Chapter Three : Not Quite Myself
Well... I think I can count yesterday as an embarrassingly painful failure.. My escape plans went straight to freaking hell, and all because I allowed myself to get distracted by playing and toys and- and that stupid dog! I couldn't let it happen again. I had to stay focused, keep my attention on getting out and away from here. All I needed to do was ignore anything Cas and Dean tried to do, keep Kippy out of my sight, and fight tooth and nail against anything and everything they tried to do to keep me in the role of a kid! It'd be easy, so long as I stayed on track and periodically reminded myself of what I was trying to do.
Keeping that plan in mind, the morning started off rough as hell for my unsuspecting captors. The first thing I did was throw Kippy out of the crib and at Dean. He caught the stuffed animal with ease, doing nothing more than staring at me, eyebrow raised. When he grabbed me, I squirmed, pushing against him, kicking my feet, doing my best to growl. It did nothing to deter him though, and I was placed onto the changing table, where Cas decided he'd take over -mumbling about how he has a higher success rate than Dean-.
The diaper was removed quickly, before I even had the chance to do anything, but when he tried to put another one on, I fought- rolling onto my stomach to try and get away, twisting and turning my lower half so he couldn't catch me. Didn't work too well, and I was easily flipped onto my back. Kippy was waved in my face by Dean with a smile in an attempt at trying to distract me. Not gonna work, buddy! With an angry huff, I snatched it away and tossed it across the room.
"Sweetheart, why are you so fussy this morning?" I shot a glare at Cas and threw my pacifier at him. Not expecting it, he blinked as it hit him in the forehead. Direct hit! He didn't get upset though, simply shook his head, sighing. "Elliot..." With another huff, I continued my squirming, making the baby equivalent of angry noises. "You don't want to run around nekky all day, do you?"
At that, I ceased my antics, thinking over what he said... I really didn't want to stay naked all day. It would make things a lot more difficult... Fine, you sneaky bastard. You win this round. Dean laughed as I pouted, crossing my arms over my chest, signifying my 'defeat'. "Got a bitch face just like Sammy." Who?
Cas reached over and swatted his arm. "No cursing in front of the baby." Dean smiled wider, though stayed quiet, watching with amusement as Cas slipped on a fresh diaper. Keep smiling, Dad- Dean! You'll get yours!
"Alright, give 'im here, Cas. I'll get him dressed." Sooner than I hoped, too. I was lifted and passed over to Dean with ease, and Cas stepped back to watch what he knew was coming.
The outfit they intended for me to wear was already out, and I have to say, it wasn't a bad choice. A pair of jeans with an elastic waistband -durable and comfortable-, a tee shirt, green, with a dinosaur on the front and the words 'I'm a BIG deal' above it, and a pair of green socks. Like I said, not too bad, considering, but that didn't mean I was going to let him off easy. After witnessing what happened on the changing table, and not wanting to risk me actually rolling away and getting hurt, he sat down on the floor, setting me in front of him. I still had on my 'bitch face', arms crossed over my chest. I was ready to fight and he knew it.
The jeans were first, and I kept pulling my legs back, kicking them back off as soon as he'd start to get them on. Cas thought it was hilarious, though was trying to suppress his chuckling, and even I was amused by what I was doing. "Oh no you don't, you little monster." Dean said as he tugged me back into place –I tried to make a break for it-, and I growled at him. "C'mon, kiddo, don't you wanna look cool for all the ladies at the supermarket?" Supermarket. We're leaving the house? They must have been talking about it last night when I fell asleep...
Either way though, not gonna work. I don't care about impressing anyone, especially not some supermarket moms. I'm stuck in the body of a little kid, what the hell's it matter if someone thinks I look 'cool'? "He's just determined to be a little troublemaker today." Cas smiled, staring down at us as he leaned against the changing table.
"Tell you what, scamp." Dean started, the gears in his head turning. I looked up at him, waiting to hear what he was thinking. "Let me get you dressed..." Aah, bribery. This should be good. "..and we'll let you pick out an extra special candy at the store." ...Are you freaking serious? That is the best you've got? Candy?
"No." I shook my head, narrowing my eyes. I didn't want any freaking candy. There wasn't anything that I wanted that he could bribe me with. Because I doubt my freedom is an option.
He wasn't done though, a grin spreading across his face. "How about we let you sleep in the big bed with his tonight?" Okay, maybe I was wrong. That... could actually be useful... I could pretend to fall asleep early, then when they leave me in the bed, I can finally search their room!
"Ye!" I nodded, accepting the trade. I could let them dress me in return for that, but only, and I mean this, only because it benefited me. I glanced over to Cas, who hadn't said anything about him using a bribe to get me to behave... and he still was smiling. So, I stuck my tongue at him, which earned nothing more than a laugh.
As soon as I was dressed, which I was actually a little thankful for because apparently, my room -and yes, after spending twenty four hours in this damnable role, I am considering it MY room-, is warmer than the rest of the house, which I noticed as Dean carried me to the kitchen. A small shiver ran through me as he set and strapped me into the high chair, and I found myself missing his warmth.
I shook it off, taking a deep breath. Stay focused. You can do this. It was a couple of minutes later that Dean and Cas sat down at the table, on either side of me, and a small plastic bowl was set on my tray along with a matching small, plastic spoon and a green sippy cup. All three were decorated with little dinosaurs. Definitely have a theme here. I took it as a sign that I would be allowed to feed myself today, which actually made me pretty happy, seeing as I was fed twice the day before... but despite that, I had no intention of cooperating.
