I don't and can never own any of the Supernatural characters. sob

CHAPTER 4: ANGELS, DEMONS AND CHEESEBURGERS

"Ah, this is perfect." Dean had pulled over in front of a fast food joint on the highway and was grinning happily at it. "Do we have to go in?" I stepped out of the Impala reluctantly. It was such a beautiful car and it reminded me of all those times Uncle John had come over and Sasquatch and sometimes Dean. Dean never usually came if he could help it; he hated house calls. Sam had always been more friendly that way.

Dean, understanding the direction of my thoughts, smirked. "My baby does have that effect on people." He lovingly patted the bonnet of his car. "C'mon, you two." It was surprisingly quiet in the diner. A waitress with bust size so large, it had to be surgically enhanced- came over to us to take our order. "Hi, what can I get you?" she flipped her blond hair and smiled at Dean, who smiled back flirtatiously. "A bacon cheeseburger for me" he said. "Hawaiian salad" said Sam. "I got that. They'll be here in a few" the waitress batted her eyelashes. "Hey, wait" Sam protested angrily when she began to walk away. "Aren't you going to take her order?" he gestured at me. "Uh, sure. What'll it be?" she asked unwillingly, her eyes still on Sam. I lost it. "Your head on a platter" I snapped. Dean let out a horse laugh and Sam chuckled quietly. "Oh, and don't you forget the fork" I added to the zapped blond, who fled the scene seconds later. "Little Arya is still as fiery as she used to be" Dean said admiringly. "Thanks" I said sarcastically. "Glad to know I leave that sort of impression on people."

I wanted to ask about Uncle John, but wondered how to phrase such a question. Sam seemed to understand. "Dad, Dean and I were on the road and this truck crashed into the Impala. Demon induced accident of course. Dad and I were mainly okay, but Dean wasn't. He was on the brink of death." Sam looked at his brother and I wondered if Dean saw how terrified he was at the memory, afraid of losing his elder brother again. "Dad sold his soul to Azazel, this psycho demon" Dean said. " In return for my life. He died moments after I regained consciousness." "I'm sorry" I said quietly.

Then I remembered the guy in the trench coat who'd disappeared suddenly back at school. I asked the brothers about him. "Oh, him" Dean rolled his eyes. "Castiel, or Cass, as we call him. He's..." He glanced at me. "Promise you won't freak out." I glared at him. " I'm a hunter okay? I won't." He nodded. "He's an angel" Dean's voice was hesitant. I stared at him. "Sure. And Tooth Fairy is my best friend." "It's true, Arya" Sam's eyes pleaded with me to understand.

I thought about it. "If you insist, Sasquatch. I know you guys won't lie." Sam relaxed. "No, we wouldn't. At least not to you, Hurricane." Dean snorted. "I know it's insane. But hey, we live insane, don't we?" "So" I leaned forward excitedly. " Does he have wings? I heard they're supposed to be black." Sam nodded. "Black and purple actually. Dean saw them when he first met Cass. He described them as being huge and creepy looking." I laughed. "But I thought they didn't look like ...humans?" Sam looked uneasy. "They take vessels so that they can interact with us humans without killing us. Cass's vessel is this guy called Jimmy Novak." "But why does he need to interact with you guys?" Dean looked me in the eye. " The Apocalypse.""Oh. Right." I didn't really know what to say, so I just settled for" But why him in particular?" Dean fidgeted with his spoon. "He...he's the one who rescued me from Hell. He's my...um, guardian angel. "Uh." I nodded. It was quite a lot to process.

Everyone in the hunter community knew about the impending end of the world. Now that I remembered, Sam had been killed by one of these demons, and Dean had sold his soul to Hell to bring his brother back. Sam came back, but one year later, Dean was dragged into Hell. Four months after, he returned. There had been some talk of angels walking the earth after so many millennia, and rumours about their sudden interference. But most of us, including Dad, had just dismissed all of that.

Dean still looked subdued, even after his cheeseburger arrived.. I hated seeing him so sad. "Dean, it's not your fault. You didn't do anything." His green eyes were dark with guilt and repentance. "Oh, but I did, Arya" he whispered. "I broke the first Seal." I blinked. There were sixty six seals that had to be broken for Lucifer to rise, and this really powerful, really bitchy demon called Lilith was trying to break them all, and fast.

"How?'I asked, confused. "Don't start all that up again, Dean" Sam warned. "You didn't know what you were doing." Dean shook his head miserably. "When I was in Hell...I was tortured everyday. Ripped apart limb by limb, bone by bone... carved up and then put back again for more torture. I was offered release from the pain, if I agreed to wield the knife on other souls instead." He bit his lip and I felt an unfamiliar rush of sympathy for him. Without him saying it, I knew the choice he'd made. "After thirty years, I agreed, Arya" he admitted softly. "I don't know how many poor souls I tortured. I broke the first Seal and I hate myself more than-" "Dean" Sam cut in. It was obvious that this conversation had happened before and he hated his brother's feeling that way. "It wasn't your fault" Sam argued. "And you held out for thirty years. Remember that." Dean lifted his shadowed eyes. "Dad would've held out much longer." "Dean" I interjected angrily. "You aren't Uncle John. And as far as I can tell, he wasn't perfect either." Dean and Sam looked at me and I wondered if I'd said too much.

"She's right." Said Sam slowly. "Dad had many issues, Dean. He made mistakes where you didn't." Dean's face tightened. "And I made mistakes where he didn't." "Nobody's perfect, Dean" I said quietly. "Everyone has flaws, weaknesses. That's why we're humans, not God. You did whatever you could. If you'd known what he first Seal was, I'm sure you wouldn't have made that choice." Sam nodded and Dean's face cleared. "Wow" he huffed, and his green eyes sparkled once more. "You ever consider a future in counselling, Arya?" he quipped. "Dean!" I protested. "That's my name" he winked and then glanced at his cell phone. "Oh I've got to get that. Sammy, pay the bill, please." Sam glowered. "It was your turn!" "Sorry" Dean flashed him a lazy grin. "I know its a rule, but rules are meant to be broken." Sam, still glaring, flipped out a credit card to a waiter holding the bill. "Jerk" he said to Dean who good naturedly replied, "Bitch" I smiled at the childish exchange. It seemed to be a ritual between he two.

"Thanks Hurricane" Sam said after Dean went out. "For what?" "For what you did." He looked relieved, and more relaxed. "Dean's been so uptight. You made him feel better." I brushed it off with a grin. "That's what friends are for, Sasquatch."

We left the diner and the moment I saw who stood before us, my heart almost stopped beating again. Beside a frustrated looking Dean stood Castiel. I couldn't help but admire the way his dark blue tie brought out the colour of his eyes. He tilted his head and looked at me with a little smile on his face, as if he'd heard my thoughts. Was it m imagination or did he look... smug?

"Cass!" Dean yelled violently and I was surprised the angel didn't jump a mile in shock. "Will you tell us what's going on?" Castiel looked worried. "I don't know if it's-"

"Yeah, okay, Chuckles" Dean interrupted impatiently. "You don't know if it's safe to tell me, but I swear I won't freak out!" "Yeah, Cass, say it" Sam urged.

Castiel's deep voice was grave. " Alastair is here." "Oh no" murmured Sam, stark terror in his eyes. I felt a cold hand clamp on to my heart as I saw the same raw fear on Dean's suddenly colour drained face. Who was Alastair?