Carry On [ENGLISH]

Chapter 7 - Christmas is coming soon

The next day, Dean, Ten and Miracle went for a walk in the forest around the bunker.

Ten walked through a forest of autumn colors for the first time in his life. He looked around in wonder. He didn't dare to believe it. It was too good to be true.

He was bound to wake up in bed in the big white room with his brother and sisters.

But he didn't wake up. And thinking about them hurt him. Yet it hurt less and less. He began to think that it was strange to feel less pain when you think about the people who were no longer there, even though they had only been dead for a few days.

When he made the remark out loud, Dean explained to him that it was normal and that he had the right to be happy and the duty to think about his loved ones who were no longer there.

Then time passed slowly, as the autumn leaves fell from the trees.

One day after another, the weeks passed and the months followed one after the other.

Dean carved the names of Ten and Eileen from the family table.

He visited a school with Ten, and most of the mistresses - and even some of the teachers - fell under the spell of the hunter, who didn't give a damn.

The little boy was accepted and went to school. He thought it was nice, but hated being insulted by the other children because he wore nail polish.

Some weekends he went hunting with Dean, and even though he stayed in the Impala with Miracle most of the time, he still liked to be there.

Sometimes they went to play baseball, and Ten found out that he liked the game. One day Dean took him to a game and the ball was thrown so hard that it landed in the stands, and by some incredible chance it was Ten who caught it.

At the end of the game, he had it signed by the champions, his favorite team, and has kept it in his room ever since.

Eileen had begun to teach Dean and Ten American Sign Language (ASL). The child was gradually gaining confidence.

They often went to visit Sam and Eileen, who lived in a lovely little house.

Sometimes they would visit the dead.

At school, Ten didn't have many friends, but he didn't care. He liked to spend his recess reading.

Ten and Dean finally did their Lord of the Rings Marathon long version over the weekend.

Ten continued to pray to Jack every night for Castiel's return. He had even started praying directly to Castiel to return and The Empty to let Castiel return.

He had even ended up proposing to The Empty that he and Castiel be exchanged, but The Empty had remained silent.

Ten had begun to alternate the colors of his nails between black and saffron yellow, to have bee nails.

Thanksgiving was spent with the family, but without Jack and Castiel. 

Halloween arrived. Dean and Ten carved pumpkins. Ten disguised himself as Mrs Poufflon, the warden, who actually scared him more than werewolves or demons.

Ten and Dean now knew the basics of ASL. Also, when Ten didn't feel like talking, which often happened in public, he would sign whatever he wanted to Dean so most people thought he was mute. He didn't care.

Christmas came around the corner. It snowed. The children started singing Christmas carols, mainly "All I Want For Christmas".

Ten continued the song, singing that all he wanted for Christmas was for the family to be together, with Jack and Castiel.

Ten and Dean fought snowball fights and built a snowman.

The child discovered that he loved snow.

Ten and Dean bought a large fir tree which they installed in the large bunker room and decorated it. They took pictures that they sent to Sam and Eileen and hung some of them in the bunker.

As Christmas and the vacations were approaching, Ten's teacher Jane Smith asked them to tell what they were going to do for Christmas Eve and Christmas.

When it was his turn, Ten explained that he was going to celebrate at his aunt and uncle's house with his father and hoped that his brother would come.

- Do you have a brother? asked Mrs. Smith.

- Yes, Ten smiles. Actually, I've got two and two sisters too, but my sisters and one of my brothers are dead. The other one, Jack,  is actually the son of Lucifer and he's God now.

And before Ten could elaborate on why and how he was Jack's adopted brother, the teacher had already pulled out a cross and pointed it at him.

- But come on, Ma'am, he replied calmly and naturally. That doesn't work! To exorcise correctly, you have to use the formula. Besides, I can't be possessed by a demon, I have an anti-demon possession tattoo on me.

The fact that he said that so naturally scared his teacher, who strongly considered quitting, before thinking that, really, she needed a vacation. A long vacation. A very long vacation. And perhaps also psychotherapy.

Luckily, the bell rang at that moment and Ten put his things away in no time at all, put on his red comforter, folded his hood with fur on his head, put his bag on his shoulders and ran to the gate to wait for Dean.

The fog was quite thick, so thick that it could have been cut with a knife.

He did not pay the slightest attention to the child three steps away from him who proudly explained that if you moved the "n" of "Santa", you would find "Satan", which obviously proved that Santa and the Devil were one and the same person.

Suddenly, however, Ten raised his head. He had heard the Impala coming.

Indeed, a few moments later, the famous car arrived.

As usual, Ten climbed into the back seat with Miracle waiting for him, waiting for caresses, while the raven-haired-boy closed the door.

The Impala started up again and drove away in the fog.

- So this was the last day of school before the vacations?

- Great! You should have seen the teacher's face when I told her about Jack!

Dean laughed.

- She pulled out a cross and pointed it at me! Like that's going to work. But I told her it wouldn't work and I think it made her sad. I hope she'll get over it by Christmas.

The adult behind the wheel smiles, proud of Ten.