In fact, I decided to pull a rather child-like move and scooped a big glob of oatmeal onto the spoon... only to fling it at the unsuspecting couple. It was fucking hilarious and I couldn't help but grin triumphantly at both the mess and the shocked looks on their faces. Cas easily wiped away the mess with his napkin, offering me a small smile. "You need to eat your food, baby." Yeah... I probably did need to eat something, buuuuut, I didn't want to, so with my awesome skills, I flung another spoonful, this time landing a direct hit on Dean's cheek.
"Elliot." Once more I aimed, but I didn't get to fire, Dean taking the spoon from me. I glared at him, grabbing for it with both hands, but he held it out of reach. "If you're going to make a mess, then I'm going to feed you." He held up the spoon and I shook my head, turning away from him and refusing to open my mouth. "EJ..." Nope. Not happening. You can take your oatmeal and shove it! "Please?"
"Maybe he's not hungry?" Cas offered, concern lacing his voice. Dean sighed, shaking his head. "I know, Dean, but it's possible He could not be feeling well... maybe he's getting sick?" Me? Sick? Pfft. Never. I don't get sick. My immune system is awesome. Just to check, Cas reached over, placing the back of his hand to my forehead, which I promptly swatted at. "Doesn't feel warm... You feeling okay, little guy?" Of course I am! With a huff, I turned the other way, not wanting to look at him. "Oooh, I see." Now he sounded amused. "You're just a grumpy baby this morning, aren't you?"
Grumpy? I'm not grumpy! Well... I wasn't, but to them, my stubbornness and attitude probably makes it look that way. "Just grumpy, huh?" Yeah, sure, grumpy. If that's what you wanna call it. With a laugh, Dean glanced up at Cas. "I think I know who might help with that..." Curious, I stared at him. We were the only ones in the house. Who the hell could he.. be..
As the realization hit me, it was too late to stop him. Cas was already out of the kitchen and headed down the hall to my room. I began to squirm once again, tugging at my restraints, wanting them off. "Papa's gonna be right back." That really didn't make me feel better, and I struggled harder, tears building in the corners of my eyes. I wanted out of that chair now and I couldn't do it. Frustrated tears threatened to fall, and they didn't escape Dean's notice. "Elliot." His voice was suddenly serious, full of concern. Hesitantly, I looked at him, sniffling.
As I met his eyes, he took in a deep breath and puffed out his cheeks, crossing his eyes like he was trying to look at his nose. What.. what the hell is he doing... I stared at him, just stared, blinking, trying to figure out why he was doing that... but the longer I stared, the weirder he began to look, and it... it was funny. I couldn't help it -believe me, I tried-, I burst into giggles. They were soft at first, because I really was trying my damn hardest to keep them in, but they just kept coming. It was made worse as Dean heard and started making different weird, silly faces at me. The giggles turned into full blown laughter, and Dean grinned wide at his accomplishment, laughing as well.
Cas returned in the middle of this little scenario, and held Kippy out to me with a smile. "Looks like Daddy beat me to it, huh?" Nodding, I reached out and grabbed Kippy, not caring about what I'd said before. I can still work without being a total dick to them. There's no reason to make them hate me before I leave, after all.
I clung to Kippy's softness, laughing my little butt off as Dean continued to make faces at me. Cas thought it was fucking adorable, and I could see from the corner of my eye that he was snapping pictures with his cell phone. Whatever. If he wanted to remember stupid stuff like this, more power to him. It would help them cope when I got out of here.
"Is Daddy being a silly butt?" He asked with a smile, pocketing his phone. I nodded, my laughter now soft giggles as I smiled. "Does that make our little EJ a happy baby?"
"Ye! Hah-pee, Pa-" I cut myself off before the word could come out entirely, covering my sudden stop with more giggles, but they heard. They knew and both were grinning wide. Shit. Keep your wits about you, Ell. You can't afford to lose yourself. "Uhhp!" I raised my arms, grabbing for Cas with my free hand, indicating that I still wanted out of the stupid high chair, .
He didn't go for it though, instead looking over me into the bowl of food on my tray. "What about breakfast, EJ? You don't want to eat?" Hesitant, I looked down as well, into the bowl of now very cool oatmeal. Thanks to the laughing fit, which did have me in a significantly better mood, I realized I really was hungry. My stomach was starting to gurgle... Screw it, I wanted it, and I wasn't going to let good food go to waste.
As I opened my mouth, Dean fed me a spoonful, and I happily ate it. Still awesome, even if it's cold. Then again, it was strawberry flavoured and you can't go wrong with strawberries! "That's my boy." Cas kissed my head before turning his attention do Dean. "The diaper bag is packed and ready to go." Diaper bag? Why would he need that?
Dean nodded to him. "List is on the counter by the stove. I called everyone when you were in the shower. Sam and Gabe are going to be here early- they've got a few things to take care of in town. Bobby and Jody won't be here till after lunch." I looked between Cas and Dean as I ate, confused as hell and... if I'm gonna be honest, a little worried. Who were they talking about? What were they planning... "Ellen, Jo, and Charlie will here around lunch."
With a nod, Cas smiled. "That works out nicely. Sam and Gabriel can assist us in setting everything up."
