Chapter 4: Let's Storm a Castle
"No," Dean said shortly. His arms were crossed over his chest defensively and his face was set in that way that made Sam sigh in frustration. He was in for a long battle.
"Dean, we did promise her," Sam pointed out.
"Who's gonna look after the kids?" Dean frowned. "We can't leave them here by themselves."
"Castiel will be here," Sam suggested without a thought. They both paused before a mental image of the full scale rebellion against Castiel mounted by the kids during bath time appeared and then shuddered.
"No," Dean said resolutely. "We are not leaving Cas with them."
"Then they're going to have to come with us," Sam explained patiently.
"No, absolutely not," Dean said firmly. "We are not bringing the kids with us. It's an RPG game. We're gonna be LARPing with Charlie and we can't keep an eye on them at the same time."
"Then we'll bring Cas with us," Sam offered. "Charlie's been asking about him and he can be an extra set of eyes on the children." And then he smirked at Dean. "Besides, it's time she found out about your better half."
Dean glared at him but didn't offer a retort. The look in his eyes wavered a little and Sam grinned internally. He was going to win.
"You're strapping the kids into the car," Dean finally said, turning around so that Sam couldn't see his face. "Gabe and Luci can really kick when they don't want to be put into their carseats. I'll go find Cas."
Sam smiled victoriously and went to gather the kids.
When they got to the RPG grounds, the tents had already been pitched and Charlie was training (whupping the asses of) the new squires who were trailing after her like lovesick puppies.
"Charlie!" Dean greeted with a smirk. "Kicking ass I see."
"What up, bitches?" she hugged each of them in turn. "You're just in time. Skirmish starts in a few hours."
"Wouldn't miss it for the world," Sam assured her.
"And who's this?" she asked, staring at the man behind them.
"My name is Castiel," the ex-angel introduced himself. Charlie's eyes widened in recognition before she glanced at Dean who pointedly avoided her gaze and busied himself with tying his boots.
"I'm Charlie," she smiled knowingly. "I've heard a lot about you and let me just say, you are kickass awesome. And much dreamier in real life. The books do not do you justice."
Castiel blinked, thrown by her compliment. "Thank you?"
"Just go with it," Sam muttered to him.
"She has a crown!" Raphael exclaimed from her place behind Castiel.
"Damn right she does, baby girl," Dean picked her up so she could touch the crown on Charlie's head. Charlie obligingly took it off and set it atop of Raphael's head. It was much too big and slipped past her ears. Raphael tipped it up and stared at it with wonder.
"Don't swear in front of the children," Castiel chided, smacking Dean on the back of the head.
"She swore too!" Dean yelped, jerking his head accusingly at Charlie.
"She's not taking care of four impressionable kids," Castiel pointed out. And it was then that three other children made their presence known. They were crowded around Castiel's legs, hiding behind them. Castiel ushered them forward with a gentle hand. They stumbled and tripped over each other but smiled shyly at the red-haired woman.
"Guys, this is Queen Charlie," Dean introduced. "She's Daddy and Uncle Sam's very important sister."
Charlie blushed at the introduction but smiled brightly nonetheless.
"I didn't peg you guys as the fatherly type," Charlie commented, eying them with slight apprehension.
"Yeah, they just kinda showed up on our doorstep along with our kid brother and a prophet of God," Sam explained awkwardly.
"Guys, I don't do kids," Charlie grimaced, staring down at the four children who were staring back with expressions of awe.
"They won't be any trouble," Dean promised and then smirked. "You could say they're practically angels."
Sam rolled his eyes while Castiel smacked Dean in the back of the head again. The queen stared at them in confusion before shaking her head.
"Couldn't you find a babysitter?" Charlie asked. "Kids and LARPing are like a disaster waiting to happen."
"No one was available and the last time we left the kids with Cas, there was a full-scale takeover of the Batcave," said Dean.
"They did not take over," Castiel scowled, looking affronted at the insult of his childrearing skills.
"They had you tied in the dungeon and were raiding the pantry for candy when we came back," Sam deadpanned. Then his eyebrows furrowed in thought. "How did they even get into the dungeon? It was one of the first things Dean childproofed."
"You guys have a dungeon?" Charlie questioned, looking more intrigued than weirded out. She shot them an accusing look. "Why didn't you show me when I visited?"
"See, funny story about that," Dean started with a sheepish chuckle but Sam interrupted him.
"Guys?" Sam asked suddenly. "Where are the kids?" There was a moment of pause before they panicked and scrambled around to search.
"I have located them!" Castiel shouted from inside the strategy room. Charlie, Sam and Dean raced inside and found the children all huddled around the map of the battlefield and seemed in the midst of a heated discussion.
