In the Lethe Series 2

by teaandchess

Three years have past after the events of In the Lethe, when Castiel made his choice to save a demon and the Winchesters made theirs to save one other. All that Dean, Sam and Castiel have fought for to save friends, lovers and family has started to fall apart. Old enemies begin to stalk those that they love and so it comes down to a choice. It will always come down to a choice.

2. Shattered (When Angels Reveal)

Summary: As Castiel copes with meeting Meg and his daughter Nyx once again, the Winchesters realize that the angel is not the only one who is aware of her existence.

---

Part 2: Shatter (When Angels Reveal)

Crowley had seen demons and monsters blown apart, ripped to shreds, dragged, drowned, eaten, stabbed; all sorts of the most degrading or disgusting ways to end them. He had seen what all sides, whether on the side of good or evil, were capable of. Suffice to say that there was little that he hadn't seen. He had even seen a demon revived from the final death, something that had never been done before and hadn't been done since. All of that led to one very large conclusion: the past three years had been filled with enough weirdness that he was hard to shock.

So finding himself surprised the moment he came back to his private torture chambers and found demons and monsters alike waiting for him, like allies might, was almost new again. The demons backed away from the monsters immediately but there was no sign of a battle having taken place. It was as if the monsters had been let in, despite his express orders for them to be killed on sight. No loyalty in demons anymore, Crowley thought angrily and decided to give most of them back to the Pit if he had to.

Hunger was clear in the eyes of the monsters. Though they were just souls and would have no form on Earth, here in Hell they managed to take on a corporeal form, the same as they might Purgatory.

More was the pity, he thought, they weren't pretty thing to look at on the whole.

His personal guard waited, and at leas they seemed ready to attack, but the monsters were at a standstill. Everything about them screamed that they were edgy, hungry and wanting for something. Little opportunity had been given to them since they had tried to invade Hell. They might all be half-mad and strong because of Purgatory, but Hell was the demons' home ground and they didn't know all of its ins and outs. That they had made it this far, souls intact and not sent back with their tails between their legs, meant that they had some insider information.

Crowley hated traitors when he wasn't the one doing the betrayal.

"No loyalty in demons," he muttered as he slid the door shut. The fewer to see what went on here the better. "Well, what do you want, eh? Must be something big if you are all fired storming down here like you've got a war to start."

A creature stepped forward and its twisted snout and broken fangs revealed what had once been a werewolf. Time in Purgatory had twisted it into a very different sort of beast. Vaguely, the demon had to wonder Purgatory could do to change a creature so viciously.

"Want her."

Crowley arched his eyebrow. "Her? You might to be a bit more clear."

"Our mother."

He looked over at where, after he'd been done with the body, Crowley had strapped her body to the ceiling like a kind of trophy. In pieces. "Lots of good she'll do you. She's just been hanging around, you could say."

Delighted with his joke, the demons chortled and he grinned at the monsters. There was no laughter or even the slightest tic of emotion in the ones closest to the broken doors. But the werewolf leapt onto the table between them and roared into his face so that blood and spittle flew between them. Its massive claws dug deep into the surface of the table and the metal bent under the pressure.

Turning his head to the side, Crowley gave a disgusted sigh and dabbed at his wet face with a silk handkerchief.

"Thanks." He eyed the snarling monster. "That's it? You storm hell just for mommy dearest?"

"Our creator," a vampire behind the werewolf snarled. He would have to be an alpha or pureblood to intimidate the werewolf into cowering a little. "Our leader. She is our blood."

"A rotted corpse who has only been good for biology lessons. Still reproducing, and I can imagine that she's still affecting you." He snapped his fingers and the nails he'd kept embedded in Eve's brain wound deeper. The vampire twisted and screamed with it, furiously digging at his own head.

Crowley grinned. "You don't really think I'd give up a prize like her without a fight, do you?"

The werewolf on the table half changed in a tiny red-haired woman from the face up. Her eyes fixed in Crowley. "No. But we will take her. Or you will hear nothing of what we know."

"Dead monsters? What the hell do you all know beyond hunting each other?" he asked apathetically, turning around insultingly. The werewolf writhed a little and Crowley turned back towards the monster. Behind it, a Shifter had pulled away from the monsters group and it made him stare. It looked stunningly like Castiel.

"One of my kind learned about the fallen angel. We stole his body's hair, became him. Worked for a short time until he killed us. But as him, we heard rumours, of strange things. About the Winchesters hiding a woman and a baby. A special woman and a special baby. We thought that was nothing." The Shifter's blue eyes fixed on Crowley and saw his expression slipping through the poker face. "But apparently, it is worth something to you. We can tell you where they are and those of us who are revived will help you recover them. We have our own interests there."

"Might be. If that whore is alive, then I want her. She would give me a certain amount of leverage. Just what are you going to do with her?" Crowley asked as he pointed at Eve. He had the feeling that if she had still had eyes she'd be watching her children.

The werewolf transformed back fully and howled. The other monsters grinned and, lost in the possibly legal outcomes of the deal, the King of the Crossroads missed the way the pieces of Eve's body shuddered in apparent pleasure. The way her eyes did open this time to watch what was happening.

---

The old house was likely a firetrap, but at the time it had been the safest place for them to hide. Small town, small population, not enough to get noticed and just enough to keep them from being too isolated. Linda Tran had made it her home and Dean did like it. It gave them a place to rest and relax between hunts when the bunker was too closed in for his liking.

Not to mention this way he didn't lose track of Meg or her child.

Sitting in the guest room, Dean stared out the window as Linda's car finally came up the long driveway to the house. He could just make Meg out in the passenger side, looking like she was sound asleep and he knew where Meg was then Nyx was sure to be. He didn't like thinking of the girl as just Meg's; God knew he'd been the one to help bring her into this world and he knew she was Castiel's. All he had to do was look at her and see the meatsuits the angel and demon had taken as theirs. He could see how Nyx looked both like the girl from Cheboygan and Jimmy Novak of Pontiac, Illinois but he thought of her as Meg and Castiel's with no guilt of it. She was theirs. God, he could even imagine, with easy clarity, what her true-self looked like. Assuming she had one.

He simply didn't like the thought of getting attached even a little to her.

It made it easier not to get attached; if he thought of her as just a kid, he kept himself from getting angry over Castiel's choices, kept himself from wondering if she was a big bad in hiding. Castiel's decision had kept Meg and Nyx safer than houses but absent fathers and mothers had made none of them happy before.

As he saw Nyx lean over the seat to hand Meg that ridiculous stuffed unicorn, ancient in toy terms, Dean had to smile. Sam had never explained the joke behind it and Dean figured the less he knew the better. That was a joke between demon Meg and Sam.

The thought of his brother made Dean look around to see him snoring away on the other bed. For some reason, the position made Sam look much younger and a little more vulnerable. Dean rubbed at his chest, the strange phantom pain in his chest aching. That pain was always stronger when they were separate, which had led to far too many heartache or lovesick jokes from people - even Castiel had attempted a few -, but lately the pain wasn't leaving. Which meant that maybe the spell was starting to fade.

They would have to find another way.

The irony of it fading it just when things might be going to hell again wasn't lost on Dean. The whole thing had been strange. Sharing in Sam's thoughts, feelings, memories, visions had taken them places neither brother had expected before. If ever Dean had wondered what it would be like to special in a strange way, he was over it. He knew that if he felt Sam's insecurities, then Sam had felt his.

Scary.

Sighing, he checked his phone for the hundredth time since they'd come here. No messages. He scrolled through the old text and muttered at the phone, "Leave us to clean up the mess this time, eh, Cas?"

As if answering, the phone buzzed as a text came through.

Thank you.

He clicked his tongue. This is gonna go to hell, he texted back.

Likely, was the answer and Dean had no response for that.

Watching the car, he mumbled a curse when he recognized Kevin getting out of the backseat with Nyx. Scraggly, dirty, gaunt but still Kevin. Their only link to the future.

Poor kid. There were better burdens to carry.

But at least he was smiling. He rarely did that anymore around them. Too much had happened to him to make his life a living nightmare. Especially when he bore prophecy now more than before. Before he'd been a translator, now he was a seer and too many people needed his help, not just them.

Poor kid.

Watching Kevin swing the little girl up onto his shoulders, Dean had to admit you would never actually know he was as worn down as he claimed. Linda had said he liked the kid, that he saw something in her. Though what, he wasn't sure. Handling the kid seemed to make Kevin forget his burdens as he carried her up and Dean noticed Meg get out of the passenger seat, limping.

Every time they came here, she avoided them both. More because Linda told her to, he figured, and he was glad for it.

A little.

Meg the demon and Meg under human disguise weren't that different. She hadn't changed to him; maybe quieter and confused by her memory loss as to what she was. Linda had been the best person to leave her with; she'd been able to keep her from doing much to regain that side of her Castiel had buried. But Meg was still someone he wouldn't want to face up against in a dark alley. Or let near any sharp objects.

The thought of Meg with a knife was definitely not something he wanted.

"They're back?" Sam's groggy voice intruded on his thoughts and Dean grunted, pulling back from the curtains. "Took them a while."

"Came back in Linda's car. Good thing the Impala is parked in that side lot, eh?"

Sam got up and stood behind him, staring down at the yard. "Guess something happened. You said that Cas was okay?"

"No, I said that he said he was okay. I think seeing them again… maybe it did him some good and maybe it didn't. I don't know." Dean turned and walked to the door of the rented room. "You feelin' okay?"

"Not great. Just weird. The past month my heart's been acting funny," Sam admitted. "Like it's weighed down by something. Doesn't hurt or anything."

Dean gave him a puzzled look but said nothing to that. "So what do you want to do about this then?" he asked, pointing at where the Trans and Meg were coming up the steps below them. Like Sam, he didn't want to think about the slow change starting to affect them both.

"What can we do? Just have to wait I guess." Sam rubbed at the back of his neck. "If Meg's memory comes back, our problems are just going to get worse and worse. If Crowley's right, the monsters are up to something and the demons don't know how to cope anyway. And the monsters… well… I mean it looks like every scenario is a pretty crappy one.

"I don't like it." His eyes flicking over Meg thoughtfully, Dean shook his head. "Don't like it at all."

"Yeah well," Sam gestured, "if we can find a way of warding this place up better, we can keep anyone from knowing about them for a little bit longer."

At Dean's disbelieving look, he sheepishly shrugged. "It's just a theory."

---

The Crossroads demon sitting in the bar had been drawn by the call. It hadn't been an SOS or anything beyond a "who is near" sort of call. Which to an old one like her was interesting. She hadn't actually been here before. Places like these were too insignificant for a demon of her stature.

But since Abaddon had kept all of them so close to the Gates of Hell lately, the chance to escape, to cause some havoc, was tempting.

The bartender was dead, nothing but a washed out bloody corpse behind the counter, and she'd poured herself a few drinks since coming in. The dead tourists behind her she'd stolen a few trinkets off of but there'd been nothing of another demon hanging around. Or even a monster.

So maybe whoever had left the message had gone already.

Sipping delicately at her vodka, she ran a tongue over her red lips and waited.

She didn't hear him come in. Not until he was behind her with one hand tight in her hair, the other wrapped around her throat, and his breath in her ear.

"Hello, Louise."

With her head wrenched back, she tried to summon what demonic strength she could find but there was nothing that came to her. She felt blocked and beaten within a matter of seconds. Her eyes flitting to red, she growled angrily and looked up into the slim features of a young man with blue eyes. Under the surface, she couldn't tell what he was. For one moment he resembled a demon, and in the next moment an angel.

"Who're you?" she croaked and he laughed, nuzzling the side of her face before putting his lips to her ear.

