based off 12.19

the future

~*~

"So you're sure she took the tracker off?" Sam asked.

"Pretty sure she found it, seeing as it's been at the same strip club for three days," Juno said turning her computer to Sam.

"Yeah, she found it," Sam said with a sigh.

"Hey, how was that hunt last week?" Juno asked leaning back.

"Eh, easy enough," Sam told her. Juno nodded slightly, pulling her computer back to her. "Hey, back when Dagon took back Kelly, something... Happened."

"What do you mean?" Juno asked.

"You... touched Kelly's stomach and your eyes starting glowing yellow. Like you were seeing something. Then you fell down and went unconscious," Sam told Juno.

"Wait, what?" she asked turning to him. "I... No, that didn't happen. I don't remember that."

"You don't?" Sam asked.

"No," Juno said furrowing her eyebrows. "That doesn't make me feel any better about this kid."

"Yeah," Sam agreed.

"What's up, Beautiful Mind?" Dean said walking into the room as he noticed all the writing on the table.

"Guess I just figured we can't exactly track Dagon, so I've been reading up on Nephilim, trying to figure out how much time we have before –"

"'Lil Lucifer pops," Juno said pointing at Dean.

"Yeah. Okay, so we know Kelly got pregnant sometime in early December. According to the lore, Nephilim don't need 9 months to get to full term, so I think she will be giving birth around May 18th," Sam said pointing to the number on the table. "Which means –"

"We have less than a month to find her," Dean finished.

"Yeah, and exactly no idea where to start," Sam said with a sigh.

"Okay, but even if we do find her, what then?" Dean asked.

"I don't know. I mean, I-I-" Sam was cut off by the bunker door opening. Juno looked up, seeing a trench coat. She realized it was Cas, then looked back down at what she was working on. "Cas."

"Hello," he said.

"Hey. You're all right. Um – Where have you been?" Sam asked him.

"Oh, yeah, sorry I forgot to tell you. I knew where Cas was the whole time," Juno said as she leaned forward and began writing on a piece of paper.

"I'm sorry, you what?" Dean asked turning to her. "Did you know he wouldn't be getting our calls?"

"Where I was, the – the reception was, uh, poor," Castiel informed them.

"No bars? No bars. That's his excuse. Wow," Dean said angrily.

"I was in Heaven. I was working with the angels," Castiel said stepping towards Sam and Dean. They seemed stunned, Juno nodding slowly. "When I saw Dagon had captured Kelly, I-I thought they could help."

"And?" Sam asked.

"Nothing," Castiel answered.

"Well, at least you're back. We're glad you're back," Sam said with a small smile.

"Really?" Dean asked looking at Sam. "No, I'm sorry. Okay, 'cause while you were striking out in Heaven, we had a shot at Dagon, and we lost. A-And Juno, you knew where he was the whole time and you didn't say anything?!"

"Yes, because I knew you would react exactly the way you're reacting," Juno told him. Dean went to respond but turned to Castiel.

"I know. I received your messages," Cas told him.

"Oh, you did – you did receive the messages? Okay, that's good," Dean said looking back at Sam.

"Dean," he warned.

"So not only were you ditching us, but you were also ignoring us? That's great. 'Cause we really could've used the backup. But, uh, you were too busy with, um," Dean snapped his fingers, trying to remember, "What was it? Nothing?"

"Dean, I –"

"What the hell is wrong with you, man?" Dean asked cutting off Castiel. "You know, whatever. That's... Yeah. Welcome back." Dean walked out, Juno rolling her eyes at him.

"Dean, y—" Sam stopped himself, giving up on talking to Dean. He looked between Juno and Cas, noticing Cas's longing look towards the girl. "I'm just going to, uh..." Sam picked up his computer, walking out of the room quickly. Juno watched as he walked away, then looked over at Cas.

"You know, you dropped off the face of the Earth, literally, for a month. First thing you say when you get back is 'hello', and now someones already mad," Juno said as she began standing from her chair. "If anyone knows how to make an entrance, it's you."

"Are you okay?" Castiel asked as Juno placed her arms on his shoulders.

"Of course I'm okay. Why wouldn't I be?" Juno asked furrowing her eyebrows.

"Good," Castiel said. He leaned forward quickly, kissing Juno with a little more force than anticipated. Juno returned it quickly as Castiel gripped her waist. Juno pulled back, tilting her head at him.

