CHAPTER THIRTEEN:
JUS IN BELLO.

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BRIGHT STARS TWINKLED above the mellow skies of Monument, Colorado. A comfortable chill had settled over the rural town once the sun settled past the horizon just a few hours ago, most of the residents tucked away in the safety of their homes for the night as the clock ticked closer to midnight. Countless fireflies weaved through the tall trees that were spread throughout the town, crickets endlessly chirping back and forth as only nature could be heard just outside the Monument Hotel. It was located right off the state highway past a small row of takeout restaurants and a few other local businesses that were now closed for the night, signs posted on the doors that stated what time they would reopen. All the buildings seemed to have the same architecture with beige walls and orange clay tile rooftops, making it clear to Birdie that the town was known more for its natural attractions than its man-made ones. Though, things usually tended to turn out better for her and the boys when they found themselves in a small town rather than a large city where people tended to pop up at the worst moments.

"How long does it take two grown men to knock someone unconscious?" Birdie grumbled under her breath in annoyance, adjusting her posture as she leaned against her motorcycle, comfortably sitting on the leather seat with the Impala parked two spots away from her. "It's only Bela. . ."

It had been almost two weeks since the Trickster returned Sam and Birdie to that fateful Wednesday, neither one of them letting Dean out of their sight to make sure the Trickster wasn't waiting to strike again. But, after ensuring that the Trickster wasn't lingering in the shadows or following them to fuck things up for them once more, Birdie had briefly gone off on her own for a few days to check in on Kaiya and then Bobby (and, of course, Rumsfeld) before winding up with Sam and Dean again after they informed her they had gotten a tip on Bela's current whereabouts. Birdie didn't hesitate to join them, the three of them believing they'd finally caught up to her and would be able to get the Colt back from the wicked woman.

But, despite them having more of an advantage if they all went up to Bela's room together instead of just Sam and Dean going by themselves, Birdie had been left alone to be a lookout in case Bela returned to the hotel or attempted to escape if she were inside. They didn't believe she was there considering there were only two other cars in the parking lot and Bela most likely would've rather died than be caught dead driving either of them, but they could never be too sure when it came to Bela and her conniving ways. Birdie fervently protested against them going in without her, but Sam nor Dean left her room to argue as they headed with their guns loaded and anger coursing through their veins.

Nearly eight minutes had passed since they entered the hotel with their guns discreetly tucked inside the back of their pants, Birdie's frustrations starting to increase the longer she went without hearing anything from either of the brothers. She didn't believe Bela would just hand over the Colt if she were inside, but she also didn't believe it would take Sam and Dean more than five minutes to deal with the woman let alone rummage through her fancy belongings. She puffed out her cheeks as her thoughts wandered to what could've possibly been going on inside, shaking her head when her nerves got the best of her. She swung a leg over her bike to go inside and check on them, but she suddenly froze when she spotted four police cars hastily pulling into the parking lot and stopping near the main entrance.

"Oh, fuck," Birdie whispered to herself, quickly reaching into her pocket for her phone. She wasn't sure why the police were there, but she already knew it couldn't have been a good sign no matter what.

A heavier set female officer with her shiny black hair pulled up into a tight bun and a badge that read V. Fieldman pinned to her uniform exited one of the cars, looking towards Birdie as she glanced around at the officers that rushed out of the vehicles. "Miss? We're gonna need you to clear the area immediately," the officer softly said, jogging over towards Birdie to lead her away from the parking lot.

Birdie tightly gripped her phone, a frown appearing on her lips as the officer made her way over. "Oh, but I'm-I'm just waiting for my boyfriend," she quickly lied, nervously laughing as she tried to remain near her bike. "Just-just give him one more minute and we'll be on our way. Please."

"No can do, ma'am," the officer continued, placing a gentle hand on Birdie's shoulder to lead her towards the sidewalk. Birdie's frown deepened, gritting her teeth together as the officer led her further away from the hotel entrance and a safe distance away so she wouldn't somehow get hurt if things didn't go according to plan. "I need you to stay off to the side and out of the way, alright? You. . .you can wait for your boyfriend here, okay?"

Birdie huffed in annoyance as the officer then hurried away without another thought to Birdie, throwing her arms out at her sides. "Can you at least tell me what the hell's goin' on?"

"We're arresting two dangerous fugitives," the officer answered, glancing over her shoulder towards the younger woman as she stopped in front of a man who wore a dark blue jacket with three notable letters printed on the back in bold letters——FBI. "Now please, stay out of our way and just let us do our jobs."

Birdie's breath suddenly caught in her throat, repeating the officer's words inside her head.

Two fugitives?

Oh, fuck.

Birdie instantly looked down at her phone, hastily dialing Dean's number as four police officers rushed inside the hotel with heavy armor on and loaded weapons in hand. "Come on, come on," she harshly whispered, feeling her heart beating rapidly inside her chest as the phone continued to ring. She could hear a commotion inside the hotel, making her heartbeat quicken. Please don't be after them. It went to Dean's voicemail just a few seconds later, causing a frustrated groan to leave her lips. She muttered a string of curse words under her breath, clicking on Sam's name next. "Please, please, please pick up, Sam. . ."

She looked aside when she saw something out of the corner of her eye, her eyes widening as she witnessed Sam and Dean being led out of the hotel with their hands cuffed behind their backs. They both looked incredibly pissed, features hardened as they walked side by side with seemingly no way out.

It only took Birdie a second to realize how the people found them.

"I'm gonna kill her," Birdie muttered under her breath.

"Birdie, huh?" A bald, black man asked, holding Sam's phone that was still ringing. Birdie shifted at the sound of her name, subtly taking a few small steps closer to try and hear him better. "A freaky pal of yours or someone you two managed to brainwash into workin' with you?"

Birdie caught Sam's gaze, her lips falling open as her hand fell limp at her side. He quickly looked away as he and Dean were led towards a cop car off to the side, not wanting to give the cops any indication that he or Dean knew her. Birdie sourly twisted her lips and sucked in a deep breath as one of the officers roughly pushed them forward, frantically trying to come up with some way to get them out of this disastrous mess, but nothing was coming to mind; well, nothing realistic, that is. "Fuck," she grunted a few seconds later, clenching her jaw as she quickly pocketed her phone.

Before she knew it, she was jogging towards one of the cops, slowing to a stop when they stuck their hands out to prevent her from getting any closer. "Just where do you think you're goin', miss?" he sharply demanded to know, narrowing his eyes as he looked her up and down.

The man who had Sam's phone clutched in his hand turned at the officer's voice. He caught sight of Birdie just a few feet away. "I, uh, I wanna know what's going on," she firmly said, placing her hands on her hips with a nod of her head. Sam and Dean shared a subtle look, silently hoping Birdie wasn't about to get herself arrested just for their sake. "I-I have a right to know what's going on here."

"You live around here?" the black man curiously wondered, taking a few steps closer as he carefully eyed the woman.

"Uh, well, technically no, I don't, but I——"

"You know, we got a tip that these two sometimes had a female partner travelin' with them," the man said, suspiciously narrowing his eyes at Birdie. She didn't deter at his words, keeping her expression stoic as her hands remained placed on her hips; on the inside, she was mentally cursing at Bela and promising to shoot her the next time they were face to face. "Average height, blonde hair, brown eyes——drives a motorcycle just like the one parked over there?"

Birdie followed his gaze over to her motorcycle, scoffing as she faced him with her brows knitted together. "You mean that death machine over there? I'd rather die than be caught on one of those things. Besides, I-I have no idea who they are," she said, dismissively gesturing towards Sam and Dean with one of her hands.

"That so?" the man queried, clicking a button on Sam's phone.

Suddenly Birdie's phone began to ring inside her pocket, causing her eyes to widen. The man pressed the phone to his ear as he raised his brows in her direction, watching Birdie slowly reach into her pocket and look down at her phone despite already knowing who was calling her.

"You gonna get that?"

Birdie twisted her lips together, nonchalantly shaking her head as she let her arm fall at her side. "Uh, I don't really want to, uh, I don't even know who it is——"

"Alright, that's fine," the man interrupted, ending the call and tilting his head towards her.

Just then, Birdie's phone stopped ringing and she let out a heavy sigh, stealing a glance towards the Winchesters before her gaze returned to the man.

"You wouldn't believe that happened by coincidence, would you?" she wondered, offering him a weak smile as she took a cautious step back.

"Not a chance in hell," he sharply answered, reaching for the extra set of handcuffs that were secured on his waist, "Birdie."

Without a second thought, Birdie chucked her phone directly at him before she took off in the direction of the hotel, ignoring the shouts of the officers while two instantly took off after her. Sam and Dean gaped at the younger woman in utter surprise, grunting when they were suddenly being shoved inside the cop car as the black man——who they both had recognized as the FBI agent that'd been after them since they got away from supposedly holding a group of people hostage inside a bank——Agent Victor Henriksen, ordered the rest to stay behind to make sure Sam and Dean didn't escape or incase she came back for them.

Birdie sprinted inside the hotel and zoomed past the round front desk, swiftly dodging a maid who yelped and rushed into the room beside her to avoid being knocked down. Birdie grabbed hold of the maid's cart and yanked it to the ground, hoping to trip up the officers after her as the supplies clattered to the floor. She hastily made her way towards the emergency exit at the end of the hall, pushing it open and taking off into the deep woods behind the hotel as she heard shouting almost directly behind her. She sucked in a deep breath before she headed into the depths of the woods despite knowing what sometimes lingered in the darkness of many woods, zigzagging and jumping over fallen branches in hopes of sending the police in the opposite direction she was going in. She stole a look to the side as she ran, a frown appearing on her lips as she watched a police car zoom away from the hotel, no doubt the one Sam and Dean were now inside.

She had no idea how she was going to get them out of this mess, but that didn't mean she wasn't still going to try.

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Sam and Dean were carefully led into the small police station a few blocks away from the Monument Hotel, their feet tightly shackled together and their hands now handcuffed in the front, an officer in front of them and another behind them. The brothers were both silent as they walked side by side, pausing near a set of desks as they saw a black haired receptionist, Agent Henriksen, and two Monument police officers staring at them. Beside them was a bulletin board with important announcements, missing persons posters, and a wanted poster for both Sam and Dean tacked near the middle.

It was quite clear they'd all heard what the Winchester brothers were wanted by the FBI for. They looked at them with such disgust and hatred as if they were the real monsters that lurked in the darkness and preyed on the weak and innocent.

"Why all the sourpusses?" Dean asked, a cheeky grin appearing on his lips.

Sam looked towards the woman, seeing the nameplate on her desk read Nancy Fiztgerald, secretary. A fearful expression was evident on her face as she grabbed her rosary that was placed on her desk, gripping it in her hands. Sam and Dean both noticed the subtle movement, Sam curiously narrowing his eyes in thought.

"I'll show you to the cells," one of the officers said, walking over to the brothers.

One of them grabbed hold of Dean's elbow, beginning to pull him forward. "Hey! Hey! Watch the merchandise!" he protested. The man let go with an annoyed look on his face, motioning for the brothers to follow him as another officer remained behind them. Nancy's eyes followed them, visibly frightened by their mere presence, and neither brother missed it. "We're not the ones you should be scared of, Nancy."

Sam and Dean were guided into the holding cell area, being put in one of the farthest ones, neither of the officers speaking as one locked the Winchesters inside. Dean moved to sit on the bed as Sam walked towards the cell door to watch the officers leave the room, causing the two to nearly fall as the chains connected their feet were pulled as far as they would go.

