The young woman kept walking through the woods. The sunlight caught her hair between the trees, making her usually dark red hair more copper with a golden shine. It hung loosely around her shoulders, but she'd made sure it wouldn't get caught on her backpack. She didn't own much; her entire life was practically stuffed in that pack. Not that it was much of a life, to begin with.
Always on the run, always hiding from the monsters in the night, always waiting for the next 'assignment.' She hated every minute of it and treasured these rare quiet moments. She tried her best to stay away from cities or even small towns, becoming accustomed to sleeping in woods and abandoned houses, hunting or fishing to eat, bathing in lakes or rivers...
Only in winter did she indulge herself in taking a motel room for a few nights. She worked in bars to earn money for that. Sometimes a bar owner would pity her and allow her to stay in the back room. But she never stayed in the same place too long.

Not because she didn't want to. More than anything, she longed to settle somewhere and be able to call it home. It just wasn't safe to do so. They would never stop coming after her - the monsters, the demons. All because of who, or rather what, she was. She could do both amazing and terrible things. Even after all these years, she still didn't understand her abilities. All she knew was that they were a gift from God, and angels would guide her on her way. That's what her father told her anyway... before he had left her to fend for herself.
She knew her angels by their voices, only seeing them as bright beings of light in her dreams. They were always at her side, watching her, guarding her. She'd fallen prey to demons several times, believing that was it. An angel had always been there to save her in the end. She owed them her life, but she really wished they could tell her just a little bit more about what her powers meant. But they were nothing if not vague. Yet, she felt a little better knowing they were there.

A rustling sound behind the young woman halted her. She heard this sound before but only in her dreams. She knew it to be the soft flutter from the wings of an angel. Slowly, she turned around and found a man, a little older than she was perhaps. He was very handsome, with fair features, enchanting blue eyes, and black hair. He wore a long beige trench coat, a white shirt, and black pants. The tie around his neck just completed the look perfectly somehow.

"Allegra." His voice was strong but kind. "My name is Castiel. I am an angel of the Lord and in need of your help."

Allegra only took a few steps towards him. She hesitated, cautious of a possible demon trap.

"I normally get my assignments from you guys when I sleep. I rarely see you when you possess a vessel, and never this up close. Why the sudden change?"

"Forgive me, but we could not wait any longer," said Castiel. "We need your help retrieving a lost soul. Please take my hand; I will explain further when we get to our destination."

The angel offered his hand. Allegra tried to sense anything evil about him, but there was nothing. His heart was good. And she didn't see the gruesome truth behind his vessel as she saw with demons. She knew she could trust him. She had no choice, really.
The young woman took Castiel's hand, and in the blink of an eye, they were near a clearing. Allegra wasn't entirely sure they were still in the same woods where she'd been only a few moments ago, but that didn't really matter anymore. Her eyes got caught on something a bit further ahead. Did it look like... a grave?
Her questioning eyes met Castiel's. They really were enchanting. He looked at her with a mixture of wonder and confusion. She'd never met him before, not even in her mind, so maybe he wasn't fully aware of what she could do. But she wasn't about to show and tell. She cleared her throat.

"You euhm... said something about a lost soul?"

"Indeed." Castiel's eyes never left her face as he spoke. "His name is Dean Winchester. He sacrificed himself to save his brother. We need him back. He is one of our soldiers, destined for great things."

Winchester... Allegra was sure she knew that name. But she couldn't remember from where. Maybe she picked it up somewhere whilst traveling around.

"What exactly do you need me to do?" she asked.

"You must be both my guide and my anchor. I will retrieve Dean myself, but I need your help to find him and bring him back up here."

"So he's really... dead then?"

Only then did Castiel turn from her to look at the grave in the clearing. He walked towards it, Allegra following closely behind. When they reached the grave, she felt it. The soul of the man who lay buried at her feet was forcefully being held captive. She never experienced such an intense feeling before. It hit her hard. Allegra steadied herself, grabbing Castiel's arm. The angel quickly took hold of her and helped her sit on her knees in the grass.

"Breathe."

"I'm sorry, I just... I feel him." Allegra's voice broke. "He's in so much pain. How long has he been down there?"

A single tear rolled down her cheek. This was ridiculous. She didn't even know the guy, and here she was crying because he was in pain.

