And So Has Your Name
I pulled up to the two story house still unsure how I was going to explain everything to Toby. If Dean's reaction had been any indication of how the rest of the family might feel, I knew I was in for a world of trouble to try to figure out the best way to explain our decision to our son.
Before I could extract myself from the pickup truck I had rented, Toby was at the driver's door breathlessly exclaiming, "Mum! Why didn't you call? Is this your new truck? Phantom's still drivable, you know? And I totally don't mind if you still want to use her." He finished with a playful wink.
"No Buddy this is just a rental and I didn't call because I wanted to surprise you."
He had run around to the passenger's side to pull out my duffle bag while I finally eased my weight out of the vehicle. I stretched out my tired muscles slightly while I waited for him to meet me at the nose of the truck. When he got to the spot where I was standing, he dropped my bag staring at me wide-eyed and his hands were instantly glued to the sides of my belly.
He lifted his eyes to my face slowly questioning, "Muuuummm?"
"Uhh… Surprise?"
I picked up my bag and took his hand to lead him into the house because he made no motion to move. "Okay Buddy… How 'bout we get in the house before the neighbors see me?"
Inside we sat down in the living room and Toby explained that Maureen was out with Bill at a dinner. I was mildly concerned that they had left him alone, but then he showed me a few more precautionary steps that they had put in place so I let it go. I also silently reminded myself that they were still his parents, so I had to accept their decisions… Especially since I was hoping to convince them to let Dean and I take him on his first hunt soon.
"Mum… What did Raphael do to you? I mean it's only bee three weeks since I last saw you at the Farm House, right?"
I placed my hands over his (that were once again glued to my belly) and rubbed the back of his hands with my thumbs. "You're right... And you remember how I told you that I would explain everything about why Raphael took me later?"
Toby nodded, but remained completely silent. I petted his face then held his cheek as I continued, "Buddy… I want to be totally honest with you… But this is going to be difficult to hear… Are you sure you're okay with that?"
"Yeah Mum… I'm good. Please tell me. I REALLY want to know."
"Okay… Alright… You remember all that stuff that happened with Dean and Sam being vessels? (He nodded.) Well… It turns out that there's been a slight change in plans. See Dean wasn't… I mean… No one foresaw Dean having any children, so everyone assumed it was Dean and Sam that were the end of the Winchester bloodline…"
"Me? I'm a vessel for an angel?" He jumped in sounding both shocked and surprised.
"Yeah… You are Buddy," I replied hoarsely. "You and your little brother or sister too."
"Mum? What's wrong? Why are you crying?" He asked as a tear rolled down my cheek.
"Well it goes back to Raphael. He… He broke me out of Hell so he could make sure that you would have a sibling because… Because he wants you two to fight to end the Apocalypse… Properly this time since Sam and Dean didn't."
"Whoa… So… How are we going to stop him?"
"Well we keep helping Cas and the guys… That's one way…"
His eyes narrowed slightly at my hesitation as he asked, "What's the other?"
"I'm… We're… We're not keeping the baby Tobs…"
"WHAT? WHY? Why not? Mum I promise… I PROMISE I'll help keep them safe!" He exclaimed gripping my belly tightly.
"I know you would Buddy," I replied calmly while holding his cheeks. "But if they can't find the baby then both of you will be safe."
He leaned down and rested his cheek on my stomach tearfully saying, "But why? I thought that you and Dad wanted to have more kids… What happened?"
I gently stroked his head and let him nuzzle in close to me. "We did Tobs… We really did, but then we were reminded about our lives and who we really are. Dean and I are hunters, that's what we both need to do to survive… And then there's the whole Angel War… I don't want either of you to get trapped in that…"
Toby sat back and didn't attempt to dry his face asking, "So this is it? You and dad have totally made up your minds?"
I pulled down my right shirt sleeve over my hand and tenderly dried his cheeks. "Yeah we have… It's the best way to make sure that angels like Raphael can't use either of you to do their bidding."
"Do you even know if it's a boy or a girl? If I'm going to have a brother or a sister?" He asked through shallow, choppy breaths.
"No because the less we know the better it is to hide them."
"Oh…" He finally caught his breath before he added, "But what if down the line I meet a really pretty, much younger girl… I mean if we don't find out then how will I know if she's my little sister or not?"
