Supernatural: Chronicles of the Order 8

Chapter 38: The Once and Future Fanboy

(DISCLAIMER: No, I don't own Supernatural because it belongs to Eric Kripke and Warner Bros. So, enjoy the show! Rated M for graphic violence, adult content, and adult language.)

It was in the middle of the day as everyone in the Palace of the Imperium was getting ready for the coronation of Valinor's new Emperor. Still, the passing of the torch proved to be a tough one as the new Emperor was busy in his room reading yet another volume in the intensely popular Chronicles of the Order series that spun from the Supernatural books. Florian Mahoney was more than just a statesman and bookworm as he was also a fanboy at heart in which he was nearly done reading The Long and Short of Birth before starting the day with the upcoming coronation at hand. He was more like his mother as he inherited her black hair and grey eyes while he displayed a face that was similar to one of those popular K-pop idols. He was even dressed in traditional Valinorian Imperial clothing that consisted of a kimono with black Elven cape that adorned it. In the imperial sense, he was considered to be "dressed to the nines," but he was also reeling over the death of his father, for he was no stranger in dealing with what was thrown at him.

"There you are!"

Florian turned around as he noticed his mother, the Dowager Empress Sayaka coming into his room as she was wanting him to be with the others in court. The Dowager herself was dressed in a regal red kimono as her black hair was done up with a coral hairpin complete with a black fan in her hand. Still, she was not giving up until Florian heeded to her commands, for he was next in line after the passing of his father.

"Your subjects have been waiting for you ever since your father's funeral," she said.

"My subjects will wait a little longer, Mom," said Florian as he put his book away.

"You've been perusing those Supernatural books again, aren't you?"

"They've been popular for centuries in which the Winchesters of Old went by a code and it meant by the phrase, 'family don't end with blood.' I may have been raised to be indulged, but I can't just act like one of those rich snobs bitching to see the manager in some cafe or something."

"I know it's hard since your father died from that illness that nearly claimed me, but I loved him till the bitter end when he found me in Kolinahr."

"That was when your own family disowned you after you were treated for the same illness that claimed Dad's life."

"What's even worse was that my own father, who I no longer associate with, wanted to make a demon deal to cure me just to stay in the good graces of the religion that bars advanced medicine in place of natural remedies that hardly work. The demon who was summoned wasn't like his other brethren who lived in Hell's boundaries as he refused to grant my father a deal to save me, only to whisk me away to a hospital near Jomon Village where I got treatment for my illness. He was a funny demon who only wore baggy shorts, a tank top, and a hoody, but he also had a moral compass unlike most of his kin. He took pity on me instead of giving my father the demon deal, but after I was in remission, I was shunned by the rest of my family all because of the religion that tethers them to lies and conspiracies that cause problems when it came to medicine. The demon who saved my life saw it to be the last straw as he used a hellhound to kill my father for abandoning me, which was karmic punishment."

"I'm glad that Dad found and married you, but the Mahoney Clan sticks to its guns when it comes to protecting the vulnerable. We're a lot closer to you than you think, Mom."

It wasn't long until Florian saw the doors to his chambers open as he noticed a group of Elven soldiers arriving while kneeling in reverence. He was used to everyone bowing in front of him as he also had duties to attend to. When he followed Sayaka out into the hallway, he saw me and my entourage out in the open as he was aware of me being here. He never expected me to be here as he was more than likely to be wanting to meet me after the coronation, for this was something that he never expected before until now…

Styre was in the kitchen of the slug roe home as he was busy making pancakes for breakfast. Even though he and Gary walked in on Maro and Rikken earlier this morning, he was passing the time by keeping the house clean in which he was also concerned about Maro's activity. Even though the latter was once a female, he changed into male to avert suspicion from everyone, especially with the likes of Abaddon, who's had him targeted for extermination. When Styre now knew of how Maro got a little bit too frisky for his britches, he was concerned about the consequences here once he gets a chance to leave Skald Island.

