29th October, 2012
It had been an ....interesting couple of months. Though they were all antsy to begin their respective hunts, there was too much information to be passed back and forth between the group, too much skill to be shared. No one wanted to pass up the chance to be completely prepared for what might come, and equally, no one wanted to face Nim's wrath if the hunts began without her. All eyes watched the gentle rounding of her belly with as much curiosity as concern, until finally the day of that first scan came. Dean had insisted on driving her to the hospital for it himself, refusing to let anyone else come with them, and two hours later, they returned, proudly in possession of a little photograph of their unborn son.
Nim's pregnancy brought mixed feelings for Dean, but the worry he felt went far deeper than that of the usual expectant father. He was not only worried for his wife's well-being and his son's safety, but he was worried what might happen once the cat was out of the bag, so to speak. Dean didn't really want any Back to the Future moments in Sam's life, where he might get erased before he even had a chance to be born, and yet, he knew he couldn't keep Nim locked in a gilded cage forever. They'd managed to keep it a secret for the the last few months, but they couldn't keep it to themselves forever.
For her own part, Nim was trying not to linger too much on what would happen the moment word got out that the Winchesters were expecting. As happy as she was with her growing bump and the promise of a family sooner rather than later, she knew there were a lot of things out there that would make her a priority target if they could. As though being number one on Hades' hit-list wasn't bad enough. But at the same time, she knew she was well protected; that Dean wouldn't let anything happen to her and, if the kids were to be believed, she had an Olympian in her pocket, too. But today, she didn't want to think about all that. Today, she had gotten her first glimpse of their baby boy - grown up Sam excepted, obviously - and was still grinning like a fool when the Impala pulled up outside B&E Salvage once again.
Now that Dean had proof positive in the way of a picture that seemed a little miraculous in itself, besides the growing bump at Nim's middle, he had become even more protective, even more considerate than ever before. He insisted on getting out of the car first and helping her out, as if she was suddenly made of china and might break without his constant help and care. It was going to drive her nuts after a while, if he kept it up, but for now, it had only been a few hours since he'd become Super Dad. He had her by the elbow as they made their way toward the porch, mirroring her grin, though his joy was mixed with worry. "Careful of the stairs!" he warned as he led her onto the porch.
For Dean's sake, his wife was being patient with him for now, but she was pretty sure he knew he was stamping his one way ticket to a punch if he didn't let up soon. Still, she let him hold her elbow as they moved up and over the porch, batting his hand away with a quiet chuckle as she reached for the screen door. "Swear to God, princess, you're worse than Ellen," she accused him fondly. "How many times do I have to say it' I'm pregnant, not anything else. My legs haven't suddenly stopped working just because I'm rounding out a bit." More than a bit, in fact - she was small and slender, and at 13 weeks, she had a bump that couldn't be mistaken for anything but what it was. Ellen had even taken her for a brief trip to the mall a couple of weeks back to get the young hunter clothes that fit without needing string to hold them closed.
"We're home!" Dean announced as he pulled open the screen door to let them both into the safety of the Singer house, where gods and demons and even angels were kept at bay by all means possible. Sam was nowhere to be found, though all of this fuss was about him....or what would become him. Maybe that was why. He was feeling just a little awkward about the whole thing, unsure how he was supposed to react to his mother carrying his younger self around inside her.
Predictably enough, Ellen was the only one who blatantly responded to that announcement, hurrying from the kitchen to greet them, too excited about their pregnancy to feign disinterest. She had lost her own child almost thirty years before - a child who might have been a version of Joanna Beth, if she had lived - and despite promising Dean not to be too overzealous about it, she was living a little vicariously through Nim right now.
As Ellen seized the ultrasound photo to exclaim over it happily, Nim rolled her eyes, glancing into the main room to find Bobby, Ayden, and Hope all staring at her with the same interest. It was certainly awkward, being the center of that much attention, and she dropped back to murmur into Dean's ear. "You okay to play excited daddy for a bit?" she asked hopefully. "I think I'm gonna punch the first person who reaches out to touch my bump."
"Long as it's not me," he whispered back, grinning like the Cheshire Cat, more than happy to play the excited Daddy and not really having to make much effort, since that was mostly how he was feeling already. He kissed her cheek and rubbed his fingers against her baby bump, just because he could, tempting her to punch him for it. At least, he hadn't asked to rub her Buddha Belly....yet.
She snorted with laughter as she felt his hand against the rounded bulge at her waistline, leaning into his kiss fondly. "Dude, you're asking for it," she promised him, patting his cheek gently. "Later." Stepping away, she only just remembered to turn back and assure him she wasn't going far. "I'm just going upstairs, okay' No freaking out."
He nodded, knowing without asking where she was going - to find their eldest son. Dean had noticed that Sam was missing from those gathered in the living room, awaiting Nim's return from the doctor's office with quiet but eager anticipation. It was nothing short of a miracle that she hadn't been pounced yet by anyone other than Ellen. Dean snagged Ellen and practically dragged her into the main room to show the very early baby pictures to the rest of the family while his wife sought out their eldest.
