Paige closes her eyes in meditation. She was deep in the mountains of Tibet, hiding in a monastery. The monks that lived there didn't mind, no outsiders bothered to come in decades. Paige found it jarring, and admittedly boring, at first. But found herself falling in love with the peace and tranquility that resided here. Her routine was the same. She helped out with the chores, any farming that needed to be done, as well as the animals they looked after, and afterwards went for long walks or meditated in her spare time.
The monks when they saw her weren't startled at all with her sudden appearance. Paige remembered Leo used to study here. That is when he became a Whitelighter for the first time. He often told the sisters how peaceful and wonderful this place was, and was the closest thing to Heaven. Paige agreed. Whenever she 'traveled' using her Whitelighter powers, she felt a peaceful tranquility. She was listening to nature when she heard a flap of wings behind her. Not again. She wanted nothing to do with angels.
"Hello Paige."
Paige looked up. Gadreel. Hmm. Why wasn't he with Prue?
"Gadreel." She closed her eyes again.
"Paige. I need to talk to you."
Paige ignores him. Gadreel just looks at her confused. Why is she ignoring him? Usually Paige was the first one to greet him. He was wondering what to do next when Paige gets up.
"Ah. My session is done. Hey, Gadreel, how's it going?"
"Paige, why did you ignore me when I came?"
"I was meditating. Duh! What are you doing here? Aren't you afraid of being caught?"
"No. The humans here, they know about us. They work with the Elders."
"Really? Why didn't any of them mention it?"
"They assumed you just became a whitelighter, and came here to unmourn your death."
"Well, they are sorta right. But I am half whitelighter. Plus I came here to hide from the crazies that came after me. The hard core believers call me their 'Savior.' Ugh." She shuddered. She told her bosses that she had a family emergency and needed to leave ASAP. Luckily, the school board thought that Paige had a Heavenly emergency and signed away her papers. Thank god. Some weirdo was following her around in a flower van.
The day that angels exposed their identities, they revealed the locations of every Whitelighter on Earth. Luckily most were stuck in the Heavens, except for a select few. Poor Natalie. She was looking forward to returning to Earth, and was forced to hire extra security and turn away new patients from Sacred Forrest due to the crowds that descended on the grounds. The hunters as well the local law enforcement had to be stationed at the entrance 24/7.
The persons she left in charge was a woman named Charlie Branson, and the person in charge of the security was named Ellen Harley. Both were doing a bang up job, no one entered the hospital without reason. Hearing that the sisters were relieved. Those poor people had enough problems as it is, no thanks to the British Men of Letters a few weeks back.
Paige sighs. There were other Whitelighters, three of them. All of them were running as well. Funnily enough, one of them was working at Sacred Forrest, as a cook, and the other two were just doing their own thing. Now the witches on Earth were now defenseless. Paige suspected the angels wanted to take over their bodies for vessels.
"Paige, I came to talk to you about your sisters."
"What's wrong, are they in danger?"
"Bartholomew is trying to take over your sister's bodies."
"What! Why didn't anyone tell me! Where is Michael. He needs to take charge again."
"Do not worry. They were just sent away. Prue and Piper are safe. My fellow angel, Anna, is watching over them."
"Anna is back? How?"
"Uriel threw her back down to Earth. The angels want to punish her for leaving by allowing her to stay human. Her grace is nowhere to be found."
"Why isn't Michael doing anything? Raphael or Gabriel?"
"They are searching for their nephew. Same as Lucifer. They want the angels to fend for themselves. They don't care what the angels are doing, not even for the planet."
Paige closed her eyes. So much for rest and relaxation. Looks like she needed to go back home. She needed a disguise, same with her sisters.
"Can you give me a lift? I don't want the angels telling the world where I am."
Sam was brushing his teeth. He was exhausted from the night before. Those ghouls were fast. Yuck. They weren't alone, they had their demon friends as well. Those demons were there in the graveyard looking for something and were there to assist the ghouls from hunters, unfortunately for them, they were caught by Sam and Dean.
Dean read the local newspaper and read the news article about a local grave robber that was pilfering fresh graves. When the local sheriff went to check out the graves he was grossed out when he saw the bodies had huge chunks of flesh missing. Even more baffling there was human teeth marks on the bodies. He told Sam about his findings, and now were in some random town.
After showing off their fake badges, they went to the local sheriff's office and started asking questions. The sheriff there was baffled on why the FBI were there, it was just some weirdos grave robbing. But handed them the crime scene photos. Looking at the pictures, they knew they were dealing with a ghoul. At least more than one, due to the multiple bite marks on the bodies.
