CHAPTER FOUR:
COME SAIL AWAY.

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IT WAS NEVER said that Birdie had very many friends. Growing up as the only child of two hunters that traveled the United States while they slew over hundreds of heinous monsters up until the day they died, it was safe to assume that making friends wasn't something Birdie had learned to do; nor was it one of the things her mother found essential for her daughter to know how to do. It hadn't helped that Birdie's so-called "quirks" sometimes settled her with the "weird new girl" title whenever she was forced into attending yet another new school. It was a feeble attempt by her mother for Birdie to continue her education while her parents worked on cases; that is if they didn't drop her off at Bobby's. It wasn't easy, and her parents knew it, too, but there wasn't much they could do.

"There are lives at stake, honey. We need to think of the big picture," Serena Fowler would always say as if it excused everything she did or forced Birdie to do. Though Reese did do his best to encourage his daughter to try and find something she enjoyed when she was left alone——whether it was painting, writing, drawing, playing an instrument or two, or knitting——it didn't matter what it was.

He wanted Birdie to at least get a taste of a normal childhood as she'd been robbed of ever having one the day she was born.

Yet, it wasn't until near the end of her freshman year that she finally found something she was rather good at——besides killing monsters or annoying the Winchester brothers——thanks to another lonely girl who took a chance at getting to know Birdie instead of writing her off like everyone else.

"Aaaaaand another one bites the dust."

"Shut the fuck up."

"You always have been a sore loser."

"I haven't lost yet, asshole."

Kaiya Hamed peeked across the Battleship set as they sat at the kitchen table, all but one of Birdie's ships sunken while four of Kaiya's still remained perfectly unbothered. "It's just a matter of time, Bird," Kaiya smugly hummed, softly giggling at the disgruntled expression on Birdie's features.

Birdie grumbled under her breath, rolling her eyes as she huffed at her friend's cockiness. She carefully examined the board in front of her, still struggling to figure out where Kaiya's ships were placed as she gnawed on her bottom lip in thought.

How hadn't she hit any more of Kaiya's ships by now?

But, as a thought suddenly struck her, she loudly gasped and leaned back so her face was in full view for Kaiya. Her eyes were wide, gawking at Kaiya who was suspiciously eying the hunter in front of her. "You motherfucker," Birdie snapped, standing up with a fire burning in her eyes. Kaiya tried to protest, attempting to cover up her side of the board as if it would hinder Birdie like she already knew what the woman thought. "You don't have the rest of your ships on there, do you?"

"Birdie, wait——" Birdie quickly leaned over the table to see Kaiya's side, nearly shrieking in annoyance and triumph when seeing she was right; there were only two ships put up on Kaiya's side. "No, that's not——"

"I fucking knew it!" Birdie shouted, pointing an accusing finger at her one and only female friend. "Everyone puts a ship on C4. It's-it's like an unspoken rule!"

Kaiya gaped, breathing out a laugh as she stared up at Birdie. "I don't think that's true," she said, shaking her head and folding her arms on the table. "Maybe it is for hunters since not all of them are in their right minds, but for average people, I don't think everyone puts a battleship on C4."

Birdie let out an exasperated sigh, plopping back down in the chair across from Kaiya.

It'd only been a few years since Kaiya found out about what Birdie actually did for a living after the woman came and saved Kaiya's life when a demon started making trouble in her town. Birdie had feared Kaiya would tell her to stay away after finding out, but thankfully, she hadn't minded in the slightest. She thought it was rather brave of Birdie to fight monsters in order to save the lives of people she didn't even know.

That same day, Birdie told Kaiya that it was what Sam, Dean, and Bobby also did, giving the woman the shortened version of how she actually met them. Kaiya had met them a few times throughout the years, but they usually never stuck around long enough to have a proper conversation with Kaiya——that was until Kaiya was told the truth and their conversations got a bit more exciting.

It was a little confusing when Birdie started to explain all of the different kinds of monsters, giving Kaiya tips on how to spot them, and if necessary, how to kill or trap them. Which, as Birdie had noticed the last time she visited Kaiya's house, Kaiya's utensils had been completely replaced with real silver, an entire cabinet in her kitchen and a shelf in her bedroom were filled with an entire collection of salt, and she had a few iron-based decorations as a precaution. Birdie was rather impressed, figuring her home would've looked the same if she actually had her own place——just maybe with a few more weapons than before.

Birdie shifted in her chair and playfully narrowed her eyes. "Are you trying to insult m——"

"No, I'm not talking about Sam or Dean, or even grandpa," Kaiya said, teasingly rolling her eyes.

Birdie let out a light scoff as she leaned against the chair, folding her arms over her chest as she raised a brow. "Well, actually, I was gonna say me," she snickered. "But, if you were gonna say them, you wouldn't be wrong. They're probably the weirdest ones of all——just don't ever let Bobby hear you call him grandpa."

"I know, and don't worry, I won't," Kaiya answered with a hum, mimicking Birdie's posture. "I just wanted to see if I could get you all riled up again."

Birdie pursed her lips, shooting Kaiya a bitter glare. "Shithead," she muttered under her breath, quietly laughing a few moments later. "You know, I think that promotion's gone straight to your head."

"Oh, is that so?" Kaiya taunted, tilting her head as if challenging Birdie.

Birdie firmly nodded, a small grin creeping up on her face as she stared across at Kaiya. "Yeah, it is, but. . .I am still happy for you," she said. Kaiya had been working extremely hard at Hallace Enterprise——a business that dealt with marketing for big brands——in hopes of being promoted after being there for nearly five years. She worked harder than anyone else there, putting up with more than what Birdie would have in hopes that it would pay off in the end. And finally, her boss took notice of all she'd done and promoted her. It came with even more responsibilities, but Kaiya was more than ready to take it all on. She wasn't going to let her efforts go to waste.

