the clock on his laptop- it was nearly ten. She would wear out soon- he hoped.
Sam watched as Natalie grabbed her ring of toy keys, banging them up and down on the sofa. She quickly got bored with just making noise with them. She flipped herself onto her stomach, then slid backwards off the couch, keys still in hand. She raced over to Sam and held the keys up for inspection.
"Kah!" she said, holding the keys out. Sam knew that was her way of trying to say "keys". He snickered at her.
"Keys," he said, looking right at her and over enunciating.
"Kah."
"Keys."
"Up!" she declared instead. Sam laughed, and picked her up. She didn't want to sit on his lap though. She squirmed and straightened her legs, twisting in his arms and finally stood up on his lap. She grabbed a handful of his long hair to steady herself. When she lost her balance, he let out a yelp as she tugged hard on his scalp. He grabbed her sides and steadied her, delicately removing her hand from his hair. Her other hand still had the keys in it and she waved them around now.
"Kah!" she said, and then stopped.
"Keys," Sam repeated. She seemed to be studying his mouth, trying to figure out how he said that. She waved them again, and Sam knew that meant she wanted him to repeat the word. "Keys," he said again. She tilted her head to one side, and opened her mouth. Sam watched as she tried to make her lips and tongue move the same way he did. Sam began quietly saying the word to her, as she intensely studied him. All of the sudden, he caught Dean's smirk over the top of the computer.
"What?" he said, slightly embarrassed that Dean had caught him making such ridiculous faces at his niece. Dean's smile just twisted to one side.
"Nothin', " he said. "If you can get her to say something other than Up and Down, I'll take you out for a steak dinner."
"Do other names count?" Sam asked with grin, which was met with a stern glare.
"No, " Dean growled. Sam just chuckled to himself. When she was about ten months old, Natalie's first word had been "Dada", which quickly became "Daddy". Her second word had been "Sam". Her third word, much to Dean's chagrin and Sam's delight, was "Cas".
Ever since an eventful night where the angel and the baby had managed to trash a hotel room in just under four hours, Natalie had been thrilled whenever Castiel appeared. His affection for her was obvious as well. He was showing up randomly more and more, which annoyed the living hell out of Dean, owing mostly to the fact that Cas still had no clear concept of personal space. He would just pop in and out of their lives, and Natalie would be over the moon every time he appeared. He delighted in her joy as well, and was starting to make a pretty good babysitter, once he understood that you didn't have to destroy whatever room you were in to make a baby happy. Cas was also having a wonderful time trying to teach Natalie to talk- it had become almost an obsession with him. When Sam or Dean asked about it, he would simply respond that he could give Natalie what she desired if she could tell him what it was she wanted. As simple and as logical as that sounded, Cas was still mystified at the idea that she didn't have the full lexicon of the English language at her disposal yet. He was determined to get her to say his full name. It had been a great source of amusement for Sam, watching the angel puzzle at the baby.
Sam turned his attention back to Natalie, who was still trying to form the word "Keys". She finally gave up, and bent her legs down. Sam shifted her so she was sitting on his left leg, and, keeping one arm wrapped around her waist, started typing with his right hand. Natalie's ears perked up at the sound of the keyboard, and her attention diverted towards the computer. Sam was one step ahead of her, however, having pushed the laptop out of the way of her reaching hands. She tried twice, but seeing that it was too far away, she started banging the keys on the table instead. She slammed them so hard into the table at one point, they fell out of her hands. She immediately began squirming. "Down!" she pleaded, and Sam slid her back down to the floor. She picked up the keys and ran over to Dean, banging them against his leg.
"Let me guess...up!" he said, looking down at Natalie with a wry smile. She grinned back at him, and he chuckled, lifting her up again. She scrambled up to stand on his leg, climbing up his torso to do so. She twisted so she was looking over her shoulder, and with one arm wrapped around her, Dean gave her an affectionate pat on the bottom while still trying to read the information on the website. Natalie flopped herself over his shoulder and gave a bored sigh, but then nearly knocked Dean in the back of the head as she stood bolt upright.
"Cas!" she squealed delightedly. Dean turned around quickly to see the angel standing behind him- right behind him.
"Cas, how many times do I have to tell you? Personal space!" Dean growled, before Natalie gave an annoyed squawk. When Dean had turned, it removed Cas from her line of sight, and she didn't like that. Dean rolled his eyes and flipped her around in his arms so she could see him. She made an extremely loud, if not pleased, noise at seeing the angel, causing everyone else in the room to jump back slightly at the sound.
