Topic: The Trickster Tricked

Jo Winchester

Date: 2018-11-26 16:33 EST
February 2015

Adapting to life as hunters with one child had been a challenge. Adapting to life as hunters with one toddler and newborn twins was proving ....more so. But little Bertie was delighted with his little sisters for the most part, which helped a little, and he was easily distracted by snow. In January, there was no shortage of snow for him to play in, either. Jo had left the girls inside with Dean to go and frolic with their boy, claiming her right as overtired mommy for the first time in a couple of months. He could handle his girls, right"

Of course, he could! He was a hunter, after all. He had supposedly been "Michael's sword". He had killed more demons and monsters than he could count. So then, why were two squirming infant girls with poopy diapers so perplexing"

"One at a time, Dean," he told himself, remembering what Jo had taught him. He'd handled little Bertie like a pro, but the twins were double the trouble.

Still, even Ellen had remarked on how he was doing better every day. It just took practice, she'd said. Easy to say for a woman who'd never had any children of her own - at least, in this universe. Finished diapering Hope, he went on to her twin sister, Anna. In their son Sam's future, there had been no Anna. Anna was a bonus. Dean couldn't quite wrap his head around it, but then he'd never really tried. He'd learned a long time ago that there wasn't much point in trying to sort things out logically when their lives didn't follow any rules of logic. He just took things as they came and was grateful for the new life he'd been given.

Thankfully, at just under three months, the twins were not mobile enough to do more than kick and flail, and giggle at their daddy as he made faces over them. From outside came the sound of Jo attacking their son's snow fort with more enthusiasm than success. It was ....normal. And for a family who were anything but, normal was a surprisingly relaxing experience.

Strangely enough, Dean found himself enjoying a little normal for a change, though he'd remarked more than once that it might be nice if the twins had some sort of magic powers that would enable them to always have clean diapers. Still, all of this was part of being a father, and Dean had to admit he was enjoying being a father more than he had expected. Once both twins were in clean diapers, he gave them both kisses and propped one against each shoulder.

"There you go. Good as new. I don't know what all the fuss is about. Taking care of twins is a piece of cake," he told them both.

At which point, his pants started singing. Or rather, his phone started ringing. As accomplished as Dean was when it came to the girls, it was probably just as well Jo wasn't there to tease him about how he was going to get his phone out while holding them both at once.

Dean scowled as he both heard and felt his phone going off in his pocket. It was times like this when he just wanted to throw the damned thing in a snowbank and leave it there until spring. Jo had advised him to just turn it off for a while, which seemed like a far more practical solution, but despite Dean's annoyance, he was too worried he might miss an important call.

"Er ..." he murmured as he looked from shoulder to shoulder at his daughters, before deciding to lay them both down in the playpen so that he could take the call. "Be good girls. Daddy will just be a minute," he promised, tickling both their tummies before tugging the phone from his jeans, muttering, "This had better be important."

With his baby girls cooing at each other and him in the background, the phone display revealed that it was Brian calling. Jo's sort of adoptive father in this timeline, he ran a bar in Chicago as a sanctuary for hunters, and kept in touch long-distance as often as he could. It was rare for him to call at this time of day, however.

"Dean, you got a minute?"

Dean furrowed his brows when he saw it was Brian. Brian never called him, unless it had something to do with the business of hunting. Otherwise, he always called Jo, which was logical, considering he was the closest thing to a father figure she had in this universe. "Lucky you called now. Five minutes ago, I was elbow deep in baby poop. What's up?"

"My timing is always impeccable," the older man chuckled. The sound of his bar was a familiar ruckus in the background behind his voice. "This is a friendly heads up. Seems like there's trouble heading in your direction - I just had a tracker pass through on her way west."

"Her?" Dean echoed, repeating the word he'd deemed most important from the man's warning. "Long as she's not after me or mine, how's she trouble?" he asked, mildly curious.

"Well, knowing what I know about you and yours, I thought you might want to know what she's after," Brian told him. "She's tracking Loki. And this tracker, she's got a reputation - she never loses her target. If she's heading your way, then so is he."

Dean's brows furrowed in thought and just a little confusion. He said nothing for a moment and then chuckled. "For a minute there, I thought you said Loki."

