From now onwards, characters will come and go. Not everyone is for staying.
(Aprox. date is August 2017)
Chapter 15
When morning came, the Winchesters got in the move pretty early to go visit Jody and find out what was happening with that not-Kaia girl. Balthazar had already taken back Rowena to wherever she wanted, promising to pick her up again when they would need her help, and announced his intention to claim back the reins of his vessel's life. It would probably be a while until they heard from the rogue angel again, but considering he could be contacted via angel radio at any given time and fly to them instantly, Castiel wasn't all that worried. He was actually more concerned about the fact that Dean was going to face some unidentified monster (that Jody had insisted was not your usual shapeshifter) wearing the dreamwalker's face.
"Dean, are you sure you do not want me to go with you?" he asked in the war room, while the brothers revised they had all their weapons and gear ready. "I could be of assistance against this creature, whatever it is."
"I know, Cas, but Jody said she was wounded and weak. Hasn't even gotten out of bed," Dean answered, closing his duffel. "We can deal with it, but we also need something against Legion and AltMichael. So, while Thaz accepted to help us and search for the vaults, we still could find something useful here in the bunker. And most likely, you'll be better at recognizing any strange stuff than us."
"Alright, I will inspect every single item that the Men of Letters stored if necessary," Castiel promised. "Tell Jody and Claire I send my regards. But please be careful, Dean. And take care of Jack and yourselves."
"Listen to the angel," Jessica added, almost hanging from Sam's neck. "We're not playing Russian roulette to see which one of us is the next to bite the dust, ok?"
"Don't worry, precious," Sam smiled, pecking her repeatedly. "I'll make sure to come back in one piece."
"You better," she threatened joking, kissing him back. "While the young Sam was adorable and unbearably cute, I'm not at all dissatisfied with the current mature, sexy Sam version, and I plan to make the most out of him."
"Are you sure you don't want to come with us?" Sam asked her. "You haven't seen Jody in months, since before Jack was born."
"No!" Jessica exclaimed, a bit too loud. "No, I mean... I'm good, really. Tell her hello from me, ok? I'll stay here and help Cas check out the library and the storage. You go and do your hunter things, puppy."
Sam frowned lightly, suspecting the sudden apprehension of his normally adventurous fiancée, but he didn't insist. It was better for her to stay where it was safe, after all.
"Sure! We'll be back as soon as possible. I miss you already, Jess."
"Me too. I love you, Sam."
"Same, precious."
He kissed her one last time and looked at his brother, to see if Dean was ready to go. He was, duffel already on his hand, and for some reason he looked like he was growing impatient. Castiel instead had a strange expression on his face, apparently having watched with a badly concealed interest the loving farewell of the couple; he shot a rapid glance at Dean, clearly longing for something but being too shy to ask for, and looked away dejectedly. Sam had a pretty good idea what it was the angel wanted, but he didn't say anything yet. It would probably embarrass every single person in the room.
"Are we ready? Then let's go," the older hunter said, walking upstairs. "Bye, Cas. Bye, Jess."
"Bye! Remember to be careful, guys!"
"You too, Jack. Do not go on your own again. If anything happens tell Dean, Sam or Jody."
"I will, Castiel," Jack smiled, before disappearing from sight. "Bye!"
The heavy door closed, Baby already waiting faithfully on the road. The three males entered the car, Jack taking the backseat like Castiel used to do. Dean sat behind the wheel, but before he could start the ignition, Sam commented casually:
"Cas looked a bit down, you know."
"What?" Dean stopped immediately, hand in mid-air.
"Nothing. Just saying," the younger Winchester shrugged. "I mean, Jess and I said our goodbyes..."
"I said bye to Cas."
"Yeah, I heard. Still he looked somehow sad, who knows why."
"Maybe he wanted to bathe with you?" Jack suggested, not really helping.
Dean glared at both of them, wanting to tell them to shut up and mind their own business, but this was Castiel after all. He wasn't going to ignore anything related to the angel. Experience had taught him that bad things happened when he did that.
"First of all, Cas doesn't bathe because he doesn't need it. And second, bathing together is for couples."
"Aren't you a couple?"
Silence flooded the car, so quiet that even a butterfly would have been thunderous in comparison.
"The what?" Dean finally blurted.
"A couple is a pair of two similar items that combine together in some way," Jack explained his point of view. "You and Castiel are two, and you're best friends. You fight and hang out together. Doesn't that make you a couple and available to bathe together?"