"Dean, come on!" Sam groaned in annoyance, clutching the bars to make sure he didn't fall as he glanced over his shoulder and in Dean's direction.

Dean softly sighed and motioned towards the twin-sized bed behind him. "All right, all right. Sit?"

"Yeah," Sam reluctantly sighed.

They awkwardly walked around each other to try and fix the chain so it was no longer tangled, both of them plopping down on the bed once the chain was fixed.

"How we gonna Houdini out of this one?" Dean wondered a few seconds later.

"Good question," Sam said. He had no idea how they were going to get out. "How do you think Birdie's doing?"

Dean breathed out a faint chuckle, shaking his head as Birdie's phone hitting Henriksen right in his face popped into his mind. "Hopefully a lot better than us."

Birdie sucked in a deep breath as she finally staggered to a stop near a vacant park, hearing her heartbeat in her ears as it raced inside her chest. She hunched forward, tiredly placing her hands on her knees as she tried to calm her breathing from running for what seemed like forever. Thankfully the police had lost track of her in the woods, but it wouldn't take them long to start searching the nearby areas for any sign of the woman. Though, considering how few officers went after her as the majority of them remained with Sam and Dean, she figured she had some time to come up with a rescue plan, or at least part of one.

She stood up straight a few seconds later and glanced around the dimly lit park to make sure there wasn't anyone in sight. The area was empty except for Birdie, the playground off to the side absent of any rambunctious children or teenagers trying to sneak in some illegal activity that would make their parents frown if they were to find out. She could see an outdated gas station a little way down the road, but she decided against going there for the moment. Instead, she walked towards the swings, sinking down on one of the seats with a heavy sigh.

"Fuck," she whispered to herself, pushing her face into her hands. How was she going to help the boys now? She couldn't just barge into the police station and demand that they set them free——she didn't have that kind of pull or leverage. They were being charged for multiple crimes and would no doubt be sent to some supermax prison before the night was even done in order to prevent them from escaping or hurting anyone else. And, considering Henriksen now knew her name and that she was associated with Sam and Dean, he was going to discover that she was a runaway with dead parents and had never paid any taxes since reaching adulthood. She shook her head at the mere thought, sitting up and letting her hands latch onto the chains that connected the swing to the top bar, absentmindedly swinging back and forth with her feet lazily touching the ground beneath her. "Why'd I have to throw my phone at him?"

"Yeah, not your brightest move, Big Bird."

Birdie instantly stood up and reached for her gun as she spun on her heel, looking at the figure with disbelief. "You've got to be fucking kidding me. You haven't been exorcized yet?"

Ruby sharply narrowed her eyes, folding her arms over her chest. "How many more times am I going to have to save you and the Winchesters before you even start to trust me? Or have you already forgotten that I saved you and your only other friend?"

Birdie pursed her lips into a fine line, putting a finger to her chin like she was thinking for a moment. "Like I'm——what the hell do you mean my only other friend?" she repeated, scrunching up her face as she stared across at Ruby.

"She is your only friend besides Sam and Dean, isn't she?"

Birdie scoffed, sharply glaring at the demon. "Well, I mean, yeah, but——I don't like people, and I don't get along with most of them."

"Clearly," Ruby said, taking a few steps to the side.

Birdie huffed with frustration and threw her hands out at her sides. "What the fuck do you want from me, Ruby?"

"I wanna help you save Sam and Dean." Birdie couldn't help but scoff at the demon's response, rolling her eyes as she shook her head. Ruby sighed, dropping her hands to her sides. "They're in danger, Birdie."

"Yeah, no fucking shit, Ruby," Birdie hatefully snapped, turning to glare at the demon. "You think I don't already know that?"

"No, you really don't," Ruby firmly replied.

Birdie frowned, cautiously stepping closer to Ruby. "Well, what the fuck is that supposed to mean, Ruby?"

"I mean that the demons are still after them, especially Sam."

Birdie's eyes widened. "What? Why?"

Ruby made a face as she looked at Birdie almost like she was confused by the question, but then she shook her head. "It won't take them long to find out that they've been captured. And when they do, they'll come for them," Ruby said, now standing directly in front of Birdie. "We need to act now before it's too late."

Birdie sighed, twisting her lips. "So, you got any ideas?"

A smirk tugged on Ruby's lips, making Birdie suspiciously narrow her eyes. "You're not gonna like it."

"I'm not letting you possess me," Birdie automatically said, pointing a finger at the demon.

Ruby immediately scoffed, pushing Birdie's finger out of her face. "Would you relax, Bird? That's not what I was thinking. . .but, now that mention it, it could——"

"Oh, fuck off, Ruby," Birdie harshly sneered, turning away from the demon and folding her arms over her chest.

Ruby snickered under her breath, sighing a few seconds later. "You need to find a way to buy them some time to find a way out."

Birdie faced the demon once again, furrowing her brows. "How the hell am I supposed to do that?"

"I don't know, you're the creative one," Ruby shrugged. "I'm sure you can figure something out."

"What're you gonna do in the meantime?" Birdie wondered, frowning as Ruby started to walk off.

Ruby smiled, facing Birdie as she backed away from the woman. "I'm gonna see if I can find a way to buy you three some extra time."

"And if that doesn't work? Or I get caught?" Birdie pressed.

"Then nice knowin' ya, Birdie."

Nearly an hour had passed when Sam and Dean suddenly heard footsteps approaching their cell. Neither brother moved from their places on the twin-sized bed, simply looking up when the figure approached, their eyes falling on Agent Henriksen. Sam automatically rolled his eyes as he leaned against the wall while lazily seated on the bed. Dean stared at him for a few more seconds, looking away without speaking.

"You know what I'm trying to decide?" Henriksen wondered, holding one of the bars with his head partially tilted to the side.

Dean scoffed under his breath, rolling his eyes. "I don't know. What? Whether Cialis will help you with your little condition?"

"What to have for dinner tonight." Sam turned his head to look at Henriksen, remaining silent. "Steak or lobster——what the hell——surf and turf." Dean turned his head as well, silently looking towards the FBI agent. "I got a lot to celebrate. I mean, after all, seeing you two in chains. . ."

"You kinky son of a bitch. We don't swing that way," Dean said, looking towards the man with his brows slightly furrowed together.

A smug smile suddenly appeared on Henriksen's face, nodding his head. "Now, that's funny."

"You know, I wouldn't bust out the melted butter just yet," Dean replied, looking forward again. "Couldn't catch us at the bank, couldn't keep us in that jail. . ."

Henriksen briefly looked down, picking his head up as he spoke. "You're right. I screwed up. I underestimated you. I didn't count on you being that smart, but now I'm ready."

"Yeah, ready to lose us again?"

"Ready like a court order to keep you in a Supermaximum prison in Nevada till trial," Henriksen said. Sam's head turned towards him again, face remaining void of any emotion. "Ready like isolation in a soundproof, windowless cell, so that between you and me——probably unconstitutional." Dean raised a brow but didn't didn't look at Henriksen. "How's that for ready?"

Sam glanced towards Dean, realizing Henriksen was completely serious. Dean looked away, silently wiping at his mouth.

"Take a good look at Sam——you two will never see each other again. And don't you boys worry, I haven't forgotten about your lady friend either. We're gonna catch her soon, too, but there won't be any goodbyes between you two and Birdie." Sam furrowed his brows, he and Dean facing Henriksen once again. Henriksen started to smirk, noting their solemn expressions. "Aw. Where's that smug smile, Dean? I want to see it."

Dean turned away with a roll of his eyes, scoffing. "You got the wrong guys."

"Oh, yeah. I forgot," Henriksen said, making a face. "You fight monsters. Sorry, Dean. Truth is, your daddy brainwashed you with all that devil talk and no doubt touched you in a bad place." Sam angrily sat up, hardened expressions appearing on his and Dean's features. "That's all. That's reality."

"Why don't you shut your fuckin' mouth?" Dean demanded.

"Well, guess what——life fuckin' sucks. Get a helmet. 'Cause everybody's got a sob story, but not everybody becomes a killer." Henriksen then sighed, glancing down at his watch. "And soon I'm gonna have two less to worry about——three once we catch Birdie."

Sam and Dean silently watched Henriksen leave, sharing concerned looks.

Hopefully, Birdie was doing better than they were.

"This is a fucking terrible idea." Birdie stood down the street from the police station, a payphone off to the side of her as she held the grimy phone in her hand. She shook her head, reaching into her pocket where she thankfully had some change left. She put two quarters in, dialing the station number——no thanks to the deadbeat cashier at the gas station near the park who made her buy something before telling her the number. "But. . .it's the only one I got."

She quickly dialed the number that was scribbled on her right palm, stealing glances at the station to make sure there wasn't anyone outside who might spot her. "Hello, Monument Police Department. This is Nancy, how can I help you?"

"Oh my god, please, you-you gotta help me!" Birdie dramatically pleaded, doing her best to mask her real voice, "I-I just saw a group of armed men near Micki's Gas Station and-and I think they spotted me, please, help me!"

There was the sound of scrambling on the other end seconds afterward, multiple voices clashing together with Birdie unable to decipher what any of them were saying. Birdie anxiously twisted her lips, pausing as she heard a gruff voice near the phone before someone else spoke. "Ma'am? What's your name?" an unfamiliar voice spoke. "What seems to be the issue?"

"I saw——"

"Birdie Fowler, is that you?" Birdie's mouth smacked shut upon hearing her name, recognizing Henriksen's voice. "Kinda obvious when an armed robbery is suddenly in progress only an hour after two of the FBI's most wanted criminals are finally caught."

Birdie sighed, shaking her head as she momentarily closed her eyes. So much for that plan. "Please, they're both in danger——"

"No, they are the danger," Henriksen snapped. "Now how 'bout you turn yourself in, and maybe——maybe——if you cooperate, we can talk about a possible plea deal."

"But I haven't done anything illegal," Birdie easily lied; she'd committed countless crimes, but there was no way the FBI could've known that. "You can't arrest me."

"Really? Our files say otherwise. You've been on the run since 17, says here there were some vandalism——not to mention your recent aiding and abetting two——"

Birdie angrily groaned and slammed the phone down, puffing out her cheeks in frustration. She stepped back from the phone, shaking her head as she clenched her eyes shut, tossing her head back. Well, so much for that plan.

"Freeze!" Birdie nearly jumped out of her skin, turning on her heel to see the female officer, Fieldman, from earlier standing just a few feet behind her, a taser in hand and pointed directly at Birdie. Birdie heavily sighed, slowly raising her hands in surrender. "Get down on your knees and keep your hands up where I can see them."

"It's not just Sam and Dean who are in danger," Birdie said, grunting when the officer forced her to lay flat on the ground. She put Birdie's hands behind her back, hissing as the officer clasped the handcuffs around her wrists just a little too tight for her liking. "Everyone inside is in danger!"

"Damn, those boys really filled your head with nonsense," the officer said, disapprovingly shaking her head. She grabbed one of Birdie's arms, carefully helping her onto her feet before guiding her in the direction of the station. "It's such a shame."

"They-we really do hunt monsters!" Birdie exclaimed, turning her head towards the officer.

The woman pursed her lips together, simply shaking her head in disappointment. "Birdie Fowler, you are under arrest. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to speak to an attorney and have an attorney present during any questioning. If you cannot afford a lawyer, one will be appointed for you at government expense. Do you understand these rights?"

Birdie thought for a moment before raising a questionable brow. "If I say no, am I free to go?"

