Calling All Angels
Chapter 1
By: January Lily, Nixdragon, and Renny Autumn
Everyone was gone.
In her twenty-seven years of life on his crappy earth, Cassidy Winchester had never felt so alone. Dean had died. Sam left. Beatrice left. Jayden left. That left Cassidy, the oldest of the Winchester triplets, sitting at Bobby Singer's kitchen table downing the last bit of hunter's helper she could find. The liquid burned as it went down her throat, but it wasn't like there was anything better to do.
When her glass was empty, she turned it upside down and looked at it. "Bobby!" Cassidy groaned. "We're out!"
There was no response.
"Bobby!"
A few minutes later, the Winchester's father-figure outfitted in his usual plaid shirt and baseball cap strolled into the kitchen. "What in the hell you yellin' for kid?" Bobby said rather gruffly.
Cassidy held up the empty bottle toward Bobby and gave him a sad puppy dog expression. He glanced at it and shook his head. "Then maybe you should get off your ass and go get some more."
Her bottom lip jutted out. "Please?" she asked sweetly, sounding much younger than the grown-ass adult that she was. Bobby just shook his head.
"Cassidy, this ain't you, kid. I know you're mourning Dean. We all are, but this ain't the way."
She narrowed her eyes at Bobby. "Well, to be perfectly honest, I haven't had the best of role models, now have I? This was how I was taught to cope with things." Cassidy picked up the empty bottle. "Good ol' John Winchester." Then she glanced up at Bobby. "And maybe, I even learned a thing or two about it from you."
Bobby swiped the empty bottle from her hands. "You're a mean drunk, Cassidy."
Cassidy leaned back in her chair and folded her arms across her chest. "Another thing ya'll taught me."
Bobby tensed up. Her words stung, but he knew it wasn't her talking. It was the alcohol. This wasn't the Cassidy he knew and helped raise. Standing a little straighter, he pushed his hands into his pockets. "I'm gonna leave before either of us says something we're gonna regret. When I get back inside, I expect you to be sobered up a little more."
With that Bobby walked out of the kitchen and headed outside. He didn't make it very far before Cassidy made a pop-shot comment about making sure to get more hunter's helper while he was out. Bobby responded by slamming the screen door a little harder than usual.
About ten minutes later, Bobby's phone rang. Reluctantly, Cassidy strode across the kitchen and picked up the phone. "Hello?"
"Bobby?" a hoarse voice rasped.
Cassidy's brow furrowed. "No, this is Cassidy."
"Cassidy, it's Dean."
The man's words were like a punch to the gut. Dean was dead. He had died months before when the hellhounds had ripped him apart. Granted, he had been the idiot to sell his soul and his time had come, but that didn't make his death any less painful.
"Cassidy," the voice repeated.
Cassidy must have been more drunk than she had thought. She quickly hung up the phone and leaned against the wall, unable to say anything more. For a moment, she closed her eyes and held back the tears that threatened to spill. She wished she had never answered the damn phone.
Bobby poked his head inside. "Who was it?" Bobby questioned.
"Wrong number," Cassidy grunted.
Not asking any more about it, Bobby shrugged his shoulders and walked back outside. Cassidy grabbed a pair of keys to one of the trucks and headed out as well. After that she was going to need more to drink.
Some people walked away when things went bad.
Jayden Winchester was a bit more… extreme.
Her phone rang as she stood leaning against her car atop a rather windy bridge, a stranger checking the bungee cord around her legs. She ignored the phone at first, using her hands to tighten her helmet and then the rest of her safety equipment.
She moved to the edge of the bridge and closed her eyes, enjoying the wind pounding against her, the thrill of waiting to fall, how all of it chased away the pain that her brother was dead and she didn't think she could face a monster without his voice in the back of her head bringing the shock of it right back.
The phone continued to ring.
She rolled her eyes.
If it was Sam again she was gonna punch him, the extra foot he had on her notwithstanding. She would jump off this bridge, get pulled back up to her car, and drive off to find him-then she would punch him. She already knew what his apology would sound like. He'd said most of it while she was leaving.
Then again, she'd been shouting 'I don't see this. I see nothing. I don't see you.' while he'd been apologizing so maybe she'd only be able to predict half of what he said. If that demon he'd been… 'canoodling' with called then she would murder Sam instead.
No, don't think of that. Think of the wind and the fall.
"Ready, Miss Winchester?"
She nodded and felt hands against her back, ready to push. Though her phone was now ringing a third time...
"3…"
She had time to check the number, right?
"2…"
Yeah, she had time.
"1…"
Jayden went on autopilot and had the phone opened against her ear before she could realized what she was doing.
"Wait-sh**!" She yelled.
"Go!... Wait-sh**!" The instructor yelled.
But Jayden was falling.
And all Dean heard through the phone was his sister's scream and then a loud smack.
The youngest Winchester triplet had her own way of coping.
Beatrice eyed the tall brunette bartender and smirked. She knew he'd been watching her as she danced with every guy in the first dive bar she'd found in this spit-in-the-wind town.
The rest of the men were easy pickings, not really a challenge. What Beatrice really liked was the thrill of the hunt. And the bartender would make a very fine trophy. She shook her ass to the music and let the vibes take all her cares away.
When she'd finally stopped to catch her breath, she headed toward the bar, very purposefully swaying her hips back and forth like a pendulum.
She locked eyes with him and continued the stare as she stepped up to the bar. She swore he licked his lips as she approached.
