CHAPTER THIRTY SEVEN:
DEATH TAKES A HOLIDAY.

⋅ ∙ ∘ ☽ ༓ ☾ ∘ ⋅ ⋅

"BIRDIE WAKE UP!"

Birdie loudly gasped, her eyes snapping open as her name echoed inside her head for a few seconds. Her eyes bored into the water-stained ceiling above her, panting as sweat trickled down the sides of her temples. Her skin felt clammy, her heart racing as she quickly lifted her head from her pillow to glance around her surroundings as if she thought it might've been changed.

The bland motel room just bored back at her, not a single thing out of place since she closed her eyes a few hours ago. The TV on top of the dresser in front of the bed was still turned on, playing a rerun of George Lopez. The flimsy curtains to her left were closed with just a sliver of light spilling through a crack in the middle; the only other source of light came from the bathroom as Birdie had purposely left the light on. There was some candy trash tossed on the bedside table, a few having fallen on the ground. There was a knocked-over beer bottle by the dusty lamp, five more unopened bottles still in the six-pack on the table by the kitchenette. Her phone was on the ground face up, a few missed calls and texts left unnoticed; somehow she didn't hear them in her sleep.

She let out a shaky breath, tiredly running her hands over her face as her head flopped back down on her pillow.

It was over a week after she and the boys faced the siren and the events were still fresh in Birdie's mind as if they happened mere hours ago.

She was doing perfectly okay since then, or at least that was what she kept telling herself and the others. It'd been a few weeks since she had any nightmares——which usually varied from one traumatic event to the next with a few that Birdie expected to have——but they started again after that night.

But with the recent ones, they all ended the same exact way: with Sam nearly killing Birdie by choking her.

There were little differences each time, something Birdie noticed after the third night. In the nightmares, Sam always became crueler, his words like poisonous venom that made Birdie feel as if her heart was breaking piece by piece with each word while the venom killed her from within. His nails dug into her neck, drawing more and more blood to trickle down while his grip just tightened like he was actually choking her. But his eyes were the most noticeable differences. They got darker with each nightmare, not a single glint of light shimmering in them like the way Birdie adored. If she had the nightmare again, she feared that his eyes might actually become b——

Birdie quickly shook her head, pressing her hands over her face as she tried to rid the memories from her mind. She purposely didn't tell anyone about the nightmares, especially Sam as she didn't want him to feel even more guilty than he already did. Felicity, of course, knew but there wasn't much Birdie could do about that. A few seconds later, Birdie dropped her hands down and puffed out her cheeks, gently running her fingers over her neck.

The bruising on her neck had started to fade after a couple of days, thankfully no longer obvious that they were handprints; there was still some slight redness to it, though, but it wouldn't be there for much longer. The bruise on her jaw was gone, no indication that she'd been struck there by Dean. The cut on her neck was mostly healed as it wasn't deep enough to need stitches, but she had a small, square bandage over it that could probably be removed. At the thought of it, Birdie carefully grabbed a corner of the bandage, hissing as she pulled it off her neck. She reached over to the bedside table, dropping it on the pile of candy trash; she'd throw it all away when she finally got up. She slightly sat up and looked down at her phone when she heard it vibrate, picking it off the ground. She softly smiled at her background that was of her and the boys from last year, but then her smile began to falter.

Sam and Dean were still feeling incredibly guilty for what they said and did to each other, and for what they did to Birdie as well. Birdie tried her best to dodge their questions if they asked how she was, just saying she was fine and had already forgiven them both. Though, it also helped she wasn't currently with the Winchesters.

The day after they dealt with the siren, they went to Bobby's for a few hours so Birdie could get her motorcycle. Sam thought Birdie would take her bike and then follow him and Dean to their next job, but instead she opted to stay with Bobby another night. He didn't push it, having a feeling she might've been trying to put some distance between her and Dean; not that he could blame her.

Birdie quietly sighed to herself, deciding to check her notifications to see what she'd missed. She skimmed through her missed calls, frowning when she noticed she had four from Hiro. She pursed her lips and went to her texts, noticing she had some from the Winchesters, Bobby, and of course, Hiro, too. She pushed herself up with her elbows, shifting on the mattress so her back was pressed against the headboard. She scrolled through her texts, smiling to herself at Dean's text that asked her how she was doing which also included that he and Sam might've found another case in Greybull, Wyoming. Sam's were mostly the same, giving her just a few more details than Dean and smiley faces. Most of Bobby's were checking on her as well with reminders to call him——which she'd been doing more after their little chat. And, as expected, Hiro was checking on her, too. He also said he wanted to try hunting again if Birdie would be willing to work with him, but he understood if she wasn't.

