Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

We were in Wisconsin, along the banks of Lake Michigan, hoping to do what seemed like a normal hunt.

Several young men have gone missing when they were fishing from the sand, the docks, and their boats. At first, we figured it must be another one of those evil water spirits the boys had encountered in another part of Wisconsin many, many moons ago. But no, it was never that simple.

We've been on the job for weeks now as we witnessed several more boys and men taken deep under the water, thrashing and whipping around, trying to get back to the surface.

We did A LOT of digging and reasearch, trying to figure out what we were dealing with exactly. My brother, Castiel, and I, scoped out the Lake, but only when I recieved permission from ALL of the brothers to follow closely behind Cas. I've been hunting on my own and I've been alive for quite some time, but apparently that doesn't get you much in their three books. Bummer.

My wings ached, wanting to be used from being set dormant for three days now. My feathers felt strange in my hands and they didn't have that silver sparkle to them anymore. I was sprawled out--with my wings out behind me--on either Dean's or Sam's bed, so tired of resting for so long--is it possible to be tired from over-resting? To me, yes.

I sighed as I felt the bed dip beneath a new weight and I looked up, staring into the blue eyes of my brother's vessel. He gave me a sympathetic smile, as if knowing how I felt, but I'm pretty sure he didn't understand why I was so run-down. I puffed a golden lock of hair off of my face, which joined in the giant mass of my vessel's hair. Hazel eyes stared back at blue, until my brother gave up on trying to do whatever he was trying to do. Ugh, brothers.

He walked over to the kitchen where Sam has been doing all of the research. Dean was standing beside his brother, holding a beer in one hand and his other in his front jeans pocket, looking over Sam's broad shoulders, moving his lips as he read text from the screen. I threw my arm over my eyes as if I was indeed resting, and I sighed yet again. Sam clicked his mouse multiple times and I could hear him clearing his throat, indicating he had finally narrowed down to a single monster.

"Looks like we're facing a pack of Rusalki," Sam enunciated the last word.

"What is it?" Dean asked.

Before Sam or Cas could say, I piped-up with an arm still over my face, "Water spirits. From Slavic mythology. Commonly, translating in your language, they would be seen as mermaids or sirens. They have unclean spirits, making them haunt wherever they committed suicide, murdered, or just simply drowned. They lure young men into their haunted waters with their appearance or voice, dragging them under the water where they would drown, be ripped to pieces, or," I paused, uncovering my eyes and looking at them with a serious expression, "tickle them to death."

I covered my face again, with a smile, as the silence was installed and I could feel all three pairs of eyes on me.

"How do you--did you know all this time, and you never said anything?" Dean asked, sounding beyond pissed.

I uncovered my eyes and stared back at him. I slowly sat up groaning as I felt my wings spread out behind me and lightly flutter from being under-used, but I held eye contact with them.

"Actually, I had an idea of what it could be. But remember," I smiled, "I'm an angel. I've been around the block many times, Dean. I'm a walking encyclopedia like Sam, "I motioned to him," Only with more stored and important information. And besides," I breathed out, getting up from the bed and walking over to them, "I've been treated like the younger sister ever since I fell, and I don't appreciate it. I just figured that my input wouldn't matter--."

"Like hell it wouldn't matter, "Dean flared in response, "More people have been dying but you've been locked tight since we started this case."

"And I wonder why. Since you guys don't let me go out anymore. My wings have been dying to be used, but I'm under house arrest apparently."

"Why didn't you say anything?," Sam asked with an eyebrow raised in question.

I groaned and threw my hands up, "See. This is what I'm talking about. Whenever I want to go out, you guys say no. And now, all of a sudden, you're asking, " I lowered my voice to Sam's tone, " 'Why didn't you say anything?'", I threw my hands up again, "This is why I enjoy hunting alone, because you guys are on your man-period, having the worst possible mood swings ever, saying no, and now all of the sudden you're saying yes!"

Sam chuckled, Dean looked offended and mortified, and Cas...Oh Cas. He looked utterly confused, with his head slightly tilted and his eyes squinting at me. I waved a hand at him, meaning that I would explain it to him later; but I really didn't want to explain periods to my brother, or to any man for that matter. Okay, let's get off of periods now.

"So, "I broke the silence, "when are we going diving for the evil Ariels?"

*

"Okay, so all I found is that they can be killed, " Sam was informing us as we were packing up to go hunt, "if we avenge their deaths."

We all stopped in mid-motion from placing salt rounds, the Colt, iron buckshot, all of our machetes, knives, and various guns into our duffel bags--which had all been set out, cleaned, and now we were just reorganizing--to turn around and look at Sam. Dean then looked over at me and cocked a rude smile.

"You forgot an important piece of information, sweetheart?," he threw down the materials he had in his hands and threw his hands up and looked at each of us, "Now what are we supposed to do?"

Sweetheart?

Sweetheart?

