Chapter 32: Mother dearest

Mishka helped the bartender patch the doctor up, his head pounding, blood pooled from his nose and mouth. Large scratches ran down his arms from the demonic ribbons, his legs shook from exhaustion but they didn't have time to sit around. Both of the hunters slipped out of the bar from the employee door that opened to the parking lot opposed to the side of the building where the emergency exit sat.

Now they made their way down the sidewalk towards Cain's car, each step was agony but the smile on his face was something he wasn't used to wearing.

"And seeing you pull that grace out? Amazing!" She gasped with a bright smile, he laughed as she mimicked the movement he had made.

"How did you know how to do that?" She asked, eyes glowing at him.

"I...don't know," he murmured, pulling the Chamulet off his neck and inspecting it.

"Hey,"

He glanced at her, his heart did a flip in his chest as her smile glowed against the ever darkening skies above.

"You kicked ass," she said with a smile, she didn't fully understand what happened or why it happened but she was grateful for it. For him not leaving like she expected him too.

"I...guess I did," he chuckled, feeling embarrassment flash over his face.

An explosion rang out around them, without a second thought he covered her. They ducked to the floor, he covered her head and glanced up to the sky. A flock, of what looked like birds, had exploded in the middle of the sky. He turned back to her, she glanced at him with a small smile.

"Protective much?" She murmured, he felt his face turn red as he got to his feet. What was happening? What's going on? Since he met her he couldn't seem to think straight. A group of kids raced past the two as he stared blankly at the woman before him.

"I'm only teasing," she said with a chuckle, "Earth to Cain," he shook off the thoughts, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Sorry I..."

"I know, I'm just too pretty to not stare at," she struck a pose, he felt himself relax.

"Maybe," he murmured, she was beautiful, even her voice, that he had found grating to the ears earlier in the day, suddenly seemed sweeter than the coffee he craved in the mornings.

"What do you think that was?" She whispered, glancing to where the smoke still settled in the air.

Cain shrugged, "Probably one of the group, honestly," he mused.

her smile died after a few seconds. Had he done something wrong?

"Uh, where's the Chamulet?"

He felt as if the wind had been knocked out of his chest, looking around in panic. Mishka also looked but neither could hear the harp anymore. She groaned, leaning against the wall of a cafe with a roll of her eyes.

"Well, we had it," she said with an exasperated sigh, Cain leaned against the wall beside her. She blinked up at him, smiling again. Why did she always smile at him?

"Are you hungry?" She whispered, he nodded numbly at her. His stomach roared in anger, he hadn't thought about food but now that it dawned on him he was absolutely starving. She pushed herself up and took his hand. He blinked in surprise, allowing her to tug him to his feet and pull him towards the small cafe's entrance. Their fingers laced together as they pushed into the little restaurant.

It held booths, a small bartop, handfuls of tables and a smiling waitress. She greeted them with a wave before sitting then in an empty booth, police cars screamed past the cafe. Heading towards the skyscrapers, Cain ran his fingers over the paper menu. He'd never been inside a cheap diner before, since he was a child his mother insisted all meals be made by her. Unless it was a rare night they ate pizza he hardly went out to eat.

"What...do I get?" He whispered to Mishka who looked at him puzzled.

"What do you normally drink?" She asked, the waitress smiled at them as Cain hesitated.

"Water, I suppose?"

Mishka nodded, "Water, coffee and an iced tea please,"

The waitress trotted away, Mishka glanced at Cain with a puzzled look on her face, "have you never gone out to eat with your family? Or friends?"

Cain hesitated, "I went out once with my mother," he whispered.

"You don't go out with friends?" She asked, her eyes curious.

His leg bounced as he attempted to think of the best answer, "well," he said awkwardly, fiddling with the side of the paper menu.

"My best friend is my mother," he murmured, the silence that followed made him wince. She was scanning him, as if trying to understand him. He let his head rest against his open palm, fingers brushing his hair.