Birdie bit the inside of her cheek, hesitating as she hovered over the reply button.

You're not seriously considering it.

"Hey, he didn't do so bad last time."

He literally did the complete opposite of what you told him to do.

Birdie hummed. "Sounds like someone else I know."

Ha ha. I'm serious, Bird. I don't think this is a good idea.

Birdie just shrugged her shoulders, brushing off Felicity's concerns. She clicked on reply, but just as she did so, the door to her room opened up without warning.

Her heart immediately leaped in her chest and she grabbed the silver knife from her bedside table, throwing it towards the hall. A figure appeared seconds later, but they yelped and ducked, covering their head with their hands in an attempt to shield them from the blade.

Hiro slowly stood up straight, wide eyes looking from the knife that was now embedded in the wall behind him and then over to Birdie. Birdie's expression was rather similar to Hiro's, jaw wide open at the realization she almost killed Hiro.

"Maybe I should've knocked first," Hiro slowly said, nervously laughing as Birdie stood up from the bed with an uncertain expression on her features.

"You think?" Birdie sarcastically replied. She quickly walked over and nudged Hiro out of her way, yanking her knife out of the wall. She headed towards the door and peeked out into the dim hallway to make sure there wasn't anyone else and then shut the door and locked it. She heavily sighed as she walked back, tilting her head at Hiro who was now seated at the table.

"What the hell, Hiro?" Birdie demanded, keeping a firm grasp on her knife as she faced the older man. "Why-why are you here? How'd you even find me? And more importantly——how the fuck did you open that door?"

Hiro fumbled for something in his pocket, smiling as he held up a lock-pick set. "I bought this off Ebay and have been practicing ever since. Truthfully, I didn't think it'd actually work. . ."

Birdie slowly nodded her head, folding her arms over her chest as she leaned against the wall next to her. "And how'd you find me?"

"Sam told me where you were."

"'Course he did," Birdie muttered, momentarily closing her eyes.

Hiro softly sighed, peering up at Birdie. "If you don't want me here, please just say so."

"No, no, Hiro, it's not that. I just. . ." Birdie's eyes drifted to the side, a soft sigh slipping past her lips. "I'm not workin' a case right now. You might have better luck working with just Sam and Dean this time."

Hiro shifted in the chair, leaning against the backrest. "Have you seen them since. . .since you know——"

"Since they both kicked my ass?" Birdie finished for Hiro, raising her brows as she gazed back at Hiro. Hiro let out a quiet sigh and Birdie softly chuckled. Hiro was attempting to avoid using those words, but Birdie didn't see the point. "I went to Bobby's with them and we hung out a little bit, but I haven't seen 'em since. I've still talked to them, though."

Hiro hummed in response, slowly nodding his head as his eyes stayed focused on Birdie. Birdie suspiciously narrowed her eyes, not liking the way he was staring at her. Hiro breathed out a chuckled, nonchalantly shrugging his shoulders. "I-I just. . .I don't blame you for not sticking with them. After what happened——"

"That was nothing, Hiro," Birdie interjected. "It's not the first time we've beat each other up, and I doubt it'll be the last."

"Yeah, but this time they were being controlled by a siren. And what he made them do, and say. . .you can't just ignore that."

"Who says I can't?" Birdie nonchalantly shrugged, making her way towards the bed. She plopped down on the mattress, stretching her legs out in front of her as she leaned against the headboard again. Hiro partially turned in his chair, tilting his head as he carefully eyed Birdie. "Wait, how do you know what they said?"

"I don't," Hiro truthfully answered. "But I could tell. I mean, why else would you be away from the Winchesters for this long?"

"Because we're our own people and don't always need to be together?" Birdie suggested with a slight sharpness in her tone. Hiro softly sighed, pursing his lips together. Birdie frowned, tearing her eyes away from Hiro. "We're fine, Hiro. It's like nothin' even happened."

"Is it?"

"Hiro——"

"I'm not-I'm not trying to force you to talk, but. . .I'm here. I will listen. It's not good to keep everything bottled up all the time."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. That's what everyone keeps telling me," Birdie muttered. Hiro faintly smiled, tilting his head when he caught Birdie's eye again. "You know, you sound like Kaiya."

Hiro softly chuckled, the corners of his eyes crinkling. That was one of the best compliments he ever received. "If I'm bein' honest, I was trying to sound like her," Hiro confessed. Birdie timidly smiled along with him, adjusting the blanket so it covered her legs. "As the oldest, growing up my siblings always expected me to know everything——to know how to fix every problem no matter how outlandish it was. But, that was all Kaiya. She was the one with all the answers, not me."

