"Sam, Dean, Nicole!" said Cas as we entered the bunker.  "You're back so soon!  Did something go wrong?"  From Castiel's perspective, we'd just gone out the door.

"Not at all," I said.   "We just decided to come back at the same time we left.  Back here in good old 2015."

Castiel nodded.  "Yes, of course."

Dean went into the kitchen and got two beers: One for him, and one for Sam.  I settled with a Coca-Cola.

"So, you've completed all three trials?" asked Cas.

I nodded.  "Yeah.  Not exactly the way we'd planned it, though."

Sam smirked, and Dean raised his eyebrows in agreement as he took a gulp.

We filled Cas in on what happened.

"So, if you've completed all of the trials, where's God?   What's next?" Dean asked.

"He told me he'd return in a dream," I said.  "I guess that will be tonight?"

"Ah," Dean said, nodding.  "Right."

I got up from the table and went to go check on Adam.  Perfect timing, too, because he was just regaining consciousness as I walked in.

"Hey," I said.   He rolled over to look at me.

"You...you're the one who saved me," he said.

"Yeah," I said.

"Thank you."

"You already thanked me, and it's not necessary."

He gave a small nod, then stared at the ceiling for a couple of minutes.   Probably still trying to process that he was finally free.  My heart ached for him.

"Are you hungry?" I asked.   "Would you like something to eat?"

He looked back at me.   I could see pain in his eyes, which he tried to hide and ignore.

"I could really use a hamburger."  He forced a smile.

The corners of my mouth turned upward as well.  "Of course.  I'll get you one right now."

I flew over to a place called Jiffy Burger and got Adam what he asked for.  By the time I returned to his room, he'd pulled himself up into a sitting position.

I handed him the burger and a drink.

"Thanks," he said.  He immediately began to eat it, savoring every bite.

I sat in a chair beside his bed for several minutes, not saying a word.  Adam didn't talk either, for he was eating very slowly.  I wasn't quite sure what to do next.

"Um...is there anything else you need?" I asked.

He shook his head.  "No, this is great."

I heard footsteps, and Sam entered the room.  I rose to my feet.  "Adam."

Adam turned his head, making eye contact with his half brother.  "Sam?"

"Hi."

I could sense some tension between them.  After all, Sam had been rescued from the Cage long before Adam.  I headed for the door awkwardly.

"Wha-what happened to you?" Adam asked Sam.   "Where did you go?"

Sam approached the bed, taking my seat.

"Which part of me?" Sam forced a smile.

"Both, I guess."

"An angel pulled out my body, and that didn't go so well...and then Death got my soul..."

I left the room, knowing that this moment was not for me.

Once I made it back to the room where Dean and Cas remained, I told them the news about Adam awakening.  They insisted on going to see him as well.

I, however, was growing drowsy.   Perhaps it was time to call it a night.   So, I went to bed.

-

I stood in the children's section of Walmart, admiring every stuffed animal I saw.   It made me remember my childhood, and how it was different than most people's.  I placed a fallen tiger back where it belonged on its shelf, smoothing the fur on his head.  A bear rested in the corner, watching with a smug look on his face.

Why was my childhood so different?  When kids are adopted, don't they at least have a birth certificate?  Sure, it may not be completely filled out, perhaps missing the father, but no.  I never had one.

You know how I said that my birthday is June 15, 1999?  That's only an estimate.  After I arrived at the adoption center--oh, and no one knows how I got there, or where I came from--they had one made for me, so I'd at least have one for legal purposes.

When my parents adopted me, they kept this a secret from me until I was ten years old.  I'd always known that I was adopted, but not the circumstances upon which it occurred.

Now, I stared back at the bear.  I had a feeling in the pit of my stomach that the bear could somehow know my past, the very place I was brought into existence, and why I was dropped off at the adoption center with nothing but an empty bottle and the clothes I was wearing.   Crying.  Crying for someone to help me, for someone to care.

The bear smiled at me threateningly.  I heard a faint chuckle rising from him.  His smile widened, and his lips parted, showing sharp teeth.  The laughing grew louder and louder.

"You don't even know your birthday," he said, his voice deep and menacing.  "And you don't even feel like you belong anywhere."

I grabbed the bear, throwing it so far down the aisles that I could no longer see it.  My breathing was fast and heavy.

"You don't belong anywhere, Nicole," he said into my ear.  I jumped, startled and frightened. I could feel him clawing my back as he held on.  "You're an animal."

I grabbed him again, ripping his head from his body.  His button eyes clattered to the floor.  I threw his head right beside them.

"I'm an angel," I told him through gritted teeth.

That's when I heard another voice.  I turned around, panting, the bear's body still in my hand.  The cotton stuffing spilled out across the floor.  The amulet burned against my chest.

"Is this what your nightmares look like, Nicole?" asked God.  "Sorry to interrupt your dreaming, but we have some business to take care of."

I pursed my lips, dropping the rest of the bear onto the floor.  I crossed my arms.  "So, the whole get-rid-of-the-Mark 'business'?"

Instead of replying, God stepped forward, bent over, and picked up the bear's deranged head.  The mouth hung open, teeth glittering.

"God."  I cocked my head, annoyed at his hesitation.

He waited a few more moments, finally saying, "You're so much like Dean.  Why do you think that is?"