Okay, now I'm worried. They were planning something, and it sounded like something big. That's a heck of a lot of people -at least to me-, and they weren't giving me any sort of detail that would let me figure out what it was, which was suspicious as fuck. This can't be good.
They... they aren't planning on getting rid of me, right? I mean, I know I've been a bit of a dick to them but they wouldn't- Wait. Wait a second. Hold the fucking phone.
Ugh, fuck. This is ridiculous. They aren't going to get rid of me. That wouldn't make any kind of sense. They acted like I was the best think since sliced bread, they wouldn't throw me out.
Not- not that I'd care if they did. It'd just help me out. It would ensure my escape.
Keep telling yourself that. I didn't ask you!
"Just promise you won't go overboard." Dean smirked at Cas, who blushed brightly.
"I should be saying that to you." Cas laughed, teasing him back, and Dean's smirk turned to a sheepish grin as he looked back to me, offering the final spoonful of oatmeal. I swallowed it down, grabbing for my cup of juice. "But I don't think he'd mind if we went a little overboard." Okay, seriously guys. Throw me a bone here! I stared over at Cas, head tilted, giving him the best puppy eyes I could muster as I sucked down juice. "You ready to go shopping, baby boy?"
Nodding, I offered him a grin, raising up my arms once more. Shopping was far from my favourite activity, but hell, if it meant getting out of the high chair and more importantly, the house, I was definitely up for it. "Uuuup we go!" Happy giggles escaped me as I was removed from the chair, held on Cas's hip. "There's my happy boy." Cas grinned and Dean placed a kiss on my nose, which I then wiggled before poking my tongue out at him.
So much for my plan, huh? Didn't last two hours. Eh, whatever. I'll figure something out.
We went through a door in the kitchen that I hadn't noticed before, which apparently lead out to a garage. Pretty big also, seeing as it fit two cars. The first car, which caught my attention immediately, was by far the better of the two. I couldn't tell you the make, model, year, or anything of the sort (Star was the car expert, not me), but I could tell you that it was fucking nice. Definitely old, but well taken care of, sleek and shiny. Probably hell on gas though.
The car parked beside it was... unimpressive. It was a newer car, a kind I'd seen dozens of on the road. Light blue, nice size, really basic model. Definitely the car of a parent. The black one's gotta belong to Dean. Cas doesn't seem the type... which means by default, he owns the 'mom' car. I bit back a laugh, because hey, that's kinda funny.
I was loaded into the car seat sitting in the back of the mom car with Kippy and my cup of juice, the diaper bag sitting on the seat next to me. After I was nice and secure, pacifier in my mouth -clipped to my shirt so I couldn't lose it-, and my shoes on, we left, and excitement bubbled up inside of me as we backed out of the garage.
ooOoo
As much as I love car rides -traveling was always calming for me-, I could not have been any more glad to get the hell out of that car. I mean, it was still relaxing, and the car seat was way comfortable, but the music! Cas had insisted on playing a CD of 'kid's Disney songs', something about Dean's music not being 'appropriate for a child', so I had no idea what the hell was going on. All the songs were upbeat and catchy and Cas sang along to every single one.
It about drove me freaking crazy! I mean, I listened to—to hard rock, to country, to freaking typical music that guys listen to and now I was stuck with 'I Just Can't Wait To Be King' and-and... I fucking loved it! It was weird as fuck, man.
As soon as the first song on that stupid CD started to play, shit went weird. Everything went foggy, and I couldn't see straight. My head pounded as image after image flashed through my mind, just like the day before. It wore off as fast as it had set on, but as it did, I was left with a huge grin on my face, and was bouncing to the beat of the music. Hell, I was even trying to sing along with Cas! Dean actually joined in too when he realized that I was trying. It was fun and cute and I liked it but I didn't freaking want to!
So, yeah, when we pulled into a parking space and I was taken out of the car, I was ecstatic, unable to stop from squirming as I was placed into the shopping cart. "What's first?" Dean asked as he took hold of the cart handle, Cas being the keeper of the list. I didn't really care what they were here for, so I took the chance to look around.
The store wasn't one I'd ever heard of -a local market, I guess-, and it was... crowded. Really, really crowded. There were dozens of people visible as soon as we entered the building, everyone looking around, digging for hell knows what. It was a little intimidating, if I'm gonna be honest.
Wait.. wait a minute.. It's- How I hadn't noticed immediately was beyond me, but there were decorations adorning the entire store. Rabbits and eggs, bright green and yellow pastel coloured balloons all over the place. The smell of chocolate was all around me, and most of the carts we passed were filled with baskets and candy and toys.
Holy crap, it's Easter. To say I was shocked would have been a hell of an understatement. Since Star and I had started hunting, we stopped paying attention to the holidays. There was no time to celebrate and we only went into shopping centers when we absolutely had to, and it was a sort of 'in and out as quick as possible' deal, never lasting more than ten minutes. No, wait. Stores close on Easter... So that means that today is Saturday and tomorrow is Easter... and... oh, you've gotta be kidding me.
Sure enough, they were planning to actually celebrate the ridiculous sugar-coma inducing holiday, if the armful of candy Dean dropped into the basket was any indication. Cas shook his head at him, but the smile on his face was adoring. "Hey, can't pass up the good stuff." Dean said with a grin, reaching back to grab one more candy. It was a lollipop... a huge lollipop, shaped like a rabbit's head -morbid, much?- and he handed it to me. "Here ya go, kiddo."
