XLIV. WHEN THE NIGHT COMES FALLING DOWN.

☽ ༓ ☾

BIRDIE WAS OUT for almost 72 hours.

Dean hadn't even made it out of the house with the towels when Sam came rushing in, Birdie suddenly unconscious in his arms. Question after question was thrown at Sam by Dean and Bobby, but he didn't have any answers for them. He didn't know what happened to Birdie or why she wasn't waking up. Nothing strange had happened during the day that would have suggested that something was even remotely wrong. She didn't have any injuries, no strange marks or bruising to indicate that she'd been hurt without them somehow realizing. Rumsfeld rarely left her side, lying on the floor by her as if he could sense that something wasn't right. Bobby and the boys' constant efforts to wake her had failed each and every time, their hope dwindling the longer she stayed asleep with no signs of waking any time soon. The idea of taking her to the hospital was looking more like a must, but they were going to wait one more day.

On the second night, Dean was visited by Castiel in his dream, telling him to meet him at an address where it was safer for them to talk in person. It was something important, though he couldn't tell Dean in his dream as anyone could've been listening in on their conversation then. He nor Sam wanted to leave Birdie in the state that she was in, but Bobby assured them he would let them know the instant that anything changed with her.

And that third afternoon, Birdie finally awoke. Bobby had been upstairs in his room, changing into some clean clothes after he took a quick shower. Birdie blinked around in confusion, feeling a twinge of pain in her lower abdomen as she sat up on the couch. "Sam?" she called out. "Dean? Bobby?"

Rumsfeld barked by her feet, quickly jumping onto the couch. Birdie giggled as he tried to lick her face, tail rapidly wagging with pure excitement. There were heavy footsteps upstairs, continuing down the stairs like they were in a hurry. Birdie tiredly smiled as she ran her hands over Rumsfeld's fur, glancing over at Bobby as he quickly came into the living room.

Birdie's smile slightly faltered when she saw the expression on Bobby's face, tilting her head. "Bobby, you okay?" she wondered.

"Am I okay?" he asked, walking closer with his brows raised. "I should be askin' you that. You scared the shit of me, Bird."

"I did?"

Bobby furrowed his brows together. "You don't remember?"

Birdie frowned, lowering her hands. Rumsfeld whimpered, laying down beside her with his head in her lap. "Wait, what happened?" she asked.

"Sam said you just passed out," Bobby said, sitting on the edge of his desk. "He brought you back here and nothin' was wakin' you up. You really don't remember that?"

Birdie looked away, going through the events of that day. She remembered Dean eating her Oreos, Dean and Bobby leaving to go to the store, and Sam teaching her how to swim in the lake. They also kissed and were caught by Dean and Bobby. After that. . .wait. . .was that. . .

Ruby?

That didn't make any sense.

The image disappeared moments later and Birdie tiredly rubbed her eyes, letting out a heavy sigh. "I. . .I don't remember," she sighed, twisting her lips as she looked at Bobby again. "I'm sorry."

Bobby sighed as well, shrugging his shoulders. "It's okay, Bird. I'm just glad you're finally awake."

"Me too," she softly smiled. She patted the top of Rumsfelds head and stood up, glancing around the living room. "How long have Sam and Dean been gone?"

A look of confusion appeared on Bobby's face, but it disappeared when Birdie looked at him again with a small smile. "They left yesterday," he answered. "I told them I'd call if anything changed or you woke up."

"Where'd they go?"

"Castiel came to Dean in his dream━━━I didn't ask for the details━━━and told him to meet him at some address," Bobby explained. "I haven't heard much else, but when they found Cas. . .it wasn't him."

"What do you mean?" Birdie wondered in confusion.

"It was Jimmy━━━Cas's vessel."

"Oh, shit."

Bobby forced out a laugh, adjusting his posture. "No kiddin'."

Birdie twisted her lips, pushing some hair out of her face. "Where were they last?" she asked.

Bobby folded his arms over his chest, carefully eyeing the younger woman. "You're not seriously thinkin' of going there, are you?"

"This could be serious, Bobby," Birdie said, moving into the kitchen where her jacket was. She picked it up, raising her brows at Bobby as he just stared at her in disbelief. "This angel shit isn't like anything we've ever dealt with before. They could be in trouble right now."