"You just had to get yourself a little pussy, didn't you, Maro?" he said to himself as he finished up making pancakes. "No wonder Abaddon has you on her shit list…"

It wasn't long until he saw Rikken rushing into the slug roe home as she was all covered in bruises. Even though she left to her master earlier, she was prepared to endure his wrath due to the fact that he wanted to take her virginity first, but lost his chance to Maro. What Styre also didn't expect was that Gary was carrying him into the slug roe home as he was also covered in bruises as well, for both were standing their ground against a tyrant whose only comfort was his own brutality.

"They were defending themselves, but the bastard in the inlands noticed them and pummeled them to no end," said Gary as he set Maro down on the couch.

"Was it Rorik?" asked Styre.

"It was, but he'll get his comeuppance if he continues to brutalize those beneath him," said Maro.

"He knew about it," sobbed Rikken. "He knew of it when he forced me down and shoved his finger into me! When he found out that I was no longer a virgin, he went berserk and struck at me!"

"I bet that Abaddon would love him," said Styre.

"Abaddon would add him to the textures of the wallpaper in Hell's dungeon and she doesn't play favorites," said Maro cautiously as he felt the imprint of raw power glowing. "As for Rikken's predicament, she wasn't the only one who got attacked, for I also took the brunt of Rorik's wrath after protecting Rikken from further abuse."

It wasn't long until the three demons and Rikken saw the door open as they noticed Reiko there. She was aware of what Maro was doing as he was also a victim of a brutal attack. When she went towards him, she began to heal his wounds as she later healed Rikken's as well. Even though she remained calm, she was also most likely to be scolding them afterwards as they were also under the microscope of not only the Executive Division, but Abaddon's wrath as well.

"You two never deserved to be under the wrath of Rorik, but you should also be cautious as well," she said as she was staring at Maro directly. "I know that you're not a member of the Order of Letters, but you also have a very bad habit of being promiscuous."

"You should be thankful that she stepped in to bail your ass out earlier after you got nailed at the front of Kwangya in Motion not too long ago," said Gary.

"Reiko be praised," said Rikken as she bowed in front of her.

"Please, it's not that necessary to be adulant," she said. "All that matters is that you're safe from the man who harmed you."

"But, my lady, I have to be adulant to you… If not, I'll be forced to be blemished with leprosy for the rest of my life."

"Who told you this?"

"It was Bishop Enrico who came from a new religion in your name. That religion is known as Reikology in which it originated on Baratheon after the death of Father Warren. He is a devout priest, but he wants an extremist approach of it while the rest of his brethren want a peaceful existence in the form of a woman who liberated Baratheon from a tyrant. Reikology also views your husband as the Holy Father who bore children in your stead."

"I won't allow someone like Bishop Enrico to cause havoc in my name." Reiko was putting her foot down as she wasn't having it with extremists. "If there is a religion in my name, I want it to be one that shows compassion to those who suffered from such ills and if the Bishop doesn't like it, he can stick it in his poopy-hole."

It wasn't long until Reiko left the slug roe home as the four occupants were grateful that she didn't rat them out. Even Styre was elated that she was here as he felt the imprint of raw power glowing on his leg. He was glad that Maro and Rikken were healed as Reiko had a very kind heart despite the fact that she ended up taking down a religious tyrant on Baratheon. Still, all four occupants were at my wife's mercy as they were safe for now, for they were there to live for another day…

I was in the palace courtyard as I noticed frost on the autumn leaves in which it denoted an early winter. I had my entourage with me as I was seeing the Palace of the Imperium decorated with red and black to bring in the new Emperor the moment he was out in the open with Sayaka. I was wanting to greet them personally, but I couldn't get a chance as they were guarded round the clock. I, too, was also guarded round the clock as I made my way into the assembly hall in which I was sitting in the front row. It wasn't long until I noticed Bruce coming into the hall as he was glad that Florian was taking the throne, for he cared for his nephew after his brother's passing.

"He's got Todd's spark for curiosity," he said.

"You seem very proud of him," I said.

"He has his perks, but he's still a fan of those iconic Supernatural books. His mother still harps on him for reading too much."

"And here come the other admirers who are greeting him in person." I look at some of the many Supernatural fans as they were showing off their memorabilia. "Florian's fans love the stories from the time of the Elder Days."