"It was about time your boss actually gave you credit for all your hard work," Birdie said.

Kaiya softly smiled in return, letting out a content sigh as she stood up and slowly started to make her way towards the counter behind Birdie, pausing beside the blonde woman. "Want some more hot chocolate?" Birdie gave Kaiya an incredulous look as her response. Kaiya lightly chuckled, rolling her eyes with a cheeky grin tugged on her glossy lips. "Right, of course. Extra marshmallows, too."

Birdie brightly grinned. "You know me so well."

Kaiya chuckled again, picking up Birdie's mug so she could refill. Hers was still on the table beside an extra container of battleships, marshmallows floating around the rim and growing smaller by the minute. "That I do," she said, retrieving one of the hot chocolate packets from the cabinet above her head. "Though, I still don't understand why you didn't want Sam or Dean here, too."

Birdie puffed out her cheeks, pushing herself up to stand by the island counter. Kaiya was on the other side, finishing up Birdie's hot chocolate for her while stealing glances at the slightly younger woman. "I wasn't really in the mood to listen to Dean flirt with you the entire stay," she said, lazily leaning her elbows on the counter. Kaiya giggled to herself, facing Birdie and sliding the mug across the counter to her once it was ready. "And Sam. . .he's. . .he's got a lot on his plate right now."

"But doesn't he always, though?" Kaiya pressed, curiosity etched in her tone. She wasn't close with the brothers, but Birdie did tell Kaiya some of the things that went on in their lives. She was shocked when she first found out Sam's college girlfriend, Jessica Moore——who Birdie had really liked—was murdered, and in the same tragic way that Sam and Dean's mother. It seemed to never end after that with John dying, Sam disappearing for a week and becoming possessed by a bitch of a demon, Sam and Dean literally having to close the Gates of Hell, and so many other things that Kaiya had lost track of it all. And, with everything else that went on——monster-related or not——Kaiya knew their lives were incredibly hectic. "And, so do you and Dean. All three of you hunt monsters for crying out loud."

Birdie twisted her lips, glancing down at her mug. She'd been hunting for almost as long as she could properly hold a gun——stopping monsters just came naturally to her. "It is a lot, but. . .someone's gotta do it."

"So long as Sam's right there beside you, right?"

Birdie's head instantly shot up, eyes nearly tripled in size at what Kaiya was insinuating. "What? No——"

"Bird, please," Kaiya interjected, firmly placing her hands on the countertop to look directly at Birdie. "I'm not blind. I can see the way you look at him——"

"With annoyance?" Birdie offered, raising her brows. "Because I look at him and Dean that way, and you too, but you already knew that."

Kaiya heavily sighed. "And there you go deflecting again."

Birdie gaped, throwing her hands out at her sides in exasperation. "Deflecting? I'm-I'm not deflecting, Kai," she adamantly denied. "Sam's just a friend." Kaiya smugly hummed, shooting Birdie a smirk that made her blood boil. "He is!"

"Are you sure? He——"

"Kaiya, I do love Sam, but he is just a friend, just like Dean," Birdie said, voice softening. "The two of them. . .they're one of the closest things I have to a family."

"Okay, okay," Kaiya murmured, raising her hands as if surrendering to Birdie. "I believe you. But can I just say one more thing?"

"You can, but I can't promise I won't shoot you if it has anything to do with Sam."

Kaiya's lips smacked closed, making a face as she sheepishly gazed at Birdie. "Okay, I won't say it, but I. . .just turn around."

Birdie tilted her head in suspicion, slowly turning her head to see what Kaiya was looking at behind her.

Instantly Birdie's eyes widened, her jaw falling open in surprise.

There, directly in front of the window beside Kaiya's front door was none other than Sam and Dean Winchester with their faces pressed against the glass in order to be able to see inside the home.

Birdie didn't doubt that they could see them——which meant they wouldn't have been able to hide and pretend like they weren't there.

"For fuck's sake," Birdie grunted, rolling her eyes as she started to make her way towards the front door with Kaiya right behind her, snickering. However, Birdie halted a few steps away from the door, narrowing her eyes at Kaiya when the woman stopped next to her. "You didn't invite them here, did you?"

Kaiya scoffed at the accusation, sassily placing her hands on her hips. "Do you really think I'd go behind your back and invite Batman and Robin here without your approval?"

"What's takin' so long?" Dean loudly demanded, knocking on the door and trying to twist the locked doorknob; he would've picked it already if he hadn't known Kaiya would've forbidden him from ever coming inside again for technically breaking into her house.

Birdie shook her head, keeping her gaze on Kaiya while ignoring Dean who was repeatedly knocking on the door. "I-please, for the love of God, do not tell either of them that you called them that——especially if you were calling Dean Batman because you and I both know that will go straight to that man's head."

Kaiya nodded, falsely saluting Birdie as the hunter started to step closer towards the door. "Sir, yes, sir."

"I hate you," Birdie muttered, starting to unlock the door with her nose scrunched upwards.

"Heard that!" Kaiya called out, having started to make her way back into the kitchen.

Birdie sucked in a heavy sigh before she swung open the door, blankly staring at the brothers. "You two just couldn't stay away from me, could you?"

Sam chuckled, glancing aside at Dean. "I guess not."

"Never, toots," Dean said with a cocky grin, easily brushing past Birdie in order to get inside the house.

Birdie rolled her eyes as he bumped into her on his way inside, looking at Sam for an explanation. He softly sighed, his large hands stuffed in the pockets of his jacket. "We were gonna leave you alone, but we left the Colt at Bobby's so we gotta go back, and since your bike's at Bobby's, I told Dean we——"

"My bike?" Birdie parroted, back straightening as her expression shifted into one of bewilderment. "I thought it was still at the shop. . ."

