CHAPTER FORTY ONE:
RUNNING UP THAT HILL.

⋅ ∙ ∘ ☽ ༓ ☾ ∘ ⋅ ⋅

SOFT STUBBLE GRAZED across Birdie's cheek, awakening her from her peaceful slumber. She softly smiled to herself, humming as gentle kisses were peppered on her cheek, slowly trailing down to her jaw. "I know you don't want to, but we gotta get up," Sam whispered.

Birdie's eyes slowly fluttered open, blinking a few times. Her brows furrowed together, realizing she was in an unfamiliar room. There was a warmth against her back and she gasped, feeling Sam place a kiss on her temple. She swung her legs over the bed, hastily getting to her feet. Her wide eyes stared at Sam, noticing the confused and surprised expression on his features as he laid in the queen sized bed.

He wore a navy colored shirt with the Stanford logo printed on the front, the plush blanket pushed down towards his waist where Birdie could see some plaid pajama bottoms, or maybe they were boxers; she wasn't exactly sure. His hair was a little messy, most likely having only woken up a few minutes ago based on the sleepiness still lingering on his face. Birdie glanced down at her own outfit, her expression becoming more stunned when she saw she was wearing one of Sam's shirts and a pair of underwear━━━which were thankfully covered by the shirt.

"What-what are you doing?" Birdie asked, looking at him with an incredulous look. "And-and-and what the hell happened to our room?"

Sam breathed out a laugh, tilting his head at her. "Are you still drunk?" he asked, some amusement laced within his voice.

"No, I'm-I'm not drunk, Sam," Birdie said, firmly shaking her head. "Where-where are we?"

Sam's smile faltered and he sat up on the bed. He scooted towards the edge, pushing the blanket off of him as he swung his legs over the side of the bed. "Our apartment," he answered like it was obvious. "Where else would we be, Bird?"

Birdie shook her head, glancing around the bedroom. Almost the entire wall behind their bed was made into what Birdie would've described as a bookshelf. Shelves lined the wall, books of all genres filling the spaces. On the other wall was a modern desk and a computer, a lamp in the corner near a framed photo of Sam and Birdie━━━was that a prom picture? In the opposite corner was a guitar, a keyboard, and a large art easel with a blank canvas ready to showcase a masterpiece. Painting and drawings were stuck to a board above the easel, a few fallen on the floor or balled up in the trash can by the desk. A flat screen TV hung across from the bed, a dresser that matched the desk underneath it with some folded up clothes on top. A Playstation was in the middle with two controllers and headsets leaning against it. Some more photos were also on the dresser━━━one of Birdie and Sam and Dean in front of the Impala, but they were no older than 4, 5, and 9 with Reese and John grinning in the background.

There were two doors behind Birdie, just barely able to make out some hanging clothes in the one closest to the door that led into a hall. The other gave her a view of a spacious bathroom.

Her eyes flickered to the bedside table closest to her, quickly picking up a framed photo while Sam watched her in confusion. "This can't be real," Birdie whispered.

It was another picture of her and Sam. They were a few years younger, Birdie no older than eighteen. Sam was kneeled on one knee, a shiny black box in hand as his dimples poked out while he grinned. Birdie stood in front of him, eyes wide as her jaw was wide open in complete surprise.

It was an engagement photo.

She flinched when Sam suddenly touched her arm, causing her to drop the picture. Sam quickly reached down as it fell towards the floor, letting out a quiet breath as he caught it just before it could shatter on the wood floor. He carefully placed it back on the nightstand and he stood up, frowning as he peered down at Birdie. "Are you feeling okay, baby?" he asked, standing very close to her.

Birdie's eyes bored straight into Sam, her lips open as if she was going to speak but no words were coming out. "I-I. . .Sam, where's Dean?" she finally managed to ask.

"Dean? He's at home," Sam said, offering Birdie a small smile. "How about I make you your favorite breakfast? Maybe you'll feel better then."

"But Sam━━━"

Sam leaned forward and placed a loving kiss on her forehead, hand caressing her shoulder. Birdie let out a quiet sigh, blinking as Sam took a step back and dropped his hand at his side. "I'll see you downstairs."

Birdie silently watched him walk out of the room, her thoughts running a mile a minute as she tried to make sense of what the fuck was going on. When Sam disappeared from sight, Birdie walked into the bathroom, immediately facing herself in the mirror after she shut the door behind her.

She firmly placed her hands on the counter, staring directly into her reflection. "Felicity, what the fuck is going on?" she asked.

Her reflection just silently stared back at her.

"Felicity? Please, don't give me the silent treatment right now," Birdie frowned. "I have no idea what's happening here."

Still no response.

Birdie heavily sighed, standing up straight. She placed her hands on her hips, but suddenly realization hit her. She quickly looked in the mirror again, gasping when she saw the scar on her right eye was gone. She carefully touched her eye, feeling to see if maybe it got covered by makeup somehow, but nothing.

It was like it never even happened.

Birdie let out a shaky breath, backing up away from the mirror. Her eyes roamed the pristine bathroom, her gaze landing on a tiny knife that was by the toothbrushes; it looked like a fancy knife that was used to help with shaving facial hair. She curiously tilted her head, a thought suddenly occurring to her.

She reached forward, carefully picking up the knife. She held it up for a closer inspection, twirling it in the light. It looked a little dull, but if Felicity was still around, she would show herself.

Birdie turned her right hand so her palm was facing upwards. She sucked in a sharp breath, biting her lip as she made a small cut on her palm. She scrunched her nose at the stinging sensation, lowering the knife as blood began to ooze from the wound.

'Come on, Felicity,' Birdie thought to herself.

She watched the blood continue to ooze out, nothing happening as the seconds passed and she impatiently waited. Birdie heavily sighed, setting the knife in the sink. She grabbed the hand towel and gently pressed it to her palm. She used her fingers to grip it, her other hand turning on the sink to wash the blood off of the knife so Sam wouldn't see it and become concerned. Then she placed it back off to the side and turned the faucet off.

She partially moved the towel, hoping that the cut would've miraculously disappeared, but it was still there. She pursed her lips together and crouched down, rummaging through the drawers until she found some gauze. She undid it and then wrapped it around her hand, making sure it was secure before she tossed the hand towel in the hamper by the shower; she made sure to move the other clothes around to cover the towel with blood on it.

She stole one last look in her reflection, closing her eyes as she only stared at herself. She walked out of the bathroom and flopped down on the bed, her gaze boring into the ceiling above her.

She and the boys had been heading towards South Dakota when Birdie got a text from Darius asking if she could finally meet him. Reluctantly, she agreed as she felt she'd been pushing it off long enough. She had already told Dean about his texts, and he was just as suspicious about Darius's motives for wanting to meet Birdie as Sam was. But, Birdie was sure she could handle it━━━she simply wanted it done and over with so she could go back to forgetting about him.

Sam and Dean were at the motel when Birdie left on her motorcycle just to scope out Darius's apartment building, but after that. . .she didn't remember a single thing.

Birdie sat up with a sigh, glancing around the bedroom to see if anything would stick out to her. Her eyes fell on a phone on the nightstand and she quickly crawled across the bed. She picked it up, softly smiling to herself when she saw the lock screen was a photo of her and Sam━━━they were sitting side by side, bright smiles on their faces as they looked at the camera in what Birdie realized were matching Star Wars shirts. She chuckled to herself as she clicked on the contacts, halting when she saw a familiar name. She tilted her head, her finger hovering over the number.

DING DONG!

"Baby, can you get that please?"

Birdie closed the phone and stood up, wrapping her fingers around the phone. "Yeah!" she called back. She glanced around the room, sighing in relief when she saw a pair of sweats on the floor. She slipped them on over her legs, pausing when she realized they were Sam's. She shook her head and walked out of the bedroom, heading towards the stairs.

She walked down a set of stairs, her eyes scanning the framed photos and artwork scattered on the wall on the way down. She softly smiled and stepped off the last step, the picture of her and the boys with John and Mary on a float trip flashing in her mind again. She saw a brief flash of Dean pushing Sam into the water, the water splattering onto Birdie as if it was happening right then. It was followed by Birdie doing the same to Dean as she loudly laughed, John and Mary chuckling at their antics. Birdie shook her head, pushing it out of her mind.

'That was weird.'

A gray door was now in front of her as she stood in the foyer. There was a small table to the right where they could toss their keys, mail, and other small things that they might not want to carry the rest of the way into their apartment. A circular mirror was hung above it, not a single smudge in sight. There was a metal coat rack in the corner by the door, a few jackets hanging on it along with a black purse and a rainbow colored umbrella.

Birdie furrowed her brows when there was a faint knock and she grabbed the handle, pulling it open to see who it was.

Her eyes widened as a gasp escaped past her lips at the sight. "Holy shit."

"Hi, Birdie. Sorry to bother you, but I got your mail by mistake. Again." Kaiya Hamed held the small stack of mail out to Birdie, an unreadable expression on her face as her eyes raked over Birdie's attire. Birdie just continued to stare, barely even blinking as she took in Kaiya. She wore a shiny black suit, not one single ounce of color on her outfit to show some kind of flair. Her makeup was done with light grays and pale pinks, making her look a little younger. Kaiya shifted her feet, looking rather uncomfortable the longer Birdie stared at her without speaking. "Uh, Birdie?"

Birdie breathed out a laugh and stepped forward, wrapping her arms around the woman. Kaiya let out a surprised humph sound, immediately going rigid in Birdie's arms. "Kai, I've missed you so much," Birdie whispered.

"Um, would-would you mind letting go of me? Please?"

Birdie pulled away at Kaiya's request, unable to hide her frown. Her eyes raked over Kaiya, a strange feeling settling in the pit of her stomach as she locked eyes with the woman.

Kaiya's eyes looked so dull, like there wasn't any joy inside her at seeing Birdie.

It was like━━━

"Here's your mail," Kaiya said, pushing the mail into Birdie's hands when she failed to grab it herself. Birdie stammered, her confusion only growing when Kaiya took a few steps away. "Good day, Mrs. Winchester."

Birdie's frown only deepened as Kaiya turned and walked down the hall, her heels scuffing along the carpeted floors. Birdie poked her head out of the door, watching the older woman disappear around a corner. She pursed her lips and stepped back into the apartment, shutting the door behind her with her foot. She glanced over at the table, shrugging as she set the mail down. She started to make her way to the hall, but then something stopped her.

"Did she call me Mrs. Winchester?"

Birdie took a few steps back and picked up the mail, shuffling through the stack. Most of them were addressed to Sam, but seeing Winchester after his name wasn't odd. However, when Birdie saw one that was addressed to her, she saw the name Birdie Winchester instead of Birdie Fowler.

"What the f━━━"

"Bird, breakfast is ready!"

