27. Chapter 27

It took every ounce of determination that Castiel had not to run back to Dean at the bookstore. Gabriel's firm hand on his elbow, which propelled him forward, helped, as did the brush of grace from Balthazar that told him Dean was fine. Despite that, he didn't breathe easily again until he was standing beside Dean and could see Dean with his own two eyes. Dean was a little sulky and petulant, perhaps: signs of a possible temper tantrum from a cranky baby that hadn't gotten enough sleep the past two days. But at least he was still in one piece physically. Castiel could handle a temper tantrum no problem.

They moved on to the furniture store, and this time it was a little easier to leave Dean at the front of the store. Gabriel, much as he would be reluctant to admit it, would impale himself on his own blade before he'd allow anything to happen to Dean. Castiel tried not to dwell on it, instead turning his attention to purchasing furniture for Dean. As it stood, Dean's bedroom was ready for a young child, not a baby. There was still a lot that they were missing. He didn't expect to be able to buy everything today, but there were a few keys things that he was looking for. He made his way towards the back of the store, where he knew the cribs and changing tables were located.

Balthazar lingered nearby, clearly bored out of his mind, as Castiel inspected what the store had to offer. All of it was specially designed for hatchlings, strong and sturdy enough to support the additional weight without taking up too much space - a benefit to angel mojo, as Dean would say. He selected a dark brown changing table that came with drawers underneath to hold supplies, and then moved on to the cribs. It would be a while before Dean was comfortable sleeping in a crib. Having what Dean would perceive to be bars around him with no immediate means of escape wouldn't be beneficial to him right now. But Castiel had something very special in mind that would hopefully help Dean to sleep more deeply in the short run.

"Can I help you?"

Castiel turned his head to meet the eyes of his sister. He smiled. "Hello, Rachel," he said, genuinely pleased to see her. Balthazar had mentioned that a few of their siblings would be around today just in case, but he hadn't said who. It had been nearly a thousand years since Castiel had seen his sister, but Rachel's grace was as demure and sweet as ever when it shyly brushed against his in welcome.

She smiled back at him and spoke out loud. "Hello, Castiel. What are you looking for?"

"I need a crib that can vibrate," Castiel replied. Dean had often spoken longingly of the 'Magic Fingers' employed by several of the motels that he and Sam had stayed at, and Castiel knew from seeing his memories when he raised Dean that the soothing vibrations had, on several occasions, helped both the Winchesters fall asleep when their father was away on a hunt. He hoped it would do the same for Dean now.

Rachel looked thoughtfully at their stock. "I'm not sure any of these floor models are capable of that. But we could order something in for you. Keziel does the most beautiful work, and he's always looking for a challenge. Do you need it right away?"

"Within the next couple of days, preferably. I would actually like it in this style," Castiel said, tapping a finger against the crib he was standing in front of. It was more expensive than most of them, but that was because it was capable of being changed into a bed. All four of the sides could be raised into a crib or dropped to look like decorations. He would be able to put up a side at a time, allowing Dean to adapt to the crib more slowly.

"I don't see why that would be a problem," Rachel said, making a note on the tablet she was holding. She held it with an ease that Castiel envied. "What else are you looking for?"

"I'd like to get a high chair, possibly a play pen, but that's not something I need to get today. Most important is the changing table, the crib and a rocking chair."

"We've got a beautiful selection of rocking chairs. Come on."

She led him to where the rocking chairs were set out. Castiel spent some time looking over each one, recognizing the craftsmanship of Keziel in several of them. He finally chose one that was in the same dark brown wood as the changing table. It was wide and solid, with deep green cushions, and it would be comfortable for both him and Dean. Rachel marked down both the rocking chair and the changing table, her brow furrowing for a moment. Then she glanced up at him.

"Do you have diapers? A changing pad? Bottles? Burping cloths? Formula? Washing mitt? Pacifiers? Wipes? Cream? Comforter set for the crib? Swaddling blankets? Bibs? A baby monitor?" she rattled off, holding up her tablet. The list on the screen was very, very long.

Castiel blinked at her. "I have... pacifiers... and some bottles and diapers..."

For a moment, her smile actually looked kind of evil. But apparently she decided to take pity on him, because she patted his arm. "Just give me your card, Castiel. I'll put together a sampling of what you'll need, okay? We can even deliver it."

"That won't be necessary. Just let me know when it's ready and Gabriel will come."

It was Rachel's turn to blink. "Gabriel? I - okay." Her cheeks flushed, eyes widening, and Castiel glanced over his shoulder. As though summoned by the sound of his name, Gabriel strolled over to them. He was pushing a black stroller and whistling softly under his breath, an amused smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. Castiel raised an eyebrow as he approached, wondering at the obviously missing person. Surely Dean wasn't -

"Hey bro!" Gabriel said, beaming. "Rachel. Look." He gripped Castiel's shoulder, tugging him closer and lifting the hood of the stroller a bit.

