Bring It On Home
“Well, that was an hour of my life I’ll never get back…” Dean opened the Impala’s door and slid inside, harrumphing when he sat down, “I swear, my legs are killing me! We just stood there for a whole hour, getting jack-squat done while that lady went through the ENTIRE data base! We only needed to see the employee pictures, dammit!”
Cas and Sam slid into the car much more gracefully than Dean’s little show. Sam sighed and then quietly laughed at Dean’s discomfort, “Dude, you’re getting old. I think that’s the problem. Have a little patience once in a while.” Dean glared in Sam’s direction, definitely not using one of the many ‘Bitchfaces’ that Sam has perfected because, ‘I’m not the one who’s a moody nerd in this bunch, Sam.’
Sam just glared back at Dean. Turning around to glance at Cas then swiveling back to face forward, he asked the group, “So… since nobody fit the description at UPS… what do we do now? Check out FedEx?”
The question lingered in the air until Cas spoke up from the backseat, “Well, we could see if there is a mailwoman, fitting the profile that the mother described, working at FedEx… but I think that it is much more likely that this ‘witch’ or whatever being she is, could have taken a claim on an abandoned building or barn, perhaps?”
Finally breaking out of his hissy fit, Dean agreed with Cas, “So… drive around abandoned roads and hope we come across somethin’?”
Sam nodded, “Seems like the best bet we’ve got.”
Cas broke their brainstorming silence, “Maybe you and Dean could try to find this abandoned building, if there is one, and I could visit this cat at the shelter? If it really is a faerie, I might be able to communicate with it… although, I’m not sure if it would talk to me voluntarily… maybe I could bribe it with treats? Cats like treats, correct? I’ve heard cat nip…”
Dean cut off his questioning with a loud burst laughter, “Sure, Cas. I bet it’d like that.” He shook his head, “Just make sure it ain’t evil before you go and bond with it or whatever.”
“So… cat nip is an adequate treat for felines?” Cas tilted his head in question.
Dean chuckled, “Yup. Cats love the stuff. Practically gets ‘em high.”
Cas nodded, “Alright. Should we stop by the pet store for supplies?”
“I’m sure they have some at the shelter, Cas” He looked at Cas in the rearview mirror, seeing Cas nod again, “If you are certain, Dean. I do not want to disappoint it…”
Dean shook his head, “You won’t disappoint it, Cas. I’m sure it’ll be fine.” Dean slapped a hand on his thigh, “Alright! Cas, we’ll drop you off to go play with the cats. But right now, I’m starving! How about we hit up a diner?” Hearing a ‘sure’ and ‘alright’ from his brother and his friend, Dean took a left and headed to the place that served the best burgers in town.
******
The bell above the door jingled as Sam, Cas, and Dean entered the quiet, old-fashioned diner called Mama Jay’s. The young woman behind the counter gestured for them to claim a seat, Dean waving back in response.
Dean slid into the side of the booth facing the door, Cas following gracefully behind him while Sam squeezed into the side opposite of them.
The waitress that greeted them arrived with three menus and a notepad in hand. After placing the menus in front of each of them, she reached up and untucked the pen that was between her ear and silky blonde hair, “Hi! Welcome to Mama Jay’s! May I interest ya’ll in our special for the day? It’s our double bacon cheeseburger topped with our homemade sauce.”
Dean looked up from the menu he was currently studying, “Hell yeah! I’ll take the special and your best beer on tap.” He winked at the waitress, folding up the menus and handing it to her.
Blushing, she wrote down his order, “Alright, great choice! What about you?” She turned in Cas’ direction as he looked up at her, “I’ll have the same as Dean.”
“Gotcha. And you, sir?” She asked, looking at Sam.
“I’ll just have a veggie wrap and an iced tea.” He smiled, ignoring the eye roll from Dean.
“Great. Your drinks will be out in a minute.” Flipping her notebook closed and tucking her pen back behind her ear, she made her way to the kitchen.
Dean watched her walk away as she swayed her hips flirtatiously. Sam rolled his eyes at his brother, “Dude. You’re gross.”
“You can’t fault a guy for lookin’, Sammy. Don’t even say you haven’t done it.” He smirked at Sam, hearing a chuckle work its way through his little brother, “Ha! See, told ya!”
Sam just shook his head, quietly laughing, “Whatever, Dean. Anyways, we should probably talk about business.”
