CHAPTER THIRTY SIX:
DON'T BLAME ME.

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THE GLARE THAT Bobby sent Sam and Birdie the minute they returned to the living room was something that neither of them thought they would be able to ever forget. Having already been told what Dean saw along with witnessing Sam and Birdie's disheveled appearances for himself when they returned to the living room, it wasn't very hard for Bobby to believe that something had happened between them. Birdie didn't think anything of how Bobby might react, but suddenly she felt her entire face flush of all color and her heart rate quicken as soon as her eyes fell on the older man.

His eyes were sharply narrowed, arms folded over his chest as he stood in the middle of the entryway that divided the living room and the kitchen. Dean was standing by the table, a beer in his hand with an amused grin plastered on his lips. Birdie's gaze had darted to Dean, eyes slightly widening when he faintly shook his head and raised his brows as his smile grew wider. She turned her head towards Sam, watching him nervously gulp as his eyes remained glued on Bobby.

So much for that plan.

"So. . .you kids got something you wanna tell us?"

Birdie's lips slowly parted, stealing another glance over at Sam. He met her gaze, stammering as he faced Bobby. "I, uh, we. . ." Sam's voice dragged off, faintly shaking his head. His eyes flickered towards Birdie again, seeing her faintly nod her head; he could take the lead. "We're. . .we're, uh. . .together."

"Finally!" Dean cheered, holding up his beer with a perky smile before he took a rather large drink. Bobby raised a skeptical brow, eyes flickering between Sam and Birdie without uttering a single word.

"Uh, Bobby?" Birdie softly asked, raising her brows. "Are you okay?"

"You kids are serious?" Bobby asked.

"Why wouldn't we be?" Birdie retorted.

Bobby gave her a blank look. "Oh, I don't know. Maybe because you two idjits spend most of your time saying you aren't together."

Birdie heavily sighed, shaking her head as she shared another silent look with Sam. "You really think we'd actually admit it?" Birdie asked, placing her hands on her hips. "You've seen how much Dean teases us."

"Yeah, and I'd think you'd wanna tell him so he'd finally shut the hell up."

"Hey," Dean meekly said, holding his hands out at his sides as he glared at the back of Bobby's head. Bobby glanced over his shoulder, shrugging when he saw Dean's expression. Dean pursed his lips, gaze falling on Sam and Birdie again. Bobby faced forward, silently examining Sam and Birdie.

Birdie almost feared that he would somehow see right through their lie, that something else must've been going on for them to actually say they were together when they spent so long denying it. But, Bobby suddenly began to smile, dropping his arms at his sides as he started to chuckle. Birdie breathed out a nervous laugh, casting a weary glance towards Sam to see him doing the same thing.

"About damn time," Bobby chuckled. "I was wonderin' when you idjits would finally realized you were into each other. I was afraid I'd die before that day ever came."

Birdie playfully rolled her eyes at that comment, a genuine smile spreading across her lips. At least he'd bought it. . .for now. "Aren't you just hilarious?" Birdie sarcastically replied. She shifted her feet and folded her arms over her chest, her gaze falling on Dean when he came to stand beside Bobby with his brows expectantly raised in her direction. "What?"

"What the hell do you mean 'what?'" Dean exclaimed, a faint smile appearing on his face. "You're not gonna drop the dets about how it happened?"

Now that was not something Sam or Birdie had put any thought into figuring out.

Birdie's eyes slightly widened, slowly turning her head towards Sam who had an identical expression on his face. He hadn't thought about that either.

Maybe going through with Birdie's on the whim idea wasn't their brightest idea.

But, fate appeared to be on their side when Birdie's phone suddenly began to ring just a few seconds later. Dean did his best to deter her from answering it, but when she showed him who it was, he reluctantly backed down. Sadly though, the phone call was only able to get Birdie out of the conversation, leaving Sam alone and having to try and come up with a believable story about how, where, and when he and Birdie first acted upon their so-called "feelings". With Dean and Bobby's eyes boring straight into Sam, he managed to stammer out that they'd been together since before Dean came back from Hell. Dean and Bobby didn't believe that at first, but when Sam reminded them——specifically Dean——of the way Birdie reacted when Pamela flirted with Sam and other little things, it was more believable then. Before Sam could give any more details, though, Birdie returned and told the boys that Hiro would be stopping by the next day because he had something urgent he needed to talk to Birdie about. He didn't clarify what or why it was so urgent, but Birdie decided not to pester him about it.

Dean attempted to get some more juicy information out of Sam and Birdie for a little bit longer, but Birdie just said he and Bobby would have to patiently wait to get the full story; Birdie's excuse for not giving them any more details was that had to earn the right to know. That was her way of indirectly telling Sam not to say anything else until they came up with a believable story as to how they ended up together. And, if it wasn't for Dean stumbling upon a possible case down in Bedford, Iowa, they probably could've come up with one by the end of the day. With Hiro stopping by the next day, Birdie wasn't able to tag along. She would have had to put up with more of Dean's constant questions, but at least then she would've been able to get away from the odd glances Bobby kept giving her. She had a gnawing feeling that he wanted more details about her newfound closeness to Sam, but he wasn't asking.

Birdie wasn't so sure she could take much more of the silent looks, though.

When she saw him look over at her out of the corner of her eye the next morning, she heavily sighed, sharply turning her head in his direction. The older man was seated at his desk, a book open in front of him. Birdie was on the couch with her feet propped up on the coffee table, Rumsfeld peacefully lounging beside her. A sketchbook was in her lap, continuing on her drawing she'd started of Sam and Dean standing near the Impala by a lake. There were a few books stacked by her feet, but she'd started to get a headache from reading the same words over and over, so she decided to do some drawing to ease racing thoughts. Bobby hadn't said anything in almost a half hour, simply stealing occasional looks at the younger woman as he searched for more information on sirens and how to stop them; the monster Sam and Dean were currently hunting a state over.

"Alright, spit it out," Birdie said, leaning her head back against the couch as her eyes bored into Bobby.

"What're you talkin' about?" Bobby wondered, furrowing his brows together.

"Oh, I don't know," Birdie replied, adjusting her grip on her pencil. "But you keep lookin' at me every two minutes. Is there something on my face or what?"

"No, no, it's nothin', Bird," Bobby said, faintly shaking his head.

Birdie tilted her head, keeping her focus on Bobby. "Do you remember when you told me you could tell when I'm lying?" she wondered. Bobby didn't respond, quietly sighing. He remembered. "I can tell with you, too."

Bobby huffed under his breath, closing the book in front of him. Birdie adjusted her position so she was sitting up more, eyes softening as she saw Bobby's face falter. "What's going on?" Bobby asked, laying his arms in front of him.

Birdie knitted her brows together at that. "What're you talkin' about?"

"I didn't hear from you for weeks, kid. And when I did, all it was was a simple hi and bye——maybe you mentioned the latest case you were on or how Sam was, but besides that. . ." Bobby softly sighed, glancing down at his desk for a few moments. "And even now. . ."

"Now what?" Birdie softly asked, lips slightly curled downward into a frown.

"Now. . .it's like you're a whole new person." Birdie's frown deepened, tilting her head. What was he talking about? "Before Dean died. . .I'd hear from you at least once a week, and you could bet that phone call would last ten minutes minimum. I expected Sam to drift but. . ." Bobby's voice dragged off, his lips closing as he looked down at the desk. Even in the silence, Birdie still heard what he had to say. It was clear it was something that had been on his mind, too, but with everything going on, he didn't see the reason in bringing it up then.

"I'm really sorry, Bobby," Birdie said after a few moments of silence, her features softening as she looked at the older man. "I just. . .it was easier to distance myself, I guess."

"From me?"

"It's not like that, Bobby, and I think you know that. There-there. . .was a lot goin' on at the time, and I was really worried about Sam and I. . .I just wanted to keep him safe. I promised Dean I would."

Bobby shifted in his chair, sitting up a little more. "It wasn't just after that, Bird. There's something else. I. . ."

Birdie shifted, keeping her gaze pinned on Bobby. "You what?"

"I miss the old Birdie," he softly said.

Birdie deeply frowned, feeling a pang in her heart. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"That's not always a bad thing, but I'm not entirely sure what's going on with you, kid. You're just not yourself."

"How-how am I different?" Birdie requested to know. "I'm still me, Bobby."

"I'm worried about you, Bird. The quietness, the constantly disappearing, sometimes the way you talk, the-the weird phone calls and——"

"Wait, weird phone calls?" Birdie repeated, furrowing her brows together in confusion. She was fairly certain she wasn't making any weird phone calls. She only called three people and she was usually with two of them."I-I don't make weird phone calls. But if I did, why would that be so weird?"

Bobby furrowed his brows for a moment, leaning back in his chair. "Last night I got up to get a drink, and the front door was cracked open. I looked out and saw you were on the phone. I was gonna walk away and leave ya be, but then I heard you talkin' about someone finding out about something, and you didn't sound too happy 'bout it either."

"Finding out about what?"

"Shouldn't you know?"

Birdie pursed her lips together at that, trying to remember if she actually made a phone call the night before. The boys had last talked to Birdie around nine, so she didn't think she would've been talking to either of them. She did stay up pretty late, too, though in hopes of avoiding having any more nightmares and wasn't sure when she actually fell asleep, but she couldn't see her calling anyone and not remembering it somehow. She wasn't particularly angry with anyone either nor was she that worried about certain individuals finding out secrets they weren't quite ready to know yet.

But It just didn't make sense. . .unless. . .

Birdie wasn't going to give Bobby more reason to worry about her, so she just slowly nodded, forcing a breathy laugh.

"Oh, that?" she asked, playfully rolling her eyes. "That was just. . .I was just talking to a friend. It was nothing you need to worry about, Bobby."

"A friend?" Bobby repeated, raising his brows at the younger woman. He didn't say it, but Birdie knew that he was implying that she only had two friends, Sam and Dean. Damn. "What friend?"

"I do actually have friends other than Sam and Dean, you know," Birdie said, giving Bobby a playful glare. Bobby heavily sighed, tilting his head as he just stared at her. He wasn't amused. Birdie pursed her lips as her smile faltered, gently running her fingers along Rumsfeld's back when he scooted closer to her. "Bobby, I get you're worried about me, but I promise, I'm fine. Things have just been tough, you know? And people change over time. It's not that unusual."

"Bird, you've been the same for as long as I can remember," Bobby said.

Birdie shifted, fiddling with the pencil in her hand. She glanced down at her unfinished drawing, twisting her lips as her eyes flickered to Rumsfeld who was completely unfazed by Bobby and Birdie's conversation. Truthfully, she didn't blame Bobby for being concerned about her; she might've actually been offended if he wasn't, but she was never one for talking about her feelings. She preferred to avoid them, to push them deep down and forget they existed. But, that only helped when she was around her mother who didn't care about anyone else's feelings except for her own. Bobby, however, truly cared about Birdie.

Birdie lifted her head after a few seconds, catching Bobby's gaze again. "Maybe. . .maybe I was the same girl for too long," she said, carefully closing her sketchbook with a frown. She reached forward, setting it on the coffee table. Rumsfeld sat up for a few moments, but he relaxed once Birdie leaned back against the couch again. "How could I stay the same after everything we've been through? Dean dying and-and going to Hell, Lilith and the never ending stream of demons——not to mention the dickhead angels. . .it's just been a lot to deal with, Bobby."

"Oh, I know. You kids have been through too much at your age. And I know it's not unusual for people to change," Bobby said, nodding his head. Then he shifted, leaning back in the chair. "I believe you, kid."

"Thanks, Bobby," Birdie replied with a smile.

"But if there's anything you ever need to talk about, and I mean anythin', I'm always here."

Birdie's smile softened a smidge. "I know. Thanks." Birdie gently patted Rumsfeld's head and stood up, stretching her arms over her head with a content sigh. He let out a quiet whine, watching her walk away. "Don't worry, I'll be right back."

"Where you goin'?"

"The bathroom. . ." Birdie chuckled, stepping around the coffee table to make her way towards the hall. "Don't worry, I won't take as long this time since Sam's not here to keep me company."

Bobby scoffed out a laugh, shaking his head. "Nothin' like that better happen under my roof again. Understood?"

