XLVI. NO BODY, NO CRIME.

☽ ༓ ☾

RAIN HAD NEVER poured down as harshly as it did the day Birdie Fowler died.

Storms of all varieties had spread across the entire United States, making the ground tremble with each rumble of thunder that echoed across the blackened skies. Thunder and lightning storms were almost everywhere, rain just drenching the ground with no end in sight. Tornadoes were forming and destroying everything that stood in its path, devastating thousands of towns. Hurricanes headed for the coasts, growing stronger and more deadlier the closer it got to washing over land. Fear was everywhere, staining the earth as something even more sinister returned after years of being locked away in a daunting cage. Some people knew what was happening⎯⎯⎯they could feel it, an eerie chill that traveled up their spines and twisted the insides of their stomachs like they were about to vomit. Illnesses⎯⎯⎯both current and ones that hadn't been around for centuries, more natural disasters, rampant riots, and just about every kind of other thing that could go wrong had occurred simultaneously when Lucifer was freed from his cage.

Demons alike celebrated their sweet, sweet victory as the terrible news spread like wildfire, tormenting innocent people and families and running amok in order to show their joy at the archangels' newfound freedom.

And, none of that would have been possible if it wasn't for Dean Winchester breaking the first seal in Hell and Sam Winchester breaking the last one.

Of course neither of the boys knew that those were seals until after, and it was too late to turn back now.

Lucifer was free and there was nothing they could do to change it.

Sam shook his head as he stared at his reflection in the crooked mirror, his gruff hands trembling as he tightly gripped the ledge of the sink for some kind of support. Dean was just outside the door, probably cursing at Sam in his head over and over again for not listening to him from the very start. He let out a shaky breath, clenching his eyes shut as Ruby's manipulative voice echoed inside his head. He tried and tried to drown it out, to push the wretched demon to the very back of his already racing mind, but it was no use.

The scene was put on repeat and he could do nothing but rewatch it unfold yet again.

Blood ooozed from Lilith's body in a steady stream, gradually flowing into the middle of the room as if it was being done deliberately. Sam furrowed his brows together as he cautiously walked closer, watching the blood with confusion. He glanced over at Ruby as she moved closer as well, looking at the blood again. It had to be moving with purpose, but how?

"What the hell?" Sam asked.

"I can't believe it," Ruby whispered.

"Ruby, what's going on?" Sam asked, noticing the blood was starting to form a circle on the ground.

"You did it," Ruby whispered, keeping her gaze on the blood before she finally faced Sam. She knew something that Sam didn't. "I mean, it was a little touch-and-go there for a while, but. . .you fuckin' did it, Sam."

Sam shook his head, looking at Ruby with confusion and urgency. "What? What-what did I do?"

"You opened the door." Sam's entire face crumbled, not missing the wicked smile that spread across Ruby's lips. "And now he's free at last. He's free at last!"

Sam firmly shook his head in denial, eyes wide as he gestured to Lilith's body. He knew exactly what she meant. "No, no, no. No, he━━━Lilith━━━I-I stopped her. I fucking killed her!"

"'And it is written that the first demon shall be the last seal,'" Ruby quoted. Sam let out a shaky breath, eyes growing even wider. He took a step back, his hands going to cradle his head as he stepped around Ruby. He couldn't believe it. No, that couldn't be happening. "And you bust her open. Now guess who's coming to dinner."

"Oh, my god," Sam breathed in disbelief. His heart started to beat faster, his breathing becoming uneven and frantic.

"Guess again."

There was a thudding on the door, but Sam didn't even register it as his mind raced. His entire world came crashing down around him in a matter of seconds, realizing that he'd played right into the demon's hands, that Ruby had been playing him the whole fucking time, and that Dean was right.

He wanted so badly to do the right thing, to show that despite the demon blood that pumped through his veins, he wasn't evil nor was he a monster.

Now no one would believe that.

And little did he know right then that the one person who still would've believed in him was already dead.