He seriously did not just call me that...

"Here's the deal, pal, "I said to Dean, "We can still kill these things with the Colt and our angel blades, "I motioned to Castiel and I; I pointed my angel blade at him, glaring daggers and added, "And don't you dare, ever call me sweetheart again, or you won't wake up in the morning with your--"

"(Y/N)," Cas said as a warning and shook his head.

I turned my attention back to Dean, as Cas and Sam started to load up the rest of the bags and dump them in the trunk of the Impala, and I whispered, "You just watch your ass, Winchester."

He just chuckled as he brushed off my comments. Together, we walked out the motel room, locking it behind us, and we all took our designated seat in the Impala, and sped off.

Little did we know that things were going to hit the ceiling fan, be tossed under a mower, and chewed up in a combine once we got there.

*

It was just going on 11 PM as we pulled up to a beach, after Cas and I had detected movement--a ton of movement--in the water. We were going in loud and visible, considering you couldn't hide amongst the bare sand that strecteched on for miles and miles in both directions. Fortunately, the beaches have been closed for hours, so no clueless citizen would get in our way

We jumped out, Dean grabbing the Colt from one of the duffels in the back and putting it in the waistband of his jeans, and Cas and I held tight to our angel blades as we gave two more to Sam and Dean. I stretched my silver wings out, finally able to enjoy an open space to move them comfortably.

We nodded our heads to each other, and then made our way down to where the water met the sand.

And then started when things went a little touch south.

About twenty of these things popped their heads out of the water, all dead from different accidents or murders, and they smiled at us with their fangs glistening in the moonlight. 'Well, that's a new addition', I thought to myself as I raided an eyebrow. I looked towards my brother's in arms, seeing they wore the same expressions. But we still attacked anyways.

Dean stood on the beach with Sam, firing the Colt, whirling an angel blade, and defending each other, killing any Rusalki that got past Cas and I, as we waded deeper and deeper into the water. There had to be a few left, considering how well we all worked as a team, and how Cas and I were expelling the women from this world to rest finally in peace.

Cas and I came back to the sand and instantly dried ourselves off--including our wings. Sam and Dean were breathing heavily, matted with blood from various cuts, and with dead spirits at their feet, which Cas and I easily cleaned up with a snap.

We were going to head back to the Impala when hands grabbed my feet, pulling my legs out from under me, making me disoriented as I splashed under the water. Arms encircled my arms, my legs, my entire body as I thrashed around. Boy, they had a strong grip. Also an improvement I didn't know about. Sharp teeth pierced into my skin, but it just felt like a bunch of small pinches. They tore at my skin and my soft wings and I could feel that I was losing blood--fast.

I came down to my last resource, considering the boys weren't going to save me anytime soon. I concentrated my power, building it up, and finally releasing it in a burst of white energy; I only hoped that the Winchesters had covered their eyes.

The arms that had me trapped were now gone and turned into ash, as well as their entire bodies. I kicked my legs to propel myself up to the surface, feeling completely weak in my efforts. Luckily, strong arms pulled me up onto the sand as I sputtered and coughed up water from my vessel, and was finally able to breath in air.

I flinched and moaned in pain as I finally felt the long marks on my once beautiful wings as they spread out behind me, revealing their gruesome appearance. Most of my feathers were gone and the skin that held them all together was ripped and torn and bleeding fiercely.

I heard sharp intakes of breaths from all three of them as they kneeled down around me, unsure of what to do or even if they could help me in some way. Cas lightly took his fingers and stroked them along my feathers and skin, surveying the real damage. Dean and Sam crouched next to me, afraid to touch me, afraid that I might break or cry out.

"Cas," I whispered.

"Shh," he continued to stroke through my feathers, not meeting my eyes, "Don't talk."

"Cas," I said again, but he just continued to examine all of the damage, slighlty tracing his fingers where my feathers used to glow.

"Cas," I almost shouted, and finally he looked at me, "It's okay...," I whispered.

He shook his head, "But I can't heal them. I know how important your wings are to you, especially after your fall. And becoming half-human."

"It's okay. They'll grow back, right?" I smiled up at him, "And maybe these two will let me go out more," I laughed and then flinched from the pain, squeezing my eyes closed and biting my lip, trying not to cry out.

"We have to move her, Cas. Get her back to the motel, right?" Dean asked with concern lacing his voice.

Cas looked at me, knowing I wouldn't be able to handle the move to the car and the long ride back to the motel. No. He looked me deep in the eyes and knew what he had to do instead.

"I will take her back to the bunker and care for her there," he said.

Sam and Dean started to protest, bringing up different counter-arguments as to why that was a stupid idea, saying that teleporting me back to the motel would be easier, rather than going all the way to Kansas. But Cas just raised a hand and stopped their talking with one look.

