Love and Marriage
"I don't think she's going back to hunting for a while." Josephine smiles as they watch Krissy make the little hunter bear dance on the edge of the bassinet, much to the confusion of the infant within. When Hara came back with the shake and nuggets, he had it with him. Apparently there was none left so he asked big sister Gabriel to take him back in time and get some. She declined to visit since Sam was there but sent the bear back with him. The look on Dean's face when he saw it was oddly hilarious.
"Yeah," Claire sighs. "At least not for a long time. Maybe I could give the whole valkyrie thing a trial run? I don't know, but it's worth giving a fair shake, right?"
"It's your soul." Jo says primly, making her opnion on the subject undeniably clear. "Though I'm fairly sure she'll get restless well before she's ready to wean him."
"Oh, of course." Claire nods. "But no more than day trips, probably."
"Not neccessarily." Hara looks up from the other side of the crib. "I can take her anywhere and bring her back in seconds. Gabriel is teaching me to freeze time for an hour or so, too, so I can bring Krissy junior to nurse if I need to."
"I see," Claire raises an eyebrow at this. "Wouldn't it be simpler to just split between breast and bottle?" Hara just gives her an adorably feirce scowl at this. Only the best for his charge, apparently.
"I won't be hunting again until he's on solids and sleeping through the night." Krissy gives a yawn.
"Go lie down. I'll wake you when he's hungry." Hara offers.
"Okay. Thanks." Krissy gives another yawn. "I don't know why everyone keeps talking about how difficult being a parent is. This isn't so hard." krissy brushes past the other two.
"Well, most new mothers don't have an angel to play nanny for them and spoil them rotten at every turn." Josephine reminds her.
"I know, isn't she the best angel ever?" Krissy smiles.
"Just make sure you're not taking advantage." Claire follows her to her room.
"Really? Miss, got-all-pissy-because-she-won't-counterfeit-us-a-small-fortune?" Krissy retorts.
"Yeah.,yeah, well I understand that now, and anyways I just... she'd do absolutely anything for you, you know that and she doesn't ask for anything."
"I know. What do you do for an angel anyway? I'll be her vessel again as soon as I can and let her use me as a barbie doll, but we don't know if it'll interfere with nursing. I\m really tired, Claire. I got no sleep in that damn hospital. Thank you for stopping by. We can talk more when I wake up, okay?"
"Okay." Claire nods. "Well, no, see, I'm going to give it a trial run with Hel. You know, moving in, leading the valkyrie, so I'm not going to be around for a while. You can call me and stuff. And of course I'll visit you and the baby and if you need anything or ever get in trouble. but you know." She shrugs uncomfortably. rubbing the back of her neck.
"Yeah, I know." Krissy smiles and gives her a hug. "It was great working with you. It really was."
"It's just a trial." Claire shrugs uncomfortably. "But on that note, make sure to let me know when you give in and make Nat Mr. Chambers."
"Oh please, no." Krissy wrinkles her nose. "But I'll definitely stay in touch and spam you with baby pictures. Including the disgusting and inappropriate ones."
"I can't wait." Claire sighs. "Okay, I'm going to go let Alex and Jody know. Take care."
"You have to stop falling asleep with Chrysander in your arms, Krissy." Josephine scolds not for the last time as search for the baby ends finding him asleep with Krissy. "It's not safe. You have to put him in the crib."
"I can't help it. I fall asleep nursing. It's like taking a sedative." Krissy protests. "And he just fits so perfectly in my arms. Besides Hara's here to make sure nothing happens."
"Then she can do it by putting him back in the crib if you've fallen asleep nursing him."
"Co sleeping is a valid option. It's natural and has so many benefits. I won't let anything happen to him." Hara pipes up.
"Hara, you're not going to be here all the time. You do have a job in heaven, don't you? Your library?" Jo points out.
"My sister is helping me be both places at once." Hara informs her. "At least when I need to be. And Saul does need his own time, but I wait until daytime for that."
"We've got this, Jo."
"Krissy..."
"He's my baby, Josephine, not yours." Krissy snaps. "It's my decision."
"Fine." Jo resits the urge to slam the door and goes back to the kitchen where Aiden's making breakfast. "She's going to spoil that child, Aiden." She grouses, crossing her arms as she plops down at the table. "Holding him all the time, she never lets him cry, she's just with him every second. It's not good for him."
