Home in Motion: A Supernatural Fanfic Ch. 7
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: 7 Call the Dog Whisperer
Chapter Summary: Cas is left to care for Johnny.
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 involves fatherhood, this is not an mpreg fic.
Previous entries
Chapter 7
Call the Dog Whisperer
"I've seen a look in dogs' eyes, a quickly vanishing look of amazed contempt, and I am convinced that basically dogs think humans are nuts."
John Steinbeck, American author
Sam tried his hardest not to shudder as he realized that the woman behind the counter was flirting with Bobby, pretty hard and heavy, too. The woman, who appeared to be in her fifties, was on the curvy side, but Sam didn't notice Bobby complaining. In fact, he seemed to be channeling his own mojo. And if the thought of Bobby having "mojo" wasn't disturbing as hell, nothing was.
Sam finally lost his battle against an involuntary indication of his disgust--because no one wants to see their father or father figure actively trying to get some action--as Bobby asked for just a moment of the doctor's time and maybe "a certain lovely lady's telephone number."
He was about to tell Bobby to stop, since it was getting them nowhere and starting to make him just a little nauseated because Sam's own brain had decided to take that moment to remind him that he and Bobby were sharing a hotel room. However, the doctor came along shortly after and escorted them both to one of the examining rooms. Sam very nearly wanted to kiss the veterinarian just out of gratitude for the rescue. The woman was about his age and definitely attractive with her long, dark hair and hazel eyes, so it wouldn't have exactly been a hardship.
If Dean had been there, he would have been playing with the rows of cotton swabs and various pet medical products on the shelf against the far wall of the examination room. The man had a complete inability to leave things alone. That included attractive women like the vet. A lot of the trouble they landed in was due in large part to his brother, much as Sam might have loved the idiot.
There were some times when he was grateful to be partnered up with Bobby, since they were able to get straight to business without the hassle.
"We're here to talk to you about Gretchen Walker and George Masters's husky, Bright Eyes," Sam said with a smile to the woman. With a name like Bright Eyes, it was no wonder that the skinwalker had decided to turn on its owners.
"Terrible when something like that happens to an animal," the vet said. "But it does happen from time to time. Though for a husky, this is very strange."
Her demeanor was contrite. She knew that something with the husky had been handled inappropriately, and between Sam and Bobby, they would find out what.
"It isn't really common procedure, Dr. Roth, is it?" Bobby asked. "I mean, you put it down without any time for observation and cremated it immediately."
"I didn't know yet what Bright Eyes had done. Mrs. Walker brought him in saying he'd been hit by a car. She said she didn't want to provide treatment for him. It wouldn't have taken much to patch him up, but she wouldn't have it. She only wanted him put down. I don't like euthanizing as an option to saving an animal, I really don't, but the shelter can't afford to take in those animals and ... I can't take them all." She gave a small, sad smile. "I have four cats with thirteen legs among them, a goat and a dog with one eye. My staff too, Poor Louise has three dogs with behavior issues.
"And I don't know if you've met her, but Ms. Walker is not someone you mess with when she wants something." Sam had to agree based upon Dean's account of the woman. The words "grade A bitch" had come up multiple times as they spoke. There had been no report by anyone that the dog had been hit by anything, but he'd make a note to check the woman's car and perhaps other potential weapons. Apparently Ms. Walker had one hell of a temper and taste for revenge that would rival the Winchesters'.
"You put him down immediately, then? No questions?" Bobby asked.
The veterinarian gave Sam a look that clearly told him the first victim's widow was not a woman to be trifled with. "She let me inspect him, but she came into this office wanting him to be put down. He was injured, and it isn't uncommon for pet owners to decide the bills are just too much." The woman seemed to feel guilty that she hadn't realized that Ms. Walker had had an ulterior motive in putting the dog down, or that she had probably been the one to hit it with the car. "I knew he was suffering and that if I performed the euthanization, Bright Eyes wouldn't suffer more than he already was."
The woman was young for a vet running her own business and every single twitch of her body language showed her embarrassment at this misstep. "And Ms. Walker would have put me out of business."
Sam didn't really doubt that last statement. Both victims had been wealthy, and for all that they could gather on Gretchen Walker and her late husband, they had a hell of a lot of power in this small town, most of it wielded by Ms. Walker. Given the woman's demonstration of her vindictiveness--seeking to handle the skinwalker herself rather than calling animal control after it had killed her husband--it wasn't difficult to imagine what she could have done to this small town verinarian.
"It was only hours later when word reached me about her husband's death the night before. It's a small town, and I'm surprised it took this long. Usually Louise is a bit of a go..." The vet gave a small smile and stopped herself from calling her assistant a gossip. "Well, she's got her finger to the pulse of the town, so to speak."
"What happened when you found out?" Bobby asked.
"All hell broke loose," Dr. Roth said. Sam had difficulty imagining this quiet woman becoming that angry. "Not with me." She placed her hands in the pockets of her white coat. "With everything else. Bright Eyes had already gone to the crematorium, we had to thoroughly sterilize the place, and anyone who handled him, including myself, has been undergoing treatment for possible rabies and anything else he might have been carrying. You have no idea how many shots that involves."
