Chapter Thirty Five:

Light on the Mayo

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The jeep would arrive at the bunker at about 5pm, so the small group stopped along the way in a small town to grab supplies for home. They wouldn't have to leave anytime soon once they got there.

Dean was a nervous wreck. Worried that they'd all get kidnapped somehow, despite the chances of it happening again, here in this random town, being astronomical. Sam offered to stay with him in the jeep while Castiel and Jody went in to max out one of the boy's fraudulent credit cards, but Dean's mind shifted to being convinced that that would only leave the two of them in a more vulnerable place. No friendly giants around to protect them. He hated how he easily things were scaring him now. He should be feeling better now that he's back in his soul form and able to move through walls again, but he wasn't. Hypersensitive to the incoming signals, searching for the enemy that must be around the next corner. Not finding any made his mind think that the monsters were just getting craftier and that they couldn't fight against an enemy that knew about their abilities and how to hide their presence before it was too late.

So, they all sat in the jeep, Castiel parked it outside of this town's version of a Walmart and they waited calmly for Dean to decide what he'd like to do. Dean's embarrassment over his fears made him want to sink under the seats till there was nothing visible. He hadn't yet turned solid, so Sam stayed in his soul form to ease Dean's mind. Translating for Dean in the form of a flickering flashlight that Jody had placed next to him. Dean was too emotionally charged at the moment to get out anything intelligible using the flashlight Morse code. Or even to follow what Sam was saying exactly with it.

After ten minutes of small talk between the giants, Jody peered down again to check up on the two small souls that were hovering just a scant centimeter above the seat between she and Castiel. Dean was sparking and swirling tightly in clear anxious movements. Sam drifting a few of his tendrils in soothing waves at his brother, trying to calm him down. The faint buzzing in the air letting them know that at least one of the souls was speaking, perhaps both. It was hard to tell. She sighed softly. Dean kept panicking. Best thing to do would be to let it pass without intervening herself, because she wasn't sure if it was being in the presence of 'giants' that was making him even more nervous. She knew that this road to recovery will take as long as it has to for Dean, and that she wouldn't push. Only guide him gently to the truth that everyone was here for him. Supporting him. No judgment.

Castiel had spoken in private with Jody at her place about his observations, relieved to hear that the humans noticed the same. The brother's souls feel every feeling much stronger than they used to. The theory being that they don't have the ability to build up walls to shove it behind. No physical brains to help filter out their thoughts and actions and feelings. Castiel had known hardships for longer than humans have existed, so he was slightly better at dealing with similar aftermaths of being captured.

He was a soldier in Heaven's army. That wasn't the first time he's been held captive, and even after returning to Earth in this vessel over a decade ago, he's been captured several times in more physical prisons. Castiel, of course, didn't like being a prisoner, but he had experience before, and knew how to cope.

Dean and his brother too, had been held against their will at various times their whole lives but somehow it was different now for Dean. Back then, when the monster held them captive, they had a fighting chance of escape. Their jailer was at least the same size as them, and the bars of their cells weren't as thick and solid as the tanks in the pet store or the auction house compared to them. The enemy couldn't simply hold them completely immobile in a single fist. Even half rate monsters and their small children overpowered Dean at that store, turning him every which way with no warning, to inspect the merchandise and find him lacking. Humiliated, belittled, and abused.

Dean hated the treatment he'd gotten from those places, but right now, he hated having to be treated gently, like a kid, here and now too. Most of all, he hated how much he needed it. He hated how he would totally ask for the gentle handling if they didn't already give it without him having to say a word. He felt so weak. Powerless. And grateful as all hell that his family wasn't pushing him to overcome his feelings and fears right this second. The reason is, is because he's not sure if his ego or sanity could take many more hits.

He knew, of course he knew, that they were stalling on going inside. Waiting for him to be ok with this shopping trip. And that they would turn around in a heartbeat and head straight home and live off of the scant remains of food in their kitchen till they all starve if he simply asked. Knew that Jody would drop them off at the bunker and return to the store by herself to get the supplies they needed. Because it's Jody, and the woman would not let them go without food if she had anything to say about it. Going it alone for her family.

That sent another spike of fear through Dean's soul as it trembled. The thought of one of their own, being alone.