"You cannot rent that motel room forever; the healing process of damage this extensive to wings," he paused, looking each of them in the eye, "will take months and a couple of years at the most. She will be far more comfortable and far more safe back at the bunker. If you require my assistance with a hunt, I will call upon Gabriel or another angel to look after her."

After a few moments of silence, the brothers nodded their heads in agreed response, and looked down at me with pained smiles on their faces before Cas grabbed my arm and we were teleported back to the bunker.

*

We landed on our feet--surprisingly--with Cas' arms holding me upright as we hobbled down the hallway with grunts of exertion and moans of pain. Too bad we couldn't have landed directly on a bed for my own convenience...

We finally got to a spare bedroom, far down the hallway but luckily close to a bathroom incase my wings started to molt and bleed. Infact, Cas steered me into the bathroom, and set me down on the edge of the tub, walking out to go grab some supplies from the closet and kitchen.

I wobbled to be feet, looking at my wings in the mirror, making a face at my destroyed wings. Castiel was coming back down the hallway, so I resumed my spot where he had set me down. He came back carrying a bunch of gauze and tape and a whiskey bottle; damn this was going to sting.

He pulled out the step-stool, taking a seat in front of me and setting his goodies down next to me on the tub. He motioned for me to move my left wing forward first, and I grunted through the pain, finally able to move it to his reach, and also turned my body so he could patch it up better too.

He started at the very top where the biggest cut was. I slowly tilted my wing and moved my body so he could wrap it properly. He poured a little whiskey on it and I hissed, gritting my teeth and holding my breath. He moved fast, taking the roll of gauze and then securing it with tape, and then continued on, cut after cut until he was done with my left wing.

He motioned for me to move my right wing, but I couldn't move it--the bone was broken. Instead, I shifted on the edge of the tub, almost whacking him in the face with it. Together, we carefully tilted it as he repeated his slow process again. He took a hold of my broken bones and nudged it back into place. I hissed through the pain and held back tears, because I still wanted to prove that I was going to be okay and recover fast.

After a total of three, agonizingly long hours of complete pain, he was finally done with his handiwork. He stood up and went back down the hallway to put away what was left of the materials, which wasn't much. I sighed, literally feeling weighed down by everything, including this guaze. I was sweating and breathing heavily--God, why was being somewhat human so difficult?

He came back and helped me stand, careful not to jar my wings too much. Together, we hobbled to the bedroom, turning on the lights, and setting me down on a chair next to the bed. He pulled back the covers and motioned for me to hop in on my stomach, which I very slowly did as he helped me.

He pulled the covers up to my waist and laid a gentle hand on my shoulder as he looked down at me and I craned my neck to look at him.

"Sam and Dean are calling me for something. I will be back, but Gabriel should be here soon," he said before vanishing from my sight.

I sighed and closed my eyes for a few minutes, until I heard the whoosh of wings again from down the hallway, and I could tell it was my other brother, Gabriel.

"Hey, sis," he called from down the hallway, coming closer to the door, "Cas called me down, told me to look after you but didn't exactly say--What happened?" He asked, immediately rushing to my side after he saw my battered and broken wings once he steeped inside the doorway.

He came to my left side since my head was facing that way, and took the empty chair and placed it next to the bed, taking my vessel's hand in his, rubbing small circles on my palm--something he used to do to me when we were kids growing up, whenever I got hurt or needed comfort he would always rub my hand. I smiled softly at the memory and opened my eyes to look into his worried ones.

"Hey Gabe," I half-whispered.

"(Y/N), what happened to you? Did one of the Winchesters do this? Did Cas do this? Did--"

I cut him off with a, "Shh," and smiled weakly, "You talk too much. But no, it wasn't Dean or Sam or Cas. We were on a hunt and--"

"Did you wander off and get hurt? Did they not protect you like they were supposed to? Did--"

"Gabriel," I said, "If you keep on talking, I will ask you to leave. I'm trying to tell you what happened."

He looked defeated, but said, "Okay," and motioned for me to continue.

"We were on a hunt. A pack of Rusalki. A few of them got me. Pulled me under. Clawed me up pretty good," I winced, trying to get comfortable.

Gabriel looked down at me, "Why don't you rest now? You definitely need it. I'll be here when you wake up, don't worry, " He whispered soothingly.

He continued to rub my hand, even once I slipped into a peaceful sleep.

Chapter Text

I could tell it was early morning since the sun was shining through the green curtains and through my eyelids, and the smell of breakfast food--like eggs and bacon--was wafting down the hallway and into my room, waking me up slowly. I opened my eyes, seeing that I didn't have a visitor on the chair anymore.

I felt the pulls of the bandages on my battered and cut wings and I couldn't help but slightly groan from the small pain. I gradually lifted my head from the comfort of my pillow and blankets to glance at the clock, which read 9:17 AM, but immediately laid my head back down.

My hair was wrapped-up in knots and was fanned out across the pillow in a jumble. I wanted to use my grace to clean myself up just a little bit, but I was too tired and too focused on healing my wings than to worry about some greasy hair and a little case of B.O.

