Thanks for the reviews guys *cookies* for all =D
*disclaimer- I own nothing but the original characters and events, the rest belong to The CW*
I was packing up my car, ready to hit the road after spending the week with Channing. It was a great week. Mainly because we didn't get out of bed much, but then again, there was no need to. The knew the pull I was feeling towards Channing got stronger the more time I spent with him, yet I couldn't shake what Samuel had said about Alpha's being the first. That added to the fact he wouldn't tell me what he wanted to ask got me thinking. Good old hunter instincts...So I rang Bobby and asked him to do a search on any Channing Parker's from Up state New York.
"So I found one, but girl you ain't gonna like it." Bobby sighed as I dumped my last bag into the boot of my Camero. I slammed the boot down and rested on it.
"Just tell me." I sighed. I had a feeling I knew how it was going to go.
"Ok. Channing James Parker, registered in New York in November 1991 after being released from the general hospital in the September. Before then he was a John Doe, brought into the hospital after a man found him stabbed outside some club. Parker went into a comer for three months, when he woke doctors called it a miracle. Parker had no memory of who he was before waking in the hospital." Bobby sighed.
"Are we sure it's Channing?" I asked feeling the familiar sense that I was being played by someone.
"I faxed the photo of him you sent me to the hospital, they confirmed it. The kid's a legend round there for waking up from such terrible injuries. Look, this doesn't mean some things wrong Megan." Bobby said plainly.
"No, just Channing might be the Alpha. The first werewolf... I need to find out how old he is." I sighed shaking my head.
"I'll keep digging." Bobby replied.
"Thanks, I'll keep in touch. Bye Bobby." I sighed and hung up. I stuffed my phone into my pocket and made my way over to the car Channing had. He was just finishing loading it up and turned to smile as I reached him.
"Everything ok?" He asked wrapping his arms around me and pulling me closer to his chest.
"Peachy, I just don't want to leave and go back to hunting." I sighed resting my head against his chest. He looked so young, my age, I couldn't believe he might be the first werewolf. Maybe I got my facts wrong... Maybe I was looking for faults where there weren't any?
"Then don't, come with me." Channing begged and I looked up to him and shook my head.
"I can't you know that." I said pulling away slightly. Channing nodded and gave me a small kiss on the lips.
"But I can keep hoping." He whispered before kissing me again a little more passionately.
"Be safe Channing." I whispered back.
"You too Megan." He said and we kissed again.
I tapped my thumbs on the steering wheel as I drove down the road. My mind was racing in the silence of my car. I was frustrated. I understood the Alpha/Omega deal, that I got. The male and female leaders of a wolf pack. I understood Alphas were the first. But no matter how I tried I couldn't wrap my head around the idea that Channing was the first werewolf. My heart, no my animal side was telling me he was a good guy. A guy I could trust, run to and he'd protect me. My mind was screaming at me to look at the evidence, be logical and see he was The Alpha. I was getting no where fast. I switched on the CD player and Sick Puppies started to blear out.
"I remember when it used to be easy. I remember when it wasn't so hard. I remember when, I remember when. I didn't have to justify the way I live my life," The song played and I sighed.
"Yeah I remember when things were simpler too." I said to myself as I let myself get lost within the music.
"Hey baby girl." Payton said appearing in my car. I turned to him and gave him a weak smile. "What's wrong?" He asked turning down my music a little.
"The usual. Men." I joked as I continued to drive. "Did you find the guy who has the weapons?" I asked before Pay could started to ask me questions.
"Yes and no." Payton said rubbing the back of his neck. I glanced at him confused. "It's tricky." He added.
"Tricky? What's that mean?" I asked confused.
"I found who took the weapons... it was my brother." Payton admitted sheepishly.
"Dude all the angels are your brothers. You might wanna narrow it down a little." I joked and glanced at Payton he sighed and rolled his head. I could tell this one was different.
"His names Balthazar. He's a good angel, good fighter." Payton said pushing some of his mucky blonde hair out of his face.
"Ok, so have you told Cass?" I asked glancing at him again.
"No!" Payton said jumping down my throat. I pulled the car over and turned to Payton. He looked nervous. Payton was a relaxed guy, it was rare for him to get worked up over things. I'd been hunting with him just over a year now, and I'd known him another year before that. I'd only seen him this worked up maybe twice in those years.
"Ok, I've known you a while now. Spill." I said watching him closely.
"Ok but I'm telling you now baby girl, its all a little messed up." Pay sighed as he avoided looking me in the eyes. "When I went off the rails, when I did... things with the crossroads demon you met, Balthazar showed up. He wanted to help me, make me see I was going crazy, hurting people. We argued, we fought. The battle was crazy, it was after that I promised myself I'd never fight a brother again." Payton explained softly. He was playing with his hands and looking in his lap. I could tell whatever he was remembering was painful. He started to play with his hands more as if it was killing him to remember.
"Pay, what, what happened?" I asked softly as I put my hand over his. Payton looked up at me and took a deep breath. The blue oceans that were his eyes seemed stormed and troubled. This was a big deal.
"I nearly killed Balthazar, I had the blade to his throat." Payton said coldly as he seem to look through me as he remembered.
"What stopped you?" I asked shocked, I never would have pegged Payton as the type of guy to kill another.
"Julia." Payton admitted as he blinked.
"The crossroads demon?" I asked and he nodded.
"She wanted me to kill him so much. I looked into her eyes and all I saw was her hunger for death." Payton said shaking his head as if he was trying to rid himself of a bad memory.
"So why haven't you told Cass about this Balthazar guy?" I asked softly, trying to pull Payton away from his bad memories.
"Balthazar saved Castiel's life. Cass feels like he owes him one. He'll want to talk to Balthazar. He'll want me to go with him..." Payton sighed looking away from me again.
"And if you go Balthazar might try and kill you?" I asked.
"And who says your just a sexy body?" Payton tried to joke. It came out more like a weak laugh.
"Ok, well what if I tell Cass. Tell him your still searching for a way to stop Raphael?" I asked softly. Payton shook his head.
"Because I don't know where he is. I got a lead, but it could be a dud. Why don't we go check it out and then I'll deal with Cass and Balthazar." Payton said with a small smile. I nodded and started the car.
