6

About Samantha

"Maybe you should... you know, take something," Cas said, visibly worried about him. Dean would have appreciated the gesture if the fear wasn't so much intense. He really hatred planes. "I can get you–"

"I'm not B. A., ok?"

"Who?" The incomprehension was the same in Cas and Samantha' faces, so he suddenly felt old and weird. Then, the little girl turned to the angel.

"It must be something about an old movie."

"I would call The A Team a classic, but whatever..." Dean sighed, trying to fill his lungs with air and to remember how to breathe. "I don't want any drugs, thanks. It's not the first time I fly... even though I almost died once. A spirit took possession of the pilot and tried to kill us all."

"WHAT? That can happen again?"

"Great! Now I have two scared children, thank you, Dean." Cas wrinkled his lips, a little bit wearied. Then, he turned to the real kid. "Don't you worry, Samantha. If something like that happens, I will take you out of the plane immediately. We are trying not to be located, but your safety is essential."

In that moment, Dean though that Cas was such a great dad. But then the loudspeakers announced the departure of their plane. Dean swallowed, although he started walking to the plane queue. He was waiting, and feeling terrible, when he noticed that an old woman was staring at them.

"Any problem, madam?"

"Dean..." Cas' voice sounded like a warning.

"Oh, no, no, my dear, I was just thinking what a lovely family you're." The woman smiled briefly, trying to seem nice, but Dean had a lot of experience with hypocritical gestures and he knew she was lying. Actually, she didn't need so much time in order to say something to her male companion.

"Hey, lady, if you have any issues with my gay parents, at least you could be discreet! We haven't bothered anyone."

"Samantha, please." Cas said.

"I would have said that, in the future, people would be less homophobic." Dean hissed, while he was giving the old woman a killer look. Then, he listened to Cas clearing his throat, so he looked at him. "I'm not going to tell Samantha off. She's right: that lady has been so rude."

"But we don't want to draw attention, guys."

"Oh, don't you worry, Cas," Samantha smiled, happy. "Nowadays it's very normal having two dads or two mums."

"I didn't mean that."

"Cas wants us to be nice."

"We're nice!"

"Yeah, we are."

That good mood didn't change at first, especially because a few minutes later, the flight-attendant said at loud Cas's fake name. Rowena had got them fake passports and she had decided that Castiel was a really weird name, so she had chosen Clarence as his new name. That choice made Dean and Samantha laugh every single time they heard it and, furthermore, had made them realized that they had something in common: they both loved It's a Wonderful Life.

Although then they went on the damn plane. Dean hatred those killer boxes. When the three of them arrived to their sits, he organized everything quickly.

"Samantha, the window. Cas, in the middle... and I near to the door."

"You can't run away from a plane," Samantha opined, but she obeyed equally. Dean saw how Cas and the child exchanged a gaze and, then, she added. "I've just made an observation, but I don't want to make you more nervous, Dean."

"I assure you nothing is going to happen," Cas said.

"And, if you think about it... Can you even die?" Samantha asked seriously.

"I don't want to think about that."

"No one is going to die, ok?" Cas assured again. "I will take care of you two, even though you make fun of me every single time you can. Yes, sometimes I get things." The angel seemed amused, though.

Samantha fell sleep soon, even before the plane's engine began to work. Dean felt so thankful because he didn't want to look like a pathetic coward in front of her. It wasn't the idea she should have of her savior. She shouldn't see the little jump he gave in the moment the plane started moving. He was sweating, pushing the limits of the hysteria. Why the hell had he said no to the drugs? He needed something to calm down...

And, somehow, his own hand was wiser than himself. He took Cas' hand and, at the moment the angel squeezed it gently, Dean felt better at the moment. He believed that everything would be ok because, even though an insidious ghost tried to kill them, Cas would save him.

"Please, don't let me go."

"Never."