Unsure of what it was he expected me to do with it, I held it in my hand, looking it over. It was bright blue with a white face, big green eyes and a pink bow tie... kinda creepy looking, honestly, but he was being nice and I can't fault him for that... Sooo, I grinned and held onto it tightly. "Fank yoo." Dean's face lit the fuck up as I said that, and I mean, like a damn firework. Wow. I'll have to remember that.
"You are very welcome, baby boy." He ruffled my hair and I giggled, taking a look around us as we walked. Other than candy, they were grabbing normal grocery items—flour, cereal, eggs, etcetc-, and needless to say, I was freaking bored. I couldn't reach anything, they made sure of that, and since I had my hands full with Kippy and my lollipop, I couldn't play with anything. The seat of the cart was also hard plastic and stupidly uncomfortable, even with the diaper protecting my butt.
After what felt like for-freaking-ever, I decided that I couldn't take anymore of just sitting there. I wanted out. "Uuhp!" I waved my lollipop at them, wanting either one's attention. I didn't care whose. It was Cas that looked down at me first and I pouted up at him. "Uhp—pease!"
With a smile, he tilted his head, "You want out of the cart baby?" I nodded, shaking my full hands at him since I couldn't make the grabby motion. "Mm... alright. You can come with me to look for veggies while Daddy gets the meat."
I don't care where you're going or why, man, just get me outta here. "Ye!" Cas lifted me up, holding me on his hip as we made our way through the supermarket. The number of people had me on edge, so I clung to Cas as best I could, pressing Kippy between him and I so that I had one hand free to hold onto his shirt. It helped, a little.
Of course, picking through produce isn't exactly an easy task when you only have one available hand... more so when there's a kid stuck to you. His solution though, was not one I was on board with. He tried to set me down on the floor, just in front of him, though, so I'd be close and safe from other passing customers, but I did not like that, not one tiny little bit. "No!"
"It'll just be for one second, baby. Papa's right here." A whimper escaped me and I tugged at his shirt. I didn't want to go down! "Are you scared, EJ?" S-Scared? No! No way am I scared! I shook my head, now trying to get out of his arms. I wasn't some scared little kid. I could stand by myself for five minutes! I'd show him! "Hold onto Papa's leg, okay?" As my feet his the floor, I grabbed hold of his pants leg in my hand. People were stomping about around us and I did not want to get trampled.
I don't know what possessed them to think that shopping for Easter crap the day before Easter was a good idea... Dean probably works all week... and if they're planning something for tomorrow, they probably wanted to do all the shopping together. Still, though, why not last weekend? Or hell, in the evening after Dean got off of work? Ugh, I couldn't wait until we got out of there.
Hey, I see Daddy- er- Dean! I see Dean! He was on the other side of the produce section, looking around him, probably looking for us. I know Cas wanted me to stay put.. but I can walk to Dean, right? Hell, I'd rather be put back into the stupid cart than stand around waiting to be stepped on.
Readjusting my hold on Kippy, I released Cas's pants leg and held tightly to my lollipop as I started making my ways towards Dean. As long as I keep my eyes on him, I'll be alright. A task that was a hell of a lot harder than it sounded. People kept walking in front of me, no one bothering to fucking look where they were going.
With a soft thump I ran directly into a pair of legs, hard enough to actually knock me back and onto my butt, my lollipop flying out of my hand "Owie.." I whimpered softly. I mean, it didn't really hurt... well, not that badly, but it was surprising. Stupid tall people getting in my way.. I stood back up, looking around to try and catch sight of Dean once again. I couldn't though, see him that is. I couldn't see anything other than pairs of legs and the bottom of wooden produce stands and shopping carts.
S-shit... A jolt of fear shot through me and I sucked in a sharp breath, clinging to Kippy. This- maybe this wasn't such a good idea... I knew that I shouldn't be afraid. I mean, I had years of training, of monster hunting, under my belt. I'd fought demons and vampires, werewolves and wndigos- creatures of fucking nightmare! But right then, standing in the middle of the produce section of a small town supermarket, alone... without either of my-my 'guardians' in sight...
Tears built up in my eyes before I could even try to stop them and I started breathing heavily—a panic attack in the making. "Hey there, little boy." A woman was now kneeling in front of me, looking down with a soft, kind smile on her face. "Did you lose your mommy and daddy?" She was trying to be nice, speaking softly to me, smiling, but it didn't help. It actually made everything so much worse. My brain screamed out 'DANGER' and I was shaking. I couldn't help it. She reached out a hand to me and I screamed, crying loudly as I tripped over myself trying to back away from her. "Oh, no, no, little one. It's alright. Shh, shh." She tried again, and I responded the same way.
"Nooo!" I yelled at her, squeezing Kippy tightly. "D-Dahdee!" It was the first thing to pop into my head and I screamed it as loud as I could. I didn't care anymore. I just didn't. I was alone and there were people everywhere, staring down at me, angry or upset or with eyes full of pity and this weird lady kept trying to grab me and fucking hell I was terrified. I wanted him or-or Cas, Papa, whatever. I didn't care. I didn't fucking care. I just wanted them to save me!
