Author's Note:

Hello there! I'm so sorry I pulled a GRRM and went away for almost a year :( I've had quite a bust past 12 months with a range of difficulties and both this chapter and the one-shot sitting unfinished on my laptop for way too long. My exams finished yesterday and so I wrote up the chapter and here it is!

So the one-shot which you can find through my profile page is Alexis Winchester - Folsom Prison Blues, so please go check that out!

Thank-you to everyone who has reviewed over the past year. If I haven't gotten back to you, please feel free to message me with any questions or requests.

Also, anyone who has requested a story from me, I kindly ask that you remind me which story you asked for. I have ideas sitting there but no name to dedicate it to when I publish the story

Thank-you so much to those people who are now following my story and to those who added it to their favorites :)

Please review guys, your feedback is greatly appreciated :) Enjoy the chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own the Supernatural series or any of their characters which appear in the series including Sam and Dean. I do own the character of Alexis in this story.


Alexis Winchester

Chapter 29 – And So The Light Descended

"What did he say it looked like?" I yelled, throwing my voice down to Sam.

"Uh… it was silver…." Sam's unsure voice answered, "… and cylindrical?" I stopped digging around and rolled my eyes.

"Well done Samantha. I'm sure I'll find the silver, cylindrical part you're looking for amongst this sea of silver, cylindrical parts…" I growled at him.

"Hey, I didn't ask for anything… Dean's the one looking for it." Sam yelled back. I moved carefully, feeling my weight shift the car. I was snuggled between the fourth and fifth car, in a pile of trashed auto stacked in Bobby's yard. It had been a while since he'd cleaned the area out of scrap metal so most of the vehicles at this point, were piled. Dean needed a part for the Impala… and this was the only car in the yard that could possibly have what he was looking for.

"I don't understand why he didn't just come himself." Sam muttered. Neither did I. Granted I was the one that would have to climb the pile in any case, because I was the only one small enough to do it, but Dean could have made this a lot easier for the lot of us. I had the feeling he was using this opportunity to talk privately with Bobby.

"Sammy, I can't find the damn thing. We've been out here for twenty minutes… I'm coming down. If it's so important, Dean will figure it out." I told him, sliding back the way I came. Suddenly the car shifted left without my say so. I grabbed the steering wheel in panic as the car levelled out. "Sam that's not funny!" I shouted, feeling my heart pound.

"Get out! It's an earthquake!" Sam's voice was distant.

"A what?" I was asking stupid questions because I heard my brother just fine. The car tipped and I felt my whole world spin, unable to make out what was up and what was down. I saw the ground approaching fast and without thinking, I shut my eyes and pushed forward. I felt burning across my arms, my legs and face. My nose cracked and I felt grains in my mouth. I heard heavy footsteps approaching.

"Lex." Gravel cracked under Sam's shoes as he halted next to me and pulled me up in one swift motion. He had his arm under mine, enveloping me as he checked my face, being very careful not to touch my exposed arms and legs… since they were all scraped and raw.

"I guess my powers aren't at full strength." I muttered, standing on my own as Sam looked painfully at my nose. "It's broken, isn't it?" I asked.

"Sam! Alexis!" Dean's voice came thundering around the corner. I squinted in the sunlight at the cars crashed around us before turning my attention to Dean, who came barrelling around the corner, a tool in his hand. He slowed down when he saw us both standing, then squinted, then continued to run towards us. He took one look at Sam, satisfied he was uninjured, and came to stop with all his attention on me. He dropped his spanner and put both hands on my face, ducking down to look at me.

"She broke her nose." Sam informed him, glancing at the wreckage around us. Out of nowhere, the ground shook again… but this time it really shook. I grabbed Sam's arm for support and Dean inched away from another pile of junk metal in time for it to come colliding down.

"Move." Sam ordered, pulling me with him away from the junk yard and towards open ground. I complied, but found plenty of difficulty completing the task at hand. The ground was moving like some devil spawn beast was kicking the surface of the earth for the fun of it.

"Just stand here and we'll be fine." Sam told us. Dean wasn't thrilled about the earth moving and his face showed it. He had an issue with not being on solid ground so he was fairly quiet.

"It's stopping." I said quietly as the shaking became a rumble and then finally stillness. "What the hell was that?" I asked, knowing damn well that wasn't a natural disaster.

"Maybe it was just a-" all the light bulbs, be it in the street lights, in Bobby's house or even the headlights in all the destroyed cars, turned on, cutting Sam short. The brightness grew greater and greater until the light was blinding and we were squinting.

And then they exploded.

Our hands went up, protecting our faces as we heard glass shatter everywhere.

"Motherfucker!" Dean yelled, angry at God knows what.

"Demons?" I asked, looking to Sam. My skin tingled.

"Angels." Sam replied, looking behind me. Nathaniel and Castiel were standing behind Dean and I, concern already on their faces. They scanned the area, taking in the damage.

"This was you guys?" Dean asked, running a hand through his hair.

"Depends on your definition of- what happened?" Cas cut his answer short as his eyes finally fell on me.

"We asked you that." I replied, squinting in confusion.

"Your face." Nate stepped forward, examining my injuries.

"No need to be alarmed… she was born that ugly." Dean replied. I shook my head as Nate softly touched my forehead. A quick zap and the pain had disappeared.

"I fell from the car… thanks to the earthquake-" I stopped myself, "-or whatever it is that you're here to inform us about." Nate and Cas exchanged a glance with each other.

"What are you two doing here?" Dean asked, eyes set on Nate, impatience setting in.

"These events… shifting tectonic plates and electrical overloads; they're signs that angels have arrived on earth." Castiel explained.

"A significant number of angels." Nate continued.

"Searching for us?" Sam asked, squaring his shoulders. Nate nodded silently allowing us time to take in the information.

"Zachariah must be peeved at the fact we didn't take his bait." I muttered; taking a quick nervous glance at Castiel. I hadn't really spoken to him or Nate about what I'd encountered in the future and to be completely honest, I didn't think I ever wanted to.

"They can't find us; we're protected by the sigils." Dean argued.

"And you were stupid enough to hide out at Bobby's home… a place they're bound to check eventually." Nate added. Dean's glare, aimed at Nate, was one that almost sent me into early hibernation.

"You didn't exactly advise us not to seek refuge here." I pointed out, trying to diffuse the situation. Why was Nate so irritated?

"So they're trying to cover more ground. It's a smart move to locate us especially if they can't hone in on our whereabouts. Crossing off areas by footage is an efficient option but we could use that to our advantage." Sam thought out loud.

"How?" Dean asked, his mind obviously focusing on a different aspect of the problem.

"We wait for them to clear an area and then inhabit it. They won't look for us where they've previously searched." Sam replied.

"Unless they plan on keeping checkpoints in those areas. Stationary vantage points; with orders to identify you." Cas argued.

"You two were soldiers of heaven… which would they rather do?" I asked, speaking more to Nate.

"Knowing Zachariah… both. And then some." He replied, frustrated.

"Well that tells us two things." Dean finally had his input. "One, we can't stay here any longer; regardless of what happens next and whatever technique they're using; we have to infiltrate one of their hotspots and eliminate the threat so that we can use that space."

"That'll just give away our location. That's what they want." I retaliated.

"Dean's right." Nate told me. "If all our options leave us exposed, we might as well dictate the terms and not wait for the fight to come to us."

"Play on the offensive." Sam nodded. "How many angels do you expect to encounter at any given location?" he asked.

"Enough to put up one hell of a fight for the two of us." Castiel answered, gesturing to him and Nate. "You guys will have to sit on the sidelines until we can secure the place."

"And?" I urged them to continue. Sam and Dean looked at me then at the angels. They hadn't picked up on the hidden context of the situation and I was curious as to why they were trying to hide something from us.

"And what?" Dean asked, looking between us.

"There's more to this plan than meets the eye… isn't there?" I asked, focusing my attention on Nate. He wouldn't lie to me.

"Secure the area as in take an angel hostage and torture some answers out of them." He replied. Our reactions were unified surprise and a little horror.

"Who would do the torturing? Sam asked, a stern expression aimed at Castiel.

"Nathaniel and myself." Cas' eyes were on Dean's, a silent promise that he wouldn't involve him this time.

"Then why do you need us there?" I asked, suspicious that someone would use Sam or my name to convince Dean into spilling more blood.

"To make sure you're safe." Nate answered this time and his response was directed at me, as if the other three weren't with us. I wanted nothing more than to reach out at touch him, feel his warmth, let him wrap his arms around me… but I couldn't.

"We have to move now." Cas' words interrupted us. I glanced at him and caught disdain in his eyes before he looked away from us. Could he sense what Nate and I had? I mean… I had fallen for Nate fairly quickly and quite passionately. Castiel on the other hand… I hadn't even noticed I could be attracted to him until I went to the future. Did Cas have feelings for me at the moment? Did he know I was with Nate? And if he did, was that why he was mad… because he didn't like it?

"Grab your things and we'll take you." Nate told us, crossing his arms over his chest. I looked to Dean for confirmation but he was focused on Nate for some reason… like he still distrusted him. Instead I turned to Sam who nodded quickly. I turned and walked towards the house, getting all the confirmation I needed.


Sam

"How do you know this is the place?" Lex asked, squinting into the sun. It was a scorching day and we were on a deserted road in the middle of Tennessee somewhere. Luckily, we'd gauged the weather correctly and the three of us had come in thin t-shirts and light jeans. The angels however were wearing what they usually did… Cas' trench coat being the biggest giveaway that he was non-human.

"We can sense where the heavenly energy directed itself… so we're in the right area… now we just have to find the vessel being inhabited." Cas explained.

