Chapter 2
The door opened to reveal a woman in her forties, holding a baby boy. From behind her, Cas could hear other children, their feet stomping on the ground as they ran around, yelling something incoherent. She smiled warmly at both of them, eyeing Cas keenly.
"Hello Stargaze, long time no see! You haven't been swinging around that much often." She said, giving her a pointed look at the tall man standing next to her. "Who is this handsome fellow?" She asked, bumping the baby gently in her arms.
Stargaze who was holding Anna smiled sheepishly. "His name is Cas. He's a friend. Are you busy, Mrs Goodridge?" she asked. A younger girl in her teens popped from the side, and took the baby boy away from Mrs Goodridge, allowing her to talk to Starry.
"Never too busy for you." She answered sweetly. "Come in! Come in!" Moving aside, she allowed them to enter.
After dressing up in more suitable clothing, after the whole fiasco over breakfast, Starry had told him they needed to buy him some clothes for himself until they can locate Dean (or the other way around, which ever works). Starry said she'd drop Anna to her neighbor's, shoving a diaper bag in his arms and dragging him downstairs, from the studio she lived in.
Mrs Goodridge's house is similar to Starry's and in the living room, a man, Mr Goodridge, was sitting in a large armchair. He had a child in his arms, and was reading a book aloud. A few other children sat near his legs, listening intently. The running boy came back with a stuffed bunny, and sat down next to a small girl.
Mr Goodridge flashed them both a smile as the four of them sat in the kitchen. Anna was babbling in Starry's arms, smiling that childish smile that showed her pearly pair of teeth. Mrs Goodridge cooed in approval. "She's grown her teeth? When did that happened?" She asked Starry, sweeping the baby from her mother's arms.
"Last 2 weeks I think. Wow, I really haven't been here in a while." She said proudly, seeing her baby girl laughing as she was swayed around. "The pharmacy's been busy, and she caught the flu last week. I had to keep her close to me."
Cas stared at the children in front of Mr Goodridge, and listened intently at his story. It was about a rabbit and a snail, racing. The rabbit won, and the ending was met with a few disagreements. Mr Goodridge laughed, and asked what was wrong with the story, only to be met with a raised arm, a girl bossily retelling her version of the story, which she emphasized that really happened.
Children are such beautiful creatures, Cas mused. He wonders if Dean and Sam were as curious as the ones in front of him when they were still children. He realizes that John had a hard definition of family love, but surely there would still be moments where the brothers were allowed to be the children that they were.
"Is it okay if I dropped Annaise here, Mrs Goodridge?" Cas heard Starry say. He turned his attention to both women, curious to what the older woman would say.
The older woman smiled warmly, and twirled again. The little girl in her arms laughed in delight, having a blast with the impromptu twirly monster that held her in a vice. "I'd love to have her. I'm guessing you'll be giving the handsome man a tour?" She asked, her tone teasing.
Starry grinned and replied back. "Thanks Mrs Goodridge! You're the best!" Squishing Anna and the lady in a tight hug, she lets them go and took Anna in her arms.
"Annaise, baby, you be good, kay?" She cooed to her daughter, looking her in her eyes. Starry felt like she's falling in love again, every time she looks at her daughter. The baby gurgles, grabbing her face. The young mother peppered kisses to her baby's face, and whispered in her ear.
"Mama will be back before sundown, yeah? Be nice, Annaise Sofia. Mama loves you, to the moon and back." She hugs her daughter a little tighter, and puts her on the floor. She went on her knees instantly, and started off somewhere, babbling incoherently.
"Thanks again, Mr Goodridge. I'll get you that backache pills for you, with 40% discount! Heck, maybe I'll throw them in for free!" She said, pulling Cas by the hand, as he fumbled around with his crutch. Mrs Goodridge was behind them, walking them to the door. They slid on their coats, waved goodbye to Anna and went down the elevator.
"Good old Mr and Mrs Goodridge. They've been helping me since I had Anna." She told Cas in the elevator. "You're an angel, right? From the books, they say you have powerful powers, fueled by something called "Grace". They say if you run out of it, you're basically human. Is this true? Are you human?" She asked, her face screwed up in focus, recalling what she remembered.
Castiel searched for something in him, and sighed in defeat. "Yes." He said, feeling hopeless. "Yes, my powers comes from my Grace, and yes, I am now human."
"Aww." She cooed, rubbing his arms in comfort. The elevator door opened to a beautifully decorated lobby, and she strides across comfortably, nodding to the receptionist.
"It's not that bad." She said, taking an umbrella and opening it, covering him from the autumn rain that fell behind the heavy doors. He took it, and held it above them both in a swoop, since Starry was too short to reach the umbrella over his head, his other hand holding his crutch. He'd gotten used to it, after a quick tutorial by the lady beside him, since he almost toppled over a chair with all his bumbling about. "Being human is not that bad."She continued, nodding with that ever present smile on her face.
"I kinda feel guilty though. I thought when you turn human somewhere in the series, the Winchester Brothers should be the one teaching you everything. Dean would teach you how to drive, and Sam would try to get you hooked on salads or something." She said, snickering behind her hand. She turned into the corner and into the main street, her steps slow to match Cas' limping strides. A giant building came to view in front of him, apartments and shops lined the sides. He looked up at the 80 floor building, curious to where he is.
"Where are we?" He asked finally. Starry skipped over a puddle, away from the shelter of the umbrella. She expands her arms to the side with a grand gesture,
"Welcome to Capital City!"
And almost got ran over by a motorcycle, if it wasn't for Castiel's quick tug on her coat.
She laughed sheepishly. "That was a dumb move." The man only nod in agreement. Starry pointed to a shop not far from them, and they resumed their walk.
"You speak as if you knew Sam and Dean personally." He commented. He stared at her knowing face, and amused smile played on her lips.
"I-it's embarrassing," Pausing, she hesitates to tell, "but I think I have a slight obsession towards the series. My husband and I would spend our time fawning over our favorite books. I guess we were still teenagers deep within."
"He would study the entire Harry Potter series, and I'd do the same with Supernatural. We did character sheets, note down every physical and mental changes, and went as far as debating if Hermione was strong enough to expeliarmus the crud outta 40 wendigos in one hour." The lady grinned fondly, the scenes of past bickers flickering in front of her eyes like a movie.
"I have 3 notebooks filled with everything I can get about the entire series. I even met the author before. So yeah, through books, I guess in a way, I do know about you, about Dean and Sam, and about the monsters in the dark."She finished, pushing the door to the bundle shop open to let the angel in.
Cas was quiet as he closed the umbrella. "Where is your husband?" He asked, noticing the absence of a younger male. He scarcely remembers the man's face, from the pictures in Starry's studio, and concludes that the man is her missing husband. Stargaze shook her head and took the umbrella.
"Well now, I guess I wont have to teach you how to use an umbrella." She walked off, already looking for clothes for the angel behind her.
If Cas noticed her attempt at changing the subject, he doesn't mention it. If Cas noticed the sad smile she had on her face, he doesn't prod on it. He follows behind the lady obediently, allowing her to smother him in cottony garments.