Author's Note: Thank you to all who have favorited, followed, and reviewed this story. You are the ones keeping me motivated.

I do not own Supernatural or any characters found there in. Alex and the Mayfair mythology are my own.

Chapter 3

The sound of running water greeted their ears as they slowly made their way to the edge of a clearing. Dean and Alex took extra care to make as little noise as possible. It had already been an eventful morning. Six vampires, two chimera, and a wendigo had already tried to crash the party and the sun was not at it's highest point yet. Seeing Cas kneeling by the stream, washing his hands was one of the most beautiful things they had ever seen. A beard now graced his usually clean shaven face, but there was no denying that it was him. Dean was so full of joy seeing his angelic friend that he could not stop himself from yelling out his name.

The angel stood and turned in the direction he heard his name coming from. "Dean," he said as the saw the hunter immerge from the trees.

"Cas," he said as he enveloped the angel in a rib crushing hug. "Damn, it's good to see you. Nice peach fuzz."

"Thank you."

His eyes were drawn back to the tree line by movement as Dean finally let him go. His eyes grew wide at the sight of the blood drenched woman moving towards them. "Alexandra?"

"Hello to you to, Cas," she said with a chuckle. "Long time no see."

He looked back and forth between the two in bewilderment. "How did you get here?" He asked Alex.

"Long story. Maybe I'll tell you later."

"How did you find me?"

"The bloody way," Dean said.

Alex watched the two talk with a small smile on her face. She'd never admit it out loud, but she had been rather lonely over the centuries. After spending so much time waking next to Sam and seeing Dean every day, finding herself alone and literally fighting for her life every day was not easy. Seeing Dean with his pet angel warmed her stone cold heart.

"So where have you been?" Dean asked.

"Yeah," Alex chimed in. "From what Dean told me the two of you would have arrived together, but when I found Dean he was on his own. What happened?"

"Look, we were surrounded, okay?" Dean offered. "Some freak jumped Cas. Obviously, he kicked its ass, right?"

"No."

"What?"

"I ran away."

Both Dean and Alex's eyebrows shot towards their hairlines at his statement.

"You ran away?" Dean asked.

"I had to."

The excuse sounded pathetic to his own ears, but Castiel knew no other way to express the reasoning for his actions. Every hellacious creature that roamed this prison would be drawn to him like a moth to the flame. If he had stayed with Dean, there would have been no way for him to keep his friend safe.

Dean of course didn't see it that way. All he saw was betrayal.

"I prayed to you, Cas, every night."

He had a hard time meeting Dean's eyes as he spoke. "I know."

"You know and you didn't…" Rage began to boil in Dean's blood. "What the hell's wrong with you?"

"I am an angel in a land of abominations. There have been things hunting me from the moment we arrived."

"Join the club!" Dean yelled. "If Alex hadn't show up when she did, I would have been dead. So don't try to feed me some bullshit line about it being for my own good because things would have gone a hell of a lot better if the three of us had been in this from the start!"

Alex came up and placed a hand on Dean's shoulder in an attempt to calm him before his screaming attracted more attackers. He just shrugged her off and took a step closer to the angel. He tried to explain the bounty the Leviathan had for him, but it didn't seem to do much good.

"Just leave me, please," Cas said as he took a step back and made to leave them.

Panic filled Alex as she saw her one change at freedom slipping away. "Cas, wait!" she lunged forward and grabbed his arm. "You have got to help us get out of here. You're our only hope Castiel."

There was genuine sadness in his eyes when he looked at her. There was a mixture of hope and desperation on her face, and it broke his heart to tell her that he could not help them. "Alex, I'm sorry."

"Then what are we supposed to do huh?" Dean asked. "Just spend the rest of eternity fighting every low life son of a bitch that we already put down once?"

Alex gave Dean a look that said he clearly was not helping before turning back to the angel. "I heard a rumor once that there was a door, an escape hatch. I looked all over for it, but I couldn't find it."

