CHAPTER THIRTY TWO:
HEAVEN & HELL.

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THE SHEER AWKWARDNESS could easily be felt by the three women. Insects chirped just outside the barn, crisp night air fluttering through some cracks in the wooden walls. Ruby was lingering by the door, constantly looking out the cracked window beside it for any sign of trouble. Anna was seated on a tattered couch against one of the walls, her mind undoubtedly racing with one thought after another. Birdie didn't blame her, knowing she'd most likely be the same way if she hadn't grown up hunting the supernatural. And, being yanked out of a closet only to be "strongly nudged" down some separate set of stairs by a demon while Ruby was harshly whispered at certainly didn't ease the girl's nerves. Not to mention it hadn't helped that more demons were waiting outside for them, thirsty for blood and violence. But with some harsh punches and fast thinking, Ruby managed to lead Anna and Birdie to a car and drove them to safety.

Birdie wasn't fond of leaving Sam and Dean behind to get their ass kicked by a demon that even Ruby was fearful of, but Anna was the one the demon wanted. If she wasn't there or with the Winchesters, then the demons would have to move fast if they actually wanted her; continuing to beat up Sam and Dean wouldn't get them anywhere.

Now with the three women all together, Birdie felt like she was part of a bad joke Dean would come up with.

Birdie ran a hand along her face at the mere thought, walking away from the room in the corner of the barn to stretch her legs. The offset room appeared to be a makeshift bedroom, a metal frame pushed against the far wall with a twin sized mattress on top. A tattered blanket was balled up at the end, some small holes worn into it from what Birdie could see. A wooden dresser was on the same wall as the door, a grimy mirror attached to the top of it. A chair was off to the side, another blanket draped over the back of it. Birdie had thought about trying to convince Anna to get some sleep in there, but as she glanced over at the redhead, she didn't think Anna would be able to sleep even if she wanted.

She shook her head with a sigh and walked along the wall, pausing to peer out one of the cracks when she thought she heard something just outside. She crossed her arms, rubbing her hands over her arms when she felt some wind creep in through the cracks.

"Pacing won't help, you know."

Birdie halted, huffing as she sharply turned her head towards the demon. "I know that," she said, turning on her heel to face Ruby. "It'd help if I had my phone. I can't believe I forgot it."

"That wouldn't help either," Ruby said, taking a few steps closer, arms folded over her chest. "The demons could use it to track us and that's the last thing we need right now."

Birdie breathed in a sharp breath, letting her arms drop down to her sides. "Yeah. . ."

"I need to talk to my parents," Anna said, a faint frown on her lips as her eyes flickered between Birdie and Ruby. She scooted towards the edge of the couch, hands in her lap. "Just let them know I'm okay."

Birdie held back a frown, eyes involuntarily darting to Ruby. She caught Birdie's gaze, not missing the look in Birdie's eyes. Ruby shifted and let out a sigh, facing Anna. "It's not safe yet," Ruby said. "We need to find a way to contact Sam and Dean and let them know where we are first."

"And how do you propose we do that?" Birdie wondered, cocking a brow at the demon.

Ruby just smirked in response.

Birdie suspiciously narrowed her eyes, tilting her head. Anna shifted on the couch, watching as Ruby leaned her head back and black smoke billowed out of her mouth, causing Anna's eyes to widen in horror. Birdie gasped and watched the smoke fly towards the cracked fireplace, flying up and out with a loud whoosh.

Birdie watched Ruby's former body flop to the ground, the thud making her wince. "Well. . .that's one way, I guess."

"Is. . .is she. . ."

Birdie followed Anna's gaze, eyes falling on Ruby's current meat suit. Her lips parted, smacking shut a few seconds later. She knew what Anna was trying to ask. "Uh, yeah, she is," she softly answered, offering Anna a sad nod. Anna let out a shaky breath, blinking a few times as she turned her head in Birdie's direction. "I can move her if you'd prefer——"

"Oh, no, that's, uh, it's okay," Anna stammered, forcing a smile onto her lips.

Birdie returned Anna's smile and sat down beside her, making sure to sit on her right so that Anna wasn't having to look in the same direction as the body. "Anna, it's okay if you're not okay. You've had a pretty eventful last few days."

Anna breathed out a faint laugh. "Yeah, I guess you could say that."

Birdie let out a quiet sigh and tilted her head. She stole another look around the barn, not quite sure what to say to lift Anna's spirits in this instance. Serena wasn't a comforting mother in the slightest, Reese usually the one to reassure Birdie or lift her up if she fell, but she'd been without her father for almost seven years. Birdie wasn't exactly sure how to truly comfort someone aside from giving them a hug or just letting them vent to her. She wasn't much for talking, but she did try her best when it came to it.

"I, uh, I actually remember the first time I saw a demon," Birdie said after a couple of minutes, her voice causing Anna to glance at her, eyes swirling with curiosity. Birdie moved and leaned back against the armrest of the couch, one of her legs folded in front of her with the other dangling over the side of the cushion. "I was about five at the time and my mom and dad were getting dinner while I waited in our motel room after they just got done dealing with a group of demons, but. . .they missed one."

"They left you alone that young?" Anna wondered, eyes slightly widening in fear.

Birdie shifted on the couch, sucking in a heavy breath. "Yeah, it. . .it wasn't uncommon. It was pretty normal for the kids who grew up in this life. But, I didn't mind. I actually liked having the room to myself. It was kinda nice," she said, a sad smile spreading across her lips. "So, I was just watching TV while I waited for them to get back. I would hear things every now and then outside, but we always stayed in cheap motels, so, I mean, there were always strange people and noises around——you get used to it. But, after a while I heard someone scream next door, and. . .somehow I just knew."

"What'd you do?"

"I got off the bed, grabbed a can of salt from my bag and ran to the door. I dumped that sucker out as fast as I could. I poured it in front of the windows, and then on the inside of the closet where I hid with a shotgun full of rocksalt." Birdie paused, taking in Anna's growing fear on her expression. She wasn't trying to frighten the poor girl anymore than she already had but to show her that she. . .that she wasn't alone——that Birdie understood how she felt. "I grabbed my dad's phone before I got in and called my mom's phone, and just when my dad answered it, the door was busted open. I wasn't sure how it was possible, but the demon threw something against it, breaking that salt line. And I could hear my Dad on the phone asking what was wrong, but I. . .I was too scared to answer. The demon must've heard him too because the closet doors flung open." A sad expression loomed on her face, the events replaying in her head just as clear as it was the day it happened. Anna listened, brows knitted together as she hung onto each word. "And I remember the nasty smirk on his face, but then he saw the salt around me. I-I panicked and shot him and he fell to the ground. He groaned and groaned, but then he got back up, and I. . .I was so afraid. I couldn't hear my dad on the phone anymore. . .and all of a sudden Sam and Dean's dad showed up. The demon forgot all about me and fought their Dad. Dean actually ran in and grabbed me from the closet and carried me out to their Dad's car where Sam was waiting. I don't exactly remember how long their Dad was in there with that demon, but when he came out, he asked me if I was okay and then brought me to some McDonald's where my parents were waiting."

Anna breathed out a shaky breath, faintly shaking her head. "Wow. That must've. . .and you're still doing what they did? Hunting monsters?"

"Yeah," Birdie replied with a small nod. "It's all I know."

"Have you ever thought about having a normal life? One without. . .demons?"

"On and off, but I know that's not the life for me," Birdie said. "It just wouldn't work, and I'm okay with that."

"Are you?" Anna questioned. Birdie partially tilted her head, curious eyes focused on Anna.. "The angels, they talk about Sam and Dean, but they talk about you often too——usually when they're talking about Sam."

Birdie couldn't hide her surprise. "Seriously?"

Anna softly chuckled. "Yeah. I don't understand everything they say, but I think they're afraid when you and Sam are together."

"What?" Birdie gaped, her brows knitting together. "That's ridiculous. I'm just. . .I'm just me. There's nothing threatening or special about me."

Are you sure about that?

Birdie scoffed inside her head, dismissing Felicity's comment.

"I'm sorry I can't tell you more. I wish I knew."

"That's okay. We have more pressing issues at the moment, anyways."

"Yeah."

Birdie stood up and glanced over at the body, pursing her lips together. She took a few steps closer, jumping in surprise when she heard something tumble down the fireplace. A black puff of smoke poured out and dipped into the body. Anna shot up from the couch with wide eyes, watching with slight fear and anticipation.

