July 12th, 2015
Lebanon, Kansas

Alex followed the bunker stairs upwards, her wings hanging loosely behind her as she jumped up the concrete steps. She could hear music up ahead, the soft, gentle guitars echoing through the halls. It grew as Alex reached the top landing, and she glanced off towards the garage with a flick of her grace; it immediately recognized Dean's soul, thrumming in time with the beat, so Alex crossed the hall and jumped up the short, narrow flight of stairs to step into the garage. The air smelled of soap and motor oil, and her eyes traversed the concrete room to find Dean Winchester leaning over the Impala's hood, drawing large, soapy circles with a thick sponge as he hummed along with the music. "Hey," she greeted, and Dean straightened up in surprise. "Nice shorts."

"It's a free bunker." Dean looked down at the dark pair of basketball shorts, the cuffs ending just above his knees, and Alex snickered in amusement. "What?"

"Nothing. I just didn't know you actually had legs," she joked, and she carefully picked her way around the trickling stream of water to stand beside him. "The only thing you ever wear is jeans." Dean scoffed at her words, and Alex watched him turn the sponge onto the windshield. "What's new?"

"Not much." Dean scrubbed at a dark mark on the glass, and Alex waited patiently for him to continue. "How's Cas?"

"He's holed up in my room. I taught him how to use Netflix, so he'll be occupied for a while." Alex shrugged, and she toed at the plastic bucket that held Dean's soapy water. "We've sort of been giving each other space. I think he's still pretty shaken up from Rowena's spell."

"Yeah, well, I can't blame him." Dean leaned across the car to reach the rest of the windshield, and Alex turned her head at the sound of approaching footsteps. Noticing her silence, Dean looked up in time to see Sam step into view. "Hey."

"Hey," Sam echoed. "Dude, what's up with the shorts?"

Dean's lips pursed together, and Alex laughed at the question. "Shut up." Dean dropped the sponge into the bucket, and Alex sidestepped as the water splashed over the sides. "Did you find anything?"

"Uh ... not on the Darkness, no." Sam paused at Alex's side, shaking his head.

Dean wiped his hands off on his shorts with a disgusted scowl. "What about Metatron?"

Alex felt Sam shift next to her, and she looked up to see Dean's frown mirror upon his face. "Still in the wind," he admitted as his brother turned to face him. "No leads."

"Great." Dean circled around to the back of the Impala to grab the hose, and Alex backpedaled to avoid getting hit by the cold spray that bounced off of the slick concrete. "So we have an ancient evil out there somewhere, just getting stronger by the day."

Sam looked down at Alex, and the angel shrugged, unsure how to cheer Dean up. "Cas is getting better, so there's that," Sam finally said. "Still wants to fix your, uh ..."

"I'm fine." Dean reached up to touch the fading bruise on his cheek with tight-lipped frown. "Fine. One hundred percent."

He turned the hose onto the Impala's front, washing away the thick layer of suds, and Sam circled around the Impala as the water rushed towards him. "Alright, well, he's not," he retorted, and Alex's wings flittered at the sharp tone in his voice. "He still needs more time to heal."

"Well ... guess we got nothing to do but get better." Dean turned off the hose with a shrug, and he crossed the bunker to stand beside his brother. "I don't know about you, but ... I've got some serious cabin fever." He forced a laugh, gesturing to the garage around him. "I've washed every car in here twice."

"Well, I may have found us a case," Sam began. "I mean, it's thin —"

Dean threw up his hands before Sam could finish. "Hey, thin works. Tell me on the way." He reached for a small towel that was draped across the hood of a glossy blue Cadillac and hurriedly started wiping away the water.

"Guess we'll go get packed then." Alex made her way back towards the stairs, and Sam followed close at her heels.

"You sure you want to come with?" he asked, and Alex cast a surprised look over her shoulder. "I mean, with Cas, you know ..." He trailed off, waiting for Alex to answer, but when she didn't, he continued. "Dean told me you guys fought."

His words had her pausing, and Alex feathers bristled slightly. "He did?" she repeated before she could stop herself. "Of course he did." She jumped down the concrete stairs with a roll of her eyes. "What do you want to know about it?"

"Know? I —" Sam shook his head. "He's been going through a lot, okay? You just have to be gentle with him."

Alex scoffed. "Why? Because he's delicate? Well, he wasn't so delicate last week when he told me what he thought." She paused on the landing to the second floor, and Sam circled around to stand in front of her. "What?"

"Nothing. Just ... be careful, alright?" Sam's hesitated, his lips parted as if he wanted to say more, but after a moment he shrugged and walked away. Alex watched him go with a roll of her eyes before she moved off in the opposite direction.

The door to her bedroom was locked, and Alex rapped twice on the frame before her grace unlocked it and she stepped inside. The room inside was dark; Alex lifted her grace to her eyes so she could see the dim shapes that the flickering computer screen illuminated. Castiel was laying on the bed, his thick brown blanket wrapped tightly around him so all that was visible was his head, and Alex crossed the room stand at his side, her eyes turning towards the screen. "Hey," she greeted. "What are you watching?"

"Criminal Minds." Castiel's eyes didn't leave the computer, and Alex snorted in amusement at how entranced his voice sounded. "I'm almost through the second season."

"Huh. Never seen it. Just make sure and take a break so you don't rot your brain." Alex picked her duffle bag up off of the floor, circling around the bed to reach her dresser. "Sam found a case," she relayed, and she waited for Castiel's grunt before she continued. "He has no idea what it is. It might be nothing, but it's worth checking out."

"I take it your leaving with them."

Alex shoved her jacket into the bag and then paused, turning to face her mate. "Do you want me to stay? Because I can if you need me," she offered. "Just say the word."

"No, it's okay." Castiel shook his head, and Alex pushed down the relief that threatened to rise within her. "It will be good to have, uh, time alone." He pushed himself up into a sitting position, and Alex slung her bag over her shoulder. "I suppose you'll want your computer, though."

"Keep it. I can use Sam's." Alex crossed back over to the door, but she paused with her hand on the doorknob. "Hey, once you leave, you could probably head into Sam's room," she suggested. "He's got a tv. Just plug the computer into the cable on the dresser, alright? Then you can watch your shows on there." She dropped her bag onto the floor, and two steps carried her to the bedside. "Call if you need anything."

She folded her wings forward, the feathers brushing against his side, and Castiel returned the gesture, the barbs of his broken feathers trailing down her arm. He murmured out his assent, and Alex reached down to press a quick kiss on his forehead before she picked back up her bag and stepped into the hall.

The Impala roared down the highway, music thrumming through the front speakers. Alex was stretched out in the backseat; her legs were hooked around the green cooler that now took up half of her space while above her, rain drummed on the roof of the car, its inscecent pounding lost beneath the soft sway of the guitars. "Hey. Sam." Alex stretched a wing forward to flick Sam across the back of the head, and the Winchester reached in confusion as he felt his hair shift. "What have you got on this case?"

Sam glanced back at her, and Dean lowered the music so he could speak. "Okay, uh, Quaker Valley, Oregon, a town outside of Eugene," Sam began. "Dwayne Markham, the local sheriff, was found in the woods a couple of days ago. His body was mauled, so they chalked it up to an animal attack, but I'm thinking —"

"Werewolf," Dean finished, and Sam nodded. "Yeah, you're right. That is thin."

"There's a lot of wild animals up in Oregon," Alex added. "Could just as easily be a bear or an actual wolf." She shifted in her seat, her foot knocking against the green metal cooler. "It's probably nothing, right?"

"Probably not," Dean agreed, and his fingers moved across the leather steering wheel. "Oregon, here we come."

Sam sighed, slinging an arm back across the seat, and Alex moved out of the way as he unlatched the cooler and reached inside. He pulled out a plastic cup, and Alex caught the lid before it fell back down. The top layer was packed with similar drinks, and Alex's grace reached out to examine the contents. "What is that?" Dean voiced the question she had mentally asked.

Sam took a sip of his drink through the straw, and the thick liquid slurped as it rushed upwards. "It's a smoothie."

"Where's the beer?"

"It's under the smoothies." Alex stuck a hand into the ice, ignoring the cold as she felt around the bottom of the cooler. "Far under the smoothies."