Rationally, he knew the sheriff could handle herself, and that there was no real danger here of all places, but he also thought that the restaurant back in Lawrence was safe too. Granted, the monsters that had chased them down from the restaurant did so because they probably sensed the supernatural presence in the Impala, and would have gone after any creature that they happened across, but Dean couldn't shake the feeling of being hunted.

Going by the conversation between Arg and Not Arg back at the auction house, the things that caught Cas and him didn't really know who they had captured and sold. They were still out there though, and word had to have spread in the monster community that there was a massive attack back at the auction house that drew in Hunters from all around. Maybe those same shifters that captured Dean and Cas were now wanting revenge on them for killing off their business, in the most literal sense possible. Maybe other monsters that survived the Hunters were joining forces and tracking them down right now for killing their friends. Spurred by the knowledge that at least one Winchester was a tiny weak thing that they'd be able to destroy with the Angel out of the way. Dean hoped that no one knew that Cas survived. But also knew how shitty their luck was and trembled as he took in his Angel's presence. Cas was on the mend, but not at full strength.

Dean jolted back to reality when he heard Jody shift her purse up from underneath her seat to pull out her wallet. The move casual as can be, reminded the small soul that this wasn't a battle field. They probably weren't being hunted down, and even if they were, the monsters would have to know that the sheriff was with them. There's no way in hell that Lade would spill the beans, and even if he did, Lade had no way of knowing what car Jody was driving. Lade wouldn't sic monsters on them in any case. He was scared of Dean and his family. He knew their reputation and heeded the warning that it was. It didn't make Dean feel any better.

Jody pocketed just her wallet and opened up her door to leave. Dean rose in the air, watching nervously as she closed it behind her and started for the store. His spherical vision also saw Castiel turn in his seat to follow Jody's walk towards a discarded grocery cart in the parking lot to bring it back inside the store to use for herself. Helping out the cart wranglers a bit. Dean lifted higher in the jeep and Sam followed after. Dean could feel Sam's nervousness, like they'd be seen, but didn't pay him much attention.

Castiel settled back into his driver's seat once Jody entered the store, and stared ahead, out of the windshield. Blue eyes scanning the lot and other cars, acting as bodyguard to the souls. Dean hadn't been paying that close attention to the giant's conversation before, so he didn't know what Jody was going to buy in there. He trusted her judgment, of course, but the thought of her going in alone was unbearable.

Dean remembered to lower himself down to a solid surface before he turned solid himself. The air was knocked out of his lungs as he righted himself up again from landing on his front with his legs up and behind him like he'd been skydiving and misjudged the distance to the ground. Sam solidified next to him in a kind of runners crouch and stood up smoothly. Smirking a little at Dean's grumbling complaints about show-off little brothers.

"Cas, uh, you just gonna let her do all the work?" Dean mumbled, but the Angel heard him.

Castiel glanced back down at the brothers in the seat next to him and frowned a little. Coming to the conclusion that Dean had finally relaxed enough to join in. Coming up with an excuse for the delay that doubled as a reassurance to the small Winchesters. "Apologies, I was just scanning the area, looking for anyone that might have followed her in. We're safe here." He added a slightly exaggerated wink at the end and head bob.

Sam would have scoffed at that, but one half glance at his brother told him that Dean needed to hear that. Swallowing down his remark, he said, "Cool, alright, so let's get a move on." Lifting up his arms to the side to be picked up easier.

Dean caught the motion and quirked a brow at it before yelping at the sight of an enormous hand descending around his brother and scooping him up in seconds. The hand was about to do the same to Dean but Cas saw him stumble away from the fingers that had been wrapped around Sam and didn't want to squash Dean's courage. Castiel tried not to make it obvious that he was going extra slow in bringing Sam to his chest pocket before returning the hand down for Dean next.

Dean was about six inches further away from Cas now from his backwards stumbling, watching his brother go willingly into the hand and then into the pocket. Hardly squirming at all in either confinement. Cas refrained from grabbing Dean up next in a similar manner, his hand coming in flattened out along the seat. The position was awkward for him, but he wouldn't complain about it. Dean's heart raced again at the sight of the fingers and palm as they crept closer and closer. Stopping two inches in front of him which was about three feet to the shrunken hunter.