"Yeah," Bobby said. "I do. For rabies, at least."
Sam instinctively placed his hand at the woman's shoulder and told her that he was very sorry to hear that. It was obvious she regretted how the situation occurred, but beneath her quiet demeanor, she was also visibly angry at the woman who had placed her in this position. He couldn't blame her for that, though he had to admit some small amount of gratitude that the "dog" was dead. The amount of drugs they pumped into the thing would have knocked it out, maybe even make it seem dead, but it wouldn't have actually killed it.
The fire, though, that was a different story.
Yet, his mind pointed something out that didn't mesh with the story they had gotten from Ms. Walker. If he was right on this little detail, his life was about to get much, much more complicated. "I believed that Ms. Walker was under the impression that the crematorium was located in your offices somewhere.'
"I told her that he would be incinerated immediately, but I thought it was fairly obvious that my offices couldn't possibly accommodate a cremation facility. It's just an hour from here, and Bright Eyes was taken about a half hour after I put him down."
Well, now they couldn't be so sure that the husky was out of the picture. Damn.
#
Castiel had approached the park a little bewildered about what to do with Johnny. When children were older, they seemed to instinctively know how to play, but at the baby's age, he would need to have Castiel's guidance. When it came to childish pursuits, he couldn't really be of much help. Thankfully, the angel saw a woman pushing a child just a little older than Johnny on the swings; it made sense to at least follow her example.
Some of the swings had no real support for a child his age, but the one nearest the mother looked like it was designed similar to the seat Dean had purchased for the Impala. Castiel set the backpack full of baby supplies on the ground behind the swing and tried to maneuver Johnny's legs so they would fit properly into the holes. The baby didn't look upset, but he did seem completely oblivious to Castiel's goal of getting him into the seat and was in no way helping him achieve it.
The angel managed to feed one leg, then the other through the openings in the swing, and with a relieved sigh at finally succeeding, he moved behind it to give a gentle push. Gentle, however, wasn't quite what happened given his frustration level, so he might have used a little of his grace to keep Johnny from going too fast. Dean would kill him if he scarred the boy for life. He wouldn't be pleased with himself, either.
Johnny was not vocal like the child next to him. There were no loud squealing noises or shouts of "More" from the little boy, but Cas got his reassurance he was doing something right when Johnny turned around in the seat to look back at him and grin.
Given that angels were created as fully formed beings, he had never quite understood the reason that humans had to go through childhood when they were so weak and vulnerable. Why would anyone procreate if they knew they would have something as reliant upon them as a baby? The warm feeling spreading through his chest as Johnny looked up at him with a level of adoration worthy of an angel and yet so very different seemed to be the answer.
He kept pushing well past the point when the woman beside him grew tired of pushing her toddler and had moved him to play on the slides. Castiel imagined that he would spoil Johnny, given the his body never grew weary of these repetitive motions. If he were honest with himself, his mind was no more tired than the rest of him. He found it increasingly rewarding each time the boy looked up at him with that adoring smile or let out a rare giggle.
Making Johnny laugh proved nearly as difficult as it was to do the same for Dean, and it was equally as pleasing, though in a different way.
Such small things, the laughter of a child, the smell of freshly cut grass, they had always enthralled him far more than they did his brothers. But having a connection, a family he cared about had irrevocably tied him to this amazing world his Father had made. Perhaps the most remarkable thing about it was that he was still learning. After four years of watching over the Winchesters, he was still finding new and fascinating things about the world.
He lost himself in the rhythm of pushing Johnny, only to notice the small dog park that adjoined the playground. It may have been paranoia--he doubted it--but he would have sworn that a Collie was staring at him. His brows furrowed as he frowned and decided that the swings were much too close to the dog park for him to feel comfortable with Johnny's safety. He slowed the swing and lifted the baby out of the seat. It took more effort than he'd expected, as though the plastic contraption was a monster of a different sort, one that had decided it was not going to relinquish its infant prize so easily.
He quickly snagged the back pack and made his way over to some bouncing contraption that looked vaguely like a horse and was labeled for children six months old and up. Johnny was ten months, so that would be suitable, and it would get them away from what could possibly be countless monsters in disguise. He was now more certain than ever that the Collie was staring at him, as it still hadn't broken its eye contact, despite his move.
Moments like these, he hated that the various shifter races weren't discernible from their human or animal counterparts. Despite being an angel, he was no more aware than the Winchesters of which creatures were the monsters and which were not. And much to his chagrin, the dog park was full of animals, any of whom could be one of the things they were in town to hunt.
For Johnny's sake, he tried to pretend that nothing was wrong. He had told Dean he would take Johnny to play in the park, and he planned to keep that promise. If that coincided with keeping a close eye on a potential skinwalker, so be it. He would stay as close to Johnny as was possible. Once he could get him into the ride, that was. It was just as difficult to maneuver Johnny into this seat as it had been with the swing, but once in, the child seemed to enjoy the odd rocking, bouncing horse-thing, especially when he realized he was the one in control of it.
