Chapter Nine: Gone Too Soon
New Year's Eve was a beautiful sunny day. Dean didn't know what he was going to do. Frankie was spending the night with John and Ellen, because they weren't going out, and she had asked to ring in the new year with them. Cas and Dean were supposed to be going out with Jo and Sam. Although Dean thought that was a bit depressing, because he couldn't drink and neither could Jo. Cas had called it an exercise in futility, which Dean wasn't sure that he got, honestly. But he didn't really have the same vocabulary as Cas did.
The doorbell rang, and Dean wondered who it was. They still had a few hours before Jo and Sam were going to arrive, and Frankie was already at John and Ellen's. Dean went to the door. When he opened it, he saw Lucy. "Um, hey, Lucy." They had told Frankie the day before that her mother had gone to be with Jesus, because they knew that she was a believer in God. She had been sad, and she had asked when she'd be able to see Charlie again. They had told her that she wasn't going to be able to see her anymore. Frankie had taken that with a sad expression. She hadn't mentioned her since, but she also didn't seem to be upset, either. Cas thought that she just didn't understand, and they'd have to have the conversation again, but Dean thought she got it and just didn't know how to express her feelings.
Stepping back to let her in, Dean said, "Frankie's at my parents'. What can I do for you?" He asked, wondering why she was here. They hadn't spoken since they'd gotten the call about Charlie, and Dean had to admit, he was nervous about her being here.
Lucy knew Dean wasn't going to like why she was here. She had contacted a lawyer the day before, and she had told him she wanted to try and get Frankie away from Dean and Cas. She had told him it was going to be next to impossible, because Dean was the biological father, and Cas had already adopted Frankie, and Charlie had named Dean and Cas her parents in the will. Lucy knew that she didn't really have a leg to stand on, because she was bisexual herself, but she was going to use the defense that Dean and Cas shouldn't be able to be Frankie's parents.
Her lawyer had warned her not to be the one to tell Dean and Cas about her plans, but a part of her didn't want them to be caught off guard. Lucy reached into her purse and pulled out the papers. She handed them to Dean. "Those are papers informing you that I am seeking full custody of Frankie." She said, and watched his eyes widen, but she also saw in his face a knowing look, like he'd been expecting this. "It's nothing personal, Dean, but I think she'll be better off with me." She knew that sounded insane, because she knew that Frankie was happy with Dean and Cas. She knew that, whenever she was able to have some time alone with her niece she couldn't shut up about them. Lucy had to admit, some of her might be doing this because of jealousy.
Dean's temper immediately flared, especially when she said it was nothing personal. "Of course this is personal, Lucy! You're mad that Charlie made sure that no one could take Frankie away from us. She's my daughter, Lucy. I'm not going to let you just try and take her away! You can't prove that we're unfit parents, which is the only way you have to go on. I'm Frankie's biological parent, and Cas' adoption of her has already gone through. It helps to have friends in high places." He didn't know how she could do this, how she thought she could get away with it. The Winchester name was very well known in Dallas, and they had lots of friends in high places. She must be insane.
"You are doing this out of spite. It's not my fault that I wasn't in my daughter's life till now. Charlie never told me about her. It's not fair for you to try and take her away now. We've never tried to keep her from you. We have been open and honest, we've tried to get along with you. You're Frankie's aunt, and we didn't want to just have you disappear from her life without any warning." Dean didn't know how she could live with herself, doing this. Dean brushed his hand across his scruffy chin. Cas was still asleep, and he hoped that he wasn't going to wake him up with his tone. "If you think I'm going to let you take her from me, you're off your rocker. I'm not going to let you take her from me."
He couldn't say he was surprised that she was trying this. He really wasn't a bit surprised. He had been worried about that since he'd gotten Frankie from Charlie. He knew that she didn't have too much of a leg to stand on, he and Cas were perfectly fit parents, and they had several people that would testify to that fact. Dean also knew that she couldn't use the defense that they were unfit because they were two men, because she was a bisexual herself. It also wasn't something that she had been hiding. Everyone knew about it. "You have no leg to stand on." Dean told her firmly.