My brow furrowed.  I didn't understand why he was asking this.  Also, I hadn't really thought about it.

"I binge.  I guess I picked up a few personality traits."

He nodded with a small smile.  "I suppose."  He ran his fingers through the bear's fur.  "You know, lately I've been occupied with other matters.  For many years."

"Yeah, you were playing 'Where's Waldo?' during the Apocalypse."

He was expressionless, like always.  "And lately, angels have done crazy things without my supervision.  Trying to stir up trouble, I suppose.  Maybe Gabriel, since he decided to run off and become a Trickster.  Or perhaps they didn't want a certain hunter to be a father, since it would affect his hunting.  So, after her mother died suddenly, they disposed of his child in a way that they didn't have to kill her.  After all, the daughter of such an important hunter could come in handy some day."

"I don't understand..."

"So, I later found out that this child had been taken to an alternate universe, and that the angels had made sure this universe didn't have her, what do you call it, 'doppelgänger'?  Though, turns out, she managed to make it back to the world she originally came from, like it was her destiny to return home."

"Does that mean--"

"Nicole, your mom and dad could never find out who your biological parents were; there was no one on record that matched, that is--except for an actor, but that was later disproven, which no one ever knew about except your doctor.  Finding your mother is practically impossible, given that Dean has had...multiple partners.  But..."

"Are you saying...that...Dean is my father?"

"Biologically, yes."

I was speechless.  Sure, the demonic teddy bear was right about how I didn't feel like I belonged back home, but I did feel a special connection to the Winchesters.  I just didn't realize how much of a connection it was.

I couldn't believe it, though.  Until a few weeks ago, Dean had only been a fictional character to me.  How could he be my father?  Perhaps I was in some kind of coma where I was having an extremely long dream that was very realistic.

But it all made sense.  How I'd randomly shown up at the adoption center.  The angels didn't bring the birth certificate with them.  How I didn't seem to belong not just in my home, but in my world.  And, yeah, come to think of it, Dean and I are pretty alike.

But, wait.  Also, those weeks ago, and after several quick, stealthy glances more recently, I had a crush on Dean.  Of course, fans crush on actors and characters all the time, but knowing that he was my father made it all so...weird.

Okay, that's gross.

Apparently I had been silent for several minutes, during which God had been staring at me patiently.

"I don't know what to say," I finally said.

"Perhaps, as this continues to sink in, we can switch to discussing business matters," said God.

I nodded, my mouth hanging open.

"I'll be at the bunker tomorrow at 5:00 p.m.  You will need holy water, lamb's blood, gold, frankincense, and myrrh for the spell."

"Um...okay..."

Then he disappeared.  And, not like an angel flying away.  He...dissolved into the air.

"Hmph," I said, intrigued.

-

My eyes fluttered open.  This time, I had no piece of paper in my hands.  I suppose God just expected me to remember his supply list.  Fortunately, I did.  Though, since I am pretty forgetful, I hurried to find a notepad and a pen to scribble them all down.

Holy water.  Makes sense, you know, since it's holy, I guess.

Lamb's blood.  It's used for lots of spells.  Lambs are symbols of purity and perfection.

Gold, frankincense, and myrrh.  How biblical.  But, the Darkness is very biblical.

Now, 5:00 didn't seem to be significant in any other way but practicality.  I was expecting it to be at 12:40 or something, since he had twelve disciples and forty days is the length of time for a lot of things in the Bible, but okay.  Maybe he wanted to give us a few more hours to get the ingredients.

I went to report my dream to Sam, Dean, and Cas, planning to omit the part with the teddy bear.  But, once I saw Dean's face, every word that I was planning to say slipped from my mind except for the ones telling me that I was one of them.

A Winchester.

Dean was currently alone, wrapped in a housecoat, his hair messy.  He sipped a cup of coffee.  When I only stared back at him, he set his mug down and cocked his head.

"You all right?"

I blinked, coming out of my daze.  I swallowed with a nod. "Yeah."

He nodded back, then took another sip of coffee. "So, did you get a visit from God?"

"Yes," I said, flustered.

"What did he say?"

"A spell."  I handed him the slip of paper that I'd ripped from the notepad.  "Ingredients."  I couldn't seem to form entire sentences.

He examined the list.  "Nothing too absurd like Phoenix ashes.  Shouldn't be a problem."  He set the paper down.  "Is he gonna come or something?"

"At five."  I bit my lip, then stared at the table in silence.

He looked up from his coffee.  "Nicole."

"Yeah?"

"The hell is wrong with you?"

"You--you're my father."

Dean looked puzzled.  "Say what?"

"God told me."  Suddenly, not only could I speak in sentences, but now they kept pouring out.  "He said that the angels took me to another universe so you could keep on hunting.  He said that it must have been my destiny to come back."

Dean was silent, dumbfounded.  He blinked, staring down at his coffee.  "He could have been lying."

"Why would he?  He's God.  And it all makes sense.  No one knew where I came from.  I didn't even have a birth certificate, much less knowledge of who my real parents were."

Dean's face twisted in horror.  I sat in the chair beside him, placing a hand on his shoulder.  Dean was still and frozen.  I wasn't sure what to do, and I could tell that he wasn't either.