❛ CHAPTER EIGHT ━━ POWERFUL & KIND  ❜
𖤐¸𓍢 ━━ ❪ ACT ONE OF SOULBOUND ❫ ˖ ୧ 。
◟ ✦ THEY SUCK ANYWAY! ❞

     DEAN AND LISA HAD TO REASSURE OLIVE SIX TIMES ━━, that just because they wouldn't be living in the same house for a while, didn't mean they were getting a divorce ( excusing the fact that they weren't even married, but explaining that to Olive would be more complicated. ) Still, the reassurance didn't stop the pit in her stomach.

It was fair for a child to hate the idea of change, but for Olive, all her life ever was is change. It changed so much that just for a second she wished time could stop all together. In the back of her mind, she feared the idea of coming back to an empty home.

Abandonment.

It seemed, no matter how much she tried, Olive couldn't shake it. The fear of someone she loved leaving her sent her into spirals even at a young age ━━, spirals that adults only chalked up to temper tantrums or behavior issues.

Dean, thankfully, knew better. He didn't know how but he just did. So, he pulled the tarp off the old Impala and parked it in front of the house.

The familiar noise of the Impala made Olive pop her head out of the window, a surprised grin on her face. Dean waved her out, and Olive was quick to run out the front door.

"No way!" She screams, dragging her backpack behind her, "I thought you━"

He rubbed his knuckles into her hair, "Not everything has to change," He promised. The pain subsided just enough for Olive to leave without another cry.

She remembers how much she loved being on the road when Dean rolled down the windows and blared his music on his radio. Olive rested her head on her arms, hair smacking against the wind as she looked at the passing trees, playing eye spy.

"I spy with my little eye something green," She says.

Dean scoffs, "The trees?"

"Yeah, but which one?" She asked seriously. His face drops into mocking annoyance.

Apart of her felt guilty for wishing they always lived on the road like this. She loved Lisa and Ben, but they weren't Dean.

And if she had to pick, she'd pick that moment. She'd stop time right there and live her life on this highway.

Olive sits on the roof of the Impala an hour later, waiting patiently. It was hot outside so Olive wasn't allowed to wear her favorite jacket ━━, which was Sam's old one that Dean found laying in the trunk when Sam went to college, she wore it everywhere which was why Olive was pretty upset when Dean told her to leave it in the backseat.

"Got breakfast." Dean wiggled two paper bags. Olive grabbed at it, but Dean easily moved it out of reach. "What's the magic words?"

"Please?" She questioned.

Dean let his arms fall to his sides, "Come on!"

Olive looked around, embarrassed, "Don't make me say it." She groans.

"Fine. No blueberry waffles." He shrugs.

"Ugh, fine! Led Zeppelin rules."

"That's my girl."

With a grin, he handed her the paper bag to Olive as she slid down from the roof.

Dean grabs his phone out of his pocket and presses the first button. "Hey. I'm eight hours out of Campbell Base."

After briefly meeting Dean's grandfather the night the Djinn attacked, Olive hasn't spoken to, or crossed paths with, any of the Campbell's since.

Dean had made it his soul mission to never let anyone from that side of the family come in contact with her—no matter how many times Sam assured him that it was safe.

Besides, Olive thought Samuel Campbell was scary. And didn't mind staying as far away from him as possible.

"What are you doing in Pennsylvania?" Dean scoffs. "A case? When? It's been a day and a half."

More conversation was exchanged before Dean slowly removed the phone from his ear, staring at it as if it offended him, "Who died and made you boss?"

"So, what are we gonna do when we get there?" Olive asked excitedly as she sipped her milkshake, "Fight a ghost? The Greenbean giant?"

Dean starts the car, pulling out of the driveway. "We aren't doing anything. You are going to be at the motel and I am going to meet Sam at the morgue." He explains, opening the glove department and pulling out a small flip-phone.

He holds it up to her.

"This," She swipes for it excitingly, but Dean pulls it into his chest. "Is for emergencies." He says. "If something goes south there are four numbers on here. I'm first. Then Sam. Bobby. And if you're really desperate then you call Lisa, but then you'd probably get lectured."

She shivered. "I hate lectures."