We drove to a place called Easter in Pennsylvania. It was a small enough town, nice and quiet so when a cop turns into a puddle on the floor, fallowed by a cop having a server allergic reaction, things point to the supernatural. I wasn't sure how this was linked to the missing angelic weapons, but I trusted Payton and went along with him.
We were running the famous FBI gig. We were lead to the morgue where we were looking at the body of Officer Toby Gray. Payton pulled out the drawer and showed me the body. The guy was covered head to toe in boils. It was nasty, the lumps cover the guy, he made the elephant man look damn right cute.
"Ok, what the hell?" I asked as I walked over to the body and looked at it. I'd never seen anything like it before.
"Oh, well the notes say extreme allergic reaction." Payton said looking at a file. "He's got the boils inside and out. It chocked him to death."
"No shit Sherlock." I muttered as I picked up a wooden stick and poked one of the boils bursting them. The puss and liquid ran down onto the table. "That is just nasty." I said pulling a face and moving away from the body.
"Well he's the second weird case they've had around here. Officer Gerald Hatch died three days ago from liquidation." Payton said looking down in the folder.
"Liquidation?" I asked confused.
"Yeah, he turned into a pool on the floor." Pay said passing me a crime scene photo. I looked at it and turned it around a few times in case I had it the wrong way round. No angle made it look right.
"Ok, that's weird... really... um weird. So what are we thinking? Magic?" I asked trying to think it through. Payton shrugged his shoulders.
"Could be, then again baby girl could be an angelic weapon. That's why we need to investigate." Payton sighed as we looked down at the boil covered Officer Gray. Suddenly the doors to the morgue swung open and Sam and Dean strolled in. They stopped dead when they saw us. I felt my heart skip a beat seeing Dean then drop once I realised he was working the case. He was back on the road again with Sam. Why the hell is he back on the road?
"Guys! Long time no see!" Payton smirked as the guys smiled and walked over to us and the body. Dean didn't like Payton much, and I still picked up on those feelings as they walked over.
"Payton." Sam replied and glanced at Dean. Dean was looking at me. I tried not to look at Dean. I was half mad half nervous about seeing him again. I was mad he'd let Sam drag him back hunting but nervous because I still had strong feelings for him.
"You guys working this case?" I asked noticing Sam had a file. I knew if we all worked the same case things would get complicated again. I couldn't cope with constantly running into Dean on hunts. I was trying to get past him. Trying being the key word.
"Um yeah..." Sam said glancing at Payton. "You too?"
"Yeah we-" I started to say.
"We were passing through and herd about the deaths." Payton interrupted. I glanced at Pay and he shrugged his shoulders.
"Great, well why don't we work together?" Sam asked glancing from me to Dean. I could see how uncomfortable it made Dean, I felt like I mirrored his reaction.
"No!" I said quickly and everyone looked at me. "Um.. you guys... this is just a small case, a witch thing most likely. We can handle it alone." I said nervously glancing at Pay who rolled his eyes at me.
"That was my first instinct, but I found zero signs of hexwork anywhere. Far as I can tell, witchcraft was not involved." Sam explained.
"How long have you been here?" I asked confused.
"A day." Sam replied plainly and I nodded slowly.
"There's got to be some sort of link between, uh, skid mark and bubble wrap here." Dean said glancing from me to Sam.
"No question." Sam sighed looking back at us. "Maybe it would be better to work together. We can pool our resources and get the job finished quicker." Sam suggested. I opened my mouth to speak when Payton jumped in.
"Sure." He said smiling down at me. I glared at him and turned back to the guys.
"All right, well, can I get a witness?" Dean asked glossing over my glare. Both Sam and Payton looked at their notes.
"Officer Ed Colfax." The pair said at the same time.
"He saw Hatch go from a solid to a liquid." Sam added with a quick nod at Payton.
"Another cop?" I asked.
"Hatch's partner." Payton added.
We didn't have any other leads to fallow so we decided to go all together to check out Ed Colfax. Sam and Dean had their own cars and Pay rode in mine.
"I could kill you!" I growled as we climbed into my Camero.
"What did I do?" Payton asked trying to act innocently.
"You damn well know! I was trying to get rid of them!" I shouted pointing to Sam and Dean's cars that were pulling away.
"What, we could do with all the help we can get." Payton sighed.
"Yeah, but you don't want to tell them about the damn weapon." I huffed as I started to drive.
"No but come on Megan. You work best with them two, we both know it." Payton said giving me a cheeky grin.
"You planned this." I growled shaking my head.
"No." Payton said smirking.
"You knew they were in town." I said shaking my head. "You know what. I'm out. They can work this case alone!"
"Megan, come on! Just work the case with them." Payton said smiling at me. He was loving the fact I was feeling so uncomfortable around the Winchesters.
"Why should I?" I sighed turning a corner.
"Because you still love him. This is your chance to be around him again." Payton said looking me dead in the eyes. There was a pause in the car.
"Screw you Pay! I'm trying to move on, I've got Channing now... I don't need this shit." I said shaking my head.
"But your going to stick around, aren't you?" Payton asked grinning at me. I looked back at him glaring for a few seconds. I wanted to come back with something whitty and smart ass, but honestly he was right. I wanted to be around Dean still and this was the only way I could. I sighed and looked back at the road.
"Bite me." I huffed.
"If you'll let me." Payton joked winking at me. "I'm going to search the town, see if I can catch a lead on the weapon."
"What about the boys?" I asked as I pulled over to the house. Payton smirked and vanished. "Dick." I huffed climbing out the car as Dean and Sam climb out of their cars.
"Were you, uh... were you racing me?" Sam asked confused as I walked over to them.
"No. I was kicking your ass." Dean said with that school boy grin.
"Very mature." Sam said sarcastically and I shook my head smiling a little.
"Where's touched by an angel?" Dean asked me.
"Gone to search the town." I replied softly, Dean watched me closely before nodding.
We went to the house and knocked on the door. The house looked nice and normal, it looked like a quiet town. Nice neighbourhood. Nothing special.