"Sam!"

I spotted Yokose coming towards me as she was glad to see me. Still, she was hard to ignore as she was also part of the Stauber Clan, but there were others from it that lived on Stohess while the rest lived here on Valinor. What she didn't expect was that I was there with the cane that Bruce gave me in which she noticed that I was no longer pregnant, but recovering as well.

"You were supposed to be resting," she said.

"It's complicated, but I'll manage," I said.

"According to the captain of the Hunter Corps' seventh squad, you experienced a rapid pregnancy in which you ended up getting cut open to deliver your babies."

"So, Dean's been telling everyone about how I gave birth through a caesarian section. I was glad and blessed that my little ones were born, but the side effect of stressful lactation is a problem that won't go away on its own."

"And Neville refuses to let up after he left back to Atreides. As for the other problem, some of the planetary governments have had their fair share of pegging down the Executive Division in which some of the factories that build Darbus Toller's soulless dolls have been destroyed. As for what happens next, there's been a number of planetary embassies that have been established on Erebor after it was discovered two years prior. It's been thriving, Sam, but there's been no royal family to fill the leadership role yet. As for the other planets, the only one that doesn't have an Emperor is Alecrast and their royal family has been ousted from power during the time of the Orc Wars."

"And the last Alecrian Emperor happened to have his family in plain sight, but in the comfort in the Order of Letters," said Bruce. "Emperor Henry was a man of honor, but he was ousted by the Stewards who run Alecrast for all the wrong reasons. The former emperor had a familiar surname and that was none other than Winchester. Still, there are those who are wanting the once revered royal family to return to power, but the Stewards still hold sway and they refuse to share it with everyone who had loyal ties to them."

"Everyone, make way for the Emperor Florian!"

It wasn't long until we saw the new Emperor coming towards the throne as he was being greeted by the royal court of the Imperium. When he was greeting his subjects, he was given a ceremonial sash and crown as they were ordained to be worn, for the priests that surrounded him were ready to crown him on this cold and frosty November day. Even Sayaka was ready to address the new Emperor's ascension as she was happy that he was ready to succeed his late father.

"Citizens of Valinor," she said. "My son, Florian, will succeed my late husband in which the Mahoney bloodline will continue to lead the other clans in the Imperium. I am also humbled to see the presence of the Chatterjee, LaPointe, Trujillo, and Stauber clans here to celebrate this coronation and offer prayers of happiness to their new Emperor. Long life to my son, Emperor Florian!"

Everyone cheered in reverence as Florian was floored to hear such adulation from his subjects. He was happy that he would succeed his father as he later noticed me in the crowd with my entourage. Even though I was still recovering from a caesarian section, I still had to be cautious as I was starting to feel a little discomfort in the area where Reuben and Minara cut me open over a week ago. The pain of it all worried me as I sat down the moment I was feeling where I was lasered up after giving birth. I didn't want to move as I felt the pain get worse in which I nearly fell off of my chair before Minara caught me in time, for I had to be checked out before things got worse.

"It hurts…," I said as I was gasping in pain.

"We have to get him to the hospital! He needs medical attention!" yelled Minara as he got me up from the chair. "I'm terribly sorry that we have to cut and run like this, but this is an emergency."

"Let me help," said Yokose as she helped into getting me out of the assembly hall.

"Aunt Yokose…"

"I take it that you're still in pain, but it's best to take him to the Elrond Ward." Both Minara and Yokose take me out of the assembly hall as we were a different part of the palace. "It's a medical facility, but it also has a few luxury suites that are made for high-risk patients."

"Please, I'm in serious pain here!" I cried as I felt tears streaming down my cheeks.

"Hang in there, Sam," said Minara. "We're getting you there right now."

