Chapter 1: Dean Finds Out

I wake up in my 26-year-old vessel and sigh. Same old morning ritual: shower, dry off, dress, eat, go find Dean, and fight monsters. I dust off my light blue shirt and jeans while I slip my brown boots on. This time, I decide to tell him the truth about who I am. He knocks on my door. I open it and he picks me up. I smile at this as he puts me down gently.

"Hey, Leah." He kisses my cheek.

"Hi, Dean. Hey, Sam." I say, waving at him. He returns my wave. Dean drives us to the pancake house where he and Daliah first met. I look at him and notice that he's staring at me in a different way.

"What's wrong?" I ask Dean, as innocently as I can.

"Nothing, I just… We need to talk." He parks the car and I get out with him. Sam stays in the car.

"What's up?" I turn to talk to him and he plants a kiss upon my parted lips. I'm not surprised, but I'm taken aback.

"Daliah, we've been together for three years now. This is officially the longest I've ever been with any girl and I just wanna say that I love you."

"Dean, I–" I'm cut off by him kissing me again. I break apart from him.

"What's wrong, Leah?" He takes my hands in his. I can't find it in my heart to break it to him.

"Nothing, I'm just hungry, that's all." I smile as Sam joins us.

"Thought we were getting pancakes?" He says, ruffling his hair.

"We are." Dean leads us inside. Sam looks at me and I shrug. We sit down at a booth; I'm next to Dean. A familiar pretty blonde haired blue-eyed waitress comes and smiles at Dean.

"Back again, are we? It's been a while." She takes out her notepad.

"Yeah, it has, but this time I'm here for the food." He puts his arm around me. The waitress raises an eyebrow as she takes our orders and leaves.

"I'm gonna go wash up, I'll be right back." I smile at Dean before I leave the table. I walk to the bathroom and turn the sink on. After I wash my hands, I feel a hand upon my shoulder and turn around, my knife at the throat of the person. I sigh in relief as I put it down.

"What are you doing here, Cass?" I ask.

"I wanted to see you, Judy."

"I mean in the women's restroom." I raise an eyebrow at him.

"Oh, I see your point." He puts his hand on my shoulder and we're in a park somewhere in New York.

"Castiel!" I shake my head, smiling.

"What? Is this not a romantic place?" He looks at me in confusion.

"You need to learn about romance from the humans." I kiss his cheek. He suddenly grabs me and kisses me passionately. I close my eyes as he kisses me again. A bright flash of light startles me, and my eyes open.

"You two are adorable!" A pretty short-haired blonde woman in a red jacket, jeans, and knee high black boots smirks at us. Her eyes are brown, but they turn black with another glance at her. Castiel stands in front of me.

"What do you want, demon?" I narrow my eyes at her.

"Relax, sweet Angels, I only wanted the picture. See ya around!" She laughs and disappears with her camera.

"Who was that?" He asks me.

"I don't know, but I'm sure we'll see her again."

"Why did she want a photo of us?" He says, wrapping his arms around me.

"No idea." I shrug and we're back at the pancake house women's restroom.

"Thank you, Cass, but I should be getting back now." I kiss him one more time before he vanishes. I head back to the table.

"I'm just… Trying to find the right moment to ask her, that's all." Dean is saying to Sam.

"Dean." He warns as I return.

"Ask me what?" I say, sitting next to him.

"Huh?" He says, startled.

"What were you going to ask me?" I lean back as Dean looks closely at me. "You're creeping me out, Dean."

"Leah… What are you?" He asks. I sigh and every lie I can tell dissipates.

"I can't lie to you anymore, Dean." I bite my lip.

"What are you talking about?" He tries to take my hand, but I stand up.

"I'm not Daliah Reynolds. My name is Judith and I'm an Angel of the Lord." I know he doesn't believe me, so I touch his forehead and transport him to the day he first met Daliah. She stands there in a purple fall coat and rain boots as the sun shines down.

