He jumped up in the bed and looked around, Jessica was screaming in her crib.
“Cas?”
She rushed out of the restroom.
“I’m sorry I tried to wait, I thought she would be okay for a minute in the crib.”
Dean was holding the baby as Jessica started to calm down.
“I’m sorry, “Cassie said again.
“It’s not a problem I just had a weird dream; then she was screaming. I didn’t mean to yell at you,” he apologized as he put his other arm around her.
Cassie took the baby back to the bed to finish feeding her.
“Do you want to talk about it?”
“No it didn’t make much sense, but they were going to sacrifice my Dad,” he said as he touched Jessica’s hair.
“That’s not that unusual in your work, right?” she asked.
Dean agreed that in their work it was common place, he would have to talk to Sam about the dream in the morning. His dream began after his Dad left. Cassie could only imagine it was brought on by John’s insistence that they weren’t where they were supposed to be. It was two in the morning but he couldn’t get back to sleep. He and Jessica were both wide awake so he played peek a boo with her while Cassie went back to sleep. He was content to watch her as she blew bubbles and shook her rattle. She was so beautiful; he swallowed back tears as she smiled up at him while she squeezed his finger. Innocence, something I wish I could have retained longer.
He would protect Jessica, Cassie wasn’t going back to work she was staying with her they had no desire for strangers to take care of her. Cassie had a trust fund that she was due to inherent in less than six months, on her twenty fifth birthday from her grandparents. She had decided to work at home as a researcher. She also was determined to protect their child despite the odds.
When Dean spoke with Sam he told him he had the same dream so they phoned John using a three way connection. Once he picked up they let out a simultaneous sigh.
“Dad, you have to get out of there,” Sam said.
“Did you have a vision, Son?”
“Yes, I mean no; Dean and I had the same dreams you need to leave,” Sam insisted.
“Someone must die,” John said.
“What?” Dean asked.
John told him it was the name of a horror movie.
“But how did you know what was in our dream?”
“You know we have a connection, I watched the movie, and it starts out like your dreams where someone is going to be sacrificed, right?”
Dean leaned up against the counter, he was on his break and needed to get off the phone. He was flabbergasted but he still thought John should leave town.
Sam expressed his thought, “Dad we think its dangerous for you to be here.”
John agreed as he told them he would pack up and get out of town but he had to talk to them about something else before he left. They planned a meeting for after work at a restaurant to keep the women at a safe distance.
When John hung up Dean was furious.
“A meeting what can he tell us now that he couldn’t last night?” Dean asked.
“I don’t know it is odd. I’ll make sure Missy is at your house before we meet; not that Cassie isn’t capable of protecting herself but I don’t want Missy alone.”
Dean agreed as he went back to work.
That night they sat at the back of the restaurant as they sipped their coffee Sam and Dean waited for John to tell them why they were there.
“There is a curse on the women in your lives because of your mother’s refusal to sacrifice our eldest son.”
“Me?” Dean asked.
“No your older brother, Joshua, we hid him away instead.”
“Is he still alive?” Sam asked.
“Yes,” John said trying to hold in his emotions.
“How much older?” Dean asked.
Joshua was only a year older in the coven you had to be five to be a sacrifice. Their mother was killed for withholding her son. The family curse was on the women in their lives. Dean shook his head as Sam tried to hold in his tears for Jessica.
“But Cassie?” Dean said.
“Cassie has a secret, Dean, otherwise she would be dead by now,” John said pointedly.
“Do you think that she produces the doppelganger when she needs him?” Sam asked.
“I wonder,” John said.
“No, how did it help her to send my double when you were sick?”
“It made you feel better about not coming, right?” John said.
“But she wouldn’t hide that from me,” Dean insisted.
“What about Missy?” Sam asked.
“She is Cassie’s best friend, right?” John asked.
“No,” Dean screamed as he got up.
Several heads turned their way.
“How dare you try to plant doubts in my mind about my wife; I won’t listen to this,” he said as he left to go to the car.
“He’s right Dad, I don’t like what you’re insinuating either,” Sam said on the way out.
John felt the same way when he learned about Mary; but she wanted out. What are Cassie and Missy getting out of their relationships?
“Cassie has produced another generation,” he said to himself.
Dean and Sam drove in silence back to Dean’s house. All the lights were on so they could see Cassie and Missy in the kitchen with Jessica.
“What are you going to do?” Sam asked.
“About what?” Dean said as he got out of the car.
“About Cassie, Dean, what do you really know about her,” Sam asked.
Dean looked at him.
“I know her heart, body, soul and I trust her completely,” he said as he walked in the house.
Cassie’s face lit up when she saw Dean. He went to her to give her a hug before going in for a shower. Sam watched them and believed that Dean was right. But what was John up to? Was it just another way to keep them hunting? He loved his father but he couldn’t respect him if he wouldn’t respect their decisions. Missy tapped him on the shoulder.
“You okay?”
“I’m sorry I just have a lot on my mind. You ready to go?” Sam asked.
Dean’s confidence began to shift once they were in bed. Cassie knew something was wrong but didn’t say anything right away. She pulled out a book to read but Dean stopped her.
