Wow I'm super tired omg. I stayed up waaayyyy past my bedtime but I had to! I knew that if I stopped I would lose it! This chapter is like...damn. Just damn. I'm also more sleepy than I thought I was so I can't really english right now. Forgive me :) writing is hard as we all know. Anyway! If you're interested, I asked a certain tumblr user (comealongpixie) to write a review of my story. And she has probably heard it from me enough but she is going to keep hearing it so ha! THANK YOU SO MUCH OMG IT WAS SO HUMBLING AND ALSO SUPER HELPFUL AND YAY I FEEL SO HONORED! There is a link to the review on my tumblr page. Go follow her she is amazing I love her so much! That being said let's get on with this chapter so I can finally get some sleep!

Also quick little side note, I am a complete moron. In chapter 48, Switch, Melody revealed her biggest secret to Castiel about not being born with a uterus. I don't know why or what I was thinking (and miss comealongpixie thank you so much for pointing that out to me) but I completely spaced on putting in a trigger warning before said chapter. If I offended anyone or made anyone uncomfortable I am so, so sorry. Please accept my biggest apologies and I hope it wasn't too bad for some people. If it was you have every right to let me know, and I will personally apologize to you. Thank you so much for everything guys!

Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural...I only own Melody...


It'd all fallen apart. Melody could hear the sounds of fighting and gun shots outside. She tried to pull against the cuffs holding her to an exposed water pipe. Except when the metal started rubbing against the skin of her wrist…

"Ow—damnit." Melody cursed sitting back against the wall. She scowled down at the thick iron cuff around her wrist. How the hell did Meg get a hold of cuffs infused with Hell Sand? Better yet, what the in God's name was Hell Sand? Frustrated, Melody tried to grab hold of the cuff with her free hand. Only as soon as her fingers touched the metal it felt like she was trying to touch a searing hot pan. Melody hissed and pulled her hand away, sticking her burning fingers into her mouth.

A low growl echoed down the street. Melody stretched her neck upwards towards the nearest window. Well, she could see the street just outside the window so that meant she was in a basement. But where were the growls coming from? She glanced down at the cuff, gave it a hard frown and then took in a deep breath. Okay, just for a few seconds. Melody stood up and yanked against her restraint until her face was very near a small crack in the window. She fought and ignored the searing pain until she could get close enough. Just one quick look, just one quick breath.

And then she smelled it. Hellhounds. They were everywhere, prowling the street just outside her window. She couldn't tell exactly where they were, but she could sure as shit smell them. "Ah, fuck…" Melody lowly cursed sitting back against the cold wall, lessening the pain around her wrist. She took a good look at her "prison". It was dark and damp. And cold. So very, very cold. She could hear water dripping down in a far corner. And if she was quiet enough, and listening hard enough, she could swear she heard the pitter patter of mice running back and forth through the dark.

She looked back at her wrist. Was she going to have a permanent burn mark because of this? It wouldn't surprise her, nor would it really concern her. To her, scars told a story. And she had plenty of those.

The sound of the basement door coming open and heavy footsteps caught her attention. Melody shot up to her knees, putting her cuffed wrist behind her back she faced the only entrance to the basement. She'd thought up a plan to get out of her situation. And it would hurt like a mother yanking down on the Hell Sand cuff, but with her powers and the added motivation that the others needed her, she was confident it would be too much of a problem. At least not an immediate problem.

So what would stop her? What could possibly make Melody Winchester, a self-proclaimed badass and Knight of Heaven freeze in place? Who held that kind of power over her?

"Hi honey," Lucifer came to a stop at the bottom of the stairs, giving Melody his best and most charming smile. "Sorry I took so long. I was just having a conversation with my little brother."


ONE HOUR EARLIER

Melody sat in the back seat of Ellen's jeep. The car trip had taken them around twelve hours or so to arrive, and she'd decided that it would look best to ride with her brothers for most of the trip. Even if Sam knew, Dean could not know about her and Cas. For seven hours, Melody was separated from Castiel. And in those seven hours she'd come to realize how much she actually needed him by her side. Honestly it bothered her being this attached to someone, but it also made her a little happy. Her whole life she'd been attached to her brothers. But she wouldn't ever want to change that. Even if she was irrationally angry with Dean lately, and even if Sam was sometimes a bit too…Sam. But now to have someone else. To know someone else in the way she knew Castiel was refreshing. But it was more than refreshing it was…wonderful and perfect and everything she'd never even hoped for.

As they finally pulled into the town of Carthage, Melody felt the weight of their "mission" start to build up on her shoulders. She glanced out the windows, watched rain trickle down the car windows and collect in puddles on the empty streets. Gently, she reached over and put her hand into Castiel's, entwining their fingers. She wouldn't say this out loud, but she had a bad feeling about this place. It just felt…wrong.

Castiel looked down at their hands before looking at Melody's face. She was still watching the rain and the empty streets, but her brow was furrowed and her jaw was set. He could sense her anxiety. He wanted so desperately to pull her into his arms right then, to comfort her and shield her from this place. Because he felt it too. The town was empty. He felt no presence of any other human life except for the five hunters.