"I did say Loki, Dean." Brian sighed. "Look, I've heard the stories, I know the guy supposedly died with Baldur and Kali and all the rest of them. But Kris is pretty certain. Never known her to be wrong."

"Uh, I thought Gabriel is Loki," Dean said, only knowing what the archangel told him, both before and after he was whisked away to this alternate version of Earth. He was somewhat familiar with the lore, at least as far as Marvel Comics and movies were concerned, but Sam had always been the loremaster, not Dean.

"Wait ....Gabriel is Loki?" Brian sounded confused. "Doesn't that mean that Kris is hunting down the King of Heaven right now?" He let out a low whistle. "That's not going to go well."

Or was Loki Gabriel" "I'm ....not sure," Dean murmured, confused himself. "Back home, Gabriel said he and Loki made a deal." Of course, that didn't mean that what had happened back home applied here, too.

Brian was quiet for a moment. "I've never known her to be wrong, but she could be misinformed," he conceded thoughtfully. "Look, might be an idea to pass the information onto your godly allies. Either she's hunting their new heavenly stooge, or she's hunting someone who has a bone to pick with him. Neither one of those is good."

Dean grumbled incoherently. It looked like he was going to have to have another long talk with Gabriel, and that was never a pleasant prospect. "I'll let them know. Thanks for the warning," he told Brian, wondering whether they should put out the welcome mat or a Do Not Disturb sign.

"Kris'll check in with Bobby and Ellen when she gets to you," Brian added. "Might be an idea to introduce yourself so she doesn't shoot you if you get in her way." His grin was audible as he spoke.

"First name basis, huh?" Dean teased. He was aware that Brian was a widower, but that was no reason he couldn't find someone else to share his life with. "I'm sure Bobby and Ellen will fill her in, but I'll keep that in mind." The question now was which of their immortal allies they should inform. Ares was the logical choice, though Dean wasn't sure whether Ares would care.

Jo Winchester

Date: 2018-11-26 16:33 EST
"I'm on first-name basis with you, too," Brian pointed out in amusement. "When are you coming up here so we can consummate our sordid love affair, darling?"

"Very funny," Dean said, though he didn't sound very amused. "I'll pass the word. Thanks for the warning, Pops," he said, emphasizing the last word to remind the man that he was the closest thing Dean had to a father-in-law.

Chuckling, Brian didn't rise to the bait. "How are my grandchildren doing over there, anyway' I should come visit you sometime before those girls start thinking Bobby's grumpy face is the only grumpy face they should know about."

"You definitely should," Dean agreed. "No reason why I should be the only one dealing with poopy diapers," he said, with a hint of amusement in his voice.

"Nim left you to it today, huh?" Brian laughed. He still called Jo Nimue, the name he had given her when he'd taken her in as an amnesiac years before. "And your big lad Sam - how's married life treating him?"

Dean chuckled. "She's outside making a snow fort with Bertie," he explained. Bertie was the nickname they'd given Sam to distinguish him from his older counterpart. They weren't sure he was going to like it much when he was older, but for now, he was too little to care. "Sam is smiling more these days, so I assume married life is treating him well."

"Well, here's hoping the Norse hunt headed your way doesn't ruck up too much of your family life," Brian mused, though he was pretty sure Kris wouldn't cause too much disruption to them. "Give them my best, okay?"

"Not really looking forward to Ragnarok," Dean muttered, considering they'd just barely managed to prevent the Apocalypse a couple times already. "Don't be a stranger! There's a couple of kids here who miss their granddad," Dean reminded him, the smile heard in his voice.

"I'm workin' on it," Brian promised with a low laugh. "I'll let you know when I've got dates squared away. You take care of your family, boy. See ya 'round."

"See you!" Dean replied, before disconnecting. The last two months since the twins had been born had been something of a whirlwind, with visits from just about everyone wanting to meet the newest Winchesters. Now, just when Dean thought things might calm down, there was this. He sighed. It figured.

A squeal went up from the girls in the playpen as the backdoor opened, letting in a blast of freezing air along with Jo and Bertie. The little boy was muffled to the eyebrows against the cold, but his nose was still bright red above his big grin.

