Filler Christmas chapter, just some snippets of bunker hilarity :D


Chapter 31

Claire was barely out of her pajamas when someone knocked at her door. The girl grunted a bit at the sound, still feeling the after-effects of receiving a burst of angelic energy, and a bit annoyed from when she had seen Alex's cot already empty. Couldn't she wake her up too?

Opening the door, she found the Prophet of the Lord standing there, a pen and notebook in his hands.

"Good morning, tigress," he greeted her, smiling. "I need to know..."

"It was a one-time thing, Kevin," the blonde blurted out, interrupting whatever he was going to say. "Look, for the little time I've known you, I think you're a great guy and all that, but... there were circumstances, okay? We were playing our part and that was all. Nothing else."

The boy looked taken aback for a moment, as if not sure of what she was talking about.

"Ehm, alright?" he replied, doubtful. "Good to know that we're on the same page, I guess."

"Yes... what?"

"Just as you've said, I think you're great and all too, Claire. And I wasn't lying when I said that I find you pretty. But it's true that we've known each other for so little time, so I can't say that I like you. Not that I dislike you either, but... you get it."

Claire slowly nodded, a bit dumbfounded by this unexpected outcome, but also relieved. She didn't want to make things awkward between them.

"Ah. That's fine, then. So, what did you want?"

"Tomorrow is Christmas Eve, and since you girls are returning to Jody's place, it was decided to give you your presents early, before you go. But since we're so many, Dean and Sam can't afford to buy for all of us. Jesse's mum suggested candy, so... what's your fave sweet?"

"I'm not really a fan of sweets. Almond chocolate, I think? Yeah, that's tasty."

Kevin hummed while writing it down in the notebook.

"You're also coming to the sleepover tonight, right?"

"The... the sleepover?" Claire almost shrieked, incredulous. "I'm not eight. Who even came up with such an idea?"

"Adam," Kevin admitted, laughing at his best friend's idea. "I think likely that he was trying to prank his brothers somehow, but then Jack jumped at the idea because he didn't know what it was, and dragged Kaia and Jesse into it. Patience and Alex are too nice to say no, and Jacob and Emma were more or less forced into it, not to be the only ones of us youngsters left out. So you see, tigress, it'll be more embarrassing for you putting up a tough act than actually joining."

Claire couldn't help but sigh. If her adoptive sister and vessel brother (Was that even a thing?) wanted to play, she didn't have the heart to say no.

"Yes, count me in. What hour does the craziness begin?"

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"Good morning, Mrs. Kensington. What delicious thing are you baking today?"

"Dean Campbell!" the smiling woman in her fifties greeted him. "I should have known that not even this heavy snowfall would deter my best customer from coming."

"You can bet on that, madam!"

"So, what you're getting today? The usual?"

"Well, actually..." Dean doubted, looking at the various glass counters filled with delicacies. "Pie is always a sure go, but I've been thinking about giving a chance to other things too. I mean, all of the mouth-watering smells can't be only from pie!"

Dean was lying left and right, but he couldn't care less. He didn't need any more sweetness in his life than pie could bring him, but Emma's rejection had stung quite a lot, as stupid as getting a heartbreak over a slice of food might sound.

"Well, can't say I expected to hear that!" Mrs. Kensington grinned, surprised. "But take your fill, dear. Anything that catches your eye? I'm proud to say that for such a small town as Lebanon, I bake quite a variety here."

The hunter looked over the goods several times, trying to decide. In his pocket there was a list with everything that the kids liked, but that could be bought in the market. There wasn't anything from Emma, though, and she didn't seem at all impressed with the pancakes that Dean had prepared for breakfast. But he wasn't going to give up so easily.

"What is this?" he eventually asked, pointing at something that looked like pie but slightly more toasted.

"Pear tart. It's similar to pie, but crust is only at the bottom."

"I'll try this today," Dean decided, taking out his wallet. "Also the usual four slices of apple pie and honey pastries, please."

That day, there was pear tart for lunch dessert at the bunker. Emma didn't show any special positive reaction to it, which made Dean sigh internally. When he returned to his room, the hunter pulled out a piece of paper and a pen, and scribbled something down.