"I'm the reason you're here." The low laugh was enough to send a chill up even the spine of an old demon like her. "Both now and a long time ago." The hand on Louise's throat gentled until he was stroking her skin. "Why do you think I called you here?"

"You…" She felt automatic fear and obedience towards him and she hadn't felt that in centuries.

"Stupid question, sorry. I usually am better at these sorts of things." His face loomed in her vision as he pulled her hair sharply so her neck bent at a strange angle. "What kind of deal would you like to make? If I let you go, to find and speak to Crowley, you bring him here. But if you tell him about me, you die."

"I don't even know who you are."

"Not yet. I want you to unleash some hellhounds. To find something for me. Just a little something"

Her eyes widened. "Only Crowley can let them out."

"Come now. Like you couldn't manage that." He held up a small drawing, a scribbling sort of bees and clouds, and held it out to her. "Find me on the stateline. I have something I need the hellhound to find."

"It will take a while, the nearest place I can retrieve them from is far away. That's…that's it?" she asked and he smiled, crushing the drawing and putting it in his pocket.

"For now." His eyes flickered a little and took on an amber glow. "Until I'm ready for more."

---

It took hours before the hounds rose from Hell and set on their course. Standing against a lonely, mostly dead old tree, the hellhounds that had been prowling the area approached their masters with something close to devotion. As close as creatures like that could come to it. They were small compared to the beasts normally bred by Crowley or Abaddon, faster and far more wicked because of it. Bred from new litters and young, they had covered the territory with incredible speed. They were on the hunt for any smells that were just a little different and now they had found the pair that had called them.

"Of course," the male said as he crouched down and rubbed at one beast's neck thoughtfully. The Crossroads demon standing behind him nervously looked around. "All we had to do was wait."

It growled under his hand. It had waited years for a hunt.

"What's a little while longer? Their Judas is likely going to be one of them anyway," the yellow-eyed demon asked as he held down the crushed paper for the creatures to sniff. They snuffled hungrily over it. "Find us something special."

With matching howls, the hounds sprang off to begin their hunt for that strange smell.

---

Castiel always found it ironic that Metatron had been in Colorado for so long and not once had anyone had felt him there, and no one in Heaven had thought to look for him since he had gone into hiding the first time. Now, he was even certain the old angel had returned there and he could feel him lingering there. Old habits and comforts died hard with some angels, Castiel knew. But instead of charging into the old hotel that the Metatron would have gone back to, the angel went instead to a small cafe in the local town and waited after leaving a message at the front desk.

He doubted he was alone.

After leaving Heber Springs, he'd openly wandered for a few days so that he could attract the angels' attention. Those left in charge were keeping a close eye on any strange activity and he knew they would keep a close eye on him. If he'd stayed in that small town, eventually it would have been seen as strange. He knew better than to return until they were distracted into leaving him alone.

He fully intended on distracting them with something else. That notion of devious cruelty he had never liked using but he was not above it.

Not when on he had to protect others.

Sipping at the cup of bitter coffee, he tapped his other fingers on the tabletop and waited. As he had for several hours but he was in no rush. He had time. Another hour passed before a chair pulled up in front of him. Castiel only sipped his coffee and nodded to the man joining him.

"I got your message," Marv said angrily as he snapped his fingers, a cup of coffee appearing in his hand. "What do you want, Castiel?"

The younger angel merely smiled and it was such a cool smile that the Scribe twitched visibly. Of the angels in Heaven, Castiel still intimidated him after all that had happened.

"I let you go, months ago, because I was sick of death in my family. I was tired of wars about who's right, who's wrong, who has followed devoutly and who has strayed. But now I need to ask you something."

"So let me guess. You let me go, I owe you eternally for not turning me over to the Intelligence?" Marv demanded.

Castiel squinted at him and he nervously leaned back, sensing that flippancy wasn't going to get him anywhere today.

"Because of you, Heaven suffered. I would say you owe me much more than this. It's a start."

"Fine. Let's hear it."

"Did you ever speak to God, in the past three years?"

The offhand question made the Metatron blink unexpectedly. "No, of course not."

"Neither did Sandalaphon?"

"Anya? Why would she?" There was something in the shifty in the way Marv looked down at his hands. "God abandoned all of us."

"He gave us choice," Castiel corrected. "It's not His fault we failed his expectations."

"What kind of parent leaves his children because it is 'for the best'?" Marv asked and gave Castiel a smarmy grin. He didn't miss how the younger angel flinched. "Why are you asking about God now? You avoided the subject for years now."

"You've read all the scripture, created tablets, done his work and read his Words. Was there… any mention of a child of angels in the prophecies?"

Marv looked at him quizzically. "Never." He thought it over. "Though, you have to understand, prophecies write themselves and tablets were created for every major form of life, Castiel. I merely wrote on them to instruct control. Doesn't mean I created them. The tablets were there; I simply put words on them. There are much higher forms of life that are created that even I know nil about."

Castiel looked at the table thoughtfully.

Marv took a sip of coffee and leaned forward. "Why the questions, Castiel? Your daughter was killed by the Lethe, your demon with her. At least, that is what we were told." He shrugged. "At the time, I was too busy to care about the logistics and the angels too busy to know that there could be a lie in that."

Lifting his head, Castiel stared back at him.

"Three years of lies, Castiel. One large problem after another." He tilted his head back and looked at the sky. "And all of them had one common factor." His eyes dropped back, narrowing a little in thought. "You. What is it about you that God needs to include in all his mysterious works?"

Not answering, the angel in the overcoat stood up and put a few dollar bills down for his coffee.

"I had hoped you could answer that. But you never have any real answers." Castiel tucked his chair in and turned to go. But the Metatron cleared his throat to stop him.

"I did what I thought was best, Castiel, at the time. Not just out of vengeance but because I wanted to make you all see. How are we that different?" he asked, the cup clattering on its tiny plate. Castiel turned back towards him, staring down the length of his nose like the arrogant soldier he had once been.

"I did what I did out of love. You did what you did out of spite," he answered. "There is a great difference. It took me a long time to learn it."

With a flutter he was gone and Marv made a face.

"Self-righteous prick," he spat out, setting down his cup and getting up. Well aware of the sensation of being watched, he walked out of the patio, trying to appear human. Trying to appear normal.

The angels watching him set down close and began to follow at a discreet distance.

Standing in the park across the street, Castiel tucked his hands into his pockets and watched as the angels who had been looking for him were distracted by the presence of the Metatron. Whatever sins he had committed, the Metatron's were still fresh in the angels minds. They wanted him and they wanted their answers and their revenge.

Which meant he would be left alone, for a least a little while, and he could go back to where he wanted to be.

---

Kevin had dreamed so much in the past few months. Of demons, angels, monsters. Gods and monsters.

He hated them all so much in those moments.

His mind was so full of prophecy and outcomes and he was tired. Exhausted to the core. Some days he would wake up in a bus station, screaming; other times he would work for days without sleep until he finally dropped. Travelling had helped him learn to work off the nightmares and prophecies. The only reason he had come back to his mother's house was because he was needed there.

He had to witness… something. Kevin just wasn't sure what it was. He had dreamed something terrible.

Hot breath, screams and the sound of blood and flesh meeting.

But instead of telling anyone, Kevin simply smiled and acted normal. As normal as he could be now. He went around the house, let his mom treat him like a child, and he pretended.

Pretended that he didn't have visions that frightened him and heard voices whispering to him of what had to be done to save them all.

---

The werewolf pack stared at the body they had dragged into their territory within Purgatory. Bringing her back here had been the longest trek any had made. The demons nipping at their heels had slowed them down. The crawl of bodies in the Pit sickening to even them and they had wanted to stay and fight.

But they had their prize and they could afford to retreat.

It was the alphas and purebloods of every race that moved forward to meet them. Normally ravenous and enemies of each other, in Purgatory their hungers had slow abated to become more conniving. The ones here had been trying to escape for years, hunting those who knew how. But there was one good way to get back from the doors of Purgatory if no human was available.

And they had their orders to find her.

A Shifter in the form of a child moved forward and slid back into its adult form. "You brought her."

"Father will be pleased," a vampire hissed in obvious pleasure.

"Aren't they always?" a werewolf snarled.

"The demons?"

"Blind. Their one leader is more set in saving his own skin than to see what is before him. Which is how we like it, as I recall." The werewolf shifted a little, face back to that of a petite woman, and cast a quick eye over the clearing. "Any news?"

"Those in on the plan have their orders, and the others are still warring hopelessly in Hell in that loss cause. With her at our side once again, we can find a way to escape. Through Hell if we have to."

"The demons don't really escape that easily. They have to fight their way out of the Pit first," the werewolf grumbled and the vampire shrugged.

"What we need to do will be gladly borne for the chance at freedom. He will come back soon and revive her."

Growling in pleasure, the vampires, Shifters, and werewolves began to slowly put the dismembered corpse back together. Whenever her joints met with the flesh, the flesh wrapped around the bone and reconnected itself. Each heavy bag containing her body parts squirmed on its own, as if eager to be put back together like a sickening puzzle.

They were operating in near secrecy now; the sects of monsters devout to their 'mother' and the chance for freedom to the other world they'd been killed in. They needed the secrecy. It would be so easy for this plan to fall apart.

No one was allowed to cross the river to see what was happening.

Sitting on the shoreline under a cover of trees and sucking on a tiny sliver of wood, a lone vampire in a battle-torn cap and coat wondered what they were up to.

---

Squinting into the bar's windows, Meg tapped roughly on the glass and called out Josh's name. "Hey! Come on, you owe me two hundred bucks!" she shouted through the window. She could hear some music but not actually see him through the smoky windows. The doors were tightly locked and she hadn't been able to budge them. "I know you're in there!"

Bastard.

Punching her fist against the door, she shoved back and headed back down the street, determined to try again tomorrow. She needed that money. The slow buildup in her stash, her 'nest egg', meant that sooner or later she and Nyx could actually leave this town and she could go find that place that called to her in her dreams. It was drawing her to it. Water, sandy beaches, some place actually warm.

But she needed every penny she could get her hands on because she didn't want to have to cheat and steal the entire time. That took too much work and someone would catch her eventually. She knew she had to keep herself safe though why that thought stayed with her, she wasn't sure.

Still cursing under her breath, she paused to dislodge a piece of stone from inside her boot and was bumped by someone walking around her just as she unlaced. He paused and turned, half a step, smiling at her as he watched her shake her boot upside-down.

"Sorry, didn't see you there," he said, his youngish face almost distorted by the strange light in his eyes. Still crouched, Meg looked up at him as she relaced her boot and he gave her a white-toothed smile that was predatory.

"No problem," she answered. For a second, his face flared bright white and then shadowed. It made her stare harder, curious as to why it seemed like something dark and twisted lay just under the surface of his skin. He grinned, nodded, and walked away, whistling an old rock song as he went. Meg frowned before she tugged her jean leg back down and stood up.

When she turned, digging into her back pocket for her keys and her emergency smokes, she banged into someone else.

"Son of a bitch, does no one watch where they are going?" she snapped, as she pushed her hair out of her eyes. Glancing up into a pair of blue eyes, she blinked and stepped back a bit when she recognized him.

"Sorry. I… I was…"

"Stalker boy. You still hanging around?" she asked, tilting her head on the side and eyeing him. She shook her pack of cigarettes and pulled one out, making sure to watch his reaction. What was his name? Cassie? Castie? Something weird.

He gave a half smile that looked nervous and yet earnest. "I had a few things to look at around this town. I decided to stay."