"Bird, you just woke up, and we don't even know what caused you to pass out in the first place," Bobby said, firmly shaking his head as he stood up straight. Birdie breathed out a sigh, dropping her hands at her sides. "You're not going anywhere."

"You can't stop me, Bobby," Birdie said.

Bobby's eyes slightly widened, watching in as Birdie snatched her keys off the kitchen table. She fixed the collar of her jacket, taking a few steps towards the hall. She twisted her lips as she faced Bobby, giving him and Rumsfeld a small smile. "I'll be safe," she told him. "I promise."

Birdie could feel Bobby's eyes on her as she walked away, but she didn't spare him another glance. She headed down the hall, letting out a sigh as she slipped out of the house. She hurried down the front steps and towards her motorcycle, picking up her helmet as she climbed onto the seat.

She felt in the pockets of the jacket, quickly pulling out her phone when it vibrated. She tilted her as she looked down, smirking when she saw a text from Ruby.

THIS ISN'T OVER.

☽ ༓ ☾

It was evident that both of the boys were relieved to find out that Birdie was finally awake and seemingly okay. After she called Sam━━━where she had to answer at least two dozen questions before she could ask some for herself━━━he told her where to find him, Dean, and Castiel's vessel, Jimmy Novak. Jimmy had apparently snuck off during the night when he was with Sam and Dean so he could go and reunite with his family, however, it took a sour turn when a group of demons found him there and attacked both him and his wife and daughter, Amelia and Claire.

Jimmy ended up going off with Sam and Dean again, leaving his wife and daughter in hopes that they wouldn't be put in further danger with him around. However, when Jimmy got a call from his wife, he realized that she'd been possessed by one of the demons who attacked his family.

With his wife and daughter's lives at stake, he agreed to meet the demon alone.

That was almost over an hour ago and Birdie was closing in on the warehouse Sam had said they would be. It was nearing midnight by the time she arrived, getting the sense that something was wrong when she didn't see Sam or Dean outside. She didn't know all of their plan, but she knew Jimmy was going to go in alone at the demon's request while Sam and Dean hid in the shadows as a precaution.

She frowned, carefully climbing off her bike. She set the helmet on the seat, slipping her keys into her back pocket. She took a few steps forward, pulling her phone out of her pocket. She checked the address Sam sent her, making sure she was at the right place. She was.

It was quiet, though━━━too quiet.

She slipped her phone into her pocket again, quietly entering the warehouse from a side door. She crept down a dark and narrow hallway, flinching when she heard a sudden gunshot come from up ahead. She fastened her pace, following the sound of the voices that clashed together. There was a scream that echoed into the hall, making Birdie's heart lurch in her chest. Grunts followed suit, giving Birdie the impression that the fighting had begun.

She hurried into the room, her brown eyes widening in surprise. Dean was fighting a man━━━a demon, no doubt━━━who was twice his size and wore a permanent snarl. Sam was fighting another demon who had stolen Ruby's knife, trying to push it into his chest. There was a blonde little girl tied to a chair at the back of the room, but there was a body by her feet. Jimmy was on the ground a few feet in front of her, blood on his lower abdomen as he weakly pressed himself up against a nearby wall. He must've been the one that was shot.

Birdie grunted when she was shoved from behind, catching herself on the floor with her hands. Dean did a double-take when he spotted her to the right of him, but he didn't have time to question her. Birdie rolled onto her back, kicking her legs when a demon tried to grab her. They grunted when Birdie struck them in the face with her boot-clad feet, cradling their nose as they staggered back. Birdie quickly got to her feet and raised her fists, punching the demon in the face as soon as they lowered their hands. They howled in agony, crumbling onto their back.

Birdie stole a look over her shoulder, frowning when she saw the demon had crawled on top of Dean and started to repeatedly punch him in the face. However, the little girl was now standing beside him, a blank expression on her face. The little girl placed her hand on the demon's forehead and he immediately stopped, mouth dropping open as his insides began to glow.

But how was that. . .

Castiel.

It had to be.

"Fucking bitch!"