I maneuvered my arms underneath me, and slowly raised to my elbows, only to stop as the world started to spin. I counted for a few seconds, which turned into a few minutes, and then I slowly rose to a sitting position on the bed, careful with my wings the entire time, and also making the bed creak underneath me.

I looked around the room, finally able to look at everything since I had a light and also more time to look in the first place. There was a large wooden dresser next to the door, holding a lonely lamp and a few empty picture frames glittering silver in the sunlight forcing it's way through the curtains to my right.

I heard footsteps coming down the hallway, sending me out of my surveying of the room, and soon a redhead was peeking into the doorway with a smile.

"Oh, hey. Glad you're awake."

"Charlie? What--what are you doing here?"

She looked disappointed as she walked in, taking a seat next to me on the bed, "Oh, nice to see you too."

"Oh," I panicked,"I-uh-I didn't mean it like that--."

She laughed, interrupting me, but I was slightly confused as to why, "It's just a figure of speech, (Y/N). Now since you're wondering, the angels asked me to watch you, because they had to go somewhere--wherever they had to go. I guess it's a Heaven dealy-o."

I nodded and looked away at my wings which wanted to flutter in protest of the bandages holding them back. I stroked along some of the bandages until Charlie interrupted me and also pulled my hands away from possibly ruining the bandages.

"I made us some breakfast, if you're hungry that is. And we should get you washed up and re-packaged, huh? C'mon," she stood up, reaching her hands out for me to grab.

I wobbled my legs out from under my covers and slowly planted my feet on the ground, taking a strong hold of Charlie's forearms as I stood up. She wrapped an arm around my waist and steadied me and let me gather my bearings before we moved.

I nodded, signifying that I was good to go, so we walked out of my room, down the hallway, and I took a seat at a table in the library. She went back down to the kitchen to bring in our food, which was making my stomach growl in happiness.

I leaned back in the chair and instantly regretted it when my wing slightly bent and tugged at the various stitches. I stifled any noise that wanted to escape my mouth, because I really didn't want Charlie to worry about me too much than what was already necessary. I huffed out a breath, rubbing both hands down my face and then flopping them onto the table.

Charlie came back, holding two plates of food, setting one down in front of me and the other in front of her as she took a seat across from me at the table. Mmm. My stomach growled at the sight of food, so I satisfied my hunger with eggs, bacon, and toast. Mmm. This was definitely satisfying.

"So, um, " I said, interrupting our breakfast, choosing my words carefully, "Do you know where Sam and Dean have been? I mean, I've been here for a couple of days, and we had just finished that one case in Wisconsin. They should be here by now, right?"

"Oh, uh, "she hesitated, not meeting my eyes, "You haven't been, sleeping for a day, (Y/N)."

My eyes grew wide and I stared at Charlie, "How long, have I been out?"

She shook her head, afraid to answer, but I just wanted to know. I just wanted to know how much I've missed from being asleep. She still wouldn't look up and continued to eat, but I really just needed to know.

"Charlie," I snapped, but kept my voice calm, "How. Long."

She finally looked up and her mouth shook, but she replied, "Almost 2 weeks. Okay?" She flew her arms up, "2 weeks. Sam and Dean came back the day after you got here, but you were still out. After the first few days, they hung around here, but Cas and Gabriel told them that they had it handled, and that they should go back to hunting. Well, as you could probably guess, they couldn't stay here for an extended period of time, so they called me in to watch you. Cas has been checking up on us, but he hasn't in a few days."

"Have you tried waking me up?"

She huffed, then replied, "No. Your angels said not to, because you're 'undergoing a healing process', and also because you would be pretty pissed if we waked you up."

I nodded, looking down at the table, then stopped and looked back up at her, "What do you mean he hasn't checked up on us in a few days? Where is he?"

She shrugged, "I just figured it was a long hunt or a Heaven thing."

I shook my head, "That's not like them to do that. Especially my brother."

I stood up from the table quickly, wobbling and Charlie was already on her feet, steadying my with her hands on my shoulders.

"What do you think you're doing?"

I huffed, but replied, "I need to contact them."

"Well, you're not using your angel radio contact. You're too weak."

I scoffed, "Charlie, I know better than that. We are going to summon one of them here."

She looked a little confused and taken back, "Is that safe?"

"Pft. Better than going looking for them."

*

"So, we're, um, summoning your brother," Charlie said, sitting on the wooden desk, "Huh. This is new."

"Well, I don't prefer this method," I said standing across from her, waiting for my brother to appear, pacing across the floor.

"Hey, why don't you sit down? He's probably busy--."

"Or unavailable. Maybe captured. Maybe lost. The list goes on and on, Charlie," I groaned, "I just hope everything is okay."

