CHAPTER TWENTY.
NO REST FOR THE WICKED.

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ONLY THIRTY HOURS remained until Dean was meant to finally pay the price of his deal that brought Sam back to life almost one year ago. Birdie, the boys, and Bobby had been working non-stop to try and find a way to locate Lilith, but there was still nothing on the demon or her current whereabouts. Kaiya did her best to lend a hand while she was still at Bobby's, but with only a little over a day left before something came to collect Dean's soul, Birdie managed to convince the woman to head back home so that she wouldn't somehow get caught in the mess that they would undoubtedly create in order to try and save Dean. She didn't want to leave, but Dean assured her she would be helping by being as far away from him as possible. She'd left with tears glistening in her eyes, only allowing Dean to tell her he'd see her later instead of goodbye.

Birdie turned her head when she heard footsteps, offering Sam and Dean a faint smile as they walked over from the table Dean had been seated at for the last few hours, a book left open in front of the chair he'd been sitting in. A square map of the United States was placed in the middle of a wooden table, taking up the entire surface. Bobby returned to the table a few moments later and placed a special tracking device over the map. It was unlike anything Birdie had ever seen before, having three wooden legs coming out from a shiny, black crystal ball at the top. A flat piece of metal was wrapped around the ball, intricate symbols carved into it with a bigger piece of metal wrapped further down the legs. A golden pendulum hung down from the ball to pinpoint the exact location, remaining still until it was moved.

"So you got a name? That's the whole kit and caboodle," Bobby said. "With the right name, the right ritual, ain't nothing you can't suss out."

"Like the town Lilith's in?" Sam presumed, hands leaning on the table and eyes pinned to Bobby.

"Kid, when I get done, we'll know the fuckin' street," Bobby said. Sam faintly smiled at that, glancing aside at Dean and Birdie with a glint of hope shimmering in his hazel eyes.

Then Bobby reached his hand up and moved the ball, beginning the ritual once it started to slowly spin. They all watched the pendulum slowly swing, landing on a specific spot once Bobby finished.

"New Harmony, Indiana." Birdie looked up, lips partially parted in surprise; it actually worked. "And we have a winner."

"Alright," Sam said, pushing the pendulum as he stood up straight and looked towards Bobby. "Let's go."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, Hold on," Dean interjected, holding his hand out as he breathed out a forced laugh. "Just holster it up there, Tex."

"What's the problem?" Sam asked, confused by Dean's reluctance.

"What's the problem? I mean, come on, where do I begin?" Dean scoffed. "First of all, we don't even know if Lilith holds my deal. We're going off of Bela's intel? Now when that bitch breathes, the air comes out fucking crooked. Okay. Second, even if we could get to Lilith, we have no way to gank her. And third, isn't this the same Lilith that wants your giant head on a pike? Should I continue?"

Bobby scoffed under his breath. "Ain't you just bringing down the room."

"Yeah, well, it's a gift," Dean sarcastically replied.

Birdie huffed. "More like a curse."

"I'm sorry, so then what are we supposed to do, Dean?" Sam asked, holding his hands out with a look of disbelief.

"Just 'cause I gotta die doesn't mean you have to, okay? Either we go in smart or we don't go in at all," Dean firmly said.

"Okay, fine," Sam said, shrugging his shoulder as he briefly glanced towards Birdie and then back to Dean. "If that's the case, I have the answer."

Birdie raised a brow. "You do?"

"Yeah. A sure-fire way to confirm it's Lilith and a way to get us a bona fide demon-killing ginsu."

Birdie loudly groaned, tossing her head back just as she and Dean realized what Sam was getting at. "Damn it, Sam, no," Dean firmly denied, turning his back to Sam as he took a few steps to the side.

"We are so past fucking arguing," Sam said, moving his hands as he spoke and forced out a breathy laugh. "Dean, I am summoning Ruby."

Dean spun around on his heel, facing his brother. "The fuck you are! We have enough problems as it is."

"Exactly," Sam sharply replied, walking towards Dean to stand in front of him. Birdie shifted in her spot, folding her arms over her chest as she shared a silent look with Bobby. "And we've got no time and no choice either."

"Come on man, she is the fucking Miss Universe of lying skanks, okay," Dean said. "She told you that she could save me, huh? Lie. She seems to know everything about Lilith but forgot to mention——oh right——Lilith owns my fucking soul!"

"Okay, fine. She's a liar," Sam agreed. "She's still got that knife."

"Dean," Bobby said, but he went ignored. Birdie shook her head, closing her eyes. They did need to find something that could actually kill Lilith, but they certainly didn't need Ruby's help in doing so.

"For all we know, she fuckin' works for Lilith," Dean said.

"Then give me another option, Dean," Sam said, nearly cutting Dean off. "I mean, tell me what else."

"Sam's right," Bobby said.

Birdie turned her head towards Bobby, lips curled into a frown. "Wait, are you serious——"

"No! Damn it!" Dean angrily shouted, causing everyone to fall silent at the harshness.

Birdie raised her brows in surprise, briefly glancing aside at Bobby.

Dean let out a shaky breath, shaking his head as he made eye contact with each of them. "Just no. We are not gonna make the same mistakes all over again." Birdie twisted her lips in thought, unable to see what kind of expression Sam had on his face with his back facing her and Bobby. "You guys wanna save me——find something else."

Sam, Bobby, and Birdie watched him walk back over to the table he was sitting at just a few minutes ago, a contemplative look looming on his features. Sam heavily sighed, shoulders sinking in defeat. Birdie turned her head to the side, knitting her brows together when she saw Bobby grab his jacket from the table behind them.

"Where're you goin'?"

"I guess to. . ." Bobby shrugged on his jacket, tossing his hands up in the air for a moment, "find something else."

Birdie moved past Sam and towards Dean, taking a seat on the edge of the table near the oldest Winchester. Sam's eyes lingered on her for a few seconds, silently shaking his head in thought as he headed after Bobby. Birdie glanced over her shoulder at the table, eyes skimming over one of the books that Dean had open off to the side. A large picture of what seemed to be monstrous sized hellhounds took up an entire page, some writing on the page next to it. Her eyes flickered over to Dean, seeing his gaze was pinned on the image.

"Hey," Birdie softly said, reaching over to gently nudge his shoulder. Dean turned his head, looking up at her. "We'll find somethin' else."

"Yeah? Try tellin' Sam that," Dean sighed, rolling his eyes as he slouched back in the chair.

Birdie sighed as well, twisting her lips for a moment. "He's only trying to help."

"Bringin' Ruby into this won't help. That's the exact opposite," Dean said, looking her in the eye. "You don't want her involved either."

"You're right, I don't," Birdie agreed, nodding her head. "But Dean, we're on plan X——maybe even Y now. If it doesn't work, we don't have many other options."

Dean shook his head from side to side, rubbing his hand along his chin as he seemed to think for a moment. "You think Sam's already working on plan Z?"

Birdie wanted to say no, but seeing that Sam had walked outside moments after Bobby and had yet to return——nor could she see him anywhere outside through the window behind Dean while Bobby's car was no longer parked behind Baby——it was safe to assume that Sam was up to something.

With a sigh, she returned her gaze to Dean, offering him a small smile. "You Winchesters are too goddamn stubborn," she said, shaking her head. "Of course he is."