"Like what? Or are you saying you want to take a dip in the springs a few miles up?" she asked as she walked around him. He fell into step beside her and Meg shouldered her bag a bit higher, feeling the need to protect herself from him.

"While I'm sure those are pleasant, in my experience hot springs tend to be very crowded."

As she lit up her cigarette, Meg eyed him and wove her way through the people walking on the sidewalk. Strange. It felt like the world was watching her walking with this strange man. Not to mention…

How did you tell someone you were sure you had seen their face before in a dream without sound like an insipid girl trying to flirt?

"Are you looking for company?" she asked after taking a deep drag. She didn't need it often but she used it to calm her nerves sometimes. It was an old habit that she thought she must have had once. There was something in the taste that reminded her of something, something vague and bitter.

He smiled again. "Not especially. We're headed in the same direction."

Meg nodded and then turned, stopping mid-stride. "What's your name again?"

He paused and seemed to think about it. "Novak."

"Yah-huh." Meg crossed her arms over her chest and looked up at him. He'd taken too long to answer so she didn't buy it. She took a short puff and then looked him up and down. "Look, if you think I'm easy because I work at the bar or because you think…"

"I was just walking with you," he cut in. "I didn't have anything else in mind."

Meg's grin turned wicked. "That's a shame."

Castiel blinked, not expecting that. Meg waited to see if he would rise to the flirting but he simply shook his head. His eyes went to the cigarette and she looked at it too before flicking a bit of ash away.

"Bad habit, I know." Taking another long drag, she let the smoke out in a stream and stubbed the cigarette out on the brick wall. "I only do it when I'm feeling stressed or if my daughter isn't around."

"It isn't good for you," he agreed and she laughed.

"Nothing fun ever is." Pushing her hair out of her eyes again, she took a few steps to the left and watched him mirror her before she leaned against the wall. "You just want to hang out with me or something?"

"I was hoping you could tell me if De… Henry was still in town. He had some information for me."

"Oh yeah, staying with Linda at her place." Leaning back, she jutted one hip out to look relaxed. Still he was staring at her. "Anyone ever tell you how creepy that is? The staring?"

"Repeatedly," he said and didn't continue. When Meg arched an eyebrow at him, he looked away. "Your memory. Do you mind me asking what happened to you?"

"Not really any of your business but I was told it was a car accident. Nyx and I were lucky to be alive. Woke up here. Only had my girl. Was lucky Linda took us in." Her dark-lined eyes narrowed at him. "Why?"

"Just curious. I had a friend with a similar memory problem a long time ago. He woke up… eventually. Saw things differently and realized what life could be like."

"Lucky stiff. Me? I just struggle through." Meg moved away from the wall and stepped into him, causing Castiel to stiffen up and nervously sway a little. Her head tilted back a bit so she could look right up at him and Castiel looked down into her brown eyes "But what do you want?"

Castiel debated on answering with what he really thought but he wisely kept to the disguise of a tourist.

"Just…" He swallowed audibly as his breathing deepened. All the time cursing himself for being surprised that even now she could cause a reaction in him. He should be more in control, he reminded himself. "I was making conversation."

"If you're trying to pick me up, next time try the weather. What I like to drink. Or how great I look in tight jeans. Memory talk? Not so sexy." She picked up the pace again and he immediately walked beside her down the street to the small grocery store. A group of teenagers coming up the sidewalk made no intention of moving out of the way for them and he shouldered around her a bit, slowing so his body spun tight against hers. Meg let him protect her from being bumped though it made her grin at how silly it seemed. It brought them closer than they had been before and something prickled over her skin as his breath brushed the side of her neck.

It felt familiar.

Shaking herself, Meg continued walking and he kept up. "You like this place?"

"Can't say I know any difference between here or somewhere else." She never told anyone that she felt there was something wrong about this place. It wasn't home. Just a place. She looked over her shoulder at him and spun mid-step, walking backwards with the sort of flawless grace she had always had. "Why are you following me?"

He smiled. "I still don't know really. Even after all this time."

Confused, she gave him a tilt of her head and continued to walk backwards. At the way her eyes went over him, Castiel stared back thoughtfully.

"What?"

"Not sure." Meg bit into her lower lip. "There's something strange about you."

He half-smiled. "I get that a lot."

Once she came up next to the Cougar parked in front of the store, Meg leaned back against it. As if unable to help the forward momentum, he stopped mere inches away and stared down at her. For a second, she had to wonder what he would look like if there were flames around them. Not even sure where that thought came from, she shoved it down and bit into her lower lip again. She was sure she'd seen him somewhere before and it actually hurt to try to focus on those hazy memories.

Damn, it was starting to nag at her and he had helped her the day before. She knew his face. Maybe if she played nice, like Linda was always telling her to, something would trigger her memory if she stayed in his company.

"I don't often do this but do you need a lift to see them? I didn't see you drive into town." As if worried he would get the wrong idea, she made sure to look like she was bored. "I mean, don't get me wrong. You try a thing and I'll beat the shit out of you. But it's a long walk and you did help me with those jerks at the bar."

Unexpected as that was, Castiel knew he had to say no to her offer. The more time he spent in her company, the deeper the crack in her disguise would go. The worse it would get and the likelier it was that something would split. Everything would go wrong so fast and he…

"I'd like that," he said before he could stop himself.

---

Booking a few rooms for the week, Dean and Sam had set about looking like tourists again. Trying to relax and failing miserably. They painted wards, put hex-bags in the walls, set out traps in the distant woods. Avoided Meg and her daughter, kept their heads low. They had even waited today until Meg was gone in her old car before they moved out from their rooms to get some work done.

The entire time, Sam could feel like there was something coming. Like a brush of shadow up against the back of his mind and he wasn't sure what it was. He hadn't felt that way in years. Not since…

Not since he'd let go of the demons blood had he felt such a strange surge in his buried psychic side.

Dean said nothing but he knew he felt it too. The small town was now just too quiet.

Getting Linda Tran alone wasn't easy. She kept out of their way, made sure Meg and Nyx stayed away to the back of the house where she'd given them rooms. Even Kevin made a pretty studied attempt to never be around when they were in the house. No one wanted to talk to them.

Which was making Dean grumpier and grumpier as the hours and days passed.

It was Wednesday afternoon when the Winchesters came in from the woods, dirty and tired from circling the perimeter and found Linda waiting for them. The house had been empty earlier when they had left but now her car was parked out front and she looked like she wasn't in any hurry to leave. She was on her front porch with her laptop, curled into a big chair and crunching numbers as she always did, and when they came up the steps she barely looked up from the screen.

"You're tracking mud in. Shoes off if you're coming up here," she threatened while pointing her finger at them. Rolling his eyes, Dean toed off his combat boots and jerked his chin at Sam. His brother sat down on the steps instead and looked out.

"Where's Kevin?"

"Meg had to go in town for some reason and hasn't come home yet. He's taking care of Nyx for her." Looking up from her laptop, she squinted out at the afternoon sun. "See?"

Sam looked over his shoulder to see Kevin and Nyx making their slow way across the front yard. Nyx was jumping in the puddles left from when Dean had washed the Impala. For a minute, Kevin actually looked years younger as he played with her and tried to keep her from soaking herself.

"Nyxie, come on, stop that."

"Rain rain rain!" Nyx was chanting happily as she splashed him. Dean couldn't help but smile as she got Kevin with a splatter of mud on his face. The little girl screeched with laughter as he snatched her up and dangled her upside down, threatening to drop her in the puddle. Her polka-dotted rain boots kicked in the air as she fought against him.

Sometimes he forgot how young Kevin still was.

Sam, on the other hand, looked up as the first drops of rain started to hit. It had been sunny a moment ago and now suddenly it was overcast. Wiping a raindrop off his forehead, he looked back down at Nyx curiously.

"You've been avoiding us," Dean said to Linda. He saw Kevin whirl Nyx away and set her down. She gave him a kick in the shin and took off, hiding behind the Impala. Sam was smiling as he watched them. Almost wistfully, Dean thought.

"Yeah, well, when you two come around," Linda answered, "people tend to die."

"You're still alive, aren't you?" The sarcasm edging both their voices was almost playful and Sam rolled his eyes at them. He looked at them instead and Linda made note of something before speaking again.

"Have you two found anything out there or in town?"

"Nothing. Not a hint of demons or monsters. It's like this place isn't even on their marker," he explained for Dean. Leaning back against the railing, he wiped his muddy hands on his jeans. "Which makes next to no sense. Garth told us the monsters have been out in droves in other parts of the States and Canada."

"Yeah well, maybe something is keeping them away," Dean looked out at Nyx, "or someone."

"You think a three year old is keeping monsters away?" Linda gave him a skeptical glare. "She's three, Dean, almost four. A child."

"She's not a normal kid. I'm sure you've noticed something about her," Dean countered.

"I know you're expecting me to say she's different. But there's not much strange about her," Linda commented with a shrug. "She seems human enough."

"She's Cas' daughter, Meg's daughter. That's two big supernatural elements, Linda, something has to be different," Sam pointed out and Dean nodded, one eye on where he could see Kevin with Nyx in the front yard. They had crossed a bit further down the driveway to where Linda's car was parked. She was still playing hide and seek with him and Kevin was obviously getting tired of the game, leaning down on the hood of the car to wait for her.

"There has to be something."

"There's nothing. I read all those stories about Cambions Sam was sending me. She's nothing like them that I can tell. She's inherently good. She's just a child to herself and the rest of the world. If she has any sort of power, it is nothing I can tell." Linda twisted her fingers into nervous knots. "I just… maybe it is because of Castiel's spell on Meg. Maybe it had an aftereffect on Nyx."

"That still doesn't sound right. Cas even admitted before she was born she was strong enough to knock him out. I mean, Dean said that when Meg was carrying her she threw Lucifer to the other side of the world when he tried to kill them, and she did some pretty big damage. Why would that end just after she was born?"

"Maybe she needs them both as they were. I don't know." She closed her laptop and sat back in her chair. "I just worry about her. She's a sweet girl and if I can help keep her from realizing how messed up the world is she was born to, I will."

"So Castiel could be what drives her to go full on hybrid baby?" Dean asked dryly but Linda nodded as if that made sense.

"That actually makes more sense than what was thinking." She tapped her fingers on the closed case. "I worry about her but Meg worries me more. Something is starting to break in her. She's looking ready to run."

"That's not as strange as it could be," Sam said.

"I hate to point it out to both of you," Linda snapped, obviously not in the mood. "But if Meg takes Nyx and runs, what are the chances we can find her before the demons or angels?"

Both Winchesters looked down at their feet, chastised. Linda shook her head, annoyed with them yet again. She had done her best and they were so eager to find something, anything, that they could cause bigger problems. Ones with worse consequences.

As if answering the question for them, a low howl suddenly sang through the air. A faint sound that echoed around the nearby fields and Linda frowned. "We don't have wolves… or coyotes even. Must be those feral dogs I saw around here one time."

But Sam and Dean recognized that howl with the sort of horror of battle-weary soldiers. It sent chills up their spines and made them both flashback to other times; when one had ripped Dean apart, when Sam had nearly lost his life fighting one off. Even sight unseen, it was still enough to make them slip from brothers to soldiers in a heartbeat.

"You have to be kidding me," Dean whispered, standing up and forgetting he had no shoes on as he raced down the steps. He searched in his pockets, trying to find his keys as he ran for the Impala.

"What? What's going on?" Linda asked as the howl roared through the air again, like a wolf coming close on its hunt. But even she knew it wasn't a wolfish sort of howl. It was too loud, too rattling. Nothing from this earth made that sound.

