Alex leaned back up against the windshield of the Impala, eyes turned up towards the slate grey clouds hidden behind the large neon sign of the Lost in the 50's Diner. Her knees were pulled up against her chest, arms keeping them close. Sam sat behind her in the passenger seat, voice low and urgent as he discussed something over the phone. Dean wasn't currently in her sight; the quickly approaching footfalls, however, indicated that he was coming their way.

She had returned to the Winchesters only that morning after having spent several days alone with Castiel; unfortunately, he had felt he was needed elsewhere for his penance, and when Alex had promised that she would be fine, he was gone, leaving Alex to return to the two brothers.

She heard the Impala door open, and Dean got in. "Who is it?" he whispered loudly to Sam, and the angel reluctantly rolled off of the hood and onto the gravel parking lot. She saw how Sam held up his finger, motioning to be quiet, and she slid into the backseat.

"No, listen to me," the younger brother insisted. "I said hang tight." He shook his head and snapped his phone shut. "We gotta go."

Dean looked down at his meal. "C-Can I at least finish my burger?" he asked, and Alex peered over his shoulder, reaching out to grab a fry. Dean didn't even attempt to slap her hand away, and the angel fell back against the seat as tightness clawed at her chest. He was letting her get away with it because he pitied her. His pity didn't help; it only made her hurt more.

"We got a vamp kill, Dean." Sam shifted as he shoved his phone back into his pocket. "Carencro, Louisiana."

"Huh." Dean took a bite of his food before he quipped, "It's been a while since I've had some étouffée. Who's the source?"

"Martin Creaser."

The car fell silent, and Alex's wings twitched at the tension that built up within the small space. The name didn't sound familiar, but then again, a lot of people had passed through both her and the Winchester's lives.

"Sorry," Dean finally said, setting down his burger. "For a minute there I thought you said Martin Creaser." His jaw dropped further in disbelief when Sam didn't answer. "Crazy Martin from the loony bin?"

"Glendale Springs discharged him last month."

"Wait wait wait. Martin?" Alex leaned forward, interest suddenly sparkling in her eyes as the name clicked into place. "Martin from Glendale Springs. With the wraith? Are you serious?" She put her hands on the back of the front seat as she looked up into Sam's face.

"Shouldn't he be assembling toys in a padded room?" Dean added scathingly. "What's he doing back on the job?"

Sam looked away, debating what to say before he finally came clean. "I asked him."

"You what?"

"Look, he called me when he got out, asked if he had something that could help ease him back into the game. He seemed okay — mostly —" Alex snorted, but Sam's only response was an annoyed huff "— so I said yes. I've had him tracking Benny for the past week."

There was a silent pause. "You put 'mostly okay' Martin on Benny?" Dean finally snapped. "What is 'mostly okay' doing hunting at all?"

"Not hunting, Dean. Tracking." Sam's voice grew defensive at his brother's tone. "Observe and report only. I was crystal clear about that."

"Yeah," Alex quipped scornfully. "And I'm sure 'mostly okay' Martin was 'mostly okay' with that."

"Hey." Sam turned his head to give the young angel a glare. "Benny's a vampire. Any hunter worth his salt isn't just gonna let one walk around freely. You know that, right? Don't tell me you don't." When Alex looked away, uncomfortable lying by saying that she did trust Benny, Sam continued. "That's why I've had Martin keeping tabs on him. And right now it's looking like I made the right call."

Dean was silent for second. "So Martin's saying Benny did this?" he finally asked.

"Yeah."

"Okay." Dean set his burger back into its cardboard box and folded it shut.

Sam opened his mouth to snap, but he faltered when Dean's words registered. "O-Okay?" he repeated, slightly stunned at his brother's sudden agreement.

"If Benny's in Louisiana draining folks … we should look into it." He slid his lunch into the seat between himself and his brother and started the engine. "Louisiana's what? Only five hours east? We get in, we clear this up, we get out."

...

December 5, 2013
Carencro, Louisiana

Alex stayed with the Winchesters for the entire drive, only leaving the car to follow them into the diner they stopped at on the way. She stirred when the engine died with a choking whir, and the doors squeaked as they opened. A push of her wings had her upright and outside the car, a hand brushing casually through her long, blonde hair to put it back into its place. "We here?" she asked, eyes narrowing slightly as she took in her decrepit surroundings.

"Martin's up on the second floor." Sam led the way up towards a dusty, old stone building. Cracked window panes garnished the brick, and the wooden door creaked loudly as they pushed their way in. "Come on."

"This place is sketchy even for us," Alex muttered as she followed the two Winchesters up the dilapidated stairs. "You sure Martin's 'mostly okay'?"

Sam stopped beside door number 2 and raised his hand to knock, but the door swung open immediately, and a man stuck his head out. "You said look for an eruption," Martin hissed, eyes darting nervously around the hall. "How's Mount Vesuvius?" he stepped back, hurriedly motioning them into the dingy room. He shut the door once the three of them were in, locking it with both the deadbolt and the chain door lock. "I got into town a week ago," he began, tripping over his words as he launched straight into his story. "Up until last night, nothing. He's been clean."

