Outside a Random Abandoned Warehouse

Maya

Maya and Brent—the 'would be' victim of the night—ran from the warehouse and the fighting taking place all the way to the impala. They panted as they looked back behind them to see if any of the demons gathered there had followed them.

Seeing that they had time Maya quickly went to the impala's trunk and opened it, muttering to her self.

"What are you doing?!" Brent gasped in freaked-out outrage, as he sucked in panicked breaths from sprinting from what was about to be his own personal crime scene. "We should be driving away! Not rummaging around for—what is that? Spray paint?!"

Maya shook the can, grinning at the rattling sound it made.

"You and I both know those assholes in there aren't exactly human," Maya said pointedly as she began painting a large circle on the cracked concrete outside the warehouse. "I'm making a devil's trap. It'll trap those bitches the moment they step foot inside. So if we get in it, then they can't get us," Maya turned her back on him and began working on the pentagram part. "Unless they want to get trapped themselves."

She didn't see the panicked look of Brent's face fade into an amused smirk, or the way his eyes eclipsed in a sheet of the darkest ebony that no light could reflect out of. Demon Brent lunged at Maya, grabbing her from behind and clamping a hand over her mouth.

Maya struggled in the demon's grip, but unlike the demon she lacked the super strength that currently restrained her.

"Lilith will greatly reward me for handing you over to her," Demon Brent said with a grin on his lips close to her ear.

Uncomfortably close.

"But first," the demon took his hand off her mouth and pulled out a blood filled syringe from his coat pocket. "I wonder what a little bit of vampire blood would do to a little Trickster demi-god?" he chuckled as though he'd told a humorous joke. "Would it turn you into a vampire-Trickster hybrid? Or knock you out while vampire blood and pagan blood battle it out in your body?"

Maya sure as hell didn't know, and neither sounded too appealing.

Thank you, very much!

Maya butted her head back against the demon's face, forcing Demon Brent to loosen his grip enough for her to free an arm and turn to punch him in the face. For the moment he was stunned enough for Maya to quickly knock the syringe of vampire blood out of his hand and stomp her foot on it, breaking it and spilling the blood on the hard gravel.

She didn't wait to see his reaction and made to run back towards Sam, Dean, and Puck inside the warehouse. Maya had learned from her first solo demon encounter.

It's better to have friends and family backing you up.

Puck had just sprinted through the large warehouse door in time to see Brent all but tackle Maya from behind, eliciting a shout from her and sent Puck snarling in an instant.

Maya's loud shout of surprise suddenly cut-off when the black-eye asshole wrapped an arm around her neck and pulled back, forcing her to release a short "Ack!"

Puck didn't stop his ferocious snarling as he skidded to a stop a few feet from the black-eyed Brent.

"Not so fast, mutt!" Demon Brent snarled, jerking his arm and getting a gasp from Maya as she tried to pry his arm from around her throat.

"MAYA!" came the dual shouts of Sam and Dean from inside the warehouse.

"Damn it!" he snarled as he looked for a way to get away from the Winchesters and their pet demon traitor. He also didn't want to throw away the only bit of leverage he had to keep from getting shanked…and he didn't like the look of those slightly glowing teeth on the giant ass dog watching him intently.

Just waiting for an opening.

Sam and Dean burst through the door Puck came through in a panic that quickly turned into unfettered rage.

"Let her go!" Dean demanded as he and Sam ran to stand on either side of Puck, creating a wide arch.

Despite being in a very uncomfortable chokehold Maya couldn't help note the similar scene she found her self in.

A demon had her in its grasp; and Sam, Dean, and Puck looking for an opening to save her.

How was this her life?

"Fat chance, Winchesters!" Demon Brent spat. "She's the only thing keeping me from getting shish-kebobed by you two, and I'm sure as hell not about to report to Lilith and tell her I let this damn half-breed get away!"

Meanwhile, Sam found himself fighting an internal war within him self. It was just like last time, Sam and Dean helpless to do anything while a demon had their little sister in its grip threatening her. Sam was the first to see Ruby carefully begin sneaking her way up behind the demon.

"You're not going to do anything to her. We know Lilith wants her alive," Dean called his bluff with a smirk, hiding his worry as he too noticed Ruby slowly creep up behind the demon holding their little Trickster hostage.

Demon Brent grinned sadistically, "But I can hurt her." While his one hand kept a secure grip around her waist, the arm around her neck released her.

Released her so he could rake sharp nails against the side of her exposed neck and across her upper uncovered clavicle, drawing blood and a quick shout of pain ending in controlled and labored breaths.

"You son of a bitch!" Dean snarled taking a halted step forward, wanting nothing more than to rush in and tear Maya out of the demon's grasp before going to town on the bastard.

Sam's face was full of conflict. His powers weren't working and he had tried a couple of times using some of his telekinesis when he was alone, focusing on less volatile emotions, but nothing worked. The only thing that worked was...the anger…the hate he'd used before when he was with Ruby.

He tried the old way and felt a limp nudge inside his mind, but that was it.

Ruby was right. His abilities had gotten flabby, and now—even as he tried focusing on the emotions that worked—he couldn't use them to save Maya.

His little sister.

If Ruby didn't get that demon, then Sam's promise to Maya might be what gets her taken from them…or killed if any of them slip up.

Sam's grip on the demon knife tightened as Ruby was almost in position behind the demon.

Demon Brent just chuckled as he started tugging the struggling and cursing half-breed away when he was all of a sudden clocked hard in the back of the head. His grip on Maya tightened before throwing her to the ground as he turned to face his attacker.

The minute he was turned, Sam and Puck took the opening. Puck clamped down on the demon's leg to hold him still while Sam brought the demon blade down.

But Brent at the last moment twisted his upper body with a snarl as he punch Ruby away and ended up narrowly missing the lethal blow from the blade. It didn't stop the blade from slicing into the skin across his neck and shoulder as pivoted on his trapped leg, the blade slicing deep into his meat suit's artery.

Meanwhile, Maya was on the ground caught in the middle of the fighting and twisting bodies trying to crawl out of the deadly scrum while also trying to avoid getting accidentally kicked in the head or clawed. Thankfully it was over quickly when Sam grabbed the demon's shirt to steady his target and sunk the blade into Demon Brent's stomach, lighting him up.

Unfortunately there was nothing now keeping the bloody and empty body standing, and it ended up collapsing partially on Maya when Sam pulled the knife free from it.

"Oh shit," Sam cursed as the gushing body collapsed on the girl at their feet.

"Goldy, you okay?" Dean asked as he approached, helping Sam and Maya lift the blood dripping body off of her.

Maya grimaced as she twisted on the ground to use one arm to push the bloody body off, feeling the throbbing burn of the claw marks now running across her clavicle and neck. And feel the demon blood start drenching her clothes and getting everywhere on her.

"Y-yeah, I'm…" Maya began but stopped as Dean grabbed her one non-bloodied hand and helped to pull her to her feet.

The claw marks throbbed with a burning sensation like most fresh cuts, but the burning quickly steadied out and then started increasing in intensity.

Then it started to spread.

Her heartbeat was in her ears, pounding against her skull with deafening noise. Maya tried looking at the worried and panicking faces of Sam and Dean, their lips moving, but she couldn't make out the words they were saying.

Maya then felt the blood drain from her face as her vision started getting hazy, but despite that concerning development all she could think about was the burning.

A burning that spread throughout her body with every beat of her frantic heart.

Then, the world tilted and faded to black.


.

Sam and Dean

It was like everything slowed down as Maya's beautiful gold eyes rolled up into the back of her head, face pale, making her light dusting of freckles stand out jarringly.

"MAYA!" they shouted in alarm, Dean managing to grab her open jacket and kept her from completely hitting the ground.

Dean immediately adjusted his grip so he was kneeling on the ground and supporting her upper body. "C'mon Sis, wake up," Dean mumbled as he jostled her a little, part of him hoping it would work but a larger part of him knew it was futile.

She was out cold.

"What's going on? What happened?" Sam worried as he hovered around them.

Both of them could feel as the night seemed to become darker, colder as their eyes took in the prone form of an unconscious Maya.

Ruby had walked up to them and looked down at the little half-breed. She'd not expected this. Ruby knew this group of demons had liters of vampire blood to use along side all the human blood in whatever nightly ritual they were performing to break the seal. She also knew that the particular demon Sam just killed was of a curious sort. He had liked seeing what supernatural elements did to other supernatural beings.

Ruby knew he wouldn't have been able to help himself injecting the half-breed with whatever he had on hand. Just to see what would happen.

But the crushed syringe she noticed on the ground and the blood oozing from it suggested he didn't get the chance.

So what was—

Ruby's eyes drifted to the dead demon's meat suit and the sheer amount of blood oozing out of it, then to the open claw wounds on the baby Trickster.

"I think demon blood got into her wounds," Ruby stated with narrowed and curious eyes. She wondered what the mixing of demon blood with a demi-god would do to her, probably a prolonged death.

Sam, Dean, and Puck must've experienced some kind of whiplash with how quick they turned their heads to look at her.

"WHAT?!" Dean shouted, his own blood draining from his face as a pit form in his stomach. His grip on Maya tightened as his mind went a thousand miles a minute, but still unable to process the fact that she now had demon blood in her too.

"I-I don't understand," Sam shook his head. He'd had demon blood in him for years, most of his life, and he'd never gone near catatonic from it. "Why's she reacting like this then?" Sam didn't need to ask Ruby why Maya reacted like she was poisoned and he had reacted like he was given a straight shot of steroids when he ingested it.

"Well, she ain't exactly all human, right?" Ruby gestured to Maya with a shrug. "The pagan half is probably trying to fight off the demon blood. So, no wonder she went down like a bag of bricks." She didn't tell them that if Maya were full human she still wouldn't be doing too well.

There was a reason Azazel was very choosey when he picked out his…candidates.

They all had to have certain bloodlines. Something to balance the blood out till they could fully give into it, something that let them tap into the dormant lines.

And pagan god wasn't one of them.

"Then what the hell do we do?!" Dean demanded, worried green eyes flickering to Maya's face as her breathing started becoming more labored. Puck whined and nosed at her face, but got no response.

Ruby reared her head, taken back, "You're kidding, right? Do I look like I know what happens when pagan and demon blood mix?"

"Do we—do we take her to a hospital?" Sam questioned as he took a knee and brushed a few strands of curly dark hair from her warming face.

Dean breathed heavily, then shook his head and said sarcastically, "I doubt they'd know what to do about demon blood poisoning."

"Well, what do you suggest we do then Dean?" Sam growled angrily at his brother, earning him self a tense glare.

"Whatever the hell we can!" Dean grunted back angrily as he adjusted Maya and got to his feet with her in his arms. He gave Sam a hard stare, "But not here. We need to get someplace safe. Bobby's not far from here, we can go there. If we take the 29 this time at night we can get there in a couple of hours."

Sam's lips were tight as he breathed heavily through his nose, keeping a check on his worry-inflamed temper. "Yeah, okay," he said with a nod and walked with Dean to the impala, opening the door for Dean to put Maya in the back. Once she was in Puck was jumping in—already fun-sized once again—with a whine as he carefully situated him self on her legs, looking at her forlornly.