1 Pie FAIL

2 Pancake FAIL

3 Tart FAIL

Looking at it, Dean wondered how long the list would eventually reach.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The ten youngest people in the bunker (nine anunnaki channels and one Prophet of the Lord) were randomly huddled together on the library floor around the Christmas tree, forming a circle, all comfortably tucked in amongst a sea of blankets and pillows. Chatting had been toning down since the adults retired for the night, but sleep was still avoiding them. All lights were already turned off, but the festive tree bathed the darkness with hundreds of tiny coloured bright spots, enough to allow the sleepover attendants to tell each other apart.

Barely before midnight, someone came to check up on them one last time.

"Are all of you comfortable?"

"Castiel, for the last time, YES!" Claire couldn't help the resignation in her voice, which made someone chuckle. "We had dinner, we're warm, we've all brushed our teeth... You can stop mother-henning us."

"It is dangerous to leave a Christmas tree plugged in without supervision."

"I'll watch over them," Jack offered. "I don't sleep much."

"See? We're fine." And just because she didn't want to make the seraph feel unappreciated, she offered an idea. "If you're so curious about what we're doing, at least take a seat and tell us a story."

"A story?" Castiel repeated, unsure but effectively sitting down on a chair. "I am afraid that my skills as a story-teller are lacking in prowess, since it is not my field of expertise."

"Then tell us some of your angel adventures," Jesse suggested, very interested.

And suddenly everyone was offering their own ideas on what they wanted to know about angels or their preconceived notions about them.

"How long does an angel live?"

"How do you reproduce?"

"Are angel chicks hot?"

"That's a sexist question."

"Is there music in Heaven?"

"Sorry, madam. Are angel chicks or dudes hot?"

"They're not, I know it firsthand. Unless you mean in the sense that they can burn out your eyes."

"Where do you keep your harp?"

"How do you know they're not hot?"

"Is master Gabriel brighter than you?"

"Can you sing?"

"Duh, because I've been dead before."

"Does body swapping count as rape?"

"Do you even know how to read a stave?"

"For fuck's sake, what kind of question is that?!"

"Hey, watch your mouth! There are two toddlers here."

"I thought angels would lay eggs."

"Is Chrysler a size joke or something?"

"What colour are angel's wings?"

All at once, the voices died down. Apparently someone had finally struck a question that everyone was interested in.

"Each one of us is unique, there is not a standard colour for angel wings," Castiel answered. "Or at least, what little remains of them after the Fall."

"Which colour are yours?"

"I do not believe that I can properly explain to you. There are millions of chromatic possibilities in Creation and each angel was gifted with one of them, but sadly, the human eye can only perceive a small percentage of it."

"Whatever, just tell us. We'll imagine it."

"My wings are mostly black. The same black as a winter night during matins."

For a second, nobody said a thing.

"That's extremely specific."

"Yes, I warned you," Castiel agreed. "No angel ever bore the same colour on their wings as another."

"What about your friend Balthazar?"

"Balthazar's wings are silver. Silver as the moonlight reflected on a lake."

"Tell us some more, please! About other angels."

Castiel hummed, remembering many of his brothers' and sisters' wing patterns.

"Well, Gabriel's are golden, a hue like the metal when it has just been melt. My garrison superior, Anna, had vivid red wings, like a bonfire made of chestnut wood. Michael's are a noble indigo, like the ocean before a summer storm. My friend Hannah's were a dainty, pale pink, same as a Mitchell cockatoo. Joshua's were an ancient, peaceful green, like sequoia leaves. Naomi's wings, the current caretaker in Heaven, are a polite and professional lilac, like hydrangea blooms. Duma's are silken brown, the hue of cinnamon powder. My former commander Ishim had formal and respectable grey wings, like rainclouds. Muriel's were a bright turquoise, like Polynesian waters. Raphael's were clear auburn, like a fawn's coat. Young Samandriel's wings were a gentle yellow, as morning sunbeams..."

"Is there no angel with the stereotypical snow white wings?"

"There are many angels with different white wings, but I have not ever met the one who carries the snow hue. Metatron wings were white, as the salt extracted from the mother rock that hunters use. My lieutenant Rachel's were also white, like coconut pulp."