I paced back and forth for another minute before the sound of wings fluttered next to me. I looked over and Castiel looked annoyed when he saw Charlie first, but then he saw me and his expression softened.

"Charlie. (Y/N). Why did you summon me? Is something wrong?" He immediately got worried and started to survey me.

With my arms crossed across my chest, I replied, tiredly, "Well, according to Charlie, you haven't checked-in in a while. Why's that?"

He softened, "I am sorry. Sam and Dean have been occupied with one case after another. And Heaven has been a little busy with their own problems."

"Well then," I spread my arms out, "Don't want anyone to be missing you. You can leave Castiel."

He started to protest, but I waved him off, "No. It's okay. Go. Charlie and I could use some bonding time," I smiled at her, then turned back to Cas," Just...Just check-in soon? Yeah?"

He nodded, then was gone with the flapping of his wings. Ugh, so envious of my brother at the moment. I shook my head slightly and puffed out an annoyed breath and crossed my arms again, wanting to use my wings so badly.

"(Y/N)?" Charlie asked, pulling me out of my head, "I know it might be awkward or embarrassing in some way, but, um--."

"Charlie," I walked over to her and put a hand on her shoulder, "It's okay. Being new at this human stuff--well, I could use some help. And my bandages and stitches need to be checked on, right? It's okay."

She let out a nervous laugh, but smiled back, and nodded.

I clapped her shoulder, "C'mon. I am smelling a bit ripe," I chuckled and so did she.

We took our time walking down to the bathroom. Well, I went into the bathroom and she went to grab me some new clothes to change into and also the med kit, filled with all of its goodies. I stood in front of the large mirror, staring at my once beautiful wings. I sighed and traced along a few of my feathers, but some of them broke off in my hand and I cringed.

Charlie came back, arms full. She closed the door behind her and set her things down on the counter. She went over to the wall and switched on the fan. From her body language, she seemed...weird. Off. Nervous. And, am I sensing awkwardness?

"Charlie?" I asked slowly, but she wouldn't meet my eyes again, "Goddammit, Charlie. How many times do I have to say it? It's okay. I know you have your...thing, but this is only a vessel--you shouldn't feel embarrassed in any way. All you need to do is remove the bandages, comb through my wings, and re-bandage them. Piece of cake, right?"

She slowly nodded, looking at the floor as if her answers were there, written across the tiles.

I huffed and turned towards the shower, tilting my head in confusion. Humans make things so complex. Or maybe I just don't catch-on fairly well. I looked at the faucet and at the two knobs beside it--labeled with a 'C' and an 'H'--then up at the contraption where the water is supposed to spray out of...I think. The tub was large, big enough for at least three people. Hmm, do that many people shower together? My this was interesting.

I could hear Charlie behind me, stifling back her laughter, but it was no use. She laughed and moved me to the side, but I leaned so I could see around her--I wanted to know how this thing worked. She turned the 'H' knob to the left and also the 'C' knob, but not as much. The water pumped through and suddenly it bursted through that little contraption...a shower head perhaps? It sprayed into the tub, but then went down a few holes that were poked through the plastic. I jumped back a little, amazed and startled.

Charlie laughed again, "The 'H' stands for hot, and the 'C' stands for cold. Piece of cake," she looked back at me, and suddenly her happiness disappeared and she looked away, yet again. I sighed.

"Charlie..."

"No, it's fine. Just..Just get undressed and sit in the tub," she replied, flustered and turned her back so she was facing the door," Just let me know..when.."

I sat on the edge of the tub and pulled off my shirt, which didn't harm my wings in any way. I stood up and pulled off my sweatpants, already feeling the tension building in the small room. I finally stood completely exposed, but I didn't find it weird much. Maybe it's just an angel thing.

I turned towards the tub and put a hand out, feeling the water slide down my hand and along my fingers, dripping down into the tub and going down the drain--not too hot and not too cold. I picked up my right foot and placed it firmly into the tub and then followed with my left. I let out a breath, feeling the water trace separate paths along my skin. I remember what Charlie said, so I sat cross-legged on the tub floor.

"Okay," I called to her, and she turned around, looking pained, but quickly wiped it off as she walked over and grabbed the shower head--woah, that's movable.

"So...where are they?" She asked.

I made my wings appear to her human eyes and she stood in silence, but in awe. I can't even imagine how bad they look with the torn skin, missing feathers, and weighing them down with guaze and tape. I felt her brush her fingers against my feathers and I couldn't help but shiver.

"I'm sorry. Did I hurt you? Are you okay?"

"Charlie. I'm okay. It just...tickled."

She let out a laugh behind me. She shifted and suddenly her hand, which is holding the shower head, appears next to me.

"Here, hold this for a second, but don't spray me."

I grabbed onto it gently and turned it so it sprayed on my legs.

"It has been a second," I noticed.

She sighed, "(Y/N)...."

"Figure of speech?"

"Yes."

