The Winchester siblings rode in silence. Arielle stared at the empty seat next to her and her hand resting on it. "Alright, let's hear it," Sam finally spoke up, snapping Arielle out of her reverie.
"What?" Dean said, one hand slung over the wheel.
"Drop the bomb, man," Sam replied, shaking his head. "You saw what I did. Everyone saw. Come on. Stop the car, take a swing."
Dean shook his head. "I'm not gonna take a swing." He made to raise the volume of the radio, but Sam put his hand out and stopped him.
"Then scream, chew me out," Sam said, almost begged.
"I'm not mad, Sam."
The younger brother scoffed. "Come on. You're not mad?"
"Nope," Dean said with a sense of finality.
"Right. Look, at least let me explain myself," he said, sighing.
"Don't. I don't care," Dean insisted.
"You don't care?"
"What do you want me to say, that I'm disappointed?" Dean replied, his eyes never turning to his brother. "Yeah, I am. But mostly, I'm just tired, man. I'm done. I am just done."
Arielle listened without a word and before Sam could persist, his phone rang. With a sigh, he flipped it open. "Hey Bobby," he greeted, his eyes still on Dean. "What's going on?" He listened before looking at his phone and hanging it up.
"What'd he say?"
"To haul ass. Seems urgent."
Arielle watched as they turned into what looked like a chop shop. Dean parked and the trio exited the Impala, walking up to the shabby home. They knocked and were immediately greeted by an older, bearded man. "Well, thanks for shaking a tail," he said, not noticing Arielle behind the brothers as he turned and led them quickly through the house.
"Yea, you got it, Bobby," Dean answered. They arrived before a metal door and between the brothers' shoulders, Arielle noted the agitated appearance of the older man. Her guard rose and she stood back as Sam opened the door.
"Go on inside," Bobby said to Sam and Arielle noticed Dean stand behind the younger Winchester, keeping a slight distance now. "I wanna show you something."
Sam walked further into the room, his eyes narrowed as he scanned the room. "Alright. So, uh, what's the big demon problem?" he asked.
"You are," Bobby answered and Sam turned, confused. "This is for your own good." Dean and Bobby quickly pushed the heavy door shut, locking it. Sam walked to the small barred window.
"Guys. Hey. What's all this?" he called out, eyes wide. Bobby closed and latched the small door to the window, blocking all view of Sam. "This isn't funny. Guys! Hey! Guys?!"
Arielle followed Dean and Bobby to the kitchen, warily keeping her own distance from the men. She watched Bobby pull out three beers. She grabbed one when he held it out to her after opening it, chugging down half of the beer in one go. "Well, we got a thirsty one," Bobby commented, eyebrow raised. 'Don't think this idjit introduced us properly."
Dean opened his own bottle, sighing. "Sorry, Bobby. Had to deal with Sam first," he said, rubbing his eyes before taking a swig. "This is Arielle… uh," he stopped, looking at her.
"Milligan-Winchester," the young woman finished for him. "Mom legally changed it when I met dad."
"That son of a bitch," Bobby murmured and then took a deep drink himself. "He never told me," he added.
The eldest brother leaned against the table, eyes on the ground. "He didn't tell anyone," he said, sipping at his beer. "We would've never known if she hadn't called. Her mother was killed by a ghoul."
"Say sorry," Bobby said, tipping his bottle towards her. She nodded and finished off the beer in her hand. "'Nother?"
"Yea, thanks," she said and took the new beer when he offered it. "Are you our uncle?"
"More like surrogate daddy to these two jerks. I'm a buddy of your dad. Knew each other for a long time," Bobby stated as he leaned against the sink. "How old are you?"
"Nineteen. Can someone tell me what the hell is wrong with Sam?" she said, not wanting to delve into her personal story when there were important matters to deal with. "I mean, I'm pretty sure it has to do with him chomping down on that demon back there, but why in the hell would he do that?"
"He thinks he can save the world," Dean replied, a bitter tone in his voice as he set his beer down. "That thing he did to Amelia? Pulling out the demon? That's Sammy's power. He can do things, with his mind. But he needs demon blood for it. It makes him stronger."
"Back up a bit," Arielle said. "Saving the world and super powers? Why would he need that when you already know how to kill monsters and demons?"
Bobby gave a small sigh. "Sam is aiming a little higher," he explained. "We got the apocalypse on our hands."
Arielle blinked, her eyes going between Dean and Bobby. "Apocalypse. The apocalypse? Four horseman, fire from the sky, end of the world. That whole shebang?"