Dean managed a small smile. "Then let's just take some precautions for when this goes wrong."

Birdie stood up when Dean did, tilting her head as she walked beside him. "Don't you mean if?" she wondered. Dean halted, giving her a pointed look. Birdie chuckled, innocently raising her hands. "Kidding, kidding! She's a demon, I know——of course it won't end well."

"Yeah, but if this goes well, we won't have to worry about that bitch ever again either."

As expected, Sam had summoned Ruby.

Dean and Birdie were hidden in the room by the basement steps, remaining in the shadows to make sure they wouldn't be seen by Sam or Ruby. The minute they heard Ruby's familiar voice as she appeared in the same room as Sam, they grimaced almost simultaneously, sharing an annoyed look with one another. Sam and the demon went back and forth, overhearing Ruby confess to knowing that Lilith was the one who held Dean's contract. Sam's annoyance and frustrations were etched in his voice as he shouted at Ruby, almost no end in sight to their bickering. Maybe now Sam would realize that summoning her was a terrible idea.

"You're not the one I've been lying to." Dean rolled his eyes, shaking his head as he and Birdie stood side by side, quietly creeping closer.

"Oh, so you can save him?" Sam harshly asked.

"No," Ruby answered. "But you can."

"What?"

Birdie faintly frowned, stealing a glance towards Dean. He caught her gaze, rolling his eyes again; he and Birdie knew exactly what Ruby was referring to.

"Sam, you've got some God-given talent," Ruby said, confirming what Dean and Birdie had thought. "Well, not God-given, but you get the gist."

"All that psychic bullshit?" Sam asked with a scoff, looking off to the side before he looked towards Ruby again. "That's gone ever since Yellow-Eyes died."

Ruby shook her head. "Not gone, dormant. And not just visions either," she said. Birdie tilted her head, stealing another glance towards Dean to see his jaw was clenched. "Why do you think Lilith is so scared of you?"

"Right. . .she's scared of me," Sam sarcastically agreed.

"If you wanted, you could wipe her off the map without moving a muscle."

"I don't believe you."

"It's the truth."

"And you decided to tell me this just now?"

"Um. . .demon," Ruby said, gesturing towards herself with her head. "Manipulative's kinda in the job description. Fact is is that you would have never considered it. Not until you were——"

"Desperate enough?"

Birdie pursed her lips, pressing her back up against the wall. Dean did the same, turning towards Birdie. "Can you believe this fuckin' shit?" he whispered, Birdie just barely able to hear him. But, rather than responding, she just shook her head and continued to listen in.

"You don't like being different. You hate the way Dean looks at you sometimes——like you're some kind of sideshow freak." Sam glanced down at Ruby's words. Birdie's eyes involuntarily flickered to Dean, seeing him look down with his eyes momentarily closed. "But suck it up because we've got a lot of ground to cover, and we've gotta do it fast. But we can do it." Sam clenched his jaw, looking towards the floor. After a few moments, he looked back up at her again. Dean shifted, giving Birdie a look as if to signal to her that he was going to be stepping out. "Look, call me a fucking bitch, hate me all you want, but I have never lied to you, Sam. Not ever. And I'm telling you. . .you can save your brother, and I can show you how."

"So that's you, huh?" Dean asked, coming into the room from behind Ruby, Birdie a little ways behind him with a blank expression on her face. "Our slutty little Yoda."

"Dean." Ruby turned around, bright eyes falling on him. "Charming as ever." Her eyes then flickered over to Birdie, tilting her head towards the curly haired woman. "I see you brought your other sidekick."

Birdie sarcastically smiled at the demon, lifting her hand and giving Ruby the middle finger. "Fuck you, Ruby."

"I knew you'd show up. . .'cause I knew Sam wouldn't listen," Dean said, walking closer to Sam and Ruby, a dark look on his stern features. Sam looked at his brother, but then he quickly looked away as Dean got closer to stand directly in front of Ruby. Birdie stepped off to the side, catching Sam's gaze. She faintly shook her head, turning her gaze back towards Dean. "But you're not gonna teach him anything, you understand me? Over my dead body."

"Oh, well, you're right about that."

Birdie clenched her jaw, fingers itching to grab the flask of holy water she had tucked in her jacket. She crept closer to the three, noticing the way Sam's eyes followed her.

"What you are gonna do is give me that knife," Dean said, not looking away from the demon. Ruby scoffed in disbelief. "And then you can just go crawl back into whatever fucking slop you came from and never bother me, my brother, and Birdie again. Are we clear?"

"Your brother is carrying a bomb inside of him and we'd be fucking stupid not to use it."

"Dean, look, just hold on for one s——"

"Sam! Don't." Birdie adjusted her jacket, feeling the flask shift inside her pocket like a reminder that it was there. Her eyes stayed pinned to Sam and Dean, ignoring Ruby when the demon looked in her direction. "Come on man, what, are you blind? Can't you see that this is a trick?"

"That's not true," Ruby denied.

"She wants you to give into this whole demonic psychic bullshit, okay? I mean hell, she probably wants you to become her little anti-christ Super Star."

"I want Lilith dead," Ruby angrily snapped. "That's all."

"Why?"

"I've told you why!"

"Oh, right, yeah," Dean mockingly replied. "Because you were human once and you liked kittens and long walks on the beach."

"You know, I am so fucking sick of proving myself to you," Ruby snapped, stepping closer to Dean. "You wanna save yourself——this is how, you fucking dumb, spineless dick."

Birdie came up to stand next to Dean, anger flaming in her eyes. But, before she could do anything, Dean turned as if he was going to walk away but then he faced Ruby and raised his fist, punching her in the face. Her head whipped to the side from the harsh blow, eyes clenched shut. Sam's eyes widened, wincing as he leaned back in complete surprise.

Ruby gave Dean a dark look as she wiped some blood from her lip, brows still knitted together in pure rage. Then she punched him in the face with her right fist and then her left, grunting with each blow.

"Ruby, hey!" Sam hastily shouted, reaching out to try and stop her from continuing her attack on Dean. She quickly spun around when he moved towards her, hitting him in the back and causing him to double over in pain. She then kneed him in the face as he was hunched over, sending him staggering into a wooden beam behind him. He slid to the floor, cradling his face as he collapsed onto his side.

Birdie grabbed a fistful of Ruby's blonde hair with her teeth gritted together, harshly yanking the demon towards the floor. Ruby grunted at the movement, her body crumbling to the floor with a huff. Birdie bent down to grab Ruby by the jacket seconds later, but Ruby swung out one of her legs when Birdie got closer, sweeping Birdie's legs out from underneath her. Birdie yelped as she fell to the ground, groaning when her head harshly hit the floor. She clenched her eyes shut in agony, hissing as the pain seared throughout her entire skull.

Dean rushed over and grabbed Ruby by the collar of her jacket as she started to get up and move towards Birdie with her lips twisted into a snarl, hitting her in the face with a clenched fist. He went to do it again, but she ducked and kneed him in the stomach in retaliation. Sam held a hand over his mouth as he blinked a few times to see what was going on, struggling to breath from the blow to his back and face. Ruby punched Dean again before she kicked him in the face, causing him to fall to the floor. He tried to get up, but she walked over and then kicked him hard in the stomach once more, sending him rolling over across the ground.

