Chapter 25

Dean

We had fallen asleep in the back of the Impala when my phone started buzzing in my jeans pocket and vibrated the metal floor so that it echoed throughout the car. Grace stirred, pulling her face away from my chest and looking around, confused. "Oh my God, Dean. How long have we been asleep?"

Using my foot to pull my jeans closer to me, I reached around Grace to dig in my pockets. The caller was Roger, not Sam or Serra, so we couldn't have been out long. I let the call go to voicemail and helped Grace sit up. "It's not too late," I said, glancing at my phone's lock screen. "It's only 10:15."

Rubbing her face, Grace nodded. "We should still get going home. Serra has to work in the morning."

"What time?"

"Nine," she said, pulling her shirt on, hitting her hand on the ceiling above her. "What did Roger want?"

I shook my head as I tugged my own shirt on. "I dunno. I let it go to voicemail." I chuckled as I watched Grace attempt to pull on her jeans; they were my favorites on her. She and Serra called them 'skinny jeans' and they hugged her in all the right places, but they seemed impossible to tug on in the confines of the car.

Getting frustrated, she finally sighed and opened the car door and stood; finally succeeding in covering her ass with denim. Buckling her belt, she bent over and picked up her purse from the front seat, leaning over my shoulder to get to it. I turned towards her automatically, inhaling her shampoo and kissed her cheek. I climbed out of the car as well, securing my belt and grabbing my boots, tossing them into the front seat. I didn't have the patience right now to put them on. It just hit me how exhausted I was and how much I just wanted a hot shower and to climb into bed with my beautiful bride.

I glanced at her, still bending into the Impala, her ass sticking out of the car as she searched for something. "What are you looking for?"

She stood, avoiding hitting her head on the ceiling and held up one of her sandals. "I lost my shoe," she said, smiling ironically.

Grinning, I shook my head. "It's in there somewhere. I'll find it later. Come on, gorgeous. Let's go home." She walked back to The Tank barefoot and I followed closely behind. She turned around a couple of times, glancing into the trees beyond the range of the floodlights from the shop. "What do you hear, Grace?" I asked, listening hard. I could feel it too, the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end with anticipation.

Shaking her head, she turned to face me, but watched over my shoulder. "I don't hear anything, but it's like I can feel that someone was here." She rubbed the tops of her arms subconsciously and instinctually, I moved closer to my wife. She was uneasy and it put me on red alert. "The good news is that the silver bullets are in a box in the attic of the Small House labeled "Dad's stuff."

"When did you see that?"

"I dreamt it just now," Grace said, gesturing to the garage. "Oh, and Roger called because he found Serra's Wagoneer."

I grinned, "Awesome on both accounts. I'll call him back in the morning." Kissing her forehead and opening the door for her, I helped her climb in and waited for her to start it up. The engine roared to life, all eight cylinders purring. I got the mechanics of this truck smooth like butter. Smiling to myself, I slammed the door and turned back to the garage. "I'll see you at home, honey."

"Love you," she called.

I turned and smiled. "I love you, too."

...

Pulling up behind Grace at the Big House, I shut off my lights and followed her up the porch. She was still barefoot, which made me smile, remembering our tryst in the back seat of my car. She turned and smiled too, seeing what I saw flash through my mind as I climbed the steps behind her.

"Cas is here," she whispered as she opened the screen door.

Concern flooded through me, wondering why he had shown. It was an automatic, learned response, really, but I knew that Grace's voice didn't sound worried, so I tried to calm down. "Why?" I asked, waiting for her to unlock the deadbolt.

"Sam and Serra saw the wolf again," she answered, "but it's just circling. We need to take it out." She listened momentarily. "Them. We need to take them out."

We walked in to Sam and Serra sitting on the couch: Sam cradling his son, feeding him with a bottle, and Serra holding mine, both of them looked like they were fast asleep. Cas sat on the edge of the comfy chair, obviously trying to look casual, but he was still an angel…he would never really learn to relax the way that us humans could.