"You really miss me that much?" she asked.

"Yes," he answered. Juno hummed in response, Cas kissing her again. Castiel pulled back, placing a hand on Juno's face. "Why don't you head to your room, I need to talk to Dean very quick."

"Yeah," Juno said with a small nod. She turned, walking towards her room. She stepped down into the hallway, making her way to her room. She sat on the bed for about fifteen minutes before she realized that Cas probably wasn't going to show up. Then she paused, realizing he wouldn't have come back from Heaven without a plan. It's not like them. She stood, walking out to see Dean heading towards her room.

"Is Cas with you?" he asked. She tilted her head at him, then shook her head now.

"I thought he would be with you guys," Juno told him.

"Dammit," Dean muttered.

*****

Dean loaded the shotgun, placing it in the bag. Juno walked in, setting down her own bag of weapons as Sam walked in, pocketing his phone.

"Let me guess – no answer," Dean said.

"I mean, how did Cas even get the Colt out of the safe in the first place?" Sam asked pulling out a chair. Dean didn't answer, dropping his head away from Sam. "Dean, you – you put the Colt back in the safe, right? Dean?"

"It was under my pillow," Dean said.

"It –" Sam cut himself off, sitting down to process.

"I like to keep it close," Dean said with a sigh. "He came into my room and he played me."

"Yeah, he played us both," Juno said with a chuckle. They both looked at her, Juno looking between. "I swear, I don't know where he is this time."

"Well, I say we find him and we kick his feathered ass," Dean said putting an angel blade in his bag.

"Dean, Cas wouldn't have taken the Colt if he wasn't going up against something big," Juno told him as Sam stood back up.

"Okay, I say we find him, figure out what's going on, and then we kick his feathered ass," Dean said angrily.

"Not gonna be that finding him," Juno said holding up a map on her phone. "Yeah, I put a tracker on the truck too."

"You're amazing," Dean said pointing at her. "Let's go."

*****

Dean pulled up to North Point Motel, parking next to Castiel's truck. Juno stepped out first, opening the drivers side door and getting in. She pulled the screwdriver out of the glove compartment and jiggling it into the ignition. She turned the key to start it, but the engine was sputtering. She looked to the rooms, the blinds of one of them opening. Juno looked at Dean through her window, nodding at him. She turned the car back off, getting out and following Sam and Dean to the door. Dean knocked quickly, Cas opening the door, the colt in his hand.

"Yeah, that's mine," Dean said snatching it from Cas. They walked in, Dean pinning Cas against the wall. "What the hell were you thinking, huh?"

"Dean?" Juno said as she saw Kelly standing in the bathroom doorway.

"What?!" Dean snapped.

"Dean!" Sam said more forcefully. Dean looked over, noticing Kelly now as well. He let go of Cas, stepping towards the woman.

"Kelly?" he questioned.

"Hey," she said stepping towards them.

"Hey," Sam said quickly.

"How did you find us?" Castiel asked stepping forward.

"Well, while you were scamming me for the Colt, Sam put a tracking app on your phone," Dean snapped at Cas.

"And after you left for Heaven I put a tracker in the truck in case it moved and you didn't call," Juno said turning to face him.

"Cas, when you came back, you didn't even look us in the eye. You wanna explain what's going on here?" Sam asked motioning to Kelly.

"Yeah. I found Dagon," Cas told them.

"And?" Sam asked.

"Did you kill her?" Dean asked.

"No." They all looked at him, disappointed. "She's difficult to kill, okay?"

"Yeah. You think?" Dean snapped.

"All right, so what are you doing here, then?" Juno asked with a sigh.

"I – My truck broke down," Cas said walking next to Kelly.

"Then – Then why didn't you call us? Cas, we could've helped you," Sam told him in an exasperated tone.

"I know. I wanted to keep you out of this. I-I was trying to keep you safe," Castiel told them with a frown.

"You're not our babysitter, Cas, okay? That is not your job. And when in our whole lives have we ever been safe?" Dean questioned him.

"This is my responsibility because it is my plan," Castiel said.

"Your plan?" Dean asked.

"He's taking me to Heaven," Kelly informed them.

"You – You're taking her to the sandbox?" Juno asked taking her gaze to Castiel.