"Approximately 4 months," answered Castiel. "Too long, really."

"That's 40 years in Hell... You know he won't be the same, right?"

"We have taken it into consideration."

It became clear to Allegra that she wouldn't be privy to any further information on Dean Winchester. She sighed and put both hands on the ground in front of her, her expression dead serious.

"I don't know how much you know about me, and I don't really care. But I need you to do as I say. If I'm going to be your anchor, you'll have to hold onto me with your grace. Whatever happens, don't let go of me. Not until this Dean is back here, no matter what. Got it?"

Castiel nodded at her instructions and grabbed her shoulder. Allegra closed her eyes. She breathed in and out. Power surged around them, making the tall grass and tree leaves further ahead dance in the sudden breeze.

"I've locked on to his soul. They don't know I'm there yet, but we'll have to work fast. Get him when I tell you to."

Allegra tried her best to fully wrap up Dean's soul so that Castiel would have no problem getting him out. That was one of her good powers. She could cast a protective shield around a person's soul, protecting him or her from harm. Even the most powerful demon couldn't get through it. But she never tried it whilst being surrounded by literally thousands of demons. Something warm dripped from her nose to her lip.

Dammit, not yet...

Her entire body trembled as she focussed on closing the shield around Dean. The demons noticed something was wrong, and they were trying to get to him. It made Allegra's task harder, but she could still handle it. Then she felt the connection.

"NOW! GO NOW!"

Allegra heard a rustle beside her, and she knew the angel had gone down to Hell. She still felt his grip on her shoulder through his grace, though. It burned, but she bit through it. With a jolt, she felt Dean's soul rising up with Castiel. Not a moment too soon. 
The trees at the edge of the clearing gave way and plummeted down, one by one, as Castiel appeared at Allegra's side again. He caught her just before she collapsed from exhaustion. Her breathing was uneven, and she couldn't stop shaking. The angel gently laid her down in the grass and hovered over her.

"You are bleeding," he observed, no real concern in his voice.

"What... gave it away?" Allegra wiped the blood from underneath her nose. "Don't... Don't worry about me. I'll be fine."

She felt two fingers on her forehead and caught the angel's confused look when nothing happened. Allegra knew he was trying to heal her. But for some reason, that never worked. Castiel helped her sit up.

"Can you sense him?" he asked. "Did he make it back?"

Allegra focused on the grave and searched inside it with her shield. 

"Yes, he's there. Still unconscious, but he's there. We did..."

Apparently, that was all Castiel needed to know. As soon as Allegra confirmed Dean's resurrection, the angel was gone. Allegra huffed. Did she really expect anything else?

"'Thank you for helping, Allegra.' Oh, you're welcome, weird but handsome angel of the Lord," she muttered.

Allegra sat back on her knees and put her hands on the grave again. She wanted to dig him out, but something stopped her. She felt Dean's soul much clearer now. She didn't know what to make of it. On the one hand, she sensed pure goodness, but on the other, she sensed deep scars, brought on even before his time in Hell. 
With a gasp, she let go, suddenly understanding why the angels needed this guy. 
He was a Hunter.

***

Dean Winchester woke up with a start, visions of blood, pain, and torture still fresh on his mind. There was only darkness around him. He searched his pockets for his lighter. As soon as he found it, he flicked it on. The little flame danced in the dark. He noticed he was lying in some sort of box. Then his memories came flooding back to him. The HellHounds, dying... he was in a coffin!
Dean yelled out for help, but it was no use. He realized he was probably six feet under or more. There was no one to get him out. He scratched at the top of the coffin. Dirt fell on his face, but he didn't care. All that mattered was getting out.

Dean kept scraping and scratching at the wood. More dirt fell in as the hole in the coffin got bigger. He started clawing his way up, holding his breath as he did and ignoring the pain and bleeding at his fingers. Fortunately for him, he wasn't as deep as he assumed.
When his hands felt nothing but air, Dean forced himself to keep going until he was finally out of his grave. He took a moment to take in the sweet air around him. The sun warmed him, welcoming him back to the land of the living. Dean managed to scramble up. 

His clear green eyes widened the destruction around him. All the trees around him were gone. They'd all just fallen to the ground, like a domino game. Something major brought him back. If only he knew what.