"Hey, guys. Sorry," Grace was saying, walking over to Serra. "We fell asleep."

Serra looked up at her sister and smiled devilishly. "Because of the sex?"

Grace smacked her across the shoulder. "Shut up," she said, staring down at our son. "Did he cry a lot?"

"Of course he did," Serra said, handing him to Grace, "but because I'm the most amazing aunt ever, I calmed him down. He ate about an hour ago."

Smiling, Grace kissed his forehead and I touched his face. "Momma's Boy," I whispered.

"I'll put him back down," Grace said, walking back towards the steps. "See if he'll stay there."

Turning to Cas, I lifted my eyebrows. "Heard the wolf was back?"

Sam took over, telling me what he saw over his shoulder as Levi continued to eat, even with his eyes closed. "Yeah, I thought I heard something but Everett was crying, so I couldn't really tell, and then I was pretty sure I could see it running across the field, and then Serra saw it staring up at her from Rhett's room."

"It saw you?"

Serra nodded, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "Yeah. I think it's circling because it knows the kids are here." She pursed her lips. "Fucker."

I sighed and shook my head. "Well, I've got some vacation time to take. I'll get Doug to sign off on it in the next few days before the shop gets transferred to our name and we'll go hunting."

"Sam says I shouldn't be going," she said quietly, rolling her eyes. I glanced up at my brother, who avoided my gaze by occupying himself with his son. "Says it's man's work."

"Bullshit, Serra," he said, finally looking up. "I never said that."

She sighed and stared at him. "Just about," she argued. "'Oh, we've got Levi' you said, 'you should be home with him,'" Serra mimicked Sam, lowering her voice and huffing out air, while flicking her hair in a very Sammy way. I laughed, despite myself. "Man's work, killing monsters."

He was shaking his head but smiling, I said, "Dude, we need her," I found myself saying. "She's a better shot that even me. Plus, we take out the pack fast, and we can go about our business faster. It's more efficient with the girls."

Turning on me, Sam let the anger creep into his voice. "So you're letting Grace go with us?"

I shrugged. "If we can get someone to watch all four kids, yeah. Four hunters are better than two and face it, Sammy. They were tortured in Hell for five weeks, by themselves." I took a breath, gesturing at my wife's sister. "While they were pregnant," I added for effect. It was hard to believe that I was defending the girls' right to come with us to take out the pack, but I was telling the truth. We were stronger together.

Grace came back down the steps with her hands in her pockets, obviously listening to the discussion from upstairs. Her face didn't give away which side she favored, but all three of us stared at her as we waited for her to speak. "The silver bullets are in a box in your attic," she finally said, quietly. "Cas has already decided that we should be going together and is offering to stay with the kids as long as Lucia and Jody are here to help."

I smiled and extended my hand towards my wife. "Problem solved, Sam. Two angels and a Sheriff. Practically another angel."

I could tell that Sam still didn't approve, but he was giving in because he was outnumbered. "Fine," he said, standing slowly and handing Levi off to Serra. "I don't want to hear it when he asks for a pistol for his ninth birthday."

Serra rolled her eyes again. "He would already have a pistol," she muttered. "I'd get him a sawed-off."

He walked to the back door without another word and opened the door. "I'm going home," he said quietly. "Good night."

Closing the door behind him, the room filled with a silence that was a little awkward, even for me. I didn't really understand my brother, but then, he did things that confused me all the time. Grace turned and spoke to mostly Serra, but eyed me a few times, just to drive the point home. "He's angry because he thinks we're slipping right back into being hunters. As he left, he thought 'You promised, Dean.'" She shook her head. "I don't know what that means."