Castiel took the opportunity while Johnny was entertaining himself to get his cell phone out of the pack--because these pants did not contain pockets, nor did the shirt, a terrible flaw in their design--to call Dean. He kept a close eye on his charge, who was currently looking up at Castiel with a look of awe and pure joy. He offered a small smile in return as he waited for Dean to answer.
A light early summer breeze blew through the playground, only serving to remind Castiel that he was so open in just Dean's clothing. He could not quite say he felt naked like this, but it certainly was unpleasant. It felt especially so, since he found himself the object of a stare-down. One small favor was the fact that the Collie's owner had him leashed and collared, but the dog would not stop staring, even as its owner began to tug.
"Cas? Something wrong with the kid? You okay?" Dean's voice immediately asked as he picked up the phone. Dean knew that if Castiel was using this infernal contraption, it was because he had to, not because he wanted to ask about Dean's day.
"I believe I have spotted a third skinwalker. A Collie."
"Where?"
"A dog park near the playground. Its owner is leaving the park. What do you want me to do?" Normally, Castiel wouldn't ask. He would have approached the owner, got whatever information they needed and given the suspicious dog a quick inspection, but with Johnny, he couldn't risk it. He was uncertain of his actions for once and honestly afraid of what might happen if he made the wrong decision.
"God, Cas..." Dean said in a quiet whisper. "We need to know the owner's name, address so we can track the dog, but... you have Johnny. Shit, Cas. Being a parent sucks if you're a hunter. Why didn't I remember this when I agreed to this whole thing?"
"I can protect him," Castiel said. He knew he would. He didn't care if it meant having to disappear in front of people, even risk not protecting someone else for the sake of the little boy. Johnny would be safe while he was in Castiel's care. "I will speak to the owner."
"Look, you just... take care of yourselves," Dean said. There was a worry that crept into the man's voice, worry for both of them.
"I will not let you down." Castiel meant it, too. He would not fail Dean, not on this hunt and most certainly not with Johnny.
"Never thought you would, Cas. Call me as soon as you have some info." Castiel turned off the cell phone and stuck it back in his pack. He tried to ignore the smile that crept to his face and the lightness in his chest at the words Dean had so freely given him. He had thought it would be many years, if ever, before Dean would express such trust in him after he'd worked with Crowley.
Castiel slung the bag on this back and retrieved Johnny from the bouncing thing. His grip on the child was tighter than usual and his stance as protective as he could manage in Dean's slightly oversized clothes. "I'm certain your father was hoping it would be longer before you got involved in a hunt." Johnny just looked up at Castiel and gave him a contended smile. "Perhaps it is best that you are too young yet to understand this should be frightening."
The baby tightened his fingers in the borrowed white T-shirt and rested his cheek against the angel's chest. Humans were such small, fragile things, even as they grew up they tried to pretend that they weren't. Dean was a professional in the act, but Castiel had always seen through it. Johnny was just as fragile, but despite his mother's best efforts had yet to learn that he must rely only on himself. He seemed quite pleased to have the angel's protection.
"Excuse me," Castiel said as he approached the man with the Collie. "Excuse me, Sir."
The man paused before turning around and looking at Castiel, as though he wasn't sure the angel was talking to him. He seemed genuinely confused by the "sir," it seemed.
"That is a very ..." He searched for an appropriate word. "... amazing dog you have."
"Um, thanks... Not mine, though," the man said as he shifted the dog's leash to his other hand. "I'm just the walker."
Castiel searched through his mind for something to spark a conversation, something that would let Dean know the owner's name, at the very least. A lack of human interaction, particularly the kind that involved pets, was not helping him in his search for something worthwhile to say. "What is the owner's name? I have a friend seeking to breed her Collie and might be interested in this ... fine specimen."
He had seen an episode of Dr. Sexy, M.D. once where Dr. Sexy had gone to an animal breeder to find a puppy to offer as an apology present for "being an ass" to Dr. Ellen Piccolo. He just hoped he could maintain the lie long enough to find out the owner's information.
"Oh, well, you'd have to talk to Dr. Kasabian," the dog walker--was that really even a profession?--said. "Tiran Kasabian. He works at the University, but he'd probably be interested."
"Thank you," Castiel said, remembering at the last minute to offer a smile. He watched the man and the Collie, which was still watching him closely, left in the same direction as the hotel. Castiel thought it was best to give them a slight head start before he returned to the room, so he turned the opposite direction on Main Street while keeping an eye on the retreating figures at the other end of the road.
At the first opportunity, he would need to call Dean, but he would only do so once he was safe, and the angel did not consider walking around a crowded street when these skinwalkers could be any one or any dog he passed as safe. Johnny, however, had no concept of the danger and large green eyes were busy taking in anything and everything they passed. Castiel had a suspicion that there were times he looked as naive as the child in his arms, wondering at his Father's creation.