"Damn." Jo cursed from the passenger seat. She turned to her mom and held up her cell phone for everyone to see, "I'm not getting a signal."

Normally, this would have been just a simple nuisance. However, given the fact that Lucifer could and probably is in this very town, it didn't exactly bode well. Melody frowned before pulling out her own cell phone. She flipped it open and stared at the screen, holding the phone up towards the window. "Nothing here either." Melody said pocketing the device. "Ellen, try the radio."

Ellen stretched her arm forward and flipped on the car's radio. Their answer was static. Jo tried surfing through different channels, but every one of them was the same. Nothing but white noise. "We got jack." Ellen mumbled before turning off her radio. She sighed and rubbed a hand to her forehead, "I don't like this."

Melody felt her anxiety grow a bit more. She sent Cas a quick look before leaning up in her seat. She looked out the front window of Ellen's car and saw her brothers had figured out the same thing they had. Both Sam and Dean had their phones held out of the Impala, searching for a signal on their cell phones. When it was obvious they had no luck, Dean glanced back and waved his hand forward telling everyone to pull over and get out. Melody let out a slow breath as Ellen's car came to a slow, rumbling halt. They would be fine. Besides she was armed to the teeth right now. One pistol strapped to her right thigh, one stuffed into the back belt loop of her jeans, her angel blade resting securely inside her hidden jacket pocket and a set of small throwing knives strapped to her left thigh. Plus she'd even whipped out "Ole Reliable", her antique lever action Winchester shotgun. She barely used the thing because it was so precious to her, but she figured the prospect of bringing the gun into battle against Lucifer was too much of an opportunity to pass up.

She rolled down her window and listened to Dean say he and Sam were going to search the police station. Melody couldn't help but feel like she needed to be with them. But Cas and Jo and Ellen needed her too. Feeling torn, Melody tried to give her brothers her best 'good luck' look without saying anything. When Dean glanced back he saw Melody's golden haired head in the window. She looked like she was almost scared. She's afraid to leave us alone, Dean realized as he locked eyes with his younger sister. Not one for mushy or sentimental moments—especially now—all Dean could muster up was a tiny, barely there smile and a quick nod of acknowledgment. As he pulled the car away, a conversation from their last rest stop before hitting Carthage came to his mind.

"I think I'll ride with Ellen the rest of the way." Melody said beginning to grab her small, beige weapon bag. Dean was leaning against the side of the car filling up the tank, Sam had just returned from the store with a small bag of pretzels and a few waters in his arms.

"Why?" Dean asked automatically. He was so used to it being him, his brother in the front and his sister stretched out in the back. The car was going to feel almost foreign without her there.

Melody shrugged, her heavy bag bouncing against her waist. "I just think that maybe you need a break from me is all…" She trailed off, averting her eyes and pretending like she hadn't actually said that.

Dean and Sam both shared an odd look. "What do you mean?" Sam asked, tossing his food into the car and coming around to stand by his sister. Melody frowned before crossing her arms over her stomach, the leather of her jacket making a tiny little 'squeak' as it rubbed against itself.

"I just…" she sighed, putting her head down and giving it a small shake. "I know I've been a bitch lately—especially to you Dean." Her eyes came up and didn't falter as she stared hard at her older brother. "I…I don't know what came over me. I know that sounds cheap and like a stupid excuse but Dean I…" she trailed off, sounding like she was about to start crying.

"You don't have to apologize Mels." Dean said standing up from the car and moving closer to her. He gave her a half grin and put a hand on her shoulder. "I kind of deserved the slap anyway."

"No you didn't Dean." She replied, swallowing a hard lump in her throat. "Honestly something happened to me. And it keeps happening and I don't know why, and I can't stop it when it does happen." Her eyes started to get all watery as she stared up at Dean. For a moment, Dean wondered who she'd gotten her eye color from. They were just so different. Sometimes, he could swear they were just a plain green. But when he really looked at her eyes like this, he would see so many different colors. A bright, sandy brown, a pale, almost translucent green, and all of these colors were surrounded by a single black ring. But when she started crying like this, her eyes would get all red and swollen. And Dean hated seeing his sister like this. Sister should never cry in front of their brothers. It always breaks the brother's heart.

Dean gave her a small smile and then pulled her into his arms. He hugged his sister for the first time in what felt like forever. She used to love getting hugs from her big brother. He remembered when they were kids that she would refuse to go to sleep unless she got at least one hug from him. Smiling at the memory, Dean bent his head down and placed a quick kiss to the top of her hair. It took her a while, but Melody eventually gave in and hugged him back. She buried her face into his jacket, smelling that distinct scent of aged whiskey and gun powder. "I'm so sorry Dean. I don't know what happened. I'm so, so sorry."

Dean squeezed his arms a bit tighter. "I told you Mels. You don't have to apologize. I could tell something was wrong." He pulled away from her and bent down slightly, pushing her hair off her face. "I know you haven't exactly been you lately." The news, however grim, that Cas had brought back from 2014 was influencing him a lot. Dean was afraid that if he started pushing his sister away, she would run to Lucifer. He knew she somehow got brainwashed and became Lucifer's prisoner. But he didn't know how. It was the same method he was applying to Sam. Keep them close, don't push them away. Because they closer they were to him, the further they were from the devil.