Birdie grunted and rolled onto her stomach, puffing out her cheeks as her head continued to throb like someone was banging drums on her skull. She turned her to the side, blinking a few times as she saw Ruby walk over to Dean and grab him by his jacket. She watched Ruby head-butted Dean, sending him crumbling towards the floor once more. Birdie deeply frowned, glancing aside at Sam as he heavily panted, sucking in shaky breaths.

Ruby watched Dean slowly start to stand as she panted, noticing Dean start to grin when he finally got to his feet, smeared blood staining his teeth. "What the fuck are you grinning at?"

"Missin' somethin'?" Dean smugly questioned the demon, holding up Ruby's knife directly in front of his face.

"I'll kill you, you fucking son of a bitch." She rushed towards him, but suddenly she halted in her tracks. She tried again, but she couldn't get any further. Birdie smirked as she slowly picked herself up off the floor, brushing some dust off her jacket as she stole a quick glance towards Sam who appeared surprised that Ruby couldn't move any closer. Ruby looked at Dean before looking up towards the roof to see a Devil's Trap was painted directly above her. Sam's lips parted when he spotted it as well, eyes darting to Birdie; she just winked and then focused her gaze on Dean and Ruby.

Ruby faced Dean again, visibly pissed off. Dean just continued to smirk, looking at the trap and then back at Ruby, still holding up the knife. "Like I said," he said, lowering the knife to his side, "I knew you'd come."

Then he turned and started to walk away, heading towards the rickety staircase to the left. Birdie made sure to send Ruby a glare before she headed towards Sam, helping him off the floor with an outstretched hand.

"Wait!" Ruby shouted, watching Dean move closer to Sam and Birdie. "You're just gonna leave me here?"

Dean stopped a few feet away from the two, waiting for them to walk back over as he simply ignored Ruby's question. "Let's go, Sam."

Birdie and Sam made their way over to Dean as he took a deep breath, blinking hard before he started to walk back up the stairs. Sam and Birdie silently followed, feeling Ruby's eyes burning holes into them as she was left inside the Devil's Trap.

"Oh, oh you——so you're just too fucking stupid to live, is that it? Then fine!" Ruby shouted, eyes burning with intense rage as they walked further up the stairs. Birdie rubbed at her temple, scrunching her face in annoyance as Ruby's voice grew louder, more and more venom ingrained in her voice as she screamed——specifically at Dean. "You deserve Hell! I wish I could be there, Dean. I wish I could smell the flesh sizzle off your bones! I WISH I COULD BE THERE TO HEAR YOU SCREAM!"

"And I wish you'd shut your fuckin' pie hole, but we don't always get what we want."

Bobby had yet to return almost an hour later, most likely meaning that he was still attempting to find something else that might help. Dean had headed out to the Impala without a word, gathering his and Sam's things from the trunk and putting them all in a duffel bag to take inside. Birdie had headed outside as well, retrieving her own bag from the back of the Impala.

"You comin'?" Dean wondered, pausing to peer over his shoulder when seeing Birdie was sitting in the back of the car, rummaging through her bag. There was some red near Dean's left eyebrow that was becoming more noticeable, a cut on his lower lip that had thankfully stopped bleeding already.

Birdie paused, turning her head to face him. "Uh, in a minute," she answered, tucking some hair behind her ear when it drooped down in her eyes. "I, uh, I have to make sure I have enough tam——"

"Ah, ah, say no more," Dean quickly interjected, waving his hand in hopes she'd stop talking; she didn't need to finish her sentence for him to know what she was going to say.

Birdie playfully rolled her eyes, giving him a pointed look. "You big baby. It's a natur——"

"No, I-I know, I——let's just have this nice lil chat another time, okay?"

"Okay, okay," Birdie chuckled, giving him a cheeky grin.

Dean let out a sigh, shaking his head from side to side before heading back inside. Birdie's eyes followed him as he headed up the stairs, turning back to her own weapons just as the door shut. She would have gone in with him, but she figured the brothers might've needed a moment alone to talk about what had just happened without her awkwardly listening in. So, she assorted through her weapons, making sure she had enough bullets and salt stuffed inside. She shoved some extra bullets into a side pocket, flinching when her phone began to ring.

She slipped it out of her pocket, a small smile working its way onto her lips when she heard Kaiya's ringtone. She flipped it open, tucking the phone between her ear and shoulder to continue sorting through her weapons. "Hey, Kai," she said, cocking a gun. "You make it home yet?"

"Yeah, yeah," Kaiya answered. "And I got the hex bag Bobby made me——I even took some extra precautions and have salt in front of every window and door, I got a bag with a Devil's Trap painted on it, and there's iron in every room just in case something were to get inside. . ."

"Kai, I'm so sorry," Birdie sighed, closing her eyes as her head fell forward. "I-I never should've gotten you involved in all of this——"

"Birdie, Birdie," Kaiya interjected, causing Birdie to quiet, "You didn't drag me into anything. I'm-I'm your friend. I'd. . .I'd do anything for you."

"But this life. . .you didn't sign up for this and then——"

"I wouldn't change a single thing. And, you know, finding out about what you and the Winchesters actually do, it's kinda made my life more interesting," Kaiya said. Some shuffling was heard on the other end, the woman moving about as she hung out in her living room. "And if it weren't for you, I wouldn't know anything about-about monsters or even how to deal with one if I ever encountered one——what you taught me probably saved my life."

Birdie softly smiled, setting her handgun on her lap to hold her phone with her hand. "You promise you're gonna be safe tonight? Even more than usual? We have——"

"Birdie, I promise to be safe, alright? You don't have to worry about me."

"You know, saying that I don't have to worry about you kinda makes worry even more?"

"I'll be okay, Bird," Kaiya assured her. "The only one you need to worry about is yourself, and Dean."

Birdie pursed her lips, letting out a tired sigh. "I'm always worried about him. But tonight. . ."

"Hey, if there's anyone that I think can cheat death, it's Dean."

Birdie breathed out a forced laugh, slipping out of the backseat. "Yeah. . .I should probably get back to him and Sam, but——"

"I'll talk to you tonight, okay?" Kaiya said. "Then you and both Winchesters can tell me all about you guys kicking Lilith's ass."

Birdie chuckled, grabbing her bag and slipping it over her shoulder. "Okay. Be safe, Kai."

"You too, Bird," she said. "And hey, I love you."

Birdie smiled, closing the car door. "I love you, too."

With that, she hung up and slipped her phone back into her pocket. She double checked inside her bag, making sure everything was all there and she'd loaded all of the weapons inside as well as had her knives safely closed so she didn't cut her hand open trying to grab one. Once she was sure everything was there, she started to head back inside, but she suddenly stopped in the doorway when she heard Dean's voice.

"No, we stop being martyrs, man. We-we-we stop spreading it for these demons." Dean turned his head slightly, picking up Ruby's knife and holding it up as he spoke. Birdie pursed her lips, glancing down at the floor. "We take this knife, and we go after Lilith our way. The way Dad taught us to. And if we go down, then, uh. . .then we go down swinging." Sam didn't respond, his teary eyes pinned to Dean. "What do you think?"

