Chapter 8.

Dean was perversely pleased that the first car was not as it had been advertised. He walked around it, taking in the countless indications of an eventful life and a lack of maintenance.

"You call this a car?" he said to the seller, a man who looked as if his razor had been lost in the same tornado that had messed up his hair.

"This is one of the greats." said the man, "Look at those lines!"

"The lines of rust you painted over?" said Dean. He saw Anael smile. "This tyre is smoother than your chin. The tailpipe is only holding on out of a sense of duty and this chassis has been hammered back into shape so often that it thinks it's a frickin' sculpture."

Anael chuckled.

"You're haggling." said the seller, "And believe me, plenty would buy this beauty at the asking price, so I'm not knocking off a dollar."

"I wouldn't take this car if you offered it for free. I wouldn't take it if you offered me a thousand dollars to get it out of your sight. You see my sister? You think Id ever let her behind the wheel of this deathtrap? Our parents would never forgive me. Nah, you can take this lump of junk at shove it up your ass, but I strongly suggest you file off the rest of the rust first."

"Go to Hell." said the seller.

"It would be a faster trip in your car than mine," said Dean, "But I still don't want it. I'd rather take the scenic route in a car that works."

They got back into the car. "Poor car!" said Anael, laughing a little.

"I was almost tempted to buy it just to see if it could be saved." he said, "But not at that price, from that dick and not for you. You need a safer ride, as long as you're playing at being people."

They drove back onto the road. Anael looked back at the angry seller. "He doesn't like you." she said.

"That's not a very exclusive club." he said, "Members worldwide."

"He hated that you were funny."

"He hated that I was right."

"I loved that you were both." she said, "This is a lot of fun."

"You have a low threshold." he said, but he was smiling. He had to admit, it was fun having an appreciative audience. Healso liked the way she had held back from joining in, not because she didn't know about cars, but because she recognised that he knew more. Angels, including this one, were usually a lot more sure of themselves.

He gestured to the cassette tapes. "Pick something you like." he said.

She went through them carefully, occasionally glancing at him. He wondered whether she was judging his taste or fearing his disapproval. Eventually, she picked a tape and put it in the player. Instantly, Bonnie Tyler was singing, "All I need is your loving and a full time place in your heart".

"You like a bit of Bonnie, huh?" he said.

"Is that wrong?" she said.

"Frickin' angels! Have some faith in yourself!" he said.

For a moment, she looked worried. He risked a slight smile of reassurance. She relaxed a little.

"You see this ass in the driver's seat?" he said.

She looked at his ass.

"I mean me." he said.

"Oh."

"Ignore him."

"Still you?" she said.

He sighed. He hated talking to angels. "What I mean is, I'm not criticising your choice. More than that, I have no right to and if I seem to, you can argue. You're allowed to have other opinions. Having opinions is a human thing that you need to learn."

"I have lots of opinions." she said defensively.

"You need to hold them more forcefully. You like Bonnie Tyler? You listen to Bonnie. Anyone gives you a hard time, you say, "What? You prefer Taylor Swift or Adele or Celine Dion?"

"Sam likes Celine Dion." she said.

"Sam has been hit on the head a lot."

"And I sort of like Taylor Swift."

"Good! Like what you like and if some jerk has a problem with it, just eviscerate him." He saw the look on her face and added, "Metaphorically. With scorn and sarcasm."

"Got it." she said.

"So what do you say to the ass in the driver's seat?"

"I'm not taking advice on music from a guy who sings Right Said Fred in the shower." she said.

Mixed reactions fought for control of his face. She had heard what he sang in the shower? He was amused at his own surprise. Angel hearing was sharp and often inconvenient. He was a little offended, but mostly he was proud. She was taking his advice and learning from his example and experience.

"Pretty good." he said, "And I'm sorry you had to go through that. I don't usually sing around innocent civilians."

"Not sure I count as either." she said.

"You know what I mean." he said. Honestly, she probably didn't, but he was saved from further explanation by the next song.

"You're a tough tail-gunner in a pitch black Chevy,
Cruising in the moonlight.
Ooh your aim is steady." sang Bonnie.

He looked sideways at Anael. She looked back at him and smiled. "I wonder why you added this one to the tape." she said.

"Tail-gunner?" said Dean, "In this car, I'm always the driver. But I do feel like my Baby likes a mention, now and then."

"Do you ever let Sam drive?" she said.

"Of course I do. I let him take the car away for two weeks."

"I mean when you're in it." she said.

He laughed. "Oh, Hell no!" He felt she was waiting for more information, perhaps an excuse. "I'm not a great passenger." he said, "And Sammy, he tends to handle her a little roughly."

"Dean, I've seen you drive."

"It's different. She knows me. She trusts me."

"Cars don't have souls." she said, "Or personality."

"You don't have a soul." he said.

"I'll be getting one soon." she said and her eyes shone like those of a kid at Christmas.

He shook his head and focused on the road. "Are you sure it's really gonna change everything? What if being human doesn't turn out to be that great?"

"Has to beat being an angel, right?" she said.

"Maybe, maybe not." he said, "A lot of humans can hardly bear being human."

"Are you one of them?" she said.

"Maybe, sometimes." he said.