"Doing what?" Dean stopped by the bed and turned to face the bald hunter. Alex slipped past him to join Sam against the far wall.

Martin looked taken aback for a fleeting second. "J-Just minding his own business," he stuttered out, unsure why Dean would ask such an irrelevant question. "Working at the gumbo shack."

Alex's eyebrows rose in amusement, and Dean tipped his head. "Benny's working at the gumbo shack?"

"Yeah." Martin looked around the room, eyes wider than they should probably be, and Alex was starting to get the feeling that 'mostly okay' was a gross overstatement. "Slinging hash, pouring coffee — the whole bit. And he may be Benny to you. Folks around here call him Roy." He raised his eyebrows, looking at Dean as if that were suppose to incriminate the vampire right then and there.

Dean narrowed his eyes. "Martin, you sure you're running on full charge?"

"Y-Yeah. L-l-little shock therapy in the morning, and I-I'm good to go." The hunter snapped his fingers, but the shakiness in his hands and the stutter in his voice only lent itself to the opposite conclusion. Alex narrowed her eyes, unable to tell for the life of her if Martin was being serious.

Dean looked over at his brother, shoulders dropping in disbelief and a tight line set on his lips, and Sam looked away, not willing to admit the hunter's incompetence. "Tell us what happened last night," he prompted.

Martin nodded in earnest. "So, I followed him home," he began, "just like every night. He turned up a path. I hear a scream. Then boom — there he is. The old coot that Roy was eyeballing at the joint — vamped."

"Wait." Dean leaned forward, distrust narrowing his eyes. "Did you actually see Benny kill the guy or not?"

Martin shot the Winchester a glare. "I saw enough," he retorted.

"Then how can you be sure it was Benny if you didn't even see it happen?" Alex rested her back against the wall, wings flicking unhappily.

"Who even are you?" Martin spun around to face her, anger flaring up in his eyes, but the angel barely flinched. "I-I-I don't even know you. What is she doing here?"

"Martin, relax. She's with us." Sam reached out to calm the paranoid hunter, but Martin roughly shrugged him off. "That's Alex. She knew Bobby Singer."

Martin gave Alex another dubious look, and she crossed her arms, lips pursed when the hunter gave no signs of letting her into his circle of trust. "Hey." Dean snapped his fingers, drawing Martin's attention back to him with a sudden jerk of surprise. "Answer the question. How're you sure it was Benny?"

"B-B-Because I saw Benny turn up the path, and then two seconds later, I trip over a body with its throat ripped out. Look, man." Martin shook his head. "You ever heard of Occam's Razor? 'Keep it simple, stupid'? I-It's not that complicated."

"That's a lot of holes, Martin," Dean warned, his gaze slipping past the stammering hunter to rest on Alex. She nodded, giving her agreement with Dean's doubt.

"Holes?" The hunter looked between the two of them in shock. "The only holes we should be looking at are in the vic's neck!"

Dean shook his head. "This sound like the Benny you know?" he asked, eyes moving from Alex over to Sam.

His brother stayed where he was against the wall, a frown on his face. "I don't know Benny," he replied, voice tight and low. Before he could say anything else, however, Martin jumped in.

" 'The Benny you know?' " he repeated, mouth hanging open as if he couldn't believe what Dean had just said. "Say what? Why am I getting the distinct impression that your brother is vouching for a vampire?"

"Hey hey hey." Alex pushed herself off of the wall, her wings flaring wide at the hunter's blatant disrespect for Dean Winchester. "Watch your tongue." Something in her eyes must have worried Sam, because the next thing she knew his arm was across her chest, keeping her back. The angel stopped in her tracks, a loud huff leaving her nostrils as at least some of the anger dispersed at his touch. "You want to talk, we'll talk, but you've got no right talking like that."

"Why don't you go wait outside?" Sam suggested. "Okay? Just go calm down."

Alex glared up at Martin, and she shook her wings out, feathers rustling angrily. "Fine," she relented. "But he better watch his damn tongue." She stalked off towards the door, shoulders rolling back as she felt their gazes on her.

"Who the hell even is she?" she heard Martin say to Sam. "If I didn't know better, I'd say that little bitch is —"

The anger was back. "Oh hell no." Alex spun around at his words, and her grace snapped through the room. Sam was between the two of them in an instant, arms wrapped around her as he struggled to keep the angel from launching herself at the older hunter. "You want to see bitch? I'll fucking show you bitch!"

"Hey hey hey." Sam's words sounded next to her ear, voice strained as he struggled to keep a hold on her. "Stop. Stop it! You want to stay on this case, then the two of you need to get along!" When Alex hesitated, he added, "Don't make me take you off of this."