Dean coached himself that he can do this in his mind. The fingers twitching slightly with the minor pulses of blood beneath the surface and the random muscle movement over bones and tendons. It felt like he'd fallen back to that fear on the first day they'd become corporeal again. Seeing giants for the first time, and how terrifying it is to be in the overwhelming presence.

Castiel was as still as he could be, gaze drifting a little so as not to make Dean self conscious about taking so long. The silence was getting to Dean as he looked upwards and saw both Sam and Cas looking down at him standing on the seat. Dean huffed a frustrated breath and stepped forwards. The fingers were as long as he was tall so he had to practically jump onto the flattened hand. The width of the smallest finger like an 18 inch thick log to him. He had become so used to being grabbed by giants that having Cas not grab him felt weird somehow. This was different than in the pet shop or at Jody's place. Cas's hands had been curved into bowl shapes. Now it was a flattened platform.

Dean stepped towards the smother palm and sat down in the middle over the lifeline, folding his legs in front of himself and closing his eyes tight. His other fears ramping up the age old fear of heights all over again. Castiel waited a beat before lifting his hand up to the pocket that held Sam and his brother made no comment or judgment whatsoever about why it took Dean so long to take three steps and sit down.

The somber smile that greeted Dean grated on his nerves a little but he said nothing. Sam helped Dean adjust to the deep pocket's swing and they dropped down to the bottom seam. Knowing that it was always going to be dangerous to be seen in public. Cas opened his door and exited the jeep after locking it back up again.

The walk to the store was evenly measured and Dean calmed at the reliable pace. The giant heart that beat inside Cas's chest pushed at his back just enough to be more reassuring than disturbing. Dean sat down and rest his head against the wall of chest while Sam pried his fingers into the fabric strands to spread them out and create a peek hole. Giving his brother a bit of space even though they only had three inches from one side to the other, inside the white, button up shirt's pocket.

Inside the store, Castiel walked down the line of cashiers towards the produce section that greeted him. Finding Jody at the other end, inspecting heads of lettuce. She picked a larger one and moved on to the cucumbers. Cas approached her blindside and she startled at the sudden hand on her shoulder. She frowned at him, before playfully shoving at his side with her own. Remembering a few seconds later that if he's here, then so are Sam and Dean and her eyebrows shot up as she stared at the Angel.

Castiel didn't say a word about it, reading her fears, and lightly brushed a hand over the pocket they were in so that she knew she didn't just crush them inside his lower coat pockets. Castiel sniffed the entire cucumber stand and pulled one out to hand to her. "This one grew with more sunlight and rainwater than the others. It shouldn't expire for at least two weeks."

Jody smirked and gestured for him to take the lead. Since he was going to eat the majority of the food, he should be the one to pick it out. She was amused at how he determined what was better than what and kept an eye out for anyone that was doing the same eyeballing at them. The cart was quickly filling up with only fresh fruits and vegetables so Jody had to gently remind him that they'd need canned food more, due to how fast fresh foods spoil.

Castiel looked ashamed and bowed slightly to her smaller frame before guiding the cart to the first of the store's ten aisles. Jody's few items went to the child seat part of the cart since she was here anyway, and the rest of it was filled to nearly overflowing. Castiel held a rather large bag of frozen tater tots and wondered where he could fit it when Jody came back over with a fresh cart and a smile on her face. "You got freezer room." and grabbed the bag of tots along with another with regular fries, tossing them into the new cart.

Inside the pocket, Sam and Dean watched the giants work methodically through the store. Their method of shopping usually consisted solely of hand baskets or carrying stuff in their arms. Living out of a car meant they didn't have room for more than they needed then and there.

With the new cart, came more canned meat and veggies and pastas. Dean surprised Cas when he pipped up his suggestion for pie. It shouldn't have come as a surprise though, they were passing by the bakery and the wonderful scents were surrounding them all. Jody smiled warmly at Cas's chest before filling up the second cart with no less than 8 different kinds of pies. Saying that they can freeze them and eat at their leisure and they'd taste just fine heated up in the oven.