He quirked up an eyebrow with a satisfied smirk prompting me to pull him close in an awkward hug. "How 'bout you not be a dirty old man and keep from dating girls fourteen years younger than you?"
Toby let me maintain my stronghold on him to keep him close as he playfully replied, "But I'm a Winchester."
We both shook laughing. "That you most definitely are."
"I'm so sorry Mrs. Rogers, did I wake you?" The nurse asked as she checked over my charts.
"No Ma'am, you didn't. I never sleep well when I'm in hospital," I replied honestly, stretching out as much as my IV would allow.
"Really? Do you find yourself at hospitals often?" The middle aged woman asked with just a slight hint of suspicion in her tone.
"Well I am a little bit more than accident prone… But I wouldn't say I'm in hospital any more than usual Ma'am."
She gave me a sideways glance and hummed a disbelieving, "Uh huh."
I knew right away that she didn't completely believe me because we both knew that my body was covered in more scars and bruises than the average woman my age should have. She didn't press the matter, so I tried my best to change the subject asking, "Is there any word about how much longer I will be staying with you all?"
"They're working on your discharge papers right now," she replied simply as she left the room.
I pulled out my cell phone and minutes tally to double check if I had enough time left to call both Toby and Dean to let them know. Ultimately I decided against it because my last conversation with each of them had been beyond awkward because they both had been quite evasive and secretive for no apparent reason. I wasn't sure what that meant, but I didn't really want to go through it again to try to figure it all out.
**********
FLASHBACK
**********
"Dean? You doing okay?" Sam asked cautiously.
"Yeah… Yeah I'm good," Dean replied more politely than Sam had anticipated that he would. "I still can't figure out why this job is so damned important that Toby has been calling every hour to see if we made it here yet or not."
"Well the last Shtriga that we came across was pretty nasty," Sam commented optimistically as they walked up the stairs.
"Yeah, BELIEVE ME, I remember," Dean replied.
After interviewing the parents of each of the victims and each of the pediatricians, the Winchesters made their way back to their car. They learned that the number of children that had fallen ill with flu-like symptoms was inexplicably high and it seemed to be growing at an alarming rate. The doctors were testing a few different possible treatments, but so far nothing seemed to be working yet. The majority of the children were from the same grade school class, so the doctors' only theory at this time was that it was a viral infection being spread at school.
"Are you convinced that this is really one of our gigs?" Dean asked smiling suggestively at a young nurse that he was holding the door open for so that she could enter the building.
Sam rolled his eyes at Dean's silent flirting as he replied, "I don't know because it still seems too early to tell. Don't you think so too?"
Dean sighed dejectedly before replying, "You're right, we need to find out more information about…"
"Dean? Dean?" Sam called from his side of the Impala.
The elder Winchester wasn't fully paying attention to his brother because something off in the distance had caught his eye. Before Sam could question his brother, Dean quietly growled an annoyed, "Toby!"
Sam's gaze landed on the scene that held Dean's attention, but again Dean spoke before Sam could utter a word. "Sam! Get in the car! NOW!"
Once they were in the car, Sam asked, "Whoa… Was that who I thought it was? Or am I just seeing things?"
"Yeah it was… And if he… Damn it!"
Dean was confident that his vehicle was camouflaged in the parking lot, so he remained stationary while he pulled out his cell phone.
"Hey Dad! So I've been working on who it might be, but I haven't really come up with any solid suspects. Last time Uncle Sam figured out it was a doctor, right? And it was because he saw the same guy in pictures like a hundred years apart, right? Because I've tried that and so far I've found nothing. I was thinking that maybe the teacher from all of the sick kids' class could be it, but I still haven't found anything after going back like ninety years. What did you guys find out?" Toby rapidly explained in place of a proper greeting.
"Toby…" Dean slowly replied through gritted teeth.
The younger male swallowed audibly then quickly jumped in, "I know Dad, but I found her by accident, I swear! I thought this was a real case so I figured… What would be the harm when I found her without trying to? It's like a sign or something, right?"
"Toby…" Dean replied in a much less sever tone. He still didn't know what he wanted to say, so he offered a solemn, "Buddy…"
"Dad…" Toby swallowed audibly again. "She can't get mad if we found her by accident, right?"
When Dean heard Toby's voice crack and on the verge of tears, Dean jumped in with a very loving tone, "Buddy, you and I both know she won't see it that way. IF she had seen Sam and me, do you think she'd let us explain?"
