**Grace Nevermore** Supernatural Fanfiction: Book Three

Part Nine: The Things We Left Behind

Sophie sighed in relaxation as the hot water trickled over her body. Even the warm steam that entered her nostrils made her body melt in satisfaction. Her body was finally at a point where it didn't feel nauseated or weak, but it also resulted in her being completely devoid of any of her angelic abilities as well as heavily fatigued. She was seemingly back to square one and she could only assume the Nephilim inside her womb were soaking in as much power as they could to grow.

And grown they had. It had only been a few more weeks since she had found out and Sophie had already developed a small bump in her stomach. It wasn't significant and, to anyone but herself, it would mostly looked like slight weight gain or bloating in her lower abdominal. Sophie didn't know what normal human pregnancy consisted of, but when she touched her stomach she could feel their life pulsating beneath her fingertips. She had done a tad bit of research, and found nothing on human mothers being able to feel such a thing. At this point, she was solely relying on her own common sense, seeing as visiting a doctor would most likely result in turning heads.

She stared in the mirror, turning to either side to observe her bloated belly further. Every once in a while, Sophie could have sworn she saw a soft glow from her epidermis. In that moment, she was thankful she lived with two men who seemingly didn't notice anything different. The only thing the Winchesters seemed to remark upon was her sudden wellness. Sophie prayed she would have the courage to tell Dean and Sam soon. The only thing holding her back were their reactions and, if she told them, she knew she would have to break the news to Castiel. Though she hadn't heard from him in nearly a months time, it was only a matter of when their paths would cross again.

It was in the wee hours of the morning; four in the morning, to be exact and a time Sophie was used to getting up by now. She roamed the halls of the bunker, a glass of water in hand. She was headed toward the living quarters when she passed Dean's bedroom, hearing incessant murmuring. She paused, stepping closer to the door. Sophie's brows knitted curiously, quietly opening the door to peek inside. Upon closer inspection, she observed Dean as he flailed his head back and further, muttering incoherent sentences in his sleep. It had been a while since she had observed him having any nightmares, and this one seemed this most concerning.

Had it anything to do with the Mark of Cain. Sophie remembered Sam telling her Dean's actions a week or so back during a case. She had stayed behind due to fatigue, while the Winchesters went to collect something of Bobby's left for him by a deceased friend. As it turned out, a shifter was in the works. The Winchesters took care of it, but Sam had said Dean went haywire and shot the shifters corpse numerous times- unloading a whole clip with a cold, evil look in his eyes. "I'm worried about him," Sam had said to her in confidence. "The look in his eye... I can't help but think the Mark had him."

Sophie cringed, stepping further into the room. She approached the right side of Dean's bed, quietly setting her glass of water on the nightstand before kneeling onto the mattress next to him. She could see the spotting of sweat across his brow, his brows furrowed and his expression discomforted. Sophie slowly reached out to touch him, but jerked her hand back as Dean suddenly jolted upward in a panic. Dean panted heavily, his eyes wide and staring across the room for several seconds before he even took notice to Sophie sitting next to him. His face contorted and he licked his lips anxiously, "Sophie?" He rasped. "How long have you been here?"

"Long enough," She answered, reaching back for her water. Sophie offered it to him and Dean accepted, taking a long swig. He pulled the glass away from his lips and handed it back to her. "Bad dream?"

Dean's breathing slowed to a normal pace and he cleared his throat, giving a slight shake of his it. "Nah, it's... it's nothing."

Sophie frowned. She got up from the bed, setting the glass back down on the nightstand, deciding that he would probably need it more than she would. She continued toward the door, "Hey, Sophie," Dean spoke, and she turned back around. His eyes were round and filled with dread. "You don't have to go... you know?"