He hands her the phone, playfully narrowing his eyes. "No boys."

She scrunched her face. "Gross."

"Exactly."

━━・ ✦ ₊ 👻 ⊹ ° . ❫ ━

     OLIVE SPENT THE REST OF THE DAY WATCHING CARTOONS ━━, in the motel room where she ordered different flavors of ice cream and movie channels after she found out everything was on Sam's tab. Dean had encouraged her to spend as much as possible.

When the boy returned later on that day, they had found Olive face down on the floor in an ice cream coma, watching Spongebob. Dean had easily picked her up and placed her in his bed, where she slept peacefully while Sam and Dean read through lore.

"Sweet. Blood, boils, locusts." Dean says, his eyes sweeping through countless pictures.

"Three of your more popular Egyptian plagues."

Dean holds up a mason jar filled with bugs that Sam had collected after Officer Colfax dropped dead. Literally. "Yeah, but these guys ate their way out of a cop's melon. I don't quite remember that in King James." He says sarcastically.

Olive stirs, causing the brothers to freeze as she sat up from the bed. Her eyes were still closed even though she was looking around, moving hair away from her face as she crawls out of bed and made her way towards Dean—who effortlessly picks her up.

She sits in his lap, head now pressed against his shoulder blade before falling back asleep, Dean had gone back to his research like second nature.

Sam watches with curiosity, wondering why Dean seemed so comfortable with public fatherly affection to a kid who wasn't even his.

"What?" Dean asked, confused.

Sam clears his throat. "Nothing." Glancing at the scene one more time he shifts his eyes back to the computer. "Anyway. A kid named Christoper Birch was shot in the head last month after a vehicle pursuit. Hatch, Gray, and Colfax were the officers involved and they all filed the exact same police report."

Sam looks up to see Dean trying to wake Olive up by flicking her face.

"Get up." He says, "No naps after seven, that's the rule." She won't sleep the whole night if she does.

"No." She grumbles out.

"Fine." Dean instantly letting his grip around her loose but right before Olive can fall backward he grabs onto her again. She looks around wildly, half asleep and horrified.

"I'm up now." She says groggily.

She was up and now she wanted juice, so she crawled  out of his lap and into the kitchen with a yawn.

Dean, pleased with himself, picks up the police report. "Suspect exited the vehicle brandishing a firearm. We were forced to fire." Dean frowns. "Just a boy with no face and a planted gun. Shit. What a Bunch of dicks."

Comically, Olive drops a juice box from inside the kitchenette. Letting out a loud 'Shit' before picking it up.

Sam stares wide-eyed as Dean crumpled up a piece of paper and threw it, landed it on her forehead. "Don't cuss!"

"Sorry!" She cries out. "You said it first!"

Dean huffs turning back to Sam. "So. They pop the kid, planted the piece?"

He nods. "Maybe Colfax is right. You know, maybe heaven has hate for bad cops."

"So we're listening to the guy with the bug in his custard? That's the, uh, the theory you wanna go with?"

Olive occupies the chair between them. "Custard is watery eggs." She informs Sam as if he didn't know.

She wasn't right about custard, but Sam didn't bother to correct her. Instead, he nods awkwardly. "Dean, angels gotta have something to do with it, right?" He said, looking annoyed. "Now that we're post-apocalypse."

Dean pops open a beer, leaning against the kitchenette. "Maybe. You should call, Cas."

Olive was over the moon at his suggestion. "Yes! Call, Cas!"

Sam scoffs. "You're kidding, right?"

The eldest doesn't reply, just plops himself onto one of the beds and sipped his drink.

"Dean, I tried. It was the first and second and third thing I did soon as I got topside. Son of a bitch won't answer the phone."

Olive knits her eyebrows together and stares at her juice. Son of a bitch. She continued to repeat that herself. It seemed Olive was at the stage where she mentally wrote down all of the mannerisms of Sam and Dean. Hoping that maybe Sam would finally enjoy her company if she was a little more bearable.

"Well, let's give it a shot." Dean shrugged, closing his eyes. "Now I lay me down to sleep. . .I pray to Castiel to get his feathery ass—" Dean opens one of his eyes, looking at Olive. "Butt down here." He corrects.

