Good God, finally finished this chapter. I had this on the back burner for quite awhile. I was getting wrapped up in Skipping Stone that I just pushed this one to the side. Reason being as it's more of a filler chapter, nothing much going on until the very end of the chapter as one of the secrets is exposed. Next should be actual progress. Let me know what you guys think of this chapter please. Also, if you guys can be a dear and check out Skipping Stone too. I would like to thank Wingstrike, awesome chick 1, and RowleyPoley (I love those little bugs) for the alerts and follows. You guys make me very happy. Also, this first section of the chapter is from a new point of view, let me know what you think.

Wary blue eyes watched the large male demon set the sandwich and carton of milk on the kitchen table, black eyes glaring menacingly. It didn't affect the three year old in the least. Jack knew that if he really had to, he could kill the demon. The demon knew that too. The two beings were held in a stare down, studying each other even as the demon backed out of the kitchen.

Once alone Jack turned blue eyes to the sandwich and milk, uncertain about the quality. He had told Momma that they'd given him the same meal earlier, he just didn't say if he ate it or not. He hadn't technically lied about that. As delicious looking as it was Jack was suspicious of anything they brought him. He could get sick if they did something to it. Momma was smart about things like that and she had taught him a few things as well, one being to look past tricks and treats. Ignoring both the offering and his hunger pain Jack turned curious eyes back to the kitchen.

Jack knew he was too young for school but he already knew all his numbers and letters, reading on his own but he still had trouble with writing but he was getting better at it. Momma said it was because Daddy was a very special man but Jack knew it was also thanks to Aunt Ruthie's friends. Tabby and Boaz had helped over the years but he hadn't seen Boaz for quite some time because of the special mission Aunt Ruthie sent him on. It made Jack sad but having Theo and Muriel was nice as they had taught him a lot of new things. It was because of them that Jack could recognize some of the symbols drawn on the walls of the kitchen.

Eyes flitting quickly around the room Jack remembered all that he had been taught. That one was for hiding; there was a lot of that one around the room. There were a couple more that Jack knew but he couldn't remember but there were other ones that he did know. He made sure to show Momma later.

There were other ones too. They were hard to see because they were drawn a long time ago but Jack could still tell. They were ones he knew because he had seen Momma and her friends drawn them all over the rooms when they stayed somewhere. These ones were the same but Jack could tell they were more special. More powerful? There were some for protection and some for hiding but all in-? Jack tilted his head. Okain? No, Nokian. That wasn't right. His eyebrows furrowed then smoothed out as a smile crossed Jack's face. Enochian. That was it. All the symbols were in Enochian. But he did notice that they were all broken. Theo had said that the symbols could be broken and with so many scratches and cracks in the walls Jack wondered what happen to break all of them.

Hearing the familiar clicking of heels, ones that Momma would never wear, Jack turned his head as the red-haired lady walked into the kitchen. Under her face was another face that was ugly, not like when he saw the really bright face under Sam's face, this face was really ugly but Momma said not to be rude so Jack kept his thoughts to himself, watching as she smiled funny at him and sat down on the other side of the table.

"What's up short stop?"

Jack stayed quiet.

Her eyes looked over at the abandoned food and she smiled funny again. "You know, you're pretty smart for not taking things from strangers."

Again Jack didn't open his mouth.

She smiled. "Your Mom's pretty smart too. Imagine my surprise when we tried the spell on you and found that pesky little seal on that precious soul of yours. It's very unique and only the one who put it on, can take it off. Let's hope Mommy gets here soon." The red-haired lady stood up, ruffling Jack's hair like Boaz does but she did it really rough, and walked out of the kitchen, winking at him as she left.

Face grim, Jack played with his blonde hair, trying to get it to lay back down. It didn't work. For a second Jack wondered if he should try calling for Momma's friend Jay. He could get him out of here. But then Jack shook his head. No, Momma said not to bring Jay into a mess like this. Jack would just have to wait until she got here.