"We got a problem, that's what is going on." Sam ran into the house and grabbed the shotgun he knew she kept tucked behind the fridge. Grabbing the box of ammo from the cabinet, he quickly ran out of the house, jumped over the railing and headed for the car. Dean was rummaging through the trunk, tossing things out to find what he needed.

"We still got 'em?" Sam asked as he traded the shotgun ammo for salt rounds. The gun was old but it would work for now and he loaded it up with skilled ease.

Dean grinned and tossed him a pair of safety glasses. "You called me a pack rat for keeping these things."

"Shut it." Sam put them on and spun on his heel, gun raised to his shoulder as he walked towards the other side of the house. The Holy Fire they had been seared with still seemed to be working as the world around him changed in colours and scope. Searching the trees edge, he scanned it with a careful eye for anything unusual but there was nothing in the brush.

"Got a car coming up," Dean called out as he turned a circle opposite Sam. Right now, to them any newcomer could be a threat.

"It's Meg," Linda called out. "I recognize the car."

"Meg… where's Nyx!" Sam shouted back, realizing that in the time that he had taken to get the shotgun the child was out of sight. Dean turned his head and signalled to the left, still keeping one eye on the perimeter close by where the howling had come from. He backed towards the car coming up the driveway as Sam sprinted around the yard to where Nyx and Kevin were still near Linda's car parked on the side of the driveway leading to the road.

If he was shocked to see Castiel in the passenger seat, Dean hid it well. He continued to back up even when Meg stepped out of the car and gave him a skeptical look.

"You guys playing nerd paintball or somethin'?" she asked. Reminding himself to be insulted later, Dean shook his head.

"We got wild dogs around here."

"Dogs?" She rolled her eyes. "Right."

She walked away from him before he could stop her, moving towards the porch, and he felt Castiel step close. "What the hell are you doing back here?" he hissed, scanning the trees.

"I…"

"Explain later. Dogs, Castiel."

"Dogs means that you wear glasses and use a shotgun?"

Dean gave him a frustrated look. "Big. Big. Hounds. Castiel." He enunciated each word slowly. The angel's easy going posture stiffened and he quickly looked around though he was no better at finding them if his desperate look was any sign.

"You mean to say…"

"Yeah. Looks like something's been set loose. Hopefully we can kill the bitch before it runs back to master or causes problems."

"Hopefully," Castiel agreed and his angel sword slid out to his hand.

The howling had stopped but as Dean turned, he noticed Sam backing towards them, waving Kevin to carry Nyx back towards the house. The little girl was unmindful of the tension, talking to him as they crossed the yard. Standing back to back with Castiel, Dean focussed on where he'd last heard the howling. The brush several hundred yards away was shaking rapidly and he licked his lips, finger caressing the trigger of his shotgun. Squinting through the purplish shimmer of the glasses, he waited.

"Come on, ugly."

The shaking stopped and a deer leapt out from the bushes. It paused, staring at them warily and he lowered his gun a little. "You gotta be kidding me," he whispered, nudging Castiel to look and even Sam looked frustrated as he went around the other side of the Cougar to see what had been making the noise. The angel glanced and frowned.

"But where's the…"

Something swept in, bringing with it the stench of sulphur and coppery decay and Sam flew to the side, bulldozed by the sheer weight and strength of it. As he rolled, the demon knife he'd been holding in his other hand flew to the side as well and he raised his shotgun, firing off a round blindly. He heard the beast screech and his head was smacked by a tail.

"Sam!" Dean shouted, sprinting for him as whatever had attacked him sprang off, just letting him see the strange colours shine off its hide. Castiel turned and was smacked into from the other side, sending him toppling into the Impala and he hissed in pain as he rolled to protect himself.

The loud snarling close to his ear made him wince as fetid breath poured over his skin, so hot that he felt sweat break out on his forehead in reaction. There were two, he registered, as something else breathed against the other side of his neck. Squeezing his eyes shut, he swiped out blindly with his sword and felt it sink in a little. The hellhound shrieked in pain and the first sank its teeth into his hand, the blade being shook from his grip before he could stop it. It stayed curved in the back of one but he couldn't grab it to force it deeper. Two paws dug into his chest and tore down, his coat protecting him from too much damage.

A child's scream made him open his eyes to see Kevin and Nyx in the yard, still trying to get to the house but now caught in the middle. The hold on his hand lessened and he heard Meg shouting something but the drumming in his ears wouldn't lessen so he could hear her; the blood in his body pounded through him as adrenaline tried to keep him alive. The teeth that had punctured his skin let go completely and he turned his head to see great gouts in the gravel being thrown up as the animals charged forward.

"Nyx!"

The sound of Meg's shouting was suddenly clear and he got to his feet, hearing Dean blasting off his shotgun. But whatever damage it did to the hellhounds was nothing as they raced forward, leaving gouges in the dirt. Kevin swung Nyx around behind him to protect her from what he knew was coming but he was grabbed by the leg and thrown to the side like a rag doll. They weren't after him. He rolled and slammed into the porch, head striking the corner of the steps. The hounds twisted and forgot him instantly as they stared at whom he had been protecting.

"Kevin!" Linda was starting down the stairs, not caring about the danger. But Castiel could only see Nyx, see her standing frozen in fear.

She was staring wide-eyed.

She could see the creatures.

"Nyx!" he shouted, scrambling to get to his feet and the little girl turned to look at him. Something flashed in her face, like recognition when he called her name and he saw her eyes wide and terrified. She wasn't screaming but she was so afraid she was quivering. Her stuffed toy was lying untouched and soaked in mud. She continued to back up to where Linda was, the older woman calling for her to run. Then the gouts in the earth dug deeper and the beasts charged forward in unison. Like a matched set they were running for their prey and Nyx crouched down into a tiny ball as if to hide from them.

No matter his speed, Castiel wasn't sure he could get to her. His blade was gone, embedded in the back of one hellhound. He didn't have anything he could use on hell-beasts.

No no no no no!

Everything in him screamed though he didn't speak as he ran forward, Dean's shotgun blasts covering him. Sam was firing as well but the salt-rounds and bullets weren't having any effect on the hounds as they raced over the yard towards Nyx. Castiel reached for his Grace, wanting to stop time; something, anything to stop this from happening. But his Grace felt stuck, unable to be of use now when he needed it most. He called her name out again and prayed for help in the next breath.

Something faster than he was launched in front of his vision and tackled Nyx to the ground just as the hounds leapt. With a sickening crunch, four bodies went flying back into the rear of the Impala so that the trunk dented a little. Castiel stared, for a second so shocked he could only fall to his knees as his momentum left him.

The hellhounds continued to growl and roar at being put off their prey again.

Meg curled her body protectively around Nyx and rolled her beneath her heavier weight. She'd watched the whole scene as if stuck in some waking dream. It had been familiar. The hideous creatures, the howling, and the sight of people fighting… she hadn't been able to move a step off the porch.

Until she had seen them go for Nyx.

That had woken her and she knew what she had to do. She hadn't cared if she was killed and the creatures she could see were so terrible to behold that she knew they could kill her easily. But Nyx was clutching hold of her, sobbing at the pain of the impact, and she knew she had to protect her.

"It's ok," Meg said under the howls and snarls of the hounds as they clawed at her to try to get to Nyx. "I got you."

The little girl was starting to scream in fear and Meg closed her eyes. "Under the car, Nyxie. Stay there. I'll protect you."

Before the hounds could snap at the child, Nyx was shoved under the car for safety and Meg felt herself dragged away by the heavier of the hounds. What she saw was different from what the others would see. To her these were as real as the wild dogs or coyotes. But far more terrifying than any nightmare she could have had. Glowing eyes focussed down on her as rigid spines on the back rose in fury. The one straddling her perked its tiny bat ears a little, as if recognizing her, and then it snarled and its teeth swiped down.

Going on instinct, she slammed her fist up into the gaping jaws and shoved her arm into its throat. It shrieked at the unexpected blow and Meg screamed back at it, knee lifting and catching in its side. Her hand wrapped around its forked tongue and yanked hard, tearing at the appendage.

"Ugly bitch," she shouted and heard a shotgun blast. It hit the hound close to where her leg was and the second one that had been digging to try to get to Nyx took off running, giving up the hunt. But the one straddling Meg was clawing at her, trying to get her to let go of its tongue.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the men coming up but the hound's viciousness was verging on blind fury now. It wanted its prey and it wanted her dead.

A glint of metal spiked up from its back made Meg cling closer to it, stretching her fingertips up. But it was just out of reach, wedged there by the bunched sinewy muscle of the beast. "Come on," she whispered as the hellhound's claws sank into her shoulder and ripped deeply. She yanked her other hand out of its mouth and tried to keep it from ripping further into her softer body. The pain shrieking through her arm was ignored and she slammed her fist into its shoulder to get it to fall on top of her again.

She could hear Nyx's terrified sobs and that kept her from letting go.

Impossibly, as she focussed on the blade and imagined it coming to her, it wiggled free of the massive back it was buried into. The hilt of it dropped into her waiting fingers and she twisted it around just as the large jaws widened and dropped to snap at her throat. She sank the tip into the glowing eye and the hound screamed and whined at the pain, backing off but not letting her go. It half dragged her with it and Meg saw the men still shooting at it though it did them no good. Woman and beast were too tightly entwined for anyone to get between them.

Meg felt a strange calm come over her as she felt the sticky blood pour on her hands. Switching the blade around, she slashed down and the hound screamed again. She panted for breath and swung again, this time catching it in its vulnerable throat. The blade caught this time and using what strength she had left in her wounded arm, she yanked hard, slicing the beast from throat to its torso.

The sword sank deep into its heart and with a satisfying squelch it tore into the beating muscle. The hound stopped growling instantly and Meg heard its loud whine as she twisted to the left and split the heart in half. It took moments but the hound scrambled for what last bit of life it could find before its glowing eyes dimmed completely. With a loud defeated groan, the glowing eyes closed. It heaved before it lay sprawled atop her, still pumping out disgustingly black blood onto her body but now dead.

Meg's head sagged back on the blood-soaked gravel and she dizzily looked around. Still hiding under the car, Nyx was staring back at her, shaking in her fear and reaching out towards her with one hand. Meg stared back at her and smiled. "It's ok," she whispered and her head dropped to the side, eyes fluttering as she fell unconscious.

---

The hound that escaped raced the short distance back to its masters, spattered in blood and mud. The Crossroad demon sighed and squatted, patting its head. "Good dog."

It snapped tiredly at her hand and looked up at the man still standing.

"It went against orders," he said calmly.

"It saw an opportunity," Louise whispered and he shook his head.

"This is what passes for hellhound breeding. Disgusting. I wanted them alive. They were sent to scout and frighten. Not let them know someone was coming for them." He smiled. "But it did find her."

An angel sword appeared in his hand and without any warning he sunk it deep into the top of the hellhound's skull. The beast fell immediately and without any sign of emotion, he wrenched it back out and wiped it clean on his arm.

"I have work to do, it seems."

---

Castiel had stood in shock, not sure what he could or should do. He had been able to use his Grace to keep the hellhounds from toppling the car over, the weight of it stronger than them, but he hadn't been able to help like he could have. Meg had been so tightly wrapped around the hound she was fighting that to interfere meant he could kill her accidentally. He'd had to wait and he had watched and felt hopeless.

And she'd nearly died because of him.

"Cas, get over here!" Dean snapped from where he and Sam were trying to pull the hellhound off Meg. Shaking himself, the angel started forward, sparing a look for where Linda was helping Kevin stand, his injured leg oozing blood from its wounds. The prophet was staring at Meg and the car, wide eyed in pain.

But he didn't look shocked or afraid, like Sam and Dean.

