Nathalie gazed at her biological mother in fear. The red stain in front of her dress seemed to grow.
"You left us," the ghost whispered.
"I'm sorry, I didn't know," Nathalie whispered.
Her mother looked at her, extending her hand. Nathalie flinched, but her mother's hand moved in a caressing gesture on her face. She shut her eyes, bracing for the pain in her chest.
Instead she felt cold, coming from the hand where it had touched her. She held her breath, expecting it to turn to pain, if it did not kill her outright.
It turned to … comfort.
She looked at her birth mother in wonder, tears in her eyes.
"Mom …" she said softly. Her mother smiled.
The demon in her adopted mother realized something was very wrong. Narrowing her eyes, she traced some symbols in the air, reciting some Latin verse.
Her mother's ghost turned to the demon, her eyes full of hatred.
The demon started chanting again, her voice shrieking, her hand gestures growing desperate. Nell's ghost moved invariably towards her.
"You'll pay for what you did to my family," she hissed. She touched the demon and the flesh started to burn and decay. The demon screamed.
When Dean arrived at the bedroom, he saw Nell standing in front of Nathalie. Hannah lay unconscious to the side.
Instinctively, he grabbed his shotgun, but stopped when he realized Nell was smiling. The blood stain was no longer on her dress.
"My beautiful girl," she whispered before disappearing.
Nathalie burst into tears.
Castiel knew the moment the seal was saved. How it remained intact was still up in the air.
He knew Dean would never sacrifice an innocent just to save a seal. As an angel, he should be angry. Preventing Lucifer from walking the Earth should be the No. 1 priority. But he was secretly glad and admired Dean's capacity for compassion.
Nevertheless, he found he was holding his breath when he saw the front door open. What if Dean finally agreed that seals were more important -?
He saw Dean carrying Hannah out, still unconscious. Behind him, Nathalie limped out.
"Help me out here, Cas," Dean grunted. Hannah was still alive, but the demon had misused the body. The diminutive woman had cuts and bruises all over her body.
Avoiding Nathalie's eyes, Castiel placed his hand over the woman. The gaping wounds closed and the woman settled into a deep, healing sleep.
Dean bundled the woman into the Impala. Job done, he turned to the angel and Nathalie. The angel and Nathalie stood close to each other, Dean wasn't sure if they consciously decided to be that close. Nathalie's eyes were on Castiel. Castiel in turn was staring into space again, his face troubled.
Dean cleared his throat, uncomfortably. "I'll just pop your mom at home," he told Nathalie.
Nathalie turned to Dean. Impulsively, she hugged him.
"Thank you, Dean. You saved my life and my mom's," she said, smiling. Blushing, she added, "I'm sorry I gave you such a hard time. But in my defense, you can be a dick."
"That didn't last long, did it?" Dean answered, grinning. He moved to the car.
He decided to throw Castiel a bone.
"I'll let you two talk. Cas can bring you home," he said, turning on the ignition. The Impala roared to life.
Castiel looked at Nathalie. She was dirty and bedraggled, her face a mish mash of scratches, her body bruised.
"I can help," he said, softly, touching his hand to her face. Her wounds healed, but still he kept his hand on her face.
She gazed at him. "I won't see you again, will I?"
Castiel shook his head. "It is doubtful."
Nathalie nodded, resigned. She took a shaky breath, moving her head so her lips grazed the inside of his palm.
The action jolted Castiel. He reflexively tightened his hand and then relaxed. He held her close.
"I'll never forget you," Nathalie said, her eyes shiny with tears.
Castiel smiled sadly. His face serious, he looked deep into her eyes. Those beautiful blue eyes seemed to burn.
"You will not remember me, but you will remember a wonderful dream you had, about a man who loves you very much," he whispered, caressing her cheek.
"Think Cas will be OK?" Sam asked. They were driving to their next job, their mission in Battle Creek ending happily … for some anyway.
Dean shrugged. He did not want to dwell on the angel and the force of his fledgling feelings. He had accused Cas of being a cold-hearted SOB but now he knew how emotional the angel could actually be. The depth of the suffering Dean saw in Cas's eyes in front of the abandoned house terrified Dean. The angel cared, maybe too much.
Hope that doesn't end up biting him in the ass, he thought.
"He removed Nathalie's memories, you know that? She doesn't remember Cas at all, thought we did everything," Sam added.
Dean grunted. "Probably best. We don't want too many civilians knowing about angels walking around."
Sam nodded silently. "Poor Cas," he said softly.
The two drove off in silence, the road stretching ahead of them like a giant snake. At the end of it lies the head of the snake: Lilith.
THE END