Lucy knew she was a heel for doing this. She knew that. She missed her sister something fierce. She had gotten a call on Christmas just as Dean and Cas had. She knew that Charlie had wanted Dean to have Frankie. Charlie had always felt guilty that she had been keeping Dean from his daughter. She knew that Charlie wouldn't be a fan of her doing this. Lucy knew that she was going against her sister's wishes. She didn't feel good about it. But a part of her knew that this was what she had to do.
"I am not going to let you keep Frankie, Dean. You may not have been aware of her existence, but you weren't in her life till now. I have a lawyer who is going to fight tooth and nail for me to get custody of her. I don't want to do this to you, not really. If it turns out in my favor, I'll never keep you from her. But I know that this is the right thing to do." She knew that Dean might possibly bring up the fact that she was also a bisexual, and that she could very well enter into a same sex relationship herself. She wasn't sure that she could defend herself on that front. She knew that she was being a hypocrite. Lucy didn't feel completely good about this.
She couldn't be serious. Dean folded his arms, as he heard movements around in the bedroom. He knew Cas was getting up. Dean met her brown eyes. "You aren't going to get away with this. You can't claim that Cas and I aren't fit parents, because you are bisexual yourself. Your only argument is that Cas and I are in a same sex relationship. You may not be in one right now, but I know that you lean more towards women than you do men. You are just as likely to be in a same sex relationship." Dean said, keeping her gaze defiantly. Dean had never imagined that this would be how his family would be. But now that he had it, he wasn't going to give it up without a fight.
Before he could say anything more, Cas came walking up, wearing a pair of Dean's Cowboys sweatpants and a Cowboys tee shirt. Cas yawned and then his blue eyes set on Lucy. Dean turned to look at his husband. "Lucy's here because she's serving us papers that she's trying to get custody of our daughter." Dean said, and was rewarded when Cas immediately turned angry. Dean didn't know that Cas was surprised, either, it had been a worry, something that they'd thought she might try for awhile now. Dean already had a lawyer, all he had to do was call her. She had gotten him out of some jams before.
"You can't be serious, Lucy." Cas said, stepping up beside his husband. Cas hadn't been able to shake the feeling that Lucy would ty this, and he wasn't surprised now that she was. He also knew that Charlie wouldn't have wanted her to do this. "You can't think that Charlie would want you to do this, Lucy. She made sure that no one could try and take Frankie away from Dean and me." Cas said, he had a four o'clock shadow going on, he had to shave. Dean preferred him more clean shaven. He was doing his best not to hit Lucy. He knew that that would be uncalled for, and normally, Cas wasn't a violent person. However, this was making him want to be. Cas hadn't ever thought that he would actually have a child, and he knew that he wasn't going to let Lucy take her from them.
"Also, Dean's family has more sway in this town than you do. You're going to be wasting your money doing this. There isn't a judge in this town who hasn't worked with Dean's father." Cas said, watching Lucy's face as he spoke. She seemed calm, but Cas could tell that she did feel guilty about what she was doing. "John is a highly decorated detective, and actually, he's in line to get his own precinct to run." Cas said, that was a new development, and he wasn't sure if Dean knew or not. He watched Lucy's eyes widen, that was news to her. Cas brushed his hand through his black hair.
"We're not going to take this lying down." Cas told her, folding his arms tightly. He knew that she wasn't expecting them to take it lying down, by the expression on her face.
"This isn't personal, Cas." Lucy said, she knew that that wasn't going to make a bit of difference to Cas. She didn't know how to make it better, what she was doing. Lucy knew that there was only one way, and that was dropping the suit. She knew that she wasn't going to do that though. She may be fighting an uphill battle, but she was going to keep fighting. She was going to do what she could to get her niece. "I don't want to hurt you, believe it or not." Lucy said, and she knew that that sounded incredibly hypocritical and that she was lying. Lucy didn't know what else to say. It was all going to sound like she wasn't telling the truth.
"I know you don't believe me. But that's okay. We aren't going to do the thing that is the passive aggressive thing." Lucy said, she was regretting being the one to tell them that she had started this in motion. She should have listened to her lawyer. Cas had made some good points, too, she wished that she had thought of the judges in town all knowing John Winchester. Lucy knew that was going to be a problem. She knew that there was something that she could do though, her lawyer was willing to do what it took. Lucy was prepared to fight this as hard as she could.