Birdie just snickered, playfully rolling her eyes as she started to make her way towards the bathroom. Bobby's eyes trailed after her, gazing into the hall for a few seconds before he looked down at his desk. He furrowed his brows, slightly lifting his head as he thought for a moment.

He wanted to believe her, truly he did, but he just couldn't shake the sensation that there was something she wasn't telling him.

As soon as the bathroom door closed and the lock was turned to make sure no one would walk in without Birdie's permission, Birdie's gaze focused on the mirror. Her eyes harshly glared into her reflection, yet her reflection was already shaking her head with an apparent frown on her lips. "I know what you're going to say, but will you please just listen to me before you start jumping to conclusions?" Felicity asked.

"Listen to you?' Why should I f——" Birdie let out a heavy sigh, looking away from her reflection for a few moments as she attempted to keep her cool. The last thing she needed was for Bobby to overhear a secret conversation and be given another reason for concern. She pursed her lips into a fine line, knitting her brows together as she slowly began to relax. Then she faced Felicity in the mirror, firmly shaking her head. "We can deal with this later."

"There's nothing to deal with, Bird," Felicity softly replied. "That call didn't mean anything. I was doing you a favor by handling it."

"Who was it?"

"Ruby. I wouldn't answer anyone else's call."

"Why'd you answer it this time?"

"Because I knew what she was calling about," Felicity said, tilting her head. "And if you think hard enough, you know, too."

Birdie shifted her feet, folding her arms over her chest with her eyes narrowed. "So soon?"

Felicity just raised her brows. "Why do you think I chose to handle the call?"

"I could've done it," Birdie said.

"I know, but I was only trying to help. We don't really need her help——not anymore. We're doing just fine on our own, aren't we, Bird?"

Birdie's eyes roamed over her reflection for a few more seconds, quietly sighing to herself. She dropped her hands down at her sides and shook her head, facing the door without giving Felicity a response. Then she opened the bathroom door, pausing when she heard a faint knock at the front door.

There was only one person it could've been.

Hiro.

Birdie wasn't sure what she thought she and Hiro would actually talk about when he finally arrived at Bobby's, but it certainly wasn't about how to properly kill a ghost.

She slowly blinked, taking her time to digest what all Hiro had said in the span of five minutes. She faintly shook her head, sharing a subtle look with Bobby who'd overheard their conversation from the kitchen. He'd walked off with Rumsfeld to give them some privacy, but as soon as those word ghost left Hiro's mouth, he had captured Bobby's attention, too. "So. . .you started to. . ."

"Hunt monsters? Yeah," Hiro said, nodding his head as he warmly smiled. "I did."

Birdie continued to shake her head in utter disbelief, leaning back in the chair she was seated in. Her eyes skimmed over the bruise on Hiro's forehead, realizing it was most likely a result of his recklessness and not him simply bumping his head on something like she'd first assumed. There was some faint redness on his right cheek and a tiny scratch on his chin; perhaps more injuries caused by the vengeful ghost. "Why?"

"Why?" Hiro repeated, raising his brows at the woman's question. "Why——because a monster killed my sister, and nearly killed you as well."

"But that monster——" Birdie immediately closed her mouth, her eyes boring into Hiro's. She didn't want to give away what kind of monster was responsible for Kiaya's death, or even mention the wretched demons name. Hiro was still far too inexperienced to be able to do anything to help, and quite frankly, Birdie didn't want his help.

She had enough blood on her hands as it was.

Hiro closely examined Birdie's expression, picking up on her hesitation. "What about the monster?" he softly asked.

"Nothing, nothing. . ." Birdie said, shaking her head as she looked to the side.

"Birdie——"

"Hiro, it's best if you stay out of it, son," Bobby said, coming to stand in the doorway between the kitchen and the living room. He saw the pain swirling in Hiro's eyes, the grief of his sister's death heavily weighing on his shoulders. "We know you're only tryna help, but this is more dangerous than you realize."

"Then that's exactly why I should help," Hiro firmly replied, furrowing his brows as his eyes flickered between Birdie and Bobby. "You guys can't do it all on your own."

"You might be surprised what all we can do by ourselves," Birdie said, a small smirk spreading across her lips as she folded her arms over her chest.

Hiro huffed with frustration, shaking his head as he faced Birdie. "C'mon, Bird. I-I can help you! I took down a bloody ghost!"

"No you didn't," Birdie firmly replied, knitting her brows together as she stared back at Hiro. "Someone else took down the bloody ghost, and you don't even remember their name."

"Well, I-I still helped in a way, kind of. And, his name. . .it was. . .like, Lou or something——you know, it wasn't exactly the time for introductions might I remind you," Hiro said, giving Birdie a sharp glare. "We had a ghost to stop, Birdie. I'm sure you could understand that. You've probably dealt with hundreds of them over the years."

Birdie heavily sighed, stealing a pleading look towards Bobby. He raised his brows, faintly shaking his head. "He ain't gonna let up, so. . ."

"Thank you, Mr. Singer. Thank you," Hiro said, offering Bobby a cheerful smile. Bobby breathed out a laugh, catching Birdie's gaze again. Hiro twisted around to face Birdie, letting out a quiet sigh as he stared at the woman's weary expression. "Birdie, please. . .just give me a chance."

Birdie pursed her lips into a fine line as she thought for a moment, unable to stop the pang in her heart when she saw the look he was giving her. He looked exactly like Kaiya. Birdie swallowed the lump in her throat, clearing it a few seconds later. "How do you stop a ghost?" Birdie asked.

Hiro shifted to face Birdie more, standing up straight. "Uh, you-you burn the remains," he answered, sounding a little unsure of his response.

"And if that doesn't work?" Birdie pressed, raising a brow.

"You find out what object they're attached to."

Birdie twisted her lips, keeping her gaze focused on Hiro. "Where did you learn this?"

"Uh. . ." Hiro stammered, breathing out a nervous laugh. Birdie tilted her head, raising her brows as an indication for him to answer. "I-I, uh, learned it from a video."

"A video?"

"Yeah, they're like these ghost hunters or something. They're actually quite good, too. A lil' bit dorky, but——"

"Please, please, please tell me they're not called the Ghostfacers."

"Yes, that's them!"

"Oh, for the love of god. . ." Birdie grumbled, turning on her heel as she ran her hands over her face. What was she getting herself into?

"What? What's the matter with that?" Hiro frowned. Birdie just shook her head, heavily sighing.

I know what you're thinking, Birdie. Don't do it.

'I owe it to him to let him help, Lis,' Birdie thought in response. 'It's the least I could do for him.'

If that's what you really want. . .

Birdie softly sighed, placing her hands on her hips as she anxiously bit the inside of her cheek. "Birdie?" Hiro said, curiously eyeing the younger woman.

"I can't believe I'm about to do this. . ."

I can't believe it either.

Birdie slowly turned on her heel, not missing the hopeful expression that was on Hiro's features. "Okay, fine, but——"

"Thank you, thank you. I promise, you won't regret this——"

"I beg to differ——"

Bobby's phone suddenly began to ring, quieting Birdie and Hiro as they turned towards the older man. Birdie folded her arms over her chest, eyes pinned to Bobby as he answered the call. "Hey," he greeted, partially turning to the side. Birdie curiously tilted her head, figuring it had to be Sam or Dean; hopefully with an update about the siren they were trying to stop.

Birdie's eyes briefly flickered towards Hiro, catching his eye as Bobby's voice became more hushed as he spoke. "I know a-a siren is probably different than a ghost, but I can still help," Hiro said.

Birdie stole a glance over at Bobby, watching him nod his head before he hung up the phone. He turned and made his way into the living room, his eyes flickering between Birdie and Hiro. "Do the boys need backup?" Birdie wondered, a small smile on her lips.

"I think you outta sit this one out," Bobby said. "Both you, kids."

"Wait, me? Why?"

"Cause this thing's making men kill the woman closest to them. And, if it gets their hand one of the boys, especially Sam, he's——"

"C'mon, Bobby," Birdie interjected, scrunching up her face as she gave Bobby a pleading look. "There's always somethin' tryna kill us. What's the difference this time?"

"Yeah, what's the difference, Bobby?" Hiro pressed, nonchalantly shrugging his shoulders. Bobby shifted, raising a stern brow at Hiro. Hiro's lips parted, his face deterring when he saw the look on Bobby's face. "Uh, I mean, Mr. Singer——"

"He's just fuckin' with you, Hiro," Birdie snickered.

Hiro breathed out a weak laugh, shaking his head as Bobby chuckled to himself. Then Bobby folded his arms over his chest, looking at Birdie. "You sure about this, Bird? Siren's can be tricky sons of bitches. It won't be good if it gets hold of your boyfriend."

"I'm sure. We'll be fine, Bobby."

"Alright then. And you," Bobby said, turning his gaze onto Hiro, "be careful. Siren's ain't like anything you've ever seen, or heard about."

Hiro chuckled, firmly nodding his head as he took in Bobby's words. "I'm not worried, Mr. Singer. I got Birdie to protect me."

Birdie softly smiled at that, catching Hiro's eyes. His dark brown eyes were soft and warm, not a single hint of hatred in them as he looked at Birdie. She did a double take to be sure her own eyes weren't playing tricks on her, and they weren't. She quickly looked to the side, her eyes scanning the room for her bag as a way to avoid looking at Hiro any longer.

It was nice to know that he still trusted her even after what happened with Kaiya, but Birdie didn't understand why.

If it weren't for Birdie, Kaiya would still be alive and Hiro would have his sister. With how much Birdie often thought of Kaiya, she could only imagine how much she was on Hiro's mind as well.

He was the sibling Kaiya always talked about, the one that she could always count on in times of trouble. Being the oldest Hamed, Hiro was often left in charge of his siblings. He was used to having them around even as they all started to get older and create their own paths. Darius headed down a bit of a darker path while Layla was still deciding which way she wanted to go, but Kaiya always seemed to know where she was going, which was something Hiro admired about his little sister. Though he was the oldest, he often found himself going to Kaiya for advice more than her turning to him. Now she was gone.

Why he didn't blame Birdie when the rest of his family did. . .Birdie didn't understand.

Birdie shook her head as her thoughts drifted towards Kaiya and grabbed her bag off of the couch, giving Rumsfeld a pat on the head as he watched her. She set it near the edge of Bobby's desk, turning to face Hiro and Bobby.

Hiro partially turned, offering Birdie a warm smile. "Shall we get going then?"

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Bedford, Iowa was a little less than twenty minutes away from Birdie and Hiro now. The four hour drive had been rather pleasant, the first hour mostly consisting of small talk between Hiro and Birdie with Birdie giving Hiro some details about her and Sam now being a couple. Birdie was never the best at making small talk, but thankfully Hiro took the lead and kept the conversations going. Birdie wasn't sure if he knew she wasn't the most social person, or if that was just part of his personality. Kaiya always said Hiro was more the people person out of all of her siblings, that he had a way of making strangers into lifelong friends in just a few minutes. It was one of the many things Kaiya admired about her big brother.

"I know I shouldn't have, but I sort of. . .peeked inside your sketchbook while you were inside the gas station." Birdie turned her head, raising her brows at Hiro. He was seated in the driver's seat of his car, Birdie in the passenger seat with her belongings tossed in the backseat. Her sketchbook was lazily stuffed into her duffel bag, partially sticking out. She glanced over her shoulder, seeing that it had in fact been moved. "Kai always said you could draw just about anything."

Birdie softly smiled, facing forward again as she nodded her head. Usually she wouldn't have liked someone snooping inside her sketchbook, but this time she figured she could allow it."I try."

"I, uh, saw your drawing of Sam," Hiro said, briefly glancing aside at Birdie.

Birdie furrowed her brows, trying to remember which drawing Hiro was talking about. She knew almost all of the drawings and sketches within her book, but she was quite certain she didn't have one of just Sam. "What drawing of Sam?" Birdie wondered.

"The drawing of Sam. . .or, well, I thought it was him," Hiro said, his brows slowly furrowing together. He adjusted his grip on the steering wheel, a faint frown on his lips as he started to doubt himself. "Maybe I'm wrong, I'm sorry——"

Birdie reached behind the seat, grabbing hold of her sketchbook. She plopped it down in her lap, tilting her head as she flipped it open. "You remember which page it was, maybe? Uh, or section, har far in?"