Dean and Cas nodded their heads, Cas speaking up, “Yes. Well, I’m not sure there’s much more to discuss. We already know that this woman is most likely a witch with her familiar. And we know that this familiar is most likely a faerie being.”
He glanced at the brothers, “The only thing we are not certain about is if this pair simply thinks that they protecting themselves from threats, or if they are truly evil and there is much more to the situation than what we can see. I believe it is the latter, considering that is usually what happens during our experiences.”
Sam nodded, “Yeah, I agree with Cas.” He looked over at his brother, “Dean?”
“Mhm. So, we’re thinking another big bad?” He asked looking at Sam and Cas, seeing nods in agreement, “But is it Apocalypse bad or Leviathan bad? Personally, I’d take another round with the angel douchebags than toy around with those monsters.”
Cas looked to the side at the mention of his family, sighing. Before anyone could comment, the uncomfortable silence was broken.
The waitress placed a beer, each in front of Dean and Cas while she dropped a glass of iced tea in front of Sam, “Alright, ya’lls food will be out in a moment.”
The three men thanked her, Dean subtly watching her swivel around, hair flowing and hips swaying.
Sam rolled his eyes once again, “Dude, thirsty much?” Dean smirked then winked at his brother, “You know it, Sammy.” He lifted his beer to his lips, taking a large gulp.
Sam chuckled and shook his head at his womanizer of a big brother.
******
The time passed quickly as the boys waited for their meals. They talked about nothing in particular; Dean and Sam having a heated debate about whether Superman or Batman would kick whose butt in a fight, while Cas silently watched the spectacle. The waitress returned with three plates balanced expertly on her arms.
She placed their meals in front of them, and then quietly saying an, “Enjoy!” She gracefully turned around, leaving them to resume their conversation.
“Dude! Batman is, like, nine times better than Superman!” Dean was reclined back, arm draped across the back of the booth almost reaching over to Cas. Unaware that one slight movement to the right and his fingertips could easily be touching the nape of his friend’s neck.
“Okay, no. Superman is obviously better. Batman doesn’t even have real powers!” Sam was flailing his arms dramatically, trying to prove his point.
“Whatever, Sammy. We’re gonna do this later and I’m gonna win. But, right now I’m gonna enjoy the best burger in town!” Dean smiled at his burger hungrily and eagerly reached for it. Taking his first bite, he said with his mouth full, “Oh, yeah… yeah this is good.”
Sam made a disgusted face at Dean’s lack of manners, “You want a room with that thing?”
“Mhmm… oh, this is good. You don’t know what you’re missing, Sammy!”
“I know exactly what I’m missing… a ticket straight to the wonderful world of diabetes. Good luck in your older years, Dean… if we even make it that far.”
Dean chuckled, “So worth it!” He dug into another bite before jerking his head up, swiveling to the right at the sound of Cas groaning.
Cas had a mouthful of burger, lips and chin shining with grease, “Oh my… these make me… very happy.”
Dean was staring at his friend, entranced by the way his Adam’s apple bobbed when he swallowed. Coughing, he cleared his throat, “Yeah… yeah I can see that Cas… you sure you’re not the one who needs a room?” He played off his lapse, smirking at Sam.
Turning to wink at Cas, he wasn’t prepared to see a pink blush working its way up Cas’ neck, “I have not had the chance to enjoy one of these in a long time.”
Dean slapped Cas on the shoulder, “Well, enjoy it while you can buddy. ‘Cause we’ve got work to do after this.”
******
After their diner adventure, Baby swerved into the local shelter’s parking lot, stopping in front of the main doors. Cas opened his door, swung his legs over and gracefully slid out of the car. After shutting the door softly, he made his way to the entrance. He was halfway there when Dean called out, “Cas! If anything goes wrong or you learn somethin’ new, call us ya hear?”
Cas turned around and nodded an affirmative. Once he got the thumbs up from Dean, he turned back around and pushed open the shelter’s door.
******
Bing! Bing! The bell above the door rang, signaling that a new customer just entered the store.
Lizzie jumped out of her the old, plastic chair, throwing her iPod and earbuds on the seat. She excitedly hopped up to the counter, blonde hair flowing from its ponytail as she moved about. Talking as fast as a hummingbird, she greeted her first customer of the day, “Hi! I’m Lizzie! Welcome to Wags and Tags! May I help you, sir?” She stuck her hand straight out for a handshake.