Alex spun around, anger flaring up in her eyes at Sam's implications. "You're threatening to take me off the case?" she spat, wings stretching up towards the ceiling in rage. "And how's that gonna work? You can't make me do jack shit, Sam." She jabbed him in the chest with a finger, fire dancing in her pale grey eyes, and she felt Lucifer's grace stir at her anger.

Sam didn't answer, taken aback by her outrage, and Alex huffed. "Dean. Come on. Let's go talk to Benny." She stalked out of the building, and Dean followed behind.

"Hey." Footsteps thudded on the pavement behind her as Dean ran to catch up. "Pip. You sure you're okay? You … you seem a little … touchy."

"I'm fine, Dean." Alex stopped by the Impala and reluctantly turned to face him. "That guy's just being a total douche, you know? What was I supposed to do?"

Her question went unanswered as Dean unlocked the door and got into the front seat. She circled around and joined him, stretching her wings back out over the seat. The engine started, and the Impala pulled out onto the street. "Anyways, I'm glad you're back," the Winchester added. "We were getting a bit worried when you didn't answer any of our calls last week."

"I didn't want to talk to you," came Alex's terse reply. Her head turned out the window, displaying her discomfort with this particular line of questioning. "Sue me."

Dean fell quiet, and the rest of the drive was spent in silence.

...

They pulled up in front of Guidry's Cajun Cafe fifteen minutes later. Alex slammed the car door behind her, carefully taking in the cabin-like appearance of the shack. Several cars were parked in front of it, hinting that this place was well-liked by the locals even in between meals. She let Dean take the lead as they walked up towards the door, and she hesitated when he held it open. "Go in," she suggested. "I'll take a sweep of the surrounding area. See if I can find anything suspicious."

Dean nodded, and Alex moved off along the side of the cabin. She could feel the lazy movements of the people inside, and she focused her attentions outwards, grace flicking out like a snake's tongue as she moved into the surrounding woods. There was no immediate sign of anything strange, the trees still and the underbrush silent. Every once and awhile a bird flittered in the canopy above her head, moving away from the stranger below with a call of alarm, but Alex paid them no heed.

She made a large circle, but nothing she felt was important. Lucifer's grace, however, seemed very curious as to what she was doing, stretching up and curling alongside hers, like fingers dancing along her skin. It was a gentle touch, offering up an unspoken question, wanting to know what was so important that the angel was searching so hard for. Alex did her best to suppress it, but after a while gave up, letting it reach out and search with her.

"Find anything?" Dean's voice had her jumping, and Alex's wings flapped in alarm as she turned to face the hunter. He was moving towards her, his phone in one hand. When she shook her head, he frowned. "The waitress in there said that Benny — er, Roy — hasn't been around for a few days. Used to park his trailer out back, but then just moved it last night; said he was going north to fish or some shit like that."

"Right after the vamp attack Martin found," Alex added, stating the obvious for her own benefit. "You think …" When Dean didn't answer she shrugged. "Well, I didn't find anything out here. Whatever was here sure as hell ain't here anymore."

"Yeah." Dean turned away and moved back towards the Impala, looking down at his phone as he scrolled through his contacts. He must have found what he was looking for, as he raised his phone to his ear. Alex heard it ring several times before it went to voicemail, and Dean's voice fell low in frustration. "Benny. I got a body here in Carencro with two holes in it, and I just found out you went fishing. Do I need to tell you what this looks like?"

He snapped his phone shut as he paused by the Impala, and Alex joined him there, hand going out to grab the cool metal handle. "Now where?" she asked. "I bet I can find him in a few minutes if I —"

"Yeah. You do that." Dean opened the car door with a low curse. "You find him and you come back, you understand? Do not confront him."

The young angel's eyes narrowed at the commanding note in his voice, feathers flittering angrily. However, she somehow managed to keep her voice calm. "I'm on your side, Dean Winchester; if I wasn't, Benny would already be dead. You want to keep it that way, you don't tell me what to do."

She saw how offense flashed across Dean's face, green eyes darkening when he realized Alex was being completely serious, but before he could apologize or snap — or whatever he was planning on doing — Alex took off into the sky. She hovered in the sky for several long seconds, grace sneaking out through the cold November air. Her wings took her in circles, slowly widening outwards as she scoured the earth below.

She shifted her search more towards the north, remembering Dean's words about Benny having gone 'fishing,' and as she neared a glittering lake, she spotted it. A busted up trailer with a broad-shouldered man below. She could feel that it was a vampire, but she dipped down to just above the tree line to be sure. It was Benny.

A powerful thrust of her wings took her up at a dizzying speed, wind whipping across her face. She paused at a higher altitude, looking down at the small grey dot that was Benny in comparison to the clearing where the gumbo shack — and Dean — waited. The angel pulled her black wings in tight and she dropped.

Wind caught in her feathers as she stretched her wings back out, gliding across the land and down into the clearing where the Winchester waited. "I found him," she announced as she landed behind Dean. She waited until he had jumped in surprise, cursing under his breath, before she continued. "He's about twenty miles north of here. There's a back road that can get us close."