I was being hauled to where I needed to get to as the pain was starting to reach a critical peak. I was hurting where I was cut open and later lasered shut in which I wasn't up to full recovery just like what happened when I overexerted my raw power to destroy Project Amaterasu two years ago…

I was dreaming as I was in the Men of Letters bunker in which I found myself in my past self's bed once again. Getting up, I walked around as I noticed blood seeping through my clothes in which it poured out even further until I fell onto the floor. It wasn't long until I heard footsteps approaching as I saw a man dressed in black clothing in which he had yellow eyes. He was creepy with his evil smile as he was more than likely to be letting me suffer instead of helping me, for he was wanting me to take his hand, which was pricked the moment I saw blood coming out of it.

"Well, Sam," he said to me. "Aren't you gonna want some?"

I was being tempted as I saw the man's blood on his hand. I was controlled by an unknown force as I felt my own hands attempting to accept what he had. In a brief moment of resistance, I refused as I didn't want to be swayed by temptation by a man with yellow eyes until I felt myself bleeding to death. I was done for until I woke up in a much decorated hospital room in which I had an intravenous drip inserted into my arm. Sitting up, I saw Reuben there as he was checking my vitals in which I was glad that he was here instead of the man with yellow eyes as I was safe while dealing with the pain in my body. Thankfully, the intravenous drip had a pain medicine in it as it was doing its job by numbing it for now, for I still had to stay in bed once again.

"Thank the gods that I didn't bleed to death…," I said as I sat up. "I didn't mean to ruin Emperor Florian's coronation so hastily. This is never fun for me after giving birth, which is on par with the overexertion of my raw power."

"You didn't ruin the coronation, Sam," said Reuben as he inserted a thermometer in my mouth. "If you lingered longer in the assembly hall, you would've been toast. Thankfully, the new Emperor steeped into books in which he had some medical knowledge on how to manage the pain after giving birth."

"It's highly unlikely that you're still hanging on," said Florian as he entered into the room. "This isn't your first rodeo with being hospitalized, is it?"

"Sam's no stranger into being hospitalized, but most of the time, it's mainly for assessments and tests on the raw power that he has." Reuben takes out the thermometer from my mouth as he noticed that I had a high fever. "The current temperature is 100.4. If it were up to 107, you would've been in grave danger."

"That's very comforting to hear," I said.

"It's like what your past self went through in The Great Escapist," said Florian. "He was a wreck after sensing the presence of Metatron."

"I know that it's awkward, but I gave birth almost two weeks ago and I'm still in pain."

"I read it in The Long and Short of Birth in which you suffered the worst after the King of Heaven placed your twins from Reiko's womb and into your own. I was about to finish reading it until Mom made me greet the commoners in my coronation."

"I'm glad that you succeeded your father, Your Majesty. It's sad that he passed from cancer."

"Yeah, but it's one hell of a challenge to fill his shoes, though."

It wasn't long until Yokose entered into the room as she was worried about me. Still, she was revered in her field, but she mainly shooed everyone out of the room as she wanted to talk to me personally. She was wanting to tell me about a personal problem of hers as she saw me still trying to rest up, for she knew about what I suffered from.

"It seems that the twins came out earlier than expected," she said to me.

"I may have been relieved that they're out, but the pain afterwards still plagues me," I said.

"You weren't the only one who endured a caesarian section that was painful, Sam. When I was carrying my third and final child, I developed complications in which I couldn't give birth naturally. After I had Fidel, I was in intense pain in which I ended up hospitalized for a whole year. The people who demanded me to give birth the natural way were the same group of religious nutjobs who live outside of Jomon Village. My late husband's clan despises them for shunning those who chose urgent care instead of using natural remedies and methods in which they are known as the Children of the Natural Sepulcher. Dowager Empress Sayaka took the full brunt of their shunning in which she was happily married to Todd until he passed away."

"I never knew of it until now…"

"Even though you're the second man in the Order to give birth, there's a huge reason to keep you grounded in the first place."

"Jack had a hand into putting my babies into me, which was needed to keep me in my furlough after the demise of Sawney Masbath and the destruction of Project Amaterasu two years ago. Still, I had to keep on my furlough in order to fully heal from the overexertion of my raw power that I had. It nearly killed me, but I did it so that the Sol-3 wouldn't destroy Westeros."

