CHAPTER 21: HUMAN NATURE

Despite all the energy he'd used in the past few days and the lack of sleep, Dean hadn't found it in him to sleep on the plane. Planes were still planes.

Ianto had dropped them off at the airport a few hours before their flight back home left. He had told Evie that the offer to become Torchwood three's medical officer was still open. She could take up the post whenever she decided. Evie had refused and had boarded the plane with Sam and Dean.

Dean had found Bobby's couch seconds after walking in Bobby's front door. Dean had flopped onto the couch and in record time was snoring.

Dean woke to the feeling of someone shaking his foot. He cracked an eye open and saw Bobby at his feet.

"Bobby?" Dean questioned.

"I got something you and your brother might want to know. Sam's in the study waiting."

Dean got up and followed Bobby to the study. Sam sat by the computer scrolling through what was up on the screen.

"Bobby, what does this mean?" Sam questioned.

"What does what mean?" Dean asked.

"I pulled another background check up on Evie." Bobby started, "The death certificate never showed up. I called the hospital and they said no Evangeline Finley was ever pronounced dead, but there's an Evangeline Finley in a coma."

Dean looked at Bobby questionably.

"Evie might be hiding something from us." Bobby spoke, "She's either aware of it, or she's not."

"What do you figure?" Sam questioned.

"I figure she's not aware of it. She walks about the house like she did before you guys left. She walked under the devils trap no problem and the holy water beer and silver cutlery doesn't affect her."

"And that brings us back to where we started," Dean spoke, he furrowed his brow, "Where is Evie, anyway?"

"She went for a walk, she should be back soon." Bobby said.

They heard the front door open and close, "Bobby?" Evie's voice called.

Sam turned to the computer and minimized the window that her background check had been pulled up on.

"Guys?" Evie questioned.

"We're in the study." Bobby called.

Evie's footfalls were heard approaching. She soon popped her head in the doorway, "Hi, people," Evie spoke, "Bobby, can you spare a minute or two?"

"Sure," Bobby spoke, his voice gave nothing away, "What do you need?"

"It's just you seem like a fatherly figure and I could use a new viewpoint on my predicament."

Bobby shot her a questioning look.

Sam translated, "She wants your advice."

"On what?" Bobby questioned.

Evie looked uncomfortable, "Can we go for a walk or something?"

"Sure," Bobby spoke.

"Okay," Evie said.

She led Bobby through the house and out the back of the house. She led the way through the outdoor walkways lined with cars.

Finally she spoke, "Bobby, I know that this angel business is over." She stopped walking and sat on the hood of a nearby car, "I just don't know where to go from here."

"In regards to what?" Bobby questioned to get a better idea what sort of answer she was looking for.

Evie pulled the death certificate out from her back pocket. She waved it in the air in front of her, "Apparently Evangeline Finley doesn't exist anymore."

"So you want to know who you're supposed to be for the rest of your life?" Bobby asked.

"Yeah, there's that and there's also the question of what I'm supposed to do with my life."

"I hear you did a good job fighting the monsters in Cardiff." Bobby spoke, "You could become a hunter, you'd even be able to keep your name." He suggested.

"Thanks, but no thanks." Evie said, "I like having friends."

"What about the team in Cardiff you guys worked with?" He snapped his fingers searching for the name.

"Torchwood?"

"That's the one,"

"Yeah, I'd be able to keep my own name, but they fight aliens and crap from all throughout time. At least hunters don't have to deal with monsters who have future technology and are trying to kill you."

"Oh,"

"Yeah and they already offered me a job, but I declined."

"Well, let's look at your other options." Bobby started, "You said yourself Evie Finley is dead. You can't use that name unless you have a job like Torchwood or if you go into hunting. If you want the rest of your life to be more or less normal, you'd have to go under a fake name."

"Yeah, I thought it'd boil down to that." Evie said, sad and angered she couldn't keep her real name, "I don't even know if I'd want to do med school again." She admitted.

"Why not?"

"I'd have to start over." She said, "And what's the point of trying to save people if monsters like a chupacabra or whatever can snuff out life before you can blink?"

"You won't be able to save them from monsters, but you'd be able to still help people."

"How?"

"You've died, you lost your family, you've been shot, and the angels have had to piece you together again. You really know what it's like on the crap side of the medical field."

"No, I don't want to be a doctor anymore. I don't know where to go, what to do. I don't know anything anymore." She admitted.

"I'm sure you'll figure something out." Bobby spoke, taking a step away, "Just look inside yourself for the answer."

"Thanks, Obi Wan." Evie spoke in a heavily sarcastic tone.

"May the force be with you, young padawan." Bobby spoke with a grin on his face. He stepped away to the house, leaving Evie to her thoughts.

*****

Hours had passed and no one knew where Evie had gone. Bobby had left her in the lot to mull over her options.

She was no where to be found for lunch nor dinner. The colors of the sunset were just beginning to grace the sky when Evie made her presence known again.

"Scooby?" she called.

"In here," Dean had called from the library.

Evie's head popped into the doorway to the library, "Hey, Scooby, wanna go for a drive?"

He seemed somewhat uninterested, "Where to?"

Evie pulled the keys to the Enzo out of her pocket, "Anywhere," she paused. She looked him directly in the eye, "I'll even let you drive."

Dean jumped at the opportunity, "I'm in." He took the keys from her outstretched hand.

They stepped through the house to the front driveway.

Dean crawled in the driver's seat and Evie sat shotgun in the Enzo. She seemed unperturbed that Dean was going to drive the Italian supercar.