"Da!"

Dean grinned back. His heart always soared to see his son's smile and hear him call his father by name, even if it was only Da. "Welcome back!" he said, reaching for his little man. "Did you have fun" Did you and Mommy make lots of snow angels?" he asked, as he started unwrapping the little boy from all the layers of clothing.

Bertie nodded enthusiastically, each movement shaking snow off his hood and hat as he was disrobed. "We may sno'em an' balls an' Mama went flop!" There was evidence for this, too - Jo's legs were encrusted with melting snow, suggesting she had probably landed quite hard.

"That sounds like awesome fun!" Dean enthused along with his son. "How about a little hot chocolate to warm you both up?" he asked, as he removed the boy's final layer of outdoor clothing.

This got more enthusiastic nodding as the last layer came off, and Bertie threw his arms around Dean's neck, pressing his freezing nose into his father's neck affectionately. Then he let go, toddling a little unsteadily over to the playpen to look over the edge at his sisters. "Baby girls all full?"

"They ate and pooped, so yeah ....They're good. You wanna join them for a while?" Dean asked. It would be a little crowded in there with the three of them, but Bertie was always careful not to hurt his sisters.

The toddler considered this. "An' come out for choklit?" he asked. Even he knew that hot drinks and the girls did not mix; Hope, in particular, was more than a little flaily.

Jo chuckled from the kitchen, where she was already putting together the fixings for the treat.

"Of course!" Dean replied with a grin, as he scooped the little boy up only to carefully set him back down in the playpen with his adoring sisters. "Remember to be gentle, Bertie. They're too little to roughhouse yet," he reminded the boy, even though he didn't really need to be reminded.

"'es, Da." Bertie beamed up at him for a moment, tottering unsteadily down onto his knees to gently poke at his little sisters' grasping hands. He really did adore his baby sisters; it was easy to understand how Sam and his version of Hope had been quite so close.

"Mommy and I will be in the kitchen making hot chocolate, okay?" he told the little boy, tousling his hair affectionately. They'd be close enough to see and hear what was going on in the playpen, in case they were needed. Dean didn't want to smother his children, but all things considered, but he had good reason to be just a little overprotective.

Bertie nodded again, offering his innocent smile up to Dean with a giggle as two sets of little hands grabbed at him. They were only a few steps away from the kitchen, and with a pair of experienced hunters for parents, the Winchester children would always be protected.

Dean didn't bother to tell the little boy that he and Mommy had something to talk about. He wouldn't understand anyway - not until he was older - and Dean wanted his children to remain innocent for as long as they possibly could. It was the least he could do for them.

"Be good for your brother," he warned the twins, though it was unlikely they understood him or were likely to do anything mischievous at little more than a month old. He bopped both their noses, rewarded with a pair of giggles, before making his way to the kitchen, coming to a halt to lean against the door with a perfect view of both rooms.

"You're wet," he informed Jo with a grin.

"Your son suplexed me into the fort," she informed him with a grin of her own. "Backwards. You would have been proud." Her jeans were soaking wet; also cold, and very stuck to her legs, but she'd deal with that in a little while. Warming everyone up first was the main thing here. "How did your morning with the cutie patooties go?"

"Oh, you know ....The usual rounds of burping and pooping," he told her, in a tone that sounded like he might actually have enjoyed it - not so much the pooping as the spending time with his family. "Brian called," he said, crossing his arms as he took an easy lean in the doorway.

"Well, they are your daughters," Jo teased, stirring the chocolate in the pan. She tilted her head curiously toward him at his news. Brian usually called her, after all. "Really' What did the old warrior want?"

Jo Winchester

Date: 2018-11-26 16:34 EST
Dean had never understood why Jo insisted on making hot chocolate the old fashioned way until he'd tasted it and realized that nothing in a powdered instant mix even came close. "Um, something about a hunter headed our way," he said, not giving her the whole story yet.

She blinked, raising a brow in amused confusion. "Isn't that Bobby's deal?" she pointed out. "Is there something special about this hunter or something" An ex of yours you aren't going to remember?" She flashed him a cheeky smile, reaching up to pull cups from the cupboard.