"Who has the most beautiful angel wings ever?"

"That is not an easily answered question," Castiel frowned, pensive. "Historically, Lucifer has always been considered the most beautiful of angels, an opinion shared by most. His wings are hot pink and sparkly, because he represented the new light that each morning shone over Earth, dispelling the darkness."

"You don't sound as if you agree."

"I truthfully do not," the seraph admitted. "While extremely beautiful, Lucifer's wings always seemed too gaudy for me. It might be because my own are so discreet, but the wings I consider the most gorgeous until date belonged to the angel Gadreel. His were a rich violet, like the clearing sky right before the beginning of sunrise. When we met he only had a few feathers left due to the Fall, but I still believed them to be breathtaking."

"You speak as if no angel ever had ugly wings, Castiel."

"That is also a matter of perception. I have found most of my siblings' patterns to be aesthetically pleasing, but not all. For example, Zachariah's smoggy dark grey always made me think about sewer rats, and..."

He couldn't continue as a burst of loud laughs received his last statement. For some reason that Castiel couldn't comprehend, most of the children fell into hysterics, rolling on the floor grabbing their bellies and failing to get enough breath to stop. For several minutes, the room was filled with sharp gasps and flailing limbs, until everyone seemed to get a hold of themselves.

"My apologies, did I say anything out of context?" he asked, bewildered.

"Oh, Castiel... You're really something else."

"Haa, my ribs hurt..."

"Someone please tell me you've got this recorded."

"Cas, really. Here you were, practically waxing poetry, and suddenly you came up with a rat?"

This caused another wave of laughs, though shorter lived. Castiel didn't know what to do or what to say, since he didn't understand what exactly had happened. Maybe not everything was funnier in Enochian.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

An hour later, most of the kids were already asleep. Jack however was carefully watching the Christmas tree, making sure it didn't catch fire.

Claire turned around under her blanket, readjusting her pillow. Opening her eyes for a second, she met looks with Kevin, two heads away to the left. The prophet was tossing and turning too, not used to sleep on the floor. When he noticed that the girl was also looking at him, he remained still, at first not moving a muscle. After a minute, he innocently stretched an arm across the tree foot, as if only getting more comfortable. The huntress felt her heart beat harder a couple of times, doubting, but at the end she decided to accept the silent invitation and extend her own hand too. The two teenagers could only barely graze their fingertips, with the Christmas tree and two other people between them, but it was enough. For tonight they didn't need more.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

On the other side of the bunker, Sam had pasted a note to Dean's door, where it'd be easily seen in the morning.

I'm sorry.

I'll try better with her.

The breakfast that day, a PB&J sandwich, told Sam that everything was fine again.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"Sorry to do this, but I demand to set a new ground rule," Julia ordered, caringly wiping Jesse's bleeding eyes and nose with a wet handkerchief. "You shall not practice your exorcisms near my son, Christmas' spirit or not."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Castiel and both Winchester brothers were in the library, Dean following Emma's progress in learning to read and Sam teaching Jessica the differences between a siren and a mermaid, since both creatures had ended up being mixed in lore over time. The young people were playing outside in the snow, with the exception of Jody's girls that had already departed to South Dakota.

"A, E, I, O, U," Emma recited. "Ba, be, bi, bo, bu. Ca, ce, ci, co, cu."

"That's awesome, you're learning fast! You'll be reading full words in no time," Dean attempted to cheer her, despite the amazon's lack of enthusiasm. "Next letter is D. It's how you start writing my name, which makes it a great letter, right Cas?"

"Yes, Dean. It is very much of my liking."

"See? Here, let me show how to write it," Dean took a pen and a sheet of paper to write it down. "This is uppercase... and this is lowercase."

"I know, Father. There's a full page of greyed D's in the calligraphy notebook to practice over," Emma pointed out, opening said page.

Dean snickered nervously, feeling silly. He knew that his daughter hadn't said it with the intention of making him feel bad, she was only stating a fact in a Cas-like way, but it was proving difficult to get her open up to him.

