Dean walked across the kitchen, grabbing the salt and peppershakers off the counter. He dashed some of each into the pot of bubbling soup on the stove. The scent of basil rose up above it. Dean took a sniff and smirked. Throwing random ingredients together and making something appetizing was definitely a skill that he had. The steam floating up above the pot beaded together on Dean's forehead. He took one last one last whiff and decided the soup was done.
The soup was for Sam, because he was sick. Really sick. Coughing up blood constantly, hallucinations, fever, insomnia and blackouts, you name it. Those were just some of his symptoms. He could barely eat, and it was all Dean could do to drip the soup down his brother's throat.
Dean placed his hands on the counter, stretching his back and sighing. Sam was going to be okay. Dean could deal with Sam. This was something he could handle. But man, he was worried about Cas.
It had been three days since the angels had fallen from heaven. Dean hadn't heard from Cas. It tore him apart, not knowing what had happened. Where was Cas and why wasn't he answering when Dean prayed? Dean had no idea if the angel was okay. What if Cas wasn't even alive?
Dean shook the thought from his head. He ran his fingers through his short hair, looked up and swallowed. He got a bowl and ladled it full of soup. Grabbing a spoon, he headed back to Sam's room.
As he walked past, there was a knock on the front door.
That was odd. They didn't get visitors. People shouldn't even be able to find the Bunker. Maybe it was… Cas, Dean thought. Who else would it be?
He placed the soup on the table and ran to the door, pulling it open. "Ca—who are you?"
A woman, mid-twenties was standing at the door. Dean took a step back, shutting the door slightly.
"Where is Castiel?" She questioned, breathless and eyes wide.
Dean looked her over. Her clothes were wrinkled, she held a bag on her shoulder, and she looked pale. Her breathing was shallow and rapid, and he couldn't shake the feeling that he knew her from somewhere.
"What are you? A fallen angel?"
She let out an exasperated sigh. "Is Castiel here?"
Dean took a step closer. No one was going to hurt Cas if he could help it. Looking her straight in the eyes, he questioned, "Why?"
She jutted her chin up, her lips pursed and her eyes pained. "You don't remember me?" Dean raised his eyebrows. She looked down and smiled. "I guess not. Lily Jones? The one who shot your angel with that arrow?"
Lily. Of course Dean remembered her. When they first met, he thought she had killed Cas.
She hadn't, just shot him with an angel tranquilizer. Then, after killing demons with the angel and the hunter, stole Cas' angel blade and ran off.
That had been over two years ago. Her hair had grown long and was lighter, her expression was pained, and she had lost weight. And she was looking for Cas. Last time she had tried to kill him. Now she had an angel blade.
"I am not telling you where he is." Dean began to shut the door. This chick was not someone he wanted in his life right now.
He felt Lily push against the door. "I have searched all over. I need Castiel to heal me. If he isn't here, then you'd better take me to the hospital before I pass out from blood loss."
She was dying. Just what Dean needed.
"I can't help you, doll face. You are going to need to find someone whose best friend you didn't try to kill." He gave a sarcastic smile before deadpanning and shutting the door in Lily's face.
"Dean Winchester!" Lily slammed her fist on the door, using her remaining strength to keep it open. "Here. Take it." She shrugged the bag off her shoulder and onto the floor.
This chick was trying his patience. Dean eyed her and grabbed the bag. Yanking it open, his eyes widened at the contents. There were fifteen, maybe twenty angel blades. Dean jerked his head back, giving Lily a look of disbelief.
Her eyes were full of despair and she sagged against the doorway, barely able to hold herself up. "Please," she prayed. "Dean, please."
Dean had seen that look before. She had the look of a soldier who had given up. If Dean turned her away, he was letting her die.
Dean dropped the bag and opened the door, catching Lily as she fell forward. He held her up by her shoulders as she gripped her stomach tightly. Her breathing became more labored as she moved. "Let me go tell Kevin to watch Sammy. Stay right here." Dean leaned her up against the wall and ran down the hallway shouting for Kevin.
He was gone for a moment, but Lily had slid down the wall almost a foot. Her eyes were shut and she was struggling to breathe. A look of worry crossed Dean's face. Even if he didn't like her, Dean wasn't going to leave her out to die.
Lily had to be carried out to the Impala. On the way out, Dean noticed a truck parked near the bunker. He almost stopped and stared at it. "Lily… Did you drive here?"
"Um…yes?" She muttered.
She wasn't the most reasonable person in the world. Dean looked down at her and shook his head. "How did you find us?"
"Not now…"
Dean set Lily's feet on the ground and opened the Impala door. She practically fell into the car. Dean could see blood seeping through her jacket, guessing that, if she had a bandage, it wasn't working any more.
Dean cursed as he stripped off his plaid flannel and handed it to Lily. "Don't bleed in my car."
Lily gave a pained smile. "I'll be sure not to."
Dean crossed to the driver's side and got in. Lily was a fellow hunter, albeit not his least favorite. A nephilim might be able to help him find Cas, or maybe help Sam.