Ruby sighed then scoffed at being completely forgotten by the flannel-wearing duo, "Guess I'll deal with the bodies then?"

"Sorry, Ruby," Sam sent her an apologetic look as he got into the impala. Dean already turning the engine over.

Once Sam was in Dean put Baby into gear and sped out of there like a bat out of Hell.


.

December 15 2008, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States

Little after midnight…

Bobby

Bobby had been dead asleep in the quiet and empty house. A couple weeks prior before he got back from the Dominican, Eli had apparently met Rufus Turner when he showed up for some help and got the scrawny be speckled kid instead.

If Bobby'd been there he'd shot the ornery son of a bitch. He wasn't over the bastard trying to blow Maya's head off when they all first met.

Eli and Rufus discovered their mutual disgust for a certain half-Trickster that had them hitting it off, and they got to talking.

One thing led to another and apparently the kid convinced Rufus—of all people—to take him along for the case he was working on.

A black man and a skinny white boy…like that wasn't going to raise some red flags for the bigots out there.

Note the sarcasm.

As Bobby slept his personal cell phone he kept by his bedside went off, jolting him awake. He didn't bother looking at the caller ID knowing that only a handful of people had his personal cell number.

But the most likely culprit calling him at this God forsaken hour could only have the last name, Winchester.

"Do ya know what damn time it is?" Bobby grumped, eyes still heavily with sleep until Sam told him what happened.

That's when Bobby's eyes shot wide open and sat straight up in bed with a bellowed, "WHAT?!"

"We're on our way right now," Sam informed him. "We weren't sure if we should be heading to a hospi—"

"Unless she's broken somethin', it's better that yer bringin' her here," Bobby cut him off. "What are her symptoms? I need to know what to prepare fer."

"Uh, well, she's-she's completely knocked out and having trouble breathing. And," Sam took a worried breath over the receiver, "She's really pale, but she's starting to—I don't know, look-look more flushed? I-I think she's getting a fever?"

Bobby's face screwed up in concentration as he racked his brain for everything he could possibly need as he made his way down to the kitchen to his contact book, "Right, got it. I'll get an IV set up with some antibiotics and nutrients."

"Will antibiotics really work against demon blood though?" Sam queried stupidly from his worry over Maya.

"The hell I'd know! Not like there's a manual or procedure for treatin' a half-Trickster for demon blood poisonin'!" Bobby barked as he furiously flipped through his contacts. "But it's better than nothin', especially with that open wound she's still got. She's already got a war goin' on inside her body against the demon blood. So I don't think her body can handle fightin' off an infection on top of all that."

Bobby didn't have to see the flinch Sam undoubtedly did on the other end of the phone from his yelling and berating, but he knew he did.

"My's gonna be fine, Sam. We may forget it from time to time with how generally carefree and happy she is, but she's a fighter," Bobby said with a tired sigh, he looked down to see the name and number of an 'in-the-know' Civi who lived nearby that he knew of.

Sam gave a breathless and stressed chuckle over the phone, "Thanks, but I don't think me and Dean will be breathing easy until she starts getting better."

Good, the boy was reassured some. Now to make them worry about what waited for them when they got there.

"Oh, I'd be more worried about facin' me in a couple hours and explainin' to me why My was anywhere near a demon, let alone 4!" Bobby growled out, not bothering to hear Sam's response as he hung up.

Dialing the number to his contact he waited as it rang a few times before a groggy voice answered with a tired and confused, "Hello?"

Bobby wasted no time explaining about a sick and injured 'Hunter' on their way to his house and his need for more advance medical supplies that didn't include whiskey, a sewing needle and thread. They didn't ask too many questions—knew better that they didn't know—and got the supplies they kept on hand ready for Bobby and arranged for pick-up at a halfway point.

The whole thing would take just under two hours, leaving Bobby little time to prepare any kind of rudimentary sickbay.

Well, better than the boys just stumbling in out of the blue with no warning, wounded and bleeding on his floors.


.

Couple hours after midnight…

When Bobby heard the familiar rumble of the impala he finished hooking up the IV bag to the make-shift stand and ran down his steps to the front door. He opened it just in time for Sam to stumble through with a writhing and whimpering Maya in his arms.

She looked worse than how Sam had described her.

The lightly tanned skin was white as a sheet; her freckles dotted the bridge of her nose in stark contrast like blood splatter, with slightly flushed cheeks and ragged breathing. Maya's breathing was labored and had a strong wheezing quality to it like her airways were trying to close on her.

All the while she was still covered in blood—both her's and the demon's—and open claw wounds that stretched from the lower side of her neck and over her upper clavicle.

Sam wasn't looking too good either, both him and Dean looking haggard and filled with fear and worry over the girl in Sam's arms.

"Take her to the bath upstairs," Bobby jerked with his head and followed quickly behind Sam, the loud footsteps of Dean and the clinking of Puck's claws right behind him. "We need to get her out of those bloody clothes and wash off all that blood and clean and treat that wound."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Dean protested behind them as Sam entered the bathroom. "Are we gonna have to see her naked? I don't wanna see that."

"Lord give me strength in the face idjits," Bobby grumbled under his breath as he turned to Dean with a glare. "We're only takin' enough off so she ain't covered in blood, specifically demon blood," he looked back at Sam in the cramped room. "Put her in the tub," he ordered as he grabbed a towel off the rack.

Maya whined and for the first time in a couple hours slightly opened her eyes, but it was obvious they were unseeing and alternated between squeezed shut and partially open.

"Maya, hey, hey," Sam called as he started taking off her jacket. "It's me, it's Sam. Do you recognize where we are?"

Maya was shaking her head as she breathed through clenched teeth, eyes squeezed shut again and whining clearly in pain.

"Burns…" she whimpered, gripping the sides of the tub in a white knuckled grip. "It burns!" she shouted, her back arching a little as her legs moved and twitched as she writhed in pain.

Puck whined worriedly from the open doorway.

With a strong grip on the tub walls, Sam couldn't fully remove her jacket. "Bobby, a little help?" Sam grunted, a little surprised at her grip on the slick sides. Bobby set aside the damp cloth in his hands and helped Sam release her grip long enough to get her arms through the jacket before she latched on again.

Underneath the jacket was a simple dark blue t-shirt that hung a little loosely on her frame, but it had begun sticking to her skin and turning almost black with blood. Sam sighed in frustration at the prospect of trying to loosen her grip again when Dean stepped over Puck and muscled his way between him and Bobby, holding out a pair of scissors.

"Cutting it off will be easier," Dean shrugged when he got a look from Sam and Bobby, the kind where they were berating themselves for not thinking of that.

Bobby carefully took the scissors and began cutting from the neckline down, "If ya don't want to see her in her bra, Dean, I'd advert yer eyes, now." Sam snorted as he held Maya still while she struggled against the pain she was feeling.

It was doubtful she'd appreciate accidentally getting stabbed by a pair of scissors on top of everything else.

A quick snip at the sleeves and Bobby clinically pulled the shirt away, giving a clear view of the angry red lines of the nails that had clawed her open.

Bobby grabbed the damp cloth and began cleaning the blood off her, getting more whimpering and groaning from her as she went slightly unconscious again.

Didn't stop her from trying to move and flinch away from Bobby though.

"Dean, get another cloth ready, and rinse out this one out," Bobby didn't bother to look over at the oldest of the Winchester duo knowing he was doing as he ordered. "Keep her still, Sam. Last thing we want is her to whack her head and get a concussion," Bobby cleaned off more of the blood, looking for any debris that could've gotten in it.

Seeing no debris, Bobby then grabbed the removable showerhead and started running clean water through it for a few minutes. She struggled for a bit, but had quickly adjusted to the comforting pressure and flow of the lukewarm water on her burning skin.

And soaking the remaining clothes she was wearing.

Bobby then got a better look at the claw marks and cursed at the ragged edges of the raked marks and her blood still slowly dripping from some of the deeper gouges.

"I'm gonna have to stitch her up a little," Bobby stated and motioned Dean to hand him the needle and surgical thread. As Bobby threaded the needle he said to Sam, "I'm gonna need ya to get in behind her. If she was strugglin' this much from just cleanin' her off with water…"

Sam nodded and carefully moved in the tub behind the whimpering girl. He could feel how warm she was as her body fought off the foreign substance in her blood stream. Sam wrapped an arm around her waist and put a firm hand over the shoulder on the side with her wound.

He ignored the water seeping through his own clothes as he braced himself behind her.

"I got her," Sam nodded, tense as Bobby started stitching the wound.

Sam cursed at the hidden strength the girl seemed to possess when she arched her chest and screamed bloody murder through clenched teeth.

"Shit," Dean looked around and grabbed a towel. "Bobby, hold up," Dean and Sam quickly and carefully got her jaw open enough for Dean to put the small towel in. Dean nodded at Bobby to continue.

Puck's big soulful eyes watched in agony over her pain, wanting nothing more than to do something about it but knowing he couldn't.

"Alright, Sam, again. Hold her steady," Bobby murmured as he stitched up his surrogate daughter.

Time seemed to drag on for eternity. Thankfully it seemed only parts of the claw marks were deep enough to require the stitches to keep them closed. Once he was done and more blood carefully wiped away, Dean handed him some gauze and he quickly covered the stitches.

Bobby looked at her, her face pinched in pain and skin flushed with fever and clothes drenched in water as she lay back against Sam's broad chest.

"Dean, go grab some of her clothes. Nothin' too tight or restrictin'," Bobby ordered. "We're gonna have to get her into some dry clothes before we put her to bed."

"I thought that wouldn't be necessary?" Dean shifted uncomfortably. He'd seen Sam naked; an unfortunate side effect of growing up in each other's pocket but Sam was his little brother and a dude. Yeah, okay, he saw Maya like another little sibling but she was a girl, his little sister.

"If yer so uncomfortable about it; then me and Sam will get her in some clean clothes," Bobby snarked with a roll of his eyes.

Dean grumbled but went to her bag, grabbing a pajama tank top and the red gym shorts from their time at Truman out of it. When he got back Sam and Bobby had removed her bra and covered the front of her chest with a towel for some form modesty.

"Alright, I got tank and some gym shorts," Dean announced from the doorway, tossing the crumpled clothes at Sam when he raised a hand.

It took some maneuvering—and some muscle because of her death grip—with some accidental peaks when the towel slipped, but they got her into the loose fitting clothing. By then it seemed that some of her breathing had evened out, but she'd still release a whimper or flinch of pain as she dozed fitfully.

When Sam had helped get the tank over her head, he'd noticed something curious on her back between her shoulder blades.

Birthmarks that mirrored each other in the shape of closed wings.

Sam pushed away the observation for later and held her carefully propped up on the edge of the tub. He grimaced at the feeling of his own wet clothing weighing him down and sticking to his body, "Dean, can you take her?"

"Yeah, I can take a turn carrying her, Princess," Dean smirked despite the worry still clawing at his insides as he scooped the unconscious girl up.

Sam bitch-faced, he was not in the mood and was about to snipe at Dean when Bobby cut in, "Alright, you're both hilarious. But I want to get My in bed and set up with an IV and antibiotics, so move yer ass, boy!"

Dean's teeth clicked and lips tightened as he did as instructed and moved some ass, following Bobby to the room he set up, Puck right at their heels. Once Maya was hooked up Bobby began checking her heart rate and breathing, and pupil size, anything to get a bead on her current health.