"Actually, recent studies studies show that it isn't at this age." Aiden reluctantly corrects her. "Attachment parenting actually leads to secure confident children."
"My parents never did that crap. and I turned out fine." She grouses.
"Jo, we're children of hunters. None of us are fine." He gives her a kiss. "What do you want in your omlette?"
"The usual." Jo replies. "I thought we were going to be his parents."
"Nothing's set in stone. You know how restless she is. We're at least his aunt and uncle. Krissy is family, and so's junior."
"I know, but it's not the same."
"No, I know. make one day we can adapt or something." He suggests. Jo just shrugs. "As it is, lets take advantage and go do something special. Nat's covered the mortgage and property taxes for the next eighteen years already so we can go out to that restaurant you always wanted to try. Maybe go dancing, just paint the town red. And eventually, Krissy's going to want to go out for a night herself and we'll have Chrys all to ourselves. Especially when it hits six weeks and she and Nat can have some alone time."
"That sounds nice, actually. I'll make the reservations after work."
"Are you still working on that thing?" Sam looks at the station wagon as Dean works underneath it.
"Yep."
"You know she's moved in with Hel, right? Maybe even becoming a valkyrie. She won't need it anymore."
"Maybe, maybe not, but I said I'd get it in top condition, so I am." He rolls out from under it. "How are you doing?"
"I don't know. I'm just...thinking I guess." Sam sits down next to him and hands him a open beer. "I got another call from Garth today."
"Oh?"
"Apparently everything lost from morethanbrothers.org has miraculously been restored. Chuck's been declared legally dead, though and the conventions are still being fought over in court, but there's that."
"Oh joy." Dean rolls his eyes and takes a drink. "Do you think she did it?" Sam just shrugs.
"Garth thought so, thanked me for convincing her or something. Though nobody knows for sure."
"Cas tells me she's really started buckling down in heaven, too. Raphael is still searching for Hannah and Michael's well, he's been spending alot of time with Alex. Do you think it's just therapy or maybe a little something more?"
"I doubt it, at least not on Alex's end. She's been exchanging letters with Rhys, and seems pretty smitten, according to Jody. As for Michael, I don't think so, but you never know, I guess. It's not like I'd know him well enough to tell. But he seems to be holding himself together pretty well lately."
"I see you've dropped that 'she' nonsense." Dean observes.
"It wasn't nonsense. He just prefers the pronouns that match the gender expression of his vessel, that's all. Angels have no gender so neither pronoun is more valid than another in that regard. It's just preference. Harahel prefers 'she' now. Raphael doesn't seem to feel strongly about it either way, but defaults to 'he' as he identifies more as male in general. This isn't exactly rocket science, Dean."
"No it's political science which is more confusing. It's annoying. You're a boy or a girl as defined by your genitals. What's the point in trying to make gender some weird... other thing? That's what it is."
"It's more complicated than that, but I'm not giving you a lecture on gender identity."
"Thank God." Dean mutters into the bottle.
"Or on tolerance, which as a bisexual hunter dating outside his species, you shouldn't even need." Sam points out.
"Hey, gender has nothing to do with sexuality, except in that you're born how you're born." Dean insists. Sam just sighs and takes a drink. "Fine. Whatever. The whole thing's just stupid anyways. So what do you need? Or did you just come out here to hang out?"
"No." Sam shakes his head. "We're ready, actually."
"Ready?"
"To open the school. Everything's up. We have a little papers, passed all the inspections. Now we just... get the word out I guess."
"Huh," Dean sits up wiping his hands off. "Are you sure?"
"Yeah. We even have a few extras. Like the gardens and greenhouses and storehouses and everything. All the paperwork and licenses and legal requirements are set. Also Hades actually came through. He settled with Hel, agreed to complete all of the tasks Krissy set, even though he never got the recipe from ambrosia. He even found the soul of Amitiel's vessel and returned it to heaven where it belongs. At least I think he didn't get the recipe."
"So..."
"So, we have a hell of a bank roll for a while. The interest alone covers basic expenses and taxes." Sam smiles. "Time to go recruiting I think."
"Garth's doing that. You and Gabriel need to work on the vessels. That's gong to take delicacy and finesse, and you know she don't got it. Her siblings either." Sam states rather undeniably.
"Right." Sam takes a breath.
"It'll probably be easier working together if you make up first." The fact that Sam doesn't say anything shows he knows Dean's right. "You've got to at least talk to each other. If only for the school."
