Good Day, Spectacular SPN Family!
Gonna make this one short and sweet- this is a request from angieggjb. She asked to read about the first time Natalie meets Bobby. So here you go!
Thank you for being a part of my family. From the bottom of my soul- thank you all.
Thanks, hugs, and an Impala to my Sammy.
A/N- in this story, Natalie is a week old. Please see profile page for disclaimer.
Bobby hung up the phone, and looked apprehensively at Castiel. "So. They should be here in about ten minutes."
"Very well," the angel said, and resumed his nervous pacing around the living room. Bobby took a deep, calming breath. It didn't work.
When Dean had called Bobby two weeks ago, the last thing he had expected to hear out of the boy's mouth was that there was another little Winchester on the way. He knew that both Sam and Dean- Dean especially- liked to "get around" with the ladies, but he also knew that they were careful to avoid this situation. Well, apparently, this time, Dean hadn't been careful enough. After picking his jaw up off the floor, Bobby had given Dean an ear blistering that would have made John Winchester proud. However, once he had gotten it all out of his system, he stopped and thought about what his boy actually needed. Dean himself knew that he was up shit creek on this one; now he needed help. And Bobby was going to be there. The boys were family, after all.
Dean had given Cas the heads up that they were going to be bringing the baby back to Bobby's house South Dakota to lay low for a while. Castiel had immediately gone to Bobby's to wait for them. It had been the surprise of Bobby's life to wheel into the front room this morning, look out onto his yard, and see an angel in a trench coat. Cas was just quietly standing there, hands at his side, watching the road and not moving. Bobby had thrown open the door in surprise.
"Cas? What the hell are you doing?" he had said to the angel, perplexed.
"I'm waiting for Sam and Dean to return with the child."
"Why didn't you ring the doorbell and ask to come in?"
At that, Cas turned around and looked at Bobby. It was clear to the old man that the angel hadn't even considered it. "Because I am perfectly capable of waiting out here. I saw no need to bother you."
"How long have you been out here?" Bobby quickly glanced at the clock- it was going on 11 am.
"Since 9 o'clock last night."
Bobby rolled his eyes. "Just get in the damn house, Cas."
"Very well."
That had been this morning. Dean had just called, saying that they were about ten minutes away. Bobby wasn't sure who was more nervous- himself or the angel. No longer as calm as he had been in the front yard, Castiel had been pacing the living room, wearing a circle in the floor since they had received Dean's call. Since Bobby couldn't exactly pace, being stuck in his damn wheelchair once again, he had parked himself by the window to watch the road. After Lucifer had snapped his neck, Cas once again hadn't been able to fully heal him. Bobby had been beyond frustrated, being confined to the chair again. To have a taste of freedom, only to have it ripped right back from him, had been torturous. He had made Dean a promise the first time this happened- that he wouldn't think about checking out. And now that Dean desperately needed his help, he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he couldn't. Sam had just come out of the box, and his mental state had been rough, to say the least. But both his boys were fighters. They had been working through it, when this little kink in the plan happened. And he knew he had to stick it out and fight- just like his boys- and for his boys.
Castiel had been nothing but confused all day. After the final battle, when Sam had taken the fall (literally) and saved the world, he had earned some heavenly brownie points pulling him back out and saving the younger Winchester. He was still not favorably regarded by most of his brothers, but he had recovered a small portion of his powers. He had been trying to get a grasp on his new situations and limitations, which was enough to overload anyone. And then Dean told him that there was a new Winchester to deal with as well. He was fully aware of how babies were created- he just didn't know how Dean had come to have one. The story of the baby's mother was also a large source of confusion to Cas, but he wasn't alone in that.