"Yes. I'm ending this, once and for all. Kelly and her baby have to die," Castiel said forcefully.

"No, they don't. Listen, we found another way," Sam said stepping forward.

"And you would know that if you would answer your phone," Dean snapped.

"Wait, what are you talking about?" Castiel asked them.

"What you did with me, with – with Gadreel, remember? The – the grace extraction. We take the grace from the baby, from the Nephilim, and then the baby just becomes –"

"Human," Castiel finished.

"Human," Sam stated.

"Wait a minute. That extraction, it nearly killed you," Castiel said furrowing his eyebrows.

"Yeah, but it didn't," Sam said.

"Because we didn't finish it. We don't even know if this would work," Castiel said shaking his head slowly.

"There are kinks, yes, but it's a plan. And it beats the hell out of certain death. Am I right?" Dean questioned.

"No," Kelly said shaking her head. She walked past them, grabbing her coat and walking out the door.

"Hey, Kelly. Kelly. Hey, wait, wait. Wait a second, look. We – we can't imagine what you've been through, okay? But we promised we'd find another way, and we did. We found a better way. This can work," Sam said as they all began following her.

"I'm going with Castiel," Kelly argued.

"No, Kelly, if you go with Cas, you die. Your baby dies," Sam said stepping in front of her.

"I go with you, you take away the thing that makes him special," Kelly told them.

"How does that matter if you're both dead?" Juno asked confused.

"That's the only thing that matters," Kelly said.

"Okay, this girl has lost her mind," Dean said shaking his head.

"Hey, Dean," Cas warned him.

"Meanwhile, can we take this conversation elsewhere, guys? We're kind of sitting ducks out here," Sam piped up.

"Sam's right. Dagon is after Kelly. Your truck is broke down. Why don't we get in the Impala, we'll head back to the bunker, and we'll talk? We'll figure it out," Dean said looking between the four.

"Right," Juno agreed.

"Okay, we'll talk," Cas said. He grabbed Kelly's arm, pulling her towards the Impala. Juno followed as she shook her head. Castiel tried the door, nothing happening. "Dean! Locked!" Dean threw the keys to them. Juno caught them, opening the passenger door for Kelly. Castiel unlocked the back door, getting in that way. Juno walked to the other side, opening the drivers door then unlocking the back door. She shut the drivers door, then climbed in the back. With a sigh, she dropped the keys down into the front seat.

"It's not supposed to happen this way," Kelly said with a sigh. She grabbed the keys, sliding over in the seat.

"Kelly," Juno said sitting up. Kelly punched the gas, driving out of the motel parking lot. Juno gripped the seat, trying not to fall into the window. Juno glanced back, then forward again as Castiel was leaning forward.

"Turn around. Where are you going?" he asked.

"To Heaven. The sandbox, if you tell me how to get there," Kelly said with a smile.

"Kelly, I can make you stop this car," Cas told her.

"Why haven't you?" Kelly asked. Castiel opened his mouth to respond, but shook his head.

"Okay, why are you doing this?" Juno asked leaning forward.

"Because he chose you, both of you. Castiel. When you put your hand on my stomach, I heard him. He spoke to me. He told me that even if it seems scary, if I just went to the gate, if I just followed your plan, that you would make sure he was born. Sam and Dean, they want to take away his powers because they're scared. But I'm not," Kelly said with a confident smile.

"Yeah, where do I play into this?" Juno asked. Kelly smiled contently, laughing slightly.

"You saw it Juno, and you've been ignoring it. He showed you it, and you... It was beautiful, and you loved it," Kelly said with a content sigh.

"Kelly, you –"

"You asked me who would protect him, guide him when I'm gone. I know now. It's you two," Kelly told them.

"Us? That's... I am not someone that you should put your faith in, Kelly," Castiel told her. "I couldn't kill Dagon back there. I lost two of my men. I betrayed my friends, my family."

"Yeah, and overall, we're not cutout to be parents," Juno said with a small nod.

"Before all this happened, I was a cut-rate political flack in an embarrassingly unprofessional relationship with my boss," Kelly said glancing back at Castiel. "I don't know why it's me. And I don't know why it's you. But I know that we are destined for something here. Something great."

"Well, I wish I had your faith," Castiel said.

"You will," Kelly said reassuringly. "You both will."

*****

The three began approaching the sandbox, Kelly keeping a grip over her stomach.

