Chapter 15.

"Get us more beer." said Dean, nodding to the bar.

"Me?" she said.

"Important skill. I taught Sam, I taught Cas. I'd teach Jack if he looked old enough to buy beer or didn't get confused when showing a fake ID."

she shrugged and went to the bar. He watched her go, enjoying the way she ... her vessel moved. Someone else was enjoying it too. A guy in a leather jacket strode over to the bar at the same time as she reached it and said, "Hi, honey."

Dean was about to stand up when Anael said, "You may be mistaking me for someone else."

"No, I just appreciate a fine-looking woman." he said.

"You are." she said, "You're mistaking me for someone with much lower standards. You see the guy at the table? Well, I'm way out of his league, so I'm certainly out of yours."

Dean was impressed. She knew how to take care of herself. When she returned with the beers, he raised his glass to her. "That was great." he said.

"I didn't mean the whole out of your league thing." she said.

"Relax. I'm not that thin-skinned." he said, "That guy is the main problem you're gonna have. Men will always be interested, but most men, myself included, are not the kind you want to attract. You need to always be ready to shoot them down ... metaphorically, just like you did that one."

"How do you find the good ones?" she said.

"You're asking me? Sweetheart, I'm too busy being one of the bad ones." He could see she was disappointed with that answer, so he tried to be more constructive. "Look where their eyes go. Every straight guy is gonna check out the rack and the legs and that's just normal, but if that's where their eyes stay, they're not seeing a person at all. Find someone who makes eye contact. Find someone who asks good questions about you who takes an interest in what you think and not just what you think about them. Find a guy who makes you laugh."

He was distracted for a moment, thinking of hw good he felt when he made her smile. He wasn't sure he had ever made her laugh. The girls did, though and the sound of that laughter was something special. "Find someone who makes you laugh all the time." he said.

"And then what?" she said.

"Your choice. Subtle flirting or outright proposition. Either's likely to work. Men have to play it a little carefully or risk being seen as a predator or an idjit, but women, especially when they look like you, write their own rules of engagement."

"Teach me to flirt." she said.

"I can't do that. I'm not even sure it can be taught. It's something that comes naturally."

"Not to angels." she said.

"Use that smile. Flash those pretty eyes. Play with that hair."

The bartender came over. "Sorry about Brad. Thinks he's something special, but I think you must be used to men hitting on your wife."

"Happens all the time." said Dean, "They're only human. Of course, if they don't take no for an answer, I might start hitting on them, with a hammer."

The bartender laughed and returned to the bar. Anael smiled. "That's the second time today someone thought we were married."

"Yeah, not everyone thinks you're out of my league."

"When Michael and Asher thought that, you were quick to correct them."

"They needed to know." he said.

"You didn't correct either of the ones today. Why not?"

"It wasn't me they were insulting. Honestly, I like people assuming I have what it takes to get someone like you."

"An angel?" she said.

"No, they don't know you're an angel."

"Next time, we should get them talking, have some fun with it, see how crazy a tale we can make them believe."

"Sounds like fun." he said.

"So, where did we meet?"

Dean chuckled, "Prison. I made some mistakes in life. You were a guard."

"Why do I have to be the guard?"

"Female guards are hot. Male ones? Nah. It's almost true, isn't it? Angels are a kind of guard over all of humanity."

She seemed slightly offended. "You may be confusing us with demons. They watch over the prison."

"Okay, we met in Hell. I made some mistakes in life, you were a demon. You couldn't bring yourself to torture me, so you helped me to escape."

"Fairly sure I'd be able to torture you. Might even enjoy it." Her eyes sparkled with mischief.

"And that is how you flirt. Angel, you are a natural."

"Don't call me that." She looked at her almost empty glass. "We need more beer. Your turn."

"You know, if you become human, you're gonna need a different relationship with alcohol."

"What do you mean?"

"You can drink this fast because of your angelic nature. When you're human, drunkenness, hangovers and embarrassing mistakes await."

"You seem to handle alcohol okay." she said.

"I told you, my tolerance is high. Yours may not be."

An attractive woman entered the bar. Dean appreciated her as he had the Camaro, aware of the classic lines, but the keys to an Impala were in his pocket. They made brief eye contact and he smiled. Then she went and sat quietly in the corner.

"She's pretty." said Anael, "You can show me your technique now."

He laughed quietly. "We let the bartender think we were together. Now you want me to cheat on you by hitting on another woman?"

"Do you care what he thinks?" she said.

He thought about it. "About me, no, but about you ... "

"You're protecting my image?" she said.

"And my evening. Why would I wanna talk to her right now? We're having fun, aren't we?"

She looked at him for a while, then nodded. "This is a lot of fun." she said.

"Of course it is. Two friends, having a few beers together after the successful purchase of a car. She's pretty, fine, but we have nothing in common."

"Nothing but that." she said.

"Don't call men pretty. We don't like it." Even though, deep down, he kinda liked that she saw him that way.

"The rules are so complicated."

"Yeah, they are. People are complicated. If you think becoming human will simplify your life, you're only gonna be disappointed."

"I don't want simple. I want meaningful."

"Then stay away from losers in bars." he said.

"Including this one?" she asked.

"Especially this one."

"How do you make people like you?"

"Hal the universe seems to want me dead. Maybe you need to ask someone else that one."

"So many people would die for you. Angels obsess over you. The former King of Hell wants to be your best friend. The Viceroy of Earth is your best friend. You're good with people. That man who tried to sell us a crap car, you took him apart, but hen the next one, you made him your friend in minutes. Whatever the situation, you always know what to say and do."

"You don't know the mistakes I've made." he said.

"I know that you don't make many."

"But the ones I do make are big." He stood up. "I'll get that beer."