"Okay, yeah. Sounds good." Dean slid into the car, pausing with the door half open when Alex didn't move. "Well?" he finally asked with an impatient frown. "You coming or what?"

"I'll catch up. Sam and Martin are on their way here, so I'm gonna tell them to lay low for an hour or two." The angel stepped back, motioning with a wave of her hand that Dean should continue on without her. She watched the Impala drive off, and her wings fell out, primaries brushing the dusty ground. The cold sunlight did nothing to warm her feathers, and with a quick burst of power Alex propelled herself up into the air. She located a tall birch overlooking the clearing, and she landed on a branch. It was thinner than Alex would have liked, and it dipped and swayed under her weight and the wind. Her wings caught on the leaves, still thick and green, and she let out a mumbled string of curses at the strange feeling, corporeal on ethereal.

There she waited, watching the hustle and bustle within the walls of the Cajun Cafe until a dark, dusty truck pulled off of the main road and into the parking lot. The engine died with a croak, and Sam and Martin got out, the former giving the car's hood a concerned look. Alex jumped from the tree, wings guiding her down to land purposefully right in front of Martin. "Hey."

The paranoid hunter reacted quickly, drawing his pistol and cocking it with deft yet shaky hands. "W-What the hell?" he exclaimed, eyes wide and breath hitching. "Y-You Winchesters — crazier than I thought — you're working with demons!"

"Yeah right," Alex retorted, frowning at the idea of being compared to such a hideous abomination. "I'm an angel, you ass."

Martin didn't seem to hear her. "Oh, your father would rip you both a new one if he ever learned you boys were working with 'em. Vampires and demons —"

"Angel," Alex correctly flatly.

"I'm surprised no one's come along and ganked you two!" Martin continued scathingly. "You're crazy if you think you can —"

"Martin? That's enough." Sam interceded, pushing the hunter away from Alex, whose wings were rising in anger and offense. "Alex isn't a demon, she's an angel." He turned back to Alex, snapping his fingers in front of her face when she continued to glare at Martin. "Hey. Focus. Where's Dean?"

"He went after Benny." Alex reluctantly turned her eyes to Sam. "Which is also why I'm here. Back off," she snapped when Martin moved forward, her hackles rising. "Give us an hour to get to the bottom of this," she added to Sam, voice calmer as she spoke to her friend.

"Benny's a vampire," Martin growled. "We're not going to just sit around and let him kill again." The hunter stepped forward and grabbed the front of Alex's jacket, eyes narrowing threateningly as he held her. "Now tell us where he is, you black eyed bitch!"

Alex heard Sam expel a sharp breath at the hunter's actions, and Alex let her anger flare up, Lucifer's grace making her irises grow red. Martin didn't have to time to react before she surged forward, grabbing his arms and twisting so he landed with his chest against the car's hood, one arm pinned painfully behind his back. "I am not a demon," she hissed in his ear. "I am an angel, and I have just lost my son, so I am not someone you want to piss off right now. So, you are going to give us some time, or I swear I will zap your ass all the way to the Galapagos."

Sam's hand on her shoulder had her pulling away, and the angel snorted as she glared up at the Winchester. "Give us an hour," she repeated. "Meet us back at the motel." When Sam nodded, she took off into the sky.

"—know it's hard to believe, but I haven't always been this cute and cuddly." Benny's low rumbling voice reached her ears as she landed behind the vampire. Benny's head turned at the sound of her feet touching down on the leafy ground, eyes flashing in alertness, but, upon recognizing her, the tension in his muscles relaxed slightly. "He's chasing a memory, Dean. That's all. He's crewing up a nest. He's hoping I can give him so cred. I said no."

"Wait, what's going on?" Alex's eyes turned towards the tin wash bin of bloody water, her lip curling upwards slightly in disgust. "What's that from?"

"Second body," Benny huffed. He was leaning against his trailer, still dressed in his old-fashioned clothes, this time with a dark brown jacket and an old, black fisherman's hat.

"It ain't him," Dean added before Alex could speak. "There's another vamp. One of Benny's old nestmates. He wants to, uh, start up a new nest, right?"

"Right," the vampire agreed. "He didn't want to take no for an answer. He's trying to roust me, leaving dead bodies in my wake till I sign up. Two bodies in two days." Benny shook his head. "No amateur is gonna kick me out of my hometown, guys. Not this time."

"H-Hometown?" Alex repeated. "Wait. So this is where you grew up? In Louisiana? Guess that explains the accent."

"Mm." Benny made a noise of reluctant agreement, nodding his head. "Born and bred. With Andrea gone and you hunting again, seemed like the right time for a homecoming — you two being the only ones who keep my ducks in a row. Went back to my old job at the cafe. Even found someone to hold myself accountable to. Best kind of someone, Dean," he added, turning back to the Winchester. "Family."

"Elizabeth."

"Who?" Alex squinted in confusion as Dean took several steps past Benny to stop by Alex's side. He face away from the vampire, but sheathed his machete nonetheless.

"My great-grand daughter," the vampire expounded.