"Uh," Hiro softly sighed, twisting his lips, "It was near the end, I believe. Birdie, you know, I could be wrong——"

Birdie grabbed a large chunk of the pages and flipped to the end, skimming over the pages to try and find the one Hiro was talking about. She saw countless sketches she'd drawn over the years, many unfinished ones she hadn't worked on in some time. But, then she landed on a page, and it was in fact Sam.

She tilted her head, lips parting in surprise as her eyes raked over the drawing. By the length of his hair, she could tell it was from when he was younger. His head was partially turned to the side, looking off to the side with a prominent smile on his lips. His dimples were poking out and brightening his entire face, just the faintest hint of stubble lining his jaw. Birdie leaned back in her seat, faintly shaking her head.

She truly didn't remember ever drawing it.

"Wow," Birdie breathed out, her eyes continuing to rake over the drawing.

"Did you draw it?"

"I. . .I don't actually remember. . ."

"What? How can you not remember if you drew that?" Hiro chuckled, his focus on the road in front of him. A sign that had BEDFORD in bold, yellow letters whizzed by them, a sign that they were even closer to reaching the Winchesters. "I don't know much about the Winchesters, but I'm not sure if they can really draw——"

Birdie didn't mean to, but she drowned out Hiro's voice. How could she not remember something as simple as drawing? It wasn't like it consisted of complex equations or anything; it was drawing, and one of Sam at that.

But, then a thought suddenly occurred to Birdie.

"This won't be permanent," Felicity said, Birdie's dark eyes peering into her own reflection. A prominent frown was on her lips, brows furrowed together. She was fully aware that she consented to having an unknown supernatural being inside her body, but she hadn't thought it through at the time. The only thing she did think about was keeping her promise to Dean. She needed to keep Sam safe and she couldn't do that if she was dead.

But, when finally started to realize what actually happened, a wave of genuine fear had washed over her. Who, and more importantly what did she let in?

Ruby assured Birdie that Felicity could be trusted, but Birdie didn't even really trust Ruby. So, why should she have believed even her?

Sam did his best to hide his uncertainty, but Birdie could sense it. Birdie didn't really feel any differently thankfully, but that didn't mean Felicity wasn't beginning to stir up trouble. Ruby had pointed that Birdie was already looking better after the fall——the fact she was even able to stand was proof that Felicity was healing her just like Ruby said she would.

But, if she wanted to hear it from Felicity herself, Ruby said that one of the easiest ways to talk to her was through the mirror. So, that was what she decided to do.

"I'd certainly hope this won't be permanent," Birdie said, sharply narrowing her eyes. Her reflection just peered back at her, a blank expression on her face that didn't match Birdie's. She was looking at Felicity. "How long is this gonna take?"

"Hopefully no longer than a few months——"

"A few months?" Birdie repeated with wide eyes.

Felicity softly sighed, tilting her head in the mirror with a tiny smile. "I might be able to heal you, but it will take some time. There's more damage in here than I thought." Birdie scoffed at that comment, shooting hateful daggers at Felicity. "I am not trying to be mean. But, this will take some time."

"And what if I no longer want you in my body?"

Felicity understood Birdie's hesitation, but it was still greatly annoying. Ruby didn't stress that enough. "Then, if that's what you really want, I'll leave, but if you're not fully healed by then. . ."

Birdie shook her head, glancing down at the sink with a heavy weight on her shoulders. She closed her eyes, one thought after another popping into her mind. Every single thing that could go wrong came to her, but she always circled back to one thing——one person.

Sam.

"It won't be so bad, Birdie. This isn't permanent, but. . .I will say, the longer I'm in you. . ."

"What?" Birdie wondered, lifting her head. She placed her hands on the sink, a distant look looming in her eyes that did very little to hide her doubt and suspicions.

"Certain. . .demons need certain meat suits, and if we're not in the right one, there tends to be some. . .side effects."

"Since when do demons need a correct body?" Birdie suspiciously wondered.

"I'm not just any demon, Birdie. I'm a Knight of Hell."

"A Knight of Hell?" Birdie repeated in disbelief. She didn't know much about the Knights of Hell, but they were all supposed to be dead. "Bullshit."

"Believe me, don't believe me, either way it's still true," Felicity firmly said. "I'm only still alive because I've managed to hide all these years. And that necklace Ruby gave you? She didn't give it to you just for fun or because she thought it would look cute on your pretty little neck. It's to hide me from anyone who might be able to see me."

"Say that is true. . .and there are side effects. . .what kind?"

"They only start if it's been too long, but. . .there could be increased agitation, headaches, nausea, memory loss——"

Birdie hummed and Felicity closed her mouth. "So, basically the side effects of most medicines?"

"Yeah, pretty much."

Birdie puffed out her cheeks, folding her arms over her chest. "Well, guess memory loss doesn't sound so bad. But so help me if you're lying to me or even try to hurt——"

"Oh, would you relax? If I wanted to hurt you or your oversized boyfriend I would've done it already," Felicity sharply replied.

Birdie huffed, rolling her eyes. "He's not my boyfriend."

"Whatever," Felicity dramatically sighed, shooting Birdie a harsh stare. "I won't be around long enough for my presence to affect you, so you do not even need to worry about it."

"You do realize that you telling me I don't need to worry only makes me worry even more?"

Felicity sucked in a sharp breath, peering at Birdie with a small smile beginning to appear on her lips. "Just give me a chance, Bird. What could possibly go wrong?"

A heavy sigh left Birdie's lips, closing her sketchbook. "Birdie? Are you okay?" Hiro wondered.

Birdie nodded, forcing a smile onto her lips. "Yeah, yeah, I'm okay. I just. . .I forgot I drew that s'all." She reached into the backseat and stuffed it into the opening of her bag. Hiro's eyes flickered between Birdie and the road, getting the sense that something was off like Birdie wasn't as okay, but he didn't think it was his place to pry. So, he just nodded, giving her a faint smile in return.

"Do you want to go to the motel first and check in, or do you want to meet Sam and Dean first?" Hiro wondered.

"The motel would be the best idea, but. . .since Sam or Dean don't know we're here, we should find 'em and get it over with."

Hiro furrowed his brows together, pulling up to a four-way stop sign. Birdie's eyes went from left to right, making sure she knew if there were any cars coming from any direction. "Wait, you didn't tell them?" he asked.

Birdie breathed out a nervous laugh, looking around the area as Hiro drove straight ahead. Truthfully, he wasn't exactly sure where he was going, but he thought he was going in the right direction since Birdie hadn't told him otherwise. "Not exactly. . ." she said, momentarily catching Hiro's gaze. "If I told them, they would've just told us not to come. But, since we're already here, they can't really tell us no."

"I like the way you think."

"Why thank you."

A warm smile lingered on Hiro's face, gaze focused ahead. Birdie adjusted her posture, eyes skimming over the businesses that were on the left and right of them. Most were places Birdie never would've had a reason to go inside unless she was working a case——a realtor, local banks, tax companies——which all had rather bland signs in front of them in Birdie's opinion. Cars were parked along the streets, people in a wide variety of casual outfits moving along the sidewalks and going about their day; all blissfully unaware that there was a monster on the loose. Birdie looked to the left, but then she quickly turned her head again to do a double take. "Wait," she quickly interjected, tapping Hiro's arm. "Park behind that car."

Hiro followed Birdie's gaze, furrowing his brows together when he saw the black car up ahead. "Hey, isn't that——"

"Yeah," Birdie answered.

Hiro slowly pulled up behind the Impala, peering forward to look at the building beside them. Birdie's eyes raked over the building, falling on the sign near the sidewalk——Taylor County Medical Center: Regional Health Services. Birdie hummed to herself and undid her seatbelt, a thought suddenly occurring to her as Hiro did the same.

"Oh, here, you might need this," Birdie said. She reached behind the backseat again, pulling something out one of the side pockets of her bag to hand it to Hiro.

He glanced down at it, confusion washing on his features. But, Birdie was already climbing out of the car before he could ask her what it actually was. He turned it in his hand and then flipped it open, eyes tripling in size when he saw it was an FBI badge; a fake FBI badge.

Birdie adjusted her blazer as she rounded the front of Hiro's car, patiently waiting for Hiro as he climbed out a few moments later. She glanced down at her suit, smoothing her hands along the fabric to make sure there wasn't anything on it. Before leaving Bobby's, Birdie had changed into an all black suit, a white button up, and a silk blue tie that matched perfectly. She wore a pair of black flats (as she wasn't in the mood to deal with heels) and her makeup was neatly done. Her curls were pulled back into a low bun, a few pieces framing her face. Hiro wore a sleek black suit as well, but he wore a gray button up under his blazer along with a black tie. His hair was slicked over to one side, a nice smelling gel keeping it in place.

"Birdie, are-are you sure that this will even work?" Hiro wondered, a look of concern on his face as he came to stand directly in front of Birdie. If they were lucky, it wouldn't have to come down to him flashing a badge that had a picture of Sam from when he was twenty two that didn't look anything like Hiro. Birdie had her own badge that thankfully matched her appearance safely tucked inside her blazer, ready to pull it out if need be.

Birdie nodded, peering up at Hiro with a small smile. "If you'd prefer to wait out here, I can just go inside and——"

"No, no, I can do this," Hiro hastily interjected, firmly shaking his head. "It'll be good practice."

"Okay," Birdie slowly said. "But remember——you follow my lead."

"I know, I know," Hiro said, nodding. "Lead the way, Bird."

Birdie let out a quiet sigh and walked towards the entrance of the medical center, Hiro close behind her. His eyes trailed around their surroundings, doing his best to avoid looking suspicious and bringing any unnecessary attention to him and Birdie. Birdie just walked ahead, briefly glancing around the main area for any sign of Sam or Dean. Hiro stepped up next to her, curiously peering down the hall. "Hey, look," he said, nudging his head when Birdie looked at him.

Birdie followed his gaze, a smile immediately appearing on her lips when she spotted Sam. "C'mon," she quietly said, heading down the hall with Hiro. She still didn't see Dean, wondering where he could've been.

Maybe interviewing a witness? Examining one of the bodies?

"Sam," Birdie said, coming to a stop behind him with Hiro.

Sam spun around at the sound of his name coming from his "girlfriend's" lips, furrowing his brows together at the sight of the woman. "Birdie wha——you're supposed to be at Bobby's." he said in a whisper, briefly glancing around the room as if he thought Birdie's appearance would blow his cover. His eyes landed on Hiro, doing a double take. His eyes darted back to Birdie, suspiciously narrowing his eyes. "What're you guys doin' here?"

"We came to help," Hiro answered, tucking his hands in the pockets of his pants. Sam shifted, eyes darting to Birdie again. She could already sense his annoyance, his eyes still narrowed.

"You guys can't be here. It's too dangerous," Sam said, looking between Birdie and Hiro.

"Dealing with any m. . .is always dangerous," Hiro softly replied, not wanting to say monster out of fear of being overheard. "It's not a bad idea to have some backup."

Sam heavily sighed, facing Birdie. "This siren is making men kill the women closest to them, Bird. You can't get involved."

"We won't have to worry about it maybe getting to you, or even Dean, if we stop it before——" Birdie's lips smacked shut when she saw a figure approaching out of the corner of her eye. She turned her head, giving Dean a forced smile as he came to a stop next to Sam. "Hi, Dean."

"Hey," he said, an unsure expression on his face as he noticed Hiro was there, too. "What're you guys doing here?"

"We're here to help," Hiro answered, a warm grin displayed on his lips. Birdie let out a quiet sigh, faintly shaking her head. It was still too early in the day to be as perky as he was. But, at least he was doing somewhat okay so far.

Dean raised his brows, eyes flickering to Birdie. She twisted her lips, keeping her eyes locked with his. She didn't like the expression that appeared on his face for a split second. "Can I talk to you for a minute? Sam, you too."