Melody sighed, "But that's the problem. I don't know why I did any of that. I mean I wanted to say something else, I wanted to handle it differently." She backed up and put her fingers into her hair. "I just…didn't and I couldn't stop myself and it was terrifying."

It'd taken him a bit more time after that to get her to calm down. And then she started feeling guilty for leaving the Impala. Thankfully Sam had taken over, saying that they'd rather her stay with Jo and Ellen in Carthage. An angel like Cas and a hunter with powers like Melody would come in handy. Of course Melody knew her brothers could take care of themselves, but that didn't mean she liked being separated from them. But she was with Castiel. Thankfully his presence was enough to calm her down. She was still going to worry though.

Ellen's engine shut off, and Melody quickly got out of the car, inspecting her weapons as she did. Without thinking, she slammed the door behind her. "Wow, you don't even hold the door open for your boyfriend?" Jo commented with a smirk.

Melody looked straight ahead at Jo—they were roughly the same height—and felt her mouth drop open. "What? Boyfriend? Who said anything about 'boyfriend'?" Melody felt her cheeks get hot beneath Jo's superior grin. With an annoyed huff, Melody turned and walked away a few steps mumbling to herself the whole way.

Jo suppressed a chuckle before looking at the backseat. Castiel was still sitting there, stiff as a board. "Hey," she knocked on the window, "ever heard of door handles?"

"Of course I have." He answered, suddenly appearing on the sidewalk next to Melody. He was staring straight ahead, and barely acknowledged the other three women.

Melody giggled and looked past Castiel to her friend. "He does that sometimes." After seeing a slightly less alarmed Jo, she grinned before bending her head down and beginning to load a few rounds into her shotgun.

"What is it Cas?" Ellen's voice caught her attention. Stopping mid-load, Melody looked up from her gun. She glanced at the angel and saw his eyes scanning the empty street carefully.

"This town's not empty." He replied while keeping his eyes fixed on the road. Melody felt her brow furrow as she lowered her gun to the ground and turned to face him.

"What do you mean?" She glanced again at the road but she couldn't see anything. Melody was about to ask again, but Castiel's warm, rough hand stopped her. Gently, he put his palm against her cheek and looked down at her letting his hand and eyes linger for a bit too long. He heard Melody's quick intake of breath, saw her pupils get a little bit wider from excitement. But he'd rather her focus on the task at hand. Even if he did feel his entire being swell with delight at touching her again.

"Look." He said, slowly turning her face back out to the street. He felt her mouth move as if she was going to protest but he insisted. "Not with your eyes. Reach out with your senses." Melody quickly realized what he meant. Use the same ability she used when she was searching for demons or angels. "Can you feel them?" He asked, his hand now falling to her shoulder as he stood behind her.

It was almost like she was trying to find the person who was watching her in a large crowd. Only there was no large crowd, and nobody was watching her. Melody sucked in her bottom lip, chewed on a corner and felt her eyes squint slightly. She felt…something. The air was only slightly off though. It wasn't anything threatening. And then she got it. "Someone no—a lot of someone's are in the street. They feel very…still." Melody looked back at Castiel, "What are they?"

"Reapers." He answered, his blue eyes never leaving the road. Melody reached up and put her hand on top of his. So this is what they felt like. They reminded her of that same still silence you get when you enter a funeral home. They were sort of peaceful in their own way.

"Wait, "reapers"?" Ellen sounded concerned. She took a step forward and stared at Melody. "You said there were a lot of them, as in more than one. How many are here exactly?"

Melody glanced back at the street. "I can't say exactly. But why the hell are there so many?"

"They only gather like this at times of great catastrophe." Castiel began to explain, "The Chicago Fire, The San Francisco Quake…Pompeii." His hand fell away from Melody's shoulder as he started to move away from them. "Excuse me. I need to find out why they're here."

He barely got a step in front of her before Melody moved forward, grabbing hold of his arm tightly. "Actually, we need to figure out why they're here." Castiel seemed like he was going to argue against her coming with him, but Melody simply shook her head. "Don't even Cas. You could use the help. You're not a lone wolf anymore." She ignored his usual I don't understand frown and turned away towards Ellen and Jo.

"Will you two be alright on your own?"

Jo was the first to answer. "Yeah of course." She quickly nodded and then glanced at her mom.

"We'll be find sweetheart." Ellen looked like she wanted to say something else but decided against it, and instead reached out and gave Melody's arm a tight squeeze. "You two be careful. Cas I expect you to bring her back to me in one piece."

"Why would I…" He started to answer while turning to face the women. Melody quickly bumped her elbow into his side, giving him a short shake of her head. "I mean. Of course." Castiel thankfully realized that Ellen only meant to bring Melody back safely. Ellen and Jo shared knowing grins as they watched Melody and the angel walk down the street, mirroring each other without even noticing.


"Cas!" Melody whispered harshly keeping her shotgun up. She didn't understand it. One minute they were in the street and Cas was leading her into a building. He'd just teleported her to the second floor and they were walking down the hallway when suddenly she got ported to a completely different location.