Birdie set the mail back down, walking in the direction she'd heard Sam's voice come from. She slowed to a stop as she stepped into the living room. It was a wide open space, a half wall dividing the living room from the kitchen and dining area. The walls were painted a dark blue━━━one of Birdie's favorite colors. There was a large, gray sectional couch facing the electric fireplace, a flat screen TV hung above it with a surround sound speaker. A round, glass coffee table was in front of the couch; magazines, a couple of books, and the TV remote on top of it. A checkered blanket was draped over the end of the couch, some of the edges frayed to show it had been around for a few years. There was a large bookshelf on the wall to her left, filled with even more books and movies that couldn't fit in their bedroom. A large, fake plant with blue, white, and yellow flowers stood tall in another corner, similar plants━━━both big and small of all colors━━━were spread throughout the rest of the apartment.

Birdie turned her head towards the kitchen, spotting Sam grabbing some plates out of a cabinet. He was no longer wearing a Stanford shirt and boxers, instead dressed in a nice suit with his hair brushed. He moved to the side, setting the plates on the counter next to the stove to put their food on them. Birdie faintly smiled to herself, liking the looks of the apartment.

The kitchen cabinets were a pristine white with shiny, silver handles on each one. There was a farmhouse sink under a window that overlooked the neighborhood park that was currently empty. A stainless steel fridge was at the end of the counter. Pictures, a calendar, and souvenir magnets were hung on the fridge, more on the other side as they all couldn't fit on the front. A dishwasher was by the sink, a small magnet with the words clean and dirty on it━━━the top part currently said clean. The counter extended around into an overhang and stopped a few feet away from the half wall. Stools were tucked under the overhang of the counter as a glass dining table was placed behind it. Chairs that matched the stools were set around the table, only two slightly ajar━━━the ones Sam and Birdie often used.

Birdie took a few steps in Sam's direction as her eyes glanced at one of the pictures by the TV. She furrowed her brows, walking over to the photo on the right side.

When she finally got close enough, her jaw nearly dropped to the floor. It was a wedding photo━━━her and Sam's wedding.

"Bird?"

Birdie blinked back to reality, glancing over her shoulder at Sam.

Sam had both plates in his hands as he headed for the table, smiling when he saw Birdie looking at their wedding picture. "Can you believe it's already been four years?" he asked, setting the plates down in their respective spots.

"Four years?"

Sam smiled, nodding his head as he took a seat. His brows were slightly furrowed, eyes pinned to Birdie when he noticed her confusion. "Yeah, since our wedding. . ."

"Oh," Birdie said, looking at the wedding picture again. Her eyes focused on the man standing to her right in the photo, a sad smile gracing her lips. Her father smiled brightly beside Birdie, wearing a suit similar to the one Sam, John, and the other groomsmen wore. Mary and John were on the other side closest to Sam and Dean, looking younger than Birdie had ever seen them. There were some people Birdie didn't recognize, but she figured they were Sam's friends from Stanford.

"Hey, you gonna eat, or am I gonna have to spoon feed you?"

Birdie breathed out a forced laugh, finally tearing her gaze away from the picture. She walked over to the table and took a seat across from Sam, giving him a timid smile. She looked down at her plate, the sweet scent of bacon immediately filling her nose. There were three slices of bacon on her plate, two pieces of sausage, scrambled eggs, and a piece of toast slathered in strawberry jelly; it might've been the best looking breakfast she'd ever seen or smelled in her entire life.

Her stomach growled and she chuckled, hearing Sam laugh after he'd heard it, too.

Birdie picked up her fork, pursing her lips as she looked across at Sam again. "Sam," she said. He looked up, swallowing his bite of eggs. Birdie shifted in her chair, letting out a hesitant sigh. This all felt like a dream; albeit a weird one, but a dream nonetheless. "What, uh. . .last night. . .did we. . .did we go anywhere with Dean?"

"With Dean?" Sam repeated, confusion spreading across his face. "No. Last night was date night, remember? We had dinner at Amara's Tavern and Amara came out to say hi to us like she always does. Then we came home and watched some movies━━━Transformers, Friday the 13th, My Bloody Valentine, and. . ." Sam's voice dragged off, his eyes looking at Birdie like she was meant to know what else.

"And," Birdie repeated, expectantly raising her brows at Sam.

"A Barbie movie. The Princess and the Pauper."

"We watched all of those last night?" Birdie asked.

Sam nodded, chuckling as he took a sip of his water. Birdie didn't even notice that the glasses of water were already on the table when she walked in. "Well, we both got a little tipsy before we put the horror ones in, but maybe you were more drunk than I thought since you wouldn't let us go to bed until after we watched a Barbie movie━━━"

"So we didn't hang out with Dean? And I didn't go anywhere by myself?"

Sam set his fork down, his confusion turning into genuine concern. "Birdie, what's going on? This morning you've been acting strange━━━more so than usual." Birdie made a face and Sam softly laughed, reaching across the table to rest his hand on top of Birdie's. She looked at his hand, ignoring the way his touch sent a wave of ease through her. She lifted her gaze again, meeting Sam's eye. "Talk to me, Bird."

Birdie quietly sighed, shaking her head as a small smile appeared on her face. "You know, just. . .forget it. It-it must've been a weird dream," she said. Sam raised his brows, not believing her just yet. "I'm okay, Sammy. Really."

Sam smiled in return and removed his hand from Birdie's. He picked up his fork again, continuing to eat his breakfast. Birdie did the same, groaning at the savory flavors that danced across her tongue with pure glee. Sam watched her with an adoring smile, his dimples poking out. Birdie felt her cheeks warm up at his attention, licking at her lips. "What?" she asked with a nervous laugh.

Sam's smile remained as he shook his head. "Nothin'," he said.

Birdie ate some more of her breakfast, feeling herself slowly begin to relax as if she was starting to believe that this was in fact how her life was actually like. Sam took a sip of his coffee, sighing as he set it beside his almost empty plate. A phone started to ring and he sighed, pulling it out of his pocket. "Oh, shit," he said, his eyes widening when he saw what time it was.

"Sam? What's wrong?" Birdie asked, setting her fork down.

"I'm gonna be late to work," Sam said, hastily standing up from the table. Birdie frowned, wiping at her mouth with a napkin she grabbed from the pile in the middle of their table. "Sorry, Bird. I gotta get going."

Birdie's lips parted and she stood up, watching Sam walk into the living room. He picked up a bag and a computer that were under the coffee table, tucking them under his arm as he quickly walked back over to Birdie. "Wait, work? Wh━━━"

Sam leaned in, connecting his lips with Birdie before she could finish her question. She squeaked in surprise, but she found herself returning the kiss only after a couple of moments. Sam pulled away a few seconds and warmly smiled down at Birdie, running his hand up and down her arm. "I'll see you tonight," he softly said. "I love you."

Birdie's eyes followed him, smiling when he glanced back at her as he picked up his keys from the counter. "I-I love you too."

Sam grinned, his eyes lighting up as his dimples appeared again. He jogged into the hall, shouting another 'bye' and 'love you' as he slipped out of the apartment. Birdie let out a heavy sigh once she was completely alone, shaking her head as she glanced around the apartment.

Was this really her life?

⋅ ∙ ∘ ☽ ༓ ☾ ∘ ⋅ ⋅

From what Birdie found online and through photos, she and Sam were high school sweethearts. Their families had known each other since Birdie and the boys were kids, always having barbecues, throwing parties together, or going on vacations together. Serena was only in a handful of photos, and Birdie later found out why. An obituary for Serena Fowler was online━━━she died of lung cancer when Birdie was six years old. Reese hadn't married since then, though there were a few unfamiliar women here and there online with him; girlfriends that never lasted. Birdie also searched the apartment for any clues that something was wrong, but she couldn't find anything that screamed supernatural to her.

Now Birdie was in the living room, legs crossed in front of her as she held the last photo album she could find. A morning talk show was on only to provide some background noise, bits and pieces occasionally reaching Birdie's ears. A small smile was on her lips, finding pictures of her and the boys━━━some of which she somehow remembered taking. There were some of just the boys and ones with their parents. Reese and Birdie had plenty of photos together, not a single care in the world as they smiled and laughed in every photo even when they weren't aware their photo was being taken. She was surprised to find ones of just her and John and Mary, no sign of mutual annoyance between her and John in any of the photos. There were also pictures of Dean and Isla Carters━━━a handful of them being beautiful wedding pictures.

Birdie turned to another page, sadly smiling at a picture of her and Reese. There weren't any more after it, but there was plenty of room for more pictures to be added. She pulled it out of the slip, sighing as she gently touched the picture. They appeared to be at an amusement park, a large rollercoaster behind them as they held up some ice cream and beamed at the camera. Their eyes were squinted as the sun beat down on them, but that didn't deter the genuine joy radiating off of them. She turned the picture over, doing a double take when she read the date that was scribbled on the back. Her eyes looked up at the TV, spotting the date and time in the corner of the channel. She looked at the date on the photo again, a quiet gasp slipping past her lips.

It was two weeks ago.

Anything could happen in two weeks, but━━━

"And in other news, Nancy Lantz has been making history━━━" Birdie's head abruptly shot up to look at the TV. She quickly rose to her feet, gaping as she watched. Nancy Lantz━━━the girl her mother had murdered years ago━━━popped up the screen, a bright smile on her face as she posed on what looked like a red carpet of some sorts. She was older, her hair longer and rolling over her tanned shoulders in dark waves. She wore a navy pantsuit, a shiny, silver ring slipped on her ring finger. Her skin shined under the bright lights, but she looked stunning. "━━━alongside Zac Efron, Leslie Mann, Matthew Perry, and━━━"

Birdie shook her head, listening to the woman drone on and on until she announced that Nancy was going to be joining her for an interview when they came back from a commercial break. "But mom. . ." Birdie blinked as a thought occurred to her. She turned her head towards the hall and bolted across the floor, rushing into her and Sam's shared room. She picked up her laptop, placing it in her lap after she crawled onto the bed. She pushed it open, a faint smile spreading across her lip at the background. It was a wedding picture of her and Sam━━━only them. They appeared to be up in the gorgeous mountains, radiant smiles on their faces as their foreheads pressed together. Their eyes were locked, love and admiration radiating off of them as the photographer captured the special moment. Birdie shook her head, letting out a sigh. She needed to focus.

She clicked on the internet explorer icon, searching up the name Nancy Lantz. There were articles after articles about the woman, none of which talking about her dying or even getting attacked in her bedroom when she was a teenager. Birdie knitted her brows together, typing in another name.

HOLLAND CALLAN OBITUARY.

Birdie gasped, immediately clicking on it. She read through the heartfelt obituary, her lips parting in shock as she read that Holland was found murdered not long after her older sister, Mina, was killed in their father's hotel. The police interviewed all of the hotel staff, but they couldn't find any evidence for either sister as to who committed the heinous acts.

"No, no, no," Birdie whispered, a feeling of dread settling on her shoulders and seeping all the way down into her stomach. She backed out and typed in another name. Then another. Another name. She continued and continued to scour through the internet, finding that everyone she'd saved had wound up dead.

She set her computer off to the side, pushing her head into her hands. But how was that possible? If she didn't save them, shouldn't someone else have found the case?

Their faces flashed in her mind, beckoning at her as to why she didn't save them this time.

When she heard the front door opening, she stood up, expecting it to be Sam.

