AN:/

Sorry to be spamming yous guys with so many chapters in a row.

I just really want to get the main story finished by New Years, so I'm actually editing some of the mess sitting on my desktop and pushing to get the two stories caught up to one another.

These also haven't been exactly the happiest chapters to write, so I'm trying not to linger too long between them.

Just want to do them quick like a bandaid.

"I can't go to your niece's Communion with you." Sam pulled his shirt on over his head, hair a bit of a mess but no less serious looking. "I'm not even Catholic."

"I'm not either." Nick didn't hesitate to point out, not wanting there to be any confusion on the matter.

Sam didn't care. "But you're her uncle."

And Nick had also promised to go. But that didn't mean that he had any intention of going without a fight, or by himself. "Ah, but when we get married, you'll be her aunt, so I don't see the problem."

Sam laughed instead of finding his shoes."Oh my god. Nick. No."

"No you're not coming… or no we're not…" Because all joking aside, Nick wouldn't mind a bit of foreknowledge on that one. You know… just in case he ever wanted to ask.

Sam's hands were so warm on his cheeks as he gently cradled Nick's face in a way that was almost not condescending and terrible. "Just NO." Firm, despite his smile, or the light kiss that Nick didn't have time to return before it was over. "Go on, you're going to be late."

He caught Sam's hands before they could leave him cold, and he looked up with the most sincere, pitiful expression that he could manage this early in the morning. He laid a glancing kiss on Sam's left wrist. "Please?"

Sam looked completely unswayed.

Nick tried the other wrist, never dropping that oh so important eye contact. "But… I love you?"

It had worked in the past, and it seemed worth a try.

Sam bore his teeth and managed to look away for a second, but the fight was going right out of him. When he finally sighed and leaned down to give Nick a rather… sweet kiss, Nick knew that he'd won.

"Yeah, yeah." Sam ran a thumb over the little scar that indented his lower lip. "Same to you."

"Besided," Nick gently bit at that thumb. "I bet you clean up real nice."

"Excuse me?"

"I will lend you a shirt that has buttons and everything."

A rather hesitant look came over Sam. "Buttons?"

Apparently it was rather shocking to the kid that Nick owned what he dubbed as 'nice clothes'. Shocking and distracting, if the way he kept smoothing his hands down Nick's tie were any indication.

"Is it crooked? Do I look ok?" He frowned as Sam petted at him in the parking lot. Back in the apartment had been one thing- a rather nice thing. In the car had been a little distracting, but no less welcome. But now they were up in Frisco, standing in the parking lot of a worn old grey church.

"You look… nice." Sam said simply.

Nick felt uncomfortable. He always did with a tie on. Like wearing a paisley noose. But he also knew that Anna would probably break his pinkies if he showed up in a tshirt. "Great. I look nice. Maybe I'll get lucky and no one will recognize me."

"I'd say that the chances of you getting lucky are… pretty high at this point."

Nick laughed and started waking up to the church- and then the innuendo caught up with him and he found that he couldn't look at Sam for a few moment because he knew that he would start laughing and this was a church, and his family was lurking around and they mustn't know that he wasn't one hundred percent miserable.

The pastor was at the big front doors, greeting everyone with a smile and friendly words. He was an old man, thin as a rail, very well groomed, and rather tired looking.

All that humor went right out of Nick.

"Sir," he nodded respectfully.

The old man's eyes widened just a touch. "Nikola, no one told me that the prodigal son was going to be here." And then he was hugging Nick, which was as startling as it was weird. Which was to say that Nick had been expecting it and had braced himself. Rumor had it that Father O'Shay had been friend's with Nick's own father. Through some true, saint like patience this priest had somehow managed to not condemn any of the wild brothers, which had been hellish members of his congregation until they were teenagers- and at one point had actually started a fire in the Baptistry. There were a lot of sins between the three of them. All but two of which had been forgiven with not much more than a couple of Hail Marys.

"Hiya, Padre."

The old priest laughed warmly and let go, but not before tumping him firmly on the back. Deceptively strong for a man that had to be pushing sixty. "We haven't seen you in years. Have you been taking care of yourself?"

"Yes, Sir."

"And your wife? Will she be joining us as well?"

And there is was.

Nick had almost managed to forget about his phone call with Lilith last night, or his call from Gabriel this morning. Deep breath in, and he thought that he might manage to keep it all together. "We got a divorce almost ten years ago... Sir."

Condolences were given for the divorce- after all, this was the man who had performed the wedding ceremony, and Sam was given a firm handshake and a smile, welcomed in as a friend of the family- because Nick wasn't quite brave enough to introduce Sam to the Padre. Not as his boyfriend at least.