Toby sniffled back his looming tears to quietly answer, "No." They both remained silent then Toby added, "Honest Dad, I didn't try to find her, really I didn't."
"I know Toby, I know," Dean replied trying to calm his son's tears. "But we have to leave town so she doesn't see us. Why don't you forward everything to Bobby and we'll get him to find someone to work this case for us?"
"Okay… But Dad…?"
"Yeah Toby, what is it?"
"Does… Does she look good?" The young teen hesitantly asked.
Dean sighed and shook his head replying, "She looks beautiful."
"And you're happier now that you saw her and could confirm that she's okay?"
"Toby…" Dean cautioned, knowing that the younger male was going to try to justify his actions.
Dean's son took in a deep breath then almost defiantly added, "Tell me that you aren't and I'll apologize for sending you and Uncle Sam there."
Sam snickered in his seat and pretended to be preoccupied with some information on his laptop while his older brother glared at him.
"I'll take that as a no then… But I'm still sorry… And I'll send everything over to Bobby right away… I… I… I love you Dad."
Toby sounded genuinely repentant, so Dean's demeanor softened even more. "Thanks Buddy… Love you too." After his cell was tucked back in his jacket pocket, he turned over the engine and kept from looking at his brother as he good naturedly said, "Shut up Sam."
"So it looks like everything is set up… Now we just have to wait for…"
She hesitated and tilted her chin, trying to hear something off to her right hand side, halting her speech in the process.
"Don't worry Charlie; everything is in fact in place and going off without a hitch. And I promise, the doctor assured me that they have the E. Coli outbreak under control and the newborns are never near any of the other patients… Just you know, other newborns in the nursery," the representative assured her client.
"Oh… Yeah… That's good…" The client absentmindedly replied.
A soft touch on her forearm stopped the pregnant client while the agent asked politely, "Are you alright Charlie? You're not having second thoughts are you?"
"Huh…? Oh… Umm… Yeah, I'm okay. And no, no second thoughts Ma'am. I wouldn't do that to you all... I just thought that I heard someone I know… Sorry," Charlie replied with a warm smile.
After they departed way, the pregnant woman quickly checked the parking lot while pulling out her cell phone thinking, Fuck Dean… If that really was the Impala I just heard, so help me God…
"Hey Lay! How are you doing? How you popped yet?" Dean asked quickly.
Addy once again looked at the cars in the lot and squinted as she tried to focus on the few cars off in the distance. "I'm good and no I…" She started.
"Good… Good… That's good… Well that you're good, not that you're still… You know and all…" Dean cut in only half listening to her.
"Yeah, I know. Thanks. So how are you?" She cheerfully asked while trying to hide her suspicion. "What are you and Sam up to right now?"
"Us? Oh… Sam and I took a quick side job to kinda distract us after what happened with Rufus," Dean replied through the sound of wind rushing through the Impala's window.
"Job? What about Bobby? Does that mean… Is he doing…?" She asked with a tone that tittered between hopeful and panicked.
"Better? No, not really," Dean finished for her. "That's why we finished this one so fast. But I'll fill you in on all that later, okay?"
"Sure… Yeah, okay. Give him my best… Sam too! Love you."
"You too Lay," He hastily replied then tossed the phone into the backseat with an exaggerated sigh. When his brother chuckled softly, Dean snapped, but this time without a single hint of humor in his tone, "Shut up Sam!"
**************
END FLASH BACK
**************
"Bobby…? Poppy? Are you home?" A voice called from the front door.
"Study!" The hunter called out fully recognizing the voice that called out to him. He knew that the owner of it couldn't make it past the threshold if he wasn't truly himself, so there was no way he could get into trouble for calling out to them without double or triple checking.
Bobby quickly worked at clearing off the empty bottles from his desk to ensure that the new comer wouldn't see them. As he threw the last bottle into a random drawer, he heard the creak of a floorboard announcing the presence of his visitor.
"Hey Poppy!"
"Hey there Toby, how are you son?" Bobby asked from his spot behind the desk.
"Bobby! Can you come in here to help me with dinner?" A gruff voice called form the kitchen as it got louder with its closer proximity. "Toby! When'd you get here?"
"Nana!" Toby exclaimed as he turned to hug her. "We just got here, literally JUST got here. I thought you were working with Auntie Jo!"
"Well I was, but I had to get back her to check on your Granddad," Ellen teased, still not feeling used to the new label Toby had given each of them over a year ago.
