A/N: Thank you so, so much for reading! And thank you so much for the review and follows / favorites! It is so very much appreciated!

I do not own Supernatural, Sherlock Holmes, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, or any other books, tv shows, movies or song/music referenced in this tale.

Chapter 12

And that's how it's done gentlemen

Dean walked into his hotel room with two plates full of food. "Sam, you have got to go down there, breakfast is free. And they have like everything."

Victoria stared at him. "Your brother and Castiel went to get gas for your car before we go. You've been gone awhile."

Dean looked slightly embarrassed, shrugged it off, free food was free food after all, and sat on the couch.

Victoria sat opposite him, waiting for the others to return. She had already finished packing. While Dean was eating, she decided to go to her brain attic to go over some of Castiel's memories involving the Winchesters. She thought they might help her anticipate their actions.

She wasn't able to go too far back before she became inquisitive.

"You were a demon?"

Dean almost choked as he finished swallowing a large bite of pancake.

"Dammit Cas." Why'd he have to give her all his memories? "Yeah, but I'm not anymore."

"I see. How was that?"

"Honestly, freeing. I just didn't care anymore. About anything. Not Sam, or Cas, or people, it was just what I wanted all the time. But Sam saved me."

"Right, with the blood cure, that's…. interesting. Did you want to be saved?" Victoria normally didn't care about people's motives or feelings, she was used to dealing with their consequences, but this was an extraordinary case and her curiosity got the better of her.

Dean stopped eating for a moment and looked at her. For the second time. She was more human this time somehow, less machine. The room was warm and her coat caused her cheeks to flush ever so slightly. He actually felt a wave of worry for what they were walking into. It subsided and he answered her.

"Right then, when I was a demon, no. I tried to kill him, actually. But when I was human again I was glad he did it. I don't want to be a demon."

"For a normal demon though, one that is possessing a body, wouldn't curing it be cruel?"

Dean's mouth was full of pancake again, "What?"

"Well, if a cure meant that the demon felt human things, wouldn't it just be consumed with guilt? Moreover, wouldn't it still be damned to hell? So, wouldn't it be like you were causing a soul immense pain?" She narrowed her eyes at him, anticipating his answer.

"I honestly didn't think of it like that. But yeah, it'd probably be better to kill it."

Dean ate a few more bites before he thought of a question for her.

"So, if you can read angel's thoughts, why didn't you stop Cas before he flooded your brain with, well, everything?"

"I can turn that 'off'. I didn't listen to Ezekiel's thoughts after the first time we met. With Castiel, I stopped listening almost immediately."

"Because you trusted him?"

"Yes, and because his thoughts were confusing. They were unlike any other supernatural creature I have encountered, including Ezekiel."

Dean was intrigued. "Oh yeah? Like how?"

Victoria was torn. She knew this Winchester was the closest one to Castiel, Sam had confirmed that. She surmised the better she got along with him the more willing he would be to share his angel. However, she did not want to betray Castiel. She decided to tell Dean some things and leave others out.

"Ezekiel was protective of me, but not in a way that would cause himself harm. He knew his and my limitations, he never put us in a situation where either one of us would be hurt, he could always predict the outcome. Castiel, on the other hand, would place himself in harm's way intentionally if it would spare your life, or that of your brother's. He is fiercely devoted to your family and cause. Even though he is not a Guardian, he considers himself your guardian angel. When I walked into your bunker the first thought I heard was his wondering how he was going to entertain your Mother. He was worried about that because his biggest fear is disappointing you again."

Dean didn't know what he was expecting, but that was not it. He got up to put his plates in the trash to cover up the fact his eyes were welling with tears. He knew he meant a lot to Cas, but somehow someone else telling him just how much made it hit home.

Victoria looked at her phone, stood up, and threw her bag onto her shoulder. She grabbed Dean's off his bed and handed it to him as she walked to the door.

"They're waiting."

Victoria threw her bag into the back of her Mustang before standing next to the back left door of the Impala.

Dean looked surprised. "You're riding with me?"

"It will be easier to take one car. I admit it can't be mine."

"See, sometimes size does matter."

Victoria smiled a little in spite of herself. She opened the door and sat in the car, closing the door behind her.

Cas was about to sit next to her when Dean stopped him. "Sit up front Cas."

"But Sam…"

Dean stuck his head in the driver's side door. "Sam, get out."

Sam did so and switched positions with the Angel. Sam was so taken aback he didn't even argue.

The nest was inside a large barn long ago neglected by farmers who just couldn't keep up with Corporate America.