Birdie yelped as the other demon pounced on her, tackling her to the ground. She hissed as her head hit the cement floor, the demon's bones jabbing into her as their large body landed on top of her. They threw two punches, making Birdie's head turn to the side with her eyes clenched shut in pain from the harsh blows. However, they suddenly stopped.

The little girl was now beside them, their hand on the demon's head. Their insides glowed just like the other demon while they screamed in pain, body going rigid as Castiel killed the demon. They collapsed beside Birdie and she looked up, panting as Castiel just stared down at her.

"T-thanks," Birdie managed to say. Castiel didn't respond. He just turned and walked away.

Birdie knitted her brows together as sat up on her elbows, gingerly rubbing her jaw as she got to her feet. There was a throbbing pain in her side, but she ignored it as she made her way over to Dean. He had a minor cut above his left brow, some bruising already showing on his cheeks from the demon's rugged fists. She turned her head to check on Sam, quietly gasping when she saw he had his mouth on the demon's neck. A hint of panic struck her heart at the very sight, vividly aware that both Dean and Castiel were watching him as well.

Dean wasn't supposed to find out that way.

Sam lifted his head as he sat up, his mouth and chin covered in blood. Dean stared in horror and disbelief, realization dawning on him.

That's how Sam was growing stronger.

Sam's face faltered, realizing they had seen what he'd done. His eyes briefly locked with Birdie's, but he turned back to face the demon. He raised the knife and stabbed the demon in the heart, instantly killing her. Then he stood up, facing the others again. Birdie nervously gulped, glancing at Dean out of the corner of his eye. She could only imagine the kinds of thoughts that were racing through his head right about now. She could see the sadness as well as the anger, but she knew better than to say anything then.

Sam took a couple of steps closer, suddenly holding his hand out. Dean flinched, but then he quickly turned his head at the same time as Birdie. They jumped in surprise as another demon━━━the one that was using Amelia as a meat suit━━━tried sneaking up on them. Dean instinctively backed away, partially holding his arm out in front of Birdie to move her back as well. Castiel stood in the same spot, silently watching as thick, black smoke started to pool from Amelia's mouth. Amelia then sank to her knees as the demon was expelled from her body, coughing as the smoke disappeared into the ground.

Castiel walked around Amelia as she panted, moving towards Jimmy. Dean hurried over to the woman, sinking to his knees as he placed his hands on her shoulders to keep her steady. Dean looked at Sam again, face still hardened.

Birdie ran a hand through her hair, turning her head towards Sam.

She could see the bags under his eyes, something she hadn't noticed a few days ago. She turned to fully face him more, deeply frowning. He looked so. . .sad. . .lost. Was it because of her? Because Felicity wasn't around to help him anymore?

How did she not see it before?

She twisted her lips and walked over to him, reaching into her pocket. She pulled out a small rag, handing it to him. "Sam. . ."

"Please," he whispered, shaking his head as he started to wipe the blood from his face. "Not right now, Birdie."

"Okay."

Dean carefully helped Amelia onto her feet, briefly glancing at Sam and Birdie before they started to walk toward Castiel and Jimmy. Sam and Birdie trailed behind them, frowning at the sight of more blood staining Jimmy's shirt. They kept their distance as he and Castiel spoke, but Birdie could still slightly hear what they were saying.

"I wanna make sure you understand," Castiel told Jimmy. "You won't die. . .or age. If this last year was painful for you, picture a hundred━━━a thousand more like it."

"It doesn't matter," Jimmy weakly replied. "You take me. Just take me."

"As you wish."

Castiel reached forward and touched the side of Jimmy's face. A bright light emanated from his eyes and mouth, Castiel moving on from Claire and back to Jimmy. Claire dropped to her hands and knees once Castiel was gone, heavily panting as she regained control of her own body again. Castiel, now back in Jimmy's body, stood up as the bullet wound was completely healed as well as the cut that had been on his left cheek.

Birdie's lips curled downwards into a frown as he simply walked past them. Amelia looked away from him, quickly moving towards her daughter. She kneeled on the ground next to her, embracing her in a tight hug as tears slid down her cheeks. Castiel paused, catching Amelia's eyes for a few seconds; perhaps it was his way of letting Jimmy see for himself that his wife and daughter were okay. Then he turned, beginning to walk away.

