Home in Motion: A Supernatural Dean/Cas Fanfic Ch. 6
Title: Home in Motion
Story Summary: Castiel swore he was done with spur of the moment decisions that permanently changed Dean Winchester's life. A year after the angel's most disastrous, his newest may present the largest challenge of Dean's life: Fatherhood.
Pairing: Dean/Cas eventually.
Chapter: 6 Soul Man
Chapter Summary: Morning comes, and introductions are made.
Warnings: Spoilers through the end of season 6 and potential spoilers for events in 7, though for the sake of the story's flow, season 7 didn't happen the way it did in the show. (I just may need to borrow beasties.) Though this story includes fatherhood, this is not an mpreg fic.
Previous Chapters Here
Chapter 6
Soul Man
"Strong souls/ live like fire-hearted suns to spend their strength/ in farthest striving action; breathe more free/ in mighty anguish than in trivial ease."
George Eliot, The Spanish Gypsy
"Dean, tell Sam I'll be along in a minute. Need to talk to Featherhead here."
Dean looked at Bobby, at Cas and then back to Bobby. "OK..." he said, drawing out each syllable. "Don't kill him. He's great backup when things go south." He looked to Cas. "I'll have my cell on if you need anything with the kid."
Cas nodded and turned his attention back to Bobby. "I need some explanations," the hunter said after Dean left the hotel room. "I heard the story from Dean, but I'm not entirely sure I trust his perspective. He ain't exactly Ward Cleaver at the moment, but he ain't normal Dean, either."
The angel pulled out a toy from the black backpack that had been serving as the diaper bag and handed it to Johnny. "I know. I didn't expect this. I was trying to calm him and to make him understand. I hardly thought it would bypass the awkwardness I anticipated when I first brought Johnny here."
"What did you do to him?" Bobby asked as he watched the angel sit on the bed beside the spot on the floor where Johnny played.
"I showed him Johnny's soul. As I could see it, feel it."
"His soul?" Bobby asked.
"It is like Dean's in so very many ways," Cas replied. "I recognized that the moment I was able to touch it. It was grasping out, reaching for its real family." The angel showed so very little emotion much of the time that to see the small, sad smile spread across his face troubled Bobby. "'Every longing of the Soul is holy. That life, with the Soul predominant, is a noble mosaic, a bewitching arabesque.'"
"That a biblical quote? Because I'm not familiar with it."
Cas shook his head. "Dean insisted I expand my 'notable quotables.' He found the bible references tiring, apparently. It's Edwin Liebfreed, not my Father's work directly. But nonetheless true." He looked down at the baby now gnawing on a colorful toy. "I showed Dean Johnny's soul to get him to understand that this boy needed someone, and I thought maybe Dean would realize just how closely his own soul reverberated with Johnny's."
"Did you show him his own?" Bobby asked as he sat down on the other bed.
The look that he got for even asking that question told Bobby that he'd just said something very, very stupid. "Of course not." The angel glanced down at Johnny who had scooted across the floor close enough to tug at the track pants he'd borrowed from Dean. Cas readily picked the boy up and held him on his lap. Bobby had to admit that Johnny seemed to have an effect on the angel as much as he had on Dean. He wondered if the two had even thought to test the boy with holy water or silver, just to be safe.
It struck him that he'd been a hunter too damned long if he suspected something underhanded just because the boys--and that included Cas--seemed happy.
"Imagine if you were an overall optimistic, happy person," Cas said. He met his eyes and spoke in that tone he used when he was trying to explain something to Dean when he was being thick. "This may be a little difficult for you."
"Kiss my ass, Cas," Bobby immediately snapped back, though it didn't appear that Cas was making a jab at him, but instead was telling the truth. He wasn't sure which was worse.
"Imagine if I showed you your soul, the pure essence of that happiness and optimism, and you felt it double or triple what you normally felt it. You would be feeling a high for the better part of a day." Bobby nodded. That made some sense. "Now imagine Dean's soul, that weight he carries in it and what it would mean to have that doubled, tripled."
Bobby's eyes widened. "He wouldn't be able to get to a gun quick enough to blow his own brains out."
"Exactly." The angel ran his hand over Johnny's head. "He's not a demon, by the way. I checked. He's a normal little boy."
"With a soul that 'reverberates.'" Bobby couldn't help the sarcasm in his voice. It came as second nature to him.
"No differently than yours does to the Winchesters. Blood means nothing when a person's being intends for someone to be family."
"What if someone doesn't have a soul, but has, let's say, grace." Bobby offered him a smirk because none of them could deny that they considered Cas to be family. Dean had told him so on at least one occasion, Bobby and Sam several--Dean's single admission probably amounted to more than all of the times from Bobby and Sam combined. Bobby had never actually heard Cas say the same. For the most part, he referred only to other angels as his brothers.
Johnny leaned against Cas's chest, causing the angel to look down at the boy. Though Bobby had thought Cas was adapting quite well to his own parental role--because it was fairly obvious that Cas was and probably would be Johnny's other caregiver--he saw the startled look in his eyes and the split second of awkwardness as Cas patted the baby's back. Cas wasn't perfectly at ease with this. He was feeling clumsy and was merely being an incredible actor most of the time. And knowing that made the hunter feel just a bit more relaxed about it.
"Apparently, it can do the same," Cas answered. The angel looked almost bewildered at the thought, but not disturbed. Bobby guessed it wasn't something Cas had ever really had to think about before, but was starting to do in greater detail.
"Dean's soul, do you see it--or feel it--all the time?"
"I have learned to put it in the background. He does not make that easy sometimes."
Bobby scoffed. "I can't even see the damned thing and I know that." The older man found himself frowning, then meeting Cas's eyes. "Is he at least... I don't know, getting better?"