"We're getting close." Nate pointed to the left and we finally noticed the lack of power lines… since they were all lying flat on the floor as if they'd been knocked down like dominoes. "Earthquake hit hard here; there should be a house up ahead." He looked at Lex as we walked forward. "Can you sense a spike in your angel radar? Like more than the two of us?" he asked. Lex was still getting a handle on her powers so I doubted it and her expression gave her away.

"Not really." She admitted. "Though let me tell you, the feeling I'm getting from the heat and being around you two is wildly unsettling." Her hair was braided out of her face but she kept tucking away imaginary strands. It reminded me of when she was younger and she'd ask me or Dean to do her hair for her. It didn't matter how well a job we did, she'd always touch her face like there was something on it and then ask us to redo her hair because it had 'come undone'. That and the way she rest her little hands on her hips, like she's walked a mile in the heat when she'd only gone outside for a few minutes.

She was such a drama queen. I smiled at the thought. To be fair however, she was the only one who had a right to be. Out of the three of us, she'd endured the most and survived. Dad made her train twice as hard as Dean and I ever did and she managed to succeed. She had a right to bring the drama.

"This can't be right." Cas said suddenly as he came to a stop.

"What is it?" Dean asked, looking around on guard. Cas turned in his spot and examined his surroundings, as if he were truly lost. "I recognise this place."

"Isn't that a good thing Cas?" I asked, looking around and keeping my eye on Lex. "If it's familiar, your angel should be nearby."

"We've been here before." Nate spoke, like he was accessing a distant part of his memory.

"You think it's a memory from before your re-education?" Lex asked Nate.

"That's what it seems like. But it's not associated with fear." He replied. An engine growl was heard in the distance. Dean and I pulled out our guns but Lex opted for her blades as we saw a red pick-up approach from the distance.

"Okay, you were right…. I feel it." Lex said quickly.

"That's an angel?" I asked her. She glanced up at me.

An angel or a demon… I haven't been able to differentiate between the two yet." She replied. Nate and Cas stepped ahead of Dean, drawing their blades as the truck came to a stop. A young woman stepped out wearing jeans and blue shirt; her long chocolate hair shining in the sun.

"Castiel! Nathaniel!" she smiled running forward and pulling Cas into a hug. He tensed… not returning the embrace. She moved onto Nate and I felt Lex shift beside me. He returned the hug, realisation settling in.

"Eva?" he asked in disbelief. The moment her name left his lips, Cas' eyes opened wide in recognition.

"Eva!" he knitted his brows together in relief.

"I didn't think I was ever going to see the two of you again!" she exclaimed. "But I recognised your grace a mile away! I couldn't wait for you to find me, so I came to you." I didn't quite understand what was going on but the three of us could guess it was a reunion of some sort.

"How did you get out?" Nate asked, exchanging glances with Castiel. "We tried so hard to break you out!" Oh… angel inmates. That made more sense. Confusion set into Eva's face.

"You didn't break us out?" she asked, still not acknowledging us.

"Us?" Castiel asked.

"Two entire garrisons broke free." She explained. "Olivia, Mason, Leanna, Kaleb, Tate, Gabriella, Wyatt, Eustace… they're all out along with Arabella's garrison. I thought you were behind our escape." She admitted. Castiel shook his head.

"We didn't even know it was you. We thought Zachariah unleashed more of his minions on us so we came to investigate." He explained.

"Could it have been Anna, or Micah or Uriel?" she asked, eyes darting in fear.

"Micah's in hiding. Uriel's dead. And Anna's been captured." Nate replied. Eva's hype died down as she took in the information. It was clear she had believed that the rogue angels had the upper hand however she could now see that was not true. "Is everyone in your garrison alright? Unharmed… unaltered?" Nate asked.

"We were the distinct few that made it through. Maybe that's why we were targeted for release." Eva replied.

"You have to be careful… heaven's forces will be looking to kill you. The others aren't safe… especially if you're separated." Castiel warned her. She squinted, looking around.

"Tate never got a chance to tell us where to regroup. I'm guessing Arabella's unit is in the same conundrum." She breathed, finally glancing at me. Her eyes settled on my tall figure before moving to Dean and finally resting on Lex.

"Who are they?" she asked quietly. Castiel turned to point us out to her. "Sam, Dean and Alexis." He informed her. "Meet Eva, fighting the good fight since before you were born. Eva, meet the Winchesters." Her eyes widened and she smiled with a sweet sparkle in her eye.

"The Winchesters?" she breathed. She knew us. "Your name has been travelling the dungeons of heaven for a long time now." She stuck her hand out to Dean and he reluctantly took it. "Pleasure to meet you Dean Winchester."

Quite suddenly, Lex gasped and fell to her knees. Dean pulled his hand out of Eva's and rushed to Lex's side the same time I did, holding her. She mumbled something, grinding her teeth; her fingers on her temples.

"What?" Dean asked her. Nate and Cas hovered over us, trying to understand what she was saying.

"MORE THAN THREE." She yelled. Dean and I had the same thought in mind. We let go of her and stood up, our backs to Lex and facing the oncoming threat. Nate and Cas barely had time to do the same before figures started appearing all around us.

Angel after angel descended, surrounding us in the tight circle we'd made.

"Get up Lex!" Dean yelled. There was fear in his voice. They wouldn't kill us… they needed us; but they could hurt us. I didn't know who I was worried for… Dean; who the angels had been pestering to accept Michael, me; who they could all do without since I was Lucifer's vessel; Lex; who they wanted to manipulate or Nate and Cas; who had no reason to keep living in heaven's eyes.

I should have been worried for Eva, for she was the first one they targeted. She knew how to fight some, but she was rusty and the warriors of heaven were not. Two rained down on her like pit bulls, ripping her vessels to shreds as they materialised over and over again, finding a new way to tear her apart. Their angel blades marked each rip, sealing her fate within a minute. A bright light flashed as her torso was thrown to the fields and angel wings scorched the grass around her.

Nate and Castiel's faces morphed into anger whilst the three of us stayed in shock at the brutality of their fighting style. They were like hounds, and they snarling sights were set on us.

We were left to fend for ourselves.

"What do you want?" Cas asked, a deep threat in his voice. I glanced back to see Lex still crouching down and holding her head with fear etched on her face.

"You know what we want Castiel." Zachariah's voice pierced through the air.

"Whoa, look which dick bag decided to show up." Dean's voice came from behind me.

"I'm not going to ask you again Dean, come with us to heaven." Zach sneered, his hounds by his side.

"Suck it Douche-King. I'm good right here." Dean's response was asking for pain.

"Maybe your angel buddies should pay the price." Zachariah lifted his hand, and that's all it took for Lex to snap.

"No." her voice was crisp. She stood up and the air began to vibrate, just for a second. Lex's pupil's shone bright and then the energy emanated from her, spreading outwards in a quick blast and throwing every angel other than Nate and Cas back on their asses.

Nathaniel wasted no time. He took the opportunity and sprung forward, stabbing his angel blade into the two closest angel goons. Lex fell back onto her knees, clutching her head in pain. I dropped beside her and saw Castiel leap off in my peripheral vision, killing another angel.

"What's happening?" she asked, breathing irregularly.

"Forget about that. Are your powers hurting you?" I asked.

"It's just… there are a lot of angels here and it's hurting my nerves. I can't muster up all the energy I need." She said, finally looking up at me. Her eyes had returned to their normal glistening dark brown colour.

"Focus on yourself, not the angels." I instructed her. I looked up, searching for Dean, expecting him to be at Lex's side, but he had snatched up the closest angel blade and was slashing through as many winged warriors as he could. On the other hand, Zachariah was heading straight for us. "Focus on yourself." I reminded Lex, standing up and blocking Zach's path to Lex.

"Stay away from her." I warned.

"She may have had some power in the future but it's doing her no favours here." He sneered. "She's mine Sam." He lunged at me, grabbing my shirt and swinging me away. I pulled back my arm and punched him square in the jaw before kicking him back and regaining my position in front of Lex. He stood up fast, blood seeping from his nose, and this time used a flick of his finger to send me flying to the field.

I rolled, feeling bruised and battered, finally stopping on my back with the sun shining in my eyes. A shadow appeared above me, blocking out the painful rays, and it took me a while to adjust to the figure.

"Hey sunshine."


Lex

"Sam?" I looked around for my older brother and found myself face to face with a two-eyed twat instead. I didn't have time to block the blow that was coming my way. He had a grip on my collar and swiftly hooked across my face. I spat blood out before pushing back.

"Dean!" I yelled, kicking in the air, trying to get away from Zachariah. I didn't have an angel blade on me and my powers weren't exactly helping me at the moment so I seemed inevitably screwed. Zachariah focused his eyes directly on mine and I started to feel tension in my bones. "DEAN!" I yelled again. I felt my knee crack. The pain was agonising and I screamed in turmoil, unable to keep kicking. The other knee met the same fate not even two seconds later.

Suddenly Zachariah's hands were ripped away from me. Strong arms embraced me from behind and pulled me back, without letting any weight fall on my legs. I leaned back, trying to catch a glimpse at who was fighting Zach. It was Dean and Nate, tag teaming him; pushing him further away from me. Nate got the upper hand, kicking Zach hard but grabbing his shoulders in time to pull him forwards and slam his face into the ground.

The other angels were closing in on us and I didn't know what we were going to do. I started to panic as I saw the sheer number of angels surrounding Dean and Nate. A hand pressed itself over my neck and Castiel whispered for me to calm down.

It was then I realised it was him who was holding me up. It was Castiel who I was willingly leaning into; using his arms to protect me from the violence surrounding us. A quick tap and I felt my knees realign and reconnect. Cas helped me stand up right.