Cas set his jaw. "Just go." He said, there was no point in talking about this anymore than they already had. Lucy was doing this, and there was no point in discussing it without lawyers present any longer. "You don't have anything more to say, and even if you did, we're not going to listen." Cas said, going to the door and opening it, waiting for her to step through and go outside. "If you have anything else to say to us, you can have your lawyer say it to us. And don't think you're going to be seeing Frankie. You have proven that you can't be trusted, and we're not going to give you the opportunity to keep her from us."
He would call the cops in a minute of she tried to run off with Frankie, and he hoped that she knew that. Cas watched her step onto the porch, and once she was outside, he slammed the door shut in her face. Cas turned to look at Dean. He couldn't believe that she was doing this. How could she do this to them? "She's not going to take our daughter from us." Cas told Dean, stepping closer to him, and wrapping his arms around Dean's neck.
Dean nodded, wrapping his arms around Cas' waist. "I know she's not. There's no way it's going to happen. There isn't a judge in this town who doesn't like Dad. I'll admit, I had some trouble in my youth, and there are some judges that don't like me, but with Dad going to bat with us, there's no way she'll get custody." Dean said, he knew that without a shadow of a doubt. This was going to end in their favor. Dean sighed, he was more angry than he was letting on. He didn't know what he was going to do if they came upon a judge that was holding a grudge against him. There were judges in town that did have some against him.
"I mean, I'm not gonna lie, I pissed off a lot of judges. There are some who are definitely going to be on Lucy's side. But we've got Dad. Dad will never let her get away with this." Dean didn't know what he was going to do if they ran into one who wasn't going to be able to be impartial when it came to Dean. There was always the option of getting the judge removed from the case, but that was hard to prove. Dean didn't know that he could handle this, but he knew that he was going to fight tooth and nail to keep custody of his daughter.
Cas looked directly into his husband's eyes. "We are not going to lose Frankie. You know Lucy doesn't have a leg to stand on. She has to say that we're unfit, and you know that she doesn't have any proof of that. We've got right on our side, Dean. Frankie loves both of us, and she wants to be with us. She loves Lucy, but she wouldn't be happy being with her all the time. Frankie has been very happy with us, and you know that. You and I are going to raise her. I know it's true." He said, keeping his arms tight around Dean.
"This is going to work out for us, I know it will." Cas knew this was the worst news they could have gotten, and Cas was glad that he'd gotten in some shots to Lucy about Charlie's wishes. He hadn't known her personally, but he knew that Dean did, and he trusted Dean's opinion explicitly. He didn't know what Lucy could possibly be thinking. It's not as if she had a legal leg to stand on. Cas didn't know which lawyer she'd gotten that was willing to take this on, but Cas was going to give her a fight if she wanted one.
"Come on, I'll fix us some lunch." Cas was looking forward to going out with Jo and Sam, even if it was an exercise in futility. He knew that Dean was going to most likely be depressed that he was out and couldn't drink, but Cas knew that he would go because he knew Cas wanted to go. Cas thought they should take advantage of having some time to themselves, since Frankie was at John and Ellen's.
Dean let Cas lead him into the kitchen. He wondered if they were finally going to get some luck that was good. So far it had been a shit storm of bad things. The only good thing was that they were still together. They were rock solid, that was the silver lining. Dean moved to get some soda out of the fridge, he didn't know what Cas was going to fix, but he was trying to focus on that and not the fact that Lucy was doing something that they had been fearing that she would do. Dean cracked it open and watched as Cas started to move around the kitchen. Dean didn't know what he was going to do about paying for the lawyer. It's not as if he was working right now, and it's not as if he had been a Rockefeller before he had stopped working. Dean didn't want Cas to pay for it, Dean was an old fashioned guy, he believed in joint accounts for married people, but that didn't mean that he wanted the majority of it to come from Cas' income.
"What are you going to fix?" Dean asked, doing his best to sound confident. Cas had told him that there wasn't anything he could do about Frankie possibly hating him in the future, so it was pointless to worry about it. Dean had done all he could do, and he knew that Cas was right. There wasn't anything more they could do right now, they couldn't even call the lawyer, since it was still a holiday. Dean took a sip as he watched Cas move around. He was taking out cans of soup, and Dean wondered what kind they were, he couldn't see the labels.