Dean tensed up again at the check out lane. More giants they didn't know all jammed up together in a line. At least Cas had a cart between him and the person in front, with Jody and the second cart behind him. Sam had a hand on his shoulder and would squeeze it whenever Dean looked like he wanted to take a flying leap into his soul form and fly on out of there. Dean was sure the cashier would say something about their heaping cart but the kid just started scanning barcode after barcode while talking about the weather.

Castiel was a little too specific about the forecast and got a raised eyebrow from the teen. Sam shoved an elbow into the wide expanse of chest behind him and muttered just loud enough for the Angel's ears. "Tell her you're a meteorologist or else she's gonna think you're weird."

Dean smirked, finding enough confidence to say, "If your intent is to weird her out, you could always flash your wings at her and tell her that it's not just butterfly wings that influence the weather across the world."

Sam chuckled a little, teasing, "Dean, we don't want her calling someone on Cas to get him committed and locked away!" Instantly regretting his choice of words at the stunned expression that fell over Dean's face, or how the body behind him tensed up rock solid.

Jody saw the Angel go rigid and bumped into Cas's butt with her cart when the cashier was finished totaling up his order. She frowned at the man before addressing the cashier loudly, "I'm paying for both of ours." Bumping a little more forcefully into Cas to get him moving. He spun around with wide eyes and a hand lifted protectively over his shirt pocket before finally seeing Jody there instead of an enemy and he started to breath again.

Castiel guessed that it wasn't just the small Hunter that had some issues to work through after their misadventure. He gripped the handle of his cart a little too tightly, cracking the plastic. He pretended not to notice to keep attention off of himself as he pushed the reloaded cart aside to wait. Jody's cart was soon unloaded, scanned, bagged, and reloaded again. All the while Castiel felt the very slight trembles coming from his pocket and heard Sam apologizing over and over again. His deep voice rumbled around the brothers just loud enough for them to hear but other's to brush off. "It's alright, Sam." His hand came up and he pressed a gentle finger on the outside of the pocket, dragging it downwards a few times before letting his hand drop to his side again. Pulling his cart further away from the customers that were walking past.

Jody could see the expression on Cas's face and after getting to know the guy a little better, could see that something had happened and she'd have to ask about it out of hearing range of the public. She paid quickly, never looking at the total that was charged on the credit card that Sam had owned, and wanted to get the hell out of there.

She pushed her cart towards the door and Cas followed right behind her. They unloaded the carts into the jeep's backseat and storage hold and got in. "So? Anyone want to tell me what happened?" she asked as she started up the vehicle.

Castiel avoided her gaze for a moment before turning towards her with slightly pleading eyes. She dropped the question like a bag of rocks and turned on the radio instead. "Ehh. Doesn't matter, we'll be getting you three home in twenty minutes." Nodding to herself as she navigated back to the bunker.

She parked in the garage of the bunker to get that much closer to the kitchen and took as many bags with her on in as she could carry. Guessing more than knowing the way to the kitchen as Castiel seemed adamant that he could carry the rest by himself behind her. He probably could, if it weren't for the fact that the bulk of them would obstruct his vision too much, and probably squish the Winchesters to his chest in the process. So, he relented and only carried in 15 bags and dropped them on the center table. Jody shooshed him out of the kitchen to grab the rest while she found places for everything.

Castiel paused at the threshold of the kitchen, lifting a hand to his pocket to pull it open and peer inside. "Did you two want to um, stay here?"

Jody called over before they could answer, "I need them to tell me where they like their stuff." pointing towards the top of the fridge for them to get a birds eye view of the room.

Castiel nodded and reached in a couple of fingers. Sam climbed up on his own, and hoisted Dean up onto the hand next like it was normal. The hand then raised to the fridge and they jumped off and landed in a cloud of dust. Cas left them to it to get the rest of the things.

Jody smiled warmly at the sight of the brothers standing on the fridge, dusting themselves off a little and kicking away the larger fluffs. Dean muttering about how he missed this spot when he was cleaning up earlier. Blaming Sam for not telling him since the top of the fridge would have been in the Sasquatch's line of sight.

They worked methodically, talking only about where stuff goes and minor bickering about where it shouldn't go. Jody helped Cas unload the bags onto the counter and held one of the pies separate from the rest on the table, preheating the oven to a very low setting to warm it up gradually.