"Bird? You home?" Birdie eyes widened, taking a few steps towards the door. "Birdie?"

Birdie slipped out of the bedroom and down the stairs, coming to a stop in the living room. Her eyes stayed wide open as she saw the figure standing in the kitchen, glancing around for Birdie. They turned around when they heard footsteps, immediately smiling at the sight of Birdie. "Hey, kiddo."

"Dad?"

Reese brightly smiled, adjusting a small box in his hands that Birdie didn't notice at first. "Hey," he said, walking over to stand in front of her. Birdie just stared at him, taking in his features. He looked younger somehow, his brown hair almost down to his shoulders now. He wore a plain white shirt under a jean jacket, dark jeans covering his legs. A pair of black sunglasses were clinging to the collar of his shirt, some fingerprint smudges on the lens. Reese shifted, his smile slightly falling as Birdie just stared at him. "You alright, Bird?"

Birdie let out a shaky breath, slowly reaching her hand out. She gently touched the side of her father's face, a wave of relief washing over her when he didn't suddenly flicker away.

Reese furrowed his brows together, giving Birdie an odd look. "Uh, Bird?" he asked. "Why're you touchin' my face?"

Birdie didn't respond. Instead, she threw her arms around her father, clenching her eyes shut as she forced the tears back.

Reese let out a sound of surprise, blinking at the sudden movements. "Woah! What's with━━━" his voice cut off, hearing a sniffle come from his daughter. He felt his heart ache and he set the box on the back of the couch, wrapping both of his arms around Birdie as well. "Hey, what's wrong? What's with the tears?"

Birdie's tears still managed to slip out of her eyes, seeping into the fabric of her fathers shirt. She just tightened her grip on him, not wanting to let go of fear that he would suddenly disappear. Reese did the same, holding his daughter close as his hands soothingly rubbed Birdie's back. "I. . .I just missed you," Birdie whispered. "So much."

"Aw, Bird," Reese said, softly chuckling as he smiled to himself. "I missed you, too. But, you did see me yesterday."

"I did?" Birdie asked, opening her eyes.

"Well, yeah," Reese chuckled. Birdie partially pulled away, looking up at her father. He softly sighed, seeing the wetness glistening on her cheeks. "Can't exactly run a music store without my business partner."

Birdie did her best to hide her surprise at that. A smile appeared on her lips a few seconds later, softly chuckling. "Right," she breathed out, nodding as she took a few steps back. She let out a quiet sigh, nudging her head towards the box after she wiped her tears away. "What's that?"

"Oh," Reese said, picking it up with a growing grin. He reached inside, pulling out a tiny, shiny object. Birdie raised her brows, realizing that it was a ring. "You left this in the office━━━again."

Birdie chuckled, fiddling with the ring between her fingers. It was gorgeous. She smiled to herself, slipping it onto her ring finger. It was a perfect fit. "Thanks, Dad."

"No problem," he said. He walked around the couch, taking a seat on the far end. Birdie clambered over the back of the couch, chuckling along with her father when he laughed at her. "Where's Sam?"

"He's at work," Birdie answered.

Reese nodded, glancing at the TV. The talk show was no longer talking about Nancy━━━in fact, something completely different was on. It was a soap opera; Days of Our Lives. "You're really watching this?" Reese asked, not hiding his amusement when he looked at his daughter.

Birdie playfully rolled her eyes, giving Reese a pointed look. "No. I wasn't even out here. I was in my room."

Reese slowly nodded, clearly not believing Birdie. She waved her hand at him, unable to keep her smile off her face.

It felt so strange seeing her father, but also so right. Every single memory she had with him came to mind, but with that, so did all of the times she wished her father had been there. For seven years, Birdie had been without either of her parents, but the parent she always wanted to still have around was her father. Being surrounded by death, and doing what they did, death was inevitable, but the idea of actually losing her father was something she had hardly thought about. However, in this life, it appeared Reese was around for every single occasion no matter how minor it might've been. He made sure to show his love and support, often going out of his way to do so━━━all of the pictures in the photo albums were proof enough. And, Birdie could swear she somehow remembered bits and pieces of those moments.

Birdie softly sighed, absentmindedly turning her ring on her finger. "There's so much I need to tell you," she said. "And probably ask you, too."

Reese softly chuckled. "There's more you need to tell me? Don't you tell me everything already, which is sometimes a little too much?"

"Never," Birdie grinned.

Reese playfully rolled his eyes and adjusted his position on the couch. He fluffed up the pillow behind him and turned his body so he was facing Birdie more with his legs stretched out. "What do you have to tell me, or ask?" he wondered.

"I just. . .I love how we're so close, and with Sam and his family," Birdie said. "Before━━━"

"Before?" Reese repeated, furrowing his brows together.

Birdie froze, her mind going blank as she thought of an excuse. She pushed herself further into the corner of the couch, tucking her legs under her butt. "I. . .I just had a-a really weird dream last night. . ." she said, twisting her lip as Reese continued to stare at her, a mix of emotions on his face. "Uh. . .Sam, Dean, and I . . .fought monsters across the country━━━every monster you could imagine."

"Every monster?"

Birdie nodded. "Vampires, ghosts, werewolves, demons, rugarus, witches, shapeshifters, crocottas, wendigos━━━"

"Okay, I-I think I get the gist," Reese interjected, a small smile on his lips. "Did anything else happen?"

Birdie glanced down at her lip, quietly sighing. "Well, a lot happened. We got our asses kicked a shit ton, but. . .we saved a lot of lives, too."

"That doesn't sound too bad to me," Reese said, his smile lingering on his lips. Birdie looked up, frowning. Reese's smile faltered. "Bird?"

"You were dead in it, dad," Birdie softly confessed. "And so were John and Mary. And Sam and Dean. . .they both died, too. Thankfully they came back somehow, but our lives freakin' sucked. There was always so much death, and pain. . ."

"Oh, Birdie," Reese softly said. He could hear the pain in her voice, almost as if she believed it had been real. He sadly smiled and stood up, walking closer to take a seat in front of Birdie. Birdie shifted, twisting her lips as she looked into her fathers blue eyes. Reese reached out, grabbing one of Birdie's hands and holding it in his. "I'm right here, and I always will be, kiddo. And so will Sam, and so will Dean, and so will their parents. We're not going anywhere, and we're definitely not gonna get our asses kicked by monsters."

Birdie breathed out a laugh, placing her other hand over her fathers. "Thanks, Dad," she said. She removed her hands and wrapped them around his neck, pulling him in for another hug. Reese immediately reciprocated it. He was used to hugs from Birdie, but never two within the same hour. He wasn't going to complain, though. "I love you."

"I love you, too," he said, patting her back. "Wanna go get some ice cream?"

"Do you even have to ask?"

⋅ ∙ ∘ ☽ ༓ ☾ ∘ ⋅ ⋅

According to Reese, John and Mary were out of town for a vacation to celebrate their wedding anniversary. Their relationship seemed to be going great, though they did have an occasional fight, but nothing ever too serious that they couldn't resolve. Sam and Dean had a good relationship with their parents, often having them over for family dinners or going out somewhere for some family fun. It was something they'd always done, and Birdie and Reese were always there even before Sam and Birdie became a couple. Their families were bonded the moment they met almost twenty five years ago, and that appeared to be for the best.

Reese and Birdie talked and talked as they ate their delicious ice cream, Birdie subtly getting more information than what the photos had given her. Apparently, long before Birdie and Sam even started dating, everyone could see that they liked each other. Yet, neither of them would make a move. It was a guessing game between their loved ones for who would make the first move and when that would be. Reese and John had even made a bet with each other: John bet Birdie would make the first move during their freshman/sophomore year and Reese bet Sam would do it their sophomore/junior year━━━specifically at a dance since Sam and Birdie always went together as friends.

Reese won that bet.

For Sam and Birdie's sake, their families had pretended to be surprised when they finally told them they were a couple. Birdie got the feeling that they might've seen it coming, but she wasn't entirely sure. However, she was glad that they were all happy and supportive of the relationship. It had been nine years since then and nothing was capable of tearing them apart. They did have their ups and downs of course, but they got through each and every obstacle.

The news of their engagement two years later was no surprise━━━especially to Reese who helped Sam pick out the ring a week prior. The wedding happened two years later in the beautiful state of Colorado with many friends and family members attending. As for friends, Birdie still didn't have too many friends it seemed, but in this world and the "real" world, that didn't really bother her.

This world was exactly what she wanted.

After finishing their ice cream, Reese drove them to their music store, Fowlers Music Inc. They were closed on Monday's, but there were just a couple of things Reese wanted to get done before Tuesday came around. Birdie didn't mind stopping by, more than happy to see what it looked like.

It was a small building near an outlet mall, a beauty salon on the left and a clothing store on the right with some walkways leading to the outlet mall and more parking spots in between the buildings. A dark blue, light up guitar dangled by the main entrance, the store name painted on the windows in the same shade of blue; Birdie's handwriting. Small sale signs, new instruments, information about music lessons, and prices for the store to clean or repair instruments were hanging on the door underneath a sign that said their hours of each day. Taking a couple of steps inside, it was much larger than Birdie was expecting.

Instruments of every kind were hung on dozens of large racks, displayed on the walls, some set aside near the far corner for people to test out━━━though, Birdie mainly used them to practice if they weren't too busy or she was showing someone how to play them. Cleaning supplies, extra strings, guitar picks, cords, and anything anyone might need to use on their instrument or to take care of it inside the store. They also sold music CD's and vinyls, but they weren't very popular. To Birdie's far left was a shiny display case that showcased autographed instruments and CD's and vinyl records. There was a cash register sitting on a counter at the end, a little adding and subtracting cheat sheet taped to it with a stool behind it.

Reese walked around Birdie to move to the counter, glancing over his shoulder with a small smile. "Your order of picks for Stefan came in," he said. "I got 'em in the back by his guitars we're gonna fix this week if you wanna make sure they're the right ones."

"Oh, okay," Birdie nodded, taking a few steps towards her father. She glanced past a group of dangling guitars, spotting a door with an EMPLOYEE'S ONLY sign on it a few feet away. "Thanks, Dad."

Reese nodded and sat on the stool behind the cash register, reaching behind him to grab something. Birdie made her way to the back of their store, pausing when she heard music begin to play from above. For Whom The Bell Tolls by Metallica filled the silence of the store, a small smile spreading across Birdie's lips as she slipped through the door. There was an office in front of her, the door cracked with a table lamp left on so she could make out a computer, a large binder next to it. She turned her head and saw another door: it read STORAGE.

She turned the silver knob and pushed it open. She felt the wall beside her, flicking on the light switch. The room was full of metal shelves, boxes upon boxes stacked on them that they'd yet to go through. Some guitar cases were leaning against the walls, a drumset with the cymbal's missing from it. A couple of dollys were near the door in the back of the room, most likely to help with carrying things that were too heavy for just one person.

Birdie pursed her lips and walked further into the room, furrowing her eyebrows together. She glanced at the shelves, but she stopped when she saw someone standing behind the farthest shelf, dark eyes focused on Birdie.