Birdie faintly nodded her head, a ghostly smile appearing on her lips for a few seconds. Oftentimes she too found herself going to Kaiya for advice, looking for a second opinion or wanting the advice of someone other than Sam, Dean, or Bobby. "No matter how insane some of my questions or problems were, she always had an answer," Birdie said. "Even before she knew what I actually did, she would still have an answer somehow. . ."

"I think Kaiya must have secretly been a therapist or philosopher," Hiro joked, shaking his head as he sadly smiled. Birdie smiled back at him only for it to falter when she saw him suddenly frown before he looked down. "God, I miss her so much, Birdie."

Birdie felt a sharp pierce inside her heart as she heard those words, not missing the crack in Hiro's voice. She felt her entire expression fall, dark eyes softening as she stared across at Hiro. Hiro lifted his head after a couple of seconds and Birdie could see the fresh tears blossoming in his eyes.

"I've tried to-to pretend like it wasn't real, like this is all just some fucked up nightmare or-or something," Hiro sniffled. Birdie bit the inside of her cheek, feeling her own eyes begin to become teary. Hiro lifted one of his hands and wiped at his eyes, trying to rid them from his eyes but they remained. "Sometimes I can still hear her voice in my head, hear her laugh like she is sitting right next me. . .but I think——I know that it's all just in my head. Even knowing that ghosts are-are in fact real. . .I can't bear to possibly think that she. . ."

"I thought the same thing after. . .after my dad died a few years ago," Birdie softly said. She blinked a few times, clearing her throat.

Already being teary over the reminder that Kaiya was in fact dead, she was unable to stop herself from thinking about her deceased father. Boy did she miss him.

"I-I would hear his voice, smell his cologne——I swear I even saw him a few times. I wondered if. . .if maybe he. . .but after a few months, it all just kinda stopped. I still think about him a lot, and Kaiya. Some people might say I think about them too much, but I don't think that's really possible."

"When. . .when did you accept your father's. . .?"

Birdie let out a small sigh, twisting her lips before she responded. "Grief's different for everyone, and for me. . .I truthfully haven't really moved past the, uh, the first part of it. I've just gotten really good at ignoring my feelings. I definitely don't recommend it."

Hiro sadly smiled in return, faintly nodding his head. "I wish I could just talk to her, that I could-that I could just make sure she's okay wherever she is."

"I do, too," Birdie whispered.

A moment of silence washed over the two, simply remembering Kaiya as they both thought of different moments of their lives where Kaiya had been there. A few moments later, it was broken by the sound of Birdie's phone ringing. She furrowed her brows at the ringtone——a default one that only ever rang when it was someone she didn't have saved in her contacts. She stole a brief glance towards Hiro, pressing her phone to her ear as she answered. "Hello?"

"Hey, Birdie." Birdie's lips parted at the familiar voice, her confusion only increasing. How did they get Birdie's number, and why were they calling her in the first place? "Listen, I don't have time to explain, but I just thought you might wanna know what your boyfriends are about to do."

⋅ ∙ ∘ ☽ ༓ ☾ ∘ ⋅ ⋅

"So, why don't you like this woman very much?" Birdie heavily sighed, shooting Hiro a harsh glare. She'd already told him she didn't wanna talk about it. He innocently raised his hands, attempting to hide his amused smile. "Okay, okay. But, if you don't like her, I don't either."

Birdie just rolled her eyes, tucking her helmet under her arm as she expectantly held her hand towards Hiro. "Just meet her," she told him. "Then you can decide whether or not you like her."

Hiro nodded and handed Birdie her extra helmet she'd let him wear on the trip down to Greybull, Wyoming. The drive should've taken at least a few hours, but knowing that the boys were most likely in serious trouble——purely because of one of their "brilliant" ideas——Birdie drove faster than normal. Hiro hadn't been too keen on it since it was his first time on a motorcycle and Birdie was going well over the speed limit, but he didn't say much as he wasn't sure if Birdie would slow down with her boyfriend needing their assistance. Birdie took the helmet and attached them to her motorcycle, making sure they were secured so no one would be able to steal them. Then she turned towards the motel, her eyes skimming over the shady building in front of them.

It looked rather similar to the last one they were at and Hiro couldn't help but steal a glance at Birdie to see if she saw it too. But, she just twisted around and grabbed her duffle bag. She slung it over her shoulder, offering Hiro a small smile as she nudged her head towards the motel. "Come on, hero," she said. "Let's go help Dumb and Dumber."

Hiro chuckled, grabbing hold of his bag as well. "You know that's your boyfriend you're talking about."

