8

A vampire who didn't want to kill. A witch who would do anything to get more power. Another family connection that the brothers Winchester had not forseen. The coincidences were stacking up, and Sam wasn't sure if this was supposed to be a comedy adventure, or a serious mission. They had come here on a half-wild hope, and now Sam wasn't sure what to make of the entire mess.

Where was all of this going to end?

Sam's musing were cut off as he opened the door to the Winchester cabin and found himself with a face full of feathers. He hopped backwards, sneezing. "What the-"

"Amazing!" James the vampire stared with wide eyes at the giant wing that blocked the door.

"A sight the other passengers should not see!" Isaac placed a firm hand on both Sam and James' shoulders, and shoved them forward, shutting the door behind them. Sam found himself pinned between a wall of feathers and an agitated vampire, and the room round his erupted into chaos.

"Hey, that's my foot!"

"Watch it, I almost spilled this!"

"Ow, ow, ow! I said you could have them if you do it gently!"

"Grandfather!"

Sam found himself shoved hard and fell backwards, landing on top of his brother, as Hannah pushed her way through the feathers and wrapped her arms around James.

Dean shoved at Sam. "Get off!"

Sam shoved back. "Where should I go?"

Dean grunted, and wiggled, and the boys shuffled themselves around until they were sitting beside each other instead of on top of each other.

Sam batted a feather out of his face. "What is happening in here?" It wasn't often that angels displayed their wings.

"Angel feathers are hard to come by." Anne's voice spoke from somewhere behind the giant wings. "I wanted to collect a few while I could. All done, Amos!"

The wings vanished, revealing Amos standing in the corner of the room next to Anne. Thomas was still in the other bed and Isaac was squashed into the corner by the door. Hannah and her grandfather took up the small space between the beds.

"This has got to be a violation of some kind of fire code," Dean muttered. Like his brother, he was too big for the small space, and the expression on his face said he was 'this close' to hammering a hole in the wall just to get some elbow room.

Hanna turned her head from side to side, looking for a place to sit. "Oh—it's a bit crowded in here."

After a bit of careful maneuvering, Hannah, Thomas, James, and Anne sat themselves down across from Sam, Dean, Isaac, and Amos. There toes met in the middle of the floor, a strange collection of Western boots and colonial shoes with brass buckles. What would a historian think, if they could get a photo of this gathering? They sat awkwardly together, as if not sure where to being.

"What happens now? How do you save my grandfather?" Hannah's voice broke the silence. She looked first at Dean, and then at Sam, with wide, hopeful eyes. Sam felt his heart melt under their gaze.

Was this what people meant by the expression 'puppy dog eyes'?

"Let's start with hearing your story." Sam nodded to James. "Can you describe what happened when the witch cursed you?"

James nodded and began hesitantly. "It was a strange spell. At first I didn't think it was a spell at all. She did not say any magic words, it was simply a potion. A red potion she had in a bottle. She bound me in place with her magic arts, and then forced me to drink it." James made a face. "After that, it felt like the entire world changed. The light was too bright. Sound was too loud. And I was so hungry!"

Sam's stomach turned sour. He had heard something like this before, a long time ago from a young woman who just wanted to come down off of a high. "James, what did the potion taste like?"

"I don't—" James closed his eyes and shook his head. "I had never tasted anything like it before."

Sam grimaced. "And since?"

James hung his head. "Blood. It tasted like blood."

"Damn!" Dean shook his head. "She fed you vampire blood. That's how we would up with a vampire on this ship after it was at sea for three months."

"Then there is no cure," Isaac said. "He has fed, and even if he had not, we could not hope to find the blood of the sire."

Hannah's eyes grew wider and sadder, filling with tears as every word crushed her hopes. "No! You said you could help him!"

Sam shook his head. He hated giving bad news. Even after all these years, it didn't get any easier. Especially with this girl and those sad eyes. There was something about her that made him want to put his arm around her and reassure her that everything would be ok. But that would be a lie. "I'm sorry. I don't think we can."

"Please, sir. I don't want to hurt anyone else. But when I get hungry—it is like there is a monster inside me who takes over. I cannot control it." James held out his hands, palms up and empty, a gesture of submission. "Please. You must stop it."

"No!" Hannah grabbed her grandfather's hands, her expression suddenly fierce. "No! We will find a way. You!" Now Hannah looked at Amos, who startled and shifted sideways. "You are an angel! You can help him!"

Amos' face grew red, and he shook his head. "I'm sorry. I can't. My brothers might be able to, but I—I am a cupid. We only help with love." He looked at his toes, shoulders curled in on himself, as if genuinely sorry that he could not help. Maybe he was. Sam had only ever met one cupid, but they didn't seem to be very much like the other angels.

"It's alright." James' tone was calm and soothing as he put a hand on Hannah's shoulder. "I have lived a faithful life. I will go to be with the Lord, and we will see each other again in heaven."

Sam and Dean shared a look. As a vampire, they both knew that James' soul wasn't going to heaven. Neither of them said anything. Why make things worse?

Anne watched them with narrowed eyes. "You do not believe that to be true."

Dean glared at Anne, but told James bluntly, "Monsters don't go to heaven. I'm sorry."

"But there is an angel here!" Hannah turned to Amos and gripped his hands in hers. "Please! You know my grandfather is a good man! He would never harm anyone! You cannot send him to Hell!"

Amos shrank back from Hannah, shaking his head. "It's not up to me!"

"Why not?" Now Dean had fixed Amos in his sights with the stern glare that meant he had a plan, and he was about to make someone see things his way. "You could take him. Reapers can re-direct people. You could, too."

"No!" Amos stamped his foot. "I'm a cupid! I help people fall in love! I don't smite, I don't heal, and I don't reap the dead!" Fat tears were forming in his eyes now, and he vanished in a gust of air.

Silence filled the cabin.

Anne plucked a feather out of her hair and tucked it into her pocket. "Well, he's not exactly what I expected an angel to be like." She gripped Hannah's shoulder. "We'll sort out what to do about your grandfather lately. Isacc—fetch some chains from the captain. We can't have him running about. The rest of you-" Now she fixed her eyes on Sam and Dean. "We need a way to kill a witch."

Dean smiled. That was a problem he knew how to solve. "We can handle that."