The man standing before her just stared at her hand. His gravelly voice rang out through the lobby, “Um… yes… uh, I am looking for a black cat… with maybe a few spots of white?” He awkwardly rubbed his neck and looked up at Lizzie with the most beautiful, ocean blue eyes she’d ever seen.
He was a very pretty man, if she was honest. Tall with slightly tanned skin, looking like he flourished in a sunny state like Florida even though at first glance you’d think he’d be pale from appearance. He had disheveled dark brown hair, an adorably backwards blue tie, and a long tan trench coat. Oh, and those lips. She thought they were the most perfectly sculpted pair she had ever seen. Everything about the man was attractive, despite having a bit of trouble with his ‘people skills.’
After a moment of admiring the man she finally replied, “Ah, yes! We just got a new one in a couple days ago. He’s got ‘white mittens’ on his four paws, and white patch on his chest like a tux shirt. He’s got these AMAZING blue eyes too! Actually, just like yours…huh! Anyways, a rascal that little thing is! Ha!” The man smiled and nodded, seeing how passionate she was when talking about the animals. He absently thought that her bubbly personality was infectious.
Lizzie gestured to the back door, “I could show you if you’d like… we have a couple others, but they’re either tabby or all white…” He shook his head, “No thank you, ma’am. I would like to look at the black one, please.”
She nodded and started walking to the back room, lined with cages. Looking at the cages as she walked in, she sighed. Seeing all these homeless cats, kittens, dogs, and puppies always made her feel sorry for them. She wished that she could take them all home so they would all get the love that they deserve.
The man spoke up behind her, bringing Lizzie out of her daydream, “Is this the one? The cat you took in a couple days prior?” He was standing with his nose practically through the bars, looking at the cat nestled in the corner.
Lizzie nodded, “Yep! That’s the one! We haven’t been able to give him the customary shots or anything… the little guy won’t let any of our team near him… not even Vikki… and she’s, like, the best vet we have! All the animals absolutely adore her!”
The man, barely paying attention to the young woman, reached his hand towards the kennel latch. Before he touched it he turned his head and asked, “Do you mind if I open this? He may prefer a male? All of the people on your team are females, correct?”
Lizzie looked at him with wide eyes, “Um… yeah. Here at the shelter it’s me, Vikki, Rainy, and Taylor most of the time. But, there’s a couple of other woman who volunteer when they’re able.”
He nodded his head, hand finishing its way toward the latch. When he turned the lock and slid it to the side, curious black ears popped up from its little ball. He swung the door open all of the way, reaching a hand inside and bringing out a gentle voice reserved for special occasions, “Shhh. Shhh, it’s okay little one. I won’t hurt you. I’m one of the good guys, an angel if you could believe it.” He smiled, loving the chance to be gentle to something for once.
The black and white fluff-ball cautiously stood up, taking in the mysterious man before him. Sniffing the air, he took careful steps towards the opening of the cage. When he got close enough, the man reached his arm inside to hover under the cat’s nose. He sniffed the hand offered to him and began purring like Lizzie had never seen him do before in the days that she’s known him.
When the cat tilted his head to scratch against the guy’s hand, she was astounded, “Dude! Are you, like, a cat-whisperer or something?! He’s never let anyone get that close to him before, let alone purr! Wow! You’re awesome, man!”
The man turned his face to her, smile brighter than the sun. He reached his other hand into the cage, carefully wrapping them beneath the cat’s front legs. Lifting him up, the man gently pulled him to his chest, cradling the small animal in his arms.
He turned to Lizzie, still smiling, “I like him very much. He makes me very, very happy.”
Lizzie smiled back, still completely astounded of the new arrival’s personality change, “I can see that! You know… you could adopt him if you’d like. I’m not sure if anyone else would be able to warm up to him like you just did. So, what do ya say? Wanna help a kitty-cat in need?” She said all this, gesturing widely with her arms and smiling just as bright as the man holding the cat before her.
The man’s smile faltered as he looked down at his new companion. He looked back up, disappointed, “I’m… I’m not sure I would be able to properly take care of him… My lifestyle won’t support such a huge responsibility… besides, I do not have any experience caring for felines…”
He trailed off as Lizzie spoke up, “I could totally hook you up with a care guide! It really isn’t that hard; you’ve just got to make sure that you’re ready for the commitment. And seeing how great you are with him, I don’t think that’d be a problem.”