"This is it?" she asked.

"This is it," Castiel told her.

"Kelly, are you sure?" Juno asked, as she wasn't sure herself.

"As long as you're here, I know it's gonna be okay," Kelly said with a small sniffle. The gate began to open, an angel appearing in front of them.

"Castiel. Juniper. Kelly. It's good to see you," the angel said to the three.

"Hello, Joshua," Castiel said with a slight nod.

"I know you must be scared. But don't be," Joshua said walking to Kelly. He suddenly turned into dust, Kelly jumping back. Juno grabbed her arm, Castiel grabbing both of them.

"Ugh. Hey, girl. Wow! You three got so close!" Dagon said in a surprised tone. "If I hadn't made it here at the last possible second, uh J. K. Flipped your pal Kelvin ages ago, then smoked him. I've been here for hours."

"You stay away from her," Castiel said stepping in front of Kelly.

"What, no Colt? Wait. You don't even have it anymore? Hilarious," Dagon said sarcastically. Castiel went to stab Dagon, but she grabbed his arm, then punched him in the face. She brought him back up, hitting him again. She punched him two more times, then kneed Castiel. He went down, Juno looking at Dagon with rage. "Look at him, your angelic defender. You really thought he was gonna save you? This sad, fluttering, aimless little moth?"

Juno clenched her fist as Dagon turned, grabbing Castiel by the throat and holding him above her. She paid no attention to the truck pulling up, but only stepped forward. She screamed at Dagon, the demon letting go of Castiel. Juno brought her hands up, using something she found in lore. Pushing more sound waves towards the recipient at higher speeds to hurt them more. Dagon screamed in pain, two gunshots going off. Juno stopped, stepping back. Dagon stood, turning and looking at Sam who shot her. She hit him into a bench, then turns to Dean who had the colt pointed at her. She merely hit him, holding the colt now.

"Yeah. Time to take this off the board," Dagon said. She began burning it, Dean's eyes widening.

"No!" Dean yelled. The barrel thudded to the ground, Dagon dropping the other half.

"Okay. Who wants ice cream?" she asked turning to the team on the ground, except for Juno. Dagon approached her first as Juno was getting in stance in front of Kelly again. "Kid, come on. It's just getting sad."

"Run," Juno said looking at Kelly. She shook her head, taking Juno's hand.

"Aw, lesbian twist. Never saw that coming. Adorbs!" Dagon cooed. Kelly's eyes turned yellow and she looked over at Juno. The banshee's veins flowed golden now, the color flowing up until it hit her eyes which turned gold. Dagon rose her hand to kill Juno, everyone's eyes widening.

"Juniper!" Cas yelled.

"No!" Dean screamed. Juno brought her hand up quick, catching Dagon's. The power in Dagon's hand faded, the Prince of Hell's eyes widening.

"How..." Dagon trailed off as she shook her head.

"Call it a miracle," Juno spat. Juno set fire to Dagon's arm, the girl also letting out a scream. Dagon screamed, stumbling back at the immense pain she was feeling. She sizzled into nothing Juno only watching in satisfaction. Her eyes still glowed gold as she looked over at Cas. She waved her hand, fixing his wounds. The gold was then gone, Juno becoming her full self again.

"Juno?" Sam asked standing up. "What was that?"

"It was, um It was me. But it was also..." Juno trailed off as she looked at Kelly.

"You're hurt," Castiel said looking at Dean. He healed Dean's arm, Juno looking between the two.

"Thank you for coming to fight for us," Juno told Sam and Dean.

"Are you okay?" Dean asked looking between the two.

"I am," Cas said with a nod. "I've been so lost. I'm not lost anymore. And I know now that this child must be born with all of his power." Cas looked at Juno who gave him a small smile.

"You can't actually mean that," Sam said with a scoff.

"Yes. I do. I have faith," Cas said looking at Kelly. "We have to go."

"Hey, Cas, wait a second. Wait, hold on. Just..." Sam trailed off as the three walked past the brothers.

"You have to just trust us," Juno said with a content smile.

"No, no, no, wait. Okay, whatever that thing did to you, we're not just gonna let you walk away," Dean protested.

"Yeah, that's not gonna happen," Sam followed up.

"Yes, it is," Castiel said. He touched two fingers to Sam's head, Sam falling to the ground.