Sam stammered, suddenly getting the feeling that he wasn't meant to mention that Birdie's beloved motorcycle was at Bobby's.

A few weeks before Sam died and was brought back because of Dean's deal, Birdie was in a car accident when she was on her way to meet Bobby for a case. The other driver was on their phone and hadn't been paying any attention to the road to see a stop sign ahead of them when Birdie was going, and they collided before Birdie had time to react. Thankfully, the person hadn't been going very fast at the time, but it had knocked her clean off the bike. She was rushed to the hospital with a possible concussion, at least four fractured ribs, and a sprained wrist——which was lucky because if she hadn't been wearing a helmet or had some extra padding on at the time, she might not have survived. Bobby was immediately contacted about the accident as he was her emergency contact and instantly headed to the hospital.

Her bike was whisked off to a nearby auto body shop with quite a few dents and missing parts after the road was cleaned off, but seeing as she wasn't really the one who'd be paying for any of the repairs——not because of her using fake credit cards but because the person who hit her would be paying for it——she didn't mind all of the expenses or that it'd take a while for it to be done. Bobby, on the other hand, had tried convincing her to get an actual car so she wouldn't have to worry about getting thrown off the motorcycle again. But, much like how Dean was the Impala, she was rather attached to her motorcycle. It was one of the last things she had to remind her of her late father.

Though she'd been at Bobby's only the night before with Sam and Dean, he hadn't said a word to her about it. He certainly couldn't have forgotten. And, there was no chance that it could've already been fixed, so why was it there?

Sam awkwardly shifted the longer Birdie silently stared at him, looking towards Dean but he was already in the kitchen with a giggling Kaiya. "I, uh, I don't——"

"Would you like some hot chocolate, Sam?" Kaiya sweetly called out, smiling past Dean to look at the youngest Winchester.

"Sure!" Sam quickly answered, stepping inside and hurrying towards the kitchen with a smile back on his lips. Birdie tightly clenched her jaw as Sam walked past her and into the house, faintly shaking her head as she shut the door.

Pushing the thought of her motorcycle aside for the time being, Birdie puffed out her cheeks before making her way back into the kitchen. No, she hadn't really wanted the brothers there as it'd been a while since was able to hang out with Kaiya, but the boys' presence did bring a warm smile to her face without her realizing.

A loud laugh erupted from Birdie when she saw Dean flick a wet marshmallow towards Sam's head, triumphantly grinning when it landed in his hair and didn't fall out. Kaiya tried to refrain from laughing, biting on her tongue as she turned her head away to shield the fact she was giggling along with Dean. Birdie didn't care enough to hide her amusement, coming up beside him with the corners of her eyes crinkled as her smile lit up her face.

"Dude, come on," Sam groaned, trying to get the piece of white fluff out of his hair.

"Sorry, Sammy," Dean nonchalantly shrugged, his grin turning into a cocky smirk. "I'd take this as a sign."

"A sign that you're a dick?" Sam presumed, shooting his brother a harsh glare while he struggled to get a grip on the slimy marshmallow.

Birdie watched him fumble with his hair, not quite getting it and doing more harm than good. She silently shook her head after a few seconds, starting to feel a hint of pity.

"No, a sign to cut——"

Birdie gasped, stepping up beside Sam and placing her hands on both sides of his head as if to cover his precious brown locks while harshly glaring at Dean for what he was about to say. "You take that back right now, Dean Winchester," she ordered, keeping her eyes narrowed while Sam blinked in surprise at her sudden movements. "It's not even that long. Relax, dude."

"It's long enough," Dean scoffed, scrunching up his face.

"I kinda like it," Kaiya chimed in, offering Sam a kind smile as she casually leaned against one of the counters.

"You can't be serious," Dean said, features sunken as he gaped at Flora.

"I am very serious," Kaiya cheekily replied, smirking towards Dean.

Birdie let go of Sam as Dean's attention had shifted away from Sam, swatting away Sam's hand when he tried to go back to pulling at his hair. "Just let me do it, bigfoot."

"Bigfoot," he muttered, looking at her out of the corners of his eye.

Birdie nodded, briefly catching his gaze as she grinned. "Well, you are taller than everyone in this room, and I've yet to meet anyone taller than you." Sam shook his head, but he winced a few moments later when he felt a quick tug on his hair. "Hey, don't move. I've almost got it out."

Birdie managed to get the marshmallow out of Sam's hair after a few seconds, grimacing as it clung to her finger as if Dean had purposely messed with the white fluff in order to make sure it got stuck in his brother's hair. She held it out to Sam with a giggle as it stuck to her fingertips, seeing him roll his eyes as a scoff escaped past his lips. Birdie's giggles only grew louder, making her way towards the trash can to get it off of her fingers.

"Real mature," Sam said, eyes narrowed at Dean.

Dean smugly smiled in response.

Birdie shook her head, noticing Kaiya jogging towards the hall as her phone started to ring from her bedroom. Birdie took a few steps to the side, pushing herself onto the counter so she was sitting on top of it, facing the brothers. "Okay, on a more important note," Birdie spoke, recapturing Sam and Dean's attention, "How long has my bike been at Bobby's?"

Dean's face hardened, eyes instantly darting towards Sam. "You told her? Is that why you wanted to pick her up?"

"I thought she already knew," Sam said. "I figured she'd want her own way of getting around instead of riding with us all the time."

Birdie frowned, harshly staring at Dean. "And how long have you known it's been there and not at the shop like it's meant to be?"

Dean huffed, shaking his head as he ran a hand along his face. "A couple weeks," he confessed.