Sam had called, three days after the baby had been born, and told Bobby (who told Cas) all about Jamie's disappearance. Bobby had been working, pulling every string and calling in every favor to try to locate her, or to even get an idea of where she might have gotten to. Castiel had even searched in his own unique way- a mixture of Angel Radio and asking random people on the street. Both of them had come up with nothing. Bobby was starting to accept what Sam didn't seem to be able to- that Jamie didn't want to be found. But he knew Sam was determined to make this right for Dean. Dean, however, had written the baby's mother off instantly upon learning of her deception. Sam had asked Bobby to keep a low profile on the search. He had, knowing that Dean would have been pissed if he knew that they were still trying to locate Jamie, but he was at a dead end from every angle.
His grim thoughts were interrupted by Cas's halting steps. Bobby looked up at the puzzled angel. "Bobby- what do you think the baby will look like?" Castiel asked quietly.
Bobby wrinkled his forehead. "I think she's going to look like a baby. What the hell kind of question is that?" he growled at Cas, who immediately resumed pacing.
"It's just that...well...I've never seen a baby before."
"What?" Bobby rolled his chair closer to the angel, watching his every move.
"I've seen them from a distance, you know..."
"From Heaven?"
"Yes. They are generally very small and fragile."
Bobby pinched his lips together and took a slow breath. He often had to remind himself that talking to Castiel was akin to talking to a five year old. You just had to take it slow. "Yes, Cas. They're very small. You're going to have to be careful when you hold her."
At that, Cas stopped dead in his tracks. "I am supposed to hold her?" he said, the panic in his voice clear. Bobby shrugged.
"Well, I guess you don't have to if you don't want to," he said, eying the angel again. "But I'd think that the safest place for a baby to be is in the arms of an angel."
Castiel looked down at his arms like he was seeing them for the first time. He dropped them, then looked back at Bobby, questioning. "Wouldn't your panic room be safer to guard her in?" At that, Bobby gave up. Just then, he saw a pair of headlights sweep the front of the house. His heart dropped through the seat of his chair.
"They're here," he said quietly, and wheeled his way towards the door. He didn't know why he was shaking. He cleared his throat, trying to get a grip on himself. It was just a baby. Not a demon, not a vamp, just a baby. Why the hell was he so nervous? Oh. Because his life was about to completely change in a way that he was totally unprepared for, that's why. He knew demons. He knew spirits. He knew nothing about infant girls. He supposed he'd end up figuring it all out eventually, the way he figured everything else out. All in all, he was secretly glad it was Dean and not him.
Bobby looked out the window. He was surprised to see Sam behind the wheel, but then he realized it was because Dean was in the backseat with his kid. And that thought right there was enough to send him into full panic mode again. He clamped down on it. He needed to be strong for his boys right now. He could freak out on his own time.
Sam got out of the driver's seat, and opened the back passenger door. As Bobby watched through the window, Sam opened the trunk. He saw the boy withdraw the usual duffle bags, the weapons bag- and a bright green bag with a monkey on the front. Definitely the last thing anyone had expected to ever come out of Baby's trunk. Bobby watched as Sam made his way back to the passenger door, and stop. He seemed to be arguing with Dean. Bobby wheeled himself towards the front door. Cas saw where he was heading, and made his way over, opening the door for the older man. As the door opened, they caught the middle of the fight the boys seemed to be having.
"-have to push it down and back, Dean!"
"I know that, Sam. It's stuck."
"It's not stuck- you're not doing it right."
"Hey. Who's the one who put this thing in here in the first place? I know what I'm doing." Just then, there was a loud click, and a satisfied exclamation from Dean. "See? Told you."
"Well, just...just be careful, okay?"
"Okay, mom," came the snarky response. Bobby and Cas looked at each other. Well, at least some things never changed. They watched as Dean backed out of the car, then reach in. Bobby took a deep breath, and he heard Cas take one too. Dean reemerged- with a baby carrier in his hand. Both angel and man exhaled at the same time. Sam picked up the green monkey bag as Dean very carefully held the carried with both hands. He looked up to see Bobby and Castiel staring at him. He threw on his trademark cocky grin.
"Hey! So- funny story," Dean said, hoisting the carrier with a bit of a twinkle in his eye. That was the ice breaker that Bobby needed, even if he wouldn't show it. He snorted and shook his head, looking down at the boy.
