Not Everything Happens in the USA
Lydia flicked through the channels on Heaven's big screen, bored to death. She'd been told to practice her spells and make sure she kept them strong, but that wasn't something she had to focus on every day. Anyway, she was interested in seeing how the angels were all doing. She checked on each one found by the Winchesters and each one that had not yet been found. She even checked on the poor little dears under Crowley's control. She hated seeing them boxed up in cages, but she had strict orders not to touch any of them. God's plan apparently called for the poor things to stay exactly where they were. Lydia had no idea how that helped the little ones, but she had to have faith that all would be right in the end.
Sighing, Lydia flicked the channel again in boredom and the screen zoomed onto a house in Mexico. She frowned and zoomed in closer, spotting a child with green tinted wings with dark (almost black) grey tips. He was playing in a home of a small family of five. There were two mothers, a grandmother, a son of only five, and a daughter of nine. A thought came to the witch then. The angels could feel their brothers and sisters when close, but what if they weren't close? What if they were thousands of miles away or across the ocean? Lydia bothered at her lip and got to her feet. If she couldn't meddle with finding Crowley's angels then she could at least meddle with the angels not in the United States.
The Winchester household was once again battling through another laundry day. Cas' trench coat was in the dryer and the little guy refused to move from in front of the machine until it was finished drying. The rest of them were on sock duty. Somehow they had three pairs of socks, but no matches anywhere and Sam refused to give up until they were all found.
Kevin was just checking under the couches when Lydia popped up behind him. The prophet yelped and everyone scrambled to a halt. Sam and Dean pushed Balthazar and Gabriel behind them while Charlie stood ready to bolt down the hall to grab Cas if she had to. Bobby stood by the fireplace, knife in his hand. Lydia smiled at them.
"Such a warm welcoming," she mused. Bobby huffed.
"Well, you gotta admit that you deserve it," he growled. Lydia nodded and looked towards the two angels hiding behind Sam and Dean's legs.
"Hello, Gabriel, Balthazar," she greeted. The angels said nothing, but the witch didn't seem to care. Instead she looked to Dean and Sam with a small grin. "Well done so far at finding so many angels. I'm impressed." Dean huffed and stepped forward.
"Impressed? We've barely found half!" he growled at her. "Not to mention that you guys haven't been sending them all to good –"
"Oh, yes! That's why I'm here," Lydia interrupted. Dean frowned, glancing at the others. So they were at least aware that not every angel was going to good families? They were aware that angels like Abner? "You're right, but that's completely out fault. Turns out angels are actually not only in the United States, but also other countries too," she hummed. Everyone went silent. It wasn't the topic Dean had hoped Lydia was going to mention.
"What do you mean?" Charlie asked. Lydia, snapped her fingers, revealing an image of the house in Mexico and the angel with green wings. Gabriel and Balthazar hissed, wings arching high and threateningly.
"Raphael," they hissed. Tension sprung up throughout the room, making even Lydia uncomfortable. She looked warily at the green winged angel, licking her lips.
"Um, yes," she stated. "He is only one of what I'm guessing are thousands that does not live in the states." She waved her hand and the image disappeared. "Being that you cannot detect your brothers and sister from such far lengths, I've decided to help you a little." Lydia started walking then, making her way into Bobby's office where the large map of the United States hung from his wall with pins where they found each angel. She looked it over carefully, looking at the clumps of pins before waving her hand over the map. It changed, turning into one of the entire world right before their eyes. She turned then, spotting Gabriel and Balthazar. She lunged out, grabbing the angels by the wrists. The two screamed in agony and Dean tensed when he heard Cas scream from down the hall too. He waved a hand at Charlie and the girl ran in search of the screaming angel. The others in the meantime focused on pulling the angels from Lydia. The witch had a tight grip though and even when Dean pressed the cold barrel of a gun to her head she didn't let go until the light from her hands fully faded into the angels she held. When the deed was done she fully let go of the angels and held up her hands in surrender. Sam and Kevin grabbed the two angels, yanking them from the witch and holding them tight.
"What did you do?" Bobby questioned, eyes burning as he stood protectively in front of the angels huddling close to Sam and Kevin. Lydia smiled at him.