"You're an idiot." Sam rolls his eyes.

"Stay positive." Olive cheers.

He turns to Olive. "Oh trust me, I am positive." Olive slumps back at her seat, not understanding the meaning of his sarcastic smile.

"Come on, Cas, don't be a dick." Dean continues. "We got ourselves a plague-like situation down here. Do you.. copy?"

After a few seconds without a response, Sam turns to his brother in amusement. "As I said, the son of a bitch doesn't answer."

"Uh.." Olive stammers out.

Sam's face drops. "He's right behind me, isn't he?" She nods wildly.

She had seen Cas in photos but, like Sam, listening about the people in Dean's story times were different in person, it was a completely different feeling. Cas looked the exactly same. Trench coat, button-up shirt, and blue tie. His wings weren't purple which disappointed Olive but nine out of ten isn't so bad.

"Hello." Cas greets.

"Hello?" Sam repeats in anger.

Cas looked confused. "Yes."

"Hello." Sam mocked his deep voice. "Hello?"

"Uh, that is still the term?"

"I spend all that time trying to get through to you. Dean calls once and now it's hello?" He snaps.

Cas already seems annoyed with the conversation. "Yes."

"So what? You like him better or something?"

"Dean and I do share a more profound bond." He responds before turning to Dean. "I wasn't gonna mention it."

"Cas, I think what he's trying to say is that he went to hell for us. I mean, he really took one for the team, remember that?" Dean mediated.

"Because he's awesome." Olive mumbles.

Sam, being the only one close enough to hear Olive, gave her another awkward half-smile that looked more like a grimace, before tuning back in the conversation. Olive was just excited that Sam showed any emotion that wasn't annoyance towards her.

"And then he comes back without a clue.. and you can't even take five minutes to give answers?" Dean finishes.

"If I had any answers, I might have responded, but I don't Sam." He directions the last part to the hunter, who clenched his jaw. "We have no idea who brought you back from the cage or why."

"So it wasn't God?" Sam stands up.

"No one's even seen God." He replied. "The whole thing remains mysterious."

"What the hell does that mean?"

"What part of I don't know escapes your understanding?" Cas snaps.

Olive doesn't think Castiel is as nice as she thought he'd be.

Dean sighs. "Cas, if Sam calls you answer. Okay? You wing your butt down here and you tell him, "I don't know." Just because we have some sort of bond or whatever—"

Cas seemed offended. "You think I came because you called?"

Dean didn't expect such a blunt answer but at the tone of his voice Dean's eyes hesitantly slips to Olive, who watched them with wide, curious eyes.

Almost sensing his shift in behavior, Cas follows Dean's gaze. Shockingly to him, he hadn't noticed Olive in the room. Then again, she was so small that he could have easily overlooked her.

Cas frowned, he should have been able to sense her energy. Like he did the first time, especially with them being so close. Why didn't he?

"I'm not here for her either." He reassured before waking over to the jar of bugs. "I came for this."

"Well, it's nice to know what matters."

Not detecting Dean's sarcasm Cas nodded. "It does help one to focus."

Olive frowns, looking him up and down, "Where's your harp?" She asked.

Cas furrowed his brow, "I. .don't have one."

She slumped her shoulders, "That's boring."

Dean smirks, turning his attention back to Cas, "So, you and the Halo Patrol aren't the cause of these killings?"

Olive's eyes widened in horror. "I thought Angels were the good guys?" She piped up.

Sam turns to Dean, annoyed. "Looks like you left out some parts of your bedtime story."

"Dude, she's six." Dean defended.

"We didn't do the killings but they were committed with one of our weapons." Cas veers the conversation.

He then goes on to explain that only one object could cause so much damage. The staff of Moses. It must have been a big deal because Olive can sense Winchester's amazement. Although she was curious she couldn't help but zone out as the conversation continued.

Her small attention span getting smaller when Castiel starts speaking big words and she runs out of juice. The last thing she caught before she pulled out her coloring books, was that a whole bunch of powerful weapons was stolen from Heaven during the aftermath of the War.

Midway into coloring, a squirrel Olive's head snaps up when Cas throws the mason jar back at Sam, who easily catches it.