"Oh, trust me, I know."

They entered the motel and headed to the right and up the steep and rickety stairs, following Pamela's instructions on how to get to the room on the third floor. The motel was eerily quiet and dim, only adding to Birdie's worry she felt stirring in her stomach as they neared the room. They could faintly make out sounds coming from inside the other rooms they passed, but Birdie tried to ignore them as best as she could when she heard someone moaning behind one of the doors.

They finally stopped in front of the correct room and quickly knocked, waiting a few seconds as they heard some shuffling from inside. "Pamela? It's Birdie and——"

"Hiro," Pamela finished for Birdie as she swung open the door. She had her black sunglasses over her eyes like last time, a black leather jacket partially covering a rock band tank top. Hiro warmly smiled at the woman and held his hand out. Birdie snorted out a laugh, quickly turning her head to the side when Hiro frowned in her direction. "Let me guess——you're tryna shake my hand?"

"I, uh, oh——"

"Guess Birdie didn't tell you, but——" Pamela reached up, sliding the glasses down to the tip of her nose so Hiro could see her white eyes. His eyes noticeably widened, hand falling down at his side in complete surprise. "Don't worry 'bout it. I still got more sense than most."

Pamela stepped to the side as she held the door open, allowing Birdie and Hiro to enter the room. Birdie quickly stepped inside, her eyes immediately raking over Sam and Dean's unconscious bodies in front of her. Hiro raised his brows at the sight of the Winchesters, walking a few steps closer. They were both laid on their backs on the beds, eyes closed with their chests slowly rising and falling. "Can they still hear us?"

"Only if they're in the room, but I doubt they are."

"That makes two of us," Birdie muttered, dropping her bag next to Sam's near the dresser. Pamela carefully maneuvered around Hiro and Birdie, gently touching at the objects nearby to make sure she wasn't about to bump into anything or anyone. Birdie stepped up beside the bed Sam was laid on, curiously peering down at him. He looked so relaxed, so at peace. "How long ago has it been?"

"A couple hours at least," Pamela shrugged, casually leaning against the dresser. Her arms were folded over her chest, partially facing Birdie. Hiro placed his bag in a chair by the bathroom, subconsciously mimicking Pamela's posture as he stepped closer to the women. "I didn't wanna be a part of this, but they're too fuckin' stubborn."

"So, wherever they are right now, they're technically ghosts, yeah?" Hiro wondered.

"Yeah," Pamela and Birdie answered at the same time. Birdie briefly glanced towards Pamela, quickly looking back at Hiro again.

Hiro moved towards the side of the room, eyes skimming over Sam and Dean's still figures again. Birdie did the same, letting out a heavy sigh as she plopped down at the table near the window. "I gotta say, I was surprised you weren't already with them," Pamela said, turning her head in Birdie's direction.

Birdie furrowed her brows at that, holding her hand out. "Why?"

Pamela breathed out a sarcastic laugh, raising her brows. "What the hell do you mean why? You three are always together——you're the three amigos, little bird."

Birdie cracked a small smile, softly chucking to herself. "Yeah, well. . .we aren't always together as surprising as that might sound."

"That have anything to do with those injuries of yours?" Hiro knitted his brows together in confusion. Pamela chuckled almost as if she saw his expression change. "I might be blind, Hiro, but I can still see——just not the same way as you."

Birdie let out a huff, expectantly turning towards Hiro as if silently asking him if he'd told Pamela about what happened with the siren and the boys. He quickly shook his head in response, shooting Birdie a look that showed he was offended by the mere suggestion. "Listen, I-I didn't drive all the way here just to be pestered about something that happened a long time ago."

"Birdie, it was a week ago."

Birdie groaned, shooting a warning glare in Hiro's direction. "I don't freakin' give a shit. I came here to help Sam and Dean and that's exactly what I'm going to do. Now, are you gonna help me or not?"

Hiro's eyes raked over her stern features, reluctantly sighing. "You're right. What can we do?"

"There's nothing you can do," Pamela interrupted. "With the two of them in the spirit world, we don't have a way of finding out what's going on."

"Well, I——"

"Oh, uh, I'll be right back," Hiro suddenly interjected, holding up his phone as it vibrated in his hand to show a name on the screen. "Layla——you know how she can be."

Birdie just nodded, giving Hiro a forced smile as he excused himself to the hallway. Birdie watched him go and then turned her gaze to Sam and Dean again. Where could they even be by now?

Pamela took a few steps forward, turning her head towards Birdie. "There's something different about you," Pamela noted, something etched in her voice that Birdie couldn't quite make out.