"Down!" she commanded, trying to slide herself off of Dean's lap like she did with the couch. He barely grabbed her in time to keep her from falling butt first onto the floor, but she was already writhing, trying to get out of his hands. He finally let the little demon go, and she raced over to Castiel, plowing into his legs. He was prepared for it this time- the last time she tried that, he had fallen over in surprise, which made her laugh hysterically. Cas looked up to see Sam and Dean watching him.
"I remembered that this is how she likes to greet people," he said proudly. "I'm still standing."
"Good for you, Elton John," Dean said, turning his attention back to his laptop. Cas seemed unaffected by Dean's indifference, and looked down at the baby. Natalie was still hugging his legs, and he looked down at her fondly. He patted her head like she was a puppy.
"Hello to you too," he said. She giggled and twisted around his legs, looking up at him. "You know, it's quite endearing when she does that," he commented to Sam, who was still watching them.
"She's gonna be a heartbreaker, that's for sure," Sam said.
"Not till she's forty," Dean muttered under his breath.
"Don't be so pessimistic. I'm sure she'll begin being attracted to the opposite sex much earlier than that," Castiel said helpfully. Sam just snorted as he watched Dean's blood pressure rise. Cas turned his attention back to Natalie. "Have you learned to say my name yet, Natalie?" he asked.
"Cas!" she said in response.
"Castiel," the angel gently corrected. Natalie tilted her head, almost like she was considering answering him back with his full name.
"Cas."
"Have you been practicing my name with her like I asked you to?" Cas asked Dean.
"Oh, yeah. Every day," Dean said dryly without bothering to turn around.
"She'll get it, buddy, don't worry," Sam said. Cas nodded as Natalie started patting his leg impatiently.
"What do you want, Natalie?" Cas asked.
"Up!" she declared, and stretched her arms out to him.
He looked confused. "Up?"
"Up!"
"Well. Alright then."
Sam finished what he was reading. "Cas, she just wants- WHOA!" Sam's yell made Dean jerk his head up in surprise. Sam was staring, horrified, at the ceiling. Dean whipped around in his chair and looked at Cas, who was also looking at the ceiling. Dean followed suit and looked up.
"WHAT THE HELL?!" he hollered. Natalie was floating, midair. Cas had his fingers pointed in her direction. She seemed just as surprised as Sam and Dean, but before either of them could move, she let out a delighted squeal and clapped her hands.
"CAS! PUT HER DOWN THIS INSTANT!" Dean roared, bolting from his chair and moving underneath his daughter. Cas looked sideways at Dean.
"Of course," he said politely, and pointed his fingers slowly down. Natalie gently floated down to the floor. Sam and Dean both heaved a huge sigh of relief. Natalie, however, wasn't nearly as pleased as her father and uncle. She looked at the carpet underneath her feet like it had personally insulted her, then looked at Cas again.
"Up!" she demanded impetuously.
"Very well," he said. Before they could stop him, Cas had Natalie floating towards the ceiling again. She was kicking her feet in the air, giggling madly, clearly having the time of her life.
"Cas- I said put her DOWN!"
"Alright."
Grounded Baby.
"UP!"
"As you wish."
Floating Baby.
"Cas! What the hell did I just say?! Put her down, right freaking now!"
Grounded Baby.
"UP!"
Floating Baby.
"Stop listening to the baby and start listening to ME! Put her down NOW!"
"Would you two please make up your minds?" Castiel said, beginning to get annoyed. Dean bit back the string of curse words that he wanted to throw at the angel, and stomped over to his pouting but on the ground daughter. He lifted her up, making sure he had a tight grasp on her, just in case Cas decided to play toss the baby again. Natalie patted him on the shoulder.
"Daddy! Up!" she said, her eyes glowing. Dean just shook his head.
"Sorry, kiddo, all done with that." He glared at Cas, who looked surprised at Dean's hostility.
"I was simply giving her what she asked for," Castiel explained.
"Just keep one thing in mind- humans don't have wings for a reason," Dean growled. Natalie continued to pat him on the shoulder.
"Up, up, up, up, up!" she declared. Dean began bouncing her in his arms. He looked at the clock- great. It was after ten. Time to try to get her to sleep, and her recent angel rollercoaster ride had wound her back up. He positioned her onto his hip and started walking around the room. Cas followed him with curious eyes.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
"Trying to get her to calm down so she'll sleep," Dean grumbled. "Which is gonna be a pain in my ass, thanks to you." Castiel looked to Sam to see what his offense was, but Sam just pursed his lips and rolled his eyes. Cas looked back at Dean.
"I can help her sleep if you would like," he offered. Dean jerked away almost indecently fast.