"Sam, Dean. My 'people skills' are 'rusty' pardon me if I have spent the last 'year' as a multidimensional wavelength of celestial intent—"

"Multidolmational?" Olive asked in confusion. Dean motions for her to keep quiet at Cas continued his rant.

"But believe me, you do not want that weapon down here. Help me find it, or more people will die."

Sam and Dean then tell Cas about the case with the three policemen but before they can get into depth, Cas grabbed onto their shoulders and disappeared before her eyes. Leaving Olive alone.

Olive let out a fearful scream. Looking around the room. "Dad?! Sam?" She even looked under the table but she knew it was no use.

Hastily, Olive scrambles for the flip phone by the bed, staring at the keys. What number was it again? Two? Sighing, Olive snapped the phone shut and sat on the bed, letting out a small huff, holding her chest. He'll be back any minute. Why does my chest hurt so much?

She needed to learn to control her emotions. Dean will be back any second. "One. Two. Three." She inhaled. "Four. Five. Six." She exhales.

Nothing bad is coming. I'm okay.

What seemed like hours, was only a few minutes before Olive heard the flapping of wings. She looks up to see The Winchester's and Castiel—who now carried a boy on his shoulder.

"Damnit, Cas!" He snaps, "When you zap us places you take Olly with us! You can't just leave her!"

Cas frowns, "Right. . .no wings."

She falters.

Dean turns to her instantly, eyes apologetic. "I'm sorry, O. I didn't know he was gonna do that." He wrapped his arms around her. "See it was only a few minutes."

Olive nodded. "I forgot which number. I'm sorry." She sniffles. Dean held her soothingly, glaring at Castiel.

"If the angel we seek truly bought this boy's soul.. when a claim is made on a living soul it leaves a mark, a brand," Castiel says, suddenly glanced at Olive. "Something that Olive would know—if her ancestry is who I assume."

Sam scoffs. "Like a shirt tag at camp?"

Cas paused. "I have no idea. But I can read the mark and find the name of the angel that bought the soul."

"How?"

"Well, painfully for him. The reading will be excruciating." He looks at Dean, "I know you hate this but I'm going to need Olive's help."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold on." Dean shot his hand out. "First of all, no. She's not going anywhere near anything. Secondly, he's a kid, Cas, a kid." He turns to his brother in hopes he'd agree. "Sam?"

Sam only stares back. "Any permanent damage?" He asked Cas.

"Physically, minimal but—"

"Oh great, yeah! Then by all means stick your arm right in there." Dean cuts him off.

"But. If Olive can use her abilities to block his mind from his soul, it'll be like a mental shield. He won't even remember." Cas explains.

"Uh, sir?" Olive pips in. "I can't even lift up a stack of plates.."

"Dean. If I get the name I can work a ritual to track the angel down."

"And I'm all for that, but come on. There's gotta be another way." Dean pressed.

"There is no other way."'

"You're gonna torture a kid."

"I can't care about that, Dean," Cas states desperately. They stare each other down, Cas can see Dean's own desperation but knows he must go through with it if they all wanted answers. "I don't have the luxury."

Olive slides off of the bed and slowly walks over to Cas, nodding her head. "I'll try my best to help you. But I-I don't know how.." She says worriedly. "What if I make it worse?"

Cas shook his head. "It's going to be bad either way." He says softly, "I'm sorry."

Olive nods, looking back at Dean one last time before rounding the bed and following Cas' instructions. She placed her palms on either side of the boy's temple, focusing all of her energy into his mind.

"That's good," Cas encouraged. "Now, all you have to do is picture the shield in your mind, try to keep it around him."

Cas hesitantly pushes his hand into the boy's chest, the sound of his agonizing screams making Olive's eyes sting. She couldn't help it, with her shielding his mind, the pain that he felt flowed through her. Her hands begin to shake,the shield she created flickering as she cried.

"Focus," Cas demands.

"I can't!" She cries out. "You're hurting him!"

"Cas stop!" Dean bellowed.

"I almost got the name!" He snaps, turning the Olive, "Keep going. You're almost done."

"Olive?!"

She sniffles. "I can do it." She states firmly. "I have to try."