Officer Fieldman shook her head, nudging Birdie forward once again. Birdie didn't fight against it or try to escape, allowing the woman to gently nudge and pull her whichever way she needed to go. She saw another officer waiting just outside the door, his eyes narrowed at the younger woman as Fieldman opened the door and pushed her inside the building.

Birdie's darkened eyes lingered on the man, glancing aside at Fieldman as they stepped into the station. "God, he's acting like I killed someone."

"Because you have." Birdie rolled her eyes at that, seeing Henriksen standing near a desk with a smirk adorning his plump lips. "And we're gonna prove it, too."

"Yeah? Good luck with that one," she said, falsely smiling in his direction. "How's that nose of yours, by the way?"

Henriksen clenched his jaw, still feeling a slight pain in his nose from Birdie's phone hitting him. "Oh, you don't need to worry about me," he said. "I'd worry about myself if I were you."

Birdie rolled her eyes and looked to the side, noticing a black-haired woman seated at a desk, seeing a nameplate with the name Nancy on it——she was the one who answered the phone. Birdie twisted her lips, breathing out a nervous laugh. "Sorry if I freaked you out——"

"No, no, no, you're done talking," Henriksen sharply told her. He acted as if he was going to continue talking, but suddenly he stopped when they all heard what sounded like a helicopter flying just outside. Birdie's lips curled downwards into a frown, gritting her teeth when she saw Henriksen begin to smile. "It's surf-and-turf time."

Birdie scoffed under her breath, watching him walk past her to head for the main door. "Should we lock her up with the Winchesters?" Fieldman asked, eyes looking toward the dark-haired officer, Deputy Phil Amici, as the heavier set Sheriff, Melvin Dodd, stood off to the side by Henriksen's FBI partner, Special Agent Carl Reidy.

"Why? So they can——"

"If you're going to suggest something sexual between me and the boys, I suggest you do it far enough where I won't be able to kick you," Birdie warned the officer, slightly glancing down when he looked at her oddly.

His eyes widened when he realized where she meant she'd kick him, anger washing over his narrow features. "Did you just threaten an officer?"

"No, because if I was threatening you, you wouldn't have to ask——"

"Birdie Fowler. . .in the flesh." Birdie scrunched up her face, seeing a dark-haired man in a suit suddenly come up beside her, a smug smirk on his thin lips as he stood a little too close for comfort.

Henriksen followed the man, looking towards him in confusion. "You know her?"

Birdie narrowed her eyes. She'd never seen him before. "And do I know you?"

"Yes I know you, but we've never had the pleasure of meeting face to face," he answered, stealing a look towards Henriksen. "She has. . .quite the reputation."

"Care to enlighten me? How come I've never heard of her until today?"

"Now's not the time, Victor," the man shortly answered, handing a large binder over to Henriksen as he took a few steps forward.

"What's all this?" Henriksen wanted to know, slowly taking it into his hands.

The man turned, briefly glancing towards Birdie before he returned his gaze to Henriksen. "What can I say? The FBI didn't invent bureaucracy. We perfected it."

"You want me to do all this now?" Henriksen asked in disbelief, gesturing towards the binder.

"Sorry. Now, Victor."

Birdie falsely pouted, batting her eyelashes at Henriksen when he felt her stare. "Guess your surf-and-turf'll just have to wait."

The other man's eyes fell on Birdie, falsely smiling in a way that made her skin crawl. "Know what? I'll take her back there for you." He walked over to the younger woman, ignoring Birdie's disgusted expression as he grabbed hold of her elbow. "I wanna take a good, long gander at our other fugitives."

Birdie tried to pull away from him, but the man only tightened his grip. Birdie slightly winced, stealing a glance over her shoulder towards Fieldman, but she was quickly led around the corner and in the direction of the holding cells. She huffed in frustration, trying to pull her arm out of his grip again, but he harshly yanked her into his side, glaring at her as he made them stop in the middle of the narrow hall. "Stop struggling, Birdie," he ordered. "Now, stay quiet and you won't get hurt."

Birdie gave him a look, but before she could respond, he roughly nudged her forward with a scoff. Birdie puffed out her cheeks, entering the holding cell area with the man still tightly gripping her arm and keeping her close to his side. She halted when the man suddenly tugged on her arm, watching in confusion as he closed the door behind them.

"What're you doing?" she asked.

"Shut the hell up," the man snapped, giving her a hard stare.

Sam tilted his head at the sound, panic instantly sparking inside his chest when he saw Birdie beside the man with her hands cuffed behind her back. He and Dean shared a quick look with each other, both of them standing to their feet as the man walked closer with his grip on Birdie never loosening.

"Sam and Dean Winchester. I'm Deputy Director Steven Groves," the man, Steven, happily introduced himself. "This is a pleasure."

"Well, glad one of us feels that way," Dean snarkily replied.

"I've been waiting a long time for you two to come out of the woodwork," Steven said. "Birdie being here, too, is just an added bonus."

Suddenly Steven pointed a gun, shooting Dean in his left shoulder before any of them had time to register what was going on. Dean's blood sprayed onto the brick wall beside him, a grunt escaping as he fell backward onto the bed. Birdie gasped and roughly pushed her shoulder into the man, shoving Steven into the wall beside them. Sam leaped forward, grappling with Steven for the gun through the bars.

Several more silenced shots were fired, narrowly missing Dean. Birdie gritted her teeth and stomped her foot down onto Steven's, but he grabbed her by the throat, gripping tightly as he held her directly in front of him. She sucked in a sharp breath, clawing at his hand with her nails with her teeth gritted together.

Sam kept a grip on Steven, holding his arm with the gun to prevent him from being able to aim it again. Steven's eyes turned black seconds later, causing Birdie's eyes to widen in horror. Sam quickly began to recite an exorcism, Steven's head whipping from side to side.

It seemed like it was working, but suddenly "Steven" stopped withering, snarling towards Sam. Surprise appeared on Sam's face, his eyes boring into the demon as Birdie struggled to catch her breath. "Sorry, I've gotta cut this short," he said. "It's gonna be a long night, fellas."

Dean weakly sat up on the bed, painfully clutching his wounded shoulder. Black smoke emitted from Steven's lips moments later, screaming out until it disappeared into the vent in the ceiling.

His grip on Birdie loosened, the woman staggering aside as Steven fell to the ground. Sam reached out and grabbed hold of Birdie's jacket, grunting as he helped her to stay on her feet. She grabbed one of the bars as she moved to steady herself as well, sucking in a shaky breath as her head snapped up when the door was yanked open.

Three officers came rushing in after hearing the scream, Henriksen and his partner right behind them. They quickly pointed their gun at Sam first after seeing the gun clutched in his hand and Steven's body splayed on the floor just in front of Birdie, seemingly dead.

"All right, put the gun down!"

"Wait. Okay. Wait," Sam hastily said, holding his hands out as he started to sink towards the floor; he had no desire to be shot or blamed for something he didn't do. Birdie shifted, quickly raising her cuffed hands along with the brothers.

"He shot him!" one of the officers claimed, eyes widened with horror.

"No, he didn't!" Birdie instantly protested, narrowed eyes watching Fieldman head towards her.

"I didn't shoot him, okay," Sam said. "I didn't shoot anyone."

"He shot me!" Dean shouted as his eyes flickered to the body, still gripping his bullet wound as he gritted teeth together, pain searing through his entire left shoulder.

Birdie hissed when Fieldman roughly grabbed her shoulder, forcing her onto her knees just outside Sam and Dean's shared cell.

"Get on your knees, NOW!" Henriksen ordered the Winchesters, keeping his gun trained on them.

"Okay, okay, okay. Don't shoot. Please," Sam said. "Look. Here. Here." He hastily passed the gun through the bars, keeping his hands raised to show he wasn't going to attempt anything. "Look. We didn't shoot him. Check the body. There's no blood. We did not kill him." Reidy glanced aside at Henriksen, the two having a silent conversation that they didn't want to be heard aloud. "Go ahead, check him."

Reidy cautiously uncocked his gun and bent down to check Steven's body while the others kept their guns trained on the three fugitives. Birdie's eyes lingered on him, seeing him check for a bullet wound. Reidy couldn't seem to find one anywhere. "Vic, there's no bullet wound," he said, looking over his shoulder at his partner with his brows furrowed together.

"He's probably been dead for months," Dean gruffly said, kneeling on the ground next to Sam. Sam let out a shaky breath, eyes swirling with concern as the guns stayed trained on them.

"What did you do to him?" Henriksen demanded to know.

"We didn't do anything!"

Henriksen didn't believe that. "Talk, or I shoot."

Dean glared aside at the FBI agent. "You won't believe us."

"He was possessed," Sam answered.

One of the officers looked at Henriksen, appearing rather frightened at the mere idea. Fieldman stole a glance down at Birdie, seeing her nod in agreement. "Possessed? Right," Henriksen huffed, rolling his eyes; he'd heard enough about demons and monsters from the Winchesters. "Fire up the chopper! We're takin' them out of here now."

"Yeah! Do that!"

"Bill?" Reidy asked through a walkie-talkie to check in with the helicopter pilot, but all he heard was static from the other end. "Bill, are you there?"

There was no response.

Henriksen reluctantly nodded to Reidy for him to go and check outside. Melvin and Phil continued to point their guns at Sam and Dean while Fieldman stood behind Birdie, a gun in hand with her other one keeping the younger woman kneeling on the ground. Reidy quickly hurried out of the room, keeping his gun in hand as he slipped out of the door. Melvin inched towards the cell, kicking Steven's gun out of reach from the Winchesters and Birdie.

The officers kept their guns trained on them, anxiously waiting to find out what was going on. But, nearly a minute later, they heard a loud bang outside.

"What the hell was that? Reidy? Reidy?!" Henriksen asked aloud, raising the walkie-talkie Reidy had left behind. Birdie's eyes instinctively darted over to Sam and Dean, sharing a worried look with them. "Come in? Reidy? Reidy?"

Henriksen shook his head, facing Fieldman. "Put her in a cell, now!"

Fieldman hoisted Birdie to her feet, guiding her into the cell directly across from Sam and Dean. Birdie grunted at the sudden movement, frowning as the woman closed the cell door and locked it without sparing her another look.

"Come on," Henriksen ordered, leading the officers out of the holding cell area to find out what was going on.

Birdie huffed as she watched them rush out of the room, standing by the bars as she looked across at Sam and Dean with a frown lingering on her lips. "So, my plan to rescue you two might've backfired on me," she slowly said.

"Yeah, no shit," Dean scoffed, sitting back down on the bed, pressing a torn cloth he'd ripped off from the bedsheet to his wound; it wasn't much, but it was better than nothing. Birdie pursed her lips into a fine line, wanting to give him a snippy response, but she decided against it; he'd been shot after all and was no doubt in immense pain——she could let it slide just this once.

"Why didn't you run?" Sam asked Birdie, tilting his head as he looked towards the younger woman in curiosity. "You could've gotten away."

"What, and just leave you two here to rot in some nasty ass cells?" Birdie scoffed in disbelief, sinking to her knees with her head tilted as well. Confusion appeared on Sam's face as he watched her, but Birdie didn't comment on it. Instead, she moved her hands, settling them under her butt before she started to try and wiggle them past the back of her legs so they were in front of her instead. "What kind of friend would I be then?"

"A smart one," Sam softly chuckled, realizing what she was trying to attempt to accomplish. It didn't always work and some people had a much harder time pulling it off, but Birdie was adamant about getting her hands out from behind her back.