Birdie sighed to herself, offering Hiro an apologetic smile. He returned it and nodded his head, taking a few steps to the side to give them some privacy. Dean led Sam and Birdie further away so they were out of earshot of anyone else. He stole a look around just to make sure they were in the clear and then gave Birdie a stern look she hadn't seen in months.

"Sam, Dean——"

"What the hell are you thinkin', huh?" Dean demanded to know, keeping his voice low. "Bringing him into this?"

"I didn't want to bring him, but he might actually be able to help. He. . .he's started hunting."

"He what?" Sam asked in disbelief.

Birdie nodded, glancing between the brothers. "He knows something was behind the accident. . .and he's not gonna give up until the one responsible is finally stopped, or killed."

Dean stole a look at Sam, both of them wearing identical expressions. "Birdie, you both need to leave. We can handle this."

"T——"

"What if the siren gets to Sam, huh?" Dean wondered, raising his brows. "You know she'll make him go after you, don't you?"

Birdie pursed her lips together, firmly placing her hands on her hips. "Not if we stop her."

"Dean's right, Bird," Sam said. "And we can't babysit Hiro while we're trying to do a job."

"You can't be serious," Birdie huffed, dropping her arms down at her sides. Hiro glanced over, twisting his lips when he caught sight of the expression on Sam and Dean's faces. He didn't think they would be too happy to see he had joined Birdie, but he didn't think they would be that angry. He was quite inexperienced when it came to monsters, but every hunter was at some point. They just kept going and getting better, smarter. That's all Hiro wanted to do.

"We are," Dean harshly said. "And I thought you of all people would know better than to bring Hiro near this shit."

Birdie furrowed her brows, dark eyes burning into Dean. Sam heavily sighed, briefly looking down at his feet before he turned his head in his brother's direction. "What the fuck is that supposed to mean, Dean?" Birdie demanded to know.

"I didn't mean it like that and you know it," Dean said, unable to hide his frustration and annoyance. "But it was your idea to keep him out of all of this in the first place. Why the sudden change of heart?"

"Dean," Sam softly said, tilting his head at his brother. He wasn't happy that Birdie and Hiro were both there, however now wasn't the time or place to talk about it. Taking his frustrations out on Birdie wasn't going to solve anything either. And, considering the fact that Sam and Birdie were now a "couple", he was gonna make sure to defend Birdie; more so than he already did. "C'mon, man——"

"Fuck you, Dean," Birdie snapped, turning on her heel and storming off. Hiro raised his brows in surprise as he watched the woman quickly walk down another hall with her hands balled into fists at her hips, eyes swiveling over to Sam and Dean.

Dean deeply frowned, facing Sam. "What the hell was that?"

"You were a fuckin' dick to her, Dean. What the hell'd you expect?" Sam said, giving Dean a sharp glare. Dean's lips parted, stealing another look down the hall. He just barely caught sight of Birdie exiting through one of the side doors, not bothering to look back. Sam heavily sighed, the sound recapturing Dean's attention. "Just——you deal with Hiro. I'm gonna go see if I can find Bird before she slashes holes in your tires."

"She wouldn't. . ." Dean's face faltered when he saw Sam just raise his brows in response. "Well, quit lookin' at me and go find your girlfriend."

Sam rolled his eyes and took a few steps forward, but a voice suddenly stopped him. "Agent Stiles," Dr. Cara Roberts said, smiling when she spotted Sam. She had a file tucked in her arm, some pieces of paper sticking out near the top. Dean and Hiro looked over, watching the woman approach the youngest Winchester. "Can't stay away, huh?"

Sam glanced over at Dean as he came over, internally sighing when Hiro walked over as well. "Actually, uh, we're here on business." Cara looked over at Hiro and Dean cleared his throat. Sam forced a smile on his lips, stealing a look at Hiro. "This, uh, he's part of the-the FBI's internship program. Agent. . ."

"Agent Case," Hiro said, smiling as he held his hand out towards the woman. She tilted her head, taking another look at Sam as she slowly shook Hiro's hand.

"Internship, huh?" the woman said, raising her brows.

"Yeah, there's actually two agents trying to earn it," Dean said, nodding his head as he spoke. "We-we each have an intern with us today."

Cara hummed, suspiciously narrowing her eyes on Dean. "Where's yours?"

"Actually, Agent Case is under my supervision," Dean said. "Agent Tiffin is with Agent Stiles."

"Agent Tiffin," Cara said, facing Sam with a small smirk on her lips. "Have I met him yet?"

Dean snickered to himself, subtly looking at Sam. Hiro had a small smile on his lips as well, gaze focused on Sam as he waited for his response.

"Uh, no, you haven't met her yet," Sam answered. Cara raised her brows at that, slowly nodding her head. "Uh, Dr. Roberts, we're here about the blood samples. The ones with the high, uh, oxytocin?"

"You still have them?" Dean wondered. Cara hummed in response. "Good, we need them."

Cara furrowed her brows, looking at Dean. "What for?"

But, before he could answer, a man in a black suit with dark, shoulder length hair came up beside Dr. Roberts. "Excuse me, Dr. Roberts?"

"Yeah?" Dr. Roberts said, turning her head to face the man.

"Excuse me," Dean firmly interjected, reaching into his jacket along with Sam. Hiro was quick to follow along, heart starting to beat faster at the idea of having to show a fake badge. "Uh, we're a little busy here, buddy." The three held up their badges, Sam just barely catching a glimpse of Hiro's to see his own picture. Thankfully, no one else noticed it.

"Yeah," the man said, reaching into his jacket. "So am I, pal."

Dean's face faltered, looking back at the man's FBI badge that was identical to his and the others. Sam furrowed his brows, turning his attention to Dr. Roberts. "Doc, can you give us a sec, please?" Dean asked.

Cara glanced between the four agents, slowly backing up. "Sure."

"Thanks."

Dr. Roberts then turned on her heel, heading in the direction of her office just down the hall.

Dean adjusted his posture, taking a few steps closer to the man as did Sam and Hiro. "What's your name?"   

"Nick Munroe," the man, Nick, answered. "What's yours?"

"I'm Special Agent Sam Stiles, this is my partner Dean Murdoch and intern, Agent Case." Sam held up his badge again, allowing Nick a better look at it. "What office are you from?"

"Omaha——Violent Crimes Unit," Nick said, his eyes briefly skimming over Hiro before he looked at Dean again. "My S.A.C. sent me down here to see about the murders." Sam hummed. "You?"

"D.C.," Dean said. "Our Assistant Director assigned us."

"Oh, which A.D.?"

"Mike Kaiser," Sam said.

"What are your badge numbers?"

Hiro raised a brow. "You're joking, right?"

Nick shrugged. "I'm just following protocol. You should learn to do the same if you wanna survive this line of work, intern."

Sam rolled his eyes, reaching into his blazer. He pulled out a small white card, handing it over to Nick. "Look man, whatever. Just call our A.D. He'll sort things out."

Nick took the card and pulled out his phone, walking off to the side where the Winchesters and Hiro couldn't hear him. Sam and Dean turned the other way and Hiro was quick to do the same.

Hiro stole a look at Nick over his shoulder, curiously looking at Sam and Dean. "Who's Mike Kaiser?" Hiro wondered.

"Bobby," Dean quietly answered.

"Bobby?" Hiro repeated.

Dean huffed, nodding his head with an annoyed plastered on his face. "Yes. Now, why don't you get out of here, Hiro? See if you can find Birdie or something."

"You're trying to bench me," Hiro said.

Dean rolled his eyes, making sure Nick was still on the phone with Bobby. "Look, Hiro, I know you wanna help, and trust me, I get it, but now's not the time. I don't know why Birdie brought you here in the first place."

"She didn't bring me anywhere. I came with her to help you two, and to actually learn more about hunting. If it were up to her, I wouldn't even be here. So, don't blame her. It's on me."

"I——"

Sam turned when he heard footsteps coming closer, his movement causing Dean and Hiro to do the same. Dean's lips smacked shut when seeing Nick approach them with an apologetic look on his face. "Well, I'm sorry, guys," Nick said. He handed Sam the card back and he took it, holding up his other hand as he made a face that shrugged it off.

"Just don't let it happen again," Dean said with a fake smile.

Nick nodded, letting out a quiet sigh. "So, where are you at with this?"

"Where are you at with this?"

"Well, I was just about to run the, uh, perps' bloodwork," Nick answered.

"I already checked," Sam said, faintly shaking his head. "It's a dead end."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah."

Nick licked his lips, shuffling his feet as he folded his arms over his chest. Hiro tilted his head slightly, narrowed eyes focused on Nick as if searching Nick's appearance and tone for any indication that he was something other than a human. He highly doubted it, but since it was his first time "working" with the Winchesters, he wanted to try and prove that he had what it took to be a hunter. "But get this. I-I feel like I found something that, uh, connects all the murderers."

Dean raised his brows at that. "Really?" Sam asked, surprise in his tone.

Nick nodded. "They were all banging strippers. . .from the same club."

Dean and Sam shifted, sharing subtle looks with Hiro. Birdie had mentioned to Hiro that the boys had discovered that the men who all murdered the women closest to them all visited the same strip club but hooked up with different strippers. "You don't say," Dean said.

"What do you say we, uh, go down there and check it out?" Nick suggested.

"Well, here's the thing, Nick. See, we're kinda lone wolves——"

"You know what, that sounds like an excellent idea," Sam interrupted, placing his hand on Dean's shoulder as a signal for him to stop talking. Hiro raised a skeptical brow, catching Sam's eyes. "Just. . .just give me a second with my partners and we'll, uh. . .one sec." Sam looked between Dean and Hiro, nudging his head to the side. "Come here."

They walked aside, Hiro frowning as he looked across at Sam. "Dude, you gotta stay with him," Sam said, looking at Dean.

"What?" Dean asked.

"Keep him outta the way."

"Why me? Why not Hiro?"

Hiro huffed, shooting Dean a pointed stare. "You think I'm not experienced enough to even be here."

Dean pursed his lips but didn't respond. Sam huffed, rolling his eyes. "'Cause I still gotta get the blood samples and find Birdie."

"What the hell am I supposed to do with him?"

Sam nonchalantly shrugged. "Just take Nick to the strip club. . .keep an eye out for the siren. Come on, Dean, just. . .just focus on the naked girls. You'll forget he's even there!"

Dean faced Sam, giving him a stern look. "I'm not doing this for you. I'm doing it for the girls."

Then he walked off, leaving Sam and Hiro. "Hiro, maybe you could——"

"Uh, if you don't mind, I actually need to use the restroom real quick," Hiro said. "Then. . .I can go to the motel and get myself a room to give you guys some time to figure out. . .whatever you need to figure out."

Sam faintly smiled, nodding his head. "Let us know when you leave, okay?"

"Of course."

What a fucking dick.

'You're tellin' me.'

Birdie puffed out her cheeks and stormed out of a side entrance of the medical center, walking over to a wooden bench. There were potted trees on both sides of the bench, a few dead leaves hanging off the branches in hopes that some much needed rain would bring more life into them. Birdie plopped down on the bench with a huff, leaning against the backrest with her legs lazily stretched out in front of her. Her eyes scanned the area, noticing there were a few people standing outside the building, but no one was paying any attention to Birdie.

"I know that wasn't me that said fuck you to Dean," Birdie softly said, eyes slightly narrowed as she glanced down at her nails. "I might've been thinking it, but I wouldn't have said it. And I doubt that that was a side effect."

For a few seconds, Birdie didn't think she was going to get a response. She twisted her lips, glancing over her nails that needed to be repainted.

I knew you weren't going to say it, so I said it for you.

"Felicity. . ." Birdie quietly said, shaking her head as she lifted her head. She looked across the street, spotting a father and a daughter walking side by side, hands intertwined as the little girl munched on an ice cream cone in her other hand. Birdie felt an unexpected wave of sadness roll over her, watching the father grin down at his daughter as she spoke with excitement. Birdie pursed her lips and looked back down at her hands, fiddling with her fingers. "I don't think we need to do this any longer. I think I'm fine now, and I'm sure you'd rather be wearing someone else——your right meat suit. And Sam. . ."

You're right. But, I think we should wait just a little while longer.

"Too many fuckin' strange things have been happening lately and——"

Do you really think I'm purposely doing any of that?