Instantly, Dean stands by her side, grabbing her shoulders. "Okay. Okay, you got this, O. I'm right here. Just breath." He reassures. He can't bring himself to look.

Olive finds it in herself to push through, wrapping a large shield through her mind and into the boy laying on the bed. His cries turned into small whimpers, and the pain that she felt for him decreasing.

Seconds later Cas removes his fist from deep inside the chest, rolling down his sleeves. "He can rest now," Cas mumbled. "There's no permanent effect on his mental state."

Olive slowly lays to the floor from exhaustion. Dean goes to pick her up but she softly shakes her head, bringing her knees to her chest.

"Did you get a name? What is it?" Sam asked eagerly.

"I thought he died in the war..."

Sam pressed. "What? He was a friend or something?"

Cas nods. "A good friend."

"Yeah well, your frat buddy is now moonlighting as a crossroads demon." Dean snapped. "You okay, O?" She meekly nodded.

"Balthazar. I wonder.."

"So we can find him now, right?" Sam questioned.

"Balthazar."

Olive popped her head up from behind the bed, looking towards a looking man who looked less than imitating.

"Thanks, Castiel. We'll make good use of the name." He charges at Cas, causing them to engage in a heated battle with blades Olive had never seen before.

She squeaked when they got closer to her spot on the floor and rolling under the bed and onto the other side. Being closest to Sam, she crawls toward him, barely making it halfway before Sam ran forward and picked her up by the waist, placing her behind him.

Olive covered her eyes with her hands when both Cas and the angel fell out of the window.

Sam and Dean run to the large window, looking over the ledge. "My car.." Sam says, distraught.

Olive bends down and picks up the fallen Angel Blade, holding it at arm's length with wide eyes before throwing it into her backpack. She liked it because it was shiny.

"Okay. Silver lining." Dean smirks.

━━・ ✦ ₊ 👻 ⊹ ° . ❫ ━

     ONCE CASTIEL LOCATED THE ANGEL BALTHAZAR ━━, the Winchesters packed their things and cleared away any inns objects that could raise suspicion with Police. And holding onto Dean's hand was Olive, gripping so tight that he had to tell her to ease up as they apparated in front of a large man room with a big swimming pool.

"I hate flying," Olive admits, grabbing her stomach.

Dean blinks in surprise, looking around, "Huh. I was expecting more Dr. No, less Liberace." Castiel didn't understand his references.

He then looks down at Olive, "You stay glued to my hip at all times, understood? No wandering, no talking, if we come across danger you run to the car—"

Olive was already running up to the house.

Dean grabs his face in fatherly exhaustion.

The four walk up the steps of the mansion, Sam pushes open the double doors. It place was dark and empty. It made a chill roll down Olive's spine as they stepped inside. It was Sam's idea to split up, cover more ground.

"Can I go with Castiel?" Olive looked up at Dean hopefully. Dean freezes, having an inner battle with himself as he glances back at Sam—who was already making his way out of the main area.

Castiel nodded, face firm. "I'll protect her." Hesitantly, Dean gives him a grateful nod before running after Sam. "Come with me." He motions for Olive to follow him.

With a skip, Olive chases after his retreating figure, slipping her small hand into his larger one. Castiel pauses for a second, unsure what he should do in response to the humanly gesture. Sighing, he just squeezes her hand reassuringly, walking further into the dark mansion.

"You said before that you knew my ants-tree," Olive says. "What is it?"

"It's ancestry." He corrected. "And I only have theories, but it's impossible to be true." He explains.

Her eye cast to the ground. "Oh."

"But I assure you when I'm not busy fighting for my life, I look everywhere for the source of your powers." He assures, smiling back when Olive gives him a dimpled grin.

They both paused at the sound of croaking. Castiel glares at the green frog who sat on the top of the stairs. Without warning Olive, they apparate to the top. She stumbles.

"I hear music." She whispers, letting his hand go and retreating further down the hall.

"Olive." He scolded in a whisper. "Come back here." Castiel swiftly runs after her, stopping by her side as she looked up at the large double doors. "Don't do that." He mumbles.

"It's coming from in there." She points to the door. "Don't you hear it?"