A sudden knocking on glass made Castiel start. He had not thought to observe the shops for suspicious characters, and that had been shortsightedness on his part. What he saw, instead, was the blonde from Wal-Mart waving happily at him and encouraging him to come inside what looked to be a jewelry store. It would serve as a place of safety, and he had to admit to himself at least that he needed one, and perhaps once inside he could give Dean a phone call to prevent him from worrying, as he knew the hunter was with each minute he didn't hear from Castiel.
Bells tinkled above the door as they entered the small shop. "Hi, Cas, Johnny. Welcome to my humble business. It isn't much, but I'm just getting started."
"It is quite nice," Castiel said, for want of something better to say. "You own the shop?"
"And design the jewelry. I do more business online, but enough locally it made sense to have a brick and mortar place of my own." Castiel initially wanted to point out that the building was actually cement and granite but thought better of it. Either it was a turn of phrase he didn't know or he would be rude to point out an obvious error.
Emma smiled and leaned over the glass counter so she could tickle a finger beneath Johnny's chin, which caused the baby to squirm and giggle. "Hey there little guy." She gave Castiel a quick glance. "You are looking much more casual than when I last saw you."
He looked down at his clothes. For a split second he had forgotten the lack of his suit and trenchcoat. "These are Dean's. He felt I should wear something a little more relaxed if I was going to be taking Johnny to the park."
Emma gave him a warm smile. "Did you forget to pack them along with Johnny's things?"
"I... do not think of such things. Dean is much better at preparing for travel." He had to remember to behave like a normal human and not suggest that he had only one set of clothing. This woman seemed to believe that he and the hunter were close enough to travel together, so this seemed a reasonable statement.
"Is Dean around? I thought maybe the four of us could grab something for lunch. The Italian place opens at noon."
"I am sure he would be willing," he said. "I can give him a call." He tried in vain to reach his phone out of the pack while still holding Johnny. This was definitely not going to be a simple task as long as his arm and upper body were devoted to supporting the 10-month-old.
"You can just set him on the counter while you get your phone. I'll keep an eye on him." Castiel knew he wouldn't leave Johnny's care entirely up to this woman that he'd just met, but he could sense her soul, and it was bright and pleasant. There was no darkness there, nothing tinging its innate beauty. She was not going to intentionally harm the boy, though he couldn't be sure she wouldn't do so unintentionally.
Still, Johnny was placed in a seated position on the counter while Emma put a hand at the baby's thigh to hold him in place and the angel did the same at his waist. Without his small burden, he was able to maneuver so that he could get the phone from the bag and dial Dean's number.
"You okay? I was starting to worry." There was no need for hellos with the Winchesters. Usually, a phone call was because someone required assistance or was a means of assuring the other person of one's health, as this one did.
"We are fine," Castiel reassured him. "I am currently in a shop on Main Street. Emma from Wal-Mart owns it."
"She's standing right there, so you can't actually tell me what happened."
"That's right," Castiel replied with a smile in Emma's direction. He was getting much better at this deception thing. Dean would be proud.
"But you found out the owner's address."
"He's a professor at the college. Dr. Tiran Kasabian." Castiel watched as Emma proceeded to entertain Johnny with necklace full of colorful stones and crystals. The baby's eyes widened in wonderment as it reached for the shimmering object. "But Emma has invited us for lunch at an Italian restaurant."
"We might be able to ask her about what has been going on in town," Dean said. "And I'm not going to turn down a good meal."
"That was my thinking as well. And since she is being so nice to Johnny right now, I believe we should treat her to lunch."
"Treat her? You sound like it's your money you're offering away, you know that, Cas?" Dean sounded a little irritated at him, but Castiel really didn't care if he was or not. The girl had unintentionally provided a refuge for the angel and Johnny. They owed her something.
"It is not exactly yours either," Castiel replied, knowing that the statement probably made little sense to the woman currently entertaining Johnny and trying to pretend that she wasn't listening in on the conversation.
"Fine, but I get the credit for buying lunch."
"As you wish," Castiel said, noting an unusual giggle from the young woman behind the counter. "Her shop is located at..." He picked up a business card from the counter, letting his hand leave Johnny for only a moment before returning to its spot of holding the baby in his position. "... 10105 Main Street. We will see you shortly. Goodbye, Dean."
There was a click on the other end and Castiel hung up his own phone. "You two are adorable," Emma said. "'As you wish.'" She apparently took note the blank look he gave her. "Princess Bride? Please tell me you've seen The Princess Bride." All the angel could do was shake his head. He had seen princess brides before. He had even taken some notice of the royal wedding when he had been trying to find something to watch on the hotel television. Yet, Emma was looking at him like this was an important pop culture reference the angel was missing out on.
"You are so deprived," she said, looking slightly horrified but still as friendly as ever. "You and Dean should make a night of it. I think you'd both like the movie. I don't know anyone who doesn't" She grinned and shrugged. "But then again, Most of my friends have the same sense of humor."
Castiel picked Johnny up once again and began to walk about the room, giving the boy the chance to look around at the colorful bobbles around the room. "Still adorable, though."