"Baby, the only hunter I ever had eyes for was you," he informed her, moving forward to wrap his arms around her waist from behind and kiss the side of her neck. He wasn't lying; he might have had more than a few exes, but the only one who'd been a hunter had been her.

"Oh, you charmer." She grinned over her shoulder at him, nipping his jaw affectionately before turning her attention to splitting the chocolate between the three mugs. "So why did Brian call you about this?"

He shrugged, feigning innocence. "I am kind of charming, aren't I?" His smile faded as he considered her question. There was no point in lying to her or beating around the bush. He'd learned that lesson the hard way. Now that they were married, they were true partners, 'til death did they part. "I think he wanted to warn us," he said. Us, not just him. "Are you ready for this?" he asked, adding, "He said something about a hunter named Kris who's on the trail of Loki."

To her credit, Jo didn't laugh or get angry. She just rolled her eyes. "Seriously?" she asked in a wry tone. "We have Norse gods to worry about now as well?"

"Well ..." Dean started, "According to Sam, everything in folklore and mythology is rooted in truth. Exaggerated maybe, but it still comes from somewhere. If there are Greek gods, why not Norse" They have to be based on something, right' Gabriel claimed to have met Loki. Our Gabriel, anyway."

Jo considered this, pouring extra milk into Bertie's cup so it wouldn't be too hot for him. "All right," she said carefully. "So the real Loki is a Trickster. Does that mean this hunter is after him, or after Gabriel?"

"Before we put Lucifer in the pit, the gods had a meeting to talk about what to do about the Apocalypse. Some of them anyway," Dean said with a shrug. "Gabriel said he was Loki. That he'd taken his place or something. Then Lucifer killed him ....or he made it look like Lucifer killed him. I'm not sure which," Dean explained, though none of this really mattered, since all of it had happened on Dean and Jo's version of Earth, not this one.

"So we should talk to Gabriel," Jo suggested. "I mean, some hunters can't be talked down, so giving him a heads up might be a good idea. You know, just in case this Kris is after him."

"Yeah, that's what I was thinking, but Brian said she's likely to go to Bobby and Ellen first," Dean told her, thinking it might be good to give them a heads up, if this hunter hadn't already.

"Well, she's not likely to show for a day or two if she just left Chicago," Jo pointed out, putting the lid on Bertie's cup. "We can let Bobby know, drop a line to Ares and Ayden, and see if Sam remembers anything about the Norse gods."

"Sounds good," Dean said, nodding in agreement. "Who do you want to call first?" he asked, assuming he'd call one pair and she would call the other, probably over a cup of hot chocolate.

"I'll call Mom," she volunteered, grinning as she leaned over to kiss his cheek. "You can summon your sister or call your son." She slid one of the mugs into his hand, lifting up her own and Bertie's from the counter as she turned toward the living room.

Dean scowled and rolled his eyes. He wasn't overly fond of either of those choices for various reasons. Summoning Ayden probably meant summoning Ares, too, though he was probably their best source of information right now. There was Gabriel, of course, but Dean trusted that particular immortal about as far as he could throw him. It wasn't that he didn't like Ares exactly either; it was just that the guy could be so irritating at times. "I think I'll call Sam first. Find out what he knows and go from there."

"Shouldn't take too long," Jo agreed. She set the cups down on the coffee table, bending over the playpen to lift Bertie out and sit him down on the couch to drink his chocolate with them. "Wanna talk to Gramma, little man?"

It was hours before everyone had been properly called and filled in on Brian's news. Everyone but Gabriel, anyway. Despite, or maybe because of, past history, Dean didn't like Gabriel much more than he trusted him. They'd been allies in the struggle against Hades and his minions, but Gabriel had benefited from that arrangement by taking Michael's place as head honcho in heaven, while the Olympians had retaken their place on Mount Olympus, and Crowley had claimed the throne as King of Hell. There was peace, albeit a tenuous one. So long as the Powers that Be didn't interfere with each other, all was well, but Dean knew it wasn't going to last forever, and this business with Loki could very well be the match that lights the fire, if they weren't careful. And so, once their allies had been informed (with the exception of Crowley), it was time to summon their ally in Heaven and see what he had to say for himself.

