Author's Note: Okay, so I'm really sorry about being a total assbutt with posting chapters this week. My reason? I couldn't decide on one aspect of my story so I wrote one version of this chapter and this is the second one. Now I think I've figured this out. –n00b–
~ Chapter Ten ~
"Dean, I don't like this plan." Castiel murmured, shoving the final item into his suitcase.
"What, and you think I do?" Dean retorted, finishing off his own suitcase.
"No, of course not, it's just–"
"Just what?" He hadn't meant to cut off his partner like this, but they needed to get moving.
"You promised, Dean." Cas was suddenly very close, clutching Dean's wrist, stopping him from walking away from their conversation.
"Cas, it's not like that."
"Then how is it like, Dean? Tell me." There was ice in his tone, sharp daggers of ice that pierced the air between them.
Dean tried to take a step back, giving them a comfortable distance but Cas only strengthened his grip – he wasn't going anywhere until this was over apparently and that made him want to dry heave.
"Tell me." Cas tried again, his voice a whip now that left a bright red mark on Dean's skin.
"No."
"Why not?"
Dean fought the urge to roll his eyes at Cas, "Because you won't understand."
"I won't understand?" Cas's eyes were on fire now, that icy blue torrent of flames that engulfed everything around them and held Dean's tongue insufferably. "Dean, our daughter was attacked six weeks ago. Our son was almost kidnapped or murdered just last night, and–" He stopped briefly, his face was red and his grip on Dean's wrist was somehow stronger even as he shook like this.
"–and I've known you for years, Dean Winchester. I may not have known you as long as some others but I know you better than you could possibly imagine. I know who you are and what you've done and what you will do." His volume had been rising steadily, but he paused again, before swallowing hard. "And you have the nerve to tell me that I won't understand?"
Cas finally let go, his glaring, seething eyes boring a hole into their wall when he looked away. Dean vaguely heard him mumble something along the lines of "unbelievable" as he paced around the room, running his hands through his hair like he always did when he was really stressed.
"Cas, I didn't mean it like that." Dean practically begged, irrationally annoyed that he had been reduced to this level in their argument. They needed to go now, damn it!
Castiel barely gave him one hate-filled glance, wordlessly giving him an opportunity to talk.
"Listen, if I didn't have to move us out right now, I wouldn't. I swear to God." He spoke slowly, trying to maintain as sincere and calm a tone as possible.
"Then why are you doing it?" Cas's voice came so quietly and so delayed that Dean both didn't expect it and almost didn't hear it.
"Because I probably got us into this mess, and I need to be the one to get us out."
Castiel shook his head, rubbing his temples with the most dejected yet expressively aggravated look on his face. "No."
"Yes, Cas." Dean pushed again, now walking towards his husband. "I did this. I've always brought crap home to us on accident, why can't you get that?"
/
Jo had gotten Alfie out of his crib in the hallway when she heard him start crying. After a while of being held he stopped crying – she decided that he was just feeling lonely again. Papa said babies got lonely more than big kids and grown-ups. Jo was a big kid and she didn't mind playing by herself so much anymore, she did when she was a little kid though.
But Alfie was even smaller than a little kid, and he clung to his big sister when she sat down at the top of the stairs, listening to Daddy and Papa. Their door was closed, but Jo could hear them having a very loud conversation.
Something had happened last night, but she couldn't tell what. All she knew was that Daddy and Papa suddenly always wanted to know where Jo and Alfie were and it was really weird. Daddy had come into her room a little while ago too, telling Jo to pack up all her things in a big red suitcase he dropped in her room; he didn't look like he was happy, so Jo didn't ask why, but she was worried.
Their door swung open and Daddy stepped out, holding his own suitcase. "Ready?"
"Uh-huh." She pointed with her free hand towards the suitcase sitting in the doorway of her bedroom; she hadn't packed much as she figured they were going to come back. The stuff in there was all her clothes and favorite toys, as well as a bag with her hair and toothbrush.
"Good." Daddy picked up the suitcase and carried both of the ones down the stairs, leaving them by the front door. From her spot at the top of the stairs, Jo could see him walking towards the garage, probably. Why weren't they taking the normal car?
"Time to go, dear." It was Papa, holding his own suitcase and a duffel bag full of Alfie's things. His things were small so they could fit in a bag even smaller than Jo's.
"Where are we going, Papa?" Jo asked as they went down the stairs.
"We're going to stay at Grandpa Bobby's house for a while."
"Why?"
Papa looked sad when she asked and Jo instantly felt bad for asking.
"I'm not really sure why, Jo."
She nodded, trying to show Papa that she was a big girl and she understood. It seemed to make Papa feel better too, because he put an arm around her shoulder as they walked out to the garage.
Sitting in the car, Alfie buckled into his own car seat, and Daddy and Papa in the front, everyone was quiet. It made Jo kind of unhappy, because normally they would all talk in the car – Jo would tell them a new joke she learned at school, and Daddy and Papa would have their very soft conversations in the front seat that only they could hear. Sometimes Jo thought it looked like they were just mouthing the words because they were so quiet, but she was never totally sure. She just figured that that was what Daddy's did.
Maybe Alfie would help Jo figure them out one day.