Puck carefully hopped up on the bed and curled himself into a small ball tucked against her hip, whining quietly in distress every now and then.

"Well?" Dean demanded impatiently, hovering on the other side of the bed across from Bobby.

"Well, what, Dean?" Bobby harrumphed with tired aggravation.

"Do you got any idea what to do?" Dean shrugged exaggeratedly with a slight shake of the head.

Dean got a deadpanned stare that turned back into one of worried anger, "Like I told yer brother, gettin' poisoned by demon blood ain't exactly common. The only cases I know of bein' yer brother and those other kids, and it's still like comparin' apples to oranges here." Bobby rubbed his face tiredly as he stared at Maya's pale face and hard breathing, "She's half-Trickster, Dean. There's no knowin' what to do. Far as I can tell her pagan blood is tryin' to fight the demon blood and there's nothin' to do but just play the waitin' game."

"Yeah, Ruby mentioned something similar," Dean sighed, rubbing his face with his hand.

A dark look crossed Bobby's face at the mention of the she-demon, "Right. Speakin' of…want to tell me what she was doin' anywhere near a demon, let alone a group of em?"

Sam—freshly changed—had chosen that moment to walk into the room. He heard Bobby's growling demand and became a recipient of the dark glare Bobby sent him and Dean's way.

"Um, maybe we can have this conversation somewhere else?" Sam offered, his hazel eyes glancing at a fitfully sleeping Maya. "It looks like most of the pain she was feeling earlier has passed. Maybe we should let her rest."

Bobby took his eyes off the boys he entrusted with Maya's safety to look at his girl. There wasn't much more they could do and Sam was right. Her breathing may still be on the raspy side but she wasn't twitching and moaning as much in pain as before.

"Fine," Bobby grumbled out then turned to look at Puck. Puck looked back at the older male, resting his little head on Maya's hip with forlorn eyes. "Get us if anythin' changes," Bobby patted Puck's head when the little dog gave a small nod and an affirmative huff.

Puck watched as the three men left the room then turned watchful sad eyes back to his Mistress.


.

Maya

While the boys explained to Bobby in more detail what had happened that night, none of them knew what was really going on inside Maya's body.

They were right in that the Trickster blood Gabriel had dosed her with all those years ago was fighting a war with the demon blood, but it was a slow losing one. Since she wasn't born a true Trickster demi-god the Trickster blood didn't have a true foothold in her body. No way to properly replenish it self, or fight back supernatural infection. There was only enough to broadcast that she was a demi-god, so no one would decide to try and dig a little deeper to why she had powers.

The Trickster blood was a veil and the demon blood was doing its best to eat it away.

But that wasn't what caused the burning sensation that suffused her entire body.

Behind the Trickster veil, that little bit of exposed archangel grace that peaked outside her soul tried to help fight against the blood, but it wasn't enough. It was too suffocated under all the spell and sigil work inside and on her body.

It strained, pushing a little more to try and better combat the demon blood.

The burning momentarily increased.

Maya groaned as the symbols on her cuffs glowed a warm gold, briefly countering the illusion spell on them before disappearing again.

Puck looked worriedly at the cuffs as they vanished, wondering if he saw what he actually saw.

It looked like some of the symbols had seemed to deteriorate, turning black around the edges before the illusion spell kicked in again.

What Puck didn't see—which would be considered more worrisome—was a certain birthmark between her shoulder blades in the shape of wings glowing a warm purple briefly and then moved the smallest bit, open. The mark had been wings folded, at rest, but now they've been opened a smidgen.


.

Later that morning…

Bobby had vetoed the boys from taking turns staying up to watch over Maya seeing as how neither of the two idjits had gotten any sleep yet that night and had sent them to bed. Even if he knew it wouldn't do a lick of good given how worried they were over their resident demi-god.

That…and they may still be feeling the chewing out he had given them.

Honestly, rushing in to a Hunt without confirming the Intel they were given, especially Intel from a demon.

Bobby jerked in his wooden chair beside Maya's bed, realizing he had dozed off a little. He grimaced at the crick in the back of his neck and the ache in his spine. He rubbed his face, not needing to see her to know she still wasn't breathing easy.

It was still hard and raspy sounding.

Looking up, Bobby noted she didn't look much different than the last time he checked on her. Still looked like death warmed over.

Maya flinched and whined in pain, her face grimacing in her sleep.

Bobby leaned over and brushed her growing hair out of her face. He then ran a comforting hand through her lengthening curls, "Easy, girlie. I got ya. You're gonna fight through this and bounce right back. Right as rain in no time."

Bobby smiled when Maya seemed to settle a little at the reassurance in his voice, her face turning into his hand as he kept threading it through her hair. His eyes were soft as he starred down at her.

A small part of him wished she had been born to a normal family and didn't have to deal with all the shit that goes bump in the night. But the bigger and more selfish part of Bobby was glad she was in this life.

Otherwise he wouldn't have met her…wouldn't have come to love her like she was his own daughter.

Was it maddening? Yes, but he wouldn't trade it for anything. It was the same for his boys. Those idjits were just as irritating, but he wouldn't give them up for anything either.

Guess he was just a selfish old bastard.

Bobby pulled away and made sure she was resting as peaceful as she was ever going to get, before going to see if the boys were up yet.

Or if they got an ounce of decent sleep.

When Bobby spotted the two lunk heads hunched over mugs of coffee in the kitchen looking miserable the answer was a resounding: NO.

"Leave anythin' for me?" Bobby grumped as he went to the coffee maker, seeing maybe half a mug's worth left.

"Sorry, Bobby," Sam sighed tiredly, nibbling on a slice of toast.

"How's she doing?" Dean asked with dead tired and slightly haunted eyes, not bothering with morning pleasantries and niceties.

It looked like he got the least amount of sleep according to those bags under his eyes.

"'Bout the same as last night," Bobby poured the remaining dark brew into a relatively clean mug. It was fine, he used it for coffee yesterday.

"Bobby—" Sam started his voice indicating he was about to ask a question, but Bobby preemptively stopped him with a raised hand.

"If either of ya ask me if there's somethin' we can do—one more damn time," Bobby growled without his usual bite. "I'm not takin' responsibility fer what I'll do next. There's nothin' much to do other than wait for it to get outta her system."

Sam looked taken back with wide eyes, "Um, I was going to suggest going on a grocery run. You're kind of running low."

There was a brief pause of silence, with Dean trying to suppress a snort while he sipped from his mug.

"Oh," Bobby responded lamely and rubbed the back of his head a little sheepish. "Sorry, Sam."

Sam gave the older man a wane smile, "It's fine. We're all worried about her." He took a last big gulp of coffee and bite of toast, "Let me know if anything happens, okay?"

Bobby patted Sam's shoulder as he walked by, taking the keys to one of his cars he had on a key rack. He didn't even bother asking why Sam didn't take the impala. Bobby already knew the answer.

Dean.

'Nough said.

That boy had an unhealthy attachment to the classic muscle car.


.

Sioux Falls General Store

Sam

Sam parked in the sparsely filled parking lot, turning the engine off and taking the key out of the ignition. But he didn't move, just sat there.

The sound of scraping gravel and scared and panicked gold eyes staring at him, a shout of pain as sharp nails racked vulnerable flesh and drew rivulets blood.

Sam clenched his jaw, his fists tightening and nails dug into his palms, as more images from last night assaulted his mind.

Maya was half covered in demon blood, but Sam felt little relief that he didn't feel a pull to the dark liquid when her brilliant gold eyes rolled into the back of her head as her face went pale. Her freckles becoming a stark contrast against her pallor skin and seemed to blend in with some of the blood splatter.

Watching as her legs buckle beneath her weight.

Feeling his mouth silently shout her name.

Sam could feel the sting of tears burn behind his eyelids in his frustration.

Why didn't he do more?! What good was being able to do what he could do when he couldn't keep the people he cared about safe?

Unknown to Sam, whatever soothing presence Maya usually emitted had dimmed the moment she'd collapsed outside that warehouse. Even when Sam had gone up to get his wallet and checked in on Maya—his mind in agonizing hidden turmoil—there was nothing. The siren call of the demon blood had lessened over the last month or so since Maya had been swept back up into their lives.

But so had his powers as last night had proven.

And the world seemed a little darker for it.

Sam wiped furiously at his eyes when his traitorous mind then decided to remind him of the nightmares he had had last night.

There were extra demons. They heard her shout but all of them were too busy fighting. No matter how hard and ruthlessly they fought through the seemingly ever growing demon hoard there was always one more—two more—demons to get through.

When they finally get outside the warehouse Maya was gone.

A small pool of blood staining the gravel and drag marks and more splashes of red.

They ran but the drag marks end at the pavement, and they keep going a few more feet following the small trail of blood till they come upon a couple of demons—Brent included—shoving her into a generic silver car.

Sam somehow outstripped Dean and Puck in his sprint after the car. He'd just gotten to the door, about to yank it open when the car slams on the gas pulling away.

He sees Maya press a bloody hand to the window, sees her face half-covered in blood as she silently screams his name as they pull away. Gold eyes wide in fear and betrayal when he failed to save her.

All sound falls away as he kept running after the car yelling her name into the silent void.

Lilith's laugh echoing around him.

Sam took in a shaky breath. That had to have been one of his worst nightmares. Another one had been Maya dying in Dean's arms at the warehouse, her pagan half too weak to fight against the intruding demon blood.

Lifeless gold eyes staring blankly, a slightly parted mouth releasing one last shuddering breath past partially blood covered lips.

Sam dug the heel of his palm into his eyes.

Dean was blaming him for her death in the nightmare, that he could have done something to save her. Could have used his demon-begotten powers for something good, but he didn't.

He had woken up from that one when dream-Puck had lunged at him with sharp teeth and with dream-Dean glaring heatedly at him, not moving an inch to stop the Heavenly Hound from tearing him apart.

What's the point on not giving in—to not become something he swore never to become again—when the people he kept fighting it for might die if he didn't?!

Sam jumped when there was a knock on the window beside him. He turned to see Ruby staring in at him.

"You okay, Sam?" she asked, her voice a little muffled.

Sam opened the door and got out. "Y-yeah. Yeah, I'm fine. How'd you-how'd you find me?" he deflected with a sniff, but the raised eyebrow Ruby sent him let him know that she wasn't buying it but would play along for now.

"You're kidding, right? I knew that you bozos were heading to Bobby's. I was there when you two were trying to figure out a plan for Maya?"

"Uh-hmm, right sorry. So, why-why didn't you come up to the house?" Sam asked with a weary sigh.

Ruby scoffed at the stupid question, "And you think Old Man Singer would be welcoming to a demon appearing on his front step?"

"Heh," he let out a breathless laugh. "Yeah, good call."

"So, explanations aside, ready to tell me what's eating you?" Ruby asked bluntly.

Sam shook his head and looked away, "What do you want me to say? That I'm scared Maya might die? That-that—that if I didn't stop using my powers like I used to that she wouldn't be…"

"I would've settled for admitting you were actually upset," Ruby said with a small coy smile. "I get it. You see her like a little sister and you've got all these protective big older brother feelings going on," she scoffed a little looking up at Sam with crossed arms.