"I can hardly breath, I'm laughing so much," Bobby growled, but Dean could see the corners of his mouth pulling up. "Get in here, you two. I mean- you...three..." Unable to complete the rest of his thought, Bobby just shook his head and turned his chair back towards the door. Dean walked up the steps to the porch, right up next to Cas.
"Hello Dean," Castiel said in his gravelly voice, but his eyes were firmly locked on the very tiny bundle that was in the carrier. Dean's lips twisted to the side in amusement, watching the angel stare at the baby.
"Hey Cas. What's new?" he said, throwing him a lopsided grin to cover up his own panic over the situation. Cas looked at him and blinked.
"Your baby. That's what's new." Dean just closed his eyes and smiled. Should have seen that one coming.
"Come on. Come meet her," Dean said, looking down into the carrier. Castiel's eyes shifted to Dean's face. He was stunned by what he saw.
Dean's face had transformed, looking at the baby. His eyes were soft and gentle- Cas had never seen Dean's eyes be anything other than angry or stressed. His sarcastic grin always suggested to the casual onlooker that he was fine, but Cas knew Dean too well. He could always see what was behind those smiles. But now- this was different. Dean had changed. Dean was smiling- for real. Castiel had never seen Dean look happy before. At least, not when there were no strippers around.
He followed Dean into the house, Sam bringing up the rear and closing the door gently behind them. Dean set the carrier down on the desk, and lifted the baby out very slowly. He was getting better at moving her, but the sheer terror of possibly hurting her wasn't something he was going to get over in a week. Once she was free of the car seat, he breathed an audible sigh of relief.
"Alright boys. Meet the newest Winchester. This is Natalie Grace," he said, a touch of pride ringing in his voice. Bobby wheeled closer to him- he was having a hard time seeing the baby from the chair, what with the low vantage point and all the blankets. Dean leaned down, and Bobby got his first look at Natalie. His first thought was that Dean had missed the baby, and was only holding blankets. But then, she shifted in her sleep, and Bobby finally saw her.
"Huh. Where's the rest of her?" he said in his gruff manner. That earned him the double bitch face from both Sam and Dean, but he was too busy looking at the baby. "She's the tiniest thing I ever saw."
"Yeah. She's actually very small- but according to the doctors, perfectly healthy," Sam said, watching the older man's reaction. Bobby just slowly nodded. The little face inside the soft pink blankets was mesmerizing. Dean's grin nearly split his face.
"You wanna hold her?" Dean asked, tilting his head at Bobby. It was almost like a challenge, and they both knew it. Dean half expected Bobby to utter an oath followed by a resounding "You nuts?" He knew the old man was going to be freaked as hell to try to hold an infant. Bobby's pride, however, wasn't going to take a challenge like that lying down. He cleared his throat, and held out his arms.
"Bring her on," he said forcefully, to disguise the shaking in his voice. Dean walked over and slid her into Bobby's arms, hovering near. No one else other than Sam, Jamie, and the nurses had held her yet, and he was a combination of excited and anxious, seeing his newborn in Bobby's arms. Dean shook his head, once again finding himself baffled by the emotions this little pipsqueak already brought out in him. But he didn't want to think about that now- he wanted to watch Bobby's reaction. Bobby seemed almost afraid to move at first, but then he gently bounced the baby a few times. She smacked her lips twice, then snuggled back down, not fully coming out of sleep.
"Looks like they forgot to give you the other half of the baby, Dean," he said jokingly. "You've only got a little bit here. Ain't that right, Little Bit?" Bobby crooned to the sleeping infant. He continued rocking her, staring down at her, as she silently wove her way into his heart. Dean exchanged a quick smile with Sam, who was also watching Bobby like a hawk. He looked over to see Cas still standing near the door, looking at the child quizzically. Dean gestured with his hand.
