Chapter 14
It was close to evening when the doorbell rang. We'd long since cleaned ourselves up and, after a leisurely lunch, put away all the gifts and started preparing dinner for tonight and some of the food for the party tomorrow. Dean of course was doing the actual cooking, while I helped with cutting, mixing, fetching, and washing.
I wiped my hands off and went to answer the door. "Bobby, Jody, come on in! How was the flight?"
"No flight—the stuff we're bringing for you was too bulky to take on a plane, so it was easier to drive here," Bobby said as he walked in carrying a file box.
"We came in a rental, since we'll be taking the van back," Jody added, coming in behind him with an overnight bag and wheeled luggage.
I asked, "Do you need help unloading the car?"
"No, we don't want to ruin the surprise. Just let us know where we're staying, and we'll take care of it," Jody responded.
"Okay. The guest room on this floor is completely finished, so that's the obvious choice. If you need separate rooms, the upstairs bedroom isn't done yet, but we do have a bed up there," I said. "The sofa in the family room is a sleeper, and we can throw down air mattresses and sleeping bags in the bonus room if any of our friends need crash space tomorrow."
"The room down here should be fine for us. Now you scram back into the kitchen, and we'll join you as soon as we're unpacked," Bobby ordered.
I grinned and hurried back to inform my husband about the latest development. By the time they emerged from the guest room, Dean was putting the finishing touches on the food, and I was setting the table. We managed to keep our faces straight in front of Jody, but the moment she went into the kitchen to bring something out, we both smirked at Bobby.
"You idjits better wipe those grins before I whack 'em off!" he growled. "This ain't no big deal, ya morons!"
"Of course it is, dude! We're thrilled that everything's going so well with you two," I told him.
"Well, the two of you look like a pair of smacked asses, so quit it! Balls!"
Dean and I snickered at the older man's discomfiture but quickly sobered up when the sheriff returned with more serving utensils. We all took our seats and started passing around the platter of lamb chops and bowls of potato au gratin, glazed carrots, roasted leeks with bacon, and dinner rolls.
After a few minutes of silent eating, Jody exclaimed, "Dean, this is amazing! Where'd you learn to cook like this?"
He blushed a little and shrugged. "Eh, it was kinda self-defense. If it'd been up to Dad, we woulda survived on nothing but Chef Boyardee and Ramen and probably died of scurvy or some shit. So I started to figure out how to make stuff on my own, and Bobby let me look at his wife's cookbooks whenever we stayed with him. Pastor Jim taught me a bit too. I'd make simple things mostly, but sometimes I'd try something fancy. Sammy just got me a buncha awesome cookbooks, so it'll be fun to try them out."
"You should be proud of yourself then. This is better than at some of the restaurants I've been to," she said.
He flushed even more, and I nudged him gently with my shoulder. The conversation turned to how the renovations had turned out and how the project of organizing the hunters was going.
After dinner, Bobby and Jody retrieved several boxes from their room and met us in the study. Most were file boxes like the one I'd seen him carry into the house and seemed heavy. Bobby set the first one on our partner desk and took off the lid.
"So the tools I gave you a couple weeks ago were only the first part of what I'd planned to give you for a combined wedding, housewarming, and Christmas gift," he said. "This and these other heavy-ass boxes here are the rest. They're full of lore books and are comparable to a good chunk of my collection. Like with the tools, most are duplicates I acquired or ended up with one way or another, and a few I got specifically for you. Also gotcha one of those handheld scanners since I figured Sam will wanna make electronic copies for his laptop."
Dean and I stared dumbfounded as he opened the rest. There were at least half a dozen boxes, each stuffed with books. I examined one of the boxes and found the Key of Solomon, Necronomicon, The Golden Bough, Malleus Maleficarum, Bulfinch's Mythology, the Egyptian Book of the Dead, De Occulta Philosophia, and more. Other boxes contained bestiaries, grimoires, religious texts, copies of hunters' journals, and other valuable resources.
"Bobby, this is unbelievable! We've talked about eventually assembling our own library on the supernatural, but it would've taken us years to get all these," I exclaimed.
"Yeah, this is awesome! Thanks so much, man!" Dean added.
"You're welcome, boys. We can put these shelves here to good use now!" the older hunter said.
Jody then pulled out a somewhat smaller box. "This is my gift to you. I know that most of the pictures you two have of your family and friends are small and old and would be difficult to display. So I got a hold of as many photos as I could—most came from Bobby, some are yours that I surreptitiously scanned, and a few are from negatives Bobby confiscated from your father—"
""Cause I didn't trust that jackass not to lose 'em!" Bobby interrupted.