Castiel nods, putting his finger to his lips and signaling for her to be quiet. Olive holds her breathe when Castiel pushes the doors open. The room was big with a stage and a grand piano—but the music wasn't coming from it. Colorful lights illuminated the wooden floors, giving off an eerie disco vibe.

The door slams behind them, causing Olive to yelp and press her back into Castiel's, both facing opposite directions for any threats. When Cas pulls out his Angel Blade, her eyes widened in remembrance before pulling it out from the top of her already opened bag.

"Where did you get that?" He asked, eyes wide.

Olive waves it around, making him lean back, "You guys just leave these around everywhere!"

"Cas." A deep, British voice calls out from the strange. And an older-looking man appeared with a smile. Opening his arms in a gesture, holding a drink. "You're here." The man's sea-blue eyes landed on Olive, and his smile brightened even more. "Olivia! Good to see you again."

"Again?" She stammers, turning a shade of red.

"Yes, my favorite wingless bird," He smiles.

Olive falters. Did all the Angels have to remind her that she wasn't like them? That she was outcasted from her powers down to her wingless back?

Sure, she can hover off the ground and walk on her ceiling. But she couldn't fly from one side of the world to the other in seconds like they could.

It made her feel helpless.

Castiel pushes her small figure behind him, shielding her. "Balthazar." He greeted.

"It's so good to see you," Balthazar says. "He told me you were floating around."

"He?"

"I believe you two have flown in together." Balthazar chuckles snapping is fingers and making the lights flick on. The angel from the motel laid unconscious on the ground. "Well, you know the old frog in the throat."

A green frog, like the one they saw on the stairs breaks through the angels pressed lips, staring back at them.

Castiel was mildly amused at his old friends attempt at a joke. "Even I know that's a bad joke."

"Gross." She mutters, scrunching her nose.

The tension between the two angels were suffocating. Balthazar looking toward Olive who was trying to occupy herself by the piano.

"Olivia, I think it would be best if you waited outside," Balthazar says lightly, giving her a kind smile.

Olive turns to Castiel, who clenched his jaw and giving her a firm nod. "I'll be right in here if anything happens—"

"I know the drill." Olive lowers the Angel Blade to her side, then gives Balthazar an awkward wave, "Uh, bye Mister." He promptly returned with a grin.

━━・ ✦ ₊ 👻 ⊹ ° . ❫ ━

     OLIVE STANDS WITH HER BACK AGAINST THE DOOR ━━, popping her head out and looking down the candle-lit hallways for the tenth time before nervously moving back to her spot. Castiel had been talking to Balthazar for what seemed like forever but she'd rather stay outside then listen to them argue.

For a split second, Olive considers finding Sam and Dean, but every time she stepped out of the small corner a loud crackle of thunder would frighten her.

So she stays by the door, holding the Angel Blade up at any little sound.

The candles in the hallway blow out at once. The child panics for a moment, looking over the railing just as three angels began making their way towards the house.

"Cas!" She screams at the top of her lungs, banging on the door, "Castiel!"

The doors swing back and Castiel steps out, his eyes widening as he reached forward and grabbed her arm, yanking her into the safety of the room. "Raphael has found us." He says lowly. "Stay beside me."

Olive nods, grabbing onto the fabric of his trench coat as he scanned the room. She instantly noticed the absents of Balthazar. Unexpectedly, one of the Angels appears behind the body of the motel guy, stalking towards them with his own blade.

"You're making a mistake. Please, there is another way." Castiel tried to reason. "Brother, please, I don't want to hurt you."

Castiel hesitates, and at the same time the Angels threw their blades at each other.

Olive lifts her palm forward, stopping the blade coming towards them as Castiel's blade lands in the center of the chest, causing the Angel to burn.

Olive and Castiel turn to each other in bewilderment.

"That was cheating," Castiel says, a hit of humor behind his tone.

She shrugs, "They suck anyway."

"They also never listen." Castiel sighs.

Raphael appears behind them, throwing Olive into the nearest wall and grabbing Cas by the shoulder. "They don't listen to you, Castiel, because their hearts are mine." He says lowly before flinging him out of the room.