Dean drove almost at top speed down the deserted roads on the outskirts of town. Soon there was nothing but farmland for miles.

"Scooby, when you see an inlet, take it."

Dean reluctantly slowed down the car to speed limit. Within a few minutes he had found a short driveway into a field. He pulled into the inlet as far as he could before the path narrowed into a foot path.

"Do you want me to park it?" Dean questioned her.

"This is my stop. Do whatever you want."

Dean continued to gaze at her with a furrowed brow.

Evie pulled out the badge she'd used only once on the plane to Cardiff, "Here," she gave it to him, "In case you guys need a super badge you can't forge."

"How does it work?" Dean opened the badge and saw only blank paper.

"It's called psychic paper, like I explained before. It can get you anywhere under any alias. I'm sure you'll figure it out." She opened the door and stepped out of the Enzo.

Dean turned off the car and stepped out too, "Where are you going? There's nothing here for miles except farmer fields."

"I'm gonna make a phone call." She spoke, "Just stay by the car. You can leave; you don't have to wait for me."

"How are you gonna get back then?"

"I'll find a way," She turned and took a step down the foot path.

Dean's hand shot out and grabbed Evie's shoulder, stopping her, "Wait, Evie," he took a breath to say more, but Evie turned and they locked lips.

Evie soon broke off the kiss. She stepped back and peered up at Dean with a last look.

"You're not just making a call. You're leaving." Dean spoke.

"I'm at least going to try."

"You don't have to. You can chill here with Bobby, he can teach you how to become a hunter. I'm sure he won't mind, he'll love teaching you."

"No," Evie spoke, "Sure life being a hunter is exciting and all, but it's not for me, same deal with Torchwood. I mean, in the long run, what is there? Nothing. You move around all the time, there are no making friends or having attachments, children are far out of the picture." She took a breath, "It's a lonely life. I want a life of my own and that's something Torchwood nor hunting can give me." She broke off the last look and turned and watched her feet as she stepped through the crop, "Oh," she turned, "One more thing, Scooby, you better take care of that car." She turned and stepped until she was out of earshot from Dean.

Dean leaned against the side of the Enzo and watched her.

Evie saw him looking her way through her peripheral vision. She didn't want to look back anymore. She was done with the monsters that go bump in the night. At least Dean would be able to tell Bobby and Sammy the truth about what she was going to do.

"Malachi," she spoke, "I did what you wanted me to do. What am I supposed to do now?"

She stood still, peering around and waiting for Malachi to show up.

A few long minutes passed and she heard the flutter of wings behind her. She turned and saw a man with clear blue eyes and dark hair. He was dressed in a suit with a light colored trench coat over it.

"Castiel," she spoke, "Where's Malachi?"

"Healing," Castiel spoke, "It takes time to heal a wound inflicted by another angel."

"Oh," she paused, "Look, I'm gonna get right into what I called you guys for. What am I supposed to do now that the archangels have been taken care of?"

"You can do whatever you want." Cas spoke.

"I've gone over my options and they're not good enough."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm not gonna be anyone other than Evangeline Finley. I'm not gonna live a lie." She paused, "That cuts out the options of living a normal life."

"You can always hunt." Castiel suggested.

"No," Evie spoke, "I'm not gonna hunt monsters and definitely not aliens. That takes care of all my options."

"There is another option." Castiel started.

"What is it?" Evie asked, she couldn't help but be excited about the new path she could take.

"I can't tell you."

Evie looked miffed, "Can you at least give me a hint?"

"What would you want to know?" Castiel questioned in return.

"Is it better than hunting the unknown or living under a fake name?"

"You would get to keep your own name and you won't have to hunt." Castiel explained.

"Can I have my scar back?" Evie asked.

Castiel looked at her with a questionable gaze.

"I got shot with a silver bullet. I want the scar back."

"Why?"

"It reminds me why I want to be a doctor." She spoke innocently enough.

"Did you want to take us up on our offer of not having to hunt anything and not living under a fake name?"

"Of course,"

"You're sure?" Castiel asked.

"Yeah, why? Is there some sort of catch I'm not seeing?"

Castiel looked at Evie without saying a word. He quickly brought his hand up. He placed his palm on Evie's forehead.

*****

Dean had watched Evie's conversation with Cas from a distance. He'd figured she'd wanted him to be out of earshot so he couldn't hear the exchange of words.

He watched them converse for a few minutes. He saw Castiel's hand shoot up to Evie's forehead.

He saw Evie go limp and fall to the ground backwards. She fell into the cover of the farmer's crop.

Dean jumped away from the Enzo and ran towards where Evie had fallen. He searched through the crops that Evie had fallen into, "Evie?" Dean called out. He turned to face Castiel, "What did you do to her?"

"We returned her to her family." Cas spoke flatly.

"She got squished, her family thinks she's dead." Dean spoke.

"Surely you know they don't."

"What do you mean?"

"Bobby told you earlier. No Evangeline Finley ever died."

"How do you explain the death certificate?"

"We had to convince her she had no other choice but to do God's work."

"Well they had to notice she was missing."

Cas shook his head, "Human perception is easy to alter."

"So what? She goes back to her family and friends and no one knows better?"

"Those were the orders."

"Will she remember?" Dean questioned.

Cas didn't say anything.

"Will she remember?" Dean repeated. He blinked. He opened his eyes and Cas was gone, but for the flutter of wings telling Dean that Cas had left him alone in the field.

Dean stepped back to the Enzo and drove back to Bobby's.