"Yeah, that's why Mum and I wanted to get out here sooner than later too," Toby quietly explained while keeping Ellen in a tight embrace.
Knowing full well that 'Poppy' wasn't meant to hear that last bit of information, Ellen jovially asked, "And where is that mother of yours?"
"Right here Ellen," I replied in a hushed tone. "Sorry… Victoria fell asleep on the ride over and someone was so excited about seeing you guys that he forgot to help his Mum with the bags."
Toby immediately ran over and claimed the bags I'd dropped with a solemn, "Sorry Mum" before carrying them upstairs to deposit them in the guest room.
Ellen gently touched the toddler's face while she was resting on my shoulder as I quietly said, "Shit, they've left already?" She offered a sad smile then nodded. "Okay, just let me put Victoria to bed before you tell me all about it, okay? She's kind of heavy when she's dead weight."
By the time I got up the steps, Toby was diligently waiting for me. He helped me tuck his sister in bed then as we went to meet Bobby and Ellen again, he commented (without showing his sadness), "Dad's gone with Uncle Sam, right? And he won't be here like he said he would to teach me all about fixing cars and stuff, right?"
I shook my head sadly and he set his jaw for a moment then took off running down the stairs calling out, "Hey Poppy! Do you need any help with researching Eve?"
I slowly made my way down the stairs in Toby's wake, but stopped myself from disciplining him for yelling and running in the house when I saw him pouring over research with his Granddad. Instead I steered myself towards the kitchen asking, "Can I help with anything Ellen?"
She turned away from everything that she had on the cutting board saying, "I could always use an extra hand chopping veggies."
I laughed and washed my hands. "I'll get started on the potatoes then."
We finished up preparations with conversation about the recent job Ellen had worked with Jo before Jo continued onto the West Coast. When Ellen offered me the three quarter full bottle of beer, I waved her off without noticing her reaction as I just continued chopping the vegetables I had already peeled.
She quickly took over preparations for dinner, so I went into the study to help Bobby and Toby. Neither of them seemed too keen about me helping them (because as I was told by my son, "We have a method set up and it would take too long to explain it to you."), so I retreated to the kitchen once again to at least chat with Ellen.
"He'll be okay," She was saying to the phone as she stirred some beer into the stew.
"Are you okay?" Dean asked.
Ellen chuckled as she looked at me and replied, "Oh Honey, you're sweet. You know me… I just worry about you boys… Especially since Addy and the kids are here and…"
"Addy? Shit! Toby's on Spring Break now… I forgot… Tell him I'll call him later, okay?" Ellen quietly replied, "Of course." "So all these corpses… Anything relate 'em?"
Ellen slowly answered, "Well we actually did dig up one thing… None of us really know what to make of it."
"Hit me."
I was starting to feel useless until I heard some movement upstairs. While Ellen filled Dean in on everything they had found, I quickly made my way upstairs to check on Victoria. Not only was she up, but she had taken it up on herself to get out a change of clothes. I laughed softly to myself because she was so badly tangled in her shirt that she hadn't heard me enter the room.
"Aww… Roo, do you want some help with that?"
Through the mess of fabric, I barely made out, "Please Mummy?"
It didn't take too long for us to free her from the mess she had made of putting the shirt on. As soon as she could see, she ran over to her suitcase and retrieved her brush. Victoria remained completely silent as she smiled brightly and passed the brush to me.
"Why did you decide on a wardrobe change?" I asked with a mildly teasing tone as I started brushing out the tangles from her blond curls.
"Look pretty for Daddy," she nearly shouted.
I stopped mid-brush, turned her around and knelt down in front of her. "Oh Roo… Daddy and Uncle Sam aren't here… They had to go to help save some lives."
The toddler scowled then looked down at her outfit and appeared to have a silent conversation with herself. "Poppy?"
I nodded as I continued brushing her hair and she proclaimed, "Pretty for Poppy!" She then took off out of the room, almost taking the brush that was still in hair with her. Both of the kids seemed to be taking Dean and Sam's departure in stride, so I tried my best not to let my disappointment show.
Everyone had gathered around the table in the dining room, so quickly found my place beside Victoria's makeshift highchair apologizing for my tardiness.
"Mum did you want me to grab you a cold beer from the fridge?" Toby offered as I started to feed his sister.