I plopped down into the spot that Sam had occupied only moments before. Shaking my head, I opened my mouth to speak, knowing exactly what Sam was bitching about this time. "When you and I started dating, I told him that I was thinking about hanging it up," I said, leaning back into the cushions. "He told me that if I meant it, he would drop out too, wanting to finish school and get a legit job. He made me promise that if we," I pointed a finger back and forth to me and Grace, "ever went south, I would move on, but leave him be, so he wouldn't have to hunt anymore, regardless of what I chose to do."

"But it's not like you're going back on your promise. You're about to own the garage!" Serra said, making a face. "And it's not like you two are breaking up! There's a legit monster out there and he expects us to what, leave it and hope they move on?"

Grace shrugged and nodded. "I guess? Sam has always been a bit of a mystery to me. I can't really get a good read on his feelings, just the thoughts he has." She glanced at Cas, who was still perched on the arm of the chair. "What's wrong with him?"

Cas took a deep breath and folded his hands in his lap. "Sam is a very complex person. He desires to hunt and destroy the creatures that threaten his family, but he also values your safety and Levi's wellbeing more. It's almost as if there are two very different arguments happening in his brain and he cannot decide which one to side with."

"See?" Grace said, walking over to her sister and squeezing in between us on the couch. "That's why I can't read him like I can read you guys. He's too complicated."

Shaking his head, Cas disagreed, "No, you can't read Sam the same way because he has learned to close off his mind in a such a way that even I have a hard time reading him. You have to remember, his psyche and his mental walls have been anguished for years, ever since Lucifer used him as a vessel, ever since he had to battle internally with Satan himself." Cas sighed, looking pained when talking about my little brother. "Sam has been ripped apart and put back together too many times to count. He only wants one thing: the safety of his family."

I took a ragged breath and rubbed my face with both hands. "I know he does, but if we don't take out this pack of werewolves, they're gonna take someone else out. They might have already. He needs to understand that our job is to keep other people safe."

"Your job was to do that," Cas said quietly. "Now your job is to rebuild cars…and care for your wife and children."

Closing my eyes, I knew Cas had a point. We were out of the game. I rolled my head back and forth, trying to get my neck to pop. "Can't we just table this and go to bed? I'm so tired."

Serra took her cue and stood with Levi. "Do I dare go home?" she asked, staring at my wife.

Grace nodded quietly. "He just wants you happy, Lucky. Go home and get him talking and he'll be fine."

"But I'm not good at talking. I'm good at other stuff."

Laughing and squeezing her eyes tight, Grace pointed to the door. "Get out, get out of my house."

Castiel stood and I nodded at him. "Walk her and my nephew home, will you?"

"Of course," Cas replied, adjusting his trench coat with purpose. "Goodnight, Winchester family."

"Night, Cas," Grace replied. She stood to hug him and he reciprocated quickly then walked to the back door. Grace and Serra embraced, hesitating only so Grace could kiss Levi goodbye. "See you in the morning, Levi," she cooed. He stretched and yawned and the girls exchanged smiles, watching him.

Serra followed Cas out the back door and I locked it behind them, turning off the lights and closing the blinds. They were out there, I knew it. The tingle in the back of my neck hadn't gone away, and I knew it was only a matter of time before they showed their ugly faces.

Following Grace upstairs, I paused in the hall; just as I did each night, and listened to my kids breathe. I stopped at Everett's door first, opening it in the slightest, just to hear his breath echo out into the room. I closed it and moved to Lib's room, listening to my first-born and watching her back rise and fall as she slept on her stomach. I smiled and closed the door once more, moving to Glory's room.

She was curled into a corner of her crib, completely pressed against the bars. One of her chubby little arms was hanging through at an awkward angle, so I silently moved towards her and uncurled her body, laying her again in the middle of her crib. I rested my hand on her chest, keeping her company while she settled back into a deep sleep. I pulled her light blanket up near her hand, knowing how much she loved the tags on the edge. Predictably, she opened her chubby little fist and grabbed it as soon as it made contact with her skin. I laughed silently and padded back out of the room, closing the door behind me.