Ruby sat up, panting as her gaze shifted between Anna and Birdie.

"So?" Birdie pressed, holding her hands out at her sides.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks for asking," Ruby replied, pushing herself off of the ground. She dusted off her jeans, huffing as she did so.

Birdie rolled her eyes. "I'm glad you and your ego are fine. Now, Sam and Dean?"

"They'll be here soon," Ruby answered.

Birdie let out a sigh of relief, feeling a small weight remove itself from her shoulders. "Good, good. And are they okay? Did——"

"I didn't have time for a Q and A, but I'm sure you can ask them yourself when they get here," Ruby sharply replied.

Birdie scrunched up her nose, shooting the demon a glare. Ruby rolled her eyes when she noticed, nonchalantly shrugging her shoulders.

Birdie huffed and lifted her hand, giving Ruby the middle finger.

⋅ ∙ ∘ ☽ ༓ ☾ ∘ ⋅ ⋅

When there was a sudden knock at the barn door almost an hour later, Ruby was the first to approach. Birdie immediately stood up, remaining beside Anna with her hand resting over her knife as a precaution.

Ruby partially opened the door, stepping back further so Sam and Dean could enter. "Glad you could make it."

"Yeah, thanks." Sam's eyes met with Birdie's, silently checking that the other was okay. Birdie offered him a faint smile, relieved to see both of the boys. Dean walked in with a duffle bag, a few guns sticking out from the zipper. Sam glanced down at Anna, heading towards the redheaded woman. "Anna, are you okay?"

"Yeah. I think so," Anna answered with a nod. She looked over at Ruby as the demon shut the door and locked it. "Ruby's not like other demons. She and Birdie saved my life."

"Yeah, I hear she does that," Dean said. Birdie's gaze snapped towards the oldest Winchester at his words, curiosity etched on her features. He was already looking at Ruby who was to the right of him, catching the demon's eyes. "I guess I, uh. . ." he cleared his throat, awkwardly holding his hand out, ". . .you know."

Ruby folded her arms over her chest, eyes narrowed in utter confusion. "What?"

"I guess I owe you for. . .Sam and Bird." As soon as those words left Dean's mouth, Birdie's eyes darted towards Sam. He met her eye seconds later, shaking his head when he saw how wide her eyes had gotten. Birdie frowned. Sam subtly shook his head again, slightly tilting his head. Birdie's expression softened, feeling a hint of relief. . .and guilt. Dean still didn't know everything; however, that was the least of their problems at the moment. "And I just wanted. . .you know. . ."

Ruby raised her brows, watching Dean struggle to try and thank her. "Don't strain yourself."

"Okay, then. Is the moment over?" Ruby rolled her eyes and looked away almost in annoyance. Dean took that as a yes. He turned towards Anna, stealing a glance towards Sam and Birdie. "Good, 'cause that was fucking awkward."

Birdie quietly chuckled as Sam smiled with a laugh.

"Hey, Sam, you think it'd be safe to make a quick call, just to tell my parents I'm okay? They must be completely freaked." Anna said. "Ruby said I should wait until you and Dean got here."

Sam's eyes flickered over to Birdie, brows slightly furrowing together. Birdie just silently shook her head as if saying she couldn't break the news to Anna about her parents. "Uh. . ."

Anna noticed their hesitant expressions, sitting up a little straighter on the couch. "What?"

Sam heavily sighed. Dean looked down at the ground, feeling his heart ache for the girl. Ruby took a few steps closer to the door, quietly sighing to herself. Birdie walked aside, running a hand through her hair. Birdie felt genuinely terrible she hadn't told her yet. Sam stepped forward, sitting down on the couch as he spoke. "Anna, um. . .your parents. . ." he sighed again, unsure how to break the news to her.

"What about them?" From Anna's reaction and how she spoke, she'd already figured out what Sam was trying to say.

"Look, I'm sorry."

Fresh tears brewed in her eyes, faintly shaking her head. "No, they're not. . ."

"Anna, I'm sorry."

Anna's tears fell from her eyes, pressing her face into her hands. Birdie had to look away, shaking her head. She knew how Anna must be feeling, losing both of her parents without warning. It was what had happened to Birdie. Dean stole a look over at Birdie, catching the glossiness in them as if she were holding back her own tears. "Why is this happening to me?" Anna asked.

"I don't know," Sam softly answered. He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder as she continued to cry into her hands, hunched over with her tears dribbling down her fingers.

Dean moved towards Birdie, seeing her turn her head towards him. "You okay?"

Birdie cleared her throat, nodding as she forced a smile onto her lips. "Yeah, yeah. I'm okay."

"Bird——"

Anna's broken cries suddenly shifted into gasps, making her abruptly sit up. Her eyes were wide, hands held up. "They're coming."

Sam's features hardened, automatically turning towards Dean. Birdie's face fell and she sharply turned on her heel to face Anna and Sam. Ruby's arms moved down to her sides, dark eyes widening. The lights above them started to flicker, making them all frantically look around the barn.

"Back room!" Dean quickly instructed, pointing to the room in the corner.

Sam quickly helped Anna to her feet, guiding her towards the room. Ruby went to the main door, making sure that it was locked. Dean locked the other one, picking up a shotgun from his duffle bag. Birdie pulled her knife out of her pocket, tightly gripping the handle. "You didn't happen to bring my bag in, did you?" Birdie asked Dean, watching him hand one of their guns to Sam. Dean gave her an incredulous look in response. Birdie rolled her eyes, shrugging her shoulders. "A girl can dream."

Ruby moved towards Sam and Dean's bag, rummaging inside. When she didn't find what she was searching for, she lifted her head towards Sam and Dean. "Where's the knife?"

Dean and Sam shared a look, silently trying to figure who would answer her. When Sam looked away, Dean took the liberty to answer Ruby. "Uh. . .about that. . ."

Ruby stood up straight with pure annoyance. "You gotta be fucking kidding me."

"Hey, don't look at me," Dean said.

Sam turned towards Dean, giving him a dirty look. "Thanks a lot."

Dean's only response was a sarcastic smile.

"Great. Just fucking peachy," Ruby said. "Impeccable timing, guys, really."

"Maybe it won't——"

The howling wind caught their attention, cutting Birdie off. She spun on her heel, tightening her grip on the knife. Sam raised his own weapon, making sure it was cocked. Dean stepped forward, standing in between Ruby and Birdie. The door began to rattle violently, bursting open a few seconds later. The harsh wind blew in, causing them to look away. Birdie felt her hair swat against her face and neck, making her scrunch up her face. The wind calmed down a few seconds later and she sighed, facing the door again.

A fluttering sound came from just outside, and then Castiel and Uriel entered the barn. Birdie shifted at the sight of them, watching their eyes roam over the four of them. Sam lowered his gun, relieved that it was the angels and not demons. Birdie wasn't as relieved, the mere sight of the angels putting an awful taste in her mouth.

"Please tell me you're here to help," Dean said. "We've been having demon issues all fuckin' day."

"Well, I can see that," Uriel said, his harsh gaze still settled on Ruby. "You want to explain why you have that stain in the room?"

Birdie glanced over at Ruby along with the boys, but no one answered Uriel, though.

"We're here for Anna," Castiel said.

Dean's eyes slightly narrowed. "Here for her, like. . .here for her?"

"Stop talking," Uriel firmly demanded. "Give her to us."

"Are you gonna help her?" Sam wondered.

"No," Castiel truthfully answered. "She has to die."

What the fuck?

"You want Anna? Why?"

Uriel stepped forward, hands neatly folded behind his back. "Out of the way."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Dean interjected. "Okay, I know she's wiretapping your angel chats or whatever, but it's no reason to gank her."

"Don't worry. I'll kill her gentle," Uriel said, a sinister smile on his lips as he spoke.

"You're some heartless sons of bitches, you know that?"

"As a matter of fact, we are," Castiel said, completely unfazed. "And?"

"What the fuck do you mean and?" Birdie scoffed in disbelief, mocking Castiel's gruff voice as she said and. "You can't just kill her."

"Anna's an innocent girl," Sam said.

Castiel faintly shook his head. "She is far from innocent."

Birdie knitted her brows, sharing a look with Sam. "What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" Sam asked.

"It means she's worse than associating with this abomination," Uriel sharply replied, briefly glancing towards Ruby. "Now give us the girl."

