I might bang out two updates today...

We'll see...

- Diana's POV -

When I woke the next morning, my head was on Sam's shoulder. How that happened, I'm not sure, but he was sleeping so deeply, he barely noticed when I got out of bed. I jumped in the shower, and just enjoyed the water for a little while. It wasn't hot, but it was bearable and more than anything, I just wanted to scrub off everything that had happened since that night that they showed up at the bar.

Really, Diana? Do you? These guys are probably the best thing that's ever happened to you. Sure, they come with dark pasts, monsters, and death follows them wherever they go, but they get it. They get what it's like. And they have good hearts. You can't walk away from that...

I got out of the shower and stared at my reflection. 5'4", long dark hair, hazel eyes, not slim, not wide. Average. In probably every sense of the word. Except for what the angel, Castiel, said.

He told me that I had many names, but that most of them were in languages I wouldn't understand and that English couldn't quite describe me properly. He entered my mind, tried to show me through images, but found that most of them were blocked off. So he started to remove a barrier. He said that the wall was preventing my full potential, keeping me hidden as a normal human, though I was not.

He came back last night. I almost screamed for the boys, but he told me that he was in my dreams, so they wouldn't hear me. While he was there, he started to remove more of the barrier, which hurt like nothing else, and sent horrifying images flashing through my head. I saw extensions of what I had seen earlier, Bobby stabbing the woman, Sam screaming for the blonde, Dean watching the boy be tortured, and the couple being skinned alive, and other various heartbreaking, gory scenes, involving the Winchesters, Bobby, and other people I didn't know.

When it was over, I felt like I had been hit by a train and fell away from Cas and my dreamworld, falling into darkness. I don't know how long it was before I woke, but it felt like a while.

Shaking the memory away, I stepped into some jeans and pulled on a fresh top, then padded out to the tiny little kitchen area. Looking around, I sighed, but knew I'd have to make due. I checked the cupboards and fridge. No food. Great. Shopping it is, then.

After I got back and had started cooking, the boys began to stir. I looked up to see Dean inhale the smell of breakfast and smile before opening his eyes. Sam's arm moved across the mattress where I had been sleeping, then his eyes flew open and he sat up like a jack knife. Finally seeing me, he relaxed again and rubbed his face.

"Morning," I sang, sliding some eggs and pancakes onto two plates. "Hungry?"

"Always," Dean replied, rolling from the bed and pouring himself some coffee. "Whatcha got there?"

"Eggs, toast, bacon pancakes."

His eyes grew wide. "I'm sorry, did you just say bacon pancakes?" I looked back at him and nodded, then handed him a plate. His smile grew and I think it finally dawned on me just how much this man loves food.

He glanced up at Sam as he sat at the small table and dug in. After his first bite, his grin grew somehow larger and through a mouthful of food he said, "Okay, we can keep her."

"Where did you learn to cook like this?" Sam asked when he ate some too.

I shrugged. "I don't know, practice, I guess. I liked cooking for the kids I lived with and they would try anything, so I just kept going." I sat down beside them with my own plate. "So, what's on the agenda today?"

"I'm gonna do a little research, see if I can't find anymore wacky or maybe get Cas to spill the beans about this whole heavenly weapon thing," Dean grumbled around his food.

"And you and I are gonna do some more training," Sam added.

"Are you gonna make me run again?" I groaned. He laughed and nodded. "I hate running."

"Too bad, we do a lot of it."

"You have fun with that," Dean snickered, shoveling the rest of his food in, then dumping his plate in the sink. "Catch you guys later." And out the door he went.

"He hates cleaning, doesn't he?" I smiled, moving to the sink to finish the dishes.

"Here, I got that," Sam said, coming up behind me and moving me away from the sink. "You go change."

"Okay, thanks."

When we found a park, we made our way behind the playground and up into the woods and found a trail. Sam started me off with a fast walk, then a sprint, then a jog. At the end, I was breathing hard and he was only slightly winded. I punched him in the arm.

"You and your long legs, you friggen giant!"

"Sensitive about your height, shorty?" he laughed. I mocked his laugh, then squatted down and swept my legs under him. He hit the ground with a low thump.

"The bigger they are, the harder they fall, huh?" I teased.

He grinned. "Nice aim. You hit my Achilles." He jumped up again. "But now I'm ready for you."

"Come at me, bitch."

We practiced a few punches, kicks, and blocks, then dropped the techniques and just kinda started rolling around and swinging at each other. He obviously went very easy on me, I mean, the guy's at least twice my size, probably more. Then we started swinging at each other with small branches and I felt like I was five again, playing with fake swords.

Suddenly, Castiel appeared in front of me and I froze.

"Good morning, Diana. Hello, Sam," he said in that gravelly voice. I felt all of my muscles tense and my grip tighten around my branch. "I have come to take Diana for testing."

"Like hell you have," Sam glared. "Cas, what the hell is going on with you? You're acting like robot-angel again."

Castiel pulled a marker out of his trench coat pocket and wrote something on his hand. He showed it to us. Shield the room against angels.

"But what about you?" he asked softly. Cas wrote on his other hand. Seal me in.

Sam nodded, took my hand, and ran.

Back at the room, Dean was about to spout questions but Sam put his finger to his lips. Castiel appeared at the end of Dean's bed, then showed his hands to us again. Sam and Dean went about writing on the walls and floors with white chalk. I took a mental picture of the symbols and made a note to myself to ask about them later.

Finally, they put the chalk away and wiped their hands on their pants.

"Okay, Cas, what's going on?" Sam asked. Castiel relaxed a bit.