The brothers turned soul again just long enough to fly to the table and land on it in their solid form again. Having dodged the startled flare of Cas's wings on the way at the sudden brightness in the room that caught the Angel off guard. The brothers were relishing the fact that Dean could transition easier now between his two forms, or that he was even able to transition at all. Back in the jeep on the way to Jody's, Dean confessed that he wasn't sure if he had been trying too hard when he was in that monster bitch's hand as she walked to the pet shop, or if it would have mattered at all. If grabbing Dean meant that he was unable to turn into his soul form. Solid contact with that kind of monster keeping him grounded in the solid world. A theory that they tossed around for a while in the jeep. Something to test out later if they run into a friendly monster again.

Sam informed Dean that he's turned soul a few times in Jody, Claire, and Alex's hand at their house in Souix Falls. Mostly from overwhelming feelings and knee jerk reactions to escape something startling. The girls felt guilty for accidentally making loud noises around him and making him shift forms as a defensive reaction. They'd gotten much better at talking quieter, and being more mindful of their actions and what they said so they wouldn't set him off. He was stressed out enough without his brother and best friend. Never knowing their fate or his own if they never found them again. Sam shook his head, coming back to the present to see that his brother was walking towards the desert left out.

Jody turned around and pulled the apple pie further away from Dean and bravely withstood the glare she'd gotten from the shrunken Hunter who had been sneaking over to take a bite while the busy giants weren't looking. Carrying the desert to a side table Dean uses to prepare meals. He could have flown there himself but that would incur some of Jody's ire.

Cas was informed of the proper ways of making Jody's favorite dish for later. Castiel took detailed notes on paper in a blocky kind of script that wasn't English at all. It looked more like a spell than a recipe for something called, 'Cowboy beans'.

Dean perked up at the name and paid attention as well, his inner cowboy nerd making him itch for a proper hat and boots to wear to dinner when it's made. He pouted when he remembered that his hat and boots would each be as large as his bedroom at this size. Add to the fact that he can't exactly wear the boots even if they were his size because his current shoes are part of his very soul, and can't be removed. He kicked petulantly at a bit of debris on his table that was left over from the last meals made here. A crumb from one of Cas's sandwiches. Dean took a moment to look around his kitchen and the last time he'd been in here was just before he and Cas went for take out. He didn't think he'd ever be standing in here again. He might never return to being normal sized to use any of this. Sam either...

Sam could see his brother's mood shifting all over the place and that he was ending up on a sad note. Not needing to know exactly why, due to there being so very many hardships recently, he bumped into Dean's side and angled his chin towards the pie that was lifted up from the other table. Reminding him that good things happen too. Dean grinned and bit his lower lip as he watched the huge pie get prepared for dinner. Sam counted that as a win.

The pie was set in the middle of the oven's cavernous interior and the brothers felt the heat wave wash over them even as they stood on the table several feet away. Cas was finishing writing up the recipe before going back to helping Jody put the dry foods away.

Dean elbowed Sam, "What would happen if we turned soul and went in there, went solid just long enough for a bite of pie, before going soul again and coming out."

"It would be hot, Dean. Very hot. It's an oven." Sam said slowly. Confused why his brother would even consider it. Dean frowned and flopped down to a pouting sit on a plate that was left out on the table. He smiled at his brother coming back to normal.

Jody decided she might as well start dinner since the hour was getting late and according to the brothers, Cas still had a long ways to go before he was considered a good cook. She pulled back out the hamburger, baked beans, brown sugar and the other ingredients needed for the Cowboy beans and narrated her actions to the inquisitive Angel and the hungry brothers so it would be easier for them to make after she's gone.
It barely took any time at all, and she laid out the wheat and white bread on three plates. Two slices on her plate, two for Castiel, and one for the brothers to share that was cut in half before mayo was spread over it's upturned surface. Going easy on the mayo for the boys so they could still grab the bread in their hands without it being a mess.

The frying pan full of bubbling meat, beans, and sauce was brought over from the stove and poured over the mayo-ed bread and it dribbled off of the sides. Castiel's brow was furrowed in intense concentration at the method of preparing the finishing touches to the simple dish, and the brothers were gaping at just how much food was being placed in front of them. Jody poured her serving last, spreading it around on top of the bread to cover every inch. Castiel mimicked her actions and the brothers just stared at their slices in front of them on the tea plate. Each of the half slices of bread was as large as a bed to them and the steam wafted up pleasantly into the air. The scent of sweet brown sugar blending with the rich hamburger meats and topped with the bacon-y flavored baked beans made for an interesting combination.