“Is there anything you need to tell me? Anything at all?” he asked.
She shook her head.
“Just that I love you very much,” she said as she played with her wedding ring.
Dean raised her chin to look in her eyes; he knew he had to ask her because he didn’t feel right about doubting her.
“Cas, before you met me you didn’t have any supernatural connections, did you?”
“What do you mean?” she asked hesitantly.
“Ghosts, witchcraft, that type thing; did you experiment in college?”
“No Dean, nothing. I was mostly a loner I was very studious until you came along,” she grinned.
He pulled her into his arms to tell her what his father had implied and revealed.
“I hate to push this but what about your Dad’s family weren’t they Cajun?”
She nodded.
“You mean voodoo?
”Yea, was you father’s family into that at all?”
She shook her head.
“I honestly don’t know, but if it’s protecting us isn’t that good?”
Dean needed time to think about all the revelations. He was sure that he believed Cassie; as he watched her sleep he determined that being with her was his best decision to date. How must Dad have felt to keep the reason Mom died from us all these years? He was trying to protect her good name with us. His heart had to have broken to lose his wife and hide away his eldest son. That would account for him insisting they find the demon that killed her so he could have a chance to be with all of his boys.
Cassie had a hard time sleeping also; her eyes were closed but her mind was wide awake. What was happening to them? Why would John bring her into this? He had to be hiding something, of course, she would have to leave it to Dean but maybe Missouri would tell her something woman to woman. She hated the way John’s visit had messed up Dean. Things had been going along just fine. She was getting herself upset.
“Cas, are you awake?”
She opened her eyes.
“Yes.”
“I could tell when your breathing changed. What’s wrong?”
“We both should rest; Jessica will be up soon and you have work,” she said trying to give him her best smile.
Dean wasn’t fooled he could tell when she was angry even if she tried to hide it.
“Tell me what’s wrong.”
She closed her eyes because being pissed off tended to make her emotional especially with Dean so close. He held her with his head on hers.
“I wasn’t offended by what your father suggested about me, but I’m concerned that he is still hiding something. If there is a curse it has to be blanket, you are involved with someone just like Sam was, but you married me. If what John knows is true I should be dead. But, now I even have your child.”
“I know it doesn’t make sense, unless Jessica is the next target when she turns five.”
Cassie looked at him as she shook her head.
“No.”
“We’re just guessing here, okay, Jessica will be fine so far she even has a protector, right?” he said trying to convince himself.
Cassie’s eyes opened wide in terror.
“Dean, that’s why she’s special, because she is being watched over until she’s old enough to be sacrificed.”
“It’s a shape shifter not a doppelganger,” Dean said realizing it made sense.
“What?”
“It’s a demon not a doppelganger.”
Cassie had the chills; all those times that thing had been close to her. He had even been there after she gave birth. She couldn’t stop the tears. She had trusted it, touched it, hugged it. Dean held her, but his mind was racing. He had to contact Dad and Sam.
“Baby, I know you’re upset okay but listen.”
Dean got a tissue to dab her eyes and give her a kiss.
“I’ll be okay,” she said as she took a deep breath.
He knew she was strong but everything was coming together in such an unexpected way that he was on the verge of loosing it himself.
“ Put some things together for you and Jessica we’re going to Sam’s okay. We need to leave right away; I don’t want to call him to talk we should just go.”
Sam and Missy were surprised to see them at such an early hour but Sam knew Dean would be out with his family at the hour unless it was important. While Cassie and Missy set up the pull out bed Sam and Dean went to the kitchen to talk. Sam agreed with Dean that it all made sense.
Jessica was awake and enjoying being out. Cassie put her on the bed while she talked to Missy. Jessica kicked, cooed and gurgled as Cassie shook her toy over her.
“What can we do?” Missy asked.
Cassie shook her head.
“That’s what they are trying to figure out, I’m sure,” Cassie said as she motioned toward the kitchen.
“I’m just afraid this means Dean and Sam are going on the road again,” Cassie said as she picked up Jessica.
“I was afraid that would be the answer,” Missy agreed.
Cassie felt only dread when Dean and Sam came to stand in front of them to reveal their plan of action.
“You’ll be happy to know we aren’t leaving, yet,” Dean said as he took Jessica from Cassie.
“But,” Sam said.
“Only because we have to talk to Dad to make sure he isn’t holding anything else back,” he added.
“We certainly can’t go back out “half cocked” because until now we’ve been working without all the details,” Dean said as he kissed the baby’s soft cheeks and put her on his shoulder.
Cassie loved when he interacted with Jessica it touched her heart.
The phone rang so Dean gave the baby back to Cassie since he was nearest to it.
“Hello.”
“Dad, what is it?”
“You’re Dad is with us now, do you want to trade?” the voice on the other end was his own.
“You son of a B-----,” Dean yelled, scaring the baby who began to cry.
“Dean what is it?” Sam asked.
Cassie tried to quiet Jessica who seemed upset now.
“It was my double; they have Dad and want to know if we want to trade,” Dean said hesitantly.
“For Jessica,” Sam said filling in the blanks for him.
Dean nodded as he looked at Cassie.