She felt Dean's eyes turn onto her, and she yanked her hand free of the ice water as she lifted her head to meet his gaze. "Where's the rest of the beer?" he recasted with a frown. Alex shrugged, and she glanced over at Sam, waiting for his response, but the ringing of a phone halted the conversation.

"Oh, it's Cas. I gotta — I gotta get this." Sam jumped to answer, tucking his smoothie in between his knees as he pressed his phone up against his ear, turning away to ignore Dean's disgusted noise at the lack of beer. "Hey, Cas. Everything alright?"

Alex leaned forward, her ears picking up the sound of her mates voice. "Yeah, I'm fine," he replied, but the exhausted note in his words lent to the opposite. Sam placed the phone on speaker and held it between him and Dean, and Castiel's voice filled the car. "I was just reading up about the other cases in the area that you're headed to. I haven't found anything that matches."

Sam and Dean exchanged looks, and Dean shrugged, not discouraged by the news. "Cas, you've got one job to do, and that's to heal. You understand?"

"I can help."

"Yeah," Sam agreed, "of course you can, Cas, but right now is the time for you to focus on getting better. This is just a milk run. We got it. So ... try and relax. Read a book, watch some Netflix."

"Alright." Castiel let out a resigned sigh. "Just call if you need anything."

"Got it, Cas. Thanks." Sam hung up and tucked his phone into his pocket, and Alex leaned back in her seat as he began slurping at his smoothie once again.

The cassette clicked, signaling the end of the tape, and Dean reached down to flip it over. "You think he's going to be okay?" he asked.

"He just needs some time, you know? We all do." Sam shifted in his seat so he could look back at Alex, and the angel cocked an eyebrow. "Did he say anything before we left?"

"No, he was busy watching Criminal Minds or something." Alex ignored Dean's scoff, adding, "Yeah, I know, procedural cop shows. But whatever it takes to keep him busy and happy, I guess." She leaned forward, placing her arms on the seat between the two brothers. "If this does turn out to be a case, maybe we should let him in on it. There's got to be something he can do from the bunker, right? I think he just needs to feel useful."

"We'll find him something to do," Dean promised. "Once we get there. Tell you what." The windshield wipers ceased, and Alex looked up at the sky, surprised to find that the rain had eased off. "We've been driving for, what, six hours? Let's find a place to get a stop for a bit."

"I could go for a drink or two." Alex peered out through the windshield onto the dark highway, her grace alighting her eyes so she could see past the night. "Why? Did you see a sign for something?"

"No, but I know where we are." Dean guided the car off of the highway, and Alex returned to the backseat.

Sam rolled his eyes, and the engine slowed as the Impala rolled down the side road. True to Dean's words, the neon sign of a bar could be seen in the distance, the dark parking lot filled with trucks. The lights of a small town sat just beyond it, brightening the moonless sky. "Wait, are you serious?" Sam frowned as the Impala came to a stop, and he looked over at his brother with a frown. "Dean, it's late. I'm exhausted and — and starving, and this place ..." He looked out at the bar with a shake of his head. "I mean, even Swayze wouldn't come to this roadhouse."

"Okay, first of all, never use Swayze's name in vain." The engine died as Dean pulled out the keys. "Okay? Ever." He held up two fingers as he continued with his list. "Second, don't you remember this place? You don't remember Heather? The hunter that we worked a wendigo case with a couple years ago?"

"I don't —"

"You weren't here," Dean quickly added when Alex voiced her confusion. "You were, uh, you were ..."

"That was back when she was with Ashiel, right?" Sam suggested, and Dean nodded as he echoed his brother. "So what, she's here tonight?"

"I texted her." Dean pocketed the keys. "She's working a rougarou case in Texas. Actually," he admitted after a second, "she never texted me back. But that's not the point. The point is that we have a ton of driving left to do just to go to a town where there's probably not a case. But in there ..." He jerked a thumb over his shoulder off towards the bar. "Good times. And time heals all wounds, Sam, especially good times. What do you say?"

"I say you two knock yourselves out. I'm gonna find a diner, dig into the lore like Cas did, see if anything's ever happened where we're headed."

Alex rolled her eyes, and Dean pulled a disgusted face at the proposition. "Oh, man, you really gotta learn to have fun. Seriously, it's pathetic." He reached over the back of the seat to pat Alex on the knee. "Alright, well, I'm going to cash in on your promise, alright? One night of unbridled drinking with no consequences."

He threw open the car door, leaving Alex yelling after him, "I'm going to cure your hangover, not stop you from doing stupid shit." A wave of Dean's hand signaled that he heard, and Alex reached for the door handle with a shake of her head. "You sure you don't want to come, Sam? I can fix you up afterwards, too."

"Don't worry about it." Sam grabbed his bag that sat between his legs. "It's not really my style, you know?"

"Alright, call if you need anything." With a shrug, Alex stepped out of the car and followed after Dean. She heard the door slam shut behind her, and she cast a glance over her shoulder to see Sam starting off down the road, his bag slung over his shoulder.

The swinging, pulsing music crackled through the roadhouse's speakers, filling the emptying room. Alex sat at the bar, perched on a slick wooden stool. Dean sat beside her, humor glimmering in his apple-green eyes. "I'm telling you, that's how it happened," he insisted, and he slammed down the last of his whiskey as Alex scoffed in disbelief. "Honest to God. That werewolf didn't even stand a chance."

"Dean, there's no way you shot a werewolf in the nuts with a silver bullet." Alex's fingers drummed on her glass as she shook her head, and Dean leaned forward in protest.

"No, no, I'm serious. I mean, it didn't kill it, but it was kind — kinda like just deserts, you know?" Dean waved the bartender over, brushing off Alex's frown of concern. "Little bit more," he promised. "May as well go all out, you know?"

"I know." Alex settled back in her seat with a tight-lipped look at Dean's empty glass. "Do what you want."

"Anyways." Dean took a sip of his refilled drink. "So I shot this motherfucker in the balls, right? And you should have heard him scream." He chuckled as he set his drink back down, shaking his head at the memory.

"I've heard a lot of things scream." Alex swirled her whiskey, rolling her eyes at Dean's less-than-amusing story as she waited for him to stop laughing. "Why didn't you shoot him in the heart?"

She knew the answer already; this was Dean's third time telling the story that night, and each rendition became more ridiculous than the rest. "Cause I couldn't," he decided. "I didn't have a clear shot. Had to get him down to my level."

"We're closing in ten." The bartender tapped the bar top with his finger, and Alex nodded to show she understood. She slammed down the rest of her drink, blinking as she felt her grace rise up to combat the impending rush of alcohol.

Dean followed her lead, slamming down his whiskey before he pushed himself to his feet. "You know, I missed this," he slurred. "You and I ... we haven't had fun like this in a long, long time. We gotta — we gotta get out and do this more." He grinned, and when Alex nodded in agreement, he slapped his palm against the table. "Alright, we should, uh, go find Sam," he decided. "He's probably wondering where the hell we are."

"Well, he knows where we are." Alex flicked her wing, unable to help but correct Dean's comment before she added, "But I haven't heard anything from him. Maybe he found a place to crash for the night." She paused beside the door, frowning to find that Dean had stopped behind her. "What?"

"Come on. Zap me." Dean waved her closer, and Alex cocked an eyebrow. "Ya know, our deal. Wipe me clean."

"Sure thing." One step took Alex to his side, and she reached out, placing two fingers on his forehead. Her grace rushed inwards, and she closed her eyes as she felt it waver slightly, off balance from her own drinking. She pulled back to shake off the buzz before she sent it back in, weaving it through Dean's blood to break down the alcohol and chase away the impending symptoms.

She pulled away a second later, retracting her grace into her body. She heard Dean grunt, and he muttered out, "it tickled," as he reached up to smooth down his jacket. "Shit, I gotta get you to do that more often."

Alex laughed as she stepped out of the roadhouse. "You have to earn that," she teased, and Dean fell in step at her side. "How do you feel?"

"I feel awesome." Dean's teeth flashed in the early morning light. "Hell, I haven't felt this good in months." He reached in his pocket for the Impala's keys, and Alex heard his boots skid on the pavement as he came to a quick halt. "Wait, I —"

"Here." Alex dug into her jeans and tossed the car keys in Dean's direction. "You were talking about taking her drifting last night, so I took them. Just in case." She circled around to the front seat of the Impala as Dean grunted, and she added, "So, you're welcome."