Ruby turned towards Sam, noticing his distress as he caught her eye. "You don't even know how hard this was━━━all the demons out for my fucking head. No one knew. I was the best of those sons of bitches! The most loyal! Not even fucking Alastair knew! Only Lilith!" Sam clenched his jaw and his fists, the fury evident in his eyes. Ruby noticed, her smile falling ever so slightly. "Yeah, I'm sure you're a little angry right now, but, I mean, come on, Sam! Even you have to admit━━━I'm-I'm fucking awesome!"

"You bitch," Sam seethed, "You lying, fucking bitch!"

He held his hands out to her, causing some of Ruby's hair to be pushed back like there was a gust of wind, but it did nothing to the demon. Sam dropped to the ground, clutching his head as he fell back against the steps behind him. Sam painfully gasped, panting as he pushed himself up to lean against the steps for some kind of support.

Ruby just sadly watched him, letting out a tired sigh. "Don't hurt yourself, Sammy. It's useless. You shot your payload on the boss."

"The blood. . .Felicity poisoned me, and you helped her."

"No. It wasn't the blood, or even Felicity or me. It was you. . .and your choices, and well, Birdie's, too. Felicity and I just gave you guys the options, and you chose the right path every time," Ruby said, walking closer to stand in front of Sam. His eyes widened, taking another look at the moving blood. It was now in the shape of a circle, slowly forming odd lines in the middle. He looked up at Ruby again, an unsettling feeling washing over him when the demon smiled. "You didn't need the feather to fly, you had it in you the whole time, Dumbo. I know it's hard to see it now. . ." Ruby said, kneeling in front of Sam. He made a face, turning his head away with distaste. Ruby reached up, stroking the sides of Sam's face despite seeing his discomfort. "But this is a miracle━━━so long coming. Everything Azazel did, and Lilith did. Just to get you here. And you were the only one who could do it."

"Why?" Sam asked, tears looming in his sorrowful eyes. "W-why me?"

"Because. . .because it had to be you, Sammy. It always had to be you." Sam closed his eyes and Ruby touched his shoulders, trying to get him to look at her again. Her hands returned to the sides of his face, forcing him to look at her when he refused. "You saved us. You set him free. And he's gonna be grateful. He's gonna repay you in ways that you can't even begin to imagine."

Sam clenched his eyes shut, shaking his head. He didn't want to believe it. "No, this can't be happening━━━"

"It is," Ruby nodded, softly chuckling under her breath. "It's a shame Birdie won't be around to see it."

Sam's eyes snapped open, feeling like a dagger had just punctured his heart. "Wh-what?" he stammered.

Ruby let out a sigh, nonchalantly shrugging her shoulders. "I'm sorry Sam, but she and Felicity didn't want to be a part of this anymore."

Sam shook his head, staring at the demon. "What did you do?"

"It wasn't me. Dean got to them before I could. They said you were a monster!"

Sam blinked at those words, the dagger plunging further into his heart.

Surely Birdie wouldn't say that━━━she's the one person who'd never said that. She always stood up for him, protected him even if it would have cost her her life. She never called him any hateful names or beat him down for his mistakes━━━she was his number one supporter no matter what he said or did.

"No, she━━━"

"I had to clip her wings━━━hers and Felicity's," Ruby said, softly smiling as if it was meant to be a good thing. Sam stared back at Ruby, lips parted in horror. "They won't be a problem for either of us anymore."

Sam's eyes snapped open, quickly backing away from the sink.

He nervously gulped, backing himself up against the wall. His teary eyes bored into his reflection, not missing the prominent bags under his eyes. He ran his hands over his face, shaking his head as he finally managed to get the replay out of his head. He dropped his hands down at his sides and stepped forward, turning on the faucet. He bent down, splashing some cold water onto his face to try and calm his frantic heart. It trickled down the sides of his face, dripping down onto the counter. Then he turned the water off and picked up the towel, rubbing the remaining water from his face with a deep breath. He carelessly tossed it back on the counter and grabbed the door handle, slightly frowning as he exited the bathroom.

He ran a hand through his messy hair, halting in his steps when there was suddenly a knock on the door. His eyes immediately darted to Dean, seeing his big brother tense and pick up his gun from beside him as he sat on one of the beds. It'd been hours since they last talked to anyone and only one other person knew where they were; Bobby. But, he was still hours away and couldn't have already reached the motel in such a short amount of time.