She didn't understand. This building was much older than the last one she'd been in. And it seemed so much darker too. Melody cautiously moved down the hallway, taking careful steps and walking on her toes, trying to minimize the noise she was making. This could be a trap for all she knew. Someone else brought her here, she figured that much. But that didn't explain where the hell Castiel was.

Melody stopped and slowly unzipped her leather jacket, regretting wearing two shirts that day. She was starting to get really warm in the tight spaces of the old building. Carefully, she let her boots move forward again and she whipped around a corner, only to find a set of stairs leading to the first floor. Gently, she started walking down the steps, placing her feet as softly as possible on the old wood.

She quickly learned she was in what looked like a recently abandoned town house. But the house was empty and void of any signs of being lived in. There was no furniture; all of the light fixtures were yanked out. Melody just entered the kitchen, and even there she saw no appliances and all the cupboard doors had been ripped off as well. What the hell? Melody thought, finding it odd that a once populated town would be this abandoned.

"…Melody…"

The sound of a muffled voice startled her. She whipped around, shotgun at the ready. But she didn't see anyone, nor did she sense anyone.

"…Melody…help…"

It sounded like Dean. Carefully, Melody moved forward, seeking out the source of the voice. He kept calling to her from somewhere close by. And he sounded like he was in pain. His voice was rough and he kept groaning. Beginning to get a little panicked, she started to search a bit faster.

"Melody!" Dean shouted this time.

"I'm here! I'm here, where are you?!" Melody couldn't help herself anymore. It was Dean, she knew it was him. Maybe by some divine intervention she'd been brought to the same place her brother was. Maybe that's who ported her away from Castiel.

"Basement…!" Dean cried. God he sounded like he was getting worse! Melody looked around herself frantically. Basement? Where? Where?!

There! She'd found the one door that wasn't torn off its hinges. And she could clearly hear her brother's voice behind it. Melody ran up to the door, throwing it open and started running down the steps. "Dean! I'm here! I'm here!" She got to the last step and froze, because the person standing in the middle of the basement wasn't her brother. No it was…

"Meg." Melody's voice changed as she activated her powers. She felt her fingers tighten around her shotgun and her free hand fell to her side, ready to grab her angel blade at any moment.

"Melody!" Meg said in a mocking tone still using Dean's voice. She laughed and cleared her throat before standing back, leaning all of her weight onto one leg and crossing her arms. "What do you think of my new trick? He taught me how to minimize my presence around you. Pretty cool, huh?"

It didn't take a genius to know who she was talking about. Melody didn't acknowledge the fact that Meg had been successful in trapping her. Instead she went for low blows. Melody wrinkled her nose, "Apparently he taught you how to bathe properly as well. You're not as ripe as used to be."

Her jab didn't affect the demon. Meg just grinned. "Yeah that took me a while to master. Now it seems you have to be a bit closer to actually sense me." Melody made a small 'humph' before hefting her shotgun up and pulling the trigger. Meg fell back a few steps, her mouth falling open in surprise. "That hurts!" Meg complained touching one of her open wounds. "What is this, rock salt?"

"Yup." Melody answered, popping the 'p' with her lips. "Brought it just for you." Boom! She pulled the trigger again, this time aiming slightly higher, and hitting Meg in the chest.

"Would you stop that?!" Meg called out, annoyed and feeling her temper begin to rise. She frowned down at her shirt, "You owe me a new shirt Blondie."

Boom! This time Melody hit her shoulder. "I don't think so!" Boom! Now the opposite shoulder. "You don't get to lore me here by pretending my brother!" Boom! "Do you even know what I am!?" Boom! "Do you know what I could do to you?!"

Melody pushed the lever down and then pulled it back up. She stopped pulling the trigger now. She was on her sixth and final round. She had more in her pocket, but she knew Meg wouldn't give her time to reload. Meg was now riddled with rock salt and covered with gun powder and blood. But she didn't seem to care. Instead, she seemed more intrigued with what Melody had said.

"Boss always said you were something special." Melody didn't have to answer her. Meg shrugged, "There was always talk that you were a 'Nephilim' but I never really believed it. But then again Azazel always said John Winchester wasn't your real dad." She sighed and crossed her arms, looking bored but still a part of the conversation. "Well," she grinned, "guess you'll never know the whole truth then."

Melody let out a humorless chuckle, "Oh I do know. I met someone. You might have heard of him." She kept her shotgun aimed directly at Meg's head while she continued in a low, gravely tone. "Gabriel the Archangel told me."

"Oh Gabe," Meg smiled and swiped her shoulders of gun powder. "That's nice. What did he say?"

"Knight of Heaven." Melody answered in a strong, solid voice. Her words actually made Meg freeze. For a moment, just the smallest moment, Melody could have sworn she saw genuine fear in the demon's eyes. Now it was Melody's turn to put on a superior smile, "Guessing that doesn't make you feel very good."

Meg quickly wiped her face of any signs of fear. "That's just a myth. A scary story told to little demons. Knights of Heaven don't exist."