"It was just a harmless little spell," Lydia hummed. She glanced over her shoulder at Dean. "You can put that away now, Sugar. I'm not hurting anybody." Dean pressed the gun harder against her head.
"No, but I will be," he hissed, finger ghosting over the trigger. Lydia rolled her eyes.
"The spell will give the angels flashes or put images that will help them find their siblings in their dreams." Lydia explained. "Now, if you don't mind, I must be going. You have some passports to update, no?" With that she was gone. Dean dropped his gun, letting out an angry growl. He cursed Lydia, Joshua, and God. Honestly, how did they expect them to find so many angels and make sure they're safe? Shouldn't they be the ones doing that? This was their mess!
"Everything okay in here?" Charlie asked, walking in with Cas in her arms. Cas had his coat back, but it was still slightly damp. Charlie must have gotten it out of the dryer to calm Cas down. "Cas was glowing when I found him, but he looks okay now. What did she do to them?" she asked. They quickly caught Charlie up on what Lydia had told them and Charlie scowled. "This is getting ridiculous. They do realize we have to pay for plane tickets and stuff right?" she hissed. Dean sighed and glanced at the map on the wall.
"Well, good thing we're masters at credit card scams," Dean huffed. He pushed a pin into Mexico. "Let's go find ourselves an archangel."
They had arrived in the capital of Mexico after their long flight and rented a hotel nearby along with a rental car and truck. Dean wasn't particularly happy with that little aspect, but Baby couldn't come with them on the plane. All the stresses of leaving baby behind and long plane rides faded though as they made their way through the country
Mexico was a place of beauty just like any other state or country in more ways than one. It wasn't like Minnesota. It was nice and warm and there was no need to worry about a surprise snow storm in the middle of spring. Sure, it was a bit noisy and had tons of crowds, but it was still pretty wicked with the mountain and tropical landscapes they drove by. It all made the group wish that they could stick around and enjoy the warm and colorful place more, but they were there on a mission and the mission came first before checking out beaches or tourists spots.
The angels got flashes of signs and landmarks as they were driven around, leading to a place in southern Mexico called Playa del Carmen. The city was more relaxed than the capital. There was less noise and people rode by them peacefully on their bikes while enjoying the sunny day.
A nine year old girl was sitting outside one of the homes they drove by, hands covered in purple chalk as she doodled on the ground. Dean pulled the car up next to the place and Bobby parked the truck that he, Kevin, and Charlie had been driving in behind the Winchesters. Everyone got out, stretching out their legs and arms after the long drive before heading towards the little girl. The girl watched them warily.
"Um, hi," Sam greeted. "Are your parents' home?" The little girl stared at him and Dean nudged his brother.
"Maybe she doesn't speak English?" Dean whispered. He looked to the little girl then and grinned at her. "Puedo hablar con su pollo unicornio cobarde?" Sam slapped his forehead and the girl quickly got up to her feet.
"Abuela!" she shouted, rushing into the house. Dean smirked and turned back around, finding everyone giving him a weird look.
"Boy, what the hell was that?" Bobby sputtered. Dean frowned.
"I asked if we could talk to her parents," he stated, looking rather proud of himself. The others didn't seem to share the same pride.
"Dean, I've been out of my Spanish collage classes for forever, but I'm pretty sure you had nothing about parents in any of that," Kevin stated. Sam nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, unless her parents are a unicorn or a chicken," Sam chuckled. Dean crossed his arms and opened his mouth to comment or protect his Spanish speaking ability, but he was cut off as the little girl returned. This time she wasn't alone. A little old woman with her dark hair tied into a tight bun and a white, flowery dress was with her. The woman looked them each up and down and the nine year old pointed out Dean, muttering something behind her hand. The old lady laughed.
"Americans…." The old lady chuckled, smiling at them widely. "…that explains it." She held out a hand and Dean and the others each took turns to shake it. "Are you lost tourists? How can I help you?" The group looked around, making sure the streets were all clear before nodding at the angels. They nodded back and Gabriel snapped his fingers causing the spell used to hide their wings to disappear, manifesting their wings. The old woman's eyes bulged and she ushered for them to come inside quickly.