Somewhat surprisingly, Gabriel responded promptly to the summons - promptly enough that his appearance startled Jo. She reacted without thinking, leaving the archangel blinking down the barrel of her favored shotgun. He rolled his eyes at her.

"Aww, pumpkin, you miss me?"

"She's not your pumpkin, and this isn't a social call," Dean was quick to point out. They hadn't summoned the archangel without taking the proper precautions, and Gabriel was too smart not to know that. "Have a seat," Dean said, gesturing toward a chair.

"Why, thank you, Deano." Gabriel snapped his fingers and sat down in the luxurious wing-backed armchair he had just summoned. "I'm sort of important these days, maybe you didn't notice. Thoughts?"

"Don't forget who helped you get there, Gabriel. There's an old saying: Don't bite the hand that feeds you. Thoughts?" Dean was quick to retort, without a hint of humor in his voice or his expression. "We called you here because one of your loose ends has unraveled, and we thought you might like to know about it."

"Aww, are your repressed feelings for me finally making themselves known" I'm touched." Gabriel smirked. Jo rolled her eyes. She had no idea how Dean was keeping his temper here. The archangel considered Dean for a long moment. "So what?s the deal here" You'll tell me if I do what?"

Jo Winchester

Date: 2018-11-26 16:34 EST
"You don't have to do a damned thing, Gabe. All you have to do is tell the truth. I know I'm asking for a miracle, but what the hell. It's your ass, not mine," Dean said with a smile that was obviously sardonic.

"You worried about my ass, Deano' Seems like your pretty wife should know about that." Gabriel grinned his insolent grin, materializing a creamcake and beginning to eat. "You want a miracle, I'm your man. Dad's not interested right now."

"This isn't about us, ijit!" Dean said, thumping the arm of his chair with a fist and quoting Bobby. If anyone was an ijit in Dean's opinion, it was the current King of Heaven. He was obviously close to losing his temper. And there were worse words Dean had been known to refer to Gabriel as.

"Okay, listen here," Jo added, drawing Gabriel's smirking attention to herself. "You know Dean, you guys are old acquaintances, I get it. You know he won't shoot you. You don't know me, and I'm the one holding the gun. I really don't care whether it kills you or not, but I know it'll hurt like hell. So cut the crap."

The archangel raised his brow, glancing warily at Dean. "Does she ...?"

"Does she what?" Dean asked, unsure what Gabriel was getting at. "Does she mean it?" He shrugged. "I don't know. Do you want to take the chance that she does?" he asked. "I told you this isn't a social visit. We got word someone is hunting one of your aliases. The one that starts with a Lo and ends with a Ki. Thoughts?"

For a painful moment, Gabriel's blase attitude faltered. Actual fear widened his eyes before he got hold of himself. "You been talking to my alter-ego, chucklehead?" he asked, but there was more serious curiosity than animosity in his voice now.

"Listen, asshat ..." Dean started, narrowing his eyes in a warning that even Gabriel couldn't afford to ignore. "We're doing you a favor in warning you. Someone's hunting the Trickster God, and as far as I know, that's you ....Unless it's not. Now, you can sit there and crack jokes, or you can come clean. Your choice. Personally, I couldn't care less if you get your ass handed to you because you're pretending to be someone you're not, but if this shit comes to my door and puts my family at risk, it becomes my business. Just this once I suggest you tell us the truth like your life depends on it, because it just might."

The warning seemed to get through to Gabriel, though it was likely something else that made him finally speak like a decent person. "Loki's real," he said with a jerk of his chin. "Supposed to be underground somewhere in Europe. If he's here, he's coming for me."

Jo sighed, shaking her head. "Great. Another damned god. And one that won't be vulnerable to any weapon we have."

"There now, was that so hard?" Dean said, not looking quite as concerned as Jo. After all, the only lives that were at stake were that of Gabriel and Loki, and he didn't owe either one a damned thing. It was his family's safety that really concerned him. "So, why would Loki be coming for you, and what makes you think he might find you?"