Nate was fighting off angels left, right and centre. Kicking one, slashing at another; he was a god blazing through the crowd. I was petrified that he'd been grazed by an angel blade, but given his stamina, it didn't look like it.

"Enough!" Zachariah's voice echoed as everyone went still. Cas and I turned to see an unconscious Dean being held up by a very pissed Zachariah.

"Dean." I inched forward but Cas held me back.

"Enough Nathaniel." Zach said, prompting Nate to hold back his next punch. "Drop the blade." Nate's eyes were dangerous as he held the stocky angel ahead of him in one hand and had the blade in position to stab his throat. "DROP IT!" Zach yelled again. With gritted teeth, he reluctantly let go, letting the blade fall to the ground. Immediately he was seized by those angels around him. I still couldn't see Sam anywhere.

Angels surrounded Cas and I, pulling us apart. Two of them looped their arms around me as I struggled, pushing and kicking the whole time.

"Don't touch me!" I spat whilst Castiel had a much calmer approach to the whole situation.

"What now Zachariah?" Nate asked. "You have us."

"Where's Sam?" Zachariah asked, looking around. I kept my eye on Dean and the trickle of blood coming out his nose. Nobody answered him. "Where is he?!" Zachariah yelled again, his eyes wild. He was getting impatient so he took the blade in his hand and pressed it into Dean's throat, slowly yet steadily piercing the skin.

"Let him go!" I yelled, pushing forward. I was roughly pulled back and shoved to the ground.

"We don't know!" Nate replied for the three of us. "We don't know where he is." He said firmly, his concerned eyes on me as I tried and failed to get back up. My eyes didn't register what happened next. One second Nate and Cas were there, the next they were gone and Sam was standing topless in the middle of the angel perimeter. His chest had blood all over it.

None of it made sense until he slammed his open palm into his chest and a bright light erupted, taking with it all surrounding angels. As soon as they were gone, I picked myself up and rushed to Dean's side, lifting his head off the road.

"Dean?" I asked, tapping his face lightly. "Hey, wake up." Sam crouched beside me, feeling for Dean's pulse.

"He's okay." He informed me. I glanced over at him and confirmed he had drawn the angel banishing sigil on his chest.

"How did you do that?" I asked, still holding Dean's head in my arms. "How did Cas and Nate know to leave?"

"We didn't." Castiel's voice came from behind me. He had reappeared and came to Dean's side immediately, placing his hand on his forehead.

"Why isn't he waking up?" Sam asked. I watched Nate walk out from behind us as well, confusion on his face.

"Zachariah knocked him out with some form of angel drug hypnosis. He's in a very deep sleep." Cas replied frowning.

"How does Zach benefit from Dean being drugged?" I asked.

"He can't run around and cause havoc. He'll be safe and sound until Michael needs him and then Zachariah will know exactly where to find him." Cas replied.

"Sam. What happened?" Nate asked, still trying to figure out what had happened. It was a good question seeing as none of us but Sam knew.

"Adriel." Was his only reply. Nate's face fell and Cas' eyes shot up is surprise.

"What did you say?" Nate asked, stepping forward as if he'd heard incorrectly.

"He said 'Adriel'."

She stood in the centre of the road, her burgundy-black hair flowing in the light breeze. The sun marked her curvy silhouette, touching the edges of her tight black pants and her sleeveless, white flowing top, which just showed off her defined abs every time the wind blew. She had sharp features; tan skin, toned muscles, dark brown eyes, her hair curling to her shoulders and most importantly beautiful nude lips with a smirk on them.

Castiel's hand fell away from Dean as he stood up and Nate eyebrows were raised so far up they were about to come right off. Nate had told me about Adriel; his mentor, the General of their garrison, the angel he admired so much. He said that she'd left to go find something essential to the approaching battle without much explanation but that Zachariah had killed her. They thought she was dead, but clearly she wasn't.

"I-" Nate's words were stuck in his mouth.

"It would be wise to not trust me given that you haven't seen me for one hundred and seventy four years but you both know that my face doesn't lie." Adriel said to them.

"How-" Cas stopped in confusion.

"I swear it's me. Untouched, unaltered... just with a few more greys." Adriel smiled. Nate returned the smile, striding forward and embracing Adriel. She clutched him tight, shutting her eyes in relief.

"You were dead." Nate said, pulling away. "Zachariah showed us-"

"You know better than to believe that two faced turd." She chastised, moving past him and hugging Castiel. He smiled softly, holding her in his arms.

"This is a big moment?" I whispered to Sam. He nodded from beside me.

"Yeah, it's a big moment." He agreed.

"Where have you been all this time?" Nate asked. Adriel let go of Cas and set her sights on us.

"I'll take you there right now. We need to get out of here before they come back." She didn't bother asking permission, she simply zapped us out of there.


"They've been talking for a long time." I noted, leaning my elbows on the counter. Sam poured out his third cup of coffee beside me and squeezed my shoulder reassuringly.

"They have a lot of answers they need. It's best we let the two of them come to terms with what's happening. It'll take too long to explain everything to us and that's time we don't have." Sam told me.

"We're obviously trusting Nate and Cas with their verdict… right?" I asked. "I mean, you and Dean have had your issues with trusting angels in the past. We all know I'm not a great referencing point."

"I trust Cas. He cares about us… especially Dean, so whoever he trusts works for me. I'm all in." Sam replied, sipping his coffee.

"Speaking of, I really don't like leaving Dean alone in that bedroom." I admitted, glancing back at the door. Sam put down his cup and crossed his arms over his chest.

"We're in a cabin… in one of the deepest, most remote and virtually untouched valleys… in India." Sam paused for emphasis. "What could possibly happen to Dean here?" I slapped Sam's arm and knocked on the wooden table counter.

"They could find us!" I argued knowing for the most past part that this ground was so protected and that Adriel had been living here for the past one hundred and seventy four years without a single threat, but still worrying as I usually did. "Or maybe a tiger will bust through the window and eat Dean's face… I don't know, I just feel we should be there with him."

"Okay, fine, you go be with him and I'll stay here and keep an eye on them." Sam gestured towards the three angels that were seated in the living room. I looked up at Sam's face and noticed something different.

"Ohhh." I laughed quietly. Sam looked back at me.

"What?" he asked, narrowing his eyes.

"I know exactly who you want to keep an eye on." I smiled, looking at Adriel. "I'll admit Sam, she's gorgeous and that body-"

"Alright-"

"Did you see her ass? She seems pretty fun-"

"Enough out of you-" Sam tried to shut me up.

"And you must have loved her smearing blood all over your bare chest-"

"Out!" Sam turned me around and pushed me towards the bedroom door. I left willingly but also laughing at Sam's discomfort. Maybe he was taken by this angel.

Dean was lying flat on his back, breathing steadily. I sat beside him and watched how peaceful he looked. There was no pain on his face, no discomfort… just serenity. I wished he could feel like that all the time.

"Hey Dean." I said softly, wondering if he could hear me. I reached out and placed my palm on his jaw, gently stroking his cheek with my thumb. The only times I'd ever done this was when I was a young child or when Dean was unconscious. He wouldn't let me otherwise. "If you can hear me, I want to tell you that you're safe and that Sam and I are both here with you. We're safe too. Cas and Nate are looking out for us." I thought I'd leave out Adriel for the time being. "But most importantly, we're working on a way to save your sorry ass from all the beauty sleep, okay? Don't worry, you'll be up and ready to bitch in no time."

I wasn't sure what I was expecting, Dean to crack a smile and get up? Maybe to twitch a finger in response to my voice? Neither of those happened… he just continued to lay there, unconscious.

"I kind of want to get a bunch of stuff of my chest and now would be the ideal time to tell you-" I added, thinking of telling Dean about the interaction Cas and I may have been having and the interaction Nate and I were definitely having. My heart raced just thinking about divulging that information to Dean… and the reaction he'd have. The thundering, terrifying, God-fearing reaction. "-but on the off chance you can hear what I'm saying and will actually remember it when you wake up, I'm not going to do that." I tapped his nose lightly and sighed.

"You know, maybe we could just stay here." I suggested looking around. "It's a decent place. Adriel's been hiding out here for close to two hundred years and heaven hasn't found her yet. Why she chose here as opposed to the entire cosmos… I'm not entirely sure but it worked." I turned around and lay beside Dean, resting my head on his arm. It was strange to not feel his arm wrap around me like it usually did but his presence was enough.

"The three of us could camp out here forever." I stared at the ceiling as I spoke, imagining the possibility. "You could learn how to cook, properly, and serve us hot meals three times a day. Sam could read to his little heart's content and I could build things. Really build as in cut down a couple of trees, bang some wood together and then bam… we'd have a boat. Not sure what we'd do with it but at least we'd have one. What do you reckon?" I asked.

I had to admit, it was a lot easier talking to Dean like this without constantly being interrupted or having an insult thrown my way.


Dean

"You sure about this?" Sam asked, leaning one arm on the back of his booth and the other firmly gripping his beer. I kept my eyes on the bottle in front of me, twisting it between my fingers.

"As sure as it gets." I replied.

"She's a kid." Sam noted. I looked up at him and watched his eyes travel between me and Lex at the bar.

"She's eighteen." I corrected him. He rolled his eyes at me.

"She's still a kid." He argued, still surveying Lex. I leaned back and smiled.

"Watch all you want… anyone who tries will luck out on her." I told him. "No one here is her type." I finally looked over at the little ankle-biter. She was seated with her drink, talking to the bearded bartender, no tension whatsoever. The two guys that had been eyeing her since we walked in here were only a few feet away, talking amongst themselves and stealing glances at her every couple of minutes.