"Anyway, I had them touched up, resized, and framed so that you can hang them or set them on tables or mantels around the house," she continued as she passed us the box.
We opened it and looked inside. It contained framed photographs of us with Mom when I was a baby, with Dad as we were growing up, with Bobby at various ages, and with Cas, Ellen and Jo, Missouri, Pastor Jim, and other loved ones, and of the two of us together. Some were framed individually and some as collages, and all were of sufficient size and quality to display proudly.
I gazed at the picture of our mother hugging the first Dean, the original of which was propped up on my Dean's nightstand, and felt my throat close up with tears. My brother wordlessly pulled first Jody and then Bobby into a hug, his eyes wet. I followed suit, still stunned by both presents.
After a couple of minutes, Dean wiped his eyes, cleared his throat, and said, "We've got gifts for you too. Wait here a sec."
He trotted off and returned with two wrapped jewelry boxes. Bobby and Jody each opened one and drew out a silver pendant on a chain. The pendant was about the size of a quarter and had an anti-possession symbol embossed on one side and an angel-banishing sigil on the other.
"Dean designed and cast the pendants. Cas used some mojo to anchor a strong blessing into them, and we added a number of protective wards as well. The important attribute is the shielding spell I built into it, which is similar to the one we have on the house. Touch the pendant and say the word scutum to activate, and you'll be enveloped by a force field that'll protect you from most physical and some supernatural attacks for a while," I explained.
Bobby looked impressed. "What's powering the spell, and how long will it last?"
"It's a variant of what I used to draw additional power when we fought Lucifer. As long as you wear the pendant against your skin, the spell will passively draw energy from you in small increments over time. When activated, it will pull from every living thing in a small radius, though like before not enough to cause any harm," I replied.
"As for the duration, that will depend on how strong of a charge it's built up and how powerful the attacker is. So it'll last longer against weaker opponents and less against strong ones. We've tested it out against Cas and I, but not against anything as strong as an archangel."
"This is mighty fine, kid! You gonna make it available to other hunters?" he asked.
"Eventually, though we're gonna ask them to pay us back for the cost of the materials," Dean said. "They ain't exactly easy to make, so we'll start with the guys we know best, like Rufus and Garth."
Jody immediately put hers on and nudged Bobby until he did the same. "The workmanship on this is fine enough that it can pass as regular jewelry. This is such a lovely and thoughtful gift!"
Dean and Jody retired to the kitchen to prepare more food for tomorrow. Bobby and I remained in the study to figure out how to shelve the lore books. We also took turns tagging into the kitchen to wash dishes whenever the sink started to stack up.
We eventually called it a night around eleven and went off to our respective bedrooms. The two of us didn't fall asleep for quite a while, however, after my lover emerged from the bathroom once again wearing the fur-trimmed panties and antlers.
It was a couple hours after lunch the next day when my phone rang. Dean and Jody had risen early to continue cooking, while Bobby and I spent the morning cleaning the main living areas. I'd just returned from a run to the liquor store and was filling the coolers on the back porch.
Crowley's name was on the caller ID, so I clicked Answer. "Hey man, what's up?"
"Hello, Moose. Fancy coming out here and letting me in? Your defenses are . . . impressive."
"Don't worry about that. We set up the wards to allow you in," I said as I dumped ice into a cooler full of soda, the phone wedged between my shoulder and ear.
"Yes, I can see that. However, they won't let my gift in."
My eyebrows rose as I wondered what the hell he was bringing us. "I'll be there in a couple minutes then."
I grabbed an umbrella on my way through the house and walked down the driveway. As I reached the end, I could see Crowley standing on the sidewalk under his own umbrella. His other hand appeared to be holding something, but I couldn't tell what.
I stepped forward through the edge of our protections. Before I could say anything, an excited yipping came from next to the demon's knees. I dropped into my inner sight and beheld a large black puppy sitting beside him, its outline hazy and its eyes glowing red.
I stumbled back in surprise. "What the fuck, dude! You brought us a hellhound puppy?"
Crowley smirked at my discomfiture. "Calm down, Sasquatch. This is Hannibal, one of Juliette's pups. Hellhounds have an unfortunate and undeserved reputation among you mortals. They're really not much different than any other guard dog—they're fiercely loyal, protective, and quite affectionate to their master and trusted associates. And they are stronger, smarter, and more resilient than any regular dog.
"You know I wouldn't bring something banal like dishes as a gift. Rumor is that you like dogs, and Juliette's current litter is old enough now to leave home. Hannibal is the friendliest and least aggressive of his siblings—a little too much so to fit in well down below, to tell the truth. He's also very well-trained, so I thought he'd be perfect for you."
