A/N: This is my first real Supernatural Fic. Please be kind.

Many thanks to WhyteWytch for the Beta.

Namaste,

Sunny

Supernatural

The Pizza Man Cometh

Chapter 1

In all his years as a hunter, Dean had never come up against a demon like this one. He fought with everything he had and more. And still it wasn't enough. Raising the knife over his head, he slashed downward intending to split his opponent open from neck to groin.

Apparently tired of toying with the mortal, the demon gave a flick of his wrist that sent Dean flying through the air to slam into the warehouse wall, the knife spinning away to land somewhere in the darkness. A twinge in his side told him he'd bruised a rib at the very least. Wet warmth flowed down the side of his head, but he wasn't given even a moment to wonder how bad it was. Other areas of his body screamed at him to stop as well. By morning, he'd be covered in bruises, cuts and a gash or two.

Just another day in paradise.

The sandy-haired vessel of a demon going by the name of Leon smirked as he walked in a circle around Dean. "On your feet, hunter."

Panting, Dean got his hands under his shoulders and pushed to his hands and knees. "What? Not gonna kick me while I'm down?"

"I'm surprised you would even ask." Crouching in front of Dean, Leon rested his forearms on his knees. "That would be cheating."

Head hanging down, the blood dripping from the cut on his head, making a pool on the worn paint of the filthy concrete floor. Some of that dirt now adhered to front of Dean's torn and bloody shirt, his jeans, hands, and face. He laughed scornfully as he pushed back until he was sitting on his heels. "Demons always cheat. It's in their job description."

Leon poked a finger at Dean's chest. "And yet you still come after us expecting a fair fight."

He stood, forcing Dean to tilt his head back to keep eye contact. Dean's breathing slowed enough that he no longer felt the stitch in his side. Putting his right foot flat on the floor with his knee up, he pushed to his feet and used the heel of his left hand to wipe away the blood now running down his face. "Yeah. I'm stupid that way. You know, before we finish this, Leon, tell me something."

Crossing his arms, Leon waited impatiently for Dean to continue. "Whatever. Just hurry it up. I got souls to steal, lives to ruin, people to kill."

"Fine." Groaning, Dean stumbled to the side, catching himself by grabbing the edge of the rotting workbench along the wall, feeling it start to give way. "Did you know that humans…"

Leon's bark of laughter stopped Dean in mid-sentence. "I know everything I need to about your kind. You're pathetic and feeble. Unworthy to associate with your betters."

Shrugging, the hunter scrunched up his face, bending at his waist and moaning in pain. "Not all demons think that way, or have you forgotten Meg?"

"Not at all. When I heard she died, I laughed, hunter. I've know Meg for several millennia. She's no more dead than you are. Oh, wait. That's about to change. And when I see the last flicker of life drain from your body, I'm going to have a party. Music will play and I'll dance on your grave."

"Before you send out invitations and start acceptin' RSVPs, there's somethin' you should know about my kind."

Waving his hand to urge Dean to hurry, Leon sighed heavily, rolling his eyes toward the ceiling. That was what Dean had been waiting for. He dived into a shoulder roll, pulling another knife from under his shirt, brandishing it in his right fist. It had a curved, serrated-edged blade with ancient symbols etched into metal. What little light there was flared briefly as he put all his considerable strength into an upward strike.

Leon turned to the side at the last possible second, the sharp tip leaving a long scratch across his ribs. Created by the Kurds, it burned the flesh of Leon's vessel. The demon screamed in agony, grabbed Dean's outstretched arm, and twisted the wrist trying to force him to drop the knife, but Dean held on. Spinning him around into a headlock, Leon proceeded to choke the life out of the eldest Winchester brother.

Somehow, Dean broke free before he lost consciousness, the knife still in his right hand. Turning to face him, Dean again tried to stab Leon, man and demon swaying back and forth, vying for control.

Dean lost his grip on the knife and it clattered to the floor just as he heard footsteps running toward them, recognizing the voice as Sam's.

"Dean!"

From the corner of his eye, Dean saw Sam scoop up the knife, moving this way and that looking for an opportunity to shove it between Leon's ribs. "Do it, Sammy! Now!"

Dean swung Leon around, and Sam stepped into a hard thrust, the knife penetrating Leon's side up to the hilt. Sam leaned into it, shoving the knife deeper and giving it a twist. "Die, you black-eyed sonofa****!"