Dean was a bit surprised by this. She had never mentioned this failed escape attempt. She had only mentioned waiting for them to rescue her. The desperation in her voice had not gone amiss. Dean could count on one hand the number of times he'd seen emotion from Alex since he arrived her, this was one of them.

The angel noticed the near tears in her eyes as her last hope of freedom began slipping through her fingers. He knew exactly what she was talking about, but he didn't know if it would help her. His eyes began shifting, looking anywhere but her face. Her eyes grew wide when she realize he was hiding something from her.

"So it's true," Alex said, hope returning to her voice. "There really is a way out?"

Castiel nodded. "For a living human, yes."

Something about the way Cas said that did not sit well with Dean. There was something the angel was holding back. "What are you saying, Cas?"

"The angel looked between the two hunters for a moment before sighing. He had hoped it would never come to this, but the look on his friends' faces told him he could not delay any longer.

"You will be able to pass through, Dean. Alex and I may not be so lucky."

"What do you mean?" Alex asked. She had been dreaming about going back every night since she realized that Sam was most likely still alive somewhere. Now, to hear that her dreams might not become a reality, it was destroying the last piece of her soul that was left.

"Cas looked at her with a pair of puppy dog eyes that would rival Sam's. "The portal is designed for a living human soul to pass through. You and I," he inclined his head towards Alex, "are not exactly human."

Alex stumbled back a couple of steps and bumped into Dean's solid chest.

"What do you mean, Cas?" Dean asked.

"I am an angel. While I may be in a human vessel, the escape hatch is not angel-friendly."

Alex gulped. "What about me?"

"You are the Queen of Hell imbued with an angel's grace. I'm not sure that qualifies you as human any longer."

If he was being perfectly honest, he would have told them that he knew for a fact it didn't. Every human soul in Purgatory had been inside his body. He could name them all. Each was a lost soul biding its time in an attempt to atone for less than damming offences. If Alex were in fact human, she would have been released to her final judgment with the others. Her soul had not been in Castiel's body. Only the human souls were. The Leviathan had been looking for him and had been clever to disguise themselves. Alex he could not explain.

Dean could feel Alex begin to shake slightly under his hands and it scared him. She had been as solid as a rock up to this point. Seeing her in such a state brought back memories of her catatonia after seeing his brother die. She had barely moved and hardly eaten. According to Bobby she didn't say a word for weeks until she said Sam's name when he showed up alive at her door. The thought of seeing her like that again scare him more than Dick Roman ever had.

"We'll figure it out alright?" Dean said. "Cas, buddy, we need you."

"Dean…" he thought about fighting the hunter for a moment until he saw how he was holding the woman standing in front of him. It was as if his hands on her shoulders were the only things keeping her from shattering into a thousand pieces. He knew it was pointless to fight. "All right," he said, "but you are not going to like where we are going."

More Leviathans kept pouring into the clearing. They were like the mythological hydra. For each one they cut down, two more seemed to appear in it's place. Dean and Alex kept trying to settle into the synchronous rhythm with which they usually fought, but they had to keep saving the angel's ass.

Castiel was next to worthless in the fight. Hand to hand combat was nothing new to him, but without his blade all he could do was touch them. Getting that close got risky fast. He managed to lay hands on the monster in front of him. So focused was he on that one creature that he didn't notice the second one coming up behind him.

"Cas!" Dean shouted.

It was just enough warning for him to move out of the way before the creature's teeth chomped down on his skull. He turned, locking eyes on the creature as he prepared to devour him once again. It never got the chance. Alex separated it's head from it's shoulders from behind while Dean finished thinning out the rest of the herd.

Once they were satisfied that they were once again safe for the moment, Cas thanked Alex for saving his life.

"Don't mention it," she said.

"We must be getting close," said Cas as he started leading them through the woods again.

"Really?" Dean asked. "I don't see crap. I mean, what the hell is this escape hatch supposed to look like?"