"Something else is bothering you besides giving birth, isn't there?" I nodded sincerely. "You had a bad dream about Azazel, didn't you?" I nodded again. "I know those things because a High Elf can sense dreams that can be troubling. In your nightmare, you saw him there with his hand bleeding, but you resisted at the last minute."

"He was tempting me, but I couldn't let him do it. He was goading me to have a taste of his blood while I was bleeding to death in my dream."

"If only Ippei were still alive… Still, a dream like that is a cause for alarm in which there are those who are wanting Azazel's resurrection to happen. If he is brought back to life, he'll more than likely to be challenging Abaddon for Hell's throne." Yokose fishes out my pocketwatch as she hands it over to me. "This watch will protect you. Keep it on you at all times, okay?"

I nodded as I opened up my pocketwatch in which I was still marveling at the craftwork that resonated with it. The gemstone that was on it glowed as it resonated with the raw power that I had in me. I was happy that I was putting my health first as I also had to heal while I looked at the pocketwatch, for I was feeling more lucky than just being bedridden all the time…

Castiel was on his way to the Elrond Ward as he was concerned about the health scare that I had. He was aware of what happened to me as he had a feeling that his angelic abilities weren't enough to heal me due to the damage I sustained all over my body. When he went towards the Elrond ward, it was heavily guarded by Elven sentries as there were a few extra by my room. He was aware that going into my room wouldn't be easy as he had to wait it out a bit in order not to arouse any suspicion. Just as he was about to go towards my room, he noticed Damien making his way into the Elrond Ward in which he was mainly on guard duty, for he was also concerned about my condition like the rest of my entourage.

"There's no chance into going in there by any means, Castiel," he said. "The security here in the Elrond Ward is dressed to the nines when it comes to being on guard."

"There's no way I can reach Sam at this point, is there?" he said.

"Elves here can sense the presence of angels and demons. If you ended up in the crosshairs, they'll use an angel banishing sigil without warning."

"Sam is damaged both physically and mentally in which my own angelic abilities can't be able to heal him up to full. All I can do is to provide temporary relief."

"Well, he did have that caesarian section." Damien's left eye changes to its raw power imprinted self as he senses evil coming. "There's a threat coming towards the Elrond Ward and it's after Sam!"

"I know of it too well…" Castiel's right arm glows as he was aware of the evil in plain sight that was lurking somewhere. "We have to warn your father. We can't let whoever is here go after Sam, no matter what gets thrown at us."

"I take it that you saw something like this before, haven't you?"

"More than you know…"

Castiel and Damien were on full alert as they had to search for the presence that was lurking in plain sight. Once again, I was a target as I was also the ultimate prize in an unwavering power struggle, for my life was never easy from the get-go as it seems…

Minara was in the palace library as he was looking at the many books that were on the shelf. Even though medicine and lore were his expertise, he was mainly staring at the newspaper that featured Glen Barnett on the front page in which he picked it up. He was reading how the Supernatural spin-off series, Chronicles of the Order became number one on the top ten must-read series due to the popularity in which there was no end to the meta effect when it came to the testament of the Winchester Gospel. When he put the newspaper, he noticed Florian looking at some of the books on the shelf as he was also wanting to put some of his private collection in there. Even though he was the new Emperor of Valinor, he still had an avid way of reading books in which he was staring at the iconic collection that was penned by Carver Edlund and Nathan Hofstra respectively, for it was very huge indeed.

"You have a thing for the Supernatural books," said Minara.

"I've always loved how they delve into the lore in which the Winchesters of Old had to deal with plenty of monsters and how to kill them," said Florian.

"Even though the works of Carver Edlund and Nathan Hofstra have been around for centuries, the popular Chronicles of the Order series has shotputted up to number one."

"I always loved the companion piece to the Supernatural books, but the eighth installment mainly got a few review bombers due to the fact that there's less action and more suffering. I've read A Pocketful of Drowners in which the Sam of Old had to help Manuel Esparza take out a drowner nest, which leads to the events on Cordell Island."

"You've read about the current ones, I take it…"

It wasn't long until Minara noticed an Elven sentry enter into the library as he just stood there and stared at both him and Florian. Suspicion filled the air as Minara had a gut feeling that the sentry wasn't there to guard the new Emperor in which he had to protect him at any cost, for he couldn't trust those that the public least suspects.