It had been an ....interesting couple of months. Though they were all antsy to begin their respective hunts, there was too much information to be passed back and forth between the group, too much skill to be shared. No one wanted to pass up the chance to be completely prepared for what might come, and equally, no one wanted to face Nim's wrath if the hunts began without her. All eyes watched the gentle rounding of her belly with as much curiosity as concern, until finally the day of that first scan came. Dean had insisted on driving her to the hospital for it himself, refusing to let anyone else come with them, and two hours later, they returned, proudly in possession of a little photograph of their unborn son.
Nim's pregnancy brought mixed feelings for Dean, but the worry he felt went far deeper than that of the usual expectant father. He was not only worried for his wife's well-being and his son's safety, but he was worried what might happen once the cat was out of the bag, so to speak. Dean didn't really want any Back to the Future moments in Sam's life, where he might get erased before he even had a chance to be born, and yet, he knew he couldn't keep Nim locked in a gilded cage forever. They'd managed to keep it a secret for the the last few months, but they couldn't keep it to themselves forever.
For her own part, Nim was trying not to linger too much on what would happen the moment word got out that the Winchesters were expecting. As happy as she was with her growing bump and the promise of a family sooner rather than later, she knew there were a lot of things out there that would make her a priority target if they could. As though being number one on Hades' hit-list wasn't bad enough. But at the same time, she knew she was well protected; that Dean wouldn't let anything happen to her and, if the kids were to be believed, she had an Olympian in her pocket, too. But today, she didn't want to think about all that. Today, she had gotten her first glimpse of their baby boy - grown up Sam excepted, obviously - and was still grinning like a fool when the Impala pulled up outside B&E Salvage once again.
Now that Dean had proof positive in the way of a picture that seemed a little miraculous in itself, besides the growing bump at Nim's middle, he had become even more protective, even more considerate than ever before. He insisted on getting out of the car first and helping her out, as if she was suddenly made of china and might break without his constant help and care. It was going to drive her nuts after a while, if he kept it up, but for now, it had only been a few hours since he'd become Super Dad. He had her by the elbow as they made their way toward the porch, mirroring her grin, though his joy was mixed with worry. "Careful of the stairs!" he warned as he led her onto the porch.
For Dean's sake, his wife was being patient with him for now, but she was pretty sure he knew he was stamping his one way ticket to a punch if he didn't let up soon. Still, she let him hold her elbow as they moved up and over the porch, batting his hand away with a quiet chuckle as she reached for the screen door. "Swear to God, princess, you're worse than Ellen," she accused him fondly. "How many times do I have to say it' I'm pregnant, not anything else. My legs haven't suddenly stopped working just because I'm rounding out a bit." More than a bit, in fact - she was small and slender, and at 13 weeks, she had a bump that couldn't be mistaken for anything but what it was. Ellen had even taken her for a brief trip to the mall a couple of weeks back to get the young hunter clothes that fit without needing string to hold them closed.
"We're home!" Dean announced as he pulled open the screen door to let them both into the safety of the Singer house, where gods and demons and even angels were kept at bay by all means possible. Sam was nowhere to be found, though all of this fuss was about him....or what would become him. Maybe that was why. He was feeling just a little awkward about the whole thing, unsure how he was supposed to react to his mother carrying his younger self around inside her.
Predictably enough, Ellen was the only one who blatantly responded to that announcement, hurrying from the kitchen to greet them, too excited about their pregnancy to feign disinterest. She had lost her own child almost thirty years before - a child who might have been a version of Joanna Beth, if she had lived - and despite promising Dean not to be too overzealous about it, she was living a little vicariously through Nim right now.
As Ellen seized the ultrasound photo to exclaim over it happily, Nim rolled her eyes, glancing into the main room to find Bobby, Ayden, and Hope all staring at her with the same interest. It was certainly awkward, being the center of that much attention, and she dropped back to murmur into Dean's ear. "You okay to play excited daddy for a bit?" she asked hopefully. "I think I'm gonna punch the first person who reaches out to touch my bump."
"Long as it's not me," he whispered back, grinning like the Cheshire Cat, more than happy to play the excited Daddy and not really having to make much effort, since that was mostly how he was feeling already. He kissed her cheek and rubbed his fingers against her baby bump, just because he could, tempting her to punch him for it. At least, he hadn't asked to rub her Buddha Belly....yet.
She snorted with laughter as she felt his hand against the rounded bulge at her waistline, leaning into his kiss fondly. "Dude, you're asking for it," she promised him, patting his cheek gently. "Later." Stepping away, she only just remembered to turn back and assure him she wasn't going far. "I'm just going upstairs, okay' No freaking out."
He nodded, knowing without asking where she was going - to find their eldest son. Dean had noticed that Sam was missing from those gathered in the living room, awaiting Nim's return from the doctor's office with quiet but eager anticipation. It was nothing short of a miracle that she hadn't been pounced yet by anyone other than Ellen. Dean snagged Ellen and practically dragged her into the main room to show the very early baby pictures to the rest of the family while his wife sought out their eldest.