Kate's curse was cut off as the basilisk lunged towards her and Dean. Both leapt out of the way of the snapping jaws, one more gracefully than the other as they tumbled. She was back on her feet, curled in an almost animalistic crouch, by the time Dean had righted himself. There was no trace of brown in her eyes anymore, her lips curling back in a grin that made him shiver. The human façade had fallen away from her like a discarded coat. In that moment, he found Sam had been right. She had been holding back.

The basilisk turned towards her and opened its mouth to hiss, a viscous liquid dripping from its maw, as though to make it clear that she was his main target. Grabbing his angel blade, Dean rushed the beast. Sam was a step behind him, attacking from behind. Years of hunting together led them into a routine they both knew well. No words were needed for them to understand what the other was going to do.

As the beast charged forward, Kate remained still. Its tail whipped out, catching Sam by the waist and sending him sprawling against the cave wall. The eldest Winchester, in the basilisk's distraction, dug the blade hard against its scales. A sharp ping echoed through the cave as the silvery weapon glanced off the black scales harmlessly. As Dean cursed their luck, he caught sight of Kate jumping just in time to escape the beast's jaws. Her foot slammed into its snout, sending her in a high arc over its eyes.

Her hand clamped around one of the spines on its back hard enough to draw blood. There was an instant flash of triumph in her eyes, a look which quickly disappeared as the beast bucked in attempt to throw her off. She drove her weapon beneath one of the smooth scales and a shriek escaped the monster. Dean desperately searched for a weak spot where he could get a hit, while at the same time keeping from being hit by the flailing limbs and tail. Over the mess, his eyes met Sam's. It was obvious that the younger Winchester had learned the same thing as his brother.

Dean pulled his gun from his belt and emptied the magazine into the creature, grimacing when the majority ricocheted off, "We can't get a hit!"

"Underbelly," Kate snapped, the word barely recognizable over the cacophony created.

Once more, Sam and Dean exchanged a glance once more. A silent agreement passed between them and Sam ran around to the basilisk's head. Dean ran the opposite direction, leaping over the legs and tail as the creature writhed.

"Hey!" Sam yelled, shooting off a few rounds at it.

Its head snapped to face him, red eyes furious. A screech emanated from its maw as it reared high like snake about to strike. In that moment, Dean leapt forward, thrusting the angel blade up into the softer scales of the creature's stomach. Black blood oozed from the wound and both brothers were forced to run as it came crashing down. Both were surprised when it didn't collapse dead.

"How do you kill this damn thing?" Dean yelled, more to himself than to anyone else.

Kate clambered higher up the struggling basilisk. Using the force of its buck to pry her angel blade loose and plunging it into one of the beast's eyes. She gave a shocked cry as it threw her over its head, causing her to crash against the stone floor a few feet from the brothers. Her face twisted in pain as she pushed herself to her feet. There was only irritation present in her expression as they watched the creature shake its head and face them once more.

"With great difficulty," she growled.

Without warning, Kate tossed Sam her angel blade with a gruff "don't lose it". He fumbled with it for a minute before righting it in his hand. When the two looked back up, she had charged the monster once more. She dodged a clawed leg and threw herself at its neck. Her arms barely wrapped around it, distracting the basilisk with the sudden change in tactic. She tugged at the creature, causing it to lean backwards and away from them.

"Any time now."

The words hadn't even left her lips when the boys charged together. As the blades slid through the soft underbelly, the beast pitched into one of the columns within the cave. Kate gave a sharp cry as she fell to the floor. The basilisk's screams were reduced to gurgling gasps as blood welled up in its chest. The stones it had hit cracked, pulling apart as the beast fell to the floor. Kate was just pushing herself off the floor as they began to fall.

"Look out!" Sam shouted, rushing to help her.

Ignoring his brother shouting his name, Sam reached for the Nephilim's hand. In the next second, he was shoved back violently, slamming into the cavern floor hard enough to force the breath from his lungs. The stones of the broken stalactites crashed down towards them only to roll off something above Kate with the strangest of sounds. Her face was screwed up in pain as she kneeled over him protectively. He watched, mesmerized, as the dust finally settled around them and collected on the invisible barrier above them.

They were wings. Long, immaculate feathers coated in dust that he had not been able to see before. They stretched from Kate's back, covering what she could not shield of him herself. He stared at them in shock as she opened her eyes slowly. There was no silver glow left in her eyes, just a warm brown that searched over him in worry.

"Are you alright?" she asked, her voice strained.

Before he could answer, something barreled into her, shoving her aside and off of him. A sharp gasp escaped her as she fell on her side. The tumble dispersed the dust from her wings, making them invisible to the eye once more. And then Dean was before him, effectively blocking his view, glaring at her angrily. An angel blade shone in his hand.

"Wait, Dean!" he shouted, grabbing his brother's arm.

"What the hell were you doing, Nephilim?" the elder Winchester snarled.

Kate looked up at him with a mix of incredulity and anger, but she offered no answer as she wiped the blood from her busted lip. The sad thing, Sam thought, was that the expression on her face only lasted a few seconds. Now she simply looked as though she had received similar reactions all the time. She looked resigned.

"She saved my life."

The words provoked a reaction from both Dean and Kate. Both had the same stunned expression on their faces. Before either of the boys could say anything more, she pushed herself to her feet carefully. She looked down at them in her dusty clothes and bruised appearance with all the empathy of the stones around them.

"I'll go call Zack and Cas," she explained before walking out without another word.

The Winchesters watched her go, both harboring new questions regarding the woman.