Storing that away for further thought, he knelt down to help Dean with the dead beast. Its claws were half-embedded in Meg's leg, judging by the pressure still dragging on the wounds, and to just yank it off would cause more damage to her. Damage he didn't think he could risk healing. Not yet. Gingerly, he set about slowly taking each claw from her flesh with precise care.

If Dean noticed how he stroked a strip of uninjured flesh on her hand, he didn't say a word.

Sam crouched down low and peered under the car at the little girl hiding beneath it. The ground smelled disgusting from the hellhound blood and sulphur, but he managed to grin and bear it. She hadn't moved since Meg had collapsed and he had to get her out any way that he could.

"Hey there," he said, remembering to sound calm when all he wanted to do was curse up a storm as his hand dipped into a pile of black goo.

She lifted her head a little from the shelter of her arms and stared at him from large blue eyes. Her cheek was bruised and her arm scratched, but she looked more frightened than hurt.

"Remember me? I've been here before," he asked as he lay on his side. She nodded and he tried to get comfortable as he half wedged himself under the Impala close to her. Surprised he could fit, he tried to smile and not hit his head on the belly of the car. "Gonna come out?"

She shook her head and he saw her eyes go behind him. Sam didn't look away from her face but he knew what she was looking at.

"It's okay. Your mom killed it. She saved you."

Nyx's dark hair was matted around her face when she gave him a distrusting look. "Scared."

He only smiled. "Me too, kid. But you can't hide forever. We got to get your mom into the house but we can't leave you out here."

Nyx watched his hand stretch out between them as if she expected him to hurt her. She scrambled a little back.

"I promise, we'll protect you," he swore and he saw her eyes focus on his face. For a second, he was reminded of Castiel with the wariness she looked at him with. As if she was making a big decision for her. "Nothing is gonna hurt you with me around."

That seemed to convince her and she reached out to take his hand. Smiling, he helped her scramble out from underneath the car, both of them now soaked in mud and smelling of hellhound blood. Still crouching down in front of her, Sam checked her scraped knees and hands but found nothing too bad. She turned her hands over for him to see the scrapes and Sam shook his head, gently brushing the gravel off so it didn't hurt.

Dean was still barefoot and his feet were cut up from the gravel on the ground, but he looked more concerned with getting everyone in order than worrying about shoes. Everyone bore some sort of mark from the hellhounds but no one looked as badly roughed up as Meg. Sam looked at him, and then at the house before turning back to Nyx.

"You okay?" She nodded, her eyes still large and her lower lip trembling. He gave her a half smile as he stood up, staring down at her and feeling like a giant. "You were very brave. I would have run when I was little."

Before he could move, she took his hand and held on as if for him to protect her and Sam smiled again. He wasn't that easy around kids sometimes, Dean took to it better than he did, but she was being brave. Letting her hold onto him, he turned to see Dean carefully picking up Meg while Castiel handled the hellhound, folding its legs close to its body.

A tiny squeeze made him look down to see Nyx staring wide-eyed at the corpse. She looked up at him and he realized that she could see it. Deciding to pretend he could as well, he frowned and shook his finger at the dog.

"Bad dog," he said and she hesitantly nodded along with him.

"Bad dog," she parroted and reached out to kick it. Her boot made the thing's bloody side squelch and she cried out as the dead hound rolled a little towards her, hiding behind him. Sam grinned, patting the top of her head, and looked up to see Castiel staring at her from where he knelt beside the hound. An odd mixture of hurt and fear was on his face, but when he looked up at Sam he smiled thankfully at him.

For a moment, Sam nearly felt bad for the angel. He obviously wanted to comfort his daughter but he couldn't risk it.

But that had been his choice and that kept Sam from being too easy on him. Instead, he focussed on Nyx and noticed how gingerly she was walking. As if she was afraid the hound was going to come to life and bite her.

"You want me to carry you?" he asked Nyx and the little girl nodded, holding up her arms. She held on tight as he lifted her up and let her sit on his hip. There was such a human fear in her that Sam let himself hug her back a bit. He could remember holding her as a baby once, and how protective both Dean and him had been of her though they weren't even her parents. Now he felt that old protectiveness surging right back. This little girl had seen something no child should ever see.

"You're tall," she blurted out, looking down at the ground if she was at a great height. With childish innocence, she was trying to make herself feel better and Sam knew she was doing it to try to forget about Meg.

"Yep. I'm a giant."

Her blue eyes went to his face. "You're a giant!"

Sam chuckled and was surprised how easy it was after what had just happened.

He followed Dean into the house and noticed Castiel disappearing to the back, still dragging the hellhound. Likely to perform an angelic autopsy if he knew him. Linda helped Kevin limp into the house and once they were inside, Sam set Nyx on his hip and quickly drew a small demon ward on the side of the door with his own blood. What good it would do he didn't know; but he had to do something.

Nyx watched and didn't say a word but he had the feeling she knew what he was doing. There was an eerie watchfulness about her right now, something that reminded him of Lilith in a vague way. But she lacked that evil air. She was simply knowing that something was different.

"You want to see your mom?" he asked instead and she nodded, looking over his shoulder to the front window. He followed her gaze and saw that she was watching Castiel continue to drag the hellhound around the side of the house.

---

Furious with himself and whoever had set it loose, Castiel let the hellhound burn. No burial, not even bothering to hide it. He took it out to the woods and scorched its body with his own Grace. Smoke and fire leapt to the sky and he felt nothing but hatred for it.

Naturally, that attracted attention.

"Really, a light show, at this time of day?"

Crowley's voice should have made him turn to put on the defence but there was no reaction from the angel. He simply stared at the smouldering body and waited until the demon stood next to him. Crowley blinked at the sight of the beast.

"I thought a hellhound was up here." He leaned close. "Not one of my breeding pack I hope. Very…" he sniffed it, "rotted."

"One of your demons is unleashing hellhounds and you aren't aware of it."

"Correction, sweetums, before you get your wires crossed. I'm not King of Hell anymore; I'm the King of the Crossroads. I don't have much control over them these days. Beyond the odd deal here and there and the necessary 'my gonads are bigger than yours' show and tell, that sort of thing." He leaned back. "But I did hear rumour of one of my star deal makers going missing. Which begs two questions."

Crowley stepped around in front of him so that the angel had to focus on him instead of staring at the hound. "Why did she come up here? And who called her? Naturally, the why concerns me far more at the moment."

"I don't care about either. This thing attacked the Winchesters," Castiel lied easily and Crowley shrugged.

"Can you blame it? They killed how many over the years? Maybe the beasts are becoming family oriented after all though for your sake I would hope that they don't start running in bigger packs more often." He tapped his bearded cheek. "Unless…. unless it found something. Or had been sent to find something. You see, I have been far too busy with matters of Hell and survival to bother, but it is possible a demon took initiative." He grinned. "That does tend to get promotions with me, though Abaddon executes them in the end."

"If I find that you are setting hellhounds loose on the Winchesters or their friends," Castiel began and Crowley scoffed.

"You'll what?"

"I'll make you wish I was no longer an angel."

Their gazes met, clashed, and Crowley looked away first. "I came to warn you. Monsters are on the move. In exchange for some… information, they took their Mother back to Purgatory."

Castiel caught him by the throat and launched them across the woods until he had the demon pinned to a tree. Crowley squeaked and fought against the tight hold.

"No need for such foreplay, darling."

"You let their Mother go with them, knowing the damage they could do."

"Trapped in Purgatory, none of them can get out without a human soul or someone with the power and the know-how anyway. Even if they get into Hell… we'll be golden." Crowley choked as Castiel tightened his grip.

"The only reason why I've let you live this long is because you were either of use or because I could never catch you. Go and leash all of your hounds. If I see you near the Winchesters, I'll do what I should have done years ago."

"Yeah," Crowley's eyes clicked to red. "What's that?"

"I'll tie you up and let your dogs tear you apart. Slow."

The demon stared at him at the threat. "What got up your arse?"

"Do you understand me?" Castiel shouted and for once Crowley lost his smarmy charm and casual grin. He nodded and Castiel let him go slowly. There was nothing of the quiet angel Crowley had manipulated once. As he stared up at him and stared under the human face, he knew he was looking at a soldier.

It was almost terrifying even for a demon his age.

Castiel waited until he was sure Crowley was gone before he sagged back against the tree and rolled his eyes to the sky. He prayed for strength and received no answer. He hadn't expected to. He knew he was on his own again in this matter.

---

She was in the presence of God. Not some false god but her God. He'd come to her in dreams, whispered to her of rewards if she gave him her faith, obedience and love. Let her feel fire if she chose to disobey and let her feel warmth if she obeyed. Shown her visions of Heaven that had soothed her of the pains of Hell. He had rewarded her for her service to Azazel by leading her to this beautiful girl who resembled, in a dark mirror sort of way, what she had resembled long ago; before the pain and torture had taken her from victim to warrior. A girl that maybe Azazel had known of, maybe not. She hadn't fought her possession; she'd welcomed it.

Damn it, she thought lovingly as she approached her god. She had caged the enemy and could almost feel their blood on her hands. Taste their fear.

But as she rounded the corner, she caught a glimpse of something that glowed even brighter than the circle of flames.

An angel.

Disgustingly beautiful with what she could see just glowing off of him like some ridiculous halo he still wore, and she saw him as hideous because of it. He lacked the cold, naked shadows of a demon, lacked any real crackle of wickedness that could attract her. So righteous she could smell it on him.

The angel's eyes fixed on her hatefully and she grinned back.

All that righteousness was worth nothing. He would be nothing in the end. She would go to Heaven, learn what it was his God's endless, hypocritical rules had kept her from. See his wings torn from him and his righteous glare turned to anguish.

What can you do, you impotent sap…

Then the dream distorted, just a little, and something changed as the fire that separated them dimmed a little. His form became clear. Strange because the angel and the man began to blend together thoroughly, though his face stayed blurred to her. As if it had been smudged about to unrecognizable lines and curves, with only his eyes and the curve to his mouth the most distinguishable parts of him. Those blue eyes softened and the look turned from hate to affection. Stupidly, all she could do was stare. A head tilt he had as he smiled at something she must have said was both absurd and engaging on a man of his meatsuit's age.

"All that thorny pain… so beautiful…"

Suddenly, she knew that voice intimately, knew what he really was and that she should be disgusted by such light. But she wasn't. Impossibly, she knew him. As if recognizing her as well, his shining Grace stretched out between them through the shadows. It twined around her and warmed her ice-cold skin.

With a twist, the darkness inside of her rubbed up against the Grace like a pet to a beloved owner, begging to feel the burn of his light. Knowing it as if it was part of her darkness. Making them shadows of each other. She had been cared for, healed… Marked by that light.

It was why, no matter how strange her dreams had been before, this time she woke screaming.

---

"Calm down."

The raspy voice kept Meg from jerking too fast out of bed and she opened her eyes to see herself surrounded. Her vision was blurry but she could recognize their outlines. Her bed was surrounded by people. There was a heady smell of sulphur in the air and she felt sticky and disgusting from sweat and tried blood. When she lifted her hand, she saw that her arm was bandaged from shoulder to wrist and her other hand was just as tightly bound. The ache that throbbed up her side made her remember what had happened.

The strange beast, the blood, the fear and anger.

Almost immediately as the memory hit her, she rolled to her side and threw up into the trashcan someone had put by the side of the bed.

A hand went over her back to soothe her and she trembled nervously under the touch.

"Easier to just let her get it all out. It's just shock," a voice instructed and she sucked in a deep breath, groping for her bedside table. The hand on her back passed her a glass of water and she clutched it thankfully. She drained the water greedily, letting it even dribble out of her mouth, to get rid of the rancid taste in her mouth before she rolled back over and met a pair of blue eyes.