Birdie forced out a laugh, cocking a brow as her eyes stayed glued to Sam. "You too, huh?"

Pamela partially smiled, folding her arms over her chest. "I don't know what it is. . .but something has definitely changed since the last time we were together."

"Yeah, well, I'm still me, Pam," Birdie said, nonchalantly shrugging her shoulders. "I don't know what could've changed."

Oh, yeah, nothing has changed.

'Shut up! Besides, you were around the last time I saw her.'

That was before the side effects started to become a little more noticeable.

Pamela slightly tilted her head. "Yeah. . ."

Birdie cleared her throat, leaning back in the chair with her legs stretched out in front of her. If Pamela truly thought long enough, or even noticed a slight change in Birdie, she might've actually figured out what exactly was going on with Birdie. She, nor even Felicity, could have that.

"Is there any way we can find out where they might be?" Birdie asked, hoping to divert the topic.

"If I knew one, don't you think I would've told you?"

"Truthfully, I don't know, Pamela," Birdie replied, shooting a glare in the woman's direction. "Would you?"

Pamela scoffed with offense, sharply turning to face Birdie. "Do you really think that low of me?" Pamela asked. Birdie took a look at Dean, resting her elbow on the table. She placed her chin on her hand, choosing not to answer Pamela. Pamela realized she wasn't going to get an answer, rolling her eyes. "I'm gonna have to bring 'em back soon whether they're ready or not."

"Well, hopefully they'll be ready then."

Ask her for details about the case.

'Why? She already told us on the phone. People aren't dying when they should.'

I know, but just ask. Maybe she left something out.

Birdie shifted in the seat, looking towards Pamela again. "You said they came here because people aren't dying?"

Pamela nodded. "Yeah."

"But how? Why should they be dying in the first place?"

Pamela walked over towards Birdie, her hand out in front of her as she felt for the table. Her hand glided across the surface, stopping when she felt a chair. Then she pulled it back, sinking into the seat. "A guy who got shot right in the heart walked home the same night——the bullet's still in his heart, but it's pumpin' like nothing's wrong. Another guy in hospice with terminal cancer walked out of the hospital as healthy as a twenty year old."

"How is that even possible?"

"You tell me."

Birdie furrowed her brows together, biting the inside of her cheek. She'd never heard of anything like that. But I have.

'What do you mean?'

I'm not entirely sure if I'm right, but. . .there is a seal that requires you to kill a reaper——two to be exact.

'Okay, but what does that have to do with this?'

What if no one's dying because the reapers are being taken?

'And you think. . .what? Demons are snatching the reapers?'

It does sound like something they would do, does it not?

'I guess you might——'

"Birdie." Birdie snapped back to reality with a blink of her eyes, doing a double take when she saw Hiro standing off to the side of the table with a concerned look on his face. Pamela had her brows furrowed, Birdie unable to tell what kind of expression was really on the woman's features behind her sunglasses. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," Birdie cleared her throat, firmly nodding her head. "I, uh, I was just. . .I, uh, I just remembered one of the seals the demons might try to break. . .it involves killing reapers. What if that's what's going on here? It would explain why people aren't dying."

"Seals?" Hiro repeated. "What're you talking about——"

"You didn't fill him in on this shit show?" Pamela hastily interrupted Hiro, raising her brows at Birdie.

Birdie stammered, letting out a defeated sigh. "Well, I mean, I——there's a lot of shit he doesn't know still. Hell, I probably don't even know everything."

"Can someone please just tell me what the seals are and what they mean?"

"They're what the demons are trying to break in order to free Lucifer from Hell and start the damn apocalypse."

Hiro's eyes immediately tripled in size, blinking a few times as he attempted to register Pamela's words. Birdie nodded in agreement when Hiro looked at her, silently asking if Pamela was being serious.

'She could've softened the blow a little better,' Birdie thought to herself.

That's exactly how you would have explained it to him, too.

'Fuck off.'

You fuck off, Big Bird.

"——think they could be taking them?"

Birdie leaned her elbows on the table, lips parting as she peered down at the table, thinking for a few moments. Where would the demons take the reapers? It wouldn't be somewhere obvious or too populated. They wouldn't be afraid to kill if they had to though. . .

You might not like this. . .but we could ask——

'No. No way.'

I don't like it anymore than you do, Birdie, but it's with a shot.

Birdie stole a glance towards Hiro and Pamela, noticing they were trying to piece it all together themselves. Her eyes flickered towards Sam and Dean again, unintentionally focusing on Sam. 'Fine. But wait until we're outside. I don't want Hiro or Pamela to become more suspicious than they probably already are.'