"Hello? Officer Colfax?" Dean asked knocking. The door opened and Officer Ed Colfax was stood in full dress uniform. "Whoa. Lookin' sharp, Kojak." Dean joked.
"Who the hell are you?" Ed asked glaring at all three of us.
"We're the Feds, Ed. We're here to ask you a few follow-up questions about your partner's death." Sam said as we flashed our badges.
"Don't worry about it. It's nobody's business." Ed said sounding distant.
"Officer Colfax -" Sam started to say.
"Don't worry about it!" Ed shouted cutting Sam off. He slammed the door in our faces and I turned to Dean who shrugged his shoulders. Sam sighed heavily and then kicked the door down.
"Dude!" Dean shouted in surprise as Sam walked into the house. I glanced at Dean and we fallowed Sam into the house. There was a wall of family photos with the faces scratched out.
We fallowed Sam into an officer where Ed was using a screwdriver to scratch out his own face in a police portrait.
"Officer Colfax?" Sam asked still sounding annoyed at the guy. He was ignoring us.
"Hey, man, you all right?" Dean asked softly.
"Don't worry about it." Ed said ignoring us. He was so engrossed in defacing the picture.
"Right. Look, Officer Colfax - Ed. We think that your partner died of unnatural causes." Dean said softly. Ed scratched his hat with the screwdriver. I gave Dean a confused look.
"Did he have any enemies that you know of?" I asked softly.
"You might say that." Ed replied looking up at us for a second.
"Oh, yeah? Who's that?" Sam asked plainly.
"They both had it coming. Me too. I'll be the next to go, and then it'll be over. And God will be satisfied." Ed said pouring himself a drink.
"Why does God want you all dead?" I asked plainly.
"'Cause of Christopher Birch." Ed said and then knocked over his bottle and watched it spill out for a while. "Oh, damn it." He was sluggish to respond to things, I wasn't sure if the guy was on drugs or not.
"Who's Christopher Birch?" Sam asked as Ed continued to watched the liquid pour out.
"He has no face." Ed said still watching the bottle empty itself.
"Ed?" Sam asked watching Ed watched the bottle.
"Officer, you all right?" Dean asked. Ed righten the bottle and looked back at us. He didn't look well at all. He was pale and sweating.
"Who is Christopher Birch, Ed?" Sam asked and Ed didn't say anything. "Ed!"
"Christopher Birch is a kid with no face... and a planted gun." Ed replied and I smelt blood.
"Uh, you, uh... you got a little something..." Dean said pointing to the blood that dribbled down from under Ed's hat. Ed put his finger to the blood. "...yeah." Dean sighed.
"Damn. My head's been itching like a dirty jock." Ed said just before falling forward landing on the picture he was scratching out.
"Ed?" Sam sighed before walking over and checking Ed for a pulse. I started to hear a noise, but I wasn't sure what it was.
"Dead." Sam sighed.
"Guys there's something..." I started to say but the noise got louder.
"You hear that?" Dean asked looking from me to Sam. Sam took Ed's hat off and Locusts started to crawl out of a hole in his head.
I called Payton and filled him in on the details on my way to the motel. I got changed and then headed over to the Winchesters to research everything we had. We were all sat around a table looking at different things. Dean was looking at some papers, while me and Sam worked on our laptops. I felt the tension between me and Dean. I catch him looking at me and other times he'd catch me looking. It was so hard being that close to Dean. I still had strong feelings for him, I still loved him. But I knew him being back wasn't right. He wasn't meant to be here, he was meant to be having BBQ's or cutting the lawn. Normal things with his new family. I was trying to focus on the research rather than my thoughts. It wasn't easy.
"Sweet. Blood, boils, locusts." Dean sighed putting the paper on the table.
"Three of your more popular Egyptian plagues." Sam said looking at his laptop. Dean picked up the jar of Locusts.
"Yeah, but these guys... ate their way out of a cop's melon. I don't quite remember that in the King James." Dean sighed looking at the jar.
"Well I found out about the kid. Christopher Birch was shot in the head last month after a vehicle pursuit. Hatch, Gray, and Colfax were the three officers involved, and they all filed the exact same police report." I sighed reading from my laptop. They guys looked at me and I nodded.
"Suspect exited vehicle brandishing a firearm. We were forced to fire." Dean read from the report. "Just a kid with no face and a planted gun." He sighed and looked at me. "Bunch of dicks. So they pop the kid, plant the piece."
"Maybe Colfax is right. You know, maybe heaven has a hate-on for bad cops." Sam suggested.
"So we're listening to the guy with the bug in his custard? That's - that's the, uh, the theory you want to go with?" Dean asked walking over to the fridge and grabbing a beer.
"Dean, angels got to have something to do, right, now that we're post-Apocalypse?" Sam asked. Dean opened his beer.
"Oh I'd say they already have something going on." I said softly looking at my laptop.
"What's that mean?" Sam asked looking at me. I didn't realise the guys had herd me.
"Huh? Oh um.. nothing." I said shaking my head. Dean stared at me a few minutes before walking over to the bed. He was trying to make me crack, but thankfully now, I didn't have to share everything with the group.
"We should call Cass." Dean suggested and I was about to object when Sam started to talk.
"You're kidding, right?" Sam scoffed. "Dean, I tried. It was the first and second and third thing I did, soon as I got topside. Son of a bitch won't answer the phone."
"Well, let's give it a shot. Now I lay me down to sleep. I pray to Castiel to get his feathery ass down here." Dean said closing his eyes and praying.
"You're an idiot." Sam said laughing slightly.
"I second that." I added shaking my head.
"Stay positive." Dean said poking one eye open and looking around.
"Oh, I am positive." Sam sighed.
"Come on, Cass! Don't be a dick. We got ourselves a... plague-like situation down here, and... do you...do you copy?" Dean poked his eye open again and then opened them both. We all looked around and it looked like Dean had struck out with Cass, thankfully.
"Like I said..." Sam said clearing his throat. "Son of a bitch doesn't answer - he's right behind me, isn't he?" Sam said as we both looked behind him. Sam turned and saw Cass stood there.
"Hello." Castiel said plainly.
"Hello?" Sam asked astonished. Then looked back at us in disbelief.
"Y-yes." Cass said slightly confused.