They took seats in the back of the chapel, and Sam sat on the awful wooden bench like it was the most natural thing in the world.

Nick found that he sort of went somewhere else all together. Mentally at least. He just found it a little hard to focus on Sarah and the other kids when all he could do was wonder if June was here with him, if she would have questions. If she would want to know about these weird Catholic traditions that her father and uncles had grown up with. If she had grown up with him, if he would have wanted to have a first communion as well.

All he saw here was the family that he had never had the opportunity to screw up for himself. And who knows. Maybe he would have been an amazing dad, unlike what his brothers and their wives, and virtually everyone seemed so determined to make sure that he knew.

He liked to think that he wouldn't have fucked it up too badly.

Hannah was suddenly crawling up into his lap. Her hair a mess and her dress not much better. Which was the wear and tear one can expect when they go crawling around on the floor beneath a dozen pews. She got her hands on his knees and started pulling herself up without an invitation.

With only one of two sharp jabs of her rather pointed knees and elbows to the more tender parts of Nick's lap, she finally settled down. "This is boring." She she said a bit too loudly as she smoothed out the billion and two ruffles that made up her dress.

"I know, monster." He pulled his arms around her, enveloping her in a tight bear hug that made her squeak. Doing his utmost to keep her still. "But it's almost over."

She looked up at him with a grin. "And then we have cake."

"That's what I hear." He actually hadn't, but yay. Cake. Something to look forward to. "Now hush." He kissed the top of her head. "Or your mom is going to come back here and pinch us."

Anna's bright red hair was kind of hard to miss, and he was actually really, really grateful that she was up near the front and not able to shoot him any threatening looks.

Hannah sighed like this was all somehow Nick's fault, but she sunk down and took hold of his hands. She took some small, demented pleasure in jamming his index fingers together repeatedly. Lining up his fingernails and then seeing how hard she could make him stab himself. Delightful little monster that she was. Nick did his best not to wince. Favoring kissing her on the head each time, or giving her another squeeze.

Before an eternity had a chance to fully pass them by, before he started hemorrhaging from his fingers, the stupid thing finally ended. Gabriel sliding in to the edge of their bench with a rather pointed look at Nick as people around them started to get up and shuffle out.

Great.

He released Hannah and gave her a push out into the isel. "Go, Monster. Go find your cake."

She took off in a flurry of ruffles and giggles, without a second look back.

Nick braced himself, a kissed Sam's cheek before getting up. "I'll be back. Don't get lost."

"Yeah." Sam frowned up at him, then glanced around at the room of relative strangers. "I'll try."

It felt like leaving the kid in a lion's den. But Castiel was near by, there would be some protection for Sam. Some.

Nick clasped a hand over his littlest brother's shoulder. "Keep an eye on him."

Castiel looked up at him, a little uncertain, then over at Sam.

"Just don't let him get baptized or anything, ok?"

With a tiny smile Castiel nodded, obviously not taking his job all that seriously.

"I swear to god, Cassy, if I come back and he's got so much as a rosary I'm coming after you."

"I think Gabriel is trying to get your attention, Nick."

Nick took a moment to pause in his idle threats to see that Gabriel was indeed, standing at the end of the row without his usual smile.

Even better.

He knocked on the back of the wooden bench and went to join Gabriel.

"Yeah?"

His significantly shorter brother took his arm and started leading him outside to the grass and trees and cool breeze. "First, cake. Then you can tell me if you slept well- because I certainly didn't. Then you can sign the damn passport papers, because you don't pay me enough for this kind of… crap." He added on a bit awkwardly as they passed by someone's grandmother.

"I don't pay you at all." Nick reminded as they closed in on the table that held refreshments (and most importantly cake).

"See, that's what I'm talking about. This is a terrible deal for me, because I love getting a full night's sleep, but I don't love early morning calls from angry lawyers who are faxing me paper work. And I also don't love you."

Nick picked up a little paper plate with the largest piece of chocolate cake to be seen, and passed it to Gabriel.

Gabriel snatched it up quick as you like. "But I don't completely hate you either." He smiled at the cake, and Nick wasn't sure if his brother was talking to him or the dessert.

"Yeah, well. I'd like you to keep that not complete hatred in mind."

With a mouth so gummed up with chocolate frosting apparently Gabriel couldn't manage to ask anything, only raise a suspicious eyebrow.

Which was one of the best things that had happened to Nick all day.

"I need to borrow forty-eight thousand."

