THE SAVED AND THE SAVIORS

Time Passing

"Sam?! Sam, come quick!"

The moose of a man slid into the room with a gun in hand and eyes wide with adrenaline. "What is it? What's going on? Are you hurt?"

Dakota laughed. "I felt a kick!" 

Sam dropped the gun and rushed over to Dakota's swollen stomach. He looked up at her and smiled from ear to ear. Dakota giggled as she felt another kick. "Dean, get in here!" Sam called over his shoulder. "Come on!"

Dean ran into view with his gun at his side, ready to fight. "What's the matter? Is somebody hurt?"

Sam and Dakota both laughed before Dakota said, "No, you dork. I just felt my first kicks!"

"No way! Lemme see this!" Dean knelt beside Sam with a dopey grin. He looked between Sam and Dakota with a proud face. "This is frickin' awesome!"

"I'm going in for my ultrasound today to find out the gender," Dakota said. "But I'm only going with Nova because I want it to be a surprise."

"Awe, come on, baby," Sam pouted. "I wanna come with you," he hugged her stomach. 

Dakota laughed. "Sorry, Sammy. You'll have to wait with Dean until I get back."

"I'm making sure you both stay here, too," Boston said, smirking. 

"Dang it!" Dean slapped his knee. 

The girls laughed as Dakota stood and followed Nova to her car. As they drove, Dakota cleared her throat and looked at Nova. "Hey, I got something for you," Dakota reached into her side bag.

With a hopeful smile, the redhead pulled out a mahogany red knitted hat. By now, Nova had lost all of her hair and lost confidence quickly because of it. The Winchester looked at it, and tears welled in her eyes. Gingerly, Nova took it and used one hand to pull it over her bald head. 

"I love it, Dakota," she said with a wide smile. "Thank you."

"Anything for family," Dakota rubbed Nova's shoulder before letting her gaze fall back to the road. 

The rest of the ride was full of singing and laughing at songs they loved. "Team" by Lorde began to play. Nova cranked the volume. 

"We live in cities you'll never see on screen! Not very pretty but we sure know how to run free! Livin' in ruins of the palace within my dreams! And you know we're on each other's team!" They sang in unison. 

Dakota danced while Nova bobbed to the beat and hummed. Both girls laughed at their cheesy dance moves but enjoyed it to the fullest. For the first time in three months, Nova wasn't scared. She wasn't worried about chemotherapy or the aftermath. All that Nova cared about was this moment with one of her closest friends. And this friend was going to be a mother! Dakota chuckled, and Nova looked at her with a wide smile. 

Once the car was parked, the girls walked in, laughing at one another. The nurse smiled at seeing Nova so happy for once. "Good morning, Ms. Winchester. We're looking happy this morning," she said. 

Nova nodded before hugging Dakota. "Good luck, girl. You better let me know how it goes," Nova grinned. 

"You know it," Dakota smiled. 

They parted ways, and both walked into their rooms with hopeful hearts. After Dakota changed into a hospital dress, the doctor shook hands with her and smiled. "Hello, Ms. King, my name is Dr. Shurley, and my assistant will be giving you an ultrasound today." 

Dakota nodded, her stomach filling with anticipation as she laid down. A sonographer entered the room with a bright smile. "And how far along are you?" The sonographer asked. 

"Eighteen weeks," Dakota replied. 

He nodded before applying a lubricating jelly to her stomach. He moved the transducer, which looked like a microphone, over her skin. Dakota laid there silently, wondering what the result was going to be. After a couple of minutes, the sonographer wiped the jelly off of her stomach and allowed Dakota to sit up. 

"Congratulations," The sonographer smiled and told her the gender. 

She chuckled and thanked both the doctor and the sonographer before leaving to change and empty her bladder. She sat in the waiting room for about an hour before Nova arrived. 

While waiting, she went into the gift shop and purchased a gender reveal box with the ultrasound picture inside. Inside the box was colored confetti and a matching hat. Dakota placed it in her purse as Nova returned from her chemotherapy. The Winchester looked pale, but she was still smiling. 

Dakota drove home, and as she did, Nova got curious. "What's the news?" Nova grinned. 

"What do you mean?" Dakota chuckled. 

"Come on. You know what I mean. Is it a boy or a girl?" 

"You'll find out with everyone else."

"But I wanna know now," Nova whined. 

Dakota laughed. "You're just as bad as your brothers." 

"It runs in the family," Nova smirked. 

The redhead smiled at her before turning up the radio and continuing to drive back to the bunker. "Promise" by Ben Howard played softly while the girls chatted with familiar things. Finally, they arrived home, and Nova was practically bounding inside. Sam sat up at the sound of Dakota's footsteps, his heart pounding with excitement. 

"Well?" Sam slung his arms around her waist. 

Dakota smiled at him and pulled a small box out of her purse. Sam furrowed his eyebrows as he took it. Gabriel had whipped out a camera to get the big reveal. The brunette untied the bow and closed his eyes as he opened the box. 

He looked down, and his face lit up with joy. A large hand clapped over his mouth as tears pooled in his eyes. Sam engulfed Dakota in a bear hug. Holding up the box triumphantly, he grinned. "It's a girl!" 

Everyone cheered and clapped for the couple. Dakota stood on her tip-toes and kissed Sam. Gabriel zoomed the camera in on their faces as they broke apart. Getting camera-shy, Dakota hid her face in Sam's chest. Sam cooed and gushed over her rosy cheeks. Dean laughed as he clapped a hand on his brother's shoulder, the proudest smile on his face. 

Nova's sense of time seemed to slow down. She saw Gabriel filming everyone's reactions, Sam still crying, Dean and Dakota laughing, and Dodger clapping. Boston was holding Ashton and singing, "It's a girl! It's a girl!" 

Her heart filled with joy as she soaked up every drop of happiness from this moment. Nova knew she only had seven months left, but right now, that was the least of her worries. Everyone was happy, and so was she. 

Regardless of what was to come, she'd live her life to the fullest; until her dying breath. 

Snapping out of her daze, Nova walked over to Gabriel and side-hugged him. The archangel kissed her cheek roughly and chuckled. He snaked his free arm around Nova's waist before leaning closer to her ear and whispering, "I love you." 

"I love you too, Sweet tooth."