"Let's go find Sam." Dean unlocked the car, and Alex nodded, pulling out her phone as she slid into the front seat. "Text him and see where he is —"

"Who are you?" A voice from the backseat had Alex jumping, her back colliding with the door as her wings flared out. Her phone clattered to the car floor as she locked eyes with the woman in the backseat. A naked woman.

Her weapon was in her hands before she knew it, the metal catching in the dim light of dawn, the sound of the metal bumping against the glove compartment covered by Dean's surprised noise. "Uh, good morning." A voice came from the backseat, its source hidden from sight, and Alex's feathers ruffled as she recognized Sam. "That's, uh, my brother Dean."

"Sorry, Sam, I didn't — I didn't realize you had company." Dean turned his head out the windshield, hiding a grin, and Alex cast him a tight-lipped frown at the amusement in his tone. She turned her head away as the woman began to pull on a shirt, and her grace pulled her weapon back up into her jacket.

"Yeah." Sam cleared his throat, and Alex heard him shift uncomfortably from where he lay. "Yeah, uh, could you give us a minute?"

"Well, I'll just, uh ... just won't be here anymore." Dean reached for the door, and Alex did the same, quickly jumping out of the Impala. "So you kids take your time." Dean chuckled as he closed the door, and Alex circled around to walk at his side, shaking out her wings. The laughter died from his face as he noticed her, and Alex turned her back to the car with a huff. "Jealous?"

The jest was accompanied by a teasing wink, and Alex scoffed as she stopped ten paces from the car. "Disgusted," she corrected. "That's my backseat. It's like fucking on someone else's bed." Car doors opened, and Alex looked back to see Sam emerge, dressed in his worn jeans and grey v-neck shirt. He ran a hand through his dishevelled hair, and Alex watched how his face flushed as their eyes locked. The girl was hurrying off down the street, adjusting her wrinkled shirt as she did so, and Alex followed Dean back towards the Impala. She quickly hurried around to the passenger side, fingers tightening protectively on the handle. "I call shotgun."

"Whoa, whoa, hold up." Sam's brow furrowed as he looked over the car, and Alex's wings rose to in an attempt to match his height.

"I'm not sitting back there anymore. Gross." Alex pulled a disgusted face, ignoring how Dean laughed. She slid into the front seat without waiting for protest, and she waited for both brothers to follow.

Sam was the last to get in, pulling the door closed as he folded his long legs in the backseat. "Guys, I can explain what was going on —"

"No, no, no." Dean cut him off with a shake of his head, and he reached past Alex to pull a cassette out of the glove compartment. He popped it into the tape deck, and the first few notes of a song began to bleed through the speakers. "No."

Sam groaned as he recognized the song. "Don't 'Night Moves' me."

"Shh." Dean cranked up the volume, and Alex glanced back to watch Sam roll his eyes. "Just let it wash over you. Just take it in."

I was a little too tall, could've used a few pounds
Tight pants point hardly renown

Dean's lips moved along with the words, and with a laugh, Alex lifted her voice to join in.

She was a black-haired beauty with big dark eyes
And points all her own sitting way up high

"This is ridiculous," Sam muttered, rolling his eyes as he started buttoning up his red flannel.

Dean laughed, and the Impala rolled out of the parking lot and off towards the highway, picking up speed."One of the greatest rock writers of all time, Samuel."

"It's Sam." Sam's voice was drowned out by the music as Dean cranked it up.

Way up firm and high
Out past the cornfields where the woods got heavy

"Out in the backseat of my brother's '67 Chevy." Sam sang over the words, and Alex's head tipped back as she laughed. Dean glanced back at his brother, and Sam grinned. "Yeah, you started this," he reminded. "You started this."

Dean rolled his eyes. "Here we go. Come on now." The Impala picked up speed as it rolled onto the highway, and Alex drew her legs up underneath her, raising her voice alongside the Winchesters' as the chorus thrummed through the speakers.

"Digging into the lore." Dean's voice broke into the silence, and Alex lifted her head from where it rested against the window. The sky was dark again, the clock reading a little past midnight, and Alex shifted with a groan, grimacing at the stiffness in her limbs. Dean chuckled, running his fingers along the steering wheel. "Is that what the kids are calling it these days?"

Alex heard Sam breathe out a laugh from the backseat. "Man, I needed that."

"And hey, look at that, you're finally not a virgin anymore," Dean joked. "But you know what? I think it was time. I respect the fact that you, uh, you know, you wanted to stay true and pure and waited."

The balled up wrapper of their dinner hit the windshield, and Alex snickered as Dean's head jerked back in surprise as it landed at his feet. "Yeah, you know what?" Sam retorted with a grin. "You — you're an idiot."

"Even put a blanket down. Buddy, classy and thoughtful as always" Dean kicked the wrapped over to Alex's side, and Alex stuck out a tongue in protest. "You know, you two almost had me there for a second with your, uh, thing."

Alex's wings flicked at Sam's spluttered confusion, and she huffed. "Uh, yeah, that thing was to cover up the fact that we were going behind your back to cure that damn arm of yours." She glanced back towards Sam for confirmation, and the hunter nodded. "Anyways, like Dean said, I appreciate the blanket."

"Yeah, sorry about that. It was the best place we had ..." Even in the darkness, Alex could see the blush that covered Sam's face. "I ... I tried to give her my number. You know what she said?"

" 'We got tonight. Who needs tomorrow'?"

"No." Sam blinked at Dean's answer. "Is everything a Bob Seger song to you?"

"Yes." Dean flashed a grin in the rearview mirror, and Sam shook his head, a small sigh falling from his lips. The conversation died, and after a second or two, Dean cleared her throat. "What was her name?"

Sam sighed. "Piper." Alex heard the leather seat protest beneath his weight as the hunter shifted, and she glanced back to see that he had drawn a foot up under him. He ran his palms down his jeans as he repeated himself, and Alex turned so she was resting her back against the car door, head turned so she could see both brothers at once.

"Piper?" Dean chuckled. "That's awesome. And Heather." His voice grew distant, a small smile on his lips. "One-night wonders, man. Shit, we're lucky we still get that at all." Alex scoffed, and Dean looked over at her. "Oh, yeah. You've never had one of those, have you?"

"Nope. Never really wanted it, I guess." Alex leaned back, resting her head against the glass as she shrugged. "I mean, maybe one day, but I'm sort of ... unavailable at the moment. Besides," she hurried to add, "what's the point? Sure, it feels good for a bit, but then what? You're just left with loneliness and gonorrhea."

Dean laughed, and Alex felt the car speed up beneath her. "Hey, I'm clean," he retorted. "You just gotta be careful, you know? Besides, Cas says he could take care of any of that."

"Yeah, I know," Alex said. "I overheard the two of you talking. You were asking him about it cause you had a weird thing near your dick?" She smirked as Dean's face darkened at the memory. "Cas said it was just an ingrown hair."

It was Sam's turn to laugh, and Dean turned to glare back at him. "Hey, I'm not the one who's actually had the clap before," he snapped.

"Yeah, from a curse," Sam shot back. "It's not the same. That doesn't count." He sighed, and Alex watched as he turned his eyes out the window. "Dean, don't you ... ever want something more?"

Dean snorted at the question. "I'm sorry, have you met us? We're batting a whopping zero in domestic life, man. Goose eggs." He looked over at Alex, adding, "No offense."

Alex flicked her wings, shaking her head to show that she wasn't affected, and Sam sighed. "You don't ever think about something? Not — not marriage or whatever, but ... something? You know, with a hunter? Somebody who understands the life."

"Have you not heard a single word Bob's been singing about?" Dean glanced back at his brother through the rearview mirror, and Alex watched as his shoulders fell slightly. "You're tired. I can tell." Sam opened his mouth to protest, but Dean shook his head. "You're exhausted," he insisted. "Well, I'm still wired, so I'm probably gonna pull over, get some gas. You catch some Z's, cause, buddy, you earned them. Proud of ya." Alex watched as Sam rolled his eyes, and Dean grinned. "Piper. Mm. Man, she smelled good, too."