"Chicken soup and sandwiches, it's something simple. Plus, you've got this wheeze from the cold weather, I think you're getting a cold. We have to be careful that you don't get sick, you could get worse." Cas knew that Dean didn't want to hear that, but Cas wasn't going to let him get a cold. He was going to make sure that he took care of things before it turned into a full blown cold. Cas opened the cans and put them in a pan on the stove. He didn't do the microwave thing. He never had. Cas had endless patience. He was trying to teach Dean some patience. So far it wasn't having the desired effect.
Cas hummed under his breath, the house was so quiet when it was just the two of them. Frankie tended to listen to music loudly, and he had to admit, he missed hearing the children's versions of Katy Perry that she tended to listen to. Cas wasn't usually a pop music fan, he preferred classic rock, it was one of the things that he and Dean had in common, but he loved to hear Frankie singing along to the edited lyrics. He knew that Dean hated that she was into Katy Perry, and Taylor Swift. But Cas knew how old school Dean was. He was so like John in that way, whether he wanted to admit it or not. Cas turned to look at Dean after the soup was on the stove.
"What kind of sandwich do you want? We just got some new cold cuts, chicken and turkey."
Dean mulled this over. "Do we have tuna fish?" He asked, tuna fish was his favorite sandwich to have with chicken noodle soup. He didn't really know why. It was just something that was leftover from his childhood. "Cause that's my favorite sandwich to have with chicken noodle soup. Plus, tuna fish isn't so bad for you." Dean was trying to abide by his doctors' rules, whether he liked it or not. It wasn't just him anymore. He was going to have to take care of himself now, there were people who counted on him.
When Cas told him there was tuna fish, Dean gave him a smile. He reached for his tablet, looking for the paper. He wanted to see what was going on in the world. Although this year had been a shit storm, there hadn't really been a break from the never ending torment, except Cas. Dean called up the app for the Dallas paper, and started to look through the articles. Dean didn't necessarily want to read any of them, unless there was something that looked interesting. He wondered if he'd see something with Cas' name on the byline. Dean hadn't been paying too much attention to Cas' writing, mostly because Cas had asked him not to make too much of a fuss.
It didn't take too long for the soup to be heated up and the sandwiches made, and Cas set the food down on the table, he'd warmed up two family size cans, he knew that Dean had an appetite on him. Plus, if he really was getting sick, the more soup the better. "Make sure you eat the broth, too." He said. Dean rolled his eyes, but Cas knew that he would. Cas was a mother hen, it was what he was good at. He had always needed someone to take care of. Cas was beyond happy that he finally had someone to take care of in his life. Dean and Frankie.
He had prayed to God for so long for a family of his own. And Cas had finally gotten that family. Not only did he have a husband and a child, but his husband's family had welcomed them into their family with open arms. Castiel knew it was because he had treated Dean well, and had proven that he would do anything for Dean. Cas knew that that was going to go a long way with John and Ellen, and definitely with Jo and Sam, too. Cas wondered if his brothers were ever going to come around. Most of them still lived in England. Cas had been the only one with a longing to go to America.
Dean brushed his hand through his hair. "Smells good, babe." He said, as he pulled up an article on Sam, apparently his getting into a fight was still news. Dean skimmed it, it was nothing new, except that Sam had a court date coming up after the holidays. Dean was sure that Sam was going to get off easy, it's not as if he had a record. Dean was the one who would be screwed if it was him. He then had a shocking realization, Sam's legal trouble could spell bad news for their custody battle. They were going to go through all of the skeletons in the Winchester closet. Dean didn't know what he was going to do if Sam's fight hurt them. Of course, he believed Jo that it had been self defense. The guy had not been taking no for an answer.
"You know, I just thought of something. I know that it's not Sam's fault, since Balthazar wasn't taking no for an answer, but his legal trouble could spell bad news for us with this custody thing." Dean said, as Cas was spooning soup into Dean's bowl. Dean got up to get another soda, he had to drink Diet and it was very annoying. Dean preferred the full sugar that regular soda offered. Dean was someone who had always eaten things that were bad for you, and now this was hard for him to eat more healthy. He knew that it was what he had to do though. Dean knew that once he got his new heart he could relax a bit on that, and right now it was just hard to play by the rules.