"Cas, hold up," Dean called out. Castiel stopped again, slowly turning his head with a roll of his eyes before he faced Dean. "What were you gonna tell me?"

"I learned my lesson while I was away, Dean," Castiel said, icy blue eyes glaring into Dean in a way Birdie had never seen before. "I serve heaven, I don't serve man, and I certainly don't serve you."

Birdie's lips parted, a stunned look on her face as Castiel left the room. She twisted her lips, stealing a glance at Sam. He'd cleaned up his face, but there were still a few smudges of red on his chin. Her frown deepened, taking another look at Amelia and Claire. Claire was clinging to her mother for support, Amelia tightly holding her daughter as her tears continued to fall from the corners of her eyes.

Dean turned around, walking over to Amelia and Claire. "Are you guys okay?" he softly asked.

Amelia slowly stood up with Claire still holding onto her, rubbing her daughter's back as her eyes flickered back and forth between Dean, Sam, and Birdie. "I. . .honestly," Amelia sniffled, shaking her head, "No. We're not."

Dean sadly nodded, letting out a sigh. "We can give you a ride somewhere."

"Uh, I. . .the-the bus station," Amelia said, nodding her head as she wiped at her eyes with one of her hands. "We'll-we'll go from there."

"Okay."

Birdie ran a hand along the side of her face, looking at Sam. "Are you okay?"

Sam shook his head, a dull look in his eyes. "No." Without another word, he started to walk off, causing Birdie's shoulders to droop. She pulled her keys out of her pocket as she walked down the hall, shuddering as a cold chill ran up her spine when she stepped out of the building. She took a few steps towards her bike, pausing to look at the others as they walked over to the Impala.

Dean slowed to a stop by the hood, looking over at Birdie. "We'll meet you back at Bobby's, Bird."

"But don't you━━━"

"We'll be fine," he said, shaking his head.

Birdie nodded after a few seconds, climbing onto her bike. Claire and Amelia glanced in her direction and she offered them a timid smile. "Bye."

Amelia just nodded, ushering Claire into the back of the Impala. Birdie started up her motorcycle, giving the boys a wave after she put her helmet on. Then she pushed up the kickstand, beginning to head in the direction she'd come from. Dean's eyes lingered on her for a few seconds as he thought to himself, shaking his head before he climbed into the Impala along with Sam.

Birdie arrived at Bobby's exactly eight minutes before Sam and Dean did. Sam's face had been cleaned up more since earlier, thankfully nothing was left for Bobby to see. Bobby didn't say anything about it either, meaning he didn't know yet. Birdie certainly wasn't going to say anything about what Sam had done, but the same couldn't be said for Dean. Whether Sam wanted it or not, Bobby would find out.

They'd dropped Amelia and Claire off at a nearby bus station, giving them enough cash to get them back home. From there, Dean figured they would move away from Illinois, try to start somewhere new and hopefully safer. But, only time would tell.

While waiting for Sam and Dean, Bobby had said there was something he needed to talk to Birdie and the boys about, but he refused to give any details to Birdie until they were all together. So when the door finally opened and they appeared in the living room, Birdie let out a sigh of relief.

"Well, thanks for shakin' a tail," Bobby said, walking behind Birdie and the boys toward the panic room. Apparently, that was where he had his books set up, using the panic room as a safe place to discuss what he'd found in case any demons wanted to come snooping. Birdie thought that might've been a little excessive, though she refrained from saying that out loud. "Glad you kids got here."

"Yeah, you got it," Dean said.

Sam grabbed the door handle as Dean flicked on the light, pulling it open. Birdie furrowed her brows, noticing the bed had been moved into the middle of the room. There were still some books and notebooks on the desk, but they were all closed with specs of dust collecting on them. It looked like Bobby hadn't been in there in a while.

"Now, go on inside," Bobby said. "I wanna show you somethin'."

"All right," Sam quietly said, entering the room first. Birdie went to follow him, but Dean stuck his arm out to stop her. She furrowed her brows together, glancing at him in confusion. "So, uh, what's the big demon problem?"

"You are."