Sam scoffed, and Alex stuck out her tongue. "All I smelled was sex," she insisted before she slung an arm over the back of the seat. "You good on your own, or do you need me to help? With my grace," she added when Dean snickered. "With my grace."

"I think I'm good." Sam brought his feet up onto the leather seat. "You sure you're good to drive, Dean? You've been at the wheel all day. I'm sure Alex could take over for the night."

Alex watched as Dean's eyebrow cocked, and she shook her head. "I don't think I've ever driven this car. And I'm pretty sure Dean's not going to let me anytime soon."

"I barely let Sammy drive." Dean patted the console, ignoring Sam's hurried correction of "Sam." He returned his hand to the steering wheel with a shake of his head. "Tell you what. You show me that you can respect her, maybe one day I'll take you both out for a spin." He reached down to turn up the music as Sam settled down for sleep, and Alex curled her wings around her as she returned to facing forwards, head resting against the cool glass as the Impala roared on down the road.

Alex opened her eyes as she felt the engine die, and the car fell still beneath her. The angel's wings twitched curiously as she sat up, glancing back over her shoulder to see that Sam was still fast asleep in the backseat, his breathing shallow and steady. "Why are we stopping?" Alex watched as Dean reached over to grab his bag off of the floor beside his brother's head, moving slowly as not to wake him. "What's going on?"

"I'm tired." Dean spoke quietly as he unzipped his bag and pulled out his laptop. "So I'm gonna watch the first few minutes of the Magnificent Seven and then hit the hay."

"Are you ... are you going to have enough room?" Alex looked around at the car, frowning at how his legs were cramped beneath the Impala's console. "I can go outside for the night if you want to stretch out." She reached for the door, but a hand on her wrist had her pausing.

"Don't be stupid." Dean tugged on her jacket, and Alex let him pull her back away from the door. "You're not spending the night outside. I've slept in worse." He fell silent when Sam awoke with a jerk, and he slung his arm over the back of the seat as he turned to look back at Sam. "Welcome to the Winchester Motel," he joked as Sam struggled to sit up, blinking in confusion. "We don't have cable, but we do ..." he reached down past his brother to open up the cooler, " ... have room service." Sam grunted, unamused by the joke, and Dean let the lid fall shut. "You were singing in your sleep, by the way. That song Mom loved that Dad used to always play for us. I think I've actually still got the tape."

"Is that what is was?" Alex blinked, frowning as she remembered Sam's thin, barely melodic mumblings. "I didn't recognize it."

" 'Someday Soon.' " Sam answered the question, and he slumped back down in the seat, his eyes focusing distantly on the roof of the car. "Hey, Dean, um ... you said when you saw the Darkness, you weren't sure whether it was, uh ... the real thing or a vision, right?"

"Mmhmm." Dean turned in his seat, pressing his back up against the door so he could further face his brother. He glanced over at Alex, and the angel frowned, unsure where the conversation was going.

"I think I've been having visions, too, lately." Sam's hazel eyes flickered across Alex's face. "I mean, it's just images — I mean, more of a ... feeling, really. But I just had one right now, and — and Dad was in it. But it wasn't Dad like — like ... the Dad that — that I grew up with." Sam frowned, stumbling over his words as he tried to explain his dream. "It was Dad when he was our age. And I-I guess it wasn't even really Dad. It was someone pretending to be Dad and —"

Dean's head recoiled slightly in surprise. "Okay, what makes you say that?"

"For starters, he told me everything I wanted to hear."

"Yeah, that doesn't sound like Dad." Dean pulled one leg up onto the seat with a small laugh, but Alex didn't share his amusement. She pressed her grace up against Sam's soul, searching for any signs that something had occurred, but she found nothing.

"No." She almost missed Sam's agreement. "Anyways, whoever it was ... they had a message to deliver. They said the Darkness is coming, and ... only we can stop it."

Dean frowned, and Alex pushed away a leg that tried to straighten out into her space. "Did they have him give you any helpful tips on how to do that?" she asked, ignoring how Dean's leg jerked to knock against her knee.

"He said, 'God helps those who help themselves,' " Sam said. "I mean, maybe ... maybe these visions are coming from God." He sat up fully, adjusting his shirt with a frown.

"Whoa." Dean's leg fell away from Alex's seat as attention snapped back onto his brother. "Pump the brakes."

"I mean, Dean, the first one happened after I prayed," Sam continued, and Dean's eyes stretched wide in surprise. "This was back in the hospital," he explained. "I ... I was infected. I'm not anymore," he was quick to add as Dean's face darkened. "I-I-I never went full rabid. I ..."

"You get infected and you didn't even tell me." Dean's voice was flat, and his frown only darkened when Alex merely shrugged. "You knew."

"He told me when he picked me up on the way back to the bunker." Alex brushed off his dark tone, choosing instead to focus on Sam. "He was just looking for answers. At the time, we all were."

Sam nodded, and Dean rolled his eyes. "Well, I'm sure whatever's kicking around in your head right now is a side effect from the infection that you failed to tell me about," he grumbled, and he slid his bag onto the floor with a shake of his head.

"You know, I don't think it's that simple ..."

"Come on, man." Dean cut him off, and Sam reluctantly fell silent. "That quote? 'God helps those who help themselves'? God didn't say that. That's not even in the Bible. That's an old proverb that dates way back to Aesop. I read," he added defensively when Alex and Sam exchanged surprised looks. "And more importantly, when was the last time God answered any one of your prayers? It's not a vision, Sam. Alright? It's just some ... some fever dream." He threw up his hands in defeat. "That's all. And as far as Dad goes, I dream about Dad all the time."

"You do?"

Dean scoffed. "Of course I do. It's usually the same one, too. We're all in the car. I'm sitting in the driver's eat, Dad's sitting shotgun." Dean's voice grew soft and distant, and he heaved a sigh. "But there aren't any shotguns. There's no monsters. There's no hunting. There's none of that. It's just ... he's teaching me to drive. And, uh, and I'm not little like I was when he actually taught me to drive. I'm sixteen, and he's helping me get my learner's permit. Of course," he added over to Sam, "you're in the backseat, just begging to take a turn. We pull up to the house — the family house — and I park in the driveway, and he looks over and says, 'Perfect landing, son.' " He sighed again, his head tilting back to rest against the glass. "I have that dream every couple of months. Kind of comforting, actually."

"I always, uh ... I always dream about mom," Sam admitted. "Usually the same kind of thing, though."

"Normal life?"

Sam nodded, smiling at Dean's words. "Yeah. Normal life."

Two sets of eyes turned onto Alex, and the angel forced a smile. "I don't really dream as an angel," she admitted. "Not anymore. But, uh ..." Alex hesitated, grasping at straws, looking for an answer that wasn't dreams about Lucifer. "Sometimes I dream about my mom, too," she finished. "Normal, apple pie life. Those are the best kind of dreams, aren't they?"

"Yeah," Sam agreed, but after a second, he straightened up in his seat. "But, Dean, this wasn't just a dream. I'm telling you."

With a sigh, Dean rolled his eyes, his voice sharpening. "Why would somebody dress up like Dad to give you a message?" he asked. "I mean, Dad. You don't exactly have a history of listening to what he has to say."

"Well, you — you said the Darkness sent some sort of message to you," Alex suggested, and she flicked a wing in Sam's direction to gesture to him. "Maybe ... if this isn't just a dream, maybe there's something out there that wants to stop the Darkness and it sending messages to Sam. Wouldn't be the first time you two were the spokespeople for opposites forces."

Her reminder was accompanied by a glare from Dean, but Alex ignored it. "And you seriously think that thing is God?" Dean snapped. "Come on. How many — how many opportunities has God had to crack this piñata, and I don't see any candy on the floor, do you?"

"Okay, then maybe it's not God." Sam avoided Alex's eye, and the angel turned her gaze out the window with a frown. "But, uh ..."

"I know what you're trying to do here," Dean said, his voice unusually soft. "You're trying to find some — some greater meaning to it all. Right? Some ... fate to what went down. But I'm telling you, Sam. The Darkness? It's on us. And no one's gonna help us, certainly not God, so we'll have to figure this out, like we always do. But until then ... we hunt. This case for starters. Course, this case is ..."