Shock appeared on Birdie's face, but it was quickly replaced with a wave of newfound anger. "So. . .at any point did you plan on telling me? Or even Bobby? Did it even have the chance to get worked on? Why——"

"It'd probably be best if Bobby explained," Sam cut in, noticing how Birdie was just growing more frustrated that something had been kept from her and Dean was growing slightly annoyed with the woman's never-ending questions. "I'm sure he has a reasonable explanation for it, alright?"

"We're hunters, Sam," Birdie reminded him, swiftly hopping down from the counter. "Nothing is ever that simple——even for stuff like this."

Without another word, she walked off in the same direction that Kaiya had disappeared a few minutes ago. Sam let out a tired sigh, glancing towards Dean. "I told you we should've left her alone."

"Shut up."

Birdie quietly made her way towards Kaiya's room while she left the brothers in the kitchen, Kaiya offering Birdie a small smile when she looked aside. She was seated at her desk across from her bed, her phone now placed beside her laptop and a spreadsheet pulled up and illuminating her face. Birdie casually leaned against the doorframe, folding her arms over her chest. "Let me guess——you're needed to fix a mess at work that someone else made?"

"So it would seem. But, it's nothing that can't be fixed in a few minutes. . ." Kaiya's voice dragged off, carefully watching Birdie. She didn't need to hear Birdie speak to know what was going on inside her curly-haired head. "You're going with them, aren't you?"

"No, but in a c——"

"But you should," Kaiya softly interrupted, causing Birdie's brows to knit together. Kaiya softly sighed, spinning her chair so she was facing her longtime friend. "I know we were meant to hang out the next few nights, but you need to be with Sam and Dean. . .just for a little while longer."

"Since when are you so keen on me hunting?" Birdie wondered. Kaiya didn't mind Birdie hunting, but she didn't like how the woman was constantly going on hunt after hunt, never leaving any time for just herself. "You're the one who told me I needed to take a break every once in a while, and that's what I'm tryna do."

"I know, but. . .I just feel like you guys are meant to be together right now, or at least, you and Sam," Kaiya answered, shaking her head when Birdie gave her a sharp look as if warning her to choose her next words very carefully. "I don't know, it's just a gut feeling, I guess. You're meant to be with them."

Birdie carefully examined Kaiya for a few seconds to try and see if she was going to add something else, eventually offering her friend a smile when she softly smiled. "Someone's gotta make sure they don't kill each other," she said after a few moments with a laugh, causing Kaiya to chuckle along with her. "And apparently, I need to have a conversation with an old man who might just be put on my shit list depending on how it goes."

Kaiya snorted, shaking her head as she stood up, picking up her phone and placing it in her back pocket. "Ah, the list that's not to be confused with your hit list."

"Exactly," Birdie casually agreed, smiling as she turned to leave the room, Kaiya right behind her. They began to head towards the kitchen again, their smiles still lighting up their faces.

"Whose number one on that list by the way?" Kaiya curiously asked.

"Which list?" Birdie snickered.

"Both actually," Kaiya answered with a small smirk now tugged on her lips, the two women exiting the hall just in time to find Dean munching on a slice of pie he'd taken——technically stolen——from inside the fridge. Before Birdie could answer, Kaiya was muttering and cursing at Dean in Spanish, shooing and shoving him far away from the fridge as Sam laughed from the other side of the counter; he'd warned Dean not to do it, but of course, he didn't listen to his little brother.

"Hey, it's just one piece! There's still an entire pie in there!" Dean protested, trying to keep hold of his plate.

"He really doesn't use that thing inside his head, does he?" Birdie quietly asked as she came up beside Sam. She watched Dean sheepishly smiled at Kaiya who had her hands firmly placed on her hips and her dark brown eyes burning into Dean like she was trying to set him on fire for what he'd done.

"Not usually, no," Sam answered, causing Birdie to snicker.

"You're lucky I like you, Dean," Kaiya said, puffing out at her cheeks as she started to relax somewhat. Dean continued to slowly munch on the pie, hoping she wouldn't try to take it from him. "But if you ever do anything like that again, I'll feed you to a werewolf."

Dean's lips parted at her threat, his face falling for a few moments. He quickly finished his bite, glancing down at the half-eaten slice of pie. "Duly noted." Then he cleared his throat, briefly glancing at Sam. "I gotta say, though, I don't think I will since there's only a few other things in there and none of it compares to pie."

"That's what happens when you follow a diet and eat healthy," Kaiya told him, putting emphasis on the word as she knew Dean constantly ate junk food.

Dean grimaced, licking his lips. "That's a fuckin' terrible way to live."

"Says someone who hunts flesh-eating monsters for a living," Kaiya retorted, folding her arms over her chest with a smug grin. The corners of Sam's lips tweaked upwards, looking from Kaiya and over at Dean. Birdie proudly smiled as she took a sip of her hot chocolate, taking in a few marshmallows that had shrunk since being dropped inside.

"I think it's time we head out. Don't you, Sammy?" Dean asked, giving Sam a look that said he wasn't actually asking him——he was telling him. His eyes swiveled over to Birdie, seeing her giving him a look. "Are you comin' or what?"

Birdie let out a sigh, momentarily locking eyes with Sam. He gave her a small smile. Her gaze then returned to Dean, twisting her lips and holding her hand out as she spoke, "I kinda have to——I got a bone to pick with a certain old man."

"Great," Dean said, offering Birdie a sarcastic smile. He set the plate on the counter, sliding it towards Kaiya. He received a glare in response, but he paid no attention to the black-haired woman. "This outta be good."

"You could say that again," Sam quietly breathed out, trying to imagine how things would go when they finally arrived at Bobby's. The drive would take a few hours, and hopefully, it'd be enough time for Birdie to try and understand why Bobby would've hidden something from her and to calm down; he could've actually had a reasonable explanation.