Chapter 8 Here
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: 7 Call the Dog Whisperer
Chapter Summary: Cas is left to care for Johnny.
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 involves fatherhood, this is not an mpreg fic.
Previous entries
Chapter 7
Call the Dog Whisperer
"I've seen a look in dogs' eyes, a quickly vanishing look of amazed contempt, and I am convinced that basically dogs think humans are nuts."
John Steinbeck, American author
Sam tried his hardest not to shudder as he realized that the woman behind the counter was flirting with Bobby, pretty hard and heavy, too. The woman, who appeared to be in her fifties, was on the curvy side, but Sam didn't notice Bobby complaining. In fact, he seemed to be channeling his own mojo. And if the thought of Bobby having "mojo" wasn't disturbing as hell, nothing was.
Sam finally lost his battle against an involuntary indication of his disgust--because no one wants to see their father or father figure actively trying to get some action--as Bobby asked for just a moment of the doctor's time and maybe "a certain lovely lady's telephone number."
He was about to tell Bobby to stop, since it was getting them nowhere and starting to make him just a little nauseated because Sam's own brain had decided to take that moment to remind him that he and Bobby were sharing a hotel room. However, the doctor came along shortly after and escorted them both to one of the examining rooms. Sam very nearly wanted to kiss the veterinarian just out of gratitude for the rescue. The woman was about his age and definitely attractive with her long, dark hair and hazel eyes, so it wouldn't have exactly been a hardship.
If Dean had been there, he would have been playing with the rows of cotton swabs and various pet medical products on the shelf against the far wall of the examination room. The man had a complete inability to leave things alone. That included attractive women like the vet. A lot of the trouble they landed in was due in large part to his brother, much as Sam might have loved the idiot.
There were some times when he was grateful to be partnered up with Bobby, since they were able to get straight to business without the hassle.
"We're here to talk to you about Gretchen Walker and George Masters's husky, Bright Eyes," Sam said with a smile to the woman. With a name like Bright Eyes, it was no wonder that the skinwalker had decided to turn on its owners.
"Terrible when something like that happens to an animal," the vet said. "But it does happen from time to time. Though for a husky, this is very strange."
Her demeanor was contrite. She knew that something with the husky had been handled inappropriately, and between Sam and Bobby, they would find out what.
"It isn't really common procedure, Dr. Roth, is it?" Bobby asked. "I mean, you put it down without any time for observation and cremated it immediately."
"I didn't know yet what Bright Eyes had done. Mrs. Walker brought him in saying he'd been hit by a car. She said she didn't want to provide treatment for him. It wouldn't have taken much to patch him up, but she wouldn't have it. She only wanted him put down. I don't like euthanizing as an option to saving an animal, I really don't, but the shelter can't afford to take in those animals and ... I can't take them all." She gave a small, sad smile. "I have four cats with thirteen legs among them, a goat and a dog with one eye. My staff too, Poor Louise has three dogs with behavior issues.
"And I don't know if you've met her, but Ms. Walker is not someone you mess with when she wants something." Sam had to agree based upon Dean's account of the woman. The words "grade A bitch" had come up multiple times as they spoke. There had been no report by anyone that the dog had been hit by anything, but he'd make a note to check the woman's car and perhaps other potential weapons. Apparently Ms. Walker had one hell of a temper and taste for revenge that would rival the Winchesters'.
"You put him down immediately, then? No questions?" Bobby asked.
The veterinarian gave Sam a look that clearly told him the first victim's widow was not a woman to be trifled with. "She let me inspect him, but she came into this office wanting him to be put down. He was injured, and it isn't uncommon for pet owners to decide the bills are just too much." The woman seemed to feel guilty that she hadn't realized that Ms. Walker had had an ulterior motive in putting the dog down, or that she had probably been the one to hit it with the car. "I knew he was suffering and that if I performed the euthanization, Bright Eyes wouldn't suffer more than he already was."
The woman was young for a vet running her own business and every single twitch of her body language showed her embarrassment at this misstep. "And Ms. Walker would have put me out of business."
Sam didn't really doubt that last statement. Both victims had been wealthy, and for all that they could gather on Gretchen Walker and her late husband, they had a hell of a lot of power in this small town, most of it wielded by Ms. Walker. Given the woman's demonstration of her vindictiveness--seeking to handle the skinwalker herself rather than calling animal control after it had killed her husband--it wasn't difficult to imagine what she could have done to this small town verinarian.
"It was only hours later when word reached me about her husband's death the night before. It's a small town, and I'm surprised it took this long. Usually Louise is a bit of a go..." The vet gave a small smile and stopped herself from calling her assistant a gossip. "Well, she's got her finger to the pulse of the town, so to speak."
"What happened when you found out?" Bobby asked.
"All hell broke loose," Dr. Roth said. Sam had difficulty imagining this quiet woman becoming that angry. "Not with me." She placed her hands in the pockets of her white coat. "With everything else. Bright Eyes had already gone to the crematorium, we had to thoroughly sterilize the place, and anyone who handled him, including myself, has been undergoing treatment for possible rabies and anything else he might have been carrying. You have no idea how many shots that involves."