"Is she your best friend? Or did she trap you into thinking that?"

"We all...have our traps I guess," Cain murmured, sipping at the cold water. It felt good in his parched, raw throat.

"Stuck, you can never get out," he continued.

"You know, some people can step out of their traps," she whispered, fiddling with the straw in her cup.

"I was born in mine, I don't mind it anymore." His voice hardly a whisper.

"But you should mind it," she pointed out. He chuckled lightly, shaking his head as a sadness covered his hazel gaze.

"Oh I do, but I say I don't,"

***

"You're late," Lucifer snarled as Saint Bernard walked into the large, white, room. The man known as Lucifer was pacing in front of his cherry brown desk, Jegudiel sat on the top of the desk. Watching Lucifer with a slight tilt of his head, his fuzzy pink slippers nearly falling off his feet that dangled down just barely touching the ground below.

"It's fine," Jegudiel said, shrugging, "I'm in no rush."

"What's this about?" Bernard asked, standing in front of the two beings with his hands folded neatly behind his back.

"Asmodai, correct?" Jegudiel asked, snapping his fingers, stepping down from the desk. His green eyes danced over the other before falling to Lucifer.

"That's correct, call me Bernard," the man snorted.

"So," Jegudiel started to pace back and forth, fiddling absentmindedly with a rubber band.

"Chamuel has decided he's not on the path towards god anymore,"

"Is that what this is about?" Lucifer arched an eyebrow at the angel, taking a sip of the alcohol he held in his hand. The dark, crimson wine burned his tongue. He placed the glass on the desk, a small bit of the wine rolled out of the clear glass and dropped to the wood.

"Yes and no," Jegudiel said, his pacing continued. As he spoke he moved his hands, as though he could conjure up images before them. "See, with him denouncing God that means you have room to pull out your Trump card," he said, turning to look at Bernard.

"Cain right?"

Bernard shot a look to Lucifer, hesitating, "yes," he said

Lucifer put up a hand, "Cain isn't a trump card, the man has the ability to control the darkness but he's still human. If we find we don't need him anymore his demon will end him, use his body however they wish,"

"Why don't you just do that now?" Jegudiel asked, blinking rapidly a few times. Snapping the rubber band so it flew across the room, knocking into Bernard's head. Shooting an angry glare at Jegudiel who didn't seem to notice, and if he did, he didn't seem to care.

"Cain has been trained his entire life by our best demon in human skin to be the new King of kings," Lucifer said smoothly, "that is, until Cain beat him to death." A small smile flashed over Lucifer's face,

"A human touch makes the darkness want to be controlled more. It is, after all, Angels grace and Angel grace, no matter how many demon souls are sacrificed to it, will quicker listen to a human soul than a demon's."

"Isn't Cain already one of the four kings below the king of kings?" Jegudiel inquired, raising his eyebrows.

"Yes, but he's meant to be the king. The king of all other kings,"

"But can he turn the darkness back into grace,"

Both Jegudiel and Lucifer turned to look at Bernard who's eyes were narrowed to slits, "because I believe I just witnessed that very thing,"

"Impossible!" Lucifer spat, "he might have Winchester blood in his system but that doesnt--" his voice trailed off.

Silence. The air felt like static between the men.

"Something tells me you might have to put some pressure on that demon friend of his," Jegudiel laughed.

"How did this happen?" Lucifer yelled, his anger flaring in his eyes.

"A girl," Bernard growled,

"A girl? He's suppose to be chasing Chamuel," Lucifer snarled, "I've been feeding his stupid mother that since he was a baby, fall in love with the king of kings LionHeart, get his heart crushed, lose what's left of his humanity, that has been the plan since day one,"

"This girl might be his Lionheart. If that's the case we need to get rid of her quickly," Bernard snarled.