"R-Really?" That face seemed to catch the hunter by surprise, eyes widening as he stuttered out his response.

Alex watched as Benny processed his words. "Now hold it, now," he started, voice deepening, and Alex cocked an eyebrow, curious as to both who this girl was and what Dean had done. "You didn't —"

"Uh, no." Dean let out a small chuckle as he turned back around to face Benny. "No. She doesn't —"

"No." Benny let out a long, regretful sigh. "No, as far as she's concerned, I'm just another drifter. I'd like to keep it that way. It's been tough walking the line here after all those years in Purgatory not having to deal with the hunger. But Elizabeth … she keeps me honest. I finally feel like I got a handle on this thing."

"Yeah, well, clearly you don't," Alex snapped. "Cause now you've got — what? — two dead bodies on your hands as well as four hunters? And that's just us. Give it a few days and you'll get far more passing through."

"If you're talking about that half-wit that passed through the cafe, I think I'll take my chances with him," the vampire retorted, eyes flitting over the angel's face, who seemed amused by his description of Martin. "As for the others —"

Dean cut in. "That half-wit was sent by my brother, and trust me — my brother's not someone you want to mess with."

Benny brushed him off. "I don't have time to worry about them, Dean. I didn't think Desmond had an ounce of steel in his spine, but I was wrong about that. So now I'm gonna do what I should have done two days ago, which is put him back where he belongs."

"You know there's only one way to do that, right? And that is for you to sit on the sidelines while Alex and I convince Sam and Martin to go after Desmond. They see you out there, they don't care if you're gonna be collecting for the March of Dimes. They are gonna slice first, ask questions later. You know that."

Benny was silent for several seconds, clearly unhappy with Dean's proposition. "You really think they'll go for that?"

Dean sighed, shaking his head. "I don't know. But we have to give it a shot." He looked over at Alex, who had retreated a step to leaned her back against a thick oak tree. "What about you? What happened with Sam and Martin?"

"They went back to the motel, and let's just say," the angel added elusively, "Martin and I don't really … get along. He's a dick, and I've lost my patience." She shrugged when Dean raised an eyebrow, and she looked past him. "So where's the car at, huh? They'll be waiting."

"Go," Benny advised when Dean seemed to hesitate. "I'll be fine, brother." He stepped back, motioning them past, and Alex followed Dean past the vampire and into the woods. She cast a glance over her shoulder to see that the vampire had gone back to whatever it was he had been doing, and with a shake of her head fell in step with Dean.

He seemed surprised when she stayed by his side all the way to the car, and once he had started the engine he finally spoke. "So … are you just going to stay here?"

"What?" Alex turned her head, eyes squinting in surprise and confusion. "Are … Why? Were you expecting me to go somewhere?"

"Don't get me wrong," the hunter quickly backtracked, backing the Impala back onto the dirt road. "I'm glad you're sticking around and all, but it just seems like this is normally the point where you, you know …" He waved his hand to try and get his point across, but when Alex didn't answer, he further enunciated, "Where you fly off and, I don't know, go do something I don't know about. You know, whatever you do."

Alex turned her attention back out the windshield with a small shrug. "Yeah, I don't know. Cas is off doing penance God-knows-where, and, well, you know, Ashiel's … gone."

Dean made a sympathetic sound when she trailed off, and the Chevrolet took off down the road. "Yeah. And you're sure you're— sorry." He cut off when Alex shot him a glare, and he adjusted his grip on the leather steering wheel. "Well, if there's anything you need with you-know-what, all you need to do is ask. Me and Sam, we're here for you, you know?" He tapped the steering wheel to emphasize his point when Alex didn't make a sound. "Family and whatnot."

"Yeah, I know."

...

They were back in Martin's dark, dingy motel room within half an hour. Alex and Sam were seated on the two beds, Alex closer to the door and to Dean, who stood just to her left. Martin had one arm across the top of the fridge as he leaned against it, eyes narrowed as the eldest Winchester finished relaying his conversation with Benny.

"I followed your boy," he finally began, picking up his drink and moving to pace across the room, "down a fucking path and trip over fresh vamp kill, and then you practically catch him in the act of burying a second body, and you're still taking his side?" He returned to the fridge and opened the freezer, pulling out the ice cube tray with a disgusted shake of his head.

Dean crossed his arms. "Vampires pick people off from the outside of town okay? Not the cafe where they work with their great-grandkids!" He frowned when Martin huffed, and Alex's eyes widened slightly in concern when the paranoid hunter stabbed the ice tray with a fork, sending ice chunks everywhere even as the tongs of the fork bent. "In fact," Dean continued, "killing any human? Not his style."

"Not his style?" Martin's voice rose angrily. "Not his style?"

Sam quickly stepped in before it could escalate. "Listen, Dean, we came here on a dead body. You asked for some time, and now there's another dead body. Are we just going on trust here?"

Alex looked up at Dean, and Martin took a sip of his brandy. Dean's eyes hardened. "Yes."