Birdie's eyes widened, darting from Dean and over to Bobby. She looked at Sam moments later, seeing he had a similar expression on his face.

"This is for your own good."

Before Birdie knew it, Bobby and Dean were closing the door on Sam, locking him inside the panic room.

"Guys?" Sam asked, walking closer as he peered out the peephole that was still open. Bobby closed it, turning the latch so it couldn't be opened from the inside. "Guys! This isn't funny!"

Birdie looked at Dean and Bobby in complete disbelief, holding her hands out when they turned to face her. "What the fuck are you guys doing?" she demanded to know. "You can't just lock him in there!"

"You saw what he did back there, Birdie," Dean said, giving her a sharp look. "To that demon."

"This is to help him," Bobby said.

"Guys! Hey!"

Birdie continued to shake her head, frowning as she looked between them. Their eyes were burning into her, something that made Birdie feel a tad bit nervous. Why were they looking at her like that?

"Guys?" Sam called out again, pounding on the door.

Birdie let out a quiet sigh, twisting her lips. She placed her hands on her hips, slowly nodding her head. "I. . .I understand," she softly said. "Maybe this is for the best."

Dean pursed his lips together, nodding as he briefly looked over at Bobby. He caught his eye, his gaze swiveling back over to Birdie.

Without warning, Dean swung his fist, striking Birdie right in the jaw.

☽ ༓ ☾

Birdie softly groaned as she regained consciousness, her entire head throbbing like someone was using her head as their personal drum. There was an ache in her jaw, sharp pains shooting up and down every few seconds. She slowly lifted her head, frowning when she tried to move her arms but found that she couldn't. She blinked down in confusion, noticing her hands were tied tight to a wooden chair by scratchy rope. She tried to move her legs, but they too were bound to the chair. Another rope was also tied around her waist, making sure she was nice and secure.

There was no chance of escape.

"What the fuck?" she whispered.

"Nice of you to finally join us."

Birdie quickly raised her head, staring at Dean and Bobby in confusion. They were standing in front of her in the living room, eyes narrowed on her. "What the-what the hell is going on?" Birdie asked, tugging on the ropes. They were incredibly tight. "This isn't funny. Untie me right now."

"No can do," Bobby said, taking a few steps closer. Birdie knitted her brows together, seeing he was holding a silver flask.

"Bobby, I━━━"

Bobby splashed some holy water onto Birdie, the water trickling down her face. Birdie narrowed her eyes, spitting some out as she glared at the two men. "What was that for?" Dean and Bobby shared a brief look, something unsaid in their dark eyes. Birdie shook her head, still incredibly confused. "What the fuck is going on?"

"Cut the fucking bullshit," Dean snapped, walking closer. Birdie rolled her eyes and leaned her head back, but she did a double take when she saw the Devil's Trap above her. "See that? You're not going anywhere until we get some answers."

Birdie shook her head, gesturing with her hands. "Answers to what, Dean?"

"Like who the hell are you and what're you doing inside Birdie?"

Birdie raised her brows. "You're fucking joking." Dean and Bobby's expressions remained stoic, their silence an answer that told her they were serious. Birdie heavily sighed, shaking her head. "Guys, I'm me. I'm-I'm not a damn demon."

"Yeah, and I'm Ted Nugent."

Birdie scoffed, rolling her eyes. "I'm being serious. I'm me. Surely you guys━━━"

"No, you're not," Dean said, narrowing her eyes on her. "There is no fucking way that Birdie would ever just go along with lockin' Sam up."

"I mean, I don't like it, but I understand━━━"

"No, no," Dean interrupted, firmly shaking his head. "You don't understand. Birdie would never approve of that. Hell, we'd still be fighting with her about it. So, who the fuck are you?"

Birdie angrily clenched her jaw, digging her nails into the armrests of the wooden chair. "I said I'm me," she snapped, matching his glare. "Now untie me━━━"

"How long?" Bobby asked, folding his arms over his chest. Birdie raised a brow, making a face that said she didn't know what he was talking about. "How long have you been pretending to be her?"

"I'm not pretending to be anyone," Birdie replied. "Dean, Bobby. . .I'm me."