"Hello?" she called out, eyes slightly widening. She cautiously moved closer, the person staying completely still. Birdie tilted her head, narrowing her eyes as she tried to make out their features. It appeared to be a young boy with dark skin, some short curls on his head. He was incredibly skinny, wearing a t-shirt of some kind. "Hello?"

The boy didn't respond. He just continued to stare at Birdie.

Birdie wondered if she should've shouted for her father just to see if that would scare the boy off. But, Birdie got the strange feeling that that wouldn't deter the boy.

She took another step, but then she felt something gruff touch her shoulder.

Birdie quickly whirled around on her heel, eyes narrowed as she punched them square in the jaw. Her eyes widened in horror, immediately feeling a wave of guilt. "Oh, shit! Dean, I'm so sorry!" She stole a quick glance over shoulder as Dean cradled his jaw, noticing the boy was now gone.

Dean rubbed his aching face, hissing as he slowly stood up straight. He looked at Birdie, raising a brow. "You got a mean punch, Bird," he said, forcing out a laugh as he peered down at the younger woman. "Where the hell did you learn to hit like that?"

"My dad," she said.

"Your Dad?" Dean repeated, scrunching his face in disbelief as he dropped his hand down at his side. "Your dad wouldn't hurt a freakin' fly."

"That doesn't mean he doesn't want me to know how to protect myself," Birdie said, giving Dean a playfully stern look.

Dean gingerly rubbed his jaw, slowly nodding his head as he dropped his hand down. "Damn. He taught you well then."

"Damn right."

Dean breathed out a chuckle, briefly glancing over Birdie's shoulder. "What were you looking at when I came in?" he asked. "I said your name a few times, but━━━"

"Oh, I just━━━I thought I saw someone in here," Birdie said, dismissively shaking her head. She didn't need to give Dean a reason to think there was something going on with her. She was sure Sam and her father already thought she was acting more strange than usual. "It was nothin'."

Dean nodded, nudging his head towards the door that led back into the store. "Good. There's someone who wants to see you."

"Who?"

"Come and find out."

Birdie suspiciously narrowed her eyes, but Dean's smile just widened. Dean started to walk and Birdie shuffled behind him, wondering who could've been wanting to see her. Before, she probably could've guessed considering she only had about three friends━━━including Sam and Dean━━━and the third one didn't seem to want anything to do with her for some reason. So, Birdie wasn't sure what to expect.

Everything she thought she knew. . .it wasn't useful to this world, and she was beginning to realize that.

Dean walked towards the front of the store and Birdie followed, a smile spreading across her lips when she saw Isla talking to her father by the cash register. Dean's smile widened when he saw the excitement that appeared in Birdie's eyes, softly chuckling when Birdie hurried over to the woman.

Isla turned when she saw movement out of the corner of her eye, a warm grin appearing on her lips when she spotted Birdie. Isla completely turned around and Birdie halted in her tracks, noticing Isla's large baby bump. "Holy shit!" Birdie gasped, looking up to meet Isla's gaze.

Isla softly chuckled, rubbing her hands over her prominent bump. Dean came up beside her, placing his hand on the small of his wife's back. "I know, I know. I should be at home on bedrest still, but. . .I can't stay cooped up," Isla said, stealing a glance at Dean who playfully rolled his eyes. He wanted her to stay home, but there was no changing Isla's mind. She needed to leave their home for just a couple of hours. "I'm just ready for the baby to get here."

"That makes two of us," Reese said. "You settle on a name yet?"

"We have a few in mind," Dean said, sharing a warm grin with Isla. "But we still can't decide."

"You don't have much time left," Reese said, softly chuckling as he folded his arms over his chest. There was a notebook in front of him, a list of names jotted down with numbers and money signs by each one.

"We know, but. . .we're thinking of waiting until the baby comes to decide," Isla said. "I think we'll know then."

Birdie leaned against the counter, her smile still displayed on her lips. It was nice to see Dean happy, and living a happy life with Isla. He deserved it after everything he'd been through.

Dean looked over at Birdie, lips curling into a sly smirk. "When are you and Sammy gonna have some kids?" he asked.

Birdie blinked in surprise, her lips parting at the question. With her lifestyle, she never really put any thought into having kids. She didn't always like kids, but there were occasionally some that she didn't mind being around. But the idea of having her own. . .she wasn't sure if she really wanted that or not.

"Uh, I, w. . .we don't know yet," she stammered, shrugging her shoulders as she held her hands out.

"Your Dad's going crazy waitin' to be a grandpa," Dean said, gesturing towards Reese.

Reese made a face, leaning his head back slightly as he stared at Dean with an incredulous look. "Excuse me? I am not," he said. Then he turned his head towards Birdie, giving her a timid smile. "But I do want a grandkid, at least one."

"You're gonna have, like, a-a indirect one soon," Birdie said, nudging her head towards Dean and Isla. "That should hold you over for a while, right?"

"Oh, that's not the same," Reese said, dismissively waving his hand. Dean and Isla gaped and Birdie couldn't help but chuckle. Reese huffed, rolling his eyes at their reaction. "You kids know what I mean. You're family, and always will be. But, it would be nice if my daughter had a little rugrat of her own━━━payback for what I went through."

Birdie scoffed, folding her arms over her chest. "What? I was a freakin' angel."

"You were a terror," Dean said, laughing.

Birdie pursed her lips together, cocking an eyebrow in Dean's direction. "You're one to talk, asshole," she said.

Isla chuckled at all of their banter, her smile lighting up her face. "Okay, okay," she softly said, placing a hand on Dean's chest. "As much as I'm enjoying hearing even more about your rebellious youth, I think we should probably get home. It's supposed to begin storming soon."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Dean said, rubbing her back as he smiled down at his wife. He glanced between Reese and Birdie, smiling at them. "I'll see you guys soon."

"And hopefully with the baby in our arms," Isla grinned.

Birdie softly chuckled, walking closer. Isla stepped forward, wrapping her arms around Birdie. Birdie happily hugged her back, a sweet scent filling her nose as she smelt Isla's sweet perfume. They let go a few seconds later and Birdie smiled at Dean, chuckling when he yanked her into his arms. He patted her back and then pulled away, giving a nod to Reese. "Bye guys," he said, taking Isla's hand and beginning to walk towards the door.

"Bye," Birdie said, waving her hand along with her father.

Dean and Isla gave one last wave, stepping out of the store. They walked towards a car parked out front━━━Dean's '67 Impala that he'd inherited from his father. Birdie smiled to herself, letting out a content sigh.

Reese stood up and walked around the counter, placing a hand on Birdie's shoulder. "Ready to head home, too, Bird?" he asked.

Home.

Birdie liked the sound of that.

⋅ ∙ ∘ ☽ ༓ ☾ ∘ ⋅ ⋅

The storm Isla mentioned had reached them not even five minutes after Birdie walked into her apartment. Thankfully, Reese only lived a couple of minutes away so he managed to make it inside dry, too. Birdie changed into a sweater she found in the closet and a pair of leggings, a fuzzy pair of socks keeping her feet warm as the chill from outside beckoned to come inside. She sat in the living room with the curtains pulled open so she could watch the storm roll in, raindrops trickling down the glass. A movie called House of Wax had come on when she changed the channel from the soap opera, but she quickly turned on something less horrifying━━━Gilmore Girls.

Intense thunder roared above, the rain pelting down on the earth more than before. Birdie got up from the couch, holding a cup of lemonade in her hands. She stood in front of the windows, taking a small sip as she watched some people quickly scamper in the building to avoid getting any more wet than they already had. She started to turn away, but then her eyes fell on a dark skinned boy.

He stared up at the building━━━specifically at Birdie.

Birdie's eyes widened and the cup slipped from her hand.

It was the boy she saw in the storage room.

Birdie spun on her heel and rushed out of the apartment, not bothering to put on any shoes as she raced towards the staircase at the end of the hall. She rushed down them with urgency, nearly slipping a couple of times because of her socks. She bolted out of the stairwell, heading for the main doors. Thankfully there wasn't anyone around to see her or else they might've thought she was insane.

She pushed her way out of the building and jogged towards the boy, slowing down when she was a few feet away from him.

Now she could make out his features.

He was young, incredibly young. He was no older than fifteen. He had black curls, dark brown eyes that carefully watched Birdie. He wore a white and gray shirt with a basketball on the front. He had on dark jeans with holes in the knees and sneakers, not a single drop of rain on him.

Birdie deeply frowned, taking a small step closer. "What━━━"

"Baby! What the hell are you doing out here?" Birdie jumped, turning her head to look at Sam. The rain was coming down even harder now she realized, dampening Sam's hair and causing it to stick to the sides of his face as he hurried up beside her with his bag dangling over his shoulder.

"Sam, I━━━"

"Come on," Sam said, ushering Birdie towards the apartment complex. "We can't be out here."

Birdie glanced over her shoulder as she slightly twisted in Sam's arm, frowning when she saw the boy was gone once again. Sam had his arm wrapped around Birdie's waist, quickly leading her into the complex. He guided her to the elevators, running his hand through his hair as he pressed the up button. Birdie let out a shaky breath, wrapping her arms around herself as the wetness of her clothes sent a chill through her body.

Her socks were completely soaked now, her leggings clinging to her legs more than they already were. Her hair stuck to her temples and her neck, trickling down her skin and seeping into her dripping sweater. "Here, baby," Sam said, shrugging off his jacket. It was wet, but not nearly as wet as Birdie was. He draped it over her shoulders, giving her a small smile.

"Thanks," she softly said.

"What the heck were you doing outside?" Sam wondered, brows furrowed together as he peered down at her.

"I. . .I thought. . ." Birdie heavily sighed, shrugging her shoulders. She couldn't imagine how that must've looked to Sam, seeing his wife standing outside in the middle of a storm while looking at something, or someone, who might not have even been there in the first place. "I don't know."

Sam shifted his feet, looking at the elevators when it dinged. The doors parted and they stepped into the empty elevator, turning around to face forward. "Birdie, what's going on?" Sam asked, his concern etched in his tone. Birdie frowned, turning to look at Sam. "The way you acted this morning, punching Dean, and━━━"

"How do you know about that?" Birdie asked.

Sam let out a quiet sigh. "He told me."

Birdie nodded, twisting her lips. "It was an accident. He came up behind me and━━━"

"No, I know. You don't need to explain, Bird," Sam softly said, giving her a brief smile. "Dean told me the same thing. But that's still not like you."

The elevator dinged as they reached their floor and Sam stepped out. Birdie walked beside him, glancing over at him as they started to walk towards the apartment; Birdie didn't even realize her feet had already memorized the way. "I know. . .I know I've been acting strange today. It's. . ." Birdie's voice dragged off as they rounded a corner, spotting Kaiya holding a bag of groceries as she stood in front of her door. She had her keys in her hand, unlocking her door that was located a few doors down from Sam and Birdie's place. Kaiya glanced down the hall when she saw two figures appear, her eyes slightly widening when her gaze fell on Birdie.