Dean turned his head, eyes moving from Sam and over to Birdie. Birdie gave him a silent nod, turning to peer up at Sam. He tilted his head at Dean and Birdie, a silent agreement that they weren't going to back down. "Sorry. Get yourself another one. Try JDate," Dean said with a little smirk.

"Who's gonna stop us? You three?" Uriel stepped forward, roughly grabbing hold of Ruby's arm. "Or this demon whore?"

Without warning, Uriel threw Ruby against the wall near the front door. She hit the window, glass shattering as she grunted when her body hit the ground. Uriel roughly picked her up and pinned her against the wall by the neck. Then he raised his hand, bringing it closer to her face.

"Birdie, get Anna," Sam said, not looking away from Castiel who had his eyes pinned to the two.

"But Sam——"

"Go!"

Birdie sighed, taking one last look at Castiel. She turned around and headed for the bedroom, yanking open the door. Anna shot up from the bed, heart thundering in her eyes as she watched Birdie rush in, slamming the door shut behind her.

"They're here for me," Anna said, her eyes locking with Birdie's.

"We're not gonna let them take you," Birdie said, coming up to Anna. She gave her a forced smile and stole a look around the bedroom, sighing when she didn't see any place where Anna could possibly hide. "Fuck."

She heard a thud outside the door, causing her head to twist in the direction of the door. She rushed over to the door, seeing a shadow approaching from under the crevice. Her eyes widened and she threw her body against the door, holding on tight to her knife.

"I know what to do," Anna said. Birdie furrowed her brows, gaping when Anna yanked the knife from Birdie's hand.

"Anna, no!"

Anna sliced at one of her wrists and dropped the knife to the ground, using her other to wipe some of the blood onto her fingers. She started to draw on the mirror on the dresser, making Birdie's confusion only increase. Birdie tilted her head at the mirror, not recognizing the sigil.

Then Anna pressed her hand against it, causing a white light to fill the room. Birdie hissed, lifting her arm to cover her eyes. Anna panted and Birdie lowered her arm, seeing Anna leaning against the dresser, more blood dripping down onto the dresser and smearing both of her hands. "Shit," Birdie whispered, hurrying over and guiding Anna into the chair off to the side. She frantically felt around in her pockets for something to wrap around Anna's gushing wound, but she didn't have anything on her.

Dean opened the door, his eyes widening when he saw the blood. "Anna!"

"Dean, do you have something to wrap around her wrist?"

"Yeah, yeah," Dean rushed out. Birdie stepped back and allowed Dean to take her place next to Anna. He gently grabbed Anna's arm and pulled a bandana out of his pocket. Birdie saw a speck of blood on Dean's lip, a red bruise already spreading on his cheek.

"Are they-are they gone?" Anna breathlessly asked.

"Did you kill them?" Dean asked, carefully wrapping a bandana around her right wrist while his eyes examined the sigil on the mirror.

"No."

Dean quickly continued tying the bandana around Anna's wrist, making sure it wouldn't come undone anytime soon. Sam and Ruby stepped through the door, noticing all of the blood and the symbol. "I sent them away. . .far away."

"You wanna tell me how?" Dean wondered, his eyes flickering over the symbol again where he caught Anna's eye in the mirror.

"That just popped in my head," Anna answered, brows slightly furrowed. Birdie ran a hand through her hair, letting out a heavy breath. She turned her head, locking eyes with Sam. "I don't know how I did it. I just did it."

•❃°•°❀°•°❃•

Birdie tapped her finger on her leg, slowly beginning to move all of them. Her dark eyes bored out of the passenger side window, the trees whizzing by as she silently sat beside Sam. Not a single song was playing from the radio, a tense silence filling the air as they headed in the direction of Bobby's house. Dean, Anna, and Ruby were there, Dean having stayed behind with Ruby to watch over Anna while Sam and Birdie went to get the Impala and see what else they could find out about Anna.

Birdie licked at her lips, turning her head to look at Sam. His hands were tightly gripping the wheel, a hard look on his features. Birdie let out a sigh, a frown on her lips as she looked at Sam. "I'm sorry," she softly said.

Sam glanced over, doing a double take when he saw the softened expression on Birdie's face. "It's not your fault, Bird," he sighed, loosening his grip on the steering wheel.

"But still I. . ." Birdie shook her head, looking out of the windshield. She twisted her lips, watching Bobby's house come into view.

"It's okay," Sam said, giving her a faint smile as parked in front of the house. "Let's just talk about it later."

"But Sam——"

"Later, Birdie," Sam sighed, giving Birdie a pleading look.

Birdie sighed as well, nodding her head. "Okay."

Sam offered her a faint smile and opened his door. Birdie did the same, climbing out of the car and following Sam up the front steps.

"Hey, Dean!" Sam shouted as they entered the house, moving down the hall towards the kitchen.

Birdie pushed some hair out of her face, turning her head when she heard footsteps behind her. Dean walked over, falling into step with Birdie as they entered the kitchen. "How's the car?" Dean asked.

Sam continued walking, holding a manila folder in his hands. "We got her. She's fine," he answered, glancing around the house. "Where's Bobby and Rumsfeld?"

"Uh, Bobby's in the Dominican and Rumsfeld is with someone named Jody," Dean answered, falsely smiling. "And he said we break anything, we buy it."

"He's working a job?" Sam wondered, brows furrowed together. Birdie's expression was similar to Sam's as they slowed to a stop in the living room.

"God, I hope so. Otherwise, he's at hedonism in a banana hammock and a trucker cap."

Sam grimaced, scrunching his face. "Now that's seared in my brain."

"Mine too," Birdie huffed.

Sam moved towards Bobby's desk and Dean glanced down at the folder in Sam's hands. "All right, what did you guys find on Anna?"

"Not much," Birdie answered as Sam opened up the folder.

"Her parents were, uh, Rich and Amy Milton," Sam said, placing the open folder on Bobby's desk for them all to be able to peer down at. Anna's patient file was in full view, a small picture of her smiling in the top left corner along with her basic info. The page on the other side was one of her psychiatric evaluations, a few more pages behind it. "A church deacon and a housewife."

"Riveting," Dean said.

"Yeah. But there is something here in the report," Sam said. "Turns out this latest psych episode wasn't her first."

"No?"

"When she was two and a half, she'd get hysterical any time her dad got close," Sam said. Birdie stepped to the side, picking up a book that was placed on the corner of Bobby's desk. She furrowed her brows when she saw a strange symbol on the front. It looked so familiar. "She was convinced that he wasn't her real daddy."

"Who was? The plumber, hmm? A little snaking the pipes?" Dean suggested, smiling in amusement as he spoke. Birdie blinked and lifted her head, raising a brow in Dean's direction.

"Dude, you're confusing reality with porn again," Sam said with a roll of his eyes. Dean just huffed, rolling his eyes as well. Birdie did the same, putting the book back down on the desk. "Look, Anna didn't say," Sam said. "She just kept repeating that this real father of hers was mad. Very mad, like, wanted-to-kill-her mad."

"Kind of heavy for a two-year-old."

"Well, she saw a kid's shrink, got better, and grew up normal."

"Until now. So, what's she hiding?"

"Why don't you just ask me to my face?"

Birdie and the boys simultaneously turned when they heard Anna's snippy voice. In the entryway of the hall, there stood Anna with her arms folded over her chest, looking rather hurt and pissed after overhearing their conversation. Ruby was behind her and off to the side, looking bored.

"Nice job watching her," Dean told Ruby.

Ruby innocently shrugged, lazily holding her hand out in a gesture towards Anna. "I'm watching her."

"No, you're right, Anna," Sam softly said. "Is there anything you wanna tell us?"

"About what?"

"The angels said you were guilty of something," Sam said. "Why would they say that?"

"You tell me. Tell me why my life has been leveled. . .why my parents are dead." Birdie frowned, momentarily glancing towards the ground. "I don't know. I swear. I would give anything to know."

Sam softly nodded. "Okay. Then let's find out."

"How?"

Birdie twisted her lips, catching Sam's eye. She narrowed her eyes, not liking the look that appeared on his face.

"I still don't like this idea."

"I know you don't, but she can help."

"Yeah, and you know who else can?" Birdie huffed, looking up at Sam with annoyance. "Literally anyone else."

"You just don't like her because she flirts with me and Dean."

Birdie scoffed, firmly placing her hands on her hips. "That is not why I don't like her and you know it."

"No, I don't then."