"You seem silent for a sentry," he said.

"And you seem too gullible for an Incubator, Lord Minara," said the sentry as his eyes flashed black.

"No way…" said Florian as he was shocked to see the sentry coming towards him.

"Get to safety!" yelled Minara.

It wasn't long until the sentry closed the doors as he was more than likely to kill the new Emperor in front of Minara. What the sentry didn't know was that Florian had a salt shaker in his pocket as he unscrewed it to get it out of there. With the salt blown in his face, the demon that was possessing the sentry was temporarily incapacitated as both Minara and Florian fled into one of the quiet rooms in which it was dark. Without his scimitars, Minara was screwed as he saw the sentry burst into the quiet room to attack, only to find that he was stunned in the center. When Florian turned on the light, he saw the sentry imprisoned in a Devil's Trap above the ceiling as he couldn't get out of it, for it was strongly made from Elven paint.

"You think you can stop me from snatching up Sam?! Think again!" the sentry yelled.

"Really? It's a shame that you ended up chasing us, only to fall victim to your folly," said Minara.

"Everyone is after Sam and you know it! Even though he no longer has the bun in the oven, he's easy pickings. Hell, he can make a good sacrifice to resurrect Azazel just to piss off Abaddon!"

"Not today!" Minara begins to recite the Rituale Romanum as the demon was struggling to get out of the Devil's Trap on the ceiling. "Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus, omnis satanica potestas, omnis incursio." He sees the demon trying to hold onto the sentry. "Infernalis adversarii, omnis legio, omnis et secta diabolica. Ergo draco maledicte, et omnis legio diabolica adjuramus te. Cessa decipere humanas creaturas; eisque aeternae Perditionis venenum propinare. Vade, Satana; inventor et magister omnis fallaciae, hostis humanae salutis. Humiliare sub potenti manu dei, contremisce et effuge; invocato a nobis sancto et terribili nomine, quem inferi tremunt. Ab insidiis diaboli, libera nos, Domine. Ut Ecclesiam tuam secura tibi facias libertate serviere te rogamus, audi nos. Terribilis Deus de sanctuario suo. Deus Israhel ipse virtutem truderit et fortidudinem plebi suae. Benedictus Deus, Gloria Patri!"

At that moment, the demon was expelled from the sentry's body as it was gone. Florian never saw an exorcism before as he was floored to see Minara doing it. With the demon gone for another day, everyone was safe for now as the doors to the library opened up in which Castiel and Damien burst in with their weapons in their hands. When they got into one of the quiet rooms where Minara and Florian were, they noticed the sentry slowly getting up as he was wondering where he was before he got possessed, for no one was safe in the walls of the Palace here.

"What happened here?" asked the sentry as he felt disoriented.

"You were possessed by a demon," said Florian.

"I'm terribly sorry, Your Majesty. I wasn't in control until I felt something slide down my throat and took over my body."

"There's no need to apologize," said Minara. "What we also should worry about is that Sam is safe here."

"We should get back to Sam," said Damien. "We can't leave his side for too long."

"Sam is in no further danger," said Castiel as he put away his sword. "With the demon threat averted, there's also the fact that there are those who would stop at nothing to claim him as the ultimate prize. We can't let that happen because of the fact that the first three Projects were destroyed, which leaves Project Helios in mind."

It wasn't long until Damien's eye flashed to its raw power form as he rushed out of the quiet room and looked at something out the window. He noticed a white crow perched on top of one of the maple trees as it was a troubling omen. He had heard of stories about white crows being the bane of good luck as he had a feeling that something was coming, for Project Helios was still waiting in the wings…

I woke up as I noticed that Yokose was gone. With the pocketwatch in my hands, I was still marveling at it as I decided to keep it on me for good luck. Sitting up in my hospital bed, I felt the pain medication doing its work as I wasn't hurting as much. Even though I endured a caesarian section, I was doing my best to manage my pain as I later noticed my pectorals leaking. This kind of embarrassment was the worst for me as I wanted to go back home to my family, for I was missing them terribly. When I noticed Reuben enter into my hospital room, he noticed my problem as he had to remedy the situation, for he had to examine me while he was armed with a breastpump in his hands.

