Chapter 5: Family Ties
"Home sweet home! Sammy?" Dean called out, stiffly extracting himself from the Impala.
"Yeah, I'm good!" The younger brother answered sleepily. "Those Tylenol ya me gave took the edge off."
"I'm sure that nap didn't hurt either!" Dean smirked as Sam gently unfolded his tall frame out of the car.
"Bobby? Need help back there, grandpa?" The older boy teased.
"Come 'ere, boy, and I'll show ya 'grandpa'! I can still whoop your ass any day!" The junk man replied, slamming the backdoor closed. "You seem in a better mood, son."
Carefully slapping the older guy on the back as they stepped up to the house, Dean agreed, "That's what knowing a glass of whiskey and soft bed a feet away'll do for ya!" They shared a tired laugh as the three went inside. Following his family in, Sam paused at the door when what sounded like something landing softly on the Impala grabbed his attention.
Slowly turning around, he was greeted by the sight of the angel laid over the trunk, smiling wearily up at him.
"Hey ya, Sam!" Bithiel waved weakly. "Word of advise: Don't fly closer to the ground than your wingspan is long! Ha! Only thing that saved my ass was the Impala's draft." She laid her head back down for a minute before trying to stand.
Sam trotted back down the stairs and offered a her a hand. Remembering the attitudes from earlier, she glanced from hand to face nervously.
"C'mon! Look, no Angel Blades." He held open his coat showing a lack of the weapons harmful to her kind. "Let me help ya in the house." He made the offer again, this time it was accepted. Anxiously, she gripped his arm with a sigh and allowed herself to be lead. She glanced up at Sam looking for any deceit.
Sensing the look, he smiled back down. Hoping to break the tension he felt, he questioned her "advise".
"So you really did follow the Impala here, huh? We figured you'd have beat us? It only seems to take Cass a split sec to get anywhere."
"Well… that's what Dean said, right? Spread my wings and follow? He… was right. I don't have to ride in a car. But, you have no idea how hard it was to fly that slow and low to the ground." She smiled back slightly more relaxed. The young man's genuine smile calming.
"He was just upset with how shit went down with Cass. He's really worried about him." The smile dimmed a little as he added, "We all are!"
Curious, she tilted her head further for a better view of his face. "You guys seriously care about him, huh?"
"Yeah, we do! After everything the four of us have been through together the last several years… me, Bobby, Dean, especially Dean… we think of Cass as family. Ya know?"
"I do actually! I've had friends like that before. Sometimes they were closer than blood!"
It was Sam's turn to look curious. "I thought all angels were brothers and sisters. Or do you mean charges that you made friends with like Dean and Cass?"
Bithiel gave him a strange look he couldn't place then shook her head.
"No! No. I mean human to human friends that become close as family. Like you, your brother, and Bobby."
The younger Winchester stopped and turned to stare at the angel beside him. He couldn't figure out how on earth she could develop that kind of relationship being celestial. Sam briefly wondered if she was a 'fallen angel' as Anna had been.
Before he could ask, a shadow past into the doorframe.
"Sammy? What the hell're you doing out there? Are you O'…?"
Even with the light behind him casting his face into darkness, the sight of the accursed angel on his little brother's arm lit his green eyes aflame with renewed anger.