Sam cautiously crept over to the door and looked out of the tiny peephole, furrowing his brows together as he partially opened the door. There was a shorter woman with shiny black hair, tawny skin, and dark brown eyes peering up at him. She wore a striped sweater and dark jeans with holes in the knees, some light makeup making her prominent features pop. Something about her felt oddly familiar to Sam, almost as if he'd seen her somewhere before.

"Can I help you?" Sam asked, part of his body hidden behind the door as a safety precaution. His weary eyes examined her, watching for any sudden movements or oddities. After everything that had happened, he and Dean couldn't take any chances with strangers. They all posed a threat unless proven otherwise.

The woman twisted her lips and let out a heavy sigh, shaking her head as she simply brushed past Sam and walked into the room. Dean abruptly shot up from the bed but the woman held her hands up, eyes growing wide when she saw the gun in his hand. "Wait, wait!" she pleaded, desperation in her voice as she frantically looked between the brothers. She stopped by the TV stand, heart already racing with the looks she saw on the Winchesters' faces. "Please, this is important."

"Who the hell are you?" Sam harshly demanded, eyes glaring into the woman. He took in her appearance again, her face reappearing in his mind. He saw her in a diner, a smile on her lips as she talked to. . .Birdie. That was why he recognized her.

It was Tatum Bradley.

"You're that bartender," Dean said, suspiciously narrowing his eyes as he took a few steps closer, standing by the end of the bed. He remembered her, too.

She nervously gulped, glancing between Sam and Dean as she kept her hands raised. The brothers shared a silent look with one another, causing her to frown. She knew going there was a big risk showing her face, but she had to find them and tell them what happened. They weren't going to like it one bit, but she to do it━━━for Birdie.

"Well, actually. . .I'm-I'm not," she admitted, a sorrowful look in her eyes. Sam furrowed his brows together, standing a little taller as if steadying himself like he thought she was going to attack them at any moment. After spending months getting to know the brothers, she had an inkling as to how they would react when she told them who she was. No reaction would be in her favor. "I'm. . .Felicity."

Dean's face hardened but Felicity kept her hands up, trying to show that she didn't mean any harm, and that was the truth.

Dean didn't even know Felicity existed until two days ago, nor was he even aware of what kind of creature she was. He and Bobby couldn't find any lore on Demithans. Most of what Bobby knew about them was only from stories and myths that were passed down through the years. None of it was ever proven to be factual, though. Dean was determined to find out what she was after everything she'd done to him, Sam, and Birdie.

Felicity had built quite some trust with Sam and Birdie alongside Ruby, but even after she started to go against her and Ruby's plans, she didn't think that would ever make up for months of lying and deceiving all of them. Perhaps, if she'd managed to actually save Birdie from Ruby, that could've made it just a tad bit better. But, that didn't happen.

She failed.

She thought she could find her true vessel and get back to the barn in time, but she was too late.

After she managed to find her vessel━━━who was incredibly drunk and had just finished fighting with an older woman who Felicity later learned was Tatum's mother━━━Felicity returned to the barn as fast as possible. She could feel adrenaline coursing through her bones, a strange feeling of confidence flooding her as being in her true vessel was rapidly healing her and restoring her powers faster than ever before. She rushed inside the barn with her eyes immediately darting to where Birdie had been laid, causing her to halt in her steps.

She frantically shook her head, quickly rushing over as she sank to her knees. Tearshad brewed in her eyes, reaching out to touch the now empty spot.

Birdie was gone.

Sam's shoulders slightly sank, his eyes widening. Ruby's words echoed inside his head, a dreadful feeling washing over him.

"I had to clip her wings━━━hers and Felicity's," Ruby said, softly smiling as if it was meant to be a good thing. "They won't be a problem."