Birdie turned her head, slightly tilting it to one side. "What was that, Sam?"

"Oh, uh, nothing."

Birdie shot him a smirk. "That's what I thought."

He playfully rolled his eyes, seeing Dean making his way towards the door as Kaiya trailed behind him with her arms still folded. Birdie teasingly bumped her arm against Sam's, catching his eye as they started to trail behind the others. "You still aren't thinking of actually working with that demon, are you?" she questioned, keeping her voice low to make sure Kaiya wouldn't hear her.

Sam stopped with a soft sigh, causing Birdie to stop as well. Kaiya followed Dean outside, her annoyance and anger washing away as he attempted to mend their already rocky friendship. "I don't trust her, but if she can get Dean out of his deal. . ."

"Have you tried summoning the Crossroads Demon?" The look on his face and the way he avoided her gaze gave his answer. Birdie puffed out her cheeks, scrunching up her face seconds later. "Okay, so that didn't work. . .hang on, did you kill her?"

Silence.

Sam shook his head, finally looking at Birdie again just as she was about to respond. "I thought. . .I thought it might get him out of his deal, but someone else holds his contract."

"Who?" Birdie asked, brows knitted together.

Sam shook his head, eyes pinned to Birdie's. "She wouldn't say."

Birdie let out an annoyed huff, stealing a look towards the front door that was still opened. A small laugh escaped her lips when she saw the way Dean was staring back at Kaiya, no doubt in her mind that he was shamelessly flirting with the woman. "Of course. Why would she?" Birdie said with a laugh as she stepped out onto Kaiya's front porch, Sam right behind her. "I guess that just means we'll have to find another way to get him out of it."

"I was hopin' you'd say that."

Birdie shot the youngest Winchester a toothy grin before hurrying down the porch steps, making her way towards the Impala to bid Kaiya a goodbye. The woman automatically grinned, stepping away from Dean and expectantly holding her arms out towards Birdie. "Hey, what about my hug?" Dean wondered, holding his arms out as he stared at Kaiya's retreating figure.

"Calm down, you'll get one, too," Kaiya responded, giving Birdie a look that made her laugh. She wrapped her arms around Birdie, holding her tight. Sam started to make his way over to the Impala, but he suddenly turned around and made his way back into the house. Dean stared at his brother in confusion, but neither Kaiya nor Birdie noticed. Birdie buried her face in the crook of Kaiya's neck, closing her eyes for a brief moment. Plus, Kaiya's hugs always made her feel so much better like the weight of the world was momentarily being lifted from her shoulders. "Be safe, please. And remember what I said, okay?"

"Be safe?" Birdie teased, finally pulling away with a cheeky grin on her lips.

Kaiya scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Yes, be safe."

"Yeah, yeah," she mumbled, nodding her head. "Meant to be or whatever."

"You'll see I'm right."

"And when did you become a psychic?"

Kaiya shook her head, noticing Sam carrying a bag out of her house. A small smirk started to work its way onto her lips. "I'm not a psychic. It just doesn't take a genius to see what's already there."

When she made a subtle motion with her head, Birdie turned her head to see Sam had gotten her bag from Kaiya's bedroom for her so it wouldn't get left behind. Her lips curled up into a smile, eyes lighting up as he carried it over to the car, flashing her a smile as he did so after seeing she'd spotted her bag in his hands.

Birdie looked back at Kaiya, playfully nudging her when she gave her wink. "Oh, stop," she mumbled, pushing some hair that brushed along her cheek when a gust of wind blew past. "We have more important things to worry about at the moment."

Kaiya just hummed, twisting her body when she heard footsteps behind her. She smiled when she saw it was Dean, holding his arms out with his brows raised like he was silently asking her for a hug. She rolled her eyes but opened up her arms for him, Birdie starting to make her way towards the Impala as Sam stood beside the passenger side. "Thanks, Sam," Birdie told him, nodding her head towards the trunk where he'd placed her bag.

He nodded, his dimples slightly poking out as he smiled. "You're welcome, Bird."

Kaiya and Dean broke from the hug a few moments later, Dean giving the woman one last smirk before heading towards his baby.

"Stay safe, Batman, Robin, and Oracle!"

Birdie halted her movements, sharing a confused glance with Sam while Dean brightly beamed from the driver's side of the Impala. "I'm Batman, right?"

"I'm sure as hell not anyone's sidekick," Sam stated, eyes moving from Dean and back to Kaiya.

Kaiya innocently grinned, holding her hands out at her sides as she backed up towards her house. "I guess only time will tell!"

She didn't leave room for any responses, instead flashing them a wave before scurrying back into her house. Birdie scoffed under her breath and shook her head, sliding into the backseat of the Impala. She instantly moved to the middle seat, leaning forward to look between the brothers.

"Bird, you agree that I'm Batman, right? Out of the three of us?" Dean asked, turning towards her as he reached forward to start the engine.

Birdie twisted her lips in thought. "You remind me more of Red Hood than Batman," she answered, causing Dean to scoff and Sam to snicker.

Dean sharply turned his head towards Sam. "What're you laughing at? You're still a sidekick, Dick."

"How about you two save the testosterone battle until after we get to Bobby's?" Birdie asked with a hum, raising her brows and smiling from one brother to the other. Dean sighed but turned the key, the Impala humming to life. Birdie let out a shaky breath, twisting her lips. Dean started to back out of the driveway as Sam turned his head towards the window, the music faintly playing from the radio filling the silence that had enveloped the trio.

It wasn't until they'd reached the highway that the music was suddenly interrupted by Dean. "Doesn't, uh, Robin turn into Nightwing and get with O——"

"Shut up, Dean."