"I don't know."

"Wait, what?" Alex grabbed Castiel's arm and force him to look at her.

Dean quickly joined in. "What do you mean you don't know?"

"I'm not sure."

"We have been neck deep in Leviathan for weeks," Alex said. "I know you said it was going to get worse before it got better, but we can't keep going like this. We are smack dab in the middle of their territory. If we go much farther we won't survive. I have waited way too long and fought to damn hard to lose now!"

The volume with which she spoke had risen with every word she spoke. If she kept it up, the Leviathan would be on them again even sooner. A fact that she knew well, but at that moment she really didn't care. Dean could see her strength failing, and wrapped his arms around her shoulders to keep her steady. She was reaching towards hysterics and frankly, it scared him. She had taught him everything he knew about this place. Without knowing it, she had become the fearless leader that he needed. Watching her fall apart now would not do him any good.

Alex had never meant to lead anyone. Her only thought when she first saw Dean was making sure that his soul had enough time to work off whatever it was that landed him there so that he wouldn't have to serve a second stint in Hell. Then when she found out that he was alive, she felt the first bit of peace she had in decades because she knew Sam was still alive. When Cas said there was a way out, she had felt hope. After what equated to nearly three centuries of nothing but war, the only thing keeping her going was slipping through her fingers. She wasn't sure she could take it if the life that had been dangled in front of her was ripped from her grasp yet again.

"Hey," Dean said, "we're all getting out of here okay. The three of us are going home."

"Dean," said Castiel, "it's a human portal. There's still no proof that an angel can pass -"

Alex had regained her composure somewhat. "Stop it, Cas. We all get out, or none of us do."

"I'm just saying…"

Dean was the one to cut him off this time. "Save the Hallmark. Okay? It's gunna work. Nobody gets left behind."

They moved into another clearing, ready to defend themselves from another attack. Instead they were greeted by a strong wind. It carried the leaves and several blades of grass with it. Alex followed the path one of the leaves took, and her eyes were greeted with a very welcome sight.

"There it is," Castiel said. High above them on a cliff was a ball of energy. It cackled with blue lightning in its black depths. He looked towards Dean. "It's reacting to you."

Alex wasted no time in running up the steep cliff space. "Let's go!" She yelled as she continued to move as fast as her tired legs would carry her. The screaming of her muscles and the tiredness in her bones no longer mattered her only thoughts were of home, of Sam.

Dean did not have to be told twice. He followed closely behind his friend, matching her step for step. It was not until he heard Castiel call his name Turning, he could see the angel sliding down the cliff on his stomach.

"We've got incoming," Alex said as Leviathan begin streaming in from the sky. Dean looks back and forth between his two companions for a moment, trying to decide which way to go. Alex answered that question for him. "Get Cas. I'll hold 'em off."

Dean rushed forward and helped the angel to his feet. A quick check to make sure he was alright and Dean turned back to the fight. Alex was holding her own against a trio of trash compactors. She slashed one across the stomach. The Leviathan doubled over in pain directly in front of Dean who was more than happy to help his friend by decapitating the monster.

They fell into their fighting rhythm while Cas tried to get close enough to lay hands on one of the Leviathan to purge it of evil. The rest were quickly dispatched. Dean looked up and saw that the portal was slowly shrinking.

"We got to move!" he yelled. "The portal's closing!"

They raced for the portal, but Cas once again fell behind. Alex reached for him. "Cas, come on! We've got to go!"

Dean was the first to reach the portal and quickly stepped inside. "Come on!"

Alex reached for his hand. He pulled her to stand next to him. Pain shot throughout her entire body as the lightning began to attack her. She screamed out in agony before quickly losing consciousness. Dean was able to catch her before she fell. After securing her lifeless form with one arm, he extended an arm to Cas. The angel quickly grabbed a hold.

The energy swirled around them and pulled hard on Dean as it began to close around him. He could feel Cas' grip slipping. "I got you! Hold on!"