"...wuhfy?" Gabriel asked with some hesitation, fork still in his mouth.

"Lilith offered to sell me June."

Gabriel choked on his cake.

Nick didn't pat him on the back or anything. He just stood there and waited for the melodrama to pass.

"You- you," Gabriel cleared his throat. "You almost made me spit out my cake, you bastard."

Nick kept waiting.

"Wait- you're actually serious?"

"I am."

"God, no. No. No, no no no no with a cherry on top." His cake stayed as a weight in his hands, keeping them from gesturing wildly around and drawing any extra attention, which was nice. Just two brothers commiserating beneath an oak tree. Nothing exciting to see.

"Why?"

"You want me to make you a list, Nick?" Gabriel laughed. "How about we start with that's illegal-"

"Not actually the issue here."

"Second," Gabriel kept on going like he really meant to make this a fully inclusive list of all the things wrong with the idea. "No judge in their right mind is going to grant you full custody of June, with or without money changing hands."

"Apparently one already saw fit to give me joint custody," completely unmasked hostility entering into his words. "So, I'm still not seeing the problem."

"Third, you are a self employed, alcoholic, living in a one bedroom apartment, with your very enthusiastic and sometimes fairly naked boyfriend."

Well… then.

Apparently number three on this list was a multi-part problem. And Gabriel could be cruelly honest at times, but he wasn't usually so rational or lucid.

Nick folded his arms over his chest, making himself as big as he could because at times it still worked on his brother. "I-I make ok money." He stumbled through a poor attempt at self defense. "And I can move to a larger place."

Intimidation tactics weren't working today.

"Nick. You're. Not. Listening."

"And I haven't touched a drop in weeks." They could both stand here making excuses until someone started packing up the chairs. Nick felt like he might stand a chance of winning this one.

Gabriel took a slow breath and squared his shoulders. Defiant little glare without an ounce of sympathy or apology. "She's a good kid, and doesn't deserve to be stuck with someone like you, Nick... and I'm willing to go before that judge and testify that you would be an unfit parent."

"I- you would…" That couldn't be right. Nick couldn't have heard right. "You what?"

"Come on. You can't even take care of yourself. How are you going to take care of a teenage girl?"

Nick didn't have any name for what he was suddenly feeling. Only knew that it wasn't good. So he said with some authority, and no respect for where they were standing, "fuck you."

"Nick,"

"No." He swallowed hard. "No. Fuck you, Gabe. You're supposed to be on my side."

"You never listen." Gabriel shook a chocolate smeared fork at him. "There is a court order. A real, legal court order. Signed by a judge- a judge from Nevada, but still. You will do the passport paperwork for June- or there will be cops. Real ones. Not the stripper kind- though they maybe from Vegas so… it could be a fifty- fifty kind of thing." He seemed to get a little lost once strippers had entered into the explanation.

They took a little break after that. It was either that or they could start throwing punches.

Not a lot of room for variety.

Not after so many years.

They knew each other too well.

Gabriel working on his cake like he was trying to console it. Nick just looking up at the trees. There weren't too many of them out here in the city. And only a small handful of them here on the church grounds. And he'd always liked trees, but these ones looked barren and a bit lonely- though it was possible that he was projecting just a bit.

Nick couldn't tell if he was shaking from the early spring cold, or something else, but he fell like he was going to come apart any moment. "Gabe… she said if I get her the money I can have June." Stubbornness wasn't going to save him, but he had to stay focused.

Gabriel hissed through his nose, sharp little breath of frustration. "That woman is the devil, and I trust her about as far as I can throw her. Just let it go."

It all boiled down to just one thing that he couldn't get over. As simple and honest as Nick had ever been. "But she's my daugher."

"And she's damn lucky that she doesn't know it."

And they'd said a lot of bad things to each other over the years.

But that was probably the worst one to date.

"You know what? Forget I asked." He slapped the paper plate and the last few bites of cake out of his brother's hand. The little mess fell upside down, smearing messily over the grass at their feet. "I'll take out a loan or something."

Gabriel slowly looked up from his cake with the hollow, dead eyes of someone who's seen too much violence. "Bankers don't have a little box to check when the jackass coming to them is going to be using the money to buy a child."

"Fuck. You."

"As your lawyer… and as your brother, I won't have anything to do with this."

"I wasn't asking for your blessing."

"This is dumb, Nick. Even for you." Gabriel added softly, the last feeble utterings of a condemned man. Like a goodbye.

And Nick could see it.

It wasn't going to work. The logic here wasn't complicated.

But there was no law that he had to accept any of it with quiet, dignity, or grace.