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"Well, isn't this a nice surprise," Bobby said, a smile appearing on his face when he spotted Sam and Dean standing on his front porch. He glanced between them, raising his brows as he stepped aside to let them inside his house. "You boys forget somethin' or did ya just miss me?"

"Maybe," Dean answered with a faint laugh, making his way into the house. Sam trailed behind him, giving Bobby a smile. "You got anything else for us by chance?"

Bobby shook his head, reaching into the fridge to grab some beer for them after they entered the kitchen. "Not yet," he replied, handing Sam and Dean each a bottle. He let out a sigh and then leaned his back against the counter, the brothers lingering by the doorway that separated the kitchen from the living room. "I figured you guys or Bird woulda found you guys somethin' by now. She already have enough of you two and go off on her own again?"

Sam let out a sigh, sharing a silent look with Dean.

They expected Birdie to be coming in just a few moments, having said she wanted to grab a spare change of clothes from the trunk before heading inside, but it was taking her longer than expected.

Bobby raised his brows again, following their gaze towards the hall.

"Son of a bitch," Dean muttered, setting his beer down as his expression faltered.

"What?" Bobby sharply demanded to know, hot on his heels with Sam right behind.

"She knows about her motorcycle."

"Aw, shit," Bobby grumbled, shaking his head. "How the hell'd she find out?"

Dean simply looked at Sam to give Bobby his answer. "I'm sorry, Bobby," Sam said when the older man looked at him. "I-I thought she already knew."

Neither of the three had a chance to respond, a deafening gunshot echoing in the junkyard which was quickly followed by a loud and threatening bark. All three of them felt their hearts drop, instant panic settling inside their bones.

Birdie was stood by the trunk of the Impala, waiting until she saw the front door close before quietly shutting it. She left her duffle bag inside, hurrying into the junkyard that was constantly expanding as Bobby took in random cars and trucks that were beyond repair——some simply there to cover up a spot where a body was buried. Her eyes frantically roamed over the junk that was tossed in random piles, skimming over dozens of rusted-out cars.

She was familiar with the junkyard, having spent just as much time there as the brothers had. When they were younger, they had spent countless hours playing hide and seek after they had become friends——even if it did take some convincing to get Dean to tag along. As it turned out, it had been that experience that helped to establish a semi-working friendship between Dean and Birdie. It was something that went on for hours some days, forcing Bobby to intervene and bring the children inside to eat or go to bed. Serena had never been happy to see her daughter goofing off with the Winchesters, especially after she had entrusted Bobby with watching Birdie and keeping her in check. She believed there were better ways to spend the hours, but Birdie had always disregarded her mother in those instances. It had become easy to tune out the older woman, hoping she would eventually let it go. Though over time, Birdie started to struggle with finding an outlet for her pent-up emotions as more and more things piled on. But thankfully, Dean had been there to help her find a solution he used whenever he needed to take out his anger and swing something.

A few moments later, Birdie's eyes fell on an old mustang that made her suddenly halt. It was missing all four doors with the hood bent with dozens of dents randomly spread across the surface——each one reminding her of a bitter memory as she took a bat to the metal. A faint laugh left her lips as she started to venture through the junkyard again, happier memories of hanging out with Sam while Dean worked on his beloved Impala filling her mind. No matter how much Dean had tried to teach her, Birdie never quite got the hang of the mechanic work. That left Dean with the job of repairing her motorcycle whenever something happened to it, but he never seemed to complain so long as she kept him hydrated with beer after beer. Yet, happy memories weren't the only thing that lingered in the back of Birdie's mind.

She could easily remember the legion of bodies that had been buried in the junkyard that continued to grow over the years. Bobby's three-year-old Rottweiler, Rumsfeld, had always lent a helping paw with all the holes they had to dig, making it slightly easier if one of them had to do it alone.

So, it might have looked like a rundown junkyard to most who stumbled across the property, but Birdie was well aware that it was a graveyard as well.

She rushed around a corner a few moments later, suddenly spotting something heading towards her out of the corner of her eye. She instantly turned her head, a gasp escaping her lips when the black figure nearly knocked her down.

"Rumsfeld!" she cheerfully beamed, giggling as she bent down to pet the Rottweiler. She sank to her knees, giggling when the dog pressed himself against her. He tried to lick at her face as his tail happily wagged back and forth. It wasn't that long ago that he was nearly killed by a demon, Meg, and a group of her fellow demons. Thanks to a nearby vet Kaiya knew from school, they were able to save his life and tend to his wounds. He had a slight limp in one of his back legs, but he didn't let that deter him.

Birdie made a face when his tongue got a little too close to her mouth, laughing as she held her hands out to make sure he didn't get her in the face. "It's been too long, buddy, I know." She happily petted him, giggling as he shifted to roll over so his belly was fully exposed to her. "Oh, so you want the special treatment, do ya?"

After a few seconds, he suddenly rolled back over and got on his feet, a low growl leaving his mouth as if something was wrong. His tail was no longer wagging from pure excitement, the fur on his back sticking up as his eyes looked dead ahead.

Birdie instantly rose to her feet, hand instinctively going to the gun that was holstered on her hip as she tried to spot what Rumsfeld could see or hear.

"I just came here to talk."

Birdie sharply whirled around at the unfamiliar voice, her signature gun——a Desert Eagle Mark XIX——already cocked as she pulled the trigger. A blonde woman had head tilted to the side, her eyes slightly widened and lips parted as she focused on Birdie. Her right ear had been grazed, a hint of blood appearing on the side where she'd been partially hit, trailing down her finger that had touched her ear to check.

Birdie instantly knew who the woman was——Ruby, the demon who supposedly knew how to get Dean out of his deal.

