Pandora flipped through the newspaper from yesterday. Humans were such interesting creatures, so she loved reading on what they had to say about the news. "I will never understand how this Kim person is more important than Venezuela being in a civil war and almost in a dictatorship..." she mumbled, her brow furrowing at the article about the woman named Kim.
Sam chuckled, a small smile flickering across his face. Dean had gone out for food, so it was just them in the quiet motel room now. "Believe me, I ask myself about our news system a lot..." he replied, glancing at the front cover of the paper.
Pandora shook her head and folded the paper. "You humans... So much potential. You've only just tapped the surface, you know."
Sam's eyebrows knit together. "What did you mean before? About seeing what we were capable of?" he asked.
Pandora let out a soft chuckle and leaned back in her seat.
"Other angels, you know...the successful models, can only see destinies. They see what each human is meant to be, but not what they wish to be. They don't see free will and choice in the future, they see what Daddy has planned. I see it all. I see the destinies, but then I see millions of little paths in the life of each human, all leading to something new because they decided to eat cereal that morning instead of oatmeal... Or they decided to go back to school to follow their dream they thought was long lost, instead of staying in their mundane job. I see it all, Sam. Pulsing in the air, constantly weaving and interlocking and dying and being born. That's what made me see free will. That's what God removed from the other angels."
Sam smiled as she explained. He enjoyed listening to her speak. It wasn't now hard to realize that, once you got her talking, she was able to go on and on. Sam didn't mind, though. He quite enjoyed her long speeches. "So what do the other angels see?" Sam asked, tilting his head in mild curiosity.
Pandora sighed and rose to her feet. She always got a little antsy when talking about her family. She paced slowly back and forth, walking the same path a bit before she spoke. "They see one's destiny. Some more than others. They see what you were born to become, but they don't point out that destiny can change. It can morph and shift by the choices we make everyday. But mention that to them, mention that you might not like their plan, and suddenly they get their robes in a twist." Pandora raked her fingers through her hair and flopped back onto Sam's bed. "It pisses me off sometimes..." she muttered.
Sam knew first-hand that angels didn't like it when you told them no. He sat in silence with his brow knit as he thought back to all the times he'd pissed off an angel by saying no to their plan.
"Sammykinz, you're brooding," Pandora chimed, snapping Sam out of his own head.
He frowned and pursed his lips in a tight line. "I'm not brooding. I was just thinking..." he replied.
Pandora shrugged and propped herself up on her elbows. "Looked like brooding to me. Stop with the frowns, kid. Jeez... You need to smile more."
Sam laughed lightly and shook his head. "I smile enough, Pandora."
Pandora shook her head, she couldn't help but laugh with him a bit. "Nope. Your smile is really infectious. Seriously, Sammy. You've got one hell of a grin. And I like to smile, and your brother could use some loosening up a bit. Come on, do it with me now." Pandora let a wide, happy smile spread across her face.
Sam watched Pandora with amusement, chuckling at her as she smiled at him. He wasn't the only one with an infectious grin. He found himself giddily returning the smile without hesitation, or even realizing that he was doing it.
It was then that Dean walked into the room and plopped a bag of food on the table. "What the hell are you two looking at each other like that for?" he asked, scrunching the brim of his nose in confusion.
Sam cleared his throat and let his smile fade as quickly as it came. "Uh, nothing. No reason..." he muttered in reply.
Pandora sighed and flopped back onto the mattress. She felt the soft cushion of the plush mattress give way under her weight and the scratch of the motel comforter on her skin. Somehow, it was comforting. Or perhaps it was the company, though Pandora wouldn't ever admit it.
Dean rolled his eyes and gave a half-hearted shrug. "Whatever you say. Kevin have any luck with the demon tablet?" he asked, glancing in Sam's direction.
Sam shook his head, flipping through the paper Pandora had previously tossed aside.
"You guys are trying to close the gates of hell, right?" Pandora asked, arching an eyebrow.
Sam nodded his head. "Yeah we are, but not until Kevin tells us how we can do it. And with only one half of the demon tablet... It's a bit tricky."
Pandora nodded her head, reclining in her seat.
"So until then, we do what we normally do. Find cases and hunt monsters. Like the good ol' days," Dean added, popping the cap of one of the beers from the fridge.
Pandora rose from her seat and snatched her own beer from the fridge. She easily flicked the cap off of the bottle. She could see Dean's eyebrows were arched in surprise.
"Archangel super strength, remember?" Pandora wiggled the bottle a bit before taking a large gulp of the cool liquid.
"Angels drink alcohol?" Dean asked with an amused smirk.
"This angel does."
Dean chuckled and nodded his head, throwing Pandora a sideways glance.
"Guys." Sam's voice interrupted their conversation. Both, almost in unison, hooked their thumbs in their belt loops and took a swig of their beer, stepping over to peer over Sam's shoulder.
Sam looked back at the two of them, noticing their similar postures. With a glance at each other and an embarrassed frown, they both adjusted their position to something different.
Sam gave them both an amused smirk, arching an eyebrow at Pandora.
"Alright you smug bastard, just read the god damn article," she snapped, flashing Sam an exasperated expression.
"Well...I think I may have found us a case. So get this... Four vics in four days, and they were all women who all grew up in the town, and their deaths were all... A little weird."
"Define weird," Dean said. Pandora was enjoying the rush of finding a hunt. This was something she'd been looking forward to since she'd first discovered the Winchesters.
"Well the first one walked into a store and drank a bottle of bleach. The next one gave herself third degree burns with her curling iron and then shoved it down her throat. The third one tried to swallow nails. And the fourth one hung herself...on a flagpole outside of the elementary school."
Dean pursed his lips. "Yep that sounds a bit weird..."
"Sounds pretty witchy if you ask me," Pandora said, exchanging a glance with Sam.
"Man I hate witches..." Dean muttered. "Alright where're we headed?"
"Uhh, Burlington, Vermont."
Dean grabbed his bag and started to pack up his things. "Bit of a drive, but we'll be there this time tomorrow."
Sam turned to see that Pandora was gone and frowned. "Dean, where'd Pandora go?" he asked, glancing around.
Seconds later, the angel returned with a backpack of her stuff. "Alright, I'm all set." She grinned, bouncing eagerly on her toes.
"...All set for what?" Dean asked, stopping his packing.
"The hunt, dumbass," she retorted.
Dean chuckled and eyed the archangel curiously. "Aaand... Who says you're going with us?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
Pandora frowned, not expecting to meet resistance. "Well... I assumed it was implied?" Pandora's tone was questioning and hopeful, clearly praying that she could come along.
"Look don't take this personally... But I don't really trust angels." Dean zipped up his bag and slung it over her shoulder.
"How am I not supposed to take offense to that?" Pandora asked, obviously anticipating an answer.
"Look Dean, why don't we let her come?" Sam interrupted. Dean looked at him skeptically. "If it doesn't work out, we won't let her come again. But if we can trust her, having an archangel on our side might be nice."
Dean and Sam seemed to have a silent conversation that Pandora just had to watch with interest. Dean broke the silence with a groan and slung his bag over his shoulder. "Ugh fine, you can come. But you have to pay for your own motel room." Dean said, jabbing a finger in Pandora's direction.
"Deal." Pandora bounced on her feet excitedly and flashed Sam a happy grin. She nudged his shoulder gently with her own, letting her eyes flick over his face briefly. "Thanks, Sammykinz," she cooed.
Sam smiled nervously and, though if asked he'd deny it, watched as she walked away.
And Pandora, although she'd also deny it, swung her hips a little bit more with each step.
A/N: Hmm...Maybe Sam gets an angel of his own, huh?