Birdie breathed out a laugh a few seconds after, rolling onto her back as she tucked her legs into her chest, wincing as she started to guide her hands around her feet. "It's not my job to be the smart friend," she said with a grunt, letting out a breath of relief as she finally got her hands in front of her. She then stood back up, wiggling her fingers as she moved closer to the bars, softly smiling at Sam. "That's your job."

Sam chuckled again, faintly shaking his head. He took a few steps to the side, sitting beside Dean on the bed to check on the bullet wound.

"You have any idea what's out there?" Dean wondered, partially turning his head to look at Birdie.

She heavily sighed. "Uh, yeah——in a sense, I do." Sam looked up at her, eyes swirling with curiosity. "Ruby found me after I lost the police and. . .she said that demons are still gunnin' for you two and you needed to get out of here before they found out you were here. . .but, with that one managing to escape. . .they probably know now, or will before too long."

"How'd that one even know we were here?"

"I don't know, but I was supposed to find a way to get you guys out of here while Ruby bought us some time, or so that's what she said," Birdie answered, sadly twisting her lips as she glanced between Sam and Dean. "I'm sorry, boys."

"It's not your fault, Bird," Sam said, giving her a small smile.

"Still think you should've ran," Dean said, giving her a look that reminded her of one he would usually use on Sam instead. "You didn't have to get stuck in here like us."

Birdie softly sighed, plopping down on the floor beside the bars. "Well, I couldn't let you guys have allll the fun."

Sam and Dean both breathed out a chuckle, Sam looking aside at her. "What was your plan to get us outta here, anyway?"

Birdie scrunched up her nose for a moment, dismissively waving her hand as she faintly shook her head. "Oh, it was, uh, you know what, it doesn't matter. It didn't work so——"

"Yeah, but what'd you do?" Dean pressed, raising his brows. Birdie rolled her eyes and shook her head, glancing down at her mud-covered boots. "Come on, Bird, don't hold out on us now."

"It can't be that bad," Sam said.

Birdie groaned and leaned her head against the brick wall, lazily turning her neck to look towards the brothers. "I called the station and faked a robbery, but they didn't believe me and one of them caught me down the street." Dean slowly blinked, looking towards her with an unreadable expression. Sam's expression was identical to his brothers, the two sharing a look with one another. Birdie frowned, throwing her hand out in front of her. "It's-it's not like I had a whole lot of time or options!"

"So your first thought was to call the police——the same ones after you?" Dean questioned her, amusement etched in his voice.

Birdie gaped at the oldest Winchester, narrowing her eyes when she saw Sam was trying not to smile. "Fine, next time I'll just let you guys try to figure it out on your own, okay?"

"Oh, come on, Bird, I'm just fuckin' with you——"

Suddenly the lights inside the holding cells turned off along with all of the power inside the station. Sam and Dean slowly stood up, Birdie doing the same with a shaky breath escaping past her lips. The backup lights turned on a few seconds later, but that was it as silence seemed to envelope the entire station.

"That can't be good," Dean said, breaking the tense silence. He turned, facing Birdie. "Ruby didn't happen to have an actual plan, did she? Unless, of course, she helped them here?"

"All she told me was to try and get you boys outta here while she would stall the demons," Birdie answered, head lazily tilted to one side while her eyes focused on Sam and Dean.

"'Course," Dean grumbled, shaking his head in frustration as he ran a hand along his jaw. Sam heavily sighed, sinking back down on the bed. Dean did the same, huffing when Sam moved his hand to check on the wound.

Thankfully, the bullet had gone clean through his shoulder, but it would still need to be patched up to stop the bleeding and prevent infection; preferably sooner rather than later——they had a feeling that they might not get that lucky.

Sam took the cloth from Dean's hand, hearing him grunt with the slightest touch to the area. "All right, don't be such a fuckin' wuss," Sam told him.

"What's the plan?" Henriksen suddenly asked. He stood in between their cells, looking from the boys and then over to Birdie who didn't seem to know what he was talking about. "Kill everyone in the station, bust you three out?"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Dean sharply questioned.

"I'm talkin' about your psycho friends. I'm talkin' about a fucking blood bath."

"Okay, I promise you——whoever's out there——is not here to help us," Dean firmly answered.

"Look, you gotta believe us," Sam said. "Everyone here is in terrible danger."

"You think?" Henriksen retorted. Then his eyes snapped towards Birdie, hatred evident on his face, but the woman didn't care in the slightest. "You're the one who brought them here, aren't you?"

"No, because the only back up I actually have are these two dinguses," she said, gesturing towards Sam and Dean as best as she could with her hands still cuffed; though, she did have Kaiya and Bobby, but she wasn't about to inform Henriksen about either of them. "Whoever, or whatever, the fuck is out there, isn't here to save us."

"Why don't you let us out of here so we can save your asses?" Dean said.

"From what?" Dean paused as Sam looked away, both of them knowing Henriksen wouldn't believe them. "You gonna say demons?" Henriksen raised his gun he'd been holding at his side, pointing at the ceiling for emphasis. "Don't you dare say demons. Let me tell you something——you should be a lot more scared of me."

The three of them watched him leave right after, a dark glare lingering on Birdie's features as she sat on the floor once again. I'd rather go head to head with him than a demon, she thought.

"How's the shoulder?" Birdie wondered.

Dean pulled the piece of cloth away from his shoulder, looking at the large blood stain now decorating it. "It's awesome," he sarcastically answered. Then he turned, tossing it in the trash can beside the toilet with a wince. "I'll live. You know, if we get out of here alive. Either of you got a plan? One that might actually work this time?"

Birdie grumbled under her breath, Dean's eyes slightly widening when he thought he heard her say something about shoving something up his ass. Sam snickered to himself as he checked Dean's exit wound on the back of his shoulder, Dean grimacing in pain. Then Dean looked up, tilting his head when seeing Nancy was peeking around a corner outside the bars. "Hey," Dean quietly said, causing Sam to look in the woman's direction.

"Hey. . ." Sam said, spotting her as well. Nancy took a quick step back when she caught their eye, moving further behind the wall in fear. "Hey, uh, please. Please. We need your help," Sam said, holding his hands out in front of him, the handcuffs slightly rattling with the movement. "It's-it's Nancy. Nancy, right?" Nancy simply stared at him, head slightly lowered. "Nancy, my-my brother's been shot. He's-he's bleeding really bad. You think maybe you could get us a towel? Please? Just one clean towel?" Nancy listened, but she didn't respond as she looked at the brothers. " Look at us. We're not the bad guys. I swear."

Dean gave Nancy a friendly smile, or as friendly as he could with the pain dancing around inside his shoulder, but Nancy turned and left without a word. Sam sighed in defeat, shoulders sinking as he turned towards Dean again. "Nice try," Dean said, twisting towards the bed.

Birdie sighed, leaning her head against the cell wall. "I can give you one of my socks if you think it might help."

Dean scoffed, scrunching his face together in disgust. "I'd rather get shot again."

Sam rolled his eyes at the two of them, turning only to see Nancy had returned with a clean towel in hand. "Thank you," he said. Nancy cautiously walked closer to the boys with her heart racing as she neared the brothers. "It's okay," Sam assured her, innocently holding out his cuffed hands. "Thanks."

Nancy put the towel inside the bars as Sam warmly smiled at her. She started to smile back, but it faltered when Sam swiftly grabbed her by the arm and pulled her against the bars. Birdie hastily got to her feet at the sudden movement, hearing Nancy let out a scream.

"Sam!" Birdie shouted in surprise, not having expected him to do such a thing. "Stop it!"

One of the officers, Phil, ran in seconds later after hearing the scream with a rifle in hand. "Let her go!" he ordered, cocking the gun and aiming it directly at Sam. "Let her go!"

Sam instantly let go of Nancy, holding his hands up in surrender as did Dean. Nancy backed up against the far wall as soon as she was free from Sam's firm grip, sucking in shaky breaths as fear adorned her features while her heart thumped around inside her chest.

Phil kept the gun trained on Sam as he glanced towards his co-worker. "You okay, Nance?" She just backed up further away, holding the spot on the arm where Sam had roughly grabbed her. Phil's eyes darted back to Sam, a firm expression on his narrow features. "Try something again, get shot, and not in the arm."

"Okay," Sam said, keeping his hands raised.

Phil slowly backed up, staying in front of Nancy as the gun remained pointed at Sam. Birdie let out a shaky breath once the two disappeared from the room, sharply turning her head in Sam's direction.

Dean narrowed his eyes, hitting Sam in the arm as hard as he could without straining his left shoulder. "What the fuck was that?"

Sam silently held up Nancy's rosary, allowing Dean and Birdie to see why he'd grabbed the secretary. Dean softly chuckled as his eyes fell on it, a faint smile gracing his lips. Birdie chuckled as well, shaking her head.

She took a few steps to the side, twisting her lips before she sat on the bed in her cell. It was very uncomfortable and had an odd stench radiating from one of the flat pillows lazily tossed at the head of the bed, but she did her best to ignore it as she made herself comfortable, or attempted to do so. She pushed some hair out of her face as she leaned against the brick wall once more, pulling one of her knees into her chest as the other lazily dangled over the edge of the bed. An arm was wrapped around her knee, absentmindedly running her fingers along the seam of her jeans.

Dean adjusted the towel as he pressed it to his wound, Sam beside him again with their minds racing with what if situations and worries about how they were going to get out of there alive. They didn't have any way to escape, and even if they did, the police would just stop them dead in their tracks. And, with demons most likely headed their way at that very moment, they weren't sure how far they could've got.

They were undoubtedly screwed.

"We're like sitting ducks in here," Sam softly said after a few moments, sitting on the far end of the bed.

"Yeah, I know," Dean said, his gaze flicking towards the opened door. "Would it kill these cops to BRING US A SNACK?!"

"How many you figure are out there?" Sam wondered.

"I don't know," Dean answered.

Birdie shifted on the bed, tilting her head as she picked at her chipping nail polish. "Probably too many to take on ourselves."

"However many they are, they could be possessing anyone," Sam stated, briefly looking at Dean and then over at Birdie. "Anyone could just walk right in."

"It's kind of wild, right? They're coming for us. They've never done that before." Sam furrowed his brows at his brother's words as Dean faintly smiled like he was finding the situation amusing. "It's like we got a contract on us. Think it's because we're so awesome? I think it's 'cause we're so awesome." He smiled again, but stopped after he saw Sam and Birdie weren't smiling along with him.

Birdie shifted and leaned forward to plant both of her feet on the ground, a puzzled look washing over her features as Sheriff Melvin Dodd silently came over and unlocked her cell.

"Well, howdy there, sheriff," Dean playfully greeted the pudgy man, both him and Sam standing up as he opened Birdie's cell door.

The woman cautiously stood up, sharing a glance with the Winchesters before she looked at the sheriff. "Is something wrong?" Birdie wondered, her and the boys noticing no other officer had come in with him and there was a blank look on his face.

"What's going on?" Sam wondered.

"It's time to go," Melvin said, motioning for Birdie to move as he entered the cell, but she only stepped back. "You first and then the boys."

Sam and Dean shared a look, looking towards Birdie. "I actually think I'm okay here, but thanks for the offer," Birdie said, giving him a forced smile.

"Yeah, we're-we're all pretty comfy in these cells," Dean agreed, nodding his head. "But thank you."