There was a shout that came from downstairs, but Birdie didn't bat an eye at the sound. Dean and Bobby shared a glance; Birdie certainly would've reacted to it whether she meant to or not. Another shout traveled up the stairs and into the room, and this time Birdie heard Sam.

She hissed, clenching her eyes shut as she lowered her head. Dean suspiciously narrowed his eyes, taking a small step closer. A frown was prominent on Bobby's lips, an ache in his heart. How hadn't he noticed there was something inside her? That she was struggling to take back control of her own body?

"Hey," Sam desperately called out. "This isn't fucking funny anymore!"

Birdie sucked in a sharp breath, abruptly lifting her head as her eyes grew wide. Pure panic was evident in her eyes, something Dean and Bobby immediately noticed. Their facades faltered, a spark of hope igniting in them.

There was a vast difference in the way she was looking at them now, eyes softened with sorrow and lips curled downward into a frown. Her breathing was no longer calm and steady, ragged breaths slipping past her lips.

"Is that Sam?" Birdie asked, frowning as she glanced between Dean and Bobby. That frown immediately deepened when she noticed that she was tied to a chair. "What-what's going on? Why the hell am I━━━"

"BIRDIE!"

Birdie's eyes widened in horror, her eyes flickering between Dean and Bobby. Dean gulped, noticing the way Birdie was looking at him and Bobby. "What the fuck is going on, Dean?" she demanded to know, a pained look on her face. "Untie me right now!"

"Birdie?" Dean asked, slightly tilting his head. "Is that really you?"

"Of course it's me, you idiot!" she huffed, shooting him a pointed look. She could feel the pain in her head and jaw, but she completely ignored it. She needed to know what was going on with Sam. "Now what the fuck are you doing to Sam━━━"

Birdie suddenly groaned, face contorting into agony as her words were abruptly cut off. "Birdie!" Dean shouted, rushing over to kneel in front of her. Birdie whimpered as a sharp pain spread throughout her entire head, blocking out Dean's jumbled words. "Birdie!"

Her eyes opened again, sharp breaths escaping her lips as she slowly lifted her head. Dean's face fell, noticing the change of expression on Birdie's face as her breathing slowed to a calm and steady pace again. Her shoulders suddenly relaxed, blinking a few times as she collected herself.

It wasn't Birdie anymore, and Dean and Bobby knew it for sure now.

Felicity let out a dramatic sigh, shaking her head as her eyes stayed locked with Dean's. "I should've known Sammy's voice would be enough to give her control for a few seconds."

Dean's expression hardened and he stood up, glowering down at her with hatred.

Felicity shifted in the chair, glancing over at Bobby with her head tilted to one side. "You have to admit, I did a pretty good job at being Birdie."

"Not good enough," Bobby shot back. "We still figured it out."

"Yeah, but it took you guys months to even realize." Dean scoffed at that, but Felicity just smirked. "I've been here since the week after you died, Dean."

"Yeah, right. Like we're gonna believe anything you say."

"Do you remember when Sam told you why he and Birdie trusted Ruby? How she saved him and Birdie?" she asked, raising both of her brows for emphasis. Dean clenched his jaw, not responding. She took that as her cue to continue. "It was me who saved them━━━specifically Birdie who would've died if it wasn't for me."

"And who the hell are you?" Dean asked.

"Felicity," she answered.

"What the hell kind of name is that for a demon?" Bobby sneered.

Felicity scoffed, rolling her eyes at the man. "Listen, all you need to know about me is that I'm on your guys' side. If I wanted to hurt any of you by now, I would've done it already━━━there's been hundreds of chances, but I didn't take them, did I?"

"I don't believe this bullshit," Dean said, taking a few steps closer to Felicity. "Sam and Birdie wouldn't trust you. And there's no fucking way Birdie would let a demon in her. She'd rather die."

"She did it for you, Dean."

"What?" he asked, brows knitted together. Felicity nodded, leaning her head back slightly. Dean firmly shook his head in denial, folding his arms over his chest. "No. No, she wouldn't," he denied. "She wouldn't do that."

"She did," Felicity nodded again. "That promise she made to you to watch out for Sam? That's why."

"You're lying."