"Brrr, I'm freezing!" She shivers, going inside the pancake house with her mother and Alfred. Dean looks at me.

"This is before Daliah let me use her as my vessel." I shrug.

"Why this day?" He gives me a look.

"Don't you remember, Dean?" I usher him forwards.

"It can't be!" He breathes and goes inside. I look in through the window.

Dean sits down at the table next to Daliah's. She notices him and quickly looks away, blushing.

"Leah… You can sit with him if you'd like." Her mother whispers to her.

"Mom, I don't know him!" She whispers back.

"Go on, Leah, you're 23. It's time for you to live a little!" Alfred teases her. She blushes again and makes her way to Dean. He looks up from his menu, taking in her tan skin, dark blue jeans and pink sweater.

"Hey, I'm Daliah Reynolds." She smiles at him.

"Dean Winchester. Would you care to join me for pancakes, Daliah?" He asks.

"Sure!" She sits across from him as the pretty blue-eyed blonde waitress arrives at their table.

"Ladies first." Dean gestures to Daliah. She blushes and scans the menu before she makes her decision.

"I'll have the chocolate chip pancakes with hashbrowns and orange juice please." Daliah says to the waitress who nods and looks at Dean.

"You never cease to amaze me." He says to Daliah. She raises an eyebrow.

"I mean, I'll have the same thing but with bacon please. Thanks." He winks at the waitress. Daliah feels a twinge of jealousy, but doesn't show it. They talk about themselves for a while before I see the flame return in Dean's eyes. I feel like someone's watching me, so I turn around to the person standing behind me.

"You're the only one who can sneak up on me, Cass." I smile at him.

"I'm aware." He puts a strand of my hair behind my left ear. "So, you took Dean Winchester here?" He seems unusually irritated.

"Yes I did." I place my hand on his cheek, forcing him to look at me.

"Why?"

"Because he misses her and this was the only way he'll be able to see her again."

"That is not the right thing to do."

"If this were the only way to see me again, wouldn't you do it?" I ask, gently stroking his cheek. He reaches up and takes my hand in his, kissing it.

"You know I would, Judy. You're my Heaven and do not forget that." He leans forward and kisses me.

"Judith?" Dean says, coming outside. Castiel vanishes as Dean comes closer.

"Do you believe me now?"

"Yes, and my only question is: why didn't you tell me sooner? I would have understood, Judith." He looks at me with sad eyes.

"No you wouldn't have. No human ever does, not even Daliah's mother."

"What happened to her? Lilia, I mean."

"She's safe with Alfred, but neither of them trust me. With good reason, too, after all I did take over their daughter."

"I still wanna be with you, Angel or not." He takes my hands in his.

"I would like that, but I'm afraid my heart lies with another. It has for many years now." I hate doing this to him, but it had to be done. He takes a deep breath.

"I'll try to be strong." His voice breaks.

"You don't have to put any airs on for me. I promise you that Daliah loved you very much and the last thing she ever wanted was to hurt you. She asked me to protect you and Sam."

"Why did you have to choose her?" Dean says, angrily.

"Because she had a pure heart and she will be useful to me in the years to come. The apocalypse is coming, Dean Winchester, and you'd better get used to disappointment." With this, I vanish. I reappear in the car. Sam jumps and I put my hand over his mouth.

"It's all right, Sam." I take my hand away.

"Y-you just–" He looks at me in a different way. "How did you do that?"

"My name is Judith, I'm an Angel of the Lord." I see the disbelief in his eyes.

"Really?" He raises an eyebrow.

"How else would I have been able to get in here without opening the door?"

"Point taken… but where's Daliah?" He asks.

"She's in here somewhere, and I promise she's perfectly safe. She asked for this because she wanted you and Dean to be safe."

"Why don't I believe you?"

"I'm not asking you to believe me, Sam Winchester." I touch his forehead as Dean returns to the car.