"Because Jack could make you something else if you asked him. Odd that you aren't begging to be an angel, if it's so great."

"I guess I'm twisted. I like being human. Doesn't mean it's that great. I like being a Winchester. I like being a hunter. I'm gonna love being an uncle."

"That is pretty great, though." she said.

"It is." he agreed, "I'm gonna teach that kid every bad habit in the book."

"What book?"

"It's just an expression."

"Oh. Shame. It would be useful if there were a book."

"Yes, it would. Maybe I could put one together for you. Dean Winchester's Guide To Being Human."

"Castiel says you're the expert."

"Yeah, well, Cas is a dumbass sometimes. I don't have all the answers, but I can teach you how to bluff your way through."

"Do you think I could make it as a human?" she said.

"Yeah, I think so. You're not stupid. You've been around humans a while and none of them figured out you weren't human."

"Except you."

"Cas, actually."

"The dumbass?"

He ignored that. "You also have the advantage of good looks and charm. That combo has gotten me out of a lot of trouble ... and into quite a bit more. If you run into trouble, flash a smile and you'll be fine."

"Will you teach me how to find someone?" she said.

"Sam's the one for that. He can do all kinds of tracking, online, outside. The kid's a bloodhound."

"I don't mean for hunting." she said.

He stole a glance. She was frowning a little. "Oh." he said.

"Castiel says you know about the whole relationship thing."

"No, I don't. I just know more than him. Meaningless hookups, I'm an expert, but when it comes to the whole shared bathroom, waffles for breakfast, day to day stuff ... well, that stuff never worked out for me. If it helps, I can tell you every single way I screwed up."

"But you know how to meet people, how to get their attention."

He chuckled. "Yeah, for you, in that body, not gonna be a problem. Your problem will be fighting them off."

"It hasn't been so far." she said.

"That's because you give off a vibe of unattainable, uninterested and cold, so you'll only attract guys who see that as a challenge and believe me, you dont want that kind."

"I've met a few of those. I hate them."

"Good. What you need to do is work on giving off a feeling of approachability. Don't go too far the other way and seem desperate, that's a real turn-off. You wanna hit the sweet spot. You wanna seem comfortable in your own skin ... well, that skin. You don't need someone, but if someone comes along, you'll give them a little time and attention. Smile a little, flirt a little, be interested, but not overly so. Be interesting."

"How do you do that?" she said.

"Have opinions. Have ideas. You know Charlie? Now there's an interesting person. Try to be like her. No, I don't mean that. Try to be you like she is always Charlie. Looks get their attention, but it's personality that snags a heart."

"So why are you single? You have more personality than anyone I've ever met."

"You really wanna know why? Because all the interesting stuff is on the surface. It's enough to get them to let me buy them a few drinks, enough to get me laid, but anyone who gets an inch below the surface finds out that there is nothing good underneath Some people are born to be loved, some people just aren't."

"Everyone in the bunker loves you."

"Different kind of love. Family forgives a hell of a lot." He felt he was saying too much about himself. she was disturbingly easy to talk to. "Anyway, let's talk about you. You got any preferences?"

"Preferences?"

"Male, female, either, neither?"

"I never thought about it."

"Well, you should. Before you go out looking for love, you should at least know what pool to dangle your bait in."

"Metaphor?" she said hopefully.

He grinned. "Metaphor. I mean, Charlie, Sam, Eileen or Castiel. Which could you be attracted to?"

"None of them." she said.

"None of them?"

"They're all in relationships. It would feel wrong." she said.

"Wow. So luring people to their deaths is fine, but cheating isn't?"

"You said you'd forgiven that."

He felt bad. "Yes, I have. Just trying to get a handle on your morality. It's good that you don't cheat. Neither do I. So, a good-looking, unattached stranger comes over to you in a bar and you like them. Without overthinking it, what is this person like?"

"Kind, funny, with gentle eyes and good hands."

"Male or female?" he said.

"It's weird, because whenever I try to picture them, they turn into someone I know."

"Are all the people they turn into the same gender, or are you more flexible?" he said.

"All male." she said, "Maybe it's this body. Maybe it's just who's been kindest to me."

He didn't ask who they were or how many. It felt dangerous. "So," he said, "We should probably be focusing on guys." He pictured her talking to men in a bar and shuddered a little.

"What's wrong?" she said, "Do you think they won't like me?"

"No, I don't. Just promise me you'll choose carefully. Angels are easily hurt."

"They're really not." she said.

"I don't mean physically." he said.

"Do you care?" she said, seeming genuinely surprised.

"I feel responsible for you." he said.

"I don't know why." she said.

"Neither do I."

"I'm grateful for all that you're teaching me, but I won't blame you if I screw up." she said.

"No, maybe not, but I will. So don't, okay?"

"Why did you tell that guy I was your sister?"

"I don't know. I think I wanted him to know you had protection."

"You know I could snap his neck, right?"

"Yeah, but using that super-strength might break Jack's rules." he said and they both knew it was BS. She didn't need him, at all, but he wanted her to be safe. She aroused protective instincts in him that made no actual sense. Charlie said he was everyone's big brother and maybe that was it, but thinking about it was making him uneasy.