Family Business

Chapter 2: Game Plan

"Cas, where'd you pick up a kid?"

Cas settled the little girl - it was a little girl - in one of the big armchairs by the books and looked over at Dean. Claire had taken off, probably back to her room to let Dean and Cas hash this one out. If there was one thing the Winchesters were famous for, it was the blow out fights they were prone to when something like this was sprung on them.

"She was the emergency," Cas explained. "You know how it goes with prophets."

"Excuse me?"

"The last prophet is dead, Dean. She was next in line."

"She's three years old!"

Cas brushed a calloused hand over the girl's hair. "Two, actually. By the time I got there, demons had her parents pinned down. I grabbed her and ran. It took me a couple days to shake them, and the angels were on their way. I didn't want to lead them back here."

Dean nodded. "Oh, yeah, because a two year old prophet is really going to be a big help. She can't read, Cas!"

"I'm aware of her developmental stage."

Dean pinched his nose and was about to open his mouth again, but the sound of the garage opening pulled his attention away.

"Burgers!" Sam's voice rang through the bunker as he headed for the kitchen. He was talking quieter with Jack now, something about this place he'd gone while in college - a hiking trail where the ridge of the mountain felt like you were in the stars and the sky was so bright. Jack was offering up soft 'ooh's and hums at the right parts, and Sam seemed to be getting more and more excited about telling the boy.

Dean headed for the kitchen, leaving Cas with the kid. "Sammy? You got burgers for everyone?"

"A double for you, 6 regulars for me and the girls, a bacon one for Claire..." Sam riffled through the bag. "A barbeque one for Jack. And fries. Loads of fries." Sam smiled at Dean as he unpacked the food. The smell must have been enough to bring the others into the room, as Jody poked her head in and led a train of Donna, Alex, Patience, and Claire into the room. They all settled around the table or up on counters except for Claire, who grabbed her burger and ran off to her room.

"What's up with her?" Jody asked, jerking a thumb over her shoulder as Claire disappeared.

Dean grunted. "Probably 'cause Cas is back."

"What?" Sam's head snapped up, his burger long forgotten now. "When?"

"Like, 5 minutes ago, dude." Dean was doing his best to talk around the mouthful of food in the way, so the words came out a little slurred. "He's in the library right now."

"No, I'm not." Cas was in the doorway, startling everyone. "I left so I wouldn't disturb Beretta."

"Wait, wait, wait," Dean said, putting his burger down. "You mean that kid out there is named Beretta? Like the gun?"

Cas furrowed his brow. "What gun?"

Dean pulled a gun from the waistband of his jeans. "This gun. Its a Beretta."

"You really shouldn't keep that there," Donna said seriously. "You're gonna blow your ding-dong off."

"Can we go back to the part where Dean said there was an unattended kid in the bunker?" Sam asked, throwing a look at Jody and Donna. Jody was already rising out of her seat, more worried about the child running around the bunker unattended than Dean shooting off any of his body parts.

"She's really little," Dean assured. "She's not going to go poking around in the place. I don't think she can reach the door knobs."

"Oh, my God," Jody was out the kitchen door in a blur of flannel.