Outside? Why——

"I'm gonna go see if I can find the boys," Birdie said, pushing herself onto her feet. "You-you two just stay here."

"What? How do you even expect to find them? Or what if they return and——"

"I can't just sit here and do nothing. They could be in trouble right now," Birdie said as she made her way towards her bag. She kneeled on the ground, grabbing her gun and some holy water. She also grabbed some knives and extra bullets, safely tucking them in her pockets. Then she stood up, offering Hiro a small smile when she noticed his concern. "Call me if they get back or if you need me."

"Can't I come with you?"

"No."

"Why not?" Hiro protested.

"Because," Birdie said, making her way towards the door. Hiro followed. "Two people need to stay here if something happens."

"Like what?"

"Like demons," Birdie bluntly replied. Hiro's face slightly fell at that. He'd yet to deal with any demons, but he did say he wanted to keep trying with hunting. "You know how to exorcize them now, and you'll have Pamela here, too."

"But she's——"

"Choose your next words carefully, Hiro," Pamela called out. "I'm blind, not deaf."

Hiro cleared his throat, tearing his eyes away from Pamela to look at Birdie again. "Alright. Be careful, Bird. Call me if you need anything——anything."

Birdie nodded and fished her keys out of her pocket. Then she opened the door, giving Sam and Dean one last glance before she slipped out of the door and made her way towards the stairs.

It'd grown a bit darker since Birdie left the motel on her motorcycle, noticing a subtle drop in temperature as well. The search for Sam and Dean wasn't going as well as she'd hoped, or at least it hadn't until she listened to Felicity's advice. Like Felicity said, Ruby happened to have a few places in mind where the demons could've been taking the reapers. The first two places——a seemingly forgotten cemetery and a rundown warehouse——were dead ends, so Birdie was onto the third place: the closest funeral home. She highly doubted she would find anything useful there as it was located on the main road, but Felicity was keen that they still crossed it off their list.

Birdie tucked her hands in her pockets, weapons safely hidden in her jacket just as a precaution. Her phone was tucked in her back pocket, wanting to make sure Hiro or Pamela could contact her if Sam and Dean happened to return while she was gone or if something went wrong. She stood in front of the funeral home, her eyes skeptically raking over the building for an indication that it was the right place.

It was a two story building made up of white bricks that were slightly stained. The curtains in front of the windows were drawn closed, not allowing anyone a peek inside. She couldn't see any lights on either, but that didn't mean it was empty. No one paid much attention to the buildings or even Birdie as they walked past her, continuing on with their night.

Birdie stepped closer, noticing a crack in the front door. She furrowed her brows, glancing around to make sure no one was paying attention before she slipped inside. She slowly inched her way down the dark hall, briefly glancing up the stairs to her left. There weren't any lights on up there nor could she hear anything coming from up there, so she continued moving forward. She turned a corner, taking a look inside a room she passed to see it was an empty office. She let out a quiet sigh and turned to the right, stopping when she saw there was a light illuminating from a large doorway up ahead, voices spilling out.

Birdie cautiously tiptoed down the hall, sticking close to the wall. She suddenly halted and raised her arm to cover her face when a bright light spread into the hall, a gust of wind sweeping past her as lightning pierced the silence. She lowered her arm with a shaky breath once it stopped, wide eyes blinking in disbelief.

'What the fuck was that?'

Just hurry.

She fastened her pace, pressing her back against the wall as she leaned over to take a peek inside to what appeared to be the "showing room" of the funeral home. But, instead of their being rows of chairs facing a casket or an urn, the chairs were pressed against the walls with a white pentagram painted in the center of the floor instead. Two bodies were in the middle of the symbol, one an older looking man white white hair and blood on his neck and the other a younger woman with dark hair.

Reapers.

A tall and lanky man was standing off to the side with a scythe in hand, his back to Birdie. And, directly across from the man stood Sam and Dean——who Birdie could actually see. They were standing behind a closed casket, a chain around the stand as if keeping them trapped there.

Uh oh.

'Please don't tell me that's who I think it is.'

For once, Birdie didn't appreciate Felicity's silence.

She let out a shaky breath, her eyes flickering back to the boys where she caught Sam's eyes. She could tell he was surprised to see her there, but he didn't show it. If that demon in front of them was who she thought it was, then he might——

Suddenly Birdie grunted, hissing when she was roughly pulled back and then shoved into the wall. A man with black eyes stood in front of her, his arm pressed against Birdie's chest to keep her pinned there. She hatefully narrowed her eyes and tried to shove his arms off of her, but the demon grabbed one of her arms and pushed her to the side. Then he came up behind her before she could turn around and strike, wrapping his arm around her throat and holding her in front of him. He snickered when she tried to pull away again but failed, leading her into the room.