"Oh this is juicy! You guys have been really building this up," Jegudiel laughed, "I don't care what you do"

The angel snapped another rubber band at the saint, who snarled at him. His bottom lip jutting forward to show sharp rows of jagged teeth,

"Stop that,"

"Make me,"

They stared at one another, the tension in the room was high. "If it wasn't for me you wouldn't even be in the body of a saint, be grateful," Jegudiel snorted. Rubbing his hands together,

"Is this going to mess up our deal? This girl?" He asked Lucifer who was busy squeezing a red, foam ball.

"I hope not, you'll be the first to know," the demon king hissed under his breath.

"Oh that reminds me," Jegudiel said, flicking a rubber band at Satan who didn't budge from his spot by his desk.

"Dean Winchester's missing,"

"Of course he is!" Satan roared, throwing the ball to the floor. "These Winchester's, if they didn't have Faith's blood in their system I'd wipe them clean! No heaven, no hell, no Earth. Nothing. Dean, Sam, John, Abel, even Cain at this point."

"Calm down," Jegudiel shrugged, "the man's dead, he probably can't do anything. We have guards at the forest of life, nothing can get in."

"You better hope we get Abel's soul, if that Dean Winchester does anything to prevent it I'll cut those pretty green wings right off your back," he stepped on the ball, it bubbled under his heels and melted into the floor.

***

After a few minutes of chatting Mishka helped Cain order his food, she was surprised to find he didn't eat meat but didn't question it. The two ate slowly, talking about everything and nothing that was until they got back to talking about the fight.

"How did you escape?" He asked finally, blinking at her as the waitress collected their plates.

"Well, I have a hunch," Mishka said, she pulled a necklace out of her shirt where it had been hidden. It was square with symbols covering the front,

"This is a healing Talisman, it holds the Qur'anic inscriptions, some of them have prophets, some astrology signs but this one is special. I saw it on my uncle's desk and picked it up before we left."

Cain reached forward, picking it up and looking it over.

"They keep you safe from Jinn, and since that...man, was a saint I'm guessing normal Christianity stuff wouldn't work on him. But this! Worked like a charm. I'm happy I grabbed it," she chuckled, he nodded slowly letting the necklace go. Watching it sway lightly against her chest,

"My eyes are up here," she said, he snapped his head up feeling heat roll over his face.

"I'm just teasing," she laughed, he smiled at her, she returned his smile with a flutter of her eyes.

"Mishka, why do you always smile at me?"

It was a question he'd been pondering over all day, she smiled at him in a way that confused him.

She leaned back in her chair, he didn't realize how messy she looked. Her cherry red lipstick smudged, hair a mess, she was covered in dark red marks from the demon but her eyes shone as if someone took a piece of the sun and placed them in her gaze.

"Maybe I like smiling," she grinned, "maybe I just happen to think youre handsome,"

He looked at her shocked, he was handsome. He knew that, he heard it often from others as well but coming from her it was as if it held a new meaning.

"You...do...?" He whispered.

"--its growing at a rapid pace," Cain's attention moved from her to a small TV that was set into the ceiling, Mishka followed his gaze. Turning to watch what was being said on the television.

It showed a shot from NASA of the Earth, in the middle of the United States, in the heart of Kansas was the darkness. There were a few other spots Cain could see as well, usually, this would excite him. He'd be king of this world soon, but now, something in him didn't feel right.

"The darkness is growing," Mishka murmured, she was ripping up her napkin as anxiety flashed in her gaze. Turning back to look at Cain, the Waitress trotted over and placed a small bowl of ice cream down between them.

"On the house," she said with a wink and walked away.

"She must really want a tip," Cain murmured, Mishka shot him a look causing him to freeze.

"That's how she makes a living," Mishka said softly, Cain glanced at the ice cream, "besides, I think she's just being nice. We look awful, she probably though we got into a fight with a couple of angry cats,"

"You...don't think she's bribing us?" He asked, completely shocked, Mishka shrugged.

"Maybe, but I'd rather assume she's just nice. Most people aren't out to manipulate and lie to you,"

She picked up her spoon with a smile, Cain hesitated. His entire life that's all anyone had done, aside from his mother.