"It's just probably nothing," Sam finished, and Dean repeated him with a firm nod. Sam sighed, and the backseat squeaked as he sunk down. "Goodnight, jerk."

"Night, bitch." Dean swung his legs back onto the floor, and Alex threw open the car door, letting her wings stretch out into the night air.

"Take the front seat," she instructed. "It's a warm night out, and I don't need to sleep." She closed the door before Dean could protest, and she circled around to the hood, glancing over her shoulder to see that the Winchester had wasted no time in stretching out across the bench seat. Alex climbed onto the hood, moving slowly to the metal wouldn't creak beneath her weight. The sky was bright with stars, twinkling high above her head, and Alex leaned back against the windshield. Castiel? She lifted her prayers, feeling along the thin strand of grace, but no answer came; the seraph was asleep, his grace still exhausted from Rowena's spell. With a sigh, Alex tucked her arms around her side, spreading her wings out against the warm Impala. Good night.

Quaker Valley, Oregon

The white tiled room smelled of bleach and blood, and Alex tugged the rubber gloves up around her wrists as she followed Dean across the floor. A fair-haired doctor stood on the far side, his hands tucked into his white lab coat as he watched them approach. "Agents. There's not much left," he warned as he motioned down to the sheet-covered body, "but you're welcome to take a look."

"Thank you." Dean's words sounded distracted as he struggled with the purple latex gloves, and Alex brushed past him to pull back the white sheet. For the most part, the corpse was intact, but the chest and neck were little more than mangled flesh. She carefully picked through the mess, laying the skin flat in an attempt to recreate the victim's appearance.

"You said that the blood had been drained?" Alex's fingers paused along the left carotid artery, which was pale and limp. "How?"

"Neck wound, most likely," the coroner explained, and Alex turned her attention down onto the mutilated throat. "He was dead by the time the creature started on the chest. There's not much to suggest what it was, but it was big — wolf or a bear, most likely."

"Most likely," Alex repeated, and she pulled away with a satisfied nod. She looked over at Dean, who was flipping through the autopsy file, and she pulled off her gloves and tossed them into the trash. "Heart's missing," she told Dean before turning back to the man across from them. "Did you find anything else?"

"Nothing unusual." The coroner frowned as he looked between the two hunters. "This was clearly an animal attack. What exactly are you looking for?"

"Nothing." Dean closed the file, and Alex stepped back with an unreadable blink. "We're just covering all of our bases." He reached into his wallet for one of their cards, and he set it down onto the stainless steel table next to the autopsy file. "If you find anything else, just give us a call."

Alex followed Dean down the hall and out of the building, her wings flicking in frustration as she stepped out into the summer air. "I can't stand coroners," she muttered, falling in step at Dean's side. "I swear, some of them are so blind. How can they honestly look at that and not see that it's something humanoid." She rolled her eyes, shaking out her wings. "A wolf my ass."

"Come on." Dean fished the car keys out of his pocket, and Alex circled around to slide into the front seat. "Let's go pick Sam up at the sheriff's station, huh? Maybe he'll have found something more interesting."

"Sounds good." Alex slid over the seat, landing in the back of the car with a muffled thud. "I'm gonna change into something more comfortable." She dug around on the floor for her bag, and she shucked off her slacks as the engine roared to life. "Obviously we were wrong. There's definitely something to this case."

"Apparently." The Impala rolled off down the street, and Alex pulled on a pair of worn blue jeans. "Did you see anything that might point to what this is?"

"Hard to say." Alex's fingers undid the buttons on her blouse, and she traded its place for a grey v-neck, sliding back over into the front seat to sit next to Dean. "That level of blood loss would point towards a vampire, but vamps obviously don't take hearts." She shrugged on a blue flannel with a roll of her eyes. "Either we have a wolf with a taste for blood, a vamp with a knack for hearts, or some weird combination of the two."

Dean grunted as he turned the car into the parking lot of the police station, and Alex rolled up the sleeves of her shirt as she caught sight of Sam approaching. The Winchester was loosening his tie as he crossed the hot concrete, and with a sigh, Alex reluctantly slid back into the backseat once so Sam could sit beside his brother. "Hey," he greeted as he opened up the door, and Dean returned it with a grunt.

"The coroner showed us the sheriff's body," he relayed as Sam closed the door behind him. "And, uh, it was mauled all right. And get this — heart missing, body completely drained of blood."

Sam's eyes narrowed in surprise, and he glanced back at Alex to watch her confirm it with a nod. "So, what? We're looking at a — a werewolf-vampire hybrid?"

"Were-pire," Alex quipped, and she grinned over at Dean as he echoed her a second later, his green eyes flickering in amusement. He held his fist up, and Alex met it with her own, leaning forward to see Sam's reaction.

Unsurprisingly, it was less than impressed. "No." Sam pursed his lips. "That's awful. Anyways," he added, moving on, "the, uh, the sheriff's replacement — Deputy Donnelly — he's not the brightest bulb, but I got a copy of his report." He held up the manilla folder, and Alex eagerly reached forward to grab it. "Maybe he missed something —"

He cut off when a hand rapped on the window, and Dean rolled it down with a deep-set frown. "Agents." A round-faced police officer smiled at the three of them, his blue eyes landing upon Sam. "These must be your partners, right Agent Felder? Let me guess." His eyes narrowed as he looked between Dean and Alex. "Agent Walsh and Agent Henley, am I right?" Dean nodded, and the man extended a hand as he introduced himself. "Donelly. Pleasure to meet you. I just want to thank you both for stoppin' by. We really appreciate your due diligence."

"Oh." Dean blinked, surprised at the light-hearted expression of gratitude. "Actually, uh, do you know a motel where we can crash for the night?"

"You're staying?" It was the deputy's turn to act surprised, and he looked between Sam and Dean with a frown.

"Yeah, just want to kick all the tires," Sam said, and Alex nodded as her grace snuck out, curious by the pale, blank look behind the deputy's eyes.

Donelly's face screwed up as he thought. "Well, uh, there's a mote on Downey that'll give you a good price," he finally said. "And if you're looking for a decent meal, you can't beat Aunt Mel's, down by the train station. Parking is a bitch, but it's the best damn steak in the whole state."

"You had me at 'steak.' " Dean grinned as the deputy walked away, but the smile faltered as he caught sight of Alex's pale face in the mirror. "What?" He rolled up the window, glancing back over his shoulder with a frown. "You okay?"

"That ... he's not human." Alex pulled her wings in tight as the deputy walked away, shivering at she remembered the ice that had been his soul. It had been dark, a coldness that she had never felt before. "And he's not a werewolf or a vampire, either. I don't ... I don't know what he is." She tore her eyes away from the monster, forcing them back onto Sam and Dean. "That's got to be what killed the sheriff."

"Okay, great." Dean reached for the door handle, but Sam stopped him. "Let's get it done."

"Whoa, whoa," he cautioned. "We don't know what this thing is. Who knows what kills him, or if there's more than one." He watched Deputy Donelly disappeared back into the station. "Let's go grab lunch, then we can plan from there. Okay?"

"Okay." Dean reluctantly shifted the Impala into drive, and Alex let her feathers lie flat. "Let's give Cas a call, too, alright? Maybe he can dig through some of the lore." The nod towards the backseat allocated the responsibility to Alex, and she grunted in acknowledgement as they drove away.

"Lily Markham." Alex repeated the name as she watched the Impala drive away, shaking her head as it disappeared down the road. "I still don't get why we're here talking to the widow. We should be out kicking Donelly's ass." She shoved her hands into her jacket pockets, and her eyes turned onto the farmhouse that lay before them.

"Look, those crime scene photos were off, okay?" Sam adjusted his tie as he made his way up to the front door, and Alex hung back, displeased with how casual her appearance was in comparison. Her wings flicked as she took in the property. It was unusually quiet; even the stretches of meadow were devoid of life.

"Sam ..." Alex moved to stand at Sam's side, her wings drawn in close. "Something's wrong here. I can feel it in the air."

"I feel it, too." Sam frowned as he rapped on the door. "Mrs. Markham?" he called, and his voice echoed across the empty property. "Are you home?"