Sam looked down at the floor, thinking for a few moments. Then he softly sighed, looking up at Dean. "I think you totally should have been jammin' Eye of the Tiger right there."

Dean rolled his eyes and stood up, moving around the table. "Oh, bite me," he said. "I totally rehearsed that speech, too."

Birdie smiled to herself as she held back an amused laugh, deciding to make her presence known then. "I didn't just interrupt a chick-flick moment, did I?" she teased, walking over to the table and setting down a shotgun as she glanced across at Dean.

Dean scoffed, tilting his head to one side. "We never have those."

Birdie gave Dean a wink, a lopsided smirk decorating her lips. "Sure you don't."

Sam softly chuckled and stood up, his dimples poking out as he looked between Dean and Birdie. "So, Indiana, huh?"

"Yeah, where Lilith's on shore-leave," Dean said.

"Yeah, I guess," Sam said.

"Tell me something," Dean said, causing Sam and Birdie to look towards him, "The hell's a demon do for fun?"

"I don't think we really wanna know," Birdie said, pulling over a chair that was leaning against the wall. She sat down, leaning it back and propping her feet on the table. "It can't be anything good, or actually fun, right?"

"I doubt it," Sam said, letting out a sigh. "They have a different definition of fun than we do."

Birdie silently nodded in agreement, raising her brows. He wasn't wrong.

Dean stuffed some of the guns in a duffel bag, turning his head towards Birdie. "Hey, uh, Bird, you mind checkin' to make sure Ruby's still trapped?"

"What?" Birdie asked, giving him a confused look. "We both made that trap——she's there until someone lets her out."

"Just. . .do it for me, please? We can't take any risks tonight."

Birdie stole a glance towards Sam, dramatically sighing as she stood up. "Fine, but if she's actually missing it's not my fault."

"You're an absolute angel," Dean said, flashing her a toothy grin as she made her way towards the stairs.

Birdie narrowed her eyes, giving him the finger before she disappeared around the hall. She sighed to herself and opened the door, sucking in a deep breath as she prepared to head down. She scrunched up her face as she pondered about pretending to check on the demon, but it wouldn't hurt to make sure she was still there. Birdie huffed and rolled her eyes beginning to make her way down the stairs. She winced as the stairs squeaked, pausing when she heard something move.

"About damn time you came to your——" Ruby's voice cut off, face falling when she realized it was Birdie.

Birdie sat on one of the steps, a smirk on her lips. "What? Expectin' someone else?"

Ruby clenched her jaw, scoffing under her breath. "You know, I'm surprised at you. I mean, I get Dean being so against Sam's gifts, but you. . .you understand him better than Dean."

"And how would you know that?" Birdie wondered, raising a brow in the demon's direction.

"Oh, please. I've seen monsters that are more subtle than you," Ruby said, a smirk appearing on her lips. "I see the way you look at Sam."

Birdie rolled her eyes, standing up. "Sure, okay. Have fun rotting down here, Ruby."

"Birdie, wait." Birdie clenched her jaw as she had her back towards the demon, slowly turning to face the demon. "You know I'm right about Sam. You may not say it, but I know you do. You know he can save people——save people in ways that you and Dean can't. If you let me out, I can show you——"

"Yeah, no fuckin' thanks," Birdie said, making her way back up the stairs. "All you've done is lie, and I'm not gonna believe one more fuckin' word from you."

"Then you're just as fucking stupid as Dean! You're blinded by——"

Birdie slammed the door shut, huffing in relief as Ruby's voice became muffled. She rolled her eyes and shook her head, furrowing her brows when she heard how silent the cabin suddenly was.

"Sam?" she called out, making her way back into the kitchen area. "Dean?"

"Those little shits." Birdie turned, seeing Bobby come in from the back door. "They think they're gonna fuckin' leave without us."

Birdie shook her head in disbelief, quickly following Bobby out of the cabin. She snatched up her bag as she did so, hurrying out of the front door. The Impala was parked near the tree line, Sam and Dean sat in the front seats as Dean attempted to start it, but it was only stalling.

Birdie shared a silent look with Bobby, the two rounding opposite sides of the car. Bobby came up to Dean's side, knocking on the window. Birdie saw them jump in surprise, heads snapping in his direction to see it was Bobby.

Bobby curiously peered down, holding up a distributor cap. "Where do you think you're goin'?"

"Dick move, assholes." Sam and Dean turned their heads towards the passenger window next, seeing Birdie peering in with her arms folded on the windowsill, eyes partially narrowed. "I can't believe you were just gonna leave me with that bitch trapped in the basement."

Dean sighed, looking annoyed as he removed the keys from the ignition. Birdie stepped back from the car, allowing Sam to step out as Dean climbed out of the driver's side. Sam walked around the back of the car as Birdie rounded the front, standing to the right of Dean as he faced Bobby who didn't appear to be too happy.

"We got the knife," Dean said, leaning against Baby.

"And you intend to use it without me an' Bird?" Sam stopped on the other side of Dean, looking towards Bobby. "Do we look like ditchable prom-dates to you?"

"No, Bobby. Of course not," Sam quickly answered, stealing a look towards Birdie who had her brow raised in their direction.

"This is about me. . .and Sam, okay?" Dean said, eyes flickering Bobby to Birdie. "This isn't your guys' fight."

Bobby walked closer to Dean, furious by those words. "The hell it isn't!" he snapped. Dean looked at him, taken aback by it. "Family don't end with blood, boy." Birdie's eyes flickered over to Bobby, a small smile etched on her lips; they were a family. "Besides, you need us."

"Bobby—11"

"You're playing wounded. Tell me, how many hallucinations have you had so far?" Bobby queried, eyes pinned on Dean.

Both Sam and Birdie looked at Dean, faces sunken as Dean didn't deny it. Dean glanced at Sam, tilting his head as if to silently admit that Bobby was right. "How'd you know?"

"Because that's what happens when you've got hellhounds on your ass, and because I'm smart." Dean turned his gaze to the ground, feeling Sam and Birdie's eyes still on him. Then Bobby handed the distributor cap back to Dean, the younger man taking it a few seconds later. "We'll follow." Bobby walked away from the boys with Birdie a few steps behind him, heading towards Bobby's car. After a moment, Dean walked over to the hood of his car, ready to put the part back where it belonged. "Don't be stoppin' to pee every ten minutes, either."

Birdie paused, catching Bobby's eye when he noticed her stop. "Does that mean I should go before we leave?"

"Shut up and get in the damn car, Bird," Bobby said, rolling his eyes as he motioned towards the car.

Birdie giggled and glanced over her shoulder, giving the boys a smile and a wave.

⋅ ∙ ∘ ☽ ༓ ☾ ∘ ⋅ ⋅

Birdie was surprised that Bobby hadn't changed the station yet. He'd made it perfectly clear he didn't like the music that was playing, and yet he made no motion to change it. A few hours had already passed since they left the cabin with Ruby trapped inside, the clock getting closer and closer to midnight as the sun disappeared and was replaced by a full moon. But, they both did their best to avoid thinking or even talking about it. Dean was still a little ways in front of them, only his right tail light lit up as he'd yet to fix the other one. There weren't too far from Indiana now, a little less than an hour away from New Haven——the town Lilith was supposedly staying in.