"Okay," Sam agreed, "because we've killed for a lot less, and you know how these things turn on us."

"Yes, I do," Dean retorted sharply. "Too well. In fact, every relationship I have ever had has gone to crap at some point. But the one thing I can say about Benny is that he has never let me down."

"Huh." Alex turned to see that Sam's gaze hardened at his brother's words, and her wings twitched uncomfortably. "Well, good for you, Dean. Must feel great finally having someone you can trust after all these years."

Dean hesitated, unsure how to respond to his brother's harsh misinterpretation. He looked down at the ground, and then up at his brother. "All I'm saying is that Benny is innocent."

"No." Sam got to his feet with a shake of his head, and Alex rose as well. "You're too close to this. You both are," he added to Alex.

The angel let out an offended noise, and Dean shook his head. "You're not going to find him," he announced decisively. "And if you do, I'm gonna tell you this. You'll be lucky to get out of this alive. And you," he added, turning angrily to Martin, "you go with him, you're a dead man. Period."

"Period," Alex repeated, locking gazes with Martin Creaser. The hunter stared back, gaze only broken when Sam spoke.

"These are innocent lives we're talking about," he snapped, looking between Alex and Dean. "You're willing to bet all of that on Benny's word alone?"

"Damn right I am —" Dean crumpled to the ground, unconscious, and Alex spun around to see Martin standing there, a kitchen knife in his hand with the handle pointed towards Dean, and she flared her wings angrily. She took two steps forward, but the hunter reacted quickly, snagging a lighter out of his pocket, lighting it in one movement, and hurling it down on the ground. Fire roared into life, surrounding the angel, and she hissed, wings stretching high above her head.

"Hey hey hey!" Sam rushed forward, anger in his eyes. "That was for only when we needed it. What the hell?"

"They've made their choices, Sam." Martin reached down and dragged Dean over towards the window. "They chose the side of a vampire."

"Sam." Alex turned to look up at the Winchester. "Let me out of here, dammit! You want the truth if there's another vampire or not, I'm the only one who can tell you."

"Sam, don't listen to her." Martin stripped off Dean's jacket and handcuffed him to to the radiator. "Benny's a vamp. You know what that means." He straightened up and moved towards the door. "Come on. Let's go do our job."

The two left, ignoring Alex's yells for them to come back. The door closed and locked behind them, and Alex sunk onto the ground, her black wings pulled in tight. The fire made her glossy feathers sparkle, the gold shimmering in the flames, and she sighed. Her head lolled back to stare up at the tile ceiling. "Dean?" she called. "Wakey wake." When she didn't get an answer her head fell into her chest. "Dean," she groaned. "Get the fuck up and get me out of here."

...

Dean didn't wake up for another ten minutes. Alex heard the first signs of his stirring, and she turned in her small, confining circle to face him though the fire. "Dean. Dean. Are you okay?"

A groan answered her, and the Winchester's eyes fluttered open. "W-What the hell?"

"Mostly-okay Martin." Alex scowled as she spoke, wings flicking in distaste. "Can you get out of there and free me? It's getting kind of toasty in here, you know?"

She watched as Dean dug around in his pocket and pulled out a paperclip. "Yeah, yeah, give me a second," he muttered, doing his best to fold the metal into a workable shape. Alex watched as he struggled to pick the lock, muttering out a, "Come on, come on," under his breath, and in less than two minutes the lock popped open, and Dean was free.

"Hey, what about me?" Alex frowned when Dean moved over to his bed and pulled out his phone. "Dean."

"They didn't go for it," Dean said into the receiver, pinching the bridge of his nose as he spoke to who Alex was assuming was Benny. "They're on their way to you. I'd get scarce. Benny, listen to me. Do not underestimate my little brother, okay? He can and will kill you given the chance." He walked over to the bathroom and returned with a washcloth, using it to wipe the drying blood off of his face.

"Dean," Alex repeated as she rose to her feet. "Let me out."

Dean moved over to the fridge and pulled out a bottle of water. He held the phone with his jaw and shoulder as he listened to the vampire and unscrewed the cap, using the purified water to put out enough of the fire for Alex to step through. With the circle broken the magic faded, and within a few seconds the flames died.

"Hey, I just told you — the best thing you can do is lay low." Dean waved after him as he led the way out into the hall. His voice filled with exasperation as he huffed, "Benny." Several more seconds passed before he nodded. "We'll be there in an hour."

"Where are we going?" Alex demanded as they hurried out to the parking lot. "Is Benny okay? Dean."

"Benny's fine. He knows where Desmond is, and we're going there too. Shipyard east of here. I'm assuming you're in," he added as he got into the Impala. "Here." He handed Alex a phone out of the glove compartment, an old, cheap flip phone. "Open that up, text Sam, 'Sam, I need your help. Come quick.' "

"Uh, done and done." Alex pressed send and placed the phone back on her lap. "Why? What's that all about? And who's phone is this?" She studied it, rolling it back and forth in her hands. "I don't recognize it."