"I know."
"Hello?" They look up to see Krissy and Hara at the garage door, baby in her arms. "Hi," she waves the sleepy boy's little hand at them. Hara has the diaper bag complete with that stupid hunter care bear.
"Sorry to interrupt, but we need to use the portal to the abyss and we can't find that bowl." Hara confesses.
"Yeah, Raphael took it back with instructions to tell Cas never to enter his room again. We left it open in the linen closet for emergencies." Sam stands up. "Going to visit the fledglings?"
"Yes. they're still disappointed because I refused to give birth in front of them, but Hara's been teaching them baby care and stuff and mini-me's not sleeping all the time anymore and I've stopped bleeding finally, so we've been bringing him by the abyss to visit and escape Aunt Josie's tyranny and the cool fall weather. Yes, we have." she gives the baby's head a flurry of kisses.
"He has quite a shock of hair, there. Do you think it's going to be curly like yours?" Dean asks as Krissy smooths down his hair.
"Not so far. I keep fluffing his hair after his bath to check and see if it curls, but not yet." Hara says with mild disappointment. Krissy just gives an amused smile at the confession.
"She really does. It's adorable." Krissy laughs.
"I'll go with you. I need to talk to Raphael anyways and i think he's still in there." Sam brushes off his pants.
"Cool." Krissy follows him. "Hey, Dean. Still working on the crapmobile, I see. You're such a good dad. Isn't he my little jellybean? Yes, he is. Isn't he?" Chrysander looks as unamused as Dean.
"Serious little thing, isn't he?" Sam comments and leads them to the portal.
"He'll only smile at Krissy." Hara says adoringly, clearly head over heels for the little guy. "Show him."
"Later." Krissy kisses the fuzzy head. "Shhh... I'm really sorry. We shouldn't have done that to her. Honestly I think just letting her know about the engagement would have been mean enough."
"It's... it's fine. It's done with." Sam shakes his head.
"No, it's not fine. You and Bree... if we hadn't.."
"If you hadn't she'd have found someone else. But we don't target humans, Krissy."
"I know. I let that asshole Joe live didn't I?" She scowls. "And we didn't hurt her or do anything nearly as bad as she did to you."
"Drop it, Krissy."
"No. This whole thing is not okay. Claire castrated a god who did to her what that woman tried to do to you, and no one's all pissy over it." She snaps.
"What? She what?" Sam stops.
"You didn't know about that?" Krissy kicks herself. After all the times she got after Hara for oversharing other people's issues, she goes and sticks her foot right in it.
"No. What happened? When did this happen?"
"Um, I don't want to discuss this in front of the youngsters. Hara, we'll catch up?" She hands the baby to his eager angel.
"Sure. Say 'bye, mommy'. Bye, mommy." He waves the baby's hand at her.
"Buh-bye, jellybean." She smiles at the baby and waves. He smiles back at her with a broad toothless smile that just lights up his whole face. "Oh, isn't he just the cutest widdle ting? Who's my happy wittle jellybean. You are."
"Eeee." Is the happy little squeal he gives in reply.
"Oh come back here, I can tell uncle Sam this nasty stuff later."Krissy takes Chrysander back, lifting him high in the air before kissing him. "I don't even remember any of that anyways, thanks to that mind wipe. It's all second hand now. Yes it is. It izzy is."
"Nat's brother Hypnos drugged Claire with lethe when she went to fetch it. That's why Nat kidnapped Krissy's soul, to get his brother's severed genitals back." Hara sums it up, helpfully.
"Hara, what have we talked about sharing other people's personal information?" Krissy chides her automatically.
"But you were going to." Hara protests.
"Yes, but.... I'll try to explain later."She sighs. "He was lonely and pathetic and erased some of her memories until she slept with him and kept erasing them to try and make her stay forever. Not exactly the same, as your ex never got around to raping you, though you know it was intended. But you can understand why we all would be pretty mad about that. Especially Bree. You know that, too, or you wouldn't have made her make that promise in the first place."
"I know." He admits quietly. "How are you and Nat?"
"Fine. He's back in Hades spending time with his brother. He gets lonely and even enough moonlight burns him so it's not like he can go out much. Hypnos is a very sad lonely and pathetic greek godling."
"I see, How does Hypnos feel about his nephew?" Sam asks, concerned. Something Krissy's considered a great deal, given the tendancies of jealous supernaturals to murder things.