"Am I though, Dean?" Felicity retorted, tilting her head to the side. "Think about it━━━both of you. Didn't you guys ever notice how quickly she healed whenever she got hurt? Why she rarely used stitches anymore? How she always bounced back?"

Bobby shook his head. "This is just a trick. You didn't do jackshit."

"You might not have realized I was here at first, but surely you both noticed something was off with Birdie," Felicity said, looking between the men. She slowly nodded. She knew they did. She remembered hearing them say it themselves. "It's not easy sharing a body, but she did it to keep her promise."

"No, no. I-I don't believe that."

"She was dying, Dean. But because I could save her, she took the risk so she could keep her promise to you."

Dean continued to shake his head, but he slowly stopped.

Birdie would've done anything to keep her promise, but not that.

Or would she risk going to that extreme?

Dean turned his back on Felicity, catching Bobby's eye. Bobby shook his head at his silent question and walked over to the woman, splashing some holy water onto her face. Felicity blinked, closing her eyes as the water trickled down her face once again. It stung, but it was bearable. Bobby knitted his brows together, sharing a weary look with Dean.

"We don't believe a damn word of this," Bobby said, tossing the flask on the couch; it's not like it was of much use right now. "Now you better start giving us some answers or we'll send your ass back downstairs."

"Aren't you going to do that, anyway?" Felicity asked.

"Why doesn't the holy water work on you?" Dean asked, folding his arms over his chest as he finally turned back around.

Felicity hummed, nonchalantly shrugging her shoulders. "Who says it doesn't?" Dean scoffed under his breath, narrowing his eyes. "It does work on me, but not in the way you want it to."

"And why is that?"

"Because I'm not exactly a demon."

"Then what are you?"

"You won't believe me."

"Try us."

Felicity twisted her lips, heavily sighing. "I'm a Demithan."

Dean made a face. "You're a what?"

"I'm not necessarily a demon, but I'm not exactly an angel either."

Bobby scoffed. "Oh, great. That explains it."

Felicity huffed, glaring at the man. "A Demithan is━━━it is essentially a mix of an angel and a demon."

Bobby turned towards Dean, nudging his head towards the kitchen. Dean stole one last look at Felicity and sighed, walking into the kitchen with Bobby.

"You think she's lying?" Bobby asked.

"About what? All of it?" Dean wondered.

"She sounds pretty serious."

"They all do," Dean said. "That doesn't mean it's true."

Bobby quietly sighed, glancing into the living room. Felicity's eyes were wandering around the living room, carefully examining everything in sight. He shook his head, facing Dean again. "I think she's lying, but I think she's telling the truth about what she is."

"You really believe that?"

"I've heard of a Demithan, but they're supposed to be extinct━━━locked away in Purgatory by God himself."

"Why?"

"Let me go ask him━━━oh, wait━━━"

"All right, all right," Dean scoffed, holding up his hand and rolling his eyes. He looked at Felicity again, this time catching her eye as she stared directly at him. "Well, if she is tellin' the truth about what she is, she's got a hell of a lot more to explain."

Dean and Bobby walked back into the living room, keeping their eyes focused on Felicity. "So, do you━━━"

"Say we believe you, that you're a-a━━━"

"Demithan?" Felicity finished for Dean, a hint of amusement in her tone.

"Whatever," Dean said, "What makes you so special? And why help Birdie?"

Felicity made a face, shrugging her shoulders. "I don't think anything makes me special. And Birdie. . .I needed a better body and she needed some magical healing. Two birds, one stone."

Dean scoffed out a laugh. "A better body? Since when do. . .why did you need a better body?"

"Like angels, it's preferred we're in a body that can handle us," Felicity explained. "Demons can just use whoever they want, but I need a body that is capable of withstanding me. And we each have a true vessel━━━which we only need if something happens to the body we were created in."

"And why did God lock you all up?" Bobby wondered.

"Let's just say they're not all Demithans are as kind and friendly as me," Felicity said. "Some were too. . .bloodthirsty, so, God punished all of us. And, before you ask, I don't know how I got out of there. I just remember waking up here one day, and I've been moving from one body to the next since then. Birdie's been the best one so far."

"Well, don't get too comfortable," Dean said. "After tonight, you're gonna have to find someone else."