"I don't need to be milked right now," I said. "It's just a little leakage, that's all."

"'A little leakage?'" said Reuben as he opened up my robe. "It's all that stress that's causing you to produce a lot of colostrum after you gave birth." He places the breastpump onto one of my pectorals as I felt it pumping the milk out of me. "Even though most women who endure caesarian sections end up in pain after giving birth, some of them endure stress lactation like what you're going through right now."

"That's very comforting to hear…"

"And it seems that you've reached your limit." Reuben takes off the breastpump as he unscrews the top part and sees the container part that was filled with what was taken out of me. "This will go for analysis, but—"

"I'll take that," said Reiko as she appeared out of nowhere while she had the twins in tow. "And don't forget the rubber nipple on the container." She sees Reuben get it out as he screwed it on top the moment she gave me Kazuko while she was holding Giles. "Our little ones are hungry anyway." She sits down on the chair next to my bed as she takes the container of breastmilk with the rubber nipple in order to feed Giles. "The little ones can sense Sammy leaking, so I come and assist in the feeding."

It wasn't long until I felt Kazuko latching onto me as I allowed her to nurse while Reiko was doing the rest. Still, Reuben was relieved that I wasn't too stressed out as he also wasn't about to let me off the hook the moment he got out a test tube the moment he unscrewed it and put it towards the pectoral that got pumped earlier. The pinching allowed me to make a little more milk as I saw it flowing in the test tube the moment Reuben put the cap on it and close it tight. Even though it was uncomfortable, I endured it as I later finished feeding Kazuko the moment I felt her unlatching while I held her up. The face of satisfaction on her was awkward as I saw her smiling for the first time before I later burped her, for she got her due dinner after all.

"You're getting better at it," said Reuben as he was astonished to see me helping out with the feedings. "As for what you went through, it's a godsend that you haven't been stressed out after you gave birth."

"He's good with our little ones," said Reiko as she was finished with feeding Giles. "Even though it's the women who give birth, Sammy did so for a reason so he wouldn't go back on the field in his condition."

"It was helpful, but there's still the problem with Project Helios on the horizon," I said as I was holding Kazuko in my arms. "It'll take a while before I get back on my feet after what I went through in the past two years."

"You went up against Sawney Masbath," said Reuben. "You also went in and destroyed Project Amaterasu on the Sol-3. It's more than enough for you to recover in your convalescence after all those times helping us with the raw power that you have. It's also a godsend that Jack shifted your babies into you so you wouldn't have to be forced back on the battlefield in your condition. I also know that you have feelings of both helplessness and hopelessness every time that you get bogged down by your mental health."

"He knows," said Reiko as she takes Kazuko out of my arms. "I'll see you home, Sammy, and please don't do too much. You did give birth to our little darlings, didn't you?"

I saw Reiko leave with the babies without a trace as I was glad that I had her help out with them. When I laid back down, I was still feeling sore, but not too much as I had to stay put after what happened to me. I was put through the ringer with what was put in front of me as I curled up in my warm blanket. Still, my efforts to greet Florian were a bust as I was stuck with the lingering side effects of the caesarian section that I had. What I didn't expect from myself was that I was weeping as I couldn't tolerate the pain that ended up making a comeback without warning. Unfortunately, I never told Reuben about the nightmare that I had in which I nearly became tempted into drinking the blood from his hand. It shook me to the core as I didn't want to fall into despair, for it scared me to the core.

"You're hiding something, aren't you?" he said to me as he was seeing me weeping.

"I had a bad dream of Azazel standing in front of me," I said as I sat up.

"I've heard of him before. In the Elder Days, he was known to cause havoc in which he targeted the Princess Mary of Old after she made a deal to resurrect our father's past self. When your past self was born, Azazel visited the old Winchester house in Lawrence, Kansas, where he fed the infant a drop of his demon blood. When the past self of Princess Mary caught him in the act, she paid the price when he killed her with her dead body on the ceiling. After that, the house caught fire and the surviving occupants fled, but the damage was already done."