And the angel kept his word because, for the following hours, he didn't release his hand. They talked. It was a thing that really surprised people, but Cas and Dean used to talk a lot beyond the usual supernatural topics or the current Apocalypses they were living. Cas had always understood him. He was the only person Dean could have opened up to completely. Not Sam, not Bobby, just Cas.

In that plane, during all that asphyxiating time far away from the ground, they reconnected. Suddenly, it was like always, like if they hadn't been apart. At the beginning they just caught up: Cas told him what he had missed about his beloved world, while he was in Heaven. But then... then, it became serious.

"Thanks for this, Cas," Dean whispered all of a sudden. "I don't even..."

"When are you going to stop, Dean? Seriously, you need to stop." Cas tilted his head, staring at him with the same intensity as usual. "I've known you for more than a decade and you just... hate yourself. And it doesn't matter what everybody says, you don't listen. You never listen. Do you want not to hurt me, don't you? So, please, stop, because I have never bored your hate for yourself."

Dean couldn't avoid a funny grimace.

"Why are you laughing?" Cas frowned.

"I was just thinking how cute you're are when you tell me off–"

Dean almost spitted. How the hell could he have said that? He just... Had he just called Cas cute? He was, obviously, but he would have never pronounced that aloud... But he just did. His cheeks turned red and he decided to pore over the sit in front of him. It would be more secure, yeah.

"You are also cute… sometimes... When you're not an assbutt."

"An assbutt?" Dean laughed again. That word brought memories to him.

"Yes. For example, when you do these kind of things or when you try that to make me have affairs with women."

"Have affairs? Can you use real English, please?"

"Can you stop beating yourself up, please?"

"Touché. Ok, ok, I'll try. I'll seriously try." Dean made a grimace, thoughtful. "I guess that if an angel of the Lord always saves me, I'll have something good."

Yes. Your ass."

"Cas!"

"It was a joke. Well, that was my intention, but it is true that you have a nice ass. Just as nice as your heart."

Once again Dean just could laugh, even though he couldn't be more flushed. It was just impossible.

"Are you trying to seduce me?"

"Should I?"

Yes. It was just a though. A desire. They almost kissed each other hours ago, but he was a little bit... scared. Since he knew about Cas' feelings, everything had changed and, suddenly, he found himself walking through quicksand. Nothing seemed secure; nothing seemed real... but for Cas.

"Seriously, guys, I know you love each other, but you should control yourselves. A kid is with you, watching and hearing how you guys flirt. I think somebody could believe you are corrupting me." Samantha's voice broke that kind of spell... again, like Rowena had done before. And, again, that voice seemed... amused.

"Love is never corruption, Samantha."

"I know, I just was making fun of you, guys."

Dean just listened to them because he wasn't able to add anything. He was confused again. Maybe he hadn't ever stopped being confused. But, at least, he could enjoy the rest of the travel. Luckily, the plane arrived soon to Dublin, where he could touch the ground again. Dean almost kissed it, even though it was British territory and he didn't have a good memory of damn British people.

How they had talked about, the first thing they did was to get a car and to go to a little hotel. Cas had to persuade the manager with his powers because hunter never got paid and they couldn't afford... well, basically anything.

"This place is very rare," Samantha said while she was jumping on her bed. "I don't understand why they drive like that! It's been so weird!"

"Yeah. Well, it gets worse: they drink tea every single moment."

"Grandma used to drink that and it seemed as pee," Samantha made a disgusted grimace.

"Grandma? Eileen?" Dean asked.

"No, my other grandma. My mum's mum."

In the moment they heard that, Cas and Dean shared a gaze. The angel, then, touched the TV and it magically turned on. It was the best invention in order to entertain a kid. Dean knew it well because he had used it with Sam a lot, when they were kids and he had to take care of his little brother.

"We are going to look for something to eat. Wait here, ok?" Dean talked casually. He had spent so much time pretending that he didn't have to make any effort. "Don't you worry, we won't bring that fish and chips thing–"

"But I like chips!"

"Ok. Fish and chips, then."

"Be nice, Samantha," Cas said, serious.

"Ok, dad," Samantha rolled her eyes.