The group stopped about half a mile outside of it so the unwelcome inhabitants wouldn't hear the engine.

Victoria felt what she surmised must be nerves for the first time since she started this line of work. It bothered her that she couldn't ascertain why she was nervous. She decided it was because there were so many vampires at one time. However, she knew that wasn't really the reason and that bothered her all the more.

Sam and Dean were getting supplies out of the trunk. She walked over to Castiel. "There's a lot of vampires in there, can you shoot?"

Cas thought for a moment, "I have once before. It proved effective."

Victoria smirked, "It can be." She opened her coat and pulled a Ruger LC9s out of one of her coat pockets. She pulled the clip out, made sure it was loaded with her special bullets, put the clip back in, pulled the slide back, and handed it to Cas. He awkwardly took it. "It's loaded and ready to go. There's no safety or anything like that, just point and shoot."

"It is little."

"Yes, but it is effective, as you said."

"I normally do not require anything other than my angel blade. I can smite."

"I know, but twenty-one is a good deal to handle, even for four experienced hunters. Or two experienced hunters, one angel, and one supernatural consulting detective. Plus, you only have two smiting hands. Now you have one smiting hand and seven bullets. If for no other reason please take it because it will make me feel better."

Cas smiled, "You care?"

"About you, yes."

Sam and Dean shut the trunk before they walked over.

"You gave Cas a gun? How many guns do you have in that coat?"

Victoria looked at the shorter one. "Just the two."

Sam thought for a moment and looked at Cas. "Can't you just wipe the whole place out in one big smiting swoop? Like you did at the diner?"

Cas looked down and shook his head from side to side.

Dean patted his friend on the back. "It's alright, we got this." He glared at Sam as he started towards the barn.

Victoria pulled her Kimber out of her coat and pulled the slide back to chamber a bullet. Sam and Dean did the same.

When they got to the barn door Victoria whispered, "They are all asleep, and scattered. The first shot we fire will rouse them all, and they will be on us, quick. When they are tired they do not think too well, and that will be to our advantage. Get as many shots off as you can, after they are all down, we'll behead. Just shoot, don't worry as much about aim, anywhere you hit them will knock them down. Try to stay together as much as possible, so we will have coverage on all sides."

The three nodded.

Dean led them in, his gun held directly in front of him. Victoria and Sam held theirs exactly the same way, Cas had his held down at his side.

Dean walked slowly through the barn, he was looking for a good vantage point. There wasn't a loft, so they wouldn't be able to have height. Dean looked in front of him and saw a Vampire lumbering toward him. Dean fired and the vamp went down, hard.

"They're coming." Victoria whispered.

Twenty vampires came running at them from all directions. Shots were being fired from all four guns. Between the noise and all the vampires, the four drifted away from each other.

Victoria could hear four of them focus on Castiel. She turned around to see him shoot one vampire in the head with his right hand and smite another with his left. The other two were advancing on him from behind. She didn't have a clear shot on either of them. She shoved her gun in her pocket and ran to the two vamps. She pulled them down onto the floor by their hair. Without ever seeing their faces she placed her palms on their foreheads while she was leaning down. She kept her eyes on Castiel the whole time. Once she no longer felt them move she got up and redrew her gun.

Six more were coming towards them. From every side. She noticed that the slide had slammed back on the Ruger Castiel was holding. He looked at it confoundedly. She handed him her Kimber and took the Ruger from his other hand. She quickly pulled the clip out and replaced it with another from her pocket. As soon as she pushed the slide release she shot three vamps down. She heard three shots from her Kimber followed by three thuds.

She listened. Two female vampires were having very inappropriate thoughts about Dean as they were attempting to sneak up behind him. Victoria surmised they had less than thirty seconds. The vamps were moving slow.

She touched Cas on the shoulder and motioned for him to follow her. The two female vampires were so focused on Dean they didn't even sense an Angel and a Chosen One behind them.

"Hello ladies." Victoria said.

The vampires turned around suddenly and hissed as they charged at Victoria. Victoria dropped the Ruger into her pocket as she threw her hands up to smite them. The light came and they fell.

Dean looked surprised and impressed.

"Behind" Victoria muttered as Castiel turned around to smite a vampire coming up behind him.

It was silent, except for the low groaning of seventeen vampires writhing in the pain brought on by dead man's blood.

That was all of them.

Sam lowered his gun as he walked over toward the three of them. "Is that it?"

"They are all either incapacitated or dead. Now, we need to finish the job."

The men nodded. Sam and Dean pulled blades from their waistbands and went to work.