"No thanks Buddy, water's just fine for me," I replied, so completely focused on Victoria that I once again missed the look that Ellen gave me.
Dinner conversation was concentrated solely on the case at hand. Bobby and Toby were looking into any strange deaths that may have occurred on the Titanic, but so far hadn't found anything of interest. Toby wanted to start looking into curses or any other reasons to explain why these people were dying right now.
When our meal was done, Bobby and Toby went straight back to researching and Victoria quickly followed them. Toby got her set up on the study's floor with her crayons and paper in the hopes she would leave Bobby's books unmarked. Every so often, Toby would praise her saying that her drawings were a huge help to both of them, which seemed to keep her happy and out of their hair.
"Addy? Darling? Can I ask you something?" Ellen asked as she picked up a dish to dry.
"Of course Ellen… Anything…"
She looked towards the study to ensure our privacy then quietly asked, "Darlin' is there something we should know?" She finished by quirking an eyebrow and nodded towards my waist.
I hung my head then asked, "It was me not drinking beer that gave it away, wasn't it?"
Ellen smiled and nodded.
"I'm sorry, I didn't tell you sooner, but I just wanted to tell Dean first."
She wrapped an arm around my shoulder and kissed my cheek laughing softly. "Of course you did. How far along are you? How long have you known?"
"Just three months along and… Umm… I've known for about a month now… I just really wanted to tell him in person and since we'd been planning on seeing him now, I thought I'd get a chance to tell you all sometime this week."
"Well your secret's safe with me… Why don't we help the boys figure out what's going on and get that husband of yours home sooner than later then?"
Time passed by too quickly for my liking because we weren't any closer to having answers to the majority of our questions by the time that we all started to yawn and I found it difficult to make my eyes focus. Toby was starting to nod off at his spot at the desk and Victoria was sound asleep curled up in a ball with her head in Ellen's lap. I half carried and half dragged Toby up to her room and Ellen was quick to scoop Victoria up to carry her upstairs as well.
Toby finally woke up enough to get himself ready for bed and dazedly wandered down to the bathroom. I turned to refocus my energies on Victoria, but was shoed away by Ellen. "Darling, I'm almost done with her. Why don't you double check on Bobby?"
"Ellen…?" I worriedly asked from the door.
"Shh… Don't worry Addy. He seems to be doing much better after seeing you and the kids."
"Okay, but still…"
"Adelaide," Ellen quietly cautioned then nodded towards the sleeping toddler.
I took the hint then and did as I was told and went downstairs. At the bottom of the stairs, I could hear Booby on the phone so I hesitated before joining him.
"It… Look… It… It doesn't even really matter, but…"
"But?"
"Apparently a crap load of dominoes get tipped over if the 'Titanic' goes down and bottom line… Lay and I never have Victoria and she didn't raise Toby…"
"What? Addy… She wouldn't be a mother? Dean that's… That's horrible."
"Yeah and that's not the worst of it."
"What could be worse than your gorgeous daughter not existing or your son not knowing his mother?"
"Ellen and Jo die."
Bobby took in a deep breath then angrily instructed, "Okay you two… Listen up! You make sure… Keep those angels from sinking that boat. You understand me?"
I took a step away from the door and gripped my midsection tightly. I could feel tears welling up in my eyes at the thought of never having any children or not raising a child that I had born. Ellen met me in the hallway while I was calming myself down because I knew that I wasn't supposed to hear any part of that conversation, so I didn't want to tip Bobby off that I had.
"Addy? Are you okay?" Ellen asked placing a comforting hand on my back while I was bent doubled over, taking in a few deep breaths.
"Yeah… I'm good… I just have some wicked bad heart-burn. I forgot that beef did that to with when I was carrying Toby and Victoria. I'll just grab a couple Tums and then I'll be better than good," I lied convincingly.
She held my face in both of her hands and added in a stern loving tone, "And a good night's sleep couldn't hurt either. I'm going to try to pry Bobby away from his desk, why don't you head up to those beautiful babies of yours? It's beyond late and we should rest so that we can stay coherent to help the boys."
"Yes Ma'am," I agreed with a yawn to cover my impending sob. "See you in the morning."
It felt like I had just crawled into bed with Victoria before I felt her sit straddling my back to play with my hair. She didn't know how to braid hair, but she still loved twisting chunks of my hair to pretend that she could.
"Victoria! Nana said to let Mum sleep," Toby quietly scolded his sister.