"Well, you did take a phone call for me plus you just told Dean——"

Both of those I did so you wouldn't have to. Birdie rolled her eyes, folding her arms over her chest. The father and daughter were further down the street, their backs facing Birdie where she could no longer see their grinning faces. She was relieved.

If I wanted to take over your body, I would have done it by now——or just left you to die and found someone else as my temporary meatsuit because keeping you alive is a lot harder than I thought it would be.

Birdie rolled her eyes, letting out a huff. "Felicity, if you're lying to me. . ."

Birdie, you can trust me. You have for this long. Just give me a little more time and I'll be out of your hair forever.

Birdie didn't respond. She pushed some pieces of hair out of her face, biting the inside of her cheek as she thought for a few more moments. "What about Sam?"

What about him?

"How will. . ." Birdie ran a hand over her face, scrunching up her nose. "Can he go that long without it?"

Oh, that? He should be good for a few weeks, I would think. The stronger he becomes, the less he needs it.

"You've never said that before," Birdie said.

That's because he wasn't doing it as much-as much as he should've. It took a little longer to convince both of you to do it.

Birdie shifted on the bench, scooting further back so she was sitting up straight. Most people who were outside seemed to have started to make their way to their destinations, the father and daughter amongst them. There were a few clouds starting to make their way towards Bedford, but with the sun still radiantly beaming in the sky, she didn't think any rain would fall on them. There was some light wind, the coolness against Birdie's skin making a faint smile spread across her lips. "Okay. . .I'm trusting you, Felicity."

Thank you, Birdie, and I mean that. I promise I won't let you down.

Birdie faintly smiled, letting out a content sigh.

"Bird. . ."

Birdie sharply turned her head, seeing Sam walking over to her. Birdie gave him a faint smile and scooted over on the bench to give him room to sit down beside her. He returned the smile and sat down. "Where's Dean?"

"Uh, he is. . .on his way to the strip club." Birdie's eyes widened, gaping at Sam. "No, it's-it's not——uh, after you walked away, the doctor we talked to about the men came up and so did an actual FBI agent, uh, Nick Munroe, who's working the case."

"Oh, shit," Birdie said, eyes growing even wider than they already were.

"Yeah," Sam softly said, breathing out a faint laugh. "But, I gave him Mike Kaiser's card"——Birdie immediately laughed, a sign that she knew who Mike Kaiser actually was——"he asked what we'd found out so far, and he knows that all the men hooked up with strippers from the same club. So, he and Dean are gonna go check out the club."

Birdie breathed out a laugh, shaking her head. She leaned back on the bench, briefly glancing around the area. "I'm sure Dean's gonna love every second of it."

"Yeah, I don't know about that," Sam said, leaning back against the backrest of the bench as well. "He wasn't too happy Nick was goin' with him."

"Yeah, but Sam, it's naked women. He'll forget all about the other guy in seconds. I know I'd forget about him if I were there," Birdie said with a nonchalant shrug. Sam blinked at that, his brows furrowing together. Birdie glanced over, seeing his expression. "Aw, don't be jealous, Sam. You're still my number one."

Sam playfully rolled his eyes, his smile falling a few seconds later. "How're you doin', Bird?"

"Me? I'm fine," Birdie answered, giving Sam an odd look. Sam let out a quiet sigh, catching her eye. "Oh, you mean with Dean? That was nothing. We've had worse fights than that."

"Yeah, I know, but that still doesn't mean that he should've said that," Sam said.

"He wasn't wrong, though," Birdie said, her voice softer than before. "I. . .I shouldn't have brought Hiro——I shouldn't even be here. It was stupid."

"It wasn't stupid, Bird," Sam said. "And honestly, me and Dean have done the same thing hundreds of times to you, too."

Birdie cracked a small smile at that. "Does that mean I can stay?"

"I don't really want you to——not when we're dealing with a siren. It's still too dangerous. If it gets to Dean, or me——"

"We won't let that happen," Birdie interrupted, giving Sam a cheeky smile. "That bitch would have to go through me first to get to you."

You do know you guys aren't actually dating, right?

'Fuck off.'

Sam's dimples poked out as he smiled back at Birdie, a twinkle sparkling in his eyes. "You're one of those overprotective, clingy girlfriends, aren't you?"

"Guess you'll just have to wait and find out."

Sam chuckled and stood up, nudging his head towards the building. Birdie did the same, letting out a content sigh. "You mind finding Hiro and meeting me by Dr. Roberts' office? He's gonna go to the motel and wait until we get back, but I told him to let us know when he's leaving just to make sure he goes to the right motel. He only went to the bathroom. It's just down the hall from where you first came in."

"Yeah," Birdie said with a nod. She and Sam headed towards the door and Sam pulled it open, allowing Birdie to enter first. She cheekily batted her eyelashes at Sam and he scoffed. "Such a gentleman."

"Shut up, Birdie."

Birdie giggled to herself and headed towards the bathrooms. Sam's eyes followed her for a few seconds, sighing to himself as he headed towards Dr. Roberts' office.

Birdie slowed to a stop outside the restrooms, glancing around the room to see if Hiro was already done and waiting until he saw Birdie or Sam. When she didn't see him she took a few steps closer to the men's restroom and waited a few seconds to see if she heard anything, but it didn't sound like there was anyone inside. Where could he have been?

Now, what would you do if you realized that someone wasn't very happy about you joining a case and one of them was going somewhere for clues while you claimed you would just wait around at some cheap motel?

"Oh, fuck me," Birdie angrily whispered to herself. She hurried towards the door, slipping past an older doctor just as he was entering the medical center. Birdie ignored the glare they sent her when she bumped into them and jogged outside just far enough to where she would've been able to see Hiro's car. She let out a heavy breath, her eyes falling on the empty space where Hiro's car was. The Impala was gone, too. "Motherfucker."

Relax, Bird. He's probably just following Dean.

"Why would he follow Dean?"

Maybe because he's a man. . .and Dean's going to a strip club.

Birdie let out a heavy sigh, shaking her head. Well, Sam said Dean going to the strip club with the other agent was more of a distraction, then Hiro would be distracted too. That could work for a little bit. It gave her time to work with Sam without having any hiccups involving Hiro.

Birdie lifted her hands and readjusted her bun, tucking some fallen strands back into the band. She dropped her hands back down and turned on her heel. She fiddled with her tie as she entered the medical center again, walking back down the hall where she and Hiro found Sam. Her eyes skimmed over the glass doors while she walked, searching for one that read Dr. Roberts. It didn't take long, spotting the name Dr. Cara Roberts on one of the doors——not to mention she recognized Sam from the back of his head as he spoke to a woman with dark, curly hair inside the office.

He forgot to mention the doctor's a woman.

Birdie chose not to respond and stepped up to the door, quietly opening it just as Dr. Roberts pulled a tray out of the mini fridge in the corner of her office.

"What the hell?" Dr. Roberts said. Birdie frowned, stepping further into the office.

"What?" Sam curiously wondered, stepping closer to Dr. Roberts to see if he could tell what might've been wrong.

Dr. Roberts turned her head, gaze focused on Sam. "The blood's gone."

Birdie's face fell at that. Dr. Roberts furrowed her brows when she locked eyes with Birdie, pushing the tray back into the fridge. Sam turned after he saw the doctor's expression change, spotting Birdie. "Uh, Dr. Roberts this is my, uh, she's——"

"The other intern, right," Dr. Roberts said, making her way towards her desk with a small smile. "Agent. . ."

"Tiffin," Sam answered, giving Birdie a look that told her to go along with it.

She forced a smile onto her lips, nodding towards Dr. Cara Roberts as she came to stand next to Sam. "Hi, doctor."

"Where's your partner and his intern?" Cara asked.

"They're checking out a possible lead," Birdie answered, taking a quick glance at Sam. She could see the confusion on his face with Hiro being gone, but with the look Birdie sent him, he understood what she meant.

Dr. Roberts nodded, sighing a few seconds later. "Oh, I see. Well, it looks like your guys' friend won't be able to test out their theory," Cara said, setting a file down on her desk.

"How could the blood be missing?" Birdie wondered.

Dr. Roberts softly sighed, shrugging as she stood by the edge of her desk. "There's cameras in here, isn't there?" Sam wondered.

Dr. Roberts nodded. "Yeah. I'll check with security and see if I can get the tapes."

"Thanks," Sam said, giving the woman a smile.

She returned it, briefly sparing Birdie a glance as she slipped out of her office. Birdie's eyes followed the woman for a few seconds, slowly turning her head to face Sam. "She's friendly," Birdie said after a couple of seconds, catching Sam's eye.

Sam looked over at her, curiously tilting his head. "Wait, are you. . .jealous?"

"Jealous?" Birdie scoffed, folding her arms over her chest. "Why-why on earth would I be jealous? Because I'm your "girlfriend" and she can't take her eyes off of you?" A smug smirk started to appear on Sam's lips, raising his brows. Birdie pursed her lips, rolling her eyes at his amusement. "Sam, I'm not jealous. We're not actually together, so if you wanna keep flirting with the doctor who's supposed to know where the blood is——"

"Birdie," Sam interjected, shaking his head. Birdie closed her mouth after Sam spoke, raising a brow in Sam's direction. He raised his brows back at her and Birdie's lip slightly parted, realizing how she'd sounded just now.

And you claim you're not jealous.

Dr. Roberts suddenly returned, holding up some tapes. Birdie let out a quiet breath, relieved for the interruption. She wasn't jealous. "Got 'em," Cara said. "Security said they didn't notice anything strange, but. . ."

"But maybe they missed something," Sam said.

Dr. Roberts warmly smiled at him and headed towards the small TV in the corner. She slipped the first tape into the slot, grabbing the remote as she returned to her desk. Sam and Birdie stood behind the woman's desk, Birdie sticking close to Sam and the door just as a precaution.

They closely watched the tapes, only ever seeing other doctors and nurses coming and going. Dr. Roberts came and went throughout the hours, working on her computer, going through her files, and answering phone calls. But, there wasn't anything out of the ordinary. It was a few hours worth of footage they were going through, but with it sped up, it didn't take too long.

It was beginning to get dark out by the time they were nearing the end of the footage for a second time to see if they might've missed anything the first time, but that didn't deter Sam and Birdie, or even Dr. Roberts. Sam was seated on the edge of Dr. Roberts' desk with his legs hanging over the side, Birdie in a chair placed near the front of the desk. Her tie was now loosened, the first few buttons of her blouse undone with both of her necklaces partially visible. She reached up, brows slightly furrowed as her fingers glossed over the cool metal of one of the necklaces. Her phone was tucked in one of the pockets of her blazer, still no response from Hiro or Dean after she'd texted them a little over an hour ago. She wasn't too worried, most of her focus remaining on the TV in hopes she wouldn't miss anything.

They needed to find out who took the blood.

"We've watched them twice," Cara said, glancing up at Sam and Birdie. "Whoever took the blood. . ."

"Must have tampered with the tapes," Sam said, finishing Cara's sentence. Birdie twisted her lips, gaze lingering on the paused screen across from them. Sam heavily sighed, folding his arms over his chest with a faint frown. "Who has access to your office?"

"Everybody. I don't lock it," Cara answered, tucking some hair behind her ear.

"You what?"

Cara breathed out a weak laugh. "I've never had this problem before." Sam and Birdie shared a silent glance with each other, and Cara noticed. "What is so important about the blood, anyway?"

"We think someone drugged the men, made 'em commit murder," Sam answered.

"What?" Dr. Roberts asked in disbelief. "What kind of drug?"

"We're not sure——yet," Birdie replied, turning in her chair to face Sam and Dr. Roberts.

Dr. Roberts heavily sighed, tiredly shaking her head. "I don't know. I mean, I interviewed those guys and they had their reasons."

"Yeah but they all loved their victims," Sam said.

"I'm sure they did." Cara chuckled, looking between Sam and Birdie with something looming in her dark eyes. She shifted in her chair, turning it around to face the two FBI agents. "Come on. Haven't either of you ever been in a relationship where you really love somebody and still kinda wanted to bash their head in?"