It wasn't the first time she joked about them being her parents. At the airport, at the check point, she had lied fluently about that. Dean was impressed actually: she had a lot of Winchester DNA in her little body. She even was a better liar than Sam. Should he talk with her about that topic?

When Cas and Dean were in the street, walking in the search of some fish and chips, as they'd promised, they could talk freely.

"Her mother," Cas said. The angel was frowning, seeming as he could hit himself. "We've been floppy about this, Dean. We've never thought about the mother. What if the coven wants the mother and Samantha is a plan b?"

"Or maybe a more powerful choice," Dean nodded. "I don't want to be arrogant, but the Winchester's family is a very important bloodline, remember? We were chosen and all that stuff. Remember Azazel and all that mess. What if Samantha's mother comes from another powerful bloodline?"

"We should check it."

Dean knew that their best option was that Cas left in order to gather information, but the truth was that he didn't want to be apart from his angel. He doubted precisely because that.

"Could you... you know, use your angelical powers to get the info?"

"I don't know, Dean," Cas stopped in the middle of the street. "It's not my first time in Ireland, but it's different now. I feel something strange in the air, even in the ground–"

"Wow, you sound like Galadriel."

"Who?"

"It doesn't matter, Cas," Dean smiled. "So, you think that the coven is doing something and they could detect you if you use your powers." When he stopped talking, the angel nodded. "Fine. Then, we'll be discreet. After we eat something, we will visit Rowena's friend."

"No. You will go back to Samantha and I'll talk to her. We can't trust her, Dean."

It was so obvious that Dean could have crashed his head into the nearest wall. What was it happening to him? Usually, he wasn't so sloppy. He had lost his touch while he was in Heaven. He went through that after the year he had spent with Lisa and Ben and neither now nor then did he like it. He felt better when he was a great hunter.

"Be careful, Cas."

The angel started to walk, moving away from him, while Dean went back to the hotel with two portions of that British thing. Cas had done the same magical trick with the woman at the stand and he had promised to get some European money before going back to them. In the hotel, Dean found Samantha on the bed, focused on the TV.

"Oh, food!"

"Definitely, we're family."

They sat down on the floor and it wasn't weird, it actually felt... natural. Dean even had to admit that the food wasn't bad.

"And where's uncle Cas?" Samantha suddenly asked. "Has he got a clue about my parents?"

"No, but we'll have them soon. Don't you worry, Samantha, we'll find them." Dean promised again. He was taking a bunch of fries to his mouth, when he realized something. "Uncle Cas? Since when do you call him that?"

"I know he is not my uncle, but he's your boyfriend and I've decided to call you 'uncle' because it's simpler... and less weird than... grand uncle?"

"He is what?!"

"Oh, sorry, are you married?"

"No!"

"Do you prefer lover?"

"What? No! And you shouldn't use that word! You're just a kid!" Dean couldn't believe that conversation was happening. He stood up, trying to chill, while the kid seemed surprised. "I thought you were lying, but I guess you're just mistaken. Cas and I, we aren't anything. Well, we are friends, of course, but nothing else."

"Seriously?"

"Yes."

"I think you are the mistaken one. I have a lot of friends and I don't look at them as you look at uncle Cas." Samantha arched an eyebrow. "Ey, I can be young, but I'm not an idiot. I watch my parents every day. And they are in love, so I can recognize how it looks."

"Are you saying that you know my feelings better than I do?"

"I just say what I see."

"And who are you? One of the trolls of Frozen?"

"No, I'm prettier than them. But we are all wise." Something in her tone carried implicit that Dean wasn't that. "Are you sure you don't like him?"

He didn't know how to answer.

And, somehow, he was saved, when the door opened. Dean believed, just for a moment, that it was Cas, but then he realized that it was a stranger. A warlock, because he attacked him without any delay.

Hi, guys! Thank you for reading this! I hope you've liked it and you've enjoyed all the plane part, which was my favorite to write.

Next chapter: I'm gonna be (500 miles)