The man in the middle of the room turned at the sound, his eyes falling on Birdie.

"How nice of you two to finally join us," the demon said, a sickening smile on his lips as he looked straight at Birdie. His eyes rolled back in his head, showing white eyes. Alastair. Birdie just narrowed her eyes as the demon holding her pulled her closer to him, not wanting to give her any room to escape. Birdie's eyes flickered over to Sam and Dean, noticing the surprise etched on their faces. "It's been far too long."

"Not long enough," Birdie grumbled. The demon tightened his grip on Birdie and she gritted her teeth together with annoyance.

Alastair tsked, shaking his head with his eyes still pinned on Birdie as they returned to their normal shade. "Is that any way to treat an old pal?" he asked, adjusting his grip on the scythe he had clutched in his hands. Birdie's eyes skimmed over the weapon, stealing a quick look at Sam and Dean. "I suppose you came here to help Sam and Dean, but that won't be necessary." Birdie didn't respond. "What? You're not gonna talk? You were rather chatty the last time we were together."

At that, Birdie's eyes noticeably narrowed. Sam clenched his jaw, his eyes burning into the back of Alastair's head. Dean wore a similar expression, not liking how close Alastair was standing to Birdie after what happened the last time they were in the same room. "If you're gonna kill me, will you just do it already?" Birdie snapped after a few moments.

Alastair faintly smiled, amusement looming in his dark eyes. "Oh, just you wait your turn. Your time will come eventually, and then so will your friends." Birdie's eyes instantly flickered to Sam and Dean at that. Dean had a stern expression on his lips, but Sam's eyes were slightly widened. Then Alastair moved closer to the female reaper on the ground.

Birdie closely watched, feeling her heart thumping inside her chest. Alastair bent down, picking the woman up by the hem of her jacket. She gasped as her eyes opened, Alastiar holding her upright as she helplessly gripped at his arm. Alastair pressed the blade to her neck, glaring down at her.

"Stop!" the reaper shouted.

Birdie pulled her arm, but the demon yanked her closer to him to keep her in place. Sam narrowed his eyes, sharing a brief look with Dean. Their eyes raked over the room for something that could possibly help. Sam looked up at the ceiling, his gaze falling on the chandelier hanging above Alastair and the reaper; it was made of iron.

Sam subtly glanced between Dean and the chandelier, silently speaking to his big brother. Dean followed Sam's gaze, realizing what Sam was telling him.

Birdie glanced over at the Winchesters as Alastair tightened his grip on the scythe, furrowing her brows together as she followed their gaze. She spotted the chandelier, a small smirk starting to appear on her lips as it started to slowly move.

Maybe them being ghosts isn't such a bad thing after all.

"Hic cruor messorius——" Birdie's eyes darted back to Alastair, hearing him begin to recite the ritual as he prepared to kill the second reaper "——illud sigillum, quod luciferem reverendum obstringit——" She subtly looked up again, seeing the light was moving even more. The demon holding her didn't seem to notice, keeping his focus trained on Alastair with a wicked smirk. Alastair continued, but just as he said the last word, the chandelier fell, landing on a corner of the trap. The reaper vanished from Alastair's clutches, reappearing on the outside of the chain by Sam and Dean.

"Bye-bye," Dean told Alastair, smirking.

Birdie blinked as a small smile spread across her lips, and suddenly she was standing outside with Dean and the reaper. She took a small step back in surprise, peering up at the starry night above her. She turned her attention to Dean and the reaper, realizing they were just outside the funeral home. She wasn't exactly sure how, but she had a feeling the reaper might've had something to do with it. She looked to the side where she thought Sam would've been, but he wasn't there. The reaper and Dean noticed, too, scanning the surrounding area to find he wasn't anywhere in sight.

"Where's your brother?" The reaper wondered.

"I'll go find him," Dean said, his eyes flickering between Birdie and the reaper. "Tessa, you need to get out of here. You, too, Bird."

"But what about——"

"I'll look around here, see if he's near, okay? Go to the motel, it's, uh——"

"I know which one," Birdie said, firmly nodding her head. Dean furrowed his brows at that, but Birdie just gave him a brief smile. "I'll explain later."

Dean nodded, nudging his head for her to get a move on. Birdie fished her keys out of her pocket and jogged over to her motorcycle, quickly starting it and speeding down the street as Dean headed in the opposite direction in search of Sam.

⋅ ∙ ∘ ☽ ༓ ☾ ∘ ⋅ ⋅

"Oh, fuck!"