"Well," Melody shrugged, "agree to disagree then. All I'm saying is an archangel, who has seen it all, called me that. And he seemed pretty trustworthy. Kind of…"

"It doesn't matter what you are." Meg laughed before moving forward and slowly circling the hunter. Melody followed the demons every move, never once lowering her gun. "You're only concern right now should be your brothers, those other two hunters and the pretty angel."

"What about them?" Melody asked trying to fish out more information from the demon. Meg came to a stop, resting one hand on her hip while the other reached up to casually scratch her chin.

"Hmm…I could tell you but," she smiled wickedly at the hunter, "I don't want to."

That was it. Melody had heard enough. She snarled and pulled the trigger of her shotgun, aiming straight at Meg's head. Only the demon must have seen this coming. She quickly ducked down; grabbing hold of the shotgun's barrel and twisting. Melody tried to get a good grip on her gun but Meg had moved too fast. She watched her shotgun skid away into a dark corner of the basement. Letting out a frustrated moan, Melody quickly backed up, dodging hits from the demon while she reached for her angel blade.

By the time she got the blade out, Meg was already closing in for a second attack. Melody jumped back, swiping outwards with her weapon, hoping that she would hit something. But Meg was just too fast and she missed again but quickly regained herself, taking a half step back and adjusting her hold of her blade. Melody kept the hilt down with the sharp, silver blade pointing upwards. With her free hand, she reached back and whipped out her compact Beretta 9mm. It wouldn't do much in the way of damage at all, but she hoped the bullets would be enough of a distraction to the demon.

Melody pulled the trigger in three quick bursts, hitting Meg in the shoulder, chest and missing with the third. The demon laughed before closing in on Melody again. The hunter felt her powers consume her and shot out her arm, swiping downwards with the blade. She heard the distinct sound of metal cutting flesh and fabric and watched Meg jump backwards, clutching her now bleeding arm.

"Alright." Meg panted before looking back up at Melody. The demon blinked and her eyes flicked to black. "No more games." Meg pushed out with her hands towards the hunter who was immediately hit with a wave of kinetic energy. However the energy wasn't enough to push her back towards the wall. At most, Melody felt like someone have just thrown themselves against her and she was able to easily stay on her feet.

"Gonna have to do better than that." Melody snarled, her voice echoing against her own throat. She raised her gun and shot again, this time emptying her clip. Meg sneered and quickly dodged the bullets but she was barely escaping them. Each time the hunter shot, Meg could feel the heat of the bullets sailing past her face. So, now the hunter was serious and going for head shots. Well then it was time to end this stupid fight.

Meg ducked down to the floor before cloaking herself altogether. She watched Melody freeze before throwing down her now empty gun and opting to just use the angel blade now. "Do you want to know something?" Meg asked, making her voice bounce off the walls.

On high alert, Melody spun around in her spot trying to pinpoint where the demon had disappeared to. She of course didn't answer and instead tried to feel out with her senses. But Meg was cloaking herself. It meant that Melody could feel her in the room, but she didn't know exactly where the demon was. Meg continued to speak.

"I almost believe you're a Knight of Heaven. Down where I'm from we have stories about these demons called the Knights of Hell. But see, they were real. We have their ashes stored away for safe keeping." In the shadows, Meg began to circle the blonde hunter. "Call it…a memorial if you will. But the funny thing is, this lower-class salesmen—Crowley—claimed one of his lackeys was able to take down the infamous Melody Winchester with a bottle of those ashes." Meg was getting closer now and slowly reached into her jacket pocket, pulling out a chain and iron cuffs. She circled behind Melody's back and was now just buying time and taunting the hunter. She watched Melody switch the blade from her right hand to her left, and lower her now free hand down to rest over the pistol strapped to her leg. Meg grinned, "After that some of us got a bit creative. Figured you'd see the bottle and destroy them before we got a chance to use the ashes. I have one of those creations. Mind if I give it a test drive?"

Meg leaped out of the darkness, grabbing hold of Melody's arm and slamming the iron cuff down around her exposed wrist. Melody screamed, the pain hitting her instantly. The demon couldn't help but laugh and cheerily dodged the messy and uncoordinated attacks from Melody and her blade.

With a fierce and terrifying growl, Melody heaved up her searing wrist and threw the angel blade at Meg. The demon easily avoided the projectile and ducked down again before popping back up behind Melody. "No guns allowed!" Meg cried cheerfully, knocking the hunter's second pistol out of her hand.

"You bitch!" Melody screamed, spinning around and grabbing hold of Meg's throat, squeezing her nails into the demon's skin. But her strength was waning. The pain just wouldn't stop. It felt like her hand was about to fall off any moment.

"I also have this." Meg grinned before taking the heavy iron chain and tossing it around Melody's neck. As soon as the metal touch her skin, Melody fell backwards to the ground hard, trying to pry off the iron chain. But Meg was already behind her and grabbed the chain and started dragging Melody backwards. Coughing and trying not to cry out from the blistering agony, Melody dug her fingers against the chain trying as best as she could to separate the metal from her skin. "Okay," Meg came to a stop by a far wall, dropping Melody to the floor. The demon went around and grabbed the second cuff, hauling Melody's numb arm up towards a steel pipe and locking the hunter in place.