…

Over the course of the next few days, Sam, Serra and I filled our afternoons with melting down the silver that Grace found online and making them into all different kinds of caliber bullets. Grace helped here and there, but she was on constant Everett duty. He was getting fussier by the day and I could tell she was on edge with my needy son. She walked down stairs, holding both of the twins with Liberty hot on her tail.

"Hey," I greeted her, taking Glory and putting her on my hip as I finished wiping the newly made .45s down with a rag. "How's the parasite?"

Grace rolled her eyes at me. "It might be easier for me just to go back to work."

"A daycare would fire him," Serra said under her breath, glancing back at her own sleeping son. "At least one of the boys is a man," she said, mocking.

Shaking her head, Grace glanced down at Everett as she switched the hip she held him on. "I don't know what the problem is," she said, sighing. "He is literally only calm when I am holding him or he's asleep. It's really getting wearing."

I walked towards the both of them and held out my arm, offering to hold him as well, but he shied away from me as he had done so many times before. Shaking my head, I tried my hardest not to take it personally. Glory leaned on my chest and sucked on her finger as she watched silently. "Come on, Everett," I said quietly, "give Momma a break, huh?" Serra took Glory from me as I continued to stare at him. "Come on, kiddo. Just once."

Moving closer to me, Grace took a careful step forward. "There's Daddy," she was whispering, making it a big deal. "You wanna go see Daddy?"

Falling into a sense of false security, Rhett grinned at me and lunged, holding his arms out towards me. Smiling back at him, I grabbed him under his arms and tossed him lightly up into the air, making it a game. "Look at you!" I said, still smiling at him. "Hi!"

Grace stayed frozen in place, trying her best not to draw his attention back towards her. I offered him one of his puffy-cheesy-wonder-snacks that both of the twins loved so much and he took it greedily. As he leaned towards the snack, his hand landed on the exposed part of The Mark on my arm and Everett whipped away from me like he had been burned. Crying, he turned around, looking for Grace, and with watery eyes, he glanced back at me like I had somehow betrayed him. Grace hesitated in taking him back immediately, not wanting to reinforce the action, but I was filled with guilt. She watched our son; her eyebrows furrowed, and took his own arm in her hands, inspecting it.

"What, Grace?" I could hear Serra's concern in her voice, waiting to hear what had happened. "What's wrong?"

She shook her head, still concentrating on something that the rest of us were unaware of. Closing her eyes, Grace listened as she held his arm; to what, I had no idea. Moments passed as the rest of us waited and it was finally Lib that broke the silence. "Brudder like Daddy," she declared as she climbed up the back of the couch.

Serra turned to Liberty and raised her eyebrows. "Brother is like Daddy?" she asked, moving around the table towards Lib. "What do you mean, Libby?"

Holding out her hand as she had to me so many times to share her thoughts, Serra reached out and made contact with her eldest niece. Fear burrowed deep into my chest, not wanting to acknowledge the possibility that Everett would end up with a genetic Mark of Cain.

Serra was silent for more seconds than I wanted to deal with, and when she finally turned back towards the dining room table, she pursed her lips. I watched as my wife exchanged thoughts with her sister and finally it was too much for me to take. "What the hell is happening?"

Grace tilted her head. "It's not like he'll have an actual Mark, but it is there. It's why he's angry all the time. It's like when you were unchecked, without me. It's in his blood…his genetic code." She paused as tears came to her eyes, shaking her head. "I never considered that it would show up in the kids."

Closing my eyes, still holding my whimpering son, I concentrated on staying calm. How stupid of me to think that it wouldn't show up in my kids. How fucking stupid for me to think that we they were safe. I knew Grace was listening to me and as I opened my eyes, I stared into her perfect face. "I'm sorry, Grace. I didn't know."

"None of us did," she replied, having eyes only for me. "We'll figure it out. Right now, we have wolves to worry about."