The song here is "You've Got the Love" by Florence + the Machine
You've Got the Love
Anne was cradling Ezekiel in her arms as the Impala roared up the street and then came to a stop in front of their book store. The sign on the door read "Closed", but it was unlocked to welcome the Winchester brothers and Castiel.
They stepped into the store, Dean and Castiel looking relatively happy. Viviane hugged them like she had accepted them as her sons; asking them if they've been taking care of themselves and eating properly.
Anne and Gadreel smiled as they watched, but approached and hugged their guests.
"Long time no see." she said to Sam and Dean as they carefully hugged; sure not to hurt baby Ezekiel. They glanced down at her son, smiling as if sincerely happy to see him again.
"Has he been keeping you up at night?" Sam asked and Anne stroked his face.
"No, he's been really good." She said and they glanced up as Gadreel stood next to her.
At that moment, a raspy voice broke through the silence, making Sam and Dean lose their smiles. Everyone turned around to see Crowley and Clara stand on either side of a little girl in a pink dress.
"As Nephilims usually are." Crowley said. Behind him were two female demons and Nikolai, still with the Mark of Cain. However, Sam and Dean stared at the familiar face behind them all.
"Gabriel?" they asked and he stepped out with a grin.
"Who were you expecting? Santa Claus?" he asked and ignored their confused expressions.
All other eyes fell on the little girl that seemed excited, but unsure of all the new faces staring at her. Clara glanced down at her and offered her hand. The little girl took her hand, looking up with a smile.
They approached and Viviane stepped up beside Anne, smiling at the little girl.
"This must be Keara." She said and Clara glanced up with a smile.
"Keara, this is Viviane, Anne's mother." She said and Keara glanced up at them, but then she became much more interested in the baby. Anne knelt down so Keara could see the baby.
"This is Ezekiel." Anne said and Keara went to touch his little hands that were balled into fists, but he began to stir and make noise. Keara immediately backed away and looked up at her mother with worry in her eyes.
"He can sense the demon in us, but he'll be okay." Clara said and Anne smiled at Keara as she rocked Ezekiel in her arms.
"It's okay." She said and Keara came back, but this time Ezekiel didn't seem to mind her.
"He's cute." She said and Anne looked at Keara, letting out a soft giggle.
"So are you." She said and Keara blushed. "I haven't seen you since you were born." She said and Keara's eyes widened with surprise.
"Really?" she asked, but Anne gave her a small sad smile.
"It was a picture." She said, but Keara didn't take any offense. "You've grown up so much." She added and Keara giggled.
"Mommy says I'll keep growing up and then I'll slow down. Just like her." she said and then smiled in a brief silence. "Can I call you Aunty?" Keara asked and it surprised Anne, but it overjoyed her more than anything. She looked up at Clara who sighed with a slight smile.
"She already does." She said and Anne laughed, looking back at Keara with a smile.
"You sure can." Anne said and then Keara looked up at Gadreel. He knelt down to her level and gave her a smile.
"Can I call you Uncle?" she asked him and his smile only grew.
"Of course." He said and, when she threw her arms around his neck, he hugged her and smiled at Clara. All the years he had known her, now he could understand and feel that affection Anne and Viviane had for Clara.
Keara let go of Gadreel and walked over to Viviane, ignoring her Uncle and her Aunty who stood back up and went to stand by her mother.
"Hello, Keara." Viviane said, knelling down and hugging her. She pulled away, but held Keara's face in her hands. "You're as pretty as your mother." She said and Keara giggled as she blushed.
"You're Aunty Anne's mommy?" she asked and Viviane nodded her head. "Ezekiel is your grandson?" she asked and Viviane nodded her head again. "Are you happy being a grandma?" she asked and Viviane let out a soft laugh.
"Yes, I do." she said, stroking Keara's hair out of her face.
"I had grandmas." Keara said and Viviane gave her a sad smile. "Can you be my grandma too?" she asked with big eyes and a smile. Clara approached with a bit of concern in her eyes, Keara's question taking her by surprise.
"Keara." She said, as she was a little lost for words.
"I can't see why not." Viviane said and then glanced up at Clara who seemed a little uncertain. When she stood up, she smiled at Clara and extended her arms. "I'd be happy to call you my daughter." She said and Clara was stunned, but glanced back at Anne who was beaming.
"I'd like to think we're already sisters." She said and Clara smiled, and then when she turned back to Viviane, accepted that hug. Keara looked at Viviane and her mother hugging and, overjoyed to have an extended family, hugged their legs.
Keara quickly pulled away, ignoring how her mother had a tear forming in her eye as she thanked Viviane, and walked up to Adam, fixing her little pink dress.
"Hi." She said and he knelt down with a smile. "How are you?" she asked and he nodded his head.
"Pretty good. You?" he asked and she giggled, throwing her arms around him, enjoying giving hugs.
"Can you be my Uncle too?" she asked and it was at that moment that the room became eerily silent. Sam and Dean looked down at their brother and Crowley's daughter, uncertain they heard correctly. Even Castiel seemed surprised.