"Ahh!" Melody screamed out as she finally got the heavy iron chain off her neck. She tossed it aside angrily before looking up at Meg with nothing but pure and unfaltering hate in her eyes.

"Oh don't be mad Blondie." Meg fake pouted, kneeling down to be at eye level with the girl. "How about this, I forget about that chain over there, and just leave you with that." She pointed at the thick iron cuff around Melody's left wrist.

Melody's answer was a snarl as her powers came back up. Her eyes flashed bright silver and she shot up to her feet, yanking on the cuff. "I will fucking end you!" Melody screamed, pulling hard against her restraints.

All Meg could do was laugh. She glanced down at the hunter's wrist and then wrinkled her nose. "Ugh, you smell that? Smells like burning flesh to me."

She tried. Melody fought and fought against her body. She wanted nothing more than to yank down hard on the cuffs, break them, and then break Meg's neck. But the iron. The…Hell Sand within the iron. It was too much. It was so much stronger than the last time she'd encountered it. Melody started to hear the low, sizzling sound and knew it was the Hell Sand burning through her skin. She stared hard at Meg for as long as she could, but after a few long seconds…

"Fuck!" She screeched before falling backwards until her spine hit the wall. Defeated, Melody sank to the floor and watched the iron cuff slide over the water pipe until her hand fell to the concrete floor next to her. She didn't even look back up at Meg, and didn't even listen to the demon's final words.

The last thing she remembers before passing out is seeing the glint of her angel blade across the room. "Cas…" she muttered, "…help."


"Hi honey," Lucifer came to a stop at the bottom of the stairs, giving Melody his best and most charming smile. "Sorry I took so long. I was just having a conversation with my little brother."

Melody felt her heart drop. No. No not him.

Lucifer walked further into the room until he was only a few feet in front of her. Refusing to be literally looking up to him, Melody forced herself to stand up. The vessel Lucifer had chosen was…not what she expected. Any other day and Melody would have considered the face handsome. Soft, sandy blonde hair, deep set eyes the color of moss, a wide nose and smaller, slightly pouted lips. He had scruff on his chin and jaw, and his clothes were simple and plain. He was the same height as Castiel, but he just carried himself differently. He didn't walk as carefully, and his shoulders weren't so slouched. No. This angel stood tall and with square shoulders, he walked with a confidence and almost lightness in his steps.

The air got cold. Even colder than it had been before he showed up. Melody felt a shiver travel up her spine and tried masking it, but her breath puffed out in front of her face and her teeth started chattering. "Oh." Lucifer noticed her trembling shoulders and saw her breath. "I'm so sorry. I run a bit cold. Here," he stepped towards her and reached out his hands towards her stomach. Melody immediately tensed up, terrified that he was going to actually touch her. She tried backing up, but her spine quickly hit the brick wall and she couldn't move any further. Lucifer ignored her actions and instead reached out his hands to grab hold of…her jacket.

It was the sound of her zipper that made Melody look down. He was actually closing up her jacket for her? What? Lucifer's eyes followed the zipper as it traveled up and up until he got to her exposed neck. "Oh dear." He spoke with an overly kind and soft voice as he gingerly reached out to touch her skin where the Hell Sand chain had seared into her flesh. "We can't have that pretty neck looking like that."

Melody wanted to vomit and run away. She wanted her brothers. She wanted Jo and Ellen. She wanted Castiel. But just as soon as Lucifer's cold fingers had touched her skin, they were gone.

"There we go." He was admiring her neck like a piece of artwork. Curious, Melody reached up and touched her neck where it had been sore. The pain was gone, and her skin was smooth again.

"Did you just…"

Lucifer nodded and smiled kindly at her. "Yes. I told Meg to avoid your face. I guess she figured your neck was the next best thing."

Despite her mounting fear, Melody felt her brow furrow. "You…you planned this?"

"Of course I did." Lucifer answered casually. "After all…it's good to see you again."

"What are you…?" No. Melody felt her eyes grow wide. No there was only ever one person who greeted her that way. Only one man she'd ever met would use that exact phrase every time she saw him. Every time he walked into the diner, every time he visited her. "No." Melody shook her head, "No, you…Bill was good. He helped me—he showed me the truth about my dad." Her voice started to shake, she felt a cold sweat begin to form on her face before she whimpered, "You can't be him…"

Lucifer only grinned at her. And just like that…he started to change. It was like taking silly putty and molding it into a different shape. Melody watched with wide, fearful eyes as Lucifer's hair turned darker and speckled with gray. She watched his stature change, his shoulders got wider, and his legs got longer. And then his eyes changed. And she saw them. Those bright, cheerful gray eyes she'd gotten so used to.

Now Bill was standing in front of her with that gentle smile on his face. "Now you know." Damnit even the voice was the same! Melody blinked and didn't even bother trying to stop the tears from falling out of her eyes.

"No you can't be…you were so kind." She swallowed hard, felt her whole body start to tremble again and this time not from the cold. "I…I trusted you."

"I am sorry for the façade Melody. But it was necessary." Bill's soft-spoken voice was disgusting. Everything about him was just revolting. She felt her temper begin to rise. Her breathing got a bit more heated, and her shoulders stopped trembling as violently as they had been.