Sam couldn't look at her, his eyes downcast.

"Listen, I get that you don't want to delve into the emotions that helped you use your powers under some misguided conception of 'staying-true-to-yourself' like some tweenager drama bullshit," Ruby rolled her eyes, moving so she could look Sam in the eyes. "But you tried it your way and it didn't work. And your half—and Maya paid the price for it. Just like the rest of the world if you don't get it together, Sam."

Sam didn't say anything.

Ruby took a softer approach, "Only you can beat Lilith. And there's only one way to do it."

Ruby waited as Sam struggled with the decision he was about to make. Maya wasn't there to unknowingly help him think clearly, to fight that last bit of demon blood calling out to him.

Ruby smiled inwardly when determined hazel eyes met her own muddy brown.

"Alright," Sam's lips were set in a tight line as he prayed that Dean and Maya would one day forgive him.

It was time to stop fighting and do what needs to be done.

"Alright."


.

December 16 2008, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States

Bobby

The next day…

Sam and Dean seemed to lurk around the house, alternating between sitting with a comatose Maya and…well…anything else really. Sam was the only one that really left on errands.

An air of hopelessness seemed to permeate the old home, like a dark cloud had encroached on the sun and refused to let the light shine through.

Bobby watched the boys seemingly not knowing what to do with themselves, obviously blaming themselves for Maya's current condition.

When Dean wasn't hovering by Maya's bedside he was out in the scrapyard or his auto shop helping Bobby do some repairs. As for Sam, he tended to bugger off somewhere saying he needed some air, or had an errand he found he could do for Bobby…or hunting for Lilith.

Bobby had made Sam promise not to do anything stupid by him self in regards to Lilith, but after this last demon trying to abscond with Maya, he wanted Lilith's head on a platter more than ever.

Dean had gone to take a nap to make up for the sleep he missed the previous night. Whether from standing bedside vigil or nightmares, Bobby wasn't too sure. Sam was on his computer doing, something that Bobby couldn't make heads or tails of.

So Bobby went upstairs to take a turn sitting by Maya's bedside reading the newspaper while keeping a sharp ear and eye out on her. He was concerned that she hadn't woken up and could only assume her body went into a type healing coma. So far everything seemed normal for someone with a rough bought of the flu.

He set the paper aside and put the back of his hand to her forehead, frowning a little at the elevated temperature but it was nothing concerning. Not yet at least. The only concerning bit was that it hadn't broken yet.

Bobby picked the paper back up and hoped that this wasn't just the calm before the storm.

He turned the page and began reading an article about a homicide nearby over in Bedford, Iowa.

His bearded frown deepened as he kept reading, and how it wasn't the first murder of its kind to happen in the last two months. Men in perfectly happy relationships all of sudden killing their S.O.'s out of nowhere and with no previous priors.

It looked suspicious. Their kind of suspicious.

He pulled out his cellphone and started calling up Hunters on his contacts list, but none of them were in the area or available. Bobby didn't want to—knowing the boys didn't want to go anywhere while Maya was like this—but they might not have a choice.

With a curse Bobby got up and patted Puck on his way out of the room, heading downstairs to talk to Sam.

Sam could have the pleasure of waking up Dean and telling him about the case.

Once Bobby explained the case to Sam, Sam started shaking his head.

"Bobby, Maya's laid up. We can't-we can't just leave her!" Sam protested. "Even Heaven wants us to keep her with us, and she can't be moved around. Not right now with how sick she is."

"I know that, Sam, but you and Dean are the only Hunters in the area that can do somethin'," Bobby argued back. "I tried to find anyone else but they're either busy with their own cases or too far away. Unfortunately, you and Dean are the closest available Hunters I could find," he shrugged apologetically.

Sam knew Bobby didn't want to involve him and Dean with this case. Bobby wasn't lying when he said he tried to get anyone else, but the time some Hunter on the other side of the country got there, there'd be a higher body count than if him and Dean went.

He ran a hand through his long hair with a frustrated sigh, biting his lip a little before finally relenting, "Fine, alright."

Before Bobby could thank him, Sam's phone went off.

Sam pulled his phone out looking at the number that popped up, "Sorry, Bobby I need to take this. I'll talk to Dean about the case after."

Bobby nodded as Sam greeted whoever was on the other end of the call and watched as he went upstairs for a little privacy.


.

Dean

Dean stretched as he woke up from his nap, glad that no nightmares decided to make an appearance this time. It was weird how the last couple nights his nightmares seemed to all of a sudden come back.

His eyes squinted as his ears picked up the sound of his brother's voice just outside the door of Bobby's guest room.

"Yeah, no. No storms, no-no bad crops, nothing," came Sam's muffled voice, no doubt talking to someone. Dean didn't hear anyone so assumed Sam must have been talking on his phone.

Dean wondered who Sam was talking to because it sounded like Sam was looking for demon omens. He only needed one guess to figure out why.

Lilith.

Why would Sam not talk to him about trying to track down Lilith? Who was he talking to?

"Yeah. Yeah, okay. I will keep looking. You keep looking too, okay? Alright. Talk soon," Dean quickly feigned being asleep the second he heard the door handle turn.

Sam walked into the room, taking a large gulp of something from his flask before capping it and nudging Dean's leg, "Hey! Up and at 'em, kiddo." He put the flask in an inner pocket of his jacket.

Dean faked the tired groan as he stared up at his not-so-little brother, "What's going on? Maya okay?"

"Same as yesterday. Listen, I was just talking with Bobby," Sam started.

Dean knew that was a lie. Sam had just been on the phone talking with someone else about demon omens. "Yeah?"

Sam nodded, "Yeah, Bobby's got a job for us in Bedford, Iowa. Guy beats his wife's brains out with a meat tenderizer." He tossed Dean the newspaper Bobby had given him. "And get this—third local inside two months to gank his wife. No priors on any of them. All happily married."

"Whoa, whoa. Slow down," Dean shook his head. "We can't take Maya out on a hunt, she's practically coma patient number two."

Sam sighed, "I know, I know, we'll have to leave her here. She'll be well protected between Bobby and Puck. Besides, Bobby already tried getting other Hunters, but none are available or close enough to take it."

"Heaven told us to keep her with us," Dean pointed out, skimming over the article.

"To keep her safe from Lilith," Sam countered. "Bobby's place is the safest place she could be right now, under the circumstances."

Dean scrutinized Sam with narrowed eyes, "Sounds like you want to ditch her."

Sam sent him a bitch-face, "I don't! But we can't move her or-or if we could we couldn't just leave her alone for however long in a motel room with whatever monster we're dealing with running around."

Dean gave a sigh of defeat, knowing Sam had a point. A sucky point, but a point nonetheless.

"Crap," Dean rubbed the back of his neck. "Fine. Let's go have a look."

There was a silent pause.

"We should probably leave note in case Maya wakes up while we're gone," Sam thought out loud. "Just so she knows we're coming back."

"Good call," Dean nodded as he swung his legs over the edge of the bed. "I'm pretty sure between us and her Dad, we've given her abandonment issues."

"You know Loki didn't have much of a choice, right?"

"Po-tatoe, pa-tatoe," Dean grunted.


.

Bobby

That evening…

Bobby had gone through his books with the information Sam had told him about the three homicides and the shmucks rotting in their cells. It took a couple hours but what Sam described rang a few bells so he didn't take too long to figure out what the boys were after.

A siren.

Crafty bastards. Solitary and rare too.

Bobby warned Sam to be careful and he'd get back to him when he found out how to kill the bastard.


.

December 17 2008, Bedford, Iowa, United States

Lion's Den Motel

Morning

Dean

Dean had been looking at some lore books while Sam was out interviewing their most recent victim. Apparently they had just missed the siren the previous night when it struck again.

Dean's eyes gazed over to the open book where Sam's phone laid forgotten.

He clenched his jaw as curiosity won out over who the hell his brother had been talking to. Dean grabbed the blackberry and looked through Sam's recent calls seeing a number he didn't recognize. He looked at the door and without preamble he pressed call on the number and brought the phone to his ear.

After a couple rings a familiar voice greeted him on the other end of the phone.

"Hey Sam," came Ruby's voice. A vice clenched around Dean's heart.

His brother had been talking with Ruby.

"Sam? You there?" Dean quickly turned the cell off, never answering her. He tossed the phone back onto the table as he wracked his brain over why Sam was keeping secrets from him.

Just then the door opened and Sam walked in. Dean didn't notice Sam stuffing a certain flask back into the inner pocket of his FBI suit.

"Lenny Bristol was definitely another siren vic," Sam told Dean as he closed the motel door.

"You got in to see him?" Dean asked trying to keep the discovery of Sam keeping secrets from him.

"Yep," Sam walked towards where Dean was seated at the table by the window. "Said he brought home a stripper named Belle. Couple hours later he offed his mother. Belle of course went M.I.A."

Dean had his eyebrows close to his hairline as he looked at Sam in disbelief, "Wait. He killed his Mom?"

Sam shrugged, "Woman he was closest to."

Dean scoffed.

Sam's phone started ringing, Dean picked it up and felt some relief that it was Bobby calling and not Ruby demanding to know why 'Sam' called her and then hung up without saying anything.

"Yeah, you, uh…forgot your cellphone," Dean gave a tight-lipped smile, shaking the phone at Sam.

But Sam knew his brother and could sense something was up. He didn't know what, but he no doubt knew it'd come out eventually.

Dean got and tossed the ringing phone at Sam as he walked past him, going to the small kitchenette to get himself some coffee. Sam took Dean's previous seat as he answered the call.

"Hey, Bobby," Sam greeted.

"Sam, did ya find her yet?" Bobby wasted no time with pleasantries.

"Uh, no, and it doesn't seem like she's slowing down any," Sam answered. "What about you? Got anything?"

"Well, some lore from a dusty Greek poem," Bobby informed Sam then added a little more sarcastically, "Shockingly, it's a little vague."

Dean walked over with his mug. Sam took a quick glance at him before telling Bobby to wait a minute while he put him on speakerphone.

"It says ya need a 'bronze dagger covered in the blood of a sailor under the song'," came Bobby's voice out of the phone.

"What the hell does that mean?" Dean scoffed before taking a drink of his coffee.

"Ya got me. We're dealing with 3,000 years of the telephone game here," Bobby grumbled.

"Best guess?" Sam prodded. Bobby was smart. He may not look it but he was a smart man with years of experience. Sam knew Bobby would at least have an idea.

Bobby sighed, "Well, the siren's spell ain't got nothin' to do with any song. Most likely some kind of toxin or venom." Dean sat down in the chair across from Sam as they both listened intently to Bobby. "Somethin' she gets in the vic's blood."

"That makes them go all Manchurian Candidate," Sam surmised then asked, "What do you think? She infects the men during sex?"

"Maybe," you could hear the uncertain shrug in Bobby's voice.

"Supernatural STD," Dean comments.

"Well, however it happens, once it's done, the siren's got to watch her back. If she gets a dose of her own medicine…"

"It kills her," Sam finished for Bobby.

"Like a snake getting iced by it's own venom," Bobby confirmed.

"So we just got to find a way to juice one of the O.J.'s in jail?" Dean questioned as he wracked his brain on how to get the blood.