"Fine, I guess." She shrugs uncomfortably, "Nat is making sure he doesn't feel abandoned or neglected and Claire made a little note on his birth announcement that he won't ignore, just in case."
"Let us know if he gives you any trouble."Shall we?"
"After you." he motions gallantly. Of course as soon as he steps through, he ends up somewhere else entirely. Somewhere white and cold.
"Do you remember that?" He hears Babe amidst the sound of what seems almost like chimes but are actually icicle clad willow vines tinkling against each other in a mild breeze. Just a cold barren expanse of snow, except for a wall of willows and a sturdy easily crossed bridge over a moat polluted by inky black swirls. "I thought she would never speak to me again. I thought I'd be grounded for Days too at least, but no, you pled my case and full acquittal. It didn't exactly make her less angry with me, though. I should have remembered that."
"Gabrielle?" Sam brushes aside a spray of vines to see her sitting at the foot of a pitch black statue of what looks like an angel, standing and reaching upwards practically on his toes. Tiny trickles of black run down from it ito the moat, like tiny veins across the snow.
"Sam?" She hastily stands up. "What are you doing here?"
"I came with Krissy. She brought Chrysander to visit the fledglings again. It sent me here." He can't help but look at the statue. It's Lucifer, more accurately Helel. He's so black that he doesn't even shine. It's almost like an empty hole in existence. Sam starts to feel sick from fear and even though he knows that the angel is trapped that way, and will likely not even be ready for rebirth for millions of years. It took him nine Days to accumulate that much darkness, it'll probably take as long to get rid of it. But still, there he is.
"It's alright." Gabriel rushes over to him. "He's trapped. He's... healing." She looks down at the black waters surrounding them. "I..." She doesn't look at Sam. In the silence the flow of melted darkness thins to mere pencil lines.
"I understand." Sam says simply and turns to walk as quickly away as he can.
"No, you don't." She pleads flying after him, landing before him.
"I do. I promise, I do." He puts a hand to her cheek. "I wouldn't give up on Dean when he had the mark. When he became a demon. So... I understand." Sam takes a breath.
"I'm sorry, Sam." Babe covers his hand with her own. "I'm so sorry. I was angry and you don't even know how angry and I ... no... no excuses. I knew better and I did it anyway and I hurt you and I'm sorry. but that's the only reason I'm sorry and I'll never feel bad about anything that happens to that woman or anyone who ever hurt you, past present or future. I love you, though, so your feelings about it should have come first, in that instance."
"I'm sorry, too. I started the whole thing by trying to make you do or not do things, and not just trusting you. I could have maybe handled it better. I also shouldn't have called you down from ruling heaven to yell at you like that. You're right,it was inappropriate. I lost my temper, I shouldn't have. I didn't approach any of it right at all."
"Honestly, I'd have approached me the same way." she confesses. "I can be kind of slippery."
"Michael said binding to you to an oath like that was more like issuing a challenge then making a deterrent." Sam adds.
"True... Michael came to talk to you? About what?" She looks a bit suspicious.
"About the possibility of our reconciling and if there was anything he could do to help us along."
"She did not." Babe shakes her head and puts her hands on her hips. "She threatened you again, didn't she? Or something not involving speaking on my behalf. She hates you and she's firmly against angels and humans together even if she didn't."
"I guess your big sister loves you more than she opposes any of that."mi
"Yeah, right." she rolls her eyes. Sam just looks at her. "Really? Huh," she turns away, walking a little away. "Miqa being my advocate. Ah man, I wish I could have seen that." She grins. "It's never going to happen again, that hardass. I don't suppose you had the presence of minute make a video recording."She looks back hopefully.
"No," Sam smiles. "Anyways, I forgive you and I hope you'll forgive me."
"That depends. You're not going to break up with or divorce me after our next fight are you? I mean, if the weddings back on." She taps her chin.
"I don't know, are you going to pull that crap again?" Sam crosses his arms.
"Probably. I am who I am. I'll follow the rules, but that's all I can promise. Well, that and to try really hard to follow the spirit as well, but I'm not a tame trickster, Sam. You can't control me even just with your feelings, and I don't want to be with someone who tries."
"Fair enough." Sam sighs and looks down. "Well, I guess that's something we'll have to discuss then."
"Sounds fun." Babe gives a sly smile. "Shall we go talk about it in private? Or are you busy?"
"I'm all yours." Sam bends to give her a kiss.