THE SAVED AND THE SAVIORS

A Change Of Heart?

"You disobeyed me."

"I had to-"

"-You deliberately disobeyed me."

"I saved them!"

"But you could've gotten yourself killed! Do you think we can trust you if you're going off and doing your own things and not listening to us? You were completely reckless!" 

Nova huffed at him. Her and Gabriel's stares locked; Gabriel looked agonized. He jutted his chin up, fists clenched at his sides. "You're on lockdown," Gabriel said softly. "I can't risk anything happening to you." 

"...You can't be serious!" Nova shouted, surprised. 

Gabriel crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm sorry, Nova; I have to." 

Nova spun around at the sound of Dean clearing his throat. Nova stuck a thumb in Gabriel's direction with a glare. "Are you getting any of this?"

Dean nodded. "I'm sorry, Nova but, I agree with him. You're not as strong as you were. You gotta take it easy." 

Nova scoffed. "So you're all just going to keep me here? Alone, with nothing to do. The only people here to keep me company is Crowley in the dungeon." She made a face of disgust. 

Everyone's attention turned to quieter footsteps approaching.  Dakota appeared beside Dean, a confused look on her face. "You won't be the only one here, Nova. Sam's keeping me here because he's paranoid about the baby. Your son is here too." The redhead held a hand underneath her baby bump. Today marked 12 weeks for Dakota. 

"I sent Ashton to Bobby's for a while," Gabriel spoke up from where he was leaning against the table. 

 Nova let out a long, slow breath. Looking between all of them, she nodded curtly. "I'll stay. I won't go out of the bunker unless I'm getting my treatment. If I'm going, I'll take someone with me. We'll bring Ashton home at the end of the week. Fair?"

"Fair," Gabriel walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her waist. Nova rested her head against his chest. Gabriel kissed her head. "I know you want to help, and you still can. We all just want you to stay safe, Nova."

Nova nodded before saying goodbye to her husband and big brother, who were leaving on a vampire hunt. Soon enough, the bunker became quiet and calm. Nova busied herself with cleaning everyone's rooms while Dakota decided to wander around. 

Her socks padded softly against the tile, her eyes wandering about the halls and doors, almost all of them closed. She was about to walk back when the record room door caught her eye. Curiosity getting the best of her, she walked in. 

Dakota flicked on the lights and peered at the shelves of boxes and files. A smooth British voice stopped Dakota dead in her tracks. "Ah, has the Moose finally decided to let me out?" 

The redhead glared in Crowley's direction and turned to leave. "No, it's Ms. Moose," Crowley chuckled. 

The demon heard her sigh, and her footsteps were getting quieter. "Awe, come on, love. Can't we sort out our differences?" 

"With you wanting to make me a slave for a year?" Dakota scoffed. "Yeah, not happening. "

"Wait!" Crowley begged. Reluctantly, Dakota stopped. "If you come in here, I'll explain it all to you." 

With a dramatic sigh, Dakota opened the "doors" to where Crowley sat at a metal table with warded handcuffs and a lock around his neck. She stood tall, her arms across her chest. Crowley looked at her for a moment before a smirk crossed his face. "Ah, so there'll be a baby moose soon, eh?" he gestured to her baby bump. 

"What do you want, Crowley?" she avoided any questions about the baby. There was nothing wrong with it, but Dakota didn't tell Sam about the first child they would've had because, before she could break the news, she lost it. Dakota figured she'd let Sam know when this baby was born. The redhead zoned out, unaware of how long she was thinking about it. 

 The demon eyed her. "You've got yourself a rainbow baby, don't you?" 

Dakota snapped out of her daze and looked at him with wide eyes, unsure if she should tell Crowley. Slowly, she nodded. The demon's lips gradually turned into a smile. "I congratulate you."

"Since when is a demon sentimental and congratulating people on their pregnancies?" She quirked an eyebrow.

"Since I've been locked in here and had time to think." 

Dakota 'hmmed' before turning to leave. "Hold on," Crowley said lowly. She huffed and turned around. "Why did you come here in the first place?"

She shrugged. "When you're locked in the bunker because you're pregnant, there's not much to do. I wandered around, and this room caught my eye."

Crowley smiled. "I can't argue with that." He pursed his lips for a moment before clearing his throat and looking up at Dakota's green and brown heterochromic eyes. 

Dakota quirked an eyebrow. "Is there something you wanna tell me?"

"Yes, actually, there is." He fiddles with the collar of his tailored jacket. "I want to apologize for my hostile approach toward you a few years ago. Being a demon, it's what I'm used to doing. I shouldn't try and make you pay for what your father did. But know this, I wasn't mad because of what he did to me, it's what he did to your mother."

"My mother? What did he do to my mother?" Dakota stepped closer to him. 

"He was an alcoholic, worse than anyone I've ever seen. He abused your mother and nearly killed you before you were born. He was trying to kill me, and I was trying to save your mother the whole time. Your father became possessed by a demon and stabbed himself with a blade. Your mother asked me to help her take care of herself until she gave birth to you, so I did." Dakota stood there as tears began to fall. 

"How do I know you're telling the truth?" she asked, wiping her eyes. 

"Well, you don't. But," Crowley reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a bracelet with Dakota's last name, King, inscribed into the copper band. "Before your mother went into the hospital, she gave me this and told me to give it to you when I thought that you could trust me." 

Crowley held his hand out, and, warily, Dakota allowed him to attached the clasp. She looked at it curiously before meeting Crowley's eyes. She smiled and nodded softly. "Thank you, Crowley." 

The King of Hell bowed his head and gave her a sincere smile. "Will I get to know the gender when it's revealed?" He looked expectantly at the redhead. 

Dakota rolled her eyes playfully. "Yes, I'll tell you when I know." 

"And, one more thing, Dakota."

"Yeah?"

"Copper suits you."

Dakota's smile widened. "Thanks."

"Anything for my godchild."

Dakota's face fell to shock. "What?!"

"It was your mother's dying request that I be your godfather after helping her. Especially since I saved her from your father." 

The redhead blinked, unsure of what to say. She swallowed, nodded, and left the room. When Dakota arrived back in the vault, Nova looked at her with furrowed eyebrows. "You look like you just saw a ghost," the Winchester said. 

"I feel like I did."

"What happened?"

"I learned some things."

Nova rolled her eyes. "You wanna elaborate?"

"Crowley's my godfather."

The Winchester blinked slowly before pursing her lips. "I'm sorry, what?"

Dakota looked at Nova blankly. "Yeah..."

Nova raised her eyebrows and gestured for her to continue. "Are you gonna tell me the whole story or...?"

"Oh, yeah...sorry." Dakota sat down and explained what happened. At the end of her retelling, she showed Nova the bracelet. 

"Huh, I guess some people really can change," Nova said.