The Dark and the Light (Book Three: Supernatural fanfic)

Celebrating the Life of Asa Fox

Sam and I were in the nursery of the Bunker early in the morning, with Ariel and Faith, sitting on the floor, messing around, letting them watch cartoons on the small TV.

"Ah, cartoons, what do you recommend for fast-growing Nephilim toddlers to watch early in the day?" Sam asked dramatically, speaking in a singsong voice. "Speak to me."

I smiled, holding Faith close to me.

Ariel and Faith were laughing.

"They are growing so fast," I told him.

"Yeah, I didn't think it would be this fast," Sam told me. "Oh, but at the same time, I thought it would be faster. You know, I had no idea what to expect."

"Well, I didn't know that much about it, either," I told him. "Angel-Human relationship are rare, and Nephilim children are even more rare."

Sam nodded in understanding. "Right."

"You seem to forget that our lives are not everyday, normal lives for every other creature in the world," I told him.

Sam laughed. "Yeah, because, for us, it's the new normal."

I chuckled. "Yeah. Speaking of normal, is it too much to ask for even Ariel and Faith to have as much of a normal growing up as they can have?"

"I don't think so," Sam told me. "But, in the life that we live..."

I sighed, resigned. "Yeah."

Sam smiled at my reaction. "Hey, I would love for them just to have to worry about cartoons and juice boxes, too."

"They're gonna start developing powers soon," I told him. "And they're gonna start using them without realizing what they're doing."

"Which is why you're here to teach them what to do," Sam told me. We looked at each other, smiling, kissing slowly and softly for a moment, pulling away when we heard Dean in the hallway on the phone. Dean walked past the doorway, looking upset. "Dean?"

Sam and I stood with Ariel and Faith in arms, following Dean to the doorway of his room.

Dean was packing a bag.

"Dean, what's wrong?" I asked.

"Friend died," Dean answered.

"Who?" I asked.

"Asa Fox," Dean answered.

Sam realized who he was talking about, sighing in surprise and regret. "Oh, no." He looked at me. "He's a hunter. He was a hunter. He killed, like, five Wendigos in a night. We, uh, ran into each other a few years back when we were working the same case. We were chasing a pack of Ghouls, and we finished the job together. We'd work together every once in a while after that, and we'd grab a few drinks or... something."

Dean sighed, nodding. "Yeah, he was a good man. The wake's tonight, and, um... they're gonna salt and burn the body tomorrow. And you know our lives are screwed up when you say that like it's something normal, because for us, it is normal."

"Well, I can come with you," I told them.

Dean shook his head. "You don't have to. We'll be fine."

"Yeah, no, Dean, I--I know you'll be fine, but..." I trailed off. "You know, I never got to know any Humans other than the two of you. Kevin. Charlie. It would be nice to meet some others, even hunters. And I haven't left the Bunker in weeks. You'd be doing me a favor if you let me tag along."

"Thank you," Sam told me. I nodded. "We're gonna have to get cleaned up before we spend five hours in the car together."

"Five hours?" I repeated. "Where are we going?"