"The horses go here!" Michael protested, his face set in a stubborn pout. His arms were crossed in front of his chest and he glared imperiously at Lucifer. "That way they can be protected by the arrow people."
Dean blinked. This was new; Michael was usually painfully shy and looked to Adam for every decision like he was afraid he would make the wrong one. He tended to go with whatever his brothers and sister wanted and they had a hard time coaxing him into expressing his own opinions. But then again, Dean thought, it made sense. Michael had been general of the Heavenly Host and it would only add up that his talents shone in battlefield stratagem.
"Nuh uh!" Lucifer countered with a pout of his own. He moved the little army men into another position. "This way is better!"
"Wait, hold on!" Charlie elbowed her way in between the two squabbling toddlers. She analyzed the board and her eyes widened. Her eyes turned sharply to Lucifer. "What's your name, kid?"
"'M Gabriel!" the boy shouted, tired of being ignored. "And that's Raphael, Michael, and Lucifer!" He pointed to each of his siblings in turn and they smiled and nodded to her in acknowledgement.
Charlie wheeled on Dean and Sam. "You brought the devil to LARP with us?" she asked incredulously.
"Well, he's not the devil per se," Sam started uneasily.
"Only when he's fighting over Sam with Gabe!" Dean piped up.
"Not helping," Sam shot a glare at Dean who beamed cheekily in reply. He turned back to Charlie. "They're depowered and perfectly harmless kids. Honest!"
"Yeah, honest!" the children all parroted with baleful eyes and pouty mouths. Charlie folded under their stares.
"Fine, whatever," Charlie sighed, too used to the weirdness that followed the Winchesters wherever they went. "They can march with us on today's battle. But only because they're so cute."
"Awesome!" Dean grinned and then turned to them. "Here that kids?"
"We get to defend the castle!" Lucifer cheered, his hands thrown up the air. The rest of his brothers and sister seemed equally excited and even Michael had a gleam in his eyes.
"Wait," Charlie held up a hand and then smirked. "If they're going out, then they're going to go out in style,"
They could not find kid sized armor but with a little help from the seamstress in the camp, they managed to turn a few tunics into jerseys with Charlie's standard for the kids to wear over their shirts. The seamstress took one look at Castiel, one long salacious look that had Dean bristling and winding an arm around Castiel's waist, and pulled out a suit of armor. Granted, it was a prop suit but when she fitted the pieces over his body and stepped away, Dean could not help but think "Holy heavenly warrior".
"Wow," Sam whistled. Then turned to Charlie and jerked a thumb at Castiel. "Why didn't we get something that nice?"
"We don't have anything like this in your size," the seamstress retorted smoothly, her hands lingering on the breastplate a little too long for Dean's liking. He took Castiel's shoulder and spun him around, examining the armor.
"Can you move in that thing?" Dean asked jovially, ignoring Sam and Charlie's looks and the seamstress's annoyed expression.
Castiel strode around a few steps and then jabbed a few times experimentally.
"This is satisfactory," he proclaimed.
"Great!" Charlie clapped her hands together. "Then let's get you guys some gear."
They headed off to the prop tent and Charlie allowed the children to choose a weapon of their choice as long as it was under a foot long. Lucifer looked put out as he had been eyeing a battle axe which was twice his height.
"These are suitable," Michael nodded, strapping a prop dagger into his jeans with a movement so smooth that it freaked out Charlie a little. The other kids displayed the same aptitude with the prop weapons that the weapon master stared suspiciously at Dean who shrugged his shoulders and smiled innocently in a "Kids these days. What are you gonna do?" way.
"We ready then?" Dean asked, strapping his own long sword into his belt.
"Remember, stay within the main field," Castiel reminded them gently. "And if you get hurt just call out for Dean, Sam, Charlie, or me. One of us will always be in sight which means no smiting business." And here he stared meaningfully at Lucifer who looked up at the sky innocently, his arms crossed behind his back in a gesture of perfect obedience.
"Now who's ready to fight the legion of darkness?" Charlie cheered, throwing her arms up to get the children hyped.
"At dawn, we ride!" Gabriel shouted exuberantly, raising his mini sword.
Dean and Castiel stared at him then turned to Sam who rubbed the back of his head embarrassedly.
"I taught him that," Sam answered. Charlie laughed as Castiel rubbed his forehead and Dean shot him a thumbs up.
After the pre-game pep talk ("Speech!" Dean insisted while Sam rolled his eyes), they charged into battle. It wasn't very long until the enemy saw the children.
"Hey, who let a kid in here?" the orc shouted, picking up Lucifer by the scruff of his shirt.