"Firstly, how do you know what her type is? And secondly, it's not about lucking out… you know that." Sam shot at me, pulling his jacket off. I was always surprised when Sam wore anything revealing his arms. Last I remembered, Sam was an eighteen year old kid with lean muscles, barely out of puberty. In my eyes, he was my scrawny kid brother. His four years at Stanford had beefed him up bigtime and it was hard not to notice the bulging biceps he sported these days.

"Easy with the guns big guy." I joked, wondering if I should work out more since Sam had stepped up his game. "Look, Lex can take care of herself, we both know that, but she still needs someone to look after her. An ordinary guy won't cut it. She needs someone who has been through the same kind of mayhem we've been bouncing around our whole lives. My best guess… she'd go for military."

"Anyone in this joint could be that." Sam argued. I pointed to the bartender.

"Dirty and ungroomed; not military," I pointed to one of the men watching Lex, "lots of muscle, not a damn scar on his baby skin," I pointed to the guys friend, "lean guy, strong forearms, familiar with weapons however his farmer's tan tells me the biggest thing he's ever shot is deer." Sam nodded, impressed before pointing to a well-built man behind me, sitting in a booth alone.

"Dog tags." Sam noted, challenging me. I smirked, watching the guy carefully.

"Dog tags mean nothing." I replied, pulling the chain around my neck.

"It could mean something." Sam smiled, thinking he'd cornered me.

"It could… if he weren't gay." Lex interrupted, taking the seat beside Sam.

"You can't call a guy gay just because he didn't check you out." I told her diplomatically.

"A valid point however, that's not why I'm calling that dude out." Lex smirked. "He's been checking Sammy out all night." I almost choked on my drink in glee.

"Say again." I smiled, looking over my shoulder.

"No he hasn't." Sam shot back.

"Hey buddy." I called out to him. I felt Sam kick me under the table as the guy looked up. "My gigantor brother is very interested. And by gigantor, I mean check out his shoe size." I winked. All seemed well until the supposedly gay man frowned at me, clenching his fist.

"And we're out." Lex slid out of the booth in one motion, pulling Sam alongside her. I stood up quickly, following the two of them out as I watched the man get up as well.

"Run." I breathed, pushing my two idiot siblings ahead of me.


Lex

"He seems pretty happy." Sam noted, watching Dean carefully. "Like he's dreaming about Asian girls feeding him pie."

"Okay, that's a mental image I won't be able to get out of my head." I winced, moving my hand off Dean's arm.

"We're not entirely sure what kind of sleep Zachariah slipped Dean into," Adriel said, walking into the room with Nate and Cas behind her, "but my best guess is that he's dreaming of things that work in heaven's favour."

"Now given how the human brain is wired, if Dean's dreaming, he's in a very deep sleep with muscle paralysis and no attention focused on the outside world. Anything we say or do won't affect him." Castiel explained.

"So you have or you haven't come across this kind of stuff before?" Sam asked, directing his question at Cas.

"We have, but many years ago. And it was a little different back then." Nate explained. "The idea was when we wanted to keep a human vessel safe and free of outside influence, especially since we'd worked so hard with the sisters of fate to get said vessel to that level of development, then we'd put them in a hypnosis. Most religions address the issue vaguely however Hinduism directly quotes it as penance with many clear examples."

"Take Buddha for example." Cas added. "Heaven needed him safe so they guided him to a tree and let him meditate until we were ready for him to initiate change. But there was always an element of the vessel wanting to participate in receiving the clarity we offered. They began preparing their minds beforehand, consciously making the decision that sometime in the near future, they would undertake this task." He looked to Adriel for support and she nodded.

"Yes, since their minds were somewhat aware of the change that would be applied to it, a simple angelic based dream loop, integrated into the vessel's memory bank worked fine. However, enemies were forever attempting to wake these vessels up so that they would become vulnerable again and over time, they found a specific form of hypnosis with some cleverly formulated witch-craft that had the power to wake the vessels from their slumber." Adriel shook her head in frustration.

"Heaven changed their tactics. The reason this could be reversed was because the power source of the sleep came from the vessel itself, so it seemed logical that if we changed the power source, anyone wanting to wake the vessel would have to find this new power source in order to succeed."

"Dean's mind wasn't ready and would have barely been able to source sufficient power and recourses to support such a deep sleep, so Zachariah must've have linked his mind to someone, something or some place." Nate explained, narrowing his eyes on Dean.

"Well, which power sources did you use in the past?" Sam asked, crossing his arms and directing the question at Nate. He looked up and noticed the disapproving expression on my brother's face.

"Holy ground worked well." He answered. "A magical object, psychics, clairvoyants… basically if heaven's the power station, anything that metaphorically passes as a battery worked. It was disconnected from heaven but still was sufficient."

"Can you figure out what his mind is linked to?" I asked. There was silence as the three angels exchanged glances. "What?" I asked, confused. Castiel had the guts to step forward and explain.

"Zachariah uses the same land every time." He said softly.

"Then what's the issue?" Sam asked.

"He uses it because angels cannot step on that land." Cas added looking at me. "It's the land of the dead." Well, it wasn't ideal but we could work with it.

"Well humans can cross right?" I asked, standing up, stretching my knee as I did. "We'll go."

"You can't go." Adriel stopped me. "You have angel grace in you." I looked at them in frustration. "And even if you didn't, you still couldn't go."

"Why the hell not?" I was getting annoyed. Nate put a comforting hand on my shoulder.

"Humans can't cross onto the ground either." He explained. "Its land of the dead… only the dead can pass."

"Well that's inconvenient since none of us are dead." I shot back.

"Actually," Cas looked to Sam, "Sam can pass."

"Excuse me?" Sam sounded so offended. "I'm not dead Castiel."

"No, but you have demon blood in you and technically… when spirits are mangled beyond repair, they turn into demons, so whilst demons can't pass, a human-demon cross breed qualifies as a spirit." Nate seemed wary of the reaction he would receive. Sam looked a little heartbroken at having his life status stolen from him but his mood changed quickly.

"So what do I have to do?" he asked, back to business.

"All you need to do is take Dean's blood there and draw a sigil into the ground. He'll wake right up." Adriel pulled out a piece of paper from her pocket and handed it to Sam. He opened it revealing a very complicated Enochian symbol.

"He can't go alone." I said clearly. No one was going to argue with me on that.

"No, Adriel and I will go with Sam. We'll be there every step of the way." Nate assured.

"Except for when I cross into the nether realm." Sam muttered.

"You killed Lilith, you'll be fine." Cas said simply. I could see the sting instantly. Nate looked over at me and Adriel watched Sam with saddened eyes. I wanted to talk to Nate before he left but we both understood that wasn't going to happen now. Sam could barely look at Cas, his demeanour flooded with the shame of his past.

"Let's go." Adriel said, placing her hand on Sam's. She gave Castiel one last look, as if she couldn't figure him out, and then the three of them were gone. I looked over at Cas.

"What was that?" I asked him, a little defensively.

"Nothing." He replied, sighing.

"Cut him some slack… he's trying." I told Cas.

"Cut him some slack?" Cas asked slowly. "That's rich coming from you."

"Excuse me?"

"The three of you are so quick to push the blame onto us anytime anything goes wrong." He said forcefully, turning to me. "We were created to obey heaven and by some miracle we broke free of those bonds. We have the capability of seeing the world differently. Those angels, seated comfortably in heaven, they're the ones killing innocents, violating their power and losing their way… yet you group us as one. And you want me to cut him some slack?" Castiel stepped towards me. "Haven't you seen the destruction you humans cause? The death, the war, the lies… all of it. It's horrendous yet I would never associate you with that kind. I see the goodness in you… the kindness, the warmth… the love. Why can't you see the same in me?" he asked, his blue eyes piercing mine. I was breathless for a moment since he was so close and there was silence between us until I finally willed my mouth to move.

"I thought we were done fighting." I said quietly, my eyes fixed on his. "We do see it… we just get frustrated because we're not in control."

"And you think we are?" Castiel asked. "We get frustrated too. We get mad. We get upset. We want to throw things around and yell obscenities at anyone in our path… except if we lose control," the word 'control' pierced the air and set off a bell in my mind, "-people die… so we don't. So I don't."

"Nobody asked you-"

"YOU asked me to." He yelled, startling me. "You asked me for all of this! And now you're blaming me?" he seemed so mad. "This is your world. I am helping you to save it… Raphael had to be questioned… your brothers were going to get hurt. They will continue getting hurt." He said firmly. "Their lives will be put in danger but I don't know when you'll grow up and understand that instead of throwing a fit every time it happens!" My heart was beating so fast as I tried to recover from the volume of his accusation.

"I'm protecting-"

"You're protecting nothing!" he raised his voice again, looking at me like I was crazy. "You whine. You complain. You throw unnecessary obstacles in the way of things that need to be done. Why are you always between them and the goal?" he asked in anger.

"Because the goal is dangerous." I argued weakly.

"It's supposed to be!" he yelled. "That's what they signed up for! Let them do what they have to do. Stop getting in the way."

"Is this what you wanted?" I asked slowly, feeling my throat close up. "For Dean to be unconscious and the rest to leave so you could have a clear shot at me?" I asked, feeling the tears in my eyes. I couldn't understand the future I had seen, where Castiel could ever love me. How could he when he so clearly hated everything about me? When he took joy in hurting me with words that echoed in my mind every night?

"Yes, this is what I wanted." Castiel replied, fury rolling off his tongue. "So for once I could tell you what you need to hear without being protected by your brothers! There are things out there more important than them and you need to understand that!"

"You would let them die." I breathed in disbelief. He stepped right up to me and grabbed my shoulders. "Yes! I would rather see them burn than-" he stopped, breathing heavily, his eyes searching mine. He knew he'd gone too far. He would rather see my brothers burn than let heaven lose this battle. He would do whatever it took to restore this world to what is was… even if it meant sacrificing Sam and Dean. That's what Castiel was telling me. He wanted me to stop fighting him on this. He wanted me to accept the fate he'd sealed for my brothers.