Melvin ignored them and took a few steps closer to the woman. Birdie instinctively backed away from the man, but then she stopped when she saw Henriksen appear at the door of the cell.

"What do you think you're doing?" Henriksen firmly asked.

"We're not just gonna sit around here and wait to die," Melvin sharply answered, barely looking towards the FBI agent with acknowledgement. He reached towards Birdie, grabbing her bicep and pulling her towards the door. "We're gonna make a run for it."

"It's safer here."

"There's a SWAT facility in Boulder," Melvin said, standing just outside the door with his grip still on Birdie.

Henriksen stepped closer, his dark brown eyes seemingly darker than before. "We're not going anywhere."

"The hell we're not."

Henriksen raised a gun, shooting Melvin directly in the head.

Birdie grappled with Henriksen for the gun as Sam bent down, grabbing the keys from Melvin's waist. He hastily opened the cell door just as Birdie roughly pushed Henriksen aside. He swung at her, causing a grunt to leave her lips as she tumbled backwards from a punch to the cheek. Sam hastily grabbed hold of Henriksen and shoved him into his and Dean's cell, pushing his head into the toilet before beginning to recite an exorcism. Birdie sat up from the ground, a faint frown on her lips when her eyes fell on the sheriff's body directly beside her.

Phil ran into the room upon hearing the noise, gun in hand again. Dean immediately pointed Henriksen's gun at him, having managed to grab it before Phil could aim the shotgun at any of them. "Stay back!"

Henriksen lifted his head up out of the water, face sizzling as he yelled in agony. Sam forcefully shoved his head back into the toilet bowl, continuing the exorcism.

Fieldman rushed into the holding cell area moments later, her eyes widening when seeing what was going on. Birdie hastily picked up Melvin's gun and aimed it directly at the officer, eyes slightly narrowed as a warning. Nancy then came around the corner, halting in place when she saw what was happening.

"Hurry up!" Dean urged Sam, barely peeking at Sam over his good shoulder.

Henriksen lifted his head again, eyes now pitch black. "It's too late. I already called them. They're already coming."

Sam shoved him back into the water with a grunt, finishing off the exorcism. He loosened his grip on Henriksen and the man sat up, screaming as black smoke shot out of his mouth and heading into the air vent. They all ducked as it moved through the air, watching it disappear from sight. Henriksen crumbled to the floor once it was out of his body, falling beside the bed with his eyes closed. Sam leaned back on his knees and rested against the bars behind him, breathing heavily.

"Is he. . .is he dead?" Nancy wondered, fearfully coming up from behind Phil. Birdie slowly lowered the gun, seeing Fieldman lowering hers as she realized they'd been telling the truth all along.

Henriksen regained consciousness after a few seconds, coughing up some toilet water as he sat up. "Henriksen!" Sam breathed out, questionably staring at the older man. "Hey. Is that you in there?"

Henriksen carefully picked himself up off the floor, sitting on the edge bed as he tried to understand what just happened. "I. . ." he breathlessly started, shaking his head as his gaze fell on Melvin's body, "I shot the sheriff."

Dean tilted his head slightly, suddenly starting to smile. "But you didn't shoot the deputy."

Sam looked up from where he was sitting on the ground, glaring up at Dean in utter disbelief. Birdie rolled her eyes, momentarily closing them when she shook her head while a hint of a smile tweaked the corners of her lips. Dean looked down at Sam, his smile beginning to crumble when he saw Sam's sharp glare.

"Five minutes ago, I was fine, and then. . ."

"Let me guess," Dean said, his voice causing Henriksen to look towards him, "Some nasty black smoke jammed itself down your throat?"

Henriksen's face confirmed Dean was right.

"You were possessed," Sam explained.

Henriksen glanced at Sam, Dean, and Birdie, slowly processing it all. They were right. "Possessed, like. . .possessed?" he asked, using his hand for emphasis as he spoke.

"That's what it feels like. Now you know."

"I owe the biggest fucking "I told you so" ever," Dean sharply told the man, giving Henriksen back his gun after a few seconds of silence.

Henriksen shook his head, beyond disbelief that they'd been right. Then he sighed as he stood up, slowly looking towards Phil who was now the closest to the cell. "Officer Amici," he said, standing up from the bed, "Keys. . ."

Phil slowly handed Henriksen the jangly keys, his gaze lingering on Melvin's body. Henriksen moved back over towards the boys and Birdie, unlocking their handcuffs. The cuffs fell to the floor with a clatter, making Birdie smile in relief as her wrists were finally freed.

"All right," Henriksen said, looking at the three. "So, how do we survive?"

⋅ ∙ ∘ ☽ ༓ ☾ ∘ ⋅ ⋅

Sam skillfully drew a large devil's trap on the floor with spray paint in front of one of the main entrances of the station. Birdie did the same in front of all of the windows to make sure that if any demons got inside, they wouldn't be able to make it very far. Dean was in the main office, carefully examining the floor plans of the entire police station to mark all of the spots where they needed to draw devil's traps as Nancy gently tended to his bullet wound. Phil and Henriksen had wandered off to grab some more weapons to arm themselves while Fieldman found herself accompanying Birdie.

"So-so. . .demons. . .are real?" Birdie stood up straight, glancing over her shoulder at the female officer. She no longer looked at Birdie or the Winchesters with disgust or complete resentment. Instead, a glint of fear now swirled in her dark brown eyes as she tried to wrap her head around the fact that monsters were in fact real.

Birdie let out a tired sigh, nodding her head as looked down at the trap to make sure it was properly done. "Yeah," she softly said.

"Is. . .but does that mean there are other things out there, like, besides demons?" Fieldman wondered, her eyes widening at the mere thought. Birdie heavily sighed and ran a hand through her curls, not really wanting to get into the whole "monsters are real" speech as it most likely would've only made the woman more worried than she already was.

"I, uh, Officer F——"

"Hey, uh. . .I think we're a little past the formalities. You, uh, you can just call me Veronica," Officer Fieldman——Veronica——softly said, breathing out a nervous laugh; perhaps it was more comforting to use her first name in such a situation.

Birdie lightly chuckled along with the older woman, standing off to the side of the trap. "Okay," she said. "Monsters, they're, uh. . .they're real. Some are just stories, myths, and-and urban legends, but there are quite a bit of them that. . .ya know, live among us, I suppose."

"Which ones?" Veronica asked in a whisper.

Birdie sighed. She really didn't want to get into this conversation. "Uh. . .well, demons, ghosts, werewolves, vampires. . ."

"Is Bigfoot real?"

"No, Bigfoot's not real." Birdie paused, looking towards the side as she thought for a moment. "At least. . .I don't think so."

Veronica glumly shook her head, something lingering in the back of her mind. "After all these years. . .I thought I was stopping the bad guys——monsters, you know?"

"You still are," Birdie corrected, catching the officer's gaze. A small smile appeared on her lips as she partially tilted her head to the side. "We may chase down different types of monsters, but. . .you're still saving lives, probably more than you realize, too."

Nancy was nearly finished with bandaging up Dean's bullet wound. "How you holdin' up, Nancy?" Dean asked, turning his head to face the woman.

"Okay," she softly answered, tearing off some tape to place on the bandage to make sure it would hold up. "When I was little, I would come home from church and start to talk about the devil. My parents would tell me to stop being so literal. I guess I showed them, huh?" She asked, adding one last piece of tape. "That should hold."

"Thank you."

"Sure."

Dean warmly smiled, looking back down at the blueprints. Phil came into the room with two bags of salt a few moments later, setting them down by one of the desks with a quiet grunt.

"Hey, where's my car?" Dean wondered.

"Impound lot out back," Phil answered, standing up straight. "So is the girl's bike."

"Okay."

"Wait," Phil interjected, pausing to look at Dean who was starting to put his jacket back on as if he was planning on going out into the cold. "You're not going out there?"

"Yeah, I gotta get something out of my trunk," Dean answered.

"Well he's not goin' out there by himself," Birdie stated, setting the can of spray paint she'd been using with Veronica on one of the desks. She placed her hands on her hips when Dean started to shake his head like he was silently telling her no. "Dean, you're not going out there alone."

Dean sighed, shaking his head. He didn't have time to argue with her. "Fine, but we gotta be quick."

Birdie zipped up her jacket, a cheeky smile suddenly appearing on her face. "Wow," she snickered, being handed her and Dean's keys by Phil before they started walking towards the door, Nancy and Phil's weary eyes following them. "Is that how you impress all your lady friends?"

Dean scoffed, sharply turning his head towards her with a smile lingering on his lips. "You wanna see how I impress the ladies?"

Birdie chuckled in amusement, shaking her head as she walked out of the back door before him. "No, I already know how to impress the ladies, anyways."

"Huh?" Dean asked, his eyes growing wide.

Birdie turned her head towards him as they made their way towards the impound lot, giving him a look. "What? Don't you. . ." Birdie's face suddenly fell, realization dawning on her——she'd come out to Dean during one of the many Tuesday's they faced because of the Trickster, and he didn't remember any of it. Birdie let out a sigh, chuckling to herself. "I'll explain if we make it outta this."

Dean wanted to push for more information, but they didn't have much time. Birdie only sent him a wink and hurried over to the impound lot with Dean hurrying after her. Dean quickly opened the gate, rushing over to the trunk of the Impala. He and Birdie briefly glanced around the surrounding area as they rushed towards their vehicles, wanting to make sure the area was clear of any demons first. Birdie then raced up to her motorcycle that was parked beside Baby, smiling in relief when seeing her duffle bag was still secured to the side; the police were most likely more focused on the boys than some woman who'd supposedly gotten herself wrapped up in their deranged crimes and were saving the inspection of her bike for after the Winchesters'.

The lights in the impound lot started to flicker and crackle around them a few minutes later, capturing their attention almost instantly. Dean grabbed some dreamcatcher-like amulets from the trunk and turned around to see the black smoke quickly coming towards him and Birdie. Birdie shook her head and slung her bag over her shoulder as Dean came towards her, motioning for her to move. Their feet pounded over the loose gravel, hastily running towards the station as the smoke came closer and closer, Dean nudging Birdie in front of him as they sprinted inside with just a few seconds left to spare.

"They're coming!" Dean shouted out to the others, slamming the door shut behind him. Birdie took a few steps forward, yanking out a shotgun that was loaded with rock salt. "Hurry!"

Black smoke smacked against the window that Nancy was putting salt along with a loud thud, causing her to scream in pure fright. Dean and Birdie hurried down the partially lit hallway, running back into the main office where everyone else was gathered.

Dean tossed a loaded shotgun to Sam, the younger Winchester easily catching it.

Birdie sucked in a deep breath as she slowed to a stop, standing in between Sam and Dean with her duffle bag still dangling from her shoulder.

Their wide eyes wandered towards the narrow windows high on the walls near the ceiling, seeing the moonlight disappear as a thick, black smoke circled the entire building. The backup lights started to flicker, barely any light inside the room as a thick tension lingered in the station. Nancy tightly clutched the cross she wore around her neck, fear coursing through her entire body while her heart thudded around inside her chest as if it were about to burst out of her body. Dust speckled down from the ceiling as the building shook, demons attempting to find any kind of way inside the station in order to get to the Winchesters.

Then the smoke suddenly disappeared, the station becoming eerily quiet again.

"Everybody okay?" Sam wondered, glancing around at everyone.

"Define "okay"," Henriksen requested.

"All right, everybody needs to put these on," Dean stated, grabbing some necklaces from his duffle bag to hand out. Birdie puffed out her cheeks and stepped to the side, setting her bag on one of the desks nearby. "They'll keep you from being possessed. There you go."

