30. Cupid

This wasn't such a bad place to stakeout for a cherub. I mean, we were getting food. I wasn't that hungry, but I couldn't refuse ordering here. Some of the smells almost rendered me a drooling mess. I still couldn't get over what fresh food smelled like, I hadn't smelled anything like it for long enough to get used to it.

The only bad thing about this restaurant was the atmosphere. While it was happy, it riddled me with guilt. The big reason: it was Valentine's Day, and there were couples at almost every booth and table I looked at. Needless to say that was why I chose to be next to Dean instead of Sam or Cas when we were shown to our table. Still, sitting across from Sam didn't make my guilt lessen any.

We sat in awkward silence as chatter flew above our heads. I tapped my fingers against the table as we waited for our food. I couldn't help but stare at a few couples. They had pure joy in their eyes some of them. Some of them looked so love stricken it made my stomach writhe into knots.

Couldn't February 15th get here any faster?

Our food did. Like Dean, I ordered a burger and fries. Sam only settled for a salad whereas Cas didn't get anything.

"So, what," Dean broke the silence, addressing Cas, "you just happen to know he likes the cosmos at this place?"

"This place is a nexus of human reproduction."

"I don't need to hear details while I eat," I told Cas before popping a few fries into my mouth.

"It's exactly the kind of place"—from the corner of my eye, Dean put ketchup on his burger—"of garden the Cupid will come to—to pollinate."

I'd been so close to putting more fries into my mouth, and Dean had been close to his first bite of his burger. But hearing the word "pollinate" and "Cupid" in the same sentence made us both lose our appetite. Well, my lack of appetite disappeared, and I resumed eating.

"Wait a minute," said Sam. "You're not hungry?"

"No," Dean said. "What? I'm not hungry."

"So you order food but don't take it?" I took a huge chunk out of my burger. "Sam's right, something's wrong with you."

"So you're not gonna finish that?" Cas pressed Dean. Apparently it was a wordless agreement, as Cas took Dean's plate. I tilted my head as I swallowed another bite down. Dean wasn't hungry, but Cas was? The moment Cas's eyes moved, he stiffened. "He's here."

"Where?" Sam asked, looking around. "I don't see anything."

"There."

"You mean the same-side-of-the-booth couple over there?" Dean asked.

"Meet me in the back."

The moment I looked at my food and back up again, Cas was no longer next to Sam. We looked at each other before we slid out from our booth. I shoved as many fries as I could before I was pulled away by Sam. Too bad I couldn't get a doggie bag for the rest of my food.

We maneuvered through the restaurant until we reached a back room. Sure enough, we found Cas all by himself.

"Cas, where is he?" Sam said.

"I have him tethered," Cas told us. "Zoda kama mahrana. Manifest yourself."

We all looked around. It was just the four of us.

"So, where is he?" I asked, turning to face the door we'd just come through.

"Oof!" Dean exclaimed. I reeled back as, out of nowhere, there was a man hugging Dean from behind.

"Here I am!" he crowed. I had a feeling this was our cherub.

"Help!"

"Oh, help is on the way. Yes, it is. Yes, it is. Hello, you!" The man dropped Dean and walked towards Cas. I let out a strangled cry of horror as I realized the cherub was completely naked. I didn't want to see anyone's ass if I didn't have to. I kept my focus on the cherub from the waist up.

I cringed as the naked cherub picked up Cas and hugged him. I felt really uncomfortable right now, and I knew I wasn't the only one.

"This is Cupid?" Dean said.

"Yes," Cas said through gritted teeth.

"And look at you, huh?" Cupid said, having his eyes on Sam. I sidestepped towards Dean, wanting to avoid being a target of a hug.

"No," Sam panicked, turning away. I made a face as Cupid appeared in front of Sam and hugged him too.

"Yes!" Cupid crowed. "Yes, yes, yes! Don't think I forgot about you!"

"No, no, no," I said, waving my hands out in front of me. "I've gotten my hug count for the—day." I pulled my body tight together as the Cupid attacked me with a hug. Keep it together, Dakota. It'll be over soon.

"Is this a fight?" Dean asked. "Are we in a fight?"

"This is...their handshake," Cas explained.

"I don't like it."