Looking over at the sandwich sitting on the table, Jack's arms wrapped around his stomach. It was making angry sounds, mad at him since he hadn't eaten since before the big fight in the forest, before he was taken. But he just didn't trust it. So Jack did the only thing he could to make sure he didn't eat it.

Jack was still learning how to do this type of thing so he, unlike Momma who didn't need to use her hands, pointed a finger at the plate and carton before he made a whoosh sound. The sandwich and milk went flying across the table and landed on the dirty floor.

~~~SPN~~~

Castiel was watching Abby carefully, her breathes even and her color back to the natural tan complexion. Looking at the serving tray provided by the back of the seat in front of her, Castiel counted three Snickers wrappers, ten empty paper straws of the pixie sticks he had bought her, and three small empty cups that had once been filled with orange juice. Abby had let the flight attendants know that she possessed low blood sugar, and they were bringing her the filled cups whenever she flagged them down.

Castiel was hoping this was the last plane ride they would take. Abby had gotten worse during their stop in Denver. She'd refueled with more soda and sugary candy but Castiel had seen the change when he'd walked through security. It was an agreement they had. The former angel would go through first while Abby went after him. She had said it would be easier on her but he wasn't sure.

Standing in the clear tube with his hands lifted for his scan, Castiel had glanced over at Abby. Her eyes were steady, bouncing between him and their bags as they moved along on the conveyer belt into the large scanner. He'd seen the color drain from her face, the slight tilt she gave.

Once he was done Castiel had grabbed their bags but refused to put his belt or shoes on, eyes trained on Abby as she took her turn in the body scanner. Watching Abby's sluggish movements, he'd only managed to put their bags down and race over before both the TSA agent and himself were holding armfuls of Abby as she stumbled from the scanner.

Face pale and body shivering, Castiel had held onto her tightly as he told the agent that she had low blood sugar and that she would need a few minutes of rest and orange juice, preferably a lot of orange juice. It had taken near twenty minutes for Abby to stop shivering and drink the juice but, due to her heritage she was up and moving a few minutes after that, eager to get on the plane.

Castiel had trouble controlling the urge to call Dean and Sam, to let them know where they were or even where they were going but with a deadly glare from Abby he had put that plan aside. For now. Until then he would continue to watch her for changes, like he was doing now. So far she was sleeping soundly.

"Staring at someone while they sleep is stalker-ish. I hope you know you can get in trouble for that."

Golden brown eyes peeked at him and Castiel turned away, slightly embarrassed at getting caught staring. "I was just confirming your health. You were very weak when we left Denver."

Easing herself in a more upright position, Abby rubbed at her eyes. "Yeah well, distorting the reality within an electronic device will do that to you. How long was I asleep?"

Castiel glanced at his cell phone. "Roughly forty-five minutes."

Watching Abby shift herself into a more upright position, Castiel was happy to note that she was more focused, more aware. One of the stewards walked toward them when seeing Abby awake and the Halfling nodded at him, sending the man to the back for her cup of juice.

"More orange juice?"

Abby rubbed at her eyes, muttering, "We're only half way there. This is the perfect time to rest and recharge."

Castiel leaned slightly into his chair when the steward appeared, passing Abby the filled cup, who immediately drunk it, and continued on his check of the other passengers. The former angel surveyed the surrounding people and finding everyone distracted or asleep, turned to his travel companion.