"You lied. You lied to me! You tricked me!" She chocked back a sob, "All this time I was talking to…" Now she really was going to cry. Melody had to stop herself. She took in a deep, shaking breath and regained her composure—what little there was. "You showed me those things about my dad. How do I know they aren't lies too?!"

He didn't flinch at her raised voice. Instead he casually put his hands into his jacket pockets and gave her that same disgusting, gentle smile. "I may have added in a bit of my own flair. I do love a good family drama."

"You sick bastard!" Melody screamed at him, her eyes going silver for a half second. But her insult didn't go anywhere and her power didn't seem to bother him in the slightest. Lucifer just continued to smile at her. And that only made her feel more helpless. Her terror grew as her heart pounded in her chest. "What the fuck do you want with me?!" She screeched at him feeling her throat begin to go dry.

Lucifer continued to smile, even as he switched from Bill's form to his previous one. Once he was completely changed, Lucifer started moving towards her again. "Melody, my dear, I want you to join me."

That made her pause. "What? Fucking join you?" She spat out as much venom as she could into her words. But it wouldn't stop him. Lucifer just got closer and closer to her. Again Melody felt her spin dig into the wall as she tried to put as much distance between herself and the devil.

"In my new world." He said, holding up his hands in a praising motion. He finally came to a stop, his body mere inches from touching hers. Melody could feel the cold coming off of him. It was a biting and harsh cold that made her shiver all over again. "You and me." He continued, lowering his hands down to hover around her face. "The most powerful Archangel to ever exist and the first and last Knight of Heaven. Together, we will create a new and better world." He kept one hand near her face, while the other started traveling down her body until it finally came to a stop over her lower abdomen.

Lucifer gently laid his cold hand against her cheek, softly cupping her face while he ran a thumb over her skin. Melody couldn't hold back anymore. She sucked in her lips into a thin line, grimacing and shivering. He wasn't really doing anything but she just felt so…disgusting with him so close to her. She could feel his power. And yes, it was great. But it was filled with so much hate and resentment. With him this close, she could barely breath because the air was so heavy. The room just felt like it had too many things in it, when in reality it was the enormity of Lucifer's existence that she was sensing. And she couldn't stand it.

Melody turned her face away from him and let out a tiny whimper. "Oh don't worry," Lucifer said, taking hold of her chin and forcing her to face him again. The hand on her abdomen left and pointed at the small blisters she could see forming on his temples. "I know this isn't my best look. But very soon, I will have my true vessel."

"Sam…" Melody breathed out finally connecting the dots. Oh…no. Jesus Christ no! Melody tried to yank her face away from his hand, "You're fucking sick!" She hissed at him. Her protests must have gotten on his nerves finally. Lucifer grabbed her chin and yanked her face forwards again and shoved his other hand into her shoulder, pinning her to the wall.

He held her in place for a while, slowly putting more and more pressure into her shoulder. Melody whimpered and tried to push against him, but he was too strong. She couldn't even move anymore. It was almost as if he'd been holding back his full power with her until just now. And that terrified her even more.

"You will…learn." He growled out through his teeth. "In due time you will enjoy the pain—even crave it. I will be all you can think about. And you will no longer feel anything for my little brother."

"Cas—" She tried to call out but Lucifer's hand grabbed hold of her throat and he started to squeeze. Melody's unchained hand came up and pushed against his shoulder, his chest, his arm. But he wouldn't budge. Melody coughed and started clawing at his fingers, feeling her powers begin to come up again.

She blinked and growled, feeling it come from deep within her stomach to vibrate in her throat. Only instead of the typical response she got from demons, Lucifer didn't look surprised or even slightly apprehensive. No he looked like he was enjoying it. With great effort, Melody pried her fingers down in between her throat and Lucifer's hand. She could see the light from her shining eyes illuminating his face. His blistered and horrible face.

"That's it." Lucifer was almost cooing her and praising her for fighting back. She ignored his words. Placing one of her boots up against the brick wall, she started to push against him with all the strength she could gather. Melody let out a low groan of effort, to which Lucifer just cheered her on even more. "Come on Melody. Fight me!"

Now he was almost getting excited. "Ah!" Melody cried out in frustration. This was so much harder than she'd thought it would be. She pushed and pushed. Her leg was beginning to quake and her shoulder had gone numb a while ago. Her fingers were starting to tingle as well. If she went any further she would probably make herself pass out again.

Just when she was about to give up, the sound of several dogs barking got Lucifer's attention. He immediately stood up, dropping his hold of Melody and going to the window. Melody fell down to her knees, panting and sweating. She looked at her hand. It was red and blotchy and shaking nonstop. She could hardly feel her leg anymore, and her left arm had gone completely numb.

"And there they go. Your brothers and friends barely made it out of that alive. Then again that little blonde one didn't look too good." Lucifer commented casually before coming back to stand in front of her.

"No…" Melody panted, "What did you do to Jo?" She forced herself to stand up on wobbling legs, using the brick wall for support and leaning her spin against it. "What the hell did you do?"