"I've never had ice cream," he said flatley. Mishka choked on the cool dessert, slamming her spoon down dramatically which caused him to wince.

"Never?!"

"Mother doesn't allow me to have many sweets, just my coffee,"

"Well you're not twelve anymore," she laughed, taking a spoonful of the vanilla and holding it out to him. He blinked at it,

"Come on, Sugar Cain, it won't bite. I won't bite."

He felt himself relax as he leaned forward and ate off her spoon, he blinked in surprise at the sweetness of it. He loved sweets,

"See! It's good,"

He smiled wide at her, picking up his own spoon and starting to eat with the other. The conversation became light as they continued, until a shake hit the cafe.

"Whoa, what was that?" Mishka murmured, they glanced out the window that the pair sat beside. The tallest skyscraper seemed to explode from the top, glass falling down to the onlookers. A pair of giant, white wings filled the sky. They watched as the wings pumped and fell into a dive, grabbing something that was only only seconds from the ground before ascending with great speed up into the dark, angry clouds. Snow started to fall after a few heart beats.

People screamed, running past the cafe quickly. Both Mishka and Cain turned towards each other,

"Chamuel," they said at the same time, leaping to their feet. Cain pulled out his wallet, he only had a few hundreds on him now thanks to the homeless folks.

"Just leave whatever, we need to go," Mishka said quickly, she took his wallet and dropped one of the large bills down, taking his hand and dragging him out of the restaurant.

The two raced down the crowded streets, everyone trying to escape the possibly falling building but it remained where it stood. Cain and Mishka pushed through the crowd, racing past the coffee shop and towards the garage where they had parked. They got in the car and pulled out onto the freeway.

Halfway to the home his phone rang loudly, Cain pressed the answer button.

"Cain here," he said, expecting it to be the hospital though he had taken a vacation they would occasionally call him in if need be.

"Cain, come home. Eve is demanding to talk to you," Amaryllis said, he could hear his mother shouting in the background. Cain frowned deeply, he wasn't usually gone this long from his mother. He looked at Mishka who returned the look, tilting her head to the side in a confused manner.

"I'm...a little busy," he said, Mishka shook her head, "we'll be there in a bit," she said into the phone. There was a pause from Amaryllis before they spoke again.

"Please hurry," they hung up, Cain rubbed his head. Though some pain killers dulled the throbbing he was sure he'd feel it more as the man took an exit off the freeway.

"My mom...is a little sick," he murmured, "just keep that in mind,"

"I can't believe I already get to meet your mom," she said with a devilish grin, "we went on our first date and already meeting the parents,"

'date' the word lingered in his mind, he never thought of it as a date but should he have? Why would she even want to joke about that? Was it a joke?

"Date?"

Why was he smiling? She winked at him, pulling out her phone and fiddling with it. Sending a message to Sam, she didn't respond to what he said which confused him even more. He had feelings for his Lionheart. Right?

***

The duo made for his apartment, the complex was quiet, dark, despite the Christmas lights that twinkled it felt almost ominous. A reef hung on his unit's door with a large cross in the middle, lights blinking on and off against it's wooden frame.

Cain took in a breath, his mother was angry. He could already feel it. Mishka placed a hand on his arm, he jumped lightly but relaxed as she smiled up at him. Just a short time ago he walked into his home like the king he was, being adored by his subjects. But now? He was confused. Why had he saved Abel? Saves Mishka?

"Alright," he whispered, grabbing the handle and pushing inside.

His mother was already up and pacing, the second he walked in she stormed over.

"My king, you have really--" she stopped, staring at Mishka. Her voice coming out in an angry whisper, "she is not the blue eyed, blonde angel,"

"Mother please," he whispered, grabbing her arm lightly and pulling her towards the old couch.

"Amaryllis," he called, they stepped out of the kitchen. Glaring daggers at Mishka who returned the look with a smile, she felt uncomfortable suddenly but refused to show it.