"Yeah," Bobby said. "I do. For rabies, at least."
Sam instinctively placed his hand at the woman's shoulder and told her that he was very sorry to hear that. It was obvious she regretted how the situation occurred, but beneath her quiet demeanor, she was also visibly angry at the woman who had placed her in this position. He couldn't blame her for that, though he had to admit some small amount of gratitude that the "dog" was dead. The amount of drugs they pumped into the thing would have knocked it out, maybe even make it seem dead, but it wouldn't have actually killed it.
The fire, though, that was a different story.
Yet, his mind pointed something out that didn't mesh with the story they had gotten from Ms. Walker. If he was right on this little detail, his life was about to get much, much more complicated. "I believed that Ms. Walker was under the impression that the crematorium was located in your offices somewhere.'
"I told her that he would be incinerated immediately, but I thought it was fairly obvious that my offices couldn't possibly accommodate a cremation facility. It's just an hour from here, and Bright Eyes was taken about a half hour after I put him down."
Well, now they couldn't be so sure that the husky was out of the picture. Damn.
#
Castiel had approached the park a little bewildered about what to do with Johnny. When children were older, they seemed to instinctively know how to play, but at the baby's age, he would need to have Castiel's guidance. When it came to childish pursuits, he couldn't really be of much help. Thankfully, the angel saw a woman pushing a child just a little older than Johnny on the swings; it made sense to at least follow her example.
Some of the swings had no real support for a child his age, but the one nearest the mother looked like it was designed similar to the seat Dean had purchased for the Impala. Castiel set the backpack full of baby supplies on the ground behind the swing and tried to maneuver Johnny's legs so they would fit properly into the holes. The baby didn't look upset, but he did seem completely oblivious to Castiel's goal of getting him into the seat and was in no way helping him achieve it.
The angel managed to feed one leg, then the other through the openings in the swing, and with a relieved sigh at finally succeeding, he moved behind it to give a gentle push. Gentle, however, wasn't quite what happened given his frustration level, so he might have used a little of his grace to keep Johnny from going too fast. Dean would kill him if he scarred the boy for life. He wouldn't be pleased with himself, either.
Johnny was not vocal like the child next to him. There were no loud squealing noises or shouts of "More" from the little boy, but Cas got his reassurance he was doing something right when Johnny turned around in the seat to look back at him and grin.
Given that angels were created as fully formed beings, he had never quite understood the reason that humans had to go through childhood when they were so weak and vulnerable. Why would anyone procreate if they knew they would have something as reliant upon them as a baby? The warm feeling spreading through his chest as Johnny looked up at him with a level of adoration worthy of an angel and yet so very different seemed to be the answer.
He kept pushing well past the point when the woman beside him grew tired of pushing her toddler and had moved him to play on the slides. Castiel imagined that he would spoil Johnny, given the his body never grew weary of these repetitive motions. If he were honest with himself, his mind was no more tired than the rest of him. He found it increasingly rewarding each time the boy looked up at him with that adoring smile or let out a rare giggle.
Making Johnny laugh proved nearly as difficult as it was to do the same for Dean, and it was equally as pleasing, though in a different way.
Such small things, the laughter of a child, the smell of freshly cut grass, they had always enthralled him far more than they did his brothers. But having a connection, a family he cared about had irrevocably tied him to this amazing world his Father had made. Perhaps the most remarkable thing about it was that he was still learning. After four years of watching over the Winchesters, he was still finding new and fascinating things about the world.
He lost himself in the rhythm of pushing Johnny, only to notice the small dog park that adjoined the playground. It may have been paranoia--he doubted it--but he would have sworn that a Collie was staring at him. His brows furrowed as he frowned and decided that the swings were much too close to the dog park for him to feel comfortable with Johnny's safety. He slowed the swing and lifted the baby out of the seat. It took more effort than he'd expected, as though the plastic contraption was a monster of a different sort, one that had decided it was not going to relinquish its infant prize so easily.
He quickly snagged the back pack and made his way over to some bouncing contraption that looked vaguely like a horse and was labeled for children six months old and up. Johnny was ten months, so that would be suitable, and it would get them away from what could possibly be countless monsters in disguise. He was now more certain than ever that the Collie was staring at him, as it still hadn't broken its eye contact, despite his move.
Moments like these, he hated that the various shifter races weren't discernible from their human or animal counterparts. Despite being an angel, he was no more aware than the Winchesters of which creatures were the monsters and which were not. And much to his chagrin, the dog park was full of animals, any of whom could be one of the things they were in town to hunt.
For Johnny's sake, he tried to pretend that nothing was wrong. He had told Dean he would take Johnny to play in the park, and he planned to keep that promise. If that coincided with keeping a close eye on a potential skinwalker, so be it. He would stay as close to Johnny as was possible. Once he could get him into the ride, that was. It was just as difficult to maneuver Johnny into this seat as it had been with the swing, but once in, the child seemed to enjoy the odd rocking, bouncing horse-thing, especially when he realized he was the one in control of it.