"As you know, the angels are recollecting their scattered weapons. They want to collect Diana, but not just to shelf her, they want to test her, see her limits, then try to use her."

"For what?" Dean asked, arms folded, his voice clearly expressing his thinning patience. "You still haven't provided any explanations, Cas."

Cas looked at me, brow furrowed. "I thought you would have told them."

"I don't even understand half of what you tried to tell me!" I protested. Cas sighed, paced across the room a few times, then stopped and turned to us again.

"It is very hard to express this in English, but I will do my best... Diana is very old."

I knitted my eyebrows together, shooting him a skeptic look. "I'm 22..."

"In this life, yes," Castiel agreed. All of our eyebrows shot up and we glanced at each other, me just as confused and surprised as them.

"Are you saying she's been reborn?" Dean asked. Cas nodded.

"Many, many times. She- That is, her soul, is even older than I. The angels of the Lord want to recollect the weapons that are theirs, but my Father was not Diana's only Creator. She was created by the combined efforts of several gods. Somewhat like Pandora's Box, they created an incredible power, but found it too difficult to control, so they reshaped it and put it in the strongest vessel they could think of, a pure human soul. Of course, this soul was far too precious to allow to go to any heaven, hell, purgatory, or limbo that any of these gods controlled, so when it's body died, the memories were erased and it was put into another body. It was also much easier to keep on hand this way, in case it needed to be unleashed."

Shit, I needed to sit down. I plopped down into a chair at the small motel table, my mind running wild with countless questions.

"So... This power... What does it do?"

"Well, I suppose you could think of it like a mirror," Castiel replied, watching me closely, examining me like a bug in a box. "This mirror, however, does not reflect appearances, but abilities. Diana has the power to tap into the nature and abilities of her opposer and replicate it. For example, if she was put up against a vampire, with focus and determination, she too could attain their speed, strength, and grow fangs."

I shuddered and felt Dean and Sam eye me warily.

"So, what's the catch?" Sam asked. "There's always some kind of catch."

"Well, there is a 'catch,' as you say, for both Diana and those who created her. For Diana... Well, she will never be allowed to move on. If she had chosen to take her own life to see her parents again that night on the bridge, she would not have been allowed to. Her memory would have been wiped and her soul would have been placed into a new body. She will never achieve rest, but will be forced to live life over and over again, and experience death, over and over again."

I inhaled sharply with the realization of my lack of free will when it came to my own life, and exhaled painfully when I realized I had no hope of easing my loneliness. I would always lose people, and always forget them. My life was practically a mirage, merely keeping my soul occupied while I waited to be taken of the shelf and used as a weapon against my will. In that moment, I sank lower than I ever had before. I had so hoped I could make up for all of my mistakes, help people, save lives, as a nurse, a hunter, an amateur cook in a foster home... And now I felt all of my aspirations crumble...

Castiel kept talking, but I could no longer hear him. I was drowning in my own thoughts, feeling hopeless, useless, insignificant... All of a sudden, the motel room, Sam, Dean, Castiel... Everything melted away and all I could hear was rushing water. The twinkling lights of the city mingled with the stars and danced on the water as I stepped up onto the ledge. A cool breeze pulled my hair from my face and rustled my top as I stared down at the glittering surface, concealing the dark depths that would allow me to forget all of this and start over, at least thinking I'm normal... I had no hope of helping anyone... Not the Winchesters... Not the kids in the home... I was just a burden to all of them... Slowing them down and adding extra worry... The only way I could ever be of any help was if I disappeared...

Inhaling deeply, I lifted my foot to step off, when I could hear something whispering in the back of my head... I closed my eyes, trying to concentrate... The voice that protested my hesitation insisted I ignore it and step off, but, using all of my resolve, I pushed that voice away and grasped desperately for the whisper... My father spoke softly in my ear...

You are a fighter. You will never give up. You can do anything. You can keep going. You will always keep going.

I felt tears slide down my cheeks as these words were chanted into my ear. After a moment, I realized that it wasn't my father's voice, it was Sam's. But then it wasn't his voice anymore, it was my mothers. Then it was Haley and Anne, my roommates. Then, it was my own voice, chanting inside my head.

You are a fighter. You will never give up. You will always keep going. You are a fighter. You will never give up. You will always keep going.

As I slowly opened my eyes, the city, river, and bridge disappeared and three intense gazes bore down into me.

"Diana?" Sam spoke softly. "Are you okay?" I just blinked at him, trying to regain my bearings.

"Maybe, we should let her be," Dean suggested. "This is a lot to swallow. Let's leave it for now."

"There is so much you must know," Cas protested, taking a step towards me. "I must remove the barrier. She must prepare-"

Dean stepped in front of him, holding up a hand. "Cas, I said leave her be," he growled.

"No." My voice finally came. I stood up on shaky legs, doing my best to keep my voice steady. "I can handle this."

"Diana, this is a lot, even for us," Sam said, holding my shoulders and looking into my eyes, his brow creased with worry. "Are you sure you want to hear this all at once? No one will blame you if you want to take some time to digest."

I gave him a small smile and touched his hands on my shoulders. Looking into his eyes and taking a deep breath, I nodded. "Sam, I can do this. I am a fighter. I will never give up. And I will always keep going."

The corner of his mouth turned up in a sad smile. He whispered something very softly, I think it was an apology, then dropped his hands and turned back to Dean and Cas. I walked forward, passing Sam and Dean, meeting Castiel's severe gaze. I swallowed hard and mustered up all the strength I had and nodded.

"I'm ready."

Castiel rose two fingers, gently touched them to my forehead, and my skull exploded with blinding white light and searing pain.

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