The following day, it occurred to everyone that if Sam were to join Dean, he would also need supplies made for him. Cas went out to Metatron's workshop in the hopes that this could be done in a reasonable time frame. His workshop was a house, similar to Sam and Ruby's, though bigger and had more chimneys since he did a great deal of working with fire. Cas went in and asked him about armor for Sam.

"Sam?" asked Metatron. "Why Sam?"

"He's joining Dean. They think that it will be easier together."

"Sounds like a wise decision, but it'll take more time. I'm almost done with everything for Dean, but Sam's a bigger man—do you think you can wait?"

"Yes," Cas said with confidence. He had left the baby Dean and was happy to have no extra weight on him aside from the new egg, which with the herbs courtesy of the fairies, was little more than a larger stomach. Visibly pleased to be relieved of the baby, Cas' smile turned into a sheepish grimace as his eyes grazed over a table along the wall. It was dotted with ornamental pieces that Metatron had made. "I was wondering if you could, perhaps, make something special for me?"

"If you don't mind waiting," Metatron smirked.

"No, I don't, but it is important that it's completed before Dean leaves."

The next several days moved on pleasantly, though many anticipations were rising high—Cas was due to lay the egg at any moment, and the next chapter in Dean's life was waiting on Metatron to finish the metal working.

It was fortunate for Dean that he had been relieved of the nightmares with yellow eyes watching him. King Ash explained that it would take Lord Azazel a long time until he went searching in Arkhmoor, for as long as the king knew, the dark lord had no knowledge of fairies still existing. To him, the forest was nothing more than a group of trees that rounded the great mountains. The only aspect of this that concerned Dean was what Azazel might be doing to the town where his pack remained. He tried not to think about it. There was nothing he could do anyway.

Unable to sleep one night, Dean found himself stepping outside of the house to smoke some of Cain's tobacco. He sat down on one of the chairs they kept there, pressed the pipe between his lips and lit the smooth herb. He stared up and saw a few bits of dark sky looking at him between the trees. He wondered, "Is Chuck watching? Does he know that I'm about to leave and try to save the entire Great Land of Kaz? Maybe die…just for the Great Land…"

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard the front door open. He turned his head and saw Sam coming out.

"Can't sleep?" the younger of them asked.

"Don't wanna," said Dean. He puffed on the pipe more. "What 'bout you?"

"I'm trying to spend time with Ruby but the children exhaust her. She's wracked with fear and worry about us leaving. It really caught her by surprise."

"And you?"

Sam chuckled lightly and took a seat beside his brother. He sat back in an opposing position to Dean, who was now hunched forward with his elbows on his knees. Dean offered the pipe to Sam and he took it, puffed some, and smirked greater. "Like I said," he began, enjoying the pipe, "I had a feeling things would change. I certainly didn't know the extent, but I knew. Life wouldn't be the same as soon as I saw Cas coming back. Poor Ruby had no idea."

"Well, you'll come back," Dean said. "We'll both comeback. We're gonna gank this motherfucking Azazel and then we'll all go to Lawrence. You can be prince of whatever the fuck."

"Jeez, Dean, no need to get so serious about it!"

They both laughed.

"What am I supposed to do?" Dean sighed, smiling. He took the pipe back from Sam and nursed it delicately between his round lips. "If I don't laugh, I'm going to—"

"GAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

A pained cry from within the house stopped Dean immediately. The men got up and ran inside, knowing exactly what the noise meant. Cas had got up on his hands and knees and was straining, red faced and miserable. Ruby came bolting in from the bedroom.

"Cas!" Dean shouted, rushing to his side. "Is it the egg?"

"Y-yes," Cas muttered, tightening his jaw. He desperately groped around for Dean's touch, his face fixed on staring at the floor. Ruby went to his other side and touched his back gently.

"Remember the last time we did this?" she asked.

"Y-yeah-huh…"

"Take deep breaths, relax…deep breaths…"

Giving birth was a better experience with Dean there. Cas was able to rely on his mate for support, both physically and mentally, and held his arms the entire time. It was a terrible sight for Dean, though. He hated to see Cas in such distress—groaning, crying, panting.

"Almost, almost there," Ruby cooed, keeping an eye on Cas' privates. They no doubt expanded and were readying for the egg laying. "You're doing great!"

"Oooh! H-horrible!" Cas whimpered. He pulled himself into Dean's embrace more and sobbed.

"Cas, it's okay," Dean whispered. It was hard to be calm when he worried so much.

"GaaaAAAAAAAAAH!"

With an earsplitting scream, a soft egg pushed out of Cas' cloaca and right into a blanket that Ruby was holding open for him. Cas was drooling and sweating against Dean, whimpering and trembling greatly.

"It's out!" Ruby said. She smiled to Dean overtop the beta, but Cas was still crying.

"N-no," he sniffed. "It's—aah! WAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Then came a second egg. This took Ruby by surprise and she had to be careful in handling them. "Oh, my Chuck," she gasped. "Cas? How do you feel?"

Cas took a deep breath at last and collapsed into Dean's arms. He closed his eyes and did his best to relax. "Th-that's it…"

"You had two," said Ruby.

"Two?" Cas asked weakly, trying to turn his head to see. Sam and Dean helped him turn onto his back so he could be propped up into Dean's lap and take the eggs.