"You talk to Kaiya lately?" Bobby asked, turning his head towards Birdie.

Birdie smiled, nodding her head. "Yeah, before we left. She's doing okay. And, she's taken, like, every precaution possible just in case. . ."

"Good, good," Bobby nodded, adjusting his grip on the steering wheel. "I'm sure she'll be alright."

"Yeah," Birdie quietly said, glancing out of the window as trees whizzed past them, "Hopefully."

"Hey, this'll━━━oh, shit."

Bobby slowed down as a police car pulled out from a side road, turning its lights and sirens on as it chased after the Impala. Birdie's eyes widened, sitting up in the seat. "Oh, shit."

Bobby sighed and turned his lights off, pulling over on the side of the road. "This can't be good."

"You think it's because of the taillight?" Birdie questioned.

"That, or the fact he's goin' 20 over."

Birdie shook her head, rolling her eyes. "Not like we're on a time sensitive mission or anything."

Bobby shook his head, him and Birdie watching the officer exit his vehicle and approach the Impala. He had a flashlight in hand, Birdie able to see Dean already handing over his license and registration. The officer tilted his head, shining his flashlight inside the car while his eyes raked over Sam and Dean's features. But suddenly, Dean opened his door, hitting the officer in the stomach with it as hard as he could. Dean then rushed out of the car at him, taking a swing as Sam quickly got out as well.

"Oh fuck!" Birdie shouted in surprise, both her and Bobby clambering out of his car.

"Dean!" Sam shouted, rushing around the car as Dean punched the officer three more times in the face.

He quickly reached down and removed Ruby's knife from his belt, jamming it up into the officer's jaw. The officer began to flash with light, showing that Dean had just killed a demon. Dean pulled the knife out and let go of the officer a couple of seconds later, letting the body fall to the ground with a thud. Dean stood over him, arm behind him as he panted from the fight. Sam slowly came up behind him, shock written on his face.

Bobby and Birdie quickly ran over to them with their feet pounding over the cement, gawking down at the body. They lifted their heads almost simultaneously, glancing between the brothers in utter shock.

"What the fuck happened?" Bobby demanded to know.

"Dean just killed a demon," Sam replied, still stunned. "How'd you know?"

Dean, still breathing heavily, looked around on the ground and then turned to Sam, appearing slightly worried. "I just knew," he said. He turned back, looking down at the body. "I could see its face——it's real face under that one."

"Holy fuck," Birdie whispered in disbelief. "What're we supposed to do with the body now?"

The four of them all worked together for the next fifteen minutes, putting branches over the police car to hide it from plain sight so that nobody could find it after Bobby drove it into the woods so it was out of sight. The body was stuffed inside the trunk, a thin blanket draped over him in hopes it would be less obvious there was a body underneath; it was still quite obvious, but Birdie didn't have enough time to fix it.

"So what, now you're seeing demons?" Sam wondered, tossing a large branch on the roof of the car as he looked at Dean.

"I've seen all kinds of things lately," Dean answered, placing a group of branches on the hood. "But nothing like this."

"Actually, it's not all that crazy," Bobby said from the other side, panting from working fast to cover the car so they could get back on the road before it was too late.

"How's it not that crazy?"

"Well you've got just over five hours to go?" he asked. "You're piercing the veil, Dean. You're glimpsin' the B side."

Dean briefly tilted his head, brows slightly knitted together. "Little less new age-y, please."

"You're almost Hell's bitch," Bobby said. Dean shifted, standing up straight. "So, you can see Hell's other bitches."

Dean looked surprised at first, making a mocking expression after a few seconds. "Thank you."

"It'll actually come in pretty handy," Sam said.

"Yeah," Birdie said in agreement, a small smile etched on her lips as she readjusted some of the branches on the trunk. "It's like you've got a superpower now."

"Oh, well, I'm glad my doomed soul is good for something," Dean sarcastically said, placing more branches on the car.

"Damn right it is. Lilith's probably got demons stashed all over town," Bobby said. "We can't let 'em sound the alarm. If she knows we're here, we're dead before we're started."

"Wow, this is a terrific plan. I'm excited to be a part of it," Dean said, looking at the others as he placed one last branch on top of the car, sarcastically smiling. A tired smile was prominent on Birdie's lips, noticing Dean's expression. "Can we go, please?"

Birdie and Sam shared a silent look, walking around the back of the car to follow Dean and Bobby. They quickly headed back towards the road, double checking that there weren't any cars coming as they headed towards the cars. Birdie clambered into Bobby's car again, letting out a quiet sigh once Dean began leading the way once more.

It didn't take too long to reach New Haven, managing to find an empty house once they parked their cars a few houses down from where Lilith was supposedly staying. They stood inside one of the rooms on the second floor, eyes intently focused on the house across the street. The living room curtains were pulled back, showing a family seated in the dining room——a mom, a dad, a little girl, and a grandpa, who had just been killed by the little girl when she flicked her wrist. Sam held a pair of binoculars in his hand, able to see the mother tremble as she sliced a piece of cake that was placed on the table.

"It's the little girl," Dean stated. Birdie was standing to the left of him, eyes pinned to the house. Bobby and Sam were to the right of Dean, Sam on the very end. "God, her face is awful."

Sam lowered the binoculars, letting out a heavy breath. "Alright then, let's go," he said, starting to walk past them to make his way towards the door. "We're wasting time."

Dean grabbed hold of Sam just as he passed him, preventing him from getting any further. "Wait!"

"For what?" Sam demanded. "For her to kill the rest of them?"

"Yeah, and us too if we're not careful," Dean sharply replied. Sam slightly furrowed his brows, eyes narrowed. "Look," Dean said, nudging his head towards someone in front of the house, "See the real go-getter mailman on the clock at nine PM?" Sam held up the binoculars, seeing a mailman sorting through a pile of mail at the back of his van. Sam lowered the binoculars as Dean continued, pointing at someone else who was sitting inside their house, smoking a pipe as he read a book while he faced the open window with a roaring fire going in the fireplace behind him. "And Mr. Rogers over there."

"Demons?" Bobby asked.

"Yes," Dean said.

"Okay, fine. We-we ninja pass those guys, sneak in," Sam said, gesturing with his hand as he spoke. Birdie tilted her head, folding her arms over her chest.

"Then what? Give a Colombian necktie to a ten year old girl? Come on!"

"Look, Dean, I know it's awful."

"You think?"

"This isn't just about saving you, Dean," Sam told him. "This is about saving everybody."

"She's gotta be stopped, son," Bobby said in agreement.

Dean, who looked contemplative, turned around and looked at Bobby. Then he faced the window again as did Birdie, a sinking feeling brewing in the pit of her stomach. "Oh, damn it."

The mailman stood by the back of his truck, continuing to flip through the never ending pile of mail. When he heard the sound of something rustling nearby, he turned his head. His eyes fell on Dean, seeing him standing by a fence across the street with his eyes already on him. The mailman's eyes instantly turned black when seeing it was Dean Winchester and he took off after him.