A face flashed in Felicity's mind, causing her smile to widen. It was the face of her true vessel. If all else failed, she knew where she could run.

"Don't worry, Dean. Once I've handled my unfinished business, you can have her back."

"What unfinished business?" Bobby asked.

Felicity let out a quiet sigh. "Now that. . .I can't tell you."

Dean scoffed, shaking his head. "That's not how this works. We ask you questions, and you give us answers."

"That's what I've been doing."

"Then answer the question."

"That one I can't."

Dean leaned in close, harshly narrowing his eyes on Felicity. She matched his glare, moving her head so their faces were inches apart. "That's not good enough," Dean said. "You're not gettin' out of this alive unless you give us some answers."

"I've already told you━━━"

You motherfucking liar.

Felicity paused, her expression faltering as her words were cut off by a sharp voice inside her head. 'What?'

You're a fucking liar. You've been meeting with Ruby in secret this whole fucking time.

"Hey," Dean said, waving his hand in front of Felicity's face. "Keep talking."

'Birdie, just listen to the explanation I give them━━━'

I see it now. All the secret meetings, phone calls, texts, and hundreds of lies━━━you tricked me and Sam. You fucking used us.

"Felicity?"

'Okay, yes, I was, but I'm not anymore. Just listen━━━'

You motherfucker━━━

"Fuck!" Felicity shouted, feeling a wave of anger and annoyance wash over her. Dean took a step back, standing up straight. "Just give me a fucking chance to explain!"

"She's fightin' you, isn't she?" Dean snickered, looking down at Felicity in amusement. Felicity clenched her jaw, narrowing her eyes on Dean. His smirk widened at her lack of response. "Good."

Felicity closed her eyes, glumly shaking her head. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry to all of you," Felicity said, frowning as she looked at Dean and Bobby. She almost sounded genuine. "I'll make it right."

"And how're you plannin' on doing that?" Bobby wondered.

Felicity sighed, a glum look in her eyes. "By pissing you off more first."

Dean knitted his eyebrows together, but his entire face fell when the walls around them began to shake. Pictures rattled against the walls, falling to the floor. Rumsfeld barked from upstairs, but he was unable to leave Bobby's room as he'd been shut inside for his protection. The ground beneath their feet shook, making them stagger to the side in an attempt to balance themselves. Multiple books tumbled off the shelves, loudly thudding against the floorboards. The fireplace behind Felicity burst to life with a raging orange fire, causing Dean and Bobby to flinch and step back in surprise. Bobby's eyes darted to Dean, panic coursing through them. Crackling echoed in their ears and Dean and Bobby looked up, eyes widening even more when they saw a crack appear in the trap.

Their gazes snapped back to Felicity and she smiled. "Sorry, boys. I got a demon to kill."

The ropes binding her to the chair sizzled away and she quickly stood up. Dean took a cautious step back, hardened eyes fixated on Felicity. "You fuckin' bitch. I'll━━━"

Felicity stepped forward, placing two fingers against Dean's forehead. His eyes rolled back as he instantly fell to the floor, eyes shut as he was rendered unconscious. Bobby's lips parted in surprise, raising a fist when Felicity stepped in front of him. "I promise I'll fix this."

Then she touched his forehead just as he swung, stepping out of the way as Bobby fell to the floor by Dean's feet. She let out a glum sigh, stepping over Bobby. She walked into the kitchen, beginning to search for Birdie's keys.

I'll kill you for this, Felicity.

Felicity heavily sighed, shaking her head. "Birdie, I-I know this looks bad. Really fucking bad, actually," she said, rummaging through the drawers. She turned to the living room, her eyes suddenly falling on Dean. "But I'm not working with Ruby━━━not anymore."

Like I'm gonna believe you after everything you've done.

Felicity didn't respond. She jogged over to Dean and kneeled beside him, feeling in his pockets. She pulled out a set of keys, smiling to herself as they were Birdie's.

I'm gonna kill you. That is a fucking promise.

Felicity stood up, frowning as she tightly gripped the keys in the palm of her hand. "And I'm gonna fix this," she said. "I'm gonna kill Ruby. That's a promise."