"Dean!"

"Hold on!" If he could just keep a hold of Cas for a few more seconds, he was sure they would all make it through.

"Dean!" Cas forcibly broke Dean's grip. "Go!"

Dean looked at his friend in shock and sorrow as the portal closed.

A gasp sounded from Alex's lips as air rushed into her lungs and her eyes flew open. She looked up to see Dean leaning over her. His shoulders slumped in relief as their eyes met and he pulled his hands away from her chest.

When the portal had closed, her heart had stopped. Dean had been terrified that he had lost both her and Cas in their attempt at escape. Cas had been the one to let go, but in Dean's mind he had lost his hold on his friend and left him behind to keep fighting alone when the darkness closed in. His eyes had refocused to find a lifeless Alex in his arms.

It took him a moment to realize she wasn't breathing. Dean's own heart nearly stopped when he found that she had no pulse. The only thing he had known to do was CPR. He was on his third round when she had suddenly taken a deep inhale of breath and opened her eyes. He let out a long breath of his own.

"Thank God. I thought I'd lost you there."

"I'm okay," she said weakly as she sat up. "Did it work? Are we out?"

Dean took an appraising look around them and found them to still be deep in the woods. It was night. He could see stars shining brightly above their heads tough the branches of the trees. Were there stars in Purgatory? he asked himself.

"I'm not sure."

Alex suddenly realized there was one less in their company. "Where's Cas?"

Dean bristled slightly. "He didn't make it."

Alex nodded her understanding. She knew that getting the three of them through was a long shot. Hell, it had nearly killed her if the ache in her ribs was anything to go on. She still had her bow and blade. Dean had his weapons as well.

"No sense is just sitting around," Alex said as she moved to stand and notched one of her few remaining arrows. "Time to find out if we really are home."

Dean drew his gun. He had kept it with him the whole time in hopes that they would make it back. "I'll take point." Alex started to protest, but the look on Dean's face killed the words on her tongue. She just nodded and followed. If she was being honest with herself, Dean taking the lead was the right move. She had just almost died after all and was probably not in the best shape to be on the front lines. Too bad they weren't sure if they were out of the warzone yet.

They traveled a few hundred yards before they saw a light in the distance. As they drew closer, they could hear voices. There was a small tent with a light in the clearing.

"Don't remember seeing any of those in Purgatory," Alex whispered.

"Yeah," replied Dean. "Looks like they've got some supplies we need. There's no telling how far out we are, and it could be a while before we find the road."

Alex nodded. "I'll take care of the light," she said. "You grab the stuff."

They moved forward as quietly as they could. A few twigs snapped here and there alerting those in the tent to their presence before they could make a clean get away.

"Hello?" a young man called as he emerged from the tent. "Hello?" Dean and Alex froze behind him, weapons at the ready, as he pointed the flashlight into the darkness before him. "It was a deer." He made to turn back towards the tent. Alex moved to loosen her bow string when her shifting weight caused another twig to snap. The young man spun on his heels and brought the flashlight up to reveal the two blood-soaked and heavily armed hunters. "Oh!"

"Where are we?" Dean asked in a menacing tone.

"What?"

A young woman started to make her way out of the tent. The movement sent Alex into high alert. She raised her bow and pulled the string taught, ready to lose her arrow as Dean aimed his long since fired gun.

"Where's the road?" Dean repeated.

"Twelve miles, that way," he said with a point.

They kept their weapons trained on the couple as Dean grabbed the backpack from the ground. The second it was secure on his shoulder, the two hunters took off in the direction the young man had pointed.

Finding a phone was the first thing Alex wanted to do. She needed to talk to Sam. Dean had convinced her that getting cleaned up was probably a better idea. Nobody was going to let them use a phone looking like a pair of serial killers.

They found a stream to wash most of the blood off their faces before they found the road. There had been an extra shirt in the backpack they took. It didn't really fit Dean, but it was enough for him to be able to walk into the bar with the cash from the camper's wallet and hustle enough from the pool tables to get them some clothes and a room for the night.