That was the moment when a sudden visitor intruded in their peaceful time. A loud boom was heard in the war room, scaring everyone shitless.

"Ho ho ho, merry Christmas!" Gabriel laughed loudly, donning the typical red and white outfit of Santa Claus, beard and all. "Have you been good this year?"

"The hell you're doing here again?" Dean grumbled, standing up and checking up what the ruckus was about. "At least this time the lightbulbs survived you."

"Gabriel, you should not encourage erroneous pagan imagery that a single company commercialized for their own benefit," Castiel reproached him.

"Chill out, bro, this is just for the giggles!" the archangel dismissed him. "Besides, what paganism are you talking about? Saint Nicholas has been an official member of Daddy's fangirls club since long ago. Whatever, who cares? I brought you a present, so you better thank me!"

The so-called present was actually two brand new double-size beds, already made with linens and all. The four adults were speechless.

"Master Gabriel," Emma greeted him reverently, crouching on a knee and bowing down. "I still haven't had the chance to repay my debt. Is there anything I can do to honour you? The sooner I do, the sooner I'll be free from shame."

"Yeah, right. About that..." Gabriel patted her head awkwardly, clearly uncomfortable with the situation. "Raise up, lil' lady, you don't need to do that. Uh... why don't you go to the kitchen and fetch me a slice of sweet pie that I'm sure Deano has a secret storage of? And then we're even!"

Emma stood up, but frowned at the suggestion.

"Do you consider me serving as your waitress to be of the same value as saving me from Hell and bringing me back to life?" she asked in an offended tone.

"No, no, of course not, lil' lady," the Messenger of God hastily backtracked. "It was... just a whim? Oh, but look at the hour! I have to be anywhere else, like right now. Deano, Sammich, enjoy your present. Bye, amigos!"

And as fast as he had appeared, Gabriel vanished again. Dean and Sam looked at each other, confusion written in both of their faces.

"So, do you think we can use a little angelic assistance here, Cas?" Dean pondered. "Because I don't think Sam and I can slip these through the maze to our rooms. It's gonna get stuck somewhere."

Sam shrugged, also considering the idea for a few seconds before agreeing.

"It is not a strain for me, Dean," Castiel accepted, but eyeing suspiciously the new resting furniture. "Though I am not sure about this new size. I am rather fond of the current one, for personal reasons."

"Cas, I'm totally with you in this," Jessica supported him, having similar thoughts.

Neither of them liked the idea of risking losing cuddles.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Later in the afternoon, the remaining children in the bunker were sitting around the map table in the war room, discussing something among them and jokingly playing geography games.

"I'm pretty sure that penguins only live in Antarctica," Kevin insisted.

"How do you know?"

"Excuse me, how many of you were in advanced placement?"

"I've seen penguins in New Zealand too," Jesse argued.

"Ha, busted!" Adam chuckled, munching the gummy bears that he had asked for as Christmas present.

"C'mon, you're supposed to be on my side! You're my bestie!"

"Sorry pal, but Lord forbid (no pun intended) that I go into a fight against a penguin. Madagascar taught me better."

That was the moment a seraph appeared.

"Actually there are species of penguins as far as the equator, in Galapagos Islands," Castiel corrected, entering the room. "What are you doing?"

"We're playing games. Sharing knowledge, like Sam suggested us," Kaia answered. "The prophet loses this round."

"Oh, shut up, don't choke on your M&M. How did you even know about the Aconcagua? You're not from this world!"

"It's not like my last piece hadn't studied ever in her life, you know?" the dreamwalker retaliated.

"Emma and I have learned the names of all oceans and seas today!" Jack chirped proudly, and the amazon nodded slightly.

"That is very good," Castiel praised them, taking out a chair and joining the circle around the map table. "How did you come up with this game?"

"Since two anunnaki keys have already been found and claimed, we were trying to decide which one of the others belong to each of us," Jacob grumbled, not really interested in the game. "Hopefully the next one is mine and I can get out of here."

"Don't bet on it," Adam shook his head, pointing to the map. "There's one red dot almost reaching Florida, but the others are still overseas. The closest one is still in Kodiak Island, and these things move slowly. The only one in USA is in Arizona, and I'm quite sure that's mine. Dean said we'll go to check up on it as soon as Christmas is over."