The Impala revved up and Dean backed her out. They flew down the country roads as Lily's breathing became more labored. She needed immediate medical attention.
"Dean."
"What?"
"Tell them I am missing a kidney because I gave it to my sister. And my name is Annalise Neil. ID is…in my bag." Lily's head rolled over to the side.
"Missing kidney?" There was no answer. "So, what happened?" Dean was really curious what had gotten the almighty Lily Jones. "Demons? Vamps?" Still no answer. "Couldn't have been the devil. Sam locked him up." Dean smiled but it quickly turned to a frown. "What?"
"Shush."
The rest of the car ride was in silence, save Dean blasting Van Halen and singing along. When they got to the hospital, Lily was barely breathing. Her eyes were rolled back in her head.
Dean just pulled up to the nearest parking space and reached over. He gently lifted Lily's shirt up, revealing a blood-soaked bandage. He carefully took the tape off but left the gauze on. Taking out his knife, Dean carefully cut a hole in the shirt, making it look as if Lily was just injured.
Dean jumped out and grabbed Lily, lifting her under her knees and cradling her shoulders. He made his way through the nurses, patients and visitors mulling around and ran into the emergency room. "My girlfriend was cooking and she slipped and fell into the knife she was holding." Everyone immediately went into action. A gurney was wheeled up, and Dean laid Lily down on it. She was taken up to a different floor. Dean followed her the whole way up.
"Annalise Neil. Right. Donated her kidney… That is why it is missing. My name? Mitchell Grayson. No, I am not single. She is my girlfriend. Seven months. Thanks." Dean answered every question thrown at him.
After several hours of procedures and surgery and blood transfusions and waiting, Lily was finally settled in her own room. She was still out from the anesthetic.
Dean sat next to her, awkwardly patting her hand. He knew she would be fine on her own, and he sure didn't want to stick around with Sam at home. After entering his number in Lily's phone, he made an excuse to the nurses about having to work and left.
Dean was driving to the hospital for the third time in four days. The second time, he went because he was called down for questioning. A bunch of interrogation on if he stabbed his girlfriend and what actually happened. Lily had to try not to laugh as Dean went over how she slipped and fell onto a knife. "You owe me, big time," he whispered to Lily as they headed back to her room.
Dean had decided to do some interrogation of his own. When the two get back to Lily's hospital room, Dean sat down in the chair across from her bed. "Tell me what happened."
"It was two days after the angels fell. I had been on the run. They still have their grace, just no wings."
So why wasn't Cas answering?
"Seven, maybe eight, angels came after me. All with angel blades and muttering about killing the fiend." Lily rolled her eyes and pointed to herself. "That's me."
"Well, you aren't dead."
"They are."
Dean did a double take. "Wait, you killed all of the angels?"
"Yeah."
"There were eight angels with full angel mojo power and you killed them?"
Lily stared at Dean. "Yeah."
Dean looked to the side. Not bad.
However, as Dean had found out, Lily didn't escape unscathed. She was stabbed with an angel blade. Then she came to see what had happened with the angels, and to have Cas heal her wound. And here they were, with no answers and no Cas.
Now, the third time, Lily was being discharged. She didn't have much of anything in the room, so there wasn't much packing up. All she had to do was get out of bed and get dressed. Doing that turned out to be harder than expected.
Putting on pants was barely feasible. Sweats were the most she could manage. And a t-shirt and hoodie were easy enough. The ordeal had left Lily coming out of the bathroom out of breath.
"Ugh, I need more pain meds for this," she panted.
Dean watched her hobble over to her bed and pack up what few items she had. "Where are you going to go?"
Lily looked down in thought. "Um, well… A motel probably." She looked up at Dean and gave a mock smile. "Home sweet hunter's home, right?"
Dean licked his lips, slowly swallowing. He was going to regret this more than he already did. "And if angels attack you again? You don't have angel blades any more."
Lily gave a half frown. "Hopefully don't die, I guess? And I am going to need one back."
There was so much regret in Dean's future, he almost cringed. "Lily, you come stay at the Bunker for a few days or so until you are a little better."
Lily frowned at him skeptically. "You sure?"
Dean shrugged. "No. But I might as well keep on keeping you alive."
Lily laughed, wincing because she forgot that she shouldn't. "It is much appreciated."
The two headed down and Lily checked out. They went out and climbed in the Impala. Dean pulled out of the hospital parking lot and made his way for the freeway home.
What had he just done, asking someone he barely knew to stay at his house with his sick brother and a prophet? Dean shook his head, knowing he had done the right thing, but he still wasn't thrilled about it.
He reached for the radio knob, hitting it and relaxing as Metallica came through the speakers. He was content for a second before it abruptly shut off.
Dean whipped his head around to look at Lily. She sighed. "Please, I have a really bad headache."
Dean made his face into a pout, receiving an eye roll from Lily. "Thank you, Dean. I sincerely appreciate it."
Dean gave her a dirty look, unamused by her completely insincere attitude. He just wanted to get back to the bunker as quickly as possible.