"Mishka, she's goi--"

"They!" Amaryllis snapped, Cain stared at her for a few seconds.

"She--"

"They," Mishka replied smoothly, Cain blinked in surprise. Amaryllis also shared a surprised look, her glare died now. Crossing her arms over her chest.

He glanced between the two,

"They are going to take you into my room, me and mother need to talk,"

Mishka made a mental note to talk to Cain about that later as she followed the other into the doctor's room.

"Mother, what's going on?" He asked, pain splashed through his skull as she slapped him. The slap was loud, it echoed around the small apartment. He hissed in agony, the slap itself didn't hurt too much but his head already pounded painfully.

"The angels told me," she growled, "they told me you have strayed,"

"Mother I'm sorry," he whispered, she glared at him.

"These pictures?" She held up her phone, it showed Cain and Mishka. The picture they'd taken earlier, a picture of them at the restaurant. Pictures of him with the group, with Abel. Her voice broke, tears rolled down her cheeks. They felt like acid on his skin as she screamed at him.

"I don't even recognize you," she spat, "this girl, that group, it's corrupting you. All that hard work you did," she wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tight. She started to sob louder, clinging to him. He felt his heart break, he didn't want her to cry or be upset.

"Mom I'm so confused," he whispered, needing to talk to someone he felt like his brain would blow.

"I know, and I know whos confusing you, let me take care of it baby, my king,"

"No mom," He pushed her away, she looked horrified at him as if he struck her.

"You're choosing this girl you've known for two days over your own mother?" Her voice hardly a whisper, Cain hesitated.

"Mother, please, I'm trying to explain,"

"You are king, Cain! You were made to rescue the world, you're being so selfish."

"Mother stop, I'm--"

She got in his face, her eyes bloodshot from crying. "How could you do this, is this what you want?" she pointed to herself.

"No, mother," He whispered, and she gave him a small smile. She wrapped her arms around him, cuddling her face into his chest.

"Oh my King, let me get rid of her,"

"No mom, we...I have to go,"

"Back with her,"

"Back to my friends, she's...just a friend,"

Eve narrowed her eyes at him, pulling away from the hug and crossing her arms over her chest.

"You're lying to me," She whispered, "The angels told me. You've been lying, Cain, you're lying now."

"I'm not lying,"

"You're just like your father," her voice boomed.

***

Mishka sat on the bed of the man's room, Amaryllis closed the door and sat on a desk chair. Almost immediately she heard the slap, the skin on skin. She winced, her heart broke in her chest. He was a grown man but his mother practically made him a child. She looked around his room, her heart sank more.

He had a single bed, hardly big enough to fit the man. It was as if he didn't even bother buying himself a new bed as an adult, just changed the sheets to fit more with his age. On his desk were a few books, none of which looked like a fun time to read. Past this was a small closet with clothes hung up, shoes on the floor. No color touched this room, everything was dull, grey, that is, until she noticed a small shot of color in a picture frame. She glanced towards Amaryllis who stared blankly at her phone before reaching over and picking up the picture frame.

It was a picture of a drawing, done in crayon. It looked like a superhero, with a doctor's coat on and a bright red shirt. The hair was crazy, rapid strokes from a black crayon but she saw the cowlick drawn in the front. On the top was a crudely written 'thank you doctor Cain, love Jasmine'. A smile fell to her lips as she slipped the picture frame into the inside pocket of the other blazer she still wore.

She could hear shouting, sobbing, but she didn't hear Cain's voice at all. She couldn't make out the words but she knew the poor man must be really getting it,

"He loves me, you know,"

She froze at the cold voice of the other, glancing at the person with a frown. She could see the jealous rage on the other person's face.

"That's funny," Mishka said, "He's never mentioned you before,"

It came out meaner than she intended but she could practically hear her mother cheering.

Amaryllis glared dagger at her, their body shuttered with rage.