"Hello." Sam said mocking Cass and then looking at us again. "Hello?"
"Uh, that is still the term?" Cass asked looking at me and Dean.
"I spent all that time trying to get through to you. Dean calls once, and now it's," Sam ranted. "Hello?" He said mocking Cass again.
"Yes." Cass said plainly walking towards Dean.
"So, what, you - you like him better or something?" Sam scoffed looking at Dean.
"Dean and I do share a more profound bond." Cass admitted and Dean looked worried. "I wasn't gonna mention it." He added looking at Dean. Dean got on his feet and started to walk over to Cass.
"Cass, I think what he's trying to say is that... he went to Hell for us. I mean, he really took one for the team. You remember that? And then he comes back without a clue, and you can't take five friggin' minutes to give him some answers?" Dean asked slightly annoyed.
"If I had any answers, I might have responded." Cass said sounding angry and then turned to Sam as I stood up. "But I don't know, Sam. We have no idea who brought you back from the cage... or why."
"So... it wasn't God?" Sam asked shocked as he got up.
"No one's even seen God. The whole thing remains mysterious." Cass explained.
"What the hell does that mean?" Sam asked getting mad.
"What part of, I don't know, escapes your understanding?" Cass asked sounding pissed.
"Cass, look, if Sam calls, you answer. Okay? You wing your ass down here, and you tell him, I don't know. Just because we have some sort of a - a bond or whatever..." Dean said before Cass cut him off.
"You think I came because you called? I came because of this." Cass said walking over to me and the research.
"Oh, well, it's nice to know what matters." Dean said sarcastically.
"It does help one to focus." Cass replied sincerely glancing at the paper.
"Wait, so - so you and the Halo Patrol, you guys aren't the cause of these killings?" Sam asked connecting the dots.
"No. But they were committed with one of our weapons. There's only one thing that could have brought this into existence. You call it the Staff of Moses." Cass said turning to us.
"Is Raziel with you?" Cass asked looking at me.
"Yeah but we didn't know it was the staff." I replied and felt the brothers look at me. "He's out looking for anything we might find useful."
"The Staff?" Sam asked confused looking between me and Cass.
"It was used in a dominance display against the Egyptians, as I recall." Castiel said picking up the jar of locusts.
"Yeah. That one made the papers." Dean scoffed.
"B-but I thought the Staff turned, like, a - a river into blood, not one dude." Sam said confused.
"The weapon isn't being used at full capacity. I think we can rule Moses out as a suspect." Cass said turning to us.
"Okay, but... what is - what is Chuck Heston's disco stick doing down here, anyway? I mean, don't you guys put away your toys?" Dean asked and Cass looked at me.
"You have not told them about what you have been doing this last year?" Cass asked me.
"Not exactly, it hadn't come up in conversation." I said without looking at the guys. I could feel them watching me. But we weren't a team any more. We were nothing but a group of hunters sharing a job. In my mind the less they knew about me, the easier I could move on with my life.
"Just what have you been doing?" Dean asked walking over to me. He was pissed, but then again it was my life now, he didn't need to know every little thing I did.
"Hunting." I replied staring him down. I wasn't going to let him think he could push me around.
"What?" Dean demanded. I stared into his green eyes and decided not to back down. The green showed me how he really felt. I could see he was mad, but deep down I could see he was worried about me, worried what I was getting myself into.
"Before the apocalypse, Heaven may have been corrupt, but it was stable. The staff was safely contained." Cass explained and sighed. We were still glaring at each other. "It's been chaos up there since the war ended. In that confusion, a number of... powerful weapons were... stolen." Castiel added.
"And that's what I've been looking into." I sighed still looking into Dean's eyes.
"Wait, you - you're saying your nukes are loose?" Dean asked and looked at me. "And your mopping up the mess?" I didn't say anything. But the looks did more then words. Dean shook his head looking at me disapprovingly.
"Yeah, I'm afraid so. But you've stumbled onto one of them. We must find the weapon that did this." Cass said looking at the jar and then looked up at us. "I need your help."
"That's rich. Really." Sam scoffed. Cass grunted and threw the jar of locusts at Sam.
"Sam, Dean, my "people skills" are "rusty." Pardon me, but I have spent the last "year" as a multidimensional wavelength of celestial intent. But believe me, you do not want that weapon down here. Help me find it. Or more people will die." Cass explained using air quotes on a few words. He was annoyed and I understood why. He'd not stop fighting since the apocalypse started, he'd not had a year off. And here the Winchesters were acting like they owned the place demanding Cass to be at their beck and call.
"All right. Okay. Well, if the angels didn't pull the trigger, then that brings us back to motive." Dean sighed moving back over to me and looking at the paper on the table.
"What?" Cass asked confused.
"Back to the case. Right now, we got three dead cops. Only thing linking them... is this." Sam said as Dean passed him a piece of paper saying "Father of slain suspect calls for investigation."
The next thing I knew Cass had zapped us all into a living room. There was a man sat on a sofa looking at something on the table.
"Oh, Cass, a little warning next time." Dean shouted as we appeared in the room. A guy on the sofa looked shocked.
"What the... how'd you get in here?" He asked looking at all four of us.
"Mr. Birch, settle down. Federal agents." Sam said as we flashed our badges.
"But you can't just walk in here!" Mr Birch shouted back.
"Quite a collection you've got there, huh?" Sam said nodding to the paper clippings on the coffee table in front of Mr Birch. The papers were all about the dead cops and the investigation into his son.
"What are you trying to -" Mr Birch asked.
"Look, we know the truth, all right? Chris didn't have a gun on him when those cops shot him. They set him up." Sam said aggressively.
"Yeah. They're all getting theirs." Mr Birch said looking back down at the papers.
"And who's giving it to them, Darryl?" Sam asked accusingly.
"Darryl? Did you kill Toby Gray and the others?" Dean asked.
"Me? I didn't kill anyone! Look at how they died!" Darryl said shocked that we had even asked him.
"You smote them with the Staff of Moses!" Cass shouted.
"The hell kind of Fed are you?" Darryl asked utterly confused with the guys. I felt every emotion the mad was feeling. He was still deeply mourning his son, yet the flame for revenge was burning strong. He was happy the cops were getting theirs but he was telling the truth.