I looked down at the puppy, who was watching me with a lolling tongue and wagging tail. "I appreciate the thought, but there still are some major problems here. The biggest is Dean's reaction. I don't think he cares much for dogs in general, and he obviously has a very poor history with hellhounds. He's not going to take this well."
Crowley sighed impatiently. "I'm quite aware of Squirrel's issues. However, the hound shouldn't be blamed for following its master's orders—it's that bitch Lilith who was truly responsible for your brother's unpleasant demise. He has nothing to fear from Hannibal, who's a very good boy. Isn't he?" He directed a fond glance at the pup, who barked happily and wagged his entire rear end furiously.
"Even if Dean agrees, there's still the issue of Hannibal's appearance, or lack thereof," I pointed out. "How are we supposed to explain an invisible dog to neighbors and visitors when they hear him barking?"
"Not a problem. Hannibal, blend in!"
At the command, the puppy's appearance flickered. I switched back to normal vision, and now sitting next to Crowley appeared to be a black Great Dane-Doberman mix pup with friendly brown eyes, wearing a red leather collar attached to a matching leash. Hannibal looked at me and gave me a doggy grin.
I crouched in front of him and extended a cautious hand. He looked up at Crowley, who nodded, before thoroughly sniffing my fingers. He then shoved his head under them, and I obediently began to scritch him. He joyfully wriggled under my hands as I petted him for several minutes.
I stood and looked at the demon. "I'm going to get Dean. I can't make a decision like this without him."
Crowley nodded. "Of course. Make it quick though, so I can get out of this bloody dreadful weather!"
I hurried inside and first went into our bedroom to fetch a small amulet which would allow the bearer to bypass our protections, similar to the one Bobby had given Castiel. I then headed to the kitchen and found my husband checking on the turkey and ham in the oven.
Hey Dee, can you take a break and come outside for a few minutes? Crowley's brought us a present, but . . . well, we need to decide if we want to accept it, I said.
You think he's trying to pull something shady?
No, he's being honest, and I'm positive that he means well by it. But it . . . might not be right for us.
His expression was intrigued. "Okay, gimme a sec. Jody, can you hold down the fort for a bit?"
She nodded, and he washed his hands and removed his apron before following me outside. He paused in surprise at the sight of the puppy, then continued to the end of the driveway and gave Hannibal his hand to sniff.
"Hey Crowley, I'm kinda surprised to see you here so early. And you're giving us a dog?" Dean asked as he crouched and rubbed the pup's ears.
"Hello, Squirrel. I thought I'd come early to give you a chance to get to know Hannibal and let him settle in without a crush of people around," Crowley said with a bland smile.
I watched my brother handle the puppy with some surprise. I thought you didn't like dogs, Dee. You've always been so adamantly against getting one.
It ain't that I don't like 'em, Sam. They were just a luxury we couldn't afford. I was barely able to feed the two of us sometimes growing up, and you know Dad wouldn't have wasted the space or resources on a pet. And trying to use a dog for hunting always ends in fucking tragedy, and I knew it'd break your heart, he replied. But now that we've got a real home, I don't see why we can't have one.
I shifted uncomfortably. Um, it's more complicated than that. Hannibal is . . . he—he's not a regular dog.
Dean gave me a confused look, and then his eyes widened in horror as he caught my meaning. He tried to scramble back and ended up falling on his ass. Hannibal whined, climbed into his lap, and tried to lick his face.
Crowley walked over next to Dean and fondled the pup's ears. "Yes, Hannibal is a hellhound. But he's no threat to either of you. Hellhounds simply follow their master's orders, just like pit bulls, Rottweilers, and other dogs with aggressive reputations. I'm giving him to you because I think he'll make you an excellent pet and guard dog, far better than any mortal canine. My dogs mean a lot to me, and I don't give them to just anyone."
Dean studied the puppy in his lap, who snuffled at him and wagged his tail. My husband then looked up at me. Sammy? Whaddya think?
Crowley wouldn't give us this puppy if there was any chance of him hurting us. And you know I've always wanted a dog. We could get a normal one, but . . . I kind of think Hannibal might be better for us. He wouldn't be as vulnerable if something supernatural ever found us here. We could even take him on some hunts if we wanted without worrying about him being an easy target for the monster, I said. But this is only if you want to keep him too. If being around a hellhound is too difficult for you—
No, I—I think I can handle it. Maybe it'd be different if he was full-grown, but . . . I mean, look at him! He's pretty damn cute, and I can't imagine him being too scary even in his normal form. And hey, who'd know better that being a monster don't mean you're bad, right?