Olive forces herself up, her head throbbing as she picked up her angel balde. She uses the wall to help her limp out of the room, freezing at the doorway as Raphael continued to hurt Castiel.

"Let him go!" She screams, she holds it up.

Raphael stops, holding Castiel up by his shirt with an amused laugh, "It seems you have a fanbase, Castiel. How adorable."

"I'm warning you, mister!" She shouts again.

"What could you, possibly do to me?" She raises the Angel Blade up in response, and he laughs again, "You shouldn't play with other people's toys."

She throws the angel blade hard, the point skinning the side of his cheek. He wipes his face, rubbing the blood between his fingers, "Don't make me hurt you, child."

"Olive. Go." Cas chokes out.

Olive shakes her head. "I can do this!"

Raphael stares at her, confused. "What are you—" He begins to choke, dropping Castiel to the ground and clawing at his neck.

Olive raises her hand out, slowly squeezing the air. For a moment, Raphael's eyes flashed with fear, but before Olive can do something she would later regret, Castiel sweeps his foot across her shoes, causing her to lose balance and trip.

"What. .Is. She?" Raphael chokes out.

Castiel stands up, out of breath. "Too much for you to handle at once." He states.

With an angry grunt, Raphael charges towards her. Castiel swiftly picks her up from the ground and holds her against him, his wings wrapping around them as Raphael raises his hand to deliver a fatal blow, but doesn't get far when Balthazar appears in the hall.

"Hey! Look at my junk!" Balthazar jokes, holding up a clear crystal.

"No!" The crystal glows and Raphael's vessel crashes into a heap of salt.

"The same thing happened to Lot's wife." Balthazar chuckled. "Iodize the poor sucker and your kitchen is stocked for life. Ha, ha!"

Olive groans, rubbing the back of her head and sitting up with a frown as Castiel moves off of her. "I almost had him." She huffs.

Castiel stands. "He can't know about you, it's dangerous. Especially since I don't know what you are yet." He says firmly, "You don't need blood on your hands, either."

"I don't even know what I am." She mumbles. Balthazar moves forward and picks her up gently, pressing his hand against her temple. "Hey, my headache is gone. Thanks, Mister!"

"You came back." Cas nods.

Balthazar shrugs. "Yeah well. Now Raphael will have to go shopping for a new vessel. Should give me a nice long head start on him. Until next time."

Castiel narrows his eyes, confused. "Next time?"

The flick of a flame made everyone turn, Dean standing in the corner of the room holding up a lighter. "No time like the present." He drops the lighter on the ground, which ignited the circle of flames around Balthazar.

"Holy fire? You hairless ape! Release me!"

"First, you're taking your marker off Aaron Birch's soul." Dean bellowed. For a moment Olive hesitates to walk over to him, not wanting to make him angrier if she walked into the line of the crossfire.

"Am I?" He challenged.

Sam walks in with a vase of holy water. "Unless you like your wings extra crispy, I'd think about it."

"You should be thanking me, boy." He says lowly to Dean, who looked ready to punch him across the face.

"Thanking you?" He scoffed.

"Why do you think that little girl isn't dead?" Balthazar bellowed, pointing to Olive, "Hm? Why do you think you're not being chased down by every creature, every angel and every demon?

Dean clenches his jaw. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Balthazar laughed bitterly. "Out of all of the people to protect Olive you just had to stumble upon the job. Any monster with half a brain cell can smell her soul ten states away and you didn't even have her for a day before she was cornered by a demon and her idiot bloodsuckers!"

Dean falters. "You sent Maya to the bar." He realizes.

Balthazar threw his hands up. "Cats out of the bag! That little charm was one of the many relics I stole from the vault."

Castiel's eyes snap to Olive, who had been awkwardly fiddling with the necklace since the conversation started.

She looks back at him, dropping the necklace with a confused, tight-lipped smile.

"That was why I couldn't sense her presence earlier," Cas mumbles in thought. "It's been shielding her, like a cloak. It's why Raphael thought she was a regular child."

"You're welcome." He deadpans. "Anything for my Goddaughter."

Sam stepped forward. "Goddaughter?"

"A self-given title after Gabriel," He looks down sadly at the thought of his angelic friend, "But I take it very seriously." He replies.