"How could you say that?" I asked incredulously, staring at him. "I trusted you." My voice broke. Cas' expression changed to one of regret. I pushed him away. "Get out." I told him, tears in my eyes. Castiel seemed torn. He stared at me, not understanding my very obvious command. "GET OUT!" I yelled, shoving him the last few inches and slamming the door shut.

I leaned my back against the door and breathed deeply, holding in the tears.

Why did I feel so alone in this battle?


Nathaniel

"Does that happen often?" Adriel asked as we walked towards the holy ground. Sam trailed behind us, out of ear shot.

"Not so much from Castiel." I replied. "Dean and Alexis have both had their moments with Sam but Cas was generally very tame. I don't think his problem is with Sam." I knew his problem was with Lex. It was a combination of her promises to stop the apocalypse and my hand in helping her find them before they interrogated Raphael.

"I'll need to have a word with him." Adriel stated sternly. "That's no way to speak to someone who has sacrificed so much for our cause." She glanced back quickly. "Is he forgetting that the Winchester's lost both their parents and any real chance at having a normal childhood because of us?"

"Because of us?"

"We knew that the Winchester's were destined for this path, long before they came into existence. If they truly had to bear this responsibility, they could have had guardian angels, protecting them from all the pain that followed." Adriel replied. "Instead, they were forced to learn on their own. The heaven we served would have never allowed that. Demons, monsters… Lucifer, they're our enemies, not theirs. How could they let these delicate bodies wander lost amongst the evil only we know how to fight?"

"Maybe you should speak to Sam first." I offered. This is who Adriel was… a true angel. She was in every sense, the embodiment of a mother, protecting all those around her. She had always valued humans, amazed that they managed to survive when the world was plagued with evil seeping from hell. "You were always better at helping the wounded."

"Watching him breaks whatever heart I have, Nathaniel." Emotion filled her voice. "He is a good man."

"Go on, I'll walk ahead." I told her, urging her to talk to Sam privately. She slowed her pace and I increased mine until she had fallen into step with Sam.

"Hey." Sam said, clearing his throat and looking up from the ground.

"Hi." Adriel smiled back.

"So, how much further?" Sam asked, narrowing his eyes and getting straight to the point. Adriel looked around and pursed her lips together.

"Do you know where we are, Sam?" she asked politely. He finally took in his surroundings, noticing the autumn leaves and golden light gleaming through them. We were walking between a trail of trees and I didn't expect Sam to know where it led.

"No." he replied quietly, perhaps revelling in the beauty of the landscape.

"We're in a very remote part of Nova Scotia." She explained. "Centuries ago, children started going missing in these areas. The people spent a lot of time trying to find them but it was hopeless. They were humans… they didn't understand what was really happening.

"Monster?" Sam asked.

"No, the priest's daughter was quite disturbed. She spent most of her time wandering the graveyard just outside of town. Unknowingly, she one day allowed a black-eyed man to follow her home.

"Demon." Sam watched Adriel as they walked side by side.

"Yes, demon." She nodded. "Back in those days, demons didn't wander around topside like they do now. It was rare to see one in a meat suit. Part of the reason was also that the towns traditionally warded themselves against evil superstition. Towns like the one we're going to had ritualistic protection from demons and so forth… not that they knew it. They just continued to do what their ancestors had been doing for so many lifetimes before them."

The ground before me started to even out a little. We were getting closer.

"That little girl let the demon into the town." Adriel continued. "She was the first one to die. The town erupted into panic within minutes. People were dying everywhere. He set the houses on fire, killing everything in his path. The girl's father, the priest, he ran to his books and summoned up an exorcism. In the midst of the destruction, he managed to get rid of the demon but it was too late. Everyone was dead or dying."

"That doesn't sound like holy ground." Sam remarked.

"Well, the priest, figuring out his daughter had been responsible, took it upon himself to fix what he could. He knew there were no survivors and he also believed that the protection around the town, would not allow the ghosts of his people onto their home land." Sam looked at Adriel in confusion. "Like I said… they didn't know much back then." She added. "He pieced together incantations for what he believed was blessing and preserving the town as land of the dead. He thought only the ghosts of his kin would be allowed to roam their town and so he sealed the blessing with his own death."

"But he didn't realise demons could cross as well." Sam finished. "Who was that demon?" he asked, looking up at the vibrant leaves. Adriel's eyes went to mine and I shook my head. He didn't need to know.

"That's not important." She answered; bring his attention back onto her. "I just needed you to know how the land came to be what it was, so you understand what you might encounter."

"A burnt down village and I just have to draw a symbol somewhere on the land." Sam answered, not understanding what Adriel was trying to get across.

"Well yes… but also the wandering spirits of the dead town's folk."


Dean

"I'll pick up the order if you go get me pie." I told Lex as I parked the car in the alley. It was cold outside and the store was further away. Generally it would be rude to ask a young girl to stay out in the winter cold longer than needed… but this was Lex we were talking about. Firstly; her metabolism was so high she managed to keep herself in a state of eternal warmth, secondly; in the colder months, she rugged up like an eskimo nun and lastly; I was her older brother, so she could deal with it.

"You know… you could lay off the pie a little." She told me, zipping up her leather jacket and eyeing my stomach.

"Excuse me?" I raised my eyebrows at her; fairly certain she didn't just insult my physique.

"Congratulations ma'am, when are you due?" She asked rubbing my belly as she pulled her hoodie up.

"I have defined abdominal muscles!" I defended myself as she opened the door. She laughed at my response and so I followed her out of the car. "Get over here you little brat. I'll show you." I told her, walking around the car.

"No thanks!" she jogged off in the opposite direction, still laughing at me. "It's okay. It happens with age." She barely held in her laugh as she disappeared into the store. I lifted my top, examining myself as I walked into the restaurant. The guy looked at me strangely as told him our order number, but I didn't care. I tensed, watching my abs come into view and shook my head. She was playing me, that little minx. Sam and I had both started training with her whenever we had time since she was clearly becoming physically superior. The two of us weren't used to her winning fights against us. We had spent all our lives beating her up and picking on her… looks like she'd learnt much more than we realised.

"Thanks." I took the bag of Chinese from the guy and walked back outside, heading towards the car. That's when I heard the gun cock. I looked up to see a well-dressed man, with neatly gelled hair, standing in front of his black SUV. He had the gun pointed right to my chest. I reached for my own gun when I heard a second gun cock come from behind me. I turned my head slightly and noticed the other man and the other SUV. I was cornered in the bloody alley with god knows who, blocking my path.

"Hands on your head." One of them ordered in a husky voice. I slowly obliged, placing the food on the ground first.

"What do you want?" I asked, figuring they weren't you're run of the mill criminals but perhaps the feds catching up to us.

"We want to know why you were snooping around our warehouse earlier today." The one behind me explained, walking closer. "So you're going to shut up and get it the car without a fuss." Ah, this was case related.

"Oh, you're worried about whether or not I saw the flayed bodies hanging from hooks and if, since then, I figured out you're in the Aswang feeding business." I heard the uncomfortable silence as they realised I'd outed them.

"You're a hunter." The one ahead of me said, more so as confirmation.

"No shit, Paul… look at the way he's dressed." The other one shot back. "He was the only one there, so shoot him and be done with it."

"You know… for guys who are smart enough to feed a monster without getting killed by it, I don't understand how you tracked me here and didn't notice I had a partner." I added, hoping that they'd hold off on killing me until they figured out who else knew.

"The girl?" The guy in front of me finally stepped into full view, with a disapproving look on his clean-shaven face. "She's being taken care of." My heart dropped.

"Guess again, asshole." A single shot sent the guy in front of me to his knees. He dropped his gun, using his hands to hold his bleeding calf. He looked up and I turned around to see Lex standing with a gun to the other guy's head. Relief flooded me and I turned back around to deal with the other bastard.

"What do you want to do with them?" she asked, glaring at her victim.

"Three of them right?" I asked. "Knock them out, take them back to warehouse where they belong." I told her, punching the lights of the guy on his knees. The other one began protesting as we hauled them towards the car.

"Please miss, you don't understand. We had to do it!" he gripped her wrists as she forced him to move. "We wanted to live!" I rolled my eyes, letting go of the unconscious one and walked over to Lex.

"Don't talk to her." I ordered before I punched him out too. "Call Sam, get him to meet us there." I told her, grabbing both bodies and pulling them towards the car.

"Hey Dean?"

"Yeah ankle-biter."

"I dropped your pie."


Lex

I sat on the edge of the bed, glaring at the door, daring Cas to walk back in here. It was then that I realised I hadn't heard from Sam. I scrambled for my phone and hit speed dial, listening to the rings before Sam picked up, clearing his voice.

"Hey."

"How's it going over there?" I asked. "Have you found the land?"

"We're looking at it right now." Sam replied uneasily. "It's not dangerous Lex… just a little creepy."

"Are Nate and Adriel right beside you? They're looking out for you right?" I asked, taking a deep breath and trying to calm myself down.

"Yeah, they're right here. It shouldn't take long. I'll call you once I'm out." He assured me. "Hey, how's Dean?" I looked over at his sleeping body, tranquil as ever.

"He's having a better time than we are." I replied. "Good luck Sammy. I need you back here when you're done okay. No shitting around."

"Got it kiddo." Sam's voice still sounded a little nervous.

"Sam, give the phone to Nate for a second." I asked, breathing deeply again.

"Hey."

"Don't let my brother die, Nate." I told him simply. "If he gets killed-"

"That's not going to happen." Nate cut me off sternly. "I promise you that."