When in the house there were two young women sitting on the couch with two little boys. One of the boys had wings. The two women stared at Castiel, Balthazar, and Gabriel with wide eyes. The angel in their lap frowned at the look of shock on his parents' faces and turned around, eyes widening too when he spotted the group. His wings puffed up, flaring over his head. Castiel, Balthazar, and Gabriel did the same, growling low in the back of their throats. Dean and Sam quickly shoved the three behind them, hiding them from sight for a moment.
"Uh, sorry to bother you, but…well, it's a long story," Sam sighed. The woman holding the four year old boy in her arms stood and nodded at them.
"Well, I suppose introductions are in order," she stated. "I'm Mellissa. Oh, and you've met my mother Rosa," she said waving a hand at herself and then the old woman. She waved her hand at the other members of her family then. "This is my partner Katie and our daughter and sons Tori, Danny, and Raphael." All eyes fell onto Raphael then and the angel shifted uncomfortably under their gaze.
"Alright," Dean hummed, clapping his hands together. He grinned at the family and his own. "Guess it's our turn."
Dean made a mental note to himself to start recording their little 'we're hunters chosen by God (who's a major douche) to find the de-aged angels he put onto Earth and make sure they're alright' speech and put it on DVDs for people instead of saying it over and over again.
Raphael's family had no problem believing them when told that god and angels were real. They were a little shocked and surprised though on hearing about what God had done to the de-aged angels. Everything was going fine. Well, not fine for everyone. Gabriel, Balthazar, and Castiel hung out in the back of the room the entire time, having a glaring match with Raphael. The Winchesters both tried to distract their angels, but the three couldn't pull their attention from the angel still in Mellissa's arms. Everyone was thankful for when Grandma Rosa brought in a tray of fresh fruit to distract the angels. Gabriel, Balthazar, and Castiel became occupied by the delicious fruit instantly.
"That's better," she hummed. Grandma Rosa glanced at the watch on her wrist, eyes widening. "Oh! It's almost supper time!" she exclaimed.
"Oh," Charlie said, glancing at the others. "We're sorry. We can go…"
"No, no, no," Grandma Rosa hummed, reaching out and patting Charlie on the arm gently. "You're family and you are most welcome to join us." Charlie glanced over her shoulder, spying at the hungry looking men nodding furiously behind her. She smirked and looked back to Grandma Rosa.
"Alright then," Charlie said happily. "What are we making?" Mellissa hummed softly and handed off Danny to her daughter Tori.
"What would you like?" she questioned. The group remained silent, unsure of what to say. They weren't familiar with the food in Mexico and weren't sure if their American favorites were possible options either. Katie chuckled softly at their reactions and set Raphael down next to the other angels on the floor by the tray of fruit.
"How does hamburgers sound?" she asked, brushing a strand of dark, curly hair from her face. Dean perked up at that, grinning widely.
"Sounds good to me," he exclaimed. Both Mellissa and Katie grinned and ushered everyone to the kitchen, leaving their children and the angels behind.
The children and angels watched them go before looking to each other.
"Hi," Tori said shyly to the angels, carrying her brother Danny over and taking a seat next to Raphael.
"Hello," the angels greeted back, but their attention wasn't on her. Their attention was on the angel next to her. She glanced towards Raphael, looking warily between her brother and the new angels. Raphael hadn't stopped glaring at them. It looked like he was trying to make all three angels spontaneously combust. Gabriel, Balthazar, and Castiel were reciprocating Raphael's glare.
"Been a long time, Raphael," Balthazar growled. Raphael glared at him in the corner of his eye, but kept most of his gaze on Castiel. The younger angel stepped towards his black winged brother until they were face to face. The two stared at each other, a suffocating silence swirling around them.
"Still Winchwesters' pwet?" Raphael finally teased. Castiel stiffened in answer and Raphael smirked, taking another step closer. "Always the twool, Cassie. How long twill they toss you out?" Cas grit is teeth together, snarling a warning at the younger angel. Raphael only laughed, whispering something in enochian under his breath.