I couldn't see anymore, the tears blurring my vision. I kept sobbing loudly, hugging Kippy and trying to curl up into a ball on the floor. A pair of large hands wrapped around me and I let out an almost inhuman screech, swinging Kippy at whoever the hell was touching me, trying to beat them away. "Elliot, shh, baby boy. It's okay. Daddy's got ya." It was Dean. Oh fuck yes, thank hell, it was Dean. I threw my arms around his neck, pulling myself as close to him as I could physically get. Hi arms stayed around me, one hand rubbing my back. "Shh, baby. You're okay."
"I didn't mean to scare him..." The woman was still standing there, a frown on her face. She looked almost apologetic. "Poor baby."
"It's alright, ma'am." Dean responded, his voice harder than I expected it to be. I don't think he appreciated her lingering. "He's just a little anxious around strangers." No fucking shit! But can you really fault me for that?! I was so grateful that he turned away from her, holding me in one arm as he used the other to direct the cart off to the side. "Cas." Where?! I lifted my head, looking around us, my eyes locking on Cas's panicked form, his blue eyes wide with fear.
"D-Dean, I- I didn't mean- he took off and I tried to grab him but this large man stopped me-" He took a shaky breath and I could see that he was on the verge of crying as well. "Oh, baby boy. I am so, so sorry. Are you alright?" Letting out another sob, I reached out to him, making grabby hands.
I was passed over and as soon as I was in his arms, I hugged Cas around his neck just as I had done to Dean, burying my face in his shoulder. "Pahpah.."
Dean pulled us both into a hug, kissing mine, and then Cas's head. "You wanna take him to the car? I'll take care of the stuff." Cas nodded, grabbing the diaper bag. I tried to quiet down my cries, not wanting to attract anymore attention or upset them any further... Thankfully, I managed to reduce them to soft sobs and hiccups.
When we got to the car, we didn't get in, Cas choosing instead to lean against the side, bouncing my softly, making soft, cooing sounds. Taking a breath, I pulled myself back enough to look up at him, wiping my face as I sniffled. "P-Pahpah... S-sowwy..."
Cas reached a hand up, wiping tears off my face with his thumb. He looked so sad, so.. so scared. "Papa is very sorry, baby..." His voice cracked and I shook my head, rubbing my palm against his cheek, confusing him.
"N-no.." I sniffled, pointing at myself before latching onto his shirt. "Sowwy.." Another round of tears built in his eyes and he squeezed me tight.
"No, no, EJ. You don't have anything to be sorry for." But I did! It was my fault that he was upset, that they were worried and freaked out. I'm the one that stupidly walked off into a crows of strangers in the middle of a store.
What if something had happened? What if someone had taken me? I could have been kidnapped or trampled or ran over my a cart! Fuck, what if there had been demons around?! I'm small as fuck now. I can't defend myself! I can't even recite an exorcism! All I can do is scream and cry and—and-
The thoughts of what could have happened, what would have happened brought along more crying and now I just felt fucking bad. As my cries once again intensified, I pressed my face into his shirt as he rubbed my back. "You're okay, sweetheart. We're okay." I felt a kiss pressed against the top of my head and he held up my pacifier, which I had forgotten was there. Without any objections, I took it into my mouth, sucking furiously on it.
Dean approached us then, arms full of bags, which were quickly put into the trunk, some into an ice chest- produce and meats I guess. "Hey." We were wrapped in another hug, this one a little tighter than the one in the store, and longer lasting. It was like he didn't want to let go. I allowed myself to revel in their warmth, in the safe feeling they provided. It was calming, and I managed to stop my tears altogether, though the hiccups and sniffles remained.
Both of their shirts were soaked, huge splotches of wetness visible from where I'd cried against them. I really screwed today to hell, didn't I? It isn't even lunch yet and I fucked up.. "You okay, EJ?" I looked up ad Dean, wiping at my face as I nodded. He smiled softly, kissing my forehead as he ran his hand through my hair. "That's my boy."
"I'm sorry, Dean.. it was my fault.. I-" Dean cut him off with a kiss, resting a hand on his cheek as he smiled.
"Cas, it's alright. I promise. You two are alright, and that's what matters." Cas looked like he was going to say something else, or start crying again, but instead just nodded, leaning into Dean's touch, a small smile appearing on his face. "We still have a few more stops to make... You up for it or would you like me to drop you two off at home?"
They both looked down at me, and I stared back up at them. I was feeling a lot better now, really.. I mean, I was still kinda freaked, but I was safe now, and with Dean and Cas... I also learned a very valuable lesson: Do NOT wander off, under any circumstances, even if I'm just trying to get from one guardian to the other. Stay as close as freaking possible and if I can, cling to some part of them to ensure I don't get separated.
"You wanna go home, EJ?" Cas asked me, and for a few moments, I just continued to stare. He's.. actually asking me? I mean... I did kinda want to go home... but I also didn't want to ruin the rest of whatever they had planned to get done today... So, putting on my best brave face, I shook my head. "You sure, honey? Daddy wouldn't mind bringing us back." Again, I shook my head, grabbing onto Dean's shirt with my free hand. Not a chance in hell.
Dean smiled a bit bigger, letting out a short laugh before kissing Cas again. "Guess he's got his mind made up. C'mon, let's get going. The sooner we finish up, the sooner we can get home for lunch." Sounded like a good plan to me.
ooOoo
It was three stores and many hours later before Dean finally said that they had finally had gotten everything that was on their list. It was a long and... interesting shopping trip. After that first store, I made sure that I was stuck to one of them at all times, absolutely refusing to let them put me down, just in case I would get separated from them. They didn't seem to mind though, passing me back and forth as needed, never complaining or even looking the slightest bit irritated. I think they were just genuinely happy that I was okay. That supermarket incident had scared the everlasting fuck out of me but... I mean, if they actually think of me as their kid... that must've been fucking hell for them.