Alex stretched her grace into the home, feeling around for any signs of life. She found three within the walls; three of whatever Donelly had been. "Sam." Alex drew her grace back inside with a shiver, unlocking the door in the process so it swung open with a creak. "They're here."

"What's here?" Sam reached back to draw his gun, and it clicked as he popped out the magazine to check his ammunition. "Silver," he relayed. "Think that'll stop them?"

"Well, it's sure as hell not a fucking werewolf —"

A flash of black from the corner of her eye had Alex cutting off, and the next thing she knew, the black shape was colliding into her, bowling her off of the porch and throwing her onto the hard dirt. Her wings spread instinctively, softening the blow, and Alex heard Sam shout in surprise. Her head swiveled, searching for him, but her attacker stood in the way, fangs bared in a terrifying snarl.

Alex rolled to the side as a foot landed in the dirt where her throat had just been, pulling her wings in tight as she pushed herself to her feet. Her grace dropped her weapon into her hand, and she ducked a side swipe. She grabbed the arm flying past, thrusting it out of the way. The momentum carried the creature straight into her, and his head fell back in a howl as her angel blade buried itself to the hilt.

Alex stepped back as the corpse collapsed in front of her, grey eyes seeking out Sam Winchester. "Sam?" The yard was empty, and her wings rose in alarm. "Sam!"

Gunshots echoed through the air, originating from the house, and Alex jumped up the porch and kicked her way through the door. Her grace rushed out, the lights overhead flashing at the sudden surge, and Alex twisted her weapon at the sound of Sam's voice. "Alex!"

"I'm here." Alex sidestepped as Sam appeared in the hall, almost slipping on the rug as he bolted towards the door. A woman rushed after him, fangs bared, and the moment Sam had rushed out the door, Alex squared her shoulders, facing off with the monster.

She wasn't prepared for the strength at which the woman crashed into her, and Alex staggered back with a grunt. She swung her weapon, but the blow glanced off of the creature's shoulders, leaving nothing but a bloody nick. Alex backpedaled, wings rising to fill out the door to protect Sam as the monster threw its head back to howl in surprise. Fangs flashed in the light, but the scream died as Alex thrust her blade into the woman's throat.

The fight died in her eyes as the creature collapsed, and Alex shook out her wings as she stared down at the body. "What the hell is that thing?" Sam's voice came from behind her, and Alex turned, lips pursed.

"Don't know." Alex shrugged, and she nudged at the corpse with her toe. "Never seen anything like it." She peeled back the lip slightly to look at the fangs with a flick of her wings. Three sharp incisors sat on each side of the top row; unlike with vampires, they didn't seem to be retractable, but instead appeared to be an actual extension of the original teeth.

"Me neither." Sam cleared his gun and tucked it into his pants with a scowl. "I emptied almost an entire clip into her, and it barely slowed her down." He looked down at the body, adding, "Is that all of them?"

"No." Alex's grace rose up as she sought out the soul she had felt earlier. "There's one more upstairs. Unconscious," she quickly added as she felt Sam tense. "Come on." She twisted her weapon in her hands as she made her way up the stairs, letting her grace lead the way.

Sam followed, redrawing his weapon as he reached the second floor. The slight clearing of his throat revealed his question, and Alex nodded towards the closed door at the end of the hall. She moved forward quickly, not allowing Sam to pass her, and she kicked open the door and stepped into the room.

A middle-aged woman lay on the bed, her head lolled to the side. Bruises darkened her face, and a cut across her lower eye still oozed blood. "It looks like we interrupted something," she heard Sam say from behind her, and she crossed the room to stand beside the bed. "Maybe they had something against her."

"Well, we're probably not going to find out." Alex raised her weapon, the metal catching in the light.

"Whoa, whoa, wait!" Sam jumped forward. "We should keep her alive —"

Alex plunged the weapon into Lily Markham's chest, and the monster's eyes snapped open. A punctured gasp fell from her lips, fading as she died. "Sorry, you were saying?" Alex pulled the weapon free, and she turned her grey eyes onto Sam.

"Never mind." Sam's lips pursed together as he hissed out the word, and Alex tucked her weapon into the back of her jeans. "I was just thinking that if something here is turning people, then maybe there's a way to reverse it."

"Huh. Well, you can't reverse death." Alex shrugged, and she brushed past Sam on her way out of the room. Why don't you go see if you can get that car out front running, huh? I'm going to check the perimeter."

She hesitated, waiting to see if Sam would protest to her authoritative tone, but the Winchester nodded. "Sounds good," he agreed through a tight jaw. "Call Dean while you're at it."

"Sure thing." Alex hurried down the stairs and out of the house, head lifted as she surveyed the land. The dirt driveway was surrounded by meadows, but forest lined the right side of the property, and Alex frowned as she dug her phone out of her pocket and dialed Dean's number.

The line was busy, and Alex frowned as she was sent to his voicemail. "Dean, call me back. There were three of those ... fuckers here. They're dead, but Sam filled one with silver and it barely broke stride. Use the angel blade if you have one." She stepped down off of the porch, adding, "Sam's finding us a ride. Meet us by the gas station that we passed on the edge of town." She hung up and shoved her phone back into her pocket with a roll of her eyes; who could Dean possibly be talking with? With a shrug, Alex shook out her wings and broke into a loping run to circle the property.

The parking lot of the broken-down gas station was vacant when Alex and Sam pulled up, and the second the engine died, Alex got out, shaking out her wings as she surveyed the area. Her feathers bristled, displeased with the emptiness, and she turned her head when she heard the car door slam. "You okay?" Sam asked, and Alex grunted as she turned her eyes back onto the surrounding land. "Listen, there's no way those things could have followed us here. You're safe."

"I'm not worried about my safety," Alex retorted, and she forced herself to turn back to Sam. "I'm worried about you. I don't know what we're hunting, but I hate it."

Sam forced a chuckle. "Yeah, you and me both."

The roar of the Impala's engine had him falling silent, and Alex turned to watch the car pull up alongside the stolen silver sedan. Sam's attention immediately turned onto his brother, and Alex turned back surveying their surroundings. "Hey," she heard Dean say. "What happened?"

"We got jumped," Sam explained. "Alex killed all three of them." His words were accompanied by a tight note, but Dean didn't seem to catch it. "Does Cas have any idea about what these are?"

Alex's grace caught something cold, and she spun around, wings flaring out. "There's one here." Her head tilted as she looked the Impala up and down, her feathers ruffling in confusion. "In the car." She pushed past Sam and pulled open the back door, frowning at the growls that emanated from the green cooler. "Dean ..."

Dean grinned. "Oh yeah." Alex hauled the cooler across the seat, frowning at Dean's smug tone. "I ran into one of those motherfuckers myself."

Alex undid the latch and opened the lid, eyebrows lifting at the sight of Deputy Donelly's decapitated head. Their eyes locked, and the head bared its fangs. "Alrighty." Alex slammed the lid back down. "Done with that." She shoved the cooler back across the seat as she climbed out of the car. "Want me to kill it?"

"Hold off on that for a bit." Dean barely cast her a look, his eyes still on Sam. "I talked with Cas," he explained, "and he's looking into it. I sent him a picture of the fangs — I've never seen anything like that."

"Yeah, they looked pretty unusual," Alex agreed, slamming the car door and joining the brothers' conversation. "Well, at least we know what can kill them. Angel blade." She tapped her lower back where the handle of her weapon lay. "Did Cas have any ideas?"

"He managed to find a bit in between his binge watching. He thought it was a Whisper at first." Dean circled back around to the driver's side of the Impala, and Sam and Alex followed, climbing into the black car. "Uh, I guess they were supposed to be some freaky third cousin of werewolves or something?" He shrugged, dismissing the fact as irrelevant, and the Impala purred to life. "But I guess they only feed during the solar eclipse or some shit like that."

"Yeah, that's not for a while," Alex agreed from the backseat.

"And silver didn't do the trick, and decapitation just made him pissed." Dean's phone rang, and he dug around in his pocket with a grin. "Speak of the devil, huh? Hey, Cas." He held the phone out between him and Sam. "Tell me you got something that doesn't involve chicks in prison."

"Bet you never thought you'd say that out loud," Sam teased, and Dean rolled his eyes.