"Gabriel," Olive mutters. She remembers that name.

"Look." Dean snaps. "If you think I'm just going to let you go because you did me a solid I didn't ask for, you're wrong. It's your freedom for Aaron's soul."

"Castiel, I stood for you in Heaven. Are you gonna let one of them—?"

"I believe the hairless ape has the floor." Castiel states.

Balthazar looks around for any assistance, landing on Olive who was quickly pulled behind Sam, who glares at him challengingly.

Balthazar sighs. "Very well." He claps his hands together and lets out a deep sigh, after a moment of silence he smiles bitterly. "The boy's debut is cleared. His soul is his own."

"Why are you buying up human souls anyway?" Dean questions.

"In this economy? It's probably the only thing worth buying. Do you have any idea what souls are worth? What power they hold?"

Both Balthazar and Castiel subtly glance at Olive, who popped her head out from behind Sam's small frame. Their shared glance goes unnoticed to the Hunters.

"Now. Release me."

Dean's eyes flash in amusement. "Suck it, ass clown, nobody said anything about—"

Castiel raises his hand and extinguished the ring of fire. Dean voices his disapproval but Cas ignores him completely. "My debt to you is cleared. And if we want to keep her safe then we don't tell them what she is." He states the last part in Enochian, which made Balthazar scoff.

"Fair enough." With a single wave to the child, Balthazar disappears. Leaving a very pissed-off Dean.

"What the hell did you say to him?" Sam narrowed his eyes.

"A saying from my garrison." Castiel lied.

"Cas, are you out of your mind?" He snaps. Castiel disappears without another word. The family of three now standing alone. "Frigging angels, man. Come on!"

━━・ ✦ ₊ 👻 ⊹ ° . ❫ ━

     OLIVE SENSE THE SUDDEN SHIFT OF WEIGHT AT THE END OF HER BED ━━,  she opens her eyes, sitting up quickly to turn on her lamp light before reeling back at the sight of Balthazar.

He was holding a leather journal in his hands, flipping through the pages. She says nothing to him, trying to control her breathing as she stared around the room with wide eyes.

Dean slept on the sofa in the far end of the motel while Sam laid in the twin bed beside hers. She wonders why they weren't up yet, they usually sprung awake if Olive even so much as coughed.

"We're in your mind," He explains , his voice soft. He gives her a light smile, "Angels can appear to you in dreams. Much like you, who can apparate your subconcious by locking onto a soul."

"I. . .can do that?" Olive asked, feeling overwhelmed, "Wait, I thought you were running away?" Her tone was soft and scratchy, come off as completely innocent and exhausted.

Balthazar sighs, "I couldn't leave without saying goodbye, now that I've seen you. You look. . .so much like your father," He says, "He was a good friend of mine, of Gabriel's."

"Gabriel," She says again, "He knew my parents?"

"Your father's best friend," He corrects. Balthazar passes the leather journal to her, "I wanted to give you this before I left."

She looks down at it, furrowing her eyebrows at the symbol engraved in the middle. A sword embedded in what looked like a drawing of the sun. "What is it?"

"This was your mother's. Cora." Balthazar explains, her name coming off bitter on his tounge. He rubs the symbol on the spine, "This symbol is mighty. Any monster who sees it cower."

"Why give it to me?"

"Because your father took it," He says, "It belongs to you now. Castiel thought it would be safer if you didn't know who you are," He admits, "But I know how much it hurts you, not knowing why you can do the things you do."

She stares down at the symbol, "I want to save the world," She says suddenly, "I want to be a hero, like my dad and my uncle."

Balthazar smiles, "You are truly the last of your kind, Olive Grace. Powerful and kind. The best balance. I have faith that you'll live up to that. The fate of the world depends on it."

"But what if. ." She looks up to find the edge of her bed empty, the motel room quiet. "I can't." She huffs.

She places the journal under her pillow before laying on her back and staring up at the ceiling.

For someone so young, it seemed like the world placed its weight on her shoulders. Were people really depending on her? Is the world trying to give her a title that she can't live up to?

She wanted to be a hero, but what could she possibly do for the world?

What if all she does is mess it up?

EDITED, 12/22/2022!
WORDS, 6373!