Needless to say, I felt... pretty horrible about that. I tried to hide it, I really, really did, but they knew. I didn't think I was doing anything to give myself away, but I could tell just by how they looked at me, like they were waiting for me to break down into another crying fit. But, not wanting to screw anything else up, I used every ounce of willpower in my tiny body to ensure that I didn't cry again, and I did my damnest to stay quiet and as well behaved as possible. Hell, I didn't even whine or put up a fight when Cas changed me on the back seat of the car.
Now though, were were back hom- back at the house and Cas and I were in the living room. Dean had insisted on actually cooking something for lunch and wanted it to be a 'surprise', so we were banned from the kitchen until he said otherwise.
Initially, Cas had taken a seat on the couch, leaning back with a book in his hand, which left me on the floor to play by myself. Not something I was happy about, so I took to staring, just staring, silent and unmoving. After about five minutes of this, he sighed, shaking his head with a smile before putting his book down and scooting onto the floor with me.
The toys from the day before were still in the playpen, though they were now neatly organized in one corner. The blocks stacked up together, the cars lined up neatly, and I figured, hey, I didn't have anything else to do and it would keep Cas's attention on me... so I walked on over to the toys and scooped up an armful of the colourful foam blocks. Cas watched me curiously as I carried them over to where he was seated, dropping them onto his lap. It took a second trip... and a third... and finally a fourth, but I did eventually get all of the blocks over to him.
As I was dropping off the last load, he had already started building with them. What he was building, I had no idea, but hey, at least he was participating, and I didn't even have to ask! Plopping down next to him, I started stacking up my own creation, not really making anything in particular though, just kinda seeing how high I could stack them before they fell over.
Though I changed my mind as Cas spoke up. "Are you making a tower?" I nodded to his question, my tongue poking out in concentration as I focused on adding more blocks to the bottom and middle, to stabilize it. "Can I help?"
With another nod and a smile, I handed him a blue block. "Ye!" He smiled back, placing it at the very top.
It was turning out to be a nice ass tower, too. With Cas's help, it quickly stood as tall as I was and so far, not a single block had fallen off. Unfortunately, we did eventually run out of blocks to stack onto it, but the tower was really, really high and way awesome! I stood back and grinned triumphantly. Gotta say, we did a damn good job. So I was proud of a stack of blocks—sue me.
"Tow-ah!" I pointed at our creation with excitement as Dean walked into the living room, grinning ear to ear.
"A tower, huh?" I nodded happily. "That's awesome, EJ! You did a great job!" I beamed at the praise, my heart swelling with pride and I giggled, clapping. But, hey, I had to give credit where it's due, so I pointed at Cas, my own grin growing. "Papa helped you?" Again, I nodded. "Hm.. well, I bet all that building made my boys hungry." Now that he mentioned it... yeah, I was kinda hungry. I could go for some grub. Besides, whatever he'd been cooking smelled awesome.
"Ye!" I held out my arms so that he could pick me up, since I knew I'd be getting put into the high chair anyway, but... I kind of miscalculated my movement.. and accidentally knocked the tower over. "No!" All of the blocks tumbled down, spreading about all across the living room floor. Letting out a sad whine, I stared at the mess, tears pricking my eyes. I mean, I knew we'd have to take it down eventually, but not like that! I wanted to at least leave it until after lunch so that we could have taken it down carefully and built something else that was equally as awesome.
Dean picked me up, putting me on his hip as he looked from me to the tower, "Hey now, it's alright, little buddy." He used his thumb to wipe away the stray tear that slid down my cheek. "C'mon, let's get some food in that little belly and after your nap, me and Papa'll both help you build a brand new tower. Sound good?" Sniffling, I nodded, actually liking the sound of that idea.
Food would definitely make me feel better and a nap would probably do me good. I could sleep off the stress from the morning and have some time to myself to think.
ooOoo
My nap hadn't lasted long, definitely not nearly as long as I hoped it would. I know I tossed and turned and at one point even smacked my arm into the bars of my- the crib. The dream I had was weird as hell too. Couldn't remember all the details, but it left me feeling... I dunno. Paranoid? Like something was wrong, well, more wrong than the entirety of what I was dealing with.
No idea what it was though, so I did my best to ignore it. I didn't want to worry them anymore than I already had... It was probably just remnants of feelings from the supermarket fiasco anyway.
So, anyway, I'd been up for a little while, but I wasn't quite ready to subject myself to whatever the afternoon would bring, so I was lying in the crib, just sort of relaxing, thinking. When I'm around Cas, or even Dean, I don't have the chance to really sit and just think. If I'd zone out like that, it'd probably scare the hell outta 'em.
Maybe... maybe I should just play along, willingly, I mean There obviously isn't a damn thing I can do on my own. There was no evidence of anything supernatural, that I could find, and I was too small and weak to really dig around. Well, that, and I was under near constant surveillance. It's also pretty apparent now that they don't actually pose a threat to me. Unless the diaper changes and playtime were 'torture'. Besides, Star has to be looking for me. Donavan is sure to have ratted me out by now.
