Let's just say for the sake of the story, Slumber Party, never happened. For Sam and Dean, this is sometime just before Holy Terror, for Cas, it is sometime during the time of Holy Terror.
Warnings: Some swearing, and mild violence.
". . . Seriously? She's the one trying to take over hell!. . .Are you ok?. . . Saying you're fine does not mean that you are actually good. Saying fine means you are trying to avoid the question! . . . Of course you can handle yourself I- . . . No! There is no way I'm letting you do that . . . Fine . . . Ok . . . I'll see you there tomorrow morning. Stay safe, and lay low ok? . . . I love you too, kiddo." With a sigh, Dean Winchester snapped his phone shut, and slouched even deeper into his chair.
It had been a rough few weeks. Angels falling from heaven, forcing his brother to be possessed by an angel to save his life, Cas losing his grace, and Abaddon taking over hell, and attacking his family. What else could go wrong?
"That was quite the conversation," Sam commented, walking into the library with two beers in his hand, "Who were you talking to?"
Dean grabbed one of the beer bottles, and quickly took a swig, "Charlie."
Sam's eyes lit up in a way Dean hadn't seen since the trails to close the gates of Hell failed, "Charlie, as in, the red headed, geek, Charlie?" Dean nodded his head, " That's great! I can't even remember the last time I talked to her! How is sh- wait. Why was she calling?"
"Some of Abaddon's goons attacked her," Dean said with a sigh, "Abaddon must have gotten information that she was with us. They attacked Charlie in the middle of night. She said she was lucky to make it out alive."
"How the hell did Abaddon connect us to her?"
"No idea Sammy. But I assume some of Crowley's old loyalists let it slip that we had family outside the three of us!"
Sam put his elbows on the table, and rested his head in his hands. A muffled question came out of his mouth: "What if it isn't Charlie."
"It is," Dean replied, trying to reassure both himself and Sam, " It has to be. She said rustic." Dean remembered when Charlie had insisted on having a code word to prove it was her. She had been terrified that a Leviathan would end up taking her body. She had chosen the word rustic for no reason other than it was a word no normal person would say in conversation.
"Is she coming here?" Sam questioned, waving his arm around The Bunker.
"No. Charlie wasn't sure if she was being trailed, so she insisted on meeting us at Maddy's Grill in Lebanon for breakfast tomorrow. Once we clear her we can hightail it back here and lay low until Abaddon's demons are off our trail. It should be secure enough." Dean tried to assure himself.
"Well," Sam said, standing up and stretching, a look of worry still etched onto his face, "If this is going to be our last outing for a while, I'm going to see if Kevin wants to come. I don't even remember the last time he went outside."
"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Dean countered, "I know that Kevin does need some time in the outside world, but if Abaddon got her hands on him..."
"I know. In all honesty though, without the tablet, Kevin is useless. But without Kevin, they won't find the tablet. Even if they did get him, they can't kill him. He's safe, Dean." This time, Dean didn't have anything say against the idea.
Sam flashed a final, wobbly smile at his brother, before heading off to find Kevin.
Honestly, he was worried about his makeshift family. Dean had been unusually solemn. He would smile, a very convincing smile, every time someone was around him. As soon as he thought he was alone, the façade would drop. Dean looked like he was slowly being eaten alive by something. It wasn't just that though. Dean was drinking more than usual, sleeping even less than normal, and spent most of his days reading up on the Knights of Hell.
Kevin was even more worrying. The kid barely left his room. When he did, it was only because his eyes were hurting from trying to read the Angel Tablet for so long. Kevin pretty much only ate when food was being stuffed down his throat. He had to be told to shower and to get some sleep, or he would literally go for days on end without either.
When Charlie had started hunting, he had become worried. When they had first met, after the Leviathan incident, she had wanted to never hear the word hunter again. Now she was traveling across the country, hunting monsters like they did. He didn't want his little sister to suffer like he had. He knew how badly hunting could scar. Physically and mentally.
Cas had shown up at the bunker excited and ready to learn from the two Winchester's. Sam had personally been ready to help Cas adjust to his new human form. He was going to teach him how to eat properly, and all the things that had kept them safe over the years. Instead, the next morning Cas had disappeared. He hadn't even left a note.
His family was falling apart and there wasn't much he could do to help.
/-/-/-/-/-/-/
"Does every dart have holy oil in it!"