The man looked back down at the cat cradled in his hands and softly said, “Well… I would very much like to keep him… but I’m not sure if my friends would approve… and Dean’s allergic… and I don’t know how Sam feels about felines… maybe I could compromise? Take care of him all by myself?”
Lizzie eagerly nodded her head, waiting for the man’s decision. He looked back up at her, his decision written plain his face, “I suppose I could take him… does he have a name?”
She shook her head, “No, he doesn’t. That’s one of the great things about strays! You get to pick their name yourself! Here, we’ll walk back to the front and I’ll get all the paperwork sorted out while you decide on his name. Then I’ll type up the adoption certificate and you’ll be all set to start your life with this little rascal! Oh! And I’ll write down my contact information in case you have any questions.” Lizzie smiled wide and turned around, pushing her way through the door to the lobby.
The man adjusted his new friend in his arms, turning to follow the woman through the door.
******
Dean was almost speeding down the abandoned road in anger, blaring Metallica through the Impala’s speakers. Sam reached over to the console and turned the volume down, sighing.
The older Winchester glared in Sam’s direction, annoyed with having his ‘remedy music’ turned off. Sam, feeling his fury, glanced at his brother, “Dude. You need to chill. We’ve only been driving for an hour, there’s a lot more to cover… we’re not gonna find her as soon as we start. You of all people should know that.”
Dean huffed, eyes burning a line straight through the windshield, “Yeah, I get it. I do. But, this whole thing feels like a wild goose chase… who knows how long it’ll take to find this bitch.”
Sam nodded his head in understanding, “Maybe we should just call Cas and regroup, resume this thing in an hour or two.”
Glancing over to the passenger seat, Dean nodded,” Yeah… yeah, let’s do that. Hand me my phone will ya?” Sam reached to the backseat where Dean had thrown his phone during his hissy fit, gesturing for his brother to take it.
Dean grabbed his device, taking his eyes off the road for a second to find Cas’ name in his contacts. He hit ‘dial’ and put the phone to his ear, waiting for his friend’s familiar voice.
“Hello, Dean.”
“Hey, Cas. Listen, we’re not having any luck over here… so how ‘bout we meet at the motel and regroup? Resume this wild goose chase later?” He shifted his phone to the other ear, adjusting himself in his seat.
“Of course, Dean. Could you pick me up at the shelter?”
“Did ya break your wings or somethin’? Just poof on down there.” Dean shook his head at his friend, even though he can’t see him.
“Well… Dean… about that… I may have… uh… well, never mind. You will see when you get here.”
Dean chuckled at his friend’s uncharacteristic stuttering, “Alright, Cas. Sure. Me and Sam will be there in 10.”
“Thank you, Dean.”
The line went dead before Dean could reply with his usual, ‘No problem, buddy.’
******
Cas was sitting on the curb, adoption certificate in hand and a box that resembled a tiny house. He was playing a game on his phone that Sam had shown him a few weeks ago. It was called ‘Neko Atsume’ and Cas loved it. Sam showed him how to attract different cats to his yard and take cute little pictures of them to upload to his album. He now had all of the cats, except one of the rare ones, and bought the expanded yard and decorated it with the most expensive toys.
When Sam first brought up the new app, Cas argued how, ‘Sam, I do not understand why this game uses fish for currency. It is not the most effective economical system… Although, a few hundred years ago, people bartered for things and perhaps fish could’ve been one of them…”
As he was refilling the cat’s food bowl with Sashimi, Cas jerked his head up when he heard the roar of Dean’s baby pulling in front of him.
He stood, papers and box in hand, and walked to the car as Dean hurriedly slid out and slammed the door, “Cas, dude! What the hell is all that crap?!”
Cas clutched the box’s handle protectively, allowing Dean to snatch the certificate out of his hand, “A cat?! Dude… you… adopted… a… cat…” Dean looked down at the box that housed their new companion, “Wait… Cas, is that the cat?! The evil may-or-may-not be a fairy cat?! What the hell were you thinking, man?!”
Cas flinched at Dean’s aggressiveness, “Dean… I… I didn’t think that you and Sam would mind… I would obviously take care of him myself. You and Sam wouldn’t need to pay for his necessities… I promise he won’t be a burden… He just warmed right up to me and I could not stand to see him put in a cage again. He’s not evil at all. Here…” He set the box on the ground, opening up the paper latch of the tiny home. Reaching inside, he pulled out the little, black and white fluff-ball and cradled it to his chest.