"Sounds like you're speaking from experience," Sam said, eyes focused on Cara. Birdie's eyes just briefly glanced towards Sam, darting back towards Cara when she partially turned her chair.

"Yeah," Cara softly said.

Birdie shifted in her chair and folded her arms over her chest, her movements catching Sam's eye. There was an unrecognizable look in her eyes, something dark looming inside them. Sam quickly cleared his throat, giving Cara a forced smile when she looked at him again. She did seem to enjoy looking at him every chance she got. "Uh, I-I think we should get going," Sam said, standing up from the desk. "If you find anything else out, please give us a call."

"You got it," Dr. Roberts nodded with a smile.

Birdie adjusted her blazer and nodded towards the doctor, giving the doctor a brief smile as she started to make her way towards the door. Cara stood up and followed them to the door, giving them each one last smile as they slipped out of her office.

"Well, that was a bust," Birdie huffed, glancing over at Sam. They walked down the hall side by side, listening to the faint chatter of the nurses and doctors. "Now what?"

Sam sighed as well, nodding in agreement. "Now. . .I don't know. Maybe Dean or Hiro found something."

Birdie reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone, scoffing under her breath when she didn't see any calls or texts from Dean or Hiro. Sam opened the door for them and they stepped outside, noting that it had dropped a few degrees since they were last outside. "I got nothin' from them," Birdie said, lifting her head as she tucked her phone away. "You?"

Sam already had his phone out, lips twisted as he looked for anything from Dean or Hiro. "Same." He clicked on Dean's name, but just as he did so the entire screen went black. He scoffed, rolling his eyes. "And now it's dead."

"Let's call in a little bit. We still need to find a ride," Birdie said, stuffing her hands in the pockets of her pants. "And, more importantly, go to the store."

Sam knitted his brows together in confusion. "Why?"

"To get some supplies," Birdie said, giving him a pointed look.

"What kind of supplies?"

Birdie dramatically sighed. "Tampons, Sammy, tampons."

Sam raised his brows, lips parting in surprise. "Oh. . .yeah, uh, that's probably important——wait, you don't have any with you?"

"I have one left," Birdie said. "But, the rest of my shit is still in Hiro's car."

Sam nodded his head, clearing his throat. "Alright, let's go."

⋅ ∙ ∘ ☽ ༓ ☾ ∘ ⋅ ⋅

Just around the corner from the medical center, Sam had managed to find an unlocked sedan for him and Birdie to "borrow" for a little while. They stopped at a store a few streets down from the motel the boys had gotten a room at, parking further in the back to make the car less noticeable.

You don't have to stay with me, ya know," Birdie said, giving Sam a warm grin. He was standing next to her, the many different brands of tampons displayed in front of them. Birdie had a basket clutched in one of her hands, candy bars, oreos, and a few bags of flamin' hot cheetos already tossed inside. A bottle of cologne and some fancy conditioner were also in the basket, but both of those were for Sam. There weren't too many people inside the store, most of them older folks who were just now getting off work or teenagers trying to kill their boredom by aimlessly wandering the store, occasionally stirring up a little trouble to make their night more exciting. There was some faint music playing from the speakers overhead, but it was pretty faint and choppy that Birdie couldn't tell what song it was.

"I know," Sam nonchalantly shrugged, catching Birdie's eye. There'd been a few times Sam had gone to the store with Birdie for some feminine hygiene products, but it'd been a while since then and usually he went his own way while he waited for Birdie to finish up. His eyes raked over the variety of products in front of them, realizing just how many different kinds there were.

A smile lingered on Birdie's lips, raising a brow as she kept her focus on Sam. "Sam, really, you don't have to stay with me. I don't blame you if you wanna go——"

"Hey, I'm fine," Sam said, giving Birdie a small smile. "I'm not afraid of tampons, Bird."

Birdie snickered, grabbing one of the boxes in front of her. She raised a brow at Sam as she dropped it into the basket, a smirk on her lips. "Are you sure about that, Sammy? 'Cause I remember one time when we were kids, as soon as I showed you the wrapper of one, you took off scr——"

"I was a kid," Sam hastily interjected, firmly shaking his head. Birdie just snickered. "I've matured since then."

"Yeah, okay."

"Hey, I have. I don't think I can say the same about you."

Birdie scrunched up her nose, giving Sam an incredulous expression. "Did I give you the impression that I wanted you to think I'm mature?"

Sam pursed his lips together, giving Birdie a glare. Birdie just laughed again, innocently shrugging her shoulders. "You need anything else while we're here?" Sam asked, tucking his hands in the pockets of his jacket.

Birdie peeked down into the basket, making sure she had tampons, candy, and oreos——those weren't wants, those were needs. "No," she said, smiling back at Sam. "Do you?"

"I don't think so," he answered. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah."

Sam nodded with a grin, turning to head down the aisle. Birdie walked up beside him, letting out a content sigh as they started to make their way towards the self checkout lane.

"You think Dean'll be back by the time we get there?" Birdie wondered, turning her head in Sam's direction.

Sam tilted his head slightly, sighing to himself. "I don't know. Hopefully he found something——maybe Hiro's helping him."

"I hope so," Birdie said. "He still hasn't answered any of my texts——neither has Dean."

Sam walked around a candy stand and made his way towards a self checkout that just opened up. Birdie adjusted her grip on the basket, placing it on the table next to the scanner. "If they're not at the motel when we get back, we'll try again."

"Sounds good to me. I wanna crawl into bed and scarf down these Reese's and Hershey Bars."

"You're gonna share this, right?"

"What the hell did you just ask me?"

Dean nor Hiro were at the motel——their cars nowhere near the spacey parking lot either——with no texts or calls still. Birdie tried a few more times on the way to the motel while Sam used the charger in the car to charge his phone, but the calls kept failing for some reason. They figured it was probably just an area where they couldn't get any service, but they hoped they would have better luck back at the motel.

Birdie's eyes skimmed over the room, taking in the tiny details. The table against the far wall had open books scattered haphazardly with a half-finished mug full of lukewarm coffee left by one of the boys. Sam had countless notes sticking out of the books, trying to figure out the case before anyone else was killed. His laptop was set on the bedside table between the beds, John Winchester's journal laid on top of it which gave Birdie the impression that they'd tried finding anything about sirens in it to help them. Sam moved away from the door and grabbed his bag off the floor, placing it on the end of the bed by Birdie's feet.

Birdie curiously looked over at him, not thinking much as he grabbed a purple shirt and a pair of sweatpants. She shifted on the bed, taking a bite out of one of her Reese's. She fiddled with the collar of her blouse, feeling like it was starting to rub against her neck. She was desperate to change out of her suit, but since she forgot all of her clothes and most of her weapons were still in Hiro's car, she couldn't. If she'd remembered while they were at the store, she probably would've bought a cheap outfit. "Haven't you had that shirt for, like, ever?" Birdie asked, noticing the dog on the front of the shirt.

Sam breathed out a laugh, nodding his head. "Yeah. I haven't really worn it much, but. . .this and the sweatpants are the only things I have that might fit you——unless you'd rather stay in the suit."

Birdie's features softened as she quickly swallowed the last bite of her piece of candy. "I can just wait until we find Hiro. It's not a big deal."

"Suit yourself," Sam said, giving her a playful look as he set the clothes next to his bag. He pulled out some other clothes, keeping his eyes on Birdie as he started to move towards the bathroom. "I'm not the one that'll be in an itchy suit for who knows how long."

Birdie playfully narrowed her eyes, reaching forward to grab the clothes. "Don't come outta there until I say you can," she said, pointing a stern finger at him.

"But I'm your boyfriend——"

"Fake boyfriend," Birdie corrected.

Sam just rolled his eyes with a grin. He stepped into the bathroom, briefly catching Birdie's eye as he shut the door. Birdie quickly stood up and slipped her blazer off her shoulders. She didn't hate the suit, but she didn't particularly like being in them for long periods of time. She undid the rest of the buttons of her blouse and tossed it on the bed. She snatched up Sam's shirt and slipped it on over her head, smiling to herself at how soft it was. A familiar scent hit her nose a few seconds later, causing an unknowing grin to spread across her lips. Then she stepped out of her pants and grabbed the sweatpants, pulling them up to her waist. They were rather big on her, the ends pooling around her feet. She chuckled to herself and tied the string at her waist and then bent down, rolling up the ends until they were just barely above her ankles. The shirt went a little past her waist, but truthfully, it was one of the comfiest outfits she'd ever worn.

"Can I come out now?"

Birdie snickered, reaching up to remove her bun. "I guess so. I already did."

Sam feigned a sarcastic laugh as he partially opened the door, making sure that Birdie was actually dressed. He offered her a small smile as he exited the bathroom, now dressed in a pair of jeans and a striped flannel. He looked Birdie up and down, snickering when he saw the rolled up ends of the sweatpants. "They're a little big, huh?"

"A little?" Birdie scoffed, taking a seat on the end of the bed. Sam walked a little closer and sat across from her at the table. "It's like they're made for a giant."

Sam shook his head with a laugh, reaching into his pocket. He pulled out his phone that had just a little bit of a charge now, raising a brow at the younger woman. "Funny."

"I try."

Sam just gave her a look and clicked on Dean's name. He put it on speaker and Birdie twisted her lips, wondering if he would actually answer this time.

"Sam!" Dean exclaimed, sounding relieved to be getting a call from Sam. "Where the hell have you been?"

"With Dr. Roberts and Bird."

"What's with you guys not picking up your phones, huh?"

"We were trying to find the blood samples——someone stole 'em," Sam said, brows furrowed together. Birdie leaned back on her hands, eyes gazing at Sam as she listened. She still wasn't exactly happy with Dean, but at least he seemed to be doing okay; hopefully he knew where Hiro was.

"Yeah, I bet!"

Sam and Birdie shared a confused look with each other at the tone in Dean's voice. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nick found flower petals at the crime scenes. Hyacinths."

"So?" Sam pressed.

"Hyacinths? Mediterranean," Dean said, his voice firm. "From the-from the island where the whole fuckin' siren myth started in the first place."

"Okay. . ."

"Sam, Cara had hyacinth flowers!" Dean exclaimed.

Birdie furrowed her brows, tilting her head. She didn't remember seeing any flowers in the woman's office.

"You think Cara's the siren?" Sam asked, breathing out a short laugh.

Birdie faintly shook her head. She didn't particularly like Dr. Roberts for whatever reason, but Birdie didn't get the impression that she was the siren. "Well, I did a little checking up on her. She's only been in town for two months."

"Yeah. And?"

"And she has an ex-husband. A dead ex-husband——Carl Roberts," Dean explained. "Dropped like a stone, no warning. Supposedly a heart attack."

"Well, maybe it was a heart attack."

"You're fucking kidding me."

"Look, I just don't think it's her." Sam looked over at Birdie and she nodded in agreement. "And neither does Bird."

"And what makes you guys so sure?"

Sam shrugged. "I dunno, a hunch."

"A hunch? I'm giving you cold hard facts here and you're giving me a hunch?" Sam and Birdie silently stared at each other, hearing the faint sound of rain hitting something coming from over the phone as if Dean was driving. "Who said they didn't think it was Cara first? Was it you or was it Bird?"

"Does it matter?"

"Is Birdie with you right now?"

Sam furrowed his brows, eyes still pinned on Birdie. "No," he lied. Birdie frowned at that, a concerned expression appearing on her face. Sam shook his head, signaling for her to not say anything. "She's out looking for Hiro."

"Oh, she is?" Dean asked. "You sure about that, Sam?"

"Yes, I'm sure, Dean."

"I saw Hiro following me earlier. I lost him after we left the club, but I figured he turned tail and ran or met up with you and Bird somewhere. I tried callin' Bird a few times, but she wouldn't answer, and neither were you."

Birdie frowned at that. She checked her phone multiple times and there were no calls or texts from Dean. And, everytime she tried getting ahold of him, he was the one not responding.

"What? We tried calling you earlier and you wouldn't answer."

"Whatever, man. Are you sure Birdie's lookin' for Hiro? I mean, shouldn't she be back by now?"

"Maybe she just hasn't found him yet."

"Kinda convenient Birdie suddenly shows up right when the blood goes missing and is acting all strange."

"Strange how?" Sam pressed.