The man before him stuttered, "N-No Saymon, sir. I haven't had enough time add the holy oil in y-yet."
"You are easily replaceable Jadry. Don't forget that."
"O-of course, sir." Jadry replied, "I do have good news though, sir."
"And what would that be?" Saymon sneered.
"You said you were looking for a w-witch powerful enough to cast the spell. I think I may have found one. If you hurry, you should be able to get her help before the troops set out. If you have her, taking down the Winchester with an Angel possessing him should be easy. Sir." Jadry responded, hoping he had done the right thing.
A laugh burst from Saymon, "And what is this witch's name?"
"Olivette, High Priestess and Leader of the Grand Coven." Saymon laughed louder this time, the echo of it ringing in Jadry's ears, "If you have the spell, she should be able to cast it. The only reason she has gone unnoticed for so long is she no longer has any spells to cast!"
"Jadry, for someone as stupid as yourself, it is a shock that you, of all people, have found me the perfect candidate. Just for that, you're punishment for siding with Crowley will be cut down by a couple of years."
"But, Saymon! I have done more than just help, I just saved your entire operation!" Jadry whined, glaring at Saymon's back.
"A simple thank you would suffice, but seeing that your manners haven't improved, I think I'll add some time onto your sentence. A couple thousand years should suffice."
Saymon listened to the screams of protest with a smile on his face. With this witch, Olivette, he would finally end the Winchesters, and get The Queen's respect at last.
/-/-/-/-/-/-/
The two Winchester's and Kevin were patiently waiting outside the restaurant for Charlie to arrive. Surprisingly, it had taken little convincing to get Kevin to join them on the trip to Lebanon. After the usual, ' This is going to end badly,' all Kevin had wanted was the opportunity to hide the tablet. Just in case.
Kevin already looked just a bit happier with the sun beating down on him. He still looked way too pale, skinny, and tired, but the sun was making him look better.
"Hey," Dean exclaimed suddenly, "I think that's Charlie's car!" A small 1989 mustang pulled up to the restaurant. The yellow car had a few dents, and it's paint was worn out. The driver inside didn't look much better.
"Hey Bitches!" Charlie jested with her usual vigor, a smile on her face, "Long time no see!" The girl herself had bed head and was wearing, what looked like, day old clothing. Her makeup wasn't fairing much better.
Kevin nervously stuck out his hand, "Hi, I'm Kevin." Instead of a handshake, Charlie wrapped her arms around him and pulled him into a tight hug. In return, Kevin awkwardly patted her back.
"Not to try and break up this meeting or anything," Sam proclaimed, "But we should probably make sure you, are well, you."
Charlie nodded in agreement. She let them test her without a complaint. In fact, she spent more time looking down the road she had come from than paying attention to the tests.
By time the four made it inside, the breakfast rush had ended. There were several people scattered around the restaurant, all of them looking like normal locals. A man was reading the paper in one of the corners, two men were having breakfast, and a woman was sipping tea and reading a book. Charlie and Dean ended up squishing on one side of a booth, Sam and Kevin on the other side.
"What happened Charlie?" Dean asked when everyone had settled down.
Charlie sighed, and shook her head, "In was working a case down in Minnesota. A poltergeist ended up pretty much destroying an older couple's house. I was able to figure out whose ghost it was, and was able to salt and burn the bones before anyone died. Anyways, I was heading back to my room at this sketchy motel, when I noticed my door open. As in broken open. I grabbed my gun and headed in. I took down two of the four right off, but the other two ganged up on me. They got in a few good hits before I took another one down. The last demon booked it, but before he left, he shouted at me something about Abaddon coming to kill me personally."
"I'm so sorry Charlie," Sam said gently, "Look, we'll stay here for a couple of hours, make sure you weren't followed, and head back to the Bunker from there." Everyone nodded.
"Hi there!" A bubbly voice called from beside them, "My name is Natalie, and I'll be your waiter today. Can I get you guys something to drink?"
Dean was the first to respond, "Well hello there," a smile made its way to his face, "You must be new here, I haven't seen you here before."
Natalie smiled back, "Yep, just got the job here earlier this week."
"That's good! I can't say I've seen very many waiters as attractive as you."
The waiter ducked her head, and shuffled her feet. The grin was still on her face.