“See, Dean. He is quite sweet. And I know that you are allergic to felines, but I could take care of that…” He looked up to see Dean glaring at the cat, who was snuggling into the lapels of Cas’ trench coat. Dean nodded his head, unable to argue with the hopefulness and sincerity in Cas’ expression.
In a gruff voice, he reluctantly accepted the little monster, “Yeah… okay. I guess you can keep him. It won’t be too bad, huh? What’s the little guy’s name anyway?”
Cas looked up with that same bright smile he had at the shelter, “His name is Led Zeppelin, or Zep for short.”
Dean jerked his head up in surprise, “What?! No way, man! That’s friggin’ awesome!” He unexpectedly threw his arms out to Cas, “Dude, can I hold him?” Cas, his smile never wavering, gently pried Zep off of his chest and held him out to Dean.
Dean eagerly took him, cradling him to his chest the same as Cas did, “Ah, man! This is too friggin’ cute!” He brought one hand up and began stroking the cat’s black, velvet soft ears. When Zep started purring like a machine, Dean thought Sam just had to see this, “SAM! COME OUT HERE!”
Sam looked up from what he was typing on his laptop and peered into the side mirror. His eyes opened wide in surprise when he saw his ‘badass’ big brother cradling a cat like it was the most precious thing in the world. He slammed his laptop shut, threw it in the back, and jumped out the door as fast as he was physically able.
Rounding the side of the car, he stood face to face to the most unbelievable sight he had ever seen. Sam looked between the two men whilst opening and closing his mouth for a good several moments before speaking up, “Uh… Cas… did you, uh, get a cat?”
Cas looked at Sam, a guilty expression shown in his eyes, “Yes… he was just so cute…” He trailed off to glance at his life-long friend, as well as the newly found one snuggled against the other’s chest.
Dean stopped stroking Zep’s ears, looked at Sam and gestured to his chest, “You wanna hold him?”
Sam silently nodded his head, slowly throwing both arms out. Dean carefully placed the cat in Sam’s hands, who immediately cradled him just like his brother did, “So… what’s his name?”
Dean took a few steps to the side and threw an arm around Cas’ shoulders, smiling, “Well, this guy right here thought it’d be a good idea to name him Led Zeppelin. But ya can call ‘em Zep for short.” He turned his head and winked at Cas, who then blushed fiercely.
Cas nodded, “Yes, I thought that you and Dean would appreciate a name honoring your favorite music.” Sam shook his head and response, “Nah. Led Zeppelin is all Dean. He practically grew up on the stuff. Well, I guess I did too… but, that was and still is his thing.”
Dean fist pumped the air and squeezed Cas’ shoulders, “Hell yeah!”
******
The three men and their new companion entered the motel room when something occurred to Sam, “Wait, Cas. That doesn’t happen to be the evil fairy cat we were talking about… is it?”
Cas glanced up at Sam then quickly looked at his shoes, “Well… yes? But, Sam, he really is not evil at all. You have seen how sweet he is.” He gave Sam those adorable ‘puppy dog eyes’ and snuggled Zep closer to himself.
Sam sighed, “Yeah, I get that, but… what if he, like, turns vicious or something?”
Dean spoke up where he was setting the cat box and adoption certificate on the dining table, “Sam, stop. Does he honestly look like he’ll hurt anybody? He’s just a tiny fluff-ball. Don’t be so uptight about it.”
Huffing, Sam walked over and sat down on his bed, “Do you really want to take any chances, Dean? What if this thing is just playing with us? Trying to act all cute and cuddly and then he kills us all in our sleep?”
Dean scoffed, “Don’t be so overdramatic Sam. I actually like the little guy. And he’s obviously important to Cas.” Dean turned to him in question.
Still stroking Zep’s fur, Cas nodded his head eagerly, “He makes me very, very happy.”
Sam shook his head at how oblivious the two could be, “Guys, I’m just trying to be cautious… we don’t know the witch’s motives nor do we know what the fairies are involved with. I just don’t want to take any chances that we could avoid...” He looked up to see Cas with a frown on his face and an almost death grip on Zeppelin. Sam sighed, ran a hand through his long hair and shook his head again, “Never mind. Forget I said anything. We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.”
Dean nodded and walked over to Cas, reaching for Zep, “Damn straight.”
******