Cas filled his own bowl. "It's okay, Dean, we're going to be fine." He promised. "There's witnesses that will testify that he was being very aggressive." He said, watching as Dean moved to sit back down at the table. Cas wondered if they had to really worry about the man. Jo was terrified of him, and she was not a girl who was terrified easily. Cas wondered if he should have a talk with him. Of course, he wasn't supposed to go into Harvelle's, according to Ellen. She had made sure to exercise her right to refuse to serve him. Cas wasn't sure how he was going to talk to Balthazar if he wasn't able to come into Harvelle's. Cas didn't want to just show up at his house, because he didn't want to give the man reason to call the cops or anything like that.
"We'll make it through this. I don't know what is going to happen with Sam and Balthazar, but I do know that there's enough evidence to prove that Sam was just trying to keep Jo safe." Cas wondered if Sam and John had ever had a talk about that. If they had settled things. Cas knew that John was still disappointed in Sam, he could tell sometimes with the way John looked at him. Cas knew that Sam felt bad enough about being the one to throw the first punch without John making him feel guilty for it.
"I know you don't want to go out tonight, I appreciate you agreeing to go." Cas said, taking a bite of his soup.
Dean was glad that Cas seemed to think Sam's legal trouble wasn't going to cause trouble for them. Dean was also glad for the changing of the subject. Dean blew on his spoonful of soup before he took it in his mouth. "I don't know that I am going to have fun, but I know that you really want to go. And Dad's right, we need to take some time for us every now and then." Dean knew that keeping his stress level down was a complete necessity. Whether he wanted to admit it out loud or not. Dean was just surprised that Ellen hadn't been able to talk John into going to some party one of their friends was throwing. Bobby usually had a huge NYE blowout. Dean could barely remember the last one he'd been so wasted. He was pretty sure he'd had a hookup, and he was fairly certain that he didn't know who it was, to this day.
"I'm just surprised Bobby's not throwing his usual NYE party. Dad always goes. Ellen hasn't even been to one that I know of. Although she and Bobby slept together once, years ago, after Jo's dad died. I think that's part of the reason he hasn't been around as much. Dad doesn't know about that. Not that he could really get upset, since he wasn't with Ellen when it happened, but he'd be pissed that it was kept from him." Dean said, taking a bite of his sandwich. When he was done chewing, he said, "I think Bobby has a thing for Ellen, and that's another reason he hasn't been hanging around with us lately. I mean, a lot of it has to do with his wife, but I think some of it has to do with Ellen too."
Cas was surprised at Dean's insight. Not because Dean wasn't smart, but because Dean had paid attention enough to have some insight. Dean wasn't one of those people who wasn't observant, but he wasn't one to notice human emotions like that either. Cas took a bite of his own sandwich, which was turkey and cheese with mustard. He chewed thoughtfully. "You may be right, but I confess you know Bobby better than I do. You have had more time to notice his mannerisms." Cas was intrigued though, he wanted to observe Bobby the next time he saw him around Ellen, to see if Dean's suspicions were well founded. Cas wondered if Dean had seen the article he'd finished and had sent in. Cas had told Dean not to get too upset or excited about his articles, because his true ambition was to write a book. His articles and stories were just a way to keep his skills sharp.
"I don't doubt that you're right, though. I have to admit, while I haven't memorized Bobby's mannerisms, he does seem to be quiet whenever John and Ellen are around him." Cas said, taking another bite of his soup. "All you can do is let it be, I mean, Bobby doesn't seem to be trying to get in the way of them. I think that as long as he's behaving himself, there's really no need to call attention to it." Cas said. He really didn't think that they should bring it out into the light. It's not as if Bobby was going to get anywhere with Ellen if he was indeed in love with her. Anyone who looked at Ellen and John was looking into the face of love. Although Cas knew that it was hard to be in love with someone and having to watch them with someone else. He had been there before, and was glad that he would never have to go through that again.