"I'm very sorry about my friend here," Charlie apologized, "He's quite the flirt. I'll take a coffee, please."
"Make that two, please." Kevin requested.
"Four, if you don't mind," Sam asked, gesturing to himself and Dean.
The waitress nodded, smiled one last time at Dean, and left to get them their drinks.
"Well," Charlie declared, "I'm going to the washrooms to clean up a little. Pancakes for me, if I'm not back by time the waiter comes back."
As Charlie left, Sam set his eyes on Dean, "Really?"
"Yes," Dean responded, "She was hot. Besides, there are very few girls that can rock the red hair like that! And that body Sam. Think of that body!" Sam only shook his head.
Coffee and breakfast came without a hitch. No one seemed overly suspicious, or looked like they wanted to murder Charlie, so that was a plus.
Turned out that Kevin and Charlie were meant to be friends. The two got along particularly well. They both found it easy to make fun of the Winchesters, and both turned out to be very cautious of their surroundings.
Of course, when everything began to look ok, disaster struck. Dean was coming back from the bathroom when he saw it.
His smoking hot waitress handed the man with the newspaper a slip of paper. It definitely wasn't a receipt judging by how they were handing it to each other. Natalie had slipped it into his pocket as she walked by. The man instantly reached into his pocket to grab it.
He glanced at their table as he read it.
"We need to leave," Dean uttered under his breath as soon as he got back to his table, "Like now. Two o'clock."
Both Sam, and Kevin looked at the man out of the corner of their eyes. Charlie froze.
Sam grabbed his wallet and threw a few twenties on the table, easily enough to cover the cost of their meal. The brothers slipped out of their seats, Charlie and Kevin were not far behind. They barely made it past their booth before Natalie stepped out in front of them, a gun in hand.
"I wouldn't move if I were you," a masculine voice said behind them, "I don't want this to end messily."
Dean groaned in protest, "Of course its Natalie. The hot ones always turn out to be devil worshipers."
"Listen carefully. You are going to put your hands behind your head, and get down on your knees. You are then going to be arrested. You make any moves, I shoot you. Got it?"
The four complied. They all slowly put their hands behind their heads. Charlie and Kevin got on the ground, both with defiant expressions on their face.
Before the brothers went down, Dean whispered one simple word, "Ezekiel."
In an instant, Sam was standing straighter. A flash of blue crossed his eyes.
"Put down the gun," Sam asked calmly.
The redhead snarled, "Get on the ground!"
Instead, a flash of lightning showed the shadow of wings behind Sam. There wasn't much left of them, but it still caused both the gunmen to take a step back. Natalie's eyes were wide.
Sam turned to face his friends, "Cover your ears."
Dean dove to the floor, covering his ears in the process. Charlie and Kevin followed his lead.
Ezekiel turned back to the women, and opened his mouth. Instead of words, a terrible screeching noise came out of his mouth. Both gunmen dropped their guns in order to get their hands over their ears. Windows exploded around the restaurant, anything made of glass shattered within seconds.
When it stopped, Natalie and the man were too disoriented to stop the four from jumping out the nearest window and onto the street.
"Shit!" Dean yelled as he ran past the slashed tires of his car, "Keep running!"
The four hunters didn't stop running, even when guns started to go off. They had made it to an alley a few blocks over before someone got hit.
Sam, who had been holding up the rear end of the group, had collapsed at the start of the alley. Dean had hesitated hearing his brother fall to the ground, but quick thinking sent him after Charlie and Kevin. There was nothing he could do for Sam at the moment, especially since he had no idea how they managed to take down the sorta angel.
By time Dean caught up with the other two, the shots had stopped. The duo had smashed a window of an older car. Charlie was in the process of hot wiring it, while Kevin stood beside her, a gun in hand.
"Where's Sam!" Kevin asked, looking over Dean's shoulder for him.
"Get in the car," Dean ordered, gently pulling the gun out of Kevin's hand. For a moment Kevin didn't move. "Go!" Dean yelled, the engine finally starting up.
Kevin quickly got into the passenger seat. Charlie looked at Dean, waiting for him to get in the car as well.
"Get to The Bunker. Do a full lockdown procedure. Kevin knows what to do."
Charlie looked at him, mouth dropped into an 'O' shape, " What about you?"