Castiel took the opportunity while Johnny was entertaining himself to get his cell phone out of the pack--because these pants did not contain pockets, nor did the shirt, a terrible flaw in their design--to call Dean. He kept a close eye on his charge, who was currently looking up at Castiel with a look of awe and pure joy. He offered a small smile in return as he waited for Dean to answer.
A light early summer breeze blew through the playground, only serving to remind Castiel that he was so open in just Dean's clothing. He could not quite say he felt naked like this, but it certainly was unpleasant. It felt especially so, since he found himself the object of a stare-down. One small favor was the fact that the Collie's owner had him leashed and collared, but the dog would not stop staring, even as its owner began to tug.
"Cas? Something wrong with the kid? You okay?" Dean's voice immediately asked as he picked up the phone. Dean knew that if Castiel was using this infernal contraption, it was because he had to, not because he wanted to ask about Dean's day.
"I believe I have spotted a third skinwalker. A Collie."
"Where?"
"A dog park near the playground. Its owner is leaving the park. What do you want me to do?" Normally, Castiel wouldn't ask. He would have approached the owner, got whatever information they needed and given the suspicious dog a quick inspection, but with Johnny, he couldn't risk it. He was uncertain of his actions for once and honestly afraid of what might happen if he made the wrong decision.
"God, Cas..." Dean said in a quiet whisper. "We need to know the owner's name, address so we can track the dog, but... you have Johnny. Shit, Cas. Being a parent sucks if you're a hunter. Why didn't I remember this when I agreed to this whole thing?"
"I can protect him," Castiel said. He knew he would. He didn't care if it meant having to disappear in front of people, even risk not protecting someone else for the sake of the little boy. Johnny would be safe while he was in Castiel's care. "I will speak to the owner."
"Look, you just... take care of yourselves," Dean said. There was a worry that crept into the man's voice, worry for both of them.
"I will not let you down." Castiel meant it, too. He would not fail Dean, not on this hunt and most certainly not with Johnny.
"Never thought you would, Cas. Call me as soon as you have some info." Castiel turned off the cell phone and stuck it back in his pack. He tried to ignore the smile that crept to his face and the lightness in his chest at the words Dean had so freely given him. He had thought it would be many years, if ever, before Dean would express such trust in him after he'd worked with Crowley.
Castiel slung the bag on this back and retrieved Johnny from the bouncing thing. His grip on the child was tighter than usual and his stance as protective as he could manage in Dean's slightly oversized clothes. "I'm certain your father was hoping it would be longer before you got involved in a hunt." Johnny just looked up at Castiel and gave him a contended smile. "Perhaps it is best that you are too young yet to understand this should be frightening."
The baby tightened his fingers in the borrowed white T-shirt and rested his cheek against the angel's chest. Humans were such small, fragile things, even as they grew up they tried to pretend that they weren't. Dean was a professional in the act, but Castiel had always seen through it. Johnny was just as fragile, but despite his mother's best efforts had yet to learn that he must rely only on himself. He seemed quite pleased to have the angel's protection.
"Excuse me," Castiel said as he approached the man with the Collie. "Excuse me, Sir."
The man paused before turning around and looking at Castiel, as though he wasn't sure the angel was talking to him. He seemed genuinely confused by the "sir," it seemed.
"That is a very ..." He searched for an appropriate word. "... amazing dog you have."
"Um, thanks... Not mine, though," the man said as he shifted the dog's leash to his other hand. "I'm just the walker."
Castiel searched through his mind for something to spark a conversation, something that would let Dean know the owner's name, at the very least. A lack of human interaction, particularly the kind that involved pets, was not helping him in his search for something worthwhile to say. "What is the owner's name? I have a friend seeking to breed her Collie and might be interested in this ... fine specimen."
He had seen an episode of Dr. Sexy, M.D. once where Dr. Sexy had gone to an animal breeder to find a puppy to offer as an apology present for "being an ass" to Dr. Ellen Piccolo. He just hoped he could maintain the lie long enough to find out the owner's information.
"Oh, well, you'd have to talk to Dr. Kasabian," the dog walker--was that really even a profession?--said. "Tiran Kasabian. He works at the University, but he'd probably be interested."
"Thank you," Castiel said, remembering at the last minute to offer a smile. He watched the man and the Collie, which was still watching him closely, left in the same direction as the hotel. Castiel thought it was best to give them a slight head start before he returned to the room, so he turned the opposite direction on Main Street while keeping an eye on the retreating figures at the other end of the road.
At the first opportunity, he would need to call Dean, but he would only do so once he was safe, and the angel did not consider walking around a crowded street when these skinwalkers could be any one or any dog he passed as safe. Johnny, however, had no concept of the danger and large green eyes were busy taking in anything and everything they passed. Castiel had a suspicion that there were times he looked as naive as the child in his arms, wondering at his Father's creation.