"Come on, Sam. You saw it, too," Dean sharply replied. Birdie sourly twisted her lips, brows still knitted together. "She wasn't acting like herself. Now, tell me the truth. Is she with you right now?"

"No, she's not here, Dean," Sam lied again.

Birdie tilted her head and held out her hand as a sign for him to give her the phone, but Sam shook his head again.

"Sam, did you sleep with Birdie?"

"What? No," Sam firmly said, knitting his eyebrows together.

Birdie hastily stood up from the bed and held her hand out again, but Sam shook his hand again and took the phone off speaker. She huffed in annoyance, folding her arms over her chest as she harshly glared at Sam. She couldn't hear Dean as well, but she could still hear what he was saying.

"Holy shit. You did. Middle of Basic Instinct and you bang Sharon Stone? Sam, you could be under her spell right now!"

"Dude, this is Birdie we're talkin' about. She's not the siren, and I'm not under her spell." Dean's voice became slightly muffled and Sam took a few steps to the side and Birdie rolled her eyes. She pulled out her own phone, seeing none of her texts to Hiro had been answered; in fact, all of them had actually failed to send. She deeply frowned, pressing the try again in hopes of getting hold of him.

This time they sent.

"Dean, I'm telling you, it's not Cara and it's not Bird. I feel fine." Birdie glanced over at Sam, her scowl still prominent on her lips much like Sam's. "You don't trust me?"

"No. Because this could be the siren talking."

"Look, just tell me where you are, I'll-I'll come meet you, and we'll figure things out."

"No."

"Are you fucking serious?"

"I wish I weren't," Dean said. "I gotta handle this, Sam. By myself."

Sam scoffed and pulled his phone away, shaking his head with frustration. "He really thinks I could be the siren?" Birdie asked in disbelief.

"I know," Sam sighed, carelessly tossing his phone on the bed. He pushed some hair out of his face, locking eyes with Birdie again.

Birdie folded her arms over her chest, narrowing her eyes when she saw an uncertain look flash in Sam's eyes. "You don't think I am, do you?"

"No, of course I don't," Sam said, firmly shaking his head. Birdie just tilted her head, raising her brows when Sam looked at her oddly again. "I mean, you did show up right when the blood went missing——"

"Okay, and?" Birdie scoffed, eyes growing wide. "We just went to the store for tampons, Sammy. Do you really think a siren would need those, or waste time going to a store when there's better ways to get you completely alone?"

"I just——"

"Felicity can prove it."

Sam shifted, watching as Birdie walked over to her suit and pulled out one of her knives she thankfully still had on. She held it up and then stretched out her arm, making a small slice in her arm. Sam's eyes widened, lips parting in surprise. "Wait——"

"Sam, look." Sam's eyes fell on the cut again, noticing the cut was already beginning to close as it faintly glowed white. The light disappeared a few seconds later just as the cut was healed, not even a scar left as evidence of what had happened to her arm. Birdie looked up, raising her brows. "Believe me now?"

"She's getting faster at that," Sam noted.

Birdie faintly smiled and nodded in agreement. "Yeah, which means it won't be much longer until she can leave."

⋅ ∙ ∘ ☽ ༓ ☾ ∘ ⋅ ⋅

After the tense phone call with Dean, Sam and Birdie left the motel to go see if they could find him or Hiro. For some reason, Birdie's texts weren't going through anymore nor was she getting any phone reception wherever she went. Sam wasn't having any luck either, making them wonder if that was normal for Bedford considering they'd had trouble on the way to the motel, too. They tried not to think too much about the more sinister possibility, hoping that it was simply the town. But, as the hour went on and they still weren't having any luck, they decided to get some food and bring it back to the motel so they would be there when, or if, Dean and Hiro decided to go there.

"You go on ahead," Birdie said, nudging her head towards the motel as she met Sam at the front of the car. "I'm gonna try to call Hiro one more time. I'm gettin' kinda worried about him."

"I'm sure he's fine, Bird."

"I know, I know, but I wanna know for sure."

Sam nodded a few seconds later, offering Birdie a small smile as he took the bag of food from her. Then he started to walk away, stealing a glance over his shoulder to see Birdie placing her phone to her ear. She leaned against the front of the car, peering down at her shoes; thank god she decided against wearing heels with her suit that day.

"Birdie!"

Birdie jumped at the sound of her own name, not really expecting Hiro to answer. "Hiro? Hey, what the hell happened to you?"

"Birdie, you——trust him! He's not who——"

Her phone started to beep and she looked down at it, loudly groaning when it said call failed. "Fuck," she huffed, rolling her eyes. "This place fuckin' sucks."

She stuffed her phone back in her pocket and entered the motel, quietly sighing to herself. The man at the front desk was no longer there, but she could hear the faint sound of some fight happening behind the door while a familiar smell of weed crept into her nose. Birdie shook her head, heading towards the stairs. She'd hardly seen anyone else in the motel——she didn't blame them with how unflattering the motel was as a whole. The few people she did see there looked incredibly sketchy as if they were hiding from something, or even someone. But, Birdie couldn't really blame them. In a way, she was doing the same thing.

She pushed some hair out of her face as she headed up the stairs to the second floor, making her way down the dimly lit hall.

She neared the door, slowing to a stop when she thought she heard Dean's voice inside. "You know why I didn't tell you about Ruby?" Sam asked. Birdie tilted her head, taking a few cautious steps closer. "How me, Ruby, and Birdie are hunting down Lilith? Because you're too fucking weak to go after her, Dean. You're holding me back. I'm a better hunter than you are——stronger, smarter. I can take out demons you're too fucking scared to go near."

Birdie's eyes widened, lips parting at the harshness of Sam's words.

"That's fucking bullshit," Dean snapped.

"You're too busy sittin' around feeling sorry for yourself. Whining about all the souls you tortured in Hell. Boo fuckin' hoo."

There wasn't a response, but there was the sound of something smacking against the wall and then a grunt. Birdie's eyes widened in horror and she rushed forward, gasping in horror as she witnessed Sam and Dean trading punches. Sam knocked Dean against the wall, sending him crashing into the ground. "You're not standing in my way anymore," Sam said, hastily moving towards Dean. He had a small cut on his neck, the blood trickling down to the collar of his shirt.

Birdie's eyes flickered to the side, eyes widening when she saw a man she didn't recognize standing off to the side, a pleased grin on his lips. "Who the fuck are you?" Birdie demanded to know, reaching for her knife. He just raised his brows and Birdie narrowed her eyes, thinking for a moment. "You piece of shit."

"Ah, ah, ah," the man——the siren tsked, or as Sam and Dean were led to believe, Nick——as he shook his head with a smug smirk plastered on his lips. "Boys, wait." Sam immediately stopped, turning to face Nick as Dean got back on his feet with a blank expression. Birdie took a few steps to the side, eyes constantly moving between the boys and Nick. "There's one more thing you boys have to do before one of you can be with me."

"No——!"

"Kill her."

Birdie's gaze instantly snapped to the boys, panic flashing in her dark eyes. "Sam, Dean, no. Wait, you don't have to do this," she said, shaking her head as they made their way towards her. "Please, Sammy——"

Dean made the first move, swinging his fist with a grunt. Birdie swiftly dodged it, huffing when Sam tried taking advantage of her movement to sneak in for a blow of his own. Birdie grunted and lifted her leg, harshly kicking Sam in the groin. He groaned in pure agony, sinking to his knees with his eyes clenched. "Sorry," Birdie apologized with a wince.

Dean came up behind Birdie and grabbed her by her hair, hastily yanking her into his chest. Birdie hissed at the harshness, gritting her teeth together. "Fuck, not the hair, not the hair," Birdie grumbled with annoyance. Dean brought his knife up to her neck but Birdie grabbed his wrist, grunting as she struggled to keep him from bringing it any closer. It crept closer, a light whimper escaping Birdie's lips as he managed to nick her. Sam started to get up and Birdie felt a hint of panic strike her heart while she kept Dean from bringing the knife any closer.

She could handle them one on one, but she didn't think she could last very long if she tried fighting them at the same time.

She puffed out her cheeks and managed to push Dean's hand away from her neck as blood slowly seeped out of the wound. Then she leaned her head forward, harshly bringing her head back just a few seconds later. Her head collided with Dean's nose with a loud thud, sending him stumbling backwards as he let go of her. Birdie rushed forward and swung at Sam, but he easily dodged it. He countered her punch with his own, his fist colliding with her jaw. Birdie whimpered at the harshness, crashing to the ground with a yelp. She cradled her aching jaw with one of her hands, peering up at Sam as he towered over her.

"Sammy, please," Birdie meekly whispered, backing up as he moved closer.

Dean started to walk over, but Nick held his hand out to prevent him from intervening. "Let him do this."

Sam bent down and grabbed Birdie by the collar of her shirt and slammed her into the ground. She loudly groaned, feeling an intense pain spread through her back and her head.

C'mon, Bird. You got this.

She used one of her hands, grabbing a fistful of Sam's hair and yanking to the side as harshly as she could. He hissed and gritted his teeth together, grip loosening just slightly. Birdie used that to her advantage and pulled one of her legs towards her chest and nudged Sam off of her. She scrambled away, feeling for anything to use as a weapon when she saw her knife had fallen across the room.

"Sam, please," Birdie helplessly whispered, shaking her head. Sam pushed his hair out of his face and stood up as Birdie did, his eyes harshly burning into her. She'd never seen him look at her like that before. It absolutely terrified her. "This isn't you."

"This is him," Nick said, nodding his head. "Tell her how you really feel, Sam."

"Sam, don't listen to him——"

"Shut the fuck up, Birdie," Sam snapped. "I've had to listen to you all damn year and I'm fucking sick of it."

Birdie's face fell, blinking back at Sam. "You don't mean that."

"I do. Day after day, week after week——every fucking day. You're always there. I can never catch a break and I can't take it anymore. It's time you shut up for good."

"Sam, this isn't you——"

Sam stepped forward, grabbing her by the throat. Birdie gasped, hands grabbing Sam's in a feeble attempt to pry his hand off of her. There was a sting of pain in her neck as Sam's hand touched the cut there, but she couldn't focus on that pain at the moment. "I told you to shut up. That's your problem——you don't listen. No wonder your mother treated you the way she did."

Birdie narrowed her eyes and lifted her leg, kneeing him in the groin. When he let go of her, she pushed him away as hard as she could with her heart beating in her ears. Her hand went to gently touch her throat, darkened eyes pinned to Sam.

"You're not gonna let her get away with that, are you, Sam?" the siren asked, tilting his head as he looked at Sam. "Kill her. Kill her for me."

Sam harshly glared at Birdie and she nervously gulped. She stole a glance towards Dean, a hint of fear shooting down her spine with the way he was looking at her. Then she looked at the siren, shaking her head. Then she lifted her hand, giving him the middle finger. He stood up straight and dropped his hands down at his sides, looking at Sam just as he started to rush towards Birdie.

She balled her hands into fists, sucking in a sharp breath when he got close. She was expecting him to throw a punch at her face, but instead he tackled her to the ground with an intense force. She whimpered as she hit the ground once again, feeling the pain shoot through her entire body this time. Sam straddled her waist, a sneer on his lips as both of his hands traveled to her throat. Birdie gasped as he started to squeeze, her hands tightly gripping his arms. Her nails dug into his flesh, desperately trying to get him off of her and hoping he would break free of the siren's spell.

"Sam. . .please. Sammy."

He only tightened his grip and Birdie's eyes started to flutter shut, hands falling down and body going limp under Sam after a few more seconds. Nick wickedly smirked with approval as Sam stood back up and faced him.

"Now. . .it's just between you two," Nick slowly said, brightly grinning as his eyes flickered between Sam and Dean.

Dean threw his fist at Sam without a second thought, but the youngest Winchester dodged it just like before. Sam shoved Dean against the wall behind him, punching him three times before Dean grabbed him by his shoulder and shoved him to the side. He moved around Sam and Sam turned to face him, dark eyes narrowed on Dean as he stood in front of the door. Nick placed his chin on his hand as he stood on the sidelines, closely watching the brothers with a mischievous glint sparkling in his eyes.