"I just need to know that you believe their lives are important, okay? I know this war is important but… they're important too." I kept my eyes on the door, as if I were still lecturing Castiel. "I have to look out for them."

"I know you do." Nate's voice was gentle. "I promise you, I'm doing everything I can on this end to make sure he gets home to you."

"Thank-you." I said softly, feeling a little relief enter my chest. "Make sure you get home in one piece as well."

"I'll try." He laughed cheekily and then hung up. I had never been good at sitting on the sidelines… today was no different.


Nathaniel

"Contrary to popular belief, being on the run doesn't necessarily mean I've been out of the loop." Adriel was speaking softly to Sam. "I did hear a thing or two about the infamous Winchesters over the years." Sam smiled, keeping his eyes on the ground.

"Yeah? What kind of things?" he chuckled. Adriel crossed her arms over her chest.

"Let's see… there was Sam's first time running away from home, Dean's never-ending stream of lady friends, Alexis' broken leg-"

"All that was important?" Sam asked, surprised.

"Yeah, it was all important. Anything that would influence your or Dean's upbringing or perspective of the world was relevant. Something as small as feeling pain when watching a baby Alexis fall over and graze her knee for the first time, was indication enough on whether heaven was doing its job in preparing you." Adriel replied.

"Nothing feels sacred anymore." He sighed, rubbing his thumb.

"Well, if it helps any, we've been celestial beings from the beginning but we only remember the last couple of hundred years." Adriel offered, patting his knee.

"What?"

"In our case, the more we rebel, the more re-education we go through. It would have been smarter to kill us." I told him, crushing the last piece of rock into the small wooden bowl. It would create the magenta ink Sam needed to draw the symbol.

"But angels don't kill other angels, so they were forced to invest time and effort into reprogramming us." Adriel stood up and took the bowl from me. She dipped a finger in it and touched the ink to her skin. It burnt her immediately and she hissed in pain. I snatched the bowl back from her small hands.

"I could have done that." I told her disapprovingly.

"Don't be an idiot." She shot back, before turning to Sam. I handed the bowl to him and the design of the symbol, drawn onto a piece of paper. "Take it and be safe."

"Sam, I don't think anything can go wrong but if we get ambushed by Zachariah, stay in the town. Cas knows to come and get you and he'll find a way to do it safely." I told the big guy, watching the seriousness wash over his face. Dean was at stake… Sam's priority was abundantly clear. "If something happens inside the town, Adriel and I are going to be waiting at opposite ends. Just run to us and get past the boundary. We can handle the rest." Sam nodded before taking a deep breath and finally stepping over the line. As soon as he did, Adriel had disappeared, moving to the other end and keeping an eye on the middle Winchester child.

He would be fine.


Dean

I pulled up to the motel room and instantly noticed the Impala was gone. Dad must have been called on a hunt somewhere. I doubted Lex would still be here. She would have jumped at the opportunity and hauled ass. The lights were off too so it seemed like a quiet night for me… well a quiet morning in few hours. I'd stayed at the bar longer than I'd expected but hustling pool was just too fun when I was playing against a group of dipshits.

I reached for my keys and opened the motel door, expecting an empty room apart from my bag. I turned on the light to find someone in bed, under the covers. Lex was still here, her bag and its contents spilled onto my bed. Typical.

"You awake?" I asked, shutting the door behind me and turning on the lamp instead of the lights. She didn't respond. I wondered why dad left her behind. I went to pull out a drink from the fridge and possibly some left-overs.

"What took you so long?" her voice startled me before I reached the sink.

"Jesus… you are awake." I sighed, rolling my eyes. "Did you just get in bed?" I asked. Lex was still under the covers.

"No." she responded. I continued to the fridge and pulled out a bottle of cold water. I leaned against the counter, facing the lump that was Lex on the bed, and quenched my thirst.

"Where did dad go?" I asked.

"Some hunt." She replied.

"Know with whom?" I asked. There was a mumbled reply. "I can't hear you from under there."

"Some guy named Trent." She said louder.

"Why didn't you go?" I asked. Another mumbled reply. "Would you sit up for two minutes so I can have a normal conversation with you?" I asked.

"No."

"Alexis." I said, throwing the cap in the sink. "Sit up." I wasn't in the mood for this right now.

"I'm going to sleep. Leave me alone." She replied. What was up with her? I didn't want to know right now… she could wait until morning.

"Fine." I mumbled. "I'm taking a shower." I told the non-responsive lump before walking into the bathroom. I figured out pretty quickly that I'd left my towel on the chair but I was glad that I had, otherwise I wouldn't have walked back into the room and caught Lex off guard.

Off guard as in, dabbing a bloody gash on her cheek with an antiseptic swab.

"What the-?" My voice made her jump and she tried to hide the bloodied cotton balls under her quilt whilst facing away from me so I couldn't see her cheek.

"You said you were taking a shower." She said quickly and a little alarmed. I closed the gap between us faster than I could have hoped.

"What happened?" I almost growled at her, taking her chin into my hand and forcing her to face me so I could inspect whatever it was she was trying to hide. She sighed trying to pull away once but my grip was firm as I crouched down beside her. The gash was still bleeding but it was small and just below her left eye.

"You don't want to know." She replied, looking as far away from me as she could.

"Like hell I don't." I shot back, moving her chin towards me so I had eye contact. "What happened?" I asked again.

"Dad's ring caught me." She said quietly, clenching her jaw. "After he backhanded me."

"What?" The word slipped out of my mouth in disbelief.

"I said some stuff he didn't want to hear. He just lashed out." She finally looked at me with a little guilt.

"He hit you?" I asked again, rage lighting up in my chest.

"I said some pretty heavy stuff." She replied, again, guilt lacing her voice.

"No." I told her firmly. "Don't do that." I shook my head and she looked at me in confusion. "Don't defend him."

"Dean, just forget about it." She said with a sigh.

"I can't do that." I said between my teeth, eyeing her cheek.

"It's just a graze." She said, pulling my hand away from her face gently. "It'll heal eventually." She sighed and held my hand on her lap. "My relationship with dad is different from your relationship with him. Don't ruin that over something like this." I pulled my hand out of hers and stood up.

"Too late." The words were laced with hostility as I turned my back on her, thinking of how the hell I'd deal with dad.

"Are you mad at me?" she asked genuinely. I stopped in my tracks and turned back around.

"No, you idiot." I shook my head as I went to sit beside her, taking the ready swab from her hand and gently putting it on the cut. "I'm a little annoyed you tried to hide it from me." I told her, dabbing away. "'Tried' being the operative word."

"I don't know why I bother anymore." Lex replied, smirking a little.

"Does it hurt?" I asked her, taking my other hand and holding her head still.

"What do you think? It was dad." She replied, looking right at me. "I thought my head had flown off." I clenched my fist. "He seemed to regret it instantly." She added, noticing my anger. "He apologised and tried to talk about it but I told him to leave… so he did."

"Exactly what did you say to him in the first place?" I asked, curious to know how Lex had angered dad off this time. She had knack for pushing his buttons.

"It doesn't matter." She replied quickly.

"What are you trying to protect me from?" I asked, placing the adhesive strip on the cut. "Was it about Sam?" It probably was. All our fights seemed to be about him ever since he left. She didn't reply, confirming my suspicion. "That's what I thought. I still can't believe he hit you. What the hell was he thinking?" I growled. Sam and I had never laid a hand on Alexis… apart from sparring which was fair play, but never in anger. Dad hadn't either up until today which was hitting a new low for him.

"I don't think we'll see him for a while." she told me, tucking her hair behind her ear and picking up all the cotton balls. "It felt like he knew he had some serious life choices to make."

"He lost it after Sam left, let's be honest here." I said to her, leaning back against the bed head and putting my feet up.

"Oh please, I never claimed we were his favourites." she smiled, shuffling next to me. I put my arm around her and flicked her nose lightly.

"And they always called us the messy ones. Look at them… one's in law school when he's capable of so much more and the other just physically harmed his teenage daughter." I added. There was silence while my words truly sunk in. "Hey, let's go to Vegas." I suggested, wanting to pick up the mood around here.

"You just called me a teenager." She shot back, resting her head on my arm. I could tell she was tired and still flustered from earlier. I knew Lex. She didn't feel safe around dad anymore which left me as her only source of comfort. She deserved better than this.

"Alright jailbait, where do you want to go?" I asked, feeling her yawn.

"Let's go for a long drive." She suggested. I stroked her hair gently, careful not to touch her cheek.

"Okay, whatever you want." I replied quietly, watching her drift off.

Wait.

This never happened.


Lex

Dean jerked beside me, breaking me out of my thought. He was frowning in his sleep… tension suddenly flooding his face.

"Dean?" I asked quietly, stroking his arm. "Can you hear me?" What changed? Did this mean Sam had finished unlinking Dean to the holy ground at it was time for him to wake up? I took out my phone and went to dial Nate when Dean's nose started to bleed, and not lightly I might add.

"Shit." I breathed, dropping the phone on the bed and reaching for tissues. "Dean!" I asked him again. Before I could put the tissues near his nose, blood started seeping out of Dean's ears. "Oh god… Cas!" I yelled, grabbing Dean around the arms and trying to prop him up. "Castiel!" I yelled again, unable to stop the blood flow. Suddenly he was beside me, looking down at Dean with tense eyes.

"He's realising he's in a coma." Cas stated handing me the phone. "Tell Sam to hurry it up… now." He ordered, sitting on the bed and placing both his hands on Dean's temples. He shut his eyes as I dialled and a yellow glow emanated from his palms.

"Hey." Nate answered on the first ring. I could barely hear him… it sounded like he was standing on an ocean cliff with all the wind I could hear in the earpiece.