"What has gotten into you with the bathing?" the hunter chose the less dangerous topic.
"So, are we going to Jody's today or what?" Sam commented like he didn't care about the situation, looking out the window.
That earned him another glare from his older brother, but he didn't mind, because then Dean grunted something under his breath and got out of the car, walking back to the door.
Dean descended the stairs, looking around to see if the angel was still near. He was, just coming out the kitchen holding a tray with two steaming mugs of coffee, surely for him and Jessica.
"Dean?" Castiel tilted his head, surprised. "What is the matter? Did you forget anything?"
"Yeah, kinda."
He fidgeted on the spot for a second, before squaring his shoulders and advancing confidently. Not stopping to second-think, Dean came in front of the seraph and cupped his face with both hands, pressing their mouths together in a smouldering kiss. Castiel gasped, taken by surprise, but returned the Righteous Man's kiss fervently. He lamented having his hands occupied with the tray, not being able to also touch Dean.
"Ok, this was all. I'm really going now," the hunter said after the kiss ended.
"I see. Have a safe trip, Dean."
"Bye, Cas."
This time, when the bunker door closed behind him, Dean departed with the memory of a bright smile upon the lips he had just tasted.
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Sheriff Jody Mills from Sioux Falls was always happy to see the Winchester brothers again, despite the fact that their presence more times than not meant trouble. It was no different if this time she had been the one to actually call them. When she opened her door and saw them, the tense look on her face relaxed visibly.
"Sam, Dean! Welcome back, boys," she greeted them with a hug. "I'm glad to see you safe and sound for once."
"A change is good from time to time," Sam chuckled. "Jess and Cas say hello."
"How are you doing, Jack? Learned anything new lately?" she hugged the nephilim too.
"I'm fine," he grinned. "And I'm being good too. Dean bought me a box of Lego and taught me how to play with it. But there are never enough pieces to properly finish a roof."
"Yeah, a very interesting story," Dean coughed lightly, embarrassed. "Are you and the girls ok, Jody? Where's the thing?"
"Yes, we're good. Kaia... I mean, Kaia-alike is upstairs," she said, heading there. "I have her handcuffed to Claire's bed, but so far she hasn't made any attempt to break free. She seems... I'm not sure how to say it, comfortable being here?"
"I don't think Claire is too happy with this," Dean commented.
"Claire doesn't know yet," Jody sighed, worried. "She was hunting when this doppelganger showed up at my doorstep, but she's close around. I called her to come back as soon as she finished, but didn't tell her why. She's about to arrive, but I'm actually relieved that you're here first. Maybe this way I'll actually have something to tell Claire."
They reached the bedroom and Jody opened the door. The room was poorly lit, with the blinds down more than a half, and a flexo on the desk as the only light source. The semi-darkness only made it easier to notice the strange green, flowing glow that washed over the inert body on the bed. The robe she wore was torn and bloody in some parts, but some kind of herbal poultice covered her wounds.
"Just what the hell is that?" Dean whispered, thunderstruck.
"Is she asleep?" Sam asked Jody, getting closer cautiously.
"No, not really. I think she's conscious, but in a state similar to suspended animation. When she came here, she didn't fight at all. She just fainted, no fear at all, like she was sure that no harm would be done to her. In the four days that she has been here, she hasn't asked for anything to sustain herself, not even water. Though I have left a glass on the nightstand just in case."
"Why is she shining green?" Jack was curious.
"I don't know." Jody crossed her arms in a defeated gesture. "Alex took care of her wounds the first day, but medicines weren't working. The second day it's the only time she spoke at all, and asked for saxifrages, nothing else."
"What's that?"
"It's a flower. A plant actually, she asked for the whole plant. I had to go to a vivarium to find one. Then she ate the flower, and I mean it exactly like that, she munched the flower raw. Then told me to boil the roots in an infusion for her to drink, and grind the leaves in a paste to cover her wounds."
"Is it working?"
"Yes. As far as we can tell, she's healing."
Jody came closer to the bed and turned on the bedside lamp, completely illuminating the girl. Both hunters gasped in shock, not only for seeing an exact copy of the young dreamwalker that had helped to save them, but also for the clothes she was wearing. Jack tilted his head in confusion in a very Cas-like fashion.
"Jody," Dean said quietly, "this isn't Kaia. This is actually the thing that killed her. Whatever her face is, this... this tunic is the same one as its."