"I didn't do anything." Lucifer feigned offense, "The hounds are the culprits. You bumbling idiot brother killed one. That's a surprise." He moved to stand in front of her again, his arms now loosely crossed over his chest.

"Let me see her. Let me see Jo—please." Melody begged him, still trying to recover feeling into her leg. She looked up at Lucifer with her best and most pleading eyes. It didn't seem to help in the slightest.

"You are adorable." He grinned before walking up to her and grabbing hold of her left wrist. Melody groaned and tried to fight him off, afraid he was going to do something with the iron cuff and make the pain even worse. Except she heard the distinct sound of metal being snapped in half, and when she looked down she saw pieces of the cuff scattered on the floor. Lucifer gingerly held her burned wrist as he stood up straight again. "That Hell Sand sure does work." He grinned at her, "Would you like me to heal it?"

Melody tried to yank her wrist away, but he held firm. His smile never left his face. Lucifer just continued to watch her as if he was admiring a masterpiece. "Ah," he said glancing out the window, "Meg is ready for us. Shall we go say his to my little brother?"

She didn't even blink. One second she was inside the dark basement, the next second she was in a slightly better lit room. Lucifer still had a hold of her wrist and it took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the new lighting. When they did the first thing she saw was fire. She could feel the heat of the fire wafting up to her. It was a great relief compare to the bitter cold of the basement and Lucifer's hand.

"Melody!"

"Cas!" She shouted, pulling her wrist out of Lucifer's hand and running up to Cas. But she had to stop. He was surrounded by a large ring of holy fire. He couldn't cross it.

"Are you hurt? Where are you injured?" Castiel asked her frantically, getting as close as he could to her. All he needed was just a little bit more space. He was just so close to her, he could just reach across the fire and he'd have her in his arms again.

"I-I'm fine Cas I…" But he could see that she wasn't fine. She had dark circles underneath her eyes, and they were slightly red and puffed up. She'd been crying? Her skin was so pale, and were her shoulders shaking?

Castiel's eyes went from her to Lucifer. "What did you do?" He asked accusingly. Lucifer walked up to stand behind Melody.

"Oh little brother." His hand came up to her hair, where he gently pulled it away from her neck. "I would never hurt this precious thing. What kind of monster would I be if I damaged the one and only Knight of Heaven?" With her skin now exposed, Lucifer bent his head down and trailed the tip of his nose up her neck to her jaw. Melody grimaced again, squeezing her eyes shut and holding back a groan.

"Don't touch her!" Castiel shouted stepping closer to the fire. His raised voice surprised Lucifer. He stood up straight, giving Castiel a look of shock.

"Castiel I never thought you would care so much about one human." Lucifer chuckled, "But then again she is hard to resist. A Knight of Heaven is quite the catch." He stayed behind Melody, keeping his hands on her shoulders.

Melody was standing so still. It didn't even look like she was breathing. Castiel felt his jaw set, feeling anger and frustration. Anger because Lucifer was still touching her. Frustration, because he couldn't do anything about it. He decided it was best to try and distract Lucifer. Maybe get him talking and that would allow Melody enough time to do…something. "Knight of Heaven?" Castiel's brow creased, "I thought they were never even created. A failed attempt."

"I can see why you would think that." Lucifer said, dropping one hand from Melody's shoulders. "You remember the armory don't you? That one spot for the Knight. Her golden armor, her shiny shield, her pretty sword." Now the other hand fell away and Lucifer moved to stand next to Melody. "I always wanted to meet the Knight. Michael was incredibly jealous of her, but Gabriel was enamored with her. I always wanted to know what all the fuss was about." His fingers started to idly play with the ends of her hair. Melody locked eyes with Cas and saw he agreed with her. Now was the time. Now or never.

Her breathing got heavy again. She only had one shot at this. Melody called on her powers one last time, knowing that she was nearly drained but hoping that she wouldn't pass out on the spot. Her eyes only flashed silver for a second, but it was more than enough time. She grunted loudly, threw all of her remaining strength into her arm and elbowed Lucifer hard in the side. He was more surprised than anything, and reacted by jumping away from her sudden movements. Melody took her chance and pushed off the ground with her weak legs, sprinting as fast as she could and finally jumping over the thin line of the fire ring.

Castiel easily caught her in his strong arms, supporting her weak and tired body. He held her up before wrapping his arms around her, burying her face into his chest. It took everything in his power not the completely demolish the entire building right there. Because he had what he needed. He had her in his arms, safe and away from Lucifer. As Melody's weak hands grabbed fistfuls of his coat, and as she started to silently cry into his chest, Castiel looked up at his brother. He expected Lucifer to be furious. If not that then at least a little annoyed. But Lucifer was watching them with a small, knowing grin.

"I don't care that she's a Knight, Lucifer." He said still clutching Melody to him. "I love her. I love everything about her. And you will never understand, nor will you ever comprehend what that means."


Were you all beyond surprised when Bill turned out to be Lucifer all along?! I know I was and I'm the damn writer! Also, Cas said the thing! He said the words that he wasn't going to say but he couldn't help himself cause he's just so in love and omg it was so perfect ahhhhh!

Alright, I'm going to get some sleep now. Review, fav and follow! Thanks for reading!