Dean gestured his gun at the group of armored people slowly creeping towards them, then at the roofs, where more men were setting up guns. "I'll keep them busy."
Knowing that there was no arguing, Charlie stepped on the gas. The two watched as Dean fired of several shots before going down like his brother had. It wasn't long before the view of Dean being taken away by several black SUV's.
"Ok prophet, any ideas how to lose these guys?" Charlie asked, a small quiver in her voice.
The vehicles surrounded the hunters as Kevin thought. One on each side, and one bringing up the rear.
"Can you go any faster?" Kevin questioned, a plan forming in his head.
"Yes, I think?"
"See that alley up ahead, try and get into it!" Kevin advised, pointing wildly at it.
Charlie patiently waited. The cars around her began to close in, hoping to force them to a stop. Instead, when the alley was less than twenty-five feet away, Charlie shifted gears, and pressed the gas pedal to the floor.
The random speed boost got her in front of the cars, and left her enough room to slide into the alley. It wasn't quite so lucky for the others. The car on the right side tried to follow them, causing them to crash into the car on the left. The SUV that had been behind them managed to stop before crashing into the other two. With the alley blocked, the two were home free.
/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/
"I'm sorry sir, we lost them," came the regretful voice over the comms.
Steve rubbed his eyes in frustration. The mission had been... Off, from the start.
They had easily found their last known location, Lebanon, Kansas. The town was fairly small, but had a lot of charm. It seemed like the perfect place for a couple of mass murderers to hang out.
The team had split up, asking about the brothers around town. The two were well known at the bars, small grocery stores, and at cafés. Everyone seemed to have the same opinion about the two.
The manager at one of the bars had the biggest option in town on the two, "The Winchesters? Nice guys those two! They're always paying their tip, and are super nice to the waiters!"
"Do you ever think they'd hurt anyone?" Natasha had asked, watching the women for deception.
The manager had rolled her eyes at that, "Look, I have no idea what caused you to think that, but you're wrong if you think they've gone around hurting people. My boy, Lincoln had been bullied for years before Dean stepped in. He had been heading home for the night when he saw Lincoln being beaten in the alley. He stepped in, took their confidence down a few notches, and said to leave him alone. The principal at his school had done nothing about it for years. After Dean was done with them, the bullying stopped. Those guys are the kind of people who watch out for the guys who can't fight back." Her eyes hardened suddenly, "Now you think about what you're accusing those boys of!"
She had been one of many to express their liking of the boys.
They had decided to set up at a local diner that the brothers often went to, hoping to catch a clue to where they were there. Natasha had become a temporary waitress, while Steve had set himself up in the middle of the diner, hoping to catch some information.
The next day luck was in their hands because not only did the Winchester's show up, but so did two of the three others.
It had been normal up to the point where Sam suddenly had wings and could make ears bleed. That had not been in the briefing.
"Cap?" Natasha said quietly, "We need those two. If they leave, who knows what they could do. We should call in Bruce."
Steve sighed. Bruce was their last resort. Fury had clearly ordered that the Winchester's and associates were not to be killed. But they couldn't let Celeste and Kevin get away.
It was time to bring in the Hulk.
/-/-/-/-/-/-/
"Who the hell were those people?" Kevin asked in shock as they left town limits.
"Some sort of demons, leviathan, I don't know!" Charlie yelled back in response.
Kevin shook his head in disagreement, "Monsters, especially demons and leviathan tend to make sure we know who's about to kill them. They didn't have black eyes or overly large mouths. I think they were humans."
Charlie didn't respond. Her heart was pounding too fast. People had been after her since pretty much forever, but these people were different. Government? Military? Cops had been after her before, but no one this big.
"We'll be fi-" Charlie attempted to say, until a, what sounded like, roar, cut her off. She couldn't help it when a shriek left her mouth after glancing in the rear view mirror. Coming up behind them at an alarmingly fast pace, was a giant green monster.
Charlie, for the second time that day, floored it. Even with the car going at top speed, the monster was catching up to them.
"Please tell me you don't see that!" Kevin begged, his head turned to look at the beast behind them. Again Charlie ignored Kevin and focused on not dying by monster.
The green beast, that looked very familiar, suddenly took a giant leap, and landed right behind them. The road instantly tore apart, sending the small car into the ditch.
The car rolled several times, the airbags deploying on the second roll. By the last, both driver and passenger were unconscious.