"Really?" Adam asked and when Keara pulled back, she nodded her head with a big smile. "If it's okay with you parents." He said and they both looked at Crowley and Clara. Keara's father didn't seem bothered, but her mother seemed a little confused.
"Keara, do you mean to make everyone here your Uncles?" She said and when Keara nodded her head, Clara glanced at Sam and Dean with a slight grin. "The ball is in your court." She said and they just stared at her as if they couldn't decide on an emotion.
Keara stepped up to Sam, Dean and Castiel with a big smile, as if she was a walking advertisement to adopt a niece.
"Please be my Uncles?" she said as she folded her hands together, placing them under her chin with a slight pouty lip, begging them to accept.
Castiel glanced at Gabriel who simply grinned, as if to say "I told you so". When Castiel glanced back down at this little Cambion, searching to make them all one big family, he could no longer argue Gabriel's point of view. Micah was a fool and so were any other angel that thought hybrids were dangerous monsters. What he saw was part human and precious.
"I'd be happy to." He said, receiving shocked glances from Sam and Dean. However, Keara's little hug of gratitude was all that grabbed his attention.
She stepped away, giving him one last smile, and looked up at Sam and Dean with a hint of sadness in her eyes. The two brothers seemed uncomfortable. Fortunately, Keara couldn't see what was going through their minds.
Crowley had done too much to them. He had hurt and killed people they cared about. He was just as bad as any other demon that gave them grief. For years, they fought against demons and they tried to close down Hell. In the back of their minds, that would be a "dream come true". But here was Crowley's daughter asking them to be her Uncles.
They wanted to say no, but how could they at such a determined little girl with a pouty face and a King and Queen of Hell for parents standing behind her?
As if sensing their hesitation and their preference to be left out of this, Keara approached and waved them to come down to her level. They reluctantly knelt down in front of her and she approached a little bit more, dropping her voice to a whisper.
"I know my Daddy isn't perfect. I know you don't get along. I know the world is full of mean things. It's been mean to you both. It'd been mean to Uncle Adam. It's been mean to Uncle Castiel and my friend Gabriel. It's been mean to Grandma Viviane, Aunty Anne, Uncle Gadreel and baby Ezekiel too, I think." She said, trying to think of everyone. "It's even been mean to my friends Nerilla and Kelley, to my special friend Nikolai and even to my Mommy and Daddy. It's even mean to helpless little cats." She said, looking a little sad. "The only thing that makes it better is family." She concluded and looked at them with hopefully eyes. "It's okay if you don't want to be my Uncles. I'll still be good and I'll still think of you as my Uncles." She said, looking down and about to step back, when Sam let a small smile break through.
"You're right." He said and she looked back at him a little surprised. "Family does make it better." He said and she hugged him so fast that it took him by surprise. She lifted her eyes up to Dean as she continued to hug Sam. He finally sighed and looked away. Keara then hugged Dean and he returned it with one arm.
He glanced back at Crowley, his expression blank, revealing nothing; no disgust, no pride. It seemed he accepted anything that pleased his daughter. Dean glanced down at the little girl and knew she was more like her mother; she wouldn't hurt anyone unless it was to protect someone she loved. But Dean could never forget the bullshit Crowley had done.
Happy, Keara released Dean from her hug and walked back to her mother, who smiled. She didn't seem entirely thrilled, but she was proud nonetheless.
Anne had invited everyone out to the shop in the back where she had moved some stuff around to create a dining space large enough for everyone. She left Ezekiel in his father arms and went upstairs to help her mother.
"I'll help." Clara said and followed them upstairs.
"Me too." Keara said and followed, then glanced over her shoulder and gestured for Nikolai to do the same. He smiled and nudged Gabriel.
"If I have to help, so are you." He said and Gabriel grinned.
"Teammates again." he said and received a cold glare from Nikolai.
Sam and Dean still didn't seem at ease with all the demons around, but Anne was confident that everyone could get along. Even Gadreel didn't seem worried.
The shop had about four tables pushed together to make one long dining table, enough room for everyone. Some things were already prepared such as plates, cutlery, buns, butter, cheeses, pickles and olives, as well as various deserts like fudge and cookies. Sam had to make sure Dean didn't snatch a few cookies.
Anne walked in hold a steaming bowl cushioned on a potholder as to not burn her hands. It smelled like stuffing and then the smell of turkey filled the air as Nikolai stepped in after holding the plate of turnkey. Clara walked in after with the potatoes and gravy, gracefully handling both without a potholder as she wasn't being burnt. Little Keara followed holding the bowl of roasted carrots and peas, licking her lips as if tempted to taste a few carrots on her way to the table, but not the peas; never the peas. Viviane and Gabriel followed in with buttery kernel corn and a vegetable pasta salad.
Viviane sat at the end of the table with Anne, a chair with a car-seat for Ezekiel and Gadreel on one side while Clara, Keara and Crowley were on the other. Castiel and the Winchesters sat on the other side of Gadreel. Beside Crowley were Nikolai, Gabriel, Nerilla and Kelley. Although not everyone at the table needed to eat, they didn't want to ruin the beautiful moment that Keara made possible by making everyone part of her family. And they didn't want to insult Clara's relatives after they worked so hard to make the meal.