I gave him a searching look. Are you sure about this?
He nodded. Yeah. I'd been thinking we might want to get a pet of some kind sometime soon. And you're right that given what our lives are like, this little sucker might be a better bet than a regular critter. Just one thing though . . .
He lifted his head and met Crowley's eyes. "Okay, I trust you that this fuzzball here won't go after us. But are you sure that he ain't gonna eat the neighbor's dog or the mailman or anything like that?"
Crowley shook his head. "As I told Jolly Green earlier, Hannibal has been very well-trained. He won't attack anyone except at your command. So, does this mean that you're keeping him?"
Dean put his arms around the puppy and stood. "I guess we are. But I gotta get back to the kitchen now. Sam, can you find out what we're gonna need for the little guy?"
"Sure thing, man. I'll take care of this," I said as I took Hannibal from him.
He started to walk away, then turned back towards Crowley. "You get that we ain't doubting you, right? It's just that we ain't had good experiences before with hellhounds, so . . ."
"I understand. No hard feelings at all. I hope you enjoy having Hannibal around as much as I have. Now off you go!" Crowley waited until my brother returned to the house before looking at me. "There's still the issue of getting him past your metaphysical security though."
"Right! Actually, I've got something for that." I put the dog down, took the amulet out of my pocket, and attached it to the ring on his collar. "That should shield him from everything until I have a chance to adjust the wards. Let's get out of the rain now!"
I picked up the end of the leash and led the demon and hellhound inside. Once we'd put the umbrellas away, I asked, "What do we need to know about his care that's different than a standard dog?"
"Let's see. Hannibal is far more intelligent than a regular hound. So he's both easier to train and can get into more mischief if you're not careful. He's stronger and faster, so he needs much sturdier toys. He also needs more meat in his diet. Don't worry—he's never had long pork! I've fed him primarily beef mixed with higher-end dog food in preparation for living with you. And he's going to be a very big boy—think on the largest end for Danes."
He waved his hand, and a pile of dog supplies appeared next to him—food, toys, brushes, beds, and more. "I've brought his things with me since you won't have anything suitable yet. I presume you have more party preparations to take care of. When you have time later, I'll instruct you both on the commands he currently knows and the proper way to continue to train him."
"Thanks, Crowley! This is going to be great!" I said enthusiastically. "Let's introduce him to Bobby and Jody first."
We went into the kitchen, where food prep seemed to be happening on nearly every surface. Dean was managing the organized chaos, while Jody followed his instructions. Bobby was at the sink, up to his elbows in dirty pots and bowls and utensils.
The older man noticed me first. "There you are, boy! This shit ain't gonna get done by itself! Did ya get the— Oh, it's you."
"Pleasure seeing you again as well, Bobby," Crowley retorted.
"Both of you behave," I ordered. "Bobby, Jody, I'd like you to meet Hannibal."
"Oh, isn't he darling!" Jody cooed as she wiped her hands and hurried over.
As she reached for the pup's head, Crowley told him, "Hannibal, friend."
While Jody petted the puppy, whose tail was almost a blur, Bobby eyed the demon suspiciously. "He's your present? Okay, what's wrong with him?"
Crowley looked offended. "There's nothing wrong with him! He's from Juliette's latest litter."
"You're trying to give my boys a goddamn hellhound? The hell! Where's my damn shotgun?" Bobby burst out.
The sheriff quickly stood and put her hands on her hips. "Robert Steven Singer, you should be ashamed of yourself! Demon or not, Crowley has been nothing but helpful to all of us, and the boys consider him a friend. You should know better than most that what someone is isn't as important as who someone is. Do you really think, after everything he's done for them and they for him, that he'd intentionally give them something dangerous? And you're not giving Sam and Dean much credit either—they wouldn't have let this puppy come into their home if they thought he was a threat."
"Alright, alright! Lemme check the damn thing out then." Bobby walked over to the pup and started to offer his hand, then glared over at the demon. "Ain't ya gonna give him the command?"
"Why? I don't care if he eats you." Crowley smirked.
I rolled my eyes. "Hannibal, friend."
Hannibal sniffed Bobby's hand and accepted his petting for a moment, then surged forward and licked his face enthusiastically. He laughed. "Okay, I get your point. Not exactly a killer, are ya?"
Dean banged a spoon against one of the pots in the sink. "Alright folks, Hallmark moment's over! We still got a lotta shit to do before everyone shows up, so back to work!"