Birdie let out a breath, closing her eyes with irritation. "Samuel. . .I just don't r——wait, no, I don't have to explain it to you." Sam's eyes widened, gaping at the younger woman. "I don't like her. I don't know what else you want me to say."

"Birdie, come on——"

"We're here!"

Birdie clenched her jaw, Sam's eyes locked with her for a few seconds. He sighed and turned, walking away from the panic room to greet Dean and Pamela Barnes.

"You really don't like her, do you?" Ruby asked, coming to stand next to Birdie.

"No, not really," Birdie muttered before stepping out of the panic room. Anna stepped out of the panic room, lingering near the entrance after overhearing part of Sam and Birdie's conversation. Birdie stopped near a bookshelf, dark eyes narrowed on Pamela as Dean guided her down the stairs.

"Pamela, hey," Sam greeted the woman.

"Sam?"

"Yeah' it's me. It's Sam."

Pamela reached out, touching his arms. Sam reached out as well and gently placed one of his hands on her shoulder. "Sam, is that you?"

"I'm right here."

"Oh," Pamela breathed out, lifting one of her hands to softly touch Sam's left cheek. Sam smiled, briefly looking over Pamela's shoulder towards Dean. "Know how I can tell?" Pamela reached down and smacked Sam's ass. He gulped, glancing at Dean who smirked behind Pamela as a smile started to appear on his lips. "That perky little ass of yours. You could bounce a nickel off that thing." Birdie sharply narrowed her eyes on the woman, tightly gripping her arms that were folded over her chest. Pamela suddenly coughed, making Dean and Sam raise their brows.

"Pam?" Dean asked, eyes widening as the woman bent over. "You okay?"

Pamela coughed again, clearing her throat as she nodded. Birdie's eyes slightly widened, loosening her grip on her arms. "Yeah, I'm fine. Must be all the damn dust in this place." Sam quietly chuckled, eyes still peering down at Pamela. She laughed, patting Sam's arm. "Of course I know it's you, grumpy. Same way I know that's a demon, that's Birdie, who's giving me a death stare——" Sam turned towards Birdie at that, expecting her to be simply rolling her eyes, but she was in fact glaring at Pamela, and in a way he'd never seen before. "And that poor girl's Anna. And that you've been eyeing my rack."

Sam stammered, facing Pamela again. "Uh, no——"

Pamela just laughed, nonchalantly waving her hand. "Don't sweat it, kiddo. I still got more senses than most."

"Got it."

Pamela walked past Sam and stopped in front of Anna who'd walked closer. "Hey, Anna. How are you? I'm Pamela."

She reached out and Anna warmly smiled, taking both of Pamela's hands in greeting. "Hi."

"Dean told me what's been going on. I'm excited to help."

"Oh. That's nice of you."

"Oh, well, not really," Pamela confessed. "Any chance I can dick over an angel, I'm taking it."

"Why?" Anna curiously wondered.

Pamela let go of Anna's hands, reaching up to remove her sunglasses. "They stole something from me." She took the sunglasses off, revealing white eyes. "Demon-y, I know. But they're just plastic. Good for business. Makes me look extra-psychic, don't you think?" Anna laughed along with Pamela, Pamela's friendly demeanor putting Anna more at ease. Birdie rolled her eyes, sighing to herself as Pamela put her sunglasses back on. "Now. . .how about you tell me what your deal is? Hmm?" Pamela started to walk towards the panic room, placing an arm around Anna's shoulders to guide her into the room. "Don't you worry."

"I can see why you don't like her," Ruby quietly said, glancing aside at Birdie.

Birdie scoffed under her breath. "At least someone does."

After a few minutes, Anna was comfortably settled on the bed in the panic room. Pamela was sitting on a chair to the side of the bed, focused on Anna. Ruby stood outside, as close as she could get without willingly stepping into the devil's trap in front of the iron door. Sam was seated on a filing cabinet near the door, legs dangling over the edge with his boots planted on the ground. Dean was on the ledge of the desk, leaning forward slightly to see Anna. Birdie was in the chair against one of the walls, in between Sam and Dean.

"Nice and relaxed. Now, I'm going to count down from five to zero. When we're at zero, you'll be in a deep state of hypnosis. As I count down, just go deeper and deeper, okay?" Pamela softly instructed. "5. . .4. . .3. . .2. . .1. Deep sleep. Deep sleep. Every muscle calm and relaxed. Can you hear me?"

"I can hear you," Anna softly answered.

"Now, Anna, tell me. . .how can you hear the angels? How did you work that spell?"

"I don't know," Anna answered. "I just did."

Pamela leaned back in the chair. "Your father. . .what's his name?"

"Rich Milton."

"All right. But I want you to look further back. . ." Birdie shifted, stealing a glance up at Sam where he caught her eye. She leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees as she turned her head in the opposite direction to see Anna and Pamela. "When you were very young. . .Just a couple of years old."

"I don't want to."

"It'll be okay, Anna. Just one look——that's all we need."

Anna fidgeted, turning her head to the side. "No."

"What's your dad's name? Your real dad." Anna fidgeted even more, her breathing becoming more ragged. "Why is he angry at you?"

"No. No! No!" Anna screamed, body lurching upwards before she collapsed back onto the bed. The electricity crackled in the room, making Birdie frown. "No!"

"Calm down."

"He's gonna kill me!"

"Anna, you're safe."

Anna screamed again. "No!"

The lights in the panic room exploded, the glass shattering. Birdie flinched, ducking down to try and shield her head. The door to the panic room slammed shut, Sam sharply turning his head at the sound.

"Calm down," Pamela said again, remaining at Anna's side.

"He's gonna kill me!"

"It's all right, Anna."

Dean quickly stood up and walked over to Anna. Birdie gulped and stood up along with Sam, sharing a weary look with him. "Anna?" Dean asked.

"Dean, don't."

Anna swung her arm, sending Dean tumbling backwards. Birdie winced as Dean hit the ground and hurried over to his aide, she and Sam helping him up as Pamela stood up from her chair. She leaned over Anna, remaining calm as she cautiously reached out towards Anna. "Wake in 1, 2, 3, 4, 5." Anna suddenly calmed down, her breathing slowing back down. Pamela gently touched Anna's face as she spoke. "Anna. . .Anna? You all right?"

Anna's eyes fluttered open, heavily breathing. She turned her head, sitting up as Pamela sank back down into the chair. "Thank you, Pamela," Anna said. "That helps a lot. I remember now."

"Remember what?" Sam wondered.

"Who I am."

Birdie tilted her head, silently glancing between Sam and Dean. "I'll bite," Dean breathed out, gripping his pained shoulder. "Who are you?"

"I'm an angel."

⋅ ∙ ∘ ☽ ༓ ☾ ∘ ⋅ ⋅

"Don't be afraid, I'm not like the others."

"I don't find that very reassuring," Ruby sharply replied.

"Neither do I," Pamela agreed.

Pamela was leaning against Bobby's desk in the living room, Sam on the right and Dean on the left and seated on a wooden chair. Birdie was sitting in a chair at the desk against the wall in the corner, legs stretched out in front of her with her arms crossed over her chest. It was just a few minutes after Anna's little confession, and it was safe to say none of them were taking the news quite well.

"So. . .Castiel, Uriel," Anna said, walking a few steps closer to Sam and Dean, "They're the ones that came for me?"

Dean nodded.

"You know them?" Sam asked.

Anna nodded. "We were kind of in the same foxhole."

"So, what, were they like your bosses or something?" Dean questioned.

Anna faintly smiled as her gaze landed on Dean again. "Try the other way around."

"Look at you."

"But now they want to kill you?" Pamela asked, raising a brow

"Orders are orders," Anna sighed. She moved to the side, folding her arms over her chest. "I'm sure I have a death sentence on my head."

Birdie suspiciously narrowed her eyes. "But why?"

"I disobeyed. . .which, for us, is about the worst thing you can do. I fell."

Dean expectantly raised his brows. "Meaning?"

"She fell to earth, became human," Pamela answered.

"Wait a minute. I don't understand," Sam said. "So, angels can just become human?"

Anna breathed out a forced laugh. "It kind of hurts. Try cutting your kidney out with a butter knife. That kind of hurt." She moved back in front of them, pausing for a moment. "I ripped out my grace."

Dean raised his brow, blinking a few times. "Come again?"

"My grace. It's. . .energy. Hacked it out and fell," Anna said. "My mother, Amy, couldn't get pregnant. Always called me her little miracle," she said, pacing to the side again. "She had no idea how right she was."