Dean took a step forward and Felicity shook her head, hands slightly shaking as she kept them up. She knew nothing they had could kill her, but she wanted to prevent a fight from occurring if it was possible. The last thing she wanted was to hurt them more than she already had. She just wanted to say her part and then leave as quickly as possible. "Please, Sam, Dean, just hear me out━━━"

"'Hear you out?'" Dean repeated in complete disbelief, coming to stand beside Sam. He was still holding his gun, but his grip was even tighter now with his knuckles almost white. "Give me one fucking reason why I shouldn't just fu━━━"

"Ruby said she killed you," Sam interjected, staring at the woman in confusion. Ruby had also included someone else's name in her confession, but Sam couldn't bring himself to say it outloud.

Felicity let out a shaky breath, slowly lowering her hands as she stole a glance at Dean. Dean kept his narrowed eyes trained on her, waiting for any reason for him to use his gun on her. He hoped she would give him a reason. It might not have worked on her, but he didn't care. He wanted revenge. "She. . .she tried, but it didn't work," Felicity said.

"How?"

"She didn't have the right spell," Felicity answered. "It's-it's a process to kill me, but I didn't come here to talk about that."

Sam shifted his feet, licking his lips as the weight lingered on his already heavy shoulders. "And what about. . .what about Birdie?" Felicity's face faltered, tears brewing in her eyes seconds later. A glimpse of Birdie's body popped into her mind, but she forced it to the very back of her mind for now. Sam shook his head when he noticed Felicity's tears, clenching his jaw. "No, she-she's not━━━"

"Sam, I'm so sorry━━━"

"She can't be. If you survived, maybe there's a chance she━━━"

Dean clenched his jaw, eyes harshly burning into Felicity. "How did you survive?" he demanded to know, trying not to think of Birdie's body just lying somewhere, eyes shut as blood and bruises covered her skin from the brutal fight with Ruby.

Felicity sniffled, sucking in a sharp breath. "I. . .I left Birdie, but I had to get to━━━"

"You left her━━━"

"I thought if I got to the right vessel, I could make it back to her in time to save her," Felicity quickly defended, voice growing louder as more tears brewed in her eyes. There were tears in both of the boys' eyes, not wanting to accept the fact that the friend was dead━━━murdered like so many other hunters━━━a hunter's death, to be exactly. "But when I got back. . ."

"But what, Felicity?"

Felicity hesitated. She knew how they would react to the news, though they deserved to know the truth. She was done lying to them. All it had done was cause more pain and problems than she ever intended.

"Answer him, bitch!"

Felicity sucked in a heavy breath, her bottom lip wobbling as she looked at Sam again. "Her body was gone."

"Wh-well maybe she━━━"

"No, Sam," Felicity interrupted, shaking her head before he could even finish his sentence and get his hopes up. She knew what he was going to say, what he was desperately hoping had actually happened. But, Felicity saw Birdie take her last breath. She was dead. She wasn't sure what happened to Birdie's body, but with how much Ruby hated Felicity and Birdie. . .she couldn't help but wonder if the demon came back to dispose of the body to make sure they couldn't come back. "She's. . .she's dead. I-I don't know what happened to her body, but I was too late to save her. I'm sorry."

"Alright, I'm fuckin' done listening to this bullshit," Dean snapped, grabbing Ruby's knife off the edge of the bed as he put his gun in it's place.

"Dean, wait━━━"

"Fuck you, Felicity," Sam snapped, chest puffed with anger as his eyes burned into Felicity. "All these months. . .you were fucking working with Ruby, tricking me and Birdie━━━using Birdie, and all for what? For-for fucking Lucifer━━━"

Felicity frantically shook her head, tears still lingering in her eyes as she stared at the Winchesters. Dean was closer to her now, seething as he waited for the perfect moment to use Ruby's knife. Sam's fists were clenched at his sides, feet parted with just enough distance "Yes, I was working with her, but I changed my mind," Felicity said, taking a step back when Dean narrowed his eyes. "But I swear I didn't know that she was working for Lilith or that killing her would━━━"

"Bull-fucking-shit. Like you didn't know," Dean snapped, walking closer. Felicity sucked in a sharp breath, but she didn't move as Dean came to a stop directly in front of her. His lips were twisted into a snarl, eyes harshly burning into Felicity's. "We're gonna kill you."

Felicity let out a sigh as she looked from Dean and over to Sam. "I know this won't mean anything to either of you, but I am sorry. I never meant for any of this to happen."