"But… But…"
"No… Come on! Poppy told me breakfast would be ready soon too," he interrupted as he pulled her off my back and the bed. "Plus Nana also said that Mum isn't feeling one hundred percent, so you shouldn't sit on her like that, it could make her feel sicker."
Victoria sniffled loudly then said, "Sorry Toby."
I almost rolled over to comfort her and remind Toby that he needed to be gentle with his sister because of their (significant) age difference. Instead I laughed into my pillow when I heard Victoria shriek happily as Toby picked her up to give her a piggy-back ride.
My laughter soon turned into a sad sigh at the thought that there could be a world where my family didn't exist. I reached over, picked up my cell phone and smiled when I saw that it had finally recharged so I could call Dean.
"Lay… Sorry! I tried to call and explain…"
"No worries Dean. My phone died because… Well don't worry about that either… I wanted to come and check on Bobby too, so we would have come out anyway even if you did get a hold of me," I interrupted.
"Oh… Okay… But still I'm sorry for doing this to Toby and Victoria."
"Well he'll consider it all forgotten if you take him out for target practice, just the two of you, when you get back. And Victoria… Well as soon as she sees you all will be forgiven."
"Oh yeah? You think it'll be that easy?" He questioned with a nervous chuckle.
"I know it will… You think they have you wrapped around their little fingers, but it's the other way around… They just love being with you… So… Dean? Do you have a minute? Or are you and Sam about to interrogate someone soon?"
"Lay, when you use a tone like that you can have all the minutes that you need," Dean replied trying to hide his nervousness about whatever I had to tell him.
"Sorry! I didn't mean to worry you," I apologized as I sat up and stroked my stomach. "So I really wanted to do this in person, but now I think that you knowing is all that matters in the end."
"Umm… Okay…?"
"Dean… I'm pregnant," I announced bluntly.
"What? Really?"
"Yep… So it looks like I'm stuck on research duties again for the next little while."
"Lay! Wow… Our third… Wow!"
"Dean… Are you okay? I mean, are you okay with this? With us having another…"
"Of course I am! Lay, I just wish that I was there so you could see how happy I am, really!"
"Alright… Good… Now to tell the kids… Although I could wait until you get back and we can do it together," I offered hesitantly.
"No, you should tell them now. Toby's probably worried about you vomiting so much and having to change your eating patterns," he quickly replied. "Hopefully we can get this done quickly so I can get back that much sooner."
"I have to say that I like the sounds of that. Be safe Dean. WE all love you."
"You too Lay."
When I got downstairs, Bobby and Ellen were deep in conversation. She was pouring herself a tumbler of whiskey and downed it quickly, so I once again made myself scarce. I looked in the study, but it was empty of any little beings. After I stepped back into the hallway, the front door started opening, so I rushed to it and pulled it open to see who was on the other side.
"Toby? What are you two doing outside?" I questioned in a hushed tone.
I led them both back out onto the porch as Toby explained, "Poppy said that he needed to speak with Nana alone and asked me to find something that would keep Victoria entertained. I thought that we had packed the portable DVD player, so I was checking the truck for it and Victoria insisted on coming with me."
I had picked up Victoria and she started playing with my hair to preoccupy herself. When Toby finished speaking, I pulled him into a side hug against my other hip and kissed his cheek. "Thanks Buddy. I really appreciate the help with your sister. I think that it's most likely up in our room in one of my bags."
"Oh? Okay… Well then I'll just run up there and grab it then," he offered as he turned to run into the house.
Before he could get out of arms reach, I balanced Victoria on my hip and grabbed his forearm.
"Actually… There's something I need to talk to you two about… Alone," I explained.
He took a seat on a lawn chair on the porch and I placed Victoria comfortably on his lap. Once I squatted down catcher-style in front of them, Toby took each of her hands in his own to keep her from trying to tug at my hair which would cause me to lose my balance.
"So… Toby how do you like being a big brother?"
He stopped bouncing Victoria on his knees and skeptically answered, "Umm… It's pretty cool… Even if she is a girl…"
Victoria turned and glared at him the instant he stopped "playing" with her, but after his teasing comment he immediately apologized to her, "But really Vicki, I love you and you're a pretty cool little sister." He looked back at me and asked, "Why do you ask Mum?"
"Well… No guarantees, but maybe this time it'll be a little brother for you."