Dean quickly ran in the opposite direction, the demon close behind. Dean rounded a corner of the house, and when the demon came around the same corner, Sam roughly grabbed him and stabbed him in his lower stomach with Ruby's knife. Sam turned the demon around and Birdie rushed up, putting her hand over the demon's mouth as he shouted to make sure that the other demons didn't hear him. Sam gritted his teeth, pulling out the knife as the body slumped into Birdie's arms. Then she dropped the body on the ground, letting out a huff as she looked towards Sam.

"Come on," Dean quietly said, beckoning Sam and Birdie to follow him. They hastily moved through the backyard, coming upon the house that a demon——the one with "Mr. Rogers" inside.

Birdie ran in between Sam and Dean, stumbling to a sudden stop when they saw the demon step outside. Dean quickly backed up, nudging Sam and Birdie to stand against the side of the house. Birdie pressed her back against the siding, breathing out sharp breaths. "Now what?" she whispered, glancing from Dean and then over to Sam.

"You go check on Bobby," Dean answered, stealing a glance around the corner to make sure the demon wasn't too close. "We'll handle the demons."

"But Dean——"

"We got this, Bird," Sam quietly said, nodding his head to reassure her when he saw her frown. "We'll meet you at the house."

Birdie quietly sighed, nodding in agreement. "Okay," she said. She turned her head, giving Dean a forced smile. "Be careful, okay?"

"Always am."

Birdie softly smiled and poked his nose, making her way back in the direction they'd come from. She stayed hidden in the shadows, making sure to be very aware of her surroundings just in case a demon happened to spot her.

She nearly made it back to the house, but then she spotted a demon lingering in the backyard of the house right next door. She winced and ducked behind a bush, puffing out her cheeks in annoyance. "Goddamnit," she huffed, "I was so close, too."

"No, you weren't."

Birdie sharply spun around, abruptly standing up when she saw a demon coming towards her. "God, shouldn't you all be downstairs doing, I don't know, torture or some shit like that?" Birdie queried.

"Well, we would be torturing your mother right about now, but. . ." the demon smirked, watching Birdie's features for any kind of reaction. However, when she just stared back at the demon with a blank expression, the demon tilted his head. "Why don't you seem surprised?"

Birdie nonchalantly shrugged, holding her hands out at her side. "I kinda had a feeling she'd end up there." The demon blinked back at Birdie, unable to hide their own surprise. Birdie just shrugged again, starting to reach for something in her pocket. "Tell her I said hi."

"Tell her yourself." Birdie grunted when she was suddenly grabbed from behind. Two arms slid under her own, raising her arms up and holding them up so she couldn't grab or punch. She gritted her teeth together, huffing as the demon in front of her wickedly smirked at her predicament. "Soon enough you'll see your mommy and daddy."

At that, the demon got a reaction from Birdie, making his smirk widen. "There it is!" he cheered, walking closer. "You're a daddy's girl, huh? I get it, though. If your mother was my mother, I'd have some pretty serious mommy issues, too."

"Surely you two have something better to do than try and mess with me, right?" Birdie huffed.

"Oh, darlin', we're gonna do a lot more than just mess with you," the demon holding her said, pulling her flush against them. Birdie grimaced. "We're gonna use you as bait for the Winchesters."

"See, they are each other's weakness, but they don't realize that they actually have one more," the demon in front of her said, his face now just inches away from Birdie's. "You."

Rather than responding, Birdie decided to take advantage of his closeness. She lifted up her leg, kicking the demon in his chest. He groaned from the force and tumbled onto his back, landing with a harsh thud. The demon holding Birdie growled and spun her to face him, but she picked up both of her legs, causing her to fall to the ground along with the demon. She rolled away, shakily breathing as she staggered back onto her feet.

"You're fucking dead, Birdie Fowler!"

Birdie took off in the direction Sam and Dean had been a few minutes ago, hoping that they'd made it to the house Lilith was inside. She could hear heavy footsteps behind her, urging her to go faster.

This wasn't part of their partial plan, but at this point, they'd sort of run out of any suitable plans; it was all what worked at the moment.

She could tell she was getting closer to the house that Lilith was in, trying to reach it before either of the demons caught up to her. But, one of the demons got just a little too close and managed to tackle Birdie to the ground. She loudly grunted, hissing as they grabbed her arm and yanked her onto her knees as he kneeled beside her. "Gotta hand it to you, Fowler," the demon holding her arm huffed as the other one came to stand in front of her, brows furrowed in anger, "You're a lot tougher than we thought you'd be."

"Well, you demons do have a knack for being incredibly fucking stupid," Birdie said, a smirk on her lips as she looked between the demons. She raised her other hand and punched the demon holding her, knocking them backwards. Then she grabbed a flask from her pocket, but the demon in front of her lunged forward and yanked it from her hands before he kicked her in the stomach.

She toppled onto her back, whimpering as the pain radiated through her lower abdomen. The demon carelessly tossed the flask to the side and stormed over to her, yanking her upwards by the front of her jacket. Birdie huffed, peering up at him in disgust. "You're pathetic," the demon sneered. "Just like your fuckin' father."

Birdie scrunched up her nose and rammed her head forward, headbutting the demon with as much force as she could muster. The demons hand dropped from her jacket and he staggered to the side with a hiss. The other demon lunged at Birdie after she got to her feet, but she stepped to the side and swung a fist, hitting the demon in the jaw. His head snapped to the side at the force, anger noticeably spiking as his eyes turned black when he faced the woman. Birdie stepped forward to punch him, but he dodged and countered it, his fist roughly colliding with her cheek.

She fell onto the grass again, something slipping out of her pocket. She missed it, instead kicking her leg out when one of the demons came at her from the side. His leg gave out from under him when she hit his leg, causing him to fall on his ass. She rolled onto her stomach and hastily picked herself back off the ground as her heartbeat echoed in her ears. She turned to face the demon, but just in time for something to swiftly glide right across her face.

She shrieked, clenching her eyes shut as a sharp pain traveled from her right cheek and towards her eyebrow. She gasped, not having any time to register what just happened as she was tackled. She grunted as two hands wrapped around her throat, feeling her airways begin to constrict as he began to choke her. She tried to pry his hands off, but he just tightened his grip, her legs unable to move as he kept her pinned down.

One of her hands felt to the side, feeling something that felt oddly familiar. She quickly undid the cap, swinging it onto the demon. He hissed as the holy water splashed onto his skin, causing him to let go of Birdie. The other demon snarled and rushed over, but Birdie did the same to him, watching them both to rub at their sizzling flesh. She panted and clambered back onto her feet, wasting no time in rushing towards the house.

She leapt over a small fence, finally seeing the house come into view. She paused when she saw the sprinklers out front were on, a row of demons standing out front as if waiting for it to stop so they could all go inside. Their heads turned to the side almost simultaneously, each one looking directly at Birdie with their black eyes. When the sound of rustling came from behind her, she rushed forward, running straight over one of the sprinklers just as the two demons reached the house. She stopped in the yard, letting out a breath of relief when seeing they had no way to pass.

She cheekily smirked, raising her hand and giving them the middle finger as water splashed onto her. "Who's pathetic now, you fucking assholes?"

Rather than waiting for a response, Birdie headed towards the front door. She lifted one of her hands up to her eye when she felt her eyelashes starting to stick together. When she pulled her hand back to see why it was wet, she saw blood. It wasn't just a little smear either——almost her entire hand was covered. Her eyes widened and she rushed inside the house, quickly closing the door behind her and locking it.