Dean raised the knife as Sam angrily shook his head, but their expressions turned into surprise when Felicity disappeared right before their eyes. Dean's eyes widened, quickly looking around the room for the woman.

He caught Sam's eye, clenching his jaw. "Did you know she could do that?"

"No," Sam answered, a distant look in his eyes. "But there's probably a lot she can do that I don't know about. . ."

Dean's eyes lingered on his little brother, noticing how he was holding back tears. Hearing Ruby say she killed Birdie was one thing. She could've been lying, trying to get into their heads━━━it could've been for any reason and still not be the truth. Felicity was just as deceiving, yet Sam found himself still believing her somehow. She said she saw Birdie's lifeless body, something Sam had nearly seen months ago until Felicity came along and started to heal Birdie.

But now. . .they weren't sure what to believe.

Dean walked over to the table and set Ruby's knife down, taking a few steps closer to Sam with his brows furrowed together. "If. . .if her. . .body. . .wasn't there. . ." Dean started, folding his arms over his chest as Sam faced him, "Then where the hell did her body go?"

☽ ༓ ☾

Birdie didn't expect to open her eyes ever again.

Seeing the faces of those she loved flashing inside her mind like a movie, she knew that was the end of the line for her.

She could feel her body slowly going numb, her heart rate decreasing more and more as her body succumbed to her wounds. As scary as dying seemed to most people, Birdie didn't fear the sensation. The world had quieted around her, only hearing the voices inside her head. She didn't even wonder where the afterlife would take her once she took her last breath━━━she knew for a fact where she would go: Hell.

Demons would surely relish in another hunter being brought down to them, a plaything for them to rip into with no remorse for all eternity. A never ending stream of demons would undoubtedly be waiting to take their turn tormenting Birdie, doing every unspeakable thing to her to punish her in return for what she'd done to them. A new kind of pain would be brought upon her, breaking her in ways that only the most cruel and monstrous people should feel.

But, that didn't happen.

Birdie's eyes slowly fluttered open, blinking up at the darkness that completely surrounded her. Her senses gradually began to come back to her, a familiar scent filling her nose as she stirred awake. Though, she couldn't quite place the smell and how she knew it. Her fingers twitched slightly at her sides, rubbing against something that felt like soft fabric of some sort. She knitted her brows together, blinking a few times as she heard something shuffle across the room.

'Wait. . .aren't I supposed to be dead?'

Flashes of Felicity fighting Ruby flooded Birdie's mind like a tidal wave, a sudden gasp escaping her chapped lips. She shot up, frantically looking around to try and figure out where she was. It was rather dark wherever she was, but there were a couple of windows in the room that allowed some moonlight to enter. It appeared to be a motel room of some sorts, another bed a few feet away from hers with a duffel bag tossed on the ground by it. There were too many shadows projecting across the room, causing her heart rate to quicken almost instantly. There was movement in front of her and she held out her hands as a figure suddenly appeared right in front of her.

"No! No! NO! Get the fuck away from━━━"

"Birdie! Birdie, hey, it's okay! It's okay!" a voice soothingly said, their touch on her shoulders somehow comforting her. She relaxed slightly, looking straight at the figure as they kneeled down in front of her. "I gotcha, kiddo. I'm right here. You're safe."

A shaky breath managed to slip past her lips, confusion still etched on her features. When one of the window curtains fluttered as the heat clicked on, the moonlight illuminated the figure's face for just a few seconds. The figure smiled at Birdie as they locked eyes, reaching up to gently touch the side of her face.

Birdie's eyes widened, examining their features as she sat perfectly still━━━too stunned to speak or move a single muscle.

The figures soft blue eyes stared right into Birdie's brown ones, a scar right across their eye; it was almost identical to Birdie's, but theirs was on their left eye rather than their right like Birdie's was. There were some bags evident under their narrow eyes, something Birdie almost didn't catch until the light shined on their face again. There was some slight stubble all along their jaw, a warm smile still on their lips as they stared at Birdie.

Birdie's eyes widened, shaking her head in disbelief. "Dad?"