"I could eat you in a heartbeat," they hissed, their pupils turned to slits, it startled Mishka a tad causing the other to smile.

"Then do it," Mishka challenged, the two stared at each other. She could see it now, Amaryllis wasn't human. They were something else, something Mishka couldn't identify.

They fell silent, she could hear the yelling again.

"If you're lying to me, Cain," She hissed, he felt the pain again as she smacked him a few times over the head.

"Mother stop," He snapped this time, grabbing her hand and pushing her away. There was no way he could hope to talk to Eve, she was far too hysterical. He wasn't sure what the demons told her but he had to prepare for whatever came next.

"Mishka, we're leaving," He shouted out, Mishka leapt from her spot but Cain was already opening the door to find her. He felt tears burning his eyes, he felt more confused and hurt than he ever had in his life. His mother didn't often hit him, but when it happened it was the only time he ever felt the need to really cry.

Mishka made her way to him, brushing past Amaryllis who hissed at her like a snake. Mishka grabbed Cain's hand and pulled him towards the front door, his mother glared at her as they walked out.

"If you leave with her don't come back," Eve spat, Cain's head turned towards her. His eyes wide with pain, Mishka stopped. She didn't want to ruin anything, it seemed, she had already done enough. When he informed her of his mother's sickness she hadn't expected this.

"Cain, I can call Abel and have him pick me up," She murmured, turning to him. He looked to her, then back to his mother. He knew if he stayed, she would continue to make his life hard for the night. His mother held a grudge, but she would forget in a few days, right? He wasn't so sure her diagnosis was even correct, her memory still seemed sharp.

"Well?" Amaryllis slinked out of the room, he looked towards them now and back to Mishka. How he felt the past week had been the best of his life, with her. Not a soul in the group lifted a hand angrily towards him, even he and Bailey shared a laugh or two.

"Be a king, or a peasant," Amaryllis spat, dark, thick purple liquid fell to the floor burning the carpet below.

Cain suddenly felt more alone than he had ever felt in his life. His brain told him to snap at them, remind them who their king was, but for some reason he couldn't pull that anger out of him the way he used to.

"Cain," Mishka murmured, he looked over at her. A warmth bathed his chest, he'd find a way back in his home. After all, he was the king. This confusion, he wanted to explore it more, before he did what he was born to do.

"Let's go Mishka," He whispered to her, grabbing the door handle and pushing his way out of the cold, unfriendly home. Closing the door behind them, he felt that strength, that ambition drain out of him. His legs shook like jelly, what was wrong with him? He was strong, why did he suddenly feel like he couldn't breathe?

"Come on, baby, come on," She whispered, helping him stand and guiding him out of the hallway and down the short flight of steps. He felt as if his feet weren't touching the group as panic swirled through his body, his mind cluttered with questions, thoughts, doubts. They were far too loud, he smacked his forehead a few times with the back of his palm in an attempt to settle his rattling brain.

"No, sweet heart, shhh," She pulled his hand away from his head, taking him to the car and pressing the button to open it. It unlocked with a chirp, she opened the door and guided him into the passenger's seat. He never felt so weak in his life as tears raced down his cheeks, he had lost everything. She got into the driver's seat, she immediately went to him. Putting a hand up causing him to bow his head, part in shame, part as a natural reaction.

"I'm not going to hurt you," She whispered, placing her hand on his cheek and lifting his head. She brushed his tears away, she'd never in her life experienced what had just happened. She heard stories, seen articles, but she felt privileged that she hadn't had to worry.

"I'll never hurt you like that," She whispered, feeling tears in her own eyes, his eyes were so broken she felt she'd never see them glow again.

"Let's go back to Norma's," She murmured, holding his face in her hands. He looked at her with a puzzled look at his face. He couldn't understand her, no matter how many times he thought he got a handle on her he didn't. Everyone else was easy, he could switch his personality to accommodate depending on who of the group he was with.