She tightly gripped the flask of holy water, blinking a few times as her vision in her right slightly blurred. She huffed, closing her eye as she rummaged in her pocket for something to hold there for the moment. She felt a balled up tissue, puffing out her cheeks at the fact that was all she had on her; it'd have to work for now. She gently pressed it over her eye, glancing to the side when she heard footsteps coming from the hall beside her.

Her gaze fell on Dean, a hardened expression on his face until he realized it was Birdie. He noticed the blood on her hand as well as the red soaking into the tissue. "Holy shit, Bird," Dean whispered, quickly walking towards her. He reached for the tissue, her hand dropping as he pulled it away to see what happened. His eyes widened in horror, seeing the gash that had gone clean over her eye——somehow just barely missing her eye. "What the fuck happened out there? Where's——"

"I didn't make it back to the house," she answered with a sigh. Dean frowned and reached his hand up towards Birdie's face. Birdie hissed when he pressed the tissue back on her eye to try and clean up some of the blood and prevent it from getting in her eye. "Two demons got me, and one of them did this."

"Motherfuckers," Dean grumbled, pulling the tissue away again. Concern was obvious on his features, partly blaming himself for what happened. She wouldn't even be there if it weren't for him. "You're. . .I think it needs stitches."

"Well that's gonna have to wait," Birdie said, pushing his hand away when he tried to put it back. "Where's Sam? And what about the family——"

"The family's safe in the basement, but Lilith——she's not in the little girl anymore. And Sam, he's with Ruby——"

"Ruby?! Didn't we——"

"I-I don't know what happened," Dean said, heavily sighing. "But we need to find them, and fast."

Birdie nodded. "Yeah, yeah."

"Come on," Dean said, placing his hand on her back to guide her down a different hallway.

"Okay, you win. What do I have to do?" Birdie heard Sam ask in the room up ahead.

"What do you mean?" That was definitely Ruby.

"To save Dean," Sam answered, Dean and Birdie finally entering the room. "What do you need me to do?"

Dean moved from Birdie's side and grabbed Sam from behind, trying to turn him around so they were facing each other. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?"

Sam started to pull away from Dean, barely looking at his big brother. "Just shut up for a second." He yanked his arm out of Dean's grasp, still facing Ruby. "Ruby!"

"You had your chance," she said. "You can't just flip a switch. We needed time."

"Well, there's gotta be something. There's gotta be some way——whatever it is——I'll do it." Dean came up behind Sam again, grabbing him. Sam struggled out of his grasp, pulling away to face him. "Don't, Dean! I'm not gonna let you go to hell, Dean!"

"Yes, you are!" Dean shouted, angrily looking at his brother to momentarily calm down. "Yes, you are."

Sam just stared at him, breathing hard. His eyes flickered to the side, doing a double take when he saw Birdie. She tiredly shook her head. "I'm-I'm fine," she softly said. "Don't worry about me."

Dean softly sighed, looking towards Sam. "I'm sorry. I mean, this is all my fault. I know that," he said. "But what you're doing, it's not gonna save me. It's only gonna kill you."

Sam looked away for a second, tears building up in his eyes. "Then, what am I supposed to do?"

Dean blinked a few times, feeling his own tears start to build up. Birdie shifted, biting the inside of her cheek as she tried to hold back her own tears. "Keep fightin'. And take care of my wheels," he said, sadly smiling. Sam titled his head slightly, not wanting to be doing the goodbyes. Sam, remember what Dad taught you. . .okay?" Sam tightly nodded, pursing his lips as he willed himself not to cry. "And remember what I taught you."

Then Dean turned, seeing the tears in Birdie's eyes as she met his gaze. "I'm gonna keep my promise," she softly said, forcing a smile onto her lips.

Dean silently nodded, tears continuing to build in his eyes. Moments later, they heard a grandfather clock tick, striking midnight. Dean slowly looked over at it, seeing what time it was. Then he looked over at Sam, who was also watching the grandfather clock. Birdie's lips fell open, seeing that it truly was midnight. Sam turned his head, tears beginning to spill down his cheeks as he faced his big brother. Dean gave him a tiny smile, trying to keep himself calm and hold back his tears for Sam's sake.

"I'm sorry, Dean," Ruby said, faintly shaking her head with a solemn expression. "I wouldn't wish this upon my worst enemy."

A low growl was heard just seconds later, causing Dean's face to instantly fall. Dean hesitantly turned his head, Sam and Birdie doing the same. "Hellhound," Dean softly said.

"Where?" Sam quietly asked.

"There."

Birdie and Sam looked in the direction that Dean was staring, but they didn't see anything. Though, they heard it's threatening growl. Ruby's face fell as well, seeing the hellhound standing beside the dining table.

The hellhound let out a bark and the four instantly bolted out of the room. Dean led the way, the hellhound quickly rushing after them. They sprinted down the narrow hall with the hellhound right behind them, snarling as its paws pounded against the wooden floors.

They sprinted into another room at the end of the hall, Sam and Ruby closing the double doors as they entered last. Ruby turned and pressed her hands against one of the doors, Sam keeping the other shut as the hellhound pounded against it to try and get inside so it could sink its teeth into Dean. Birdie stood in the middle of them and pressed her hands on both doors, sucking in sharp breaths as her heart rapidly pounded inside her chest.

Dean took out a bag with goofer dust inside and ran over, throwing himself down at the floor by the door. He frantically started pouring out the dust, making sure it was blocking the doorway. Ruby, Birdie, and Sam moved their feet as Dean poured it in front of the entire door, hearing the pounding suddenly stop for a second, causing them all to remain still for a moment. Dean then got up and bolted for the window, pouring the dust on the windowsill.

Ruby turned and walked up to Sam, peering up at him. "Give me the knife. Maybe I can fight it off."

Sam looked at her, a bit confused. "What?"

"Come on!" Ruby hastily shouted. Birdie gingerly touched the area by her eye, hissing as the slightest touch sent a sharp pain through the area. She quickly dropped her hand, eyes falling on Ruby. "That dust won't last forever."

Dean turned around at her shout, looking towards her with wide eyes. After a few seconds, Sam took out the knife and started to hand it over to Ruby.

"Wait!" Dean shouted.

Ruby tilted her head, a pissed expression appearing in her face with her eyes narrowed on Dean. "You wanna die?"

"Sam, that's not Ruby," Dean said. Sam and Birdie quickly faced the demon, hearts stopping. "It's not Ruby!"

Ruby hastily flung Sam against the wall when he went to stab her, causing him to drop the knife on the floor. Then she flung Dean back against the table behind him, pinning him there. Her eyes then snapped to the side, tossing Birdie into a bookshelf. She grunted at the harsh impact, her head hitting the ground as she crumbled on her back with an agonizing groan. Her eyes fluttered shut a few seconds later, "Ruby's" wicked smirk being the last thing she saw before she slipped into unconsciousness.

Dean grunted as he managed to lift his head under her hold, looking towards the demon. Sam turned his head, eyes falling on the woman with his lips parted. "How long you been in her?" Dean asked.