An unearthly scream erupted from Leon's mouth as he collapsed. Dean, unable to hold the other man's weight, fell backward with Leon on top. Leon bent his head back, black smoke issuing from his mouth that swirled and eddied up to the ceiling. Dean pushed the body off with a groan.

Extending a hand, Sam helped his brother stand. "You okay?"

"Yeah. Thanks for the save, Sammy." Dean limped over to pick up his jacket and the .45 that had fallen out of its holster at Leon's first attack. "Guess what?"

"Not in the mood, Dean. Just tell me."

Sam helped his brother outside to the Impala, opened the cooler and handed him a bottle of water. Dean took a long drink then poured the rest over his head. "Meg's still alive."

"That's not possible."

Groaning, Dean took off his plaid shirt and t-shirt to examine his wounds. "The 4-1-1 came from a demon."

Sam took the bottle of peroxide, poured some on gauze and started cleaning the cuts on Dean's face. "Demons lie."

"I know that, Sammy. There was just something about the way he said it."

"So you believe him?"

Dean sat in the passenger seat of the Impala, hissing in pain as Sam examined a deep cut on his scalp. "Whether I believe him or not doesn't matter. If Cas finds out, he'll stop at nothing to find her."

His brother sighed. "And we'll help him, of course." He pressed gauze to the scalp wound and had Dean hold it. "They are the oddest pair, but it works for them, I guess."

"What works for whom?" Both men looked up at the sound of Castiel's voice coming out of the dark. Without being asked, the angel touched Dean in the middle of his forehead and his wounds were healed.

Clean clothes were tossed at Dean by Sam. "Thanks, Cas. That rib hurt like hell, and I'm not fond of Sammy's sewing technique, especially on my head."

"You're welcome, Dean." Cas's eyes glanced from Sam to Dean. "Who were you talking about when I arrived?"

Standing, Dean pulled the t-shirt over his head and shrugged into the red plaid flannel, leaving it open. "You gotta promise me you're not gonna go off half-cocked."

"Of course not. I plan on going off fully cocked."

Holding in their laughter, Sam exchanged a glance with Dean. "We killed a demon tonight by the name of Leon. He, uh, told us that Meg's still alive. And yes, we know demons lie."

Cas's spine straightened. He took a deep breath and let it out. "There's been talk on Angel Radio about certain demons being given a second chance."

"Yeah?" Going around to the driver's side, Dean got behind the wheel while Sam took shotgun and Cas got in the back. Dean started the engine, and pulled onto the road. "How's that work?"

"Select demons who have rebelled against Crowley and his minions are being considered for a sort of reawakening."

Turning in his seat, Sam frowned at Cas. "Reawakening? That sounds like you're turning them into angels."

In the rear view mirror, Dean saw Cas nod. "That's it exactly, though they will have to… I believe the term is 'bring something to the table'."

Dean's eyebrows drew together as he signaled for a turn and pulled into a Biggerson's. He shut the engine off and got out. "So the demons who narc on Crowley's ass will get a brand spankin' new never been worn set of wings and a halo?"

"There's more to it than that, but essentially, yes."

"How can we get that for Meg? After all she did for us she deserves the white robes and a trip to the penthouse instead of the dungeon."

Cas followed Dean into the restaurant with Sam bringing up the rear. "I agree. But it's not up to me, though I can make recommendations to the committee."

They found a table, and Sam handed out menus. "Does the committee accept statements from character witnesses?"

"Yeah. She saved all our asses a bunch of times. Sammy and I'll be happy to talk Meg up to your cronies in a big way."

"Cronies?" Dean almost laughed at the looked of confusion on Cas's face. "The committee is more of a small ruling body that regulates a particular activity than friends. With our numbers depleted due to the civil war, we must replenish the ranks." The server took their orders and walked away, coming back within moments with coffee for all three.

"And the only way to do that is un-demonize the less demon-like of the demons?"

Cas sniffed his coffee before taking a sip. He made a face and Dean pushed the sugar and cream to his side of the table. The angel added small amounts of both, took another sip and found it acceptable. "All of the earthbound angels are being asked to make at least one referral. Mortals call it repurposing. Rather than leaving their souls in purgatory, each demon being considered will go through rigorous ethical and moral testing. Upon acceptance, they will be sent to Earth to locate an appropriate vessel. The one condition is that the vessel must be empty when they take possession."