"So, you just forgot that you were God's little Power Ranger?"

Anna nonchalantly shrugged. "The older I got, the longer I was human, yeah."

"I don't think you all appreciate how completely fucked we are," Ruby hastily interjected.

"Ruby's right. Heaven wants me dead."

"And Hell just wants her," Ruby said, falsely smiling. "A flesh-and-blood angel that you can question, torture, that bleeds." Ruby turned her head to face Anna. "Sister, you're the fucking Stanley Cup. And sooner or later, Heaven or Hell, they're gonna find ya."

"I know. And that's why I'm gonna get it back."

"What?" Sam asked in surprise.

"My grace."

Dean tilted his head. "You can do that?"

"If I can find it."

"So, what, you're just gonna take some divine bong hit, and, shazam, you're Roma Downey?"

"Something like that."

"All right. I like this plan," Dean said, smiling upwards at the redhead. "So, where's this grace of yours?"

"Lost track. I was falling about 10,000 miles per hour at the time."

"Wait. You mean falling, like, literally?" Sam asked.

"Yes," Anna nodded.

"Like the way a human eye can see? Like a comet, maybe, or a meteor?"

"Why do you ask?"

When it was decided they needed to do some research to track down Anna's grace, Dean decided that was the perfect time for him to take Pamela to a bus station; he'd offered to take her home, but she told him she'd rather use a bus since he was still needed in case the angels, or demons, happened to find them there somehow. It was mostly an excuse to get out of doing research, but Birdie didn't mind it.

Anna had wandered outside, claiming she wanted to get some fresh air. Birdie stuck with Sam and helped him with research, going back and forth as they tried narrowing down their search. Books and old magazines surrounded them as they both sat on the couch, Sam's computer on the coffee table where they could both look at it.

Ruby was seated on the armrest of the couch, able to see the screen as well after she'd joined them a few minutes ago. "Here. In march '85, a meteorite vanished in the night sky over northwestern Ohio," Sam said. "It was sighted nine months before Anna was born, and she was born in that part of Ohio."

"You're pretty buff for a nerd," Ruby snickered.

Birdie scoffed, rolling her eyes. She turned her head, giving Ruby a look. "Can you not?"

"It's okay for Pam to do it——"

"It is not okay for——"

"Look, we think it was Anna," Sam hastily interjected, trying to keep them both on track. He reached to his right and picked up a book, opening it to a certain page. "And here, same time——another meteor over Kentucky."

"And that's her grace?" Ruby presumed.

"Might be," Birdie said, shrugging as she looked up at Ruby again.

"All right," Ruby said, standing to her feet. "That just narrows it down to an entire state."

"Look, it's a start," Sam said, closing the book.

"Sam, Birdie. . .I'm sorry."

Sam and Birdie shared a silent look, brows furrowed together as they faced Ruby again. "For what?" Birdie wondered.

"For bringing you guys this mess," Ruby replied. "If I had known, I would have kept my trap shut."

"Yeah, well, we'll muddle through," Sam said, setting the book to the side.

"Not this time. You do not want to get between these two armies. It's Godzilla and Mothra. If one side doesn't get us, the other one will."

"So, what do you wanna do? Dump Anna and run?" Sam asked. Ruby tilted her head as if she was saying yes. "Forget it." Sam picked up his computer and stood up, moving towards Bobby's desk. "Look, we know the angels freak you out."

"Fuck the angels," Ruby said. "It's Alastair I'm scared of."

Birdie furrowed her brows at the name. "Alastair?"

"You met him in the church. Practically the grand inquisitor downstairs. Fucking picasso with a razor."

Sam closed his laptop, setting his computer on the desk. "And?"

"And you should pull him out and throw him back in the pit. . .if you weren't so out of shape."

"Ruby. . ." Sam and Birdie said at the same time, but Ruby interjected.

"No, your abilities——you're getting flabby."

Sam sat on the edge of the desk, sighing. Birdie moved to stand off to the side, arms folded over her chest. "Yeah, so how do I tone up?" Sam wondered, narrowing his eyes on the demon.

"You know how," Ruby said, her dark eyes flicking between Sam and Birdie. "You know what you gotta do."

Sam firmly shook his head, clenching his jaw at the mere thought. "No, I'm not doing that anymore."

"Sam. . ."

"I said no."

"Sam——"

"He said no," Birdie snapped, huffing under her breath.

"Well, then you two better pray that Anna gets her groove back, or we're all dead."

"We don't need to pray. We can handle this," Birdie said.

Ruby walked into the kitchen, glancing over her shoulder to look at Birdie. "That's what you said about the other thing, but now look at you."

Birdie's lips parted, watching Ruby walk out of the kitchen, the front door slamming shut a few seconds later. "What a fucking bitch," she whispered, turning to face Sam.

Sam sighed, shaking his head. "You know she was just saying that to get to you."

"Yeah, and it worked," Birdie grumbled, sitting down against the desk beside him.

"Don't let her get to you, Bird," Sam softly said, giving her a small smile.

Birdie returned the smile, quietly sighing. Sam shifted, his movement causing Birdie to look at him. She frowned when she saw his brows furrowed as if in deep thought. "Hey," Birdie said, gently nudging him with her elbow. "You okay?"

"Yeah," he murmured. "I just. . .you don't think she's right, do you?"

"You know I don't," Birdie said. "I don't go by what she says. I go by what you say. And, if you don't wanna do it, you don't have to. It's your choice, Sammy."

⋅ ∙ ∘ ☽ ༓ ☾ ∘ ⋅ ⋅

After the twelve hour drive, the group had come up empty. They did locate where Anna's grace fell——Union, Kentucky where a giant oak tree had sprouted almost over night——yet, her grace had been taken already.

They didn't waste anymore time there and headed off again, finding an enclosed area where an empty barn was located. It was mostly run down, a rusted table on the side of the room near a shelf with a dirty gas jug, grimy paper towels, and random tools that were incredibly rusted. There were some hay bales pushed against the walls and on the banister above them, one of which was where Birdie was seated.

"Well, we still got the hex bags," Dean said, walking towards the middle with Ruby. Birdie stood up, taking a few steps closer to lean against a wooden post. "I say we head back to the panic room."

"What, forever?" Ruby sarcastically replied.

"I'm just thinking out loud!"

"Oh, you call that thinking?"

"Hey! Hey, hey, hey," Sam cut in, walking over to where Dean and Ruby were standing. "Stop it."

"Anna's grace is gone. You understand?" Ruby asked, gesturing towards Anna. Birdie looked aside where Anna was sitting on top of a table, head tilting to one side with her eyes boring ahead like she was lost in thought. Birdie shifted her feet, turning her attention back to Ruby and the boys. "She can't angel up. She can't protect us. We can't fight Heaven and Hell. One side maybe, but not both. Not at once."

"Um. . .guys?" Anna said. "The angels are talking again."

"What are they saying?" Sam questioned.

"It's weird. . .like a recording. . .a loop. It says, Dean Winchester gives us Anna by midnight, or. . ."

"Or what?" Dean pressed.

Anna turned to face them with a glum expression. ". . .or we hurl him back to damnation."

Dean's eyes widened, blinking a few times as he absorbed Anna's words. Birdie deeply frowned, arms falling down at her sides as she took a few steps forward.

Sam moved to stand in front of Anna, using his hand as he spoke. "Anna. . .do you know of any weapon that works on an angel?"

"To what? To kill them?" Anna asked. Sam tilted his head as if saying yes. "Nothing we could get to. Not right now."

"Okay, wait, wait. I say we call Bobby," Dean said, glancing around. "We get him back from hedonism."

"Dean, what's he gonna tell us that we don't already know?" Sam sharply asked.

"I don't fuckin' know, but we gotta think of something!"

The plan was simple, in a sense.

All Birdie had to do is make sure nothing unexpected happened while Ruby talked to Alastair.

"And you're sure about this?" Birdie asked, turning her head towards Ruby as she walked beside the demon. The barn was out of view now, Dean and Anna both somewhere outside the barn while Sam had fallen asleep with his head on one of the tables, an open book spread in front of him. Birdie had thought about waking him, but Sam needed as much sleep as he could get.

"Would you relax, Bird?" Ruby dramatically groaned, giving Birdie an incredulous look. "You're gonna be fine. If anyone's gonna get hurt, it's gonna be me."