"Dean's in trouble. He's bleeding out-" I hadn't even finished my sentence when he spoke.

"Adriel! How long?" he asked straight away. There was some response but I couldn't hear it. Dean's bleeding slowed as Cas concentrated, but the change was minuscule.

"Nate?" I asked again, crouching down beside the bed and holding Dean's hand. The sheets were now soaked. The nerves in Cas' neck were protruding as he struggled to keep the power flowing through him. It was unsafe for him to use so much of heaven's power. Micah had explained to me that doing so would result in an open line between the power monger and heaven's forces. I wanted Dean safe but not at the cost of calling Zachariah to our hiding spot. "Cas, ease up." I told him, watching him in panic. He didn't reply, instead completely focused on Dean.

"Nate, if Sam doesn't finish, Cas is going to lead Zach and his heaven hooligans right to us just trying to save Dean." I conveyed to him.

"Alright, just stay with Cas. I'll deal with this." Nate's reply was short and then the line was dead.

"Deal with what?" I muttered to myself. What was taking Sam so long?


Nate

"SAM! KEEP MOVING!" I yelled at him through the tremendous gusts of wind. Adriel and I had massively overstepped our boundaries. We had predicted Zachariah wouldn't be expecting us but we had been incredibly stupid. Every other time we'd come to this site, the spirits had given us little or no trouble when passing through the town. On this particular occasion however, someone had rigged the game and these bad boys were churning up a god-damn storm…literally.

Sam could barely walk in a straight line with the spirits knocking him around every which way. Adriel was desperate, trying to focus her power on keeping Sam in a protective bubble, but her heavenly powers were not work on that ground. On the other hand, Lex was right. Dean was trying to wake up but it wouldn't end well until we unlinked him. Castiel was trying to delay Dean's death and by doing so would call heaven's most elite forces to that cabin where Lex was virtually unprotected.

We had to finish this.

I appeared next to Adriel with the vial of demon blood in my hand.

"Time for plan B." I told her, uncorking the vial. She looked up in concern.

"Nate, you know what that will do to you." She spoke through the wailing winds. "The damage-"

"They're in trouble." I stopped her short and poured the think blood down my throat. It burned from start to finish but it should have been enough to get me past the threshold. I took the first step, leaving the empty vial with Adriel, and crossed the boundary. The second I did, I felt the earth and the power bound to it, slowly but certainly peel away at my grace. I had to move quickly. I wasn't constrained by the same physical dimensions Sam was and therefore, the storming winds had little effect on my mobility. I ran to Sam's side and pulled him to the ground, grabbing the magenta ink and getting to work.

"How-?" Sam started to ask but thought otherwise when he saw the look on my face. Maybe I wasn't masking the pain all that well.

I began drawing the symbol into the ground with Sam now helping. Spirits of men, women and children were screaming around us and pushing their distorted faces into our view. The Winchester beside me proved true to his name, ignoring every last one of them.

Suddenly, the stripping pain grew stronger in me and I bit back a scream as I felt more of my grace disintegrate and throb through my chest. A blue flicker of it emerged from my body and was swept upwards. Sam noticed this and paused for a moment, comprehending what was happening.

"Nate, what-" he tried yelling, concerned with my state.

"Dean and Alexis are in trouble. Just finish it!" I yelled back. He looked to Adriel and she offered an encouraging nod. He went back to drawing the symbol. I pushed past the agonising pain and followed his lead.


Castiel

The bleeding wouldn't stop. Dean was dying before me and I couldn't do a damn thing about it without putting Lex and my life at risk. He deserved more than this. He had been pushed to his limits, forced to watch everyone he loved, suffer… hell could take me if I was going to let Zachariah turn his brain to liquid and let Michael inhabit his empty vessel.

This could have been a bad decision but my whole existence had been bad decision. I didn't look to Lex, not wanting to see whether she approved or disapproved at this point. I was saving her brother… she'd just have to get on board.

I tapped into heaven's full supply, letting the energy flow through me and to Dean. I felt the alarm go off immediately, knowing full well that angels would be tracking us now. My mind slipped to Alexis, standing beside me, clutching her older brother's hand with fear etched in her face. Best case scenario involved Dean waking up unharmed in time for me to grab the both of them and run. Worst case scenario, Dean didn't wake up, the angels arrived and everybody died.

"Cas…" Lex started to notice that Dean was slowly healing. "How are you doing this?" she asked, touching Dean's face lightly. Her gaze shot to me, suddenly understanding what I was doing. "Are they going to find us?" she asked, her mind leaps and bounds ahead now worrying about our safety.

"We already have." Zachariah's voice boomed from behind us. I didn't turn; my attention still solely on Dean, but Lex spun, blocking us from view.

"I'm warning you now to stay the hell away." Lex threatened. I glanced sideways and saw a smirk appeared on Zachariah's face before he lifted his fingers and snapped them. There was a surge of energy aimed at Lex, probably meant to break every bone in her body, but it never reached her. I felt it disappear altogether. I turned my head slightly to see Lex standing with her arms outright as if she'd just caught a ball. She curled her arms in and pushed downwards, breaking the floorboards, successfully redirecting the attack. Zachariah growled, annoyed that she was learning how to use her powers.

I wanted to help her but I had to finish healing Dean.

"Eat dust bitch." Lex flung forward with a kick and sent an angel to the floor. She was engaging in full blown combat with little bursts of energy protecting her from heaven's powers. Things were breaking and there was screaming and cursing as she worked through the several angels that were here as I continued to pulsate the energy into Dean.

"Alexis, you will never be powerful enough-" Zachariah was cut short with a swift punch, from her, to the face. He retaliated quickly, grabbing her and slamming her into the wall, breaking the foundation of the house with her body. She fell, lying limp on the floor as Zachariah walked towards her. She lifted her hand and flicked it, sending Zachariah flying backwards. I was almost done.

"Enough you little maggot." Zachariah took a deep breath in and I felt the force of energy he was about to send at her. It was too much. She didn't know how to control her power well enough to take what he was about to give. I finished with Dean before turning and rushing to Lex.

The world slowed down as Zachariah threw his power forward. I just had to get to her and pull her out the way. She was lying face down, not moving and unable to see the havoc coming her way. I summoned all that I had left in me and threw it right back at Zachariah before jumping in front of Lex and feeling a crushing weight on my chest.

Everything went black.


Dean

I woke with a jolt, feeling a numb pain in my head. What kind of crazy ass dream was I having? I had to be fighting a fever… it seemed the only logical explanation. I began moving my head and felt something wet and sticky near my ears. Turning my head slightly, I found myself in blood soaked sheets. Sitting up in panic was an understatement.

"What the fuck?" I asked myself, feeling the blood on my face and neck. What the hell had happened? Where was Sam? Where was Lex? I turned around and noticed the debris scattered everywhere and dust still hanging in the air. The last thing I remembered was Zachariah and his entourage ambushing us on that road. How did I get here then?

"Sammy?" I called out, pushing myself off the bed. If this was another one of Zachariah's stupid alternate future realities, I was going to gouge his goddamn eyes out. "Sam!" I yelled, walking over the broken furniture. I turned the corner and found Castiel lying in a heap, his trench coat singed and his body completely limp.

"Cas-" I breathed, dropping to my knees and pulling the guy into my arms. "Castiel?" I asked, holding him up in one arm and using my other hand to lightly slap his face. "Hey, buddy. Come on. Wake up." I shook him, fear sinking deep into my gut. Partly because Cas was in this state and more so because if something had hurt him… then Sam and Lex didn't stand a chance… and I didn't even know where they were.

"Come one Cas!" I yelled at him, shaking him more violently this time. "Wake up." I grabbed his collar, pulling him closer. There was a small cough. Then those eyes opened; the blue shining through. "Buddy!" I breathed in relief, pulling him up into a hug. "You scared the shit out of me!" Cas coughed again and so I helped him sit up and lean against what little wall was left.

"What happened here?" I asked, looking around.

"Alexis is hurt." He said to me, glancing at the other room. My eyes darted to the entrance.

"I'm okay." Came her voice, followed by her limping through the doorway. "Dean. Thank god." She breathed, seeing me. I closed the gap between us and put my head under her arm before lifting her off her feet. She accepted the help gratefully as I put her carefully beside Cas.

"How are you feeling?" I asked her, looking carefully at her face. Cas turned his body to face her too, more shock and concern evident than I had expected.

"How are you feeling?" he asked her. He seemed bewildered.

"I'm fine." She replied, nodding carefully at Cas before turning to me. "How the hell are you?" she asked, reaching out the touch the blood on my neck. I followed her hand and then remembered I woke in a puddle of blood.

"Look, I'm great. Does somebody want to tell me what the hell happened though?" I asked. Lex looked to Cas, who was still staring at her like he'd seen a bloody ghost, and then opted to tell me herself.

"What do you last remember?" she asked.


Nathaniel

I sat, hunched over, contemplating whether it was necessary to Lex my grace had been partially stripped away. She had enough on her plate… I didn't need her worrying about this too.

"How are you feeling?" Adriel asked, rubbing my back yet keeping her eyes on Sam who was pacing a few feet away. He was on the phone, reassuring Dean that he was fine. Soon after we'd finished the unlinking and Sam had helped me cross back over, Sam received a furious call from his older brother. The second Dean learned Sam was crossing into land of the dead, he was all overprotective momma bear.

"Less powerful." I replied. "Not that there was much to take from anyway." I added, reminding her that rebelling angels were simply weaker without heaven, regardless.

"It took enough." She corrected me. "You did well. I think-" she paused for a moment. "I think you should come with me to look for Micah. The both of you. It's time we get everyone back together and remind them what we're capable of."