The sheriff covered her mouth with a hand, willing herself not to shout in disbelief. This was getting more complicated by the moment, and Claire wasn't even here yet.
"Is she really?" another voice was heard.
Everyone turned to the door, where a girl stood there holding some books in her arms and a school bag still on her shoulder.
"Patience, you're early from the library," Jody greeted her with a smile. "Are you hungry? There's still pasta from lunch."
"Hey, kid. You doing good?" Dean asked, while Sam and Jack raised their hands in hello.
"Yes, thank you. Jody and Alex have been very nice. Claire is a bit rough around the edges, but eventually she grows on you," she answered sincerely. "Are you sure this is not Kaia?"
"Yeah, pretty much," Sam nodded. "Why? What makes you think she is?"
"Since I accepted this gift that I inherited from my grandmother, it has been easier to understand. When she appeared," Patience looked at the supposed assassin, "and I touched her hand, I sensed Kaia. I know you're a lot more experienced with this kind of things than me, but I want to trust my psychic abilities, and they're telling me that she is Kaia."
"I agree with you," Jack nodded. "I don't understand it myself, but while this isn't Kaia, she still is."
The psychic nodded, a bit wary of the strange waves she was receiving from the other teenager. But having said her part, Patience left to keep studying in the bedroom she now shared with Alex, since very obviously Claire hadn't been thrilled by the same idea, no matter how long she could leave for between hunts. The three adults kept quiet for a minute, considering what the psychic and the half-angel had told them, but before they could start discussing it the door downstairs slammed, announcing another arrival.
"Jody, are you at home?" a strong feminine voice called, some worry in it. "Is everyone alright?"
The grown-ups and Jack went down to meet the fierce youngster. Some awkward but honest hugs were exchanged. Dean commented on the newest graze in the blonde's face, which she responded complimenting his (inexistent yet) grey hairs.
"And you are?" Claire asked, looking at Jack with distrust.
"I'm Jack," he smiled way too happily, given the situation. "Nice to meet you."
"Jack," she repeated, almost snarling. "Same Jack that got Kaia into the mess?"
"Claire, someone has appeared at our house." Recognizing the signs of an imminent fight and wanting to avoid it, Jody got right to the point. "We're still trying to understand what has happened, so please don't jump to conclusions."
"Okay, I'll try. What's the matter?"
"I'm the matter," someone else said.
Five heads turned to the unexpected voice, and just there at the foot of the stairs was standing Kaia's doppelganger, not glowing green anymore. Claire's eyes opened wide, not believing what she was seeing.
"Kaia?" she whispered.
She intended to take a step forward, but Dean grabbed her by the arm.
"She's not Kaia Nieves," he warned her. "Patience and Jack seem to believe so, but we don't. Remember, Claire. Kaia is dead, and she was killed by someone wearing that same robe and hood."
The young huntress observed Kaia from head to toe, taking in all the similarities, but also the evidence for Dean's doubt. The torn clothes were certainly identical to Kaia's murderer, but also the face and complexion were an exact copy of the dreamwalker's.
"Were you awake the entire time?" Jody asked to her unexpected guest. "And also, you were handcuffed."
"I was, as you very well explained to these men. But I put myself in trance to slow down my metabolism and allow me time to heal." She then held out a hand, offering back the useless handcuffs. "And these bracelets aren't enough to restrain me."
"Are you Kaia?" Claire shouted, furious to see someone wearing her deceased friend's face. "Or are you her killer? Why did you kill her?"
"I am Kaia. I'm actually more Kaia than she could ever have been, for I'm complete now," the girl answered, coming closer to the huntress without a pinch of fear. "I didn't intend to kill her. It was an accident, since I actually aimed my spear at you. Anyway how it happened, Kaia was the last of my pieces. We were always destined to meet and join again."
Claire stepped back, not wanting to be anywhere near this fake Kaia, and unconsciously taking refuge next to the hunters. Kaia saw this and smiled sadly, but didn't attempt closeness again.
"You were my friend, Claire. We shared our scars, and even if I was afraid, I believed you when you said that you would protect me. I followed you to the Bad Place to save Dean and Sam Winchester, because they were important to you."
"Don't you dare use her memories like they were yours, you freak," Claire spat, despise clear in her voice. "Kaia was her own person, not a lost piece of anything or what you're saying."
"I see that you're not ready to accept it yet," Kaia shook her head, disappointed, but let it be and turned her attention to Jack. "I also wanted to meet you, nephilim. You were the one who sought me, after all. Did you achieve what you intended?"