"No one likes it."

I backed away from Cupid once he let me down on my feet again. He kept his attention on all of us. I really wanted to tell him to put on something, but I couldn't find the courage to.

"Mmm," said Cupid. "What can I do for you?"

"Why are you doing this?" Cas got right down to it.

"Doing what?"

"Your targets—the ones you've marked—they're slaughtering each other."

"What? They are?"

"Listen, birthday suit, we know, okay?" Dean said sharply. "We know you've been flittin' around, popping people with your poison arrow, making them murder each other!"

"What we don't know is why," I interjected calmly.

"You think that I—well, uh...I don't know what to say," the cherub admitted.

And before we all knew it, Cupid began to cry. It was then I knew, as I was sure we all did, that this cherub didn't realize what was going on. He had no idea that people were dying. He wasn't behind these Valentine's Day fiascos.

"Should...should somebody maybe...go talk to him?" Sam asked slowly.

"Yeah, that's a good idea," Dean agreed. "Go on, Dak, this should be up your alley." He clapped me on the back.

"Excuse me?" I stared at Dean, mouth agape. "I don't comfort cherubs in my spare time!"

"Come on, you know you liked his greeting."

I glared at him. "Fine, since none of you will do it. Throwing me to a wolf, how brave." I mentally prepped myself as I snuck towards the crying Cupid. "Look. We didn't mean to, um...hurt your feelings."

Cupid looked down on me, and he pulled me into another hug. The things I'm doing right now nobody will ever believe. He let me down again just before I started to complain I was losing too much air. I stumbled back towards the safety of the boys.

"Love is more than a word to me, you know. I love love. I love it! And if that's wrong, I don't want to be right!"

"Yes, yes," Cas said. "Of course. I, uh...I have no idea what you're saying."

"I was just on my appointed rounds. Whatever my targets do after that, that's nothing to do with me. I-I was following my orders. Please, brother. Read my mind. Read my mind, you'll see."

"He's telling the truth," Cas said after a long minute of fixed concentration. Is his mind reading an open channel? Can he hear me right now?

"Jiminy Christmas. Thank you."

"Wait, wait," Dean jumped back in, "you said—you said you were just following orders?"

"Mm-hmm."

"Whose orders?"

"Whose?" Cupid laughed. "Heaven, silly. Heaven."

"Why does Heaven care if Harry meets Sally?"

"Oh, mostly they don't. You know, certain bloodlines, certain destinies. Oh, like yours."

"What?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, the union of John and Mary Winchester—very big deal upstairs, top priority arrangement."

"Are you saying that you fixed up our parents?" Dean asked.

"Well, not me, but...yeah. It wasn't easy, either. Ooh, they couldn't stand each other at first. But when we were done with them—perfect couple."

"Perfect?"

"Yeah."

"They're dead!"

I kept my shock to myself. This was the first about hearing about the brothers' parents. Both were dead. We shared a common thing there. But how did they lose their parents? I was sure that was definitely a line I didn't want to cross right now.

"I'm sorry," Cupid sympathized, "but...the orders were very clear. You and Sam needed to be born. Your parents were just, uh...meant to be. Just like these two are." Cupid flicked a hand at Sam and me both.

"I-I'm sorry?" I fumbled. I could feel my body heating up in embarrassment already. "You must have the wrong people."

"No, if two people are meant to be, they are. And you two are. I don't understand why you're fighting it." He pouted slightly.

He was practically asking for a lecture behind that choice. He was practically challenging me to say it out in the open.

I jumped back in fright as, out of nowhere, Dean had the audacity to throw a punch at Cupid. He cradled his fist.

"Son of a bitch!" he bellowed. Cupid had disappeared. "Where is he? Where'd he go?!"

"I believe you upset him," Cas said plainly.

"Upset him?!"

"Dean," Sam said loudly. "Enough!"

"What?"

"You just punched a Cupid!"

"I punched a dick!"

"Um...are we gonna talk about what's been up with you lately or not?"

It took a minute for Dean to respond. "Or not."

So we were back to square one. If Cupid wasn't behind the deaths, then what was?

**Well, ain't that cute. Sakota is wanted by Heaven's orders. (Kinda thought it'd be cute to say that.)**