"Wait!" cried Florian as he rushed into my room. "I read the first story of the Supernatural books in which your past self and Dean's reunited to find out that the past self of Emperor John didn't return from his hunting trip. That was also when the infamous la llorona kept killing unfaithful men until she was stopped in her own home."

"That's hopeful, but I'm still not up to snuff," I said as I wiped the tears from my face.

"Giving up hope is far more worse than dying," said Reuben. "You destroyed Project Apollo, Project Ra, and Project Amaterasu. You've saved our asses time and time again, Sam. You can't just go in with guns blazing while you haven't recovered from the overexertion of your raw power."

"He's right about this, Sam," said Florian. "I've read about the current struggles that you face when you got plucked from your furlough in chapter twelve of A Simple Moment of Recovery. It also stated that you had trouble walking in which you had to remain in a wheelchair after standing up for too long. I even watched Lord Minara exorcise a demon after it possessed one of my sentries earlier."

I was stunned to hear that a demon slipped through as I had a gut feeling that it would be coming towards me. When I saw Castiel, Minara, and Damien enter into the room, they were adamant into protecting me as I had no problem with their presence, for they were also concerned about what was going on after dealing with a demon earlier. Even though I was safe for the time being, I couldn't be away from the microscope for too long as I had no choice but to be under the protection of the helicopter parents who were there for me, for I was used to it so far…

Reiko was in the nursery as she was there with the other children. The sight of Zia and Zoran playing with their blocks was comforting for her as she also noticed Samantha and Mary-Rose chewing on their teething toys. It wasn't long until she saw Aora and Ghimru coming home from preschool as they were bringing home their pictures that consisted of fingerpaints and construction paper. She didn't mind it as she was glad that they were home before the weather got worse. With the newest set of twins sleeping in their bassinet after their feeding, Aora wanted to see them, but he was barred by Carly as she came into the nursery.

"Don't wake them up," she said cautiously. "Reiko just fed them and you shouldn't make too much noise."

"I wanna see them," said Aora.

"I know that you want to see them, but they had their dinner, sweetheart," said Reiko.

"Is it true that Daddy carried them?"

"It's true," said Carly. "I was scared at first in which I thought that Mr. Sam had a giant parasite in his belly."

"But it's the mommies who carry the babies, not the daddies!"

"Shh! You'll wake up the babies," said Reiko cautiously.

Carly went towards the bassinet as she checked up on the sleeping babies. She was happy that they didn't wake up yet as she was vigilant into protecting them. It wasn't long until she heard the sound of blocks falling on the floor as she later noticed Kazuko and Giles waking up from their nap. The sound of their cries filled the nursery as Carly picked up the twins one by one and placed them in the rocking chair. When she noticed Zoran trying to climb onto the rocking chair, she shooed him off as she was gently rocking them back to sleep. Reiko was ready to help to tend to the little ones as she picked them up and sat back down in the rocking chair. It was then that she was rocking them to sleep as she was surrounded by Carly and the other children, for they cared about her more than anything.

"There you go, my little darlings," she said.

"Mr. Sam help to carry the babies, so we should be careful with them," said Carly.

"The little ones have their perks, but I also have to keep them fed as well."

"They eat too much," said Ghimru.

"As I recall, you also ate too much as a baby, young man." Reiko wasn't having it as she didn't want Ghimru to be rude. "Don't forget, you had an appetite in which you wanted seconds. You also have a habit for pulling Daddy's hair as a baby."

"I hope that Daddy's okay… I can't stand it when he's sick all the time. No…, when I grow up, I wanna be a doctor so that I can help Daddy get better. He's done so much for us, but I wanna do a lot more for him…"

"Mommy, there's a white bird on one of the trees outside," said Aora as he looked at it.

Reiko got up as she carefully put the babies back in their bassinet. When she walked towards the window, she saw a white crow perched on one of the trees near the castle as she had a bad feeling that there would be danger looming, for it couldn't be ignored forever…

To be continued...