"No, that's okay, I got this," he said quickly. He began bouncing Natalie more gently. She was still patting him on the shoulder and declaring up, but it was getting quieter and less frequent. When she finally stopped smacking his chest, he placed one hand on her back, pulling her into his shoulder. She turned her cheek and laid there for a moment, seeming to settle down.
"That's amazing. How did you get her so calm so quickly?" Cas asked in wonder. Dean shook his head grimly.
"We're just getting started," he mumbled. Almost on cue, Natalie popped back up. It had just dawned on her that this was the bedtime routine, and she hated bedtime, more than anything. None of them could figure out why- she just didn't have any desire to sleep, whatsoever. She pushed away from Dean, both tiny hands on his shoulder.
"No! No," she said, pushing as hard as she could. Of course, it barely fazed Dean at all. He just gently put his hand on her back, guiding her head back down to his shoulder. She immediately began squirming and whining.
"NO! Daddy, no!" she whimpered as Dean took another lap around the room.
"She doesn't appear to like that, Dean," Castiel said, his eyes growing concerned at Natalie's protests. When she heard his voice, Natalie's head whipped around, and she suddenly reached for Cas, stretching her arms out. She would have toppled right to the floor had Dean not been expecting it. He twisted expertly, pulling her back into him, bouncing her up and down, shushing into her ear.
"Cas," she mumbled, whimpering and kicking again while pressed into Dean's shoulder. Dean just kept bouncing. He made lap after lap after lap as she continued to struggle and whimper. After about three minutes of continual laps, he started humming into her ear, and her little body relaxed. Castiel watched in amazement as Natalie grew limper and limper the more Dean hummed.
"How are you doing that?" Cas asked. He tilted his head to the side, studying father and daughter. He seemed to be seeing something that he had never noticed before, but couldn't quite put his finger on what exactly it was. Natalie made another attempt to push away, but it was clearly half hearted- she was falling asleep under the hypnotic sound of Dean's voice.
"She likes it when I hum Guns and Roses songs to her," Dean explained in a quiet voice, then continued singing into the baby's ear.
"Daddy," she mumbled into his shoulder, her eyes almost closed. Dean started rubbing small circles on her back, which caused her eyes to instantly shut. Cas's mouth dropped open. For a human, he considered this an absolutely astonishing accomplishment.
"That's very impressive," he said in a whisper, not wanting to wake her up. Dean just smiled knowingly.
"Not over yet," he whispered back. About ten seconds later, Natalie suddenly pushed back from Dean, blinked sleepily twice, then collapsed back onto him with a huge sigh that seemed to say "I give up". Dean turned to Cas.
"NOW it's over," he said, a cocky grin on his face. He walked over to the couch, and laid her down, pulling her Power Rangers blanket over her. She wriggled for a moment, but a touch of Dean's hand on her forehead soothed her and she was right back under, sound asleep. Dean stood up, stretched his back out from the ache of bouncing a baby for five minutes solid, and made his way back to the computer. However, his path was impeded by the very astounded angel. He looked at Cas as if expecting him to move, but Cas simply stared right at him.
"Um, Cas? Can you...get out of my way?" Dean asked. Castiel continued to stare. "Okay, then," Dean grumbled, making a move to walk back around the couch, but Cas's voice stopped him.
"You have an unnatural bond with the child," Cas said. Dean turned around, glaring.
"What exactly do you mean by 'unnatural'?" he asked with a growl.
"I mean that you understand her. Even though she cannot speak yet."
"She talks!" Dean said, getting defensive of his daughter.
Cas shook his head. "No, you don't understand. You and she share a bond unlike none I've ever seen."
Dean stopped. He just thought he was so used to her tricks that he could anticipate them before she tried. He had never thought there was anything special in it. "Really?" he asked. His eyes wandered back to the sleeping child. His heart expanded at the sight of her little fist curled up next to her face in sleep. Her mouth was slightly parted and she seemed to be smiling. The overwhelming feeling of protectiveness surprised him again. He never thought he could feel this any stronger than he already did, even when it came to Sam. But having Natalie in his life seemed to up all the stakes. His drive to protect, to save, now had an even deeper meaning.
Castiel was nodding his head. "Really. She adores you."
That made Dean look up in surprise. "How do you know?" he said tentatively, as if he was afraid to ask.
"I'm an angel. I know things."
Dean nodded, and snorted a laugh. He looked back down at Natalie. "Yeah, she's pretty great. I guess I'll keep her," he said with a smile.
"Good. Because she is your child. It would be a wise move."
Dean just sighed and hung his head.