"Dig in boys!" Jody grinned and used her fork to cut off a portion of bread with the concoction dripping off of the sides, leaning forward for the droplets to fall back onto the plate instead of her lap.

Castiel's brow lifted. He thought that he was supposed to fold the two slices of bread together like a sandwich, but now saw that it was a kind of edible plate.

Sam reluctantly pulled his knife from behind his back, manifesting it so he could have something to use to eat with, and Dean did the same with his pocket knife but gave up skewering a single bean fragment and meat combo. He got back to his feet and walked across the table towards Jody, clearing his throat to speak loud enough for the giant to hear him. "Got anything we can use as silverware?"

Jody finished chewing and swallowed the lump down before looking up and around herself at the kitchen. Speaking while she thought about solutions to their problem. "Well, uhhh... chopsticks made out of toothpicks wouldn't really work to keep the sauces from dripping off... um, a measuring spoon is far too big." Frowning down at Dean, knowing that even the smallest spoon would be as tall as they were. Her eyes landed on a straw sticking out of a fast food cup and wondered if it could be cut down and useful at all. But, a meat Slurpee didn't sound appetizing, and cutting the straw in half lengthwise would create an odd kind of trough. Finally, she caught sight of a bit of aluminum foil sticking out of it's box next to the microwave and she had an idea.

Jody stood up and strode over to the foil and tore off a chunk of it. Bringing it back to the brothers, she tore it up into smaller pieces, handing them over to Dean who stared at them for a moment before catching on and lifting up one of the foot long shreds. He bent it in half, rolled one of the ends for a handle, and curved the other end up like a bowl, creating a spoon that was roughly the size of a mixing spoon but at least it was serviceable for silverware. He picked up a few more good pieces of the foil and brought them over to Sam, putting it in his brother's waiting hand.

Jody watched them work methodically on their cutlery and forgot to hide her grin when they looked up at her. She'd stopped eating to stare and caught herself beaming at their pointed looks.

Castiel was too busy frowning thoughtfully at the dish in front of him, struggling to taste it like a human would. Crowley's suggestion from weeks ago about how to enjoy their expensive drink in the library coming back to him. Ignore the molecules and their individual structures and focus on the whole. Now that his grace is healing faster, it's becoming harder to enjoy the flavors like a human. Perhaps they wouldn't need all this food after all. Angels don't need to eat, but, the brothers can and should be able to enjoy food, even if they might not need to eat either. Sustained by their souls when in that form. Electricity is helpful in a pinch, but food seemed to be their favorite way of getting energy. Reminding them that they were once living, breathing, humans. Any joy he could bring to them was priceless and necessary. So he set about studying this meal's components and the method it was made.

Castiel finished with one slice of the Cowboy bean meal, and checked out how the others were fairing. The brothers were busy working on a corner of their own slices, chopping up a bean into more manageable pieces and dipping it into the sauce and getting a smear of the mayo on the minuscule forks next. A chunk of bread was wrapped around each bite to hold it together as they bit into it. The meat was eaten with just the sauce because they had trouble breaking down the meat into smaller bite sized pieces. Dean started making sandwiches with flattened bits of bread and Sam worked on making a kebab of bean, meat, onion, and bread on a spear made out of a tube of aluminum foil. Trying and failing to eat it without getting the sauce everywhere. Licking his lips, fingers, and wrists as it dribbled everywhere.

All an all, it was a delicious meal and the challenges of it were met with determination and ingenuity. Castiel made a note to make up a few more utensils for the four inch tall brothers so they wouldn't have to do it themselves every time. It would be no problem to toss out the used bits of metal when their done, since they were too small and had too many wrinkles in them to properly clean them off to use again. The roll of foil on the counter would last them years. Castiel even considered how well the foil could be used as plates and cups and other things for them. He planned on bringing it up with them later.

Jody pulled the pie from the oven and placed it in-between them all. Searching drawers for a pie server and hearing a laugh from Sam.