"That's the one," Bobby said with a nod. "Our boy Dean is said to be the vessel of Michael. You heard of that angel right?" Arielle gave a slight nod. "Well, Sam is Lucifer's vessel and the two are supposed to have themselves a mighty good showdown."
"I'm gonna go check on Sammy," Dean said abruptly, placing his beer on the table and walking out of the room. They watching him go, his heavy steps echoing away.
"He's a bit sensitive about that part," Bobby sighed, taking a seat at the table. Arielle joined him, thoughtfully looking at her beer. "Did you know?" Arielle looked up at him, head tilted. "About monsters, ghosts, demons. Before meeting these two?"
The blonde gave a nod. "Minus the demons, yea. John took me to a few jobs. First time tangoing with a demon was with these two, though," she explained. "I met an angel, too."
"Castiel," Bobby said knowingly. "He's a strange one."
"I don't like him," she muttered, thinking of Jimmy and what Castiel warned him about. "He doesn't care about humans."
"Yea, well, they got a pretty one-track mind sometimes," Bobby commented with a shrug. "He means well, in his own awkward way."
Arielle pushed the chair back, picking up her beer. "I guess. Mind if I get some fresh air? Walk around the place?"
Bobby gave her a smile. "Go right ahead," he responded. "Mi casa es su casa." Arielle cracked a smile as well and exited, just as Dean walked back into the kitchen. Without a word the girl stepped out into the night. The rain had subsided to an almost indiscernible drizzle. Beer in hand, she walked around the maze of cars, the moonlight guiding her.
She found herself in an open area, facing some woods, a good distance from the house. She gulped down the beer in one go and tossed the empty bottle into a wooded area. Exhaling sharply, she closed her eyes. "I've, uh, never done this before. But if you can hear me, Castiel, I'd really like to talk to you."
Her green eyes peeked through narrow slits. When she found no one before her, she shook her head and turned away, ready to head back to the house. A gasp escaped her lips when she almost bumped into a body. "Jimmy? Wait, no," she said as the man simply watched her. "Castiel."
"You prayed," he said, his eyes void of emotion. "Why did you call me?"
"I just… I need to know," she said, regaining her bearings. "Are you really keeping Jimmy as your vessel forever?"
"Yes," he answered without hesitation. Arielle's mouth fell open, and she tried formulating a response. When none came, she pressed her lips together, looking away.
"Can I… can I just talk to him one last time?" she asked softly. Castiel looked stunned. "Just five minutes."
"I don't know if I can do that," he replied, shaking his head. Arielle's face fell and she dropped her head. The angel watched her. "I can try," he finally said and he closed his eyes. The woman's eyes immediately snapped back to him, waiting expectantly.
The man stood silent until he suddenly gasped for air, blue eyes wide with surprise. "Arielle?"
"Jimmy?" she asked, stepping up to him and grabbing his hands. "Are you okay?" The man laughed bitterly, shaking his head.
"I had no choice," he said, tears coming to his eyes. "Amelia and Claire, are they safe?"
She nodded, trying to swallow the knot in her throat. "We, uh, set them up with fake papers. I have my own cellphone now and they have my number. Just in case," she explained, biting her lip. "I'm sorry."
"This isn't your fault," Jimmy said, squeezing her hands. A wince crossed his features. "Thank you. For everything. If you hadn't been around, I would've never seen my family again. You trusted me and – " he stopped abruptly, flinching again. "He's coming back. Promise you'll be safe, please. Promise – "
Arielle interrupted the man, releasing his hands and grasping his face instead. Her lips crashed onto his, her eyes shut tightly and causing tears to fall. She pulled away slowly and was met with the vacant gaze of Castiel.
"What is that?" the angel asked.
"A kiss," she said numbly. "Did you – did Jimmy feel that?"
Castiel tilted his head slightly, eyes on the sky. "Partly," he responded afterwards. "I believe I got most of it. It feels… strange." Arielle felt her anger flare.
She shoved the angel, hands turning into fists. "You couldn't give us five minutes?" she demanded and stepped towards him, shoving him again. "You have him for all fuckin' eternity and you couldn't give us five damn minutes?!" she yelled, giving a third and final push before turning away, her frame shivering.
"I don't understand," Castiel said.
"I can't trust Dean or Sam," she said through gritted teeth. "I lost my mother. I lost my father without even knowing it. I thought, maybe, Jimmy – " she cut herself off with a scoff, shaking her head. "You wouldn't understand. Just leave."
Arielle fiercely wiped her eyes and rubbed her palms over her face. When she turned back, she found Castiel gone. With a heavy heart, she headed back to the house.