Sweet Child of Mine

When Cadence opened her eyes, Castiel was gone. Sitting up, she tried to remember the events that brought her here, but got fragments. Flashes of Aztec gods, Castiel, Jo, and Ellen played behind her eye lids, then she was okay. Swinging her legs over the side of her bed, she was shocked to find the pain gone. With a beating like that, she should still be sore, but she wasn't.

Standing, Cadence took a moment to stretch before descending down the flight of stairs and into the kitchen. No one was in the room this time, forcing her to look around for any sign of life. Walking through the house, she couldn't help but be reminded of Bobby. It was obvious a hunter lived here. No pictures of happy smiling families, just maps with pins stuck in obscure places surrounded by yellowed news paper clippings, strings connecting the dots.

A gun shot sounded outside, sending Cadence running in that direction, grabbing a steak knife in the kitchen as she went. Exiting the house, she entered the vast field only to find Jo shooting at a line of cans sitting on a fence. Ellen was behind her in a garden, tending to some vegetables. She looked up from the tomatoes and smiled.

"After noon, Sacrifice."

Cadence sighed, "Is it really?"

"Well, two days and an afternoon, but yes."

Coming to a stop by Jo, Cadence watched as she shot another can, bulls-eyed. Smiling she took the steak knife and threw it, the tip piercing the Campbell soup can, sending it into the ground.

"Hey," yelled Ellen, "Don't you be ruining my knives, girl."

"Sorry Ellen." Cadence said before jogging over to retrieve it. Coming back, she stood by Jo and watched her shoot an other can.

"You're going to have to teach me to throw like that," said Jo before firing again, "It's pretty sweet."

"Well, Castiel left, so I've got all the time in the world."

"What was he doing in your bed?" Ellen asked.

"Um... comforting me." Cadence's face went blank, "I wasn't the most emotionally stable."

Jo frowned then turned back to fire a bullet at another soup can.

"Well I don't feel comfortable walking in to find a boy in bed with you." Ellen said.

"He's an angel.... I'm not going to sleep with an angel."

Jo fired another bullet.

"Joanna," said Ellen, "Please."

"Why waste your time, mom," she said, unloading the gun. Turning to Cadence she added, "It's not like she's going to change. She's a big girl now."

"Fuck you, Jo."

"Well, hey," Jo's voice was bitter, "There's some of that short wired emotion. Gee, it must be hard coming back to this."

Stepping in Cadence glared, "It is. You have no idea-"

"Yes I do."

"Your dad died, when you were four. Yeah, you have loss in your life. Ash died. But your mom is still alive. I don't even have that. So excuse me and my bitter emotions."

"Better to have bitter emotions than none at all."

"You want me to be bitter? Trust me, I can be bitter all day."

"Stop it! Both of you!" Ellen moved so that she was in between the girls, "You two use to be friends. What happened?"

"She left," said Jo.

"I had to." Cadence said, defending herself.

"Yeah right."

"I'm a recovering alcoholic, Jo," Cadence's voice was thick with rage, "I left because it was the only way out besides killing myself. Now I'm back, forced to do things I swore I would never do again, and forced to see people I never wanted to see again. Yes I'm bitter. Yes I'm angry. But I'm trying to help and not be a pain in everyones ass, so emotions are the thing to go."

Both women were quiet as they looked at the girl they used to know. They felt ashamed. Jo could feel her heart crack at the thought of her once best friend trying to kill herself.

Seeing both Ellen and Jo upset, Cadence groaned, "Dammit." Turning, she walked away, back to the house. She hated it when others felt bad due to her feelings. Making her way upstairs, she sat in her bed.

Panic started in on her, creeping up from the far corners of her mind, making her want to scream. Moving quickly, she dug through her bag and pulled out her candles. Setting them up, she lit them, then sat cross legged in front of them. Taking a deep breath like her mom had taught her to, she opened her mind.

"Hello, sweet heart," said the voice in her mind.

"Grandma." Cadence didn't say this out loud, but let her voice fill her head.

"How are we now that we know I'm really talking to you?"

"Sad."

"Remembering your mother?"

"Yes."

"She loves you, you know."

Tears pooled behind Cadence's eye lids, "I know. I just miss you."

"You're not alone, you know. You have Bobby, and Ellen, and Jo. You're surrounded by people who care about you."

"I know. It's just not the same."

"How are you getting along with Castiel?"

Cadence gave a short laugh, "He's fine."

"Mysterious, right?"

"Very. But he knows you."

"He does."

"How?"

Constance sighed, "Cadence, I want to tell you... but when Constantine and I died, we left that task to Bobby. He'll tell you."

"When he does... what should I do?"

"Talk to Castiel."

Cadence was quiet for a moment, then asked, "Grandma... is mom there?"

"No."

"Will I ever be able to talk to her?"

"Yes."

"When?"

"When you're ready."

"I'm ready now."

"No. If you speak with her now, it won't do you any good."

"Okay," tears leaked from under Cadence's eye lids, "Tell her I love her?"

"Always."

"Thank you, Grandma." She stopped talking, but stayed connected, finding comfort in the warmth her grandmother was sending her. It was probably due to the concentration that she didn't hear Jo enter the room.

Jo found her friend sitting cross legged on the floor, candles burning in front of her. A small sense of alarm broke through her, now that she knew Cadence's history with magic. But then remembered how Constantine and her daughter did this every night.

Constantine called it talking to angels.

Her mom called it meditation.

Jo called it hypocritical - but tolerable- bull shit.

Jo knew some form of witchcraft was involved.... She just had no idea how.

Jo moved to close the door and ran into it instead, "Ouch! Dammit."

Cadence opened her eyes and turned to her friend, the movement severing the connection. As she stood she could feel the warmth fade, being replaced by cold.

"What are you doing in here," she asked, feeling as if Jo had caught her doing something naughty.

"I... I just wanted to apologies."

Cadence looked at her friend, then smiled, "Jo you don't have to apologies for anything." Blowing out the candles, she said, "Wanna sit? I... haven't talked with you in a long time."

Jo gave a small smile and a nod as she sat down on the bed, "That's what happens when you give up the life style." the girl played with her long blond hair. "How did you know Ash was dead?"

Cadence blushed from embarrassment as she looked down at her feet, "Bobby told me."

Jo frowned, "Bobby?"

"Yeah.... He only called when someone we knew died." Cadence shrugged, "I never answered the phone, so he had to leave a message."

Jo nodded, "So... what was it like? Not being a hunter?"

Cadence laughed, "Boring beyond all hell. Normally I spent my time fighting demons... but now I spend it learning about them."

"Bobby said you were majoring in like... biblical studies?"

"Yeah... basically a combination of Demonology, Angelology, Exigisis, Bibliography, history, and a lot of other things."

Jo smiled, "Even when you want to get away, you can't."

Cadence laughed, "No, I guess not."

"What were the classes like?"

"Easy. I already knew everything. I just had to go through the motions in order to get a degree in it."

Jo smiled, "I really missed you, Caddy."

Smiling a real smile, Cadence replied, "I really missed you too, Jojo."