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“Oh dear! I’m late!” Castiel tucked his pocketwatch back into his pocket, hopping for the rabbit hole as fast as he could. “I can’t be late! I can’t be late!”
When he got to the rabbit hole, a small girl came tumbling down. She landed at his feet. “Hello, White Rabbit! Do you want to go on an adventure together?”
“Oh dear! I’m very sorry, Claire, but I can’t. I have a very important date to get to, and I’m already running quite late!”
Claire pouted and stomped her feet. “You never have time for me anymore, Mr. Rabbit! You’re always late for something important!”
“Claire, I will make this up to you, but I can’t stay right now. If I don’t go very soon, I won’t be able to go for another month.” Castiel hopped off, climbing up the rabbit hole, Claire’s tantrum barely slowing him down now. He checked the watch again. Five minutes, and the gate would close, and he would miss out on getting to his home.
He made it through with only a minute to spare, very grateful to see the golden-brown furred rabbit waiting for him. He hopped over to kiss Dean. “Took you long enough. What, did you decide to stop for snacks along the way?”
“I don’t know what it is about going to that place. It messes with my sense of time.” Castiel reached into the pocket of his trench coat and pulled out the pocketwatch. As expected, it was working perfectly now. “Perhaps that world is trying to keep me there. Claire showed up as I was trying to leave.”
Dean rolled his eyes. “You sure you have to go back there? You should stay here, with me and Sam, and never have to worry about the craziness you experience down there or being too late to get back.”
“I wish I could, Dean, but I can’t abandon Claire. I made a promise to her father that I would look after her.” Castiel took Dean’s paws. “Come on. I just want to get home and see Sam. I’ve missed you both so much.”
Castiel felt like he was truly home once he spotted the large brown-furred rabbit putting the finishing touches on dinner. Dean wrinkled his nose. “Shouldn’t have left you in charge of dinner. What’s with all the rabbit food?”
“We’re rabbits, Dean. Your thing for cheeseburgers is just weird.” Sam hopped over to Castiel and kissed his cheek. “Welcome back. It’s good to see you. How many times did you lose your head this time?”
“Only six,” Castiel said with a small smile. “Four times for being late to announce the queen, once for accidentally stepping on her cape, and once for being late to testify against the knave.”
“Nice!” Sam hopped back to the table. “Did anyone actually lose their head?”
“No. They never do. The king is very free with his pardons, and I’m not sure the executioner ever bothers to sharpen his axe.”
“It’s good to have you back home with your head attached," Dean said. "Come on, let’s eat.”