Something about those eyes sparked a memory and made her ready to be sick again.

"We brought you up here. You had an episode, Linda says," someone else said. Henry or whatever his name was. The man with green eyes. Everything in her memory felt so hazy now. She hurt so much.

"I… What was that thing?" she asked.

No one answered her and finally someone else said, "Wild dog."

"Big wild dog," Meg said sleepily.

"You need some rest," was the only answer she got as her hand was patted over the gauze. "Take these. They'll help with any pain."

More pills, she registered even though she was ready to drop off again. For once, she felt like falling fast asleep and never waking up no matter the bad dream. Her body still felt so sore and exhausted as she sagged back on the pillows, her bound arms stiff but feeling empty.

"Nyx?" she called out on instinct.

With a scuffle of sound, a familiar warm body suddenly leapt onto the bed beside her and tucked into her side. Meg felt her eyes drooping lower as the little girl wrapped herself around her, careful not to touch her injuries. Nyx tucked herself in tight and put her hand on Meg's. Normally Meg tried to keep Nyx from sleeping in her bed unless she had permission but it felt good.

Oddly, it felt like her presence was erasing the pain.

When the light clicked off, she knew they were alone and she let her eyes close so she could fall asleep again.

---

Castiel closed the door on the sight of Meg and Nyx curled up on her bed, buried under comforters and lit up only by the few night-lights they had left on for the child. It had been so tempting to stay and watch over them, to let himself have a few moments. The terror of the past few hours, of watching Dean wrap up Meg's wounds and waiting for her to show the slightest sign of waking up, had barely eased. He had felt her dreams; he didn't know what they were about but as he had watched her face he had seen the slight crack that went through her body seem to actually deepen and grow more obvious to him. She had been distressed and though he didn't know if she wanted him to stay there, he wanted to be here again.

But there were more important things to worry about.

He followed them all to the first floor and waited patiently. Watched all of them and wondered that they were all still alive and whole. But his attention was slowly dragged to Kevin and he knew the prophet was hiding something when he downed two beers in a row, his injured leg propped up on another chair. Kevin always refused to be healed these days anyway and the way Castiel stared at him made him drink faster.

Linda finished helping Sam line the windows and doorways with salt before she realized that Castiel was staring at Kevin.

"Something wrong with his face?" she asked curiously and Kevin shrugged as if to tell her he didn't know why Castiel was watching him. Sipping on a beer and cleaning his gun, Dean gave them both a look and waited.

"You knew something," Castiel said instead of bothering to be polite. Kevin looked up at him and set his own bottle down.

"Me? About what? Hellhounds?"

"I watched you, Kevin. You were afraid but you weren't surprised to see those hounds. I could read it in your face." Castiel slowly crossed his arms over his chest and, from where he was sitting, Dean could see that he was furious.

"Why would I know anything?" Kevin whispered but there was something in his voice that drew Linda's attention.

"Kevin, did you know?"

"I didn't know anything!" he shouted.

Before he could get up and storm out, Castiel moved fast. In a blur, he was in front of Kevin, pinning him to the wall beside the stove. He ignored Dean's protests and Linda's shouts of fury, even when her hand smacked him on the back. He focussed totally on Kevin and his gaze was sharp and knowing.

"What are you hiding, Kevin? How did you know?" he demanded lowly.

"Does it matter? It happened! We're all alive!" Kevin shouted at him and Castiel lifted him close so their noses touched.

"Meg and Nyx were nearly killed!"

"That matters to you now?" The prophet's voice was almost shrill and when Castiel slammed him into the wall he groaned in pain.

"I brought them here to protect them. Did you know? I won't ask you again!" the angel yelled back at him. Something in his voice, and being faced with a furious angel, made Kevin almost fold up childishly.

"This is stupid, Castiel." Linda smacked the back of his head again, ineffectively. "There is no way…"

"I knew."

Her son's voice, quiet and grave, made her look at him incredulously. "Kevin?"

"I saw it. It was like a dream or a prophecy. It's why I came home. I knew it was coming. I knew I had to be here but I didn't know why exactly. I never saw what happened to lead into it. I simply kept dreaming it… I would see Nyx snatched or Meg ripped apart or…."

"Why didn't you tell us?" Sam asked as he came into the room beside Dean. Both brothers abandoned their weapons, ready to act if they had to.

"I couldn't." He closed his eyes. "I dreamed it. I can't tell people what I dream. I can't."

"Why?" Dean asked, confused.

"These are from God. I just know that if I tell people, the future changes. Or I'm killed. It's my duty and my burden. I have to keep them to myself until He tells me otherwise, to try to help the future. Meg is a demon, it would take more than that to kill her! They are safe!"

Castiel released him just a little. "Meg's body thinks of itself as a human. She is vulnerable to every human death possible unless her true self wakes up. If they had died, Kevin, I would have killed you. Slowly. I would forget I was sworn to protect you."

The prophet's eyes met his and he could see the strange orangey glow tingeing the edges of the brown. The glow of a prophet.

"I would have let you. But I have to follow my mission, my duty. Didn't you tell me that once?" he countered and Castiel shook his head. He looked disgusted with the prophet before he let him go completely and walked out of the room. Dean heard the flutter of cloth and knew that he had left them alone.

Though he suspected he wasn't too far away.

Kevin nervously looked at them all but it was his mother's stare that made him close his eyes and sink down onto his buttocks on the floor.

"Oh, Kevin."

"They were ok. I can't… I couldn't tell you all because I didn't even know if it was real!" He put his head in his hands and shook a little. "I have to bear this."

Dean went to say something but Linda waved her hand to keep him quiet. Dean grabbed Sam instead and slowly pulled him out of the room to give the mother and son privacy. Knowing her as well as they did, both brothers knew Kevin would be handled as only a mother could.

"Kevin," Linda started and then stopped herself. She crouched down in front of him. "I'm… I don't know what to say."

"I'm a prophet, Mom, that doesn't make me responsible for the world," he snapped, going to move but she reached out and kept him still.

"You took Nyx out to play, knowing a Hellhound was going to find you. Why would you do that?"

"It had to be done," he whispered. "He told me it had to be."

"Who?"

"God." He looked feverish, wearing the sort of look of a fanatic touched by too much power. "He spoke to me. It has been years but he…"

"Sweetheart, I think you need to understand something so listen to me. That little girl adores you and she trusts you. You took her out with you to the yard, knowing it could happen. Knowing what was to come. Nyx could have been killed if Meg and the others weren't there." She shook her head and looked down at his hands as if she was picturing the blood there. "How could you live with yourself if you had known that could happen but didn't tell anyone?"

He gave a humourless chuckle. "Come on, Mom, it… it ended well. Leave it at that." It was when she sighed in an almost defeated way that he realized she wanted to say more. "What?"

"I just…" She stood up and folded her arms across her chest. "I don't think I've ever been more disappointed in you, Kevin. I don't think I even can see my son in you. You're not the caring boy I knew, the one who would never see a child hurt. For anything."

He blinked and stared as she walked out of the room, leaving him on the floor. Kevin rolled his eyes to the ceiling, where directly overhead Meg's room was, and thought of trusting blue eyes and a child he almost thought of as family now. Three years ago, he would have fought God's will. Now because of one small vision, one moment, he'd been willing to push that aside.

God… why?

Choking down a sob, he put his head on his knees and shook.

---

It was wrong to stay here. Castiel could almost hear the arguments from all of them and they would be right. But after the attack of the hellhound, he couldn't leave yet. Meg had actually seen the beast, which meant that more of the spell was cracking. Nyx had seen it as well, and the Lord knew what that meant for them all. The entire time, he realized how much fear he could feel for them, how powerless he had felt because he couldn't act as he know he should, all for the sake of keeping Meg hidden in that spell.

He knew what he had felt when watching Meg fight the hellhound to keep it off of Nyx.

Pride and fear for her.

His demon. Always the protector even if she didn't know it. He knew that Crowley had likely noticed his emotions were rubbed raw, would know that something was bothering him. But he had come back anyway.

He couldn't leave without watching over them for a while.

Staying invisible was easy. He'd watched Dean and Sam leave, likely to check for more hellhounds and to get gas in town, waited for Linda to go to bed, and with a sort of grudging dislike he had watched Kevin slowly, steadily, drink himself into a stupor in the front room as he watched television. Like a steady shadow, Castiel had followed them all before going to where he wanted to be.

Finding Meg awake had been a surprise. Awake and awkwardly re-wrapping her wounds. His fingers had itched to touch her, to help her, but he had kept himself seated on the windowsill across from her. He'd stayed with her the entire time as she picked up the sleepy girl from her bed and took Nyx for a bath; waited as Meg scrubbed grime and hellhound blood off her skin until she was fresh and clean.

The gentleness she had for Nyx was so strange, compared to the demon he remembered. The little girl had been so tired that Meg had cleaned her up and dressed her in pyjamas without any protests. Castiel knelt beside Meg, nothing more than a shadow sitting just beside Meg and watching them both. Listening to Meg's low murmuring and his daughter's sleepy grumbling, he let the domestic scene wash over him and give him some sense of calm.

He was able to take peace from it now though he knew he should leave.

Meg picked up the stuffed unicorn from the sink, where Sam had put it to drip dry after washing it. "Sorry, kiddo. I'll have to get Linda to repair him."

"Okay," Nyx whispered, her voice tiny. Meg stared into her face thoughtfully and Castiel found himself staring as well. Nyx hadn't looked at him once earlier and he wondered what she had seen during the hellhounds' attack. Her terror had been so real and she had clung to Linda and Sam for a while. That had stung deeply and he had had to remind himself it was for the best for now. He had longed to hold her himself, the way he had when she had been a newborn scared of this world. When their connection had been so deep, she knew that he would protect her.

Knowing what it could cost him, he hadn't held her like he wanted to.

But the urge was still there, stronger than ever.

"You okay, Nyxie?" Meg asked. The girl nodded and reached out so Meg would pick her up. Grunting against the pain in her bandaged side, Meg held her tight and held the unicorn with her other hand. "Come on, you can sleep in your own bed tonight. It's almost Thursday, baby girl. We can watch the stars tomorrow night if you want. We're gonna miss the one a.m. watching this time around."

"Monsters were gonna eat you."

"No, they weren't. It was just bad dogs."

Castiel knew her memory was already hazy over it and sighed, relieved that she might forget it completely. They could be safe for a little while longer.

"Thursday is a new day. Good things happen on Thursdays," Meg continued as she carried her down the hall to her small room near the rear of the house. The large windows put so much light in the room that Castiel knew she'd not be scared of the dark.

Invisible to them still, Castiel leaned against the door and watched as Meg set her down on the bed. She set the toy down on the small chest at the end of the bed and pulled the blankets back for her. Nyx was still too pale in her fear, her blue eyes big and round. She was exhausted and, judging by Meg's visible wincing, her mother wasn't too far behind.

"Scary monsters," Nyx whispered as she crawled to the head of the bed and let Meg fix the covers on the bed around her. She was twisting her fingers into knots, her freshly washed hair curling already. Castiel moved through the room but she didn't see him, even when he sat on the other side of her bed and watched her. His eyes went to Meg's face and he saw such open affection in her smile - love, he realized- that he almost forgot to breathe. Meg had never looked so easily affectionate; never with him or anyone else. She was so devoted to Nyx.

She had been the right choice to protect her.

"Scary monsters gonna eat us," Nyx repeated.

Meg smiled and picked up a sock monkey from the floor to tuck in beside her instead of the torn unicorn. "You got it, Nyx. You ok?"

"Scared."