"Cas, it's okay. She's not gonna bite. Not until she gets teeth, anyways," Dean joked. When Cas turned a very worried eye to him, Dean rolled his own. "It was a joke, buddy. It's okay." Cas still didn't move. Dean started to become concerned about the angel's reaction- it was making him nervous.
"Why don't you come hold her?" Dean said, cocking one eyebrow at the angel.
"No, I don't think that would be a good idea," Cas answered immediately. Dean felt a sudden rush of anger. What the hell was wrong with his baby? Cas thought he was too good to hold her or something? Before he could blow his lid completely unprovoked however, Cas continued. "I'm...afraid that I might...hurt her."
Dean exhaled suddenly, and chuckled a bit. "Cas, look. Sam and I have kept her alive for a whole week already. If something was going to happen, one of us woulda already done it. Trust me- you're not going to hurt her."
Cas still didn't move. "All the same, I don't think I would like to hold her." But Dean could see something warring inside the angel. He waited to see if Cas was going to mention it of his own accord. After a brief moment, he did. "May I...touch her?" Cas asked tentatively. Dean grinned and nodded.
"Sure thing, buddy. Come here," he said, walking over to Bobby, who was still cradling Natalie in his arms. Making sure that Cas was watching, Dean reached out and stroked Natalie's cheek, gently. In her sleep, the baby smiled, and seemed to turn a bit towards Dean.
"See, man? That's all there is to it. Easy as pie," Dean said. Cas slowly stepped forward, acting more like Bobby was holding a ticking bomb than a baby. He stretched one finger out, and very carefully touched Natalie's cheek. He drew his hand back quickly, almost as if he expected her skin to burn his fingers or something, but he continued to look at her quizzically. Bobby smirked at the angel.
"She didn't smile at you," he said smugly to Cas.
"She really responds to Dean's touch," Sam said, walking over to them. "She has since the day she was born." Castiel didn't hear any of that, however. He was mystified by what he felt. Very slowly, he reached out and touched the baby's cheek again. This time, he didn't draw his finger away. Natalie opened her eyes, waking up, just for a moment.
A warm rush ran over his body when he made contact with Natalie's cheek. It made him happy, this sudden flood of warmth. It disappeared as fast as it had come on, but he felt drawn to the child. He wondered if this was a normal human experience- to be overcome with feeling upon meeting a new family member. He withdrew his hand, and looked at the tiny face. Her eyes were still open, and she was looking right at him. For the second time since meeting her, Cas experienced another strange sensation.
"She...looks familiar," Castiel said slowly, interrupting the conversation that Bobby and Sam were having about Natalie's birth. All three men turned their heads towards the angel. He looked up, and then over at Dean. "She has your eyes."
That threw Dean for a loop. "Really? You think so?" he asked, looking down into his daughter's face. Sam had told him the same thing, but it was different hearing it from someone else. Cas nodded. He didn't elaborate any more than that- he didn't feel that he needed to. He watched as Natalie's eyelids slowly slid closed, ushering her into dreamland once more.
"Well, if she's got my eyes, she's definitely going to be a heart breaker then," Dean said with a cocky grin, but secretly bursting with pride that both Bobby and Cas seemed just as taken by the baby as could be. Dean gently lifted her out of Bobby's arms, and stepped back. He looked down at the sleeping bundle. "Alright, squirt- here's the rest of the family," he said quietly, not wanting to wake her up again. "That old guy that was holding you? That's Bobby," he said, with a grin at Bobby, who narrowed his eyes at being called "old". "Bobby's part of our family. You'll get to know him pretty good." Dean turned towards Cas. "And the freak that was afraid to touch you? That's Cas. He's an angel. He's like..." Dean looked up, right into Cas's eyes. "He's like a brother to us," Dean said with a smile.
"Thank you Dean," Cas said, very quietly. He was moved by Dean's words, but felt that he needed to address the baby, since she had just been introduced to him. "Hello, Natalie Grace. I...think you are very small. And pretty. For a baby. I like your name." Cas stepped back, and looked at Dean, wanting to know if that was alright. Dean just chuckled.