"Why would it be you?" Birdie wondered.

"Uh, hello? A demon working against demons?" Ruby retorted. Birdie softly chuckled, nodding her head. "They're not gonna be worried about you."

"Fine with me," Birdie sighed. "I've dealt with enough demons to last me ten lifetimes." Ruby raised a brow in Birdie's direction. "Well, I guess you're alright. . .on occasion."

"Even after all this time you still won't admit you like me," Ruby huffed.

"I don't like you," Birdie said, but a small smile spread across her lips.

Ruby smiled as well, the two coming to a stop in the middle of a gravel road. They'd gotten there faster than Birdie would've thought.

"Alright, go hide and make sure they can't see you," Ruby instructed, pulling out her hex bag. "Once this is done, we'll head back and let Sam and Dean know."

"Okay," Birdie said. She started to jog towards some bushes near the tree line, pausing to turn to face Ruby. "Be careful, Ruby."

"I will."

With that, Birdie hurried forward and ducked behind some bushes. She kneeled on the ground, tilting her head to still be able to see Ruby through the leaves.

Birdie closely watched Ruby light her hex bag on fire, closing the lighter and stuffing it in her jacket pocket. Then she dropped it on the ground in the middle of the road, peering down at it as blue flames engulfed it.

"Hello, Ruby."

Birdie quietly gasped to herself as Ruby whipped around, coming face to face with the man from the church. "Alastair," Ruby said.

"I have to say, I'm surprised to find you out in the open like this," Alastair said, stealing a glance around. Birdie instinctively ducked down, letting out a shaky breath. The last thing she needed was to be spotted.

"Yeah? Desperate times."

Alastair nodded in agreement. "That they are. You looking for this?" he wondered, removing his hands from behind his back to hold up Ruby's knife. "Your gawky human friend gave it to me."

You need to find a way to get that back.

"Any suggestions?" Birdie grumbled in response to Felicity.

"Keep it," Ruby said. "I just came to talk."

Alastair raised his brows at that and slowly lowered the knife. "About what? About how a demon is protecting an angel? We really must revoke your membership."

"Look, I know I'm not employee of the month, but this——I never wanted to get in the middle of this."

"Why are you here, Ruby?"

"I'll give you the angel."

"Will you? And in return?"

"I walk away. Me, the Winchester boys, and their friend. This angel business is none of our fucking business."

I got a bad feeling about this.

'Shut up, Felicity,' Birdie thought.

Alastair hummed, eyes still pinned to Ruby. "You know. . .I'd always heard that you were a devious, cowardly little slut," he said, taking a few steps past her. Ruby turned her head to follow him, eyes narrowed on him. "You don't disappoint."

A rustling sound behind Birdie suddenly caught her attention. She whirled around, gasping as a demon roughly grabbed her by the arm. She went to shout, but he clamped a hand over her mouth, muffling the sound. He wrapped his other arm around her, keeping her close as he guided her back towards the road.

Ruby turned to face Alastair, his back to her. "So, what do you say?"

"It's interesting. . .prudent."

Two demons suddenly appeared and grabbed Ruby from behind as Alastair turned to face her. Birdie grunted and huffed, the demon holding her dropping his hand from her mouth as they approached Alastair. Ruby glanced over, a glint of fear in her eyes when she saw the demon holding Birdie. Birdie looked away, narrowing her eyes on Alastair.

Alastair smirked, glancing between Ruby and Birdie. "But, uh. . .let me make you a. . .counteroffer."

⋅ ∙ ∘ ☽ ༓ ☾ ∘ ⋅ ⋅

I told you I had a bad feeling about this.

"Oh, shut the fuck up."

Birdie pushed herself up from the ground, rolling her eyes as she glanced down at the rusted cuffs that were secured around her wrists. She took a few steps forward, hissing when the cuffs dug into her flesh when she moved too far from the wall. She turned her head, hatefully glaring at the chains that connected her cuffs to the wall, preventing her from getting any closer to the door. A flimsy twin sized bed was just barely within reach, not even a mattress on top of it. Dirt and grime covered the floors, stains trickling down all of the walls. A chair that reminded Birdie of one from a dentist office was in the middle of the room, dried blood on the headrest. More was smeared across the floor, tiny insects buzzing over it.

Birdie grimaced and backed towards the wall behind her, wincing when she heard a muffled scream in the distance. That had to be Ruby.

"Surely you can do something," Birdie said, keeping her voice low in case the demon guarding her door overheard her.

All of my power is being used to keep you alive——which, by the way, is not as easy as I was led to believe.

"Yeah? Then what was that with Pamela earlier?" Birdie wondered. She crouched down and tugged on the chain on the wall, huffing when it didn't show any signs of weakness.

You mean the coughing? You heard her, too. That was dust.

"Bull-fucking-shit," Birdie scoffed, kneeling on the ground. She felt around in her pockets, desperately hoping that she would find a bobby pin or something that she could use to undo the cuffs. "That just happened at the same time I was glaring at her?"

So you admit it? You were glaring at her because she was flirting with Sammy?

"Felicity, I'm serious," Birdie groaned, shaking her head as she stole a look at the door. "Why did you do it?"

Because——

"Who the hell are you talking to?" Birdie abruptly stood up when the door swung open, seeing the demon who grabbed her was standing in the doorway. His hand rested on the door handle, sharp eyes hatefully glaring into Birdie.

Birdie narrowed her eyes on the demon. "Your mom."

The demon's eyes darkened and he walked into the room, the door slamming shut behind him. Birdie's heartbeat quickened instantly, keeping her gaze on him as he got closer. "I should've just killed you——"

"Elio!" The demon whirled around, black eyes falling on one of the demons who grabbed Ruby. "He wants you to see what you can get out of her——use any methods necessary."

The demon's snarl turned into a wicked smirk as he faced Birdie again. Birdie shook her head, backing up as he made his way towards her. "You better stay the fuck away from me," Birdie said.

The demon snickered and grabbed her arm. Birdie huffed and swung her leg, knocking the demon's legs out from under him. The demon by the door hurried in, his fist colliding with Birdie's cheek. She staggered into the wall, grunting as she was shoved to the ground. She swung her fist out, hitting the other demon right in the crotch. He groaned, hunching over in pain. Birdie sat up on her elbows, grunting as the other demon hit her square in the nose. She winced, feeling her eyes well up as the pain seared throughout her entire nose. One of the demons crawled on top of her while she was distracted, the other unchaining her so they could move her.

"Let me go, you fucking assholes!"

"No can do," the demon said, grabbing a tight hold of her wrists. Birdie whimpered as his hands touched her sore wrists, stumbling forward as he dragged her along the floor. He pushed her onto the chair, his smirk widening. The other demon came over, helping to secure the restraints to prevent Birdie from escaping. "Boss man thinks you might be more help."

"Don't worry, Big Bird," the other demon said, tightening the restraint over her wrist after pushing the sleeves of her jacket up. Birdie hissed, gritting her teeth. The demon smirked at her reaction. "This'll only hurt a lot."

Birdie watched him pull a knife out of his back pocket, holding it up so she could see the shine of it. The other demon snickered and backed away, humming to himself as he stepped out of the room, closing the door behind him. "Are you actually gonna do anything or are you just admiring your tiny weapon?" Birdie snapped.

The demon tilted his head, bringing the knife towards Birdie's cheek. "What can you tell me about Sam Winchester?"

"What?" Birdie asked, slightly furrowing her brows.

"What can you tell me. . ." the demon said, slowly trailing the knife up along her temple, "about. . .Sam Winchester?"

"Nothing," Birdie answered.

Wait. . .this isn't——

Birdie hissed, feeling a sudden sting on her temple. Her eyes darted back to the demon, shooting daggers at him with her eyes. "We all know he was Azazel's golden boy. But, there's something else. He's different."

"I don't know what you want——"

The demon swiftly moved the knife, placing it against her throat. "He's more powerful than he should be. How?"

"I don't know," Birdie answered, not breaking eye contact with the demon.

"I don't believe you." The demon moved the knife, pressing it against one of Birdie's wrists. Then he swiped it across her skin, blood beginning to pool from the wound. Birdie clenched her eyes shut, gritting her teeth together. The demon let out a sigh as if he was bored, peering down at Birdie. "Would you like to try again?"

"Fuck you!"