The cake in Gabriel's hand disappeared as he shifted awkwardly. "We made a deal, way back when," he admitted. "I get his identity and get his family off his back, he keeps his head down and lives the quiet life somewhere in the Middle East or whatever. I just had to keep out of the whole cosmic middle-management thing my brothers had going on."

"Keep out of it," Dean echoed, summarizing Gabriel's words. "But you didn't, did you? You didn't keep up your end of the bargain, and now Loki's coming to what? Set things straight' Kill you?" he guessed. "You realize that by not keeping your end of the bargain, you pretty much screwed him over, right?"

"He could've kept his head down," Gabriel grumbled. "Far as they know, he died with Odin and Baldur. Staying down's the smart move, right?"

Jo snorted with laughter. "What, when you're the new boss of Heaven" I'm with Loki on this one - you majorly screwed up."

Dean frowned. In his opinion, Gabriel should have kept his head down, too, but he hadn't. And yet, Dean knew he was at least partly to blame for that, in offering Gabriel Heaven in exchange for his help against Hades. "There's no point in playing the blame game. We have to figure out what to do about Loki and hope this hunter doesn't think you're him." Dean wasn't even sure if this Kris would be able to kill Gabriel, much less Loki, but maybe that wasn't her plan. They wouldn't know until they met her.

"I can handle hunters," Gabriel said dismissively, waving a hand. Jo caught Dean's eye, but kept her mouth shut as the archangel went on. "Loki's unpredictable. He either wants me dead, or seriously incomoded."

"Incomoded?" Dean echoed, brows furrowed in annoyance. "Did you pull that one out of your ass or have you been reading Webster's in your spare time?" he asked, though it hardly mattered. "Let's get one thing straight - you're not handling any hunters," he added, with air quotes around the word "handling". "Have you ever considered that maybe he played you? That maybe this is what he's wanted all along" You, in charge of Heaven, so that he can incomode you and take your place?"

"Please." Gabriel pulled a face. "Loki's a two-bit trickster. I was better at being him than he will ever be. The Norse gods are all elementals, you know" They work on the emotions of the moment. Distract him, and he'll forget about me. You're Zeus' new best buddy, right?"

"What exactly are you suggesting?" Dean asked, narrowing his eyes. He had no intentions of risking his tentative friendship with Zeus to save Gabriel's ass.

"Well ....seems to me you're in a pickle," Gabriel beamed. "You know about a threat to their new world order. Seems to me it's your problem to handle. Looks like you're my new bodyguard, Deano."

Dean's eyes narrowed further, if that was even possible - a sign of his continued irritation with the archangel and his flippant attitude. "Seems to me you're the one in the pickle. You're the one with an immortal after you. I could really care less who's in charge of Heaven - you or Loki - so long as humanity is safe from your immortal bullshit. The real question is why this hunter is tracking Loki, and what she'll do if she finds out Loki is after you."

"So, Deano, Chucklehead Supremo, looks like it's still your problem," Gabriel countered. "You're the hunter. You deal with the hunter. Call her off, send her sniffing after something else. Hell, get her killed in some hare-brained scheme. I figure sweet-talking your little sister'll get me protection from Loki."

Dean curled one hand into a fist, his jaw bunching in barely-repressed anger. All he really wanted to do in that moment was wipe the smug smile off the archangel's face with his fist. "You know what? Forget I said anything. Go back home with your tail between your legs, like you always do, and hope Loki doesn't find you. I really couldn't care less."

Jo Winchester

Date: 2018-11-26 16:34 EST
Gabriel opened his mouth, but like Dean, Jo had had enough. The shotgun was levelled at his face from about two inches away. "Get out of my house."

The archangel chuckled, disappearing in a heavy thump of unseen wings.

Jo lowered the gun and looked at her husband. "How is it that Crowley is the more reasonable one?"

"Good question," Dean said, not disagreeing with her. "Why the hell would I kill a hunter who's after Gabriel's nemesis" That doesn't make any sense, unless he's afraid she'll mistake him for Loki. All he has to do is keep his head down, and he'll be fine, so long as ..." Dean trailed off, realizing Gabriel probably hadn't confessed everything. "If Gabriel is afraid of Loki, that means Loki knows how to summon him and kill him."