"I did, thanks to you." Contrary to the others, he didn't seem to have any problem accepting the doppelganger as the real Kaia. "But I regret that you killed yourself for it. It was never my intention for that to happen."
"Ok, cut it already with the mysterious crap," Dean butted in. "What the hell are you, young lady? How did you get here?"
"I'm Kaia, and since you all knew her, that's the only name I'm going to respond to," she answered, all of her former gentleness gone and adopting a more intimidating demeanour. "I came from the Bad Place on my own. Well, more or less. Some monsters were used as bait for the blood sacrifice, but the ritual needed it in order to open the rift."
Dean and Sam looked astonished at each other, not sure they weren't misunderstanding her words.
"Wait a second," Sam stopped her. "Are you saying that you can open rifts at will?"
"With enough blood sacrifices? Of course, but it wasn't a perfect process. Before, I could open a rift to any world that one of my pieces came from, but being there for more than a few minutes was toxic for me. Only now that I'm whole again I can stay indefinitely, and I chose this place."
"What happened to you?" Jody asked, her maternal instincts manifesting. "You were able to beat Dean and Sam in a fight, so I'm guessing you're a skilled fightress. Yet you showed up wounded and bloodied."
"Nobody is invincible," Kaia admitted. "I had just crossed and closed the portal when something came after me. A very complex kind of monster, very powerful. Made of pieces, just like me."
"Made of pieces?" Dean repeated, confused for a moment, until the realization dawned on him. "You don't mean the shedim, right? Was its name Legion?"
"As a matter of fact, yes. That's how it introduced itself."
"You fought the shedim alone, and made it out alive? That thing killed a damn Prince of Hell just by touch, kid!"
Kaia frowned deeply, unamused.
"You seem to forget that I also fought you and your brother quite effortlessly. And just so you know, I'm centuries older than you. My last piece was young, since I had to wait for all of them to be reborn independently, but I'm not."
"Yeah, whatever, I couldn't care less about you right now. Getting back to Legion, what happened? Where is it?"
"I'm not sure. We fought for some hours, mostly battle but also some magic. Every time I thought to have hurt it, it changed shape and started fresh, while ultimately I grew tired and couldn't keep up. So I fled and sought refuge in the only safe place I knew about in this world."
Dean sighed loudly, looking away, frustration winning him. Fuck their luck, just when they finally get a clue about the shedim, it gets lost again.
"Ok. Not that it really matters, considering it can look like anyone, but what was its visage the last time you saw Legion?" Sam asked.
"It had the body and face of a short man, chubby. Ruddy face, golden curls. Also nice teeth and bored eyes."
The conversation had died, and nobody seemed to know what else to say. Claire kept glaring at the new Kaia, barely holding in the desire to pull out her knife and stab her. Dean and Sam looked at each other, unsure of what to do next, until Jody took the matter in her own hands.
"When I met Kaia, I offered her my home," she spoke earnestly. "I received her with open arms in the same way I did with Alex, Claire and later Patience. I promised to help her in any way I could. I might not be happy about this situation, but if you're still Kaia even in the slightest, the offer stands."
"Jody!" Claire exclaimed, furious. "She killed Kaia, she's not her!"
"She keeps talking about her 'pieces' and Kaia being one of them, whatever that means," the sheriff defended her point of view. "Claire, I know this isn't easy for you, but believe me, it isn't for anyone else either. Besides, she fought with the shedim and didn't end up dead, which automatically makes her a good ally to have. So, until we gain a better understanding of what's happening, I think it's better to watch her closely rather than her being MIA."
"Much obliged, Jody," Kaia thanked her.
Fuming, Claire didn't say another word and merely stomped upstairs. A bedroom door slamming was her last sign of opinion that day.
"Well, it could have gone worse," Jody said, shrugging.
"By the way, Kaia, you haven't told us yet what you really are," Sam pointed out.
The resentful way in which the hunter had pronounced her name didn't go unnoticed by the girl, but she chose to ignore it and smirked.
"I haven't. But what makes you think I'm going to?"
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Sam tossed and turned on the sofa in the living room, still awake, incapable of falling asleep in a couch that was a bit too small for him to sleep in comfortably. He was missing not only his own bed in the bunker, but also the nice company he had enjoyed in it for some nights now, since Jessica had come back. Maybe Jack was right about the bathe coupling thing.