The demon angrily clenched his jaw, tightening his grip on the knife. Birdie sharply exhaled, balling her hand into a fist as the pain continued to sting her wrist. Blood trickled down her arm and plopped down onto the ground below. "You'd be smart to answer my questions, bitch," the demon said, bringing his face close to Birdie's. Birdie just narrowed her eyes. "I'm being a lot fuckin' nicer than Alastair is to that backstabbing whore out there."

"Oh, you are, are you?" Birdie sneered, tilting her head as she peered up at the demon. "Thank you so fucking much."

The demon pressed the blade against her neck, just enough to draw a drop of blood. Birdie didn't flinch, remaining in her composure. Them asking her about Sam, that wasn't part of the plan.

Their interest had only been Anna.

Why was he asking her about Sam?

The demon trailed the knife further down, watching Birdie squirm when he moved it between her breasts, pausing for a moment. He smirked, slowly bringing it towards her stomach, smearing her blood along her shirt. "Tell me about Sam," the demon said, keeping the knife on her stomach. "How is he getting stronger?"

"I don't know," Birdie said, focusing her eyes on the ceiling. She refused to give the demon the satisfaction of looking him in the eye. The demon growled, pushing the blade down enough to draw some blood. Birdie breathed in sharply, but she didn't deter. Her eyes stayed glued to the ceiling, lips not moving. She'd die before she ever told the demons anything about her boys.

Birdie——

The demon pushed further and Birdie gritted her teeth together. The demon snarled and adjusted the blade, pushing it deep down. Birdie couldn't hold back a scream, eyes tightly shutting at the pure pain. Then the demon pulled it out, moving closer so he could look down at Birdie. Birdie panted, hands balled up so tight her nails were digging into the palm of her hands. "Tell me, bitch."

Birdie blinked back tears, locking eyes with the demon. She licked at her lips, brows slightly furrowed as her pain traveled through the rest of her body. "Torture me all you want," Birdie said, chest rising and falling quickly. "I'm not telling you jackshit."

"We'll see about that," the demon said, placing the tip of the blade against Birdie's shoulder. "It isn't just what's in Sam that makes him different. Someone's helping him, and it's not that slut out there. . .and it can't be you. You're just human."

Birdie lopsidedly smirked. "Like I said earlier, I don't fucking know."

"Bitch!" The demon shouted, pushing the blade into her shoulder.

Birdie screamed again, tilting her head back as her screams echoed off the wall. The demon pulled it out, eyes shimmering with malicious joy as he listened to Birdie's screams. Tears loomed in her eyes, her bottom lip trembling.

The demon waited a few moments, simply blinking down at Birdie. "Care to answer me now, Birdie?"

Let him see me.

"Huh?" Birdie whispered.

Tell him to take off the necklace.

Birdie's breath slowed slightly, turning her head while her heart still thumped inside her ribcage. "Sam. . .what he can do. . .it's because he actually knows how to do his job unlike you you motherf——"

The demon leaned in close, firmly pressing the blade on her throat. "Tell me! I know you know!"

Birdie's eyes shut for a moment, snapping open seconds later. The demon tilted his head, keeping the blade against her so she wouldn't try anything. "You want your answer? Take off the gold necklace."

The demon glanced down, seeing the gold chain peeking out from the collar of Birdie's shirt. "You seriously expect me to believe that will change anything?"

"You wanted an answer. You're getting it."

The demon carefully examined Birdie's features, searching for any sign that she was lying. She seemed completely serious. The demon used his other hand, yanking it off of her neck with his eyes narrowed in suspicion.

As soon as he did, his eyes widened, staggering backwards as the knife slipped out of his grasp.

"What? Cat got your tongue?"

The demon hurried towards the door, frantically banging on it. The other demon opened the door, stealing a look into the room. His eyes tripled in size, gaze darting to Elio. "What the——"

"We need to find Alastair."

"What about her?"

"She's tied down——if. . .whoever that is hasn't set her free, I don't think they can."

"I'll keep watch. You go get Alastair."

"Okay."

The demon faced Birdie, his features falling when he saw the glare she was sending him. "Is. . .who the hell are you?"

Felicity just smirked in response, turning her head to look straight ahead.

"Look!"

Alastiar stepped into the room, pausing when he realized he could see another being was inside Birdie Fowler. "Well, well, well," Alastair said, cautiously walking further into the room. He lifted his hand into the air, shutting the door behind him. "And here I believed you were just some puny little human," he said, coming up beside the chair, "glued to the Winchester boys like a little slut."

"You're not the brightest demon, are you?" Felicity asked, finally meeting Alastair's gaze.

He hummed, suspiciously narrowing his eyes. "You are quite bold, I'll give you that. But you're forgetting one important detail."

"And what might that be?"

"You're wounded," Alastair said, eyes skimming over the wounds on Birdie's body. "And there's a reason you haven't healed your. . .host yet."

"Times are tough," Felicity nonchalantly replied. "I think you can understand."

"Oh, I do. And I'm sure you can understand why. . ." Alastair dragged off, reaching behind him where pulled out Ruby's knife, "I'll be taking over."

"Am I supposed to be scared?"

Alastair wickedly smirked, pulling something out of his pocket. It was the necklace Birdie had been wearing just a few minutes ago——the one that concealed other beings from being able to see Felicity inside her. "I've never seen anything quite this exquisite. And you. . .you're something I've never seen before. What are you?"

"Like I'm gonna tell you," Felicity sneered.

Alastair darkly chuckled, slipping the necklace back into his pocket. "Oh, you will. They always do. Just ask your friend Dean." Felicity furrowed her brows together. "He didn't tell you? Aw, that's a shame. You'll have to ask him the next time you see him. . .if I let you."

"I'll see him again," Felicity said, narrowing her eyes. "Don't you worry about that."

Alastair chuckled, examining Ruby's knife like it was the first time he was seeing it. "I'm in no rush. I like to take my time. . .to relish in the moment."

Without warning, Alastair swiped the knife along her left thigh, causing Felicity to hiss at the harsh sting. Alastair tilted his hand, seeing that it hurt Felicity differently than it did other demons. It didn't hurt as bad, but it was still painful. "Dick," Felicity said through gritted teeth.

Alastair's smirk just widened. "What are you? And where's the angel?"

"Why should I tell you? You'll just kill me and Birdie."

"Clever girl."

"But. . .I'll show you where the angel is, and tell you what I am," Felicity said, "On three conditions."

Alastiar hummed, moving closer to her. He fiddled with the knife between his rugged fingers, taunting her. "And what might those conditions be?"

"You take me and Ruby to show you, you give me back the necklace, and you keep this between us."

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"Don't you touch a fucking hair on that poor girl's head."

Sam, Dean, and Anna turned at the sound of the voice, recognizing it as Alastair's. Two demons were holding Ruby upright, some blood staining one of her pant legs. A large, wet stain was on her shirt by her lower stomach, more smeared on her shirt. She was struggling to stand, breathing in shaky breaths as her eyes glanced over the faces in front of her. Another demon was holding Birdie upright, an arm wrapped around her torso so she was pressed into his side. A large red stain was on the front of her shirt where they could partially see a deep gash, more smeared near the top and decorating her neck. A trail of blood went down her leg, a nasty cut visible through the tear in her jeans. Sam and Dean's eyes noticeably widened, seeing Birdie's condition; they knew she was going to go with Ruby, but it wasn't part of the plan for her to get taken, and seeing what they did to her——

Uriel stepped forward, capturing their attention. Dean nudged Anna and Sam to the side, putting them out of Uriel's path. The other demons tossed Ruby aside towards the hay bales, doing the same to Birdie. She whimpered as she hit the ground, barely able to move her right shoulder. Sam hurried over to Birdie, letting out a shaky breath when he got a closer look at her wounds; he now saw the stab wound in her shoulder with the way her jacket had slipped down her shoulder. Ruby crawled further away, propping herself up against the stacked hay bales.

"Birdie," Sam whispered.

"I'm-I'm fine," Birdie breathed out, but even she could tell she wasn't convincing Sam or herself. "You need to keep an eye on Alastair."

"Why?"

"How dare you come into this room. . ." Uriel said, dark eyes glaring into Alastair, "you pussing sore."

"Name-calling," Alastair fakely frowned, stepping forward. The demons behind him did the same, their rugged expressions similar to Alastair. "That hurt my feelings. . .you sanctimonious, fanatical prick."

Sam went to speak, but Birdie nudged him to the side, motioning for him to join Dean and Anna. Dean caught her gaze, but Birdie shook her head as if to say not to worry about her at the moment. He shuffled closer, crouching down near her with Sam and Anna.