"So he's going to be sticking to Heaven for the foreseeable future so he can't be summoned," Jo agreed thoughtfully. "But why would a hunter be after Loki in the first place" I mean ....he's obviously been keeping a low profile; we hadn't heard anything about him being in the States until today so his movements are quiet. If he's going after Gabriel, then why would a hunter want to stop him' Angels are almost as much trouble as demons."

"Yeah," Dean agreed with a scowl at Jo's first statement. He wasn't too surprised at Gabriel's reaction to the news that Loki was hunting his ass. Fleeing to Heaven with a tail between his legs was typical of the arch-angel. "Angels are worse. At least, you can bargain with demons," Dean pointed out, not really having much of an answer to her question. "Maybe she's not trying to kill him. Maybe she's tracking him for some other reason," he suggested, after a moment's thought.

"Hmm." Jo perched on the arm of his chair, rubbing her hand against her neck. "Did Sam say anything about Loki or this Kristen person?"

"Not really," Dean said, turning quiet to go over their conversation in his head a moment. "Loki is the Trickster God. He doesn't seem to care about much, but creating chaos ....and things have been pretty orderly lately. Sam did mention an interesting tidbit about the hunter though. He said she's a witch, but that she's not connected to demons. I'm not sure how he knows that."

Looping her arm around his shoulders, Jo slithered down onto Dean's lap just because she could. "How do you become a witch without demons being involved?" she queried, not entirely sure she bought it. "I mean, they sell their souls, right?"

"Not necessarily. According to Sam, not all witches are connected to demons, and not all of them sell their souls to obtain power. Not all witches use black magic either. He claims some of them are actually benevolent. Hard to believe, I know," Dean said, with a scowl. The only thing he hated more than witches was demons.

Jo was quiet for a long moment, absent-mindedly kissing his hairline as she thought over their options. "Okay, then," she said eventually. "We introduce ourselves and find out what the deal is from her. With Ayden in the room, so she can't lie to us."

Dean tilted his head to smile at his wife. "Brilliant plan. I was just about to suggest it," he said, though nothing could be farther from the truth. While Dean was the brawn, Jo was definitely the brains of this team. "Have I told you lately that I love you?" he asked, his smile turning lustful.

She tilted her head, her lips curving in a warm smile as she met his gaze. One fingertip slipped down his nose to tap against his lips mischievously. "Not since this morning," she admitted, eyes sparkling with amusement. "You really should tell me more often. More than four hours and I start to feel unloved."

"Maybe you should punish me then," Dean suggested further with a grin that could only be described as lascivious. He pulled her closer, his arms going around her. It was unlikely they were going to talk shop again for at least a few hours.

Laughing, she nuzzled close, pressing her lips to his. "You're an incorrigible pervert, Dean Winchester," his wife informed him in loving tones.

Dean shrugged. "I know. That's why you love me," he said, scooping her up in his arms as he moved to his feet and started in the direction of their bedroom.

"One of the reasons why I love you," she corrected him, letting loose another laugh as he lifted her up off her feet. "You just love manhandling me, don't you?"

"Hey, I'm the one who deserves a spanking, remember?" he said with a smirk, as he made a beeline for the bedroom. "You can tell me all the reasons you love me when I'm finished."

"Depends who gets my attention first, you or the girls," Jo warned teasingly. After all, the twins were probably due a feed and a change pretty soon, though thankfully Bertie was sleeping through the night.

"We'll tag team, like we always do," he told her. He wasn't afraid of taking his turn at childcare, even if that did mean changing poopy diapers. "How about a quickie, Mrs. Winchester?" he asked, kissing her cheek as he hip-checked the door open.

"Mmm, that'll do for starters." She grinned, looping her arms about his neck to press a slow kiss to his lips. Even after several years and three children, nothing could top just how much Jo loved Dean. It had taken him long enough - and a death or two - to work it out.

For Dean, Jo had been the one who'd gotten away. In his heart, he'd always known she'd been the one for him. Losing her had almost broken him, but not anymore. Being with her now, in this new life they'd been given, had only made him stronger. Strong enough to beat anything that came their way, and that included a certain egotistical angel and his immortal nemesis.

After all, Gabriel wasn't the only one with gods on his side.