"Should we say grace?" Viviane asked, glancing at the demons, being considerate, but then Keara raised her hand with a big smile.
"I say them at home all the time." she replied and Viviane smiled at Clara, finding it to be cute but also searching for approval. When Clara smiled, Viviane looked at Keara and nodded.
"Don't use the same one, Honey." Clara whispered to Keara and she nodded. She usually asked God to Bless Hell, but she agreed that this was different and she had to say something better.
Keara was so happy, but calmed herself and settled back into her chair, looking down at her lap.
"I'm grateful for everyone here being part of my big family." She said and then she was back to being excited. "Let's eat!" she said and began reaching for food that was too far for her to touch. She glanced at her mother who had a slight grin on her lips. She began filling Keara's plate and had to clear her throat when her daughter was about to pick the food and eat it.
"Very lovely, Keara." Viviane said and everyone served themselves, seeming to put aside differences and getting along.
It was about an hour later, everyone dispersed and Crowley gravitated to the corner where Anne had replaced her herbs and potions with bottles of alcohol, using it as a bar. He poured himself a glass of whiskey and it wasn't long before Dean joined him, helping himself to a bottle of beer. They sat in silence for a brief moment, taking a mouthful of alcohol.
"Quite the kid you got there." Dean said and Crowley just gave a half grin as he looked at his whiskey. "For the First Daughter of Hell, she sure is innocent." He added and glanced over at Crowley who continued to stare into his whiskey.
"She's part human." He said so casually. "She's a child. But don't underestimate her. She is her mother's daughter." He added and glanced casually at Dean with a glimmer in his eyes.
They were yet again silent for a brief moment, until Dean thought back to that Keara had said that was something curiously interesting.
"She said she had grandmothers." He said and just stared at Crowley who narrowed his eyes, but didn't seem overly annoyed.
"Clara's mother, who had been gone these many years, and, regrettably," he replied, reluctant to give Dean Winchester a personal detail that he could use to belittle him. "My mother." He concluded, taking a sip of whiskey.
"Your mother?" Dean asked, intrigued to know about this. "The witch?" he added, revealing that he had heard a bit about that when Anne had been attacked.
"Yes, the wretched witch that was nothing but poison in my life." He replied and sipped his whiskey again. Dean just watched on in silence, but Crowley knew he would say something. He never knew when to keep his mouth shut.
"She's dead?" he asked and Crowley met his gaze with an expression that was difficult to read.
"Finally." He replied and looked at his glass of whiskey. "She never wanted a child, yet she kept me; treated me horribly. Once tried to trade me for three pigs." He added and Dean raised an eyebrow, but remained silent for a brief moment.
"If she's dead, why is mommy dearest still tying you into knots?" he asked and Crowley was silent for a few seconds, then met Dean's gaze.
"Because," he began, but paused. "We're family. Blood." He added, knowing that although he was never a good mother, she had brought him into the world.
Dean just looked at him, replaying those words in his mind. He glanced at his beer, thinking of something that meant a lot to him. It seemed he had to share its wisdom with Crowley. Who would have thought?
"It seemed your kid knows more about family than you do." Dean replied and when Crowley narrowed his eyes at him, he continued. "That's not the same thing. A wise man once told me, 'Family don't end in blood', but it doesn't start there either." He said and Crowley looked back at his whiskey, as if that gave him more comfort. "Family cares about you, not what you can do for them. Family's there through the good, bad… all of it. They got your back… even when it hurts. That's family." He said and he was silent for a moment, thinking of how Keara understood that without any difficulty. "Does that sound like your mother?" he asked and Crowley sipped his whiskey.
He was silent for a moment, but the corner of his lips twitched in a half grin.
"It's Clara." He said and Dean nodded.
"There you go." Dean replied and took a sip of his beer. Crowley never had a good stable family in his life and found that in Clara. Yet, when his mother surfaced, it's like he needed a reminder of what he had with Clara. No doubt Keara was a reminder, but hearing Bobby's words seemed to help. Imagine that, playing Dr. Phil with the King of Hell. A lot of strange things all in one night…
"Yes, Keara does have a much better understanding. Perhaps because she has what I didn't." he replied and Dean nodded. Keara had parents that loved her, friends that would protect her and now, people connected to her parents that she felt were family. People like the Winchesters. What a funny thought, but Keara had created peace between them all by gathering them as her family. "And now you're part of it." he added and glanced at Dean with a devious grin. Dean tried not to glare, but turned away and took a quick sip of his beer, eager to use it against Crowley.
"Also means you can't kill me." he replied and Crowley's grin remained.
"Only if you disappoint my Little Girl." Crowley said and swallowed the rest of his whiskey.
Who would have thought he'd have a decent conversation with a Winchester and now inflict a little pain?
Got to say, I really love Rowena's truth just before Lucifer interrupted. I sort of thought it was a married man, but while writing my story, I hadn't thought of it. It was pretty good.