"Abby, about Jack and his father-"

"No, Castiel."

According to Abby's sharp tone, this was a discussion she wasn't willing to have but Castiel had to try. "Abby-"

"No, Castiel." Amber eyes shimmered, her gaze steady as she glared at him. "I said no." She turned away, studying the clouds passing by outside the window.

The dark-haired man grew quiet, staring down at his hands, letting her cool down a bit. He knew he didn't have the right, with how much he had hurt Abby and Jack but there was something he did want to say, needed to say.

It was fifteen silent minutes later that he tried again. "Regardless of when I last saw him, I'd like to think that Balthazar would be proud of Jack. Of how you've raised him."

From the corner of his eye, Castiel saw how Abby's hands curled into fists, her shoulders tense. He remained silent, letting her process his words. Slowly her shoulders relaxed and her fists unfurled.

"Thank you."

The words were soft, almost inaudible but Castiel heard her. His lips tilted upward. It was a very small step but it was progress.

Abby shifted in her seat, before she sighed. "Listen, when this goes down, you gotta promise me something."

Castiel was still getting his bearings when it came to human emotion but he recognized the feeling of dread. Also this sounded familiar to other speeches he'd heard from the Winchesters in the past.

"Abby…"

"No, you need to listen." Abby was facing him now, face determined. "When we get there, the first thing we're doing is getting Jack. We bust in, you grab Jack, and you run for it. Okay? You get out of there, you call Sam and Dean. Better yet, pray for Ruth or Ezal. Just get Jack out of there and get him back to Ruth."

"What about you? What are you gonna do?"

"I'll take care of Abaddon. Just promise me Castiel. Promise me you'll grab Jack and get out of there. Do not come back for me."

The ex-angel started to shake his head. "Abby, I can't-"

"Promise me Cas."

Whatever words that Castiel would have said disappeared. Gold eyes were staring at him, tears building but refusing to fall. From the time that Castiel had met Abby, she'd avoided him and the times that she had had to converse with him, it was always in a monotone voice, formal and only using Castiel's full name. Never once had she used the nickname that the Winchesters gave him. Except right now.

Wide eyes stared at him, voice desperate, "Please, Cas. You grab Jack and you run. Please."

Castiel hated these feelings. This helplessness and dread. He wasn't sure what Abby planned on doing but he knew it wasn't going to be good. If anything, it would result in her death. It was this moment that he saw similarities between the Winchesters and Abby. Anything for family.

"Cas?"

Turning away Castiel smacked his head lightly against the headrest, repeating the treatment a few times before stopping. "Okay." The word tasted bitter.

Abby settled herself against her seat, taking a deep breath and closing her eyes. "Thank you Cas."

"Abby?" The way her body slumped was concerning. But the worry disappeared when she chuckled.

"I'm only taking a nap. Don't freak out."

Castiel nodded at her words, watching her breathing even out and her body relax. Again he waited a few minutes to confirm that she was in fact sleeping before letting out a sigh. Castiel hated the predicament he found himself in. He was not looking forward to the confrontation in Mexico.

At one time, he would have picked Abaddon as the priority and it showed how much he had grown as an angel and a human when he agreed with Abby that finding and rescuing her child came first. The only downside was his promise. Because, as much as he didn't want to admit it, he would have to do it. He would have to leave Abby to fend for herself against Abaddon. And he hated himself for it.