"What about you guys?" Nancy wondered.

Dean and Sam moved the collar of their shirts down to expose parts of their chests, showing the matching pentagram symbols that were tattooed on their chests. Birdie shifted her feet when Sam and Dean glanced at her, their brows furrowing together when she showed she was wearing one of the necklaces. "What? I don't like needles," she nonchalantly shrugged.

Sam gave her a look that was identical to the one on Dean's face. But, before either brother could question the younger woman, Henriksen spoke.

"Smart," Henriksen said, nodding towards the tattoos. "How long you had those?"

"Not long enough," Sam quietly sighed, vividly remembering being possessed by a nasty demon named Meg; thankfully, she was sent back to where she belonged.

Dean turned towards a desk, checking that the shotguns were loaded and ready to use if needed. Birdie moved from the desk and sat in the chair, frowning when she saw Dean eyeing her. "What?" she asked, raising a brow in his direction.

"You told us you had the tattoo," he said.

Birdie furrowed her brows in confusion. "No, I didn't."

"Yeah you did," Sam said, turning his head towards her as he came to stand next to Dean.

Birdie scoffed, glaring at the brothers. "When?"

"I don't remember the exact date," Dean answered, setting one of the shotguns aside. "But I do know for a fact you said you got it."

"And since when are you afraid of needles?" Sam questioned, a hint of amusement etched in his voice.

"I didn't say I was afraid of needles, I said I didn't like them." Birdie firmly corrected, giving Sam a pointed look. "There's a difference."

Dean chuckled under his breath, giving the woman a look. "Tattoo'll protect you a lot better than that necklace, though."

"Tell you what——we actually live through this, I'll let you two take me to get it," Birdie said, standing up from the chair with a fake smile adorning her lips. "And I'll let you pick where it goes."

"Deal," Dean quickly nodded in agreement, flashing her a cheeky grin.

Birdie playfully rolled her eyes, shaking her head as a small smile started to appear at the corner of her lips; first, they'd actually need to survive if she was ever gonna get that tattoo.

While the others made sure that the salt lines were secure and the traps were sealed, Birdie headed to find a snack. It wasn't the top priority for everyone, but seeing that she hadn't eaten anything all day, she needed something to hopefully give her an energy boost and prevent her from getting intolerable; apparently she wasn't too fun to be around if she was hungry.

She stood in front of a vending machine inside the break room, twisting her lips as her eyes wandered over the snacks stored inside. Two small packs of Reese's, five bags of Lays potato chips, three crinkled bags of Doritos, two Kit Kat bars, and one bag of Flamin' Hot Cheetos——right then, Birdie knew what she wanted. A small smile appeared on her lips as she stuck some quarters in, a tiny twinkle shimmering in her eyes as the bag began to be pushed forward to drop down to the bottom where she could reach it. But, as it fell, it smacked against the glass, becoming caught.

"Oh, you gotta be fuckin' kidding me," she groaned to herself, throwing her arms out at her sides. She rolled her eyes in annoyance and dropped down to her knees, peering over her shoulder to make sure no one was in the doorway. Then she leaned close, softly grunting as she stuck her arm through the slot to try and wiggle her arm up far enough to grab it. "Come on, come on. . ."

The sound of someone clearing their throat made Birdie freeze in place.

"I already paid for it," she quickly said, partially turning her head to see Veronica walking over with an amused grin.

"Take what you like," Veronica nonchalantly shrugged, standing a little ways off to the side. "I don't know if anyone'll ever get to use it again."

Birdie gave the woman a small smile, gritting her teeth as she tried reaching forward more. She was so close, but her arm was no longer moving any closer. "I'll probably die before I can even eat this."

Veronica moved closer, narrowing her eyes towards the vending machine in thought. She tilted her head, standing off to the side of the machine. Then she lifted one of her hands, pursing her lips together as she smacked it against the side of the machine in an odd knocking pattern. The bag fell, an excited gasp escaping past Birdie's lips as she moved her arm to catch it. She quickly pulled her arm out of the machine, cheerfully smiling up at Veronica. "How'd you——"

Veronica innocently shrugged. "Just a lil trick I learned from my son——Jace."

Birdie breathed out a laugh, standing up as she opened up the bag. "Your son taught you that?"

"Yeah, I know," Veronica lightly chuckled, moving to stand near one of the foldable tables in the middle of the room. "But he's sworn off doing it anymore since it got him into some trouble at school a few weeks ago."

A faint smile curled on Birdie's lips. "I remember those days." Veronica raised her brows at Birdie, causing the woman's eyes to slightly widen. "Well, I. . .I wasn't exactly a perfect student. I mean, I just did small stuff. . .like arson——"

"Arson?! You call that s——"

"Enough about me already," Birdie quickly interjected, shaking her head as she shoved some cheetos into her mouth. Veronica simply raised her brows towards the younger woman. "What about you? Do. . .what're you gonna do when we get outta here?"

"You mean if we get out of here?" Veronica asked with a hint of sadness lingering in her gentle voice, slowly taking a seat at the table. Birdie sadly twisted her lips, her brown eyes lingering on the officer.

"We will make it out of this," Birdie softly said, giving Veronica a tiny smile.

Veronica softly sighed, resting her head on her hand. "How can you be so sure of that?"

Birdie sighed as well, wiping at the corner of her mouth as she sank into the chair across from Veronica. "I. . .honestly? I'm not really sure, but. . .thinking about what could all go wrong——it-it doesn't help. That doesn't always stop me from thinking about it, but if we all work together, I know we can make it out of this——all of us."

Veronica warmly smiled, faintly nodding her head a few moments later. "You know what I'm gonna do when I get home tonight?"

"Not surf-n-turf, right?"

Veronica chuckled, shaking her head. "No, that's just——no way. I'm gonna take my son out for ice cream. Maybe even take him to a party he's been beggin' me to let him go to for the past two weeks."

Birdie smiled in return. "I'm sure he'll like that."

"What about you?" Veronica curiously wondered. "What will you and the Winchesters do?"

"They think I'll let them come with me to get that tattoo and pick where it goes, but that's definitely not gonna happen," Birdie said with a chuckle. "I think I might take a little me time——do some shopping or something."

Veronica's smile widened, casually leaning back in the chair. "Have you told Sam and Dean that?"

"What they don't know won't hurt them," Birdie quietly answered, shooting Veronica a cheeky wink. Veronica laughed, the corners of her eyes crinkling. "Speaking of them," Birdie started, standing up with the bag of cheetos in hand, "I should probably go check on them."

"Yeah, 'course." Veronica stood up, following Birdie out of the room and towards the main office down the hall. "Maybe I can find a way to ca——"

There was a crashing sound like glass was being broken, causing everyone to run straight to the source. Birdie unholstered her gun from her waist and took off towards the room she and Veronica had just left, the woman right behind her with her own gun tightly clutched in her own hand.

Birdie quickly aimed her gun at the woman who was now standing inside the devil's trap, her shoulders immediately falling when she realized it was Ruby. There was some blood by the demon's left eyebrow like it'd been splattered on that side of her face during a fight, her blonde hair slightly disheveled and heavy breaths leaving her thin lips. With the amount of demons that seemed to be surrounding the building, it was no doubt she had to kill her fellow "friends" just to make it inside.

The others arrived just seconds later, Henriksen pointing his rifle at the demon. "How do we kill her?"

"We don't," Sam said, lowering Henriksen's gun as he walked past the man and closer to Ruby. Dean stepped into the room, an annoyed expression appearing on his face when realizing who'd managed to get inside.

"She's a demon," Henriksen pointed out, eyes sharply narrowed.

"She's here to help us," Sam said, walking towards the demon.

Birdie let out a heavy sigh, letting her hand fall down to her hip. Veronica's lips fell open as she saw Birdie's movements. Birdie shook her head, seeing the woman's stunned expression out of the corner of her eye. "It's a long story," she grumbled.

Phil and Nancy were now looking around the corner to see what was going on, Phil tightly holding onto his gun. "Are you kidding?" he firmly questioned, looking towards Sam with an incredulous look on his features.

Dean sighed in exasperation, sharing a knowing look with Birdie. The woman just silently shook her head, letting her gaze return to Ruby.

"Are you gonna let me out?" Ruby wondered, gesturing towards the trap that was keeping her in place.

Henriksen looked towards Dean and Birdie with confusion, but neither of them met his gaze; they didn't have the time to explain how they were "working" with a demon.

Sam crouched down towards the ground with a pocketknife in hand, scratching a break in the devil's trap on the floor so that Ruby could get out.

"And they say chivalry's dead," Ruby said. Birdie rolled her eyes, holstering her gun. Ruby sighed, scratching the top of her head before she started to walk past everyone. "Does anyone have a breath mint? Some guts splattered in my mouth while I was killing my way in here."

Birdie closely followed the demon, shaking her head. "So much for holding them off, huh?" she asked, eyes narrowed at the back of the demon's head.

"Only so much I could do once you got yourself captured," Ruby snipped out.

Birdie's eyes narrowed even more. "Maybe if you'd just——"

"How many are out there?" Dean interjected, placing a hand on Birdie's shoulder. She huffed, backing down as Dean walked further into the room. She folded her arms over her chest, keeping her eyes pinned to the demon.

"Thirty at least. That's so far," Ruby truthfully answered, turning around to face them as she sat on the edge of one of the desks.

"Oh, good. Thirty," Dean sarcastically replied, coming up to the side of the desk as the others flowed back into the main office area. Sam stole a glance towards Birdie, but her focus was solely on Ruby. "Thirty hit men all gunnin' for us. Who sent them?"

Ruby automatically looked at Sam as he entered the room last, tilting her head. "You didn't tell Dean? Or your girlfriend?" Dean and Birdie looked towards Sam at Ruby's words, confusion appearing on their faces. Didn't tell them what? "Oh, I'm surprised."

"Tell us what?" Dean demanded to know, looking from Sam and back over to Ruby.

Sam sighed under his breath, leaning against the doorway as he remained silent. "There's a big new up-and-corner," Ruby answered. Sam sighed under his breath, leaning against the doorway; it was almost like he didn't want them to know. "Real pied piper."

"Who is he?"

"Not he," Ruby harshly corrected, sharply turning her head in Dean's direction. Birdie's frown only deepened. "Her. Her name is Lilith."

Birdie raised her brows. "Lilith?"

"And she really, really wants Sam's intestines on a stick." Birdie's face faltered, her eyes darting back over to Sam. He quickly looked away under her and Dean's burning gazes. "'Cause she sees him as competition."

"You knew about this?" Dean asked. Sam didn't answer, silently glancing between Dean and Birdie as their narrowed eyes closely watched him. "Well, fuck, Sam. Is there anything else me and Birdie should know?!"

Ruby scoffed under her breath, a tweak of a smile obvious on her lips. "How about the three of you talk about this later? We'll need the Colt." Sam didn't meet Ruby's gaze when she looked at him, causing her to look at Birdie, but she simply looked down at the floor where she noticed her boot laces needed to be tightened. Ruby suspiciously narrowed her eyes, her gaze landing on Dean last. He didn't say anything as he sat down on the edge of a desk. "Where's the Colt?"

"It got stolen," Sam answered.