She cleared her throat and I felt the tension return yet again, "Am I allowed to..?"

"Yes. Be gentle."

"Alright," she mumbled as she maneuvered to sit behind me on the edge of the tub, "Does it matter which one?"

"Nope."

"Okay," she breathed out, shakily.

I felt the soft rip of a bandage coming off, followed by the removal of feathers, and Charlie gasped.

"It's alright. That's normal for now. Just keep going," I cheered to her. I moved the shower head so it sprayed on my chest, then I moved it back down to my legs.

She continued, slowly, gently, and timidly until there were none left to take off on either wing. She surveyed her work proudly and made sure the stitches were still in place--and yes, they all were (Good job Cas).

"Is it alright if we wash these puppies with some soap?" She asked.

At first I was confused. There weren't any puppies in here. Were there? Then it clicked.

"Oh, my wings? Yes. Gently."

"Then I'll need that back," she motioned to the shower head in my hands, and I gave it up to her, "I don't know if this will hurt..."

I felt the water drag across my wings, slowly dripping into the tub of clear, reds, and browns, which circled down the drain next to me. She popped open a bottle, pouring the strange substance on my wings, and lightly scrubbed at the dried-up pieces of blood and that also made its way down the drain in clumps and white bubbles.

I started to relax finally and let her clean me up as if I was a child. She handed me a cloth with that strange substance on it, and told me to rub that on me, which I followed. Up and down my arms, across my chest, along my legs, until she said okay and took it back so she could use it on my wings. She then handed me the shower head and told me to wash the soap off, which I also followed, until she took that away too.

She reached over and turned the knobs so there wasn't any water coming out any more and hanged the shower head back up on its place. She grabbed the towels behind her and slowly started to dry off my wings, taking her time so she wouldn't pull the stitches or make me shiver. She tossed me a towel and told me to wipe myself off dry. I looked at the towel and understood that it would collect the beads of water on me, so I started with my arms and worked my way down.

Charlie grabbed my hair and soaked up the water on the towel. She then separated my hair into three equal parts, and started moving them around, up and over each other, until she tied it off with an unfamiliar object.

She cleared her throat as she held my clothes on her lap, "So, do we bandage you up first, or can you get dressed without hurting yourself?"

I chuckled and grabbed the clothes from her as she took away my towel, "They don't bother my wings much."

I put on the bra, tank top, and flannel button-up she gave me, and I waited for further instructions. She handed me the bottom half of my clothes, told me to put them on, and turned her back towards me. I stood up and put on the..underwear, was it? Followed by the jeans which fit me alright around the waist...I guess.

I sat down next to her, knowing I wasn't supposed to sit in the water. She stood up but told me to stay there and face the wall so she could re-bandage my wings. She pulled out the guaze, tape, and some type of cream or ointment, and sat down on the step-stool behind me.

Charlie started with my right wing, working her way down until she was done and continued to my left, repeating the slow process of wiping off any extra water she missed, applying the cream, followed by the guaze and tape.

She sighed and collected the extra bandaging supplies back into the box, opened the door and walked out, soon returning. But then she left again to put away the dirty clothes and throw away the old bandages.

I stood up, careful to stand on the tile and not back in the tub to make my feet wet again. I walked in front of the mirror, first, glancing at the clock, seeing that it was already the late afternoon. I huffed, but then admired her much better handiwork at patching me up than what Castiel had done. I smiled, missing my brothers, but also Sam and Dean Winchester. However, Charlie is a great friend, obviously, and we should appreciate this time, because I rarely see her as it is.

The redhead peeked into the room and motioned for me to follow her back down the hallway so we could have a late lunch/early supper in the library.

Chapter Text

We had what Charlie called 'leftovers' from the breakfast we had hours ago. She reheated them on the stove top, and I watched her work and the flames licking at the metal of the pans of eggs and bacon. I jumped when the toaster went off and Charlie shuffled over, collecting the toast, placing them on a plate, but then returning back to the sizzling food on the stove.

"I've never really watched humans make food before," I stated flatly.

She turned around from the stove, "Really? With Sam and Dean, haven't you been to a diner before?"

"Well, yes. But," I took a seat at the small table, "I guess I never really thought about it. Hunting cases and all take up time. Research. And I haven't had to worry about consuming numerous amounts of food--until now."

Charlie turned off the stove and sat down across from me, and cleared her throat.

"What is it like?" She asked me.

I frowned and tilted my head slightly, "What is what like?"

She placed her hands on the table, folding them, maintaining eye contact the entire time.

"Heaven."

"Oh," I said lightly, barely even registering what she said, staring at her hands, "Oh," I said louder and looked up at her, "Heaven. Well, there's billions and trillions of different parts to it. Everyone has their own little vision of Heaven when they're on Earth. It's not always as magical as you all think," I ended with a half smile.

She looked mildly disappointed and shifted her hands on the table, "What do you mean?"