Birdie softly smiled, lifting her hand and waving at the woman. Kaiya quickly opened her door, rushing inside. She slammed the door behind her, making sure to lock it as soon as it shut.

Birdie deeply frowned as something tugged at her heart. "What the hell was that about?" she asked Sam.

A confused look appeared on Sam's face. "You don't remember?"

"Remember what?"

Sam placed his hand on the small of Birdie's back, leading her to their apartment again. Birdie fell into step with him, her frown remaining on her lips as she waited for him to explain. "Uh, back in high school. . .you accidentally spilled paint on her. . .and on her senior project━━━the one she spent all semester working on. The teacher gave her an F even though he saw the whole thing."

Birdie's eyes tripled in size. "No━━━"

Sam sadly nodded, fishing his keys out of pocket as he stopped in front of their door. "Yeah, and Kaiya didn't believe it was an accident. How do you not remember that?"

"I don't. . ." Birdie's voice dragged off, furrowing her brows together as a flash of paint spilling and the sounds of shouting appeared in her mind. She tilted her head, suddenly seeing a young and angry Kaiya shouting at her while an entire class watched with a mix of emotions; Sam was one of them. As the memory appeared in Birdie's mind, she was completely unaware that her actual memories were fading from her mind the longer this life took over. "Wait, I do. . ." she whispered. "Holy shit."

Sam opened the door, gesturing for Birdie to enter first. She gave him a small smile and stepped inside, smiling as the warmth enveloped her in her wet clothing. Sam walked in after her and shut the door with his foot. He tossed his keys on the table to the side, right next to their unopened mail. Birdie shrugged off Sam's jacket, handing it to him when he held his hand out to take it. "Thanks, Sam."

"What do you say we just have some Chinese for dinner and relax the rest of the night?" Sam suggested, laying his jacket over his arm.

Birdie furrowed her brows together, an incredulous look on her face. "In this weather?"

Sam chuckled, dimples poking out. "Our leftovers from yesterday."

Birdie's lips formed into the shape of an 'O', slowly nodding. "Right."

"I'll heat it up and you can go get changed."

Birdie smiled, stepping in front of Sam. She placed a gentle kiss on his cheek without a thought and he smiled. "Okay," she said.

She backed up and then turned around, making her way towards her and Sam's room. Sam watched her walk away, his smile faltering as she disappeared upstairs. Something was going on with Birdie, but he just didn't know what it was.

Birdie slipped out of her wet clothes, putting them in the hamper in the bathroom. Then she walked into the closet, twisting her lips as she fiddled with her ring again. Her eyes scanned all of the colorful clothing, softly smiling at some of the shirts and blouses; they were nicer than anything she'd ever owned before. She skimmed through her tops, finally settling on a dark tee with Vincent Van Gogh's Starry Night on the front. She slipped it over her head, moving to the side where some drawers were. She opened them until she found some sweatpants. She held them up, realizing they must've belonged to Sam. She giggled to herself and slipped them on over her legs. They were a little bag, but they fit okay.

"You might as well just claim those as yours." Birdie sucked in a sharp breath, laughing as she looked towards the door to see Sam leaning against the doorframe. A cheeky smile was spread across his lips, his adorable dimples making another appearance. "You were them more than I do."

Birdie playfully rolled her eyes and pushed her hair out of her face, folding her arms over her chest. "But then that takes the fun away from stealing them," she smirked.

Sam chuckled and walked into the closet, coming to a stop in front of Birdie. He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer. Birdie felt a hint of hesitance, but that washed away as soon as she wrapped her arms around his neck as their chests pressed together. Her eyes glanced at the ring on her finger, smiling as quick flashes of the wedding popped into her mind.

"I do," Sam said, his smiles brightening his entire face as his dimples poked out.

Birdie's expression matched his, her hands tightly holding Sam's as she gazed into his beautiful hazel eyes. "I do," she said. Sam's smile widened even more, sending a wave of excitement and something unfamiliar through Birdie.

Sam was the one. She knew it.

Birdie quickly blinked, looking into Sam's eyes again. There wasn't any fear in them, his mind not focusing on getting revenge on monsters. All she could see was love and happiness.

They no longer had to worry about monsters, constantly look over their shoulder to see if they were being followed, or get their asses kicked day after day in a never ending fight between humans and monsters.

In this world, they only had to make sure their taxes were paid, they got to work on time, or go on quick groceries runs because they forget the main part of their meal━━━all of which didn't involve having to put your life on the line for the sake of all humanity.

Birdie let out a quiet sigh, gently moving her fingers back and forth along the nape of his neck. Sam slowly leaned his head down and Birdie almost immediately crept closer. Their lips softly connected, a rush of something unfamiliar igniting in Birdie. She smiled into the kiss, pressing herself closer to Sam. Sam tightened his hold around Birdie's waist, deepening the kiss. Birdie let out a content sigh, tilting her head when Sam started to kiss along her jaw and towards her neck.

One of Birdie's hands traveled into Sam's soft hair, but her eyes snapped open when she heard a loud beep. Sam leaned his head back, letting out a heavy sigh in disappointment. He pushed some of Birdie's hair back, placing a loving kiss on her forehead. "To be continued after dinner," he whispered.

"Yes," Birdie said, giggling. "Definitely."

Sam chuckled and left to check on the food. Birdie bit her lip as she continued to smile, walking out of the closet.

"Help."

Birdie spun around on her heel, gasping as she staggered back in fright. There was a young boy now in their closet, his hands bound by rope that was attached to the ceiling. Blood was smeared along his neck, some droplets around the collar of his shirt. Dirt and sweat coated his dark skin, looking like he was almost being drained of all life. Birdie took a cautious step closer, frowning as she stared at the boy.

It was the same boy from earlier.

"What the. . ."

But suddenly he flickered, disappearing before Birdie very own eyes. She frantically looked around the room for any sign of the boy, confused as to what had just happened. Birdie furrowed her brows together, trying to think of what that meant. . .but nothing was coming to her.

She shook her head, a terrible feeling looming over her as she sat on the bed to try and collect her thoughts.

"What the fuck?" she whispered to herself. "What the fuck is going on?"

Her eyes spotted her computer off to the side and she picked it up, pursing her lips as she typed in a search for any local boys who'd gone missing. It was a long shot, but she needed answers.

She scrolled through all of the photos with a small frown, barely acknowledging the sound of a microwave beeping and plates clattering together as Sam prepared the table for dinner. She searched for more information on the boy, Gus Hill, and found that one of the last places he'd been seen was at the park a few blocks away from his high school. Birdie clicked on a nearby address, a feeling of familiarity coming to her as she looked at the abandoned building.

Something about it was familiar, but she wasn't sure why.

"Baby?" Sam stepped into the room, leaning against the doorframe. Birdie looked up, watching Dean poke his head in behind Sam with a grin. "Dean's here to pick up the━━━"

"I have to go," Birdie interrupted, standing up and setting her computer on the nightstand.

"What?" Sam and Dean asked at the same time.

"Birdie━━━"

Birdie brushed past Sam and Dean, quickly hurrying down the stairs. "Birdie." Sam and Dean watched her with wide eyes, trying to wrap their heads around what could've been going on.

Birdie entered the foyer and grabbed a hoodie off the rack near the door, pulling it on over her head. "Birdie, wait."

"I don't have time to wait," she said, finally facing Sam and Dean.

"What the hell is going on?" Dean asked. "You can't just leave during a storm, Birdie. It's not safe."

"You did."

Dean raised a brow. "I live in this building, too. You do remember that, right?"

Birdie pursed her lips, doing a double take when she saw Dean's keys clutched in his hand. Without a second thought, she reached forward and snatched them out of his hand. Dean stammered in disbelief, watching with wide eyes as Birdie slipped on some sneakers and walked out of the apartment.

"Birdie!" Sam shouted, racing after his wife with Dean not too far behind him.

Birdie ignored him and jogged down the hall, heading for the stairs once again. She raced down them, very aware of Sam and Dean's heavy footsteps pounding behind her. "Birdie! Talk to us!" Sam huffed, desperation in his voice and his expression.

Birdie slipped onto the main floor, heading for the doors again. Just as she went to step out, Sam grabbed her arm to make her turn around and face them. "Birdie, talk to me," he pleaded. "What the hell is going on?"

"Wait, I know that look," Dean said, suddenly beginning to smile. "You're pregnant, aren't you?"

"What?" Sam gaped, turning his head to Birdie. "Are-are you━━━"

"No, I'm not fuckin' pregnant," she huffed, shaking her head in denial.

"Then what's the rush? Where do you need to go all of a sudden?"

Birdie heavily sighed, tightly gripping the keys in her hand as if she was afraid one of the boys would try and take them from her. "Somewhere━━━it's a life or death situation, okay? You guys can come, but only if you stop asking so many goddamn questions."

"Fine," Sam huffed, shaking his head.

"Okay," Dean said. "But I'm driving."

"No," Birdie firmly denied, tightening her grip on his keys. "You'll just drive somewhere else and I can't risk that. I'm driving."

⋅ ∙ ∘ ☽ ༓ ☾ ∘ ⋅ ⋅

Sam and Dean had agreed not to ask anymore questions, but they still did━━━the entire car ride.

Birdie gave brief answers here and there, doing her best to dodge their more suspicious questions so they wouldn't try calling 911 or make her stop the car. She did let slip something about monsters, giving her no other choice but to explain monsters and that they were real. It was quite clear neither of them believed her, but for some reason they weren't admitting it out loud. But much to Birdie's relief, they reached their destination only a few minutes after.

When she parked in front of a rundown apartment building that hadn't been used in quite some time, she put an end to their never ending questions. Sam and Dean tried advising her against going inside, but she was adamant on it. They shared a look, deciding to follow her in after quietly talking to each other behind the Impala while Birdie grabbed some things from the glove compartment.

If she was going to do it no matter what they said, they certainly weren't going to let her do it by herself.

Sam and Dean walked close behind Birdie, their panic filled eyes scanning the inside of the eerie building. Birdie had a small flashlight in hand, squinting as she tried making out parts of the building. She still wasn't entirely sure how she knew where to go, but that was a question for a later time.

The walls were crumbling down, lots of dirt and rubble scattered throughout the main floor. The stairs leading upwards were completely gone and the elevators were simply of no use to them, which meant Birdie's answer had to be on the main floor.

It had to be.

Most of the rooms they passed appeared to be tiny apartments, some still with tattered and stained furniture left behind. Bugs crawled around the floors, spider webs in almost every single corner. Faint squeaks were heard every now and then, rats no doubt. Dean grimaced, sharing a brief look with Sam. Sam let out a sigh, moving a little closer to his wife.

Birdie peeked around another corner to make sure it was clear, nodding to Sam and Dean as a sign. She walked into the dark room━━━a lounge area based on the dusty furniture still scattered around. She raised her brows as she shined her flashlight inside, letting out a sound of surprise when she saw the boy she'd been seeing in front of her.

He was partially hidden behind a weathered counter, but Birdie knew it was him. His wrists were tied by rope above his head that was connected to the ceiling. There was an IV stand next to him, a clear plastic bag full of his blood attached to it. A thin needle was embedded in the side of his neck, draining the blood from him.