"I will smite you for your insolence!" Lucifer shrieked, struggling valiantly against his captor. "Unhand me this instant, you heathen!"
"Release my brother!" Raphael shouted, charging in with her plastic dagger. It bounced rather ineffectively off the orc's calf. She tossed it without a second thought, drew her leg back, and slammed it into the orc's shin. The man yelped in pain and dropped Lucifer who darted back.
"By our Father's name, I shall avenge you!" Michael vowed in an uncharacteristic show of initiative. He pulled out his sword and raised it above his head. "Charge, my brethren!"
Four high pitched shrieks rang out on the battlefield as all hell broke loose.
"Do you think we should stop them?" Charlie asked, unsure of how to react in a situation like this. She tossed a bean bag at an approaching orc.
"Nah, once Michael and Raphael get going, then you know it's serious," Dean said. "It's better to let the kids get it out of their system and tire themselves out."
They were fast, much faster than any normal child should be and they were accurate in their strikes. Against people who had not battled the legions of hell since the beginning of time, the children ran through them like the wind.
"Your boy over there isn't doing too bad himself," Charlie motioned over to Castiel who had chosen a short blade, reminiscent of his angel blade, and was skillfully making his way through a crowd, disarming orcs and dropping them like flies. His movements were graceful and smooth but they were delivered with brutal efficiency.
"Well, he was a holy warrior of God," Sam mused, fending off a warrior with prop fangs.
Between the four of them and the kids, they made short work of the enemy army and returned victorious. The children were swaying on their feet as Sam and Dean picked them up and headed for the Queen's tent after the skirmish.
It was a glorious battle, one that would be told and retold by nerdy accountants and office workers for weeks to come. There would be whispers of the four archangels, as the children would soon be dubbed, who rained holy hell on the battlefield. Dean would smile brightly at his kids and Castiel could tell that he was proud of his children for being such badasses.
"Thanks for a great time, Charlie," Sam grinned. "Hope we didn't cause too much trouble with the kids."
"They were no trouble at all," Charlie smiled brightly and her eyes softened when they landed on the sleepy children. "In fact, if you want to bring them over for next year's battle feel free. Always could use some more man power on the team and your little hellions pack a mean punch."
"It was very enjoyable to fight in a battle that did not end in death and bloodshed," Castiel agreed, shedding off the armor. Once done, he went over to help Michael take off his jersey when the child looked like he was struggling with his tired limbs.
"Castiel?" Charlie piped up with an odd look on her face. "Can I have a word with you? Alone?"
Castiel looked at her then turned to Dean who nodded and took a sleepy Michael from his arms.
"I'll go strap him up in the car," Dean whispered close to his ear. He flushed from their proximity and followed Charlie into her throne room. She turned to him with a gleam in her eyes.
"He's really very lucky," Charlie said with a small smile on her lips. Castiel stared into her eyes and smiled back. She was very kind and he was reminded fondly of his sister Anna.
"Dean?" Castiel asked then nodded. "Yes, he has the apple pie life he desires with his brothers and the prophet of God and the children."
"That's not what I meant," she shook her head and then patted his shoulder encouragingly. "It'll come to you one day. In the meantime…"
She pulled on his arm and turned it wrist side up. She rummaged for a pen and with a flourish, wrote a series of numbers on his arm.
"You're welcome to call me anytime you need someone to talk to," said Charlie as she clicked the pen away. "You know, when Dean is being obtuse and Sam is acting like a girl about it."
"Thank you," Castiel smiled sincerely. "I will be sure to call you."
"Oh and Cas?" Charlie asked. "Dean also has you. Maybe you don't know how important that is but maybe when I see you next time, I hope you do realize what I mean."
Castiel tilted his head in confusion but didn't say anything more as Dean came into the room and told them they were leaving. He said his farewells and pondered all through the car ride back on what Charlie had actually meant.
Dean had wanted a relatively normal life with his siblings and Kevin but at the same time, he couldn't go fully "civilian". Dean was born and raised into the hunter way of life and leaving it would be like losing a limb. Castiel knew this well. With the Bunker, there were still hunts to go on and they never actually left the hunter life but there was also a safe, warded place to call home at the end of the day. Adam and Kevin could live their lives as they wanted and never have to worry about waking up in the middle of the night under attack. And with the addition of the children, something Dean had wished for in the secrecy of his own heart (and Castiel knew intimately from their profound bond), his life was nearly complete. All he needed was someone to share it all with.
A/N: So continue or not?
This little drabble came to me during the premiere of Pac-Man Fever when Charlie asked Dean about the annual LARP event. So what will it be boys and girls? How Adam was resurrected or how Dean and Castiel became mommy and daddy for the next drabble?