Epilogue
Call it mother's intuition, a sixth sense, or just paranoia, something pulls me from a sound sleep.
Like any other night, the room feels bigger, empty, with just me in it. I rub my face tiredly. Nothing's coming from the baby monitor, so Fallon has to be asleep. But I'm waiting for her to start crying and help me lose the sleep I could be getting right now.
After some quiet time, my eyes fall back closed, but my brain tells me something's up. Fallon is never this quiet. Something's going on.
Though I'm groggy beyond belief, I drag myself out of bed and pick up a gun and flashlight. Some habits are hard to get rid of, especially with my bloodline. You need to take the necessary precautions to protect your family.
I pad down the hall, gun and flashlight out front so I can see in the dark. I always keep Fallon's door open just a crack so I don't smack head-first into it. It makes me feel like I can get to her quicker.
Trying to not make any sound, I slowly push Fallon's bedroom door open. I stiffen, licking my lips out of nerves. Someone's hanging over her crib, and I can't tell who it is. I flick off the flashlight, tucking it away. I keep the gun out in front as I push the door open a little more.
The figure's back is to me. If Crowley screwed me over on our deal...
I stop as the stranger picks his head up. I'm prepared to shoot, but I worry if he's got Fallon out of her crib. I don't want to risk shooting my baby.
"Away from the crib, sicko," I snarl, cocking the gun to a kill shot.
He obliges, but when he turns, I lower the weapon and breathe easy. Excitement runs through me, and I cross to him, holding him tight. He smells like the outdoors, like faint traces of blood. Oddly enough, that's comforting. He's normalcy.
"Hey, Cassie," I whisper into his shoulder.
"One of these days, you'll stop trying to shoot me."
"That day will be never." I pull his face down to kiss him softly. "I missed you."
"I would've come back sooner..."
"No, I get it." I shake my head. "It's okay; I've been faring pretty well on my own." I move around him to loom over Fallon's crib. "We both have." I dip my head. "But, of course, I worry."
"You protect her."
I lean against him. "I worry that someday, one day, I won't be able to."
"Well, by then she should be grown and able to handle her own."
I smile. "Now I remember why we're a match: you see the good in my worry."
"Someone has to."
I notice the change in his face. "What, Cas?"
"I want to give you something."
I feel it press into the palm of my hand. It's a vial, with some glowing blue substance in it. It's wispy, so it's not some sort of serum. But I know I've seen this wispy thing before, somewhere...
I scrunch my eyes at Cas in confusion. "What's this supposed to be?"
"My Grace. All of it."
I nearly startle myself and drop the vial onto the floor. Did he say that right? "Your...Grace?"
Cas nods. "I remember the discussion we had, about our future. How you asked me if I would consider giving up being an angel and become human."
But that conversation was so long ago. I remember it clearly, though: Cas had just helped me lose my demon side. We'd spent some rough times in that bunker during my recovery and his. My mouth parts in astonishment. He's human again, just as he was the day I met him. "This is all of it?"
"Yes. I couldn't bring myself to rid it entirely, so I compromised. I give it to you, and, should there be a reason that requires it, I can take it back in. So, it's for emergencies only."
Tears well in my eyes. "Cassie." I close the gap, pushing his head down to kiss him softly. "You're sure about this?"
"I've had a lot of doubt in my time on Earth, Josette, but this isn't one of those times. I'm absolutely sure. And, I'm absolutely sure about this." I feel a ring slip onto my left hand. "I didn't think my future held a family, let alone someone significant. Now, it does. I can have that, and I want it, Josette, with you."
"Damn it, Cas." I chuckle, feeling his calloused fingers wipe away any tears. "First you become human for me, and now you want me to marry you." I sighed, smiling. "What am I gonna do with you?"
"Well, for starters, how about marry me?"
I nod vigorously. "Yes." Careful to not drop his Grace, I give him a one-armed hug. I burrow my head into his neck. Wait...if he's human, he can't know. I pull away. "Cas?"
"Yes?"
"I've got something for you," I say through my blubbering. "I'm...we're pregnant. Again."
Cas blinks, staring at me in silence. I laugh, seeing his mouth open and close like a fish gasping for breath.
"Breathe, Cas," I say soothingly. "Breathe." I hear the air finally leave his lungs and go back in.
"We're...we're having a baby," he whispers. I nod, with the biggest smile on my face. "H-how long have I been gone?"
"About a month." I clear my throat. "If you're implying that I slept with someone else..."
"N-no, I'm not. I was just asking."
I chuckle. "Sometimes I forget how innocent you can be, Cas." I lick my lips. "I know, it's crazy. Fallon's not even one yet, and already she's gonna be a big sister."
"No, that's...that's wonderful, Josette. Really." He smiles. "Do they know?"
"Sam and Dean? Not exactly. They haven't returned my voicemails, so, I guess they're knee-deep in what they do best." The mention of my brothers hurts me. They rarely visit, but I know why. They want to keep this life for me, they don't want to shatter it.
A heavy silence blankets us, because we both know there's a high chance that Fallon may never grow up knowing her uncles and having a relationship with them.
I wrap my fingers around Cas's hand. "This is crazy," I murmur. "You're human, again."
"Yes, so," he takes the gun away from me, "I'd appreciate it if you put that away. That can actually hurt me now."
"I'll have to get used to that again. Come on, how about you join me in bed? It's been cold for a little too long."
I pull Cas away from Fallon's crib by his hand, leading him back to the bedroom. I leave him so I can put the gun back under the mattress—it's more convenient and comfortable that way instead of under my pillow like normal paranoid people do. By the time I stand up straight again and turn, he's right there. I push off the trench coat, feeling familiar hands encase my waist.
"You've been away too long, Cassie," I croon, teasing him with a feather-light kiss on the top of his mouth. His hands tighten on my waist, and I chuckle. I keep our eyes together as I get his shirt off, letting it pool onto the floor.
"Josette..."
"No sex, I promise. I know how you are about that while I'm pregnant. I just need this." He shudders under my warm touch. "I need to remember."
"I haven't been gone that long."
"Even to you, a month feels like eternity."
We end up lying on the bed, me over Cas. We don't speak; we just watch each other in fond gazes.
"What?" I ask. I notice the change in his look. There's a sadness now.
"You're you, but you're not...you."
I sigh, pressing my head into his. "I miss it, too. I miss looking like my mom. I miss representing my parents."
"You do, in spirit. You're an embodiment of them. Just like how our children will embody us."
Our children. It sounds so right. "I'm hoping for a boy this time. I've always liked the idea of having the protective older sister."
"That's because you are the protective older sister."
I shrug. "It beats the norm of seeing big brother, little sister."
"Well, you know how I feel about the gender."
"I know, as long as it's healthy, you're good." I laugh. I sigh, kissing his forehead. I touch the stubble on his face. "Do I ever tell you how much I love you?"
"Not as often as I'd like to hear it, no," he teases.
"I love you, Cassie." I press our foreheads together.
"I love you too, Josette."
**[tears up a bit] God, I can't believe it. I gave a Supernatural ship a happy ending.
I've still got a few more things for y'all, though.**