"It's not that easy," Bobby sighed, because of course it was never that simple. "None of those guys are under the spell anymore. Haven't got a clue of where you're gonna get the blood ya need."

Sam had had his thoughtful face on as he thought of where to get the blood, "I think I might have an idea."

"Be careful. These things are tricky bitches. Wrap ya up in knots before ya even knew what hit ya," Bobby warned then paused for a brief second. "And before ya ask, Maya's 'bout the same."

Sam and Dean both frowned at the news. Their brows creased in worry.

"Thanks, Bobby. Keep us updated," Dean said, his throat tight.

"No problem," Bobby hung up, going back to whatever he was doing before.


.

Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States

Bobby

He had just hung up the phone when he heard the tell tale sound of furious clickity-clacks of nails on hardwood floors echoing in the old house. Getting up from the kitchen table full of lore books Bobby went towards the stairs to see Puck just finish running down them.

"What's goin' on?" Bobby asked the little dog, getting a happy whine and a joyfully shaking tail going a mile a minute.

Puck twirled and shook around in excitement before darting back up the stairs with an animated bark, Bobby following close behind.

Bobby skidded to a stop in the bedroom door and let out a sigh of relief at the sight that greeted him.

A pair of tired gold-whisky eyes that were looking in his direction with a small and strained smile.

It took only a couple of strides before Bobby was right by Maya's side, a rough calloused hand gently cupping the side of her face. Puck had carefully jumped back onto the bed and leaned into her side as he nudged her hand for reassuring pets. Maya obliged weakly, even as everything inside her burned and ached in pain.

"Damn it, My, ya had us worried sick about ya. We have no idea how to treat a demi-god poisoned by demon blood," Bobby rebuked, but there was no gruffness or bite to his words. Just relief.

"M'sorry, Pa," Maya whispered with a labored breath, only slightly less painful than it sounded.

Bobby's old eyes softened as his heart warmed at the endearment. "How ya feelin'?" he asked, moving some strands of sweat slicked hair from her face. "Yer still feelin' a bit too warm," he commented with a frown.

"Evry'thin' urts," she slightly slurred with ragged sigh and frown. "Feel like…'M on…fireburns," a tear pricked her right eye and trailed down her cheek in pain.

"Right," Bobby frowned, briefly wondering if it was a mercy to have her unconscious and not in pain like this. "I've got some morphine, but I don't know if it'll do ya any lick a good, or make things worse."

Maya took a couple of labored breaths, thinking it over. She was tempted to tell Bobby she'd be fine, but the thing was she didn't know her self. Would she have a bad reaction not being completely human? Or will it have no effect for the same reason?

Anytime she'd been sick her Dad just brushed a hand across her forehead, spreading a soothing feeling through her entire body and BAM! Good as new!

"S'rry," she rasped, her throat scratching in protest.

Bobby took off his hat and ran a hand through what little hair he had left. "Not much to do than to wait it out, I suppose. Do ya need anythin'?"

"Wa'er?" she smiled weakly.

He gave her a small smile of his own, relief and hope shining brightly in his eyes. "Back in a jiff."

Maya relaxed as well as she could into her pillow, closing her eyes with pained brows and frown.

Every breath was painful and felt like she wasn't getting enough air in her lungs. Just petting Puck with as little movement she could manage seemed like a Herculean task. The stitches under her bandaged skin felt tight and throbbed with every breath she took, but it still didn't compare to the burning fire that was lit inside her.

Every inch of skin, every muscle, ligament, and-hell--even her bones seemed to burn with an unquenchable fire underneath her skin.

She pulled in an especially ragged breath as she breathed through the burning and the pain. Another couple tears of pain leaving her eyes.

Maya knew it was just her body fighting against the demon blood that got inside her wounds, but she just wished it would hurry up already and stop.

When Bobby came back with a water bottle, he helped her drink up as much as she could, before capping it and setting it aside. A wide jaw-cracking yawn left her and Bobby ordered her to try and get some more sleep. The more rest she got the sooner it'll all be over and she'd be back on her feet and causing mischief again.

Maya had given Bobby a tired smile that grew a fraction larger when she felt beard encircled lips gently press a kiss against her forehead.

Sleep came surprisingly quickly.


.

Couple hours later…

It was almost noon and Bobby was in an old white 'Kiss the Cook' apron, the colour yellowed and stained, and frying up some hamburger and vegetables on the stove when one of his special phone began ringing.

He walked over to the phone lined wall and grabbed the ringing phone labeled FBI, brining it to his ear as he walked back to the stove and continued pushing around the contents of the large skillet.

"Yello," Bobby answered gruffly.

"Um, yeah, assistant director Kaiser, please," the voice asked politely.

Bobby rolled his eyes knowing that one of the idiot Hunters got themselves caught up in a Fed's case.

Idjits, the lot of them.

"Yeah, this is assistant director Kaiser speakin'," Bobby answered in his usual gruff manner. "What do ya want?"

"Yeah, sir, hello. It's agent Nick Monroe," he introduced. "I'm calling about…two of your men—Stiles and Murdock?"

Bobby gave a positive 'mhmm' into the speaker. He knew exactly who the man was talking about.

"Uh, it seems that they've been put on my case by mistake."

"Are ya questioning my authority?" Bobby demanded in an authoritative tone, all the while mentally cursing those Winchester idjits out in his head.

"No, no, no sir. I'm not questioning," Nick seemed to backpedaled a little at the accusation.

"Ya could have fooled me," Bobby scoffed. "Last time I checked, son, D.C. had jurisdiction. Or am I wrong?"

"Uh, no sir," Nick answered.

Bobby set aside his spatula and wiped a vegetable oil-spattered hand on his aged apron as he walked back to the Wall of Phones for Idjit Hunters.

"Good. Well, next time ya want to waste my time with stupid questions, don't," Bobby didn't wait for a reply as he promptly hung the phone back into its wall mounted receiver.

"Idjits," he grumbled as he went back to his meal and turned off the stove. He took a look at the pot of soup that had been quietly simmering and turned the burner off for that as well. Bobby decided to let that cool for a bit before seeing if Maya was up to eating something, figured soup would be easier on her than something solid.

The IV was all well and good, but she needed some real food in her, especially with the tricky metabolism she had.


.

Maya

Meanwhile…

With Maya gaining consciousness earlier, both her and Bobby figured she must be on the mend or just getting over the worst of the demon blood infecting her body.

They couldn't have been more wrong.

Bobby was wrong. It was the calm before the storm.

Maya's human blood was useless, and the pagan blood in her put up a good fight with some back up from her suppressed grace, but it wasn't enough.

The sulfuric and brimstone laced blood had steadily spread throughout her body, and now went for its intended target.

Her soul.

Even a little smudge would be enough to slowly grow in the soul like a demonic cancer.

When the demon blood started closing in, the archangel grace in her soul had kept pushing and fighting back the best it could, its attacks intermittent. But its weak sporadic attacks weren't going to be enough to stop the steadily encroaching stain.

Maya writhed and whimpered in her slumber, sweat pouring down heated skin as lungs struggled to take in enough air. The cuffs on her wrists glowing in and out of sight, doing their best to keep what little power she could use from manifesting.

More of the sigils slowly turned black.

Puck whined and whimpered, nudging the side of her face in the hope that she would wake up.

Demon blood grew closer, pushing against the human soul, slithering across its surface like oil slick, looking for a crack or anything to exploit.

It, however, made the mistake of running over the spot where archangel grace peaked out and the reaction was immediate. The two opposing forces clashed and the grace gave one final cleansing shove.

But 'shove' was such an inadequate word for what occurred.

For the first time in years the grace flared and completely infused Maya's body with its divine light. Burning away every last bit of demonic taint that infected her.

Sure it can be described as a 'divine light' but it was not what people who have said to have 'experienced' it would have described it as. It was not gentle, or kind. Nor did it fill you with happiness and joy.

This light was there to smite, to purge, to purify.

To burn.

Maya gasped as her back arched off her bed, when what could only be defined as a supernova went off inside every inch of her body. Her body clenched and twitched as she seemed to burn from the inside out, her gasp quickly morphing into a yell, then into a primal scream of pain.

Puck barked frantically as he watched in distress the way Maya writhed and screamed in pain. He could barely make out the thundering footsteps of Bobby running up the old worn stairs.

Maya's manacles glowed brightly the sigils further turned from the warm gold to a burnt out black. They were close to failing.

Gabriel may have been the only one who was supposed to be able to take them off, but…as Gabriel liked to say in moments when Maya just about drifted off to dreamland:

She was everything he was, and everything he could never hope to be.

Maya was his daughter. She was half of him. Gabriel was where she got her grace from after all.

So the cuffs started failing when enough similar grace—an amount that shouldn't have been possible—surged through her.

This of course meant something else was failing too.

Only a second after she screamed, the wing birthmarks on her back glowed a gentle purple and opened a fraction of a bit more as her grace struggled against the suppression sigils under her skin.

But that one little bit was enough to add something to her voice. After all, it wasn't just Gabriel's singing voice and grace she inherited. Maya wasn't just the daughter of any old archangel.

She was the daughter of the Messenger of God.

As the burning reached its zenith, Maya completely unaware of Bobby having run into the room and tried restraining her, a quality in her voice changed.

It wasn't the ear bleeding, piercing screech of an angel's True Voice.

It was the voice of a Messenger, a communicator. A Messenger with a human and empathetic soul.

Bobby gritted his teeth as he tried wrestling the suddenly too strong and way too warm girl back onto the bed. The scream tearing past her lips filled with unimaginable pain and seemed to slam into him like an invisible wall.

For the next few seconds he felt as though someone had set fire to him—on the inside—and could only imagine that that was what Maya was feeling.

Hell, what he was feeling was at least tolerable enough not to let go of his girl and keep trying to make sure she didn't hurt her self as she thrashed. Bobby would place good money on the bet that what Maya was experiencing was a heck of a lot worse.

What had seemed to last an eternity had barely lasted three minutes when Maya's body finally sagged and a whoosh of relieved air left her lungs.

The demon blood was gone, and her grace was forced back into her soul. Surprisingly, or maybe not so much, the Trickster blood was still present in her body and quickly reasserting itself. The angel grace had left it untouched, since it wasn't actively trying to do Maya any harm.

That and that was a part Maya had always accepted about her self, so the grace left it alone since the grace was also a part of her. Albeit and unknown part.

Bobby stared wide-eyed at a panting Maya as she slowly came to, more awake and with more colour in her than that morning. The stifling heat that had come off her body as he had held her down had immediately started cooling to a normal temperature, the heated flush already leaving her skin.

Bobby and Maya both panted as they stared at each other in disbelief over what the hell just happened.

Then Maya felt an unsettling rumble in her stomach and her face almost turned green as she mumbled, "M'gonna be sick." She brought a fist to her mouth as though it would help settle her stomach and resist the urge to upchuck whatever she had left in it.

Bobby had prepared for such an occasion when the boys had first brought her and grabbed the cement bucket beside her bed and handed it to her just in time to empty her stomach contents into it. He rubbed her back as she vomited yellow bile that had a distinct rotten egg smell to it.

Her grace—despite its brief surge in power—wasn't quite enough to vaporize the demon blood completely. Oh it burned it away, and then pushed what remained into her stomach for quick expulsion.