Birdie hurried over, not missing the surprised sounds that left Sam and Dean's lips when they noticed the boy. Birdie stopped in front of the boy, frowning as his eyes bored into her but showed no signs of life.

"Oh my god," Sam breathed out, cautiously coming up beside his wife. Dean came up on the other side, his heart breaking at the sight of the boy.

"Who would do such a fucked up thing?"

Birdie faintly shook her head, unable to tear her eyes away from the boy. Her mind racked through all of her memories, searching for an answer. Who would do such a thing?

Or really. . .what would do such a thing?

After a few moments, it suddenly came to Birdie.

"A djinn," she whispered, her eyes widening in realization.

Memories of nonstop hunts, hundreds of deaths, and hours upon hours of research came flooding back to her all at once. She remembered Sam and Dean━━━the real ones━━━and how they actually met. She remembered her mother and her never ending cruelty, and how she didn't actually die of lung cancer. She remembered her father. . .who was really dead.

Birdie shook her head, backing away from the boy. "This. . .this isn't real."

"Hey, baby," Sam softly said, grabbing Birdie's shoulders to make her look at him. "Baby, listen to me. We believe you, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, we do. Monsters are real," Dean agreed, glancing around to make sure they weren't being watched by the person who snatched the boy. "But we need to get out of here."

"But this━━━"

"Bird, come on," Sam said, guiding her into another room as she tried to pull her arm out of his grip. The other room was large, some intricate lines drawn on the floor in an odd design. The inner walls had fallen down, giving her a view of some of the other abandoned apartments. Some gym equipment was pushed off to the side, giving the impression that it was once used as a gym.

Sam tried getting Birdie to move towards a door on the far side that would've led outside, but she shook his arm off. Sam and Dean stared at her in confusion, noticing her take a few steps back away from them with a weary expression appearing on her features.

"This isn't real," Birdie said, sadly shaking her head. "Is it?"

"What? Of course it is," Sam said. He walked up to her, placing his hands on both sides of her face. Birdie peered up at him, closing her eyes when Sam brought his lips to Birdie in a passionate kiss. Birdie pulled away a few seconds later, clenching her eyes as Sam pressed their foreheads together. "Didn't that feel real?"

Birdie sucked in a sharp breath, stepping away from Sam. She could feel tears looming in her eyes, not wanting to truly admit what she needed to do.

"Birdie, this is real," Dean said. "And whatever got that kid━━━it's gonna get us, too. We need to leave. Now."

Birdie just shook her head. More tears welled in her eyes, remembering how Sam and Dean were still at the motel while she was. . .wherever she was taken before she met with Darius.

"No," Birdie whispered, shaking her head when Sam stepped closer. His frown deepened, sharing a panicked glance with Dean. "I'm just like him, aren't I? Tied up where someone won't be able to find me?"

"No, Birdie," Dean said. "You're right here with us."

"Like you've always been," Sam said, warmly smiling at his wife.

Birdie thickly swallowed, reaching into her pocket to pull out a gun. Sam and Dean's eyes widened in horror, sharing panicked looks as the same thought struck them. "Birdie━━━"

"Don't," Birdie firmly said when Sam went to take a step closer. Sam and Dean lifted their hands as if to surrender, eyes pinned on the gun. They had no idea where she got it, but then Dean remembered he kept one in the Impala just in case; Birdie had gotten something out of the car when he and Sam were talking by the trunk. "You guys aren't real, and neither is this. I-I need to wake up."

"Yes, we are. Baby, we're right here with you," Sam said, holding his hands up a little higher as he took a tiny step closer. "Birdie, please, give me the gun."

"I. . .no," Birdie said, shaking her head. She cocked the gun and held it up, twisting her lips as she stared at the dangerous weapon. "If this isn't real. . .I'll. . .I'll wake up when I do it."

"You're gonna kill yourself━━━"

"Not if this is all fake, Dean," Birdie replied, shaking her head as she looked between Sam and Dean. Desperation loomed in their eyes, hearts racing in their chests as they stared at Birdie and the gun tightly clutched in her hand.

"Birdie━━━"

"Baby━━━!"

Birdie lifted the gun to her head, clenching her eyes shut. Just as she went to pull the trigger, a new voice echoed in the dark room.

"WAIT!"

Birdie let out a shaky breath, opening her eyes. Sam and Dean had small smiles on their faces, now looking more relaxed. Reese stepped into the room, a sad smile on his lips as he walked around the boys. Birdie slowly lowered the gun, her lips parting in surprise. Isla walked up from the opposite side, her hands cradling her baby bump as she warmly smiled at Birdie.

Reese walked in front of Birdie, letting out a quiet sigh as he tilted his head. "Birdie, this is the life you've always wanted. Why'd you have to keep digging?" he softly asked. "We were happy━━━you were happy, kiddo."

"Dad. . .you're not real."

"Give me the gun, Birdie."

"None of this is real," Birdie whispered, forcing her tears to stay at bay. "It was all a lie, a fucked up trick."

Reese softly sighed. "But it's what you've always wanted. It's better than anything you've had," he said. Birdie shook her head, closing her eyes as a few tears managed to slip out and trickle down her cheeks. "We're a family. Let's go home━━━forget about all of this."

Birdie frowned, looking up at her father. "I'll die then━━━out there."

"But in here, it'll be like a lifetime, Birdie." Birdie glanced to the side, seeing Sam faintly nod his head in agreement. Reese reached out, resting his hand on Birdie's cheek. She let out a sigh, leaning into his warm and comforting touch. "No more pain, fear━━━only love and happiness. It's what you deserve. Bird. . .stay here, with us."

Reese dropped his hand down and Birdie sniffled.

She did deserve a life of happiness, didn't she?

"You won't have to worry about Dean anymore," Isla spoke up, her smile widening when Birdie glanced over at her. "He'll get to live a long, happy life with his family."

Birdie sadly smiled, wiping at her eyes with her free hand. Reese stepped back and Dean walked over. He warmly smiled at Birdie, a twinkle in his eyes. "Don't you think we deserve this?" he quietly asked, humming when Birdie pursed her lips. "After all the shit we've been put through, shouldn't we get a chance at this life? Let's go home, Birdie."

Sam walked up last and Dean stepped out of his way. Birdie peered up at Sam, noticing the tears lingering in his eyes. "Why is it our job to save everyone? We did our part," he said. He took a few steps closer, glancing down at the gun still clutched in Birdie's hands. "I'm begging you, Birdie. Please, give me the gun."

Birdie glanced down at the gun in her hands, closing her eyes. This was the life she deserved. The boys were happy too, her father was still alive. It was everything she wanted, everything she thought about when life started to try and knock her down. But, this still wasn't real. She wasn't actually married to Sam, Dean wasn't with Isla anymore, and her father was dead. But, Sam and Dean were still out there, maybe even searching for her to try and bring her home.

Home.

Out there, she didn't have a home.

But in here, she did.

Birdie slowly opened her eyes, looking at Sam. Birdie softly smiled and lifted her hand, handing the gun over to Sam.

He cautiously took it, letting out a sigh of relief as he then handed the gun to Dean. Dean smiled and tucked it in the inside of his jacket; out of Birdie's sight and out of mind. Sam stepped in front of Birdie, placing his hands on her cheeks to make her look at him again. "I knew you'd make the right choice," he said, leaning down and kissing her. Birdie softly kissed back, offering him a faint smile when he pulled away. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

"Let's get out of here," Reese said, nudging his head towards the exit as he, Isla, and Dean started to walk ahead of them, hand in hand. "We'll forget all about this in the morning."

Sam slipped his hand into Birdie's and she softly smiled, slightly walking behind him with her fingers tightly laced within his. She glanced over her shoulder, just barely able to see the young boy through some holes in the wall. Her mind wandered to Sam and Dean again and she frowned, coming to a stop.

Sam furrowed his brows together, turning to look at Birdie. "Birdie?" he asked. He followed her gaze, quietly sighing. "There's nothing you can do for him."

"Maybe not," she murmured, subtly slipping her hand into the pocket of her sweatpants. Her hand clasped around the handle, gripping it tightly. It was now or never. "But I have to try."

Sam tilted his head in confusion. But, his eyes suddenly widened when he saw the knife in Birdie's hand. "Birdie━━━!" Birdie didn't allow herself to listen and plunged the knife into her stomach. "NOOO———!"

⋅ ∙ ∘ ☽ ༓ ☾ ∘ ⋅ ⋅

Birdie whimpered as her eyes fluttered open, feeling an abrupt pain in her wrists. She slowly lifted her head, letting out a heavy breath when she saw a rope tied around her wrists and keeping her chained to a post so her feet barely touched the ground. She turned her head, noticing an IV stand next to her with a bag full of crimson blood dangling from the hook. She tugged on the restraints, hissing as the rope clawed against her skin. "Fuck. . ." she whispered, lowering her head. "Felicity?"

There was no response.

"Felicity?" she tried again. "Now might be the time. . ."

Still no response.

Birdie quietly sighed, moving her feet. She planted them on the ground, panting as she tried to steady herself with what strength she had left. She tugged on the restraints again, gasping when she heard the rope snap. She hissed as her body hit the ground, slowly rolling onto her back. A loud thud echoed beside her, the IV stand next to her now. The pouch with her blood had fallen off the hook, her blood pooling out of it from a tiny hole that was made when it hit the ground.

Birdie gritted her teeth together, blinking up at the dingy ceiling. She forced herself to sit up, looking down at her wrists. She ignored the pain as she wiggled them out of the ropes, gingerly rubbing at the raw, red skin. There was blood smeared from cuts the rope had dug into her skin, and as she felt for her neck, she felt the needle still stuck inside. She could feel a throbbing pain there━━━most likely from the fall which might've caused it to strain. She clenched her eyes shut and pulled it out, hissing at the stinging sensation.

She tossed it to the side and glanced around the building, blinking as she noticed it was the same one she'd been to in her "dream world". It felt just as cold, but she could make out more as it was during the day. The sun wouldn't be up for much longer, but there was enough light for her to see the room more clearly. She pushed herself onto her knees, spotting the tattered couches a couple feet in front of her. It was the lounge room. She furrowed her brows and turned her head, spotting boy, Gus, in the same spot.

Birdie forced herself onto her feet, eyes darting around for something she could use to free him. She walked over to a wooden table by the couches, grabbing a bloodied knife. She didn't allow herself to wonder where the blood came from and hurried over to the boy.

She placed two fingers on his neck, sighing in relief at the faint pulse she felt. He didn't have a lot of time. She carefully removed the needle from his neck, pushing the stand out of her way. She stood on her tippy toes and sawed at the rope, catching the boy with a grunt when the rope snapped apart. She gritted her teeth and readjusted him, throwing his arm around her shoulders. Then she wrapped an arm around his waist, feeling him stir in her arms.

"Mom?" he whispered.

"No," Birdie sighed, starting to guide him out of the room. "But I'll take you to her. I'll get you home."

