Christmas was a time to relax and be merry, to cease all woes and worries for festivities and flan. Irwin wasn't exactly a fan of the last one, but he was certainly going to try the rest after going back home.
In the meantime–with the Winchesters back on the road, Bobby and Ellen back home–Irwin and his slew of hunters traveled south of the coast alongside the Brown family.
With nothing else to call home–which hadn't been the subject of national security investigation–Irwin had decided to temporarily re-home them near Lisbon Valley. The family owned quite a few apartments in the town and a few more in the nearby city, all of which were rent-controlled, well below market prices.
The Greythorne wasn't that much of a monster.
Since he would be resting for quite a while, he had instructed the other hunters to recruit for the Protectorate and gifted them with their own sets of potions, mystical items, and Angel Blades. He was explicit in his orders, telling them to recruit only the people that they trust not to be like Gordon Walker–a description said hunter was not a fan of, but didn't care enough to intervene.
Tired and befuddled by the series of events that led them in Los Angeles in the first place, the hunters said their goodbyes and parted at LAX, whereupon Irwin rented three cars for their travel south.
Scott was driving Irwin and, with Gordon and Kubrick riding along on their own, Garth had been forced to be the Brown's driver for the whole ordeal. The ride was long and heavy with snow, which was highly unusual on the east coast and had added to Irwin's guess that the world would soon be embroiled in more weird and often calamitous weather.
While he had not paid much attention to the background of the world during his binging streak, Irwin knew that the consequences of the Apocalypse were presumably dire. Sam Winchester had once asked about it to the actress, Genevieve, during their stay in the alternate reality where their lives were a television show.
'Wait. Jesus. Am I… is that my home world? Oh, my god. Am I a fucking extra in a meta-episode in the series' worst season that got sent INTO the show–'
"Bossman!" Scott's voice brought him out of his epiphany. "Your phone's ringing."
"Right." Irwin tapped his cheeks as he answered the call. "What's happening, Ella?"
"Nothing much. Just checking up on you." Her voice brought an unwarranted smile on Irwin's face as he chuckled at her check-up. "When are you coming home? I'm sleeping in your bed, by the way. Much nicer than mine."
He giggled softly. "Coming home tonight, actually. Brought me some people."
"Ah, another stray demon baby?" She asked in a mirthful tone.
"Pagan god baby this time. We might receive grief from the Anunnaki, though, so keep that in mind." He warned lightly. Ereshkigal had already informed him that most of their pantheon had either been hunted down or living somewhere secluded, leaving him with little to worry regarding Nintur's kin.
She scoffed, "Well, what else is new? You already have the Olympians gunning for you if they hear you killed Hephaestus and the Aesirs, too. And the Angels and the demons. My god, man. Can you not aggravate a group of powerful creatures for one day?"
"I'll try. Look, we'll be there in three hours. Keep my bed warm, will you?" He could hear her purr energetically, which made him almost teleport over there, but decided to stick it out and rest for a while."Also, there are a few silk linens in the bottom drawer, below the socks. It's some kind of Egyptian cashmere or something, it feels like heaven."
"I'll try it on. See you later, witch." He hung up the call, still not accustomed to the sudden change in their relationship.
If he was being honest, he was a little weirded out that Ella was hanging in his bed, an area that was his safe and comfort zone. But he knew that unless he talked about the bounds of their relationship with Ella, there was not much he can--save, of course, screwing her until she's sick of it.
Yeah, I like that plan.'
It was the midnight of the thirteenth of December when they arrived back at Greythorne Manor, just in time to see the kitchen lights open because Andy was eating his second midnight snack. According to Ella, being terribly terrified of his long-lost brother, who had turned from hostile madman to an exuberant roommate, had turned the Special Child into an insomniac.
"I'll take their luggage upstairs. Second floor, right?" Scott asked.
"Yeah. Get a few linens and the mattress in the closet. Do you want your own room, Joseff?" Irwin asked, to which the boy shook his head in a negative, expertly clinging into his mother's hand. "Alright, then. Two mattresses. Have Ansem help you."
"Hey, Joseff. You wanna see our prison cell?" Garth suggested, emphatic about the boy's feelings.
"I-it's not a prison. It's just a temporary holding cell for uninvited guests. It's actually very nice," Irwin hurriedly corrected when Linda turned around with widened eyes. "Nicer than my previous room, actually."
"What?"
"Nothing. Show Joseff our new toys in the armory." Irwin waved them off before placating Linda's worries. "All the weapons in there are deactivated or in disrepair. It's basically a museum now."
"Get him to bed in thirty, alright?" Garth didn't vocalize an answer to Irwin's commands, merely waving a dismissive hand.
Irwin kept a groan stifled in his stomach as he shook his head, "Man, he's really becoming belligerent. Maybe I need to stress him a little bit. Give him a one-to-one with a demon without the Angel Blade. What you think?"
"I think you need to keep your shit on lock," Gordon replied. "We'll be in the apartment then I'll grab that redhead. See you later."
Seeing as Gordon was walking away, Irwin turned to Kubrick, who had a strange look on his face. "Anything else I can do for you, Kubrick?" He asked kindly.
Kubrick nodded his head as he stepped down the porch stairs, gazing at the water fountain in the middle of the front yard. "Yeah. I'm gonna be staying tomorrow. Just gonna ask some questions regarding, uh, the things still being kept hidden from me. I'm hoping you can answer some of that question."
"Of course. I'm on the courtyard by nine o'clock." Kubrick smiled and nodded at the Browns before trudging towards Gordon's car.
As the rest went about their way, Linda and Anthony were waylaid in the parlor room by Irwin. Linda, a very pregnant woman, removed her boots and much of the clothing around her body under Irwin's unceasing requests. It had become apparent to Irwin how uncomfortable she was throughout the ride but had stuck it out due to the cold weather.
"Thank you for giving us a place to stay. We would have been alright with a hotel or something." She expressed, letting her tense body rest on the ancient couch. "Right, honey? Honey? Anthony!"
"What? Oh, yes." Anthony was brought back from his deep cessation into his mind by Linda's calling. "Thank you, Richard. We really appreciate it."
Irwin chuckled as he drew near the fireplace and began stowing dry wood, "Don't worry. I've already contacted the proper authorities. Your candidacy is still intact and thriving. We can spin this whole thing and say that you're being attacked by the people opposed to your platforms or, if that's too aggressive, just do the whole "these colors don't run" routine. Be a patriot or something."
Linda scoffed in disbelief before pursing her lips. "Sorry. Just… It's been quite a day for us. Maybe do business tomorrow?"
"Of course. Scott will help you settle on the second floor. Help yourself to the kitchen at the end of the hall. Good night, Linda. Anthony." Irwin decided to leave them be for a moment and headed towards the door.
It hadn't occurred to Irwin that he was much too fixated on his plans. It seemed to him that he had over-corrected somehow. From a guy that uses caution to a hunter who barges in guns blazing and then seemingly to a predator with as many plans as he had fingers.
"I should relax for a bit. Until New Year? No, the hunters will be pouring in by then. Until Christmas, then." He nodded to himself as he ascended the staircase. "Yeah. I think I deserve a good Christmas."