Castiel lunged at Raphael, teeth barred and eyes wide with rage as he was set off by the archangel's words. Their wings snapped out as they hissed and rolled on the floor. Gabriel, Balthazar, Tori, and Danny jumped back so not to get hit. It was clear who would win right away as the angels thrashed, kicked, and punched their wings and other limbs at each other. Raphael was an all-powerful archangel once, but he wasn't one any longer. He was a little baby and Cas overpowered him greatly. Tori squeezed Danny close to her as she watched her brother and Cas fight each other, terror in her eyes. She shouted at them to stop and was joined by her little brother and both Balthazar and Gabriel, but their words did nothing to stop the chaos going on between the two angels rolling on the floor.
Scared and unsure on what else to do, Tori shot from her petrified spot next to Gabriel and Balthazar. She ran to the kitchen in search of the grownups, shouting loudly. She didn't even get the chance to step out of the room before Dean was suddenly in the doorway with the others right behind. Tori quickly rushed to her mothers and grandmother, handing over Danny and hugging at them tightly. Dean and the others rushed to Cas and Raphael.
"Cas! Stop!" Dean shouted, tugging the angel off of Raphael with one hard pull. Cas struggled in his hold and Dean shook him hard. "Cas!" The angel froze, staring at Dean wide eyed like he'd never noticed that Dean had grabbed him. "What the hell are you doing?! You know better than this, Cas," Dean scolded. Castiel opened his mouth, but quickly shut it. He instead turned his gaze away to the floor, ashamed of his childish outburst. Dean sighed and looked away from the angel and looked towards where Kevin and Sam were carefully checking over Raphael while Bobby silently spoke to Gabriel and Balthazar about what had happened. "Is he alright?" Sam nodded and Kevin carried Raphael to Katie and Mellissa. The two mothers grabbed at their son, looking him over frantically and kissing at his bruises.
"We're so sorry. Really, Cas is usually so well behaved –" Grandma cut him off with a wave of her hand.
"What's done is done, son." She looked between Cas and Raphael, scowling at the two. "Besides, I doubt Raphy was any more innocent in starting the fight than your boy." Her eyes focused on Raphael and the angel gazed at the floor, trying to hide from the look Rosa was giving him. She reached out to the angle, forcing his chin up with a finger. "You go hug your little brother now and make up," she ordered. Raphael scowled, looking like he'd just been asked to bathe in slime or something.
"But –" The angel was cut off by a stern look from his grandmother and he glanced at his mothers, hoping that they were going to side with him, but even though they both looked worried and upset, they still gave him the same expecting look. Sighing, Raphael nodded reluctantly. His mothers carried him over to Dean and Cas, standing so Raphael and Cas were both side by side. The two glowered at each other, but reluctantly hugged. The two pulled away after a second or two, glancing at Rosa and the others. They both received a series of hard looks and the two sighed and pulled each other in for a longer hug.
"Sorry," Castiel muttered. Raphael glanced at his mothers and Rosa. All three looked at him expectantly and the angel let out a long, drawn out sigh. He patted at Cas' back between where the black wings joined and muttered a, "I sowy too, brother."
Satisfied with the hug and apologies, Grandma Rosa smiled and patted both angels atop the head, messing up their hair.
"There! Now that the family drama is over let's eat!" Rosa exclaimed. Dean smirked.
"I'm with you there, Gma R," Dean cheered. Rosa shared his enthusiasm and ushered everyone back to the kitchen to their half-finished hamburgers. Dean stayed back a little, taking the moment to glance down at the angel in his arms as he walked. He lowered his mouth so it was close to Cas' ear.
"I know you don't like him, buddy, but dick or not he is your family. Just try to hold out a little longer, okay?" Cas glanced towards Raphael. The angel was being cradled carefully in Katie's arms and he was staring at Castiel with dark eyes and a smug, toothy grin. Castiel bit the inside of his cheek and forced his gaze away. "Cas?" Dean called expectantly.
"Okay, Dean," Cas whispered. "Okay."
It looks like it's going to take a while for Raphael and Castiel to warm up to each other, but they've got plenty of time to do that next chapter.
Thanks, xxXkmiXxx, requesting and helping me write this.
PS: I'm planning on only posting two chapters this week. I've got stuff going on this week so I won't have enough time to write three.