Meg sat down and gave her daughter a look, her eyes on her face. "Pretty sure I'm scarier than any monster, huh? You saw what I did to that thing. No one will hurt you because I'm a scary monster even angels would be scared of."

She made a mock growl sound and snapped her teeth playfully.

Castiel smiled as he listened to Nyx give a tiny giggle. He could see her slowly accept that Meg would protect her and a part of him he thought he had buried slowly warmed to the thought of being here with them. It didn't matter that he was an angel or Meg a demon; he'd made his choice years ago with her. The urge to reach out and just touch both of them was so strong he clenched his fingers and looked away

Muttering that she was sleepy, Nyx tucked herself down and bundled herself up tightly. She was so deeply buried in the down comforter that all Castiel could see of her was her dark hair peeking out. It was as if she was hiding from the world to protect herself. Meg waited patiently until she was sound asleep, which didn't seem to take long, before she patted the bundle gently and stood up.

"I wont let anyone hurt you. We only got each other. You're my cause," Meg whispered. The choice of words made Castiel stare at her, hearing the same sort of devoted fierceness she had for him once. Judging by the look on her face, it was obvious that Meg found her choice of words just as disturbing. He stood and followed Meg to the door, still invisible to her.

As she moved to turn out the lights, she passed his unseen form and he reached out, fingers brushing her own. The soft breeze it caused, the feel of her fingers, sent a rush of warm feeling through him. He saw her shudder, her eyes darting around the room with the sort of quick darting glance of a born soldier looking for a threat. She seemed to look straight at him and he leaned down, wanting so desperately to touch her.

If he had been visible to her, they would have been just an inch from their mouths touching, from his hands touching her.

"You know I'm here," he whispered in his true-voice so she wouldn't actually hear him. The windows quivered from the pressure but he kept his eyes on Meg. Incredibly, he saw her wince in reaction to his voice and he heard behind her Nyx talking in her sleep.

Whispering a hello.

She had heard him.

He automatically pulled back and cursed himself for being an idiot. This wasn't a game, he wasn't some lovesick angel; all of this had been done to save them and he was risking it all. After Meg turned out the lights, he followed her through the halls. That they both could feel him meant that the spell Death had given him from the Lethe was cracking further. Meant that he needed to keep his distance. Leave them alone and find a way to make their protection last.

Only he didn't know how. Eons of life, knowledge well beyond any human, and he was at a loss.

Maybe, some darker part of him whispered, it's because you don't want to find a way.

Hating that that part of him was likely right, he knew it was time to leave. To go anywhere else but here, and think about what to do. Though it took him longer than he expected, Castiel disappeared before he was tempted to follow Meg into her bedroom.

---

"Not a single thing in town or in the country side," Dean muttered to himself as he drove an even thirty down the back roads. "Where the hell did that thing come from?"

"Well, hellhounds always come because they are ordered or have a demon unleashing them. But we both know Crowley won't do that on a whim." Sam was folding the map back up and he shoved it back under the seat before picking up his chip bag. "He's on a tight leash from Abaddon as it is."

"So what if it isn't him? Someone else let the dogs out?"

Sam resisted the urge to groan at the attempted joke. "Ok. Let's roll this back. Since we got here, Meg and Nyx were attacked by hellhounds. But nothing else. So what if someone set that dog out to look for her but didn't know what to look for?"

"Hellhounds aren't really beagles, Sammy," Dean countered. "Someone had to have an idea."

"The one left. Maybe they had orders to hold back. Only certain demons can control them that way. Remember Meg when she controlled them? They followed her orders to stay unless attacked. Crowley could order them to stay and to attack."

Dean didn't like being reminded of either situation. "So?"

"So we have a big name player who isn't Crowley, isn't Abaddon. Crossroads wouldn't have any interest in this, not really."

"Running out of high level demons though." Reaching over, Dean took a few chips out of Sam's bag. "We keep offing them."

"Maybe it is someone we wouldn't expect."

"Like?"

"I didn't think that far ahead." Sam sighed and leaned back. "I just… A kid who is that little shouldn't see hellhounds, Dean. We did so much to protect her, them, and now we have to think of something new."

"So we move them? Maybe get them to Garth's protection program? He can get them somewhere. Maybe Canada or something."

"I get the feeling that might not work. But we can try."

Dean looked up at the sky, seeing the stars and moon showing through the trees. "Well, one good thing?" He looked over at Sam. "That hellhound would go back licking its wounds. Anyone would take one look at the damage and think they aren't gonna screw with us."

"Yeah." Sam frowned and looked out the window. "Hopefully."

---

Kevin drank until his head spun and his tongue felt numb… and then drank even more. It felt good to feel numb for a while. The static white noise in his head, the insane pressure of being what he was, all of it could be killed for a few precious hours with the bitter bite of alcohol. Even the hangovers were worth it because it gave him something else to focus on for just a little while.

The whispers, the prophecies, the vast knowledge he now had stuck in his head could shut the hell up for all he cared.

But for once, the numbness didn't quite erase what he felt.

Guilt was something that never died.

It was easy to erase the Winchesters, the hunters, the angels, and the demons, all of them, with a few shots of good whisky. But he couldn't shut out the fact that a little girl who trusted him like her big brother had nearly been killed today. The one good thing he'd cared about since his mother had been brought to Arkansas, since she'd become the caretaker to a hidden demon and child, had been Nyx. And he'd let her down.

He had let his mother down.

Groaning, he got to his feet and clicked the television off. The entire room swam before his eyes and he leaned heavily against the wall as he made his way up the stairs to his bedroom. The guest rooms were to the left but he knew this house well. Be so easy to find his bedroom.

His head just hurt so much. He only felt this much pain when he was about to get a vision.

---

Castiel sat in a park in the north end of the town and stared up at the sky from his spot on a park bench. He could easily remember the jokes of each angel having a day. Leave it to religion to do such a thing. But oddly, Thursdays always were his better days. Maybe it was because he felt like it gave him responsibility and a sense of duty. Or maybe not. Maybe he simply assumed it did.

But since he had left the house, Castiel had felt a wrongness he hadn't felt before. Like something was about to turn over and change.

He shouldn't be thinking about going back. He should be going to Heaven, distracting the angels again as he thought up some plan. Some way of hiding them.

But he was already standing up. He was already bending his will to fly back to the house to watch over them all.

When he turned to face the house's direction, Death stood just behind him. No warning, no flicker of power to even announce his arrival. He simply blinked at him owlishly, one hand holding his cane and the other holding his bag.

"You nearly lost control of the situation, Castiel. Thank your Father that your demon is so… self-sufficient. Even though she thinks she is a human."

Knowing that Death had been watching made Castiel realize how much worse that fight with the Hellhound could have gone. Had he been waiting to take a soul?

"Why are you here?"

"I have investments; and people do die in this town, believe it or not. Perhaps I even have a word of advice." Castiel stepped back as the entity smiled at him. "Humans are vulnerable. Demons are not."

The angel stared at him. "What?"

"How else would a soul be woken from the Lethe? Death begets more death… and sometimes rebirth."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"I could just be stalling you," Death admitted. "Or I could just be concerned that when the time comes you won't be willing to do what it takes." He leaned forward and tapped his cane on the ground as he grinned at Castiel. "Try to prove me wrong. For once, if you will."

With a snap he was gone, leaving Castiel more confused than before.

---

Lying awake in her bedroom, Meg stared at the ceiling and wondered why she had felt like someone was watching her. The feeling had left an hour ago but it was so deep under her skin now that she could feel it crawling over her like a physical touch. She could have sworn someone had been in the room with her. At least Nyx was just in the other room, safe. The entire house was quiet except for the occasional creak of floorboards and doors that she dismissed as Kevin moving around.

The vision of those strange hellish beasts attacking her and Nyx was still so vivid even when she closed her eyes. She knew those creatures. They weren't dogs like Linda or the others had told her. They weren't nightmares, they were… were…

Hellhounds.

Rolling her eyes, Meg put a pillow over her head and dismissed that name as stupidity. She was exhausted. She was imagining things and voices now. She just needed a few more hours of rest and she'd deal with it in the morning.

---

Kevin didn't bother to turn on his light as he happily staggered into his bedroom, toeing off his shoes and kicking them into his closet. Drunkenly, he chuckled at the sound they made when they slammed into the wall. Maybe his mom would wake up and yell at him some more.

I could use some more of her disappointment in my life, he thought angrily.

He fell face first onto his bed and sighed as the comforting softness cushioned the impact. This felt so good, he thought. He could sleep, get a nice massive hangover, and try to forget the past few hours. Easy. He'd done it before after all.

Rolling onto his back, he put his arm behind his head and sighed. The room was still spinning even with his eyes shut and his stomach turned over at the sensation. The dizziness was nothing. That was comforting actually. It distracted him.

Kevin smiled and let his other hand rest on his stomach as he breathed in and out deeply. It would be easier to think about in the morning. He could think of something, anything, to make his mom see the right of what he had done. He could even play with Nyx and get her to forget what had happened. In the morning. Kevin let himself start to drift asleep, knowing it would be okay in the morning.

Drip.

Something warm and wet dropped onto his hand.

It felt like a raindrop.

Drip.

Kevin immediately thought of the roof repairs that had been done last summer. The air actually smelled coppery now, which could mean a busted pipe. Maybe it was a bad contractor. But knowing his mom, that wasn't likely. Maybe…

Drip.

Another drop. Just as warm and wet as the first ones. It smeared down his hand as it dribbled and he twitched as more droplets began to sprinkle down on him, starting to hit his stomach and legs. If he ignored the water, maybe it would just go away, he drunkenly thought before taking in a deep breath. The stench of sulphur suddenly crept into his nostrils, joining the copper rich odour, and hesitantly he opened his eyes.

Only to see his mother staring down at him from the ceiling.

Her eyes were wide and lifeless, her pinned body in a strange parody of crucifixion where she was splayed on the ceiling. The blood was dripping from her body onto his. Her mouth was open as if she was about to scream and Kevin opened his own mouth, wanting to cry out loud.

"Mom?" he whispered instead. He couldn't find it in him to scream. He had never seen this. This could be a new vision. It had to be a new vision.

But this was too real. It had never felt this real!

"Mom?" he whispered again, like a broken child, as his eyes stayed on her face and more droplets of blood joined the others on his face. Her eyes never blinked and her mouth never closed. Linda's head was tilted at an odd angle and the gaping wound in her stomach was what was dripping blood onto him. "Mom?"

Kevin could only stare in horror and fascination. Praying that this was a dream. A prophecy that this time he could prevent. But under the hope he knew. He knew this was real.

He finally screamed, howled at her to not be dead. Called her name.

As if echoing his scream, he heard the snarl and roar of fire igniting and the ceiling lit up in flames at the edges her body. It surrounded her and lit her body up, smoking flesh and burning hair joining the sulphurous odours. The flames roared loud and he felt a blast of heat as it curled around her and began to devour her flesh.

All the while, she looked down on him with dead, accusing eyes.

You should have seen this, Kevin, a voice, evil and demonic, whispered in his mind.

"NO! MOM!" he screamed and he shot up in the bed. The fire alarm began screaming and Kevin screamed with the sound. The fire was starting to slither across the ceiling to the curtains and electrical unit, but Kevin couldn't move even when the lights exploded. Insanely, he reached out as if to grab her hand from the ceiling, to pull her free from the flames engulfing her body. He didn't care that he was inhaling lungfuls of black smoke. He had to save her. He had to earn her forgiveness.

Still she stared down at him.

"MOM!"