"Dean has a wide variety of them in that jar over there." and indicated said jar with his entire arm so that the skyscraper sized human could see. And, indeed, there were various servers of all kinds and styles and Jody beamed at the sight of it. Dean folded his arms at being called out like that.

"Half of them came from the bunker, and aren't just for pies." Dean's frown evident in his voice as he defended his buying habit.

"Yeah? And the other half?" Sam prodded and got punched in the arm for that.

Cas's brow furrowed as Jody sifted through the various servers and spatulas and said, "No, Dean's right, these are for small pies, this one is for big muthas, this one is actually for cakes. This one is for brownies because it has a flat end to it. The plastic ones are for metal pans that may scratch easily. And this," she held up one, "is actually for spreading frosting on cakes. I have a couple like it at home from my Suzy homemaker days in the early nineties." and made an impressed sound with Dean's collection. "Can I borrow this one?" she held up one of the smaller models and Dean's grin widened as he nodded firmly. Smug look on his face as he faced Sam's rolling eyes.

Jody nodded back her gratefulness at the loan and set it next to her plate to take home later. She plucked out the fanciest pie server for their warmed apple pie and cut it into six equal portions. Cas went for fresh plates and everyone was served their own slice. The brothers wide eyed at their portions that were far larger than both of them put together.

"Bon appetite!" Jody singsonged and took a big appreciative bite of her slice.

Castiel did the same and his concentrating frown was back on his face.

Dean's newly formed fork wavered in the air over the waist high slice. "I'm gonna need a bigger mouth."

Sam did a spit take of his first bite and laughed so hard he nearly fell over. Recalling that line from their time in TV land. Dean's sly smirk telling him that he was successful in sending that inside joke his way.

The four of them mmm-ed and moaned at the flavors and soon, conversation started up as if this was a normal afternoon dinner at the house. The whole domestic scene helped Dean and Cas transition back into their old lives. Even if this particular kind of homey event was a rarity. Their dinners were usually interrupted by some case or a phone call or two from their Hunting buddies asking for information or advice.

Sam suddenly realized that they hadn't heard from anyone like that in awhile and would have to ask the others about that later. Right now, everyone was relaxed and needed this break from the stresses they'd all suffered through. Right now... this was his idea of happiness.

The niggling thoughts and worry's continued on, however, much as Sam tried to push them back. Dean was safe by his side, laughing past a full mouth of sugar and apples. His body jittery from the energy rush caused by the abundance of food. Dean turned to face Sam and he must have thought of something brilliant because he reached into his back pocket to manifest his wallet and started to drop it and have it turn into his soul again so that he could use up some of that buzzing energy and eat more. Winking at his younger brother at remembering the trick ages ago in the Impala.

At the memory, Sam's jaw dropped. "Shit! The Impala!" Sam exclaimed.

Dean's eyes widened sharply, dread spreading across his features as he sat upright, stiff as a board as he spit out his bite. "My Baby!"

Castiel nearly jumped at the sudden distress coming from the brothers and turned to see Jody just as startled and stunned before settling on pained resignation at having to be the bearer of bad news.

"Oh, right." Jody coughed and swallowed thickly. "Uh, Dean? Don't be mad."

hi ~~~~~~author's rambling~~~~~ blerp

If any of y'all wanted to make the cowboy beans that they are enjoying, here's my families recipe:
Hamburger one pound - any fat content
pork and beans - any brand, regular sized can
tomato soup - any brand, smaller can
brown sugar - 1/2 cup light or dark
yellow mustard - 1/4th cup wet, any brand
onion - dry or fresh to cook with hamburger - two tbsp?
(optional - dash of Worcestershire sauce)
in a large frying pan, brown and crumble hamburger until cooked, with onion.
add whole can of pork and beans, can of tomato soup, and about 1/2 cup brown sugar and about 1/4th cup yellow mustard. cook until thickened. serve over bread with mayo or miracle whip type salad dressing. serve while hot.

lemme know if any of y'all make it up and what you think! or if anyone wants the simple boy scout stew recipe that is my faaaavorite dish evers. there's like, only three main ingredients but it is AMAZING.

oh and uh, lemme know if you liked the Mills cooking show chapter lol