Castiel appeared not to have heard. "It's a nechzehrer. Nechzehrer," he repeated when Sam let out a confused noise. "A ghoul and vampire-like creature."

"A ghoul-pire!" Dean grinned at his joke. When Sam just rolled his eyes, he glanced back at Alex, his smile faltering slightly. "Right?"

Alex nodded, flashing her teeth in forced humor, but Castiel carried on as if he hadn't heard Dean's joke. "Some breeds feed on the flesh of the dead. Others feed on the blood and hearts of the living. They run in small packs, but they usually keep an extremely low profile."

Sam hummed, leaning forward in interest, but Dean merely grimaced. "Great. So how do we kill them?"

"Well, they're already dead," Castiel relayed. "So, in a manner of speaking, they just need to be reminded that they're dead. You need a Charon's obol."

Dean frowned, and Sam let out a quiet breath. "Of course," he agreed, and Dean's confusion visibly deepened. "Yeah, in ancient Greece, uh, when a person died, some people believed you had to put an obol, or a-a coin, in their mouth so they can use it as currency to be taken across the river to the underworld."

"Right," Castiel agreed, the low rumble of his voice almost lost beneath the hum of the engine. "You place a coin in a nechzehrer's mouth then sever the head, and that will kill them. And according to the lore, if you kill the pack's Alpha that way, everyone they've turned will revert back to human form."

"Awesome," Dean muttered, and Alex leaned forward to speak. "' That way'?" she repeated. "What — what if I just stabbed it with an angel blade? Because that definitely kills them."

"I don't know," Castiel admitted. "The lore just says that that's the way to reverse the effects. And according to the Men of Letters' records, you'll need a copper coin," he added after a second, and Alex fell back into her seat with a hum. "They used to use pennies, so you'll need one of those."

"Yeah, but one minted pre-1982," Sam quickly interjected, and when Dean looked over at him with a confused frown, he cleared his throat. "So, before 1982, pennies were ninety-five percent copper. Since then, they're only copper-plated zinc."

"Wow. Your nerdiness knows no bounds." With a roll of his eyes, Dean turned his attention back onto his phone. "Alright well, thanks, Cas. Good work. Way to come off the bench."

"What bench?"

"Just get back to getting better, okay?" Sam's encouragement was cut short as Dean hung up, and he dug around in his pockets with a sigh. Alex heard the jingle of loose coins as he pulled a handful of change from his jeans. "Hey, Pip, you should probably hold off on killing any more of those until we find out who the alpha is," Sam instructed, and Alex leaned forward with a frown. "If we're lucky, you haven't already killed them, and we can reverse this whole thing." He flipped through the pennies with a shake of his head. "I don't have any old pennies."

"Well, yeah." Dean scoffed as he tucked his phone back into his jacket. "I mean, who carries pennies these days anyways?"

"Stop the car." Sam reached for the door handle, and Dean slammed on the brakes. "There's got to be pennies in that gas station back there," Sam explained as the Impala pulled off onto the shoulder of the road. "I'll go get some and meet up with you later."

The door clicked as Dean locked them, and Sam glanced over at his brother with a frown. "Wait, Sam, we don't know who the alpha is," Dean protested.

"Yeah, well, you have someone who does." Sam jerked a thumb over his shoulder as he manually unlocked the door. "Text me when you find out, okay? We need to move fast before they kill anyone else."

The door slammed behind him, and Alex frowned as she watched him start off down the road. "Well, he's got a point," she finally admitted, and her grace undid the latch on the green cooler next to her. "Alright, asshat, you ready to talk?" She reached in and pulled the nechzehrer out by the hair, jerking back as the creature's jaw snapped furiously.

"Whoa!" Dean whipped around in his seat at the sound, his green eyes darkening slightly at the sight. "You sure you want to pull that thing out here?"

"It's not like it's going anywhere." Alex prodded the monster in the forehead, ignoring how it tried to lunge forward. "It's literally just a head." She gave it a shake to emphasize her words, and the head fell back into the cooler, leaving Alex with nothing but a handful of hair. "Ew." She reached back in to haul the nechzehrer back out. "Come on, talk."

No answer came, and Alex reached back to cup the nape of the neck so she could examine the wound where the neck should be. "Ah." She dropped the head back into the cooler, her grace tugging the lid down and locking it as she brushed her hands off on her jeans. "Good going, genius. You cut if off above the voice box. No wonder it ain't talking." Her wings flicked as she let out a low breath. "Where'd you leave the body?"

"Back a few miles." The tightness in Dean's words displayed his displeasure, and Alex slid over the seat so she was sitting at his side. "You mean you want to go back and put Frankenstein here back together again?"

Alex opened her mouth, ready to correct his reference, but she gave up with a roll of her eyes. "You got a better idea?"

Her answer came as Dean shook his head, and the car rumbled as he shifted back into drive. "Tell Sam we're going back to the crime scene," Dean muttered. "Have him meet us there." The car lurched forward, and Alex reached for her phone as it rushed off down the road.

The body of Deputy Donelly lay several yards away from the blood spattering that stained the ground, and Alex shot if a disapproving frown as she hauled the cooler out of the backseat of the Impala, her broken black wings flittering as the body gave a sudden, violent twitch. "Gross." She set the cooler down onto the ground with a roll of her eyes, and she heard the car door slam as Dean joined her out on the grass. "How do you want to tie him up?"

"I've got rope back here." The keys clinked in the lock as Dean opened up the trunk, and Alex hauled the spasming body up into a kneeling position. With a grimace, she wrapped her arms around his chest to hold him up, head tilted back to avoid the bloody stump that was its neck. She shifted when Dean started lashing the wrists together, and finally let the body go limp again when it seized.

She crossed over to the cooler and pulled out the head, chuckling as it snarled. "It's kind of cute, don't you think?" The head snapped against, and Alex held it out towards its body, her own head tilting as she contemplated what to do. "Do I just ... put it back on?"

The only answer came in the form of a shrug, and Alex slowly lowered the head down towards its neck. She kept her grace tucked inside, despite her curiosity, as the flesh knit back together beneath her hands, the wet, squelching sound filling the air. "Deputy." Alex stooped to look the bound monster in the eyes, her lips twisting in a smirk. "Mind if we ask you a few questions?"

Donelly's fangs retracted as he spat in her face, and Alex straightened up with a huff. "I ain't talking with you," he snarled, and Alex's fingers twitched as she reached around her back.

"Whoa." Dean caught her wrist, stopping her before she found her weapon. "We need him alive for a bit." Alex tugged against his hold, her lips pursed, but the Winchester didn't budge. "Take a seat if you can't keep it together."

"I know how not to kill someone." Alex ripped herself free with a roll of her eyes, and she returned her hands to her side. "But if he doesn't want to tell us who the alpha is, then we get to make him." She turned back to the nechzehrer, who was watching her with a disdained scowl. "Who's your daddy, huh?"

The nechzehrer chuckled, and Alex flicked her wings in displeasure. "You talk like you know who I am."

"That's because we do." Dean stepped forward, his arms folded across his chest. "You're a nechzehrer. And we know that one of your kind's been turning people in this town. And that one of them killed the sheriff."

"Lily." Deputy Donelly's lip curled up into a snarl as he spoke the name. "Rookies like her aren't up to snuff when it comes to keeping their feeding's quiet. I told her to wait until I could teach her myself."

"So you're the alpha."

"And you ain't as dumb as you look." Donelly met Dean's realization with a quip of his own. He looked between Dean and Alex, and his eyes visibly darkened as they came to rest on Alex's face. "I'll take it Lily ain't alive no more."

"Her and two others of your pals." Alex reached back to draw her angel blade, twisting the metal so it caught in the afternoon light. "One poke with this thing ... they all went down easily enough." She tucked her weapon back away, crouching down so she was level with Donelly. Her feet scuffed against the dirt as she did so, ready to shift back if the monster decided to lunge. "How many have you turned?"

"In the first hundred years? Three. In the last month?" Donelly grinned. "Sixteen."

His eyes turned upwards as Dean scoffed, and Alex followed his gaze. "What," the Winchester joked, "are you trying to field a baseball team?"