Birdie forcefully rammed her body into the door when she heard a shout, staggering into the motel room with heavy pants as she managed to catch her balance. Her wide eyes quickly examined the distraught room, lips remaining parted when she saw the body of a man in one of the far corners. She looked towards Sam who was standing near the dresser that looked more crooked than before, watching him pant. Then she turned her head to see Hiro splayed out on the ground near the bathroom with an unreadable expression on his features. Pamela sat on the bed Sam had previously laid on, Birdie unable to see the woman's face as she faced Dean's unmoving body.

"What the fuck did I miss?" Birdie demanded to know, eyes raking over Sam for any injuries. Sam let out a heavy breath, his gaze landing on Hiro. Birdie's gaze followed, frowning as she faced Sam again for some kind of verbal explanation. "Sam?"

"A demon," Sam answered, nudging his head towards the body. "He tried to kill Pamela, but Hiro managed to stop him. Pamela brought me back right after and then. . .I. . .I took care of him. . ." As his voice drifted off, he expectantly raised his brows at Birdie. She tilted her head, frowning again when Sam then nudged his head towards the body and then at Hiro who was still trying to process everything that had just happened.

He saw Sam exorcize the demon with his powers, Big Bird!

Birdie quietly gasped and Sam quickly shook his head, shushing her under his breath so hopefully Pamela wouldn't overhear.

So that was why Hiro appeared to be frozen in place.

Birdie ran a stressful hand along the side of her face, taking another glance at Pamela. Then she stepped around Sam, stopping near the end of the bed with her eyes falling on the older woman. "Hey, Pam, are you——"

"I'm fine, Birdie," Pamela heavily sighed in response, pushing herself up from the bed. Birdie tilted her head as she thought Pamela would face her, but instead she moved towards Dean and sat down next to him, leaning close to his ear. "Imum vult decipi, ergo decipiatur," she softly said. "Vis, vis, vis."

She got up again and sat down on the free bed, leaning against the headboard with exhaustion. Birdie peered over her shoulder towards Hiro, catching his eye. But, before either of them could say anything, a loud gasp echoed in the room.

Birdie's head sharply snapped towards Dean, a wave of relief washing over her. He quickly sat up on the bed, taking in a large gulp of air as he looked around the room. His eyes scanned them all, doing a double take when he saw a set of legs on the ground. He stood up from the bed, eyes wide as he looked at Sam.

"Demon," Sam said.

Hiro groaned as slowly pushed himself onto his feet, eyes constantly flickering towards Sam. "He-he almost got Pamela," he managed to say, dusting off his clothes. "But I, uh, we-we stopped him."

Dean turned his head towards Pamela, brows knitted together in concern. "Are you——"

"I said I'm fucking fine," Pamela snapped, letting out a frustrated huff. She reached up and removed her sunglasses, firmly shaking her head. "I'm done with this. I told you boys I didn't want anything to do with this."

"Pamela——"

"Do me a favor," Pamela continued, facing Sam and Dean, "Tell that bastard Bobby Singer to go to Hell for ever introducing me to you two in the first place."

Birdie's face faltered, noticing the guilty expressions that washed over Sam and Dean's features. Sam quietly sighed and opened his mouth to speak, but Pamela beat him to it. "Sam, come here."

Confusion appeared on his face but he did as asked. He sat across from Pamela, leaning closer to the woman. Birdie shared a brief look with Sam, folding her arms over her chest as she tried to listen. Dean tilted his head and Hiro took a few steps closer, momentarily catching Birdie's eye.

Birdie could already see the question forming in his mind, but she averted her gaze back to Sam and Pamela.

"I know what you did to that demon, Sam," Birdie heard Pamela say; if it wasn't for Felicity, she wouldn't have been able to hear her at all. And in some way, she almost wished she didn't hear what else Pamela said. "I can feel what's inside of you. If you think you have good intentions, think again."

⋅ ∙ ∘ ☽ ༓ ☾ ∘ ⋅ ⋅

HELLO EVERYONE!!

Thanj you all so much for 50K reads!! I honestly never expected this book to get a lot of attention but it means the world to me that so many of you are enjoying it!! And thank you for you guys who voted for this story in the 2023 awards book!! It won favorite Sam Winchester fic!! 😭❤️

Are you guys liking Hiro's character so far?? I didn't intend to include him a lot, but I seriously love him so much, I can't resist including him!! And Pamela was back + I did save her because I'm not gonna keep spns theme of killing all the female characters off (and keeping them dead lmao)!! So, she may or may not reappear later, I'm not too sure yet!!

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