The second Alex was through the door she went straight for the phone and started dialing Sam's number. The first number she called was out of service. She pulled the phone away from her ear and gave it an incredulous look.

Dean noticed. "What?"

"It's out of service," she said before turning to him.

"Well try another one."

The next three were much the same. She eventually just left him a message.

"Sam," her voice was tentative, "it… it's Alex. I really want to see you. Please call me back." She left the number of the motel phone and hung up.

Dean had watched her from across the room the entire time. Each number she called took a little more out of her. She shoulders slumped a little more. Her hand started to shake a bit as she dialed. He heard the hesitation in her voice and decided to step in. He took the receiver from her hand and nodded towards the bathroom.

"Go," he said. "Get cleaned up. I'll find Sammy."

She nodded her head silently as her steely mask fell back into place. She grabbed her new clothes and walked silently to the bathroom. Dean noticed that she took her blade with her. All that time in Purgatory had made her super paranoid. There was a time that she only would have taken a weapon with her when she was alone. Centuries of always being on guard made it so she couldn't really relax.

There was so much blood and gore on her clothes that she had to cut her pants off of her body. Some of the torn denim had actually become part of a wound on her thigh long since forgotten. She hissed a little as she ripped it off, taking small amounts of flesh with it.

She turned on the shower and slowly began washing the reminisce of her time alone from her body. The water felt like a small piece of Heaven as it cascaded down her heavily scared body. She dried herself of with the scratchy motel towel and put on her new clothes.

Grabbing her soiled clothing, she walked out into the main room to hear Dean leaving another message for Sam.

"No luck," she asked.

"Not yet," Dean replied. "We had to ditch a few numbers when the Leviathan were chasing us. We'll find him."

She nodded to him, a blank look on her face, as he stood and began to gather his things to take a shower of his own. Alex took a set on her bed and examined the bloody rags she had called clothes in her hands. It was impossible to tell which dark stains were her blood and which ones belonged to the monsters she had slain. They spoke of innumerable battles she had fought and the strength it took to face another day. As she examined them, the reality of it finally sank in.

Dean was just about to close the bathroom door when he heard Alex make a small strangled noise. He pushed open the door and saw her shoulders shaking as if she was sobbing.

"Alex?" He heard the sound again. He stepped out of the bathroom and moved towards her. "Alex, you okay?"

She tossed her head back and started laughing hysterically. Dean became even more worried. It would be perfectly understandable for the woman to shed a few tears after all they had been through, hell he came close himself. Instead she was doing one of the best impersonations of the Joker he had ever seen.

"What's so funny?"

She shook her head. "Nothing. It's just…" She took a moment to compose herself before looking at the man who had fought by her side for so long. "It's over. It's really over. We made it out, Dean."

Smiles broke across both of their faces. "Yeah. We did." Alex rose to her feet and threw her arms around Dean's shoulders in a tight bear hug. It didn't matter that she had just gotten clean and he was still covered in filth. She was just glad they were finally free.

They left messages at every number Sam had ever used. Each time Sam didn't answer, the doubt in Alex's mind grew a bit more. Maybe the reason he's not answering is because he's dead, she thought. It was the only reason she could come up with to explain why none of the numbers worked.

Bobby's cabin was only a day away by foot, and they still hadn't heard anything from the younger Winchester. It was on their last motel stop that Dan finally managed to reach his brother.

"Sam?" Dean said into the phone. "Yeah." Alex immediately perked up and moved closer, trying to hear both sides of the conversation. "Meet us at Bobby's cabin. We'll be waiting for you." Dean ended the call.

"Was that him?"

"Yeah," Dean gave Alex a little half smile. "You'll see him soon."

So, Sam and Alex are finally going to see each other again. What are you hoping to see in their first encounter? Please review. Your feedback keeps me going.