They waited till nightfall when they knew the ghouls would be hunting. Ghouls, unlike vampires, weren't nocturnal, they were free to hunt in the daytime as they wished. Just they preferred to hunt at night when most people were asleep. Should, unlike most creatures, blended in very easily among most people. Same as werewolves, shapeshifters, and demons.
They expected a "monster of the week" kill, not demons. The demons they were not expecting. They found themselves overwhelmed. Luckily for them, an angel showed up and eliminated the demons. The angel after killing most of the demons commented that they needed to be more careful, than he flew away. Unfortunately, they still had to deal with the ghouls. After chopping off their heads, with Dean using a brick to smash the skull of one ghoul, one demon survived.
They managed to capture the demon before it smoked out and demanded answers. The demon said it was just following orders. Dean had drove Ruby's knife into the hand of the demon when the demon denied knowing anything. Sam had protested against torture, the demon seemed it was telling the truth. But Dean didn't listen. He captured the demon in Enochian cuffs and took it back to a mausoleum where Sam drew a devil's trap on the floor. They them tied the demon's feet together and Dean started to interrogate the demon the only way he knew how.
The demon screamed it was just there to keep an eye on the gravesites. He said there was something buried in the grounds and had come along with the other demons that hired the ghouls to rip open the graves. Whatever they were looking for wasn't there. He swore this was the only time he was allowed on Earth. Despite Sam protests, Dean stabbed the demon.
"Why did you kill him? He said he didn't know anything."
"He's a demon Sam. No matter what they say, we kill them."
After that they returned to their cheap flea bag motel room. After Sam went to bed, he closed his eyes and tried to sleep. He was dead tired, but was unable to sleep. His mind was to wired thinking about what that demon said. They were looking for something. They had hired ghouls to find something. But what?
Dean wasn't back, he was out. Probably out for a beer and pizza run. Unable to sleep, Sam woke up. He then went to his laptop and started reading the local news reports. The first article mentioned the first vandalism a few weeks ago. The cemetery that was targeted was not the one they were at, but a different one. Nothing was found except a few bodies were eaten. The local sheriff's office commented it was most likely bored college students doing their pranks. It was the time of year where colleges were doing their midterms, and most stressed out students came out to de stress by partying up and pulling pranks. The article stated that the bodies were devoured by wild animals. But the grave robberies didn't stop there. There was more, two other graveyards were also hit. But the one that had the most "robberies" was the oldest graveyard. An old graveyard that dated back to the late 1600s.
After he read the article, Sam went and hacked inside the town's records to see if there was anything special about the graveyard the demons were after. What he found out didn't surprise him. According to the article the graveyard was a historical landmark. According to the nation's historical records, it was the oldest and first cemetery that kept records of the dead. It dated back supposedly to the mid 1600s.
The demons were very interested in the gravesites that were there, but why? Sam was wondering when the door to their shared motel room opened up and Dean walked in. Sam nodded at Dean.
"Hey, Sam. Surprised your still up." Dean remarked when he came inside with a case of beer and cheap greasy food.
"Couldn't sleep." He looks at the bag Dean was carrying with distaste. "Enough grease there, buddy?" Sam lived a very healthy diet and rarely ate junk food and animal products.
"That food you enjoy is rabbit food. Plus that so called 'almost' bacon does NOT taste remotely like real bacon." Dean hated that crap. The 'bacon' that Sam, Phoebe and Jenna liked was crap. A cardboard box had more taste. "That is why I bought home a baconlicious cheeseburger. Yum. You see the bottom of this bag, then that means it is real food."
Sam smiles at his brother as Dean unloaded his bag contents. The bag was totally see through. Sam wondered how many calories and fat were in one bite. Probably as much as one serving of breakfast.
Dean takes a enormous bite of his burger. He closes his eyes in contentment. "Mmmmmhhhh. Sammy you are missing out. Best cheeseburger in the state."
"I believe you. Look, that case we were just on. I don't think this is just random. The ghouls were there doing their things, pilfering fresh graves."
"Ghouls, Sammy. They like fresh corpses."
"I know that. The demons, however were looking for 'old' graves. Do you see a pattern Dean? Dean!" Sam looks at his brother in exasperation when Dean takes out a slice of pie and starts eating it with one hand. "At least use a fork!"
"Lighten up Sam. It just us. Mmm. Not as good as Piper's baking, but this will do. Sam, you mind if I call her and ask her to fedship a whole pie to my place? That pie she made for a postponed Christmas dinner was fantastic."