"Alright boys, this little lady and I are heading upstairs, because I'm tired from the trip and she's tired from being born. So good night." And with that, Dean abruptly turned and headed up the stairs towards his room.
Sam called up after him. "Be up in a second to help you set up the bassinette."
"I can do it on my own!"
"You didn't take it with you."
Silence. "Shut up."
Sam just shook his head, then turned to Bobby and Cas. "Be right back." He darted out the front door quickly. Bobby could hear him removing other items from the trunk.
"I will go assist him," Castiel said, needing to be useful. He followed Sam's footsteps, leaving Bobby to sit and think about how rapidly all their lives had changed, in just two weeks. Sam came back in with a foldable bassinette in his arms. He stooped quickly, picking up the green monkey bag, and headed up the stairs. Bobby watched as Cas continued to unload the ocean of infant paraphernalia from the car, and bring it inside the house. When Sam came back down, he saw Bobby staring at the stairs. He gave the old man a quizzical look. Bobby didn't move his head as he responded.
"Out of all the reactions I imagined getting from Dean when you two came back this time- that was the last one I expected," the old man said ominously. Before Sam could ask him to elaborate, Castiel walked through the door with the last load from the car. The angel deposited it into the neat pile on the floor, then straightened up, looking at the two of them.
"Unless you all require further assistance, I believe I should go," he said quietly. Both their eyes swung to the angel in surprise.
"Cas? You okay?" Sam asked, surprised by the angel's nervous attitude. Cas nodded, but then looked at Sam with scared eyes.
"I don't want to hurt the baby. She's so little," he said in a small voice. Sam gave him an understanding smile.
"Cas, she's upstairs, asleep. You're not going to hurt her. You touched her, right? That didn't hurt her," Sam said, trying to reassure the angel. He felt there was something else going on- something he was missing, but he couldn't quite name it.
"All the same, I think I will go," he said, and before either man could get another word in, Castiel was gone. This was all just a bit too much for him. He needed to get away and, to use a human phrase, "process". He vanished into thin air.
Sam exhaled loudly, then went to take a seat on the couch. "I didn't get a chance to thank him," he said to Bobby, eyeing the huge pile of luggage and baby items that now adorned the living room.
"I'm sure he'll be back before you know it," Bobby said gruffly, wheeling his way over to Sam. He came to a stop in front of his boy, watching him carefully. "So how you doin' with all this mess?" he asked point blank. Sam's eyes swung to him. It wasn't surprising that Bobby was cutting right to the issue- but Sam felt like he didn't really have a right to talk about how this was affecting him. This was all about Dean.
"Just...wanting to do whatever helps Dean through this," Sam said carefully. He should have known that wasn't going to fly. The old man snorted, and looked Sam right in the eye.
"Of course you are. What I want to know is what your take is on this whole thing, because if you think I haven't noticed the toll that it's already taking on you, you're dumber than I thought you were," Bobby said matter of factly. Sam sighed heavily and laid his head back on the couch, not wanting to look at Bobby.
"It's...I don't know, Bobby. I feel...guilty."
"What do you mean, 'guilty'?"
"I mean- when Dean told me that Jamie left...we...got into it. I tried to convince him not to bring the baby with us."
"You did what?!"
Sam sat forward, burying his head in his hands. "I know. I know."
"What the hell were you thinking, boy?!" Bobby hissed at Sam. He really wanted to roar at the boy, tear him apart for that, but with Dean and the baby upstairs, he didn't want to cause a fuss and risk waking either of them up. However, Sam finished off his thought.