But Mishka? Nothing about her made sense, he nodded slowly after a few seconds. She gave him a smile, pushing her arms around him and tugging him into a hug. He blinked a few times before wrapping his own arms around her and letting his head rest on hers. The hug lasted longer than he meant it too, it was warm, loving. It wasn't like how his mother always wanted to touch him, hug him, he usually felt a bit trapped in her grip but with Mishka there was no entrapment.

***

Mishka drove down the street, after comforting the man for a short time. He had taken to leaning against the window, his head pounding, the cold glass felt nice against his skin. She watched as he slipped into the darkness of sleep, he needed it.

She watched the snow fall hard, batting the front window. She had planned on going home tomorrow, she missed her mother and silently she was afraid. Fearful of what could happen to her, she wasn't a hunter like the rest of them and she wasn't exactly trained in anything. Then, of course, Cain showed up. The minute he walked in she knew she was in trouble, she could practically see how damaged he was but something about him made her want to help. She reached into the pocket of the blazer, pulling out the small picture frame that still held the child's drawing.

Glancing towards him, she wondered if he'd ever been to a mental health specialist. If he did anything for himself. She bit her lip as she pulled up to her aunt's home, punching in the code. She could already see an old van and the Impala in the front as she made her way slowly through the snowy weather.

"--A Blizzard will be hitting, make sure you stay wherever you are and get comfortable! Tonights going to be cold--" The radio announcer said before she shut the car off.

Sitting in the warmth, watching Cain sleep. If she was going to leave, she had to do it tonight. She reached forward, brushing some of Cain's hair from his face before running her fingers delicately over the red mark on his cheek.

"How could anyone hurt such a loving soul," She whispered, feeling tears run down her cheeks. She sniffled, trying to wipe them away. Cain's eyes blinked open, she pulled her hand back as he glanced at her with his head tilted. His eyes are hazy from sleep.

"Hey sleepy head," She whispered, chuckling softly. He gave her a small, sleepy smile which made her heart melt.

"Why should I call Amaryllis 'they'? I don't think it's necessary,"

She smiled at him, "Because that makes them most comfortable, it doesn't matter if you think it's necessary or not."

Cain blinked a few times, "Thank you,"

"For answering your question,"

He looked confused for a few heart beats, glancing down at the window. Blood and drool had trickled down the side of his mouth, pooling around the glass as he slept.

"Cain?" She asked, he let his head rest against the window again.

"For including me," He murmured, smiling at her "If you hadn't I don't think I'd have made it,"

His head dropped as his eyes fell shut, he was back asleep within seconds. Just like Abel, he slept and talked if woken up, and just like Abel, sometimes he said unsettling things. She swallowed hard, pulling her phone out and sending a text to her mom.

'Hey Mama!! I'm spending Christmas up with Auntie and Uncle, is that okay?'

her mother sent a message back after a few short seconds, 'This doesn't have anything to do with your new profile picture does it? ;) ' she sent a screenshot of Mishka's personal facebook page. The piece of her and Cain being the cover, below that were a few other pictures she had taken of Cain through the day. Tagging him in the photos, causing nearly every single one of her large family to send him friend requests. She wondered how he'd react to that.

She felt her face flash red at the thought, a sudden flutter in her chest caused her to smile, 'It might, what are you gonna do about it, old lady?' she chuckled to herself as she waited for her mom's reply.

'I'm going to tell Norma to tell him every embarrassing story I have of you.'

She laughed, looking back to Cain and unbuckling her seatbelt. She shook him softly, he groaned and looked over at her.

"Are we here?" He asked, she nodded. He sat up, rubbing his eye, his sweater had been torn apart in multiple areas, blood dotted his face and collected on the fabric. He looked outside, groaning.

"Snow," He scoffed, looking at her. His grin reminded her of Abel, it took up the whole of his face, "That was snow problem today, right?" he asked, she burst out laughing. Not because it was funny, not because she enjoyed the pun, but because she now lived to see his true, honest smile.