She got up from her seat, grabbing two plates and heaping on eggs and bacon, adding on some buttered toast. She returned with hands full as she set our plates down, and waited for me to answer her question as she folded her hands again.

I let out a small laugh, "Well, for humans, it's magical. You get to relive your best memories and live in a dream world of happiness. For angels? Well. It's not all halos and protecting the humans. We have set guidelines that my Father, God, put forth for angels to follow. During his reign, everything ran smoothly, until he disappeared. The archangels fought for the throne, as did run-of-the-mill angels. We've had our wars with carnage--much more death than all of the wars combined from your world. Overtime, the rules became corrupt. Almost hard to follow and they always watched, waiting for you to mess up. I rebelled alongside my brothers and sisters, only to request that we return to our old ways. And for that? Cast down. Cast down for believing in what was right. But when Metatron cast the rest of them down? We were no longer the laughing stock of Heaven," I finished with a smile.

"So," Charlie said slowly, "What was it like, to fall?"

I smirked, "Imagine skydiving from thousands of miles above ground. But you don't have a parachute and no soft landing waiting for you. And you're traveling faster than a rocket, burning every part of your body, and either damaging or losing your wings in the process."

She nodded her head in response and looked away, mumbling a small, "Oh."

We continued eating, but only in silence. I thought to myself, because that was all I could do now a days. I thought of Cas and Gabriel. I thought of Sam and Dean. I thought of Charlie and Kevin. I thought of monsters and demons. I thought of hunting and wings.

"Charlie," I piped-up, and she immediately looked up, unsure of what I wanted to say, "Can we go hunting?"

She looked a little taken back, "(Y/N), your wings. The healing process, remember? And I don't feel like getting smited by your brothers."

I rolled my eyes in response, "I'm fine. I just don't want to stay here in one place. I need to move. I need to hunt, or I'm going to go insane, Charlie."

She sighed and shrugged her shoulders, setting her fork down on her half-empty plate, "What the hell, why not?"

She wiped her mouth and hands off on her napkin, throwing the plates in the sink to be dealt with later. She grabbed mine too, following the same suit.

"You know how to wash dishes?" she asked me and nodded to the sink as she was about to leave.

I looked at the sink, back at her, then back at the sink, "I belive I do. I will attempt to..wash the dishes," I nodded, standing up as she left.

I stood at the sink, looking at the silverware and plates of half-eaten food before me. I grabbed the plates, dumping the contents into the trash and placing them back in the sink. I stared at the knobs, seeing the similarity of them from the ones in the bathroom. I turned the 'H' one to the right and also turned the 'C' one to the right, and I was greeted with water flowing out of the faucet. Maybe this human stuff isn't so tough.

I pushed up my sleeves, somehow knowing that I needed to in order to do this task. I picked up a plate, holding it under the stream of water. I noticed some of the crumbs didn't want to come off, so I found this strange blue object sitting next to the sink to scrub them off. It still didn't feel right on what I was doing, so I grabbed a bottle that said 'dish soap' and lathered some onto the plate. Within a few minutes, I had the dishes done, including the silverware. I set them out to dry, but then grabbed a towel that was hanging on the oven handle and wiped them off and then put them away.

I laughed at my successful work, satisfied on my progress at being a human for once. I cleared off the table and countertops with a wet towel, and then went back over then all with a dry one. Suddenly, I knew these things were important to do for humans.

I placed the towels back at their places and headed down the hallway where Charlie was skimming through articles on her laptop in the library, hoping to find us a job close to home, but hopefully a job Dean and Sam weren't on. In the mean time, I continued away from the library, to our separate rooms and I packed up my things and packed up some of Charlie's things too, but only with her permission of course.

I walked back into the library, carrying our much needed duffel bags on my shoulders, and placed them on the floor next to Charlie.

"Find anything yet?"

She continued to stare at the screen, but then looked at me, then back at the screen, "I don't know. There might be something in Peculiar, Missouri."

"You're kidding."

"Nope. That's the name of the place. Apparently, animals are being sucked dry."

I waved her off with a hand, "Friendly vamps."

"But a few humans have turned up too," she looked at me, "No blood in them either."

"Huh," I mumbled, "I stand corrected. We good to go?"

I was pumped to get back out there, but Charlie didn't feel the same way. She shut her laptop and stood up, crossing her arms over her chest and sitting on the table.

"(Y/N), are you sure this is safe? I mean, we can probably find a smaller job. But--you haven't been hunting for almost a month, and I just want to make sure that you're not out of practice, considering you can't exactly use your angel powers without dying on the spot."

"Charlie. I'll be fine. It's a simple hunt from what I've gathered. Vampires are the easiest things you can hunt--most of the time. But I'll be alright, you'll see. Just give me a chance, is all I ask, because I cannot stay in the bunker for many more months to come without going on a hunt."