"I wasn't thinking, okay? I mean...all I could think about...all that I could see..." Sam gulped, willing the tears to stay in his eyes. He still couldn't look at Bobby. "Look. From the moment I laid eyes on Natalie, I already loved her. Not only is she my niece, but the way Dean looks at her-" Sam was finally able to look up at the old man. "Bobby- I've never seen him smile like that before. He...transformed...I don't know how else to say it. He was freaking out from the moment we arrived at Jamie's house until the moment he held Natalie for the first time. But after that? It all just went away." Bobby looked like he was about to interrupt, but Sam held out his hand. He was finally going to talk about this, and didn't want to lose the momentum he had going. Bobby understood that in the gesture, and closed his mouth obligingly. Sam continued. "He's freaked out plenty of times since then. He still won't mix up a bottle unless I'm watching. The first time she started crying and he couldn't get her to stop, he nearly lost his mind. But then- when it's okay, and she's happy, it's like a reset button gets hit on him. She makes him happier than I've ever seen him be. And how am I supposed to argue with that?"
"Why did you want to argue with him in the first place?" Bobby asked gruffly. Sam threw up his hands, like the answer was obvious.
"You really need to ask?!" He bounded off the couch, his frustration and agitation taking the reins. "Because we're hunters, Bobby! Because we actively seek out evil to destroy it! How the hell are we supposed to do that with a baby in tow?" Sam began pacing around the room. "Dean and I have been killing monsters our whole lives. It's nearly killed both of us countless times. Hell, it HAS killed both of us. And we're supposed to bring an innocent child along for the ride?!" Sam suddenly stopped pacing and put his hands on his hips, his back to Bobby. "She deserves a chance at a normal life. I...I already love this kid, too much. And the second any demon gets wind of that, they'll try to use her against me, let alone what they'll do to Dean. She was born with a bull's-eye on her head. No child deserves that. I need her to be safe, Bobby." Sam turned to him, and Bobby could see the tears running down the young man's face. "She's my niece. I love her," he said, pleading with Bobby for him to understand. "I just...I need her to be safe, and I don't think that's with us." At that, Sam couldn't go on any more. He put his fingers to his eyes, as if to stop the flow of tears. Bobby thought for a moment, then spoke quietly.
"And you don't think the safest place for a child is with the two of you? The two damn best hunters out there?" Bobby said flatly. "If something's gonna come after her, I'd say you two would be stupid to keep her apart from you."
"But that's just it, I mean- if we keep here, aren't we guaranteeing that something like that will happen?" Sam said, the panic in his voice clear. "Aren't we condemning her by keeping her? Bobby- I can't live with myself if we're damning her to this lifestyle."
Bobby took a deep breath. There was a ring of truth to Sam's words that he couldn't ignore. He thought for a moment, then looked his boy right in the eye. "Sam- I hear you. I get what you're saying. But you're forgetting that she's got very powerful protection in you boys."
Sam shook his head. "Bobby, we're not infallible."
"Not sayin' you are. But you think about what you would do for Dean in a life threatening situation. What you HAVE done for Dean. And you think about what he's done for you. Now combine those two forces of nature and try to tell me that that little girl's not going to be fine, with you and her daddy watching over her. Not to mention, me. And an angel. I've told you this before, boy. Family don't end in blood. Don't you dare think for a moment that the angel and I aren't already prepared to go to battle for her. Because- she's family." Bobby rolled right up to Sam, who was taking deep breaths, trying to stem the flow of tears. "We stick together. It's what we do. The sooner you get that through your head, the easier you're going to sleep at night." Sam's eyes bore into Bobby's, desperately craving the reassurance he was offering. Sam took one more shaking breath, and smiled softly.
"Thanks, Bobby," he said quietly. Suddenly embarrassed by the onslaught of emotion that had just been pouring out of him, Sam shook his head once and cleared his throat. "Hey, I'm uh, gonna go get some sleep. Uh...thanks. Thanks again. I...needed that." Without waiting for Bobby to respond, Sam turned on his heel, picked up his duffle, and made his way towards the stairs.
"Sam," Bobby called out gruffly. Sam stopped midstep and turned, looking at the old man. "For the record," Bobby said, "You're gonna make a great uncle." Sam swallowed the lump in his throat, nodded once, and made his way up the stairs. He wasn't sure if he was going to be great, like Bobby just said, but he resolved right then and there that he was going to go back to Hell before allowing himself to fail Natalie.