"Let us hope that they do not nest while being unreachable. Where is Dean, by the way?"

"Father went to get groceries again, since yesterday he only bought candies," Emma responded emotionlessly. "Sam was complaining about being his turn and getting his ass to move."

Castiel seemed a bit down hearing this information. He hadn't know and he would have liked to accompany Dean shopping, since apparently it was a coupley thing to do.

"Cas, is everything ok?" Adam asked, a little worried. "Are you feeling neglected?"

"No, I am not. Why would you think that?" the angel frowned, bemused.

"Well, hum... I think Dean is awesome as a brother, but he comes off as too curt as a lover."

"Adam, please do not be offended by this, but with due respect, I have known Dean a lot longer than you," Castiel replied firmly. "I can assure you that he is a very caring and considerate romantic partner."

"Really?" Kevin joined the conversation, smirking and exchanging impish looks with his best friend. "I don't think I believe you, Cas. Can you give us an example?"

Castiel opened his mouth to answer, but whatever he was going to say, he thought it better. He had clearly noticed the true intentions behind the two youngsters' curiosity.

"I will not share such information with you," he refused. "I am under the impression that you would take advantage of it to mock Dean, something that he does not deserve."

"No, Cas! How could you think so low of us?" Adam feigned insult, a hand to his heart. "I feel wounded. Since you're involving yourself with one of my brothers, you're practically family to me too. I was only making sure that Dean treated you well."

"I am very well taken care of, thank you."

"I'd like to know too," Jack spoke, innocence and naivety shining in his eyes. "You and Dean don't behave the same as in romantic movies."

"Me too," incredibly Emma was of the same opinion. "I still can't understand what two males who can't conceive a baby together might do to entertain themselves."

The angel sighed deeply, feeling defeated by some many requests.

"I understand," he eventually yielded. "I will satisfy your curiosity with a few details, but you must swear on your souls that you will not, under any circumstances, hold this information against Dean. And you must know that if you ever break your oath to an angel, said angel will definitely know. And you shall be punished."

For a moment, the seraph looked like all divine wrath upon to rain over them. A couple of gulps were heard, and everyone nodded in agreement. Nobody would dare to say a word to the older hunter.

"Despite his rough outer appearance, Dean is actually very cute," Castiel said conversationally. "After I returned from the Empty, he was adamant about me needing a birthday date to celebrate; since I had none, he decided to make it the 18th September, because that was the day I raised him from perdition. Once, when we were working a case on the road, a tiny wildflower got stuck in the windshield; Dean picked it, but instead of throwing it away, he placed it in one of the button holes of my coat. And another time, we walked by one of those machines filled with cheap prizes, where you have to skilfully manoeuvre a hook to fish out one; Dean spent a few dollars on it until he got me a tiny bee plushie. He looked so thrilled that I could not bring myself to remind him that it would have been cheaper and easier if he had simply bought it from a toystore."

Castiel didn't add anything else, reckoning that he had already spoken enough. Certainly, the kids had been listening intently, so much that when the heavy door of the bunker creaked, they almost jumped in their seats.

"Hey, I'm back! Damn, it's snowing again," he cursed, going downstairs with his arms full of groceries bags, before noticing everyone looking at him. "What? What's the matter?"

"Oh, nothing," the cambion sniggered. "Castiel was just defending your honour."

Dean looked puzzled by the comment, but nobody bothered to clear it to him. After all, they had sworn it to an angel of the Lord.


Thanks for reading and reviewing!

The bedroom distribution in the bunker has been mentioned a few times before, but this is how they are occupied at the moment:

- Nº 11: Dean (canon)

- Nº 12: Adam and Kevin

- Nº 13: Jacob

- Nº 14: Emma

- Nº 15: Castiel (canon)

- Nº 16: Claire and Alex

- Nº 17: Jessica (but barely used anymore)

- Nº 18: Charlie (currently empty for obvious reasons)

- Nº 19: Kaia and Patience

- Nº 20: Julia

- Nº 21: Sam (canon)

- Nº 22: Jack (canon) and Jesse