She huffed but nodded her head, "Alright. But," she pointed a finger at me, "It's your own responsibility if we get into trouble, because it was your idea."

I pursed my lips and nodded, "Fair enough. Now let's go."

Chapter Text

Charlie drove 4 and a half hours, give or take, all the way from Lebanon, Kansas to Peculiar, Missouri. It had been somewhere around 4 o'clock in the afternoon--maybe--when we had left, with the sun still high and just barely setting to the horizon. Now, it was dark as we saw the road through the headlights and the digital clock in Charlie's car read 9:06 PM in blue lights.

I had asked her multiple times if she wanted me to drive, but she said no. Firstly, because I didn't have a human license, and that would be a big no-no if we got pulled over. Secondly, because she didn't exactly trust my 'motor skills' and decision making. However, I agreed with her on all counts, so I let her be until we pulled to a motel with a few other cars in the parking lot.

Luckily, this was the only motel within many miles, so if Sam and Dean were on this hunt, they would be here; and luckily their car was no where to be seen. Just hopefully they were preoccupied with a case in a few states over and weren't on their way here.

We parked and got out, grabbing our duffel bags and heading inside to where a half-asleep old man was sitting behind the desk, trying not to nod-off. The sounds of the bell on the door woke him, and he gave us a room key without asking any questions so he could catch a few more Z's. We shrugged and walked down the dimly lit hallway, finding the room number and opened the door.

Luckily, there were two beds, so there would be no more..awkwardness between Charlie and I. I claimed the one closest to the door as a knack of habit from hunting with the Winchesters and my brother Castiel--I've always felt the need to protect, but being an angel, I guess you could say it's natural.

Charlie already started pinning-up the map of the area and the articles, she printed off when we were back at the bunker, up on the wall across from the beds. She also hung up some possible areas our vampires could be staking out, placing small pins and pictures on the map; a few barns around the city lines and foreclosed houses that have been vacant for a long time were our unlimited choices, which needed to be narrowed down greatly.

I was sitting on my bed with my duffel bag laying next to me, staring at the words and pictures on the papers, sensing a weird...pit-feeling. I..I couldn't place what it meant and I didn't want to worry Charlie with anything. I continued to scan from page to page, word to word, picture to picture, and I finally got up to take a closer look.

I started out with our motel on the map, working my way out in circles, sweeping my eyes across the lines, looking at the articles, then back at the map. I placed a finger on one of the pins, then on another, then another, trailing back to where the dried-up animals and humans were found.

The animal and human casualties blended together, which is what was throwing me off at first. The possibility of two clans of vampires in this city was looking highly possible at this point. But the possible locations of where they could be hiding wasn't adding up correctly. Many of the barns were owned and kept with cows, pigs, and sheep, but no hits were made there--drawing out a possibility of vampires there. I took out five of the eleven pins and stuck them elsewhere on the wall. Now we were down to six possible locations.

I huffed out a sigh, but continued on. Yes, I was glad to be hunting again, and yes I was glad to be out of the bunker. But doing research and coming to conclusions was the worst part of hunting, period. I surveyed the map again and also looked back at the articles, pulling out more pins until there were only three left of the previous total.

"How are you doing that? How do you know they aren't there?" Charlie asked from her place on the bed, boring her eyes at my work.

I turned around and shook my head, turning back around, "It's a process I do. It's complicated to explain, but somehow I know certain things."

"Like a gut feeling?" she asked after a few seconds of silence.

I raised my eyebrows, still looking at the map, "Yeah, sort of. I guess it's an angel thing too."

I continued to stare at the map when a flash of an image crossed my eyes, but then disappeared. I gasped, staring at a pin pierced through the paper with a picture next to it. The image came again, clearer and longer than the last time, but was still hard to see. The image turned into multiple images, flooding into a video, and suddenly it was playing before my eyes.

It was dark, so maybe it was happening right now. I stood outside a barn; I could barely see it even though I was close enough to touch it--the edges were fuzzy and it was giving me a headache. I trailed a hand along the outside wall, walking around until I got to the big double doors that were barely holding together. I slowly started to draw them open when I saw the dried blood mixed in with the mud and dirt and a few bones lying around. I continued anyways, even when the smell of death hit me--human death.

I gasped as I was sent out of whatever little dilemma I just had. I looked at the image of the barn. This was the barn. This was where the vampires were. But what just happened?

"Charlie?" I asked, with no response.

"Charlie?" I asked slowly, turning around, a little worried. But when I looked over at her bed, she was already fast asleep, lightly snoring with her red hair fanned across her pillow.

"Hmph. Typical," I mumbled, heading over to my duffel bag on the bed to grab my machete. I also grabbed my angel blade and stowed it away in my clothes. I decided against taking the car, because I honestly didn't feel like crashing one of Charlie's possessions, so, I just walked out of the room, down the hallway to the other exit so I didn't have to go past the front desk.

I was, indeed, on a mission.