The Road So Far

NOW

[January 2014 - 9 Months Pregnant - Bunker Infirmary - Get the ice chips ready]

Contractions started coming closer together, much closer. I barely had a few minutes to breathe between them now. The floor was constantly vibrating at this point, with the walls only pausing briefly to take a break.

“Jody, something feels weird,” I said, looking at her for reassurance.

“Weird bad?”

“I don’t know, just weird.”

The walls began to shake and the lights flickered before going out. They stayed out this time. Rowena’s candles flickered, casting long shadows across the room.

“Is that lavender?” I asked.

“Aye, it’s soothing.”

“I have to go to the bathroom, Jody,” I said.

She and Rowena exchanged a look. They each took one of my arms to help me brace as the next contraction rolled through my body. I screamed. My vision went black.

[January - Dean - Not Pregnant - Demons at the gates]

One of Kenneth’s minions fell dead at my feet. I tightened my grip on Ruby’s knife, the whole thing was covered in blood. Sam just dropped another one to my left and Cas was fixing a sigil on the wall to my right.

“I know you’re out there Kenneth!” I yelled, “Come face me you coward!”

The walls behind us shook. Another contraction. Hang on Kate, I’m almost done.

Another demon jumped out from behind a tree, trying to catch me off guard. Not today, buddy. I’ve been practicing.

I feigned left then hit him with an uppercut. A sharp, deadly uppercut. He fell too.

“Dean, behind you!” Sam called.

I spun with the knife raised, only to have it knocked from my hand and land ten feet away. My body was lifted from the ground and thrown backwards into a tree. The air knocked from my lungs. I coughed when I landed and felt a pain in my ribs when I finally managed to inhale.

“Dean, Dean, Dean,” said a metallic voice.

I looked up and saw a man in a preacher getup standing in front of me. His eyes were solid black.

“I have to say, it was a lot of fun riding you,” he swatted in front of me, putting his face almost level with mine, “And it was so much easier to find Kate. All I had to do was wait. I knew she’d come running to you–her big, bad, protector.”

As the sound of crashing came from where Sam had been, I realized he was fighting off another demon. No sign of Cas. It was just me and Kenneth.

“She has the cutest little birthmark on her hip,” he continued.

The bastard.

Kenneth grabbed me by the throat and lifted me off the ground. Hard to breathe when a demon’s crushing your windpipe.

“I’m going to savor killing you and Kate, like a delicious piece of pie,” he growled with an evil grin on his ugly face.

I snaked one hand down to the small of my back and touched the cool metal hidden under my shirt. Just needed the right opening but my vision was getting blurry.

“You’re forgetting just one thing,” I said.

“And what’s that?”

I whipped the angel blade from behind my back and buried it in Kenneth's throat. We both fell to the ground. I pulled the blade out as I stood up, Kenneth’s last spark fading quickly.

“Nobody touches my pie.”

The body Kenneth had possessed lay still. It was over.

“Sam? Cas?” I called as I picked up Ruby’s knife and ran back to where I’d seen them.

“Over here!” Sam answered from the doorway.

A demon had almost made it inside but Cas’ sigil and Sam’s big dorky body kept him from getting far.

“Are there any more?” I asked.

“No,” Cas said, “This appears to be the last one. Kenneth?”

“Dead.”

I reached up to the walkie on my collar and pressed the talk button.

“Eagle’s Nest, company has been dispatched. What’s your status? Over.”

Static. Son of a bitch.

“Come in Eagle’s Nest,” Sam said, trying his walkie.

More static. Actually, the static was the only thing we heard.

“When was the last time you guys felt the tremors?” I asked.

Sam shrugged, “I dunno, I was kind of busy with that last guy.”

“I was not aware I was supposed to keep track,” answered the trenchcoat baby.

Before I realized what was even happening, my feet were moving on their own, at a run down the hall. The bunker never felt bigger than it did right now. Must run faster. As I ran, the door to the infirmary seemed to get farther away as the hall stretched out, exactly like it looks in the movies. Must push harder. The only sound I could hear was the blood pounding in my ears. The lights were out this far in, what happened? Must get to Kate.

I barreled into the infirmary door, grabbing the knob and practically twisting it off. I pushed as hard as I could before remembering it opened outwards. Yanking with all my might, I stumbled in and was accosted by lavender and dim candlelight. Then I saw it.

An empty bed.

Bloody sheets.

“No,” I gasped, my voice hoarse, “Kate?”

“Dean?” Jody’s voice came from behind the room divider.

Where was Kate?

I staggered to the divider, roughly shoving it aside, and saw Kate, alive, and–

My legs quit working and I dropped to my knees.

Kate peered over the edge of the bed at me.

“Come meet your daughter,” she said.

My.

Daughter.

My heart pounded as Jody offered me a hand up, I took it but couldn’t keep my eyes off Kate, or the helpless lump of blankets in her arms. I swallowed, my mouth was dry. Kate patted the bed beside her. For the first time, I realized how covered in blood I was and tried to wipe it on my pants.

“Don’t worry about that, I need to clean up too,” she said as I sat down.

I couldn’t catch my breath, every time I tried, the pain in my ribs stabbed harder. There, in Kate’s arms, was the smallest baby I’d ever seen. Not that I’d seen many babies. I’d seen more demons than babies lately. She had dark hair, like Kate’s, and she looked up at me with deep, green eyes. I looked at Kate, she was smiling at me. I felt a tear fall down my cheek. No blaming onions for that one.

“Hold out your arms,” Kate said gently.

I obeyed and she tucked the baby against me. Our baby. Our daughter.

“What should–” I cleared my throat, “What should we name her?”

“I was thinking about Mary.”

I nodded, swallowing. God I love this woman.

“Mary Joanna,” I added.

Kate smiled and kissed my cheek.

“Perfect,” she said.

I forgot to breathe, as I sat with my wife, and we soaked in the first moments of our daughter’s life. I wanted to remember every detail, every little sound. I never thought I could feel happiness like this. Never thought I deserved it but here it was anyway, a joy so pure that even a hellhound couldn’t drag it from me.

My daughter, Mary.