They ended up having their Christmas supper, but unfortunately not everyone could make it. Jenna was halfway across the Atlantic ocean on the way to France, Prue was on assignment in New York, Castiel and Hannah couldn't make it either, apparently Jack and Claire were off world and were frantically looking for them. Same with Gabriel and Michael. Sam and Piper had flown in, Sam didn't have transportation since Dean had the Impala. Dean drove to San Francisco and had asked his friends if he can stay in the manor.
Two days later, with Dean asking for permission, had asked if he can invite Garth and his new wife Bess. They went to Vegas almost immediately after they stopped Rangarok. They said they wanted their love to be "official" before the end came, with everyone telling them the world is not going to end anytime soon, or ever. Jim, Bess's father, and Garth's new in law couldn't make it, he was too busy trying to get his church back together; but sent his best. Garth and Bess had invited everyone to their "real" wedding later in the fall. Paster Jim was going to perform the ceremony. Sam, Dean and everyone else had raised their glasses to a toast.
After a lot of laughter and celebrations with everyone making due for lost time had a lot of fun. Dean loved his present from Sam. A bottle of Jack Daniels Special, Phoebe's gift of a pie of the month club, which Dean really appreciated, and Jenna's hand in marriage. He already got his gift from her, she bought him various leather sheaths for his weapons. Dean couldn't afford to buy her a fancy present, so he gave her a pool cue. He admitted he borrowed some cash to buy it, but it was worth it to see her expression on her face. That was the night she kicked his ass at pool and the night they shared their first kiss. She laughed her head off and told him to hold on to it. Dean simply told her he needed a rematch. He still never lived it down.
The other presents he received was just as good. Piper had given him a gift card for Biggerson's, with Prue and Paige giving him and Sam prepaid credit cards. Which both very happy to receive. Even with stolen credit cards, the chance of getting caught was very risky.
Dean let out a loud belch to amused Sam. Sam was used to it, Dean loved his grease.
"Was it worth it?"
"Hell yeah. If that was my last meal, then I die with no regrets. Think Jen will mind if we hired Burger Palace for our reception?"
"She is a vegetarian. Besides, her family comes from old school money. I doubt they appreciate greasy burgers for a wedding."
"Jenna, whenever she comes back, wants me to meet her parents."
Sam stares at him incredulously. "You dated for over two years, and never met her family? What did they say when Jenna told them you guys were engaged? I met Victor after six months."
"I was always on the road, plus Jen was always busy. I know you and Piper's father always got along, but her parents were not to happy to see who she was involved with. They must think of me as scum." Dean didn't want to admit it, he was nervous as hell. He hoped her family gave him permission to marry her. He barely finished high school and never went to college, he was always hunting. Plus with his checkered background, even with his acquittal, he was afraid they would forbade her to marry him. He knew she craved her family's approval.
"Dean, when they see how much you guys love each other, they will accept you. Of course it may take some time, when Jess and I were getting serious, her father was very overprotective over his only child. It took him a long time to accept me. Even with me studying law at Stanford."
"What did he think when you guys moved in together?" Dean was intrigued. Sam rarely talked about his time at Stanford.
"He was ready to kill me. I still remember the baseball bat. He claims he was after a raccoon, but our apartment building had no rodents." Sam gave in involuntary shudder. The sight of Ivan Moore with a silver bat coming towards him gave him nightmares. Thankfully Jess talked her father down, but Sam always wondered if Ivan and his wife blamed him for Jessica's death. The night of the fire, he was in the road with Dean. He was one of the pallbearers at her funeral, but he never forgot the look at the Moore's faces. They aged ten years. They couldn't handle Jessica's death and divorced after a year. Sam always wondered what would happen if he stayed home that night. He could have stopped the demon from killing her. He forced himself to push the thought out of his head. He knew Jessica was in Heaven, he also knew Jessica would want him to move on. She wouldn't want anyone mourning her death. He said a little prayer. That the good angels were watching over her, not the dicks. Feeling his eyes sting, he pushed the memories away. He found true love again. Piper was the one. He knew it. He remembered where he hid the ring. In the manor. He knew Piper couldn't resist looking in his house, so he asked Prue to hold on to it. He was planning on proposing as soon as he was on the west coast again. Which he hoped was soon. Looking at Dean he told him of his findings.
"So the ghouls are not our target, the demons are. Figures. But why here? You think they are looking for something?" Dean told Sam.
"Looks like it. According to the demon you killed, he said they hired the ghouls to search old graves, but the ghouls went after fresh corpses instead. The demons figured that we would go after the ghouls, but not the demons."
"Yeah, that's demons for you. Thank god the angel came. Even for us that was too many monsters."
"Dean, You are admitting to being scared? Where is the phone, I need to tell Phoebe to put on her podcast that Dean Winchester was scared."