The door to his bedroom crashed open and through the growing thick smoke he saw Dean. The hunter looked up, his mouth half-open in shock before he recovered. Instinct took over and he launched himself at Kevin to pull him off the bed, just as the ceiling caved, a wood beam splintering his bed in half and bringing Linda's body with it. Protectively hovering over the younger man, Dean looked up at the door just as Sam skidded in and took in the scene as the entire room became engulfed in flames.

Both brothers recognized it with horrifying memory.

"Find Meg! Make sure they are safe!" Dean shouted and he yanked Kevin up into his arms, slinging his arm over his shoulders. He ignored the way Kevin fought against him, struggling to stay. "Come on, kid."

"I have to save her!" the prophet shouted hysterically and Dean shook his head, able to tell that Kevin was going to fight him. He let him go but before Kevin could move he punched him across the jaw, knocking him out. Cursing the fire that was already starting to come towards him, Dean slung the smaller man over his shoulders and ran for the steps.

Sam threw open doors to the rear of the house and heard the hiss of fire following him. The halls were already smoke filled and he could smell the sulphur in the house. He wondered, heart banging hard in his chest, if it meant that whoever had been in the house had attacked Meg and Nyx. What if they had been taken or killed while they were out?

"Meg!" he shouted and he slammed into her just as he rounded the corner to her bedroom. She was already dressed and looking confused. When he opened his mouth to tell her to run, she looked over his shoulder and saw the flames climbing along the ceiling behind him. Sam slammed the door shut to buy them some time and turned back to her.

"You have to get out of here."

Meg shoved him out of her way and ran for the room next to hers and shouldered the door open.

Nyx was still in her massive bundle of blankets, sound asleep. Meg tossed the blanket to the side, and Sam quickly grabbed what warm clothing he could from Nyx's small dresser, pausing to even grab the ruined unicorn for her. His mind worked fast, calculating the distance of the fire and the back of the house and he saw the open window. If they had to jump…

Meg shook her daughter awake just as the fire alarms in the old house began to wail. "Nyxie? Wake up. We need to run."

The little girl was awake immediately. "Monsters?"

Meg went to say no but Sam saw no point in lying. "Yeah, Nyx. Monsters. Come on." He moved Meg out of the way and scooped her up, tossing Meg the bag he had grabbed. "Stay close," he ordered over his shoulder as he ran out the door and down the stairwell.

She was like a shadow, nearly tripping over his feet as they wove their way through the burning house. Nyx clung to his neck and Sam held her tighter to keep her from falling, all the time wondering if they were about to be attacked. The way the house was built meant that it took the fire longer to get to the main level and he made sure to keep both of them close to him.

"What happened?" Meg asked, choking on more smoke.

"The other bedrooms are on fire." He couldn't, didn't want to think of what had just happened. They had seen the flames just starting as they pulled into the driveway and some instinct had made them run into the house. He focussed on what Dean had told him to do. He had to get them out.

But seeing it… seeing it made it no easier to deal with.

Memories of Jess still clung to him like a bloodstain and he clutched Nyx harder to his body to keep her safe the way he hadn't been able to keep Jess safe.

Just outside the door, Dean was still dragging Kevin out the door, the younger man now fighting him and screaming about saving his mother. He had fought him the moment he recovered from the punch. Despite all they had seen and done together, he was still a young man, still a devoted son, and he had loved his mother so much.

As Sam sprinted for the door with Meg behind him, he heard the final snaps and crackle of the beams falling down and he grabbed her hand, whipping her forward and shoving her out. They made it down the porch to the driveway, to stand safe behind the Impala, just as the roaring fire made it to the first level. Meg spun around to watch as the only home she remembered went up in flames.

Behind her, Dean stared as well and remembered as a tiny boy carrying his baby brother out, not knowing that he was about to lose his hope of a family and a regular life.

While Sam remembered losing what hope he had had of being normal, the devastating loss of Jess.

Kevin crumpled to his knees and cried as he watched the house his mother had made her home become her tomb.

The loud sirens approaching made no one move, not even when fire trucks pulled in front of them and firemen began to pelt them with questions. Everything was in a fog of black smoke and fire. No one could really move. Nyx held onto Sam for protection and he squeezed her back, letting her childish tears keep him strong.

"You all have to move back, we're going to try to save the house," a fireman said. "Are you all the only people in the house?"

"Yeah… yeah." Dean shook himself out of his stupor. "Guys, come on. Back up."

Everyone backed away, with Kevin being picked up by several fireman and carried over to the ambulance as it arrived. He was heaving for breath, panic and smoke making it hard for him to even get a lungful of oxygen, and Meg watched everything as if from a daze.

The fire…

Shaking her head, she turned around and looked at the growing crowd. Typical of a small town, they left each other alone until something terrible happened. Now cars were pulling up and people she barely recognized were getting out to watch the blaze. No one here would care that they had lost everything.

"Wait… Linda… where is she?" she asked, turning to Dean. He looked down at her, saying nothing, and then looked away. Meg stared at his handsome face and realized what was wrong.

Her only connection to life, to what she could have been, was gone. The only person who had been kind to her in the past three years… lost in the fire. She didn't even know how or why.

Staggering back a few steps, she moved away from Dean and Sam until her back met her own car. The urge to run was so strong as finally, after three years, she panicked. She could leave while no one was watching. The blaze was stealing the only things she had ever known for the past three years. The smoke and heat began to cloud her eyesight and she inhaled a few lungfuls by mistake, feeling the intensity of the flames though it was a distance away.

She was lost. She didn't even know who she was.

She had nothing else.

Nothing except…

"Nyx!" Meg shouted, needing to be sure she was kept safe, and the little girl squirmed in Sam s arms, crying out for her mother as the smoke cleared. Her dusty black waves bounced on her shoulders as her arms outstretched, but Sam kept her safe as more firemen ran by. Meg was clutching her side, gasping for breath from the smoke inhalation and had to pause as several of the firemen shoved her out of their way with the hose.

"Hello, Meg," someone whispered behind her. A throaty voice that pricked at her mind, caught at her memory, made her turn to face a young man whose bright eyes slowly flashed to yellow in a sickeningly slow way. The man she had seen on the street. Meg stared at him and wondered why those yellow eyes were so familiar. He grinned and held up a wicked looking silver blade coated in black blood along its smooth edges. "I think it's time we brought you back."

Before she could stop him, he slammed the blade of the knife deep into her belly and pulled her into an awkward hug as if to shield what he had done from everyone else.

"Shh shh, hush," he crooned to her, rocking her a little back and forth. "No need to call them yet."

Meg chortled, blood rising from her lips.

"A type of poison made from hellhound blood and venom. Not enough to kill you if you are a demon, but do you feel the angle? It's just perfect inside of you, causing some bad damage you should be able to heal if you aren't human. It's just enough to wake you up, you understand?" he asked conversationally as he twisted the knife deeper. Meg couldn't find the strength to scream, shocked agony ripping through her body. She stared over his shoulder, trying to find a way to gasp, to scream for help.

Nyx.

A loud shout and scream caught her attention as he released her, letting her sway on her feet. The smile was absurdly friendly, the kiss against the side of her head almost fatherly. There was something in his eyes that reminded her of another dream.

She only thought about it for a split second before the pain slicing through her body screamed for her to do something or die.

"Welcome back, daughter. You will have some explaining to do."

He disappeared in a flicker of light and Meg's vision began to blur over. She clutched at the wound in her belly and pulled her hand away to find it coated in blood. The swaying grew worse as a strange white noise and her own heartbeat began pounding in her ears

Pain. Death.

Why was that familiar?

When she looked up, licking dry lips that tasted of blood, her blurred vision revealed a shadow standing in front of her. Tan coat, dark hair but nothing else she could see.

"Meg," the garbled voice said just as she collapsed to her knees. Hands caught her, held her and kept her from falling completely. With gentle firmness, the hands touched the wound in her belly that even now was pulsing out blood. Smoothed her hair out of her eyes with now bloodstained fingers and tried to comfort her.

"Get back," that familiar rough voice hissed. A loud child's cry had Meg struggling to open her eyes.

"Nyx."

"She's safe. Sam has her. I have you. Hold onto me." The voice was gentle and she pressed her head to the shoulder as she felt the last of her will to fight leaving her. He swung her up into his arms and the wound in her belly stopped throbbing for a moment. "Get Nyx to a motel. Protect her. I need to take care of Meg."

"Cas, look, we…"

"Go!"

---

The child's crying grew faint and Meg grabbed at his sleeves, clutching him like a lifeline. As he teleported them out of the fire, he could feel her starting to die. The thought that he had come back too late, that he hadn't moved fast enough, made him cradle her closer. She groaned as Castiel gently touched the wound once they came to a stop in the parkland. He'd moved them to the springs much further up the road, needing the space and the lack of people. He needed a chance to save her.

"It's okay, it's okay," he murmured against her hair as he laid her down on the ground below him. "I have you. It'll be okay. Has to be okay. I need you here. You'll be okay."

Continuing to repeat that comforting litany, more to keep himself calm than her, Castiel parted her shirt and stared at the gaping wound. It was deep and had been done purposely. When he lifted his bloodstained fingers close to his face, he could smell the heady odour of a poison. He knew then what he had to do. Knowing what using his Grace on her would do to what left of the spell. Knowing what was about to be risked.

He looked up at her face, seeing the confused agony there as she gasped and choked. "I need to heal you. I'm sorry. It's time and I can't let this happen."

She was coughing up blood, her body struggling to heal from the blow already. Castiel knelt beside her and tore her necklace off, his fingers crushing the coins that dangled there with the others. His hand glowed as his Grace unleashed and destroyed the coins, sending them back to where they had come from. Dropping the rest of the necklace to the ground, he leaned closer and pressed his palm to her side.

"I'm sorry, Meg. I hope you can forgive me. It'll be okay, I swear. You'll be okay."

Her eyes were rolling back in her head as he put his other hand to her forehead. Whispering in Enochian, he began to focus his power and found the wall he'd built in her mind. The deep shadow of a mask the spell from the Lethe had created and that his Grace had helped strengthen to hide the demonic darkness deep inside of her. He could feel the spell he had used, the power of the Lethe now broken completely at the touch of his Grace, and he found the crack in that protective shell. His power tore into it, widening it and pulling it apart the way someone would tear apart a wall brick by brick.

His eyes stayed on Meg's face and saw the pain there.

"Come back to me."

Her darkness snapped and snarled around her as he unleashed her true nature and his own Grace warred with hers instinctively, drawing it out to defend itself. Meg's chest inflated and she gasped, the blood that pulse from her wound no longer as thick. Her fingers clutched his coat tight and he pressed the heel of his hand in harder. Her breathing quickened but she didn't scream, not like a human might. She just stared up at him with pained brown eyes as she gulped in deep breaths and as he watched her eyes slowly turn black, like an ink stain slowly spreading.

The limp way she hung in his arms was warm and familiar and he smoothed his thumb over the crease in her brow, his fingers easing the pressure. "Meg," he muttered and his fingers flexed. Immediately he felt her memories flooding back, the torture that had made her a demon, the centuries of evil and pain, the utter power in her darkness. Still he continued to apply the pressure. "Come back. Please. Wake up."

He watched as the true face of the demon came back to life in its smoke and grey flesh entirety. It flickered over her and he grasped her tighter as Meg the human was replaced by Meg the demon. He glanced away to see the wound closing on its own.

"Come back to me. I won't let you die," he whispered and looked up to see her eyes were closed. The wound healed and her power roared to life as his Grace brought it back into the open.

Slowly, her eyes opened and Castiel waited. Those eyes were now so black that no light seemed to escape them as she stared up at him. Focussed on him totally and Castiel stared back into her eyes.

"Meg."