"Guys..." I said softly.
"We don't have time for this." Cass said walking up to Darryl. "Where is it?"
"Leave my dad alone!" A kid shouted at us holding a piece of wood.
"Is that...?" Dean asked as we looked at the kid.
"Yes." Cass said plainly.
"Shouldn't it be bigger?" Sam asked as well all still watched the kid with the stick.
"Yes. It's - it's been sawed off." Cass replied plainly.
"Leave him alone! It wasn't him!" The kid yelled shaking the stick in our direction.
"Aaron, get out of here!" Darryl yelled to his kid. Cass turned around and tapped him on the head sending him to sleep on the sofa.
"What did you do to him?" Aaron asked nervously.
"It's all right. He's just sleeping." Dean said calmly. Aaron pointed the staff at Dean. In a blink Cass was stood next to Aaron and took the staff off him.
"Cass, take it easy!" Dean shouted and then turned to Aaron. "Listen, we're not here to hurt you, okay? But we need to know... where did you get this thing?"
"Please don't kill my dad. It was me. I did it." Aaron said panicking. Both me and Dean walked closer to Aaron.
"Okay, nobody's killing anybody. What's your name?" Dean said softly.
"Aaron. Aaron Birch." Aaron said backing away from us.
"Okay, Aaron Birch, where did you get this?" I asked softly.
"You won't believe me." Aaron said nervously.
"Try us." Dean asked trying to make the kid feel safer.
"It was an angel." Aaron said barely above a whisper.
"An angel?" Dean asked.
"Those liars, they killed my brother, and nothing bad even happened to them. It's not fair. So I prayed to God every night he would punish them. God didn't answer. But he did." Aaron said getting mad over the death of his big brother.
"His name - did he give you a name?" Castiel asked.
"No. He just said I could have justice, but I was gonna have to take it myself. He... he gave me the stick." Aaron said and I could hear that he was lying.
"He just... gave it to you? Ah, come on. He didn't just give it to you, did he, Aaron?" Dean asked leaning on the kid a little.
"I bought it." Aaron admitted.
"You bought it?" Sam asked laughing. "With what? What's your allowance?"
"What did the Angel want for it? What did you give him for it?" I asked watching the kid carefully.
"My soul." Aaron admitted.
"You sold your soul to an Angel?" Sam asked shocked. Dean turned to Cass.
"Can that even happen?" Dean asked worried.
"It's never happened before. An Angel's buying souls. That could explain why he cut the staff into pieces." Cass explained.
"Why?" Sam asked confused.
"More pieces, more product." Cass explained.
"More product? Who is this guy?" Dean asked.
"We'll find him." Cass replied and then pressed his fingers against Aaron's forehead knocking him out cold. Cass picked him up in his arms.
"What did you do that for?" Dean asked sounding annoyed.
"Portability." Cass said as we suddenly changed surrounding. We were back in the boys motel room. Cass dumped the kid on the bed.
"Cass, you realize you just kidnapped a kid?" Dean asked shocked.
"If the angel we seek truly bought this boy's soul, when a claim is laid on a living soul, it leaves a mark, a brand." Cass explained.
"What, like a - like a shirt tag at camp?" Sam asked with a smirk.
"I have no idea. But I can read the mark and find the name of the angel that bought the soul." Cass said plainly.
"How?" Me and Dean asked at the same time.
"Well, painfully for him. The reading will be excruciating." Cass said pulling his sleeve up.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold on." Dean said and I felt a knot turned in my stomach. This felt wrong.
"Dean." Cass said plainly.
"He's a kid, Cass. A ki- Sam?" Dean asked turning back to me and Sam. I turned to Sam and was shocked at how cold he looked.
"Any permanent damage?" Sam asked looking at Cass.
"What?" Dean asked getting mad.
"Physically, minimal." Cass replied.
"Oh, well, yeah, then by all means, stick your arm right in there." Dean said sarcastically turning to me. I shrugged my shoulders while I tried to think of another way.
"Dean! If I get the name, I can work a ritual to track the angel down." Cass explained and I could see he was starting to get stressed.
"And I'm all for that. But come on. There's got to be another way." Dean yelled.
"Wait!" I yelled pulling my phone out, and everyone looked at me.
"What?" Cass asked.
"Let me call Pay, he's been looking, he might know the angel. Five minutes, that's all I'm asking for." I said pulling my phone out.
"Yes. It's better than this!" Dean yelled pointing to the kid. I hit dial and raised the phone to my ear. It rang, and rang. Come on Pay, pick up man, I really need you to pick up now... any time... I sighed as I herd the click.
"Hey ladies, you've reached the angel you've always been looking for. Leave me a message and your number and you know I'll get right back to you." The phone beeped and I sighed again.
"Pay its Meg, things are heavy here and I really could do with a name for the Angel. Get back to me A.S.A.P." I hung up and turned back to the guys shaking my head sadly. Dean looked crushed while Sam didn't seem to care.
"There is no other way." Cass said looking at Dean.
"You're gonna torture a kid?" Dean asked disgusted.
"I can't care about that, Dean! I don't have the luxury." Cass replied actually sounding sad about what he had to do. Cass pushed his hand into Aaron's chest.
"I can't watch this." I said turning my back on the guys. I herd the kid scream and saw Dean rush forward, Sam held him back. I looked and saw Sam's face. He looked so interested and intrigued in what Cass was doing. That wasn't the Sam I knew. I shivered watching him. The screaming died down and I turned back as Cass pulled his arm out of the kid.
"He'll rest now." Cass said plainly.
"Did you get a name? What is it?" Sam asked Cass.
"I thought he died in the war." Cass said in disbelief.
"What, he - he was a - he was a friend or something?" Sam asked.
"A good friend." Cass sighed and I knew in that second it was the Balthazar guy Payton thought it was.
"Yeah, well, your frat buddy is now moonlighting as a crossroads demon." Dean said sarcastically.
"Balthazar. I wonder..." Cass said as Payton appeared in the room.
"It's Balthazar." He said looking at Cass.
"Yeah we got that angel boy!" Dean said sarcastically.