He hadn't really thought that Gabriel would give him that money- but he'd at least been hoping for a bit of sympathy. Someone to back him up.

"Come on," Gabriel grabbed his arm, surprisingly firm grasp. "Don't. What if Lilith actually give her over, hu? What happens when she changes her mind in a few months and wants June back?"

"This is Lilith we're talking about- I'm still not convinced she ever wanted June in the first place."

"What about when she decides that she wants to milk more money out of you?"

"I…" He huffed softly and shook Gabriel off. "I'll worry about that later."

"There's not going to be a later. I was serious about talking to that Judge."

"And if we weren't in a church I would break your nose."

He'd done it before actually, back when they were a little more than fourteen.

"Nick,"

He just shook his head and walked off, leaving his brother beneath the tree, and went looking for someone who might actually take his side just this once.

Sam was sitting on a nice stone bench by the side of the church, hands folded and resting on his knees, eyes fixed on the ground.

"Hey, darlin'." Nick said with a smile that was all for show. "Are you ready to head back home?" Because god knew that he was.

With a smile all his own, Sam looked up. Bright and open and hopeful- all the things that Nick didn't feel at this point in his life.

"Yeah." He stood, comfortably invading Nick's personal space like it wasn't even there. "You get to say goodbye to your dad?"

And there may have been times and places where that question wouldn't have felt like being blindsided by a semi, but that was not here and it was not now.

"My ...dad?"

"I-I thought that's who he was." Sam sounded almost apologetic. "Chuck, right? About yay tall," he gestured mid chest level with a wavering hand. "Or… was that actually Rekha's dad?"

Seeing as Rekha's father had died back in Ninety-two, it was just about as possible that it was him, as it would have been for Nick's father to actually show up. More so in fact.

He turned and scanned the milling little crowd of smiling parents and running children, searching for any sign of a ghost.

"... no one told me he was here." Nick heard someone said, with a start realizing that it was himself.

"He said he didn't want anyone making a big deal," Sam explained with a rather confused tone. "then he went to go get a drink."

Yep.

That was definitely his dad.

His hands were hurting and Nick looked down to realized it was because he was clenching them so tightly. White knuckled fists at his side. Shaking. And Shaking. Because he needed to punch someone or something and there were no convenient targets nearby. It wasn't necessarily anger.

It was just too much.

Too much of everything and far too fast.

"Fuck-I," He made another quick once over of everyone he could see, but Dad was short. He was good at hiding. "I'll be right back." He called over his shoulder as he abandoned Sam in favor of a trying desperately to find the man that he'd given up looking for years ago.

But Dad had left years ago and he hadn't wanted to be found.

Not a whole lot had changed.

Rekha was all he found. Her lovely mouth turned down in a tight line. She stopped him with a firm hand on his chest. Much like him and Gabriel, they'd known each other far too long. and she read him like an open book. "Nick,"

"Did you see Dad? Sam said he met him and I-I,"

"He's already gone."

"What do you mean he's gone? He can't be gone."

"Nick." She soothed. "He got in his car. And he drove away."

"No." For the record, yes. He was completely aware of the fact that he sounded like a whining child, but he couldn't help it. "No. He would have said something. He wouldn't just run off without saying something."

Her answer was a hug.

She put her arms around him and held him so right, and Nick just stood there. Numb from his hairline down.

It was just too much.

Too much of everything and far too fast.

His sister in law lead him easily into the chapel, telling him firmly that he needed to sit down, and when he tried to argue she pushed him into a pew and forced him to sit. To be fair, he didn't have much fight left in him at this point.

"I'm sorry, love." She whispered against his temple. "Would you mind… keeping this between us? I think it might kill your brothers if they knew."

If they knew?

What about Nick?

Who was going to care what this was doing to him?

"Come on, Nick. You know how upset they were when he left."

"I won't say anything." He didn't even know what he was saying anymore. He was just putting together whatever words he thought that she wanted to hear. He slumped forward, resting his forehead on the back of the bench in front of him. "Hey… can I borrow forty-eight thousand dollars?"

She gently patted the back of his neck, straightening the collar of his shirt. "I've only got enough cash on me for the toll bridge to get back home."

"Oh."

"Oh." She repeated, voice dipping low as she lightly mocked him.

"You going to be ok?"

"No."

She sighed and gave his shoulder a squeeze. "I don't know what kind of trouble you've got yourself into this time… but you'd tell us if it was serious, right?"

Nick folded his arms over his head and took a deep breath that only shook a little. "Right."

He used to be such a good liar.

But even he didn't believe that one.