Castiel handed her back the Kimber. "I like this one better. It's bigger."

Victoria halfway chuckled. "I think you should have one of your very own."

Castiel continued to stand next to her as she pulled the slide back to remove the bullet from the chamber. She put it back in the clip and then returned it to the inside of her coat. She did the same with the Ruger.

"I don't know how much more I would be able to teach you. You are aware of my limitations."

"Yes, but I would much rather have a fallen angel with broken wings than no angel at all. If you would have me."

Castiel looked at her and smiled slightly. "I think it is the other way around."

"I think you underestimate yourself Castiel. You are so much more than you think yourself to be."

Sam and Dean found their way back to them. Dean was wiping blood off his face.

Victoria subconsciously stepped back from him.

"Not everyone can kill a Vamp with a touch, princess."

"Dean." Cas said sternly.

"Sorry." Dean muttered.

Sam and Cas were both surprised by the half-assed apology, normally their reprimands were ignored, sometimes sneered at.

"Do you have any accelerant?"

Sam spoke up, "We have lighter fluid in the trunk."

"That won't be enough." Victoria began rummaging around the barn.

She looked far too determined to be questioned. Sam had an idea what direction she was headed in.

"Let's pile the bodies up in the middle."

Dean looked over it. "Really?"

"If you're too old and tired to drag bodies, could you drive the car up?"

Dean decided he could do that.

Sam and Cas dragged the vampire bodies two by two to the middle of the barn.

Victoria was waiting on Dean with a large plastic bucket and a hose when he pulled the car to the entrance.

As soon as he parked she opened the gas tank and began to thread the hose into it.

"Whoa whoa whoa, what are you doing?"

"Siphoning gas."

"From my baby?"

"Do you have a better idea?"

Dean couldn't think of one.

Sam poured the gasoline over the bodies. He took a matchbook out of his pocket, struck one match to light the others, gazed at the bodies for a moment then threw the lighted matchbook onto them. They burst into flames.

When they were all in the car heading to the hotel Victoria looked over at Sam and inquired, "Why did you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Burn the whole book of matches? One would have been just as effective. Then you would have had the rest for subsequent vampire roastings."

Sam never really thought about it before. "I don't know, that's just always what we've done."

"I think it was dramatic."

Sam looked over at her and nodded. "I think you're right."

The Impala followed the Mustang to the police station, their last stop in the Oklahoma City adventure.

The guys sat in the Chevy waiting for her return.

They all got out of the car when they saw her come toward them. She handed each of them a $2,000 pack of $100 dollar bills.

"Two thousand dollars? Each?" Dean couldn't believe it.

"Yes, $1,000 a day."

"How much do you get?"

"That's personal."

"It's more isn't it?"

"Personal."

Victoria normally left them here, at this point. The hunt was over, the job was done.

She felt awkward, she did not know where to go from here. When she was trying to fit in, before she realized it was okay to be herself, she went on a few dates. This felt like the end of one of those.

"It was nice working with you gentlemen." She internally screamed, this was just like a date. She laughed sardonically and leaned against her car. She noticed the three of them were staring at her. She didn't blame them.

"Look, I don't know what happens from here. I've never been beyond this point. Normally this is where we part ways and chances are we never see each other again, and typically that's how I like it."

Dean understood, "I get that."

Sam exhaled shortly and stepped closer to her. "But we're different. Is it because of Cas?"

"That's one reason, yes." Victoria couldn't explain the other reasons, she didn't quite understand them herself. Not yet anyway.

"What are the others?"

Victoria averted her eyes from the taller one, "I don't know."

Sam nodded, "Okay. Well, we could use your help. Lucifer is trying to find a vessel and when he does, we will need your help to do something with him. Why don't you come back to the bunker with us? Cas can start your training, and our mom likes you. She asked about you every time we called."

It sounded like family, something Victoria had never really been too fond of.

"I don't know." She truly didn't. She had lived by herself for so long that anything else seemed strange. She wasn't completely put off by the idea. She did enjoy working with them. They were quick, smart, and good at getting the job done. Plus, there was the angel.

Cas wanted to try and convince her to come, but the bunker wasn't technically his, so he held his tongue.

"Aw, come on Tor, Sammy doesn't invite too many people over, don't turn him down, he may never have the courage to ask anyone again."

Sam looked at Dean sternly. Dean just grinned.

"Plus, you can bake. Pie, preferably. Always pie."

She smiled in spite of herself. What was happening to her?

"Okay, I'll follow you?" Victoria quickly opened the door of her Mustang and got in.

She was surprised when Dean got into her passenger seat.