"How's that possible?" Dean asked. He looked at Sam and Ruby.

"The fairy spots on him," Ruby began. "They make him fertile. They probably increase the size of his clutches."

Blissful with the arrival of two more children, Dean was still focused on the mysteries of the past. He glanced at Sam. "So that's how you're part of the Winchester line but you had three eggs in your clutch."

"I guess," said Sam.

"Does it matter?" Cas asked his partner. "Look at our new eggs…"

They were both a soft cyan like the other one, but neither had a corona of any color. This proved to them that the green circle was a sign of the angel and not a coloring pattern for their offspring. Cas held the eggs close in his arms and leaned back against Dean more.

"Are you gonna be okay with two eggs and a baby?" Dean asked.

"Yes, of course."

"And I'll help, too," Ruby added.

At that moment, the angel baby stirred and whined softy from his crib. It was amazing that he had stayed asleep throughout Cas' egg laying.

"I'll get him," said the fairy. She then promptly brought the baby to the couple and Dean took him.

"Easy, little fella," Dean said, bouncing the baby gently. "Look what happened here! You're going to have two new siblings soon. We'll be a decent family."

Cas looked back at Dean. He was exhausted but smiling nonetheless. "I'm so happy," he whispered. They kissed. "I am so, so happy."

They all slept with great relief after Cas laid his eggs successfully. The baby behaved well, as did Ruby's children. Cas was thrilled to have two more eggs, and this time Dean had been with him to lay them. Life would have been beautiful and perfect had the future not been so dismal. Either way, they spent the next few days relaxing and making the best of their time. Since Sam and Dean would have an indeterminate amount of time to get to know each other, they made a point of staying apart so as to give their loved ones all the attention before leaving.

Dean and Cas would take their young family down to the creek and catch a fish every day. They rested in the sun and played with their infant. His wings were starting to bud more and he would occasionally try and stretch them. It was lucky that they were in the fairy's forest, since wings—though not of the feathered variety—were more common than not and the fairies loved to watch the baby experiment with his. An infant angel was such a mysterious creature. Cas wondered if Sam and Dean would return with more information regarding their child's origins.

Then, at last, Metatron came around one morning and announced that he had finished making supplies for Sam and Dean. The brothers were immediately outfitted in the goods—strong, smooth armor sat over their clothes and gleamed in the early sunlight. It reminded Dean of the guards in Lawrence, only Metatron's was more sleek and stylized. It had different colored metals, too.

Dean brought Ammy and another horse that Sam took care of and hooked them to his old wagon. Cas and Ruby were busy getting supplies ready for their journey. There were few words exchanged.

Before they left, King Ash made a timely appearance. He had a few basketfuls of goods to offer as well.

"This is oil to keep evil spirits away," he explained, pointing to a large, clay urn. He then gestured to a few bags. "Powerful herbs that you can burn to send light beacons into the air. They'll go real high!"

"Damn," said Dean. "That's cool."

"Super cool!" the king agreed. "The rest is self-explanatory. Swords! The finest we have. I've been keepin' 'em for a while!"

Sam pulled a long, shiny blade out from the bag. There were glimmering gemstones in the hilt. "Wow," Sam said, humbled. "It's nice and heavy, too."

"There're more weapons," said King Ash. "You guys are set! Dean? Sam? I wish you the best of luck on your journey!"

"Thanks," said Dean.

"Thank you," Sam added with a slight bow.

The king stepped aside while Sam and Dean got into the wagon. Cas, baby in his arms and eggs in a close by basket, stared up at his mate with the biggest, saddest eyes. Dean frowned back at him.

"I'm sorry, Cas, but you know I gotta go. I'll be back. Remember the last time I promised?" Cas nodded solemnly. "I promise I'll be back. I mean it."

Sam said his teary farewells to his children and kissed Ruby goodbye. The fairy's wings fluttered sadly when they embraced for the last time. His dog, too, stood nearby with an ever-faithful seriousness.

The cart began to pull away but Cas stopped. "Wait," he said. His hand extended out to Dean.

"What's this?"

"Dean, I…I know that this journey will be your most difficult—and dangerous. I feel—I know—that you will do things you don't normally." Cas shook his head as he spoke, tears running down his cheeks. The baby cooed. "And it doesn't matter. You must remember to do what is right, always, just like you say. If it is right to kill people in your way, do it. Please. I…I think…well, no matter what happens, I'll wait for you."

There was an odd sensation in Cas' heart at this moment. He felt energy wrapping around his insides and he cried harder. Dean's face seemed, to him, the only thing that mattered.

"Cas?"

"D-Dean, I will wait forever until you return. Remember that…and this is for you if you forget."

Dean took the object within Cas' damp fist and examined it. At the end of a fine, gold chain sat a crystal that was blue like Cas' eyes. There was a gold casing at the top that attached it to the chain. Dean immediately put it around his neck and hiding beneath his armor.

"You look brave," Cas said, smiling weakly.

"Hah, I guess," Dean laughed bitterly through his nose. He looked down at his mate and tried to smile back. Cas stood there with the baby wiggling in his arms and his hair getting too long. His face was tired and worried. "You look like a mother," said Dean. "You look beautiful. Bye, Cas."

There was nothing left to say. Cas stood next to Ruby and waved until the wagon had disappeared into the forest.