While Bobby and Puck fussed over Maya—her sitting there and taking it with a happy smile—none of them knew of the repercussions from that final scream she'd released.

No, Bobby was a little more concerned with checking on her stitches after all that thrashing and wondering what it meant that her gun metal grey suppression cuffs were now visible for all the world to see, and had most of the burnt golden sigils now turned into a burned black colour.


.

Heaven

All the angels were busy doing their duties. Everything from preparing for the possible—cough-totally-planned-cough—Apocalypse to the mundane administrative and maintenance work that it took to run Heaven.

They were, until a pain filled scream blared over angel radio and drowned out every other voice in the Host.

In Heaven and on Earth.

But it was impossible. No angel could drown out every voice in Heaven, not even Michael and Raphael, or Lucifer before he was cast out.

The only one was their Father, God but that wasn't His voice. Every angel knew His voice. No matter the quality or timbre.

But then that only left…Gabriel, God's Messenger. It had been so long that many had forgotten his voice, but it still wasn't possible.

Raphael had told them that Gabriel was dead.

He was…wasn't he?


.

Heaven's Healing Wing

Michael sped past the nervous angels in the halls as they whispered or down right panicked from the scream that had shaken Heaven to its core. Most wondering what it could mean. He walked through the swinging doors of the Healing Wing of the angel side of Heaven.

He spotted one of Raphael's healers and quickly approached them, not caring about how they shook nervously at his approach.

"Where is Raphael?" he demanded. The angel told him his brother was with the Rit Zien to prevent them from descending on Earth in search of the pain filled cry that had rattled throughout Heaven.

Michael wasted no more metaphorical breath and marched right into the Rit Zien barracks to find a good number of them fidgeting where they stood. Trying to follow the order not to leave Heaven, while fighting their instinct to hone in on the pain and either heal or smite the cry's originator.

"Michael," Raphael greeted with a weary sigh from across the room, narrowed eyes glancing around the room, pinning the specialized angels with a glare.

"Raphael, I need to speak to you," Michael glanced around at the immobile angels who looked between him and Raphael nervously. "Alone."

Raphael nodded and ordered the Rit Zien to remain in the room until they could get a hold of themselves, while leaving with Michael. They headed to Raphael's office in the Healing Wing and once the door was sealed shut, Michael rounded on Raphael in fury.

"You said Gabriel was dead!" Michael accused angrily. "You told me you watched him die when he was ambushed by Lucifer's Princes!" he spat with disgust.

"That was what I saw Michael," Raphael answered evenly, taking his seat behind a mahogany desk that was back dropped by a wall of ancient scriptures. "He was giving a few seraphs a chance to escape the overwhelming demon hoard, but was caught unaware when the Princes emerged from it. Gabriel disappeared from my sight before I could get to him and…then there was the blinding light of his grace as it was extinguished."

"Then where did that cry of pain come from?!" Michael demanded. A part of him wanted to believe that it was his little brother. That Raphael had made a mistake all those years ago.

That had been a hard day when he was told he lost another brother.

His jokes and laughter were a soothing balm to Michael after he slammed Lucifer down into his Cage.

Although he had quieted some since Michael did.

Raphael rolled his eyes at Michael's brashness. He no longer held such sentimentalities. Not anymore at least.

Michael hadn't been the only one devastated at the slaying of their little brother that day.

They both shut down their feelings behind blocks of ice that haven't thawed since.

"I don't know. But it can't be Gabriel and it certainly wasn't our Father," Raphael could barely repress the disdain in his voice when he mentioned their absent Father.

"Watch your tongue, Raphael!" Michael scolded with a heated snarl.

Raphael shook his head, "Michael, God's been gone for millennia! He didn't come when the humans went to war all over the planet. Nor when they all went to war for the second time not a couple decades later and developed that atrocious bomb! He's not coming back!"

"You're wrong!" Michael rebuked, getting angrier. "We go forward with the Apocalypse and He'll return," he asserted.

"Mhmm," Raphael hummed, not losing his temper like his older brother. "If not, Paradise on Earth," he said a little glibly.

Michael glowered at him with intensity at his gall.

Raphael, however, has had plenty of time to keep a straight face in the face of his brother's temper.

They were silent until Raphael broached the subject that they were supposed to be focusing on.

"What do you want to do about the scream? It's riling up the rest of Heaven," Raphael broached.

"Any way to track it?" Michael asked, his face drawn in thought.

"I'll look, but even if there was—unless the Voice speaks out again to the Host—there isn't much that can be done," Raphael informed factually.

They had never needed to track down Gabriel's through his ability before, nor needed a way to discern God's location when He used to speak to all of them.

Michael nodded grimly before turning on his heel and marching out of the room.

Raphael briefly contemplated the possibility that this could have been their long lost brother. But it begged the question of why he stayed from Heaven—from them—all this time.

Taking Heaven's joy with him.

Although, without Gabriel making friends with every lower angel and claiming them as his little siblings, it was much easier to devise techniques to better instill unquestioning obedience to the more troublesome angels.

Well, if it was Gabriel, hopefully spending time on earth relieved him of his curiosity in Humanity.

It'd be a shame to find his little brother only to have to get rid of him if he tried to stop what was coming. Of what had to come.

Raphael—the Healer—had lost his compassion long ago. There used to be a speck there after Lucifer was cast out, one that only Gabriel ever seemed to coax out of hiding. But his death killed it and all that remained was an uncaring void that could swallow the world. And the mission, their goal.

The Apocalypse.


.

Gabriel

Gabriel's entire being seized violently as a primal scream of pain echoed through his head and the feeling of being burned from the inside out fill his vessel.

He shouldn't have been able to hear anything from angel radio, he'd forced that connection to the Host closed tight millennia ago. But this scream was powerful enough to break through and rattle him to his very core.

Gabriel's gold eyes narrowed as a couple of demons tried to slash at the stunned angels that gripped their heads as the scream and the pain tore through them. He conjured up some daggers and expertly threw them with enough force to knock those assholes back a few feet before turning the ground beneath the demons' feet into quick sand.

He had quickly gathered his composure and taunted the angels when they came back to themselves, obviously none the wiser that he'd heard and felt what they did.

Gabriel's heart twisted as he begged his Father—promised Him anything—to make sure his baby survived whatever ordeal forced this ability to surface.

Because he knew that this wasn't his Father screaming, and it sure as hell wasn't him.

That only left his precious baby girl, Maya.

'Everything he was, indeed,' Gabriel snorted mentally. Because of course his daughter would inherit his Voice.

Why not?

Father, he wished he knew what was happening and where his little girl was. So he could obliterate whatever fucking asshole harmed her and to hide away with her till the whole Apocalypse mess blew over.

Gabriel waited till he was given leave after another successful mission of defending a seal and keeping these angelic pawns from getting killed before taking out his phone. He needed to see if Bobby knew what the hell was going on with his baby.

What Gabriel didn't know was that one of the pawns had noticed his fully-body-seize through the pain of the scream in their head.


.

Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States

Bobby's Scrapyard

Late afternoon…

Ruby

It was the late afternoon, a couple hours after all that screaming the half-breed did and Ruby wasn't sure what was going on inside the weathered house. She'd lied to Sam the other day about not finding any omens. She found some that only a demon would recognize but it wasn't time yet.

Instead, Ruby had skulked around the scrapyard, keeping a keen eye on the house and looking for any signs of the half-breed emerging.

Dead or alive.

That was a severe reaction she had had after all from the demon blood.

Ruby was guessing dead from all the screaming that went on, but Bobby never came out with a body. Unless he was waiting for the boys to get back for a proper Hunter send off? Ruby mentally scoffed and kept watching from her hidden spot amongst the wrecked cars.

Then she finally saw some life when the front door swung open on the porch and Ruby's mouth dropped.

Out walked Bobby with the half-breed's arm slung over his shoulder for support as they staggered to the rusted Chevelle. The Heavenly Hound following close behind.

The damn half-breed didn't look anywhere near to be knocking on death's door!

Sure Ruby suspected it would take a couple of excruciating days for the Trickster-ling to start pushing up daisies, but not look like she only had a damn cold! The pagan Trickster blood and demon blood should've fought it out to the bitter end—killing her in the process!

Or maybe turned her feral/rabid? It would've been interesting to see what the Winchesters and Singer did then.

The demon's eyes narrowed as she watched the piece of crap car pull out of the long dirt driveway.

Sure Lilith won't punish her too badly since her desired toy was still alive, but Sam might wuss out again! She'd just gotten the idiot to go back on the blood! To use his anger and hate when wielding his powers!

Literally just yesterday!

Ruby drummed irritated fingers along the beat up dash of the car she was hiding in as she tried to figure out what was going on. The only thing she could think of was that the human of the damnable half-breed was of a Vessel bloodline.

The only kind of bloodline that would've allowed a human to survive being dosed with demon blood.

Sam was a product of two Archangel lines, and dealt with prophecy so he was destined to be a real heavy weight in power potential. If he ever let him self fully succumb to the demon blood's siren call. Thankfully he was heading back down in that direction…no thanks to Loki's little spawn.

But could that also be why the half-breed was more human than Trickster? Her human half was a Vessel bloodline?

Ruby almost scoffed at the absurdity. All the other special kids were Vessel bloodlines and some of them easily fell prey to the demon blood they were infected with once it was activated. Pagan blood that she was born with shouldn't have been much more different, if anything it should've been more potent…unless.

Ruby stiffened as another thought occurred to her.

Could the damn bitch be from a powerful Vessel line? Could she be…

…A possible Archangel vessel?

Ruby banged her head on the steering wheel, growling in frustration.

Why did everything involving that damn half-breed bitch just get more and more complicated?

First, she somehow helps Sam fight off demon blood addiction. Second, the Winchesters see her like family, their little sister. They were going to be super protective of her. Third, she has that damn hound that can shred demons to itty-bitty pieces. Making it even more difficult for any demon to grab her, or just get rid of her. Now, she might be a possible Archangel's vessel.

Not that any of those pretentious assholes would lower themselves to asking for permission to inhabit a demi-god, or that said demi-god would ever say 'yes'.

So that last point not really relevant, but still…Lilith might get a hoot out of it and want the damn half-breed even more.

Ruby got a contemplative look on her face as she exited the car and climbed down the stack.

Maybe it was time Lilith finally got the toy she's been dying to have.

It would take some time and planning, more than her last attempt of getting rid of the half-breed. Hopefully it'd have shaken Sam up enough to keep from abstaining from demon blood again till she can come up with and enact a new plan.


.

Bedford, Iowa, United States

Dean

Dean had just hung up on Sam after finding out he had slept with Cara, the medical examiner who looked more and more like their goddamn fucking siren! He had no idea if he just talked to his brother, or the siren.

Seriously? What was with his brother banging monsters?

He needed to tell Bobby, he would want to know. Maybe he could figure out a way to knock someone out from the siren's spell.

Dean's eyes flicked back and forth from the dark and stormy road to his cell as he dialed Bobby's number. Pressing the call button he brought the phone up to his ear, but only got the old man's voice mail.

"Sam's in trouble, Bobby," Dean started after the tone sounded. "I think the siren's worked her mojo on him. Give me a call as soon as you get this." He hung up and immediately dialed Agent Monroe's number.