Toby held onto Victoria's waist to keep her from squirming which elicited a frustrated grunt with an annoyed, "TOE-BEE!"
"Mum… Does that mean…?"
I nodded smirking slightly and then he turned Victoria around on his lap excitedly saying, "Did you hear that Victoria? We're gonna have a little sister or brother!"
She stared at him then back at me with a somewhat confused look. Toby took one of her hands then placed both his and her hands on my stomach. "Vicki, our baby's in there."
She grabbed my shirt and let it go numerous times demonstrating that she really didn't understand what her brother was trying to tell her.
"Mum! Do Poppy and Nana know?"
"No Buddy, I wanted to tell you two and Dean first," I answered while petting my daughter's confused face.
"Can we tell them…? Please? Pretty, pretty please?" Toby asked more calmly than before.
"Sure you can. Just make sure that…" I was going to warn him that he should be certain that Bobby was finished talking with Ellen before barging in, but Bobby stepped out onto the porch, which completely negated my need to do so.
He looked tired and worn out, but smiled none-the-less when he saw the three of us. Victoria was still gripping my shirt tightly, keeping me close to both of them on the chair. Bobby gave me a brief side hug then looked down at the two kids and sighed heavily.
"POPPY! Guess what!" Toby nearly shouted out of pure excitement.
"What's that son?" Bobby asked, visibly trying not to show his lack of energy or enthusiasm.
"Mum and Dad are having a baby!"
"Addy…?" Bobby questioned slow ly in my direction sounding completely overwhelmed.
As I nodded, he pulled me into a proper bear hug.
"Okay, let's go tell Nana Vicki," Toby whispered to his sister as slipped her from his lap onto his back.
Bobby pushed out of our embrace and held my face with a sad look on his face.
"I know Bobby," I said softly. He moved his hands to my waist and I stood on my tip toes to kiss his forehead. "I mean, I KNOW. I heard you talking with Dean last night. I'm sure… They'll find a way to keep our family together."
He pulled me close again replying, "I hope you're right Koala Bear. But… That wasn't all that he had to say…"
We sat out on the front porch while he filled me in on the rest of the story. We at least now knew what we were up against, be we still didn't know how to destroy 'Fate'. Bobby was beyond frustrated and went out to the garage to clear his head after we talked.
In the kitchen, I found Ellen seated at the table and Victoria had her ear against Ellen's stomach asking, "Baby?"
Ellen and Toby were laughing as she combed her fingers through the toddler's curls. I picked Victoria up and kissed both of her cheeks saying through my own laughter, "Just for Mummy right now Roo… Just for Mummy."
The rest of our day and part of our night was spent dividing our attention between researching Fate while the rest was devoted solely to Eve. There was very little on the two of them, but we were determined to find something that would keep us together… All of us.
When I woke up, I checked out of my motel room and double checked my route to my final destination. I hoped that I wouldn't get to Bobby's too late, but I was confident that the boys would still be awake once I got there. At least I hoped that they would be because I really wasn't liking the prospect of having to break into Bobby's house when I knew full well that he (and most likely Dean) had been drowning their sorrows in Whiskey (or such) after Rufus' death. Plus there was never a shortage of shotguns on hand at Bobby's, so waking them up unexpectedly would most definitely end badly for me.
As I drove up to Bobby's blackened house, the butterflies in my stomach only settled the moment that I saw some of the kitchen lights illuminated. I took my chances and walked around to the back of the house and carefully opened the kitchen door. Immediately I saw that Sam was standing in the doorway to the study watching something going on there, so I was able to easily sneak up on him.
I tapped him on the shoulder and when he turned around; I threw my index finger over my lips and motioned for Sam to step away from the door and deeper into the kitchen.
"Addy?" Sam whispered in disbelief.
I simply nodded and smiled. Before I knew it, I was lifted off the ground in a loving hug. "You're back!"
"Only if y'all will have me," I quietly teased.
"Saaam? Sam! Where'd you go?" Dean quietly called out into the kitchen from the doorway.
Sam turned to face his brother as Dean asked, "What the hell man?"
The younger Winchester took a couple of long strides to his left in order to somewhat dramatically reveal my presence.
"Lay?"
"Oh… Hey Dean. How ya going?" I asked sounding very nonchalant.
Sam had left the room, so Dean pulled me into a deep, lustful kiss then relented and rested his forehead against mine replying, "Better… Now that I've seen you."