I laughed softly, imagining the look on her face when he broke the news to her that I'd taken off on my own... again. She's gonna beat the everlasting fuck outta him... Actually, thinking about it... She's gonna beat the fuck outta me when she finds me.
If my time keeping was correct... it had been at least thirty-six hours since the original incident with that monster, and so far, other than what I could only guess to be normal life shit, nothing bad had actually happened. It all seemed... kinda unreal. I hadn't gone this long without working on something, whether it be research, packing herbs, cleaning guns, or working on some hunt related thing or another, since before we actually started hunting.
It felt... well, it felt kinda nice.
Y'know what, I'm stuck here either way, so I think I will just play along with this. Or, let myself play along, seeing as part of me is damn determined to do so anyway. My face heated up and I felt embarrassment bubbling in my stomach as I recalled the supermarket. I'd... Shit, I'd called them 'Papa' and 'Daddy', and it felt... right?
Granted, hey, I had kinda been freaking the fuck out and I am technically a kid right now, so my emotions are going to be somewhat... out of control. Meaning, I get scared, what am I gonna do? Cry out for my mom or dad or- whoever was around that made me feel safe, which in this case had been them. It didn't hurt anyone anyway and fuck, maybe it was about time I was protected instead of being the one that has to protect everyone else.
It was decided, then! I'd play along!. This was going to be like a vacation, haha. I'd stick around, enjoy the care and free food and hell, all the free time and when Star finally found me and put me back to normal, I could go back about my life as though this had never happened. Huh... and hey, maybe if they don't freak out about it too much, I could even keep in touch with Dean and Cas. They're pretty cool guys, after all, and without me to, well, take care of, they're probably a hell of a lot of fun too.
With my mind made up, I smiled, pushing myself up and onto my feet. I knew it was sometime in the afternoon, but since y'know, no freaking clocks, I had no idea exactly what time it actually was. What I did know though was there was an absolutely amazing smell coming from elsewhere in the house. It was sweet, warm, and something that I immediately recognized. Pie. Someone was baking a pie! Yes! I never got to eat fresh baked desserts. It was always cold, store bought crap!
"Uhp!" I turned to the baby monitor sitting near the crib, knowing that they'd have the other one with them, so my voice would catch someone's attention. I wanted out, now that I was finished with my thinking session and as I learned -quite painfully- the day before, that wasn't something I was able to accomplish on my own. "Uuuhp!"
Dean walked into the room moments later with a smile on his face. "Did you have a good nap?" I nodded happily as I grabbed out for him. "I know, I know." He laughed, grabbing me and placing me down onto the changing table. "Hey, no pouting." Yeah, too late for that. I was already staring up at him with the best bitch face -it sounds better than pout- that I could muster. I didn't like being changed. It wasn't something I could ever get used to and I didn't even want to try. "Tell ya what, kiddo. You don't fuss and I won't even make you put your clothes back on."
Wait, so... he's willing to let me run around naked? Or, well, as close to naked as I could safely get. "Ye! Ye!" Hell fucking yeah, I was all for that. "Nekky!"
"Almost nekky, EJ. Can't have you running around without a diaper." Pft. Still counted as naked to me, honestly. Either way, I let him do what he needed, playing with Kippy while he did so, and once the new diaper was strapped on, he put me onto the floor and I took off down the hallway, following my nose. "Woah there." Dean easily caught up to me and scooped me up into his arms, laughing as he did so. "I know Papa's baking smells good, but we gotta be patient." With an angry pout, I huffed at him. "I know, I know."
Why should we have to wait for it? 'Be patient'? We went through a lot of stress that morning and in my opinion, we deserved something good! I mean, the mini burgers Dad—Dean had made for lunch were way awesome, but situations like that morning called for sweets! (Usually I'd say alcohol, but even I know that there's no chance in hell of me getting that right now.) Candy or ice cream or baked goods like cake and pie and... cookies and stuff.
And hey, baked goods in the kitchen, ready to go! "Pease?" Maybe if I pulled out the 'cute' card, I'd get something.
"Those puppy eyes aren't going to work on me, kiddo." Dean laughed, leaning down so he could whisper to me as we walked into the kitchen. "Papa won't be able to resist though. Go for it." My grin returned and I nodded, giggling.
Cas had his backed turned to us as he worked on something –I couldn't see what- and Dean put me down. I trotted over to Cas and reached up, tugging on his apron. He looked down at me with a smile and curious eyes. "Yes, baby?" He was covered in flour and splotches of various colour – red, brown, pink, blue. He had to have been baking for a while. Probably since I had been put down for my nap.
"P-Puh-ie." Close enough. "Pease." I smiled up at him, staring with wide, innocent eyes. "Peaaaaaase." He stared down at me, biting his lip, looking like he was trying as hard as possible to resist. I really wanted that pie though and I was more than ready to pull out all the stops to get it. "Pease, Pah-pah."
"Oooh, you little..." Cas picked me up, hugging me as he kissed my face. "Did Daddy put you up to this?" Dean whistled, looking away innocently as Cas glanced over to him. "Alright, alright." We walked over to the microwave and he opened the little door, pulling out a plate with two tiny pies sitting on it. "I knew your Daddy would plan something to get to the pies before tomorrow, so I made you both your very own little pies." My eyes widened with excitement and I reached for them, the smell making my stomach growl. "You can have it but only if you promise to help me keep Daddy away from the rest of the sweets, okay?"