The boy whimpered, his head still lulled forward. His feet shuffled along the floor, barely having any strength to move his body. Birdie tightened her hold on him, doing most of the walking for the two of them.

"Did you really think it would be that easy?" Birdie heavily sighed. She turned, gently setting the boy down on a dusty chair in the hall they were in. She faced the man, nervously gulping when she saw Darius standing behind her. He had a shiny knife in his hand, a wicked smirk on his lips. He took a few steps closer, holding up the knife to make sure Birdie could see it. Then, his eyes turned black. "You sure took your sweet time getting here."

Birdie's eyes slightly widened. "No. . ."

"Yes," he smiled, continuing to walk closer. "And, before you ask, no, I haven't been riding him for very long. I only recently discovered he was related to your dear, dead girlfriend. When I found him at his house━━━oh, it was clear he didn't like you in the same way the other brother does."

"I swear, if you hurt him━━━"

"Oh, relax, Big Bird," the demon said, dismissively waving the knife in the air. "He's perfectly fine and safe and sound at his cozy little house. The only person you should be worrying about is yourself."

"Why?" Birdie snapped.

The demon took a few steps closer, his eerie smirk unwavering. Birdie tensed up, stealing a quick glance at the boy. His head leaned to one side and his eyes were shut, but his chest was still rising and falling. "I saved you, Birdie. . ." the demon said, forcing out a laugh as he moved the knife to his left hand. "I lured you all the way here, and a djinn is what gets hold of you? No, I don't fucking think so."

"What are you talking about?"

"I killed the bitch before they could get anymore blood out of you, but. . .knowing you were having the time of your life in your head while the blood was drained from you. . .I was tempted just to kill you right then and there so I could still say that I did. But, knowing you hunters, I knew you would figure it out sooner or later. And just like expected, you did. I will admit, though, I thought you were beginning to fall for it."

"So what are you waiting for?" Birdie asked, throwing her hands out at her sides. She wouldn't tell a demon that she actually did fall for it. "I'm right here."

"We know."

Birdie gasped as she was roughly grabbed from behind. The figure━━━another demon, no doubt━━━wrapped his grubby arms around her torso. The hold pinned Birdie's arms to her sides, her weak state only giving them more leverage as she couldn't fight back as much as she wished. "I want you to be awake when I kill you," the demon said, coming to a stop in front of Birdie. His eyes were no longer black, but she knew the demon was still in full control. "I want you to see how you die, and how you won't be able to do anything to stop it."

"What will you do with Darius then?" Birdie wondered, hissing when the demon holding her tightened his grip; as if she was strong enough to break free, anyways.

"You don't need to worry about this piece of shit," the demon said, gesturing to Darius's body. "I will give him credit, however. He knows your worst fear. Which. . .it's a child's fear at best, Big Bird." Birdie nervously gulped, feeling a sudden rush of panic. No, she wouldn't say it out loud. Maybe he was wrong. "Maybe Darius's wrong, but he seems to truly believe it. It was Kaiya who told him about it."

Birdie just narrowed her eyes, angrily clenching her jaw. The demon smirked when he saw her reaction, nudging his head to the side. The demon holding Birdie chuckled, pushing her onto the floor beside Gus. She tried to kick her legs out when the demon went to grab hold of her legs, but he delivered a harsh blow to her jaw.

Birdie whimpered as her head turned, feeling the pain flow through her entire body. Both of the demons took advantage of her disorientation, using some rope to bind her hands and feet together. Birdie slouched against the wall, softly groaning as the demon inside Darius hoisted her up and tossed her over his shoulder.

"Stay with the kid," the demon instructed his friend. "And keep an eye out for the Winchesters. Their bitch is missing━━━they'll come sniffing sooner or later."

Then the demon walked off with Birdie, whistling with joy as he exited the back of the building. Birdie lifted her head, raising her brows when she saw a large lake out back. "Where. . .where are you taking me?" she asked, wiggling in his grip.

The demon tightened his hold, snickering to himself. "Really? You haven't already figured it out?" he asked. "I thought you were supposed to be smart, Birdie."

"Fuck you, you piece of fu━━━"

"Save it for the fishes. You'll be joining them soon."

⋅ ∙ ∘ ☽ ༓ ☾ ∘ ⋅ ⋅

"I don't like this, Dean."

Sam's phone was tightly clutched in his hand, yet another call to Birdie going unanswered. They'd been trying to reach Birdie the entire day, but they weren't getting any responses. All she was going to do was meet Darius and then come back to the motel. If she had do something else, she would've told them. She wouldn't go this long without answering unless something was seriously wrong.

Dean heavily sighed, looking at the building straight ahead. "I don't either."

He slowed to a stop, pulling off to the side of the road near some large bushes. They climbed out, moving towards the trunk. "You really think she might be in there?" Dean asked, popping open the trunk. They rummaged through their supplies, making sure they had everything they might need.

"I don't know," Sam said, tucking a loaded handgun in the waistband of his jeans.

Dean tore his eyes away from Sam and picked up a jar filled with a red liquid━━━blood. He undid the lid, dipping the tip of a silver knife in it. He handed it to Sam, dipping another knife for himself. They weren't entirely sure if they were dealing with a djinn, but it was better to be safe than sorry. With the disappearances they discovered were happening around town━━━all the victims last being seen near secluded areas━━━it reminded them of another case from three years ago; a case where a djinn captured Dean.

Dean grabbed a duffle bag and slung it over his shoulder, silently nodding at Sam as he shut the trunk as quiet as he could Sam adjusted the knife in his hands, eyes scanning the area for anything out of the ordinary. They quietly walked across the dead grass, Sam slowing when he saw something poking shiny out behind some thick bushes.

"Dean," he whispered, nudging his head towards it. They crept closer, moving some branches to discover that it was Birdie's motorcycle.

"You think she did this?" Dean asked, turning to look at Sam.

Sam let out a shaky breath, shaking his head as he dropped the branches on the ground. "I don't know."

"No, please! Don't! NOO!"

Sam and Dean's heads snapped to the side, hearing the familiar shout come from behind the rundown building. They sprinted across the grass, coming around the side of the building with their knives at the ready.

Sam felt his heart ache when he saw Birdie tossed over someone's shoulders, her hands and feet tied with thick rope. A tall man with black hair dropped her on the dock, shaking his head at the younger woman.

Sam rushed forward without a second thought, but he was suddenly tackled to the ground by a brute force. "Sam!" Dean shouted.

Birdie lifted her head with wide eyes, seeing Sam and Dean. Dean hit the demon that knocked Sam down and the demon inside Darius groaned in frustration. He snarled and bent down, grabbing Birdie by the collar of the shirt to make her rest on her knees on the edge of the dock; one wrong move and she would topple into the murky water.

"Hey!" the demon shouted.

Sam pushed himself up, eyes widening in horror at the sight of Birdie teetering on the edge. Dean kept the other demon held against him, Ruby's knife in his hand and firmly pressed to the demons throat. "Let her go," Dean ordered. "NOW."

"No," the demon denied. He pushed Birdie back just a little and she whimpered, closing her as she prepared to fall. But, the demon kept her steady. Sam clambered onto his feet, heavily panting as he glanced from Dean and back to the demon inside Darius. "Let him go, and maybe I'll consider letting go of your bitch."

"You first," Sam said, eyes burning into the demon. "Put her back on the dock and let go. Then get out of him."

Birdie bit the inside of her cheek, not realizing that Sam carefully watched how he phrased that. Last time he told a demon to let go of Birdie, they did exactly that, but not in the way he'd wanted. "This isn't how a negotiation works, boys," the demon said, shaking his head with a laugh. "In fact, I've already shown I have a good side."

"Oh, really?" Dean sarcastically asked.

"Really. I killed the djinn that got hold of her," the demon said, nudging his head in Birdie's direction. "Now it's your turn to show your. . .generous side."

Sam and Dean shared a look, brows knitted together. "Don't do it!" Birdie shouted. The demon growled, tightening his grip on her shirt so it dug into her neck. She gritted her teeth together, heavily panting.

"Darius," Sam said, "I know you're in there. Take control!"

"Enough of this bullshit, Tate!" the demon in Dean's grasp shouted in annoyance. "Drown the bitch and let's kill 'em!"

An uncomfortable feeling spread through Sam's gut, and he knew in that moment what the demon was going to do.

"NO━━━!"

The demon yanked Birdie back, sending her splashing into the lake with a shriek escaping her lips. Sam and Dean's eyes widened, watching it unfold in what felt like slow motion as Birdie disappeared from their sight.

Sam rushed forward, anger and worry in his eyes. The demon in Dean's grasp threw his head back, hitting Dean square in the face. Dean grunted and stumbled backwards, face clenched in agony. The other demon rushed at Sam, but Sam held his hand out, causing him to abruptly stop.

"No, you━━━" the demon gasped, his head rolling back as Sam began to exorcize the demon.

Dean gasped for air as the other demon crawled on him, wrapping his hands around Dean's throat. His hand felt around beside him, desperately reaching for something that may or may not have been of any help to him.

Sam hatefully narrowed his eyes, closing his hand as he continued to exorcize the demon possessing Darius.

Dean reached into his jacket pocket, hastily yanking off the lid of his flask and splashing the holy water on the demon. The demon loudly howled as the water singed his face. Dean shoved him off and crawled across the dirt, picking up Ruby's knife he'd dropped. The demon wiped at his face and lunged for Dean, but Dean turned around and plunged the knife into his gut.

Black smoke pooled out of Darius's gaping mouth, seeping into the ground as the demon was sent back to where it belonged. His body collapsed to the ground, eyes peacefully shut and his chest rising and falling; Darius was still alive at least.

Sam sprinted ahead, not hesitating to dive head first into the water.

Dean turned his head to check on his little brother after he heard another splash, heart dropping into his stomach when he saw Darius on the ground and Sam nowhere in sight. "Sammy?" he called out.

Sam kicked his legs to swim further down, squinting as he tried to see Birdie through the hazy water enveloping him. He twisted to the side, thankfully catching sight of Birdie's blonde hair sinking further down. He quickly kicked his legs out, reaching out to grab one of her arms. He grabbed her and pulled her closer, wrapping an arm around her waist as he swam towards the surface.

He gasped as he came back up to the surface, keeping a tight hold on Birdie as he sucked in deep breaths. He panted as he swam back towards the dock with Birdie tightly held in his arms, catching a glimpse of Dean rushing over to the edge to meet him.

Dean dropped down to his knees, holding his arms out as Sam got closer. Sam grunted and nudged Birdie towards Dean's open arms, making sure he kept her head above the water. Dean quickly hoisted her up on the dock and gently laid her down on her back. His eyes widened as Birdie's eyes remained closed, her skin paler than usual and her chest still.

"Birdie, hey!" he shouted, tapping on her cheek.

Sam climbed up the side ladder as fast as possible and kneeled on the other side of Birdie, his heart frantically racing as Birdie remained completely motionless. "Birdie!"

"Do-do CPR," Dean said, desperation in his eyes as he looked at Sam.