Dear Father. Castiel had to grip the handles of the strollers to keep from melting into a pile of mush on the floor. Dean was curled up in the stroller, on his side sound asleep. The thumb of his right hand was in his mouth, and a thin stream of drool had dribbled down his cheek and across his shoulder. He looked so adorable that Castiel almost wondered if it was a trick, but no. Dean Winchester would never get into a stroller and pretend to be asleep just for a trick. This was actually happening. He glanced back at his brother with an incredulous look, wondering what Gabriel had done. Short of knocking Dean out and dumping him in the stroller...

Gabriel rolled his eyes. "Thanks for the vote of confidence. For your information, your hatchling was roughly two seconds away from a cranky meltdown before I distracted him. Nothing soothes the savage beast like the feel of a car driving - or in this case, a stroller moving." He demonstrated by pushing gently on the stroller, sliding it back and forth, earning a soft, pleased sound from Dean. Then he wiggled his eyebrows at Castiel and pointedly added, "You're welcome, by the way."

"Thank you," Castiel said belatedly, looking back at Dean, wanting to burn the image into his memory.

Rachel had kept back, even though curiosity was written all over her face. Now, she cleared her throat. "I take it you want the stroller too," she said. "We do carry a small line of baby blankets, if you're interested."

"Yes. I also want a set of baby monitors today," Castiel replied, pleased that she had reminded him. He couldn't help reaching down into the stroller and gently stroking Dean's hair away from his face. Dean made another quiet sound and turned his head, nuzzling into the touch. It was unbearably sweet.

"No problem. Follow me."

She was a fast worker. Within half an hour, Castiel was carefully draping a beautiful pale blue blanket over Dean so that his little one wouldn't get cold. In the space underneath the stroller, he'd placed a specially chosen mobile and a brand new set of baby monitors that was guaranteed to work. Those would make monitoring Dean at night, at least until Castiel no longer required sleep to help regain his grace, much easier. He didn't want another repeat of last night's incident. Balthazar likely wouldn't react so kindly a second time.

Gabriel paid for it all. Thousands of years hiding on Earth had given him plenty of money, and he had no qualms about sharing it. Money was pretty meaningless to an archangel that could snap up whatever he wanted. While Rachel was running his credit card, Castiel used a little grace to connect to the stroller, allowing him to see Dean through the protective hood and manipulate the mobile that, according to Gabriel, had eased Dean into sleep so easily.

He allowed Gabriel to connect as well, but not Balthazar - not that his brother would have wanted to. Balthazar was looking increasingly bored by the shopping, as it happened, though he hadn't once complained. Castiel shot him a grateful look as they emerged from the furniture store back into the sunlight and received a smirk in response. It wasn't like Balthazar to be so accommodating, and Castiel was truly grateful for his presence. Getting out of the house wasn't just beneficial to Dean.

"Okay, what next?" Gabriel said, rubbing his hands together. "Clothing? Toys? The candy store?"

"I am not following you into a candy store," Balthazar said.

"Oh come on. Where's your sense of adventure? You don't know half the things that humans are capable of. It's like magic."

Balthazar didn't look convinced. "No."

"I'll call Samandriel down and he can accompany us. You can go, if you like," Castiel said, figuring that it was best to intervene before Gabriel tried physically dragging Balthazar into the candy store. For that matter, he wasn't sure it was a wise idea to let Gabriel go in there at all. But he doubted that anyone would be able to stop him.

"Are you sure, Cassie?"

Castiel nodded. "We'll be fine. Rachel is here, Samandriel will be coming, and I can sense Inias and Hester are nearby."

Though he hesitated a moment more, eyes searching Castiel's face intently, Balthazar finally nodded. "Very well. Good luck with the rest of your shopping."

He was gone before Castiel could respond. Gabriel sighed loudly, crossing his arms and leaning against the store's window. "Just doesn't know how to have fun, that one."

"He just has a different idea of fun, I think," Castiel replied, remembering Balthazar's offer to traverse the world. He hated to turn his brother down - and if it weren't for Dean, Castiel might have accepted. At the very least, travelling with Balthazar promised to be an enlightening experience. But he couldn't fathom leaving Dean behind. He glanced down at the stroller, knowing there was a stupid smile pasted across his face.

"Might have to teach him a few things," Gabriel muttered, looking thoughtful.

There was no point in telling him to behave. Castiel settled for rolling his eyes and pushing the hood of the stroller up a bit so that he could slip a hand inside. He stroked a hand over Dean's sleep warm cheek, pausing when Dean squirmed a little and then went tense. The baby made a face and whimpered, then rolled over onto his other side and curled up under the blanket. Castiel waited until he went limp again, then confirmed a sneaking suspicion by slipping a couple of fingers down the back of Dean's pants.

"Why don't we stop for lunch?" he suggested, straightening back up. "Dean should eat, and he needs to be changed. Then we'll go to the toy store. He can have another nap later if he gets tired while we look at the clothes."

Gabriel handed over the diaper bag. "Fine by me. I heard Biggersons does a mean ice cream sundae."

"Gabriel, we're going to a candy store later."

"Ice cream and candy go into a different stomach, bro."

"I'll take your word for it," Castiel said wryly, hoisting the diaper bag onto his shoulder and following his brother down the sidewalk. The restaurant was on the other side of the strip mall, and he didn't mind walking instead of flying. It would give Dean a few extra minutes of sleep before being changed.