But it wasn't only that, and Sam knew it. He was too worried and restless to being able to sleep. They had way too much in their hands right now, not that it was unusual. Since years ago they always seemed to be deep drowning in some disaster or another, but this one... Every time they believed to have reached a limit, when they believed it couldn't get any weirder or more dangerous than it already was, they were proven wrong. After all, what else could you expect after alpha monsters, King and Princes of Hell, angels warring, God, the Darkness, leviathans, the Devil and the Apocalypse and everything in between?
Invaders from another world, of course. Just the next move in the game.
The hunter sighed, surrendering to the fact of a sleepless night, and got up. Walking silently not to awake his brother on the floor, Sam went to the kitchen to drink a glass of water, seeing that the light was already on. Apparently he wasn't the only one that dream was eluding tonight.
"Jack?" Sam whispered, squinting his eyes until they were ready for the light. "What's the matter, you couldn't sleep?"
"I already slept," he whispered back.
"Oh, right," the man smiled indulgently. "I keep forgetting that you don't need as many hours as the standard human. Were you bored?"
"A little. But I didn't want to bother anyone just to have something to do, so I decided to wait here until breakfast time."
"That's very considerate of you, Jack," Sam praised him before drinking his water.
"And you, Sam? Why couldn't you sleep?"
"I'm just too worried about everything. Stressed."
The Winchester sat down in front of the nephilim, tiredness evident in his every movement.
"I might be a little too," Jack admitted. "There are many things that feel wrong. What do you do in cases like this, when you feel helpless to do anything?"
"Well, some people keep trying to do their best, like we do. Others give up to desperation. And some people also pray, because they have faith in a superior being that could help them."
"Pray? You mean to God? To my grandfather?"
"Yeah, like that. But not only to God, Jack. Currently there are seven billions of people in the planet, and all of them have faith in different things. Some believe in God, some believe in other beings, and some don't believe in anything at all."
Jack pondered about this for a while.
"Do you have faith in God, Sam?" he finally asked. "Do you pray to him?"
"Ugh, that's a complicated issue nowadays," the hunter hissed. "In the past, I used to pray to him frequently. I didn't know if he existed, but yes, I prayed. However, after I met Chuck and then the angel Joshua... I mostly stopped. The moment I knew for sure that God actually existed, was also the moment I totally lost my faith in him."
"Why?"
"Because Jack, while I was ignorant, I still had hope that God cared for us, that we were important to him. I thought he listened to us, and helped us when he could. But after meeting Chuck, I saw that all my prayers were useless, because he had closed the line a long time ago. He wasn't listening anymore."
"Castiel is my father," Jack said, reflecting. "Family is important. You and Dean, and also Jess, are my family too. I lost my mother. God is my grandfather, but I haven't met him. Would he like me?"
"I'm sure he would, Jack."
"Perhaps he doesn't know I exist. Maybe if he knew, he would want to meet me."
Sam bit his tongue, not wanting to disappoint the young boy by telling him that most certainly Chuck knew about his existence, because God was supposed to be the three big O's: omniscient, omnipotent and omnipresent.
"How do you pray to him, Sam? What do you say?"
"Ehm... usually you just tell him what the problem is, and ask for his help and guidance."
"Can you teach me, please?"
The man didn't really want to, but he didn't want to let Jack down either.
"You... you just have to speak, Jack. Ok, let's try it. Normally, people are reverent when they pray, but since I met Chuck in person and I know he's a quite laid back guy, I don't think he'll mind if we're more informal with him."
Jack nodded, anxious. Out of habit, Sam joined his hands in prayer and closed his eyes.
"Yeah, here we go," he whispered. "Ahem, God? Sorry, I meant Chuck. This is Sam Winchester with Jack, your grandson. He's Castiel's son, and he's a good child. Jack is helping us with the latest problems down here on Earth, which you may or may not be interested in. We have, uh... a shedim on the loose, a Heaven crumbling due to the lack of angels, and a Michael from another world set on invading us. We have our plate full, Chuck, and I know you don't like to intervene in human affairs that much, so I'm not asking you to show up, but... we don't know what to do. We're making it up as we go, walking blindly. Please, even the littlest clue would be greatly appreciated, you know? So, yeah. This was all. Thanks for listening, in the unlikely case you actually were. Say hello to Amara from us. Bye."
A minute of silence followed the highly out-of-the-norm prayer, until Jack dared to talk again.
"That's how you do it?"
"That's how you do it. Now we just continue with our lives, and see if eventually something even remotely divine happens or not."
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