"I'm sorry Castiel, I know the past you two share. I had to make sure..." Payton said trailing off.
"So we can find him now, right?" Sam asked. Suddenly I felt someone else enter the room we all turned and saw a guy stood in the room.
"Balthazar. Thanks, Castiel. We'll make good use of the name." He said pulling out an angel blade and attacking Castiel. Cass managed to block the attack with his own blade. "And by the way, Raphael says hello." The pair continued to fight and eventually Cass barged the guy out of the window. Me, Sam and Dean raced to the window and saw the pair land on Sam's car, before the guy disappeared.
"My car." Sam said looking upset.
"Okay. Silver lining." Dean smirked and I smiled as Sam turned and looked mad at the pair of us.
As we stood watching Sam's wrecked car Cass reappeared in the room.
"He's gone." Cass said plainly as we turned to him.
"Alright Cass, who was that guy?" Sam asked and Cass glanced at Payton.
"A soldier of Raphael. He must have followed me when I answered your call." Cass explained.
"I should have kept an eye out for him, sorry bro." Payton sighed shaking his head.
"Raphael? The archangel? I'm sorry, what's going on here?" Sam asked utterly confused and by the look on Dean's face he looked just as confused. Cass walked over to a cupboard and pulled a few things out.
"I can explain later. Right now we have to -" Cass said walking past Dean.
"No, not later. Now. Stop, all right? Too many angels, Cass! I don't know who's on first, what's on second." Dean said blocking Castiel's path.
"What is second?" Cass asked confused glancing at Payton.
"Don't start that." Dean said firmly.
"It is simple: Raphael and his followers, they want him to rule Heaven. I - and many others - the last thing we want is to let him take over. It would be catastrophic." Cass explained.
"You're talking civil war." Sam said plainly.
"Technically, yes. Which is why we have to find Balthazar and his weapons before Raphael does. Whoever has the weapons wins the war." Cass explained as he continued to Sam's bed pulling out a bag from under his bed.
"So you already knew this?" Dean asked looking at me.
"Yeah, me and Pay have been trying to track this Balthazar guy down for nearly a year now. Every time we got close we lost his trail." I sighed leaning against the table.
"Well didn't you think, um I don't know, this was something we should have known?" Dean asked glaring at me. I kept my best poker face on and shrugged my shoulders.
"Until this morning, I didn't even know you were back hunting, so no. Not really." I said plainly and watched as it got Dean madder but I was still pissed at him returning to hunting.
"You could have told Sam." Dean said lowering his voice.
"And you could have told me you were hunting. A lack of communication runs in your family." I said pushing myself off the table.
"You didn't seem to mind in the past." Dean said as I reached his side.
"Yeah well a lots changed." I said and walked over to the window. Cass pulled a few things from the bag and walked back to the table.
"Help yourself." Sam said sarcastically.
"And what happens if Raphael wins? What - what does he want?" Dean asked trying to focus on the case again.
"What he's always wanted - to end the story the way it was written." Cass said plainly.
"You mean the Apocalypse, the one that we derailed?" Dean asked confused and I watched.
"Yes. That one. Raphael wants to put it back on the rails." Cass said as he put the things on the table.
"Why?" Dean asked as all three of us looked uncomfortable at the idea of the apocalypse starting again.
"I need myrrh." Cass said to himself.
"Myrrh?" Sam asked and Cass disappeared.
"Freaking angels." Dean muttered and in a blink Cass was back drawing on the table in chalk. "Why does Raphael want to bring back all this crap?" Dean asked turning to him.
"He's a traditionalist." Cass replied busy working on the spell.
"Cass, why didn't you tell us this?" Dean asked stopping Cass in his tracks.
"I was ashamed. I expected more from my brothers. I'm sorry." Cass said and glanced at Payton. "Now I need your blood." He added grabbing Dean's wrist and slicing his palm.
"Whoa, whoa! Hey! Arh! Why don't you use your own?" Dean asked as the blood ran into the bowl.
"It wouldn't work. I'm not human." Cass explained. Dean wrapped some cloth around the cut as Cass added the myrrh and holy water. I herd sirens in the distance and saw a couple of police cars heading our way. I turned back and caught Sam's eye.
"Uh, Cass, how long does this spell take?" Sam asked nervously. The sirens got louder and I walked closer to the guys. Cass didn't answer and I looked at Payton for help.
"Got him. Let's go." Cass said and reach out to us.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. What about him?" Dean asked pointing to the kid who was still asleep on the bed.
"Don't you think the police will take him home?" Cass asked before zapping us.
We were taken to a mansion. It was nice, nothing too special but I did notice Payton wasn't around.
"Where's angel boy?" Dean asked looking around too.
"He expressed an unwillingness to be around Balthazar." Cass said.
"Huh?" Dean asked.
"Did he tell you?" I asked looking at Cass.
"Yes." Cass replied plainly.
"Tell who what?" Dean asked.
"So do you want me to back you up?" I asked Cass as we walked towards the mansion completely ignoring Dean's question.
Cass took me into the mansion and we saw a frog sat on the staircase croaking.
"A friend of yours?" I asked and Cass zapped us up the stairs.
"No." Cass replied as we herd loud music. We fallowed it into a large room with a piano and strobe lighting. The door closed behind us and Cass pulled his angle blade out as I pulled my family knife out.
"Cass. You're here, and you brought a friend." A man said giving me the once over. I got no emotions from him and guessed he was an angel.
"Balthazar." Cass replied. "This is Megan, she is a friend."
"It's so good to see you, and a pleasure to meet you. He told me you were floating around." Balthazar said walking over to us.
"He?" Cass asked confused.
"I believe you two have flown together." Balthazar said turning the light off and stopping the music. On the floor laid the guy who attacked us back in the motel room. "Oh, you know, the old frog in the throat." Balthazar added as a frog jumped out of his throat and croaked. I raised an eye brow.
"Even I know that that's a bad joke." Cass said with a small smile and then lost it. "I grieved your death."
"Yeah, yeah. I'm sorry about that, you know. I wanted them to think, you know, so... they wouldn't come looking for me?" Balthazar explained, he seemed reasonable.
"What... is all this? What are you doing?" Castiel asked walking closer to him.