"Burner." Dean started the car. "Swapped the number out with Amelia's on Sam's phone a while back. Hopefully that'll keep him busy long enough to buy us some time."

...

The sky was growing dark when they pulled up outside of the chainlink fence surrounding the shipping yard. Alex waited by the gate as Dean retrieved a machete from the trunk. Benny stood at her side, his arms crossed with a similar machete gripped tightly in his hands. "This is the place, huh?" Dean asked from where he stood, digging through the trunk. "So, what's the plan? I hang back while you guys do some trust falls and binge-drinking?" He closed the trunk and slipped a syringe of deadman's blood into his inside jacket pocket.

"Man, if I didn't know you better, I'd say you had an extremely low opinion of us vamps," Benny quipped, and Alex hummed in agreement.

Dean scoffed. "Call it a healthy skepticism," he joked as he approached. "Alright, let's go."

Alex unlocked the gate with a push of her grace, falling back to Benny and Dean could take the lead, leaving her for the rear. She snaked her grace out before she slipped forward, pointing towards the left. "That building," she determined. "There's a vampire in there."

Dean nodded, and he motioned towards the far end of the building with a direct wave of his hand. Benny understood and slipped off towards the back door. "See if there's any more," Dean murmured as they approached the front door, and that was all Alex needed to hear. Her wings carried her into the air, and she took off around the buildings, grace stretched out to feel the space around her.

She dipped and rolled between the large warehouses, searching each one before searching the cargo ships as well, but there was nothing. Only the two vampires in the building with Dean. Alex's wings dipped to one side as she made a large turn before she returned to her friends.

She landed just inside the door to see the new vampire — Desmond was his name — and Dean. The vampire was on top of Dean, and the scent of blood was in the air, and a short, hot burst of panic shot through the angel at the side. Two steps brought her close enough to reach him. Her palm found the back of his head, and her grace poured into his skull, twisting down his spine and burning away his inhumanity. The vampire screamed, light pouring from his face, and Dean turn his head away, eyes screwed up against the light.

The vampire keeled to one side, and Alex nudged it all the way off of the hunter with a kick of her boot. "You know," she began lightly as Dean lolled his head back against the concrete floor, "I was gone for less than thirty seconds."

"Shut up."

"The hell?" Benny joined the two of them, blue eyes flitting over the scene. "You okay, brother?"

"I'm fine." Dean clamped his hand over the side of his neck, trying to stem the bleeding, and Alex watched through narrowed eyes as Benny caught the scent. He stiffened, lips twitching in thirst, but he remained rooted to his spot through pure self-control. Dean noticed, and it was his turn to ask, "You okay?"

"I'm fine," came the slightly-strained response, and Benny turned away.

Dean rose to his feet, and Alex stepped up close to him, reaching out to slide her palm under his and rest it against the cut. Her grace bled inwards, stitching the wound back together until all that remained was the blood-stained skin. When she pulled away, Benny was gone. "Come on." She led Dean out of the building and after the vampire, who was quickly making his way back towards the Impala. "Benny, wait."

"My life here's over, isn't it?" the vampire asked, pausing in his tracks to let the two catch up. He didn't look back at them, just kept staring straight ahead, and Alex and Dean exchanged looks.

"Afraid so," Dean finally answered. "Once word gets out … the machete swingers that'll come for you … you can't take them all. And even if you could …"

"We'd have a problem," Benny finished, and Dean nodded. The two of them started walking again, and Alex hurried to keep up with their long strides.

"Guys like us, we don't get a home," Dean added. "We don't get family."

"You have Sam. And Alex." Benny looked to his left to lock gazes with Alex, and she blinked, agreement and sympathy flashing through her grey eyes until the vampire looked away once again.

Dean paused, hesitant to answer, but he finally agreed. "Yeah." The Winchester sighed as they stopped by the Impala, and he turned to face his friend. "Benny, you gotta go deep underground where nobody knows who you are."

Benny nodded, his reluctance obvious, but it was clear he knew what he needed to do. Yeah," he agreed, voice low and quiet. He was silent for several seconds, lost in his own thoughts, and Alex and Dean stood there quietly, letting his process. "Thanks," he finally said, stretching out one hand towards Dean. "I really owe you on this one."

"Course." Dean shook the vampire's hand, his voice warm with a deeply-shared companionship. "If anything comes up, you call me."

"Or me," Alex added, raising her chin in an attempt to seem taller next to the two large men. "Seriously, Benny. If there's anything you need, I can be there in seconds. All you gotta do is pray."

"I'll keep that in mine, chérie, but no offense, I think I can handle myself." Benny tipped the brim of his hat to her with a warm nod. "Well, I better be on my way. There's one last thing I gotta do."

...

Alex reclined against the front seat of the Impala, staring mindlessly up at the interior roof. Dean was driving, and Metallica hummed soothingly through the speakers. Alex mouthed along with the words to Nothing Else Matters as her eyes drifted closed, the rock of the car and the melodious tune lulling her towards sleep.