"Ye! P-Pom-ees." Whatever. It sounded close enough, and it satisfied him as well, as he put me in the high chair, this time leaving off the straps so I as free to wiggle around as much as I wanted. Dean sat down beside me, smiling lovingly at Cas as he gave each of us our little pie. I didn't even wait for a fork, I was so happy to have it. I stuck my fingers into it, the warm gooey-ness of the tiny pie's peach filling making me giggle.
The click of a camera shutter was heard and after only a quick glance in the direction I'd heard it -it was Cas, of course, taking pictures with his phone-, I ignored it as I dug in to my dessert, getting my hands covered in bits of fruit and crust. I licked my hands as clean as I could get them. Not all of the pie made it into my mouth, but whatever. It was delicious and I was having fun, so what the hell.
"Looks like someone will be getting an early bath tonight." That someone, of course, being me seeing as I was the only one covered in pie. I could deal with that. Another bubble bath would be great! "Probably an early bedtime too..."
That one, not something I wanted. Screw that idea! I didn't want to go to bed early. I wanted to stay up and... play or something! They said we could build another tower! And we could watch cartoons or a movie while we did it. Or-or- there were cars out there, we could do something with that.
I had to express my distaste for that idea in a way that they'd understand. "No!" I pouted, slamming my peach covered hands on the high chair tray. Of fucking course, they just thought it was cute, amusing. Yes, yes, laugh at the frustrated man-child. Bastards.
"No?" Dean tilted his head, "You don't want to go to bed early?" I shook my head. No way! "Not even if Daddy and Papa went to bed with you?" They'd do that? I mean, it wouldn't be too bad if they went to bed early too. At least then I wouldn't be alone in that huge as fuck bed. "Besides, if you don't go to bed early, then the Easter Bunny won't come." Dean winked and I stared at him. Easter Bunny... Oh, right. Tomorrow's Easter... huh... I wonder how they celebrate...
With a soft huff, I turned my attention back on my pie, "Okee." Going to bed early wouldn't be so bad. Not if it's just this once. We could all use the extra sleep anyway. I wonder... "Nekky?" I asked with a smile, hoping they'd catch on to what I was asking for.
Thankfully, they did, and laughed. "Yeah, yeah. You can sleep 'nekky' tonight." Dean reached over and ruffled my hair before standing to put away his fork. "Now finish up and we'll get you cleaned off. We've got a tower to rebuild." Yeah!
ooOoo
The E-Tower version two -my name, haha- wound up being even more awesome than the first one because not only did Cas and Dean help, but Dean actually got more blocks from the toybox in my room, so it was bigger and we even made a special seat for Kippy to sit on top and watch over the living room. I was proud as hell!
Unfortunately, I'd started yawning in the middle of the said tower's construction and though I tried like all hell to stay awake and alert so I could play to my heart's content... it wasn't happening and despite my pouting and huffing -I even said please and tried to put on the 'cute' act for them-, I was taken into the master bathroom for a quick bath. I didn't even get a toy! It made me even more pouty, but it was my own fault for being so tired.
Tonight though, Cas was the one bathing me, having volunteered to do so in order to allow Dean time to clean up the kitchen and living room. It was also a break for Cas, at least that's what he said, since he baked the entire afternoon and cooked dinner for us.
He as being as gentle as possible, humming softly as he washed me, a gentle smile on his face. "You're going to sleep well tonight." I nodded, letting out a yawn as I rubbed my face. "You really are too cute, Elliot." I looked up at Cas, blinking sleepily. I am pretty cute though... "I don't know what it is we've done to deserve such a wonderful little boy..."
He stroked my cheek with his thumb and I grinned before yawning again, staring with half lidded eyes. "Seepy, Pahpah.." I reached up with grabby hands, wanting out of the water and... well, I kinda wanted to hug him. Not entirely sure why.. but I really did.
"Alright, baby. Let's get you ready for bed." Pulling the plug from the tub, he picked me up, placing me on a big, fluffy towel that was sitting on the floor so that he could wrap me up in it. It was so, so soft and warm, feeling like it just came out of the dryer. It felt wonderful. I snuggled into it as he lifted me up and carried me into the bedroom.
Dean was just walking into the room, and with a smile and a kiss for myself and Cas, he went into the bathroom.
Gotta say, a plus side to being small is that it doesn't take very long to dry off after a bath, so in less than five minutes, I was dry, warm, in a clean diaper, and sitting atop the comforter in the middle of their bed. It was definitely a kind sized bed, and as I waited, Cas placed pillows around a spot at the head to ensure I'd be safe and wouldn't roll away.
I yawned, crawling over to the little safety spot and scooting under the blanket. I was still going to wait until they were in bed, but I at least wanted to be ready so that I could curl up as soon as they were.
Cas was grabbing clothes out of their dresser, so that he could shower too, as soon as Dean was done. Which was about five minutes later, though he didn't immediately come to bed. He left the room, coming back with two things in hand- Kippy and my pacifier. I reached out, for them, for him, and he smiled as he got into bed, handing Kippy to me and offering the pacifier. I took it happily, sucking on it as I curled up amongst the pillows.
I wanted to stay awake, just a bit longer to wait for Cas... but I was exhausted... and with Dean lying beside me, his body heat warming me, his hand gently petting my hair... I just.. I felt... so.. ha..pp..y...