"Ruby's" entire facial expression changed, becoming almost childlike. "Not long," Lilith answered, looking down at her newfound body as she spoke. "But I like it. It's all grown up and pretty." She looked up at Dean again, her eyes turning white.

Dean grunted, struggling against Lilith's hold to keep his head up. "And where's Ruby?" Sam asked.

Lilith's eyes turned back to normal before she looked towards Sam. "She was a very bad girl, so I sent her far, far away." She tilted her head more and more with each word she spoke, making it crunch with each tilt.

"You know, I should have seen it before," Dean said. "But you all look alike to me."

Ruby narrowed her eyes, but then she looked towards Sam again. "Hello, Sam," she said, tilting her head as she stepped in front of him. "I've wanted to meet you for a very long time." She leaned in close, grabbing hold of his chin. She brought her face close to Sam's, forcing her lips against his. Dean gritted his teeth, still unable to move. "Your lips are soft."

Sam moved his head up to the side, trying to get loose from her hand. "Right, so you have me. Let my brother go," he said, looking down on her.

"Silly goose. You wanna bargain, you have to have something that I want," she said. Lilith clicked her tongue against her teeth, tilting her head again. "You don't."

"So, is this your big plan, huh?" Sam and Lilith turned their heads in Dean's direction as he spoke. "Drag me to Hell. Kill Sam. And then what? Become queen bitch?"

"I don't have to answer to puppy chow."

Dean made a pained expression, struggling against Lilith's powerful hold that was growing stronger. A small smile appeared on her lips as she silently walking towards the door. Dean and Sam's eyes closely followed her, seeing her grab the door handle.

"Sic 'em, boy."

Sam snapped his head towards Dean just as Dean looked over at him and then back at the door. Lilith opened the door, the goofer dust blowing away the second she did. The hellhound barked and raced into the room as Lilith just laughed, smiling in amusement.

The hellhound grabbed hold of Dean by his legs with its talons for teeth, pulling him down from the table as he screamed. It began to rip at his legs as Sam was pressed against the wall, completely helpless to save his brother.

"No! Stop!" Sam shouted, fear and adrenaline coursing through his body as he could only watch his brother get torn to bits. Birdie remained motionless on the other side of the room, completely unaware of what was happening to Dean.

Lilith looked over at Sam and then back down at Dean, watching the hellhound continue to attack him without so much as batting an eye. It slashed at his right leg with blood immediately beginning to pour from the long gash, now clawing at his chest. Dean turned over onto his stomach, shouting in pain. Sam scrunched up his face, sharply turning his head towards Lilith as she continued to wickedly smile. "STOP IT!"

The hound clawed Dean on the middle of his back and then his shoulder, blood spurting from the wounds as he was rolled over onto his back. Dean hollered in pure agony, his entire body searing with an intense pain unlike anything he'd ever felt before.

"No!"

The hellhound slashed his chest again with its claws, blood gushing out from the wounds and staining his clothes and the wooden floor. More and more gashes were made in a matter of seconds, the hellhound using Dean as its own personal chew toy. Sam watched in horror, more tears brewing in his eyes as his brother screamed in agony with each slash that was made. More and more blood dripped down onto the floor, smearing across the floor whenever he moved or the hellhound moved him.

His screams soon started to quiet, causing Sam's eyes to widen.

"No. Stop it." Dean's face slowly started to fall, struggling to keep his head up. "STOP IT!" The blood just poured and poured out of Dean's chest, no longer screaming while his heart rate began to slow like he was beginning to fade away. "NO!"

Lilith grinned. "Yes."

She held out her hand with her eyes now completely white again, a white light erupting from the palm of her hand. As it built up, Sam clenched his eyes shut and turned away, accepting his fate. But then Lilith slowly lowered her hand after a few seconds, eyes returning to normal. She let out a shaky breath, looking confused and shocked as she stared at Sam.

Sam had slumped onto the floor, huddled in a corner next to a cabinet while holding his hands up in front of his face. When he noticed that nothing had happened and the light was gone, he slowly lowered his hands. He picked his head up, picking himself up off the floor with his darkened eyes fallen on Lilith. She watched him move, looking rather afraid.

Birdie sucked in a shaky breath, blinking as she found herself staring up at the ceiling. There was a sharp pain in her back, causing her to grit her teeth together. She turned her head to the side, eyes widening in horror when she saw Dean laid on the ground, unmoving as blood stained his clothes. Her eyes darted towards Sam and Lilith, seeing him darkly glaring at the demon.

Lilith held out her hand and looked at Sam with narrowed eyes. "Back," she firmly ordered. Nothing happened. Sam sucked in a deep breath and started walking towards her. "I said, back."

Birdie carefully pushed herself up, gaze landing on Dean again. This time she saw the dozens of gashes and slashes that had been into his body. Her lips parted in terror, crawling towards him to kneel beside him. His blood on the ground seeped into her clothes, his opened ups blankly looking up at her. Birdie glanced back over her shoulder, watching Sam bend down and pick up Ruby's knife, a determined look on his features. Lilith quickly stepped back, Sam's hate filled eyes peering straight into the demon. He lifted the knife, preparing to stab her with it. "I don't think so."

He pulled back his hand and went to stab her, but suddenly Lilith exited Ruby's body. The black smoke spilled from the body as she screamed, escaping through the vent above her. Ruby's body then collapsed to the floor off to the side of Dean. Birdie flinched at the sound, her eyes darting towards Sam where she caught his gaze.

Sam lowered his hand with a shaky exhale, dropping the knife to the floor. Sam turned slightly, unable to take his eyes away from his big brothers body. Birdie looked back down at Dean, her bottom lip wobbling as tears started to pour down her face.

Tears streamed down Sam's face as he moved closer to his brother, kneeling on the other side of Dean. Birdie shifted, sniffling as Sam gently picked Dean up in his arms, holding him close as Dean's lifeless eyes continued to look up at the ceiling.

"No," Sam cried, his bottom lip wobbling as more and more tears fell. "No. . .Dean."

Sam clenched his eyes shut and lowered his head, sniffling. Birdie's bottom lip wobbled, one hand resting on Dean's arm. She could feel her heart breaking inside, the realization that Dean was in fact dead sinking in. She closed her eyes and lowered her head, not even moving as the sound of footsteps hurried into the room.

"Dean——" The footsteps halted, a faint gasp being heard next as they saw the sight in front of them. Then they walked closer, sinking down next to Birdie. "No. . ."

Birdie silently shook her head, crying harder as Bobby wrapped his arm around her and pulled her into his side. She leaned into his embrace, her tears falling and falling with no end in sight.

After all that they each had done to try and save Dean, none of it mattered.

Dean Winchester was dead, and there was nothing they could do about it.

⋅ ∙ ∘ ☽ ༓ ☾ ∘ ⋅ ⋅

Honestly, I wasn't even gonna put a note here, but I thought I probably should give you guys a little info about act two now that we're finally done with act one!

I am still prewriting act two, but i've gotten quite a bit done and have a LOT in store for Birdie and the boys (which I know I've said a lot, but I know not everyone reads these notes or all of them)! But, I'm sure you all already know how act two will probably start and what happens throughout season 4, but there's been some changes + some new ideas i've added in that I truly hope you all will like!

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