Meanwhile, Jo was in the bedroom with Ellen, going through the clothes she had decided to pull from to go out that night. Ellen had agreed to come over and help her pick something out. It had been a long time since Jo had gone out other than to work at Harvelle's. Jo brushed some of her long blonde hair behind her ear. "Mom, can I ask you something?" She knew that Frankie was with John and she was sure that the girl was having the time of her life. Jo was hoping that her baby was going to love his grandparents as much as Frankie did. For what seemed like the millionth time, she mulled over the fact that their family was far from traditional.
When Ellen told her that she could, Jo took a deep breath and toyed with the material of a silk shirt she was considering. "Do you think that John is going to love my baby as much as Frankie?" She hadn't told anyone else, but she'd clued in her mother. The only ones who didn't know were John and Frankie. Jo knew that Sam was wary about telling people. She didn't blame him, a part of her was nervous that she was going to lose the baby. She didn't know why she was worried about that, her doctor said that she was doing fine so far. Jo knew that Ellen had had issues with her while she was pregnant, so Jo was being a bit of a worrywart.
Plus, it was her first pregnancy, and the books all said that it was normal to be nervous. Jo watched her mother's face as she seemed to be formulating an answer.
Ellen knew that Jo wanted to hear that he would. And Ellen was sure that he would. However, Ellen knew that Frankie was the child who had made him a grandparent. That was always going to be a special bond. Ellen knew that that was going to be a factor in things for a long time. "Of course he is, Joanna Beth." She said, she didn't want to say that out loud, she knew that Jo wouldn't understand, as much as she would try. It was just something that didn't make sense until your child had children. Jo was pregnant with her first child, and there were just a multitude of things that she wouldn't understand yet until they happened.
"You don't have to be so nervous. I also don't blame you for being wary to tell people. I know that the books nowadays say it's a good idea to wait until you know for sure that you're out of the miscarriage zone." She knew what that was like, she had had her own miscarriage before Jo was born. To this day she didn't know what the baby had been, boy or girl. It had only been two months, and you couldn't tell the gender till the fifth month. It had taken a year for Ellen to be ready to have another, and thus Jo had been born. Ellen had never told her, and she didn't want to bring it up now, not when Jo was worrying about something she couldn't control. Ellen didn't want to worry her more than she had to. Jo had a tendency to worry if left alone.
When her mother mentioned the m word, Jo had to tell herself that it wasn't going to happen. Jo knew that she couldn't let herself think that way, she didn't want to let the negative thoughts in. Jo was doing her best to avoid talking about the Balthazar incident. She didn't want to worry her mother. They hadn't talked about it much, it was verboten in the Winchester-Harvelle household. Jo knew that Ellen was doing her best to keep John's mind off it, since it was a touchy subject with him. Jo wasn't sure that she blamed John for being upset with Sam, but she also knew that Balthazar hadn't been planning to take no for an answer. That was the part she'd managed to avoid telling John. She knew he'd get overprotective, and she already had Sam for that.
And if she was being honest, she didn't mind that he was being overprotective. Jo cast her glance over the clothes that were littered on the bed. She looked at her mother then. "So I know you're babysitting, but once Frankie falls asleep, what do you and John plan to do?" She asked curiously, Frankie had vowed to stay up till midnight, but she never made it past nine. Some kids never wanted to sleep, Frankie wasn't one of those kids. Jo hoped that she got a baby just like her. She didn't want one that was never going to sleep. Although she knew that that wasn't going to be the case, most babies had trouble sleeping through the night for awhile.
If she was honest, Jo just wanted a healthy baby, regardless of whether it could sleep through the night or not.
Ellen watched as Jo's fingers toyed with a pair of jeans. "We're just going to relax and appreciate each other's company." She said, she was so glad that they were going to stay home. Ellen knew that John usually went to Bobby's New Year's Eve parties, and she was glad that he had opted out of going this year. Ellen didn't have feelings for Bobby, but it was always awkward for them when the two of them were with John. No one really knew that they had slept together, except Dean. He had overheard a conversation between Ellen and Bobby once. She hadn't been prepared to deal with his opinion on that, and she was sure that Dean hadn't told John, because Ellen knew if he had, John wouldn't have been able to be silent about it.
"It's going to be fun. We're not going to Bobby's party this year." She said, hoping that Jo would just accept that answer and not press her for details as to why. Other than they were babysitting. Ellen thought Frankie was a well behaved little girl. She didn't cause a lot of fuss, and there was no doubt about it that she thought John hung the moon. She never stopped talking to him when she was with him and Ellen. Ellen had to admit, she thought it was adorable. And it was really sexy to her to see John interacting with a child. It was nice to see that he cared about children.