A sudden knocking on glass made Castiel start. He had not thought to observe the shops for suspicious characters, and that had been shortsightedness on his part. What he saw, instead, was the blonde from Wal-Mart waving happily at him and encouraging him to come inside what looked to be a jewelry store. It would serve as a place of safety, and he had to admit to himself at least that he needed one, and perhaps once inside he could give Dean a phone call to prevent him from worrying, as he knew the hunter was with each minute he didn't hear from Castiel.
Bells tinkled above the door as they entered the small shop. "Hi, Cas, Johnny. Welcome to my humble business. It isn't much, but I'm just getting started."
"It is quite nice," Castiel said, for want of something better to say. "You own the shop?"
"And design the jewelry. I do more business online, but enough locally it made sense to have a brick and mortar place of my own." Castiel initially wanted to point out that the building was actually cement and granite but thought better of it. Either it was a turn of phrase he didn't know or he would be rude to point out an obvious error.
Emma smiled and leaned over the glass counter so she could tickle a finger beneath Johnny's chin, which caused the baby to squirm and giggle. "Hey there little guy." She gave Castiel a quick glance. "You are looking much more casual than when I last saw you."
He looked down at his clothes. For a split second he had forgotten the lack of his suit and trenchcoat. "These are Dean's. He felt I should wear something a little more relaxed if I was going to be taking Johnny to the park."
Emma gave him a warm smile. "Did you forget to pack them along with Johnny's things?"
"I... do not think of such things. Dean is much better at preparing for travel." He had to remember to behave like a normal human and not suggest that he had only one set of clothing. This woman seemed to believe that he and the hunter were close enough to travel together, so this seemed a reasonable statement.
"Is Dean around? I thought maybe the four of us could grab something for lunch. The Italian place opens at noon."
"I am sure he would be willing," he said. "I can give him a call." He tried in vain to reach his phone out of the pack while still holding Johnny. This was definitely not going to be a simple task as long as his arm and upper body were devoted to supporting the 10-month-old.
"You can just set him on the counter while you get your phone. I'll keep an eye on him." Castiel knew he wouldn't leave Johnny's care entirely up to this woman that he'd just met, but he could sense her soul, and it was bright and pleasant. There was no darkness there, nothing tinging its innate beauty. She was not going to intentionally harm the boy, though he couldn't be sure she wouldn't do so unintentionally.
Still, Johnny was placed in a seated position on the counter while Emma put a hand at the baby's thigh to hold him in place and the angel did the same at his waist. Without his small burden, he was able to maneuver so that he could get the phone from the bag and dial Dean's number.
"You okay? I was starting to worry." There was no need for hellos with the Winchesters. Usually, a phone call was because someone required assistance or was a means of assuring the other person of one's health, as this one did.
"We are fine," Castiel reassured him. "I am currently in a shop on Main Street. Emma from Wal-Mart owns it."
"She's standing right there, so you can't actually tell me what happened."
"That's right," Castiel replied with a smile in Emma's direction. He was getting much better at this deception thing. Dean would be proud.
"But you found out the owner's address."
"He's a professor at the college. Dr. Tiran Kasabian." Castiel watched as Emma proceeded to entertain Johnny with necklace full of colorful stones and crystals. The baby's eyes widened in wonderment as it reached for the shimmering object. "But Emma has invited us for lunch at an Italian restaurant."
"We might be able to ask her about what has been going on in town," Dean said. "And I'm not going to turn down a good meal."
"That was my thinking as well. And since she is being so nice to Johnny right now, I believe we should treat her to lunch."
"Treat her? You sound like it's your money you're offering away, you know that, Cas?" Dean sounded a little irritated at him, but Castiel really didn't care if he was or not. The girl had unintentionally provided a refuge for the angel and Johnny. They owed her something.
"It is not exactly yours either," Castiel replied, knowing that the statement probably made little sense to the woman currently entertaining Johnny and trying to pretend that she wasn't listening in on the conversation.
"Fine, but I get the credit for buying lunch."
"As you wish," Castiel said, noting an unusual giggle from the young woman behind the counter. "Her shop is located at..." He picked up a business card from the counter, letting his hand leave Johnny for only a moment before returning to its spot of holding the baby in his position. "... 10105 Main Street. We will see you shortly. Goodbye, Dean."
There was a click on the other end and Castiel hung up his own phone. "You two are adorable," Emma said. "'As you wish.'" She apparently took note the blank look he gave her. "Princess Bride? Please tell me you've seen The Princess Bride." All the angel could do was shake his head. He had seen princess brides before. He had even taken some notice of the royal wedding when he had been trying to find something to watch on the hotel television. Yet, Emma was looking at him like this was an important pop culture reference the angel was missing out on.
"You are so deprived," she said, looking slightly horrified but still as friendly as ever. "You and Dean should make a night of it. I think you'd both like the movie. I don't know anyone who doesn't" She grinned and shrugged. "But then again, Most of my friends have the same sense of humor."
Castiel picked Johnny up once again and began to walk about the room, giving the boy the chance to look around at the colorful bobbles around the room. "Still adorable, though."
Chapter 8 Here