"I don't give a shit," Birdie hatefully sneered, smirking when Rumsfeld let out a threatening bark at the woman as if warning her not to get any closer. Rumsfeld had met her already when she snuck up on Bobby and he knew a monster when he saw one. "Leave us——all of us——alone."

"If you would just listen——"

"Birdie?!" A frantic voice called out, heading in her direction.

The blonde let out a dramatic sigh, holding her hands up to show she didn't mean any harm. "Another time, I guess."

"Next time it'll be the Colt," Birdie seethed, narrowing her eyes as the blonde turned away. She hated letting the demon go, but without a Devil's Trap made up or the Colt in her possession, there was nothing she could've done to keep her there or kill her. She rolled her eyes and turned her head, doing a double-take when she spotted her motorcycle peeking out from under a tattered tarp. "Bingo!"

"BIRD?!"

"What?" she innocently called back, yanking the tarp back to get a better look at her motorcycle. She felt her eyes slightly widen as she took in its appearance, seeing that despite a few dents and scrapes that were yet to be fixed, a majority of the damages were repaired. She could tell there was a new gas tank installed and brand new tires, the muffler having a brighter shine than before. The handlebars were still a little banged up, but the speedometer had been fixed and the headlight was straightened out. The taillight was a little crooked, but it was no longer cracked like it previously had been. "What the fuck. . ."

"Birdie!" Dean repeated, causing the woman to finally turn towards him. Her eyes fell on Sam and Bobby jogging over with looks of concerns. Bobby caught sight of her bike now uncovered behind her, hesitantly looking towards her. "What-what the fuck happened? Why'd——"

"I got a little visit from someone," Birdie shortly answered, her eyes flicking over to Sam as she crossed her arms over her chest with a rather annoyed expression on her face.

Sam let out a breathy puff. "Ruby?"

"She didn't say, but it was her," Birdie answered.

"Did you at least do the right thing and send her ass back to where it belongs?" Dean asked. He moved to lean against a nearby truck that had been there longer than Birdie had been alive, Rumsfeld sitting right beside the man.

Birdie tilted her head with her eyes narrowed. "Considering the bitch caught me by surprise and I didn't have the Colt on me, no. Sadly, I did not."

"Maybe that's for the best," Sam said, causing Birdie and Dean to roll their eyes in unison and Bobby to give him an incredulous look. Sam huffed at their similar expressions, shifting. "All I'm saying is we can worry about her later."

Birdie puffed out her cheeks but left the subject go. She twisted her lips and stepped around her motorcycle, catching Bobby's gaze. "Why don't you two head inside and see if you can't find somethin'?" Bobby said, nudging his head towards the house. "I need a minute here with Birdie."

"Sure thing," Sam said, offering both Birdie and Bobby a small smile. He walked around a car, whistling and patting his leg to beckon Rumsfeld to follow him which he happily did so. Dean stole a glance at Birdie and Bobby, seeing them both nod as if to tell him they'd be fine for a few minutes.

Once they were out of listening distance, Birdie let out an exasperated sigh, slowly sinking down on the seat of the motorcycle. Bobby slowly made his way over to her, adjusting his hat. "Listen, kid, I——"

"When were you gonna tell me you took it?" Birdie interrupted, brows furrowed together. It was obvious that she was upset he'd taken the bike without her permission and seemingly hid it from her, hints of anger etched in her tone. "Or were you just gonna keep it from me and hope I wouldn't find out until a few months from now?"

Bobby heavily sighed, sitting down on a stool that was off to the side. "Honestly. . .I hadn't decided yet." Birdie shook her head, turning her attention to her motorcycle, fiddling with some of the switches. "It's been here about two weeks. It's in driving condition——hell, they were only a few weeks from having it fixed——but. . .you almost died the last time you were on it."

Birdie scoffed, looking over her shoulder towards Bobby. "I almost die all the time," she firmly reminded him. "That's not any different."

"The hell it ain't," Bobby said with a huff, growing silent for a few moments before he continued. "I. . .I thought I lost you, kid, and so did those boys. . ."

Birdie shifted on the seat, swinging one of her legs around to face Bobby while still seated on her bike. "You know, I've had a lot of close calls with death, and. . .maybe it was a little different with the crash, but. . .you can't keep my motorcycle away from me——that's-that's like keepin' a fish out of water, Bobby."

"Did you just compare yourself to a fish?" Birdie pursed her lips, shooting him a playful glare. "You really are your father's kid, aren't you?"

Birdie breathed out a forced laugh, pushing her hair over her shoulders. "I sure hope so. I'd rather be more like him than. . ."

"More than who?" Bobby asked with a faint frown.

"It doesn't matter," Birdie said with a nonchalant shrug, dismissively shaking her head. "I get you were trying to protect me, though, and I do appreciate it. You've always looked out for me, even other people didn't. . .thank you, Bobby."

"Anytime, Bird," Bobby told her, giving her a small smile. "I guess. . .if you're gonna keep driving that thing, you might need the keys."

Birdie watched with surprise as Bobby reached into one of his pockets, pulling out her key set. It was quite obvious they were hers, a little bird keychain dangling from the keyring that her mother had gotten her as a way to say sorry once. The woman tilted her head, the corners of her lips tweaking up into a smile as Bobby held them out to her. "And you just happened to have these on you?"

"Just wanna make sure they don't get lost," he replied, dropping them into her hand. "I know how you can get when someone loses somethin' of yours."

Birdie loudly laughed, scrunching up her nose at his comment. "Sam still thinks I've forgiven him for losing my Scarface game."

"You're still on that?"

"No, but I just haven't forgotten about it."

Bobby chuckled, shaking his head. "Wait, I thought you let Dean borrow it?"

Birdie's lips parted, narrowing her eyes. "I told Dean he wasn't allowed to touch it because he almost broke my controller the last time he played it."