"Are you kids going to stop by there before you go out?" She asked curiously. She knew it was Bobby's first party on the holiday since his wife had died. According to Dean, he'd gotten far too wasted at the last one he'd attended, Ellen doubted that he was going to go this year.
"No, Bobby told us we shouldn't feel obligated. I'm not sure what's going on with him, but something is." Jo said. She hadn't been in Bobby's life as long as the boys had, or rather, she hadn't spent as much time with him as the boys had. Jo decided on the skinny pair of jeans, since they made her short legs look longer, and then wondered which top was going to go with them. She brushed some of her blonde hair behind her ear. "I know that he's been having a hard time with his wife passing, but it's been a long time now. He should be doing his best to move on."
Jo heard a noise downstairs, and she knew that Sam was home. He'd gone out to do some errands. Jo hadn't asked what they were, but she had to admit she was curious. She decided on a purple sparkly top that made her cleavage stick out. Jo didn't usually dress like that, but then again, she didn't need to get herself a man anymore. She had dressed more like that when she was still single. Jo moved to the mirror, holding up her hair, trying to decide if she should wear it up or not. "I think it's great of you and John to watch Frankie so Dean and Cas can go out. I know that Cas is dying to get out of the house."
She knew that he was feeling a bit stir crazy. Jo turned to her mother. "It's going to be a bit hard to be out and not able to drink, but I know that at least Dean will be able to commiserate with me."
Before Ellen could agree or disagree, Sam came into the room, carrying a bag of things from Target. "You're going to look beautiful no matter what you wear, baby." He said to Jo, as he put down the bag on the bed. Sam leaned to give Ellen a kiss on the cheek. "Come over to help Jo and do girly mother and daughter things?" He asked, giving her a smile. Sam had gotten some gender neutral things for the baby, but he didn't want Jo to know just yet. He wanted it to be a surprise.
"I just talked to Dean, and he says that Cas wants us to go out to eat too, so we're hitting Red Robin." Sam said, Cas liked it because the fries were bottomless. He knew it was also a bit of a treat for Dean, who had been doing well with following his diet lately. Sam brushed his hand through his brown hair. He was worried about his upcoming court date. He didn't know what he was going to do about it. He still needed to get a lawyer. Sam had been doing his best not to bring it up around his father, because it was still a sore subject.
Sam had been talking to the people that had been at the bar that night, and he knew that it was going to be easy to prove that the man had been intent on raping Jo. Sam knew that that's where it had been headed if he hadn't stopped it. He could still see the panicked look on Jo's face as Balthazar had latched onto her arm. He didn't know how the man could have so many balls and was pressing charges when he'd been trying to do what he'd been trying to do. "Cas likes the bottomless fries." He said, as he watched Jo toying with her hair. They had a couple of hours to get ready yet, and he knew that she was nervous because it had been awhile since they'd been out.
Jo nodded as Ellen said she would get out of their hair, and kissed her mother goodbye and then watched her fiance hide the bag of things from Target in the closet. She wondered what it was. Jo knew that he wasn't going to tell her though. Jo knew it was nothing bad though, she could tell when Sam was up to no good. He always had a tell. "I am sure we'll have a great time. I love Red Robin." Jo said, and Sam made a noncommittal noise and said he was going to go and look up lawyers on the internet for his court dates.
She watched him go, not sure what she had done to get so lucky to have a man like Sam. A man who would willingly get himself into huge trouble to keep her safe. Jo started putting away the excess clothes. She just hoped that the night out would be worth it. It had been so long since they'd taken some time off from work and being busy to go out. Jo looked out the window as she grabbed some hangers to hang things back up. At least it was a beautiful day. That could only bode well, right?
Author's note: Well, it looks like I'm going to get two chapters out of New Year's. I wrote this all today when I couldn't sleep. I hope that ya'll are enjoying, and I hope that ya'll will feel compelled to tell me what you think! Also I am taking votes on when Cas should tell Dean about his past. If you've got a suggestion, feel free to lay it on me. Anyway, till next time!