The rest of the ride was in silence, no music, no conversation. Dean would start drumming out a beat on the wheel, but he quickly lost interest with no music to accompany him. Lily just laid her head against the window and watched the trees go by. Lily spoke only when they neared the bunker.
"You asked how I found you."
Dean looked over, remembering that a person he was not a fan of had found the secret hideout. "Right."
"I can, um, sense Castiel's grace. Or traces of it. I've been able to since I met you the first time. I was trying to find where he was. I thought that he could heal me." Lily licked her lips, her voice sprinkled with defeat.
If she could… "Could you find Cas now?" Dean jumped at the opportunity to find his friend.
Lily looked sadly at Dean. "I started where it was strongest, tracing back all the places he went. But anything that was left is long gone. He," she continued. "Well, his grace, isn't here."
Dean creased his eyebrows. "That doesn't make sense. You said the angels still had their grace. They just had no wings."
Lily shrugged. "I don't know what to tell you Dean. He's probably still in Heaven."
Dean turned back to the road, done with the conversation. He was trying to hold on to the last shred of hope that Cas was okay. Lily seemed to get the message and didn't talk any more. Neither person in the car said anything else for the rest of the ride.
"A prophet, huh?" Lily looked Kevin over. "Nice."
Kevin had taken an immediate liking to Lily. She was smart and didn't go prophet fan-girl on him.
"But, you…you're a Nephilim," he stammered, trying to believe it. He was definitely going fan-girl over her.
"Got a tablet on me?" Lily teased.
Kevin stopped. "Uh, no." He shyly smiled.
Lily smiled back down at him. "Let me know when you do."
Kevin nodded enthusiastically. "Well," he said picking up his books. "I am going to go back to translating. See you." He began to back out and ran himself into a wall, dropping the stack he was holding. Lily cringed slightly and gingerly knelt to help pick the books up.
"I got them, I got them," Kevin stammered, his ears turning red. He picked up all the books in his arms and beelined down the hallway to his room.
Lily stood and smiled. Turning to Dean, she said, "Thank you for letting me stay here."
He didn't look up from his newspaper that he sat the table reading. "I couldn't leave you to die, could I? And we need hunters."
"I could have stayed at a motel and probably been perfectly fine." She stepped over right in front of Dean. "I am giving you a heartfelt thank you."
Dean looked up at her and gave his best I-don't-want-you-here smile. Lily gave the same smile right back and sat down at the table. She began drumming her fingers on the polished wood.
"You know… I can stay with Sam if you want to go look for Cas," she offered. She tilted her head and looked at Dean. "If you want. It'll be pay back for helping me."
Dean raised his eyebrows and glanced at her. She hadn't proven to be the most trustworthy person in the world, though handing over the angel blades had been a good move on her part. She wasn't after Cas.
Dean sat up straight and studied Lily. She had come to a hunter who hated her and could kill her without a second thought. She had come when she was dying and asked for help. She had put her full faith in Dean to save her, and she did owe him.
"You can trust me, Dean. Sam isn't a monster. I'm not going to kill him."
The offer was tempting. Dean wanted…needed to find Cas. Cas should still have his powers, just like the other angels. He should have contacted Dean by now. Or Lily should be able to find his grace. Dean wasn't sure what was going on.
"Dean… I'll take care of your little brother. And Kevin'll be here."
Dean put his newspaper down and leaned in, getting close to Lily. "And what if anything happens while I am gone? What if you can't stop it?"
"Then neither could you." Lily stared right into Dean's eyes.
Dean clenched his jaw. She was right. And making a deal to bring someone back could be done after they were dead. "Alright. But you tell me how he is doing. And if anything happens, you call me right away. Understand?"
Lily gave a mock salute. "Right-o, sir. Don't worry. I've cared for sick children with worrisome mothers before," Lily grinned.
Dean glared at her as he stood. He gave a curt nod before retreating off to get ready to leave.
Sam was passed out when Dean was ready to leave, so the older Winchester wrote a coded note, telling Sam what had happened and where he had gone. After that, Dean had shown Lily the basics of the Bunker and told her not to touch anything that she didn't need to. She hadn't given a response, so Dean just rolled his eyes and sighed. Kevin was fine, and Lily could kill demons with her bare hands. She was fine with Crowley locked up in a Devil's trap.
"Don't hurt Sam. Don't do anything to Kevin. Leave Crowley."
"Dean! You sound like a mom giving her teenage daughter a list of rules when the kid stays home alone," Lily laughed. She stood at the door, arms crossed.
Dean glared back at her. "Shut up. Don't let anyone in. Leave my stuff alone. And—"
"And you need Cas." Lily held back from shoving Dean out the door. "Go," she urged.
Dean walked through the door then turned to say one last thing.
"I've got it!" Lily insisted. "Just go, Dean." He nodded and stepped away from the door. Lily watched as he got into the Impala and backed out. When he was out of sight, she shut the front door and locked it.
AUTHOR'S NOTE
I know the show has the only Nephilim on Earth being killed, but I created this character before I knew about that. Plus, I hated how they handled it. I pretty much will stick to canon for everything else.