Dean couldn't trust Sam, but he needed back up and Bobby was too far away and looking after Maya.

"Hey man. What's up?" Nick's voice came through the cell.

"I need your help," Dean told him.

"Uh, sure. With what?" Nick asked, curious.

"Canvassing. We got to find somebody," his face was set in grim determination.


.

Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States

Bobby's House

Early evening…

Bobby and Maya

Bobby supported Maya as they walk back into the house a couple hours later after a quick visit to a walk-in clinic.

He may or may not have panicked—just a little!—at Maya barfing up sulfur.

Maya had tried to brush it off, saying she just needed maybe a lozenge for the burning in her throat.

Bobby glared her down. Maya had looked away stubbornly only to find Puck glaring her down as well. Outnumbered and outgunned, she had relented.

But she hadn't been too proud to ask for help walking. Maya still felt a little sensitive, well, everywhere, and her limbs felt jellified. She might not feel like she was burning from the inside out, but she still felt pretty weak.

At least she got a nice little nap in the wait room at the clinic.

The doctor had cleared her saying that her throat was a little inflamed and just needed to take it easy to get her strength up from that nasty case of the flu she had. So, lots of rest and fluids.

Bobby helped her into the nearest seat, the couch in his den/library. Maya released a deep sigh as she tilted on the couch and went from sitting to lying down to begin following the Doc's orders.

Puck gave an insistent woofle in her face, hitting her with some rank dog breath.

"Rat's right, My. No dozin' off yet," Bobby called from the kitchen as he grabbed a cold water bottle from his fridge. His keen eyes caught sight of the cellphone he'd forgotten when he took Maya to the clinic, and the little outer screen lit up, indicating he had some voicemail to listen to. Grabbing it he went back into the den and put the bottom of the cold water bottle on the exposed patch of skin on the back of Maya's neck.

Bobby smirked at the yelp he got out of the girl as she quickly moved, dislodging the water bottle to glare up at him. He just moved the water bottle to try and poke the side of her face a little playfully.

Maya scowled and reached up to snatch the bottle out of his hand. She sat up and twisted the cap off. Her face relaxing as the cool liquid assuaged some of the burning in her throat.

While Maya took her time drinking and petting a happy Puck who had jumped up on the couch, Bobby flipped his cell open and listened to the message from Dean.

He'd noticed a missed call from Loki, no doubt asking for an update on his daughter, but Bobby had decided he'd deal with that later.

Bobby cursed as the message ended and noticed that Dean had called him not too long after he'd left with Maya for the clinic.

"What's wrong?" Maya asked, capping a now empty water bottle.

"Ya know that siren case I told ya the boys were on?" Bobby scrubbed his face before purposefully walking to his desk and started opening drawers.

"Yeah?"

"Dean thinks its got its claws in Sam," Bobby scrutinized his den, trying to remember where he put that bronze knife. "My guess is its got both of them runnin' around in circles and has just put a wedge between them," he turned to his bookshelf and saw a decorated and dilapidated wooden box. Taking it off the shelf he put it on the desk and started sorting through all the different daggers he had until he found the bronze dagger he was looking for.

Maya was silent when he pulled his cell and made a call, finding out that agent Nick Monroe the boys were dealing with wasn't real, eliciting more curses from the old Hunter.

"So, do we need to go save their asses?" Maya snorted with a smirk at Bobby, but it quickly fell at the look he sent her.

"Nope!" he grumped as he stuffed his phone in his pocket. "You're stayin' here. Preferably in the panic room."

"But—!" Maya tried to protest but Bobby rounded on her with a stern glare, cutting her off.

"Damn it, My! You're not a hundred percent yet!" Bobby barked. "I just helped drag yer ass through the door! You can barely stand right now, let alone even think about goin' after a siren."

Maya dropped her gaze to her lap—which Puck soon filled with a comforting whine and nudging under her chin with a cold nose—her face turned down in a scolded and worried frown.

Seeing her face Bobby sighed and walked to kneel in front of her with a groan—getting old sucked balls.

"My," he said gently. Her eyes flickered up to meet his. "If ya had more time to rest and get yer strength up I might've thought of takin' ya with me."

Maya huffed and gave Bobby a small knowing smile, "Doubtful."

Bobby shrugged, not denying it. His girl knew him, just like he knew her, and Bobby knew she was worried for Sam and Dean.

"Point is, smartass," he said pointedly. "You're out fer the count and I can't be worryin' about ya while tryin' to savin' Dumb and Dumber."

"I don't like feeling useless," Maya muttered, getting a hand on her shoulder and a sigh.

"No one does, My."

Maya gave more token grumbles as Bobby helped her down the basement stairs and got her set up in the panic room with Puck.

Bobby's heart twisted at the despondent look on Maya's face as he closed the wrought iron and salt-coated door of the panic room. He hated shutting her in in the dank room but without him around to help the damn dog keep an eye on her the panic room was the safest place for her. He left the door unlocked so if she really needed to leave—like for the bathroom—she could, but stressed the need to stay in there as much as possible.

The old Hunter doubted any of the fuglies he dealt with knew where his house was but he wasn't going to chance it.

Now it was a race against time as he put his Chevelle into gear and peeled out of his driveway and sped down the dark deserted road towards Bedford, Iowa to save his older idjits.


.

Maya

Few hours later…

After another nap Maya tried her luck with some walking, finding some of her strength already returning.

Was she ready to spar with Sam or Dean? Noooooo. But she didn't feel like she needed to lean on someone to walk a few steps anymore. Rotating a shoulder she grimaced at the tight pull of stiches on her clavicle.

Guess a little healing mojo for the stitches was a bit too much for her body to handle when it was purging the demon blood from her veins.

Maya looked around the cylindrical room in boredom as she tried to think of something she could do. Seeing a pen on the desk beside a blank note pad. She walked over and turned on the lamp for better lighting.

And started doodling. She drew Puck sleeping on the wall-mounted bed with feet in the air and mouth slightly open as he lightly snored. Maya drew the many different bitch-faces—like at least 15—of Sam. Drew Dean giving that smug smirk when he knew he was being an ass or when he'd tease her and Sam. Then the Blue Steel look he was inordinately proud of.

Maya smiled, and then drew Bobby hunched over his desk with a stack of lore books as he read an open book in front of him with a concentrated frown. A couple of bottles of beer litter the desk and the built in book shelf that spanned the fireplace was a little bare.

Then she drew her Dad, with a big toothy smile and mischievous eyes. Another was one with him giving her a surprised look, then another with a concentrated from and puzzled head tilt.

As she drew more and more pictures of her Dad the more her smile fell and the more the tears in her eyes kept building.

She'd just finished drawing a picture of her Dad giving the viewer a soft loving look, when her tears finally fell. Each tear falling onto the page, blurring the ink.

Maya didn't stop the sobs that escaped her lips as her mind decided to torture her. Old fears of her Dad leaving her, and the worry that if that wasn't the case then something might have happened to him and she wouldn't know.

She hiccupped and sniffled, staring at the pictures she drew of her Dad, before hugging them to her chest and crying loudly. Effectively waking Puck up.

Puck jolted awake and rolled over to sit up and stare at Maya's tear streaked face and heaving sobs. He whined worriedly at her. Maya opened teary eyes and dropped the paper pad on the floor-falling under the desk-as she climbed onto the wall-mounted bed and curled around her faithful companion.

Puck didn't squirm or try to extricate himself from her arms as she held him tightly to her chest, a hand shakily petting and giving him scratches. He'd rub his head and nudge his nose against her face, offering what comfort he could along with licking away her tears.

Soon enough Maya's tears stopped and she'd lie there, holding on to him more gently as she stroked his back, her focus on his calm breathing, his heartbeat, and the feel of his sleek fur beneath her fingers.

As Maya shifted onto her back, she kept Puck pressed to her side with an arm and slowly breathed out, as she grew calmer. Her gentle stroking hands stopped as she soon found herself nodding off in an emotionally exhausted sleep.

Puck soon followed her with a heavy sigh, resting his head on her shoulder. His sympathetic eyes lingering on the tearstains on her face.

If he could he'd give anything to go hunt down her Dad and drag his Trickster ass back here to Maya and comfort her. Reassure her that…

That he didn't mean not to come when she called…that he didn't mean to leave her alone with demons biting at the bit to get their hands on her.


.

Around midnight…

The boys and Bobby finally stumbled in after a close call with that siren. Bobby had managed to get there just in time to save both their asses from killing each other from being under the siren's influence. Had he been a few seconds later, Dean would've axed Sam if Bobby hadn't grabbed it on the up swing.

Bobby helped them dispose of the siren's body and pack up to make a quick get away before someone called the police.

It'd be four and half-hours before they pulled into Bobby's driveway, exhausted.

Bobby eyed the boys as they tiredly piled out of the impala—a certain tenseness between them.

"Y'know, those sirens are nasty things," Bobby began as the guys trudged towards the house. "That it got to ya—that's no reason to feel bad."

Sam gave a weak and tired smile, "Thanks, Bobby." Dean nodded at Bobby, recognizing the reassuring words for what they were.

Even though Sam and Dean broached the topic a little on the drive back, acknowledging that everything they said to each other was all the siren's spell talking—they both had their doubts.

Sam wondered if Dean really didn't trust him.

And Dean wondered what other secrets Sam was hiding from him and if he really thought he was too weak to go after Lilith. That he was just holding him back.

"But, we're good Bobby," Dean gave the skeptical Bobby the best reassuring smile he could muster after driving 4 and a half-hours after a long ass day. "Speaking of good, how's Goldy?"

Bobby rubbed the back of his head as they walked through the front door, "Aww crap." He knew he forgot to do something.

Unfortunately that little curse had Sam and Dean tensing.

"Is she alright? Do you think something happened to her while you came to bail us out?" Sam questioned rapidly, now wide-awake.

Both Winchesters missed the spark of mischief that twinkled in the old man's eye.

"You boys better follow me," Bobby mumbled, keeping the mirth from his voice. He could just feel the worried tension wafting off the idjits behind him as they followed him down into the basement. "Had to stick her in the panic room."

"Why?" Dean asked warily as his big brother senses were going off. That something seriously wrong had happened to Maya while they were off chasing that damn siren. Sam wasn't much better as the guilt for letting Maya get poisoned in the first place by demon blood swelled up in his chest.

Bobby didn't say as he went to the door and opened the unlocked door, something not lost on the brothers.

Did that mean Maya couldn't touch salt or iron now? Like a demon?! What?! What!?

Sam and Dean braced themselves for what they were about to see.

Bobby opened the door and they saw Maya passed out, actually snoring a lightly on the wall-mounted bed, Puck tucked in her arm.

She looked fine.

"Uh, Bobby?" Dean questioned in confusion.

Bobby jut smirked at them, "What? Had to stash her someplace safe while I was away. What with Lilith gunnin' for her." With that he walked over to the bed and gently shook her shoulder, getting tired grumbling in return.

Puck woke up first, removing himself from Maya's arm and stretching with a whiny yawn.

Maya wasn't far behind; stretching and glaring blearily up at Bobby for waking her up, "Whhhhhhyyyyy?"

Puck moved as she sat up and swung her legs over the edge of the bed.