"Hah ha. Very funny Sam." He gave Sam a mild glare when Sam laughed. He usually could handle demons, and monsters, but that was too much. Who was that angel anyway? He didn't recognize him. He wondered if it was Prue's angelic boyfriend.
"Seriously, the demons were looking for something. But what? Sam any ideas?"
Sam was looking at his laptop. He typed in the graveyards they were hunting in the last few weeks.
"Hmmm. Remember when we were in Alabama last week?"
"You mean that revenant? Yeah. So?"
"Revenants are usually feral. She was the first one we met that wasn't. What if the demons are looking for a very specific object? The demons must have woke her up when they performed their spells."
"Demons that wake the dead. I always thought reapers had that ability."
"The spell wouldn't have woke up the corpses. The revenant was already awake. Her ghost couldn't move on. When the demons opened her grave, she went inside her body to 'wake up' again."
"We put silver through her heart, then we salted and burned the bones. What are the demons looking for?"
"I'll tell you."
Sam and Dean look up and immediately went for their guns. Pointing at the intruder they demanded why he was here in their room. The ONE time they didn't put up anti demon sigils.
"How's it going, Moose. Squirrel, thanks for the warm welcome. Reminder, I am here on a social call, I am not looking for a fight."
Sam speaks up. "What do you want Crowley. Just because we worked with you a few times, doesn't make us allies."
"Moose, my feelings are hurt. Here I thought we agreed to a truce."
"Bull. What the hell do you want Crowley?" Dean didn't put down his gun. Yes they worked with Crowley before, but no way in hell they trusted him.
"If you would kindly put your guns down, I'll tell you why I'm here. The Demon Tablet. I managed to track it down. It was found by a prophet in 1665. Unfortunately she died before she can translate it. Man, children didn't last very long in the olden days didn't they?"
"The Demon Tablet. Seriously? Is that why graveyards in the east coast were vandalized. Yeah right." Dean gets ready to pull the trigger. Sam seeing this, pulled Dean's arm down.
"You found the Demon Tablet. Why are you telling us this? You could have took it and ran." Sam tells Crowley, while still holding down Dean's arm.
"Believe me I would have. But we all have a common enemy. I won't say His name, but you know Who I am talking about."
Hearing that both Sam and Dean stand down. They had no luck with the Angel Tablet. According to Gabriel, no one was able to track in down. It was coveted by Heaven. Whoever held the Tablet had power close to God. The angels sensed it power, it was unearthed by humans, but before Heaven could find it, it vanished into thin air.
As for the third Tablet, it was never found. There were rumors however. That the Tablet was somewhere in the middle east. The angels were currently looking for it, same with some hunters. It was a race to see who found it first. The other "secret" tablet was concluded to be a hoax. There was no records of it ever existing. Not in this world, or any other.
"What do you want with us Crowley." Sam asked, suspicious.
"To work together. Help me find this Tablet and give me a prophet. Together we can save the world."
Sam and Dean look at each other. Bullshit. They knew how slippery Crowley was. Once they find the Tablet, he was gone. They shook their heads.
"Not gonna happen. Once we find the Tablet, we are taking it. Don't forget, we have the archangels on speed dial." Dean tells him.
Crowley glared at Dean. "Fine. I don't care which side wins. I have a life. I may be a demon, but I am a King. I want Hell to keep going under my command."
He disappears a few seconds later.
"You believe him Sam?"
"No. But what choice do we have? Sometimes we have to work with people we hate." He looks at the clock on the nightstand. Holy shit. It was after 2. "Dean. It's getting really late. I'm going to bed."
"Same here, you need the bathroom? I feel the burger digesting."
An hour later they were fast asleep.
The blonde young man sits in the next room listening to their conversations. Luckily the walls were thin. He died a few years ago, him and his mom were murdered by monsters. Since he was brought back a few years ago, he was obsessed on finding out who his family was. He been following Sam for awhile. He kept his distance, he knew if he came close to Sam or Dean they would demand answers. He had his computer tablet. There were multiple files of the Winchesters and their friends, including their girlfriends. When he found out about that Adam was jealous. He grew up with a absent father, but still manged to have a life. Well before he was eaten alive.
He was determined to find out the truth about his paternal side, he loved and missed his mom, but knew little about John Winchester. He put down his tablet and gestured to the angel that brought him back to life to come outside. He needed to know what they were searching for. He was determined. Otherwise he wouldn't have asked that Whitelighter to protect Charlie Bradbury.
He went and called his former boss Frank Devereaux. He needed info on sick children that died in 1665. He needed to get his hands on the Tablet before his brothers did. The race was on. He already had a prophet. Tony Alvarez.