"Whatever I want. This morning I had a ménage à - what's French for 12?" Balthazar asked and winked at me. I rolled my eyes.
"You stole the Staff of Moses?" Cass asked.
"Sure, sure. I stole a lot of things." Balthazar replied walking up to Cass.
"You were a great and honourable soldier. We fought together..." Cass said as Balthazar walked away.
"Yes, too many times to count." Balthazar said with his back to us.
"I know you. You're not some common thief." Cass said and he turned around.
"Common? No. Thief? Eh." Balthazar replied.
"I need your help." Cass explained.
"I know. I've been hearing all about you, and as far as I'm concerned, you and me, Cass, nothing's changed. We're brothers. Of course I want to help you." Balthazar said firmly.
"Thank you. I need the weapons." Cass asked.
"Don't ask that." Balthazar sighed.
"Why take them? Why run away?" Cass asked trying to understand.
"Because I could!" Balthazar replied and Cass looked upset. "What? What? I me- you're the one who made it possible. The footsteps I'm following - they're yours. What you did, stopping the big plan, the prize fight? You did more than rebel. You tore up the whole script and burned the pages for all of us." He laughed and then continued. "It's a new era. No rules, no destiny. Just utter and complete freedom."
"And this is what you do with it?" Cass asked looking around the room we were in.
"Hey, screw it, right? I mean, dad's not coming back. You might as well blow coke and jump on the bed. You proved to me we could do anything, so I'm trying everything. What difference does it make?" Balthazar asked looking Cass dead in the eye.
"Of course it makes a diff- it's civil war up there!" Cass sighed as he tried to explain.
"I know." Balthazar said plainly.
"If we can beat Raphael, we can end this! Just give me the weapons." Cass demanded.
"Do you know what's funny about you? You actually believe that you can stop the fighting." Balthazar laughed. "It will never stop. My advice - grab something valuable and fake your own death." He added seriously.
"You've gone insane. Your little holiday is over. Raphael knows you're alive by now." Cass said shaking his head.
"Oh, Raphael can try me any time. I'm armed." Balthazar said walked away. "I'm sorry, Cass. All else aside, I'm really, really happy to see you. Even though you still have that stick up your ass." I laughed and Balthazar looked at me. Really looked at me and then looked confused.
"What?" I asked softly.
"Tell Raziel, I will keep my promise if I see him again." Balthazar said and my body stiffened. "But you don't have to fear me, I like you." He added with a warm smile. Before I could respond thunder crashed. "Was that you?" He asked looking at Castiel. Cass shook his head. "Oh, that's my cue then. Tell, uh, Raphael to bite me." He added before clicking his fingers.
I blinked and I was stood in a room somewhere different with Balthazar. I pulled my knife out in front of me and looked at him confused. I didn't like angel airways especially with an angel I'd just met.
"Ok what's the deal?" I asked as he walked over and sat on a green sofa.
"I wanted a little chat with you alone." Balthazar said tapping the seat next to him. "Don't worry I wont hurt you."
"Yeah not the first time an angels said that to me and lied." I said still standing.
"Look, I just wanted to talk about Raziel. How much do you actually know about him?" Balthazar asked leaning forward.
"Enough to know he's a good guy." I replied relaxing slightly.
"Really?" He scoffed sitting back. "Did you know he tried to kill me for trying to help him?"
"Yeah, actually." I replied with a small smile.
"Did he tell you who he was with at the time?" Balthazar asked.
"Yeah a crossroads demon named Julia. Look, I gotta say Balthazar, school yard tales don't really bother me. I've seen him save lives, hell he's saved mine enough times over. He's a good guy, and so what if his past isn't squeaky clean. Who's is?" I asked watching Balthazar as he stood up nodding.
"He was working with the demon to bring the apocalypse forward. He was trying to end this world you love so much. He was breaking seals way before those slow witted demons thought about doing it." Balthazar said plainly watching me. I shifted my weight slightly and took a deep breath. Payton? But he worked so hard to stop it... no no this isn't Payton.
"But he stopped, when he tried to kill you. He stopped." I replied and felt a gust of wind behind me.
"Don't hurt her because of me Balthazar!" Payton said in a warning tone walking in front of me and putting his arm over me.
"Raziel, please. What do you take me for?" Balthazar asked smirking. The pair glared at each other.
"Leave her alone." Payton said threw grit teeth.
"I will now your here." Balthazar said laughing. The pair walked up to each other as if they were about to fight. I raced in the middle.
"Oh no! No angel smack-down. Not here, not now!" I yelled pushing both angels back. I turned to Payton. "You. He said you tried to kick start the apocalypse, is that true?" I asked looking into his eyes. I needed to know I could trust Payton, I needed him to be honest with me. Even if the honest meant admitting to some painful memories.
"You know I did some pretty awful things Megan." Payton replied watching Balthazar.
"Did you break seals?" I asked looking up into his blue oceans. They were so troubled.
"I tried." Payton said coldly looking back in my eyes. I took a deep breath. "That was Raziel, that was when I was reckless. Now, I'm... I'm trying to fix it." He said softening up as he looked in my eyes. I nodded and turned back to Balthazar.
"And you. Is Castiel really such a close brother to you?" I asked poking Balthazar's chest.
"Yes." Balthazar replied.
"Then why leave him to Raphael? You have a freaking angel arsenal, use it to help Cass!" I shouted. Balthazar looked surprised and glanced at Payton.
"She's always like this." Pay said with a small smile.
"Fine, if it stops you bossing me around." Balthazar said looking at me then he glanced at Payton. "Our business isn't over brother."
"I got that feeling..." Pay said plainly dropping his head slightly at the threat.
Balthazar zapped me back to the house with him. Raphael punched Castiel so that he fell onto his knee's. It didn't look like Cass was doing so well.
"Somehow, I don't think God will be bringing you back this time." Raphael joked raising his angel blade.
"Hey! Look at my junk." Balthazar shouted holding up a glowing rock. Raphael looked up at it.
"No." He cried as he turned to salt and then collapsed into a small pile of salt on the floor.
"Same thing happened to Lot's wife. Iodize the poor sucker, and your kitchen is stocked for life." Balthazar joked laughing a little.