"Sure… though I don't feel great about leaving them unattended." I admitted, my thoughts going straight to Lex. I didn't want to leave her again.

"We'll keep an eye on them." She smiled to herself.

"What?" I asked, now joining her in watching Sam pace.

"I can't believe Zachariah has it out for these three." She commented.

"Why is that funny?" I asked, as Sam finally hung up.

"Because I'm picturing exactly how I'm going flay him, strip by strip for ever thinking about laying a hand on the Winchesters." She admitted. And here I had pegged Dean as being protective when I knew someone like Adriel existed.

"Ready to go?" Sam asked, approaching us. I nodded, getting to my feet. "What happened back there?" he asked abruptly. "I saw something happen and now you seem injured."

"Sam, I'm not entirely sure what was going on but that land didn't agree with me and I'd appreciate it if you could keep this to yourself until we've figured out the consequences." I told him honestly.

"From Lex and Dean?" he asked. It was a big favour to ask, considering the problem the other two had with him… was his habit of keeping secrets.

"From Alexis." Adriel replied for me. "She's quite distressed as it is, we don't want anything to upset her." It was an open invitation, from Adriel, to fill Dean in so that Sam didn't feel uncomfortable. I continued to watch him, waiting for confirmation.

"I won't tell her." He assured. I sighed in relief.


Castiel

How as Alexis alive?

I saw Zachariah fling her through a wooden beam. Her spine should be broken. She should have been dead. I knew her power was growing but was it so much so that now she could cold bring herself back from the brink of death? The exponential increase was alarming, only because I feared for her.

In contrast, she hated me right now. I had chosen to tell her how I felt and she hated me for it. I hadn't lied to her, however. The truth was, I was tired of her getting in the way. Not because she slowed our progress but because she flung herself in front of danger, taking the blows for her brothers. So I would rather see them burn than see her in any sort of pain again. It took too much out of me watching her crumble.

I was unsure what humans called that. Perhaps it was selfishness.

Perhaps it was love.

"Took you long enough." Dean moved away from Lex and towards the three that had just arrived. He pulled Sam to him and embraced him firmly; the tension fading from his face. I watched Nathaniel's eyes travel to Lex and the two of them smiled at each other. There was a silent conversation between them and I'd be lying if I said it didn't pierce me just having to witness it.

"I'm glad to see you're awake and well." Adriel spoke to Dean as he pulled away from Sam. What we should have all expected was the glaze that came over Dean as he took in Adriel's physical appearance.

"Oh Jesus." He breathed, his eyes widening.

"It's Adriel." She joked lightly.

"Adriel." Dean nodded, taking her extended hand and shaking it. Sam went to sit beside Lex and Nate followed, leaning against the door frame. "Thanks for uhh… not letting me bleed out in a coma." He smiled, addressing Adriel.

"You're welcome." Sam and Nate replied synonymously.

"So Zachariah found you." Adriel stepped past Dean, taking in the damage of the cabin. "Why didn't they come back?" she asked looking at Lex, then Dean and finally me.

"I don't know. Zachariah and I both threw all we had at each other and then it was over." I replied. "I couldn't have injured him as much as he injured me."

"So the bastards' licking his wounds and gathering his pathetic handful of soldiers before showing his sorry excuse of a face again." She said simply.

"This one's not so angelic." Dean whispered to Sam in awe, forgetting everyone in the room was capable of hearing him.

"So what's the plan?" Sam asked, shaking his head at Dean.

"You three have to keep moving. Just stay safe for the time being." Nate answered.

"And what about you guys?" Alexis asked, still holding her sore leg.

"Nate and I have decided to go look for Micah." Adriel announced looking to me. "We want you with us." Wait… no. We had a plan and that wasn't it.

"Why Micah?" I asked, standing up. "What difference does it make whether we find him or Anna? They can't help us." I argued, getting frustrated.

"You know damn well they can help us." Nate defended. "They're leaders, they know how to fight, they know warfare and the garrisons that escaped today need us to lead them."

"It won't help." I shone the truth at them. "The only chance we have… is finding God. Don't waste your time-"

"It's not wasting our time." Adriel cut him off firmly. "You want to look for God, fine, you go. We're doing it our way. Zachariah is our primary threat and we need the numbers to take him out." They were wrong and I needed their help here, but their minds were made up.

"Lex, go grab our stuff." Sam told her, keeping his eyes on me. I think he understood my pain, but only him. Alexis stood up and Nate followed her. No one questioned it but that was mostly because Sam and Dean were preoccupied with the argument Adriel and I were having. The second she left the room, Sam glanced at Adriel before addressing me.

"Nathaniel was injured. He had to step onto the land to help finish unlinking Dean." He explained. Dean seemed confused but I knew what he was implying.

"What-what does that mean?" Dean asked, looking between us in confusion.

"It means that part of his grace was stripped away and he's weaker now-" I looked at Adriel, "and they need my help."

"Look Cas, you're just going to have to decide. We need to move before they find us again." Dean interrupted. "And why is Lex not allowed to know about-?" he pointed to where Nate had been standing before.

"They don't want to add to her stress. I agree with them." Sam told him.

"Fine, it's the one thing we keep from her." He was talking to Sam. "Let's move."

"Dean, I'd like to give you a once over before we part ways. You were bleeding quite heavily." Adriel noted. He smirked and nodded.

"Not a problem." He walked towards her.

"Cas." Sam called me quietly. I looked up at him, the other two oblivious to our exchange. Sam nodded towards the door before standing up and walking outside. I followed him, shutting the door behind us.

"What is it Sam?" I asked.

"Go find God." He told me. I was a little taken aback.

"Why?" I asked.

"Because you're right." He told me, knitting his eyebrows together. "What can finding Micah and Anna possibly do in stopping the apocalypse?" He asked. "If you exist," he put his hand on my shoulder. "-there must be a God and maybe he can stop this… in a way that doesn't get my sister and half the planet killed." If I had Sam's support, I had all I needed. I nodded, solemnly, planning my next move.

"Sam, wait." I stopped him from walking back into the house. "There's something you should know." He walked back and faced me. "When Zachariah attacked, he came in a fury." Sam nodded, paying attention. "He fought Alexis and I watched him break her back on the oak column… and without my help, she was uninjured." Sam's face dropped slightly. "Her power is growing and it's great that she can heal herself from that but it also means that she's-"

"Powerful." Sam finished for me.

"Immensely… and perhaps even unstable. Keep an eye on her." I told him. He nodded, his posture now tense. I felt Sam could be relied upon.

I simply had to believe it.


Dean

Adriel was hot.

Maybe I had a thing for red heads… who knew? I had trouble concentrating as she looked straight into my eyes.

"Castiel must have used quite a lot of power to save you." She noted. "You seem perfectly fine."

"So do you." I winked at her. She smiled, looking away.

"Watch yourself Winchester, or I might have to kick your ass." She told me. I laughed, crossing my arms over my chest.

"There was something I wanted to ask you." I added, "When I was asleep-" I nodded to the blood soaked bed. "I had dreams… or memories."

"What kinds of memories?" Adriel asked, stepping forward.

"Ones with Lex in them. Good ones." I clarified.

"That's expected… they want the bond between the two of you to be incredibly strong so that's what they'll show you." She explained.

"The last one wasn't a memory though." I explained. "It never happened."

"What was it of?" she asked. I didn't really want to say but Adriel could help.

"A falsified memory of Lex after my dad had hit her."

"There were cracks in the memory? As in, it didn't happen that way?" she asked.

"No, as in, he never hit her to begin with." I corrected her. Adriel sighed, shaking her head.

"They're being incredibly sly." She said. "It's how badly they want her on their side. All I can tell you to do is disregard it and to be cautious in the future. Be certain that what you're seeing, hearing, feeling from Lex is truly from her."

"Great." I muttered.

"There was something else, Dean." She stopped me. "You should know that I came out of hiding because I have a lead."

"What kind of lead?" I asked, narrowing my eyes.

"I've found a weapon that could help us in this war. I'll deliver it to you for safekeeping soon." She told me, rubbing her wrist.

"What kind of weapon?" I asked her. I didn't need another human weapon wandering around.

"I don't know that yet but I trust you with it. Can you handle the responsibility?" she asked.

"Look, I don't know. There's enough on my plate as it is." I answered honestly, running my hand through my hair. She nodded in understanding.

"Just think about it. If it is as powerful as I've heard it is, it's worth having around." She said finally.

What could be more powerful than Alexis?


Alexis

I walked into the back room and Nate shut the door behind us. I sat on the bed, taking a deep breath. He crouched in front of me, resting his hand on my knee.

"Are you okay?" he asked gently. I shook my head.

"I yelled at Castiel earlier." I told him. "I accused him of not caring about Sam or Dean and then he summoned enough power from heaven to save Dean and jeopardise our location." I looked up into Nate's green eyes. "I was wrong about him. He does care."

"He'll understand." Nate assured me. "We all understand when it comes to Winchesters." He smiled.

"Are you okay?" I asked, putting my hand on his chest.

"As good as I'll ever be. You don't worry about me. Focus on yourself and keeping safe for the next couple of weeks." He told me.

"How often will I see you?" I asked. My question was met with silence and an expression of angst. I laughed quietly. "Of course."

"You think it doesn't kill me to leave you?" he asked, almost in anger. I grabbed his face and kissed him before he could say anything else.

"Don't fight with me." I told him, taking a breath. "Not today." One arm went around me, lifting me off the bed and other hand tangled in my head as he pulled me closer.

"Fine." He brought his lips to mine.


Author's Note:

Hey guys, hope you enjoyed the chapter!

Remember to check out the one-shot I've also just posted, Alexis Winchester - Folsom Prison Blues, which is a part of this series. You can find it by clicking on my profile link!

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Emerald Princess 14