Smiling seductively, she batted her eyelashes and leaned over the bar.
"I'm not sure what I should order. Have any suggestions? I need something strong enough to forget everything, even my own name."
The bartender, whose name she now noticed was Ethan (at least according to the nametag), leaned closer to her, looking her up and down.
"Darlin', if you wanna forget your own name, I've got four words for you. Sex on the Beach."
Playing coy, she waved a hand in front of her face, fanning herself.
"Well that's exactly what I need, then."
As he turned to make her drink, Beatrice glanced at his long, lean frame. Suddenly the whole place felt hotter. She glanced around the room at the mass of bodies and watched people lose themselves in the music and dancing.
A man in the corner of the room caught her eye. She couldn't see his face, but his tall frame and short, crew-cut hairstyle made her stomach clench. She almost moved to run across the room and throw her arms around him, but she shook her head to bring herself back to reality.
It wasn't Dean. It would never be Dean.
She took a few deep breaths in an attempt to keep herself from crying. She'd spent the first few weeks after Dean had been dragged to hell crying and drinking with Cassidy. But she soon grew tired of dredging up her feelings every day. It was easier not to think about Dean at all.
But then someone would look like him.
Or a stranger would have a deep, comforting voice like his.
And all those feelings would come rushing back.
And Beatrice needed to forget them. She turned back to the bartender, eyes blazing with passion. He'd written his phone number on the napkin, and winked as he handed her the drink.
"Not quite as good as the real thing, but a hell of a lot cleaner."
She took the glass and, despite the tiny voice in the back of her head screaming at her to use caution-especially when drinking alone, downed the entire thing in one breath.
Ethan threw her a shocked glance, as though he'd never seen someone finish off a glass of hard liquor like a shot before, and shook his head.
Beatrice, feeling freer than ever, hopped onto the bar and leaned across it, gently pulling on Ethan's shirt, bringing him close.
She could feel his heart beating rapidly in his chest, and hers was racing along with it. She placed her hands on both sides of his face and brought his lips to hers.
Their tongues melded together as she lost herself in the kiss. She pressed her body against his, adrenaline racing through her bloodstream.
Yes, this was exactly what she needed right now.
It was even better than the booze.
As Ethan broke the kiss, he breathlessly held his pointer finger up, asking her to wait a moment.
She tried to be patient as she waited for him to talk to the other bartender on duty that night.
He was smiling as he made his way back to her, taking her hand and leading her out from behind the bar. She mentally thanked herself for reserving a room before she'd headed to the bar that night.
She dragged him to the room, barely making it through the door before he kissed her again.
His breath was hot against her skin as he broke away from her mouth and moved his lips down her neck. She gripped tightly to him, nails digging into his skin. In one swift move, he removed her shirt. She frantically moved to work the buttons on his shirt, her body burning.
Just as she yanked the shirt over his head and paused to admire the firm, lean abs in front of her, her phone began to vibrate and ring.
She huffed in anger and tried to mute the phone, but was unable to reach it while tangled up in Ethan's arms.
She detangled herself from him and whipped the phone out of her pocket, instinctively moving to silence it so she could get back to what she was doing. But the unknown number made her pause.
Pontiac, Indiana
The color drained from her face as she stared at her phone. Who would be calling her from Pontiac? She hesitantly answered the phone, ignoring Ethan's obvious annoyance at the interruption.
"Hello?"
"Thank God, Beatrice. What the hell have you been doing? You sound out of breath...Actually, don't answer that. What the fuck is happening with everyone?"
Pure, unadulterated rage filled her senses. Though preferable to mourning Dean, it still wasn't healthy. Whoever this imposter Dean was on the other line, she'd make him pay.
"Listen here, motherfucker. I don't know how you got this number, or why you're trying to fuck with me, but I swear on all that is good and holy, if you try to contact me again, I will fuck you up. Do you understand me?"
"But-"
Beatrice didn't bother listening to the man on the other end of the phone. Though his voice was a spot-on impersonation of her brother, she knew better. Dean was never coming back.
She turned back to Ethan, who was watching her intently.
"Shall we?"
A very inebriated Cassidy once again sat at Bobby's table, following her alcohol run. Thank god for drive thru liquor stores. Her brain felt fuzzy and everything felt far away. It was how she wanted to feel these days. Taking another swig of the hunter's helper, Cassidy's phone started to ring. She glanced down at it, taking a few seconds to comprehend that it was ringing. Slowly, she reached for it and brought it to her ear. She answered it, her words slurring. "What?"
"Hey-"
Before the person could get another word in, she grumbled, "What is it?"
"Good god! What is wrong with you people? It's Dean."
"DEEEEAAAANNN!" Cassidy took another swig of alcohol. "How's being dead?"
"Cassidy, put Bobby on the phone. Now."
"Why don't you want to talk to me, Dead Dean?"
"Bobby. I need to talk to Bobby."
Cassidy's brow furrowed. "Dead Dean is such a dick." Pressing the end call button on her phone, she downed what was left in the bottle and slammed her phone on the table.
"Son-of-a-bitch," Dean hissed slamming the phone. He rubbed his temples and shook his head. "Sisters."
Author's Note: So, we just wanted to let you know how this story is going to work. Renny Autumn, Nixdragon, and January Lily will be working on this story together. The first chapter there will be a smidge of writing from each of us. From then on we're gonna switch off chapters. We'll be sure to tell which of us authored the chapter. We're really excited about this venture and we hope you'll be excited to read it!