"I'm sorry. I must have blood in my ear. I thought I just heard you say that you were fucking stupid enough to let the Colt get grabbed out of your thick, clumsy, idiotic hands," Ruby harshly snapped. Dean raised his brows, slowly looking towards his little brother. Sam rolled his eyes, still not looking at the demon. Birdie twisted her lips, stealing another glance towards Sam. How could he not tell her or Dean that a powerful demon wanted him dead? "Fucking fantastic. This is just peachy. . ."

"Ruby. . ."

"Shut up," she sneered, raising her hand as she now stood off to the side, her back turned to everyone.

Birdie sank down onto the desk opposite of Dean, silently shaking her head when Veronica silently glanced her direction.

"Fine," Ruby said after a few seconds, turning on her heel to face them again. "Since I don't see that there's any other option, there's one other way I know how to get you out of here alive."

"What's that?" Dean asked, wincing slightly when he moved his shoulder.

"I know a spell. It'll vaporize every demon in a one-mile radius——myself included," she said, standing in front of Dean. "So, you let the Colt out of your sight and now I have to die." A faint smile appeared on Birdie's lip; that didn't sound like it was such a terrible thing. "So, next time, be more careful. How's that for a dying wish?"

Ruby plopped down in one of the chairs, not missing the smile that was still on Birdie's lips. Birdie turned her head when seeing the demon's eyes were narrowed on her in a rather hateful manner, rolling her eyes.

"Okay, what do we need to do?" Dean questioned, standing up with his shotgun hanging by his side.

Ruby falsely cooed, smiling up at the taller man. "You can't do anything. This spell is very specific. It calls for a person of virtue," she said, glancing around the room.

Dean faintly nodded, making a face. "I got virtue."

Ruby chuckled under her breath, turning her head. "Nice try. You're not a virgin."

Dean breathed out a forced laugh, briefly looking around the room. "Nobody's a virgin."

Ruby tilted her head at Dean, but then she suddenly looked over at Nancy, causing the black-haired woman to look away.

Everyone followed the demon's gaze, surprise appearing on some of their faces when they looked towards Nancy. "No. No way. You're kiddin' me, right?" Dean said, softly smiling. "You're——"

"What? It's a choice, okay?" Nancy meekly defended.

"What——so, y-you've never. . .not even once? I mean not even——wow."

Nancy sucked in a deep breath, turning her attention to Ruby. "So, this spell," she said, softly smiling as Ruby stood up, "What can I do?"

"You can hold still," Ruby said, moving to stand in front of Nancy. "While I cut your heart out of your chest."

"What?" Nancy quietly asked, standing to her feet.

Birdie abruptly shot up, eyes narrowing at Ruby. "Are you fucking crazy, Ruby?"

"I'm offering a solution," Ruby said, a glare on her face.

Dean stood beside her, a hardened look on his chiseled features. "You're offering to kill somebody."

"And what do you think's gonna happen to this girl when the demons get in?"

"We're gonna protect her. That's what," Henriksen firmly replied.

"Excuse me," Nancy tried, but no one heard her.

Ruby scoffed at Henriksen. "Very noble."

"Ex–excuse me," Nancy tried again, but to no avail.

"You're all gonna die," Ruby firmly stated. "Look, this is the only way."

"Yeah, yeah. There's no way that you're gonna——"

"Would everybody please shut up?!" Nancy hastily shouted, finally capturing their attention. "All the people out there. . .will it save them?"

"It'll blow the demons out of their bodies. So, if their bodies are okay. . .yeah," Ruby answered.

Nancy slowly blinked, nodding after a few seconds of thought. "I'll do it."

Henriksen firmly shook his head. "Hell no."

Veronica's eyes widened, stepping closer to her fellow co-worker. "No, Nancy. You can't."

Dean shook his head as well, looking towards Nancy. "You don't need to do this."

"All my friends are out there," Nancy softly said.

Henriksen stood up, shaking his head as his eyes fell on Nancy. "We don't sacrifice people. We do that——we're no better than them."

Ruby slowly turned her head towards Dean and Henriksen. "We don't have a choice."

"Yeah, well, your choice is not a choice," Dean firmly replied.

Ruby turned towards Sam. "Sam, you know I'm right."

Dean and Birdie turned their heads towards the youngest Winchester. Dean slightly chuckled at the idea of Ruby thinking Sam would actually side with the demon. "Sam?" he asked, but Sam simply said nothing in response. "What the fuck is goin' on? Sam, tell her."

"It's my decision," Nancy said.

"Damn straight, cherry pie," Ruby smugly said.

"Stop! Stop! Nobody kill any virgins!" Dean angrily shouted. Ruby looked as if she wanted to kill Dean for continuously objecting to her plan, but he wasn't going to back down on this. Birdie pushed some hair out of her face, shaking her head. Dean glanced around, his gaze settling on Sam last. "Sam, I need to talk to you."

Birdie shook her head, twisting to the side to face Ruby as Dean and Sam walked down the hall to have a private conversation; though, Birdie figured it was more going to Sam getting lectured by Dean which, if she were being honest, she'd be giving him one too if she hadn't stayed behind to make sure Ruby didn't try anything.

"You know," Birdie started, capturing Ruby's attention, "Your ideas officially suck even worse than mine do."

•❃°•°❀°•°❃•

"I must've gotten my terrible planning skills from you," Birdie said, sitting by Dean on one of the desks as she gave him a pointed look.

He scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Yeah? But how many of my plans have actually worked?"

"None," Birdie instantly replied. Dean gaped towards the younger woman, clearly offended by how quick she was to answer. Birdie innocently smiled in return, turning her head when she saw movement out of the corner of her eye.

Sam exited one of the offices off to the side, closing the door behind him before he returned to the main office area. Birdie twisted her lips as her eyes lingered on him with her anger and frustrations lingering in her eyes. She was still pissed he didn't mention Lilith, but now wasn't the time to discuss that.

"Get the equipment to work?" Dean asked, standing up from where he was seated.

"Yeah," Sam answered.

"And?" Birdie pressed, pushing her hair over her shoulder as she stood up.

"So, this is insane," Sam replied, stopping in front of Dean and Birdie.

Ruby looked up from the desk she was sitting on, a displeased expression on her face. "You win understatement of the year."

Dean glared at the demon. "Look, I get it, you think——"

"I don't think. . .I know. It's not gonna fucking work," she sneered, standing up and starting to walk off. "So long, guys."

"So, you're just gonna leave?" Sam asked.

Ruby spun around, glaring at the three hunters. "Hey, I was gonna kill myself to help you win. I'm not gonna stand here and watch you lose," she said, walking closer to Sam. Birdie scrunched up her nose, stealing a subtle glance towards Dean. "And I'm disappointed. . .because I tried. I really fucking did. But, clearly I bet on the wrong horse." Sam just stared at Ruby, not saying a word. "Do you mind letting me out?"

"Happily, I will do so," Birdie said, coming around the right side of Sam.

Ruby harshly glared towards Birdie, but Birdie just nudged her head for the demon to follow her. "Come on, unless you've suddenly decided you wanna die with the rest of us."

Ruby followed Birdie to one of the doors, watching the woman bend down to scratch away some of the paint forming the devil's trap with a knife. Then she stood up, pushing some salt away to break the salt line in front of the door. Ruby walked over it without a single word and Birdie quickly shut the door behind the demon, shaking her head; that was one less demon to worry about.

She bent down again, pushing the salt back to make sure no more demons would be able to get in that way until they were ready.

"I'm definitely gonna stuff my face with ice cream after this." Birdie jumped at the sudden voice, letting out a breathy laugh as her eyes fell on Veronica standing a little ways behind her. Veronica softly chuckled, sheepishly smiling towards Birdie when realizing she'd accidentally scared the woman.

"You'll deserve it after this," Birdie softly replied.

Veronica shifted, stealing a glancing towards the door. "Do you think she'll actually get past them?"

Birdie let out a huff, starting to walk back towards the main office. "With our luck, yes."

Sam's eyes fell on Birdie as she and Veronica returned, a faint frown lingering on his lips. He hadn't gotten the chance to talk to her about Lilith, but seeing that she had hardly spoken a word to him or looked in his direction since Ruby revealed it for him, he got the feeling that she wasn't exactly happy with him. Dean hadn't said much on the matter either, but that conversation was most likely for a later time.

So he let out a sigh, twisting his lips as he turned his head towards Dean. "You ready?"

Dean glanced around the station at the others, letting out a soft sigh before nodding. "Yeah, let's go."

Birdie twisted her lips, sucking in a deep breath.

It was go time.

"Holy shit," Birdie whispered to herself, watching the demons eagerly rush inside the police station as the doors were thrown open. Nancy was laid to the right of her, Phil on the other side of Nancy with four bags of salt placed beside him for when it was time to use them as they waited for their cue. The sound of gunshots could be heard inside the station from their hidden place on the roof, their hearts rapidly racing as the demons hastily entered the building, seemingly a never ending stream of monsters.

"When this is over, I'm gonna have so much sex," Nancy softly announced. Birdie blinked in surprise at the woman's words, slowly turning her head towards the girl just as Phil did. "But not with you," she told Phil. Birdie bit her tongue to keep from laughing out loud, instead pursing her lips to refrain from smiling so that Phil wouldn't see. Nancy then moved, looking between Phil and Birdie. "We better move."

Birdie carefully climbed down from the roof first as the last demon went into the station, helping Nancy onto the ground next. Phil quickly tossed down the bags of salt, Birdie and Nancy easily catching them. Phil then climbed down last, picking up two of the bags. Birdie grabbed one of the bags as well, letting out a shaky breath.

"Come on, we gotta move quick," she quietly told Phil and Nancy, heading towards the closest door.

They quickly blocked all of the doors leading in and out of the police station, leaving one of the back ones for last. Birdie halted in surprise when the door opened without warning, but then she relaxed when seeing it was Officer Fieldman. "You better hurry, Birdie," she said.

Birdie sucked in a deep breath, nodding her head as she handed the officer the nearly empty bag of salt in exchange for the shotgun the woman had been holding, a few salt rounds missing. "Be careful, Veronica," she said.

"You, too."

Birdie cocked the shotgun before entering the station, flashing Veronica a quick smile as she rushed inside. The door was immediately shut behind her, but suddenly she was being tackled to the ground.

"Ow, you fucker!" she angrily shouted, hissing when her backside collided with the hard floor.

The demon growled from above her, kicking Birdie's shotgun aside to leave her weaponless. Birdie gritted her teeth together, swinging her fist right into their jaw. The demon fell to the side with a grunt, giving Birdie a small window to get back onto her feet. Her eyes darted towards a door off to the side, watching a demon rush inside with a snarl on their chapped lips——that was the room Henriksen was in.

Birdie hurried forward to help the agent, kicking the demon who'd tackled her in their stomach before picking up her gun. She rushed into the other room, yelping when she was grabbed around the waist. Henriksen struggled against the demon who'd clambered onto his back, making the man stagger into the wall beside him. Birdie tightened her grip on her gun and lifted both of her feet, causing the demon to fall forward slightly at the sudden imbalance. Then she reeled her head back as she planted her feet on the ground, making the demon let go of her momentarily. She sharply spun on her heel and huffed as she fired the shotgun. The demon flung back at the harsh force, their body rolling across the floor with their black eyes clenched shut.

"Henriksen, Bird, now!" Birdie heard Dean hastily shout from a separate room.

Birdie turned back into the room, rushing inside. She hurried over to Henriksen's aid, hitting the demon in the back of the head with the butt of her gun. They hollered in pain, arms slipping from around Henriksen. Henriksen quickly reached forward, finally managing to press play on the recorder that was on the table near the wall. Sam's voice began to emit from the speakers spread throughout the station moments later, every demon hearing the exorcism.