"You came back." Castiel said getting to his feet.
"She forced me." Balthazar said giving me a small smile. "Well, now Raphael will have to go shopping for a new vessel. Should give me a nice long head start on him. Until next time."
"Next time." Cass said plainly.
"No time like the present." Dean said flicking a lighter and dropping it on the floor. It lit a ring of holy oil, trapping Balthazar. I walked over to Dean's side.
"Holy fire. You hairless ape! Release me!" Balthazar demanded.
"First you're taking your marker off of Aaron Birch's soul!" Dean yelled and I smiled.
"Am I?" Balthazar asked shocked at the idea.
"Sam?" Dean yelled and Sam walked into the room with a bottle of holy oil.
"Unless you like your wings extra crispy," Sam said taking the lid off the oil. "I'd think about it."
"Castiel, I stood for you in Heaven. Are you gonna let -" Balthazar said turning to Cass.
"I believe... the hairless ape has the floor." Cass said glancing at Dean
"Very well." Balthazar laughed looking at me and Dean. He took a deep breath in and held his hands to his face before breathing out. "The boy's debt is cleared. His soul is his own."
"Why you buying up human souls, anyway?" Dean asked after checking with Cass that Balthazar was telling the truth.
"In this economy? It's probably the only thing worth buying. Do you have any idea what souls are worth? What power they hold? Now... release me." Balthazar demanded.
"Suck it, ass clown. Nobody said anything -" Dean started to say when Cass made the flames lower by lowering his hand. "Cass, what the hell?" Dean asked looking at Cass then back to Balthazar.
"My debt to you is cleared." Cass said looking at Balthazar.
"Fair enough." Balthazar said and then glanced at me. "See you around." He added with a wink before disappearing.
"Cass, are you out of your mind?" Dean asked Cass just before he disappeared too. "Cass? Oh, friggin' angels! Come on!"
We went back to the motel to pick up my car and Sam's stuff from his wreck. Sam walked off to his wreck and searched it for anything. I started to walk off to my car when Dean grabbed my arm and pulled me back to him. I looked at our arms and raised an eyebrow.
"Last guy who did that ended up with a broken nose." I said plainly as Dean let go of me.
"I want to talk." Dean said leaning on the boot of the Impala.
"About?" I asked folding my arms over my chest. Dean took a deep breath and looked over at Sam. I fallowed his gaze. "Oh."
"Oh exactly. Did you see him back in the room with Aaron?" Dean asked shaking his head. "He didn't even seem bothered the kid was in pain."
"I don't think he was." I said softly moving to lean on the boot next to Dean. He looked down at me and shook his head.
"So I'm not crazy." Dean said smiling a little.
"Well that's a completely different question. But when it comes to Sam..." I sighed and rubbed the back of my neck. "He's different. He's cold."
"Can you... sense anything?" Dean asked softly.
"Sense?" I asked confused.
"Wolf wise." Dean clarified.
"Oh.. no. Nothing. As far as I can tell, that's Sam, your baby brother." I sighed. "But..."
"Yeah I know what you mean. He's not the same." Dean sighed.
"He's not the only one though." I said pushing myself off the boot. "Why'd you come back Dean?"
"What?" Dean asked confused.
"Why the hell are you hunting again? You should be living some nice life with Lisa and Ben. Why have you come back to this crummy life? You had it. The normal life." I sighed shaking my head. I was so mad at Dean for giving it all up.
"I find out my baby brothers back from Hell, I can't leave him alone in the world. I have to help him, hunt with him." Dean sighed.
"Yeah well he managed fine for a year with the Campbell's." I said shaking my head. "You didn't need to come back Dean."
"Yes I did!" Dean said pushing himself off the boot and getting mad. "He's my brother."
"But you had a family!" I said getting mad myself.
"Why do you care? You hate Lisa! And you've got your little friend Channing!" Dean barked at me. I stopped dead. Why did I care? Why do I care? I love you Dean! God it's so obvious isn't it? I still love you! So much that I'm trying to pick faults with Channing just so I could be closer to you again! I love you, and I always will... so that's why I care. He looked into my eyes and I dropped my head as he started to shake his head. I guess it is that obvious. "Oh no... No Megan. You... no..." Dean said softer.
"I gave you up, gave us up, so you'd get out of all this. So you could have a nice normal happy long life. And now your back? Your throwing it all away for what? Sam?" I asked as tear began to form in my eyes. Dean stepped forward and I moved back. "You don't get to hug me any more Dean." I said taking a deep breath and swallowing the lump that formed in my throat. "I gave you up so you could live. Now your throwing it all away. Throwing away the sacrifice I gave you." I said shaking my head.
"Megan, please." Dean said moving closer to me. "I... I never thought you still..."
"You're wrong Dean." I said shaking my head, I had to strong now. I needed to make the break. I knew how hard it would be to carry on with him in my life. Time to lie your arse off Megan, better make it real or else this wont work... "No, I don't love you any more. But... it took everything I had to walk away for you. Please, don't make that into a mistake. Go home, go home and live a long life."
"He's my brother Megan. I can't abandon him." Dean said watching me closely. I knew he'd never leave Sam now he had him back. No matter how strange Dean felt Sam had become.
"Then..." I took a deep breath and held it a few seconds before letting it out again. "I can't see you again. I refuse to watch you throw it all away again. I'm sorry Dean." I said and started to walk away when Dean raced up and pulled me round to face him.
"Look me in the eyes and say that." He said firmly. He'd used that trick on me before, when he knew I was bluffing he'd force me to look into his eyes and try and lie. And every time it worked. I couldn't lie to him. Not when I looked into his eyes. I looked up into the greenest eyes I had ever seen and pulled on everything I had. This time had to be different I had to be stronger.
"I'm can't see you again Dean. Good bye." I said and turned and walked away. I climbed into my car and started the engine. As I pulled out the lot I saw Dean's face. He was heartbroken. I'd proved him wrong when he was so sure... I hoped it would show him how bad it was for him to be back in the life. Then again I knew Dean, he probably wouldn't listen.
Ok I hope you guys still like it. Reviews=Love=Happy Author! Thanks again guys.