"Turn around and walk away now," Castiel ordered.

"Sure. Just give us the girl," Alastair said. "We'll make sure she gets punished good and proper."

"You know who we are and what we will do," Castiel said, stepping forward and stopping next to Uriel. "I won't say it again. Leave now. . .or we lay you to waste."

"Think I'll take my chances."

Birdie winced, holding her hand over her stomach. She pulled her hand away, shallow breaths escaping her as she glanced down at the blood drenching her hand. Sam saw, nervously gulping at the sight of all of the blood. Birdie lifted her head, pressing it back against her stomach when she saw Uriel move towards one of the demons.

"Let me," Sam said, kneeling beside Birdie.

She wanted to protest, but she didn't have the energy. Sam reached into his pocket, thankfully finding a bandana. He reached over, moving Birdie's hand to press the cloth against her wound. She hissed as he did so. The demon moved towards Uriel, but Uriel shoved him up against the wooden post behind him. The other demon raced over, a snarl on his chapped lips. Uriel swung his fist when the demon got close and roughly smacked him to the floor. Castiel rushed forward and punched Alastair twice and then placed his hand on his forehead to exorcize him.

Birdie's eyes widened, realizing that it wasn't working. Birdie glanced aside, sharing a worried look with the Winchesters and Anna. Anna pursed her lips together and stood up, slightly hunched over as she subtly moved towards Uriel.

"Sorry, kiddo," Alastair said, smirking at Castiel. "Why don't you go run to daddy?" Alastair punched Castiel, knocking him to the ground. Then he bent over him, picking him up by the collar of his trench coat.

Dean shifted, peering around Sam towards Birdie. "Shit, Bird," he softly said. "What the fuck did they do to you?"

"Just a-a Q and A," she breathed, forcing out a laugh. "But. . .they-they didn't get any answers. . .outta me."

Sam pulled the bandana back, frowning at how much blood was already soaked into it. Birdie glanced down, seeing it as well.

Tell him I'll take care of it. I'll take care of you. I always do, Birdie.

"It'll. . .it'll be okay," Birdie said, keeping her focus on Sam. Dean furrowed his brows, going to speak until he noticed Alastair was gripping Castiel by the throat, a snarl on his lips.

Dean hastily got up and picked up a crowbar, hitting Alastair in the face with it. Alastair leaned back from the impact, dropping Castiel.

Sam panted, eyes darting back to Birdie. Birdie sensed his question, tiredly nodding her head. "Go, help," she said, managing to give him a small smile.

The hesitation was on Sam's face, but Birdie gave him a nudge. He sighed and stood up, lips parted as he saw Alastair looking at Dean almost like he was offended.

"Dean, Dean, Dean. . ." Alastair started, fully standing up. Dean tightened his grip on the crowbar, cautiously backing up from the demon. Sam let out a shaky breath, stealing a glance at his big brother. "I am so disappointed. You had such promise."

Birdie knitted her brows together. What did Alastair mean by that?

Alastair held his hand out, making Sam and Dean groan, sinking to their knees as they gripped at their throats in agony. Birdie shifted with her teeth gritted together, grunting when a wave of pain washed over her when she tried to move forward. She clenched her eyes shut, sucking in ragged breaths.

You'll be okay, Bird. I promise.

"No!" Uriel shouted.

Birdie's eyes snapped open, gasping as she saw Anna had taken her grace from around Uriel's neck. She turned and tossed it to the ground, making it break into tiny pieces that released her grace. It billowed around the ground, flowing up towards Anna and into her mouth. She fell to her knees once it was restored, gasping as parts of her body started to glow as it did so, her grace taking effect.

"Shut your eyes. Shut your eyes!" Anna shouted, a bright light beginning to envelope the room. Birdie winced and lifted her arm, covering her eyes. Sam and Dean shielded their faces with their arms, backing up as the light filled the entire barn. "Shut your eyes!"

The light caused Alastair to disappear, leaving behind Ruby's knife. When it finally dimmed again, Anna was nowhere in sight.

Dean and Sam stood back up, glancing around the barn. Castiel got back to his feet as well while Uriel made his way towards Dean. Ruby picked herself up on the ground, grabbing the nearby post for support. Dean walked towards Ruby's knife and picked it up off the ground, heavily panting from the adrenaline.

"Well, what are you guys waiting for?" Dean asked, his eyes flickering between Castiel and Uriel. "Go get Anna. Unless, of course, you're scared."

"This isn't over," Uriel said, stepping close to Dean.

Castiel reached over and placed his hand on Uriel's shoulder, stopping him.

"Oh, it looks over to me, junkless," Dean said.

Castiel took one last look at Dean, and then he and Uriel disappeared with a flutter.

Ruby painfully walked over, a wince etched on her features. "You okay?" Sam asked her.

"Not so much," she answered.

"What took you guys so long to get here?" Dean asked.

"Sorry we're late with the demon delivery. We were only being tortured," Ruby sarcastically replied.

Sam glanced over at Birdie, gaping when he saw Birdie trudging her way over. "Birdie!" he hurried over to her, grabbing her arm and wrapping it around his shoulders. "You shouldn't even be walking."

"I'm fine," she sighed, dismissively waving her hand as she and Sam took the few steps closer to Dean and Ruby.

"I gotta hand it to you, Sammy. Bringing them all together all at once——angels and demons. It was a damn good plan," Dean said, managing a small smile.

"Yeah, well, when you got Godzilla and Mothra on your ass, best to get out of their way and let them fight," Sam said, using Ruby's phrase from before. Birdie breathed out a pained laugh, scrunching up her nose.

"Yeah, now you're just bragging."

"So, I guess she's some big-time angel now, huh?" Dean silently nodded. "She must be happy. . .wherever she is."

"I doubt it."

"Yeah, well, I'm not happy either," Birdie said, feeling her eyes flutter for a brief moment. "Ruby. . .when-when Alastair tortured you. . .what did he ask you?"

Ruby tilted her head, stealing a silent look at Sam and Dean. "Uh, about Anna. Why?"

Birdie shifted her feet, feeling herself leaning more into Sam. "They asked me. . .about you," Birdie said, turning to gaze up at Sam.

"What?" he asked. "Me? Why?"

"I-I don't know," Birdie sighed. She lowered her head, letting out a heavy breath. 

"Birdie?" Dean said, noticing how she was beginning to sway. "Birdie!"

Her legs gave out underneath her, arm slipping from Sam's shoulder. Sam bent his knees and moved his arm, catching her in his arms. Birdie's head fell over his arm, eyes shut. He tucked his other arm under her legs, sharing a concerned glance with Dean.

"Shit, come on," Dean said, grabbing their duffle bag before heading towards the door. "She needs a hospital."

"You know what the hospital's gonna ask, right?" Ruby asked, hurrying after Sam and Dean. Dean opened the barn door, holding it open for Sam and Ruby.

"What're we supposed to do?" Dean sharply asked, reaching inside his pocket for his keys.

"Stitch her up," Ruby said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"No, she's lost too much blood," Dean said, opening the driver's side door. He looked over the roof, catching Sam's eyes.

Sam nodded, turning his head towards Ruby. "Dean's right."

"C'mon, get in."

Ruby huffed but didn't object further. She opened the passenger side door and Sam climbed in with Birdie in his lap, closing it once he was in. Then she opened the back down, slipping inside the Impala as Dean started the ignition.

Sam glanced down as Dean sped towards the road, a frown on his lips as he looked at Birdie's closed eyes, some of her blood smeared on his hands and his clothes.

What was taking Felicity so long to heal her?

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FINALLY ANOTHER UPDATE Y'ALL! 🥳

i know this one took a bit and i'm sorry!! hopefully the next one won't take as long since this one kinda leaves off on a cliffhanger and i don't wanna make y'all wait forever!

i hope it wasn't too confusing! i tried explaining what was going as best as i could, but there's 100% chance i missed something/didn't explain it too well. so, feel free to ask if y'all got any questions! tho, if it'll spoil something, i'll probably only answer with an emoji or something hehehe!!

ALSO!!!! i can't remember if i've mentioned this or not in this book, but i do have a tik tok account (samwnchesterswp) where i post edits——which are almost always for this book if i'm being honest lmao. so, feel free to check it out if you want!! 💖

but anyways, please don't forget to leave your feedback in the comments and i hope y'all enjoyed!