Alex? I don't suppose you got your listening ears on.

Alex sat up straight, her seatbelt whirling at the sudden movement. She cocked her head, listening closely for what had definitely been Benny's voice. Dean seemed to notice, as he reached over to turn the music off. "Everything okay?" he asked slowly, his tone hinting at the fact that everything was most definitely not okay.

I think I'll take you up on that offer, the voice in her head continued. That hunter friend of yours? He's got Elizabeth her at the shack with me. Says he's not leaving till I'm dead, and well …

"Get back to the gumbo shack. Now." Alex unbuckled her seatbelt and took off out of the car, not giving Dean any time to ask any more questions. Her wings carried her into the night sky, beating rapidly as she followed the highway back towards the woods, the pavement speeding by at a dizzying pace. She swooped upwards over the trees before dropping back down into the clearing and rolling into the shack.

The room was dark, but Alex could see perfectly fine. Benny stood by the bar, his hands outstretched in a non-threatening gesture, and Martin stood off to the side, a knife firmly pressed into the throat of a young brunette. She was tied to a chair, tears in her eyes which widened when Alex appeared. "Hey," she snapped, drawing all attention onto her.

Martin tensed, but Benny let out a long breath, relief flooding through his body at the sight. "Bout time," he joked, but even his humor seemed forced, his attention too focused on the woman behind Martin's knife.

Alex approached, wings stretching outwards in fury. "Let her go," she warned, voice deepening into a growl. "She's not a part of this."

"She's his great-granddaughter," Martin snapped, and Elizabeth let out a strangled sob as he pushed the knife even further into the soft tissue of her throat. "You know what I want. You know what's best. Our job is to kill every damn one of those — those things!"

"Let her go," Alex repeated. "Who do you think's faster? You or me?" When Martin didn't respond, she added, "If you don't step away right now, I swear to my Father that I will not hesitate to kill you."

"You know what? You're no better than he is!" Martin angrily gestured to Benny with the knife before he pressed it once again back up against the woman's throat. His wild eyes darted between the two of them, but for once his voice was steady in his fury. "You're a monster just like the rest of them —"

"I'm an angel." Alex's anger boiled over, and her grace snapped through the air like firecrackers. Lighting flashed, her the shadows of her wings cast against the far wall, and Elizabeth screamed. Her actions distracted Benny, and though Martin was stunned, he saw his opportunity. He lunged forward, blade raised, and Alex reacted.

Her hand was on the trigger before he mind caught up, and the loud bang of the discharging gun echoed throughout the small room. Martin fell dead at Benny's feet, a clean hole right between his eyes. His face was still twisted in rage, but he was dead.

Alex lowered her weapon, almost as surprised as the others to find the hunter dead. However, she pushed it all away with a disinterested flick of her wing. Martin was dead; that's all that mattered.

"Didn't know you angel type were ones for firearms." Benny broke the silence as he shifted away from the body, and Alex looked down at her Colt, blinking.

"We — I … I don't," she finally admitted. "I don't — I don't know. I just … really old instinct, I guess." She stared down at the dead body with a shake of her head. "I … it's been a really long week, man."

"Elizabeth. Are you okay?" Benny crossed the room to kneel in front of his great-granddaughter. She let out a terrified sob, and he hurried to untie her, a soothing noise coming from his mouth as he did so. "I — I gotta go," he told Alex when Elizabeth stepped away from the two of them and reached for her phone. "Dean's on his way?"

"Dean's on his way."

"Send him my regards." Benny looked at Elizabeth, shoulders falling as he looked for something to say, but nothing came out. He left without another word, the shack's door swinging closed behind him, and Alex turned to the other woman. She had just called 911, that much was obvious from the stream of hurried and fearful words that had been uttered when Alex had been speaking to Benny, and now she stood off to the side, a wary and terrified eye on her.

The knife had left a rather large cut on her neck, and Alex approached, slipping the gun into the back of her jeans as not to scare her. "It's okay," she began, her words feeling awkward considering all that had just happened. "He hurt you. I can help."

"Y-You—You—"

"I'm an angel, yes. And I can heal you." Alex reached out, moving as gently as she could, and rested her fingers against the torn skin. Her grace pulled it back together, mending the wound, and she quickly pulled away as Elizabeth's hands went up to feel. "You understand you can't tell anyone about what happened tonight, right?"

The door burst open and Alex spun around to see Dean. He slid to a stop, eyes wide as he took in the sight of Martin, laying in a pool of his own blood. "Did …"

"No. I … it was me." Alex approached the hunter, casting a disdainful look down at the body. "Come on. The cops are on their way, and Benny's safe with a good head start. It's time for us to go." She led the way out of the shack, shaking out her wings in the night air as Dean followed close behind. "You know …" she slowly began, "I've been thinking. Sorry if I've been a bit of a bitch today. It's been hard, but, uh, damn did killing something feel good. I'm sorry it had to be Martin," she added with a look up at Dean, "but I feel better already."