Sam reached down with a deep breath, using one hand to hold Birdie's chin and lift it up, keeping her mouth open using his thumb. He partially placed his other hand on Birdie's forehead and pinched her nose with his index finger and thumb. He took a normal breath and bent down, blowing into Birdie's mouth for about one second. Her chest visibly rose when he did, sinking again as soon he pulled away. He let go of Birdie's nose, doing it again when she remained still.

"Come on, Bird," Dean murmured, brows knitted together and heart thundering in his chest. Please, please, please.

Sam did it a third time, moving his hands to cradle the sides of Birdie's face. "Come on, baby," he softly whispered, water trickling down from his face and splashing onto Birdie. "Please. . ."

A few seconds later, Birdie finally began to cough. Sam shifted on his knees and reached forward, helping Birdie sit up as she coughed up water. Dean let out a heavy breath, sharing a look of relief with Sam.

Birdie panted, glancing up with wide eyes when she saw Sam.

Her eyes flickered over to Dean, seeing him offer her a small smile. "Told you not knowin' how to swim would come back to bite you in the ass," he said, pulling out his knife to start cutting the ropes from her hands and feet.

Birdie breathed out a laugh, tiredly leaning into Sam's chest. He tightened his hold on her, peering down at her. Birdie caught his eye, faintly smiling as water trickled down the sides of their faces. "But I knew you would still save my ass."

⋅ ∙ ∘ ☽ ༓ ☾ ∘ ⋅ ⋅

Birdie and the boys were far, far away from that town by the middle of the night.

Dean had called in an anonymous tip and told the police where their missing people could be found━━━sadly there were more bodies in the other rooms, ones that Birdie didn't get the chance to check. But, Gus was safe and sound at a hospital with his mom right at his side.

Just as a precaution, Darius had been tied up and put in the trunk of the Impala before they left. He was dropped off at the motel Birdie and the boys had stayed at with the room key and a twenty dollar bill taped to his chest. Birdie also taped a note to his forehead and said she would be willing to talk to him when or if he was ready, and that the room he was in was paid for (only for one more night, though) if he wanted or needed to stay. She didn't add anything else because she was sure he would call once he woke up and demand answers from Birdie.

She'd yet to still receive a call from him, but that was okay with her.

She was still feeling pretty weak, taking it easy and not making any sudden movements. Her wrists and neck were patched up, something Sam had done before they left Darius at the motel. Then Dean drove Birdie's motorcycle so it wasn't left behind while Sam drove the Impala, Birdie curled up in the passenger seat. She didn't say much during the drive despite Sam's efforts to keep her talking and awake. But soon enough, she succumbed to the tiredness that had been clawing at her ever since they hit the road. Sam left her alone, hoping the sleep would give her some strength back. He also grabbed a blanket from the backseat━━━only slightly pulling into the opposite lane in order to do so━━━when he saw the shivers on her arms.

A couple hours afterwards, they decided to finally stop for the night. Birdie woke up just as they parked, relieved that she could continue sleeping in an actual bed. But, she knew she would have to answer some more questions before she could do that since they were now out of harm's way.

Birdie closed her eyes, an arm thrown over her face as she laid on the bed next to Sam. A blanket was pulled up to her stomach, her feet sticking out of the bottom since she didn't like her feet being hot. The TV across from the beds was on, playing an older episode of Criminal Minds. Dean spent the last twenty minutes in the kitchenette, rifling through his bag for snacks that had already been eaten. So, he opted to simply drink a beer.

"What was it like, Bird?" Dean asked. He walked towards the other bed, opening his beer. Birdie lifted her arm away from her face, raising a brow when Dean gave her a small smile.

She let out a quiet sigh and pushed herself to sit up, scrunching her nose when she put too much pressure on her wrist. Sam reached forward, placing a hand on her back to help her. Birdie softly smiled at him. "Thanks, Sammy," she whispered. She fixed the pillow behind her, looking at Dean again. "It was. . .perfect. But, it wasn't real."

"Did you know us still?" Sam wondered.

Birdie breathed out a laugh, nodding her head. "Yeah. Uh. . .you and I were actually married," she told Sam, chuckling at the surprise that appeared on his face. "It was our. . .four year anniversary in fact."

Sam raised his brows as Dean loudly laughed, the corners of his eyes crinkled with pure amusement. Birdie playfully rolled her eyes, quietly chuckling under her breath. She was expecting that. "And you were married to Isla," she told Dean, hoping to dodge any questions of why, in her perfect life, she and Sam were married. "She was pregnant."

"Pregnant?" Dean repeated, all amusement suddenly disappearing.

Sam and Birdie chuckled together, sharing a smile with each other. "Yeah," Birdie nodded. "And. . .my Dad was still alive. We even owned a music store together. Your parents were alive too, but they were away somewhere to celebrate their anniversary, I think."

"How'd you know it was fake?"

"At first I-I knew something was wrong. I could remember going to meet Darius, and that me and Sam definitely weren't married, but. . .after a little bit, I-I started to forget this life━━━my real life."

"Then how'd you figure it out?"

Birdie shifted, folding her arms over her chest. "I kept seeing this boy."

"The one at the apartment building," Dean said. Birdie nodded, biting the inside of her cheek. "I saw a girl when a djinn got me a few years ago━━━the djinn had her, too."

Birdie twisted her lips, glancing down at her bandaged wrists. "It was storming, and me and Sam were getting ready for dinner. I was walking out of the closet, and I heard the boy say 'help me.' I turned around and he-he was right there. Tied up just like I was. I had no idea what was going on━━━it was like I almost forgot about hunting entirely somehow. But. . .I got on my computer and looked up missing kids from the area, and the boy was one of them. Parts of it came back to me, you know, this life, and so I left to try and find him," she said. "Well, we left. You had just got there and you were coming to tell me dinner was ready," she said, looking from Dean and then back to Sam. "You both thought I was fuckin' nuts when I said I had to leave. Neither of you actually said it, but it was pretty obvious you guys were thinkin' it."

"And we just went with you?" Dean asked.

"I did with you, you said," Sam said.

Birdie faintly smiled, shrugging her shoulders. "I took your keys out of your hand and ran out of the apartment while you guys just followed me and tried asking what was going on. I sort of told you guys the truth, and you both still went with me. You guys didn't believe anything I said until we got there and found the boy. And. . .seeing him there, tied up and almost. . .I realized something was wrong, that maybe I was just like him," she said. "That life. . .it was just too good to be true."

"Did we try to convince you to stay?" Dean wondered, something lurking within his curious eyes.

Birdie nodded. "Yeah, all of you did. My dad, you, Isla, and you," Birdie said, looking at Sam last. Dean let out a quiet sigh. He remembered how Sam, his mother, and his "girlfriend", had all tried to get him to stay in that life. And he remembered just how convincing they were, too. Sam's eyes stayed focused on Birdie, frowning when she kept her head down. "You. . .you were all pretty, uh, convincing."

"But you pulled through," Sam said, giving her a small smile. "That's not easy to do."

Birdie twisted her lips, feeling tears brew in her eyes. "No, I didn't," she whispered.

"What?"

Birdie looked up and Sam's face fell. The tears loomed in Birdie's eyes, threatening to spill if she actually let herself. Something was wrong. "I gave you the gun, Sam," Birdie whispered.

"Wait, you were gonna stay?" Dean asked, sitting up to swing his legs over the side of the bed. He set the beer on the nightstand, eyes slightly widened as his eyes honed in on Birdie.

Birdie heavily sighed, sniffling as she just nodded her head in response.

Sam frowned, thickly swallowing. "Then how. . .how did you get out?"

"I. . .I looked at the boy again," Birdie softly said, refusing to look either of the boys in the eye as a tear snuck out the corner of her eye and trailed down her cheek. "I couldn't just leave him like that. So, I. . .I took a knife I had in my pocket and. . .and then I woke up."

Sam blinked, glancing down as Birdie's confession rattled around inside his head. Dean's gaze fell on the floor, Birdie's words echoing in his mind. Truthfully, he understood her wanting to stay. He himself had truly considered staying, but he pulled through, just like Birdie did. That took a lot of strength and willpower, but they wouldn't forget it, forget that life. It was, afterall, a perfect life.

Who would really wanna give that up?

Birdie could feel her words hanging in the air, circling around them. Part of her wished she hadn't told them the truth, that she'd just lied instead so they could move onto the next thing. Maybe if Felicity hadn't mysteriously disappeared, maybe she would've lied on Birdie's behalf, or maybe she would've protected Birdie from getting caught in the first place.

But without Felicity there. . .

"Bird," Sam softly said.

Birdie shook her head, pushing her head into her hands and clenching her eyes shut. "Sam, please, don't," she whispered. Her tears continued to fall despite her efforts to hold them back. After that one tear snuck out, there was no stopping the rest. A sob wanted to slip up past her throat, but she refused to let it. She stood up from the bed, quickly wiping at her eyes as she took a few steps away so the boys couldn't see her splotchy face. Her back faced the boys and they shared a silent look with one another.

Birdie clenched her eyes shut again, but a small cry managed to slip out despite her efforts to hold it in. Sam quickly stood up from the bed, slowly walking up behind her. Dean gulped, his eyes flickering between Sam and Birdie as a small pang pierced his heart.

"Birdie━━━"

"Sam, I said━━━" Birdie turned her head as Sam came up beside her. His heart completely shattered at the sight of the tears, the dull look in her watery eyes.

Having everything she wanted and then getting it taken away was truly taking its toll on her. The fact she was going to stay at first made part of Sam's heartbreak. Then again, he couldn't blame her. Their lives were shit, and having a chance at a normal, safe life━━━even if it took a monsters powers to do it━━━didn't sound too bad when you'd been through all of the things they had. Thankfully she changed her mind before it was too late, but in doing so, it truly hurt Birdie. It was obvious to the boys.

Birdie felt her bottom lip wobble, closing her eyes as she suddenly wrapped her arms around Sam. He immediately reciprocated, tightly securing his arms around her to make sure she knew he was right there and he wouldn't be going anywhere else anything soon, and neither would she.

⋅ ∙ ∘ ☽ ༓ ☾ ∘ ⋅ ⋅

holy shit, i did not realize it's been over a month since i updated this 😅 i kept thinking it was only a few weeks ago but then i looked at the last date i posted and. . .yikes. but here is the next chapter!! i know it was kinda intense/confusing, but hopefully it wasn't too confusing. i tried making some of it parallel to when dean got taken by a djinn + left hints that something was amiss and not quite right!! and as i'm sure y'all read, someone was missing 👀

maybe i shouldn't confirm anything right nooow, but felicity is not currently in birdie!! so it's not like she's faking it/pretending she's not there, she's currently gone 🫣 but It'll be explained more in the next chapter, but i wanted to include this in the note in case any of you were wondering how birdie got caught and all that jazz.

also, we are nearing the end of this act and i can't wait to get to season five hehe!! i will say it's pretty intense with lots of stuff being thrown at birdie and the boys, but hopefully y'all will like it all <3

anyways, please don't forget to leave your feedback in the comments and i hope y'all enjoyed!