A month after Sam and Dean are sent to Purgatory
Alex stared into the eyes of the demon strapped to the chair in front of her. The demon knife slashed his arm roughly and he growled at Alex.
"You going to tell me where Sam and Dean are?" Alex asked.
"How the hell am I supposed to know?" The demon asked.
"You're one of Crowley's men. He always knows. So...one last time." Alex placed the demon blade at his neck and blinked, her eyes turning yellow as she looked back at him. "Where are they?"
"After what you did to Crowley, I'm not telling you anything."
"Your loss." Alex shoved the knife into his neck and light flashed in his head before he died. She wiped the blood on a rag. "Next."
Dean and Sam had met up with a hunter in the area who was working the werewolf case. Anthony, a burly man with a good sense of humor, did prove useful but the Winchesters weren't looking for another partner.
"Have you two seen Yellow Eyes around?" Anthony asked over a burger.
"We killed him years ago, man." Dean said.
"It ain't a him. It's a her and last I heard she was looking for you." Anthony's mouth was full. "There's some hunters out there who want her dead but she killed an assload of demons. Saved my ass more than once."
"Did she have a name?" Sam asked.
"She just called herself Jack." Anthony said.
"Damn it. We leave and new scumbags step up." Dean slammed his burger on the plate aggressively. "She hurt any humans?"
"Not as far as I know. What does she want with you two?"
"We gotta go, Anthony. Thanks for the help." Sam and Dean hurried out to the rental car they had and went over to their hotel. Sam called Alex to come over while Dean finished listening to the voicemails on the phones Alex had saved for them.
"Hey guys. What's with the 911?" Alex shrugged her coat off and paused at their expressions.
Dean held up a phone and played a voicemail. Kevin's voice was on the other end. "Hey guys. I tried Alex's number but she didn't answer. Crowley has me in a warehouse or storage unit or something. I need your help."
There were several more messages like this and by the end Alex was snickering to herself. Dean got angry and threw the phone on the ground before shoving Alex against the wall and growling at her. "You think this kid dying is funny? He was our responsibility and you were too busy playing house with Cas that God knows what happened to him!"
"Dean, let her go!" Sam commanded his brother. Dean didn't loosen his hold on Alex's shirt as he glared into her eyes.
"He's fine, Dean." Alex said with a smirk. "Those messages were planted there so if anybody heard those messages, they'd think Kevin was in trouble. He's safe."
"Then where the hell is he?" Dean asked.
"I don't know. He's in one of the safe houses." Alex pushed Dean off her. "After you two disappeared, I cleaned up Dick's mess and used some of the money for a better network: better safehouses, identities, better everything. I don't know where Kevin is because it's not safe for me to know."
"Why not?" Sam asked.
"Because I've got pressure points now: my children. Do you really think Crowley is going to be above using children to get to me?" Alex straightened her shirt. "We have check in points and Kevin has met every single one. If he misses one, a signal goes up from his computer."
"What if his computer isn't on?" Sam asked.
"It doesn't matter. It sends the signal anyway." Alex said. "I wasn't going to let him get hurt."
"So you got time to organize all this but not look for us?" Dean asked.
"Are you insane?" Alex asked him. "I did look for you."
"Yeah right." Dean shouted at her. "How did it take you to fall into bed with Cas and screw your troubles away after we were gone?!"
Alex slapped Dean. She was seething when she spoke through her teeth. "I looked for you for a year. I went to Purgatory every few weeks, as soon as my soul recharged enough to make sure I could come back. Don't you dare say that I didn't!"
"You can't just come and go to Purgatory how you please! That isn't how it works!" Dean shouted back, Alex's hand print starting to show on his cheek.
"Then how exactly did I get these?" Alex pulled up her sleeves, revealing the scars that the vampires and Leviathan in Purgatory had given her. Dean and Sam stared at her arms. "The only reason I stopped was because my children, your family, needed a new start and I gave them one. Every single day I hoped and prayed that you would come back but I had to be realistic. You both were gone and it shattered my heart. I had just lost my mother, step father, and the rest of my family and then my brother and husband were gone."
Sam's response was to glare at his brother for a moment before putting his arms around Alex and hugging her. When he pulled away, Dean paused but stepped forward and hugged Alex as well.
"Sorry."
"You should be." Alex said. Her lips twitched in an effort not to smile. "Douche."
"Bitch." Dean smiled back.
"So, we got a line on a demon calling herself Jack." Sam said, looking at some papers. "We need your help."
"I'm not a hunter anymore." Alex said. "I can't help you."
"We just need a little help with research." Sam looked at her with a puppy dog look. "Please?"
"I can't help you with the demon but I did get a line on a new tablet." Alex offered.
"I thought you weren't a hunter." Dean said as he took a drink from his beer.
"I still like to know what's going on." Alex crumpled a burger wrapper from a chair and sat down, tossing the wrapper at Dean's head.
"What's the name of the tablet?" Sam asked.
"Demons." Alex said with a smile.
"Where is it? Does Crowley have it?" Dean asked.
"I doubt it." Alex chuckled.
"What's so funny?" Sam asked.
"I gave Crowley to the Alpha like I promised I would. The Alpha and I have a truce of sorts. Hunters don't kill them and they don't feed off humans. There's even a few hunter vamps now." Alex said.
"You've been busy." Sam said, impressed.
"No, I just make good on my deals." Alex countered. "Anyway, Kevin is going to check in soon so I can give you the number of somebody who can get you in touch with him."
"Thanks. That'd be great." Sam said.
"No problem." Alex smiled. "It's at home so I'll have to get it. Do you guys want to come over for lunch? Ellen and Bobby are still in town. I'm sure they'd love to see you."
Sam and Dean exchanged a look but ultimately agreed. Bobby cried as he hugged the two boys he loved as sons and thought he had lost. Levi and Madison were happy to see Sam and Seraphina bonded well with the Winchesters. Castiel was happy to have the boys back but seemed to be distant all night.
"Mommy, Aunt Ellen and Uncle Bobby want us to come visit them!" Levi tugged on Alex's hand.
"You've got school tomorrow." Alex said.
"Please? It's a long weekend and we hardly ever miss." Madison pleaded. "Can we go? Please?"
Alex and Castiel shared a look before she agreed. The three children ran to their room and packed their bags, excited for this adventure. Ellen and Bobby got the kids loaded into the car and Alex and Castiel said their goodbyes, waving after the car until it was out of sight. Castiel went up to their bedroom and Alex followed him, closing the door softly behind her.
"Are you alright?" Alex asked him.
"I'm getting something on angel radio." Castiel admitted. "I'm needed in Heaven."
"I thought you turned the radio off?" Alex asked.
"I turned it back on recently so I could keep tabs on the tablet." Castiel said. "My brothers and sisters are asking for my help and I feel like I owe it to them."
"Of course." Alex said. "Just come back in one piece?"
"Always." Castiel kissed her forehead before he disappeared. Alex checked her reflection in her mirror and straightened her hair when she heard the door open then close. She turned around and saw Sam standing there.
A/N: Yes, I know it's a short chapter but I cannot progress until I get some viewer feedback on one particular subject: who should Alex be with? So for the next week PM me or post in the review section who you want Alex to be with. I have two different ways the story can go depending on the relationship. The one with the most votes wins! As always a huge thank you to my reviewers, readers, followers, and favoriters! Feel free to drop a review on your way out. I love all of you. xo