The humor was lost on the nechzehrer, whose round face hardened. "I need help, every strong hand I can find," he began, and Alex frowned at the note of gravity in this tone. "And I need an army to fight the Darkness." Alex glanced up at Dean, her wings twitching in concern, and Donelly chuckled. "Oh, it's coming for all of us. There's nothing hunters or any human can do about it."

Two steps took Dean to Alex's side, and she rose to her feet. "Do you know how to stop it?" she demanded.

The monster shook his head. "I don't think anything can stop it. I'm just trying to buy some time, so I'm turning as many strong men and women as I can." Donelly paused, his eyes turning between the two of them in an almost thoughtful manner. "Your brother will make a fine addition to the rank and file," he finally said, nodding towards Dean, and Alex felt the Winchester stiffen in surprise. "You'd make a good soldier, too, but you cut my head off, and I can't stand for that." Dean took a step forward, anger marring his face, but the nechzehrer didn't flinch away. "Oh, don't worry," he promised. "I'm an 'every part of the buffalo' kind of guy. Your death won't go to waste. You'll be your brother's first meal."

"Damn." Alex blinked, and her feathers rustled in amusement. "That's some pretty big talk, considering, well, one ..." She motioned between herself and Dean, "it's two against one. Two, you're all tied up. And, uh, three, I'm the one with the pokey death stick."

Donelly laughed, the sound a rough, harsh scoff. "I'm going to tear the two of you to shreds." Ropes ripped as he rose to his feet, his teeth bared as his fangs dropped down, glinting in the sun as Alex stepped back in surprise. Her hand went back for her weapon, but she stilled herself before she could grasp it, fingernails digging into her palm. Not yet. She had promised Sam that she would wait.

The nechzehrer threw himself forward, and Alex dove to the side, rolling with her shoulder as she hit the dirt. She heard a punch land, telling her that Dean hadn't ducked as she had, and she let her momentum carry her back up to her feet. Her wings stretched out to balance her as she spun around.

She barely had enough time to hit the dirt once again as Dean flew past her head, and she winced as she heard him hit a tree trunk with a heavy thud. "Dean?" Her grace stretched out to find the Winchester unconscious, his head lolled back against the grass.

Hands grabbed her jacket, hauling her to her feet, and Alex lashed out, breaking free of the nechzehrer's hold. "Don't touch me," she warned, a hand extended as she positioned herself between him and Dean. "Calm down, and let's just talk, okay? You — you've got to have some bad-guy speech prepared."

She ducked a punch and twisted away, reaching out to steady herself against the Impala as Donelly turned. Alex slipped forward, raining blows down upon the monster. Each one was blocked, and then hands grabbed her and lifted her into the air. The ground disappeared from beneath Alex's feet, and her broken wings flapped uselessly as she was flung backwards.

Glass shattered beneath her as she landed on the windshield, and Alex grunted in surprise as the breath was crushed from her lungs. She tried to roll off to the side, but her limbs refused to move, still shocked from the blow. Her grace pulsed outwards, restoring movement, but it was too late; Donelly hauled her back to her feet. "I thought about turning you," he hissed, and Alex turned her head away as his face inched closer to hers. "But you're so damn small."

Her back hit the ground as she was thrown away, and Alex pushed herself to her knees, wings rising as the monster approached. "Watch it, Deputy Fat Ass," she warned. "Just cause I'm smaller than you doesn't mean I can kill you with a snap of my fingers."

Her fingers came together, poised and ready as her grace flicked out in rage, but her threat died as her head snapped to the side. Monster forgotten, she probed at the Impala's interior, blinking as her grace brushed copper. There was copper in the car.

Alex threw herself at the door, flinging it open and falling onto the carpeted floor. It had to be a coin she was feeling; maybe a loose penny had fallen beneath the seats. She screamed as the door slammed shut with a supernatural force, crushing her legs, and her grace snapped out. The window above her exploded into shards, and the force sent the door flying back open with a bang.

Her fingers closed around a piece of fabric, and Alex yanked it out from beneath the seat. It was a purse, small and dark, and the angel ripped it open to find coins. This was it.

Her grace rushed through her, and Alex pushed herself to her feet and spun around to face Donelly, who was gripping his jaw with a deep-set scowl. Her eyes flickered down to Dean's machete, which lay by his outstretched hands, and she broke into a run towards it, dropping to one knee to slide as Donelly tore after her.

He crashed into her, and Alex dug her hands into his stomach as he tried to pin her to the ground. The purse fell, spilling its contents into the grass, and Alex kicked the monster away with a grunt of effort. She reached out, her fists closing around a handful of coins, and as Donelly jumped back towards her, she rolled over.

Her hand collided with his mouth, open wide in a snarl, and she clamped it over his mouth, trapping the handful of change behind his fangs. The nechzehrer's eyes stretched wide in surprise, and his body stiffened.

Alex pushed him off, snatching up the machete as she jumped on top of him. One swing cut through the spinal cord, and Alex felt the life leave his corpse as the head rolled across the grass. "Fuck." She threw her head back, the curse falling from her lips in a loud, drawn-out groan. "That was not worth it." With an angered huff, she drew her angel blade and drove it down into the nechzeher's chest. She felt the tip pierce the dirt beneath, stopping only when it hit a rock, and the angel reluctantly withdrew her weapon. "Stay dead this time, okay?"

She pushed herself to her feet, kicking at the decapitated head to send it bouncing across the clearing. Her eyes turned back onto the Impala, and her wings drew in at the sight. The back right window was missing, the shattered glass decorating the grass below it, and the windshield was caving inwards, the cracked glass looking like cobwebs. "Ah, man." Alex's shoulders slumped. "He's never gonna let me drive now."

A car engine rumbled in the distances, shaking Alex from her thoughts, and she hurried back to Dean, dropping down at his side. He shifted beneath her touch, groaning as his eyes flickered open. "What —"

"He knocked you out cold." Alex shifted back as Dean struggled to sit up, cradling his head in his hands. "Don't worry, though, he's dead." Her eyes flickered back towards the car, and she clenched her jaw; he'd find out soon enough.

A silver sedan rolled into view, and Alex jumped up, leaving Dean to recover on his own. "Sam." She hurried over as the taller Winchester stepped out of the car, her wings stretching out as she saw his eyes turn onto the Impala. "Donelly was the alpha. I ... I killed him. The traditional way," she quickly added. "Hopefully that reversed everything."

"It did." Sam tore his eyes away from the Impala, clearing his throat as he did so. "Uh, I got attacked by a couple of them back at the gas station. They must have followed us from the Markham's house. They chased me halfway down the road before they turned back." He looked over at Dean, but his hazel eyes couldn't help but drift back to the car. "What the hell happened?"

"What the fuck happened to my car?" Sam's question was harshly reiterated by his brother, and Alex flinched as Dean pushed himself to his feet. "How the hell did you do that?"

"I wasn't supposed to stab him, remember?" Alex retorted. "I was lucky I found those coins under the seat, otherwise I would still be stalling him." She flicked a wing towards the body, following the action with a point of her finger so the brothers could follow her motion. "If it makes you feel any better, that asshat slammed my legs in the door. I think he bruised them pretty good." She looked down at her jeans, grace flicking across the aching skin, and she looked over at Dean in hopes that her distress softened the blow of the damage.

Dean's teeth ground, but he restrained himself from snapping. "Donelly told us why he's been turning so many people," he finally said, turning his back to the car as he faced his brother. "He's creating an army because he's afraid of the Darkness."

"So even the monsters are scared of this thing." Sam's eye turned across the clearing, passing across the decapitated body and lingering on the broken windshield.

Dean scoffed. "Yeah, well, let them be." He reached into his pockets and dug out the Impala's keys, frowning as he stepped towards his car. Alex scooped up the machete and followed, keeping her eyes low as she passed by the shattered door window. "But the three of us, we're going to stop her."

He paused beside the driver's side door, his hand going up to feel the back of his head, and Alex frowned. "Hey, uh, Dean ..." She looked over at Sam, hesitance dancing through her eyes, and he gave her a small, barely perceptible nod. "Uh, you got knocked pretty good on the head there. Do you want me to drive?"

Dean blinked, surprised at the request, and Alex's hopes rose as the silence lengthened. Finally, he unlocked the door with a scoffing laugh. "Hell no," he retorted, and Alex's shoulders fell as he threw open his door. "Get in the back."