Talking around the food in his mouth, Dean nodded. "So we find Meg, give her some unimpeachable references, tutor her in morals and ethics, and when she's in, we help her find a vessel."

"The only drawback is that she will need a temporary vessel to make communicating with her easier."

Dean had just taken another bite of his bacon cheeseburger when he saw Sam and Cas staring at him. "What?"

Sam stopped fighting a grin and let it take over his face. "Cas wants you to host Meg while he pleads his case."

~~O~~

Dean's mouth dropped open for a few seconds then snapped shut. "But I'm a guy. Wouldn't she be more comfortable in, you know, a chick's body than a dude's?"

To Cas, Dean's reaction was way more than his simple request warranted. Using a fork to poke at his salad the angel came as close to feeling amusement as he ever did. "Perhaps. However, once her soul is cleansed, she will only have a short time to find a permanent vessel. If one is not immediately available, and you are willing to be her host, it would extend that time by many months. While she is sharing your body, you would have the ability to take control at any time."

The elder Winchester brother's jaw dropped open in an expression of horror, the half-chewed bite of food falling into his lap. He used a napkin to remove it. "Months?"

"Dean…" Sam started, cut off by his brother.

"No, Sammy. I'm not letting a former demon move in even for a freakin' day without some assurances. Especially not her."

Picking up his sandwich, Cas peered between the slices of bread. "What kind of assurances?"

Grabbing a fry, Dean used it to emphasize each condition. "No high heels, no dresses, no cozying up to some hottie in the bar, no playing with the goods, and the big one, no mattress dancin' with some jerkwad who thinks she's a guy who's into, you know, guys."

Cas considered Dean's conditions. "Those are fair requests."

"Good." Dean poured catsup on his plate, dipped the fry and ate it.

Sam, who, in Cas's opinion, had manners slightly more refined than his older sibling, wiped his mouth and laid the napkin aside. "How do we go about finding Meg? Is she a black cloud floating in space looking for a home?"

"Since our last encounter, I've become tuned to Meg's particular frequency. Until you told me she was alive, I'd thought hearing her voice in my head was a figment of my imagination. That I was hearing her because…"

"Because she's your unicorn?"

Cas chewed and swallowed before responding. "If I interpret that comment correctly, yes. I've also seen the movie It's a Wonderful Life, and now understand the Clarence reference. The writers were totally incorrect about how angels get their wings. It takes much more than the ringing of a bell."

"It's fiction, Cas," Sam told him. "How does this angel-to-demon radio work?"

"I must open my mind, allow it to soar through the atmosphere. Only then will I be able to locate Meg."

Dean drank the last of his coffee, wiped his mouth and signaled for the server. "I'll take a slice of pie for dessert, and more coffee."

The woman's face was set in a permanent been-there-done-that-bored-with-life-in-general expression. "We have cherry, coconut cream and pumpkin."

"Pumpkin. With lots of whipped cream." When the woman was gone, Dean again addressed Cas. "Meditation then. You can do it in our motel room, as long as you don't have to be naked or anything."

"I do not. I will need candles and music to facilitate the meditation." He looked down at his rumpled overcoat and wrinkled suit, the same one he'd been wearing for most of his time on Earth. "I would also like to purchase clothing that Meg would find more appealing."

Crossing his arms, Sam leaned back in his chair while the server placed a slice of pie in front of Dean, filled all their cups, and walked away. "Let's get a good night's sleep and go shopping in the morning. There's a Discount Mart a few blocks from the motel."

The server came back with the check, setting it near Dean's elbow. He read it and passed it to Sam. "What're you gonna do all night, Cas?"

Pleased that he could share how he planned on changing his way of life, Cas again smiled. "I've been thinking about how to blend in, to be more human. Today, I've eaten food though it's unnecessary. Tonight, I will sleep in a bed."

TBC

It's a Wonderful Life is a 1946 American Christmas fantasy drama film produced and directed by Frank Capra, based on the short story "The Greatest Gift", which Philip Van Doren Stern wrote in 1939 and published privately in 1945. It's now considered one of the most popular films in American cinema, and due to numerous television showings in the 1980s, has become traditional viewing during the Christmas season.