Bobby shifted on the stool, his brows knitting together along with Birdie's as they both thought for a moment. Simultaneously realization dawned on the two of them.

"Motherfucker," Birdie grumbled, wrapping her fingers around her keys as she stood up. Bobby stood up along with her, starting to walk back to the house with Birdie right beside him. "He better hope he's mooching off some rich guy right now because he's gonna be paying for my replacements."

"I thought he almost broke your controller," Bobby said, glancing aside at her.

"He did," Birdie said with a nod, a smirk appearing on her lips. "But if I'm lucky, he won't remember that part."

Bobby chuckled, the corners of his eyes crinkled as he smiled alongside Birdie.

Birdie let out a content sigh as they walked through the junkyard, making her way up the rickety old porch with Bobby. She entered the house first, swiftly entering the kitchen where the brothers were seated. Their laptops were lit up in front of them with bottles of beer beside each of them.

"We miss anything exciting out there?" Dean wondered, taking a sip of his beer.

"Nope," Bobby answered with a shake of his head.

Birdie simply twisted her lips and made her way to the fridge without acknowledging Dean, huffing as her eyes roamed over the few things the older man had stored inside. She then stood up only seconds later, expectantly looking at Bobby. "Bobby, I know we're not here as much anymore, but c'mon, this is just sad——even for you."

"It works just fine for me," he replied with a shrug, picking up his beer he'd sat down earlier. "I don't need you three eatin' all my food or drinkin' all my beer like you did when you were younger."

"That was mostly Dean," Birdie said, motioning towards the short-haired man. Dean lazily threw one of his hands out at his sides, looking across the table at Sam. Sam bit back an amused smile, keeping his focus on Birdie. "And still. . .you need snacks, Bobby, and something to drink other than beer."

"Hey, don't listen to her," Dean interjected, causing Birdie to turn towards him with her brows slightly raised. "It's perfect just the way it is."

Birdie sharply narrowed her eyes, looking directly at Dean. "I. . ." she sighed, shaking her head. She wasn't going to mention the video game; not at the moment, at least. "Just shut up."

Bobby gave her a look but she missed it as she made her way over to the table to take a seat. She stepped up on the side Sam was seated, pointing towards his legs that were stretched out across the chair beside him. "Are you saving this seat for someone specific or——"

Sam quickly moved his legs from the chair and plopped them down in front of him. Birdie shot him a cheeky smile as he did so and sank into the chair, Bobby taking the seat next to Dean on the other side.

"Why don't you wanna sit by me?" Dean asked, now directly across from Birdie. Seconds later, a cheeky smirk appeared on his lips as if he came up with his own answer. Birdie automatically rolled her eyes, placing her elbow on the table to rest her chin on her hand while blankly staring ahead at the man. "You wanted to be able to stare at this chiseled face, didn't you?"

Birdie returned his smirk, but then she turned her head, batting her eyes at Sam like she did whenever she was flirting with someone. "Hi, Sammy."

"Hey, Bird," he said with a similar smirk on his lips, quickly understanding what she was doing. They weren't really flirting, but that didn't mean it wouldn't annoy Dean any less.

"I don't think I'll ever understand you three," Bobby said with a rather judgemental look on his face. The three turned towards the man, Birdie looking the most offended by his words. "One minute you're at each other's throats like an old married couple and then the next it's like nothin' even happened."

"It's how true friends act with each other," Birdie happily told him, leaning back in the chair and folding her arms over her chest. "If people don't think you and one of your closest friends are a couple at least once then are you really that close?"

Dean tilted his head, slowly blinking while the words registered in his head. Sam's brows were raised, taking in her words as his lips parted like he wanted to respond but wasn't exactly sure how. Bobby stared at the girl almost as if he was trying to make sure he'd understood what she said.

Birdie casually glanced around at the men, taking in each of their expressions with her grin never faltering.

"Anyways," Dean began after a few moments, looking down at his computer after deciding he wasn't even going to attempt to try and respond to the woman, "I think I found us a case."

"Then what are you still doin' here?" Bobby asked, a corner of his lips slightly curved upwards.

Dean looked at Sam for a brief moment before his eyes flicked back over to Birdie. "You in?" he asked, raising a brow.

Birdie let out a long sigh, coyly smiling at the elder Winchester. "Someone's gotta keep you two in check."

⋅ ∙ ∘ ☽ ༓ ☾ ∘ ⋅ ⋅

First and foremost, I'd like to thank latte-to-go for being a freaking wonderful friend and helping me with this chapter + even writing some of it for me 🥺 This chapter would've taken a lot longer without her so thank you so so much Amara!!

So this chapter didn't follow any of the episode, but it's still long which I wasn't expecting at all??? I don't think I've ever been able to do that in a long time 😳. But y'all did get to meet Kaiya + see Bobby! AND I REFUSED TO LET ANYTHING HAPPEN TO BOBBY'S DOG SO THAT GOOD BOY IS STILL ALIVE AND WILL STAY THAT WAY FOR THE FORESEEN FUTURE IDC. But I literally love Kaiya so freaking much—I didn't even mean for that to happen since I hadn't entirely developed her character when I added her to cast, but I'm not mad at what all I've got in store for hehehe hehehe. She'll be in this more throughout the fic, and of course some other oc's I added in, but all in due time!! 🥰

I hope this also showed a bit more of how Birdie is and how she is around her friends/chosen fam—which is rather comfortable, but that's not a bad thing :) I also kinda hinted how her parents were but they'll be mentioned + shown throughout the fic more as it goes on!!! 😌

The next chapter will follow another episode and it's the LONGEST chapter I've ever written so far with almost 17,000 words sooooo. I was gonna cut it in half, but I just feel like it'd ruin the flow so I hope y'all won't mind it being super long lmao.

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