They were both breathing deeply, anticipating who would make the next move. Dean yelled as he ran at Sam, his body colliding with Sam's like Sam had with Birdie. Sam loudly grunted, him and Dean falling through the door as it broke from its rusty hinges. Sam panted as he laid on the door, immense pain radiating throughout his entire body. Dean was heavily breathing as he got to his feet, glancing around the hall for something to use as a weapon. That was when his eyes fell on an ax hanging on the wall. It was stored inside of a glass box, the words EMERGENCY USE ONLY written in bold letters at the top. He stepped over, glancing at Sam who was sucking in sharp breaths, eyes clenched shut. Then Dean lifted his arm, slamming his elbow into the glass. It shattered to pieces, shards of glass falling to the floor.

Sam painfully looked over, still obviously in pain when he saw Dean grab the ax. Dean slowly walked over, hatefully peering down at Sam. "Do it," Nick said. Dean looked up, locking eyes with the siren. He moved closer, standing across from Dean. "Do it for me, Dean."

Sam's eyes slightly widened, looking from the siren and back to his big brother. "Tell me again how fucking weak I am, Sam, huh?" Dean demanded, a harsh tone in his voice. "How I hold you back?"

Sam just looked up at Dean, an almost fearful look on his features. Dean pressed his lips together and raised the ax. Sam grunted and lifted his arms, attempting to shield his head.

Just as Dean was about to bring the ax down, someone grabbed a hold of the weapon. Dean turned with a glare, spotting Bobby standing there just as Hiro rounded the corner of the hall. Hiro's eyes frantically searched for Birdie when he didn't spot her, just barely noticing her legs peeking out from one of the beds in the room behind Nick. He frowned, heart racing as he wondered how he could get to her without having to try and get past Dean, or the siren. But, there wasn't any other way.

Dean struggled against Bobby, yelling in pain when Bobby jammed the tip of a bronze knife into his shoulder. Dean dropped the ax, pressing his hand over the wound as he groaned in agony. Bobby turned his gaze on the siren, seeing him try to flee down the hall.

Sam's eyes widened, watching in horror as Bobby chased after the siren. "No! NO!" he shouted, sitting up on his elbows.

Bobby quickly threw the knife, the tip of the blade hitting Nick right in the middle of his back. He grunted, pressing his hand against the nearby wall as he dropped to his knees. Sam and Dean silently watched, their eyes wide as the siren finally flopped to the floor. Bobby cautiously walked over to the siren, seeing Nick draw in one last breath, blood pooling out of the corner of his mouth with his eyes still open.

Sam was now sitting up, chest quickly rising and falling. He glanced around the hallway, finally coming to his senses now that the siren was dead. Dean blinked a few times, no longer under the siren's spell either. Sam turned his head, locking eyes with Dean just as a feeling of dread washed over him.

"Birdie," he whispered.

He hastily pushed himself onto his feet, scrambling back into the room. Dean, Bobby, and Hiro were quick to follow. He kneeled down beside Birdie's unconscious figure, gasping when he saw the dark handprints on her neck——his handprints. "Birdie?" he said, reaching down to gently shake her shoulder. "Birdie, wake up."

"C'mon, kid," Bobby whispered, a frown on his lips.

"Birdie, hey!"

"Baby, please."

Birdie's eyes fluttered open, sucking in a sharp breath. Sam moved closer, his hand going to touch her cheek. Birdie caught his gaze, eyes widening in horror when she saw Sam. She started to try and back away from him, but Sam quickly shook his head. "Hey, hey, it's okay. The siren's dead, it's okay," he softly said. "It's over. I'm me."

Hiro's eyes flickered between Sam and Birdie, softly smiling to himself. He wasn't sure if he'd actually believed that they were together, but seeing Sam with Birdie just then, he could easily tell.

Birdie looked to the side, doing a double take when she saw Bobby and Hiro. "What the fuck took you two so long?"

•❃°•°❀°•°❃•

Birdie, Sam, and Hiro were leaning against the Impala, standing up straight as Bobby rounded the front of his car as the cold wind nipped at their skin. Dean walked around Baby and came up beside Sam as Bobby approached with some bottles in hand. It was just a few hours after the whole ordeal with the siren, daylight now upon them once again. Miraculously, they all managed to get out of the motel before anyone could leave or enter their rooms and catch them by the siren's body. They didn't waste much more time there and quickly gathered their things and fled out of a back exit without anyone spotting them. They'd headed in the direction of Sioux Falls, driving along a narrow dirt road once there was enough distance between them and Bedford, Iowa.

Birdie had rode with Bobby, claiming it was because she wanted to sit in the front seat, but Sam and Dean had a feeling it was because she was still a little shaken up despite her claiming she was fine. In the car, Bobby explained that Hiro had actually called him when he thought he noticed Nick was acting strange at the strip club after he followed Dean and Nick. Bobby didn't really think much of it, but after looking into Agent Nick Munroe, Bobby was surprised to find that he didn't exist. He immediately left the house and headed down to Iowa, making sure to tell Hiro to keep his eyes on Dean. However, he managed to lose sight of Dean and Nick before he could intervene. He couldn't get a hold of anyone else and searched for them, but thankfully Bobby showed up sooner than he was expecting and met up with Hiro and headed to the motel. If they hadn't shown up when they did. . .

Thankfully the cut on Sam's neck wasn't deep enough to need any stitches, though it would still need some time to completely heal. There was some bruising on his left cheek, another one above his eyebrow from one of Dean's punches. Dean had a bruise on his left cheekbone, but thankfully it wasn't too dark. The handprints were still visible on Birdie's neck along with the cut from the knife. The bruise on her jaw wasn't too dark either, but it was darker than she was expecting. Birdie had already lost count of how many times Sam had already apologized to her and she told him it was okay because it wasn't his doing. Dean had apologized as well, but it was obvious that Sam felt the worst——if it weren't for Felicity, Birdie certainly would've been dead.

The others weren't quite sure how Birdie was still alive, but she'd just said it might've been because her pulse had slowed down so much, Sam must've not felt it at all and thought she was dead.

Birdie shifted her posture, eyes focused on Bobby. He handed Birdie and the boys each a drink, a smile appearing on Birdie's lips as she looked at the bottle; rootbeer.

"Thanks," Sam breathed out.

"Soda?" Dean asked, raising his brows.

"You kids are driving, aren't ya?" Bobby replied, taking a sip of his soda.

Hiro opened his, flashing Dean a smile. "Hey, it's still beer."

Birdie softly chuckled, shaking her head. Dean just blinked, but a small smile appeared on his lips.

Sam sucked in a sharp breath after they all took a sip of their drinks, tilting his head as he squinted in the sunlight. "Thanks, Bobby. You know, you——you hadn't shown up when you did. . ."

"Done the same for me, more than once," Bobby said. "Course, you coulda picked up the phone. Only took one call to figure out that Agent Nick Munroe wasn't real."

There was a silence that washed over them, Birdie briefly looking down at the ground. There'd been a few times a monster got the best of her by not double checking someone's name, and each time she said she wouldn't let it happen again. Then it did.

"You kids gonna be okay?" Bobby wondered after a few moments, glancing over their bruised features.

"Yeah, fine," Sam said, twisting his lips as he stole a look at Dean and then Birdie.

"Yeah, good," Dean agreed.

Birdie softly smiled. "We always are."

Hiro took another sip of his rootbeer, simply nodding when Bobby looked over at him.

Then Bobby lifted his hand, index finger sticking out as he gave them a small wave as he turned towards his car. "See ya." Sam took another drink of his soda, their eyes following Bobby. Bobby paused, turning to the side to face them again. "You know, those sirens are nasty fuckin' things. That it got to you——that's no reason to feel bad."

Sam faintly smiled, lifting his drink some. Bobby nodded and climbed inside his car, driving away. Birdie took another sip of her drink, sighing to herself as her gaze lingered on Bobby's car.

"You guys make this job look sooo much easier," Hiro sighed.

"I tried to tell you," Birdie said, a coy grin on her lips when she turned her head in his direction.

"I know you guys didn't want me here, but thanks for not pushing me away completely. I. . .I can see why Kaiya liked you all so much."

Sam softly smiled at that.

"You know, you're not so bad," Dean replied. "You got a long way to go, but you just might be able to pull this off."

Hiro shrugged, taking a few steps forward. "I don't know about that, but thank you, Dean. I. . .I think I could get used to this. But, for now I think I'm going to head home and catch up on some sleep, but, uh, thanks you guys. I mean it."

"Anytime," Birdie said, giving him one last smile.

Hiro nodded at them and then headed towards his car, waving at Birdie and the Winchesters as he headed down the same road as Bobby.

Sam heavily sighed as a silence washed over them, the wind gently blowing against them. "Dean, Bird, you guys know I didn't mean the things I said back there, right? That it was just the siren's spell talking?"

"Of course, me too," Dean said.

"Yeah, I know that."

Sam shifted his feet, looking towards Dean. Birdie followed his gaze, taking another sip of her rootbeer. Then she took a few steps forward, shooting the brothers a small smile when they looked at her. "I'll give you two a minute," Birdie said.

"She walked off to the side so she couldn't hear what they were saying, letting out a quiet sigh. 'Felicity. . .thank you.'

For what?

'I know you took over when Sam. . .you slowed my pulse down so he'd think I was dead.'

Well. . .yeah. I wasn't going to let your fake boyfriend kill you.

Birdie chuckled to herself. 'Thank you.'

You're welcome, Bird.

Birdie partially turned, giving Sam a small smile as he came up next to her. "Hey, baby." Sam's eyes slightly widened and Birdie chuckled, playfully nudging him with her elbow. "I don't mind. You were just saying it to keep our story believable, right?"

Sam sadly smiled, his expression faltering a few seconds later. Birdie's smile fell, a frown replacing it. "Listen, Birdie——"

"Sam, you don't have to keep apologizing."

"Yes, I do," Sam said, a solemn look on his face. "I didn't mean any of it. Being with you every day. . .I enjoy it. I've never once been annoyed being around you, or-or hearing you talk. I like hearing you talk and——"

"Sam," Birdie softly said. He looked at her again, seeing the small smile on her lips. "We have an audience."

Sam furrowed his brows, following Birdie's gaze when she looked to the side. He let out an annoyed huff, seeing the way Dean was cheekily smiling at them as he leaned against the Impala. "You mind?" Sam called out.

"Not at all," Dean replied, lifting his rootbeer up towards them.

Birdie rolled her eyes with a scoff, peering up at Sam as he faced her again. "You know what he's waiting for, don't you?"

Sam tilted his head, a small grin on his lips. "Really? Are-are you sure?"

"If you don't want to, it's okay——"

"I mean, I don't mind——"

Sam's dimples poked out as he smiled. Birdie smiled back at him and Sam leaned closer. Birdie did the same, her eyes fluttering shut as Sam's lips softly pressed against hers. Sam's hand gently cupped her cheek as his other went to her back, gently nudging her closer. Birdie grinned into the kiss, wrapping her hands around Sam's neck.

"Alright, lovebirds, time to hit the road."

They pulled apart, Birdie giving Dean the middle finger to give the impression that she was annoyed for interrupting the kiss. She and Sam shared another look, their sheepish smiles lingering on their lips.

"Come on," Sam softly said.

Birdie started walking ahead of Sam, Sam just a few steps behind her. Dean cheekily grinned and headed towards the drivers side of the Impala, expectantly raising his brows as Sam and Birdie approached the car. "Oh, would you stop looking at us like that?" Birdie scoffed. "You saw the kiss, didn't you?"

"Yeah, and I'm still waitin' on the story of how you two finally got together," Dean replied.

Birdie rolled her eyes, sharing a look with Sam. She peered at Dean over the roof of the car, a smirk now on her lips. "You'll find out when it's time."

"When the hell will that be?"

"When it's time, Dean." Dean dramatically groaned, rolling his eyes. He was already tired of waiting. "The more you whine, the longer you'll have to wait."

"Sam chuckled, shaking his head. Birdie just innocently smiled when Dean sent her a glare, climbing into the backseat. Dean looked at Sam, tilting his head. "Sam——"

"When it's time, Dean."

"Oh, for fucks sake——"