~~~SPN~~~

Kevin's head bounced back and forth between the arguing Winchesters. The topic was Abby, Jack, and Jack's dad, who apparently the Winchesters had known a good couple years ago. So far he had gleaned that there was no way in hell Abby had hooked up with Jack's dad, Balthazar. Dean's words, no his. Sam argued that they hadn't known Abby back then and it was possible that they had hooked up.

Dean argued that Abby was too smart to have fallen for Balthazar's playboy charms. Sam came back with the same point that they hadn't known Abby back then. She could very well have been a part of that type of social life, motherhood tended to tame those kinds of women. It was when they said Balthazar was an angel did Kevin's mind begin whirling.

"I agree Abby's smart but I'm just saying Dean, this was probably right before he figured out he could do whatever he wanted. They might have had a honest relationship, we don't know for sure but look at the proof Dean. He's a mini me of the guy."

"He's not the only angel out there Sam. It could have been any of them. There's plenty of blond, blue eyed guys out there that could have been possessed. Jack just happens to look like one we know.

It was Ezal that ended the arguing. "Jack is Balthazar's child."

His words caused the two brothers to pause, Dean giving off a bewildered look and Sam while gave a pointed look at his brother. Kevin knew Dean wasn't quite convinced yet.

"Are you sure? Like one hundred percent sure?" the older hunter asked.

Ezal nodded. "Yes, the angelic grace that resides in Jack is that of Balthazar's. There's no questioning it."

Sam glanced over at the angels that were busy putting together more bombs. "Do the others know?"

Kevin studied the rest of the angels at the table. He wondered if them knowing would be a bad thing.

Theo answered this time. "No. I didn't even know until Abby told me. The others can't tell because Abby used an Enochian spell on him. It basically hides Jack from the supernatural. They only see a human kid. Nothing extra. That's why the other angels don't know."

Dean looked at Ezal and Meg. "Did you two know this?"

Ezal nodded. "I was there when Abby placed it on Jack, three days after he was born."

Meg shrugged. "Abby sees me as her best friend, so of course she told me. Plus she did the same thing to me after I turned human. We decided that it'd be best if no one figured out I was a former demon."

"What about his abilities? Does the spell effect them?" Dean and Sam looked over at him, slightly surprised by his question. He rolled his eyes at what he figured was obvious. "Come on guys. You didn't think I teleported myself to my room, did you?"

Sam seemed to remember something, standing up straighter. "Jack did it. He knew from the beginning."

"Sam?"

The younger brother looked at Dean before he continued. "I've been remembering things, from when Gadreel would take over. When we first met Jack, he just stared at me. I think he knew that it was Gadreel, not me. And when he was gonna smite Kevin, Jack suddenly stopped crying and he just got this…look on his face. I think he was getting ready to teleport or whatever."

Ezal was nodding at Sam's words. "Nephilim can see the true forms of angels inside of a human vessel. From the time he met you Sam, Jack must have known."

Kevin could see how awkward Dean was when talking about Sam being possessed. He tried to steer the conversation back on track. "So you think the spell won't work because Jack's a Nephilim?"

Dean nodded, looking at everyone but Sam while he answered. "Yeah. Sam's saying that with Balthazar for a dad and Abby as his mom, that's gonna jack up the spell. I mean, part Nephilim and part Cambion, who knows what'll happen."

Kevin noticed how the angels' eye brows furrowed. Meg was quiet, her eyes darting back and forth between the two sets of brothers. Kevin realized someone said something they shouldn't have. Ezal spoke first.

"That's incorrect."

Sam and Dean glanced at each other, looking at Kevin before turning to the Rit Zien. "What do you mean?"

Theo stepped forward. "Abby-"

"Okay, the jig is up," interrupted Meg, stepping between each pair. Kevin studied her, suspicious. There was definitely something going on, considering the pointed look she gave both angels, right before she turned toward the Winchesters.

"I hate to turn this into an episode of Maury but the truth is…" Meg trailed off, looking back at the two angels for a second. "Jack's mom died a few days after he was born."

Kevin could say he wasn't expecting that but really, if he thought about it, he didn't see a lot of resemblance between Abby and Jack. Dean and Sam were shell-shocked by the revelation, eyes wide and shooting glances at each other. He stepped forward, gaining the former demoness' attention.

"So, Abby isn't Jack's real mom?"

His words seemed to make Meg defensive, crossing her arms, cocking her hip, and giving him a hard stare. "Abby is very much Jack's real mom." She looked over at the Winchesters. "You boys always said family doesn't end with blood. Well, sometimes it doesn't start with it either."

There you go, there's one of the secrets. I'm happy I finally finished this chapter. Kinda pathetic with how small it is but again, it's only filling space before the real shindig starts. Also, I've started watching a show called The Returned on A&E. You guys should check it out, it's got Mark Pellegrino on it. Love that man. Drop me a review and don't forget to humor me by checking out my other story Skipping Stone. See you party people later! -Mez