The demon in front of them groaned in agony, covering his ears to try and prevent the exorcism from working on him. Birdie puffed out her cheeks, going to swing at him until the demon rushed out of the room. She quickly followed him, halting when she saw him and a handful of other demons race towards the closest exits only to find that they were all unable to push through the doors to make an escape.

The exorcism continued on over the loudspeakers, causing the demons to flail and scream, covering their ears as much as they possibly could. Intense pounding echoed throughout the entire station, demons continuously banging on the doors in hopes of somehow making it out before they could be exorcized.

Birdie kept a grip on her gun as she stepped out of the room, her eyes widening when she saw Sam and Dean were pinned to a far wall. Her eyes frantically looked around the room, a faint gasp slipping out of her mouth when she saw black smoke began to pour from the demons' mouths, reaching up towards the ceiling as the bodies collapsed to the ground. The smoke circled the ceiling, the demons having nowhere to escape as the recording of the exorcism was nearly finished.

The thick smoke helplessly went round and round, bits of purple flickering inside the black cloud. The exorcism finished, causing the smoke to burst into an explosion of bright light, disappearing seconds later as the demons were sent back to where they belonged. Birdie flinched away at the flash, letting out a shaky breath once it was gone. Black residue was left on the ceiling as everything inside the station stilled, Sam and Dean sliding down the wall and onto the floor.

Birdie slowly lowered her gun and sat it on top of a desk, rushing over to the brothers. She stopped in front of Dean, holding her hand out for him to take with a tired smile lingering on her lips. He grunted as he grabbed ahold of her hand, allowing her to help him back onto his feet. Sam got up from the floor as well, heavily panting from all of the fighting.

Henriksen slowly returned to the office, lightly chuckling in disbelief as he wiped blood from his bottom lip. Dean nonchalantly shrugged as he made a face; his plan had actually worked.

Birdie let out a breath of relief, her eyes looking to the ceiling when the electricity hummed, the power finally restoring as some of the formerly possessed people started to move and pick themselves up off the floor.

"No time to die, right, Bird?" Dean asked, giving her a playful smile.

Birdie chuckled under her breath, sinking into one of the chairs by a desk. "Right," she sighed, momentarily closing her eyes. "No time to die."

⋅ ∙ ∘ ☽ ༓ ☾ ∘ ⋅ ⋅

Birdie hissed, harshly narrowing her eyes. "Son of a bitch! That hurt!"

"Sorry, sorry," Sam quickly apologized, finishing the last stitch to Birdie's right shoulder. She wasn't even sure when or how it happened, but Sam had noticed the red staining on her shirt when she'd taken off her jacket. Birdie pursed her lips, looking to the side as Dean packed up their weapons into their duffle bags on the desk next to them.

Agent Henriksen, Phil, and Veronica were talking to the people who'd been possessed and helping them move or tend to their wounds (which most weren't too serious, thankfully) while trying to explain it to the best of their abilities and assuring them that it was perfectly safe for them all to leave and return to their homes, and not mention what happened there; they weren't sure if everyone would listen to that instruction, but only time would tell.

Nancy was carefully cleaning up around the office and talking to a few of the people she knew, Veronica having left just a few minutes ago at the request of Birdie who assured the woman that her son needed her more than they did at the moment. Sam had been helping some of the townspeople when he spotted the blood on Birdie's shirt, and with an annoying amount of persistence, Birdie agreed to let him check it. Much to her dismay, the cut was just deep enough to need stitches; thankfully it wasn't a lot, but it was enough to make Birdie consider simply putting a bandage over it instead.

"Are you almost done yet?" Birdie whined.

"Almost," Sam answered with a small smile, picking up a bandage Nancy had given him a few minutes ago. His eyes flickered to Birdie, softly sighing as she looked anywhere but at him, causing his smile to falter. "I'm sorry."

"For stabbing me with a needle multiple times?" Birdie wondered, finally turning to look at him.

Sam unwrapped the bandage, giving her a pointed look before he began to carefully place it over the stitches. "Bird. . ."

"Sam, it's fine," Birdie said, shaking her head. "You don't wanna tell me that some demon bitch wants your head on a stick, fine, but. . .at least tell Dean, okay? He deserves to know that kind of thing."

"I wasn't-I wasn't trying to hide it from Dean, or you, Bird," Sam said, gently pushing down on the bandage to make sure it was secured. "I just wasn't sure when to bring it up."

"Literally anytime before today would've worked just fine," Birdie replied, giving him a glare.

Sam shook his head, looking at the bandage. It would hold for a while. He adjusted Birdie's shirt to let it go back on her shoulder, causing the woman to sigh in relief that it was finally done and over with. "I'm sorry," Sam said a few moments later.

Birdie paused to look at him, catching his gaze. His black eye was becoming more prominent as the minutes ticked by, no doubt more bruising on other parts of his body from fighting off multiple demons who wanted nothing more than to tear him and Dean to bits. "Just. . .promise you'll at least tell Dean next time, okay?"

"Okay," Sam said, offering her a small smile.

Birdie returned it, slipping off of the desk she was seated on. She picked up her jacket from beside her, slowly slipping it on to make sure she didn't already mess up her stitches. "So, about the tattoo——"

"Shush, uh uh," she quickly said, placing a finger against Sam's lips to stop him from continuing his sentence. "Don't bring that up right now, are you crazy?"

Sam smiled in amusement under her finger, causing Birdie to huff in annoyance and drop her hand down at her side. "He's not gonna forget," Sam said.

Birdie just huffed again, shaking her head. "If I get him drunk enough he might for a little while."

Sam laughed and grabbed her bag that was off to the side, causing her to smile at him as a thank you. They headed towards Henriksen just as Dean picked up his duffle bag and faced the man, seeing him move to stand.

"I better call in," Henriksen said. "Hell of a story I won't be tellin'."

"So, what are you gonna tell them?"

"The least ridiculous lie I can come up with in the next five minutes."

"Good luck with that," Dean said. "Not to pressure you or anything, but what are you planning to do about us?"

"I'm gonna kill you," Henriksen answered. Birdie did a double take towards the bald man, her lips falling open. But, before she could speak, Henriksen continued. "Sam and Dean Winchester and Birdie Fowler were in the chopper when it caught on fire. Nothing left. Can't even identify 'em with dental records." Birdie softly smiled; at least the government wouldn't try to go after her to pay taxes. "Rest in peace, guys."

The three of them softly smiled as they each shook hands with Henriksen. "Thanks," Birdie said as she shook his hand last, her smile lingering on her lips.

"Now get out of here."

"Yeah. . ."

Sam picked up his and Dean's other bag while Birdie's dangled from his left shoulder, the three of them making their way out of the building. Birdie reached into her pocket, fishing out her motorcycle keys.

"You okay enough to drive?" Dean paused, looking towards the woman.

"I think I can handle driving to the nearest motel," Birdie said, giving him a playful glare.

Dean innocently raised his hands as Sam chuckled under his breath. "Whatever you say, Bird."

Birdie shot him a wink and headed towards her bike while the boys walked towards the impala. "There is a motel nearby, right?" she asked, sitting on the seat.

Dean smiled at her over the roof of the impala. "Guess you'll just have to follow us to find out."

Sam was casually lying on one of the beds when there was a sudden knock at the door nearly two hours after they left the station. He lifted his head before sitting up, sharing a silent look with Dean. Dean quietly stood up from the kitchen table and opened the door, looking the person up and down before allowing them into the room. Birdie poked her head out of the bathroom, dabbing at her wet hair with a towel only to halt her movements when she saw Ruby.

Ruby quickly walked into the room, arms folded over chest with a dark look in her eyes. "Turn on the news."

Birdie walked over to the bed Sam was sitting on with a frown beginning to appear on her lips, taking a seat on the end of the bed as Sam turned on the TV.

"The community is still reeling from the tragedy that happened just a few hours ago," A newswoman spoke. Dean sat on the opposite bed as Ruby stood at the end of it, all four of them with their eyes pinned on the TV. "Authorities believe a gas main ruptured. . . .causing the massive explosion that ripped apart the police station and claimed the lives of everyone inside." Birdie lowered her towel from her hair, a sinking feeling settling in the pit of her stomach. "Among the deceased, at least six police officers and staff, including sheriff Melvin Dodd, deputy Phil Amici, and secretary Nancy Fitzgerald as well as three FBI agents, identified as Steven Groves, Calvin Reidy, and Victor Henriksen." Birdie's lips fell open in horror, seeing the pictures of them pop up on the screen. No, that couldn't be possible. "Three fugitives in custody were also killed. We'll continue to follow the story here at the scene, but for now, back to you, Jim."

Ruby moved to the side, turning off the television. Then she faced Birdie and the boys, looking at each of them with an "I-told-you-so" look, but Birdie didn't even look at the demon.

How could that have happened? They stopped the demons and sent them back to hell.

"Must have happened right after we left," Sam softly said.

"Considering the size of the blast. . ." Ruby started, tossing hex bags to each of them, Birdie just barely catching hers, "smart money's on Lilith."

"What's in these?" Dean asked, holding the small black bag with his brows knitted together.

"Something that'll protect you. Throw Lilith off your trail——for the time being, at least."

"Thanks," Sam said.

"Don't thank me. Lilith killed everyone," Ruby snapped, venom laced within her voice. Birdie didn't have the energy to glare at her, instead just looking down at the hex bag as Ruby continued. "She slaughtered your precious little virgin, plus a half a dozen other people." Dean closed his eyes, heavily sighing. Ruby stepped to the side again, arms still folded over her chest. "So, after your big speech about humanity and war, turns out your plan was the one with the body count. Do you even know how to run a battle? You strike fast, and you don't leave any survivors so no one can go running to tell the boss. So, next time. . .we go with my plan."

Birdie flinched as the door loudly slammed shut behind the demon, sorrow filling her heart. They fought so hard, and everyone except them had died in the end.

Wait. . .

"Veronica," Birdie whispered, lifting her head with her eyes widened.

"What?" Sam asked, turning to her in confusion.

"Veronica——they didn't say her name," Birdie said. Realization dawned on the brothers. Officer Fieldman wasn't included in the news.

Birdie stood up, lazily putting the hex bag in her pocket as she hurried over to her keys.

"Birdie, wait," Sam said, standing up as well.

Dean did the same, looking at the woman with wide eyes. "We don't know if——"

"We don't know anything, Dean," Birdie hastily snapped, picking up her keys. "She could be in trouble."

"Or this could be a trap," Sam pointed out, looking at Birdie in disbelief.

Birdie groaned in frustration, looking between Sam and Dean as she threw her hands out at her sides. "Even then, she could still be in serious trouble. I-I have to help her. You guys don't have to come——"

"Well you're not going alone," Sam firmly said.

Dean still didn't seem too keen, but he nodded in agreement. "Fine, let's go."

⋅ ∙ ∘ ☽ ༓ ☾ ∘ ⋅ ⋅

Okay, I tried my best to edit this, but Grammarly was being a dick so I'm sorry if some words are clumped together/mixed up! I tried to fix them all, but knowing me, I probably missed a few still.

However, we only have seven chapters left until end of act one!!! I'm so excited to get into season 4 (and a little nervous but that's nothing new) so y'all can see what else I've got in store for Birdie and the boys hehe 👀👀.

Anyways, please don't forget to leave your feedback in the comments and I hope y'all enjoyed! ❤️