"I believe so," Cas answered, and Bobby had to take him at his word.
Story Summary: Castiel swore he was done with spur of the moment decisions that permanently changed Dean Winchester's life. A year after the angel's most disastrous, his newest may present the largest challenge of Dean's life: Fatherhood.
Pairing: Dean/Cas eventually.
Chapter: 6 Soul Man
Chapter Summary: Morning comes, and introductions are made.
Warnings: Spoilers through the end of season 6 and potential spoilers for events in 7, though for the sake of the story's flow, season 7 didn't happen the way it did in the show. (I just may need to borrow beasties.) Though this story includes fatherhood, this is not an mpreg fic.
Previous Chapters Here
Chapter 6
Soul Man
"Strong souls/ live like fire-hearted suns to spend their strength/ in farthest striving action; breathe more free/ in mighty anguish than in trivial ease."
George Eliot, The Spanish Gypsy
"Dean, tell Sam I'll be along in a minute. Need to talk to Featherhead here."
Dean looked at Bobby, at Cas and then back to Bobby. "OK..." he said, drawing out each syllable. "Don't kill him. He's great backup when things go south." He looked to Cas. "I'll have my cell on if you need anything with the kid."
Cas nodded and turned his attention back to Bobby. "I need some explanations," the hunter said after Dean left the hotel room. "I heard the story from Dean, but I'm not entirely sure I trust his perspective. He ain't exactly Ward Cleaver at the moment, but he ain't normal Dean, either."
The angel pulled out a toy from the black backpack that had been serving as the diaper bag and handed it to Johnny. "I know. I didn't expect this. I was trying to calm him and to make him understand. I hardly thought it would bypass the awkwardness I anticipated when I first brought Johnny here."
"What did you do to him?" Bobby asked as he watched the angel sit on the bed beside the spot on the floor where Johnny played.
"I showed him Johnny's soul. As I could see it, feel it."
"His soul?" Bobby asked.
"It is like Dean's in so very many ways," Cas replied. "I recognized that the moment I was able to touch it. It was grasping out, reaching for its real family." The angel showed so very little emotion much of the time that to see the small, sad smile spread across his face troubled Bobby. "'Every longing of the Soul is holy. That life, with the Soul predominant, is a noble mosaic, a bewitching arabesque.'"
"That a biblical quote? Because I'm not familiar with it."
Cas shook his head. "Dean insisted I expand my 'notable quotables.' He found the bible references tiring, apparently. It's Edwin Liebfreed, not my Father's work directly. But nonetheless true." He looked down at the baby now gnawing on a colorful toy. "I showed Dean Johnny's soul to get him to understand that this boy needed someone, and I thought maybe Dean would realize just how closely his own soul reverberated with Johnny's."
"Did you show him his own?" Bobby asked as he sat down on the other bed.
The look that he got for even asking that question told Bobby that he'd just said something very, very stupid. "Of course not." The angel glanced down at Johnny who had scooted across the floor close enough to tug at the track pants he'd borrowed from Dean. Cas readily picked the boy up and held him on his lap. Bobby had to admit that Johnny seemed to have an effect on the angel as much as he had on Dean. He wondered if the two had even thought to test the boy with holy water or silver, just to be safe.
It struck him that he'd been a hunter too damned long if he suspected something underhanded just because the boys--and that included Cas--seemed happy.
"Imagine if you were an overall optimistic, happy person," Cas said. He met his eyes and spoke in that tone he used when he was trying to explain something to Dean when he was being thick. "This may be a little difficult for you."
"Kiss my ass, Cas," Bobby immediately snapped back, though it didn't appear that Cas was making a jab at him, but instead was telling the truth. He wasn't sure which was worse.
"Imagine if I showed you your soul, the pure essence of that happiness and optimism, and you felt it double or triple what you normally felt it. You would be feeling a high for the better part of a day." Bobby nodded. That made some sense. "Now imagine Dean's soul, that weight he carries in it and what it would mean to have that doubled, tripled."
Bobby's eyes widened. "He wouldn't be able to get to a gun quick enough to blow his own brains out."
"Exactly." The angel ran his hand over Johnny's head. "He's not a demon, by the way. I checked. He's a normal little boy."
"With a soul that 'reverberates.'" Bobby couldn't help the sarcasm in his voice. It came as second nature to him.
"No differently than yours does to the Winchesters. Blood means nothing when a person's being intends for someone to be family."
"What if someone doesn't have a soul, but has, let's say, grace." Bobby offered him a smirk because none of them could deny that they considered Cas to be family. Dean had told him so on at least one occasion, Bobby and Sam several--Dean's single admission probably amounted to more than all of the times from Bobby and Sam combined. Bobby had never actually heard Cas say the same. For the most part, he referred only to other angels as his brothers.
Johnny leaned against Cas's chest, causing the angel to look down at the boy. Though Bobby had thought Cas was adapting quite well to his own parental role--because it was fairly obvious that Cas was and probably would be Johnny's other caregiver--he saw the startled look in his eyes and the split second of awkwardness as Cas patted the baby's back. Cas wasn't perfectly at ease with this. He was feeling clumsy and was merely being an incredible actor most of the time. And knowing that made the hunter feel just a bit more relaxed about it.
"Apparently, it can do the same," Cas answered. The angel looked almost bewildered at the thought, but not disturbed. Bobby guessed it wasn't something Cas had ever really had to think about before, but was starting to do in greater detail.
"Dean's soul, do you see it--or feel it--all the time?"
"I have learned to put it in the background. He does not make that easy sometimes."
Bobby scoffed. "I can't even see the damned thing and I know that." The older man found himself frowning, then meeting Cas's eyes. "Is he at least... I don't know, getting better?"
"I believe so," Cas answered, and Bobby had to take him at his word.