Sam stares in amazement at the woman standing in front of him with a drawn gun. She seemed unnaturally calm. Deep down, he guessed he knew what this was about. They had run into those kids a few days ago, the ones who summoned a demon. And Cas had warned him that all of creation would be hunting them.
"Darcey, let's just talk calmly?" he backs away from the door, and toward the bed.
"I am talking calmly. You, however, do not look so good. Did you know your eye twitches ever so slightly when you are thinking? I noticed it earlier." She moves slowly, placing herself between Sam and the door. She had learned most of her fighting skills from Brian; he wanted her to be safe at all times. "Do you know, I think I figured out how you and I are alike?"
"What do you mean, we are alike? What are you talking about?"
"Sam, I have a lot of things to tell you. And not a lot of time to do it in. So please, just shut the hell up."
Sam blinks back in surprise, falling back onto the bed. This woman standing in front of him now was completely different from the woman he had come back to the room with. This Darcey was scary.
"I was married to a man named Brian Black. Is this a familiar name to you?" Darcey pulls a chair in front of the door, and sits down, resting the gun on her knee, and studying Sam's face. She did see why they were similar; John had pointed it out to her once. They both appeared outwardly calm, but inside were so many emotions, and a temper that was like a powder keg. One spark would set either of them off.
Sam shakes his head, thinking to himself. He'd never heard of Brian Black, but he was willing to go along with the story, wasting as much time as possible.
"Brian was a hunter. A very good hunter. And he had a friend who was also a very good hunter. But like most hunters, they got themselves killed, leaving their loved ones to fend for themselves. Do you know who my husband's friend was, Sam? Who Alex's friend, and my friend, was?"
Sam again shakes his head, turning to look at the clock. 4a.m., and the rain was still coming down. It would be another three hours, at the very least, before he heard from Dean. "This sounds like an interesting story, Darcey, but what does it have to do with me?"
"Our friend was named John. John Winchester. Your father." She watches for Sam's reaction. He hides it very well, but then, she was very observant. His eyes changed color, his jaw clenched, and back tensed.
"My father?" Sam can't believe what he just heard. "Your husband was a friend of my father's?" Darcey nods her head. Honestly, they weren't really as slow as they seemed.
"Ok, so, you knew my father. Like I said, nice story, but what does it have to do with me?" Sam was doing the math in his head. Darcey was too relaxed. If he moved fast enough, he could make it across the small space, and disarm her. But then, if she was acting, like he thought she had been all night, he could end up shot.
************
Dean examines the photo in his hand. In it were a young woman and a man his father's age, smiling at each other. And to his amazement, standing in between the man and another young woman, was his father. "You knew my father?"
"He was a good man, Dean. He talked about you and Sam all the time."
"Did you know him well?"
"Maybe I should start from the beginning? The first time we met was at Brian and Darcey's wedding. Brian told us he was an old hunting buddy. I joined Darcey and Brian in their business, as bounty hunters, two years later. Some of the jobs we went on didn't make sense, and that's when Brian introduced us to the world of the Supernatural. Ghosts, and possessions, and things that go bump in the night."
Dean had sat down on the edge of the bed, still looking at the picture. He missed his father. Hell, he missed his entire family. Things with Sam hadn't been the same in a long time.
"A few years later, John contacted Brian for help in tracking down whatever killed your mother. And Darcey traced it back to Chicago. This is the scene in that book. A year or so later, Darcey stumbled across the Supernatural books in a used book store, a purchased a couple for Brian, as a joke. He loved them, read them all. Until he came across that scene. The writer goes into a detailed description of each of us, as we watch John walk away. It's spot on."
"You know, it could be a coincidence? A really lucky guess?"
"I lived that scene. Just like you lived this series."
"I had a feeling that's what you would say."
"Brian showed it to me, and told me it may be important someday."
Alex sits down on the edge of the bed, watching Dean's face while he processes her story.
"Ok. You're a hunter. You know me. You knew my father. What is this all about?" Dean stands up and walks away from Alex. He thought he knew what it was about, that hunters could turn to the dark side for the right bribe. He turns around slowly, pointing his gun at Alex.
Alex sighs. In the end, it would be easier to just let him kill her. Then she would be free of the angels, free of the nightmares, just free. But she couldn't let him do that. It wasn't fair to him.
"An angel sent me."
*************
6 days ago.
"You are happy to know that I cannot allow you to harm the Winchesters?" These women hurt his head, Castiel thought to himself. Maybe it was all hunters that were confusing.
"Give me a minute to pull my thoughts together," Alex says, than notices the look on Castiel's face. "Please," she adds.
"Is Zachariah a fallen angel?" Darcey asks. "Because from all I have heard of angels, you are supposed to be comforting, guardians."
"Angels are God's warriors," Castiel answers, then thinks a little more about his answer. "Although, there are guardian angels. The angel that appeared to Mary, the mother of Jesus, was a comfort to her." Darcey just stares at him, waiting for the answer to her question. To her, he seemed to be evading it. Alex was sitting in her seat, holding her head. Darcey knew what that meant, that she was deep in thought, or even coming up with a plan. It was her job to keep Castiel occupied.
"No, Zachariah is not a fallen angel."
"Are you a fallen angel?"
"I...am cut off from heaven. But I have not fallen." He looked both ashamed, and fearsome. Neither woman had seen anything like that before.
"Does Zachariah plan to harm the Winchesters?" Alex asks. She had stopped shaking.
"Yes."
"Then believe me when I tell you, we want nothing to do with him. But, we're dead if we don't find them."
"Or worse," Castiel answers them truthfully. Zachariah was unforgiving when it came to disobedience. And it was clear to him that these women had seen his handiwork.
"Thanks for that."
"You are welcome."
Both women stare at him, like he was missing something. It was the same way Sam and Dean looked at him.
"So, what do we do? We can't run forever."
Castiel thought maybe he could trust the two women sitting in front of him. He hadn't been "in touch" with Sam and Dean in days. The truth was, they refused to answer his calls. Bobby hadn't heard from them either. And if they weren't who or what they said they were? Dean and Sam Winchester would take care of them.
"Find the Winchesters. And tell them to answer their damn phones."