Sam and Dean easily noticed the colour that had returned to her skin, how she no longer struggled with breathing, and her eyes—although tired—were bright and shining.

"Just showin' the idjits you're fine," Bobby shrugged unrepentant, stepping to the side to let her see Sam and Dean staring at her a little dumbstruck.

Maya smiled and waved at them, "Hey guys! You get that siren?"

It was a blur for the next few moments when she all of a sudden found her self ensconced in Sam's large arms as he hugged her to his chest, his face in her brown curls.

"Sam! Stitches! Stiches!" she yelped at the hot and sharp pain of tugging stiches. Sam eased up on his hold—just a little. He was so happy she was okay.

Dean was able to restrain himself from latching onto Maya from the opposite side of Sam, but just barely. Glad to see her gold eyes wide open and bright.

"Glad to see you back with the land of the living, Goldy," Dean joked, opting top sit on the other side of her and rubbing her head, mussing up her bed head further when Sam pulled away, but kept an arm around her.

"Ugh, me too," Maya nodded leaning into Sam, gladly taking the comfort he offered and freely giving the reassurance he needed to see that she was okay. "Burning from the inside-out and barfing up sulfur sucked."

Sam and Dean tensed.

Wait. What?


.

December 18 2008, Back Roads USA

Bobby

Bobby had gotten a call about a hunt a couple of states over from another Hunter and was headed over to deal with it himself. The boys had protested—Maya too—but they all needed a breather, and it was just a milk run of a ghost hunt. Nothing he couldn't handle and told his idjits to take a day, especially Maya.

He'd been right about her bouncing right back once she got better. Despite interrupting her sleep the previous night she managed to drag her self out of bed and started making a nuisance of her self.

Maya joked and teased with a bright smile. Taking a bit too much glee in turning up the volume on the AM radio in the kitchen before Sam and Dean had their first cup of coffee. Practically dancing away from a groggy Dean as he rushed her in an attempt to turn down the volume. Although she danced right into Sam who drew her into a gentle headlock and noogied her—much to her whining—while being mindful of her stitches.

Actually Sam seemed to hover around her, occasionally sending her worried looks when she wasn't looking. Like he expected something was about to jump out and grab her from right under his nose.

Bobby wasn't sure if Maya noticed yet, but he could tell that she knew something was up with the two Winchesters and would no doubt drag it out of them eventually. If not sooner if they couldn't move past whatever shit the siren made them say to each other.

The old Hunter had to have been an hour out from his destination when he almost swerved off the road from the sudden voice appearing from beside him.

"Sup, Hunter!" Gabriel chirped in the seat beside him. "How's my peanut butter cookie doing?"

"JESUS CHRIST!" Bobby swerved a little before straightening out. He turned angry eyes at the relaxed Trickster with his feet propped up on his dashboard. "DAMN IT! LOKI!"

Gabriel whistled, "Whoo! Good driving skills there, Tex! Careful! You're toeing the line there."

Bobby turned his eyes back on the road and straightened out the rusted Chevelle again so he wouldn't drift over into on coming traffic. Not that there were many cars on this pothole-ridden back road to begin with.

"What the hell are ya doin' here?!" Bobby barked demandingly.

"You didn't get back to me about how Fruit Roll-Up was doing," Gabriel unwrapped stuck a flat sucker in his mouth—green apple. "Thought I'd pop by, but then had to wait till you were out of range of Heaven's Winchester Nanny cam."

Bobby didn't stop the snort that escaped him at the description. "She's doin' good, Loki."

"Really? Because—gosh, y'know that's really strange," Gabriel said, his voice laced with fake confusion. "I could've sworn I heard her screaming bloody murder in my head yesterday. Around noon?" Gabriel gave the tense Hunter a pointed glare. "That ringing any bells, monkey brain?"

Bobby released a long sigh and told Gabriel what had befallen his daughter. With every word Bobby spoke he could feel the restrained anger rising in the Trickster god beside him.

Nothing was said as Bobby finished speaking, after putting emphasis on the fact that Maya was fine now but he knew that wouldn't matter. It wouldn't matter to Bobby if roles were reversed because she still got hurt and could've died.

Gabriel wanted to lash out. Screw hiding, he'd hunt down Lilith, smite her, then hunt down the damn angels that were supposed to be keeping an eye on the Winchesters and smite them. Then maybe torch half the blue marble him self…okay, maybe not since Maya was still alive and he had a soft spot for the humans, but man was it tempting!

They came to a small drive through town, the car stopping at a red light.

Gabriel finally released a long and strangled sigh, letting go of some of his anger. Not all of it, but just enough for the human beside him to relax a little and to stop eyeing him like he was some kind of armed nuke.

An apt description in all honesty, but he'd make a nuke look like a little peashooter if he actually went off.

"I hate this," Gabriel finally muttered into the silence as the light turned green and the cars in front started to move forward. He saw Bobby give him a quick side-glance before pulling forward. "I want to swoop in, grab her, and go into deep hiding but I don't know how long that will last if I've got Heaven and Hell on our ass looking for us."

"Ya never did explain why that would cause both sides to start chasin' ya," Bobby pointed out fishing for answers. "Seems like you'd just be a bonus to whatever plans either of them have."

It wouldn't be a stretch and just tell Bobby that both Heaven and Hell were opportunists. One would rather avoid some dirty work and losing soldiers for the war, and the other liked a good old-fashioned power trip and being just psychopathic in general.

"…they're…opportunists, plain and simple," Gabriel shrugged, mentally grimacing at the hesitation in his voice.

"That ain't all. Is it?" Bobby was not a stupid man. Most people might take one look at him and his profession and think he didn't know jack squat about anything outside of cars, but he did. In another life he might've been a professor or profiler most likely.

No, Bobby Singer was a smart man and knew there was something else in play. Something he could tell the Trickster wanted to tell him but wouldn't.

"No," Gabriel admitted, a smidgen of weight leaving his chest.

"Want to elaborate on that?"

"Bobby…I can't risk it," Gabriel shook his head sadly as he bit down on the dwindling sucker in his mouth. "Hell's treating Maya like an unnecessary side quest. If they can get her great, if not, no biggy just a disappointed Lilith," he scoffed with a scowl. "And Heaven? They just want to make sure that Hell doesn't get a good piece to move around the chess board," Gabriel went silent, before deciding to reveal one more smidge of information so Bobby understood the seriousness of his and Maya's situation.

"Bobby, if Heaven and Hell finds out about—about what I can't risk telling you…" Gabriel took out the chewed on stick from his mouth with a grim face. "Hell will hunt her more voraciously and Heaven…Heaven will kill her. No if's, and's, or but's about it."

Gabriel stared out the windshield as they left the miniscule town, giving Bobby some time to let that bit of information wash over and to sink into him.

"Okay," Bobby said plainly, causing Gabriel to whip his head around to look at him in shock. "What?"

"That's it? Just, okay?" Gabriel asked mocking his voice while whisky eyes searched the human's face for—anything really.

Bobby looked him askance, "What?"

"Not going to even try to wheedle out—I don't know—why they'd want her dead? If not for being a demi-god?"

Bobby rolled his eyes, "Would ya give me a straight answer?"

"No."

"Well, there ya go!"

Gabriel stared at the strange human that had surprised him and then narrowed his eyes a little, "You figured out something haven't you?"

"That yer probably not who ya say ya are? Yeah," Bobby grunted. "But yer definitely somethin' pretty powerful if yer playin' Loki of all Trickster gods."

Okay now Gabriel was kind of curious, a truly terrible character trait to have when you're trying to stay under the radar.

"Any guesses?" Gabriel chirped, unable to keep the mischievous smirk off his face.

"Not gonna think about it," Bobby told him blandly not playing the game and smirking a little at Gabriel's pout. "Does My know?"

Gabriel sighed and shook his head, "Nope. Don't plan on telling her either."

"Ya realize it'll probably come and bite ya in the ass later. Right?" Bobby pointed out, looking over at the entity in his passenger seat.

"Not thinking about it," Gabriel mimicked before silently disappearing to who knows where.

Bobby shook his head and put his eyes back on the road, a sign for the town he was looking for popping up. He didn't care that Maya might not be what he thought she was, but it was clearly not her fault and she's been raised Trickster most of her life anyways. She's still that same scrawny, golden-eyed, curly haired kid he picked up six years ago on a Vamp hunt.

And still his daughter in all but blo—

Wait a minute.

Bobby frowned as he thought over the conversation from his unwanted and unexpected passenger.

How did Loki—or whoever he was—know that Maya screamed bloody murder? And how would he have heard it inside his head?

Bobby doubted Maya had been coherent enough to pray—or scream—out to her father with the amount of pain she was feeling.

Bobby cursed as he felt his own curiosity rear its head again as he pulled into the first crappy motel he saw.


.

AN: Another long chapter for you! With a Gabriel sighting! Sam starting to take the blood again (I delayed it by two weeks—I think—at least!) Ruby being pissed! Heaven and the Arch's given a shock! And people crying out for why I put Maya through such pain!

Well at least you won't have to witness me torturing her some more for next time, right?

Heh heh.

Speaking of, I might need more time for the next chapter and the one after that because surprise surprise! I have a plan! A painful, heart-wrenching plan!

Okay, okay, ideas for a plan. Should work and let me skip over a couple episodes and move further into the season. But it will be painful for our Musketeers.

Reviews!

VegasGranny: I know right? This chapter wasn't all too great either for him. His temper is rising and patience running thin, but the last thing he needs is for Heaven to start scouring earth for him or a possible Nephilim.

Xenocanaan: So glad you like the last chapter. Not sure if this one was worth the wait though, lol.

Atlansix: Well if last chapter's suspense was killing you then this must've been the death blow, lol.

Vrskaandrea: Oh yeah, nothing between them before season 6. If anything I was thinking around the time after the Hell Gates and the Angels Fall when Cas loses his grace and becomes pretty human. Hopefully by then what I have Godstiel do to Maya will mostly be resolved or close to it. Let you simmer on that tidbit, which with how fast I update might be a good long while.

I'm glad you caught the parallels and yeah had to remind the boys that she is in fact a badass. I was worried she was starting to come off as a little helpless even when she's not. It also makes me smile that you think she's the best OFC you've ever read, talk about confidence and ego booster!

Hope you enjoyed another long ass chapter! And yes, write the stabbing-Ruby-early fanfic!

Lazarith: I believe I messaged you. And not going to lie—if I didn't say in the message—when I read the first couple words of your review I was like:

Crowley? What are you doing on FanFiction? Wait—never mind.

Guest: Thank you! Happy Valentines Day!

Lolxxx: Yes, everyone should hate that manipulative bitch. And like most strokes of my genius for this story apparently (Puck) the rift forming between Maya and Gabriel was on the seat of my pants writing/spur of the moment because of course she'd remember right then and—le gasp—drama and angst! Yes!

Ruby's won a small, small victory but it won't last long unless she can get rid of Maya and Sam's struggle is just going to get harder. I put him through shit this chapter, let's be honest.

Don't worry about taking so long to review! I get it! School comes first! Besides, a late review always picks me up.

SunshineBubbles: That part of the story won't be for a while yet and romance? Possibly even longer. Maybe like season 6 for a kind of fling that ended badly? Not Cas. Haha. Nowhere near close to that final romance destination.